New Resolve


Laila heard the blood running through her head as she stared at the sky above her. The ceiling had been ripped away along with the roof half an hour ago when Nick and Berthold had taken it a little bit too far but if anything, the stars gave her new strength even though her leg was still hurting. She sat up and stared at the strange angle her shin formed before she closed her eyes for a second. "Screw this," she muttered before she pulled herself back to her feet by grabbing a pillar and hoping. She was good at hoping for the best, they all were. They had never had another chance. They had been fools all along but they had been fools with a dream and with the belief that everything would be fine again. Right now, she wondered if they really could make it because Victoria was already breathing hard and Nick was still out. But Laila erased these thoughts from her mind as she leaned against the pillar with her gloves around her hands. They were her armour when she couldn't have any kind of protection.

But as she stood there, Nerissa opened her eyes and because the shade of blue was identical, Laila could remember Serena who had been a firm believer in hope and the chance to change ones destiny when she had been younger, before bitterness and death of beloved ones had ripped this away from her. "The hope that is usually cheerful yet serene can be as supporting to the body as it is to the mind," she had once said. "So I believe that it is the most vital emotion mortals are capable to feel and that it is the blood of our soul, the eternal power that pushes us over our own limits."

And right now, this fire that had been passed down in Ardelia Hawkeye's line fore more than a century burned in Laila brighter than before. It was Nerissa's Screw-the-odds-and-fight-attitude. It was Serena's Look-there-I've-still-an-array-to-use-grin. It was Kay's A-true-fighter-never-gives-up-laugh. It was Lynn's I-may-not-be-the-strongest-but-I-am-strong-enough-to-defeat-you-will. It was Riza's To-defy-fate-is-my-hobby-smile that was always hidden. It was Berthold's No-determination-can-outmatch-mine-attitude.

It was the will that had made them all do impossible things. Nerissa had fought with injuries that had killed lesser (wo)men. Serena had grown into a wonderful woman. Kay had been the first to master lightening alchemy even though the Maxime-line had worked on this since Ardelia had taken the power. Lynn had been the best fighter Nerissa had ever encountered – not because of her strength but for her intelligence. Riza who had fought even after nearly bleeding to death was just as strong as her father who had broken all ties with his family and home to save them all.

And Laila was about to write her name down in the row of awesome people she knew.


Ping Fan opened his left eye after he had been thrown to the floor after something had exploded. "Hell … I need to find Min … I have to support her…" he muttered as he got up and tumbled down the hallway Lan Fan had blown up seconds before. He had heard before that the empress always had quite a few bombs with her but he had not expected that she would use them like this. Still, his mind was focused on the task ahead of him. He had to find Min Li to get her out of this mess. Sure, Jing would be trying to do the same thing but since he was in love with the Wei-girl, he lacked the ability to grab her and carry her away when she refused to be saved.

Somewhere next to him, Lee got up and followed him. "We are truly fools," he muttered. "We should have stayed with Min once we finally found her. I don't want our team to be ripped apart again."

"Me neither," Ping replied as he remembered his loneliness after Lee had been kidnapped, Jing had became an Imperial Bodyguard and Min Li had been too busy with her own duty to stay in contact with him. Some would say that it was a normal part of growing up but no other team had fallen apart this quickly – well, no other team had consisted of four geniuses, five, if you counted their old instructor.

"Still, Meimei said that you often visited her in the last few years…" Lee said as he looked at his best friend. "She was surprised because she thought you would be too busy to look after a cripple…"

"Her injury wasn't crippling," Ping huffed. "She was just unlucky to fall down this tree and her leg was broken in quite a difficult way but she made a full recovery. And I was her student. It was basically my duty to be there for her in these hard months until she could run again…"

"I tried to apologise for letting her down when she needed me the most," Lee muttered as they walked down the hallway. "But you know her: she is one stubborn woman. Pretty, no doubt, since she has half of the male population of our village running after her … but she's always proud and therefore she turns down every man who tries to court her. She might end up old and alone."

"I doubt this," Ping muttered. "You always said that the Cho-clan always found a matching partner."

"You actually listened to me when I spoke for hours about my clan?" Lee asked with a grin.

"Lee, we have been best friends since we were toddlers and I am very patient – that comes from all the years I had to study herbs for poison and their antidotes. Anyway, we need to find Min Li now."

"So your loyalty still lies with her," the boy with the scar said. "I shouldn't be surprised, I guess. You were always a little bit too obsessed with making her grow a little bit taller…"

"Let's say it this way: one of my aunts was there when she was born and so I knew all along whose daughter Min Li is. That I used to call her princess to annoy her was on purpose even though she believed her secret to be safe," Ping said. "I knew that I was the only one outside the Wei-clan who knew about this because my aunt died on a mission when I was five, shortly before we were send into the academy. I am no fool; I understood that she was a princess three seconds after seeing her. I also realised that it is not her lack of skill that made her hurt herself over and over when she took out her weapons. The problem is that she hates the idea of killing even though she showed no remorse when it was the only way to save one of us. Deep down, she is truly her mother's daughter but she has the kindness and the mind of a Yao. She is the granddaughter of Jun Yao after all."


Min Li breathed hard as she accepted the challenge Dora Hawkeye had thrown at her. It was less a matter of pride than a matter of necessity but the Xingese girl was a pride young warrior and she disliked the idea that a seemingly beaten opponent would return into the battle to cause new problems. And so she fought against a woman who happened to be a master of combat alchemy and even though she knew that she hadn't anything that would have allowed her to compete with the woman, she refused to give up right now because this would mean that she was weak and she wasn't weak.

Battle alchemy was one of the most dangerous styles of alchemy anyone had ever created and Dora had the same prowess Basque Grand had once possessed before Scar had murdered him. For Min Li, it was the worst match possible but she couldn't run away now because she had run too often.

"You are fast, little girl," Dora taunted as she created more and more chains. "You are faster than I imagined you to be … but it won't help you because in the end, this battle will be decided by experience and not by luck … and my experience is bigger than yours will ever be."

"I still refuse to give up to someone like you," the Xingese girl said as she wielded her katana to defend herself against the chains. "It's not because I am afraid to die or of getting hurt. I am just sick of watching other people cry! I never want to see my friends and my family sad! That's what I fight for!"

"Such a noble girl, how fitting for a little princess," the alchemist grinned. "But you know the outcome just as good as I do, don't you? You know that you will fall under my hammer…"

It was all in moment that Laila was felled by a blow once more and that Victoria flew once across the hall before Min Li was struck down as well. For their generation and their age, they were geniuses on the battlefield but they were no real match for Dora's chains or Maxime's lightening in the end.

Suddenly, a well-known voice echoed through the castle as the speakers awoke to new life.

"This is Berthold and Edward speaking along with Jade – and the Xingese duo, of course," the Flame Mage said. "As you might have guessed, we overtook the centre of command."

"So yeah, we can see you all while you can't see us," Edward chuckled. "It doesn't look all that well for you guys right now, huh?"

Victoria raised her head from where she was laying on the ground and a faint smile crossed her face.

"Laila, I used to think that you are a spoilt little brat," Edward said seriously. "But c'mon and prove me wrong, will you? Don't stay down there in the dirt. That's not where you belong to! Get up and fight!"

The blonde's hands formed tight fists as she pushed herself up once more. "Understood," she smirked as she grabbed a new pair of gloves from her belt. "I can't let an old friend down after all, can I?"

She formed a crutch out of stone and forced herself back to her feet a second time. She was a member of the Hawkeye-family and they had never known when to quit because quitting was for losers and fools and they were none of the above.

"Nessa … honestly, I still can't stand you all that much … always acting so high and mighty just because you are a little bit powerful … you are stupid and reckless, you are not that powerful and yet … you always fight with all you have and more … and I cannot help but admire this trait," Jade said softly while she chocked a few times. "I couldn't do anything. I was defeated in five minutes flat."

"It's impressive that she stood this long against Cornelius," Dora commented while the air alchemist collected herself again.

"How can I hate you when you die? This wouldn't show any greatness on my behalf, would it? So … please, get up and keep fighting…" the dark voice vanished in a coughing.

"You always have to be the drama queen, huh?" Nerissa asked as she sat up and dragged herself over to her wheelchair. "And stop talking this bad about yourself. We are equals after all."

"Min, can you hear me? This is Ping speaking," one of the boys said. "Min … get up already, will you? You were our team leader, our hero, and a student of Meimei. You cannot lose to them. You just can't."

The girl opened her right eyes as she smiled up at the speaker. "You cannot hear me, Ping, but I hear you and hell yes, I will keep fighting," she said as she dragged herself up.

"Even with Laila, Nessa and Min Li back on their feet, this won't be enough!" Jade said worried.

"That's why we will join the battle as well, Jade," Edward said. "C'mon, you have been hit against the chest and once more, you broke your rips. That cannot be a reason for you to stay down, Jade. You fought with such injuries before, didn't you?"

"Victoria, Victoria – can you answer us?" Jean Havoc called out. "Fuery hacked the intercom, so we can talk with you as well. Timms sees you from his position on one of the roofs. What the hell are you doing? Get the hell up and keep fighting. We … all of us believe in you and we carry you through this."

The red-haired girl grinned widely as she stood and stroke back a strand of her hair. "I was simply relaxing," she said as she returned into her fighting stance. "I still want some band aid for my stomach once this ordeal is over."


Cornelius froze as he heard voices and hid behind a pillar as he recognised two members of the Maxime-line. No matter how loyal he had been a few hours ago, he had seen the right path and he would follow it to the end even if this meant to go against everything he had believed in for years.

"…Cornelius was brilliant against the Mustang-heiress," the woman said as she unlocked a door. "I haven't expected him to hurt his beloved Helena's best friend this badly."

"And I couldn't imagine that he would win against a state alchemist like this," the man replied as he followed her. "On the other hand, this is Hundred Array Jade and we should consider the possibility that she might return – especially after the announcement earlier. She isn't one to be underestimated."

"And actually, there a few more than just hundred arrays to my disposal," the aforementioned woman said as she appeared right in front of them, dressed only in a corset and black pants. "He crushed a few of my rips but I won't give in. I was a part of solution X for a reason all, wasn't I?"

"You are the first to stand up after fighting Cornelius this quickly," the Maxime-woman stated as she moved into her fighting stance. "Too bad that you ran into us of all people direct afterwards because this means that you will be defeated again – and unlike Cornelius, we aren't above killing you."

"Wonderful," she replied as she bent her knees and wiped out a knife. "I guess that this means that you aren't afraid to be killed by me, are you? Unlike others like Elric or my brother, I am not above killing as well. I believe that it's a natural part of life that the stronger win against the weak ones."

"Just how strong are you that you are still standing after taking one of Cornelius' blows straight to the chest?" the man asked as he stared at the knife. "You are a monster."

"It's not nice to call me this," she said as she smirked. "I am human – unlike you people who hurt little children out of some strange idea of fun or who force a fifteen-year-old girl to fight fifty chimeras. I am just someone who never gives up as long as I can see light at the end of the tunnel."

For a moment, Cornelius considered to join her battle before he shook his head. No, Hundred Array Jade as she was nicknamed in the scene was probably more than enough to deal with them. Looking back, he wondered how he had been able to defeat her when she was this strong and famous.

"You are too slow, both of you," the black-haired Mustang-woman stated as she spun around to block a first attack. "And now, it's my turn, I guess. Air Alchemy is usually more fitting for long range fights as any idiot knows but … I guess that fighting you with other means gives me the chance to try out my new gloves. Oh, the chancellor wasn't lazy these last years. He created the one-for-everything-array."


Edward froze as he found Riza as she sat on the floor while an old woman had her head rested on the former sniper's lap. Chains were wrapped around the woman's wrists and she was clearly dying because no person would lose so much blood without passing away. It was a strangely emotional scene, he decided. He knew that it was just as much Riza's family as it was Victoria's or Laila's but still, it seemed strange because this was Riza and she was supposed to be strong, maybe even stronger than people like Nerissa who always got out of everything because of their luck.

"To die like this … I expected this," the old woman sighed. "Still, I love you all, Riza, and tell your father that he should make sure that Helena's daughter won't be treated like her mother. That's the last wish I have to make in this place. Bert and Albus … I go ahead."

"I will tell them this," the blonde promised as a single tear fell down. "And I won't leave you alone."

Edward felt strangely attracted to the scene and stepped closer before he sat down next to the both women. "Anything I could do?" he asked as he stared at the injuries.

"No, no, boy," Helen smiled as she slowly closed her eyes. "Just … don't leave me alone yet."

"Understood," he replied as he lowered his head. "How did this happen anyway?"

"She … she took an attack for me," Riza said as her grandaunt stopped breathing and her face relaxed. "I couldn't do anything. Victoria could perhaps have saved her but she is currently fighting somewhere else and I couldn't bring myself to leave her to get her…"

"I understand," Edward said. "But where is Victoria fighting right now?"

"Main hall – where Nick and dad blew up the roof half an hour ago," she replied as she picked up the lifeless body of her grandaunt. "We need to find a place where she can rest before she will be buried."

"…but you have to mourn properly once this is over, Riza," he said.

"Believe me, I am going to do this, Edward," she said as she looked down at the peaceful face. "She was one of my favourite relatives – unlike Aunt Dora. Once this is over, I will mourn over her death but right now, I will keep fighting because she wouldn't have wanted me to abandon all of you."


Victoria felt how she slowly lost consciousness but she forced herself to keep fighting. She couldn't let the others down now. Her right arm hung down weakly after she had used it to block an particular strong blow and now it was broken but she still had her left one and she punched Maxime with all her might one last time before she finally went down, exhausted and too tired to raise her arm once more.

"Let it be, Vicky," her sister said as she limped over to her. "I take care of the rest."

"I don't think that this will be necessary," Jean Havoc said as he stepped into the room, followed by the other members of the old Team Mustang, his wife and the infamous Stevens/Timms-duo.

"Who the hell are you people?" Maxime asked as he hesitated for a moment as he took in the uniforms.

"First of all, we are friends of Riza and therefore we don't take it kindly when someone hurts her children and secondly … well, we know these kids for a long time and we can't have you hurting them."

Stevens and Timms nodded seriously as they stood back to back to prevent any sneak attacks. They were an infamous team by now and their appearance had never meant anything good for opponents.

"Min Li!" Ping said as he caught his victorious teammate who was bloodied and beaten but so proud that she had won this fight. "You grew so much," he whispered into her ear as he held her close to his own body. "You grew so beautifully in these years, Min. You truly became an elite bodyguard."

"Meimei would be proud that you mastered the katana," Lee agreed as he hugged her as well. "You are beautiful and strong now, Min, you are truly the rose of Team Meimei now."

"Thank you so much," she whispered. "I didn't think that this would be possible for me."

"Oi, you bastard over there," Owen said as he dragged himself into the room. "Take your filthy hands away from my girlfriend, alright? You aren't worth touching her after plotting her mother's death!"

The Storm Alchemist had finally recovered from his injuries. He was the student of one third of the original Mustang Three (Abigail, Abel and Izumi had been the other parts), the student of the Storm Wizard (Alain who had never understood how people could call him this without breaking down in laughter), the student of Breeze Heart who was renowned for his endurance (Phil) and the infamous Hundred Arrays Jade. Maybe his teachers had given him more than just the arrays and the methods to use them to the best result. Maybe he had also gotten a part of the strength along the way.

"Who the hell are you?" Dora asked as she turned around, bloodied and beaten after Min Li had reflected the chains. "And do you seriously think that you could beat us? You are just a state alchemist, high on the power your masters gave you. You aren't even a worthy opponent for us."

"What … what did you just say?" Victoria whispered as she suddenly stood straight. "Did you just insult him, Dora? Did you just insult my … boyfriend?"

"This is bad!" Nick said as he took a step back. "When Vicky gets mad, it's the end of a battle."


"…you are still too slow," Jade said eerily calm as she dodged another blow. "Seriously, I never knew that Lynn was afraid of such weaklings. She could have taken you down any day of the week after all – and I am not kidding about this. You are fools if you believe that this would be enough to take me down. I believe that you underestimate what it means to fight a state alchemist."

"I don't understand how you can be this strong if you lost this quickly against Cornelius!" the woman panted as she tried an icicle attack that was blocked with ease.

"I tell you," Jade said darkly as she formed a lightening bolt. "He is a kindred spirit. Both of us loved good old Lynn a little bit too much to get over her death completely in the past eleven years. In his eyes, I am probably the monster that stole Lynn away from her family. He had to defeat me to get stronger – just like Nessa had to believe that I gave up. I don't mind being the step stone for others who are still on their way to power. I am not selfish anymore. I grew out of this."

"You are an idiot if you seriously believe that you could continue like this," the man stated as he narrowly avoided the lightening attack. "Just how many arrays do you really have at your disposal?"

"One hundred fifty nine," she said as she drained a little more air away from them. "This is more than even Nerissa can use, I know. But like I said earlier, I wasn't named Hundred Arrays Jade without a reason. I got this name because of my ability to remember every move I ever saw in a battle."

"This is the reason why you never lost twice against the same opponent, right?" the man asked. "After the first defeat, you have all his moves and the next time, you can predict his attacks…"

"Correct," she said as she pushed her glasses up her nose again. "In the end, it starts and ends with a brain that can remember more than the average one and the ability to take more blows than the opponent. Well, as long as this opponent isn't my little brother because I would never win against him."

"I don't understand," the woman said frustrated. "I won against the Fullmetal Alchemist earlier…"

"Edward isn't even close to playing in my or Nerissa's league," Jade stated darkly. "But I have to admit that he is useful. You might wonder why I can stand and how I can still take blows to my chest. He strengthened my corset by transmuting metal into it. He is the specialist for metal after all and even I cannot match him there. Still, there are things I beat him at." She mentioned towards the array on the ground. "You were careless and now, you are in my trap. This is a seal array and even if you should be able to kill me, you would be forced to stay in it for the end of your life."


"…Jade is still out there, fighting like the maniac she is," Edward said to Riza. "Roy gave her a universal array before we left. I think that he knew that she wouldn't give in easily."

"She lied when she spoke with Nessa, didn't she?" Riza asked with a strangely empty voice.

"Yeah," he said softly. "We knew that we needed Nerissa to get up – because she isn't only a fighter. She is a symbol and so it was necessary that she got back up even though she felt like her chest was burning. I gave her some kind of protection for her rips that should also stable her movements a little bit."

"Iron into her corset, I guess," the blond woman said as she shook her head. "The old ways can prove to be the best when used correctly, I guess. But you have no clue what you unleashed when you told her to keep fighting, Edward. Jade is a part of Solution X, the state alchemist formation Bradley deemed as the strongest. If she will fight with everything she has, the castle will suffer."

"Solution X?" Edward asked with wide eyes. "I never heard from this…"

"It's a secret … my grandfather told me after he found the official papers in Bradley's old office," she said. "You see … Roy's range is limited to a radius of three hundred metres and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot surpass this limit. Well, not alone – that's the point. With Jade or Phil, he would reach a range of more than one kilometre … can you even imagine the destruction this would cause?"