Illyasviel von Einzbern, the next Master of the Grail War and the container for the lesser Grail, thought that the day would be like any other.
Then she saw the strange formation in the clouds and the sudden activity of the castle homuculi. Something was happening.
She watched fascinated as two figures fell from the strange occurrence. One was about sixteen, possibly older, with what appeared to be metal limbs. He had clearly seen battle, as his clothes were torn and bloodied. His long blond hair was held back in a plaited fashion, one that kept it mostly out of his face.
The other was about a year younger, if she was any guess, and had light brown hair. He was clearly related to the first, though he had a more innocent air about him.
About the only reason they weren't killed once the occurrence ended was because of the symbol on the blond's coat. One any true alchemist would recognize.
The Flamel Crest.
Anyone brazen enough to wear that symbol had to either be very skilled indeed, or very stupid.
Either way, they perked her grandfather's curiosity.
Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was in pain.
To understand this statement, one must understand what Ed had gone through so early in life.
He lost his mother. He tried to bring her back with the help of his younger brother who was all for it. He failed, bringing forth a homunculus with her face. Lost his brother's body in the experiment and brought him back into a suit of armor bond only by a single seal made of his own blood. Went through automail surgery and managed to get used to the limbs in a year, three times faster than normal. He joined the military at twelve and proceeded to gain a reputation as one of the few state alchemists who still gave a damn about the common man. And he had learned the cold hard truth how to create a Philosopher's Stone, widely regarded as the ultimate in alchemical amplifiers.
So to say he had a very hard and difficult life would be an understatement. He knew pain. He knew it more intimately than most teens his age.
Right now though, he felt pain beyond what he had ever experienced before, and he was not happy. The only reason he didn't complain was because he could see his brother, in the flesh, in the bed next to his. Alphonse, thankfully, was not in as much agony as his older brother.
So if he chose not to get up, no one would blame him.
He still had no idea where the hell that rainbow of light had come from though.
However, his rest would not last for long as the strange women with red eyes and pale white hair came in and noticed he was awake.
Thus the Fullmetal Alchemist had the dubious honor of being introduced to one of the scariest people he could possibly meet in this situation.
Jubstacheit von Einzbern, head of the Einzbern family.
Ed immediately knew he was not a man he wanted to try and bluff his way around. This man could crush him in his weakened state, and he had no idea if his alchemy was even up to working. Not to mention he had Alphonse still in the room.
"I find it interesting that a youth such as yourself would fall onto the estate bearing that crest," he said evenly.
Ed blinked. While the man had an accent, it was one he just barely recognized. There was one issue he could avoid.
"Which crest?" he asked, not understanding what the man was referring to. Sure he had that symbol on his coat, but it was from the same man who originally discovered the stone. He had hoped wearing it would bring him better luck in finding the thing...plus the coat had been in his dad's study before they torched the place. He had grabbed it out of convenience.
"Don't play me boy. Only an alchemist would dare were the personal crest of Flamel," said Jubstacheit.
Ed's eyebrows shot up. He wasn't aware it was a personal crest.
"State your name boy. My patience wears thin," said the man.
"Edward Elric. Fullmetal Alchemist," Ed said finally. Not like it meant much in this world.
"Elric? Impossible. That line died out with the death of Hohenhiem, despite his efforts to try and use a homunculus made from his son to continue it," scoffed the man.
"Don't talk to me about my bastard of a father," snarled Edward.
His father had always been a touchy subject for Ed. He had always blamed him for their mother's death, but when it was confirmed that Hohenhiem had caused her to die from a wasting disease because he had been afraid to die... Ed wasn't going to shed any tears for him.
Jubstacheit raised an eyebrow. He had heard rumors that Hohenhiem of Light had two sons in another world, having gone there by using a favor from the Kaleidoscope, but he had always assumed they were just that. Rumors.
"Until I find out who you are, you are not to leave this castle. If you try, I will have your companion killed," he said coldly.
"Fine by me. Maybe you can figure out what the hell that rainbow that sucked us out of the car was," said Edward flippantly.
He was tired, sore, and in no mood to deal with power plays. He needed solid food and some good old fashioned sleep before he was ready to deal with this bullshit.
He was lead back to the cell, with no illusions of what was happening. They were prisoners in the castle until they found out what the hell was going on and how they had gotten that deep into the man's territory without setting any alarms off. He would consider himself lucky if they bothered to feed them, to be honest.
It had taken a long, long month of searching, but eventually Jubstacheit's spies found the lost journals of the former head of Atlas. Hohenhiem of Light had been a very private person, and getting the journals had been a bigger pain than retrieving Avalon several years prior.
Still, it was worth it to have some of the brat's claims confirmed.
Hohenhiem had two sons, Edward and Alphonse. Both born in the other world, only one had managed to make it to this one through the Root. What the Alchemists on the other side called the Gate of Truth. Edward's alternate had been killed during a raid, but he had found his way back despite that.
The second time he came here, he had been stuck until he recreated a ritual circle and opened the Kaleidoscope by mistake.
The picture was almost identical to the brat who had stared at him so defiantly, aside from the fact that the limbs were of much better make. The issue being that the picture in question was from nearly sixty years ago and the two were clearly in their teens.
Still, there was one way to prove that this was in fact the same Edward Elric who had actually seen the Root firsthand, even if he barely remembered anything of it.
Hohenhiem spoke of alchemy without circles, just prana and thought.
So Edward, who had been rather docile aside from his refusal of milk or anything to do with needles, was brought before him again.
If he was the same Edward Elric spoken in the journals, he would still have the power of alchemy without any need for preparation or grandstanding.
The boy seemed unimpressed by the demand. In fact he almost looked like he expected it.
With a loud clap of his hands, he deftly rearranged the floor into some grotesque parody of a statue, one that moved under his guidance.
Jubstacheit had seen enough. There was no way he would let such a valuable asset slip through his grasp, even if he had a very good idea how the Elric brothers had practically landed on his lap.
Damn Zelretch and his games.
Illya was curious. Her grandfather had decided to spare the two intruders who had been stuck in a cell for over a month (and she had giggled hearing some of the taller one's outbursts whenever someone insinuated even remotely that he was short) and allow them to roam the castle...within reason.
She had frowned at his reaction upon learning that the ability to coin homunculi was commonplace in the family. So she decided to investigate this newcomer herself...and possibly express her displeasure at his distaste for the art if he annoyed her.
Jubstacheit could care less if she went to visit the Elric brothers. So long as the two didn't level the castle or accidentally kill each other, he had no interest.
Alphonse looked up from the alchemy book that the castle's servants had allowed him to read to see a girl about eleven or ten. She looked like the servants, but her clothing said otherwise.
Ed was so deep into the history of the Atlas organization that he didn't even notice her.
"Hello?" said Al uncertainly.
"Hello," she replied with a curtsey. Alphonse took a long look at her and immediately knew she wasn't like the castle's servants. She was too noble for that, and her demeanor spoke of one of the family.
"What's your name? I'm Alphonse and this is my brother Edward," he asked, nodding to his brother. Ed didn't even look up.
"I am Illyasviel von Einzbern," she replied.
There was something about her that bothered Al, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Done," said Edward, closing the book. He was a fast reader when bored, but when it was something this interesting he was even faster.
Illya's eyes immediately went to his. Crimson red and golden amber clashed before Illya blinked.
"So what do you think of my home?" she asked sweetly. Ed's instincts warned him to tread carefully, as he knew she was a real and very dangerous threat.
"Interesting. Then again we've never stayed in one place this long before," said Edward evenly.
"It is, isn't it?" said Illya with a purr. "I heard that you two don't like homunculi much."
Edward reached for the next volume.
"It's not so much that we dislike them, it's more along the lines that we've been fighting others who called themselves by that term who were monsters incarnate," said Edward.
Illya's eyes sparked with interest.
"I think it's more wariness than anything. After all, the ones here seem to be easier to get along with while the others were mistakes," added Alphonse, considering that.
"Mistakes?" said Illya.
"Homunculi back home were the result of idiots trying to transmute humans. If they were lucky, they lived to tell the tale and the thing didn't survive. If they were unlucky, they lived long enough for those mistakes to kill them personally before they found out how easy it was to manipulate humans to do their dirty work," said Ed with a scowl.
The amount of blood spilled all so they could get a stone and please their 'Father'... it made him sick to even remember it. He was glad that the last of them was gone and all the circles on the subject destroyed.
Ed was the only one who knew how to create a Stone here, and he intended to keep it that way.
Illya observed the two brothers.
"What would you say if you knew I was the daughter of a homunculus?" she asked calmly. Almost like one discussing the weather.
"I would say that explains why you set all my danger senses on overdrive. And then ask why I should care who your parents were," replied Ed.
"Hmph!" said Illya in irritation.
She had hoped to find out what his problem with homunculi were so she could crush him. But Edward had a legitimate reason for his dislike. He just turned it into apathy until the castle servants proved a threat to him or his brother.
Edward and Alphonse found themselves in a unique position. Because the Magus Association and Atlas had no idea of their existence, let alone the fact that Edward was by all rights a master of one of the few remaining True Magics, they were relatively safe.
That position could change the moment Jubstacheit decided they weren't worth the trouble of keeping alive.
Fortunately Ed knew when to keep his mouth shut and his temper in check.
And upon learning that Edward wasn't adverse to sharing the alchemy of his world in exchange for access to the 'public' parts of the Einzbern library, they quickly dove into the books with fervor. Though there was some issue with the fact Edward and Alphonse couldn't read English.
Illya found herself in the rather odd position of teaching them. It was made easier by the fact Ed and Al could speak German well enough, mostly because they had never had to deal with language barriers before.
Still, being around Ed set her teeth on edge.
He was just so frustrating to be around!
Had she paid attention to the talk of the amused castle Homunculi, she would have learned about the fact that they found her budding crush on a certain blond alchemist adorable. Illyasviel was like a blizzard, cold and deadly to the touch. Edward was like a raging inferno, quick to ignite and just as quick to burn anyone who angered him.
By all rights they shouldn't be able to stand each other at all.
Thank the Root for Alphonse, the only one able to get their irritation towards each other to remain at a simmer. Otherwise the castle would have been destroyed months ago.
