Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shinki was worried.

There was nothing in particular to be worried about, she knew that perfectly well. Of course, she was a god of an entire realm almost entirely sealed off from outside threats, and yes, her living creations that populated the world she had created doubled as a steady supply of faith, and indeed, her recent negotiations with the tengu had amassed her great capital, but she was still uneasy. She had poured herself a glass of wine in an attempt to relax but to no avail.

Those tengu negotiations…

Many years after the so-called “invasion” of Gensokyo by her creations, a certain Iizunamaru Megumu had requested an audience with her. Out of curiosity, she accepted. What business could a youkai like that possibly have with her?

As she soon found out, this strange tengu had a proposal for her; why not attempt a reverse of that same incident? In exchange for Shinki’s blessing and protection, Gensokyo would host tours of Makai and she’d end up with a generous cut of the profit.

Now, Shinki didn’t really see what was so interesting about Makai to the residents of Gensokyo, but she didn’t have much reason to turn down the offer. It’d be the most interesting thing that happened in years, after all.

During the delegations, though, Shinki recalled what had happened when her creations escaped to Gensokyo. A miko, a witch, a spirit, and a flower had torn their way through her realm, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Shinki herself had been defeated in combat and Makai was left in ruins. For the first time in her life, Shinki had been disgraced and asked for mercy. To prevent this possibility from ever happening again, she made the deal on the condition that no humans, no gods, and no spirits were to set foot inside her realm and that she’d thoroughly vet every single youkai who entered to ensure that they were too weak to cause chaos.

That pesky spirit, Shinki thought to herself. At the time, she deceived me by referring to herself as a god, but I know better now.

Shinki swirled around the remainder of the wine from her glass as she stood up, gazing through the window. Distant lights broke through the purple shroud that enveloped Makai and dotted the horizon, and a multitude of light beams illuminated the passageway to her residence. Makai was, on the whole, a fairly dark place, as her youkai children preferred it that way, but Shinki had taken the creative liberty of contrasting it with small regions of pure light. You can’t fully appreciate something while lacking knowledge of its opposite, she thought to herself.

But rebuilding Makai, the second most precious thing to her, after the disaster had taken a very long time. And true to her promise with the miko who spared her, she had gone through every single one of her children by hand, removing their ability to enter and exit Makai at will. Makai had remained almost entirely undisturbed since then.

Still, though, she couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow, someway, her authority would be threatened once more. The tours always made her nervous, and the next one was only five days away. The same tengu would also pass through the gate to negotiate with her, as she had every time before and every time to come.

“Lady Shinki, are you well?” a familiar voice called from behind her.

Shinki sighed. Despite being the god of Makai, there seemed to be just one thing she couldn’t fully control- her own train of thought. She took her final swig of the wine glass, turned around, and gently placed it down on the table nearby.

“Yes, my dear Yumeko, I’m fine,” Shinki replied. “I’m just a bit tired.”

“With all due respect, that’s no good, Lady Shinki!” Yumeko said aloud. “Our guests are to arrive in five days, and you need to be at your best.”

Upon observing the face of her loyal maidservant, Shinki saw that Yumeko had adopted a look of concern. You always were the type to overreact to my well-being, Yumeko.

“You’re right, my dear Yumeko,” Shinki responded. “I’m going to retire to my chamber. See to it that my children don’t misbehave in my absence.”

Yumeko reached for the empty wine glass and placed it on her serving platter. “Of course, Lady Shinki.”

As Shinki walked away, she thought about her own usage of the phrase “my children”. All the youkai that populated Makai were brought into existence by her hand, so she had accepted her role as a mother to them all.

All but one.

Truth be told, there was only one genuine reason she had ever accepted the deal with the tengu in the first place, one she kept buried in the deepest parts of her soul and shared with no one, not even Yumeko.

She wanted to see her daughter again. Her only human child, the only one she played no part in making. While she called all of her creations her “children”, there was only one person she truly believed was worthy of the title of “daughter”. Furthermore, Shinki had heard through external sources that her daughter had become a magician youkai, which meant that she was eligible to visit her on tours with that tengu. Yet she never had.

Shinki had remained firmly within Makai mainly to honor her agreement with the miko, but she longed to see her daughter’s face once more.

Alice…

She shook her head. One day, we will meet again, I’m sure of it, she thought to herself. Until then, just sit tight.

“I’m so bored! Isn’t there anything to do around here?!”

I glanced behind me to look for the source of the noise. I was mere inches away from successfully stealing a wallet from an unsuspecting villager, and the fact that my concentration had been broken was an annoyance, to say the least.

The declaration had been made by a girl dressed in a white blouse and a blue skirt, patterned with an intricate cloud design and adorned with a rainbow chain link. Just as striking was her long, wavy blue hair- a very unusual hair color for someone inside the village- and atop her head sat a black hat decorated with peaches that were so convincing in appearance it seemed as though one could simply bite right into them. She wore long, lace-up boots, similar to a pair one might find on a doll. She certainly would’ve stood out from everyone else even if she wasn’t disturbing the peace with her complaining.

This is no ordinary girl, I thought to myself. Maybe she’s the daughter of some rich family? In that case, she probably has something worth stealing.

As I was lost in thought, hatching a plan, the girl quickly scanned the area and her eyes met mine. Almost immediately, her eyes lit up and the sides of her mouth lifted, forming a devious smirk. I broke eye contact as quickly as possible and turned away, but judging by the low tapping of her footfalls increasing in volume behind me, I had been too slow.

“You there, peasant. Entertain me.”

I clicked my tongue in response. What right did this girl have to command me? Also, “peasant”? True, I wasn’t particularly well off, but I certainly didn’t deserve such a title.

I moved my head around to glance at her sideways. “And who the hell are you?”

All of a sudden, she shot out her hand and grabbed ahold of my wrist. Instinctively, I tried to pull my hand back, but she held on and began to squeeze it like a vise. I began to panic and tried to use my other arm to break her grip, but she didn’t even falter for a moment.

My eyes widened as I saw my hand turn into a dark shade of red, while the rest of my arm turned pale. What’s up with this girl? This bitch is six inches shorter than me and she’s this strong?! She’s insane!

“That’s not the best way to address your superior, now, is it? For your sake, I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that little comment of yours, human. Do you have any complaints?”

At this point, I just wanted her to let go, so I quickly responded with “No, miss”. Once she had released her grip on me, I quickly examined where she had held onto. The skin there had gone blue; I could expect a bruise to form there soon. Wonderful.

Just then, the exact words that this girl had just said struck me. She called me “human”? Ah, so she’s not one of us, then, if that display of strength earlier wasn’t proof enough, I quickly deduced. Wait, but she doesn’t seem to be some kind of youkai either, or at the very least, it isn’t obvious. Just what exactly is she?

“Good!” the girl said cheerfully, snapping me out of my thoughts. “That’s a much better response, one befitting someone like you. Calling me ‘Miss’ is a little strange, but we can work on that later. Now!” she clapped her hands together once and pointed towards a group of people further down the road.

“Do you see that lady over there in blue?”

I squinted. Sure enough, there were two women, a taller one dressed in blue and a shorter one clad in white. The former was actively conversing with a man while the latter was meandering about, investigating certain parts of the building they were all standing in front of. The blue one was in a proper suit carrying quite a few papers with her. She, too, seemed rather out of place in this district of the Village judging from her attire and was here for business negotiations, it seemed.

“Do you see that paper sticking out of her pocket? Go steal it.”

It took me a second to process exactly what she just said. Just to make sure I hadn’t misheard, I responded with a simple “Excuse me?”

“You heard me correctly. Go take it from her.”

I balked. “I- I don’t think I can pull it off-”

“Don’t play dumb with me, now. I’ve been watching you sneak around, stealing anything you can get your hands on. You’re not bad at it either.”

My eyes widened. “You’ve-” I glanced around, becoming aware of my surroundings once more. Leaning in, I brought my hand up to my mouth and quietly asked, “You’ve been watching me this whole time?”

“That’s right~! I’ve been noticing you around for a while now!” A grin quickly broke out across her face as she hunched over, meeting my gaze the whole time. “You’ve been darting around here, taking whatever you please. One or two items, not a big deal, I’d just consider you some loser and not give it a second thought. But you’ve gone well into the double digits. If you were to get caught now, the charges against you would be pretty severe. You wouldn’t want to get into trouble over a moment of weakness, now would you?”

I have to give her credit. She’s sharp.

I had always held a sense of pride regarding my ability to pickpocket people, with my victims none the wiser. Items that just drifted out of their consciousness, ready for the taking. It’s amazing just how much the brain ignores when someone gets focused or distracted, making for the perfect opportunity to commit a bit of thievery. In particular, I had always gone for the small things, the ones people most likely wouldn’t even notice were gone or wouldn’t miss too much. These skills hadn’t come to me naturally either; I had honed the very art for years, even back when I was on the Outside.

Here in Gensokyo, I had never been caught a single time. Each theft never took more than several seconds at a time, and having quietly learned the ability to create a small pocket-dimension to store all my prizes in from a place called the “Suzunaan” had only made things easier.

But one of the most critical parts of theft is trust. Specifically, the mutual trust one has for their fellow man, and exploiting it. Everything I had taken today was something small, as per usual, so any sort of sentence placed upon me probably wouldn’t be too severe, but if my reputation was to be tarnished, things would get much harder going forward. The streets were busier than usual today and it seemed I had gotten too greedy.

So, after a moment’s deliberation, I nodded.

“Great! Glad to see you finally learning from your mistakes. So, as I was saying before, go do this one thing for me, human, and do it right, and I’ll give you a reward. It’ll be something great, I promise. On top of that, I’ll forget you ever existed and you can go on with your sad life.”

She turned her head sideways and quietly whispered to herself, “Like every other human, heh!” without making any serious effort to ensure I hadn’t heard her.

Turning back to me, she said “Oh, by the way, if you fail or refuse, you won’t get anything. And I’ll personally turn you in myself. How’s that sound?”

I’ll teach you a lesson in respect, you brat!

Doing my best to not let my internal monologue show itself, I took a deep breath and nodded a second time. Just play along for now. This is nothing I’m not used to.

I faced my target, taking slow, plodding steps towards them. Eventually, I made my way towards my target until I was a mere five feet away from them. I shuffled closer and closer, pretending to inspect the building they were in front of, my hand beginning to drift towards the papers. My hand just barely scraped along the edge of the papers, and hoping to get a more solid grip, I stretched just the tiniest bit further, until-

“Hey! What exactly do you think you’re up to?!”

I quickly whipped my hand back into my pocket and faced the direction of the sound, trying to make my face seem as innocent as possible. “Hm?”

The individual in question who had called out to me was the girl in white. A fox youkai, judging from her ears and tail. Some youkai typically tried to disguise themself while within the Village borders to varying degrees of success, but it seemed that this one hadn’t even tried.

“We’re busy here, and you’re getting too close to Lady Megumu. Back off right now. I won’t ask again.”

The woman in blue- Megumu, evidently- turned around to see the commotion. The man had stopped talking mid-sentence to see the disruption as well. A look of annoyance was written across both of their faces.

Moving one foot back, I began to apologize. “Sorry abou-”

“MOVE IT!” the fox yelled out. She jumped towards me with both her arms out, gripped my vest, and threw me down with inhuman strength before I could even react, landing hard on my hip.

“What the hell’s your problem?! I was about to m-”

“You have no business here, peasant. We have absolutely no time to waste with someone like yourself. As a matter of fact, you should be grateful all I did was move you aside. Being acknowledged by a great youkai like myself is already the most significant thing you’ll ever do in your life.”

“Tsukasa!” Megumu had interrupted.

“Ah, yes, Lady Megumu?” Tsukasa slowly turned around to face her master.

“That’s enough. We’re here on business. Don’t cause unnecessary trouble. Furthermore, don’t go attacking people inside the Village. You know the rules.”

Tsukasa turned aside and pointed a finger at me. “Lady Megumu, he was getting far too close. What if he tried to attack you? I only had your best interests in mind!”

“That’s. Enough.” Megumu responded cooly, staring the fox down.

Turning around to face me once more, Tsukasa shot one last look of hatred before returning to Megumu’s side. In the meantime, Megumu gave me a sardonic smile as she made a hand wave motion, silently telling me to leave. Once Tsukasa was far enough away from me, she resumed her conversation with the man.

Slowly getting back on my feet, I hobbled back over to the brat from earlier, holding my hip with my good arm. A huge grin was written all over her face.

When I was close enough to her, she said, “Excellently done! I saw what you did there, and I’ll admit, I didn’t think you’d do something that clever!”

Making sure my back was facing the trio from earlier, I gently reached into the pocket dimension and pulled out the papers. Right when my hand had touched those papers, I’d whisked them away. That fox- Tsukasa- may have noticed I was up to something, but she never accused me of theft! I couldn’t help but grin a little. Megumu, you should have listened to her!

“Now here’s your reward!”

Before I realized what was happening, the girl reached her hand behind her shoulder and flung something just past my leg, hitting the ground with a distinct thud.

I instinctually dodged out of the way after the object had already passed me, making me feel somewhat silly. After the brief shock had worn off, I examined exactly what it was she had just thrown.

On the surface of the road lay a peach, coated with dust.

Somewhat insulted, I turned back to face her. “Now what in the hell was that for-”

She jabbed me in the ribs with her finger, silencing me. “THAT. Is your reward. Do whatever you want with it, eat it, throw it out, use it as a paperweight for all I care.”

Looking back into her eyes, I simply asked “But why’d you have to go and throw it on the ground?”

“Are you dense? You’re a thief. You aren’t exactly worthy of someone like me just handing it to you.”

She turned herself back towards the group down the road. “Now get lost.”

Still somewhat baffled about the whole situation, I held out the papers in front of me and asked “Aren’t you forgetting something? What about these papers?”

The girl turned her head to glance at me sideways. “Who said I needed those? I don’t even know what those are. Personally, I’d suggest you make yourself scarce sometime in the very near future. As for me, I’m going to enjoy the show!”

As much as I wanted to tackle this brat while she wasn’t looking, I couldn’t afford to attract more attention, so I turned around and sprinted away, pocketing her papers as I left her behind. Several seconds later, I heard a shout of surprise behind me. Turning my head to see what was going on, Megumu bore a very nervous expression, with her pockets turned inside out, and was looking around every which way. Tsukasa wasn’t faring much better; she was clearly panicked, quickly scampering around the nearby area and scanning the ground nearby. The man they were with had his hands in his pockets, glancing around sheepishly. A small crowd of people had formed around them to witness the commotion. In the meantime, that blue-haired brat from earlier was covering her mouth with both hands, trying her hardest to not laugh.

Wow, what were these, anyway? Something important to them, evidently, given how hard they were trying to find them.

Once I had gone several blocks and ducked into an unoccupied alley, I shuffled through the papers and analyzed my findings.

Property deeds?

No wonder this Megumu had been so upset. She was most likely in the process of transferring ownership of the building they were in front of! The papers in my hand were for properties scattered throughout the district and she was probably trying to add another to her collection.

Reading between the lines closer, though, I noticed something… odd. Or rather, the lack of something that should’ve been there.

Where’s her signature?

Scanning through the short stack of papers, I couldn’t find the name “Megumu” anywhere. If she’s not the one who owns the property, what’s going on here? Why does she have someone else’s deeds?

In any case, these weren’t any good to anyone anymore, but I put them back inside my pocket dimension regardless. Who knows when scrap paper might come in handy? As for Megumu, I’m sure she’d manage to get those forms reprinted. The last thing I wanted to do was hand them back, especially with that fox attendant of hers. Never was fond of those aristocratic types.

Now, as for my other prize…

I took out the peach the girl had thrown earlier. In spite of being slightly bruised on one side due to its hard landing and its slight coat of dust that had stuck to its thin layer of fuzz, it wore a magnificent shade of pink that almost seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. This would’ve been an excellent subject for a still-life painting, at the very least.

Peeking out from the alleyway to ensure nobody was after me, I eventually made my way to a nearby well. Although I was still somewhat insulted by that girl’s display of arrogance, I wasn’t about to let a fruit this good-looking go to waste.

After rinsing the peach off and rubbing the surface with one of the deeds, I bit into the peach.

The burst of flavor hit me instantaneously. It was so sweet, so juicy, it just about lit my mouth aflame. It was so delicious, in fact, it almost made me want to go back to that blue-haired brat to ask for more. I’d never tasted anything so good in my life.

Hell, maybe that deal wasn’t too bad after all if I ended up receiving something like this, I thought to myself. If I see that girl again, I’ll see if I can’t try and steal another from her.

All good things had to come to an end, though, and several minutes later, I found myself mournfully observing a peach seed.

Hm.

After a moment’s consideration, I decided to place the seed in my pocket dimension.

If I never end up seeing her again, at least I can try to make more of my own.

I’d never gardened a single day in my life. I understood farmers well enough- their profession was noble, mass producing the food that kept the entire population from starving- but people who grew food as a hobby? It just seemed as though so much work was required for barely any return. Dedicating hours a month to save a pittance on something one could simply buy, or in my case, steal, never seemed practical.

But this?

This was different, this was something I couldn’t get anywhere else. If all food tasted like this, I’d join the hobbyists in a heartbeat.

Eventually, I resigned myself to hiding between the alleyways, making my way back over to peek at my handiwork from a safe distance. From what I could hear, Tsukasa was profusely apologizing to Megumu over being unable to find the documents, her dress caked in a layer of dust after trying to scavenge along the ground. In contrast, Megumu simply stood in silence, a cold fury lit within her eyes. She had gone beyond the point of anger, of shouting profanities, and entered the point where the mere act of speech took great effort. As for the girl from earlier and the man they were with, they were nowhere to be seen.

“That man from earlier is responsible for this, I’m sure of it!”

Uh oh.

I ducked back into my alley as far as I could while still being able to watch them. Luckily, a small crowd of villagers was still surrounding the area, so getting spotted right now wasn’t very likely.

“Let’s go,” Megumu spat in a low voice. “We don’t have time to waste.”

“A- at once, Lady Megumu!” The fox stood straight up and dusted herself off. “We need to prepare for the next tour!”

Tour?

So between the deeds and the mention of a tour, this Megumu was clearly some kind of entrepreneur. She didn’t seem like a participant, either, since the fox had called it “the next tour”. No doubt she was very wealthy, either. Maybe I could even figure out where she lived and try to steal something there? I had already taken something from her and I wasn’t too fond of repeating my targets, but the deeds meant nothing to me.

Bringing my attention back into focus, the duo had already left. Wow, they sure were in a hurry. Must’ve been a really bad time to inconvenience them like this.

Well, I’d need to keep a low profile for the next few days. If Megumu sent out someone to find me, things could go south very quickly. She certainly seemed the type to send others to do her dirty work judging from Tsukasa’s behavior.

There were still many hours of sunlight left and plenty of people still roamed the streets, but enough was enough for one day. I’d already been caught by one person and nearly caught by another, not to mention the over a dozen thefts I pulled off earlier. Perhaps this was the world’s way of telling me to not push my luck?

No matter. Tomorrow is another day.

Strolling back through the alleyways to my usual hiding place, I considered just how I’d be able to grow that peach seed of mine.

Find somewhere secret, off the beaten path. Can’t risk anyone destroying it.

Somewhere along the outskirts of the village it was, then. I’d need to be fast.

I took out the seed and pondered it for a while.

Thanks for this, brat. I don’t know who you are or how you got your hands on something like this, but this gift of yours isn’t too shabby.

I’d get this seed planted tomorrow, I decided. I’d had enough action for one day, and now was the time for a well-earned respite.

All things considered, today wasn’t too bad. Good work.

Chapter Text

Sannyo leaned back in her chair, pipe in hand.

The sun began to sink over the horizon, its light stretching through the windows of the Komakusa Gambling Den, a sign that it was nearly time to open.

Business had been good as of late, but that was to be expected. The daitengu’s organized trip to Makai was scheduled for under a week away. While Sannyo herself wasn’t interested in leaving her gambling den behind to explore a world she hardly cared about, the target audience for the tours just so happened to align with the same demographics as her most frequent visitors, the kappa and tengu, which ultimately meant those tours brought more traffic to her business.

It’s a shame I won’t be able to reap benefits like these if I were to open a branch in the Human Village…

Sannyo took another puff from her pipe and watched as the smoke lazily drifted upwards, accumulating as a wispy haze at the ceiling above her, where it hung before slowly getting sucked away through a nearby vent.

Surely there has to be something similar I can take advantage of in the Human Village, right? Business has been excellent ever since that tengu started that whole side business of hers, and I’m pretty close to being able to open up there, but I’ll need to look into how I can take advantage of higher traffic. Hmm, what to do…

A knocking on the door suddenly interrupted her train of thought.

Sannyo sighed disappointedly and put her pipe away. After getting back onto her feet, she made her way over to the front door and unlocked it.

“We’re not open yet", Sannyo annoyedly spoke as she opened the door, before realizing who it was standing before her.

“Hello again, Sannyo."

Just beyond the door frame stood Tsukasa, servant of the daitengu. She held both of her hands behind her back and wore a tight-lipped smile. The bridge of her nose was wrinkled- despite her best efforts to disguise it, she was clearly in a bad mood.

“Now, don’t tell me you forgot I was arriving today?", the fox inquired. “This is the day we scheduled our meeting for, is it not?"

“Ah! Of course, I hadn’t forgotten, I just wasn’t expecting you to arrive this early", Sannyo stated, stepping back and holding the door open, gesturing with her free hand for Tsukasa to enter.

“Thank you", Tsukasa muttered as she made her way inside.

Once Sannyo locked the door again, the pair made their way to her office.

Sannyo’s office was a rather nondescript room, containing a desk and several chairs. This wasn’t a room Sannyo used too often, but it was a convenient spot for discussing business affairs away from the prying eyes and ears of her patrons.

While Sannyo went to the far side of the room to close the blinds, Tsukasa nearly threw back her chair and collapsed onto it, giving out a big sigh while leaning her head into one hand. Sannyo was surprised by her reaction; under normal circumstances, Tsukasa would lean back and put her feet up on her desk while grinning the whole time, much to Sannyo’s chagrin. Tsukasa knew Sannyo hated that, and Sannyo knew that Tsukasa knew Sannyo hated that.

To Sannyo, Tsukasa was merely one of her routine customers; due to the natural luck-altering abilities of the kuda-gitsune being inherently bad for her business, Sannyo was mainly interested in completing their transaction as quickly as possible, as they always had. Tsukasa knew this, and was perfectly fine with that- she didn’t want to keep her master waiting anyway.

As interesting as it is to see Tsukasa like this, I shouldn’t ask too many questions and just focus on getting through this. If she delivers an unfavorable report about me to Megumu, I’d never hear the end of it.

Sannyo took her seat behind the desk and began to speak. “So, what’s going on with-"

“I don’t want to talk about it." Tsukasa snapped. “All I’ll say is that certain things did not go as planned today and we don’t need to be inconvenienced further. Our business elsewhere got cut short, hence why I arrived so early today."

“Alright, that’s fine with me. Do you have the money?"

Tsukasa rummaged through her pockets with her free hand until she managed to successfully pry out a modest pouch of coins, followed by her placing them on the desk and sliding it across to Sannyo. Sannyo quickly grabbed the pouch and emptied its contents within the confines of her arm, clattering along the wooden surface. She proceeded to count every single coin by hand and scrutinized every single one. Sannyo didn’t normally bother to check every coin with her other clients, but given the kuda-gitsune’s ability to cause future misfortune, she wasn’t about to take any chances.

Once Sannyo had gone through the whole pile, she scooped up all the coins and put them away, passing the now-empty pouch back to Tsukasa.

“Excellent. Your test tube, please?"

Tsukasa brought out one of her empty test tubes and rolled it across the desk, falling directly into Sannyo’s open palm. In turn, Sannyo brought out her pipe and began to light it.

As Sannyo toothed her pipe, she said from the corner of her mouth, “You know, Megumu sometimes sends you over right before another one of her escapades into Makai, doesn’t she?"

Tsukasa lifted her head and frowned at Sannyo. “Of course. It helps her relax. You know how busy things get for her around this time."

Sannyo took the test tube and gently exhaled smoke into it, breath by breath, while Tsukasa kept watching the setting sun through their window. That continued for several minutes; Sannyo took deep breaths and slowly filled the tube, while Tsukasa simply sat around in silence.

Finally, Sannyo took one last puff for good measure before sealing the test tube completely. Removing the pipe from her mouth, she broke the silence. “While what you said about this having a calming effect is true, and I can’t exactly contest that," she said, as she held up the now occupied tube, “this is certainly a strange thing to use for that end. This smoke brings one’s ideas to the forefront of their very being. The power of dreams, and all that."

From across the table, Tsukasa gave her a confused look. “Well, obviously. We already know what that smoke does, otherwise, I wouldn’t even be here, and we’ve been through this before. What’s your point?"

“What I’m getting at is that this test tube, the one you always bring me, is significantly larger than a single dose," Sannyo responded with a deadpan expression. “This is nearly ten times the effective amount. Surely you are aware of the risks that come with overdosage? One might find themselves lost deep within the recesses of their own mind with no way out."

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that," Tsukasa stretched her arm out to take the test tube back. “You know the stopper for that tube is special; there’s no way my master would make a blunder like that."

Before Tsukasa could grab the tube, Sannyo pulled her arm back, just out of reach. “Surely you could have gone to Eientei for something similar and easier to administer, such as pills or liquid medicine. Why do you always come to me?"

Tsukasa, annoyed with Sannyo, swiped the tube from her hand. “With all due respect, Miss Komakusa , that is none of your concern. Besides, I’ll have you know that she made her way through your smoke using this exact tube last time without incident. Thank you for doing business."

Tsukasa stood up hurriedly and flung open the door, exiting the office and swiftly making her way to the entrance. Sannyo watched Tsukasa nearly get her tail stuck in the doorway in her haste to exit and brought her pipe to her lips once more.

As thankful as I am for the influx of business your tours bring, Megumu, I just don’t understand the way you work.

The light of the morning sun began to shine through the blinds of my window, slowly inching its way up my bedframe. As the light eventually came to rest upon my face, I could hear a very faint “Good morning!" through the thin walls of my abode, successfully rousing me from my slumber.

Yawning, I stretched my arms and got out of bed.

My living space was nothing special; as a matter of fact, it could be described as the least special place possible. Shortly after I had been gapped and nearly killed by that darkness youkai all that time ago, I’d eventually made enough money to rent out the cheapest place I could find. I hadn’t arrived with much, so anything beyond the absolute essentials hadn’t been on my radar.

I shuffled over to my small kitchen area to prepare breakfast and began to reflect on my arrival some more.

Can’t believe it’s been a whole year since then. If it wasn’t for that Hakurei girl I wouldn’t be alive right now. Not that my current life is much to brag about, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

After quickly scarfing down some eggs and a pastry, I rinsed off my plate and prepared myself, making mental notes of what I needed to get accomplished today.

After yesterday, my options are pretty limited. I don’t want to stay in open spaces for too long since someone might recognize me. And I especially need to stay away from that fox.

Once I got myself dressed, I paced back and forth using the small amount of empty space I had. On the off chance I encounter that fox again, I need to be prepared. I can’t even create danmaku and there’s no way in hell I’d beat her in a physical altercation, but since she’s a youkai, I can repel her. That shrine maiden probably has something I can use.

Yeah, I think it’s time I paid the Hakurei girl another visit. After I’m done with that I’ll just stay inside until it gets late. By then I’ll leave again and see what I can steal while undercover. I was planning on taking a one-time job today since the landlord gets suspicious about my money if I don’t earn any “legitimate" income for too long, but yesterday set me back.

I grabbed a treat, put it inside my pocket dimension, and got out onto the street.

Luckily, not too many people were up this early, so I made my way over to the Hakurei shrine without incident. Once that familiar red torii came into view, I could make out the shrine maiden sitting outside the front entrance sipping a drink as well as Aunn patrolling the grounds nearby. Aunn noticed me first and excitedly ran over to me, crushing me in a tight embrace.

“Good morning, mister cool guy!" she greeted, with her tail wagging furiously. “It’s been way too long- I thought you’d forgotten about us!"

I chuckled and broke my arm out from her bear hug to stroke her hair. “Of course, I wouldn’t forget about you, Aunn. Who could?"

Once she had released me, I reached inside my pocket dimension and pulled out the treat which she quickly grabbed, beaming all the while.

Rubbing Aunn’s head again while she observed her gift, I smiled at her and said, “Also, Aunn, we’ve been over this. You don’t need to call me ‘mister cool guy’. My name’s just fine."

In response, Aunn brought her attention back to me, her eyes as wide as saucers. “But I can’t just do that! That vest of yours you always wear is so cool looking! Pretty much all the outsiders who get integrated with the Village change their clothing to match everyone else’s, but you decided to stick with this!". Aunn gripped one end of my vest to demonstrate what she meant. “All you need to do is add a cape, then you’d look perfect-"

“Thanks, Aunn, I’ll consider it. Is the shrine maiden available?"

“Yep! Just go up there." She pointed up the path to the shrine. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you again. You really should come more often, it’s been three months!"

I gave Aunn one last head rub, who then got back to patrolling the grounds with her new treat in hand. I looked up to where the shrine maiden was sitting, who was watching me with an amused smile. She took one last sip from her cup and got out of her chair.

“Well, look who it is," she said with a smug look on her face. “It’s about time you showed up again, wouldn’t you agree, mister cool guy?"

“Nice to see you too, miss Hakurei."

The shrine maiden got out of her chair and gave me a light punch on the shoulder. “Come on now, we know each other now. Just call me Reimu. Besides, it’s been three whole months since your last visit. Aunn misses you, you know!"

“Of course, sorry mi- Reimu," I glanced aside. “I haven’t had youkai problems that whole time. As nice as it is to see you and Aunn again, needing to visit isn’t what I’d consider a good thing."

“That’s true," she responded, crossing her arms. “With that in mind, what brings you here today?"

“Yeah, well, something happened just the other day. You see, I was walking through the Village when-"

Don’t tell her what happened, idiot! Come up with some kind of cover story!

I had just barely caught myself before revealing anything compromising. While the Hakurei miko would no doubt be able to deal with my situation with ease, if she were to find out I was a thief, she might end up hating me. As she was one of the very few people in Gensokyo who I got along with, the last thing I needed to do was to end up on her bad side.

Wait, isn’t she friends with a thief? Still, they’ve known each other much longer than we have, so maybe she’s willing to let it slide for that girl. As for me, I should err on the side of caution.

“When what?" her inquiry quickly brought me back into focus.

“Well… as I was saying, in the village, a group of youkai began to harass me and things got a little rowdy. I didn’t get seriously hurt, but I did end up with this nasty bruise," I said as I unrolled my sleeve, revealing the wrist that the blue-haired girl had gripped yesterday.

Her eyes went wide. “Oh, of course, I’ll help you out!" The shrine maiden dexterously snatched her cup from the table and turned around to open her door. “Just wait out there, I’ll go get one of my sealing charms for you."

Just before she fully entered the doorway, she made a gesture towards the donation box. “Oh yeah, could you put something in there? I depend on the generosity of visitors like you, so feel free to donate some money as thanks."

As the Hakurei miko shut the door behind her, I walked over to the donation box and attempted to peer inside. It was too dark for me to see anything, so I gave it a light kick. Strangely enough, I didn’t hear anything moving around inside. To confirm my suspicions, I grabbed it with both hands and gave it a gentle shake. Still nothing.

Wow, I’d heard rumors about the Hakurei miko never being too well off financially, but I didn’t think it was this bad! Despite how important she is, she’s practically penniless!

After a few seconds of deep thought, I reached for my wallet and dropped a few coins inside. I watched as they slipped through the open gaps, disappearing from my sight as they hit the bottom with a quiet thud. At that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of pity.

If living like this is what the Hakurei miko has to deal with, I certainly don’t envy her. Were in her position, I would’ve turned to crime long ago. I wonder if she ever wishes she could just take the things she wants without a care in the world, like that friend of hers? Obviously, she can’t, since that’d be unbecoming of a holy woman like her, but…

The front door slid open once more. The shrine maiden stepped outside, holding a sealing charm with one hand and beckoning me to come closer with the other. Walking over to her, she began to explain how to use it.

“Alright, here we are. So, using something like this is pretty simple; just keep it on you, and any youkai that lays a hand on you will be repelled. Additionally, you can stick it directly on top of a doorway, and it should prevent any youkai from getting inside the whole structure provided it’s of reasonable size."

She leaned closer and stared directly into my eyes to make sure I was paying attention.

“Now remember this, it’s very important- this seal will protect you but it has its limits. Do NOT push your luck. By no means are you invincible, even with this. For example, any youkai strong enough to create danmaku would be able to shoot you from a distance just fine, but for someone staying inside the Village all the time, you won’t need to worry about something like that."

“Mhm," I said, not really caring about what she was saying as I stuck my hand out.

Instead of handing it over, the Hakurei miko slapped it onto my chest, taking me aback. “Good, glad you understand!" she said with a small smirk. “Thanks for visiting!"

As I waved goodbye to Aunn and the shrine maiden, I peeled off the sealing charm and stuck it inside my pocket dimension. There was no point in having it on me at all times; I didn’t want to accidentally hurt any innocent youkai while inside the Village, I just needed to be able to whip it out in a pinch.

The Hakurei miko was certainly in a good mood today, wasn’t she? Nothing like last time. Maybe she hasn’t had to deal with youkai lately?

It felt like just yesterday when I met her for the first time. Shortly after I’d been sent to Gensokyo, she appeared in the nick of time to rescue me from Rumia. I’d been lucky enough to land close to her shrine, and the following days mainly consisted of heading down to the village for a schoolteacher named Keine to bring me up to speed, as well as amassing enough income to live on my own. Since then, I’d been making infrequent visits to the shrine whenever things got hairy since I figured nobody would dare try to attack me in the miko’s presence.

Back when I first arrived, the Hakurei miko told me the large majority of outsiders perish within their first few days, often because they enter Gensokyo too far away from the Village or they make some stupid blunder that gets them killed. I managed to avoid the first simply out of sheer luck, and I’ve been smart enough to avoid the second.

On that note, apparently, there’s another shrine up Youkai Mountain, and it’s much more popular than hers, but there’s no reason for me to even go there. What have they ever done for me? Maybe if that Hakurei girl saved more outsiders, they’d feel indebted to her and she’d end up with more donations, but what do I know?

The sun had reached its zenith upon my return to the Village, its rays beating down upon my neck. People flooded the busier areas now, which meant I had to take an alternate route through the alleyways between buildings, eventually making it back to my residence. I darted inside and locked the door, whipping out the seal I received to take a closer look.

It was a paper ofuda, slightly larger than the now-worthless phone I kept in my house as a trophy of my life on the Outside. Pinning it between my two fingers, I flipped it around, reading the inscription of protection written on both sides and watching how the edges of the paper gleamed in the sunlight. As I held it in my hands, I could feel some sort of… presence. As though there was something emanating from within the ofuda. However, I could immediately tell it wasn’t magic- even with my limited knowledge of magic, I was familiar with what it felt like. This was something different. This felt… holy.

Thank you for this, Hakurei girl. You do good work, unfortunate as it is that I have to trick you into believing that I’m something I’m not. That sort of naivety will come back to bite you, I’m sure. As for you, Aunn, you’re a convenient way for me to land inside the Hakurei’s good graces, and you’re easy to manipulate with treats.

Everything had gone perfectly. All that was left for me to do now was pass the time.

It wasn’t until the afternoon when I left my house again. The sunlight was no longer as oppressive, filling the streets with a light shade of orange. There didn’t seem to be many people around, so I decided to go for a stroll to see what I could take.

An often-overlooked part of outdoor thievery is the time of day. People are naturally more suspicious of others at night, but if I pick my targets in the morning or the afternoon, the sun’s position in the sky means there are a lot more shadows to work with, which means I can get away with a lot more. Man, my own genius surprises even me sometimes.

Several minutes later, I found myself a good target. He was in the process of ordering something from a food stall, so he was appropriately distracted. Most of the people around him seemed to be busy with their own affairs, so all there was to do was get closer. For this situation, I’d just need to move across the road to the side he was on and quickly whisk it into my pocket dimension with him none the wiser!

Stepping across the street, I pondered my current situation.

Thanks to that errand this morning, I have that sealing charm with me, so I don’t need to worry about youkai bothering me. Thanks to that, I can get a lot done tomorrow like planting that seed and looking for one of those one-time jobs.

When I was only several feet away from my target with my hand having just exited my pocket, I heard a woman’s voice behind me. “Hey there, handsome~".

I whipped my head around and entered a defensive position, my fists balled up. In doing so, I accidentally bumped into my target, who turned his head towards me with an annoyed look.

I quickly stammered out an apology. “Ah, s- sorry!"

He simply grunted and continued to eat.

Well, so much for that. I’ll need to find someone else now.

Stepping back from the stall, I turned my head towards the one who had spoken to me. My hands exited my pockets and I balled my fists, prepared to take out my seal if necessary. Whoever this was probably wasn’t here to attack me and I hadn’t gone far enough for her to accuse me of stealing, but I wasn’t about to take any chances. I absolutely did not need a repeat of yesterday.

Before me stood a woman slightly shorter than me, leaning slightly forward with a somewhat amused look on her face. The first thing I noticed was her scarlet eyes, the same color as the tokin that sat atop her head. She was wearing a white button-down shirt and a black skirt with a small amount of lace at the bottom. Around her neck was a strap holding up a camera that she clutched in one hand, and she was resting the other on her waist.

Upon seeing my reaction, the girl took a step back and released her camera, letting it dangle from her neck like a pendulum. She held up both her hands as a gesture that she wasn’t here for trouble. “Hey, don’t be alarmed!" she spoke.

Still somewhat suspicious of her, I put my fists down. “Who are you, and what business do you have with me?" I responded to her.

“Come with me", she replied, as she beckoned with her hand to follow her a short way down the road to an opening with no people. I tentatively followed behind, putting myself a comfortable distance away from her.

Once we arrived, she began to speak. “To answer your previous question, I’m just a journalist, nobody too important. Judging from that attire you’re wearing, you’re not from around here, are you?"

Of course, I’m still wearing that vest Aunn likes. Is it really that good-looking?

“Hm, you’d be right. But what does that have to do with anything?"

“I want to conduct an interview with you, of course! It’d be nice to get an outsider’s perspective on things for my next article. I’ll make it worth your time!"

So she just wanted to know my thoughts, then. She didn’t seem to have any malicious intent, so I relaxed a bit.

Just then, she pulled uncomfortably close to me and peered directly into my eyes, close enough for me to hear her breathing.

“Besides, you’re pretty good-looking. And I’m willing to repay you in any way you’d like~"

I blushed, and in an attempt to break eye contact, I looked down. It was just then that I noticed that the top button of her shirt was unbuttoned, and I could peer directly at her chest. She was wearing a black, lacy bra-

I quickly lifted my head back again. The girl smirked at me.

She took another step forward, pressing into me. "Do you like what you see?"

You’re too close!

I tried to step back from her but was stopped short when my back hit the side of a building. With the little bit of extra distance I created, I observed her face more carefully.

Well, I can’t deny she’s kind of cute…

After a second or so, I nodded.

A smile broke out across her face. She backed up a step, brought a hand to her pocket, and pulled out a small map, which she handed me.

“Great! Meet me at Genbu Ravine in about an hour. It’s a nice, quiet spot where we can conduct the interview, and there’s still enough time left to get everything done."

Skimming through the map, I paused. Genbu Ravine? That place right there? That’s a half-hour walk away from the Village!

“Isn’t that dangerous? We’d be leaving the Village pretty late…"

The girl waved one of her hands from side to side. “Don’t worry! It’s not dangerous, only a few kappa live around there. Besides, kappa are the friendliest youkai to humans. In fact, they call themselves our ‘sworn friends’! I actually know a couple myself, there’s nothing to worry about!"

She winked at me and continued by saying, “I know the path well, and can escort you out when we’re done. What’s wrong, are you scared? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone~"

I had to think. I wasn't a particularly remarkable person while living in the Outside, but as a member of a very small group of people here in Gensokyo, I suppose it did make sense that this girl was interested in me. As for her… other proposal , that was completely unfamiliar territory. Long story short, I never had the best luck with women in the Outside, and it wasn’t something I really thought about during my time here.

Come on, just accept her deal! This is your chance to finally do something exciting! Besides, there’s still a couple of hours of sunlight left and you have that Hakurei girl’s charm with you in case things take an unexpected turn. Plus, she’s cute…

So after some deliberation, I accepted her proposition. With a small grin, I said the words, “Okay, I’ll go."

“Great!" she beamed, putting her hands behind her back and placing one foot behind the other. “See you there, handsome~"

I watched as she walked down the street until she turned the corner, leaving my sight. Once she was gone, I glanced down at the map in my head, making a mental note of the turns I’d have to make on my way to Genbu Ravine.

Alright, change of plans. I’ll see you soon, miss journalist.

Chapter Text

Nitori brought an arm up to wipe off the sweat condensing on her forehead. Alright, just one arm to go…

Today had been a productive day with no interruptions to break her concentration. The weeks that made up her journey of theorizing, drafting, creating prototypes, and testing had been an arduous one, but at long last the end was in sight.

An enhanced version of her mechanical arms! Capable of carrying heavier loads, operating for longer periods of time, and extending several feet further than her current model, and on top of that she’d managed to fit two extra arms in there to boot!

Suddenly, a knock on the door caught her attention.

Well, I’d better go see who it is. Maybe it’s a request of some kind? Making this new model left me somewhat strapped for cash, so I certainly wouldn’t mind one…

Hopping out of her chair, Nitori walked up to the door and opened it, only to find nobody. Glancing around left, right, and up, she searched for the person who knocked to no avail.

Was this another prank? Damn fairies, I’ll have to set up a magic trap of some kind one of these days…

Grumbling, Nitori was about to shut the door when she saw an envelope lying on the ground.

Ah, that’s it? No wonder they left, it was just a delivery. This doesn’t change my decision about the trap though.

Swiping the envelope up with a mechanical arm and shutting the door behind her, Nitori went back to her desk to examine her findings. It was a pristine envelope, complete with a perfectly centered stamp and an elaborate seal to boot. No return address, strangely enough.

Man, whoever sent this envelope to me must be full of themselves. Why go to all this effort?

Cracking open the seal with an audible pop , Nitori removed the paper within. Jumping to the bottom of the page to see who sent the letter, her breath got caught in her throat.

Iizunamaru… Megumu? The daitengu?!

Nitori rubbed her eyes and placed both of her elbows on the table. No wonder there was no return address! Someone with a rank that high in Tengu society would clearly not expect a response!

What does someone like that want with me?! Did I do something wrong?

Adjusting a nearby lamp with her mechanical hand, Nitori began to read.

Dear Miss Kawashiro,

Collaborate with your coworkers and create a vessel capable of traveling between Makai and Gensokyo, large enough to fit one person. I will send an envoy to report on your progress in one month. You and your coworkers will be compensated for your time.

Sincerely, Iizunamaru Megumu.

Nitori leaned back, staring at the letter for several seconds. After flipping it around to make sure nothing was written on the backside, she began to think.

Does the daitengu… want to go to Makai? Why? At least we’ll be compensated for this and the job itself doesn’t seem too bad. And it’s not like I can say ‘no’ to this either.

Nitori hopped out of her chair and stretched.

Well, I’d better go out and tell the others. Most of this seems pretty straightforward, but handling the “travel between dimensions” part will take a lot of work. We need to get started on this right away.

Nitori gave her nearly completed mechanical backpack a forlorn look.

I’ll finish you tomorrow, I promise.

-

“And… there!”

Nitori tightened the final screw and took several steps back to admire her handiwork. Alright! Just one left!

“Hey, Nitori, how are things over there? You finished with that one?”, one of her coworkers called in the distance.

“Yep!”, she yelled in response. “She’s perfect!”

“Good to hear. Now come on over and help us with this last boat, alright? We haven’t got all day!”

“Yeah, I’ll be right there!”

Nitori smiled to herself. The daintegu’s request several years ago, albeit more of a demand, had ended up being extremely fortuitous for the kappa. Megumu’s idea of Makai tours had come out of seemingly nowhere and had involved multiple steep upfront investments, but she made her money back and then some. Now that more and more youkai went to visit Makai, more ships to carry them all in were needed, and that meant more work to do.

Ah, it’s a good thing Byakuren was cooperative back then. Who knows what would’ve happened if she weren’t willing to share how the Palanquin Ship worked? There’s no way we would’ve been able to make that prototype in time. Megumu may have even ended up sending a request to those accursed Yamawaro had we failed. Good thing she contacted us first, hah…

As Nitori approached, she heard an argument arise near the back end of the ship and ran over to see what was happening.

“We need to attach it this way, idiot! Intuitively speaking, it should be angled like so when the boat’s not turning, so when it does turn, it can maneuver here and here- ”

“Are you daft? That’s clearly not what the blueprint says! Look right here, it clearly says that we need to attach it like this- ”

“What’s going on here?”

The two kappa stiffened up and brought their attention to Nitori. “Ah, sorry. We were having a, ah, cordial discussion on how to attach the propeller and had yet to come to an agreement.”

“Oh, that’s it? That’s easy! C’mere,” Nitori said, waving the two over.

Bringing out her mechanical arms, Nitori hoisted the fan up and began to bolt it in place. “Both of you are incorrect. It has to be right here, but I can see why that blueprint confused you. I’ll need to clear that up later. Also, it couldn’t be placed where you thought it’d be either because it’d interfere with the rudder in that position.”

“Ah, of course!” Both kappa nodded in unison.

Once finished, Nitori recalled her mechanical arms. “I’m going to the helm to test it. You two stay put and check to make sure the steering works.”

“Got it!”

Nitori flew up to the bridge and gave the helm a spin. Slight left, slight right, left, right, hard left, hard right. I’m not going to lie, it feels good operating one of these things, even as a test. Maybe I should try going on one of these Makai tours one of these days… 

In the distance, she could hear a faint “Hey, Nitori! The steering works perfectly!”

Nitori couldn’t help but allow a small grin to emerge on her face. Being one of the original designers of the Makai ships, she knew everything about it like the back of her hand. She couldn’t help but feel a little proud of her handiwork, even after all this time.

Dusting off her hands, Nitori yelled out, “All right, everyone, good work! Time to bring these ships to the tengu!”

Alright, almost there now. One foot after the other.

The trees around me created a canopy that filtered out the sunlight, dimming the path ahead. The only noise was the grass rustling from small gusts of wind and the crunching of leaves beneath my feet. It was getting a little dark at this point, forcing me to squint to make out the details on the map the journalist handed me earlier.

I’d been walking for about twenty minutes, much too far for me to run for the Village should anything go wrong, so I would need to rely upon my seal if necessary. I’d made my choice- it was too late to back out now. Fortunately, there were landmarks I could use and the road stood out from the rest of the wilderness, so getting lost wasn’t a big concern of mine.

Just then, I could pick up the sound of flowing water from somewhere distant. Could it be?

Taking a larger stride now, I got to the end of my current path and peered through the clearing. In the distance, I could see a small waterfall located between two cliff faces, covered with pipes. The waterfall opened up into a gentle stream at the bottom, with many large rocks emerging on its surface.

Yep, that’s the place. No doubt about it.

Walking alongside the river towards the waterfall, I examined the bottom of the river more closely. The water seemed incredibly pure, so much so that I could see directly through it just as easily as the window in my house, and in the sunlight, I could make out a series of cracks forming a hexagonal pattern that seemed to span the entire length of the river.

These cracks… Although the pipes are definitely the work of the kappa, these don’t seem to be man-made. Or would that be youkai-made? Regardless, the edges of these shapes seem rough. Some of these hexagons aren’t perfect either, a few of the edges are bent out of place. I’ve heard many people say nature is married to geometry, but I’ve never seen an example quite as clear as this…

I’d finally made my way to the waterfall itself, the exact place where the journalist marked on the map. Looking upwards, I took a closer look at the pipes. All of them were bent at soft right angles and covered both halves of the cliff face, forming an intricate maze that seemed to go on for miles.

Wow, those kappa sure know their stuff, huh? I haven’t seen anything this technologically advanced ever since I entered Gensokyo. Maybe if I see one, I can convince him to set up some modern plumbing in my house-

“Halt!”

I turned to face the source of the noise. One, two, three figures were emerging from the trees nearby. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself and entered a defensive position.

Don’t do anything rash. These are probably just the kappa that the journalist mentioned earlier and might be curious as to what I’m doing here. If I just bring her up, then they should leave me alone, so there’s nothing to worry-

My hopes were quickly dashed as the trio came into view.

The first thing that caught my eye was that all three were holding scimitars, refracting the sunlight across their blades. One slash from those things and I’d be dead on the spot, no doubt.

Now fully out of the trees, they had stopped moving, some twenty feet away from me or so. Two men and one woman, from the looks of it. The woman stood in the center ahead of the others and had a circular shield with a maple leaf print the other two lacked. Her uniform was also the most intricate of the three, though all of them wore a white and black design, not unlike the journalist from earlier. She was also the only one wearing a red tokin but all three of them had a second pair of ears that poked through their hair, like a pair one would find on a large dog.

These aren’t kappa! Keine told me about different kinds of youkai back when I first entered, and kappa are aquatic youkai with funny-looking hats filled with water. Are they wolf tengu?

Hmm, this isn’t good. That woman seems to be leading the other two. Maybe if I tell her I was trying to go back to the Village and got lost, I can avoid trouble. Wolf tengu guard Youkai Mountain, so they shouldn’t be unfamiliar with humans. Hopefully, they aren’t hostile towards me. The journalist seems to be a no-show, so I’ll just have to cut my losses here.

“He- hello?” I brought my hand up and waved. “I, uh, was trying to get back to the Human Village and got lost. Do you think you could lead me back to-”

“Is this him?” the leader asked, completely ignoring me. Her face was pointed slightly upwards and to my side.

“That’s the one”, came a familiar voice from behind me.

Hearing that sent a shiver down my spine. Slowly twisting my head around, what I saw confirmed my suspicions, causing me to let out a gasp.

Across the stream, the very same journalist I had met earlier today was standing on the highest tree branches, comfortably perched on a pair of geta. This time, a pair of jet-black wings emerged from her back, neatly folded inwards. Her eyes bore directly into mine as I stared in awe.

“Journalist?! You’re-”

“A tengu, yes. You know, this was easier than I thought it’d be.”

“Y- you wouldn’t dare attack a human from the Village! You know the rules-”

“Ah, but that’s the thing, isn’t it?” She looked at me with a sad smile. “Although youkai are forbidden from attacking humans inside the Human Village, and we’re forbidden from removing them from the Human Village, we are not prohibited from convincing them to leave. The human makes the conscious decision to leave the safety of the Human Village behind, and as such people like you are fair game for us.”

She hopped down from the trees and landed gracefully across from me. I could do nothing but watch in stunned silence.

“However,” she stated, crossing her arms, “that technically isn’t something we’re supposed to do. If that shrine maiden heard about us luring humans outside the Village, we’d be in deep water.”

“Exactly! So-”

“Fortunately for you”, she interrupted, “you aren’t just an unlucky human we decided to trick. You were our specific target, and we have orders to not kill you.”

“Orders? From who?!”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

She flew back to her spot in the trees, her back and wings facing towards me. Looking off into the distance, she imparted one last statement. “Sorry to disappoint you, handsome, but I’ll give you a word of advice; don’t resist. We won’t harm you unless you give us a reason to do so. Momiji, take it away.”

I was in a state of utter disbelief. How could I have been deceived so easily? My stomach was in knots trying to absorb my situation. Here I was, a mere half-hour walk away from safety, but considering that I was surrounded by four youkai, the Village may as well have been a thousand miles away.

“Come quietly. Don’t cause any trouble, and nothing bad will happen to you”, a gentle voice from behind reassured me.

Turning around once more to face the trio, Momiji sheathed her scimitar. The other two with her followed suit.

This is bad! Youkai outside the Village boundaries can’t be trusted, they’re just going to eat me alive!

I raised my fists and hunched over, enraged. “There’s no way in hell I’m going with you youkai!” I declared.

After a second’s silence, I heard a slow clapping behind me. Annoyed, I glared back at the journalist, who appeared rather amused.

“Ah, what a line! You’re going to resist? Simply excellent!”

The journalist brought out a notebook and hastily wrote down something. “This’ll certainly make for a great addition to the report I’ll need to deliver later!”

Are you mocking me, you bitch?! I should go up to you and-

Stop that. Don’t let her get to your head. I have a bigger problem to deal with now.

Turning back towards the wolf tengu, all three of them were unfazed. Momiji simply sighed and said, “Listen. We don’t want to hurt you, but we will if you force our hand. As a human, surely you know that you’re no match for us youkai in a fight, and you don’t seem strong enough for a danmaku match.”

Pausing a moment for emphasis, she continued. “Don’t try and think about running away, either. Tengu are among the fastest of youkai. You wouldn’t even be able to run across that stream before we caught up to you.”

Shit, she’s right. Keine did mention that the tengu were quick. If they won’t let me go, it looks like there’s only one way out of this. This means life or death, and I’m not going out without a fight.

I stretched my arms out and flashed her the most vicious gaze I could muster. “Bring it on, then. Show me what you’re made of!”

Momiji raised an eyebrow at that remark. After a moment’s silence, she announced, “You speak well, human. That’s an awfully bold claim for someone to make in your position. Stupid, no doubt, but bold. I didn’t believe you had it in you.”

She looked at the two tengu beside her and pointed her hand towards me. “Takemoto! Kenji! Deal with the human. Don’t use your weapons; our orders are to take him alive.”

“Yes, captain!” The two tengu replied in unison, giving her a salute. Facing me, they stepped onto the rocky area that bordered the stream, backing me into a corner.

“You know what, Kenji, I’ll handle this”, Takemoto said. “It’s just a human without magic. I’ll just rough him up a bit and we can get this over with.”

“Alright. He’s all yours”, Kenji said in a gruff voice, stepping aside.

Takemoto stopped about ten feet away from me, one foot in front of the other, ready to attack at any moment. I mimicked his stance and prepared for the worst. In the distance, Momiji was observing the scene with an interested look.

Suddenly, Takemoto lunged forward with blinding speed, his nails extended like claws. There was no time to dive to the side, so I ducked.

Takemoto flew mere inches above my head and landed in the water, but that didn’t impede him at all. He gracefully pivoted around with a smirk on his face.

“Color me impressed. I didn’t think you’d avoid that.”

That makes two of us!

I could feel my own heart rapidly thumping in my chest, adrenaline surging into my veins when I saw I had a fighting chance. Despite what seemed to be incredible speed, I managed to dodge him. Perhaps he wasn’t as fast as I thought he was?

“Now, take this!”

Takemoto sprinted towards me and swiped at me with his claws. One towards my face, another towards my abdomen, followed by a leg sweep. Leaning my head back, sucking in my stomach, and jumping backward, I managed to get through unscathed.

“Hmm… you’re not too bad.”

What?! How the hell am I doing this?!

“Enough messing around! Hold still!”

Takemoto went for a running punch aimed at my ribs. Quick as he was, I pulled out my arm and caught his fist in midair. The force from his blow still carried through my arm, sending a spike of pain through it. With his other hand, he shoved me several steps back, freeing his fist from my grip with no difficulty.

Nng! Youkai really are a lot stronger than humans, I’d better not do that again! I need to do something else… I know!

Takemoto entered a quick dash and jumped, slashing downwards towards me, but this time I was prepared. Planting a leg behind to propel myself forward, I ran towards him and slid on the ground beneath him. While he was above me, I lifted up my hand and touched his sheathed blade, sending it into my pocket dimension. His eyes went wide as his weapon disappeared.

He landed on the ground as I scrambled onto my feet. Whipping his head around and preparing another attack, he yelled, “What did you do to my-”

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence. As he made another attempt to slash at me, I pulled out his blade and jammed it into his chest. His eyes went wide as he clutched my arm in an attempt to stop me, but it was already too late.

“Urk!”

Takemoto was bleeding heavily. I yanked the sword out and kicked him as hard as I could, knocking him to the ground.

Takemoto fell onto his hands and knees to catch his breath, coating the rocks beneath him red. Several agonizing seconds later, the bleeding had stopped, and he fell onto his side, wheezing haggardly. That blade hadn’t gone too deep, but it was apparent that he was out of commission. Momiji, Kenji, and the journalist all watched on, stunned.

I took several steps backward, pulling myself towards a tree with my free hand and steadying myself by using my new sword as a cane of sorts. My knees were wobbling to the point I could barely stand.

Damn it, what have I done?!

Clutching his chest, Takemoto sat down and stared at nothing in particular as he uttered, “Kenji… I’m going to sit this one out. Deal with him, alright?”

“O- of course, Takemoto! Leave it to me!”

Kenji unsheathed his sword and advanced. “You’ll pay for this, human!”

I let go of the tree and gripped the handle of the sword with both hands as tightly as I could, enough to feel the bruise on my arm flare up again.

I can’t do this! I don’t know how to use this thing!

He ran up to me before I could even blink. I swung wildly with my blade, hoping that I’d strike something vital, but he weaved through everything with ease.

“Never used a sword before, huh?”

I went for an overhead strike aimed directly at his forehead, but Kenji brought up his own blade and parried it with no difficulty. He followed up by plowing directly into me with his shoulder, knocking the wind out of me. While I was wheezing, he grabbed my arm and tore the sword free from my grip.

Backing up and panting, with my hands on my knees, he brought up the other sword and examined it in the sunlight. “Your swordsmanship is quite shoddy. It’s apparent this was your first time wielding one.”

He brought his attention back towards me, frowning. “I’m a bit disappointed. You getting the better of Takemoto was a clear fluke.”

Kenji dashed once more, this time approaching me in a zig-zag pattern.

He’s too fast! I can’t track him like this! I need an opening…

Kenji jumped in front of me and used the blade of his scimitar to reflect the sunlight directly into my eyes, blinding me. As I lifted up my arm to cover my face, he delivered a blow straight to my stomach, knocking me back several feet. I collapsed onto the rocks, coughing and sputtering.

I could hear the clatter of Kenji placing down both weapons on the rocky surface of the shoreline and the crunching of pebbles beneath his geta as he walked towards me. “This didn’t have to happen, you know”, he said with a disapproving tone.

Kenji emerged into view. Through my blurry eyes, I could see his hand reaching for my neck. I curled my right hand into a pinch and began to focus.

Now! Hakurei shrine maiden, lend me your power!

I snatched the ofuda from my pocket dimension and slapped it directly onto his forehead.

The reaction was immediate. Kenji immediately jumped off and began to howl in pain, scrambling with both hands in an attempt to peel off the paper. Wisps of smoke seemed to emerge from his body.

Getting back to my feet once more, I ran as fast as my legs would allow and delivered a fist to his chin, knocking him down. Kenji lay on the ground, twitching for several seconds. Tentatively, I reached out an arm and peeled away the ofuda.

The charm had left a bright red rectangle-shaped imprint on his forehead, where the sound of sizzling and the scent of burning flesh still emerged. Kenji lay on the ground gagging, with his eyes rolled towards the back of his head.

Thank you, Hakurei miko! Now I can get back to the Village-

Momiji cleared her throat. I looked back towards her.

Shit, I got so absorbed in my fight that I completely forgot about her!

“You know,” she began, “I think you deserve a little credit. As a human too weak to even participate in danmaku battles, you were able to take out two of my subordinates.”

I listened in fearful silence.

“I’ll have you know, though, that I specifically chose Takemoto and Kenji to accompany me for this assignment as new recruits, to show them an example of what they can expect patrolling the mountain. Of course, things turned out somewhat differently than I anticipated.”

Momiji rubbed her temples before continuing on.

“Takemoto and Kenji had only joined the white wolf tengu guard several weeks ago, and at this point in their training are still unable to produce even basic danmaku and have difficulty flying.”

She pointed her blade directly towards me, her frown slowly shifting into a snarl.

“Even still, I’m surprised a human such as yourself was able to contend with youkai. But that little rebellion of yours ends here!”

Momiji entered a fighting stance, her shield and sword outstretched.

“Hear me, human! I am Momiji Inubashiri, captain of the white wolf tengu, guardian of Youkai Mountain, and loyal servant of Lord Tenma! All who defy the will of the tengu will be struck down!”

Yep, this is it. I’m screwed.

Instead of charging at me like the other two, Momiji jumped into the air. And not only did she jump, she soared.

Momiji hovered in midair and struck a pose. Against the backdrop of the late afternoon sun, her whole outline almost appeared to glow.

Around her, a veritable storm of blue magical bullets formed. I could not believe my own eyes. They were so numerous and dense that the very sight of them made me dizzy. Spiral after spiral, a blanket of bullets began to descend toward the treeline.

I need to get out of here!

So I bolted, tearing my way through the forest, glancing above me to watch out for bullets. The entire area was being peppered with Momiji’s magic, though, and I couldn’t get lucky forever.

A painful stinging sensation rang through my entire body, knocking me into the mud. Gulping for air, I turned around. Indeed, a bullet had struck me in the back.

So this is what it feels like to lose a danmaku match? This stings!

“What did I tell you about trying to flee, human?! You can’t outrun a tengu. Give up!”, came a voice from above. Momiji was floating a short distance over me, burning with anger.

Mustering as much strength as possible, I grabbed a branch and hoisted myself back to my feet. Momiji flew back down to the ground, casting her sword aside.

“I saw what you did to those two, human. Using the element of surprise to your advantage is commendable, but I know your tricks, and I’m not about to let you do the same to me.”

Once again planting both feet into the ground, Momiji made another assertion. “What you did with the sword back there was certainly creative. I hadn’t believed storing magic carried any value in combat, but you, my opponent, took advantage of Takemoto’s carelessness. The same goes for how you dealt with Kenji. But your weaknesses are all too apparent.”

In an instant, Momiji darted through the trees, completely encircling me. All I could see of her were glimpses of her tail from the corner of my eyes.

She’s way faster than those two!

Suddenly, she tackled me from behind and threw me over a dozen feet directly into a boulder. The same place I’d been struck with her bullet throbbed with pain.

Everything was in a haze. I hoisted myself back up once more and looked at my opponent.

Momiji’s fury seemed to have abated, and all I could make out was a sense of pity.

“Human, I didn’t want to do this to you. Human… Please, stand down. I’m giving you another chance here. This can end”, she urged.

I can’t. I’m sorry, but if I go with you, I’ll die.

I shook my head. She sighed.

“In that case, I apologize in advance, human.”

Momiji walked towards me. I was too weak to run away now, and all I could do was watch as she closed the distance. I waited until she got close, and then-

Now!

I whipped out the ofuda once more and swung towards Momiji. However, she quickly brought out her shield, blocking my attempt to repeat my prior success with Kenji. She followed up with a shield bash, knocking me to the ground.

Casting her shield aside, Momiji clicked her tongue. “I told you, I know your tricks. That isn’t going to work twice.”

She brought her hand to my collar and gripped it, lifting me up.

“End of the line, human.”

With no other options left, I balled up a fist and flung it at Momiji as hard as I could. It landed squarely in the middle of her face.

Momiji recoiled and dropped me onto the ground, but at this point, I was too exhausted to get back up anymore. Shakily, she brought a hand to her face and examined it.

Her hand was stained with a bright shade of crimson. So too was her face.

I had managed to break her nose.

“Y- you,” she wavered, pointing at me, “th- that’s not possible. You shouldn’t be able to h- hurt me like this-”

Momiji’s face twisted into one of absolute wrath. Stepping towards me, she grabbed my head and slammed it against the ground. I grunted and felt something wet trickle across the top of my forehead. Blood, no doubt.

Still not satisfied, Momiji stood up and delivered several kicks to my ribs and one to my face. Heaving for air, all I could do was take it.

The edges of my sight began to blacken as Momiji struck me, again and again, each blow cascading into the next with no end in sight. The bolts of pain that surged through my body with every hit were all I could feel.

There’s nothing I can do, but at least no one can say I didn’t try…

Somewhere far away, I could hear a voice calling out. “Momiji! You’ve done enough!”

Momiji stopped attacking and fully stood up. “Aya! Pardon me. I lost myself there for a moment.”

“He clearly can’t resist anymore, there’s no need for further violence. Take him away. Let me handle Takemoto and Kenji in the meantime.”

“Sounds good. Let’s get this mission over with.”

Momiji lifted me up from the back of my collar. My body went completely limp, unable to muster even the smallest modicum of energy.

Positioning herself, Momiji whispered to me. “I suppose it really is true what they say. What’s that expression again? ‘A cornered rat bites the cat’? Regardless, you should be glad Aya was here to stop me. Who knows how much further I would’ve gone?”

I could not respond. My tongue went slack, sticking itself to the roof of my mouth.

Momiji brought her lips an inch away from my ear and hissed. “Human, you have no one to blame for this but yourself.”

As Momiji hoisted me over her shoulders and began to run through the forest, I saw the shield she had cast aside earlier with the ofuda still attached to it.

Hakurei miko… I’m sorry…

Momiji picked up the pace. The ground became blurred until it stopped making sense to me and everything faded to darkness.

Chapter Text

Eirin grabbed several pills and dropped them into a bottle, one after the other, each pill making a clink as they reached the bottom. She sealed the bottle tight and set it down on the counter. Brushing off her hands and stretching out her arms, Eirin let out a sigh of relief. And with that, everything’s prepared for tomorrow.

Through the window, the sun had begun to sink beneath the horizon, painting the room a deep orange.

Ah, it’s getting late. Reisen should be returning soon.

Suddenly, a knocking on the door interrupted her stupor.

“Enter.”

A rabbit nurse slid the door open, clutching something in hand. “Doctor! An envelope just arrived for you!”

Eirin raised her eyebrow. “A letter? At this time of day? That’s a little unusual, isn’t it?”

“Yes, a tengu just dropped it off. I’ll just leave it here.”

A tengu wishes to speak with me right now? Surely that could only mean one person…

“Thank you. If that’s all, you can resume your work.”

The rabbit bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Eirin eyed the letter. It wore a seal and stamp that she had, over the past several years, become well acquainted with.

Just as I thought, it’s from Megumu. Is this about which of my rabbits are going to attend her little jaunt into Makai this time? We’ve already been over that, though. Really, now, I didn’t think she’d be so forgetful-

Eirin paused as she picked up the envelope.

Hmm. That’s heavier than normal.

Eirin broke open the seal and emptied the contents of the envelope upon the table. Several coins clattered onto the countertop, followed by a single sheet of paper.

Oh? Payment?

Snatching up the paper, Eirin began to read.

Dr. Yagokoro,

Create a medicine that can put a human to sleep for an extended period of time. One month should be sufficient. Payment is enclosed, which should cover all expenses. This is an urgent request- send the medicine to me as quickly as possible, preferably tomorrow.

Sincerely, Iizunamaru Megumu.

Eirin leaned back and whispered to herself. “So let me get this straight. Megumu, you want to put a human into a short coma? What on Earth?”

There’s no doubt in my mind the tengu has something nefarious planned, but that isn’t my concern. As for making the medicine, that part’s a complete cinch. I’ve already got something to work with.

Eirin swept up the coins on her countertop and placed them in a secure locker. Afterwards, she opened one of the cabinets and brought out a large bottle, stacked to the brim with pills. On its side was a label inscribed with the words “Butterfly Dream Pill - Human.” Dexterously flipping off the lid, Eirin reached inside and plucked out a single capsule.

That tengu only seems to want one pill, so it’s one pill she’ll get. Let’s see, if I manipulate the concentrations of each ingredient like so… yes, that should work.

Another knock caught her attention. “Enter,” Eirin said in an annoyed voice.

Sliding open the door, Reisen entered, carrying an empty tray inside. “Master, is this a bad time?”

“Ah, it’s you, Reisen. Not at all, I was just focused on something. I’ve prepared all the medicine you’ll be delivering tomorrow, they’re on the counter. Get to it.”

Reisen walked over and began placing the bottles onto her tray. Turning around, she asked, “Master, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s that you’re working on? Someone wants you to make a modified version of the Butterfly Dream Pill?”

“Correct. I’ve just received a new order and I’m working on it right now. They want it by tomorrow, so I’ll be working on this for the next few hours.”

Reisen finished loading her tray and hoisted it onto a shelf. “Ah, that makes sense. Would you like me to deliver that one as well?”

Without missing a beat, Eirin quickly responded, “No, Reisen, you’re not delivering this one. This needs to be delivered to Youkai Mountain, and adding a detour that large to your route would slow you down too much. When you see Tewi, tell her that I’ve got a job for her tomorrow.”

“Yes, master!” Reisen gave a salute and walked out, sliding the door shut once more.

Eirin brought her focus back to the pill in her hand. Megumu, whatever you plan on doing with this, it’s on you. If you end up getting in trouble for this, don’t cause me any problems, alright?

I awoke with a tight feeling in my chest. My eyelids felt like they weighed ten pounds each.

“Nng…”

Still somewhat groggy, I tried to bring a hand up to rub my eyes, which ended up being a big mistake. As soon as I lifted my arm, a jolt of pain surged through my back.

“Agh!”

As I slowly regained feeling in my limbs, it became apparent just how sore I was. My whole body screamed at me to not make any sudden movements.

What? Why am I… ah.

Everything came rushing back to me. I’d been lured from the Village late in the day only to get stabbed in the back by a youkai. Then I got into the fight of my life with some tengu and lost.

So that means…

I forced my eyes open. As blurry as everything was, I could make out a few details.

I was lying on the floor. Or, rather, I was level with the floor, which was made completely out of stone.

Ah, so I'm in a futon of some kind, unlike the bed at my house?

Forcing my neck to rotate in the opposite direction, I noticed a window where light was just beginning to shine through. I’d just missed dawn, it seemed.

Closing my eyes once more and taking several deep breaths, I inched my arms over to slowly exit the futon. A dull, throbbing pain filled my whole body as I crawled my way out and sat with my back to the wall. Bringing my hands back to feel the surface behind me, I brushed my fingers along the wall, tracing along any indentations. Aside from the low scraping noise my hands produced, everything was dead silent.

Looking down, I saw some loose-fitted sleepwear. I hadn’t paid much thought to it at the time, but my vest probably took a beating during my scuffle with the tengu. It seemed that while I was unconscious, the wolf tengu brought me to her barracks, changed out my clothes, and locked me inside a holding cell. The window was blocked off by metal bars, so escaping through it was out of the question.

Across the futon, a single chair and desk stood along the wall. Some kind of parcel was situated on top of the desk. Beyond that, the cell was barren.

Well, I’m not dead yet, at least. All I can do is wait now.

Clutching my knees and burying my face into my legs, I began to rock back and forth while reminiscing about my life in Gensokyo.

To hell with this world! I barely even made it through a whole year, and it all came to an end because some winged journalist bitch decided to mess with my life. It’s all her fault! If I still had that ofuda, I’d find her and ki-

I picked up the jingling of keys and the creak of a door opening somewhere to my right, followed up by the clack of geta on the stone floor. Their footfalls were getting louder, but I didn’t rush back inside the futon to pretend I was still asleep. My body wouldn’t have permitted me to, anyway.

Eventually, the footsteps stopped. Glancing upwards, I saw a wolf tengu examining my cell with a disinterested look. His eyes widened as they fell upon me. “Ah, you’re awake!” he said in an excited voice.

Turning aside to the entryway, he announced his discovery. “Hey, the prisoner’s awake!” Out of sight, I heard a second yell. “He is? In that case, get him prepared. Our orders were to escort him as soon as he regained consciousness.”

“Right you are!”, he called back. “You go inform her. I’ll deal with the prisoner.” Turning to face me, he looked straight into my eyes and began to speak. “Human, we’ll be escorting you soon. Our superior is very interested in you, and we’re not sure why, but I’m sure she has her reasons.”

Pointing a finger towards the parcel on the desk, he continued. “That right there is a set of clothes, just for you. Get changed. We’ll need you to look presentable, after all.” He began to exit the room but shot out an arm to catch the doorframe, pausing halfway through. “I’m giving you two minutes. If you aren’t ready by then, I’ll dress you myself and drag you there if I have to.”

The tengu disappeared from my sight, the clack of his shoes subsiding until my breath overtook it.

I oriented myself back towards the parcel again. The last thing I wanted to do right now was all the movement necessary to stand up and get dressed, much less stand up, but I was out of options. Instead of getting to my feet, I rolled forward onto my knees and crawled across the futon until I reached the chair. Gripping its legs, I reached an arm up and snagged the parcel.

There was a new change of clothes inside for me, as expected. A white upper half, a black lower half, a pair of geta- this was similar to what the tengu from yesterday wore. Groaning, I methodically unbuttoned my sleepwear and brought my arms through the shirt, tidying the collar. Still unwilling to stand up, I wiggled my legs into the pants. Just as I slipped on the geta, the tengu returned. “Great, you’ve finished. It’s time for your date, human.”

The tengu whisked out a key and flung the door open. Smirking, he reached down and grabbed my arm, yanking me up. He then gripped my other arm and twisted it around my back, slapping on a pair of handcuffs. It took all my willpower to not let a scream out. 

“Alright, let’s go!”

Holding my arm, he escorted me out of the building. When we exited, I instinctively tried to block the sunlight with my hand and was stopped short by the handcuffs, pulling against the tengu as a result. In response, he yanked me over, causing me to nearly lose my balance.

“What’re you doing? Come on, let’s get going.”

I grit my teeth and remained silent the rest of the way.

With the sun just barely poking out of the horizon, not too many tengu were around to see me aside from several curious bystanders. We followed the main, winding pathway down to its end, where an imposing manor stood directly in front of us.

As we began to approach the front door, I asked the question that had been brewing in my mind for a while now. “What exactly does your superior want with me?” Without moving his head to look at me, the tengu said, “How should I know? Like I said earlier, she probably has her reasons, but we’re not privy to that information. If I were you, I’d just be thankful the order was to keep you alive.”

I didn’t believe the conversation would lead anywhere, so I offered no response in return. Several seconds later, however, he turned forward again and spoke in a low voice. “Actually, maybe I wouldn’t be so grateful. You managed to piss off the daitengu enough for her to request your capture, after all.”

“The daitengu?”

What does he mean? I’ve never even seen any tengu since yesterday. What could she want with me?

“Yup! That’s a pretty impressive feat for a human. And with how she is… well, let’s just say that I don’t envy your position.”

“Bu- wait! What does a daitengu even want with me?!”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself? You’ll get your chance in the very near future.”

Both of us came to a stop as we reached the front entrance. Rapping his knuckles along the door, he waited just a moment before the door creaked open, revealing a winged tengu. She wore a pleasant smile, as though expecting our arrival.

“So this is the human? Come in, we’ve been expecting you.”

As the wolf tengu pulled me inside, I took the time to observe my surroundings. The manor's interior was even more intricate than its exterior, but I didn’t have the time to examine any of it for as long as I would’ve liked.

Damn it, if I were here in… better circumstances, then this place would be a literal treasure trove! Maybe it’d be hard to raid since it’s outside the Village, but I could’ve gotten rich off some of this stuff!

The winged tengu led the two of us down a series of corridors until we arrived at an open hall leading directly to a set of large doors. After the tengu knocked several times, a voice from inside called out.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Akari, Lady Megumu. I’ve brought the human.”

Megumu? Where have I heard that name before- Oh. Oh no.

“Enter.”

Akari twisted the knobs and slowly opened both doors. Inside, I saw the last thing I ever wanted to see.

On the opposite side of the room was a winged tengu, dressed in blue. She was furiously scribbling away at something on her desk and didn’t stop to look up at me. Along the side of the room stood a fox youkai, dressed in white. Unlike the tengu, she made immediate eye contact with me and grinned furiously. Additionally, several tengu lined the walls, all armed with weapons. A single chair sat in the center of the room, facing the desk of the tengu in blue.

You two!

I tried to bolt out as fast as I could but failed to even make it a single step before the wolf tengu squeezed my arm and flung me onto the ground inside. Akari let out a giggle.

“Are you stupid? There’s no way you thought that would work, right?”

The sound of scribbling stopped. I could hear the clack of Megumu’s pen making contact with her desk. Looking back, I saw her observing my face with a bemused interest. Several seconds of silence passed, followed by Megumu saying, “Yes, this is the one. Well done.” Looking up at the wolf tengu, she gave a command. “Release the human.”

“At once, Lady Megumu!” the wolf tengu replied. Bringing out a key, he removed my handcuffs, which had left indentations in my skin after my fall.

“Good. Both of you are dismissed.”

“Yes, Lady Megumu!”, they said in unison. Filing out of the room one after the other, the door slammed shut with a loud thud.

Megumu gave me a brief smile and gestured towards the chair. “Sit.”

Unwilling to see what would happen if I were to disobey her, I forced my legs to move one after the other until I reached the chair and lowered myself onto it. I maintained eye contact with Megumu the whole time. Megumu shifted in her chair and clasped her hands together, releasing a big sigh. “So, human, judging from your reaction to seeing me, I’m assuming you know why you’re here. Am I correct?”

Stricken with terror, I nodded.

“Very good! That saves us some time. With that in mind, allow me to properly introduce myself.” Shuffling around some papers on her desk, she adjusted her chair and looked directly at me. “I am a daitengu of Youkai Mountain, Iizunamaru Megumu. You can consider me a ‘boss’ of the tengu, of sorts.”

I spoke up. “ A daitengu? There are others?”

Tsukasa tensed up, but Megumu paid her no mind.

“Yes, well,” Megumu waved her hand dismissively. “There are others. I specifically command the crow tengu, but the white wolf tengu are loyal to us. The remainder are fringe groups without any real power. Essentially, I’m the only daitengu that matters. When someone brings up ‘the daitengu’, rest assured they’re talking about me.”

Picking up the uppermost paper on her desk, Megumu stretched out her arms and began to speak. “You stole a collection of property deeds, as you’re already most certainly aware of. However, youkai are typically prohibited from interfering with the affairs of the Human Village, and as it turns out, buying out properties falls under ‘interference’. As a workaround, I used a middleman to buy up properties within the Human Village for me. That way, I could increase my influence in the Village. They’re a hard-to-acquire commodity for youkai and as such are useful as bargaining chips. By stealing those deeds, you essentially stole the rights to all the property from me. Not that you could have used them for yourself, of course; my middleman’s signature was written on those deeds and he’s loyal to me.”

I slumped back in my chair. Wow, is that really true? That explains a lot. No wonder she was so pissed off.

“But enough about me, let’s talk about something more interesting. According to the report a subordinate of mine provided, who I’m sure you’re familiar with-”

“Aya?” I blurted out, cutting her off. Immediately, Tsukasa ran up to me and delivered a mighty slap hard enough to feel the teeth in my jaw rattle, knocking my head against the backrest. “Is that how you speak to the daitengu?! What makes you think you have the right to interrupt her?! Where are your manners?!”

“Tsukasa!” Megumu called out. “That’s enough.” Glaring at me, Tsukasa stepped back to her original position. Several seconds of silence later, Megumu continued.

“As I was saying, this report here tells a very interesting series of events. My assistant here-” Megumu paused to make a small motion with her head towards the fox youkai- “connected the dots rather quickly, with your sudden appearance and the disappearance of my papers. Heeding her advice, I took measures to have my subordinates track you down. According to Ei, or whatever you called her, she and a small team of tengu disguised themselves and entered the Human Village, interviewing witnesses to pinpoint your location. Investigative work is one of our specialties, after all.“

A feeling of dread seeped into my body as I felt my stomach drop. That’s right, I just remembered! All of this is because of that blue-haired brat! How is any of this fair?! Clutching onto the armrests of the chair, I dug my heels into the ground and grit my teeth. That evil bitch just signed my death warrant for a laugh!

“You okay there?” Megumu called out. I stiffened in my seat and sat back up, relaxing my arms. “Oh, I’m sure he’s just reminiscing over his sheer stupidity, Lady Megumu,” Tsukasa spoke out, taking a step forward. “If only he’d known who you were, perhaps this human wouldn’t have done something so idiotic.”

“Mmm,” Megumu said, entirely disinterested. Tsukasa frowned and leaned against the wall.

“Anyways, Ei managed to track you down yesterday afternoon and convinced you to leave the Human Village by using her ‘charms’, which allowed her to set up an ambush for you at Genbu Ravine. The agreed-upon time aligned perfectly with when the kappa were to be absent from Genbu Ravine, so they could take you down with no problems.” Megumu looked up from the paper and stared me down. “Hmm. You certainly are adept at making poor life choices, I must say.”

Silence hung in the air. Megumu cleared her throat and continued.

“Interestingly enough, that’s not where the story ends. Due to the presence of three white wolf tengu and with you being far away from the Human Village, anyone with any sense of self-preservation would’ve come peacefully. But according to Ei, you yelled, quote, ‘there’s no way in hell I’m going with you youkai’ and managed to injure the captain of the white wolf tengu in combat after defeating her two underlings.”

Megumu tapped her finger on the desk, deep in thought. Tsukasa snickered.

“But that should be impossible. Humans are significantly weaker and slower than the average youkai, let alone tengu. Defeating you should have been effortless. This report mentions that you subdued one by stealing their weapon and defeated another by making use of a sealing charm. Are you a skilled martial artist of sorts? Are you simply exceptionally strong for your species, perhaps? Or did that charm grant you some strange power?”

I furrowed my brow. That’s what I was thinking too. How did I pull that stunt off? I’m pretty agile thanks to being a thief, but I’m no fighter, or at least I don’t think I am… was the Hakurei miko’s charm really that helpful? I crossed my arms across my chest and sighed. In that case, I wish I still had that thing. It’d be really useful right around now.

Megumu brought a hand to her forehead and began to rub it. “Regardless, this is absolutely unacceptable. That worthless captain needs to be reprimanded. She’s brought shame upon the tengu with her performance. If her current training regimen results in soldiers so pathetic they can be brought low by a mere human, we have no need of it. But that’s another issue I’ll have to handle later.”

Megumu stood up from her desk and walked over until she was in front of me, casting her shadow directly onto my body. Crossing her arms, she and I made eye contact once more.

“Now. You have something that’s mine. You will disclose its location to me at once if you value your life.” She smirked. “Well, I suppose you don’t, given your track record, but that’s beside the point. If you want to leave this room intact, you’re going to return what you stole from me.”

I perked up. “Oh, sure thing.” Reaching into my pocket dimension, I said back to Megumu, “These papers don’t mean anything to me anyway. You can have them.” Grabbing ahold of the stack of forms, I held them at arm's length towards Megumu.

She smiled back at me. Taking them from my hand, she began to rifle through the stack as she calmly spoke back, “Ah, you’re cooperative. I’ll admit, this is rather refreshing.” Licking her thumb to flip through the papers, Megumu spoke again. “And to think that you kept these in your personal storage! We won’t have to waste time going back to the Human Village to retrieve these, which is convenient, so that’s-”

Megumu paused. Her hands stopped moving, and her smile vanished. Pursing her lips, she glared at me once again. “There’s one missing.”

I blinked. “Wha-”

Before I could react, Megumu snatched my collar and lifted me to my feet, bringing me an inch away from her face. “Don’t play dumb with me,” she snarled. “One deed is missing. Where is it?!”

I don’t know what you’re talking abou- Ah.

“O- oh! Yes… I remember!” I choked out in a panicked voice. “I, ah, used one to, uh, wipe the dirt off a fruit, so I threw it out-”

Megumu’s eyes went wide as her face became devoid of any emotion. Dropping me back into the chair, she began to chuckle to herself.

“Heh. Ah, ha ha. You. Took one of my papers. And you used it as a cleaning rag.”

Petrified in my seat, I nodded. I watched as Megumu reached up to her collar and unbuttoned the top button of her suit as she turned away, still softly chuckling to herself. Suddenly, she whipped out a tripod and whirled around, smacking me in the face hard enough to knock me completely out of the chair. I hit the ground hard as the chair completely upended itself beside me. Still somewhat dazed, I saw Megumu’s face twisted into a furious expression. Balling up her fists, she stared at me for several seconds before pacing to the nearest wall.

“Fuck!” Megumu yelled out as she punched the wall. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

The whole room reverberated with the sound of each blow. Several of the tengu guards shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to do. Tsukasa simply watched in amazement. In the meantime, I was rubbing the side of my face to reduce the stinging. From outside the door, I heard the sound of running footsteps, followed by rapid knocking. “Lady Megumu?! Is something the matter-”

“Akari! I’m fine, do not enter!” Megumu declared, whipping her head towards the door. “Return to your post at once!”

“Ah- o- okay, Lady Megumu…”, Akari said sheepishly, her footsteps slowly fading away. Megumu let out a big sigh and slowly made her way back to her desk. On her way back, she pointed at me and yelled, “Get back in your chair!”

As I scrambled back into the chair, Megumu angrily choked out the next few sentences. “I have half a mind to kill you right here and now, human. Quite frankly, you deserve it tenfold. But owing to certain circumstances, I can’t do that at the moment.”

“‘Certain circumstances’? What do you mean?” I carefully asked in a low voice.

“You are aware of the sealing charm you had earlier, correct?”

I nodded.

“According to Ei, you paid a visit to the Hakurei shrine the morning of the ambush, which is how you found yourself in possession of it. Now, ordinarily, outsiders are free pickings for us youkai; that shrine maiden is significantly less diligent when it comes to protecting humans that cross the barrier. But you just had to go and visit her that day, didn’t you? Since she gave you a sealing charm, she most certainly has her eye on you, so I can’t just dispose of you. It’s what kept me from ending your life as soon as you returned what you stole from me, in fact.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled to myself. So those wolf youkai really were honest about not killing me after all, it seems. What a relief! That Hakurei charm is the stuff of miracles, protecting me even when I don’t even have it anymore! If I hadn’t curried her favor, we’d be having a different conversation right now, no doubt about it.

“However… If word of this were to get out, I would find myself with… quite a few more enemies to my name. And I can’t have that. I’m sure you understand.”

My smile disappeared as quickly as it came. Bolting out of my chair, I balled my fists and began to sputter. “Y-you mean… you plan to kill me?!” Megumu, however, was completely unfazed by my outburst. In a formal voice, she responded, “Yes, of course. You know too much, so I’ll have to get rid of you.”

Completely dumbstruck, I yelled out, “But the Hakurei expects my return! What can you do to me? You really think you can make me disappear, just like that?! Look, just let me go and I’ll never speak a word of this to anyone, and we can go our separate ways-”

Megumu shot me a glare, silencing me. “That’s not a viable option, human. Didn’t I just tell you what would happen if this were made public? I would be absolutely ruined.” Rolling her neck around, she said “I would say this was nothing personal, human, but after destroying one of my forms, I can’t use that line anymore. Regardless, you sealed your fate when you stole from me.”

I stared, wide-eyed, at the foot of Megumu’s desk before slowly sinking back into the chair. So this is it, then? I’m just going to die like this?

As Megumu fastened her top button, she spoke once again. “Don’t be so miserable. Since that shrine maiden is aware of your existence, I don’t intend on killing you right now. You’ve managed to successfully push your death back, at least until the shrine maiden forgets about you.”

Oh, thanks, you cunt. That’s so much better.

Megumu continued. “Instead, I’ve drafted up a plan specifically to get rid of you. You are aware of the tour to Makai happening in three days, correct?”

The tour to Makai? Oh, that?

“Yes,” I spoke despondently. “I’ve seen it mentioned here and there in the Bunbunmaru, whenever I went to the Suzunaan to learn magic. But what does that have to do with anything?”

Megumu clapped her hands together, capturing my attention. “Great! It seems you already know everything you need to know. Then I’ll cut straight to the chase- you’re going.”

It took several seconds for me to comprehend what she’d just said. Eventually, I stammered out, “I- I’m sorry, what?” However, Megumu simply shot me a confused look. “What’s there to not understand? This is your lucky day, human. You’re coming with us! You’ll get to see Makai before you die.”

“W- Wait!” I blurted out. “That doesn’t make sense! None of that makes sense! Why am I going on a tour exclusively for youkai?! And how exactly will this avert the Hakurei from suspecting you?!” As I spoke, Megumu planted her hands on her desk and leaned forward. “I’ll just conceal you from the rest of the crew and make your death look like an accident, obviously. The Hakurei will blame whatever youkai inside Makai decided to kill you and take it out on them. Don’t ask stupid questions.”

I fell silent. Quietly, I asked, “But why are you telling me all this?”

Megumu scoffed and leaned back in her chair, leaning her head upon her fist. “Human, I am known as many things, but ‘cruel’ is not one of them. ‘Harsh’, perhaps, but I don’t believe there’s any harm in telling you what you want to know any longer, seeing as how I’m looking at a dead man breathing. Wrestle with this information however you will.” Pointing the palm of her other hand upwards, she continued. “Prepare your mind, say your prayers, do whatever you desire to make peace with your fate. Consider this thanks for returning my belongings, albeit not in full.”

Your idea of thanks is explaining how you intend to murder me? I stifled a laugh as fantastical visions of me making a miraculous escape, running back to the Village, and digging through the trash until I found the form I threw out as blackmail filled my head. Megumu, in contrast, was not amused. “What’s so funny?”, she asked in an annoyed tone.

When no response came, she huffed. “Human, in the three days leading up to the trip, I have a task for you. You will write a letter to the Hakurei shrine maiden. Tell her that you’ll be away from the Human Village for an extended period of time and to not look for you. Say that you’re on business and that there’s nothing to worry about thanks to that ofuda she gave you. Tsukasa!”

“Yes, Lady Megumu?” The fox youkai said as she stood up straight.

“See to it that the human accomplishes this task. In the meantime, I believe we’re done here. Escort him back to the barracks.”

“At once, Lady Megumu!” Tsukasa pranced over to me.

“Wait!” I said, putting my hands up as I shot up out of my chair. As I stepped backward, several of the tengu present began to tense up. The Hakurei’s my lifeline to get out of this mess! I can’t do that! “The Hakurei shrine maiden will find out! You can’t do this-”

In a flash, Tsukasa zipped up to me and grabbed my cuff. Before I could pull away, she snatched up a test tube from her dress. It was filled with a dark, murky substance that almost seemed to coil around the walls of the tube. As much as I struggled, I couldn’t shake her off as she popped the stopper open, freeing the contents within.

Immediately, Tsukasa pointed it directly towards me. The substance shot out and enveloped my face. I’d taken a large breath of the stuff before I even noticed.

Gas! It’s gas!

I held my breath, but it was already too late. My eyes stung as I gripped my throat, entering a coughing fit as my knees fell to the floor. Looking up, Tsukasa wore a smug grin on her face. “That’s magic smoke! Designed to end fights and calm the nerves. Makes people lose their will to fight completely. Amazing stuff, wouldn’t you say?”

My mind went hazy trying to parse her words. As the smoke dissipated into thin air, I felt completely at peace. I still knew that I was doomed, of course, but incomprehensibly that didn’t even bother me anymore.

There’s no reason to panic, no reason to fight. I just want to drift away…

“My, you still don’t get it, do you?”, Megumu’s voice from beyond my vision called out. “Who are you to tell me what I ‘can’t do’? If you didn’t want to be in this situation, you shouldn’t have stolen from me, it’s that simple. Tsukasa, take him away.”

Tsukasa smiled at me as she hoisted me up from my collar. My arms went slack as I planted my feet on the ground. I felt perfectly well and capable of struggling against her, but right now, that seemed like the last thing I wanted to do.

“Human. Follow me.”

I nodded as we exited the room, watching as tengu closed the doors behind us. When we were a good distance away from the office, Tsukasa began to speak.

“You know, I’ve never seen Lady Megumu that angry. It takes true talent to pull off something like that, human.” Looking over her shoulder at me, Tsukasa said, “I take back what I said earlier, human. THIS-”, she poked my chest hard with her finger- “is the most significant thing you’ll ever do in your life.”

Chapter Text

Marisa zipped away from the Scarlet Devil Mansion in haste. Slung over her shoulder was a sack containing several books.

Man, Patchy was in an especially bad mood today. I couldn’t get away with as many tomes as usual this time. That’s unfortunate.

Marisa soared above Misty Lake and the neighboring forest. Luckily, nobody but the occasional fairy showed up to challenge her this time, all of whom she defeated effortlessly.

Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve had a proper danmaku match. Maybe I can convince Reimu to spar with me for a bit? Yeah, I’ll do that.

Making a sharp turn away from her normal route, Marisa flew just above the trees and made a beeline towards the familiar red torii in the distance. Touching down gracefully, Marisa walked up to the shrine and stood directly outside the front door.

“Yo, Reimu, it’s me! I’m coming in, ze!”

She waited several seconds, only to be met with silence.

Huh, that’s strange. What’s she up to?

Marisa grabbed the door and flung it open. Stepping inside and placing her sack near the doorway, Marisa scanned each room for any sign of life. It wasn’t until she had reached the bedroom that she saw Reimu sitting at her desk, deep in thought.

“Reimu, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you, ze!”

Reimu nearly jumped out of her chair and glared at Marisa. “Marisa, could you please not do that? Tell me when you’re here, for crying out loud!”

“That’s the problem, I did! You just didn’t notice!” Marisa brought a hand to her chest and faked a pained expression. “Really, we’ve been friends for how long now and you ignore me? That hurts, ze! What’s that in your hands you consider more important than your lifelong friend?”

“Hmph!” Reimu stood up and walked past Marisa, tightly holding onto the papers in her hand. “Well, I’ll go put the kettle on. What’s the occasion this time, Marisa? Don’t tell me that there’s been a new incident.”

“Oh, nothing like that, ze!” Marisa laughed a little. “I just decided I’d drop by and say hello. And maybe we could have a danmaku match while we’re at it.”

“No thanks.” Reimu filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove, then proceeded to rummage through the cupboards. “Do you want a specific tea this time?”

“Oh come on, Reimu! You’ll get rusty if you don’t practice!”

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’, then.” Reimu pulled out a box of tea leaves and set it on the counter without turning back around. Marisa gave her a quizzical look.

“By the way, Reimu, is something bothering you, ze? You’re not acting your usual self. Does it have anything to do with what you were looking at earlier?”

“Yeah, it’s, uh, this.” Reimu handed Marisa the papers she was holding. “Go ahead and read that.”

Marisa picked up both and held them in separate hands. One was an opened envelope with a name and address she was unfamiliar with, and the other was a letter. Carefully unfolding it, Marisa set aside the envelope and began to read.

Dear Reimu,

Thank you for the sealing charm you’ve given me. It’s proven to be very useful. My youkai problem has since been resolved, and I’ve been doing well!

However, it’ll be a while before I return to the shrine. I’m going to leave the Human Village for a while on business, so I’ll need to hold onto your charm for a little longer. I’ll come back to return the charm to you in person sometime next month, maybe two, so don’t be alarmed by my absence. I won’t be too far away, though, so I shouldn’t run into any serious problems. There’s no need to come looking for me.

Thanks again!

“What’s this? A letter, from a man, telling you he’s doing well?” Marisa held her hands up to her head and feigned a shocked expression. “Reimu, you never told me you had a boyfriend!”

“Oh, knock it off, Marisa.” Reimu shot an annoyed glance in Marisa’s direction. “He’s just an outsider I happened to rescue.”

“How far have you gone? How good of a kisser is he?”

Reimu ignored Marisa’s comment and continued. “He’s one of the very few people who donates more than nothing when he visits, unlike a certain magician. If he died it’d inconvenience me, that’s all. It’s in my best interest to make sure he stays alive. Besides, he’s gotten used to life inside the Human Village. He’s been there for over a year now and is practically a full-blown villager at this point.”

Marisa’s shoulders sagged. “Aw, you’re no fun.” Scratching her chin, she continued. “An outsider who’s lived inside the Village for over a year, you say? Oooh, that’s interesting. Those aren’t very common. Most of them die within the first week. No thanks to a certain shrine maiden not doing her job, ze.”

Reimu crossed her arms. “Alright, Marisa, c’mon. How exactly is it my problem if some human gets dumped super far away? Or if I’m out resolving an incident? Or if I’m sleeping? That’s just not something I can feasibly deal with. This guy happened to appear at the right time and the right place, and he’s got a good head on his shoulders. It’d be a shame if someone like him were to die all of a sudden.”

Marisa tilted her head. “Right, you’re worried about this guy’s welfare. But there’s no reason to be. Look, he talks about some sealing charm you gave him a while back right there, ze.”

In turn, Reimu brought her head to her chin and pondered. “Just… I don’t know. Something about this seems kind of fishy. Knowing him, this isn’t the way he’d write to me. Look at this.”

Marisa squinted to where Reimu was pointing at the top of the letter.

“You see that? He started his letter with ‘Dear Reimu’. He never calls me Reimu. I wish he would, but it’s always ‘Hakurei miko’ or something along those lines and I end up having to correct him. Why would he just change it up now?”

Marisa took a step back and put her hands on her hips. “Oh, he’ll be fine! You worry too much! Personally, I think you’re looking way too deep into it. He probably just feels comfortable referring to you more casually when he’s not face to face with you, ze.”

“Well, on top of that…” Reimu took the letter back, folded it up, and tucked it away. “Knowing him, that just seems like an odd thing to do. He only ever stops by whenever he has youkai troubles. Why would he decide to expose himself to a greater risk of a youkai attack now, of all times? Especially since he just came over a couple of days ago to address his youkai problem?”

Marisa grinned. “Well, can you really blame him? I certainly can’t, ze. If I had to stay cooped up inside the Village all the time, I’d go crazy! The way I see things, he just wants to spread his wings a little and took on a temporary business venture to satisfy that. As long as he understands his limits, he’ll be completely fine!”

“Well, Marisa, I hope you’re right.” Looking outside the window, Reimu spoke. “Alright, I’ve changed my mind. We can have a quick danmaku match later. But just one round, okay?”

Their conversation was interrupted by the loud hissing of boiling water splashing outside the kettle and landing on the stovetop.

“Reimu! The tea!”

“Oh, shoot!”

Wads of paper lay scattered across the floor of my cell. The wastebasket next to my desk rested upon its side, now empty.

I sighed. This was all that remained as proof of my labor over the past two days. A first draft, a second, a third, and perhaps a dozen more had been laid to rest here. Gathering the papers up and compressing them into balls, I seated myself across the room and began tossing them into the now empty wastebasket, one after the other.

Damn that fox youkai! What good does it do being that picky?! That’s just not how I normally write, why doesn’t she understand?!

About halfway through my game, a cacophony of sounds rose from beyond the walls of my cell, breaking my focus and causing my next shot to bounce off the rim. Through the window, I could hear the throng of youkai and piece together the scraps of a dozen conversations, each drowned out by the next.

It’s getting pretty lively out there… it must be almost time. Nobody came to save me after all…

Just then, a wolf tengu walked up to my cell and made a sharp whistle.

“Oy, human! You’ve got a visitor. She called herself an acquaintance of yours. Also, clean that up.”

My ears perked up as I shifted my gaze over to the guard. An acquaintance? Is it you, Hakurei miko?!

I quickly rushed over to refill the wastebasket and focused on the figure beyond the doorway, squinting to get a better look. Just when I had reoriented the bin, the figure had emerged into full view, dashing my hopes as quickly as they had been raised.

Sure enough, there was a familiar face there to greet me, it was just one I wished I wouldn’t ever see again. That white shirt, that black skirt, that red tokin, those geta, a camera that hung from her neck, and her jet-black wings; every single aspect was the exact same as I remembered.

The guard gave a short bow and made his exit. Meanwhile, Aya raised a hand and waved at me. “Hey, handsome.”

“It’s you…,” I scowled and squeezed my palms. “Why have you come here? Did you come to mock me? You dare call yourself my acquaintance!?”

“Ayaya! So cold~” Aya took a step back. “That’s not what I’m here for. Take it easy, human!”

“Take it easy?!” I spoke in a slightly louder voice. “How can I possibly take it easy?! You’re one of the people responsible for my present situation! ‘Don’t resist and nothing bad will happen’, huh?! A fat lot of good doing that would’ve been for me, am I right?!”

“Human!” Aya declared, above the noise of my ranting. “I just wanted to talk. I understand why you hate me and I can’t blame you for that at all. That said, I still think you should hear me out.”

“Hmph!” I crossed my arms. “In that case, speak. Why did you come here?”

Aya got close to the bars of my cell and faced me directly. “Human… I want to apologize to you.”

That response caught me completely off guard. Baffled, I whispered back, “What?”

Aya’s expression softened. “Human, you may not believe me, but I’m serious. We tengu were only ordered to capture you alive. Nothing beyond that. I hadn’t imagined that the daitengu wasn’t planning on releasing you afterward, especially since drawing out someone from the Human Village and killing them is highly taboo.”

“Hah!” I glared back at the tengu. “What’s wrong? Did you come here seeking my forgiveness? Go ahead, feel sorry all you want. That doesn’t help me in the slightest.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Aya snapped back. “I took some time to think about what happened and thought the whole ordeal was a little unfair on your end, all things considered. So I went to all the time and effort to visit you. You should be grateful.”

“Grateful!” I nearly yelled. “If you want to apologize to me, the best thing you can do for me is to never show your ugly face to me again-”

Realization hit me like a punch in the gut as I recalled her previous words.

Wait… how does she know Megumu planned on killing me? Wasn’t that a secret?

Aya flashed a smile at me. “Ayaya, that’s not what you thought back when we first met each other. I’ll let you in on a little secret, handsome~ I’m even wearing that same bra you’re so fond of. Want another peek?”

“N- no thank you, I’m fine.” I paced back over to my chair and sat down, clutching my knees. Aya looked down at me all the while with that same smile, exuding an aura of smugness. “More importantly,” I spoke once more, looking back at her, “You just said that they plan to kill me, right?”

Aya nodded. “Yes, I know about that. I overheard Megumu talking about ‘reserving one extra room’ with some of the kappa organizers for their upcoming Makai trek. That, in conjunction with the fact that she was still keeping you here, made me realize what was going on. There’s no way a miser like Megumu is giving a human a free visit to Makai out of the kindness of her heart, either.”

I rested my face upon the palm of my hand. “Wait, but in that case, how’d you even know I was being held here? I don’t recall seeing you when I was taken back from her manor.”

“After you met with Megumu, she released a statement saying that she brought a human from the Human Village over to discuss a certain business prospect and that you’d been returned. A convenient little cover-up considering that she’s been visiting the Human Village these days with that fox servant of hers for ‘work reasons’, but I saw through that lie immediately. There’s no way she’d go to all that trouble just for one person unless they did something that forced her hand. Along with you telling Reimu to not worry about you, it wasn’t hard for me to piece together her true intentions. That said, I’m still not sure why she had us track you down in the first place. You must’ve done something awful to her back there.”

Clutching my forehead, I raised a hand and said, “Wait, wait, wait! Slow down! How’d you find out that I told the Hakurei miko to not come looking for me?”

Aya cozied up to the bars and gave me a quick wink. “A girl’s gotta have her secrets!”

I let out a groan and leaned back in my chair. “You read the letter I sent, didn’t you?”

“I read the letter you sent.” Aya quickly nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t think you’d be too hard-pressed over an ‘invasion of privacy’ or something like that, considering that fox youkai proofread everything you wrote down. Besides, I made sure that I was the one entrusted with delivering the letter, and since you’re a human, there was no fancy seal in the way to worry about. I just tore that envelope open, gave the letter a quick look, resealed it in one of the cheap envelopes I have at my house, and delivered it to Reimu’s place.”

“Alright, now hang on! How do you know it was Tsukasa who read over everything?!”

Aya dismissively waved her hand. “Oh, that one’s easy to explain. I overheard her voice yelling about something ‘not being convincing enough’. It was kind of hard to miss, really, especially when yesterday she started screaming about ‘trying to sneak a hidden message’, and the sound of someone getting beaten filled the whole building. That did sound pretty painful, by the way- are you alright after that?“

Yeah, that damn fox… she saw through everything I tried. No matter how small I made the hidden message or when I got clever by using the first letter of each sentence, she caught all of it. In the end, I couldn’t tell the Hakurei miko anything. Reaching up to where she had hit me to check how sore my back was, I had a sudden epiphany.

Where did she hit me?

Going across my back multiple times to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, I brought my hands forward and stared at them.

There’s no doubt about it. I’m not sore anywhere. How did that happen?

To confirm my findings, I flipped around my arm to check the area where the bruise I received from that blue-haired girl several days ago had been. Sure enough, the tone of my skin was completely undisturbed; there was no sign of the blemish anywhere.

Come to think of it, all the injuries I received from my fight with Momiji and the others are gone too. So’s the place where Megumu struck me. Did they apply some kind of healing magic through the food I ate while I was in here? If nothing else, that’s nice of them.

“Is something wrong?” Aya interrupted, peering at me curiously.

Still gazing at my arm, I spoke back, “Oh, I’m completely fine. Physically, at least.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear.”

We spent several moments in complete silence, unsure of what to say. Aya simply stared at the ground in front of my cell.

After a while, I decided to pop the question. “So, if you’re so sorry for me, why don’t you break me out of here, huh? Or at the least, can’t you convince Megumu to let me free? I’m not even a threat to her! I’ll take whatever vow she demands from me, just change her mind!”

Aya shook her head in response. “No can do, I’m afraid. Whenever Megumu gets her heart set on something, she’ll go to the ends of the earth to see it through. Don’t get me wrong; I could just get Reimu to break you out and I couldn’t care less if Megumu went under, but if word of us luring humans from the Human Village and killing them got out, our reputation would plummet and we’d end up with a lot more enemies. In the worst-case scenario, we could end up in an all-out war.”

I grimaced. “Ah.”

“Yep, this is a fine little pickle you’ve gotten yourself into. Not much I can do for you that wouldn’t put us all in jeopardy. Besides, Megumu probably wouldn’t even pay attention to someone like me in general.” Aya whipped out a notebook and a pen. “So, is there anything you’d like to get off your chest?”

“What?”

Aya shrugged. “Human, like I said earlier, I’m here to apologize. Considering my active contribution to the situation you’re in right now, this is the least I can do for you. Anything you want to say to me or anyone else before you leave?”

“I-” I held my hands behind my back and faced the window. Dwelling upon the past for a moment, I spoke.

“I don’t actually think your face is ugly.”

I could hear Aya giggling as she scribbled down my words. Smiling to myself, I continued. “Also, I hate everyone with blue hair. Except Keine. If you see her, tell her I said ‘Thanks for everything’.”

Aya was fully laughing now. “Thanks… for… everything. For Keine… Kamishirasawa I assume? Yeah, I know her. I’ll let her know.”

I turned back to face Aya. “That’s all I want to say. Deliver that same message to the Hakurei miko while you’re at it.”

“Will do.” Aya tucked away her notebook. As I observed her nonchalant expression, the full weight of the situation came crashing down on me again. Aya noticed my face and gave me a sad look, just like the one she had given me that day at Genbu Ravine. In a softer voice now, she spoke. “Well, handsome, look on the bright side. Makai’s a very beautiful place. Hardly any humans get to see it for themselves. You should make use of your time there as best you can.”

Just then, the tengu guard walked back into the room. In a stern voice, he called out, “Miss… Shameimaru? I’m sorry about this, but we’re going to ask you to leave.”

“What?” Aya said, surprised. “That can’t be right! I was only here for a little while, I should have around five minutes left!”

“While that would be true in normal circumstances, the daitengu has arrived for him. She says it’s urgent.”

Aya looked down and rested her head on the bars of my cell. “I guess this is goodbye, then. Take care of yourself, alright?”

The guard came over and grabbed ahold of her arm. “Miss Shameimaru, you need to get going. I will escort you out.”

As he stood next to my cell, an object inside his pocket reflected the sunlight from my cell window, which caught my eye.

The keys!

Quick as lightning, I stretched out my arm and grazed over the keys, whisking them away. The guard didn’t notice anything, but Aya looked back at me with an eyebrow raised. As the guard took her away, she made eye contact with me and shook her head before vanishing from view.

Immediately, I ran over to the cell door and began to fiddle around with the keys, one after the other. Nothing seemed to fit perfectly- several near matches, but nothing slid inside completely smoothly.

Damn it, which one is it?

The sound of footsteps reached me once more. Cursing, I put the keys away and stepped back.

This time, Megumu, Tsukasa, and the same guard from earlier entered the room. Tsukasa was holding a cup of water, while Megumu had her arms crossed and looked over at me with a serious expression.

“Alright, human, it’s time.” Megumu faced the guard. “If you’d do the honors, sir?”

“Of course.” Walking over to me, the tengu fished around in his pockets. “Let’s see… hm?”

While he was checking again to make sure, Megumu frowned and began tapping her foot on the ground. “Come on, what’s the holdup? We don’t have all day.”

The guard turned back around and exclaimed, “The keys! They’re gone!”

“They’re what?!” Megumu’s expression shifted to anger. “Go find them! Where the hell did you put them last?”

“I- I’m sorry, I swear I had them right here-”

Tsukasa stepped forward and pushed him backward. “Don’t you have spare keys for this kind of situation? Find them!”

“Get your hands off me! No, we don’t have spare keys because we hardly ever use the cells in here anyways, so we’ve never needed them-”

“You idiot! Go find the keys right now!”

As the two of them argued, both of them pressed against the bars of my cell. When they did so, I noticed something poking out of Tsukasa’s pocket, just barely exposed to the outside air.

Another test tube?

An idea came to me. This must be more of that magic smoke she used to get me to stop fighting. If I can steal that now and use it on them, I might just be able to get out of here!

Quick as a flash, I laid a finger upon the test tube, sending it straight into my pocket dimension. At this point, several other tengu guards had come inside and were trying to break the fight up. Megumu had come up and begun to rattle the door of my cell herself. In a stern voice, she asked, “What’s up with this door? Why is it so sturdy?”

One of the guards spoke back gently. “Lady Megumu, these cells were made to contain tengu. Breaking it open with brute force would be no easy feat, even for you.”

Whirling around, Megumu spat, “Go find the keys then!”

This is my chance! I’ll never get an opportunity like this again!

Amidst the commotion, I reached a hand behind me into my pocket dimension and pulled out the tube as subtly as I could. Smiling to myself, I began to fiddle around with the vial’s stopper to loosen it a little, but to my surprise, I couldn’t get it to budge a millimeter.

Wait, what’s going on here?

I slowly turned around as best I could to avoid suspicion, but as soon as I had made the full turn and hunched over to see what the problem was, Tsukasa spoke out.

“Hey, human. What’s that you’ve got over there?”

Everyone else had fallen completely silent. I could feel several pairs of eyes boring a hole into my back. I paused my assessment of the tube in my hand by sending it back into my pocket dimension and turning around again, but it wasn’t enough to avert her suspicion.

“Human, if you think feigning ignorance is going to help you at all, you’re sorely mistaken. You couldn’t have made that more obvious if you tried.” Tsukasa gave me a stony countenance as she leaned forward. “Don’t tell me you took the keys thinking you’d be able to break out.”

The guard looked at Tsukasa in surprise. “You might be onto something there.”

Tsukasa snickered. “Of course I am! This guy’s stupid enough to try something like that. As for you, guard, you should be more careful with your personal belongings!” With a pompous air, she brought a hand to her now-empty pocket to pat it.

Uh oh.

Tsukasa’s face suddenly went pale. Making sure she hadn’t overlooked anything, she brought her face close to my cell and gritted her teeth.

“Human, I know what you were hiding behind your back now. Return it to me right this instant, and maybe I won’t beat you to a pulp.”

Well, the jig’s up. I have to act now, or I’ll never get my chance.

“Tsukasa? What’s this about?” Megumu looked on with an irritated expression. “What’s going on here? Don’t tell me this human managed to steal something from you, too-”

I reached a hand into my pocket dimension and whipped out the tube once again. Everyone present gave me a different reaction- Megumu blanched, Tsukasa’s face flushed a bright red in fury, and the guards merely returned stares of confusion.

“So this is magic smoke, huh? Gets people to lose their will to fight and whatnot.” I wiggled the test tube between my index and middle fingers, just out of reach from the fox youkai, who was now pressing her face hard against the cell bars. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if I were to, say, empty the whole thing out right here and now?”

“Human, don’t you dare! You have no idea what that is!” Tsukasa shouted at the top of her lungs as she gripped the bars of the cell, violently throttling them. In the meantime, Megumu was completely boiling over. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, we don’t have time for this nonsense! You there, guard! Get an oni!”

“An oni?!” He took a step back. “Surely there’s another way to handle this, you can’t be serious-”

“Does it look like I’m not serious?!” Megumu grabbed the guard and shook him violently. “Whatever the damage is, I’ll cover it, now get to it!”

Terrified, the guard bolted out of the room as Megumu watched him exit.

For the second time, I gripped the stopper and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. Gripping the base with all my might and forcing open the stopper with my free hand didn’t change the result. Tsukasa simply stared in horror.

In my struggle, my hand slipped off and the stopper rapidly spun around in place. Amazed, I released the tube again and brought it to the light of my window, where I could clearly see an intricate mechanism set in place preventing me from releasing the contents within. The area in the middle of the stopper could be pushed in at varying levels of height and twisted in either direction and at the very center there appeared to be a very small hole.

That wasn’t the case with the one Tsukasa had when she used that smoke on me! Is there something different inside this one?

Amidst the chaos, I could hear a pair of footsteps rapidly approaching my location. The guard from earlier reemerged from the doorway, alongside an oni who was so large he could barely even fit through the doorway.

Let’s see, judging from the pattern I first push it in until it makes four clicks, and maybe if I twist it clockwise about 90 degrees and pull- nope. How about I push it in until it makes five clicks and twist it counterclockwise 270 degrees and pull- also nope. Oh, who the hell puts a password on a test tube?!

The guard gave a salute. “Lady Megumu, I’m back!”

Megumu quickly sized up the oni who stood before me. “Yes, this is good! Oni, get that cell open if you would be so kind.”

I gawked as the oni grabbed the bars of the door and tore the whole thing off its hinges, throwing it aside with a deafening clatter. Tsukasa snuck ahead of him and ran inside my cell, her hands outstretched.

“Human! Don’t-”

“Here’s your precious smoke back, bitch!”

Yelling, I flung the vial onto the ground in front of Tsukasa as hard as I possibly could. Instead of shattering on the ground as I’d hoped, it bounced into the air while rapidly spinning around shortly before clattering back down and rolling to a stop at her feet.

Without making a sound, Tsukasa bent down and gingerly picked up the test tube, bringing it up to the light to investigate. Several cracks had formed along the length of the tube, but otherwise, it was still sealed. Turning back to Megumu, Tsukasa said in a sickly sweet voice, “My lady, this belongs to you.”

Megumu snatched the vial up angrily. “Tsukasa, we’ll need to discuss your negligence later. How could you let something like that happen?!”

“My apologies, lady Megumu. I will accept any punishment you see fit. But for now…”

Tsukasa stared at the cup of water in her hand. She lifted it to her lips and drank it all at once, shaking it to make sure she’d emptied the whole thing. She then gently handed the cup back over to Megumu, who nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, Tsukasa dashed over to me and gripped my neck with both of her hands, pressing her thumbs hard into my throat. I scrambled to get her to release me, but she wouldn’t relent. As Tsukasa was choking me out, she brought her head close and hissed, “Man, you really are a pain in the ass, aren’t you? I’ll admit, you gave me a bit of a scare there. Luckily, you’re too stupid to figure out the stopper for that tube. We were planning on making this next part painless as a gesture of kindness, but we’re way past that point now.”

I released my grip on her arms as I wasn’t making any progress. As I wheezed and gasped, I shot my arms out to grab her neck and through my hazy vision, I could see Tsukasa smirking. Using all the strength I could muster, I squeezed as tightly as I could, enough for me to visibly see the veins standing out from my skin. Several seconds later, her eyes began to bulge and she gagged out in surprise. Immediately, she let go of my neck to tear my arms away. Amidst the struggle, I could see the indentations my thumbs had made digging into her throat.

Now’s my chance!

Pulling my head back, I swung forward to deliver the hardest headbutt I possibly could. Tsukasa cried out as she released me entirely, and as she fell backward gripping her forehead, I approached to deal another blow to her. However, my efforts were stifled when she delivered a mighty punch to my face, knocking me down to the floor. The back of my head landed first, hard enough to temporarily disorient me. Tsukasa followed up by firing a single danmaku bullet at my chest, causing me to scream out. She landed a second punch to my liver for good measure, which got me to retch.

“...You shithead,” Tsukasa grunted. “I didn’t believe you were strong enough to force me to stop. I’ll admit, I saw you failing to break my grip and assumed that you would be completely helpless to stop me at all. I see how you managed to injure the wolf tengu captain now; they weren’t expecting that much power from a human and got a little careless.”

“Tsukasa, what the hell was that?! Stop making excuses! Deal with him this instant!” Megumu practically screamed through the ruined bars of the cell.

Tsukasa sighed and squeezed my neck a second time, planting her knees on my arms to keep me from stopping her. My brain screamed for oxygen and I struggled as much as possible, but she wouldn’t relent. It wasn’t until everything began to fade that she released my neck for several seconds to allow me to catch my breath. As I gasped for air, Tsukasa quickly took out something and forced it into my mouth, and in my haste, I practically inhaled it whole.

I started wheezing as Tsukasa stood up and stepped back. In an attempt to stop whatever it was she just gave me, I clutched at my neck, but it was already too late. As I looked back up at her, she had adopted a completely stoic expression. Glancing over to the side, Megumu was livid. The others simply stared at us in awe.

Tsukasa slowly stepped through the hole in my cell and dusted herself off. Facing everyone else, she said, “And that’s that. I’ll be waiting outside to see you off, lady Megumu.”

As she was leaving, Megumu grabbed her shoulder. “Tsukasa,” Megumu spoke quietly. “First, the wolf tengu, and now you? You’re the one I’ve entrusted to handle things in my absence and you’re making us look like fools, having to struggle against someone like this! Do you know what would happen to our reputation if this became a routine occurrence?! How do you expect anyone to respect you?!”

Megumu released her grip on Tsukasa, causing her to stumble forward. “I will think of a suitable punishment for you upon my return. Don’t think I’ll forget about this.”

Tsukasa turned around and gave a short bow. “I would not dream of it, my lady. My sincere apologies. I’ll be off. Sir oni, your assistance was greatly appreciated. Now, if you would please follow me-”

The two of them left my sight. As for me, I had slumped over with my head resting sideways on the floor and was unable to push myself back on my feet.

What’s happening? This isn’t like last time. What did she just give me?

Megumu gestured towards the cell’s new entryway. “Guards, if you would, please.”

One of them pointed at my body. “But- the keys-”

“Forget the keys, you can worry about that later! Get to it!”

Two of them stepped inside, one grabbing my arms and one my legs. The pair hoisted me up and carried me out, and upon reaching the hallways, I became drowsy.

They’re… putting me to sleep this time? Why didn’t they just use the magic smoke like last time? Were they out?

I squinted, barely able to make out Megumu, who was looking from above me and waving. As my vision faded to black, I heard her speak, “Sweet dreams, human. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

Please… I don’t want to die…

The last thing I remember before I lost consciousness was Megumu muttering to herself, “What an asshole, tacking on an added expense like that. I wish she’d used the nightmare version.”

Chapter Text

“Lady Shinki!” Yumeko called out as she rapped her knuckles gently on the door to Shinki’s bedchamber. “Lady Shinki? The meeting hall has been fully prepared. Our guests will enter Makai any minute now, and your meeting with Miss Megumu will take place not long after. May I ask if you’re ready?”

“My dear Yumeko…”, came a muffled voice from the other side of the door. “I’m almost done. Just give me a little time.”

“Ah- but, Lady Shinki, we haven’t got much time left!” Yumeko spoke nervously. In her free hand, she clutched the edge of the silver platter she had used to prepare the hall with decorations. “We mustn’t keep our guests waiting!”

“Yumeko,” the same voice said, this time in a more assertive tone. “Enter, if you would please.”

“But-” Yumeko began to speak but relented. Tucking away her platter, Yumeko brought her hand to the doorknob and twisted it open.

Yumeko was unprepared for what lay inside. As she peered through the doorway, her eyes widened in shock.

Shinki’s bedroom was a mess. Many of her dresses, both clean and dirty, lay strewn across the carpeted floor in heaps. Along the bed lay a tangled mess of bedsheets and blankets. The diamond-patterned quilt that Shinki was so fond of had been tossed to the wayside, just barely hanging on for dear life. The pillows themselves had been scattered far and wide throughout the room. On the opposite side of the room, Shinki was seated in a chair and staring outside the window, contemplating something as she rolled an empty wine glass through her fingers.

“Lady Shinki!” Yumeko yelled as she dropped her platter. “What is the meaning of this?!”

“Augh, so loud!” Shinki shot Yumeko an annoyed look. “Keep it down, would you?”

Yumeko stiffened and gave a short bow in return. “I- Ah-” “Forgive me. I overstepped.”

“Hm.” Shinki faced back towards the window, placing her glass to rest on a nearby dresser. “My dear Yumeko, I’m currently facing a dilemma. Could you come here, please?”

Yumeko slowly made her way across the room, taking care to not trample on any of Shinki’s dresses. “Of course, my lady.”

“Very good. Now look here.”

As Yumeko drew close, she caught a strong whiff of alcohol.

Lady Shinki… what’s going on? This isn’t like you!

Shinki brought both her hands out and opened them, revealing their contents to Yumeko. On her left lay a pendant with a sapphire with a bright yellow gleam, and the other contained a necklace with an emerald with a sharp green hue.

“I’m unable to decide between these two. Which one do you think would look better on me, you think?”

Yumeko blinked. “Ah…” Quickly flipping her sight between the jewelry and Shinki’s dress, Yumeko arrived at a conclusion.

“Let’s go with the ye-”

Shinki’s shoulders sagged a tiny amount. An almost imperceptible motion, but Yumeko noticed it from the corner of her eyes and cleared her throat.

“Uh- on second thought, let’s go with the green. It compliments your dress nicely.”

Shinki closed her palms and gave Yumeko a warm smile. “Thank you, my dear Yumeko.” Getting out of her chair, Shinki walked over to the large mirror in the corner of her bedroom. Yumeko winced as she watched Shinki step on the dresses strewn across the floor without making any effort to avoid them.

Returning the pendant to the jewelry box and clicking the necklace into place, Shinki admired herself in the mirror for several seconds before turning back towards Yumeko. “And with this, I’m ready. Shall we be off?”

Yumeko gave another bow. “Of course, Lady Shinki.” As Shinki exited, Yumeko swept up the platter she had dropped and tucked it under her arm. Giving the room around her one last glance, Yumeko slipped outside and gently shut the door behind her.

The two of them walked down the empty hallway, their footsteps echoing through the halls. Yumeko found herself lost in thought, her mind racing as to what Shinki’s behavior could mean. As she pondered her inner musings, Shinki took the lead, and Yumeko simply followed from behind.

What was that all about? It’s above my station, perhaps, but I have the lady’s best interests in mind. I need to know. I *must* know.

Burning with curiosity until she could hold it in no longer, Yumeko decided to break the silence. “Forgive me for asking, my lady, but may I ask if you’re doing well? I’ve never seen your bedroom in such a state.”

“My dear Yumeko, you should worry about me less. I’m doing just fine. I got a little, ah, indecisive with what I should wear. That’s all there is to it.”

Yumeko shook her head. “Are you certain, my lady? I can’t help but notice that you tend to get nervous every time our guests arrive. It’s been this way for the past several years now, but it’s never been like this. If necessary, we can inform Miss Megumu that we can no longer accommodate her tours and to call off her plans. She would no doubt be disappointed, but I’m sure she’d understand-”

“Yumeko.” Shinki abruptly stopped walking in the middle of the hallway. Yumeko followed suit.

“Y- yes, my lady?”

“I’m telling you, I’m fine. Besides, we can’t just ‘call off her plans’. I have a contract with her, and it won’t expire for another two years.”

Yumeko dropped her gaze towards the ground. “S- surely something can be worked out, then-”

Shinki gave a loud sigh, cutting her off. “You still don’t get it, my dear Yumeko. I don’t want to call it off.”

“But- but why?” Yumeko asked in a low voice. “Whenever this happens, your mental health seems to suffer. You’ve been drinking more, too. That mess in the bedroom isn’t a typical occurrence either. And every time our guests arrive and Miss Megumu shows up, you always end up accepting a slightly lower share of the profit than the time before-”

“Yumeko,” Shinki spoke again, this time in a stern voice. “That is enough. The agreement between me and Megumu is not your concern.”

“Ah!” Yumeko stepped back and bowed. “Forgive your humble servant, my lady. I was presumptuous. I was being rash- I apologize.”

“Hmph,” Shinki said, crossing her arms. “You’re forgiven. Rest assured, when I want your counsel on any decision regarding my business with the tengu, I will specifically request it from you.”

“O- of course, my lady.”

The pair walked the rest of the way to the meeting hall in silence.

Once they arrived, Shinki scanned the room, which was completely pristine. Satisfied, Shinki smiled and nodded. “Excellent work, Yumeko. This will do nicely.”

Just then, Shinki faced across the room and closed her eyes. “It’s time. Yumeko, if you would, please-”

Yumeko gave Shinki another nod and wordlessly left the room. Behind her, Shinki uttered a single word that seemed to reverberate through the entire building.

“Enter.”

Yumeko closed the door behind her and returned the way she came, alone.

Now to make myself busy for the next couple of hours as my lady has her meeting with Megumu… I’ll start with her bedchamber. That’s an obvious one.

Yumeko turned around and gave one last look behind her.

My lady… what is it that troubles you so? If only you would tell me what was on your mind, then I could be of greater assistance to you. Nothing would bring me more joy. I know you dislike it whenever I worry about you, but I can’t help it. If you insist on continuing, please take better care of yourself in the future, alright?

The sky, marked with a brilliant hue of blue. The comforting, yet not overbearing warmth of the sun. And before me, a sea of flowers that stretched as far as the eye could see. A gentle breeze sweeping past me, with the flowers slowly arching over to accommodate it.

And I flew above it all.

I was a butterfly. I could feel the flap of my wings, which were adorned in a dazzling shade of gold. With my antennae, I could sense even the gentlest of movements in the flowers below. I was one with the field, and it was one with me.

There was nothing to do, but for the first time in a very long time, I felt that there was nothing I needed to do. I felt as though there was no greater joy than this.

And so I aimlessly wandered on, the songless wanderer, as lonely as a cloud.

I felt fragile. But I was at peace.

As I flew, however, something caught my attention. Beneath me, a flower stood out from its neighbors.

It stood tall and proudly wore a dark shade of red. Its texture was pristine, as though it were made of the finest velvet.

But it was misshapen. Imperfect. Its petals lacked the symmetry I’d come to appreciate, with its lower end bent out of place.

That’s strange. What’s up with this one?

I flew down and took a closer look.

The proportions of the petals were uneven. Nearly warped. The stem was crooked and the flower drooped down, though it was just barely noticeable.

Every other flower in this field has been flawless. Why are you different?

Suddenly, the flower began to contort before my very eyes. In horror, I watched as it erratically twisted around and rapidly decayed until it had completely withered away.

What?!

I flew back up as far as I could but bore witness to a terrible sight. In the corners of my vision, I caught movement in the field.

At first, it was one flower that began to shift around like the one from earlier. Then two more on the opposite side. Then five more, until the entire field of flowers had begun to move.

This wasn’t the wind. Every last flower had bent itself out of place in a unique direction, each one becoming more deformed.

What’s happening?!

I watched as the entire field of flowers blackened and practically melted before my very eyes. My heart sank as I saw the once beautiful landscape decay into an empty wasteland. The very sight made me feel sick to my stomach.

Suddenly, I noticed the field fading altogether. As I brought my eyes up, I saw the sun itself losing its light and going dim, the skies above me losing their lovely blue. The sun grew more faint until its light had been snuffed out and the world turned pitch black, plunging me and the field into an abyss.

And somehow, the sun grew darker still, a deeper blackness than I thought possible. I watched as the horrible pit in the sky grew in size, swallowing the space around it, until it covered every corner of the world. Powerless to do anything, I simply looked on until I was consumed by the void.

…

Within that darkness, a gentle tug at the back of my mind pulled me free.

I opened my eyes. I was in a futon, soaked in my sweat. Above me was a ceiling I’d never seen before.

The void was gone. But the pit inside my stomach was still there. On top of that, I had a throbbing headache that seemed to reverberate throughout my skull in sync with my pounding heartbeat.

What a terrible dream! Why would I dream of something like that?

The last thing I wanted to do was move, so I simply lay there and stared, trying to remember everything that had happened to me.

That’s right, we were about to leave and I was put to sleep. Does that mean I’m in Makai? And on that note, what time is it? How long have I been asleep?

Examining my surroundings, I saw all the typical amenities one would find in a hotel room, minus the electronics. Beyond that, a lamp was tucked in the corner and set to its lowest setting, filling the room with a dim glow. At my side, curtains stretched across the entire length of the wall. The floor was hardwood, polished to perfection.

I wouldn’t mind staying in a place like this for a while. Those kappa sure know their stuff, huh?

I stretched out and tried to relax as much as possible until my headache became somewhat bearable again. Reluctantly, I crawled out of the futon and stood myself up. The laminated wood floor creaked as I placed my full weight upon it, but I paid it no mind. Rubbing my eyes, I made my way over to the blinds close to my futon and gently slid them open.

Before me lay a wondrous sight. A multitude of lights of different sizes and colors struck my eyes through the pane of the window, dotting the horizon as far as the eye could see. Auroras streamed through the air in an almost serpentine fashion. And through it all, a thin, wispy purple mist encircled everything. It was as though someone had captured the most beautiful aspects of the earthen sky and distant space, and combined them into a singular, vast panorama.

Starstruck, I took several steps back just marveling at the view. The light from the electric lamp seemed harsh, oppressive even in contrast to the masterpiece that lay beyond my window. To even compare the two seemed almost an insult.

What a magnificent view. Aya wasn’t lying!

Returning to the window, I pressed my face against the glass pane and scanned the edges of my view. Above me, a multitude of constellations danced through the sky. Below, the ground was mostly obscured by darkness, but certain areas were etched with light, constructing an almost grid-like pattern scattered beneath me. Upon closer inspection, all of these lights were moving in the same direction, albeit at different speeds.

“So we’re moving, huh?” I said aloud to no one in particular.

Once I had my fill of the scenery, I stepped away and shut the blinds, taking one last look before covering them completely. Turning around back inside, I investigated my room more thoroughly.

When I opened my dresser, I came across a welcome sight- all the clothes I had been wearing on the day of my capture, all in pristine condition, lay inside.

Megumu probably figured that if the Hakurei miko found my corpse wearing something like a tengu outfit, it’d raise a few eyebrows. She probably plans to force me to wear this to avert suspicion. That’s pretty clever of her.

I grabbed everything from the drawer and got myself dressed.

Honestly, she doesn’t even need to force me.

…

Sometime around twenty minutes later, I found myself pacing back and forth contemplating my next move.

So… what do I do? Should I wait around until Megumu sends someone over to fetch me?

I shook my head.

Yeah, right. Like hell I’m going to let that happen.

I walked up to the front door and gave the knob a jiggle. Locked from the outside, of course, but as I observed it more closely, a smile began to spread across my face. This was a mechanical lock- no signs of magic were present anywhere.

An idea sprung to my head. I rushed to the bathroom and flung open the cabinet doors, and sure enough, a small pack of bobby pins sat front and center on one of the shelves ready for the taking. Excitedly, I snatched them out and immediately returned to the doorway. After pressing my ear against the door to ensure nobody was outside, I pulled out the pins and got to work.

Alright! Megumu, you’re going to regret underestimating me!

After several minutes of jostling the pins around, I heard a beautiful click sound as the door before me fell open. Sending the pins into my pocket dimension, I opened the door by a sliver and peered outside.

In front of me lay a narrow hallway covered in carpet. Several electric lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating the passageway in a hazy glow. Across from me stood a pair of doors marked with the numbers 452 and 450.

So it is like a hotel!

The hallway was dead quiet outside of the low hum of the lights, so once I had made certain no one else was around, I poked my head out entirely. A staircase leading downwards was situated at the end of the left side of the hall, which was fairly close by. On my right, another staircase much further away than me leads upwards. More doors lined both sides of the hallway, all numbered similarly.

Alright, how am I going to do this? I guess the best thing for me to do now is find somewhere inconspicuous to hide until the tour ends and we land back in Gensokyo. Luckily, there don’t seem to be many youkai around.

Bringing my hand up to scratch my chin, I stared back down the hallway. Curiously, over half of the doors were hanging open.

I have no idea how long it’s been since the trip started, so I’m not sure how much longer it’ll take for me to get back. My best bet for figuring that out is probably on the bridge. They might have the travel plans lying around somewhere, so I should make my way to the upper decks. Which means I should go right.

I crept outside and closed the door behind me as softly as I could. Setting my sights on the staircase in front of me, I slowly meandered through the hallway, routinely checking around me to make sure I still hadn’t been seen by anyone. Thankfully, the carpet muffled the sound of my footfalls.

As I made my way down the hall, I looked into some of the open doors and noticed something strange.

Every single room, as far as I could tell, was empty. All of them had a layout identical to mine, but most contained unpacked luggage of some kind. Many of the rooms were messy, with a great deal of things strewn about the floor. Several rooms had claw marks etched into the walls and floor, and a couple even had burn marks. The very sight caused me to shudder.

What on Earth happened while I was asleep? Where is everyone?

As I reached the end of the hallway, the sound of footsteps coming from above alerted me. As quickly as I could, I dashed back down the hallway and frantically scanned both sides to find the nearest open room.

Room 409?! That’s too far away, I’m not gonna make it!

Just as I approached the room, I heard a distant voice say “Hm?”

I bolted inside and hid myself around the wall, giving me time to catch my breath. Unfortunately, there had been no time to shut the door, which whoever it was would have no doubt noticed anyway.

After the longest ten seconds of my life, I heard a voice coming from the hallway.

“I know you’re there, you know. Come out.”

My heart sank. Bracing myself, I took a deep breath and stepped out into the light.

Before me stood a kappa, about a head shorter than me. The blue uniform, the green hat that sloshed around with water, the boots, it all fit the description Keine had given me. The only thing that was missing was the backpack, which this kappa lacked. In his right hand, the kappa was gripping a wrench so tightly his knuckles had gone white.

The kappa tilted his head and brought a finger to his lips. “Who are you?”

Oh thank goodness, it’s just a kappa. I got myself worried for no reason. Maybe he can help me!

“Hello.” I brought a hand up and quickly waved. “I’m not supposed to be here. Do you think there’s any way you can help me leave-”

“A human… I’ve never seen you before. Humans shouldn’t be here.” The kappa stared with an empty gaze, as though he was focusing incredibly hard on something behind me.

“Uh, that’s right. I shouldn’t be here. Can you tell me how long it’ll be until-”

“Are you one of us?”

That question had caught me completely off guard. In an incredulous tone, I asked, “What?” The kappa had no response for me, instead opting to take a step closer.

Taking a second look at him, something about his body was amiss. His left eye sat slightly lower on his face than his right, his gaze clouded by a haunting depth that threatened to suck me in whole. The skin on his face and arms wore a pallid tone of gray and sagged in places, as though the bones that lay beneath clung onto it for dear life. His yellowed fingernails extended an inch further than normal, almost long enough to be considered claws.

“No, it would appear you’re not.” The kappa uttered in a melancholic voice. “How terribly disappointing. In your current state, you are unenlightened.”

Thoroughly disturbed now, I stepped back. “Excuse me, what are you talking about?”

The kappa placed both his hands behind his back, still holding onto the wrench. “As you are now, you scurry about in the darkness, unaware that the road you take is that of your destruction. But you need not worry. You can have your eyes opened to the truth, that you may see the path to salvation as clearly as you can see me now.”

Irritated, I spoke loudly, “You’re not making sense. Just tell me what I want to know!”

The kappa, unfazed by my annoyance, returned a faint grin. “Oh? But why should I tell you what you want to hear when I could instead tell you what you need to hear? Surely that would be a disservice on my part.”

Just when I was about to shout at him, I recalled another tidbit of information Keine had told me.

Oh, that’s right! Kappa are aquatic youkai and depend on the water inside their hats to move about on land. Keine told me that if I were to ever get myself in trouble with a kappa, I could just bow to them. They’d return the bow and spill the water out!

“Hmm… as appealing as what you’re saying sounds, I’ll have to disagree there. I’d rather just know how I can get back to the Human Village. I’m sorry.” I took an exaggerated bow, one that would be impossible to mistake for anything else.

The kappa stiffened in place. Slowly but surely, he bent over until he had reached a full bow before returning to a full standing position, maintaining eye contact the whole time. The water inside his hat sloshed back and forth, but his hat hadn’t moved an inch.

What? Why didn’t his hat fall off?

At that moment, I noticed something just barely peeking through the wisps of his hair. Two metal tags latched themselves along both sides of his hat and buried themselves into a series of scars that lined his head, vanishing somewhere inside his temples.

The kappa noticed my apprehension and shot me a grin, as though he were proud of himself. “Do you see it, human?”

I merely watched on in stunned silence. The kappa took another step towards me, putting us close enough that the kappa had to tilt his head slightly upwards to maintain eye contact.

“You attempted to exploit a weakness that we kappa have suffered from for a very long time. But thanks to her generosity, we have been made anew, our bodily weaknesses removed. Out of the kindness of her heart, we have been given bodies that are better suited to serve her purposes.” The kappa stretched out a hand towards me. “What say you, human? Will you join us?”

“What the hell happened to you?!” I asked, horrified.

“Tsk!” The kappa frowned at me. “Are you truly so blind as to not see the value in my offer? You can be given a new life. An infinitely better life than the one you have now. She can take your broken, corrupted body, and remake you in her perfect image as she has for us!”

I balled my hands up into fists. “She?!”

“One greater than either you or I, who has set forth before us a path to guide us to everlasting glory. If you were to receive her blessing, you too would be able to see it for yourself.”

I glared back at him. “I’m not interested.”

The kappa rapidly blinked, as though he couldn’t comprehend what I had just said. Several seconds later, he stared directly into my eyes and spoke. “How unfortunate. Those who cannot see the truth are not worthy of it!”

Before I could respond, the kappa lunged towards me and extended an arm directly at my neck. My left hand flew up to catch it just in time, stopping him from tearing out my throat completely.

It all happened so quickly. I could feel the force of the wind his thrust had made on my neck, and when I looked down to see what had happened, I could barely even make out the base of his nails.

The kappa gave me no time to rest as he swiped my head with his wrench using his free hand, which I just barely ducked beneath. While he was out of position to make an effective follow-up, I curled my right hand into a fist and punched him in the ribs as hard as I could. As he hunched over, I brought my right hand up, tore the wrench from his hands, and kicked him in the chest hard enough to send him flying backward several feet, where he landed on his back. Gripping my new weapon tightly with both hands, I steeled myself and watched as he jumped back to his feet without spilling a drop of water from his hat. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem too fazed by the attacks I had just landed.

The kappa crossed his arms and frowned at me. His arms began to emit a light blue glow that almost seemed to ripple throughout the rest of his body.

“To think you would be able to avoid that. How… irritating.”

The kappa closed his eyes and focused. As he did so, I could feel some kind of disturbance in the air around me.

This is just like that wolf tengu! Is he about to use magic?!

The kappa suddenly reopened his eyes and extended his arms towards me.

“Die!"

From his hands, a volley of thin blue bullets emerged, spread out like a wave of water that encompassed the entire width of the hallway.

Did he just tell me to die?! Isn’t danmaku supposed to be nonlethal?! What’s wrong with this guy?!

Luckily, the corridor we were in prevented him from creating anything too imposing, so I could still see clear gaps between his bullets. Left, right, left, right, duck beneath- weaving through everything wasn’t too difficult on its own, but it was tiring me out rather quickly.

This isn’t nearly as impressive as what the wolf tengu could conjure, at least. But how am I supposed to fight back against this?

My thoughts were interrupted when I looked back down the hallway. The next wave of bullets had been pointed slightly off-center from the rest of the pattern, and my last dodge had put me in a bullet’s direct line of fire. The kappa shot me a grin, knowing full well that I’d fallen for his trap.

There was no time to dodge, so I did the only thing I could think of. Gripping the wrench, I whipped it around as hard as I could at the bullet, causing it to ricochet back down the hallway from whence it came.

The kappa twisted his head backward as he watched the bullet whiz past him until it dissipated on the surface of the staircase.

Visibly annoyed now, the kappa faced me again and clicked his tongue “Tch!” He’d stopped firing his volley of bullets, but the aura surrounding his arms didn’t disappear.

What’s his plan now? What’s he going to do?

With a sudden roar, he flung his arm upwards, launching a much larger bullet that covered most of the hallway. My eyes widened as I saw it rushing straight towards me.

There’s no way the wrench is going to protect me against this!

I shut my eyes as tightly as possible and in a desperate bid for self-preservation, I brought my hands forward to block it.

The bullet struck my hands with a flash of light so bright it pierced my eyelids until all I could see was a void of white. The force of the impact pushed me backward, but I leaned forward and pushed back out of complete desperation.

Maybe, just maybe, I can push this away from me-

I managed to hold the bullet in place, but my hands burned. My palms, hands, and forearms felt as though they had been set aflame as bolts of energy surged throughout the rest of my body. My muscles strained against the onslaught as my arms began to shake, threatening to give way against the sheer force of the bullet.

I- I can’t bear it for much longer…

I screamed and gave one last push, certain that it would be my last.

…

And then, it was all over.

I fell forward onto the carpeted ground, exhausted. The noise, the light- all of it was gone. In a haze, I pushed myself back up and looked around.

When my vision returned to me, I observed my surroundings. The hallway in front of me had been torn up by the bullet’s path, the carpet and walls singed by the heat. All the electric lights from the ceiling had been destroyed in its wake, showering the way forward with shrapnel. And at the end of the hallway, the kappa still stood, visibly angered.

Bringing my arms up to assess the damage done, I was amazed. My arms hadn’t been damaged too badly. My palms took the worst of it, flushed with an angry shade of red, but that aside, my situation was a lot better than the stumps I half-expected to be there.

Then I noticed it. My arms were glowing, too, not unlike the kappa’s when he had begun his assault.

Wait… what does this mean? Did I just-?

I looked back up at the kappa, who began to summon his energy again. With a second roar, his hands began to shine once more.

Oh, hell!

Frantically looking around, I checked the doors around me. Just a little further down the hallway was an open room- room 414. Without looking behind, I swept up the wrench I had dropped in my earlier struggle and sprinted as fast as possible away from the kappa.

As I ran, I could hear the crackle of energy and light from behind me. A second bullet, identical to the first, flew down the hallway as before.

I reached room 414. Flinging the door as wide open as I could, I jumped through the opening and covered my head as the bullet just barely flew past me. The crackling of magic grew quieter and quieter until it made a tremendous boom on the opposite end of the hallway. Through the floor, I could feel the entire ship shaking a little.

I stood up and ran into the room, steeling myself. As I intensely focused on the doorway to prepare for the kappa, I noticed that it was just an empty passageway.

That bullet managed to tear the door off its hinges like it was nothing! This guy’s insane!

In the meantime, the kappa flew down the hallway and poked his head through the doorframe. Once he spotted me, he scrambled inside and pointed a finger towards me.

“You coward! There’s nowhere for you to run-”

With a yell, I flung my hand toward the kappa.

All at once, I felt a great deal of power bolt through my arms and exit my body. That same bullet from before exited my hand, flying towards the kappa at blinding speed.

His eyes widened. “Wha-”

He didn’t get a chance to continue his sentence. The bullet struck him and carried him back out and across the hallway. Blasting into him with incredible force, the bullet continued, blowing him into the room on the opposite wall, smashing the kappa through the closed door of room 415.

The bullet exploded with another blinding burst of light. A second violent shake rocked the hallway until all was quiet again.

Gingerly, I stepped outside my room. Through the mostly destroyed door, I could see the kappa lying on the ground with his eyes wide open. He didn’t appear to be moving.

I leaned on the doorframe and took a moment to catch my breath.

What was that guy’s problem?!

The kappa twitched and brought himself back to his feet. He was bleeding in several places along his chest and arms but seemed to not care about his own condition.

Standing fully upright, he shot me a toothy smirk. His arms were no longer glowing, so it seemed as though he had given up on using magic.

After all that, he still wants to fight?!

With blinding speed, the kappa launched himself forward. Before I could jump aside, he gripped my arm and clawed at me. I tried to knock him away, but he simply dodged it all. Taking advantage of his smaller size, he scurried around until he had latched himself onto my back. With his legs around my waist, he gripped my right arm and bit into my right shoulder.

I could feel his teeth dig deep into my skin as I heard the sickening crunch of bone. My whole body seized up in pure agony.

FUCK IT HURTS

A second later, however, the kappa jumped off me and brought his hands to his mouth with a scream.

“AUGH!”

A small pool of blood was streaming from his mouth. Bending forwards, he stuck his fingers into his mouth and dug around. When he pulled his hand out, bits of his teeth had come out with it.

That crunching sound hadn’t come from me.

The kappa whirled back at me, absolutely livid. “My heeth! You chibbed my heeth!”

“Kchhh!” I clutched my shoulder, which throbbed with pain. “I chipped your teeth?! You broke your own teeth! You shithead, you deserve every bit of pain you’re in right now-”

“Wha are you? Are you some kine of monsther?!”

I staggered back and looked over at my shoulder. Sure enough, deep indentations had been made along my skin, and blood was trickling down my sleeve. “I’m just a human.”

With a furious yell, the kappa flew back towards me and gripped my shoulder along where he had bitten me, causing me to scream out. While I was distracted, he got behind me and knocked me down with a kick.

Before I could get back up, the kappa got on top of me and pinned me down. “Human, you leabe me no hoice! I will eshrackt your shirihodama!”

I twisted my head back around. “WHAT?!”

The kappa cackled with glee. “This is the end! Die, monsther!”

Wildly searching the area around me, I spotted something just barely within arm’s reach.

The wrench!

The kappa laughed as I futilely struggled against his grip. Meanwhile, my fingers drew just barely close enough until I held the wrench in my grasp, then-

“Hm?”

The kappa brought his attention to my free hand, but not until it was too late. Whipping around, I smacked him with the wrench, bowling him over and onto the ground.

Pulling myself up, I held the wrench tightly in both hands and furiously stared at the kappa before me, who was still getting up.

With a shout, I brought the wrench down directly upon his head with as much force as I could manage. A loud clang echoed through the hall as the wrench made contact.

“Argh!”

The kappa fell to his knees. Shakily, he brought a hand to his head to examine the damage.

It returned with equal parts blood and water.

With that blow, I had broken the seal holding the water in place.

His hands were trembling. “No… No! This can’t be! I can’t lose!”

I stood on, staring at him in silence.

The kappa collapsed to the floor as the last of the water trickled out of his hat. “Mother… I failed you… forgive me…”

Once he had stopped moving for good, I took a step back and clutched my chest. Dropping the wrench, I fell to the floor and leaned against the wall, panting. Blood trickled down the length of my right arm, staining my sleeve a bright crimson.

I stared up at the ceiling.

What the hell is going on here?

Chapter Text

The girl drifted through the vast expanse that surrounded her, her figure illuminated by the stars and nebulae that encircled the horizon as they cast their soft glow onto her pale skin. She kept close to the ground as she flew, slowly but surely making her way forward. Routinely checking around her for unwelcome company, she kept her gaze steady as she gracefully glided through the air.

She had never ventured this far out before. Truthfully, she had never thought she would need to travel to somewhere so far away, so remote. One notable exception aside, nothing had come by this way in a long, long time simply because there never was any reason to. Beneath her lay a road that guided her to her destination, but even that had deteriorated and in parts had nearly faded away due to neglect.

As she flew, the girl crossed her arms and began to ponder.

I wonder if the temple even exists… What am I going to do if there’s nothing there? Or if the path just disappears all of a sudden and I’m left in the middle of nowhere?

She shook her head.

There’s no point in answering questions that likely won’t even matter. If the situation arises, I’ll just have to address it then. But there’s no reason to think either of those things are true.

Looking forward, the girl squinted at the horizon. The path simply continued and disappeared into the mist with no end in sight, a view she had become all too accustomed to.

Ah, I’ve been traveling for quite a while now. How long has it been since Mo-

The girl winced.

How long has it been since this tragedy began to unfold?

Taking a moment to observe her surroundings, she gazed into the mystical skies above her.

Hm … judging by the position of the stars, it’s just been eight days.

The girl brought her sights forward again and sighed.

Eight days of flying along this path and keeping myself hidden. Over a whole week of traveling alone and taking the occasional detour to look for survivors with no success. Luckily, if I am where I think I am, this should be the final day of that monotony.

On that note, I miss Gensokyo. As much as I love Makai, over in Gensokyo everyone gets to experience a proper day and night cycle. They really don’t know how good they have it back there.

The girl clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Oh, this really is inconvenient. What I’m doing now is less so ‘flying’ and more so ‘floating through the air'. Under normal circumstances, I could’ve just blasted through the air at top speed and made this whole trip in under a day, but I would’ve been seen instantly.

In the distance, the path snaked through the gentle slopes and gradually began to shrink. A small smile began to form on her face.

I’ve got to be getting close now, I’m sure of it.

The girl descended even further until she hovered only several feet above the ground.

Now that I’m close, I need to be even more careful from here on.

Bringing her gaze to the floor to ensure she was following the path that had now become even harder to make out, the girl brought a hand to her lips and began to think.

Alright, so long as I’ve got free time, let’s go over the plan again. It has been quite a while, but there were four people, weren’t there? That makes four candidates for me to pick between. Among them, one seemingly vanished from the face of the earth one day without a trace. Another would probably attempt to kill me if I were to even approach her, and in the case she didn’t, she wouldn’t even listen to me.

That leaves two. Hmm…

Oh right, one of them is too untrustworthy. She’s strong, but she’s deceptive and cunning. Besides, she’d be too inclined to handle things in her own way, and from what I’ve seen from her, that could be disastrous.

That only leaves one. Fortunately, she’s the one who likely has the most experience with this sort of thing. The only problem is she might be somewhat displeased with me, being the bearer of bad news and all. I can only pray that she’ll listen to my plea. Hopefully, the small amount of change I managed to scrounge up will be enough to sway her.

A pang of realization struck the girl. She brought a hand to her chest and squeezed her palm into a fist.

Oh, as for… that. I’ll just have to hide it as best I can and pray she doesn’t get suspicious.

In the distance, she could see the landscape beginning to change shape. The road, as far as she could tell, had vanished completely.

As she drew close, the smooth expanse marked with bumpy hills gave way to rocky terrain that stuck out like a sore thumb. The jagged peaks, the steep cliffs, the perilous crags that surrounded her; it appeared more hostile an environment than even she had expected, one that almost seemed to claw away at the fabric of the world itself.

Ah, this is the place. No doubt about it. The stories about this place really were true. This is remarkable, although I wouldn’t have called these ‘mountains’- these are more like ‘spires’.

With a deep breath, the girl slowed down until she came to a complete stop before gently descending to the ground. The feeling of solid ground beneath her feet after remaining adrift for so long was simultaneously reassuring and disconcerting, filling her with feelings of excitement and apprehension in equal measure.

Unfortunately, I’m finally done with the easy part. I’ll need to complete the rest of this journey on foot and keep low so I can sneak inside the temple once I find it.

The girl clasped her hands together. Closing her eyes, she silently spoke a prayer for good fortune.

Her prayer complete, the girl opened her eyes and brought them to the sky, where the stars continued their eternal dance.

I’ll prove that you were wrong about me. I’ll save you. I promise.

Just as she was about to begin to venture into the rugged landscape, however, a noise began to fill the air. Though faint, it was unmistakable- the sound of air swishing, the dampened groan of metal; it was a combination of sounds she had become all too familiar with.

The girl spun around and dashed into the rocky terrain, ducking inside an orifice in the rock face to conceal herself.

Another one! Oh, why now, of all times?!

The noise grew louder. Just peeking out from the side of the hole, the girl scanned the landscape around her for signs of activity.

Several seconds later, through the depths of the fog emerged a ship, flying along the length of the path just as she had done mere minutes ago.

It’s another one of those tour vehicles! Have I been found?!

As the ship drew close, however, it suddenly leaned starboard, pivoting itself so that its bow was oriented parallel to the cliff face. The girl watched as the ship flew off into the distance, away from her, before finally allowing herself a sigh of relief.

Looks like they’re not after me. Thank goodness.

Glancing at the ship one last time before it disappeared from view, she realized something.

The markings along the hull, and its relatively small size… could that have been a passenger ship? This far out, of all places! There might still be survivors in there! Maybe they managed to escape?

The girl furrowed her brow.

But… I’m already here! Do I really want to bother checking that ship? Considering how I haven’t managed to find anyone all the other times I searched, I could just be wasting my time! I don’t even know how much longer it’ll be flying!

After wrestling with her inner thoughts, she let out a groan and took to the sky again, following the ship’s trail.

No. Even if that’s true… I have to try. Having another witness with me could benefit me greatly. Having someone else do the talking might make her less suspicious of me, which would be fantastic. Besides… The temple will be there when I come back. Potential survivors, on the other hand, won’t last for long after they’ve been found.

As soon as the ship’s stern began to peek back into view, the girl slowed down until she matched its velocity, putting as much distance between her and the ship as she could while ensuring she could still track its path.

Also, I’m curious as to where it’s going. Is there something else out here that I’m not aware of, or is whoever is piloting the ship just trying to gain as much distance as possible?

The girl grit her teeth and exhaled, intensely focusing her gaze on the boat.

Let’s hope this isn’t all just a big waste of time, at any rate.

Calm down, just breathe. Take it easy. Clear your head and think.

It had been a good five minutes since the fight of my life. Still somewhat shaken, I opted to hang around in the hallway, keeping my eyes and ears open to see if I had alerted anyone else. Fortunately, nobody had come to investigate.

Wow, this ship really is barren. I thought for sure someone would’ve at least noticed all the shouting and us flinging magic at each other.

I reached around with my left hand and rolled my right sleeve up, revealing the skin beneath. Indeed, several gashes had emerged along the length of my arm thanks to the kappa’s nails. Thankfully, my arm no longer bled, the blood from my wounds having congealed into blobs. I stuck my arm out and watched as the light from down the hallway reflected off it, making it shine.

But how? When that kappa grabbed me and bit my shoulder, he should’ve taken the whole limb clean off. Instead, he ended up breaking his teeth. Did the Hakurei god bestow his blessing upon me for donating to the shrine or something?

Looking past myself, I saw the kappa. He still hadn’t budged an inch. Was he dead? Paralyzed? I couldn’t be sure. Appearance-wise, he looked like he was at death’s door while he was still on two feet. Besides all the wounds that marked his body, he didn’t seem to have changed all that much.

Well, whatever it was, it was a miracle that I didn’t get too hurt from that fight. Thought for sure I was going to die there on multiple instances.

Next to him lay the wrench, its head coated crimson. I smiled at it from the corner of my mouth.

Thanks for saving my life. I guess I’ll keep you around.

After a while, I faced forward again and sighed.

I’d better take care of this wound. And the body, can’t just have that lying around.

I leaned over and sent the wrench back into storage. With a grunt, I pushed myself off the floor and grabbed the kappa’s legs, dragging him across the floor and into the next open room I could find- room 419.

Once that was done, I left the room and shut the door behind me. Checking the hallway, the signs of a struggle were still very clear- it just wasn’t very obvious where I hid the body at first glance.

Satisfied, I headed into room 422. One last glance both ways down the hallway- still nothing.

Closing the door, I headed over to the bathroom and turned the light on. Once I situated myself in front of the bathroom mirror, I flexed my right hand and rotated my arm to test my current range of motion. I was able to reach back surprisingly far before a jolt of pain snapped me back to reality.

“Ow, ow, ow!”

I gripped my arm and cursed.

Once the pain had abated, I opened the medicine cabinet and located a small package of bandages.

Alright, this’ll be perfect. But first, I need to disinfect the wound.

Setting it aside, I made my way over to the bath and turned the water on. Once the tub had mostly filled up, I awkwardly stuck my shoulder and arm in. I couldn’t help but sigh as the hot water washed over me. As I gave myself some time to just relax, my arm began to color the water a very faint shade of pink.

Ah, if only I’d decided to take a bath before I left my room! As nice as it’d be if I were to just go all in and take one right now, I can’t risk having a friend of that kappa come down the hallway and find me.

Once I had enough, I drained the water from the tub and returned to the mirror. Opening the package of bandages, I slung one around my shoulder and tightly wound it across most of my arm. Observing myself in the mirror, I gave myself a moment to think.

Alright, let’s see. First, I was put to sleep and put on a ship specifically used as part of Megumu’s tours. There, I slept for an unknown amount of time. I woke up, but there was nobody else around. When I left, many of the guest rooms were left with their doors hanging open, and there were signs of a struggle in many of them.

After that, I encounter a kappa, and it’s clear that something awful has happened to him. After spouting some nonsense about “being enlightened", he tried to kill me. Not just fight me in a danmaku match, the usual way disputes are settled- he outright tried to end my life! A kappa! What should I do now?

I shook my head.

For now, I should just stick to the plan. Find a way back into Gensokyo, come up with some story to tell the Hakurei miko, bring up what I saw, and hopefully, she’ll be able to look into all this and clear things up.

Reaching the end of the bandage, I slapped it on and admired my handiwork. The pain wasn’t as prevalent anymore and I was still capable of nearly a full range of motion, so I considered that a victory in itself.

Stepping back into the hallway, I snuck out and continued my journey for the bridge of the ship once more.

…

Alright, just one last flight of stairs before I reach the bridge. Almost there now.

Keeping my senses on high alert for any sign of life, I made my way up the staircase very carefully. After every step, I paused and checked for noise, one foot after the other.

Eventually, I managed to make it all the top. As I drew near the door leading to the bridge, I could hear a very faint murmuring on the other side.

Thankfully, the door contained a window. From the side, I pressed close to the glass and took a good look.

Though my vision was somewhat obscured by the glass, I could make out three figures occupying the bridge. The two on both sides appeared to be kappa and had seated themselves in front of the window outside. The third, however, caught my attention.

Between the kappa was a girl in a red dress. Her hair was blonde, and a large red bow sat perched atop her head. She was about the same size as a fairy, but interestingly, she seemed to lack wings. However, I couldn’t make out anything else- all three faced away from me and were intensely focused on something outside, only showing me their backs.

Hmm… more kappa. Under normal circumstances, I’d just go inside to speak with them, but after my earlier interaction with one, I can’t risk that now. That girl, though…

Scanning the room further, I saw an array of instruments and modules set up across the room. Several blinking lights dotted the sides of my vision, and in the center stood a console with one screen displaying a series of numbers.

While this would be considered quite primitive for Outside standards, this is super impressive for a place as technologically limited as Gensokyo. They’ve likely replaced much of the process with magic, but still, those kappa do good work.

I could make out a supply closet from the corners of my vision.

Perfect. So long as they’re distracted, I should be able to make it there.

With one hand, I gently pushed the door open. Quickly ducking down, I pressed myself against the wall and shimmied over to the supply closet. Reaching up with my left arm, I awkwardly fumbled around with the knob until I managed to slide it open and slipped inside.

I stood up and held the knob close to my body, leaving just a thin gap for me to see through. None of them had seen me.

As I took a closer look at the kappa, my blood ran cold. The gray skin, the nails, the lack of backpacks, the lifeless gaze in their eyes- all identical to the kappa I had encountered in the hallway.

Keeping myself hidden was a good call…

The girl, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. Her lace dress, a deep shade of scarlet that hung down to her knees with its folds cascading around her like the petals of a rose. Her blond hair, a cascade of gold that fell to her neckline and almost seemed to catch the light. Her vermilion bow, which sat atop her head like a crown. And above all, her skin, pristine and without a single blemish to be found.

Who is this girl? What’s someone like that doing there?

Looking past the girl through the window, I could make out another group of kappa out on the deck of the ship. None of them had their backpacks on either, and though I couldn’t get a clear look at them, it was safe to assume these kappa were also the hostile kind.

About a minute or so passed before the kappa on the right spoke up.

“What’s taking Brother so long?”

Brother?

The kappa on the left spun around in her chair to face him, giving me a good look at her face. “The damage might be bigger than initially thought. He may still be working on it right now. Give him time.”

The right kappa tapped his finger on the module in front of him. “Hmph! Even still, for him to take this long is pathetic. I would’ve fixed the problem in half the time it’s taking him!”

The left kappa spun around once more to face the exit. “That’s true. I can’t deny that. Brother’s taking an unusually long time. Should I go check in on him?”

Before the right kappa could respond, the girl spoke up. “Don’t bother.”

When she spoke, her voice cut through the air like a knife. Despite her size, her voice was cold, every word deliberate with an air of authority. It didn’t fit someone of her stature at all, which caught me off guard.

Meanwhile, the two kappa wordlessly turned around to face her. Without moving an inch, the girl continued. “We have our mission ahead of us. If he wants to disappoint Mother, he is free to do so.”

Mother?!

The other two nodded in silence and went back to staring out the window.

That’s right, I nearly forgot! The kappa said something about someone who could “remake me in her perfect image”! These three also seem to be loyal to her! Is this “Mother” responsible for all of this?!

Before I could deliberate on the topic further, the kappa on the left pointed through the window toward something. “There. It’s just up ahead.”

The girl lifted her hand to her eyes and peered through the window to get a closer look. Several seconds later, a silhouette of an oddly-shaped structure began to peek through the mist.

“Ah, so it is,” the girl said emotionlessly. “So it is.”

Suddenly, she pivoted around on her heel. Instinctually, I ducked back into the closet fully.

Through the door, I could hear her speak, “I’m heading towards the deck. Take the ship in for a landing and meet me there in five.” The kappa, in unison, responded with a simple “Yes, ma’am!”

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving the three of us behind. The low humming of machinery was all that broke the silence, leaving me to stew in my thoughts.

…

Several minutes later, the ship gradually slowed to a complete stop. After the kappa flicked a few switches, I could feel my stomach rise to my chest as the ship began its descent to the surface.

As the ship came to a halt, the two kappa hopped out of their seats. Crossing her arms, the left kappa said, “Here we are. Let’s get moving.” Beckoning the other kappa with her hand, I watched as the two of them made their way over to the doorway. The kappa in front opened the door and held it open. However, when the other approached the door, just before passing through the frame, he suddenly froze in place.

Annoyed, the first kappa asked, “Hm? Did you forget something?”

“No, I haven’t,” the other responded cooly. “But I’m curious about something. Do you see that?”

He pointed a finger directly toward the supply closet.

My heart plummeted. I ducked completely behind the door again and held my breath, doing my best to remain as still as possible.

Through the small crack in the doorway, I could hear the first kappa respond. “Hm? That’s a supply closet.”

“Obviously. But was this door always open? I seem to recall it being shut.”

“Enough!” Thoroughly irritated, the former kappa raised her voice. “Focus on the job at hand! Mother has entrusted us with a task to carry out. Do not delay her will from being carried out with meaningless distractions such as this!”

Several seconds of silence passed before the other kappa finally replied. “Hmph. Very well.”

I waited until I heard the door slamming shut. Letting a moment pass for safety, I breathed a sigh of relief and left the closet, making sure to leave the door behind me hanging slightly ajar.

That was close. Alright, now, plans, plans…

I scanned the area until my eyes came to rest upon a stack of papers. It had been strewn on the floor along the far wall, as though the information it contained had been considered less important than the space it occupied.

I made my way over and dug through the pile until I found a map. As I spread it open beside the console, I could see a route proudly displayed front and center that snaked through Makai in a sort of curvy loop. The sides contained information about landmarks, stopping point coordinates, and the schedule to follow. The timestamps were inscribed down to the minute- thanks to years of experience traveling through Makai, the planners had essentially perfected the scheduled route.

Searching the room once more, my eyes fell upon the console. It was incredibly basic, capable of only displaying several lines of text, but it was still leaps and bounds ahead of anything I saw in my time in the Human Village, Kourindou aside. Currently, it was set to display the ship’s location.

Perfect! Now I just need to see how far along we are…

As I placed my finger on the map that marked the entrance into Makai, I traced along the line, occasionally flicking my eyes up at the console to compare each location with the coordinates displayed.

Before I knew it, my finger had reached the beginning of the line again.

Wait, what? That can’t be right…

Retracing my steps, I scanned over every point in the route and compared it to the coordinates displayed on the console. I silently prayed that I made some sort of mistake.

My stomach dropped as my finger reached the end of the line again. I hadn’t.

We’re- we’re not on the path. We’re nowhere even near it. We might not even be in charted territory.

I furrowed my brow as I looked up, staring outside the window. The stunning sight I had been enamored with earlier met me again, but this time, it felt far more sinister and foreboding.

I can’t make heads or tails of it, but something’s gone terribly wrong. What should I do? How am I supposed to get back home now?

Noticing some movement outside the window, I drew my attention towards the deck.

Out on the deck, the girl from earlier stood in front of a group of kappa. The same two from earlier emerged from below me as they joined the group in formation. When they joined the rest, there appeared to be eleven kappa present all standing in a four-by-three pattern with one absent.

The girl in the red dress spoke to them for a while, commanding their full attention. She made the occasional gesture towards the boat’s interior indicating orders, but I was unable to discern anything beyond that.

Eventually, she concluded her speech. All the kappa gave a salute, and one rushed past her to lower the walking ramp toward the structure we had landed next to. Pressing my face against the glass, I could just barely make out some sort of oblong building-like structure, with several symmetrically placed cube-like polygons jutting out from its surface.

I’ve never seen anything like that. What is that? Are those ruins?

I watched as the girl gracefully stepped down the ramp with her party of kappa following close behind.

Once they had reached the front of the structure, they came to a halt. The girl brought a hand to its surface to knock on it, scanning the nearby area for something.

Satisfied, the girl took several steps back from the structure, and all the kappa followed suit.

Suddenly, she began to float. Magic of some kind, with an appearance not unlike space dust, began to swirl around her body.

I watched as the magic around her eventually formed a ring around her body. The magic grew in size until it began to condense into spheres and move along the ring’s path. As more magic surrounded her, the spheres grew brighter as they started to pick up speed until all I could make out was a brilliant gleam of blue.

What’s she doing?!

Fortunately, I wouldn’t have to wait long to find out. With a deafening crackle of energy, the spheres launched forward, striking the structure and releasing an incredible flash of light. Reflexively, I brought my hand up to shield my eyes from the sight.

I blinked several times as the light faded.

Peering through the window, I saw the same girl still floating in midair. Magic no longer surrounded her. In front of her was a large hole she had created along the wall of the ruins, with smoke billowing from within. The hole’s edges still glowed dim with heat.

The girl gracefully touched down and began to examine her handiwork. Satisfied, she stepped forward, and with a wave of her hand, she signaled the kappa to follow her. I watched as the girl carefully ventured into the ruins as the kappa all followed in lockstep, making an effort to avoid touching the edges.

Several seconds later, a pale, blue light spread from the hole they entered. Flickering at first, before becoming constant and illuminating the area just outside the ruins.

That light…

I frowned.

That’s no magic. That’s…

Memories of my father taking me to visit his boring office job began to flood back into my consciousness. The light fixtures that lined the panels on every ceiling, coloring everything a muted shade of blue- this light was a near-perfect match.

That’s electricity! Do those ruins have electricity?!

I stood back up and took a step back, gazing at the entryway. After a moment’s deliberation, I sighed and turned towards the exit.

Nothing about this makes any sense. Before I can make my way back home, I’ll need to understand what’s going on. I need answers.

I twisted open the handle and opened the door. With one last glance around me, I stepped out and closed it behind me.

I’m going to take a closer look at these ruins.

…

Having made my way over to the deck, I snuck around, constantly checking around me to ensure I was alone. Navigating my way through the boxes of cargo situated on top of the deck, I pressed my back to one of the crates and peered towards the light.

Inside the ruins, I could make out an array of pillars, all lighting up the path inside. All of them shone a bright blue, enveloping everything in the same blue light I saw earlier.

Alright, that’s the light source. So then…

Bringing my view down, I saw that every pillar had been affixed into place by a series of pedestals. The pedestals themselves were not a natural extension of the lights- rather, each appeared to surround the base of the pillar, tethering themselves to the floor in a series of hemispheres, almost, albeit not quite as pronounced.

I crouched down and squinted to get a better look.

Upon closer inspection, the lights themselves were… unorthodox. Instead of simply being incandescent lamps as I had previously assumed, the lights themselves appeared to be shifting from within the glass. It didn’t appear to contain liquid, either; sparks of light accumulated in size before drifting up from the bottom, cascading throughout the glass like a cluster of stars.

What sort of technology is that? This is more advanced than anything I’ve seen in the Outside, even. These aren’t ruins.

Examining the structure as a whole, now, I traced out the outline of the ship. The strange square-like surfaces aside, the general shape appeared to be some kind of elongated oval.

This couldn’t be… a spaceship?!

I frowned.

This just raises more questions. Why is this here? Who made this thing? What’s inside this spaceship that’s so important to the kappa?

I leaned forward in an attempt to search out more of the interior, but the pillars were all I could make out before being obscured by the hole’s edges.

Ah, this is annoying! The hole isn’t large enough to see everything clearly- Hm?

My attention was drawn towards my shadow stretching in a new direction across the deck. My heart skipped a beat as I cautiously followed its trajectory until I came face to face with a sight I could hardly believe was real.

In the skies above me floated a giant eye. It hung suspended in midair, unmoving, with its gaze focused directly toward me. Its pupil was pitch black, not unlike the kappa from before. Surrounding it was its iris, which swirled with different shades of red and rippled about like liquid. The sclera was enveloped in a series of veins that swelled out around its sides, giving the eyeball a bloodshot appearance. Around the eye lay a strange, ethereal purple wireframe, which clung to the eye tightly like a membrane. Behind the eye was attached a strange disk, laden with gold and humming with power.

Panic surged through my body as I scrambled to get up. Though every instinct in my body told me to run for cover, I forced myself to stay still lest I aggravate it even further.

My mind raced, still trying to grasp what I was seeing. Maintaining eye contact, I backed up towards the passageway that led belowdecks, doing my best to not make any sudden movements. It was just then that it occurred to me that I had walked most of the length across the deck to observe the spaceship and that returning the way I came would take a considerable amount of time.

In the meantime, the eye continued to scrutinize me, its disk slowly rotating in place. Its unblinking gaze was palpable- I felt as though it could see right through me, down to the depths of my very soul.

As I continued to retreat, I paused and took another glance at the enigmatic spaceship that lay just beyond the ramp. Part of me urged my body to go inside instead, to probe the secrets of what lay beyond the doorway. Being significantly closer to my position than the door that led back into the ship, the open passageway almost seemed to beckon me.

I shook my head.

That whole group of kappa is inside the spaceship. It’s large, but if I end up bumping into one, or maybe even worse, that girl, I’m in no condition to get into another fight right now. My arm- I brought my left hand to my right shoulder to soothe it- wouldn’t agree. Besides, that eye, as uncomfortable as it’s making me, hasn’t done anything to me yet. It’s a shame, but it’s more important that I stay alive by keeping myself hidden and trying to find out what’s going on another way-

All of a sudden, the disk began to whirl around in place, crackling with energy. The humming grew louder and the purple membrane shriveled somewhat as it peeled away from the front of the eye. The iris, once swimming with color, began to meld into one solid hue as the pupil grew in size, consuming the eye’s surface with darkness. The veins bulged and pulsed repeatedly, as though the eye itself was strained with effort.

The disk spun around faster until something not unlike lightning began to envelop the disk, the membrane, the eye- all of it enveloped by its own power. The mist nearby began to rise and swirl around the eye-

Shit, it’s going to-!

Before I could even finish its thought, the eye shot at me. A white laser, razor-thin, fired itself from its pupil.

Its speed caught me off guard. Reflexively, I attempted to jump sideways to dodge the laser, and before I even hit the ground, I heard a small explosion in the place I had been standing not one second earlier.

As I landed, I felt the entire ship wobble as the cargo nearby jostled around on their hinges. While I tried to keep my balance, I saw a pillar of smoke billowing up into the infinite sky.

Immediately, I brought my attention to the eye. Still crackling with energy, more magic dust began to rise into the air.

I glanced over at the hole with the pillar again. Being only a twenty-second sprint away from me, it now appeared more inviting than ever.

Well, no choice now!

I made a run for it, adrenaline surging through my veins. The eye kept its gaze upon me until it built up enough magic before firing again.

There was no laser. This time, the eye had opted to instead fire a wide volley of bullets, spread across the length of the ramp. Bringing my hands up to shield the back of my head, I erratically weaved around the ramp, jumping left and right as I made my descent. Around me, the shockwaves of magic reverberated throughout the air.

Luckily, I made it to the bottom without incident, situated in front of the hole. With a burst of determination, I launched myself forward and hastily crawled inside.

With ragged breath, I quickly glanced around, face to face with the light columns. Above me and to the left was a switch that had already been activated.

Oh, this must be for the lights. When that girl went inside, she must’ve flipped this.

Taking a moment to catch my breath, I looked around. The light from the columns basked everything in a comforting shade of blue. In the roof hung another light resembling a crescent moon, and between the columns lay a path that led deeper inside.

Luckily nobody else was in the current area, but in the distance, I could hear footfalls approaching my location. Multiple people, it sounded like.

I got up to my feet.

Well, shit. What do I do now?

Chapter Text

The girl peeked out from behind the stern of the ship. After scanning the boat for unwelcome company, she looked up in the sky and saw a floating eye.

Yes, I thought so. There’d be one here.

Thankfully, it was preoccupied, having focused its attention on the ruins they just landed beside. The girl efficiently located an entrance before taking to the deck and making her way inside, gently shutting the door behind her. As far as she could tell, nobody was around to defend the ship.

Yes, what good fortune! Time to go searching! As usual, I’ll start from the bottom and make my way up.

As the girl flew down the passages and descended to the lowest floor of the ship, she began to think about what had happened.

Those strange ruins must have been their objective. I don’t recall hearing anything about ruins this far out. I’d like to find out more, but right now my main concern is reaching that temple. I can’t afford to get distracted once I’m done here. Maybe it’s something I can look into when this is all over.

The girl paused for a moment and brought a finger to her lips.

Wait, speaking of which- wasn’t that eye more active than normal? It was intensely focused on the ruins for some reason. Why?

She shook her head.

No, I’m just imagining things.

With the entrance to the bottom floor just ahead, the girl began moving forward again.

Alright. Time to start searching.

I leaned myself against the wall to steady myself, still somewhat shaken from my encounter with the eye. My heart raced, pounding so loudly in my chest that it nearly drowned out the noise of approaching footsteps.

What was that thing anyway?!

Taking the time to quickly scan the room for options. Between the strange light pillars lay the main path which led directly to a set of stairs and a door at the top, where whoever was approaching me was coming from.

Along the walls lay several more doors, all identical to each other with the same shade of metallic gray on each one. Each door was sealed tightly and possessed a hatch with a wheel directly in front.

So, I don’t have time to check each one… crap. Is there any chance I can retreat?

I turned around and peeked through the opening that led to the other ship’s ramp. As I bent down to get a closer look, I saw the eyeball still staring directly at me, its disk still whirring around at an alarming speed.

I ducked back inside and pressed my back against the wall, frustrated.

No, there isn’t. I’ll just have to find somewhere to hide.

The door nearest me was to my left, so I hurried over, firmly grasped the valve, and began twisting counterclockwise. Behind me, I looked to ensure I was still in the clear. I heard the noise of footsteps getting louder, and from the sound, I could tell I didn’t have much time left.

Just then, I realized that the wheel in my hands had stopped budging, having hit a particularly resistant rotation. Horrified, I turned back towards the wheel in my hands and yanked it hard.

This hatch hasn’t been opened for a while, clearly.

The sound of footsteps was unmistakable now. I was able to distinctly make out at least three people approaching, perhaps even more. Glancing around, I saw another door just further down the room, about twenty feet down.

There’s no time… I have to get this door open. It’s my only option.

With a grunt, I gripped the top of the wheel as tightly as I could and leaned over, pulling with the force of my entire body. Suddenly, the valve had the slightest give as a piercing squeak echoed through the room, causing me to wince. It was just then that I noticed that I could no longer hear the sound of footsteps.

A second squeak then rang out, and I saw the wheel on the door at the top of the stairs beginning to jostle.

They’re almost here!

Luckily, the valve swiveled upon its axis and gave way. Whipping the wheel around as quickly as I could, my heart rejoiced as the heavy hatch finally creaked open. What lay beyond was pitch black and I was unable to see even a foot inside, but at this point, I didn’t particularly care. I dove straight inside and slammed the door shut just as I heard the door from the room behind me open. As gently as I could, I began to tighten the door while pressing my ear against it.

Through the thinner plating that lined the door, I could make out several voices from the room I was just inside. From what I could tell, the group had made their way down the steps and were moving toward the middle of the pathway. As they did so, I heard one of them speak.

“Alright, we’re finally here. See? There’s nothing here.”

I readjusted myself and pressed my ear hard against the door, flattening it upon the surface. A woman’s voice? I don’t recognize this one. She must’ve been one of the kappa out on the deck earlier.

A second voice replied after a short pause. “No. I know what I heard. Someone, or something, has made its way inside, I’m sure of it.”

I blanched. That voice… this is the kappa that nearly caught me in the closet earlier!

A third rather annoyed voice quickly responded. “That’s impossible. Nobody else should be this far out. We should be alone. You’re sure you heard something?”

A man’s voice. Another kappa, same deal as the first.

The second kappa’s voice replied again, this time with a measured, deliberate tone that hung onto every single word. “Positive. To be more precise, I heard magic being cast from outside. The eye definitely caught something. Come and see for yourself.”

Several pairs of footsteps made their way across the room until all of them became silent once more.

“Do you see that? The eye is active, and it’s clear that Mother saw something. Furthermore, look at the ramp. Do you see all those burn marks? Whatever it was Mother saw, She perceived it to be worth shooting at.”

The first kappa spoke up again. “Ah, you’re right. And judging by the pattern, whatever it was came inside for cover.”

The sound of footsteps went across the room again, back to where they came from. At the same time, the second voice spoke up again. “This happened mere minutes ago, so it couldn’t have gone far. My lady, I would recommend that we reallocate some members of our team to search.”

A fourth voice rang out. “No.”

A chill ran down my spine. Oh, that girl’s with them too…

“We have the mission She entrusted us with. That is more important than some frivolous distraction. All of you will return to your tasks immediately.”

Someone tried to speak up but was quickly interrupted by the third kappa’s voice. “Indeed. There’s no need to be distracted from our mission, but we should be alert. We are not alone.” In response, the girl quickly followed up with “Well said. All of you, back to your assignments.”

Multiple footsteps began to make their way back down the pathway and toward the stairs. Just then, I heard a muffled impact of someone stomping their foot on the metal floor, a short distance from the rest. All the footsteps stopped.

The girl spoke once more. Her voice this time was deeper than before, each word practically dripping with contempt. “#328. Is something wrong?”

The second kappa- #328, it seemed- was seething through his teeth. “Is something wrong? Why don’t you get it?! Something else is in here with us, something significant enough for Mother to shoot at it, and you just want to let it be?! What if it attempts to attack us?! And speaking of which, one of our Brothers went missing on the ship not too long ago. Don’t you think there’s at least some possibility that both of these things are related-”

“#328!” the girl barked out, cutting short #328’s tirade.

“That’s enough. You are being paranoid, plain and simple. Whatever it is isn’t too strong, considering it fled before a single eye instead of trying to fight it. Besides, have you forgotten? I’m here, and I’m stronger than every single one of you. If anything were to rear its head, I would dispatch it in an instant. Otherwise, there’s no need to waste any further time on this. This is my final decision, and you will respect it. Now come along.”

“Kch!” #328 waited around for a moment before sprinting up the stairs to catch up with the rest of his party. I kept perfectly still until I heard the slam of the door before taking a sigh of relief. The tension in my body eased slightly, but I knew this was only a temporary reprieve.

That was close. Unfortunately, it looks like one of them has caught on. Good thing he got vetoed, or I’d be in even worse trouble.

As I stood back from the door, I took the time to look around. I still couldn’t see anything- save for the metal panel I had just released, I couldn’t even determine where the boundaries of the room were. Furthermore, it was dead quiet; the silence was oppressive, broken only by my shallow breaths and the pounding of my heartbeat.

Tentatively, I walked away from the door as I lifted a hand and groped about in the darkness until I made solid contact with the opposite wall, which was cool to the touch.

Hm. This room doesn’t go back very far.

I felt my way along the wall, my fingertips brushing against the metal and what seemed to be the occasional panel. Soon enough, I looked around and noticed that I had gone a further distance than I anticipated. Checking behind me, I realized that the space was more of a hallway than a room.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could begin to make out the faint outline of the narrow passageway around me. As best as I could tell, along the walls ran a series of conduits and pipes. Just beyond lay a doorway situated in the middle of the hall, which I approached with caution.

I took a moment to listen for sounds on the opposite side. When I couldn’t sense anybody within, I felt around for the valve. Just as I found it, my hand brushed along a plaque situated adjacent to the doorway.

Wait. It’d be good if I could tell what was inside first.

I brought my face close and squinted hard, allowing me to just barely make out its inscription. Thankfully, there were only two words, one situated on top of the other.

C… H… I… Y… U… R… I… K… I… T… A… S… H… I… R… A… K… A… W… A

I leaned back and frowned. Okay, that doesn’t help me at all. Maybe this is the office for one of the crew? I still don’t know what to expect.

Returning my attention to the valve, I sighed. Well, Chiyuri, looks like I’ll be breaking into your place today. Though, I’d rather not be doing this in the first place.

A moment later, I pried the door open and snuck inside yet another pitch-black room, sealing it shut. Quickly, I felt around until my hand brushed against a light switch.

Alright, I think I should be safe. Let’s see what’s here.

Flicking on the switch, a series of lights flickered on, revealing a tidy, nearly mundane workspace. A large desk sat near its center, with papers, folders, and binders all set up along its surface. A computer terminal lay to the side, blinking in sleep mode. At the front of the desk lay a brass nameplate, containing the same name as the plaque outside. Another small line sat directly beneath it, containing a title.

~Assistant Professor~

Bookshelves lined the far wall and were all stocked to maximum capacity, with some volumes being even thicker than the length of my index finger. A couple of potted plants were situated along the nearby walls, and a lounge chair was set up beside them.

“Hm~ hm~ hm~”

I whipped my head around toward the source of the humming.

In the corner of the room, a maid swept the floor, brushing the accumulated dust into a dustpan set nearby.

My whole body tensed as I stepped back, watching her intensely. I brought my fists up and focused on her every move.

“Hm~ hm~ hm~”

The maid, interestingly enough, simply continued to sweep away, paying me no mind. After several seconds, I noticed how her movements were getting repetitive. Too repetitive.

I relaxed my hands and drew near. As I did so, realization struck me.

Ah, this is a robot! An actual maid robot!

My curiosity piqued, I walked up to it and observed her closely. She wore a light-blue frock and a simple white apron that hung down to her knees. Her sleeves were short and her dress poofed out at the shoulders, which I thought was a rather cute look. Her hair, oddly enough, was light green. Atop her head sat a ruffled hair dress, and beneath her collar was pinned a bright red bow. Looking at her from the front, the sight of her face was oddly reminiscent of a Christmas wreath.

“Hm~ hm~ hm~”

I glanced down at her handiwork and watched her movements. Her broom barely brushed along the floor’s surface, leaving behind small trails of debris that she should’ve easily collected. Furthermore, she was missing some of the more subtle patches of dirt, tucked away in the edges and corners around her.

I watched as she moved to a new spot in the office, still seemingly oblivious to my presence. With her back turned toward me, I could see a large yellow radiation warning symbol printed on her back. On the back of her right shoulder pad was etched a small, fine print, and I leaned forward to read it.

-Model: PYN-002 - RUUKOTO MK. II-

“Ruukoto…” I whispered to myself. Strange name, but considering how nothing about my experience thus far had been normal, a nuclear-powered machine maid didn’t seem too out of place anymore. My curiosity satiated, I walked around the room and made myself comfortable in the chair behind the desk.

Alright, there should be clues about where I am and what this ship’s about. Let’s see.

Jostling the computer mouse, I was met with a screen asking for a password. Disappointed, I turned the monitor off, picked up a journal at random, and quickly leafed through it. It was filled to the brim with academic papers and technical jargon I could barely even understand.

After a mere moment’s worth of trying to comprehend what I was reading, I gave up and threw it aside. I dug through the desk cabinets but was met with much of the same. I leaned over to grab the handle for the bottom cabinet and pulled, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw what was inside.

Unlike every cabinet before, this one was light. Inside lay a small, sleek pistol, as well as several spheres not unlike glass marbles in appearance rolling along the wooden surface.

Yes! Finally, a stroke of good luck!

Immediately, I pulled out the handgun. As I did so, I was met with a wave of crushing disappointment.

The size, the weight… it’s all wrong. This is no pistol. It’s just a toy.

Flipping it around in my hand, it felt flimsy, as though I could snap it in two with my bare hands if I so desired. I glared at it in frustration. Why would an academic carry around a toy?!

I was about to toss it aside when I noticed a small latch on one of the sides. Flipping it up, a beam of light shined from just below the barrel. Wait. Even if I can’t fight with it, I can use it like a flashlight. This might come in handy.

Turning it back off and tucking the toy into my pocket dimension, I directed my attention toward the spheres. Gently, I brought two of them out and held them in my palm. They weren’t very large- only about an inch wide, but an intricate sort of clock design was inscribed upon their surface. Inside, small wisps of energy- or was it magic?- swam around and coalesced. They were much too light to be glass; the surface felt more like a thin layer of plastic, fragile enough for me to crush in my palm. They were perfectly smooth, save for one minuscule elevated point where a sort of wispy fabric poked out.

I brought my hand to the fabric to pull it out but stopped short.

No, something tells me that wouldn’t be a good idea. Are these grenades of some kind? I’ve never seen anything like this. Even if they’re just pretty-looking baubles, I’ll take them with me.

Once again, I sent all of them into my pocket dimension and gently closed the cabinet door. Just as I was about to peruse a notebook left on the table, the maid spoke up.

“Okay! All done!” Ruukoto said in a loud voice, which thoroughly alarmed me. “I’ll be cleaning Miss Okazaki's office now~”

“Shhh! Be quiet!” I spat through my teeth. “You’re going to attract attention!”

“Hm~ hm~ hm~”

Ruukoto went straight for the door, ignoring my request entirely. As she reached the wheel, she gripped it with an arm and began to rapidly unscrew it.

If she gets noticed, they’re going to know I’m here!

With a grunt, I jumped out of my chair and scrambled onto the desk, jumping toward her to grab her, but it was already too late. As I landed, Ruukoto opened the door entirely and walked out into the darkness with her broom and dustpan in hand, leaving me alone in Chiyuri’s office.

This is bad! They’re going to find me-

“There you are.”

My blood froze as I looked down the hallway. This was a voice I knew. With a gulp, I brought out my handgun and flicked it on. As I activated it, my nervousness turned into despair.

Before me stood the very same kappa that had nearly caught me earlier- #328.

Nope. As expected, there’s nobody here, either.

The girl sighed as she wandered the halls of the ship, searching around her for signs of life. Instead, all she saw was a scene she had seen many times over- doors flung open, personal belongings scattered everywhere, and burn marks sporadically dotting every wall.

Well, I can’t exactly complain. This went super smoothly. But once again, no sign of survivors anywhere.

Slightly irritated at herself for deciding to track down the ship, she began to ascend the staircase at the end of the passenger quarters.

The lower decks were empty, and this makes three floors with no one in sight. Maybe I should just give up now and fly back-

Her train of thought was interrupted when she made it up to the fourth floor.

The hallway was a disaster. Doors had been torn off their hinges, lights had collapsed from the ceiling, and one massive singe mark had been imprinted on the ground on the opposite end of the hall.

The girl quickly flew down the hallway and touched down near the staircase. Kneeling down, she brushed her hand along the mark.

…!

It’s still warm!

Just then, she heard a muffled thumping noise come from back down the hall. On high alert, she tentatively walked down the passageway until she came across door 419.

*Thump* *Thump*

Leaning her back against the wall, the girl steeled herself and rapidly pushed the door open. Stepping in front of its frame, she brought her hand up and prepared to fling her magic, only to find… nobody.

“Aghhh…”

The girl immediately flew back and stared down, and her eyes widened.

Before her was a kappa, desperately clinging to the carpet as though his life depended on it. His hat bowl containing the water had been shattered. Only a few droplets remained, rendering him unable to perform all but the simplest movements.

A survivor was here recently! Are they still alive?

The girl gently dropped to the ground and knelt in front of the kappa.

“Answer me. What happened here?”

“Human…” the kappa growled. “Mush… kill… human…”

“Human?!” The girl was taken aback. “Don’t lie to me! There’s no way a human could be in Makai to begin with, let alone have survived this long!”

The kappa simply opted to crawl closer to her. “Kill… you…”

The girl stood back up and aimed her hand directly at the kappa’s face. Magic began to swirl around her hand as she closed her eyes.

“Be at peace, sworn friend.”

The two of us faced each other, locked in silence. Between us, Ruukoto walked past the kappa, ignoring everything she hummed her tune. I watched as she opened the door on the far end of the hallway and walked into a far larger lit room before closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, the kappa spoke.

“You disgusting rat,” he spat. “This isn’t what I thought I would find. An unenlightened human, of all things. So you’re the reason Brother has gone missing.”

“W- wait!” I held my hands up. “I can explain-”

“These may not have been my orders, but Mother will reward me for my dedication.” He pointed a yellowed finger at me and stepped closer. “However, you don’t seem very strong. For a youkai to lose a fight against a human with such a low magical aptitude is pathetic. Good riddance, I say.”

I backed up and held out my gun further. “Stop!” I yelled. Amazingly enough, he obeyed.

“Let me just explain! I don’t know who you people are or where I am or what you want from me, I just want to leave-”

#328 began to cackle, cutting me off. “Ah, truly, this is the ignorance that comes from not being able to see the path! Mother spoke honestly!”

“What’s so fucking funny?!” I hissed.

“Human.” #328 spoke back, his expression returning to a neutral state. “Surely you know that we youkai are highly resistant to mere physical attacks. That plaything of yours won’t accomplish anything.” He extended a palm out to me, which I stared at. “End this farce, this idea that you can stand against me, and give up.”

Several seconds of silence passed. I tensed up my whole body, rolled my neck on both sides, and returned a furious stare to the kappa.

“No.”

“Hmph!” #328 crossed his arms. “Very well, then. Forever hold your peace. Show me what you can do with that pathetic toy of yours!”

He made a mad dash toward me, hands outstretched. Out of sheer instinct, I closed my eyes and fired.

*pew*

My eyes flew open as I saw a wave of magic immediately exit the barrel, tearing down the hallway straight toward #328. All the color in his face drained away as his smug look turned into a stare of sheer horror. The gun in my hand nearly flew into my face from the immense recoil as I stumbled about, nearly falling over.

“Gh- aghhh!!!” #328 flew back as the projectile made contact with his body, sending him reeling. He clutched his stomach and knelt over while he staggered back, grunting with effort the whole time.

I stared at the gun in my hand in sheer amazement. Smoke billowed from the barrel, wisps of it trailing upward as they vanished into the air vents above.

“What was THAT?!” he yelled. He began to glow and swiped up his hand in an attempt to hit me with bullets of his own, but I was faster.

*pew* *pew*

“Gahhhh!!!”

Two more direct shots hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him to the ground. His shirt had been shredded apart, as was most of his upper body. Specks of blood and water dotted the hall behind him. I continued to stare at him as he lay upon the floor, wheezing hard.

At that moment, he lifted his head and flashed me a grin. “Ah, human. You’ve made a terrible mistake.”

“Wh- what do you mean?” I asked in a shaky voice.

“HEY! EVERYONE! THE INTRUDER’S OVER HERE!” he called out.

Oh, shit!

“Everyone inside this ship knows where you are now. They’ll hunt you down and tear you apart.” He snickered to himself. “My only regret is I won’t live to see it happen. I will return to Mother in everlasting glory, whereas nothing but eternal torment awaits you. Farewell!”

With one last cry, the kappa’s strength gave out and he breathed his last. His body shimmered and warped until he faded away into nothingness.

Wait, that’s what happens to youkai when they die?! Then that means-

The door on the opposite side of the hall flung open, flooding the hallway with light. Another kappa stood in the doorframe.

“#328? What’s happen-”

As soon as she saw me, her eyes went wide and she flashed me a fierce scowl. I brought my handgun out and pointed it directly at her.

“You!” she spat out. “You eliminated him, did you not?! A human with a firearm, and you took him out that easily?!”

In response, I nodded in silence.

“Then I’ll be the one to take care of this. He underestimated that weapon of yours, I suppose. I won’t be making the same mistake!” She shouted at me. “Prepare to die!”

I fired several waves of magic out, but she dexterously flew around every single one. She took to the ceiling, shifted herself left and right, ducked beneath a few, and she was making up ground with every single dodge.

She’s fast! What should I do?!

As she reached the halfway point, her hand glowed and she flung a bullet at me. It was small and there was only one of them, but it was fast.

I jumped out of the way just in time as the bullet just barely grazed my forearm, tearing apart my sleeve and giving it a sunburnt appearance. Simply looking at it was painful enough- I didn’t imagine how bad it would sting if something hit it.

Oh, yeah, her!

I brought my pistol forward again, but it was too late. Flinging out an arm, she latched onto my shirt and swung around until she had me entrapped in a bear hug. With one swift motion, she lifted me over her head and slammed me onto the ground behind her in a perfect suplex. She followed up by grabbing my collar and flinging me back down the hallway into the wall. As I collapsed on the floor, I lost hold of my pistol as it clattered to the ground nearby.

Scrambling back to my feet and doing my best to ignore my sore back, I looked over at the pistol and the kappa. She returned a tight-lipped smile as she whipped out her clawlike nails and sprinted toward me.

I won’t make it in time- oh!

Ignoring every instinct in my body to flee, I stood up straight and bowed.

The kappa stopped dead in her tracks mere feet away from me. As she did so, I reached down and picked the pistol up. She bowed to me, revealing the same metal tags that affixed her hat to her head. As she exposed her entire hat to me, I aimed at her head and fired.

*pew*

The wave shredded her hat apart, showering me in a pool of water and covering the hallway with flecks of blood. She stumbled backward as she gripped her head until she toppled over completely.

“No fair! You dirty cheater!” she screeched, reaching out a hand toward me. “I had you! I had you…”

The kappa fell silent and became motionless, just as the first had. I stretched out in an attempt to alleviate my back and checked around me.

Just then, the valve on the door next to me began to jostle, with multiple voices coming from the other side.

“What was THAT?!”

“Get this fucking thing open right now!”

“Stop crowding me, I’m working on it!”

In a moment of panic, I ran for the valve and pulled with all my strength to keep them from opening the door. Amazingly, I succeeded and managed to pull it a quarter rotation back.

“Gah, I can’t do it, he’s holding it back! Come on, lads, pitch in!”

Uh oh.

I was completely flung off the wheel as a huge increase in force caused the valve to rotate forward once more.

“That’s it, we’ve got him! We’re almost there!”

I looked at the axle and grimaced. They’ll be through in seconds!

With no other options left, I brought a hand back to the valve and grazed its surface with my fingertips, sending it to my pocket dimension. I heard the sound of multiple bodies toppling over as the sounds of enthusiasm quickly turned into cries of surprise and frustration.

“What the FUCK?! What happened?!”

“He removed the wheel! Come on, this way!”

Turning my sights toward the open door, I jumped over the kappa’s body and made a break for it.

Slipping inside, I found myself in a large room enveloped in a diffused, hazy light that blurred the outlines between the panels that lined the walls. At its center stood a large machine, the likes of which I had never seen before. There was a smaller blocky device about the size and shape of a CRT computer with a slot containing some kind of tray, and a much larger tube filled with some ominous, bubbling fluid all encased in thick fiberglass. Hundreds of wires and tubes snaked between the two objects, keeping them firmly connected. The atmosphere was thick with the sterile scent of chemicals and the faint hum of machinery.

This much space and this is all that’s inside? I don’t like this.

Several more doors were along the walls, each a potential escape route. I rushed toward the nearest one but just as I began to move, I heard a voice cut through the haze with alarming clarity.

“That’s enough.”

I spun around and readied my pistol, only to find no one there. Alarmed, I scanned the room sporadically to locate the threat with no success. Just then, I noticed the silhouette of a person peeking out from the strange machine. As its owner stepped out into the light, my heart sank.

The girl… it’s the girl…

Her face was calm, her arms completely relaxed. Try as I might, I couldn’t read her at all. She continued to walk toward me, her gaze unwavering.

Even with a weapon, I’m outclassed. I don’t know if I can beat her.

“Human,” she said plainly. “You aren’t supposed to be here. At least, you weren't.”

I held my arms up and backed away. “You’re right. Let me return home and I’ll get out of your hair. How does that sound?”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” She stepped forward again, her intense stare boring a hole into my eyes. “You still don’t understand. You are home. Stay.”

“What?”

Just then, one of the nearby doors burst open and five kappa emerged. One of them pointed at me and yelled, “There he is! Kill hi-”

The girl held out her arm to block them and uttered a single word. “Stop.”

All of them immediately halted and stood in place. The one who issued the order began to complain. “But miss, we have him cornered! We should eliminate him now.”

“Did you not hear me?!” the girl looked at her with a furious stare, silencing her. “We have what we came for, do we not?!”

The kappa shrunk back nervously and brought her face to the floor. “Well, yes, but-”

“Well, in that case, get to it! Carry everything back to the ship immediately and bring them to Mother. Efficiency is key.”

“Wait!” another kappa sputtered. “But what about you? And the human?”

“I’ll handle things here. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up.”

Meanwhile, three kappa emerged from another door, carrying an oblong, white object atop their shoulders. At its front was a red cap, and behind it was another red stripe and a black dot nearly resembling a face of some kind. At the other end was a thruster and a set of wings.

Is that… a rocket?!

“Ah, just in time. Perfect.” The girl pointed to what was presumably the exit. “Take it to the ship.”

All three of them looked at me and glared. “Who is that-”

“Get it done immediately. The others can brief you.”

They nodded in understanding and made their way across the room, taking special care to not get close to the machine. Just then, the door on the far side opened and one more kappa emerged.

“Miss! I’ve found something that may be of interest here.” He brought his hand back and brought forth a familiar figure.

“Let me go! I can’t do chores like this!”

Ruukoto!

“Oh, shut it, would you?!” The kappa squeezed her tightly and held her close while Ruukoto struggled in vain to break free.

“Hm, nice find.” The girl nodded. “Very well. Take that with you.”

“At once. By the way, who is-”

“Get to it.”

“Yes, miss!”

She brought her attention to the group of five kappa nearby. “Five, plus three, plus one… nine. We’re missing three. Which ones?”

A different kappa spoke. “#328 is missing, as well as #319. And #326 didn’t come on board with us.”

“Three losses, then,” The girl spat. “Pathetic. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I’ll ensure that this failure does not go unpunished.”

All of them hung their heads. Meanwhile, the girl pointed at the strange machine and spoke. “Carry that and get out of here.”

The five saluted and hoisted the machine above their heads.

“This would be much easier with our backpacks.”

“Mother told us they aren’t ready yet. Be patient.”

I watched as all of them filed out of the room, one after the other. Besides Ruukoto’s incessant pleading, no one spoke a word.

She might be a machine, but I still feel kind of bad for her…

The last kappa exited and shut the door behind himself, leaving me and the girl alone. She stared up toward the ceiling, gazing at the lights. Both of us stood in place until I could make out the sound of engines starting and the low churn of turbines through the walls of the spaceship.

Unmoving, she began to speak. “Ah… Now it’s just the two of us. And now that everything we came for is secure and my underlings aren’t here to disturb me, I don’t need to hold back. Isn’t that wonderful?”

My heart began to pound out of my chest as she turned to face me. As she did so, she gave me a small, enigmatic smile.

I whipped out my pistol and aimed between her eyes. She didn’t flinch in the slightest. Angrily, I spoke, “Why are you doing this?”

“Why? That’s simple, really.” The girl tilted her head slightly and returned an innocent, wide-eyed look. “Mother wants you dead. And Her will is mine.”

“Who’s this Mother you speak of?! I’ve never even met her!”

“Such ignorance and arrogance… how contemptible.” She frowned. “No matter. You will understand everything very shortly.”

The girl began to float through the air, and her body began to glow. In one swift motion, she brought both her arms up and extended them outward. A wide smile broke out across her face.

“So! Shall we get started?”

A human…

The girl wandered the upper decks without paying much attention to her surroundings. What the kappa had said was just too unbelievable to be true.

Humans aren’t permitted on these tours in the first place. He was delusional, and that’s all there is to it. And yet…

The sound of voices came down from the hallway, snapping the girl to attention. She quickly concealed herself in one of the nearby rooms as she saw multiple kappa rush past her. As they did so, she could hear snippets of conversation.

“Are the packages secure?”

“Yes, they’re below decks. Let’s go.”

“But what about our commander?”

“She’ll catch up. Right now, our orders are to take everything back.”

Once they had left, the girl peeked out from behind the door and glanced both ways to ensure the coast was clear. Satisfied, she stepped out and began to continue her search.

Take everything back? So, they plan on going back the way they came, then. She smiled to herself. That works out. This means I can just stay onboard until they reach the mountains and drop myself off there.

The ship lurched and the entire vessel began to move as the girl peeked through every door along her path.

…

Once the girl had finished going through the upper decks, she brushed her hands off and sighed.

Yep, as per usual, nobody. The only thing I haven’t checked is the bridge, and that’s where all the kappa are. Whoever that kappa fought must surely be dead by now. I didn’t see a body anywhere, so it couldn’t have been a human anyway.

Peeking outside a window, the very same mountain range from earlier began to come into view.

She smiled to herself. Alright, it’s about time for me to-

She stopped as she recalled what the kappa had said earlier.

Why was the commander not with the rest of the crew? That means they’re still in the ruins, right?

Frowning, she brought a hand to her chin. Wait, and the eye from earlier was focused on the ruins too. Could it be-

Horror-stricken, the girl took to the air and flew down the halls, down the stairs, through the passageways she had spent so much time perusing.

Stupid! Idiot! Why did you get inside with them?!

As she flew out the nearest exit, the girl repositioned herself and took off in the exact opposite direction from the ship as she cried out in frustration.

The fact that I can’t fly at top speed is really getting on my nerves!

“This is what beat my kappa underlings? Don’t make me laugh!”

I fired. Over and over again, I shot out waves of magic through the air in an attempt to shoot her down, but she gracefully weaved through the air and sidestepped past each one. Sparks of electricity rained down from the ceiling as each round tore up the panels on the walls and the lighting from above, but she paid it no mind. Infuriated, I fired off more rounds attempting to predict her next movement, only for her to flip upside down and dodge it all completely.

“You can’t fly and you can’t shoot,” she taunted. “So what are you good at? Surely this isn’t all you have to offer.”

“Come down here and I’ll show you!” I yelled back.

The girl said nothing and instead opted to lazily swing her hand sideways, summoning a wave of white bullets. As they sped through the air, I noticed that all of them were aimed differently as if to cover multiple escape routes. Thankfully, I spotted a gap between the bullet aimed at me and the one to my immediate left, so I quickly squeezed through and watched as the bullets made contact with the walls and fizzled out. Turning around to face her, I began a taunt of my own.

“You’re no sharpshooter either-”

My grin immediately vanished when I noticed she wasn’t there anymore. Panicked, I glanced around the entire ceiling with no success. One second later, however, I heard the sound of more bullets from directly behind me. I spun around, only to be met with the girl far behind yet another volley of projectiles, rapidly closing the distance on me.

There’s another gap to the center bullet’s immediate right-

I jumped aside just as the bullets tore past me. Initially, I believed myself to be safe, but a flash of pain burst from my left shin. Looking down, I saw my leg, still in one piece but having adopted a furious shade of red.

Clenching my teeth, I brought my gun up and fired, but she had vanished again.

“As I thought. There’s nothing special about you,” a disappointed voice called out on my right. I turned around and fired once more, but she casually sidestepped. “This is becoming a bore. I’ll just end this now. I have a ship to catch, after all.”

This time, magic began to swirl around her as she raised her arms and brought her gaze to the ceiling. I fired several more times to see if she was too distracted, but she wasn’t. When that failed, I tried to run to the exit, but the damage done to my leg prevented me from accomplishing much more than a limp.

“Trying to escape? Oh, no, we can’t have that. Fear not, I’ll make this quick.”

This time, the girl flung both hands toward me. Just as I made it to the doors, she launched another spread of bullets. This time they were much larger and much more densely packed. There wasn’t enough room to dodge between at this range.

I grit my teeth in anger. Alright. I didn’t want to have to do this again, but I have no choice.

Stretching out my good arm, I caught the centermost bullet and pushed against it as it barreled toward my chest. I could feel the intense sting and heat of the bullet throughout my whole body before I brought out my other hand to grasp it. Staggering back, I slammed my hands together, causing it to vanish and my arms to glow once more.

The girl stopped in her tracks and gave me a quizzical look. “Hm, that’s strange. That looked like it hit you.” She shrugged. “That’s fine. Here’s another.”

The girl lifted her arms to charge her attack again. While she was looking upwards, I took one step forward and flung the bullet back at her.

She immediately brought her head down and stared at the bullet in horror. “What the-”

Moving her head out of the way just in time, she jolted to the side and watched the bullet hit the wall behind her. As she did so, several stands of her hair had been frayed.

Now!

I whipped out the valve and flung it directly at the back of her head.

She turned around again. “How did-”

The valve and its axle struck her directly in the forehead with a loud clang.

“Gahhhh!” Knocked completely back, she fell a ways before catching herself from reaching the ground, wavering about a foot in the air. Quick as a flash, I brought my pistol back up and shot her. The wave struck her in the chest and the magic ripped through her body.

“Augh!”

Got her! I got her!

She fell onto the ground and collapsed with her arms around her chest, wheezing hard. I brought up my gun and aimed it at her.

Time to end this-

A terrible agony suddenly ripped through my left leg, as though nails were being driven through its whole length. I cried out in shock and stared down.

Beneath me was the kappa I had struck down in the hallway. She had buried her fingernails into my shin and my thigh and stared up at me with a look of pure hatred.

This bitch! She wasn’t completely incapacitated and crawled all the way out here!

“#319! I don’t need your help!” the girl cried out. Looking back at her, she had pushed herself off the ground with a single wobbling arm.

I brought my gun back down to the kappa, who met my gaze with glee. Very weakly, she whispered, “Mother will honor me.”

One blast was all it took before she released her grip. As she released me, I nearly toppled over before grabbing onto a panel to steady myself.

Meanwhile, the girl had pushed herself up into a kneeling position. Magic began to swirl around her body, but instead of enveloping her as it had before, it swept around her arm, formed around her hand, and merged at the tip of her index finger. Alarmed, I directed the barrel at her and shot blindly.

Both of us fired at the same time. From her finger, a single line consisting of many white bullets shot forth. The frontmost one was so fast that by the time I realized what I saw, it was already too late.

A wave of pain tore through my chest and I was knocked down to the floor. The pistol flew out of my hand as I landed and clattered several feet away from me. I gasped aloud and clutched my torso, trying to do anything I could to alleviate my suffering. Glancing over at the girl, she was wincing and grasping the arm she just fired from.

It wasn’t a direct hit… I just grazed her arm…

“You miserable worm,” she growled in a low voice. “You will pay dearly for this!”

I watched as the girl began to float off the ground, her limbs dangling beneath her. With a wave of her arm, the same space dust-like magic swirled around her body.

Quickly scanning the room, I saw my pistol too far out of my reach. In desperation, I directed my attention to the wheel on the exit door.

I won’t reach the gun in time. I need to escape!

Mustering what strength I still had, I reached up and pushed myself off the floor, my fingers just slipping off the valve. The light in the room began to change from a hazy orange to an ominous blue behind me, but I did my best to ignore it.

With one last push, I grabbed the wheel and used it to prop myself up. Rotating it as fast as I could with one hand, I managed to get several revolutions through before my progress was interrupted.

“HAAAH!” the girl yelled out. Glancing behind me, I saw the same orbs that surrounded her when she breached the ship. Bullets were flying every which way, some large, some small, tearing up just about everything they touched. One set was flying straight toward me.

Instinctually, I ducked. Barely a foot above me, I felt a searing heat collide with the exit door and the sound of magic combusting upon its surface. Just then, I heard the beautiful click of the door swinging free of its hinges, the magic offering me the last push the door needed to open.

Straining my body, I threw myself into the new hallway and fell to the floor, hastily shutting the door behind me. Hobbling onto my feet, I clutched the valve and spun it several times to lock it again.

Doing my best to stay upright, I turned around and forced myself to walk through the hallway. It was very short- only two doors stood at its side, and one faced me on the opposite end. The one on my right was labeled Lavatory, and the one on my left was labeled Closet.

She’ll find me right away if I hide in either of those. I need to keep going.

I limped across the hallway and began to work on the far door. One turn, two turns, three turns-

The door behind me, meanwhile, was beginning to glow, transitioning from a dull silver to a light red to a blinding white.

An explosion rocked the entire ship as a hole was blasted where the door once stood, similar to the one from earlier. Through it, I could see the girl hovering a mere inch above the ground, panting heavily as though she had expended much of her energy.

I brought my attention back to the door, twisted it one more time, and opened it. Before me lay the same room with the strange lights I had entered in.

“You will not escape me!” the girl screamed. I looked back at her to see if she was about to fire more magic, but she did something I never expected.

With a yell, she flew straight through the hole and dove directly into me in a tackle. The wind was knocked out of my chest as both of us flew out.

The girl gripped me with all her strength as the both of us collapsed onto the metal catwalk and fell down the stairs, step after painful step. It wasn’t until we had reached the bottom that she released her hold on me and both of us lay on the floor, heaving.

I scrambled to my knees and ducked behind the closest pillar. Seconds later, the girl began to float and flung magic around erratically.

“Human! You! Will! Die! By! My! Hand!” she declared; each word concluded by a new wave of bullets. She spun around wildly, unable to pinpoint my location, which gave me a glimmer of satisfaction.

Just then, I heard a crack directly above me. Tentatively, I looked up at the light I was next to and saw the glass surrounding the pillar beginning to fall apart. At that moment, I realized that the girl hadn’t simply been firing magic randomly.

A cacophony of shatters filled the room, each pillar of light collapsing in a shower of glass and glimmering sparks, which lost their light instantly. The room went dim as each pillar broke until it was only lit by the strange crescent moon light that hung in the ceiling. Bringing my hands and knees close to protect me from the falling glass, I simply held still and waited for it to be over.

Once I considered it safe to peek out, I looked up and saw the girl flying down to the ground, the soft glow of magic still illuminating her arm. Her fists were clenched, and she was angrily scanning the room for me.

I brought out the wrench and held it tightly, waiting for her to draw near as the crunch of glass and crystals beneath her feet grew louder.

Alright, here we go. One last chance.

As the girl walked past my pillar, I jumped out and smashed the wrench across her head, knocking her slightly back. While she was disoriented, I pulled her back to me and held the wrench there as tightly as I could, crushing her neck between the wrench and my chest.

She gasped and flailed, but I wouldn’t budge.

Just when it seemed to be all over, the girl snatched up a piece of fallen glass and impaled me through the ribs. I screamed out and dropped the wrench, falling to the floor. The girl pushed herself off me and heaved before facing me once again, shard of bloody glass in hand.

“You,” she spat, “are an insect. And to die by my hand is far more than you deserve.”

She knelt atop me and slammed the glass through my chest. I brought my hands forward to hold her arms back, but this had become a contest of strength, and she was winning.

“I’m going to make sure this hurts. This,” she declared, as she pierced me once again, “is the price for your blasphemy.”

I choked and sputtered as she twisted it deeper into me. She hadn’t hit anything too vital yet, but I was going to be in serious trouble from blood loss if I didn’t get it treated immediately. Just as I was about to give up all hope, I remembered something.

Oh, right, those…

I brought out one of the spheres I found in Chiyuri’s cabinet. With two fingers, I pried out the piece of fabric. The magic swirling inside began to rapidly change color, from red to green, to violet, to white, as it grew brighter all the while.

The girl paused and looked over at my hand as I shoved it directly into her face. “What?!” she cried, as the light eventually enveloped us both and the entire room.

Suddenly, a great flash of darkness erupted from the sphere. A massive clock symbol appeared before me, and bolts of magic flew everywhere across the room as the roar of thunder filled my ears. Several seconds later, cracks formed along the clock’s edge, and they all met in the middle with a great flash of light.

…

It was over.

I was completely flat on the floor. My body screamed all over, and I barely even had the strength to crawl. The girl had been flung across the entire room and she, too, lay still on the floor.

What was that?! And more importantly, did… Did I get her?

Her fingers began to twitch, and my hopefulness turned to horror.

Still?!

I watched from the corner of my eye as she, very slowly, pushed herself up with a single arm.

“You,” she croaked out, “I hate you.”

I remained silent as she crawled over to me, inch by inch. When she drew near, she felt around for another piece of glass. When she found one to her liking, I stared into her eyes as she uttered a single word.

“Die.”

All of a sudden, a beam of light struck her from behind, piercing her through the chest. She let out a scream before collapsing to the floor for the last time. Her body shimmered and vanished as the kappas had, but this time, a collection of lights appeared in the place she had just been. They lingered for just a moment before spiraling into the sky and disappearing completely.

Stunned and barely conscious, my mind struggled to even understand what had just happened. From beyond my vision, I heard someone call out in a voice full of relief, “Ah, just in time!”

Soft footsteps approached me as a figure emerged into view.

In the dim light, she was striking, almost angelic in appearance. Her long yellow hair cascaded upon her shoulders like waves. Her eyes were a sharp yellow that matched her hair and compared to everyone I had met thus far since waking up, these felt far… kinder.

Perched atop her head was a large white hat with a wide brim, adorned with a purple ribbon and a neatly tied bow. Her dress was a pristine white that hung below her knees, and it featured an elegant shade of purple along the collar near her neckline and the sash tied around her waist. The hem of the dress had been embroidered with a decorative purple stitch, and her white shoes had been polished to a shine.

Bewildered, I stared up at her as she knelt beside me. “Ah, so it was true. There really was a human…” she whispered to herself.

“What… do you… want?” I sputtered.

“Shhh! Don’t speak,” she said in a soothing voice, as she pulled me up and held me in both arms. Surprisingly, she seemed completely unfazed by my weight. “Save your strength. I’m going to treat you. Truthfully, it’s a miracle you’re still alive.”

As she carried me up the stairs, she spoke gently, “I’m sure you have lots of questions you’d like to ask me, but that’s alright. I’ve got many questions I’d like to ask you, too.”

When she had made her way to the room where the battle had started, she looked around in amazement. “Wow, you two really made a mess of this place, huh?”

“Who… are you…?” I forced out, each word stinging my throat.

“Oh, me?” The girl brought her attention back to me and gave me a warm smile. “I’m Louise.”

Chapter Text

A human… I can still hardly believe it.

Louise carried the man in her arms as delicately as she could, his raspy breath drowning out the hum of machinery as she held him close to her chest. In this strange, unfamiliar room, Louise examined the doors along the walls until she found one labeled Crew Quarters. Taking extra care not to drop him, Louise swiftly opened the hatch with one hand and pushed it aside.

Before her lay a hallway with six rooms, three on either side. After ensuring the man’s body wouldn’t bump into either wall, Louise made her way down the hallway and opened the nearest door.

The room was small but comfortable. A bed, neatly prepared, was tucked into one corner, and beside it was a single dresser with a lamp. Along the opposite wall was a desk with several papers scattered along its surface, and a simple folding chair was situated directly in front. Several lights were situated along the walls, filling the room with a soft, ambient glow.

Louise smiled to herself. Yes, this is perfect.

As she laid him upon the bed as gently as possible, she could see the man’s face contorting in pain.

“Louise…” the man spoke weakly, as he attempted to bring forward a shaking arm to her face.

“Hush.” Louise clasped the man’s arm and put it back on the bed. “We can talk later. For now, we need to focus on your recovery.”

The man returned a quick nod of understanding and stared back up to the ceiling.

Louise brought forth her hand and laid it upon his forehead, only making contact with the fingertips. Whispering an incantation, a green glow coursed through her arm and enveloped her hand before making its way to her fingers.

“I’m not the best at this, but this should help ease the pain. For now, you should get some rest.”

The man’s eyelids fluttered a bit before slowly closing, his grating wheezes turning into gentle breathing. As he did so, Louise could have sworn she saw the corner of his lips raise, if only a little. It wasn’t much longer until she could tell he had fallen asleep.

Okay, now to get to work. First, I need to inspect the extent of the damage.

With a gentle hand, Louise unbuttoned his shirt, starting from the collar and working her way down.

Hmm, this shirt… Actually, I’ve never seen this sort of clothing before. Just who is this man?

After bringing the man’s arms through the sleeves and peeling it off his back, Louise tossed it aside. Once she had readjusted the man’s head upon the pillow, she brought her gaze down his body.

All right, and now the… pants…

Bringing her gaze respectfully to the ground, Louise did her best to ignore the heat that rose to her cheeks as she fumbled around with the zipper. Once she made sense of it, she pried both legs free and tossed his pants aside. 

As she stepped back and examined his body, her eyes widened in amazement.

Lacerations along an entire leg, burn marks along the skin, bruises everywhere, stab wounds on his upper body- how did this man survive?!

Louise shook her head. There’s no time to speculate. I need to get to work. I don’t really understand anything about this place, but it seems to be quite similar in structure to a regular ship- there should be medical supplies lying around somewhere.

Digging through the desk, Louise came across a package titled “First Aid Kit” resting on the bottom shelf. Louise grabbed it and flipped it around in her hand, frowning.

Is this it? I don’t know what a “first aid kit” is, but that white cross symbol is oddly similar to the one that Eientei doctor wears on her hat. Well, nothing to do but check, I suppose.

Bringing the package to the dresser, Louise messed around with the zipper before figuring out how it worked. When it fell open, a smile spread across her face.

Bandages, ointment, and all sorts of other things! Good thing they’re all labeled or else I wouldn’t understand how to use any of this, but this is perfect!

Humming a tune to herself, Louise immediately got to work.

…

Almost done, now. Just a few more wounds to treat.

Louise paused for a moment, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, as she looked down upon the man. His figure, though marred by his numerous injuries, was a strong one. He was lean but not skinny, possessing an athletic physique. His height appeared to be slightly above her own, taller than most of the humans she had seen before. Judging from his face, he was young, even for human standards- he was certainly no older than thirty and was likely closer to twenty.

A young man like you has no business being in a place like this…

Louise continued her work, cleaning and bandaging his wounds, but her mind had drifted far from the task at hand. She couldn’t shake the feeling that his presence here meant something had gone awry, that his being in Makai was no simple coincidence.

As she finished the last of the bandages, Louise stood up and took a moment to admire her handiwork. She had done everything perfectly- not a single scratch on his body had been left unattended. Bringing one hand up to adjust her hat, she brought her gaze to the man’s face, her eyes squinting in contemplation.

I want answers, and you’re going to give them to me, Mr. Human. But for now, you need rest, and I’m going to make sure you receive it. In the meantime, I should explore this place some more and see what I can find.

As she approached the doorway, Louise took one last look behind her and peered at the man, who continued to doze off peacefully.

“Sleep tight, human. I’ll see you when you wake up.”

When I came to, I didn’t know where I was or how long I had been asleep. My eyelids felt heavy as though they were made of lead, but I managed to pry them open. The room around me was still in a haze, but when I attempted to lift a hand to rub my eyes, a sharp ache kept me from moving more than a few inches. Groaning softly, I shifted myself into a more comfortable position, my muscles protesting all the while.

“You’re awake,” I heard a soft voice speak beside me. 

Just then, a vague yellow blob entered the side of my vision. As I turned toward it, its outlines sharpened, and I could make out the facial features of someone I met not too long ago.

Oh, right… I nearly died, and this woman saved me. Her name was… Louise, right?

Louise leaned forward and investigated my bandages for damage, then proceeded to prop me up with pillows so I could see her better. Before I could ask her any questions, she held up a small bowl of soup. A delicious scent filled the room as steam rose from the bowl and dissipated into thin air.

“Eat this,” she spoke, in a gentle yet firm tone. “You must be hungry, right?”

Right then, I suddenly became aware of the hunger gnawing away at my stomach. I felt languid and weak, and even if I wasn’t wounded, I would have been unable to leave the bed regardless.

Oh right, I haven’t eaten anything since I was in that cell. How long ago was that?

My throat was completely dry, so instead of responding, I returned Louise a quick nod. On cue, Louise dipped a spoon into the broth and brought it to my lips, which I graciously accepted.

The soup was terrific. It wasn’t the most impressive dish by a long shot, but as far as I was concerned, this was a feast fit for a king. With each sip, I could feel vigor returning to me. Louise continued to feed me spoonful after spoonful until I had worked my way through the entire bowl of soup.

My hunger abated, the remaining fog that dwelt in my mind had vanished, and I was left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward my mysterious savior. As she placed the empty bowl on the dresser, Louise looked at me as she asked, “How was that? Was it good?”

“Very,” I nodded back. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had something so delicious.”

Louise beamed. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Reclining onto the pillows behind me, I asked, “How did you make that, by the way?”

Louise folded her arms on her lap, pleased to see me speaking full sentences. “After I took care of your wounds, I explored this place further. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, but thankfully, all the rooms were labeled. After a while, I realized that this place isn’t unlike a ship in structure and I came across a pantry and the galley after a bit of searching. When I was there, I figured that a bit of food would do you good, so I whipped up something you could eat with the ingredients they had.”

She said she’d treat my wounds. I remember that, yeah.

Looking down at the rest of my body, I realized that I was not wearing the same clothing I had boarded the ship with. Instead, I saw a uniformly colored set of pajamas. Though they covered up most of my body, I could feel the bandages and gauze beneath the thin layer of silk.

All this effort, just to keep me alive… Just who is this person?

“I see. Well, thank you very much for the food.”

“You’re welcome,” Louise spoke as she scooted her chair closer to me. “And now that that’s settled, it’s time for what we’ve both been waiting for. Let’s talk. You can go first if you’d like.”

“Who are you?” I asked plainly. “You did give me your name earlier, but I’d like to know more about you.”

Louise brought a hand to her chest. “I’m Louise. I’m a youkai who attended the most recent Makai tour, and-”

“You’re a youkai?!” I sat up, alarmed, and scooted away from her.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Louise raised her arms. “There’s no need to be scared. I’m not going to do anything to you.”

In my mind, two voices argued.

Youkai can’t be trusted! Remember what happened last time?!

Yeah, but… this girl went to all that work to keep me from dying. She obviously doesn’t intend to hurt me at the moment.

That’s how they get you. They gain your trust, and when you least expect it, boom! You get eaten.

Maybe, but what good would fighting back do, especially in my current condition? After she showed me such kindness, I think it’d be better if I showed some in return if it means I get the answers I’m looking for.

I shook my head and apologized. “Ah, sorry.”

“No, no, it’s quite alright.” Louise helped me adjust to a more comfortable position. “It’s only natural for humans to be wary of youkai.”

While she helped me, I gave her a glance of cautious distrust. “But don’t get any funny ideas. I swear I don’t taste good. The last youkai who tried to eat me got a toothache.”

“Toothache…?” Louise tilted her head sideways. “What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, I was on a ship earlier and came across a kappa. He looked like he had the life sucked out of him, quite frankly. Anyways, he-”

“A ship… a kappa…” Louise whispered to herself. “Sir, would you kindly tell me what floor you met the kappa on?”

I looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. “The fourth floor in the passenger wing. Why?”

“So that’s it!” Louise snapped her fingers. “I thought as much! You’re the one who left the ship and entered this place!”

Leaning forward, Louise began to admonish me. “Why would you do something like that, running inside where the entire crew was? That was incredibly foolish of you! If I realized where you went off to a moment later, you would’ve died!”

Breaking eye contact and staring at the wall beside me, I spoke. “I was curious as to what was inside and I thought I’d get answers, so I went out onto the deck. I wasn’t expecting a floating eyeball to force me inside-”

“That’s even worse!” Louise threw her hands up. “Of course there was going to be one of Shinki’s eyes in a place of interest! Why didn’t you destroy it, or at the very least, why didn’t you anticipate that-”

Turning back around to face her, I scowled. “Slow down! Who’s Shinki? And how was I supposed to know there was going to be an eye there?!”

Louise immediately cut off her speech and fell silent as she slowly turned back to me with a shocked expression.

“What do you mean, who’s Shinki?”

Louise blinked. Surely that was a joke.

“I’m not familiar with anyone named Shinki,” the man before her said plainly. “I’ve never heard the name in my life.”

Louise leaned in closer, her eyes wide. “There’s no way you don’t know her, right? If that was a joke, I’m afraid I missed it.”

“Does it look like I’m joking?!” he replied with a somewhat irritated undertone. “I really don’t know who Shinki is. That’s the complete truth.”

Louise reclined in her chair and folded her hands on her lap. “For someone to go on a tour to Makai and not know who Shinki is… wow. I didn’t think it was possible.”

Your being here must have been under exceptional circumstances. What could this possibly mean?

“So who is she?” He asked.

“Well, in that case, I’ve got a bit of explaining to do.” Lifting a finger, Louise spoke. “Shinki is a god and the creator of Makai. Unlike Gensokyo, which was created by the sages and is home to many gods, Makai was created by Shinki alone. She’s also the one who created all the youkai who inhabit Makai.”

“So she’s real important.” He nodded in understanding. “Go on.”

“Many years ago, many of Shinki’s youkai breached the gap between Makai and Gensokyo to the point where the Hakurei shrine maiden herself got involved. Though she was still a child, she and her three companions were able to defeat Shinki in combat.”

“The Hakurei miko was that strong even as a child?” The man sat up, fascinated. “I see. And she’s probably gotten much stronger since then, too…”

“Pardon me,” Louise held up her hand. “Do you happen to be an acquaintance of hers, by any chance?”

“Yeah, I am.” He looked over at Louise and gave her a smirk. “And she happens to be fond of me, too.”

Really? That’s terrific!

“I see. That’s good.” Despite her attempts to maintain a neutral composure, Louise couldn’t help but let a smile form on her face. The man, on the other hand, appeared confused.

“But why is that good? Why would a youkai think that was good news?”

“I’ll get to that part, don’t worry. Now where were we?”

The man racked his brains for a moment. “The Hakurei miko and her companions beat Shinki.”

Louise nodded. “Right! As I was saying, Shinki was forced to make a deal with the Hakurei miko where she was forced to prevent a full-scale invasion of Gensokyo from happening ever again. To do this, she had to go through all of her children-”

“Her children?”

“Her youkai creations,” Louise waved her hand. “She considers them her children. Anyways, as per her deal, Shinki has mostly ruled Makai in silence. As for her children, their behavior was modified to be more loyal to her, and those capable of creating passageways from Makai to Gensokyo had that ability removed. Shinki is basically the only one who can do that sort of thing now.”

“And these passageways are the only way to and from Gensokyo?”

Louise tilted her head sideways. “...Not quite. There are exceptions. But Shinki’s inherent authority over Makai essentially means that if she doesn’t want you entering or leaving Makai, your only hope is finding one of the few remaining existing passageways.”

“Oh, I get it. You were on your way to one of the passageways so you could get to Gensokyo, and then you’d ask the Hakurei shrine maiden for help. That’s why you were happy to hear I knew her.”

“Exactly right!” Louise beamed.

“But why would you need her help?”

Louise’s face fell as she placed both her hands on her knees, staring at the bed frame beneath him. Doing her best to maintain her composure, Louise responded.

“Well… things here have taken a turn for the worse. It’s gotten to the point where we need someone like her to step in and set things right.”

“Set things right? What happened?”

In a low voice, Louise spoke. “These Makai tours were the result of a deal between the tengu in Gensokyo and Shinki, the main authority in Makai. In these tours, they traverse Makai in a fleet of ships and return after approximately a month. Shinki orders her youkai to not attack the ships, and in turn, she receives some of the profit from each trip.”

“Oh, she made a deal with the tengu, huh?” The man scowled. “That wasn’t a very smart decision on her part. Never trust a tengu.”

Louise continued. “But on this trip, the one I was on… something happened. Something none of us could have ever anticipated.”

“Go on.”

“Several days into the trip… Shinki went mad.”

Intrigued, I adjusted himself to more clearly look at Louise. “Mad? How?”

Louise, despite trying to keep her expression steady, was visibly crestfallen. “With no warning, her children began to kidnap us. We were disappearing left and right with seemingly no explanation. By the time we realized what was happening, it was too late. We were completely surrounded. Then Shinki proposed a deal to those of us that remained- join alongside her to be remade as her children, or perish.”

I returned a confused look. “Her children? How does that work? I thought that title only applied to youkai she created.”

“Not only does Shinki have the ability to create youkai at will, she can also reshape and modify them. For instance, the kappa you met earlier didn’t look or behave as they normally would in Gensokyo, right? They were forcibly modified to be subservient to her, and reshaped to be more effective in a fight.”

“Ah!” My eyes widened in understanding. “Things make a lot more sense now! But how did you know I met a kappa earlier?”

“I decided to search the ship that landed next to this strange structure to look for survivors,” Louise spoke gently. “When I made my way up to the fourth floor on the passenger wing, I came across a fallen kappa who spoke of a human. You should consider yourself very lucky he didn’t have his backpack with him, by the way- if that were the case, you’d be long dead.”

“And that led you to search for me- okay, now I’m starting to get it.”

Louise lifted her head back up and faced me once more. “By the way, sir, you said something about ‘giving him a toothache’, didn’t you? What did you mean by that?”

I leaned back and gestured toward my right shoulder blade with my head. “Did you notice bite marks there while you were dressing my wounds? When we were fighting, he tried to eat me. While he did manage to injure me, his teeth shattered when he tried to bite deep.”

“Shattered…?” Louise whispered to herself, a look of confusion written on her face.

Hmm. Did I say something I shouldn’t have?

“Sir,” Louise spoke. “Are you absolutely sure you’re human?”

“You’re not the first one to ask me that, but yes, I’m still completely human,” I answered. “I’m pretty confident that both my parents were human.”

After a moment’s silence, Louise sat back. “...I see.” However, there were still traces of a frown on her face, and her response didn’t put me at ease at all.

In an attempt to get the conversation moving again, I spoke up. “Anyways, never mind that. What happened after Shinki made this deal of hers?”

Louise lifted her eyes and crossed her arms. “Mass panic. Many of us attempted to fight back, but there were too many, and we too few. Others attempted to take their chances by fleeing. Still others who had given up all hope gave themselves up to Shinki to be remade.”

“I see.” I fell quiet and looked ahead, breaking eye contact.

Clearing her throat, Louise broke the silence. “So, ever since then, I’ve been on the run making my way to one of the few gates that lie between Gensokyo and Makai in order to convince the shrine maiden to put a stop to all this. I’ve been taking detours in the meantime, sneaking onto any of the boats I came across to look for survivors.”

“And I’m the only one you’ve found?” I inquired. Louise nodded in silence.

“I see. So how did you escape?”

Louise fidgeted around in her chair. “I… was in one of the ships that attempted to flee. Before they caught up to me, I abandoned ship and hid myself among the terrain as I made my way to one of the passageways. I’ve been avoiding detection ever since.”

I peered at her with an analytical gaze and watched Louise, who seemed rather uneasy.

Something about her reaction is throwing me off. I don’t think she’s telling me the truth here. Does she have something to hide?

A quiet fear began to take hold of me. If what she’s saying isn’t true, then what really happened? Is she actually working for this Shinki person, trying to gain my trust? What’s the real story?

Tentatively, I took my gaze from her. As it stands, there’s nothing I can do in my current state. But I’ll have to be wary of her.

“Ah, that makes sense. That must’ve been hard on you.”

Louise quietly exhaled, almost as though she were relieved I hadn’t pressed her for more information.

“So anyways, about this passageway between Gensokyo to Makai. Could you tell me more about-”

Louise abruptly stood up from her chair and took the bowl from the dresser. “I think that’s enough chatting for now. You should be getting some rest.” I watched as she quickly paced over to the door without looking back at me. “I’ll return with some water. We can continue our conversation later.”

I protested. “But- wait! Didn’t you want to ask me questions?!”

“That can wait.”

Louise reached the exit, and as she was about to leave, she hesitated in the doorway, casting her shadow along the wall. From where I was, I couldn’t make out her face.

“Listen. We can’t stay here for very long. You need to be back on your feet as soon as possible. Shinki saw you enter this place, right?”

Images of the horrible eye shooting at me made their way to the forefront of my mind. In a way, it was the reason I nearly died.

“...Yes, she did.”

“She didn’t see anything past that, I think. That means that for now, she probably thinks you’re dead. But once she finds out the wheel demon is missing-”

“Wheel demon?! Is that what-”

Louise waved her hand, silencing me. “Then she’ll probably send more of her children to kill you. I won’t let that happen. You need to leave this place behind. I’m no Eientei nurse, but I’ll do my best to ensure you recover as soon as possible. With my help, you might stand a chance.”

At that moment, I found an opportunity to ask the question that was burning away in my mind. “But why would you go through all this trouble just for my sake?”

Still hanging on to the hatch’s frame, Louise looked back at me.

“...Because I’m making an investment.”

I watched as she turned back to the light from the exit and closed the door behind her, concluding our conversation with a gentle click. I was alone, left to confront the conflicting feelings that traversed my mind.

I don’t know what to think of that girl. Can I really trust her?

…

I awoke.

As I blinked several times to bring my view into focus, I glanced around me. I didn’t recall ever falling asleep. The ambient light from the ceiling was dim, but it was enough for me to determine that Louise was, in fact, absent. Stretching my arms and pushing myself further back onto the pillow beneath my head, I began to contemplate my next move.

What does Louise want with me? She said she was headed to the Hakurei Shrine. She clearly knows a way out. Assuming I can trust her, the smart move would be for me to tag along with her. But…

I sighed. And where is she anyway? Suspicious as she is, it was nice having some company around.

It was just then that my actions had just dawned on me.

I… stretched my arms? Normally? And I was able to move my whole body’s weight without feeling any pain?

I brought my hands in front of my face and flexed both. After several seconds of examination, I couldn’t help but smile.

My hands are completely healed. My arms, they’re almost there too. Louise is a miracle worker, no doubt. Speaking of which, how are my legs?

Gently, I lifted one leg and shifted it around for a bit, followed by the other.

Hm… Not all there yet, but they’ve mostly recovered. From what I can tell, I should be strong enough to stand on my own now. This is perfect.

I steadily brought myself to the edge of the mattress and lowered my feet to the floor. After wobbling for a bit, I willed my hands to release their grip on the bedframe and held out my arms to keep my balance.

It’s true! I really can stand!

I spent the next while taking cautious steps to and from the desk. So long as I focused on where I was stepping, I could sort of meander along and still be fine.

This isn’t ideal, but at least I know I can move.

I directed my attention to the hatch that led outside and plodded over to it. Thankfully, Louise hadn’t twisted the valve to tighten the door when she left, allowing me to pull it open.

Louise would probably freak out if she saw me moving around on my own when she wants me to recover, so I’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The hallway before me had a slightly brighter glow lining the walls, and further down I found a series of hatches identical to mine. All standard living quarters identical to mine, most likely.

I need to find out what Louise is up to. Maybe I’ll figure something out.

On the opposite end of the hallway, a strange light caught my attention- for some reason, the light itself was flipping between brighter and dimmer, with seemingly no pattern. The hatch on the other end of the hallway had been left ajar, as though it were inviting me. As I approached it, I came to recognize the light as that strange, hazy one from earlier.

As I stepped through the frame, I marveled at the sight before me. Panels had been completely torn off the walls, wires had been bent out of place, sparks routinely showered down from the ceiling, and blackened stains of heat covered vast portions of every surface. The few undamaged light panels were flickering, unable to maintain a constant luminosity. With no strange machine to stand in the center to occupy the place, the now-barren room was oddly unnerving.

To think someone so small would be capable of so much power… it’s a good thing I got that door open when I did.

A strange scent reached my nose, and as I sniffed the air, I almost choked. The disgusting, metallic odor of burnt wiring was coming from nearly every corner of the room. Immediately, I brought a hand to my nose and held it shut, gasping for air. As I glanced around, I remembered one detail of my fight with the girl- the “wheel demon”, as Louise had put it.

Where’s my gun?

I gave the entire room a cursory glance, but all I could find was the charred husk of the valve lying in one of the corners. Unfortunately, the smell was getting to me and I gave up the search before long.

Never mind. I can ask Louise about it later. Speaking of which, where is she?

Looking around me, I saw the place where the exit door once stood. In its place were bits of steel poking out around a large hole that nearly stretched across its whole surface, creating a hole large enough for me to walk through.

Hmm… Where does it make sense for her to be? If she's insistent on trying to protect me until I heal up, she might be guarding the entrance to watch for intruders. Is she at the entryway?

I held my breath as I carefully stepped through the hole, making sure to not get my clothing stuck to anything. Sure enough, the same door that led to the area with the pillar lights also hung open. Thankfully, Louise’s apparent habit of not closing doors behind her trivialized my search.

I peeked out from behind the hatch, and when I saw and heard nothing, I gently pushed it open.

Fully expecting to see another disaster, I was caught by surprise. All of the glass and crystals had been swept aside to the now-useless hatch with no valve. The wires that had broken free from their paneling had been tucked away, mostly out of sight. Above me, the moon-shaped lamp basked the room with a pleasant, constant glow. Compared to the room I had come from, this was night and day.

Something caught my eye from directly beneath my line of sight, and when I brought my face down, I saw my wrench leaning against one of the pillars for support. Though slightly touched with a crimson pigment, it was otherwise completely undamaged.

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you either.

Gripping the railing for support, I took myself down the stairs, step by step, until I had reached the path at the bottom. As I walked toward the hole that marked its end, I saw something glimmer outside.

Instinctively, I pressed myself against the wall for cover and peeked outside.

Just beyond the entryway to the ship, a slew of golden, wiry frames lay upon the uneven terrain, glistening as though it had been left out in the rain. A purple, mossy net poked through the gaps between the frames. An oblong disk lay on the ground several feet away. Though half of it shared the same yellow pigment as the frames, the other half had lost its luster and adopted a duller shade of copper.

These objects- could it be?

I squinted harder, and sure enough, I saw a strange, gelatinous pile of white and red slurry buried beneath the pile of frames, leaching out onto the rocks below. I shuddered.

That must have been the eye Louise scolded me for not taking care of. This is her handiwork, no doubt.

Just then, I caught movement from the side of the hole. As I ducked back inside, I caught a glimpse of a familiar white dress. I readjusted myself and took another look.

Sure enough, Louise was patrolling the area around the entryway, hovering about a foot over the ground as she made her way across my vision. Fortunately, her attention was directed upwards and away from the ship.

So that’s where you are. Keeping lookout, huh?

Just then, I saw Louise twitch ever so slightly and come to a complete stop. Louise whipped her head around and brought her sights to the sky, focusing intensely on something beyond my field of view.

About a second passed. Suddenly, Louise leaped back into the air and flew upwards with her arms crossed.

A flash of light struck the place Louise had just stood.

Another figure entered my vision, descending to eye level with Louise. As I looked closer, my heart was gripped with panic; here was another fairy-sized girl similar in appearance to the one I fought earlier, but this time she was dressed in blue. Louise, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

I know Louise can use magic, but that girl’s really strong too… is she going to be okay? I barely know you but please win this for me, Louise!

From this distance, I could just barely make out their conversation. After a brief standoff, Louise was the one to break the silence. “...What business do you have with me, spirit?”

The girl giggled. “Mother has been wondering where you’ve been!”

Louise paused, the girl having gotten ahold of her attention. “And why would she?”

The girl responded cheerfully. “Mother wants your power, of course! Why else?”

“Hah!” Louise spat. “I thought so. Get lost.”

“Oh~? That’s a shame.” The girl replied. “Mother says She’s willing to make amends with you!”

After a brief pause, Louise spoke under her breath. “...Amends?”

“Of course!” The girl grinned. “Mother is forgiving. She says that if you side with Her, She would graciously welcome you into Her arms.”

“Hmph!” Louise looked aside. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Aw, that’s too bad!” The girl responded in a sing-songy voice. “Then die!”

The girl swept her arm aside, forming a wide line of bullets and launching them at Louise. Louise simply watched from the corner of her eye and sidestepped at the last moment, weaving between the bullets with ease. The girl flew around Louise every which way, firing wave after wave of bullets, both big and small, but it was no use. Every single time, Louise would dodge at the very last moment, moving as little as possible.

“Not a scratch~? Then I’ll get serious!” The girl readied magic in her arms and stretched them out. “Let’s do this!”

This time, the girl flew back and continuously fired wide waves of seven large bullets, all spread out to cover potential escape routes. Louise had to move around a bit more to handle this, but she still seemed equally uninterested in the fight. Eventually, the waves stopped and the bullets dissipated, the girl having seemingly exhausted her supply of magic from her previous charge. Having realized this, the girl flew in front of Louise, and with a breath, she began to charge magic once more.

Wow. Louise is skilled, that’s for sure, I thought to myself as I scratched my chin. But why isn’t she fighting ba-

Louise immediately stretched her arm toward the girl and uttered a single word.

“Begone.”

A thin white-blue laser erupted from her palm. It hit her dead on, piercing her through and zipping into the unknown.

The girl screamed and clutched her chest as her body became translucent before turning into the lights I saw before, spiraling into the sky.

As Louise descended, I gazed at her in pure shock.

She- she’s a monster…

Louise dusted herself off and sighed.

To think that there would be demons this far out in Makai… this doesn’t bode well. I was hoping I wouldn’t need to dirty my hands so soon, but…

As she descended to the ground, Louise looked up into the stars and searched, ensuring that the demon had been alone. Satisfied, Louise touched down, gently placing one foot on the terrain after the other.

I don’t like this. The longer we stay here, the more frequently demons are going to turn up. I can hold them off for a while, but eventually, I’ll get overwhelmed.

Racking her brain for ideas, Louise arrived at a conclusion.

I must not fail. That’s the bottom line. And if the human’s injuries prevent me from accomplishing my task, then there’s nothing I can do to help that. If he heals quickly, though, then I’ll take him along with me. On top of the fact that he’d be another eyewitness, him knowing the Hakurei miko personally makes him very useful to me.

Louise turned her sights back to the entryway of the ship, its interior lit with the dim light of the moon. Taking a moment to glance over to the remnants of the eye, Louise clasped her hands and began the journey back to the ship.

For now, I’ll just take care of the human as best I can, whether or not I can take him with me. Only time will tell.

She’s coming this way!

Pulling myself up, I brought myself onto the path and began to walk down it at a brisk pace. After several steps, I began to feel a dull ache in my legs but forced myself to keep moving. Fairly soon, I had made it down the path, and ahead of me lay an even greater challenge- the stairs.

As I took just one step up, a sharp pain tore through my leg. I clutched the handrail with both arms for support as I groaned aloud.

Keep going! There’s no time to waste!

Step by step, I shimmied myself up the stairs, trying my best to bend my knees as little as possible. Eventually, I made it to the top, and I gasped out in relief.

Luckily, I had left the hatch open, so I shuffled over and snuck inside. As I did so, I could see Louise’s silhouette appearing in the entryway.

Just in time…

As I walked down the hall, however, the stench of burnt metal reached me once more. I brought both hands to my mouth as quickly as possible to stifle a cough.

Behind me, I could hear the clack of Louise’s shoes on the stairs.

With no other options, I hurried forward and stepped through the hole, a task that felt ten times more difficult than it had been earlier. Treading lightly to prevent any further strain on my legs, I crossed the room and made it into the open hatch before leaning on the wall and taking a big breath of fresh air.

Panting, I glanced back into the room I had come from and saw Louise beginning to step through the hole. Though exhausted, I staggered down the hall until I found my room’s door, flung it open, tightened it behind me, and collapsed on the bed.

I knew it. Louise has some history with this Shinki figure. They don’t seem to be on the same side, though, so I suppose that theory is out. Also, she’s crazy strong! What could this all possibly mean?

Mere seconds later, I saw the valve turning on its own and watched as Louise gently pushed it open.

“Oh? You’re awake?” Louise asked me in a curious voice. “You should be sleeping, you know.”

Oh, good. She hasn’t caught on.

Wordlessly, I watched as she walked over and turned on the lamp beside my bed before taking a seat in the folding chair. A couple of seconds later, Louise frowned at me.

“You’re breathing heavy. What happened?”

It was true; I had neglected to disguise the fact that I had overexerted myself. Hastily, I attempted to stammer out an explanation. “Uh- Nothing! Nothing happened, there’s no problem at all. I, uh, just had a bit of a bad dream and I’m about to go back to sleep, so-”

“Oh, that’s it?” Louise nodded and rested her hands upon her lap. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She then brought a hand to her side and a handheld suitcase materialized in her grasp.

My eyes widened. “Is that-”

“Shhh.” Louise shushed me as she placed it on her lap and unblocked both latches. With one arm, she reached inside far further than it should have gone and pulled out a handkerchief.

Louise leaned close to me, causing my hair to stand on end. I was beside myself with nervousness, but luckily she didn’t seem to notice.

Please don’t get close.

With a single hand, Louise brought the handkerchief close and dabbed my forehead with it. “You’re sweating.”

“O- Oh. I am, huh? Heh. That’s weird-”

“Hush.”

I lay there in silence until Louise had finished. Tucking away the handkerchief, Louise smiled at me, but I was unable to tell if it was genuine.

As the suitcase vanished, Louise placed her hand on my forehead once again and spoke the same incantation as before. A familiar green glow enveloped me once more and I could feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness.

“If you’re having trouble sleeping, this should help.”

From the edge of my cognizance, I felt Louise removing her hand and speaking to me.

“Get some more rest. I’ll check in on you when you wake up.”

Chapter Text

“Hm~ hm~ hm~”

Louise gave the saucepan of porridge one final stir as she turned the heat off. After letting it cool off, she dipped a spoon inside and brought it to her lips.

Hmm... it’s almost there, but it could use a little more sweetness. Hang on.

Making her way over to the refrigerator, Louise brought out several packs of berries. After washing them, she topped the porridge with an assortment of fruit.

Convenient food preservation and easy access to water… The technology here’s fantastic. As far as I could tell, this vessel is maintained by a pair named Yumemi Okazaki and Chiyuri Kitashirakawa. I wonder what kind of people they are and what their usual lives are like if this is what they’re accustomed to.

Speaking of those two, where are they now?

Ladling the porridge into a small bowl, Louise grabbed another spoon and left the galley behind. As she passed through the large, now-empty room, she glanced around. Despite her best efforts to clean up the mess and air out the room, making it look good as new was completely out of the question.

At any rate, hopefully they don’t return soon. I don’t want to have to explain things to them. I did my best here and in the entryway, but…

Soon after, Louise found herself in front of the doorway to her patient’s bedroom. Rapping her knuckles against the hatch’s metallic surface, she waited for a response. “Human? Are you awake? I’m coming in if you don’t mind.”

From the other side, Louise heard him respond. “Come on in.”

Louise twisted the valve and entered the room. The man was sitting up in bed, resting his back along the headboard. He was intensely focused on a small, nondescript book he held open in his hands.

He seems to be in better condition than yesterday. That’s good.

“Good morning,” Louise said to the man as she walked over to the folding chair and sat down. “Where did you get that book? I didn’t leave it on the dresser.”

Without taking his eyes off the page, the man made a subtle gesture with his head toward the desk across the room. “I woke up early, so I decided to dig through the desk cabinets. Found this lying in one of them.”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Louise said in disapproval. “You’re injured! In your state, you probably can’t even stand. Even just crossing the room and getting back onto the bed must’ve been difficult. Next time, just ask me if you need anything, okay?”

The man took his eyes off the page and looked over at Louise. “Actually, it wasn’t hard at all. I’m already strong enough to handle walking.”

“You can already walk?!” Louise leaned back in her chair, surprised.

“Yeah,” the man replied, as he pulled himself out of his bed. “I feel strong enough now.”

“Hey!” Louise exclaimed. “You really shouldn’t be doing this-”

Instead of responding, the man put his legs on the floor and pushed himself up as though it were a trivial task. Louise turned around in amazement as he paced back and forth across the room without trouble.

“You see? I’m all good now. I don’t think it’d be a good idea for me to run yet, but I can at least manage this much.” The man tucked his hands into his pockets. “It’s all thanks to you, Louise. You’ve done me a great favor.”

“But-” Louise sputtered in confusion. “But I saw all your wounds! Humans heal slowly compared to youkai! I thought it’d take a little more time than this-”

“It almost sounds like you wanted me to stay injured for longer.” The man chuckled to himself. “In that case, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

“What? No!” Louise brought her gaze to the ground in awe. “That’s not it! This was just a surprise to me, that’s all. This is great news! I’m just- I don’t get it. How did you heal so quickly?”

“Behold the power of modern medicine and magic working together, I suppose.” The man shrugged. “Anyways, I’m mostly better now, and that’s what really matters.” He walked back over to the bed and sat down in front of Louise. “Oh, you made more food for me. Thanks!” Louise absentmindedly stared elsewhere as the man took the bowl of porridge from her hands and began to dig in of his own volition.

I don’t get it. I didn’t think my healing spell was all that potent. That first aid kit must have come in handy, but I doubt that’s all there is to this story. This guy’s something else.

“Hey, by the way,” the man said between mouthfuls, “now that I’m better, what do you plan on doing with me? What’s this so-called ‘investment’ you had in mind?”

“Hm? Ah!” Louise recalled the decision she reached after her brief struggle with the demon. “Well, truthfully, I think you should tag along with me.”

The man paused and glanced up at her with eyes full of suspicion. “You aren’t secretly planning on eating me, are you?”

Louise clicked her tongue. “No, of course not! Do you think I’d have gone to all this trouble just to eat you?!”

“No. Just making sure.” He resumed eating.

Louise sighed. “When we get to Gensokyo, we’re going straight to the Hakurei shrine. Since you know the Hakurei shrine maiden personally, I want you to tell her everything that’s been going on in Makai.”

“Ah.” The man swallowed the last spoonful of porridge and placed the bowl aside. “That’s why you want me tagging along. You want me to do the talking for you. But isn’t that something you can handle yourself?”

“The more witnesses, the better,” Louise replied. “Nobody in Gensokyo knows about what’s happening in Makai. This means Shinki is deliberately misinforming the tengu by telling them everything’s okay. I’m worried that were I to deliver a conflicting report on my own, I’d just be ignored.”

“And if I don’t agree to come along?”

Louise crossed her arms. “Then I won’t stop you. But mark my words- without me, you won’t last long out there. You’d be throwing away your life for nothing.”

”Hmm… Okay, that makes sense. I don’t have much of a choice at all, do I?”

Louise perked up. “Does that mean you’re coming along?”

“Of course,” the man responded. “Truthfully, I was going to ask you if I could come along once I recovered. The fact that you want me to come along is good to hear.”

Oh, good, he’s being cooperative. I was worried for a moment there.

“Great!” Louise smiled at the man, as she extended her hand to him. “It looks like we’re partners now. Let’s get back to Gensokyo and put an end to this.”

The man stared at her hand for just a moment before slowly grabbing it with his own. He gave a quick shake and pulled away just a little too quickly.

Louise couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness inside. This man still doesn’t trust me, I can tell. In the meantime, the man looked aside, seemingly unsure of what to say. Louise couldn’t make out the meaning behind his expression.

Though you may not believe it, I truly don’t intend you any harm. I only wish there was a way for me to convince you of that.

Louise clasped her hands together and exhaled.

Oh, how little I know about you still…

Just then, the man broke the silence. “By the way, how soon do we need to leave?”

“Hm? Right, that.” Louise faced the man and spoke. “Truthfully, I was going to tell you that we were short on time and that we’d have to leave a bit earlier than I hoped. Since you’ve almost fully recovered, though, that’s not much of a concern anymore.”

“Really? What changed last night?”

“Last night, I encountered a demon outside the ship.”

“O-oh really, huh?” The man sat up straight and avoided making eye contact. “What happened?”

“It was mostly some nonsense about how I should join Shinki.” Louise waved her hand. “She was on her own so I don’t think Shinki sent her. If she had, there probably would’ve been a lot more with her. It’s more likely that it was just a lone patrol. But it did confirm one thing- Shinki knows I escaped, and she’s searching for me as we speak.”

“Oh.” The man looked back at her, seemingly unsure of what to say. “That’s not good.”

Louise nodded in agreement. “Precisely. And that’s why, provided you feel able, we should leave today.”

“Well…” the man paused for a moment. “There’s one problem with that.”

“A problem? Are you not feeling well?”

The man gave Louise a deadpan expression and replied. “That’s not it. I just can’t fly.”

Louise hesitated before looking at the man in the eyes. “You can’t? That’s a surprise.”

He simply shrugged. “Can’t fly. Just can’t do it.”

“But if that’s the case,” Louise said, “Then how did you manage to survive against the wheel demon that long? Fighting on the ground would put you at a massive disadvantage for sure.”

“Quick thinking,” The man spoke back. “That’s how. Plus, I found Chiyuri’s weapons while digging through her office, which gave me an edge.”

“Her weapons? I see…” Louise pondered the situation she was in. “Hmm… In the absolute worst-case scenario, I could just carry you, but I wouldn’t be able to defend myself that way, so I’d like to avoid that if at all possible. What to do, what to do…”

“Actually, I don’t think you need to worry about that.” The man beckoned Louise closer as he held the book in his hands. “Have a look at this.”

Louise brought herself closer as he leaned over, tilting the book so she could read the pages. “See this? This is a diary from one of the crew members for this ship. Her name’s Chiyuri. I paid a visit to her office before my fight with the wheel demon.”

“Kitashirakawa.” Louise nodded. “Go on.”

“She talks a lot about day-to-day activities, her research, and whatnot,” he told her, as he leafed through the pages. “Apparently we’re inside something called the ‘Probability Space Hypervessel’ and the original purpose of their trip was to prove the ‘Non-Unified Magic World Theory’.”

Probability Space… Hypervessel? What a strange name…

“What’s that?” Louise leaned forward in interest.

“The idea that magic exists beyond the ‘Grand Unified Theory’ or something along those lines. I’m not too sure what that means either, but that’s not the important part. Have a look at this.”

He flipped over to the diary’s earliest entries while Louise looked on.

“Chiyuri here describes her experiences handling ‘scientific magic’- technology that allows them to mimic magic. She and someone she calls ‘the Professor’-”

“Yumemi Okazaki,” Louise interjected.

“Right. Anyways, she and Yumemi were unable to use magic themselves and as such brought along technology that closely mimicked it; a specialized brace for flight, armaments that fire magic, explosives that nullify magic, that sort of thing.”

“Danmaku…” Louise whispered. “Of course! That combination would allow them to fight off anyone who tried to disturb them. Makes sense. And when you said ‘weapons’, you meant the equipment she talks about here!”

“That’s right.” He said as he shut the book. “Anyways, I wonder if the brace she mentions is also in her office. I could’ve easily missed it when I was looking through it for the first time.”

“A brace that allows flight? What an interesting idea! How does that work?” Louise asked, her voice brimming with curiosity.

“Dunno. According to this, it’s something you strap directly onto your body. From there, it’s just a bunch of technological blather that allows the user to fly freely. Something about reading neurons from the brain and using that information to dynamically manipulate the space around the user, allowing them to control their position in surrounding space. Sounds fancy, but as far as I can tell it’s no different than standard flight.”

Louise stifled a laugh. All this work just to avoid having to learn a simple spell…

“Well, in that case, we’d better find that thing.” Louise began to turn toward the door but stopped herself. “Hang on. About the weapons you spoke of; do you still have those?”

“Actually, I wanted to ask you about that.” The man brought his hand forward, clenched into a fist, before opening it to reveal a strange, magical bauble with a wisp of fabric poking out. “Here’s one of the bombs I used. Apparently, you’re supposed to throw them after pulling out the fabric. Would’ve been nice to know that before I fought that girl, but whatever.”

“So this is artificial magic, huh?” Louise leaned in to take a closer look. “I almost mistook it for normal magic. That’s impressive stuff.”

“Oh, but that’s not all I had with me,” the man looked up at her. “Chiyuri’s weapon of choice was a pistol. Picked it up in her office. That thing saved my life multiple times. I lost it in my fight with the demon, though, so I’m wondering if you know where it is.”

“Pistol, you said? Hold on just a moment.”

Louise brought a hand to her side and her suitcase materialized in her grasp. Opening it, she dug around for a bit before pulling out the strange object she had found lying on the floor of the destroyed room. It was nicked in places and part of its side had been blackened, but was otherwise in perfect working condition.

“Do you mean this? I found it lying on the ground in that torn-up room. I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but I felt something similar to magic coming from it. Is this what you used to fight that demon?”

As Louise held it out, the man nodded and reached toward the gun in her hand. “That’s right. If I hadn’t found this earlier, there’s no way I would’ve survived as long as I had.”

Taking the pistol from her, the man flipped it around in his hands, observing it from every angle. Once he was satisfied, he tucked it away and folded his hands together.

Louise leaned back in her chair. “Wow, you fought that girl off just by using that thing? You know, grounded danmaku fights aren’t unheard of, but they certainly aren’t very common.”

The man stood up and stretched. “Well, I can certainly see why. That wasn’t what I’d call an enjoyable experience.”

Louise couldn’t help but laugh a little at his remark. Is he already feeling well enough to make light of the experience? He’s feeling better already, no doubt.

The man spoke once again, catching Louise’s attention. “Oh yeah, there’s another thing that’s been bothering me. Aren’t danmaku fights supposed to be nonlethal?”

Louise looked over at him and shrugged. “Well, technically that’s true. But that’s not how things always were. You see, they were put into place by the Hakurei shrine maiden herself to level the playing field for everyone, but those rules aren’t that old. Back when she first fought her way through Makai to confront Shinki, there were no such rules. It was simply about beating down your opponent before they beat you.”

“And that’s how it is right now?”

Louise nodded and continued. “That’s how it is.”

Interested, the man leaned forward. “So how good are you at danmaku?”

“Oh, me?” Louise tilted her head to the side and thought. “I’m… alright. I manage.”

“H- hey, there’s no reason to be humble.” The man let out a nervous chuckle. “You sure you aren’t super strong or anything?”

“Oh, goodness, no.” Louise laughed a little. “There are many people stronger than I. Plenty of them are far beyond me.”

“Is that so?” The man exhaled through his nose as he leaned on his knees. “That’s a scary thought.”

“That’s just the way things are,” Louise responded in a gentle tone. “I’m afraid that if I were to confront Shinki on my own, I wouldn’t stand a chance. That’s why I’m trying to get the Hakurei miko to help, after all.”

“...Yeah.”

The man stared at the side of the room for a moment before deciding to ask another question. “So about those rules. Why’d Shinki go back on them?”

“Though Shinki was never fond of the rules, she adhered to them soon after they were implemented. But now that there’s nobody around to enforce those rules, she took the opportunity to go back to the old way. Now, danmaku isn’t about creating beautiful patterns and expressing yourself through magic- it’s just about who’s stronger. Fights don’t stop until someone gives up, and if nobody gives up, then, well,” Louise paused and glanced over at him, “you already know what happens.”

Louise was suddenly aware of the man eying her with a suspicious look on his face.

Uh oh, did I get carried away? I may have revealed too much.

“Hey, how is it you know so much about Shinki?”

Louise, startled, quickly broke eye contact with the man. “Oh! I, uh, did my research. Before coming on this trip. I studied up on my Makai knowledge before coming along, this stuff is all pretty well documented.”

“Really? Where-”

“Anyway!” Louise hastily interrupted him as she stood up. “Let’s go find that brace of yours.”

Come on… where is it?

“Hey, Louise? You find anything yet?”

Louise turned from the cabinets she was perusing and glanced back at me, shaking her head. “No luck here, I’m afraid.”

“Shoot. Well, let me know if you find anything.”

I looked back over at Chiyuri’s messy desk and sighed. Third time’s the charm, I suppose?

Just before I began my search through the desk cabinets once more, Louise began to speak. “Hey…”

“Yeah?”

“What does this brace of yours look like anyway?”

“Did I not tell you already? Well, um…” I brought out the diary and flipped through its pages. “It’s a black, fabric brace that you wear beneath your shirt. It’s elastic and stretches out, so size shouldn’t be a major concern.”

Louise suddenly halted and looked back at me. “Wait, hold on. Exactly where on the body do you wear it?”

“It stretches across the shoulders. Why?”

Louise blinked once, then twice, as she stared at me. Suddenly, she began to chuckle before erupting into full-blown laughter.

I stared at Louise, thoroughly confused. “Huh? What’s so funny?”

Still shaking with laughter, Louise clutched her knees while staring at the ground, trying her best to maintain her composure. “Well, you see-”

Louise couldn’t even finish her sentence before her voice broke up once more. Unsure of what to do, I watched on as she took the time to contain herself.

“Woooo! Okay…” Louise chortled one last time before taking a deep breath. With a grin on her face, Louise looked back at me and spoke.

“That brace you’re talking about… I found it earlier. Back when I was looking over your wounds.”

“Oh, you did?” I perked up. “Where is it now?”

“It’s-” Louise stifled another laugh. “It’s on your body. You’re wearing it right now.”

“Huh?” I looked down and felt through my shirt.

…?! There’s a strange texture there.

Immediately, I pulled off my shirt and dropped it on the desk next to me. Sure enough, there was a thin layer of fabric that stretched across my chest and covered my shoulders. I moved my arms around to test my range of motion, but as before, my movements were completely unrestricted. No matter how I moved my body, the brace didn’t dig into my skin at all.

“Hey, Louise?” I brought my attention back to her. “When did you put this thing on me?”

Louise had her eyes glued to the floor, occasionally flickering up at me to meet my gaze for the briefest of moments before dodging away shortly after. “I… uh…” she mumbled. “After I took care of your wounds, I searched around the place. When I went through Chiyuri’s office, I found that thing lying around in one of the cabinets. I thought it was a medical device of some kind and that it might do you some good, so I returned and put it on you.”

“You mean I could’ve been flying this whole time?! ” This time, I was the one who couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, um! Thanks for finding it for me, Louise!”

Louise looked up at me, a small blush spread across her face. “Uh, you’re welcome?”

Making my way to the exit, I signaled Louise to follow. “Alright, let’s go. Louise, since we have time, can you teach me for a bit in that room with the broken panels? That place has a high ceiling, so-”

“I’m sorry, but could you please put your shirt back on?!” Louise interrupted, clearly flustered.

I looked back at the desk. “Oh, right. Sorry.”

…

“Alright, are you ready? Follow my lead.”

Holding herself perfectly steady, Louise began to lift herself upwards. Her heels broke contact with the ground first, before standing on her toes and lifting from the ground completely. The control she exhibited was remarkable- she kept herself an inch off the ground without exerting any effort.

As I did my best to emulate her, Louise watched on as she shook her head. “I told you, trying to replicate my motions isn’t going to help you.”

Alright, fine. Then let’s see if I can’t brute-force it.

I gave it another attempt, this time opting to focus solely on levitating myself from the ground. My teeth were clenched so firmly together I felt they might shatter in my jaw.

Come on, come on…

All of a sudden, I jolted upwards and found myself hanging upside-down, about ten feet or so from the ground.

“Wh- gaaaah!”

I flipped around in the air and careened into the wall, knocking several panels down before I finally met the ground with a great crash.

From beside me, I heard Louise speak out. “Ah- Human, are you okay?!”

She zipped over to my side and offered me her arm, which I accepted. Once I was back on my feet, I leaned myself against the wall and took several deep breaths.

“What’d you do to make that happen?”

I glanced down at my chest in the area where the brace was. “I, uh, thought really hard about flying. That’s all that happened.”

With a sigh, Louise turned back from me and walked back to her original position. “No wonder it had such an intense reaction. That’s not what I do at all.”

“Then what is it you do?”

As a demonstration, Louise floated about a foot from the ground and drew close to me once more. “Well, you’ll have to bear with me. I’ve been flying for so long it’s kind of hard to put into words. This might sound like a fish trying to describe water, but I’ll do my best.”

“Alright, that’s fine. Go on.”

Bringing her hands forward, Louise spoke. “Well, it’s- do you know that feeling you have when you know that there’s something important to do, just lingering in the back of your mind?”

“Definitely.” I nodded. “Go on.”

“Well, it’s not dissimilar when it comes to flying. When you keep the fact that you’re flying buried in your subconscious, it just sort of happens. So long as I have the magic capacity to do so, my body just takes care of the rest. From here, you have to send any following actions to your subconscious and your body will move accordingly.”

Louise floated left and right to illustrate her point.

“It’s a delicate balancing act. The will to fly must remain in your subconscious, and only within your subconscious. Should you focus too hard on it and it floats into the realm of conscious thought, then odd things can happen, none of them particularly desirable, as you’re already familiar with.”

“So you’re telling me I need to focus on flying less? How does that even work?”

Louise shrugged. “That’s about as much as I can tell you. It’s just something you get used to over time, and the more you do it, the more natural it becomes. It’s not something I have to think about. When I want to fly, I just do.” She lifted her hand and pointed at her forehead. “It’s all in here.”

“All in the head, huh…” I looked away from Louise and brought my gaze to the floor.

“That’s right. That fancy tech of yours removes the part where you have to expend magic, but there’s no way around having the right headspace.“ Louise floated backward until she reached her starting position once more. “Let’s try again. Whenever you’re ready.”

I brought my eyes upwards and clenched my hands into fists. I want to fly. I want to fly.

From beyond my field of view, I heard Louise speak. “You’re doing it again. Stop that.”

I… want to fly? Hmm.

Relaxing the muscles in my body, I faced forward and closed my eyes. Clear your mind. Ignore everything else, and let what you desire echo throughout your being, beneath the surface.

The world around me fell silent. The hum of machinery now absent, I was suddenly aware of how quiet everything was, a fact that, too, fell to the wayside.

Not just yet. Keep going.

I focused even deeper. The stimuli that had enveloped my senses mere moments ago felt distant. The environment around me had largely lost its meaning to what I felt at that very moment, and there I stood, alone and detached from the physical world.

Center your attention on this moment. Let the thoughts come to you. Observe them from the side, as though they are not your own.

At that moment, I felt… adrift. Not unlike the same feeling I had when I inhaled Tsukasa’s magic smoke. Time itself no longer meant anything to me, and I was filled with an overwhelming sense of freedom.

Almost there. Keep going.

Just then, I experienced a remarkable sense of clarity. My will to fly was no longer a mere feeling- it had become a deeper, innate longing, a proper emotion.

Within me, a voice called out. It was everywhere, it was nowhere- it was deafening yet silent, familiar yet foreign.

What do you want?

Full of resolve, I answered with every fiber of my being, my heart about ready to burst.

I want to fly.

I want to fly.

I want to fly.

“Ah- hey, human! You’re lifting off!”

I opened my eyes and looked down. Just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, I leaned forward and looked beneath myself. There was no mistaking it- though I hung in the air just barely above the ground, no part of my body was making contact with the floor.

I felt nothing short of an indescribable, overwhelming sense of joy. I’m flying! I’m fly-

Just then, I began to wobble in place. Panicked, I flung out my arms in an attempt to catch my balance.

“Easy! Easy!” Louise called out. “Don’t let it get to your head!”

Calming myself, I slowed my movements and quickly sent a signal to the back of my mind to remain hovering.

Stop.

Almost instantly, I caught myself and stood upright once more.

With a huge smile spread across her face, Louise clapped. “Well done! Well done! Think you can lift yourself higher?”

If that mental note was what got me to stop myself from falling over, then surely the principle must be the same for aerial movement, right?

Let’s move up a little.

Gently, I began to rise into the air until I was level with Louise.

That’s enough.

My ascension was halted, and I found myself staring directly into Louise’s sharp yellow eyes.

Go forward.

Right on cue, my body began to drift forward until I found myself directly in front of her, maintaining eye contact all the while.

Stop.

Louise nodded and smiled at me. “Good job. You seem to have gotten the hang of- Oof!”

Her speech was cut off by me flinging my arms around her and hugging her tightly. “Louise, I- Thank you! This is the best feeling I’ve ever felt in such a long time! Oh, man, why didn’t I try to learn this sooner?! I always thought flying was unimportant for someone like me, but if I had known it felt like this-”

“H- human!” Louise stuck out her arm and tapped my back. “Y- you’re squeezing me too hard!”

Realization struck me as I pulled back from her and looked away sheepishly. “Ah- Oh. I- Sorry. I lost myself just then. I’m just- thank you.”

Louise wasn’t doing much better, opting to stare at the floor beside us. A faint yet visible blush had spread across her face. “Uh- You- You’re welcome? I don’t think I did all that much…”

“No, of course you did,” I spoke back, still somewhat nervously. “There’s no way I would’ve been able to figure that out without the advice you gave me.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear that.” Louise mumbled back.

The two of us floated there for a moment in awkward silence.

Eventually, Louise decided to speak. “So… Now that you’ve figured out lifting off and hovering around, why don’t you try flying freely? Show me what you can do, human.”

…

About half an hour later, both of us descended to the floor. Louise was clearly pleased- there was no hiding the sly grin of pride she wore on her face.

“Alright, that should take care of everything. You still can’t lift off right away, but that’s the sort of thing you just get better at through practice. You’re still not at a point where you can fight in midair either, but that’s not important.”

I cocked my head aside. “Why not?”

Dusting herself off, Louise spoke. “If we’re lucky, we won’t be doing any fighting. And if we’re unlucky, I’ll handle it.”

Oh, right. She’s super strong, after all.

Keeping myself level before dropping to the ground, I responded. “Right, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Louise rolled her head around her neck and stretched for a bit. “Well, now that you can fly, we should get going. You have everything you need?”

Just to make sure, I reached into my pocket dimension. Pistol, bombs… there’s something missing. But what? Oh, right!

“Is there something else you wanted? You seem unsure.” Louise asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing. But before we go…”

I tugged at my shirt.

“I’m going to look for a change of clothes. There should be spare uniforms for the crew lying around.”

With a nod, Louise turned toward the exit. “Alright, go ahead. I’ll see you outside.”

That man… I’m still not sure what to make of him.

Louise stood a ways past the entrance to the ship and wandered around, placing a good distance between her and the now-rotting husk of the eye.

That’s right, I never did end up asking him about himself. Maybe I can do that on our way to the temple?

Just then, the man’s shadow broke the dim light from within the walls to the entryway, growing until he had fully emerged from the ship. “Louise? I’m ready.”

Louise waved him over. “Great. Come on over.”

As he drew close, Louise got a better look at his outfit. The plain-colored pajamas had been swapped out for a plain white uniform with a blue sash hung around his neckline. Atop his head sat a loose-fitting cap with an anchor insignia weaved at its front. In his hand, he gripped the very same large, silver wrench Louise had encountered when cleaning up earlier.

“Nice suit. Where’d you find it?”

“I went through some of the closets. There’s a bunch of spare uniforms there, so picking one out wasn’t hard.” The man glanced back at the ship. “Tons of them have never been worn before. The crew was probably going to be much larger than just Yumemi and Chiyuri. Maybe the team got downsized before they decided to travel to Gensokyo.”

“I see.” Louise brought a hand up to hold her chin. “We still don’t know what their ship is doing in Makai, but I suppose we should just be thankful for what it’s done for us. By the way, why are you taking that thing?”

The man shrugged as the wrench vanished from her sight. “You never know.”

“If that’s what you think, then I won’t stop you.” Louise casually leaped into the air and rose to the sky. With a wave of her hand, she beckoned him to follow, and after a couple of attempts, the man rose to her height and flew next to her.

Louise began to speak, “Alright, so here’s how things are going to go. I want you to stay close to me. That way, I can quickly deal with things in case something happens. Does that work?”

The man nodded. “That works. I’ll do my best to keep up.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Louise replied. “I’m not going to blast off at top speed or anything. I’m going to go at a relatively leisurely pace. From there, you can tell me if you’d like me to slower or faster.”

“Right, good to know.”

“Are you ready?” Louise looked over at the man, who nodded. “Good. Let’s get moving. I’m going to get progressively faster- let me know what speed you think you can handle.”

Bringing her sights back to her destination, Louise began to drift forward, with the man following suit. Once she confirmed the man was keeping up with her, Louise gradually picked up speed until the two were flying through the air at a respectable velocity.

“Louise!” a voice behind her spoke out. “I think this is my limit for now.”

Okay, this speed… it’s better than I was expecting from him, but it’ll still take a while to get there.

Meanwhile, the man readjusted himself and flew forward, matching Louise’s speed until the two of them were side-by-side.

“Not too bad, huh? What do you think?”

“Hmm…” Louise pretended to be deep in thought. “This is acceptable.”

“Just ‘acceptable’? We’re going crazy fast!”

Louise looked at the man beside her, who was amazed. “For someone who only learned to fly not even an hour ago, I can see why you’d think that. But this isn’t even close to my top speed.”

“Really?!” The man gave her an incredulous look. “How much faster can you go?”

“Hmm…” Louise thought to herself for a moment. “This is about a quarter of my top speed, I’d say. Maybe a fifth if I really push myself.”

“A fifth?! How do you learn to fly faster?!”

“Flying isn’t just about speed, it’s also about efficiency.” Louise looked back at the man. “You need to juggle between your mana consumption and your desired speed. There’s a delicate balance at play. Like I said, it’s all in the head. You get better with practice.” 

The man brought his gaze forward once more. “...I see.”

For a moment, neither spoke.

“So… how long is this going to take?”

“At our current pace? Roughly fifteen minutes.”

“Oh, that’s not too bad.”

“Hey, by the way, human…” Louise turned back to the man again. “While we have time, why don’t you tell me about yourself? ”

The man looked back toward Louise and replied. “Sure thing. Just don’t expect anything too crazy.”

“Are you sure?” Louise asked. “The fact that a human is here in Makai is already highly unusual in itself. Not to mention that there are several strange circumstances surrounding your situation I still don’t understand.”

“If you mean ‘why didn’t the kappa rip off my arm with his teeth’, then I’m afraid I haven’t got an answer for you.” The man brought his hand up to his shoulder blade. “I don’t know how that happened either.”

“That’s fine, then,” Louise responded. ”Then tell me what you do know, at least.”

“Okay, go ahead.” The man said as he brought his hand down. “What would you like to know?”

“Well…” Louise thought for a moment. “You could give me your name, for starters.”

“Oh!” Louise exclaimed. “So, you’re one of the humans taken from the Outside World and brought to Gensokyo! That explains the strange clothing you showed up in!”

I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. “That’s right. And just when I was properly getting acquainted with the place-”

I stopped as soon as I realized that Louise was no longer paying attention to me.

“Those are rare to begin with, but on top of that, a human being in Makai is also a rarity. To think there would be someone who fell into both categories!” Louise grabbed my shoulder and gently shook it, nearly knocking me off balance. “You’re a double outsider!”

I snorted. “Double outsider, that sounds about right.”

“So how’d you end up inside Makai?”

I opened my mouth to speak. “I-”

Just then, I caught myself. Have you forgotten? She’s a youkai! She might seem normal but don’t go spilling your secrets. Say something else.

“I…” I started over. “I wanted to see Makai. Didn’t seem fair that only youkai were permitted to go on these tours. So I snuck onboard a passenger ship and hid myself this whole time.”

Louise eyed me with a look of disapproval. “I… guess I can understand, but you must have a death wish of some kind. Stowing yourself away for two whole weeks was incredibly irresponsible of you!”

Two weeks?! So that’s how long I slept…

“I’m sorry, that’s just the sort of person I am. If it helps, I did start getting second thoughts about everything, but not until it was too late for me to change my mind.”

“And you even went inside Makai without a way to defend yourself…” Louise shook her head. “That’s just ridiculous. I hope you realize just how fortunate you are to be alive right now.”

It looks like she bought it. Good.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m well aware.”

Just then, Louise glanced back at me. “Hey, by the way, you took Chiyuri’s stuff, right?”

“That’s right. Why?”

“Yumemi’s weapons should’ve been in her office. Did you go through her things too?”

“Well, I thought about that, but the diary said Yumemi’s weapon of choice was highly unconventional.”

Interested, Louise turned toward me. “Unconventional? How?”

“She used flying sigils that flew around and blasted magic in four directions, creating crucifix danmaku. Though extremely strong, it’s apparently very easy for the user to injure themselves. Chiyuri herself said Yumemi was the only person she knew who was skilled enough to use them effectively and that she wouldn’t dare touch the things.”

Louise nodded. “Ah, that makes sense. Crucifix danmaku, that’s not a pattern you see often. Making that sort of magic artificially must’ve been a pain to begin with.”

“Yeah. And between something like that and a pistol, I’d pick the latter every time.”

Just then, a massive, spiky outline began to emerge through the mist. Before I got a good look at it, Louise signaled for me to descend, and I followed suit.

As we flew further, the landscape grew bumpier and more jagged. Hills began to form around us as the violet mist condensed into a thick fog. The two of us slowed down and snaked around the rocks, carefully navigating around the terrain while remaining close to the ground.

Suddenly, the terrain gave way to a terrific series of jagged mountains, spires, and cliffs that seemed to reach into the heavens. From where I flew, I couldn’t even see the top. Its exterior was dotted with a vast series of caves. Strange fluorescent lichens had grown between the crags, illuminating the mountain range with a subdued, green glow.

What kind of place is this? How did it come to be?

Louise came to a halt. “This is far enough. Let’s stop here.”

Amazed, I pointed at the mountain range before us. “The temple’s somewhere in there?”

Louise nodded. “That’s right. And we’re going to have to go the rest of the way on foot.”

“On foot! Are you crazy?!” I looked over at Louise, incredulous at the very notion. Louise, meanwhile, didn’t seem very amused. “I can’t climb that thing!”

Louise crossed her arms. “Well, we’re going to. I don’t want to do it either, but flying in there’s too risky.”

“Risky?” I replied as I descended to the ground next to her. “How so?”

“There’s probably some defenses still guarding the temple. We’ll need to sneak past.”

“Probably?” I looked over at Louise, who was busy studying the landscape. “You mean you don’t know?”

“That’s right. I’ve never been here before.”

“You’ve never been here before?! Then how-”

“I’ve only heard about this place through stories.” Louise turned towards me. “If what I’ve heard about the place is true, there’s a temple here containing a gate that leads between Makai and Gensokyo inside its innermost chamber.”

“If?!”

“Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure it’s there.” Louise walked up to the face of the mountain and studied it meticulously.

What if it’s not there and we came all this way for nothing?! How can she be so nonchalant about this?!

Louise, meanwhile, was engrossed in her thoughts. “Hmm… yes, that should work.” With one hand, she felt around for an outcropping and pulled herself up. As she brought up her other hand to grab another ledge, Louise looked back at me.

“Oh, don’t give me that look! There are plenty of ledges and caves for us to rest at. We’ll get through this in no time! Come on.”

“You never told me we would be doing any climbing,” I grumbled beneath my breath as I approached her.

“You never asked.” Louise fumbled around as she hoisted herself to the next hold. “Besides, a bit of exercise would do us good. Come on, now.”

With a heavy sigh, I grabbed the closest ledge and hauled myself upwards.

What have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Text

Louise clung to the gap in the stone and swiveled her body around, taking a moment to appreciate the view around her. The fog had condensed near the base of the cliff where they had started and thinned out higher up, enveloping everything around a shimmering purple hue broken only by the dim emerald glow of the occasional lichen pocket.

Wow, we’re up quite a ways already. There’s more footholds than I was expecting. This isn’t too bad after all.

Louise glanced down at the man, who was a short distance beneath her. “Hey, you doing alright?”

The man looked up at her from below. “Yeah, I’m fi-”

Louise cut him off. “Don’t look up at me! Pay attention to the wall!”

The man immediately brought his gaze forward. In a slightly quieter voice, he responded. “I’m doing fine.”

Louise, likewise, turned back to the wall.

Wait, I just thought of something. I’m going to tease him a little.

“And don’t do that again! You were trying to peek up my dress, weren’t you?!”

As if on cue, Louise heard the sound of pebbles clattering down the cliff face beneath her. Glancing down, she saw the man doing his best to steady himself, his leg dangling at a haphazard angle.

Uh oh. Was that my fault?

Seconds later, the man swung his foot back into the wall and began climbing once more.

“That never even occurred to me.” He grumbled audibly.

Louise, unable to contain her grin, felt around for the next hold. Yeah, this guy’s good company.

After pulling herself up several more feet, Louise looked upward. The wall before them continued ever further into the sky, vanishing into the fog before she could tell much further up it led. She sighed.

Still no end in sight, huh?

Adjusting herself to look at a different angle, Louise could make out the outline of a cave just above her, the only opening nearby.

“Hey, why don’t we take a break?”

“Sounds good.” The man replied, this time without looking up. “I was about ready to ask for one anyway. Did you find a good stopping point?”

“Yeah, it’s just a little further up. Can’t miss it.”

…

The cave’s opening was fairly snug, wide enough for the two of them to sit across from each other. Both of them had made themselves comfortable a good distance from the entrance.

Louise leaned back against the cave wall and took the opportunity to stretch her legs. “See? Not so bad, right?”

The man, however, didn’t appear to share her enthusiasm. “I’m doing better than I thought I would, but I’ll admit I’m getting pretty sick of this. When are we going to reach the top?”

“I can’t answer that.” Louise looked away from him. “I’m sorry. But look on the bright side; see how much progress we’ve made? That’s how much closer we are to our destination!”

The man simply grunted and gazed at the world outside.

Louise watched as he reached out a hand and picked up a pebble, gently tossing it along the ground toward the mouth of the cave. It clattered on the stone surface before coming to a stop.

For a while, neither one spoke.

He’s not happy I dragged him along for this, is he?

Louise looked down at the ground and reorganized her thoughts.

I want to tell him we’ll be there soon, but I don’t want to make promises that are out of my control…

“...Hey.” The man said, catching her attention.

“Yes?”

The man grabbed another pebble off the ground and held it up, examining it in the violet light. “Earlier, you said that you’d heard of this place through stories. Could you tell me what those stories are?"

“Oh!” Louise looked back at the man and smiled. “That’s right, I never told you! I probably should’ve said what I knew about this place earlier.”

The man brought his hand back to the floor. “No kidding. Anyway, what’s this business of a temple about anyway?”

Louise brought her hands together and placed them in her lap. “A long time ago, Shinki had her children construct a temple within the far reaches of Makai. Being a god, this temple was almost certainly created for the express purpose of garnering faith. However, although several other temples had been made throughout Makai, this one was tucked away and made hard to find on purpose.”

“Really?” The man leaned forward. “What did they do there?”

Louise waved her hand. “Sacred rituals of some kind. I’m not sure what those entailed. But that’s not what’s important.”

“Then what’s so important about this temple?”

“After much preparation, they managed to create a gate that led from Makai into Gensokyo. The first of its kind.”

“The first?” The man questioned, intrigued. “You mean Shinki wasn’t the first person to create a passage between the two?”

Louise nodded. “That’s right. This was the first time the two worlds had ever crossed paths. The first passageway into a new realm.”

“And why make a passageway in the first place?”

“In Makai, Shinki is an unchallenged deity. She’s the only god of Makai. Take what I say here with a grain of salt since this is all speculation, but since gods rely upon faith, she most likely wanted to find new worlds to accumulate faith, which in turn would increase her power even further. The temple was most likely built in a far-off place just in case something unprecedented were to happen.”

“Alright, so they managed to get this portal open.” The man nodded. “Go on.”

“With the gate open, demons were able to traverse the gap between worlds freely, terrorizing Gensokyo. At around the same time, youkai from Hell were wreaking havoc. Over time, both had directed their assault towards one place in particular; the Human Village.”

“The Human Village?” The man looked aside. “Shouldn’t that place be protected?”

“It was. Time and time again, their attacks were repelled by the Hakurei shrine maiden. But they never relented. More and more humans vanished, never to be seen again.”

“Wait, hang on.” The man glanced over at Louise with a confused expression. “You said this was ‘a long time ago’. This Hakurei shrine maiden surely can’t be Reimu, can it?”

“You’re right. Reimu was not the Hakurei shrine maiden back then. It was her predecessor- her mother.”

“Oh?” The man’s eyebrow rose at the remark. “Her mother? I see… So, what happened?”

“Eventually, the Hakurei shrine maiden had enough. She went on a rampage, exterminating Hell’s youkai and Makai’s demons that roamed Gensokyo’s surface freely. They faced her with their full strength but were unable to overcome her. The few that escaped her wrath fled back to whence they came.”

“So, she got fed up and did what she should have done in the first place, then.” The man scoffed and looked aside. “Better late than never, I suppose. What’d she do afterward?”

“When her job was complete, the Hakurei found the gate that led to Makai, as well as the rift leading into Hell. On both entrances, she cast a seal bearing the mark of the yin-yang orb, cutting both worlds off from Gensokyo.”

“She cut the passageway off?!” The man sat up and looked over at Louise, alarmed. “Then why-”

Louise held up her hand. “That’s not the end of the story. Calm down.”

The man slumped back down. “Ah, sorry. Continue.”

Louise cleared her throat. “As I was saying, two passageways, both sealed under the mark of the yin-yang orb. Both halves embody a ‘spirit’ of sorts, and their task was to prevent anyone from entering or leaving. Naturally, one half blocked the passage to Hell, and the other half blocked the one to Makai. This worked, for a time.”

“Of course it didn’t last. So what happened?”

Louise smiled. “That’s the interesting part. What happened afterward has to do with Reimu, the current shrine maiden. I doubt she’s told you this before.”

I crossed my legs and rested my arms on my lap. “Alright, go ahead. I’ll try not to interrupt.”

Louise nodded. “The seal’s spirits would attack anyone who tried to pass through the rift. But eventually, the old Hakurei miko passed away and Reimu took her place when she was still a child. With her passing, the seal began to weaken, and the forces of both Makai and Hell became stronger. Eventually, their strength eclipsed that of the spirits that blocked the passage, and they were prepared to breach Gensokyo once again.”

Louise held out both of her hands in front of her and clasped them together.

“But this was no ordinary attack. You see, this time, the forces of Makai and Hell agreed to launch a coordinated assault on Gensokyo. With Reimu still young and inexperienced, she would be powerless to stop them. Or so they thought.”

Glancing over at me to make sure I was paying attention, Louise continued.

“So, once the time had come, both Makai and Hell attacked and defeated both gatekeepers, breached the seal, and invaded Gensokyo once more. Hell’s youkai immediately began their attack on the Human Village as a diversion, and when Reimu went off to deal with them, Makai’s forces struck down the Hakurei shrine, destroying it in an attempt to overthrow her. From here, all they had to do was strike down Reimu, and their plan would be complete. The last line of defense would be overthrown, and their conquest of Gensokyo would enter full swing.”

Louise stretched her arms and grinned.

“But, alas, they severely misjudged the extent of Reimu’s strength.”

I stood up. “She took care of them both? As a child?”

Louise followed suit and nodded. “That’s right. Reimu defended the Human Village and exterminated the youkai of Hell until they had been routed. Once she returned to her destroyed shrine, she immediately pursued the demons that had destroyed her shrine and encountered the very same spirits that her mother had set in place- the ‘yin’ and the ‘yang’. After beating them in combat-”

“Okay, hang on.” I held my hands up. “I know I said I would try to not interrupt, but why would the spirits fight Reimu? Aren’t they on the same side?”

Louise shrugged. “Dunno. Perhaps it was to serve as a test of skill. If she was unable to beat them, there’d have been no way she could have overcome the trials that faced her, after all. At any rate, they saw her strength and opened both passageways for her. Without hesitation, she immediately ran through the gate that led to Makai- that is, the very same gate we’re heading to right now.”

“Wait. She ran?”

“That’s right. She wasn’t even able to fly back then, but still drove back many of Makai’s stronger demons. She tore a path through Makai, eventually confronting the one who had coordinated the attack and given the order to destroy her shrine- not a demon, but an angel.”

“An angel?”

“A divine being, one of Shinki’s strongest. And yet, even she was unable to overcome Reimu.”

“Wow…” I walked toward the cave opening and looked at the world outside. “So, you’re telling me that as a kid, Reimu ran through this place on foot, challenged some of Makai’s finest, and won?”

“Incredible, isn’t it?” Louise walked up and looked outside alongside me, pointing at the horizon. “There, through the mist. Can you see that light, the one that looks like a star?”

I squinted, focusing my gaze in the direction Louise was pointing. Sure enough, there was a bright spot that stuck out from amidst the haze, close to the ground.

“That’s where Reimu went. Just beyond there is where Reimu challenged her.”

I took a moment to appreciate the sight, speaking nothing in response.

“After a long battle, the angel yielded and was lucky to escape with her life. As for Reimu, she headed back to the temple and traversed the portal once more. But her job wasn’t finished. To drive the nail in the coffin, she immediately went through the passage that led to Hell and dealt with those responsible, too. Once she was done there, she returned to Gensokyo to rebuild her shrine.”

I turned to Louise. “Where’d you hear this story?”

Louise hesitated. “A… friend of mine told me all this years ago. It’s the story of the first major incident the current Hakurei resolved ever since she stepped into the role of shrine maiden. Pretty interesting, right?”

Reimu really was thrust into her role, wasn’t she? I wonder how she feels about that.

“...Yeah.”

“So, anyways, ever since then, the temple has been abandoned. To my knowledge, nobody uses the pathway anymore for fear of the Hakurei miko. But the passage should still be there, and by extension, the spirit that guards it should reside there as well.”

The spirit’s still there? Then that means…

“This spirit. Is it going to prevent us from leaving?”

Louise rested her hands on her thighs. “...I don’t know. I’ve never met it. Hopefully, it’ll deem our motive worthy and let us through without a fight, but I’m pretty sure I could deal with it if I have to.”

For a moment, the two of us stood in silence, watching the horizon.

“Well,” Louise spoke up, “That’s that. How about we go the rest of the way, huh? There’s no time like the present.”

I wonder… How does Louise know this much about Reimu? I feel like this isn’t something any regular youkai would just happen to know.

I nodded. “Alright. Let’s get going.”

Both of us made our way to the mouth of the cave. As Louise took the lead once more, I put my thoughts aside.

Hm. Maybe I’m just imagining things.

Today was a day unlike any other. Today was different.

Mother, of course, had been thorough. Her forces were growing in strength and size by the day. Furthermore, She had been creative in handling the youkai who had submitted, and they, too, quickly saw the wisdom of Her path.

As for the nonbelievers, they had all been… dealt with.

Or so she had thought.

…

Entire days after Mother believed Her conquest to be complete, She noticed something strange. An anomaly.

Someone, in the middle of seemingly nowhere, was resisting Her.

How this came to pass, she couldn’t even begin to guess. Where it had happened had been devoid of all activity for a long time. The only ones who had even been there as of late had been Her forces.

According to Mother, all She discerned was that this anomaly was weak.

And yet, when that small passenger ship had returned, there had been casualties. Three kappa, as well as their captain, one of Mother’s demons, were absent.

The kappa who remained spoke of a human and that their captain had promised to meet with them later, only to have 'never returned', but the very notion was preposterous. There was simply no way a human could have entered Makai. And even if one had, there was no way it could have gotten the better of a demon.

…

Surely not.

…

Shortly after Mother had caught sight of it, an unseen disturbance had caused Her to lose sight in the area. Something, or someone, had struck Her blind.

Thus, she and a group of demons had been selected to investigate the anomaly and to crush any signs of resistance.

However, it was odd. If the anomaly was weak, as Mother believed it to be, then surely a couple of demons would be sufficient. Though she trusted Mother’s judgment, surely whatever it was couldn’t be worthy of her.

Just then, one of her companions stretched out her arm in front of them. “Over there.”

In the distance, a set of ruins came into view. The very same one where things had gone wrong.

As she and her group drew closer, though, she made out something else a short distance away. A pile of what appeared to be scrap metal lay on the ground, not far from the entrance.

As she touched down, her confusion turned into shock, which turned into anger.

Mother’s eye had been reduced to nothing more than a pile of scrap and blood. The work of Her hands, created with such love and care, struck down and destroyed!

To do such a thing- the very sight sickened her.

This was beyond forgiveness. The one responsible would be punished.

Of that, she was certain.

“Commander?” One of her companions inquired. “What would you have us do?”

Without turning around, she spat between her teeth. “Search the ruins and inform me if you find anything of interest. Kill what you find.”

“Come on, you’re almost there!” Louise cheered as I made my way to the peak.

I wasn’t tired, but my muscles ached. It was an odd feeling, as though I could go on for hours but was on the verge of collapse at the same time.

Once I reached the final ledge, Louise clapped. “Good job! That wasn’t so bad, right?”

Shoving myself upwards one last time, I fell on the floor and gave my body a moment to relax. “Yeah… no problem.”

Louise was enthusiastic. “Good news, Mr. Double Outsider. The temple’s right over there!”

She pointed towards an odd-looking structure out in the distance, situated at a slightly lower point within a series of spindly rock spires. None of them appeared to have been placed deliberately for artistic purposes, nor did they appear to have formed naturally. Surrounding them was a ring of trees not quite thick enough to be called a forest, which sporadically dotted the area and the nearby mountains like.

Within the outskirts of the area were five large boulders, buried partially within the soil. They had a bronze sheen to them, and the light of the stars above shone off their surface. Engravings were etched along the surface of all five, but from this distance, I couldn’t make out any specific details.

The structure itself did appear to be a temple of some sort, but it looked… wrong. Its construction appeared amateurish; parts of it looked warped and out of proportion, seemingly random parts of the building were scattered across the ground, and red spikes jutted out the sides of every corner at irregular intervals. The walls were decorated with a spiral of black dots on a tan background, which seemed to shift ever so slightly when I watched it from the corner of my vision. A walkway emerged from the front entrance, but it was faint and overgrown with vegetation from years of neglect.

What the hell is up with that place?

I looked over at Louise. “That’s the temple?!”

Louise, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered. “Yep! Now all we have to do is sneak inside and we should be able to get back into Gensokyo. You’ll become a single outsider again.”

“I don’t know if I can think of any place I’d rather be less than that. You’re sure I’m not going to get struck by a curse for setting foot in there?”

Louise laughed a bit. “Oh, don’t be like that. It’s not like we’re going to spend long there anyway.”

Just then, a wobble in the air caught my eye, and my heart froze. I whipped my head back to the temple and frantically looked around for any sign of what I had seen, but found nothing.

“Hey, is something wrong?” Louise asked from beside me. “Did you see something?”

“That’s so odd…” I spoke in a quiet voice. “I could’ve sworn I saw something. This place is making me go insane.”

“Hmm…” Louise examined the sky for several seconds. “Ah! Don’t worry, I know what you saw,” she reassured me. Tapping my shoulder, she pointed upwards. “Do you see those?”

I brought my gaze upwards, but only found more purple mist. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

“No, I don’t.” I turned back to Louise. “What-”

Just then, I stopped myself and looked back up at the sky.

Something moved. There was something there. What was that?

“Hey, try moving your gaze around slowly. Then you should be able to see them.”

Following her advice, I moved my eyes across the sky. When I did so, certain spots of the sky blurred and slightly darkened. The change was subtle- if I hadn’t been looking for it specifically, I wouldn’t have caught it- but nevertheless, it was noticeable.

“Those are magical turrets, most likely,” Louise explained. “They were probably set up to guard against would-be intruders from Gensokyo as a precautionary measure.”

“Really, huh?” I replied while still moving my head around. “It’s a good thing we didn’t fly up here, then.”

“Right?” Louise looked at me with a smug look on her face. “From where we are, we can just sneak past everything. So long as we don’t make too much noise and don’t stay in their line of sight for too long, we should be good.”

I set my sights back on the temple before us.

“...Let’s go. Lead the way.”

As we descended, Louise opted to stray off the beaten path, and I followed suit. Weaving between the treeline, both of us remained silent, glancing upward after each movement to ensure the turrets hadn’t noticed us.

Once we had made it past the trees without incident, Louise quickly ducked behind a spire, and I did the same, clutching the rock beside us.

Peeking around the side of the pillar, I saw the temple. Moss grew from the windows and along the walls, enveloping the pale walls with a sickly shade of green. A broken altar, once the crown jewel of the courtyard, had shattered apart and become overgrown with foliage. The statues that lined the path had long since eroded, leaving behind nothing but the most rudimentary features. Its entrance was like a gaping maw leading to darkness, the doors having long since rotted away. From within the doors, I could almost make out a faint whispering that seemed to hang in the air.

Ugh. I have to go in there?

The edifice was an unsightly sight, so I brought my gaze to the path instead. Plants of all shapes and sizes had grown along the path, covering the temple grounds in a blanket of vegetation. What little of the path that remained was coated in mud, which-

I frowned and took a closer look.

In the mud, there were several odd indentations. Some of the grasses nearby had been flattened into the mud as well.

That can’t be right… Are those footprints?

“Hey, Louise?” I whispered. She turned her head toward me.

“I thought you told me this place was abandoned.”

“It was.” Louise gave me a confused glance. “What are you talking about?”

I pointed around my body at the path. “Have a look. Doesn’t it look like someone’s been here recently?”

Wordlessly, Louise snuck past me and had a look for herself.

“That’s so strange!” she whispered. “I could’ve sworn this place was abandoned! Whose footprints are those?”

“You don’t know anything about them?” I asked under my breath.

Louise shook her head before looking back at me. “Not at all. Someone’s been here recently, though- two people, by the looks of it. It can’t have been any of Shinki’s children, either. The turrets wouldn’t have targeted them, so they could’ve just flown inside.”

“Hey, you know, speaking of which,” I said, as I stared into Louise’s eyes, “can’t we just fly inside? Sure, we might get shot at, but-”

“No.” Louise answered me with a stern expression.

“But it’s so close!”

“I told you, no, ” Louise responded, annoyed. “It’s too risky. We’re going to sneak through on foot. What’s more important to you- getting a little muddy or your life?”

I looked back at the trail and sighed. “Alright, fine. How do you want to do this?”

Louise pointed at the closest boulder. “Do you see that? We’ll pass through the shade, go the long way around the temple-” Louise swung her arm in a circle- “make our way past the spikes and stick beneath the overhang along the wall, and make our entrance that way. It’s not the quickest way, but it should expose us to the least amount of danger.”

I nodded. “Alright, sounds good. Let’s get going.”

The two of us checked to see if the coast was clear before dashing across the temple grounds. Louise made it there first, sliding into the boulder’s shade. I attempted to copy her movements but slipped and nearly fell over. Luckily, Louise quickly grabbed me and pulled me next to her as she searched the sky.

Several of the distortions deepened in size and swirled with energy.

“Hey, Louise?” I whispered. “What does that mean? Thanks for catching me, by the way.”

“You’re welcome.” She spoke under her breath. “That means they’ve noticed a disturbance. If they don’t see anything for a little while, though, they should return to normal. Watch.”

About half a minute passed before the ripples in space calmed, the energy dissipating into thin air.

I brought one arm and rested on the boulder, which was cool to the touch. “So we’re going to have to wait around every time?”

“That’s right.” Louise looked back at me. “You ready for the next one? Our next target is that bit of building over there, close by the temple wall. It’s large enough for both of us to hide.”

I pulled my hand off the boulder. “Ye-”

A burst of energy suddenly crackled through my hand, causing my whole arm to seize up. My fingers erratically twitched, and I was unable to stop it. Frantically, I grabbed it with my other hand and shook it.

“Human!” Louise whispered to me in a concerned voice. “What’s wrong?”

Several seconds later, the motions stopped, and I regained control over my hand. Flexing each finger to ensure everything was normal, I stared at the boulder behind me. My hand had made an imprint along its surface, gently glowing with a soft, bluish light. The engravings nearby had begun to light up, slowly inching their way across the surface.

“The hell is that thing?!”

“Um,” Louise wavered. “Did something happen to you?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and looked over at Louise. “After touching that boulder, I lost control of my arm for a bit. I’m not sure-”

“Oh. Oh no.” Louise’s voice cracked, her face stricken with horror.

I gave her a quizzical look. “Louise? What’s-”

“Human! We need to run, NOW!” Louise hissed.

Grabbing a hold of my arm, Louise made a beeline for the temple wall, practically dragging me through the mud and vegetation that littered the courtyard. From behind us, I could see the light rapidly spreading across its surface, the shadow of the engravings growing long in the grass.

We were closing in on our target when, out of seemingly nowhere, a bolt of pain tore through my chest and made its way to my legs.

“Ghh- AGGGGH!”

I let out a gut-wrenching scream and collapsed into the mud.

What- what is happening to me?

Frantically, I attempted to scramble to my feet, but all of my limbs were completely numb. Try as I might, I was unable to push myself up. I began to wheeze, and every breath I took stung my throat.

Out of panic, I forced myself to crawl forward and looked up. Louise had already made it beneath the temple’s overhang and was staring at me, utterly mortified. The distortions in the sky had become clear now, swirling with magic and crackling with power.

Still, I forced myself to keep going.

Come on, almost there-

Just then, the ground began to quake, and I collapsed onto the ground once more. Flipping onto my back, I brought my eyes up for a view of the sky and braced myself for the worst. However, something was amiss.

The distortions… they’re… gone?

The shaking, however, grew even stronger. Picking myself up at this point was out of the question. At that moment, I discovered the source- the boulder itself was vibrating in place with such force the entire area was shaking along with it.

“Wh- What’s happening?!” I yelled to Louise, who gave me no answer.

Suddenly, the boulder in front of me floated off the ground, lighting up the world around us. It hung in the air as though it were light as a feather. With all the engravings now fully lit, it began to revolve in place. The shaking had ceased, but I remained on the ground, awestruck at the sight.

Abruptly, the boulder began to crackle with what appeared to be lightning, which grew in frequency until it was nearly enveloped in a shroud of gold. Sparks and bolts of electricity tore through the air, splitting the very skies apart. The sight was awesome and terrible, as though it were a glimpse of divine fury itself.

Gold! Could it be-

Meanwhile, the violet fog that had once enveloped us began to condense around the boulder, forming a sort of skeletal wireframe. At that moment, the boulder shook in place before the shrill shriek of metal upon metal resounded through the area. An opening formed along its side before sliding open, revealing a massive eye encased in its cage of gold and purple.

Another eye! And this one’s massive!

Electricity began to swirl around the area until the air around me was practically aflame with it. This time, the sparks that scattered throughout the air condensed into one place, directly beside the eye. The light was brilliant, nearly impossible for me to look at directly.

From within that light, a thread sprang up, which gracefully weaved through the air and knitted something into existence of its own accord. I watched in stunned silence as it formed a sort of “body”- a thin wireframe whose face was utterly unrecognizable, before filling in the finer details.

Once the thread had vanished within its body, the figure turned its head toward me. I froze in place, entirely unsure of what to do.

Wordlessly, it floated close and dropped to the ground. I instinctually attempted to scramble back, but my limbs failed to get me any further than several feet.

What the hell are you? Stay back!

The figure walked up to me and stopped a short distance away. I couldn’t tell, but it felt as though it were staring me down. The eye, meanwhile, hadn’t torn its unblinking gaze from me, its veins bulging with an orange crimson as though they contained fire instead of blood.

All of a sudden, a voice boomed out.

Who are you?

From what I could tell, it was a woman’s voice, but very distorted. The voice was discordant and staticky, each word blending over into the next, and it seemed to come from everywhere.

After a moment’s pause, the figure walked towards me once more. Its steps were weightless, the vegetation beneath its feet completely undisturbed by its presence.

I remember you.

You were the one who fled.

“St- stay back!” I yelled out, as I pulled out my pistol and pointed it directly at the figure. When it didn’t stop, I fired several volleys of magic, all of which made contact.

Sparks flew out from its body and I felt a tremendous sense of elation.

Hah! That’s what you get- huh?

As quickly as it had come, my joy vanished as I saw every single wave pass through the figure and emerge out the other side. It continued advancing towards me, utterly unharmed.

What are you doing here, human?

Well, shit. Can it be reasoned with?

“Hey there, ha ha…” I responded with as much confidence as I could muster, shakily pulling myself up. “There was a mix-up, and I’m somewhere I shouldn’t be. I just want to get back to Gensokyo-”

You wish to leave?

The figure advanced even closer. At this distance, I realized just how large the difference between our heights were- it towered over me by over a whole head.

It’s much too late for that. But do not despair.

“Wait! I’m not going to do anything, just let me leave! I won’t do anything!” I shimmied away from where Louise was standing and slowly inched toward the front door.

Unclean as you are, I can still make use of you.

Consider this an honor, human.

I glanced behind me, making sure I was lined up with the entryway. So much for that. I’ll have to make a break for it. I just need an opening.

“Why do you want me to stay so badly?” I asked.

The figure hesitated for just a moment.

No one enters, and no one leaves. Not until the time is right.

“Until the time is right? What are you saying?!”

The figure drew close and stopped directly in front of me. Its presence radiated a noticeable amount of heat and it gave off an acrid, sharp odor that I hadn’t noticed earlier.

Perhaps it was fortunate that you ended up here, human. Your eyes will not witness that which is to come. Accept your fate, and you alone will be spared from my judgment.

The hell is it talking about?

Just then, the figure leaned close to me.

But you seem weak. By all means, you should have perished long ago.

I remained silent, too stunned to respond.

Judging from your attempt to resist, that assessment was sound. How is it that you stand before me? It is illogical. Unless, of course…

The figure stood up straight once more and placed its arms behind its back.

You had help.

Louise pressed herself against the wall of the temple, clinging to the mossy stones behind her as best she could. She took several deep breaths of air in an attempt to calm down but was unable to ease the anxiety that had taken root. 

This wasn’t supposed to happen! I thought the Hakurei miko took care of that thing a long time ago! Why is it still here?

Glancing upwards, Louise saw the outline of the eye, which still hadn’t acknowledged her presence. When she inched closer to the edge of the wall to get a better look, the voice once again cut through the air.

I see, now. You do not work alone.

Despite its heavily distorted inflection, she recognized it instantly. There was no one else it could have belonged to.

Louise held her eyes shut tight.

Mother, please… don’t do this…

Forcing her eyes open, she peeked through the gaps between the red spikes that lined the edge of the wall and saw the man backing up until he had disappeared from her sight. The figure waited for several seconds before advancing towards him shortly after, also receding past the wall’s edge.

Louise balled her hands up into fists and did her best to hold back tears of frustration.

I should’ve been more careful! Why is this happening?

Overwhelmed with indignation, Louise glared up at the floating eye before her.

What… should I do? How can I make this right? Is there no other way?

The voice spoke once more, interrupting Louise’s train of thought.

Tell me. Who helped you?

Louise’s eyes widened. Is she-

“Go to hell!” the man yelled, another wave of magic tearing through the air. Louise watched as it sailed harmlessly through the temple grounds and made contact with a tree, felling it.

You disappoint me, human. I’ll only ask this once more.

A patterned disk laden with gold materialized behind the eye. The eye’s pupil grew dark as the disk began to pivot along its axis, and lightning started to crackle along its surface. As the disk whirled around in place, the purple haze stirred and spun with it, forming a vortex that warped the clouds above. Flashes of light tore through the air, accompanied by the resounding clap of thunder.

Louise gasped. Mother, don’t do this!

Despite the deafening thunder, the apparition’s voice remained crystal clear.

If you value your life, answer me. Who aided you?

Louise pressed her ear to the wall and listened for a response, but heard none.

Very well. Farewell.

The disk spun wildly, glowing from magic and heat. Sparks danced along the surface of the eye as it charged its attack, and the veins surrounding the eye’s pupil swelled bright yellow.

Louise gritted her teeth. Nothing to it. No choice now.

Her arms outstretched, Louise ran out from cover and shouted. “It’s me!”

The eye immediately switched its focus on Louise as the disk slowly ground to a halt. The figure turned around to face her, removing its attention from the man. As she looked over at him, he appeared a bit shaken, but otherwise unharmed.

Louise breathed a sigh of relief. He’s still fine.

Louise brought her focus back to the apparition, and the two of them faced each other in a standstill before it decided to speak.

Ah… it’s you. I thought as much, child of mine.

Louise locked her gaze with the being, staring it down as it drew close.

After several seconds, the figure brought its hands together. This time, the voice that came was far more tender, one that gently resonated through the air.

Louise. It was you who destroyed my eye, was it not?

The figure stretched out one hand and reached out to Louise, who stared at it.

Return to my side, my child, and I will set a place for you above the others. I will atone for the mistakes of the past.

Louise brought her gaze up to the apparition’s face. “Atonement, huh…”

Indeed. Come join me, my child. I welcome you with open arms.

“I…” Louise faltered. “That’s…”

The figure tilted its head to the side.

Have you come to hate me, my child?

“No!” Louise shook her head. “I’m loyal to you. I have always wanted what’s best for you. You know that.”

The world was silent for just a moment before the voice responded in a quiet hiss.

Is that so? Then prove it.

The figure beckoned Louise. She followed it for a short while until it stopped, finding herself face to face with the man, who stared back with a look of pure confusion.

With one arm, the figure gestured towards the man and spoke.

End his life.

…!

Louise gazed at the human before her. His face had become a pale white, and a look of terror was written across his face. Despite his best efforts, his knees were shaking. He was squeezing onto the pistol so tightly it seemed as though it might shatter in his hand.

“L- Louise…” he spoke, before giving up forming the rest of his sentence.

Louise peered at him for a moment before staring back up at the eye and pointing at him. “Why should- Why should he die?”

Its eyelids drew closer together in a squint as shades of red started to swirl more rapidly across its surface. Doing her best to ignore its reaction, Louise continued. “He wasn’t even supposed to enter Makai in the first place! I’ll do whatever you want, please just let him go-”

A loud, booming voice tore through the area, silencing her.

What I want is his death.

Louise brought her gaze low and balled a hand into a fist. Magic began to swirl around her arm, disrupting the air around her.

Stubborn as ever, Mother. That part of you hasn’t changed.

With a heavy hand, Louise raised her palm and pointed it at the man. He flinched and backed up until he hit the wall, saying nothing but returning a deeply pained look. His eyes flickered around and brought his gaze to the floor, unwilling to reestablish eye contact. The figure kept its sight on Louise, watching her every move.

As magic made its way up her arm, Louise spoke aloud in a low voice. “I suppose this is goodbye, human. Are you ready?”

The man kept his gaze low, completely silent.

All of a sudden, Louise spun around and fired a bolt of magic directly at the eye, which grew wide as it approached. It attempted to move out of the way, but it was too late.

As it made contact, sparks flew out from its every orifice, the eye spinning around wildly within its socket. The figure burst into streams of lightning and dissipated before her eyes.

Louise quickly glanced back towards the man, who was frozen in place and too stunned to speak.

“What are you doing? Go!” Louise shouted, pointing up the stairs leading to the entryway. After he recovered from the shock, the man took off at a complete sprint, vanishing within the depths of the temple.

Streaks of electricity struck the air beside the eye and the figure materialized once more, visibly angered.

The voice boomed out once more.

You wretched girl! Did you not claim you had my best interests in mind?

“That’s right.” Louise turned to face the figure, who was violently surging with power. “And I’m doing what’s best for you, even if you don’t know it yet.”

Then I have no use for you!

“I’m sorry, Mother. But we’re doing this for your own good. And I won’t let anyone stop us. Not even you.”

The ground began to quake once more. Louise took to the skies, her arms crossed. The skies bellowed and swirled, but Louise kept her gaze on the figure.

You have been disobedient, child. And that disobedience…

Around the entire temple, the four other boulders lifted and crackled with electricity, all of them linking themselves to the figure. One after the other, all of them lifted their eyelids and directed their full attention toward Louise, surrounding her and the entire temple from every angle. Lightning blitzed throughout the whole temple grounds, flooding the area with a brilliant shower of light.

Must be punished!

Chapter Text

I scrambled down the empty hallway without a second thought, my heart pounding out of my chest. Adrenaline overcame any trepidation I would have otherwise had, my legs carrying me deep inside the temple. Whatever lay inside couldn’t possibly be worse than that thing outside, I reasoned.

What the hell was that for, Louise? Don’t scare me like that!

As I made my way through the hallway, I clutched my pistol tight and gritted my teeth. While I glanced around me, questions raced through my head.

That… thing! It called Louise its child! Is she actually from Makai? Where does she know that thing from? Why did Louise say she was loyal to it? Why didn’t she tell me about that thing?

Before long, the hallway opened, and I marveled at the sight before me.

I found myself within a great atrium. The flashes of lightning slipped through the cracks that had formed across the ceiling, creating a sort of web of flickering light that cast its glow on the dust particles drifting through the air. Columns of white marble were erected on both sides of the hall, most of which had been encroached by vines. Sashes of silk hung between the columns, thinned and frayed from the passage of time. The floor, once an intricately designed mosaic, had been splintered in several areas, with entire chunks of tile torn from the ground. Rusted, brass candlestick holders lined both walls, with puddles of melted wax having accumulated beneath most of them.

Directly in front of me lay a short flight of stairs leading up to an altar, which sat at the center of the widest part of the room. Time had not been kind to it either- many of its finer details had been eroded and one corner had crumbled away entirely, giving it a somewhat lopsided appearance.

The place had a solemn atmosphere to it, the evidence of its past glory nothing more than a distant echo. As I walked up the stairs and approached the altar, I couldn’t help but try to imagine what it would have looked like at its finest.

This temple was majestic at one point- it’s a shame that I’ll never get to see what it used to be like. Now it feels like I’m sneaking inside a cemetery.

Just then, a tremendous clap of thunder roared from outside, and a brilliant flash of light shined from above. The temple itself shuddered, causing dust to fall from the ceiling.

I don’t have time to waste!

I hastily scrambled up the last few remaining steps when the crack of thunder rolled through the air once more, shaking the ground beneath me. Just as I was about to fall, I stretched out a hand and held onto the altar as tightly as I could, ducking beside it to steady myself.

I brought my gaze to the ceiling and watched the cracks flicker with a brilliant display of light.

Louise, I hope you’re doing fine against that thing. 

As the shaking stopped, I tentatively stood up and dusted myself off.

Where was I? Right, Louise said the gate was in the innermost chamber, so I should look for a path leading deeper inside.

Glancing around me, I saw a passageway situated directly behind the altar, jutting out from the wall around it. Inside lay a staircase leading downward, but how far it went, I couldn’t tell- it was pitch black, and I could only see the first few steps. A metal gate had blocked this passage once, but it had been seemingly blown off its hinges, lying several feet in front of it.

If what Louise told me was right, this might’ve been the Hakurei miko’s doing when she first came here. Which means I probably need to go down this way.

As I drew close, a chill blew through the staircase, causing the hairs on my neck to stand on end. Faint whispers of a language I couldn’t comprehend echoed from somewhere within the great blackness before me, filling me with a tremendous sense of unease.

Damn it, I really don’t want to do this.

Flicking on my pistol’s flashlight, I scanned the passage and the walls before me. It went on for so long, I couldn’t make out the bottom. More brass candlestick holders were affixed to the walls, which were rough-looking and worn away in places.

I took one last look behind me before venturing forward. All right, here goes nothing. Let’s just get this over with.

As I walked down, I could feel a noticeable temperature drop, and I saw my breath beginning to condense in the cool air. Further down, the walls slowly transitioned from the pearly white of the atrium into the sickly tan color from outside the temple. The surfaces around me were mottled with spirals of black dots, which appeared to wobble and swirl if I took my attention from them for too long. Parts of the wall and ceiling formed large bumps that drooped unnaturally into the passage, like flabs of saggy skin. A thin, veiny material ran along the wall just beneath the surface, bulging out in irregular intervals.

Instinctively, I stepped away from the wall and kept as far away from every surface as possible. This no longer seemed like I was exploring an abandoned temple; rather, it felt as though I was inside a living, breathing thing.

Holy shit, this place is creepy as hell. What was Shinki’s problem?

Before long, I saw an opening beneath me and was instantly filled with equal parts excitement and fear. Part of me wanted to take off for the gate as quickly as possible, while another didn’t want to know what lay inside.

I took a breath of the stale air to calm my nerves and stepped out, shining my light around me.

I was in what appeared to be a cavern of some sort. Thick swaths of moss ran along the walls, which were made from the same unnatural skin-like material from the staircase. Down here, the spirals marking the walls had become far more frequent and the whispers had grown louder, much to my consternation. A makeshift pathway had been carved out, but besides that, the cavern appeared almost untouched.

As I inched forward, my shoes sank into the floor slightly, producing an unpleasant squelch with every step. Instinctively, I held the pistol close to my chest and steeled myself. 

Okay. Let’s see if that gate is around here somewhere.

“Mother, enough of this!” Louise shouted as she soared through the air, narrowly dodging a volley of bullets from one of the eyes. “This is for your own good! You’re not yourself, please stop this!”

The figure stretched out one hand towards Louise, as another eye sprayed bullets at her.

Louise frantically weaved past the bullets and fired several lasers of her own in retaliation at the eye that had just opened. “You’re not thinking straight! Please, just tell me-”

Silence!

The figure signaled the eye to shut its eyelid, causing Louise’s counterattack to harmlessly bounce off its sleek surface.

Louise glanced at the magic as it sailed off into the distance. So, it’s only vulnerable when the eyes are opened? Good to know.

You accuse me of irrationality?

The figure flung one arm out, aimed directly at Louise.

You know nothing, child! And I will make you understand, one way or another!

Louise flew up into the sky and watched as the uppermost eye trembled, releasing the familiar groan of metal that it was about to open. Clenching a fist, Louise concentrated her mana into her palm until the eye had fully opened.

Now!

At the same time the eye fired another wave of bullets at Louise, she flung out a dense cloud of her own bullets right back, causing the two waves to intersect each other in midair. As the bullets collided with one another, explosions rocked the area, and the surrounding sky lit up like fireworks.

Louise took advantage of the spectacle to pour her mana into her other hand. Darting past what was left of the eye’s initial attack, she flung another wave of bullets at the eye. By the time the eye noticed the coming assault, it was already too late. The eye frantically spun around in its socket, searching for any possible escape, but found none.

That’ll do it!

However, just before the attack connected, the eye squinted and instantly fired out a thin laser and spun around, dissolving every last bullet upon contact before slicing back toward Louise.

Louise dodged aside in the nick of time and watched as it tore up the ground behind her, carving through the trees and rocks below like a hot knife through butter.

The Hakurei miko fought this thing off as a child before she even knew how to fly? What kind of monster is she?!

Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard something from behind her. As she turned around, her eyes widened in horror.

One of the eyes was barreling directly at her, blasting the mist aside at incredible speed.

Louise rapidly launched herself up just before it made contact, but the wind from the air resistance knocked her off balance. Instinctually, she brought her arms up and covered her face as she careened backward. As she attempted to regain her bearings, she looked back at the figure, only to see that it had wasted no time making use of the distraction. Two more eyes were open, both simultaneously peppering her with bullets.

Haphazardly, Louise attempted to dodge through everything, but one nicked her on the arm and another struck her in the ribs with a great flash of light.

“Gh- AGH!”

Louise was sent reeling haphazardly through the air, her arms flailing in an attempt to catch her balance. While she tried to steady herself, she heard the sound of more bullets firing upon her.

Come on, Louise! Get a hold of yourself!

Mustering her strength, Louise halted instantaneously in the air and righted herself. Performing the maneuver made her head spin, so she clutched her head and forced herself to look at the oncoming bullets as best she could.

Her vision was blurred, and she couldn’t tell where or how many there were.

Ugh, come on!

With no choice left, Louise took off at top speed, flying around everything and taking the opportunity to rub her eyes. The figure never tore its sight from her as it continued its assault.

You disappoint me, child. 

Louise glared back at the figure, who was watching her from afar. As she flew past the multitude of bullets, the figure raised one arm, and the two eyes firing at her sealed up once more. Immediately, two other eyes opened wide and fired a volley, predicting Louise’s position.

As they came close, Louise gaped.

Those aren’t bullets! Are those missiles?!

Louise caught herself in the air before she collided with one, grunting from the whiplash. Charging up magic in her arms, Louise swerved between the missiles, only barely slipping through the gaps they created. Explosions rocked the landscape behind her, but she forced herself to focus on the figure.

As soon as she passed the last of the missiles, Louise flung her hands out and launched a spread of lasers at both eyes. As she did so, pain rippled through her body, breaking her concentration.

Agh, I forgot! My injuries!

Louise brought her attention back to the eyes. The figure waved its arms down, slamming both eyelids shut, her counterattack harmlessly bouncing off their shiny exteriors before dissipating in thin air.

Damn it! How can I beat this thing?

The figure crossed its arms and floated upward. As the eyes repositioned themselves to look down at Louise from above, the figure began to speak, its voice laced with venom.

Pitiful.

I expected better from you, child.

The figure flung out both arms, and all five eyes opened.

Louise tensed up and held still. What’s she doing now? What’s her next move?

All five eyes started to emit sparks, their disks spinning wildly until the sky around them lit up with lightning. Louise’s eyes flickered between every eye as she attempted to reason her next course of action.

At this distance, there’s no way I’ll be able to attack them. Mother will just deflect everything. I need to get close, but how?

The figure raised its hands to the sky, grazing its hands along the surface of a violet cloud directly above it. The cloud quaked as lightning tore through its surface, flooding the mountaintop with a brilliant flash of purple light.

This is my destiny.

And as long as you continue to side with that filth, you will have no share in it!

Suddenly, the figure brought its arms down and lasers erupted from all five eyes, all aimed directly at Louise.

Staring up at the lasers approaching her, Louise gritted her teeth. Fine. If that’s the way you want it, Mother, then I won’t hold back!

Just as the lasers were about to strike her, Louise propelled herself directly downward.

The lasers collided and a massive explosion rocked the sky just behind her, its impact strong enough to launch Louise directly at the ground. The light it produced was so blinding that Louise could see it through the back of her eyes.

“Hnng!”

Just before she hit the rocks below, Louise caught herself and quickly slipped into the tree line just as the light faded. Quickly scanning around, Louise found a hollow at the base of a tree.

That’ll work!

Louise touched down and sprinted to the hollow before she collapsed onto the ground, panting hard.

I should be safe for now, hopefully.

As Louise clutched the tree’s trunk, she stared straight up at the figure through the branches. All five eyes were scanning the area around the figure, who stood around with its arms crossed.

You coward! Where did you go?

Louise readjusted herself into a seated position and looked back at the temple. It hadn’t gone unscathed- entire patches of vegetation had been incinerated, and several tiles on the roof had been blown off in the crossfire.

I wonder how he’s doing. Hopefully, that spirit will let him pass without a fight.

Louise gazed back up at the figure and held her hands close to her heart.

Don’t let me down, human.

She paced around the entryway, observing the scene around her.

Every last glass pillar had been seemingly blown apart, leaving only the moon-shaped lamp in the ceiling untouched. The glass had been swept to the side of the room in front of a hatch that strangely appeared to lack an opening valve. Scorch marks covered parts of the wall and ceiling, filling the room with the trace scent of rusted metal.

A great struggle had taken place here, no doubt.

One singe mark off the side of the path caught her attention. She walked up to it and knelt, staring at it briefly.

…?

She brushed her finger along the surface and raised it.

A flaky, dust-like substance clung to her finger. As she rolled it between her fingers, she watched it drift to the ground, sparkling in the dim light as it traveled.

After another moment, she brought it to her face and smelled it.

Indeed, it was traces of magic, as she had suspected. But there was something different about this. Something… off. This was unlike any magic she had ever known. This certainly wasn’t the work of the demon Mother had sent, at least.

As she brushed off the remaining dust from her hand, one of her companions opened the hatch on the opposite side of the room. “Commander! There’s nobody here.”

She got to her feet. “As I thought. What have you found?”

“The central room and one of the adjacent hallways have been torn to shreds. Furthermore, the galley and one bedroom have been used not too long ago.”

“I see. In that case, call everyone back out. There’s no reason for us to stay here any longer. They’ve left.”

The demon nodded her head and slipped away.

She sighed.

Unfortunately, the guilty could not be brought to justice. Not right now, anyway. But something about the story eluded her.

Mother had concluded that the anomaly was weak. How, then, had it slain several of Mother’s righteous and brought down Her eye?

She angrily glared around the room, trying to make sense of everything.

At that moment, she noticed something sticking out from the pile of glass from the corner of her eye. One shard, buried deep within the pile.

Swooping across the room, she plucked it out and brought it to the light.

It was a single piece of glass, stained crimson. Somewhat sticky to the touch.

She gave it a whiff.

…

Blood. Human blood.

The kappa report had been accurate after all.

Yet, if this anomaly truly was a weak human, how could it have cast such unusual magic? Furthermore, the eye had been focused on the sole exit. How did the anomaly take it out without it noticing?

Unless, of course… It didn’t act alone.

She scratched her chin as she pondered further. That too seemed equally unlikely. To discover not one, but two individuals who still resisted Mother’s will all the way out here?

The door atop the stairs flung open, and her group of demons made their way down the steps in formation.

She grunted and tossed the glass shard aside, where it shattered against the wall.

She would get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

…

Once all the demons had assembled outside, she questioned each one. None had anything particularly useful to say.

“I knew it.” She shook her head, giving her company an annoyed glare. “None of you found anything of worth. Regardless, spread out and search the area nearby. The anomaly seemed incapable of flight, so it shouldn’t be far. If any of you encounter it, bring it to me alive.”

“Commander!” One demon raised her hand. “But what if there are two individuals, as you hypothesize-”

“All the stronger youkai on that trip were weeded out and eliminated first. Any youkai who came to the human’s aid can’t be anything special.” She waved her hand. “We need to know why and how a human managed to get into Makai. I am only interested in the human- if you find any others, do as you like to them.”

“Understood!” The demon responded as she put her hand down.

She floated off the ground. “Very well. Get search-.”

Just then, a terrific flash of light caught the corner of her eye and she cut her sentence short.

“Commander!” One of the demons asked. “What’s that?”

She offered no response in return as she watched the light fade away. Several seconds later, the sound of a deep boom reached her ears, causing her to reel back.

Her eyes widened.

A fight. That was the only explanation. Yet there should be no resistance remaining in Makai strong enough to warrant such firepower. The human certainly wasn’t strong enough, either.

That only left one possibility; a traitor. But who-

Realization struck her, and she began to lift off from the floor.

“Commander?” Another demon questioned. “Your orders?”

She turned around and faced them with a smirk. “There’s been a… slight change of plans. All of you, search for the anomaly. I’m going to investigate something on my own for the time being.”

“Understood.”

As all of them flew in separate directions, she looked up to where the light had been just moments earlier. A thin-lipped smile spread across her face.

“I think it’s time for a little family reunion.”

I plodded through the cavern, doing my best to ignore my surroundings.

Don’t think about anything else. Just keep going. 

Just then, the whole cavern shook, and my heart leaped in my chest. Frantically, I glanced around the ceiling and held my arms out to catch my balance.

Damn it! Louise, please take care of that thing soon!

Another tremor rocked the cavern, knocking me off balance and causing me to fall forward. I brought my hands forward and caught myself, but the pistol slipped from my grip.

As I hit the floor, my body sank a couple of inches into the surface. It felt like a strange combination of rubber and gelatin- slimy and somewhat sticky to the touch.

Ugh, this is disgust-

A loud bang resounded through the cavern as my pistol fired a wave of magic that ricocheted off the walls. Panicked, I scrambled up and picked up the pistol, rapidly swinging it around to cast light around me.

Shit! If there’s anything else down here with me, there’s no way they didn’t hear that!

Behind me, I heard a spark, and I whipped the pistol back.

An air pocket close by was wobbling  Light shimmered along its surface, refracting my line of sight as I observed it. As I did so, multiple lights began to form throughout the cavern, lighting up the path forward. The air itself seemed to bend and distort, blurring the boundaries of the wall.

Then it hit me, and I began backing away.

That- These are those turrets I saw outside! There’s more here?

The first distortion spun with magic until it shone with light, producing a warbled humming noise. The others followed suit.

I need to get out of here!

Just as I turned around to flee, the turret compressed all its light into one point and fired a spread of three bullets. I ducked and watched them as they flew over my head, colliding with the ground and leaving singe marks that rose with smoke.

Frantically, I made a run for it. The turrets lit the path, scattering bullets everywhere around me. As they all fired in unison, I dived and pressed myself to the ground, watching everything sail past.

Once the coast was clear, I stood up and made a mad dash down the passage. More lights filled the path ahead of me, and the cavern hummed with activity once more.

I swerved past every volley as the bullets flung from all directions, the sharp crack of every impact echoing in my ears. A cloud of debris quickly filled the passage, stinging my eyes.

As I ran, I saw a wonderful sight- the end of the cavern, opening up into a much larger room. It was obscured in darkness, but at this point, I didn’t particularly care.

Come on, almost there!

Once I reached the end, I leaped into the darkness, elated. As I jumped inside, rows of torches automatically lit up both sides of the room with a mesmerizing, violet flame, forming a pathway to a pedestal. Atop it was a strange, hemispherical object I couldn’t make out. Just behind the pedestal was what appeared to be an intricately designed red arch, towering over everything else below me.

Wait. Below me?

My happiness vanished when I realized I had jumped directly into a descending stairway.

As soon as I landed, my foot slipped, and I fell down the stairs before coming to a stop at the bottom. Groaning and coughing, I clutched my head and took a seat on the lowest stair.

This has to be the place, right? The inner sanctum…

Once the pain faded, I stood up and walked forward. The atmosphere here chilled me down to my bones, and I could see my breath linger in the air.

I looked up at the arch. That must be the gate. Louise said something about a spirit guarding it, though. Where is it?

Nervously, I walked over to the pedestal, the sound of my footsteps echoing through the hall as the only thing that broke the silence.

Atop the pedestal lay a black hemisphere, perfectly balanced on the center of its curved surface. Its sides and flat face were chipped and cracked. Beneath the surface, a murky darkness swam about, flowing freely throughout the container. Along the lower edge was a single white dot, which the darkness did not envelop.

Inexplicably, being near the object was strangely comforting. It felt as though as long as I stayed close, no harm could befall me.

I stared at it for a little while.

This feeling. It’s not magic, that’s for sure. Where do I know this from?

Seconds later, it hit me, and I nodded.

Of course! The Hakurei miko’s talisman! Is the spirit Louise spoke of inside here, then?

I raised both of my hands and pressed them against the surface of the object. The mixture inside reacted immediately, rapidly swimming about. Wisps of some kind began to float into the air.

“Spirit! Are you there?” I called out as I held onto the object.

The wisps increased in volume until the area above was enveloped in a plume of smoke. Wisps of gas spun around it until it took form, creating a translucent silhouette.

Once It was done, I removed my hands from the object and stepped back.

Before me stood a spectral figure, clad in a red and white patterned dress. She wore a plain white shirt with a scarlet robe that reached just below her waist. Four horns emerged from her bright red flowing hair. Her presence seemed to possess authority, though of a different sort than that of the wheel demon- this one felt far gentler.

As I looked at her, I was filled with an incredible sense of awe.

Slowly, she turned her head to face me. Her eyes wore a sharp red hue, and under her piercing gaze, I felt as though I could hide nothing from her.

After several seconds, she spoke. It was a gentle voice, but it filled every corner of the otherwise silent hall.

“Oh, dear.” She said, looking at me curiously. “Another human?”

I stared at her, dumbfounded.

“Hello? Are you there?” she spoke, waving at me. “You are the one who woke me, aren’t you?”

“Th- That’s right!” I replied as I stood up straight. “You must be the spirit the old Hakurei miko left to guard the passageway to Gensokyo, right?”

“I suppose you could say that,” she responded as she turned to face the arch. “Truthfully, no one’s come through here in a long time, not since dear old Reimu left Makai this way all those years ago. It was so dreadfully boring waiting around. But all of a sudden, you’re the fourth person to arrive in a span of weeks.” She hopped off the object and landed gracefully on the ground, her presence emanating a ghostly aura. “I assume you want to go to Gensokyo as well?”

I nodded. “That’s right. But I’m the fourth? What-”

“Oh, the others?” She brought a hand up to hold her chin. “Several weeks ago, a couple of humans showed up. Very peculiar ones, too. They wanted to enter Gensokyo to “further their research” if I recall correctly. One had red hair and the other was blonde-”

“Did you let them pass?” I questioned, cutting her description short.

The spirit huffed. “Not without a fight. They earned their right to enter Gensokyo. Truthfully, they were a lot stronger than I thought they’d be.”

Uh oh. Will I have to fight her?

“I’m terribly sorry to ask this of you, miss…”

“Call me Singyoku.”

“Singyoku! Right.” I took a deep breath. “I’d like to go to Gensokyo.”

Singyoku tilted her head. “Oh? And why’s that?”

I fell to my knees. “Please, hear me out. Shinki’s gone insane. I need to-”

“Ah ah ah!” Singyoku clicked her tongue as she waved a finger at me. “Don’t speak. Just hold still for a moment.”

I watched as she brought a hand forward, reaching for my head. Instinctively, I stood up and backed away. “What’re you doing?”

“I’m going to probe your mind and figure out your motive. It’s a lot faster, plus you won’t be able to lie with me.”

“I’m sorry, but my thoughts are my own,” I responded coolly. “I don’t want you going through my mind.”

“It’s not like I’m going to read your mind or anything,” Singyoku reassured me. “It’s more like seeking out a feeling. I can’t see anything else. Trust me.”

After a moment’s deliberation, I nodded and stepped close. She laid her hand on my head and a chill spread through my body, freezing me in place.

“Hm…” she whispered to herself. “Oh?”

Singyoku removed her hand and put both hands behind her back. “So that’s how it is…”

“Did you see it?” I asked her.

“Oh…” she whispered, still lost in thought. “That’s bad. Things are worse than I thought…”

“It is, right?” I walked up to her. “So, Singyoku, now that you’ve seen the situation yourself, can’t you open this gate for me?”

“Your motive is just, human.” Singyoku turned towards me with a solemn look on her face. “If I could, I surely would have let you pass without a fight.”

“If-” My voice cracked. “If you could?”

Singyoku turned away from me and looked down, gluing her gaze to the floor.

“Y- You can activate the gate, right?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“I’m sorry, human,” Singyoku muttered under her breath. “I can’t do that. Not anymore.”

“Not anymore?” I snapped. “What do you mean, ‘not anymore’?! It’s literally your job! Open the gate for me! I need to tell the Hakurei-”

“I know your motive, human!” Singyoku shouted back. “Do you think I’d force you to stay here on purpose?”

“...But why?” I responded shakily. “Why can’t you let me through?”

Singyoku crossed her arms and turned aside. “I did say you were the fourth person, right? About a week ago, someone else came. She was neither a human nor a youkai, but a god.”

“Shinki?!” I leaned in close to her. “What happened? What did she do?”

“She…” Singyoku pointed over at the arch. “When I asked her to state her business, she said something about ‘tying up loose ends’ and disabled the gate. I tried to stop her, but-”

Singyoku rolled up her sleeves, revealing nasty bruises that traveled across her arms and vanished inside her robe.

“I only survived through my connection to the Hakurei god, but there was nothing I could do to stop her.” Singyoku shook her head. “I’m very sorry, human. If only you had been here a week earlier, then-”

“Damn it!” I yelled as I punched the arch. A resounding clang echoed through the room. “Damn it all to hell! I’m not dying in a godforsaken place like this! I’m not!”

“Human! Control yourself!” Singyoku called out to me.

“And why should I?!” I whipped my head around and gave her a furious stare. “All the shit I went through to get here, and I can’t even leave!”

“Human!” Singyoku thundered, silencing me. “Getting angry isn’t going to accomplish anything!”

At that moment, all the rage that had built up in me had dissipated, and an overwhelming sense of grief had taken its place.

“You’re right,” I murmured, bringing my gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry.”

Singyoku watched me as I took a seat and leaned back on the arch. The full severity of the situation hit me hard, and I gazed up at the ceiling.

“I can’t leave. I can’t go back.” I muttered, to nobody in particular. “This is how my life ends. I’m going to die here. And it’s all because of that girl with the blue hair.”

“How long are you going to mope around?” Singyoku asked me, somewhat annoyed. “This isn’t the time for that.”

“The hell do you mean?” I snapped at her. “I’m trapped here. I can’t tell the Hakurei miko anything. Sooner or later, Shinki’s children are going to find and kill me.”

Singyoku folded her arms. “Actually, you’re incorrect about one thing.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Contacting the Hakurei isn’t out of the question.”

“Really?” I scrambled to my feet and rushed over to Singyoku. “How?”

“Do you see this?” Singyoku gestured toward the pedestal. “This is the mark of the yin-yang orb. I am a spirit bound to the Hakurei clan through my connection to the orb.”

“That’s an orb?” I asked, glancing over it. “It looks more like a broken hemisphere.”

“That’s because this is only half of it.” Singyoku turned to face me. “I embody yin, the dark half, as you can see here.”

“I see. So can you contact Reimu through it?”

Singyoku shook her head. “Not quite. A complete yin-yang orb is needed for that.”

“Well, what good is that?” I glanced back at Singyoku. “The other half isn’t even in Makai. It’s in Hell-”

“Wrong again.” Singyoku walked around to the far side of the orb and stared down at it. “True, it was there for a long time, but several years ago, my other half was moved elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere? What do you mean?”

“Someone took my other half and moved him.” Singyoku looked over at me. “He’s not in Hell anymore. I can feel his presence somewhere in Makai. It’s faint, but there’s no doubt about it.”

“Really, now?” I walked over to the orb and faced Singyoku from across it. “So what you’re saying is since he’s somewhere in Makai, you want me to find your other half?”

“That’s right.” Singyoku nodded and smiled at me. “Once the two of us are together, the yin-yang orb will become whole again, and you’ll be able to contact Reimu through it.”

“I see…” I whispered as I stared at the entrance to the cavern I had come from. “But how am I going to find him?”

“What do you mean?” Singyoku asked me curiously. “You’re going to take me with you.”

“What?” I turned around and pointed at the orb. “You can’t be serious! I can’t hold something that big-”

Singyoku clapped her hands twice, causing a shower of light to erupt from her hands and envelop the orb. I watched, awestruck, as the orb shrunk until it was small enough to fit in my palm.

Singyoku picked it up and tossed it at me. “Here you go.”

Frantically, I caught it with both hands and held it close to my chest.

Why is she so casual with it? Isn’t this thing super important?

“Great.” Singyoku gestured toward the cavern. “Let’s get going.” She made her way to the mouth of the cavern, and I followed suit.

The last thing I want to do is go back there.

“Ah, it’s been too long since I’ve left this place!” Singyoku said excitedly, a smile spread across her face. In my hands, the yin-yang orb shone with light, illuminating the passage before me. “Whenever you’re ready, then.”

“Alright, alright,” I responded as I watched Singyoku dissipate into smoke and return to the orb in my hands.

I looked up and sighed.

How am I going to break the news to Louise?

Show yourself, child! There’s nowhere you can hide!

Louise ducked deeper inside the hollow. Seeing that it was still confused, she brought attention to her arm.

Much of the skin around her elbow sizzled with a furious shade of red. It felt and looked like a nasty sunburn, and the simple act of bending her arm caused her to wince.

Louise looked down at her chest and saw an even worse sight. A hole had been burnt through her shirt, revealing the bright red, blistering skin beneath. Even the gentle breeze around her caused it to sting.

Damn it, I can’t lose focus like that!

Steading herself, Louise whispered an incantation and focused. Mana began to trickle through her other arm.

I have to take care of this right now. I won’t be able to fight that thing if I don’t.

As gently as possible, Louise brought her hand to her chest. She did her best to stifle a groan as soon as her fingertips made contact with the skin and mana circulated through her body. 

Slowly but surely, the pain began to abate, and Louise breathed a sigh of relief.

One down, one to go…

Concentrating her mana once more, Louise brought her arm up and laid her fingers on it. The injury here hadn’t been as severe, but as the mana circulated through her arm, Louise was starting to get fatigued.

Once she was done, Louise gasped aloud and fell back onto the tree. Beads of sweat had broken out along her forehead and she stared up at the sky, searching for the figure.

I’m still not well acquainted with healing magic, it seems. I can’t afford any more careless mistakes. I’ll have to end this fight quickly. But how?

Making as little noise as possible, Louise left the hollow and ducked between the trees until she pinpointed the figure, which had situated itself inside all five eyes in the shape of a pentagon. All of them had their gazes pointed outward, leaving the area beneath wide open.

Just then, the voice spoke once more. This time, it was in a tender voice, which seemed to hum through the air.

Where have you gone, my child?

Louise’s heart skipped a beat. Mother…

After a moment’s hesitation, she shook her head. No. You’re trying to deceive me again. But I won’t fall for a trick like that!

As Louise drew close, she concentrated her mana into the tips of her fingers, charging up her hands with magic. The mana surged and coursed through her body as she readied her attack, a stark contrast to the gentle trickle of mana healing magic demanded.

Once the incantation was complete, Louise soared up and brought herself right beside the figure. A smile broke out across her face.

You’re going to regret underestimating me, Mother!

In a whisper, she spoke. “I’m right here, Mother.”

The figure whipped around toward Louise and all five eyes immediately turned inward towards Louise. 

There you are!

The disks behind each eye spun around wildly, all charging up for another attack.

Louise closed her eyes and brought her hands together.

The sensation of mana coursing through her whole body, circulating throughout every fiber of her being, a feeling she had become very familiar with- In this moment, the world held still for her and her alone.

When the magic surged in her chest and her heart pounded with a resounding, overwhelming feeling of strength, Louise opened her eyes and glared at the nearest eye with a fierce look of determination.

Let’s do this.

Louise flung her hands out and unleashed her magic. From the tips of her fingers, she cast a spiral of white-blue lasers that flung out at every angle, striking every single eye dead-center. Blue sparks crackled along the surface of the eyes before flowing into their respective disks, where each one ground to a halt with the horrible shriek of metal scraping metal ringing through the air.

Insolent pest!

Louise glanced over at the figure flinging its hands down, giving every eye the signal to shut their eyelids, but all were idling in place.

They’re not going to stay like that forever. I need to act!

Quick as a flash, Louise expended the remaining mana in her arms and spun around, forming groups of arrowheads floating around her. With a swipe of her hands, she sent them flying, all of them creating a helix of barbs that spread out everywhere around her.

The figure flung out its arms and unleashed a burst of lightning through its tendrils to kickstart each eye. As it did so, the blue light that crackled along the surface of each disk fell away, and each one began to wobble in place.

Just as the figure regained full control of each eye, it was already too late.

The arrowheads struck each eye dead on, slicing apart their protective skeletal membranes and sinking inside the flesh of the eye. Sparks and blood flew out in equal measure as a grating, metallic screech resounded through the sky. The figure burst apart in a flash of light as the eyes fell from the sky, and Louise quickly followed suit.

After several seconds, the eyes caught themselves and levitated, with the figure emerging once again amidst the eyes. This time, it appeared more wiry than before- many of its finer details were absent, and its body appeared more unstable. It glared at Louise for just a moment before its voice filled the air, breaking the silence.

How… dare you, child!

“I thought I told you before.” Louise faced the closest eye and spoke aloud. “I’m not going to let anyone stop us. Not even you.”

The voice that responded was practically dripping with rancor.

Is that so?

Louise nodded.

A moment of silence passed.

Just then, the voice began to chuckle before bursting out into laughter. Louise stared up at the figure, confused.

Oh, dear!

In that case, you’re going to be disappointed.

“Mother…?” Louise’s composure faltered. “What do you mean?”

Idiot girl.

You came all this way for nothing.

“That’s not true.” Louise asserted. “There’s a gate to Gensokyo here! And someone is traveling through it as we speak! There’s nothing you can do!”

There was a gate to Gensokyo here, you mean.

“Wh-”

Did you think I would neglect such an obvious escape route?

“You- You’re lying!” Louise yelled. “There’s a gate here, there has to be-”

Not anymore, my child.

I made sure of it.

“Mother…” Louise’s voice cracked as she brought her face low. “You…”

Now, do you see the folly of your actions?

As Louise remained silent, the figure held out a hand.

Return to me, dear child. I will overlook your transgressions.

“Mother!”

The figure paused and observed Louise, who returned its gaze with a furious stare. Her fists were clenched tightly, and magic started swirling around her body.

“I don’t care if you think my actions are useless! I will find a way to put a stop to this! And to prove it, I’ll destroy this creation of yours and find another way out! I’ll keep searching for as long as it takes! I swear it!”

Oh, my. Is that so?

The figure lifted its hand, surrounding itself with the eyes. The disks began to spin with light, brightening the sky around them. Meanwhile, Louise stared down the figure as she charged more mana through her body until the air around her began to spark.

Then show me! Louise!

Chapter Text

“What’s taking you so long? Just run.”

“Can’t do that,” I whispered as I slowly inched back through the cavern. “I’m going to get shot at. Turrets are camouflaging themselves all over the place, you know.”

“Well, yes, I suppose that’s true,” Singyoku responded impassively. “But that’s not a big deal. You did have to traverse this hallway to get to me in the first place, after all.”

“And I nearly died on my way here.” I glanced down at the orb in my hand, which pulsed with light. “I’ve already had to deal with them once. There’s no need to provoke them a second time unnecessarily.”

Singyoku huffed. “I promise you, the turrets here are nothing special. They’re very predictable and once you learn how they work, dodging them isn’t a problem. Anyone can do it.”

“Would you stop?” I glared at the orb and gripped it tightly. “It’s easy for you to say, but you’ve been in danmaku fights before! I haven’t!”

Singyoku fell silent, and for a moment, the only noise that filled the cavern was my footsteps. It took her nearly half a minute to respond, and when she did, it was in a much softer voice, with a hint of disbelief.

“...Is that true, human?”

“Yeah,” I whispered, as I crept through the hall. “I can’t fly or create danmaku. I’ve had to deal with several youkai who could do both, though.”

“You can’t even fly?” Singyoku asked me incredulously. “You’re joking.”

“Nope,” I shook my head. “Just can’t do it- not without some assistance, anyway.”

“Hmm…” Singyoku turned away from me. “That’s going to be a problem. And a rather serious one at that.”

“Huh?” I held the orb out in front of me. “Why’s that?”

“My other half is quite a ways away. If you can’t fly there quickly, the risk of getting caught along the way increases dramatically. If that happens and you aren’t prepared to defend yourself, then, well,” Singyoku shrugged. “Then that’s the end.”

“Oh, great. Then I just won’t get caught. Simple.”

“Human,” Singyoku spoke in a heavy voice, and I stopped to turn to her.

“You need to take this seriously. Ordinarily, it would be a several-day long trip accounting for breaks and whatnot, but that was under the assumption you could fly quickly like those humans who visited me several weeks ago. If you can’t manage that, then you’d stretch that time out to a week if not longer, giving Shinki’s children ample opportunity to locate and kill you.”

I snorted and looked away. “Thanks for the words of encouragement. It’s not like I started figuring out this flight thing several hours ago.”

“Listen. This isn’t about ‘encouragement’. It’s in my best interest to keep you alive and I will do everything in my power to keep it that way, but at the end of the day, there’s only so much I can do for you. You need to meet me halfway if we’re going to pull this off.”

“Appreciate the concern, but there’s no need for it.” I brushed her off as I continued walking. “It’s not just going to be the two of us anyway. We won’t be alone.”

“Hm?” Singyoku floated to my side. “There’s someone else with you?”

I nodded. “Yeah, a youkai named Louise. She managed to evade Shinki and met up with me. She’s also much stronger than me, so you don’t have to worry about me defending myself.”

“Oh, yes! I recall seeing a young-looking girl when I glimpsed into your mind.” Singyoku furrowed her brow. “In that case, this issue of yours isn’t as pressing as I believed.”

“I don’t have an ‘issue’.” I glanced over to her, irritated. “I’m just saying this isn’t something you should worry about anymore.”

“But that’s not the entire story, is it?” Singyoku floated past me and turned around, locking eyes with me. “If she’s as strong as you claim, are you sure you’re not slowing her down?”

“You’re slowing me down right now,” I replied coolly. “She can handle fighting. And I’ve got equipment I can use in case things go south.”

“Your… equipment?” Singyoku flew to my side and touched down. “Elaborate.”

“I’ve got a pistol that can fire waves of magic and I’m wearing equipment that allows me to fly. I can’t do it very fast nor lift off right away, but I can do it.”

Singyoku leaned toward me and echoed my words. “A pistol…? Equipment that allows you to fly?”

I cringed. Though her voice was soft, I could still hear the disapproval in her voice.

“Yeah. What, do you have a problem with that?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” Singyoku answered plainly. “By relying on equipment to do the heavy lifting for you, you’re circumventing the natural learning process of both flight and creating danmaku. You’re not going to improve that way.”

“And who cares if I don’t?” I responded, annoyed. “I’m happy with how I’m able to fly now and I want nothing at all to do with danmaku battles! Save this spiel of yours for someone actually interested in that sort of thing.”

“This isn’t just throwaway advice, you know.” Singyoku admonished me. “If you were just an ordinary human cooped up in the Human Village, I wouldn’t tell you this since it wouldn’t benefit you. The fact that you’re in Makai in the first place tells me you’re not that kind of person.”

“Then what kind of person am I?”

Singyoku paused. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”

“Well, whatever the case, I’m not interested. I only care about leaving.”

Singyoku sighed. “And I understand that. Just know that although you might not care about fighting, others will be interested in fighting you. It’s survival of the fittest out there. Learning some basic danmaku skills would be in your best interest, and there’s no better way to learn something than through experience. You can’t just use Louise as a shield to hide behind.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” I spoke as I crawled around a stalagmite. “Sorry to disappoint you, but the gap between us is too large. I’ll continue to figure things out as I go along like I always have.”

“Human, that’s not the right attitude to take. If she is so much stronger than you, if you can’t help her right now, why aren’t you interested in improving until you can?”

I glared at Singyoku from the corner of my vision. “You know, you’re really starting to get on my nerves.”

Singyoku floated beside me and spoke quietly. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I have another piece of advice to give. Are you ready?”

When I didn’t respond, Singyoku huffed and leaned in close.

“Don’t push your luck.”

I glanced at Singyoku, who seemed rather pleased with herself. “Oh. That’s all you had to say?” I shook my head. “I suppose I expected something more profound from a spirit bound to the Hakurei clan.”

“Hmm. Well, I think there’s something beautiful about its simplicity.” Singyoku spoke as she investigated her fingernails in the light of the orb. “It’s easy to grasp- if you leave everything up to a coin toss, you will lose eventually. You can’t just ‘figure things out’ forever.”

“Oh, well.” I shrugged. “Sorry for not being an experienced duelist who can fire lasers at will.”

Singyoku placed her hands on her hips and frowned. “If you’re inexperienced in something, don’t apologize for it. Work to correct that instead.”

I scoffed. “And how exactly am I supposed to get this ‘experience’?”

When no reply came, I turned back to look at Singyoku, deep in thought. “Actually…” she turned to me with a full smile, her eyes bright. “Human, you’ve given me an idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just stand right there for a moment.”

I watched as she glanced around, whispering to herself before walking to the opposite side of the cavern. Upon reaching the wall, Singyoku immediately flung her hand upward, and when she did so, her arm became wavy and distorted.

I immediately took several steps back, clutching the orb tight to my chest. “Singyoku!” I hissed. “What are you doing?! That’s a turret! Don’t tell me you want me to get shot at!”

“This is nothing to worry about.” Singyoku looked over her shoulder as she waved her arm. “You should be able to handle this easily.”

“Are you insane?” I whispered as loudly as I could. “You’re trying to get me killed!”

Singyoku stopped and turned around to face me. “Human, though I understand your hesitation, you’ll thank me for this. Trust me.”

“Singyoku! You-”

“Alright, here’s how things are going to go,” Singyoku explained, cutting me off. “You may not have noticed it earlier, but these turrets don’t just fire without rhyme or reason to them. There’s a pattern to how they fire.”

“Then quick!” My eyes flickered between Singyoku and the air pocket above her, which had begun accumulating magic and glowed brighter every passing second. “What’s the pattern to this one?”

“You did say that you had to deal with youkai who could create danmaku, correct?”

“Yes! I did!” I nodded quickly. “So-”

“When they attacked, how did you deal with them? Do you remember?”

“Well, I-” I stammered. “I- I just kind of looked at the bullets, searched for a gap, and just took advantage of that-”

“Oh! Then you’ve already noticed, hm?” Singyoku said. “That’s one of the trickiest parts of danmaku when you’re just getting started. To the untrained eye, danmaku can appear as a random assortment of bullets, but once you look closer and see things for what they truly are, that’s when you can start figuring out the patterns beneath.”

At this point, magic spun around the turret as static electricity crackled along its surface.

“Singyoku! What-”

“Just stay there. When it fires, observe its pattern, and react accordingly.” Singyoku crossed her arms and smiled. “You can handle this. I believe in you.”

I gulped and stared at the turret, bracing myself for the worst. Singyoku, you bitch!

The turret grew bright before funneling all of its magic into one point. With a flash of light, the turret fired, and a loud crack filled the air as it launched several bullets at once. I tensed up as adrenaline kicked in, and I quickly scanned around for a space between them.

One, two, three, four! Two of them aimed to my left, the other two aimed to my right-

Wait.

All the bullets sailed past me before colliding with the wall, leaving me frozen in place.

“Ah, you should see your face right now!” Singyoku laughed. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Dumbfounded, I brought my face up to her.

“As you can see, this one tries to wall you in with bullets,” Singyoku explained as she floated back toward me. “Naturally, since it doesn’t fire directly at you, you can just stand still and it’ll never hit you.”

The turret sputtered with energy before magic started swirling inside once again.

I pointed at it and faced Singyoku. “This turret here- does it fire the same pattern every time?”

Singyoku nodded. “That’s right. In this case, so long as you stay put when it fires, it will miss every time.”

I turned back to the turret and waited for it to accumulate its magic once more, steeling myself just in case. Sure enough, as it fired, the bullets flew past me as before. 

I straightened up. “...Singyoku.”

“Hm?”

“Are all the turrets like this?”

Singyoku looked down the cavern and tilted her head. “Hmm… Well, some of them will fire directly at you. Dodging them is just as simple, though- all you need to do is step aside and slip past.”

“I see, then.” I looked aside. “That’s something I wish I knew about twenty minutes ago.”

Singyoku floated back to me. “Great! Now that you see how easy it is, you can run down the hallway now, right? Just watch for patterns and react. It’s as simple as that.”

“No, thank you.” I frowned. “That’s enough. One is plenty. I’m not-”

Immediately, Singyoku stretched out a hand and fired a single bullet down the depths of the cavern, lighting up the passage as it traveled. Multiple air distortions emerged from the walls and ceiling, crackling with magic after being disturbed.

Furiously, I whipped my head back to her. “Singyoku!”

Singyoku pointed down the cavern. “Well, you’d better start running. You were wondering how you’d get experience, yes? This is how.”

She dissipated into smoke and returned to the orb, and I fought back the urge to fling it onto the ground.

Singyoku, I swear. I’ll get you back for this-

The turret fired at me a third time, startling me and interrupting my train of thought.

Never mind. I don’t have time to get hung up on this.

With a heavy sigh, I gazed down the passage and observed the turrets, all of which were active and primed to fire. Taking a deep breath and adjusting my stance, I poised myself to run for it.

Well, let’s go. No choice now.

Louise soared through the mist, dodging the torrent of bullets that whizzed past her. The eyes launched attack after attack, but she elegantly weaved through everything.

I need to think of a new strategy. That same trick won’t work twice.

Glaring at the figure from her peripheral vision, Louise yelled, “Mother, you’ll have to do better than that!”

The structure shuddered in place and reorganized, spreading itself wide before her.

You dare mock me, child?

As the eyes closed, Louise turned to face the figure and squinted.

Does she leave herself open? I need to see.

While Louise scrutinized the figure, it made a subtle lifting motion with its hands. Two of the five chains of lightning binding it to the eyes flashed blue for a split second, and their respective disks started spinning in place just before the eyes opened up.

Louise smirked. I see! I can use the chains to predict which ones are going to open!

Louise stopped herself in midair and held out her left hand, ensuring that all five eyes could see it. Ducking around the next stream of bullets, she concentrated her mana into her hand until it glowed with light. Her palm began to smolder against the mist, and wisps of magic billowed into the sky.

Forcefully squeezing her hand into a fist, Louise brought it to the air and called out, “Mother! I’m going to end this, right here and now!”

The two eyes watching her shifted into an intense glare, and the figure leaned forward.

Your brute-force tactics will accomplish nothing.

Meanwhile, Louise tucked her right hand behind her back. Glancing around to ensure all five eyes were in view, she began to direct a second, much smaller concentration of mana to her other palm.

Yes, this is perfect. Now I just need to make an opening.

Louise faced the figure and beckoned it towards her. “If you think this is all I’m capable of, you’re mistaken. Watch me!”

Lasers erupted from the two open eyes, swiftly cutting through the air at lightning speed before converging on Louise’s position. At this distance, however, she had ample time to react.

Louise dashed forward, causing the lasers to sweep past her on all sides before colliding with each other and releasing another great flash of light. Taking advantage of the explosion, Louise used it to thrust herself even further and made headway toward the nearest eye. As she soared, she held out her left arm, sparks flew from her hand, creating a trail of light behind her.

As she brought herself close, Louise poured even more magic into her left hand. The wind billowed around her as her hand shined even brighter, the violet clouds disintegrating as lightning tore them apart.

Pushing herself even further, Louise’s entire arm became embroiled in a brilliant display of magic. Her arm began to tremble, and she brought her other hand up to hold it in place while beads of sweat formed along her forehead.

Oh, my.

With considerable effort, Louise looked up at the figure, who had stopped to observe her.

A very fine display of magic, my child.

To see such talent go to waste is so very disappointing.

“Mother!” Louise shouted, her voice nearly drowned out by the sound of the magic whirling around her. “Prepare yourself! I’m going to finish this in one attack!”

In response, the figure flicked a single finger upward. The eye closest to her split itself as wide open as possible and moved until it had positioned itself directly in front of her.

Let’s see it.

With a shout, Louise squeezed her hand into a fist and raised it to the sky. Sparks of a hundred prismatic tints danced along her arm, basking the world around her in a dazzling light. Clenching her teeth, Louise whirled around and flung her palm outward, releasing all her mana in one burst.

“Hi- YAH!”

A veritable storm of bullets of all shapes and sizes accompanied by an overwhelming array of lasers continuously poured from her palm, free from the confines of her body. Louise was launched backward from the sheer recoil but mustered enough strength to halt herself and continued her assault at the eye before her.

At that instant, the figure flung its hand down. Louise watched as the chain of lightning connecting it to the eye shone blue for a fraction of a second, where the eyelid closed just before the first danmaku could strike it.

Louise’s torrent of danmaku bounced off the eye at every angle, showering the ground beneath with a tempest of magic. Explosions shook the earth, blasting chunks of rock and shards of wood into the sky. The mountaintop was marred with small craters, with many a tree having been knocked over if not uprooted entirely.

Still, Louise kept focused. Come on, come on…

“So, what do you think?” Singyoku asked me as I began to meander back up the staircase. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

I grunted. “Well, I suppose that’s true, but I don’t feel any stronger. It wasn’t hard once I got used to it, so I doubt I gained any ‘experience’ from running through there.”

“Ah, but, human, you’re missing the bigger picture.” Singyoku floated beside me, keeping up with my pace. “You wouldn’t have run through had I not intervened. You would have never known how easy it was if I had left it up to you to decide.”

“Yeah, and I’d rather you let me choose what to do from now on.”

Singyoku fell quiet as I moved up the stairway in silence. Several moments passed before she decided to break the silence.

“Human, I’m sorry.”

I offered no response, so she continued. “It’s just that Makai’s a perilous place for humans. I’m staking a lot on your success and thought an exercise like that would give you an idea of what to do if things went downhill. The fact that you’ve survived up to now with zero danmaku experience beforehand is nothing short of a miracle.”

“Hah!” I stopped and turned to her. “It certainly doesn’t feel like one.”

“I’m serious, human,” Singyoku responded in a firm voice. “You’re capable of a lot more than you think. You have a fighting chance, however slight it may be. Don’t waste it.”

“Fine, whatever. Just promise me you’ll never pull a stunt like that again.”

Singyoku lifted one hand and placed the other on her chest. “Very well. I swear it.”

“Good-”

Just then, a series of muffled explosions came from above us, shaking the entire passageway.

Louise is still fighting! Is she having trouble?

“Woah-! Human, what’s going on?”

“It’s Louise!” I shouted. “She’s still fighting that thing outside!”

“Then what are you waiting for? Get going! She might need your help!”

“My help?!” I clung to the stairs in front of me to keep my balance. “How on earth could I help someone as strong as her?”

Singyoku glowed as puffs of smoke left her body and her figure grew faint. “That's something I want to see myself. Show me how well you work as a team, hm?”

She waved to me before her entire body dissipated as the last remaining traces of smoke returned to the orb in my hand. Cursing, I waited for the shaking to cease before making a mad dash up the staircase, my heart pounding out of my chest.

Foolish girl, it doesn’t matter how much power you have. You cannot break the shield.

The figure brought one hand to its side, flicking up a finger oriented toward the eye on Louise’s far right.

There it is!

As soon as Louise saw the chain of lightning flash, she brought out her right hand and preemptively fired a thin, wiry laser at it- so thin that it zipped past the figure without its notice. Right when the disk had picked up speed and the eyelid creaked open, the laser pierced the eye dead on, burning a tiny hole through its pupil.

The reaction was immediate. A shrill shriek filled the sky as the figure clutched its head with both arms. The eye spun wildly in its socket, with its disk erratically rotating at seemingly random speeds.

Another chain of lightning flashed, and Louise swiftly fired a second laser at the new eye that was opening. This time, the figure quickly twisted its head around and watched as it flew past.

So Mother’s noticed it?

Desperately, the figure flung down its hand. Child, you-

The eyelid was too slow to block the attack, and the eye was struck in the same way as the first. The figure burst apart and reformed itself once more, albeit now heavily distorted in appearance.

Louise watched as the figure raised both of what remained of its arms up, lighting up the lightning chains leading to the eyes on her left and right. Both eyes creaked and groaned before opening, their disks spinning around wildly.

Alright! Time to end this!

With a yell, Louise flung her left hand wildly around her, launching magic at the eyes. Both eyes quickly retaliated with their own bullets, but both were ultimately overcome in the face of Louise’s assault.

As the two eyes that had been struck sealed themselves off, the figure warped and distorted before reforming as a shapeless blob of light. It let loose one last scream as the eye directly in front of Louise flung itself open and launched missiles directly at her.

How- how dare you…!

Raising her right hand, Louise manifested a collection of blue bullets and displayed it before the eye at point-blank range.

In a soft voice, she spoke directly to it.

“Forgive me, Mother.”

LOU-!

The bullets left her hand and connected with the surface of the eye, blasting it backward. The blob erupted in a shower of light, and every eye in the air began to fall to the ground. Louise watched as each one landed with a tremendous thud, burrowing themselves into the ground.

With a heavy sigh of relief, Louise dusted herself off and began to descend to the now heavily damaged temple grounds.

It’s over… it’s finally over…

As soon as she touched the ground, Louise hunched over and rested her hands upon her knees, only to immediately tear them away as a sudden flash of heat stung her left knee. Grimacing, Louise brought her left hand up and examined it.

Her hand was tremendously hot. Wisps of smoke rose from between her fingers, and the tiny wisps of magic in the mist that made contact with her hand instantly fizzled away into ash. Scars and welts sporadically dotted her arm, creating a dull, throbbing ache.

Louise hastily waved her hand around and blew on it.

Wow, I’ve outdone myself. I’ve never used that much magic in one attack before.

As soon as her hand had cooled down to a more acceptable temperature, she held it close and massaged with the other hand, wincing as she did so.

I’d better let this hand rest for the time being. I need to avoid fighting until I can heal myself again.

Louise brought her attention to the temple’s entrance, which stood on the opposite side of the courtyard. The altar that had once stood at its center had been reduced to ruins, allowing her to see it clearly from her position. A sigh of relief escaped her lips upon seeing that the entryway hadn’t been caved in.

I’d better find that human, then. I hope he’s doing alright.

Louise walked across the side of the courtyard, taking care to steer clear of the miniature craters that marred the terrain.

I wonder if he knows Mother deactivated the passageway-

Just then, a tremendous burst of heat tore through Louise’s back, flinging her forward. A scream escaped her lips as she was launched forward and tumbled along the ground.

“AGHHH!”

Skidding to a halt, Louise lay face down in the vegetation. Her ears were ringing, and an incredible stinging sensation was gnawing away at her back as she moaned in pain.

Wh- what was that?! Surely it couldn’t have been-

As Louise pried herself up with her good hand and fell back on the mud, she looked behind her and gasped.

One of the eyes, still partially buried in the ground, was staring directly back at her.

Child, you’ll have to do better than that.

One after the other, the eyes gently lifted off the ground and floated just above it. The same heavily wounded, bloodshot eye stared at Louise while the blob had situated itself just beside it.

Gasping for air, Louise pushed herself up with her good hand and stumbled to her feet.

You… just … don’t know when to quit!

Louise began to charge up magic in her right hand, but as she did so, the scalding sensation in her back flared up and what little mana she had accumulated sputtered out.

Oh, come on!

All five eyes had opened up, raising themselves into the sky and forming a large pentagon. The blob trailed behind them before situating itself in the center. Slowly, all of them extended further away until the area within covered the entire courtyard like a canopy of lightning. A deep voice filled the temple grounds, flooding every corner of Louise’s mind.

I have lost my patience for you, girl.

“I could say the same to you, Mother.” Louise hissed through her teeth. Mustering her strength, she balled her hand into a fist and focused with all her might. Magic trickled through her arm as her hand shimmered in the light. At the same time, every eye swiveled around in its socket before orienting itself at the center point between them, where the blob of light had situated itself.

Louise frowned. What’s Mother doing? I haven’t seen this one before-

Suddenly, the chains of lightning attaching each eye to the blob of light swelled tremendously, producing a deafening clap of thunder. Every disk swiveled with such speed they glowed white-hot from the heat. Two lasers erupted from each socket, aimed directly at the two eyes on their opposite side. As the lasers collided, they became conjoined and amplified each other as one beam.

Once the process was complete, Louise found herself looking up at a massive sigil in the shape of a star. As it formed, the ground started to shake. Small chunks of rock around the courtyard and several roofing tiles floated up to the sigil, breaking apart and disintegrating immediately upon contact.

Louise’s eyes grew wide. To think it still had this much power left!

While it is true that I would very much like to have you at my side, there comes a time when I must cede to reason.

I take no pleasure in doing what must be done, my child.

“Mother…?” Louise called out nervously. “What are you doing?”

The eyes spun around in place, shaking the ground beneath her feet.

This entire temple will be reduced to nothing. If you remain where you are, you will meet the same fate.

What?! Mother, you wouldn’t!

“But-” Louise cried out. “But the gate! Aren’t those extremely hard to make?! Are you willing to destroy something like that?!”

The blob drifted forward and passed through the center of the sigil before slowing to a halt.

Even now, you still don’t understand. Its purpose has been served, and I have no use for it any longer.

Alarmed, Louise glanced at her hand, which was still building up magic. This isn’t enough to take that thing out! I need more time!

“Its purpose…?” Louise’s voice wavered. “What do you mean?”

Why do you think I reconstructed YuugenMagan?

Louise pondered for several seconds before being taken aback. “You- you don’t mean-”

A cold, hollow laugh filled the air.

The passageway to Gensokyo was nothing more than bait. And as expected, you took it hook, line, and sinker.

Louise stood, wide-eyed and dumbfounded.

Mother knew… This whole time….

Upon your arrival, I hoped my construct here would convince you to see reason. That you would enter the light.

The blob floated forward even further, causing Louise to instinctively step back. Her legs, dotted and marked with scrapes and bruises, quaked in place.

I played right into her hand!

Naturally, someone like you would have been very useful to me, given your… nature.

Louise grimaced and shut her eyes as tightly as possible as a wave of boiling anger churned through her body.

How- how dare she! Bringing that up…!

Alas, it seems I overestimated you. What a pity.

The sigil grew even brighter, and Louise glanced over at her hand. Tiny specks of magic pulled from the mist around her attached themselves to her hand, causing it to glow brightly.

Louise let out a frustrated cry. Damn it all, this still isn’t enough!

The blob suddenly flew back through the star’s center and stretched wide.

Flee from this place and join me, my child, or stay and meet the same end as the others.

Farewell-

*pew*

From somewhere behind Louise, a wave of magic soared through the air, flying directly at one of the eyes. It grazed along its surface, leaving behind a large gash as it scraped past.

Agh!

The star’s vertex wobbled and bent out of shape as the eye haphazardly wheeled about.

“Louise!” a familiar voice called out.

As she turned her head, Louise was filled with tremendous joy and relief. The very sight nearly brought her to tears.

Before her stood the outsider, emerging from the depths of the temple with the pistol in one hand and something she couldn’t make out in the other. His face wore a determined look, one she had never seen on him before.

Louise laughed to herself. I should have known! With all five eyes focused on each other, it never noticed him! The figure has no sight of its own! That’s why the eyes expose themselves to danger in the first place!

It’s okay now! Things are going to be alright!

There! Surely that counts as me helping, right?

I ran up to Louise. “Louise, are you okay?!”

“Y- yeah, I’m fine,” she replied in a strained voice. “Just a little tired.”

I quickly glanced at Louise. Several holes had been burnt into her outfit, and multiple bruises ran along her arms and legs. Blisters had formed on her left hand, which wore an angry reddish-pink hue. Magic trickled down her right arm and coalesced in her hand, but it was clearly taking its toll on her- her face had become pale, and she was breathing hard.

“You don’t seem fine,” I said, concerned. “In fact, you look horrible! Are you sure you’re doing alright?”

Louise chuckled. “Don’t worry about me, I've still got plenty of strength left to handle this. Thanks for shooting, by the way. Do you think you could distract it a little longer for me? I’ve almost built up enough magic to take it out.”

Of course it wasn’t enough.

“Wh-” I stepped back and pointed at the eyes. “You want me to take on that thing?! I’ll be killed!”

Louise shook her head. “No, there’s no need for you to fight. Just keep her occupied-”

“Her?”

As soon as I said it, Louise flinched.

I knew it. There’s more to this story than meets the eye.

Louise cleared her throat and looked aside. “We’ll… talk about it later. Is that okay?”

I squinted at her for a brief moment before slowly nodding. “Fine.”

Just then, a loud wail erupted around us.

Who DARES-

The voice abruptly fell silent as the eye I had fired at swiveled around to stare at me, breaking apart a corner of the star-shaped light that hung in the sky.

For a second, nobody spoke.

…Ah.

I walked up to where the altar had once stood, tucking away Singyoku’s orb in a crevice in the rocks.

This is what you wanted to see, right? Just sit there and watch.

I take it you were unable to leave, then?

“That’s right,” I replied in as calm a voice as I could muster. “But this isn’t over. Not by a long shot. I’m going to escape this place, one way or another.”

A shrill laugh filled the area.

You?

The one who ran from me, not once, but twice?

“Well, uh-” I paused briefly to construct a reply before giving up. “Things have changed.”

Is that so?

In that case, allow me to offer you your reward!

I gripped my pistol and readied myself, staring directly at the one eye that faced me. The eye was marked with numerous wounds and the disk behind it creaked and shuddered, but magic coursed through it nonetheless.

Die, human!

The eye fired out a volley of bullets at me, and I glared at the oncoming wave.

It’s just as Singyoku said. Look for a pattern and react accordingly.

As the bullets drew closer, the gaps between them became more obvious and I quickly dashed through the blind spots that formed.

Left, right, right, left- yes, just like that! At this distance, it’s not too different from dealing with turrets!

Once the stream of bullets had ceased, a laser erupted from the eye, striking the earth close by. The beam remained steady before the eye dragged it to my location, tearing up the ground in its wake.

My eyes widened and I dashed around the courtyard, doing everything I could to gain distance. The laser was picking up speed, and I could hear its hum gradually getting louder. The heat was starting to warm my back to an uncomfortable degree.

I forced myself to ignore all my surroundings and began to concentrate. Come on, brace, I really need you! Let’s fly!

Right on cue, I took off from the ground and launched myself to the side as the laser narrowly swung past my head. As the laser’s trajectory bent around to slice at me horizontally, I propelled myself far into the air and held still until the laser grew thin and vanished.

I looked over at Louise. A grin had spread across her face, and she gave me a thumbs-up.

The construct spun around until it had brought the open eye up to my elevation, where it squinted at me.

How very curious. I was under the impression you could not fly.

I gave it a tight-lipped smile. “Surprise.”

This changes nothing, human. This will be your resting place for eternity.

The disk creaked and groaned as magic filled the eye once more. When it did so, I brought myself even closer to the eye and tucked my hands inside my pockets. “I see. But aren’t you forgetting something?”

What?

I pointed over to Louise, and the eye followed my motion until it looked over at her.

Louise was standing tall with her hands on her hips. The mist nearby swirled around her, forming a spiral of magic that enveloped her from head to toe.

“Didn’t I tell you?” Louise yelled aloud. “I’m going to destroy this construct of yours! Prepare yourself!”

The voice screamed out as the eye snapped back into place, completing the star sigil.

I will not allow that to happen!

Louise flung out her hand, and a dazzling array of bullets flew from her fingertips. I floated in place, starstruck.

To think she was this strong! Louise, you’re incredible!

A deafening cry snapped me out of my stupor and the sigil began to slip, descending to the temple below.

Perish!

Oh, shoot!

I brought out my pistol and fired upon the closest eye. The wave slashed through the membrane and buried itself deep within the confines of its socket, causing the eye to spin around before finally drooping in its socket as a pile of slurry leaked from its frame. Its disk broke free and crashed into the floor with a tremendous boom. Its chain of lightning grew dim before vanishing completely, and the eye began to slip out of position.

What?! You-

Just then, Louise’s magic had made its mark, pelting all four remaining eyes with a terrific onslaught of magic. Flashes of light erupted from its every surface, and every eye began to decay in the same manner.

I watched as the remaining lightning chains disappeared one after the other, carrying each eye with it. As the last of the eyes broke loose and tumbled to the ground, the voice let loose a vicious screech.

Do not be deceived into thinking this is the end! My children will pursue you unto the ends of the world!

You will return to me, Louise!

As for you, human, enjoy your victory for the remainder of your… short… life…

The blob suddenly swelled up before imploding upon itself, releasing a tremendous explosion of light. The star-shaped sigil, now in freefall, began to deteriorate in midair. Beams of light flung out from its sides at random directions and whole chunks of magic broke off and fell to the earth, igniting the air around it before fizzling out against the violet sky.

I flew back over to Louise and the two of us marveled at the sight- it was like watching ten comet showers up close simultaneously.

What an incredible sight! To think that I’d ever get to see something like this!

The sigil, having fully consumed its magic, shattered apart and released one last shockwave that knocked both of us to the ground.

Both of us quietly lay on the ground for a moment.

“Agh…” I groaned as I finally pulled myself up, my vision still hazy from the light show. “Is it over?”

“Ah…” Louise released a gentle sigh of relief with a smug look written along her face. “Yeah. It’s over.”

“Well done, both of you.”

Alarmed, Louise and I turned aside to the source of the voice. Atop the ruined altar stood Singyoku’s ghostly visage, who had her arms crossed as she gave us a gentle smile.

“Singyoku!” I spoke out, as I offered a hand to Louise. After I pulled her to her feet, both of us walked up to her. “Did you see that? How’d I do?”

“You have plenty of room for improvement, but I must admit you did a fine job.” Singyoku nodded before turning aside to Louise. “You must be Louise, hm? Very well done. This human here could learn a thing or two from you.”

“Um,” Louise spoke softly. “Pardon me, but may I ask who you are?”

“Oh, of course! I haven’t introduced myself!” Singyoku hopped off the altar and cleared her throat. “I am Singyoku, guardian spirit of the Hakurei clan and keeper of the gate between Gensokyo and Makai.”

Immediately, Louise’s face lit up. “You’re the spirit I’ve heard about!”

Singyoku gave a small laugh. “I see my reputation precedes me.”

“Wait, hang on,” Louise spoke in a much more serious tone. “Why are you out here? Was it true that Shinki closed the gate?”

Singyoku returned a sad smile and nodded. “That’s right. She showed up not long ago and removed the passage entirely, and unless she decides to put it back, it’s closed off forever.”

“But-” Louise’s voice cracked. “What are we going to do? This was the one thing I was counting on, and-”

“She says that although the gate is unusable, there’s a way we can contact the Hakurei miko.”

Louise nearly jumped at my words. “Really?! How?”

“Well, it’ll take some time to explain.” Singyoku shook her head. “We should find someplace we can talk first.”

Louise nodded. “Good idea. We should leave as soon as possible-”

Just then, a slow clap came through the trees and all three of us fell silent as a silvery, sweet voice spoke through the darkness. “Well done, well done! What a performance!”

“Urk-!” Louise took a step back as her visage turned deathly pale.

“Louise?” I turned to face her. “Who’s this? Do you recognize-”

“You know, I did think it quite odd that one of Mother’s eyes was destroyed in such a manner. The anomaly Mother saw had no way of striking without Her seeing it first, after all, so it only made sense that there was another culprit.”

The shadows of the trees stretched long and thin before enveloping the entryway to the courtyard, shrouding the entire tree line in a veil of darkness. A pair of large, jet-black wings emerged through the darkness, and between them appeared to be the figure of a young girl. 

“And who else among the unenlightened could have put up such a terrific fight against one of Mother’s greatest creations? And to think I found the human here as well!”

“Show yourself!” Singyoku called out to her.

The girl giggled to herself before responding in a whisper. “My pleasure.”

She stepped out into the light. Louise recoiled from the sight of her.

Before us stood a young girl with blonde hair and striking purple eyes. She wore a black vest on top of a white button-down shirt, with a red, cutesy bowtie directly beneath her neck. Atop her head was a large scarlet bow which drooped at its sides. Her ears were long and pointed, and a red star was imprinted on her left cheek. She had a long, red dress with an embroidered purple hem, and in one of her hands was a wand topped with a star. Only in the light did I see how massive her wings were- both were about as large as her entire body, stretching from the top of her head and brushing along the ground below.

“Elis!” Louise cried out.

“Hello, sister.” Elis flashed us a devilish smile, sending a chill down my spine. “Long time no see.”

Chapter Text

Louise stepped back onto the ruined altar and leaned back on the rubble for support as an overwhelming feeling of queasiness took hold of her stomach.

This wasn’t supposed to happen! None of this was supposed to happen!

“Hey, Louise?” The man turned to her with a look of concern. “You alright?”

“Elis,” Louise ignored him and spoke under her breath. “What are you doing here?”

Without saying a word, Elis turned aside, the tips of her wings skimming along the ground beneath. Louise watched as she walked over to what was left of one of the eyes, which had crushed part of the temple on its way down.

Upon reaching the eye, Elis lifted her hand to stroke its surface, running her fingers along the engraving etched into the exterior. It was slick with splotches of blood and grime, but she didn’t appear bothered.

Pulling her hand away, Elis rubbed her fingers and watched as small flakes of blood fell from her hand and drifted to the ground. With a heavy sigh, she laid her hand upon the eye and brought her gaze upward.

“...It’s such a shame.”

“What do you mean?” The man spoke up. “If you’re talking about this thing here, it deserved this. Speaking of which, who the hell are you?”

“Human!” Louise hissed through her teeth, catching his attention. “Be quiet!”

“And I suppose you think you know what everyone ‘deserves’, hmm?” Elis turned around and glowered at the man, who quickly stepped closer to Louise. “Watch your tongue. I’d follow my sister’s advice if I were you.”

The man quickly glanced between Elis and Louise before looking at Singyoku, who simply shook her head in response. Meanwhile, Elis crossed her arms and glared at Louise. “To think my sister could willingly commit such a wretched act and yet feel no remorse for it. I’m amazed.”

“Elis, we-” Louise stammered. “I had no choice!”

“No,” Elis shook her head. “I don’t believe that’s true. I’m certain Mother gave you a choice. You just didn’t like it.” Lifting one finger, she pointed directly at Louise. “Tell me. What did she ask of you?”

“Alright, yes, you’re right, but-” Louise shot a worried look at the man, who had gone back to glancing between them.

He’s probably figured it out by now. There’s no need to pretend to hide it anymore, I suppose.

“She wanted me to kill the human I found! What was I supposed to do, just shoot him and surrender-”

“Yes. Obviously.” Elis turned toward Louise and sneered. Despite her best attempt to present herself as calm, Louise could make out a hidden fury buried deep within her eyes. “What you weren’t supposed to do was destroy one of Mother’s finest constructs, a product born from Her perfect love and care. You’ve fallen victim to your selfishness, and this is the result.”

Louise bit her lip while massaging her left hand and brought her gaze to the ground. “Elis… what happened to you?”

Elis lifted an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“You’ve changed, Elis.” Louise locked eyes with Elis and shakily pushed herself up with her good hand. “You used to be so amiable, so free-spirited! Hardly the sort of person who would speak this way about Shin-.”

“Don’t say Her name!” Elis yelled aloud, cutting Louise off. “Who do you think you are, referring to Mother so nonchalantly? Show some respect!”

Louise cleared her throat and looked aside. “My apologies, sister.”

Elis took a step toward Louise and forced out a thin smile. “Anyways, I haven’t ‘changed’. I’m the same person I’ve always been. The only difference is I realize the only thing that truly matters. I’ve seen the light.”

“You’ve ‘seen the light’?” Singyoku asked curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Quite simple, really,” Elis spoke as she looked at the stars dotting the horizon. “A couple of weeks ago, I was overseeing the Ruins of Vina as usual when all of a sudden, I had an epiphany. An indescribable, wonderful feeling of clarity. I’ve never felt better than I did at that moment.”

Louise rested her chin on her good hand and began to think. It was a sudden change? Just like that, Mother swayed the hearts and minds of her children in one instant? Since when could she do that? I know for a fact that she couldn’t do that back when I-

Louise felt the bile rise in her throat, and she brought her face low.

…Back when the Hakurei miko fought Mother.

“Mother spoke to me, and I understood there was no higher honor than serving for the sake of Her glory. We do not serve Mother because we are forced to, dear sister, but because we want to.” Elis turned back to Louise. “You’ll come to understand that feeling too, very soon.”

Louise brought a hand to her heart. If that’s how it was, then why… Why wasn’t I affected?

“Consider yourself lucky, sister.” Elis rested her hands on her hips and smiled. “Mother wants you to join so badly She’s willing to forgive a crime as large as this, and you’ll get to see the light too. Though I can’t say the same for that human friend of yours.”

Louise brought her gaze back to Elis. What about the others? I need to know.

Looking directly into her eyes, she spoke. “And how many of our sisters have ‘seen the light’, Elis?”

Elis crossed her arms behind her back and flashed Louise a frigid smile.

“Tell me, Elis!” Louise shouted. “How many?!”

“Save for you, every last one.”

Louise collapsed to her knees. Her stomach had twisted up into knots, and she looked to the sky with a look of complete despair.

The others are already gone. I’m the only one left. I’m all alone…

“Hm, well.” Elis scratched her chin and thought for a moment. “Everyone sans you and that idiot gatekeeper. But she’ll see the light when the time’s right.”

“Sara!” Louise scrambled up to her feet. “She hasn’t changed?!”

“Not yet.” Elis glanced at Louise from the side of her vision, visibly irritated. “She’s in Gensokyo, after all. She has no idea any of this is happening.”

Louise breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It might not be much, but I’m glad to know Sara’s still alright. Thank goodness-

“But it won’t be long until that changes, of course.” Elis waved her hand. “Just like you, Mother’s got plans for that runt, but that’ll have to wait until the next step.”

“The-” Louise looked up, horrified. “The ‘next step’?”

Her words had caught the attention of Singyoku and the man, who looked at Elis anxiously. In a shaky voice, Louise continued. “Forcibly converting thousands of youkai from Gensokyo into mindless slaves and slaughtering the rest wasn’t enough for her?”

“Oh, no, sister, you really are short-sighted. That was only the first step among many!” Elis furled her wings out and flashed a wide, toothy grin. “Once you receive Mother’s gift of enlightenment, everything will become clear. You see, Louise, Mother has great plans for us. For all Her children, whether they were created or adopted by Her.”

Elis took another step closer, and the group tensed up. “Even the rebellious ones fleeing from Her embrace.”

“Hey, Louise?” The man looked back at her nervously. “What should we do?”

Louise brought her gaze to the ground. Human… I wish I knew. I really do.

“Hmm? What’s this?” Elis tilted her head to the side. “Is someone feeling a little under the weather? Don’t worry, you won’t be that way for long.”

“What do you intend on doing right now?” Singyoku spoke up, diverting Elis’s attention. “Your motives are clear enough, but at this moment, what are you going to do?”

“Well, since my missing sister and the human I was supposed to look for are together, the next part’s easy.” Elis brought out her wand and pointed it squarely at Louise, its silvery gleam reflecting the ambient light surrounding them. “Here’s what’s going to happen; after I have my fun taking Louise down, she’ll be sent to have her errors fixed.” She then quickly flicked her wand between the man and Singyoku, both of whom continued to glare at her. “After that, I’m going to question the human for a bit to find out how and why someone like him entered Makai in the first place, and once I’m done, I’ll kill you both. How’s that sound?”

“Like hell that’s going to happen!” Immediately, the man materialized his pistol and aimed it between her eyes.

Louise dashed forward and pulled at his arm. “Human! Please calm down-”

“Calm down? Calm down?!” The man tore his arm from her grasp and faced her. Louise’s eyes grew wide as she stared into his. “Aren’t you paying any attention to what she’s saying?! She’s going to change you, Louise! You’re going to become just like them! And she threatened to kill us-”

“Not a threat, I’m afraid.” Elis examined her fingernails in the light of her wand. “A fact.”

“You see?” The man grabbed Louise’s shoulders and brought himself low. “We need some kind of plan here. Please, Louise.”

Something inside Louise broke, and tears formed along the sides of her eyes.

A plan…?

Louise closed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know, human. I’m sorry.”

“Louise, please! There’s three of us and only one of her, I’m sure we can take her on-”

“We can’t, all right?!”

The man immediately let go of her shoulders and stepped back as Louise stared at him angrily. “There’s no way we can win, okay?! She’s out of our league!”

The man stared at the ground, and Louise watched as his arms went limp. As he turned and made his way to Singyoku, the pistol vanished from his hand.

Frustrated, Louise looked aside and squeezed her palms. “If- Maybe if I hadn’t worn myself out fighting YuugenMagan, then we’d stand a fighting chance. Maybe. But as it stands? Even if all three of us attacked her at once, we wouldn’t win.”

“Louise…” the man glanced behind him for a brief moment before turning back to Singyoku. “Singyoku? What about you?”

The spirit shook her head. “I’m sorry, human. Her magical prowess far exceeds mine. I might be able to put up a brief struggle, but I’m afraid that’s all I could manage. I cannot recommend-”

“Damn it all!” The man angrily whipped his head back around to Louise. “Are both of you just going to give up, just like that? Are you fine with this?!”

For a while, no one spoke until Elis’s soft laughter broke the silence. “Ah, how fortunate I am to have found my sister while she’s still weakened from battle! I won’t have to get my hands too dirty, at least. As for you, human, it seems your two companions at least know their place. When I’m through with my sister here, you’ll come to learn your place too.”

Suddenly, Louise’s eyes lit up.

Wait, that’s right. Elis wants to deal with me first, right? In that case…

She quickly glanced at the man, who was visibly agitated.

I need to tell him. But how?

Elis cracked her neck on both sides and began walking toward Louise. “I believe we’ve chatted for long enough. Let’s- hm?”

Just as Elis passed by Singyoku, she swiftly directed her full attention toward the spirit, who silently stared back at her. The two remained still before Elis diverged from her path and approached the spirit, her grin having shifted into a snarl.

“What’s this…?” Elis whispered as she tilted her head aside. “We’ve never met, but I feel like I know your presence from somewhere before. Why is that?”

Oh, perfect! Keep her distracted, Singyoku!

Louise leaned over in the man’s direction and whispered. “Psst! Human!”

Noticing her, the man drew close and gestured at the pair. “Hey, Louise? Why do you think she’s suddenly interested in Singyoku?”

“I don’t know, but that’s beside the point. I have to tell you something.”

“Oh, what’s up? Did you come up with something?” After a couple of seconds, a smile broke out across his face. “That’s what this is, right?! You came up with a plan after all!!”

“Well, I guess you could say that.” Louise grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes. “Listen carefully. I need you to do something for me.”

“Hm?” The man glimpsed at his hand before looking back at Louise with a confused expression. “Louise, what’s this about?”

“Elis is going to prioritize me first. That’ll give you and Singyoku time to escape-”

“No. No, I’m not doing that.” The man shook his head, his voice low but vehement. “Look at yourself! You can’t fight her alone like this! Besides, I already left you once. You want me to do it again?”

“Listen to me,” Louise spoke in a gentle yet firm voice. “I want you to take her, return to the ship, and fly away as far as possible. Singyoku said she has a way to contact the Hakurei miko, right? You need to see it through, no matter what. Nothing else matters.”

“Fly the ship!” The man wrenched his hand free from Louise’s and stared at her, astonished. “Are you out of your mind?!”

“Human, I know this sounds far-fetched, but listen to me,” Louise spoke with unwavering resolve. “That ship is the only way you can escape her. If you try flying on your own, she’ll overtake you easily. If you hide, it’ll only be a matter of time before she finds you.”

“But- I-” the man flung his hands around in frustration. “How the hell-”

“You’re from the outside world, right? You’re probably more knowledgeable about such technology than I am. I believe in you.”

Louise turned to check on Elis, who was circling Singyoku near the broken altar. The spirit had resolved to remain silent, her eyes moving left to right as Elis moved past.

“But-” The man whispered. ”Even if I somehow magically figure out how to fly a spaceship, what about you?”

Louise turned to face him and gave him a sad smile.

“Louise, I-” the man stepped back. “I can’t accept that.”

“Please, human. Do this for me.” Louise broke eye contact and looked to the sky. “I’ll be able to give you a decent lead. Don’t waste it.”

“Louise…” the man trailed off and fell silent.

Just then, Elis backed away from Singyoku and stared intensely at her.

“I don’t like you.” Elis spat on the ground at Singyoku’s feet. “I don’t know why I recognize your presence, but I hate you. I’ll be sure to deal with you appropriately.”

Louise leaned in and grabbed the man’s shoulder, who looked back at her despondently. “It’s in your hands now. Please put an end to this conflict!”

“Sister!” Elis barked. “Befriending a human is bad enough, but to think you would align yourself with a mongrel like this- you’re appalling!”

Singyoku lifted her eyes to Elis and glowered, but said nothing.

Louise patted the man’s shoulder before facing Elis. “There’s no need to tell me what you think of me, sister. Why don’t you show me instead?”

Elis promptly flicked out her wand and smiled. “Well spoken, sister. Let’s not delay this any further.”

Elis flapped her wings, kicking up wind around her and whipping around bits of dirt and stone from the ground. With a jump, she took off into the sky. As she rose, the veil of darkness lifted from the ground, and the path became visible again.

Louise looked up at Elis as she spoke. “Goodbye, human. I’ll pray for your success.”

“Louise!” the man yelled out as she flew upward, but she refused to look back.

Time for me to play my part.

Louise rose into the air until she was perfectly level with Elis, a short distance above the temple. Even at this altitude, Louise found it hard to make out the forest below; darkness leached off of Elis’s body and trickled outward, staining the violet mist black and transforming it into an opaque smog.

“So, sister,” Elis spoke with conviction. “It’s time for you to learn that your actions have consequences!”

“I will fight you to the best of my ability, sister. But you can’t kill me.” Louise balled her hands up into fists and stared directly at Elis. “Mother wants me alive, after all.”

Elis snorted and shook her head.

“Ah, sharp as ever, sister.” Elis stretched her arms out and examined her wand. ”It’s true, Mother wants you alive. But before that, you have a debt to pay. And I will make certain that you pay it. In. Full.”

“What do you mean by that?” Louise asked angrily. “Do you mean that even if I were to turn myself in now, you’d still battle me?”

“Of course. Forgiveness is Mother’s job. I’m simply here to enforce Her rule.” Elis stretched her neck from side to side. “By the way, don’t flatter yourself by calling what’s about to happen a ‘battle’. It’ll be more of a one-sided beating. Truth be told, I won’t even need my wand for such an easy fight. Just at least try and make this fun for me, okay?”

Louise readied herself and focused her mana into her right hand. “You really are arrogant, sister. I’m not going to go down as easily as you think!”

Elis lifted her hands to the sky. Magic swirled around her until a six-sided star materialized around her body. Lightning crackled from the star, shredding apart the smog it came into contact with.

“Well, come on, then!” Elis called out to Louise. “Prove it to me, right here, right now!”

With a cry of determination, Louise swept her hand through the air, accumulating magic as she went. Elis responded in kind, charging at Louise with her hands outstretched.

Louise clenched her teeth and steeled herself as best she could. Here goes nothing.

“Louise! Louise!” I called out as I craned my neck upward. In the skies, two figures collided before a flurry of sparks scattered across the sky, enveloping the entire mountaintop with flashes of light. Both figures elegantly weaved through the array of light before me, though at this distance, I was unable to determine who was who.

“Louise!” I yelled as I brought my pistol back out. “Hang on, I’m com-”

A hand latched onto my wrist, preventing me from moving.

“Human, where are you going?” Singyoku questioned me. “Don’t do anything rash.”

I pulled my arm away, but she refused to release me. “Louise needs our help! Didn’t you say you wanted to see how well we worked as a team-”

“That was then, this is now.” Singyoku tugged my sleeve as she spoke in a low voice. “Back when that girl was examining me, I confirmed my conclusions. Simply put, there is no possible way you can beat her. And I will not have my caretaker throw away his life for nothing.”

“But…” I trailed off and looked at Singyoku, who was observing the battle unfold. “Ah, who am I kidding. You’re right.”

“With that said,” Singyoku flew to the altar and swept up the orb piece in one hand. “What did she tell you to do earlier? Does she have some kind of plan in mind?”

Oh, right. The plan…

“Uh, yeah,” I spoke. “She, um, wants me to take you and flee. There’s a ship we found earlier- she thinks she’ll be able to buy us enough time to get there. We can work out what to do from there.”

“Hmm.” Singyoku tossed the orb over to me, and I snatched it with one hand. “A ship? That’s a better option than flying away and hoping for the best, at the very least. In that case, we should be on our way.”

“Right.” Taking a deep breath, I entered a running start and leaped into the air. Rising just above the ground, I took off down the path. Behind me, Singyoku’s body glowed for a brief moment before vanishing into smoke, which caught up to me as I flew and returned to the orb in my hands. A dazzling array of magic spread through the sky, illuminating the entire forest with the flicker of lights as I went.

Making my way down the path, I felt my stomach twisting itself into a knot as a sickening feeling began to sink into my chest. The further away I got, the tighter the knot became, and as I finally entered the forest’s clearing, I couldn’t help but feel utterly disgusted, though I wasn't sure at what.

I flew over and touched down just beside the cliff face, giving myself a moment to catch my breath. As I did so, Singyoku took the opportunity to emerge from the orb.

“Well, here we are,” Singyoku says to me as she scans the landscape around us. “You wouldn’t happen to remember where your ship is, would you?”

Realization struck me as I looked around.

Beneath us lay a sea of mist too thick to see the base of the mountain. Trying to find landmarks was hopeless- it felt like trying to make out a rock formation at the bottom of the ocean.

Wait a second; it’d be unwise for me to search for the ship blindly. A wave of relief washed over me as I arrived at my conclusion. Louise would agree with me. I guess we just have to go back-

Just then, a glimmer of light caught my eye. It appeared to be a star of some kind, but it was far too close to the ground compared to the others.

Wait, hang on. A light, close to the ground… that’s the one Louise pointed out.

Though somewhat pleased with myself at having found a lead, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment well up inside.

Ah, well. Louise would hate it if I returned if I had an idea of where the ship was.

“Singyoku, I know that light.” With a heavy heart, I pointed at the star. Singyoku peered over my shoulder to see for herself. “I saw that on my way up here. I think I’ve got a decent idea of where we are now-”

“Human, I have a better idea.” Singyoku walked in front of me and held out her hand. “The orb, please, if you would.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I handed the orb back to her. When she held it in her hands, she gripped it tightly on both sides. A flash of light came from both of her hands before it grew dimmer as the light trickled into the cloudy depths.

Singyoku held the orb out in front of her as it expanded to its original size. Once it had stopped growing, she laid it to rest on the earth and sat down beside it.

“Human, could you describe the ship to me? I’ll scan the nearby area for it. The more details, the better.”

“You can do that?” I questioned, but Singyoku only gave me an unblinking stare in return.

“Right! Uh…” My mind wandered back to when I had seen it for the first time back on the deck of the passenger ship. “From the outside, it appears to be a set of ruins, but the inside’s a different story. There were-”

“A set of ruins…?” Singyoku whispered to herself. “Could it be?”

“Oh.” I paused and glanced over at Singyoku, who meticulously analyzed the orb. “You already-”

“Be quiet.”

Singyoku spun her hand along the orb’s surface. The murky liquid within roiled around until I could see a large mass forming inside. As she clasped the sides of the orb, the mass began to take form, bending itself into a singular, jagged shape that resembled the ship perfectly.

“Yes! This is it!” I pressed my face against the orb to see it for myself. The details were perfect- I could even make out the broken entryway represented by the single white dot inside the orb and the decayed eye that lay just beyond it in stunning detail.

Singyoku glared at me. “Human, this isn’t your ship.”

“Huh?”

“When you mentioned ruins, I remembered something.” Singyoku removed her hands from the surface, and the mass collapsed under its weight, filling the orb with complete darkness once more. “More specifically, this belonged to those two humans who visited me several weeks ago. When I glimpsed into the red-headed girl’s mind, I came across something very peculiar, to say the least.” Singyoku stood up and shrunk the orb once again before handing it off to me. “A ‘spaceship’ disguised as a set of ruins. The ‘Probability Space Hypervessel’, I believe it was called.”

“That’s right! We were just borrowing it for a little bit-”

“Borrowing.” Singyoku placed her hands on her hips and gave me a look of dissatisfaction.

“Look, this is no time to get hung up on minor details.” I snapped at Singyoku, irritated at her attitude. “That ship is our only ticket out of here. If those two come back, we’ll just have to explain things to them.”

Singyoku paused before walking over to the cliff’s edge, looking out to the horizon.

“Human?”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

Singyoku lifted her head slightly as she began to speak. “I am a spirit bound to the Hakurei lineage, the living manifestation of the Hakurei shrine maiden’s will. I am the guardian of the boundary that lies between Gensokyo and Makai. As long as I have existed, I have sought righteousness, simply because it’s in my nature.” Singyoku lifted her eyes to the sky, which flashed with light. “For someone in my position to turn a blind eye to blatant thievery is unheard of.”

She turned back to me with a piercing gaze, and it felt as though she could see right through me.

“I acknowledge, however, that the situation has indeed become dire. Though it pains me to say it, we are left with little choice and I will allow you to do this. But listen to me, human- this is an exception.”

I rolled my eyes. Good thing she doesn’t know anything about me, I guess.

“So, you’ve come around? Good. In that case, where’s the ship?”

Singyoku lifted one arm with deliberation and extended her index finger, directing toward a nondescript location someone off in the mist. “If you fly straight that way, you can’t miss it.”

“Ah, perfect,” I uttered in a sarcastic voice. Singyoku raised an eyebrow as I spoke, but I ignored her and focused directly on where she pointed. “I guess we should get going, then.”

As I prepared to take off, I stole one last glance at the sky. The sky lit up as though fireworks were going off, but watching them gave rise to a suffocating feeling in my chest.

Louise…

I turned back to the horizon and readied myself to move forward. Before I could, however, Singyoku held her arm out and blocked me off. “Human, please wait just a moment.”

I stiffened and turned to face her. “Ugh, what is it now?”

Singyoku observed my face for several seconds before she decided to speak.

“You’re having second thoughts, aren’t you?”

“What?” I gave her an aggravated frown. “What kind of question is that? Are you trying to waste time?”

Silence.

“What I think right now doesn’t matter.” I spat as I pointed to the sky. “Louise is up there, we’re down here, she wants us to leave, so we’re leaving.”

More silence followed, and I looked back up at Singyoku. This time, her gaze was soft and sympathetic. Her smile was pleasant, and even now, I could tell it was genuine.

With a sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose and turned away from Singyoku. “...Yeah. I’ll admit I don’t like her plan either. Not one bit.”

“Listen.” Singyoku laid a hand on my shoulder and spoke in a gentle voice. “I understand your hesitation, human. But please understand-”

“What is there to understand?!” I yelled, thoroughly agitated. “We’d be leaving Louise behind! And I don’t want to face something like this alone! I was never even supposed to be here!”

“Yes, indeed.” Singyoku stepped back and wrung her hands. “Yet we find ourselves with little choice. She thinks her idea is the best option we have, and I can’t help but agree with her.”

“Well, you have a point, but it’s only normal I feel this way.” I acknowledged. “Yet somehow, I just feel like we’re making a huge mistake by not helping her-”

“On the contrary, human.” Singyoku cut me off and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Louise is aware of what that girl is capable of. She wouldn’t have sent you off without good reason.”

“I- look.” I turned away from her and walked along the side of the cliff. “I don’t want to leave her behind. I’ve already done that once and I don’t want to do it again.”

I paused to allow Singyoku to speak up, but she remained silent.

“Louise is the reason I’m still breathing, you know?” I looked up to the sky, which continued to pulse with multicolored flashes of light. “I owe her one. And leaving her behind like this, knowing full well she isn’t going to pull through- it feels wrong.”

Singyoku softly chuckled to herself. “You know, I just noticed something.”

“What?” I turned around to face her.

“You have doubts about Louise’s plan, the one that gives us time to escape and a chance to live another day. Yet here you are, eager to fight that girl, even when faced with certain death.” Singyoku looked to the side and nodded. “The mind is a strange thing, isn’t it?”

“...Well.”

I reached into my pocket dimension and gingerly took out my pistol. Displaying it before Singyoku, I looked to the sky.

“Odds of survival be damned, I’d rather fight alongside her than without her. At least I won’t go down a coward.”

“Ah, well spoken!” Singyoku nodded her head as she clasped her hands together. “Truth be told, I feel the same way- leaving Louise behind would be a great loss in itself, not to mention the uncertainty that would leave us in.”

“Really? Then-”

“But for as admirable as your resolve is, human, we shouldn’t go back. As loathe as I am to admit it, there’s simply no way for us to beat her-”

“Wait, hang on.” Reorganizing my thoughts, I formulated an image of the bat-winged girl in my mind. “We aren’t able to ‘beat’ her, you say?”

“That’s correct. She’s much too-”

“Why’s that?”

“That girl is a vampire, a particularly tricky youkai to deal with.” Singyoku looked up at the sky, where the battle continued to unfold. “On top of boasting astonishing strength and astounding speed, they can regenerate from virtually any wound. Furthermore, they possess the ability to transfigure into bats, either by itself or as a swarm-”

“Wait, hang on,” I felt my mind racing at a million miles an hour as I snapped my fingers. “Vampires. They have weaknesses, don’t they?”

“They do possess a rather wide range of weaknesses, but none we can exploit, I’m afraid.” Singyoku shook her head as she began listing things off. “We don’t have garlic, there’s no sun in Makai, none of us have crucifix danmaku-”

“Wait!” A stray thought sparked a chain reaction in my mind, and I felt myself becoming giddy. “You did say she could transfigure into bats, right?”

“Yes, that’s true.” Singyoku nodded. “It’s one of their most problematic abilities, allowing them to greatly shrink in size. They can’t use the full extent of their magic in that form, but in return, it can trivialize enemy attacks that would otherwise prove troublesome to avoid.” Placing her hands on her hips, Singyoku sighed. “That trick of theirs is very difficult to work around.”

I considered her words briefly. “Hmm, maybe not.”

“What do you mean, human?” Singyoku looked at me, intrigued. “Did you come up with something?”

“Yes, Singyoku.” I nodded slowly, a small smile playing at the corners of my lips. “I believe I have.”

Louise grunted with effort as she forced out another volley of magic from her hand. Her sweat-soaked shirt clung to her skin as she flew through the sky in search of an opening.

She’s fast! I can’t pin her down!

Elis was opting to keep her distance, flying past every barrage Louise could muster with relative ease. Unlike Louise, however, Elis was lethargically flinging her hand in Louise’s general direction without expending what even appeared to be the slightest modicum of effort.

“Sister, didn’t I say you should make this fun for me?” Elis called out as she released yet another wave of lasers. “Surely, you can do better than this!”

“Don’t mock me!”

Narrowly zipping past a pair of lasers, Louise stopped in place to concentrate her mana and flung out her arm, creating a spiral of arrowhead bullets accompanied by a series of lasers.

However, Louise was terribly disappointed by what she had managed to conjure. Having used only one hand, the spiral was only half as dense as usual, leaving large gaps between each arrowhead.

Elis lazily navigated her way through the bullets and gave Louise a wide smile. “If that’s all you’ve got, I was misguided in thinking you could make this at least somewhat enjoyable, at least. For my sister, you’re a pushover.”

“That’s because I just fought YuugenMagan!” Louise yelled back. “If you wanted a better fight, you should’ve waited for me to recover!”

“Someone’s making excuses~!” Elis replied in a sing-songy voice. “You need to be ready for a fight at all times! The fact you weren’t ready for this goes to show how weak you are!”

Consumed by frustration, Louise curled her hand into a fist so tightly she could feel the very veins in her arm bulging out into her skin. A pale, blue light formed within her hand. Streams of light slipped through her fingers, illuminating her body in the ethereal light. Taking notice of the sight, Elis halted herself and watched Louise, her grin shifting into a frown.

“Nnng…” Louise reached to the sky and unfurled her fist. The light burst out of her hand like a beacon, bathing the area around them in a brilliant radiance. When she did so, Elis flinched and partially covered her eyes with her arm.

“Sister!” Louise yelled out, not without considerable effort. “I’ll show you just how strong I am!”

With a shout, Louise brought her arm back and flung the bullet straight at Elis. Shortly after it had left her hand, the bullet split into two, then four, then eight, before rapidly bursting apart into a vast panorama of bullets that blanketed the sky.

Taken aback, Elis quickly swooped around, looking for a place where the bullets were less dense. Meanwhile, Louise accumulated a very small charge of mana in her hand as she tracked her opponent’s location.

This worked against Mother. Let’s see if it’ll work again here.

Flying to a place where the bullets were slightly sparser, Elis tilted her body sideways and lined herself up with an emerging gap.

Now!

Bringing her hand out, Louise pointed her finger at Elis, and a thin laser erupted from its tip. Before it reached her, Elis whipped her head around, and a fearful look spread across her face as she noticed it.

Louise felt a glimmer of hope well up inside her as the laser approached its destination. That’s checkmate, Elis! I’ve got you cornered!

Just before the laser reached her, Elis quickly tucked her arms and legs into her body and transformed into a bat, snaking past the entire attack with ease. The little hope that Louise had felt had evaporated, and she watched Elis make short work of her attack in despair.

Right… she’s a vampire… I forgot…

Elis halted in the air and brought out her wand. The mist blew apart, leaving Elis suspended in space. Her wand swept the magic in the air toward itself, and as Elis charged her attack, a six-sided star surrounded her body.

“I see what you were going for there, sister, but an attack like that won’t do at all. There’s just no challenge in a move like that, you know.”

Elis turned to Louise and grinned. “So allow me to show you how it’s done!”

With a flick of her wrist, a shower of bullets flew haphazardly from every corner of the star. Elis drew out her wand and channeled magic through it, forming waves of bullets and lasers alike.

Louise gasped and immediately set to work on finding a path through the danmaku. Frantically jolting around to dodge the first several bullets that came her way, she found herself staring at an incoming wall of bullets packed together too tightly for her to pass through.

Falling back, Louise charged up a small amount of magic in her hand in the split second she had bought herself. As the wall honed in on her, Louise flung out her hand, firing off a single large bullet directly at the wall.

Her bullet collided with a brief flash of light before disappearing, but it had been enough- she had punched a small hole in the wall large enough for her to slip through.

Aligning herself with the gap, Louise skimmed by the bullets and watched as they flew past her.

That was close-

Just then, she noticed a laser tearing through the air at incredible speed, aimed directly at her head.

She didn’t even have time to think. Instinctively twitching out of the way, the laser just barely skimmed past her cheek, leaving a painful, searing heat as it passed her by.

Louise cried out in shock and brought a hand to her cheek to soothe it.

If we continue fighting like this, I won’t last much longer. How can I stretch this out further?

“Ah, so close!” Elis’s condescending voice called out, and Louise grimaced. “It would seem you’ve got some fight left in you after all. I would have been very disappointed if it ended there.”

Maybe I can get her to keep talking.

Louise hovered in the air and looked up at Elis. Her breath shook as she steadied herself.

“What’s wrong, sister?” Elis called out from above her. “Is someone too scared to speak?”

With a solemn gaze, Louise looked at her and responded. Her voice was raspy, each word scratching her throat on the way out.

“Sister, why did Mother change?”

The expression on Elis’s face changed immediately to one of confusion, and she hovered close to Louise with her arms crossed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you properly. Could you repeat that?”

Swallowing her saliva, Louise shook her head and looked to the ground. “The Mother I know never would’ve done something like this. Not in a million years. So why did she change?”

Elis flew slowly over to Louise until she was directly in front of her. Quick as a flash, she grabbed Louise’s chin and forced her to stare directly into her eyes.

“Oh, sister, you really are stupid,” Elis responded with an angry sneer. “Mother was always like this, ever since the beginning.”

Louise weakly flailed her arms and attempted to tear Elis’s hand away, but found no success. “That- That’s not true! I know Mother would have never-”

Elis clamped down on Louise’s mouth, muffling her words. With a very tight-lipped smile, Elis got close to Louise’s ear and whispered.

“You never knew Her.”

Elis suddenly released Louise and smacked her in the face, sending her reeling through the air before she caught herself. Stunned, Louise lifted a hand to her cheek and brushed her fingers along it.

I never… knew her?

“And although Mother indeed wants me to bring you to Her, I don’t see why I can’t punish you for your misdeeds beforehand!” Elis called out cheerfully.

I never knew her, you say?!

A great fury began to bubble up in Louise’s stomach, and the sound of roaring filled her ears. Clenching both hands into fists so tight her knuckles turned white from the force, Louise felt a fire rise in her chest that threatened to overcome her. As her anger surged, her very vision blurred and it became a struggle to focus.

Louise was so livid that she could barely speak, and even choking out the words took considerable effort.

“How- How d-dare you…”

As her very vision was becoming hazy, Louise suddenly heard the voice of someone she recognized, a voice she had hoped to never hear again. From the deepest depths of her soul, it called out to her.

IT’S TIME.

Alarmed, Louise’s eyes flew open and she blinked rapidly, glancing around her to ensure no one else was around.

RELEASE ME.

“No!” Louise screamed into the open air, catching Elis off guard. “I’m not going back! I will never go back!”

All remained silent for the briefest of moments until she felt it subsiding within her as quickly as it had come. Louise let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her anger dissipated, and she brought her face low.

That was too close…

“Oh, Louise, you poor fool.” Elis gloated, though Louise was entirely disinterested. “You’re going back to Mother whether you want to or not!”

“You don’t understand a thing!” Louise shouted to Elis, who gave her an amused expression in return. “I know Mother better than you ever have, ever will! And it doesn’t matter what caused all this, but she’ll be stopped!”

“Stopped…” Elis smirked at Louise before breaking out into laughter. “Oh, sister. I certainly hope you didn’t place your bets on that human you told to return to the ship.”

Louise’s heart stopped, and she could feel her heart plummet to her stomach. Her eyes grew wide as she stared directly into Elis’s. “Don’t tell me… you knew?”

“Of course I did. What do you take me for?” Elis stretched out her arms and giggled. “Why do you think I didn’t just crush you from the start to overtake him? I let him go. My comrades are scouring the area around the ship as we speak.”

Louise began to drift backward in stunned silence, but Elis flew forward to make up for it.

“You’ve sent him to his death. And I get to entertain myself as I please.”

Louise’s eyes grew wide in fear. “You- you’re lying!”

“Oh, keep telling yourself that, sister.” Elis flew until she was only several feet in front of Louise. “Keep telling yourself that your resistance isn’t futile, that you’ll somehow defy Mother’s will and come out on top.”

Crushed, Louise descended until she set foot on the ground. Elis quickly followed suit.

“...I give up,” Louise murmured. “You win.”

“So you finally see reason, sister.” Elis stretched her hands outward and gave her a wide grin. “That’s good to see. But if you think you can just end things right here, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Louise’s eyes flickered up to Elis. “Wha-”

Before Louise could finish, Elis’s fist smashed directly into her face, knocking her several feet backward before she collapsed on the ground.

“Didn’t I tell you?” Elis spoke as she walked to Louise’s fallen body. “You have a debt to repay.”

Elis… why?

“Elis- sister,” Louise sputtered as she began to get to her feet. “Don’t do this. Please.”

Elis snatched her collar and hoisted her up until their eyes met.

“If you didn’t want this to happen, perhaps you should’ve reconsidered Mother’s offer.” Elis displayed her other hand curling into a fist before Louise and pulled it back. “You only have yourself to blame, sister.”

Louise sniffled as she felt a droplet of blood trickle from her nose, making its way down to her upper lip.

Human… I’m so sorry…

As Elis smiled at her, Louise shut her eyes tight and braced for impact.

But no punch came.

The grip on her collar was released, and Louise fell to the ground.

“Oh?” Elis murmured. “Now this is a surprise.”

Quickly scrambling away from Elis, Louise began to push herself off the floor. To her surprise, Elis wasn’t paying any attention to her.

What is it? What’s going on?

“Elis, was it?” A familiar voice spoke from behind her as she was staggering up. Turning her head and squinting her eyes, she saw the man and the spirit beside each other, standing just in the open clearing, and she gasped.

A mix of emotions bubbled up inside Louise. She didn’t know whether to feel happy, or relieved, or frustrated, or angry.

What are they doing here?

“Louise, are you alright?” The man called out to her. Still stunned, Louise simply waved back at him in response.

“Oh, I see.” Elis’s words cut through the air like a knife, and Louise flinched. “You’ve come back, thinking you can save this girl. You believe you can beat me.”

The man ignored Elis and continued speaking. “Louise, you’re coming with us. Come on over.”

Louise could hardly believe what she was hearing. Coming with you? Don’t tell me you think you can take on Elis somehow?

Dumbfounded, Louise meandered across the grassy opening until she was beside him.

“Oh, this is rich.” Elis spat. “You think you can do better than her?”

“Probably not,” the man shook his head. “But know this- we are leaving this place. All three of us, whether you want us to or not.”

“Oh, this is terrific! Just terrific!” Elis flung her wings out as far as they would go, and the shroud of darkness settled upon the temple grounds once again. “In that case, show me what you’ve got, human!”

Chapter Text

“Wh- What are you guys doing here?” Louise spoke as she looked between the man and the spirit, bewildered. “Didn’t I tell you to go back to the ship?”

“Sorry for not listening to you, Louise.” The man said as he took out his pistol and aimed it at Elis. “Singyoku here figured out how to get back to the ship, but I thought we’d have better odds if we came back.”

“Better odds.” Louise echoed as she looked across the temple grounds to Elis, who quickly glanced back and flashed her a smile. With one finger, Elis brushed the area just beneath her nose.

Confused, Louise mimicked her action and felt something sticky above her mouth.

Ugh, really?

Shooting a look of contempt at Elis, she materialized her suitcase and reached deep inside for her handkerchief. “Better odds, huh?” Louise said in a skeptical voice as she dabbed away at her face. “Human, you need to explain your thought process. How-”

“Singyoku here will fill you in on the details.” The man spoke as he began to advance toward Elis, pistol in hand. “She approved my idea, after all, so it can’t be all bad.”

“Human.” Singyoku placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. “Please realize that I take absolutely zero credit for this. I only agreed to return because you had some semblance of a plan at all.”

“That’s perfectly fine with me.”

“Human? Human, what are you doing?” Louise asked in a panicked voice as he stepped further away. “Are you mad? Don’t approach her! She’ll-”

As she reached out to stop him, Singyoku grabbed her shoulder and kept her from moving forward.

“Singyoku…?” Louise turned toward the spirit, who was intensely observing the scene before them. “What’s he doing? Does he really have some kind of trick to beat Elis?”

“Not quite. But that’s not what this is about.” Singyoku replied as she folded her hands together. “He’s not here to beat Elis- he’s here to give us a window to escape her. All three of us, this time.”

“But… how?” Louise wondered aloud. “She’d overtake us long before we got back to the ship. How could he hinder her for long enough?”

“Well…” Singyoku spoke under her breath, her voice containing a hint of skepticism. “Truth be told, I think it’s a far shot. But it was a genuine idea, and it might just be crazy enough to work. We won’t know unless we try, at least.”

“Huh?” Louise folded up her handkerchief and placed it inside her briefcase before sealing it and sending it off. “What’s this idea of his? She had me completely stumped when we were fighting.”

Singyoku gestured over to the man, who had their back to them. “I told him how Elis was a vampire and what that meant for us. I thought explaining that to him would discourage him, but it ended up having the opposite effect.”

“So, there’s something about her being a vampire that makes him think he can win?” Louise replied, puzzled. “But we can’t use their weaknesses to our advantage here, can we?”

“That’s what I thought at first, but he came up with something I hadn’t considered.” Glancing over toward Elis to ensure her focus was elsewhere before responding, Singyoku spoke in a hushed voice. “More specifically, their photosensitivity, especially while they’re in bat form. He wants to exploit that.”

“You mean, have her turn into a bat and blind her?” Louise looked over at Singyoku, confused. “But how’s he going to pull that off? That pistol of his isn’t nearly enough to force her into bat form, let alone produce enough light to-”

“Shh!” Singyoku whispered. “Don’t worry about producing enough light, he told me he’s got that part covered. In the meantime, we have our part to play, too.”

Our part?

Louise forced out a humorless chuckle, and Singyoku peered at her curiously from the corner of her eye. “My part, huh?” Louise shook her head. “I wasn’t any use against Elis. There isn’t much I can offer, I’m afraid-”

“That is not true.” Singyoku asserted. “You have an instrumental part to play. Our task is to force her into bat form to give him the opening he needs.”

Wow, really? That’s his idea?

As Louise was about to protest, she saw the man continue to make his way toward Elis, and she relented.

But… the fact that he entrusts me to do this for him means he really does trust me, doesn’t he?

Louise smiled to herself. Alright, human. I’ll do this for you.

Just then, Singyoku turned back to Louise and looked at her from the corner of her eye. As she did so, Louise suddenly felt self-conscious.

I probably look like hell right now.

“By the way, can you still use magic? You seem-” Singyoku caught herself. “You… don’t appear to be in the best shape.”

Louise turned aside and brought her right arm up to examine it.

“It doesn’t have to be a lot,” Singyoku added. “Just enough to cast a couple of basic danmaku spells will do.”

“A couple of spells…” Louise muttered to herself, flexing each finger on her hand sequentially before balling it up into a fist. “...Yeah. I should be able to manage that much at least.”

“Good. Now, start building up mana like you’re about to launch an attack. However, and this part’s important; make sure your hands are hidden. It is of the utmost importance that Elis doesn’t catch on.” Singyoku tucked her hands behind her back. “I will do the same.”

“Understood.”

Louise nodded and brought her hands behind her. After a second’s worth of concentration, she felt a small pool of mana trickling down her right arm.

Wow, is this it? I’m more worn out than I thought.

“Singyoku, I’ve got enough to cast some danmaku now,” Louise whispered. “When do I release it?”

“Keep holding on to it. We want it to be as large as possible, so keep building it up. He’ll let us know when.” Singyoku whispered as she kept her eyes on Elis. “Remember, we only get one shot at this, so don’t waste it.”

Louise swallowed and nodded. “Right.” Behind her, she felt a very gentle warmth flowing through her arm as the mana accumulated in her palm. She looked back up at the man, who had stopped a short distance away from Elis. They appeared to be talking, but at this distance, she couldn’t make out the words.

Louise took a deep breath. Alright, human, it’s your turn. Please don’t die on me.

“Well, what do we have here?” Elis spoke aloud with a smug grin. “So, you really do intend to face me, hm?”

I need to buy time. How can I keep her talking?

“Of course,” I replied in earnest. “Why did you think I came back here to begin with?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Elis waved her hand dismissively. “I was only wondering if you were bluffing. In your position, the smart thing to do would be to avoid a fight with me at all costs.“

I sighed, “Well, I’m not. I’m here to fight.”

For a brief moment, Elis gave me a quizzical look, as though I had just said something humorous.

“What is it? What are you doing?”

“...You know, human,” Elis spoke as she tilted her head aside. “Never before have I seen anyone with a death wish quite like yours. It’s most curious.”

I stood still and clutched my pistol, unsure of what to say.

“I’m not complaining. This makes my job easier, after all.” Elis crossed her arms and smiled at me, her lips parting to reveal a pair of slender fangs just poking out from her upper lip. Both curved slightly inward and led to a fine, razor-sharp point that nearly seemed to catch the light along its edge.

Of course she’d have those…

Instinctively, I flinched and felt my heart beginning to race. Unfortunately, Elis noticed my discomfort and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, having second thoughts, are we?” Elis giggled. “Watch carefully, human. You’ll want to see this.”

What’s going on? What’s she trying to show me?

Calmly, Elis brought a hand up to her mouth and gently brushed her index finger along the tip of one of her fangs. Once finished, she extended her arm out to me, revealing the back of her hand in the light.

I squinted and focused on her hand but noticed nothing.

Huh? What am I supposed to look for-

Suddenly, a very thin line formed along the length of her entire finger. It was minuscule, but it was undeniable- she had created one very long, very thin scar. One second later, the skin around her scar practically fell aside as the lesion grew wider. Black liquid of some kind began to leak from her hand.

My eyes grew wide in shock as I took a step back, my legs shaking. What’s wrong with her?!

“Impressed, are we?” Elis preened as she brought her hand back and observed it, flipping it front and back. “You seem to realize how foolish it was to face me now.”

Taking deep breaths to settle my nerves, I gripped my pistol with both hands and glued my eyes to her. She’s not like the kappa. If she bites me, there’s no way I’m not getting torn to shreds.

“Unfortunately for you, it’s far too late for you to back down now,” Elis revealed her hand to me once more. The wound was now open, and droplets of black liquid dripped to the ground below. This time, however, something was moving inside her hand. “You see, human, to me, you’re nothing more than an ant to be crushed.”

Whatever was inside her hand swam around rapidly, and the skin that lined both sides of her wound shuddered. In an instant, the skin latched together and sealed the wound from top to bottom like a zipper.

What?!

I rubbed my eyes and stared at her hand, but her scar was already gone. Her finger was completely intact, and there was no trace of her injury remaining.

This goes way beyond the rapid healing most youkai have. Her regeneration works in a matter of seconds!

“Even if I allowed you to attack me, human, that’s what would happen.” Elis quickly examined her hand before crossing her arms once again. “And keep in mind- I can recover from much more than this. You’re not even strong enough to be an inconvenience to me.”

Doing my best to put on a brave face, I straightened up and spoke in as calm a voice as possible. “That’s where you’re mistaken, Elis.”

At my words, Elis raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Appearances can be deceiving, you know. You shouldn’t underestimate your opponent.”

“Hah!” Elis forced out a laugh as her eyes flickered back over to Louise. “At least my sister over there was able to put out one decent attack. In your case, there’s nothing to underestimate.”

She’s open!

Immediately, I raised my pistol and fired a wave of magic directly at Elis. When it drew near her, she jumped aside and spun around lazily as it whizzed past her, keeping track of it as it flew off and collided with a part of the temple behind her.

Oh.

Elis turned back to me, wholly unimpressed. “Human, are you serious?”

“I am.” I quickly responded, nodding my head. “You should be, too.”

For a moment, neither of us moved a muscle, and both of us stared at each other in uncomfortable silence. After a moment, Elis was the first to break composure, where she started to giggle before breaking out into full-blown laughter. “Ah ha ha! You really are something else, human!”

I remained silent and aimed my pistol between her eyes, but she didn’t care in the slightest.

I can’t read her at all. Is my plan going to work?

“Tell me.” Elis suddenly ceased her laughter and stared directly into my eyes with a piercing gaze. “Why are you here?”

“What?” I looked around briefly before glancing back toward Louise, and when she noticed I was looking at her, she stepped partially behind Singyoku for cover. “Louise- the girl you call your sister- found me, and I just kind of followed her.”

“No, no.” Elis shook her head. “I mean, what is a human like you doing in Makai? How did you get inside in the first place?”

“And why should I tell you anything?” I retorted as I fired another round of magic at Elis. “That’s none of your business!”

“On the contrary, human, it is my business.” Elis dexterously flipped into the air and hovered in place as the wave sailed beneath her, her wings beating up a great torrent of wind. “Your presence in this world is a mystery to even Mother, and I intend to get to the bottom of this.”

“Why I’m in Makai doesn’t matter!” I yelled above the flapping of her wings. “What matters is why I’m here, now, and that’s to fight you!”

“Ah, so you won’t cooperate? Such a shame…” Elis brought a hand up to her chin and stroked it. “Though I suppose I understand. The answer to that question is the only reason you’re not a pile of giblets right now. I think I’ll reward your bravery, human.”

“Reward?” I asked, puzzled.

Elis stretched out her hand. Two of her fingers were extended, and I could see her smug grin between them.

“What?” My eyes flickered between Elis and her hand. “What does that mean? What are you even talking about?”

“Two minutes, human.” Elis let the declaration hang in the air for emphasis. “I will allow you to humor me for two minutes. Fire away as much as you like, and I won’t fight back at all. If you hit me even a single time, I’ll let you all go.”

…What?

“Really?” I lowered my pistol, though my grip on its handle remained tight. “I get to attack you all I want, and I just need to hit you once?”

“That’s right!” Elis pointed at me and flashed a devilish smile. “And when you fail, I’ll force that information out of you.”

“And then?” I asked as I prepared myself to fly.

“I slice you apart in front of my sister, of course,” Elis revealed both of her hands to me, displaying a full set of terrifyingly sharp claws. “What else did you expect? Her delusions of resistance must stop, and as long as you’re around, she’s not going to see reason. Anyways, how does that sound?”

I paused and thought for a moment. Hm m… This isn’t what I thought would happen, but it gives Louise and Singyoku extra time to prepare for their attack. I might be able to use this to my advantage. Besides, if I don’t accept, she might just attack me right away.

“Fine, then,” I replied as I mentally prepared myself and lifted myself from the ground. “You’ll see. Two minutes is more than enough to put someone like you away.”

With a smirk, Elis crouched down and jumped with tremendous force, soaring well above the temple grounds before swiftly diving down in front of me. As her massive wings flapped, the wind around her billowed with such strength it threatened to knock me over.

“In that case, let’s get started,” Elis called out with glee. “‘Put me away’, if you think you can!”

“Oh?” Singyoku spoke. “This is most unexpected.”

In front of her, the man she had met only a while ago and the vampire floated in midair. Oddly enough, the man appeared primed for a fight, whereas Elis seemed just the opposite- her wand was nowhere to be seen, and the only emotion she reflected was that of mild amusement.

“Singyoku?” Louise asked from beside the spirit with her eyes flickering between the man and Elis, an increasing look of worry spreading across her face. “What are they doing? Is he really going to-”

“Don’t worry.” Singyoku quickly replied. “That human is smart enough to not engage in a direct fight with Elis. There’s something else going on.”

At least, I hope he’s smart enough.

A sudden flash of light caught their attention, and both of them turned back to see the man firing multiple waves of magic at Elis.

“See!” Louise nearly yelled in a panicked voice. “They’ve started to fight! He’s going to die! He’s-”

“Louise!” Singyoku spoke loudly, cutting her off. “Calm yourself and look again.”

Louise looked back up and squinted at the scene above.

The man was quickly wheeling around in the air, wildly firing off bursts of magic in Elis’s general location. Meanwhile, Elis was casually orbiting around the man from every angle, flipping and twirling past every attack the man sent her way.

Oddly enough, Elis wasn’t retaliating at all.

Singyoku watched for a brief moment longer before breathing a sigh of relief. As I thought. She’s just trying to entertain herself.

“Elis, what are you doing?” Louise whispered in confusion before nudging Singyoku. “Hey, what’s she doing? Why is she just letting him attack?”

Singyoku leaned over as she spoke. “This is just a theory, but I believe she’s mocking him. By showing him that he can’t do anything even when she’s not resisting, she might be trying to demoralize him for her amusement.”

“Sister…” Louise uttered in a low voice, her teeth clenched. “You were always so full of yourself, weren’t you? Do you think this is some kind of game?!”

“Whatever the reason,” Singyoku spoke up, catching Louise’s attention. “I believe he agreed to this because it gives us more time to prepare, not because he believes he could win. In the meantime, we should continue to gather magic.”

Louise shook her head. “Ah, right. Sorry.”

Singyoku followed the man with her eyes, who fired wave after wave of magic into the open air as Elis continued to soar around him. While doing so, he slowly inched his way toward them, and Singyoku couldn’t help but let a small smile emerge on her face.

Good luck, human. Time to see if this plan of yours pans out.

“What’s the matter, human? Can’t you keep up?”

Singyoku wasn’t lying about her speed! It’s like she’s teleporting!

Despite my efforts to follow Elis’s trajectory, all I could make out was a dark blur occasionally sweeping past every corner of my vision. The swoosh of her wings came from all around me, but every time I turned my head toward the sound, she had already long since vanished. Tracking her was impossible; I could do nothing but fire haphazardly into the open air.

“It seems that the only exceptional thing about you is how impulsive you are.” Elis jeered from somewhere behind me. I whirled around and fired a shot, but nothing was there to greet me.

“I really am disappointed in you,” Elis whispered, her breath tickling my ear.

My heart skipped a beat as I recoiled and dashed away in such haste I nearly toppled over. Elis giggled as she watched me collect myself.

When did she have the time to get behind me?!

“Oh, did I startle you? My apologies, I didn’t mean to.” Elis practically sang. “It just looked like you were having a little trouble hitting me, so I thought I’d help you out a little.”

I kept my eyes glued to her, my heart pounding out of my chest.

“You know, though, this is getting rather boring.” Elis continued as she looked aside. “I thought you’d at least have some kind of trick up your sleeve seeing how you agreed to this, but all I’ve seen do is flounder. What does my sister even see in you?”

I quickly glanced over at Singyoku and Louise, both of whom were focused on Elis. Noticing me, Singyoku made eye contact and gave me a very subtle nod.

They must be ready. I just need to lure Elis over now-

“Whatever the case, you have one minute left.” Elis sneered. “Two minutes was much too long, but I’ll honor my word.”

“You’ll wish soon you only gave me one!” I yelled as I fired more magic at Elis. Instead of circling me as before, she held still and darted away at the last moment.

“I wish I gave you zero, but here we are, I suppose,” Elis responded, lazily maneuvering past every wave I sent her way. “Forty-five seconds left. I’m going to help you out a little.”

“I don’t need-”

Angling her wings, Elis launched forward before halting herself much closer to me. “Perhaps you’ll fare better at half the distance. You’re welcome.”

“Don’t mock me!” I replied angrily as I continued firing while Elis dodged in the same manner as before without any noticeable increase in effort.

I need to make my way to the others. I don’t have much time left.

Quickly scanning the area around me to gather my bearings, I slowly began to backpedal my way over to Singyoku and Louise while aimlessly shooting at Elis.

“Thirty seconds!” Elis cackled with glee. “Keep at it, I’m sure you’ll land a shot before long!”

Thirty seconds! Already?!

Swiveling around, I saw Singyoku and Louise in my peripheral vision. They’re still a little too far away. I need to pick up the pace.

“Hm?” Elis’s voice cut through the air. “Have you given up?”

Dashing forward, I propelled myself into the general vicinity of where Louise and Singyoku stood. Both of them watched as I flew nearly overhead.

This should be good-

“And where do you think you’re going, exactly?”

Elis sped past me so quickly that she practically materialized in thin air, halting me in my tracks. Her mouth was curled into a snarl, and her ruby eyes blazed with anger.

“And here I thought your one worthwhile trait was that you weren’t a coward.” Elis snapped. “You have been nothing but a disappointment!”

From the corner of my eye, I could see Singyoku inch her way toward Elis, with Louise following suit.

“A waste of time. The only thing you have accomplished, human, is that you’ve managed to waste my time.” Elis spat, her hands curled into fists. “Fifteen seconds, and I’ll punish you for your arrogance.”

She still hasn’t caught on! This might actually work!

“This whole thing wasn’t my idea, you know,” I replied calmly as I fired a couple more shots at Elis. “You’re the one who chose to give me two minutes.”

“Be quiet!” Elis yelled out as she swerved through the air. “Two minutes was far more than an insect like you deserved!”

Glaring at her, I tucked a hand behind my back and dipped my hand into my pocket dimension, feeling around blindly for a bomb. Several of them slipped around and out of my grasp before my fingers finally caught one.

“Five seconds!” Elis approached me with her claws outstretched. “Prepare yourself, human! I’m going to put you out of your misery!”

I aimed the pistol at Elis and took a deep breath.

Okay, here we go. One shot.

Swinging my pistol around, I fired off a wave of magic at her left wing. Elis jolted to the right, narrowly evading it and placing her directly above Singyoku and Louise.

“Now! Do it!” I yelled at the top of my lungs and flew back.

“‘Do it’?” Elis asked me angrily. “What are you-”

Before she could finish her sentence, a burst of light came from beneath her, and Elis slowly brought her gaze to the ground.

There, she saw Singyoku and Louise glaring back at her as magic crackled through the air, their bodies enveloped in light.

A look of panic suddenly took over Elis’s face. “Oh, sh-”

“HAAAH!” Singyoku and Louise both cried aloud, their arms stretched directly toward Elis. A brilliant, dazzling array of magic spiraled forth, setting the sky alight with a vast display of bullets. Louise’s arrowheads and larger blue bullets formed a massive cone that surrounded Elis within a thick cloud of danmaku, and Singyoku fired a thick cloud of homing bullets and lasers to pressure her further.

“Guh!” Elis uttered as she frantically spun wildly through the air in an attempt to evade the danmaku. Louise’s magic rendered her unable to escape her prison of bullets, while Singyoku’s prevented her from establishing any sort of foothold. Elis jolted around and looked for any kind of opening but found none, and the magic threatened to consume her completely.

Come on, almost there...

“That’s enough!” Elis boomed as she folded her arms and legs into her body. Light surrounded her, and the shape of her body started shifting before my eyes. The light burst apart, and a large bat had taken her place.

There it is!

The bat flew around and navigated through the crevices between the danmaku comfortably, quickly making its way over to the boundary of the cone of arrowheads.

She’s trying to break out!

I brought out the bomb and soared forward to meet her, and before Elis could break herself free, I flew in front of her to block her off. The bat quickly skidded to a stop and watched me as I brought the bomb out, displaying it in front of her.

“Here’s your trick, Elis!”

Just as I reached for the fabric then, I realized that she was no longer in front of me. I frantically searched around the cone of magic, but she was nowhere to be found.

What?! Where did-

Before I even knew what was happening, I felt a fist connect with the back of my head, and I gasped aloud. Before I could even fall forward, an arm snaked around my neck and yanked me upright. Panic set in as I thrashed around, but the arm only squeezed me even tighter.

“Hey. You’re time’s up.” A sweet voice whispered into my ear.

“Human!” Louise yelled, her thoughts in complete turmoil as panic began to set in. Above her, all the danmaku ceased, and the purple mist filled in the space it had taken up. 

“Ah…” Singyoku spoke aloud, a subtle tremor shaking her voice. “This isn’t good. Maybe his plan wasn’t the best idea after all.”

Louise ran across the temple grounds and looked up at Elis, who gave her a triumphant grin. The man thrashed against her as best he could, but Elis had wound her arms so tightly around him that he could barely move.

It’s over. Our plan failed…

“Not bad at all, sister,” Elis remarked as she readjusted herself into a more comfortable position. “Truth be told, I didn’t think you were capable of an attack of that magnitude after wearing yourself out against YuugenMagan, but you’re full of surprises. Even if it was supplemented by that spirit.”

“Elis,” Louise spoke, her voice shaking. “Let him go. Please.”

“I think you deserve some credit. You almost had me worried for a second there.” Elis ignored her request as she continued. “If this human had been just a bit faster, I might be in a bad spot right now. Too bad it didn’t pan out, hm?”

Holding out her right hand, Louise concentrated her mana into her palm once again until it started glowing. In response, Elis simply frowned at her.

“Louise,” Singyoku spoke out from somewhere behind her. “I cannot recommend-”

“Let him go, I said!” Louise shouted, taking off toward Elis. “It’s me you want, isn’t it?!”

Before Louise could get close, Elis shot up her hand and pressed a claw up to the side of his head.

…!

Louise halted herself in midair and glared at Elis, who was lazily tracing along the man’s head with her nail.

“Don’t come any closer, sister,” Elis spoke triumphantly. “I’ve had enough distractions.”

“Release him, Elis,” Louise mumbled. “There’s no need to get him involved in all this.”

“Hah! Oh, sister,” Elis gloated as she swung around, yanking the man along with her. “Have you forgotten? You’re the one who got him involved to begin with. If you hadn’t intervened, he would’ve died as he was supposed to, and Mother wouldn’t have sent me out here.”

“Elis, please stop!” Louise began to plead. “You don’t have to follow orders from someone like Mother! There’s still time, we-”

“We?” Elis spat. “There is no we, sister. I’m here to clean the mess you made. You ran out of time ever since you thought you could escape Mother’s plans for you.”

“What Mother’s doing isn’t right!” The more Louise spoke, the more desperate her voice became. “She needs help, sister-”

“Mother isn’t the one who needs ‘help’, sister.” Elis hissed. “It’s you.”

“But-”

Elis pushed the tip of her nail into the man’s temple. He reflexively leaned his head in the opposite direction, but Elis held him tightly in place.

“That’s enough out of you, sister. There’s something else I’d like to do now.” Elis turned to the man, who squirmed in her grasp. “Now unless you want me to poke a hole in his head, I suggest you stand down.”

I’m sorry, human. There’s no convincing her.

After several seconds, Louise relented. Her arms went limp as she brought her face low, and she descended to the ground.

“That’s more like it. Now!” Elis snatched the man’s wrist and tore something from his hand. The man struggled a bit in an attempt to grab it back, but Elis held it further than he could reach. “What do we have here?”

Louise looked back up at Elis. In her hand was some kind of ornament she had never seen before. There was some kind of light buried beneath what appeared to be a glassy surface that fluctuated and coalesced in blobs, and a wispy fabric poked out through the top.

Elis rubbed its surface with her thumb. “It’s odd- it almost feels like magic, but not quite. There’s a clock design on its surface. What could it mean?”

Elis tilted her head as she rotated the bauble between her fingers. “Well, whatever the case, I suppose it’s not important anymore.”

Giving it one last look, Elis apathetically tossed it aside. The bauble spun as it left her hand before plummeting to the ground some twenty feet below. Louise watched as it landed in a dense patch of grass, producing a quiet thud as it squished into the mud beneath.

Louise looked at the grass where the bauble had vanished for a moment.

That’s what he was going to use against Elis. Come to think of it, he did mention taking some bombs with him earlier. Is that what that is?

“On another note, you were using a firearm to fight earlier, weren’t you? You don’t seem to have it anymore, which is odd.”

Louise looked up and saw the man scowling at Elis, making it clear he wasn’t interested in talking.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.” Elis shrugged. “Now, tell me. How did you get inside Makai? And unless you want a claw buried inside your forehead, you’d better start talking.”

The man gurgled out something incomprehensible in response.

“Ah.” Elis readjusted herself, loosening her grip on the man slightly. Immediately, he entered a coughing fit and cleared his throat.

“I-” the man spoke between breaths as he struggled. “I- I was on one of the tour boats.”

“You lie!” Elis snarled as she jabbed him in the head with her claws, and he yelped. “Humans aren’t permitted on those, and even if you were, you would’ve been discovered immediately!”

“It’s true- AGH!” The man flailed around as Elis forced a nail harder into his head- not quite enough to break the skin, but enough to leave a mark. Louise could do nothing but watch the scene in horror.

“Do you think repeating the same lie will make it true?!” Elis growled. “The passengers on those ships were very well accounted for! We were very thorough, and a human would’ve been detected almost instantly!”

“Sister!” Louise cried. “He’s not lying-”

“Quiet! Be quiet!” Elis yelled back furiously. “To think you even let yourself be deceived by a human! I don’t want to hear another word from you!”

Louise turned away and slumped back, her shoulders sagging low.

I need to stop this. But how?

Louise turned back to the patch of grass where the bomb had landed and paused for a moment.

Maybe I could do something with that.

“However…” Elis eventually spoke as though she had never been interrupted at all, “I find it hard to believe a human would happen upon an alternate route to Makai. Perhaps you may be telling the truth after all.”

Seeing that Elis was preoccupied, Louise inched over to where the bomb had landed and began looking through the grass. Above her, she heard the man choke out a reply.

“That’s what I’ve-”

“Did I give you permission to speak?” Elis snarled, and the man let out another pained cry. Wincing, Louise forced herself to keep her eyes on the ground. Brushing aside the plants around her, she knelt down and continued her search.

Where is it? Where’d it go?

“Are you going to be good now?” Elis spoke in a sickeningly sweet tone. “Good. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. The ships.”

A glimmer of light caught Louise’s eye, and she reached out her hands. Digging through the grass, she saw the bauble resting in the grass. Mud was smeared along its surface, obscuring most of the light within.

There it is!

“You know, there are multiple problems with a human arriving on a tour boat.” Elis asserted. “The first problem is that humans are strictly barred from entry. The second is that Mother would have noticed as soon as they had entered. And the third, of course, is that the guest list was verified as per the agreement between Mother and the tengu.”

Louise quickly looked back up at Elis, who was lost in thought. Immediately, Louise reached out an arm and whisked the bomb into her hand.

Alright, I managed to find it without her noticing me. But now what?

“So, assuming that you spoke the truth, human, the only possible way you could have entered Makai is if you were actively helped.” Elis turned aside, her mouth slowly twisting into a menacing, gleeful smile. “And there’s only one person who could have pulled that off.”

Louise’s ears perked up, and she brought her gaze up once more. Wait, what?

“Oh, won’t Mother be pleased to hear this.” Elis chuckled to herself. “It looks like someone else has a bit of explaining to do.”

Louise quickly took several steps back to her original position and cleared her throat, catching Elis’s attention. The mirth from Elis’s face vanished, and a frown of disgust took its place.

“Yes, sister? Do you need something?”

Louise balled her hands up into fists, burying the bomb inside her palm. “Elis, who is this ‘someone else’?”

“That’s none of your concern, sister,” Elis answered flippantly. “All it means is that a certain someone blatantly violated their agreement with Mother and they’re going to face the consequences.”

A… certain someone? An agreement with Mother?

“Regardless!” Elis announced in a cheerful voice. “I think I have all I need from the human. And you know what that means!”

“No!” Louise screamed. Elis cackled with glee as she raised her nail to the man’s neck.

“Let… go of me!” The man barely forced out as he kicked uselessly in midair.

“Watch closely, Louise!” Elis laughed. “I’m going to show you what happens to those who oppose Mother’s will!”

“Sto-” The man sputtered out one last word before Elis tightened her headlock even further, stifling his speech and practically crushing his windpipe. “Hey, don’t worry, human,” Elis spoke, once again using her sweet voice. “It’ll be quick. Practically painless. But the more you struggle, the more it’ll hurt.”

Louise staggered back as her eyes grew wide, horrified. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

I can’t use the bomb… He'd get caught in the explosion, and it’d hurt him more than Elis…

Elis loosened her grip on the man just enough to slide her nail up to his neck. She brushed it along the length of his throat, eliciting a single whimper.

Louise saw the man take one last, longing glance at her before shutting them tight, and she felt something inside her break.

“Elis, please.” Louise fell to her knees and looked up at the vampire. “You don’t need to do this.”

“Aw, how sentimental,” Elis said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “How tragic. To think my own sister would be left blubbering like a child over a mere human.”

“Please, sister,” Louise responded, her cracked voice barely above that of a whisper. “I’ll go quietly. Don’t-”

“Quiet. I don’t want to hear it.” Elis sneered at her angrily, cutting her off. “You know what this is? Embarrassing. It’s embarrassing that my sister has been reduced to this. I won’t stand for it any longer.”

Elis prodded at the man’s neck, and Louise winced every time the man flinched. “I want you to watch this, sister. Say goodbye to your friend here.”

No… Please…

“Goodbye, human-”

Just then, a great flash of light burst upon Elis’s back, and she gasped aloud. Her grip faltered for just a moment, and the man immediately tore himself from her grasp and propelled himself into the open air. Dumbfounded, Louise stared upwards as her mind tried to make sense of the situation.

What was that?! What just happened?!

“That human is my caretaker, and I will not allow you to do as you please!” A familiar voice behind Elis called out with an authoritative tone, and a flood of relief washed over Louise’s whole body.

“Singyoku!” Louise called out, elated. Of course! I’d forgotten about her!

“You…” Elis turned around as she glowered at the spirit floating a short distance away. “I see. So that’s where I know you from.”

“These two are under my protection.” Singyoku declared as she gestured at the man and Louise. “We have a mission to accomplish. And I will not allow you to interfere.”

“Filthy Hakurei dog!” Elis roared, her saliva flying everywhere as she spoke. “I’m going to make you suffer dearly for the humiliation I suffered that day!”

As she looked up at Elis, Louise’s eyes lit up. Right! Elis is alone, so it’s okay to use the bomb now!

Drawing her hand out, Louise reached over to pluck the fabric from the bomb. This is my chance! Here goes-

A wave of magic suddenly cut through the air, aimed squarely at Elis’s back.

Louise froze and watched as it sailed past her.

“Hm?” Elis glanced behind her as the wave drew near, and the anger on her face morphed into fear. In an instant, she angled her wings and flung herself aside. The wave just barely flew past her face as it sailed off into the distance and dissipated in thin air.

Louise tucked away her bomb and brought her gaze to where the wave had come from. There, the man hovered, smoke still rising from the barrel of his pistol.

No! Human, what are you thinking-

Her thoughts vanished as Elis straightened herself up. In complete silence, she turned back to face the man. When she did so, Louise’s heart skipped a beat.

Along Elis’s cheek ran a single line of blood.

Damn it, I was so close!

“S- stay back!” I yelled as I aimed my pistol at Elis. Despite my best efforts to put on a brave face, I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking.

Elis took her hand and brushed along the length of her scar, maintaining eye contact the entire time. She brought her hand in front of her, and in the light, I saw the tip of her finger glistening with a droplet of blood.

I started backing away from Elis and glanced around. Louise appeared mortified, and Singyoku seemed similarly concerned for my safety.

I blew it. That was my one chance.

“Human,” Elis called out to me, and the hair on my neck stood on end. The expression on her face had transfigured into a twisted, ugly look of pure hatred. Her hands were curled up into fists so tight her nails threatened to dig into her wrists. The skin on her cheek shuddered and latched together across her wound until all evidence of it had vanished.

“Oh, human,” Elis uttered, quivering with rage. “That was a mistake.”

Before I could react, Elis lunged forward and slammed directly into my chest, knocking the breath from my lungs. The two of us tumbled through the air briefly before Elis restrained my body with one arm and gripped my head with the other.

“Let’s get back to business, shall we?” Elis hissed as she forced my head aside. “Never mind the pleasantries- it’s been so long since I’ve had a proper meal!”

I twisted and contorted my body every which way, but Elis quickly yanked my hair. An incredible pain spread across the back of my head, and it took all my willpower to not scream at the top of my lungs.

“Elis!” Louise cried out as she and Singyoku took off and made a beeline towards us. “Stop-”

“Time to dig in!” Elis declared with glee before chomping down on my shoulder.

An unbelievable pain tore through my entire arm, and I shrieked in pure agony as I wrestled around in an attempt to do something, anything to rid myself of her. Unbothered by the commotion, Elis proceeded to gnaw away at my shoulder until I felt her teeth sink even deeper into my body.

It only took several seconds before I felt the very energy in my body get sucked away, and I lost the will to continue screaming. Dark spots danced across my vision, and the world around me was starting to get blurry. Drowsiness began to set in, and even the stabbing pain in my shoulder began to fade. In a haze, I could just barely make out the blurry silhouettes of Louise and Singyoku. Louise appeared to be calling out to me, but I couldn’t make out what.

Louise, Singyoku… I’m sorry my plan didn’t work. It was a bad idea after all.

My eyelids fluttered before they closed gently, and all went dark.

I guess this is it, huh?

Accepting my fate, I waited.

…

But nothing happened.

Just then, the pressure around my head had released me, and I felt a dull pain emerge from my shoulder.

In the distance, I could make out the faint sound of someone coughing.

Wait… What? What’s happening?

I opened my eyes. Disoriented, I looked around me until the world started to come into focus once more.

As the details sharpened, I saw Louise and Singyoku floating a short distance away from me. Louise was completely shocked at something, while Singyoku had adopted a fascinated appearance.

I heard another cough at my side, and I turned around to investigate.

Beside me, Elis had gone completely pale. She released me to clutch her neck, and I fell from her arms, barely conscious enough to keep myself in the air. Her wings flapped erratically as she began to speak. “Wh- What is-”

She was unable to finish before bending over and entering another coughing fit, and the three of us watched in silence.

“Y- You!” Elis shakily pointed a finger at me as she clutched her chest. “You’re no ordinary human!”

At those words, Louise and Singyoku brought their gaze over to me.

“This is vile!” Elis screamed between retches, her wings now barely able to keep herself steady. She lamely reached out a hand to grab me, but I drifted out of her reach.

“This isn’t human blood!” Elis shrieked. “What the hell are you?!”

This is my chance!

I reached into my pocket dimension and aimlessly moved my hand around until my hand brushed along the sleek surface of my pistol. Pulling it out with both hands, I aimed it directly at Elis and fired.

Elis stopped writhing around and watched the wave of magic approach her. A look of pure dread spread across her face, and she brought both of her arms to shield herself.

The wave smashed directly into her chest and tore through her entire body, launching her backward in a chaotic spiral.

“Aghhhh!” Elis screamed as she gripped her head with both hands. Her wings failed her, and she plummeted into a freefall before crashing into the ground. 

Louise quickly shook her head and flew over. As soon as she drew close, she immediately started investigating my shoulder. “Human, are you alright?! You’re not hurt too bad, are you?”

“What… Huh? Oh. I guess.” I replied, my thoughts still somewhat jumbled. My entire body still buzzed with pain, but it had mellowed out to more of a throbbing ache.

Singyoku flew up beside us and eyed me with a look of suspicion. “Human, I expect an explanation for this when this is over with.”

“I… don’t know much,” I replied as I clutched my arm. “But I’ll try-”

“I suppose that’s our cue to leave, then. Louise, could you hold this for me?” Singyoku handed over the shrunken orb, which Louise promptly took from her. “Let’s go-”

“Human!” Elis yelled as she brought herself to all fours, and all of us turned to face her. “If y- you think… I’m just going to let you e- escape… think aga- AGH!”

Elis retched at the ground and clutched her chest briefly before slumping to the floor, unmoving.

“Human, let’s go,” Louise spoke softly as she tugged at my shirt.

The three of us took off, and within seconds, the temple grounds were behind us. Just as we reached the cliff’s edge, I took one last look back and smiled to myself.

Well, hey. That’s not how I thought things would go, but mission accomplished.

Chapter Text

Louise dived through the mist, clutching the orb near her chest. Her mind raced with thoughts of wonder and confusion in equal measure.

That man… I don’t know what to think anymore. What just happened?

Louise started turning around to check that he was following her but stopped herself at the last moment and brought her gaze forward once more.

How? There’s no reason Elis should struggle with drinking human blood, but she acted like it was the most disgusting thing she’d ever tasted!

…

Does that mean he… isn’t human?

Louise shook her head. If that’s the case, he’s done an outstanding job of disguising himself as one. He certainly seemed human to me when I first saw him. Singyoku thought he was human, too, and I don’t see her lying.

Elis … even she was fooled.

Could he be … a youkai? Or maybe even a god?

A frustrated sigh left Louise’s lips.

No, I don’t think so. I should be able to tell if he were just from a glance, and he doesn’t behave like a youkai or god would.

As Louise continued to fly down, the fog around her began to thicken. Squinting her eyes, she quickly scanned the cliff face near her as she descended, taking care to distance herself from outcroppings poking out from along its surface. Off in the distance, the light that hung close to the ground vanished as the silhouettes of the ridges around her rose up to meet it.

But that’s not all. Elis also said there was no way a human could have slipped onto a tour boat unnoticed. I thought his story about sneaking aboard was all there was to it, but that doesn’t line up anymore.

Flying further down, Louise made out the outline of the clearing below her, and she began to slow her descent.

There’s so much I just don’t understand.

As the ground emerged through the mist, Louise caught herself and drifted gently until she hovered in place several feet above the surface. Taking the opportunity to gather her bearings, she quickly surveyed the area around her. Hills surrounded her on all sides, each one as indistinguishable as the next.

Hmm. Which way did we come from?

“Louise, are you doing alright?” a voice beside her spoke, and her heart leaped into her throat as she recoiled.

“Oh!” Singyoku held her hands up and backed away. “I didn’t mean to startle you, Louise. My apologies.”

Louise brought her free hand to her chest. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage, each beat echoing like a drum. Don’t scare me like that! For a second, I thought Elis caught up to me!

Despite her reservations, Louise took a deep breath and collected herself. “...It’s nothing. I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”

“Good,” Singyoku replied as she nodded her head. “Anyways, when I caught up to you, I noticed you seemed somewhat confused.”

“Oh. That…” Louise turned aside. “I was just trying to figure out where to go. I have a pretty good idea of what path to take, but I didn’t commit it to memory.”

Singyoku drifted past her and pointed down a passageway that led between several hills, jutting out from the landscape. “The ship you’re looking for is this way.”

“Ah! Thank you,” Louise replied as she gazed down the path before turning back to look at Singyoku. “But how do you know-”

“That can wait.” Singyoku asserted. “For now, we should be on our way back to the ship, yes? We don’t know how long Elis is going to remain incapacitated, after all.”

Louise’s eyes went wide. “Oh, good point! C’mon, let’s get going-”

“Hey, guys?” the man spoke from above them. “What’s going on?”

Both Louise and Singyoku turned around and watched as he descended to their level and leaned his uninjured arm on his hip. As he flew forward to meet them, he whistled through his lip and looked to the sky.

“You know, Louise, you’re really fast.” The man stretched his arm out and soothed his shoulder, part of which was exposed through the rips and tears in his shirt. “Sorry for not keeping up back there. I’m still new to flying, so I was kind of worried that my brace would fail and I’d plummet to my death.”

Louise blinked. How is he still speaking so casually? He’s so nonchalant for someone who nearly died just minutes ago! Does anything faze this guy?

She watched as the man patted around his upper chest and looked inside the collar of his shirt. “The brace still seems fine, though, which is good. After all of that, falling would be a really stupid way to die.”

“How’s your shoulder, human?” Singyoku said as she floated beside him.

“Hm? Oh.” The man brought his attention to his side. Part of his shirt had been shredded in the struggle, exposing his shoulder to the open air. Several teeth marks were embedded in his skin shoulder, which was now glossy with bits of partially dried blood. As he lifted his arm, Louise saw that his sleeve was stained with a reddish-pink tint.

That’s quite the injury…

Gingerly, the man began to poke the skin surrounding his wounds, flinching as he did so. “It’s still kind of painful, but it’s more like an ache now. I should be able to make it back to the ship, thankfully.”

“Hey, stop that!” Louise called out. “Don’t disturb the wound any further!”

The man turned to face her and brought his arm back to a resting position, where it dangled at his side. “Oh, alright.”

“Anyways, you’re sure it’s just an ache?” Louise vocalized in amazement. “All that gnawing away at your shoulder that she did, and you’re acting like it’s no big deal?”

The man shrugged with his good shoulder. “Well, that’s the best way to describe it, yeah. I’m a bit surprised, too, considering how much that shit hurt-” He coughed and glanced over at Singyoku, who gave him a disapproving look. “Sorry. Considering how painful it was. But I’m still good to fly further.”

“I don’t believe it,” Louise spoke in a low voice. “How can you recover so quickly? This is the second time something like this has happened.”

“I… guess?” The man replied tentatively as he looked aside, as though uncertain of himself. “I’ll admit that I am still feeling a bit lightheaded, though. Elis drained a lot of my blood, after all.”

“It just doesn’t make sense.” Louise posited, catching his attention. “Your body’s ability to heal itself is good. Almost too good. One might even describe it as inhuma-”

Singyoku cleared her throat, cutting Louise off. “Anyways, we’d better get going. Both of you, are you ready for more flying?”

Louise looked to the ground beneath her feet and nodded. Beside her, the man spoke. “Yeah. Ready when you are.”

“Excellent. In that case, let’s be off.” Singyoku turned back to Louise. “Just follow this path through the hills. Once you exit, fly in a straight line. You can’t miss it.”

“...Understood,” Louise said, as she looked back up and brought her attention back toward the path in front of her. The path was curvy and narrow, and the mist made it impossible to see very far into its depths.

This isn’t the path I took coming here, that’s for sure. I suppose I’ll just have to trust Singyoku on this.

“Very good,” Singyoku remarked. “In that case, I think I’ll return to the orb. Just call upon me if you need anything.”

Louise took out the orb and held it in front of Singyoku. “Will do.”

The orb in Louise’s hand gave off a brief flash of light as Singyoku began to glow. Smoke rose from her body before promptly swirling into the orb, Singyoku’s figure becoming more and more transparent until she had vanished entirely.

“...Let’s go,” Louise spoke in a soft voice as she gently rose into the air. “If I’m going too fast for you, just let me know.”

“Of course. I’ll be right behind you.” The man responded, and Louise began drifting forward.

One thing at a time, Louise. Just get back to the ship, and we can work things out from there.

Picking up speed, Louise glided between the hills, taking care not to rise above their peaks. As she navigated down the passage, a single question burned away in her mind.

Just who are you, ‘human’?

…

Several minutes later, Louise surveyed the area around her. Ridges and outcroppings poked out from the earth beneath her, dotting the landscape as far as she could see- which wasn’t far, due to the thick cloak of mist.

I hope I’m still going the right way. Getting to the mountain was a cinch because I just had to fly in its general direction, but leaving would’ve been more difficult than I thought.

The orb was beginning to slip from her grasp, so she readjusted herself and held it close. Good thing the Hakurei spirit told me what to do. This would’ve been a headache to navigate without her guidance.

Flying further down the path, Louise saw that the light of the star occasionally poked between the jagged outlines of rock around her. Where the light shone, the mist thinned out a little, making it easier to see the path ahead. Where the mist grew thin, light from the bioluminescent lichens dotting the rocks below and hills nearby poked into view, producing a soft shade of green.

The next chance she got, Louise looked up at the star and sighed.

The Ruins of Vina… that’s where Elis fought the Hakurei miko, right? To think she’s held onto that grudge all this time…

Her thoughts trailed off as she brought her attention back to the path. The whoosh of wind just behind her was a reminder that the man was keeping up close behind.

You know, he hasn’t asked me to slow down once. As hard as it is to believe, he wasn’t lying about still being able to fly.

Just then, Louise finally permitted herself to feel relieved, and a smile quickly broke out on her face.

I can’t believe I’m still here. I can’t believe we’re all still here. I thought for sure that was the end!

Louise brought out her hand and gazed at the orb piece that lay inside, taking special care to not drop it as she flew. She watched as the mysterious darkness swam around inside it without any sort of apparent pattern, carrying the solitary white dot along.

It is a shame my plan to get to Gensokyo didn’t work out. I was really hoping that it’d end there.

But it’s not like it was a complete failure. The Hakurei spirit herself decided to join us, and she said there was a way we could contact the Hakurei miko!

It looks like my travels aren’t over just yet. Now it’s just a matter of getting back to the ship, and we can figure out our next move there.

After a moment’s hesitation, Louise tucked away the orb.

Mother… Please hang on, just a little longer…

“Hey, Louise!” The man’s voice called out from behind her. “Is that the exit?”

Louise quickly brought her attention back up and looked around her. “Hm? What?”

Sure enough, there was a clearing far in the distance. Just beyond it, she made out what looked to be a rocky plateau that stretched out to the horizon, with the hills parting themselves just before it.

“Yes, you’re right! That’s the exit!” Louise called out, her voice containing a hint of joy. “Let’s keep going! The ship isn’t too much further-”

Suddenly, Louise fell silent. A feeling of uncertainty began to creep inside her.

Wait, hang on. I feel like something’s not right here. Am I forgetting something? Didn’t Elis say something about this?

Slowing down as she approached the next bend in the path, Louise brought her free hand to her chin and furrowed her brow. 

No, I’m definitely forgetting something. What was it?

As she was concentrating, the man hastily pulled up beside her and spoke. “Hey, Louise? Is everything all right?”

Just then, realization struck Louise, and her eyes lit up.

That’s right! The human! Or, well…

Anyway! Elis said her comrades were patrolling the area around the ship to look for him! I got caught up in everything that just happened and I’d nearly forgotten!

“Louise?” The man repeated, and Louise turned to meet him. “What’s going on? Do you need a break? I wouldn’t blame you for wanting one, after all-”

“It’s not that.” Louise quickly replied. “Hm, let’s see…”

Quickly scanning the area, Louise’s eyes fell upon a wide ravine a short distance away, resting between two hills. Along the rock lay an opening that appeared to leave deeper inside. Moss sprung up on the rocks beside the opening and bits of lichen hung from the ceiling, creating a sort of short curtain that neatly disguised its presence.

That’ll do nicely. I wouldn’t have even noticed that cave if I hadn’t been looking for one!

“There’s something important I need to tell you,” Louise spoke up, catching the man’s attention. “Let’s take a quick detour first. We shouldn’t remain out here in the open.”

“Hm? Okay.” The man responded as he glanced around him. “I don’t see the need since there’s no one else around, but you’re in charge.”

“Good. Follow me, then.”

The man nodded, and Louise directed herself toward the cave’s entrance. Gripping the orb tight, Louise began to fly forward, and the man followed suit.

Louise led me to a side route between a pair of ridges, and I followed close behind. She eventually slowed to a stop in front of the mouth of a small cavern, and I flew up to join her.

“In here. C’mon.” Drifting forward, Louise brushed aside the bits of lichen as she made her way inside. Once she was comfortable inside, she gently descended to the ground and waved her hand over to me.

I brought myself down until I was staring at the opening head-on and began to concentrate. Alright, brace. Gently push me forward. Just like how Louise did it.

On cue, I floated through the curtain and landed on the rock beneath harder than I would’ve liked, nearly losing my balance. Before I fell over, Louise’s hand shot out and she caught the sleeve of my good arm, pulling me to my feet.

“Uh,” I spoke awkwardly. “You didn’t have to do that, you know. But thanks anyway.”

Louise turned away from me and began to walk deeper into the cave. “You’re welcome. Anyways, let’s keep going.”

We walked for only a few seconds before we found ourselves in a much larger room. Lichens dotted the walls, filling the otherwise dark room with a peculiar shade of green. Fog pooled around along the floor, making it hard for me to check my footing as I walked.

Louise glanced at the room around her for a moment. “Yeah, this’ll work.”

What’s bothering Louise that makes her think it’s worth going to all this trouble for? This feels kind of unnecessary.

I felt around for a rock and sat myself down. As I reclined, I let out a relaxed sigh, and I was suddenly aware of just how fatigued I was.

Ah, this is nice! Even if it’s made out of rock, lying down for a bit feels great!

As I shifted into a more comfortable position, I looked up at Louise, who was observing me curiously. “So, what’s this about, Louise? You seemed a bit paranoid back there.”

“This is about something Elis told me,” Louise spoke, turning aside and walking to the opposite side of the room as me. As she leaned down to sit, however, she changed her mind and stood back up. “Singyoku, you need to hear this too. Come on out.”

Silently, Louise walked to the center of the room and laid the orb to rest on the floor before taking several steps back to her original position. Gingerly, she bent over and leaned on her good arm for support as she took a seat. A sigh of great relief escaped her lips as she did so, not unlike mine.

“Wow, it really does feel that good,” Louise remarked. “I thought you were overexaggerating for a moment there.”

In the meantime, although the room was dark, I could still make out movement within the orb, with wisps lazily rising from its surface. Smoke began to pour freely from its exterior, changing the faint rug of purple into a pinkish-white. Eventually, Singyoku’s ghostly figure began to manifest just beside us. The darkness inside the orb slowed its movements before settling at the bottom of the orb, leaving most of its surface a translucent gray.

“Well, this certainly isn’t the ship,” Singyoku said aloud as she looked around. “I suppose there’s something you need to tell me?”

“That’s right. Uh, let’s see here…” Louise trailed off as she looked upwards. “Right. You remember how earlier, I told you and the human to leave for the ship? I said I’d fight against Elis to buy you two some time.”

“Of course.” Singyoku nodded. “And we would have, had this man not come up with that scheme of his.”

“Right. Well-” Louise stopped herself and turned back to face Singyoku. “Actually, seeing as we have some time now. How did you even know where the ship was in the first place? It’s something I’ve been wondering ever since we got started here.”

“Oh, I just used my orb.” Singyoku waved her hand dismissively. “There isn’t much time to go into specifics, but that’s how I ascertained its location.”

“Ah, okay. That makes sense.” Louise momentarily paused before replying. “Anyhow, during my fight with Elis, she told me something very important.”

“Well, it must be important if you felt it was necessary to hide in a place like this.” Singyoku took another glance at the room around her. “Anyways, what was it? Did she tell you something that made you think the human and I were going to fail to make it back to the ship?”

Louise gave me a passing gaze as she pointed at Singyoku. “Exactly right. More specifically, she told me that her ‘comrades’ were patrolling the area around the ship and that I had just sent him to your death.”

Both of us remained silent as we watched Louise uncomfortably fidget in place. “I’m… a bit ashamed to admit that it nearly got me to give up. I thought for sure that she’d covered all her bases too well, that any hope of contacting Gensokyo for help had been lost.”

“Well, they’re not,” I spoke up, and Louise looked up at me. “I guess neither one of you thought that we’d blatantly disobey your plan.”

“That was foolish and reckless of you.” Singyoku’s voice spoke from beside me. “It’s not like your plan was much better than hers. You’re incredibly lucky to be alive after that.”

Before I opened my mouth, Louise spoke up. “No, no, don’t worry about it. It’s all in the past now, isn’t it? Let’s not worry about this any longer, we’d just be wasting time.”

After a moment, Singyoku placed her hands on her hips and huffed before speaking in a low voice. “Very well. Louise, are you certain what Elis said was the truth?”

“Good point,” I added. “Who knows? Maybe she was bluffing? You said that it nearly got you to surrender. Maybe she was just after that? It’d make it easier for her to take you if you weren’t resisting anymore, after all.”

Louise quickly shook her head. “I’m positive. It doesn’t make sense for her to be out there, hunting for a, uh, human out here on her own. And it certainly didn’t feel like she was lying.”

I raised an eyebrow. Is she starting to doubt that I’m a human?

“Well, it’s a good thing you told us, then.” Singyoku directed her attention and gently laid her hands on the orb’s sleek surface as she spoke. “But why didn’t you inform us earlier?”

“I’m sorry, I just-” Louise hunched over and pinched the bridge of her nose. “It slipped my mind. Didn’t remember it until just now.”

“That’s alright,” Singyoku reassured her as light spread from her fingertips, causing the murky liquid inside to spin. “Let’s see… the area around the ship…”

The darkness within the orb rose in bumps, creating a rough surface that lay at the orb’s bottom. Close to where Louise was seated, the darkness coalesced into larger shapes before settling, creating what appeared to be a miniature belt of hills. However, my attention was quickly captured by the solitary white dot, which swirled around inside before eventually settling on the dark surface, not far from where I was seated.

“Singyoku…” Louise murmured as she pressed her face near the orb, mesmerized. “What is this?”

Edges began to emerge from the white dot, bending and collapsing into themselves before taking form, and a set of ruins emerged from within. The finer details appeared along its surface only a split second later as it lay on the ground.

“Not bad, hm?” Singyoku removed her hands from the orb and smiled. “This isn’t a trick I get to use very often, but it does come in handy every once in a while. This is one such instance.”

“Singyoku, this-” Louise turned to look up at the spirit, her voice filled with wonder. “This is amazing! I didn’t know you were able to use the orb like a crystal ball!”

Singyoku chuckled. “Well, it’s not quite like that. There are some limitations to this power a crystal ball wouldn’t have. For instance, if I don’t have a general sense of where to look, or if it’s too far away, I wouldn’t be able to see anything.”

“Still!” Louise rose to her feet. “This is fantastic! So this is how you figured out where the ship was, I bet!” As she spoke, she turned back to the image contained inside the orb and pointed at the bumps bordering her side. “Is this where we’re at right now?”

“Yes, that’s right. This is the outskirts of the mountain pass we just came from. And if you look carefully-” Singyoku spoke as she pointed her finger at a spot between two of the hills. “You can even see the cave we’re in.”

Louise hunched over and squinted for a brief moment before her eyes grew wide.

“Wow, it’s true!” Louise said as she pressed her face against the side of the orb. “The level of detail here is incredible!”

“Isn’t it?” Singyoku replied, and I detected a hint of pride in her voice. “Anyways, this-” Singyoku slid her finger across the orb and pointed over at the white dot beside me. “Is the ship.”

Louise stood up straight and walked around to get a better look. “Oh, that’s not so far! We’re only minutes away from the ship.”

“Provided that what’s being shown here is to scale, of course.”

“Of course it’s to scale.” Singyoku looked at me as though I had said the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard. “It’s an exact image.”

I wanted to protest but bit my tongue and slumped back.

You didn’t have to say it like that, you know.

“Anyways, if we flew directly back to the ship, you’d be correct,” Singyoku spoke as she brought her eyes back to the orb. “But that won’t be possible. Elis was telling the truth after all.”

“As I thought,” Louise said as she walked over to where Singyoku was standing. “But how can you tell? I don’t see anything.”

“Look more closely. Do you see the dots floating inside?”

Louise pressed my face against the orb’s surface and peered inside, and out of curiosity, I did the same. Just then, I noticed the presence of several black motes wandering through the liquid.

“Oh, those little specks?” Louise asked. “I thought that was just how the orb looked. So those are their current positions?”

“That’s right,” Singyoku replied. “Furthermore, they’re all traveling in pairs, which means there’s no chance they’re just demons who happen to be wandering this corner of Makai. It’s certainly a good thing we left as early as we did, otherwise Elis and her cohort would’ve intercepted us back at the ship.”

I watched the specks inside circling through the liquid, surrounding the ship. Wow, it looks like Louise and I just barely missed her. After all that’s happened, it’s still hard to believe that I’m still alive.

“Hm…” Singyoku pondered aloud as she stepped back and held her hands together. “This is quite the predicament. Of the three of us, I believe I am the only one still in proper fighting condition. Am I mistaken?”

Louise immediately forced out a laugh and looked down at her shirt, which had been singed and torn in places. “You’re not, Singyoku. I’m sorry, but at this point, there’s just no way I’m up for another fight. It’s all I can do to fly at a reasonable speed now.” To demonstrate her point, she raised her left hand and flipped it around, giving us a clear view of the numerous blisters dotting her arm. “Unfortunately, I’ll need time to lick my wounds before I’ll be ready to fight again. I’m sorry that I can’t be of more use here. Normally, I’d be able to face them without too much trouble, but-”

“No, no, that’s fine! Don’t apologize,” Singyoku reassured Louise. “You’ve already done plenty. We’ve come this far, after all.”

Louise nodded and tucked her hand behind her back again. “Well, I’m happy to hear that. Thank you.”

“What about you, human?” Singyoku turned to me. “I can’t imagine that you’d be in good condition either, given what just happened.”

“Well, I don’t believe I’d be particularly useful in a fight even if I were. Both of you saw how helpless I was trying to get a single shot off on Elis,” I spoke up. “As for my condition, all that blood loss has made me kind of lightheaded. The absolute last thing I want to do right now is get into a fight.”

“Oh, that’s not true.” Singyoku tilted her head. “I’ve seen what you can do. Though it’s not much right now, I feel as though you’re selling yourself short. Danmaku is something you get better at with practice, and trying to fend off a vampire was just an instance of being thrown into the deep end far too soon.”

“Thanks for that, but returning on topic, I don’t think I’d be able to fight off a demon if one saw me.” I quickly responded. “Not if they’re as strong as that girl I encountered earlier, the, what was it-”

“Wheel demon,” Louise informed me.

“Yes, that. Thank you,” I nodded. “Anyways, I’m not up for a fight. Unless they tried to eat me, in which case I might be able to give them indigestion.”

I looked at Singyoku, but she remained wholly unamused. Louise, meanwhile, was fidgeting in place as she looked to the ground.

After a momentary pause, Singyoku spoke with a hushed voice. “I see. In that case, we’ll be better off avoiding a fight altogether. I could fight off a single patrol of two demons, but it’d attract the attention of every demon in the area, and we’d quickly end up overwhelmed. Therefore, we need to keep as low a profile as possible.”

“That works for me,” I said. “But how do you plan on getting to the ship without attracting attention? Their formation seems pretty tight…”

“Good question,” Singyoku replied as she brought her attention back to the orb. “I’m going to observe the routes of the patrols and see if I can find an opening.”

Louise laughed out loud. “Oh, it’s a good thing I remembered at the last possible moment, huh? That could’ve gone disastrously.”

“Yes, thank you very much, Louise,” Singyoku replied, albeit halfheartedly as her attention latched onto the orb. “We’d be in quite the predicament if you hadn’t informed us of this. Better late than never, after all.”

“Yeah, thanks, Louise,” I spoke up. “Anyway, how long is this observation of yours going to take?”

“Time is a luxury we don’t have much of, but I suppose we can afford a couple of minutes,” Singyoku replied. “It won’t give me the clearest picture of where they’ll go, but it’ll at least give me an idea of things.”

“Wait, a couple minutes?” I asked. “Can’t you just use the orb to track where the patrols are as we fly?”

“Ah, so many questions!” Singyoku responded with a hint of irritation in her voice. “Anyways, the answer to your question is no. The orb has to be at rest for me to use it like this. Movements disturb the contents within, and it just becomes a mess. Sorry, but I really need to concentrate for a moment here- please don’t distract me.”

“Okay,” I quickly muttered under my breath. “So, I guess I’ll just wait around for a little bit.”

For several seconds, no one spoke, and I quickly checked on Singyoku to see how she was doing. She was hunched over and her unblinking eyes flickered between multiple different points within the orb.

“Hey, human,” Louise finally said after a while, waving me over. “Can we talk for a bit?”

“Hm? Oh, sure.” I made my way over to Louise and both of us took a seat beside each other along the side of the room, leaving Singyoku to her own devices.

Meanwhile, Louise brought her arms up and inched closer to me. “Human, can I look at your shoulder again? I want to see something.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that.” I held up one hand and leaned back. “It doesn’t hurt that much anymore-”

“Just give me your arm, would you?” Louise interrupted me, and I fell silent. A small frown had emerged on her face, and her brow had furrowed into a serious, concerned look.

Well, I guess there’s no helping it.

After a moment’s deliberation, I gradually leaned back in, exposing my wounded shoulder to Louise. She quickly grabbed my arm and began scrutinizing my wound from multiple angles.

After a while, Louise released my arm and stared down at the floor with a look of disbelief.

“...It can’t be.”

I tucked my arm back into my lap. “What? What can’t be?”

“This just doesn’t make any sense,” Louise said in a low voice. “Elis said your blood wasn’t human, but you resemble one by every metric. Elis, who, as a vampire, has far more sensitive senses than mine, was completely fooled until she tried to drink your blood.”

“Oh, you were looking for proof I wasn’t human. I thought you were wondering about that,” I said aloud. “Was this enough to convince you, then?”

“I can’t just ignore the things I’ve seen.” Louise turned to face me, and I locked eyes with her.  Despite her attempts to hide it, her eyes reflected a look of concern. “Elis being unable to drink your blood, the abnormally fast rate at which your wounds heal… You even said something about a kappa’s teeth shattering when he tried to bite you. That’s not normal. Humans can’t do that.”

I grabbed her leg and gave it a gentle nudge. “Hey.”

Louise’s eyes flickered between mine and my arm. “Yeah?”

“This really isn’t something I think is worth worrying about. I’ve already told you what I know is the truth- I am human. Always have been. Just because strange things happen sometimes doesn’t change that. I’m curious about the why myself, but being anxious about it isn’t going to change anything.”

Louise gradually tore her gaze away from me. “But…”

“I mean, I’m from the outside world after all. There’s no way I could be anything else.”

“Ah… you’ve got a point,” Louise said quietly before shaking her head. “You know what? You’re right. I’ll try to not worry about it anymore. I don’t sense any dishonesty in your words, after all.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Both of us fell silent as we redirected our focus to the orb. Beside it, Singyoku was standing perfectly still, intensely focusing on the most minute of movements within. 

“Hey, how much longer do you think this is going to take?” I whispered to Louise. “After all, we shouldn’t wait around here for too long-”

“I think she’ll tell us,” Louise whispered back. “Just let her do her thing.”

“You’re probably right.”

The two of us sat in silence for a moment.

Man, it’s good to have her here. Louise might not be human, but she certainly acts like one. It’s easy to forget at times.

…Wait, I just realized. What is she?

“Hey, Louise,” I spoke quietly, and she turned back over to me. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what was all that ‘mother’ and ‘sister’ business back there about?”

Louise flinched before I had even finished my sentence and immediately broke eye contact with me. “Ah.”

“Hey, if you don’t want to say-”

“No, no, it’s okay.” Louise lifted her hand and spoke under her breath. “I owe you an explanation, so it’s only fair that I give you one.”

Taking a deep breath, Louise looked me in the eyes and began to speak. “The truth is, and I’m sure that you’ve already figured this out by now, I am not from Gensokyo. I’m…”

“...from Makai.” I finished Louise’s sentence, and she nodded.

“Yes. This world… It's my home. I’m one of Shinki’s children, and so is Elis. In that sense, we’re sisters.”

“Sisters, huh? So that’s why Elis made a big deal about not killing you?”

“No. I saw the look in her eyes.” Louise spoke slowly as she gave me a solemn look. “She was out for blood, human. Shinki’s request is the only reason she held back.”

“Mm,” I responded, unsure of what to say.

“And as for the eyes, that was YuugenMagan. An invention of Shinki’s that allows her to surveil faraway locations and fight if necessary. It originally stood guard at the temple we were at, but the Hakurei destroyed it on her first visit to Makai, which is why I didn't bring it up earlier. The idea that Shinki would repair it never even crossed my mind.”

“And the smaller eyes, like the one outside the ship? Are they connected somehow?”

Louise nodded. “Those are much smaller versions of YuugenMagan, yes. Far less formidable, but they effectively serve the same purpose and are much easier to produce en masse.”

“Gotcha. Also, back when we were fighting it, it called you its 'child'. That was Shinki speaking?”

“Yes.”

“And that’s why you knew so much about Shinki.” I reached down and picked up a pebble, twirling it between my fingers. “So why didn’t you tell me this from the start?”

“Oh.” Louise released a heavy sigh. “I… was trying to distance myself from her. From all of them.”

“Because of what’s been going on?”

“No.” Louise shook her head. “It’s not that. It, uh, happened a long time ago. We had a bit of a falling out, and I haven’t seen her in person since.”

“Oh? What happened?”

Almost immediately, Louise became crestfallen. “That’s… uh…” she began to mumble.

“If it’s too personal, there’s no need to tell me.” I quickly spoke up. “I was just curious, that’s all.”

Louise turned back to me and gave me a sad smile. “I’m sorry, human. Maybe in the future, I’ll be ready to tell you.”

I tossed aside the pebble and watched it clatter along the ground. “Take your time.”

Louise leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “I have many regrets, human. But the important thing is to just keep looking forward, hm? There’s nothing we can do to change the past.”

“You’re right,” I said as I turned back to Louise. “But there’s one more thing I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.”

“Go ahead.”

“You were in Makai when all this happened, right?” I asked, and Louise sat herself up. “Why aren’t you like Elis?”

“I…” Louise’s voice wavered. “You’re right. I was in Makai when this whole mess started. But somehow, as far as I can tell, I was the only one left unaffected. And I have no idea why, but that’s just how things ended up happening.”

“So that’s just another mystery, then.”

Louise let out a small laugh. “I suppose it is, human.”

“The only one left, huh…” I looked at Louise. “I remember you asking Elis about your sisters. You mentioned someone called ‘Sara’, if I recall correctly.”

Though I could barely see it, I noticed a small smile emerge on Louise’s face. “Ah, yes, Sara. She guards a gate between Gensokyo and Makai from the outside, stopping would-be intruders from entering. Sara’s very enthusiastic about her job even though she doesn't have to ward off too many people. She’s always looking for a fight despite not being very good at it herself, but she’s a good girl. It’s been a long time since I visited her-”

“Wait, wait, wait! Hang on, did you just say a gate?”

“Yes, I did.” Louise turned aside. “But we can’t escape that way. It’s too well guarded- I’d know, that was the first thing I tried.”

“Oh.” My enthusiasm vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “But what about the others?”

“Well, there’s quite a few. I wouldn’t want to bore you with all the details.”

“I’m a good listener.” I scooted in closer to Louise. “We’ve got time, haven’t we?”

“Fair point.” Louise leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand. “Well, where do I begin?”

“Which one do you think’s the most interesting?”

Louise let out a small laugh as she shook her head. “Well… I’m not sure if this counts. This might be cheating, but one time, Shinki adopted a human.”

“A human?” I asked, intrigued. “In a place like this?”

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.” Louise nodded. “None of us know why Shinki decided to take in a human one day, but it was clear that she was mother’s favorite.”

“Her favorite, huh? Is she still around?”

“Well, she lives in Gensokyo now. One day she just got up and left, and she never told anyone she was leaving or why. Not even mother.” Louise cast her gaze idly up at the ceiling. “Could you imagine? Being adopted as a god’s favorite child and one day deliberately choosing to throw it all away to live in relative solitude. I just don’t get it.”

“I’m not so sure about that. Maybe she had her reasons.”

Louise sighed. “Maybe.”

“By the way, what was her name?”

“Alice.” Louise looked back over to me. “Her name’s Alice Margatroid. Do you know her?”

Alice, Alice, Alice…

“I’ve… heard the name before,” I responded. “I’ve heard her name get thrown around every so often, about a puppeteer who lives in the Forest of Magic. That Alice?”

“Yes, that’s the one.” Louise pointed at me and nodded. “She’s still into puppets, then?”

“Well, I’ve never met her personally, but from what I’ve heard, she goes by ‘Seven-Colored Puppeteer’. I’d say that’s a pretty safe bet.”

Louise exhaled and looked to the ceiling. “‘Seven-Colored Puppeteer’, huh? You know, that’s not a bad title. Not bad at all, I’d say.”

“Hey, Louise?” I asked, and Louise lazily looked back at me. “Do you have a title?”

Louise snorted. “Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Never needed one,” Louise replied. “What good would someone like me get from a title? It’s not like I have a reputation to maintain.”

“Hey, don’t be so dismissive.” I leaned forward and clasped my hands together. “I think it’d be cool if you had one.”

“Do you have one?” Louise shot back.

“Sorry?”

“What’s your title, human?”

“Me?” I chuckled. “That’s never even crossed my mind. I haven’t even done anything-”

“Exactly.” Louise stretched her arms out and sighed. “It’s the same deal with me. I’m just a nobody, and that’s how I like it.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re a nobody.” I looked into Louise’s blonde eyes as I spoke. “You saved my life.”

Louise looked aside before replying. “Don’t mention it, human. I got you roped up into all this, after all.”

“We’re partners, aren’t we?”

At those words, Louise turned back to face me, and for a split second, I saw her eyes sparkle.

“...Why, yes. I do recall saying something like that.”

I held out my hand to Louise, and she stared down at it. “Great. In that case, we can be nobodies together. Let’s find a way out of here, yeah?”

Louise laughed a little and reached out her hand to mine. “I think I’d like that, human. I’d like that very much.”

Before our hands touched, however, a flash of light broke from the orb, crackling with magic as Singyoku pressed her palms down on it. Both of us watched until the orb finished shrinking, and Singyoku swept it up in her hand.

“Ah, Singyoku!” Louise spoke. “Have you finished?“

“Yes,” Singyoku replied hurriedly as she handed the orb back to Louise. “Provided they stick to their current patterns, I’ve figured out a route that allows us to avoid them, but it’s fairly precise. We only have a short window to slip through, and if we want to make it, we’ll need to leave right away.”

“Well, I don’t see any reason to stay here any longer, then.” I stood up and stretched side to side. “Shall we?”

“Looks like everyone’s ready, then.” Louise gripped the orb and nodded to Singyoku. “Lead the way.”

“Excellent.” Singyoku glanced between both of us. “Both of you, stay close to me and do exactly as I do. We cannot mess this up.”

“Understood.” Louise and I said in unison.

“Good.” Singyoku turned around and briskly walked over to the cave’s entrance. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Louise walked up to the lip of the cave’s entrance, where Singyoku was waiting for her. Though her body still felt rather weak, she mustered the will to fly and brought herself to the spirit’s side. Not long after, the man emerged from the opening and quietly flew over to join them.

I’m glad I got that off my chest. He took the news better than I thought he would.

“All ready?” Singyoku said as she glanced between Louise and the man, determination sizzling in her eyes. “Good. Both of you, stay close and follow my movements. Don’t fall behind or go off course for any reason. Any questions?”

The man lifted his hand tentatively.

“Yes, human?” Singyoku asked with a slight undertone of impatience.

“Are you sure I’ll be able to keep up? I mean-” The man lowered his hand and gestured between Singyoku and Louise. “I’m not good at flying. I’ve only been doing this for what, a couple of hours, if even that-”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.” Singyoku’s expression softened. “We’ll mostly be sticking close to the ground and taking it slow. Going as fast as possible would result in us being spotted immediately.”

“Oh, alright then,” The man spoke, relieved. “That’s all.”

“Perfect.” Singyoku turned around and focused off into the distance. “Then let’s get going. Louise, hang onto that orb tight.”

Louise immediately readjusted her grip on the orb and clasped it between her hands. All of this would be for nothing if I lost this. Don’t mess this up, Louise.

Singyoku began moving, and Louise and the man stuck close behind her, with Louise taking the occasional cursory glance around as they went. The jagged peaks around them flattened out the further they flew until eventually, the landscape gave way to a rocky, bumpy plateau that stretched as far as the eye could see.

We’re finally out of the mountain range. Goodbye, temple.

With the mountains behind them, Singyoku began her descent. Louise and the man flew down alongside her, and the three of them dropped until they hovered several feet above the ground.

As she continued to follow the spirit, Louise felt her mind beginning to drift.

I certainly wasn’t expecting to come back here so soon. But what can you do, huh?

Louise stole a glance at the man out of the corner of her eye. His gaze was focused on Singyoku. She noticed that his lips were pressed into a small frown, though he didn’t quite look sad.

He’s probably got a lot to think about as well. He nearly died, after all. That must’ve been a harrowing experience no matter how you look at it.

…

What if he hadn’t come back for me, and I had been captured? Given what Mother said back there about me, about my ‘nature’-

Louise coughed and looked off into the distance as she blocked her mouth with her free hand, balling it up into a fist.

There’s no doubt about what she would’ve forced me to do.

…

She sees me as a tool. But I’m not going to let anyone take advantage of me like that. Not her, or anyone else.

Louise brought her hand back and pressed it against her heart.

And given that Elis almost caused me to release it, I need to be more careful.

I can’t ever go back. I just can’t.

“Hey, Louise?” The man whispered from beside her. “Are you alright? You seem nervous about something.”

Startled, Louise glanced over at the man before quickly shaking her head. “N- no, it’s nothing. I was just… thinking about things. After all that’s happened, that is.”

“Makes sense.” The man sighed. “This is about your family, after all. I don’t blame you.”

The pair drifted in silence for a moment, matching their pace with Singyoku’s.

I should ask him something, but what? It feels like I always end up having more questions than when I started every time we talk…

“You know, this is a wonderful view.” The man broke the silence, seizing Louise's attention. “Does Makai always look like this?”

Louise glanced upwards, where the familiar blanket of stars danced along the canvas of violet greeted her. Several nebulae lit corners of the horizon like beacons, and auroras snaked through the clouds, casting a multicolored glow in their wake.

Makai must look amazing to someone not used to it, huh?

Louise smiled. “Well, not always. But yes, this is typically how Makai looks. Unfortunately, there’s no proper day-night cycle here in Makai, so we track time by the position of the stars.”

“It’s beautiful.” The man spoke as he looked up, mesmerized by the sky. “I’ll admit, I'm jealous. Gensokyo’s night sky doesn’t even compare.”

Louise couldn’t help but let out a small giggle. “Actually, that’s just the thing. I’m jealous of you.”

“Really?” The man turned her way, a curious expression on his face. “I couldn’t possibly see how you could possibly prefer the sky in Gensokyo to this-”

“It’s the sun.” Louise cut him off. “It’s been years since I’ve seen the sun. Makai’s a pretty dark place because that’s what we Makai demons tend to prefer, but personally, I’d love to see it again.”

“Demons…?” The man’s voice trailed off. “That’s right. You call yourselves demons, don’t you?”

“Hm? Oh, right, I never told you.” Louise floated closer to the man. “Although we call ourselves demons, physiologically, we’re very similar to youkai from Gensokyo. There’s only a couple of small differences between us.”

“Oh? Like what?” The man asked, curiosity brimming in his eyes.

“Well…” Louise thought for a moment. “Unlike Gensokyo youkai, us Makai demons don’t need to eat humans to survive.”

“Huh? Wait, that can’t be right.” The man looked aside and soothed his wounded shoulder. “Why’d that girl try to eat me-”

“It’s not as though we lack the function. We just don’t need to.” Louise hastily explained. “Naturally, since there aren’t any humans in Makai, it wouldn’t make sense for us to need them for our survival. There’s no Human Village here, right?”

“Oh, gotcha.” The man replied under his breath. Louise peered at him briefly, but it was clear that he was avoiding eye contact.

Uh oh. Did I make him uncomfortable?

“...Is something wrong, human?”

“Louise.” The man spoke in a faint voice as he brought his gaze back to Singyoku, following her through a bend in the path. “Have you ever… you know…”

“...Eaten a human?”

Without removing his eyes from the spirit, the man nodded.

Louise sighed as she readjusted her grip on the orb. “No, never. I haven’t met many to begin with, and interestingly enough, I’ve never felt the urge to.”

“Oh. That’s good to know.” The man replied, and though his voice was soft, Louise picked up hints of relief in his voice.

She felt a small smile emerged on her face. It’s only natural that he’d be worried about that, after all.

“In that case, I was wondering…” The man turned as his voice died mid-sentence before clearing his throat and continuing. “When we get out of here, we could… maybe… hang out in Human Village for a bit? I’d be more than happy to show you around.”

Oh, what’s this? This is unexpected.

Louise pondered for a moment. “Hey, human?”

“Y- yeah?” The man replied, his voice wavering with a hint of nervousness despite his best efforts to mask it.

“We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, you know,” Louise remarked. “After all, there’s no guarantee we’ll make it out safely.”

At that instant, the man’s shoulders sagged a tiny amount. “Oh.”

“However…” Louise spoke up, catching his attention. “Provided we get through this together, I would be more than happy to take you up on that offer.”

“Really? That’s-” The man glanced at Louise with a wide smile before pausing and collecting himself. “Well, that’s good.”

“What’s going on back there?” Singyoku called out, just loud enough for both of them to hear her. She was looking back at them over her shoulder with a look of annoyance. “What’s so interesting that you need to discuss it now?”

“It’s nothing.” Louise quickly blurted out as the man averted his gaze from the spirit.

“Well, if it’s nothing, please refrain from talking, you two.” Singyoku brought her face forward again as she spoke. “I need the silence to concentrate and cannot afford distractions, however minor.”

“Understood. It won’t happen again.” Louise spoke quietly as she sped up slightly to bring herself closer to the spirit. The man did the same beside her until they were level with each other.

Just as Louise brought her gaze back toward Singyoku, she noticed the man turn aside and gently pump the air with his fist, and she found herself unable to stifle the smile on her face.

Goodness… Is he really that excited? To think that someone would end up feeling so positively of me and that that someone would be a human, of all things…

Louise took a moment to readjust her hat.

I feel the same way, human.

I’m glad I met you.

Now, where was I?

Singyoku bit her lip as she hovered above the rocky terrain below her, trying her hardest to recount the path she had devised.

I have a good feeling about where we are, but I’ve lost track of my exact position.

This isn’t good. Lecturing those two threw me off. Why’d they have to strike up a conversation when I’m trying to-

Singyoku shook her head. No. Don’t blame others for your shortcomings, Singyoku. If you have time to complain, you have time to figure out where we are.

Singyoku slowed down just enough to get a closer look at her surroundings.

Hm. If I recall correctly, we were somewhere in the last bend we needed to take before reaching the ship. Which means I should head… this way?

Determined, Singyoku picked up speed and focused her steely gaze out onto the horizon, scanning for any sign of the ship.

A moment passed, but nothing appeared. Every second she flew, Singyoku felt more and more concerned.

Where is it?! I’m sure it can’t have been too far away-

Just as Singyoku was about to change direction, the faint silhouette of what appeared to be a set of ruins began to peek through the mist, situated off to her left. As she saw it, Singyoku breathed a very quick sigh of relief and readjusted her course.

There it is! Only slightly off on my estimate, but at this distance, we should be safe to head directly toward the ship. It’s smooth sailing from here on out.

“Hey, there’s the ship!” The man’s voice called out from behind her in a hushed voice. “Louise, look! Over there!”

“I see it!” Louise responded. “We made it-”

Louise’s voice suddenly cut off, alerting Singyoku. Though she didn’t stop moving, she turned around to see what had happened.

Louise had frozen in midair, gazing at the ship with a wide-eyed, fearful look. The man had stopped alongside her, looking at Louise with a confused stare.

What’s going on? Does she see something?

Singyoku immediately hurried back to Louise. “Louise, what-”

“Both of you, get to the ground, now!” Louise hissed as she dived to the ground. The man quickly followed her lead until both had touched down on the rock below.

“Hm?” Singyoku asked aloud as she descended. “Well, if you insist…”

As soon as she landed, she noticed Louise and the man pressing themselves against a small outcropping, peering over the ship.

Singyoku joined them and looked at the ship, unsure of what she was searching for. What did Louise see that got her so spooked-

Just then, she saw the faint outlines of two winged figures standing directly in front of the ship, and she was immediately taken aback.

What’s a patrol doing here?! They weren’t supposed to come this close to the ship! Did one deviate from their pattern?

“Hey, Louise?” The man spoke from beside her. “Those two. Are they-”

“Demons!” Louise whispered back. “There’s a couple of them guarding the ship!”

“Oh, oh, oh, yeah! I see them!” The man pushed himself away from the edge, hiding him from the ship completely. “But why are they here?”

“I…” Singyoku began, and the man and Louise turned silently to look at her. “Sorry. I got temporarily distracted by my excitement about finding the ship. I hadn't noticed the patrol because I wasn’t expecting one. It’s a good thing Louise noticed them while we still had some distance between us.”

“Not good enough, it seems,” Louise replied despondently as she peeked her head out again. “Look.”

Singyoku peered at the ship and focused on the figures. The two appeared to be arguing, with one pointing directly at their position.

Alarmed, Singyoku ducked back. “One of them noticed us!”

“Hey, you two?” The man asked nervously as he glanced between Louise and Singyoku. “What do we do? Should we find somewhere to hide and wait for them to leave?”

“There’s nowhere to hide,” Louise muttered as she continued watching the figures in the distance. “There are little dips and bumps in the ground, and several boulders are lying around, but there’s no actual cover here. If they come over, they’ll spot us right away.”

“Hm…” The man thought aloud as he turned around and scanned the ground around them. Sure enough, Louise’s report was accurate- despite the uneven ground and the boulders that littered the landscape, none offered anything in the way of cover.

All we can do is hope they don’t investigate-

“Well, it looks like we’re not getting lucky,” Louise mumbled. Singyoku pressed herself against the rocks and looked back at the figures, and sure enough, both of them were approaching their location at a steady pace.

So, they’re coming our way. Singyoku turned around and looked behind her. And it’s too late to try and fly away, not that we have anywhere to go…

“Agh, this is so frustrating!” Louise moaned. “If I had my strength and we weren’t trying to be sneaky, I’d be able to deal with them easily! But- Ugh, I don’t know what we’re going to do about this. Singyoku, do you have any ideas?”

Well, it looks like we’re out of alternatives.

Clenching both hands into fists, Singyoku commanded her mana to flow through her arms and took a quick breath. “It looks like we don’t have any other choice now. I’ll have to fight.”

“Wait, what?” Louise asked. “But won’t starting a fight alert every single demon in the area-”

“Yes. And that’s why I’ll have to do this quickly.” Singyoku replied as she glared at the demons coming their way. “After I’m done, we’ll need to get inside the ship and evacuate as quickly as possible.”

“...Very well.” Louise turned aside and pushed back to join the man. “Do what you must.”

Singyoku took another quick breath and closed her eyes. Alright, Singyoku. Just a couple of demons. Eliminate them as quickly and efficiently as possible, and that’s-

“Actually, that might not be necessary.”

Singyoku immediately whipped her head around and saw the man staring back at her. Louise, seated beside him, was looking his way.

“Oh, another one of your ideas?” Singyoku asked. “What is it?”

“All of these rocks.” The man gestured around him. “I just noticed- they’re all black. Very black.”

“...Well?” Singyoku whispered in irritation. “Yes, of course. I can see their color. What about it?”

“There’s also a bunch of these boulders and rocks lying around. With how dark they are, it almost looks like your orb when you increase its size, right?”

Singyoku quickly looked around her, and a smile spread across her face. He’s right, they do look like my orb! I see what he’s getting at!

In haste, Singyoku held out her hand. “Louise, the orb!”

“What’s going on?” Louise asked as she tossed the orb over to Singyoku, who dexterously snatched it from the air. “I still don’t understand. How is the orb going to help-”

The man nudged her and pointed at Singyoku. “Just watch.”

Clasping the orb in both hands, Singyoku willed her stored mana to enter the orb all at once, causing it to rapidly swell up in size until it eclipsed her arm span and fell to the earth like a dome. Good thing I didn’t get rid of that mana. There’s no way I would’ve been able to increase the size this quickly otherwise.

As soon as Singyoku freed her hands from its surface, the man rushed over and pulled at the edge of the orb. Making audible grunts of effort, the man tugged at the orb until his arms turned white.

“W- Wait, human, you can’t lift that,” Singyoku spoke frantically. “At this size, it’s much too heavy for you to-”

Suddenly, the sound of the orb scraping against stone rang out, and the orb began to move along the ground. Having raised the edge several inches off the ground, the man backed up until he found a sharp incline. Ascending it slowly, he laid the orb back down, where it rested. Beneath the orb lay a small alcove on both sides, just large enough for a person to crawl through.

“Agh, that thing’s heavy!” The man immediately brought his hands up and blew on them. Singyoku just marveled at him, and a glance at Louise made it clear that she shared a similar sentiment.

He’s… so strong! Moving something this heavy would give him physical strength on par with a youkai-

“What are you two waiting for? Come on!” The man waved his hand at them before vanishing beneath the orb, leaving Louise and Singyoku together.

Louise turned back toward Singyoku and pointed at the orb. “How did…?”

“Never mind that. Just go.” Singyoku gave Louise a gentle push and watched as she dashed into the opening on the opposite side. Once she had vanished, Singyoku placed her hands on her hips and closed her eyes as her body broke apart into smoke.

You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, human?

Singyoku’s body had vanished completely, and the last few wisps of smoke left behind flowed into the orb’s murky depths.

Hakurei god, please let this work.

Louise scrambled inside the small opening and squeezed herself until her entire body was covered by the orb. As she readjusted herself into a more comfortable position, she saw the single white dot pressing itself against the orb’s flat edge, close to where she was.

Singyoku even thought about that.

“Hey, Louise.” The man spoke in a soft voice. “How are things on your end?”

“It’s pretty… uncomfortable being down here like this, but I’ll manage,” Louise whispered. “You?”

“I’m with you there.” The man whispered back as he shifted his body around. “I wonder if we were fast enough. Hopefully they don’t look too closely.”

Just then, Louise heard a faint pair of voices echoing through the air from somewhere nearby. That must be them.

“Shh. They’re coming.” Louise whispered. The man immediately fell quiet, and the only sound that broke the following silence was that of their breathing.

From above her, Louise could hear the subtle rush of wind of two people flying close by. Okay, here we go. Moment of truth.

As quietly as she could, Louise squirmed around until she freed an arm. Leaning it against the rock at an awkward angle, she cupped her hand around her ear and listened out of the opening.

“You see? There’s nothing here.”

A male demon’s voice…

“Really? But I could’ve sworn…”

And a female demon’s.

“You were imagining things. The other teams have already gone over this area multiple times, and there’s no reason to think the anomaly would be this close to the ship. There’s nothing here.”

“Huh. I suppose you’re right.”

At that moment, Louise permitted herself the tiniest sigh of relief. Oh, good. Looks like we weren’t too late after all.

“Anyways, there’s no reason for us to be here. If the commander sees us neglecting our duty, we’d never hear the end of it.”

“Sure. But don’t you think it’s been a long time now?”

“She will take as much time as she sees fit.” The male demon replied sternly. “We don’t need to worry about her. To my knowledge, none of us have located the anomaly yet, so we should focus on that instead.”

“...It’s just kind of strange, though.” The female demon observed. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen any magic coming from those mountains, yet the commander hasn’t returned. Is it possible that-”

“Watch your tongue.” The male demon cut her off, his voice dripping with animosity. “Absolutely none of the new arrivals were a match for us, much less our commander. Don’t even entertain the idea of such an impossibility.”

A brief pause followed his words, and Louise and the man held their breath in anticipation.

“...You’re right. I misspoke.”

“Let’s go.” The male demon proclaimed. “Time to get back on track.”

No more words were exchanged, and the only thing Louise could hear was the flapping of wings getting quieter until they faded away completely. Even as the sound faded, she remained perfectly still, and the man kept silent alongside her.

Let’s stay here a while, just to be safe.

Louise shifted around and returned her arm to a more comfortable position, and the two of them continued to wait for several minutes.

They must’ve diverted off course to rendezvous with Elis at the ship. Luckily, they don’t know what happened back at the temple, which means she still hasn’t recovered.

Suddenly, Louise felt a poke in her side, and she jolted in surprise.

“Hey, Louise?” The man spoke quietly. “I think it’s safe to leave now. You haven’t heard anything since they left, right?”

Louise took a deep breath. “No, I haven’t. But please don’t do that again.”

“Well, what else was I supposed to do?” The man asked. “I tried asking you multiple times, but you weren’t listening.”

“Ah, I was?” Louise looked sheepishly aside. “Just try a little harder next time.”

“Will do.” The man sighed as he propped himself off the ground. “Anyways, I think I’m going to leave now. I’ve just about had it with hiding beneath this thing.”

Louise watched as he crawled out, kicking up a small cloud of dirt as he stood himself up. “Yeah, I don’t see anything.” The man bent down and looked at her through the opening. “I think we’re in the clear. We should be good to fly straight toward the ship now.”

Louise took a deep breath and smiled before leaning over and crawling out. 

As Louise stood up and brushed off her dress, the man rapped his knuckles against the orb. “Singyoku, you’re good to come out now.”

Puffs of smoke emerged from its surface as Singyoku’s figure manifested beside the orb. After the spirit scanned the sky, she brought her hands to the orb and began shrinking it.

“I think you deserve a little credit, human,” Singyoku said as she glanced in his direction. “You’re quite the quick thinker. Using my orb like this never would’ve occurred to me.”

“I agree,” Louise nodded as she looked at the man. “Honestly, how do you come up with this stuff?”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” The man tucked his arms into his pockets as a smug grin emerged on his face. “I happen to have a lot of experience with quick thinking. It’s part of my occupation, after all-”

The man immediately fell silent as his grin vanished, and he quickly looked aside.

Hm?

“Your… occupation?” Louise pondered for a moment. “What was your occupation, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Uh…” The man lifted his hand and gently tugged at his collar with his finger. “What was it called, again? It’s slipping my mind…”

“Well, describe it to me.” Louise held her hands together and brought them to her lap. “Maybe I can help.”

“Well…” The man looked up to the sky as he spoke. “I’m always out in the public and looking for ways to interact with people in a way that’s both subtle and meaningful. You know, do something that'll stick with them. And since people are all so different, I have to approach everyone in different ways, make different decisions. As a result, I have to make a lot of quick choices-”

“Oh!” Louise exclaimed, interrupting him. “I got it! You’re a street performer, aren’t you?”

“Y- Yes!” The man clapped his hands and pointed at Louise. “That’s it!”

“And that explains that pocket trick of yours!” Louise beamed. “That’s not very common magic, so there’s no wonder the average human villager would be impressed by it- I was wondering why that was the only magic spell you knew!”

“Right on! It’s an essential part of my job, it opens the door to a bunch of possibilities.” The man grinned as he tugged at the collar of his shirt again. “Anyways, enough about me. Let’s get to the ship, shall we?”

As the man took to the air, Singyoku turned around and passed the orb over to Louise. As she did so, Louise caught sight of a small frown on the spirit’s face.

Hm? What’s bothering Singyoku?

“Street performer, huh?” Singyoku muttered at an almost inaudible volume. Louise held the orb tightly as she saw the spirit lift off the ground.

What’s the matter? Does she not like street performers?

Singyoku drifted past me to take the lead. Behind me, Louise floated from the ground, her free hand resting a finger on her lower lip as though she were deep in thought.

That was way too close. Good thing Louise seems to have bought it.

As the three of us made our way to the ship, I envisioned myself back on the streets in the Human Village performing party tricks for passersby and couldn’t help but smirk at the thought.

Me, a street performer? What an idea!

Not long after, we found ourselves directly beside the ship, a towering edifice of metal which, from up close, no longer resembled a set of ruins.

“The entrance is on the opposite side,” Singyoku said as she floated along the ship's side, keeping herself low enough to hide beneath the ship’s curvature. “Come on.”

Louise looked around quickly before following Singyoku, and I followed suit. The three of us shimmied along the vessel’s surface until we had passed what resembled its hull.

Just then, I noticed something a short distance away from us. It appeared somewhat fuzzy, with the occasional edge jutting from its surface. A large, dark red blot emerged from beneath it, causing the nearby rocks to glisten in the dim glow from the stars above.

Wait, what is that thing?

“Louise,” Singyoku turned around to face her as all of us came to a stop. “I’m curious. Would you happen to know what that thing over there is?”

“Hm?” Louise leaned over and peeked at it. “Oh! That’s the eye Shinki must've planted to watch the ship. I shot it down a while ago.”

“Wait, what?” I asked in disbelief. “That’s the eye? That looks nothing like how it was when we left! It’s like it decayed-”

“It was one of Shinki’s constructs,” Louise explained as she turned in my direction. “Whenever one of Shinki’s creations perishes in Makai, its essence breaks apart and disperses into the ether, where it eventually finds its way back to her. This allows her to create life anew or recreate it if she so pleases. Whatever gets left behind rots away, leaving no trace. Not long from now, this eye’s remains will vanish completely.”

“Thank you, Louise. That was highly informative.” Singyoku remarked as she turned around and continued moving. “Anyways, the entrance is right here, and I was wondering if it was a trap of some kind. In that case, let’s get inside.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Louise spoke cheerfully as she caught up with the spirit. Though I began to move after them, I hesitated to take another look at what was left of the eye.

Its ‘essence breaks apart’? Just for Shinki’s creations, huh?

I continued floating toward my destination but maintained eye contact. That must be why the wheel demon broke apart into lights as she died while the kappa just kind of vanished. Anything from Gensokyo doesn’t qualify for her cycle of death and rebirth, it seems.

Once I made it to the entrance, I gripped the opening and yanked myself in. As soon as I was fully inside the ship, I dropped to the ground and gave the Makai landscape one last scan, taking a moment to appreciate the view.

At the sight, I couldn’t help but smile. I can’t believe we pulled that off! All of us, back here in one piece-

A spark suddenly erupted right next to me, and my heart leaped into my throat. I jumped up and stumbled back into the room, brandishing my pistol at whatever had caused the disturbance.

The light switch just beside the entryway briefly crackled with electricity, emitting several sparks, and the miniature shower of light drifted to the ground before fading away.

I clutched my chest and tucked away my pistol. Holy shit, don’t do that to me-

“What are you doing?” Singyoku’s voice came from above me, and I turned around. Both Louise and the spirit had made their way up the stairs and were looking down at me. Singyoku returned a confused look to me as she held onto the railing with one hand. Conversely, Louise was looking off to the side pressing a fist to her lips, visibly trying her hardest not to laugh.

“Come on, human.” Singyoku gestured to the door in front of her. “We need to get to the bridge. There’s no telling if another patrol’s going to come this way.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I shook my head and gathered my thoughts. “I’ll be right there.”

Singyoku and Louise twisted the valve on the hatch and entered just as I made my way down the path, between the shattered pillars of glass and under the dim light of the moon-shaped lamp in the ceiling.

As I ascended the stairs, I allowed the relief to set in once more.

It’s good to be back.

As I reached the top stair, I saw that Singyoku had graciously left the hatch open for me. Slipping myself inside, I continued down the passage and up to the destroyed hatch. Just as I passed the closet, I saw Louise and Singyoku standing on either side of a hatch on the opposite end of the room. Louise's head was tilted off to the side, while Singyoku appeared to be studying it completely.

What’s up with them?

Turning my way, Louise beckoned me with her hand, so I ducked through the hole and made my way across the room. As I drew close, Singyoku turned around and looked at the room with an expression of unease. “You know…” The spirit spoke as she pointed at the vacant center of the room. “I don’t think this room is supposed to be this empty. Isn’t there supposed to be some device over there?”

“What?” Louise asked, confused. “A device?”

I thought back to my encounter with the wheel demon and raised an eyebrow. How does she know about that?

“Well, never mind.” Singyoku shook her head. “I suppose it’s not important for our purposes.”

“If you say so.” Louise shrugged as she brought her attention back to the hatch. “Now what are we supposed to do about this?”

I leaned in and squinted. Beside the hatch’s frame was a label with the word Bridge imprinted on it, and along its surface was a small keypad. The keys featured all ten digits alongside the cancel and enter buttons, and a small light strip was fixed directly above them.

“An added layer of security, huh?” I asked aloud. “That’s going to be a problem.”

“I didn’t even know about this. Good thing you didn’t listen to me back there, or else you would’ve been in serious trouble even if you made it past all the patrols somehow.” Louise looked over at me. “That aside, what should we do?”

“Uh…” I held a hand up to my forehead. “The diary said that she and the other girl-”

“Chiyuri Kitashirakawa and Okazaki Yumemi.” Louise quickly interjected. Singyoku turned her way, visibly intrigued.

“Yeah. Anyways, that was the captain and her assistant, so there’s no doubt that they knew the code. Maybe they wrote it down somewhere?”

“Oh, good idea.” Louise clasped her hands together and nodded. “I can start looking through Chiyuri’s office.”

“In that case, I’ll take Yumemi’s-”

“No need.” Singyoku declared, and me and Louise froze in place.

“What do you mean, Singyoku?” Louise asked curiously. “Do you have something else in mind?”

“Hm…” Singyoku muttered to herself, lost deep in thought. “What was it?”

“Singyoku?” I asked cautiously as I stepped up to her, but she lifted a hand to dissuade me from coming any closer.

“Let’s see… hmm…” Singyoku brought her other hand up to cradle her forehead as she focused intensely on the keypad.

For several seconds, the room was dead silent, and nobody said a word.

“...Ten digits.” Singyoku suddenly said aloud. “I’m certain it was ten digits long.”

“What? There’s no way you could know something like that.” Louise spoke with a hint of frustration. “And even if it was, how does that help us? That still leaves us with ten billion possibilities-”

“Okay, let’s see here.” Singyoku interrupted as she hunched over and stared down the keypad. “It was one… two… two… nine…”

Louise and I watched the spirit poke away at the keypad in amazement, completely lost for words.

“One… nine… nine… seven… five…”

Suddenly, Singyoku leaned back and let out a sigh. “...Well, shoot. What was the last digit again?”

“Singyoku, it’s just one number, isn’t it?” I asked. “Can’t you just try every possibility?”

“No, I don’t want to do that.” The spirit quickly shook her head. “The door might temporarily lock us out if we input the wrong passcode. Ah, what was it?”

I leaned against the wall beside the hatch. “Well, in that case, do you have any idea what the last digit is? Any at all?”

“Well, I’m sure it’s a digit I haven’t used in the code yet.” Singyoku looked into my eyes. “I don’t have anything else to go off of. Sorry, human.”

Wait, that works out.

I pushed myself off the wall and began observing the keypad. “No need to apologize. I might be able to work with that.”

“Work with that, human?” The spirit spoke from behind me. “In that case, be my guest.”

Squinting, I pressed my face close to the keypad and observed it as best as I could. A new digit … that means it’s not one, two, five, seven, or nine.

I scanned over the remaining keys in great detail until I noticed a very subtle difference on one of the keys- its face seemed slightly more worn than its other numbers.

I smiled to myself and took a step back. Just as I thought. It’s a good thing they didn’t bother changing the password around often.

“It’s a three.” I declared as I pointed at the keypad, glancing between Singyoku and Louise. “That key’s been used more than the others.”

“Huh!” Singyoku leaned forward and looked at the keypad for herself before taking a step back and nodding. “You’re right. Human, you’re far more observant than I took you to be.”

“Pardon me, but how do you even know this?!” Louise spoke up. “There’s no reason a spirit that’s been guarding the gate between Makai and Gensokyo should know about some random code!”

“Oh, that’s right. I never told you about my ability to probe people’s minds.” Singyoku held out her hand before Louise, flipping it both ways. “Whenever I lay a hand on someone’s head, I can glimpse into their mind provided they allow me to do so.”

“I… did not know that,” Louise spoke softly as she brought her gaze to the floor. “So you did that to someone who knew the code?”

“Precisely,” Singyoku affirmed. “I do it to everyone who wishes to pass through the gate. That way, I can determine the quality of their motive for entering Gensokyo. Sometimes, however, I pull a little more information than is necessary.”

Wait, what? I looked over at Singyoku in alarm, but she wasn’t paying any attention to me.

“Oh, so those footprints just outside the temple!” Louise said excitedly. “That must’ve been Chiyuri and Yumemi!”

“Those two humans, yes. The proper owners of this vessel.” Singyoku’s smile vanished as she spoke. “Regardless, I looked into the blonde girl’s mind and saw memories of her performing her duties on this very ship. One such memory involved her punching in this code to access the bridge.”

She can remember things like that?! I felt a pit forming in my stomach and slinked over to the wall for support. But that would mean-

“Right, right. But, about them being the owners of this ship… we didn’t have much choice, you know?” Louise broke eye contact with Singyoku and brought her gaze low.

“...I suppose not.” Singyoku begrudgingly mumbled after a moment’s hesitation.

The three of us stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment while my mind raced with the implication behind Singyoku’s words. If she can pull something as minute as a keycode from someone’s memories, how much does she know about me?!

…

I should leave.

Taking the initiative, I reached over and punched in the last digit, followed by the enter key. The light just above the keypad flashed green as an audible unlocking sound broke the silence. Gripping the valve, I gave it several firm twists until the hatch swung open.

Before us stood a stairway leading up into a room shrouded in darkness. Small lights lined each step, revealing the path ahead.

Grateful for an excuse to exit the room, I stepped inside and looked around for a switch but found none. Is it further inside?

As I checked the wall a second time, Louise slipped past me and began making her way up. ”Come on now, let’s pick up the pace.”

I glanced back at Singyoku, who gestured at me to go ahead of her. Turning around, I stepped up two stairs at a time until I was right behind Louise.

While ascending the stairs, I curled my hands into fists. Anger rose in my chest, and I took several deep breaths in an attempt to quell it.

I don’t know what you saw, but my memories are none of your damn business, Singyoku. If I’d known you could just see my whole past on a whim, I never would’ve agreed to let you see into my head!

Just then, we made it to the top of the stairs. In front of us was a large, circular platform that pulsed weakly with a dull shade of white. It was the only light in the room, barely producing enough light to illuminate the nearby handrail that encircled it.

“What is that?” Louise whispered as she looked at me, and I shrugged.

“Who knows? That might turn on the lights. Try stepping on it.”

“Alright…” Louise's voice trailed off as she stuck out one foot and gently lowered it onto the platform.

As soon as she stepped on the panel, an entire light array activated, basking the room in a warm, orange glow. The whole room buzzed with a low, ambient humming sound as it came to life. Two short flights of stairs led from the platform, one on the left and the other on the right. Both led to a walkway bordered by a handrail that stretched out in a large semicircle, with several seats affixed in front of monitors along its upper edge. Each path contained a miniature staircase of its own, descending into a smaller area with several desks arranged neatly in a circle. Situated on each one were monitors, several of which were busy printing lines of text too small for me to discern. On the far end of the room, the inner circle opened up into an alcove with a pair of chairs seated in front of an expansive window, accompanied by a vast array of equipment set up along the desks and walls.

This is straight out of a science fiction novel. How’d the outside world produce something like this? This is way ahead of its time!

“Woah,” Louise gawked at the room before her. “What is all this?”

“Hm…” I glanced around the room to absorb the details. “Well, judging from the look of the room, whoever’s in charge would probably be at this platform giving orders to the crew. These seats in the outside ring are probably for handling various components of the ship. That inner circle is likely for navigation, and those seats on the far side are for piloting.”

“I see,” Louise muttered, still starstruck by the display. “So I guess we should go over there, then.”

“What’s keeping you two?” Singyoku asked as she hovered up behind us. “We mustn’t delay- let’s get out of here.”

“Right!” Louise said as I glued my eyes to the floor. Singyoku meanwhile, floated straight past us and glided down beside the pilot’s seat.

You’re not impressing anyone, spirit.

Louise turned aside and made her way down the nearest set of stairs, and I ran up to accompany her. Louise turned every which way as we walked, taking the time to admire every monitor we walked past.

“Trying to soak it all in?” I asked as we descended to the inner circle.

“Well, it’s just-” Louise flung her hands up. “I don’t understand the first thing about what I’m looking at here. It’s all just so new to me.”

“Hey, if it’s any consolation, I don’t get it either-”

“But that’s the thing!” Louise looked back at me and nudged my arm. “If you don’t understand it either, there’s no way I could’ve expected you to escape and fly the ship!”

“You don’t need to bring that up anymore, you know.” I quickly spoke up. “There’s no point in worrying about what could’ve happened when it didn’t.”

“But-” Louise began before turning away, her voice fading. “I would’ve sent you to certain doom. Am I not allowed to feel a little guilty?”

“Hey, Louise.” I walked just a little faster to get a better look at her face. “You’re focusing on the wrong thing. All that matters is everything worked out in the end.”

“I-” Louise looked into my eyes before shaking her head. “...You’re right. Never mind.”

“That’s more like it.” I smiled at Louise as we walked up to where Singyoku stood. “I’m counting on you, partner.”

Louise’s eyes gleamed as a wide smile spread across her face. “Likewise.”

Singyoku coughed, and both of us brought our attention back to her. “Are you two done chatting?”

Louise nodded silently. Forcing a smile, I did the same.

“Very good. Anyways, here’s how things are going to go.” Singyoku leaned her arm on the headrest. “I’m going to fly the ship.”

“You?!” Louise exclaimed.

“Thanks to having probed the blonde girl’s mind, I acquired a… Well, let’s call it a ‘general understanding’ of how to pilot the ship. Some of the details are a little fuzzy, but I feel as though this makes me the most qualified person for this task.” Singyoku said flatly. “But if either of you want to give it a try, I won’t complain.”

“No, no, no. That’s all right. You can fly.” I quickly responded while Louise shook her head vehemently.

“Good.” Singyoku lifted her arm from the headrest and slipped into the seat. “Louise, please strap the orb in the other seat, if you would.”

“R- right!” Louise said as she rushed over to the copilot’s seat.

“All that aside, this should be a short trip. We’ll make a beeline towards our destination and land a short distance away so it’s not immediately obvious where our destination is.” Singyoku spoke as she began flipping switches. A monitor in front of her flickered briefly before booting up, displaying the ship’s diagnostics. “Once we do, we’ll make our way over to my other half, and we’ll be able to contact Reimu through the complete yin-yang orb once we do.”

“The other half of the yin-yang orb?” Louise finished fastening the orb in place and stepped back. “But how do you know where to go?”

“I am the embodiment of yin.” Singyoku leaned back in her chair, her horns bumping against the headrest as she did so. “ As such, a tiny piece of my other half- the yang- exists within me. The two of us are bound to one another, and we can feel each other’s presence. I don’t need to know where he is to find him- I can simply intuit it.”

“That’s handy,” Louise commented. “So is that really all there is to it?”

“Just about.” Singyoku got herself strapped in. “Both of you, head back over there and get strapped in. Liftoff is going to be bumpy.”

As the two of us made our way over to the inner circle, I glared at the back of Singyoku’s seat. She was busy flipping switches and exploring the monitor until it brought up a blinking radar scanner.

“Nobody nearby. That’s good.” Singyoku muttered to herself.

I took a step towards Singyoku and reached out one hand. You’re going to tell me what you saw when you looked into my head, you stupid spirit-

Before I could get closer, Singyoku fidgeted in her seat, and I froze in place. She didn’t reach out to flip another switch for several seconds, and when she did, my eyes grew wide.

She was doing her best to hide it, but it was unmistakable- she was trembling.

…

Just then, Singyoku mumbled something. It was so quiet the ambient humming nearly drowned it out, but I was just able to make out her words. Her words lacked the confidence and authority I had come to know from Singyoku- the voice I heard was much more apprehensive, almost fearful.

“O Hakurei god, be my guide.”

Slowly I brought my hand down and walked over to the inner circle, where Louise was already seated. Well, I’ll worry about that later.

Sitting down in the seat closest to Louise, I fumbled around with the belt before securely fastening myself in place. Looking up, I made eye contact with Louise. The orb was nestled in her arms and an unyielding look of determination was written across her face.

“The area around the ship is clear,” Singyoku spoke up. “We’re ready to leave at any moment now. Are both of you ready?”

“We’re ready.” Both of us spoke up.

“Very well.” Singyoku flipped a couple more switches before hovering her hand over a large button on the dashboard. “Let’s do this.”

Chapter Text

The ship lurched as the engines roared to life, nearly whipping me out of my seat. I planted my feet firmly on the floor and flung out my hands, clinging to the desk before me. Louise had a similar idea- she leaned forward, her uninjured arm wound around the closest equipment array.

Here we go…

“Hang on tight, you two!” Singyoku shouted, her voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the engines. “We’re ready to lift off!”

As though to prove her point, the room immediately began to shake, tugging me around haphazardly as the sound of the engines rose to a crescendo.

“Can’t you control this thing a little more smoothly?!” I yelled at the top of my lungs as a queasy sensation rose in my stomach.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you clearly, sorry!” Singyoku shouted back.

“Can’t you-” I began to repeat myself but decided against it, deeming it not worth the effort.

“It’s going to take a little while before we can reach top speed! It’s unsafe to accelerate super quickly with that hole in the ship!” Singyoku yelled out as she flipped several more switches and pressed a large button situated directly in the center of the dashboard. The entire room trembled, and I could feel myself getting pushed into the seat of my chair a bit stronger than normal. “I’m going to have to build up speed for a bit, so it might get bumpy!”

“Thanks, Singyoku!” Louise called out, and I turned to look at her.

She was leaning forward, pressing against the desk with one hand. Her eyes were tired and reflected a sense of weariness, as though burdened by the weight of her thoughts.

I hope she’s doing alright.

Lowering my gaze, I got a clear look at her left arm- Louise kept it dangled off the chair, hanging limply at her side. A ring of angry blisters encased her hand and trailed up her forearm, and the rest of her skin was splotched with burns, coloring her forearm a combination of bright red and ashy white.

Instinctively, I winced and turned away. Louise’s injury… I didn’t pay much attention to it earlier and it was too dark for me to get a good look back in that cave, but that’s much worse than I thought.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Louise sitting back up in her chair and turning my way.

“Hey, partner? What’s the matter?” Louise called out to me, and I forced myself to lock my gaze on her face. “Are you not feeling well?”

That’s what I should be asking you!

“No, no, I’m fine!” I raised my voice to a near shout. “I’m wondering, though, how are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh, this’ll be fine!” Louise raised her voice over the sound of the engines as she gestured to her limp arm, and I resisted the urge to look at it again. “I just need it to rest for a bit! Once I build up my mana again, it’ll be as good as new! Don’t underestimate the healing factor of a youkai!”

That’s… not what I meant.

“How about you?” Louise cocked her head aside and looked at my shoulder. “How are you holding up?”

“Oh, it’s no big deal,” I turned aside to look at my arm. “I don’t think-”

Huh? My injury…

I quickly scanned my shoulder looking for a bite mark but found none. The only evidence that anything had happened there at all was a dull ache and a minor discoloration where I had been bitten alongside the presence of several dried-up bloodstains.

This is just like back when I was in that jail cell. My wounds vanished, just like that. Really, though, what’s going on here?

“Partner?” Louise looked directly into my eyes as she spoke, snapping me out of it. “How’s it feel?”

“Oh! Sorry!” I loosened the muscles in my arm and brought it to rest on the table in front of me as I looked back at her. “Yeah, I think it’s almost good now! It seems to have mostly taken care of itself!”

Louise gave me a small smile. “That’s what I expected! That’s good to hear-”

“Woah!”

Both of us turned and looked outside the windshield, where a dizzying array of red bullets suddenly tore through the darkness.

Demons! They’re already here-

Singyoku slammed her hand on one of the buttons in front of her, and the entire ship lurched left. Louise nearly collided with the dashboard as I lost my grip on the desk and rag-dolled around in my chair, the belts being the only thing preventing me from flying into the nearest station.

“Sorry!” Singyoku apologized. “Had to perform an evasive maneuver! Luckily it looks like it just skimmed past us!”

“Singyoku, enough messing around! We have to leave right now!” I yelled as I collapsed back into my chair and tightened the belts around me.

“I told you, I can’t! If I were to suddenly jump up to top speed right now, it’d be catastrophic!” Singyoku quickly yelled back. “The good news is that we’ve already made considerable progress, but I’ll need several more minutes!”

“What?!” I yelled back incredulously. “Minutes? How are we going to last that long-”

“I don’t know, okay?! I’m doing my best here!” Singyoku shouted frustratedly as she spun something around in her hands, causing the ship to lightly list back to the right.

Just as I was about to retort, Louise placed her hand on my shoulder, and I froze and looked at her. Noticing from my peripheral vision that it was her injured arm, I did my best to not glance over at it.

“Partner, just let her be,” Louise looked directly into my eyes as she spoke. “She’s doing her best.”

“Her best isn’t going to get us out of here alive,” I grumbled as I looked away from her. “From where I’m sitting, her stalling around like this is going to get us killed.”

“Well, why don’t we help her, then?”

“Huh? ‘Help her’?” I looked back at Louise for confirmation, who met my gaze with an expression of resounding sincerity.

“Well, think about it.” Louise gestured at several of the monitors around us, scrolling with text. “All of these screens are displaying information, right? Why can’t we use that information to help her?”

“Well, because none of that stuff is relevant to our situation here.” I gingerly pried Louise’s arm from my shoulder and leaned forward, resting my arms on the desk in front of me. “How are we going to relay useful information to Singyoku if we don’t have anything useful to relay?”

“You said it yourself, didn’t you?” Louise asked me in earnest. “This desk here is for navigation. We might be able to find something useful from this, right?”

I paused and looked down at the desk around me. Contrary to several of the monitors around us, our station was fully inactive. The monitors in front of me and Louise were completely dark. Wires were feeding into the table, but a shutter was stretched across its surface, preventing me from seeing where they led.

Huh. I did say something like that, didn’t I?

“...Okay.” I quickly nodded to Louise. “You’re right. We might find something useful here. But there’s no guarantee I’ll be able to figure this out.”

“You think you’re lost?” Louise turned away from me and shook her head, the faintest sliver of a smile pursed between her lips. “I have zero clue what all this stuff is. You’re going to have to be the guide here.”

“Alright, fine. Uh…” I quickly scanned around for a power button but found nothing on the dashboard. Feeling around for one, my fingers eventually made contact with a bump from beneath the desk.

“There you are,” I grunted as I pressed the button. With a loud click, I felt the button slide securely into place.

Suddenly, the desk’s shutter unfurled to reveal a glassy, circular surface covering the area just beyond the dashboard. Beneath the surface, three equidistant projectors activated and cast their light upward. A mechanical appendage holding a fourth projector hanging from the ceiling clicked and whirred to life before shining its light directly downward. At the point where the four projector lights intersected, a hazy cyan cylindrical outline of light rose from the glass.

“Woah…” Louise marveled. “What is this?”

The three lower projectors began to gyrate in revolutions, sliding along the interior wall where they were held. As they moved, the cylinder of light broke apart as a set of grids formed, creating a wireframe mesh that quickly weaved itself into an oblong shape. With every second, the shape became more and more defined, until-

“Human, look!” Louise pointed at the shape. “It’s the ship!”

Before she finished her sentence, the shape had already assumed its complete shape, creating a highly detailed replica of the ship floating in midair.

“Huh,” I spoke as I kept my eyes glued to the figure. “You’re right.”

“This is so cool!” Louise reached out her left hand and swiped at the image. To her surprise, her hand passed right through it, and she stared at it in awe. “What is this thing? How’s it floating like that?”

“That’s a hologram,” I explained. “The technical stuff is a bit tricky to describe, but basically, it’s a trick that uses light to create an image of something that’s not really there. I’ve never seen one for myself until now, though.”

“Wow…” Louise uttered as she admired the hologram with the wonder of a child. “Pulling something like this off…”

I couldn’t help but smile at the sight. You know, for a ‘demon’, she’s actually kind of cute.

Just then, the screen in front of me suddenly began to buzz and flicker, and I leaned forward to observe it. A massive box of text began scrolling past, displaying boot diagnostics. The monitor in front of Louise was behaving identically, capturing her attention.

“Hey, partner,” Louise glanced up at me. “What’s-”

Suddenly, the entire ship jolted to the right. Louise snatched the desk just in time, but the movement nearly flung me out of the belts fastening me to my chair, almost sending me directly into Louise.

“Are you two okay?!” Singyoku shouted back at both of us. “Sorry about that, there was another attack! How’s it going back there?”

“We’re fine!” Louise called back as I seated firmly back into my chair. The same sick sensation flared up in my stomach again, and I hunched directly in front of my monitor as I caught my breath. I think I’m gonna be sick…

“Human. Sorry to interrupt whatever it is you’re doing down there, but what do we do from here?” Louise called out from beside me. With shaky breath, I brought my gaze up and glanced between my monitor and Louise’s to ensure they were the same.

Well, at least this makes things easier.

My monitor was buzzing with activity. A wireframe of the ship identical to that of the hologram was displayed prominently front and center in the middle of the screen, while text scrolled along both sides of the image. An alert of some kind popped up and flashed on the screen, displaying a warning for the hole in the ship’s hull. Displayed along the monitor was a collection of blinking lights, each assigned its own tag.

“What does all of this mean?” Louise watched her screen until the notification disappeared. “I can’t make sense of this. It looks like it’s talking about ‘magic signatures’, but what does that even mean?”

“Well,” I spoke through gritted teeth as I held onto the desk for balance and looked up at the hologram of the ship. “This ship was built to search for magic, wasn’t it? It’s no surprise that they’d try to pick up sources of magic nearby. Those must be the demons outside.”

“That’s true!” Louise’s face lit up. “Does that mean-”

Another sudden lurch threw the two of us off balance, but we were better prepared than before. Paying the windshield a quick glance, Louise looked back at me. “Does that mean we can use this to warn Singyoku if she’s heading into trouble?”

“It… should?” I squinted up at the hologram. “I mean, I don’t see why not. Luckily, from the looks of things, we’re at a point where it’s hard for the demons to catch up with us now.”

Just then, an alert popped up on our screens, and another blinking light emerged off in the distance directly in front of the ship.

“...Yes, just like this!” Louise looked at me with a wide-eyed look. “It’s telling me about a new source of magic somewhere nearby! But how do I get more details on it?”

“Try tapping it.” I gestured toward the screen with my head, unwilling to let go of the desk. “It should give you a more detailed report.”

Louise tilted her head. “Pardon?”

“Tap it?” I looked at her, confused. “Did I say something strange-”

A loud bang suddenly propagated throughout the entire ship, and everything around us shuddered as Singyoku veered off-course once more.

“I didn’t see that one, sorry!” Singyoku yelled out.

If this keeps up, we’ll go down!

“Louise!” I shouted as I brought myself upright once more. “Have you-”

Louise was glued to the monitor in front of her, ignoring me entirely. She was tapping away at the screen, navigating through an assortment of menus with an enthralled look on her face.

Well, at least someone’s having fun…

“Human, you have to see this!” Louise brought her gaze up to the hologram, her finger still firmly pressed against the screen. “Look at that!”

In front of us, the hologram rotated and spun around in midair, perfectly in sync with Louise sliding her finger along the screen.

“This is crazy!” Louise spoke with a wondrous look on her face. “What kind of witchcraft is this?”

“Yes, yes, it’s very impressive stuff,” I replied with as much enthusiasm as I could muster, which proved to be rather halfhearted. “Look, just tap on the blinking light.”

“Oh, alright,” Louise replied dejectedly as she peeled her eyes away from the hologram and tapped on the light. “Here you go.”

At once, the hologram of the ship vanished, and the projectors whirred and clicked. Another wireframe mesh took its place, eventually forming a pair of humanoid blobs with wings. Their arms were outstretched and planted together, aimed directly toward the ship’s relative position. Seconds later, the projectors all flashed with a glimmer of light and the cyan wireframe took on an array of colors. The figures’ wings darkened to a shade of indigo, while their arms adopted a striking hue of scarlet. Their hands were even brighter, taking on a pure white.

“Oh, so that must be a magic heatmap.” I pointed out as I watched the fuzzy outline of the figure wobble slightly. “As we thought, that’s a pair of demons charging up an attack. Louise, this works out in our favor because we can warn Singyoku ahead of time. Let’s- Louise?”

I turned back to Louise, who had her attention glued back onto the hologram. A glossy look had taken over her eyes, and a goofy smile had spread itself across her face.

“So… cool…” Louise mumbled under her breath.

“Louise? Hey, Louise!” I snapped at her, causing her to lean back and blink rapidly.

“Huh? Oh! S- Sorry.” Slightly embarrassed, Louise tore her gaze away from me and looked aside.

“Don’t get distracted. I’m going to look for more magic signatures to watch out for.” I brought my attention back to the monitor and began scrolling around. “In the meantime, you pay attention to that hologram. When it fires, tell Singyoku to swerve.”

“Got it.” Biting her lip, Louise focused intensely on the hologram, observing every fluctuation in the heatmap.

Just then, a sudden burst of activity emerged on my screen, and I quickly skimmed over the text that emerged.

Let’s see here… Another signature, further up from us. There’s a bit of distance between this and-

“SINGYOKU!” Louise yelled at the top of her lungs, causing me to practically jump out of my chair. “GO LEFT!”

“Huh?!” Singyoku tried to turn around but stopped when her horn got caught on the headrest. “What-”

“JUST DO IT!” Louise screamed, and Singyoku immediately obliged. The entire ship leaned to the side, and the two of us were tossed around in our chairs.

Suddenly, another flurry of bullets appeared in the windshield. They were approaching us at an angle, which, thanks to the ship’s tilt, was too sharp to hit us head-on. The distant crackle of magic came and went, and the sky fell back into darkness.

The figures in the hologram turned their heads to look at us as our ship moved. Their bodies grew darker until they fizzled out, and the wireframe of the ship reemerged to take their place.

Singyoku righted the ship in silence and cleared her throat. “Thanks for that. Did you two figure something out back there?”

“Yes!” Louise affirmed, and I could hear a slight touch of smugness in her voice. “We’ve found a way to see where the demons are attacking from!”

“Oh, good!” Singyoku straightened up in her chair. “That’ll make things much easier. Just- you don’t have to yell so loud, you know? Next time, a regular shout will do just fine.”

“Oh. Uh, sure thing!” Louise called back and looked back over to me. “Anyways, that’s that. Did you find anything?”

“Yeah. Louise, I’m picking another signal here.” I spoke as I tapped on the monitor, displaying another pair of demons. “I think there are demons not too far ahead. Are you seeing this?”

“Uh…” Louise quickly brought her attention up to the hologram and watched as their bodies formed. “Yeah, I see them. This time they seem to be on our left, don’t they?”

“I think so, yeah. That’s an important detail.” I spoke as my eyes flicked down to the screen to cross-examine the details. “Anyways, just do the same thing-”

“Singyoku!” Louise called out as she pressed a hand beside her mouth. “Turn right!”

Already?! It’s a good thing Louise was paying attention-

“Thank you!” Singyoku gave us confirmation as she swiftly directed the entire ship to the right. Clamping down on the desk in front of me, I watched as another volley of magic swept past the windshield entirely.

As the hologram vanished, Singyoku brought the ship level again. “We’re almost out, by the way! Just a little more!”

Louise pumped her arms into the air as I let out a sigh of relief.

We’re actually going to escape. This is really happening!

“Partner, did you hear that?” Louise spoke excitedly. “We’re going to make it! We’ll be able to contact the Hakurei soon!”

“Sure did,” I grinned at Louise. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s continue to look out, just in case.”

“Oh, of course,” Louise leaned back in her chair. “But with this hall-oh-gram, or whatever you called this thing, it’ll be a piece of cake.”

Just then, another blinking light emerged on the computer, and I swiftly tapped on the notification that emerged. Just as before, the ship vanished, and projectors got to work creating a new wireframe.

“Another one? They don’t know when to give up, do they?” Louise folded her hands in front of her and sighed. “Well, whatever. I can do this all day.”

The wireframe came into focus, revealing yet another demon. It was performing the same behavior as the last couple, only this time it was acting independently.

“Hey, Louise?” I asked, pointing up at the hologram. “Why’s there only one this time?”

“...Huh.” Louise scratched her chin. “That’s unusual. They should be traveling in pairs. Where’s the other one?”

I looked back up at the hologram and pondered. Is the other one not attacking? The computer’s not picking up any other magic signatures.

“Well, it’s probably not a big deal,” Louise quickly asserted. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but if the other one doesn’t feel like attacking, I have no complaints.”

“Hm,” I grunted aloud as I double-checked for more magic signatures. “Yeah, it’s probably no big deal. The demon’s on our left again, by the way.”

“Got it.” Louise nodded as she focused on the figure above.

After a brief check revealed nothing, I looked back up at the figure of the solitary demon and stared at it.

I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this. I don’t like not knowing where both demons are.

Why are you alone?

Right then, the heatmap shifted in color, the figure’s arms flying apart as the magic left their body.

“Singyoku, right!” Louise called out, and the spirit wasted no time sending us into a sharp banking maneuver. A burst of magic sailed past the windshield harmlessly, just as before.

“Well, that’s that.” Louise pressed herself firmly into her seat as the ship began to right itself. “That wasn’t-”

Suddenly, a burst of activity erupted on my screen, and I glanced back over at the monitor. Another blinking light appeared on the display.

Oh, so this must be that other demon. Let’s see here…

As the ship righted itself once more, I looked closer and frowned.

That signature’s right next to our ship! How did it-

Frantically, I attempted to tap at the dot, but the signature vanished before my finger made contact with the screen.

“Partner? Partner, what’s going on?” Louise asked me with a hint of worry in her voice.

I pushed myself back up into my seat. “...I know where that other demon was now.”

“Really? Where was it?” Louise glanced back up at the hologram of the ship. “Just bring it up here and I’ll-”

“No. No, Louise, it’s not like that.” I shook my head as beads of cold sweat began to form along my forehead. “They caught on to what we were doing.”

“Wh- What do you mean?” Louise glanced back at me, concerned. “What happened?”

“That demon knew we were going to dodge, so it acted as a decoy. The other one hid itself by not using magic, waiting for the right opportunity.”

“Opportunity…?” Louise echoed.

“When the ship turned, its left side lifted into the air. When that happened, I saw a magic signature appear just outside the side of the ship. As in, the side with the hole in it.”

“Oh! Oh, no.” Louise’s expression shifted into a fearful look. “You don’t mean…”

“Someone got in.”

Louise glanced back up at the platform looming over us. When she spoke, her voice was considerably weaker than before.

“...Are you certain?”

“One hundred percent.”

Louise turned back around to me and took a deep breath. “...What should we do?”

I pressed my hands and kneaded them together, absentmindedly staring off to the side.

A demon managed to breach the ship. Luckily, the only way inside is locked and the door’s very thick, so I don’t think it’d be able to break inside- at least, not quickly.

In that case, would it be okay to leave it as is? As long as we’re inside the bridge-

No, I don’t like that idea. Though we’re safe in here for now, we’ll get ambushed as soon as we try to leave. Normally, a single demon wouldn’t be any cause for concern, but…

My eyes fell upon Louise’s arm.

…

“Partner?” Louise asked in a soft voice, and I brought my gaze up to match hers. “What are you thinking?”

Louise isn’t in any condition to fight, and Singyoku is busy. That only leaves me.

“Partner?” Louise repeated, her eyes reflecting more concern by the second.

“...Louise.” I brought my hands up to my chest and began unfastening the seatbelts binding me to the chair. “I’ll go take care of it.”

“Wh- What? Wait!” Just as I was about to unfasten the last belt, Louise snatched my sleeve and tugged at it. “You could die out there! I’ve recovered a little mana now, let me do it instead-”

“No, Louise.” I freed my arm from her grip and slid the final belt off. “Save your magic. My gun uses artificial magic, and as far as I can tell, it seems to be unlimited. Let me handle this.”

“Th- Then let me go with you!” Just as I stood up, Louise began unfastening her own belts. “That way we can cover for each other-”

I walked over and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Louise.”

Louise’s hands froze as she looked up at me.

“I’ll handle this alone. You need to stay here and help out Singyoku. Can you do that for me?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Louise fell back in her chair and released the belt.

“...Okay. Just- promise me that you’ll be fine, alright? Don’t do anything reckless.”

I removed my hand and reached for my pistol, holding it with both hands. “Of course. I’ll be back before you even know it.”

Louise gave me one last sad smile and directed her attention back to the monitor in front of her.

Trudging up the stairs leading to the platform, I suddenly became aware of my heart pounding away in my chest.

‘I’ll be back before you even know it’? Seriously? What am I, some kind of action-movie hero?

Before long, I found myself in front of the staircase descending to the hatch.

No turning back now. Let’s go.

With a deep breath, I took one plodding step after another until I reached the hatch. Grabbing the valve, I swiveled it around until gravity took over and it swung open into the large, open room from before.

As soon as I entered, I grabbed the hatch and slammed it shut, twisting the wheel until I heard the locking mechanism click into place.

Can’t have whatever it is sneaking past me and entering the bridge, after all.

Now it’s just you and me, demon. Where are you hiding?

I quickly scanned the room, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Every hatch leading to the room, save the one that had melted through, was fastened tight.

They haven’t made it this far yet. That narrows the possibilities; they’re either still in the room with the hole in it or they’ve made it into one of the adjacent hallways. The one leading to Chiyuri’s office is inaccessible because I took the valve off, so they can’t have gone in there.

I looked through the hole and peered into the hallway.

If I were the demon, I’d try to leave the room with the hole as soon as possible so I wouldn’t get sucked out. The hatch that goes to that hallway is across the entire room and goes up a flight of stairs, so I can’t imagine it’d be the best choice. That only leaves one option.

I turned and looked to the hatch on my left.

The hallway with Yumemi’s office. That’s where you’re hiding, isn’t it?

Clutching my pistol tight, I brought out one hand and loosened the valve. Just as the valve finished spinning, the hatch slowly creaked open from its hinges and slowly opened up.

I leaped back and aimed my pistol squarely at the hatch, only to find an empty hallway. I held still for several seconds before building up the courage to inch forward.

As soon as I stepped inside, I immediately fumbled around and pressed the light switch, filling the hallway with light. Conduits and pipes ran along the walls, the same as the hallway on the opposite side.

Yet again, there was nobody to meet me.

Gently lowering my pistol, I glanced around before advancing.

Not in the hallway, huh? Maybe they’re hiding in Yumemi’s office.

Before long, I found myself in front of a large hatch denoted with a plaque reading Yumemi Okazaki.

I pressed myself against the wall and reached out a hand to the valve. Well, if this isn’t déjà vu-

Wait.

I stopped my hand just short of the valve.

This hatch…

My eyes traced along the boundaries of the hatch. Though the seam was tiny, I could make out the slightest gap between the panel and the frame.

It’s already open!

Just then, the hatch flung itself open with incredible force, and I barely yanked my hand back in time. Before I could comprehend what was happening, a hand reached out from the darkness and snagged my collar.

Wh-

I pointed my pistol up at my hidden assailant, but it was already too late. With a mighty swing, I was flung directly into the office, crashing into the desk upside-down.

“Agh!” A pained cry escaped my lips as I lost my grip on the pistol. Scrambling to my feet as quickly as I could, I brought a hand up to my head to stop the spinning.

They’re going to attack again- Huh?

I blinked several times and looked around me, but my attacker was nowhere to be found.

Where’d you go?!

As though directly answering my question, a distant slam came from down the hallway.

I slumped down and held my head for a moment until I could see clearly again.

They must be trying to access the bridge. Good thing I locked it, huh?

Staggering to my feet, I grabbed my pistol again and paced back down the hallway.

“You asshole,” I muttered between gritted teeth. “You’re going to regret that.”

With a forceful push, I opened the hatch and stepped back out into the large room. Sure enough, a demon with the appearance of a young girl was standing directly in front of the hatch leading to the bridge. Her dress and bow were both a vivid shade of green. A pair of round, translucent wings extended from her back, not unlike those of a butterfly. Both of her hands were wound around the valve, which creaked and groaned under the pressure she applied to it.

I aimed my pistol squarely at her back. “Looking for something?”

The demon whipped her head around and gave me a furious glare. “You!”

“If you’re looking for Louise, I’m afraid she’s busy at the moment.” I took one tentative step forward, and the demon snarled in response. “I’m only going to say this once. Leave the ship right now, and nobody gets hurt.”

“Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?!” The demon released the valve and cracked her knuckles slowly, one by one. “Mother’s will is absolute. Those blind to Her wisdom have no authority to speak of.”

The two of us stood across the room from each other, locked in a standstill.

“Now. Let me tell you what you should do,” The demon hissed as she pointed at the hatch behind her. “You are going to open that door for me. When you do, I will retrieve Mother’s lost child. As a reward for your cooperation, I will see to it that you be given the gift of enlightenment.”

The demon placed her hands on her hips and bent forward, leering at me. “Do we have a deal?”

I lifted the barrel of my pistol an inch, aiming directly at her forehead.

“Go to hell.”

With a press of the trigger, a wave of magic manifested from my pistol and tore through the room. As it approached the demon, I noticed the edges of her mouth twitch upward.

Right before the wave made contact, the demon bent lower and dashed beneath. The wave flew across the room, where it smashed into the wall with a shower of sparks.

Meanwhile, the demon flew directly at me, her arms outstretched and brimming with magic. I launched myself aside just as she swiped at me, using my brace to carry me further away.

“I was hoping you’d say that!” The demon cackled as she lifted both hands into the air and brought them together. “This is much more exciting!”

Unfurling her arms, two disjointed waves of bullets flew from her hands and swept across the entire room. I attempted to follow the pattern with my eyes, but as the front edge of the first wave approached, I lost track.

Oh, to hell with this. Let’s fly.

Leaping into the air, I flew up to the ceiling and fired several more waves of magic from above. The demon immediately flew aside as the magic crashed into the ground, leaving blackened marks where she had stood.

“Oh?”

The demon flapped her wings and slowly ascended from the ground, smirking at me all the while.

“Given your inability to fire magic normally, I didn’t believe you could fly.” The demon tilted her head and chuckled. “This doesn’t change anything, by the way. I’ll just force the code out of you.”

“Then come on and do it already,” I taunted, doing my best to hide how nervous I was. “That is if you think you’re strong enough.”

Immediately, her expression twisted into a fierce snarl.

“Oh, I think I will.” The demon uttered as she curled her hands into fists, manifesting more magic. “Without that toy of yours, you’re nothing more than an ordinary human. All I ask is that you try and make this interesting for me!”

This time, the demon lifted her hands and held them about half a foot apart. With her palms facing each other, mana flowed freely across the space until a sudden flash of light gave way to an isolated, glowing ball of magic.

Instinctively, I flew back several feet and held close to the wall. This is a new one. What’s she doing?

All of a sudden, the demon squeezed the ball until it imploded upon itself, releasing a massive array of green lasers in every direction. Frantically, I looked around me for any sort of escape.

There are too many lasers for me to dodge safely, and the hallway’s too far away for me to duck inside!

Launching myself down and further back to buy as much time as possible, I quickly scanned over the approaching cloud of lasers.

It’s no good… Even at this distance, I can’t judge which way to go.

I guess I’ve got no choice, then.

Just before a laser struck me, I held my free hand up and directly blocked it. An incredible sting rippled throughout my entire arm, but I forced myself to stay concentrated.

Disappear!

The laser pressing against me vanished as I sent it away. I lost my balance and fell forward, catching myself with my arm.

A flurry of lasers struck every square foot of the wall around me, illuminating everything in a neon green tint. Once the attack had cleared up, the only sound I could hear was that of my panting.

“Oh, cute trick.” The demon laughed before floating down, stopping just a foot above the ground. “But it’s clear that blocking that took a lot out of you. It’s hopeless, and you know it.”

Lifting a single finger, the demon pointed between my eyes.

“I believe it’s time for your punishment.”

A burst of four bullets flew from her fingertip, aimed directly at me. Leaping aside at the last moment, I lifted my pistol and fired wildly at where I thought she was.

“Oh, no, no, no!” The demon’s voice called out. “That’s no good at all!”

Frantically, I scanned around the room but didn’t find her anywhere.

Where’d she go-

A sudden burst of heat ripped through my back, and I cried out in shock. Pain rippled through my body as I collapsed to the ground, sliding across the floor before coming to a stop.

Turning around, I saw the demon standing several paces away with a devious smirk on her face.

“The first rule of danmaku, human, is that you never lose track of your opponent. And now you’re going to pay the price for that.”

She took a step forward and leaned her foot on something, and I quickly glanced down to see what it was.

In that instant, my eyes grew wide. I looked beside me to confirm what I was seeing, and to my dismay,  I saw that I was not mistaken.

My pistol! I must’ve dropped it when I fell!

“What will you do now, human?” The demon snickered as she slid her foot along the ground, kicking the pistol far across the room. “Will you beg for mercy? Struggle in futility? Pray to a false god for deliverance?”

I remained quiet as the demon drew near, doing my best to keep an expressionless face.

Come on… A little more…

“Well, it doesn’t matter to me.” The demon took one last step and reached down to grab my collar. “The outcome won’t-”

I swung a fist directly at the demon’s face. Just before it could make contact, she caught it with her free hand and pushed back against it. With a single, swift motion, her other hand quickly moved aside to hold down my other arm, pinning it to the ground.

“Oh, human,” the demon taunted as she pressed her face close to mine. “I knew you were going to try something shitty like that. Though, I will say, I’m quite surprised by your level of physical strength-”

Now!

Uncurling the fingers in my pinned arm, I angled my wrist at her side as best I could. In a split second, I reached into my pocket dimension and manifested the laser in my hand. 

Immediately, the demon twisted around and watched it in horror. “Wh-”

In her struggle to break free, she pushed my arm slightly back, angling my wrist slightly away from her torso just before the laser left my hand.

The demon launched off sideways and skidded along the ground as the laser struck the wall.

What … happened? Did I get her?

Just then, I noticed the pistol lying across the room, just past where she had collapsed. Lifting myself from the ground and floating off the ground, I flew toward it and stretched out one hand.

Now’s my chance-

Before my fingers made contact with the pistol, the demon rose and gripped my ankle, holding me in place.

“You…” She sputtered, apoplectic with rage as her fingers squeezed tighter. I flailed and kicked back at her, but she simply grabbed my other leg.

“You…!” The demon uttered as she dragged me back and tossed me aside, sending me into the nearest wall.

As I picked myself up, the demon rose with me. She was livid, and it didn’t take me long to figure out why.

On the ground lay her wings, broken into fragments. What was left attached to her back fluttered around uselessly in the air.

“My wings! My precious wings!” The demon screamed as magic flared up in her arms. “I’ll… I’ll… I’LL KILL YOU!”

Jumping into the air, I flew around the room’s perimeter, seeking an opportunity to reach my pistol. The demon flung her arms up at me in a frenzy, launching volley after volley of bullets.

“Come down here, you coward!” The demon screeched as I narrowly flew past another barrage of lasers. “I’ll beat you to a pulp!”

As the demon prepared to fire off more magic, I made one last rotation around the room and flew low, reaching out my hand toward the pistol.

Come on-

“I don’t think so!” The demon yelled as she dashed forward and rammed directly into me, knocking me across the room and sending me into the wall. Before I could get up, the demon leaped onto me in a frenzy and gripped my neck with her hands.

“You worthless piece of shit, I’ll kill you-”

Reaching a hand around her, I grabbed the base of one of her wings and twisted it as hard as I could.

“AUGH!”

The demon’s face contorted in agony as her wail rang in my ears. Her grip on my neck slipped, and I caught her on the side of her head with a haymaker.

With a pained cry, the demon fell to the ground.

Getting up to my feet, I dusted myself off and began walking over to the pistol a short way away.

Alright, time to end this-

Just as I stepped past the demon, she jumped into the air and scrambled onto my back. Before I even understood what was happening, she grabbed two fistfuls of my hair and yanked.

“Gah!”

I grabbed ahold of her arms and flung myself backward as fast as I could. Right before I hit the wall, the demon released her grip and jumped off me, sending me crashing directly into the paneling with a pained grunt.

Quick as a flash, the demon grabbed my shirt and tossed me into the empty hallway, where I briefly tumbled along the ground.

Why can’t you just stay down?!

I pushed myself off the ground and looked down the hallway. The demon met my gaze on the opposite side, giving me a devilish grin.

“You… are something else, you know that?”

“Is that a compliment?” I asked tentatively as I reached a hand behind my back and began going through my pocket dimension, looking for anything helpful.

“Fuck no.” The demon responded snarkily. “At any rate, it’s over.”

“And why’s that?” I replied, matching her sarcastic tone. “You seem to be doing a lot worse than I am.”

“Observe.” The demon uttered as she brought her hands near, manifesting the ball of magic between her palms once more.

My eyes grew wide and I took a step back. Oh, shit!

“You had too much room to work with back there. So let’s fix that!” The demon cackled as she took a step forward. I tried to step back to match her but bumped up against the hatch. Hurriedly, I checked for the lavatory and closet doors, and to my dismay, they were closer to her than I was.

There’s nowhere to run, and she’s way too close for me to use any of my bombs…

Out of alternatives, I turned around and untightened the valve as fast as I could.

“You idiot,” the demon mocked in a sing-songy voice. “That leads to the room with the hole! You’ve nowhere to go!”

Ignoring her, I spun the valve one last time.

The hatch groaned against its frame before it relented and the hatch flung out. An incredible rush of wind nearly carried me through the hatch as the roar of engines flooded the hallway.

I grabbed both sides of the frame and pulled myself against the rushing wind. Nope, I can’t fly around in there. Bad idea, bad idea, very bad idea!

The demon laughed to herself as she glanced behind her. “It’s a shame I wasn’t able to get the code from you, but oh well. I can just wait until the ship lands.”

Readjusting my grip on the frame, I felt my mind racing a million miles an hour for something, anything, that I could do.

How do I get out of this one?

Louise looked back at the platform, her thoughts in complete turmoil.

The fighting seems to have stopped. I wonder if he’s okay.

Agh, not knowing what’s happening out there is driving me insane!

After a moment’s hesitation, Louise brought her hand up and set to work on unfastening her belts. I’m sick of this. I’m going out there-

Just then, a whole series of blinking lights showed up on her monitor.

What’s that?!

Furiously tapping away at the monitor, Louise looked up and gasped.

An entire group of demons had assembled, concentrating their mana. They had positioned themselves equidistant from each other, prepared to batter the ship with bullets from all directions.

This must be their last stand!

“Singyoku!” Louise yelled. “Turn hard!”

“What?” The spirit asked, confused. “Which direction?”

“It doesn’t matter, just do it!” Louise shouted. “We’re heading directly into a trap!”

With a nod of understanding, Singyoku yanked the wheel in her hands sideways. The ship veered left until it nearly turned on its side, pushing Louise firmly against the restraints on her chair.

A buzz of activity lit up the hologram like a fireworks show, with bullets flying left and right. Louise shot out a hand and gripped the desk as tight as she could as she watched the display unfold.

As she kept her gaze glued to the hologram, she felt a bead of sweat trailing across her forehead.

Sorry, partner!

“You put up a better fight than I thought you would, but none of that matters now.” The demon brought her hands up and revealed the ball of light between them. “Ready to receive your comeuppance?”

Frantically, I turned around and looked at the room behind me. All the fixtures were rattling from the intense wind, creaking and groaning.

I’ve got no choice. I have to fly to the hatch on the side.

As I turned around again, the demon began squeezing the ball in her hands. “Goodbye, human-”

Just then, the entire ship quaked, and the demon stopped to look around. A feeling of dread took hold in my body as I realized what was happening.

You’re turning?! Now?!

“Hm?” The demon looked around, confused. “What was that-”

Suddenly, the ship entered a steep tilt, and I found myself falling backward. I clung to the frame so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

Meanwhile, the demon had fallen over and was beginning to slip. She was frantically clawing away at the ground as what was left of her wings flapped around uselessly, but she was unable to catch herself.

“Gaaaah!”

In horror, I watched as her body barrelled toward mine.

Closing my eyes, I steeled myself and braced for impact.

She crashed into me, knocking the wind from my lungs as my fingers slipped- just enough for me to lose my hold and fall backward. In sheer desperation, I flailed my hands around to find anything to hold onto, and miraculously, I did.

My hand gripped the valve of the open hatch, supporting my entire body weight as the gaping hole threatened to suck me in. Immediately, it swiveled around, bringing me about a foot closer to my doom.

Meanwhile, the demon was gripping my leg, crushing it like a vice. I did my best to kick her off, but she simply grabbed the other one and grinned at me.

“If I go down, you’re coming with me!” she declared.

I attempted to claw my way back up the hatch, but it was futile- the demon was holding me back. Above me, I felt the valve groan against its axle, threatening to give way.

I have to get rid of her! But how?!

Just then, I looked up and saw something sliding down the hallway.

Is that…?

As it fell further, I recognized the shape and was filled with glee.

It is!

Releasing one hand from the valve, I snatched the falling pistol in midair and pointed it directly at the demon’s face.  Her smug look immediately morphed into one of sheer horror.

“Good-bye!” I spoke, though I was unsure if she was unable to hear me. With one press of the trigger, the magic struck through her forehead and ripped through her entire body.

Letting out one last scream, the demon released her grip on me. She flipped around haphazardly as she fell until she reached the hole, where she flung out at incredible speed.

Completely numb, I sent the pistol to my pocket dimension and climbed my way back up, using my brace to help me. As I pushed myself up the hallway, I felt the ship beginning to right itself.

Once the ship was level, I reached for the hatch and pulled it back up into its frame. I gave the valve several firm twists until I was sure it was tightened.

I collapsed onto the floor and took a moment to breathe.

Holy fuck. I’m never doing that again.

After taking a moment to collect myself, I staggered up and walked back up the hallway.

That’s the end of that.

“And that’s all of them!” Louise cheered as the last signature vanished from her dashboard. “We’re out!”

“Great!” Singyoku leaned back and sighed. “Thank you, you two. At our current speed, we’ll be there in fifteen minutes or so.”

“That’s… good!” Louise spoke joyfully. “Then let’s head over!”

“Sounds like a plan.” Singyoku concurred as she flipped several switches.

Louise took a deep breath as she leaned forward, spying the empty seat beside her from the corner of her eye.

I hope he’s okay…

Just then, another blinking light emerged on the monitor, and Louise snapped to attention. This time, it appeared to be flying alongside the ship.

What’s this?!

With a firm tap, she pressed on the screen. The hologram of the ship vanished and the projectors swiveled around as they created another wireframe.

Several seconds later, however, the four projectors clicked and hummed before producing a floating question mark.

Huh?

Louise tapped the dot a second time, but nothing changed- a second question mark formed, and the word UNIDENTIFIED showed up on her monitor.

The dot wobbled for a bit before seemingly overlapping with the ship.

What is this thing?!

“Hey, Singyoku?” Louise called out tentatively. “I’ve… uh… got a problem here.”

“Oh yeah?” Singyoku replied. “What kind?”

“I’m… picking up another signature here. But I can’t get any details on it. It seems to be right on top of us. What should we do?”

“Oh, it’s probably nothing we should worry about,” Singyoku spoke back. “We’re going too fast for the demons to keep up with us now. Maybe it’s just a malfunction.”

“Well…” Louise glanced back up at the floating question mark. “I guess that makes sense.”

“But there’s something strange going on here.” Singyoku continued. “Maybe it has something to do with your problem.”

“What do you mean?” Louise asked cautiously as she looked at the back of Singyoku’s chair.

“Why’s it so dark?” Singyoku questioned as she pointed up at the windshield. Louise leaned forward and squinted- sure enough, it seemed as though there was something partially blocking out the light. “I wasn’t having this problem until just now.”

Overwhelming terror suddenly seized up in Louise’s chest. Her grip on the table failed her, and she fell back in her chair.

No! It can’t be!

“Well, it’s not a huge deal,” Singyoku spoke casually. “I can still fly just fine-”

The spirit suddenly fell silent, and Louise fearfully peeked above the dashboard.

Through the windshield, a great mass of darkness accumulated, enveloping the entire window in a veil of black.

Seconds later, a figure emerged through the veil, confirming Louise’s worst fears.

Those purple eyes. The star on her cheek. Those long, jet-black wings. That red dress. And that star-shaped wand, glimmering with pure light.

Just beyond the windshield, Elis stood with her arms crossed, glaring through the glass with a furious look in her eyes.

Chapter Text

Louise shrank back in her seat as she felt her heart plummet. She wanted to scream, but nothing would come out.

How?! Why?! We were so close!

Through the glass, Elis dramatically lifted one foot and brought it down on the ship's hull, bringing herself mere inches from the windshield.

Louise immediately set to undoing the belts wrapped around her. As soon as she was free, she steadily marched up to the front of the ship to where Singyoku was seated.

Once Louise had gotten close, Elis slowly raised one hand and waved at Louise through the glass. Although Elis gave her an incredibly tight-lipped smile, her violet eyes flickered with rage, betraying her true emotions.

Elis… I don’t believe it…

“Get off!” Singyoku said aloud as she yanked the wheel in her hand to the right, causing the ship to instantly tilt at a steep angle. Louise lifted off the ground to keep from being tossed around.

Just as Elis was about to lose her balance, she unfurled her wings to their furthest length and slammed them down with enough force to dent the metal beneath. Her wings remained anchored into the hull, keeping her in place.

“So that’s how it is, huh?” Singyoku gripped the wheel and prepared to fling it in the opposite direction. Before she could, however, Louise laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Singyoku, wait!” Louise brought herself forward to look at Singyoku’s face. “My partner’s not in the room anymore! You’re going to cause him trouble!”

“Partner? Oh, you mean my caretaker? When did he leave?” Singyoku asked as she looked behind her, giving the room a quick scan. “Well, never mind that. But how are we going to deal with her?”

“We’ll have to figure something out. For now, just make the ship level again.”

“Figure something out…” Singyoku muttered under her breath as she slowly began to spin the wheel in the opposite direction. “Not you too.”

“What was that?” Louise raised an eyebrow as she lowered herself to the ground.

“Nothing.”

After several seconds of silence, Elis lifted her wings from the hull and tucked them into her back. She then began to pace back and forth in front of the windshield, scraping along the surface with her wand.

Louise followed the path Elis’s wand took with her eyes in anticipation. What’s she thinking?

Just then, Elis froze near the right edge of the windshield. After leaning over and tapping her wand against the glass several times, she tucked it away and gave Louise a wide smile.

Louise’s eyes flicked aside before returning to Elis. What's she do-

Suddenly, Elis flung her arm back and clenched her hand into a fist. She swung it furiously into the windshield, causing the entire window to wobble from the strike.

Louise’s eyes went wide. No! Sister, don’t-

Before she could finish her thought, Elis had already prepared her other fist and smashed it into the glass in the same place as before. The windshield rattled from the force, and several hairline cracks had formed where her fist had made contact.

“No!” Singyoku yelled as she unfastened herself from her chair and stood up. “Are you out of your mind?!”

As Elis took a third swing at the windshield, Louise gripped the headrest of Singyoku’s chair. The two of them watched as Elis continued her assault against the glass, causing the entire pane to reverberate with every strike. The cracks grew wider and wider until she had properly smashed a hole into the first layer.

“There goes the outer pane,” Singyoku mumbled as Louise released her grip on the chair. “Once she breaks into the inner pane, she’ll be able to enter.”

Elis pried away a chunk of glass and proudly displayed it before the window before tossing it aside, which vanished from sight nearly instantly from the velocity. Wasting no time, she returned to swinging away at the glass, causing a web of cracks to form along the entire window.

“Any moment now,” Singyoku remarked. “Get ready.”

Just when the glass was nearing its limit, Elis relented and brushed her hands on her vest. Walking backward for several steps, Elis gave Louise another wave before dashing forward, slamming her foot into the glass.

*CRASH*

The sound of splintering glass was quickly followed by the rushing of wind. Frigid air blew through the large hole Elis managed to create, causing the temperature of the room to plummet. Everything that wasn’t fastened down flew up and scattered across the room.

Elis pulled her foot back and took a moment to admire her handiwork. Satisfied, she tucked her limbs in as a great light enveloped her body. Her bat form emerged, perched upon the hull and staring at the hole in the windshield with a greedy look in her eyes.

Louise steeled herself and gulped. Here she comes.

The bat clawed its way up to the glass and crammed her body inside. As she tucked her wings in, the rushing wind propelled her forward, squeezing her through the hole where it landed gracefully on the ground.

For a second, nobody made a sound, and the only thing that could be heard was the howling wind. A shroud of darkness encased the bat, concealing it from sight. A second flash of light came from within that darkness, and the figure of Elis emerged as the cloud faded away.

“Hello, sister,” Elis spat angrily as she crossed her arms. “I trust you’re pleased to see me again.”

Stunned into silence, Louise backed up, keeping her gaze affixed to Elis. Taking note, Elis advanced toward her to make up the difference.

“Only two, huh?” Elis spoke as she paid a cursory glance to the room around her. “You’re here, and that spirit is here. But where’s the other person?”

“Wh… What?” Louise asked, her voice cracking.

“The man you were with, you fool!” Elis screamed, startling her. “Where is he?! I have unfinished business with him!”

“That’s none of your business!” Louise yelled back as she continued to walk back until she hit the wall behind her.

Elis suddenly fell silent and froze up. Louise held still and pressed herself against the wall, not even daring to breathe.

I shouldn’t have said that.

“None of my business?” Elis chuckled as she shook her head. “Is that what you think?”

Elis’s laughter ceased as she swiftly marched up to Louise. Louise walked back along the handrail to give herself more space.

“Really, sister? You’re not that naive, are you?” Elis uttered as she forced an incredibly strained smile, which barely held back the torrent of rage within her.

Louise felt around for the railing and used it as a guide as she continued backing up. “Th- That’s not what I-”

…?

At that moment, Louise looked at Elis more closely.

Something isn’t quite right with her.

“That insect -” Elis spat as she looked toward the platform overlooking them, “is the very reason Mother sent me to investigate this ship in the first place. And you have the gall to suggest that he’s none of my business?!”

Elis took another step toward Louise, and Louise instinctively glanced down. Just then, Elis’s leg trembled. Though the motion was subtle, it was clear enough for Louise to catch it.

Her gait… it’s off. It’s like she’s unsure of her balance.

Louise brought her gaze up and looked at Elis once more, whose face reflected her continued ire. Just then, Louise noticed that she was holding one hand up to her chest, which was rising and falling at irregular intervals.

Her breathing, too… It's labored.

“So, you’ve noticed it, hm?” Elis tilted her head aside as she stared deep into Louise’s eyes. “That something’s wrong?”

Remaining silent, Louise watched Elis as she took another slightly wobbly step toward her.

“That man,” Elis fumed as she pressed one hand against the nearest desk, “His blood was the foulest thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Elis turned aside and smashed her fist into a monitor, shattering it in a single strike.

“That putrid taste still lingers in my mouth,” Elis raised her voice as she swung her other hand into the dashboard, causing sparks to fly everywhere. “That man has liquid poison running in his veins!”

Elis halted her assault on the equipment and looked back over at Louise.

“The fact that Mother wants that man dead is reason enough for this to be my business! But after what he’s done to me-” Elis roared as her anger finally surged forth. “And for you, one of Mother’s children, to work with that scum and resist Her will- It’s DEPLORABLE!”

“Sister, that’s enough,” Louise took one last step back and held out her right arm, imbued with magic. “I already told you I don’t intend to go back, haven’t I?”

Elis froze and followed Louise’s arm with her eyes before giving her a wide, malicious smile.

“I see that you haven’t changed your mind.” Elis straightened up as she flashed her razor-like nails at Louise. “Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll be taking you to Mother as originally planned. But you are definitely going to pay back what you’ve done.”

“She won’t be alone!” Singyoku called out as she drifted over to Louise’s side. Magic swirled up in her body as she assumed an offensive stance.

Glancing at the spirit, Elis turned on her heel and flashed her a toothy grin.

“Ah, of course. I’m so glad you could join us, Hakurei spirit.” Elis looked down and withdrew her wand, which glimmered with light in her palm. Around her, the air began to distort from the magic surrounding her. “I’ve got plenty planned for you too, don’t you worry. But that can wait- for now, let’s just savor the moment, hm?”

Singyoku leaned forward with her magic focused on her hands, and Louise took a deep breath as she readied herself.

“Once I’m done with you two, I think I’ll take care of that man you’re with.” Elis leaped up and unfurled her wings, hovering near the ceiling as she stared down at them. “Now, let’s see how long you two can keep me entertained, hm?”

With a combined shout, Louise and Singyoku launched a spiral of bullets at Elis. Elis pointed her wand down and fired a burst of lasers. The two met each other in midair, colliding with one another and smothering everything in light.

Louise leaped into the air and flew across the room, bringing herself level with Elis’s position. Singyoku was firing volley after volley at Elis, who in turn rained down a shower of bullets the spirit was just barely able to handle.

As Louise focused her mana into her right arm, she gritted her teeth and tracked Elis’s movements as she weaved through the air.

Come on, Louise! Give it all you’ve got!

“Ugh…”

I rubbed my head as I floated through the large room, which ached from falling across the room and hitting the wall.

A surprise turn caught me off guard, and I couldn’t fly in time. I really need to learn how to get off the ground quicker.

I approached the hatch that led to the bridge and breathed a sigh of relief. Well, whatever. The demon’s been dealt with. Time to tell Louise the good news-

Just as I reached the hatch, I looked over to the keypad and brought out my finger, ready to type in the code.

Or, rather, where the keypad was.

The small panel that once hosted the pin pad was in pieces. The part holding the display remained attached to the wall thanks to the frayed wires still holding it in place, but most of the number pad lay scattered on the ground. In its place was a large, black mark that still produced a lingering warmth I could feel from over a foot away.

Stretching my arm out further, I brushed my finger along the mark. Flakes began to fall, and I watched as they drifted to the ground.

Well, shit.

Pulling my arm back, I stared at the hatch before me. That demon must’ve blasted the thing during our fight.

Grabbing the valve with both hands, I tugged at it in both directions but was unable to budge it even an inch.

Ah, nope. This isn’t going to work. And the hatch is way too thick for Louise to hear me knocking.

I sat down and pressed my back against the hatch. Well, whatever. I’ll just camp out here until we land.

As I got comfortable, I took a moment to reflect on my struggle with the demon.

I am one lucky bastard they decided to turn when they did, huh? I definitely have to tell Louise-

Just then, I heard a whoosh coming from behind the hatch. A muffled boom followed, and I felt the entire ship wobble from the impact.

I stood up and pressed my ear against the hatch. What was that?!

Through the metal, I heard a distant zing and a loud crash, which was quickly followed by what sounded like a chain of explosions.

“Hey!” I pounded my fist against the steel as loud as I could. “What’s going on in there?!”

The whole ship wobbled again, and I backed up from the door. Reaching forward, I flung my hands onto the valve and began throttling it.

“Come on!” I yelled as I practically threw my arms out trying to loosen the valve. When it wouldn’t budge, I repositioned myself beside the valve and laid both hands on top. Mustering as much strength as possible, I yanked as hard as I could.

The shriek of metal grinding against metal rang out, and I felt the handle begin to move.

Yes! Just a little more-

Suddenly, a piercing snap erupted from the hatch, and I flung backward from the recoil.

Was that the lock? Did I do it?!

Pushing myself back up, I ran back to the hatch and prepared to push it open. As I held my hand out, however, I realized that half of the valve was missing.

You can’t be serious-

Stunned, I looked around me, and sure enough, the valve’s other half lay in pieces on the ground.

“Oh, you’re shitting me!” I yelled out as I kicked the hatch and tugged at the valve’s broken axle. “You’re telling me I’m that strong?!”

Giving the hatch one last kick, I stepped back and pulled out my pistol. Pointing the barrel directly at the axle, I fired several waves of magic. All of them struck the hatch with great force, causing it to wobble against its frame. However, the magic dispersed along the entire surface, crackling briefly before dissipating into thin air.

I fired several more waves at the hatch, only to achieve the same result.

“Damn it!” I yelled as I took another step back and reached into my pocket dimension for a bomb. As I felt around, though, I paused.

…Only two? I could’ve sworn I still had three-

Oh, right, I lost one back when I was fighting that vampire. Ugh, what a waste!

As I lifted myself into the air, I pulled out a bomb and stared at the light glowing in my hand. The wispy cloth brushed along my palm, and I rotated the bauble until it stood straight up. Swiftly plucking the fabric from the bomb’s surface, I watched as the magic inside shifted hues, from red, to green-

Grasping the bomb tightly, I swung my arm and hurled it across the room at the hatch, leaving behind a trail of multicolored light as it traveled. As soon as it made contact, the bomb detonated, producing the massive clock symbol once more. Magic danced around the entire room as lighting tore through the air, splitting the clock apart with a tremendous burst of light.

Shielding my eyes with my arm, I waited for the rumbling to cease before peeking across the room.

A massive burn mark had imprinted itself along the floor, wall, and ceiling. Panels had been blasted off the walls from the sheer force.

My eyes then fell upon the hatch. Its once sleek, metal surface was now marred with signs of wear and tear, and a large dent had formed around its midsection.

…

As I landed, I stared at the hatch and gazed at it as the oppressive feeling of defeat washed over me. With a sigh, I bent forward, resting my hands on my knees. Well, that’s that. All I’ve done was waste a bomb. I’m out of-

I froze. Wait.

Standing up straight, I looked around until I found the hatch I entered in my pursuit of the demon, gazing at it for just a moment.

Yumemi’s office. That’s right, I never went through her things, did I?

Rushing over to the hatch, I quickly unwound the valve and ducked inside the hallway. Flying down the corridor, I halted as soon as I came to the bend and found myself directly in front of the door leading to Yumemi’s office, messed-up desk and all.

Chiyuri said Yumemi’s weapon of choice was her cross sigils, which are very tricky to use without injuring oneself. As such, I never bothered with it. Now, though, I haven’t got a choice. Maybe I can cut my way through the hatch with those.

As I stepped inside and flicked the light on, I hastened over to the desk and immediately began going through every single cabinet.

“Alright, Yumemi,” I muttered to myself as I dug through a stack of papers buried inside her desk. “What can you offer me?”

Louise extended her arm and flung out another flurry of arrowheads, scattering out as they approached Elis. Singyoku floated a short distance away and waved her hand, summoning two streams of bullets that converged on Elis’s position.

“Not good enough!” Elis shouted as she darted around the room, weaving through the air as she fired off waves of magic in retaliation. “Come on, keep up!”

“Kch!” Louise hissed as she flew up and fired several lasers in an attempt to predict Elis’s next position, but she quickly swerved out of the way.

“Is that your idea of magic, sister?” Elis bent her head down to look at Louise as she veered left to dodge Singyoku’s next barrage. “What a joke.”

“Don’t mock me!” Louise yelled as she fired off a group of lasers at Elis, pinning her on both sides. Just before they collided with her, Elis stretched out her wings and used her momentum to curve her trajectory upward. As the lasers flew beneath her, Elis fell back and flipped around, sending her flying directly toward Louise.

Louise leaped up and veered clockwise around Elis, firing off laser after laser as she encircled her. Elis lazily dodged around the first few before taking off herself, copying Louise’s movements. The two of them followed the same circular path around the room, flinging magic at each other as they flew.

“This is getting dull, sister,” Elis remarked as she ducked around a collection of arrowheads. “Honestly, this doesn’t even qualify as a warm-up.”

“You’re so full of yourself!” Louise shouted as she fired off a wave of bullets. “I’ll have you know that this is less than my best!”

Elis brought a hand to her chin as she tilted aside enough to fit between the gap between bullets. “Oh, I see.”

Suddenly, the vampire whipped out her wand and swooped down. As she darted toward Louise, the star at the end of her wand flickered with light, and a six-sided star began to form around Elis’s body.

“In that case, I’ll make you give me your best,” Elis declared as she halted in midair and pointed her wand between Louise’s eyes. “This is real magic, sister! Prepare yourself!”

Louise gritted her teeth and concentrated on directing as much mana as she could muster in her right arm. The room’s too small for me to dodge an attack of this magnitude.

I’ll have to face it head-on.

Louise felt a familiar warmth traverse her right arm as sparks flew from her fingertips. The pressure began to build up within, and at the exact moment it felt that she could contain it no longer, the star around Elis formed in its entirety.

With a great cry, both sisters flung their arms at each other. For an infinitesimal amount of time, the world around them fell silent.

Suddenly, a tremendous torrent of danmaku filled the air, flying in every direction. Bullets crashed into each other, producing a string of midair explosions that rocked the entire ship from side to side.

Buffeted by the sheer scale of the attack, Louise felt herself getting pushed back as she forced herself to continue firing.

Ugh…

From somewhere beyond the curtain of light, Elis gave her a smug grin of superiority.

“So, it seems there’s still some fight left in you after all!” The vampire yelled out over the clash of magic. “But it looks like you’re reaching your limit!”

“Guh!” Louise stumbled back as she forced her arm to remain steady. Exhaustion was beginning to set in, and she felt her body protest more and more with every second she forced mana into her arm. The bullet collisions were now happening far closer to her than they had previously. One of Elis’s bullets slipped past Louise’s assault and smashed into the computer beside her, causing it to explode.

Louise winced as she squeezed out more mana into her arm. I hate to admit it, but she’s right. I’m about to run out of mana.

Staggering back, Louise forced out several more groups of lasers, all of which were smothered by Elis’s dazzling array of bullets.

“You’re pathetic, sister,” Elis called out triumphantly. “Folding in a single attack as soon as I decide to try a little.”

I… can’t… hang on…

As Louise’s magic tapered off, she closed her eyes as she gave it one last push. This is it…

“Hm?!” Elis suddenly grunted, and all of her danmaku ceased to exist as she tore her gaze away from Louise. Out of sheer surprise, Louise nearly toppled forward.

…What?

“You!” Elis hissed to someone outside of Louise’s point of view as she rubbed her elbow, which sported a fresh burn mark. “You’re going to pay for that!”

“You’re fighting both of us, are you not?”

Louise smiled. Singyoku…

“Have it your way, then! I’ve all but dealt with my sister here!” Elis declared as she entered combat with the spirit. “Now it’s your turn, Hakurei dog!”

Raising one hand, Louise attempted to muster up the mana for another attack. She felt her chest constrict as spikes of pain shot through her body.

“Agh!”

With a gasp, Louise fell forward and clutched her knees, panting from the exertion. Multiple beads of sweat dripped from her brow and onto the ground as the pain subsided.

It’s no good. I don’t even have the mana for a single bullet anymore.

“You see?” Elis derided Louise as she fired off a flurry of lasers at the spirit. “There’s nothing she can do to help you. You’re on your own.”

Singyoku said nothing in response, opting to fire bullets at Elis in silence.

“Tch!” Elis turned and spat at the ground. Twisting around Singyoku’s volley, her fingers curled around her wand, where it shone once more. “Your act doesn’t fool me, spirit. You know it’s hopeless.”

Louise’s eyes went wide. Oh, no!

Louise raised her hand in an attempt to fire off another bullet but was met with the same result. Frustrated with herself, she pushed herself up and glanced up at Elis. I can’t just sit here and do nothing! Singyoku’s in danger!

Louise frantically glanced around. But what can I do? I’m out of-

Just then, Louise’s eyes fell upon the computer that had blown up beside her. As she followed the cables with her eyes, she found herself looking at a large computer monitor.

…

“Give up! There’s nowhere for you to run!” Elis declared as Louise’s eyes flickered back at her. The six-sided star was once again manifesting around the vampire as she pointed her wand at Singyoku, with her back facing Louise.

She’s distracted!

Reaching out with both hands, Louise quickly seized the monitor and yanked it off the desk with wires still dangling from its back.

“This is the end, spirit!” Elis shouted just as the star neared completion. “You-”

With a grunt of effort, Louise launched herself skyward and swung the monitor in a wide ark, smashing it onto Elis’s head.

“GAH!”

The screen smashed into pieces on impact, and the star surrounding Elis instantly faded as she plummeted to the ground. Shards of glass and plastic fell along with her, scattering across the floor like confetti.

Louise looked down, shocked at what had happened. I can’t believe I just-

“YOU!” Elis bellowed as she stood up, unfurling her wings and stretching them as far as they would go. “YOU DARE-”

A flurry of lasers struck Elis from behind, many of which struck her wings and burned holes through them as they flew past.

“You need to stop making that a habit,” Singyoku chided Elis as she fired off laser after laser. “Both of us are your opponents, after all.”

With a great shriek, Elis folded her wings back in and dashed behind the nearest table for refuge.

This is my chance!

Launching herself down, Louise tackled Elis to the ground, where both of them rolled briefly until they collided with the nearest desk. As they came to a stop, a struggle ensued before Elis overpowered Louise and crawled on top of her, pinning her down with one hand. Her other hand rose and curled into a fist. Before it could connect, a flurry of Singyoku’s bullets smashed into her, thrusting her back into the desk.

“Ack!”

As Elis tumbled off her, Louise kicked Elis in the chest as hard as she could and scrambled to her feet. Elis gagged as she tried to push herself back up.

“Louise, get out of the way!” Singyoku called out from behind Louise. As Louise leaped aside, a large laser ripped through the air, blasting Elis with such force that it drove her through the desk and carried her into the air across the entire room.

“AGGGGH!”

Elis let out a loud cry as she smashed into the paneling with such force it caused the entire ship to tremble. She remained there for several seconds until the laser died down, where she fell forward and plummeted headfirst toward the ground.

*CRASH*

Elis collided with a module on the way down, flipping her forward and sending her on her back. Scars and burns were sporadically dotted across her body, and her wings were riddled with holes.

Ecstatic, Louise turned toward the spirit. “Singyoku! You did it!”

Singyoku was panting too heavily to give a proper response, so she simply swallowed and nodded at Louise as smoke still billowed from her outstretched hands.

“Sister,” Louise’s smile vanished as she turned back toward the collapsed vampire. “Leave this place and never come back.”

Elis’s eyes fluttered as she shifted around in place, her wings beating weakly against her back.

“It’s over, sister,” Louise pointed toward the hole in the windshield, which was remarkably still in one piece. “Now get out. I won’t become Mother’s pawn.”

A dry, throaty laugh left Elis’s lips. Louise and Singyoku exchanged looks of uncertainty.

“‘It’s over’, huh?” Using her claws to pull herself up, Elis wobbled to her feet. Singyoku let out a grunt as she readied more magic in her arms.

“Let me-” Elis cleared her throat and took a moment to catch her breath before meeting Louise’s gaze with a glare of contempt. “Let me make something clear, sister.”

Pushing herself off the module, Elis planted her feet on the floor and clenched both of her hands into fists.

“As long as I’m still breathing, nothing is over.”

Elis let out an ear-splitting cry as darkness swirled around her. All of her injuries vanished in seconds, restoring her skin to a pristine state. Every single hole in her wings sealed up completely as she quickly examined her arms for wounds.

Louise reached out one hand. “Sister, don’t-”

“HAAAH!” Elis screamed as folded her wings in and dashed madly at Singyoku, grabbing her and flinging her into the air. Singyoku halted her momentum in midair, only to see Elis charging at her once more.

“You’re going to PAY!”

In the split second she had, Singyoku formed a barrier in front of her. Elis deliberately crashed directly into it, creating a large crack in the shield.

Elis tore at the wall with her nails, shredding it to pieces. Shards fell from the barrier until Elis sliced it up completely. Just as she finished, the spirit fired several bursts of bullets at her.

Unfurling her wings, Elis began flying around Singyoku at breakneck speed, pelting her with magic from all directions. As time progressed, Singyoku shifted from firing at Elis to dodging everything the vampire threw at her in a dance of sheer desperation.

Louise tried to track Elis’s movements, but all she could make out was a black blur. She’s too fast! I can’t-

Elis broke her pattern and delivered a mighty kick to the back of Singyoku’s head, sending her careening forward. Before she could catch herself, Elis dashed in front of her and intercepted her in midair.

With a smug grin, Elis raised her arm, revealing a hand brimming with magic.

“Goodbye, spirit.”

Singyoku gasped and covered her face with her arms as magic erupted from Elis’s palm, completely consuming her in a curtain of light.

“No!” Louise shouted as she flung herself at Elis, winding up her fist as she flew. Before she could enter striking range, Elis extended a single wing and struck Louise with it, smashing her into the ground and sending her into the railing.

“Fuck off!” Elis glared down at Louise for a brief second as she continued her assault on Singyoku. “I’m busy here!”

Louise collapsed onto the floor, coughing as she tried to catch her breath. Her entire body screamed. Every joint ached, and even the slightest of movements caused her to moan.

As she pushed herself up, she saw Elis’s assault on Singyoku continue. Through her bleary vision, however, she couldn’t make out much more than an amorphous blob of light.

“No…” Louise weakly held out an arm, unable to keep it from shaking. “Stop…”

After what felt like an eternity, the light tapered off, revealing the silhouette of Singyoku collapsed on the ground.

“...Singyoku.” Louise tried to stand up but her knees buckled under her weight, sending her to the floor once more.

Elis flapped her wings as she descended, coming in for a graceful landing before walking over to the fallen spirit.

“Not so tough anymore, hm?” Elis asked snidely as she knelt in front of Singyoku. “To be honest, you took that attack better than I tho-”

As one last gesture of defiance, Singyoku raised a single finger and fired a tiny bullet, striking Elis in the shoulder.

“Kch!” Elis leaped back and patted her shoulder, revealing a small burn mark. “How dare you!”

With a single, swift motion, Elis struck Singyoku with a flurry of lasers, causing her to scream out in agony.

“Singyoku!” Louise yelled as she got on all fours and began crawling along the ground.

Ignoring her, Elis gripped Singyoku’s hair and pulled it up, raising her until they were eye-to-eye. Without a word, Elis delivered a mighty blow to Singyoku’s stomach, and yet another cry of pain left her lips.

“Sister, please!” Louise yelled. “You won! She’s had enough-”

“Had enough? Had enough?!” Elis roared as she grabbed Singyoku’s head and slammed it into the ground, the floor muffling her cry. “On the contrary, sister- this doesn’t even come close to enough!”

Raising one foot back, Elis kicked Singyoku’s body down a short flight of stairs, where she rolled to a stop. Her dress was in tatters, exposing a massive network of scars and bruises that lined her entire body.

“Singyoku…” Louise reached out a hand to the fallen spirit. “You…”

Suddenly, Singyoku’s body glistened with light. Smoke rose from her body as her figure slowly began to fade away.

“Singyoku!” Louise screamed.

“Oh, relax.” Elis’s voice cut through the air like a razor. “She’s not dead. Not yet, anyway.”

“Huh?”

“She’s a spirit bound to the Hakurei shrine,” Elis spoke as she stared down at Singyoku’s quickly vanishing body. “Naturally, this means she can tap into the false god’s power.”

“The false god’s power?” Louise muttered as thoughts she couldn’t keep track of whizzed through her mind.

“The power to float through everything.” Elis sighed as leaned onto the railing, casually tapping her fingers on its surface. “Although her ability to use this power is far more limited than that shrine maiden’s, this means I can’t kill her. Not yet, anyway.”

The two of them watched as the smoke blew toward the driver’s seat, spilling into the chair holding the orb.

“Well, that’s enough of that for now, I suppose.” Elis dusted off her hands and flashed a devilish grin at Louise. “Now…”

Fear welled up in Louise's chest as Elis made her way over to her.

“Let’s just call this a continuation of where we were before that man interrupted us,” Elis spoke as she cracked her knuckles. “You’re going to wish he never came back to help you.”

With a deep breath, Louise pushed off the ground and curled her hands into fists, swaying back and forth as she forced herself to continue standing.

As Elis drew near, she raised her arms to her sides, inviting Louise to strike.

“Hng!” Louise grunted as she swung at Elis’s face, who easily dodged back. “Hah!”

Louise took wide, heavy swings at every angle, but Elis continued dodging at the last moment. The two of them continued until they made a full revolution around the inner station with the now-destroyed hologram.

“Nng!” Louise swung another punch at Elis’s face, but this time, Elis curled her arm around Louise’s and kneed her in the stomach. With her other arm, Elis smashed her fist directly into Louise’s mouth.

“Aah!” Louise screamed as she staggered back and hit the railing. Pain overwhelmed her senses as she tried to readjust herself.

Shakily lifting a hand, Louise brushed her lower lip with her finger. When she pulled it away, it came away smeared with blood.

My lip… She busted my lip…

“Ah. Done already?” Elis spoke as she walked over to Louise, cracking her knuckles. Though Louise couldn’t see clearly enough to make out Elis’s expression, her mocking tone made it clear enough to envision.

Louise tried to muster up the strength to push herself up, but her arms failed her. Slumping back onto the railing, she watched helplessly as Elis walked up and stood in front of her.

“Tsk.” Elis clicked with annoyance as her eyes scanned Louise’s body. “I suppose you are.”

Louise opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a wet cough. Elis glared at her with a look of disgust.

“S-” Louise eventually spoke in a raspy voice. “S- Sis-”

Suddenly, Elis’s hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. Louise weakly pushed against her arm, but it wouldn’t even budge.

“Oh, sister.” Forcibly dragging Louise forward, Elis peered directly into her eyes and gave her a wicked smile. “You’ve put me in quite a foul mood. This was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission for Mother. But you-” Elis jabbed a claw at Louise’s chest. “That spirit, and that man you were with have put me through so much trouble.”

“Sister…” Louise forced out. “Don’t-”

Elis swung another fist directly into Louise’s chest, cutting her off as pain flooded her body anew. With a cry, Louise’s eyes fluttered as she fell silent.

“We’re not done here,” Elis spat with contempt. “But I’m out of time to waste on you. Technically, my mission isn’t complete.”

Your… mission?

“Where is he, sister?” Elis asked in a sweet voice. “That man you were with. He’s somewhere on the ship, isn’t he?”

A lump rose in Louise’s throat, and she found herself unable to swallow it down. I can’t tell her where he is. She’ll kill him!

“Where. Is. He?” Elis gently shook Louise. “I don’t have all day, you know.”

Louise started to stammer out a response. “I- I- I- don’t know-”

Immediately, Elis gripped Louise’s head and slammed it into the nearest monitor, causing the screen to shatter on impact. Louise cried aloud as she felt a wet liquid begin to trickle down her forehead.

With one hand keeping Louise’s face pressed against the screen, Elis leaned in until she could feel her breath tickling her ear.

“I’m not going to ask again, sister,” Elis spoke in a gentle voice. “Where is he?”

At that moment, Louise felt utterly hopeless, and with her spirit crushed, she began to sob. Despite her best efforts to hold them back, the tears kept flowing out.

Why…? Why is this happening?

“Oh, sister, that won’t do at all,” Elis sighed. “There’s no need for that. Once I take you to Mother, everything you feel now will be like a bad dream, a fleeting memory.”

Leaning even closer, Elis whispered. “All you have to do is tell me where he is, and the pain will end.”

The pain… will end?

Louise shuddered. ‘The pain will end’, huh?

What do you know about ‘pain', sister?

A surge of anger rose within Louise, and she began shaking more from it than from the pain. At that moment, a familiar voice called out to her from the depths of her soul.

RELEASE ME.

“No…” Louise whimpered. “I don’t want to…”

RELEASE ME.

“Stop…” A tear fell from Louise’s eye. “I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to remember.”

IT’S TIME.

“Hm?” Elis tightened her grip on her head and leaned back. “What are you babbling about?”

At that moment, Louise started chuckling.

“Oh, sister,” Louise uttered between laughs. “You think I’m going to give up that easily?”

“What’s up with you now, all of a sudden?” Elis asked her, confused. “Have you finally lost it?”

“Lost? Oh, no.” Louise shifted her head against the glass to glance at Elis. “I’ve found it.”

With a burst of energy, Louise gripped Elis’s wrist and tore it away from her. Elis leaped backward, visibly taken aback.

“What?! What is this?!” Elis hissed as she observed Louise pushing herself up and floating into the sky.

“You were curious as to why Mother wanted me so badly, right?” Louise smirked as she locked eyes with Elis as a surge of power swept through her. “Allow me to show you why!”

…No! STOP!

Louise felt her mind splitting apart from the stress as she did all she could to subjugate its power, but she felt herself losing her ability to control it.

“This power…!” Elis looked up at her, shocked. “You’re no demon! You’re-”

Suddenly, a loud clang came from the entrance and echoed through the room.

“Louise!”

Louise gasped. In an instant, her consciousness was thrust back into the forefront of her mind and her power fizzled out completely.

What? What was that?! Partner?!

Taking advantage of her distraction, Elis flew forth and struck her in the stomach.

“Gah!” Louise retched out as she fell to the ground.

“All bark and no bite, hm?” Elis swooped down and perched atop the smoldering ruins of a module, looking down at her. “But this development is… most curious. I’ll figure out what to do with you later.”

“Louise! What happened?!”

Though she couldn’t see him from where she lay, Louise heard the man running up the stairs and onto the central platform.

“Louise, where are you?! What-”

“Ah, there you are, insect,” Elis spoke casually. “How nice of you to finally show up.”

“You…” I growled as I brought out my pistol and aimed at the vampire. “How the hell did you get here?”

“Oh, I caught up,” Elis gestured to the cracked windshield, which contained a large hole along its side. “We vampires are swift, after all. Louise and that spirit never stood a chance against me, honestly.”

“Louise? What’d you do to her?!” I yelled. “I swear-”

Elis hopped down and reached below where I could see. When she raised it again, I staggered back and nearly fell from the sight.

Gripping Louise’s collar with one hand, Elis smirked at me. As for Louise, she was in a terrible state. Bruises and scratches lined her whole body. Her lip was busted and her forehead sported a deep gash, dripping with blood. Her dress, normally a pristine white, was torn and muddied with multiple crimson stains.

“Hey, sister,” Elis spoke in a cheerful tone. “Look alive! Your knight in shining armor’s here to save you!”

“P-” Louise glanced up at me as she shakily lifted one arm my way. “Part… ner….”

“Well, that’s enough of that,” Elis released Louise’s collar, and she crumpled beneath her feet. “Now it’s just you and me, hm?”

“You BITCH!” I snarled as I fired a shot at Elis, who swiftly jumped aside. “How could you do such a thing to your own sister? I’ll kill you, I swear-”

“Will you?” Elis taunted me as she dropped to the ground and calmly walked up the stairs to where I was. “Show me, then.”

I slowly backed up as I launched wave after wave at Elis, who dexterously evaded all of them without ever leaving the ground.

“No. You won’t kill me.” Elis shook her head as she began to ascend the final set of stairs. “I’ve given you enough chances to prove yourself, yet you disappoint every time. Let’s not drag this out any longer, hm?”

As I opened my mouth to respond, Elis suddenly dashed up the stairs and smashed a fist into my chest, sending me tumbling down the stairs. By the time I scrambled up, Elis was already right in front of me.

I tucked away my pistol and threw a fist at Elis, but she ducked around me and slammed a fist directly into my back.

“Agh!”

I fell forward and caught myself on the stairs. Taking a wild swing behind me, Elis casually tilted her head back and kicked me in the ribs, knocking the wind out of me.

Elis leaned down and began swinging away at me, and all I could do was lift my arms in an attempt to shield myself from her assault.

“You. Do. Not. Belong. Here.” Elis spoke as she swung a punch with every word. Every blow caused my body to scream out with pain, and I felt my arms beginning to give out.

Ceasing her assault, Elis looked down at me with incredible scorn, breathing heavily.

“You can never repay what you’ve done to me,” Elis said before she spat on my face. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

Weakly, I stared up at her as she winded up her fist in preparation to strike me once again. Just then, an idea crossed my mind.

If the pistol won’t work, then maybe…

“Die, insect!” Elis shouted as she swung her fist at my torso.

Now! Cross!

Thrusting my hand forward, I pulled out one of Yumemi’s sigils and activated it. Magic immediately shot out from its four sides, creating a crucifix.

Elis’s fist crashed into it with a tremendous burst of light, blinding me. A massive blow struck me in the stomach, knocking me flat onto the staircase as an incredible burst of pain tore through my body.

Moaning, I tucked away the sigil and lay still upon the staircase, blinking every so often to regain my vision.

Ah, fuck. That didn’t protect me-

“AUGH!” Elis screamed out in pain as the blob representing her silhouette staggered back.

…?

As my vision came back into focus, I glanced over at Elis.

“You…” Elis sputtered as she glared at me with her beady eyes. “You…!”

Just then, I saw that she was clutching her left arm, which hung limply in her palm. Black liquid dripped from it like a leaky faucet, creating a pool on the floor. A thin gap had formed along its length, starting from her knuckle and leading all the way up to her shoulder.

Elis’s entire arm had been split in two.

“How… dare you!” Elis choked out, enraged. “You won’t get away with this!”

Suddenly, Elis’s hand shot up and gripped her bicep so tightly that her hand turned completely pale. With a tremendous roar, she yanked multiple times until her arm began to sever from her body.

My eyes went wide. You’re kidding-

“HAAAAAH!” Elis gave one last shout as she ripped her arm out of its socket and dropped it onto the floor, scattering black miasma everywhere. Darkness swiftly rose to consume the arm, where it disintegrated into nothingness.

“Hng…!” Elis strained until I could see veins popping in her forehead. The hole in her body swam around with darkness, until-

“HAH!”

From the socket, a completely new arm burst forth, scattering the panels behind her in flecks of miasma.

I groaned and laid my head back on the stairs.

‘Regenerate from virtually any wound’, huh?

“You!” An enraged Elis leaped forward and pounced on top of me, slashing away at me with her claws. I brought my arms up in a feeble attempt to block her, but she simply clawed at them too.

Taking a moment to breathe, Elis plunged both hands into my chest, driving her nails into my skin. As I weakly groaned from the pain, Elis leaned forward and looked me in the eyes.

“It doesn’t matter what you do to me.” Elis snarled. “Even if you were to slice me into ribbons, cut my head off, blow me into pieces- Doesn’t matter. I can always come back, good as new. But you, weakling- You’ve wounded my pride.”

Leaning back, Elis gripped my head with both hands and forced my eyes wide open.

“I’ve thought of a suitable punishment for you, insect.”

Raising both of her index fingers, Elis pointed her nails directly into both of my eyes. As soon as I realized what she planned on doing, I thrashed around as much as I could but was utterly unable to shake her off.

“No, no, no! Stop-”

“You put out Mother’s eye,” Elis tilted her head sideways and gave me an innocent look. “It’s only fitting that I put out yours, hm? Punishment fits the crime and all.”

“Stop, please!” I began to plead. “You-”

“Nope,” Elis gave me a cheeky grin as she pressed her nails dangerously close to my eyes. “Here we go~”

“Stop.”

Elis stopped and looked aside. I tried to do so as well, but her hands were still firmly holding my head in place.

Louise...

“Oh, sister.” Elis clicked her tongue. “You’re just in time. I was just finishing my dispute with this man here-”

“Stop, I said.”

“Hmm…” Elis hummed sarcastically as she released control of my head, giving me enough leeway to look over at Louise. “Give me one good reason why I should.”

“Mother wants me alive, doesn’t she?”

Just then, I noticed that despite everything, Louise was smiling.

Why’s she smiling?! She must’ve thought of something!

“Yes, of course,” Elis spoke, annoyed. “But what does that have to do with-”

“And as it so happens, I’ve built up enough mana for one more attack.” Louise interrupted her and raised a single finger. An orange, flickering light resided at its tip, releasing the occasional spark. “Enough to end this.”

“End this?!” Elis snorted. “Look at yourself. You’re telling me that you’ve got enough firepower to beat me-”

“This isn’t for you.”

Elis froze up and readjusted herself, giving me enough space to lean slightly forward. Don’t tell me…

Louise brought her finger back and lifted it, pressing it directly into her neck with a triumphant smile.

“If you hurt him anymore, I’ll kill myself.”

Chapter Text

Propping herself up with her free hand, Louise pressed her finger against her neck as she stared Elis down. Silence hung in the air, unbroken by a single word.

…

Louise took several shaky breaths as she swept her hand along the metal floor, brushing aside bits of metal and glass before sitting down. Across from her, Elis was hunched over in front of the man, returning Louise’s gaze with a quiet fury. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her skin, leaving behind pinpricks of blood.

Louise gulped nervously. Easy, Louise. Don’t let your guard down.

“...What?” Elis uttered in a raspy voice, a combination of anger and disbelief. “What did you just say?”

The man’s head poked out from the side of the stairs to look at her. A look of alarm was spread across his face as he shook his head frantically from side to side.

Louise repositioned herself in such a way that pushed the man to the corner of her vision. Sorry, partner. I have to do this.

“I think you heard me well enough the first time, sister,” Louise reasserted as flickers of magic flew from her finger and stung her skin. “Stop. Hurting. My. Partner. Or else I’ll take my life, right here, right now. I swear it.”

“Oh, please.” Elis scoffed as she stood up and crossed her arms, glaring daggers at Louise. “You think you can threaten me like that? The timid, fainthearted Louise, declaring that she’ll end her own life? Let’s make something clear; you don’t have it in you.”

Louise clenched her teeth and glowered at Elis. Timid…? Fainthearted?!

“You really think that?” Louise retorted in a low voice as she pressed her finger deeper into her skin. “You think I’m too weak to commit?”

“No, I don’t think you are,” Elis replied in a mocking tone as she slowly stood up straight and rested her hands on her hips. “I know you are. And especially over this thing you call your ‘partner’, who you’ve only known for several days.”

“You think I’m bluffing?!” Louise angrily raised her voice to match Elis. “Then test me! I’ve got nothing to lose, but you certainly do. Do you think Mother would be pleased if you returned to her empty-handed? How would she react toward my death, I wonder?”

“Don’t start,” Elis growled under her breath.

Louise let out a brief chuckle and shakily brought herself to her feet. “Oh, what will Mother do to you, you think? Will she strip you of your rank and incarcerate you? Exile you to the depths of Hokkai? Or, perhaps…” Louise paused for emphasis as she raised an eyebrow. “She’d execute you on the spot?”

“Don’t get so full of yourself, you bitch!” Elis yelled. “Even if you were to die, Mother could just recreate you once your essence returned to her-”

“Do you think Mother’s going to accept that for an answer?” Louise shook her head. “Recreating me would take a much longer time than any old demon. Do you think she’d be pleased to hear she would need to repeat that ordeal?”

Enraged, Elis leaned over and snatched the man’s hair, dragging him up and throwing him forward onto the ground, just above the short flight of stairs. Digging one heel into his back, she reached down and yanked the man’s hair so he was staring directly at Louise.

Louise gasped as she felt her heart skip a beat.

“Alright, so you have it in you, do you?” Elis sneered as she drove her heel harder. “Go on, then. Blow your brains out in front of your ‘partner’.”

“Louise, don’t!” The man wheezed out breathlessly as he flailed uselessly in her direction.

“Well?” Elis smirked at the now distraught Louise. “You just said that you have nothing to lose. Now it’s time for you to prove it.”

Glancing away from the vampire to look at the man’s, whose expression was fraught with worry and hopelessness.

Louise felt her chest tighten as a boiling anger rose in her heart.

“Yes, sister,” Louise muttered as she grabbed the nearest fixture with her free hand and dug her fingers into it. “I don’t have anything to lose. Not anymore.”

Mana was flowing through Louise’s finger at a much faster rate now, the light on her fingertip having gone from a sharp orange to a bright white. Both Elis and the man watched on in silence.

Ignoring the pain, Louise glared straight into the vampire’s eyes.

“That’s because I already lost everything that mattered to me!” Louise yelled aloud. “My whole family was taken from me in a single night! And now my own mother wants me back, but not out of love! She just wants me back to act as her pawn in this- this mindless killing!”

Tears began flowing down her face but Louise persisted, pushing herself from the fixture and standing upright on both feet.

“You would never understand! You couldn’t possibly understand how it feels!” Louise shouted as magic whirled around her finger, scorching her skin. “And you know what?! I couldn’t rescue a single one of the youkai that arrived from Gensokyo! I tried, and tried, and tried, but I couldn’t save any of them! Not one! The world gave me a chance at redemption when this human- my partner- showed up, and I won’t let you kill him too! I won’t!”

“H- Hey…” Elis lifted a hand nervously as the man looked on in abject horror.

“If you think I don’t have it in me, that’s a mistake you’ll regret forever!” Louise screamed as a blaze of triumph swelled up inside her. “Witness the last breath of one of Shinki’s children with absolutely nothing left to lose!”

Taking a deep breath, Louise pushed further until her finger was enveloped in pure light and closed her eyes. This is it.

Despite her tears, Louise felt the sides of her mouth press up into the smallest of smiles.

Well, Elis? Am I timid? Fainthearted?

Just as Louise steeled herself to fire, she heard a voice call out from in front of her. “St- Stop! STOP!”

Louise breathed a sigh of relief. There it is.

Lifting one eyelid, Louise saw Elis release the man’s hair and take several steps away from him until she was behind the remains of the railing. Her face reflected a look of genuine concern, a sight Louise had never seen on her face before.

“That’s enough, sister!” Elis spoke feverishly, gripping the railing and squeezing with both palms. “You’ve made your point!”

“...So you’ll let him go?” Louise asked softly.

“Yes, yes! I’ll let him go!” Elis nodded frantically. “Just stop this!”

Cautiously and slowly, Louise tapered off the stream of mana flowing into her finger until it reverted into a warm orange. Though she kept her finger pressed into her neck, she finally allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. It’s over…

“So it seems you’ve got your priorities in order,” Louise spoke up with a grin as she brushed the tears from her face with her arm. “I suppose that settles things, doesn’t it?”

“‘Settles’?” Elis scoffed. “You think this is some kind of deal we’re making? All you’ve done is add a few moments to this man’s life. It’s much easier to ensure one’s death than to bring someone in alive, after all.”

“That’s as good a reason as any.”

“Lou-” the man choked out as he reached out to her. “Louise…”

“I‘ll have to give you some credit, sister. I misjudged your character,” Elis pressed forward and squeezed the railing so tight the metal began to warp beneath her fingers. “You certainly are passionate. Passionate for the wrong thing entirely, but passionate nonetheless. I wasn’t expecting you to be willing to die for a man you only just met.”

“Passionate?” Louise echoed as she let out a chuckle. “Nobody’s ever called me that before, but now that you mention it, I suppose I am.”

“What is it that you see in him?” Elis flung her hands up in frustration and began pacing back and forth. “Why are you willing to lay down your life for his sake? I don’t believe you’d die for any random youkai on those tour ships. What’s so special about him?”

“Oh! Well…” Louise rubbed her neck and glanced down at the man, who was catching his breath face-down. “He’s…”

“He’s what? What is he?” Elis spat, visibly irritated.

Louise coughed and cleared her throat. “He… Well, I think he’s good company.”

“Good company?!” Elis scoffed. “You’re willing to die over good company?”

“I’ve gotten to know him over these past few days, sister,” Louise crossed her arms and glared at the vampire defiantly. “Once you know someone, it’s much harder to let them go.”

“Oh, that’s rich, coming from you,” Elis sneered. “You had no problem leaving Mother behind all those years ago.”

“Don’t even start with that, sister,” Louise shot back. “You have no idea why I left to begin with. Do you really think I had ‘no problem’ leaving everything I ever knew behind, that I just left Mother behind on a whim? I wandered the far reaches of Makai and Gensokyo for years in search of a purpose, something to live for. Not that you’d understand.”

“Spare me your preaching, sister,” Elis retorted. “I couldn’t care less about your voluntary exile or the reason behind it. Your ‘purpose’ is whatever Mother has in store for you, nothing more.”

Louise slowly brought her gaze to the ground. “We’ll see about that soon enough. All I ask is that you cause my partner no further harm.”

“Partner.” Elis hissed under her breath as she began to creep over toward the stairs. “You really are disgusting, you know that?”

When Louise said nothing, Elis scoffed and gracefully leapt down the stairs. “Well, enough about that. Before I retrieve you, I’m going to take care of something first.”

Elis walked along the path leading up to the cockpit with her wings unfurled, deliberately knocking down the equipment in her path.

Louise sighed. She’s going after the controls. In that case, I have a chance to speak with him. I need to hurry.

“Louise!” The man shifted around and started to push himself up. As he did so, Louise saw several droplets of blood leak from his clawed-up sleeves. “Don’t go with her! You-”

“Hey. Partner,” Louise took several wobbly steps as she made her way over to the man. “Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself. This isn’t the end.”

“But, but-” the man glanced from side to side before looking directly into her eyes. “What about me?”

“Human,” Louise spoke in a solemn voice. “I know it’s unfair for me to ask this of you, but I need you to see this through.”

“Huh?” The man pushed himself up enough to flip around and enter a sitting position. “What are you talking about? See what through?”

“I know where we are,” Louise quickly explained. “We’re in-”

Suddenly, a great commotion rang out as a shower of sparks flew through the air. Both of them turned aside to see Elis swiftly clawing away at the walls and control panels, dragging her nails through the metal as easily as a hot knife through butter.

Louise turned back to the man and leaned in close. “We’re currently flying over Reimaden. It’s a large, remote area in the far reaches of Makai. For the most part, it’s a barren wasteland home to only the most aberrant of demons, but it contains one thing of note, and I’ll bet that’s exactly where Singyoku was trying to take us.”

“What? ‘Reimaden’?” The man looked at her, confused. “What are you talking about? You-”

“At the heart of Reimaden lies a platform containing a deep expanse. A rift in space that leads to the World of Fantasies. That has to be where the other half of the yin-yang orb is- there’s no way it’s just lying around in Reimaden somewhere.”

”There we go!” Elis cackled as she stepped back to admire her handiwork, causing the man to look over Louise’s shoulder to investigate. Louise glanced back at Elis from the corner of her eye- she had left nothing untouched, with every last button, lever, and monitor in the cockpit shredded to pieces.

“Look at me,” Louise turned back and spoke firmly, catching the man’s attention. “You need to find that rift. Jump inside. Find Singyoku’s other half. You need to do this. Do you understand?”

“Wh- What?” The man spoke, baffled. “‘Find a rift’? ‘Jump inside’? What are you even-”

“Oh, that’s right!” Elis spoke aloud in an exaggerated tone. “I shouldn’t forget about this, now should I?”

With one hand, Elis plucked the orb free from the seat and examined it briefly with a smirk. “You know, I think I’ll take this with me.”

“Put that down!” The man shouted as the pistol materialized in his hands.

“Oh, what’s this?” Elis flipped around the orb in her hand and tucked it away in her vest. Looking at the man from the corner of her eye, her mouth shifted upward into a lopsided smirk. “My sister here just gave you several more moments to live. Are you going to throw that away?”

“Give that back!” The man yelled. “Give that back right now, or I’ll shoot-”

Louise stepped close and held out her arm, blocking his line of sight.

“Louise, don’t get in my way!” The man spoke up as he readjusted himself to get around her arm. “You’re just going to let her take it?!”

“Partner,” Louise spoke heavily, allowing the word to linger in the air. “That’s enough.”

“B- But-” The man sputtered, the pistol trembling in his grasp.

“It’s okay, partner,” Louise spoke in a hushed voice. Kneeling, she lowered her arm and pressed a single finger against the pistol’s barrel. “It’ll be fine.”

“But if she takes away Singyoku, it’s not going to do us any good even if I find the other half-”

“It’ll be fine,” Louise spoke sternly. “I’ll figure something out. Please trust me.”

“Louise, don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.” The man began to plead as the pistol vanished. “I won’t make it out there on my own. You said so yourself when we first met, right? I’m going to die-”

Louise lifted her hand and gently laid it upon the man’s shoulder. The man fell silent and glanced over to her hand before looking deep into her eyes.

“Hey, partner,” Louise gave him the widest smile she could muster. “I’ll be honest- a lot has happened since we first met. With you, it’s been nothing but one surprise after the next. You have this- this incredible knack for making it through whatever gets thrown your way.”

“Louise…?”

“Partner, you have such incredible strength,” Louise spoke in earnest. “You just haven't seen it yet.”

“Louise, please.” The man raised a hand and grabbed her wrist. “Don’t-”

“I believe in you, partner,” Louise gave him a gentle nudge with her hand before slowly pulling it back, her fingers brushing with his as her hand slipped away. “Now it’s time for you to believe in yourself. And as long as you keep doing that, nothing will stop you.”

“Louise, I can’t!” The man reached out to Louise as she backed up. “You’re asking way too much-”

“Partner, promise me.” Louise brought her hands together just as she heard Elis’s footfalls approaching her from behind. “Promise me that no matter what happens, you won’t give up.”

“Louise, I-” The man’s voice cracked as his hand fell to the ground. “I promise.”

“Well! This certainly is quite the touching scene,” Elis spoke aloud, her voice dripping with disgust. “But I’m afraid it’s time we got going.”

Before Louise could turn around to look at Elis, the vampire snatched Louise’s collar and yanked her to her side.

“Elis!” The man yelled. “You won’t get away with this!”

“Ah, insect,” Elis flapped her wings and chuckled with twisted glee. “Don’t mistake my leaving you alive as mercy. Rest assured, your fate remains sealed.”

“Louise!” With a grunt of effort, the man finally staggered onto his feet. Elis simply gave him a smirk as she brought out her wand with her free hand.

“It’s time we left this casket behind,” Elis spoke as she dragged Louise along with her to the cockpit. As they moved, Louise felt the air around her beginning to distort as traces of mana began to drift from Elis’s body.

Out the way she came, huh?

“Elis!” The man shouted as he stumbled down the stairs.

“Know this, insect!” Elis called out triumphantly as she raised her wand skyward, flooding the room with light. “Makai will consume you, even if I don’t!”

A flurry of magic bolts burst from the wand’s tip, curving wildly through the air before beating against the windshield. In a fraction of a second, the glass splintered apart and shattered into pieces with a tremendous crash.

Just as Louise raised her hand to protect herself from the glass, the wind rushed in at incredible speed, swiftly knocking her off balance. If not for Elis’s firm grip on her collar, Louise knew she would have been sent flying into the wall at the far end of the cockpit.

You’ve always been so theatrical, Elis. At least that part of you hasn’t changed.

“Time to go,” Elis declared as she pulled on her collar and flew up to the open hole with her in hand. As they approached the opening, Louise felt the chill bite into her skin, causing her to involuntarily shiver.

Goodbye, partner. If fate wills it, we’ll see each other again soon.

Elis dragged her out onto the hull, exposing both of them to the frigid outside air. Crossing her arms to shield them from the wind, Louise took one last look at the man, who was pressed flat against the wall and buffeted by the wind as he struggled to maintain a foothold.

Good luck, partner.

With one last tug, Elis carried Louise off the ship. The man vanished from view as the ship carrying him hurtled past at a slight descent, flying off until it vanished into the great black.

“And there he goes,” Elis remarked, her wings flapping just quickly enough to keep the two of them in midair. “I wonder how he’ll end up dying. Perhaps he’ll give up and die in the crash, or maybe one of Mother’s children will end his miserable life in my place. What do you think, sister?”

Louise offered her no reply, so Elis scoffed and began pulling her along. Gazing off into the distance where the ship had flown, Louise raised one hand and pressed it against her heart.

I believe in you, partner.

Please believe in me.

“Louise!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, although the rushing wind stifled my words instantly. “No! Louise!”

Shards of glass flew across the room, so I blocked my face with my arm as I pushed myself against the wall.

That damn vampire! I swear, the next time we meet-

The ship lurched as it entered a steady decline, causing my stomach to drop.

I need to get out of here.

Struggling my way across the wall, I reached the staircase bordering the upper platform. With as much strength as I could muster, I forced my legs to move, hobbling up the stairs one at a time.

The ship tipped slightly further, causing a resurgence in the wind that pressed me hard against the wall. Using my elbows, I pushed myself an inch from the wall and began waddling up the last few stairs.

Ugh…

With a grunt of effort, I pushed myself from the wall and collapsed onto the platform. With all four of my limbs, I crawled to the stairs leading to the exit and began pushing myself down them, straining against the torrent of wind. Several steps in, the entire ship quaked as it tipped even further forward. The stairs had become tilted at a slight diagonal, making crawling especially awkward.

I need to make it back to that hole-

A loud creaking noise in front of me interrupted my train of thought, and I looked up. The carved-out chunk of the hatch, its edges still glowing with heat from being cut out with Yumemi’s cross, was rattling around the ground as it began to slide toward me.

Oh.

Before I could think of what to do, the hatch struck the lip of the first stair and flipped into the air, soaring at me at tremendous speed. I pressed myself flat against the ground, but I was a split second too late.

The hatch struck my right hand with a loud clang, crushing my fingers before bouncing upward and flying over my head.

“GAH!”

Pain ripped through my entire hand, causing me to release my hold on the stairs out of pure shock. The wind was swift to take advantage of my surprise, carrying me back several steps as I flailed around.

Before I fell far, my left hand shot out and gripped the railing. With a great cry, I reeled myself back onto the stairs and glanced at my hand.

The skin had turned blue from the impact, and trying to flex any one of my fingers caused a searing pain to tear through my arm. Cursing, I tucked my hand away and crawled down the stairs once more, this time only using my left hand to support me.

Fucking great, that’s just what I needed!

Reaching the bottom, I practically dragged myself through the hole and collapsed inside the main room. Pushing myself aside, I slumped back against the wall behind me and took a moment to catch my breath.

That’s the worst of it- just that hallway left.

Groaning, I pushed myself up and looked around. The melted hatch was only a short distance away, but the tilt of the ship made it so that trying to walk across the room with my weak legs caused my feet to slip back.

Crawling over would take too long. I need to fly.

“Come on, come on, come on…” I muttered to myself as I leaned my back against the wall and closed my eyes. “Calm down. Clear your mind. It’s not that far. Just a couple dozen feet, that’s all I need.”

Several seconds later, I felt myself hovering several inches from the floor. This time, however, something felt off.

My movements… they’ve become sluggish. It’s like the brace has to think for a second before sending me where I want to go.

The entire ship trembled as I floated my way over to the hole, nearly breaking my concentration and causing my brace to give out. Flinging out my left hand, I swiped at the hole that was just beyond my reach.

Just a few feet more!

With one last push, my fingertips brushed along the rim of the hole and bent in just enough for me to secure my grip. Tugging myself forward, I threw myself inside the hallway and began to stagger down the corner between the floor and the wall. The sound of the pipes inside the walls creaking and groaning reverberated through the hallway as I reached the closet, its door ajar.

Taking a quick breath, I reached out one foot and planted it against the opposite side of the frame. Just as I was about to push myself across, the ship quaked from the turbulence, sending the door flying my way.

I brought out my right elbow to protect me in the nick of time, absorbing the impact of the door. Pain ripped through my entire arm once more as my fingers flared up and began to throb.

“Agh!” I cried out as I pushed myself forward and rolled against the wall.

I can’t use my right arm right now. I’ll be easy pickings if a demon comes around.

I limped against the wall until I reached the hatch, which I practically threw myself at. Briefly fumbling around with the valve, I grabbed the base of the wheel and gave it multiple one-handed tugs, using my weight to pull it back. After several rotations, the valve began spinning of its own accord.

Good thing I didn’t tighten it much.

The valve creaked and swiveled with increasing speed, and I pressed myself flat against the wall just as it came undone and the hatch flung open. A sudden rush of wind blasted me against the wall, and I clutched the frame as I peered inside.

Down the stairs and through the broken pillars lay my objective. The wind was so intense that panels were being ripped off the walls, spinning around wildly before being launched out of the hole at tremendous speed. Darkness lay just beyond the breach- I couldn’t make out any details or how far above the ground I was.

I turned back around, breathing heavily as an overwhelming sense of dread set in.

Fuck, I can’t do this! I’ll die! I’m going to die!

The ship trembled as the deafening groan of metal echoed through the entire ship, causing me to recoil from surprise.

…

I gripped the frame for support and peered back into the room.

All you have to do is jump. That’s it. Just jump and glide to the ground. Piece of cake. Just imagine yourself as a skydiver and you’ll be alright.

With one last nervous gulp, I took a single step forward and placed myself directly in front of the open hatch. A massive rush of wind launched me forward, sending me into a panic. I immediately turned back to the hallway and reached out my hand for the valve, but by then it was already too late.

“AAAAH!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I toppled backward past the stairs. I spun around like a ragdoll, catching glimpses of the broken pillars and the moon-shaped light from the corner of my vision. Less than half a second later, a panel struck my back, causing me to cry out in surprise. Everything spun around wildly until it all became a blur of color, and I tucked in my limbs and closed my eyes.

And just as suddenly as it started, it ended.

A blast of frigid air struck me as the ship tossed me out. In a daze, I attempted to right myself, but I didn’t know which way was up. The wind around me howled as I plummeted, drowning out my thoughts as I felt my mind spinning from vertigo. The ordeal caused a terrible feeling of nausea to rise in my stomach.

Once I entered freefall, I choked down the bile in my throat and turned myself upright, opening my eyes at last. A layer of dark clouds was there to greet me, stretching out as far as the eye could see, suffusing the little light from the stars above. As I fell further, the clouds grew thicker until I was surrounded by absolute darkness. Flashes of lightning accompanied by ear-splitting peals of thunder ripped through the clouds, causing my heart to leap into my throat.

A storm?!

Tucking my knees in and holding them close to my body to make myself as small a target as possible, I continued to look around me. Apart from when lightning lit up the clouds, I could see absolutely nothing.

After a minute or so of falling, a massive burst of light far off in the distance nearly struck me blind. Squeezing my eyes shut as hard as I could, I saw the image of a circle burned into my vision.

What was that?!

Seconds later, the light grew much dimmer, and I opened my eyes once more.

After a moment of waiting for my eyes to adjust to the light, I found myself looking at a rugged, nearly crystalline field that stretched for miles. Spires rose from the ground in formation, creating a slightly warped grid. Scores of deep, rectangular pits stretched through the grid and between the pillars, creating a series of long, winding paths that all converged at an otherworldly structure off in the distance- a large, grey platform in the shape of a ring, whose base appeared to be the same crystal material as the ground and whose top was like that of iron. Atop the ring lay five circular podiums, each bearing what appeared to be the smashed remains of boulders. Red, vine-like tentacles snaked out from the base of each podium, embedding themselves inside the platform like the roots of a tree.

What is that? Is that where Louise wants me to go?

Taking my attention from the structure for the moment, I noticed that each pit carved into the landscape contained some kind of reflective surface so pristine it practically mirrored the sky. Within the reflection, I saw something peculiar- light in the shape of a hollow circle was buried within each one, each containing a circle of pure darkness. Though dim, the light was enough to cause the rim of each pit to shine a little brighter than its surroundings.

Bringing my gaze up, I saw a peculiar sight- far away and up in the sky, a large moon remained suspended high in the sky. It hovered in the only place lacking clouds, forming a donut in the sky. Something behind it was casting light upon the moon, lighting up the entire ground with an eclipse from every angle.

I looked down at the pits and back up at the moon, mesmerized. An eclipse? That light from earlier must’ve been a star!

Just then, I realized that the ground was swiftly nearing me, so I spread out my arms and focused on slowing my descent. Alright, I’d better take this last stretch safely. Let’s fly-

Huh?

To my horror, I found my velocity completely unchanged. Despite my repeated attempts to slow my descent, nothing happened.

What’s going on?!

Alarmed, I felt around my chest a bit before grabbing the hem of my shirt and yanking it up to get a better look at my brace.

The brace was mangled. The fabric lining that formed its outer edge had been shredded to pieces, and several wires were dangling out, flapping around wildly in the wind. At the center of my brace were several deep gashes that poked all the way through the brace and into my skin, with my thickened blood acting as a sort of adhesive that kept the fabric stuck to my body.

Dread overcame me as I pieced everything together.

Elis! When she slashed at me with her claws, it damaged the brace, and that’s why I couldn’t fly my way out of the ship easily-

“OH SHIT!” I yelled at the top of my lungs as I plummeted, watching as the ground approached fast enough to turn me into paste in an instant.

It- It’s okay, I still have time! A minute or so!

I shut my eyes as tight as I could and redoubled my efforts. Come on, fly! Fly! FLY!

The rushing wind became overwhelming and every passing second made me increasingly nervous, but I didn’t dare open my eyes.

Come on, brace. Come on. Just one last push for me, please?

When nothing happened, my heart sank into my stomach. Out of desperation, my mind rewinded to the flying lesson I had with Louise.

Right, Louise! How did she describe flying?

…

I was back on the ship with Louise. She was floating just above the ground, gently drifting from side to side as a demonstration.

What did you say, Louise?

From the deep recesses of my mind, I found my answer. Amidst the rushing wind, one sound, one voice rang clear and true.

“The will to fly must remain in your subconscious, and only within your subconscious.”

Louise lifted her hand and pointed at her forehead, exactly as I remembered it. I watched as the sides of her lips bent up in a very light smile as she spoke, her voice echoing in my mind.

“It’s all in here.”

…

Louise and the room faded away, and I found myself staring at the back of my eyelids again.

It’s all in here.

I did my best to relax every muscle in my body and took deep, slow breaths.

How many seconds do I have left? Fifteen? Twenty?

Well, it doesn’t matter. If I don’t figure this out, it won’t matter either way.

I cleared my mind and focused as I had when first learning how to fly. The sound of the wind fell away until I heard it no more.

Direct your attention on this instant, this one moment in time.

A remarkable sense of peace spread throughout my entire being as my thoughts of panic toward my inability to fly dissipated into thin air, replaced by an innate desire to fly. It lacked the urgency of my present situation, which now felt like a distant dream- it was no hasty plea calling out into the depths of my mind, rather, it felt more like a wish.

And once again, I heard the omnipresent voice call out to me from the center of my being. Unlike before, however, it only spoke one word.

Fly.

A gentle warmth suddenly filled me, spreading from my heart and branching out until I could no longer feel the biting cold. Mana flowed through my body freely, creating a perfect loop that circulated through every square inch of my body.

…

Is… Is this it?

Is this what it feels like to fly?

A tremendous, overpowering feeling of joy washed over me, and I opened my eyes just in time to see the top of the pillars fly past. Looking down, I saw the ground rushing up to meet me in mere seconds.

Despite everything, I grinned and stretched out my arms.

Thank you, Louise.

With a triumphant yell, I focused every iota of my body toward one purpose- to halt my descent. A burst of energy flooded my body as I felt myself decelerate so quickly that I nearly gave myself whiplash.

Come on!

Straining myself even further, I kept pushing until I reduced my vertical velocity to zero, and I found myself frozen just several feet above the surface.

After a split second frozen with shock, I began cheering and hollering as I flipped around and stared up at the sky. The eclipse was there to meet me, and in that moment, I felt as though I’d never seen anything more beautiful.

Laughing, I swooped between a pair of pillars and twirled around in midair. I did it! I really did it! Oh, Louise, I wish you could see-

My chest suddenly flared up with a burning pain, and my whole body seized up. I swerved off to the left at a sharp angle, sending me careering directly into the pillar beside me.

“AGH!” I yelled out as I crashed into the crystal pillar with a painful thud. I rolled down the wall and was sent sprawling upon the ground. As I scrambled to push myself up, my hands met the air and I realized that I was at the edge of a pit.

Carefully extending one leg back, I planted my foot into the ground, pulled myself back, and laid flat upon the ground.

“Ow, fuck…” I muttered as I rubbed the back of my head.

Unwilling to move, I simply lay there for a bit. Well, if that bout of heartburn was any indication, I can’t fly for very long. I’ll have to keep that in mind.

…

Well, I won’t accomplish anything just lying here like this. I should get moving.

Mustering the willpower to bring myself up, I dusted myself off and took the opportunity to look around me.

Pillars, each several hundred feet high, dotted the landscape, which as far as I could tell was completely flat. As I looked around, I noticed that all of them were more or less aligned with each other. Outside a couple of deviancies, they were arranged in a rectangular grid-like pattern far too precise and symmetric to be the result of any natural formation. Above me, the blackened orb of the moon bled silver light, casting everything in an otherworldly twilight. The clouds raged and swirled, tearing each other apart with lightning only for another cloud to take its place in eternal warfare. The air was heavy with an unsettling stillness, and outside the occasional, distant clap of thunder, all was quiet.

So what did Louise call this place again? ‘Reimaden’?

…

This region feels so alien. For what purpose was it made? It doesn’t even feel like a place like this should exist.

I breathed a heavy sigh.

Well, never mind. Louise told me to reach the place where Singyoku's other half is located. What was it called? The world of something?

Walking back over to the edge of the pit, I looked off to my left. A line of identically shaped pits extended off into the distance, and at its end was the faint silhouette of the structure I saw earlier.

That thing I saw has to be it, right? Even for a place as weird as this, that structure stuck out. That’s the only lead I have.

I stepped back behind a pillar and began my trek forward, planting one foot in front of the other at a steady pace. For the next few minutes, I continued, taking the occasional glance around to ensure I wasn’t being followed.

With the full structure emerging fully into view, I stopped and lifted a hand over my eyes to examine it.

The ring platform was situated three feet from the ground. Its edge was embossed with a geometric, square pattern, with holes dotting the center of each square. The crystalline ground supporting the platform was completely transparent, revealing an intricate network of roots that spread out in every direction and stretched as far as the eye could see. Small pinpricks of light flowed through each root and into the platform, where they vanished from sight. Atop the platform were the five elevated pedestals. Each bore what looked to be a perfectly smooth sphere at some point, but all five had been shattered to pieces with their remains scattered across the ring. Spiky, crimson tendrils spread from the base of each pedestal, burrowing into the platform and holding them fast. Unlike the platform’s roots, the tendrils seemed dead- their color had mostly faded, and all of them appeared rather shriveled.

Within the ring lay a dark void, too dark for me to make out any details.

I lowered my hand. That has to be the place.

Just as I was about to walk again, a tremendous burst of light flashed on the horizon. A pillar of flame climbed from the ground and into the sky, igniting the air as it traveled. The clouds parted as the column ripped a hole through them.

I gazed at the sight, awestruck.

Wh-

A fraction of a second later, a deafening boom rushed past me and echoed through the landscape, nearly knocking me off my feet. A cloud of dust billowed out from the explosion, swallowing everything in its path as it tore through the landscape.

The ship!

I leaped behind the nearest pillar and crouched down just as the cloud reached me. The wind howled as it rushed through the pillars, producing a haunting resonance that surrounded me from all sides. Tiny bits of crystal zipped past, most of which flew into the great beyond. The remainder crashed into the pillars, shattering to pieces on impact. The ground beneath me trembled, disquieted by the aftershocks of the explosion.

I leaned back and tucked my legs in, pressing up against the pillar. With my ears still ringing from the blast, I pressed my hands against my ears and simply waited for it to end.

It was a full minute before I noticed the wind beginning to die down, and several more before the air around me thinned out enough for me to see clearly. I waved my hand around to dispel the dust nearby, coughing as I caught my breath.

Well, hopefully, Yumemi and Chiyuri don’t come back soon-

As the ringing in my ears died down, I suddenly became acutely aware of a chorus of inhuman shrieks in the skies above me.

Demons!

Ducking back behind the pillar, I clutched the rock as I brought my gaze upward. What I saw made the hairs on my neck stand on end.

A massive swarm of bird demons was amassed in the sky, calling out with an unearthly, gurgly cry. More flew up to join them with every passing second, causing the land to grow dark beneath the blanket of shadows.

Making my way from pillar to pillar as quickly as possible, I glanced up at the sky to make sure I was in the clear.

They’re distracted by the explosion. I need to move now- if I stick around for too long, I’ll get spotted, and I’m in no condition to fight. Especially not against that many.

Now at the final pillar, the platform stood several dozen feet away.

Here we are.

With one last glance to the sky, I rushed over to the platform and swung one foot up onto its surface. Pushing myself up with my good hand, I clambered onto its surface and hobbled between two of the pedestals as fast as I could. Though I felt my knees complain, I pushed through and forced my legs to keep moving.

The void emerged into view, finally giving me a good look at its depths. Its vast, jagged maw cut deep into the earth, swallowing any trace of light that entered save for the occasional flicker of magic emerging from the depths. From the pit, wisps of blue and silver light flowed up into the air. They hummed faintly as they traveled, producing a sound resembling wordless, distant whispers.

I stood at the edge of the pit and looked down. So what do I do? Do I just jump inside?

The very sight of the void filled me with a feeling of inescapable dread, and I felt my heartbeat pounding away in my chest. Though I tried to force myself to fall forward, my body froze up and refused to budge.

Louise, I can’t-

I took a deep breath and squeezed my palms into fists.

No. I made a promise.

Taking another look at the pit, I pressed the edge of my foot against the lip of the platform and steeled myself. This time all you have to do is fall in.

I began to apply more weight against my foot, shifting my center of mass closer toward the void. Closing my eyes, I braced myself for the worst.

Here goes nothing-

Well, this is certainly a surprise.

My eyes shot open and I immediately leapt back from the pit.

It can’t be-

An object began to rise from the pit, producing a familiar glint of gold as it entered the light. My blood ran cold as I watched the object levitate itself up, revealing an eye identical to the one that guarded the ship.

“Shinki!” I cried out.

The eye’s disk spun around in both directions, clicking as it swiveled on its axis.

Hello again, human.

The eye’s pupil swiveled from side to side before Shinki’s distorted voice spoke up once more.

It would seem you truly are alone this time. One of my children must have retrieved Louise, it seems.

“You mean Elis?!” I spoke angrily. “She-”

Elis?

The eye swiveled round in its socket as its purple wireframe briefly glowed with light.

That’s the one I sent to deal with you. The fact that you survived an encounter with her is remarkable.

“Hah!” I scoffed dismissively. “Well, sorry to disappoint.”

Elis must have spared you for a reason. You’re no ordinary human, that much is clear.

The eye froze in place as its eyelid bent slightly inward to mimic a squint.

Simply put, there is more to you than meets the… eye.

“I don’t give a shit about what you or anyone else thinks,” I snapped. “Why should I listen to you?”

The eye shuddered in its frame briefly.

I’ve come to propose a new deal to you.

“And why should I care?!” I shouted. “You told Louise to kill me-”

Look around you, human.

The sound of rock breaking came from behind me, and I whipped my head around. Several of the birds from earlier were perched on the pillars nearest the platform, while others were creeping along the ground and up the edge of the platform.

From this distance, I was able to get a better look at the birds. Their build was similar to that of a crow, but impossibly huge- each was about the size of an ostrich. Their whole body was covered in a raiment of striking, azure feathers except its wings, which were batlike in appearance. Two long, winding antennae were attached on either side of its head, erratically moving around as it moved forward. Most noteworthy of all, however, was the creature’s head- where a face should have been was a hole that went all the way through.

What the hell are these things?!

Here you are, alone and surrounded by demons. Don’t deceive yourself into believing this passage holds what you seek, either- you will find nothing but death.

I glanced back and saw the eye hovering along the rim of the pit, its eyelids brought further forward as though squinting at me.

Worry not. They are my children. Under my command, they will not disturb us. 

“What do you want?!” I uttered as I spun back around to the eye.

Submit to me, and become one of my experiments.

The eye’s pupil dropped and the eye tilted down, gazing at the abyss.

I will take your body and create it anew. You will become one of my children. If you decline, my children will strip the flesh from your bones, and there will be none to remember you.

The eye’s pupil snapped back to me, its disk whirling rapidly.

This is your one and only chance, human. The key to salvation lies at your fingertips. You need only take that final step. I promise no harm will befall you.

“And become your pawn? Do your dirty work?” I scoffed. “I’ll pass. Louise was right about you.”

Louise is being returned to me as we speak, human. She will see the light soon enough. All I ask is that you join her.

“Louise doesn’t want to go back to you!” I shouted. “Why can’t you respect that like you did with Alice, you miserable excuse for a god-”

What was that?!

The eye’s eyelids flew apart as veins began to bulge out along its edges. The disk was spinning so rapidly that it became a blur, sending crackles of electricity along its golden frame.

“Wait!” I took a step back. “I, uh-”

What did you just say?!

The eye shot forward and hovered several feet in front of me. Its iris, swimming with several shades of crimson, was fluctuating so rapidly that it almost appeared to bleed into the white surrounding it.

Consider my offer void! If death is what you seek, mongrel, I will be more than happy to help you find it!

All around me, the demons released a horrific screech and took off, soaring directly at me with their talons outstretched. Reaching into my pocket dimension, I pulled out a sigil and lunged forward with it in my left hand. Activating in midair, I swung wide and cut a wide gash through the purple membrane and into the eyeball.

Agh!

As I pulled my sigil back, the eye shook me off, knocking me back onto the platform just shy of the abyss. As it writhed around in midair, one of the birds slammed directly into me, sending us both tumbling into the pit.

KILL HIM!

The bird screeched and attempted to claw at me, but I fended it off by wildly swinging my cross around. Above me, I saw a swarm of birds swooping into the pit, following the two of us as we made our descent.

Seconds later, the bird I was with vanished. Darkness overcame me, and I could see nothing.

What’s… happening…

Everything became a blur. My thoughts were jumbled, and before I could make sense of anything, I passed out.

Chapter Text

Marisa zipped between the beams of the old torii gate, spinning around on her broom as she flew through the opening. Her arm was wrapped around a thick tome, the letters on its cover and spine beginning to wear away with age.

Huffing a sigh of irritation, Marisa held the book tight as she descended. Only one this time. That really sucks.

Marisa noticed Aunn waving up from beside the path, so she readjusted herself and waved down at the komainu with her free hand. As Aunn turned away and continued her patrol, Marisa touched down directly in front of the shrine and dismounted her broom.

“Yo Reimu, it’s me! Open up, ze!”

Marisa shoved the door open and stepped inside. As she leaned her broomstick against the wall, a rather disheveled, groggy Reimu stumbled in through the living room.

“Mornin’, Marisa.” Reimu lifted her hand lamely before gravity swung it back down.

“...Huh?” Marisa asked in a puzzled voice as she slowly lifted a hand to her hat and hung it up on the nearest coat hanger. “Reimu, it’s nearly noon! Don’t tell me you just woke up-”

“Really?” Reimu walked over to the window and peered at the sky. “Huh. So it is.”

“Reimu, were you staying up all night?” Marisa asked as she walked over to the nearest table and set her book down. “That’s not good for your health, ze.”

“Haven’t been getting much sleep lately.” Reimu dismissively waved her hand as she shuffled over to the kitchen. Marisa watched as Reimu dug inside the cold storage and pulled out a bowl of leftover rice.

“Trouble sleeping?” Marisa asked. “Why’s that?”

“Something’s been bothering me lately,” Reimu said as she opened a cabinet and pulled out the tea box alongside a jar of pickled plums.

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense here!” Marisa exclaimed. “What’s going on?”

“You remember that letter I showed you last time you were here, right?” Reimu asked as she topped her bowl of rice with several plums. As she put the plums away, Reimu pulled out the tea box and popped it open. When she looked inside, she froze and rubbed her eyes.

“...Huh.”

“What is it?” Marisa spoke as she seated herself at the table.

“I’m out of tea,” Reimu closed the tea box and set it aside. “I’ll have to get some later.”

“Reimu, don’t worry about that. Just c’mon over here.” Marisa said as she waved Reimu over.

Bowl in hand, Reimu walked over and pulled out the chair across from Marisa. Sitting down, she mumbled a quick prayer and began shoveling spoonfuls of rice into her mouth. “What brings you over today, Marisa?”

“Me? Well, I just thought I’d drop by just to see how you were doing, ze,” Marisa spoke casually as she tipped back in her chair. “It’s been a while since any major incidents have happened, you know.”

“Nuh-uh. Marisa, knock it off,” Reimu spoke between mouthfuls as she pointed at Marisa’s chair. “You’re going to scratch the floorboards. The last thing I need is another expense to worry about.”

Marisa let out a dramatic sigh as the two front legs met the ground again. “Fine…”

“Anyways, you’re right. We haven’t had any major problems to deal with lately,” Reimu said as she munched away at a plum. “But I’m certainly not complaining. What about it?”

“It’s boring!” Marisa exclaimed. “Nobody’s been acting out of line, which means I haven’t had a good fight in ages! I can only splatter fairies for so long before it gets dull, you know!”

“Mm-hmm,” Reimu responded as she continued to dig away at her food. “Then why don’t you find something else to pass the time? Reading, for instance.”

“But that’s the thing!” Marisa voiced her frustration as she planted one hand on the cover of the tome. “I’ve already gone through my collection several times and if I go to borrow from Patchy too often they end up tightening security! This old thing was all I managed to get my hands on today!”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Reimu replied somewhat sarcastically. “You’ll figure something out though.”

“I did! And that’s why I came here!” Marisa said excitedly. “I think-”

“You want another fight,” Reimu spoke in a deadpan voice.

“Ye- Yeah! Yeah, that’s right,” Marisa nodded. “Something that’ll get my blood pumping again, ze! You could use the practice, too-”

“Look- Marisa, I’m sorry, but I’m really not in the mood today,” Reimu stopped eating and looked directly at her. “I’ve been feeling out of it.”

“Aw, Reimu, don’t be like that!” Marisa shot Reimu a grin. “Are you afraid I’ll beat you?”

“Well, first of all, I’d win. Let’s make that clear,” Reimu replied as her eyebrow furrowed. “But no, that’s not what this is about.”

“So it’s about that thing on your mind, ze,” Marisa scratched her chin as she glanced aside. “Then what is it about?”

Reimu silently tossed a folded-up letter across the table over to Marisa, who snatched it up and skimmed through its contents. “This is the letter you showed me last time,” Marisa flipped the paper around before looking back at Reimu. “Did something happen since then?”

“No. Nothing’s happened,” Reimu shook her head as she went back to eating. “And that’s what worries me.”

“Oh, so you’ve just been worrying over that guy!” Marisa laughed. “I knew it! You do have a thing for him, ze!”

“The more I think about it, the less sense it makes,” Reimu gave Marisa an irritated look. “What kind of ‘business’ would warrant leaving the Human Village behind for a whole month? Not to mention Keine was the one who got him acquainted with living here. There’s no way she didn’t drill into his head that leaving the village would be a bad idea.”

“Hm…” Marisa turned away and rested her elbow on the table, leaning her chin on her open palm. “You know what, you’re right. That is weird.”

“And what’s more,” Reimu pointed at the note. “Did you see that bit about my ‘sealing charm’?’”

“Huh? Yeah, I did,” Marisa said as she opened the letter and read it a second time. “You lent him one?”

“For dealing with youkai, yeah,” Reimu finished off the last of her food and placed the bowl aside. “You’d think someone who claimed to need a seal to ward off youkai would try and stay inside the village to minimize exposure to them.”

Marisa nodded in agreement. “I haven’t heard or seen anything about an outsider leaving the village, ze.”

“And of course, there’s the issue of him calling me ‘Reimu’ when he always says ‘Hakurei miko’,” Reimu folded her hands together and sighed. “It just doesn’t add up. Something about this stinks.”

“Do you think someone else might’ve written this?” Marisa tossed the letter back across the table, which Reimu reached for. “Wait, that doesn’t make sense either. What would anyone stand to gain from impersonating him?”

“I wouldn’t write off the possibility. Maybe something happened to him and whoever wrote the note is trying to keep me from investigating,” Reimu said as she folded the letter back up and tucked it away. “Either way, I think it’s time I checked.”

“Aw, really, Reimu?” Marisa asked, rather disappointed. “Instead of a danmaku fight, you’re going to go on a wild goose chase for some guy-”

“Outsiders stand out,” Reimu interrupted as she stood up and stepped away from the table. “Besides, Keine tends to keep tabs on the ones who stick around. She might be able to tell me a thing or two.”

“Reimu, come on,” Marisa groaned. “Look, it’s just one guy and you gave him a protective seal to protect himself with. Why are you so invested in him?”

“Well, he actually donates whenever he drops by,” Reimu glared at Marisa from the corner of her eye. “So it’s in my best interest to keep him alive. Simple as that.”

“Come on, Reimu, we’re friends!” Marisa gave Reimu a cheeky grin as she stood up from the table, swiping the tome up with her. “Let’s not sweat the small details, ze.”

“Anyway, I’m going to head on down to the village,” Reimu spoke as she turned away and returned the bowl to the kitchen. “You know, I think you should come with me.”

“Reimu, it’s not a big deal,” Marisa complained. “Why do you want to drag me into this?”

“Remind me again,” Reimu stopped as she spoke, causing Marisa to freeze on the spot. “Who was it again that said he’d be fine ‘as long as he understands his limits’? Who told me it wasn’t worth looking for him and that I was worrying too much?”

“...Ah.” Marisa’s voice died as she turned away.

“If something did end up happening to him, it’s probably already too late,” Reimu sighed as she cleaned her bowl and set it aside. “But just in case, I’m going to try and hopefully get to the bottom of this. Besides, I need to buy more tea.”

“But Reimu, when can we have our match?” Marisa groaned. “The village is so boring! And-”

“If you’re so desperate for a fight, why don’t you ask Alice for one?” Reimu cut her off as she sauntered over to the front door.

Marisa brought her hand up and rested her lower lip on her finger. “Well, I’ve tried.”

“You ‘tried’?” Reimu turned around, her eyebrow raised.

“Yeah! I mean…” Marisa walked over and snatched up her hat. Placing it on her head, she adjusted its brim until she was satisfied. “I’ve showed up at her place several times these past couple of weeks but every time she just told me to leave. Even had her dolls show up at the door to keep me from entering,” Marisa shrugged. “Wonder what’s up with her?”

“Can’t say I completely blame her,” Reimu muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Reimu stood at the door and held it open. “Now come on.”

“Reimu, I’ve never even met the guy,” Marisa groaned. “What am I even supposed to do-”

“Tell you what,” Reimu looked back at Marisa through the door. “Once I figure out what’s going on with him, I’ll have a danmaku match with you. How’s that?”

Marisa grinned. “Now you’re talking.”

Grabbing her broomstick, Marisa marched outside and laid it sideways. Raising one leg to mount her broom, Marisa noticed that Reimu was already airborne, floating as she shut the sliding door.

“Alright. Let’s go.” Reimu said as she gave Aunn a quick wave. Once Aunn waved back, Reimu took off, soaring past the torii gate and down the path heading toward the village.

With a sigh, Marisa lifted off and flew forward to catch up, tome still in hand. I sure hope this guy won’t be too hard to find.

“...e …ou …li …ing?”

“I…” I mumbled. “What…?”

“Hey! Wake up!”

…Huh?

“Wake up, I said!” The voice spoke again as I felt a gentle shake on my shoulders, stirring me from my limbo.

…I know this voice. But from where?

My eyelids fluttered open to a collection of dim, blurry shapes that made up the world around me. Everything gave off a faint, dreamlike glow that slowly faded away as the outlines of the shapes sharpened and everything became more vivid.

“Ah, there you are,” the voice spoke sarcastically. “Did you have a nice nap?”

Though my movements were still sluggish, I turned toward the voice, where I was greeted by a woman’s blurry figure that took up most of my vision.

Her hair was the first thing to come into focus, a silver-blue gossamer that fell like waves and drooped down to her waist. A dark blue dress with white, puffed-out sleeves came into view next, revealing a dark red ribbon tied directly at the base of her collar. A peculiar hat formed atop her head, inscribed with glyphs and adorned with a second ribbon identical to the first.

Seconds later, her face came into view. As her features sharpened, I saw a pair of brown eyes staring directly into mine accompanied by an annoyed frown.

“...Keine?” I asked hesitantly.

“That’s my name,” Keine leaned back and huffed. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t fall asleep when I’m talking to you, you know.”

“Oh, yes! Of course,” I raised a hand and leaned forward in my chair. “Sorry about that. Go on.”

Keine crossed her arms and shook her head, her hair brushing from side to side. “Honestly! If you think this is too boring, feel free to leave. I’m taking this time out of my day for your sake, but if you think this a waste of time that’s fine with me.”

“No, wait. Keine, I'm sorry,” I quickly responded. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Even still, you should know better than to fall asleep when someone’s trying to speak with you!” Keine clicked her tongue. “But that’s good to know, at least. Why aren’t you getting enough sleep?”

“Well, it’s-” I shifted uncomfortably in my chair as I brought my gaze to the floor. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“No, I insist,” Keine sat down in the chair across from me and crossed her legs. The expression on her face softened into one of curiosity. “This may be something I can help with.”

“I’ve…” I spoke hesitantly, quickly glancing up into Keine’s eyes before looking away again. “Been having nightmares. Of that girl.”

“‘That girl’?” Keine repeated, resting her chin on her knuckles. “Describe her to me.”

I sighed. “Well, when I first arrived, I found myself in a forest. The sun had already set, so I couldn’t see where I was going. After wandering around for a bit, I came across a girl in a black dress and asked for directions.”

“Ah…” Keine leaned her hands against her knees and shook her head. “You must mean Rumia. It’s certainly unfortunate that you came across her. I suppose I can safely assume things didn’t go as well as you hoped?”

“You could put it that way,” I muttered as I raised one of my sleeves, revealing a claw mark on my wrist. “If the Hakurei miko hadn’t come when she had, that girl was going to tear my throat out. I can still see that look of maniacal glee in her eyes.”

“I see,” Keine spoke softly as she leaned back in her chair. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s so stupid, isn’t it?” I asked as I rolled my sleeve back up. “Being terrified of a little girl half your size.”

“No. No, I wouldn’t agree,” Keine spoke up and shook her head. “It’s not stupid at all. Your life was in peril and you were incredibly fortunate to escape. There’s no need to make light of what you’ve been through.”

“I guess,” I sighed. “Anyway, it’s not something you should concern yourself with.”

“Actually, as long as we’re on the topic,” Keine said as she looked at me, her eyes boring into mine. “Gensokyo is the home to many youkai, the majority of which consume humans for sustenance. Rumia is one such youkai. There are many more like her out there, lurking in the shadows and waiting for someone to prey on.”

“Many more?”

Keine nodded. “As such, you need to stay within the village. The roads to the Hakurei and Moriya shrines should be safe during daylight hours, but that’s it. Don’t leave the roads or go wandering out at night for any reason.”

“So as long as I stay inside the village, I’ll be fine, right?” I asked.

Keine nodded. “That is correct. Youkai are forbidden from attacking the village or any of its villagers. Though some may be permitted entry on certain occasions, they are strictly prohibited from assaulting anyone.”

“Strictly prohibited?” I repeated. “And who enforces that rule? What’s keeping them from gathering together and crushing the village overnight?”

“If the humans were to die out, the youkai would die shortly after,” Keine explained. “Furthermore, this village is under the jurisdiction of the Hakurei and any youkai who breaks the rules faces extermination. Rest assured, so long as you remain inside the village, no youkai will harm you.”

“Alright, so the village is safe,” I nodded. “How long do I need to stay here?”

Keine fell silent and gave me a sad smile.

“...Keine?” I asked hesitantly.

“...I’m sorry,” Keine pinched the bridge of her nose as she turned away from me. “But it’s very likely you’ll have to live here for the rest of your life.”

“For- for life?” I spoke in disbelief.

“Yes. I’m very sorry,” Keine said apologetically. “For most, the trip from the outside world to Gensokyo is one-way. There are methods of returning to the outside world, but all are extremely dangerous.”

“...I see,” I muttered as I pressed my hands against my knees.

“That’s just the way it is. This is often the hardest part for outsiders to accept,” Keine sighed and leaned back, gazing up at the ceiling. “Many never do.”

“They leave the village?” I spoke, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Indeed,” Keine nodded. “Many of them are unable to accept their circumstances and end up sacrificing themselves to the youkai beyond the village walls. It’s sad, but I’ve seen it happen time and time again.”

I quietly stared at the floor.

“Outsiders…” Keine spoke up. “You see, they’re humans separate from the natural population. The villagers are protected due to their limited population, but outsiders are exempt. That’s why the youkai outside will pounce at any opportunity to devour them.”

“Wait, what?!” I quickly stood up. “How the hell is that fair-”

“Listen!” Keine said aloud, causing me to freeze in place. “Look. As I’ve said before, as long as you remain in the village, you will be fine. Even though you’re an outsider, youkai will not attack you so long as you stay here. This is the only thing I can do to guarantee your safety.”

“B- But-” I sputtered before giving up, leaving me to stew in my thoughts.

“...It’s not so bad,” Keine eventually broke the silence. “Living here, I mean. You’ll get used to it before long. Getting a place for yourself, finding a living, maybe even starting a family. Think of it as getting a fresh start.”

“A fresh start,” I echoed, staring at the ground. “Right.”

The two of us sat in silence for a moment. I leaned forward and clasped my hands together, trying to wrap my head around her words.

“Oh, it’s getting late,” Keine remarked as she peered at the window behind me. “We should call it a day. There’s quite a lot we didn’t get to, but that’ll have to wait for next time. Same time tomorrow?”

Squeezing my hands together for a moment, I brought them back and slowly pushed myself from the chair. “...Yeah.”

“Good,” Standing up, Keine pushed her chair back in and made her way over to the front door. “Let’s go, then.”

I trudged over to Keine, who was holding the door open for me. I muttered a quick thanks as I passed her and stepped outside.

As I glanced down the road, Keine shut and bolted the door behind me, giving the handle a tug to ensure it was locked.

I turned back to her. “Keine?”

“Yes?” Keine responded as she tucked a key away into her pocket.

“How do I get back to the shelter again?”

Keine stepped beside me and pointed at an alley down the road. “Go through there. You’ll go straight for a bit, then take the third left. It’ll be right there.”

“Oh. Yeah, I see it,” I nodded. “Thanks-”

“Hey.”

Reaching out an arm, Keine laid a hand on my shoulder and gave me a warm smile.

“I’ve got a good feeling about you. Feel free to drop by if you need help with anything, okay?”

“Okay.” I nodded slowly, watching Keine’s arm lift away from me.

“Well, I’ll be seeing you,” Keine spoke as she turned away and began walking down the road. Giving her a halfhearted wave, I watched as she made her way down the street before vanishing in one of the nearby alleys.

I turned away and shuffled down the street over to where Keine had directed me.

“‘Fresh start’,” I muttered to myself. “Yeah, right.”

The air was beginning to grow cold, so I crossed my arms for warmth. Oddly enough, the lights that lined the street were fading more and more as I walked further.

It’s getting dark. I’d better hurry back-

Suddenly, a wave of frigid air enveloped my entire body, freezing me down to the bone. I cried out in shock and collapsed on the street- which I began sinking into.

“Keine!” I yelled. “Keine, what’s going on-”

To my horror, I realized that I was unable to breathe.

“K-” I choked out as I clutched at my throat. “K- Kei-”

The sound of my voice was cut short, replaced with a panicked gurgle that slipped from my windpipe. I flailed around to find anything I could hold onto, but my hands passed through the ground. My arms met resistance as they moved, rendering every movement I made sluggish. The light had been all but extinguished, leaving me groping around helplessly in the dark.

Just then, I noticed bubbles exit my nostrils. I watched as they floated up toward a strange, shimmering light in the sky.

The light suddenly rippled, and the reality of my situation finally hit me. I’m underwater!

Pushing with all my might, I swam up, kicking through the water to propel me faster. My lungs, already short on oxygen thanks to my prior efforts to speak, were beginning to complain.

Just a little further…

A slow cascade of water began flowing through my nose which grew more irritating the longer I held my breath. When I could bear it no longer, I exhaled the water out- which, in turn, caused me to inhale.

Immediately, it felt as though a wet cloth was clamped over my face, causing me to suck water through my nostrils from the shock. Flooded more with panic than with water, I gave up any attempt to maintain a swimming posture and flailed my way up to the surface. My lungs were screaming for air now, and with every passing second, the edges of my vision became fuzzier.

If I black out, I’ll never come back!

Now only several feet away from the surface, I reached out my hand and stretched it as far as I could. With my vision dimming and my strength waning, I put everything I had into one final push.

After the longest second of my life, I burst forth from the water and onto the surface.

I did it!

When I gasped for air, I inadvertently sucked water back into my throat and entered a violent coughing fit. Quickly pounding my chest with my good hand, I hacked up droplets of water until my windpipe was clear. Every breath I took was painful, my lungs still in shock from the sudden influx of oxygen.

I made it, somehow…

It wasn’t until after I took several deep, shaky breaths that I looked around me.

I was in the center of a pool of black liquid, surrounded by clumps of tall grasses slick with dew. Puddles of stagnant water dotted the landscape, reflecting a distorted reflection of the gnarled canopy above. Dead, skeletal trees covered the land, each bearing a thick, ashy white trunk and hundreds of gnarled roots that snaked into the land. Their branches twisted around in impossible ways, forming skeletons that clawed up at the sky as if in protest of their existence. A heavy fog covered the surface, swallowing up everything but the closest shapes as it seeped through the trees. Every breath I took was heavy, filling my mouth with an almost metallic aftertaste. Above me was a canvas of deep blue with violet stars scattered throughout, though most of it was blocked off by the branches and the fog.

Where the hell am I?

I waded over to the nearest tree which was mercifully only several dozen feet away. The water became shallower as I swam and relief filled me as my feet made contact with the ground again. Planting one leg in front of the other, the ground squelched underfoot as I marched my way up to the shore and collapsed on the maze of roots beside the tree.

…

Something in my chest area was still sloshing around, so I flipped myself around and gently lifted my tattered shirt off my body. Beneath lay my brace, which bore claw marks strewn across its front. The fabric was barely hanging together in places and the bits that did remain were waterlogged.

I let out a heavy sigh. This thing’s done for.

Wedging my left hand between my chest and the brace, I broke the sticky seal that had formed between my body and the fabric from a combination of blood and sweat. The cool air rushed in to fill the gap, causing me to shiver.

Being as delicate as possible with my injured hand, I began to pull the brace up my body, slipping my head through the neck hole and tucking my arms through the holes. Once both of my hands were through, I gave it one last tug and pried it free from my body.

I tossed it away, where it landed in the pool with a soft sploosh. It floated around briefly before sinking into the mire, the last evidence of its presence marked by several bubbles floating to the surface.

I reached over to my shirt and grabbed it. Just when I was about to put it back on, I stopped to examine it.

My shirt was practically in pieces, no better than the state my brace was in. On top of being riddled with holes, it was soaking wet and smeared with mud.

There’s no point in putting that back on. I’d be no better off.

I glanced back over at my right hand, which sported a nasty collection of bruises that ran along my knuckles.

But maybe…

I reached around in my pocket dimension and groped around for something sharp. As soon as my fingers felt a thin edge, I grasped at it and pulled it out.

What’s this?

In my hand lay the set of jail cell keys I had taken from the tengu guardsman. For a moment, I scowled at it in silence.

Oh.

Simply looking at the keys was making me angry, so I turned away and laid my shirt flat on the ground. Getting down to my knees, I picked out a relatively clean part of the shirt and began running the key along the piece I wanted to cut out.

“Fucking shitheads, all of them,” I muttered as the material began to split apart. “Putting me through this hell just because someone wanted to buy properties in the village.”

Before long, I had carved out a long strip from the shirt. Holding it up, I began slapping it against the tree in an attempt to dry it out.

“I couldn’t give less of a shit that you were buying some buildings, you blue bitch!” I grunted as I put my back into my swings. “You didn’t have to do this to me! I returned your papers, didn’t I?!”

Anger built up inside me with every swing I took, and before long, I was livid.

“You know what? No!” I declared as I flung my strip on the ground. “I’ve had it! I’ve fucking had it!”

I began punching away at the trunk with my left hand. Pain ripped through my knuckles with every blow, but I didn’t care.

“Who the hell do you think you are, scumbag?!” I shouted. “What even is a ‘daitengu’?! Some made-up bullshit title to make you feel important?! Fuck you!”

Pulling my fist back, I began kicking the tree with all my might. Though the tree felt as hard as concrete, it wobbled from every impact.

“Oh, and don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, peach girl!” I yelled as I struck the tree again and again. “You think what you’ve done is funny?! A god wants me dead, demons are hunting me down, multiple youkai have attempted to kill me, I nearly drowned, I’m all alone in the middle of some barren wasteland with no way to go back, and it’s all your fault! I should’ve taught you a lesson right then and there! You’d look real funny trying to eat peaches with no fuckin’ teeth!”

I felt my anger waning. With my willingness to shout depleted, I leaned my head against the tree’s trunk and stared at the ground below. Tears formed along the edges of my eyes as sorrow swiftly filled the vacancy my fury left behind.

“Why…?” I gave the tree one last dejected punch and slumped down to the ground. “Why me?”

Turning around to lean my back against the tree’s trunk, I grabbed the strip of cloth from the ground and ran it through my hands.

“Keine…” I murmured, flipping the strip around. “I’m so sorry. I never should have left the village. Aya was right- It was me who chose to leave at the end of the day, wasn’t it? I always had a choice in the matter, and I made the wrong one.”

With a sigh of defeat, I wound the strip around my right hand until it was completely wrapped. I flexed my fingers, taking a moment to examine my handiwork. “I guess your ‘good feeling’ about me didn’t mean much in the end, huh?”

Satisfied, I laid my arm down and rested my head on the trunk, bringing my legs in for warmth.

“Shit, man, if several years ago someone told me everything I’d end up going through, I would’ve thought they were a lunatic,” I mumbled into my knees. “How in the hell did things manage to go this way?”

Bringing my gaze to the sky, I paused and watched the stars twinkle in the sky for a moment.

“Louise…” I whispered. “I don’t know what to do or where to go. I’ll admit, I’m scared. It feels like I could lose my life at any moment. You have so much confidence in me that I don’t deserve in the slightest.”

I played with the keys in my hand for a bit. “You even stopped calling me ‘human’ and switched to ‘partner’, for whatever that’s worth. I still don’t get it- you’re so much stronger than I am.”

At that moment, I felt a smile form on the sides of my lips.

“But whatever the reason, I’m glad you think of me that way,” I spoke to the sky. “Besides, I’m in your debt, and it’s not like I have any other choice.”

With a grunt of effort, I pushed myself up to my feet and stretched my arms. “Alright, Louise, I’ll look for Singyoku’s other half,” I said to myself as I glanced around. “Just know that whatever happens, happens. I’ll honor my promise to you as best as I can, and if I die, I die.”

As my voice died down, I was suddenly aware of how quiet everything was. The birds, the underbrush, the water- all were completely silent, and the loudest sound was that of my own breath.

Oh, shit. How loud was I yelling?

I slowly reached into my pocket dimension and pulled out my pistol, flicking on the flashlight and spinning it around at the trees nearby. The fog lit up as the light fell upon it, allowing me to see a short distance further.

At any rate, I should move. Something might come along and investigate-

Just then, I caught something on the ground from the corner of my eye, and I quickly brought my gaze down to investigate.

Beside the tree lay a dark blue feather, long and thin like a quill. Passing the pistol to my right hand as gently as possible, I reached down to grab it, holding it in the light and spinning it between my thumb and index finger.

What the hell? This wasn’t here before-

Something on the feather suddenly gleamed in the light, and I immediately held the feather still. Flipping it around slowly, I tried to replicate the angle I had spun it in.

What was that?

With one last rotation, the feather’s edge reflected a sharp light on a short segment along one of its edges. Leaning in to investigate, I noticed something I hadn’t before- the very edge of the feather was slightly discolored, tinted with a faint rust-colored stain. I reached up and brushed the feather’s edge with my finger, which came away slightly sticky.

Hastily tossing the feather aside, I stepped back and pointed my flashlight to the branches of the tree. This is-!

The beam of my flashlight caught on something grotesque, and I gasped at the sight.

High up in the tree hung the carcass of a massive bird. Feathers were haphazardly strewn about in the branches. Its blood was scattered around the branches in irregular splotches, soaking into the bark and causing them to glisten in the light. The corpse had been hacked to pieces and split into parts, its entrails creating a sort of macabre tapestry. Its head, still in one piece, hung from one of the branches holding it by the hole in its head as though displayed like a trophy.

Immediately, my heart began to pound in my chest and I backed away from the tree, frantically scanning the area around me for any sign of life. That’s one of the bird demons that attacked me earlier! What happened to it?!

Suddenly, the underbrush off to my left rustled. My breath hitched in my throat as I spun around and aimed my pistol into the trees, quickly swapping my focus between each for movement.

“Wh- Who’s there?” I asked in a shaky voice as I began stepping back. Taking the occasional glance behind me to ensure I wasn’t backing up into anything, I retreated until the underbrush was almost out of my sight.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned away. I guess I was just imagining things-

A blood-curdling shriek suddenly erupted from the treeline as a large shadow jumped out of the underbrush. Spinning back around, the light of my flashlight fell on another bird demon. By the time I recognized what it was, it had already leaped into the air and was soaring toward me, talons outstretched.

Shit!

I leaped off to the side and onto the ground just in the nick of time. The demon whizzed past, narrowly missing my cheek with its claws.

A loud crack came from my side, and I looked around to see a large tree close by. Its trunk wore a massive claw mark that spanned its entire length, and the center slash was so deep it had nearly cleaved the tree in two.

I gawked. In one strike?!

The wood splintered under its weight with a snap, and the tree leaned toward me. Alarmed, I began rolling myself just as a second crack erupted from the tree’s trunk.

The tree tipped over and fell with a heavy thud, somewhat deafened by the slick ground. As it smashed into the soil, its branches smashed into my back and knocked me to the ground. A pained cry left my lips as I struggled my way out, the branches poking me from every angle.

A warbled cry erupted from the sky as I made my way out. Looking up, I could see the bird’s figure orbiting me from above, ready to strike at any moment.

I reached into my pocket dimension and swapped my pistol for a sigil, tucking it behind my back. Wait for it, wait for it…

With a loud call, the demon suddenly broke its pattern and swooped down at me, its talons ready to strike. My heart pumping with adrenaline, I stood my ground and glared at it as it drew near.

Now!

At the last second, I activated my sigil and swung the crucifix overhead, prepared to slice the bird down the middle. The bird beat its wings with tremendous force to carry it back into the air, sending the tip of the crucifix scraping along the surface of its abdomen.

The demon let out a loud screech as it flew back into the sky.

Frustrated, I deactivated my sigil and swapped it with my pistol again. Damn it, I was too early!

Quickly scanning the sky, I peered through the branches to track the bird again, but to my confusion, I couldn’t see it anymore.

Where’d it go?!

Suddenly, an ear-splitting shriek rang out in the woods beside me. The demon was now on the ground, its claws burrowed into the ground as a ball of light formed within the hole within its head. In an instant, a spread of bullets erupted from the light, streaking across the ground toward me.

I gritted my teeth and scanned the attack approaching me. Danmaku?! What’s the pattern?!

As the bullets flew forward, I found my answer- I counted six bullets, flying in three groups of two. One bullet was flying to my right, another to my left, and a third directly at me- the remaining three were following the same path, just slightly slower.

Aha!

I jumped aside and watched as the bullets whizzed past me and vanished into the fog. Several muffled booms echoed out as I fired a retaliatory shot at the demon, which swiftly evaded back into the darkness. The wave smashed into a tree with a great burst of light, cutting into its trunk enough to fell it.

My eyes darted around, trying to predict where the demon would attack from next. If it wasn’t for this damn fog-

Just then, I noticed that my shadow projected on the tree directly in front of me was unusually sharp.

I whipped my head around. It’s behind me!

The bullets were already in midair by the time I saw them, leaving me with a scant window to dodge. In a panic, I jumped aside and fired off another wave just as the bullets barely scraped past, singeing the hair on my forearm as I collapsed to the ground with a grunt. The demon leaped up and retreated into the fog with time to spare as the magic collided with the earth, kicking up a shower of pebbles.

Scrambling up to my feet, I swept my flashlight in the surrounding area. This is no good. It’s wary of attacking me head-on now, so it’s resorting to a battle of attrition. Its danmaku is predictable and easy to dodge, but that doesn’t matter if I can’t hit back. It doesn’t look like it can attack me from above the tree line, but it’s still too fast.

If this keeps up, I’m going to lose.

I watched the demon’s shadow zip through the fog from the corner of my eyes, waiting for an opportunity to strike. I can’t keep up with this thing. How can I slow it down?

As the demon made another complete revolution around me, I aimed my pistol off to my side and fired a wave of magic in an attempt to predict its next move. The wave shredded through the air at breakneck speed, set on a perfect collision course with the demon.

Letting out a throaty squawk of surprise, the bird unfurled its wings at the last moment and flapped with tremendous force, entering a steep incline that sent it above my attack. The wave narrowly missed the demon’s talons, sailing forward and crashing into a tree with a loud crack.

The demon perched on one of the nearby trees and screeched at me, leaning slightly forward as it did so. Though it had no face, it felt as though it were leering at me. A thin, dark red line bordered by blackened feathers was drawn along the length of its chest that the demon occasionally scratched at.

It’s not bleeding at all. My cross must’ve cauterized the wound.

Flapping its leathery wings, the demon continued to screech at me. Holding my ground, I clutched my pistol and glared at it.

Something needs to change. Those wings let it change direction on a whim-

My eyes went wide as a realization popped into my head.

Of course! That thing’s wingspan is massive, which means it needs a lot of space to make sudden adjustments to its flight path! If I can find a place in the forest that’s too cramped for it, I might be able to slow it down enough!

Quickly glancing around me, I spun my flashlight out into the fog. But where-

The beam of my flashlight fell upon a collection of trees several dozen feet away. They were much closer to each other than the trees back where I was, practically covering the ground with a thick carpet of tubelike roots.

Perfect!

Having lost its patience, the demon leaped from the branch and fired another barrage of bullets my way. I sprinted off toward the trees, firing a quick retaliatory shot as I danced around the oncoming attack. The danmaku slammed into the ground with great force, blasting mud into the air and nearly knocking me off balance as I took care to not trip on anything.

Stumbling my way forward, I wrapped my arm around the trunk of a tree and spun myself around it. Peeking between the trees, the demon’s silhouette was still orbiting me within the fog, albeit slightly tilted over to accommodate for the smaller gap between the trees.

Readying my pistol, I watched its position from the corner of my eye. Steady… steady…

The demon leaped out from the fog once more, the hole in its head holding a concentrated ball of light.

Now!

Immediately as the demon fired I leaped away from the tree, firing several waves of magic aimed at and around the demon’s position. The bullets smashed into the tree, scattering shards of bark everywhere.

The demon, meanwhile, had its focus directed toward the waves of magic approaching it. When the first wave drew near, it hunched back over and leaped backward and slightly to the left, a position that put it out of harm’s way from the oncoming assault.

Unfortunately for it, that position was occupied by a tree limb.

The demon’s wing smashed into the branch at tremendous speed, snapping it free and sending it flying a short distance. The demon spun around wildly, squawking with confusion as it attempted to right itself. Before it could, multiple waves of magic slammed into its body.

With a terrible screech, the bird jolted around, sending it crashing into multiple trees before finally crashing into the ground below. It slid along the ground, kicking up mud everywhere as it smashed into a tree’s trunk and came to a sudden halt.

Is it over?

Bringing my flashlight back up, I looked over at the demon. There it lay, caked in a layer of mud and shivering every few seconds. Its once vibrant blue plumage was marred with cuts that lined its whole body. One wing bent upwards at an awkward angle, revealing several large holes burnt through it.

A wave of relief washed over me as I watched the demon struggle in place. With its wing in that condition, it won’t be going anywhere! I did it!

Walking several steps forward, I stood a good distance away from the demon and aimed my pistol at its head.

“Nice try, asshole,” I mumbled through my teeth. “But it doesn’t look like you’re gonna be the one to kill me either.”

The demon stared at me with its hollow face, completely silent.

“Go back to hell where you belong!” I yelled as I pressed the trigger of my pistol. A wave of magic tore free from the barely and soared at the collapsed demon.