Spoilers: The whole manga (eventually) and the old anime + movie.

This fic will follow the manga. Everything up until cap. 92 'The two Philosophers' has happened, after that I will start tweaking. If things that are revealed in the new chapters fit my story I will keep them, if they doesn't I will change them. I will borrow characters and ideas from the old anime but tweak and twist them as I want.

Summary:

"The gate is fake, but the Truth behind it is real. Don't you understand Al? The Homunculus tricked us all this time. It created the gate and put that truth guy as gatekeeper, and then it waited. Waited for an alchemist mad enough, desperate enough and skilful enough to open the gate and reach the Truth behind."

The promised day is here, the Homunculus called Father collects his human sacrifices. But the sacrifices are ready for battle and won't allow themselves to be used, unfortunately Fathers plans are more wide spread than any of them thought. In the end Ed finds himself to be the only one able to move, able to keep fighting, but he has no idea how he is going to turn this around! What he needs is time, time to separate the truth from the lies, time to find the Homunculus weak spot, time to rebuild his strength. Time he doesn't have. At least not in this world. But in another world...

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. Period. And that goes for the rest of the chapters in this fic to since I probably will forget to put in this disclaimer thing again.

English is not my first language and I doesn't have a beta reader. All corrections are welcome.

Phu, that was the heavy stuff. Now to the fun part: start reading.

The Truth of Alchemy: Another world

Cap 1.

"...You humans are pathetic, so clever, so brave and yet so stupid..."

"...Bastard! You disgusting thing! The creation of a philosophers stone was just a bonus!?..."

"...You need a soul, a soul of your own to reach the Truth..."

"...The path is opening for you, but I will use it..."

_-/*\-_

There was a faint noise, or rather the opposite. A smothering silence cut out the sound of the busy city and under him the world rolled like the sea. The invisible wave of silence and disorder weakened and faded to nothing as it spread. Everything went back to normal.

What the hell was that? Alfons Heidrich thought, staggering sideways to regain his balance. He immediately regret his choice if words, but the sensation had been surprisingly strong. He glanced up and down the street. Two blocks away an old woman looked back with a startled expression. Apparently Alfons wasn't the only one how had felt something.

Slowly it dawned on him that he somehow recognised the feeling. He looked up the street again, except the lady he was completely alone. Searching he turned around. The buildings gave a could and uninviting impression. Closed doors and staring windows, reflecting the grey sky. On his right there was an empty plot of land. Nothing but mud, grass and the smeared remnant of a hopscotch marking.

The wind made the dry grass sway and Alfons spot a flash of something bright red. Curious he stepped closer, rounding a pile of rubble. There was someone laying on the ground, face down. Most of the body was hidden under a long coat. It was torn, streaked with mud and had several burn marks. Not that it was uncommon, Londons poorest did wear their clothes until they fell to pieces, but this coat was red. Deep rich red, and the long strands of hair the wind played with gleamed as pure gold, making the figure glow like the only coloured person in a sepia picture.

Alfons gasped and cowered the distance in three long strides. That feeling, and those colours... could it be... He knelt down beside the figure, reached out and carefully turned him over. The young man panted slowly, as if he had tried to regain his breath for some time. His eyes slid open, revealing a golden colour Alfons only seen once before. Those eyes, that face. Alfons had several reasons to never forget them.

"Ed... Edward?", he asked not sure what to expect. The golden eyes come to focus on his face and after a long blank stare there was a light of recognition.

"...yea..." The answer was hardly more than a grunt. "Yea...", he repeated more thoughtful and some tension seemed to drain away. But then his gaze turned to scenes in an unknown distance before it disappeared behind heavy eyelids as he gave in to exhaustion.

_-/*\-_

A slamming door, distant ruckus.

"So Miss Bell was right? You have someone up there!"

"Yes uncle but he..."

"You can't just drag some stranger home! Alfons, what were you thinking?!"

"He was wounded!"

"Then he should be in the hospital!"

"Calm down! You miss the point! He isn't some stranger. Dammit, four years ago he saved my life!"

"What?!"

"..."

"OK, saved your life, would you care to explain?"

"Yes uncle. I have tried to explain ever since you barged in trough the door, but whatever Miss Bell told you, it made you to upset to listen"

"Ah, you're right. Right... but your explanation better be good!"

"It is, or at least it's strange enough to keep you interested uncle."

"Alfons, quit staling and just tell me what this is all about."

"Well... I think it's easier if you just come look for yourself." The voices drew closer. "What exactly was it Miss Bell told you by the way?"

"She said you had lost it this time, that you had brought home some passed out beggar, claiming that he was your cousin and ordered her to get hold of a doctor. She said that you refused to take him to the hospital or bring just any doctor over here and ended up having Dr Marcin to leave his practise and come all the way here."

"Oh lord, that woman... I said that he looked like my cousin, not that he was my cousin." There was a slight creak from the door. "Dr Marcin, have you found out something new?"

"No, Alfons. I've done what I can. Now we just have to wait."

"Ah, Marcin I'm sorry if my nephew have caused you trouble."

"Don't worry Heidrich, Alfons claims that this boy is a friend of his and I don't mind helping friends of my friends. Besides, now that I have had a look at him I won't leave this room until he comes around and can explain a few things."

"Yes, Alfons said he looks like..."

"I think you will find his face interesting" Quick footsteps as someone approached the bed. A gasp of surprise, and then a long silence.

"Merciful Lord in heaven, he looks just like Edmund! Just like him... but younger..."

"I didn't see your sisters boy that many times before he went out to the war, but I would say that this boy could be passed of as his twin"

"Yes... He looks like him... but it isn't Edmund... no, that can't be."

"No uncle, he isn't Edmund. This is Edward. I've told you about him before, but I doubt you did believe me at the time. No one else did."

"I think your uncle and I will have you to repeat that story again. This is quite a mystery. Right Heidrich?"

"Yes, his face..."

"Oh, it isn't his face that fascinates me, however peculiar it is. Take a look at his right arm and you will see why I'm ready to camp in this armchair until I get my answers."

"His right arm... is something wrong with it? I can't see... Wah!? Metal!?"

"Yes, and his left leg to." There was a busy silence and someone tugged the blanket.

"He... He have lost his arm and leg? God, that's screwed down in his ribs!" Shocked breaths and the blanket was pulled back. "It is some kind of prosthesis? Artificial limbs?"

"Probably, but they are far more complicated than anything I ever have heard someone even dream of. He can move them just like real limbs. In fact, when I treated his wounds he did move his right arm fare more than his left, most likely since it hurt less."

"That's... unbelievable."

"It's true uncle, you wouldn't notice that his arm and leg isn't real if you didn't see them. I didn't."

"If you say so, but what's wrong with him anyway?"

"Ha! What isn't! He's all beaten up. Cuts and bruises all over his body, and some nasty scars that seems quite new. But there are no broken bones, no serious wounds and no internal bleeding. He isn't dehydrated nor has he a fever and as far as I know he doesn't suffer from any illnesses. If I'd have to guess why he doesn't wake up I'd say that he is completely exhausted."

"Exhausted?"

"Yes, worn down, tired to the bones. He have been sucked dry of all energy and the best medicine for this is simply to let him rest."

"I trust your judgement in this Marcin"

"You better do! What's the reason to call a doctor if you doesn't trust him to do his job?"

"Right, right. But now, Alfons you'd better tell us everything. How do you know that boy? Exactly how and why did he end up here?" The voices drew away as the men left the room. Alfons answer was lost as the trio shut the door and went downstairs.

Yes, exactly how and why did he end up here? Ed tried to bring order to his memories. Some things was still a bit fuzzy but the things he did remember... it was quite a story.

_-/*\-_

AN: cliché, cliché, Ed found wounded and unconscious, I know it is cliché but there is a reason why things like that are cliché; it's bloody effective! Sorry for the short chapter, but this is sort of an introduction before things really gets going.

And I really likes Dr. Marcin. I did get lots of inspiration for him, but then I figured that he was a little over the top, but then I realised that I write a fic for the manga that features Armstrong(!) and realised that no happy, eccentric, father to six kids, Italian, doctor OC I write will be more over the top than the canon.