Hello, ITalkToSky here.

Happy New Year!

If you thought this is an unexpectedly quick chapter, it is merely because this used to be the scrapped chapter 69.

Unfortunately, it is not a direct continuation of the story. It serves the story to wrap a few plot points during Lunaire's conversation with Yukari a while back. At the same time, it also gives a few insights into his character. One might find it strange for Lunaire to be so adamant in making this Gensokyo relocation plan work. He is a man with some baggage, even if he does not show it. That is by design since he is not the type to fall into the trapping of brooding edgy protagonist.

Please enjoy!

Discord invite code: nSMHjar

Come over and say hi some time.

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Scarlet Devil Mansion, 2088

The full moon displayed its full splendor that night. Its gentle light whitewashed even the crimson brick of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Lunaire loved the sight of a gorgeous full moon. There was something strangely tranquil about it for the magician, even if it was merely a fake imitation. He would not want to look at the real one anyway. Eirin warned that the light of the true moon induced insanity within mortals. His occupation demanded his utmost mental acuity.

Lunaire leaned forward against the railing. The rooftop of the mansion offered a great moonlit scenery of the garden. The crisp wind caressed his cheeks, but his eyes remained closed. Even with the magnificent view on display, even if the mansion was so quiet with only Patchouli and himself around, it was not an occasion to enjoy. Rather than a sake bottle, his hand loosely gripped his staff and the other held a crystal ball.

As a magician studying the manipulation of probability, Lunaire found divination off-putting, specifically the unrestricted type. Without narrowing down the scope or basing the process on some calculation, the process often yielded half-baked and often misleading prophecies. People led astray chasing after these were too numerous to count. Yet, he was left with little choice.

Yukari left him with strange instruction as per usual. She said to look out for anything unusual during the next full moon and go to that location as fast as he could. Excuse him, but everything in Gensokyo was unusual. The very existence of Gensokyo was unusual. Asking him to find something unusual was like asking him to find a slightly bigger needle in a pile of needles. Sometimes, he wondered if it would kill Yukari to be a little more specific.

Gritting his teeth, Lunaire prayed that using himself as an anchor and focusing only on the immediate future would be enough.

Then the image in the orb shifted…

Mob cap…so many people wore mob caps in Gensokyo for an inexplicable reason. This one was adorned with a large deep violet bow, an unusual sight yet not impossible in the land of fantasy.

The moon…Lunaire heard no bell ringing in his mind.

Then an eerily glowing circle of magic…

Lunaire nearly dropped his crystal in surprise. He recognized that magic circle. He contributed to much of its formula and he dreaded its grim purpose. Disregarding the first, the second and third visions were enough to rouse his full attention. Even if he did not know the specific reason, the situation was beyond dire.

Then, a spark of power burst forth from the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. It lasted so briefly that it could just be a trick of his sense, but Lunaire blasted off, pouring every ounce of mana into his flight magic.


Yakumo Ran was a nine-tailed fox. Still, even for the long-lived species like her, the event in the past few days threw her off balance. Ran could not help mumbling whatever came to her mind. "It was a dark night, and I couldn't find anything like a building. There was only a great bamboo forest, the likes of which we hadn't seen on the moon. There were the howls of greatly impure beasts and finally, in the sky…"

"The full moon…and it's just a little past full." Rarely did the Shikigami remember Yukari sounding so lost.

"This…is Gensokyo, isn't it?" Ran said gingerly.

"Oh no! The moon is closing up!"

Yukari spun around to see her gap, ubiquitous of her ability, shrinking visibly. The twinkling night sky of the moon on the other side of the portal disappeared from her view. Yukari knew there was little she could do about it. It took but a mere thought for her to sustain her gap. For it to close without her command, something went terribly wrong.

"That's right. The slight disturbance in the moon's rotation period. The delicate trap that should have been a nice, round twenty-eight."

Calling out to them from behind was a smug voice that Yukari remembered so well since the last time she heard it. Both the master and her Shikigami turned around to see a blond woman in violet, strolling casually toward them. To her side was a rabbit girl in a dress suit and skirt, lugging an antique-looking musket beside her.

"You won't be going back to the moon anymore, thanks to the trap my master set over a thousand years ago."

If one wondered what the mysterious woman talked about, one could not fault their intelligence. It was one artifact of the unintelligible foresight of the Lunarians. After the discovery of a particular Youkai capable of bridging the Lunar-Earth gap during a full moon, they enacted a plan to trap said Youkai that would baffle any sane mortal mind. One complete orbit of the moon should be a nice round number of exactly twenty-eight days. Yet, over the course of a thousand years, the Lunarians subtly leeched the momentum of the moon, shortening the month down to the current 27.32 days.

What was their ultimate goal, one might ask? Said Youkai was able to access the lunar surface precisely during the full moon. By shortening the sidereal month, they essentially shorted the period in which the interloper could invade. It was only by a minute amount. Yet, for a calculation ran in advance for over a millennium, the Lunarians somehow managed to boot Yukari out of the moon precisely before the full moon ended prematurely.

"The small-minded will use fools as decoys to try to deceive you. Beware of the empty house. Ohoho." Toyohime shrill smug laughter was as grating as ever, Yukari thought.

"It's all just as master said." The way Toyohime lauded Eirin to high heaven also never changed. "That old-fashioned rocket was just a distraction, and the real invaders would show up quietly."

"A distraction? Toyohime-sama, there's been something strange about this place for a while now. Where exactly are we and who are these people?" The rabbit beside Toyohime looked around in wonder, completely forgetting the fact that she was supposed to keep her firearm on her target. The short attention span was the reason most moon rabbits made poor soldiers.

"Reisen, this is the Earth. The ground soaked in the death of countless beings. The forest defiled by countless lives. The disgusting cries of four-legged beasts and the beautiful moon, floating in the sky." Toyohime explained mockingly, not toward the rabbit's ignorance, but the topic itself. "Surely you remember this, Reisen."

"Then that means…they're…"

"These are the Earth Youkai who came to invade the moon. They've just fallen into my trap and lost their way."

Hearing that, Reisen, the current pet of Toyohime, clapped delightfully much to the happiness of her master. The Lunarian thrust her chest out proudly and spat out another piece of wisdom.

"The way may be close by, but that is why you must seek it far away."

"What's that?

Completely sidelining Yukari and Ran, Toyohime explained proudly to the rabbit. "It was one of master's favorite sayings. These Youkai mistook the indirect path for the correct one. They're very simple youkai who sought out a head-on-confrontation they couldn't win, and foolish Youkai who thought they could escape the wrath of heaven.

After frolicking with her pet briefly, Toyohime finally turns her full attention toward Yukari who still had her back turned toward the pair. She tapped her fan against her chin as if in thought. Reisen watched the proceeding with a blank stare.

"I wonder which path was the true one." Extending her folded fan forward as if she were challenging her foe with a sword. "O, frivolous ones, will you challenge me in combat?"

Yukari did not see such a gesture as her back was still turned against her adversary. Ran urged desperately for her master to do something. Finally, Yukari turned around slowly. Her eyes were unreadable. To the Lunarian princess, it seemed like the expression from an unwilling loser, so she could not help but grinned.

In a flash, Toyohime approached and held her fan up to Yukari's pearly neck. Even then, the Youkai showed no sign of moving a muscle.

"Yukari-sama," Ran cried worriedly.

"Hmph…there's no need to worry." Yukari flashed a smile.

Seeing signs of resistance, Toyohime leaped backward and unfolded her fan with a flourish. Her confident smile never left her lips. "This fan can cause a wind that will instantly purify this forest at the atomic level. What can you do against this specimen of the moon's most advanced weaponry?"

To that, Yukari laughed. Clutching her stomach, Yukari guffawed without restraint. For once, the smug smile dropped from Toyohime's face, replaced by a questioning look. She wondered whether she somehow broke this impudent Youkai from sheer stress.

"Oh, I surrender, I surrender! I have no intention of fighting you. I never would have stood a chance against you in direct combat, anyway." Yukari admitted while wiping a bead of tears from laughing too much.

"Yukari-sama…"

"Once my decoy plan failed, we had no chance of winning." Yukari shrugged nonchalantly before the woman who just threatened to reduce everything to ash.

"Well now, aren't you a good girl." Toyohime kept her fan leveled, in case of any surprise attack. For insidious creatures like Youkai, that would not be above them, she thought.

"It may be presumptuous of the loser to ask this sort of thing but…" Yukari knelt, surprising her familiar greatly. "This was all the work of a single foolish Youkai. All the other living creatures here are without sin. Please I hope you'll reconsider returning this place to nothing with that fan."

"It's quite impossible for the creatures here to be without sin." Without her earlier hint of mockery, Toyohime proclaimed it with surety. So great was her confidence as if she were the Yama of hell herself. "Simply living and dying here on the Earth is sinful enough. Your punishment will be decided after we bring you to the moon...and the punishment for the creature here on Earth…is to spend their entire lives creeping about the Earth and finally die."

Turning toward her rabbit, Toyohime said, "Reisen, apprehend these two."

"Yes," the girl hoped excitedly in the air.

"Oh, and don't even think about trying to cut through those ropes. It's made of Femtofiber fabric."

"Femto?" Yukari repeated, feeling slightly apprehensive. Lunarian love their arcane vocabulary, but there was usually some meaning behind the word.

"Femto, to put it simply, is the instantaneous, a period of time so short that normal living being can't even imagine it. Time is made up of countless instants so short you can't perceive them."

Toyohime explained proudly the vaunted technological progress of the Lunarians. Still, Yukari found this much more agreeable. Rather than the insufferable smug grin, Toyohime seemed to be genuinely interested in the topic she explained.

"Since you can't perceive the instantaneous, time appears to be continuous, but it's actually made up of tiny instants. Those ropes also appear to be single pieces of rope. But in reality, they're woven together from much smaller threads. And so, these ropes woven from imperceptibly thin fibers, seem like an infinitely continuous material."

As if to somehow prove the strength of the material, Toyohime pulled on the ribbon-like material, created a snapping sound. Yukari rolled her eyes. Toyohime was not a physically powerful specimen of her kind, so this act proved nothing. Still, the efficacy of the robe was most likely true.

"We remove all unwanted materials to make them the strongest fabric possible. That includes, of course, any unwanted impurity. By weaving those threads together into ropes, you can make a rope that will never rot. Since time immemorial, we've used these ropes to restrict the movement of the impure."

A flash of recognition sparked in Yukari's eyes. She huffed as she saw through the smoke and mirror Toyohime put up. "The movements of the impure you say…and yet, the native gods were bound with the same rope."

Toyohime smiled. "That's right. As you've pointed out, it would be more correct to say we've used them to seal away any who would defy the moon."

"Yukari-sama, what's going on here?" Ran asked, not comprehending.

"They say that long ago. When the sun goddess Amaterasu-Oomikami hid in the cave, it was sealed with a rope called Shimekuri-nawa so that she could never enter it again. Since then, that sort of rope has been used to limit the movement of the impure."

Toyohime chuckled softly "Yes, Shimenawa. It's thanks to this that lunar capital remains safe."


"Ha! Then I say that you will need more than measly rope to get away tonight, Lunarian."

"How impudent! Who are you? Toyohime glanced disdainfully at the interloper.

A man appeared from between the shadowy groves of bamboo. His silver hair shimmered softly in the moonlight. Dressed in a robe fitting of a western magician, he moved through the vegetation with surprising ease. In one hand, he carried a staff, seemingly crafted from the purest sapphire blue crystal itself. Taking the shape of a thin Celtic cross, the wielder held it at the ready in front of him. On the other hand, however, was a curious object.

From a glance, it reminded Toyohime of a jade seal, the kind used to officiate documents on the moon. Like them, the object featured a truncated square pyramid base. On the top of the seal where the ornament would usually be was an ugly Oni's face. For such a distasteful, yet mundane looking object, Toyohime felt an indescribable sense of danger.

Toyohime unfolded her fan again. "So, you brought friend, hm, foolish Youkai? It seems that your kind never seems to learn."

"I have heard much of the civilized and cultured people of the moon. Yet, seeing one for myself…my disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. What cultured?" Lunaire snorted in amusement. "You are so quick to resort to violence just like us Earthlings."

"…" Toyohime lowered her eyes and glared at him. From the way her lips thinned, Lunaire's word seemed to offend her personally and thoroughly.

"Please don't give me such a scary stare. I understand that my honesty can be a fault at times. I am trying my hardest to practice restraint."

Yukari snickered, seeing the tick mark appearing on Toyohime's temple. This was a rare sight worthy of being immortalized as a painting in her collection.

"Don't laugh Yukari. Just what mess did you create this time. No, scratch that. There is the normal mess. And then there is a mess involving Lunarian. There are so many people you can pick a fight within Gensokyo and you decide it is a good idea to go all the way to the moon. I don't know who she is but damn it. A Lunarian is still a Lunarian."

"For once, the savage speaks sense." Toyohime chimed in.

"Sorry princess, trying to talk here." Lunaire waved his hand as if shooing her away. This undoubtedly intensified her annoyance to the next level, eliciting another bout of laughter from Yukari.

"Haha! Did you hear that princess?" Yukari then turned to Lunaire, struggled a bit in her restraint. "For your information, I was just pulling a little prank on this little princess over here. It seems that she just cannot take a little joke."

Technically, Toyohime had the word Hime, meaning princess, in it. Lunaire was not wrong when referring to her as such, but he did so without knowing her status. Rather, he merely called her a princess as a humorous insult to her haughtiness. Being referred to without a shred of respect offended her greatly. Yukari just added to that fire. Another bulging vein was added to her temple.

"Hah," Lunaire sighed exaggeratingly that it almost sounded like a tortured roar. "That what she said, princess. I am sure there is more to it, but can you just overlook it a little this one time? You tied her up and probably gave her a little spank already, so can you just let her go.

"She did not spank me." Yukari protested, but Lunaire ignored her.

"Even if she doesn't look like much, she is still someone important to Gensokyo. Please? Pretty please?"

Seeing his flippant attitude, Toyohime expelled her breath, frustrated. "For the crime of trespassing on the Lunar Capital, it is only right that I take her to face Judgement on the moon. And for your information, do not refer to me as princess. I am Watatsuki no Toyohime and you will address me properly as Watatsuki-sama."

"Wow, I got it right the first time. She is a princess alright." Lunaire turned to Yukari and shrugged. "So princess, you really cannot let her go?" Lunaire asked in the softest tone he could.

That fake gesture added the third tick mark on Toyohime's temple. Her voice trembled slightly when she strained out a quiet, "no."

"I guess the negotiation broke down. I can't say I haven't tried. Why is it that we can't just keep this at just fun and games?" Just rolling his eyes was hardly enough. Lunaire tilted his head back. Staring at the moon, he questioned whoever out there what sin he committed to deserve this punishment.

Then, the moment Lunaire looked back down he changed. Gone was his loose smile, replaced by the stoic face of a man who knew carnage. His eyes grew sharp, staring straight at Toyohime, and picked her apart piece by piece for any useful detail if a fight broke out. The fluffy atmosphere surrounded him thickened perceivably. Even the dull rabbit noticed and leveled her rifle tremblingly at him.

"It seems that you have finally shown your true color." Toyohime wore a confident and determined expression. "I am curious. What exactly do you have to withstand the might of this fan, hm? As a pinnacle of Lunarian weaponry, reducing this entire forest to nothingness would take the merest flick."

"Since you are so gracious as to tell me what your weapon does, I guess I will tell you about mine." Lunaire held up the bronze seal for Toyohime to see. "My staff is nothing interesting. But you might want to hear about this curious trinket."

"Ho, pray tell, just why exactly can it give you such confidence?"

"Hmm, see for yourself…" Lunaire muttered ominously.

The earth trembled. It would take more than a mere earthquake to faze a Lunarian, but contrary to that expectation, Toyohime showed signs of panic for the first time. She lowered her center of gravity to steady herself, but the sickening feeling in her stomach showed no sign of abating. Her golden-brown eyes widened at the scene around her.

From the ground, something that could only be described as solid orbs of coalesced darkness drifted lazily. They simply oozed up from the ground and floated up like balloons. A strong stench assaulted her, prompting Toyohime to cover her nose with her sleeve. With only this, she knew exactly the nature of these orbs.

"I have to thank you for giving me time to charge this trinket up."

"You," Toyohime glared at Lunaire. This time, she was fueled by anger rather than a simple annoyance. "How dare you?"

The seal in Lunaire's hand was radiated sickly darkness, devouring the moonlight in the area. Just looking at it caused Toyohime to be sick to the stomach. Yet, her eyes lit up in surprise seeing that Lunaire was not faring any better, barely containing the content of his stomach. Before she could say anything else, the miasma was seemingly sucked back into the Earth, returning their surroundings to tranquility.

"Disgusting, I tell you. If even a Youkai magician like me feel like this, I don't want to imagine what it felt for you. My apology." Lunaire bowed slightly, showing genuine remorse. "I am truly sorry, Watatsuki-sama…but you leave me no choice. It is an ultimatum, our lives for your immortality."

"…"

"We can either walk away unscathed or lose it all here." Lunaire locked stares with Toyohime. "If you are still set on taking Yukari, I will have no choice but to activate the magical array linked to this seal. I am sure you know that the impurity it produces will taint you forever, damning you to an existence on Earth just like us…I do not believe I will survive your wrath should that come to pass…but I can only do what I must."

"Do you think you will have a chance to activate it? Or will it ever reach me?"

"Watatsuki-sama, I promise you. It will." Lunaire uttered with finality. "This Grand Impurity Array encompassed the entirety of Gensokyo. If I activate it fully, you have a fraction of a second to depart or it will be all over for you…and for me too, I suppose."

"…"

"…"

"…Reisen."

"Yes?"

"Untie them," Toyohime slowly uttered. Her expression betrayed nothing of her expression.

"…Alright, Toyohime-sama."

Lunaire let out the breath he held unconsciously. That was utterly stressful, even if everything went according to plan. Yukari lived. Ran lived. He lived. Although having to reveal the existence of their ultimate deterrence weapon against the Lunarians was regrettable, losing Yukari was not an option. As someone who genuinely cares about the wellbeing of Gensokyo and in the position to protect it, he needed her.

"I apologize to have to resort to this method. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me." Lunaire bowed again. "Yukari, get away from this place. Please, I don't want anything to happen given how much effort I spent on rescuing you."

"Yes, yes, fine,"

Yukari giggled, seemingly unrepentant. She promptly disappeared into her gap, under the annoyed stare from Toyohime. With the prime culprit out of the way, her eyes turned to Lunaire. The magician used his staff to steady himself, trying and failing to conceal his exhaustion and nervousness. His watchful eyes never left Toyohime.

"Do you not trust this princess to honor her deal?"

"Do forgive me, Watatsuki-sama. I simply do not know you enough to know whether you would honor a deal made with lowly mortal like myself." Lunaire chuckled weakly. "I hope you will not be offended with only one magician sending you off."

"Hmm," Toyohime huffed. "You, what is your name?"

"P-please don't voodoo doll me." Lunaire showed a sign of apprehension but relented under Toyohime's exasperated stare. Toyohime probably knew Yukari's name and nothing happened to her yet. Hopefully, nothing went wrong with humoring her. "My name is Lunaire Vivian Meister, the last surviving heir to the main house of Meister, at your service."

"I will remember it."

"Please forget me quickly. I thought I was going to die there for a second."

The two stared at each other. Lunaire relaxed his muscle and mustered up the most natural smile he could in the situation. Toyohime 's visage remained glum, but without the earlier malice against him. Rather she seemed to view him like an unusual book and perhaps the barest hint of grudging respect. If she understood anything about him, it was his willingness to protect. That, she could relate.

After a brief staredown, Lunaire made himself amply clear that he would not budge an inch until she left. Toyohime just shook her head and turned around, preparing to activate her power to whisk them back to the moon. For a brief moment, Toyohime glanced back to see a Lunaire hesitating to speak.

"Ah, do you mind if I request a favor before you leave?"

Toyohime turned back to face him. "What is it this time?"

"May I have a piece of souvenir from the moon? It is once in a lifetime opportunity after all, so I hope for something to show for it."

This prompted a raised eyebrow from the moon princess. "Oh, and what is it that you desire?"

"Will Reisen-san be fine with leaving her rifle with me? I do have some…academic curiosity about it. Of course, only if both of you are happy with it. If not, feel free to ignore me." Lunaire waved his hand.

"You are asking to keep it? Why don't you ask to keep my fan as well?"

"The fan itself is probably worth a few thousands of that rifle if not more. I would not ask for something so valuable." Lunaire tapped his chin, embarrassed. "I have to admit though that I am also quite curious about that article as well, but I shouldn't be too greedy."

"Hmph," Toyohime huffed loudly. "Reisen…give him your rifle."

"Understood…Toyohime-sama." The rabbit merely shrugged. She never really liked fighting much anyway, so parting with her rifle was not much of a loss. The quartermaster would not chew her out either, since the princess ordered it.

"Thank you for your generosity, Watatsuki-sama." Lunaire bowed politely.

The rabbit approached gingerly. Lunaire dwarfed her in height, so he bent down slightly to not appear too intimidating. When he received the rifle, he thanked her softly. "Thank you. I am sorry if I scared you a little."

"It's nothing." Reisen quickly bowed and hopped back to her mistress.

Toyohime watched as something seemed to sparkle within Lunaire's eyes as he examined every nook and cranny of the rifle. She did not know much about the firearm in general. That was her sister's shtick. However, Lunaire seemed to be handling it competently by the rabbit's standard, which was not saying much really.

The firearm seemed like a typical bolt action rifle back in World War I, sans the bolt. The frame and the stock were made from one piece of unknown wood. Where the action should be, only a small metal compartment could be seen, so this was not a normal bolt action rifle. Lunaire raised the stock to his shoulder and placed his eyes behind the sight. He at least knew how to shoot a gun, even if his marksmanship was nothing special. With the subtle application of magic, he braced himself in case the gun had some killer kick to it.

Crack, Lunaire heard. Almost no recoil could be felt, but their surroundings lit up. A bright orange trail connected the barrel of the gun to the boulder he aimed at. A small hole was bored into the surface of the stone. Lunaire lowered the gun and looked at it in wonderment. Toyohime swore she saw a hint of mockery mixed in though.

"Impressive?" She asked.

"…It is the flashlight," Lunaire muttered softly.

"Of course not, you oaf. It is not a flashlight."

"I know, it is a lasgun…laser weapon." Lunaire answered without looking at her.

Toyohime shook her head exasperatingly. "It is a laser carbine, though I am surprised you know about lasers."

"Geez, there is even a bayonet lug."

Lunaire glanced sideway toward Reisen. The rabbit tilted her head in response and blinked cutely. Once more, the thought that the rabbits were not really suited for combat was reaffirmed. The other Reisen Udongein was probably the one of rare exceptions, but she had problems of her own as well. It was a little rude to think so, but the laser rifle was wasted being used by the rabbits. Although a mere fragment of Lunarian technological prowess, the hole bored into the boulder told of its devastating effects.

"I am sorry. Where were we again?" Lunaire slung the rifle on his shoulder and rubbed the back of his head embarrassingly. "Thank you for your generosity again. I highly doubt I have anything you don't have, but if you desire anything other than this seal, you need only ask."

Toyohime spun on her heel, "no need."


A few days later

Lunaire broke out into a soft hum as he skipped along his merry way. Something good was about to happen that day. The night earlier he drank a little and slept early. The morning later, he somehow evaded the dreaded hangover and had not felt this energetic in years. With moderate cloud cover, the day was cool enough without being too gloomy. It was a perfect day for a nice stroll through the wood. Lunaire got a little sick of cooping himself in the dungeon.

On a good day like this, Lunaire chose to walk. Flying and savoring the breeze high up sounded nice, but there was something special about feeling the solid earth beneath his feet. Walking in Gensokyo allowed one to get lost in the lush nature the land had to offer. Of course, one should never stray too far from the beaten path, lest they wish to be devoured. Lunaire never had to worry about that though. There was hardly anything that could make him into their dinner.

Before long, Lunaire spotted the spindly tips of the bamboo forest. Cresting over the top of the hill was a tall green curtain. Bamboo looked generally the same, unlike trees that could grow into different shapes depending on the condition. With so many of them packed together and no distinguishing landmarks, one could get lost very easily. Even Youkai could end up wandering for a while until they decided to take to the air. For this very reason, this place was called the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, a hazardous place for ones without the ability to fly.

Yet, Lunaire walked on without fear. He knew his way around the forest, though not as well as the Earth rabbits or the resident guide. Speaking of her, Lunaire spotted a tall figure wandering about. There was no way he could have missed her long white hair, littered with fireproof talismans.

"Good morning, Mokou."

She answered with a smile. "Oh, good morning, Lunaire. Going to Eientei again?"

"Yep, want to join me?"

Lunaire frequented Eientei. After he worked out a deal with Eirin, he usually visited the place at least twice a month. Eientei was protected by an illusionary ward and could not be seen above a certain altitude. He had to walk or at least fly under the canopy of the forest to be able to see the building. The first few times he tried visiting, he spent dawn to dusk wandering about. It was only thanks to Mokou teaching him the ropes that he could reach Eientei on his own. He was truly thankful to her.

"Sure, I have nothing better to do anyway." Mokou fell in step with him. "You look happy today. Did something good happen?"

"Oh, nothing much. Slept well, wake up early, nice weather…ah, the simple pleasures in life."

Mokou listened with a gentle smile as both maneuvered expertly through the monotonous terrain. "Simple pleasure, is it? That is quite rare from someone who talks a lot about his research."

"Oh, come on, I truly enjoy those, but I can do that at any time. A good day like this is few and far between."

"You are right about that."

Both chuckled softly.

"Then, on a good day like this, why are you going to the doctor?" Mokou pulled ahead slightly and turned to get a good look at his face. Even without looking, she swerved around any obstacles with ease. "Is your body alright?"

"It is good…Mokou, how many times do I have to say it." Lunaire shook his head. A wry smile adorned his face. "You don't have to worry about my health so much. I visited the good doctor often because I need some reagents from her."

"Sorry, I could not help it. The other magician at your place did not look so good after all."

"My work does not usually involve dangerous chemicals like that. When it does, I take proper precaution."

Lunaire hammered his chest with pride, even though it was nothing to be proud of really. Each people had their specialty and their way of research. Even the sloppy method employed by Marisa yielded tremendous results. That said, Lunaire did his best to teach Patchouli about chemical handling and decontamination. He grew up in the latter part of the twentieth century when laboratory safety was a thing.

"Haha, my bad."

The two continued chatting. Lunaire did most of the talking. Mokou never had much to talk about herself. She mostly mentioned different people she guided out of the bamboo forest or the dirty tricks that Kaguya pulled during their matches. Lunaire never quite understood how she could find entertainment from butchering the same foes over and over again.

As they neared the destination, Lunaire caught a glimpse of pink in the corner of his eyes. Focusing on it, he found a rabbit in its humanoid form. She appeared like a small child with a pair of fuzzy ears on top of her head. This rabbit clad in a pink dress was quite special, however.

"Ah, see, I told you that today is going to be a good day."

Lunaire said as he bounded forward. The rabbit turned toward him and waved energetically. "Oh, it's you again."

"Yes, me again."

"The usual?"

"Yep!"

Lunaire reached his hand out like a handshake. However, Tewi answered with both her hands, cupping his. Rather than a typical handshake, the rabbit kneaded his fingers gently while giggling.

"You always do that," Mokou remarked with a wry smile.

"As I keep saying, she really does bring great luck, you know?"

As someone who dealt with probability magic, Lunaire knew the efficacy better than anyone. While Tewi continued her kneading with glee, his other hand presented a packet of snacks that Sakuya prepared. When the rabbit finished, Lunaire asked.

"Is Eirin-sensei in her clinic?" Lunaire had an appointment, but it was always nice to ask just in case.

"Yep, she is. Go right on in."

"Thank you, Tewi." Lunaire turned toward Mokou. "It is time we part. It is truly enjoyable to talk to you."

"Just go," Mokou waved before departing. It seemed that she had no intention of picking a fight with her nemesis on a nice day like this either-or was showing consideration not to disturb his visit.

Lunaire entered the premise of Eientei. The Japanese style mansion still radiated subtle elegance as ever. Compared to the first time he saw it, something seemed to change imperceivably. According to Eirin, it was the impurity that slowly seeped in after Kaguya lifted her spell over eternity. No longer would the history remain stagnant in this place. Eientei was slowly being a part of Earth for real.

Still, Lunaire did not like that dry and technical explanation. It was too long and wordy. The best way to describe the change would be the liveliness. The mansion and the people seemed alive, unlike before.

Rather than entering through the front door, Lunaire circled around the side courtyard where Eirin's clinic was located. On the stairway leading up to the building, Lunaire saw an unusual number of shoes. It seemed that Eirin had visitors. Lunaire did not mind waiting a little. People from the Human Village must be quite ill to dare brave the bamboo forest to see Eirin. He was not someone to disregard their plight and insist to meet Eirin because of prior arrangement.

Lunaire took off his shoes and went up. Eirin valued punctuality, so he best showed his face first so she could not fault him for being late. Approaching the sliding paper screen door, he sighed softly before pushing it open.

"…"

"…"

To the left, he saw the good doctor. Eirin looked as stunning as ever. Her lustrous silver hair was bundled and braided neatly behind her, topped off with a blue nurse cap. She wore her usual red and blue constellation dress. Sometimes, Lunaire thought she needed to switch out her outfit a little. He had a feeling that she would look good in just about anything. She had that intellectual and mature aura about her.

Seated on her right was Eirin's charge, Princess Kaguya, the very same from the tale of the bamboo cutter. Befitting of her tale, she was a woman of otherworldly charm. Her black hair and dainty frame made her the epitome of Japanese beauty. Kaguya had the aura of a thoroughly highborn lady. Every moment conveyed indescribable elegance, even for the simple act of sipping tea. Yet, her sparkling brown eyes belied her innocent nature.

A little of to the side was Reisen. The rabbit was taciturn most of the time, more focused on performing the tasks assigned to her. Eirin could be quite the taskmaster at times, so he could not blame her. Yet, this time, she cowered in her seat as if afraid of something on the opposite of the room.

Speaking of the other three on the opposite side of the room, Lunaire blinked repeatedly. He prayed desperately for his eyes to be praying tricks on him or that he somehow fell prey to hallucinogenic drugs in Eirin's clinic. Unfortunately, his prayer was not answered.

He recognized two out of the three of them. And from the growing grin from the blond, she remembered him too. Thus, Lunaire did the most logical thing he could have done in that situation.

He slid the door close gently.

"…Shit."

Lunaire usually did not swear unless the situation was so tumultuous or shocking that he could not help it. His reaction was totally justified in this case. He just walked into the wrong neighborhood.

Lunaire practically jump down the small stair. In midair, his shoes flew to his feet, so he would be good to go the moment his feet touch the floor. It was, sadly, much too late. By the time he touched the ground and about to blast off into the air, the sliding door slammed open. Standing Akimbo between the doorframe was the blond he did not want to meet ever again.

"My, my, long time no see…"

"…Okay, let's play this cool." Lunaire whispered to himself and gingerly turned around. "Greetings, Watatsuki-sama…I cannot say I expect to meet you again so soon. Pardon me for not preparing any gift."

"Don't be like that. We were just talking about you."

"Oh ho, so you are the one who troubled my sister so…"

At that moment, Lunaire learned that Toyohime had a sister. Sporting light purple hair styled in a ponytail, she gave out a more athletic feel than her sibling. She smiled brightly yet menacingly at the same time.

"There is something about the way you put it that doesn't sit well…" Lunaire raised his hand in protest. She made it sound as if he were making a move on Toyohime.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Watatsuki no Yorihime, the leader of the moon's emissaries and lunar defense corp."

When Yorihime introduced herself, no, even way before, Lunaire smelled troubled. His gut feeling was reaffirmed by her simple gesture. Reaching behind her, she drew her sword and disappeared. Lunaire's sense of danger blared out at full volume.

Summoned his staff from his dimensional storage, Lunaire barely caught to strike from Yorihime and winced. Even if he had little time to brace, her thin katana struck with the weight of a truck. Feeling it better not to resist, Lunaire let go of his mana anchor on his feet and let his body followed the force. Yorihime followed through and flung Lunaire into the air. He somersaulted and landed at the ready.

"Interesting trick," Yorihime raised her sword to a middle guard position. "Prepare yourself!"

"Say that before you attack!" Lunaire protested before Yorihime closed in and delivered another blow.

They were not kidding when they say Lunarians were much closer to hermit and celestials than humans. Yorihime did not even look winded even when delivering such an onslaught. Her thin arm exerted so much strength that if Lunaire did not know better, he would believe he was fighting an oni. A mere casual swipe felt like an all-out power swing. The stroke with all her might drove his feet into the ground.

Only by the merit of his finesse that Lunaire held on. He was not under the illusion that this was going to last, however. With every move, Lunaire heaved and his muscle grew sore. Against an opponent with vastly superior strength, he could only rely on redirecting the blow and aim for the counterattack. Yet, that was much easier said than done. Yorihime had more than just raw strength. Her swordsmanship was finely honed to the pinnacle over untold years.

Lunaire failed to deflect her blow cleanly. Her blade seemed to have a strange bite to it, making it difficult for him to turn her strike away. Since she could not be easily pushed off, Lunaire was forced to endure her unforgiving power. Her overwhelming strength broke his stance even with a glancing hit against his staff.

His weapon of choice was also at a disadvantage. Lunaire wielded his bladed staff masterfully, yet the purpose of the weapon was to keep the enemy at bay. Yorihime knew this and stuck in closer to the range where the sword excelled. Lunaire never mustered enough momentum to bash aside her guard.

The two exchanged blows, sounding each other out and establish the cadence of their dance. Circling each other, their chattering weapons seemed like a tornado of blades. When Yorihime thought Lunaire got too comfortable, she rushed in even closer, expecting him to panic. He did not.

Lunaire gathered a portion of his mana in his legs and this was the time. When Yorihime crosses the imaginary threshold, Lunaire stepped forward almost into her embrace and stomped. The mana was injected explosively into the ground, creating a shockwave that disrupted her footing. The Lunarian princess's eyes widened as she jumped back.

Exploiting this opening, Lunaire swung up the bottom of his staff, using his wider stance to exert more force. Yorihime saw it coming. She moved her blade in the way, but Lunaire's swing pushed it aside.

Without using magic, the human body could not exert much force in the air. There needed to be something solid to push against. Yorihime only leaped back and was not prepared to receive a power swing from Lunaire. That said, her speed only allowed the very tip of his bottom end to nick her dress.

Finally gaining the much-needed distance, Lunaire took in the situation and clicked his tongue. His arms and legs were trembling. Even if he squeezed hard on his staff, he failed to steady it. His guard stance was unsteady, woefully inadequate to stave off another onslaught. For all the effort he expended, he did not even score the first hit. His staff merely nicked her dress and did not even draw blood.

"Ho, not bad, I guess you do know how to fight after all. Let us test it out some more."

This was bad, Lunaire thought. Yorihime was merely toying with him. According to his conversation with Remilia, this woman could call upon the power of gods with proficiency exceeding Reimu herself. Yet, she only crossed blows with him physically. Lunaire had not used most of his spells as well, apart from augmenting his movement, but he held no hope of victory. He needed to escape.

A glance to the side, he saw Toyohime smiling as if she was watching a very entertaining show. Eirin was beside her, staring at him. Something told him that she was analyzing his every move with both curiosity and alarm. This never happened before. He shelves this thought to the back of his mind and concentrates.

Lunaire focused inward. His mind navigated all the possible outcomes of that moment, searching for the one he got away and amplified them. It was a magic spell that seemingly interferes with the domain of luck and fate, but also not. Rather, it modified the likelihood of a particular outcome.

If this situation were boiled down to a single dice roll, his chance of getting away relatively unscathed was like rolling a natural six. This greatly surprised Lunaire. Shaking off an opponent of Yorihime's caliber, even if she was not serious, seemed like a one in a thousand chance at least.

Lunaire was not going to look at the gift horse in the mouth. If his chance were good already, he would make that a natural three up, more than fifty-fifty chance. Beyond manipulating the roll, his spell also vaguely told the way to improve his odds even further, being related to an offshoot of divination magic.

Yorihime adjusted her grip, no doubt sensing the spell activation. Without giving his intention away, Lunaire acted naturally and slowly circled her, pretending to still be invested in their physical duel. His feet took him to a spot. It did not look special to his eyes, but he trusted his sense. He raised his staff into another guarding stance, challenging Yorihime to strike.

She obliged.

When Yorihime charged, Lunaire maneuvered his staff to intercept and prepared to use her force to launch himself away from combat. He braced, yet something seemed strange.

The impact was so weak, pitifully so.

"Kya!"

Lunaire heard the twigs giving way and a hole opened in front of him. Yorihime who committed everything to the swing, stamping on the ground with all her might, fell in.

Oh, this was nostalgic, Lunaire thought. It was one of Tewi's infamous pit trap.

No one could evade Tewi's pit trap. She camouflaged one so well even Viet Cong soldiers would go green with envy. Not even requiring heavy vegetation, Tewi could somehow make a trap indistinguishable from flat ground. No one would notice it unless they actively poke the ground as if clearing a minefield. Active magical detection worked well, but only when a trap was anticipated. And Tewi always had luck on her side. As a White Rabbit of Good Fortune, her endeavor had intrinsically high chances of success. If she dug one up, someone was going to get it, usually soon after.

Other than the impressive camouflage, however, Tewi's pit trap reached its peak infamy because of its anomalous property. Regardless of physical condition or sheer durability, the victim would often fell in such a way as to render them incapacitated, ranging from mild confusion to straight-up fainting. Ironic, even a Lunarian, for all their vaulted capabilities, could not escape being part of that statistic.

A sharp clap was heard. "Let's stop the horseplay with that."


"I am certain you have some questions for me." Lunaire chuckled softly but his wary eyes belied his tension. "To go as far as sending away the two princesses of the moon."

Piecing together the fake moon incident and the bits of information from Yukari and Patchouli, Lunaire already suspected that the Eientei residents were fugitives from the moon. They were hardly the run of the mill variety with one being a genuine princess and another a genius pharmacist. Yet, they were still fugitives at the end of the day, having to hide from the eyes of lunar emissaries.

Not once did he expect Eirin to maintain contact with the high-profile figures on the moon, no less the leader of the emissaries and lunar military force herself. Much to his woe, his arms protested angrily at the rough treatment they received.

"It seems that my students had been in your care." Eirin broached as she prepared a new pot of tea.

"I believe it was I who was subjected to their…gentle ministration. Was it not?"

Lunaire smiled awkwardly when he dropped the joke. Eirin made no notice of it since she only mentioned her students as a preamble. There was a much more pressing concern on her mind.

"I have heard some interesting information from Toyohime. May I ask you to clarify some details?"

"Eirin-sensei?" Lunaire tilted his head at the sudden straight ball. "I do not believe that you expect me to babble the highest secret of Gensokyo to a person clearly shown to maintain a connection with the lunar emissaries. For all that I have seen, it is almost undeniable that your loyalty lies with the moon, no?"

"It will be too arduous to produce proof, but I still insist that I have already left the Lunar society…" Eirin trailed off. For a brief moment, she averted her gaze. For a woman who always carried herself with confidence and grace, her hesitation was difficult to miss. "Even now, the princess and I are still being treated as fugitives by the Lunarians at large. The two princesses are the exception. I was their tutor many long years ago."

"So, you are the master that Toyohime kept lauding to high heaven." Lunaire rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then cocked his eyebrow. "She thought of you highly enough as to forsake their duty and in a way, betray the Lunar Capital?"

"…The sisters do not see it that way. For all they know, there was no need to go out of their way to drag back those who no longer wish to return."

"I sense a long story behind that."

The good doctor snorted softly. It was certainly a long story from an age long passed, the one that started from her foolish mistake. Eirin was not in a particular mood to air her fault and Lunaire already knew the basics from rumors and whatever Yukari told him, so she felt no need to elaborate.

The doctor carefully poured out the tea. The circumstance notwithstanding, she would not allow herself to play a poor host to a guest. The sweet aroma rose along with hazy steam, tempting Lunaire for a sip. Yet, he merely played with the clay cup in his hand.

"Put your mind at ease. If I wish to feed you truth serum, there are myriad other ways. You would not even notice." Eirin huffed indignantly. "To think that eons ago, people would beg just for a sip of a tea brewed by my very hands."

On that note, Lunaire remembered Reisen to be the one serving tea on all occasions prior. The cup of tea cradled in his hand grew more tempting by the second. "Hehe, it was rude of me to suspect that Eirin-sensei would poison me. Thank you for the treat then."

It was an unexpectedly gentle taste. It was sweet on the tongue, but not overpoweringly so, and with a hint of savory and herbaceous note. Disappointingly, Lunaire could not fully say it was superfluous as to blow him away. He suspected his mindset was not quite right to be enjoying tea nonchalantly, not with the two sisters looming outside.

"We digressed. About your…Grand Impurity Array, is it? If its goal is anything like the way you use it against Toyohime, I will be surprised if you are not willing to say anything. That will defeat the purpose."

Lunaire widened his eyes in surprise. Eirin always had a way to render him speechless. Her grey eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything, no matter how small. But rather than put him on edge, he chuckled, feeling the tension leaving him. "Touché…"

A deterrence is only a deterrence only if the other party knows about it. One could not threaten another with nuclear warfare if the other party did not register the destructive potential of the weapon. Since Toyohime already tasted its effect firsthand, there was no use in hiding it any longer.

"But I must ask, are you a part of this other party?"

"I am not, but I can certainly relay the information. It is a good chance for you to ensure that the complete message got across."

"Hmm, very well then." Lunaire answered glumly.

The genius pharmacist felt a subtle change in the mood from Lunaire. Rather than a threatening, smug, or maniacal glee, she described it more along the line of melancholy. His prismatic eyes lost their shimmering glean and seemed content staring down at the table than her face. He hunched forward, resting his hands on his knees. She heard a soft sigh.

"Grand Impurity Array is a formation of magical circles, runes, and objects of power specialized for, as the name suggests, the amplification and distribution of impurity. The range of effect encompassed the entirety of Gensokyo. It is capable of operating at such high efficiency as to flood the inside of the Hakurei Barrier with concentrated impurity within seconds. Its purpose is to be the ultimate deterrence against any Lunarian aggression against Gensokyo…or baring that, the final measure. You should be able to understand with only that, correct?"

"That is…" The word insane was stuck on her lips even as the full implication of such an array ran through her mind. She already expected this after her protégé informed her of its existence, but it did not lessen the shock from hearing the confirmation firsthand.

What were the Lunarians?

The answer would surprise many, but the Lunarians were an offshoot of humanity in the same nature as hermits or celestials. To understand the characteristic that set them apart from ordinary humans, one must consider the concept of impurity.

In the core tenets of Shintoism, impurity was the harmful product of negative emotions and actions. It acted like magical pollution or disease. Impurity tainted a person and their surroundings, bringing forth various misfortunes and thus required cleansing. The most important and potent source of impurity however was death. The act of touching a dead body was particularly taboo in Shintoism.

Since death was impure, Earth was irredeemably tainted.

The history of life was a history of conflict. From the very first organism that arose from the sea, the competition for the right to live began. The current living beings of Earth stood atop a blood-stained battleground of epic scale. Therefore, every inch of Earth was impure.

One day, a sage realized an important property of impurity. It was the origin of the impermanence of all creation. It robbed life from the living and made the change of state inevitable. For this reason, hardly anything natural lived more than a century. This impermanence that every being on Earth took as natural law, he sought to escape it. Taking with him his trusted relative, he took residence on the moon, a land untouched by life. The sage was the founder of Lunar Capital, the lord of the night, and the city of the moon, Lord Tsukuyomi. The Lunarians descended from his family.

Untouched by the ravages of impurity, the moon was a pure land. With the source of impermanence, time did not exist in the traditional sense. There was no season, no day and night, and things neither change nor decay. Inhabitants of the moon forsook their lifespan, existing as eternal beings neither alive nor dead. This was distinct from immortality, however. They could be killed. Furthermore, they still harbored the faintest hint of impurity, meaning that they were fated to die one day in the far-off future.

This state of purity was also hardly absolute and unchanging. The moon was an artificial pure land. Unlike the Netherworld, it was pure not because of the fundamental rule of the world, but merely because it did not have blood on its soil. It was a blank canvas that could still be tainted. Since purity was fundamental to their longevity and way of life, Lunarian took extreme measures to keep the impurity out of the moon. If their people were to be tainted for whatever reason, they would be barred from returning, quarantine like a man struck by a terrible plague.

Grand Impurity Array was a deterrence against any large-scale invasion. Since everything in Gensokyo would be irredeemably tainted after the activation, any deployed assets could no longer be recovered. Whether man or materials, it did not matter. In the name of keeping impurity from the moon, they had no choice but to abandon them all. Therefore, the Lunar Capital could no longer deploy anything other than the expendables. The Lunarian population was rather low, so every individual could not be thrown away at a whim. Their only viable option was the moon rabbit, but those alone could hardly threaten Gensokyo even with their technological superiority.

In a way, Eirin admitted it was an ingenious plan. The array restricted any future conflict occurring in Gensokyo to a minor skirmish and could even be a strong incentive enough to keep Lunarian out of their business for a good while. Eirin never thought she would live to see this day. Up until that moment, no one on Earth had managed to force a true stalemate against the Lunar Capital. That begged the question though.

"Do you not worry that the countermeasure can be developed for it? The mistress of your mansion should have told you about Yorihime." Eirin referred her proficiency to call upon the power of gods, one of which reigned over the aspect of purification.

"Just how many Yorihimes are around anyway? If the Lunarian's countermeasures against impurity are so mighty, why is it that they still must enforce such strict quarantine on the moon? Why is it that they must go so far as to exile just a few tainted individuals?" It went without question who Lunaire referred to.

"The array itself could be disrupted and prevented from activating in the first place…but I suppose you have already accounted for that."

"Indeed, that is the job of our side to maintain the operational readiness of the array for it to be a deterrence after all."

"…Are you truly prepared to do this?"

Eirin stared deep into his eyes. After what felt like an eternity, Lunaire averted his eyes. His shoulders hunched over as if feeling the weight of his shoulder. For all she had learned of the man, Eirin refused to belittle Lunaire's intelligence. He couldn't miss the true implication of her question.

The Grand Impurity Array was not a silver bullet to defeat the Lunarian, but a dead-man-switch, one that would gut both the enemy and allies alike. The activation of the array would be terrible and spell doom for the Gensokyo as they knew it.

Flooding Gensokyo with impurity would rob the Lunarians of their near eternal existence. To the denizens of the moon, this was their everything. Without it, they were a little more than very powerful humans with even shorter lifespans from excess impurity. As the saying went, there was nothing more terrifying than people with nothing else to lose and hunger for revenge.

Against them would be the remnant of those that survived the invasion but with a terrible twist. Youkai were fundamentally impure existence. Not only were they not affected by the new environment, but they would also be reinvigorated. This was not all good news. Impurity was quite malignant, being generated from negative emotion and action. Under its influence, the Youkai would be far more vicious.

As the two sides threw themselves at each other with reckless abandon, the impurity would leach lifespan out of every ordinary beings and objects in Gensokyo. Plants rotted. Stone cracked. Buildings crumbled. It would certainly be the end time for Gensokyo.

As the main architect behind the system, Lunaire foresaw these possible consequences. He thought he understood, yet he hesitated. His fists clenched tight. Lunaire averted his eyes from the grey pairs that seemed to ask him for a reason. By the look of it, Eirin could conclude that this was not of his design, most likely Yukari's. Just on what ground did he choose to gamble on a plan that could backfire so spectacularly, no matter the minute possibility of it.

Because Lunaire trusted Yukari to find another way. Although he was never told, his gut convinced him that she had something planned. Even if his divination would not allow him to see the end of this road, yet he believed. For someone as conniving and invested in Gensokyo as Yukari could never be content to sit on a nuclear warhead forever. A woman like her would never settle with the second-best for her scheme. Clutching her dead man's switch to the end of days just was not her style. The Grand Impurity Array was merely a piece of the puzzle, a prerequisite, to create a situation where all these were unnecessary, the ideal peace.

Just as much to convince Eirin as himself, Lunaire muttered softly like a condemned man. "Yes…I am prepared."

Once again, Yukari rewarded his trust. If Gensokyo was a tiny cup, the Earth was a great ocean of impurity. Even the vaunted superiority of the Lunarians could not hope to purify the whole world. The end goal was within their reach. They only had to make it perfect.

00000

And there is it.

Since Lunarians will inevitably become part of the story in the far future, I believe we should explore this part now so that it does not feel shoehorned in later. It also should give you a clearer idea of what Yukari is planning, what happened before their ejection from Gensokyo and the whole picture. This is the only way for me to pay respect to the intelligence of the mastermind on the caliber of Yakumo Yukari.

As for Lunaire's power, those of you who have read my Log Horizon story will already have known about it, but this chapter is the first in this story. I wonder how I manage to come this far without ever revealing his specific power other than spellcasting. The reveal was quite spectacular. I might add. Standing up to Yorihime in blade-to-blade combat must earn him some bragging rights.

Discord invite code: nSMHjar

Come over and say hi some time.

Please leave a review if you have any suggestion and word of encouragement. Signing out!