Two years past and it was now March. The Homunculi began making a scene in Amestris by order of their creator, Dante, to find Dante a new host body. They were looking at Kiana as their best option. Malia herself had come in contact with a philosopher's stone, and was weighing the option of using it.

This just seemed to cause more trouble as the Homunculi now targeted them.

The next morning, they travelled to visit Dante on order of the Elric's former teacher Izumi Curtis. When they arrived, the Elrics recognized the girl who answered the door as Lyra, who was Yoki's former subordinate that they met three years ago. Even Kiana recognized her, as she used to work in Youswell.

"Thank you for granting me this opportunity," she chattered on to Ed as she led us further into the mansion. "Working with Dante is all I could ever dream of."

She seemed so different from before that Kiana almost mentioned it, but she could suppose that after being with the Elrics, she might seem different herself.

Dante chattered on with the Elrics, telling them off-color easy answers to their questions, like "use alchemy to help people," and "the Philosopher's Stone can only bring unhappiness."

That woman really had no idea what the Philosopher's Stone was. She was obviously using Red Water and the Red Stone. But that was minuscule in comparison.

Kiana watched the woman speak about Hohenhiem and tell them some shocking information.

"Do you know where Hohenhiem is?" Kiana heard her ask from the corner in which she was standing.

Kiana saw Ed stiffen up, angrily respond, "I don't care about him!" and then he went outside.

Kiana moved to follow him, but then her right arm was suspended behind her back, and she was dragged into the main room of the mansion.

Xxx

Kiana was snatched up instantly and placed under a spell. Kiana couldn't make her body obey. Kiana was released by Lyra, but she did what Lyra and Dante wanted. Kiana headed to the middle of the room and there was Malia, laying on the floor, her philosopher's stone burned into her skin.

"The Philosopher's Stone," Dante said. "To think Malia owned the true stone all this time."

I stared at her. My eyes blazed silver, and I found I could speak. "What do you want?"

"Your body is young, and beautiful," Dante said. "I want it."

"Where is Alphonse?" Kiana weighed my options.

"Alphonse is plan B," Dante said simply. "I don't have to—don't want to—kill him. But if you continue to fight my power…"

Ugh. What's with the power-tripping villain types. I'm so over it.

Kiana looked at Malia. Kiana wondered if she knew how to use the Philosopher's Stone.

But Al was in danger. If Malia could only stop the Gate from opening. Kiana tried to open her mouth, but it remained shut. Kiana's eyes glazed over. Darkness.

Xxx

After heading through the door to go outside, there was a red flash of light, and Ed passed out. Ed woke up and found himself in another body and discovered his father. Once he confirmed that it was the Ed from his world, Hohenheim tells him to run, as there were great monsters in the skies. At London in the parallel world, Hohenheim revealed that the huge amount of death in this world was the source of all Alchemy in their world, since the energy from the souls passing through The Gate is what made transmutation possible and each person from their world has a connection to The Gate that gave them access this power. Ed revealed to him that he knew his father had lived on for centuries and learned everything else from Dante, and asked why he married his mother. Hohenheim revealed that he truly did love her, and only left so he wouldn't expose his decaying skin which was the side-effect of his multiple soul transfers.

xxx

At the Führer's mansion, Riza gives an explanation that Roy planned to eliminate the Führer, and hearing a noise in the cellar, Bradley decided he'd deal with it while the guards protected his family. As soon as Bradley entered the room, Roy had a hidden transmutation circle seal the entrance to the cellar door. Knowing that they were now alone, Bradley took off his eye patch, revealing his identity as Pride. Roy was furious with him, not because of his secret identity, but rather the genocide he had committed against other nations to expand Amestris' territory and force desperate people to create a Philosopher's Stone before the Homunculi steal it from them. And also of course, because the war tore his family apart. Pride admitted it was to protect humans from themselves, and that while there wasn't a god, there were devils who were the alchemists.

Before Pride began the fight, he used the Ultimate Eye to be able to see the air currents Mustang used for his flame alchemy and stabbed a hole in the wall with his swords, splitting the air flow so the flame wouldn't ignite where Roy wanted it to. A close stab from Pride, Roy used a well-timed shot to blow up the room, but only to find that Pride survived the attack.

*x

Ed and Envy began to fight and with Wrath's help, Ed is able to pin down Envy, knowing whichever face won't work on him. When Ed demanded to see his true face, Envy obliged, causing him to stop, as it resembled his own father. Dante revealed that Envy was the first Homunculus created when Hohenheim tried to resurrect the son that he conceived with her. As Envy admitted this was the reason he hated the Elric brothers due to Hohenheim abandoning him to start a new family, the shape-shifting homunculus transformed his arm into a blade and pierced Edward through the heart, killing him instantly. However, his death caused Kiana to break out of the trance that Dante placed upon her as she began calling out Edward's name in despair.

xxx

"EDWARD!"

Kiana broke from the enemy's control. Kiana ran to Ed's side, my mere touch purifying the hell outta Envy. Human again, despite the transmutation, he doubled back in agony and left the scene.

Kiana gripped Ed in my arms. There wasn't much time left. Alphonse was still waiting on the other side of their Gate.

Kiana gripped Malia's hand and used the power of the Philosopher's Stone.

Everyone… I thought, floating alone in the air. They came to their limits... They have no more power left... No. There is still some. Everyone's power is still left inside me. Now I'll show their power to the full. I can fight with all their energy. Only me. Only me and the Philosopher's stone!

Alphonse saw a light against the darkness. "Kiana!" he called. "What are you planning to do!?"

Kiana smiled at him, holding Malia's Stone in my hand. Kiana cut my hand and made a transmutation circle in blood on the ground.

"Tempus custos lacerat caeli spatium tempusque et aperuerit ianuam introibo ad me vocavi nomine omnipotentis Dei verum eo tempore custodis pater mi Chronos: ostende mihi viam lucis!"

Al and Malia looked on in alarm. Dante reached out desperately, trying to get to the now opening Gate.

Kiana stepped through. "I am going to open the power of the Philosopher's Stone, inside the Gate and save everyone!"

"Kiana!" Malia screamed.

Kiana vanished into the blackness. Light exploded all around it. Dante followed her in.

xxx

In the darkness it was the two Gates. Kiana was lying there with Dante. Kiana saw the emaciated form of Alphonse on the other side of the Gate. And I saw Ed there, sitting with him, both wearing nothing. Al looked at her, pleading, with empty eyes. Ed looked at her questioningly. Then she was there.

The figure stood up in the air, looking like a grim reaper, a harbinger of death. Who looked just like Nina.

"I am the messenger from the depths of death."

"NO!" Kiana screamed. "I saved them!"

Nina looked at Kiana and Dante. Nina narrowed her eyes at Dante, holding up her weapon, a scythe of sorts.

"Wait, you can't just—"

It came down. Dante screamed as she aged rapidly into dust, reaching into the open Gate, seeing something there that Kiana could not, would not dare to wonder.

"You abominable creature!" Nina said. "Invader! Return to nothingness! Then the death for this world!"

Nina turned and swiped the glaive down.

xxx

In the real world, blackness swirled around the mansion as a torrent of energy rose to the sky.

Something's gone wrong! Al thought. We can't stop it anymore!

Kiana can't handle this alone, thought Malia. "Along with the monster, this world will end! Kiana!"

Alphonse covered Malia as explosions ripped apart the mansion. It was beginning to collapse to the ground.

"Everyone... Everyone... Disappearing." The sea crashed around them. "The world... is ending..."

Malia dropped to her knees, tears in her eyes.. "If only I had protected Ed…! She wouldn't have gone into the Gate... And I couldn't protect her...!"

xxx

A point of light appeared in the center of the room, where the Gate had been. It rose up into the air, clearing everything away. A figure lay inside the sphere of light.

"Kiana...!" Malia called. "Kiana!?"

Kiana opened her eyes.

The others all looked up. Among those on the ground were Ed, back in his now healed body, and Al, hurriedly covering up in Ed's jacket.

"Kiana!" Ed said.

"Attack! Attack!" Dante stood up and shouted angrily, grabbing a knife, going after Kiana.

"It's beautiful," said Nina, appearing. "The suffering of the moment of destruction. Now! Right away! The guide to death, will lead to the world of silence and nothingness!"

"Reaper?!" I said finally after a moment of thought. "Like this, we'll be drawn to outer space together!"

"Oh no!" the others shouted. "Together!?"

"I don't feel despair," Nina said. "Along with death, there is always hope and rebirth. You will cause that, Kiana."

"But I...!"

"Kiana, because you opened up the power of the Philosopher's Stone within the Gate, you can save everyone. For my rebirth, I eliminate death and destruction. Someday you will be a great leader. The sacred power is on your side. Forever shut the passage to the other world!"

A beautiful woman who looked exactly like Trisha Elric stepped from the Gate. Ed and Al paused for a moment.

"Mom?!" they chorused in unison.

Even Malia was shocked due to her memories with this woman.

Their pain was great as they had recently defeated a Homunculus created from their mother.

"Trust me, Sloth was a farce," Trisha said. "I'm the real deal."

She held up her hands.

"Tutela numen ex spatio et tempore!" Trisha said. "Cronos Pater, da mihi potestatem; claude ostium in lege irritum tenebres tholus prope!"

The Gate appeared, and this time Dante hungrily ran into it, aging as she ran until she faded into dust.

I picked up Malia and looked down at Ed. "Cum spes mortis et renascentiam incipiunt."

"What does that mean?!" He asked. "What are you doing?!"

Trisha looked at him. "Along with death... Hope and rebirth begin."

Nina and Trisha smiled. The Gate closed.