Panic Overflow

Warning for torture (gore), implied coarse language and dark themes

I wrote this for a Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic challenge on FMA Animo

Decided to post it just cause why not XD
Enjoy XD

Frozen with fear, a deer in head lights, stunned, however, you describe it. Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist stood in the doorway of the basement of, what he could have argue was the Devils home.

His brother questioned his sudden stop. The child's voice echoing within the towering armor. You would not suspect that to be where the voice came from.

Ed couldn't answer his brother. How could he?

His biggest mistake stood before him.

That night haunted in front of his open eyes. He didn't even need to blind or fall asleep to experience this nightmare. It was playing for him in reality, how much scarier could this moment be?

To see your nightmare, the nightmare you see each night in front of your eyes, solid, real... Calling your name.

"Ed...ward... Ed...ward..." The dry voice asked from the darkness, "Ed...ward... Ed...ward... Co...come... Come..." It's black fingers extending towards him, ushering him forward, "Join... Me..." It croaked, "Join... Your... Poor... Dead... Mother... Ed...ward... Ed...ward..." it chanted, "Ed...ward... Ed...ward..."

Ed's gaze was dragged into the black eyes, the black hand and the backwards jaw which sat loosely on the up facing skull.

It was a skeleton, coated in black flesh, dripping off like wax as it dragged itself towards the door. It's legs uselessly dragging behind itself as it kept a hand extended as it chanted, "Ed...ward... Ed...ward..." In its dry voice, the other hand pathetically pulling itself along.

Ed sucked in a panicked breath, his brother noticing, "What's wrong, Brother?" Alphonse questioned quietly, no answer was given. He tried again, "Brother? What's wrong?"

The older brother opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out was a dry breath. He was so scared, so horrified.

Yet only one brother could see the nightmare.

"Brother?" Al's tone now consumed by worry, "Brother, talk to me!"

Cold sweat collecting on Ed's forehead.

"It looks real. Doesn't it, Edward." A cynical voice echoed from the room.

A man in a clean white coat came next to the dragging corpse, his glasses cracked, no glass sitting within the frame, a cut running along his nose where the glasses sat. Edward punched the man earlier, smashing the glass, cutting his nose.

Why had Ed punched him?

He said something horrific about their mother.

Why did he know of their mother?

He had been stalking the two for some time after their father's departure.

Why was he stalking them?

No clue. But. That is why the boys stood in his home, the home of the devil. A sick-o. A psychopath. A sociopath. He could be called many names, all describing his vial nature. He had no regard for human rights. Torture, experiments, stalking, it was all on the table for this man, Ed was sure he would rape someone if he needed to. Everything was 'in the name of science' so it was ethically acceptable. He was a sick bastard. It made Ed sick.

But at this moment, he had crossed a line. A line he hoped to never return to.

That night.

That stupid night...

When they tried to bring their dead mother back to life.

Only to bring back a monstrous beast that was anything but their mother, taking everything from them.

"You're truly scared!" The man laughed

"Brother? What are you scared of?" The armour still hovering behind his brother who blocked the door. His metal arm latched to the door frame beside him, splintering the wood.

Ed still couldn't speak.

"Why your dearest mother of course." The man chirped, "Well, her dreadful reincarnation you two very rudely messed up." The man mocked.

"What does he mean, Brother?! Brother!"

"One touch was all it took. I didn't even need to go to him. He came to me." He laughed, "One touch and a transmutation circle activated, linked to this room. It projects a person's greatest fears, greatest mistake." He grinned sickly.

The body was within inches of Ed, "Ed...ward... Ed...ward..." It's hand hovering towards his left hand, "Ed...ward... Ed...ward..."

It's bone fingers brushing Ed's own. He found his voice, "Get away!" He wailed, smacking the hand from his own. Ed taking a step back, Al took his shoulders in his huge hands.

"Brother, It isn't real." Al pleaded, "It may seem real but it isn't."

Ed struggled in his grip, "Let me go, Al! Let me go!"

All the while the man laughed wickedly.

"I'm sorry, brother," Al muttered.

He raised his hand, smacking it across Ed's face, "Snap out of it, Edward Elric!" He snapped at his brother.

Ed stopped dead in his grip, but Al knew it wasn't the slap that stunned his brother.

He saw a shiver roll across his brother, hearing his brother whimper, "It's touching me... Please... Al... Let me go... It... It's touching me... Please... Al..."

The cold hands climbing up Ed's body, running up his chest, reaching for his face, "Ed...ward... Come... To your... Poor... Dead... Mother... Ed...ward..."

"Listen to me, Brother. It's not real." Al insisted to his brother.

"But it's cold..."

"I know, Brother. Let's get this guy and it'll be gone. Alright?"

Ed paused before responding, "Promise?" Sounding like a helpless child

"Yeah, promise." Ed nodding at Al's comment. His eyes coming up to focus on Al. They had an unspoken understanding.

Let's go and kick the bastards ass

It all happened so quickly.

Ed punched the man. Al charged in after him.

Ed and Al both getting a few good hits in. The man didn't know how to fight.

Yet he won.

Melting the boys metal feet to the wooden floor.

But why doesn't Ed unplug his automail?

His leg was fused to the wooden floor when he stood on an array. Wood creeping up to his knee.

Al could see Ed shaking and shivering, even whimpering. Al knew Ed could still see and feel the thing.

Ed feeling its hands creep closer to his face, the cold breath chanting his name.

"Who would have know that grief was such a wonderful distraction." Her cheered, "Now right to it." He clapped his hands as he walked over to Ed, he flicked a piece of chalk from behind his fingers, "To the circle."

The man quick at his work, Ed disgusted and distracted by their false mother, Al had to decipher the circle alone.

But that didn't take too long.

It was the easiest circles to recognise.

Human transmutation.

"What are you doing?" Al asked bluntly

"Why bring back my wife." The man replied happily.

"Why are we at the center then?"

"You see. I saw how you failed. You didn't have enough of a sacrifice!" He said as if he was lecturing, "I need something the gate really wants! The rest of your body," pointing to Ed, "and your soul." gesturing to Al. "Finishing his collection."

"You're delusional! Human transmutation doesn't work! Aren't we proof enough." Ed said weakly

The man ignored them and finished his circle.

"Let's see who's delusional when I have my wife back." He knelt at the edge of the circle.

"DON'T!" Al wailed

"WAIT!" Ed pleaded

All in vain. He slapped his hands onto the wooden floor, "Come home to me, my love."

The world Ed awoke in rang and spun around him. His body weighed like lead, his eyes unfocused, dizzily rolling around in his skull behind closed eyelids.

He could hear yelling echoing in the distance, creeping closer.

His attempts to move only resulted in the commanded limb twitching.

Ed could feel the sun beat down on his face, burning through his eyelids. A realisation made his heart skip a beat. He was inside... during winter... How was the hot, summer sun burning at his face?

Another sensation drilled questions through his skull. He was lying on dirt and rock, which dug painfully into his back. And there were a large number of voices which kept inching closer.

His body refused to move, to let him configure his surroundings.

He had had enough when he heard the sound of jangling metal come close to his head, to then be met with the head of a stall push his head sideways. Ed scrunched his eyes closed further, trying to make his eyes cooperate.

His movement was met with a harsh sounding man bark, "It's waking up. Hurry."

The last thing he heard was a chant surround him, everything just fading.

Ed's head heavily weighted itself down, finally waking up.

He felt his arms strung to the wall either side of himself, his legs in a similar fashion. His waist was being pinned to the wall, uncomfortable pushing his hip into the cold wall behind him. His chin sat comfortably on his chest.

He listened carefully as he began to wake up.

"What is it?"

"Beliar, the earth elemental demon. He's a powerful demon, he's said to be one of Satan's best. He manipulates earth... What he was doing defeated like he was... I just wonder what could have caused it..."

"You're worried?"

"Very."

"What are we going to do with him?"

"Keep him like he is, sealed until we can think of a better containment system."

"He seems young... Wasn't Beliar an old man, or at least older than a child."

"He has the markings, the lines run along his arms and legs, joining at his chest. And he has the stunted tail."

A sigh was heard, "That doesn't mean-"

"-It really does."

"What about spawn?"

"That could be an option."

He finally found the strength to open his eyes. His golden eyes drowsily opened.

"He's waking up!" One of them said panicked.

"He's sealed. No need to panic." Another said calmly.

"We triple checked those seals." A woman added.

His head dizzily rose, slowly scanning his surroundings. The room he had been pinned to the wall in was dark, cold and damp.

The walls covered in black mold, water dripping from the far corner, creating a dark pool of water. Three people stood in front of a large metal door, covered in pieces of paper with the word 'seal' written over them.

The two men and a woman, all wore the same uniform, long navy blue coat, a red and blue pin sitting on their collars.

The woman had long, flowing black hair, reaching past her hips, braided, a string of hair ran on the left side of her face reaching just past her shoulder. Her face was soft, her chin coming to a soft point. Her eyes a deep blue.

The younger man had messy blond hair, hair coming just above his eyes. His round face holding a pair of amber brown eyes.

The older man had short hair, held atop his head. His boldface, squared chinned and piercing brown eyes created an understanding of a troubled childhood.

Ed's voice came out hoarse and weak when he questioned, "Where am I?" Pulling lightly on his arms as he asked.

"Don't try. That seal will hold you for the rest of your life." One of the said proudly.

Ed's eyes drifting to what held his arms to the wall, thick metal braces secured to the wall, the paper with 'seal' written on them covering the whole brace. He was held just off the ground.

"Seal?..." Ed said dumbly

"You do know what a seal is right?..." The voice of the man who panicked said.

"Where am I?! And who are you?!" Ed demanded.

The man who panicked spoke again, "Cocytus, in the Vatican. We are exorcists."

He paused, Ed echoed, "Exorcist?..." The man continued.

"Are you sure about this, Sir... He doesn't seem... Aware of his current situation. Are you sure..." The young man stopped himself when the older one sighed.

"What crap are you pulling?" The man seemed aggravated.

Ed finally found his aggression when the man snapped at him, "Crap?! Crap! Crap I'm pulling?" He laughed, "What about the crap you're pulling? This is called kidnapping!" Pulling on his binds as he barked at the three in front of him. They wouldn't budge

"Sir-" The youngest said, the woman putting her hand in front of him to stop his speech.

"Tell me, kid. Who are you?" She asked calmly, the other man about to speak, she stopped him.

"I am Edward Elric! The Fullmetal Alchemist! Only crazy psychopaths kidnap someone without knowing who they are." Ed pouting the last of it.

"Tell me then," she paused, "Edward," over-enunciating his name, "Have you heard of demons?"

He just laughed in response, "Yes. Like I've heard of angels and God and the tooth fairy."

The older man's teeth gritted, she kept his quiet, "What about exorcists?"

"Yeah. The crazy religious persists who go around and throw salt at people who need to go to the nut house." Ed's tone became arrogated again, "Now what does this have to do with me being KIDNAPPED!?" Pulling on his binds again

She just turned around the lead the other two out, Ed wailing, "Hey! Come back! Oi! Where are you going?!" His voice blow away by the sound of the creaking hinges of the door.

Ed just slumped against the binds when the door crunched shut, muttering, "Shit. They're crazy nutters."

The women and the two men soon returned. She carried a thick book in her hands on her entry. The book was a faded, dull red, the covers and pages tattered and ripped. It looked, at least, a hundred years old.

She stopped a good five meters from him before she opened the book to a dog tagged page.

"Beliar." She said boldly

"Who?" Ed interrupted.

She simply continued "Know as the demon of lies. The worthless. The ruler of lawlessness. With the following of, sons of the worthless also know as the sons of darkness." She paused, raising her eyebrow as if he were to answer her.

"You've done your homework on the subject I see." Ed said blandly, a smirk creeping on her face, "I would say if knew who that was." His tone flat.

The older man stepped from behind the woman and spoke with rage, "You have two metal limbs! You possess the markings! You have a tail! How can you say you are not, Beliar the demon?!"

"Because I'm human!" Ed wailed back, "I'm not a demon! You are all crazy! Total nutters!"

"Look at the marks!" He wailed, stepping towards him. He lifted up Ed's shirt, blue lines ran from both arms and legs, joining where his heart sat in his chest. Creating a swirled mark.

"What...?" Ed wasn't sure when the marks had appeared, or how they got there. But between when he blacked out and now. They had appeared.

The woman's smirk dropped, she sighed, "He'll speak the truth. We just need to loosen his tongue. Then he shall tell us of the secrets of Gehenna." Her smile grew wickedly on her face, "Shall we begin?" Turning to face the youngest, who held a large steel box. He heavily placed it on the ground on the command.

She slowly opened it, blocking it from his view, "My names Nao. It means honest. I shall make you honest, Beliar." She pulled out a long curved knife, running her finger along the blade, "I shall make you honest." Her blue eyes reflecting the light.

Ed gulped loudly, "Wait a minute. Let's just take a second! Talk this out!" His voice speeding up and raising a pitch in fright.

"We tried that." The older man said.

Nao slowly stepped towards him, "This is the blade of Darkness." She grabbed his long shirt sleeves from his wrists, ripping it off his shoulder, dropping the sleeve on the ground, "It is said you crafted it yourself." At her last word she plunged it into his left arm, just above the bone. Ed sure she was saving breaking the bone for later.

Ed yelped slightly with pain, the knife burning as it sat in his arm. He threw his head into the wall, closing his eyes tightly. He wasn't going to let her hear him scream. Not yet.

With both hands on the blade, she twisted the knife, blood running down the wall, along his arm and towards the handle of the blade. Ed grunted loudly as she kept twisting.

"Tell me. Who are you?" She whispered into his ear

Ed opened his eyes, looking into her sea of blue, saying through gritted teeth he replied, "Edward. Freaking. Elric."

She stuck her hand out, a water bottle put in her hand.

"What's a little water gonna do?" Ed laughed.

"Holy water." She continued to smirk

Ed would have laughed, but she splattered water where the knife was planted in his lower arm. The water burned as if acid was smeared onto his skin.

He screamed, loudly and for a long time. Nao kept pouring water onto his arm, running it along the length of his left arm.

She slowly ran out of water, leaving Ed panting for breath. The hissing of his skin echoing in the room.

"Who are you?" She asked again.

"Eat. My. Shit. You. Bitch." Ed said between pants.

Their eyes locked. Giving each other stone cold looks. Nao the one to break off first, "Tomorrow." She said simply.

She roughly grabbed the knife, reserving a grunt between teeth from Ed. Wiping the blood on his black shirt before lightly placing it back in the box.

Everything Nao came in she would come with the same two men, the same metal box full of torturing instruments. Always asking, "Who are you?", he always answered with anything but what she wanted, a smart ass remark. She would plunge the knife along his left arm, always his left arm, asks again, twist the knife, asks again, pour holy water along his arm, asks again. Then she would always end with the same word, "Tomorrow." Then she would leave after cleaning the knife on his now blood drenched shirt.

She had broken his left arm, shattering the bone. Someone coming in after some time, patched up his arm, adding bandages and support so the bone could heal straight, if Nao let it heal... But this was all useless for Nao would rip it all off the next day.

And the next.

And the next.

Ed was going mad, the same thing, day in, day out. Lights on. They would feed him grey mush. Nao would come in. Torture him, leave. Same guy would patch up his arm. They would feed him more grey mush. Lights out. Lights on...

The creek of the door, the dripping water, his arm, the burns, the stab wounds, the broken bone... The pain wasn't the point of the torture. The routine was.

His breathing would speed up for no reason, in panic.

He couldn't sleep.

He'd spit the food back at the man who fed him, giving him smart remarks.

He'd get overly aggressive towards Nao.

He'd pull on his binds, rubbing his wrist raw in the process.

He wanted out.

The door wailed open, creeping along as Nao came into the room.

The box was heavily dropped by the young blond, the older brunette standing, watching. Nao slowly fished out the blade.

"Who are you?" She asks

"Whoever you want me to be." Ed smiled sarcastically at her

Nao's shoes echoed as she stepped to Ed's left arm, dragging the knife along the bandages, letting them drift to the floor. Stopping half way along his lower arm she draws a circle and pushes the knife in the centre in a fluent moment. "Who are you?"

"Today I'm an orange. Tomorrow I'll be a coconut." Smiling once again.

The holy water landed in her open hand, rage boiling in her eyes.

Then... Her routine changed.

She pulled the knife out, the holy water was thrown on his arm, hissing and boiling on impact. The knife then came back into his arm again. Again and again. Into old wounds, making new ones.

He wailed and screamed for her to stop as she wailed, "WHO ARE YOU?! JUST TELL ME YOU'RE A DEMON! WHO ARE YOU?!"

Ed's head became dizzy, fuzzy and light. He was losing too much blood. His mind too dizzy, too delirious to notice the two men pull Nao away from him. Everything going black when more men came into the room in a hurry, rushing towards him.

Ed's eyes groggily opened. A question quickly formed in his mind.

White?

The cell he had spent... Who knows how many days in was a dark hole of despair.

This place was white, clean, sanitary... A hospital. Not much better. But he would take the bed. The bed was good.

When his mind settled on the details of his last memories, he shot up in the bed, realising he shouldn't be in a bed... He should be strung up on a wall. If Nao had anything to say about it anyway.

Ed made a total of five centimeters off the mattress before pain flared in his arm. He yelped before collapsing back into the bed.

Ed had heard a gun aimed when he moved, releasing there was an armed man in the room, he spoke blandly, "You shouldn't move. They put a metal rod in your arm."

Ed hummed in understanding. He would have asked more, but it seemed the man didn't want to be here. He was either scared or hated him, or demons.

Ed just faced his head away from the guard on his left, facing his right side. He was wondering why he was just sitting in a hospital room, easily escaped from, may times himself. But his eyes landed on a handcuff, around his metal wrist, covering in the paper seals. Pulling at it lightly to test its strength.

Strong enough to keep him here.

A light knock pulled his attention back to the door, the guard had his head out the door, talking to who was on the other side.

The man stepped out and another stepped in.

Glasses with religious beads sat in front of his red eyes. His shirt grey hair sitting messily on his head, he ran his hand through it as he pulled a chair next to his bed.

He sat down heavily, "What's your name, Son?" He asked in interest.

Ed just looked away.

"Not Beliar. Your real name."

Ed was taken back by this comment. Everyone called him Beliar, called him a liar if he said otherwise. But this man, who wore the uniform like everyone else was so different.

"Edward Elric." Ed not sure what to say now, still looking away.

"Father Shiro Fujimoto and you're probably wondering why I'm here?" Ed turning his head to face the man, showing his interest, "Ever since you showed up beat up in that crater a month ago I've been fighting to stop what Nao has been doing to you." He paused, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes before continuing, "Stayed up all night to get her locked away and you out to freedom." Ed was about to speak, but nothing intelligent formed, "But I did it. Finally. I've convinced them to let you stay with me at my church. Of course there are conditions. But we can discuss those when you're better healed."

Only two words seemed to fit, "Thank you." For the first time in a month, he smiled, a toothy grin.

Fathers eyes looked down to his hands, "I know you don't want to hear this." He closed his eyes, "But you need to know want you are."

"I'm human." Ed said bluntly

"Yes. Yes you are." Ed once again taken back by the man's words, "But you are also demon."

"But-"

Shiro cutting him off, "I know. You don't understand, maybe confused. You at some point in your life would have been just as human as the next person. But, your demon powers have awoken and you've become half demon."

"I..." Ed's words lost.

"Do you have family?"

"A brother."

"Any parents?"

"My father left when I was young. My mother died not long after."

"Where did you grow up?" He seemed genuinely interested

"Resembool."

"Where is that?"

"In the south, southeast."

"In Japan?"

"Japan?... No, Amestris."

"Edward, I've never heard of such a place."

"And I've never heard of Japan." Ed pouted back

Father just laughed, ruffling Ed's hair before standing to leave, "I'll let you rest now." Pausing as he was leaving, "If you need anything. I'm here for you, Edward."

"Thank you." Two words which would never portray his thankfulness and seem to all at the same time.

"Edward. Edward Elric. Mr Alchemist." Echoed in his dreams.

Ed stood in the darkness of his mind, walking in one direction the voice grew louder, walk in the other direction it got louder still.

"Mr Alchemist." His eyes snapped open to a white terrain, "Welcome, Mr Alchemist." Truth sat before Ed, proudly as he always did, showing off Ed's limbs.

"What's happened to me?!" Ed wailed, pulling at his tail.

Truth began an explanation, deconstructing the science behind Edwards transformation.

Ed echoing back, "So you're saying, I've been transported to an alternate universe because of the rebound... This affecting my biology. And to account for my alchemy I was given this demonic... stuff..."

"Demonic energy." Truth corrected

Realisation struck Ed, "Where's my brother?! Where's Alphonse?!" Ed demanded.

"Still in Amestris. You were the only person transported."

He sighed in relief, "Good."

"Grieving is good?"

Truth was right and it sent shivers down his spine. Ed looked sadly at his feet, closing his eyes. Pausing for a moment

He clenched his fist and opened his eyes, "It's better than being alone."

Ed stood in front of the mirror that stood in the too white bathroom. They had finally taken the sealed handcuff off and he had the freedom to go to the bathroom alone.

He hadn't had a chance to see his 'demonic' qualities. Even if he wouldn't admit it, he was scared to look. To have to admit the truth to himself.

Gulping loudly he slowly took his shirt off.

He traced the line that went along his still healing left arm. The blue mark, about a index finger thick, started at the tip of his middle finger, leading towards his heart, which it met with the four other lines. The line from his right leg starting from his middle toe, same size, going over his knee and along the far right of his hip, heading towards the middle of his chest just as it passes his belly button, becoming parallel with the other leg line in the centre before heading towards his heart. The swirl going counter clockwise three times before shrinking into nothing.

His automail had fused to his skin more profoundly. His skin and the metal had grown into each other, instead of connecting at the edge.

Those could be scientifically explained... A tattoo and aggressively active skin cells... But... The tail...

From where the tail bone sat, an almost silver, natural grey tail the length of his forearm extended. The end of the tail a messy spurt of hair.

Ed had learnt how to use the tail, once he learnt how to move it up and down, side to side, it decided to move on its own. When his mood would swing or he moved his arm the wrong way.

But that wasn't the part really that he didn't want to admit was part of his biology.

Nao said that he was the 'Earth elemental demon'. So he experimented with his alchemy. Clapping and clapped but no reaction happened. Ed became frustrated and smashed his hands onto the ground. The ground in front of him for five metres cracked apart.

So he experimented some more.

Which he wished he hadn't. Because he was sure he was a demon now. No what ifs or buts.

Because he made a rock smash into a wall without touching it with his hands. The rod they put in his arm, fused to his bone. He healed at triple the speed he normally had...

Ed just looked at his eyes in the mirror, his huge golden eyes shaking and asked himself, "Who are you?"