Disclaimer: Touhou belongs to ZUN. I do not own anything.

I have never stolen from anyone else here or anywhere else on the internet. Any similarities are purely coincidence. I aplogize for any similarities

I apologize if this work offends anyone at any point. No harm is intended by this writing.

Enjoy.

Darkness…

Only Darkness… no feelings, no sound, and no movement…

Movement? Can I move? My thoughts resonate.

I try… fingers, hands, arms, body and legs. Everything is there. With some effort I pull myself off the ground. For some reason, moving feels so difficult to me. My entire body is sore and my eyes are impossibly heavy.

My eyes?

I force my eyes open, but there is only black. I blink a few times but there is no difference between open and closed.

My thoughts slowly begin to piece themselves together. My sanity begins to return and I realize I'm in some foreign place. What's going on? Where am I? How did I get here?

Who am I?

Nothing.

My entire being convulses at the sound, and I stumble back into the ground. What? What the-

You are nothing.

I hear it this time; a man's voice. It sounded inhuman and echoed unnaturally.

What? Nothing? But I feel real! How else would-

What you feel is irrelevant.

How can that be? I begin to fall back into a familiar sense of panic.

Familiar? That's right… I was just as scared as this a few moments ago… In a crash.

I try to recall the recent events. I was driving, I turned down onto a bridge, and then someone hit me and I went through the rails and into the sea. I remember the world that I was in, but I remember nothing about me before those last few seconds. I can't even recall my name.

Your memories are useless now.

I stop trying to remember at that. Instead, I piece what I did know together and come to the conclusion… Am I dead?

Yes, for now.

What do you mean for now? What's happening to me? What am I?

You are nothing.

I fall flat on my back and look up at the endless black. Nothing?

Nothing…

Nothing but my servant.

I sit up. Your servant? Why? Just who are you?

An overwhelming presence fills the air. I can barely breathe…

I am your master now. Your life is in my hands. You are my servant, my knight. With my guidance you will bring suffering and death to this pathetic world. You will aid me in this quest. I am punishment, you are my punisher.

I could barely wrap my head around his words. Pathetic world? Punishment? Are you some sort of alien or something?

I am no being. I am a god of dark magic; once feared, now forgotten. My true name is impossible for you… Instead, you may call me Arcane… Yes… I think that is appropriate for now.

His response only gives me more questions. Arcane? And you're a god? Why did you choose me?

That is for me to know. You are only my servant.

Then, what happens now?

Your journey begins.

What? W-wait, what if I don't want to do this? I don't want to help destroy the world!

You have no choice. You will obey me.

No! No no no no! I'm not…Just leave me alone! I don't want this!

I rise up from the ground and take off, running away from the presence. However, I do not know if I am moving anywhere. I want to scream but I find I cannot speak.

Your instability is disappointing, but understandable. You will come to accept your fate soon enough…

I continue to run through the empty space. All I know is that I don't want anything to do with this Arcane thing.

You arrive soon. You must awaken…

Awaken.

Awaken!

AWAKEN!

"AAAAHHH!" I scream. Half of it is fear from the voice, half from the sudden function of my senses. My now open eyes burn from the light of a lantern and I immediately go blind again.

My mind is wild; I quickly rise up from the floor and hastily turn to run. A low wall bumps into me and I nearly fall backwards over it.

A small hand catches my shirt to stop my fall. "Whoa Whoa Whoa! Easy now! I'd hate to fish you out of the river again!" I'm pulled back, but still imbalanced. I fall face first into the floor. The pain snaps me out of my fear.

"Ack! Ugh, what the hell just happened? Where am I?" I'm dazed; my eyes are still adjusting so I cannot see clearly.

"Calm down now… I know it's a little scary the first time. You're on the Sanzu right now." It was a woman's voice. Her casual tone helps to put me at ease.

"Sanzu?" this confuses me, I've never heard of such a place.

"Yeah…ya know, the Sanzu River? The one leading to the afterlife? You sure you feeling okay there?

I take a deep breath…"Okay... Yeah, let me just let me catch my breath and I'll be okay."

"Sure, take your time." Footsteps move away.

At least I hope I'll be okay. How did I get on a river?

I manage to focus my eyes enough to see the wood of a boat… It looks like a row boat, although no one is rowing. Peering over the edge I see ghostly mist swirling over the river flow. Other than that, there is only endless night.

She said this was the river leading to the afterlife… so I really am dead… I guess it was just a nightmare, that's good at least. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone because I became some kind of demon.

But if I'm dead, this woman must be Death… I look up at the figure at the head of the boat.

Whoa… holy crap!

I had expected to see something intimidating… or at least something representative of death. What I saw was neither. The large crooked scythe slung over her shoulders was the only indication she wasn't an ordinary girl. However, I was more focused on its owner...

Lounging on the front of the boat was a tall, buxom redhead woman. She wore a blue day dress that had some kind of white flare design on the skirt. Her hair was tied into twin pony tails and was an unnaturally deep shade of red, which accented her with a strange alien beauty. Her low cut dress and tight sash emphasized her large chest… not to mention her lazy stance showed off much of her legs beneath her dress.

Of course, I was flustered. "A-are you…I what do I…?"I wanted to ask her for a name, but I could barely focus, just looking at her gave me a thrill.

She glances over at me; her red eyes had an eerie red glow. "Stop shaking the boat. I'm not going to pull you out twice so keep still."

Whoa! Let's not piss off the death girl with red eyes. I just need to calm down. Just relax. I'm better than letting myself get tripped up over girls.

I take a few deep breaths. "So what's your name?"

"Komachi Onozuka. I ferry the souls here." She replies "What's your name?"

I hesitate.

She speaks a little more loudly this time "What's your name?"

I don't know it! What should I say?

I try to think up some sort of idea…I remember a certain phrase from my nightmare.

'You are my servant, my knight'. For some reason this really stands out. It may not be a name, but it feels close to me. This will have to do for now at least; I can't stay nameless forever.

"Knight… Call me Knight."

"Just Knight? What an odd name…Here, take a seat. It's going to be a little while." Komachi gestures to the other seat on the boat.

I take a seat facing my guide, and she sits up to face me. The glow from her eyes makes me a little nervous.

I try to start with small talk. "This is a nice boat you have."

Actually, it looks brand new; very spacious, and the hull doesn't have a single scar.

She chuckles "Isn't it the greatest little boat? I had to save up for nearly two centuries to replace that old board I used to ferry with!"

Centuries! How old is she? She looks like she's still in her twenties! I stare at her, and she innocently stares back with her glowing stare.

Even with her strange nature and unusual appearance she was still one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. When she suddenly begins to smile at me, I have to struggle to keep from blushing like an idiot.

"So Knight, how'd you get here?" She asks.

I am at a loss. "Uh…"

"The river I mean, I mean. How'd you get stuck in the Sanzu? It's not every day someone just ends up here!"

How did I get here? All I can remember is that I died in a crash and had some sort of surreal nightmare about being told I'm going to cause suffering and death. What do I say?

Just go with what I know for sure I guess.

"I don't remember much. But…I think I died."

"Really now? How did that happen? It wasn't too terrible I hope." Her interest in my death unnerves me a little.

"Umm…I think…I fell off a bridge and drowned."

"Oooh! that's gotta suck. I've heard drowning is really painful." The fact that her smile did not fade makes me wonder how much she really cares. I'm starting to get more and more nervous.

She goes on "Well, that would explain how you got here. Sudden appearances in the Sanzu are sometimes caused by gruesome watery deaths." She looks up at the dark foggy sky and ponders for a moment.

"But…that doesn't explain why you're actually still alive."

Wait, What?

"I'm alive?" I ask

Komachi's expression goes blank. "Uhh…yeah? How do you not know? You're a perfectly healthy young youkai as far as I can tell."

My mind freezes. What did she call me?

"What?"

Now it's her turn to look confused. "Youkai…Ya know youkai! Youkai! C'mon! How do you not know what a youkai is? You really aren't feeling well are you?"

I slump into my seat. "I don't know…No…No I'm not…"

I'm not dead…and apparently I'm some sort of monster. What's happening to me?

No longer sure of my own being, I decide to check to see if I've changed. My body is still the same. My clothes…Black baggy long sleeved shirt, dark jeans and boots. It was casual attire, nothing odd.

Komachi senses what I am trying to do. "Oh…you're a pretty normal looking youkai. Here." She reaches into the folds of her dress and pulls out a large silver coin. The polished surface is as clear as a mirror and I use it as such.

My face is normal. I see an adult male. Except…

Holy shit…what's wrong with me?

My eyes were red. Not glowing like Komachi's. But darker and swirling like a hurricane. My hair had changed to a mix of dark gray and black, making it look like coal. It definitely wasn't human.

The redhead chuckled a little. "Hey, at least you aren't human! You have a nice long life and-"

I cut her off "But I AM human! I remember that at least! I remember the car crash and the bridge, that world didn't have any of this! How can this be happening?"

Komachi looks perplexed "Crash? What do you mean?"

Before I can answer, she gasps in shock "Wait! I know what's happening!" She leans forward a bit. The mischievous grin on her face did not help to put me at ease.

She points at me. "You're an outsider aren't you? The strange manners, the funny clothes, and you got that witch's accent. You have to be!"

A new term to consider slows me enough to talk normally. "What do you mean outsider?"

"You're not from here. You aren't a native resident. I knew it! I'm glad I found you!" She seems excited.

Well that makes sense, because I have no idea what's going on! "Well, what happens to outsiders?"

She happily explains. "Usually, human outsiders get killed by youkai." I almost choke at that, but she does not notice.

She continues. "But you are human outsider that became a youkai. Usually this takes a long reincarnation cycle, but you seem to have done so instantly!"

"So what does that mean for me?" I ask.

Komachi claps her hands together. "That's just it! I have no idea! Someone powerful is altering your existence, and when outsiders get involved with youkai it means something really big is going to happen!"

She begins to rant. "If it turns out to be bad, I might get time off! Do you know how long it's been since I got a formal leave? All I ever get is more work and…"

I don't even hear her anymore; something she just said gave me a chill.

Altering my existence? Like… controlling me? No…it was just a nightmare though. I'm just an ordinary guy! Except… I'm not ordinary anymore.

It has to be a coincidence! This is really strange, but I know that dream wasn't real!

"W-well, it can't be that important… I'm going to the afterlife after all."

Komachi shakes her head "Sorry, but I'm not bringing you to the afterlife right now. We're actually going upstream. Did I forget to say that? I would get in huge trouble if I brought someone alive! No, I'm taking you back. In fact, the shore is just up ahead."

Amid the endless fog, a small lamp hangs off the post of a dock not too far away.

"Whoa, hold on! What am I supposed to do when I get up there?" I ask hurriedly.

Komachi stands up and uses her scythe to latch on to the nearby dock and pulls the boat in. "I dunno, I'm just a Shinigami. Living really isn't my thing ya know?"

I don't know what a Shinigami is, but I really don't care right now.

You're DEATH! How can you not have anything useful to say? I silently scream

After a moment she speaks. "Well...You should try looking for Reimu; she knows some stuff that might help a new youkai learn about living here." She motions for me to step off "You'd better go now."

Once on land I turn to face Komachi. "Where do I go from here?"

She points into the night "Go down that hill. Soon, you'll find the Road of Liminality; there are a few merchant stalls there so it should be easy to spot. Follow it through the valleys all the way to the end. The signs point the way from there. Reimu lives in a shrine beneath the mountains."

"Okay" I reply. "Thanks Komachi, you're the best."

I'm a little scared to go on my own. But there isn't anything I can do about it. I have to find this Reimu and figure out what's really happening to me…I just wish I knew what I'm going to find out there.

She smiles. "Come visit me when things get cleared up okay? I hardly get any real company down here."

I nod. "Sure."

With a wave goodbye, she pushes off with her scythe and heads back downstream for some unknown purpose. Soon she fades, and I am alone on the shores.

I begin making my way down the hill Komachi pointed at.

Better get going. I have to figure out what's going on with me, and what this nightmare-

You have arrived. Good.

My blood goes cold. The familiar sickening presence seeps into my skull. "Y-you!"

Welcome to Gensokyo my servant. It is time for you to begin.

A/N

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. the next one will be ready soon.

Any reviews or comments you would like to give are appreciated.