Return to ground zero

"Marisa!" Patchouli shouts as her friend stumbles into the library. "What happened to you?"

A frequent visitor of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and most particularly the library, has seemed to have just suffered some kind of attack. Clothes in tatters, bruises and scratches abound, this was a person who's just endured some kind of thrashing, but that she can still stand upright must mean she's emerged victorious.

"Hiya Patchy," Marisa is forced to lean against a nearby chair for support, "I got something important to tell ya, ze."

Rising from her desk, which may have supported more books than the nearby shelves, the sleepwear clad librarian rushes to the aid of her friend, "Sit down! Who did this to you?"

Marisa swings her arm around Patchouli's shoulder while she helps her to a seat. She looks to her friend with a slight blush, "Geez, I haven't seen you move like that since we first met."

"Shut up you," perhaps she's more embarrassed than the injured magician. "Now tell me what happened."

When she's finally in a seat, "That's a contradiction, ze, but whatever. I had a little scuffle with a rather nasty individual, but that's not what's important. I've got critical information on that little patient you're taking care of."

"How do you know about that?"

Smirking, "Everybody knows about that, ze! Wasn't it little Dai-chan who was running around everywhere asking for help? If the end of her trail led to Scarlet Devil Mansion, well, it would be easy to guess what they were trying to hide."

Sighing, though for which particular reason it wasn't certain, Patchouli states, "So you have information about Cirno."

"Yes!" and she leans forward in her chair like they were sharing a secret, "Cirno isn't exactly what she seems, ze."

"I know," Patchouli immediately fires back.

"Really?"

"Yes, ever since she came here almost a week ago, I've been doing nothing but studying about her. Well, not exactly. At first I thought some kind of curse or mononoke was effecting all of Gensokyo, but I quickly discredited that theory. See, she's made of water, but it's 100% pure water, absolutely free of impurities. In a sense that makes her the most holy attributed figure possible, even more than the Lunarians on the moon. Curses and other unholy-type spells wouldn't have an effect on her. The more I learned about Cirno the more I began to question her past. I started search through Western folklore and mythologies for cross-reference. I'm not 100% certain, but I believe I've found a few old legends regarding her."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. From what I can tell she's survived since the middle ages, so about 1500 years. Mostly little things, pranks, that have made their ways towards fairytales and books. Though some things point to her being even older, I'm not completely certain as of yet. But you came here because you have something urgent to tell me, right? From what I've read I'll nearly believe anything."

"I'd like to hear some of those stories, but this is what I've learned; Cirno's current condition is a kind of metamorphic state."

Nodding, Patchouli adds, "I thought as much. The oldest of the stories about remark of a woman, not a fairy. It isn't until after a certain point that she becomes a fairy. I think at some point within the last 1500 years she's regressed to a child-like state, and now she's finally reverting back."

Marisa is deeply listening.

"Don't you remember hearing something completely similar to that?"

Patchouli's sudden question seems to have caught her off-guard, "Oh, I'm sorry." And she laughs, "I don't seem to remember, ze."

Hanging her head, "You're hopeless. That's exactly what happened to Suwako Moriya. 2300 years ago Suwako lost to Kanako and regressed to the state of a child. If she could gather enough faith she might return to her adult form, but for now she's stuck like that. I believe Cirno is in a similar situation, but it's not faith she needs, it's time."

"And time is running out, ze."

"Exactly. For now all we have been able to do is watch over her, but the question is what will happen when the last minute finally comes."

"I think it's better we don't find out."

What was just spoken was done so with dark intentions. Patchouli nearly leapt when she heard such a cruel tone come from Marisa.

"What are you saying?" she was almost too afraid to ask.

"The signs are everywhere, Patchy. The weakening of the Gensokyo boundary, the migration of the youkai to the underworld, the flowers wilting away, it's like everything's slowly rotting away and dieing, and the trigger for everything is Cirno. Once she completes her metamorphosis, what do you think all this will lead into?"

"Patchy!" shouts the youthful voice of her landlord. "Patchy, are you in here?"

"Remi?" Patchouli stands and moves away so she can see the front entrance. Then when she spots the vampire, "Over here!"

"There you are Patchy," Remilia continues to speak as she walks over. "I want to hear if you've made any progress since yesterday."

"Remi, you've been taking this rather seriously, haven't you? Every day you come here and ask me what I've learned. I don't think you ever visited me this frequently."

"If I've taken an interest in something," explains the vampire, "I want to know everything about it."

"To the point of obsession," jabs the librarian. "Actually I was just speaking with Marisa," and as she returns to the seats they were using, she finds the magician has vanished. "Huh? Where did she go?"

"What?" Remilia sudden seems concerned, "Marisa made it inside? I've put the mansion on complete lock down. How could she have made it in without me knowing?"

As they're having their conversation, Marisa has already made it past the large oak doors and outside the library. She clutches her wounded side while bracing herself against the wall for support. Deep breaths accompany her slow steps.

"Damn," and Marisa's voice is slowly changing into something it isn't, "I didn't think her mere presence would begin to dispel my illusion." It seems as if she's losing strength, as her body lurches further and further to the ground. "And that librarian, her research has progressed further than I had anticipated." By now she on the floor, completely on all fours. Her clothes fade away and is replaced by fur. "Damn you Marisa," the wolf curses, "I had you at my mercy and you still injured me this badly." Whom is no doubt Hati, despite masquerading in a cloak of another's visage, the injuries that were projected are real. "Manipulating these people is proving harder than I had anticipated."

Stumbling, Hati misses a step with his left leg and falls forward, hitting his nose against the carpet. He tries to regain his pace but he's struggling.

"Curses, after all I've done I can't let them find me out here."

Somehow he finds the strength to rise again, but it's clear he lacks the ability to completely flee. He can't even hide anymore. Still he pushes forward.

Whatever discussions are taking place in the library, they are lengthy as the wolf hasn't heard anyone make an exit. This mansion is so large that it won't be impossible to avoid detection while taking time to recuperate, but first he'll have to escape this long hallway and actually find a place to hide. All the fairies who weren't tasked with critical duties were stationed outside as guards, so chances of bumping into someone should be low. Too much luck is in place, and Hati disapproves of relying on luck.

A stirring occurs ahead. Someone is coming. This pathway is near a bend, but that doesn't particularly mean he has a place to hide. If only for a few moments he could meld into the shadows, but that's going to deplete his already waning stamina reserves. Hati's only chance to complete his objective might be to attack whomever is approaching, and if he ate them he'd recover a considerable amount of energy. It didn't suit his tastes to be so brutal, but his mission was too important to let his own personal inclinations get in the way. Although if anything, he'd have to take this target by surprise. He melts into the darkness.

Shortly thereafter the wolf realizes his ears have failed him. It's not a single person her hears, but two. This situation is hopeless!

"These hallways are too long," a vaguely familiar voice says. "This place doesn't look that big from the outside."

"You get used to it," but this is someone he's certain he knows.

Hati falls from the shadows with barely the power to stand. Crossing into the turn that lies ahead, he fully reveals himself to the two that are approaching.

At the sight of the wolf, the one dressed as a maid gasps and nearly drops the plate she was carrying. The one nearby dressed in clothes of the Human World, goes into alarm. The second one's reaction might have been hostile if Hati doesn't collapse shortly thereafter.

"Hati!" the one dressed as a maid cries out, hastily placing the tray on the ground before running to his side. It's a fairy, but one much taller than most and with long green hair.

"Daiyousei," he's even having trouble speaking, "please, don't let them find me."

But it's not her decision alone, but once he sees her companion he doesn't think it's going to be a problem. Though they haven't been formally introduced, he recognizes her as the moon rabbit Reisen. Both of them are outsiders to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Neither have any loyalty to uphold in capturing this intruder. At Daiyousei's behest, surely would the doctor's assistant too offer her aid.

After understanding the situation he found himself in, Hati faints in exhaustion.


Sorry guys, but Marisa lost. The battle between the two will be revisited later, so don't think I'm depriving you of some good action. Some pretty serious fight scenes are coming up, so don't you worry. Also, this chapter concludes Act 2. Something I'd like to note, there are references to other stories that I won't explore in LotS, so I'd like to recommend all of you to read Moriya no Ou by Gigameka and Silent Sinner in Blue by ZUN/Aki Eda. I know the first is non-canon, but it's a great story and incredibly faithful to the series.

Act 3 will center around Daiyousei and Remilia, and the confrontation in the Prelude. Also will we visit Cirno's past, that 'certain event 1500 years ago,' so you'll start to understand just how our little baka-fairy is so powerful. As for how old Cirno is in canon, she's at least 60, as explained in Phantasmagoria of Flower View, but if you think about it she has to be at least 120. Cirno tells Tewi that the abnormal flower festival happens every 60 years, but how would she know unless she's participated at least twice before (PoFV being the 3rd)? Well, in my story she's older. Much older. I think you'll enjoy the chapters where I explore her past.

Preview End. Until next time,

~Kyle Castorena