The Price of Life [Fullmetal Alchemist]

Chapter Thirty Eight

Qi

•••

After meeting up with Alphonse, they all returned to Dr. Knox's place. Ed had explained to both on the way that no one's alchemy was active while they were underground, and that their best bet was to talk to the girl who - right next to Scar - was the only one able to transmute.

"This must mean they practice a different type of alchemy," he came to the conclusion.

All three were excited by the concept but were surprised when finding the house little-girl-free.

"Where could she have gone?!" Ed growled at Dr. Knox. "When did she even leave?"

"I don't know," the doctor snarled back, "it's none of my business!"

The alchemists groaned in frustration.

"You two think of a plan - I'm going to go check on Lan Fan." Sonia walks away into the room her friend was quartered in, leaving all the boys behind.

Although already walking in, she knocks at the door frame. This wakes Lan Fan up, and she smiles half-heartedly. Surely she was hoping for a different, Xingese, male face.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Better. But I..." She stops herself, her expression confused.

"Miss your prince?" Sonia supplies. Lan Fan looks down as if almost ashamed.

"...Yes," she admitted. "Speaking of the young lord, we wanted to ask you about something. Since he is not here, I suppose I'll ask you myself."

This peaked the alchemist's interest. "What is it?"

"We had noticed this when we first fought the homunculi Gluttony and King Bradley. How did you learn to read people's qi?"

"People's what?"

"Qi is what the Xingese people believe is life energy that flows through the earth," she explains factually. "Every living thing emits a qi. The homunculi have a very strong qi because there are so many beings living inside of them."

"So all this time I've been feeling qi?"

"Have you ever been to Xing? How long have you been experiencing these emotions?"

"N-no. And... all my life, really."

"That can't be. Qi is learned, not something you are born with."

Sonia's eyebrows furrow. "Does qi also tap into people's memories? Like seeing and hearing and living through people's pasts?"

Lan Fan draws back. "No, not at all. What is it that you're dealing with?"

"I don't know," she confesses. "Maybe my powers are just something bigger than qi..."

The boys had left while the two girls were conversing, then Lan Fan was ordered more rest by Dr. Knox, so that left Sonia to seriously contemplate the true origins of her powers. Honestly, she was left with more questions than answers.

She's never been anywhere outside of the country, let alone Xing, which was across the desert! She was a native of Amestris, and from the south. And qi? Maybe it was somewhat true, but why are her powers so enhanced? And her sister's as well? This was all coming at her too fast.

Ed and Al eventually came back with no leads about the girl who knows alchestry.

"Well, we sure as hell can't ask Scar," Sonia says with annoyance, lifting up her shirt just a bit to show her wound from what seemed like so long ago. Ed frowns at her midriff.