Chapter 20: The Terror of the Teacher

The first chapter of the Dublith arc opens with Edward recalling early memories of both his mother and father before picking up where the previous installment left off, as he and Alphonse meet Sig Curtis. After a friendly greeting, Sig brings the boys to their old teacher, Izumi. She promptly thrashes them, furious that Edward has become a dog of the military. Once the beating subsides, the four settle in for tea and talk. The conversation drifts to the Philosopher's Stone and whether the couple knows anything of it. They reveal they know a man familiar with the Stone, one Van Hohenheim, and the brothers admit this is the very father who abandoned their family, a man Ed has no wish to seek out for help.

Talk turns to what the brothers have been doing and how far their skills have come since leaving Izumi. Demonstrating their progress, they show off their alchemical technique, and Izumi notices that Edward can transmute without drawing a circle. She asks whether he has seen That Thing, and he reluctantly confesses that he has. Their discussion is interrupted when local children rush in begging Mrs. Curtis to repair a broken toy train, followed by another child asking Izumi to fix her cat. The animal, however, has died, and Izumi gently explains she cannot bring it back, that alchemy has limits and restoring a lost life is neither possible nor right. The remark exposes what she already knows: that Ed and Al defied her teachings, and that their attempt to revive their mother left Al a soul bound to armor and Edward dependent on automail.

The Dublith arc begins as the Elrics reunite with Sig and Izumi Curtis, who beats them over Ed's military service. The name Van Hohenheim is raised as someone who knows about the Philosopher's Stone, and the brothers reveal he is their estranged father. Izumi observes Edward's circle-free alchemy, learns he has seen the Truth, and makes clear she already knows their failed human transmutation cost Al his body and Ed his limbs.

This chapter marks the debut appearances of Izumi Curtis, Mason, Chiko, and Menny.