The sky was a slate gray above the earth, as if to mirror the emotion below, as a burial drew to a close. As the family began to leave for their cars, one boy stayed behind, his eyes fought back tears as he stared at the etchings before him.

EDWARD ELRIC

A MAN OF FAMILY AND SCIENCE

As his eyes scanned and processed the words as his mind tried to escape to happy memories, but they only drew to guide him further to depression. From behind, a woman put her hand on his shoulder. The boy jumped, turning her head to see his mother standing there with sympathetic eyes. "Anthony, I'll be joining the others for a memorial dinner. Please, don't stay out too late, they say it's going to rain tonight."

Anthony nodded back to her silently with a sullen gaze. The woman's eyes lingered on him for a moment, staring at him. "I'll be fine Mom, I'll see you at home." He turned his head away, back to the grave.

No further words were exchanged as the woman stepped away, toward her car. The boy stood there for hours, simply staring at the grave before him, as if there were something left to say, but he couldn't find the words.

Finally, as the sky grew darker, and the raindrops began to fall, he retreated to his car and returned home. He didn't bother to turn the lights on, quickly making his way to the stairs and up to his room. Finally feeling safe and alone, his eyes erupted with tears, his arms clenched into fists as he tried to work through his feelings. He was furious, depressed, but found nobody he could blame, nobody he could throw his anger toward. Instead he fell into his bed, gripping his pillow tightly as memories flooded through his mind. Memories of his grandfather, the lessons and stories he'd tell, and the pride he felt in his children and grandchildren. Anthony laid there for what felt like hours, simply crying until his eyes couldn't produce tears. Rolling over in his bed, he rubbed at his irritated eyes, and his gaze came to lie on the trunk in the corner of his room.

It was an ornate trunk, covered in red and black fabric. It had been willed to Anthony a week before the funeral took place, but he had not yet bothered to open it, the final step to admitting his grandfather was gone. His curiosity overtook him, however, and he limbed out of bed, dropping to his knees in front of the trunk. He ran his hand over the fabric that covered the outside, it was soft, plush, as if it were new.

"And to my grandson, Anthony Elric, who listened to my stories with such interest and imagination, I leave my trunk, which can be found in my attic, in the hopes that he never loses that imagination and optimism that drives him."

The words echoed in Anthony's head over and over, not in the voice of the lawyer which read it, but in the voice of his grandfather. He could hear it so clearly, and imagine him saying it aloud. Lifting the hinge of the trunk, he raised the lid and peered into it's contents with curiosity.

Laying across the top of the trunk was a red coat, with a Flamel's Cross adorned on the back of it. Picking it up and looking it over, it appeared to be just the right size for his grandfather, but too small for Anthony, just half a foot taller. Setting the coat aside, Anthony nearly jumped from surprise as his eyes laid on an arm and leg, but upon further inspection he saw they were metal prosthetics, partially rusted from age. Picking them up and mulling them over, he spotted a name pressed into the sole of the foot, and the forearm plate. They were hard to read, but putting what he could of both together, he was able to decipher the name 'Rockbell,' though the name didn't sound very familiar.

The only thing left in the box were a pocket watch with a strange symbol on the front, almost like that of a dragon, with what appeared to be two circles ensnaring it. Again, the symbol didn't strike his mind in any particular way, and he couldn't even open the watch to see inside, it appeared to be sealed shut. "Why would you buy a pocket watch you couldn't open?" Anthony pondered to himself.

Shrugging it off, he pocketed the watch and picked up the last item in the trunk, a leather bound notebook. Opening it carefully, Anthony could feel the age of the pages as he flipped through it curiously. Reading over the pages, his mind rushed with familiar memories of his grandfather. The pages appeared to contain the stories he had listened to his grandfather tell, but from a first person angle, intermingled with strange notes of ingredients and weird symbols. Was he writing a book? It almost appeared to be an instruction manual, describing how to draw and prepare the symbols. Anthony couldn't help but feel his curiosity piqued as he read over the pages.

Anthony sat by himself at a picnic table in the back of the school, reviewing the notebook as he practised drawing the circles on the pages in his own school notebook. His mind had become obsessed with them, what they meant. He could tell by context what they were for, they were for performing the magic that his grandfather had talked about in his stories, the power of alchemy to transmute objects and change their form. Anthony couldn't help but wonder why his grandfather would go to such intricate detail of these circles if they were simply part of a story he was writing. Some kind of interactive addition to the pages of the book? No, it was more like research, like he was documenting his findings.

Anthony darted his eyes back and forth between the pages of the book and his own notebook until he was satisfied that he had copied the circle properly, and he flipped the page to the final page in the book, where his eyes caught the final circle documented, a curiously detailed and extensive circle, it didn't have as much writing around it as the others did, describing what it was best used for, it simply stated at the bottom of the page, 'May be possible to pass through without the sacrifice.' Sacrifice?

Anthony stared at the page for a long time, he was mesmerized by it's deep detail. Where there was normally an outer circle there appeared to be a large snake eating it's own tail, and the details within it were just as intricate. The main symbol within the circle appeared to be the same as on the back of the jacket he had found with his father's things, with various other runes and inscriptions around the edges of it. "There you are, we've been looking everywhere for you!"

Anthony jumped and quickly closed the book as he looked to the direction of the voice. A peppy girl with shoulder length blonde hair approached with a smile on her face. She was followed by a broad shouldered teen boy with black hair about the same length. "Abigail, Jack." Anthony smiled as he saw them approach, gesturing for them to sit with him. "Sorry, I've been keeping pretty busy lately."

"That's for sure," Abigail retorted, "Seems like whenever we're not in class you're off on your own somewhere with your nose buried in that book."

"Cut him a break Abby," Jack chided to her, "His grandfather left it to him, he's probably still pretty bummed out right now."

He was nice enough to drop his voice to a whisper, but Anthony still heard him. Thankfully, he brushed it off. "Sorry, it's just, this book has a lot of sentimental value to me, it's filled with all the stories my grandfather used to tell me when I was a kid."

"Don't worry about it." Abigail smiled at him, looking more pitying than before. "Just remember to put some time aside for your friends too, we're here for you Anthony."

"I know, and I certainly appreciate it." Anthony told them with a smile. "I just need a little more time to myself than I used to, alright?"

The pair nodded to him with a smile. At the sign of the bell they all stood up, and Anthony was assaulted by a sudden hug from Abigail, followed by a pat on the back by Jack. He couldn't help but smile at his friends' backs as they walked away. He was happy to see they were concerned about him, but they wouldn't understand, this was something between him and Ed.

Anthony wiped the chalk off his hands, staining his shirt with white powder as he looked down at the circle below him. He picked up the notebook from nearby, wincing as he cut his finger flipping pages. Ignoring the pain from his finger, he looked down at the final page, once again looking between his creation and the example in the book. He smiled, it had taken him well over two weeks, but he had managed to replicate the page perfectly on his basement floor. "Anthony," he heard his mother's voice call from upstairs, "Time for dinner."

"Coming Mom." he called back.

Anthony slipped the notebook into his back pocket and picked up his camera nearby, taking a few shots of the circle on the floor. As he took shots from various angles, his finger bled, and trickled onto the circle below, over the serpent's mouth, a bright glow spreading out from the point of contact. Anthony dropped the camera in surprise, the device shattering on the ground below as his entire vision was engulfed in light. Anthony felt an intense pressure on his chest as he fell to his knees and began to cough, until finally he blacked out.

A young blonde boy laid back on the couch in his living room, staring at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. "I'm bored." was all he managed to say to the empty room around him.

"Well, that's no good." An older man with silvery blonde hair smiled at him from the doorway. "You're too young to be bored of the world yet, Anthony."

"Grandpa!" The boy shouted excitedly, sitting up and looking at the senior, a bright smile replacing his previously bland look.

Ed smiled back at the boy, sitting down on the couch cushion next to him, he pet the boy's head gently. "It's good to see you again, what has it been? Ten years?"

"It's only been a week Grandpa." Anthony giggled, smiling up at his elder. "Are you staying for dinner again tonight?"

"Of course, I can't say no to your mother's cooking. Though, it seems like I got here a bit early today, I wonder how I'm going to kill the time until dinner."

Anthony couldn't help but chuckle as he hopped off the couch, sitting crosslegged in front of Ed. "Can you tell the one where the alchemist saves the coal mine again?"

"You certainly enjoy that one, don't you?" Ed couldn't help but laugh to himself. "Alright then. The Fullmetal Alchemist had only the day before stopped the infamous Barry the Chopper, and he and his brother were trying to relax after the exciting adventure with the love of his life, when-"

"Sorry to interrupt Dad," Anthony's mother peeked in from around the corner of the doorway. "But dinner's ready."

"Aw Mom," Anthony pouted, looking over at her, "Can't it wait until after the story."

"Now now Anthony, it's best not to make your mother wait." Ed chided, smiling at his daughter. "There'll be plenty of time for the story after dinner. We'll be in shortly, Nina."

Anthony sighed and stood up, walking toward the dining room, following behind his grandfather and staring up at him with pride.

Anthony groaned as he began to stir. He felt a cool breeze on his back, the feeling of grass flowing against his face. As he stirred, he picked himself up and rubbed his eyes, getting used to the light of the evening sun on his eyes. He appeared to on a hill, overlooking a small town, a dozen houses separated by spans of grassy fields and farmland. Anthony rose to his feet, trying to get his memories in order. He remembered finishing the circle, taking pictures, a bright light, and then...nothing. Where was he?

As his mind searched for answers, he saw a girl walking down the road below him, carrying groceries. "Excuse me?" he called out to her, running down the hill toward her.

The girl turned her attention to him as he approached, looking a little on edge at the stranger approaching. As Anthony got closer, he was able to get a closer look at her. She was roughly his age, with chestnut brown hair, and deep green eyes. "Excuse me miss, Sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where I am?"

The girl smiled as he asked the question, lowering her guard to him slightly. "Of course, You're in the town of Risembool."

"Risembool?" he pondered the word for a moment, it sounded familiar.

"That's right, It's a small farming community." She looked him over, spotting his grass stained clothes. "I take it you're not from around here then?"

Anthony shook his head. "I'm afraid not, I'm from New Mexico."

"New Mexico? I've never been, you must have come quite a long way."

"Have I? I'm afraid I'm not sure how I really got here myself. I should really get home before my mom starts to worry."

"Well, the trains have stopped running for the day." The girl looked him over for a moment, pondering to herself. "We have a spare bedroom if you need a place to stay. You seem like a nice enough person, I'm sure my grandmother wouldn't mind."

"Oh, well, thank you very much." Anthony smiled, holding out his arms to take one of the grocery bags. "Here, let me help you carry those."

The girl smiled softly, nodding as she handed him a bag of groceries. "Thank you very much. It's not much farther up the road." She turned on her heel, continuing down the road with Anthony following next to her. "I'm Alicia Rivers, by the way."

"Anthony Elric," he replied with a smile, "It's nice to meet-"

"Did you say Elric?!" Alicia turned her head suddenly, sporting a shocked look.

Anthony couldn't help but jump at the sudden outburst, taking a step away from the girl. "Uh, yeah, Anthony Elric."

"Well, then you're certainly going to be welcome. My Grandma Winry was a family friend of the Elrics."

"That's interesting, my grandmother was name Winry as well."

"Well, she isn't my biological grandmother, She took me in when I lost my parents."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Anthony looked over to Alicia, the brightness in her eyes had briefly changed to a sullen gaze forward.

"It's alright, I've had a lot of time to get over it." she spoke quietly as the pair approached a house at the end of the dirt road. "Here we are, Welcome to Rockbell Automail."

Anthony paused as he came up the steps of the porch, looking at the chalkboard sign with the shop's name written on it in solid lettering. Anthony's mind immediately went to the intricate prosthetics he had found in his grandfather's trunk. Where ever he was, he was certainly far from home.

Putting the thought behind him, Anthony followed Alicia into the house. Inside, the house was decorated nicely, with photos of friends and family hanging on the walls. Once he set down the groceries, Anthony took a moment to admire the photos, spotting one that appeared to be of his grandfather, smiling with his brother, Alphonse, and what appeared to be a younger version of Anthony's grandmother, Winry. "Grandma, I'm home." Alicia called out.

The two were silent as they waited for some form of response, but the silence merely echoed back to them. "I guess she's not here." Alicia smiled, looking over at Anthony. "She's probably making a house call, she should be home before dinner though. Make yourself at home."

Anthony nodded to her as she stepped out of the room to the kitchen, taking a moment to walk around and explore, bedrooms upstairs, a large workshop downstairs. Finally, he found himself back in the kitchen, watching Alicia from the door, she had put on an apron and began cooking. Stepping up with a smile, walked up next to her. "Would you like some help?"

"Oh, thank you." Alicia smiled, reaching for the knife block and handing it to him. "If you wouldn't mind peeling some potatoes, they're in the pantry."

Anthony nodded, walking toward the nearby door while Alicia returned to the steaks she was prepping. Looking through the various shelves, he found the bag of potatoes, pulling it out when his ears heard the sound of a door opening and shutting. "Alicia, I'm home."

Anthony's heart skipped a beat at the sound echoing from the next room. He made a dash for the pantry door, bounding through it. "Welcome home Grandma, How was your-" Alicia's thought was interrupted as Anthony bound into the doorway, his eyes wide as he saw the silver haired woman before him.

The room was silent for a moment as Anthony stared at the two, and the women stared back. "Um, Grandma, This is Anthony, he...wandered into town today. I was hoping it was alright for him to spend the night since the trains stopped running."

The woman looked to her granddaughter, before turning her attention over to the boy in the kitchen, smiling over to him as she approached. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Winry Rockbell."

Anthony stared down at her hand for a moment, reaching his hand out to hers, grasping it tightly. "I'm...Anthony Elric."

Anthony could see Winry's smile fade from her face as he spoke his name. Her grip loosened as she pulled her hand from him, staring down at him. "It's nice to meet you Anthony." She turned her head toward Alicia nearby. "Alicia, my back is acting up again, could you go out to your garden and get some Devil's Claw for tea?"

"Of course, I'll be back soon." Alicia smiled, unaware of the tension in the room as she stepped out the back door.

Winry walked toward her toolbox, which she had set down near the door as Anthony stared at the woman from the kitchen doorway, sliding the lid away and sorting through her tools. "What is your name?"

Anthony took a moment to process the stern question, his muscles tense from the sudden change in tone. "My name is Anthony Elric." Anthony ducked as a wrench came flying straight at his face, barely able to finish his sentence as he avoided the hunk of steel.

"Don't lie to me!" Winry screamed, gritting her teeth as she glared at him. "There are no Elrics left in Amestris!" Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she screamed.

Anthony froze as the word struck him, and everything slid into place in his mind. "Ame...Amestris..." He fell to his knees as his mind raced with memories, stories from his childhood. "That's not possible..."

Winry was about to respond as the young man fell to his knees, staring at him. Anthony stared at the ground, gathering his thoughts as he took the leatherbound notebook and watch from his back pocket. Winry's eyes went wide, she recognized the objects immediately as Anthony set them on the ground in front of him. His breathing was heavy and panicked as his mind tried to make sense of everything.

Winry recovered from the pair's mutual shock first, making quick strides toward Anthony, she picked up the notebook and watch, confirming it was what she thought it was. "Where did you get this?" Winry asked, staring down at the boy on the ground, she recieved no answer. "Answer me!"

Anthony looked up at her as he began to regain his bearings. "They belonged to my grandfather," he gulped, "Edward Elric..."

Winry's chest went cold when she heard his name spoken aloud. Quickly shaking it off, she strode out of the room, toward her workshop. After a moment more of gathering his thoughts, Anthony stood up and made his way toward the workshop. Leaning into the doorway, he could see Winry working on the watch. She had it in a vice, working on the latch. "Don't waste your time." Anthony told her. "The latch is sealed, welded shut or something."

"It's not welded, it's alchemy." She told him. Digging the screwdriver in and twisting it, the watch snapped open.

Anthony approached slowly, staring down at the watch's inner cover. "'Never Forget, 3 Oct 11.' Is that a date?"

"It's the day the Elric brothers burned down their home, and left Risembool to get their bodies back." Winry explained, tears rolling down her cheeks. She turned her gaze over to Anthony. "Just who are you?"

Anthony shut his eyes as he processed everything that was happening, that these stories which once filled his childhood with imagination and inspiration had suddenly turned to tales of his grandfather's past struggles. It took everything in him to keep standing.

"I'm Anthony Elric."