In a poorly kept cottage with dusty walls and rickety floorboards, five figures were concealed in the shadows, talking in only whispers.

One was a young boy, probably about 11 or 12, with dark skin and red eyes. He sat outstretched on some large crates, his feet raised lazily on them. He wore a evil smirk, not something you'd expect from such youth.

"That was a bit of fun wasn't it?"

Another one, an old man with gray hair and a bushy white beard nodded at the young boy. He stood in the rooms darkest spot, away from all the windows, with his back against the door.

Nearby, narrowly missing the bright moonlight from the window was a slim, voluptuous young lady. She smiled at the younger boy.

"Yes, that was pleasantly enjoyable." She grinned.

"You two are pathetic." remarked the fourth party, an unusually tall, muscular young man with the same tan skin and scarlet eyes as the younger boy. "That amused you? I can dream a better time that that in my sleep."

"You're the one to talk, as if you've been around that long. You're younger than me!" wailed the young boy.

"I'm not any younger than you, squirt. Shut up."

"Hush, you too! Uncle, would you please tear them apart? Their upsetting my little sister!" The pretty young woman turned to pat the head of the little girl, no more than five years of age, playing with a rubber ball by her feet.

The old man scowled. "Stop calling the rest of us your family, girly. We're not. None of us have family. You know that." He scoffed.

She turned up her nose. The little girl playing by her feet looked up at her 'older sister' and gave her a thoughtfully curious look them resumed to bang her toy ball violently on the floor.

They were all quiet at the mention of the harsh reality they were born into. The moonlight shone into the humble hut, not a single beam of it touching any of them.

The boy, wanting to lighten up all the tension, finally broke the silence..

"You know, I heard the funniest thing from this one old man before he bled to death."

"And what was that?" Said the old man, entertaining the boy.

"He kept yelling 'Humuculi! Humuculi! They're back!' It was disgusting, made me want to quicken his death." He said rather proudly.

"How dare he compare us to those obsolete amateurs?!" The young woman scowled. "They named themselves after sins! It just says a lot about how pathetic they thought themselves."

"We on the other hand, are perfect."

Devilish smiles graced all their faces, even the young girl's.

Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was almost finished with her night guard shift. She could already see bright light rising up on the horizon.

'So far so good.' She thought. The night was peaceful. No invasions and now, thank goodness, Humuculi. She cringed at the thought of monsters like those still existing. 'No,' she thought. 'Gluttony was the last. We've sent professionals to educate every alchemist about Humuculi. No one would be stupid enough….'

She heard the man lying beside her, curled up in a warm blanket, stir. He'd fallen asleep a little past midnight. She was petty much on her own most of the shift. She yawned. Now it was her turn to get some rest. Her companion moaned and started to blink his eyes open.

"Is it morning already?"

"Yes sir. Our shift is over." She informed him.

"All is well, I suppose?"

She nodded.

"Well then, come one. Let's go get some breakfast."

She found it in her heart to smile. "No thank you, sir. I'm tired. I'd rather get some sleep."

He smiled back and nodded. "Alright. Go on then."

They parted ways, heading for either side of the camp. For the first time in years, they parted without and uneasiness between them. She was safely at her tent already. Her two roommates had already woken up and gone wherever. She was alone and at peace. The blonde rest her head on a pillow and shut her eyes.

She dozed off.

She never did know how many hours or minutes or maybe just hours of sleep had before she startled and awaken by a loud series of gunshots and screams.

She ripped the entrance of the tent open and headed out, her gun at the ready.

The lieutenant quickly realized the entire camp was under siege. What she didn't know was by whom. Soldiers and state alchemists were running around frantically in every direction but she could see any signs of enemies.

All of the sudden she was pelted by thousands of what she thought were bullets from behind. As soon as she fell on the ground though, she realized they couldn't be bullets because she was still alive. Some of whatever hit her fell by her head. Looking at them closely, she realized they were… pellets?

Darn fast and sharp pellets. She concluded, feeling the deep scratches at her back.

She struggled to get up and hid under a nearby shelter, trying to spot her own unit. He couldn't spot any of them. The cuts on her back were deeper than she thought. They stung to the point she could hardly move her arm. Luckily for her, she only needed a snap of the wrist to handle her pistol.

She was capable but never the less vulnerable. Riza felt close to hopeless, until she saw a bright light in the distance…

A flame the size of a ten story building….

Roy…