It's September, but Edward seems to have entered by force the month of November, with its damp cold and persistent fogs.
There is an atmosphere, in the main hall of his school, which makes the cold get into his bones, makes them creak as if he were eighty.
And to say that there wouldn't even be a need to turn on the lights, the day is beautiful, it's still summer.
But it's the shady characters on the raised stage above the pupils' chairs that make everything bleak, and mercilessly cold.
The principal, Philip Armstrong, has decided to retire and the one on stage is his new replacement.
After decades as the esteemed principal of the famous Central School of Alchemy, one of the most popular in the entire globe, the old Gargantos has decided to enjoy his twilight years in his wife's company, and to travel the world.
His replacement has absolutely nothing in common with him.
As bright and friendly as Philip is, that fellow is shady, calculating, busy wandering his blood-ruby eyes over the anxious heads of the students in front of him, as if he considered them prey to be evaluated, for better or for worse.
He has short black hair, flawlessly combed, and that black without shading swallows all the light, dull, opulent, fierce as the night.
The new principal has glasses, he looks like a professor in all respects, complete with absolute severity.
Beside him is a woman, the new vice principal, the one who took the place of Philip Armstrong's wife. A new family business.
The wife of the new headmaster is actually a beautiful woman, with wavy brown hair down to the shoulders, a well-designed mouth accentuated by a peach-colored lip gloss and onyx-colored eyes.
Next to the two spouses, there is a group of youths; in all there are seven of them.
Edward is so engrossed in the questions that are buzzing in his head that he hardly notices that the headmaster has already begun to speak:
"Good morning to you all. I'm Flask Homunculus, the new principal of this school. I am deeply grateful to Mr. Armstrong for this opportunity that has been offered to me. The Central School of Alchemy is Amestris' flagship, the point from which new talents arise, and I am here to guide them to their full maturity. In this process, the vice principal, my wife Dante, will accompany me."
By the time Flask finishes his speech, the murmur has already begun to meander among students of various ages. Edward is still completely absorbed by the motionless figures on stage.
"These are our children. They will not have privileges and will be evaluated as normal Central School students, but I would like to invite you to welcome them among you."
Edward feels a shiver go down his back as he runs his pupils over the seven youths, contemplating the possibility of having any of them in his class, tenth grade. He doesn't like the prospect at all.
So it is, in fact: the seven children of Flask and Dante are promptly sorted through the thirteen classes that make up the Central School of Alchemy.
Wrath, the eldest son, is in the last year of school, and is heading off to the 13th grade.
He is a tall, handsome boy with slightly tanned skin, with short and black hair, shinier than his father's, and two deep light green eyes, highlighted by two gull-wing eyebrows.
Needless to say, the girls go into raptures for him, also because he shares a wonderful body with kindness and a certain culture. The perfect guy, who immediately attracts the malice of almost all the males in the class.
Sloth, the second son, is seventeen and in the 12th grade.
He is very muscular, but he hardly seems related to Wrath: he is lazy, uninterested in studying and not very diligent with hygiene, judging by the black and rather long hair that falls on his face and neck like a weed curled up on itself.
He would have two amazing, ice-colored eyes if they weren't perpetually lost in the void...
He has no better luck than his twin brother, Gluttony, a chubby guy with an apparently peaceful look, with clear eyes like his twin, constantly illuminated by a ravenous light. Gluttony has no hair, he prefers to bring his brown one shaved.
He also doesn't like to study, his main concern is to taste all the specialties of the school cafeteria, and already on the first day of class he asks all his classmates for a little snack, while his brother sleeps with his head resting on the desk.
The impact that Lust has on her class, the 11th, is quite different.
The girl has inherited all the maternal beauty and paternal colors, with her long wavy black hair, tempting devil together with her mauve eyes and red painted lips. Sinuous, mature curves complete the whole picture.
Like Wrath, Lust is perceived negatively by the exponents of her sex, while the males push and insult each other to be able to sit next to her, who laughs amused to see that funny little theater.
Her twin, Greed, has black hair and the same eyes as his sister, and has the look of the classic rebellious boy who loves to live by the day and surround himself with women.
In fact, the letch tries to console his classmates, disturbed by Lust's presence, but not all of them accept, and not all of them appreciate his arrogant and rather rude ways. Some, however, are there for him.
Edward gets Envy, the sixth child of the Homunculus family.
Much to his dismay, the blond hears the whispers of his companions, both male and female, as well as a few admired cries.
Indeed, Envy has a very fine face, long straight black hair, peculiarly cut purple eyes.
He certainly doesn't go unnoticed, also because Edward, to his immense embarrassment, didn't understand if he was a boy or a girl.
Certainly, however, he understood that it will be a pain to have him in class, because as soon as he sees him, Envy begins to talk with the last sentence he should have said:
"Are you sure you haven't got the wrong class? You seem a bit short to me for being a tenth grade student..."
"What the fuck..."
Ed's thought is formed without his will, while a terrible nausea rises to his throat: will he really have to share three years with such an individual?
The last son of the Homunculus family is a child like many: short black hair, bright black eyes, a nice smile. He is certainly the least noticeable of all that wild offspring. His name is Pride and at his previous school, Xerxes Academy, he had superb grades.
He attends the fourth grade and is welcomed with joy by the other children, which he reciprocates.
During the lunch break on that first day of school, Edward reunites with his brother Alphonse, which is one year younger, and his varied company of friends.
"Guys, I don't know about you... But it will be a very long year for me!" complains the blond boy with the lovely braid, disconsolately placing the tray with his plate of steaming pasta, the salad and the loaf that almost risks falling off the table.
Winry, his classmate and childhood friend, watches him while she is already intent on enjoying her plate of spaghetti and tries to lift his mood:
"Come on, Ed... You can't let the newcomer ruin your lessons..."
"Yes, I can! He already called me shorty! He's like a bottle of milk, indeed... He's a bottle of spoiled milk!"
Winry's beautiful blue eyes become slitty, exasperated.
"Ed... For you all those who question your height are evil..."
"You bet they are!"
Winry stifles a chuckle and resumes eating.
"I talked to Lust at the break, but she didn't seem like an unpleasant girl, on the contrary... she also said I'm cute!"
Alphonse blushes slightly, and in fact with his short dark gold hair and sand-colored eyes, combined with an open and friendly face, it's hard not to consider him as such.
Edward mutters something, while Winry takes a sip of her orange soda and watches him, enigmatic.
Mei, an eleven-year-old girl from Xing who came to live in Amestris, is genuinely intrigued by the newcomers:
"I don't find them unpleasant. I talked to Pride and he even offered to help me with my homework..."
"Is he in class with you?" Edward mumbles as he lazily nibbles at his bread.
"No, he is two years younger."
"He is still in fourth grade and thinks he can help a sixth-grade student with her homework? Modest, no doubt about it!"
"Edward, come on!" Winry tries to calm him down, nudging him. He just snorts and looks away.
Meanwhile, Roy is eating thoughtfully, without getting involved in the conversations, with his gaze lost among his plate of meat and vegetables and who knows what a thousand ruminations.
He is a final year student and Wrath's arrival didn't leave him indifferent.
Riza, a friend of him since the first years of school, tries to attract his attention by putting a hand on his shoulder, and that light touch makes him pop his bubble.
"Huh? Yes, what is it?" he asks her, almost wearily.
"You seem absent... Are you also worried about the arrival of these foreigners?" the girl asks him, direct and sincere as always.
The raven-haired boy turns his gaze back to the xing plate.
"Yes... I don't deny it... There is something about them that doesn't convince me..."
"What do you mean?" Riza asks.
Roy takes his head in his hands, as if he wants to imprison his swirling thoughts with words.
"I don't know exactly… I'm in class with Wrath, and he seems… set up to me, like he's behaving according to someone else's pattern. Maybe it's just my impression, but his kindness sounds false."
Riza observes him for a few seconds before replying:
"In my opinion we're all jumping to conclusions, guys. I am in class with Gluttony and Sloth. The latter at the break gave me a daisy picked in the school yard, telling me that I am a ray of sunshine."
Everyone is stunned by Miss Hawkeye's tale, but as Winry sighs about the romance of the gesture, Edward and Roy exchange glances as fast as arrows, in an eloquent complicity.
There is little to do, however: the school year 1914/1915 promises to be full of surprises.