"This place is huge! There is no WAY we're ever going to find anything here!"
"SHHHHHHH" Said one of the various librarians.
Lexi blushed and hung her head.
"Okay, let's find what we can on anything relating to alchemy. We'll put our books on this table."
Ed and Samantha went off to look in one section, while Al and Lexi went to another.
"So, how long have you been working on this?" Asked Samantha, as Ed pulled books off the shelves at random. He shrugged,
"About three months now. Nothing even close to what we need."
"How did you get here?" Asked Ed, passing her books to carry.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Again he shrugged, "To each his own."
"So, you and your brother are looking for the Philoskiper's Stone?" Asked Lexi, passing Al books.
"Philosopher's. And yes, we want to be able to return to our normal bodies." Al pulled off his helmet and showed her his blood mark. "Empty. This is the only thing that keeps my soul here in the armor."
"Wow." Breathed Lexi. "And the stone will give you back your bodies?"
"Yes."
"We got more books then you!" Taunted Samantha, dropping books onto the table in the back of the library.
"What is alchemy?" Asked Lexi, pulling a book from the pile. All of their jaws dropped as they turned towards her.
"Its two steps. Decomposition, and reconstruction. Easy really. A circle is used to 'transmute' or change the object. The main law is that of Equivalent Exchange. We cannot gain without losing something. To obtain something of equal value must be lost." Al finished, leafing through one of the books.
"The stone amplifies an alchemist's power infinitely. They can ignore that law, give and take life. We need it to return to our bodies."
"But what did you do? To lose your bodies I mean..." Asked Lexi, her eyes focused on the boy's goldeneyes.
"We tried to resurrect our mother with alchemy. My brother lost his body, while I lost my arm and leg. My limbs are metal now, and Al's soul is bound to the armor. That's why we want the stone. So we can be normal again."