The Empath Alchemist {Edward Elric X Reader}

24

When one individual out of the remaining seven billion of the earth's population experiences a state of pure bliss and happiness, does it equate to true peace of mind? When one person in the world rejoices in the moments of their first kiss or the excitement in reuniting with a close friend, another person across the street could be drowning in self deprecating thoughts or struggling to live a proper, happy life under the intrusive hands of oppression wielded by their oppressor. Bliss could mean something for one person while it could mean something completely different for another.

Human beings were selfish creatures. When in the midst of blissful and gleeful moments, they thought only of the feelings they were experiencing rather than the thought that somewhere, on the other side of the globe, someone could have been having a significantly hard time pushing themselves out of their bed to start their day. Nevertheless, humans weren't created to experience such extreme levels of empathy at all times of the day. For if they had been, the very concept of bliss and peace of mind simply would not exist- not if everybody were in a constant state of worrying about the stability of another person.

Greed was not a human that could experience oppression and suffering on the levels of the aforementioned mortals, but his situation was far from blissful or pleasant. As (Y/n) and Edward basked in warmth and the pangs of first love that very night, Greed stumbled on his feet as he ran through the darkness, cutting through the atmosphere to jump from roof to roof, dashing as far away from the imposing swarm of shadows as he could. It was moments like these when he wished he hadn't let his stubbornness drive him to abandon the two kids. It was times like these when he wished he hadn't betrayed his kind, when he wished he wasn't tied to a human that forced his chaser to run rampant through the empty streets of North City. It was times like these when he wished he had just minded his business instead of investigating the feeling he had sensed when he first arrived in the north. He cursed his need to distract himself from the vulnerability he was displaying to Ling, that led him into the jaws of a feral monster- a demonic creature.

Greed wasn't sure how Pride had managed to reach the north so quickly, or maybe that was because he had been too preoccupied with (Y/n)'s life for him to realize how long Pride had been trekking through the country.

"Greed, where the hell are we going?!"

The Xingese boy questioned inside his head, and though the question was valid, Greed didn't have the patience to answer properly. As long as Pride swept through the darkness and spread pitch blackness like a disease carrying wildfire, there would be nowhere for him to go. The streets were empty, and Greed was grateful enough that no stupid human was out in the open while a Homunculus scoured through their city in search of prey to capture. Though if anyone had been outside, they wouldn't have noticed the shadow sweeping overhead, gaining on the dark haired man that hopped hastily between roofs.

Greed sprung from brick to brick with impressive balance and agility, high into the cool night sky as his bangs whipped about his face angrily. He kept moving, not looking back to ensure that the Homunculus was still following him. He could tell by the way the air behind him grew colder, and by the loudness of the hiss of a demonic being in his earshot. One second, Greed detected that Pride was practically looming over him- the space between their bodies closing in distance. The hair's on Greed's neck stood on end and his pupils shrank, but the next second, he felt nothing. His back was no longer cold and the sound that had been trailing behind him for the past twenty house roofs had gone silent. The Avaricious Homunculus narrowed his eyes and halted once he planted his feet atop a dead chimney. His chest rose and fell quickly as he caught his breath, and when he turned over his shoulder to prepare himself for a jump scare, he saw nothing but the rows of houses he had just hopped over. Pride was no longer in sight.