Alyce remembered the day she had decided to seriously begin studying alchemy. She had always loved doing transmutations since she was very little. She used to watch her mother scribble transmutation circles on the floor and counters and stay up all night reading book after book. When she was four she drew her first decent transmutation circle and when she was seven she learned how to use them. Those were great days. She was always testing the limits of her alchemy or playing with her big brother, Alex. He was 4 years older than her and never understood alchemy but he would always smile when she showed him something she had made, no matter how small. Then one by one the tragedies began. When she was ten her country was invaded and her mother was dragged of by the the invading army never to be seen again. Her brother and her barely escaped with their lives. She watched the town burn down that night.
Alyce and her brother were alone after that. They traveled from town to town doing odd jobs wherever they could find them. It was hard but she never lost hope. At least not until the day her brother died. She was 14 and it was her brother's 18th birthday. She had been shopping for something for him when she passed an encampment of some occupying soldiers. There were some catcalls, which she ignored. They decided that meant she thought she was too good for them and they grabbed her. "We'll show you your place you stuck up little bitch." they screamed tearing at her clothes. Then her brother showed up. And he challenged them. The fight was short. He pulled out a knife and they pulled out a gun. Shot him dead in an instant. She rushed to his side. The soldiers only laughed and advanced again. She took her brothers knife and frantically, without thinking, started slicing at her hands, carving a transmutation circle into her living flesh. "Crazy bitch," the soldiers taunted her. Then she rushed at them, taking them by surprise. Then, the second she laid her hands on the first soldier she knew what to do. His own body was transformed into a bomb. The whole encampment was soon in flames. She watched stunned for a while before she regained her senses. She took her brother away from the camp and cried herself to sleep by his side. In the morning she buried him and vowed to see him again.