Chapter #77: Echoes of Steel Beneath the Ice
The northern wind blew with its usual cruelty.
Briggs was still Briggs: cold, desolate, unforgiving. Steel walls rose like fangs against the storm, and the snow battered them endlessly, as if trying to reclaim the fortress for itself. Nothing had changed… and yet, everything had.
Miles walked along the outer wall, carrying out a routine patrol. His stride was steady, his gaze alert. Much had happened since the fall of King Bradley, since the silent civil war that had shaken Amestris from within. Briggs had endured, as it always did—but the cost had been high.
At last, the present had caught up with the past.
As he moved through the snow, he spotted a small silhouette approaching along the main road. A figure wrapped in a coat, walking with purpose, dragging a suitcase, wearing an expression far too familiar for a place like this.
Miles narrowed his eyes.
"That can't be…" he murmured.
When the figure came close enough, Miles couldn't help but smile.
"Edward Elric," he said aloud. "It's been a long time."
Edward looked up and, recognizing him, returned a tired but genuine smile.
"Well, if it isn't Miles. I figured Briggs would be nothing but wind and bad attitudes."
"That part hasn't changed," Miles replied with a light laugh. "I haven't seen you since the day you defeated that monster. What brings you here?"
Edward adjusted his coat.
"Nothing too dramatic. I'm heading to Dracma. I want to look into some new things—alchemy-related, or whatever they have over there. We don't know anything about their technology, their science, or even whether they have something like alchemy at all."
Miles raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds like you're still getting yourself into trouble."
"Someone has to," Edward shot back.
They walked together for a few meters, taking shelter from the wind behind one of the turrets.
"I can still call you the Fullmetal Alchemist, right?" Miles asked. "Even though I know you can't use alchemy anymore. Mustang mentioned something about it to the General."
Edward shrugged.
"Call me whatever you want. But yeah, you're right. I gave up the ability to use alchemy—or rather, I gave up my Gate of Truth to restore my brother's body."
Miles nodded with respect.
"Not many people would be willing to pay that price."
"I don't regret it," Edward said firmly. "It was a long road. And learning to use my arm again wasn't easy either. Nothing Winry couldn't fix."
A soft smile crossed his face.
"She made me a new automail for my leg. She helped Al and me learn how to walk again. Honestly… she's been an enormous help."
Miles studied him closely.
"I can tell you love that girl, Fullmetal Alchemist."
Edward stopped dead in his tracks.
"W-what?! No, no, no," he stammered. "What do you mean, I love her? It's just… affection. Strong affection."
His face turned as red as heated steel.
Miles let out a sincere laugh.
"Of course. If you say so."
Edward muttered something unintelligible but didn't reply.
They resumed walking toward the interior of the fortress.
"The General will be happy to see you," Miles continued. "She hasn't been the same since the war."
Edward frowned.
"What happened?"
"She wanted to take power," Miles explained, "but General Grumman assumed temporary control. Briggs was left with deserters, chaos, and open wounds. Still, the General secured her position. She said she'd return to the fortress to impose discipline and claimed everything had been the work of General Raven."
Edward lowered his gaze.
"That sounds… complicated."
"It was," Miles admitted. "We dealt with our losses. The General supported Mustang in his new promotion. Grumman is close to retiring. Little by little, the remnants of corruption are being removed from the country."
"You've been busy," Edward said.
"More than you can imagine," Miles replied. "After the so-called 'civil war' to depose Bradley, Dracma attacked our fortress. We didn't have tanks—they'd been sent to Central—so things got a bit out of hand. But nothing I couldn't handle."
He gestured toward the interior.
"Then came another reconstruction… and here we are."
Edward looked over the renewed Fortress of Briggs. New turrets. Improved defensive systems. Technology that hadn't existed before. It was the same fortress… but better prepared for the future.
Miles lifted his gaze to the gray sky.
For a moment, his expression changed.
He remembered Buccaneer.
His laughter. His strength. His sacrifice.
The wind seemed to roar louder, as if the North itself remembered.
Edward noticed.
"A friend?" he asked softly.
Miles nodded.
"One of the best."
They fell silent.
At Briggs, even silence carried weight.
At last, Edward adjusted his suitcase.
"I should keep moving. Dracma won't investigate itself."
Miles extended his hand.
"Take care, Edward Elric. Amestris still needs people like you."
Edward shook it firmly.
"And Briggs needs people like you, Miles."
They parted beneath the frozen sky, each following his own path, as past and present intertwined beneath the steel and ice of the North.
Author's Note:
The next story may focus on Scar, Mustang, Greed, and the chimeras… or it may continue with the Elric brothers. We'll decide soon. For now, thank you for accompanying this part of the journey.
SPOILER
It will be about Hohenheim, and from there the rest of the stories will follow.
(end of chapter )