Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Fullmetal Alchemist: Revised Version ❯ The Two Alchemists ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

A/N: The roles are switched, just so you know. But I won't spoil anything. -sigh- And I apologize to those who've been reading Sparrow's Longing. As you can see, I deleted that because I, well, suck. I'll never post a story like that again until I know I have a good plot. Heh. Sorry, sorry.

I believe this is a novelization of the manga, only in a different version.

Interlude

In some ways, rain was simply rain. But there was always something lingering in the air afterwards that not everyone could understand. During springtime, they say it was the refreshing aftereffect of the rain. Poets and philosophers alike tell as if it was a reawakening of the world after a storm came to pass. But only a chosen few view the tranquility, in traces of dewdrops, as a sort of “fair trade” after the angry sky and the passing of dark, foreboding clouds. In a world where such a principle exists to serve and maintain the balance of nature, it was believed so. Those believers were the chosen few, and they stand with one identity in the world.

Alchemists.

People in control of the environment, of nature, of all existing elements. They had the power to shape the world according to their heart's desire. They mean to exist to serve for the people, so they say. Alchemists, the closest mortals to God himself. Yet…so far from perfectly capable of performing the greatest of miracles: creating a human being.

So what of equivalent exchange, as the basis of all the elements that moved above and beneath the soil, taking place…

“Granny…Al…”

...within the countryside…

“…please…”

…on a cold, rainy night…

“We…we need help…”

…in a small house…

“And…and…”

…with two young teenagers…

“…Ed…please…”

…committing one of the greatest crimes known to man…?

“Granny! Al! Please...! Help Ed!”

Fullmetal Alchemist

Chapter 1: The Two Alchemists

“Children of God who live on this Earth,” the radio buzzed overhead, “have faith, and thou shalt be saved. The god of the sun, Leto, enlightens thy path. Behold, having descended from his throne, the lord shall save thee from thy sins.

“As a messenger of the sun god, I am your father.”

The last spoken words hung over the head of one listener, and a pair of ears perked up with curious blue eyes turned to the ceiling.

“…A radio broadcast of a sermon?” she wondered out loud.

Beside her, another observant, her companion, frowned slightly with a fork still halfway into his mouth. “A messenger of God…? What's with that?”

“I should be the one saying that about you two.” The bar owner remarked, a confused yet somewhat suspicious look on his face. “What are you kids, street performers?”

A pregnant pause.

“Okay, Pops.” the second blew out with fixed, sharp gold eyes. “What part of us looks like street performers?”

The owner shrugged his shoulders. “I keep looking, but that's all you could be…”

“Is there something about what we're wearing that would make you think that?” the girl asked, looking down at herself. All she had on was a black jacket over a white sleeveless tank top, complete with a matching black miniskirt and boots. Next to her, the boy was clad in probably, much thicker clothing than she did. Black pants, shirt, jacket, combat boots, gloves, and yet, another red coat over all that. Sometimes it made her wonder how he could move around in the heat like it was nothing.

“Eh…I just don't see people with faces like yours around these parts often.” was the man's reply. “You kids tourists?”

“Yeah, we're just looking for something.” the boy answered simply. “Anyway, what's with this broadcast?”

“Wha? You haven't heard of Lord Cornello?”

The pair gave the man different reactions: the girl sat up straight blinking curiously, while the boy sunk low into his seat and rested his chin on the counter, fork still between his teeth, wearing an okay-now-what's-with-that look on his face.

“…Who?” they both said simultaneously.

Now it was the man's turn to give them a look of his own. “Founder Cornello! Messenger of Leto, the sun god!”

“The founder of Letoism who possesses the power of miracles!” a customer beside them on the counter spoke up. “It's incredible!”

“He definitely possesses God's power!” exclaimed another.

The girl tilted her head, her long, flaxen hair following the angle. “A messenger of God…hmm…”

Her friend on the other hand, was already leaning the other way, pretending not to hear them babble. It didn't go unnoticed by the bar owner, and he bristled. “You ain't listening, kid.”

The boy rolled his eyes to the side. “Nope. I'm not interested in religion.”

Through with the conversation, he heaved himself to his feet and stood up. And anyone looking his way might have seen that he was…less…taller than how he looked. “Well, I'm stuffed. Hey Winry.” he nodded his head to the girl. “Let's get out of here.”

“Uh, yeah.” the girl Winry answered as she made to get up too. But in the process, accidentally knocked over the radio next to her with her arm. It fell to the ground with a crashing noise, and the broadcast died out.

“Ahhhhh!” she cried out. “I'm sorry!”

“Aaack! Hey!” the bar owner was bristling again. “Don't cause any problems here! Why don't you watch it, girl?”

Winry was about to apologize again, but then her friend spoke up for her. “Sorry, sorry. We'll fix it right up.”

The man grumbled to himself. “Hmph. What is with kids and…”

The boy held up a hand in an easing gesture, a sympathetic grin on his face. “Pops, Winry's a bit dizzy in the heat, so go easy on her.”

Shit. If it wasn't for the climate here… he thought silently, knowing Winry.

She kept her silence at the boy's words and knelt next to the broken contraption. She was clumsy in a hot place like this. And maybe for a good reason.

This body has its flaws afterall…

Sighing to himself, the bar owner scratched his head. “So how you kids gonna fix this…?”

Instead of answering, the boy glanced in his direction and just grinned like a know-it-all.

Meanwhile, Winry was already tracing a circle around the radio's pieces with a piece of chalk she had with her. Then she drew a few more figures within the circle; figures that baffled the onlookers. Putting the last finishing touches, she sat back and smiled. “Okay, here I go!”

Placing both hands on the circle, she ignited it. Energy waves sparked and lit up the circle around the radio, enveloping it in the brilliant light. It all lasted for several seconds, and everyone shielding their eyes turned as the light died out. All eyes, except for both teenagers, popped out of their sockets to see the radio sitting pretty on the ground, looking as good as new.

“Thou who accepts God's words…” it buzzed.

“So how's this, Pops?” the boy pointed to it.

The bar owner's mouth was moving, but no sound came out.

“Good job, Winry.”

“Hehe.” she laughed, feeling a little modest right now.

“…Hey! Who exactly are you kids?” a man finally managed.

“We're alchemists.” Winry answered, smiling cheerfully.

“Just call us—well—just call me Edward Elric. This is my friend Winry Edgestone. An alchemist like me.”

There was an outburst all at once among the growing crowd.

“Edward Elric? The Edward Elric?”

“I've heard of you before!”

“You're a National Alchemist, aren't you?”

“The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric!”

The celebrity crossed his arms, loving the attention. Until…

“The Fullmetal Alchemist…” a man mused lightly. “I had no idea he was a shorty.”

Into one ear that one went and got trapped by the other sending it ricocheting in his brain, and it registered and bounced all over the place till gravity grabbed it and let it flop like a fish on dry land. Before becoming incinerated.

“WHO'S THE SUPER SMALL SPECK?” he roared, sending almost anything within his reach flying all over the place like an angry bull in a red coat and boots with gold braided hair, and an antenna.

“Uwaaaah! We didn't say that much!” whoever had the chance to yell that out got a jar of meat sauce colliding with his forehead, sending him sprawling on the ground at the mercy of their charging assailant.

“Ed, wait!” Winry cried out in protest. “Um, everyone, please. He doesn't take to comments about his height that lightly. You have to excuse him…”

“…R-right…”

Luckily, the storm died down when a woman with long brown hair made her way over. “Hello! It's a little lively today.”

“Oh, hello Rose.” The bar owner greeted, relieved his stash of pixie sticks under the counter wasn't caught in the frenzy. Ed was left to stand at the side steaming next to a perplexed Winry. “Going to the church again?”

Rose nodded. “Yes, I need to make some offerings.” then she noticed the two teenagers, and greeted, “Oh, I don't believe we've met before.”

“They said they're alchemists looking for something.”

“Hi. My name's Winry. And this is Ed.” Winry greeted while her companion, finding a chance to calm down, picked up the radio to put it back on the counter.

“Nice to meet you. I hope you find what you're looking for!” the older woman lilted. “May Leto protect you!”

As Rose took her leave, the bar owner rubbed his head. “Rose has become a lot more energetic, don't you think?”

A man near him nodded in agreement. “Yeah. It's all thanks to the founder.”

“Huh?” Ed raised a brow at them.

“Rose ain't got no relatives, and on top of that, her boyfriend died in an accident recently…” the bar owner answered for him.

“Yeah, you'd think she'd be depressed, but she didn't look so down for some reason.”

“What saved her were the teachings of Cornello, the messenger of the sun god Leto.”

“He who gives everlasting life to the living and rebirth to the dead.” the man grinned. “The power of miracles proves that.”

“You kids should take a look too! That's definitely the power of God!”

Winry smiled, nodding. “Yeah, we'll try.”

Ed, on the other hand, had other plans. “Rebirth to the dead”, huh…? Something smells fishy…

“Have faith!” the radio continued to buzz. “Thy wishes shall be answered. All children have the blessing of the light…”

And with that, the sermon ended with a click of the switch. Behind the microphone, a bald man sat back and closed his book.

“Wonderful job, founder.” a disciple said to him.

“Founder, we are grateful for your precious words today as well.” praised another.

“Founder!”

He turned and smiled at the newcomer. “Ah, Rose. As good as always, wonderful job.”

“Oh no, it's only the usual.” she replied sweetly. Then her voice took on a much, quieter tone, and she clasped her hands together. “And…when that time comes…someday…”

The founder's smile grew wider. “I understand quite well what you're trying to say. Afterall, God has been observing your good conduct.”

This made Rose's eyes light up, and she suddenly looked eager. “Then…!”

Lord Cornello cut her off with his hands on her shoulders. “But Rose, it is not yet the time for that. Do you understand? Do you?”

Rose inhaled deeply, trying to quell her anxiety, as she was used to be doing. “That's…that's right…not now…”

He smiled proudly, baring his teeth. “Good. You're a good child, Rose.”

-sss-

Rose left the room and entered the church, and she was surprised to see two familiar faces sitting on one of the pews. “Oh? Didn't I meet you earlier…?”

The girl Winry stood up, Edward following suit.

“Hi again.” Winry greeted.

“Do you two want to learn about Letoism?” Rose asked them.

“Sorry, but I'm an atheist.” Ed answered, eyes scanning the interior of the church.

“That's not good!” Rose placed a hand over her heart with an air of overwhelming bliss. “By believing in God, you'll live with daily gratitude and hope…isn't that wonderful?

“And!” her voice raised an octave, now even more persistent and demanding. “If you have faith, you'll definitely get bigger!”

Ed's brow twitched and he ground out, “Why you little-!”

“Ed, she didn't mean it like that…!” Winry insisted hastily(at least she hoped Rose didn't), bracing in case she had to restrain him.

She didn't need to, luckily. He flopped back onto the pew and crossed his legs. “…Jeez. How can you believe in something like that? Pray to God and the dead will come back, huh?”

Rose was silent, but she held firmly to her belief, assuring herself what she was doing and thinking was only right. “Yes. Without a doubt, it will happen.”

As predicted.

Winry's eyelids dropped a little in concern and looked to Ed, whether for help or out of worry for him launching into a debate that she knew would wander slightly off the topic, she didn't know. Then he made a move to reach for something in his coat, and relaxed a little as she watched him flip the pages of his notebook.

Rose watched this with curiosity. And it died once Ed opened his mouth to speak. Because nothing he said after that made any sense to her at all.

“35 liters of water,” he read off the pages, “25 kilograms of carbon, 4 liters of ammonia, 1.5 kilograms of lime, 800 grams of phosphorus, 250 grams of salt, 100 grams of saltpeter, 80 grams of sulfur, 7.5 grams of fluorine, 5 grams of iron, 3 grams of silicon, and a bit of 15 other elements…”

“…Huh…?” Rose stammered, obviously not processing it.

Ed went on as if uninterrupted. “These would be the calculated components that make up the body of a single adult. We already know that much with modern science, but the reality is that no successful human transmutation has ever been reported.

“Something's still missing…for hundreds of years, scientists have been researching and researching, but they still haven't been able to grasp it.” he shut his notes closed. “So, you could say it's a wasted effort, but I think it's a lot more useful than just praying and waiting.

“Oh yeah.” he added as an afterthought. “The ingredients for these parts? You can pick up all that at a marketplace even with a kid's pocket money. It's really cheap to make a human being.”

Hearing such words coming from Ed angered Rose. “A person isn't a thing! You're being disrespectful to the creator! You'll receive Heaven's wrath!”

Off to the side, Winry's hand went up to her arm and held it there. It didn't go unnoticed by Ed, who replied, “Alchemists are scientists, so we can't believe in vague things like the `Creator' and `God'. We explain the fundamentals of the creation of everything in the world and pursue the truth.

“It's ironic, you know.” he almost laughed. “As scientists who don't believe in God, we're the ones who are closest to God.”

Rose was almost silenced by Ed's words. Everything he was saying brought him further from the divinity of God and closer to the pit of Hell. His blasphemy was too much for her. But she still wanted to say something. Anything to make him change his mind about her religion and save him from punishment.

“That's arrogant.” she managed at last. “You think of yourself as God's equal?”

This time, both Ed and Winry lifted their heads to her. Winry stayed quiet, but there was something in her eyes that bothered Rose. Ed, on the other hand, had saved the best for last for the older woman, and a small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “You know, I've heard of this legend before. Once, there was a hero who flew too close to the sun. His wings of wax fell apart, and he plummeted to the earth.”

Rose stared at him, wondering what that meant. But he fell silent after that. Both of them.

-sss-

Lord Cornello stood and waved to the cheering crowd, and they watched excitedly when he took a flower in his hand. They watched as the transformation took place between his palms, then he raised them to reveal a big sunflower head now resting in his hands. It brought more cheers from the people, unable to deny the sight they'd just witnessed.

There were only two people among them who weren't so enthusiastic about the founder's accomplishment.

“Ed, what do you think?” both he and Winry were standing on each other's suitcases to look over the hundreds of heads in the assembly.

“That transformation reaction was normal alchemy, right?” she asked again.

“Yep.” he answered. “But you know the law, Winry…”

“So the two of you came.”

Both teenagers turned to see Rose, who grinned.

“How is it? No doubt about it. This is the power of miracles. Afterall, Lord Cornello is the son of the sun god.”

Winry opened her mouth to say, “I think we like to confirm what we see first, Miss Rose.” As she'd meant to say it in the softest way possible so that the woman wouldn't get upset again.

But Ed beat her to it. “Nope, definitely alchemy. Cornello's a fake.”

So much for cushioning the blow.

Mildly agitated by Ed's bluntness, Winry decided to leave it and said, “But that's against the law, right Ed?”

“Hmm…that's right.”

“Law?” Rose blinked.

“From an average person's viewpoint, alchemy is a very handy skill that can make anything, without any limit. But the truth is that there's a rule to this. To put it roughly, there's the law of the conservation of mass and the law of providence. Among us practitioners, there are people who use the four elements and the three principles, but…”

Then they saw Rose looking all the more alienated, so Winry took over laughing. “Ok. Rose, it's taking an object with one element, and changing it into an object containing the same element. For example, an object with the properties of water can only be transmuted into an object with watery attributes.”

“In short,” Ed picked up from there, “the basis of alchemy is `equivalent exchange'! By creating something, another object of the same value is needed for the transmutation.

But, Cornello ignored that law and was able to transmute.”

Rose had had enough. “Make some sense! Do you two believe in the power of miracles or not!”

Winry's eyes widened and she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Ed, could that be…?”

“…Yeah. Maybe it is.”

Their eyes were fixed on the ring that the founder wore in his left hand. And Ed's gold eyes took on a fire, fresh determination etched in his features. “Bingo…

“Miss!” he turned to Rose with eagerness. “We're interested in this religion! I want to talk to this founder, so could you give us some information?”

Winry wouldn't have bought that act at all. Edward can look so excited yet not so excited sometimes. She could tell the difference anyway. She was the only who could. Living with Ed for 10 years made her used to him. Same on his side with her, maybe.

So seeing Rose's happiness pique at Ed's “newly-opened” eyes, she sat back and waited for whatever mischief they were about to get into. Not like she wasn't looking forward to it. As naughty as it was, she was determined to travel the road of recovery, even if it meant dirtying her hands a little.

-sss-

“Founder, there's someone requesting an interview.” a disciple informed from the doorway. “A boy and a girl. The boy's name is Edward Elric, and the girl Winry Edgestone.”

Cornello sat giving the man a perplexed look. “What? I'm busy. Tell them to go home.”

Then something registered in his head, and he stopped the disciple. “Wait, did you say Edward Elric?”

The man frowned. “Yes, I'm sure that was the name of the boy…do you know him?”

But Cornello wasn't listening anymore. “Oooh, this isn't good…” he muttered under his breath. “He's the Fullmetal Alchemist!”

The disciple panicked. “Wha…! You mean that bratty punk? You're kidding, right founder?”

“Idiot!” the bald man scolded. “Age is irrelevant to being an alchemist! I've heard six months ago, he obtained the license for National Alchemists, but…” he paused. “I see. He really is that rumored brat.”

“Why is a National Alchemist here?” the disciple demanded. “Do you think he knows our plan?”

“It seems that the dogs of the military have excellent noses.” Cornello mumbled.

“You want me to send him away?”

“No.” he answered quickly. “Doing that would be too suspicious. He might return if we turn him away.”

Cornello thought briefly on the matter, before he turned to his disciple with a smirk. “…They never came here. How does that sound?”

The man was quick to the hint, and copied the founder's smile. “As long as God is satisfied…”

-sss-

“Please enter.”

Ed, Winry, and Rose went into the room after the man who welcomed them. “The founder is usually a very busy person, so he doesn't have much free time on his hands. But you two are quite fortunate.”

“Sorry, I don't plan on talking to him for too long.” said Ed. Behind him, the double doors swung shut.

A menacing grin formed on the man's face, and a hand reached into his coat. “Yes. We'll end this quite soon. Just like…”

He lunged for Winry and pointed the gun at her stomach. “THIS!”

She didn't have the time to scream. One shot sent her flying across the room, her body coming to a rest some feet away. She lay face down, sprawled out on the carpet.

Where Winry didn't scream, Rose did it for her.

Ed whirled on the man, an unreadable expression on his face. But before he had a chance to react, he was held back by two poles squaring against his shoulders by two other disciples behind him.

“Brother!” Rose exclaimed. “What is the meaning of this!”

Her brother, Cornello's favorite disciple, turned his gun in Ed's direction. “Rose, these two are heretics that were going to trick the founder. They're demons!”

“No! If that's why, the founder surely wouldn't have allowed th-“

“The founder allowed this!” Rose's brother cut her off. “The words of the founder are the words of God…and this is the will of God!”

He cocked the gun towards Ed, who stood there glaring silently.

“…That's horrible.” voiced someone behind him.

He didn't get the chance to pull the trigger, when a hand clapped over the barrel of the gun he held. Rose's brother gawked. “Wha!”

“That's a really mean god!” Winry pried the gun from the man's slackened grip. Where she'd been shot, a small hole lay gaping open in her shirt. And there were no traces of blood.

Before anyone else could react, Ed grabbed the collar of the man behind him, and flipped him over his shoulder. Winry struck Rose's brother in the face with the gun handle, knocking a tooth out in the process. The second man holding Ed back panicked and tried to make a getaway, but a heavy boot collided with the back of his head before he even made it to the door.

“Strike!” Ed whooped with a wicked grin on his face.

“Ed, I've been shot!” Winry whined, worrying over the damage done to her shirt more than the bullet hole in her stomach. He didn't know whether to scold her or punch her.

Women…

“Get over it, Winry! I'll fix it later!” Ed snapped. “You should be glad I didn't make you a machine. Machines run on fluids, and if you leaked, your body would fail on you.”

“What is that!” Rose yelled, stressed to the point she thought she was becoming deluded. “What's going on!”

She was pointing at Winry's mishap like it was something she'd never believe existed even with her own eyes on it.

“She's always like this, Rose.” Ed patted Winry's shoulder. “You should see her fall from a 5-story building.”

“Th-there…sh-she's…!” she still stammered.

Winry, deciding on forgetting about her shirt for now, turned to Rose with an uneasy smile. “Rose, this is someone who's guilty for trying to be like God. Ed and I…we're that.”

Rose stared at her briefly before turning her gaze on Winry's companion, his back turned. “Edward…you too?”

“By `you too' you mean I could be a walking animated doll like Winry, then my answer's no.”

“…Then—“

“Okay, let's stop this topic.” Ed turned on his heel to look at Rose squarely. “More importantly, you saw God's true nature, didn't you?”

She shook her head violently from side to side. “No! There has to be some mistake!”

Ed fumed silently. Geez…the lady's already seen this much, and she still puts her faith in that no-good fraud…

He rolled his shoulders and strode to the double doors, Winry trailing after him. “Rose, do you have the guts to see the truth?”

-sss-

“So this is the founder's room that Rose told us about?”

Both teenagers stood outside the doors, betting on the prospect of what was waiting for them in the room.

Ed shrugged. “Oh well…Winry. Are you coming with me?”

She gave him a why-now-do-you-say-that look, but she smiled all the same.

Then the doors swung open slowly before he could reach for the handle. Perhaps on instinct, Winry reached for Ed's sleeve as they stepped into the dark room.

“Hmm…you're supposed to welcome us.” Ed smirked.

They made it to the center of the room, then to no one's surprise, the doors slammed shut. And a voice greeted them.

“Welcome to our holy church.”

Lord Cornello appeared on the staircase, looking quite friendly. “Did you come to learn our teachings?”

Ed grinned. “Yeah, I want you to tell us a bunch. Like this rule about tricking your believers with cheap alchemy!”

“Hrm. I wonder what you might be speaking of…” the founder replied. “Grouping my `power of miracles' with alchemy would pose a small problem. If you saw it once, you would understand…”

“I've already seen it.” Ed stated. “But the thing I don't get at all is the thing about how you were able to transmute something while ignoring the laws.”

“That's why I said it wasn't alchemy.” Cornello said simply, a finger tapping his head.

“I thought so.” Ed had him. “The `Philosopher's Stone'. That's what you're using, aren't you?”

Cornello held his smile.

“It's that ring…right?” Ed pressed.

The silence hung in the air for 5 seconds before the founder decided to speak. “I expected no less from a National Alchemist. You are correct.” he perused his left hand, where the ring was located. “This is a mysterious power amplifier that was said to be found only in legends. If we alchemists use this, we can perform tasks of great magnitude with little cost!”

“…I've been looking for that, old man!” Ed informed him, a manic gleam in his eyes.

“Hmph! Why do you look like you want it? What would you wish for by using this stone? Money? Fame?”

“You're no different.” Ed retorted smoothly. “You've made a religion through fraudulence. What do you want? If it's money, you can use that stone to get as much as you'd want.”

“It isn't money.” Cornello denied. “No, I want money. But even if I remain silent, it will enter my wallet in the form of donations from my believers, you see.” he put a hand to his chin in contemplation. “On the other hand, I need obedient believers who would be happy to throw away their lives for me. It's wonderful!” he sounded amused now. Wickedly amused. “The greatest army in the world! One which doesn't fear death!

“I've steadily advanced my preparations! Behold! After several years, this country will be mine! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—“

“Nope, don't care.”

The founder nearly had a seizure at Ed's casualness.

“DON'T JUST SAY A COUPLE OF CARELESS WORDS ABOUT MY PLANS!” he spat. “You…aren't you from one of the surrounding countries…no, in the army!”

“Nah, I guess you could say that.” Ed replied off-handedly. “The military and the nation, don't have much of a clue about stuff like that.

“But I'll get straight to the point.” the alchemist jabbed a finger in the founder's direction. “Gimme the Philosopher's Stone! Do that and I won't use your fraudulence as blackmail.”

“Ha! You're trying to bargain with me!” Cornello scorned. “My followers will never believe a word from the likes of you! I am loved by them! They're my faithful servants! No matter how many times you yell, they'll never listen! That's right! Because these foolish believers have been fooled by me!”

His laughter echoed throughout the room. Neither of the two spoke as they watched the scene unfold. Then Ed lifted his gloved hands, and clapped.

“Well, I didn't expect any less of the founder. Thank you for letting us hear such a splendid speech. True. Maybe your followers won't listen to anything we'll tell them. But…” he pointed into the darkness. “How about the stuff she'd say?”

On queue, Rose stepped out of the shadows, trembling from head to foot. Unable to believe what she'd just heard and seen.

“ROSE!” Cornello exclaimed.

“Founder! Is what you just said true!” she cried, stumbling forward. “Have you tricked us? The power of miracles, God's power…you weren't going to grant my wish, were you?

“YOU WEREN'T GOING TO BRING HIM BACK!” she yelled, the touch of betrayal stinging her.

The founder looked taken aback at first, but he recovered with a simpering grin as he came up with an idea. “Hm…perhaps being a messenger of God was a lie. But with this stone, as well as the transmutations of living organisms that countless alchemists have failed at, there is the possibility that your lover can be resurrected!”

The woman was dumbfounded, and she fell silent.

“No, Rose!” Winry spoke at last, reaching out for her. “Don't listen!”

“Be a good child and come here.” Cornello beckoned.

Ed threw her a look over his shoulder. “If you go, you won't be able to come back!”

“What's wrong? You are one of us.”

“Rose!” Winry warned.

“Am I not the only one who can grant your wish?” Cornello was persistent. “Remember your beloved! Well?”

Without hesitation, she made her way over to the founder. Winry stood watching after her with a disbelieving look on her face. Ed turned away as he sighed in exasperation.

“I'm sorry you two.” Rose stammered and she looked back. “But this…this is the only chance I have to rely on.”

“Good child…really…” Cornello crooned. “Now, I will have to purge these heretics that threaten the future of my religion with haste.”

He reached for a toggle switch on the wall and pulled. Instantly, a creature slunk into the room, its serpentine tail flicking back and forth. Its leonine head appeared from out of the shadows and leered at the two teenagers. Winry's hand went up to grip Ed's coat sleeve again as his eyes narrowed at the thing.

“The Philosopher's Stone is truly something impressive. It can make things like this. Is this the first time you've seen a chimera?” Cornello was taking note of Winry's reaction rather than just taunting them. “Hm?”

The beast circled the pair, its sharp claws making clicking noises at every step. It fixed them with a hungry stare.

Sighing, Ed brushed Winry's hand off and clapped his hands together. “Well, it's a little hard to fight without a weapon, so…Winry, stand back.”

He dropped to the ground and pressed his palms onto the cement floor. The founder stared at this. Then, to his surprise, sparks flew as an alchemical reaction took place where Ed stood. As they watched, a stone handle slowly rose from the ground, followed by the sharp end of a spear.

“Why you!” Cornello sputtered. “To transmute a weapon from the pavement without an alchemy circle…I see that National Alchemist isn't just a fancy name!

“But that won't be enough!”

On his word, the chimera lunged. Ed brought up the spear on reflex, but the creature swiped once and the weapon was severed into 3 pieces. At the same time, its claws managed to rip into Ed's left leg, and he grunted.

“Ed!” Winry made a dash for him, then stopped at the chimera's movements from across the room.

“Hahaha!” Cornello jeered. “How was that? How do claws that can cut through iron feel?”

“EDWARD!” Rose screamed.

“…Heh. What was that?”

There was a `ping', as two of the chimera's claws fell off. Then it was sent back by a kick from Edward.

“Sorry, but it's made a bit special.” he grinned.

“What happened!” the founder demanded. “If the claws don't work, bite him!”

The chimera charged and crunched down on the alchemist's right arm. It growled low in its throat as it chomped…before the sound melted into becoming more questioning rather than threatening. Then realization sunk in: the chimera wasn't chewing on flesh.

“What's wrong, you stupid cat?” it was Ed's turn to growl. “Get a real good taste.”

He lashed out with a high-kick and sent the beast flying.

“Rose! Take a good look!”

He raised his right arm to reveal metal plates and wires. “These are the bodies of sinners that have breached God's domain!”

Cornello watched as Ed ripped off his torn coat. “…Artificial limbs of steel. `Automail'.” And a newfound understanding swept over him. “Ah, I see now…

“The Fullmetal Alchemist!” he declared as Ed threw his coat off to the side, revealing metal running from his right shoulder down to his fingers. A sight to behold, and Winry watched as he made his way forward for a fight.

“Come and get some, you third-rate!” he challenged. “I'll show you what makes us both so different!”

End of Chapter 1