[ Video ]

[transcendens]

[ Judging from what can be seen in the background of the video, a sliver of white wall behind the curve of a chair, Sousuke's sitting in his room in Iki. The formality inherent in his typical appearance is absent: his hair is slightly disheveled from its usual slicked back perfection, the collar of his shirt is unbuttoned, and as becomes obvious

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[alkahestry]

[There's a knock at Aizen's door not long after this transmission. Outside Alphonse waits with a small stack of clean sheets. The life of an apprentice can be many things... today it meant seeing to clean bedding of each of the entertainers.]

Mr. Aizen ... it's Alphonse, Alphonse Elric.

[Formalities will always be his way, but he sees it as being polite.]

[alkahestry]

To be able to cause a reaction on par with nuclear fusion...

[Alphonse words trail off in awe, but it's something that causes a little chill to run up his spine as he turns back towards the bed with the pillow clutched in between his hands.]

I've only seen it done once before, he thought he was God. You really must be quite powerful to be able to do the same.

[transcendens]

It wasn't quite as impressive as nuclear fusion, I assure you. And it wasn't quite what you'd imagine. The sun and the sky I fashioned existed only for the palace, and only for a section of it. It was meant to serve as a respite from the endless night. I wasn't trying to remake Hueco Mundo entirely.

[ Not yet, anyway. Had the outcome of the war been different... ]

I'm the strongest shinigami Soul Society has ever produced. But I'm not a god. Not yet.

[alkahestry]

Not... yet...

[There is for the briefest moments an unsettling feeling in his stomach. Father had wanted to become a God as well, for all intensive purposes he had almost succeeded. Curious but also worried he takes to changing the pillow cases.]

Has Brother told you about the Truth, Mr. Aizen?

[transcendens]

While I suspect that he told me many truths, no, I can't claim that he told me the truth.

[ Not that he recalls, anyway. But it sounds important, whatever it is, and he suspects that Ed would have drawn special attention to the subject if he'd spoken of it. ]

What is it?

[alkahestry]

It's a lot of things...

[He begins with a vague response as he finishes the first pillow and lays it to rest at the top of the bed.]

It's the World, the Universe, Everything ... some people call it Truth other people God. It also used to say it was One, it was You, and I too.

[He begins to ease another pillow into it's case.]

Brother and I both came face to face with it before.

[transcendens]

[ He's listening. It's in the sharp focus of his eyes, watching Al like a hawk, following every move he makes. It's in the slight cant of his body as he subtly leans forward. And his voice, quiet and calm.

There's precious little that is quite so relevant to his interests as this particular subject. ]

And what did you see, Alphonse Elric, when you laid eyes on it?

[alkahestry]

A lot of things. More than any person is ever meant to see. It happens so fast that you end up not actively remembering it all at first. In fact, I didn't remember it at all for a while.

[A lot was the understatement of the century. Seeing the Truth was to see and to know everything. The past, the present, the future, and everything stuffed inbetween and even long after.

His gold eyes slowly lift to find Aizen's, the look on his face reminds him a lot of the way Edward looks when he's listening to something interesting.]

You might not be a normal person like my brother and I, Mr. Aizen. However, Truth does not care who you are. It's Truth's job to deal you just despair, so you won't become conceited. To try and become a God...

[He shakes his head. So very very unsure.]

What is worth such a price?

[transcendens]

[ A failsafe against the desire to transcend to a higher plane of existence? It makes him wonder if such ambitions are commonplace in the Elrics' world, to need a method to discourage them. He knows alchemy is strong, at least from what Ed has said about it, but that so many would try for divinity? ]

I think it depends on the measure of one's conviction, and why the desire for godhood exists. For one's own aggrandizement? For power? To rule simply for the sake of ruling?

[ His eyes cut once more to the painting, linger on it for a moment before he turns back. ]

Or is the drive to stare into the depths of despair precipitated by something more than petty, selfish concerns? Is it a longing for change? To repair what's been broken? To heal the wounds of the worlds?

What's the worth of one's life, or even the lives of a hundred, when measured against all of the lives in existence?

[alkahestry]

I was there on the Promised Day, when Father attempted to become a God. He was willing to sacrifice an entire nation to become a God. Brother, our friends, and I ... we all fought together to stop him. No one is meant to have that kind of power.

[And there's a serious tone that sets in his voice and in his eyes. So much for coming to apologize about the other day.]

You don't need to have all that power to accomplish great things, Mr. Aizen. So long as you have your own hands and people to support you, you have all the power you need. More than God or Truth himself.

[transcendens]

[ He lifts his hands, then, palms outward, displaying them for Al to see. ]

Then by that token, I'm already halfway there.

[ There's truth to what Al says, that much he's willing to concede. He's spent nearly two decades watching a human reach heights of power unknown to the species and accomplish remarkable things with little more than determination and a handful of friends. Yet Ichigo had something he will never have, and in the absence of supporters, the Hougyoku had had to do. ]

I've seen the god of my world, and I can vouch for the veracity of that. It has precious little of either.

[alkahestry]

[Dropping the second pillow on the bed, Al bends to replace the thicker top blankets. Nearly finished with his task.]

You seem like the type of person who lets very little get in their way, so I have no doubt that given time [And he knows Aizen has all the time in the world.] you could accomplish anything, but I can't help but think you could go even further without such aspirations.

[transcendens]

What would you consider to be further than that?

[ He's genuinely curious. Of course, eventually sitting on the throne will grow as dull as everything else, but by then, he thinks that perhaps he'll have found something else to do in his spare time. Doubtful, but possible. ]

[alkahestry]

I suppose in comparison to a God the simple life of a human being is pretty mundane. However, there is a lot of beauty in developing meaningful relationships, working hard to accomplish goals new and old, and learning new things.

[He laughs softly to himself as he fluffs the blankets higher on the bed.]

If I knew everything... could do everything... I think life would get boring, not to mention lonely if I couldn't share it with others.

[transcendens]

[ Given the uncomfortable nature of the conversation, what he knows of the Elrics' life prior to Ukiyo isn't pleasant, Sousuke will grant him a bit of his own. It's only fair, after all. ]

It is extraordinarily boring, and yes, quite lonely. It also makes everything needlessly complicated, and far harder than it has to be.

I wanted a simple life once.

[ He glances at the bracelet before flashing Al a rueful smile. ]

Turns out, it isn't as simple as I thought.

[alkahestry]

[Al listens quietly, and the fact that Aizen is even bothering to share this and any other small bits of information with him causes him to smile. His eyes follow the lead to Aizen's bracelet, he nods, but he also laughs a little. There wasn't anything simple about even the 'simplest of lives. Letting his smile widen he adds...]

.... not simple, but your not alone either.