Disclaimer: Everything in this story is the property of ZUN. Exceptions are the OC and this story's plot, which are derivative works.

Another busy day in the Human Village. Since it was early morning, people were out and stretching, visitors had started to flood in, and business was underway. As one of the only places where humans could be seen in Gensokyo, this place was the closest thing to what was called a "city" in the Outside. As such, the civilization founded here was a stark contrast to the remote, silent areas of Gensokyo.

The village looked like something from feudal Japan, with old-fashioned houses and a fancy Buddhist temple in the outskirts, despite the 21st century timeframe. Even so, one could see a few pieces of modern technology that occasionally drifted across the Border along with their respective owners.

Two magicians, Marisa Kirisame and Alice Margatroid, were standing in the crowded town center, the former with a smug look on her face.

"Well, hurry up if you're going to show me something," demanded the taller magician, who had short blond hair.

The shorter magician giggled before answering.

"Alice, have you heard the story of the Dragon of Gensokyo?" she responded. She had long blond hair and was clad in black and white.

"It's said to be the most powerful creature to have ever existed," said Alice. "It's supposed to be able to make anything happen."

"I wonder if the legends are true. That just gives it way too much power, don'cha think?"

"A simple human like you would be too naive to understand its power. Of course, we youkai are a different story."

"Well, aren't you lucky," said Marisa. "Speaking of which, I know a perfect way for you to use your new power."

Grinning, she stroked the smooth surface of the stone dragon that stood next to her.

A mysterious trio had entered the village. One can easily identify the well-dressed maid, but the other two were shrouded beneath umbrellas. The vampires rarely left their mansion during the day, preferring to avoid the harmful rays of the sun. This time, however, a serious issue had driven them to shop alongside their maid. They stopped after passing the gate, apparently startled by the crowded street. On each side of the street, traditional houses and shops were arranged in a neat row.

"Look, look, big sister. I see lots of humans!" said one of the vampires.

"Yes, Flan my dear. And there will be much more to feast on in the Outside," said the older sister. "But don't forget that we're not here to eat."

It was rare for the younger vampire to be taken out of the mansion, due to her fickle nature and immense power. If, by any chance, she went on a destructive rampage, it would be near impossible to stop her. But on this occasion, something was of the utmost importance and even this risk could be overlooked.

Sakuya Izayoi walked ahead, ignoring the other two. Her impassive attitude resulted from her occupation as a maid. Having served the Scarlet Devil household for quite a while, her occupation had become her way of life.

"Milady," the maid said. "Are you sure about the fate of this world?"

"I can feel it like a sixth sense," said the older vampire, Remilia Scarlet. "That's why we're here to stock up on supplies before it's too late." Then with sarcasm, "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with trusting your master on this one, Sakuya."

"Big sister, is this world really going to be thrown into chaos?" asked Flandre.

Remilia scowled and turned away, since she had already answered that question.

Suddenly, a large group of people could be seen running towards the gate. Screams filled the air, which was then filled dust from the commotion. The trio quickly stepped aside to avoid the stampede. To the maid's surprise, the group comprised of both humans and youkai alike.

"See? It's happening already."

"I don't really think…" said Sakuya as she went to get a closer look.

A stone statue of a dragon could be seen in the distance, but a closer look reveals that it was breathing as if it were alive. Its eyes reflected a dark-red hue. Underneath, Alice and Marisa were bickering about something.

"This is one of your pranks, isn't it?" demanded Alice angrily.

"You should've known how much the people here fear the Dragon," retorted Marisa, as if it was all Alice's responsibility. "Hey, aren't you glad that your puppetry was a success?"

Alice shifted the dragon statue back to its normal position and let it rest. The town center was completely empty now, aside from the two of them. Little did they know that they were not going to be alone for long.

"I knew I shouldn't have come after all," Alice sighed. "Now I'm responsible for turning this place into a ghost town."

"But that means it's time to visit the shops. Well, see you later!"

And with that, Marisa left to do the new task she assigned herself. All of a sudden, a maid and two vampires stood in her way. A few seconds of awkward silence followed.

T-The entire Scarlet Devil household?

Although the three pairs of eyes merely stared at the witch with the same curious look, Marisa's attention was immediately drawn to the younger vampire. After all, wasn't she supposed to be locked up in the mansion?

"Er… hello there," said Marisa.

"'Hello there?' Is that all Marisa has to say to me?" asked Flandre. Fire erupted around her body, and her face was lit up with a malicious smile. "And I came all the way here to play with you."

Inside, Marisa's thoughts were along the lines of, Yikes! She's gonna butcher me!

"H-Hold on! I don't think that's a good…"

But it was a lost cause. Flandre had spoken, and now even Marisa's flawed conscience was telling her "playing" was actually less risky than angering that devil.

"Uh… Hey, let's get started, then!"

Laughing and still carrying her umbrella, Flandre began shooting rings of pointed bullets from her metal wand, while colorful stars started emerging from Marisa's Hakkero, which she now held in her palm.

As Marisa and Flandre flew off to fight using danmaku, Alice came over to greet the remaining two strangers as if Marisa sacrificing herself to appease the beast was hardly anything.

"Huh? You three seem familiar," said Alice. "I'm Alice Margatroid. Are you Marisa's acquaintances?"

"Ah, allow us to introduce ourselves," said Sakuya as she bowed. "My name is Sakuya Izayoi. This is my mistress, Remilia Scarlet, and her little sister, Flandre. We're here to stock up on supplies before Gensokyo falls into ruin."

"Huh…?"

"I don't believe it either, but Milady can sense this world's fate, or so she says. Anyway, we're planning on paying a certain shrine maiden a visit after this."

"You were supposed to call her a good-for-nothing brat," barked Remilia. "I'll forgive you this time, Sakuya."

"Don't you mean Reimu Hakurei?" asked Alice. "What a small world."

The sound of crying insects woke the sleeping shrine maiden. Struggling to sit up, she discovered that her body ached all over. As her gaze wandered out the open doorway, she could tell it was already well into the morning. The brightly-lit summer foliage of the forest greeted her eyes. Before long, the brightness of the sun blurred her vision, and the forest swam out of view. It was a dream-like effect, as if the shrine maiden had not completely awoken yet.

"What's with this atmosphere? This world… Gensokyo… seems to be drifting away."

For the first time, Reimu could sense deep inside that Gensokyo was slowly dissolving. Why was she able to sense this? She wondered. Perhaps it was due to the ties she had forged with the gods of Gensokyo, as a shrine maiden. But no matter what caused this experience, she had a gut feeling unlike any other she had felt before.

Feeling too groggy to get up, she closed her eyes.

One thing was certain.

Gensokyo was in trouble. Any ordinary denizen would not notice this, however, for it merely sat passively—waiting to be shattered by an unknown reality.

…A reality?

Why did that concept suddenly appear out of nowhere? Perhaps it was because of the dreamlike atmosphere, as if the time to wake up was drawing near.

"Good morning."

Reimu jumped as she was greeted by the stranger. The girl from the night before was sitting in the corner, as still as a statue, showing no signs of having just spoken.

"Ah, good morning!" said Reimu after recovering. "I almost forgot about you. Sorry about that."

On the shrine approach, Yukari and her shikigami were still strengthening the Hakurei Border. By now, they had been casting the same spell throughout the entire night. While the shikigami were sweating fountains, Yukari showed no signs of fatigue.

Reimu and her guests were having tea in front of the shrine, as if nothing of importance was happening. To the three of them, the seriousness of the situation seemed to be something worth concealing.

"Master, I'm afraid I fail to continue for much longer!" cried out Ran.

"You two can rest for now," said Yukari. "Good work."

The shikigami limped into the shade of the shrine, hanging onto each other for support.

"So you are the visitor from yesterday?" asked Yukari. "My my. I sense a really strong aura coming from you. Why don't you tell us about it?"

"This power from inside of me," said the girl. "It beckons, calling out to me. Yet, I am unable to answer."

She looked at her pale hands, which had no control over her mana.

"Oh yeah. You still didn't tell us your name," said Reimu.

"I don't remember it. Yet, I don't feel the need to have one."

Yukari stared the new girl from top to bottom, as if she was a doctor trying to diagnose a patient.

"Can I see your mind for a second?" asked Yukari. The border youkai placed her palm on the girl's forehead.

"When one's memories are erased, it is usually locked away in a separate part of one's awareness. But over time, all they do is sit there without disappearing. That is why one's erased memories usually return bit by bit. I shall grant you the ability to transcend the boundary between forgetfulness and remembrance. Be grateful."

After a pause, Yukari's face registered mild confusion.

"It seems you truly do not possess any lost memory," said Yukari. "Does that mean you came into existence just last night?"

Yukari gave it some thought.

"A powerful border suddenly removed, and a new soul appearing at its core… Interesting."

"I have a question of my own," said Reimu. "Exactly what will happen if the Hakurei Border disappears?"

"Oh!"

Yukari could not help being startled by the question. For a moment, her face looked as if a million thoughts were running through at once, an expression Reimu had never before seen on the face of Yukari.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that now. But, look over here. We have visitors."

Two magicians, a maid, and two vampires appeared from the stone steps. One of the magicians and one of the vampires look worn out from battle.

"Looks like a party," said Marisa upon seeing the group. "Mind if we join?"

Alice noticed all the guests surrounding her.

"That's my Reimu," she said. "So the rumors about your shrine being popular visitors are true."

"The Scarlet Devil household, Marisa, and Alice? I don't think I have a choice," sighed an exasperated Reimu. "There's plenty tea in the shrine. Make a mess, and I'll blow you down the hill."

"Feel free to enjoy yourselves," added Yukari.

After the additional guests grabbed their share of tea, they went and sat so that everyone formed two neat rows, each facing the other.

Alice couldn't help but notice Yukari's powerful aura.

"Yukari, right? You seem to be casting a spell of some sort."

"Ah, you remember Yukari?" said Marisa. "The strongest youkai in all of Gensokyo. Also Reimu's most preferred partner in every way."

"W-What do you think you're implying!" asked Reimu.

"I think it's true," Yukari pointed out. "Aren't we the best team there is, Reimu?"

"Shut up!" But she paused, noticing Yukari's disappointment. "I-It's not like that!"

It was true that Reimu and Yukari were danmaku partners. Having already solved two incidents together, the duo had forged a strong bond, or so it's said.

"Hey, Reimu. Want to hear something scary? I think you'd be quite surprised."

The sly voice came from Remilia, who had decided to interrupt as a favor to Reimu.

"Actually, she came to warn you about something," said Sakuya, who was pouring tea for her mistress.

"Fate has told me that the end of Gensokyo has come," said Remilia. "We were just preparing to move out of the mansion."

"And may I ask where you plan to go?" asked Yukari.

"Beyond the Border, to the Outside!" said Flandre. "Just like my sister said."

"…I'm afraid that's not a very bright idea."

Dead silence ensued. A black aura had formed around Yukari, whose face still showed mild contentment despite the atmosphere. All attention was focused on her now.

"I can answer your question."

Up until now, everyone hadn't yet noticed the new girl. But now all eyes turned to her with curiosity.

"I know what will happen if the Hakurei Border disappears. Gensokyo… will be devoured by the real world."

The girl's face matched Yukari's indifference.

"'Real' world, you say?" asked Marisa. "That's strange. I've always known it as the 'Outside.'"

"Magic and magical beings do not exist in the real world," continued the stranger. "And neither does Gensokyo."

"Y-Yeah, that's right," said Yukari, shifting a nervous glace at her. "You vampires don't exist in the Outside. Do you understand? That's why I wouldn't suggest that you go there."

"Even if we don't move to the Outside, staying here doesn't seem like such a great idea either," Sakuya pointed out. "Have any of you noticed the recent disturbances?"

"Not so fast!" called Reimu nervously. "Gensokyo exists, right? We're living in it right now."

…

Throughout the following silence, nobody felt like drinking tea anymore, since the cups had been left untouched before their owners for quite a while. As if on cue, cool breeze had filled the shrine and a large cloud started casting its shadow over the scene. The unknown girl refused to talk further and resumed her silence.

"Hey…" As always, it was Marisa who broke the silence. "I haven't seen you before. What's your name?"

"…Why don't you give me a name instead?"

"What's the matter? Something wrong with your name?" said Marisa. The stranger declined to answer. "Fine, I'll come up with one. Let's see… You speak of the absurd, and you are pretty quiet, as if forever in a daydream."

"Aside from that, you leak enormous amounts of energy," said Yukari. "And you appear to know some things that none of us have a clue about."

"Illusions and knowledge, huh… Mugen," said Marisa. "Meaning 'fantasy.' The character for 'dream' and for 'vision.' Sounds really powerful. How about it?"

People shrugged, apparently not in the mood to spare an additional thought, or having no energy left to argue.

"Fine, Mugen it is," said the girl called Mugen.

And like the end of a meeting, the guests said their goodbyes and disbanded to head back home. The Scarlet Devil household ended up grudgingly calling off their decision to move to the Outside. Yukari had to stay, however, since she had given herself the duty to keep the Border active. Even though she was used to sleeping during daytime and being active at night, on this particular day she had no complaints for good reason. Meanwhile, the clouds continued to cast a dark shadow over the Hakurei Shrine, and a heavy rain looked certain.

"Hey, you know," said Yukari after the guests had left. "She might be right. Gensokyo may soon meet its demise."

Reimu and Mugen did not answer at first, the former looking as though she was deep in thought.

"Oh, does it matter?" Reimu said. "No matter what happens, I'll still take care of myself."

A brief pause.

"Looks like it's going to rain pretty hard soon," she said later.

"Yes, the weather does tend to be weird when an abnormal spiritual energy is present."

"Come to think of it, Suika hasn't come back yet, right?"

Reimu fixed her gaze on the landing of the stone steps, as if expecting the oni to clamber up sloppily anytime.

A/N: Whoa, didn't expect to be able to update that soon. I really need to make my chapters longer, huh? Truth is, by the time I uploaded the first chapter I was already half finished revising this one…

I got a few things to say about my story so far. What's bugging me about writing in third person is that the narrator is supposed to be neutral, so it's sort of hard to speak from a perspective and add flavor and whatnot. Having the entire thing run on dialogue seems to be the easy way out. But then it feels like I'm writing a play now… haha.

Anyway, do expect this story to go on. See you then.