(Magus') Atonement

I play through a level of my favorite game, Plumber Man.

Pew Pew

My character jumps around, toting a raygun. He pulls the trigger and vaporizes a few earthworms.

Knock Knock Knock

I don't even turn to see who is knocking on the door. My head is still glued to the game.

Knock Knock Knock Knock

"Yeah? What is it?!" I pause the game and get off the couch, "Kotori! Did you get the door?"

She peaks her head out of the bathroom door, "Who is it?" she stomps to the front and swings the door open.

"W-Wh-Whoa," Lucoa steps back, surprised. Her breasts bounce and hit her in the face.

"Oh no. I'm so sorry!" she grabs Lucoa, "Are you hurt? I know how to treat wounds! Let me chec-"

"She got hit by her breasts, not a mace."

Lucoa chuckles and Kotori glares at me.

"Oh. Sorry…That- That came out-" I stutter and look in the opposite direction, "What is it?"

"It's terrible. Magus is causing a commotion."

I shake my head. Magus just came home and he's already causing his mom grief, "What is he doing this time?"

Crash

A guy flies out of the window next to our apartment room.

Thwack

"Gyaah," a second man lands face-first on the floor.

Magus steps out cracking his knuckles, "I'm not going to ask you a second time. Where is the warden?"

The man rubs his bloody nose, "I 'aint telling you shit-" Magus kicks him in the face. He grabs him by the armpits and tosses him off the second floor.
"What was that for?" I approach him cautiously.

"He insulted my mother," he says plainly glancing at Lucoa, "Dragon or not, Nobody calls her those names."

I have a feeling I know what names exactly, judging by how Lucoa dresses.

Lucoa holds her hands up, "Now, now, Magus. He didn't mean those things. Think about how Shouta will feel when he finds out you were fighting again!"

Magus shrugs, "I don't have time for this. I'm looking for those wardens. You're welcome to come along."

I follow him.

Kotori sighs, "Guess I'm coming with you, again."

He descends the stairs, "I'm looking for wardens."

"What's a warden?" I ask.

Lucoa sighs, "So that's what this is about…Wardens are people who put people in jail for not obeying Elma's laws. I was imprisoned by Magus, he is a warden, for example."

Magus crosses his arms. He looks pissed, but it wasn't because he's mad at his mother.

"Was told I was imprisoning criminals who had no respect for balance between human and dragons. They put me in charge of guarding them. Had I known what they were really guilty for-"

Lucoa pets Magus' head, "Shh. Shh. It's in the past. You didn't know. I forgive you."

He raises his brows and no longer frowns, "Yeah…," he levitates a book and flips open the pages, "I imprisoned more people though. Not just Lucoa. I remember their names and I plan to break them all out."

I scroll through the list. Flabbergasted by the list, I take a step back, "Hold up. You want to rescue all these people?"

He nods, "It's the only way I can atone for what I did."

I grab the book and shake it at him, "Magus. These are criminals. Are you sure Elma would like it if you free them?"

He smirks. He waves his hands and looks around him, "Do you see Elma?"

I shake my head.

"Then what's the problem? She's getting rid of the old laws for Tohru's sake. Consider these people, innocent."

He has a point. Still. It's not easy. And I almost died stopping Elma last time. I rather not die again. Even if I can see mom again.

Lucoa rubs her chin. Magus waves us goodbye, "If you don't want to help, you don't have to."

Lucoa walks beside him, "I'm with you. It should be fun. Some nice, quality time spent between a mother and her son."
They open a portal in the middle of the street. Dammit. I run after them through the portal.

"Hey, don't leave me behind!" Kotori jumps in, too.

On the other side, we find ourselves in front of a small home. Lucoa knocks on the front door.

"What?" Fafnir opens the door.

Magus walks inside. There's a kitchen in the front. To the left are two gaming computers and a pair of futons on the floor. "Oh hey, Shiro!" Takiya crawls out of his blanket.

Wait. This is my dad's home. A home in the city. We could have walked here in under an hour.

"You opened a portal that people could have seen to meet my dad?"

Magus helps himself to potato chips. He jumps in my dad's seat and plays a short game, "I was too lazy to walk. Fafnir. Do you have the list like you promised?"

Fafnir rubs the bags under his eyes. His eye's glow. "I found them,"

I look at both Magus and Fafnir confused, "Wait since when did you know each other?"

They ignore me.

He picks up a ledger, writes down the location of the warden's and passes it to Magus.

Magus flips through the pages, he holds up his hand to say, "Give me a minute. This is a huge list."

"My payment," Fafnir taps on his desk.

"Right," Magus dumps a pile of video games on the desk.

I flip through the games. They're all the latest titles that came out this year. How…How did he get these? Where?

Takiya drinks a can of soda, "So. Is that your sister? She's pretty. Like Tohru."

Kotori makes a pouty face, "Don't call me that. It's creepy…uncle Takiya," she hisses. She looks away and covers her face so he can't see her blushing.

Uncle Takiya? I pinch myself. Nope. I'm not dreaming.

"So. You're a maid, too?" Takiya leans closer to Kotori and looks at her from top to bottom.

"I'm training to be a maid. Like mother."

"Oh, oh so you want to be legit. Not some cosplayer," he covers his mouth and looks around to check if no one is listening, "If you want to be way better than Tohru, study mannerisms. She's horrible at it. Rants about how humans are inferior all the time. That'll make you a legit maid. Way better than Tohru'll ever be."

I laugh and put my hand over my forehead. That should be common sense. Seriously.

Scribble Scribble Scribble

I see Kotori taking notes. I groan. I guess common sense isn't common for dragons. I look at the futon on the floor and the disorganized mess that is his bedroom, "You own a company. Couldn't you afford something more…roomy?"

He laughs, scratching his back, "Nah. I like sleeping like this," he pulls a lever on the side of his wall.

The wall slides open. Inside is a library. I pull out random books lining the shelves. They're manga and doujins all fully alphabetized and in numerical order. There are displays of figurines behind layers of museum glass.

"Did you spend all your money on this?!"

"No," he says unconvincingly, "Okay. I spent most of it on this. I still had enough left over for you and your and grandmother though. Now that Tohru's taking care of you though…I can now indulge myself every now and then," he chuckles.

"So. You're okay with her raising me?"

He lays on his side, "Yeah. I was worried you might not like staying here. Tohru is weird and she doesn't quite fit in with other humans who aren't Kobayashi. When she passed away she rarely left Kobayashi's apartment. That was a while ago. Since she took you two in I've seen a change in her. A lot of my friends and colleague bring up that a certain maid has been helping around town. Who else could it be, but Tohru? I was afraid her anti-social behavior would rub off on you for a second," he breathes a sigh of relief.

"That's funny coming from someone who lives like hikikkimori, I joke."

I scratch my head. I never really knew what she was like before. She was hostile to me when I first met her. But she's been warming up to me. Ah, it's not worth worrying about.

"Done," Magus closes the ledger. He opens another portal.

"Good work!" Lucoa surprise hugs him from behind.

Boing Boing

Her breasts bounce like gelatin on top Magus' head. His cool demeanor is gone. He stands perfectly still with a red face. Me and Kotori both crack up. I rub my broken sides while Kotori tries not to snort out sparks of ember.

"Not funny," he says before jumping into the portal.

"This should be interesting. Come on-"

Kotori coughs.

"Are you okay? Are you sick?"

She coughs again. This time louder.

"We should get you cough-"

She punches me in the shoulder and points at Takiya.

"What is this- YEOW!" I get punched again, "Okay, okay," I turn to Takiya and bow, "Thank you for helping me last time…dad. I need to go now. I'll see you again. Hopefully," we jump in the portal.

"Don't be afraid to visit again!" Takiya shouts.

We land in front of some sort of night club. There's no one around. The line is empty and there is only one bouncer at the front.

"Where is everyone?" I look around.

Kotori shrugs, "Maybe everyone avoids this place. Because the service is garbage."

Magus cracks his knuckles and approaches the bouncer, "Listen up you oversized potato. Let me in to see the warden or else."

The bouncer flexes his muscles. Not intimidated by his threats, he pulls up his sunglasses to show his pupils. He gives me a puzzled look. I shrug. I put my hand on Magus' shoulder, "C'mon. It's not here. Maybe we got the wrong address."

He brushes me off and holds up five fingers, "On the count of five."

I smack my head. This is too embarrassing to watch.

"Five…"

Lucoa grabs him and puts her hand over his mouth, "Please forgive him...He doesn't know what he's doing…"

"Four…"

Kotori stomps on his foot, "Stop it. Before we get arrested or something!"

He jumps up and rubs his foot, "Yeow! Two….," he summons a huge fireball, "One!"

"Please don't kill him," Lucoa pleads.

Ptoom

The fireball smacks into the bouncer's gut. He flies through the wall. Bricks and mortar crumble from the blow. We see the outline of his body where the wall used to be.

"Magus! What did I say about killing?!" she smacks him on the head.

"Ow! I didn't kill him. I broke his bones though," he rubs his head.

"That man did nothing wrong," she scolds, "Now I have to explain to Shouta what happen-" she pauses and looks directly in front of her.

"You were saying?" I said. I turn to see what the fuss is about when I see a room full of magic cages. The bars glow blue and the padlock is a magic seal that rotates in circles.

"Oh. He wasn't an innocent man. Good work, Magus!" she gives him a pat on the back. She steps over the bouncer, "I'm sorry."

The bouncer is paralyzed, "Ugghhhh. Sorry doesn't cut-"

Lucoa rubs her breasts in his face, "Shh. Let me make it better with my body."

"Ah..Ah…I forgive you."

"Ugh. Mom. Stop!" Magus closes his eyes and walks over to a jail cell.

He shakes and rattles every cell, "Damnit," he kicks a cell, "I don't see Georgie or her mom anywhere."

"Is that why you're doing this? Because of what happened to Kanna and Saikawa? Could have told us before."

I groan and make sure the cells are left the way they were before we came in. I open each cell.

It's a group of dragon and human children. A toddler sees Magus. She backs up against the wall.

"Ish-Ish y-you," she hides back in the cell. Magus gently pulls her out.

"You don't need to stay here anymore. Go," he waves his hand and leads them to the door.

"But where doo we go? she asks. Magus puts his hand on his chin and ponders.

He snaps his finger. Magus kneels so he is on the same level as the child. A detailed list of directions appears in the girl's hand, "Go here. You'll see a lady with a green tail. Tell her Magus said you could stay there."

"Thank you, mister," she gives him a kiss on the cheek.

"Lolicon," Kotori smirks.

"Nah, she 'aint my type," Magus shoots back. He looks at the ledger Fafnir gave him, "Georgie and Saikawa's mother aren't here. Dammit. I thought they moved everyone here."

"Everyone?" I look at the cells, "What does that mean?"

He gives me a serious look, "I was discharged by Elma. Told to stay with Lucoa. I heard that the prisoners were moved from there to here. Unless…."

My head clears and I anticipate his next words, "Unless they're still there."

He adjusts his glasses, "You know what they say. Great minds think alike. Will you help me rescue her? For-"

"Saikawa?" I finish.

"Yes, but not just her. For my atonement."

I shrug. We've made it this far. I may as well see this through to the end.

Whoosh

There's a bright flash of light. When the light clears, I can make out the outline of several guards around me. They're holding swords and shields facing us from all angles.

"Magus?" a knight shouts from the top of the prison walls, "What are you doing here?"

"You owe me a favor. I ask that you please let go Georgie and her mother."

The knight's mouth opens. He points at Magus in disbelief, "Are you serious?"

Magus is now impatient he sasses him, "No I'm telling a joke. What do you think?"

The knight sheathes his sword. His eyes trail off, thinking about his next course of action, "Sorry. Elma's orders. We can't let them out."

Magus cracks his knuckles. You asked for it. Lucoa embarrassed lets out a deep sigh. She opens her eyes. Her left eye is a normal green. But her right eye is glowing gold. The knights step back. Lucoa is giving off a dreadful aura.

"Please let them out before someone gets hurt," she channels magic through her body.

"Want to join?" Magus asks me and Kotori.

Kotori is already retracting her sharp claws. I shrug. Well, I guess I have no other choice.

Magus casts a shield around us.

Fwoop Fwoop Fwoop

Crossbows fly and harmlessly bounce off the shield.

Kotori claps her hands together. A bolt of lightning is flung from her fingers and zips into a column of knights. A squad descends the stairs and get through the bubble.

Clang Clang

I swing wildly and parry their blows. I charge my sword with magic and swing. My swings shoot out gusts of wind that push them back.

"Hyahh!" Lucoa releases her magic energy. The earth cracks underneath us. Hundreds of men fall through the crevices.

There are no more knights left.

Lucoa points at the bottom of the crevices. The men are alright. Albeit a bit hurt.

Magus finds a set of stairs and safely descends them. We enter and see the same cells from before. There's a foul, moldy smell in the hallway. Water drips from the ceiling. Many of the cells are empty. What Magus said is true. They moved almost everyone.

"Anyone here?!" I shout. My voice echoes through the hallway.

Here…Here…Here…

Lucoa sighs disappointed. She pulls Magus closer to comfort him, "I'm sorry," she shakes her head, "They're not here."

Guess it was for nothing. I lean against the damp prison wall.

Scrub Scrub Scrub

Am I hearing things? Kotori and Lucoa exchange surprised glances. They follow the echoes of scrubbing to the end of the hallway. On the right of the cell is a maid scrubbing clothes.

"Hey," I wave my hands for her to come closer. She ignores me.

"Is she ignoring us?" Kotori asks.

Magus taps on the cell. A forcefield is blocking the way, "This must be blocking all sound to the cell," he launches a firebolt at the cell.

THOOMP

The forcefield fragments into several pieces. The maid jumps back startled. She turns to see us standing in front of her.

"You," Magus points at her, "What's your name?"

"G-Georgie," she stutters.

Magus smiles, "Finally," he lies down on the floor, "We found her."

We climb back up the stairs. We breath in the fresh ocean air. We let Georgie rest outside on the prison. She watches the sun and the ocean waves crashing against the prison walls.

"It's been forever since I saw daylight," she lies down and looks at the sky, "It looks so beautiful."

Magus lies down beside Georgie, "It is."

He lets her rest for a long five minutes. He then asks, "Georgie. Do you know where your mother is?"

Georgie thinks, "I'm…not sure."

"Damnit," Magus punches himself, "Well. At least we found her. Now we got to find her mother. I know she's out there somewhere."
A portal opens above us. Elma and Shouta dive through and land in front of us.

"You will do no such thing," Elma raises her spear against Magus.

Shouta approaches Magus, "I know your heart is in the right place, but you're causing a disturbance. I heard you fought with a bunch of people and caused property damage."

Magus shields Georgie from Elma, "What am I supposed to do? Nothing?"

Elma for a brief second frowns. She holds her spear indecisively, almost shaking, "Georgie has to go back."

Georgie hides behind Magus, "B-Back? What is she saying?"

Magus doesn't answer.

"I can't go back! I don't want to. I just want to go home."

"Shit. What am I going to do now?" Magus stares at me as if I know the answer.

Shouta cross his arms. I walk in front of Magus toward Elma, "Elma. Don't you think the laws are too harsh?"

Elma raises an eyebrow before shaking her head, "No. I made the laws to maintain order between the humans and dragons."

"Please continue, Shiro. Elma can be strict sometimes but she's a good girl."

"D-Don't tell him that?!" she blushes, "L-Look. Dragons aren't even supposed to exist in this world. We belong to the other world. If we stay here, no one must know we exist."

I cross my arms. Lucoa is on to something, "Elma. What do you think order looks like?"

Elma scoffs at how simple-minded my question is, "It's like a scale of course. It has to be balanced always."

I grin at Elma. I got her where I want her now. I continue with my analogy, "Right. A scale is never the same. It's always changing. Order must change every time to stay constant. People will know dragons exist. In fact, some people already have. Like me for example. Are you going to put everyone in prison when that happens?"

Elma is quiet. She looks at me with wide open eyes. She drops her spear, "I'm a dragon of harmony. My purpose is to maintain order. That's why I punished those people…yet…Why do I feel horrible…," she hangs her head.

Lucoa gets close to Elma, "Now, Now. You just made a mistake. We all do. Magus for example feels horrible, too. It's normal. Admitting is the first step to fixing a problem they say."

Elma bows in front of me, "Thank you. For now I have to leave…again."

"Wait," I run in front of Elma, "Where are you going?"

"I have to go back," she explains, "I'm trying to reform the Order. I promised Tohru, I would not allow my men to harm dragons. And now…," she pauses. She clears her throat and speaks to me with conviction, "I also promise you that I will abolish laws that cause unnecessary suffering to humans and dragons who wish to live with each other."

She disappears into the portal she recently opened.

"So…Does that mean I'm off the hook?" Magus asks his dad.

Shouta shakes his head, "You broke down a wall and beat up a lot of people. You're going to apologize and fix everything you destroyed. Now," he points at the prison full of injured guards, "Get to work."

"Actually…I injured those guards.

Shouta smacks his head, "Dear. We are going to have a serious talk when we get home."

Me and Kotori fly off before Shouta could say anything about us. We make it back to Tohru's apartment.

"Well that was…interesting," Kotori jumps on the couch.

I yawn and lie on the floor next to her, "Yeah. Magus sure caused a lot of trouble."

"But he did help a lot of people," she adds.

Tohru swings open the door, glaring at us, "Kotori…Shiro…"

Oh shit.

She points to a crowd of dragon and human children standing outside the apartment room.

"Did we not have a talk about bringing strangers into the apartment?"

Preview: The portal to the other world opens. What horrors lurk on the other side? Next chapter,

Return of Demise!