In a country far to the east, there exists a certain place far from any normal human habitat. In the ancient times, it was a terrifying place, as anyone who ventured too deeply within this place would find themselves consumed by youkai. Most people dared not to approach this land, and called it Gensokyo.
On occasion, amidst the hordes of people who feared the youkai, there would be a brave warrior who would rise to the challenge and face them. Some of these humans even decided to settle down in the treacherous land of Gensokyo, and every night, one might see humans battle youkai.
As years turned to decades, and centuries turned to a millennium, however, humans began to build a civilization. They no longer feared the dark, as they could now produce light to make even the darkest dusk appear as bright as midday. As such, worlds that did not run on logic, such as Gensokyo, were deemed as nothing more than fragile superstition. As a result of this, Gensokyo was sealed away by a Great Barrier, and as the knowledge of the youkai and humans who lived there died out, it marked the end of an era.
Ages passed, however, and civilization grew even within the confines of the Great Barrier. Youkai built their own manner of culture, much like how the world was when Gensokyo had originally been sealed. This culture, however, was not one of materialism; rather, it was a culture centered around spiritual awareness, far exceeding that of the human world. Youkai, in turn, eventually grew strong enough to open the very Great Barrier that sealed Gensokyo from the human world… but they never did open it. Rather, they reinforced the seal, using it now to keep humans from the outside to invade their home.
Though it may still be a fantasy land, however, humans still seem to find their way within Gensokyo, be it by pure accident, or by youkai leading them within, possibly for sustenance or mild entertainment. Most of the humans who actually managed to leave Gensokyo behind, would find themselves looked upon as mad rather than sane.
All who stumble within Gensokyo see it as a legendary paradise, as all its scenery seems to work in favor of its natural inhabitants. For humans, the realm of Gensokyo could only be seen as the brightest paradise to be beheld. And a paradise it would remain, for humans and youkai both, until either humans from the outside would be decimated, or if the Great Barrier itself would fall, and reveal Gensokyo to the humans once more.
In this log, the peaceful and fantastic happenings taking place in the wonderland that is Gensokyo will be recorded.
13th Shrine Maiden of Hakurei Shrine,
Reimu Hakurei
"…and… done." With a faint breath, the clink of a calligraphy brush placed within a small clay pot filled the sound of the empty shrine, as its sole inhabitant settled her hands softly upon her own folded legs. She had spent the better part of the day preparing the introduction of her personal log, and with the faintest of sighs, she beheld her craft.
It looked perfect to her.
The young, purple-haired shrine maiden looked over the words she had carefully written down, and with a wide smile, she stretched her arms out a touch. Having written all that with such meticulous care had taken a bit out of her; for even the faintest smidge would have ruined her log completely. As she stood up, she gave the note a faint bow before she turned to walk outside, sliding the doors open to look out at the shrine yard.
The sun shone its faint rays down upon the aged shrine, with likely a millennium's worth of history attached to it and the inhabitants that had kept the shrine active for so long. It hadn't seen much activity lately, as the 12th shrine maiden's time had been several decades before her replacement. But she had a feeling that she could single-handedly turn around some faith for the shrine.
For she was Reimu Hakurei, successor of the Hakurei Shrine, and by that same coin, the guardian of the Great Barrier itself. She just knew that with the burden placed on her, she had every right to feel confident. Such an honor rarely came to just anyone, after all.
"Genji!" As she called this out, she began to hurry around the very shrine itself, coming to a stop just in front of a pond that, if nothing else, looked to have been cared for particularly well. "Genji, are you there? I need to head to the village!"
At first, there was no answer, even as Reimu gave the pond the most narrowed pout she could muster. Of all the days he had to not be at home, and it had to be now? How could she prepare some celebratory tea and offering sweets for the potential worshippers if she couldn't get her ride ready? Some times she wondered about that old geezer…
"…oh, hold your horses, Miss Reimu." an older voice grumbled, as from the sky itself, a lone shadow seemed to float down towards the shrine maiden, landing neatly in the pond. What looked back at Reimu was a simple, old turtle with a well-groomed beard, giving the shrine maiden another nod as he yawned. "Can't an old turtle stretch his legs a little on a new morrow?"
"…somehow I'd think you'd throw your back doing that, Gramps." With a mild shrug, Reimu made a quick leap over the pond, landing neatly upon the turtle's shell without stirring the water too terribly, sitting neatly down as she closed her eyes. "Now come on! I've got some shopping to do."
"…shopping?" The turtle tilted his head just a touch as he closed his eyes, humming deeply whilst pondering things. "…Miss Reimu, have I not told you that you need to be conscious about your figure? As the Hakurei Maiden, you can't be eating snacks all the time."
"I'm not gonna buy snacks today, Gramps." Reimu noted with a faint hint of protest in her tone, as she patted the turtle's shell. "But we're running low on tea, and I need to make sure we're topped off for when the worshippers start showing up."
"You're certainly optimistic about that thought, Miss Reimu." With a faint breath, the old turtle slowly started to wade his feet in the water, humming softly as the water began to stir around them. Then, as slow as a turtle could muster, he actually started to rise from the very water itself, floating above the glistening surface, as Reimu looked around her with an awed look.
"Of course I'm optimistic. It's my first official day as a shrine maiden!" she spoke with a nod, looking ahead with a smile on her face. "How can I not be optimistic about something like this?"
"…I just hope that optimism won't come back to bite you later on, Miss Reimu." Genji mused with a dreary sigh, before he took to the sky, moving slowly so that Reimu could remain seated on his shell without worrying about balance, before he took off down the path leading up to the shrine itself, moving quickly enough that they soon left behind the shrine shrouded by both trees and mystery.
The very land of Gensokyo was rich and filled with plenty of life as far as the eye could see, with plenty of wildlife such as birds, or even naive youkai floating about here and there; some of them being harassed by some random fairies, and others vividly menacing an unsuspecting patch of flowers. It was a peaceful time for the moment, as not a whole lot had been happening in the realm for the past few years. As such, the turtle's flight to the human village saw little in the way of trouble.
As he floated down to a stop by the village borders, he let out the faintest yawn as he allowed the shrine maiden to gently step off his shell, before he glanced back at her. "Now, Miss Reimu, could you promise me not to get yourself in any form of trouble? You need to make a good first impression as the shrine maiden, after all."
"Oh, no need to worry." Reimu smiled and gave his shell a gentle pat, giving him a nod. "What could possibly happen that would make people look at me in a negative light? You just sit tight, and I'll get you a head of lettuce." With that, she merrily made her way into town, whistling to herself.
The old turtle simply sighed, as he folded his front feet underneath his head, to allow himself to relax a touch. "Oh, plenty a thing, Miss Reimu…" he remarked, yawning a touch as he closed his eyes… but even as they were closed, he seemed aware of something. "…not content with watching from the shadows anymore?"
A faint hiss was heard from the shadows, as from them, a robed figure slowly stepped out, her hands folded within her sleeves as she looked at the turtle. "…she has come of age, Genji. The mistress, as you might expect, is interested in her growth as the shrine maiden."
"Don't get her hopes up too much." Genji remarked, as his eyes faintly opened to glance back at the hooded figure. "Young Miss Reimu still hasn't awakened to her full potential yet. She can't even fly under her own power." He shook his head. "It's hard to tell when she'll realize her powers; it could be ages from now, depending on how much she trains. And I'll be the first to tell you, Miss Reimu isn't a dedicated student."
"…that may be the case." With a faint nod, the robed figure kept her arms folded, though she did nod a touch. "Still, there will be a time when her abilities as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden will be needed. I advice you to keep that in mind, Genji."
"…just don't come up to her while I'm on watch." Genji mused, his expression remaining neutral as he merely looked at the hooded figure. "If you upset her, I'll bite some of your tails."
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" She chuckled faintly. "…well, no need to worry about me. The mistress forbids me from contacting her specifically. I merely act as an observer."
"Does observing include corralling old turtles?" Genji mused, before he closed his eyes. "Just keep your nose out of trouble."
"…likewise." With a nod, the hooded figure slowly slipped back into the shadows, remaining hidden for all but Genji, who at this point didn't even seem to acknowledge her existence. As he settled in while waiting for Reimu, all seemed at peace…
…then, he felt a faint rumble beneath his being, and his eyes opened. "…hm?" He peered over towards where they had come from, back towards the Hakurei Shrine, and he blinked. "…was that…?"
"Hey, Gramps!" At that point, the shrine maiden came back towards where the turtle was lying, holding out a head of lettuce along with a few other essentials within some bags. "I got stuff ready! The worshippers are bound to come in when this is on display…?" When she saw that Genji was still looking back home, she tilted her head. "…hey, don't tell me you're homesick, Gramps."
"…I think it's in our best interest to head home." Genji remarked as he glanced back at Miss Reimu. "With all due haste, Miss Reimu. I can eat lettuce back at the pond."
While Reimu wasn't entirely sure what he was alluding to, she just shrugged as she got on the turtle's shell, folding her arms as Genji slowly rose from the ground, and floated back towards their home. Still, the naturally composed shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine remained unperturbed. "…I still don't see what could've made you worry so much…"
"Oh gods in heaven, that's what made you worry so much!" was what the utterly shocked shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine uttered the moment they had finally returned to the Hakurei Shrine… and needless to say, in the brief half hour that the pair of them had been gone, quite a bit had happened to the shrine. To say that it was in poor condition would be an insult to homes in poor condition.
To put it fairly, the shrine was in utter shambles. The offertory box had been completely desecrated with red paint and rolls of scroll paper, signs of both paper and paint-related vandalism were present on the backyard shed and the shrine building itself, the pond out in the backyard had been filled with heaps of garbage, and most damning, a massive hole indicated that something had smashed through the roof of the shrine building and straight on through.
"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods oh gods oh gods…!" With a frightful whimper, Reimu quickly jumped off her flying turtle when he was close enough to the ground, as she swiftly ran past the discarded paint cans and the empty cylinders that had housed scrolls once, to rush within the shrine itself. When she entered, her eyes widened, and she fell to her knees, breathing out rapidly.
Amazingly enough, even with a massive hole smashed through the shrine itself, a massive hole left where the tea table had once stood, the one constant that remained was the scroll she had carefully been writing on since the wee hours of the morning. Not a sprinkle of dust seemed to have gotten on it either way. To make sure that it was safe, Reimu quickly skipped around the larger hole to pick the paper up, quivering lightly as she read it.
"…it's not ruined…!" she uttered in relief, resisting the urge to just push the paper against her chest in a relieving hug, as she figured the ink could still be somewhat wet. As such, she gently placed it back where she had found it, rubbing her forehead in sheer relief. "…for a moment, I was worried…"
"Miss Reimu, are you sure you shouldn't be more upset over this?" Genji called from outside, looking back at his pond with a faint frown of dismay. After all, now he couldn't eat lettuce in his pond in peace, as he had been hoping for. "The whole shrine is in shambles. This won't inspire a lot of faith if people come to visit."
"Hmm, you're right…" As she walked on out, Reimu softly rubbed her chin with a faint nod, glancing back at Genji. "…and I don't think I could afford any major repairs to the shrine right now. Most of our savings went to treats for possible worshippers…" She shrugged. "…then I think I know what we do. We have to figure out who would do this to our shrine, and make them fix it up again."
"Are you certain about that?" Genji tilted his head a little. "Remember, you're still only a first-day shrine maiden, Miss Reimu. You don't yet have the capabilities that your predecessors had… you still don't even know how to handle the Yin-Yang Orb."
"…hm…" With a faint hum, Reimu rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Even though it was true, she still couldn't help but ruminate over this. As she pondered, she looked back inside the shrine again. Her eyes fell upon a cabinet that, thankfully, hadn't been smashed to pieces. She quickly headed inside, and opened it up, her eyes remaining narrowed as she gently took her time with the process.
There, perched atop a shelf all on its own, was a sizeable orb, clad in black and white with the symbols for yin and yang emblazoned upon it. It was the Yin-Yang Orb, an ancestral tool that many of the Hakurei family had used in their duties as the shrine maidens of the shrine. It had remained dormant since before she had received the honor of the position, but now seemed like the best time to put its power to use. Gently, she plucked both the orb, along with a purification rod, off the shelves, before taking them both outside with the utmost of care.
"…are you just going to try and master the power of the orb here and now?" Genji remarked with a tilted head. "Miss Reimu, such a thing would take too long to master."
"That's not something we can say right off the bat." With a simple nod, Reimu sat the orb down upon the ground before them, and closed her eyes. "Right now, I've gotta find the guys who decided to get cheeky and vandalize the shrine." As she then sat herself before the orb, she held her hands over it. "And the orb's gonna help me with that."
"…you do realize that you're trying something that took even other maidens months to master, Miss Reimu." Genji noted with a bit of a sigh, honestly a bit astounded by how stubborn Reimu was being. "Even if we knew where those ruffians might have disappeared to, there's no way you'll have the orb under your command in that period of-"
In the instant Genji was about to finish the sentence, suddenly something bumped against his snout, making him let out a small noise that could best be described as a mixture between a yelp and a groan of exasperation. Seems like he was just silenced involuntarily, as evidenced by Reimu letting out a brief hum of surprise.
"Huh, didn't think it'd be that quick." Reimu mused as she watched the orb slowly roll away from Genji once it had bumped into him, tilting her head as it rolled before her once more. "Alright, then how about this…" As she stood up, she focused her attention on making the orb itself levitate before her, which it seemed to slowly do. She grinned a little. "See, Genji? Just had to give it a try."
The moment she said that, however, the orb suddenly shot up quite a bit faster than she had anticipated, clocking her underneath her chin and making her reel back, before it fell back to the ground safe and sound. As Reimu rubbed the spot she had gotten attacked, Genji just breathed out, shaking his head. "…no, I had a feeling it couldn't be that easy. The orb isn't quite listening to you yet, Miss Reimu."
"…well, whatever." With a mild shrug, Reimu picked the orb up, holding the purification rod in her other hand as she looked towards the gates before the shrine. "We got what we need, so let's start looking around."
"For who ruined the shrine?" Genji blinked as he turned to look towards the gate as well. "But it could have been anyone, Miss Reimu. Are you going to interrogate every youkai in the vicinity?"
"No." Reimu stated matter-of-factly, shaking her head as she began to approach the gates. "The youkai around here never attack the shrine directly. There might be fairies playing pranks, but never something like this." Stopping just short of the gates, she closed her eyes. "No, Genji… this must've been done by someone beyond our borders."
Genji's eyes widened, quickly waddling over to where Reimu stood… well, as quickly as a turtle could move, anyhow. "Beyond our borders…? You don't mean to say that someone breached the Great Barrier, Miss Reimu?"
"No, definitely not. I would've known if that was the case." Reimu then looked up at the gates, before she started to wave her purification rod softly in the air. "So that means we've got someone who shouldn't be on this side wreaking havoc… and I have a feeling where they might be from."
As she spoke, a soft wind began to blow around her, swirling around the purification rod, as she began to chant to herself. "O ancient guard of the shrine Hakurei, harken thus to my prayer. The boundary that veils the seals of old, I beseech thee; remove thine lock, and reveal the path to me."
As the soft wind billowed around the rod, it then seemed to swirl around the gate, as Reimu repeated the chant over and over again. Genji cast a cursory glance to the skies, and quickly noticed that the skies above the shrine were starting to blacken, dark clouds swirling as an ethereal glow grew around the gate. "…Miss Reimu…" he uttered, hoping that she would notice; however, she was far too busy with reciting the chant, focusing the powers of a shrine maiden upon the gate…
…at least, until the Yin-Yang Orb shot up from Reimu's grasp, floating directly in the middle of the gate as the ethereal energy swelled to a tremendous extent. Both Reimu and Genji saw this with wide eyes, the former even ceasing her chants as she took a mild step back, just to give what she had called upon space.
"…Maiden of Hakurei… you have been deemed unfit to pass beyond the boundary. Prove yourself against us." Suddenly, the orb began to rotate rapidly, as what seemed to be two specters appeared on either side of the orb; one a female clad in red robes, with wild red hair flowing behind her, small horns sticking from her head and a set of glowing red eyes, and the other a male clad in blue and white priest robes, his eyes also alight with a red glow.
"…prove myself?" With a small hum, Reimu narrowed her eyes at this sight, twirling her rod in her grasp before she pointed it at the two. "If it's a test of mettle you want, I'll be glad to oblige. I'll show you what this new generation can pull off!"
"Careful not to agitate them too much, Miss Reimu." Genji remarked, before he floated back a little. He could tell that if it came to a test between the ghosts and Reimu, being anywhere near potential crossfire would be dangerous.
Then, the male ghost suddenly pushed his hand against the orb, making it rocket towards Reimu. Her eyes widened as she quickly stepped to the side, seeing it smash against the ground with considerable force. Even as light it was to carry, it packed some serious power. "…if I get hit with that…" she uttered, just in time to notice that the orb hadn't just stopped in its tracks. Rather, it had suddenly bounced back up into the air, towards the gate once more.
This time, the female ghost slammed her hand against it, making the orb bounce towards Reimu with renewed speed. Reimu stepped aside once more, seeing the ball yet again bounce up towards the two specters, who seemed handle the orb with keen precision. Truly, they were worthy of the position they held, even in death.
At this point, Reimu had gotten a brief inkling of a plan, and as the male ghost sent the orb launching back towards her, she reeled back for a moment… and then she swung her purification rod straight at the orb. The impact didn't shatter the rod as one might have expected; in fact, the orb seemed exceptionally light against the rod, as Reimu swung once more to send the orb flying towards the two ghosts. However, the ghosts were quick in moving away as well, letting the orb bounce on the gate briefly before they swung it back down at Reimu.
And thus the battle began properly; each side swinging the Yin-Yang Orb at the other with intent of smashing into the opposition. Though it seemed like an even struggle, Reimu was finding herself at a slight disadvantage in that she had to deal with two opponents bouncing the orb back between each other. That meant that while she had more space to work with, the two of them could easily play support for the other, and keep themselves from being struck down. Not to mention, they were ghosts. Could they even feel fatigue?
Genji was observing the battle with an intrigued look on his face. However much Reimu was struggling, from some times having to forfeit knocking the orb back to other times skidding on the ground due to lost footing, he could see a determination in her gaze unlike any other. A look that signified that no matter what, she was unwilling to give up. He couldn't help but admire this, however old a turtle he might be.
"…Miss Reimu!" he eventually called, as she just knocked the orb back. "What about your amulets? Use them as well!"
"…amulets?" Reimu blinked upon hearing this tip from the old turtle, and as the orb swung back towards her, she narrowly managed to swing her rod back to knock it towards the ghosts. She quickly moved a hand within her outfit, to fish out several smaller amulets, meant normally for inscribing prayers upon. She looked up at the ghosts, who were reading to slam their fists into the orb simultaneously. "…well… here goes!"
And then, as the ghosts struck the orb at the same time, forcing it to launch towards Reimu at an even higher speed than before, she began to hurl the amulets directly upon the orb. They struck against it and dispersed, but with how rapidly Reimu was throwing them, it was actually forcing the orb to slow its descent, just enough for Reimu to narrowly slam her rod against it once more to send it flying towards the ghosts. Breathing at this, she saw that even the ghosts looked surprised by this, as they dispersed to allow the orb to bounce against the gates, and then back towards her.
"…then how about this?!" Spinning around once, Reimu closed her eyes and, just as it came close enough, slammed her rod against it to make it fly towards the ghosts again. But this time, she actually hurled the amulets towards the orb to strike it from behind, which gave it a sudden burst of speed. The orb kept spinning rapidly, and with the increased velocity it had taken on, it slammed straight through the male ghost, who unleashed a sudden wail as the orb passed through him. The female ghost could barely react in time to send the orb back towards Reimu.
By this time, Reimu grinned. Now the playing field was swayed in her favor. She twirled the purification rod a few times in her grasp, and as she prepared another batch of amulets, she smashed it against the rod to send it flying towards the female ghost. As she grabbed it and prepared to push it back, Reimu quickly began to hurl her amulets towards the orb, striking it rapidly and repeatedly while it was still caught in the specter's grip…
…and then, after a brief struggle, the orb suddenly pushed through the female specter, who also let out another wail as the orb bounced once off the gate, then twice, before it fell towards Reimu, and stopped just in mid-air before her. She let out another breath as she took hold of the orb, before her gaze fell upon the gate, seeing the specters slowly materialize once more.
"…your power has been proven, Maiden of Hakurei." The voice that spoke was very nondescript, and it was difficult to tell which of the ghosts were speaking, or if any of them were at all. "You have been granted access to the worlds beyond." Slowly, as they faded away, the air in the gate split down the middle, and slowly opened as if it were a massive door.
"…well, I'll be." Genji chuckled as he floated towards Reimu. "I didn't think you had quite that in you, Miss Reimu. Besting Shingyoku isn't an everyday feat."
"…well, whoever Shingyoku was in the past doesn't matter." Reimu mused as she looked up towards the gate, smirking just a touch. "What matters is that we can go through to find the culprit."
Genji looked back at her with a tilted head once more. "…and… where would we find this culprit then, Miss Reimu?"
Upon hearing that question, Reimu simply nodded as she folded her arms, beginning to walk towards the gate before her. "…in order to find the vandal… I bet you anything that we need to go to Hell."
A faint, cold wind seemed to blow in every direction around the two that emerged from the towering gate, the cobblestone of the shrine's outer yard left in favor of rough terrain, its hollow nature letting a small echo ring throughout the larger area that Reimu and Genji found themselves in.
"…so… this is Hell, huh?" Reimu let out a faint hum as she glanced around the area, which seemed quite unwelcoming to anyone simply paying a causal visit. All around them, a faint shroud of darkness lingered, and the two of them found that what they walked upon seemed to be ancient, hollowed wood, as if they stood upon a dead tree's roots. "You'd think they could make it less imposing, since they expanded their operations and all…"
"…I think decor is the last of our worries, Miss Reimu." Genji mused, as he peered down over the edge of the hollow branch they seemed to be standing on. "The spirits of the dead may be lying in wait for us."
"Good; I'm expecting that." Reimu remarked, as she turned back towards the gate, and swung her purification rod in a single downwards motion. As she did so, the gate closed behind them. "And at least this way, we won't have anyone slipping out while we get answers."
"I suppose that's for the best." With a nod, Genji slowly waddled over the edge, using his power to float upon the air, whilst keeping himself placed so Reimu could easily climb onto his back and sit down without slipping off. "Shall we find the one in charge? They may have answers regarding the shrine."
"…you know, that makes me wonder." As Genji began to float along, Reimu looked up at the ascending darkness all around them. "Who did they leave in charge of the new Hell? I'm not entirely sure about the details about the expansion…"
"…I think there was something related to a lack of proper security in what used to be Hell." Genji mused with a ponderous hum. "There was apparently a mighty fire at one point, which could even burn the souls sent there to atone into nothing but ash. They had to relocate… but I don't think all beings fled to this Hell."
"They might have thought hiding away there would've been better than dealing with new management." Reimu mused, before she drummed her hands against the Yin-Yang Orb out of curiosity. "Well, they're at fault for not moving away from there, I suppose. Some souls can't seem to repent, I suppose."
"…it was a curious thing, though." Genji mused, as the two of them floated through the empty darkness of Hell. "That was where the oni secluded themselves ages past. I wonder if they are all hidden within here now…"
"Maybe. But I don't think an oni would be the culprit we're looking for, either." Reimu mused. "They might be enigmatic, but I've never heard of them actively attack a shrine before."
"…true…" Genji's tone remained contemplative, as his gaze lingered on the dark around them… and his eyes narrowed. "…Miss Reimu… there's no activity here."
Blinking a touch, Reimu looked around the blackness surrounding them, only to see nothing but dark around them. "…you're right. For Hell, I was expecting way more monsters and ghosts lurking about." As she pondered, she looked ahead… and suddenly, her eyes widened. "Uh?"
There, just ahead of them, what appeared to be a blinding light was growing, and it was slowly coming towards them. It took a while of observation, but Reimu could eventually pick out that it emanated from a large, floating bronze disc. As it grew closer, she could pick up a sickly purple aura radiating from it, and the visage of a young girl engraved upon it; possessing long hair, a content expression, and a strange orb glowing between her hands. The girl said nothing, and did not move, for it seemed she was but an engraving.
What wasn't an engraving, however, was the disc itself, which then suddenly decided to pick up speed and shoot towards Reimu and Genji, intending to slam itself against the two of them to knock them down into the abyss below. Reimu managed to let out a gasp of surprise, before she swung her purification rod against the disc, managing to repel it and send it shooting back away from the two. "Hm… doesn't seem like this spirit wants us to get past." the shrine maiden mused.
"Hm… do you think she knows of what happened to the shrine, Miss Reimu?" Genji remarked, glancing around the area to try and find a proper foothold for Reimu; though the endless abyss around them indicated otherwise.
"If she does, it doesn't look like she's the talkative type." With a sigh, Reimu slowly stood up, holding her rod at the ready, whilst forcing the orb to float up from the grasp. "Oh well. We'll just have to knock her aside. She's in the way."
The disc showed no intent of moving past, and in that instant, it suddenly unleashed a storm of energy-based spheres from her own orb, hurling them towards the turtle and his rider. However, even with the density of the incoming charge, Genji began to move with speed unprecedented of a turtle; though he was flying, so that might have something to do with the unorthodox speed. Nevertheless, the turtle managed to keep afloat as he weaved amidst the relentless storm of bullets.
"Let's see how you like this!" A light grin crossed Reimu's lips, as she suddenly tossed the Yin-Yang Orb up into the sky, before she swung her rod straight at it, making it rocket towards the disc with intense speed… but at the last second, the orb swerved away from its intended target, swiveling in the air a touch before shooting towards Reimu again. "Uh?!" Now that she had knocked the orb in motion, and with the lack of space to stand on, Reimu had to swing at the orb again to knock it towards the disc.
However, once more, the orb refused to stay on a straight path, and even veered away from the intended path sooner than before, spinning around rather than even going back to Reimu at this point. "…you're lacking control, Miss Reimu." Genji spoke in worry. "Remember, you have to stay in control of the orb; don't let it snatch control away from you."
"I know!" With another huff, Reimu managed to smash the incoming orb with her rod again, but now it practically went in the opposite direction as she did, just to spite her. "But I can't stop it to get control back!"
Hauntingly enough, the woman upon the disc seemed to smile a touch more than before, as the disc decided to move in the path of the incoming orb; however, rather than allow itself to be struck by it, it actually swung in such a way that it knocked the orb straight towards Reimu, going even faster than when she had knocked it towards the disc. Unable to move in time, Reimu felt the orb strike against her chest, knocking not only the air out of her lungs, but also her very being straight off Genji.
"Miss Reimu!" Seeing Reimu soaring briefly in the void was far too much for the turtle; as such, he quickly turned and shot towards Reimu, getting underneath her just in time to snatch her up so she landed with her back upon his shell. "A thousand pardons; I should have moved. Are you hurt?"
"…yeah, definitely." With a faint groan, Reimu slowly sat up on Genji's shell, breathing harshly as she clutched the orb in her grasp. "But… I got the orb back. That's what matters." Coughing a little, she then looked back at the disc, seeing the sphere she held glowing brighter; she was preparing to fire again, it would seem. "…you know, Gramps…" she spoke as she tilted her head. "…that discus has only been attacking from the front, right?"
Genji blinked a touch. "…yes, it has…" he spoke, trying to figure out what Reimu was getting at… and then a faint breath, sounding somewhat like a 'ah'-sort of sound, fled his mouth. "…I see. Perhaps now would be the best time to counter-attack?"
"…just get us around, Gramps." Reimu groaned as she rubbed her chest, slowly holding the Yin-Yang Orb out. "If I can't control a good long swing… then a short burst has to do."
At that point, the disc unleashed another barrage of energy blasts upon the two, filling an even denser area than before. However, Genji had no intention of staying put this time; he immediately shot forward, eyes narrowing as he flew through the incoming blanket of energy bullets, whilst aiming to get behind the disc. As she was still intent on firing off the thick blanket of energy, she didn't quite notice Reimu and Genji slipping past and behind her.
"There!" And with that, Reimu quickly swung her hand to launch the orb straight for the disc as it floated with its blank back turned to them. With the closer distance, the orb didn't quite have a chance to veer off course; slamming harshly against the disc with force to actually leave an imprint against the disc itself.
The instant the orb struck true, the spray of energy bullets seemed to cease from the disc, as it sort of slumped where it resided. Then, the light in the sphere the woman held grew dim, before the purple aura slowly faded, and the disc itself started to plummet down into the darkness below. As the orb returned to her, Reimu took hold of it and watched the disc plunge into the depths below.
"…that turned out better than expected." Genji mused with a small nod. "Pity about her, though. I would presume the fall would be enormous…"
"Honestly, it's not that bad." Reimu noted, shrugging faintly as she spoke. "It looked like she could float pretty well, so she could always just float up from it whenever she gets her energy-!" And she was soundly cut off when the sound of a powerful splash could be heard from down below. "…back?"
"…is there water here in Hell?" Genji mused with a curious expression, gazing down into the black abyss once more. "And that splash came fairly soon… it might be hidden beyond the veil."
"…maybe that's where all the wayward spirits decided to hide when the discus came to play." Reimu mused, before she nodded. "Alright; that's how we'll get our answers. Let's go down, Gramps!"
"I had a feeling you would say that." With a small sigh, Genji turned himself down to face the black abyss down below, making sure that Reimu held onto him, before he then pushed himself downwards. He kept his gaze narrowed as the two of them eventually sunk down into the black itself, seeing nothing but each other as they kept moving downwards…
…until eventually, the dark began to fade around them, and the two came face-to-face with actual surface. Beneath them were several pools of water, where spirits could be seen lounging and enjoying themselves as much as lost spirits could. The ground itself appeared to be some kind of beach, however, the sand itself seemed as gray as ash. The pools seemed to be filled by a nearby lake, where they could see the form of a bronze disc slowly sinking into the waters.
"…that explains the splash." Genji mused. "But is this how Hell operates these days? It wasn't much of a resort back in the former Hell."
"I guess so." Reimu remarked with a somewhat puzzled expression herself, before she shook his head a little. "But we've got business here, so don't go thinking of a massage or anything of the sort, Gramps."
"Oh, let a turtle dream at least." Genji sighed, as the two of them slowly descended towards the gray sand, allowing the two of them to disembark as they took in the area. They could see some spirits glancing in their direction, but no one seemed to take heed to them. "…they don't seem hostile."
"We'll see how long that lasts." Clearing her throat, Reimu slowly stepped closer to the pools, setting her hands on her hips, as she inhaled. "…my name is Reimu Hakurei, the 13th Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine! I wish to speak with the one responsible for safe-keeping Hell!" Her voice was demanding, but there was still an inkling of patience in her voice.
At first, however, there was silence; the spirits did little beyond either look her over curiously in slight disbelief, to genuine amusement, as if they thought there was no chance for her to even compare to them.
It was at that point, however, that a particular figure slowly rose up from one of the pools, stepping out of it before wandering to some clothes neatly folded by the pool's side. "…I suppose since you managed to best Kikuri, you've proven your worth, shrine maiden." she spoke in a calm, somewhat deeper voice, as she slipped on her robes; a red robe with a white trim, and gray sleeves popping out from both arms. Then, she turned to gaze back at Reimu, her red gaze narrowed, and her black hair tied neatly with a ribbon. Closer inspection also revealed not only an ethereal disposition to her, but also a long, red horn jutting out from her forehead.
"…I am the Astral Knight, Konngara." she spoke, as she slowly drew out a long, ornate sword, pointing it towards Reimu. "I am the guardian of Hell… and the one responsible for the desecration of your shrine."
Reimu couldn't help but gawk at this woman standing before her. Konngara… the mere visage of the swordswoman standing before her, like a samurai of some sort, was enough to even send a chill down the young shrine maiden's spine. Not to mention the horn… just witnessing it evoked the thought of an oni; however, the ethereal aura she sensed radiating from her had to mean that she was some kind of specter.
However, if she so readily admitted the crime, Reimu didn't intend to waste time. "So you're the one who wrecked my shrine, huh? On my first day and everything…" She held out her purification rod, pointing it at Konngara with a narrowing gaze. "Mind if I ask what reason you had for this, Astral Knight?"
"My reasons are mine alone." spoke Konngara, as she moved her free hand down towards the edge of the pool, scooping up a lone cup of sake, which she took the faintest sip from. "If you intend to make me talk, then show me the innate power of Hakurei, shrine maiden."
Reimu's body was tense; openly receiving a challenge from someone with such a cold disposition wasn't something she was all that used to yet. Still, she had come this far, and she didn't intend to back down just yet. "…Gramps." she spoke as she steeled herself, skidding her foot back along the sand. "You can rest up. I've got this one."
Genji looked between the two of them in some worry, before he let out a brief sigh. "…if you need help, don't waste time in letting me know." he spoke in a calm, but still somewhat worried tone, before he shuffled along the sand to slip into a vacant pool, glancing back at the impending battle.
"Haah!" The first attack came from Reimu, who was quick in swinging her rod against the Yin-Yang Orb, launching it towards Konngara with speed unlike anything seen before. The revelation of the culprit seemed to fill her up with confidence, and eagerness to try and finish the battle in a single swoop.
That confidence, however, would immediately come back to bite her, as Konngara, eying the incoming orb, suddenly flipped the blade in her grasp, and swung once with the sword's dull edge against the orb; letting it halt for a moment before suddenly shooting straight back towards Reimu. The shrine maiden quickly acted, as she began to rapidly fire her amulets upon the orb, managing to slow it down before it'd strike her dead-on. Then, as it came close, she swung it at her foe once more.
"…you lack control." Konngara mused at seeing this display, closing her eyes as she seemed to listen for the orb's trajectory. "Not only over the orb… but yourself." With a sudden breath, she then swung with even more force than before, sending the orb rocketing towards Reimu at a break-neck speed. She had to actually dive out of the way before the orb slammed into the sand, sending the ash-colored grains scattering far around the setting.
"…control over myself?" Coughing, Reimu quickly got on her feet, as she held her hand towards the orb to call it over towards her, but the trajectory was off; making it veer away from her so it dipped into one of the pools. "Nh… what do you mean by that?"
"You are inexperienced." Konngara mused, before she took a brief sip of sake. "As such, you would stand no chance against me." Then, she suddenly thrust her sword down into the sand, sending a rush of energy straight towards the pool that the orb was laying dormant in; actually causing a sudden geyser that knocked the orb into the air. Before Reimu could react, Konngara broke into a sprint, and leapt up towards the flying orb. "A pity; I thought the next in line to be the guardian of the Hakurei Shrine would at least be properly trained." Then, she swung her sword straight at the orb, sending it rocketing down towards the sand like a comet.
Reimu barely had time to evade that one; making a quick leap to the right as the orb came crashing down upon the sand; the impact being so forceful that it actually blew the other spirits gathered together away, along with Reimu, who was sent flying straight into the pool where Genji rested. Watching this display of destruction, Konngara's gaze remained narrowed, before she took another sip of sake; remaining floating up in the air. "Know this, Reimu Hakurei; you are not prepared for the responsibility a shrine maiden would carry on her shoulders."
Reimu let out a sudden gasp as she emerged from the water, coughing lightly as she shook her head to get water out of her hair. As she stepped out from the pool, she looked up at Konngara with a narrowed gaze. "…don't tell me I'm not prepared." she spoke in a somewhat calm voice, before she held out her purification rod. "I've been ready for this day all my life, you know… getting to be the one to take care of the Great Barrier, tending the shrine, gathering followers… I'm not gonna have some astral vandal lecture me!"
In that instant, she shot towards the dormant orb, pushing her rod just underneath it, before launching it up at Konngara. Before the swordswoman could swing her blade in retaliation, however, Reimu began to hurl a great number of amulets upon the orb, speeding it up as it shot towards the specter.
"Futile." With another huff, Konngara quickly swung her blade against the incoming orb, though when it made an impact, she grit her teeth a touch; the force of the orb was actually stronger than any other time she had swung against it. "Nh…" However, it didn't keep her from bouncing the orb straight back down towards Reimu, who was quick to fire a barrage of amulets upon it to slow its descent.
When Reimu saw that the orb was getting close enough, she made a sudden jump into the air to swing the rod against the orb, feeling the force of the orb course through her being, before it launched up towards Konngara again. But this time, however, the orb veered more towards the left, which led to it missing the swordswoman altogether. "No…!"
As the orb slowly veered around to descend towards Reimu once more, Konngara simply sighed, before she tossed the sake cup aside, and entered a particular stance with her blade. "…this will end it, Reimu Hakurei. I lack the patience to continue this game any further."
"Oh yeah? Well, it's not a game to me!" Yelling that back at Konngara, Reimu watched the orb falling towards her. If she didn't think of something, then she could be bested… but then, a thought hit her, and she immediately readied up. "Yin-Yang Orb!" she called out, reeling her arm back to prepare for a swing. "I beg of thee! Upon my swing, on the count of three… turn to the left and steer to victory!"
With that chant, she suddenly swung at the orb with all her might, the friction of her blow actually making the rod crack just a touch in the center, before it then shot up into the sky again. But the trajectory already seemed to be veering to the left, away from Konngara. "One…!"
"Hm. A deluded attempt." Konngara mused, as she shook her head. "No matter. I need but one strike to end this."
Still, Reimu remained undeterred. "Two…!"
Genji couldn't help but blink at this sight. What was Reimu thinking, giving the orb such a command when her strike seemed so off…? His gaze fell upon the orb again, and then, a thought clicked in her head. "…could it be…?"
And at this point, Reimu thrust her purification rod up into the sky. "THREE!"
And it was in that instant, as the orb seemed about to shoot past Konngara, it suddenly made a turn to the right, curving perfectly without losing a single ounce of its impeccable speed, and then, finally, striking the specter directly against her left side, a sickening crunch audible to all who bore witness to the battle.
All was silent as the impact of the situation seemed to dawn on all who watched. Genji's mouth was wide agape, as his gaze fell upon Reimu, who looked quite exhausted after having put her all into such a strike. But the one who showed most surprise was Konngara, her eyes wide as her grip on her blade failed her; allowing the sword to fall from her grasp, as she felt the intense pain of the orb slamming into her side. "…how…?" she uttered, before she began to descend, her eyes rolling upwards from the sudden pain coursing through her.
"…reverse psychology." Reimu breathed out, shaking her head with a relieved breath. "To be honest, I was afraid that wasn't gonna work… but if the Yin-Yang Orb doesn't want me in control, I'd rather it disobeyed a direct prayer." She held her hand out as the orb descended neatly into her grasp once more. "And it did the trick, didn't it?" was all she managed to say, before Konngara's form plummeted straight into a vacant pool, causing a tremendous splash of water that would drench any other spirit who hadn't fled the scene out of self-preservation yet.
Genji, watching this in awed silence, couldn't help but shake his head a touch as he stepped out from the pool he had lingered in, giving Reimu a faint nod. "…I must admit, Miss Reimu… I did not expect you to be that resourceful."
"Let's just hope I can master using the orb so I don't have to rely on dumb luck again." Reimu remarked with a brief sigh, before she approached the pool where Konngara had fallen, looking down to see the swordswoman clutching her side as she floated on the water, wincing in pain. "…alright, time for answers. Why did you wreck my shrine?"
At that point, Konngara let out the faintest of chuckles, still breathing in faint pain, as she managed to look up at Reimu. "…not only inexperienced… but naive." She shook her head lightly. "I do apologize… for deceiving you. But the shrine's desecration… was not my doing."
Upon hearing this, Reimu's eyes went wide, as she knelt down by the pool with a tilted head. "…you serious? But… if you didn't do it, who did?" she inquired… just as she felt a sudden cold shiver ring down her spine.
"…allow us to answer your inquiry." In that moment, the air just above the lake seemed to ripple, and now the spirits all seemed to flee when this phenomenon showed itself before them. The air seemed to split apart by the very seams, to reveal some manner of unnatural gate spilling into a twisted, colorful void that offset the tranquil blackness of Hell. And what awaited beyond the gate seemed to be a set of five, viciously twisted eyes, all circling around each other with electric energy binding them all together, and the faint visage of a girl residing within the center of electricity.
Reimu, Genji and Konngara all looked towards this colorful rift, seeing the eyes gazing back at them whilst Reimu's own eyes narrowed in response. "…just who are you?" she uttered; though she hesitated to admit it, a tinge of fear ran down her spine as she gazed at these eyes.
"We are Yuugen-Magan; gatekeeper of Makai." the voice of the eyes spoke hauntingly, as they peered upon the gathering. "We share duties akin to Kikuri, the hellish moon you bested. We bring you a message courtesy of Sariel."
"…the Sariel?" Genji remarked with a light huff, as he trudged closer to Reimu at this point. "Hard to think that a being such at that would take interest in mocking the Hakurei Shrine in such a manner." he added, his tone sounding quite cautious.
Reimu couldn't help but blink just a touch, as she looked from the five-eyed entity back to Konngara and Genji, the former who seemed to avert her gaze from the rest of them. "…so… who is this Sariel, exactly?"
"…you truly are naïve." Slowly, Konngara sat herself up from the pool, clutching her side as she directed a glare towards Yuugen-Magan. "…Sariel is one of the stronger beings residing within the twisted Makai… commonly, she's known as the Angel of Death."
"…Angel of Death, huh…" Reimu shuddered just a touch upon thinking of that, before she looked towards the entity gazing back at them. "…so, what's this message about, anyway? Does it have anything to do with my shrine?"
"…curious that you should mention this…" Yuugen-Magan spoke slowly, closing some of its eyes as if it pondered. "…I do distinctly recall Sariel sending one of her demons to cause a ruckus near your shrine. Elis, I believe her name was?"
"So she's responsible for wrecking my shrine!" Reimu huffed as she quickly pointed her purification rod at the entity. "Alright, bring her over right away, and I'll discipline her something fierce!"
"…somehow, I don't think it'll be that simple, Miss Reimu." Genji remarked with the faintest sigh, before his gaze fell upon Konngara. "Now that the truth has come forth… why did you lie about vandalizing the Hakurei Shrine, Miss Konngara?"
A faint breath fled Konngara's lips as she kept looking towards the five-eyed entity. "…Sariel intended to see if I were truly capable of defending Hell from intruders." she huffed. "As such, she arranged for a situation where Hell might see itself invaded."
"And you failed to fend off your intruder." At this point, Yuugen-Magan slowly moved aside from the rift it had caused, before a new figure began to emerge from the rift, leaving a brilliant, pale blue radiance after her as she appeared before the group. The most striking feature she possessed were six massive angelic wings sprouting from her back, which matched her knee-long white hair and white sleeves, whilst her blue dress went hand-in-hand with her deceptively soothing blue eyes. In her grasp, she held an ornate staff of some kind, and a faint smile was visible across her lips.
"Denizens of Hell, and those not of this realm." Yuugen-Magan's voice could be heard echoing throughout the vast emptiness of Hell as it spoke. "You stand before Sariel, the Angel of Death, and she will henceforth depose Konngara as the guardian of Hell."
Reimu gawked at that. "Wait, what?" She took a few steps forward, standing in front of Konngara as she glared at the angel. "You can't just depose a guardian like that!"
"Oh, can I not?" Sariel's smile remained calm and uncomfortable as she held a single hand out to the shrine maiden. "You seem to be mistaken, shrine maiden. Konngara failed to defend the territory she is the guardian of, and as such, she is unfit to guard Hell. It would be best if someone who understood their duty took over her job."
Genji slowly shook his head as he heard this. "Whether you think Miss Konngara is unfit for her position is irrelevant, Miss Sariel." he spoke calmly. "If you were to take her position, you would be opposing the Yama, and I don't think I need to remind you why upsetting their judgement is a bad idea."
"Hm… you speak as if the Yama concern me." Sariel chuckled faintly, as she then slowly pointed her staff at the trio. "I have a feeling that they'll ignore my little transgression once they see what a great service I would do for them here."
"…cretin…" At this point, Konngara stepped past Reimu, moving her hand to grasp her sword that wasn't too far from where they stood, as she glared up at Sariel. "…judgement has already been decided. As guardian of Hell… I will not allow you to endanger the spirits residing here, scum of Makai."
"My, such a temper." Sariel smiled, as energy began to course through her staff. "I wonder if your actions can match your fury." she added, chuckling softly as she prepared to fire…
…until a sphere suddenly launched straight at her hand, slamming against her with enough force to force her to drop it. With a mild hiss, she looked towards the one responsible for the sudden attack.
"…I don't know much about you Makai demons or what sort of beef you have with these ghosts…" spoke Reimu, looking harshly at the angel as she grasped the Yin-Yang Orb once it returned to her side, giving her a small nod. "…but all I know is that my shrine is in shambles because of you! So you'd better be ready to pay up for that!"
Sariel's smile remained, but the corner of her lip twitched faintly; as if struggling to lose the faint smile she possessed. "…you truly are a single-minded fool, maiden of Hakurei." With a breath, she held her arms out slowly as she gazed upon Reimu. "Very well… from now, until the moment you die, I shall show you the folly of your efforts."
In that instance, her wings gave off a fierce, powerful aura, as her blue eyes took on an entirely blue glow, wind swelling around her as the very water of the lake seemed to part underneath her. Then, in the very next moment, she opened her mouth to unleash an ethereal scream, which unleashed a powerful wave of energy from her, rocketing straight towards Reimu.
Before it could strike, however, Konngara acted and stepped in front of her, swinging her blade to knock back against the energy wave, and even with some struggle, managed to disperse the wave as it shot straight past her and Reimu. Breathing out, she shook her head. "Her moment to die will not come today. I shall make sure of it!"
"…so be it, Konngara. Then let's all die together." Sariel chuckled, as she thrust her hands out to unleash a storm of bullets upon the group. While Konngara quickly stepped to the side, Genji quickly pushed Reimu on top of his shell so he could fly away from the initial wave of shots fired.
"This is going to be far more tricky…" Genji murmured. "Miss Reimu, are you sure? Your purification rod might not endure for much longer."
Reimu just breathed out as she looked at her rod, seeing the crack that had appeared in its middle. Her eyes remained narrowed, before she gave the angel another look. "…we're not leaving until this angel learns her lesson. One way or the other, I'm getting my shrine fixed!"
"…I had a feeling that was how this would turn out, Miss Reimu." With a small nod, Genji took a glance over at Konngara. "Will you be fine? The Yin-Yang Orb dealt a harsh blow to you."
"…I will be fine." Konngara spoke in return, as she breathed out slowly whilst sizing up the angel before them. "Your concern is appreciated, however, turtle."
Before anyone could say another word, Sariel suddenly shot another wave of bullets upon the group, forcing them to scatter further, Konngara rushing along the sand as fast as her legs could carry her, while Genji soared the other direction to keep the bullets from hitting both himself and Reimu. Just as they did this, Reimu swung her rod against the Yin-Yang Orb to send it rocketing towards the angel.
Before it struck, however, Sariel suddenly held her hand out, and her staff quickly returned to her grasp, as she held it up to deflect the incoming orb. "Do not assume your orb will be effective against me, maiden of Hakurei." she spoke, before the staff began shining with intensity once more. In that instant, she swung the staff to send the orb ricocheting straight back towards Reimu, who could only barely duck as the orb soared overhead.
In the brief moment of distraction, however, Konngara had taken to the skies, rushing towards Sariel as she swung her blade against the angel; barely managing to let the edge graze the blue dress she wore. Sariel reeled from the swift slash, shooting the specter a glare, which she returned towards the angel.
Just then, the Yin-Yang Orb bounced directly off the sand, leaving a vicious imprint of where it landed before it shot back up again. Seeing it approach, Reimu quickly spun around, watching the orb headed towards the two competing for the position of Hell's guardian. Then, she began to hurl her amulets at the orb to speed it up. "Incoming!"
The two immediately saw the orb speeding towards them, and with sudden movements, both Sariel and Konngara swung their weapons against the orb, locking it between the two of them. Even with the force they swung with, the orb barely showed any signs of being scratched. The two still directed a fierce glare upon one another…
…and then, they both flew back, with Sariel firing a single shot upon the Yin-Yang Orb, sending it flying towards Konngara. The specter, ready for this, immediately swung her blade against the orb to send it flying towards Sariel; though the angel was also prepared, and swung her staff to knock the orb towards Konngara once more. In utter silence, the two of them continued to glare fiercely at their opponent, knocking the orb between each other to try and strike the other with the powerful projectile.
Watching this struggle between the two, Genji's eyes narrowed a touch as he allowed the adrenaline to phase out of his system. "…an intense display, to be sure…" he murmured, glancing up at Reimu, who appeared thoughtful at this sight. "…but I don't think either of them is going to slip up."
"…maybe not on their own." Reimu remarked, before she stood up. "…hope this works again… Yin-Yang Orb!" She held her purification rod out as she began to chant. "I beg of thee! Upon my swing, on the count of three… shoot straight ahead to victory!" And she swung her rod down, glaring intensely upon the scene of the battle. "One…!"
Genji's eyes narrowed as well as he watched the two higher beings rapidly slam the powerful orb between the two of them, neither of them allowing the other any breathing room as they tried to get one or the other to keel over in defeat. With how quickly the two were striking the Yin-Yang Orb, even keeping track of who was launching it at present was difficult to ascertain. "Two…!"
Of course, with the two of them so intensely focused on their struggle, neither Sariel nor Konngara happened to hear the shrine maiden chant, and even if it did pass them by, they had more important things to worry about, like the imminent defeat of the being before them, if they would simply be struck by the orb at all. "…three!"
In that instant, just as Konngara struck the orb to send it flying at Sariel, the orb itself began to veer in a different direction than straight; namely, it began to spiral in a vortex of sorts as it rocketed towards the angel, now taking on a completely different trajectory, whilst maintaining the same velocity. Sariel's eyes widened at this; the orb simply went too fast for her to react to the sudden shift. "What?!"
That was all she managed to utter before the orb struck her dead-on in the face, her eyes widening considerably more as sheer pain shot through her entire being. She couldn't even hope to keep her balance up for a second, and with the forceful impact, she was actually sent rocketing towards the gate that Yuugen-Magan had kept open all this time; slamming head-first against the five-eyed entity as they both toppled within Makai.
Konngara heaved a sudden breath, seeing the orb having launched itself in such an odd fashion, before her gaze fell upon Reimu, seeing her standing atop Genji whilst breathing out faintly. "…shrine maiden…"
"…yeah, yeah, spare the thanks." Reimu spoke with a mild shrug, before her gaze fell upon the gate. "…something tells me we're not quite done yet."
Genji blinked at hearing that, before his gaze fell upon the gate once more, watching it with a somewhat narrowed look in his eyes… and then, they suddenly widened as he saw something. "…the gate!"
As he said that, the very gate seemed to shift uncontrollably, expanding as the colorful landscape one could have seen from this angle shifted into a cold, empty purple, all as the gate seemed to expand further… until it actually appeared to resemble Sariel, only with her wings now extended far beyond their original size. "…maiden of Hakurei! I will not be made to look the fool!" a harsh, merciless voice spoke out commandingly, as the shape seemed to suddenly swing its arm out, launching the Yin-Yang Orb at a pace previously unheard of, creating a funnel of wind around it as it shot towards Reimu.
"Nh!" Reimu's eyes were wide as she hurled some amulets towards the orb, but its speed was far too great for her to even hope to slow down. "Genji, duck!" she called, just managing to have Genji slip underneath the incoming projectile, her eyes widening as she looked behind her…
…only to see the sudden appearance of the same shape, swinging its arm against the orb to knock it towards Reimu once more. Even as Genji slipped away from this attack, Reimu saw that the shape vanished into thin air, and appeared just as the orb was about to strike the wall ahead of them. Whatever form Sariel had taken now, she seemed to have the clear advantage in terms of maneuverability. "Oh… this is a problem!" Genji uttered, just as the shape swung its arm against the orb once more, sending it rocketing at the two.
In the nick of time, however, Konngara suddenly leapt up where the orb was headed, swinging her blade against it to briefly lock against it. However, even for her skill, the orb was going at such a rapid pace that she couldn't hold it for long. "…shrine maiden! You'll have one shot at this!" With that call, she swung her blade upwards to shoot the orb up into the thick darkness above them, before the impact sent her flying straight towards the lake, crashing against the waters.
This sight was a surprise to Reimu, but not enough to keep her from seeing the proper goal. She quickly patted Genji's shell. "No time to waste; follow that orb! Do it quick, and I'll get you some extra lettuce!"
"This is not the time for bribery, Miss Reimu!" Genji protested, even as he was flying up towards the black void above them as fast as he could. The moment they shot into the blackness, however, the shape vanished once more, only to reappear just below them as they were about to cross out of the void. The shape reached an arm out, and just managed to grab one of Genji's feet, threatening to pull the two of them down. "Guh!"
"Gramps!" Reimu gawked down at the shape that pursued them relentlessly, before her gaze fell back towards what awaited them beyond the dark. "…nnh…!" With a desperate growl, she quickly took a step on Genji's head, using him as a spring-board to jump up and out of the blackness.
Her eyes widened as she could see the orb about to reach its peak before it would descend, but she already felt her own descent begin. "No…!" Her eyes widened as she tried stretching her arm out, but to little avail. "…curses… if I could only fly…!"
What didn't help matters was the sound of blackness tearing asunder, as the towering shape of Sariel could be seen reaching out towards Reimu, intending to yank her down before she could hope to reach the orb in time. Reimu grit her teeth. She knew she could reach the orb somehow… if she could just avoid the grasp of the furious angel… if she could only reach…
The moment she thought this, suddenly, it felt to her like her legs seemed to stand on solid ground, for a brief moment. Her eyes widened at feeling this, but with Sariel in hot pursuit, she had no time to ponder. Taking this risk, she closed her eyes… and suddenly, just as Sariel attempted to snatch Reimu by the leg, the shrine maiden jumped high up in the air, with no solid ground in sight. Even the angel, without her proper features showing, seemed baffled at this. "What?!"
With the sudden boost up into the air, Reimu let out a faint breath as she soared, before coming to a stop just as the orb was about to descend. As Konngara had reminded her, she had only one shot at this. Thus, with a powerful yell, Reimu swung her purification rod with all her might against the Yin-Yang Orb, using such force that the rod shattered into splinters in her grasp, as the orb shot towards Sariel.
The towering angel, stunned at this seemingly impossible feat the shrine maiden had pulled off, did not manage to move away in time from the sudden attack; feeling the orb smash against her with such force that the blackened void around her dispersed, giving Reimu a proper view of the ash-gray shore beneath them. All that could be heard was an ethereal shriek as the shape plummeted down towards the lake, crashing down into it with an almighty splash that sent a powerful wave smashing down upon the shore. If the spirits hadn't already fled the scene during Reimu and Konngara's confrontation, this would definitely have been cause for flight.
Gazing down upon this scene with wide eyes, Reimu just breathed out as she held the remains of her rod in her grasp, breathing out as she felt herself start to plummet herself. Thankfully, she didn't fall too far before Genji floated underneath her to let her land upon his shell. "…Miss Reimu…" the turtle uttered with a curious, even sort of amazed tone. "…what just happened?"
Reimu breathed out faintly as she laid back against Genji's shell, exhausted from everything that had just happened. "…I think… I think I… flew?" she uttered, looking down at her own feet with wide eyes.
"…you… flew…?" Genji blinked at hearing that, before his gaze fell down upon the lake. Some wayward spirits were approaching the lake, seeing Konngara slowly trudging out from the waters, dragging a bronze disc and the unconscious form of Sariel after her. "…well, whatever the case… it appears that everything has been settled."
Reimu couldn't help but laugh lightly as she kept her eyes closed. "…yeah… seems like it." she uttered, as she then began to relax properly. "…you wanna start heading home?"
Genji glanced back at Reimu, before a faint chuckle fled his lips. "…I think I would, yes, Miss Reimu."
"…once again, I must apologize for the inconvenience, shrine maiden." Even after they had gone home, though, Reimu and Genji weren't quite done yet; Konngara had followed after them, taking Sariel with her, who seemed a lot more complacent now after the sudden defeat she had suffered. "If I had been more aware of the consequences, maybe your shrine wouldn't have suffered such damages." the specter spoke with a small frown, as she, the angel and Reimu all sat just outside the vandalized shrine.
Reimu breathed out lightly with a small smile, shaking her head a little. "…honestly, I'm just glad to have the whole affair sorted. That means I don't have to wonder who would wanna wreck my shrine."
"…well, yes…" Sariel murmured, her arms folded along with her wings. "…then I suppose you want something in return now that you've bested me?"
"I wouldn't call it besting; I got you with a pretty lucky shot." Reimu noted with a shrug, before she looked up at the sky. "But… I would like to meet this Elis that the quintuple-eyes talked about."
"Elis?" With a small hum, Sariel glanced to the side, and held her hand out. Slowly, a rift opened up where she held her arm out, and reached into the rift to grab hold of something, which happened to squeal. She pulled her arm out, and in her grasp was a purple bat that flailed about lightly. "…here she is. Now stop fidgeting, and look back at the shrine maiden."
The bat gulped, before it began to change it shape slowly; growing larger, about as tall as Reimu, growing blonde hair and sporting a red bow in her hair as well. She looked at Reimu with her purple eyes, fidgeting as her red dress, blue vest and white shirt appeared sort of ruffled, as they contended with a pair of large bat wings sprouting from her back. With a mild groan, she looked at the shrine maiden with a… semi-apologetic look in her eyes. "…what?" spoke the bat-winged devil.
"You're Elis, right?" Reimu spoke, folding her arms with a serious look in her eyes. "Then you're the one who did all this to my shrine." As she said this, she leant closer to the devil, eyes narrowing. "As such, I expect you to fix it all up in an hour."
Elis' eyes widened, as she shuddered a bit. "Wait, what? Wait, I didn't mean it- I mean, Sariel put me up to it!" She held her hands together as she looked pleadingly up at the angel. "Please, Lady Sariel, you wouldn't leave me hanging, would you?"
Sariel gave the devil-girl a bit of a dry look, before she eventually shook her head. "…no can do, Elis. I suggest you begin immediately, before the shrine maiden decides to take her frustrations out on you."
That gave the devil-girl pause, before she let out a groan and got on her feet. "Argh, fine! I'll fix up your stupid shrine, alright?!" And with a huff, she began floating around the shrine to sort everything out properly.
"…once more, I must apologize for this." Konngara remarked with a small frown, shaking her head. "When the young devil is finished repairing your shrine, I will attempt to seal the entrances to Hell and Makai from this shrine. That should help deter any further ploys."
"…well, at least someone's doing something about that." Reimu mused with a nod. "Thanks. Managing this place should be a task on its own, and having to worry about three places at once seems a bit too daunting."
"…well, I suppose just repairing your shrine wouldn't be enough to compensate." Sariel mused, before she held her hand out to Reimu. "I saw your purification rod shatter. If you would, I could repair it immediately."
"…oh, that would be helpful." With a nod, Reimu scooped up the remnants of her rod and placed it in Sariel's grasp. "Genji was talking about pulling me off someplace to train once everything's settled here, and going all the way to Kourindou to get it fixed up seems a bit out of the way to me."
"…training would do you well, shrine maiden." Konngara mused, as she glanced over at Sariel, seeing her meticulously put the pieces of the rod together. "You have potential to become a great guardian, if you put your focus in order and held yourself to your duty."
"I guess…" Reimu shrugged, before she watched Sariel put the pieces together just perfectly. With her hands glowing slightly, she ran her hand across it, and the cracks all seemed to fade away. "Man, that's really handy."
"It's the least I could do, to breathe life into your tool once more." Sariel murmured, handing the rod back to Reimu. "So, when will you leave to train?"
Reimu looked the rod over, before she then nodded. "…I think tomorrow sounds good. In the meantime, though… maybe you two would like a drink with me?"
Both of them, the angel and specter alike, couldn't help but blink at the sudden hospitality that the shrine maiden showed; glancing over at each other before they looked back at her. "…um… where did this come from, all of a sudden?" Konngara inquired with a slightly tilted head.
"The way I figure, we all need something to cool down with after all that." Reimu mused. "So we could have a few drinks before you have to leave for home. I can brew some tea in a hurry."
The two of them looked at each other again, before they both smiled somewhat awkwardly. While Konngara merely nodded in silence, Sariel let out a faint sigh. "…honestly… a cup of tea would be wonderful right now."
"Great." With a smile of her own, Reimu stood up and gave the two a nod. "Then I'll brew some up right now!" And she headed inside of her shrine, making sure not to topple into the hole that Elis was somewhat half-heartedly patching up at present.
With a small hum, Konngara glanced around the area once more. "…strange… the turtle doesn't seem to be around."
"Maybe he went for a walk, waiting for his pond to be emptied." Sariel suggested with a faint shrug. "The business of turtles shouldn't concern us."
As for what Genji was doing, Sariel wasn't too far away from the truth. He had indeed gone off into the woods on his own, letting out a small breath as he looked around. "…so much happening all in one day…" he mused, before he closed his eyes. "…I'm sure your mistress enjoyed the show?"
"She did indeed." Leaning against a tree was the same robed figure from before, keeping her gaze down at the ground for the moment. "Her final act most definitely made the mistress curious… I thought you said something along the lines of her 'not being capable of flying under her own power', hm?"
"…I don't quite know what Miss Reimu experienced when fighting Sariel towards the end there…" Genji mused with a small breath. "…but it wasn't anything conclusive. As far as I'm concerned, she's still incapable of flight."
"Hence why you're bringing her to the mountains." the figure remarked. "You intend to see if she can awake the potential."
"If that's what your mistress wants to believe." Genji huffed softly, as he closed his eyes. "Right now, I just want her to hone herself, make sure her abilities don't go to waste. Fighting in Hell today showed that she's still in need of experience."
"…I do wonder if she would still need your guidance, Genji." the figure mused. "She's at a proper learning age. Would she harken to a mentor?"
"…that's not for me to determine." Genji remarked. "I'm just helping her as I would help any other potential maiden. That's my duty in all this."
"…just make sure you do not forget your duty, Genji." the figure mused, as she began to slip away, wandering into the thicker woods. "It would be most inconvenient."
"…as long as you keep your nose out of trouble." Genji remarked as he looked towards the figure. "Then again, you and your mistress are experts at causing trouble, Yakumo."
"…if that's what you want to believe." the figure spoke, before she faded from sight, leaving Genji to look in her direction for a while. Eventually, the turtle sighed, and began to wade his way back to the shrine. Tomorrow would be the start of a most trying time…
The following day, back down in Hell, everything seemed to have fallen in order once more. Kikuri, having only sustained a brief amount of damage, had taken her place as the patrol for the upper regions of Hell yet again, leaving Konngara down below the blackness to supervise the spirits beneath the veil.
"…truly a bizarre day yesterday was…" Konngara mused with the faintest sigh, as she allowed herself to settle within one of the pools upon the gray sand, closing her eyes in faint content. At the very least, the issue with Makai and the Hakurei Shrine seemed to have been settled in a proper fashion, and Sariel had given her word not to attempt something like this again. At last, Konngara could rest easy…
…but something was nagging at her. She wasn't quite sure why, but it felt like… she was overlooking something. As her brow furrowed, she sat up slightly, glancing towards one spirit. "…I need you to check up on the hokora." she spoke calmly. "After what happened to the shrine, I fear for its stability."
The spirit gave her a brief salute, before it shot off with all due haste. Konngara watched it soar away, before she allowed herself to smile just a touch out of relief. Even after the defeat she had suffered against Reimu earlier, the spirits still saw her as the one with authority over them, rather than just another wayward spirit awaiting the judgement of a Yama. With the matter settled entirely privately, she could also rest easy knowing that the Yamaxanadu wouldn't show up to start lecturing her…
Eventually, the spirit shot back towards Konngara again, but it seemed utterly spooked; quaking and shaking about as it squabbled in some lesser language, trying desperately to get its point across. At first, Konngara merely looked at it with a narrowed expression; a mixture between confusion and frustration. However, after a while, her eyes widened as she deciphered the meaning of the spirit's panicked babblings.
She rose up from the water at that point, her gaze falling in the direction where the spirit had come from. Her fears were realized; the hokora had been damaged, quite viciously so, and in that turn of events, the being sealed within it had broken free. This was exactly what she had hoped wouldn't happen with Sariel's stunt… but right now, it seemed as if she would have to rely on Reimu to deal with this powerful foe…
"…Mima."