• Over the last five years, Alphonse didn't use alchemy as much, but Elisa couldn't get enough.
    " Uncle Alphonse, what's a philosophers stone?"
    " Why? Have you been reading your dad's books again?"
    She stepped back a bit, she knew how he felt when she read about alchemy.
    " A little, in dad's books he talks about a stone that can go against the laws of alchemy."
    " Then you also read how it's made?"
    " Yes uncle, I know how it's made."
    " Then why ask?"
    " In his books he talks of another method of making it, not with human lives, but with plants and trees."
    He sighed. It's reminded him of their day's before the incident.
    " Elisa, never you mind this stuff, now off to bed with you."
    " Yes uncle."
    Little did he know what she had planned that night.

    " Good, he's out cold. If he knew what I was gonna do, he'd never forgive me."
    She snuck into the basement, and drew a transmute circle, and gathered the ingredients.
    " That should be everything, and my blood's the last thing I need. Don't worry dad, we'll be together soon."
    She like her father, was going to attempt a human transmutation. And like her dad, she suffered the same fate.
    The transmutation went horribly wrong, the aura turned black as night, and she screamed as she felt pain through her whole body.
    Al heard the scream and jumped out of bed.
    " Elisa?! What's wrong?!"
    She screamed again, even louder. He figured out where she was.
    " The basement!"
    He ran as fast as he could, dashing down the stairs and into the basement, the door to Ed's room was locked, but he could hear Elisa's cries.
    He placed his hands on the door and changed it into little pieces. Alphonse couldn't believe his eyes, he saw the gate, and Elisa was being taken into it.
    " Uncle Alphonse, Help!"
    She fought to get away from the gate, but she wasn't strong enough.
    He grabbed her and pulled, he had lost his brother, he wouldn't lose his niece too.
    After struggling for about ten minutes, the gate closed, but it had her arm right inside.
    They fell backwards and she cried as she held her shoulder.
    "My arm, what happen to my arm?!"
    She saw something move.
    "Dad? Is that you?"
    Al saw what it was and pulled her back.
    " No Elisa don't look!"
    But it was too late, she looked.
    "What happen?! I did everything right! Why isn't dad here?! Dad, please tell me your here!"
    Al felt a twinge in his heart, he sorta knew what she was going through, but only Ed knew the true pain of it.
    He held her close.
    " It's okay honey, shhhhh."
    As he held her, he used alchemy to put her asleep.
    " I better take care of this thing. Don't need anyone seeing it."
    He placed her on the ground, walked over to the creature. Alphonse clapped his hands and placed them on it.
    Within seconds it was gone.
    He walked over, picked her up and carried her to her room.
    As he placed her in bed, he looked at what was left of her shoulder.
    "Just like brother's, the same arm too. I better wrap it. I'll try my healing alchemy and see what happens first."
    Al placed his hands on her shoulder, and a green aura surrounded them. Her wound was cleaned and bandaged in seconds.
    " Wow, that worked better then I thought. But what to do about her arm."
    Something caught his eye, the skematics Winry sent were under Elisa's bed.
    " Maybe I can make an auto mail arm for her. It'll be difficult, but it's well worth it."
    He kissed her cheek and tucked her in.
    " Good night Elisa."

    During the night he designed an arm for her, like his brother's. He added a few features to her arm.
    Around six am he was done, it looked just like Ed's, but with a mark made into the metal, it was a rose. The mark was on the arm and in the palm of her hand.
    He headed upstairs and into her room, but was shocked at what he saw.
    She sitting in her bed reading her dad's alchemy books, strugging with just one hand.
    " At least you're awake, how do you feel?"
    She wouldn't look at him, she knew what she'd done was wrong, and her arm was payment for her sin.
    " Is this how dad felt when he did it?"
    " Much worse, he not only lost his arm, but he lost me, and gave his leg to bind my soul to a set of armor. I always knew he blamed himself for that night, but the fault was also mine."
    " He never told me that. Only that he lost his arm and leg."
    He sat beside her.
    " It was so you'd never have to know what we went through that night. He told you about our travels right?"
    " Yeah, and the end of your travels, minus the part about you being armor, you being the stone, and the fact you gave your soul for his life,and then he gave his body and soul for you. How do I know? It's in dad's books, all of it, I've been reading since about four this morning. I know everything, even how I got here, and how I exist. I even know that because of me you can use alchemy."
    " I see, I'm sorry we never told you."
    " It's okay, really. Back then I could not have understood it, like I do now. You were protecting me, from the pain you had suffered."
    " But I failed, you suffered the same fate we did."
    " If you hadn't heard my cries, I would be gone. I would have died for nothing, I'm lucky you were there, and I'm greatful I only lost my arm. My arm was payment for my sin."
    He saw tears in her eyes.
    " Elisa."
    Al wished he could take hurt and pain away, but no one, not even God, could take it away.
    " I have something for you."
    She looked.
    " What is it?"
    He pulled out from behind his back the arm he made.
    " An auto mail arm, to replace the arm you lost."
    " It looks like dad's."
    " I made it like his arm, but I made a few adjustments."
    She looked very carefully at the arm.
    " Their are two marks, why?"
    " The birthmark on your back is a silver rose, your state title is Metal Rose, why not mark your arm, to prove who you are, to prove your heritege, and to show you know what sin is."
    " I like it. When can you set it up?"
    " Well first I need place the socket it'll go into, then wire the nerves right, after that I place the arm and power it."
    " How long will it hurt?"
    " Brother suffered for three days, after that he was okay."
    She remained silent.
    " You don't have to have this done if you don't want it."
    " I want it done, and done tonight. Can you do it?"
    " Of course, i'll rest for a few hours, then we can get started if you want."
    She nodded.
    " Okay, i'll keep reading dad's books, I want to know more."
    " Don't strain yourself Elisa."
    " I won't Uncle, trust me."


    A few hours later, he had everything set up and ready.
    " Elisa. Are you ready?"
    " Yes, dad went through it, I'll do the same."
    " Okay, here we go."
    She cried only twice, once when he placed the socket, and again when he powered her arm.
    " It's burns so much, but I'll bare it, if not for myself, for my father."
    Alphonse remembered that day Ed had his auto mail set up, nothing but tears, for his mistake, and for the pain.
    " Can you use it?"
    She moved her fingers.
    " How about your arm?"
    She moved it with ease.
    " I'm greatful uncle, really I am. Now i'll study alchemy, and find a way to bring back dad."
    " Didn't you learn anything from yesterday night?!"
    " Yeah I did, can't do it that way. Have to try another way."
    And she raced off to the basement.
    " Brother, she truly is your child."


    To be continued........