Hohenheim is happy to see Alphonse after so long and points out that Pinako told him about Al’s hollow body. Hohenheim admits that they will catch up later when he has to help with Reole’s reconstruction. After he leaves, the owner of the food stand reveals that the radio that Al helped fix back then is working fine without any static. Al apologizes because it was because of him and Ed that Reole had to go through hard times with the state army. The food stand owner tells him that it’s okay because they are much happier after Cornell’s dishonesty was exposed, despite what happened with the military, and that they are all working together to rebuild their town. Al leaves, leaving Rosé to take care of Winry, while Jerso and Zampano go to help with the reconstruction, dragging Yoki with them. The workers ask Hohenheim if Al is his son, but Hohenheim states that he left home years ago for reasons and Al probably wouldn’t forgive him, only for Al to show up to help him.
Winry takes a bath at Rosé’s house, who also mentions to her that she is leaving Winry with a change of clothes. The two women are talking at this point, and Rosé mentions what a great auto mechanic Winry is at her age. Rosé learns that Winry is Ed’s childhood friend and the one who created Ed’s automail limbs, which Winry owes in a way, as Ed convinced Rosé to stand up again. After Winry is dressed, Rosé tells Winry how she fell into letoism after her boyfriend died, but Ed and Al saved her and inspired her to get her life back on track, as well as how they helped convince the town to go without restored miracles. Under Central Command, Bido got lost after going to Central, and while hoping to find Greed, he stumbles upon a room of Mannequin Soldiers and is scared to see so many of them. Bido is forced to take cover just as the door opens as Lieutenant General Gardner and Major General Armstrong enter. Gardner admits to Armstrong that this army is to serve as their immortal legion, as the human souls connected to them will make the soldiers invincible and loyal only to them. Armstrong asks where they would get the souls, and Gardner tells her that it will be from the lands they destroy or eventually destroy, as the battlefield is a great place to find human souls.
Frightened, Bido slipped out of the room and ran into Ling/Greed as he ran. Back at Reola, when Al mentions the tunnel, Hohenheim suggests they need to move somewhere more private. Once there, Al reveals why they’re in Reola and about the man they ran into under Central who looks like him, to which Hohenheim replies that if he really wants to know, he could tell them everything. Hohenheim then smiles happily and thanks Alphonso for his trust, thinking that he should trust his sons. Hohenheim says that the explanation will take a long time and wishes Edward was present, but Al claims that Ed has disappeared. In North City, Darius stops by a bank with Ed’s pocket watch to withdraw money from Ed’s research funds. He mentions that he is Ed’s representative at the bank teller and has a signed letter from a lawyer. After Darius leaves, the bank manager calls the army to mention it and gives Darius’ description. Darius brings money to the doctor to pay for Ed’s medical bills, although he is unhappy about having to keep the doctor and his wife quiet by paying extra. Heinkel quickly notices that the army is on the hunt and alerts Darius.
Three soldiers appear and with Heinkel pretending to be a patient, the soldier in charge asks the doctor if anyone else has been admitted recently, to which he states only one. Darius heads into the other room and tries to pretend he’s also a patient, but the soldier realizes it was the man in the bank and holds him at gunpoint. Outside, Ed returns with the food and an officer named Harris doesn’t recognize him because Ed isn’t wearing his usual red coat or his hair is in a braid. Calling him short, Ed takes down Harris and then another soldier, Cohen, who came to check on Harris. The leader wonders what happened and then Ed breaks through the wall and strangles him unconscious. Despite Darius’s concerns, Ed reveals that he is feeling better. As they leave, Ed picks up the strip of paper Harris had and decides to stay in his current white jacket for now. When more soldiers show up, Darius and Heinkel pretend to kidnap Ed to prevent them from recognizing him.
They escape and hijack a car with the army in pursuit. To keep the army from catching up with him, Ed has Darius take a sharp right turn, so at the right moment, Ed can use transmutation to disguise their car, which works, although the two chimeras are disturbed by Ed’s choice of appearance. Once out of town, Darius and Heinkel question where they should go next as Ed wonders if Al got to Winry and the others since he was held up for days because of what Kimblee did. Ed wonders where Al would go in this situation. In Reola, Al reflects on having just learned that his father was once a slave and is a living Philosopher’s Stone, with Al admitting that he was stunned by the news, even though it sounds like a far-fetched story. After admitting that this is not surprising given his hollow body, Al asks his father how his immortal body is doing. Hohenheim admits that despite the benefits, he hates it because people he knew die in front of him, like Trisha, and that he’s still who he is even if he’s not an ordinary person. Hohenheim reveals that the father is like a leather bag in his pattern and they must destroy it to defeat him.
Although Al shows the schematics of their plan, Hohenheim says it won’t work because Pride is guarding the tunnel. However, Hohenheim reveals that there is still time, as the promised day has not yet arrived. An injured Bido runs underground under Central and is cornered by Ling/Greed. He realizes that it is Greed due to his “Ultimate Shield” as well as his behavior. When Greed tries to reveal who he is, Bido is surprised by his new appearance and tries to make Greed remember that he is his friend from Dublith. At first he seems to remember, but then he cuts through Bida’s chest and states that the person was the previous Greed. Bido dies almost immediately and Ling/Greed says his job is to protect himself from the intruders. However, this causes a memory reaction as Greed recalls the other Chimeras that served under him in Dublith, and Ling admits in his mind that he has sunk to a new low for killing his friend and demands what those memories are. Ling tells Greed how important these memories are, and after seeing him suffer, she points out that Greed needs to control himself. Ling threatens to take control of his body, pointing out that the friends are still bound by their souls and that he cannot abandon his friends even if he represents Avarice.
Shortly afterwards, at the Führer’s residence, Mrs. Bradley suggests what book Selim should be reading next when he hears a noise. The intruder is Ling/Greed, who killed the guard and then attacked King Bradley, who parried the attack with his sword.