Finally the gate opened for them. After many filed attempts, the gate finally opened for the followers of Voldermort.

The masked men stood at key points of the circle drawn in the dirt, each chanting an ancient hymn. In the middle of the dirt, a large, dark doorway stood casting its shadow over the men and women before it. Voldermort and his right hand man, Severus Snape, stood at the edge of the shadow. Severus loathed being in this position. If the experiment failed again, he would be first in feeling their masters… displeasure.

Yet as the hymn came to a close, the portal opened as it was meant to. A pale yellow light poured out of the opening, and dark hands shot out after the Death Eaters. Severus frantically reached for his wand as the others around the circle scrambled away from the hands. One man was not so lucky, and his screams of terror rang over the grounds. As Severus watched, the man was pulled into the gate, struggling the entire time. For a few moments, the Death Eaters watched to see if their comrade would reappear. Movement within the gate sent a shiver of fear down their spines, yet they were even more alarmed to see a young, apparently human, man struggling against the hands.

"Let go of me!" The young man growled his voice low in his effort to free himself. He finally broke away from the hands and fell face first into the dirt. The gate closed slowly behind the man as he attempted to catch his breath. Severus watched in wonder. Was it…?

"Sit up." Voldermort's cold voice cracked through the air. Everyone whom bore the dark mark cringed, for they could detect the dark, dangerous tone in their lord's voice. The blond haired man shifted and stood, allowing everyone to get a good look at him.

The man was shirtless, his black pants and shoes covered in dust. His right arm was covered in a steel grey armor of sorts. At the base of the armor (which covered his shoulder as well) there were dark scars. Golden eyes burned out of the young face, giving it a stubborn, older look. His hair was golden-blonde and long. He kept it tied back in a braid, but his bangs framed his face.

Ignoring Voldermort, the man directed his attention to this right arm. He lifted his hand, stared at it, and then sighed.

"Equivalency… so I'm stuck with auto-mail again. That bites." Edward Elric then groaned softly. He began rubbing his head. "What a rough ride this time. Stupid gate."

- - - -

Voldermort wasn't going to let him go willingly, Ed concluded as he avoided endless questions. He refused to reveal anything he knew about his world, his life, and or the Philosophers stone, which most of the questions appeared to be about. Ed kept his mouth shut, his eyes focused on the red ones before him. He had a strange feeling about the situation, so he kept his emotions down and his mind blank. This seemed to be infuriating the snake-faced man.

"My Lord," Ed turned his glare to the dark cloaked, masked figure that had been hovering in the background like a bat-like shadow. "May I ask why we continue to deal with this little nuisance-!" The bat had no time to finish, for Ed pounced.

"Who you calling a little nuisance who cant see over the rock before him!?" Ed roared as he punched the Death Eater in the stomach. The man fell, his mask slipping off his face. A hooked nose, a wave of greasy hair and black eyes only reinforced Ed's thoughts of a giant bat. It didn't stop him from kicking the downed Death Eater a few times.

"Bellatrix, if you'd please." Voldermort's icy tone was Ed's only warning before a curse slammed him in the back. He jerked, but refused to give them the pleasure of hearing him scream. He stumbled aside and turned to face Bellatrix. Her wild eyes burned in anger as she released and prepared another. Ed wouldn't give her the chance. He clapped, triggering a transmutation. Stone spikes shot up out of the ground, some of them piercing the robes of the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. The bat got one across the face. When the dust cleared, Edward was gone.

Voldermort was quick to show his displeasure.