Everything was so silent, so still... so familiar. There were moments when it seemed that it belonged to another lifetime because it felt so surreal, like it had been imaginged; that it was nothing but a bad dream. But there were other times when it was so real he thought he was back.
It didn't happen as much, now that he was older. It was much more rampant when Edward was gone, fighting the Drachmans and Al was with Pinako in Resembool, worrying. Even then he wasn't able to sleep much. It was fear for Edward's safety and also because he just couldn't. Lonely nights up late and alone he would remember what it was like within the Gate. He never intentionally thought about it. It just happened whenever he spaced out, his way of sleeping at times.
When his soul was within the armor he had no awareness that his body experienced anything within the Gate. That was until he regained his body. He realized his soul was unable to rest because his body was unable to. The loneliness he felt when he was unable to sleep was due to the quiet stillness his body experienced within the Gate; when nothing moved or stirred not even an echo of his movement or breathing...
His eyes snapped opened, his heart beating wildly. His palms were wet with nervous perspiration and his hands shook. His eyes blinked rapidly as they adjusted to the bright yellow light that surrounded him. There was something solid under him but it was indistinguishable from his surroundings. He finally pushed himself up. Looking behind him he saw Edward lying on his back. He scrambled to his brother quickly.
Edward was pale, his face smoothed of all pain, as if he were asleep... or very dead. Al would have thought he was just asleep but for the gaping wound. He felt for his brother's pulse. It was weak. Very weak he almost couldn't feel it and he wondered if he was imagining it. He started to cry, thinking he had been too late; that he'd wasted too much time with Russell.
Suddenly there was an echoing boom. It sounded like a heavy rock hitting the ground behind him. He stiffened. Then, after gathering his courage, he rose, very slowly and turned around to face his fate.
The Gate.
It stood there, black, large and menacing with its intricate patterns engraved on the smooth surface. The doors began to open, painfully slow. It was all so frighteningly silent. Nothing like what he remembered when he was lost to the Gate during the failed transmutation to bring their mother back. The rush of knowledge was like a storm, battering his mind to enter then. This time, when the Gate opened it revealed a celestial body. A form that was lit around the edges, with two legs and arms, a head and torso but it's sex unrecognizable. Its outline glowed bright against the darkness of the interior. There were no black arms reaching out for him. It was just like it was the years his body was stuck here; silent and still. For a moment he feared he had done something wrong and he was trapped once again.
But no! He thought. I paid the toll with the stone and I have plenty to use as a sacrifice...
"That is true, Alphonse Elric." A calming, gentle voice said.
He couldn't remember how to breathe. The voice. It was familiar... achingly so. It nearly broke his heart. He stared intently at the figure within the opening, seeking a physical sign that would match the voice he hadn't heard since he was a little boy.
"Mom..." he whispered afraid if he spoke any louder his voice would tremble and break like a teenage boy.
"No. I am the Voice. I am speaking on behalf of the Gate, using the sound of your mother's voice to put you at ease. Does it bother you?"
"No," Al said hurriedly, not wanting to offend its efforts. "No, it's fine." But it was so odd; so confusing. He didn't remember the Gate treating him or his brother quite so... sensitively. Why is that?
"The Gate is not tolerant of humans who abuse the power of alchemy."
It had read his mind again. He felt stupid for being so surprised by the notion. It was the Gate that had poured all the knowledge he had of alchemy into his brain. But the Gate reading his mind was the least of his worries. He had been prepared to give up whatever was necessary to put things right. But nothing had been taken from him. At least, not yet. Perhaps it was a trick. To put him at ease before dropping the hammer on him for being foolish enough to reopen the Gate. But some sixth sense told him that was not the case and that just confused him even more. He needed to know what the difference was between what he was doing now and what he and Edward had done when they were children. "But isn't that what I'm doing now?"
"In a way," the Voice answered gently. "You are here to save your brother. That could be considered an abuse by stopping the natural flow of life. But his eventual death would have been caused by something unnatural; something that never should have been part of your world. The Gate is not blind to what is happening - or what has happened - in the world and the Gate is all to aware of the way its power has been abused. The Gate knows you are also here to restore the balance to be what the world and alchemy once was, like in the time of Xerxes, before the people were destroyed by their greedy King and the slave, Van Hohenheim's, master who brought the first homunculus to life.
"The original homunculus is part of the Gate. This is where it belongs but once it was on its own it got a taste of freedom. With that freedom it began to want more. It wanted power. It's quest for power has nearly torn your country apart. It's commendable you've been able to withstand it, even with it's Greed and Envy still in existence. But they must be returned. This is where they belong.
"There will be some consequences however by restoring the balance. The underground transmutation circle that still surrounds Amestris, the one your Father reverted to maintain your country's odd technique of drawing power for alchemy... it will be useless. The alchemists of this country will no longer be able to use alchemy. If they want to regain their special skill, they will have to unlearn the old, corrupt concepts and apply the proper ones, just as the country of Xing does. This will happen once all of the homunculi have been returned and all the trapped souls have been released."
Al thought about Envy and whatever stones were still left would have to be destroyed by Mustang first, if he wasn't killed by the homunculus. But after that... he felt a huge weight settle on his shoulders. It would be him who had set into motion the breakdown of the entire military's State Alchemist program. He wondered what kind of story Mustang would be able to spin to explain it. He didn't like the idea of lying to the people, he preferred the truth to be revealed. It was almost too wild to be believed and he'd come face to face with it and still found it unbelievable at times. He couldn't imagine hundreds of State Alchemists trying to wrap their heads around the facts... or the people of Amestris who had come to depend on alchemists. Perhaps it was a good thing. In the end the people would have to learn that though they had been living in peace for so long, alchemy wasn't the only thing that could protect them. But it was still going to be a nerve racking experience with a lot of questions being asked.
"I understand," Al said swallowing nervously; not only from the thought of rendering all alchemist useless but of what the other condition could mean. "Does it also mean my Father will have to return, along with my brother and I..."
"No, your Father does not have to be returned to the Gate, nor you or your brother."
"But you just said all the trapped souls must be released to restore the balance," Al pointed out. He was relieved by the answer but it didn't make sense. "My Father is a Philosopher's Stone, made up of the souls from the people of Xerxes. My brother and I have his blood running through our veins..."
"The Gate is nothing more but a portal for the passing of souls from your world to the next. The Gate has been abused and must not be any longer. The Gate needs a keeper to prevent the Gate from being reopened. The Gate is entrusting its care to your family and it must continue with your heirs. You must see to it that alchemy is taught to be used for the good of the people, once and for all. Will you accept this responsibility?"
It was so strange that the Gate; the all powerful Gate, capable of punishing mercilessly was now seeking his aid. Is this some kind of trick?
"It is true you and your brother have had difficult dealings with the Gate. But the Gate is willing to prove with an additional act of kindness that it means you and your brother no harm."
"Then my answer is yes," Al said eagerly, elated at the prospect the Gate was offering. "Yes, I accept on behalf of my family wholeheartedly."
It was impossible to see but he sensed a smile from the being. Then it stretched out a luminescent hand and touched the top of his head. It tingled and his eyes closed, too heavy for him to even try to keep them open. He felt himself drifting away, calmly floating, at ease and at peace.