Comprehension is the first step in alchemy, finding out what something is made of.

Whist on my travels, I have met many people, both good and bad, and all of them have nurtured me to become the person I am now.

To my mother, I am just like my father.I only found out when she died.

To my father, I am his eldest son. I did him proud (not that I care that much).

To my brother, I am always there when I'm need most.

To my girlfriend, I am her first customer. I am the person she gave 85% (or something like that) of her soul to.

To granny, I am her honorary grandson.

To the army, I was the dog of the military. I was a weapon.

To my commanding officer and his team, I'm the person who livened up their job. I'm the person who gave them more paper work to fill out.

To Scar, I am a state alchemist. I am an ally, in the end.

To Ling, I am a friend who pays for his food; something that I don't enjoy doing.

To May, I am not what the legends say, which can be a good and bad thing.

To Envy, I am a pipsqueak. I got the better of him in the end.

To Pride, I could have been a host, but I was better than him.

To Greed the first, I had the secret to 'immortality'.

To Greed the second, I am the person who helped him achieve his most wanted desire.

To the Father (what WAS his name?), I am a sacrifice. I am an annoyance.

To Lust, I am a tool to get the job done.

To Wrath, I was part of his army, the youngest to ever join.

To Gluttony, I was a snack who wasn't supposed to be eaten.

To Sloth… I don't really know him, I think he just forgot about me after I wasn't in his line of sight.

To Nina, I am her nii-san. I failed her.

To Shou tucker, I am just like him. This isn't true.

To my teacher, I am her student who didn't listen to her rules. I am the son she never had.

The next step in alchemy is decomposition, breaking down what you already have.

So, what does that all mean to me?

I am like my father, his eldest son.

I am almost always there for when I'm needed.

I am a friend to those who needed one.

I am a grandson and son and brother to many.

I am an ally.

I have given up 85% of my soul to my girlfriend, who did the same back.

I have lived up the jobs of many, but also given them more paperwork.

I have helped some people achieve what they wanted most, but not everyone.

I am NOT what the rumours say.

I am NOT a snack.

I am NOT a pipsqueak… anymore.

I am NOT like Shou Tucker.

I was a state alchemist.

I was in the army.

I was a sacrifice.

I was a major part in the Promise Day.

I was a tool that people used to get their jobs done.

I was a student.

And the final step is recompression, making what you have into something new.

So what have I gotten out of meeting all of these people?

I've discovered that I am well liked by many people, and hated by just as many.

I've discovered that nothing is what it seemed like to begin with, whether that be people, jobs, history or even alchemy.

I've discovered that greed means more than riches, immortality and sex.

I've discovered that you cannot find everything you have lost.

I've discovered that some rules you cannot break.

I've discovered that a lesson without pain is meaningless, for you cannot gain without giving something of equal value in return.

And, so it seems, that my long winding path that I have been previously traveling on has come to a crossroad. I've now got three paths in front of me, for the past is no longer an option. But I've got two perfectly good legs, and a full metal heart, so I can keep going forward and using the lessons that my painful past has provided me.

But no matter what happens, I will always be a human being who goes by the name of Edward Elric.