Well hello there, this would be my first fanfiction and holy cheese I love this anime so I just wanted to put my own little spin on it just to see how it goes. I'm not the most punctual person in the world but I'll try to make sure to update as much as I can and when I say I will (which will be mostly weekends and such). Also, this is set in the FMAB universe even though the characters will refer to the show as Fullmetal Alchemist. So yeah, I don't own any of these characters or the story that Hiromu Arikawa wrote and created except for Rey -who's a bit of a critic and doesn't share the same thoughts about everything Fullmetal Alchemist that I do but I hope she'll grow on you ^_^- and the small parts that you may not recognize and if you do then that's kinda weird since that'd mean that you're in my mind (in which case... hi, its kinda weird in here, huh?) Hope you like it and constructive criticism is welcome!
I was really bored. As much as I was doing at that moment it was pretty hard for me to be but believe it or not I really was. I had my computer, self bought by the way, a sketch pad, and an old Van Halen CD playing in my stereo, which I considered mine even though I hadn't exactly bought it from its previous owner. You would think that watching some show called Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood would keep my mind occupied since it's generally full of action and decent comedy, but I was stuck in a dramatic scene with its short main character Edward and his brother Alphonse getting beat up by some guy named Scar. But of course, my mind wouldn't focus on the "suspense" before me so I had decided to bring my sketch pad out and draw some of the transmutation circles I'd seen on the show.
Looking back down at my sketchpad I tried to finish the human transmutation circle that I had been working on until my vision was obscured by my hair. Sighing I tucked my long, dark copper colored hair behind my ear only to have it escape once again, due to the choppy haircut I'd given myself, making me give up and erase the stray line that ruined my otherwise perfect circle. Once I was satisfied, I fixed my pale blue eyes back onto the screen where Ed was getting his automail arm destroyed by his enemy's alchemy and I couldn't help the small gasp that escaped me. I really liked automail, the beautiful and practical designs had always made me admire the people who made them and I didn't exactly enjoy seeing it get destroyed like that.
"Oh well," I said my voice ringing out in the empty bedroom from my perch on the top bunk of one of two bunk beds, "The shorty can get it built back on."
Hypocrite, I thought in the back of my mind as I looked down and studied my short form. For a fifteen year old girl, five feet is pretty short, but I never got any crap about it, mostly because I can usually argue my case pretty well when someone brings it up.
When I looked up again I found that the scene had changed completely while I was drawing and I had no idea what was happening. Cursing I dropped my sketch pad onto my lap and used my mouse to click back to the beginning of the fight and then picked up my sketch book again where I doodled another transmutation circle without bothering to look at it.
I stopped and laughed when I saw Riza and Havoc tell off Mustang and took that moment to look down at the transmutation circle I had drawn. I didn't recognize it from anywhere in the anime or the ones I had seen online, yet it seemed like it had just as much part in the anime as any of the others. Only one thing seemed to jump out at me from the drawing. In the middle it held the small triangular symbol from the middle of the ouroboros tattoo that I had seen on Lust and Envy.
Looking back up at the anime where Armstrong had just engaged Scar, I couldn't stop myself from admiring the awesome alchemy that they both used in the fight. I peered back down at the circle I had made and frowned.
Slowly I used the pencil I was holding to pin my hair back into a messy bun and brought my hands up in front of my face. Peering up at the screen again I felt a smile tug at my lips as I gazed up and saw Al punched Ed for being stupid which I completely agreed with and found satisfying. Still gazing at the anime I brought my hands together, making the clap echo through the small room I was in, and placed them on my transmutation circle.
Al punched Ed again who went flying backwards in a way that would only be possible in an anime. I looked back down at the transmutation circle, not able to suppress the inevitable disappointment I felt when no blue light emanated from the circle and nothing was transformed by alchemy.
"Reyna!" I heard an angry voice call my full name from somewhere in the large orphanage making me wince.
"What?" I fired back not even bothering to look up and zoning out like so many times before so that I wouldn't be able to hear what the voice said next. A skill I had to develop over the years to truly no longer hear the nasally, nagging, high pitched voice that had constantly berated me since an early age.
Only this time when I zoned out, the world around me disappeared a little too well and gave away to an endless white. Shocked, I snapped myself from thoughtlessness, fully expecting to come out of my daze. But the endless white didn't go away, and when I looked at my hand I found that that I was looking at it clearly.
"What the hell?" I said, my voice sounding tiny in the expanse making me cringe and clear my throat when I yelled out, "Hello?"
"No need to yell, I'm right here." A voice said behind me.
Whirling around I found myself looking at a figure sitting cross legged on the floor in front of a large double doored entrance. The thing in front of me was completely white, had no hair, and no features except for a large, lopsided grin that made my hair stand on end as though my body was anticipating that something bad was about to happen. Unfortunately, I knew that that was true.
"No way." I said pinching myself and then felt my stomach drop when I felt the pain clearly.
Laughing the figure in front of me said, "So I'm guessing I don't need to introduce myself?"
Shaking my head gravely I replied, "No, I know who you are. You're Truth."
"I am the world, the universe, God, truth, all, and one. And I am also you, but you are also correct!" Truth replied, its grin somehow growing wider.
Keeping my voice steady I asked, "But why am I here? I didn't do any transmutation, that's not even possible where I'm from."
"Maybe not for most people, but for you, it is. Isn't that nice?" It responded making my hands sweat as I balled them into fists.
"That can't be true, otherwise this would have happened to more people. Otherwise everyone would know about it, how could you cover up the possibility of alchemy from the human race?" I said somewhat panicking and trying to prove that this couldn't be real.
It's not real, its just a dream. It's just a nightmare. You fell asleep while watching anime again. Any minute now Theresa is going to come in your room and wake you up to nag you about the mess in your room.
"You're so stubborn," Truth said giggling which made it seem even more menacing, "This isn't a dream and you know it. And don't you think its possible that if alchemy is real, that seeing the gate wouldn't render that person unable to prove its existence?"
"You mean you're going to kill me?" I asked looking past the double meaning of Truth's words.
"Of course not! Those people had to pay a toll for what they wanted, whether they did the transmutation on purpose or not. Some paid with their sanity, others their memories, many with their own will, but mostly with their organs or limbs. What I'm telling you is that you will have to pay a price for your transmutation."
"But I already told you, I didn't even do transmutation! And even if it is possible in my world, I didn't try to bring anyone back from the dead with human transmutation!" I said stumbling back and trying to put enough distance between myself and Truth so I could actually feel safe. Except I knew that no amount of distance would ever make me feel like I was safe from it, with each step I took back the door and Truth came closer without moving, confirming then that I would never be able to escape it and that the Truth would always haunt me.
"You did perform human transmutation in a way, you transmuted yourself to go through the Portal of Truth. Don't get too excited, you don't have any special powers, you actually did this quite by chance."
"To go through the portal, but where does that lead? Isn't the Portal of Truth just a huge metaphor for all that there is to know about alchemy?" I said peering at it nervously.
"No, not just alchemy. It holds the truth to everything there is in the universe, alchemy merely uses the Truth in order to accomplish transmutation. After all, all is one and one is all." Truth replied in a mocking tone making a part of me jump in indignation despite my horror.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I said letting some of my irritation fuel myself so that the question comes out as a demand.
"Oh you'll find out, once you've passed through the portal. But in order to do so I will have to show you what information it holds, and that will cost you another toll on top of the one you've already paid in order to transmute yourself." Truth said holding out a hand that I was more than unwilling to take.
"What? No, I don't want to go in there! I don't want to see any of it!" I screamed as the doors behind Truth opened and sprouted long black arms from its depths that took hold of me and dragged me towards the abyss.
"You can't do this!" I said reaching out and grabbing Truth with its same hand and then watching in horror as my right arm disintegrated from my body and then reformed as Truth's.
"This is what you wanted!" Truth exclaims maniacally and waving at me with my own arm, "Farewell, stupid fool who doesn't know her own place! Be grateful, I'm showing you the Truth!"
A scream ripped through me as I was dragged into the portal and the expansive white was swallowed by the endless darkness. Immediately my screams were met with a sudden high pitched drone that teared at my ears as information from the world flooded my mind. I couldn't think, everything that entered was pushed back by the incredible amount of pain that seized me, making me long for way to end it and thrash in the many arms that were holding me. I clawed at my face with my remaining arm trying to distract myself with a pain other than the one dominating my brain and also trying to rip the massive amounts of Truth out as it seemed to flow into me endlessly.
"Stop! Stop!" I cried, "My head is going to explode!"
"Ed you idiot!" I heard a familiar voice cry from somewhere in the chaos. Who's Ed? Who's here?
"Help me!" I screamed not able to stand the pain in the midst of the torture that Truth was giving me.
And then it stopped, the noise, the pain, and the darkness. I didn't feel like I was being dragged anymore. I didn't feel like I was being bombarded with the Truth. The only thing I could feel was rain and I couldn't even question it beyond my relief that I was out of the Portal. That is, until I felt myself falling and only being able to hear the wind as it whistled passed me making me believe I was in the Portal again and until I made contact with the stone ground.
A pitiful groan escaped me as I curled into myself, trying to endure the new pain in my head and side from the impact.
"What the hell?" a voice exclaimed beside me.
"Brother, who is she?" another, more metallic voice said on the other side of me.
Lifting my head slowly I opened my eyes and found myself looking into two gold disks staring back at me.
"No way." I said before giving up to exhaustion and settling into a familiar darkness that wasn't the Portal, but dreamless sleep.
Okay, thanks for reading and I'll update next weekend if I get enough comments back (also if I can edit the next chapter enough). Have a nice week until then!