Stand by You

XXIII

"Between?"

"There are no exits, nor any ways out. All we can do is use up our strength and wait for our lives to end. Guys, all we can do is wait around in here to die."

"No way...I be damned if that's true! Don't go telling us crap like that, Envy! Hey!"

"There isn't any exit?" Ling asked harshly, pupils dilated. Even the news was heavy for me to swallow as well. Dying in a sea of blood by starvation and dehydration and even insanity is a very barbaric way to go.

"We're going to die in here?" I gulped.

"Hey...hey!" Edward was losing it. "Hold on! If I die...what's Al gonna do? I promised him! We're going to get back to normal together! Damn it! Doorways and creating things aside, just who is this Father?"

"Is it Führer Bradley?" I blurted out suddenly. I mean, it made sense. Being a leader of a country is a great coverup for being the leader of the Homunculus.

"Bradley?" Envy scoffed. "Ha! No, he's just a Homunculus."

"I knew it," Edward muttered. "The Fifth Laboratory...human lives used to make Philosopher's Stones...Homunculi...of course the Führer is one too, then are you guys behind the Ishval War?"

"Ishval?" Envy laughed manically, as if he enjoyed the memories of the war. "I've never had a job more delightful than that one. Do you know what trigger was that started the uprising?"

"If I recall, a military soldier accidentally killed an Ishvalan child."

"Yes. And I, Envy, am the very person who shot that child."

The atmosphere grew tense once more as I realized that it was Envy's fault for the civil war, which in turn meant he was unintentionally at fault for the death of my parents as well as Winry's parents. "That felt good," Envy chuckled, as if he was telling a bedtime story to a small child. "The civil war flared up right before my eyes, all over one bullet. Man, that was a real thrill. Ah, and incidentally...the officer that I, Envy, turned myself into was a moderate, who opposed the military's intervention in Ishval. And that guy...he couldn't even account for himself, and was court-martialed! You humans really are easily manipulated creatures."

"So, you're the one who shot that innocent child?" Edward repeated. "Who ruined our home, and drove out the Ishvalans? The one who made Scar so hell-bent for vengeance? The reason why Winry's and Evelyn's parents were taken from her?"

At that moment I realized that with Envy, causing the death of my parents was the push towards the sequence of events that lead to the derailment and the death of Grace and me losing an arm. Before I could react, Edward lost it. "Ed..." I started, watching him sprinting towards Envy and swung his fist back with all his might and punched Envy across the face.

Envy didn't even move from the impact of the punch as he remained in the same position. He didn't even flinch?! I though.

"So, that's how you wanna play you punks?" Envy roared as red lightning sparked around him.

"Edward, get back!" Ling yelled as he stepped back. Envy stood up, the lightning sparking faster and brighter, as up he if was gathering power.

"We're all going to die here, anyway," he growled. "Let me show you something for you to pass on."

He turned green and began to morph, the lightning sparking him as he transformed into a huge green beast and his neck seemed to be made entirely of green faces. "Did any of you saw his footprints during outer fight in the forest?" Ling asked.

"No, why?" Edward replied.

"He seemed unusually heavy for his size," he gulped. "And now I think we all know why!"