A young boy was running around, the sounds of his elation evident by the yells of happiness that he emitted as he played with his new tin soldier. The boy threw the soldier into the air, making bomb sounds as the little soldier dived out of the way of the missiles. He laughed and played, the trees of his father's orchard surrounding him like that of a leafy cave. Sweet apples and pears covered the trees, making them bright with color. The ripest fruit covered the ground, giving the boy a quick snack whenever he got hungry. He imagined other soldiers all over the battlefield, hiding in foxholes and charging with rifles. His soldier was the hero, though, and hero's never die. They always had harrowing adventures, but always came through unscathed. "So, you're still playing with your soldier? Let them fight, but don't get too dirty, James." said a small, slender woman. Her chestnut brown hair was a perfect match to his, her dazzling blues eyes adored the shade of his emerald green eyes. "Neither your father nor I have such beautifully green eyes, but look at yours. I bet all of the village girls your age have crushes on you." she teased, smiling at him. "Ewww. Mommy, you know I don't like girls. They're so weird." She laughed softly at him as he stuck out his tongue to show how girls made him nauseous. "Well, you are only eight. Give it some time and you'll find out that girls aren't as gross as you think." She started to walk back to the small house at the end of the grove. "Oh, and James, one more thing. Remember to get rid of all the evidence." She pointed to one of the trees. It had white smudges on it, as if someone had tried to wipe away a chalk drawing. "You know your father doesn't approve of that kind of thing." She looked up at the fruit on the trees, admiring James' work. "You are getting very good. At least the apples aren't blue this time. I had to pick all of them before your father saw them. They were really tasty, though." She smiled at him again. James' creativity and intellect showed great promise from an early age. He had a passion for books and reading, teaching himself how to read at the age of three. Then, when he was six, a state alchemist visited the village. He came to the place to recruit new soldiers for the military, hoping that some would show enough promise to be a new state alchemist. Unfortunately, Xenotime didn't have many to offer. Several men joined the military, hoping to make a bit of money to send to their families. However, James put no interest into the men talking of the battles their grandfathers' were in, but instead he focused on the alchemist. He seemed to be very kind, not the type suited to the battlefield. He had short red hair, which seemed as coarse as a horse's mane. He had a pair of large round glasses that were always on his nose, making his green eyes even larger. He looked young with the glasses, making him look like a high school student. In actuality, he was twenty-seven, but no one ever could guess that. The blue uniform and the young look earned him several looks and even more comments, but he never minded. He may have looked young and acted super silly, but the man exuded an aura of power and wisdom. He was far too sweet to have done battle, but when the subject was brought up, he completely ignored any questions or comments from the other men. Nathaniel Abrams was the man's name. That was his civilian name, anyways. Nathaniel's state appointed name was the Iron Hide Alchemist. He was supposed to be brought back to the eastern base, but was left in Xenotime due to a small resistance further west and the soldier who were to pick him up were recalled and sent into the fight. Abrams was informed to stay in Xenotime, find somewhere to sleep, and report to the rendezvous point on the outskirts of the village with the men he had enlisted. Slowly, he went house to house, trying to find somewhere to sleep and eat. No one would take him in, especially the wives and children of the newly enlisted soldiers. James finally talked his mother into letting the man stay since his father was not to be home for a few days. Nathaniel offered to help do what he could as payment for food and a bed, and as a treat, he would show off his alchemy to James. He explained to James that by drawing trace amounts of iron and metal from his blood stream and other things around, then concentrating them into one area on his body, he could create a small metal shield sprouting from his skin. This intrigued James and was the catalyst for his love of science and alchemy. James could never understand his father's hatred of the art. It was never explained to him, his father always telling him to stop mentioning the horrible workings of the devil. That's why he hid his practices from his father. James worked under the tutelage of Nathaniel, learning quite a lot of skills to help his father secretly. Now, he could use alchemy to speed the reaction time and growth patterns of plants to create fruit abundantly. Unfortunately, he didn't have the skills to make the entire orchard grow fruit. His father had noticed the strange patterns of the fruit, but did not pay attention to the strange behavior of the growth. James' mother sighed. "Be careful out here, James. No more alchemy for today. Your father just got home and he isn't in a great mood." She walked to the house, closing the door softly. James continued playing, the soldier getting tossed into the air again. As he played, he slowly walked towards the house. "Listen honey, we're just going to have to. The orchard is not producing enough to support us and I can't find any work in town." That was his dad. James put down his toy and began listening. "But what about James? He loves this village and this house. He loves to play in the orchard. We can't move and expect him to adapt. He's only eight." That was his mom. James' heart sank as he listened. They had to move. "I know, but we can't survive on nothing. This orchard has just passed its prime and we have to make some money some way." James' eyes filled with tears as he ran toward the trees. Pulling a book from the knot of a tree, he opened it and began to read. He needed to know something that could save the orchard, save his home. Suddenly, he found the very thing he knew could do it. It was an enormous pentagonal transmutation circle. It was inscribed with the mark of Adrammalech. He began to draw the transmutation circle on a tree, finishing it within twenty minutes. A chill ran down his spine, but he shook it off and put his hands on the circle. Nothing happened. James turned from the circle, a tear coming from his eye as the only hope for him stained the bark of the trees behind him. As he walked away, a flash of light appeared from the tree. Slowly, things began to grow. James turned and smiled, his efforts not being in vain. The vines moved around him, growing and spreading. Then they got faster. The process was out of control! He watched as the roots and vines began to move and thrash wildly around him. He turned to run, but stopped and let out a loud yell of pain. A branch that was growing had moved toward his head, and now it had pierced his eye! Back at the house, the door opened with a slam as James' father came out to respond to the yell. He was carrying a rifle, just in case he had to defend his family. When he saw the trees, he dropped the gun in amazement. He ran into the forest of branches and vines, looking for the voice he knew belonged to his son. After running for a few minutes, he came across a limp body, its head lying in a pool of blood. It was James. The frightened man didn't know what to do. He grabbed the boy and began to run to his home. Slowly, James woke up, feeling light headed. He noticed that his face was very hot and it was hard to breathe. Then he realized something was on his head, covering it in a cocoon of stringy fibers. Then he noticed a deep pain in his right eye, but he couldn't open it. No matter what he did, all he could see from that eye was blackness. He began to scream. After a few seconds had passed, a dark blot entered the room, from what James could see, and walked over to him. James cringed in fear of the person, hoping that they would leave. He wanted to see his mom, but the wrapping on his face kept him from seeing anything. He began to claw at his face, hoping that the fabric would come off. Suddenly, he felt a strong hand grab his and hold them away from his head. "Stop that. You take that off and you'll be in more pain than you're in now." The male voice echoed in James' ears. It was foreign to him, but it seemed familiar and friendly. "W-who are you? Why am I here?" James asked, hoping that this strange person would let him see his mother. There was no reply, just an awkward silence. James then asked the question that he had feared asking. "Why is all of this all over my eyes?" He felt the hand grab his and squeeze a bit. "Listen, all I know is that you'll be fine. The operation succeeded without a hitch, and you didn't lose much blood. As long as you rest for a while and keep all of the gauze on your eye, you should make drastic improvement." James' breathing increased as fear flooded in on him from all sides. "What do you mean? What's wrong with me? What operation?" These things came out of his mouth and mind all at once, making him feel like crying. The voice sounded smoother and more sullen as it got ready to tell him the horrible news. "I don't know the details, but your father brought you by two days ago. He told me that you were in bad shape. When I looked at you, I knew that was an understatement. You're right eye was pierced through. There was no way to save it, so we had to remove it. I'm sorry." The news struck James like a fist. He lay in shock, thinking about his right eye. 'No wonder it's been hurting like this. What am I going to do without my eye?' His eye began to water with tears. "Where's my mom?" he asked, wanting the only person left to console him to come to his side now. He could see the figure; it looked like it was turning away. "She left. Your father said that this was all due to alchemy. He said that he was leaving with your mother. You've been left under my care." The figure then walked out of the room and left James to cry.