2nd Memory: hearing and sight
A vast desert spread out all around him, bright sunlight beating down from what seemed like all directions. He knew he was running, the myriad dunes quietly sliding by as he moved, but strangely he didn’t feel hot, or even marginally warm. He could hear a strange metallic sound, steady but not quite mechanic, while somewhere behind him someone was panting heavily. The panting sounds became more distant, like a gap was growing between himself and the other person.
“How come you’re so fast?” The familiar voice, out of breath and strained, called out to him from behind.
“Eh?” He began to jog on the spot, turning as he did so to reply. “My body just seems awfully light for some reason. If you’re tired, should we take a break?”
He stopped jogging as Ed trudged the final few paces toward him, the short boy’s breath still coming in heavy rasps. Apparently they’d been running for a while. Ed leaned over a bit and rested his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.
“We can’t.” The words came out between wheezing breaths. “What you said before was probably the truth.”
“About Fuhrer Bradley?” His own voice again, this time sounding much more serious and concerned. In his mind he began to recount something.
“That man… the Fuhrer... is a Homunculus!” A woman, her voice filled with fear. As she spoke he also remembered the face of a man, older and fairly serious. He seemed to be rapidly approaching Al, until they were literally eyeball to eyeball. But instead of a normal eye, the older man’s left eye was completely white, save for a red ouroboros.
His mind was drawn out of the short reverie as Ed continued to speak. He had finally caught his breath, but was still leaning over, hands on his knees.
“This time, the Fuhrer was commanding the mission. I don’t think it was Envy taking his place. Besides… the Fuhrer’s secretary was a Homunculus. If we go back to the military, you and I would both be…”
He had started a bit at his brother’s mention of the secretary, taking the momentary pause as an opportunity to ask his own questions.
“Then sure enough, that secretary lady is-“
“Don’t say it.” Ed finally pulled himself upright, although his head was still facing toward the bright sand. His voice sounded stern, yet weary, as though he knew all too well what was going to be said.
“But Sensei said that Homunculi are made when human transmutation fails.” He took a few steps toward Ed as he spoke, something in his voice suggesting a strange kind of urgency.
“I told you not to say it!” Ed finally raised his voice, turning sharply to face his brother. By chance, Ed raised his left arm just as Al reached out to touch his brother’s shoulder, resulting in Ed’s elbow colliding sharply with Al’s armoured hand. Instead of one being knocked away by the other, however, a strange red light appeared.
Without warning the desert disappeared, to be replaced by a white light and a gigantic, looming black gate. It quickly moved toward them, the doors flying open just before it nearly crashed into them. On the other side was the shape of a young boy. It was impossible to see any of his features, but they both knew who it was by the silhouette alone. As the boy drew closer, a strange hissing noise rang in their ears, becoming almost deafening until the vision abruptly ended.
[ooc note: Sorry to the mods that it took me so long to post this. I figured with all of the stuff going on last month (body swap, 4th floor) that it would be easier to just wait and do this afterward.]