-Who are you anyway? Do you even have a name? WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
-Who am I?
One name you might have for me is the World, or you might call me the Universe, or perhaps God, or perhaps the Truth. I am All, and I am One. So, of course, this also means that I am you.
I am the truth of your despair, the inescapable price of your boastfulness. And now, I will bestow upon you the despair you deserve.
-the nightmare begins-
Alchemist
AlcHeMIst
Al-Che-Mist
Al-Ch-E-mI-sT
A-L-C-H-E-M-I-S-T
When you break a word down to its' elements, you find nothing but letters.
When you break something down and reconstruct it, it becomes alchemy.
You are bored, so you construct a universe and toys to play with.
AlCheMY
When the toys die, where do they go?
All is one and one is all.
It's the same as asking what happens to the toys after all the fun is gone.
All is one and one is all.
They are broken, discarded, reused.
They are One.
-The life of each human is worth one, that's it. Nothing more, nothing less.
The one thing you don't to take into account is something you never expected to arise.
And you simply don't understand it; you, who is everyone and everything.
It isn't something that your alchemy can touch, but the toys seem to think that it adds value to their lives.
You reduce it to four letters and rearrange it in so many different ways, but it never looks different from what it actually is; a simple word.
OlvE
VeLo
ELov
Love
The toys seem to understand it but why can't you?
-I'll do everything humanly possible to protect the people I love, and in turn they'll protect the ones they love.
It seems like the least we tiny humans can do for each other.
When one of the toys commits the Taboo and appears before you, it calls you sick and demented. Mad even.
You ponder the idea for a while and wonder what being mad constitutes.
Surely you have a right to play with the toys you've created? Surely playing a simple game does not make one ill in the head?
Surely, you decide, the toy has no right to call you these things.
And so you make certain that the Truth that this toy receives is especially… informative.
...
- Human kind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return.
To obtain something of equal value must be lost.
...
You realize that watching the toys play the game that you have crafted quickly loses its appeal.
So you decide to play too.
-Welcome, you stupid fool who doesn't know his own place.
You create rules because there is nothing more entertaining than winning when you are at a disadvantage.
-You would dare to look on the door. Now the door is open.
You put restrictions on what was once free; you call it Equivalent Exchange.
You sell them mere tastes of the Truth, and they pay with everything that they have.
- But we... we just wanted... we just wanted to see Mom's face again... see her smile...
There is no greater joy (can you call it joy if you are only slightly less bored than you were before) than fooling the toys into thinking that it is fair.
That there are concrete rules when it is just you and your arbitrary judgment.
But it seems that the toys cannot come to that conclusion and are content with the pain and sacrifice that knowledge brings.
...
-When you notice an insect on the ground, do you stop to consider it a fool?
The life of an insect is so beneath you that it would be a waste of your time to even consider judging it.
...
You once thought that watching the toys run around and play and fight and slaughter one another was at least a little amusing.
But in reality, there is nothing more boring than watching others play a game without you.
And so you devise yourself a role.
You create a Taboo and manipulated the toys into committing it.
And so began the terrifying visions of the Truth, the legend of the Gate.
You have never been quite so pleased with yourself because it is so much fun sending the disobedient toys back home in pieces.
...
-There's an old myth, about a hero who flew on wings made of wax.
He thought he could touch the sun, but when he got too close, his wings melted and he came crashing back down to Earth.
...
The golden-eyed one is the first interesting toy you have ever seen.
The toy survived two trips through the Truth and has kept his mind (mostly) intact .
It is unheard of.
And so you begin taking a bit more interest than usual in the game.
-'Cause we're not gods. We're humans.
Tiny, insignificant humans... who couldn't even save a little girl.
It is such fun watching the toy siblings race around their tiny little world, living out their sorrows and joys.
This toy is the most focused that you have ever seen, ridiculously determined to win his and his little brother's lives back.
You almost cannot believe that you created such amusing toys.
...
-Those people have us playing right at the palms of their hands, don't they?
I guess it doesn't matter what we do. We'll never be the ones in control.
...
The toys surprise you for the very first time when they manage to steal a piece of the Gate from you.
They create a little being that plots and smiles.
-You can call me the Dwarf in the Flask, Homunculus.
A powerful game piece, but all the same, very predictable.
-God! Respond to the cry of my soul!
It attempts to usurp the Throne in a flashy and spectacular manner.
-Come to me! I will continue to be bound by you no longer!
You feel the all too familiar scorn rising up in you.
Despite the professed knowledge of the usurper, despite the quest for perfection,
-Bow before him, humans, if he is what you call a god.
He is simply an imposter.
-But if you do not acknowledge him so, fight!
The golden haired toy surprises you by staking everything to strike down the one who dares appoint himself god.
You are even more surprised when the toy wins.
Or as surprised as an omniscient, immortal being can be.
-I'm gonna kick your ass, right along with that damn truth!
The toy, you find, often does what he says he will.
...
-Welcome Mr. Al-Che-Mist.
...
When the toy returns to claim his prize, the brother, you can feel the exhilaration pouring through you.
You ask him what he is prepared to pay, and for once, you get the right answer.
You have been beaten, completely and utterly defeated by a toy of your own creation.
As the toy… no, the human… walks back home with his brother, you congratulate yourself and the human on a game well played.
-One who can never evolve uses the strength of others to cling to your so-called "God."
The Dwarf in the Flask, however, does not end so well.
You bestow upon him the proper punishment that he deserves.
He goes to his doom wailing and wanting, while he had once said that those who step into the domain of God are punished.
You believe that this is what the humans call a hypocrite. So you prepare an exceptionally fitting despair for he who thought he was special.
It is most enjoyable.
...
-Even when our eyes are closed, there's a whole world out there that lives outside ourselves and our dreams.
...
Their world keeps spinning after their Promised Day, and the humans continue to bungle their lives.
Others return to the Gate, seeking loved ones, power, knowledge, or fame.
You play the games with them again, but they were never quite as gratifying as before.
But you are an all-powerful, all-knowing being.
You have plenty of time to wait for a proper challenge.
...
- All bestowed their proper punishment, put in their place, robbed of your pride. That is what you humans revered as your God... the "Truth."
...
-the Truth hurts but it sets you free-
...
A/N: I tried to describe how I thought about the Truth, although I may have humanized him a bit too much. Obviously, the timing is not consistent because the beginning talks about after the taboo, and then I switch to before. I used second person for this oneshot because the Truth isn't really a he or she, and I couldn't bring myself to describe the Truth using "it". This oneshot answers some of my own questions, and puts some speculations of mine into writing.
-All of the text like this is a quote from the FMA universe in some way, shape, or form.
The dotted line breaks are not arbitrary, in case anyone was wondering. They divide the oneshot into different sections/phases in time. They also make the oneshot look better.
If you have any questions about the quotes or anything, feel free to ask in a review or PM.
I do not own the cover art! It was found on the FMA wiki and the actual link can be found on my profile.
Feedback is always appreciated and thanks for reading!