Disclaimer: All named characters are canon characters.
Special thanks to Shadow1176 for beta reading this chapter, and to large-rock for additional beta reading for chapters 1-7.
There is a legend, long dead among humans but still told by youkai, of a place where worlds collided. In a remote part of Japan, if one knew where to go, was an easy access to dream worlds, Makai, and even Hell. As a result, the area burgeoned with monsters and creatures of all kinds, often clashing with the few humans clinging to the same lands.
The only one keeping humans from extinction was their champion, a priestess with mysterious powers living in an old shrine. She fought the youkai brutally, and guarded the entrances to other worlds.
Youkai called the place the Well of Spirits, a paradise and nightmare land wrapped up in one.
If you tell this legend to a resident of Gensokyo, they will scoff at you. What, are you trying to trick them? The old shrine is the Hakurei shrine, the shrine maiden stomping on youkai's faces is the Hakurei shrine maiden, and the Well of Spirits is clearly just another name for Gensokyo. Are you trying to be clever? Go fetch them a fresh drink and next time, tell them a proper story.
Only, they would be as wrong as they were right.
The Well of Spirits was not Gensokyo as we know it. The story goes further back in time, before the land ever adopted the name of Gensokyo...
The harsh winds of late winter swept across the barren lands, over the dead fields and the few people out on such a freezing day. Despite the wind, two peasants, a man and a boy, kept walking down a narrow path, wrapped in their warmest clothes.
The man, leading the boy, paused, and looked at the hill ahead of them. Already, the stone steps leading upwards and the red gate above them were clearly visible, even if the buildings on top of the hill were not.
He turned his head. "Mind your bearing," he snapped. "You can't stare at everything with your mouth hanging open like that once we reach the shrine."
The boy, a gangly young man with more than his share of nose bowed his head. How was he supposed to stop being impressed by all this? He could never have guessed such a place existed merely a day's walk from the house where he had been born.
In recent years, youkai attacks in the area had become even more frequent, but nothing had shocked the boy more than when at the end of a torturous winter, his father had announced that they would move to Reishoumiya. All the boy had known of the place before were rumours and murmurs of the village being a nest of youkai, but his father had assured him that the number of youkai meant nothing when there'd be someone watching over the people. The Hakurei Clan would surely keep them safe, he had said. The boy had been uncertain, first, but the steel and determination in his father's eyes had ultimately made him agree with him.
"We are going to meet the leader of the clan. You had better not embarrass me in front of her."
The boy wrinkled his nose. "A village run by a woman?"
His father clicked his tongue. "Less of that lip, boy. Not just a village run by women, but by a goddess."
"A goddess?"
"We have lived here for half a moon, and you did not know that? Have you not paid any attention to the world around you since..."
The man fell silent with an embarrassed air. The boy looked away and said nothing. It had been a mistake, and he readily forgave his father for it. It was a wound in both of them, after all.
"Yes, a goddess. She's called Princess Ayame." The man cleared his throat. "Apparently, already as a child she possessed exceptional powers. Once, they brought a man mauled by youkai and at the brink of death to the shrine. He was beyond hope, so when their attempts to tend to him failed, they took him to an unused storage beyond the boundaries of the shrine to die to not corrupt the shrine's purity. Only, when the villagers came the next morning to retrieve their friend's corpse, they found him alive and well, with no sign of the fatal wounds. Stranger yet, the room had been filled with fresh irises and chrysanthemums, even though it was winter."
The boy's heart stopped. Chrysanthemums had been his mother's favourite flowers.
"When they were still aghast," the man quickly continued as he saw the expression on his son's face, "the young Hakurei daughter, her hair turned to gold, stepped forward from sea the flowers, and smiled at them. They all immediately took to their knees, knowing they had witnessed the birth of a goddess." As the boy's shoulders grew less stiff, the man smiled. "That is why she is called Princess Ayame. A goddess whose miracles bring flowers in their wake."
The boy smiled weakly, more to himself than his father. It would be wonderful to visit the shrine of such a goddess, even though the odds of actually seeing her were slight. Still, the honour! A humble peasant like him petitioning a goddess! He followed his father up the steps with renewed vigour.
His legs began to shake on the final step, and he looked up with his heart pounding. The shrine was no palace, but still grand enough to impress him with its large square courtyard and elegantly decorated roof and porch.
There was only one person on the courtyard when they entered: a young woman dressed almost as plainly as the village girls, with a single white ribbon in her long, black hair. She was lazily sweeping the area by the porch with a broom. As she spotted the visitors, her muddy brown eyes narrowed into slits, and she discarded her broom and vanished inside the shrine without so much as a word.
"That was..." The boy's words petered into uncertainty.
"The elder sister of Princess Ayame, from what I've heard." The man cast a sharp eye at the boy. "Keep your head down."
The boy did as told, but his mind was reeling. Weren't the Hakurei a noble clan? A noblewoman sweeping, in what amounted to underwear, in plain sight? Did they not have servants? He had to admit he didn't know if this was truly unusual, as his only experience with nobles and important people was with stories of people in shining palaces and women whose faces no commoner would ever see, but he had to admit that his expectations had been dashed.
The door slid open, and the surly shrine maiden returned, this time with company: first, an ancient woman, so small and wizened the boy expected her to collapse at any given moment, and yet her eyes burned with life. She leaned into a cane decorated with etchings of vines and flowers, and soon made way for another shrine maiden.
The young man's jaw dropped.
Both he and his father immediately kneeled, but the boy couldn't resist catching a glimpse of who he knew had to be Princess Ayame.
She only wore four layers over her undergarments, each well made but relatively plain, but while her dress was plain and unadorned compared to her distant peers, her beauty was unmatched: perhaps only the rumoured Princess Kaguya could truly outshine her radiance. Her cascading golden curls marked her as truly alien, more goddess than human.
She opened her eyes, revealing a pair of irises as blue as the midday sky. The boy quickly bowed his head again.
"It is alright. There is no need for such formalities," Princess Ayame's voice, clear as bells, kindly beckoned them. "You two must be our new residents. It is a pleasure to meet you in person."
"Thank you, Princess Ayame," the older man muttered, raising his head ever so slightly from the ground.
The boy gasped, not believing what he was seeing. His father had told him thing were handled differently in Reishoumiya, but to first have a woman of noble birth tidying up the courtyard, and now to greet the mistress of the house, who was also a goddess, face to face? His knees quivered from the shock.
And what a goddess! The boy had never seen anyone like her. Her hair was like spun gold, flowing gently down her back with nothing to fetter it. Her eyes were like gentle flowers, her skin like silk. He saw a certain resemblance between the two Hakurei maidens, but it was also clear why one was the goddess of the shrine while the other swept the porch. His heart pounded so loudly he feared it would rip itself right out of his chest to present itself as an humble offering to the goddess.
"Please, do stand up. We are but a small community, and we all stand equal here." The boy stood up, scarcely believing what he was hearing, and dared to steal another glimpse of the goddess' lovely countenance.
"Thank you for paying me a visit." Princess Ayame bowed shortly, and the boy thought he was going mad. What kind of an insanity was this land, where humble peasants could walk right into the dwellings of gods and aristocrats, and not only be admitted, but be bowed to by them? None of this could be real, but yet when the boy looked at Princess Ayame he knew his imagination could never present him with such an image of loveliness. How could such a village exist?
His father bowed again, though not as deeply as before. "Princess Ayame, we bring you a petition from the old couple living by the north border of your domain."
"Is something amiss?"
"They are in great peril, Princess Ayame," The father said smoothly. The boy looked at his father with new amazement. How quickly he adapted to these bizarre circumstances. "Youkai have begun to invade from the east, and the entire forest is teeming with them. The residents have not dared to exit their homes for fear of being eaten or worse. Only today, they sent the fastest runner they had to dispatch a warning to the rest of the village." He bowed deeply. "They beg for your assistance, Princess Ayame."
"And my assistance they shall have." Princess Ayame turned and bowed at the old woman. "I will return as soon as possible, Grandmother."
The wizened face cracked into a toothless smile. "Of couse, my child."
"Good luck, Meizuki," the other shrine maiden suddenly interjected, hands on her hips.
As the boy frowned at the strange name the shrine maiden had used for the goddess, Princess Ayame nodded. "Thank you, sister."
Then, she turned towards the man and the boy. "Please, lead the way."
The boy dreaded his heart wouldn't last the entire way.
As soon as the delegation was beyond hearing distance, Awazuki sighed. "I wish they stopped calling her that."
"And why is that?" her grandmother, the wizened old lady with the ornate cane asked.
"It's not her real name, for starters. And I know Meizuki herself doesn't like it, she's just too polite to tell them no."
Grandmother gave her a piercing glare. "Has she told you that herself? She ought to be grateful for the honour of being bestowed such a lofty title, and she's never said a half a word against it in my presence."
"Of course she hates it. It's a really stupid name. And you know she doesn't want to be called a goddess."
"That I do," Grandmother nodded gravely. "She ought to consider the shrine's prestige more carefully the next time she denies her divinity. Fortunately, her claims are usually taken as nothing more than modesty."
"Bah." Awazuki kicked a stubborn block of ice clinging to the porch. "Does listening to people's complaints and exterminating youkai make you a goddess now?"
"Nothing good comes from jealousy, Awazuki."
"I'm not jealous!" Awazuki replied hotly. "I'm happy for her! Can't I say one word against her stupid nickname without it being called jealousy?"
"If you are not jealous, show it. Be grateful to your sister, and for everything she has done for you." Grandmother slowly hobbled back inside. "The courtyard still requires cleaning."
Awazuki picked up her broom, and, as soon as she was certain Grandmother was beyond hearing distance, blew a raspberry in her general direction. Then, with a sigh, she resumed her duties, occassionally pausing to glance at the valley below, wondering exactly where her sister was at that moment, and what she would be fighting against.
Reishoumiya, a tiny community nestled between a mountain and a large forest. Most of its inhabitants were peasants, working unflinchingly and uncomplainingly on the rice fields by the river, satisfied with their simple lives. Reishoumiya was all but isolated, with only a handful of visitors from nearby villages brave or foolish enough to risk facing youkai on the way. What little advances made it into the community were mostly religious, with its inhabitants alleging their shrine to be the first in the world, and their jizou statue to be one of the first ones ever to be brought to Japan.
All in all, Reishoumiya stood alone. The few merchants and visitors hardly ever brought news from further away, and what was told was swiftly forgotten. Beyond spiritual advances, the residents had very little interest in the rest of the world, and whoever was the de jure lord of their community, they didn't know. They had chosen their own leaders, and one family especially stood above the rest: that of Hakurei, with their wise decisions and unusual skill at fighting youkai.
Three generations ago the family, now a clan in the others' eyes, had taken control of the shrine, and had successfully ruled Reishoumiya ever since. Even the nearby villages respected the name of Hakurei, especially now that they had a living goddess guarding the village.
Her birthname was Meizuki, but all called her Princess Ayame, and lauded her every action. She was unanimously hailed as the new leader after her parents' deaths, and ruled with great skill: she was diplomatic, settled disputes with wisdom, and most importantly, defeated any youkai foolish enough to threaten humans on their turf.
She was gracious. She was of divine descent. She was undefeateable...
"Meizuki! Meizuki!"
Awazuki ran towards the solemn procession approaching, desperately hoping the night betrayed her eyes.
Her gut twisted. There was no mistake. The villagers were indeed carrying her sister, her clothes drenched in blood.
"What happened? Where did you find her?" she half gasped, half snarled at the villagers.
"By the forest to the east, crawling back towards here," said one of the villagers, her face nearly as pale and stricken as Meizuki's. Her eyes here affixed in horror on the countenance of her living goddess and her dying form. "What could possibly have done this...?"
Awazuki gritted her teeth. "That's what I wish to know." She looked around in panic. "Bring her inside. Quickly."
She opened the door, and looked on as the peasants set Meizuki gently down on the straw mattress. Awazuki immediately knelt down next to her, wiping her hair off her sweat-covered brow. She shuddered as she got a better look of Meizuki's blood-covered torso.
Meizuki's face was cold to touch when she attempted to invigorate her by patting her cheek. "Meizuki? Meizuki? Please, you have to wake up."
A feeble moan escaped Meizuki's lips, but she did not stir. Half mad with shock and concern, Awazuki turned furiously towards the villagers.
"Do you have herbs? Clean cloth? Water? Don't just stand there! She needs help!"
The villagers dispersed. Awazuki focused her full attention on her sister once more, her heart pounding in her chest so fast it felt as if it would rip itself right out of her chest.
"Meizuki?" She shook her as hard as she dared when she still wouldn't respond. She couldn't lose Meizuki. She just couldn't.
Finally, Meizuki's eyes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. She turned her head groggily, her gaze dull.
"Awazuki?" she asked, her voice shaky and as weak as a whisper.
Awazuki clasped Meizuki's icy hand. "It's me. I swear it's going to be alright now. Nothing bad is going to happen to you when I'm here."
Meizuki didn't respond, but a weak smile made its way to her face.
Awazuki placed her other hand over the first one. "Meizuki, what happened? Was it the youkai? What kind of a youkai? You have to tell me!"
Meizuki closed her eyes again, and a weary sigh barely stronger than an exhale escaped her lips.
"Meizuki?" A new wave of panic shook Awazuki. "You can't sleep now! Please!"
Meizuki's brow furrowed and she opened her mouth, as if she was strugging to even form words.
Finally, she mumbled: "Wings... giant wings..."
"Wings? Was it a tengu?" Tengu rarely appeared in Reishoumiya; it was usually only the oni who descended from the mountain. Still, they were the first type of winged youkai that immediately sprung to Awazuki's mind. "What happened?"
But Meizuki didn't respond: she had already drifted to the other side of consciousness, into an uneasy slumber. Awazuki quickly reached out to make sure her heart was still beating, still clasping Meizuki's hand as if letting go of it was the same as letting go of Meizuki's spirit, too.
It was then that one of the villagers returned with a bucketful of water, followed by Grandmother hobbling in with uneasy steps, her face ashen.
"Oh, my poor child..." She fell on her knees next to Awazuki and turned towards the peasant woman. "Fetch clean linens, quickly!"
"They're already being fetched," Awazuki said quietly.
"The more and faster the better. Go!"
The villager left in a hurry.
Grandmother brought her hand to the wound and grimaced. "This is bad," she muttered, more to herself than to Awazuki. "She is a strong child, but even I'm not certain she'll be able to overcome these wounds..."
Awazuki's stomach turned.
"This..." She curled her hands into tight fists. "This... whoever did this will pay."
She stood up and dashed to the table where she had left her gohei, then slid the door to the room open with a slam.
"Awazuki!" Grandmother snapped. "You are not going into the woods!"
"If you think I'm just going to sit here while the creature that did this to her is out there, you know me even worse than I thought you did." Awazuki retorted.
"She is dying, Awazuki! If you have a heart, you will remain by her side. You will never forgive yourself if she passes on while you're seeking some futile revenge."
"Nor I will never forgive myself if I don't avenge her right now."
"Enough!" Grandmother snapped, with such authority Awazuki was frozen in her tracks. "It's a fool's endeavour, and I refuse to lose both of you!"
Awazuki hesitated, but only for a second. She wrenched her sleeve free and with large strides rushed to the entrance.
"I'm taking the orb with me." She exerted her divine powers and beckoned at the Hakurei Yin-Yang Orb, the clan's secret weapon against youkai. The orb rose from its usual place near the entrance and hovered after her as she shed her coat off her shoulders and ran outside.
"Awazuki!"
She ignored her grandmother's cries and the startled looks of the villagers on the courtyard as she ran past them. All she had in mind was finding Awazuki's murderer and slaughtering it.
She slowed down only to pull out a pair of red sashes from her pockets and to tie her sleeves out of the way with them, then all but flew down the steps, into the darkness lit only by the sliver of the moon.
