HoS: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
Mar. 6th, 2005 10:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bard_linnEd returns for Masuta's world and discovers some unfinished business. Royai, Edsuta.
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
Few people realized how read Ed was. Of course he read every single piece on alchemy he could get his hands on but he also read works of philosophy, psychology and other genres that had nothing specifically to do with alchemy itself. It was a habit he had continued in his time in Masuta’s world; one could never tell exactly where the essential clue would come from after all.
So amongst his wanderings amongst the library Ed discovered a fact that made him very amused. Many philosophers and religions held water to be the element of cleansing. It was also the element of rebirth and initiation.
Ed found this amusing because in his world it was the exact opposite.
Fire was considered the primary symbol of rebirth in alchemy. The phoenix was one of the prime alchemy symbols for that very reason. Fire also served as a source of cleansing.
Edward hadn’t told Al exactly why they had burned down their house, since he had returned or even when they left. The reason he had given was true enough. They had wanted to sever ties to their past. With a house to return to it would be far too easy to give up and go home.
What Ed hadn’t told Al was the state of the basement. Ed had ventured down there one time alone and had seen the remains of their work. The creature they had created had vanished but the circle remained etched on the floor. Upon further inspection Ed discovered that the marks were actually burned permanently into the stone floor. The minute he saw that he knew the house would have to be burned though he didn’t know why. However, after dealing with their teacher and Wrath, he understood. The experiment had created a link between this world and the Gate. It was this link that later allowed Wrath to escape. Only fire could sever that link, though Ed had only known it because of subconscious knowledge from the Gate.
When he returned to Central with Masuta, he ended back up at the building. He was dismayed to see it still standing and immediately began to take steps to purge it. He had promised to destroy it. Ed didn’t break his promises.
It was both harder and easier than last time. Their house had required less dangerous chemicals to burn being mostly wood while this had stone and metal as well. On the other hand, he didn’t have to use an array, was comfortable in his automail and had gotten quite a bit stronger. And he didn’t have to worry about grass fires. It was a fair trade.
“Fullmetal.”
Ed lifted an eyebrow at Mustang’s approach. He tossed the burning torch down the staircase and quickly backed away. The pair quickly exited the church. Not a minute too soon. The entire structure was soon consumed in flames.
“What was the purpose of that?”
Ed looked quite satisfied watching Dante’s base burn. “Just taking care of some unfinished business.”
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
Few people realized how read Ed was. Of course he read every single piece on alchemy he could get his hands on but he also read works of philosophy, psychology and other genres that had nothing specifically to do with alchemy itself. It was a habit he had continued in his time in Masuta’s world; one could never tell exactly where the essential clue would come from after all.
So amongst his wanderings amongst the library Ed discovered a fact that made him very amused. Many philosophers and religions held water to be the element of cleansing. It was also the element of rebirth and initiation.
Ed found this amusing because in his world it was the exact opposite.
Fire was considered the primary symbol of rebirth in alchemy. The phoenix was one of the prime alchemy symbols for that very reason. Fire also served as a source of cleansing.
Edward hadn’t told Al exactly why they had burned down their house, since he had returned or even when they left. The reason he had given was true enough. They had wanted to sever ties to their past. With a house to return to it would be far too easy to give up and go home.
What Ed hadn’t told Al was the state of the basement. Ed had ventured down there one time alone and had seen the remains of their work. The creature they had created had vanished but the circle remained etched on the floor. Upon further inspection Ed discovered that the marks were actually burned permanently into the stone floor. The minute he saw that he knew the house would have to be burned though he didn’t know why. However, after dealing with their teacher and Wrath, he understood. The experiment had created a link between this world and the Gate. It was this link that later allowed Wrath to escape. Only fire could sever that link, though Ed had only known it because of subconscious knowledge from the Gate.
When he returned to Central with Masuta, he ended back up at the building. He was dismayed to see it still standing and immediately began to take steps to purge it. He had promised to destroy it. Ed didn’t break his promises.
It was both harder and easier than last time. Their house had required less dangerous chemicals to burn being mostly wood while this had stone and metal as well. On the other hand, he didn’t have to use an array, was comfortable in his automail and had gotten quite a bit stronger. And he didn’t have to worry about grass fires. It was a fair trade.
“Fullmetal.”
Ed lifted an eyebrow at Mustang’s approach. He tossed the burning torch down the staircase and quickly backed away. The pair quickly exited the church. Not a minute too soon. The entire structure was soon consumed in flames.
“What was the purpose of that?”
Ed looked quite satisfied watching Dante’s base burn. “Just taking care of some unfinished business.”
