Varian was confused as he looked all around at the white void that he stood in. He had been looking into some interesting variations to the scientific study of alchemy.
He was confused about how a circle could supposedly be a form of alchemy. It did work on some scientific rules and theories but the whole theory of transmutation through a circle had sounded far too absurd to be taken seriously in the way of science. It seemed closer to a form of, curse the word, magic. Of course, with the earlier mentioned theories, the "science" had a form of systemic structure. It was sound but surely it should have been impossible. Although, something about arriving in this void after copying out that rune-filled circle seemed far too suspiciously convenient.
"Welcome, Alchemist, I am Truth."
Varian spun on his heels and was met with a being that seemed to be formed from the very abyss of white he stood in. The only indications showing that the being even existed at all was a black, not solid, outline and a toothy grin that seemed almost sinister and conniving.
"Who... What are you?" Varian asked, spellbound by the impossibility of such a being.
"As I said, I am truth. I am one. I am all. I am you. And I am god."
"That isn't possible!" A creaking, groaning came from the wide, tall gait that stood towering behind Truth.
Inky-black tendrils of hands shot through, wrapping themselves around Varian's various limbs and torso. He was terrified as the black arms pulled him closer to the gait. His fear spiked stronger when a single, enormous eye opened in the centre of the gait.
He was pulled in.
Vast amounts of information were poured into Varian's brain. He was, at first, amazed, but then it was too much. The information was filling his brain until he was sure his skull would split open. And then he was suddenly back in the white void.
Varian turned to the gait. "It's amazing! I understand the concept fully now! But there are still more secrets. May I see it again?" Varian exclaimed excitedly, turning back to Truth. Truth seemed to grin wider, if physically possible.
"Not for the toll you have given!"
"The toll?" Varian gasped in terror as his left arm began to unravel. He screamed at the unbearable pain that snaked through the limb. He looked up to the being Truth and gasped slightly through his scream. His arm was coming back together on Truth's void arm.
"What's happening? How is this possible?" He asked through tears and pain.
He didn't get an answer before he passed out.
---
Edward was ticked. He attempted, and would have succeeded if not for Alphonse, to lunge over the cocky Colonel Mustang's desk and rip out that annoying voice box of his.
"You call me short one more more time and you'll regret it, Colonel Bastard!" Edward shouted as he attempted to escape from his brother's large, confining arms.
"That minuscule temper of yours is hardly helpful in this situation," Mustang hummed.
"Die!" Edward shouted. He was still trying to squirm free of Alphonse's hold.
Alchemic charge filled the air and all three alchemists froze.
The ceiling began to glow as a horrifyingly familiar transmutation circle materialised into being.
"No! What's happening?!" Edward exclaimed. Alphonse's hold on his brother went limp.
The centre of the circle almost seemed to start melting down.
"Fullmetal, what the hell is happening?!" The Colonel demanded, getting no answer from the shocked teen.
The centre melted closer to the ground, unraveling and leaving behind a bleeding child. He collapsed on the ground and Edward ran up to him with the others on his heels.
Mustang and Edward knelt on either side the bloody mess of a kid that was laying between them. Mustang had already pulled off his glove and was pressing his middle and index fingers against the side of the boy's neck.
"His pulse is all over the place! Also, Fullmetal, if I'm not mistaken, that circle was-"
Edward and Alphonse cut in, speaking simultaneously. "Yeah, it was human transmutation." Both of them looked at the cause of all the blood. The kid's left arm, all the way to a little above where the elbow should be, was gone and the wound was pouring out huge amounts of blood onto the carpet in Mustang's office.
"We need a hospital and fast!" Edward shouted at the Colonel. In all the commotion Hawkeye had come in to find the scene. She was stunned at first but very quickly corrected herself.
"Alphonse, run to the infirmary and get a few medics!" she ordered before quickly moving to Mustang's desk. She picked up the phone and dialed, waiting.
It didn't take long before a woman picked up on the opposite end. "Hello, this is East City hospital. Is this about a check-up or do you have a medical emergency?"
"We have a medical emergency! A boy, young -I don't know how young, though- is bleeding a lot from a wound in..." She glanced at the boy taking note of the fact that he was missing his left arm -or most of it. "His left arm was cut off."
There was an audible gasp from the other end of the line. "W- where are you?"
"We are at Eastern Headquarters."
"Okay, we have a medical team on the way. Don't move the kid and keep pressure applied to the wound! It would also help if you were to send someone to show the medical team, upon their arrival, where the patient is."
"I'll do that," Hawkeye said through the device.
"The team should be there in about ten minutes," The woman on the opposite side of the line said.
"Thank you," Hawkeye answered before hanging up. She went out of the inner office back to where the team waiting with confused expressions.
"Falman, run down to the front desk and wait for the arrival of a medical team."
Falman jumped up, ready to oblige. "Yes, Ma'am!" He said without question as he saluted the First Lieutenant.
Everyone else, though, was asking -nearly- the same question. "What's happening?!" give or take a few words.
"I don't know," Hawkeye said, going back into the inner office. The others shot up and followed her into the office. They were all surprised by the mysterious kid laying on the ground in a large pool of his own blood.
---
Varian registered a horrible, sharp pain unlike anything he had ever felt. He pried open exhausted eyes and saw that above him, through his blurry vision, a girl with golden blonde hair.
"R-Rapunzel?" He froze as he realised that he had said the word out loud and when he heard the horrible, raspy representation of his voice.
The girl didn't reply at first. "I don't know who Rapunzel is but it's not me." Varian flushed in embarrassment. The voice belonged to that of a man -or boy.
"M's-sorry... Where'm I at?"
"This is Eastern Headquarters," a broad-shouldered black haired man said.
"Yeah, and now you better explain why the hell you did human transmutation?!" the blonde hissed at him.
"I-I don't know wh-what you're talking about. What's h-human trans... mutation?" Varian asked, genuinely confused. It sounded wrong, though. Like a crime.
"You really don't know?"
Varian weakly shook his head in answer, immediately feeling like his head was swelling and spinning at high speeds. It felt like it might just burst from the pressure. The already blurry surroundings turned even more mushy. Darkness started creeping in at the edges.
"Hey, stay awake!" Varian had no idea who said that. He was too far gone to even know what the words meant. He slipped back into a black void of nothingness. No pain. Just rest.
---
Thank you so much for reading!
If it isn't too much please leave a review! I want to know your opinions and desires for this story.
-UNAU