Author's note: This is created by two people, Gomboc123 and MortifiedScientist. We are both very new at writing fanfics, so, if we mess up, forgive us. Tips are welcome! We mean like, seriously give us some tips. We suck. (Mostly Lux.) Feel free to message us.

Chapter one-

The door to Roy Mustang's office flew open, slamming into the wall behind it. He flinched, expecting Edward Elric, coming to scream about something. Roy felt guilty at that thought, remembering that he had abandoned the Fullmetal kid to fight Gluttony with two other teenagers as he and Riza escaped. Roy turned around to look at the figure in the doorway, to see if Edward had won the fight. But the person standing there was not Edward.

"Colonel Mustang! I need your help right now!" Alphonse Elric stood at the door, followed by the homunculus Gluttony, whom the teenagers had been fighting against.

Roy heard his Lieutenant raise her gun behind him, and reached for his gloves.

"Alphonse, don't move," Riza said, aiming her pistol at the figure behind the young Elric brother, "You've been followed here."

"Wait, Lieutenant Hawkeye! Don't shoot him! He's going to help us get Ed and Ling back!" Both Roy and Riza froze at that statement.

"Alphonse, what do you mean, 'get Ed back'? What happened to Ed?" Roy said, lowering his gloved hand, but still keeping it in a position he could explode Gluttony in.

"Listen, you remember how Gluttony started swallowing everything in his path, right? Well, Ed and Ling…" Al paused, looking down at the ground.

"Alphonse, are you saying that that freak of nature behind you devoured your brother?" Roy replied, disbelieving what Alphonse was implying. It had to be something else. Edward couldn't have died.

"Colonel, Lieutenant, please just trust me. Gluttony told me he would lead me to their father to help get everyone out. Envy got swallowed too, so I know they have to do at least something," Al looked up again at the two officers, "Please come with us. We need your help," Even though Alphonse had no facial features, he somehow managed to look like he was pleading.

"So, they definitely did get swallowed…" Roy stopped in the middle of his sentence. Ed was really gone. Edward was gone because of a fight that he had lost, due to Roy leaving him behind. Roy ran his fingers through his hair, mentally cursing himself. It was all his fault that two innocent people had died. One of whom Roy had actually begun to think of as his responsibility. He had to fix this.

"Alphonse, we're coming," Roy stood up, ignoring the pain that stabbed at his side. Riza took her place behind him, still holding her gun, "Where exactly are we going?"

"Gluttony knows. It's something about their father," Al gestured to the homunculus standing behind him. While moving his arm, Roy noticed that Alphonse's hand was missing. Cut clean off, much like the barrel of Riza's rifle earlier in the fight. Oh god, Alphonse had almost been eaten too. Roy couldn't let anything bad happen to the younger Elric, and letting Alphonse get close to that Gluttony freak might result in another horrific accident.

"Let's go," Roy put his coat on, walking briskly to the door where the suit of armor stood. He then turned to Gluttony, "Alright, Homunculus, where are you taking us?"

"We're going to see father," Gluttony replied excitedly, with a smile on his face. How could somebody who had just murdered two innocent people be so.. happy? Roy grimaced, clenching his fists. The four sped out of the office, Gluttony leading the way.

With Hawkeye following close behind him, Roy sped his pace up to match Alphonse's. "Alphonse, what exactly happened," Riza asked from behind the two men. Roy had been too caught up in his own thoughts to think about what the Lieutenant must have been feeling. She had also been with the Elrics every step of the way, and even Edward was nice to her.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, shortly after you two left, Ling, Ed, and I were fighting Envy and Gluttony. Ed and Ling ended up dealing with Envy, and while the three were occupied, Gluttony took his chance to take brother out. All three are gone now. I tried to reach out for them, but he got my arm too," Al held his arm up, shaking slightly, "I was too late in trying to get them back; I let brother get eaten."

Roy knew that Alphonse was blaming himself for what had happened. Even though the suit of armor couldn't cry, the way Al shuddered, and the way his voice sounded choked were prime indicators. Roy was surprised that he didn't have any obvious signs of guilt written across his face.

"Alphonse, this isn't your fault," Roy replied softly, "Listen, the Homunculus still thinks Edward is alive. We can get him back, Alphonse," Roy looked into Al's glowing red eyes, attempting to give the young teen a reassuring look. Roy had never excelled at reassuring people, but he knew that if he really wanted to help Alphonse, he had to at least try his best.

"Colonel Mustang, thanks for coming to help," Was Al's reply, as he broke eye contact, choosing to focus more on the Homunculus turning into the next alleyway.

The paths Gluttony took began narrowing, until they reached a door on the outside of a nondescript brick building. "This… is military property," noted Riza, her eyes taking in their full surroundings.

Gluttony gave no answers, or explanations, and opened the door with a sick smile on his face. "We only have a little bit left to go. Then we can all see father!" The three humans exchanged skeptical glances, unsure of what lay beyond the dark entrance into the building. This insane 'Father' person was obviously the leader of the homunculi; was it really a smart idea to walk right into his lair?

'We have to' Roy thought to himself. He had to try and bring Edward back. He couldn't just let Edward die because of him. He nodded to Riza, who held two pistols now, ready to shoot anything that came at them. Roy reached into his pocket, and put his ignition gloves on. Even if the Homunculus was promising not to be hostile, they could never be too careful.

Alphonse entered the doorway, followed by the two soldiers. Gluttony closed the door behind them, and then moved his way to the front of the group. They began walking along a dimly lit path, next to some sort of water, or sewer system. After walking for about two minutes, Roy started hearing strange growling noises coming from the shadows around them.

"Does anyone else hear anything?" Al and Riza paused, the Lieutenant cast Roy a look indicating that she had also already heard the noises, and Al began looking around them. Roy took his hands out of his pockets, ready to snap at any potential attackers.

"Don't worry," Gluttony said, his voice retaining that deranged, happy tone, "The chimeras won't hurt you as long as you stick with me," he motioned for the humans to keep walking with him. Riza's fingers were curled tightly around her pistols, her two pointer fingers already on the triggers. Usually Riza rested them on the outsides of the trigger guards, as is customary for anyone who is not currently aiming or shooting. Proper gun etiquette and safety were only abandoned by her in truly severe situations. Roy could tell she was worried, even if her face showed its usual calm mask.

After an uncomfortable next few minutes descending, the group of four reached another door. Gluttony turned back and grinned with excitement, and pushed the door open with one fluid motion.

"Both of you, start gathering any rocks that look like they are part of this circle," Edward barked the order at Ling and Envy, "These are going to be our way out of here." Ling promptly began searching for the missing pieces, with only some minor grumbling. Envy set off, managing to find some larger stone chunks that only its monstrous form could lift.

As the rocks began to start piecing together, Edward repeated his theory in his mind. If he was correct, this circle from Xerxes could help him glean some information about how to escape from this hellhole. The circle down here was beginning to look much like the one that used to be in Lab 5, implying that something such as a philosopher's stone could have been created. As more and more pieces were added; however, Edward recognized it in a different way. Those symbols, that pattern; it reminded Ed of five years previous, when the majority of the transmutation circles he tried to draw looked like this. Human transmutation circles. So that's what the society of Xerxes was hiding all along.

After the rocks were placed, Ed explained the plan to Ling and Envy. This was so far, the riskiest thing Ed would attempt in all his years of being an alchemist. "I'm going to perform human transmutation. On myself."

Ling's jaw dropped, "Human transmutation is what lost you two limbs. This plan could cause your whole body to disappear."

"Ling, assuming that Envy was correct in saying that this was an attempt at making another portal of truth, that means that there has to be a gate to get out of here. When someone performs human transmutation, they go in front of the real gate, and would end up in the outside world. So by getting to the real gate, we would be able to bypass this one and get out." Ed ran his metal fingers through his long bangs, pushing them out of his face. Ling narrowed his already slim eyes, and opened his mouth to speak, but Envy's booming voice was the one Ed heard next.

"Listen, pipsqueak, I have a philosopher's stone. Use it to get us out of here." Ed stared in shock at the Homunculus' contribution, not expecting Envy to have helped. But then he realized exactly what Envy had offered. The philosopher's stone. The very stone made from the blood and souls of hundreds of innocent people.

"Envy, those are people you're talking about. You can't-" He was cut off.

"These souls have long been dead, with no bodies to return to and do you honestly think that they would be able to make it as people? You need to open your eyes, pipsqueak. They're too far gone to make any difference," Envy's bitter comments immobilized Ed for what seemed to him like hours. 'He's right. These people have been trapped for thousands of years,' Ed thought. He hated the idea of sacrificing people for his own gain. It was something he had never even considered doing in exchange for his limbs; but he needed to get back to Alphonse. He couldn't abandon his younger brother especially knowing what kind of ulterior motives these homunculi had.

"Fine… Envy," Ed replied tentatively, "stand on the left side of the circle. Ling, you go to the right," Ed stepped into the center. This plan had to work.

Ed clapped his hands, and pushed them down onto the stone below them.

The next thing Edward knew, he was surrounded by thousands of black, grabbing hands. This time, he let them come. Ed closed his eyes, focusing on deconstructing himself and the others, then reconstructing them again on the outside. He focused on the energy within Envy's stone, letting it flow through him and boost his alchemical power. He heard voices crying out their thanks, crying out at their newfound freedom. It was working. Edward was successfully transmuting a human being.

Finally, the hands let go of their hold on Edward, dropping him down onto solid ground. Ed opened his eyes, expecting to see the forest where the battle had taken place, or one of the surrounding buildings. But what he really saw once his eyes adjusted was a vast expanse of white. Then, the gate. Ed turned, and instead of seeing the white figure of truth, he saw another set of stone doors parallel to his. How were there two gates? Upon closer inspection, Edward's jaw dropped at what he saw. Sitting in front of the second doorway was a blonde figure.

The body turned its head towards Edward, and Ed's suspicions were confirmed. Those wide golden eyes were the ones he had grown up looking into. The long golden hair that was so similar to his and Hohenheim's.

"ALPHONSE!" the rest of Al's body turned, letting Edward see it, unobstructed by any long blonde hair. He was practically a skeleton now, his pale skin clinging to his slender frame. Al's face was gaunt, his hair losing some of its shine, and his fingernails long and jagged at the tips. Alphonse was almost unrecognizable, but Edward knew his brother anywhere. He had finally found the thing he had been looking for, ever since that fateful night in Risembool.

Ed stepped toward Al's body, but in reaction to his sudden movements, the black hands from the gate shot back out toward him. While Ed had been complacent with these hands before, that sentiment was gone. Ed struggled, thrashing and kicking as he was dragged back through the stone doors of his gate.

"Al! Come with me! Hurry!" Ed almost screeched, trying to reach out for the frail figure in front of him.

"I can't," Al replied. Ed's eyes widened, and he slipped deeper into the darkness, "You're not my soul." Edward kept slipping, the doors to the gate closing in front of him, sealing him away from his brother's body. No. NO. He was not going to lose this time. Edward was going to get his brother back, and even if he couldn't now, he would at least make sure Alphonse's body knew he would go down fighting.

Ed felt his automail creak and groan under the pressure and exertion. He felt his stomach being crushed by the black hand that had wound itself around him. He felt his other arm on fire, also fighting against the darkness that threatened to pull him away from Alphonse. But he refused to let that happen. Ed wasn't quite sure how he managed, but amongst all of the intertwined black hands, he broke his right arm free, and lept for the outside of the gate.

"Alphonse! Someday, I'll come and get you!" Edward fought against the forces pulling him back in. He pointed at Al's body, his gaze determined and unwavering, "Just wait right there!" With that final message, Edward was once again pulled into the abyss.

Gluttony entered the large room, filled with pipes, and walked to the middle, where a figure in white was facing away from them. Roy, Alphonse, and Riz followed closely behind, all three on high alert for anything that might ambush them.

"Father, look at what I brought," Gluttony exclaimed, walking closer to the man in white. The Homunculus gestured to the three people now scanning the room with their eye, ready to be on the defensive in case of any kind of situation.

"Gluttony," the man paused and turned to face the homunculus. 'Father' stepped back, and seconds later, a flash of blue light erupted from where Gluttony was standing. Roy gasped, and raised his arm in front of his eyes to shield them from any light or flying debris. The wind picked up in the room, whipping Roy's uniform bottoms around his legs. He heard a roar, and a deafening thump, and instinctively put one arm in front of Riza and Alphonse as if he was shielding them.

The crackling of electricity subsided, and Roy lowered his arm, blinking twice to readjust his eyes. In the center of the room stood some kind of giant green monster, with peculiar bumps covering its body. Roy couldn't see very well from his point of view, but he could have sworn they looked like faces embedded in the beast.

"Ling!" Alphonse ran out toward the smaller figure next to the monster, "Ling! Where's Ed?" Alphonse stopped.

"What?" Ling asked, and immediately turned around to look for the other teen. Roy moved closer to the center, Riza remaining only a step behind him, fingers still glued to the triggers.

"Where's Brother?" Alphonse asked again, his armor beginning to shake. Roy felt his hand twitch.

"He should be here," Ling replied, looking more frantically around him, "Edward! Edward where are you?" He yelled, looking at the giant green atrocity.

"Don't look at me," it replied, eyeing Roy as he walked closer. Roy noticed the details of the monster, and confirmed his worst suspicions. Attached to the sides, were, in fact, human faces. Roy heard a soft gasp from Riza, and he readied his gloves.

"What the hell is this thing?" Roy almost growled, as he also looked around the room for any signs of the Fullmetal Alchemist. Edward had to be somewhere in the room.

"Envy, turn back to normal now," Ling ordered the monster sharply. Envy?

"What?"

"Envy, did you or your stone do anything to Ed?" Ling asked, his eyes narrowed into two straight lines, "Where the hell is Edward?"

There was no reply from anyone, the silence in the room growing suffocating as everyone realized what had just happened.

Roy's heart sank, his face visibly falling. Fullmetal had to be alright. Ling and even that Envy monster had survived. Neither of them could perform any sort of alchemy, so it had to have been Ed bringing them back to this world. Edward could not have died because of this. No, he wouldn't. Could he? Doubts clouded Roy's mind, and he almost lost his composure in front of everyone. This was his fault for leaving. Edward was stuck in some kind of abyss because of Roy's mistake to leave the kids alone to fight a Homunculus.

"EDWARD?" Alphonse yelled, dropping down to his knees. Roy considered doing the same.

"Ed was the one who assured us the human transmutation would work," Ling paused.

"The WHAT?" Al whipped his head back up toward the Xingese prince. Oh god. Ed's first human transmutation had cost him so much, and that was only to bring back one person. How much would the price be for three?

"Edward found some old Xerxian human transmutation circle. He- he said something about how crossing through the gate would bring us back into the normal word," Ling replied, looking down at the suit of armor.

"And you let him?" Al shuddered. Ling opened his mouth to reply again, but was interrupted by another round of blue sparks coming from Gluttony. Another bright flash filled the room, and soon the sound of coughing could be heard behind Envy, who was being unnervingly quiet.

"Brother?" Alphonse yelled, and jumped up off the ground.

"Alphonse?" the voice replied. It was weak and coughing, but there was no denying that it was Edward Elric's voice coming from behind the beast. Thank god. Roy felt as if a thirty pound weight had been lifted off of his chest, and he slowed his abnormally fast breathing. Edward was alive.

Before Roy could say anything, the man in white spoke from his place on the other side of the room, "Ah, now that all of you have been nice enough to join us, it's time we get on with the main event."