Summary:
The chapter begins with Izumi and Sig Curtis, her husband, traveling to Fort Briggs to seek help from Olivier Armstrong. Izumi is severely weakened due to the loss of internal organs during a failed human transmutation attempt and hopes that Olivier’s medical expertise can help her.Upon their arrival, Olivier greets them with hostility at first, as he distrusts alchemists and is wary of strangers. However, Izumi’s reputation as a skilled alchemist and Olivier’s admiration for strong women ultimately lead to a disgusted alliance.Olivier examines Izumi and discovers that she needs a soul-binding alchemical technique to stabilize her condition. However, the only known practitioner of this technique is Scar, who is currently on the run from the military. Undeterred, Olivier sent her subordinates to find Scar and bring him to Briggs Fort.Meanwhile, as Olivier and Izumi await Scar’s arrival, they bond over their shared experiences as strong-willed women who have faced countless challenges in a male-dominated world. Olivier reveals her own struggles as an only daughter in a military family and her desire to prove herself as a capable leader in her own right.As the chapter ends, Scar arrives at Briggs Fortress and is tasked by Olivier with performing the soul binding technique on Izumi. Despite his initial reluctance to help the alchemist, Scar eventually agrees to help Izumi, and the two powerful women watch as the complex alchemical process begins.