The Water Alchemist

Deafening Silence

"Hey, what's that light?" Heinkel asked his hand over his forehead, staring up at the sky. Ed sighed.

"You mean the sun?" he chuckled, his hands casually behind his head as he trudged on, but the caravan stopped. He turned, raising a brow at them, noticing they were all looking to the sky— even Greedling.

"No, I see it too," Darius confirmed. "It's a red light. I'm pretty sure." Ed frowned, dropping his arms, striding up to them.

"Alright, what are you looking at?" Ed asked, squinting. Greedling took it upon himself to adjust Ed's gaze, and as his eyes fell upon the light, Ed gasped. Sure enough, a red light blinked across the sky. "No way. How is that...?" His breath caught a moment before he drifted from the road and jumped down into the field of flowers, his eyes trained on the light.

"Ed, hang on!" Heinkel called.

He willfully ignored the calls of his comrades, their voices distant echoes. His feet moved without him even thinking as he waded through the field, picking up speed as the light descended over the horizon. As Ed moved closer, he began running, the light becoming brighter with each step. His heart raced, and his feet barely kept up as the light fell further and further— like a shooting star, looking for a place to rest. Ed stumbled over a vine and cursed to himself, landing on his knee, but he pushed himself back up, now identifying what the light was. Ed rushed forward with the last push of his energy, his heart ready to beat out of his chest, and positioned himself beneath the fallen star. He held his arms out and prepared for the impact, which sent him and the star across the field, leaving crushed flowers in their wake. Ed grunted as they slid to a stop, and a star – no, a girl – rested on his chest. She looked out of place, wearing a t-shirt and cropped pants of an odd material Ed had only ever seen once before and a backpack he didn't recognize. But he couldn't mistake the constellation of freckles, the gilded strands that had grown longer, framing her face. The unmistakable warmth of something lost, now found.

"Marina?" he breathed, pushing up to his elbows, the girl lying on his chest still unconscious. At the sound of his voice, her eyes fluttered, her long eyelashes blinking a few times. Eventually, she looked up at him, and the endless ocean in her eyes swallowed Ed into their cool and tranquil depths. She sat up suddenly, startling him a little bit, as she seemed to inspect herself, checking that she was all there. She looked back to him when she finished, her eyes shiny, her smile bright as he'd always seen it. She suddenly tackled him to the ground in a flourish, and Ed huffed a laugh, a mixture of emotions rushing through him. Not only was she alive, but she was here, with him. He never imagined he'd ever see her again, let alone hold her. But she was there, heavy over his chest, warm in his arms. He drew her in close, resting his hand atop her head, staring up at the mighty blue sky. The heavens must have heard him after all. "You came back to me."

***

That same awful sensation tore through me and broke me apart bit by bit, sending me swirling back to the void. But this time, I welcomed it. This time I knew what I was doing. This time it was purposeful. I was spat out into the bleak whiteness, tumbling a moment before my body came to rest. I groaned, trying to get the world to stop spinning. As my focus returned, it pinpointed the being I was looking for.

"Back so soon?" Truth asked, seeming bewildered. I huffed a laugh, lifting myself from the ground.

"I'm not done," I stated, staggering to my feet. My side hurt from the impact, but I ignored it, staring Truth down. "Not yet."

"Oh?" they said, rising, mirroring me.

"I want another shot," I said, rolling my shoulders back, my fists clenched at my side. "At figuring out your riddle."