When Edena Elric was born it was a happy accident. Her parents hadn't been thinking about kids at all yet. Her mother, Trisha, was a bit young, but was overjoyed to have her. Her father, Hohenheim, was scared. He hadn't been ready at all. He'd only just gotten around to telling Trisha his every secret, but it was too late to change things. He was a father, whether he liked it or not, as it turned out he did like it. As scared as he was, he was immediately wrapped around his daughter's little finger and took to fatherhood better than expected. He should have just listened to Trisha when he found out she was pregnant, she was always right anyway.
Edena enjoyed being an only child. For five years she was her parent's pride and joy. The perfect daughter. Daddy's little girl and Mommy's perfect angel. She was fierce and loyal to a fault and she loved her family so deeply that it would eventually be her downfall.
Edena learned quickly that she wasn't like the other girls. Or children in general. When she was four years old, she'd been playing in the park with some kids from around town when she started feeling a little odd. She wanted to keep playing, but it was a very strange feeling. Like she had a fever, but didn't feel sick. She approached her mother to tell her and she immediately scooped up her daughter to take her home to their little house that was a little bit isolated from the rest of the countryside. Their closest neighbors were the Rockbells and even they were a bit away.
Trisha called for Van as she rushed into the house with their daughter and the man was immediately at her side, having smelled what was going on before Trisha even had the chance to tell him. They went down to the basement just to be sure they were away from any prying eyes. It was then that Van and Trisha sat Edena down to explain some things to her.
It was a fantastical story; Her father was from a city in the desert long destroyed. The two of them were the last of their people with enough blood to call them Xerxian. But that wasn't all. Her father had apparently been a slave, raised by a master who didn't know his true nature. The 'Pure Bloods' they had called them. The true beings of Xerxes that resided over the land long before humans. They were beasts so great and fearsome that when the humans found out about them they had been worshiped like gods. There had only been three of them. A holy trinity. One was silver and had a touch of blue scales to match the sky. It would go up to the clouds to bring the water to the humans to help with their crops in the middle of the droughts. Another was white and had sandy scales and helped the humans with building their homes on the desert sand by hardening the ground and shifting it with magic that mesmerized the humans. And the last beast was gold and had hints of red scales. It brought the humans good luck and wealth and kept them warm in the night with the fires from its core that it used to warm the stone floors of the houses the humans lived in. Xerxes worshiped and loved them and became a large and prosperous city in the middle of a barren desert.
One day, the beasts were sad they could not actually speak to their humans that they hoarded and cared for in their city and figured out a way to actually be with them more closely. They went away for three days and nights before coming back as humans themselves. They helped rule the city with an elected king and lived peacefully with their humans. They taught them their magic and corrected the humans, telling them it was all a science. It was eventually called by a different name. Alchemy.
Like humans do, the beasts, now in human form, fell in love and had children with their chosen mates. And as it turned out, their first born children could shift into beasts just like they could and help out with the duties of the Xerxian gods.
But as with all stories, as they begin, they must end. A man and his friends were jealous of the beasts and the elected king and wanted the position as the head of Xerxes for themselves. They wanted the power. So they used alchemy against the beasts and tricked and trapped them in an unknown location out in the desert and killed the elected king in order to take the throne. The people weren't happy. Xerxes fell into a depression and the heirs and families of the beasts were found and executed to keep a rebellion from starting in the gods' names. The new king and his court found a way to use alchemy to do the jobs the beasts used to do and brought Xerxes out of it's depression.
Where Van Hohenheim came into this story was that he was a lost heir to the golden beast. He and his master, who had bought him as an infant, only found out when he reached the age of four and transformed into a beast himself. His master was inclined to hand him over to the king, but instead decided to keep it all a secret and used the boy as he saw fit.
Edena's parents ended the story there and told their daughter that since she was the first born child of a Pure Blood that she would too be able to transform like him. Ed was skeptical, telling her parents she was too old for baby stories like that and Trisha laughed.
Hohenheim just shook his head even though amusement was clearly written on his face and he took off his shirt to show his daughter a magnificent tattoo of a dragon that wrapped itself around his shoulders. He explained that she probably has a tattoo like it now as well. He transformed his arms and eyes to prove to his daughter that the story was indeed true and that she was truly the daughter of a dragon. To say she was excited was an understatement. But apparently, knowing this information came with rules and a lack of freedoms.
Her excitement, even after her first transformation, quickly turned into displeasure and even a small hatred for this other part of her. What was the point of being special if you weren't actually allowed to show anyone that you were special?
But only a year after finding out her heritage did she finally get someone she could share it with.
Her mother was apparently pregnant and Hohenheim was starting to change. She could see it on her father's face. His sadness. She wondered what he had to be sad about. He had her mother, Ed, and he would soon have another child to dote over. Why was he sad?
Alphonse was born in the spring after Edena turned five years old. And she absolutely adored her baby brother. She doted on him and tended to hold him even more than her mother did. Her parents were very amused and Hohenheim deduced that Edena had already started collecting her hoard. When she asked what that was, her father explained that beasts like them like to collect and keep things and held them very dear to their hearts and souls to protect for all of time. For him it was his collection of books and journals that could be found in his study. And it seemed like Edena's hoard collection was turning out to be people. She'd apparently done the same obsessed little thing she was doing with Alphonse the previous year when the Rockbell's daughter had been born. Edena adored little Winry as well and wanted to hold her as much as possible, but was a bit too small, so she had to make due with just staring longingly.
Ed learned quickly that it wasn't just Winry and Alphonse that was part of her hoard, but also her mother and father and the Rockbell's as well. She skipped around town and snapped at any and everyone who had a bad thing to say about any of her people. And they all found it very amusing. But it wouldn't be long after that Ed learned the pain that came with losing a piece of her hoard that made her hold on to the pieces she had even more.
When Al was just a year and a half, Edena bawled her eyes out as she watched her father walk out of their home. For some reason she just knew she wasn't ever going to see him again and it just hurt too much for her to bear. Her mother had a hell of a time calming her down and the only thing that helped her in the slightest was Al cuddled up close to her at all hours of the day. The Rockbells would visit and Winry would be added to the cuddle pile and Ed would feel a bit recharged to go on with her next day, but it still hurt. Trisha had to explain to her son, as early as he could understand, the reason his sister needed them so much and she smiled as he made it his duty to be her support.
When they lost the Rockbells to the war, it had been another blow and Ed could feel her heart harden. It saddened her mother to see her vibrant and loving daughter close herself off, but she knew it protected her from heartache later.
The passing of her mother absolutely wrecked Edena. She didn't even know how to handle herself. She sat at the base of the tree next to their home for night on end, just wasting away until either Al or Winry dragged her along for lunch and dinner and to get her to follow them around just to not be stuck in one place.
Granny was so concerned about Ed that Al eventually had to explain everything to the last two remaining Rockbells. They were both skeptical at first, but Ed was happy to shift to show them the truth. The less she had to hide the other side of her, the less it felt like a curse.
Alphonse snuck into his father's study to read his journals again like he'd been doing since he learned how to read. Ed didn't care much for alchemy, but she had learned it as well with her brother so that she could help him out where he didn't understand certain things. And it made their mother happy when she was still alive. Eventually, after a day of Al being cooped up in the study, he came out with a journal to talk with his sister about something he read.
Ed listened to Al talk about the array he had seen in their father's journal. Human Transmutation. He wanted to try and bring their mother back. He was tired of watching Ed sit on the hill and wallow in her grief. He was tired of not seeing her smile anymore. He was tired of seeing the fierce spirit she had die slowly because she had lost more of her hoard.
But Ed didn't care for alchemy like Alphonse did. The idea didn't appeal to her at all. But she couldn't let her little brother do this alone. So she poured over the notes with him and pointed out things here and there. It had been two years since they began that they finally learned all they could from the journals, Alphonse convinced her that they would still need to learn more. That they would need a teacher.
And they had a stroke of luck in that matter. Izumi Curtis. She was everything Edena wanted to be when she was younger. Fierce, strong, brave and quite the woman. Even after she left Ed and Al alone on an island for a month, all Ed wanted to do was be like her. When their training officially began, Ed followed Teacher around like a curious kitten and Al laughed at her every night after she had gotten her butt kicked for being too close to the woman. Al was happy about it though. Seeing his sister's fierce attitude come back with the hesitant introduction of a new person to her hoard.
He was also worried though. Ed hadn't shifted since the day they told Granny and Winry the truth and he could see it in the way she wasn't improving in their sparring lessons that it was throwing her off. Teacher demanded answers as she finished off the terrible match, or ass kicking, she just had with Edena and she had watched Alphonse's worried face the entire time. She threatened to expel them and send them right back to Resembool if they didn't spill their guts. Ed and Al gave each other a look before Al nodded to her and she sighed, taking Teacher's hand and bringing her into the house and to the living room. Al followed behind quickly and closed all of the windows so no one could see in. Sig, Teacher's husband and also a new member of Ed's hoard, followed them into the room, curious of what was going on.
Al explained the story to them the same way their mother had explained it to him. Ed stripped off her shirt and shorts and was left in only her training bra and panties. Sig and Teacher frowned at this and wanted to tell the young girl to put her clothes back on, not really believing the story Al was spinning, but they both gasped when she turned around and a tattoo of the dragon on her back started to move and slowly Ed transformed into a beast that took up a majority of their living room. Her gold and red scales made her look fearsome and beautiful and her golden eyes and slitted pupils struck fear in the couple's heart at the same time that they hypnotized them.
Ed laid her head at Al's feet and he ran his fingers through her golden mane. He explained how his sister had this form because she was the first born of their father who was one of the remaining heirs to the dragons that had helped with the creation and prosperity of Xerxes. They didn't know if there were any other dragons out there besides their father and Ed, but he also explained how Ed thought of it as a curse, no matter what their mother told them. He also explained how Ed had to have a hoard and the thing she coveted was people and how Sig and Teacher were a part of her hoard.
They were scared at first, cautious. When they saw Edena avert her eyes and curl her neck more around Alphonse to hide her face from them, that's when Sig and Teacher realized that she may be this beast, a dragon, but she was still a young girl who needed guidance. Teacher sighed and walked slowly to crouch in front of Edena's face and promised her that she thought of her no differently and that she was just extraordinary for bearing this burden with only her brother for help. Tears gathered in the dragon Ed's eyes and she nuzzled her face into her teacher's abdomen. The woman gasped in surprise, but eventually wrapped her arms around the large dragon head. She was surprised by the amount of heat that Ed gave off.
They sat more and talked about all the things Ed might need with being a dragon and that night while the kids slept, Izumi and Sig came up with a new training regimen for the eldest Elric that involved taking her to the island twice a week and training her much harder than she did her brother and letting the girl experiment with what she could do in and out of her dragon form. Al stayed with Sig those days and did strength training by helping in the butcher shop. All in all, Ed was improving a lot, physically and mentally and Alphonse improved as well now that he was less worried about his sister.
After two years they returned home to Resembool with farewells from the Curtis' and Edena's wardrobe modified to look more like the style Teacher wore because of how much she looked up to the woman. Izumi was a little sad to see them go, but she had gained more than she could ever ask for in their short time with the Elrics. They weren't just her protégés. They were her children. One of which actually called her mother, shyly, but only on the island while they trained. She promised them threats of violence if they didn't keep in contact.
Edena and Alphonse went to the markets first and were greeted by almost everyone. They were excited to see the two and even commented on how grown up they looked in just two years. Edena was a tall girl already for her age, but Alphonse was pushing just past her with an additional four inches. It annoyed the elder Elric to no end. He was the baby brother. He was supposed to be smaller than her.
They grabbed what they needed from the market and took it all home to put away before they ran off to see Winry and Granny Pinako. The Rockbell's ever alert and faithful dog, Den, was cautious of their approach. Most animals were when Ed was involved. But when they got closer and she could get a good look at them, Den jumped up and barked in happiness and excitement, making Ed and Al smile and run even faster to meet her half way for pats and kisses. Pinako and Winry peeked outside to see what all the fuss was about and Winry screamed in her own excitement at seeing the two siblings. She ran outside to tackle the two into a hug, but they caught her easily, saving themselves some pain and surprising the girl with how strong they were. She commented on it and even commented on how surprised she was at how tall and big they'd gotten, thinking Ed would be short forever for sure because the girl never drank her milk. Ed grumbled all the way to the house in her irritation.
The Elric siblings' return was celebrated with Granny's stew for dinner and Winry even tried her hand at dessert with apple pie. It tasted a bit off, but nobody complained about it. They spent the rest of the night telling stories about Dublith, Teacher, and training. They spent the night with the Rockbells and Winry and Edena stayed in the younger girl's room talking about girl stuff, dragon things, and Ed's new relationship with Izumi and how she felt guilty about thinking of the other woman as her new mother. It took Winry most of the rest of the night, but she convinced the elder girl that there was nothing wrong with her for thinking that way. She even admitted to thinking of Edena's own mother that way after her parents died. The two girls eventually fell asleep with Edena wrapped around the younger girl, tears tracks down both of their cheeks.
Edena and Alphonse spent many nights at their quiet home going back over their father's journals and reacquainting themselves with the information they had gone over before they left to study with Teacher. Edena wasn't very enthusiastic about any of it, and even told Al that once or twice, but he just kept telling her that she would be excited when they saw their mother again. She should have known though. She should have realized that her lack of enthusiasm was the dragon inside of her telling her that all of this seemed wrong. Her instincts kept screaming at her not to go through with this or at least don't let Alphonse do it himself.
It was months before they were ready. Ed had made a call to Teacher that morning. She had a bad feeling about everything and she wanted to talk to the woman. She listened as her mother figure told her about how their shop hand, Mason, was getting better at not screwing up orders and how Sig missed Alphonse helping out around the shop. Ed chuckled about it all and savored every moment. Al didn't get as close to the woman as Ed did, but Teacher insisted on talking to him as well. Al listened to the same stories and reassured Teacher that he was making sure his older sister took care of herself and that she took care of him in return. Yes they were eating well. Yes they got enough sleep. He gave the phone back to his sister with an exasperated look on his face. Ed just giggled at it all and ruffled his hair as he went down to the basement to keep setting things up. Ed's smile slowly faded and her heart ached. No matter what Winry and she talked about, she still felt guilty for replacing her mother with Izumi in her heart. She felt guilty that she didn't want to go through with this. Which was exactly why she was about to go through with it. Guilt… And she knew Alphonse missed their mother a lot more than she did. It had hurt at first, yes, but now…
She said her goodbyes to Teacher and couldn't stop herself from whispering a quick "I'm sorry" into the phone before hanging up. Little did she know, Teacher had heard her say it and it sent chills down the woman's spine.
Edena fixed lunch for the two of them and frowned when it started to rain outside. She could feel the buzz of electricity in the air from the storm. Perfect conditions for her to perform alchemy, actually. Her alchemy had always been stronger than Al's, especially during bad weather. Her very being was powered by nature and her alchemy seemed to be powered not only by the tectonic plates, but also by her own energy in herself. It should be enough.
She took Alphonse his lunch and made him eat while she checked over the array, notes and ingredients. She was hesitant, but she finally decided to speak to her brother about what they were about to do.
"I'm going to power the array by myself." She didn't look up from what she was doing. She knew she was going to get lip, but she didn't want to see his face as well.
"What are you talking about, sister? We're doing this together. We're going to bring mom back together." Alphonse sounded a bit angry at the thought of being left out of this.
Ed sighed and finally stopped her triple checking to look back at her little brother. "It's storming outside. I've already started pulling the energy into myself. The array will be stronger if I can focus all that energy into it solely and not have to worry about if you're putting in too much energy yourself. Plus, if it starts to backfire then it's only backfiring on one of us, not both. You're better at medical stuff anyway. You'll be able to help me and mom once it's all over." She moved over to him and smoothed out the little wrinkle between his eyes from the angry look he was giving her. "Alphonse… I've been having this feeling for a while that this is a bad idea—"
"It's going to work!" Al yelled at her and Ed placed a finger on his lips to shush him.
"I know. I've checked it, checked it again, and triple checked it. You have as well. We've put in the time and the research and the conditions are perfect. I can't stop myself from being worried though." She touched her forehead to his. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that worry actually turned out to be because this did go wrong and something happened to you. You're the only family I have left. I can not and will not lose you." She cupped his cheeks in gentle hands and rubbed away frustrated and sad tears that started to escape from the corners of his eyes. "I need you far more than you need me. Let me do this for you. Please." Her golden eyes looking into his bright hazel ones pleadingly.
Al was quiet for a long time, but he finally wrapped his arms around his big sister's shoulders and buried his face in her neck. "You're wrong. I need you a lot more than you think." Ed gave a wet chuckle and held him tight. "Fine. I'll let you do it alone, but I'm staying in the room."
Ed smiled and pulled away from him to bop his forehead with her knuckles. "Of course."
Al finished his lunch quickly and did his own checks one last time before they both jumped at a pretty loud boom of thunder and decided they should get this show on the road.
Ed started pulling more and more energy from the earth and the air, gathering it before finally putting her hands to the array and focusing. Al watched her work and was very impressed with the amount of energy she put out. It always awed him and Teacher the way she was able to do so much more than the average person. He watched as the ingredients in the middle of the array started to shift as Ed started through the stages of performing alchemy. Comprehension. The ingredients slowly started to break down. Deconstruction. And he watched in amazement and elation in his heart as a body started to form. Reconstruction. She was doing it! His sister was bringing back their mother!
But as quickly as his happiness came, fear replaced it and froze him in place. It had been going so perfectly, but so suddenly, everything started to go wrong. The energy from the array activating faded from blue to red and things went from perfect to terrible.
Ed was sure it was something she'd done wrong. But the Truth had shown her it was never a problem with them and their methods… It was the act itself that was the problem.
The last thing she remembered from being conscious that night was Alphonse screaming her name. She could smell the blood. She would still smell it for months after. But she never felt the pain. Shock, Granny had called it.
Indeed it had been shocking.