Shinji's Paradox
Chapter 7:
Winds of Change
May… 6th? … Where was this?
Cold cold cold cold cold cold—
The things move. The things!
There are no things, but they are all things. NO THINGS!
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Stop.
"That's a lie!"
They scream into the sky. The sky opens its eyes.
"Cease this belligerence. Be still."
"No!"
"Enough!"
Skin burns. Skin bleeds! Bleeds! Bleeds!
Muddy smiles.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Stop?
Blood in the hallway and tears in the linen.
"It's not fair…"
Teeth close in. Gnash-gnash-gnash-gnash-gnash!
The world quakes.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Scream. SCREEEAAAM!
It's cold. Cold cold cold COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD—
May 6th, 1988, 12:10 AM, Matou Residence.
… What the fuck was that?
That was the only thought I had as I lay in the crib.
My pyjamas clung to me, glued to the skin by a cold sweat that had saturated the fabric. It was beginning to permeate into the blanket too. The moistened clothing was uncomfortably warm, and I could tell that it had already started to smell. My eyes were watering badly…
I threw the blanket off and sat up. The effort earned me a headache, coupled with the dryness in my mouth. It was safe to assume dehydration had set in, too.
I peeled the cotton garments off my skin to fan the heat away and wiped the sticky sweat from my face with my hands.
It was dark in the room, and I could only see what the faint moonlight filtering through the gap between the curtains dared to reveal. The open door also allowed some light into the room, courtesy of the lamps in the hallway. Einzbern stood out vividly, not requiring any light whatsoever to be visible to me despite giving off no illumination herself. She was in her trance, sleeping peacefully—
Zouken?!
He looked down at me, backlit by the moonlight, only allowing for a dim shape to be visible to me. How long had he been there?
"You're awake, boy?" the sinister silhouette asked.
"… Grandpa?" I said. I didn't even have to act frightened.
"Did you have a nightmare, Shinji?"
I nodded.
He observed me with a critical eye before reaching out to me and running one of his hands through my hair, searching for something. As he started checking my shoulders, I realised I could feel… something coming from his direction. Was that magical energy? Was this how it felt to sense magecraft…?
It was tough to avoid panicking as I feared the possibilities of what exactly he could be doing.
He pulled his hand back and let it come to his chin, which he began to stroke as his eyes fell to the floor in thought. I watched him remain like this for a whole minute before he glanced out the door into the hallway and then back to me.
"What did you dream of?" he asked.
The nightmare? What… what was it? I can't bring it to mind anymore.
"Answer, Shinji," he said with a frown.
"I… don't know," I answer truthfully.
He raised an eyebrow and let out a hum, then left the room quietly.
In the following moments of solitude, I realised that I was still shaken up by the nightmare— or was it because of Zouken? I had no idea. My heart was beating hard in my chest like a fervent drummer, forcing me to breathe heavily to keep up. I couldn't focus.
That dream was… what was that?! A nightmare, and then Zouken? The other way around seemed more plausible! Was it him? Did he do this?
'Einzbern— hey!' I called out.
The ghost went through her normal process of returning to consciousness and seemed surprised to find that it wasn't morning yet. "What's going on…? Whoa… Matou-san you look awful."
'I… had a nightmare,' I told her.
"… I don't think I can help you with that," Einzbern said with a frown.
'That's not what's important! I woke up and Zouken was in the room!'
"Oh? What did he do?"
'He searched me for something!'
"… How terrifying," the ghost deadpanned.
'Hey! What if he was responsible for that dream in the first place?! I'm not about to take anything that man does for granted, and he might have been using some kind of magecraft on me! What could he have done?!'
"You should probably check, Matou-san," Einzbern said, hovering closer to me. "Try running magical energy through your circuits."
I did as she suggested, and everything worked the same as it always had for the past year. As the energy seeped from my nerves to my circuits, its brief presence before it evaporated back into the surrounding mana was… somewhat calming.
Incredibly calming, actually.
… She did that on purpose.
"Well?" The ghost asked.
'Neat trick,' I said, regaining control of my breath.
She raised an eyebrow for some reason. "Um… yeah. So there's no difference in your circuits?"
'Not that I can tell… but do you have any ideas?' I asked. 'What could Zouken have been doing in here?'
"Honestly, I don't think he did anything if you didn't feel any change yourself. And there's nothing immediately visible on you from the outside, so there's probably nothing to worry about," she said as she backed away from me and peered out the door.
'And the nightmare?'
"There's no reason he would benefit from giving you nightmares other than just scaring you, and I don't think he'd waste his time doing something like that."
'So you think he came here because he was worried about me?' I said before rolling my eyes. 'Unlikely.'
"Well… it is a bit odd that he'd worry over a nightmare—"
'That's why I think he was responsible for it in the first place,' I interjected.
She frowned at the interruption. "He was searching you for something, right? Doesn't that mean was trying to figure out what was going on?"
I had no response to that and took an anxious breath as I considered that… perhaps I was reading too deeply into this. The nightmare was unexpected, and I had no idea why it had happened so suddenly. Zouken was probably of a similar mind.
Come to think of it, I did discover that Hinode-san was a magus after unwittingly being in her presence for a year. She would have had plenty of time to do something to me, so Zouken did have an acceptable reason to suspect her of something. Though it didn't seem that I'd been cursed since the old man hadn't given any sign that he found anything during his search.
I rubbed a small amount of grit from the corners of my eyes. I was too tired to be sinking thoughts into this dilemma, especially after waking up in the middle of the night in a two-year-old body.
"I know you don't like him. I don't like him either," said Einzbern. "But it's safe to say that he'll look out for you since you're the sole heir to the bloodline right now."
'That didn't help Sakura,' I muttered apprehensively.
"You can talk," she said with a glare.
I bow my head, and a weak sigh escapes through my nose.
"Oh, come ooon! Look, I can tell you're worried about what Zouken might do, but as I said; he'll look out for you," the ghost said. "He didn't torture you in the old causality even though you couldn't use magecraft, did he?"
'No, but it's probably more likely that he will now that I can. He tried to pass off abusing Sakura as "training", and I'm not entirely sure if he was covering it up or being serious,' I said, trying not to think about the implications.
"… Fine," Einzbern conceded. "I acknowledge that Zouken is probably the most dangerous thing in the whole world for you right now. But, as I said, you're the only Matou heir, and that makes you valuable to him."
'You don't think that he'll torture me anytime soon, then?'
"I'm guessing he's waiting for you to be either older or smarter. And he will figure out that you're more intelligent than you let on with that child-act of yours eventually, as convincing as it's been."
'You're trying to say that it's inevitable?'
Einzbern shrugged. "I can't think of any other outcome to this whole thing, so when he confronts you abou— EH?!"
Byakuya entered the room, interrupting the startled ghost and walking through her as he did so. He was carrying a small towel and a glass of water. Zouken had probably already informed him what kind of state I was in.
"You had a nightmare?" Byakuya asked as he looked me over. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay…"
"You're soaked… let's get you changed. Can you undress on your own, Shinji?"
"… Try."
Byakuya placed the towel on the crib and put the glass on top of the drawers as I started taking off my soaked pyjamas, thinking about what Einzbern had said. As much as I wanted to continue playing the role of the ignorant child, it wouldn't last forever. How long would it be until Zouken stops interpreting the things I did as childish whim? Maybe I had about two years? A week?
I just didn't know.
Byakuya found the extra pyjamas in a drawer and brought them over to me. He used the towel to wipe any sweat off my skin before changing me into the new set of nightclothes, then replaced the blanket in my crib and dropped the damp pyjamas into the room's laundry hamper.
"You're getting a bit big for your bed…" Byakuya muttered as he lifted me back into the crib.
"New bed?" I asked.
He smiled. "Yes, I think maybe it's about time we got you a real bed."
Yes! Finally!
He gave me the glass of water, and I drank greedily.
"If you have another bad dream, come to my room, okay?" he said, taking the empty glass from me.
"Okay…"
"I'll leave the door open for you," he said before he left the room and disappeared down the hall.
I lay in the crib once more and stared through the gap between the curtains.
"Remind me to never float in a doorway again," Einzbern said.
'So… what were you saying before…?' I asked.
"I was trying to say that when Zouken asks you to quit the child act, it's probably best to do so. I don't think he'd like it if you kept it up in front of him after he's already found you out."
'I'll keep that in mind.'
The ghost returned to the corner of the room and lowered her head, eyes closed. "I'm going back to sleep," she said before her movements ceased, and she became a statue once more.
As I tried to let myself fall back into sleep myself, images of the nightmare resurfaced in my thoughts, and an old feeling returned to haunt me. A numb, sickening throb that I had not felt for a long time. Just like then, I couldn't bring myself to understand as it beat its way into me.
Unpleasant memories dredged themselves out of my mind and amplified that bitter pressure in the back of my head. I turned away from the moonlight and buried my face under the blanket.
… I was not letting Zouken see.
Not this.
I failed to fall asleep and nursed the pain until sunrise.
May 6th, 1988, 12:48 AM, Matou Residence.
Byakuya had returned to me in the morning only to find dark circles under my eyes. I told him I couldn't get back to sleep, and he asked me if I wanted to spend the day resting at home or stick to the routine and go to school. I consulted Einzbern to see if she had anything in mind that we could do at home rather than at the nursery school, and she reminded me that reading in the library was always an option.
I didn't get to make a decision, though. Zouken intervened and made it clear that I was to stay home today, informing Byakuya of the situation with Hinode and instructing him to be aware of her actions should he encounter her. The worry on Byakuya's face was not hidden, obviously spooked by the revelation that one of the people he'd been trusting me with was actually a mage in hiding, and he arranged the room to be dim enough for me to get to sleep in.
Without any say in the matter, I spent the entire morning sleeping, unburdened by nightmares this time, and Einzbern woke me up after Byakuya had left for work so we could use the library. I felt much better despite some lingering fatigue, and the first thing I did without even changing out of my pyjamas was to hurry through the hallway towards the library with Einzbern in tow.
Unfortunately, Zouken intercepted me by the staircase in the western tower before I made it there.
"Did you sleep well, Shinji?" the elder asked, his eyes set in a steady glare.
"All better," I answered.
"Good," he hummed in response.
I struggled to maintain eye contact as he stared down at me like a hawk.
"Follow me," he ordered.
I hesitated as he began to walk, but I did as he said and let him lead me down stairs. No matter what Zouken had planned for me today, not doing as he asked wasn't a good idea. And, all things considered, it couldn't be too bad.
Once downstairs, Zouken led me deeper into the western wing. It was the part of the manor that contained the elder's office, study, personal library, and even his bedroom. It was his place. Byakuya and I never went down here unless he wanted us to.
We reached the end of the hallway and Zouken opened the door to his study and went inside. I took a deep breath— and noticed an odd scent— before I stepped in after him.
The first thing I noticed was that the room was rather dimly lit. The curtains were open and it wasn't that long past noon, but the room was undoubtedly a little darker than it should have been at this hour. The room echoed with the mechanical tick-tock of a wooden grandfather clock— one of three clocks in the room— and opposite it on the far side of the study was an old armchair flanked by a pair of wine tables. Every other piece of furniture that stood along the walls of the room was either a long end table or a set of drawers, decorated with plates, statuettes, small lamps, candlesticks, or some mixture of those.
This was Zouken's study, right? Did he not keep any books in here? Were they in the drawers?
Some incense burners were lit on a low table in the centre of the room between two chairs, presumably for the two of us to sit on. In the centre of the small arrangement on the tabletop… there was a deck of cards.
"Oh, he's doing this now?" Einzbern said curiously.
I hesitantly gave her a look, passing it off as a glance at the scenery beyond the curtains.
And then Zouken closed the door behind me.
'He's doing… what, exactly?' I asked nervously.
"Oh, don't worry, he'll probably tell you," the ghost said reassuringly.
"Sit here, Shinji," the elder instructed with a gesture. I did as I was told and allowed Zouken to lift me onto the chair nearest the door.
He followed suit and seated himself opposite me with the table between us. "Do you like what Byakuya has been teaching you about magecraft, Shinji?" he asked.
He's leading with small talk. Was he trying to coax into whatever this was with magecraft as the introductory topic? Was this an interrogation? What was the incense for?
'Einzbern, what's going on?'
"Just answer his question, Matou-san," she said dismissively.
I should continue to play the innocent child. There was no point in dropping the act and revealing anything at this point.
"Magic fun," I said.
"No, it is not magic, Shinji, it is magecraft… although, I should have expected that Byakuya wouldn't tell you the difference," he said, muttering the last part as he inspected the deck of cards.
"But spells! Magic books!" I countered with an exaggerated frown.
"… I suppose I'll explain that to you when you're older then," Zouken said, unwilling to argue with a child.
He picked up the deck of cards. "What's that?" I asked.
"These… are tarot cards," he said, sparing me a glance.
"Tah-roh?"
"They're magical cards, Shinji," he smirked. "And we're going to play a card game."
"… I like games."
"That's good, Shinji. Hmm… Well, it's not a game, exactly; it's a personality test. Do you like quizzes?"
"Dunno… personality?"
"Don't worry about that for now. I'll get started," Zouken adjusted his posture on his chair and started shuffling the deck of cards… with impressive dexterity.
I watched him closely, trying to ignore the smell of the incense that had saturated my nostrils. It wasn't a scent like Zouken's own rotten musk, but earthy in the same way cigarette smoke would be. I coughed twice, but the smell had somehow found a way to linger in my mouth too.
Yuck.
"Hey, Matou-san," Einzbern chimed in.
'What is it?' I asked.
"You can answer his questions however you want," she explained. "Don't worry, it really is a harmless personality test so you shouldn't have to try very hard. All Zouken is going to try to do is get you thinking about your own character. You don't necessarily need to be honest with Zouken; only with yourself."
'No danger, then?'
Einzbern nodded and then floated to the side of the table. She pretended to sit in the air to my left, eager to see how whatever this was would play out.
The smell of the incense wasn't as distracting as I thought it would be. It was actually easier to not think about it. There was probably some kind of magical effect in the fumes that served some purpose in whatever Zouken had prepared. I wondered what it did for a moment, but Einzbern did say not to worry, so I didn't waste my time ruminating on it… even if it tasted like charcoal.
"So…" Zouken began, still shuffling the cards. "Do you like art?"
… I had to be honest with myself, right? Self-reflection? I could do that.
"Um…" I stalled.
I wasn't really into art. But I had been spending a lot of time with Kane at nursery school, and it was pretty much all she did. It would have been weird for me to hang out with her so much without any interest in art. So did I actually like it…?
"Yeah…" I answered after a moment.
"That's great. Do you like to read?" Zouken continued.
I've been doing a lot of that recently, and it was fascinating— nostalgic even— to re-learn all of the arcane knowledge in the Matou library. An easy question and an answer I didn't need to hide.
"Yeah," I said confidently.
"Hmph, that was an easy one," Zouken admitted. "Do you feel sad sometimes?"
… I did. That was pretty normal, though, wasn't it? Maybe not for a two-year-old. Sakura had been saying I was a bit gloomy a few years after the war. I'd found a lot of time to think about things, and I grew somewhat melancholic. Zouken didn't need to know anything about that, and it would be strange if a child were depressed at my current age, so the right thing for me to say would be…
"No," I lied.
"… Would you like someone that doesn't like you?"
I suppose I wouldn't. Or at least, I wouldn't really have cared. Anyone that made it clear that I was unwanted or thought ill of I ignored, or… dealt with.
Did Rin count? She didn't seem too fond of me, and I liked—
I frowned.
Why was I thinking about that so hard? Rin didn't count. It was just a meaningless juvenile crush. If I had actually liked her, I wouldn't have—
… If someone didn't like me, I didn't need to like them. There. Easy. Done.
Zouken was waiting for my answer patiently.
"No, I wouldn't," I decided.
"Interesting…" Zouken muttered. "Do you want people to like you?"
… It had been kind of lonely until I patched things up with Sakura.
"Yes, I do."
"Do you get angry easily?"
I've always had a bad temper.
"Yes."
"Do you like being the centre of attention?"
I spent a lot of time doing that intentionally back in high school. I guess I enjoyed it to a certain extent back then, but… I never really spoke with the other hospital staff unless I needed to. I did like talking to patients that sought me out after surgery, though.
"Sometimes," I said.
"Do you like making friends?"
… Why was Emiya the first person to come to mind? I didn't think anyone would even call that friendship, especially how it turned out. All other people were just meaningless extras…
"… I don't know," I said honestly.
Zouken raised an eyebrow and stopped shuffling the cards briefly. "Are you the kind of person that would enjoy talking about yourself?" he asked as the shuffling continued.
I used to boast about all sorts of meaningless things to a lot of people in high school. That didn't necessarily mean that I still liked talking myself up like that, but the habit always poked through in conversation. If I went through high school again, as I probably would in fourteen years, would I do that again? Intentionally? I didn't really have much to boast about anymore, so…
"No, I don't think so," I answered.
"Are you afraid of anything, Shinji?"
That nightmare was pretty terrifying, but otherwise, I wasn't sure.
"I don't k—"
Zouken slammed the deck of cards onto the table.
I couldn't help but almost jump out of the chair, and I felt my heart rate speed up in a sudden burst.
"That will do for the questions," the elder said with a smirk. He started drawing cards from the top of the deck until twelve cards were arranged on the table.
I never really knew much about tarot cards, but I knew that there were different groups of cards. I could see some of the named ones; the high priestess, the chariot, the fool, and justice all stood out pretty obviously. The rest had no names on them and depicted collections of objects. Most of them were swords, but there were some coins, goblets, and what appeared to be rods of some sort.
Zouken looked over them for a moment before gathering them off the table and shuffling them back into the rest of the cards.
"Oh? He's redoing it? That result was pretty decisive though…" Einzbern said.
'What do you mean?' I asked.
"He's trying to determine your elemental alignment."
Zouken pulled another twelve cards out of the deck after shuffling and arranged them in the same pattern. The high priestess and justice made a reappearance, and the new named cards were the star, the hierophant, and the lovers. The majority of the rest of the cards were, once again, swords.
"That's pretty much confirmed it," Einzbern said.
'… Was he upset with the result?' I asked nervously, watching Zouken as he stared at the wall and sighed.
Frustration was on the elder's face as he returned his gaze to me. "Is it safe for me to assume that Byakuya has taught you about elemental alignments already, Shinji?" he asked.
I nodded after recalling that Byakuya had indeed helped me read through a few books that mentioned them.
"Good. Yours is… wind," Zouken announced with a sigh.
"… Is wind bad?" I asked.
He showed a minor amount of surprise.
"No… but there is something you must understand, Shinji," he started. "The majority of the thaumaturgy and rituals our clan has developed are dependant on the water alignment. Since yours is wind, it is useless to you."
That was actually worrying. "… Change?" I asked.
"Change your alignment?" Zouken asked as an odd expression crossed his face. "… While there is a method… it poses quite a lot of risks. Risks I am not willing to take."
Shit. A massive amount of the Matou library just became a waste of time. If I couldn't use them because of my alignment, how am I supposed to learn any magecraft that I can use against Zouken?
"I think for now you should focus on your basics," Zouken continued. "Hmm… perhaps I should contribute to your education in some way?" He extinguished the incense sticks and stood up before he said, "Wait here, Shinji," and left the room.
"Lessons from Matou Zouken himself, hmm?" Einzbern said playfully. "Lucky you."
'I really don't like the idea of spending more time with him…' I said.
"Are you serious?" she whined, "You want to learn magecraft, right? Well, who better to teach you than the head of your clan?"
'So what am I supposed to do when I finally confront him and he knows how my magecraft works inside-out?'
"If that's what you're worried about, then… what if I taught you some of mine?"
I gave her a suspicious glower at the unexpected offer.
She stared back unwaveringly.
This was an attempt at securing my cooperation in the future. It had to be. All she had done was offer to teach me her magecraft— she hadn't said anything more than that— but the unspoken request was there. She was doing me a favour and wanted one in exchange.
And, despite my apprehension, that gut feeling that told me not to bargain with the magus girl…
I had to admit that it was a good idea.
'Fine,' I finally said. 'Can we discuss this after I figure out how to use my circuits properly, though? I'm still worried about overusing my nerves, and I want to focus on getting past that.'
"Sure," she said with a nod, seemingly pleased with the arrangement.
Eventually, Zouken returned with an ancient-looking book bound in leather of some kind back to the table. He laid it down and opened it, then began searching for something among its pages. "Shinji, make yourself comfortable."
I adjusted myself in the chair and found myself feeling a little anxious. It had been a while since I attended a lecture, and I had a feeling that I'd want to pay more than a little attention to this one.
That Evening
Zouken stood patiently in the clearing within the forested land between the Matou Residence and the Tohsaka Mansion, reflecting patiently on the events of the day. There was much to deliberate on and review. Stress was building up for the Matou elder, and there were not many ways it could be relieved.
It all started with that personality test. Incense promoted reflective thoughts and questions directed at an individual's psyche were standard practice for consecration. All to build a bridge for the tarot to seek their answers. But the ritual had revealed so much more than simply elemental alignment. As the answers came, and Shinji saw deep into his own mind, his language had changed.
Ever. So. Slightly.
"Dunno" had become "I don't know", "yeah" had become "yes", and "no" had become "I don't think so". Such a minor shift in language, not enough to arouse suspicion, but enough that anyone with an eye for detail would think it was an odd variation in speech for a child.
It was not much to base anything on, so Zouken had considered ignoring it. Then an idea had taken root, and the elder had started to speak to the boy with a few slightly more complicated words… and they had been taken in stride. The boy probably had not even noticed the change, given the state the incense had put him in.
He had seen fit to immediately begin educating Shinji on thaumaturgical foundations, equivalent exchange, further details on the five great elements, and explain the principle facet of the Makiri bloodline's magecraft; absorption. Bringing the heir up to speed on the base principles of mysteries and their clan's arts was expected from the head of a magus family— and this was much earlier than would be normal— but Zouken had another goal when he decided to test the boy's intellect.
Towards the end of the day, Zouken had brought forth a particular book as a final test of sorts. A tome that had been written by none other the Baba Yaga herself that was usually stored in the attic vault. It was a relic the elder was proud to have access to, and likely the most valuable source of knowledge on familiar magecraft in the world.
And the child had come to understand the principles and terminology within it as if it were something as simple as a storybook.
Two!
The boy was two years old!
And then, there was the way that the boy's speech had shifted back to childish diction after the test. Shinji was actively trying to conceal his intelligence. The Makiri had been blessed with a cursed child possessing a supernaturally enlightened mind and faulty magical circuits. What other abominations or miracles could have come from that woman's womb had Zouken left her alive?
He banished the thought. There was no place for regret in his mind right now. The situation was absolutely ridiculous, and such things would only burden him.
There was still the matter of actually implanting the crest worms. With Shinji's circuits the way they were, the risks had not changed. If Shinji's elemental alignment had been water, the possibility for Zouken to breed a less invasive variety of crest worms that would allow the boy to perform the mysteries sealed within them without the risk of death was not zero… but it was not to be.
The problem with the current situation was not that it might not work… it was that it might, and the delay was an unnecessary precaution on Zouken's part. The elder needed a hint of substantial evidence in the right direction; a theory, a method, a strategy… something that would suggest that he was simply overthinking the situation. For anything regarding the crest worms, he needed to wait for the answers to show themselves.
He took a deep breath.
But for the other issue, he was waiting on Tokiomi Tohsaka. The matter at hand was Hinode Wakumi, and The Second Owner had granted him a meeting.
The nightmare the boy had last night had not left behind any traces of magical interference, but it was never a good idea to grant the benefit of the doubt. If the Second Owner could provide insight into the woman's capabilities, it may present a reason to suspect her of some manner of offence. And if the woman specialised in curses…
Of course, there was another possibility.
After failing to use the suggestion spell on her, Shinji was simply worried that she had caught on to his childish performance and was unnerved enough to start having nightmares. The boy was, after all, only a two-year-old child. No matter how intelligent he was, there must be much he did not know of the world, and he would have made assumptions…
Zouken put aside his speculations.
Footsteps became audible among the trees.
Tokiomi had arrived.
"Matou… you haven't aged a day," the Second Owner declared as he approached.
"Hmph. You have acquired a… walking stick," the elder huffed.
"Ah, you've noticed," Tokiomi said, twirling his jewelled staff as he came to a stop at an acceptable distance. "Simple, I admit."
"I do not know whether to be flattered or intimidated," Zouken said, adjusting the grip on his own cane.
The men maintained a mutual stare as a soft breeze passed by.
"You had an inquiry?" Tokiomi prompted.
Zouken allowed himself a breath. "Are you aware of a mage named Hinode living in Fuyuki?"
The Second Owner showed no change in his expression. Whether it was plain disinterest or a masterful poker face was unclear. "Explain," he said.
"Yesterday, my grandson attempted to use magecraft on a woman; Hinode Wakumi. The mystery was resisted, and the woman was clearly aware of its use. Hinode has been in the vicinity of the boy for a year, and I had not noticed her capabilities."
Tokiomi's expression changed for the first time as his eyebrows tensed slightly. "This individual escaped even your observation?"
"Despite my constant surveillance… somehow."
"And you brought this matter to me out of concern for your grandson's safety?"
"Correct."
"I understand," Tokiomi adjusted his posture. "The individual you call Hinode was unknown to me until now. Any business you have with them is up to your discretion unless I notify you otherwise in the future. I request their contact details; home address or place of employment is acceptable."
"I expected as much," Zouken said, tossing an envelope that Tokiomi aptly caught. "Thank you for your time, Tohsaka."
The two men then left the forest in opposite directions.
A/N
Big notes. I'm sowwy, have an omake as compensation.
That "personality test" was more of an examination of my own understanding of Shinji Matou and my ability to demonstrate how he's changed or hasn't changed over the ten years he spent alive after UBW. And HOOOOOO-BOY was it STRESSFUL. This chapter also let me write some interaction between Shinji and Zouken, a blank topic in this story so far (…I still sometimes wonder if anyone laughed at the library door scene in chapter 3).
If you disagree with anything in the test, let me know, and I may consider revising it before chapter 8 goes up if your point is convincing enough.
I researched the Tarot for this chapter, hoping to not have to make up too much. Unfortunately, the Major Arcana is like some kids' half-assed art project that they barely finished in time to be marked. And so, like any good Tarot reader, I MADE UP SOME BULLSHIT to suit my purposes, even though I really didn't have to, and you can see the details on my FFN profile if that sort of thing interests you.
… No, there is no JoJo reference.
*sounds of "wrryyyyyyy" in the distance*
The "Baba Yaga" that Zouken referred to is a Slavic Folklore myth involving a witch that lives in a house with chicken legs (Yes, a walking house. How novel). I know that the only connection to her in Fate is the "Yaga" in Grand Order's Russian Lostbelt, being their namesake, but she otherwise has no presence in the Nasuverse (so it's FREE REAL ESTATE!). The Slavs have their most prominent remaining cultural presence in Russia (I think), and that's where Zouken is from, so it stands to reason he might have something that she once owned. I MIGHT explore Baba Yaga in the future. But for now, she's just a mysterious tidbit.
Also, some of you are gonna go all "But the Makiri/Matou element is water; why is Shinji's wind?!", and sure, I'll give you that; the Matou Element IS water, but no one said they had to be born with it.
Sakura wasn't, after all.
Review Responses:
WildlyLaughing:
No, I'm probably going to avoid putting Shirou anywhere in this story until after the 4th war (which is still 5 years away, so that might change). Originally, Wakumi Hinode was meant to be Shirou's mother, and Shirou would've been present at the Nursery school (that scene with Kaito was meant to be Shirou, too). But I decided that the unimportance of whoever Shirou was before the fire is important to who Shirou Emiya is. I respect that particular character trait a lot. So the character named Shirou Hinode was cut from my story.
Wakumi remains because she was already too interwoven in the immediate upcoming narrative for me to remove her, and she is no longer Shirou's mother.
I can't answer your question. Spoilers, you know?
I CAN say that my general rule of thumb for this story is, "If Shinji doesn't directly or indirectly change it, it doesn't change." You can speculate from there.
Jyusei Kumo-san:
I agree. Self-inserts are generally pretty disappointing aside from a few gems, and I hope my interpretation of Shinji will remain satisfying for you as the story continues.
As for your question regarding Lev, I'm gonna repeat myself here; "If Shinji doesn't directly or indirectly change it, it doesn't change." I'm pretty sure that Chaldea DOES NOT EXIST in the same timeline as Fate/stay night because of the whole Holy Grail War inconsistency. We are in the UBW timeline because Paradox is NOT Kaleidoscope; it doesn't jump timelines. It sends the user's memories backwards through time to an earlier instance of their soul. So having Shinji stop Lev from killing himself in a version of reality without Chaldea means… the end of humanity.
That's a BAD END, right there.
Shinji's circuit situation does suck, and I can't say anything because of "spoilers", so I can't sate your curiosity yet.
Also, Illya's coming to get you for calling her a crazy loli. RUN DUDE!
Giuseppe:
Hola desde Australia!
… that's all the terrible Spanish you're getting out of me.
I don't know if Emiya teaching Shinji how to use nerve circuits would have done anything other than killing Shinji (Which, admittedly, would make a good story), because Shirou did it with his SPINE (I think), and only really survived the process himself because of Avalon (I think). In fact, did Shirou even know he was using his nerves in the first place? I don't think he did, and Shinji is only successfully using them here because he uses the vestigial nerves behind his ears and can avoid the majority of the strain on them by filtering the magical energy into his circuits instead of trying to keep it in his nerves.
I'm glad you like my portrayal of Illya and Shinji's dynamic, as not many other people have brought it up. Thank you for that.
I WILL keep writing, and you take care of yourself too.
Guest:
I'm not entirely sure what it is your referring to in your reviews, but I'm glad you're sticking around to enjoy my story!
That's all the reviews!
If there's anything that YOU, dear reader, would like to complain about or praise me for (*blushes*), then don't hesitate!
-Peace
GEOD
Edit 1: Post Chapter Twelve Grammar Update.
Edit 2: Removed Tarot Arrangement details from the Author's Notes to put them on my FFN profile.
Edit 3: Jan 2023 update. Adjusted some scenes to match a map of the Matou household that I drew.
Bonus Omake:
"It's a card game."
"Draw your last pathetic card, Shinji," said Zouken, posturing confidently behind his lineup of Green Eyes Origami Dragons.
"My Grandpa's— that is to say— YOUR deck has no pathetic cards, Zouken," Shinji said confidently, "but it does contain…"
Shinji reveals Twenty-Seven-Star Gilga-Man Archer Servant Card, first edition with prismatic foil.
"THE INVINCIBLE GILGA-MAN!"
"Impossible! No one's ever summoned him!" he said before quietly whispering to himself, "Why did I leave that in the deck?!"
"Go, Gilga-Man! Attack with Enuma Elish!" Shinji declared.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The paper dragons crumble into dust.
"MIND CRUSH!"
Illya watched the scene with wide eyes. "What. Is. Happening," she asked the Universe.
The Universe shrugged.