I stepped back through the shattered wall, the sounds of the Amestris afternoon rushing back to my ears. I dismissed the Zolda gear entirely, jogging down the hallway toward the main living room.
When I arrived, my heart sank.
Nina had wandered out of her room. The tiny girl with braided pigtails was standing near the center of the rug, staring blankly at the bloodied body of Shou Tucker. Lucy was kneeling next to her, her hands hovering helplessly, looking completely out of her depth and deeply unsettled.
I didn't say a word. I just walked over, scooped the little girl up into my arms, and pressed her face gently against my shoulder so she couldn't see the gruesome scene anymore.
"It's okay," I murmured, rubbing her back. "I've got you."
The shock finally broke. Nina buried her face into my neck and started wailing, her tiny hands gripping my shirt. She cried until her little body shuddered with absolute exhaustion. Slowly, her sobs tapered off into soft, ragged breaths before she finally passed out from the sheer emotional toll, going completely limp in my arms.
Lucy stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. She looked incredibly pale. "Kenji... what is this place?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I thought this was a peaceful world. That man was just smiling at us."
"Some monsters know exactly how to hide in plain sight," I said quietly, adjusting my hold on the sleeping child. "Come on. Let's make sure the rest of the house is clear."
We moved through the grand, quiet estate. When we finally reached the basement laboratory, the grim reality of the situation fully set in.
Lying on the cold stone floor was the body of Tucker's wife. She was already dead—likely an earlier casualty of the timeline's altered events, or the initial target of Jin-woo's ruthless mission parameters before he moved on to Tucker himself.
Lucy gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. Tears immediately welled up in her brown eyes as the sheer, suffocating tragedy of the Tucker household crashed down on her.
I let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. This was getting endlessly complicated. I reached out with my free hand and gently patted Lucy on the head, rubbing her blonde hair in a comforting gesture.
"I'm sorry you had to see this on your first multiversal trip, Lucy," I said softly.
She leaned into the touch slightly, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "What do we do now? We can't just leave her here."
"I know," I muttered, my mind racing through the Fullmetal Alchemist timeline. "I could take her to the military base. Drop her off with Major Maes Hughes... he's a good man, a great father. He'd take care of her." I paused, my expression darkening. "But Hughes is inevitably going to be targeted and killed soon too. Giving her to him just sets her up to lose another family."
Before I could formulate a better plan, the familiar translucent blue interface materialized in the air between us.
[Notice: Hostile presence neutralized. Resident 'Shou Tucker' confirmed deceased.]
[Alerting Multiversal Groupchat...]
I glanced at the corner of the screen. [Kobayashi: Offline] and [Subaru Natsuki: Offline]. It was just Lucy and me looking at the active system update.
[Travel Ticket Activated. Temporal Anchor Stabilized.]
[Time remaining until forced return to original coordinates: 21 Hours, 27 Minutes, and 38 Seconds.]
I stared at the countdown timer ticking away at the bottom of the screen. We had less than a day to figure out what to do with an orphaned little girl and a massive dog in a military dictatorship on the verge of a shadow war.
I let out another long, exhausted sigh.
"Alright," I said, turning away from the basement and heading for the stairs. "We can't stay here. The military or the State Alchemists will show up eventually when Tucker misses his assessment."
I adjusted my grip on the sleeping Nina, holding her securely against my chest. Lucy nodded, her determination returning as she forced herself to focus on the survivors.
"Come on, Alexander," Lucy urged gently, patting her leg.
We walked in silence for a few blocks, the heavy atmosphere of the Tucker estate slowly fading behind us. Alexander trotted faithfully at Lucy's side, his massive paws padding softly against the dirt road, while Nina remained completely passed out against my shoulder, her breathing finally steadying.
Needing to break the lingering tension and get Lucy's mind off the bodies we had just left behind, I cleared my throat.
"So, Lucy," I started, keeping my voice low so I wouldn't wake the little girl. "You mentioned earlier that you're a mage. What kind of magic do you use?"
Lucy blinked, pulling herself out of her grim thoughts. A faint, proud smile touched her lips as she reached down to the ring of golden and silver keys hanging at her hip.
"I use Holder Magic," she explained, her voice brightening just a fraction. "Specifically, I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage. These keys act as a gateway. When I use my magic, I can open gates to the Celestial Spirit World and summon spirits to fight alongside me or help me out. They're my friends and partners."
"Celestial spirits?" I asked, perfectly feigning complete ignorance of her universe's lore. "That sounds incredibly versatile. So you rely on bonds and contracts to summon powerful allies?"
"Exactly!" she nodded, her confidence returning.
"In that case," I said, shifting my hold on Nina to free up one hand. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the smooth, slightly warm card. "I think you should have this."
I handed her the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card.
Lucy took it carefully, examining the swirling brown backing before flipping it over. Her brown eyes widened as she took in the holographic image of the legendary, terrifying white dragon.
"Is this... a magical card?" she asked, looking up at me in confusion.
"The person I just fought used it against me," I explained quietly. "It functions very similarly to your Celestial Keys. If you channel your magic into it, it allows you to summon a massive, incredibly powerful white dragon to fight for you. It's yours now."
Lucy gasped, nearly dropping the card. "What?! A dragon?! Kenji, I can't take this! This is way too rare and powerful. You won the fight, you should keep it!"
I chuckled softly, shaking my head. "I already have my own dragon summon, so it would just gather dust in my inventory. Besides," I added, offering her a genuine, warm smile, "I think a beautiful, strong mage such as yourself would be naturally suited to wield it."
Lucy completely froze in her tracks.
A bright, brilliant shade of crimson exploded across her cheeks, rushing all the way up to the tips of her ears. She stared at me, completely caught off guard by the compliment. In her world, she was used to dealing with rowdy guildmates who usually just broke into her apartment and ate her food. Being casually called beautiful by a guy who looked like a literal prince was apparently a critical hit.
"T-Thank you," she stammered, looking down at the card and clutching it tightly to her chest.
She took a few quick steps to catch back up with me, walking close by my side. She was quiet for a long moment, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. Then, displaying the sheer, blunt straightforwardness that made her such a great character, she looked up at me through her eyelashes.
"Um... Kenji?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you... single?"
My brain completely flatlined.
The smooth, charming persona I had accidentally projected instantly shattered. The heat rushed straight to my face, turning me just as red as she was. I was a guy who, until yesterday, spent most of his time grinding gacha games and avoiding social interaction. Between Okita ambushing me with a kiss earlier and now Lucy Heartfilia bluntly asking about my relationship status, my virgin heart was taking absolute critical damage.
"I—uh. Yes," I managed to choke out, my voice cracking slightly. "I am single."
"Oh," Lucy said softly. A tiny, pleased smile played on her lips. "Okay. Good to know."
An incredibly awkward, yet surprisingly comfortable silence descended over us. Neither of us said another word, both of us hyper-aware of the proximity as we walked shoulder-to-shoulder down the road, the only sounds being our footsteps and Alexander's panting.
Eventually, the dirt road transitioned into paved cobblestone, and the quiet outskirts gave way to the bustling, lively streets of a large Amestrian town. People were going about their daily business, completely unaware of the multiversal anomaly walking through their plaza.
We navigated through the crowd, trying to figure out our next move and where to safely lay Nina down, when a sudden, loud voice echoed down the street. It was a voice I knew all too well from years of watching anime.
"Who are you calling a microscopic pipsqueak who can't even be seen without a magnifying glass?!"
"Brother, calm down! That was a comment someone said an hour ago!"
I stopped dead in my tracks. Coming down the street, arguing loudly over a map, was a towering suit of spiked steel armor and a short, blonde-haired teenager wearing a bright red coat.
Edward and Alphonse Elric.
I instantly handed the sleeping Nina over to Lucy, who took the little girl with a confused blink, and walked straight toward them. I didn't even have to completely fake my excitement. Fullmetal Alchemist was genuinely one of my favorite anime of all time, and seeing them in the flesh was surreal.
"Excuse me!" I called out, waving a hand and channeling my absolute best starstruck fanboy persona. "Are you Edward Elric? The Fullmetal Alchemist?!"
Edward stopped arguing with his brother, blinking in surprise. He pointed a white-gloved finger at himself. "Uh, yeah? That's me. You've heard of me?"
"Heard of you? I'm a massive fan!" I gushed, pulling a small notebook and pen out of my system inventory with a slight sleight of hand. I held it out to him. "Could I please get an autograph? It's an honor to meet someone of your caliber!"
Edward's golden eyes widened. A massive, incredibly smug grin spread across his face as his chest puffed out with sheer, unadulterated pride. "Well! I suppose a State Alchemist of my renown always has time for his loyal fans!" he boasted, snatching the notebook and pen and aggressively scribbling his name.
Beside him, Alphonse just let out a hollow, metallic sigh, shaking his large armored head. His glowing eyes drifted down, instantly locking onto the massive white dog sitting faithfully by Lucy's legs.
"Oh, wow!" Alphonse's voice echoed from within the armor, pitching up with childlike excitement. "What a beautiful dog! Um, miss... is it alright if I pet him?"
Lucy, still cradling Nina, offered a polite, somewhat bewildered smile. "Oh, um, sure! It's no problem. His name is Alexander."
Alphonse instantly dropped to one knee, the heavy armor clanking against the cobblestone, and began vigorously rubbing the dog's head. Alexander panted happily, leaning into the metal gauntlets.
Meanwhile, I continued my psychological manipulation of the Fullmetal Alchemist.
"I have to say, the rumors really don't do you justice," I said casually, looking Edward up and down. "People always exaggerate things. You look perfectly average height to me. Very respectable."
Edward froze mid-signature. He looked up at me, his eyes practically sparkling with unshed tears of absolute validation.
"Right?!" Edward shouted, aggressively pointing the pen at me. "Perfectly average! Finally, someone with actual, working eyeballs! I keep telling everyone I'm still growing, but they just don't listen! You're alright, buddy!"
He handed the notebook back to me, practically glowing with an inflated ego. He put his hands on his hips, finally taking in the whole picture—me, Lucy, the massive dog, and the little girl sleeping in Lucy's arms.
"So, what's a fan of mine doing out here?" Edward asked, his tone shifting to a more casual, curious cadence. "What's with the sleeping kid?"
I let the fanboy persona drop, my expression hardening into absolute, grim seriousness.
"Actually, that's why we're out here," I said, lowering my voice. "We heard some highly suspicious news coming from the estate of a State Alchemist named Shou Tucker. We went to check it out, and when we arrived, we found someone attacking the family."
Edward's casual demeanor vanished instantly. The smug teenager was replaced by the hardened military dog. "Tucker? That's the Sewing-Life Alchemist. We were literally just on our way to his house for an assessment."
"We arrived at the last second," I lied smoothly, keeping my face entirely stoic. "We managed to stop the attacker and drive him off before he could harm little Nina here. But... we were too late to save her father or her mother. They're both dead."
Edward's golden eyes widened in shock, his metal automail fist clenching at his side. Alphonse stopped petting Alexander, looking up at us in stunned silence.
"Dammit," Edward cursed under his breath. He looked down the street, his jaw set. "An attack on a State Alchemist is a direct attack on the military. I need to go investigate the scene and report this to Mustang immediately."
"By all means," I nodded, gesturing back the way we came. "The estate is just a few blocks down that road. We didn't touch anything."
Edward nodded sharply. He turned to his massive younger brother. "Al! Stay here and watch over them. Make sure the kid and the dog stay safe in case the attacker circles back."
"Right, Brother! Leave it to me!" Alphonse confirmed, standing up to his full, imposing height.
Without another word, Edward sprinted off down the cobblestone street, his red coat flapping behind him as he rushed toward the Tucker estate to find a mess that he luckily wouldn't have to carry the emotional trauma for this time.
I watched him disappear around the corner, a small, satisfied smile touching my lips. I had just single-handedly saved the Elric brothers from their most traumatic canon event.
I turned back to the massive suit of armor, slipping my notebook back into my pocket.
"So," I said, looking up at Alphonse with a completely straight face. "While your brother is busy doing the serious military stuff... could you show off some of that famous alchemy?"
"I don't know..." Alphonse rubbed the back of his massive metal helmet, his glowing eyes dimming slightly in hesitation. "Alchemy isn't exactly a party trick. Plus, Brother told me to keep an eye on our surroundings."
I clasped my hands together, putting on my absolute best pleading expression.
Internally, I was practically vibrating. 'Come on, please! First off, alchemy is objectively one of the coolest magic systems ever created. Secondly... if I can learn how their alchemy works, maybe I can use my Medical System to fix his body right here and now. I already derailed Edward's trauma, why not just go all the way? Screw the plot!'
"Just something small?" I urged. "To ease the tension? We just went through a pretty rough ordeal, and I think Lucy and the dog would love to see it."
Lucy, still holding the sleeping Nina, nodded eagerly. "I've never seen alchemy before either! Back in my wor—uh, I mean, where I'm from, we usually use things like Holder Magic." She caught her slip-up immediately, offering a nervous, somewhat strained laugh to cover her tracks.
Alphonse didn't seem to notice the near-blunder. He looked at Lucy, then at the softly panting Alexander, and finally let out a hollow, metallic sigh that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.
"Alright, alright," Alphonse relented. "Just something small."
He stepped back, taking a wide stance. Without drawing a transmutation circle or grabbing a piece of chalk, Alphonse simply clapped his heavy metal gauntlets together with a loud CLANG. He knelt down, pressing both palms flat against the cobblestone street.
Blue alchemical lightning crackled across the ground in a brilliant, mesmerizing web of energy. The stone shifted and morphed like liquid clay before shooting upward, perfectly shaping itself into a beautifully detailed, life-sized stone eagle perched on a small pedestal. Every feather was meticulously carved by the reaction.
Lucy let out a gasp of pure wonder.
In my vision, my Medical System interface flared to life, passively recording the phenomena.
[Notice: Unique energy manipulation observed.]
[Skill Acquired: Standard Alchemy (Lv. 1)]
[Skill Acquired: Circle-less Transmutation (Lv. 1)]
The system handed me the foundational understanding of alchemy and completely bypassed the horrific requirement of opening the Portal of Truth.
"That was incredible," I breathed, stepping up to the stone eagle. I couldn't resist. I wanted to test the new skills immediately. "Do you mind if I try?"
Alphonse blinked. "Try? But you need to study for years to understand the chemical makeup of—"
I didn't let him finish. I clapped my hands together, the crisp smack echoing in the street, and slammed my palms down onto the cobblestone right next to his statue.
Blue lightning surged outward. The stone bubbled and rose, rapidly forming into the shape of an eagle. Because my skill was only Level 1, it wasn't a perfect replica. The edges were a bit blocky, and the feathers lacked the lifelike texture Alphonse had effortlessly created, but it was undeniably a stone eagle.
Alphonse froze, his massive armored body completely still. Lucy's jaw dropped.
"Woah!" Alphonse shouted, his voice echoing loudly inside the hollow metal. He immediately started clapping his giant gauntlets together in applause, the sound ringing like a bell. "That was amazing! It's a little rough, but you didn't even use a circle! Are you an alchemist too? But you didn't even look like you were calculating the mass!"
"I'm a fast learner," I smiled, dusting off my hands.
I looked at the massive suit of armor, letting the smile fade into a softer, more serious expression. "Speaking of miracles... Alphonse, right? I noticed your voice is echoing. And you're completely hollow inside that armor, aren't you?"
Alphonse stopped clapping. He looked down at his metal hands, the glowing lights in his helmet dimming in a profound, quiet sadness.
"Yeah," Alphonse admitted softly. "My brother and I... we got into a really bad accident a few years ago. We tried to do something we shouldn't have. Edward lost his arm and his leg, and I lost my entire body. Now, I'm just a walking suit of armor."
Lucy covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with sympathetic tears. "Oh, Alphonse... I'm so sorry."
"It's okay!" he replied quickly, waving his hands to reassure her. "My brother and I are searching for a way to get our bodies back! We won't give up."
I stared at the blood seal I knew was painted on the inside of his armor. Fixing Alphonse was a completely different ballpark than curing Okita. He didn't have a body to heal. He was a soul missing its physical vessel, which was currently sitting malnourished inside the Gate of Truth.
But I was a doctor with a system that allowed me to rewrite conceptual medical laws.
"Alphonse," I said, stepping closer to the towering armor. "I'm an aspiring doctor. I specialize in... unconventional ailments. Miracles, you could say."
The glowing eyes in his helmet widened. "A doctor?"
"Let me take a look at you," I offered, my voice steady and absolute. "I might be able to fix you. Right here. Right now."
"F-Fix me?!" Alphonse stuttered, taking a half-step back, the metal plates of his body clattering. "Are... are you serious? Is that even possible? Even the greatest alchemists in the military haven't been able to figure it out!"
"Without a doubt," I said, offering him a confident, reassuring grin. "Leave it to this aspiring doctor."
I didn't wait for him to argue. I reached down and methodically began rolling up the sleeves of my hoodie.
I closed my eyes, focusing deeply on the mechanics of my Medical System. I took my newly acquired understanding of Amestrian Alchemy and deliberately began weaving it into the framework of my Throne Modification skill. If I could edit the conceptual data of a Heroic Spirit, I could logically use alchemy to bridge the gap between a bound soul and a physical body trapped in a different dimensional space.
As I forcibly merged the medical and alchemical theories in my mind, the system reacted to my new methodology.
The blue screen flashed rapidly as three new notifications popped up in my field of vision.
[Medical Application Synthesized.]
[New Skill Acquired: Alchemical Soul Stitching (Lv. 1)]
[New Skill Acquired: Equivalent Exchange Bypass (Medical)]
[New Skill Acquired: Conceptual Vessel Retrieval (Lv. 1)]