In an abandoned house in the north, as Yoki, Jerso, and Zampano huddle by the fire for warmth, while Mei, Dr. As Marcoh and Scar attempt to decipher his brother’s mysterious alchemist notes, Alphonse finally awakens to find his armored body in dismembered parts. The others explain that he was too big to carry without disintegrating, and Winry asks if Al has ever lost consciousness like this before. As they all work together to put Al back together, making sure he doesn’t mix up the right and left parts, Mei gets a flash of inspiration and unbinds the notebook to group all the pages that refer to “honey”. and “immortality”. Mei recognizes some patterns and draws lines between certain symbols, revealing that the secret behind the notes seems to be that Scar’s brother has discovered the existence of a nationwide transmutation ring being built around Amestris. However, knowing about the circle, Marcoh and the others despair, but Alphonse urges them not to give up, stating that the research notes may actually hold even more secrets. When a sick sneeze from Yoki turns several pages upside down, Al is struck by a flash of inspiration of his own and asks everyone to turn the pages. To Mei’s surprise, the new configuration creates a field that contains many of the same properties as the Nationwide Circle, but instead is built on Alkahestric concepts.
In the mines below the Baschool, Kimblee has lost Scar’s trail, but inadvertently stumbles upon a tunnel dug by a sloth Homunculus. As he enters, he is immediately struck by Homunculus Pride, who orders him to abandon his search for Scar and head to Fort Briggs to carve the “Crest of Blood” and informs him that Lenoth’s tunnel is almost complete. At the fortress itself, Major Miles informs Captain Buccaneer and 2nd Lt. Falman that the Fullmetal Alchemist, Kimblee, Darius, and Heinkel are all missing. Falman immediately calls 2nd Lt. Breda to West City to brief him and exchange information. Breda tells his old friend that the border war in Pendleton is escalating unnaturally, that Sergeant Fuery is busy dodging fire in the Fotset war, and asks him to be careful in the bloody fighting that is looming over Briggs as well. Falman offers that war may be the least of their problems with the Homunculus digging a transmutation circle beneath their feet, unaware that at the same moment Sloth connected the end of the tunnel to the beginning, finally completing the five-point field across the land. .
In Reola, the townspeople work diligently to repair the damage in their village, while Rosé distributes food to all the hungry and tired. She is greeted by a famished Van Hohenheim, who asks for some food and explains that he has come to town to visit the Church of Leto. Rosé and the food stall vendor take him to the basement of an abandoned church, where a certain part seems to be blocked by a toxic spring. Realizing that the toxic water was placed there to prevent normal humans from venturing beyond a certain point, Van asks his two companions to stay behind while he crosses the water, a clay bridge alchemically forming beneath his feet, when he walks Before long, he reaches the tunnel and is attacked by Pride. Hohenheim attempts to escape the Homunculus, erecting stone barriers behind him to keep the Pride’s destructive power at bay, but as he stumbles across the boundary of the tunnel, he discovers that the shadowy creature can only roam freely in Central City – where his human-shaped container is – and the boundaries of the tunnel itself; if he ventured outside of her he would die. Hohenheim asks if Pride is angry, to which the Homunculus replies that anger and all other necessary emotions do not reside in his being—that he left them all with his Father when he was created. Van notes that Pride’s form, which resembles that of his father when he was still a being inside the bottle, is the very image of his arrogance. Pride asks if Hohenheim would like to be escorted to where his father is, but Van replies that he will eventually come to visit, escorted or not. She asks Pride to tell her father that “Slave 23” will be visiting soon. Van Hohenheim returns to the base of the church where Rosé and the old salesman are waiting, demolishing the bridge and explaining that he went to declare war.
Up at Fort Briggs, the soldiers notice that Drachma forces have launched an offensive just beyond their walls and are moving to counterattack. On the Drachman side, Kimblee plays the role of advisor to the enemy commander, explaining that Briggs’ “Ice Queen” is far from her castle, and that several men inside the massive citadel are already prepared to turn traitor once the fight begins. Armed with this information, Drachma starts firing cannons at Briggs. Meanwhile, in the northern city of Asbeck, Zampano contacts Envy and Wrath by phone to tell them where Dr. Marcoh finds.