Rain fell on the city of East City like guilt that couldn't be washed away.
The sky, overcast and heavy, matched the weight in his chest. He stood quietly across the street from a two-story house—the Tucker residence.
Simple. Plain. Almost forgettable.
And yet behind that worn wood and those barred windows stood one of the greatest living abominations he'd ever read about. A man who would, in just a few days, do the unthinkable.
The MC watched through thin spectacles—his form disguised through the system's temporal blending. No one could detect him. Not the neighbors. Not the State Alchemists. Not even the girl playing in the fenced yard with her shaggy dog.
[Temporal Shell: ACTIVE | Observational Phase – 48 Hours Remaining][Disguise Layer: Civilian – Null Presence Enabled][Emotional Sync Filters ONLINE]
He didn't move.
Not yet.
Shou Tucker exited his front door in a brown lab coat and dark pants. His glasses reflected nothing but clouds. He patted Nina's head, smiled thinly, and walked briskly to the car that picked him up.
MC watched the way Tucker avoided looking at the dog.
At Nina.
How the man barely acknowledged his own daughter's laugh, treating it more like background noise than light.
[Emotion Scan: Subject "Shou Tucker" – Compassion Levels: 2% | Deceit Layer: 84% Active | Internal Conflict: Minimal]
Minimal.
A man who had already begun justifying his future sins.
Inside the house, Nina colored with broken crayons. The dog—Alexander—slept beside her, tail thumping.
The MC leaned silently on a nearby rooftop, watching through the scope filter provided by the system. He was still adapting to this world's slower mana flow—alchemy flickered in the distance like unstable circuitry, unfamiliar and metallic.
Yet what troubled him wasn't the science.
It was how... normal this home appeared.
[Soul Pulse Detected: Child – Stable | Pet Familiar – Strong Bond | Threat Level: Pending (3 Days)][You may intervene at any time. Consequences may vary.][System Recommendation: Observe]
He obeyed. For now.
Shou Tucker returned late. His hair was wet with sweat despite the rain, and his voice was chipper—too chipper—when he greeted Nina.
She ran to hug him.
He accepted it like a coat being draped over his shoulders. Eyes distant. Smile mechanical.
MC's fingers clenched involuntarily.
He'd seen this kind of mask before. Not on war criminals. On cowards.
Men who buried their guilt behind progress reports and "for the greater good."
[System Note: Soul Divergence Detected – Timeline Sync at 98.3% Integrity][Subject "Shou Tucker" – Internal Monologue Repeating: Just one more. Just one more breakthrough.][WARNING: Early experimentation plans forming.]
He watched into the evening. Notes were scrawled. Old diagrams reviewed. The dog fed late. Nina put herself to bed.
Not once did Tucker tell her a story.
Not once did he say "I love you."
Inside the darkened villa in his temporary dimensional pocket, MC sat in front of a small notebook.
He didn't write in it.
He simply looked at a sketch of Nina and Alexander that she'd drawn earlier and left on the porch.
She had drawn a sun behind them. A family of three.
[Observation Period: COMPLETE – 2 Days Logged][Threat Threshold Reached: Passive Phase Termination Imminent][Judgment Timeline Initialization: DAY 3 BEGINNING]
Outside, thunder echoed faintly in the distance.
He laid back on the cot—eyes closed, but unrested.
A knock came from nowhere, not part of any physical world.
[Wake Protocol Engaged – Alignment Locked][MISSION SHIFT: Passive → Active][Target: Shou Tucker | Status: Unaware | Judgment Parameters: OPEN]
His eyes opened to darkness.
And just beyond it, justice stirred.