We return - our burden follows

Prologue

The sound of pounding boots as the two military personnel stormed up the stairs - even the constant clank of metal that accompanied them - was far less disconcerting than the clanging and grumbling of the man that they had came to arrest. That man was certifiably insane - he cackled and laughed to himself, pitchers of blood filled his shelves. That blood was what he had drawn the array in. It had raised more than a few concerns among the other residents of the apartments. That was where the visiting State Alchemists came into the picture.

They stood outside the man's door, frozen in complete horror as they watched the man in hopeless fear of what he was doing. It was a shock to the older of the two that the light coming from the transmutation - for he had never witnessed human transmutation before - was a deep crimson that clearly indicated danger rather than a pulsing, electric blue. To the other the light was too familiar - it reflected in his wide eyes and flashed off of the exposed chain of his watch as well as his belt buckle. It disappeared into his long coat - the older finally realised why he wore it so religiously.

A murderous cackle echoed throughout the sparse room, effectively drawing both from their thoughts in an instant. They dove forwards in unison, shoving the haggard man - still laughing - out of the glowing array, still unidentifiable, drawn on the floor in drying blood. He fell, seemingly in slow motion, crashing into the shelf full of the pitchers of blood that he had collected - triggering the descent of litres of haemoglobin upon his head. He screamed - high, clear and unhuman - as it pooled around him and the ceramic pitchers shattered. Within moments he was out cold.

The mission was a success - demobilise the target in anticipation of the collection squad - though that success had came with a cost. In saving the man's life and prohibiting his movement they had endangered themselves. The light flickered a final time and they found themselves being broken apart, quickly and cell by cell, in a way one had experienced before. In fact, to the younger alchemist, the whole experience was rather eerily familiar. To the point at which it left him longing once again for the warm embrace of his long - deceased mother.

Then there was the flashing of image of the gate and the Truth. Truth's grin widened and he waved his one human arm. He said one thing "Back again Mr Alchemist?" Before the pair were pulled back by the black hands as though they were a single entity.