This work was inspired by Divine Right of Kings by Oedipus Tex on ff dot net

Grab a box of tissues before you read that one.

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Prologue

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A very long time ago, an arrogant alchemist created intelligent life. On that day, a homunculus was born from the blood of a slave and sparked into being by an alchemic formula. Upon opening his solitary eye for the first time, the tiny entity asked to be called the Dwarf in the Flask.

Spending day in and day out inside a vial, the more this little blob of matter learned of his master and of human life, the more he desired. This desire grew rampant within his soulless being until he devised a plan to escape his pitiful flask and roam freely. No, not just roam freely, but to obtain perfection and rise not just out of his glass prison but above his creators, humans who possessed the one thing he never could: a soul.

Through his natural gift of manipulation, the Dwarf in the Flask enlisted the help of his master and of the very slave from which his master obtained the blood to create him. Together, they convinced the King to sanction an endeavor that through alchemy, one achieved immortality. Aging rapidly but not willing to ever let death take the throne from him, the King pushed his subjects for the completion of dry canals encircling the whole nation of Xerxes. Then, on one dark night, these circles were activated - effectively removing the souls of every person of that grand and ancient nation. Half of those poor souls, including that of the king, were pulled into the one soulless creature who desired total power...the other half settled into the body of the poor slave.

Thus, in a single night, the civilization and Kingdom of Xerxes fell.

"You don't have to tell me that story again…" The young man sputtered and winced at the pain the movement created.

"Let me use my last one, my last soul to heal you." He pleaded with his son hoping after the battle he had enough life left to save the youth. The wind blew fiercely across the Resembool meadow and long grasses thrashed against the deathly silent suit of armor splayed just outside of the transmutation circle the blind Colonel burned into the ground. Van Hohenheim began to feel anguish like he had not felt since the Dwarf in the Flask forced immortality upon him, the former slave all those centuries ago.

Edward stammered before continuing. "Quit being a dumbass of a father or I'll sock you in the face!" His breaths became labored and he closed his eyes and saw her, saw Winry again. Tears began to fall as he remembered she was dead...they all were dead. "I couldn't let him suffer when I died...I couldn't let him starve to death waiting for me any more...all alone in the nothing beyond the Gate. It was Al's idea." He kept his eyes closed. "He, he didn't want to go on...I don't either." The alchemist then, smiled and began to chuckle. "Winry'd be happy to see me missing the other leg...she'd have more metal to fit me with…"

"Shhhhh, don't talk anymore." Hohenheim cradled his dying son, knowing that even if Pinako and her granddaughter had survived the Promised Day, Edward has lost too much blood for them to save him. The former immortal looked up at the cloudy sky and remembered the horrific events that led them back to his boys' hometown. He relived Father's transmutation which stole millions of souls from the citizens of the once strong nation of Amestris and how he ripped the soul from the Earth itself in the process. He recalled his countermeasure, his reverse array failing. His own tears fell and mixed with the blood of his son as the painful image of the boys' digging Winry's and Pinako's graves that morning populated his somber thoughts. They refused any help as they completed their morbid task with Ed crying for his brother who lacked the ability.

"It was fast...he didn't feel anything when he went." Ed narrated pulling the trigger of his former commanding officer's firearm, the one he smuggled with him when he used the transmutation circle to see his Truth again...and his brother's stolen body. "I couldn't let him suffer...I couldn't."

"Ed, please don't speak." Izumi placed her hand on the young alchemist's cheek, a loving gesture toward the boy who she and her husband all but adopted. Now that Sig was gone too, she wondered why she was encouraging the young man to hang on at all - for she had not much to live for herself.

"But, do you know...that wasn't as hard as what he asked me to do when I came back...when I broke the rune that anchored his soul…" He opened his golden eyes and turned his head to view the pile of metal armor that once housed his brother's soul. "I set him free." His voice grew softer as if he were falling asleep. The alchemist closed his eyes.

"Is he gone?" The blind Colonel found Hohenheim's shoulder with his right hand and squeezed it firmly.

"Yes."

"Good." Mustang sighed and looked up into the stormy sky as the rain began to fall on his unseeing eyes. He knew that the rest of them would soon follow...for there was nothing left for them as there was nothing left of Amestris...nothing left of this world.