Yo. I'm pretty slow... This is like the fastest I've ever written. Anyway, I hope this gives you a little more of a clue as to how this is all possible.

Chapter 2 (Ling)

As night fell and Trojan revelry commenced, Ling saw Edward convinced that they should desert the Achilleans. Ships were being loaded and men began to sail away. He was one of those selected to hide in the horse, along with Kimblee, Alex Armstrong, Mustang, and Ed. A theoretical alchemic dream-team. Edward attempted to talk to the kind-of sane (everyone but Kimblee), but they were all for the free-for-all psychosis of battle. Sure, Ling felt guilty-who wouldn't?-but this was a change to vent all his frustrations as the emperor of Xing. It seemed the others on the team held similarly strenuous positions: Mustang, Führer; Alex, Head Alchemist and General of the entire military; but Edward seemed… unstressed. He lived a quiet farm life with that Winry girl he seemed so fond of. Perhaps that was why he was so hesitant to raise hell with the rest. They all realized that Edward was the most powerful of all of them with his powers restored, but he also had the most fragile heart. He was easily swayed by others. Despite all his tough-as-nails aesthetics he was a big softy. Ling had always had the ability to tell these things.

Was this right? Probably not. Should they go on a rampage? Again, it wasn't the right thing to do. What would be the effects on the space-time continuum? That was a harder question to answer.

Continuum. Ling remembered where he had heard that word first. He was but a young boy exploring the forests, skipping his tutor's mind-numbing lessons with his friend Shijian. Shijian was a tall boy with an extraordinarily long neck, bright red hair and a bad temper. Ling suspected that he was a genius, though he never showed it. They came upon a monastery deep in the forests, in the foothills of the Impassible Mountains, one day. There was a nice man on a walk who found the two covered in mud. He took them to the Monastery where he told them he contemplated the Space-time continuum. They had never heard of such a thing, and this was a more appealing lesson than that senile tutor. He took a stick and began to draw on some soft dirt.

"We perceive time to move this way," he said, drawing a straight line with a wobbly, ancient hand. "but in reality it moves in this way." he drew the circle. "So for time travel to be possible, what must be done is to go from one point," he made one point on the circle. "and move to another." Taking the point, he drew a straight line across the circle. "That is how time works."

The two boys were dumbfounded by this new information.

"So is time travel possible?" Shijian asked.

"But of course! It's just that no one has figured it out yet. I suppose with enough knowledge of Alkahestry and the type they use to the west and one I've heard they use to the very south of the Southern Ocean in the Ice-lands you can achieve it."

"What would happen if you were to go back in time and change…something?"

"You couldn't even if you did change something, time would find a way to keep its course. There is nothing you can do against that."

Ling remembered how this idea had dominated Shijian's life. After a few years of intense Alkahesteric research and puzzling notes and mapping. Ling went to Shijian's house one day and to his surprise, found it filled with maps and oceanic charts.

"What the hell is all this?" Ling asked.

"I'm going away."

"Why?"

"My research!"

"Research?"

"I want to know more about the Alkahestry to the south."

"You and I both know that is a lie. And even if you did go there, the southern oceans are unnavigable!" Ling said.

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Shijian rose and ran at Ling. Lan Fan and Fu stepped in front of the raging teenager and Fu twisted his arm, nearly breaking it. Shijian yelped in agony.

"Why are you doing this, Shijian?" Ling leaned over him, speaking loudly.

"I am unlocking the secrets of time! My inner genius will be revealed!"

"No it won't! It is impossible! We know this!"

"Fuck you! I'm leaving whether you like it or not!" Shijian turned, ran, and leaped out the window of his cramped apartment.

That was the last Ling had ever seen of his childhood friend.

Back to the present. It seemed that no matter what he did here, he wouldn't disrupt the circle of time. This could be a good way to release his anger.

Olivier was yelling at some poor Achillean soul to "get in the damn horse before…" He stopped listening. It seemed time, then, to get in the wooden horse. Maybe Edward Elric would not go with them. Perhaps they would take Miles instead, or Olivier. She would probably kill everyone by giving them her death stare. If any look could kill, it'd be hers. He climbed the ladder. About thirty other Achilleans besides the Alchemists were aboard as well. Despite its monstrous size, the horse was quite cramped. He was in between two gorillas that ostracized him for his eyes. Oh well.

Once Edward came on board, they set off. Ten men on the ground inched them forward. After about an hour of this, they were safely inside the walls. Stupid Trojans didn't suspect a thing. Well, he couldn't call them stupid, after making such a massive fortress. Wasted Trojans didn't suspect a thing. That was more accurate.

The festivities went on through the night. When it finally died down a bit, Achilles made a move and jumped out of the horse, before motioning for the others to follow. When everyone was out, they set the horse afire. Then he instructed for Edward and Alex Armstrong to open the gates. The rest were to do whatever the hell they damn well pleased. And so they did.

Ling ran through the defenseless streets with twin blades out. This was insane, but he felt like Bradley.

And was savoring the feeling.

Everything, slain. Fire, death, pandemonium. He didn't have the heart to kill the woman and child he came upon in a dead end street. The look in her eyes, the way she looked into his soul it felt, was the most terrible thing he had ever seen. Nothing compared. He ran. He absconded in a hurry up the wall behind the two. He jumped from roof to roof, keeping from the more fiery rooftops.

The entire army had arrived and more were doing so in droves. It was complete mayhem. He stopped at the top of a tower and was presented with a panoramic view of that chthonic sprawl that lay before him in all directions. Fire. Death. Anarchy. He jumped from the tower as it fell. To the infernal world below.

He went into the first house on his right. A lone man was waiting inside. He was a spitting image of Fu, but wearing Greek robes. Ling put one sword away.

"Hello, old man."

The man came forward and their swords met. Sparks flew off their swords as they met countless times, attacking and parrying as masters of their respective weapons.

They fought for a long while, attacking one another, gradually moving upstairs.

The man pinned Ling on a wall, but was thrown back with a ferocious kick. Ling heard splintering.

"You have honor, old man. And my respect. But that is not enough to live through the night, let alone defeat me."

"I don't want your respect." The man was tiring but spoke belligerently. He reminded Ling so much of Fu that he began to lose his control.

I'm back!

Ling became engulfed by a black, malevolent force. He was ushered from this humble home to a silent black. A familiar voice spoke. Ling's body suddenly became ten times stronger and he sliced the man's chest open. He turned to walk out, but looked back for a moment, witness to the man's final breaths. A murderous smile flashed across his lips.

"Sorry, but I want that, too."

If anyone can coherently explain quantum theory to me, I'll add something on that in here.