The Empath Alchemist {Edward Elric X Reader}

3

(Y/n) and the Elrics arrived in Central City at around 6:00, much later than they had intended.

Edward hadn't even thought of still going through with it after uncovering such horrific findings about the Philosopher's Stone. Neither had Alphonse. Neither of the boys wanted to hear another word about the damned thing or else they would have been sick.

But as Edward sat with his back hunched over his legs and Al with his knees to his chest, (Y/n) moved to pick up the book from the far corner of the room. No one questioned her, and Edward was just glad that the tears finally stopped flowing from her eyes. Whether they were for him or not, he despised seeing them on her face.

She stood and stared at the page that sparked Edward's mind into ignition, the same page she had caught a glimpse of in the library before she had to evacuate. The same page that mentioned the stone- one of two pages that mentioned it, in fact. She stared at it, wondering how in the hell Edward was able to come to such a drastic revelation with so little clues. She knew his and Al's minds were intellectually inclined, but she still couldn't understand how Edward pieced everything together in an hour.

She sniffed, glancing past the pages and at the boys before flipping through the rest of the book. She saw the mention of experiments, same as Edward had, and the subtle reference to the lives being tested on when she squinted in between the text. The (h/c) haired girl wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for anymore, perhaps a mention of anything that could get the boys back onto their feet and refuel their hearts with determination rather than hopelessness.

What she noticed in one of the last pages was eye catching enough for her to jump a bit. It was a research entry, just like the rest of the pages, but it spoke of a prison.

"Edward."

The said brothers looked up to her, acknowledging her voice with their eyes.

"Y-You said that some of the people used to create the stone... they were prisoners, right? That's what you said?"

He hated to think about it, much less to say it. "The notes documented how the people being tested on and experimented with didn't protest or really know what was going on when they were told to be a part of this. It didn't outright say or prove this, so it's just a theory... but the only people that sick bastards like the one who wrote this would use as guinea pigs are people who have nothing left to lose. Prisoners, death row inmates, people living in- in poverty... etcetera."

(Y/n) noticed the hesitation in Ed's voice when he spoke of the latter, but she didn't have time to dwell on it much. "I don't think your theory is wrong. As a matter of fact, I'm sure it's spot on. It says here that there was a considerable amount of time that this scientist spent at a prison. It's not blatant, in fact it only really hints at it. But- it's there. And there's no other reason why someone who appears to have been so busy with experimenting would stop by a jail in their free time."

"Is there something you're trying to say?"

(Y/n) inhaled, crinkling the fragile book in her hands. "I think this is a sign that we should still head to Central as soon as possible."

There was silence, the only audible sound being Al's metal body shifting at her proposal. "But, (Y/n) is there really any point anymore?"

The fifteen year old could feel her heart sink at the sentence that just left the fourteen year old's mouth. Of course there was a point, of course there was. Al needed his body back- his life back. That's the point, to keep fighting and searching until they knew peace again. Until (Y/n) felt and saw their colors change to brighter and happier pigments of emotion. Her eyes moved to Ed's frame, catching his eyes dart from hers as soon as they met his. She knew he still had hope, she knew the both of them did- they were just hesitant. Afraid to worsen something that already looked so bad.