Am I real or just an illusion? ~The Night Terror Incident

Snow piling up, gently piling up on top of each other, reflected against it the early sunshines, those that were somehow so cheerful, so cruel, flopping down one by one as if committing a honorable suicide act lighting up this whole wide world. As honorable, as suicidal, as shining--- as her shadow lying right there.

Simply, just right there.

Someone's voice wept over the back of her sound, the part of her mind that went separated, that went unremembered. The flipping sound of broomstick flailing in the sky. The call of a persistent tengu behind their back.

"I hope we make it home before midnight---"

Each of her footsteps drowned itself in the vast sea of white, weakly struggling against residing, yet still superior darkness. As if the ground under her feet had transformed, had withered, had easily lost itself, vapored into a mass of bubbles that would willingly eat up a pair of limbs that haplessly slipped. She plucked each of her feet off the gripping snow, every single time.

"I'll look forward to your overly salty chicken curry."

As if her legs had turned mad already, as if her body had resigned to be that little hamster, ever spiraling around deep in the arms of fate, yet inside her shoes the stubborn toes, defiant of such future, still desperately clung to the ground, supporting each of her wobbling steps.

"I'll remember it forever, even if everything changes..."

Snowflakes, tiny snowflakes, unmelting snowflakes fell on top of you, the you that kept lying there soundlessly, within an arm's reach from me, yet as if you were already drifting away so very far from us, very far from the me that stayed behind.

Tell me, the me that is alive, are you still here?

As long as the blue flames still flowed in this arm...

"Miss Margatroid, please take caution."

The young mistress, eyes slightly squinted under this cold light, footsteps barely audible amidst this quiet land, whispered to her behind her back. Faint breaths that kept blowing in the back of her ears, telling her to stop. Yet, this moment, she wanted to show the one who she just met, the true person that was awaken.

"I see, if such is your choice, I will assist you."

The smile that appeared on the corner of her lips, faded away under the dark light...

"I see..."

Fluttering, wavering magic spells tainted with impure desires to fight back fate, fluttered and wavered like such fragile wills, glistening like colorful teardrops, like monochrome laughters surrounding what a while ago was the one she loved.

Please, live. Fight back the thing we wished to fight together...

Such light, flickering blue glow, lonely and frail, stood for such hope, quiet circle with certain symbols of the outer worlds, stood for such dream.

Even if the world would simply proceed to eject us.

The essence of her magic that escaped from her, would transcend through the border of life, and would bring back a hope for her loved.

Even if we would have to part way.

Gentle breaths of hers, of the one standing by her side, of the one that used to stand by her side, warmed up the possibilities.

It's all right, always choose to live.

"All is well now, Miss Margatroid. You did well. She would live."

The voice of hers, cold as it was, told nothing but a wish come true.

"As long as this world would allow her... She would live. This cruel, ridiculous, beautiful world."

And that alone, is already enough...

---

The door hiding all of the palace's sorrow, wearily glid on the raspy ground, as if such creaky sounds were its sole farewell to the one who would soon depart. Their breaths, hers and the one behind her back, mingled into one and the same.

"Do you truly wish to leave so hastily, Miss Margatroid?"

Such picture of her, all bandaged, lying motionlessly surrounded by caring pets, pained with each passing moment.

Because the present had already happened-

"Yes, it would be best if I leave now... Before she woke up."

And her quiet memories of them, filled with sheer joy in the golden afternoon.

and the past had already been shattered-

All the more reasons to protect the future...

"I see. I would inform you should something happen. Please try and keep in touch."

The eyes of that single someone, again, spiraled into the depth of her own eyes. As if words were no longer needed, and no longer enough, in this world that was somehow so cruel, in this fate that somehow was so ridiculous.

"After all of that... I wish you luck on your path then", uncomfortable halt cluttered her own words, "Miss Margatroid".

Behind her shoulder, she still saw the small one, whose hair fluttered like a half-bloomed rose.

"I appreciate your good will"

Nothing but a deep, strong mask for those two both,

"Miss Komeiji."

Until the very end.

Her feet that led her away from the place marked with sorrow and regrets, simply glistened in the golden afternoon.

Tell me, the you that are still here, am I still alive?

“I remember the raps on the door and I wished it was simply someone knocking… but I knew better. Hit after hit, a chorus of people yelling… ‘Witch! She’s a witch!’ I covered my ears like a coward. If I was stronger, nothing like this would have happened. Yet, I cursed them under my breath. ‘Wouldn’t you have done the same for love? Wouldn’t you have gone against everything to regain what you have lost?’”

“Love, huh?” She asked pensively. “Not everyone thinks that’s important. But I get whatcha mean.”

“We’re one and the same, after all.”

“That sounds creepy.”

“It is the truth. For the time being, I suppose.”

“And?”

“They thought I was strong, they saw me as a role model but… I’m nothing but a fake…”

Two silhouettes stood in the middle of nothing, no matter in what direction they looked at, only darkness and little light spots could be seen, and if there was only the sky and the stars, the galaxies peering down on the two that remained sited- the one with gold locks, casually looking towards the sky in front of her with her arms behind her head and another one, covered in the darkness that made the sky look white in comparison.

“Tell me then, the one and same as me, who are you?” The girl tilted her head behind. Something was stopping her from looking towards the other voice and look at the face of the person who was the same has her.

“Who am I…”

“I know who I fought.” The girl with the golden hair sounded serious. “But who are you?”

“I’m… the one who unleashed this on your world…”

The golden haired girl stood up with her hands balled up, the starry sky under her quivering like water, tiny ripples forming as her feet hit the transparent ground under her.
“Of course it was you! Isn’t that obvious enough?!” Golden eyes shined menacingly at the other silhouette. “I want to know who you are!” She waved her arms about angrily. “Who the hell are you?!”

The woman in front of her, cowering in her place, hands wrinkled by age between locks of white hair, shook, of fear, of remorse. The woman who she saw being engulfed by flames and guilt alike.

“I… I can’t… I can’t…remember. Not now… not anymore…” Her voice trembled.

Then, that feeling, that anger she didn’t know the origin of got the better of her and she grabbed the woman by the collar of her dress, forcing her to her feet.

“You don’t remember?! Who are you, say it!” The loudness of the blonde paled in comparison to the quietness of the old woman.

“Please… I can’t remember…”

“Because of you my friends were hurt! Because of you people will die!! And you have the guts to forget?! What happened, what is yet to happen, IT’S ALL ON YOU! YOU’RE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!”

“I didn’t want that to happen! I tried to stop it! I didn’t want---“

“But it happened! And it will keep happening!”

“…Everything… everything because I was a coward, because I was weak…” She was no longer talking to the girl in front of her. “God… When did I lose sight of what is important?”

Without her seeing, the golden haired girl got pushed away from the woman by a firm hand and as she looked she saw an image of herself, dressed in dark robes, dark wings and a tail, staring back at her. The creature wrapped her arms around the sobbing woman, there was no warmth in that hug, it was possessiveness. She smiled a long, crooked smile.

“You…!” Marisa snarled at the creature in front of her.

Four words, four words did the woman hopelessly repeat like a mantra as she clenched her hand on her dress.
“Kyrie eleison… mea culpa…”

Their reality started to contort and break in front of the girl’s eyes, as if that too was made of glass.

“Why are you doing this!? Who are you trying to save?!” The girl yelled, her voice sounding so far away, as the creature stood there, smirking at her, silently mocking her.


“̒ͯ͋ͪ̓͏İ̒̎̾ͧ͢ ͐͑̂̄f̛oͭ͗̔ͨr͛̎͊̏̎̐ͮ̀g̵ͥͧ̑̆̉͂ǫ͒̊̑͗ͤtͭͣͮ̅̇ͫ ̊ͯͧͭ͝i̧͒ͩ̍̅̆͂̽t̢́̏͂̏͋̚…̷ͪ̈́ ̢̍ͧ͒ͥ̈ȁ̋͛n̢͌̈́͗͗̋d͂͐ͭ͑ͩ̚ ̋̾͑Ǐ͋͊ ͠ŵ̶̅̃̈́̈́͂ȉ̸̓͊̚l͗̓l̵ͫ̂ ̶͛͐̀͂́̒͗fo̐̂̿ͬ̾̚r̃͛̇͑̀̔̍g̋̽̔ͧ͠e̢ͭͬ̌ṫ̈̅̍̓ͮ ̽͗̌t̶̊ḧ̍͑̈́̓̊̇i̢̋͒̚s̨ͦͬ̍͌͗ͤ… ̏ͬͭ̿ͪs͛̒͏ő̡̍ ̎̔̐̉w̷ͦ̑́̂ḯͬ̓͊͒̎ͭ͡l̶̈̿ͫ͑̚l̨ͪ̑ͨͧͭ̓ ̨̉̽ͥ̂̐yͮõ̽̃̍͘ŭ̡̒̋̈̀ͤ̔…̧ ̵e̎͐͌̎ͯͩͧ̕v̍̈́̚e̛ͤ͒ͭ̇r̍̓̉̅y̛̾t̒̔̂͒̽̽̌ȟͣ̚ǐ̛ͬnͥ͡g͒ͪͥ̕…͌̎ ̛̆ͪ͐T͌̾̔̚h̒͗̋̆er͐eͮ͑̐̆̆ͭ’̀šͮͥ ͗ͧ͊̓ͬ̕n̉̋͒́ͮo̿̃t̂͏hi̓̃̊͞nͨͦ̕g̈́͛͒̈́̃̍͡ ̎̿̒̿̉͟w͗e̋͗̎͌̉̊̈ ͬͦ̎c͆́aͦ̇͒̿ņ̒̔ͣ͑ ̚d̓̄̇͊͐͌́oͤ ̒ͥͭaͤ͝b͟ȏ̂͒u̓̅̏͒͘t̸ ͥ͟iͥ̒t̷ͥ͂ͪͩͧͮ̎ ̸̆͂̉b̛u͋̎̌͒ͤ̅͑t͒̏͆̐ͯ̚ ́f̀͋͂ͣ̇ờ̂͊ͭr̨̀̐̌͗͌ͤg͌ͣ̓e̅tͧ͆ͦ̿̒̓̈͡.ͦ̿̂ͯ͡”͆͂̋ The woman concluded, dispirited eyes cast down.

Everything broke down as the girl tried to urge herself to wake up, to return to her own reality, to… stand up and do something, anything!

And outside of her own mind, the real Marisa thrashed around, ragged breaths breaking the silence of the room as sweat trailed down her face and yet she didn’t wake; both her amber eyes and her consciousness refusing to leave the abyss in her mind.

Nick and I beasting it up

---

As she made her way down the hallways of Eientei, Sanae soon stopped in front of two large doors. She figured that behind these ornate doors would be where Eirin would be located, as Reisen didn't give her any specifics. Pressing her hands against the doors, the green-haired girl mustered up her courage and opened them.

As the door opened, the gleaming light of the moon spilled into the corridor, illuminating the wooden walls with a crepuscular shine. The importance of the area immediately dawned on Sanae, and she knew this must be the right place. Taking a small breath, she started to walk forward...

"...Why are you going into our courtyard? It's hardly a time for that kind of relaxation, you know..." a voice from behind asked, the tone giving away an obvious amused tone.

Startled, Sanae have a slight jump as she let out a small yelp. Turning around, she was greeted by none other than Eirin Yagokoro.

"O-oh, there you are, Yagokoro-san," she replied, calming herself down and straightening herself, not wanting to embarrass herself further. "I was looking for you."

Eirin chuckled to herself. ‘No one seems to have the decency to schedule an appointment these days’, she thought to herself, already anticipating how this conversation would go. ‘And there I was before all this, getting rather bored of the routine.”

Smiling at Sanae, she replied “Ah, of course, on errands for Kanako then? How cold of her, to send an apprentice. She owes me a drink…”

"I don't mean to intrude, but Lady Kanako sent me here so I could ask you about your thoughts on this incident. I-I'll try to leave as soon as I can,". Sanae informed her, a creeping feeling of nervousness coursing through her.

After all, she was talking to one of the most powerful figures in Gensokyo one on one. She REALLY didn't want to say or do something stupid.

“Of course, I’m here to help, after all.” Eirin replied, rather used to this topic by now. “Do you have anything specific in mind?”

Beneath her outward manner, Eirin was dismayed to see the Moriya Shrine maiden asking about the incident. Too many people were getting involved for her liking.

"Well, what do you know about it...? Lady Kanako figured that you potentially no quite a bit. We barely have any leads...even after I was attacked..." Sanae said, trailing off a little at the end of her explanation.

Eirin frowned. "Hm, this could take quite some time, if you really know only that much. How about you fill me in with what you already know, and I can build from that?"

Sighing quietly, Sanae looked seriously at Eirin. "Lady Kanako and I were investigating the home of a recently attacked villager only a few hours ago. While I was alone, I got trapped inside of a room with an imposter of Lady Kanako."

The shrine maiden then looked down. "She said...rather cruel things to me...she said words that I fear even thinking about...the thought of failing her and Lady Suwako...what a taboo possibility...and yet that imposter deemed me a failure...a pathetic excuse for a shrine maiden..."

Sanae looked back up, fighting back unshed tears. "I was eventually saved by the real Lady Kanako, and the imposter disappeared in an instant. Though any trace of them vanished along with them...now we're in this current situation with barely any leads..."

Eirin listened patiently while Sanae talked, writing a few things down. Finally, once Sanae had finished, she thought in silence for a few minutes. Finally, she said “I’m sorry you had to go through that experience. Be comforted in knowing that neither Kanako nor Suwako would ever think of you that way.”

Taking another moment for Sanae to regain some composure, Eirin then continued. “Now, then, on to business. What you have told me seems to match up with the other accounts I have heard of. Shapeshifting, taunting. You’re lucky you didn’t get a first-hand demonstration of its offensive magic…”

“So, is that really all you have to go on?” Eirin narrowed her eyes. “There’s nothing that Kanako has told you about it?”

Sanae shook her head. "Lady Kanako told me she was going to visit Byakuren at her temple, but that's really all."

Eirin sighed. “Alright, I believe you. In any case, the information you seem to be missing is, in sum:
One. That the ‘ripper’ uses a very old magic of some kind, of which I know little about.
Two. That it feeds off of the life energy of people, youkai, and others alike.
Three. While you may know of the mark It leaves, it seems to have… evolved past that. Now all it requires is a sigil.
Four. You may already have a hint at this, but it is absurdly dangerous. It has incapacitated powerful combatants such as Keine Kamishirasawa and Marisa Kirisame, the former of which is in critical condition her in Eientei.
Five. As hinted at earlier, it is gaining power. What is a challenge now may be impossible later. Time is very much of the essence.”

Sanae's eyes widened at the information Eirin told her without skipping a beat. She truly is a genius. "S-Sorry for missing anything crucial," she stuttered a little. "Though I'm glad I know more about this 'ripper'. Thank you, Yagokoro-san."

"Of course. Now, in return, I would like you to let me know if you figure anything out. Does that seem fair to you?"

"Very fair," Sanae agreed. "I'll inform you of anything I discover from now on."

"Thank you very much." Eirin concluded, content with how the conversation went. "Before you go, may I ask what you intend to do next?"

"I...I don't know exactly. I suppose get Utsuho-san and go back to investigating," she replied, not even sure if she was going to do just that.

"Well, don't push yourself too hard." Eirin said, starting to walk into the courtyard, whose doors had remained open. "Oh, and watch your step on the way out. I hear there was a bit of an accident up there..."

Sanae's face turned red. "I-I'll pay for the damages soon!" she said quickly as she sped past Eirin as she began to leave the area. "Thanks for everything, Yagokoro-san!"

Eirin watched Sanae dash off, her countenance changing to it's worried state as soon as her back was turned. Once the green shrine maiden was out of sight, she turned around and strolled into the courtyard area, taking in the rays of moonlight that shone all around her, afraid she might have to intervene more directly should something happen.

Collab with Relick, Enjoy the NOT OTP! (Although it may become one.)


Last time on the roleplay, Seija finally got out of her pericidement with the assistance of Yuuka, the two flew off with a unknown destination. That unknown destination being the entrance to the underground.

"So, Yuuka? What does the underground smell like?" Seija broke the awkward silence.
"Hmm, think about the most sweet flowers you've ever smelled..." She paused for a second "Basically, nothing like that."
"I never sniff flowers." Her voice returns to a mutter. "Because they make me sneeze..."

"Ah, that's a shame. Flowers have some of the most exotic and beautiful smells in the world. They also look wonderful, too." Yuuka wondered if it was worth making conversation to someone who would invert everything they think.
A few more seconds of silence and it was Yuuka’s turn to break the silence.
"Is there anything you.. dislike, Seija?"
"I dislike the things you like." She smiled greatly, her eyes making contact with flowers.

"It's a good thing I'm kinda getting to like you now, then. Means you'll leave eventually."
The pair could see the place they were headed in the distance, geyser spray scattering the sunlight into sparkling particles of colour.
"What a great sight it is... Too bad we won't be going into the springs today..."
"It is a shame. I could really use with a wash after flying around so much. Too many bugs in my hair." Yuuka scratched her head, feeling for bugs.

"I do find it is nice to bathe in the springs during the Winter, though. A refreshing feeling."
"If only the person in question had the idea to fight in the hot springs..." She looked down at the specks of landscape beneath her, before muttering again "Then again, it's not like the creature understands the idea of water..."
"Hey Yuuka, I've been wondering for a while now, when you encounter this beast, do you have any sort of plan to deal with it?"
"My objective is to befriend or subdue the beast. How I'll do that, well it'll be improvised when it happens. More fun that way!"
"I thought you were going to say..." She cleared her throat before attempting to do a horrendous imitation of Yuuka's voice. "Screw everything and spark the thing to death!"

"Oh, I see, so this was just a setup to a terrible joke. You should be glad we're pretty much there, now, otherwise I would be removing your limbs."
"No, it wasn't a joke, I was just thinking, don't you have a spark spell and didn't a certain someone "borrow" it?"
Yuuka ignored her, and landed in the snow. There was no sign of anybody being there, aside from the kasha she'd visited before laying in the snow, seemingly sleeping.
Seija landed a few seconds later, looking around, her body behaviour suggested she was on edge.
Yuuka began walking over to the cat-girl, she noticed a large patch of blood in the snow beside her, as well as imprints in the snow which could have been made by bodies. However, the snow in the general area had been heavily disturbed, and the snow falling during the day had filled some of the spaces. She poked the sleeping kasha, trying to wake her.
"Who's this?" Seija looked at the disturbed snow, wondering what happened.

"This is someone who cleans up after me. A kasha, known as Orin. I wish I knew her full name, but she doesn't like it." At that moment a loud purr was heard from the girl. She rolled over, opened her eyes and stretched.
Yuuka bent down and looked over her. "Hey there, Orin. Have a nice nap?"
"....nyaaa... What..?"
"I've got some bodies for you."
Rin shot up, and looked around, almost desperately. "Wait, where are they?"
Yuuka laughed, "Just kidding, it woke you up, though."
"What a twisted sense of humour you have..." Seija muttered, hoping that Yuuka ignores it.
"So, what are you doing?"
Rin looked up, and half-squinted at Yuuka, "Ya know, when you hit me, it really hurt!"
"I'll do it again if you don't co-operate."
She grumbled, "I guess I don't have a choice, then. I'm here because I was keeping... uh..." She looked around, "I was keeping Marisa Kirisame warm but she seems to have disappeared while I was asleep."
"Marisa? Why was she bleeding?"
"She was attacked by some creature. She managed to drive them away, but she was left unconscious."
"A creature? Is it this thing known as the Ripper?"
"Yes, that thing!"
"Do you know where it went?"
"Ah.. no. It just dematerialised on the spot after the fight."
Yuuka became frustrated at the lack of information, "We need to find Marisa, then. She will probably know more than you do. By the way, you shouldn't sleep so much in the open. It leaves you vulnerable."
"And don't sleep in the snow..." Seija looked at Rin, sighing loudly.
Peter: Yuuka looked at the floor around where Rin was sitting. It seemed the body had been dragged a bit, and then picked up. There were footprints heading towards the entrance of the underground. "The snow suggests whoever took Marisa went underground. Orin, are you coming with us?"
"I was going to head back to Chireiden anyway, and that's probably the first place you'll want to look. I'll lead the way."
"Chireiden? Ugh, that means I have to deal with the satori again."
Rin considered defending Satori, but remembered who it was making the comment and decided against it.
"Well, back to the underground again... Actually, this is my first time going underground, my original plan of escaping underground went awry after the hunt..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the party arrived at the gate of the underground palace, Rin turned to the other two, "Here we are. If you two follow me in we'll go straight to Satori-sama."

"...Can I just stay outside Satori's room?" Seija glared at Rin, her eyes were darting left and right.
"Hmm... she does make people feel uncomfortable. I'm sure she wouldn't mind too much; just remember she can sense what you're thinking through even brick wall!"

"Ughh..."

Rin led them in, taking the first corridor on the left, turning round a bend, left again at the split in the hallway and then a door on the right. She opened the door slowly, "Satori-sama, you in here?"
Inside was Satori sitting at her desk, and Marisa laying on a bed at the side of the room. "Come in, Orin."

Rin turned to Seija, "You can stand outside, now, if you like." Seija followed closely behind, completely ignoring Rin's comment and walking into the room, her paranoid gaze was darting directly at Satori.
Satori spoke again, before Yuuka had a chance to make a comment, "Orin, you should not have brought these people here on the basis of a threat. I know you're better than that." She turned to Yuuka and spoke with a hint of sarcasm, "Marisa was brought here by our mutual friend Alice. She left Chireiden before you arrived." Finally she turned to Seija, but said nothing, trying to wrap her head around her constantly changing thoughts.
Yuuka replied, "Hm. Do you have any idea when Marisa will wake up?"
"Sadly, I'm no doctor. Alice healed up her wounds so it is just a matter of time before she makes a full recovery." Satori then had a thought.
She stood up, and walked over to Marisa. "Yuuka, I want you to take a look at this sigil on Marisa's neck."
Seija began a slow walk towards Satori and spoke softly "...You can read my thoughts, can't you."
"Yes, Seija. However, due to the nature of your powers I struggle to pinpoint most thoughts, since you almost immediately start thinking the opposite."
"Oh, I'd thought that your ability would be able to understand my backwards way of thinking, I guess not." She smiled greatly for a mysterious reason.

"Your memories are not affected by your reverse power, though. I can see your past actions, decisions, motives. Nobody is truly safe from my third eye!" Satori was slightly smug about her power, but she suddenly became shocked
"Ah?! Flowers?" Yuuka looked at her with a grin,
"Don't brag about your power when you don't know its limits." Yuuka threw a smug grin at Satori.

Satori became worried. She lived her life safe in the knowledge of what everyone around her thought - and now potentially the most dangerous youkai she had met was resisting her mind-reading; and winning. "How can your mind just be full of flowers?!"
"Aren't flowers wonderful? Now, let's look at this sigil." Yuuka tilted Marisa's head around until she saw the symbol glowing on her neck. The glow was weak, but the lines were clear. Yuuka recognised the magic being used, and had a good idea about where it may have come from. Satori realised that Yuuka was not clouding her mind with flowers to merely make the point that her power was not as strong as she thought it was, but also to hide whatever she learned from the sigil.
This opportunity of Yuuka arriving at Chireiden at the same time as Marisa was perfect for learning as much as possible about the Ripper, yet Satori now had an extra hurdle to jump; coupled with the problem that Yuuka was probably going to leave as quickly as she had arrived. Convincing her of co-operation would not be easy.
Yuuka interrupted Satori's line of thought, "I think I'll stay for a bit, I want to speak to Marisa when she wakes up. I imagine you wouldn't want me sitting around in your office, Satori, so I'll go and explore the hallways."
"Oh.. o-okay." Visibly rattled by being unable to read Yuuka's mind, she went and sat down. Rin opened the door, and Yuuka walked out.
"I guess I'm staying here then..." Seija looked at the crowd walking away. "I didn't know that Chireiden was a makeshift hospital."

Four way collab between Me, Dani, ZM and Vex. Serves as Yoshika's introduction post as well.



New record~! #GreenHairAlliance

---

Sanae smiled once she saw the Divine Spirit Mausoleum up ahead. "We're about to approach, fairies," she told them as she looked back at them. "Hopefully Seiga's around, though I imagine she will be."

The green-haired fairy nodded. "I hope this doesn't end up in another fight. ... Which I doubt, if she is the culprit." the fairy's hand was already at her dress's pocket, just in case.

Meanwhile, the ice fairy was slowly lagging behind, looking amazed -and trying to freeze some- at all the spirits that were around the area. Once she noticed that the weird shrine maiden and Dai were going too far away, she hurried after them.

Yoshika watches a known face approach along with 2 strangers, getting right in the middle of their path she meets them. "Howdy m'ladies, is it just me or was that blue hair just freezing my food?" Yoshika then proceeds to enter a fighting position known as the 'heaven breaking stance' displaying that she was willing to fight if necessary. "My master told me not to let anyone pass, so this here is definitely no good."

Sanae stopped in her tracks. "Long time, no see, Yoshika," she greeted.

The ice fairy put her arms behind her head. "Oh hey, it's a zombie!"

The green-haired fairy got slightly near to Yoshika. "Please, if your master is Ms.Seiga, we really need to see her. Could you bring us to her, please?"

Yoshika stares at the green haired fairy then glances at Sanae before looking again at the green haired fairy. "Listen here kiddo, tell your momma that if she wants to speak she should do it herself." Yoshika turns at Sanae. "And you Frog-head why are you sending your kid to negotiate with me, if you got something to say don't send your daughter, this elf"

Sanae felt offended at the backhanded comments Yoshika taunted her with, but she let it slide. "Alright, may we please see Seiga then? This is of utmost importance," she replied.

"D-did she seriously think I'm the shrine maiden's daughter...?" the green-haired fairy thought to herself "We're not that similar... Right...?"

Yoshika sighs before responding to Sanae's inquiry "Didn't you frog-head listen to a thing I said? None shall pass, at least tell me why you want to pass." Yoshika relaxes her stand a bit thinking that she wouldn't need to resort to having these trespassers for dinner after all. Albeit a little disappointed about it too. "By the way just like I did back then I don't really appreciate your sass"

Sanae rolled her eyes. Her mood has been in a roller coaster all night. "Look, there's been a near-catastrophe going on in the Human Village, and it's even beginning to expand past that," she explained hurriedly. "Your master may know something about this, and we really have to see her. Now please?"

"Oh yes she told me about that, my master did" Yoshika, grimaced and continued. "Tell my why my master or I should care about this and I'll let you pass indeed." Yoshika responded only in what she though to be the best interest to her master, believing that the curse will take care of any enemies for her.

Sanae looked at Yoshika seriously. "If you don't, then I won't hesitate to beat you up again. This is an urgent matter and Gensokyo itself is at stake."

"That would make me quite mad, however." A hole formed on the wall next to them and Seiga's head popped from it as she rested her arms on it as if it was a window.


A squeak came out from Dai's mouth as she backed away from the wall.

"Master!" Yoshika called out to her beloved master and had a 180 change on her attitude "The Moriya shrine maiden and her daughter, and and ummm, blue hair wanted to force you to do something that could put you in danger, don't listen to them"

"That isn't true!" Sanae retorted, annoyed at the zombie's obnoxious attitude. "All we want are answers, and Seiga can provide some. Please, hear us out."

Seiga looked at the chaos in front of her with a smile. "And what do I get from listening to you?" She twirled her hairpin between her fingers.

Cirno crossed her arms and looked at the wicked hermit angrily. "You stop us on telling everyone in Gensokyo that you're the culprit, Tasty-Hair-Lady."

Yoshika glared at Cirno her personality back to the one from when they had met. "How dare you blue haired ice machine!?" Yoshika extended her arm and grabbed Cirno by the collar, and then lifting her up she said. "If there's anything tasty here that's gonna be you on the dinner after I cook you with some beans "

"Let me see if I understand this situation correctly..." The hermit calmly looked at the invaders with a smile, though her expression had darkened. "You come here asking for my collaboration while threatening my cute underling and threatening me with blackmail? Some boldness you have... or is it just stupidity?"

"Maybe if you weren't so ignorant, you'd realize how serious this all is," Sanae snapped as she got closer to Seiga. "Now start talking."

Cirno forcefully freed herself from Yoshika's grasp, while firing an icicle at the jiang-shi. "I wouldn't exactly call a zombie 'cute', y'know..."

The hermit looked positively unfazed by the shrine maiden's threatening voice.

"Ignorant? Aren't you the ignorant one, little girl? You came here seeking advice for something you cannot begin to grasp and yet you feel entitled to run your mouth like a toddler." She looked dangerously at Sanae, her smile never leaving her lips. "What is happening does not concern me, I can even say it concerns me even less now that I see who's trying to solve it. Leave this place and resume your wild-goose chase if you don't want things to go sour for you and your little companions, shrine maiden."

That did it.

All Sanae could see was red. "Y-You..." she muttered, clenching her fists as she glared at Seiga. She then sighed as she calmed herself, looking at Seiga cooly. "Such pompous words coming from someone like you. Didn't I beat you up, too? You know what I'm capable of."

Yoshika caught the icicle with her theeth and shattered it, leaving the ice fairy along after seeing her startled face at what she had just done, then glaring at Sanae decided to ready herself to strike in case her master requested this of her.

“Is that what you tell yourself when you go to sleep? That you’ve defeated saints and hermits in a danmaku battle before, therefore showing the extent of your power?” Seiga chuckled and then smirked. “Did that help against the so called ‘ripper’?” She asked amusingly and then added. “Do you think it will help now?”

She put her hairpin to her chin. “Yoshika, please escort them out. I have nothing else to tell them.”

The ice fairy growled as she created an ice spear and pointed it at Seiga. "Look, Tasty Hair. We just want your help. This ripper thing uses dark magic, and the shrine maiden says you know about it. Tell us what we want to know and we'll leave you alone! Otherwise, you and your zombie will have to face the strongest being in Gensokyo!"

On the other hand, Dai was biting her nails nerviously. "This is not how things should've turned out...! We're just wasting time like this!"

Yoshika laughed for a bit at the fairy's resilience, thinking to herself, 'a little exercise before dinner is always welcome' before getting serious and asking. "Would you leave quietly, or do you some… convincing? Either way my master has grown bored of your antics, so no more pointless talking."

Sanae looked away. "No, it didn't help me against the ripper..." she admitted, more to herself than the other four. "In fact, if it weren't for Lady Kanako, I probably wouldn't even be here right now..."

She looked back at Seiga. "I apologize for my attitude," she told her, figuring that approaching this hermit in a calm manner would yield better results. "You're a necromancer, and the culprit practices necromancy. Therefore you were the first one I thought of."

The hermit was about to turn away when she heard Sanae, she looked at the shrine maiden, she supported her head on her hand and asked amusedly yet without malice. "As the culprit or as an ally?"

"What is your involvement in this crisis, if any?" Sanae asked earnestly.

"None. But I suppose that even if I was the culprit I wouldn't tell you." She replied plainly. "However, I would be lying if I said I'm not curious about this Incident." The hermit smiled. "Your ripper's power has nothing to do with necromancy. Its necromantic powers are nothing but illusions. Alas, even illusions can be harmful."

"Master it's a dangerous matter, are you sure you want to delve into it, when these people would be doubtful allies at best, I mean just look at this little ice queen and the look she's giving me"

The great fairy got near the wicked hermit. Now that things seemed to have calmed down, they might actually get something out of this. "The ripper's ability is dream manipulation, right...? What do you know about that kind of ability, Ms. Seiga...?"

Seiga looked at Yoshika. “Don’t worry, my cute underling. I have no interest in being their ally, but you can’t expect a hermit to fight her curiosity.”

And then the green fairy that had been quiet the hole time decided to speak, the hermit rested her eyes on the girl, smiling.

“So you’re already aware of that, I’m surprised you got there as fast as you did, considering the ability it is.” She twirled the hairpin again. “Simply put, that’s an ability soooo scary that even the creator of Makai banished it. In my opinion, it’s quite fascinating to behold. Apart from what the name tells you, you can also manipulate your victims through the use of dreams turning their minds upside down if they’re week enough. Doesn’t that sound fun?” She chuckled. “But what made it truly frightening was the fact that it can be used to cause physical harm and death. In short, if you’re powerful enough you can kill someone by attacking them in their dreams.”

Putting the hairpin on her chin, she smiled. “Of course, as with anything in life, such power doesn’t come without drawbacks. “

"Which are?" the green haired shrine maiden inquired, listening intently to Seiga's speech.

“You gamble your own soul each time you use your powers.” The hermit replied. “In order to make someone vulnerable, sometimes you need to make yourself vulnerable as well. In other words, if you want to control someone, you need to establish a connection between your victim’s soul and your own. That connection can be exploited just as easily as it is by you.” She looked at the shrine maiden. “So far, it seems the culprit has been cautious, it’s only using its magic to con others and steal their life essence, that’s why the sigils disappear - the connection is brief. But… something went wrong when it attacked a certain witch.”

"Marisa..." Sanae muttered. "I heard from Eirin Yagokoro that she was attacked. Is she alright?"

“That’s hard to tell. If the one behind this is competent she shouldn’t be.” Seiga stated simply. “But that is not what I’m getting at. The sigil is there by accident, that was nothing but an incomplete spell. Which leads me to believe that the one who casted it is still an apprentice… however… no apprentice would be able to cast this kind of advanced spells.” She crossed her arms. “Your ripper is either comprised of two people or one person and a magical object.”

The shrine maiden began to contemplate. "Two people...or one person with a magical object...this will be a useful tidbit of information to report back to Yagokoro-san."

She then bowed to Seiga. "Thank you. This was most helpful."

“Ah, one more thing.” The hermit continued. “The sigil is still on the witch’s neck, that means that their souls are connected somehow and that can be exploited. If you want to take a gamble…” She smirked. “Kill the witch and weaken the ripper. The life of one for the possibility to save the lives of many.”

The hermit stood up and started to walk off. “I’ll be looking forward to see this Incident resolved. Goodbye~”

"W-wait!" the great fairy shouted. "If I remember correctly, the ripper wanted to bring someone back... Is transferring life energy to someone who is dead possible...?"

"Transferring life energy to the death? Gee, I wonder, it's not like there's a living example in front of you right?" Said Yoshika after reverting her battle pose to a relaxed pose now that there was no threat to Seiga.

The hermit stopped on her tracks. She looked back at Yoshika and then at Dai.

“You cannot revive the dead.” She said, there was a vague hint of sadness on her eyes. “No matter how much you try, the dead will remain dead and their souls will remain gone. You can’t bring back more than small shard of what that person once was, a mere shadow. You can spend your whole life after it but I can assure you, there is no such thing.”

Her blue eyes rested on Yoshika once again. "But shard or not, the love we have for them will remain and that alone will never be gone"

Indeed you couldn’t revive someone you loved and the hermit knew that more than anyone.

’It doesn’t keep people from trying.'

Sanae closed her eyes, taking in all the information. Potentially dual culprits or one culprit with a magical item...Marisa's death potentially being strived for by those who want to weaken the culprit...both the potential culprits and Marisa somewhere located in Gensokyo...it was a lot to take in.

The shrine maiden half-opened her eyes, her yellow eyes lined with fatigue. It's been a long night. A very long night.

The green-haired fairy listened to Seiga's explanation. "I... see. That's all I needed to know." the fairy bowed. "Thank you for your help."

"Alright you two, I think we have all the info we need. Thanks again, Seiga," the shrine maiden spoke, turning around as she began to exit the mausoleum. "Hah...I need to see Lady Suwako..."

Just as they were exiting Yoshika started following them, which they noticed pretty quickly. Before anyone could say anything Yoshika said "This RIP demon magician whatever sounds like it could harm master, if you're searching for it allow me to follow you since you seem to be on it's trail, at least to some extent"

Sanae gave Yoshika a small apologetic smile. "I'm not going to pursue the culprit right now," she told her. "I need to return back to my shrine for an important matter."

"What 'bout you ice machine?"

The ice fairy let out a single "hmph" while turning her head away from the jiang-shi.

A light of danger shone upon Yoshika's eyes "Guess you'll do for dinner after all."

---

As the fairies, the shrine maiden and the jiang-shi existed the mausoleum, the sun slowly began to rise, confirming the start of the seventeenth day since the ripper showed up on Gensokyo, according to the herald of spring's reports.

The recent conversation with the wicked hermit had flipped a switch on the small, green-haired fairy's mind. She had never considered the fact that someone else could have been the culprit, let alone the fact that the culprit wasn't actually experienced with the dark magic it was using.

However, the most notable part for Daiyousei was the fact that the ripper was probably trying to revive someone by stealing life energy from Gensokyo's inhabitants. If this was the ripper's true objective, then perhaps...


An idea bursted on the fairy's mind. Gaining full speed, she began to fly away in a different direction, leaving the group behind.

"D-dai?! Hey! Where are you going?!" the ice fairy said, trying to go after her. However, soon enough she lost sight of Dai. "What's up with her...?!"

Collab with Shadie \0/

---

Kasen looked at the sky, seeing the sun rising and then tilted her head to the young vampire next to her.

“The sun is rising, are you going to be okay?”

Flan nodded and put her hand on her pocket. Seconds later she took a really small parasol, which embiggened quickly. The vampire opened the parasol and covered herself with it. "I think the Beansprout put a miniaturizing spell on the parasol to make it easier to carry... Or something I guess, I don't really know." Flan made the parasol spin on her hand. "I hate the Beansprout a little. She made the seals that kept me locked in my room for so many years... They were supposed to be made to stop me from using my power. It didn't really work, I broke out once." the young scarlet sister smiled. "At that time I met Marisa and the red-white, and since then my sister has let me go around on the mansion. I'm guessing it's because those seals were useless."

“Red-white… You mean Reimu?” Kasen chuckled. “Well, they are good at destroying things, that’s for sure.” She put her hand on her chin. “I don’t think I know who ‘breansprout' is though. Wait…” She thought for a second. “You did say your name was “Scarlet”, so you’re Remilia’s sister?”

The vampire nodded. "Yeah... I'm her young sister... Do you know Remi?"

“I can’t say I know her, I never talked with her before but I’ve seen her at the Shrine lots of times along with Sakuya.” She frowned slightly. “She does have an ojousama-like personality, doesn’t she? “

The young vampire shrugged. "I guess so..." Flan lowered her head. ‘So big sis gets to have fun outside while I'm stuck inside the mansion huh...?’ she clenched her fist in anger.

Suddenly, a small firefly that was passing near Flan made a little explosion (but harmless) and evaporated. The young vampire opened her hand.
Kasen’s eyes widened a bit as she saw the insect disappearing and then looked at Flandre again. ’So, that’s her power…’

“Flandre, did you get angry just now?”

The vampire looked away from the hermit, feeling ashamed. "Yeah... Just... Just a little..."

Crossing her eyes, Kasen ‘s expression changed into one akin to a scolding teacher’s.
“Even if you have a reason to be angry, nothing gives you the right to take it on others, even if a tiny being. In this universe, we’re all but tiny beings, we may be the ones getting destroyed next. Now apologize to the firefly.” Her voice was calm but firm.

The vampire didn't bother to look back at the hermit, instead she looked at the place where the firefly evaporated. "Sorry..."

“Our anger is our burden to carry, not anyone else’s.” Kasen continued in a softer voice. “We have to learn how to control it, we have to always keep in mind that our anger can make others suffer.” Then a sly smirk formed in her features. “That means, if your sister doesn’t let you leave your room, then you do exactly that. If she doesn’t want you to come to parties, you come to parties. Then the anger she will feel will be hers to carry.”

She closed her eyes, smirking. “If she wants to fight you, I’ll gladly join you. It’s been a while since I kicked some---“ And she flashed her eyes open. “No, no, I mean… huh, ignore that! Ahaha…”

Flan raised an eyebrow upon hearing Kasen's last lines. "Kicking some.... "ass"? You sure you are a hermit...?" she looked at the buns on Kasen's head curiously. "What's up with those, by the way?"

“I am but… uh…” She looked to her side, embarrassed. “But you could say I hanged with the wrong kind of people for a while…” The hermit sighed a bit at that. “Well, I’m also of the opinion hermits shouldn’t fight, but if it’s needed to teach someone a lesson, I will do so.”

She put her hands on the buns atop her head. “As for these, they’re chignon buns.”

"Chignon buns...?" The vampire flew over to Kasen's head and began to poke the buns.

Kasen could feel a shiver running up her spine and out of reflex, she grabbed Flandre by the waist and pulled her down. “A-anyway! You mentioned a beansprout that made the seals that barred your from leaving your room. Is she a magician?”

The young scarlet sister pouted and crossed her arms. "Yeah... Her name is Patchouli or something like that... She's a really good magician, or so did her demon familiar said. She's always sick or something. I don't really know..."

“Oh, I remember Marisa mentioning her before. She might come in handy later but…” She looked at Flandre’s pout and the sighed. “We’ll leave that for later.”

Looking down, near the Human Village Kasen saw the Myouren temple.

“Alright, we’re here. Let’s land.” Her dapeng descended on the ground and landed gracefully in front of the temple.

The young vampire landed next to Kasen, looking at the temple. "I want to take a look inside!" she ran towards the entrance as fast as she could, not caring if she was leaving Kasen behind.

“Wha-wait!” Kasen watched as Flandre seemingly blasted through the front gate, only to crash against a certain purple haired woman seconds later. The hermit sighed.

The vampire backed away as soon as she hit the person. "Hey! Watch where you're going! I'm in a hurry!" she shook her head and looked up to the "obstacle" she hit.
Byakuren looked at Flandre with a curious look. She was certain she hadn’t seen that girl before. “Pardon me.” She extended the young vampire a hand and with a smile she added “I’m Byakuren Hijiri, head of this temple. If you need assistance I will gladly provide it for you.”

The scarlet sister looked at Byakuren and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms.Weird Hair. I wanted to take a look inside the temple with the hermit over there." she said, pointing at Kasen.

Kasen approached Flandre and put an hand on top of her had.“Greetings, Miss Hijiri, my apologies for the hyperactive vampire.”

Byakuren chuckled. “No, it’s quite alright. It has been a while since we last met, Miss Ibaraki. Please come inside.”

The vampire rubbed her chin. ‘They know each other, hmm...?’

Flan hurried inside the temple, taking a look at her surroundings once she was inside.

Kasen followed Byakuren inside as the latter broke the silence.

“I don’t need to be a diviner to know why you’re here.” She sat down in the living room, a serious look on her face.
The hermit emulated her. “I suppose not.”

Reisen wiped her brow, and her ears drooped ever so slightly. In front of her, finally, were the gates to the Netherworld. This was probably the strangest place Eirin had ever sent her, beating out Muenzuka by a small margin. Glancing back down at the ever useful clipboard Eirin loved to hand her, Reisen scratched her head at the complexity of the directions. She could have SWORN they made too many left turns to be anywhere but back at Eientei, and the final instructions were “go into clouds”. But here they were. Standing in front of large, magic gate. A large magic, closed gate, at that.

“Huh”, reisen muttered, leafing through the rather sloppily written note.

Utsuho looked around as well, completely in awe from the sheer amount of cherry blossoms everywhere. It truly was a beautiful area, and a huge contrast from the fires of the nuclear reactor she spent so much of her time in.
Peaking over the Lunarian's shoulder, Utsuho's eyes glinted with curiosity. "Ooh, what does it say?" she piped.

Reisen jumped a little from the intrusion, but regained her posture quickly enough that no one noticed. Handing Okuu the clipboard, she replied “Well, see for yourself, hell-crow. My master sure gets some weird ideas these days…”

Utsuho looked at the parchment Reisen was holding for a few seconds, a quizzical expression on her face. Soon, she looked at the lavender-haired girl and shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "I have no idea what that says," she admitted, shrugging.

Reisen chuckled, and said “Well, I admit, her handwriting is pretty awful… even I have a hard time reading it sometimes…”
Taking the clipboard back from Okuu, she cleared her throat and read “If gate-keepers are not around, gate might be closed. Entry is necessary, get in by any means possible.”

"So..." Mokou looked at Okuu's nuclear arm "We use that?"

"Oh, this?" Utsuho said, aiming it at the door. "I don't mind! I'll blow this door to smithereens! Stand back, ladies!"

"Waitwaitwaitwait" Reisen quickly yelled, not looking forward to more property damage of any kind. "I think we should think of a be-"

Without warning, the door in front of the girls blew up into thousands of pieces behind a blinding light. Once the light disappeared, the only remains of the door seen through the smoke were two charred hinges which soon toppled to the ground with a quiet thud.
Utsuho brought her nuclear arm to her lips and blew the smoke away, grinning. "Open sesame~"

“Well,” Reisen grumbled miserably, stumbling a bit from the blast. “I guess it’s open… let’s head on in.”
Reisen started to walk forward, stopped, and then turning to Okuu said “Oh, and, uh, in the future, please don’t use that unless I say it’s okay. Trust me, I’m a doctor, I’ll know.”

"Alright doc!" Utsuho nodded as she and Mokou followed the rabbit. "What are we even here for again?"

Mokou wipes some tears from laughter away, and pats Okuu on the back.

"You'll see" Reisen reassured, glaring at Mokou. "She should show up any second now, actually, thanks to the sound that made..."
No sooner had Reisen finished her sentence when a loud voice rang out, cutting through the smoke like a knife.

"HALT! WHO GOES THERE?"

Utsuho flinched, pointing her nuclear arm in the direction of the voice. "WE COME IN PEACE!" she yelled back.

"Your words do not fool me, evil one! Anyone who breaks down the barrier must be a bad guy!" There was a sharp noise, and the smoke parted in an instance, the owner of the voice made clear.

"I, Youmu Konpaku, shall end your journey here! You must be the ones who were hurting the villagers!" Unsheathing her second sword, Youmu advanced toward the intruders, a murderous intent in her eyes.

"' The things that cannot be cut by my Roukan-Blade, forged by youkai...
are next to none!'"

Mokou coughed. "So..." Mokou looks at Okuu's nuclear arm (again) "We use that?"

Utsuho glanced at Reisen. "Can I fire?"

Reisen put her hands to her temples, and said “Mokou, violence isn’t the answer to everything. And Okuu, no, you can’t fire. Let me handle this, Eirin actually had something prepared for it.”

Reisen walked forward, and called out to Youmu. “Samurai, this is Reisen Udongein Inaba. I have been sent by Yuyuko Saigyouji to deliver a message!”

Youmu faltered a bit at the sound of her lady’s name. Calling back, she shouted “H-How do I know this isn’t a trick? You could be liars!” Youmu squinted at who was talking, and she thought she could see a grin on the rabbits face. “D-don’t try anything! I’ve already beaten you once, Reisen!”

Suddenly, Reisen’s figured wavered and vanished. From the perspective of Mokou and Okuu, Reisen seemed to have appeared behind Youmu, whispered something inaudible in her ear, and Youmu’s face immediately turned a bright, beet-red.

Utsuho tilted her head to the side. "Did she pinch her butt, or something?"

Youmu spun around, and waved her sword rather shakily at Reisen. “H-h-h-how do you know that?” she stammered, sweat condensing on her forehead. Even the ghost floating around her seemed distressed. “No one except my Lady knows that!”

Reisen pushed Youmu’s sword to the side with her finger, and replied “Well, then that must mean your Lady sent me, right? It’s the only logical conclusion, so I’d suggest you listen to me.”

Youmu sheathed her swords, her face gradually getting redder. “Well, I-I suppose that makes sense. As long as no one else knows!” Youmu glanced furtively at the two bystanders, who seemed engaged in their own conversation.

Reisen laughed, and reassured youmu, “Don’t worry, no one else does. In any case, the message she would like to give to you is as follows: Youmu, I am very busy doing something extremely dangerous right now, so I want you to be ready to go at any time. For now, stay put until I come back. Have some food prepared as well!” Reisen concluded the dictation with a tap of her heels as she turned around. “Well, that’s it, nice seeing you Youmu!”

Youmu, who was still taking the message in, failed to answer before Reisen had already walked a good distance back to her compatriots. Calling back, she yelled “That’s it? Can’t you tell me more?”, but she received no answer. A little confused as to what happened, she opted for the simple action of sitting down and staring at the ground.

Reisen made her way back to the group, and gave the signal to head back the way they came.

Mokou tapped Reisen on the shoulder, and said "Oh...It must be the bed peeing, right?"

Reisen gave Mokou a weird look. "What? No, what are you talking about?"

Mokou gave a mock sigh, and uttered, "Poor girl..."

Utsuho frowned. "She seems lonely..."

"Oh, hush, you two. We have other places to go. Busy schedule, keep up!" Reisen rushed away from them, towards a destination that only she seemed to know.

Looking back at Youmu, Utsuho then looked at Reisen and followed her, wondering how things were going to turn out.