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| Chapter 75 summary: "The Last Days of Xerexes" Hoho teaches Math and Literature to other slaves. One day his master finds out about it. The master scolds Hoho, but Hoho asks his master to make him his assistant. Some time has past, Hoho is now a young man. He is having better life as the assistant to his master, and learning more about Alchemy. Homunculus tells Hoho his wish to get out of the flask. If it gets out of the flask it will die. Hoho's master with Homunculus are summoned to the castle to audience the Xerexes king. Hoho stays behind. What the king asked to the Homunclus was about getting the immortal life. Homunculus grins. It looks down on the king's wish for the immortality, but teaches him how to achieve it. Huge construction project has begun. Water canals throughout the country. People of Xerexes praise the king. People are excited and very happy about the new water ways. Though, the laborers of the construction sites stay cool. One night, people in one Xerexes village awaken to huge noises. They go outside to find the village is on fire, and the village populations are being murdered. Ones who were playing construction workers, they are the ones murdering the village people. They are holding a drawing of transmutation circle for the Philosopher's Stone, with the marks on each of Five points. Hoho hears the news that everyone in the Northern village of Botus (spelling??) has been murdered. The Homunculus grins. The king is inside the old Xerexes ruin, sitting in front of the wall drawing of transmutation circle for the Philosopher's Stone. King: "Hurry, soon, soon.." Time passed. The king is further aged and now ill. The canals (transmutation circle) are finally completed. The ceremony to make the king "immortal" has begun inside the old Xerexes ruin, in front of the wall drawing of transmutation circle for the Philosopher's Stone. Attending the ceremony is Hoho, aged now and he looks as old as the current day Hoho. He is holding Homunculus in the flask. Hoho knows nothing. He is innocently amazed: "Amazing!! Our king will become immortal!!" The king cuts his finger, and his blood drips down to the ground. Then it begun. Numerous black hands come up from the ground. Hoho: "What!!??" His master is down, people are down, horses are down, they are all being killed. The king who was assured by Homunculus that no harm would reach him, gets killed also. Hoho: "What!!?? What is happening!!??" "Homunclus, what have you done??!!" Homunculus: "The true center of the transmutation circle is where you and I are standing, right here." "I used your blood that was in me to open the Gate. Hohenheim, my blood family, we are at the center of everything." Underneath Hoho's foot, a gigantic eye of the "Truth" appears. Throughout the country, the black hands appear, take people's souls, then gather towards Hoho and the Homunculus. The morning after. Hoho wakes up. By his foot, broken flask. Hoho walks around and calls out friends' name. Nobody answers. "No use. Everyone's souls are taken. How is your body?" Behind him, a person appears. His face is the same as Hoho's!! Hoho: "Homunculus? What has happened??!! What do you mean by 'how is my body?'!!??" Homunculus speaks to Hoho: "I used the information from your blood to make this vessel. Finally, I can walk with my own legs. As my appreciation for giving me your blood, I gave you a name, knowledge, and now the immortal body in return for all the souls of people in this nation... Well, I took half of them, though." Inside Hohenheim, numerous calls of souls asking to be killed off. Hoho screams. ........Back to the current day. Someone is calling Hoho's name. He was sleeping on the moving train, and the people who woke him up were Izumi and Sig. They seem to have met before. Now they learn that Hoho is father of Ed and Al, and Izumi is their Alchemy master. While walking in the town together, Izumi coughs up blood. Hoho touches Izumi, and realizes something. Hoho sends off Sig to get a ride. Alone with Izumi, Hoho asks Izumi: "You saw the Truth? What have you sacrificed in return?" Izumi is reluctant to answer. Hoho tells her that he has some Xing's Medical knowledge. Izumi tells Hoho that she has lost part of her inner organs when tried to resurrect her child. Hoho asks Izumi if she was visited by the military recently. Izumi tells that in the past, but she refused. Hoho seems relieved with that answer. "Excuse me." Hoho puts his hand inside Izumi's stomach. Izumi coughs up blood. Sig sees that and punches Hoho. Izumi tells Sig: "I'm fine. I feel better." Sig: "He stabbed his hand inside you. Show me the wound." Izumi: "There is no wound." Hoho: "The organs that had been lost can not be recovered, but I reorganized the inside so that she has better circulation of the blood now." "Mrs. izumi, you can not die yet." Izumi is astounded, and asks Hoho his identity. Hoho: "A monster... no, I will tell you the truth... I am.. a Philosopher's Stone with a shape of human being, called Van Hohenheim." Caption reads: The Philosophers Stone, what Ed and Al have chased, searched, and longed for. That is the identity of Hohenheim, the father of Ed and Al!!?? (End of chapter 75) |