As Raven tries to corrupt Armstrong, Ed and Al can only wait in their cell. Long ago, their father faced his own captivity, confined to an eternity of regret in an undying body. To escape the pain, he said goodbye.
Full Synopsis
At an unspecified location, Hohenheim calls out the names of the people whose lives his Philosopher's Stone had consumed as he digs into his chest and bits of the stone fall out of his body from the holes he created before sinking into the ground. 13 years ago in Resembool, Trisha encourages him to interact with his infant children Ed and Al as they are sleeping. Hohenheim is concerned that since his body is cursed with the power of immortality from the stone within it, he is afraid of passing that curse onto them and becoming a monster like him even though Trisha points out that it is unlikely that would happen otherwise she would have already become like him. Hohenheim reveals to her while in the bedroom that while he accepted having the power of immortality a long time ago and learning to accept the deaths of people throughout the world, after meeting her and starting a family he has come to regret it since his children are already aging.
The next day, Trisha arranges to take a photograph for all four of them. She explains that even if she becomes old and wrinkly, this photograph can be a fond moment that the four of them were all together, and asks that Hohenheim does not distance himself or consider himself as a monster. Despite asking him to smile, Hohenheim can only frown with tears in his eyes. Hohenheim's new dream is that despite what happened long ago, he wants to grow old and die with his family and finishing drawing while in his study he realizes what is going to happen from that person. After fixing their swing, Hohenheim decides to depart on a journey. Before leaving he asks Trisha not to mention his deep secret to the boys and tries to leave without telling them, but the boys are in the hallway due to Al needed to use the restroom. After looking at the boys briefly, Hohenheim departs. Back in the present, Hohenheim looks at the photograph in front of a campfire and comments just a little longer.
Meanwhile, a group of Briggs soldiers search the tunnel that Sloth made and notice they are out of communication range. Before a man named Smith could return to Briggs to make a report, a mysterious shadowy figure arrives and quickly kills all of them. Meanwhile the Elrics, 2nd Lt. Falman, and Captain Buccaneer continue to monitor Major General Armstrong's conversation with Lt. General Raven as he mentions that she appears interested with in becoming involved with a legion of immortal soldiers. However, Olivier Armstrong deep down wants to cut him down for this conspiracy and has to hide her anger. Pretending that she is interested and wants her men to involved with this "Promised Day," Armstrong knows she will be forced to commit a great evil if she accepts or swapped with a different pawn and likely demoted if she declines this offer. Before she can decide, their conversation is interrupted by a soldier who states there is a problem regarding their underground search team which surprises Raven when he hears this. As the two head out to gather information on the report, so do the Elrics who use rope Ed transmuted to pretend that Buccaneer and Falman are holding them prisoner.
Along the way they encounter Major Miles who is with the Crimson Alchemist Kimblee. Here, the Elrics are formally introduced to Kimblee who mistakes Al as the Fullmetal Alchemist which angers Ed for having his height insulted when Kimblee realizes the truth, though Ed can't do anything while tied up. Upon arriving, Armstrong and Raven learn that Smith's horse and right arm are the only things from the underground search team that survived, with the horse very wound up from the experience. Before Maj. General Armstrong can order out a search party, Lt. General Raven orders her to stand down because that tunnel is obviously extremely dangerous. Raven then orders to put the biological weapon they found into the tunnel and then seal it despite objections from Armstrong's subordinate Henschel. Raven then goes to interrogate the Elric brothers in their cell. The Elrics pretend that they are upholding their end of the deal to stay silent for Winry's sake, and then ask the General if that giant tunnel is a part of their plan, but all he says is that Olivier Armstrong is going to seal the tunnel and that she has joined their side.
While Henschel continues to object with sealing the tunnel, when they should search for survivors, Armstrong orders him to shut up and obey. Kimblee as he is observing the room with Miles admits that even the mighty Maj. General Armstrong must obey the authorities. Sloth is then brought from outside into the room fully awake, and Raven greets him and delivers the message from Pride that he still has work to do. As Sloth tries to remember why it's such a bother to do the work, Raven in his statement to the Briggs soldiers passes him off as a Chimera doing work for Central Command in a top-secret operation to improve their country.
At their hut, Dr. Marcoh notes the important pieces of the research notes are written in ancient Ishvalan and they'll need Scar to decipher them. As May goes to the window wondering where Scar is, she is unaware that two Briggs soldiers are observing them and recognize her black-and-white cat. Before they can leave Scar knocks them out and entering the house with Yoki, Scar decides they need to find a new hiding spot. Flashing ahead to several days later, the Briggs soldiers are finishing their job of sealing the tunnel with cement. Raven comments of how they the chosen ones will become like gods and rule the world. Raven then answers Armstrong's question that the lesser beings will be sacrificed for their survival, and that the same purpose was accomplished in the Ishval Civil War to assist with their plan.
Miles watches Kimblee get off the phone and notes he has been making a lot of calls after his arrival. Asking that he must speak with Lt. General Raven, Miles instead asks Kimblee what sort of magic he used to recover from his serious injuries so quickly and why he was released from prison despite having committed war crimes in Ishval, which Kimblee responds on both questions that it is none of his business. Olivier Armstrong then learns the plan has started since Amestris's founding and is nearing completion. As he states he will get her a seat at Central Command, Armstrong angrily responds by stabbing through Raven's left arm with her sword. Armstrong then hypothesizes that since growing old is a terrible experience, this had changed him from a man who truly cared about his country. Surprised by this, Raven realizes he has been tricked when Armstrong mentions that she doesn't need her own seat, she'll take his instead. Before Raven can use his gun, Armstrong slashes him across the chest, knocking him into the wet cement. As he is sinking, Raven cries out of how he truly was going to become immortal, but Armstrong states he'll become part of Brigg's foundation instead.
Throwing her blood-stained gloves into the wet cement too, Armstrong orders Buccaneer to contact Miles while the workers will level the cement and Buccaneer gives her new gloves before leaving. As Kimblee asks why Miles is sticking around with him and just as Kimblee is going to state how many of Miles' countrymen he killed in the war, a soldier comes by. Upon learning he doesn't need to distract him anymore, Miles returns to Kimblee to state that Lt. General Raven is missing. As Miles pretends that Briggs is a dangerous place for an outsider, he learns that even if something did happen then Kimblee is allowed by the Führer to act as he sees fit and he needs a car to drive to the base of the mountain. Henschel demands from Armstrong to search the tunnel for the team, only to learn from her and Buccaneer that they built a secret entrance to the tunnel as a backup plan, just as Ed learns what happened, though they will not be released from their cell anytime soon. Kimblee the arrives at their cell and reveals that he brought someone who has come to visit them, Winry. She is here to tune up Ed's automail to withstand cold climate tempatures even though they didn't inform her of their trip to the North. The Elrics become further worried when she mentions that a military person contacted her and tipped her off and Kimblee mentions the Führer was worried about them.
In Central, Colonel Mustang learns from one of his contacts that Kimblee was put in a hospital up North before Lt. General Raven arrived to visit him and suddenly Kimblee was healed and then discharged. After the girl leaves a flower seller states that he has been jilted and when offering for him to buy a flower, she secretly tells Mustang that she has a secret message from Olivier Armstrong in a flower. Mustang decides to buy all her flowers.
Episode Notes
- This episode is adapted from content in Chapter 67: Burgeoning Borders, Chapter 68: Portrait of a Family and Chapter 69: The Foundation of Briggs.
- It's in this episode that it's revealed Hohenheim's face from the only and enigmatic Elric's family picture.
- The same photography has always show up in the franchise recurrently, even in the alternative adaptation. But until this episode, the reason for the lack of the character's face was unknown.
Episode Cards
| Fullmetal Alchemist 2009 Anime episodes | |
|---|---|
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | |