When we first heard of the Hysteria infection, we thought nothing of it.
"It's just another incident, i'll solve it when i can, im pre-occupied currently."
But soon i learned it wasn't as simple as that. Soon reports left and right came about
"Youkai devouring each other" which poised me to investigate, what i saw made me sick
to my stomach.
The location known to be the primary quarantine zone of the infection was The forest of magic.
A repulsive place to live and be in unless your one who delves into the dark arts or
magistry, but regardless a place i don't like being in for long alone. The fly through to
the central area was fairly dull, nothing of importance happened while I was flying through
the forest, atleast; till i went past marisa's House that is. Soon the air became damp; more so than usual, and i started to feel constrained;
like my will to breath was being sucked out, I still dont know what happened
there, but regardless I reached my destination. And there i soon realized, this was not a joke.
The trek on foot, left me anxious; what was out here that is apparantly this serious? Do Youkai really eat each other? These questions races my mind as i hapharzardly continue down the current
forrest path. Unlike what it typically is when i come to the Forest of Magic, it's quiet; barren, even Devoid of life.
Sitting on the ground was a lone youkai, i thought nothing of it until i took a closer inspection. It was eating? slowly, i walked closer to know cower in
the sudden stench and disgust in what i was witnessing. This youkai...Rumia... was eating another youkai;
it they were still *alive* She was eating them as they were sprawled on the floor, crying for help. as rumia just continues snacking on her flesh and bones.
"R-rumia...please, w...h...y d...o.. t...his?" The youkai being eaten, asked. from what ive heard and what i could make out of the, well; half eaten youkai
was she was Luna child.
"Because, I need it to survive and get stronger, something you won't understand." Rumia calmly stated continuing to eat Luna. This was a tone i never heard
from Rumia before, before she was always child-like, not only in appearance but in mannerisms. but no she somehow looks...different. Not only older but
her skin has changed to a purplish rashlike color, no longer the pure white skintone it was before. I...felt an emotion i could not describe properly.
Was it fear? anxiousness? Shock? I didn't know, but i just stood there. frozen like a stupid deer, until Luna noticed me.
"R...ei...mu... Ru...n" Was all she could muster before she fell cold. And it seemed that made rumia catch the attention of me. And this next series of events
made me fear for my life.
"Reimu?...OH Hi reimu~." Rumia greedily sized me up licking her lips of the blood that still lingered over them after her snack. "Rumia...what did you just-"
"Do? oh nothing, just typical youkai things really." Rumia interrupted me as she stood up, still licking the blood off her fingers and face, as i got a closer
look at her.
She looked older about what i can refer to as her mid teens, atleast for a youkai anyway. Her pupils have dilated to a noticeable degree, almost covering her
whole eye. Her skin was in-fact purple with many rashes on them. however there seems to be many warts as well as gashes on her body as well, covering her exposed mid-section, and her lower region...
It was also at this point i realized she was naked.
"I see you finally saw now, you like?" Rumia pranced and flaunted her new body around as she showed it off, leaving me stepping back, unsure what to do or how to act correctly. "Not even gonna say anything?
your no fun...oh well~" Rumia shrugged as she began to sadistically smile. "I need another snack, mind being a peach and just rolling over for me? thanks." After establishing her demand she lunges forward,
leaving me little time to dodge her strike as she collides with a nearby tree, shattering it in two. "Rumia...just what the hell did you become?" I was backing away and beginning to start to fly as i trip
over what i thought was a piece of wood. I wish it was. Getting up on it I felt...softness? looking up i saw this...i don't know what to even describe it? a mushroom? a fleshroom? whatever it was it was
made from the flesh of either human or youkai, and it mortified me. "Oh don't mind that, i just made them invisible."
"I...thought you could make only yourself 'invisible'?" I asked. "Well i *used* to, know i can make my prey invisible, AS well as myself and the surroundings around me; neat huh?"
"no...it isn't. I usually Don't say this but this is fucked up, and im not gonna allow this to go on." I state as i ready my gouhei, it sightly trembling in my hand. Rumia just tilted her head at me.
"Oh? the shrine maiden feeling brave now? good, i want her to be before she's a flesh-pile."
Rumia lunges at me as she finishes that sentence, growing claws in her hands slicing near my face. I nearly avoid this collision as she levels various trees just from that swipe.
"Yin-yang orbs!" I summon my orbs of Black and white and cause them to hurl at Rumia who effortlessly slice them up with her claws. "Hah!" Rumia lunges at me but then quickly feints and disappears into darkness,
catching me by surprise. Now under her veil of darkness and with the shadows at her disposable; I was helpless with this new version of rumia, not knowing where or what to target. So i did what i thought was the most logical
solution.
"Evil-Sealing Circle Max!" Casting a spell card from my arsenal I cover the area around me in a flash of bright lights, creating a multitude of objects that swirl and convulse around me hitting just about everything in my current
vicinity. Leveling around thing around me to the ground in a blink of an eye. Dust flies and soon Settles as my opponent comes from the shadows, not injured in the slightest. "Well... that was very rude. Don't you think Reimu?"
Rumia playfully remarks and brushes off the dust off her thighs as she smiles that same fiendish smile she glared at me before. Gritting my teeth, I rush in and brandish my Gohei, as i preform a series of kicks, punches, and finally strikes from my staff;
being effortlessly dodged by the now evolved Youkai of Darkness. "C'mon..this is getting boring!" Rumia proceeds to taunt me, like to get inside my head. as i soon mix in yin yang orbs and soon i get a hit into Her head, pushing her back and taking her head off.
But my shook soon turned to horror as Rumia spouts a new Head as the dust settles.
"Well...that sorta hurt." Rumia cracks her head as she slowly walks towards me. "Sometimes i realize that shrine maidens only know brute strength and domination over their enemy. Here i'll show you why your
outclassed." Rumia then proceeds to then place both of her hands on her hand, exerting force on it; until a visceral-like sound is made and her head is off her body, her still carrying. Rumia then tosses it
to the side on it's end. the now headless rumia then proceeds to now manifest a new head from seemingly nothing as darkness recreates her head, a perfect recreation, but bloody if that. But then i realize...
The head on the ground was also creating a new body for it. The sudden manifestation of cells causes the body to stretch and contract and jerk suddenly before finally completing it's creation process...
Creating a new Rumia. "See, it's impossible to kill me conventionally Reimu. you're outclassed." Both of the Rumia's say in unison copying each other's movements, homing in on me as i struggle to get away as they hack
and slash their way to my location as i run away from their assault.
"Night Sign 'Illusion hell'!" Spouting a new spellcard i have not heard of yet is launched at me. The sky and area around me turns dark as eyes surround me from all sides. leaving me no where to run.
Soon those eyes manifest claws and charge at me, swiping; slashing, trying to clutch my arms as i desperately evade their movements; but one nicks me on my dress; even just that took out a sizable chunk of it and throwing me across the floor.
Getting back up and continued to be ambushed by the apparitions i unleash Evil-Sealing Circle as they evaporate the beings around me. as the veil around me evaporated around me I was then kicked across the head as the darkness disappears and i collide with a tree.
which then gets torn apart as i fly into another one, and then another; until i stopped nearly 2000 feet away from my initial position. The kick was like getting hit with a metal bat with spikes in it times 10.
My head hurt, my body hurted; it felt like i could not move it at all, like my legs were broken. leaving me a messon the floor; gasping for breath as blood comes from my head and body. "J-just...what is this power...?"
I whisper this with barely enough energy to stay awake. Rumia continues to my position, ending in front of me. "You gonna get up ooooooooor~?" I don't respond to her question as i try to pull myself up, failing to do so. "Wh-what the fuck even happened to you? yo-you weren't th-this strong before.." Rumia sighs at this question. "It's always 'how'd did you get this strong?, 'you were so weak back then'. I simply evolved and adapted where everyone else didn't. It's the nature of well; nature." She stomps on my leg hard, causing me sharply try to belt out a scream before it's covered by Rumia's mouth. "Nah-uh-uh. You won't be making anymore noise. It's time I get a little payback~." Her other hand suddenly seems to enlarge into a bloody shadowy claw. The veins protruding out and pulsing aiming it at my exposed neck. "Goodbye Reimu."A toothy grin appeared on Rumia's cheeks as she prepped for my demise. I close my eyes.
"Master Spark!"
Rumia is rudely interrupted by a beam of rainbow colors to the face, sending her flying a long distance allowing me time to breathe and realize the situation again."Reimu! You ok!?" A girl wearing a blue and white witch-like outfit runs over to me, her ears carry with them blue earrings of a star and a moon respectively. The hat adorned on her head additionally also has a star pattern on it. "God-damn you look like shit. What happened?" The girl who I consider my Friend ask me, worried for my safety."
"M-Maybe help me out of here, that girl is..an entirely d-different force." Marisa looks at the now reeling Rumia, getting up rather strangely, like half of her bones are gone. "Yeah..I have a bad feeling about all this, but first, we need to get you to safety." Marisa takes my hand as she starts elevating in the air with me; allowing me to rest on her back. "What a-about ru-rumia?" I ask her. "We can't worry about her right now, I can't let you be selfish here." Soon finally being able to maintain a grip on my legs without having me fall we fly off. Leaving Rumia behind, who hasn't noticed us leaving. This was only the start of it all, and a precursor of the pain and suffering this infection would in the air and without intervention, Marisa asks me a question. "Why were you in the forest of magic? You don't really like it there." It's true, I don't like being there; it's creepy, the air almost suffocating; but something dragged me there, not just the strange happenings, I could not explain it. That and my mouth was too bloody to respond. My consciousness quickly fading after that realization. prehaps it was because of adrenaline but I was not passing out. Soon to awake to a new world.