I would appreciate it if you don't always bombard me with news on what's happening out there in the world. I watch the news, so I'm very well aware that Stan Lee is dead and therefore do not need anyone to tell me this. A few months back, someone here felt the need to ask me if I am aware of Smash Bros. Ultimate's existence, a few days after it was revealed at E3... I write lots of Smash Bros. stories and have made it clear I'm a huge fan of the series, so do you think it's possible that I'm not aware of Ultimate the moment it is announced?

Chapter 25
Land of Illusions

The sudden appearance of Zatanna, John Constantine, Mina, Ochako, and Alice didn't sit well with Reimu, especially when they appeared to be against Alice for some reason. The magician had taken off into the air, so obviously, the only people left to question regarding what happened were the remaining four.

Standing in front of them with an annoyed look and with an equally annoyed and cross armed Kasen next to her, Reimu asked them, "All right, start talking, or else I'll exterminate all of you, regardless of whether you're humans or demons!"

Smiling sheepishly while waving at Reimu, Zatanna greeted her. "Hi, Reimu... It's been a while... Remember me?" She made the mistake of speaking English, however, which the shrine maiden didn't understand, so the latter had a confused look on her face instead and told her speak Japanese. Zatanna sighed and said, "Forgot she doesn't understand English... And why do I have the feeling that she doesn't remember me?"

"I know some spells that can do something about language, but... I never found a reason to learn them," said John. "Now I feel like I should've..."

"I can be your translator," Ochako told them, and then she turned to Reimu. "Uh... Hi! We're sorry for showing up all of a sudden... You see, we come from another world, and your friends went there to meet us. I think you went there before, right?"

A question mark appeared over Reimu's head as she wondered what she was talking about. Kasen then said to her, "Didn't you, Marisa, and several others went to a different universe before a while back?"

That was when it hit Reimu. "Oh right, the Justice League's world."

"Yes! It's the Justice League's world I was talking about!" Ochako told her. "Two of your friends went there, and we met them. I think their names are Marisa and Alice."

"Marisa and Alice? Then how come I only saw Alice coming back?" asked Reimu. "And how did Marisa went there anyway? Only Nitori has access to that place."

"I think she said something about stealing a device from a friend that allows her to travel there," said Mina.

Reimu narrowed her eyes. "Huh... Marisa swiped that thing from Nitori? That's just like her..."

Ochako then pointed at Zatanna, who waved at Reimu again. "Do you remember her? Her name's Zatanna, and I think you've met her when you went to that world."

Reimu placed one hand at the side of her head and thought about it. "Hmmm... Honestly saying, there are quite a few people there I have already forgotten... I didn't get myself acquainted with everyone, so I can't be sure..."

Ochako then translated what she said to Zatanna, who shrugged in response and said, "Well, I didn't really interact with her, so I guess this is to be expected..."

"All right, how about you start explaining why you came here and why you attacked Alice just now?" Reimu asked them.

"Well, your friend Marisa got possessed by a demon while there, so we fought her to get rid of the demon..." explained Ochako. "However, the demon ended up leaving her body and entered Alice, who then used the device for traveling between worlds to escape back here, and the four of us got pulled in along..."

Reimu and Kasen had unimpressed-looking faces and were completely silent after hearing that story. Aunn then walked up next to Reimu and looked at her master for a few seconds before turning to those four and waved and smiled at them. Reimu then broke the silence and said in a frustrated tone, "Geez... Marisa just had to start this kind of mess, did she...?"

"Someone will have to give her a good lecture about traveling to other worlds without permission once she gets back," suggested Kasen, sounding displeased. She then turned to Reimu, "By the way, I just remembered about the Human Village selling medicine that can translate a person's language. You want to consider buying those for those two over there?"

"Sounds like a good idea," said Reimu with a nod. "That way, we can understand each other more easily."

"Translation pills? You mean medicine that makes people speak other languages or...?" asked Ochako, sounding intrigued.

Reimu nodded. "Yeah, there's a place that sells these." Turning to look at Mina, Reimu said to her, "Normally, I would say your appearance is because you're a demon, but since you come from their world and I know a thing or two about there, chances are likely you're an alien, or... or..." Placing one finger on her head, she said with a puzzled look, "What was that term they use for calling people with powers again? Mega humans? Oh right, metahumans..."

"Yeah, something like that..." replied Mina. The shrine maiden wasn't wrong.

"In any case, since you are in my world, people with appearances like yours isn't exactly common," Reimu told her. "There are demons hanging out in the Human Village, but they all look human or in the very least have subtle differences that aren't noticeable, not enough to scare away humans. The ones that stand out more don't really go to the village, as they attract too much attention. Humans and demons don't exactly have the best relationships even today, especially if the latter looks way too strange, like you. They'll most definitely identify you as being dangerous and either scare you away or attack you in an act of self-defense."

"Really...?" asked Mina, not liking what she heard and even sounding a bit scared.

"Isn't that racist...?" asked Ochako. "Our world has its fair share of people who look nonhuman as well, but we all coexist peacefully..."

"Different world, different laws," Kasen told her while waving a finger lightly in the air. "You also have to understand that demons are naturally dangerous and prey on humans, so it is normal for the latter to be afraid of them. While not every demon is dangerous, the reputation created by them has left a deep impression in people, to the point that it can never be erased. And it's also for the best, as trusting demons and lowering your guards around them too much can cost your life. There are still quite a few demons out there that attack humans after all, so you should never be too careless here in Gensokyo."

"Well, if you say so..." said Mina with a shrug.

"Don't worry; Ruukoto and Aunn will keep you company," Reimu told her. "Make sure not to destroy anything while I'm gone, okay?"

"I'll go check on Alice," said Kasen. "Maybe she's back in her house."

The Human Village was the sole human settlement of Gensokyo, designed to resemble a village of the Edo era of Japan. Scattered throughout the dirt road were various people doing all sorts of casual activities, such as chatting, shopping, and even fishing in a river that ran through the village.

As Reimu led John, Zatanna, and Ochako down a dirt path, the latter three took the opportunity to look around, admiring the place and absorbing what they saw into their heads. "It's like we went back in time to ancient Japan..." said Ochako.

"It sure is peaceful here!" commented Zatanna.

"There's quite a bit of magic in the air," said John. He then noticed a gray-haired girl with mouse ears walking in their direction and then past them. Said girl also held a pair of dowsing rods in her hands, not to mention carrying a basket with a single mouse in it with her tail. Looking at the mouse girl from behind, he said, "And demonic ones at that..."

The three of them also noticed that some people were looking at them and even seemed to be whispering among themselves about them. Noticing this, Reimu told those three, "Don't mind them. They're just talking about how you might be from the outside world, as they can tell from looking at your clothes. It's not the first time this happened, though it's not very common either. Gensokyo may be barricaded from the rest of the world, but the people here still have a bit of knowledge of what it's like out there thanks to people and stuff from there occasionally making there way into this place." Of course, only Ochako knows what she was saying, so she translated what she heard to the other two.

The group eventually arrived in front of a single-story building with a sign above the entrance that writes Fuwafuwa Ellen's Magic Shop, in Japanese, obviously. "Here we are," said Reimu before leading the others inside.

The interior of the store was filled with cabinets containing various items ranging from paper talisman, small wooden sculptures, unidentifiable gadgets, bottles containing various sorts of things, and more. Looking around, John said, "Can't say I know what everything here is used for, but I can tell that they are at least used for magic and crafts."

"Right, I can sense a lot of magical energy in here," said Zatanna.

Reimu walked up to the counter at the back end of the place, where a blonde girl in a red and white dress was seated behind. With a large smile on her face, she cheerfully greeted the shrine maiden, "Good afternoon, Hakurei shrine maiden! It's a rare sight to see you here!"

"Yeah, I didn't think I would be coming here either," said Reimu with a somewhat annoyed look on her face, and then she pointed at those three behind her. "Anyway, you've got something that helps with language barrier. I heard you have something like that here."

"Oh, the Language Pills? Yes, I have them!" Ellen told her. "That would be 360 yen for a small bottle!"

Reimu sighed. "Of course, it's not free..." Reaching into her skirt's pocket, she took out a small bag and opened it. After staring into it for a few seconds, she turned around and said to Ochako, "You know, since you are the ones who's going to use it, shouldn't you be the ones to pay rather than me? Or at least pay half of it."

"I think you have a point..." said Ochako.

"What's the matter? You don't have enough money? I guess that is to be expected... You don't get much donations at your shrine after all," Ellen said to Reimu, which offended her quite a bit.

Seeing the frustrated look on Reimu, Ochako said as she took out her wallet, "It's all right... We are the ones using it, so it only makes sense for us to pay. 360 yen, is it? I hope we use the same currency..." Fortunately, not only did she kept the money she brought from her world with her, this place also uses the exact same currency, so she was able to pay for the Language Pills.

"Thank you very much!" Ellen said with a smile as she accepted the payment before handing over a small plastic bottle to Reimu. "While not necessary, taking it with water is the better way to do it, as it makes it much easier to swallow. The effect lasts for 24 hours."

Reimu handed over the pills to John and Zatanna and told them to take it by motioning her finger towards her mouth. As those two were told beforehand by Ochako what it was, they knew what to do. Without saying anything else, those two popped the pills down their mouths. "So, can you understand me now?" Reimu asked them. To their surprise, they heard her speaking in English.

"Bloody hell! It worked!" said John.

"You're speaking English?!" Zatanna asked the shrine maiden.

"To me, you're speaking Japanese," Reimu told her.

"The way this pill works is that it makes the consumers hear everyone speak in the language they are most familiar with, but to others, they will hear them speak in the language they are familiar with instead," explained Ellen.

"Huh! Pretty neat! Magic language pills indeed!" said John, sounding interested.

While the aforementioned four were gone, Mina tried to make herself comfortable within the Hakurei Shrine. She wished she could've gone with the others, but if what Reimu said about her appearance being too attention-grabbing for the people in the Human Village was true, then she had no choice but to stay here. It wasn't like she was alone, as Aunn and Reimu's maid Ruukoto were present to keep her company.

Kasen had left in order to look for Alice first to make sure that the possessed magician wouldn't cause any trouble.

Aunn was rather excited to have a guest at the shrine. Seated next to Mina in the living room, the excited komainu asked her with a large smile on her face, "Why do you look like this?"

"Because I'm a mutant-type," the pink-skinned girl explained to her. "My appearance started changing when I was in kindergarten, about four years old if I remember correctly... That was also when I also got my Quirk, or superpowers."

"What powers do you have?" Aunn asked her curiously.

"I can release acid from my skin," replied Mina.

"Cool! Can you show me?" asked Aunn with enthusiasm.

"I don't think your mistress will appreciate me melting and corroding the stuff here..." Mina told her. "My ability is pretty dangerous..."

"You have a point," said Aunn, sounding a bit disappointed.

"So... what are you?" Mina asked her.

"I'm a komainu!" replied the green-haired girl cheerfully, not to mention somewhat proudly. "I used to be a statue located outside the shrine, but the goddess Okina brought me to life! Now I get to be by Mistress Reimu's side all day long and protect her up close!"

"A statue brought to life? Wow! That's an incredible power for the person who did this!" commented Mina in surprise.

Opening the sliding door, Ruukoto came into the room with a tray containing rice balls and tea. Placing it on the table before those two, she said to them, "Sorry for the wait! Please enjoy these snacks while you wait for my master to return!"

"Thanks!" Mina said to her with a smile.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Ruukoto asked her.

Mina shook her head. "Nah, nothing I can think of. Why don't you sit down with us? Enjoy yourself as well! We can get to know each other better!"

"I appreciate your offer, but I'm afraid I consume the snacks I prepared for you, for I am a robot," Ruukoto told her.

A question mark appeared over Mina's head when she heard that, and Ruukoto reassured her that she was a genuine robot powered by nuclear energy. "Wait a minute... Nuclear energy...?" Mina thought to herself. "Uh... Is it really safe for a robot like this to be running around...? Won't I get radiation sickness being near her...? Why do they even have a nuclear-powered robot here anyway...?"

Arriving at the Forest of Magic, Kasen walked through the woods in search of Alice's house. She had been to this forest before, but never to her house. She had, however, been to Marisa's house before, and she had heard that Alice's house was located close to the witch's, so using this information, she believed that searching for Alice's house wouldn't be an issue.

After a couple of minutes of wandering through the place, she finally came across a Western-style cottage located in a small clearing. Walking close to the house, she observed it and tried to sense for anything peculiar. "I'm not feeling any demonic powers coming from in there, but there is magical power in there..." she thought. "Someone is definitely in there, but if Alice is indeed possessed by a demon, then I should be able to sense it... Unless this demon can hide its presence... Either way, better be careful..."

She approached the house and looked through the windows to see if there was anyone in there, but it was dark and empty, save for pieces of furniture. Thinking that Alice might on the second floor, she floated into the air and looked through the windows there. Sure enough, she saw a person lying down on a bed, seemingly asleep. As the window wasn't locked, Kasen opened it and sneaked inside, slowly approaching the seemingly asleep Alice in order to not wake her up.

"Don't bother sneaking," said Alice all of a sudden. "I'm not asleep, you know."

Slightly surprised, Kasen said, "Then that makes things easier."

Alice sat up and looked at her with an expressionless face. "Let me guess: you're here to see if it's true that I am possessed by a demon, right?"

Crossing her arms, Kasen said, "Indeed, and honestly, you don't really look like that is the case, unless you're hiding it."

Alice sighed and then said, "The truth is... the demon left me some time ago, and then I came back here to rest... Apparently, it takes a bit out of you when he's in your body..."

Kasen raised an eyebrow. "It left you?"

Alice nodded. "Right... He handed over the stone that he was sealed into to another person he encountered in a forest on some hill, and as a result, he was transferred himself into that person's body. He knocked me out afterwards, and when I came around, he was gone."

"Well, good to see that you're all right," said Kasen. "So who did he transfer himself into?"

"I don't know that woman who got possessed... Never met her before," replied Alice. "She has gray hair and carries around a cleaver. If I remember correctly, she's a mountain hag."

Kasen thought a bit about the description she heard, and then it came to her. "I think I know who she is... Nemuno Sakata..."

TO BE CONTINUED