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Synopsis

Ed and Al set out for Resembool, but when Al vanishes from a remote train station, Ed is led on a detour that makes him question the one principle he believes in most.


Full Synopsis

Lust and Gluttony arrive where Scar previously fled from. Elsewhere, Alphonse is worried about Dr. Marcoh, but Edward knows there is nothing they can do with him being in the Führer's custody. The only thing they have to go on is a note that Marcoh secretly dropped on the ground for Ed, directing him to look for the "genuine truth behind truths" at the First Branch of the National Central Library. Ed decides to keep this a secret, having difficulty trusting the state military.

Colonel Mustang meets with the Führer, who is getting ready to return to Central Command now that Scar has been spotted in the east. Much to Mustang's relief, the Führer does not punish him for keeping Marcoh's whereabouts a secret. The Führer claims his intention was to put Marcoh in protective custody for everything he had to endure.

At the location of the Mustang Unit, Major Armstrong is getting ready to foolishly repair the damage to Al's armor. However, Mustang explains due to the danger of damaging the blood rune, only Ed can fix the damage. With it clear that Ed needs to visit his mechanic to repair his automail arm, Mustang decides to provide an escort to serve as a bodyguard due to Ed's inability of performing alchemy at the moment. With almost everyone declining for personal reasons, it falls upon Armstrong to serve as their escort, much to Ed's disgust.

On the train, Al is put in the luggage with some sheep, while Lt. Colonel Hughes arrives to talk with Ed before the train leaves. Hughes reveals to Ed that the cause of Nina's death three years ago is the same method Scar had been using on his victims. This makes Ed happy as he now has a reason to hunt down Scar. Hughes also states he'll grant permission for Ed to use the National Central Library, though unknown to them, the paperboy, whose sister was kidnapped by Scar, overhears them and tells Scar the info about the library. Scar releases the girl back to her brother, apologizing to the two siblings before he escapes.

Meanwhile, Marcoh is waiting in his room. He rushes to the door once someone knocks on it and believes it is one of the military personnel hoping to give him an answer from the Führer. Instead, he opens the door to find Lust and recognizes her ouroboros tattoo. Striking Marcoh in his left shoulder with one of her long fingernails, the mysterious lady demands the doctor to know where his material is to avoid for Ed finding any sensitive information that could ruin her plans. Marcoh expresses with confidence that Ed is smarter than she thinks and won't do what she wants him to once Ed discovers the truth of what Marcoh has written in his notes. Despite Marcoh using his alchemy to impale her through the stomach, Lust survives and forces Marcoh to tell her, having Gluttony use a captured maid as a hostage.

Back on the train, Ed goes to check on Al, only to discover that he is gone, having been mistaken as cargo and left behind at the last station. Ed is stopped by Armstrong before he can jump off the train. As Al is laying in the rain, he is found by a boy who puts his armor on, while Ed and Armstrong arrive where Al was dropped off at. As Armstrong tries to prevent Ed from foolishly running off to find Al, Ed's anger at Major Armstrong from having heard about the Ishbal Civil War from Dr. Marcoh allows him to break free when Armstrong goes into shock. While on the road, Ed encounters a little girl, but she knocks him out and steals his automail leg, with Ed watching her as her grandfather emerges from his house.

While traveling with the boy, Al pretends to be a talking armor from Central City and learns the boy wishes to use his armor to fight a rival gang and prove his strength. Not wanting the boy to possibly commit murder, Al takes control and uses alchemy to pretend he is a cursed armor to get the boy to remove him from his body. Ed learns the girl was trying to help make her grandfather's life easier and offers to reference them to Rockbell Automail. The old man declines and reveals he was a soldier that served in Ishval. He had his leg amputated from a sword wound, but gained something in return for having lived, something he does not wish to replace with automail.

As Ed struggles by comparing their situations, the old man replies of what will happen if Ed completes his dream. After Ed leaves, the man's grandson, the same boy that was with Al, arrives and Ed quickly finds Al covered in protective charms nearby. While talking with Al about their first encounter with Mustang four years ago in Resembool, Ed believes that the meeting may have been coincidental, and that Mustang may have been there for something else instead of responding to their father's letter. Armstrong returns, and Ed apologizes for his earlier outburst at him. Armstrong hears a train whistle and picks up both Ed and Al, intending to catch it to avoid waiting for the next one tomorrow afternoon.


Episode Notes

  • This episode is adapted from content in Chapter 7: After the Rain and Chapter 8: The Road of Hope.
  • It's difficult to believe that the boy who steals Al in this episode could possibly wear such heavy armor. It has been shown in both series to take a very muscular man to even carry, let alone wear.

See Also

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