Chapter 1
The afternoon sun shone brightly onto the cathedral as the Elric brothers approached. Ed stopped in his ascent of the front steps as the bells in the tower began to sound, sending their coursing tone through his body. He listened as the bells struck three times, a contemplating look on his face. After a moment, he finished his ascent and threw open the large double doors of the church.
Though the congregation was absent, a lone monk stood amongst the cold stone, mop in hand and a bucket at his feet. Seeing the light of the outdoors on his freshly cleaned floor, the man raised his head to greet his guests. "Ah… Good afternoon to you my young sojourners. Have you come to pray to Jehovah God to be cleansed of your sins? Or maybe you have come to worship and praise Him, hmm?"
"Sorry, but no," Ed said as he buried his hands into his coat pockets casually and began to look about the cathedral, "I'm an agnostic. Big place you have here."
"So you do not believe in God?" the old man asked with a slight chuckle. "It seems so hard for me not too. One look at the birds of the air, or the expanse of sky and I find myself knowing there is a God… So, if you have not come to worship or pray, may I help you with something else my friends?"
Ed and Al looked at each other, then to the old man. His sun-tanned skin creased as he smiled at them warmly, the very image of a working grandfather, or a kindly old farmer.
Al was the one to break the silence. "We're looking for someone. We need some information and we're sure that he knows something."
"Oh, really? Well, I'm well acquainted with nearly every soul who attends this congregation, maybe I can be of service. Who might it be that you are looking for?"
"We're looking for a man named Silas." Al said. "Silas Baroque. We heard he attends this church."
The old man chuckled softly at first, but soon grew to outright laughter. "Attend? My dear friends, I should hope so. Silas Baroque is the minister to this church."
"He's the priest, huh?" Ed asked, lowering an arm to his hip and resting his knuckles there.
"And an wonderful alchemist." Began the old man, "He has such beautiful skills and talents, and his craft is as near flawless as I've seen. A finer alchemist has never walked these aisles."
With a conceited grin, Ed pointed a thumb to himself, "That was before I showed up. Wait! So he's a priest, AND an alchemist? I thought gods hated alchemy. Doesn't yours forbid 'the devil's art'? Isn't alchemy labeled 'witchcraft' or something against your religious laws?"
"Not at all," came a voice from behind the Elrics. They turned to watch as a young man in a black priest's robe and prayer shawl draped around his shoulders entered the cathedral from the large doorway they themselves had just entered from. His white hair contrasted with his black attire, giving him a noble appearance, and his fair skin seemed to add to the holy presence one expects to follow a priest. "Our Father says to avoid witchcraft and being ignorant. These are tied together in the subject of alchemy. As I'm sure you know, alchemy is a science, and only the ignorant condemn it as 'witchcraft'.
"God above has given us the sciences to benefit our lives as well as help us better understand His Creation, and surely, such a wonderful and useful science as alchemy shouldn't be condemned. After all, it is through alchemy that I built this church for my God three years ago, and it is through alchemy that the power of God is made known. Welcome to my church. I am the one you seek. Silas Baroques, at your services, Master Edward Elric… the Fullmetal Alchemist."
"I see you're still up-to-date with your military personnel, Silas Baroque, the Requiem Alchemist." Ed said, extending his right hand.
Silas smiled softly as a moment of silence ensued. "I have not been called that in nearly four years."
"I know." Ed said, pulling a book from his pocket. "Silas Baroque;" Ed read, "you joined the military eight years ago as a State Alchemist specializing in the laws of the conservation of matter on the levels of audible decibel energy… in other words, you transmute sound energy into matter and then vise versa. You served valiantly in the Ishbaal incident, but were discharged from the military four and a half years ago because of your refusal to cooperate with orders that you dubbed 'immoral and ungodly'. However, thanks to your connections with some of the higher-ups, you were reinstated as a military chaplain… officially. However, behind the paperwork, you were still a soldier and conducted alchemic investigations and research for the state.
"But, four and a half years ago, you were once again discharged, honorably this time, due to what you claimed was your failing mental health… but there are no records of any psychiatric therapy… no medications prescribed… and no documented symptoms. You really didn't have a mental break down… did you Silas?"
The fair skinned man once again smiled at the alchemic prodigy. "No. I didn't."
"Tell me, then. Was it the Philosopher's Stone?" Ed's eyes became steely and his tone ominous.
There was a long silence as Silas' ice-blue eyes met Ed's golden ones. "Brother Franklin, you may go home… I'll finish the cleanings."
"But Father Silas… I…"
"Please, Brother Franklin. I must converse alone with these two fine alchemists… alone." Silas said, his stare in Ed's eyes never breaking.
"A-all right… Father Silas. I…uh… may God bless to two of you, sirs. I take my leave." Franklin leaned the mop he had been using up to now against the stone wall and exited the church, closing the doors behind him. There was a pause and then Silas walked over and locked the large wooden doors.
"It was, wasn't it… the Philosopher's Stone." Ed said, his eyes seeming to try and burrow into Silas' heart.
"Yes; partially. But there are other components as well. Tell me, how long have you been searching for the Philosopher's Stone?" Silas asked as he returned to the Elrics, motioning for them to sit in one of the pews.
Al sat down and scooted over as Ed sat on the outside of the long bench. "Nearly three and a half years." Al said. "Ever since we…" Al cut off, no knowing whether to tell this pastor.
"… ever since our accident." Ed picked up, a depressed look gracing his usually optimistic countenance. "It was idiocy on my part. We loved our mother… very much. She was the world to us. She was always there."
"She was kind and loving. She was all we truly had." Al said, bowing his own head, as if he wished to cry. "But one day, she got sick… really sick. She died."
Ed took over again. "So we placed ourselves under a teacher to increase our knowledge and skills in alchemy. We were determined to bring our mother back. The day came and all the preparations were made." Ed began to strip away his coat. "But the expereiment went horribly wrong." He revealed his metallic Auto-mail arm, its surface glistening in the little light that fill the cathedral.
"It took my brother's left leg… and my whole body. I think I died. It was black and quiet for a while, as though I was in a deep sleep. When I came too… Ed's right arm was missing… blood was all over the place. He sacrificed his right arm to rescue my soul from oblivion."
"I transmuted Al's soul into this armor. He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, he doesn't feel… He doesn't…" Ed became very quiet.
Another moment of silence passed as Ed's eyes filled with tears. "And so you want the Philosopher's Stone to fix everything that went wrong, right?" Silas asked.
"Yes. We've given up on our mother… but we still want our bodies back." Al said.
"I see." Silas said. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but your story is one of the most definite proofs of God I've ever heard."
"Yeah right." Ed said, rolling his eyes. "Where was God amongst all that?"
"Isn't it obvious? Right in the middle of it. If we are simple accidents of evolution or any other such theory, then why do we have such deep spiritual connections that would firstly, cause us to break the laws of alchemy to resurrect a loved, and then sacrifice of yourself to save your brother? Plus, to believe in a soul, when you get down to it, you must believe in God. Humans alone have souls… and therefore are separate from everything else. Trees, animals, stones… we were made by God, and given the gift of a soul, which you have so masterfully snatched from some horrendous fate to give your brother here a second chance."
"You can preach all you like. I'm still not buying." Ed said, looking in the other direction, an annoyed look crossing his face.
"Very well, I won't lecture you; onto business. The Philosopher's Stone… Follow me." Silas rose and stepped towards a wall in the cathedral. He lifted a hand to his throat and hummed a single, sustained noted. As the note died away, the wall began to shift to the left, revealing a secret passage way."
"An alchemic doorway. You have to re-transmute it every time you need it. I take it that was the power of musical transmutation?" Ed said, studying the wall.
"Correct." Confirmed Silas. "Most stones react with this particular note, and therefore making that specific note the logical choice for most stone-based transmutation."
"I noticed you don't use a transmutation circle. Are you like brother?" Al asked as he began to step towards the newly formed doorway.
Silas smiled. "I'm sorry, no. I'm nowhere near as skilled as the infamous Fullmetal Alchemist as to go without a circle. No…" Silas pulled at the collar on his robe, revealing a leather collar, studded with a golden transmutation circle, garnished in musical symbols. "That's why I raise my hand to my throat; to activate the circle. I can then supply the circle directly with the raw materials I need for the transmutation directly from my voice box."
"Very clever." Ed said. "Can we go now?"
"Indeed." Silas said as he grabbed a torch on the wall and raised it to his throat. After another hummed note, the torch lit. "Follow me to my secret laboratory."
