Author's Note:
The next two chapters will contain content from the Touhou Project series.
Chapter -46: The Cost of a Perfect Society
Youkai, the primal manifestations of folklore and legends in the days of ancient Japan.
On many worlds they exist as such, mere stories adults tell children of to scare or mystify them, or they are weaponized against armies to hold them at bay.
Words hold power, and belief in them gives them life.
That is how mankind first came in contact with these beings of folklore, on a planet far, far away.
Youkai took to dominating mankind with swift ease thanks to mankind's fear of them being at its peak.
But this in turn empowered humanity's faith towards the gods, giving them physical form in this world as well.
Thus there came to be a threadbare balance between humanity, protected by the gods, and Youkai, protected by humanity's fear.
The ancient times of Japan were chaotic and humanity struggled to make it closer to their reigning days of the modern Era.
But there were beings even greater than gods, lurking in the shadows of the moon's silver light.
Even to this day there is wild speculation about the moon's true purpose. Some suggest it guides the tides, others believe it to be an eye watching over the Earth.
Both can be true, and false at the same time.
The definitive truth, however, is that the moon has been occupied for a long, LONG time, by beings called Lunarians.
They live in a society free from the impurities spread over the Earth. No death, no sin, just themselves, and a perfect society.
Youkai know of the moon from birth, it is speculated that the reason it is so bright is to help increase the fear Youkai spread, thus forcing humanity to wallow in their impurities.
This system appeared to be without flaw, as any Lunarian belief tended to be in their own eyes.
However…they never considered what may happen when the Youkai no longer pointed their backs AT the moon…
The Lunar Capital…
Nearly 1500 years before modern day…
The normally quiet streets of this bright, almost silver-like city were filled with the thunderous march of hundreds of soldiers.
They were on the move to the outer perimeter to barricade against an incoming enemy army.
Since the day they first settled their domain over the moon's service their paradise has been uncontested.
Now, marching forth from the boundary in the Lunar Sea, the Youkai of the impure world were set to topple this entire society without a shred of mercy.
All the citizens had been told to lock themselves away in their homes. The children screamed, not wanting to be bathed in impurity.
As panic flooded the streets in one direction, and soldiers marched in the other, Sarajin stood between them, leaning up against a wall.
His eyes were half-open with heavy bags under them, his body twitching to stay awake.
He was not in tune with the general vibe throughout the city. Widespread fear was to be expected but the way these people acted felt like an overreaction.
He had yet to see one of these…Youkai on other worlds, all he could go on was what Yen Sid had told him.
He tried to keep his eyes from closing as he thought back, his vision cloudy and thus incomplete…
"This will be a difficult task, Sarajin." Yen Sid had forewarned, his tone no less stoic than any other time.
Sarajin tried looking him in the eyes and, feeling fuzzy in the head, asked him, "T-Then, tell me again what's going on?"
Yen Sid complied with a nod, "On this world, some of the earliest humans migrated from the planet to their moon. Thus, establishing themselves as a new race…Lunarians."
"Lunarians cut themselves off from the impurities of the planet, and thus are incapable of dying."
Sarajin briefly perked up with intrigue, "They're…immortal?"
"A life detached from death allows even a regular human to surpass their limits."
"Lunarians would be considered a society of gods in the eyes of regular humans."
Sarajin nodded, "R-Right, so…Why am I helping them?"
"They believe themselves to be untouchable, and that is not unwarranted."
"But they are not prepared at this moment to defend themselves from an attack by the Youkai."
"I don't need a reminder about them. You said they're beings…uhhh, born from mankind's fear of the unknown."
"Indeed. And this era of humanity is underdeveloped, and thus their fear is at a peak."
"The Youkai are meant to launch a failed invasion on the moon…were they to have struck a few centuries later."
Sarajin narrowed his eyes with focus, "A-Another history divergence?"
"One of which I cannot determine the root cause of." That it was Yen Sid saying that left Sarajin shivering with a sense of unease.
Nevertheless, the man made the goal of this visit clear, "The Youkai only need to fail this invasion once. Help the Lunarians fend them off, and history will return to its natural course over time."
Sarajin felt his mind drifting into the cloud sea of his consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he was staring at his wife, her face open with concern.
Today she looked him deep in the eyes and reached out to touch his cheek. He shivered and felt inclined to pull away, making her concern grow worse.
She then laid her arms under her chest and whispered, "Don't go this time."
Sarajin had bit his teeth and grumbled at her. "You're telling me to slow down again…"
She trembled and faced him full on with a glare no less intense with worry than her softer look moments ago, "You're not mentally prepa-"
"I'm fine…!" He screamed, the sudden rise of his voice scaring him and her at the same time.
Yet she stood unyielding to tell him again, "You're not mentally prepared for what's to come!"
Tears flew from her eyes and she shouted with a cracking voice, "There's nothing to GAIN from this next world. Just leave them to their fate."
He couldn't remember much of the next few seconds...just a lot of red, and his chest boiling…
"I. Made. A. Promise…!" He said, tightly gripping onto his sheath.
"Stop trying to hold me back…! Are you going to betray me too…?!" What should have been a whisper in the dark roared out of his mouth and left his wife's unblemished skin paler by the second.
His weary gaze quivered and, biting his lower lip, he turned and walked out of the house.
His mind leaped back to Yen Sid, who murmured towards him, "Are you ready, Sarajin?"
He didn't feel like arguing against his obvious doubt…
He blinked.
In darkness, Ophelia smiled at him.
His eyes jolted awake and then began to sink back down, with him gripping the side of his aching head.
The march of the soldiers began to quiet down and the streets were emptying.
He took deep, unsteady breaths and craned his head to look across the Lunar Capital.
It was a massive city that bent over the curve of the moon and was filled with Chinese style houses, which he learned of from another world.
White and silver were the primary colors of the land while the barrier around the city made the starry skies resemble the daytime.
This land was so clean he would find it impossible to sniff out even a speck of dust from the cracks.
The air had been purified and it was almost nauseating to enjoy it.
Despite forgoing life and death, the Lunarians loved and gave birth to new generations. This was one of the densely populated areas he had been to, easily eclipsing his own planet's population ten times over.
Children were allowed to be expressive even if there were rules I place to dissuade pure insanity.
This was truly the paradise any human should desire.
…Yet Sarajin felt uneasy.
It was like every aspect of this "paradise" was fighting off his presence, crushing him down on all sides like he was a germ invading the bloodstream.
He should have known something would be off when Yen Sid had to come here ahead of him…
He was being tolerated.
"..."
Perfection didn't exist. Everywhere he went had flaws.
…So was he a fool for trying to seek it out himself for his world?
All these years fighting for a better world, and was he really any closer to it than he was back then?
…"Yes" He told himself. Deluding himself with the belief of exponential progress occurring shielded him from the truth…Or at least, it used to.
Cracks were forming in the shield, and through it came whispers reminding him of the slowness, the futility, the days wasted…
He has tried to squeeze as much out of every day and every visit to other worlds…
All he needed was a few hours of rest a day, right? Maybe he needed less…not enough was being done.
Not enough.
NEVER enough.
He was growing older by the minute. The time limit of his mission hung over his head like a guillotine.
He scratched an invisible itch off the side of his, then twitched to keep scratching away.
Once he steadied himself he pulled off the wall and let out a deep, dry sounding sigh, "Maybe I'll actually find something useful this time…"
His unease was silenced, clawing out through the iron bars of his mental prison. He then walked through the streets of this ethereal city.
The soldiers were high atop the perimeter walls whispering about the current tensions.
A majority of them seemed unconcerned, labeling their attackers as "impure beasts" with a jovial attitude.
A few, no doubt greenhorns at this, were wondering how bad it would get before they inevitably won.
Ultimately, they were 100% certain of victory. None of these soldiers were meant to stand on the frontline, as they were armed with sleek, metallic weapons with parts levitating off the frames and energy pulsing in the barrels.
"Those are advanced weapons…" He said with a mild, aloof worry, "They…run off electricity?"
"Magic, actually."
A voice, soothing, wise and a little higher pitched than expected, descended behind Sarajin.
It belonged to a silver-gray haired woman with two soft, feathery gray wings that only spread to her elbows, but that appeared to be an attempt at concealing the true extent of her divinity.
She wears a strange purple dress with the bottom cut into an arrow pattern, a tan jacket, red bow tie, and dark brown shoes.
Her red eyes cast the distance between, her overall mannerisms feeling quiet and contemplative.
She held her hand over her mouth. She seemed like someone who did not waste words.
"It feels crass of us to rely on a human's aid against these impure beasts," Even if said words were bound in a tasteless wrap, "If only Lady Yagakoro had not recently vanished on us."
Sarajin glared at her to make sure she knew how unwelcome she felt. In turn, her eyes rose with a pause of regret.
"You misconstrue my words. My voice can reverse the fortune of a situation. I must be careful with how I speak."
"...So you're trying to guide me to victory?" Sarajin noted, still a little bitter towards her.
The lady closed her eyes and remarked, "You're lacking in functionality. That is not something to curse yourself over. A human is impure."
Then Sarajin glared at her down and pointed out in a growling tone, "Weren't YOU once human?"
The lady opened her eyes, "I am Sagume Kishin, a Lunarian. That's all that must be said."
No point in arguing with her, she already made it clear she was set in her ways. Like a certain someone.
"Tsk…!" Sarajin took a deep breath, but exhaling hurt him a little, "...So how will I be helping against the Youkai?"
"...It would be safer if I left the explanation in Lord Watatsuki's capable hands."
She then turned and guided Sarajin outside the capital city to the bamboo shoot gardens bordering another section of the vast Lunar Sea.
Sarajin started to doze off a little and drifted into a few days past…no…a few months ago? A few years ago?
What difference did I actually make…it was the same moment repeated over and over again.
He stepped into Borealis' room, and talked to him about the state of the world and what he was doing to make it better.
But he remained wholly unconvinced about the whole ordeal. He had an argu-EXCUSE-ment for every topic.
Try and try again, the very definition of insanity. But Sarajin remained convinced there was a good man underneath all that stubborn pride…
Sarajin shook himself awake and his body had dragged him far enough along that he could see the planet Earth cresting over the horizon.
The pure skyline of the moon amplified the sun's glow surrounding the planet like a halo. There were many Earths out there, but he could still find these one-of-a-kind sights out here...
It was enough to bring back his smile, even for a moment.
By the time he looked down, Sagume had guided him to the very edge of the bamboo shoot forest, where a sandy shore extended out to border part of the sea.
This was the only moon like this, as far as he could tell. Again, this picture of paradise grew more beautiful.
Again, his mind grew more uneasy...
He cautiously drew his hand towards his sheath as he felt an unapproachable presence drawing in closer. Except the focus of this hostility wasn't even moving at the moment, instead pushing his aura outward to sense his arrival.
It belonged to a somewhat tall man with purple-lilac hair tied into a ponytail by a ribbon stiffened to look like a crescent moon.
He wore a silk deep red robe and a ridged chest plate forged of the finest silver, the reflection inside seeming to move entirely on its own, revealing a separate sky boundary of stars. A brown leather belt was tied from his hip to above his right knee, and at his side was a hilt with smooth gold marks, and a slight curve towards the end. The blade had to be as long as he was tall, or so it felt that way.
Standing before him were rows upon rows of small girls with droopy, white bunny ears and a variety of different hairstyles in terms of look and colors. But all of them wore the same uniform, a prim and proper black suit over a white shirt, a short skirt, and a red tie.
And right now every single of them were armed with less advanced looking weapons compared to the men back in the capital. For one, Sarajin didn't sense any energy, but something small and made of metal. And at the tip below the barrels were small knives, so they functioned as melee weapons too.
They marched in unison, showing off so many signs of anxiety that listing them all was worthless...
Sarajin put his feet in the sand and looked on with wide-eyed exasperation. Again, his mind was firing on all cylinders to tell him that something was wrong.
But on the opposite end of the spectrum...how was this any different from most other worlds he's been to?
It's a tragic realization, but war wasn't something he could avoid. And where there's war, came a need for trained soldiers and yet...Why were these girls, who barely looked older than he did when he ventured to the surface, the ones fighting on the frontlines?
Sagume stood behind the man and bowed her head, whispering with restraint and reverence, "Lord Watatsuki, forgive me for bringing this human before your presence."
The man began to turn, and his stature and expression was like a towering deity standing amidst a storm of cherry blossom petals. The existence of this man proved that eternal tranquility could be achieved.
But with Sarajin in his presence, the man's smile lacked any warmth.
"Sagume, you have burdened yourself with this trouble enough. Return to the palace with the others. I will return shortly."
"As you wish..." Sagume then raised her head and used her wings to fly back to the capital.
Sarajin then stared this man down, his expression unmoving yet the projection of his gaze expecting...
His gaze began to narrow, and Sarajin felt he was getting pushed down like he stood between his eyelids.
This "subtle" hint reminded Sarajin to take a knee and bow to this man, but this gesture of respect felt...toxic, compared to the norm.
The man's smile rose on the side and he gestured his hand forward, the curling of his fingers making Sarajin's head rise to look at him.
"So you're the one who has been recommended to us." He spoke.
"...My name is Sara-"
"I did not ask, nor is it required," The man said with a soothing, scathing dismissal of his manners, "You will serve your function, and that will be all."
"...!" Sarajin squirmed.
"Hmmm..." Lord Watatsuki put his hands behind his back and murmured, "The moon rabbits will assist you in fending off those impure beasts. If you're even a tenth as competent as the average Lunarian warrior, then not a single one should reach our walls. I would hate for one of our kind to suffer defilement at the mere stench of those beasts..."
"The moon is a perfect society. Has it caught the envy of your eye?"
Sarajin's lips quivered and in turn the man jostled with a laugh and told him what he should think, "Of course it has. The moment you're born on the Earth, you're impure. Instead of reflecting on yourself, you choose to lash out against your betters."
"Youkai are little more than vessels by design. They take in mankind's fear and use it to keep them wallowing in the filth of impurity."
"That they would turn on us was the expected outcome once they were poisoned by mankind's jealousy hearts."
"Though this invasion feels far too...organized for mangy beasts," His random musings were ended by a sincere chuckle of amusement at the thought, "Ha...! As if they could possibly be smart enough to plot and scheme..."
He then gestured his hand out to say, "Treat them as you humans would any other beast. Kill them all. Leave no survivors."
Sarajin's stunned reaction was a little numb, and following that the man closed his eyes with his beaming smile and remarked, "Is there a problem?"
"Kill them...? Why? Is that...the only solution?"
The man laid a hand on his chin and hummed, his tone getting a little more annoyed sounding, "Kill them, repel them, I don't care. Not a drop of their impure blood is allowed to touch our lands."
With a dry smirk he then gave the faintest hint of praise, "But you...you were immediately apprehensive to the idea of killing."
"You're a...little less impure than your fellow man. Perhaps there is hope for one of you."
Lord Watatsuki then tucked his arms behind his back and Sarajin felt like he could stand back up, only to then be addressed like he was little more than a dog, "Now repeat the task that's been given to you, human."
Sarajin was barely keeping his eyes open looking at him, an intense feeling of disgust swelled in his throat that he was forced to swallow, "...Stop the Youkai."
"...What about the little girls though?" His thoughts strayed towards the most important question.
The man gave a quick, careless look over his shoulder at the bunny-eared girls, "They are effective enough, and many in number. These scant few are proud to offer their lives to keep our lands pure."
"They were here when we first came to the moon. They were created to serve us, and tend to our every need."
Sarajin looked at the moon rabbits and felt his heart ache, "Then why do they look so...miserable?"
"Human," Lord Watatsuki said with mild contempt, "You would be wise to stop looking out with those questioning eyes."
"My voice, the word of all Lunarians...is the only guidance your mind requires."
He then stepped aside and gestured his hand towards the backs of the moon rabbits, "Now, fulfill your function in this world, and march onto the battlefield."
Sarajin gladly accepted any chance to no longer look this man in the face.
As he passed him by with haste he felt darkness surround his body and a dark voice scraping against his ears, "Why tolerate him?"
He turned around briefly to face the man's back with his eyes wide. The man was wandering towards the bamboo shoots, knocking his knuckles across them playfully.
"Daughters, it's time we returned to the palace."
Sarajin paused with surprise, "He's...a father?"
A stray moon rabbit scurried out of the woods and at first, that worried him...
But then they were followed by a young girl wielding a bamboo shoot like a sword. She had a serious, disciplined expression and had shades of her father in her appearance, specifically her hair color and the way it was tied into a small ponytail.
"It is your duty to fight for the glory of all Lunarians! Hiyah!" The girl swung her "sword" with commitment and attempted to sound grown-up, but her voice hadn't developed out of its high-pitched tone yet.
Another girl followed behind her with her cheeks puffed out from eating a pure white peach. She was a little older than the other girl and chose to wear purple over red, and had platinum blonde hair, perhaps taking after a mother...? She also wore a hat with a ribbon tied around it and a peach in front of the bow.
She giggled quietly at her sister and remarked, "Oh sister, you're cute when you act ferocious."
The "sword" wielder turned around and pouted, "And YOU are too lax, my dear sister! The moon rabbits require more discipline, and someday I, in the Watatsuki name, shall be master of them all!"
"Hee hee, you can hardly handle a sword let alone thousands of cute bunnies."
The "sword" wielder blushed and threw her sword down in a huff, "I-I am a quick learner...I shall be the best, right father?"
Lord Watatsuki put his hands on both his daughter's heads and smiled warmly, "Of course you will. You're both going to become exemplary Lunarians. Now come, Yorihime, Toyohime. From the palace, you shall observe what exactly your future entails."
Those names...they were scratching at the back of Sarajin's head.
And he was barely able to pull out the memory connecting them to these events...
It was not long after he arrived on the moon. Yen Sid returned to him after convincing the Lunarians to let a human on their land.
Sarajin had wondered who was supposed to stop the Youkai invasion in the future.
It was these two girls, who couldn't be more than a few years older than his son...
It felt like Yorihime was tied to some immense destiny that would make her even more untouchable than any other Lunarian, while her sister Toyohime had eyes that could see through any deception.
They would become a force to be reckoned with...but was that a good thing?
Sarajin bit his lower lip and felt conflicted about his doubts and feelings. Surely even in this uneasy atmosphere if there existed a man who loved his children sincerely then there was good worth justifying all of this...
"L-Lord Watatsuki...!" Sarajin shouted.
Yorihime turned away from her father's side and armed her eyes with a gaze of white hot disdain, "Human...! Father has commanded you, what right have you to disobey?!"
Toyohime finished off her peach and smiled, "Now now sister...Father, let him speak. I find him...intriguing, in a humorous way."
Sarajin now had a chance to speak up as the man lowered his guard.
With a deep, tense gulp, he looked at the man and asked him, "What is...your dream?"
The man let go of his daughter's hands and tucked them behind his back.
The cold, ever-expanding gap between them grew, and with a whisper of "Absurd" he turned halfway to see him and his smile was inhuman in looks.
"To dream is to invite impure thoughts into your heart. Irrationality is the guiding hand of death. We live in a perfect society. Dreams...are worthless."
Sarajin was aghast and left in utter silence as the man took his daughters back with him to the Lunar Capital.
Sarajin felt his fists tightening up against his hips and turned away, not wanting to engage with this society any longer than he's forced himself to.
His teeth were bit down in disgust and dark thoughts stirred through his mind. He could still shake them out. He was still just conscious enough to make out where he needed to go, and what he needed to do.
"I came here to keep the balance in check...This...will help make this world a better place."
"Will it REALLY?"
He blinked and the next thing he knew he was standing at the front of the gathered moon rabbit army, seizure-inducing flashes of images confirming that he had taken those steps to get here.
They were now outside the range of the Lunar Capital's barrier. The Lunarians tightened their defenses up with magical energy on a level he thought only Borealis capable of producing before.
The moon rabbits at the back turned to the barrier and tapped their weapons against it to confirm there was no way back.
Sarajin had to hear every one of them mumble and his head started aching as their voices swirled within.
It was broken when he felt someone pulling down on his leg and looked at them.
His pupils shrank.
The moon rabbit had striking pink hair and very long twintails.
They pleaded to him, "Don't do it...!"
He blinked, rubbed his eyes...
The moon rabbit just had really long ears. He wasn't mistaken about the hair color...
They were digging their fingernails into his pants and cried, wanting to just lay down in the moon dust and stay there.
"I don't want to go...!"
Sarajin's whole body trembled, his heart ached, it was difficult to breathe.
The only solid footing he could find was in grabbing his hilt with conviction, his unyielding will, and staring out over the horizon as the army of Youkai finally found them...
"Don't worry," He solidified his conviction with a promise and forced his eyes open to face the army, "I...I won't let you die...!"
The army of Youkai consisted of brutal beasts, towering red giants with black horns and spiked clubs grinding against the surface, elongated white phantoms with dog-like faces, and much, much more.
Their appearances were fearsome, their numbers moreso...
Whoever was responsible for this divergence seemed dead set on ensuring the Lunarians suffered or were wiped out.
Sarajin's hand shook as he slowly drew his sword and aimed it at the incoming army.
Eyes weighed down with crust.
Body disheveled.
Bones weak, muscles sore.
Breaths heavy, concentration fading...
And despite all this and more, he would keep moving forward...for the sake of his impossible dream...
Next Time: Blackout