Author's Note:

Almost two years later and I finally come in with chapter two! Sorry for the delay, I just now got the will to actually write. I hopefully will continue working on this more frequently! I hope y'all enjoy and review, of course! I'll start working on chapter 3 soon!
Thanks and love to you all!


The Empath Alchemist

Chapter 2 – All is One, One is All


Their search for a teacher wasn't going to be an easy one. Phoebe knew that from the start. First of all, they didn't have much means to search. They were a bunch of kids who lived in their own little neck of the woods. As far as she knew, there were no alchemy teachers in Resembool. That meant that they would have to extend their search to outside of their town.

Not that Pinako was letting that happen any time soon. Now their legal guardian, she kept a close eye on them now that they lived under her roof. It was almost too much for the three siblings. Especially considering how lax Trisha was when she raised them. After about a week of letting them slack out of pity, Pinako put them to work. Except for Al, since he was a bit young. But Phoebe usually ended up helping out in the kitchen, helping to keep things clean, while Ed did the more manual work such as helping to move things in the shop and yard work. All the while how he grumbled about 'child labor laws'.

And of course, there came a time when Pinako tried to get him to drink his milk. It was a scene of true hilarity which ended in everything at the table getting covered in milk. Including those who were sitting at it. Ed, as always, was determined to never drink the dreaded white liquid. So, the next time that dinner came around and milk was the drink served, Phoebe kindly intervened and drank his milk instead, all while getting him a glass of water. It was a compromise that she felt had to be made, even if Pinako had a few choice words to say.

Overall, even without their mom around, things weren't going terribly. Phoebe was actually recovering well enough. Ed and Al were having a harder time of it, though, she knew. Edward grew more hot headed and Alphonse was more withdrawn and kept to himself. And in the back of all of their minds, there was still the plan to find a teacher to learn alchemy more properly. The driving force in their life was the hope that they'd be able to bring back their mom one day.

Phoebe thought the opportunity to get a real alchemy teacher would never come. But then it started to rain. It rained, and rained, and rained. It rained for weeks. So much so that the townspeople were becoming increasingly worried about the river flooding. Pinako was preparing them for evacuation. At least that was until a mysterious couple from out of town arrived. From what Phoebe heard, the woman was a powerful alchemist and had made a large dam out of earth to redirect the river water. And she was currently resting at a local bed and breakfast.

Having overheard the information, Phoebe sprinted to go and find her two brothers, excited to tell them the news. When she found them, the two boys were each nose deep in a book, obviously focused. At the sound of their sister panting, however, they looked up. "What's up, Peebs?" Ed asked, eyes narrowed a bit as he set his book down. "I think I found us an alchemy teacher!" The words basically spilled from Phoebe's mouth, she was so excited.

Edward's eyes widened and he immediately set the book down, shooting to his feet. "Really? Who?" He asked, sounding almost as excited as she did. And he and Al, who was now on his feet as well, listened to Phoebe's retelling of the strange alchemist's story. By the end of it, her two brothers were hyped up. "Well let's go and meet her!" Al chimed, smile wide on his face as he rushed toward the front door.

That was the first time in a while that Phoebe had seen Al so excited. It gave her hope. So she and Ed followed along, Phoebe eagerly pointing them in the direction of the inn that the couple was staying in. When they got there, Phoebe immediately pushed forward to the woman that ran the inn; a friend of Trisha's. "We need to speak with the alchemist staying here," She said. "Please, it's important." She added before the woman could deny her without hearing her out.

"Well.. I suppose I can ask if she'd be willing to see you-"

"No need," Came a kind sounding voice from nearby. Phoebe looked toward the voice and saw a tall, muscular, dark-haired woman. "I'm right here." That was when Phoebe's eyes widened. She immediately knew that this was the alchemist she'd heard about. She had an alchemic symbol tattooed on her chest. She should've guessed. Phoebe straightened up, Ed and Al quickly following suit. "Ma'am, I- we heard about what you did and we just-" The sister started before Ed interjected, pushing up beside her. "We want you to teach us!"

The alchemist seemed taken aback and looked to her companion, a taller, larger man, who simply blinked. Getting no help from her partner, she sighed. "Look kids, I don't teach alchemy. I'm just a simple housewife." She tried, looking almost helpless in response to the faces that the three were giving her. "Not a teacher."

"A housewife who saved the town with her alchemy," Little Alphonse spoke up, admiration in his eyes. This gave Phoebe a boost of courage that made her step forward, looking up into the alchemist's eyes with determination. "Please, ma'am. Teach us. Even if its not for long! We really wanna learn all we can about alchemy. And there's only so much we can do on our own." She plead her case as well as she could.

Yet again, the alchemist looked helpless. She seemed to really have a soft spot for children. At last, she acquiesced. "Fine. As long as its okay with your parents, we can have a trial run."

The three children fell quiet at this, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. "We don't have any parents," Came Al's quiet little voice. Immediately, the alchemist stiffened and emotion flashed in her eyes. Her eyes shifted toward her companion, who grunted gently and wrapped his arm around her. "C'mon, Izumi. Go ahead and say yes," He told her, a knowing look in his eyes.

Izumi gave a sigh before she looked back toward the three children. "Alright then, but I'm gonna have to speak with whatever adult you're staying with. Because I know three kids ain't living on their own in a small town like this." She spoke up, hoping that they indeed had a home and weren't homeless. Her heart wouldn't be able to take it.

Grinning, the three siblings grabbed her by the hand and began tugging her away, despite her injuries. And her partner padded behind, having a good chuckle. After lots of hobbling, they ended up at Pinako's house and began explaining the situation. Pinako, bless her, seemed hesitant at first, but after a lot of convincing on Phoebe and Al's part, she agreed to let them go.

That night, after Izumi and her husband Sig, as she introduced him, went back to the inn to stay one more night while Ed, Al, and Phoebe all packed their things for their trip. Phoebe, currently in the room she shared with Winry, was getting bombarded with questions from her best friend.

"How long are you gonna be gone?"

"Are you gonna be able to write?"

"What exactly are you going to be doing?"

"Are you sure you have to go?"

Phoebe answered each and every question as best as she could as she stuffed the bag she owned full of things she thought she'd need. Book on basic alchemy included. "Yeah, Win, we really do have to go," she told her as she shut her bag, now satisfied with what she had packed. "..but I'll miss you," was her friend's soft response. Sitting up, Phoebe shifted over to hug her friend tightly. "We won't be gone long," She consoled her. "We'll all be back before you know it. Then we'll continue our game of dolls. Hanna still needs to find a dress for the party."

"You promise?"

"Promise."


Bright and early the next day, the three siblings met Izumi and Sig at the front of the bed and breakfast. By the time they got there, the couple looked ready to go, their bags on their backs. "At last! Thought we were gonna have to leave you behind!" The woman spoke as she spotted them.

"We're not late, though," Ed complained. "You said sunrise." Her eyes narrowed at the sass she was receiving. She'd have her hands full with Ed, that was for sure. Phoebe didn't envy her. "If you're early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late," She told him coolly, heading over to roughly ruffle his hair. He gave a surprised cry, wiggling away from the touch, which ruffled his hair up significantly.

Phoebe giggled. "Don't worry, we'll be just a bit early from now on," She promised with a grin. She couldn't help but be excited. This was the start of their alchemy training. One step closer to bringing their mom back. To bringing hope back into their lives. "There's a good girl," Izumi replied with a grin, eyes twinkling before she gave Phoebe a pat on the head.

Then she gathered the one bag that Sig was allowing her to carry. "It's a bit of a hike until we reach the nearest train station. Let's get moving, kids." And with that said, they started the trek there. The entire way, Phoebe kept conversation with Izumi while Edward pouted alone and Al shyly followed along.

Before any of them knew it, they were on a train to Dublith, the town where Izumi and Sig lived. When Phoebe asked about it, the couple seemed to smile more, talking about it fondly. Apparently, they owned a butcher shop that they operated when they weren't traveling. "We'd actually planned on traveling a bit more, but then we ran into you kids," Izumi told her.

"We didn't mean to interrupt your traveling," Phoebe immediately replied, flushing. Now she felt a bit bad. The couple had probably been having a good vacation together. Alone. Chuckling, Izumi ruffled her hair. "Don't worry about it, kid. It's about time we got home anyway. We've missed it." To this, Sig grunted in reply. "Can't wait to sleep in our own bed." He said, wrapping an arm around his wife lovingly. Watching them, Phoebe couldn't help but feel nostalgic. It reminded her so much of what she remembered of watching their own mother and father interacting. So full of love.

"Do you guys have any kids?" Al asked from across the way. This made the two pause. Phoebe only saw a flash of pain in Izumi's eyes before she looked away. Sig seemed to hold her tighter. "No," was the simple and plain answer. "Well wh-" Ed started to ask before Phoebe kicked him in the shin. "Ow! That hurt!" He complained, shooting his sister a dirty look. Of course, she shot him one in return. While Ed couldn't, she could tell that the couple clearly didn't want to talk about it. It was obviously a sensitive topic.

The rest of the train ride was silent, only filled with the sounds of other passengers talking and carrying on. Phoebe spent most of the ride staring out of the window, watching the scenery. She and her brothers had never left Resembool before. Things already seemed so different. After the vast, open plains, came more towns. Much bigger and closer together.

Hours passed of this, and soon, Izumi was nudging them out of their seats and off of the train. When they got off, they were greeted by the sight of people. Lots of people; some who clearly lived there, and some who were visiting to sell and trade things. This was the type of place that Phoebe had only read about in books. Feeling overwhelmed, she grabbed each of her brothers' hands. "Stay close, kids," Izumi warned them as she and Sig led the way, weaving through the crowds. The three barely kept up, continuing to hold onto each other as they did.

Even if they lost the couple, they'd still have each other as long as they held on.

Luckily, they managed to stick with them and soon, they were at the butcher shop that they'd heard about. "Home sweet home," Phoebe heard Sig mumble as he unlocked the door. And once that doo was open, they all piled inside. "Shop's up front, house is in the back. Lemme show you guys to your room," Izumi spoke up, kindly leading them away.

The back of the house was much cuter than the front. It looked like a little family house. It reminded Phoebe of their mom's house. It even smelt nice. Guiding them to a door, Izumi opened a door to reveal a bedroom with two small beds. "Sorry there's only two beds," Izumi said, gesturing vaguely to them. "We weren't expecting to be picking up three stragglers."

Phoebe turned to look up at her before she just hugged her. Since she wasn't very tall, it was more of hugging her leg. "It's great. Thanks, Teacher." She spoke gratefully before she let go, looking up to a soft look from the alchemist. "Yeah. Sure. Make yourselves at home. I'm going to rustle up some grub. I'll call for you when it's ready."

Then she was gone, leaving the three to their own devices.

"I can't believe we're here," Ed admitted once she was gone. "You know, doing this."

"I know what you mean," said Phoebe as she sat down on one of the beds. "It all doesn't feel real. It feels like a dream. Like we're gonna wake up in our beds to mom cooking breakfast.." That was when the air grew thick. It was hard to not think of their mother. They were doing all of this for her.

"It's all one step closer to getting her back." Al spoke up softly. "Then everything'll be okay, right?"

Phoebe smiled softly. "Right, Al." She reassured him, though she felt like she was trying to convince herself. Something about all of this still felt wrong. It was a gut feeling. They'd gotten this far, though. They had to see it through.

Thoughts heavy in her head, she stood. "I'm gonna go see if I can help Teacher with the food. Stay outta trouble." Before either boy could protest. Phoebe exited the room and went to find the kitchen. Fortunately, it didn't take her long and she entered the cute little kitchen quietly. Izumi was there, already cutting up some vegetables and potatoes. "Hey, Teacher. Anything I can do to help?" She asked hopefully. Cooking and helping around the house always helped her keep her mind off things. Phoebe enjoyed keeping busy.

Blinking, Izumi seemed surprised that she was so willing to help. "How about you pull up a stool and help me peel these potatoes?" She suggested, gesturing toward a little wooden stool. Phoebe did as she was told, sitting down. From there, Izumi handed her a small knife and watched as she set to peeling potatoes. With a surprising amount of skill. "You're pretty good at that, kid." She told her.

"I always help out with dinner. Granny always puts me on potato duty," Phoebe told her. "..Mom would do the same." The memories were fond, but also heavy.

There was a bit of shared silence between them, just the sounds of knives on potatoes. Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. Then Izumi spoke up. "Your mother was lucky to have such a helpful daughter."

"Thanks, ma'am."

More silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Just quiet. The two kept peeling potatoes, seeming comfortable with the silence. At least, until the potatoes were all barren and peel-free. "Go ahead and toss those peelings in that bucket right there. I'll have Sig take them out later. We have a neighbor that we always give our peels to, since they have pigs."

Phoebe nodded and did as she was told, then looked to the teacher for her next round of directions. Together, they made a nice, simple, beef stew. "This is one of my favorite things to cook," Izumi admitted as they sat down again. All they had to do was wait on the stew to cook. It would be about an hour of simmering. They had plenty of time.

"Mom used to make the best stew," Phoebe told her, a small, fond smile on her face. "She'd add ramps from her garden. Everyone always said that no one could grow them like she could." She could remember people from all over town begging to buy a few. Trisha would give them away for free. She always wanted to help out. Phoebe remembered wanting to be that kind. She'd tried ever since.

Noticing the clear adoration in the girl's eyes, Izumi smiled patiently. "I'm sure." She responded gently. She couldn't help it. She had always had such a soft spot for children. Especially little girls. She'd wanted a baby girl so badly. "Well, this may not be as good as your mother's, but it'll fill your belly. You'll need it for your training. All of you will." The alchemist told the child, who nodded, determination clear in her features.

"What will we be starting with?" Phoebe asked immediately. They knew the basics, but there was so much more to learn. Especially from an alchemic master like Izumi.

"First, I'll test you. Just to make sure that I'm making the right decision taking you all under my wing."

A test. Right. Phoebe gave another nod before she leaned back. "What kind of test?" She asked after a moment of shared silence. A hum passed over Izumi's lips, a thoughtful look in her eyes. Normally, she would be excessively tough on a potential student. But there was something about Phoebe that made her want the girl to succeed. "I'll give you a hint," She decided aloud. And as Phoebe leaned back forward, eager to hear the hint, Izumi spoke.

"All is one, one is all."

The phrase was unfamiliar to Phoebe, who blinked once, twice, three times. What? "That's a hint?" Came her first question, confusion heavy in her tone. "Yep. And that's all you're getting, Squirt." Izumi teased as she stood up, reaching over to ruffle Phoebe's hair. "Now, I'm gonna go check on Sig. You stay here and watch the grub." And with that, the woman headed off, leaving Phoebe to ponder and ponder.

All is one, one is all.

That phrase kept Phoebe up all night. It seemed so vague yet so obvious. It felt like it was on the tip of her tongue. There, but very out of her reach. Who or what was the one? What was the all? How could she figure this out?..

She tried to recall every book in their father's library. But digging deep didn't even help. She supposed that the answer would come in time.

Phoebe was just nodding off when the sound of a cowbell jolted her awake. "Breakfast!" Came the sound of Izumi's voice. The thirteen year old rubbed her eyes, trying to fully wake up. Meanwhile, her two brothers had stirred as well. They had shared the second bed in the night, leaving the extra for her.

Despite her lack of sleep, she was still the first on her feet, stretching openly. "C'mon, you two. You wouldn't wanna be late for our first day!" She urged them. Al got up easier than Ed, who groaned. "This sucks. I wanna sleep all day." He complained. A pillow flew from Phoebe's hands to Ed's face. "C'mon, Ed. Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg," She teased him before she ran off, leading the way. Edward growled and shouted at his sister, sprinting off after her, yelling about how unfair she was. Al just laughed under his breath and followed them.

During all of this, Izumi was setting the table. It was bright and early and their normal daily routines were just starting. Sig was ready to go and start butchering and running the shop after breakfast. Izumi, who normally filled her time by helping out and tidying up the home, would have a change in routine. Her day would be full of the rambunctious youngsters. Hearing the commotion, she gave a sigh before she saw the children running into the dining room. "Knock it off!" She yelled. "It's too early for this crap!" The adult complained, only relaxing when she felt strong arms wrap around her from behind.

Sig. "You always wanted this, you know," The man told her, sounding amused. A sigh fell from Izumi's lips. "I wanted one, Sig. Not three." She pointed out, huffing softly as she felt lips press against her neck. "Still. Kids are like this." The large man countered, to which she agreed. "Still. They need to be taught that this isn't a barn." She grumbled. With a kiss to her head, Sig let her go, gesturing for the kids to sit at the table before he himself took his place at the head. The three kids sat at the end, sitting at the plates with clearly smaller portions.

"Dig in," Izumi told them, taking her place at the table as well. And so they did. Luckily, there was no more commotion at the breakfast table. Afterwards, Izumi got the three children to help clean up while Sig went to start the day's work. Now that they were back in town, there would be a high demand for meat. So the shop would be busy. Izumi wouldn't see him for the rest of the day. Her plans for the children most certainly made sure of it.

After the cleaning was done, Izumi told the three children to prepare for yet another journey. She gave them an hour to prepare and then left them. "Wonder where we're going.." Al wondered aloud. "Hopefully somewhere really cool to help us with our training!" Ed chimed excitedly, throwing a few punches in the air. Looking more like a weak child than a strong alchemist. Phoebe giggled at the sight. But then she threw a serious look their way. "It's gotta be something to do with the hint she gave me yesterday," She told them. "What hint?" Came Al's inevitable question.

Phoebe repeated the phrase she was told yesterday, and the boys gave her a couple of blank stares. She sighed. Of course they wouldn't know the answer either.. But they had three brains. Hopefully they could figure it out.

An hour passed much faster than expected and before the three siblings knew it, they were off.

Izumi got them passage onto a local boat, sailing the boat herself to a nearby island. She didn't answer the questions that the children had, simply asked them to hush. In much less nice words to Ed when the child pressed her further.

Once they were at the island, Phoebe quickly noticed that the island looked deserted. Like there was no one there. Izumi confirmed it moments later. "Pass this test, kids, and your training will really begin." She told them before she tossed Phoebe a sheathed knife. The girl caught it, looking confused for a moment. "Decode my creed. All is one, one is all. I will come to pick you up in three days time and I want an answer by then."

"What? You're gonna leave us out here alone?" Edward asked, sounding shocked. Almost scared. "Yep. Good luck kids." And with that said, Izumi headed back to the boat and untied it from the dock, pushing it away. "Wait! You can't do this!" Ed shouted at the woman, who grinned. "See you in three days, students." And the three children just watched as the boat sailed away, leaving them to their own devices.

Phoebe just sighed. "We may as well try and find some shelter for the ni-" She began, only to be interrupted by the boy. "How CAN YOU BE SO CALM ABOUT THIS?" He yelled at her. She shrugged. "This is the test we have to pass to become great alchemists and to bring mom back. We should stay focused and try not to throw too many tantrums." She pointed out cooly, her older sister instincts clearly shining through. Al nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Let's make some shelter and then try and figure out the creed."

And even though the middle child grumbled a bit, he followed his brother and sister away from the shore of the island. Using what little she knew about survival, Phoebe informed the two that a higher point on the island would be a good place to shelter. That way they wouldn't have to worry about flooding. They got lucky and found a small cave there. Once they found shelter, Phoebe instructed Edward to go find firewood while she and Alphonse went to try and find food.

"This looks yummy," Alphonse said as they walked, pointing to a beautiful red and white spotted fungi. Phoebe grabbed his arm and shook her head. "We shouldn't eat any plants unless we know that they're not poisoned. We're better off trying to hunt something.." She told him. Al looked toward the mushroom almost longingly before he sighed and nodded. "Okay. I hope we find something soon. I'm hungry."

After some reassuring on Phoebe's part, the two continued the hunt. Before they knew it, they found a large land bird roaming around. It seemed to be the only one round for miles... how lucky. With Al's help and lucky aim, they had the bird. Though Al was upset seeing it dead. Phoebe simply said a soft "thank you" to the universe for giving them the bird and picked up it's lifeless body. Then she saw tears flowing down her younger brother's face.

An aching feeling bloomed in her chest, like it always did when someone was sad near her. "Its okay, Al. We're just trying to survive." She soothed him, nodding her head a bit in a vague gesture for her brother to follow her. And albeit reluctantly, he did.

That night, after the three finally figured out how to make a fire, ate well. The bird gave them a nice meal and they slept with full tummies. Things seemed like they would be fine. But all wasn't as it seemed on the island...

As they stay awake trying to unravel the mystery of the creed they were given, there was something lurking on the island. Phoebe heard something first. A crack outside of the cave. She stared out of the entrance, eyes wide. "Did you hear that?" She whispered to her brothers.

Al seemed to pause while Ed scoffed. "Nice try, Peebs. You won't scare me." He said, puffing out his chest from where he sat.

Another noise. A growl. Ed jumped and squeaked a bit, reaching out to grip Phoebe's arm. "There's definitely something out there." Al whispered as he moved closer to his siblings, leaving them in a small, secure heap.

"Well go look!" Came Ed's whisper and the sound of him trying to push Al away. "Hey, no, you go look!" Alphonse protested. A shoving match ensued with Phoebe in the middle. The older sister fussed at them. "I'll go look!" She snapped before she wiggled out of their little fight and cautiously headed to the entrance to the cave. And immediately, when she peered out, she was met by the sight of a huge, black bear. She screamed.

And at the same time, the bear screamed. And they both ran. Phoebe ran round and round, seemingly being chased by the bear. Her two brothers ran out of the cave at the sound of the scream, only to watch in horror at the scene. A huge, lumbering bear following their older sister. Both of them screaming at the top of their lungs. If there hadn't been a huge fucking bear, it almost would've been funny. Then Phoebe tripped over a loose tree root and the two boys were sure that she was doomed. So was she.

She heard the bear growl from behind her and she turned, raising her hands up. "E-easy, bear. Nice bear," She tried, sounding as soothing as possible. Pushing as much soothing energy toward the animal. She hoped that if she felt calm, the bear would calm. The growl grew quieter and the bear slowly sat on it's haunches, seeming to listen to the small girl. "Easy, easy," She kept saying as she backed away. Totally confused at what was happening, but also very relieved.

Once she got several feet away, she watched as the bear curled up and fell asleep. "Shit, that was close," Phoebe whispered as she headed back to the boys, who immediately hugged her tightly. She held tight to them, so grateful that they were there.

"Let's get out of here before it wakes up," She urged them after a minute. "And before our luck runs out." And with that, the three made their way down a path away from the cave. Now they would have to find more shelter...

Day two of their isolation in the woods led to more philosophical thinking. "All is one, one is all," Edward repeated for the thousandth time as they lay in the grass, staring up toward the sky. They had found a meadow area in the middle of the forest. It seemed safe. "This is so stupid. What does that have to do with alchemy? Stupid teacher.." The boy mumbled, clearly frustrated. "Forget about this! Peeb, what the hell was that with the bear?"

Ah. The elephant in the room. Or meadow, rather.

Phoebe frowned. "I'm not sure, honestly," She admitted. "It was like... it was listening to me?" But that didn't make sense.

"You think you can talk to animals?" Alphonse asked, brown eyes wide and curious. "That's so cool!"

The girl shook her head. "No, I can't hear what animals are saying.. and I don't think they can hear me. I've never talked to an animal before." She pointed out, watching the boys visibly deflate. "But.. I think I calmed it down somehow."

"Calmed it down? How could you calm a bear down?" Edward asked, surprise lacing his tone.

"Phoebe has always been able to calm us down." Alphonse pointed out. And now that the three thought about it, that was true.

"Yeah. I remember being mad and when Peebs told me to calm down, a sort of feeling would come over me. I never thought about of it that much before but.."

"She can make people calm." Al finished for his brother. "But not just calm. Remember the funeral?"

"What about it?" Phoebe finally spoke up, blinking.

"C'mon, Phoebe. You know what I mean. People don't all normally scream at funerals." And it was true. "I think somehow you can make people feel things."

It was crazy. Insane. But somehow, it made sense. It explained plenty of things. The funeral. The bear. The time when she was little that she had a huge tantrum and Trisha threw one as well. Something that was so unlike their calm, sweet mother.

"Let's test it!" Ed chimed excitedly. "Make me... sleepy." And there he sat, wide eyed and bushy tailed, waiting for Phoebe to work her magic.

Phoebe stared at him, thinking over and over, willing for him to get sleepy. And immediately, Ed yawned. Once, then twice.

"That's," a yawn, "so cool, Peeb."

And then Ed went to lay down on the ground, very ready to sleep. Phoebe decided to test her powers further and focused on making her brother wide awake. A minute later, Ed was sitting up straight up, eyes wide. "Peebs, this is so cool," He said for about the fourth time.

Phoebe giggled a bit. It really was cool. And scary. Having that kind of power.. well, it was a lot for a thirteen year old. "It is," She agreed. "But its also serious. This isn't something that I can use all the time. I think there should be a limit.."

Alphonse seemed to agree while Edward frowned. "C'mon Peebs, this could make our lives so much easier! You can make animals calm and we could hunt so easily!"

Phoebe frowned at this. "But that just feels wrong.. shouldn't they have a chance to fight back?" She wanted the animal to at least have a chance to get away.."

"Peebs. It's the circle of life. We need to eat animals to live. It's the circle of life. We eat the animals. We die, become grass. The animals eat the grass." Ed pointed out before he paused, seeming to get lost in thought. Then he gasped. "That's it! All is one, one is all!"

His siblings stared at him blankly for a moment before he spoke up again to elaborate. "Think about it. One is you, and all is the world. Phoebe. We're surviving in a forest alone, right? We need to eat to survive. We eat and the animals we eat die. And if we didn't eat, we would die. When we die, we'd rot and become nutrients to the grass and plants. Grass is eaten by the animals we eat! Then the cycle starts again."

"This place might have been underwater a long time ago, and in the next tens of thousands of years, it might be a peak of a mountain! It's all connected! Everything we see, everyone we meet, it's connected in one big unseen flow, but it is bigger than that, it's the entire world, the entire universe! And compared to something like that, we are just a very small part of the universe. If we put together all of these ones, we get one great all."

"All is one, one is all," Phoebe breathed, amazed at the conclusion. It was amazing that it could be that simple. She knew that the answer had been staring her in the face all along.

"And," Edward spoke up, a new determination blazing in his eyes, "That flow of the universe follows the law of such magnitude, that even both of us, you and me can't imagine it. We need to understand the flow, deconstruct it, and reconstruct it. It's alchemy! That's why Teacher wanted us to learn this creed, guys! It's alchemy!"

It made so much sense now. Teacher's purpose for this whole trip. To get them to understand.

All is one, one is all.

When the fourth day came, Izumi came back as promised and the three were by the shore to greet her. Immediately, she asked if they had figured out the meaning. They told her what they had discovered, repeating Ed's conclusion.

Immediately, she smiled. It was such a simple way to look at it, but they were correct on all accounts. Leaning down, she pulled the three of them in a hug. "Good job, kids. I'll be more than happy to teach the three of you everything I know about alchemy."

The three cheered in elation, throwing their hands up in the air. This was it. They were one step closer to their goal. Soon they would be back home with their mother. She'd be back and they'd be a family again.

But their training was only beginning. They had a much longer road ahead of them than they could ever imagine. But they were ready for it.

So, so ready.


To be continued.