When they arrived it was getting dark so they hurried to get the communications reconnected with Edward and the troops in Razkuul. Once that was done, it was all about the messy task of picking up the body parts of the soldiers that had been in the way of the ravaging homunculi army. It was too much to try and bag the bodies - or determine what parts belonged to whom - in order to bring them back for a proper military burial. A mass grave was dug up and their parts were carefully placed in the hole. It wasn't unusual for someone to walk off into the trees alone for fresh air or to retch.
They weren't done yet when the grave was covered over. There were still those in the forest, near the Drachman border, that they would tend to in the morning. Since it was too dark to resume, camp was set up with the bare necessities.
While he was sitting next to a camp fire, Al decided to see if he was still able to use Amestris' form of alchemy. He thought it would be nice to build a memorial for the fallen soldiers. He would use that as a test. He went off alone and went back to the grave.
He was the one that had created the hole for the grave earlier. He had used alchemy without thinking. As the discussion of who would start digging began Al automatically put his hands together and it was done. It didn't hit him until it was made that the old technique was still manageable. He tried not to get too nervous about it. Mustang hadn't been gone that long and it took several hours to get to the Drachman base. Retrieving the body parts kept him occupied so he wouldn't think about it.
When he came upon the grave and found a good spot he clapped his hands together and kneeled, placing them on the ground. Nothing happened and his heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't out of fear but relief. He wouldn't get ahead of himself just yet. He tried again, focusing intently. Not even a tiny fizzle of blue light and he smiled. He knew Mustang had succeeded; that the Gate had not been lying. He didn't know why he was so confident about it; perhaps the feeling of peace when he was released from the Gate and how he never felt threatened or in fear of his life when the Gate started talking to him. But there was still one more test.
He put his hands together and concentrated again; this time on the power running underneath him, down deep into the depths of the earth where the underground water currents flowed through the mountain. It was the power of life that only water can provide… pure, clean and more powerful than anything man made. It was constantly changing, flowing, running its course… its cycle. It wasn't false like the countrywide circle that had been converted to maintain Amestris' odd use of alchemy. It was so much more and it was forever.
Suddenly, a small memorial grew out of the ground in front of him. It was a simple granite structure about chest high with four smooth sides, gleaming in the moonlight.
He sat back to look at it, panting. Just because he could use Xing's form of alchemy didn't mean he was used to it; or the amount of energy it took out of him. But he did it. He'd just have to condition himself to think differently when he used alchemy or just go back to using transmutation circles which helped to focus and guide the energy. Without the circle there was a lot more to concentrate on and keep in mind. But he always liked Xing's technique. It had always felt more pure and he was always at peace when a transmutation was complete.
He continued looking at the memorial, saddened by the innocent lives lost to the horrors that never should have been. All they could do now was recover and hopefully teach future generations to never make the same mistake. The peace wasn't there yet but it was within their grasp.
He sighed and looked out across the valley. He was still tempted to sneak off; to go out and look for Mustang and Havoc. But he understood his brother's concern. He got through once but just because he did the first time didn't mean he could a second. The Drachmans finding him, an alchemist - even if he wasn't the Fullmetal Alchemist - along with Amestris' Fuhrer and a Brigadier General would not look good. If the entire Drachman government was in on the building of the homunculi army, they'd love to refocus that failure it turned out to be and turn their people - and even neighboring countries - against Amestris.
No, he'd stay; he would honor the promise. There had been too much betrayal already and it was time to stop the cycle.
He went back to the camp and settled down for the night.
He didn't remember falling asleep but he found himself blinking the sleep from his eyes. Miles was standing over him and the sky wasn't as dark as he last remembered it to be.
"Someone wants to talk to you," Miles told him. "Some lost travelers," he added with a wink.
Al smiled in understanding and got up quickly, following Miles to the radio console where he was handed the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Al."
Most of his worries faded as the familiar voice crackled over the air waves. "Good to hear your voice, Jean. Where's Roy? Are you both alright? We were getting worried." He used Mustang's first name, figuring it was best not to let the whole country know the Fuhrer was somewhere within the borders of Drachma. They were, after all, a couple of "lost travelers".
"I'm fine, Roy not so much. He has a broken leg. It's pretty bad."
"Where are you?"
"At the camp, I'm sure you remember it, Al," he said hinting heavily. Also not a good idea to announce where they were just in case their conversation was being monitored by any Drachman patrols around the border. "I started broadcasting hoping someone would pick up the signal," Havoc continued. "I don't want to drag Roy across the valley so if it's not too much trouble for us to be picked up…"
Miles took the receiver from Al. "That shouldn't be a problem. How far are you?"
"I'll meet you on the dirt road. Al should know the spot."
Miles looked at Al who nodded. "I'll only be breaking the promise by a few feet."
Miles laughed. "Okay, I'll send some friends to meet you along with Al."
"Sounds good, I'll see you there."
As Al made the journey across the valley the sky lightened and soon the morning rays were peaking over the mountain tops. It wasn't much longer until they were over the river and deep into the forest.
They were slightly hidden by brush on the side of the road. Seeing with his own eyes that Mustang and Havoc were alive and well, Al wanted to celebrate. That was until he got a good look at Mustang and his blood soaked bandaged leg. Al grimaced as he pulled the bandage away to get a better look.
"I'm not good with broken bones but I can help with the bleeding," he said rolling up his sleeves.
"You're going to use alchemy?" Mustang asked with a frown.
"Sure," Al said with a shrug and was about to clap his hands but stopped. "Did this happen because you lost the use of your alchemy?" He asked. There was a slightly worried tremble to his voice.
"No," Mustang said suspiciously. "This happened before. Why is it that I've lost mine and you're about to…?"
"I'm applying Xing's technique but as to my old way and yours… it's gone…"
Al didn't think Mustang could get any paler. "How is that possible? What happened?"
"I told you about the transmutation circle around Amestris…"
"The one your father converted to maintain our alchemy. Was it destroyed?" Mustang asked as he sat up, full of alarm and winced from pain.
Al clapped his hands and held them over Mustang's leg. He tried to keep them from shaking. There was a bright blue glow and the slight bleeding stopped. "No, it hasn't been destroyed," Al sighed.
"Then what happened?" Mustang demanded. "Does it just affect you and me or…?"
"It affects every alchemist who has been trained to use Amestrian techniques."
Mustang sat back and looked away. The look on his face was unreadable. After a minute he turned back to face Al. "Did you do this?"
"Yes," Al said quietly.
"You better have a damn good explanation for this."
Al swallowed. He knew nobody would be singing his praises or throwing a party for him. He anticipated there would be repercussions but he wasn't prepared for Mustang's reaction. His anger was too hard to miss.
"Let's talk about this while we're on our way back," Havoc suggested. "I don't know about you but I've had enough of Drachma and I need a shower."
His attempt at humor went unnoticed and he rolled his eyes. He directed two soldiers to help Mustang. The Fuhrer didn't argue as he was lifted out of the jeep and placed on a stretcher. After Al explained everything, Mustang remained silent throughout the rest of the journey back to Razkuul.
First Edward's distance when he noticed his arm and leg, now Mustang's fury… Al knew them well enough to understand. He tried not to be too sensitive about it. Edward and Mustang's reputations were staked on being great alchemists. Their identities were tied up in it. Al felt a mild indignation; that after everything he had done to help clean up the mess and to have two grown men cry over it… he quickly swallowed his rising anger. It wasn't going to be easy to accept for a lot of people. There wasn't much he could do about it. It was already done.