Losing Track of Time

A/N: After four years, I manage to make the sequel to my story Descendants! Finally! Hope you enjoy! Some of you may notice that this is way different than the one I started a couple days ago. That is because it is! I started this sequel with a different idea, than I read the end of my story to find it was going in a different direction, so I changed it! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One: Back in Time

Ed awoke with a start, his body covered in sweat. It had been 4 years since his brother died from a failed human transmutation, and all he could see in his sleep was Alphonse being ripped apart by the gate. He rubbed his face, tears and sweat covering his flesh hand. Reaching over to his nightstand, he clicked on the light and sighed, wishing it was morning. But he knew better. He had developed insomnia and it was his time to get up. Again.

An hour. He had managed to sleep an hour this time. That was the most sleep he had had in 2 months now. He went to his bathroom and showered and dressed. As he stepped out towards the kitchen, his 19 year old daughter stared at him. "Dad, why are you up at 3 in the morning?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"I have to start working. It's been four years too long and I have found nothing." He cringed at his words, feeling like a failure to Al. Kat stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He laid his head down on her shoulder and sighed, his eyes closing.

"We will find something, Dad, I promise. Every day we get closer. I know it seems like these last 4 years haven't helped, but I think I found something that might. Just promise you won't be mad at me, ok?" She asked quietly, catching his attention.

"What'd you do, kiddo?" She grabbed his metal hand in her flesh hand and pulled him towards her room. As they entered, he noticed that her bed was still made from the previous day and her floor was covered in alchemy books on human transmutation. He winced as he saw the same book he and Al looked at when they were attempting to bring back their mother. It was covered in blood. She saw him looking at it and she pushed it under her bed. Sitting him down, she held his hands in hers.

"Did you know that there are two forms of human transmutation?" She asked suddenly. He shook his head, actually not knowing this fact. She continued.

"According to my research, the first kind is what you and Uncle Al attempted when trying to bring grandma back. The kind I performed when I tried to bring mom back." She paused a moment, letting the facts sink in. "The other kind is more taboo than the first, and is actually known as Homunculi Transmutation. It's the transmutation of a homunculus into a human with the use of a sacrifice, being the alchemist performing the transmutation. But both transmutations produce a homunculus."

"How did you find this out?" Ed looked at her with astonishment. He only knew of the first taboo, but never knew a second could exist. He shuddered at the thought as she answered him.

"I found old alchemy books that were packed up from Grandpa's old library. But I figure that Uncle Al was made to perform the second version, making a homunculus into a human. Although I have a different theory that you may not like…" She trailed off, waiting for him to say something. He stayed silent, thinking over everything.

"Why would it be that another homunculus would be formed…no…" He looked at her with fear in his gold eyes. She looked away, speaking what was clearly on her mind.

"The human sacrifice, being the alchemist, trades his humanity with a homunculus and becomes a wretched being himself. Alphonse could still be alive, but his humanity is gone." He jumped up, hurrying to his room to grab his boots. He was going to Central's library. He needed proof on their assumption and it was bound to be somewhere, right?

But the phone rang, taking both Elrics by surprise. Kat answered it first, her "hello?" sounding groggy. She paused, listening and moment and she gave a "Right, ok. We'll head over right away, Sir." She hung up the phone and went to put on her own boots. "That was Mustang. He said that something has happened in Central and that we have to check it out."

"Damn it, at a time like this?" Ed exclaimed, stomping out of their apartment and into the early morning darkness.

Witnesses said that there was a brilliant flash of light and a huge array appeared etched into the ground. Edward looked down on it with wonder, never seeing one with such a design before. It was almost like foreign alchemy to him. Kat clapped her hands and laid them down on the ground next to the array, closing her eyes and seeming to soak something in through her hands. He watched as she took in a breath and opened her eyes back up.

"That's odd. There is no soul tied to the making of this circle. It was sent here, but I can't place from who or where." She traced part of the outside circle with her gloved hand. "What does this mean, Dad?"

"I don't know, but we need it to be erased before something activates it." Edward clapped his hands and slammed them down on the ground, creating a destructive force that rippled underneath the ground. But instead of destroying the array, it lit up and activated, making him stumble back. "What the hell?" He shouted, watching black tendrils shoot out of the ground and wrap around him and his daughter. Kat screamed, trying to break away, but she was pulled forward, her legs already gone in the circle. Ed shouted, reaching for her hand as she reached for his. The world went silent as they tried to grab on to each other, but a flash of light blinded the both of them, and then everything went coal black.

"Damn it, what happened?" Kat rubbed the back of her head as she sat up from the ground. She looked around for her dad and sighed a breath of relief to see him on the ground next to her, still unconscious. She stood up and stretched, not remembering what happened until she saw the array below her. She jumped back, staring at it with intense curiosity. It seeped into the ground and disappeared, waking the oldest Elric. He blinked a few times before jumping to her side and checking her over for injuries. She brushed him off and smiled. "I'm fine. Where are we?" She asked. Ed just shook his head.

"I'm not entirely sure." He whispered, turning around and seeing the Rockbell house with someone on the porch. Wait…the Rockbell house!

Edward and Katie had burned down the Rockbell house two years ago. After Al was gone, Ed couldn't focus. He gone to that house and stayed there, taking commission off work. Kat hadn't seen him in the two years he was there, so she forced him out of the house and burned it to the ground. He remembered her crying as she threw the matches already lit in the air. He understood why. It was where she was created. It was where her mother had resided all those years ago.

But how the hell was it back? "I burned that house to the ground, why is it back up again?" Kat yelled, angry at this discovery. She began to run towards it, leaving her father behind with a confused look on his face. He blinked a couple times and began to run after her.

"Katie, no!" He caught up to her quickly, his long legs an advantage. He grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her to stop her from running and she jumped, trying to get away from him.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"Look who's on the porch!" He whispered quickly. She squinted her eyes to see and she stopped struggling, her confusion and anger disappearing and turning into disbelief. On the porch was Alphonse, herself, and her father. She studied the scene and looked at her father.

"Dad, this happened right before we had that mission with the butchers!"

Chapter one done! I hope it doesn't seem rushed, but the next chapter I already have planned out! Please review and let me know what you think!