The Water Alchemist

A Chance Encounter

Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter Two

 A Chance Encounter

*** 

When I woke up, I faced a white expanse that stretched on for miles and miles. My vision blurred as I attempted to open my eyes, the vast wash of white too bright. As my eyes adjusted with a few calculated blinks, I noticed there was not one splash of color, not one soul, nothing but me within this space. I was utterly alone. I attempted to prop myself up, much to my body's dismay, and my head swam with each movement. I ignored my dizziness and attempted to deduce where the hell I was.

Heaven? I thought briefly. It seemed a little too on the nose that it would really be this white. It was almost too pure. I tried to focus on the last thing I remembered. I was at home on my bed, and then—

"Agh!" I cried out, as a searing pain rippled through my head. The black arms of my nightmares bubbled to the surface of my memory. I groaned as the migraine raged on. I must have hit my head on something but considering there was a whole lot of nothing around me, I had no idea what it could have been. I attempted to move to an upright position and then to stand. My knees buckled almost immediately, and I landed on my elbow. I cursed under my breath and tried again to stand. I was a little more stable this time, but not by much.

"I see you're up," a voice cooed.

I turned to my left at the sound with a swift jolt. The movement was too sudden, and I felt lightheaded again. I dropped to my knees and grasped my head in my hands reflexively as if the motion would somehow stop the pain within. When I looked to the source of the voice – a bit more carefully this time – no one was around, and I was still alone.

Am I losing it? I thought, glancing about. You've already lost it being here, wherever here is.

"Who's there," I asked, my voice hoarse and strained. Where had that voice come from? My mouth was drier than it had ever felt before. I looked around and caught something as it moved in the corner of my eye. As soon as I laid eyes on them, I knew who I was dealing with. Fear shot through me, crippling my movement. Panic surged in my chest. "Truth?"

"Clever girl," the figure clapped mockingly. They were as white as the room, shrouded in a dark and sinister aura. Their face was as blank as if molded in gray clay and left unpainted, save for an ominous grin. The figure sat on the floor across from me at a distance. "Just like someone I used to know. An old friend, if you will."

"What the hell is going on?" I asked nervously. I stared down a would-be make-believe character from a serialized anime. I shouldn't be here. I hadn't performed any alchemy. It wasn't even possible. "Oh, I get it."

When the realization hit, I smacked my face with a resounding thwack. The impact echoed through the void. I immediately regretted it, and I yelled out in pain as my brain rattled around in my skull. It had to be a dream. But it felt real enough.

"You sure are a lively one," Truth remarked. "This should be interesting."

I smacked my face again, felt the bitter sting left on my hands and cheeks. My mouth was dry, and I gasped for air, which smelled like an unscented dryer sheet, stale and crisp. I shouldn't be able to smell the air, feel my cheeks sting, or my head swim in a dream.

Shit shit shit, I thought. Not good at all.

"Let's say this is real, which it can't be since it's an anime, a show—"