Central Command stood tall and imposing beneath an overcast sky. Though the rain had passed, the clouds still hung low, as if the city itself knew secrets were brewing beneath its streets.
Auron walked silently beside Edward and Alphonse. The train ride from Dublith had been uneventful, but his mind had not rested. It throbbed with pressure, like his eyes were whispering things just beyond understanding.
His Rinne-Mangekyō Sharingan—sealed beneath the surface—was pulsing.
> "See more. Know more."
It was calling. And it would not be ignored much longer.
---
Inside the main military hall, the brothers were escorted to an upper floor office. Standing with a rigid back behind a polished desk was a man cloaked in black uniform, dark eyes sharp and calculating.
Colonel Roy Mustang. The Flame Alchemist.
"Well, well. The infamous Elric brothers," he said with a faint smirk. His gaze shifted toward Auron. "And who might you be?"
Auron answered simply, "Auron Elric. Third brother."
Mustang arched an eyebrow. "Didn't know the family had grown."
Edward crossed his arms. "He's been with us from the beginning. He just doesn't show off."
"Hmm," Mustang mused. "Then why does he feel more dangerous than both of you combined?"
The room tensed for a moment, the colonel's stare direct, unflinching.
But Auron met it with a soft smile. "Because I am."
---
Later, after Mustang's questioning and assessment ended, the brothers were allowed to rest in the guest quarters. But Auron couldn't sleep.
His dreams were not dreams anymore—they were visions. Whispers in red and violet light. Doors opening. Realities folding. Patterns dancing behind his eyes like runes too ancient for this world.
He sat by the window, moonlight glinting off his golden hair.
Then he activated it.
The Rinne-Mangekyō Sharingan.
His eyes shimmered—ripples of amethyst overlayed with six spinning tomoe.
In an instant, the world bloomed open.
He could see everything.
Life forces flickering like candles across the city.
Alchemy circles hidden beneath walls.
Military patrols whispering secrets three buildings away.
Even… a strange energy beneath Central itself—dark, festering, ancient.
> "What are they hiding?" he whispered.
He focused deeper.
His Heaven's Gaze ability activated—a power unique to his fusion of chakra and ocular might. It allowed him to see beyond the material plane, glimpsing threads of fate, energy flows, even the truth behind illusions.
And what he saw…
Was Father.
Or… something like him. A being rooted beneath the city, in tunnels of flesh and stone.
Auron gasped and immediately shut off his vision.
> "Not yet. Too early."
---
The next morning, Mustang approached him privately on the training field.
"I watched your movements yesterday," the colonel said. "You're not just muscle. You see things, don't you?"
Auron remained quiet.
Mustang narrowed his eyes. "You remind me of a flame that refuses to flicker, no matter how much wind surrounds it."
Auron cracked a smile. "Flames are beautiful. But some fires… aren't meant to be seen."
Mustang nodded, then flicked on his ignition glove.
"Then let's see what kind of flame you carry."
---
The duel began.
Roy snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
A fireball erupted toward Auron, who calmly stepped aside with chakra-enhanced speed, air pressure rippling around his boots. Another snap—another blaze. This time, Auron raised a single palm.
Shinra Tensei.
The explosion reversed in mid-air, detonating harmlessly away from him.
Roy's eyes widened. "You deflected my flame?"
"No," Auron said softly. "I erased its intent."
Roy fired again. And again.
But Auron's movements blurred—chakra threads redirecting combustion, spatial bends warping angles. Then with a single step, he appeared behind the colonel.
"Enough."
He raised his eyes.
Roy turned—
And froze.
The full Rinne-Mangekyō bore down on him.
It wasn't genjutsu.
It was perception warfare. Roy suddenly saw his own flame circle deconstructed, saw his own death a dozen ways, saw how small his spark was compared to the storm staring at him.
Auron closed his eyes.
It ended.
Roy dropped to a knee, sweat coating his forehead.
"You… could've killed me."
"I didn't," Auron replied calmly. "Because I don't fight allies. But I do test trust."
Roy coughed and slowly stood. "What are you?"
Auron smiled, genuine this time. "Just someone who sees too much."
---
Later that night, Auron stood outside Central, staring up at the stars. Winry had arrived to visit the brothers and was currently with Edward in the dorms.
He remained alone. But not lonely.
His fingers traced the edge of a new transmutation circle he'd sketched into his glove—a fusion of chakra detection and truth revelation.
"Eyes that see all," he murmured.
Then his Sharingan blinked open again.
And beneath the city, in shadows older than war, something stirred.