Author's note:

Reformatting was faster than I thought! Took me two days to do it and just an hour to post everything on ! I hope you can read this story more comfortably. I focused more on reformatting rather than spell check, grammar and sentence structure because I am now in university and I have assignments to do, sorry! Anyways, as you realized it from the previous chapter, I put some continuation on this update! Enjoy reading!

After a few hours, he gets himself up and walked back to the Rockbells'. He head to report what happened to the military and told everyone that Ed is back with his real family

God, I can't believe those words would hurt me so bad.

But when he arrived at the Rockbells', many villagers surrounded the house. It seems that something had happened. Worried, he rushed back to the house and went past through the crowds. Before he entered the house, he asked one of the villagers

"Excuse me… what just happened here?"

"I don't really know sir, but it seems that the Rockbells have just been robbed… heard Granny Pinako and lil' WInry was hurt… don't know the details…"

Roy was shocked "Thanks!" he rushed back to the house and pushed the door hard "Mrs Rockbell! Winry!"

He found them in the patients' room, lied on stretchers - bandages covering their limbs. Winry was crying, and Pinako said nothing. The local police and a local doctor were next to them.

"What… what just happened?"

The local police then brought him outside of the patients' room and explained to him what happened while he's gone

"They said that two strangers dressed in black – one kid around the age of Winry's and an adult lady – they attacked the two and searched the house, and took the belongings of your son, Lieutenant Colonel. We found it kind of odd because other than your son's suitcase, they took nothing else."

Hearing that, Roy quickly asked permission to speak privately with Pinako Rockbell. The local doctor then brought Winry to her room while Roy closed the patients' room door and asked the guards to let nobody comes in until he finished talking with the old Rockbell mechanic.

"Mrs. Pinako Rockbell"

"What? I already told the police everything"

"No you did not, Mrs. Rockbell. You still haven't told them everything"

"What else do you wanna know?"

"About the Elrics, Mrs. Rockbell"

Pinako gasped, and quickly turned away

"W-what about them?"

"I need you to tell what happened to them"

"W-why should I? How did you know that I know?"

"I glanced at the pictures on the corkboard… and I saw a particular picture that I found very familiar – the man that had been wanted by the military for years, Von Hohenheim, Trisha Elric, and a pair of twin boys with odd-colored hair and eyes… and one of them is my son, Edward, and his twin brother… Alphonse"

"How did you know about Trisha and Alphonse?"

"When I took Edward to the old Elric house where I found him, they were in there and took Edward away from me – they convinced him that I was raising him for my sole advantage to rise through the ranks. He was already shocked when I told him he wasn't my biological son and he wouldn't listen to anything I say anyways, since I am not his parent"

Pinako sighed. For a long time, she looked down to the floor without a word

"And before they took Edward from me, they came here and attacked you. Looking by the wounds… I knew that a regular woman and a kid couldn't possibly make those wounds. And they couldn't possibly be attacking you just to get Ed's belongings – you must have information that would threaten them if I know. And I want honest answers, Mrs. Rockbell. I saw pretty much all those proofs of human transmutation in that house. I wanted to know, what really happened to the Elrics? Where is Von Hohenheim?"

Pinako sighed again "Alright, I'll tell you all I know"

"When he first came here… Von Hohenheim was just a man who simply came from Central to live in the countryside. I remembered back then – those days when Resembool was growing at its peak… the area in front of the station weren't empty fields like today – there were lines of shops and bars, and a hostel where he stayed during the first years he lived here. He was friendly, and a great help to the townspeople. After he helped us a lot with his alchemy, we would give him free food and the hostel owner would never took any single penny from him. He was a charming man back then, and every one or two nights we would go down to the bar to have a drink together.

Trisha was the daughter of the hostel owner where he stayed. She was the finest young lady in Resembool, and it was no surprise to us that she would end up having a relationship with a charming man from a big city like Hohenheim. And then it happened – the civil war. The Ishbalans tore our town apart – they turned the whole area into ash. Many people died, including Trisha's parents. Refugees went to live into the further area of Resembool, and Hohenheim helped us rebuild our homes. He shared his with Trisha, and then it became natural to consider the two married. The condition back then didn't make it possible to make a proper wedding ceremony – even Winry's parents didn't have one, too. When we heard the news that Trisha was pregnant, the whole Resembool were very pleased. Somehow Hohenheim and Trisha's child become the new hope of Resembool, and everyone do their best to help the two. We were even more than pleased when we heard that they're going to have twins, and they told us what names would they give to their children – I remember Hohenheim telling me that if they are twin boys they would call them Edward and Alphonse. But then, she caught pneumonia and died on the sixth month of her pregnancy. All of us were very sad, and once again… Resembool had lost another hope. Unfortunately, the weather was very bad the time she died. There was a rainstorm and we couldn't hold a funeral immediately, so we all decided to wait until the storm is gone.

But on that day, the third day after she died… we saw a very bright light coming out of their home. It was as if a very huge lightning had struck the whole house from the sky. We all fled from our houses and approached the Elric house with caution, but nobody dared to come nearer than ten meters away because the sparks of alchemic reactions kept coming. A week after the incident, some men finally dared themselves to enter the house. I heard that they found nothing but the house empty and stench of blood everywhere. They called and called for Hohenheim… until they heard babies crying from nowhere. They thought that the place was haunted, until you came around a year and a half later and brought a small boy to this house – which I assume as Hohenheim and Trisha's son. And those people you met in the Elric house… the ones who brought Edward away… that must be Trisha and her other son…"

A few moments after Pinako ended her story, Roy finally spoke "So you believe that Hohenheim had committed human transmutation in order to revive them?"

Pinako nodded, and sighed as she turned away "Trisha and Hohenheim are like my children, you know…. Trisha and my son were like brothers and sisters back when they were very young… and before my son and his wife were sent to the Ishbal fields, they were very close to Trisha and Hohenheim. They were there when Winry was born, and become her godparents"

After she took a deep breath, she turned back to Roy and spoke again "You know, Mustang. I am no alchemist; I'm just an automail mechanic who knows nothing about alchemy. But hearing your story on what happened at the Elrics' house… if it is the same woman and kid that attacked me and Winry, I knew it wasn't her. That woman… she's not Trisha. Trisha would never do or say something like that…"

Looking at Pinako, Roy sighed and nodded. "Alright, thank you. I'll be taking my leave now,"

"Before you leave Resembool, can I ask you a favor?" Pinako asked

Roy turned back, "Yes, anything," he replied

"Please…save that boy… Edward"

Roy smiled "I was going to save him even without you asking – he's my son after all. A father… will save his son when necessary… without doubt, right?"

Hearing that, Pinako's eyes widened, and then she smiled.

"Thank you," she said, "I wish you luck."

And then Roy Mustang left the house… with a determination that he will come home with his son in his arms once again. Screw the promise he made with the Fuhrer – Edward Elric Mustang is his son.

But then, where to start? He asked himself. He has no single clue where to find Ed…