Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ The Anime Margin: 108 Stars of Destiny ❯ Invasion of the Abh Story, part 1: Detective Elric ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer:
This fic uses characters, places, themes from franchises that are the property of others. I do not own these franchises.

Special Thanks to:
Charles Xavier, Fanfiction.net author: For writing an awesome crossover with anime and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Suikosource website: for providing great information that made this fic possible.

The Anime Margin: 108 Stars of Destiny
By: RB3

Invasion of the Abh Story, part 1: Detective Elric

A new day dawned on the nation of Amestris, one of the pre-eminent nations of Alchemic Earth. The spitting image of pre-war Germany, the buildings of Central City were a throwback to a day long gone in the real Earth's history. Vintage cars drove along the road while trains pulled into local stations to deposit passengers. For such a quaint world, the people were happy and had a quality of life rivalling those of more advanced civilizations. Those who lived in the Alchemic Earth practiced the art of its namesake, alchemy. Though seen as witchcraft by some witnesses, alchemy was a science to its practitioners, with specific rules and logic to its application.

From one of these trains emerged a motley pair of brothers. The first of the two seemed to tower over the other, clad in his suit of knight's armour. It had a fearsome appearance due in no small part to the spikes on its joints and its massive girth. The bizarre face of the suit seemed animate, seemingly taking on the emotions its wearer as he experienced them. The other brother was the smaller of the two, a young blond boy in his mid teens. As this boy moved around, the sleeve of his red jacket slid away far enough to reveal a prosthetic right arm made from metal.

"Hey Al, did the Colonel mention why he needed to see me so badly?" asked the smaller brother, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist of the State.

"No," replied the armoured brother, Alphonse Elric. "He just told you to see him as soon as possible and that it was urgent."

Ed sighed. "What could he want with me so badly?"

"Ed! Al!" cried a beautiful blonde girl as she came to meet the Elric brothers.

"Winry!" said Ed as she approached.

"Hi guys, you're back pretty early," said Winry.

"Yeah, the Colonel called me in for an urgent matter. I have to go meet him now. Al, why don't you keep Winry company? I'll catch you two later."

Al and Winry walked back to Winry's shop in Central while Ed went to meet his commanding officer. Ed walked down the street until he came upon the most regal building in all of Central City. A brick and mortar structure, it was the central headquarters for the state's military. Ed stood before his commanding officer, one Colonel Roy Mustang, waiting for his orders. "Ah, hello Fullmetal, just the person I was looking for."

"What was so urgent that you had to call me all the way back from East City?" asked Ed.

"Yes, straight to the point..." Colonel Mustang opened a file containing the picture of three military personnel. "The man in the centre is Second Lieutenant Alan Schwartz, also known as the Black Alchemist. He has gone missing for over a month now. We've sent Second Lieutenants Amy Wolf and Harold Stone to search for him in his last known location, the city of Lior, but they too have gone missing."

"So you want me to find them, is that right?" asked Ed.

"Yeah, you catch on quick, Fullmetal. We've already assigned Lieutenant Colonel Hughes to the job. We feel that he will need your help due to the mysterious circumstances of the disappearances. With the current situation in Ishbal, we can't spare anyone else to assist him other than you."

"So, where should I meet Hughes?"

"Hughes will be waiting for you at the Central City train station. Please do not keep him waiting. Dismissed!"

Ed left the military headquarters and walked back to Winry's Automail shop in Central City. The shop was known simply as "Winry Automail" and had facilities and mechanics to install the Automail on site. In the storefront window was a mannequin constructed entirely of Automail, mechanical prosthetics for amputees. On display on shelves around the room were sample Automail limbs as well as brochures extolling the virtues of Automail. At the moment, Winry was conversing with Al, who turned to Ed as he came into the shop.

"So what's up?" asked Al.

Ed let out an ennui-filled sigh. "The Colonel sent us on another mission. He said we have to go to Lior to investigate some missing State alchemists. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes will be coming with us. He's waiting for us to meet him at the station. Let's go Al."

"Sorry Winry, we have to leave now," said Al disappointed.

"Sure, take care you two," said Winry.

The Elric brothers moved out to the train station where they were to meet their comrade for the mission. Leaning against a wall was a man in jackboots and the blue uniform of the Amestrian military. The man had scruffy hair on and under his chin and watched the passengers come on and off the train through a pair of glasses with rectangular lenses. When the man spotted the Elric brothers entering the station, he rushed up to greet them. "Oh hi Ed, let me show you the finger painting my Elysia made for me yesterday."

Hughes pulled out a finger painting snapped by an alchemically created camera. Ed grimaced as he saw the trails of orange, red, and blue on the picture. "That's great Lieutenant Colonel," said Ed, playing along with Hughes.

"Yeah, she's really growing up now," remarked Hughes. "Anyways, let's get down to business. We're here to investigate the disappearance of three State alchemists. I'm sure Colonel Mustang briefed you on the details?"

"Yeah, he did," replied Ed.

"Good," remarked Hughes. "Call it a hunch, but my instincts tell me that there is some foul play involved in these disappearances. We should be careful."

The investigators boarded the next train bound for the city of Lior, where they would begin their investigations. The city of Lior was a largely backwater town in the nation of Amestris. It was far to the east of the Central City in the hot, desert wastelands. The investigators passed by the great temple of the city, a stone building with the statue of a muscular sun god in a toga before it. The bearded god was crowned by a circlet pointed like the sun itself. The Elrics and Hughes checked into the military headquarters for the region as their base of operations.

There, they inquired about Schwartz' last mission before disappearing. "Alan was investigating a man known as Amir al-Zayn. Schwartz' investigation revealed that Zayn had been purchasing abnormally large quantities of Red Water from various sources. We have yet to discover his reason for doing so. Just before he disappeared, Schwartz was heading to meet an informant named Hassan bin Kabal. When Stone and Wolf went to meet the informants themselves, they disappeared too."

"So we have our first lead," remarked Hughes. "Where is this Hassan bin Kabal?"

"You can reach him by talking with the owner of the Mocha Latte coffee shop. Tell him you are having coffee with Kabal."

Following the lead from their headquarters, Ed and his companions searched the town for the Mocha Latte shop. Their search led them to a wooden store with a Middle-Eastern motif. The sign above the doorway displayed a mug filled with steaming hot coffee. As the investigators entered, the strong scent of coffee filled their nostrils. There were a few people inside, eating the small, quickly prepared sandwiches and desserts served by the shop as they drank a variety of coffee blends. At the back was an unassuming Middle-Eastern man with greying hair and a greying black beard. As the cafe's owner, he was tending his shop.

"Hello, is a Hassan bin Kabal here? We're here to meet him for coffee," requested Hughes.

"Sure, wait in the back," said the owner. "There are some chairs if you want to sit."

The investigators entered a solitary room in the back. The dimly lit room was a storage area used to store spare chairs, tables, and covering cloth. They seated around the table and waited. The owner entered the room five minutes later with coffee for Hassan's guests. Another five minutes passed before Hassan actually showed himself. He was a jovial man with a curly beard and bronzed skin. He was in a white skull cap and a white robe that reached all the way to his legs. The man seemed to be fairly religious in lifestyle due to his choice of clothing. This man was Hassan bin Kabal.

"So you're with the state military?" asked Hassan.

"Yeah," replied Hughes. "We'd like to know about Alan Schwartz. Why did he want to speak to you?"

"Keep your voice down!" warned Hassan. "Yes, Alan wanted to know about Amir al-Zayn. He was trying to find out why al-Zayn was buying so much Red Water. I'm not sure if you know this as State alchemists, but Red Water is often used by alchemists to create false Philosopher's Stones. It is a highly toxic substance."

"Yeah, we know that already," replied Ed. "Do you know anything else?"

"Al-Zayn was not the only person buying Red Water. My contacts have observed at least two other people buying this poison as well. After acquiring the Red Water, al-Zayn's men would then resell it to another group."

"Another group? Did you find anything about these people?" asked Hughes.

"Not much. I only know that they were described as being beautiful people with pale skin and blue hair."

"Pale skin and blue hair?" asked Hughes. That description did not match any race or ethnicity which he knew. "Interesting... Where do they meet to make the exchange?"

"That's the problem. They don't use the same time or location for each of their meetings. It was by fluke that my contacts saw the one exchange they were able to locate. That one took place at the abandoned Polyhelix alchemic plant in the outskirts of town."

---

The investigators scoped out the Polyhelix alchemic plant, which had laid unused for nearly four years. The Polyhelix company used alchemy to produce a number of household items and pharmaceuticals. Their products included various types of cleaning agents and medicine for most common ailments. All the investigators could find was a neglected factory covered by cobwebs. The investigators took samples of the local soil and had them tested at the headquarters. When the reports came in, they indicated a faint positive for Red Water contamination. That meant that the soil only had a limited exposure to Red Water for a brief, recent timeframe.

Despite confirming Hassan's information, it still didn't provide a lead to al-Zayn's location. Later in the day, Ed and his team returned to the headquarters to receive some grisly news. Three bodies suspected of belonging to State alchemists had been discovered in the desert. Upon hearing this, the investigators rushed to check out the site. There, they found several military investigators already milling about in the area, which had been cordoned off by tape and cloth screens. The bodies were at the centre of a crudely dug grave made of sand. The bodies had begun to rot and their faces were no longer recognizable.

The State officers questioned a trader, who had spotted a jackbooted leg jutting from the sand as he passed by with his caravan. When he went to investigate, he recognized the uniform as that of the Amestrian military. When he dug out the leg out of curiosity, the trader was horrified by the appearance of the rotted bodies and called the authorities. When they came, the authorities took control of the area and identified the bodies though the dog tags. They searched the graves and while everything else seemed normal, the authorities could not account for the stopwatches of these Alchemists. All of their other possessions were consistent with what a State Alchemist should carry and were present on their persons.

The authorities eventually moved the bodies to their base, where they were given a routine autopsy. Ed, Al, and Hughes read the report, which detailed the cause of death for these alchemists. They had died from catastrophic, concentrated burns on their internal organs. The coroner theorized that the alchemists were killed due to an intense burst of heat concentrated into a very small point at the back of their heads. The burns were extremely small, indicating that the heat came at them in a straight line from close range. The heat was so intense that it seared through the flesh instantly and destroyed the internal organs.

"Strange, very strange..." remarked Hughes as he read over the reports. "Three State alchemists killed execution-style and are missing their stopwatches..."

"...And a man buying barrels and barrels of Red Water," said Al.

"The alchemists might have gotten too close to an organized criminal operation. It looks like they were killed as part of a cover up," said Ed. He let out a big yawn and looked at the clock, which read 11 o'clock. "I'm too tired to think about this anymore. I'm going to bed."

"Good night, Ed," said Al.

During the night, Ed tossed and turned as a dream played out within his mind. He found himself somewhere in the uninhabited, sandy wastes in the eastern regions of Amestris. It was late at night and the stars were shining brightly in the sky. The wind picked up and mussed his blond hair and ruffled his jacket. Ed wondered where he was. He looked around and saw that he was near the entrance of a seemingly vacant town. Above this entryway was a curved sign which read "Saladin." After seeing the sign, Ed felt a strong desire to leave the town and enter the desert.

The Fullmetal Alchemist walked several leagues into the vast wastelands under the influence of this strange desire. It was like an unknown force was urging him forward, compelling him to witness something important. He wondered where he was going and what he was searching for. Ed soon got that answer when he came closer to a camp set up at the base of some mountains. Ed hid behind some plants and spied on the soldiers milling about. It seemed to be a camp for a military force of some sort. Their flags were green with a white dragon insignia, which was the flag of Amestris. The soldiers were changing into their uniforms in preparation for a mission.

A trunk pulled into the camp. One of the men went to the back to check out the cargo in the truck. At this moment, a soldier walked through Ed's body like an incorporeal ghost. Ed saw the soldier's body superimposed over his own, an event which freaked him out severely. He froze in fear, thinking that he was a goner and yet, nothing happened. The patrolling guard didn't call for help. He merely continued on his way as though nothing had happened. This strange event emboldened Ed to try to touch the guard. When he did so, his hand passed through as though the guard was a ghost. He chose to take a risk and walk directly into the camp. Just as he suspected, no one noticed him there, not even when they walked directly in front of him.

Ed walked around, scoping out the camp, trying to ascertain what its purpose was. He knew that he was close to something very important. He walked to the trunk to see what the men were doing. A blue-haired foreman in a gas mask unloaded a barrel and opened the lid for an inspector, revealing a red liquid in doing so. It was Red Water. The inspector smiled through his mask, satisfied at the efforts of the foreman. As the foreman returned the barrel, Ed took a peek inside his truck. There must have been at least a dozen barrels of Red Water, enough to make thousands of false Philosopher's Stones.

The next day, Ed, Al, and Hughes found themselves travelling on the train. "Ed, can you tell us where we're we going?" asked Al.

"Yeah, you seem to be in a big hurry," observed Hughes.

"I already told you, we're going to Saladin," replied Ed.

"We know that, but why there?" asked Al.

"You'll see when we get there," replied Ed.

The group took a car, which Hughes drove to the camp site. When they reached the location, they found an Amestrian camp which had been abandoned. This was the same camp from Ed's dreams. Judging by the condition of this camp, the men had only left very recently. "Ed, why did you bring us here?" asked Al. "Does this place have something to do with our investigation?"

"I think so. Look around," ordered Ed.

"You think so? What are we looking for?" asked Hughes.

"Anything, a sign, something out of the ordinary, just find it," said Ed, not wishing to discuss the subject any further.

The three split up and searched around. Not even a minute had passed by before Al discovered something in one of the tents. Ed and Hughes came in to check out the discovery, a strange tarot-like card with a hand-written note attached. The card displayed the picture of a strange woman wearing an eye-covering mitre. The card was entitled "The Dream" along the bottom. The note was addressed to Edward Elric and was signed with the words "a friend." The note told Ed to look directly at the card for three seconds.

Ed did as the note said and once the seconds passed, he gasped as his surroundings warped and twisted into a riverside surrounded by a sparse layer of trees. Al and Hughes were nowhere to be seen and didn't respond to any of Ed's calls. He looked around to get his bearings and spotted the town of Saladin in the distance. The river ran down the side of a hill and directly through the town. Once again, Ed felt himself being pulled towards somewhere unknown. He followed this unexplained urge and found the truck that was in his dream. It was parked near a reservoir at the head of the river with other vehicles which contained pale skinned, blue haired men in Amestrian military uniforms.

The men exited the vehicles and proceeded to unload the barrels. One by one, the men opened the barrels and dumped the Red Water into the reservoir. The toxic brew mixed with the pond and befouled the clean water. "Ed?" asked Al.

Al's voice pulled Ed back to reality. "Huh?" Ed asked puzzled.

"You zoned out there for a moment," said Hughes. "You were staring at the card for over ten minutes. That thing vanished once you came to!"

"Al, Hughes, we have to get to the Saladin reservoir immediately!" declared Ed.

"Again? What's going on?" asked Hughes.

"I'll tell you on the way there," promised Ed.

Hughes took the wheel of their vehicle and sped to the reservoir. "Ed, why are we going to the reservoir?" asked Al.

"Someone's going to poison Saladin's drinking water!" announced Ed.

"Really? What makes you think that?" asked Hughes.

"Call it strange but I saw it happen like... a dream. It happened when I looked at that card. It's like someone or something was showing me these images. I think they are telling me to stop it," replied Ed.

"...But what does that have to do with the camp?" asked Al.

"Everything," replied Ed. "The men that are doing this are the same ones Hassan described. They're going to frame Amestris for their crime."

"Frame the State?" asked Al. "Why would they want to do that?"

"...Because they are spies. If I'm right, then someone wants to drag us and Ishbal into a war. It is likely that they intend to take advantage of the fighting for their own gain. Now that we know this, we can't allow it to happen," informed Hughes.

The car sped along the side of the river that Ed had seen in his visions. Within moments, the trio could see the impostors dead ahead. It was not a moment too soon, since they still hadn't finished unloading their truck. Hughes made an abrupt, skidding stop to the left, aligning the car so as to position it as a shield. The impostors noticed their arrival and opened fire on them. The investigators ducked under the cover of the metal doors. Ed alchemically transmuted the car into a shelter of metal which gave them room to stand.

Hughes made a sideways glance at through a view hole in the shelter. "Well, now we know what they used to kill the alchemists." Seeing an opening, Hughes tossed a knife at one of the impostors. The impostor ducked behind the side of the truck and returned fire with an energy pistol.

"Yeah, but can we save the jokes for later. We're pinned down here." Ed employed alchemy upon the ground to raise several stone spikes from the earth. Due to his precarious position, he was not able to get a clear shot at his attackers. The spikes trailed down from his hand in a line, but their targets dove away for cover. "Damn! I couldn't get a clear shot. There's too much fire."

Hughes noticed a break in the fire and peeked out to throw a knife. Once again, his intended target hid behind the truck before returning fire. "We saved Saladin but who's going to save us now?"

The enemy kept pouring the pressure upon the state's investigators. One of the female soldiers pulled the pin from a grenade and prepared to throw it. Before she could even do so, a blast of golden energy picked her off, causing the grenade to slip out of her hand. Her comrades cursed as they leapt for dear life, moments before the grenade burst with a deafening bang. The force of the explosion had unintentionally tipped over a few of the Red Water barrels, causing the lids to fly off and the vile poison to spill outwards towards the reservoir.

All of a sudden, the ground rumbled as the earth near the reservoir moved on its own volition. It formed into a neighbouring trench which the Red Water flowed into harmlessly. A blue blur sped into the camp, taking out the nearest target with inhuman speed and then a second one. Knives flew in from unseen locations, picking off two more. A wall of flame skid along the ground, flattening three more of the men. Ed looked around to determine the situation and noticed a man in white wielding what looked like a scythe made of bone surrounded by a violet aura. This man had animated several skeletons to attack the guards and then slashed away at any who threatened him personally. It didn't take long for these unknown attackers to subdue the enemy.

After securing the location, the attackers gathered the unconscious and dead bodies of their enemies into a pile at the centre of the melee. One of the female members received some instructions from a teenaged boy, who seemed to be the leader of the group. The young woman turned to the Red Water and began to chant words for a magical spell. Glittering points of light snowed onto the poison, purifying the land of its contamination. She used the same powers on her comrades, most likely to remove any traces of poison they may have accidentally come into contact with. The strange powers she was employing did not look like any form of alchemy the Elric brothers had ever seen.

"Okay, you three, you can come out now," said the leading boy. "It's safe."

Ed, Al, and Hughes emerged from their shelter. "Who are you people?" asked Hughes, seeking an explanation.

"We are members of Valiance, an organization devoted to fighting the threat of the Omnipotence terrorist organization," replied Trunks. "These men were here to destabilize your country as a lead up to an invasion."

"How do we know you are not in on it like them?" asked Ed defiantly.

"Enough Ed," said Hughes. "On behalf of the state of Amestris, we'd like to thank you for your assistance. Without your help, we couldn't have stopped these men."

"You're welcome," replied Trunks. "Now, if possible, we'd like to arrange a meeting between our leaders. It is very important that they meet."

"Hmm... Okay, I'll see if I can pull some strings," replied Hughes.

True to his word, Hughes spoke to his top brass. After some investigation, they proved receptive to his request, a reaction that was coaxed by his success on the Red Water case. His case produced a group of Abh prisoners to interrogate for information, but the Omnipotence agents had been killed by poisoning devices implanted on their hearts. The day of the meeting came with Eddie, Folken, and his bodyguards walking into the Fuhrer's tent. The Fuhrer, King Bradley, was a tanned, square-jawed man of Germanic descent. The charismatic, moustachioed man rose from his seat and extended his hand, which Eddie and Folken shook.

Seated beside each other, Eddie and Folken briefed Bradley on the situation with Omnipotence. "I see, thank you for bringing this to my attention. You'll have the full support of Amestris against any Omnipotence or Abh spies. Unfortunately, the only thing we can provide is intelligence at the moment. We can't spare any of our men other than the Fullmetal Alchemist. Guards, please bring the Fullmetal Alchemist, his brother, and Winry Rockbell here."

The guards led Ed, Al, and Winry into the Fuhrer's tent. Ed, Al, and Winry kneeled before their leader. "Greetings, your highness. What do you need of me?" asked Ed.

"Come Ed, you need not be so formal around me," replied Bradley. "I have a very special mission for you and Al. Due to the current situation with Ishbal, we can not spare any men to assist Mr. Valiant. That is why you will assist them in our army's stead. Your mission may be the most vital for the welfare of the state. Our victory against the Ishballans may well hinge on your success against Omnipotence."

"I understand, my Fuhrer," replied Ed.

"Excellent," remarked the Fuhrer. "Ms. Rockbell, the Fullmetal Alchemist will need someone with your expertise to maintain his Automail parts. Go with him and help him in any way you can."

Winry curtseyed before the Fuhrer. "Of course, my Fuhrer."

"Mr. Valiant, Ms. Rockbell and the Elric brothers will now provide their services to your organization. Use them well," said Bradley.

Eddie rose from his seat and shook the Fuhrer's hand. "Thank you King Bradley, we'll make full use of the little guy."

"Little? Who are you calling little?" cried Ed irately.

Al locked his brother's arms, desperately trying to keep him from attacking Eddie and embarrassing himself in the process. "Calm down Ed, you're making a scene!"

Valiance's leadership left the tent and boarded the Crimson Egg with Winry and the Elric brothers in tow. Before entering the ship, the three Amestrians took a moment to examine Valiance's flag ship. They were awestruck by its mere presence, having never see such a ship before. "Wow, a spaceship! I've always wondered what it's like in outer space," remarked Al.

"OH WOW!" gasped Winry, stars in her eyes. "...A real live spaceship! I gotta see! I gotta see! I have to know how it works!" The young mechanic rushed into the ship, checking out everything on the way in.

"Oh man, Winry just died and went to heaven now," said Ed.

Upon entry, the Amestrians followed Roger Rabbit as he led them on a tour beginning with the bridge where Dr. Eggman was controlling his ship. "This here is the bridge, where Dr. Eggman controls the ship."

"Welcome kids, I hope Roger hasn't been goofing around too much now," said Eggman.

"Nah, he's been pretty well behaved," replied Ed.

"Cool, a real live robot!" blurted Winry. "How does he work? What is he made of? I want to open him up!"

"Hey, let me go! I'm trying to drive here!" cried Bocoe as he tried to shake Winry off of him.

The Crimson tilted sideways suddenly when Bocoe's elbow bumped into the Crimson Egg's control stick. "Hey, what happened up there?" asked Eddie over the intercom system.

"Don't worry Mr. Valiant, false alarm," replied Eggman. "Okay that's enough sightseeing for one day."

"Yep, let's keep the tour moving," agreed Al, who picked up Winry and carried her back to the bridge's entry door.

"Hey, let me go!" demanded Winry. "I still haven't seen inside the robots yet!"

"See you later, Dr. Eggman," said Ed.

The tour group retreated back to the hallways where they continued the tour of the Crimson Egg. Roger brought the Amestrians to each pertinent place on the ship, including the mess hall, the operations room, and the rooms of Eddie, Folken, and Dr. Eggman. The Crimson Egg's hallways were made of plain metal and were rather drab and sterile. Nevertheless, these hallways radiated a sense of energy from its circuitry. The Crimson Egg was truly a thing of the space age with its computers, electronics, and antimatter power systems. The ship was large and spacious enough to carry an entire battalion into war.

"Okay boys, this is your room. You room is the one to the right of their's Winry. I hope you'll enjoy this place," said Roger as he pointed to a metal doorway which consisted of two sliding metal doors.

"Thank you Roger, your tour was very informative," said Al.

"Yeah, now where do I start?" asked Winry rhetorically as she went into her room to browse the technology. The doors opened with a hiss to let her pass, but Winry took a step back in pleasant surprise. "Whoa, even the doors are machines too!"

Roger left the Amestrians to their devices, giving a parting wave as he walked away. However, the rabbit was not paying attention to where he was going and ended up pancaking his face into the wall of the neighbouring hallway. Ed and Al winced at Roger's pain, but the Toon rabbit gave a big thumbs-up to indicate that he was fine. After his face straightened, the comical rabbit gave a final wave and disappeared into the other hall. Ed walked up to his door, which opened just like Winry's. "Yep, that's pretty convenient," he remarked.

"Hey, let me try!" Al made an attempt to enter the door while his brother waited inside. Instead of opening, Al pancaked his face right into the door with a loud metal clang. "Ow..." groaned Al as he rubbed his face.

"Are you okay Al?" asked Ed.

"Ow... Yeah, I'm fine," replied the armoured alchemist. "Why did the door open for you, but not for me?"

"I'm not sure. I guess if you need to come in, I'll have to help you," said Ed. "Let's go in and relax."

END OF CHAPTER

New Stars of Heaven/Heavenly Leaders:
None

New Stars of Earth/Earthly Warriors:
#39 Chiyu, The Brave Star: Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
#71 Chisui, The Fulfilled Star: Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
#73 Chiin, The Hidden Star: Winry Rockbell (Fullmetal Alchemist)


Spotlight: Fullmetal Alchemist


Fullmetal Alchemist follows the adventures of the brothers Alphonse and Edward Elric. During their early childhood, their alchemist father disappeared, leaving their mother to take care of them. Eventually, even their mother passed away, leaving the brothers all alone. The boys studied alchemy, learning enough to attempt to raise their mother from the dead. The ritual went awry with Ed having his lost left leg while Al lost his entire body. Ed was barely able to save his brother, exchanging his right arm to seal Al's soul into a suit of armour. After receiving Automail prosthetics from the Rockbells, their next door neighbours, Ed and Al continued their quest to restore their mother to life.

Origin:
Winry, Ed, and Al live in the country of Amestris of the Alchemic Earth, which is a military dictatorship. The brothers Elric were born into a family of alchemists and went on to take apprenticeships to gain what power they currently have. Winry had undergone similar education to learn about Automail, much of it coming from her own family. Ed went on to pass his qualification exam for being an Amestrian State alchemist, automatically becoming a Major in its military structure. He is the youngest State alchemist to date and goes by the name of "Fullmetal Alchemist."

Powers:
Alchemy in the Alchemic Earth is a power of magical origin that manipulates the energy from the souls of dead humans. It is structured very much like a normal science, with rules and laws of its own. It consists of understanding matter, decomposing it, and then restructuring or manipulating it for the desired effect. It generally requires a transmutation circle to perform alchemy, though some alchemists like Ed can bypass this. Science in the Alchemic Earth is heavily entwined with alchemy, which creates much of the conveniences they use.

Technology-wise, Alchemic Earth is about equivalent to that of Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. They have cars and conveniences such as electricity. However, one area where the Alchemic Earth is very advanced is in the area of prosthetics, particularly Automail. Automail is capable of giving its user a limb with greater mobility than even the original. It is like the cybernetics of futuristic worlds, an amazing achievement considering Alchemic Earth's lower technology level. However, since Automail is attached directly to the nerves, the attachment causes extreme pain, which is why many shun getting these prosthetics despite their advantages.