"We have arrived."
Or so did the funny-haired girl say. I could never tell if those were real. While she idly waited for my response, I noticed that there was a look in her eyes that suggested more than her casual demeanor.
"Are you really human?" she asked, rather bluntly.
"Yes," I replied after taking a brief moment to let that question to sink in.
Well, am I? Maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm an undead, a ghost of the man who once lived here. That could explain why I'm almost immortal.
The girl did not react expressively with my dull reply whatsoever. She gestured upwards with her wooden stick thing, indicating a large patch of cloud above us. I couldn't really tell what color it was from the snow getting in my eyes, but I'm sure that was it. The pathway to Hakugyoukurou. It has to be there, the only and one part of the Netherworld that was connected to Gensokyo. From the moment I set my eyes on it, tidal waves of intense longing for certain days of the old washed violently over me, drowning me in its nostalgic taste of bittersweet sadness. Memories of me dying in my last moments, the countless poems I composed the night before, and the young, cherry-haired girl who I felt great grief on having to leave behind, the increased intensity of these episodic flashes only served to reinforce my determination.
I clutched my fists. Only one question remained. How will we ever get up there?
"The answer is this." Out of nowhere, the girl took out a tattered book from under her cape. It sure had seen better times, yet for some reason, it felt strangely familiar. Have I read it somewhere before? The memories of the dead man did not suggest anything about that old book. She quickly flipped to a page and started draw to something in the snow with her stick. It was a small summoning circle of some kind, filled with ancient Chinese characters by the outer rim. When she was finished, the girl chanted something under her breath and the circle began to glow faintly with yellow.
"Stand in there."
I obeyed, and immediately I felt something wrong. My body...it's lighter?
"Hmph. Who knew that he was capable of gravity reversal." the girl said without any context whatsoever, but she did wear a satisfied face, as if pleased with the results. She then took off to the sky—my suspicions were correct, she is no human all right, not an ordinary one at least—and I was forced to follow. No, followed wasn't the right word, as that would suggest I had control over my action. I fell upwards, as if the sky became down for me, and nature simply took over without a second thought. Everything inside that circle was subjected to its magic, and the thick snow joined me in my freefalling upwards, alongside chunks of the earth I was standing on.
What a life.
It felt forever, but when we finally arrived, the falling sensation stopped, and I found myself bound to my feet and the law of physics. All is well with sanity except that we were standing right on top of a wooden pillar that was somehow standing right on top of the pink cloud. Ahead was a sight that got the hairs on my body standing. An enormous weathered gate stood tall, as grand as it is imposing. The girl did not have to tell me. I already knew.
"Now, how do you open it?" to my surprise she was the one to ask.
I gave her a look. She shrugged.
"You should know."
Do I? Perhaps I should, since I used to live here in the Netherworld. But I don't know how. Memories that did not belong to Miles Franson flooded my mind, but not one of them gave specific instructions as to how to secure the door. I don't suppose it's Open Sesame, is it?
"I don't know if I could," I pointed at the gate, "but could you bring me closer?"
She complied by drawing another one of the circles on the wooden pillar we were standing on. It started to glow. When I stepped into it, the circle began to move slowly towards the gate and supported my body weight in the thin air. Another volley of strange yet deeply familiar memories once again was shot through me as I moved closer to my destination, but when I searched among them, there was never a time of my former self performing any kind of methodical ritual to unlock the gate. They always showed it opening for me by itself.
Which makes sense, if you narrow it down to one possibility.
I placed my hand on the Border of Life and Death. Its texture felt no different than regular wood, yet there was something mystical about it. As I expected, it began to rumble, and the gigantic gates slowly opened inwards.
I heard the girl scoff in approval. There were no memories of a secret way to open the gate because there wasn't any. It simply obeyed to my will every time I came here, as if it recognizes me.
Well, this is it. Beyond it is my destiny. Do you still see me as the simple human that time when I stumbled upon your afternoon tea that time, Remilia Scarlet? If only you could see me now. Will you be satisfied if you robbed me of my fate as an enslaved servant?
My heart pounded with anticipation as the gates tremored, despite it progressing at a snail's pace. I am here for the Tree of Saigyo Hoshi, and this was my chance make it happen. It was my biggest source of motivation to continue living, and to be honest, I don't really care if I succeed in stopping the madness that was consuming Gensokyo. All it mattered was to see it up close, in its true glory. Nothing will stop me.
"But alas, Mr. Human, there appears to be another impudent obstacle stainding in your way."
She did not have to tell me that. When the gate opened enough just to have a glimpse of the inside, the first thing I saw was a woman's face staring back at me in horror. She had furry ears sprouting from her head and possessed up to nine golden tails on her back. A youkai. Must be one of the famous nine-tailed ones.
"You," she directed her voice at me, "what are you doing here? How did you get in?"
I no longer felt the obligation to be polite, nor do I have the time for such pettiness. Why doesn't anyone get it? Please, get out of the way. It was so close, just beyond these stairs.
"Let me handle her, then. Go on and realize your destiny, writer of poems." Pointy-Hair said behind me. To be honest, despite being grateful for her assistance, I do not know what her agendas are, helping me out of nowhere, and it was pretty suspicious the way she knew so much about me. Was she an acquaintance of Alice's?
"Yeah," I muttered, her circle moving me to the solid ground that took place in the Netherworld. Doesn't matter, it was her offer. "Have fun."
So I made the first move. Before the fox could do anything, I dashed for the stairs. She might have caught me if whatever sounded like bolts of lightning did not follow in the wake of my steps, cutting her advance.
