1/14

"SUTRA CONCERT! SUTRA CONCERT! JOIN US NEXT SATURDAY THE 21ST AT THE MYOUREN TEMPLE AND START ON THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT!"

Shou's voice echoed from the square, which wasn't far from the shop. Venturing outside, I saw a group gathered around her while she stood in front of the Dragon Statue on top of a soapbox, waving a sign in one hand and shouting into a cone with the other. The crowd was so tightly packed, I was forced to stand near the back while she continued preaching. I could hear some chatter from within the crowd, things like "Hijiri-sama sure is pretty, isn't she," and "is she really a Buddhist, if all her followers are youkai?"

Soon, Shou wrapped up, and everyone in the crowd dispersed. I walked up to her. "Good morning, Shou-san."

She looked over at me. "Oh, Akechi. Nice to see you again! Are you still interested in coming to the Temple to meditate with us?"

"Of course," I bowed. "I've just had quite a few things come up in my life, including friends."

"I understand. And, it's good you have friends already. Still, it's important to make time in your life to slow down, disconnect from stress and the things weighing you down, and focus on the self." The way she delivered that sentence was monotone, almost robotic, like she was required to say it but she herself didn't wholeheartedly believe in it.

I shrugged. "Anyway, this time, I came to see you specifically."

Shou was surprised. "...er, huh?"

"I mean what I say. I wanted to meet with you, and the other acolytes at the temple, just so I can get to know all of you a bit better. After all, there isn't much point in pursuing enlightenment with people you don't know and cannot get along with."

"...well, that may be so, but…" She started blushing up.

"I merely wish to do so as a friend. I don't have any… ulterior motives, if that is what you fear."

"A-ah, of course not!" Shou stuttered. "Actually… would you mind if we stepped into that alley over there for a bit?"

"Not at all. What for?"

"Well…" she looked behind her, then up at the sky; Outside, no one flew, so I wasn't accustomed to having to look up. "...I'll tell you when we're off the street." She motioned me into the back alley, underneath an awning behind another store.

"Thanks for bearing with me," she said, in a hushed tone. "Now, see, the thing is…" She paused, kicking her feet around sheepishly.

"...ah, what am I doing? You're a strange fella who might tell Hijiri on us! Why am I…"

"Is something the matter?" I asked her.

Shou took a deep breath. "Iunno, you just… you just seem like just an earnest guy… I dunno…"

"Just go ahead and tell me," I replied. "I'll keep it a secret between us, I promise."

"Well, alright…" She steadied herself. "So, me, Mina, and Ichirin were all planning to head to one of the Underground bars. It's the only time of the month we can do it without Hijiri noticing, since alcohol is forbidden after all." She sighed. "I mean, you know how it is, the life of a Buddhist is a boring and yet stressful one, and we're all girls who need to go have a good time, and-"

"The Underground?" I asked again. "Keine told me about it. Supposedly, it's under Youkai Mountain, and there's a nuclear reactor that creates electricity?"

"Yeah, that right," she nodded. "But it's also where several youkai considered outcasts here on the surface live. There's a large city down there, where mostly oni and some other youkai live, in what used to be Hell before they moved it for budget reasons."

I was perplexed. "They… for budget reasons?"

"Yeah, Hell isn't exactly as powerful as mortals think it is. They have costs and stuff too, mostly to maintain the torture devices. Prettly weird, huh?"

Torture devices… I wasn't keen on lingering on that thought.

"Anyway, they used to not allow surface youkai down there, but ever since that one incident you can get special permits to go visit that town, its bars and its hot springs. Of course, humans can come and go freely, not that any normal human would ever want to. So, what I'm saying is, you probably shouldn't-"

"What day are you going?"

Shou reeled back in shock. "Huh-whaa?"

"Like I said, I want to get to know you all better. Wouldn't this be an excellent opportunity?"

Shou's hands shook, and her face was painted with utter disbelief.

"..." Her shoulders slumped. "...ah well. If you're so determined to come with us, then I guess it can't be helped. We'll provide you with protection, at least."

"Splendid," I smiled.

"We'll be going on Wednesday, so we have a day to recover before our last announcement the day before the concert. Do you know where the Underground Cave is?"

I shook my head. "No, I do not."

"Alright. Well, it's at the base of Youkai Mountain, between the Youkai Forest and Genbu Ravine and next to the signed entrance to the Geyser Center. I'd recommend finding it on your own time first so you know where it is. We'll be heading down at seven o'clock sharp, be there no later. Deal?"

"Deal." I shook her hand. "I will meet you all at seven P.M. Wednesday."

"Good." She walked away, then looked back at me and said, "you're a strange man, Akechi. Here in Gensokyo just three weeks and already learning Spell Cards. Now, you're going to see the Underground." She winked. "I hope you eventually learn your boundaries, wherever they may be. I'd be a shame to lose someone like you."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said. As she walked away into the snowy streets, I thought about her words, about boundaries.

I thought about how my journey was all about transcending them, and breaking the chains which bound me.


With a drinking date now settled, my next stop was the Hakruei Shrine to let Reimu know about it so that she could shadow me. Once I got there, I knocked on the shrine door. "Reimu?" I called out.

"Reimu's out!" A voice from inside shouted. A few moments later, the door slid open, revealing a short, orange-haired girl with horns. Suika Ibuki, if I recalled correctly. The person who was supposedly Shuten-Doji.

"Good afternoon, Akechi-kun," she said. "Or do you just prefer 'Goro?'"

"Either is fine, I suppose…"

"Great!" She flashed a toothy smile. "My name's Suika Ibuki, but you prolly know that already. I saw 'ya at New Year's, hangin' out with Reimu. 'Ya must be a real charismatic charmer to get that stubborn girl outta her shell, 'specially since you just came from Outside!"

I chuckled. "Well, people out there did used to call me the 'Charismatic Ace Detective.'" I fixed my clothes before making my way inside. There was a kotatsu already set up with a bowl of mandarins on top, so I seated myself opposite of her.

"It was gettin' cold. I hope Reimu doesn't mind," Suika said.

I took an orange and started peeling it. "What are you doing here though, I might ask?"

"Oh, me? Well, Reimu's out on a youkai hunt, after somethin' attacked a villager yesterday. Guy's alright, but she still has to set whoever did it straight, and she asked me to house sit for her until she got back, like I've been doin' for years."

"Do you live close to here?" I asked.

"Nah, I got an entire section from Heaven to myself. Basically bullied it outta the Celestials, and it's all nice and stuff, but I can still come down here whenever I want, which is nice."

I was… actually, forget it. This place had no common sense, I just had to accept it. "You… live in Heaven, huh? That's… quite the achievement."

"Whoddya think you're talkin' to?" she boasted. "You already know I'm one of the strongest and most badass youkai in existence!"

"Then why do you look like a little girl?" I asked candidly.

She paused for a moment. "Oh, this? It's a power-saving form. I'm nowhere near the only person who does it, either. Lots of youkai and gods take minor forms like this to conserve their strength until they need it."

"A 'power-saving' form… youkai are very strange indeed."

"Yeah. Though, even in this form, I can still rip mountains apart. Just the threat of my true form is enough to make all but the strongest foes back down, but, Iunno, it's been, at least, centuries since I've last had to assume it. These days, I'm just content switching between partyin' and going around the place makin' sure it isn't fallin' apart."

"I see…"

Suika took a drink. "You sound surprised."

"Oh, well, it's just, this land is full of Japanese legends, and it surprises me not just that they all exist, but also that they are all… quite different from what they taught in school. Like Kaguya for instance; her behavior is far from what I would expect of a princess."

"Rumors have an interesting way of twistin' as they pass from person to person, until they're completely different from the original," Suika replied. "Important details get lost, others get embellished or even made up, which I highly dislike as an oni, until they're so widely accepted as fact that the actual facts are considered false. Like how humans always thought I was a dude; nobody in that old society thought big, brutish oni could be female, and it didn't help that almost no one ever saw me and lived to tell the tale. Not that I didn't use it to my advantage; back in the day when those guys raided my castle on Mt. Oe, I left several meat puppets behind for them to kill while me and my gang all slipped out the back. We then made our way here to Gensokyo, so that I could pay my old friend Yukari some favors. They've all gone underground since then, since us Oni are feared for our power, but I stayed up here to help manage things."

"I see. But… which origin story of yours is true? There are several variations, after all…"

"The Yamata-no-Orochi was my dad, he ate seven daughters of that family and almost devoured the last one, Kushinada-Hime, and he was slain by Susano-o who drew the Kusanagi Tsurugi from his fourth tail." She took another swig from her bottle. "Then I was picked up by some Buddhists and sent to a temple to try and control my cursed heritage, but all that went kaput when I wore an oni mask at a festival. From there I worked my way up the oni hierarchy until I had my own small army, and also brought together three other strong oni. Together, we became the Four Devas of the Mountain." She reclined back and stretched. "'Course, Yukari's the reason I managed to pick up as much influence as I did. After all, she's the one who started the 'Youkai Expansion Project' to get all the best here into one place, and eventually help set up the Hakurei Border to protect us from waning fear and belief of the Outside."

"Yukari…" I mused. "I keep hearing her name, but I've never seen her. Supposedly she's still in some kind of winter hibernation. Is she really that powerful?"

Suika chuckled. "Hehe… tell 'ya what, Yukari's like an enigma shrouded in mystery. No one really knows what she's scheming at any given moment, and she's generally impossible to read. And, her past and age are a complete mystery, even to an old oni like myself."

"So, she's very old and very intelligent, is what you're saying."

"Yup. Beautiful, too. She's so beautiful, high-class and graceful she can't be matched by anyone else." She looked up at me and smirked. "And she's also extremely powerful, powerful enough to invalidate the rules and laws of common sense, physics and reality, to blur the line between law and chaos, fact and fiction, night and day, fantasy and reality. Some question if she's really only a youkai as she claims, or if she's something else, like a god among gods." She took another swig. "If it gives you an idea, she's powerful enough to have Ran, a full-fledged, full-power, nine-tailed kitsune, as a shikigami. And Ran's own shikigami, Chen, is a relatively ordinary bakeneko. Now, if you can imagine Chen next to Ran, then what must Ran be to Yukari?"

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck start to stand up. "That's…"

"The kind of person Yukari is," Suika finished for me. "She might be lazy, mysterious, and perhaps a bit weird, but she's good at what she does, and she's the reason Gensokyo exists and stays together. Takes a lot of power to hold back the weight of Outside's changing beliefs. It'd be an unmitigated disaster if we were to ever lose her."

"It certainly sounds like it," I said. "I hope I get to meet her at some point."

"I'm sure you will," Suika assured me. "Outsiders never escape Yukari's eye, especially the ones that come in without her 'help.' I'm sure Ran will tell her once she's up, and she'll sneak up on you one day and play around with you." She took yet another swig. "But until then, you should definitely get acclimated and mingle with as many people as you can. The better connected you are, the less likely you are to be targeted by wild youkai lookin' for tasty Outsiders to snack on. I'd say you're already doin' pretty good, havin' the Shrine Maiden and the witch on your side. And it sounds like you're already gettin' friendly with Youmu, Yuyuko, Reisen and others as well. It takes some humans years just to earn the trust of one of them, and yet you've gained all their respect in just weeks. And you can fly, and are learning Spell Cards. I wonder, are you just that charismatic, or is there something else about you which makes you so attractive?"

I smiled. "Outside, I was referred to as the 'Charismatic Ace Detective,' and had quite the following of fangirls. I suppose coming here didn't change that fact one bit."

"Suppose not," Suika remarked. "But I will caution you on one thing: you will understand your place here at some point. Where that place is, I have no clue, but you will understand it when the time comes. You're already gettin' involved with some of Gensokyo's big shots, so I hope you don't hit the ceiling too quickly. Honestly, I see a lotta potential in you. So don't waste it, is what I'm saying."

I nodded hesitantly. "I'll do my best."

"That's what I wanna hear!" She laid down on the floor. "I hope Reimu'll be back soon. I can't imagine how she tolerates this cold shrine. Up where I live, I don't have to worry about the cold or heat, and I got all the booze I want." She brandished her bottle. "This drinkin' gourd here. I fill it with water, it becomes sake. The drunker I get, the stronger I am, and the more I want to fight and party. You're lucky to catch me in one of my few relatively sober moments, otherwise things might've gotten crazy real fast, am I right hahaha."

"Eehh," I groaned, now smelling the booze she was talking about.

Suddenly there was a bang on the door.

"Oh hey, I bet that's Reimu," Suika said, half-passed out. "Why don't you answer the door, Imma sleep for a bit." She then instantly conked out, leaving me to answer the door alone.

When I opened the door, however, I didn't see Reimu. Instead, I saw Marisa, and a panicking Alice shivering in the cold.

"Oh hey, Rei- wait, you're not Reimu!" Marisa exclaimed. "What are you doin' here, Goro?!"

"The same reason as you, to visit Reimu," I said. "Except she's not here at the moment."

"I can see that. Anyway, we got ourselves an emergency," she said.

"An emergency?"

"Y-yeah," Alice replied. "This morning, I entered my workshop, but that doll, the one I showed you both yesterday… it's gone!"

I jumped back in shock. "W-what?"

"It's gone, disappeared, just like that! We have to go find it! It's my life's work!" She sobbed. "Who could've taken it? Who could have done such a thing?!"

"'Ey, calm down, Alice," Marisa said, hugging her. "We'll find 'er soon enough. And, we got this guy helpin' us out." She looked at me. "Am I right?"

I put my hand to my heart. "Absolutely. Time to do some detective work."


We started at Alice's house, where we found our first piece of evidence: a set of snow tracks heading off into the forest, which did not match Alice's own, and which started a few meters away from the house. They tapered out where the dense foliage prevented the snow from reaching the ground, but it was still a very good start. We floated just above the snow to avoid damaging evidence.

"These tracks," I said. "Do they look familiar to either of you?"

"Well…" Alice examined them closely. "...now that you mention it, they kind of do."

"Oh?"

"Yes. These… these look like the bottoms of the shoes I put on her." She gasped. "Wait… could this mean… she…"

"Came to life?" Marisa said. "You really think she did?"

"Or," I suggested, "could the thief have put on her shoes as they walked out with her to throw us off? We have to consider all of the possibilities."

"Oh, right." Marisa looked at the tracks again. "Well, should we head off in that direction, just to see if she's off somewhere that way?"

I shook my head. "Except that she could be lost in the forest, or be anywhere within a wide fan of where those tracks lead off to. Or, of course, she could also be at the thief's house. It has been several hours just since Alice noticed she was missing, and she likely disappeared during the night. She could be anywhere, really." I thought for a moment. "Does anyone else know about her existence? Who might have a motive to steal her?"

Alice shrugged. "You and Marisa are the only other people who know about her. And I have pre-programmed dolls patrolling the house during the night. An alarm would wake me up and alert me to anything trying to break in or leave."

"I see," I noted. "So, if there were a thief, they would somehow have to be able to fool or otherwise nullify your security system, and if the doll came alive she would still have to be able to leave the house without tripping the alarm."

"Exactly," Alice nodded. "The only person I know who'd be able to do that is Marisa over here, but after a… thorough inspection of her house, I managed to determine she was not the culprit."

"Why do 'ya gotta assume it was me every time?" Marisa complained.

"Because you're always stealing things."

"'Ey, I'm not stealin', I keep tellin' ya! I'm just borrowing until I die!" She fixed her hat. "And besides, that thing weighs more than a hundred kilos. Even if I were interested in makin' off with it, it'd be heavy as all hell, and I have no use for it anyway!"

"Let's not start a fight right now," I said. "Alice, if you don't mind, I'd like to look around inside your house for clues."

"Absolutely," she said.

We inspected the workshop for evidence of entry through the window, but turned up nothing. Other windows in the house showed no signs of forced entry, either. There were no fingerprints which I could discern, nor were the windows damaged. So we stood in the main living area, where I next had Alice recount her night after me and Marisa had left.

"Okay," Alice started. "So, after you left, I-"

"Sorry, you mind if I go take a piss?"

Both me and Alice winced at just how candid Marisa was at that moment. "Sure…" we said in unison.

"Alright, thanks." She walked away and shut the bathroom door behind her.

I turned back to Alice. "I'm sorry, continue."

"Oh, right. Well, as I was saying, last night was fairly routine. I made dinner, read for a couple hours, then went to bed. This morning, I got up, bathed, and ate breakfast, then went into the workshop to sew some replacement dresses when I noticed my large doll was missing."

"You're sure you locked all the doors and windows in the house?" I asked. "Is there anywhere we have not yet checked?"

Alice thought for a moment, then responded, "now that you mention it, I don't think we've checked my cellar yet. There's a window just large enough for a person to crawl through there." She twiddled her fingers. "But, entry through that window should have triggered the alarm, just like anywhere else in the house."

"I see. Like I said, it's still possible that-"

"AW, SHIT, I DIDN'T REALIZE I LEFT IT HERE!"

I turned to the bathroom and went over to the door, knocking on it. "What is it, Marisa? What did you forget?"

Marisa threw the door open. "I left my damn Metaverse Key here like a du-... oops."

...that idiot.

"I'm sorry, what?" Alice asked.

I shook my hands. "Oh, nothing, just an artifact of hers," I said.

"Oh, I see."

"...although…" If Marisa left her Metaverse key here, I realized Alice may have inadvertently activated it, sending her and her house into the Metaverse, and perhaps causing the doll to disappear somewhere in there. That would certainly explain why Alice's alarm didn't trigger.

"...tell me, what was the name of the book you were reading?"

"...huh?" Alice wondered. "What does that have to do with the doll?"

"I'm just trying to be thorough," I said.

"Oh, well, alright, I guess… I was reading a book called 'A Treatise on human Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. It was so strange, too: at one point, I felt a painful flash, then everything went quiet and a couple of my dolls dropped to the ground. I also grew very tired quickly, so I went to bed early…"

Dammit, I thought. So that's exactly what happened.

"...I think I know what happened," I said. "Marisa, we need to get going."

"Where to?" She asked.

"You know where," I said.

"...where are you two going?" Alice asked me.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, that's a secret.

Alice stamped her foot. "You say you know what happened, and yet you won't tell me what happened to my doll? Just what are you trying to hide from me?"

"I'm not trying to hide anything," I said, "it's just that only me and Marisa can take care of it from here."

"Well, you can at least tell me where it is you're going! I thought we made a deal last night, and I won't deal with anyone whom I can't trust to-"

The door rattled. "Yo, Alice! You in there?"

All three of us jolted toward the door. "Cirno-chan?" Alice wondered. "What are you doing here?"

Cirno entered the house, visibly quite angry. "You've done it this time! You dare to desecrate my sacred territory by the lake with one of your creations?! I won't have it!"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Alice said. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I say!" Cirno shouted. "One of your dolls just stepped right through my holy field of ice sculptures without my permission! And I knew it was one of yours because only your dolls are dressed like that! And now she's just standing there, like a freak, lookin' out at the lake, and I can't do shit to get her to leave! She even just deflects my mighty icicles like they're mere snowflakes! The nerve of her!"

After taking a moment to process the ice fairy's words, we bolted out through the door. "I apologize," I said. "We'll go remove her for you."

"You had better!" Cirno said before zipping off.


We rushed out of the forest and toward the Misty Lake. There, just as Cirno had indicated, a figure in a dress stood close to the lakeshore, standing still as though it were a statue, the dress gently whipping in the cold breeze.

"That's her! It has to be!" Alice called out.

I looked down at the tracks leading up to her. "These are the same tracks leading away from the house."

We touched down, just as the doll turned around to see us. Her face was expressionless; if she was feeling any emotion, she didn't communicate it.

"Let's stay back," I cautioned. "She could see us as a threat."

We all stared at one another for several seconds. The only sound was that of the wind, and the rippling waters of the lake splashing onto the sheet of ice ringing it.

The doll took a step. Then another. She walked up to us, glancing at Alice and Marisa briefly, then coming up to me.

She reached out her hand.

"...you…"

"...me?" I wondered.

"...you are… Crow…?" She looked at Marisa. "And you… Starburst…?"

This doll… she knew me and Marisa by our Metaverse code names. Was it possible, I thought? Could a shadow, while Alice's house was in Ethos, have found the doll and bound to it? And, that shadow would have to have met us before.

There was only one shadow we had encountered in Ethos who escaped with its life.

"Crow, and… Starburst?" Alice said. "What… what does she mean?"

"Beats the heck outta me," Marisa shrugged. "She must have us mixed up with other people. I mean, the spirit that's in there, it's possible we look like people she used to know."

The doll looked at her. "...you… you lie."

"Do I?" Marisa said.

"You… you're the one who wields the projection of a green-haired witch. And you," she pointed at me, "a figure with a face mask, and multiple other shadows. I remember it clearly. I almost beat all of you, then that one girl… Nitori? She awakened to her power, and then you all had me on the ground. And then she removed the distortion cast upon me."

I jumped back in shock. "Wait, do you mean…"

She bowed. "I am the shadow who once called myself 'Godly General Vajra.'"

"...er… I don't follow what's going on. 'Shadows?' 'Inner Power?' What does she mean?"

I shivered in the cold. "We should probably return to your house. It will be easier to explain while we're someplace warm."


"I hope Okonomiyaki is fine," Alice asked us. "I'm running low on Western ingredients and will have to make another run to Makai soon to get more."

"Anything you make is great," Marisa said.

We were back at Alice's cottage, where Alice made us all a late lunch. All of us were gathered around her table, including the shadow-possessed doll. Alice's smaller dolls poured us all tea, and the doll took a sip.

"...so this is 'tea,'" she said. "I have heard of it, but have never drank any."

"Tea's popular everywhere," Marisa said. "Breakfast, lunch, dinner, meetin' with friends, work breaks, before bed, every time is tea time, 'specially here in Gensokyo."

"Is that… so…" she said hesitantly.

I glanced at Alice. Yesterday, she had been gushing over the prospect of putting a soul in this doll, thus bringing it to life. And yet, she seemed numb, like she didn't know how to react to this situation now that it had actually happened, now that her life's goal had been accomplished. Insead, she silently focused on preparing the food, then served us all a plate before seating herself.

The doll poked at her food exploritavely. "And this… this is what humans eat?"

"Just one of many things," Marisa said. "That's called 'Okonomiyaki,' and it's basically just a mashup of flour, yams, cabbage, and whatever else the cook feels like throwin' in there." She picked hers up and took a bite. "Mmmm… lemme guess, onions and shrimp?"

"Yes," Alice bowed. "...my apologies, my Japanese cooking isn't as good as most others, so I just followed the recipe Lady Shinki gave me."

The doll looked at hers for a moment, before picking it up, opening her mouth slowly, then slowly biting in. She then put it down, and for a few seconds seemed unsure what to do before she realized she had to chew. Finally, after chewing for a few seconds more, she swallowed.

"Well? How is it?" Marisa asked.

"...this…" She took another bite. "...so this… this is what 'eating' is like. What 'food' tastes like."

Alice stared at her, drumming her fingers on the table hesitantly. "Is it… does it taste good, at least?"

"Taste…" The doll slumped. "I apologize. I only know life as a shadow. A being, an idea, flowing through the Sea of Souls, before being drawn to Ethos and overcome by its distortion. I took the form of Godly General Vajra, and believed myself to be him, but now I have no name, no identity, after I was torn from the distortion by them."

Alice looked very puzzled. "...what… What do you mean by that? I'm not sure I follow…"

"Should we explain it to her?" Marisa whispered into my ear.

"...I guess we have no choice. At the very least, she deserves an explanation on how her doll gained life." I turned back to Alice. "I can explain everything, but it will take some time."

"Please do," Alice replied.

"Alright. So…" I paused, then had a thought. "...actually, this will be easier if we show you first. May we step outside for a moment?"

"...um… sure?"

"Dude, is it safe?" Marisa asked me. "Ya know, because she's a youkai?"

"We'll only be in there briefly," I assured her. "And we won't be going anywhere dangerous." We got up from the table and walked toward the door. "I'd like you to come with us, if you would."

"Um… okay," the doll said, getting up from the table and following us out.

We climbed up to the roof, then I uttered the keyword, sending us to Ethos. Alice flinched from the sensation, as the world twisted and distorted, and the tall tower materialized on the horizon.

"Gah!" Alice grunted. "That feeling! It's just like last night when…" Her voice trailed off, as she looked around, wide-eyed, at the landscape around her.

"...wha… what is… where are we?" She looked at us, me and Marisa, who were in our Metaverse outfits.

Alice jumped back. "What the?! Goro? Marisa? And… those outfits! What's going on here?!"

"This is the Cognitive World," I explained to her. "This is the place where this doll, this shadow, comes from."

"Okay, wait wait wait…" Alice took a breath. "*phew*... this is just… okay. So… 'Cognitive World.' As in, we're inside someone's mind, or something?"

"Close, but not quite," I said. "This particular place is influenced by the cognition of the masses. Think of it as the 'collective unconscious,' where the thoughts and beliefs of the masses converge and take form, to influence the environment."

"Alright…" Alice hunched over. "...I don't get it."

"Don't sweat it," Marisa said, "I still don't fully get it myself. But basically, in this place we can change people's hearts by finding their shadows and beatin' some sense into them."

"What is a 'shadow'?"

"Shadows are the beings which inhabit this place," I explained. "Everyone has a shadow, representing their subconscious, repressed negative feelings. There are also shadows, drawn from the Sea of Souls and bound to cognitive distortions, like this one."

"Distortion?" Alice asked.

"The Cognitive World, or Metaverse, is influenced by the cognition of the people who control a given section of it. This place, 'Ethos,' is affected by the distorted, selfish desires of the masses, while other, smaller sections are ruled by the shadows of people with very distorted desires. We call these 'Fortresses,' and we use our power to take them down and remove the distortion."

Alice stood there, dumbstruck from the massive amount of information we had just hit her with. "Okay…" She held her head. "...okay okay okay… this is…"

"Not somethin' you ever knew existed?" Marisa said.

"...you could say that." She looked back up, looking out at the empty, still landscape. "A world composed of the thoughts and desires of the human unconscious given form… this is something, in all my years of occult study, that I never would have guessed existed. If only I had brought my notebook so I could take down observations…"

The doll pointed at the tower. "There… I came from there… that dark, evil place, full of shadows like myself."

Alice looked at her. "You mean, that tower?"

"The tower is the source of the distortion," I said. "All of us are trying to make our way to the top, to try and discover what lies there."

"'All of us?' Is it not just you and Marisa?"

"Nope," Marisa said, shaking her head. "There are others in on it too."

"I see…" She looked at the tower again. "Shadows… what do they look like?"

"Their appearances vary, based on the Fortress's distortion," I told her. "Their true forms also vary, and resemble various figures imprinted upon the human subconscious, namely gods, monsters, angels, demons, and historical figures. I have the ability to free these shadows from the distortion, and make them remember their names. They then give me their power, which I can wield as my own. And as I said, each person has a shadow of their own, representing their repressed, negative emotions and thoughts. Accepting your shadow, coming to terms with your faults, and resolving to tear off your mask, not to hide your true self any longer, allows one to awaken their Persona, which not only allows them to fight here in the Metaverse, but has profound effects on their behavior and psyche as well."

"Is that so?" Alice thought for a moment. "How long have you had this power for?"

I shook my head. "I'm not the only one with this power, this ability to enter the Metaverse. Outside, there is a group of vigilantes called the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, whose bizarre crimes captivated Japan. They were completely untraceable, their methods unknowable, and their targets would receive calling cards, followed by them making public confessions about their crimes and sins several days later. I was assigned by the SIU to investigate them, and I became the only detective to discover their true identities: they were all high schoolers like me, most of whom attended the same prep school."

"High schoolers?" Alice wondered. "As in, they were all kids?"

"What is 'high school?'" the doll asked.

"It… sounds like a cliche anime plot, doesn't it? Anyway, I followed them into the fortress of a police prosecutor. They were all shocked and dismayed, of course, that a detective had managed to catch up with them, but after seeing the world I had entered, and after awakening to my own Persona following an ambush, I offered them a unique deal: I would not incriminate them, if they helped me take down the fortress of an exceptionally corrupt and murderous politician running for prime minister. They, of course, accepted, and together we stormed it." I lowered my head. "But… things did not go according to plan, and I got separated from the group just as the place was crumbling. I failed to escape in time, causing me to become stricken from cognition… and end up here in Gensokyo."

"That's…" Alice paused. "...that's certainly a unique way of winding up here. Being wiped from public cognition… "

Suddenly, Marisa poked my shoulder. "Hey, dude, look at that!"

I looked down, and was surprised to see a wandering shadow in front of Alice's house. "A shadow? How did it get here? I thought there were no shadows beyond the tower…"

The doll shook her head. "I think I know that one. It must have followed me."

Marisa tipped her hat, and grinned. "Well then… why don't we give Alice here a little demonstration of our powers?"

I pulled my glove. "I don't see why not." So, with a dramatic flourish, I leaped into the air, right on top of the unsuspecting shadow, and kicked off its mask with the heel of my shoe, causing it to dissolve into three Obariyons and me and Marisa to throw off our masks and summon our Personas to take them on.

"What, what?" Alice jumped back in shock. "What are those… spirits that came out of both of you?"

"Our Personas," I said. "And this is the strength they give us!" Me and Marisa simultaneously unleashed Mazio and Mafrei, respectively, to bring them down before they knew what had hit them. They did, of course, plead for mercy, so I humored them and allowed one of them to be absorbed into my mask, another tool for our mission.

"Amazing," Alice said in awe. "So, you say that's the power you use in this world…"

Meanwhile, the doll, standing next to her, had watched our beatdown intently. "Your skills are most impressive," she praised. "It's no wonder you all managed to overcome me."

I spun my key around my finger. "I trust you understand it all by now. Let's head back. It's risky for you to be here for very long."

"Eh?"

"We're cut off from the real world's magic here, so you're gonna run outta gas in a jiffy," Marisa said. "It's why you conked out last night."

"Ah, okay," Alice nodded.

Back in the real world, and back inside the cottage, we resumed our late lunch. After our trip to the Metaverse, it was all Alice wanted to talk about.

"I still can't believe it," she said excitedly. "A world in which mankind's cognition takes shape?"

"Calm down, Alice, it's nothin' to get over excited about," Marisa said.

"'Calm down?' Don't you get it?! Magicians the world over would kill for an opportunity like this! Think about all the breakthroughs that could be discovered!" She turned over to the doll. "Like her! She comes from that world, and she could tell me all sorts of stuff about it!"

The doll was silent.

"Don't you feel you are treating her as a mere tool, rather than a person?" I asked.

Alice became quiet.

"He's right, Alice," Marisa said. "You gave a doll life. Don't tell me ya' seriously weren't prepared to actually live with another person once you eventually pulled it off."

Alice sighed. "Ahhh… I suppose you're both right. It's just… it's just that I've been fixated on bringing a doll to life for so long that I, ah, didn't really think much past that." She turned back to face the doll. "I… I hope you will forgive me. I haven't lived with anyone for so long that I…"

"...Alice…"

"Hm? What is it?"

"...Alice...sama…"

Alice jumped up in her seat. "Eh?"

The doll got up, and bowed. "You gave me this body and allowed me to leave that place, leave its distortion and miasma. For that, I am eternally grateful, and shall serve you from here on."

Alice was now shaking in her seat and blushing, clearly not expecting something like this to happen. "Eh-hehe…"

"I guess yer' officially a master now," Marisa grinned.

"I...I am?"

"Yup, just like how Shinki was and is your master now."

"...ah, yes!" She got up and bowed at the doll. "Well, if you insist, then I shall pledge to be a good, responsible master, miss… er…"

"Is… something wrong?" the doll asked.

"Well, see… you don't have a name yet, do you?" Alice said sheepishly.

"Oh, right," Marisa said. "You don't have a name."

"A name… I used to go by 'Godly General Vajra,' but now I know that must not be my true identity. But, if not that, then what?"

"We'll just have to come up with a new name for you, then," I said. "Now then… it can't be just any name, it should have some sort of meaning, a story, behind it."

The doll shrugged. "I'm just a nameless shadow from the Sea of Souls…"

The Sea of Souls…

"...how about 'Mamiko?'" I suggested.

"Mamiko… I like it! What about you?" Marisa said.

"Mamiko… a female name, for a female body…" She bowed. "...still, it is a fine name."

"Alright then," I said. "Now, should we come up with a last name for her then?"

"Ain't 'Margatroid' good enough?" Marisa asked.

"Not in this case," Alice said, shaking her head. "This is a master-servant relationship, not a mother-child one. She deserves to have her own last name."

"Fair point…" I thought about possible last names, before saying, "In the Metaverse, you took the form of one of the twelve generals who serve Yakushi Nyorai. You may not actually be Vajra, but you must admit that is still part of your identity, having taken his form."

"...you think so?" Mamiko asked.

"Absolutely."

"So… 'Shinshou' then?" Marisa asked.

"Precisely. Plus, she is serving Alice now, much like how Vajra and the eleven others served Nyorai."

"Shinshou…" she mumbled. "...Mamiko Shinshou." She bowed again. "Starting today, that will be my identity."

"Splendid," I said. I looked at a clock. "It seems it's getting late, I should probably head back now."

"You do that then, I'm gonna blow as well," Marisa said.

"Have a good night," Alice smiled. "And please do remember to come back, Goro. I'd like to learn more about the 'Metaverse' from you."

"My pleasure," I bowed, before showing myself out the door.