Chapter 3: The Price of Knowledge
The Island (1970)
The boat cut through dark waters under a moonless sky. Rikuya stood at the railing, small hands gripping weathered wood as salt spray stung his face. Behind him, Norikata Emiya stood motionless, a shadow among shadows.
Three weeks had passed since the alley. Three weeks of being fed, clothed, and observed like a specimen in a jar. Norikata's cold efficiency had kept him alive, but there was no warmth in it. No affection. Just the clinical care one gives a valuable tool.
"We arrive soon," Norikata said, his voice cutting through the sound of waves. "Alimango Island. Your new home."
Home. The word felt hollow.
Rikuya's fingers tightened on the railing. His body had recovered somewhat—enough food and rest had pulled him back from death's edge. But he was still weak. Still small. Still a six-year-old child in a world of monsters wearing human faces.
And he knew what was coming.
In his previous life, he'd consumed every piece of Fate media he could find. He knew Norikata Emiya's story. The experiments on vampires. The research into Time Alter. The obsession with reaching the Root that consumed everything else. And he knew what happened to those who got too close to that obsession.
Kiritsugu had to kill his own father to stop the spread of the Dead Apostle infection.
But Kiritsugu doesn't exist yet. Or if he does, he's just a baby somewhere. I'm the apprentice now. I'm the one who'll endure the experiments.
The thought should have terrified him. Maybe it did, deep down. But stronger than fear was something else—determination forged in the moment he died saving that little girl.
I asked for this. I wanted a second chance to protect people. To matter. Well, here it is. Time to see if I'm strong enough to survive it.
"Rikuya," Norikata's voice drew his attention. The magus approached, holding a small case. "Before we arrive, there's something you must understand about the world you're entering."
He opened the case, revealing what looked like surgical tools alongside strange implements that hurt to look at—materials that seemed to bend light wrong, metals that shouldn't exist.
"Magecraft," Norikata began, his tone shifting into lecture mode, "is the act of bringing about mysteries through established processes. It requires Magic Circuits—pathways in the soul that convert life force into magical energy. You possess these circuits, undeveloped though they are."
He selected one of the tools—a thin needle that gleamed with an inner light.
"The process of awakening them is... painful. Many children die during the first activation. But you're not like other children, are you?"
Those sharp eyes fixed on Rikuya, seeing too much.
"There's something else inside you. Something that shouldn't be there. A foreign element, like a second soul overlapping your own. I've never encountered anything quite like it."
Rikuya's blood ran cold. He sees it. He sees that I'm a reincarnator.
"What... what does that mean?" Rikuya asked, forcing his child's voice to sound uncertain, curious rather than terrified.
Norikata smiled thinly. "It means you're more valuable than I initially thought. Whatever you are, wherever this foreign soul came from, it may hold secrets that bring me closer to the Root."
He closed the case with a decisive snap.
"It also means you'll survive what's coming. That resilience—that extra something inside you—will keep you alive through experiments that would kill ordinary children. Isn't that fortunate?"
The way he said 'fortunate' made Rikuya want to vomit.
"I understand," Rikuya said quietly, meeting Norikata's gaze as steadily as he could. "You're going to experiment on me. Use me for your research. That's the price of survival, isn't it?"
Norikata regarded him for a long moment, then nodded slowly.
"Perceptive. Yes. That is precisely the arrangement. I will provide shelter, food, education in magecraft, and training to make you strong. In exchange, you will serve as a test subject for my research. Your unique nature makes you invaluable for studying the interaction between souls, life force, and Mystery."
He crouched down, bringing himself to eye level with Rikuya.
"Most would call me a monster for this. The Mage's Association certainly does. But I am simply practical. The path to the Root requires sacrifice, and I would rather sacrifice those who have nothing to lose than waste my own bloodline on dangerous experiments."
"Like Kiritsugu," Rikuya said before he could stop himself.
Norikata's eyes widened fractionally—the first genuine surprise Rikuya had seen from him.
"How do you know that name?"
Damn it. Too much knowledge too fast.
"I... heard you mention it once," Rikuya lied quickly. "On the boat ride. You were talking to yourself about your son. About keeping him safe from your work."
It was a weak lie, but Norikata seemed to accept it. His expression smoothed back into clinical neutrality.
"Yes. Kiritsugu is my heir, my true successor. He will inherit my research when he's ready. You, Rikuya, are insurance. You ensure that my work continues even if experiments go wrong. You protect my bloodline by bearing the risks in its place."
"I'm a shield," Rikuya said flatly.
"You're a tool," Norikata corrected. "But an invaluable one. And if you prove useful enough, if you survive and grow strong, you may earn something more than mere survival. You may earn purpose. Meaning. The knowledge that your suffering advanced humanity's understanding of Mystery."
He stood, towering over Rikuya once more.
"So tell me, Rikuya Amamiya. Knowing all this, do you still choose to step onto my island? Or would you prefer I return you to that alley in Europe?"
The question hung in the salt air between them.
Rikuya looked out at the dark waters, then back at the man who would become his tormentor. He thought of Kiritsugu—the broken, empty man who killed hundreds to save thousands and lost his soul in the process. He thought of the Holy Grail Wars to come, the tragedies that would unfold.
And he thought of that little girl in the yellow dress, reaching for him with small hands.
If I can endure this... if I can survive and grow strong... maybe I can change things. Save Kiritsugu from becoming a machine. Stop the horrors before they consume everyone. Protect the people who'll need protecting.
"I'm not going back," Rikuya said, his voice steady despite his racing heart. "I'll endure whatever you do to me. I'll survive your experiments. And I'll become strong enough to make it worth it."
Norikata studied him for a long moment, then smiled—and for the first time, it almost reached his eyes.
"Good. That's the spirit I hoped to see. Welcome, Rikuya Amamiya, to your new life."
The island appeared on the horizon, a dark mass against darker sky.
"One more thing," Norikata added as they approached. "The experiments will begin tomorrow. Tonight, you rest. Eat well. Sleep deeply. Because tomorrow, you'll learn what it means to have Magic Circuits opened for the first time."
He paused, then added almost conversationally:
"The mortality rate is approximately forty percent for children your age. Try not to be part of that statistic. It would be wasteful."
Rikuya said nothing. He just gripped the railing tighter and watched the island grow closer, feeling like a man walking willingly into hell.
But I'm not just walking into it. I'm going to survive it. And when I come out the other side, I'll be strong enough to protect everyone Norikata's obsession would have destroyed.
The boat docked. His new life began.