Chapter Text
It was peak hour at a bustling Central City train station, filled to the brim with interstate commuters. Streams of people, packed with those fortunate enough to be on time and those whose lateness had already cost them time and money, moved in and out as the whistles of departing trains echoed through the concourse. Amidst this muddled chaos stood two brothers, one was strapped within a towering suit of armour embellished with a set of spikes and imposing enough even to make a bear think twice before picking a fight. The other brother, who was surprisingly the older of the two, barely reached up to the former's chest, wore a red coat with a black symbol adorned in the back and wore his long golden hair in a simple ponytail.
These were the Elric brothers, who having just departed from their hotel, were bound for North City and Fort Briggs by extension.
"From what I've heard, this is probably the worst time to be visiting the North right now. Sudden snowstorms at any time of the day and temperatures always below freezing; two things that don't mix well with either of us," Edward Elric said before sighing and turning towards his brother. "I really don't want to spend more time there than we have to."
"Yeah, but with how big the area is we could be stuck there for weeks, even months!"
"Damn that evil girl and her weird cat. If she'd just stayed put, we wouldn't be having to do this in the first place. What a waste of time."
Alphonse Elric in a manner far more expressive than a suit of armour should be able to, waved his hands in front of him in an attempt to calm his brother down. "Mei isn't that bad, brother! And besides, you're going to have to be nice to her if you want her to teach us Alkahestry."
"Ugh I guess I have no choice…" A sly grin appeared on Edward's face. "But you're already very nice to her, aren't you Al? Too nice… Hehe, my little brother is growing up so fast…"
"What do you mean by that? Hey!"
"Nothing!" he teased. Edward snatched his bag from the ground and ran off cackling like a madman as the whistle of their train signalled its departure.
"Get back here and tell me exactly what you meant! Brother!" Alphonse whined, following Edward closely from behind, metal boots clattering against the ground with each stride.
As the pair made their way to the platform, Edward suddenly stopped dread in his tracks, which nearly made Alphonse crash directly into him. "What are you doing?" he asked, voice tinged with slight annoyance.
"Al… am I seeing things or is there some sort of portal in front of me?"
"Huh?" From a brief glance, Alphonse found that Edward was in fact not hallucinating at all; there really was an oval shaped mass of energy in front of them. "What is that?"
The translucent portal stood two metres high and was as thin as a sheet of paper. It emitted a soft hum, quite easily missed unless one paid close attention it. Nobody around them seemed to notice the strange phenomenon, that had accosted the pair. While some of the more aware individuals did see Edward performing an impromptu mime act, they dismissed him as an undisciplined brat acting weird in public. Edward prodded at the portal with a small pen, causing the surface to ripple.
"It looks like pure energy but its solid to the touch… Just what the hell is this abomination against science?" he griped.
Uneasiness welled in the pit of Edward's stomach as he continued to observe it. It was unnatural; an affront to everything knew about Alchemy, and the natural laws of the world.
"Has everything that's happened finally made us lose our minds? Our souls are bound to each other because of the gate, so I wouldn't be surprised if the reason we're both seeing this is because of it."
"Brother, the train is about to leave… maybe we should just ignore it."
Edward stared at the portal for a brief moment. Is it really okay for us to ignore something like this? It might be harmless right now but what about later? The train blew its final whistle; if they wanted to leave, they would have to board now. Dammit! We better be the only ones who can see this or else who knows what might happen!
"Come on Al! If we miss this one then we'll be stuck here for ages waiting for the next. Let's go."
"Right!"
However, just as the pair were about to leave, the rolling of a luggage trolley could be heard from behind them. The worker pushing the cart along wore an idle expression on his face, seemingly caught within a daydream to distract himself from the mundane nature of his job.
Neither Edward nor Alphonse detected the impending collision; they were too caught up in taking a final look at the portal. As alchemists, they shared a strong compulsion to uncover the truths behind everything they could; it was simply their nature.
Regardless of how much time had passed, at their core, they were still the very same boys who used to sneak into their father's study to secretly study alchemy, and nothing would ever change that.
By the time anyone noticed what was happening, it was far too late to do anything about it. With a loud clang, Alphonse was launched several meters, causing him to slam into Edward, sending him flying directly into the portal.
"Seriously, Al?" he yelled.
Edward's body was engulfed by the portal, his left leg being the only limb that remained on the outside and was slowly being pulled within.
"Wait a minute, this thing is real! I can't move at all! Al help!"
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!"
Alphonse, in a panic, latched onto his brother's leg and pulled, but to no avail. Whatever was holding him in place had no intention of letting go. Then, as if on cue, Edward was fully sucked into the portal.
"Brother no! Wait for me!"
Without hesitation, Alphonse jumped in after Edward the split second before the gate fizzled out into nothingness. Not a single trace of them was left behind and not a single person noticed that two individuals had disappeared into thin air.
When the man who had caused all of this came to, he looked around with bewilderment. "Damn I need to get more sleep, I thought I just slammed into a wall…"
A bundle of nervousness and fear waiting to explode, that is how Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière would describe herself if not if she were not so prideful. It was minutes before one of the most important events of her life would transpire, yet she could only feel dread at what was to come.
Today was the day of the annual Springtime Familiar Summoning at the Tristain Academy of Magic. It was a tradition dating back to the ancient days of the founder, Brimir, that everyone who wanted to call themselves a mage, and by extension a proper noble, participated in.
Familiars were often used to measure the aptitude of the mage who had summoned it. Naturally, summoning a creature like a dragon would suggest that the caster was either a remarkably powerful mage or possessed immense reserves of untapped potential. While outliers obviously did exist on both ends of the spectrum, this rule was generally correct in most cases. Hence her current nervousness.
So far, every single one of her peers had successfully summoned their own familiar, leaving her as the final one to do so. Even Kirche von Zerbst, the bane of her existence, managed to summon an impressive fire salamander, much to Louise's ire.
"Do we have any more students waiting to summon their familiar?" Professor Colbert called out, his eyes scanning his students. "No?"
"Miss Vallière still has to go," said Kirche, wearing a smug grin on her face.
All the gathered students turned around and stared at Louise who had been hiding at the back up until that point. They all whispered amongst themselves, preying on her downfall, their barbed jeers digging into her like knives. She stopped herself from shrinking back under their gazes, it would be unbecoming of someone of her station to do so. Left with no choice, Louise allowed a mask of confidence to slip over her face and then she confidently strutted forward, wand held firmly within her grasp.
"Zero, with all of your boasting yesterday I sure do hope you will summon something better than my salamander."
"Of course," said Louise, lacking certainty behind her words.
Zero, the unofficial title that had been forced upon her by her classmates. Unfortunately, it was an apt description of her spellcasting abilities, which were absolutely non-existent. No matter how hard she studied, no matter how hard she tried, Louise had never been able to successfully cast a single spell in her entire life without it quite literally blowing up in her face. This of course led her to being a social outcast within the academy and the subject of their ridicule. Daughter of a Duke or not, what good was a mage who could not cast any spells?
Just you watch… I'm going to summon a familiar that'll put all of yours to shame!
"Remember to chant clearly and loudly, now good luck Miss Vallière," Professor Colbert said.
Louise raised her wand and took a deep breath. This was her final chance to prove herself. If she failed to summon a familiar, she would have no choice but to return to her family in disgrace. And so, she chanted the spell with all her heart, "My servant that exists somewhere in the universe!"
"My divine, beautiful, wise, and powerful servant!"
"By the power of the pentagon of the five elements, heed my call!"
"I wish and assert from the bottom of my heart, answer to my guidance!"
Louise pointed her wand forward and simply allowed her magic to flow through it for it all she could do; everything else was up to fate.
A loud bang reverberated through the courtyard followed by a thick blanket of smoke rapidly spreading outwards. The explosion that occurred was to be expected, hence why all her classmates had backed away to a safe distance before she had finished her rather unique chant.
"Another explosion… as expected of the Zero," one of the students remarked.
"Once a failure, always a failure."
No! Louise could already feel tears begin to well up; she had failed for the last time both as a mage, and as a noble. This had been her last sliver of hope, and now she had none left. Why must this always happen to me!
"Wait… look over there! The Zero actually managed to summon something!"
"No way! Let me see!"
What? She widened her eyes in disbelief. Even now they ridicule me!
Yet their words rang true, as the smoke cleared a figure could be seen at the origin of the explosion. It was a blonde boy, dressed outlandish clothing, and holding a brown suitcase, who had faceplanted directly into the grass below.
A commoner. She surmised. No noble with an ounce of self-respect would wear such a boorish outfit. Louise didn't know whether to cry at her failure or to chide herself for getting her hopes up in the first place. Out of everyone, she just had to be the only person to summon a useless peasant instead of a majestic creature.
"This is meant to be my divine and beautiful familiar?"
Yet despite her exasperated look, a small part of her felt relieved that she was able to at least summon something, even if it wasn't a dragon like she had hopped.
There was nothing quite like some blunt force trauma to the face to get you ready for the day. Edward could taste the mud and grass that had unfortunately found its way into his mouth after he crashed straight into it. First the portal incident and now this, his day just kept getting worse with each second and every second.
"Dammit! Where the hell am I?" he asked himself as he got up from the ground and dusted his clothes. Alphonse was nowhere to be found, which was never a good sign, and his surroundings were definitely not that of a train station. Rather, it resembled the stone construction of the middle-ages that one would see in the older parts of Amestris.
While Edward collected himself, a pink-haired girl, who had been observing him to this point approached him and decided to speak.
"…Huh?" He stared stankly. What did she say?
She repeated her words far more deliberately, but Edward still failed to understand them. The words coming out of her mouth sounded like complete gibberish, the likes of which he had never heard before.
Seriously? Am I in another country? I don't have time for this!
The young girl looked to be upset by his inability to understand her, which earned her the laughter of the surrounding crowd. She then pleaded with a man whose hairline had receded far enough that even Edward pitied him. However, instead of relenting to her complaints, he just lectured the girl in a way a teacher would a student.
Is this some sort of school? Edward shifted uncomfortably. They're all wearing the same uniform so it would make sense, but why is the old guy dressed up like he's a wizard from a fantasy book? Dammit! If only I could communicate with these people.
The girl once again stepped closer to Edward, and he could immediately sense her fury beneath her composed exterior. She stood so near that he could feel her warm breath brushing softly against his face.
"Do you need something…?"
The girl muttered more words, but Edward could only catch "Louise" and guessed it was her name. Louise then leaned in… and planted her lips upon his before he could even realise what was happening.
Edward froze, his eyes wide in disbelief. What? Did she just… The kiss felt like it went on for an eternity. As her lips parted from his, Edward's face flushed violently, not just from embarrassment, but from immediate, burning outrage.
He shoved her away and pointed his finger, accusingly. "HEY! What the hell do you think you're doing, you rotten girl? You just kissed me! Are you insane?!" he screamed.
Louise too had the faintest signs of a blush on her face, yet her eyes gazed upon him in disgust, as if he had personally offended her.
Screw this place, I'm getting out of here before these insane people try anything else. Edward spun around, ready to book it, when a searing pain erupted from his left hand.
Wincing in agony, Edward ripped off his glove, revealing strange glowing symbols being etched onto his skin. None of which matched any alchemical symbols or foreign scripts he was aware of. Nevertheless, the pain still paled in comparison to what he had been through in the past. Compared to losing one's limbs or going through automail grafting surgery, this felt like a mere scratch.
In a bout of justified anger, Edward marched towards the girl and grabbed her the collar. "What have you done to me?" he demanded.
Louise yelped in shock, and then, much to nobody's surprise, she also started screaming at him. It was not long before it devolved into shouting match between two people who lacked the ability to even understand each other's words. Their argument finally reached its climax when Louise pulled out a small stick and pointed it at him as if it were a firearm.
"What are you going to do with that? Cast some sort of magical spell? What are you five? Get real!"
Edward's ridicules fell on deaf ears as the girl slowly chanted a series of words before an explosion sent him flying into the ground like a ragdoll.
"That should shut him up for the time being." Louise sighed, this familiar was more trouble than he was worth. She would have to correct his behaviour later. "Are we done here?"
"You… what the hell was that? How did you manage to produce an explosion with no transmutation circle?" Edward had seen Mustang's flame alchemy, and what this girl had done was certainly not that. Worst of all, everyone else simply acted unfazed by the whole thing – as if they were expecting it to happen.
"Transmutation circle?" she repeated incredulously, "What are you prattling on about?"
"You heard exactly what I said! How did you create an explosion out of nothing?"
Edward narrowed his eyes. There is no way this girl could have a philosopher's stone… could she?
Louise scowled in disgust. "Hmph, it seems that you're as uneducated as I'd expect. Did your plebian upbringing not inform you of the magic that us nobles wield?"
"Wait just a minute." Edward's eyes widened. "How can I suddenly understand what you're saying?"
Louise paused, an expression of surprise flickering across her face. The blonde-haired boy was right; how could he speak their language when, just a moment ago, he had not the faintest idea of what any of it meant?
"I-I simply used a translation spell on you," she said, futilely attempting to hide the fact that she had tried to silence him instead.
"Translation spell? Are you stupid? Magic is only in fairy tales; it doesn't exist in real life!"
"Now, now Zero, it isn't good to lie to your familiar, no matter how strange they are."
A student, followed by a giant red lizard, walked up to the pair. Her crimson hair was noticeably long, with bangs covering one side of her face, and fluttered in the light breeze passing through the courtyard. Her skin was tanned, a rarity amongst her classmates, and sported quite the voluptuous physique.
"Kirche von Zerbst, a pleasure. And who might you be?"
Louise sharply furrowed her brows and protectively stood in front of Edward. "Stay away from my familiar Zerbst; I won't allow you to corrupt him."
"Your words wound me, Zero. I merely wish to know more about this commoner that you have brought before us." She appeared to be holding in her laughter. "Although I must say that you do share some similar qualities… it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that you were able to summon this peasant."
"S-similar… qualities?" she stuttered. Impossible, that is peasant inferior to me in every way possible.
"I believe she means that you are both short in temper and… in stature." A freckled girl with curly hair added from the sidelines. "The quality of a familiar truly doesn't fall far from their mage."
"Shut up!" Edward and Louise yelled in unison.
"Oh my?" Kirche arched her eyebrow. "It seems I was right! Your familiar is the perfect fit for you after all."
This girl! Edward was about to go off on another one of his rage-induced tangents about being called short when Louise somehow beat him to the punch.
"Short? You dare go so low as to make fun of my height? You of all people, Montmorency the Flood?"
"Who are you calling 'The Flood'?" Montmorency snapped, "My proper title is Montmorency the Fragrance, Zero!"
"I heard that you used to wet the bed like a flood, correct? So, it's only natural that 'The Flood' would be used as your true title."
Suddenly a loud thump could be heard from the direction of their teacher. As he banged his staff against the ground, he spoke sternly, "Enough arguing, it is unbecoming of us nobles to engage in such petty disputes."
"But she-"
"No buts, Miss Vallière," He chided, "Just because someone is acting inappropriate does not give you permission to stoop to their level. I thought you knew better than that."
"…Sorry Mr. Colbert."
Kirche smirked at yet another victory in her endless war against Louise and walked off, quietly laughing.
"As for you, young man, may I please inspect the runes on your left hand?"
"Uh, sure?" Edward presented his left hand to the teacher, who squinted while analysing them. "Do you recognise anything?"
"Fascinating," The bespectacled professor hummed, "I don't believe I've ever seen anything quite like this."
So, you're useless? Edward held himself back from saying
"Now while I would like to continue analysing this, I do have a class to run. I believe it's time you got back to your master."
"Master?" he said with a deepening frown, "I keep hearing the words 'master' and 'familiar' being tossed around but I have no idea what either of them mean! Does it have to do with how I ended up here in the first place? Where even are we, anyway? Answer me!"
"I suppose it's only natural that you're confused by your situation; I certainly am, since you are the first human to ever be summoned in all of recorded history," Colbert calmly stated, "However, it still stands that Miss Vallière should be the one to explain everything. Now, let's get back to class everyone."
The middle-aged man turned to face the building behind him, and then slowly began to ascend from the ground. The rest of the students followed suit, floating along the stone walls of the building while making fun of Louise.
Meanwhile, all Edward could do was gawk at the sheer absurdity of it all. "First magical explosions and now people floating around as if the rules of physics are just suggestions…! This has to be to a dream… no, a nightmare - that's right! I'm going to wake up and be back at the hotel with Al watching over me."
"Are you done muttering to yourself, commoner?" asked Louise, "Because this is no dream."
"So, it's a nightmare? I see… Well then, if you'll excuse me…" Edward pinched himself to no avail. "Come on! Work dammit!"
Oh no… this is actually real! Al, save me!
"Nightmare? The true nightmare is me having to waste my first kiss on the likes of you!"
"Your first kiss? What about mine? That was meant to be for…" he trailed off. "Why am I even arguing with you? You're the one who kissed me, not the other way around, you pervert. Do you get some sort of sick kick out this, huh, pervert girl?"
Louise exhaled harshly, "To think that I would summon such a loud and obnoxious familiar… oh Founder, why must I be tested like this?"
Why's this girl acting like this? Don't tell me this place is like Xing and is still ruled by feudalism! Edward could feel a headache coming on just from the notion of it.
"Anyway, what is your name, commoner? Spit it out."
"Edward Elric. Is that adequate, your worshipfulness?" he said, voice oozing with sarcasm.
"Mind your tongue! You should be honoured that I even cared to know your name."
"What's with your rotten attitude, you're the one who supposedly summoned me! I didn't ask to be here! Shouldn't you at least show me some respect?"
"Respect is a courtesy reserved for peers, not for commoners. You are my familiar and I, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, am your master; you must do as I say. And I right now I am telling you to shut your mouth and listen to me."
Edward took a deep breath; this girl was going to give him an aneurysm.
"I'll listen to you for now. It's not like I have anything better to do anyway."
"Good to see that you can at least show some obedience when required. We shall continue this discussion in my quarters, away from prying eyes." Louise glanced at the window of her classroom and caught her classmates staring right back at her.
She scowled and turned away.
Edward found that Louise's quarters were quite large for a single person bedroom. It was filled with finely crafted furniture he would have expected to see at the Führer's personal residence back in Amestris. However, there was a distinct lack of modern technology; not even a basic light bulb, let alone sockets for electronics were present, meaning that the only light entering the room was from a large window. As he shut the door behind him, one particular detail amidst the fancy décor caught his eye: a pile of straw placed next to the large bed.
"Sit." Louise motioned towards the straw.
"No."
"Fine then stand; I don't care either way."
Edward dropped his bag, leaned against the wall, and sighed, "So… can you finally explain what this is all about? Because I'm honestly too exhausted to even argue anymore."
"Listen properly because I will not repeat myself…"
The haughty girl proceeded to explain the concept of magical familiars and the 'Springtime Familiar Summoning' ritual to Edward, including the inability to nullify the contract once it was already in effect. As she explained, Edward just frowned at the utter nonsense was spilling from her mouth. The young alchemist just simply could not bring himself to accept the existence of magic.
If magic was truly real, then Amestris would have already weaponized it to deadly effect; like they'd done with alchemy years ago. Not to mention, with all this talk of places called 'Tristain' and 'Halkeginia,' which he had obviously never heard of before, he quickly came to a single conclusion: Either these people have gone insane, I've gone insane, or this is an entirely different world.
He had been through too many portals to be surprised, if his suspicions turned out to be true.
"So, from what I understand, I'm basically stuck as your slave for the rest of my life?" He traced the markings on his left hand. "This is the worst, most one-sided deal, I've ever heard of! I gain absolutely nothing while you get a free pawn that you can command to do your bidding."
"Do not ever let the church hear you say that. Masters and Familiars are meant to be lifelong partners who both benefit from their sacred contract. Your appearance should never have happened to begin with! But… should you prove useful to me, then I suppose I shall keep you around."
Not that I have a choice in the matter… Any objections she raised had been instantly shut down by Colbert in favour of following the ancient traditions. Even now, her irritation simmered beneath the surface, fuelled by the frustration of being barred from retrying the summoning ritual.
"Ugh, why couldn't you have been a dragon or a griffin?" she muttered under her breath, "Now tell me, do you possess any talents, at all? Or are you utterly useless because I have strong doubts that you would be good at finding reagents like proper familiars."
I'm going to be stuck with this girl until I find a way back home, aren't I? It's not like I can just run away and hope that I can survive out in the wilderness filled with magical monsters and who knows what else.
As much as Edward hated to admit it, Louise was currently his only lifeline in this strange world. I guess I should take advantage of the free shelter for now; at least until I get adjusted to this place. Being a familiar shouldn't be too hard, right? Even if she is a demon disguised as a little girl.
"Well…"
Edward reached into his pocket and retrieved his silver pocket watch. Symbolic of his position as an official State Alchemist. In truth, he had conflicted feeling towards the it. Not that long ago, he was proud of being able to achieve something that most Alchemists could only dream of, at a record age to boot. Such was the prestige that came with the title. However now it only symbolised the chokehold that the Homunculi had on Alphonse, Winry, and of course himself; a glorified collar in all but name.
He presented the pocket watch and spoke plainly, "I'm actually an alchemist."
"Do you take me for a fool? Only those of noble blood can perform alchemy," she said, irritably, "If making jokes in poor taste is the only talent you have, then perhaps I should whip you until you discover something better."
"Geez! Could you calm down for a second so I can explain?" He returned the watch back to his pocket. "Look, I'm not from y'know, around here."
"Excuse me?"
"I said that I'm not from around here, okay? I'm from a different continent or something, judging by everything that's happened so far."
"Don't you dare lie to me."
"Have you ever heard of Amestris? Drachma? Aerugo? Xing? Of course not! Why would I lie about something like this?"
Louise clenched her first. "There is no different continent! Even if there was one, what proof do you have to backup such an absurd claim?"
"Proof? You want some proof? Fine! Can someone from here do this?"
Edward clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground. Alchemical energy soon followed, raging across the room in brilliant arcs of electricity.
That's weird. My alchemy feels different here - almost like it's clearer than before? Maybe I'm just imagining it.
The wooden floorboards below him transformed into an all too familiar suit of armour: Alphonse.
I wonder what Al is doing now… did he follow me into the portal or is he wondering where the hell I went? Dammit this is the worst! That Father guy is plotting something horrible, and I'm stuck here doing tricks for this stupid girl. In the end, Edward could only have faith in his brother's ability to overcome adversity without him.
"Need any more proof?" he said, picking up the wooden figure of Alphonse and placing it in Louise's delicate hands.
She examined the object in her hands with a complicated expression etched across her face. The carvings were perfect, down to even the most minute detail. It was a testament to her familiar's skill at his craft. Is he truly not lying when he says he comes from another continent, one undiscovered by us? There has never been a tale of someone simply clapping their hands to cast spells.
"W-well I suppose that you are more useful than you look, but how did you perform earth magic without a wand?"
"I don't think you get what I'm trying to say here at all! We don't have magic where I'm from, everything we do is achieved through scientific innovation built upon centuries of research. Alchemy is just one aspect of it, and from what I gather, your alchemy is fundamentally different to mine."
The pink-haired girl tilted her head. "How so?"
"You saw it yourself, didn't you? I don't need a wand to perform transmutation, just an understanding of the fundamentals and a transmutation circle."
"Again, with that term! This is discussion going nowhere. I want you to explain everything about your version of alchemy."
"Sure," he agreed. But I'm only going to give you the basics.
Edward gave Louise a special dumbed-down explanation of alchemy, including the three fundamental stages of comprehension, deconstruction, and reconstruction. Throughout his short lecture he noted that Louise was actually quite intelligent after she dropped the arrogant noble act and earnestly tried to listen to what he had to say. There were times when she even asked questions with surprising insight for someone who had yet to learn the bare minimum.
"Now finally, the law of equivalent exchange: To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. It basically means that you cannot create something out of nothing – no conjuring metal from thin air or anything like that," he lectured. Except when a philosopher's stone is involved. But Edward was not going to open that can of worms; the less who knew of that cursed stone, the better.
"Now do you understand why magic is so shocking to me?"
Louise's eyes softened.
"To live in a place untouched by Brimir's blessing must be challenging, you have my sympathy."
Is she looking at me with pity?
"Magic is a gift to us, his descendants, we are bound by noble obligation to use it for the good of our kingdom and its subjects. I could not imagine a world without it."
"Alchemist be thou for the people," Edward parroted. "It's a tenant we're supposed to live by – to help others in need, for the greater good, instead of our own selfish needs…" It always comes back to that, doesn't it? He chuckled, grimly. Ironic coming from someone who sold themselves to a military to pursue their own goals, where said military is strung along by freaks hellbent on watching the world burn.
"I guess that makes us somewhat alike… in a way at least."
Louise stared at him, picking up an undertone of cynicism in his voice.
"This alchemy of yours… is it common amongst your people?"
Edward shook his head. "No, alchemy is incredibly difficult; it takes months of dedicated study just to perform a basic transmutation. Luckily my brother was with me when I started learning, or who knows how long it would have taken."
A brother? She raised her eyebrows.
"I-I see… Anyway, enough of this discussion. It bores me, and I must attend my final lectures for the day."
"Oh yeah! I completely forget this is a school for magic, of all things." Edward strolled over and proceeded to free fall onto Louise's bed. "Whatever, I'll just nap here in the meantime. Have fun waving your wand or whatever."
"Hey! I didn't give you permission to lay on my bed." She nudged him, harshly, yet struggled to get him to move even a couple centimetres. He's heavier than he looks!
"Move you brute!"
Wait a second, he's already asleep!
It was not a loud sound or anything of that sort that woke Edward up from his slumber, but rather his own body begging for both food and water.
"Ugh… what time is it?" he groaned while lifting himself up from the bed. "Of course I'm still here, why wouldn't I be?" He had sorely hoped to find himself back in Amestris.
The room was shrouded in darkness, save for faint beams of moonlight filtering through the window. Curious, he moved closer to get a better view of his surroundings, realizing he had neglected to do so earlier. Upon reaching the window, he was surprised by the citadel-like design of the academy, which featured five large outer towers connected by thick walls, and a tall central tower standing proudly in the middle.
Floating high above the towers in the starry night sky were two mesmerising moons; one larger and more prominent, and the other slightly smaller. That alone, was enough to confirm the suspicions that had been stewing in his mind ever since he had arrived.
"So, my hunch was correct, this really is another world. Dammit, if Al did fall through the portal, like I did, then he's out there all by himself. It could take years to find him in a world that probably doesn't even have trains, let alone any modern technology. Maybe I could speed things up if I transmuted a car. Designing an engine shouldn't be too hard right?"
Edward was going to search for his brother regardless of how the slim the chances were of finding him. He made a promise to get their bodies back and not even being transported to another world would stop him from breaking it.
While he pondered over his options, his stomach began to rumble aggressively almost like an engine. He could no longer ignore his body's cries for nutrients.
I guess there's no harm in taking a look around. Worst comes to worst, I could just turn some grass into bread.
Edward was about to leave when the door opened on its own. "Going somewhere?" asked Louise holding a plate containing a few loaves of bread and a pitcher of water.
"Food!" He snatched a loaf of bread off the plate and scarfed it down like a starving dog.
He might as well be an animal, eating in such an undignified manner. Louise watched him chug down the water with mild disgust.
"You ought to show some gratitude towards the one who brought you this."
"Thanks," he said, voice muffled by his mouth being half-full.
"Whatever."
Louise went over to her wardrobe and began undressing herself, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that a boy was in the same room as her. Edward, meanwhile, remained firmly engrossed in devouring his dinner and took no heed of her actions.
"You know, maybe you aren't as bad as I thought you were."
Louise narrowed her eyes and growled, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I mean it as a good thing! At first, I thought you were some nutjob with an inferiority complex but-" Edward turned towards her only to find her fully undressed save for a small set of underwear. He paused, heat rising to his face like a thermometer reaching its maximum temperature.
Louise glanced back at him, indifferent to the fact her naked body was being gazed upon by a mere familiar.
"Go on, finish what you were saying."
"NEVERMIND, I TAKE EVERYTHING BACK! YOU REALLY ARE JUST A CREEPY GIRL WHO KISSES STRANGERS AND TAKES HER CLOTHES OFF FOR NO REASON!"