Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Episode 59: Lost Light

Roy Mustang stood frozen, watching the Gold-Toothed Doctor stand over Riza Hawkeye's bleeding form. Her throat was cut, a terrible wound, and her life was draining away as the Doctor cackled, demanding Roy commit the forbidden act of human transmutation. Riza, in her agony, weakly pleaded with Roy not to give in, not to sacrifice himself or their country. Roy's hands clenched; his heart was breaking, but he knew what she truly asked of him. The Doctor then produced a glowing Philosopher's Stone, a vile temptation, promising salvation for Riza.

Just as Roy's grim resolve set in, the ceiling erupted, bringing May Chang and the Chimeras, Darius and Heinkel, crashing down. May swiftly neutralized the surrounding guards with kunai, while Darius, in his transformed gorilla state, snatched the Doctor, his grip cutting off the villain's triumphant laughter. The Philosopher's Stone clattered from the Doctor's grasp, rolling across the floor. Roy, ignoring the chaos, rushed to Riza's side, cradling her head and trying to stem the blood flow, his voice thick with fear. May then rushed forward, her hands glowing with Alkahestry, preparing to stabilize Riza's terrible injury.

May swiftly drew a transmutation circle and activated it; blue light surged into Riza's neck, knitting the horrific wound. The bleeding stopped, but May confirmed Riza still needed a proper surgeon. Roy let out a shaky breath of relief as Riza's breathing steadied. They shared a quiet, potent look, one that affirmed their deep, unspoken bond and Riza's earlier promise to kill Roy if he yielded to the Doctor's demands. Riza offered a faint smile, acknowledging his decision to uphold their shared ideals, and the Chimeras finished clearing the room, providing a brief moment of respite.

The heavy sound of footsteps shattered the fragile peace as King Bradley, known as Wrath, appeared in the doorway. He was bloody and battered, his uniform torn, but his presence was terrifyingly powerful, draining the hope from the room. A flashback showed Bradley surviving the fall into the river, his superhuman strength allowing him to pull himself from the water and navigate the sewers with predatory focus. Back in the present, Bradley mocked Roy's attachment to his friends as a weakness. Roy retorted that his companions kept him human, unlike the Homunculi. Bradley's face tightened, betraying his deep hatred for human unpredictability and their capacity for change.

Bradley drew fresh sabers, ready to end the discussion, declaring humans to be mere tools. As Roy prepared to retaliate, May Chang cried out, sensing a massive, dark energy rising from below. The Gold-Toothed Doctor, still in Darius's grip, laughed maniacally. Suddenly, massive shadow tendrils, covered in unblinking red eyes, erupted from the walls as Pride, in the form of Selim Bradley, emerged to join Wrath. Wrath moved in a blur, pinning Roy to the floor and stabbing his hands with sabers, preventing him from using his alchemy. Pride then forced the Gold-Toothed Doctor into a transmutation circle, using him as a living catalyst to open Roy's Gate of Truth. Above, the solar eclipse reached totality, casting the city in an eerie twilight.

Roy Mustang awakened in the infinite white void before the Gate of Truth, disoriented by the forced transit. Truth, a shadow-like entity with a mocking grin, greeted him. It explained the law of equivalent exchange, stating that since Roy had wished to 'see' a new future, his toll would be his ability to see. The massive doors of the Gate swung open, and hundreds of shadow hands reached out, pulling Roy inside. He was bombarded with the overwhelming knowledge of the universe, an experience both physically and mentally agonizing. His soul was marked, and his body was violently ejected back into the material world.

In Father's subterranean chamber, Roy Mustang appeared through a vortex of shadows, collapsing onto the cold floor. Edward Elric and Izumi Curtis, already held as sacrifices, rushed to his side. Roy struggled to sit up, his hands instinctively reaching for his face. He asked Edward why the room was so dark, if someone could turn the lights back on, his voice trembling with a growing, horrific realization. Edward waved his hand before Roy's face, but Roy's eyes did not track the movement. The devastating truth was confirmed: Roy Mustang had been blinded, his world plunged into eternal darkness.

Pride stepped from the shadows, mocking Roy's loss as a fitting punishment for his ambition. Edward shouted in real anger at the Homunculus's cruelty, his fury reaching a breaking point. Roy remained silent for a moment, absorbing the weight of his new reality amidst the distant sounds of battle. He then found his voice, telling Edward that even without his sight, he had not lost his resolve or his comrades. Izumi placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, her face grim. Father looked at his now complete five 'human pillars,' the ritual one step closer to fruition.

On the surface, in the rain-soaked ruins, Scar and King Bradley began their final duel. Both warriors were bleeding, refusing to yield, as Bradley discarded his broken weapon for two fresh, ornate sabers. Bradley demanded Scar's name, but Scar replied he had shed his name to become an instrument of vengeance. Bradley laughed, stating he too was a man without a name, created for a role since birth. The duel erupted, Bradley's blades a blur against Scar's destructive alchemy. Scar used his right arm to shatter the ground, creating a chaotic battlefield of jagged stone and debris, pushing Bradley to stay on the defensive.

Bradley's Ultimate Eye allowed him to track Scar's every move, making him nearly untouchable despite his injuries. Scar countered by constantly reshaping the terrain, forcing Bradley to search for an opening. The fight spilled onto a narrow bridge, the added danger of height and wind intensifying their struggle. Bradley moved with the agility of a panther, his blades whistling near Scar's throat, yet Scar fought on, his focus unwavering. Scar realized he couldn't win through speed alone; he shattered the air with a massive burst of destruction alchemy, creating a shockwave that finally forced Bradley back, his legendary stamina visibly waning. In the sacrifice chamber, May Chang tried to intervene, but Father's immense power created an impenetrable barrier. Father raised his arms, and the transmutation circle began to glow with a blinding, pulsating purple light.

Massive shadow hands emerged, wrapping around the five sacrifices, holding them in place. Edward and Izumi fought, but their efforts were futile against the transmutation's raw power. Roy stood motionless, his blank eyes staring into a void he could no longer see. Suddenly, Alphonse's soul was pulled back into the white void before his Gate of Truth. He saw his original, skeletal body sitting before the doors, emaciated and long-haired, a stark reminder of his past loss. The body looked up with a sad, knowing expression, extending a frail hand, asking Al to return so they could be whole again. Alphonse's heart ached with desire, his metal hand inches from the body's skin.

Alphonse pulled his hand back at the last second, his resolve hardening as he remembered his brother and friends. He told his body he could not return yet, for a body so weak could not help save the world. He promised to come back for his body once the darkness had been defeated. The skeletal body smiled, proud of its soul's noble decision and growth. Alphonse's spirit was pulled away from the void, his armor glowing with renewed energy as his consciousness returned to the physical world. His armor eyes lit up with a fierce red glow, providing a final surge of hope to Edward and the others as Father's incantations reached a crescendo.

As Father's voice boomed through the chamber, the total eclipse reached its peak across Amestris. Citizens in every village and city looked up at the blackened sun, sensing the world-ending event unfolding. The nationwide transmutation circle began to glow through the earth itself. Pillars of purple light erupted from the major cities, forming a massive web of energy that converged on Central City. Father stood at the center of this vortex, his silhouette dwarfed by the immense cosmic power he was drawing into himself. The world was plunged into an eerie, pulsing darkness as the ritual entered its final, unstoppable phase, transforming the land itself into a tool for his ultimate ambition.