"But what is truth?
Not easy to define
Yes, I have truths
Are yours the same as mine?"
-Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trial by Pilate
White.
That was all Ling could see as he plunged through the Gate, into what appeared to be a void of nothing but a pure, endless white. The fall seemed to be taking forever, but, to be fair, he had no point of reference from which to judge the journey. He continued to descend down, and down, and down, until he suddenly hit something.
"Ughhh," he groaned, and pushed himself up of the ground, which was the same blank white as the rest of the space. Then, a large stone gate appeared behind him, decorated with the image of a tree adorned with words. The only one he could make out was "adonai." He then whipped around, just in time to see Ed smash into the floor.
"Fuck," Ed muttered, got up, and looked around. He saw Ling, who was hurrying over to him.
"Ed?" Ling asked, "Is this…?"
"Yes," Ed replied as Ling trailed off, "But there was-"
He was cut off by the sudden appearance of a white silhouette. Truth. A grin materialized on its otherwise featureless face. "Well, well, well, it seems you brought a friend along this time! I hope you do realize that I will be expecting payment for this visit?" It spoke with the voice of an infinite number of people.
"I paid!" Ed muttered, "Envy's philosopher's stone!"
"Unfortunately, that just doesn't cut it. You see, what you were trying to do requires a different sort of toll. Envy's stone paid for him, but for a human to pass, it requires something… else."
"Then what do you want, you sick bastard!" Ed interjected, furious that what he had been forced to do had turned out not to matter. That those souls had been sacrificed for nothing.
Ling walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ed," he hissed, "What the hell is that thing? His chi is nothing like I've ever sensed, not human, animal, and not even anything like a homunculus."
"Truth," Ed answered, "That's the bastard that I met when I committed the taboo."
"Ah." Ling turned to look at the figure, which had gotten up and was walking towards them.
"As I was going to say, there just so happens to be something I need done. A favor, you might say. And if you do it, I will send you back at the same exact moment you would have otherwise."
Ed open his mouth to say something, but Ling interrupted before he could speak. "And what is that favor?" Ling asked.
The Truth grinned, "Your world is not the only one I preside over, you know. I govern innumerable others, and in one of them, a man has broken my rules. Unfortunately, what he has done has made me unable to touch him personally. That's where you come in. The dimension in question has very different rules than the one you call home. But, to say to much would be giving it away, and where's the fun in that? It'll suffice to say you'll receive all the knowledge needed upon arrival."
It looked at the pair. "Well, what do you say?"
The two teens looked at each other, silent communication passing between them. Ling nodded and said, "Alright, we'll do it."
"Splendid! Now all that remains to say, is the governing force of that universe. While your's has alchemy, theirs has magic!" And with that, the stone doors of the gate opened, and hundreds of arms dragged the duo into the portal before either of them could reply to the figure.
The last thing they heard was the oddly cheerful voice of Truth, saying, "Good luck!"