The arena was packed.
Stone columns lined the edges of the military testing grounds. Soldiers stood in formation as alchemy candidates prepared to demonstrate their skills in front of high-ranking officers, including Colonel Roy Mustang and Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.
Edward Elric stepped forward confidently, clapping his hands and slamming them to the ground. A spear of iron burst from the earth, twisting midair before folding into an ornate blade. The crowd gasped. Edward smirked. "Not bad, huh?"
Next, it was Auron's turn.
He stood silent in the center of the arena, his golden hair brushing across his shoulders, silver-gold eyes watching the judges. His hand drifted to the air, chakra building silently between his fingers.
Roy Mustang narrowed his gaze. "No transmutation circle?"
"No clapping either," Riza murmured. "Is he using… something else?"
Auron stepped forward and raised two fingers to the sky.
In an instant, the clouds darkened unnaturally. A red-violet glow pulsed behind his eyes. Lightning coiled downward from above—not natural lightning, but chakra-forged, honed to exact control. He directed it to strike the arena floor, and as the energy exploded, the stone reformed into a perfectly shaped obsidian dragon.
It moved.
Not from life—but from chakra-induced animation. It bowed its head toward Auron before crumbling into harmless ash.
The silence was deafening.
Then scattered applause broke out. Some of the candidates looked terrified.
Mustang didn't clap.
He just watched.
---
Later, in the waiting chamber, Edward practically jumped on his brother. "That was amazing! You didn't even touch the ground! What the hell was that technique?!"
"Elemental shaping through chakra," Auron said softly, lowering himself onto a bench. "It's like alchemy, but... raw. More flexible. But also harder to control."
"You say that like you didn't just summon a dragon out of lightning," Ed scoffed.
Auron smiled faintly—but it didn't reach his eyes.
---
That night, Auron slipped away from the barracks.
He stood alone on a rooftop overlooking East City. The wind was cool. The stars flickered quietly overhead. His cloak fluttered around him, and his eyes dimmed from gold to silver.
Then he sat down.
And for the first time in weeks… he cried.
Silent tears slipped down his cheeks, burning against his skin as if his chakra was trying to push them away. He clutched his chest tightly as the weight of everything began to crash inward.
He missed Al.
He missed the warm evenings at home with Trisha, the sound of Edward's terrible violin attempts, and Winry laughing in the kitchen. He missed the version of himself that used to smile because the world hadn't taught him what "loss" really meant.
The Rinne-Mangekyō burned faintly in the dark, flickering between active and dormant, reflecting the storm in his soul.
He wasn't just afraid of failure.
He was afraid of what success might cost.
---
"Why are you out here alone?"
Auron jerked upright, wiping his face quickly.
Riza Hawkeye stood nearby, her hands folded behind her back. She didn't have a weapon drawn—just that calm, precise military posture.
"You were watching me?" he asked, voice flat.
"I was assigned to keep an eye on you," she said. "And Mustang doesn't trust easily."
Auron nodded. "He shouldn't."
She stepped closer, eyeing his trembling fingers. "You're powerful, but power doesn't impress me. It's what's behind it that matters."
He looked away.
"I'm trying to protect my brothers," he whispered.
"And in the process, you're tearing yourself apart."
Auron winced.
Riza softened slightly, her voice quiet. "You can't carry everything alone. I know what it's like to lose people. To burn for something you can't take back. But hiding your tears doesn't make you stronger. It makes you colder."
"…And if I need to be cold to save them?"
"Then you'll lose what makes you worth saving."
She turned and left, her boots clicking softly against the rooftop.
Auron didn't follow.
---
Later, Edward found him back in the barracks. He didn't say anything, just flopped onto the adjacent bed and let the silence speak.
"I'm fine," Auron said after a while.
Ed stared at the ceiling. "You always say that."
"…Because if I say I'm not, I won't be able to keep going."
"Yeah, well," Ed murmured, "next time you go up on the roof to cry like an idiot… take me with you."
Auron blinked.
Then—just barely—he smiled.
---
The next morning, the list of accepted State Alchemist candidates was posted.
Edward Elric: Accepted.
Auron Elric: Accepted—Special Classification Pending.
Auron stared at the strange addition.
Special classification?
That could only mean one thing: the military didn't just notice his power…
They wanted to use it.