Breaking the laws of nature is a serious crime!In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical ?auto-mail? limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother?s bodies...the legendary Philosopher?s Stone.The horrors of the Ishbalan campaign occurred years before Ed became a state alchemist, and had serious repercussions, which set the tone for the complicated dealings of present-day state politics. Lieutenant Hawkeye reluctantly tells Ed all the dread details of the role Colonel Mustang and the other state alchemists played in this tragic event.