To obtain something…something of equal or greater value must be given in return.
The Holy Grail was created to end that absolute.
The Philosopher's Stone was created in the constraints of that absolute.
But Magic requires a price…and even an ultimate miracle created by man needs a sacrifice.
To obtain something…something of equal or greater value must be given in return.
That is an Absolute.
Chapter 1
Sebastian Elric lived a dual life. And so did many others in America. On the one hand, he was a high school student of the tenth grade, keeping up with his grades to appease his parents and stay with his friends. On the other hand, he was an Alchemist like his dad, Edward-The Full Metal Alchemist as he was called in his original world.
A tiny bit of magic, and a whole lot of science…which was the only subject he was interested in. To be good at science, one must be good at math; and that just meant his other subjects took the back seat. But transmuting lead into iron or carbon into a diamond was only half of an Alchemist's duty.
His dad often talked about a substance known as a Philosopher's Stone; a legendary substance known to create gold from base metals (gold and silver are one of the only metal s that cannot be transmutable, due to the complex nature of the actual metal and the value humans put on them) and make an elixir of life.
There is a way to obtain such a thing, but it is imperfect and requires human sacrifice-which none of the Elrics would dare breach. Even so, dad strives hard for such a thing because he sees it as something he needs to accomplish…at least that's what he told Sebastian.
And there is his mother, and her unique look. While Sebastian (most of the time) and his dad had blonde hair and blue eyes, his mother had white hair and red eyes…and was someone known as a Magus. She taught Sebastian how to control his Prana, and consequently how to perform magecraft…which was quite different from Alchemy, even if it incorporated a form of Alchemy for various spells and enchantments.
Prana is magical energy used to complete such requests of spells and so forth, and as a result can be more powerful than Alchemy as the Elrics know it.
But Sebastian's dad also explained to him that magecraft can be more easily blocked and thwarted…but Magus' in general had no idea about Alchemy, and couldn't defend against such odds.
Sebastian can't use magecraft normally, however. He has to mentally activate it, which 'switches' him as he calls it. It's a form in which his hair turns white like his mother, and his eyes red like his mother. Neither parent could ever explain why that is. But it suited Sebastian just fine…he could walk like he knew nothing about such things, much like a trap. And since his transformation is instantaneous, he could use magecraft immediately if need be.
Just the way he liked it.
Every other day his parents would teach them their arts; Edward would have him help in their shared Alchemical endeavors, and Illyasviel (his mother) would impart her knowledge of magecraft. This went on every day for years, until Sebastian got good enough to start his own projects, to do his own thing with magecraft and his dad's alchemy.
That is also where Sebastian got into the greatest trouble of his life.
Which whether he liked it or not; that is where the story starts…
"I'm home" he announced, and stretched; dropping his book bag on the couch.
"And there's my son" his mom beamed, and gave him a quick hug. Sebastian was a little irked, after all he wasn't a kid anymore…well the government considered him a kid still. Damn those under eighteen signs.
"I love you too, mom" he said, annoyed but in a good way.
"Your dad's going to be a little late…but that's expected. He works himself to death I say" she hummed as she worked on what was a cake.
"What's he up too now?" Sebastian asked.
"Oh, he's got some desk work to finish-all that transmutation needs documentation after all" she said.
That was fine with Sebastian; while he enjoyed his dad's company immensely, he was working on portals related to distance.
Strictly speaking, teleportation was a fantasy. While some Magus types employed certain aspects of it, such as traveling through time and so forth; Sebastian's goal was to bend such time space. This would allow him to get from point A to point B rather quickly, like stepping through a door from his room, and right into class.
This mostly incorporated Magecraft; but the actual bending of timespace required a lot of computation and energy regulation. Magus' as a whole carry their weight around, throwing Prana at everything to solve issues-and while sometimes Sebastian wished to shortcut it, there was the matter of using too much mana. So bending timespace would require an Alchemical mindset.
He worked thusly until dinner, which was when his dad came home.
"I had to go to some large scale trial today; someone had broken the magical law big time" he said, as Sebastian sat down to eat.
"What law?" Sebastian asked.
"The law banning Necromancy and all its dangers. We had to…destroy test subjects as well. They were getting out of hand. And Illya" he looked at her "There were Homunculi as well"
She stared at him long and hard, before nodding, as if resigned.
"Isn't that-" Sebastian began.
"Yes…the perpetrator in question tried to reach the Gate for his endeavors" The Gate was an enigma-the in between of worlds as his dad put it. It also brought people back from the dead (supposedly).
Homunculus or Homunculi as a plural form were constructs designed with the remains of the person that was being brought back to life. They were abominations who worked to bring down the Alchemists in dad's old world.
Sebastian didn't know if Magus' were capable of Homunculus creation; and his parents always dodged the subject.
"So what will happen if the accused is found guilty?" Sebastian asked.
"Death" Edward said simply "There is no excuse for necromancy-trust me I know"
Sebastian knew there was more to that statement, but his dad asked him to never ask that question again.
His parents pushed him away for some 'alone' time, which Sebastian translated as lovey dovey movie stuff. Popcorn, blankets, and a romantic story about star-crossed lovers…not his cup of tea.
And so he continued with his project, which barring any more issues, would be done by next semester.
The morning was just as drowsy as ever. Sebastian figured he inherited this condition from his mother; as she could never get up early to save her life.
His schooling was tackled with enthusiastic efficiency; partly because he wished to get back to work, and partly because American kids were…an interesting lot.
And of course he knew the difference; as he had schooled in Germany and Japan, respectively.
Little did he know that this night was the last night he would spend in America.
"The issue with Absolutes is that they leave no room for failure"- Roy Mustang, State Alchemist
Sebastian came home to an empty house. His mother left him a message that she would be late, as she was with his dad at that all-encompassing trial. Dinner was in the fridge, which he heated up with a quick clap of the hands. He was fine with his parents being out; as it would be advantageous for his experiments.
His work led him into the night, and by the end of it he was quite pleased with his progress. Testing would begin tomorrow.
He woke up to a beaming mother, who held up a verdict.
"He did it, Sebastian! He brought that criminal to justice" She was tired, but happy-and sad.
"Is dad with you" he rubbed the sleep from your eyes.
"He has the day off, which means…so do you" she kissed his forehead "C'mon sleepyhead, time for breakfast"
"You know you don't have to coddle me" Sebastian led her to the door, and shut it to get dressed.
Walking down the stairs in his Alchemical robes, Sebastian watched his parents asleep on the couch, and his breakfast on the table. He shook his head and smiled.
"Well, at least they gave me the day off" the prospects of missing a day didn't bother him; it was a day for experimentation.
He looked at them one more time; his mom's head on his dad's shoulder…and his dad had his mechanical hand propping his head up. But they were still snoring…
They were peaceful…but it did not last.
His house was on fire…and it was sundown. Sebastian scrambled to get to his parents and help them put it out, and then an explosion hit the house.
"What the hell is that?" he looked out a window, only to find his dad in a duel with another man. He heard a cry.
"Got you" a male voice declared.
"Hey, man. It's the heart we need, why don't we just kill her and be done with it? She's caused us enough trouble" another replied.
Sebastian ran down to the kitchen, to find his mother on the ground, being hauled up by her white shining hair. Three men surrounded her.
"Hey, it's that brat. Can I kill him?" the man to the right asked.
"NO!" she shrieked.
"Shut it" he kicked her.
Sebastian 'switched', startling them with his power.
"That's my mother" he said, fuming.
"Yeah, we kind of know that" the man on the left said.
"Wow, your hair just turned white!" the middle man exclaimed "That's a real nice change-wish I could do that"
"That isn't all I can do" Sebastian moved his hand up, and charged energy. A white ball appeared, and surrounding it was a magic circle, his mother's handiwork "Which one of you wants to get vaporized?"
"Those red eyes make you look like a demon…I Like it" the man on the left moved to charge him.
"Stop" the fourth man said, and Sebastian turned.
"Death. War. Famine. Conquest" he said and showed his right hand.
"WE ARE THE FOUR HORSEMEN" they all shouted.
"And you belong to us, now" the fourth one said.
"I don't think so" Sebastian used his charged ball on the left most man, and parried the inevitable throw of the fourth guy.
"R-run Sebastian" his mother implored.
There was an explosion outside the house. The fourth one turned.
"The Master is losing to the Fullmetal Alchemist" he said "Grab the girl and go"
They dragged her by the hair, and the fourth one kicked Sebastian in the stomach.
"Don't get in our way" he said "And your mother may live to see another day"
They left by the time Sebastian could get up, the pain was so bad.
"Mom" he yelled, and ran out of the house. The city was in ruins, and he ran through it, seeking only to save his mother.
Street by street he ran, pausing only to watch refugees pass, in the hopes that she got away.
"You're an incredible man, Sebastian" he paused, as a man entered the night light.
"What do you want?" he said.
"I want what you want, what your dad wants; the Philosophers Stone" he said "I could study a specimen such as yourself all night; incredible that a male Einzbern Homunculus actually exists. I mean, it's even incredible that any females exist as well…but they were meant to"
"Homunculi are evil" Sebastian said "How could you even say that I am one of them, I am still alive" and he 'switched'. His blonde hair and blue eyes were a sharp contrast to his other side.
He put on his glove, the one with his signature transmutation circle on it, and grabbed the metal pole for a stop sign. It turned into a thin short sword.
"You think you could fight something like me?" the man laughed "I think it's time to show you that your experiments work"
He began chanting, and a transmutation circle as large as a doorway appeared on the wall.
Sebastian lunged for the man, who dodged his every move, whilst his chanting continued.
"ha ha ha ha, ah ha ha ha ha ha" he laughed as the circle began to pull him closer.
"I need to be sure" he said "There will be no mistakes this time, not when I will have three perfect candidates for my ritual"
Sebastian tried to get out of the pull, but it was no good.
"You think to escape me?" the man laughed "I need you to still exist, it's the only way I will have access to your work"
"You won't get away with this" Sebastian said "I will stop you!"
"Like you stopped them from taking your Mother?" he stepped close to him "You are powerless and pathetic, but I need you alive" and he threw him in the portal.
"I was a sacrifice. My own parents treated me like dirt to appease the local god"- Unknown, The Holy Grail Wars
The girl was tied. She was tied over a table full of food. Hogtied if you will-or is that too kinky. It probably is, and that means I am classified as a pervert…and that sucks. Well back to the scene.
She was supposed to be a trap, set for a darker, scantily clad version of herself. And that was a long story. Her darker form approached, astonished at her quarry's apparent lack of cunning. She knew it was a trap, and she was very curious as to why…but then, why not. Time to kill the one their mother chose!
And then he appeared.
Sebastian blew up part of the clearing when he hit the dirt; crying all the while for his parents. He knew he was being stupid, but such was the way of the high schooler.
He got up and looked at the dark hole in the sky…that's not possible.
"I've given you one last chance to save your mother, Elric!" the voice said "I will create the instrument of my victory in a short while yet…I have a Homunculus to dissect"
"MONSTER" he screamed "Don't you dare!"
"I don't dare, boy" the voice laughed "You'll find that out soon enough"
"NOOO!" he yelled, and fell on his knees "Nooo"
And suddenly his whole body arched, as he 'switched' and yelled so loud-he floated above the crater.
"What's happened to me…?" he asked as his body drained.
He fell to the ground, and felt queasy. One look at the reflection in the puddle revealed he was white haired and red eyed. It was all he had of his mother now, the magic she taught him, and his ability he was born with.
A twig snapped and he turned to the most interesting sight there was.
A table was laid with food on it, and a few grade school kids were right next to it. The food will give his strength back, never mind that they looked familiar.
He ran to the table and took a piece of bread munching on it, while staring at the tied up girl. He packed away his sorrow, and tried for a smile.
"You know that being tied like that looks kind of weird. Do your parents know you're here?" he said as he felt his strength ebb back, little by little.
She just stared at him, wide eyed…and again he had the strange feeling that he knew her from somewhere.
"Okay I know that you're probably not familiar with anyone who just falls from the sky, but I assure you…please don't try that at home" he sighed as he looked back at the clearing he just destroyed.
She tilted her head and asked.
"Watashi wa anata o rikai suru koto wa dekimasenga, soreha isshu no dokutokuna anata ga shitte iru nodesu... Watashi no kami no iro o motte imasu ka?" she said.
"So I guess you don't speak English" but she spoke Japanese…looks like he's not in Kansas anymore. He switched languages.
"Listen, I'm kind of lost, can you tell me where we are and what time it is…like day, month, year" he asked "And, well this may seem weird to you, but I have the feeling I know you from somewhere"
The whole clearing, including the people Sebastian saw trying to hide, were understandably shocked at his change in language. This whole situation was in a whole different realm of weird, never mind that he just lost his parents, home, and life in America…except that he knew two of the people in the bushes. They were much younger than he remembered but all the same:
One was of course Rin Tohsaka; a good friend of his mother's.
And the other was Luviagelita Edelfelt, another close friend.
They were young…like his age, and they were both well into their fifties, about ten plus years older than his mom, back in his world.
"Miss Tohsaka…and Miss Edelfelt" he said, a pit of dread as he realized he must have been transported in the past "What year is this?"
Their only response was to drop their jaws.