Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Akane Beach.
March 2, x786.
During dinner, Alfonzo explained the concept of the [Soul Armaments] to Winry, Edward, and Alphonse. Then, after everyone was done eating, he showed the trio to the guest rooms. A few moments later, he then took Marin, Sun, and Lucy to the master bedroom. And while his three girlfriends took some time to take a bath after their long trip, Alfonzo went back out into the hallway.
And just as Alfonzo expected, Edward and Alphonse were standing in front of the guest rooms they were given, waiting to talk to him.
"The two of you couldn't wait until morning, huh?" Alfonzo asked while smiling wryly.
"We've been waiting for this for a long time." Edward said in a solemn tone.
"Yeah, I'm ready to get my body back." Alphonse added just as solemnly. "Though, we're really not expecting too much. But your idea might lead us in the right direction."
Seeing Edward nod in agreement with his brother's words, Alfonzo could only smile wryly. He was not surprised that the Elrics did not have full confidence in his idea. He is not an Alchemist, after all.
"I understand." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Well, why don't we head down to the living room and get comfortable while we talk."
In response, Edward and Alphonse nodded their heads as they started walking down the hall.
"Oh, and Winry, you should join us, too." Alfonzo added before he started walking.
Immediately, Edward and Alphonse came to a stop and looked back at Alfonzo. At the same time, Winry's door slowly opened, revealing Winry, who was embarrassed to be caught eavesdropping.
"Winry?" Edward asked in a confused tone. "I thought you said you were going to sleep."
"Well… I was." Winry replied sheepishly. Though, it was clear to see that she was worried about Edward and Alphonse. "But when I heard the three of you talking, I got curious."
"Brother." Alphonse said, drawing Edward's attention. "Since she's already awake, we should just let her come with us."
"Fine…" Edward muttered in a huff as he started walking again.
With that, the quartet moved down to the living room on the villa's first floor. Then, they all took seats on the two sofas in the room, with Winry, Edward, and Alphonse seated on one and Alfonzo, facing the trio, seated on the other.
"Well, before I give you my theory about how to get your bodies back, can you tell me the whole story behind how you ended up that way?" Alfonzo asked while gesturing at Edward's left arm and right leg, as well as Alphonse's entire body.
While Winry looked at them in worry, Edward and Alphonse exchanged glances. Then, after receiving a nod from Alphonse, Edward took a deep breath before looking into Alfonzo's eyes.
"When we were young, our mother lost her life during an epidemic." Edward said in a solemn tone.
From there, Edward went on to explain that when it happened, their father was nowhere to be found. So, they started studying [Alchemy] much more seriously. And after eventually meeting their teacher, Izumi Curtis, who happened to visit their town, they became her students.
Then, after training for several years, they left Izumi's tutelage before returning to Resenbool. And with much more knowledge at their disposal, they committed [Alchemy's] greatest taboo. [Human Transmutation], in an attempt to bring their mother back to life.
Thinking they had made all the preparations necessary, they drew the [Human Transmutation Circle] on the floor of the basement in their home. Then, they activated the [Circle]. At first, everything seemed to be going smoothly. They even saw the materials they gathered form a human body.
However, that was when everything went wrong. Instead of the vibrant blue color they were used to when using [Alchemy], the [Transmutation Circle] began glowing in an ominous dark color. Then, an eye opened up in the center of the [Circle]. And after that, both Edward and Alphonse were sucked into the circle.
"The next thing I knew, I was standing in a white space with a large gate hovering behind me. And in front of me, there was… a being of some kind…" Edward said in an apprehensive tone. "He said his name was Ankhseram, the God of Life and Death. But being a scientist… an Alchemist… I didn't really take him seriously."
"Neither did I…" Alphonse added. "At least, not back then, anyway."
"Anyway, he basically told us that I would be punished for trying to break the cycle of life and death." Edward continued. "But he also mentioned that because I used [Alchemy], a type of magic that follows the laws of equivalent exchange, he had to provide me with something equal to the punishment I would receive."
"Same here." Alphonse added.
"Then, as punishment, it took my right leg from below the knee." Edward continued.
"And he took my whole body." Alphonse supplemented.
"And in exchange, I received a large amount of [Alchemic] knowledge." Edward and Alphonse said in unison.
"And when I got back to the real world, I was bleeding from the stump where my right leg used to be." Edward said. "On top of that, I couldn't find Al anywhere.'
"Yeah, my body was gone, after all." Alphonse said. "But I was still there. I was in that human body we created, though."
"Wait, seriously?" Winry, who had been silent and on the verge of tears since the brothers started telling their story, shouted in surprise. "You never told me about that."
"Well, I couldn't remember that, at first." Alphonse replied while scratching the side of his helmet.
"And when he remembered, we didn't think it was important enough to mention." Edward said, slightly panicked at the tears welling up in Winry's eyes.
"I actually don't think it's all that big of a deal, either." Alfonzo replied. "If I had to guess, Al's disembodied soul was just latching on to the closest thing it could."
"How do you even know things like that?" Edward asked with a strange gaze.
"Like I said, I've done some research into the soul." Alfonzo replied. "Otherwise, I would have never been able to create the [Soul Armaments]. Anyway, let's keep going."
Though Edward was still interested to know more, as Alfonzo had never gone into great detail about his research into the soul, he nodded his head and continued onto the conclusion of the story.
"Right." Edward said, his tone becoming solemn once again. "Anyway, after not finding Al, I panicked. Not wanting to lose the only family I had left, I used my blood and the new knowledge I had just obtained to draw a seal on the inside of a suit of armor that was stored in the basement. Then, while sacrificing my left arm, I bound Al's soul to it."
"After that, once I was conscious again, I rushed Ed to Winry's house to get his injuries taken care of." Alphonse said, bringing an end to the story.
With the end of the Elric Brother's story, the living room fell into silence. A few moments later, under the gazes of the three sitting in front of him, Alfonzo broke that silence.
"Well, I expected Ankhseram to be involved in [Human Transmutation] at some level." Alfonzo said while rubbing his chin. "And your story confirmed it. As a result, I'm even more sure of my hypotheses."
Hearin ghat, Edward and Alphonse straightened their backs before leaning forward in interest. Meanwhile, the light of hope began shining in Winry's eyes.
"And what is that hypothesis." Edward asked, sounding a bit impatient.
"Actually, I have two theories." Alfonzo replied. "The first is to perform [Human Transmutation]. Then, exchange Al's soul for your arm, Ed…"
"There's no way in hell!" Edward shouted angrily.
"Chill out, Dude." Alfonzo said while smiling wryly. "I'm not done."
"Ed, let him finish." Alphonse said in a consoling tone.
In fact, the reason Edward and Alphonse reacted the way they did was because they had also considered that solution.
"Anyway, after exchanging for your arm, Ed." Alfonzo continued. "You'd have to give up something pretty big to get Al's body back. And I'm thinking something on the level of your ability to use [Alchemy], along with all the knowledge you received from the first time you used [Human Transmutation], as a cost."
Hearing that, Edward and Alphonse could not help but lower their heads. Other than the [Alchemic] knowledge they received, their own theory about getting their bodies back was identical to Alfonzo's. On top of that, it would still leave Edward with an artificial right leg.
"*Sigh* that's almost exactly what we thought, too." Edward replied in a slightly downcast tone. "But we held off on doing it until we could hear your theory."
"I see." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Well, since you two know more about [Alchemy] than I do, I guess I should have expected that."
"Still, for someone who doesn't practice [Alchemy], that was really impressive." Alphonse said, trying to console Alfonzo, thinking he might be disappointed that he could not tell them anything they did not already know.
Shrugging in response, Alfonzo only smiled at Alphonse's attempt at consolation.
"Well, if that's the same as what they were thinking, what's the other hypothesis you came up with?" Winry asked, the hope in her eyes still not extinguished.
At that moment, Edward and Alphonse also remembered that Alfonzo said he had two theories.
"Oh, that one is much simpler." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Use a Philosopher's Stone."
Immediately, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse showed signs of rejection.
"No way!" Edward shouted in defiance.
"Do you know how Philosopher's Stones are even made?" Alphonse asked in a put off tone.
Meanwhile, Winry remained silent. However, she looked at Alfonzo with disappointment.
"Alright, alright, don't look at me like that." Alfonzo said while smiling wryly and raising his hands disarmingly. "Before you burn me at the stake for heresy, hear me out, at least."
Though the three remained silent, they did give Alfonzo a chance to explain himself.
"Yes, I know that Philosopher's Stones are made with human soul's as their main ingredient." Alfonzo said, starting his explanation. However, he had to raise his hand to gesture for Edward to let him finish once again when he reached that point. "And that's why I think it's the best bet for you two to get your bodies back."
Though Edward and Alphonse were clearly disgruntled by Alfonzo's line of thought, they allowed him to continue without interrupting.
"And the reason for that is simple." Alfonzo continued. "It's because Ankhseram is the one you'll be trading with to get your bodies back."
This time, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse could not follow Alfonzo's train of thought. So, they looked at him with gazes that asked him to continue… quickly.
"Well, as you said earlier, Ankhseram is the God of Life and Death." Alfonzo said, answering the silent request. "And a Philosopher's Stone is filled with the souls of those who were kept from the cycle of Life and Death."
When Alfonzo reached that point, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse began following Alfonzo's line of thinking.
"So, if you offer those souls back to Ankhseram, he would more than likely be willing to trade you for what you want." Alfonzo said, smiling brightly as he noticed the understanding in the trio's gazes.
*Bang!*
"Damn, why didn't we ever think of that?' Edward asked as he slammed his fist on the coffee table between the two couches.
"You answered that question already." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "Because as scientists… Alchemists... you didn't believe in Gods, right? But I guess you've come to accept the fact that Gods are real over the years. Otherwise, you wouldn't have accepted my line of thinking so readily. It must have just been your pride as Alchemists getting in the way."
"*Sigh* You're probably right." Alphonse said while nodding in agreement. "Also, the thought of sacrificing souls to benefit ourselves didn't sit well with us, either."
"Yeah, but when you think about it as the souls being returned to the cycle of life and death, it doesn't sound so bad anymore." Edward said.
With that, the atmosphere around Edward and Alphonse became much more positive.
"Um… But there's still a problem." Winry said, hesitant to break up the happy atmosphere.
"What do you mean?" Edward asked.
"We would still need a Philosopher's Stone, right?" Winry asked. "And I don't think it's right to sacrifice people to make a new one."
Immediately, Edward and Alphonse froze in realization. Then, the atmosphere surrounding them started turning gloomy.
"You don't have to worry about that." Alfonzo said, cutting through the gloomy atmosphere while waving his hand dismissively. "I actually have a pretty big Philosopher's Stone. And from what my [Armament Spirits] said, there are at least a few dozen souls trapped inside. So, I really don't think there will be a problem."
Hearing that, the three childhood friends opened their eyes wide in surprise.
"But why would you have something like that?" Edward asked skeptically.
"Seriously, Dude, don't' look at me like that." Alfonzo said while smiling wryly. "Lici gave it to me after taking a quest last year, which happened to be a trap set by the homunculus. And they used a pendant made from a Philosopher's Stone as the item to be retrieved."
In response, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse breathed sighs of relief.
"Anyway, you can give it a try when I get back to magnolia." Alfonzo said as he stood from the couch. "I don't have a habit of carrying something like that with me, after all. And it's locked up tight in a safe at my new mansion."
"We've waited this long." Edward said in a resolute tone. "So, waiting a few more weeks won't kill us."
Winry and Alphonse nodded in agreement while Alfonzo nodded in understanding.
"Alright, then that's settled." Alfonzo said with a smile. "And now, I'm going to bed. I'll see you three tomorrow."
Then, while receiving good night wishes from Winry, Edward, and Alphonse, Alfonzo left the room and headed to the master bedroom. And after chatting for a few more minutes, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse headed to their own rooms, as well.