Cardinal Sin (1) : Rebirth of the Fullmetal Alchemist

24 - Reawakening

Al was screaming.

Imogen, who'd rushed into the room at the sound and because of the red light shining through the cracks of the door, was now also screaming.

There was a lot of screaming in general.

Out of the blue, Ed's body had begun to emit a soft, red glow. At first, it was confusing, and Al's primary reaction was an internal panic. However, the light's intensity swiftly escalated until it was practically blinding. Through it, Al could barely discern a miraculous phenomenon.

Ed's wounds were healing themselves, his body surrounded by small flickers of lightning-like flashes. A fresh layer of skin covered the newly attached muscle on his chest, the seams that had been sewn in after the incision burst. A new head grew in the place of the ruined one. First, the skull appeared, then the muscle, and skin. Golden hair popped out of his scalp and grew instantly to its previous length while all the crushed flesh and bone that comprised of Ed's former head was shed, falling to the table. Under sunken eyelids manifested what must have been a brand new set of eyes.

In an instant, the red light died out and the electric lights on the ceiling were once again dominant. As it did, Al clamped his mouth shut, cutting off his shrieks. Imogen had long since sunk into a state of shock, trembling in the far corner of the room.

Bewildered, the young man thought, 'That... That was a human transmutation, I'm sure of it! But... how on earth?! And who and when?!'

Al took a cautious step towards the bed.

It was then that he beheld the most supernatural sight in his life; a dead man sitting bolt upright.

Unsurprisingly, more screaming made itself heard.

The undead Edward Elric slowly turned his head in his younger brother's direction. His pupils were a deep shade of red, flicked here and there with a brighter shade of the same colour. He cocked his head, eyes riveted on Al, who was now plastered against the wall, trying desperately to convince himself that this was nothing more than a dream.

Regrettably, Al was abandoned in this nightmare when Imogen, scared out of her wits, rushed out of the room. The first thing she did was sprint to the phone, and smash the keys to dial the number to Mustang's office. When someone picked up on the other end of the line, she interrupted their inquiring "Hello" by screeching, "Edward Elric is rising from the dead! He's coming back to life!"

Shortly thereafter, the forensic pathologist fainted, leaving Mustang to holler his unanswered questions into the receiver.

Back in the autopsy room, nothing much had changed. The live corpse was still sitting up, staring at his petrified brother.

Then, Ed opened his mouth. He said in a low, normal but almost sad voice, "Al. You're here. Have I really been dead that long?"