"You're leaving, again?" A man asked as he looked at his son through his glasses. His son had his back turned to him as he finished packing his suit case.

"It's another lead." His son replied as his hazel eyes looked at the sun through the

window. "I have to go and make sure." He sighed and looked back down at his suit case.

"Edward-"

"It's no use trying to stop me." Edward replied as he closed his suit case.

"I'm not trying to stop you." His father replied. "I'm trying to warn you. Many rumors of that town have spread around the country. It's not a safe place. People go missing everyday."

Edward stared out the window, again. This time keeping his eyes on two young boys that chased each other around the streets, swiftly making their way through the crowd. He frowned a bit as an image flashed through his mind.

"That doesn't matter to me." Edward replied as he turned to face his father with a serious

look on his face. "I have to go... I have to find a way back... back to Alphonse... back to everyone..." He said as a fire burned in his hazel eyes.

His father sighed, knowing all too well that he wouldn't be able to stop him. After all, he was his son. He smiled a bit and stood up, placing his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Take care." He said and took a note of how much taller Edward was, but he was still short in comparison.

Two years had passed since they made into this world. A world where Alchemy was only a legend and deemed as 'magic' or 'miracles'. Edward was now seventeen and was still searching for a way back to the other side of the gate and he would probably continue to do so until he found it.

"Yeah, don't worry about me, old man." Edward said as he grabbed his suitcase and headed out the door. "See ya." He said as the door closed.

Edward walked down the stairs to the first floor, waving at the familiar faces of his neighbors. He exited the building and stood basking in the sun's warmth for a bit. He sighed and began his way through the crowded street down to the train station. Once again he waved to all of those who knew him and made small conversations with them, but they didn't last very long since he was trying to catch his train. The train station was crowded as usual. Where all these people went or came from was unknown to him. It seemed like he never saw the same face twice in this train station. He glanced at his watch.

"Ten twenty-seven." He said to himself as he spotted his train.

He had about three minutes to get through the crowd of people and onto the train. He didn't mind shoving a few people out the way in order to get through. He managed to get on the train in time. As usual, the all the train cars were packed. It was rare to have a seat to yourself. He managed to have found a seat beside a woman and her child. Of course it was the window seat, he always got the window seat.

"Hey, mommy, look his arm is weird!" The small child said and caught a glimpse of his mechanical arm.

"Hush, now, it's not nice to say rude things like 'weird'." The mother scolded.

Edward smiled, "It's fine." He said and looked at the small boy. He looked a lot like Alphonse. "You want to see it?" Ed asked as he pulled up his sleeve to reveal his prosthetic limb.

"Whoooaa, super cool!" The kid said as he reached for it, but stopped at the last moment.

"It's okay, you can touch it." Ed said with a smile.

The boy looked at his mother, who only smiled in returned. The boy's face lit up and he touched the metal arm. He was amazed by it.

"Does it hurt?" They boy asked and turned his attention back to Ed.

Ed was a bit surprised by his question and smiled sadly. "Some times."

"Now, now, don't ask questions like that." The woman said as she moved a strand of blond hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry about it." Ed said with a smile as he ruffled the kid's hair. "I'm used to it."

The woman smiled kindly and looked back at her son as the train finally started to move. Edward turned to look back out the window and saw the several people pass by until they finally left the station. It wasn't long before they scenery change to that of plains and the occasional trees. He felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him. It reminded him of when his travels back in the his world. His eyes became clouded with a bit of sadness as he remember all those times.

"Hey, mister," The boy said snapping Ed out of his thoughts.

"Hm?" Ed hummed as he turned back to look at the kid.

"Are you hurting?" The boy asked with large brown eyes filled with innocence.

Once again, Ed was taken by surprise by the kid's question. He looked at his arm for a moment and then back out the window.

"Yeah..."

"This place is pretty shabby." Edward said as he looked at the run down station. Unlike the other stations that were made of stone and brick, this one was made of wood. He and about four others were the only ones that got off and the train left immediately after that. He pulled off his black coat and slung it over his shoulder, it was definitely a lot hotter here. He headed off in the direction of the small town and looked around for a cab.

"You need somewhere to go, shrimp?"

Ed's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. It's been two years and that nickname seems to haunt him.

"What?" Ed asked in a slightly threatening voice as he turned to face the man.

The man smirked, his mustache twitching when he did. He was the usual middle aged taxi driver.

"You need somewhere to go, kid?" The man asked, this time deciding to leave the insults for later.

"I'm seventeen you know." Ed mumbled as he pulled out a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Do you know where this town is?" He said and handed the small piece of paper to the man.

The man looked at the paper and suddenly became serious. "Sorry, I can't get you there." The man said abruptly as he shoved the paper back into Edward's hand.

"What? Why not?" Edward demanded.

The man looked around for a moment, "That place is bad luck." He said in a low voice. "Anyone who goes there never returns." He said as he pulled out a cigarette. "They all get killed by the Red Witch."

"Red Witch?" Edward asked, a bit intrigued by this new piece of information.

"Yeah," The man said as he lit the cigarette and place it in his mouth. "Rumor has it that she takes the souls of villagers and uses them for her dark magic." He said in a matter-of-factly tone. "They sa-"

"What did I tell you about spreading rumors?!" A woman said as she smacked the man in the head.

"O-Ow!" The man said and shielded himself from any other attacks.

"There's no such thing as dark magic or witches." The woman scolded and turned over to Edward. "Sorry about that, he's a little crazy in the head." She said with a smile. "He'll be more than glad to drive you down to the village."

"W-what?!" The man protested, but the woman glared at him and he sunk by down.

"Ah, thanks." Edward said as he sweatdropped, but was grateful nonetheless.

The man mumbled to himself as he got into the black car and Ed got into the backseat. The engine roared to life and soon enough they driving through the streets of the small town. Passing by several street markets and people. There weren't many cars around, most people seemed to be walking. It seemed like a poor town, but happy.

"Hey, old man." Ed said as he looked a the man through the rear view mirror.

"What?" The man replied and glanced at Ed.

"Tell me more about this Red Witch." Ed said as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

The man smirked, "She recently moved into the town about five years ago." The man began. "No one knows where she came from, one day she just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A girl with hair the same color as blood and eyes as green as a snake's skin. Rumor says that when she first appeared she was no older than ten. A couple, who had lost their children in a fire accident, took the girl in as their own. No one else seemed willing to because of the strange red hair of hers. The people of the village said that she was always drawing these odd circles in the ground."

"Circles?" Edward asked as he leaned forward a bit. "What kind of circles?"

The man shrugged, "Who knows? They said that they were intricate and complicated to describe."

Ed leaned back a bit. "Could it be... that she was drawing transmutation circles?" He wondered.

"But one day one of those circles lit up and flames burned up the house where she was staying." The man said snapping Ed of out of his thoughts.

"She found a way to use Alchemy in this world? Could it be? The break through I was looking for?" Ed thought as the road became bumpy and the town disappeared behind them.

"They say that those were the very flames from hell. They burned the same red as her hair and didn't seem to go out. Then from within the flames... the girl came out, not a single scratch or burn on her." He paused for a moment. "The couple was killed in the fire and the girl was feared by everyone. Apparently the girl had been mad at the two because they wouldn't let her go outside and play. So she ended up killing them. That's how she got the title of the 'Red Witch'. Many people fled the village saying that she was going to wipe them off the face of the earth, but many also came to the village to see what she was. However, many of those who entered never returned for some reason or another." The man shrugged. "It's all very suspicious, if you ask me."

"Yeah, very suspicious." Edward mumbled to himself as he rubbed his chin.

"So why are you going to that village?" The man asked.

"I heard rumors of a woman that could fix things with her 'magic'. I wanted to come see if that was true." Edward said.

"Hmm." The man hummed thoughtfully. "They must have got the story wrong."

"Yeah..." Ed said and watched as the trees passed by. His mind focused on how the two rumors could tie together or if maybe it was two different people.

"Hey, kid." The man said catching Ed's attention. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I'm a bit curious. What happened to your arm?"

"Ah, this?" Ed said and moved his sleeved up again. "I lost it in an accident during the war."

"Must be tough." The man said and kept his eyes on the road. "I heard that the war took a lot from many people." He said and moved the cigarette around a bit. "Since we're so far out in the country, we weren't affected much. We only heard what came on the radio and the rumors that soldiers told." He explained as the car came to a slow stop. Ed looked around and realized that they still hadn't reached the village.

"Something wrong?" Ed asked.

"Sorry, but this is as far as I can take you." The man said as he looked back at Ed. "After this the roads get really bumpy and unmanageable. Don't worry though, the village is right over there." He said and pointed off to the east. In the distance small houses could be seen. "It shouldn't take long to get there by foot." '

Ed sighed as he gathered his things. "Thanks, old man. How much do I owe ya?" He asked as he stepped out the car.

"Nothing, it's free of charge." The man said with a smile. "Use that money to buy yourself some milk and get a bit taller." He said and left Edward in the dust.

"WHO YOU CALLING SHORT?!" Edward yelled as he shook his fist in the air. He mumbled things about not being short as he angrily marched his way to the small village. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. "Three forty-two." He said to himself as he shaded his eyes from the sun. "Man, it's hot."

By the time Edward had reached the village, he had stripped himself from everything, but his pants.

"Why is it so hot?!" He complained as he came into the sight a few villagers, who gave him a strange look. He cleared his throat and decided that he would be better off at least trying to act like a normal person. He quickly put his shirt and vest back on before anyone else could see him.

As he ventured through the village, he came to realize that it wasn't a very modern town, but despite it's size, there were plenty of people there. The town was buzzing with commotion. The first thing Ed did was find a cheap place where he could stay. After a bit of searching, he found a small inn in the center of the village for a reasonable price. It wasn't anything special, it was more like a two-story house that had been turned into the inn. Although, the people were very friendly and welcoming.

"You're not from around here, are you?" The woman asked as she led Edward up to his room. She was old and for once, shorter than Edward.

"Nope." Edward replied as the woman opened the door to one of the rooms.

"I can tell by the way you're dressed. You come from on the bigger towns. " She said and motioned for him to enter the room. It was as simple as the inn was. A bed in the corner of the room, a nightstand with an oil-lamp, a dresser and a window with a view of the streets. "So what brings you to our small town?"

"I'm searching for a woman." Ed said as he set his suitcase on the bed. The woman laughed and Ed looked at her in confusion. "A woman, ey?" She smirked up at him. "Well, don't worry!" The woman said and slapped Ed on the back. "There are plenty of pretty girls in this village."

"T-That's not what I meant!" Ed said as he finally understood why she was laughing. "I'm following a few rumors about a certain woman that can use magic!" Ed frantically explained.

The woman stopped laughing and eyed him a bit. "Are you from the army?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, why?" Ed asked as his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

The woman seemed to be in thought for a moment. "No reason." She said and waved it off. "Anyway, there's no such thing as magic." She said as she headed for the door. "You should just enjoy the time you have here." She said and closed the door.

Edward listened as the woman's footsteps faded away.

"Jeez, that wasn't suspicious at all." Edward thought as he sat on the bed and stared out the window, watching the several people of the village walk by. "But why did she ask if I was from the military? Is it because of they way I'm dressed?" He thought as he looked at himself.

It wasn't much, brown shoes, black pants, a white button up, a brown vest and his black coat - that at the moment was beside him. It was the typical dress wear for the middle class, but it seemed that here middle class was upper class. He noticed that many people didn't have button up shirts or dress pants like he did, much less a vest or coat, and the fact that everyone was walking meant that there were no cars. Probably because they couldn't afford it. It was definitely a poor village, but something wasn't right. The buildings were very similar to those in the town he was currently living, which meant that it would take money to buy them, but no one seemed to buying anything from the market places. Was it because they spent all their money on the buildings?

Edward stood up and stretched a bit. He decided that he would be better off asking around for that magic lady or Red Witch or whatever she was called. He grabbed his coat and headed out. A minute later he was out in the streets basking in the sunlight. He looked around and spotted a merchant. He decided to ask them first.

"Excuse me, sir." Edward said and caught the attention of the merchant.

"Can I help you?" The merchant said with eyes that raked him up in down. This boy could be a good catch for the day.

"Yeah, I've heard rumors of a certain woman that can use magic." Ed replied as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

The man's demeanor changed and he almost glared at Edward. "Sorry, never heard of her. Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to make business." The man said coldly.

Edward sighed and decided to move on and ask some others, but it seemed like the result was all the same.

"Sorry, never heard of her." "You're from the military, aren't you?" "I swear I haven't done anything!" "Don't stick your nose in others' business, kid." "Magic doesn't exist, you stupid boy." "You have no business here, go somewhere else." "She doesn't exist." "It's just a rumor."

Edward sighed in frustration as he sat on a bench. "Gah! This is so hopeless!" He said as he pulled at his hair. It was pretty obvious that they were hiding something and that they didn't want the military to find out about it, but he wasn't part of the military. "Why are these people so uncooperative?!" He stretched his arms out on the bench and leaned his head back. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"O-ow."

Edward opened his eyes and looked at the small crying girl that was on the ground not too far away from him. He looked around and waited to see if her parents came, but they didn't. Edward stood up and kneeled beside the the girl.

"You okay there?" He asked and she shook her head in response. "Where are your parents? I'll take them to them." He said and picked the girl up.

"No! I don't want to go to them!" The girl said and glared at him through teary eyes. "I want to go see the Mistress!"

"Mistress?" Ed asked.

She nodded her head as she wiped away her tears. "She can fix anything. Even my broken doll!" She said and held out the rag doll that had it's arm ripped from the body.

Edward sighed, "You mean seamstress."

The girl shook her head. "No, Mistress! She doesn't use a needle! She can use magic!"

Ed looked at the girl and wondered if this was the lead he was looking for. "Where is this 'Mistress'? I think I can take you to her since it looks like you scratched your leg up." He said and motioned to the girl's knee.

The girl's face lit up, "Really?!" She beamed as she clutched the doll closely to her.

"Sure, but let's get that cleaned up first." Ed said and sat her down on the bench.

"Kay!"