Fool's World: The Magician (ch. 2) (Patreon)

I found myself sitting in the back seat of a car. Korra sat next to me, her face pressed up against the window to look out at the city as we passed it by. Majima sat in the passenger seat, his feet kicked up on the dash. He had inconsiderately pushed his seat back enough that I had absolutely no legroom. In the driver's seat was a guy that I didn't know and who hadn't introduced himself. He hadn't said a word so far.

"Woah! Now this is a city!" Korra excitedly exclaimed, hammering a finger on the window button to try and lower, but it was child locked.

"Ya' a country girl?" Majima asked, as I looked out the window as well, gathering my thoughts about my revelation that I was a member of a criminal organization.

"I grew up in the South Pole," Korra answered distractedly. She had been equally as impressed by the car, but she tried to temper it a bit. But, as we drove on a back road towards a large cliff, we had a pretty great view of the city. The tall buildings, the lights that outnumbered the stars -- it was an incredible sight.

Majima let out a huff, "Fair enough, I suppose," he conceded. "Go on and get a good look at it, then. Ya' never know what could happen to it," Majima said, his tone ominous. I wasn't sure what exactly caused the shift in mood -- when he was bailing us out of jail, he had been exuberant. Now, that slowly bled away into a more flat and serious character. The only thing that had changed, to my knowledge, was how close we were to our destination.

Korra looked at Majima, then at me, and I just shrugged. He was implying something, but I had no clue what. After all, what could happen to an entire city?

I looked out my window, seeing nothing but trees as far as the eye could see. They raced by at a blistering pace, offering no hint as to where we were going. I had guesses, but they were probably all wrong. I just didn't know enough about the situation. The only facts I was certain of were that I was a member of the Yakuza, I was on my way to meet some guy called Shimano, and I was told to pick fights with the men of a Nishkiyama family. Now, something might be about to go down that could affect the city?

Keeping silent, I decided to wait until we reached our destination and got more information before I came to any final conclusions. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long for that.

We arrived at an old Japanese-styled home seated on the edge of a cliff overlooking the city. It was only a single story tall, but it more than made up for it in width. Based on the tall walls that we drove by before reaching the front gate, the manor was at least as long as one of the city streets below. The car came to a stop in front of a red gate, a walkway leading to the front door.

Majima got out first, and I followed him out. Korra got out as well, and it was only then that he looked at her. Then at me, an eyebrow cocked. He was clearly expecting me to do something. Tell her to stay put?

I barely knew Korra and I knew that wouldn't work out.

So, I just met his gaze for a long moment before receiving a shrug that screamed 'I literally couldn't care less even if I tried to' before he pivoted on a foot and started walking. I followed him, and Korra followed after me. I saw it before I entered, but the entire courtyard was filled with people. At least fifty of them.

"Welcome, Sirs!" They shouted in unison, dropping into a bow as we walked by. They stood in neat rows, people bowing in unison, almost like they were a wave of dominoes that falling over in a cascading effect. Majima didn't seem like he noticed, and since we were both Yakuza, I was taking my cues from him.

"Woah, looks like you are someone important," Korra muttered to me, eyeing the men bowing at the waist.

Majima heard her and let out a snicker, "Ya' got no idea, girly." He said, two men opening the door for us as we approached. As the doors slid to the side, it revealed a wide-open area. A greeting room. Wood floors, cream-colored walls, and a white ceiling overhead. The hallway seemed to be made out of rice paper.

I looked at Majima's back for a moment and filed that away. Outside, everyone had been wearing a pin in their lapel. A small golden pin. The only people that didn't have it were Majima, and me. Was that a mark of my rank in the organization? Was I not just a member of the Yakuza, but also a high-ranking member? I mean, it sure beats being a grunt, but at least as a grunt, the stakes would be a lot lower.

If I was a high-ranking member, then there would be expectations of me, and I doubted that I would care for those expectations. Which meant that there would be consequences heading my way if I screwed this up.

Two men at the other end of the lobby stood by a door, and as we approached, the door opened. I spared a glance at Korra, who seemed interested in the place before she caught my look. I raised a finger to my lips, the universal sign of being quiet -- make that multiversal.

Korra frowned for a moment, then it seemed to click in place. I had lost my memories. I had no clue what exactly we were walking into. Honestly, the fact that she was able to come with me was a red flag in itself -- if this was a meeting between high-ranking members of the Yakuza, then why was she able to come with me? Shouldn't Majima have insisted that she stay behind?

My thoughts came to an end when I stepped inside the room. There was a desk on the other side, several seats lining the walls that were occupied. Five men in total -- all in their thirties to forties, all dressed in sharp suits and each with that same golden pin in their lapel. There were about five seats unoccupied, and it seemed the further that I walked, the more annoyed those five men became.

Majima took one of two seats that were closer to the desk and the man sitting behind it. I met the gaze of a large man -- he was heavy set, his eyebrows were the only hair that he had on his head. His head was shaved, as was his face, leaving a strong jawline with a square chin bare. His eyes were brown and they pinned me with a look like he was trying to see through me and into my soul. He wore a brown suit with a pale yellow dress shirt and a golden tie.

He, I'm guessing, was Shimano. My boss.

He watched me reach the end of the line. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Everyone else was sitting, so I did the same, taking the surprisingly comfortable black leather seat across from Majima. The tension in the room skyrocketed with the action, everyone looking distinctly unhappy, but they said nothing. Though Shimano looked indifferent and Majima looked like he was fighting off a smile.

I don't think I was supposed to do that. But, too late to do anything about it. Oh well.

Korra stood behind me, going ignored by everyone in the room. But she did sense the tension and crossed her arms in an effort to look intimidating.

"You got arrested," Shimano stated, looking at me, his voice heavy like brass.

No denying that, "Yeah, I did." I answered with an equally flat tone. I was mirroring them. I had absolutely no clue how I would normally act in this kind of situation. No one was standing up and chewing me out yet, but I clearly did something that I wasn’t supposed to -- could they not? Were these people even my boss? Was I theirs? More than that, though, I didn’t know fundamental things about myself.

Did I sit with my legs crossed in a certain way? Did I answer with respect? Disrespect? Did I have nicknames for people? I was missing all of it.

“But, I did what you told me to do,” I tacked on a moment later, doing what felt natural. I leaned into my chair and crossed my legs, propping one leg up on my knee, as I looked at Shimano. He offered a curt nod like he expected that.

“Well done!” He said, and that felt distinctly like false praise to me. Though he did seem to be caught a bit flat-footed when I didn’t give much of a reaction, but he recovered quickly. “Well done. Getting arrested was an unexpected development, but it sends a powerful message in the heart of Nishkiyama’s territory. That punk brat’s done for. All because of you, Majima,” he said, offering more praise.

Was… was he kissing my ass?

For a moment, I was uncertain how to respond. Should I thank him for the brown-nosing? That felt weird. “Is everything else going according to plan?” I asked, really hoping that he would drop enough hints that I could figure out what the plan actually was. I was told to start some fight, and apparently getting arrested was tentatively a good thing… but what were we doing exactly?

Shimano nodded, “All is going according to plan. After tonight, your actions have paved the way for our success. All that is left is to maneuver our pieces. It will take some time, but I assure you, both of our dreams will be realized with a little patience. Tonight, you laid the foundation. Allow us to build upon it. After all, I understand it you are quite busy with far more important pursuits than dealing with insignificant details such as troop placements. The Akashic Records awaits,” he said, giving me a pleasant smile.

And he was trying to play me. He sounded like he believed every word, but that just meant he had acting props. How he spoke, how he acted… it sounded like he knew exactly how to get me to do what he wanted. He knew how to appease me into being manipulated.

The issue now was that he was trying to appease someone that simply wasn’t there, so it was obvious what he was doing. Shimano was pushing me out of the way. He got me to do a task for him, now he was trying to make sure that all the details were left to him, while I got distracted by something called the Akashic Records. Whatever the hell that was.

“Dreams, huh?” I muttered with a frown, earning a sharp look from Shimano. However, before he could speak, I shook my head, dismissing the issue. “Sure, the Akashic Records await. Need me for anything else?” I asked, being direct and I could feel the entire room bristling at that. Even Majima gave me a rather sharp look.

Shimano gave me a smile that was as sweet as poison, “Of course, but nothing that requires your attention. Thank you for your time,” he said, and I got up from my seat. I spared a glance at Majima, who watched me get up, his face blank. Korra walked after me, returning the dirty looks that there tossed my way. I pretended not to notice -- I hadn’t been able to glean much because no one in the room wanted me here. They were acting on the assumption that I also didn’t want to be here.

I was wary of pushing. Of acting too wildly out of character, or else the jig would be up.

So, I walked away, the door closing behind me and I could only guess was discussed behind closed doors. Korra leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “So, seems like they didn’t like you…” She felt compelled to point out, earning an amused smirk from me.

“Everyone in that room wanted me dead,” I corrected, making Korra flinch back a bit as a shocked expression crossed her face. Not sure why, though-

“You’re pretty relaxed for someone that has so many people that want him dead,” Korra pointed out. And I guess that’s why she looked so shocked. I guess that was fair. If I had to put it into words…

I shrugged, “If they were going to kill me, then it would have been then. Or they could have let me rot in jail. Shimano definitely wouldn’t have kissed my ass like that if he didn’t think there was a need to.” Why put up pretenses if they were just going to kill me once the job was done? To lull me in a false sense of security? Sure, that was a possibility, but there wasn’t really a need for it when I was completely surrounded by Yakuza soldiers. “They still need me for something. But, the trip wasn’t a waste -- I’m apparently some hotshot Yakuza, and I’m interested in something called the Akashic Records.”

Korra nodded as if she knew what that meant, raising my hopes for a moment, only for them to fall back down when she looked at me, “Akashic Records, huh? I have absolutely no clue what those are,” she spoke as we stepped outside. I tensed ever so slightly, because if they were going to kill me, then this would be the next best time.

However, as we walked by, they all bowed. Korra seemed as awed as she was the first time, but there was a tension in her shoulders that told me she was ready for action. Across from us, where we had parked earlier, was another car with a man standing by it, with the door open. He… looked so painfully average, it was like he was chosen for the exact purpose of being as dull-looking as possible. Though, what I did notice was that he didn’t wear a golden pin in his lapel. Was he not Yakuza?

Yet, he bowed to me as we approached, "Sir!"

“Oh, hey there,” I greeted with a wave, unsure if I should return the bow or not. I eyed the car, realizing that the ride was for us. Well, me, but Korra would be coming with me. “Are you ride my ride home?” I asked him, and the guy seemed to wilt ever so slightly. Ah… he was my dedicated driver, or something wasn’t he? And I didn’t recognize him.

However, he nodded as he rose, “Of course, sir! And I would also like to inform you that your bike has been returned to your garage without incident!” He announced before he seemed to brace himself.

So, the keys had been mine? Well, that was nice. I was still unsure about that money clip, though. “Thanks,” I said, getting into the car and sliding over. Korra got in after me, sparing a glance at me. I cocked an eyebrow while the driver circled around.

“He thought you would hit him,” Korra pointed out. My lips thinned at that, but I said nothing. I did seem to be a violent person by nature but protecting that girl had given me the impression that I aimed that violence at people that actually deserved it. It didn’t sit well with me that I appeared to have been the kind of scumbag that would just smack people around because I felt like it, or for no reason at all.

Add that to how I was treated in that room… I really didn’t care for the picture that painted of me.

“I know,” I muttered, settling into the seat and falling silent as the driver got into the car and we pulled away from the building. The interior of the car was pretty nice -- soft leather seats, tinted windows, and a plane of glass that separated the back seat from the front seats to give us privacy. “We didn’t get much of a lead there.”

“What plan did he mean- I-” she started to ask, only to trail off , realizing that I wouldn’t have the answers she wanted. “You still don’t remember anything? Nothing jogged your memory?” She asked, and I shook my head. “But do you have any clue what they could be talking about?” Korra tried, frowning at me, before she spared a glance through the window, drawn to the sight of the city.

I did. “I have a few ideas, but none of them are good. I know that the Yakuza are a criminal organization. That big guy is Shimano, and he seems to be in charge of one of the families. He has an issue with some guy called Nishkiyama, who I’m betting is another big-time Yakuza boss. I think my role was to pick a fight with the Nishkiyama family, but… I’m not sure why.” What made me so special that I had to be the one that picked the fights?

Was it because I was a higher up in the organization? Shimano had kissed my ass, but at the same time, he had still given me orders and passively dismissed me. So, I doubt that I outranked him. Was I a leader of my own family? Was I a top member in the Shimano family? There were still plenty of pieces missing to this puzzle.

Korra gave me a sharp look when I said the word criminal, but it softened when she saw that I was about as troubled about it as she was. Well, not exactly. I didn’t really care about being a member of the Yakuza one way or the other, but I did care about what kind of person I had been prior to tonight. The more I learned about who I had been, the more I found myself… dissatisfied.

We lapsed into silence until we were brought to a building that could best be described as opulent. In the heart of the city, we pulled up in front of an ancient-looking Japanese manor. Unlike the previous one, it had about five stories, each one stacked on top of one other. Getting out, we walked underneath the red gate, heading to the front door as the driver went to park the vehicle.

As we approached, the doors opened for us, revealing a row of maids that bowed as we stepped inside. I froze in place and two of them took that as a sign to take my shoes off for me and replace them with slippers. Korra let out a noise of shock, nearly falling over, but my focus was on the woman that stood in the center of the bowing maids that hit us with a wall of, “Welcome back, Master!”

One maid rose up, “Shall I escort you to the bedroom?” She asked me. Korra flinched back like she had been struck.

“W-whoa! He- we’re- I’m not-” She sputtered, shaking her head.

“Appreciate it,” I agreed, making Korra round on me. She grabbed hold of my arm, squeezing it tightly as she gave me a look sharp enough to cut. “I don’t know where my bedroom is and it’s a big place,” I pointed out. Korra opened her mouth, only to look away as her face seemed to darken with a blush. But she didn’t let go of my arm as the maid ignored the byplay and led us through the building. Apparently, I was a lazy guy, because I had an elevator installed.

We arrived at the top floor, and it opened up straight into a living room. It was lavish. It had a TV that acted as a wall, velvet couches, a long coffee table flanked by sitting mats. The maid led us to a door, which she opened for us, revealing my bedroom.

It was huge, practically a separate living room. There was a futon on the floor, the covers roughly tossed around, piles of clothes kicked into the corners… And there were books. Loads and loads and loads of books. They were piled high, stacked on top of each other in messy piles. A quick look at their spines told me that there was no obvious organization. There were romance books stacked on top astrology books, stacked on biology books, stacked on math books, which were then stacked on science fiction books.

“Looks like you’re an avid reader,” Korra mentioned, stepping inside as I looked around. Then she made a sharp gasping sound, making me whip around as she moved the covers. Using the water around her arms, she picked up a thong. “And a ladies’ man,” she remarked, spotting a few others dotted around the bedroom in various piles of clothing.

I smirked, “You never know -- that could be mine.” I chuckled at the face she made like the thought hadn’t even occurred to her.

“Seriously?” She asked, eyeing me, and dropped the thong.

“Don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I’m wearing boxer briefs at the moment,” I told her, grabbing a book at random. Astrophysics. “So… sexually active, an avid reader with a diverse interest in reading material.” On top of being a possibly high-ranking member of the Yakuza. It also explained why my first instinct was to go to a bookstore. "Keep an eye-"

"Found something," Korra interrupted, already moving a pile of books over. Walking over, I saw that it was a floor safe. I'm not even sure how Korra noticed it since it blended in pretty well with the floor, it had been covered, then covered again with books. But it wasn't like I was complaining. The safe needed a password.

"Do you think you could open it?" I asked Korra, making her frown. She thought about it for a moment before she shook her head.

"I never learned how to metalbend, and firebending could destroy what's inside," Korra answered with some reluctance. I filed that away for later -- I had seen her waterbend when dealing with those thugs, but apparently, firebending was on the table already, with metalbending a possibility in the future? Those were incredibly useful skills. What else could she bend?

It was more than I could bring to the table, at least. I was lucky to run into Korra when I did.

Though, it did mean that we couldn't force open the safe. I looked down at it, a frown tugging at my lips as I reached out and brushed my fingers over the number pad. I searched my memory, hoping for a hint. Then I looked around my messy room for the combination, wondering if I had perhaps written it down somewhere, but I came up empty. Looking back down at the safe, I took in a slow breath, and let my body take over.

I still had habits. Maybe if I was lucky muscle memory would kick in. I just had to hope that the combination was one I used frequently.

I set my fingers on the number pad, and just picked what felt right. My fingers pressed down on the numbers in quick succession. There was a small beep, before the light on the safe flashed green, showing that it was open. Korra looked at me, excited, but I answered her before she could ask. "Muscle memory. Seems like I used that code a lot," I said, opening the safe. The door swung up, revealing the contents to us.

My gaze zeroed in on the gun. It was a pistol, sleek black. Picking it up, the grip felt good in the palm of my hand. The safety was on, a magazine filled with bullets with one already in the chamber. There was another magazine in the safe and a box of bullets. All of which I took out while Korra reached in and grabbed a journal, unable to let me have all the fun of sorting through my newfound treasure .

"What's that?" She asked me as I uncertainly held the gun in my hands. I knew what it was, as well as how dangerous it was, but I wasn't sure what I should do with it.

"It's a weapon," I answered, tempted to toss it back in the safe.

Korra eyed it for a moment, "You should hang on to it, then. You know those guys didn't like you. And if you don't have any bending, then you need to be able to protect yourself," Korra said, making a fair point. The gun was deceptively heavy for its size. I stared at it for a moment longer before I nodded in acceptance.

"What is bending, anyway? You have water and fire… can you do air?" I asked, tucking the pistol in the waistband of my pants while I pocketed the second magazine. I also took out the bullets and dumped them into my pockets.

My question seemed to have hit a nerve, "I… was on my way to Republic City to learn how to airbend. It's more spiritual, and… well… I've never been any good at that stuff. I can earthbend, though," Korra quickly offered, as if to make up for a shortcoming.

So, water, fire, and earth? That was most of the natural world. That was a powerful set of abilities.

Then she handed me the journal. I took it and flipped through it to find the most recent passage. I found neat and precise handwriting going down the page. However… "Seems we can add paranoia to the list, because this is written in code," I remarked as I went back to previous passages in hopes that it was a recent thing I had started doing. There wasn't a cipher either, so the journal was unreadable.

That was… frustrating. The answers to who I was were in my hands, but I couldn't read it because I forgot how to.

"It's probably in case I ever got arrested," I guessed, looking back into the safe. The last thing inside was a manila envelope that contained… a brick-sized amount of money. A million yen, probably. I made sure to grab that too. "And we don't have to worry about cash for a while," I said, handing the brick to Korra, who inspected it for a moment before shrugging.

I looked down at the now empty safe, a single question echoing in my mind -- now what? Try to find someone that could break the cipher in my journal? Continue to act as a member of the Yakuza? The goal was to get Korra home, but I didn't know how to do that. So, it was a question of what would give me the resources to find out how.

To that end, heading here hadn't been a waste. We had money, a weapon, and a possible lead on who I was. But only a possible one. We searched my bedroom thoroughly, flipping through books for more hidden stashes but… the more we explored, the more impersonal the bedroom felt.

There were no photos. There were no records like a birth certificate. If I hadn’t been brought here, if the maids hadn’t recognized me… I would have never guess that this was my home.

However, before I could formulate a plan, I heard the maid from the other side of the door speak up, "Forgive my intrusion, but a guest has arrived. Touko Aozaki," the maid said, catching my attention. The name meant absolutely nothing to me.

"Did she say what she's here for?" I asked, getting up. Sliding the door open, I saw that the maid was kneeling at the door. Weird. Especially when she continued to kneel.

"She did not. Shall I inquire on your behalf?" She asked, and I shook my head. It felt weird having people do stuff for me. I'd rather just do it myself.

"No need. She's downstairs, yeah?" I asked, walking by. Korra followed along, intent on seeing who would be meeting me in the middle of the night. The maid shot to her feet, intent on pushing the buttons for me to use the elevator, but I beat her to the punch. Stepping inside, however, she took a place by the controls and brought us to the ground floor. That was still really weird, but I didn't have time to question it because the doors slid open.

Stepping out, I looked over at the entrance to the building and saw a woman standing there. She had crimson red hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, her hair matching the color of her eyes. She was wearing a pair of wide glasses that sat comfortably on the bridge of her nose, a white dress shirt that was form-fitting, and a pair of black business slacks. Clutched between her fingers in one of her hands was a lit cigarette, which she took a deep drag of the moment her eyes met mine.

"Majima," she greeted, her tone decidedly not friendly. "Have you put any thought into my offer yet?" She questioned me and… I had absolutely no clue what she was talking about. I had no clue what the offer could be.

However, context clues helped me out a bit. I was a member of the Yakuza, she was pointedly being rude by smoking in my house, telling me that she wasn't afraid of me in the slightest. So, either she didn't have reason to be, or she was an idiot of some kind. And, she had made an offer. Meaning that she had something or could do something that I had use of her for.

"Not really. Care to remind me what it was?" I requested, making Touko pause midway in the process of taking another drag of her cigarette. Her gaze slid to Korra, who offered an uncertain wave, and a long second later she finished the motion of taking her drag. She released a cloud of smoke in the form of a sigh.

"If you're going to be like that, then my price is going to increase. Unrestricted access to your family's workshop," she said, and I didn't even know what the starting price was. And what family workshop? I thought I was a member of the Yakuza?

I tilted my head to the side, then I shrugged, "Alright. Sure," I agreed easily, and one of Touko's eyebrows shot up at my easy agreement. Maybe I should have fought a bit, but… well… I kinda didn't care? Why bother digging in my heels about a workshop that I just found out existed? So what if she had unrestricted access to it? What did it matter? How did it affect me?

From where I stood, the only value the workshop had to me was a lead on who I was and maybe something on how to get Korra home. Beyond that, I couldn't care less.

"I trust you know where it is?" I asked her, and Touko gave me a small, deadly grin.

"I do," she confirmed easily with an air of hostility like I was supposed to care. When I obviously didn't react , her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but her grin widened just as much. Without a word, she started walking into my house, not bothering to take her shoes off. The maids looked like they were a few steps away from murder, but I followed Touko, curious to see where she was taking me.

To the basement, apparently. It seemed to be used for storage -- I saw deep freezers, chairs, sitting mats, and various other things. However, Touko walked by it all until she reached the far wall where I saw that there was a symbol etched into the stone surface -- a spiral. She reached out, flicking a symbol in the air with her cigarette, then the spiral glowed in response. A second later, a seam in the shape of a door appeared, cutting the symbol in two as the door swung open.

Touko looked over her shoulder, giving me an unreadable glance. Like she was expecting something. I just cocked an eyebrow, clueless on what she expected. That response seemed to satisfy her because she began walking down the steps. It was a short staircase, taking us underneath the basement, and as we reached the bottom of the stairs…

I smelled the old books before I saw them. Korra let out a low whistle behind me while I frowned, stepping into my family's workshop. I felt… something. I wasn't sure how to describe it, but the workshop was heavy with something.

"What happened to your memories?" Touka asked me, not even bothering to look at me as she headed to a bookshelf. I spared her a glance before I took in the rest of the workshop -- it was lined with shelves overflowing with books, just like my room had been. However, in the middle of the room was a pentagram marked on the stone with chalk.

Was my family part of a cult?

Korra answered for me as I was drawn to a desk, "How'd you know he lost his memories?" She asked, glaring at Touko, and as good as confirming it.

"He didn't try to kill me after I opened the door. He was a charlatan of a magus -- though, that wasn't his fault. He wasn't chosen to be the heir to his family’s Magecraft, only to have his parents and the Heir-to-be killed in Fuyuki," Touko said, her tone slightly mocking, trying to get a rise out of me. I just ignored her as I picked up a book and flipped through it -- I could read the contents, but a frown tugged at my lips.

"So, I'm something called a magus? What does that have to do with the Akashic Records ?" I asked, shelving the book a little harsher than needed before I grabbed another at random.

"The Root -- the ultimate dream for every magus. No one really understands what it is. All that managed to go there are never seen again. If I had to put it in a way you would understand, then the Akashic Records is a library that holds the truth of the world. Where all the answers to every question are readily available to you, whether they be in the past, present, or future." Touko answered as I flipped through another book. I mulled over that for a long moment before I tossed the book to the side, uncaring that it was damaged.

A place that had all of the answers…? That sounded…

"Lame," I decided, grabbing another book, seeing more of the same, before I chucked it over my shoulder, the ancient tomb landing with a heavy thud.

Korra looked at me as if she couldn't believe my response, Touko paused to spare a glance at me as well. I shrugged. I wasn't sure how to put it into words, but…

"Getting all the answers handed to me sounds lame as hell," I summarized my thoughts. I didn't care for being left in the dark like I was -- no name, no identity, no clue who I was. But, if Touko or Majima had told me exactly who I was before this… I didn't like the idea of it. Partly because I would be viewing myself through their biases, and partly because I wanted to find the answers myself. I wanted to discover them with my own effort.

Touko chuckled, "Not the reasoning I expected, but they do say that the journey is more important than the destination. But… you should know by now, you aren't going to like the answers you receive," she said, sounding uncaring as I placed a hand on one end of a shelf and stared sweeping all of the books off and to the ground. They landed with a clatter, piling up, the fragile pages tearing or bending. Dust itched at my nose, but I found myself uncaring.

My gaze zeroed in on an open book at the top of the pile. On one page was a picture. On the other were notes.

A drawing of a child in the process of being dissected. Notes on how he died as part of an experiment.

Korra reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder as I put the pieces together. Something raw and potent rose up in my chest that made my heart pound against my ribs. I clenched my jaw, looking to Touko, who appeared unsurprised and uncaring by my anger. "What's wrong?" Korra asked, and it took a long few seconds for me to even find the words.

I looked around us, at the books that filled the room… and I was disgusted with every single one of them.

"These books are all about human experimentation," I said, making Korra flinch back. "My family was trying to connect with something in the root. Or beyond it. I don't know. So… they worked with the Tojo Clan, the Yakuza, so they could have a steady supply… of materials for us to work with." People. Men, women, children… it didn't matter.

It made the reactions with Shimano make sense. I was tentatively part of the Yakuza, but it was a tool that my family had used for generations. However, based on what Touko said -- because I hadn't been the heir, and I only inherited the magecraft because my family died, I was in a weird position.

I hadn't even been able to get inside the family workshop. I doubt I had been able to pull my weight like how previous generations had been able to. Which is why the Yakuza had respected me, but that inability is why they didn't like me.

I had been coasting on my family's legacy while trying to find a way to actually be a magus.

"Spirits," Korra breathed, staring wide-eyed at the pile of books. Then leveled her gaze on Touko, "You knew about this? What did you intend to do with this research?!" She questioned, adopting a stance with her hands curled tightly into fists.

Touko shrugged, "Nothing, really. This library has a few interesting things, and I collect interesting things."

"You don't care about the human experimentation?" I asked her, my voice quiet, with a deadly edge in it.

Hearing my tone, she smiled. It was a smile of pity. "It's a rare magus that will take issue with human experimentation," she told me bluntly. "Everything your family has ever done has been done by every other magus family. A fair few of them are a great deal worse than yours." My lips thinned, not liking the news at all.

This wasn't what I expected. This wasn't what I wanted.

Mikoto Majima had wanted this? Or did he not know about it? He hadn't been the heir, he hadn't been able to get past the door… did he just want to continue the family magecraft without knowing what it was?

I hoped so. More than anything, I hoped so.

I stepped away from Korra, going to a desk that had a closed book on it. My mind reeling from the revelation of what had been going on here. I picked it up, tempted to just chuck it, only to stop myself when I saw that it was bookmarked. Flipping it open, I saw a photo.

A red-haired man, a dark-haired woman -- each holding a boy. Both of them had red hair and amber eyes, meaning that one of them was me. It was difficult to say which one though since both of the boys seemed around the same age, born only a year or two apart at most.

A picture of my family. Of a brother.

The book was a journal. The final passage was short and simple.

That they were going to the Grail War in Fuyuki to steal something called a Servant, then use it to win and have their wish granted. None of it made any real sense to me. There was no additional entry. So, it was probably written shortly before they died.

"Touko, when's the next Grail War?" I asked, looking through the journal of my parents. My father to be precise, based on the pronoun and suffix usage. The answers I had gotten were anything but satisfying, but this was a lead.

I had no clue what the Holy Grail was, but if it could grant wishes then I could use it to bring Korra home.

Touko chuckled at that, "In about two weeks. I'd recommend against participating, though. You would have died with your memories. Without them, you don't stand a chance." She stated, sounding certain of that fact. Korra looked at me, not understanding what a Grail War was, and I met her gaze.

Giving her a small nod, Korra returned it, deciding to trust me. I had her on my side. I had two weeks to prepare. I had money. I had a gun. I had my connections to the Yakuza. Lastly…

"You can have everything in here if you help us win the Grail War," I told Touko, uncaring about all of it. I had no intention of continuing my family's twisted practice. Everything could burn for all I cared.

Touka finished off her cigarette, mulling over the deal for a second before she blew out a cloud of smoke.

"Sure. Why not?"