Arriving in Resembool with Major Armstrong, Ed demands to know what Colonel Mustang’s orders were as they left the train station. While Major Armstrong admits that he knows nothing but to bring Ed to Resembool, he soon encounters Second Lieutenant Breda, who is also dressed in civilian clothes. At Central, Al and Winry wonder why Ed was sent to Resembool when Winry could have easily fixed his arm with automail. Ling breaks into their hotel room to explain the truth, admitting that he had to sneak in through the window because he is technically an illegal immigrant who recently escaped from prison. Meanwhile, Ed bitterly travels on horseback through the hot desert with Breda and Armstrong on a trail led by a man named Han to the ruins of Xerxes. Upon arrival, Ed takes a bath after suffering heatstroke from his automail, as Ling’s bodyguard Fu, who is in a wreck, is surprised that Ed was able to come with them. After drying off, Ed and Fu talk about Xerxes and how it relates to the origins of alchemy and alkahestra. Each explains the legend of a traveler from the east and a traveler from the west who emerged from Xerxes after its destruction, and that when each of these figures traveled to Amestris and Xingu, it led to the practices that both of their homelands now have . Ed realizes that this legend is what led Ling to begin his journey.
Breda asks what caused Xerx’s civilization to collapse so suddenly, which Fu admits he doesn’t know because it was just a legend. As they walk, Ed notices the tattered remains of what appeared to be a transmutation ring, and the group stumble upon Ross, whom both Ed and Major Armstrong are surprised to find is still alive. While an overly emotional Armstrong tries to hug an embarrassed Ross, whom he is running away from, Breda uncovers Mustang’s plan to secretly smuggle her out of the country to keep her safe. As I recall, it turns out that when the papers arrived at Mustang’s office, Mustang could easily tell that the story that made it into the papers was an obvious attempt to frame Ross and portray her as guilty of the crime. Ensign Falman then called from his apartment and Barry demanded to speak to Mustang. Mustang then pretended to be a girlfriend named Bunny and asked not to call him personally at his office, promising to call him outside as an excuse to leave his office, knowing that his phone line could be tapped.
Once outside of Central Command, Mustang learns from Barry on the payphone that the right arm of his armor has a bullet hole when Ross fired at him in Lab 5. Mustang then sends Barry to Central Prison to free Ross with the promise that won’t kill. anyone, while he assigned Breda to collect the ingredients to help make a burnt human corpse that he could fool the coroner with, especially since he has someone dealing with dental records to fool anyone who tries to access them. Later, when she meets Mustang on the street, he retrieves a dummy corpse from the garbage disposal unit and burns it before removing Ross’s prison bracelet to burn it as well, then hiding her body in the disposal unit where 2nd Lt. Havoc dug a hole to sneak her in just as the Elrics arrived.
In Fu’s presence, he reveals that Ling and Barry then made a deal and that Ling tasked him with escorting Ross to Xing where he would be safe, thus agreeing to meet at the ruins of Xerxes. Breda also reveals that Ed was allowed to come to see for himself that Ross was still alive and that Ed was only being kept in the dark because his hot-tempered nature would ruin the covert operation, which has Ed furious with Mustang. Breda also mentions that this plan is to draw in the people who manipulated the military, as they will likely silence Barry after Barry was involved in the prison break.
At Central, while Barry’s human body is on the hunt, Ling finished explaining the truth about their operation to Al and Winry. Ling admits that Ed’s removal was to get him out of Mustang’s hair and part of their deal was to learn the secret of Barry’s hollow body. However, unbeknownst to Barry since the Lab 5 scientists were dead, Ling is now with Al as Barry recommended that he check with Al who also has a hollow body. While Al moans that he is not part of this deal, in the ruins, Ross is concerned about her involvement as the group draws pictures of the Homunculus and symbols they have already encountered. Major Armstrong promises Ross that he will uncover the truth about Hughes’ death and clear her name. Ed decides despite what has happened all he can do is keep moving forward and Ross agrees to head to Xing. Later, as she prepares to leave with Fu and their group, Ross asks her not to tell her parents that she’s still alive, risking it slipping out, and that she asks Mustang to thank her for her. Ross also mentions that she will be back if Mustang needs her help. After saying goodbye to Ed and shaking his hand, Ross learns from Fu that Xing is paradise as they head out.
Back at Central Command, the Mustang Squad is preparing for the next phase of the operation when Barry’s human body invades Falman’s apartment. Barry stops Falman from shooting while Havoc arrives in disguise to back them up. After tearing the right arm from Barry’s sacred body, the human body flees as Havoc fires at him. As they head outside, they are again attacked by Barry’s human body and are in trouble when a bullet jams Havoc’s gun, but are saved by Lt. Hawkeye providing sniper fire from a nearby turret that injures his right arm. However, when Havoc tries to eavesdrop, Barry reveals that it is actually his original body and that he cannot understand them because he now has the mind of a lab rat and wants to reconnect with his soul. At the wreckage, examining the broken transmutation circle inscription, he notices that it resembles the one from Lab. 5, Ed is attacked by a man he recognizes as Ishvalan.
When another shows up with one suggesting they use Ed as a hostage to get their land back, which Ed knows will never happen, an elder Ishvalan named Shan appears and demands that they stop this nefarious act against the Ishvala. After Shan admits that he hates all Amestrians, the younger Ishvalan child admits that despite his dislike of Amestrians, it was thanks to an Amestrian couple who served as medics during the Ishval Civil War that he is still alive. Ed realizes that Winry’s parents are Urey and Sara Rockbell and learns how they helped the Ishvalans during the war. When Shan asks how they died, he reveals that it was an Ishvalan war priest whom he does not know personally, and then gives his description, which Ed realizes was Scar. In Central, Barry decides to kill his human body by revealing to Havoc and Falman that because he is