Success? No. You still have much further to go.

Satori's study is a luxurious room. A few large bookshelves line one wall. There are a few chairs set aside for us, but Satori is the only one sitting right now; leaning back into a tall cushioned chair. I remain standing.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

Ran is standing on one end of Satori's study facing away from us. She's been focusing on something, but there's just a wall there.

"Please, be quiet." She replies. "I need to focus on this."

Ugh… this girl is being too mysterious.

A few more minutes pass by before Ran finally stops.

"There got it." She says.

Then, at her word, there is a slight flicker. The air in front of her warps and a dark hole appears in front of her.

What the? A hole?

"A gap." Satori corrects for me.

"Indeed." Ran adds. "Give me another moment…"

The hole seems to shift slightly before suddenly filling with light. On the other end, I can see a room.

A room I recognize.

The… mansion?

On the other side, I can see the crowded library. I recognize it as the Scarlet Devil Mansion's library. Voile it was called. On the other side, I can see three people. Remilia, Patchouli, and Sakuya talking. Or at least, Remilia and Patchouli talking.

They continue the conversation another second before they notice us on the other side of the gap.

Patchouli slowly trails off as she sees us. "Remi, I'm sorry but there isn't…"

Remilia becomes curious as her friend stops. She turns to face us and immediately jumps up out of her chair.

She slowly walks towards the gap. "What is that? A hole? No, it's one of Yukari's gaps. What is this doing here?"

Ran steps forward and leans partially through the gap. "Remilia Scarlet. Please, come this way. We need to talk."

Patchouli gets up and walks towards her. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to talk." She replies. "Joseph is here. Now come, we need to discuss something."

"Careful my lady." Sakuya says. "It could be a trap."

Remilia nods. "Correct. How do I know I can trust you? Your Yukari's shikigami."

I sigh and step in front of the gap where I can be seen. "It's not a trap you two. I made it to the underground just fine. Ran isn't lying. Now come on so we can get this conversation started."

"Ah? Joseph. You survived after all. Good." Remilia says. "I suppose I'll take your word on it. Sakuya, could you watch over the mansion for a few minutes?"

Sakuya bows. "Of course, My Lady."

Remilia then turns to Patchouli. "Will you come?"

The librarian reluctantly trudges over to the gap. "Yes… I suppose I must."

Remilia smiles at her before turning to the gap and stepping through. Patchouli follows, and Ran closes the gap.

Satori greets the two. "Ah, Remilia and Patchouli. It has been too long. Or… perhaps not long enough according to you."

"Indeed." Remilia drily replies as she glares at Satori. Patchouli says nothing and takes a seat in one of the chairs.

There. We got them with us now. But…

"Ran, why didn't you just do that earlier?" I ask. "Couldn't you just have opened a gap to us and talked to us that way? It would have saved me and Daiyousei a lot of grief."

"The reason for that is part of my agreement with you." Satori says. "While I agree with Ran that this woman is a serious threat to all of Gensokyo, I still have my reservations about trusting the resolution of this to a human. If I am going to let a human to manage this incident, then I want to be certain that he has the physical and mental fortitude needed to do so."

So it was a test then.

She nods. "Correct. A test."

"So did I pass?" I ask her.

"Not quite yet. " She replies. "Your enemy and this entire incident are still clearly over your head. Until you can show you are making progress in resolving this, I refuse to commit any resources to your cause. But if you truly are what Ran believes you to be, then I will be more than willing to assist you however I can."

Hm. Alright then.

I turn to Ran. "So, what is this all about?"

Ran nods. "I believe you may be the only one who can help us at this point. I fear this incident with this Nightcaster woman is out of control. I believe that my master and the entirety of Gensokyo are all in grave danger now."

"Hold on." Patchouli says in her same tired tone. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. Why don't you explain what you know?"

"You'll have to forgive her." Satori says. "She is quite stressed about the matter right now."

Ran nods slightly, halfway agreeing. "Right…"

She takes a deep breath and begins. "About four weeks ago, my master, Yukari Yakumo, began acting a little strange. She said she was bringing someone to Gensokyo from… far away. She brought this Nightcaster, Charity Carpathia, and started trying to help her settle in. At first, I thought she was an eager, if somewhat childish, magician looking to further her studies, but I soon found her motives were becoming more ambitious and twisted. My master didn't care though. Shortly after, my master began to change."

"Change how?" Remilia asks.

Ran continues to explain. "She began to spend more and more time with her. She became unreasonably attached to helping Charity in whatever she wanted. After the fourth or fifth time visiting the Nightcaster, she became almost completely dedicated to her. Nothing I said could change her mind about it either."

"After examining her memories." Satori interrupts. "I can partially agree that Yukari is under some kind of mind altering influence. I think it may be hypnotism, but until I can examine one of the Nightcaster's victims I cannot be sure of her methods."

Huh? "Victims?"

"She has been taking people." Ran explains for me. "She needed help with some kind summoning spell. She captured the shinigami Komachi Onozuka and enslaved her mind the same way she did Yukari. During the ritual they seemed extremely detached from the world. I had no doubt at the time they were under control, and I have since severed all contact with my master and Charity."

I feel like I've heard that name Komachi before, but I can't quite remember. Instead, I ask another question.

"You can just 'disappear' like that? Won't she come looking for you?" I ask.

Ran shakes her head no. "I often spend great lengths of time away from my master. She will not suspect me working against her as long as I don't act to unnaturally. But, I cannot openly defy her either. While I may know all of the borders and gaps my master does not have her eyes on, this palace is the only physical place I can walk in the open. If I try to defy and she finds out about it she will command me to stop, and I will have to obey."

Remilia then asks another question. "You mentioned she has been taking control of other residents. Tell me, did you see my gate guard with her? You know of her right? She disappeared in an attack from the Nightcaster and hasn't been seen since."

Ran shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know anything else about the Nightcaster's capturing people other than that she most likely still is. For what purpose she is doing so, I don't know."

"Now now Remilia." Satori interrupts. "While you may deeply miss your Meiling, our conversation is getting off on a tangent. Ran has one more detail to explain."

Remilia glares back at Satori, but keeps quiet and allows Ran to continue.

"This spell she performed; the one I saw before I left." Ran says in a quiet tone. "It was a summoning spell that brought out some sort of sword from her shadow realm."

"A sword? What kind of sword?" I ask.

"She calls it her Sword of Night." Ran replies "I cannot tell if the sword is a youkai or an actual sword, but I can tell it is immensely powerful. It seems like its power is not completely unlocked, but it is already stronger than any spell or magic artifact I know. The Nightcaster has already achieved more power than any one resident in Gensokyo should be allowed to have."

I take this in.

A demon sword? This is very, very bad. It sounds like the Nightcaster finally got what she wanted here. If she is already more powerful than anyone in Gensokyo, more powerful than anyone I've met so far, then can… can I really even stop her anymore?

"You will have to try." Satori says to me.

Ran approaches me. "Joseph, I know this has gotten far worse than you could ever have feared. I know you are confused; far from home in a foreign place against impossible foes. But I must ask your aid. You are a... talented and powerful man, and the only one among us who has any experience against this menace. The sword has made her stronger, but she has not fully unlocked it yet. If anyone stands a chance against her in a fight it is going to be you."

Right… I think to myself. I said I would stop her no matter what. I've messed this world up by allowing her to get this far. I need to keep going through with this until I reach the end. And… if that takes me to my death, then that's what I'll have to do.

"Such determination." Satori says. "But you should not resolve yourself to death. You will undoubtedly reach it should you do so."

I sigh. "Yeah… your right. I know that. I didn't come to Gensokyo to get killed. I'll survive this. I know I will."

"Good." Satori says with a nod. "It's nice to find a human who isn't a total fool. I must admit, you have a bit of my respect."

Patchouli then speaks up again. "I'm sorry to bring you back down again Joseph, but we have our own news."

Remilia stands up and speaks to all of us. "There have been more attacks."

Oh no…

"The home of the kappa in the Genbu Marsh has been ransacked, and the Garden of the Sun has been also been attacked." She elaborates.

Patchouli gives a pained cough before speaking again. "The damage to the garden isn't nearly as bad as damage to the marsh, but they were both definitely attacked. That hermit and her underling have gone to try and talk with the kappa and see if they may be willing to join our cause; should return to the mansion by nightfall. We sent Sakuya once to investigate the garden, but have found that its owner, Yuuka Kazami, is mysteriously absent."

Captures possibly… damn…

"In addition…" Remilia goes on while Patchouli coughs again. "Gensokyo's renowned Reimu Hakurei has begun doing her own investigations. The attacks are making the human village and many other powerful youkai groups more and more nervous. Most are either working to raise their defenses in anticipation, or are doing their own investigations; fruitless as they are."

I nod. "Good. Hopefully that will keep her on her toes."

"I doubt it…" Ran mutters.

"If only we could gather more people to our side." Remilia says to herself. "There's no way should could possibly fight all of Gensokyo together."

"I think that is unwise." Satori says. "Remember, she is collecting her own following. We do not want a civil war. It would spell the end of Gensokyo."

Ran agrees. "Right. We should only recruit those we need and work in secrecy. We need recapture and sever her hold on those she has, and free my master Yukari from her control. Until we get Yukari away from her, the Nightcaster is truly unstoppable. With the power of borders at her side, the Nightcaster can go anywhere she wants instantly. "

That does sound bad.

Satori clears her throat and speaks aloud. "So, if I may, I would like to summarize everyone's thoughts. This Nightcaster has come to Gensokyo for power. She has some sort of youkai sword that isn't unlocked yet; it could be assumed that causing chaos somehow furthers unlocking the sword. She is capturing and controlling people by some means, one of which is Yukari Yakumo. Her location is unknown, but her motives are clear. Anyone could be a target at this point. As long as it furthers her power, she will seek them out. Now, we cannot protect all of Gensokyo so we will have to trust its defense to those residents being attacked; many are already taking precautions. Our best course of action is finding a way to draw out and capture back Yukari Yakumo before we hunt down and confront The Nightcaster herself. I believe our best move would be to wait a moment longer and try to anticipate the next few attacks and do our best to try and learn what we can. She is bound to let one of her secrets slip eventually, and we need to be ready to grab it when she does. Once we know precisely what she intends to do and how she is using her captives, we can begin formulating a plan of attack."

Satori looks at each of us. "Agreed?"

"Agreed." I reply.

"Agreed." Says Ran.

"I suppose…" Remilia mumbles.

Satori looks at Remilia. "Come now. You shouldn't be such a control freak. Although me and Ran will be doing most of the managing, Joseph is technically in charge of all this now since he is going to be the one doing most of the work."

Remilia's eyes widen a little bit as the words hit her.

She suddenly jumps up out of her chair and starts shouting. "Absolutely not! I am not being a subordinate to a human! I refuse!"

"Ah, but your heart says you hold quite a bit of respect to him. You should not lie to yourself Remilia." Satori calmly replies.

"That is a lie!" She shouts back. "An esteemed vampire like me holds no such feelings towards humans!"

Satori's third eye looks deep into Remilia. "Your heart does not lie though."

Satori continues to stare into Remilia, digging into her thoughts. Remilia's determination slowly begins to fade away.

"Don't hide your own feelings." Satori says to her with a slight smile. "It won't work."

Remilia becomes more and more embarrassed as the situation sinks in. No longer able to bear Satori's all-seeing gaze, she looks away from her. Inadvertently, her eyes land on me.

Ah… how do I resolve this? "Um… l-look, Remilia I don't want to insult you or anything. If you don't-"

Remilia turns her back to me and walks off to the corner.

"Just… Just this once, human. Be grateful that an almighty vampire like me is willing to assist you. And I mean assist. Not serve, not help, merely assist. If I hear you stretch the truth even slightly I will rip you in half. Got it?"

Ah, so she is ok with it. "Fine. Glad to have your… assistance."

"In any case, I agree." Patchouli says after that mess.

"So we're all in agreement to find Yukari and try to defend the best we can until we can find the Nightcaster herself. What's our next move?" I ask.

"There was something strange about these two attacks." Patchouli says. "The span in which they occurred was unreasonably fast. It might be possible Yukari is helping her attack, but I cannot help but wonder if it is not something else. I would like to investigate one of the more recent attacks for any magic different from the rest, and since Seiga is already at the marsh, I think I would like to go to the Garden of the Sun to search."

Remilia spins back to her friend. "Patchy? What about your asthma?"

"It won't kill me Remi." She says with a huff.

"What about the communication orbs?" Remilia asks again.

Patchouli sighs. "As I was saying before we were interrupted, there isn't any way to get the ones from Marisa's adventure to the underground to work again. They are simply too old. It's a lost cause Remi. Some outside time won't hurt me."

Huh. It seems like she's really dedicated to this now.

"She just wants to hurry up and get it done so she can get back to her books." Satori says after reading my mind.

"Patchouli, I won't let you walk away on your own." Remilia firmly states. "At least take Joseph with you. I would really feel a lot better if you weren't alone."

Patchouli sighs. "Fine. If that's what it takes. Joseph, will you come?"

Well… I really don't see why not. We don't have any more moves to make other than get ready for the next fight. I guess I could follow her for a few minutes. I don't think this should take too long.

I nod. "Sure."

"Very well. Thank you J-I mean, thank you Patchouli; for listening that is. I'll feel a lot better knowing you aren't alone." Remilia says, stumbling mid-sentence. Satori suppresses a chuckle, which Remilia does her best to ignore.

"What was that about communication orbs?" Ran asks.

Satori explains for her. "During that unfortunate incident with my dear pet Okuu, that witch had some kind of orb with her that allowed her to communicate over a long distance to the surface. I believe our dear magician here made them herself."

"I did." Patchouli says." While we were trying to devise a way to create a rapid response system for defending Gensokyo from the Nightcaster's minions we came across the idea, but the orbs I made are no longer working and making new ones takes some time."

"Interesting. I've never heard of such a spell. Too bad it doesn't work anymore." I muse.

Ran ponders a moment. "Hmm… Actually, there may be something I have like that. My master also devised such an item, and they may still work. Having them would definitely make communicating plans much easier and more secretive. I'll definitely search for them when I get the chance."

"In the meantime though." She goes on. "You all should get started on whatever preparations you can. I cannot leave here, but I can still help. My powers are limited to where Yukari's eyes do not see, but I can use my power of the border to create gaps and send you to certain key locations in Gensokyo."

"So you can teleport us across Gensokyo?" I ask.

"Yes. And I can take you back here as well. Satori has agreed to at least allow us to use her place to do that for now." Ran replies.

"Very well." Remilia says. "I would like to return to my mansion for now. I still need to be there for when Seiga and Yoshika arrive to explain things."

Ran nods. "Very well. Give me a moment."

Ran once again turns away and focuses on the borders. Soon, the gap to the library opens once again.

"The library? Oh well…" Remilia sighs as she proceeds through the open gap.

"There are only certain locations, as I said. I will remain here to watch these locations for those allies who need moving. If you wish to return, simply wait here and I will open a gap as soon as I can." Ran explains.

"Very well. Thank you, and goodbye. Take care of yourself old friend." Remilia says with an elegant wave.

"Farewell for now, Remi." Patchouli says.

The gap closes, and Remilia disappears.

Satori gets up. "I should check on those two girls, though I doubt the fairy will be up yet."

Probably not…

Still, Satori quietly leaves the room. The air feels much less stressful with her not in mind reading range.

"Finally…" Ran mutters. It seems she agrees.

A few second pass before a gap opens again and floods the study with daylight. I can see a tree leaning halfway against a tall rock. In the far distance I can see the human village. This place is somewhere way off the road to the village.

"This is it. I can't put you right in the middle of the flower field, but this is pretty close. Just remember you have to come back to this tree and rock to get back here." She says.

"Right. Thanks."

Patchouli steps through without a word.

Ran leans over to me slightly and whispers something to me.

"And thank you for keeping your true existence a secret. Gensokyo does not need to know about that. It would only complicate things." She says to me.

I soundlessly nod and step through the gap and into the outside. The gap snaps shut behind me, leaving me and Patchouli in the open fields.

I turn away from the tree to face the fields behind me.

What I see is not a garden.

Towering high into the sky is a cloud of dark smoke. The grass on the hill in front of us slowly shifts to brown, and then black as it nears the site of the former garden.

"What is this? The damage was not nearly this bad according to Sakuya. Was there a second wave of attackers?" Patchouli says.

"I think it's a good thing I came along then." I say as I pull out my crossbow.

"Yes… quite so." Patchouli mumbles as she begins to shuffle towards the ash field. "Come, let's investigate."

I follow behind her. Patchouli moves at a slow pace, occasionally stopping to cough, but she resists my help most of the time and keeps going.

Soon, we are standing in the middle of the field. The air here is still warm from the once burning flames, and there is a thin veil of smoke all around us. I look down as my boot makes a crunch on a shriveled petal. This was once a massive flower field, but is nothing but an ash pile now.

"This ash is everywhere. It must have been a huge garden." I say aloud.

"Yes. The Garden of the Sun is quite the s-gack!" Patchouli chokes up mid-sentence and coughs violently. The smoke is making her breathing problem worse.

I hold her up to prevent her from falling over. "Hey, easy. Are you sure you're ok?"

She pushes herself off me. "Yes. I'm fine. Let us proceed through here and be done quickly. This way; I'm sensing a strong magic power source."

Patchouli continues to shuffle through the remains of the garden in some direction. I've lost all sense of direction in this smoke. The area around me is clear, but the distant scenery where the village was once visible is just a gray blur now.

But soon, I do see another land mark. A shadow rising up out of the smoke. A person. A woman in a red dress.

Who is that?

I can see a woman standing among the ash with her head hung low. She has green hair, and is wearing a long, red plaid skirt with a matching vest; both marred with black ash. Her vest is open, showing an equally dirty plain white shirt; one that seems a little tight on her buxom frame.

Is this… Yuuka, maybe?

Patchouli confirms my guess. "Yuuka Kazami. What is she doing, I wonder?"

She doesn't seem to be doing anything. Just standing. She does not look up when we approach. I walk in front of her, but she keeps her eyes downcast. I crouch down a little and look up into her face, but still get nothing. Her expression is flat, and her red eyes don't seem to notice me in any way.

She's completely out of it. It's like she's asleep standing up.

Patchouli finally speaks after a moment of looking around at her. "Hmm… She seems to be incapacitated. I can sense some magic suppressing her. I'm not too sure of it though. I may need a thorough examination to figure her out and possibly snap her out of this state. "

"Well… can we take her with us to examine her back at the palace or something? She doesn't seem to be in any trouble right now, and I don't think she's going to resist." I say.

"Yes. Perhaps we should." She replies.

Hmm… how do I do this? Maybe do I just pull her along?

I grab her by the arm and try pulling on her a little to see if she will move. Her arm moves, but her body remains stiff.

"Just pick her up" Patchouli groans. "She isn't going to walk on her own."

Right… I think as I replace my crossbow and take a deep breath.

I lean into her and try to lift her up. She does not resist being picked up, and I scoop her up into my arms. Her weight is a bit much for me, but I grit my teeth and hold onto her.

But as soon as I pick her up, something falls from her hands. I gently place her down and pick up the object. It's a small chrome metal box with a lid that flips open. A wheel switch on the side clicks when I turn it, but does nothing.

Hmm. I don't get it.

"Is that… a lighter?" Patchouli asks. "I've read about these things once. Something from the outside. Did Yuuka have that?"

This is a lighter? Rather strange looking for a lighter. I've never seen a small one like this. This switch must be the ignition then.

Using it correctly this time, I quickly flick the wheel again and again until the lighter starts. A tiny flicker of flame projects itself from the box.

The flame dies as I snap the lighter's lid shut, and I examine the lighter. "Huh. Look at that. I wonder what Yuuka was…"

I look down at Yuuka, and find she is looking up at me.

"Joseph… step away…" Patchouli warns.

I try to stand, but Yuuka quickly grabs my shoulder and holds me still. With a pained whisper, she speaks.

"Help… me…"

And then, she attacks.

Her grip on my shoulder suddenly becomes crushingly painful. Yuuka reaches up and grabs my other shoulder and lifts me up. She is unbelievably strong, and she effortlessly throws me over her.

I go sailing away for a few seconds before I crash and tumble to a halt.

Agh! What the heck was that? I angrily think as I pull myself up.

Yuuka is already standing by the time I get back to my feet. Patchouli is hovering and slowly retreating; surrounded by summoned crystal magic and ready to fight. This situation has just gone very bad in an instant.

"I fear the worst has come to pass." Patchouli mutters. "It seems the Nightcaster truly did gain control over her. She possessed her and… and made her destroy the last of her own flowers with a lighter… What kind of sadistic creature would command such a thing? What kind of being has enough power to do this on a whim? How terrible…"

If Patchouli still has any doubts about her commitments to this cause, they are gone now.

"What do you think we should do?" I ask her. "Can we try to fight her?"

She nods. "Yes. I believe incapacitating her through force may weaken the spell and put her back in her previous frozen state, and then we can move her back to the palace and figure out a way to cure her."

I take out my crossbow again. Alright then. A fight it is.

Yuuka remains standing there; still not attacking. She is muttering to herself like a crazy person.

"Got to… tear. Got to… burn them. Don't want to… but got to. Got to… got to… fight it… but… can't… can't tear them up… I don't want to… but I got to… burn…" She mumbles randomly.

She's completely delirious. It's like she's half under control and half not.

I try talking to her to see if I can further weaken the control on her.

"Yuuka. You're under a spell. You're doing great but you have to keep fighting it back. I don't want to hurt you but if you can't break free I may have to bring you down. Yuuka, can you hear me? Do you understand?" I say to her.

Suddenly, she aims her hand at me and sends a huge screaming laser towards me. A huge beam of solid magic tears at the ground next to me. I barely manage to escape being annihilated.

"SHUT UP!" Yuuka screams before going back to her muttering. "Can't… can't… I… can't."

"She seems to still be under control, but only partially." Patchouli notes. "I think we stand a good chance to defeat her like this, but you need to be careful Joseph. Yuuka is an extremely powerful youkai. Even when crippled she stands a good chance to kill."

"Noted…" I reply as I catch my breath from that near deathblow.

Yuuka echoes Patchouli's last word. "Kill… Kill… Kill."

Well, I tried. Sorry Yuuka.

I pull back the crossbow and place a bolt on it. Patchouli gathers a ball of energy from her red crystal and holds it in front of her as she gets ready to cast.

Yuuka continues to mutter to herself. "Kill… Kill… Kill… you."

And then, with that final word Yuuka throws herself, perhaps unwillingly, into combat. A deadly battle with this flower master begins.

A/N

Alright! 2013 and a new chapter is up. Thank you again for reading my story.

So I want to roll back and pick up on some elements I've placed earlier in the story. The marsh and the kappa, Reimu, and the SDM all get mentioned again; with a bit of focus on the SDM this time. While I won't say that the ESOD characters are my favorite, I still think they are a fun group and have a lot of potential to add to this story. Patchouli is going to be a supporting character in this next chapter or two, and I want to maybe try and expand on her personality a bit. One of my goals in this story is to have a lot of fun touhou personalities to read about. That doesn't exactly mean everyone gets the same amount of depth, as that would become a mess, but I still want to try and get as many fun points as I can in here.

There are also some interesting interactions in here, and stranger ones will come later. As the situation in Gensokyo continues to worsen, people are starting to take things more and more seriously. Joseph isn't exactly the charismatic leader type, but in the face of a dire situation there are plenty who are willing to work together to aid him. I plan to use this as a tool to trigger some fun interactions that you don't usually get to see outside of the games, such as Remilia and Satori (who don't exactly get along).

Thank you again for reading. The next chapter will be ready soon.