Chapter Text
He knew the sensation of being summoned when he felt it. Static crackled over his skin as an invisible force yanked him upward. A lesser demon would likely be startled by it. Not him, though.
Alastor’s grin widened as the living world formed around him in the form of a dust storm. Some human wanted to make a deal, it seems. Wonderful! He could use another soul.
Before the dust had cleared, he was able to see his future client’s eyes. Yellow. Burning bright llike the sun despite the dust around them. Once the cloud settled, Alastor looked upon… a child.
“Hm.” He said, tapping a finger to his chin as he glanced about. The boy let out a startled gasp, taking half a step back. Alastor paid no mind, bending down at the waist to look the boy in the eyes. “Pardon me, young man, did you happen to see whomever summoned me?”
“Wha- Uh- I did?” the boy said, eyeing him.
“Oh-ho! Quite a talented one, aren’t you?” Alastor said with a grin, patting the child on the head. He snarled, slapping the deer demon’s hand away.
“Don’t treat me like a little kid-Ugh! Forget it!” He snarled, rubbing a hand down his face. The kid took a deep breath before meeting Alastor’s eyes with a steely gaze. “Listen, the book said you can do the impossible in exchange for a soul.”
“That I can!”
“Good. I want to make a deal. My soul for your help with something.”
The kid did not even hesitate. Must be desperate. Or stupid. Maybe both.
“Can do, can do! Now, let’s shake on it, yes?” He said, offering his hand. Green fire lit the room in a torrent of wind, blowing the boy’s long hair about. The summoner squinted into the breeze but otherwise didn’t change his expression.
“Not yet.” He said “Let’s iron out the details, first.”
Ah, perhaps not quite that stupid. Alastor drew his hand back, dismissing the flame of the deal and crossing his arms behind his back.
“Very well. What did you have in mind?”
The boy took another deep breath. “Okay. Listen, Radio Demon… My brother is missing his body. Like, the whole thing. He’s currently just a soul in a suit of armor at the moment. What I want from you is to help him regain his real body, ensure his soul is safely returned to it, and that he remains alive during and after the process. Once that’s done and it’s confirmed he is physically stable, you can have my soul for whatever it is you do with souls.”
“Eat them.” Alastor said, widening his grin. The kid’s eyes widened a moment.
“You…eat them?”
“Nope! Simply enslave them and have them serve me in Hell.”
The kid looked annoyed “Yeah, okay, sure.”
Alastor extended a hand again “So, deal-“
“I want it in writing.”
He snapped his fingers, a scroll materializing and unrolling so the signature line was in front of the boy. A quill appeared before him. The kid took the scroll mid-air and started reading through it. He pressed a finger to the paper.
“This right here, says ‘the client will, after the signing of this document, hand over the ownership and control of his/her/their soul’.” He looked up at Alastor with a glare “…Which wasn’t the terms.”
“Just making sure you were paying attention, boy.” Alastor said, adjusting the text with a wave of his hand. A lie, clearly. Alastor was aiming to skip the work part of the agreement. It was all well and good, he could improvise.
The kid re-read the whole contract. Fair enough.
Seemingly satisfied, he took the quill and signed his name with only the slightest bit of hesitation. Alstor looked it over real quick, quirking an eyebrow at the horrible handwriting on the signature line. He was barely able to make out the name ‘Edward Elric’.
“Wonderful!” He said, snapping the contract away into the void. Green fire flared to life once again, surging around the two to solidify the deal. Alastor leaned forward. “Now then, let’s get your brother his body back, yes?”
Ed blinked “Wait, just like that?”
“Of course, young Edward!” He hummed “Such things are child’s play, really. A little dark magic and we’re done and can head down to Hell.”
The kid took a moment to respond. He nodded then, slowly. “Yeah.”
“Now, now, don’t be so glum! Smile!” The Radio Demon said, pressing a finger to either of his cheeks to emphasize his toothy grin “You’re never dressed without one!”
The boy did not look amused. Alastor figured the kid and Husk could probably work together no problem. Maybe the kid could be a valet. Or a bellhop. He’d ask Charlie what she needed done. If she had no use for him, maybe Alastor would just eat him. Who knows? So many possibilities!
For now, however.
“Let’s get this sorted, hm? And a one, and a two.” He snapped his fingers. The familiar spark of his magic singed the tips of his claws, gaining strength in black lightning. He didn’t quite care about the circumstances of whatever Ed was talking about, if the boy’s soul was alive returning it to the body would be easy enough.
Just as he was thinking he was done, however, the color of his magic brightened from black to purple, blurring from jagged sparks to something of a misty cowl. Ed took a sharp intake of breath, eyes still burning golden even amongst the swirling shadows.
And suddenly they were no longer where Alastor had been summoned. The pair had ended up in a blank void of white. White so bright it hurt Alastor’s eyes and he had to blink a couple times to adjust them.
“What the hell do you want this time!?” Ed snapped. In front of them sat…. a shadow? A silhouette? Alastor had no idea and frankly didn’t care.
“Pardon me.” He said, leaning forward on his cane “I believe I was in the middle of a spell and don’t quite appreciate the audacity of this interruption.”
The figure grinned. The grin was the only feature on its blank surface. It ignored Alastor. The Radio Demon’s eye twitched.
“Now, now, little Alchemist, did you really think that would work?”
Oh, Edward was an alchemist? Hopefully the kind that could manipulate matter, that would be very useful. Or at least entertaining. Now. What was this thing?
Ed blinked, his mouth setting into a firm line. His wide eyes shook even as they narrowed into a glare. “W-what do you mean by that?”
“Using black magic to take back what you gave me.”
“I didn’t ‘give’ you SHIT!” Ed snapped, pointing aggressively. “You TOOK it!”
Alastor snapped his fingers again. Nothing happened. His grin hitched up a bit and he snapped again.
“That’s not going to do anything, Alastor.” The figure said. Alastor’s eyes snapped to it.
“Oh? And why is that?”
It laughed. At him. His grin twitched more, fangs beginning to bare.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Truth. I am the World. I am God. I am Everything.” Its form shifted, becoming taller, growing a pair of antlers, and sharpening its grin. It lifted a clawed finger to motion to his face. “And I am you.”
A shiver went up his spine despite himself. The hair on his neck stood on end. His heart began to race.
And it pissed him off like no one’s business.
“I believe I’ve had enough of this conversation.” He said, cracking his head to one side. Shadows erupted from underneath him, cascading toward the ‘Truth’ in a ruthless torrent. The figure did nothing to show a reaction. Did nothing to fight them off. Simply stood there, copying Alastor’s, the RADIO DEMON’S, silhouette, and signature grin. The shadows dissolved before they could even touch it.
“What.”
It laughed at him again.
“No need to be upset.” It shifted back to a more generic silhouette. “Now, those shadows were payment enough for this encounter. We’re done here.”
“I do not think so-“
And they were back in the room Ed summoned him in. The boy was glaring at nothing, biting down on his lip.
Alastor fixed his posture, adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves, and place his cane in front of him to lean on.
“Edward. What was that?”
Ed blinked “I usually refer to it as ‘The Truth’.”
His claws tightened around the top of his cane. “Were you aware that it would stop my spell?”
Ed scowled at him, throwing his hands up in the air “Why the FUCK would I bother summoning you if I knew that it wouldn’t work!?”
Alastor’s eye twitched. His grin wouldn’t stop twitching. He had to make an active effort to not break his own cane. He didn’t say it because he didn’t want to say it. But the… truth… of it was apparent. Until their deal could be complete, Ed had Alastor at his beck and call.