Flandre awoke with a start as if waking from a particularly nasty nightmare. She grabbed her knees and yawned away some of the sleepiness. The first beams of sunlight were beginning to sully the otherwise beautiful horizon and Flandre snarled at the unwelcome sight. Her slender hands reached for phantom bedsheets that eluded her irritated grasp.
"Sakuya," Flandre mumbled dreamily while rubbing at her heavy eyelids. The younger Scarlet sister intended to severely punish whichever idiot had foolishly opened her bedroom curtains. Sunlight always made her grumpy and she always made it a point to let her displeasure show in often spectacular ways.
You would have thought that the fairy maids would have learned their lesson by now, but alas, those silly little creatures still required correction. Not that Flandre particularly minded of course as any excuse to cause mischief was a welcome relief from her mostly voluntary confinement in the lower levels of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Only then did recollection dawn on her and she stood up as if shocked by a jolt of electricity. Anger flooded her vision like a red hazy madness as she remembered her last waking moments but quickly dissipated when she took in her new opulent surroundings.
Flandre found herself standing in the centre of a grand looking but otherwise empty hall. It reminded her of a crystal greenhouse as she beheld the curious design. The mixture of glass and stone rivalled the most beautiful fairytale castles.
Some sections were completely transparent which provided a confusing look into the adjoining rooms while others were made up of more traditional stone. The effect was an optical illusion that played tricks on the eyes if you looked beyond your immediate surroundings.
Flandre looked up and shielded her eyes as the red orbs beheld a glimmering wall of glass that reflected the sunlight as effectively as a prism. The intricately sculptured grooves provided a beautiful light-show as the captured sunlight bounced around inside the glass structure.
Sunlight?
Flandre suddenly felt very weak at the knees which almost caused her to lose her footing. Quivering, she looked more closely at the glimmering glass wall for any signs of witchcraft or trickery. Just because something appeared to be true, it didn't necessarily make it so. Flandre had learned that valuable lesson during her brief exposure to the craziness of Gensokyo.
Flandre's eyes narrowed as she gazed up at the glass architecture that sparkled in the morning rays. No, there was no mistaking this sickening feeling, this instinctive disgust as the light brushed across her skin. How much time had passed while travelling through the gap demon's nightmarish realm?
There's no way! It's simply impossible! I had plenty of time remaining!
Vampires possessed an intricate understanding of the darkness and could predict the passing of time as reliably as an hourglass which was why Flandre was so utterly perplexed at the sunlight. She felt like screaming at the top of her lungs, at destroying the sun that haunted her dreams.
Flandre clutched at her shoulders, her face a worried mask. This wasn't suppose to happen! I still had so much time! The thought of Remilia discovering her little sister's transgressions horrified Flandre. There could be no harsher deed than losing that bond, that sisterly love that could only foster between near immortals. Why are my hands trembling?
"Oh, looks like the sleeping beauty is finally awake."
Flandre bristled at the voice and looked over to see Mokou casually leaning against a glass pillar. The silver haired immortal regarded her with interest before smirking at the apparent hostility. Flandre's cheekbone still throbbed faintly from where she had been cruelly sucker punched into unconsciousness. It served at a constant reminder of injustice.
"You look pretty happy with yourself, Mokou," Flandre snarled. "Why don't you try hitting me again when I'm expecting it and see what happens?" Flandre held her hands invitingly open, her tenuous hold over her own fierce emotions thinning by the second. The vampire looked dangerous, a sense that only increased with every passing second like a ticking time bomb.
"No need," Mokou replied, apparently unconcerned at the flickering energies illuminating the vampire's threatening red gaze. "The lesson was given, received but apparently not understood judging by that hateful look you're giving me. Don't make the mistake of blowing up again, I'm really, really not in the mood for this."
"How unfortunate," Flandre said without a hint of sincerity. "You should have thought about the consequences before striking me with your dirty, common fingers."
"Oh?" Mokou raised an eyebrow. "You're starting to sound like that haughty bitch Kaguya, just without the maturity. I did promise the little ice fairy that I'd try and get on with you but if you insist on acting childish, then I'll have no problems disciplining you like a naughty toddler."
Flandre narrowed her eyes as that precarious sense of self-control that blanketed her emotions threatened to snap. Wiping away that irritating act of aloofness with a savage beating would do wonders to restoring Flandre's sense of honour. The atmosphere couldn't have been more murderous as wounded prides clashed.
Peering out from one of the gleaming archways, Ran Yakumo watched the proceedings with no small amount of amusement. It pleased her greatly to see two troublemakers on the brink of tearing each other apart, particularly that little bloodsucking runt. Her nine golden tails were motionless as the Shikigami took in slow deliberate breaths.
While her mental calculations had been so rudely interrupted, Ran had still managed to deliver the troublemaker to the glass palace without any noticeable mutations, missing pieces or time lapses. Reappearing from unreality with half of your body slightly ahead of time is not a pretty experience. It had been a miracle of mental arithmetic and not a single person had witnessed it.
"I'll show you what real fire looks like," challenged the one known as Flandre Scarlet, the little sister of the Scarlet Devil. Ran felt the build up of magical pressure brush up hotly against her skin. It felt invigorating, the power akin to a refreshing wellspring on the brink of overflowing.
It became increasingly difficult to remain hidden as the unstable static discharges tainted the air. The glasswork palace creaked under the invisible strain. Ran almost cried out as the ticklish sensation brushed up against her velvety yellow fur. It felt as if spirits were assaulting her fluffy ears and tails; the energies caressing up and around her incredibly fine strands.
Ran bit down on her tongue lightly to avoid revealing herself in a most humiliating way. The Shikigami was incredulous at the thought of such a stupid thing betraying her presence. Only her master and beloved little Chen knew about her weakness, only they were permitted to touch her in such a familiar manner. The association with pleasant memories only added to the discomfort.
"Intruders!" someone accused.
The voice was unfamiliar as it echoed across the cavernous glass hall. Almost thankful for the distraction, Ran gritted her teeth while carefully peering out from the archway. She grimaced when she realized that it was that hapless winged nuisance Alyssia. While she appeared imposing with her tall, lightly armoured figure, flowing blonde hair and magnificent white wings, Ran knew that the goddess imposter was of no real importance. The more annoying thing was that this self-styled Valkyrie would ruin the potential bloodbath and all the fun that entailed.
Flandre and Mokou both turned in unison to regard the newcomer with icy stares. The open hostility almost made Alyssia bulk under the sheer venomous pressure but she persevered...just. It didn't help that she recognized the shorter, blonde haired one as that dangerous little girl who had possessed a sun stone piece and who had defeated her with contemptuous ease. Still, now was not the time for hesitation. The great Isabelle was relying on her to guard the inner sanctum of the glass palace. Straightening up, she tried to appear as commanding and intimidating as possible.
"You are both intruding on hollowed ground!" she pronounced loudly while wiping the perspiration from her forehead. "State your business or face immediate judgement."
"Shut up!" both Mokou and Flandre snapped.
All the built up resentment and displeasure was released all at once in a blistering heatwave. Like the manifestation of two raging souls, a fierce unseen current knocked Alyssia off her feet as if she weighed nothing at all. Her magical protections and hanging charms did nothing to combat something so little as a simple release of heated emotions.
She wailed manically as the glass wall loomed closer and closer, her own panicked reflection staring right back at her. Alyssia flapped her wings with all her might, those heavenly looking feathers straining to slow the hurtling mass of her body. Smashing into the glass wall at this velocity would be like plunging into a swimming pool filled completely with gleaming sharp needles. Alyssia whimpered, partly from the speeding wind and partly from her own impending doom.
Flandre blinked as the mental image of an angel filled her troubled mind. The knowledge that she knew this winged being was just enough of a mental spark to knock her out of this tailspin of seething displeasure. Flandre launched herself forwards, her powerful muscles releasing all that pent up anger in one fluid burst of motion.
Much like Sakuya stopping time, Flandre crossed the distance between herself and Alyssia in an instance of impossible speed. Not thinking beyond the immediate, Flandre smacked the speeding woman straight out of the air.
"Is that your idea of a rescue?" Mokou exclaimed. With a simple hand motion the air beneath the falling Alyssia was supercharged with heated magical flashes of fire. Her silver hair billowed out as the room was filled with a thick explosion of steam that filled the entire expanse in an instant. Alyssia grunted as she smacked into the stonework ground, the cloudy cushion reducing it to merely painful instead of absolutely crippling.
Ran ducked back inside the archway to avoid the scolding backdraft. The entire room had become obscured with steam much like the hotsprings that the Yakumo household occasionally frequented. Alyssia lay on the ground in a coughing heap. Her body ached all over and moving felt like a challenge in itself. She couldn't believe that she had been defeated with the merest glance and after all that intensive training.
Truly she was up against some fearsome individuals which was all the more reason to prevent them from reaching her beloved empress. Alyssia's body protested as she attempted to rise but she persevered all the same. Her beautiful angel wings unfolded themselves which helped to balance out her unsteady limbs. Her lips chanted a calming mantra that her beloved Isabelle had taught her one stormy night when the two of them had been alone. The power of language filled her with inspirational strength and she rose up with a second wind.
Flandre stood for a moment and listened to the soothing words that reminded her of a lullaby. This creature had a lovely, heavenly voice and as Flandre looked down at those white feathery wings, she imagined a fluffy mattress made of weightless clouds. An ocean of feathers tenderly caressing her as she slipped into sleepy oblivion. Flandre wrenched herself back to the here and now while snarling at her own stupidity. Patchouli would have rightly scolded her for such foolishness, for opening up to the enemies song.
"Stay where you are," ordered Flandre forcefully. When her warning went unheeded, she placed her shoe between those shimmering wings and pressed down. "Ouch, ouch, ouch," Alyssia whimpered as her face kissed against the cold marble surface. Pale light flickered across her fingertips like glittering strands of silk which prompted Flandre to push down even harder.
"Don't even think about using magic," Flandre warned as she leaned down, her mouth creeping into a frightening blackness full of fangs. "I like you better on the ground. Weaklings should know their place."
By this time, the steam had dissipated enough for captive and captor to get a close look at each other. Looking into the vampire's glowing red eyes was utterly terrifying and Alyssia wilted under the intense gaze. A fabled bloodsucking monster wearing the misleading mask of a little girl had her in it's terrible clutches! Not only that, but she looked extremely angry!
"No, please! Don't hurt me! Don't kill me, I beseech you! Have mercy!"
Flandre smirked, her sharp teeth glinting in the reflected sunlight. "Oh, pleading for mercy already? At least give me the chance to do something first." She absolutely loved teasing those beneath her feet, particularly when they provoked her displeasure. That was a trait she had picked up from Remilia whom she looked up to and loved very much.
"Please, I didn't intend any harm! You must believe me! I was only instructed to investigate the taint!"
"What taint?" snapped Flandre. "I hope that wasn't a veiled insult!" The nerve of these people, and just when I was starting to feel more cheerful.
"No, no, the dimensional taint of the gap demon! The shadowy eclipse that smothers reality, the cold fingers that strangle away common sense!"
"I'll strangle you if you don't start to make some sense."
Not too far away, Ran Yakumo almost burst out of hiding at the blatant disrespect of her master. Every muscle in her body screamed for vengeance. Instead, she silently fumed, her clawed hands scraping into the smooth glass. She hated the nickname "gap demon" with a fiery passion. Such a gross misrepresentation of Yukari's brilliance.
Flandre spun around, hands held at the ready but relaxed somewhat at Mokou's approach. Mokou looked back impassively, her scornful eyes narrowing at the vampire's twitchy nature. Walking around eggshells summed up the situation nicely and Mokou really didn't have the patience for babysitting.
"So, who's the runt?" Mokou asked, indicating the cowering mass of feathers.
"That's what I intend to find out," Flandre said as she returned her attention to the fallen woman. "I've seen you before, haven't I?" Flandre asked.
She remembered running into this hapless weakling several times already, once during the freezing snowstorm and more recently at the bamboo forest where she had been captured by the delightful Lunarians. "What's your insignificant name again?"
"M-my name's Alyssia."
Flandre leaned over so closely that Alyssia could feel her warm breath brushing up against the back of her neck. She was so close! Alyssia couldn't help but imagine those deadly fangs as they slowly closed on her exposed skin. "That's a really nice name—such a shame that it belongs to someone who's about to die."
"No, please!" Alyssia pleaded, her sweet voice cracking. "If you kill me, my empress will never forgive you!"
Mokou gave Flandre a concerned look but Flandre shook her head reassuringly. Couldn't that woman tell that she was only playing around? Flandre grinned, returning her attentions to the now prostrating Alyssia who looked positively petrified.
Perhaps I'm just that convincing of an actor?
"Where is this place?" Flandre demanded.
"Th-this is the glass palace, the seat of the great Isabelle's power." The merest mention of her master filled Alyssia with a new found confidence. "Surely you've heard of the great Isabelle Paleflower," she proudly proclaimed while still laying pathetically under the vampire's foot. "The dreamer of fairytales? The empress of forgotten memories?"
Fairytales? That sounds strangely important for some reason...
"No," Flandre said, her brows furrowing. The beating sunlight was drying up her rapidly diminishing good mood by the second. "I asked where this stupid place was, not who it belonged to! This palace looks like an absurd circus attraction! Is the owner simply that vain - that she requires everyone to gaze upon her like some kind of goddess or perhaps she's just some kind of exhibitionist?""
"How dare you insult my empress!" snapped Alyssia who's blistering defiance only lasted until Flandre reached down and plucked a single white feather out from those shimmering white wings.
"Ouch!"
"Shut up," Flandre said flatly. "Or I'll pluck you cleanly like a chicken. I've seen the fairy maids perform the task cleanly and without flaw but I'll warn you now, I'll probably be more clumsy, perhaps even slip a few times. You wouldn't want that, now, would you?"
The thought of those taloned fingers callously ravaging her angelic wings almost sent the poor Alyssia into a catatonic state. Mokou couldn't honestly decide how serious the vampire was acting and so decided to steer the conversation into something more useful before either Flandre snapped or Alyssia completely turned into a quivering mass of jelly.
"You said this place was named the glass palace, correct? How far is this structure from the bamboo forest?"
Alyssia looked up, hopeful that perhaps the silver haired one would be a little more reasonable. "It should take no more than a half-day's travel. If you let me go I can guide you both back there safely. This place will soon become a battlefield so I suggest leaving post haste."
"Oh, trying to get rid off us, are we?" Flandre accused. The only forest I care to know about is the fairy forest. I need to get back before sister discovers my absence and this worm isn't helping!
"No, no, I'm not!" Alyssia pleaded desperately as she felt Flandre press down more forcefully. "Reimu, the fearsome guardian of the Hakurei Shrine will be here shortly, if she isn't here already. This place is dangerous for the unwary so-"
"Reimu?" Flandre exclaimed, the excitement forcing her lips into something approaching a leer. "The red and white will be here?"
The despair of sunlight, of losing her sister's love surged around Flandre, competing with the exhilaration of meeting up with Reimu again. Such conflicting emotions were having a rather curious effect on her wings which flickered weakly like candles in the wind. She tried to not smile but wasn't finding much success.
This is bad. I really need to calm down.
Mokou couldn't help but notice. "Are you blushing?" she asked.
"What? No! Don't be ridiculous!"
"Do you admire Reimu or something? Perhaps a childish crush?"
Flandre was almost beside herself at the absurdity of such a claim. "I'll crush you between my fingertips, Mokou, and yes, I do admire the shrine maiden. I want to meet her again, to battle her again while testing out my new spectacular techniques. What could possibly be wrong with that?"
"Whoa, touchy aren't we?" Mokou grinned and held up her hands apologetically. "Looks like I touched a nerve, though that isn't exactly difficult with you." She walked towards the nearest archway. "You shouldn't treat the shrine maiden as a friend. It's her job to exterminate inhuman troublemakers, keep that in mind when you act all starry-eyed towards her."
Flandre pointed at her back accusingly. "Hey, I'm not finished here!" She couldn't help but feel that she was being belittled. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to unleash some potent combination of magic while Mokou's back was turned but let it not be said that Flandre Scarlet was some kind of coward.
"Reimu isn't like that at all! She's like a stern, sarcastic big sister who sincerely cares about us even if she won't admit it. Sister is always welcome at the Hakurei Shrine, despite her nature. She always enjoys her time in the human world."
Once Flandre had started, she found it impossible to stop speaking, if only to prove to herself that her own desires weren't some kind of convenient invention. Flandre attempted to reign in her emotions but the accursed sunlight was robbing her of her senses. Almost on the verge of tears, but not quite, Flandre earnestly continued .
"I've seen enough false smiles, enough broken promises to know when someone doesn't really care. When I show her how much I've grown, perhaps she'll invite me along next time. Besides, if I beat her in a friendly duel, she'll have no choice but to invite me."
"Well, perhaps you'll get that opportunity," said Mokou as she looked around at the myriad of pathways available to them. Formed of glass, the corridors seemed no less like a maze. The simple act of looking was straining her vision so she looked back at the flustered vampire. "Anyway, aren't you concerned for your friend, Cirno wasn't it?"
Cirno!
"Of course I'm concerned! We need to meet up with her right away."
Flandre felt her angelic footrest squirming beneath her shoe. Truthfully, she had totally forgotten about her presence, not that Alyssia had much of a spiritual impression to begin with. Crouching down, she prodded the back of Alyssia's blonde hair with one of her claws. "You're going to guide us and be thankful for it, aren't you?"
"Of course, of course, of course!" Alyssia agreed a little too enthusiastically, so much so in fact, that her nodding forehead was actually hitting the marble ground. The apologetic shacking and flapping wings almost toppled Flandre over.
"Hey, stop moving you birdbrain!" Flandre exclaimed as she ducked underneath a feathery wing swipe that swooshed overhead. Irritated once again, Flandre reached down with one hand and effortlessly hauled the larger woman upright before her hysteria brought the whole glass palace crashing around their feet.
"Stop moving...you...idiotic...psychopath!"
Spinning Alyssia around, Flandre held her in place with taloned fingers and leaned in until they were practically face to face. Her warm breath and menacing red eyes finally had the desired effect as Alyssia stood transfixed by the terrifying demonic vision of a vampire's bite.
Mokou found the sight of Flandre standing high up on her tiptoes incredibly amusing and struggled to contain her laughter. Especially so considering how intimidating Flandre was trying to be, but contain it she did. It really wasn't worth provoking yet another tempter tantrum.
When Flandre joined Mokou at the archway, she couldn't help but notice the curious look she received. Mokou just smiled and nodded towards their newly acquired guide.
As they walked the many sparkling hallways and expansive rooms, Flandre noticed quite a few objects of interest. Items strangely familiar and yet different at the same time. One room contained a number of wheeled contraptions that Flandre recognized at automobiles. She remembered the old Victorian, boxed shaped variations from storybooks but these were sleek, shining beasts with tinted black windshields and were formed from colourful, polished plastics.
Another sculptured room appeared to be a library filled with leathery books that smelled of old paper. The natural sunlight illuminated every nook and cranny of the expansive collection. Walking between the large bookshelves, Flandre noticed a number of gossip magazines and newspapers piled up on a small table. Picking one up at random, she flicked through the pages.
The articles were mostly human-world hearsay, horoscopes and celebrity news. Flipping through the pages, Flandre recognized very little. The television guide seemed like an unsolvable riddle of squares without any reason whatsoever. She blushed at some of the revealing female outfits which were richly captured in vivid, full colour photos. Without a single frilly hat, elaborate dress nor parasol in sight, Flandre felt quite out of place.
Has the human world changed that much?
Placing it carefully back down, Flandre glanced at a rather amateurish looking publication that proudly proclaimed that it featured exclusive stories by the much celebrated journalist Aya Shameimaru. Inside was a listing for "Top ten famous humans gapped into Gensokyo" while on the next page was a survival guide for navigating Yuuka Kazami's sunflower garden.
Flandre gasped at the candid panty-shot gallery in which you matched the face to whichever piece of lingerie belonged to which Youkai. Even with the portraits covered with black bars, Flandre could have sworn one of the victims was a very much asleep Hong Meiling sprawled out behind a bushy tree.
Those red - how shocking...
"Hey, bookworm," Mokou called impatiently. "Are you done yet?" Flandre scowled before returning the publication back down upon the table. Figuring that a room filled with books would probably be the least likely place to find a hyperactive ice fairy like Cirno, she left the library.
As they walked down another irritatingly warm and sunshine filled corridor, Flandre found herself sorely missing the refreshing cool touch of midnight. Daylight wouldn't kill her outright but it would significantly weaken her over a protracted period of time. The blessing of light was very much like a slow acting poison to a vampire. With every step on the marble flooring, Flandre imagined her strength fading away until she could barely breathe.
"So, Alyssia" Mokou said. "What's the fascination with human memorabilia? It seems like every single room is stacked with the stuff."
Alyssia glanced nervously back at Flandre before she answered. The vampire just smiled back at her, relishing her discomfort. "The Empress wishes to be prepared and knowledgeable when we return to reality. Keeping up to date on human traditions is only natural."
"Reality, huh? This place is real enough," said Mokou, her foot tapping the floor.
"This place is nothing but a wonderland, a fairytale that we cannot escape."
"Where is my friend?" Flandre demanded loudly, unable to contain herself any longer. "We should have seen or heard something by now." Barely conscious of her actions, Flandre grabbed Alyssia's wrist and squeezed tightly. "I swear, if something's happened to her, you'll be the first one to answer for it."
"P-please," Alyssia whimpered, her skin turning alabaster pale. "I haven't done anything wrong!" She backed away as if physically repelled by Flandre's displeasure which was a distinct possibly considering that Mokou could actually feel the seething anger boiling just under the surface.
"Settle down," warned Mokou. "Harming our guide isn't very wise, is it?"
"What guide?" Flandre snapped. "I've been keeping track of our location and haven't detected the faintest traces of life. No fairies, no nothing." Her crimson gaze turned positively murderous and while there was no magic or trickery involved, her expression alone almost caused Alyssia to pass out. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if our friend here was leading us into a trap."
"I've d-done everything...you've asked," Alyssia stammered. Whimpering to herself, the angel-like backed away until her wings pressed up against the wall. "I cannot take this madness any longer!" she screamed. Sweat beaded down over her pounding chest. Flandre reached for her, those sharp claws moving towards her soft, delicate flesh. Trapped; she was trapped with this monster in sheep's clothing!
Alyssia screamed, the high-pitched sound shattering the overhead glass which cascaded downwards like glittering raindrops. Flandre cursed as she beheld the curtain of falling sharpness and rushed away from it. It reminded her of one of Sakuya's spell card, an endless stream of knifes attacking you from every conceivable angle. At least in this case Flandre only had to worry about danger from above. The few fragments of glass that neared her were harmlessly flicked away by her long, sharp fingernails.
Unable to even think rationally, Alyssia's hands glowed with brilliant swirling energies. Two glowing spheres of almost polar opposite colour were slowly crushed within her fingers. Her hysterical mind wanted nothing more than to escape which was an extremely dangerous way to handle chaotic magic. Turning yourself into a frog was often one of the more favourable outcomes.
As such, the unstable forces shot out from her palm with an ear-splitting whoosh of crackling force. The shining twin beams created a deadly crossfire of change as they rebounded between the falling glass shards like an indoor game of laser tag. The explosion of vivid shades and shapes dazzled Mokou who had been shielding herself from the glass with an umbrella of blistering flames.
Some of the glass fragments morphed into miniature mockeries of Alyssia which all wailed in her familiar, heavenly voice. They attacked anything that moved, living or dead. Flandre snarled as she savagely backhanded one away before blasting several others back into superheated glass but the bewitching verses of song were steadily chipping away at her sanity.
Meanwhile Mokou had to contend with a resounding cacophony of screeching icicles, howling fireballs and unnatural Gensokyo weather that all combined itself into a maddening death trap. Her face was awash with cascading colours as everything around her went completely crazy. Mokou grunted as she hit the floor, rolled around and bathed the glittering storm in her own version of passionate, blazing hell.
Flame lances laced with magical lightening pounded at Mokou's fire relentlessly. Dust storms made up of volatile particles smashed into each other, each impact berthing a perverse new colour or sound that really shouldn't exist. Mokou's arms strained under the pressure of maintaining her fire-shield. Some of her long silver hair that lay on the edge was singed and burned away, the smoke actually intensifying as a trace amount of immortality fuelled the magical inferno.
"That's enough!" Mokou yelled and clapped her hands together, the loud outpouring of total denial cancelling out much of the rouge energies. "Begone!"
Without the intricate words to control this wild, aimless arcana, Mokou simply shouted it down while cleansing it with her unwavering, eternal flame. From her viewpoint, she was looking up while at the centre of some cataclysmic storm. It was a breathtaking sight but sadly not one that she could readily enjoy, what with all the sizzling, exploding and colliding going on.
Bright flashes occurred as her fire strangled out the very life of the aimless spells. Mokou didn't even flinch as the roasting heat licked dangerously close to her face. Smothering it, her blazing flames systematically crushed each and every dangerous creation before burning it away in a cloud of multicoloured smoke.
Not too far away, Flandre slashed out with her claws in a deadly arch that shredded the doppelgängers, her sharp talons a blur of movement. She hated these things, hated their holy verses that caressed her mind with whispers and seemingly good intentions. Her red eyes shone menacingly as she dodged and leapt over shimmering pockets of uncertainty created by the mischievous magic.
During Flandre's home-schooling, Patchouli Knowledge had lectured her at great length about the possible dangers of undirected magic. One wrong misstep might tear away part of your precious psyche or perhaps just decimate the surrounding area while screeching violins assaulted the ears. Patchouli had been almost suicidally depressed after Flandre had mistakenly denied the sorceress' sense of joy one time.
Flandre landed on all fours like a cat ready to pounce. The air above Flandre was still alive with vivid splotches and crackling discharges that struck out in all directions. While the after-images had been dealt with, the power that had birthed them still remained. As if to illustrate that fact, the merest flicker of heliotrope purple transformed a patch of glass into an unstable portal into another realm.
Eiki Shiki, the judger of souls, looked up from her mountain of paperwork at the swirling portal that had suddenly appeared in her otherwise peaceful courthouse. The purples and blues flashed across her rod of remorse which was currently holding down a pile of flapping documents.
"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.
Flandre actually took an involuntary step backwards when this divine being took notice of her. Those piecing blue eyes watched her like a hawk. While Flandre had no idea who this person was, she suddenly felt very small, like a mortal looking up with wonder as the shining heavens were slowly revealed.
While the sight was striking, inspirational even, Flandre wanted no part of this unsettling glimpse into the afterlife. Breathing in with all her might, Flandre used her very nature as a vampire to suck in all the stray magic before it did something else unpredictable.
It tasted horrible and blissful at the same time and Flandre's eyes watered as a thousand different flavours flooded her taste-buds. The magical energy charged her wings like a lightening rod and soon they were fiercely glowing like a series of neighbouring suns. The many fantastical sights and sounds steadily dissipated as Flandre feasted on that which sustained them.
With a loud clap, the portal and many other curious anomalies snapped out of reality with varying effects. Back in the courthouse, the swirling gateway's dismissal produced a sudden gust of wind which in some cruel twist of fate knocked over an ink pot on the Yama's desk. Eiki gasped in horror as a creeping pool of blackness poured all over her important, handwritten documents that had taken hours of her precious time to write and compile.
"Wh-why? Eiki whimpered, her trembling hand releasing her trusted quill which dropped down onto the desk. "Why did... such a thing happen?"
Then her expression hardened as she slammed open the uppermost draw and pulled out her trusty ledger of souls which contained all the mischievous and downright sinful crimes that required her stern judgements.
"I'll never forget this transgression!" Eiki snapped as she flipped through the practically limitless number of pages until she stabbed down her finger on one particular name.
Mokou jumped back onto her feet and roared her displeasure when she noticed that Alyssia was no longer with them. Her fingers itched for someone to purge with righteous flame. Bright fires flickered in between her clenched fingers like dragons breath.
"I'll roast that birdbrain until she's a blackened husk!" Mokou blustered, her footsteps actually warm enough to leave smouldering impressions in the marble flooring. Her footwear, of course, remained unaffected.
"Hey, wait," Flandre said as Mokou began running down the glass corridor. "Where exactly do you think you're going without me!"
"Where you do think?" Mokou called back behind a swathe of silver hair. "If you don't want to be left behind, then get a move on!"
Flandre hesitated only for a moment before taking off in pursuit of Mokou. As she ran, her eyes noticed a number of large, celestial feathers that shimmered gloriously in the sunlight.