The Truth Behind Truths

Nineteenth in the 2003 run, this chapter follows the brothers as they reel from the discovery that human lives fuel a Philosopher's Stone. Reasoning that only a large facility near a prison could supply such ingredients, Edward fixes on the shuttered fifth laboratory and, despite Maria Ross's objection, sneaks off with Alphonse to investigate. Inside the trap-laden ruin they encounter two soul-bound suits of armor guarding its secrets.

Shaken by the notes, Edward wonders aloud whether he and his brother are trapped in their bodies for good, but Alphonse and a listening Ross both urge him to press on. Spreading out a map, Edward concludes that the disused fifth laboratory, once run by the late Basque Grand and sitting beside Central's second prison, is likely harvesting condemned inmates for stones. He feigns agreement to let Ross and Brosh go in his place, then slips out that night with Alphonse. At the library Scar cuts down the guards, reads the abandoned notes to confirm the brothers know the secret, and spots the map pointing to the lab. The homunculi debate killing Edward, but Lust insists he serve his purpose first. Squeezing through a vent, Edward disables the traps and unknowingly cracks the seal binding another homunculus, Greed, stored below. Two shadowed figures who call each other 48 and 66 stir, and while Number 48 corners Edward for a swordfight, Number 66 sets upon Alphonse. Landing a blow, Edward spots a blood rune on his opponent's armor and realizes the guardian is hollow, just like his brother, as Winry back home remembers she left out an A-08 screw.

Story material comes from the chapter The Two Guardians. A commentary track on the English disc reveals that Alphonse's dialogue was captured by having the actor speak into a metal bowl, lending his voice a hollow ring; the same technique shaped the Slicer brothers and Barry the Chopper, though whether the Japanese recording did likewise is unknown.