Chapter 2: Central City

I traveled north from the small town I had spent all of my memorable life toward the one place I knew I could find the answers I desired, Central City. The train took me to South City where I had to transfer trains in order to head to Central City. During the train ride, my mind began to develop methods of using my unique alchemy for combat so that I would successfully achieve my certification. As my mind delved into the various possibilities, I continued to think back to how Elaine looked when I found her body in the alley. My mouth had a sour taste every time I remembered that monster's name, Basque Grand.

He couldn't have been telling the truth about Elaine. She despised the military, but would never do anything to become a criminal, but that day…

My eyes were in pain, but I was overwhelmed by the sight of light and now the noise was leaving the room, so it wasn't as loud. I could only make out a dark figure between my poor eyes, the poor lighting, and the tears streaming from my eyes. I would be able to leave this room, and I would see light and I would hear silence. As I looked at the figure, I could make out liquid dripping from the figure's hands and I was confused. What could be on his hands?

I knew what was on her hands, and ever since my discovery, my mind has never had a moment's rest. She broke me out of that place, but I knew now that she didn't simply walk in and collect me. There were bodies everywhere when she led me out of that place, but a part of me couldn't believe that she was the one who did it. The blood was all over her hands, but I couldn't accept it. Was that why she was branded a criminal, or was there something else?

I was ripped from my thoughts by the stopping of the train. We had reached another town, and from what I could tell, it was called Dublith. I knew the geography of Amestris from Elaine's teachings, but I had never lain eyes upon any of the places I learned about. It was a nice and calm town with not too much noise, but rather a similar gentle ambiance that I found with Elaine. Then an idea occurred to me. I rummaged through my suitcase and found a set of ear plugs within, and now I found my marker.

It was difficult to draw a transmutation circle on such a small item, but I managed to finish the circle and placed the ear plug within my ear. The sound was muffled, obviously, but now I activated the transmutation circle on the plug and it began to filter the sounds, rather than block them out. I was able to isolate distinct sound waves, but picking them wasn't easy. After playing around with various sound waves, I was able to pick up a voice and after focusing the reaction, I was able to hear their speech as clearly as if they were speaking directly to me. It was amazing that I could do such a thing, but all of my research and findings pointed to so much more.

The wonderful thing about sound alchemy was that the Law of Equivalent Exchange was inherently satisfied because the reaction had to absorb the sound waves and their energy in order to transmit them through the plugs, or through any of my other processes. I had stumbled upon a whole plethora of new forms of transmutation and they were all mine to discover. The train began to move again and my mind shifted back to all of the possibilities with a renewed fervor. I would have no problem getting my certification now, and with my capabilities, I would have no problem discovering the answers to all of my questions.

Travelling to Central took much longer than I liked, but there was nothing I could do about that. As I disembarked from the train, I was assaulted by the heinous noise that coated Central like a vile haze. On the bright side, there would be no shortage of sound energy for my transmutations. Though I knew what I was doing in Central, I had no idea what to do next. The people of this city moved along, oblivious to all else around them and none seemed willing to offer a helping hand. I moved along with the crowd, searching for some place to stay while I figured out my next move. I found a sign for a hotel and went inside.

"Hello. Would you happen to have a room for the night?"

"Yes sir we do. Right this way."

The older inn keeper led the way up a staircase and down a hallway to one of the doors. He stopped and opened the door for me to go in.

"Here you go. Just let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you."

The man closed the door behind him and I found myself alone again. It took less than a minute for me to begin working on the various ideas that I had come up with on the train. Most of my ideas, should they prove successful, would be kept secret until the time was right, but some basic ones would be used often. I spent most of the night developing my ideas and working on my next move in Central. The next morning, I headed out in search of Central Command, where I would apply for my certification. I was prepared for their tests and would undoubtedly achieve my goal.

Finding the building was less than simple considering the whole city was built with it as its epicenter. I was astonished by the size of the fortress and by the way the city was designed to radiate from the fortress. It was amazing to see, and as I entered the fortress and headed toward the main building, I was further amazed by the architecture and vastness of the area within the walls. I had never seen anything so large, but as my eyes fell on the flag on the central building, I felt weak and my mind began to crop up images and blurred scenes. The sounds were distorted and muffled, but before I could properly grasp what was happening, the noise roared to life and the images and sounds subsided into nothingness.

It happened again, and like before, the noise stopped me from understanding what I assumed were memories. Why did this building bring up memories and why did I feel like I knew this place? The new questions did not help my mood as I continued into Central Command. I found a desk in the main area and managed to get the attention of one of the receptionists.

"Where can I apply to become a State Alchemist?"

After a whole unnecessary process of questions and answers, followed by being sent from person to person, I finally managed to get on the list for the examinations, which were in two days. The man who placed me on the list was reluctant due to the shortness of notice and my lack of time to prepare, but waiting another year was out of the question. I could take any test of theirs and be fine, so after many reassurances and bickering, I was in and I returned to my lodgings with higher spirits. Elaine may have despised the military, but she still instructed me on the laws and regulations of State Alchemists as well as anything else that one would expect to find on a state certification exam.

The only issue I ran into was my age. I told them I was twenty, and though that could have been right for all I knew, I was not actually certain of my age. Luckily I looked the age, if I were a short guy I would have been out of luck even if I was actually twenty. Regardless, I now had two days until the examination and there were still experiments to complete before I could take the practicals. I already had a plan for them, so preparations were all that I had to accomplish before then. Other than eating, I had no other business apart from my experiments and research.

The next two days came and went and I was now standing in front of Central Command once again. As I headed to the written examination, I got a look at my competition and found myself wholesomely unimpressed by their appearances. It would be foolish to base one's whole perception solely on appearance, but I could not see any threats to my certification. The exam was just as I had predicted and I finished it without much difficulty long before the allotted time limit expired. For a strange and troubled child, I always impressed Elaine with my ability to learn and understand new concepts easily. Another mystery in my life.

The next day I would be interviewed, then the day after were the practicals. Such a tedious process, but jumping through their hoops was the only way. As for the interview, I would be fine so long as I didn't allow their presence to intimidate me. I would have rather just gone right into the practicals and gotten it all over with, but there wasn't much I could in regards to that. I rested and went straight to Central Command the next morning for my interview. As I had noted the day before, every candidate I saw looked petrified at the prospect of being interviewed. How pitiful.

"Vox Zephyr."

I entered the room and sat on the chair positioned in the middle of the room. I had heard that the chair itself was a test, but sitting in it offered no distinct challenge, so I looked up at the line of officials behind the table.

"Hello. Your name is Vox Zephyr, correct?"

"That is correct."

"What an unusual name."

"It was given to me by my mother and mentor, sir. An unusual name for an unusual character, as they say."

"You'd call yourself an unusual character?"

"In my own experiences I would have to admit as much, sir."

"Very interesting. Tell me, do you know who I am, or the rest of my colleagues here?"

"Well, though I do not know your faces explicitly, I'd venture a guess to say you are Fuhrer King Bradley, based upon your attire and position amongst your 'colleagues'. As for the four other gentlemen, I would venture to guess that they are all Generals of some degree, though their identities are unknown to me. Would you say that I am correct sir?"

"You are quite clever. That was just a bit of fun trivia, though you did very well. As for the true point of this interview, I have another question. Why do you want to become a State Alchemist Mr. Zephyr?"

"The answer is simple sir. I have a yearning for the truth which at present is unattainable for me. The acquisition of the certification would allow me to seek out and discover this truth, not to mention allow me to further my unique research and alchemic progress."

"A very interesting response for an interesting young man. Tell me, what do you mean by unique research?"

"With all due respect sir, you'll have to wait and see tomorrow. I will demonstrate exactly what I mean during the practicals. Speaking of such things before their due time would be wasteful and unwise."

"Well color me curious. I will await your demonstration tomorrow Mr. Zephyr. Thank you, you may go. I will see you again tomorrow."

"Very good sir. Good day."

I left the room with a general disinterest on my face and I could tell by the reactions of the other applicants that it appeared as if I was bored. It wasn't far from the truth considering kissing up to authority wasn't my style, nor was it worth anything to me. When I returned to my room, I made sure the final pieces were ready for my demonstration and readied myself for the next day's events. I had fashioned a sort of head piece for another part of my alchemy which had stemmed from my escapade with the earplug in Dublith. It covered my mouth and ran up my jaw line to cover my ears, though the true purpose was in the transmutation circles I had over my ears and mouth. Sound was a handy tool to be utilized in various ways, and I intended to do just that.

The demonstration tomorrow would only require my gloves, which I had modified with another set of circles on the back of my hands. One set to absorb, the other to redirect and intensify thus creating a sort of sound cannon. My demonstration would be enough to make my certification absolutely attainable and my goals that much closer. I was pleased with my progress and after ensuring that everything was ready for the next day, I turned in for the night until the next morning. The next day came and I headed to the area that they prepared for the practicals, which was an outdoor area with plenty of space for any kind of alchemy. We would also be presenting one after the other in the same area. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

The generals and Bradley were in stands along with various other military officials to observe the practicals. It appeared as if there were more people present than should have been, but that didn't matter to me. I found a nice tree and crossed my arms across my chest while leaning against it. The Fuhrer stood up and the conversations died out.

"Welcome all to the practicals, now allow us to begin. Alchemists, please organize yourselves and begin your demonstrations."

A line formed, which I didn't bother to move to, and the first alchemist stepped forward. My hands began to lightly glow as I started to absorb the sound energy in the arena. The first alchemist prepared his circle and activated it without issue. I was too caught up in my reaction to see what he had done, but by the time the second alchemist went up, my alchemy was in full swing. Complete silence filled the area and even as the man activated his alchemic circle, no sound came from the reaction. A large tree erupted from the ground, yet not a sound was made. Confusion spread through everyone's faces and the next alchemist did his demonstration.

There was not a sound. Now people were beginning to attempt asking questions of those around them, only to hear no sound come from their mouths. Just before pandemonium was about to ensue, I calmly activated my secondary reaction, allowing my voice to flow through the air.

"Do not panic. Your hearing has not failed, nor have your voices failed."

I stepped away from the tree and all eyes turned to me. I walked forward nonchalantly toward the second alchemist's tree. As everyone watched intently, I placed my hands on the tree.

"This is all my doing, now please watch carefully as I show you where your voices and lost sounds have gone, and what they can do."

I activated my new circles and the tree began to vibrate. The vibrations began to increase and an ominous sound began to radiate from the tree. Within seconds, the vibrations became violent and the tree literally shook itself apart and into thousands of pieces. The primary reaction ended and the sounds of the arena returned to normal.

"Now then. That was my demonstration. My name is Vox Zephyr, good day sirs."

I walked away and left the now stunned audience behind. My plan had worked perfectly and as the excited chatter began, I knew that my certification was as good as complete. I received a summons later that evening to return to Central Command the next day. I reported to the conference room specified and found all of the senior staff, as well as many State Alchemists gathered together. The chatter silenced as I entered the room and the Fuhrer stood up to address me.

"Well Mr. Zephyr, you did not disappoint yesterday. That was the most remarkable thing that anyone here has seen. Would you care to tell us what kind of alchemy that was?"

"That, sir, was a form of alchemy which I crafted and specialized myself. I did not wish to tell you for fear that someone would learn of it and claim me to be a thief of their research. My secrecy has allowed me to demonstrate that this is of my own creation, would you not agree?"

"I do agree. That was very crafty of you."

"As for the specifics, that was a specialized form of Energy Alchemy which I have justly named Sound Alchemy. Utilizing the circles on my gloves, I am able to freely manipulate sound waves and their energy. Such is what I referred to as unique research and alchemic progress, if you recall."

"I do recall, as a matter of fact. Now I can tell that this is indeed a great discovery, and you have proven to be quite an asset. I would like to personally congratulate you on your certification Mr. Zephyr. You are now a State Alchemist. Your certification and identification will be given to you in a few days, and you are to report to Colonel Roy Mustang from now on. Understood?"

"Understood, sir."

"Then we are done here. Good luck with your quest for the truth Mr. Zephyr, and good day."

"Good day, sir."

I turned and left while the staff began to talk amongst themselves. I couldn't believe that I was reporting to the inspiration for my work. If it wasn't for the stories of the Flame Alchemist's alchemy, I would have never attempted to create Sound Alchemy. It was amazing.

"Vox Zephyr."

"Yes?"

I turned to find a man walking toward me with a blonde woman following behind.

"Hello, I am Colonel Roy Mustang. You will be reporting to me from now on."

"Yes, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you. This is my assistant, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. Any problems that you have will go to her. As for your missions, you'll be given your first orders along with your certification, so you won't have anything specific to do for another few days. I will have you come in when your certification arrives, then the fun begins. I hope you're ready to be a dog of the military."

"I'm more than prepared sir. I'll see you in a few days."

(A/N): He's a dog of the military now, yay! The real fun will be starting next chapter with his first assignment, so watch out for the next update and let me know what you guys think. Review and tell me your thoughts. Until next time, see ya!