The Bloody Alchemist

Pulling Back the Curtain

        Cecelia's body slammed down onto concrete. Cecelia was confused at first, the last thing she could remember was being dissolved by the portal. She had no idea how she managed to be sat next to Ling and Ed, up against Envy's body, intertwined with the faces of Envy's Philosophers Stone.

"Brother?" Cecelia heard Al say.

Ed responded by saying his brother's name. "You're back in your armor, that means..."

Ed and Ling fist-bumped across Cecelia who laughed and smiled. "We're back in the real world."

"Guess so."

Alphonse attacked his brother with a tight hug. "Brother!" Ed yelled in pain trying to free himself, but Alphonse refused to let go.

Cecelia sighed. She was so exhausted, she hardly even cared that she was intertwined with Envy's strange body. Ling, however, mustered the energy to stand, he held out his hand to help her up. Cecelia didn't want to turn him down, so she took his hand and swayed dangerously. Ling wrapped Cecelia's metal arm around his shoulder and looked around looking for a way out.

Ed and Al finished up their touching reunion, Edward stood and took a look around. "Where exactly did we end up?"

"Well, this is a surprise," an ominous and deep voice sounded from behind the four teens. "People emerging from his stomach."

Edward growled. "Hohenheim?!"

"Steel appendages and an armored body," the man hummed in thought then took a wide step, getting right into Edwards's face. "Are you two the Elric brothers?"

Cecelia freed herself from Ling and put herself between the man and the brothers. "Back off!"

"Red hair?" the man spoke to her now, observing her like a picture. "And a metal arm. You must be Cecelia Woods."

"So you're... not him?" Edward asked from behind Cecelia.

"Have you mistaken me from someone?" He spoke to the brother's now, looking right through her. "Hold on... Hohen- The name you said!" He pointed at Ed forcing Cecelia to dodge his finger. "By any chance, do you mean Van Hohenheim? And how is it that you two are connected to him?"

"He's our father," Al explained. Cecelia realized that the man before her had an odd resemblance to Edward.

The man suddenly gripped Edwards's face, "He's your father?! This is indeed surprising! I had no idea he had children!" The man patted Edward's head like a creepy uncle. Cecelia wanted to push that man away from Ed, but she controlled her instincts, a ringing voice in her head telling her that this man could kill her with a glare. "If you are indeed his progeny, then why is it your family name is Elric?"

Edward threw the man's hands off of him and shouted, "Elric is our mother's last name!"

"Oh is that so?" the man continued. "So, where has he been spending his time?"

"Who cares!" Ed shouted and pointed a finger in the man's face. "Just forget him! Who the hell are you?! And why do you look exactly like him?!"

"I know that he can't be dead," the man mumbled.

"Listen to me!" Edward demanded. The man continued to ramble to himself.

Alphonse tried to talk to Ed, but he grabbed Ed's injured arm. The boy shouted in pain, Cecelia whipped her head towards Ed, she had moved too quickly and nearly fell over. It was the tall blond man who caught her balance and held her up.