The Nuclear Furnace was, to my great shock, like any other power plant you might find in the outside world. Kappa and tengu bustled about as they tapped on mechanical consoles embedded into the walls of the control room, which was itself a ringed passageway surrounding the reactor core. We were shielded from the bulk of the core's radiation by a set of thick glass walls that shimmered with ethereal magic. Glass alone was not enough to block the harmful rays completely, as Moriya pointed out, but the strategic placing of spell seals around the control room generated a barrier that transported the remaining radiation back into the core itself, which also helped hasten the process of fusion.
As I was not a scientist – and had never been, judging by the considerable lack of knowledge I possessed regarding nuclear plants from the outside world – I could not understand more than the rudimentary basics of Suwako and Kanako's grand plan to bring nuclear energy to Gensokyo. I did know, however, that the consistent application of nuclear fusion towards energy generation had not yet been achieved in the outside world, given that the vast majority of nuclear plants used nuclear fission instead. So, it was doubly awe-inspiring that such a feat had been achieved here in Gensokyo, where most of the other forms of technology used by the residents had remained unchanged for veritable centuries.
"The extreme conditions created by the magma smashes and fuses molecules together, which allows them to release energy," Suwako noted. The reactor core, a brightly shining white orb floating in midair, received the concentrated heat through pumps that constantly shuttled magma into a network of pipes surrounding the core. This meant that the core would never be allowed to cool, instead remaining heated for as long as the molten rock above continued to provide its spiritually infused warmth.
"How do you feel about having all this activity under your feet?" It was a question I felt compelled to ask Satori, given that she ostensibly oversaw the comings and goings of all the entities that worked here.
"As long as they do not cause me any trouble, I am content for them to do what they need to do." Satori reached a hand out and brushed it against the jagged walls. "I do not understand fully the meaning behind all this… machinery, but if it is for the good of the realm, then I am willing to give what little help I can furnish."
"I apologize for any disruptions that may be caused to you," Suwako said, bowing towards Satori. "It is as you say. This is vitally important work, not just for my and Kanako's own interests, but for the greater good of Gensokyo as a whole."
"But what use is the generation of energy on such a scale if it isn't being used to benefit the people who live here?" I asked. "For example, it seems like you have a perfectly good source of electricity here, yet the rest of Gensokyo is still living on wicker lamps and candles."
"The technology may appear to be complete, but in truth it is still very much an unfinished and untested science. What you see here is not by any means the final results of our research. Indeed, as you noted, there is an absence of other concurrent forms of technology, which hinders us greatly in certain respects. That is why we need an image of the technology of your time, so we might obtain a better picture of what it is that we lack."
"And how do you propose to get this… image of my time?" I had an inkling of what Suwako was planning, but my mind refused to believe that she would suggest it, or even that it could be done at all. Unfortunately, my fears were not to be denied.
We were led into a small side chamber. A chair had been placed in the middle of the room, and the floor of the room was covered in intricate carvings. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the carvings formed a magic circle – a rarity in a place like Gensokyo, where most magic was confined within living beings, but nonetheless a substantive component of the magical tapestry.
"This is a dissection circle," said Suwako. "Put simply, it opens up the composite parts of anything placed in the center of the circle, allowing observers to view its inner workings. Only figuratively, of course – you will not be opened up unceremoniously like a cadaver."
"Judging by what you say, you want me to sit in the chair and be 'opened up', so to speak." I frowned.
"Indeed."
"And may I ask why?"
"An interesting thing happens when a living being is magically dissected via a dissection circle. It seems that not only physical things are exposed – metaphysical objects, too, are revealed. Memories, for example."
"So, you're thinking about looking into my mind to find hidden images of my old reality?"
"Exactly right."
"You do realize that my memories have been erased, right?"
"Of course. But there are many forms of erasure. Some spells place active barriers around your well of memories that prevent you from recalling them. Others simply make you forget that you had those memories in the first place, even though your original memories may still be intact."
"The traveler's memories have most definitely been altered," Satori interjected. "I can attest to that. He kindly allowed me to see inside them, and I observed that they were artificially changed, most likely by someone from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. If his memories are indeed still there, they are beyond my reach."
"Regardless, we will uncover the truth of this matter once we run a full scan of the traveler's mind." Suwako gestured towards the chair. "Please."
I did not budge. "I still have my misgivings," I said.
"I am offering you what you have been seeking." Suwako scratched her head, as if failing to understand my reticence. "A key to your past, and a chance to recover that which was lost to you. Is that not what you have been looking for?"
"Is this why you didn't want Reimu or Marisa to come? You thought they might try and dissuade me from recovering my old memories?"
"It was a reasonably foreseeable outcome." Suwako folded her arms. "It would be troublesome if they were to intervene. I also wanted to ensure that the choice you made would be truly of your own volition. You may walk out of here without finding out the truth behind your past – Yasaka and I will not attempt to stop you. But this is the only time we will offer you this chance."
Every bone in my body screamed for me not to accept. I recognized that Suwako and Kanako, gods though they may be, were capable of any degree of manipulation and malice for the sake of achieving their goals – after all, they did attempt to bury us alive just a few days prior. But I was more worried about what my newfound memories, if indeed they could be found again, would do to my relationship with Marisa, Reimu, and my many other magical companions. Knowledge was not something easily hidden – sagacious and observant as they were, my acquaintances would soon discover what I had done, and the honorable part of me could not bear to do something that clearly went against their wishes without at least consulting them first.
Yet my travels thus far had been driven by a pure and simple desire for the truth behind my arrival in Gensokyo, and I knew deep down that if I spurned the opportunities that were afforded to me simply because I underestimated the strength of the bonds I had formed with the maidens of this realm, I would not be able to live with myself in the days that followed.
My feet, not entirely against my will, made my decision for me. I strode forward and sat myself on the chair.
A grin stretched across Suwako Moriya's face, and for a moment I wondered if I had made a mistake. But before I could will my legs to stand up again, the usual serene expression returned to her features, and she nodded.
"Let us begin, then," she said.
