Welcome to my new series; Fullmetal Alchemist: Rebelling the Gods. I think people are going to enjoy this series since it pulls the franchise back to its roots in the manga and 2009 anime (YES there were 2 anime series of Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA)). I was thinking of doing a series like this mainly since FMA is one of my all time favorite manga and anime series. So let's get this show started.

Chapter 0: Prologue

Two years after the end of FMA: Brotherhood (this story doesn't take the original movie into the storyline)

Ed was lying down on his bed, watching the blank ceiling. His red cloak was hung on a chair and his blond long hair hung in his face. He wore his black tank top and some jeans. His bed was messy and disheveled. He clapped his hands together, but nothing happened. The clap echoed through the room.

"Damn..." he muttered. "Never thought not having alchemy would be such a nusience...". He lightly banged the wall with his fist in anger, before hearing a crash from outside. Quickly opening his window, he jumped out and sped to the front yard.

"What happened?" he questioned. On the ground was Al, who had scrapes and a few bruises on his bare arms and legs. Nails, screws, and tools were scattered along the grass. Some roof tiles were broken and shattered across the lawn. Al was wearing overalls and a tool belt. His

"I was repairing the roof" Al began, "Before this huge...THING came out of nowhere and knocked me down! Come to think of it...that thing kinda looked like a Homunculi..."

"A Homunculi? Al, are you crazy? We left all of that behind us two years ago. I beat the crap out of Father, you got your body back..." Ed started. "Then we lost our alchemy..." They hung their heads low in either shame or disgust. Then, a wail shouted out just down the street. They looked down the road, only to discover something wrecking the town! Everyone was screaming and shouting, "Get away from that thing!" "It's a monster! Hide your children!" "Get out of the town! It'll kill us all!"

"Crap...what are we gonna do? We don't have alchemy to beat this thing with, and it's..." Ed began. "Coming right towards us..."

Suddenly, a figure came out of nowhere and quickly slashed the monster multiple times before disappearing and repeating the process. After making the monster crumble to ashes, he approached the Elric brothers. His black hair was tied in a ponytail and was wearing a tan-shaded robe. He stood at about an inch or so taller than both brothers. "Been a while, hasn't it Ed and Al?"

Ed put his head in his hand before saying, "Someone explain to me what the hell's going on? Since when in Squinty Eyes here?"

"Don't call Master Ling that Edward." another person said, as they held a kunai to his neck.

"Oh, hey Lan Fan." Ed said, with little emotion.

She took the kunai away from his neck. Her black ninja suit was covered with some kind of weapon (except guns of course. That would be too easy). She took off her oriental mask, revealing a stern expression. Her black bangs hung just above her eyes.

Al questioned, "So what exactly's going on? Why are you guys here?"

Ling looked at Lan Fan, like he was trying to tell her something without saying anything. They stared at each other for a while until finally, Ling sighed with annoyance, "OK, I'LL tell them." Ling went on to explain what had happened in the past two years after Ed and Al defeated Father and the Homunculi; he rose to king of Xing and only about a year or so into his rule, Homunculi started to roam and ravage the country. Even those with some knowledge of Alchahestry (like May Chang) stood little chance against the invaders. It was up to Ling to figure out what to do, and in the end he resorted to quickly learning alchemy. Pausing for a moment, he demonstrated his powers. He clapped his hands and a gust of wind blew into Ed and Al's faces.

"Wait a minute...then how can you use alchemy without making a circle?" Ed asked.

"It isn't important at this time, so let me finish the story." Ling sighed.

So Ling's story continued. After Ling was able to use Alchemy, he used his new skills to save Xing, along with Lan Fan and May Chang's help. Ling learned through his battles that he was an Alchemist who could control wind, and this skill helped him (literately) blow away the invading forces.

"Wait, so you can use alchemy now?" Ed asked.

"Yeah...I still don't understand the big deal though..." Ling answered.

In Ed's mind, he pictured a scale; one side with him and another with Ling. On Ling's side was Emperor, Strength, and Height. On Ed's side; Intellect, Strength, and Experience. Ling's side gained "Alchemy" and Ed's "Strength" was knocked off, unbalancing the scales. On the outside, Ed had crumbled into a heap while Al was trying to encourage him to get up; Ling and Lan Fan were looking at one another with puzzled expressions.

"Anyway..." Ling began. "It's time to repay that debt to Truth." Ling took out a piece of chalk and started to draw a circle pattern around him, Ed, Al, and Lan Fan. It only took a brief moment for Ed to release what Ling was drawing; a human transmutation circle.

"Ling, what are you doing?" Ed shouted. "Are you trying to kill us?"

"It's the favor a friend wanted me to do." Ling replied calmly as he finished the circle. "You'll see."

Ling clapped his hands together and they became surrounded with a faint yellow aura. He slapped them on the ground and the circle began to glow the same shade. Soon, everything around the four started to turn white. Ed and Al closed their eyes, while Lan Fan stood and watched quietly. When they opened their eyes again, they were in nothing but a blank, white room. In front of the four, were four gates, each showing on their doors somethings about that person. In the middle and front of the gates was a figure. He was completely white except for his faint black outline.

"So Elric brothers. We meet yet again." the figure said with a grin. "How have you been?"

So the one Ling was talking about was truth, eh? So how did Ling learn Alchemy so fast, why does he need to repay Truth, and what's going to happen next? Find out next time in the next chapter of FMA: Rebelling Against the Gods.