Chapter 10: Gate of Secrets
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While being led through the darkness, up the hundreds of stairs, Al was not entirely sure if he was doing the right choice. Was there really no other way to find Edward? On the other hand, if he didn't do anything, who would? The only person he knew that didn't think Edward was dead was the Colonel. And as things were now, he couldn't depend on the military. He had been down there, trapped in the dark for so long. He was on his own, but determined to find out something. This was what he had been waiting for the last two years. No one had ever wanted to tell him anything, so he had to keep acting on his own.
He knew that if he could find Edward, he might be able to remember again. Not a day went by that he didn't wonder how the missing four years of his life had been.
He heard a high creek from the heavy door, and he was led through it, leaving the long stair behind him. As his footsteps didn't echo anymore and he could hear whispers from others in the new space, he knew he was back in the main room – where he had first met Dietlinde Eckart.
Schiller stopped and removed his blindfold.
Al was relieved to be able to see again. But he noticed the difference wasn't much. Perceptibly, an organization as Thule Society liked being in dark places, he thought wryly. The room was still only softly illuminated by torches and candles around on the walls.
Al tugged nervously at his cuffs as Schiller motioned for him to move towards the gathering of black uniformed people. They weren't gathered around the transmutation circle this time, but only a couple of metres away from it.
Al looked for Dietlinde Eckart, but he couldn't spot her anywhere. He wondered what kind of transmutation he would be ordered to do. Somehow he just knew it wouldn't be as easy as it sounded like.
The gathering just looked at him without saying much, still whispering could be heard even if he couldn't recognise any actual words. He decided to ignore them.
The steps of a pair of woman shoes suddenly loomed through the huge room, making the whispering disappear and Al felt a slight déjà vu.
Dietlinde Eckart had appeared from another door far back in the huge room, and stopped by the transmutation circle. "Good day, my dear friends," she said, smilingly. "Today we have been so lucky that we will be able to perform a very important experiment, thanks to a young friend of ours that we've just met." She beamed towards Alphonse. "How are you doing, little Alphonse?"
Al didn't quite know what to reply. They had kept him in that cold, dark place for over a week, and now she asked how he was doing? But he figured he would get nowhere by complaining. "I'm fine," he replied in a low voice.
"That's good to hear," Eckart said, not really sounding like she gave a damn. She smiled at the gathering, and then she curved down and put something of an old stuffed animal into the circle. It looked like a teddy bear, and its woolly arm had come off from the body. Then she touched it.
Al scowled as the transmutation circle activated, glowing blue, and red alchemistic sparkles glistened around her.
The old stuffed animal changed, becoming as new. Now it was actually possible to see that it was a teddy bear. What this woman had a teddy bear for would probably remain a mystery to Al.
The gathering applauded enthusiastically by the small performance.
That was right. Eckart could do alchemy. Al remembered he had learned that earlier. Still he didn't quite understand. If she was from another world where alchemy didn't exist, how come she could perform alchemy here at all? Alchemy takes plenty of time to learn, often several years. And why would she ask him to perform alchemy for her if she could do it by herself?
Al didn't like the logical answer to that question. It seemed like he would be asked to do something dangerous. Obviously she wouldn't risk her own life. Alchemy wasn't to be played around with. He shuddered by the thought of what he and his brother had done many years ago. His memories of it were still vague. But it had all gone wrong.
So very wrong.
Eckart smiled at Alphonse, picking up the bear. "Alchemy is quite a remarkable thing that our world unfortunately does not possess," she said. She tossed it on the floor, a couple of steps away from Al's feet. "At least not the same way as here," she said.
Al looked at the transmuted stuffed animal, feeling agitated and confused. The other world didn't have alchemy the same way? Maybe that meant that they had a way of providing alchemy on a rare account, just to come to this world. Did it have anything to do with the Gate?
He looked up at her again, noticing that she wasn't standing alone anymore. Behind her were two others. One of them was short, the other tall. Both of them had long, dark hair.
Al frowned. Something about them was strangely familiar.
"Now, let me introduce you to some other friends of ours." Eckart stepped to the side, revealing the pair behind her.
Al immediately recognised one of them, and frowned worried.
The shortest of them was Wrath. He had been there the day he woke up underneath Central, after Edward had mysteriously disappeared. Al knew he wasn't human, but a homunculus. An artificially made creature. Still, he hadn't been aggressive towards them. Wrath had come with them to Rizembool and Winry had equipped him with automail since he had missed an arm and a leg. A while after that he had just disappeared and Al had never gotten the chance to ask him about Edward or of what actually happened.
Wrath didn't seem to be comfortable in his situation. He was firmly being held in one of his thin arms by the other, taller man.
Al fixed his eyes upon the other one. A wide grin was glued on his features, thin purple eyes piercing back at him. Al was usually good at reading faces, and he immediately realized that this creature was recognizing something about him. And Al just knew, he had to be a homunculus too.
Wrath suddenly noticed him as well. "Al?" he said in a low voice. He seemed surprised, almost apprehensive, of seeing him.
Al looked concerned at him. "Wrath," he acknowledged. How did these two homunculi know Thule Society? Why were they here?
With his wide eyes still pointed at Al, Wrath suddenly tried to pull himself free from the other. "What the hell are you doing here?!" he yelled directed at Al. "Get away! Run!"
The taller took a better hold of him and sealed his mouth with his hand. "Shut up."
Al tensed and was about to run for him, but then he remembered that he was handcuffed and Schiller was securely holding him at safe distance.
"So you two know each other?" Eckart said. "That's interesting. Maybe you know him too, Envy?"
"Kinda," the taller creature said, still grinning.
A little hesitant, Al fixed his eyes back at Dietlinde Eckart. "What is this all about?" he asked. "How do you know Wrath?"
She took some steps towards him. "I will tell you." Her eyes moved to Schiller. "Let him go from those cuffs and give him back his gloves, Schiller, I trust him to behave himself."
Schiller did as he was told, and unlocked Al's handcuffs. Al gratefully rubbed his sore wrists. The man called Ackman stuffed his gloves into his hands. Feeling a gush of relief he hurriedly tugged them on.
This was his only chance. But he would be discreet.
"Better?" Eckart beamed and stretched a hand to him.
He nodded, forming a timid smile. "Yes. Thank you."
"We know Envy from before," Eckart said. "He assisted us into coming to this world. We knew that it existed more homunculi like him, so we went to find them. And we found both Wrath and Envy."
Al cast Wrath a look of uncertainty. He still seemed agitated over learning that Al was there. The young alchemist directed the leader again. "Why did you search for homunculi?" he asked, feeling a little afraid of what the answer would be.
Dietlinde Eckart smiled. "You ask the right questions. Come, Alphonse, and I will tell you what I want you to do."
Al approached her slowly, looking wary from her to the homunculi. He stopped by the stuffed animal and stared at it with interest. Nothing about Eckart's intentions would seem to be for greater good, so he had to come up with a small disadvantage somehow.
This could work.
"You're a talented alchemist, by the way," Al trailed off, buying himself some time and smiled politely at her.
"You think so?" she said, looking a little warily back at him.
He nodded. "Your energy flow is strong." He picked up the bear. "And you didn't leave out any of the details. It's impressive since your world doesn't look at alchemy as common science."
No one noticed the tiny, pale sparkles of blue light from the insides of his hands as he spoke. At least he didn't think so.
Eckart laughed shortly, making Al quite startled. Did she notice?
"You're a cute boy," she said. "But let's move on." She gave Envy a short nod which immediately made Al alarmed, and as answering an order, Envy pushed and dragged Wrath into the transmutation circle.
The small, long-haired creature put up a struggle, stumbling onto his knees. Al cringed of the sight, wishing there was something he could do.
Then Eckart touched the circle again, making something that looked like a tree grow up from the floor and twist around Wrath's arms, tying him to his spot to prevent him from running away.
Wrath pulled at his arms and screamed of agony.
Al frowned, looking agitated at Dietlinde Eckart. "Stop this!" he outburst, and she turned half-heartedly at him.
"What are you going to do with him?" Al demanded, dropping the teddy bear on the floor as he took two fast steps towards the woman.
Eckart smiled again. "We're not going to do anything to him. You are."
Al stiffened. He should have known.
"But don't worry, he wants it himself," Eckart reassured. "Isn't that right, Wrath? You want to see your mother, don't you now?"
Wrath's crying stilled, and he looked bewildered from one to another. "Mamma," he whispered.
Eckart turned to Al again. "I want you to transmute a Gate, Alphonse, using this homunculus as the sacrifice."
"A Gate?" Al said, shivering. "Why?"
Dietlinde Eckart's smile faded. "You're not to ask questions. Just do as I tell you."
"No, don't do it!" Wrath bellowed. "You'll disappear too! Only me won't do..."
Al frowned. "Disappear?"
"You will not disappear, Alphonse," Eckart said. "But you will go to the other world."
Al's breath hitched. Go to the other world? Did that mean that this other world was inside the Gate? Was it really there Edward had been all along, and still was?
Eckart sighed. "We lost our way back to the other world. The only way back is through the Gate. You want us to leave this world, don't you? Then we'll need a new Gate." She crossed her arms. "And you want to find your brother, as well? Then the other side is the right place to look, not here."
Envy sniggered through a short snort.
Al's bronze eyes were wide as a pair of china. She had to be telling the truth. There was no way she could lie about something like that. And it seemed likely. Since Edward had preformed a human transmutation to get his body back, the Gate would have taken Edward's body as the sacrifice.
He turned his gaze to Wrath, helplessly standing in the middle of the circle. What was he supposed to do? Wrath would die.
Envy couldn't hold himself any longer, still grinning. "Oh, this is too entertaining to witness!"
Al gazed at him. Something about the way his evil eyes sparkled alarmed him badly, but he couldn't figure out exactly why. What was he talking about?
As the speed of a lightning, Envy was suddenly next to him, showing all his sharp teeth through his wide grin. Al flinched with a short gasp, but the homunculus gripped a hold of his arm. Distressed by the sudden move, Al motioned to pull himself away from him, but stopped as Envy's eyes grew bigger and changed colour to gold, a shade lighter than his own.
Al stopped breathing. Envy's features were suddenly changing, shrinking, long golden hair gathered in a ponytail and the large golden eyes fixed on him.
"Don't you want to find me, Al?" he asked slowly, tugging gently at his arm.
Al was frozen, mouth opening in shock. His brother... He was older. Every day Al had tried to imagine in his mind how he would look like. And this was him...
"Nii-..." he whispered. But stopped. The devious grin of the creature grew suddenly in his brother's features. It didn't belong there.
Uncomfortable, he pulled his arm back. This wasn't his brother. It was not his brother. Right. Homunculi had these unexplainable abilities, not bound to the law of alchemy. That was the reason why he could transform to look like him.
"This is how he looks like now," Envy said, with the voice of his older sibling. "I met him in the other world. In a city called Munich."
"Munich," Al whispered. A city called Munich. He had a specific place, a name now. That was where he had to go. There was the only place he would find Edward.
He turned back to the transmutation circle again. "Okay," he said in a low voice. "I know what to do."
Eckart seemed pleased, and Envy stepped back from him, forming back to his old self again.
"Stop, you can't be serious!" Wrath screamed. "Don't do it! YOU'LL DIE!"
Al stepped up to the transmutation circle. "Wrath, I won't transmute you," he said. He wouldn't kill Wrath because of his selfishness.
Wrath looked stunned at him. "What are you...?"
Eckart shot in. "You have to. The exchange requires—"
"Let Wrath go," Al said. His mind was set. "I have a whole body," he said, referring to the fact that Wrath missed an arm and a leg. "Transmuting only myself should be enough."
It was human transmutation. And it was forbidden. But his brother had done it and ended up in the other world. Al was a living proof of it. So if he could do partly the same, he would end up at the place Edward was at, right? He smiled timidly at Wrath. "I won't die."
Wrath shook his head violently. "I will not watch something like that again!" he said frantically, a disturbing anxiety in his big, purple eyes. "You didn't see him. He just disappeared as he brought you back." He kicked the floor hard with his metal foot. "If you're going to do this anyway, transmute me so I can meet my mother. That's the only reason I agreed to come here with them! And if you really can use me to meet your brother again, then do it!"
Al looked unsurely at him. "Wrath, are you sure?"
"Yes!" Wrath shrieked.
Al took a last look around the room, his eyes lingering at Dietlinde Eckart. "When the Gate opens, will you return to your own world and stop the attacks?"
She nodded. "We will."
Al nodded back. "Okay." He had to believe it. It was the only right thing to do. As long as Thule couldn't go back to their world, the attacks and misery would continue in this one. The other world was their world. They would want to return to it, he reasoned with himself. And then the attacks would stop, and this world would be safe. It didn't matter if he was in it or not. The thing that mattered was that he would have a chance to see his brother again.
It could go terribly wrong of course. Maybe he would die. But it would be worth it.
He bent down on his knees, holding his hands in front of him. Lifting his gaze, he got a last glimpse of Wrath before he shut his eyes tight.
Yes. This was for the best.
He concentrated his mind on his task. And then clapped his hands hard and pressed them to the ground, touching the transmutation circle. It started glowing immediately. The energy exploded within him into large, glistening and blue sparkles of lightning. The energy was enormous, pulling in him from every direction.
It's okay, Al told himself. I can do this.
When he first dared to open his eyes again, he saw Wrath dissolving. The creature's body simply disappeared, the same way he once had. His breath hitched, fear gripping his heart. Something else was happening...
As Wrath dissolved, a swatch of long and thin black things stood up from the transmutation circle, stretching about like a monster awakening.
Al's eyes widened. It looked like hundreds of black hands were reaching right towards him. Still, he didn't stop. He had to make a Gate. He shut his eyes tight as the black hands came snuggling straight towards him.
He didn't know what would happen. Maybe this was supposed to happen.
After some seconds he heard loud screams of fear and agony behind him.
He opened his eyes wide, seeing the black hands were stretching right past him without touching him. He twisted his head around, staring as in shock as two of the men in black uniforms were grabbed and the black hands were curling around them, catching them as a spider spinning a web.
Al felt his mouth moving, trying to work. "No," he whispered. "Stop!" He turned for the transmutation circle again, concentrating. "STOP IT!" he yelled.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Wasn't Wrath and himself supposed to be enough as a sacrifice? He wouldn't sacrifice humans, other than himself! He would become a murderer.
Then Eckart suddenly stood over him, grinning and bent down beside him. "I knew I could count on you, boy," she whispered into his ear. Then she slapped him away with her elbow.
Al landed on his back, concentration broken and his head throbbing. Planets and stars were shimmering in front of his eyes, his mind screaming in alarm. No! He wouldn't be able to stop it!
He struggled to sit up, but it was too late.
Eckart had taken over the transmutation. The two men were dragged into the circle by the black hands, and while screaming they were dissolving in thin air. Bodies and souls given as sacrifices to the Gate.
Then the whole circle suddenly exploded with energy, smacking him over again. He landed on his stomach this time, coughing and gasping for his breath which had been knocked right out of him. His cheek resting against the cold floor, he opened his eyes slowly and focused on the ground before him. His gloved fingers were helplessly opening and closing.
Where the transmutation circle had been, there was now a yellow hole on the floor in the centre of the room. Tiny strings of energy were still standing up from it now and then, being remaining sparkles from the transmutation.
Al didn't understand. Why was he still here? What had gone wrong? Why had the Gate chosen them to be sacrificed and not him?
Eyes widening, Al's mind swiftly analyzed exactly what had happened. The Gate had chosen. Like it could think for itself.
Some feet away, Dietlinde Eckart crawled up on her knees, looking straight towards the opening on the floor. She started laughing abruptly; the hysterical cackle loomed in Al's ears.
"It's done! It's a new doorway!" she exclaimed.
Al slowly pushed himself up on his elbows, touching his arching head. "You let them die," he whispered. He repeated the words again and again. "You let them die, you let them die..."
Dietlinde Eckart stood up on her feet, being helped by two of her soldiers that had run to check if she was okay. She turned towards Al and her smile disappeared. "This boy must have planned this to get rid of us."
Al's eyes widened.
"Envy," Eckart said. "We don't need him anymore."
Envy licked his lips, approaching Al. "If you say so, ma'am."
Al's gasped, and he swiftly moved onto his feet, ignoring his arching head. He dodged Envy's first attack, a swing of a fist, and backed away from him.
"They could have made it if you hadn't stopped me!" Al said loudly, his voice frantic and he couldn't help the tears stinging in his eyes. "But you have your Gate now! Please, let me go."
Envy charged again, but Al ducked onto all fours, avoiding the punch and swiftly shooting out his leg towards Envy's knee, in an attempt to knock him off his feet. But Envy just stumbled, managing to find his balance. It still gave Al the time he needed to get up and leap away on his feet.
Eckart watched the scene and laughed. "I can't have you go off and tell your military about us now, can I? It's not my fault that you couldn't go through to the other side, after all."
Al avoided another attack. All he managed to do was to dodge. He barely got the chance to charge back. On top of that, his movements were slowing down badly. He was tired and worn out.
With a half eye behind him, Al suddenly noticed that Envy kept pressing him towards the Gate. The hole contained of white and yellow spirals, swimming around in circles. If he jumped in, what would happen? Would he be able to come to the other world?
No, he didn't think it was that easy. He needed a transmutation to get there, or he might disappear the way the two men had done.
Suddenly Envy was there again, managing to throw in a hit on him, right in the stomach. Al lost his breath and was knocked hard onto his back. Breathing hard, he opened his eyes and stared up at Envy. With a swift clap, he activated his circles and touched the floor, making a long spear shoot up straight towards Envy's stomach.
It hit. Envy got pierced, and his movements were instantly paralysed. But only for two seconds. He grinned. "You got some guts, kid," he said, sniggering. "You remind me of your brother."
Al's fists were clenching, his breathing came out in fast gasps. It was a flattering statement, but he would have preferred to hear it from someone who didn't want to kill him.
"This ends here," Envy said, dragging the spear out of his own stomach, and Al witnessed with wide eyes how his wound healed itself fast.
"Envy," Dietlinde Eckart's cold voice reached through to them, as Envy tossed the piece of Al's transmutation away. "Drop him into the doorway. I'm sure he won't be able to return."
Envy snorted. "Yeah, well. No matter how fun it is to play around with him, I guess it's the only way to get rid of that bastard's children..."
Al was stiff and gasped at the mention of his father. This homunculus knew him? He didn't have time to dwell more upon that, as Envy's hand clenched around his throat and lifted him up from the floor. Al gagged, making a weak attempt to struggle himself free by grasping his fingers around Envy's wrist and kick his legs in mid air.
"Stop," he rasped through an amount of precious air that was squeezed out of him.
"Let me tell you a little secret," Envy whispered through a pleasant grin, walking slowly towards the Gate, one step at a time. "Since you've come this far to look for your brother."
Al made a fatigued noise, gripping harder around Envy's wrist.
"I was in the other world. I just came back a couple of days ago." Envy was nearing dangerously close to the open Gate. Al could only look helplessly into Envy's unforgiving, purple eyes.
What would happen if he fell down there? Would he die? Was everything going to end like this?
"I met him in the other world, so I saw what happened afterwards," Envy whispered. "And the least I can tell you is, your brother isn't in Munich anymore."
What did this creature mean by that? How did he know that Edward wasn't there anymore? And if Edward wasn't at the place called Munich, then where was he?
Al gritted his teeth together. He couldn't take it much longer. He could hardly breathe.
Envy chuckled evilly. "Who knows where he is now. I'm not going to make any guesses for you. You can figure that out for yourself, depending on how much time you have left of course."
Al's eyes were watering again, his mind falling into shock. No... It couldn't be...
Had Thule Society done something to his brother? Was he even alive?
Now Envy was holding him up, right over the hole of the Gate. All he had to do was to slip his fingers, and Al would fall. Al shut his eyes tight, feeling the wind of the Gate gently pulling at his feet. Unfortunately he was unable to shut his ears.
"His body could simply be rotting off somewhere, for all I care," Envy said indifferently. "Maybe you should give your chase a rest and search for his grave instead."
No... No. It's not true. It's not true! Al mentally screamed.
"Goodbye," Envy said and let go of him.
As he was pulled into the chaos of white and yellow, it felt like his body was falling in slow motion. Eyes opening wide, he stared up and saw a dark hole above him where he had fallen from. The hole was getting so small. And there was nothing to grab onto. He wouldn't be able to get himself up.
I'll disappear too, he thought faintly.
He was expecting his body to start dissolving any second. Where were all those black things?
It was like gravity pulled his shoulders, and he was falling and falling with his head first. Al couldn't see which direction he had come from anymore. Strong winds were pulling at him, making his clothes and hair blow in all directions. He shut his eyes, with no intention to open them again until this was over. Then his head blacked out.
--
Feeling a chilly breeze running over his face, Alphonse tried to open his eyes. His eyelids felt like they were glued shut. Face stirring, he tried to move. But the only thing he managed was to stiffly open and close his thin fingers. What was happening? It felt like his body was paralyzed.
Struggling to make his body listen, Al could at least tell he wasn't falling anymore. He was lying on his back. What he couldn't figure out was why nothing hurt. He had been falling for ages. He wondered where he was now.
With some effort, Al managed to move his legs and twist his head to the side. And finally, his eyes shut up wide. His chest went fast up and down along with his gasping breath. He felt like he had been running. Listening to his heart beating, he stared right up over himself, trying to spot the hole he had fallen from. But he couldn't see it. In fact, he couldn't see anything. There was nothing anywhere.
All he could see was white. White sky, white walls, white ground. He crawled slowly to his feet, not quite sure if the ground he was standing on was solid or not. He wasn't floating. But he didn't feel the ground underneath his feet either. It was quite confusing.
Al scowled as he looked around himself. Where was this place? It couldn't possibly be the other world. He was inside the Gate. It had to be. Or maybe he was somewhere between the Gate and the world?
Al shivered. It was cold, but still there was no wind. He looked up at the pale, white sky. He didn't know much about the Gate. He had seen it once, but information about it was hard to come across. He had learned from his old teacher, Izumi Curtis. She had died, right after he decided to go out and look for Edward on his own. He smiled of the memory of her. She was the only one who had told him about Edward and his lost years of his life.
She had told him that the Gate was the reason why his brother could perform alchemy without a transmutation circle. And that Edward had believed he saw the truth that day.
Truth was a hard thing to come by. Al didn't feel any wiser by just standing there.
"Hello?" he said, not too loud. He didn't expect anyone to show up. He decided to start walking. But as he walked, he realized it didn't matter where he went. Everything looked exactly the same everywhere. It seemed like he was walking and walking and still being on the right same spot.
He stopped again, starting to feel anxious. Would he be trapped down here forever? Maybe until he starved to death, or if the Gate decided to make him dissolve as a sacrifice.
Al clapped, and touched the ground. He had nothing to lose. He could at least experiment.
Nothing happened.
Al frowned. Alchemy didn't seem to work here.
Then suddenly a huge shadow fell over him from behind, and his eyes widened in shock. With a short gasp, his eyes fixed upon the dark pattern on the white surface where it was capturing his stance in darkness. The shadow came from behind him, shaped like a rectangle. Al froze as fear gripped around his heart. What was happening now?
But nothing else was actually happening besides the shadow, and at last he gathered enough courage to turn around and face it.
Turning around slowly, his eyes fixed upon a huge Gate of dark stone standing right before him, covered with creepy sculptures and carved patterns.
Al watched the Gate in terror. What would happen if he was pulled inside? At least it was still closed. But then he suddenly noticed something else. Out of thin air, chains were appearing, covering the doors, crisscrossing over the black surface of stone. Huge padlocks were magically revealing to keep the chains in place, securely locking the Gate.
Al frowned. This made no sense. The Gate usually wasn't locked like this. What was inside it? Why was it so securely locked? He slowly backed away from it, to step out of the cold shadow. But then he noticed that he couldn't. No matter how he moved, he still was on the same spot. Right before the Gate.
Frustrated, Al tried to run. But it was useless. Whenever he turned, the Gate was right there. He stopped again, out of breath, leaning his palms on his knees to catch his own breathing and think.
He closed his eyes. Use your head, he told himself. What did all this mean?
He stood up straight, facing the Gate again.
It had to be locked for a reason. Was the Gate hiding something? He was the only one here. Did the Gate do this directed towards him?
It surely wasn't impossible. The Gate was an unexplainable phenomenon, which no scientist or alchemist had ever gotten the chance to study and live to tell the tale.
Instead of trying to get away from the Gate, Al took a step towards it. This time nothing was moving in the abstract way. He was definitely closer to the Gate than he had been before he took the step. Al's thoughts were spinning. If there were a way to escape this white prison, the only other way he had yet to try, was this Gate. He figured that anything was better than being trapped in this place forever.
He took another step towards it and stretched out his hand. Slowly, he laid his palm onto the black stone, touching the markings and let the flat of his hand glide across the chains. They were as solid as they looked.
Something told Al that this Gate had something terribly much to do with him, and that was the reason why it was there. But what would happen if he managed to open it?
With a short gasp, he felt something stir in the back of his mind. He didn't know how, but he got the feeling that someone else was there.
He whirled around to look behind him and scanned the white, empty space. No. Not empty.
Al moseyed. Someone was there. He could see a dark shade of a person standing far away. Al realized he wasn't alone in here anymore, and his heart beat faster in his chest. Who else would come here?
Without moving, it was like the shade was getting closer. And the closer it came, the more Al got certain of that it had the silhouetted shape of a person. But this person wasn't walking towards him. It was more like he was zooming closer. Soon he could clearly see the person's back, dressed in dark pants, white shirt and a brown vest. His blond hair bound up in a ponytail, like his…
Al's eyes widened. "Nii-san…?" he whispered. Was this a dream? Was it some trick his own mind played on him?
The silhouette didn't seem to have heard him.
Before he knew it, Al was running towards him, ignoring every possible thought that he was getting insane.
"Nii-san!" he shrieked, his voice echoing into the endless white space.
This time the other heard him. He turned slowly around, his face knitted into a questioning scowl.
Al stopped, realizing he couldn't get any closer by running. The white space itself was the one deciding how close they were going to get.
The bright, golden eyes fixed upon him, looking quite unbelieving of what he was seeing. "Al," he whispered, and all traces of doubt vanished from Al's mind. He could hardly believe that this was possible. But something told him that this wasn't a fake Edward. It was really him. It wasn't a homunculus or his own mind playing games.
Before he could control his own emotions, his eyes were watering, streaming down his cheeks.
"Is that really you… Al?"
Edward was recognizing him, but he still looked quite confused and bewildered. Al couldn't blame him. He could only nod as reply, drying of his wet cheeks with his gloved hand. "Where have you been all this time, Nii-san?" he whispered. Even though he had gotten some vague answers to that already, he wanted his brother's own version.
Edward gave him a soft smile. "In a world on the other side of the Gate," he said.
Oh… Al thought. The other side. Not inside.
"Al…" Edward faltered. "Why are we here? What is this place?"
Al wished he had a real answer to that. "A woman," he said, closing his fists. "From the other world… She did something."
She made me do it… he wanted to say. He found it hard to admit that all this was his fault. He had thought he was able to make a difference. But instead he had been captured. And he thought he could make a transmutation good enough to find his brother. But instead it ended up in a disaster.
He didn't want to tell his brother any of that. Edward would just worry even more. And maybe Edward would hate him.
The scowl was back in Edward's features, looking questioning at him. "Who?" he asked. "What are you…?"
"Dietlinde Eckart," Al replied. And immediately he saw his brother recognizing the name. Then his golden eyes saddened.
"Someone wake me up," Edward whispered, lifting his palm tiredly to his forehead.
Somehow Al just knew what his brother was thinking. He had met Eckart too, because Eckart had known that he was in the other world. "I don't really understand it all, Nii-san," Al tried to explain. "But I think the time gap in the two worlds is different. She's here now."
Somehow Eckart had been in the other world in both Edward's present and his at the same time.
This seemed to trouble his brother. This could only mean that Edward wasn't from the present, at least not in Al's present time. Still, Al ignored the all the things Envy had told him. Edward wasn't gone. He couldn't be dead…
The Edward he was seeing was from the past. The Gate never made any sense. But it was possible that the two worlds didn't synchronize in time. That was likely why they were both picked up in a random gap of time from each world, and mixed together in an empty white space.
Closing his eyes, Edward rubbed his forehead again and seemed to try to sort his mind. "Al… how do you know—?" He stopped abruptly by the sound of chattering chains.
Al whirled around and they both jumped by the sight that suddenly appeared in front of them.
The Gate covered with chains. Al had almost forgotten about it already. It seemed like it had disappeared when he discovered that his brother was there, but now it had showed itself again. The huge iron chains were clinking loudly out in the white space, like they were pulled by an invisible wind. Al stood stiff, lightly shivering, eyes gazing from the Gate and over to his brother. The large golden eyes were fixed sharply on the huge door. Edward could see it too.
"What is this Gate?" Edward asked fast.
"It's…" Al began, but faltered as he got a glimpse behind Edward's shoulder. This seemed more and more strange. It had appeared another Gate – similar to the first one – but this one was behind Edward. The first Gate was behind him. It could only mean that they had one Gate each.
"You have a Gate too…" he whispered. And it was open, not locked as his was.
Edward whirled around, staring at the new Gate with huge, wide eyes.
At that moment Al suddenly realized. Maybe every person in the world had their own Gate within themselves. What was inside them was different from each person. His Gate was locked. Something he didn't have within himself was inside it, out of reach to him. His heart beat like a drum.
A strong wind was pulling at his brother, right towards the opening. At least Edward had an open escape route.
"You can't stay here," Al said, his voice low. He was sad that his brother had to leave so soon. But at least he had gotten the chance to see him.
Edward scowled, turning fast towards him. Already now the distance between them had started to increase. "Al… Come with me," he said fast.
Al's eyes lit up. Go with his brother? Yes! He would go any day. But then he remembered that he was still a prisoner. Bound to the Gate behind him. And alchemy didn't work.
He unhappily lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Nii-san… I can't." It pained him that he couldn't. But no matter what he tried, he'd still be trapped at the same spot.
Edward reached out to him, a metal hand. "Al…!" he called out.
Al reached for him too. "Nii-san!" He tried to run closer to him, but it was useless. Then Edward was pulled away, dragged and falling into the Gate, screaming his name.
"Watch out for Envy!" Al yelled back. He hadn't thought of warning him before now… It wasn't even certain that he had heard it.
The doors shut closed with a slam, and the moment after the Gate vanished. Al still stared at the now white place of nothing with tears stinging in his bronze eyes. "Don't die…" he whispered, sinking to his knees. "I will find you. I will get you back. I know where you are now."
Edward had to be in the other world still. Where else would he be?
Giving himself a couple of minutes to calm himself down, Al just sat there, drying off his eyes on the red coat that once had belonged to his brother. He wanted to keep believing that Edward had safely returned in the other mysterious world now. And successfully escaped Envy's murderous hands.
With a small sniff, Al turned to the dark Gate looming over him. He still had his own problems to deal with…
But meeting Edward had taught him a few things. And given him strength. If he could find a way to go to the other world, he would travel until he found Munich, and he would ask everyone he met about clues of his brother.
Pleased with this plan, he stood up to his feet and looked determined at the Gate.
He knew what was hiding behind it. Truth. A way out. And something the Gate had taken from him two years ago. His memories.
Al leaped forward and attacked the Gate with his fists. "Open up!" he yelled, pulling one of the chains hard. "I want them back! Give them back!"
Clapping his hands, he touched the chains, but alchemy was still no good. He kicked and punched the door. "Open up!"
He even tried to climb the chains, trying to find any weak spots. But he slipped down, unsuccessful.
"Give me back my memories..." he whispered.
The Gate didn't reply. Obviously.
Out of breath, Al leant his forehead to the cold stone, trying to think. If alchemy didn't work, what would make the Gate open?
The chains wouldn't give in just by pulling them, he hadn't any keys for the padlocks, and the whole thing was made of hard stone. Al eyed it carefully, trembling lightly. It was like the sculptures around it were making fun of him, letting him just sit there without a clue.
His palms ached of having gripped around the chains so hard when he had climbed them. Al looked at his open palm. A reddening substance was moistening his white glove.
Blood.
Al frowned at his hand.
One of the last things he could remember was standing in the transmutation circle with his brother, and they both cut their fingers, spilling their blood as the last ingredient of their mother's transmutation. Edward's theory had been that blood could be used to bind their mother's soul back into her body.
Being the symbol of life, blood would be equivalent of the soul, since the soul or life itself resided in or was inseparably connected with the blood.
If his theory was right, that every person had their own Gate, a Gate was either way connected to the soul of every person. He lifted his gaze to the Gate. This Gate was in other words connected to his soul. Maybe the reason why alchemy didn't work here, was that he hadn't offered something of equal value in relation to himself and his soul.
Blood was the only valuable thing Al could use in an equivalent trade in his present situation.
Swallowing hard, Al clapped his hands again and touched the door of his Gate with blooded hands.
Immediately after the transmutation was activated through his palms, and Al's eyes brightened up. He could do this! Concentrating on the chains, he felt himself being in one with the energy, and blue sparkles shot up the chains of the Gate.
The chains broke in different places at once, and swiftly vanished into small molecules.
Taking a deep breath, Al took a small step back, staring in awe as the Gate started opening itself. His heart was pounding so hard that it almost jumped out of his chest. Al didn't know exactly what would happen. He could only hope for the best.
The opening was dark. He couldn't see what was waiting for him inside it. He was about to walk towards it when something suddenly moved inside the sinister darkness. And as it had been lit several small lamps in the dark, eyes opened up and watched him closely. Hundreds of eyes, glowing, and in all different sizes.
Al gasped and backed a few steps as hundreds of black hands suddenly shot right in his direction and swirled around his body, arms and legs.
Al panicked. What were these things? Some kind of monsters picking up sacrifices?
"Help! Let go!" he outburst, trying to pull himself free. But the long black hands seemed only to laugh hysterically at him, and abruptly dragged him inside the Gate, into the darkness.
Al just had time to see the opening was shut hard behind him before he was dragged further into a nothingness of black with great force. The black hands pulled in him from everywhere, and while struggling he felt all kinds of images was almost forcefully stuffed into his head. Information and images he had never seen in his life was playing in front of his eyes like a very realistic dream. Especially one image was playing again and again, until Al could see it as clear as day. It was an image of a slender and pale boy who looked like him, almost like an older copy of himself. His hair was only a couple of shades lighter, and his eyes blue as the clear, open sky.
I'm waiting for him, something said.
Al's eyes widened and realized his consciousness was slipping. If he would ever wake up again, he wondered where in the worlds he would end up.