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The silhouette of the house stood sharply against the early morning sky, still dark and dotted with stars but tinting purple at the edges.
Ed stared at it, letting its shape burn itself into his memory.
He knew leaving it behind was the right thing.
All his failures, his foolishness incarnate, all his pain and grief made palpable, condensed under one roof.
In this crisp late September air, it didn't taste as bitter.
There was something hopeful about it almost, the prospect of leaving all this behind.
Fixing what he had destroyed.
This time tomorrow he'd be in Central City, ready to take the State Alchemist exam.
Whatever tests they'd put in front of him, Ed knew they wouldn’t be much of a challenge, not compared to what he'd already done. Then he'd return here with the rank, name and, most importantly, privileges of a State Alchemist, and he’d make it right.
Whatever it took, however long it took, he’d make it right. He would get Alphonse’s body back. He’d fix it.
There was no room for doubt. No room for hesitation.
He'd leave Resembool with Al, and he wouldn’t return before he’d fixed it.
This house … he had to let go of it. It was no longer home, hadn’t been for a long time now, and any happy memories he had connected with it had long since been overwritten with blood and screams and pain and horrors beyond human comprehension.
It looked down on him now in innocent silence, as if deep in its belly wasn’t all of Ed’s misery and guilt. All of his sin.
“Brother?”
Al’s tinny voice tore him out of his thoughts and his eyes away from the dark shape.
“We should go if you want to catch your train.”
Ed gave a wordless nod and turned his back on the house, leading the way down the path towards the village.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
Ed gave him a wan smile. “I’ll be fine.”
Al’s glowing eyes were twin beacons in the darkness. “It’s a long journey to Central City, and you haven’t taken any long trips with your automail before, and being all on your own …”
Ed shook his head, eyes fixed on the dark shape of the village against the brightening horizon. “I’m perfectly healthy, Al. Granny said so too. And I’ll only be on my own until East City. I’ll be taking the trip to Central with that Colonel, remember? I can make it to East City just fine.”
An uncertain hum next to him. “I wish I could come with you.”
“I know. But we don’t want people asking questions about your body, so it’s best you stay here. It’s only for a few days. And once I pass the exam we can get out of here together.”
The soft clatter of Al’s nod was almost lost among the clang of his steps.
They passed the rest of the way in silence, but when they reached the edge of the village, Ed hesitated, turning back once more.
The house had receded into the distance, much higher above them now and yet nowhere near as looming. The first tentative rays of sunlight were touching its roof and dripping down the timber, lighting it up in burning reds and yellows.
“Brother?”
Ed watched as the sun climbed inexorably higher, dipping more of the house into flames until it was consumed entirely by light and he had to squint against the glare reflecting off its windows.
A new day.
“Brother!”
Ed’s eyes snapped back to Al who was watching him, head tilted.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Fine”, Ed murmured, blinking away the flickering spots dancing in his vision, then turned his eyes forward again, to the train station not far ahead now. “The train will be here soon.”
Al fell into step beside him again, but Ed could feel his eyes clinging to him, assessing. “Maybe you should—”
“I’ll call Granny’s once I’ve made it to Central”, Ed cut across him. “Just stay with her and Winry while I’m away. I don’t want—”, he cleared his throat. “There’s no need for you to stay in that house all by yourself.”
“Mh.”
As they approached the platform, Ed patted his coat pocket for his train ticket, other hand squeezing the handle of his suitcase firmly.
Looking along the tracks, he could already see the approaching cloud of steam in the distance.
“Brother?”
Ed took a deep breath and tore his eyes away from the trail the engine left in its wake to look up at Al again.
Al twisted his fingers together like he’d always do when he didn’t dare say something, like a boy, he’s still just a boy.
“Um … promise you won’t leave me behind?”
Ed’s stomach twisted up with how uncertain he sounded. “Al—”, he dropped his suitcase with a thunk and laid his hand on Al’s arm, squeezing. “Of course not! Why would you say that?”
Al pulled up his shoulders, and for a suit of armour two metres tall he looked so, so small. “Only … you keep talking like it's just your responsibility and …”
Ed shook his head emphatically. “I will never leave you behind. We’re in this together, Al. I'll go get my state certification and then I’ll come get you and we’ll—we’ll leave here together. We’ll—”
Al held his eyes for a long moment, then he nodded slowly.
Behind him the train entered the station with a hiss, and Ed picked his suitcase up again.
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
Al said nothing, just watched him climbing up the creaking steps.
“I promise.”
The doors of the carriage slammed shut between them and Ed turned away, unwilling to watch Al disappear behind him.
He found a seat by the window and settled in for the journey, watching the houses of Resembool slip past, watching his own house in the distance until the train’s billowing cloud of smoke swallowed it.