On the way to Lior, Ed and Al reminisce about the events that lead to them being trapped in their current bodies by breaking the taboo of human transmutation. Meanwhile, Colonel Mustang looks back on the first time he met the Elric brothers.

After their encounter with Scar, Ed's automail and Al's armor need to be repaired, so Major Armstrong escorts them to their hometown of Risembool. On their way there, they spot Dr. Marcoh, a scientist who helped create the Philosopher's Stone, and try to convince him to give them the location of the Stone's research data.

Hohenheim's visit ends with a grave warning to Pinako, but Ed finds hope among the charred ruins of his childhood. Now more than ever, he has confidence that Al can be returned to his body.

Those who have prepared to reclaim a nation find their plans exposed. The chaos multiplies after an assassin strikes down a mighty leader in broad daylight, and Alphonse falls prey to monsters in the dark.

The light is gone. Shadows swallow everything. As the planet quakes and the heavens tremble, the souls of heroes and villains alike vanish into darkness. The circle is complete.

Millions of lifeless bodies litter the landscape of Amestris, and a being with the power to create suns is unleashed upon the world. Unless Hohenheim has something amazing up his sleeve, all is surely lost.

When the battle ends, the one known as Father meets his final fate beyond the Gateway. When the one known as Fullmetal enters the sacred space, he finds only the promise of a new beginning.