1/19
I expected a massive hangover when I woke up that morning, especially since Marisa had told me that oni sake was so potent it was "guaranteed to ail whatever cures you." So when I woke up with only a moderate headache, I was understandably very surprised. Granted, said headache stuck around for a couple of hours, making bathing and breakfast a pain, but given how much worse it could have been, I was thankful a minor headache was all that happened.
And it was fortunate that I could still work, since the store was unusually busy today, with people coming in and out of the door bringing in old belongings they no longer wanted, and either selling it for cash or exchanging it with other items the store had, on top of the customers who only bought items. Masato explained to me that, as the village's only real pawn shop, this happened sometimes. Because of the workload, I ended up remaining busy all the way from when the store opened to when it closed; Masato offered the next two days fully off in exchange for going over my hours slightly. I didn't care that much, since at this point me and the others were waiting for the Sutra Concert on Saturday, which was our next intel-gathering mission to discover the keyword which eluded us.
One moment in particular stuck out to me that day: a boy and his mother came in searching for a toy. I greeted them, then searched the store for something suitable, eventually finding an old, hand-crafted rocking horse. The boy, who couldn't have been older than five, excitedly jumped up and down as I reached and got it for him to hold.
"Thanks, mister!" he said.
I smiled. "You're very welcome."
He looked up at my eyes, then said, "when I grow up, I wanna be just as big and cool as you!"
...as big, and… cool.
"Oh, well, I'm sure you'll be someday, as long as you keep eating all your food!" I smiled and waved. Inside, though, I was very torn. I swore to become a better person, to serve as an example and give courage to people, not shatter their hopes and dreams as I did before. And yet… I knew I was never going to fully escape that psychotic, homicidal legacy born from neglect and the looming fear of my bastard status being discovered. This boy would most likely never have the chance to become anywhere near as twisted, murderous and corrupt as my weakness had allowed me to. If I had my way, only the supernatural bureaucracy in Gensokyo would know my crimes, but if even one Villager found out…
Later that night, Masato showed me how to cook Kushikatsu. It reminded me of a trip to Osaka I took during an investigation shortly before I met Ren for the first time, and I had Kushikatsu and other regional dishes while touring the food stalls there. This didn't taste quite the same, but then again, it was winter, and I didn't see many farmers raising livestock other than chickens and ducks, so I figured things like goat, pork and beef were harder to come by this time of year in a land without modern refrigeration.
"I'd say you're already getting much better," Masato commented between bites.
"Thank you," I replied. "I never realized my cooking skills were so lacking before."
"You never had anyone to show you," Masato told me. "My parents made me cook dinner every day starting when I was around nine."
"Nine?"
"Well, it's not like I had the kind of heavy workload I've been told Outside schools assign their students, and I spent a lot of time doing what I'm having you do, actually, helping him out with the store and eventually taking the reins once he grew too old to manage the store. Sometimes he'd bring Kourin in to show him how to run a store, as well." He chuckled. "Of course, maybe my father shouldn't have introduced the concept of tabs to him. He still comes by sometimes, and complains about Reimu and Marisa never paying for anything, when really he's just enabling them to do it."
"That's funny you mention it, because recently I saw her pay hers and Reimu's tabs at once."
"...hm?"
"She paid both of their tabs."
Masato sat there, seemingly not knowing what to make of what I had just said.
"...I see."
"Is that… unusual?"
"Well, it's just… I know she cares about Reimu, but she's never been that generous. And now that I think about it, it seemed as though Reimu, the last time she came in, acted differently from how I know her. As in, she seemed to walk and talk differently, and she had more 'bounce' to her step as she blessed the store. Furthermore, she took you aside immediately afterward, and you spent the rest of the day playing spell cards." He smirked. "I wonder, could you be having an effect on them already? They say women act differently around men that they like…"
I shook my head. "There's a case I'm assisting them with right now, because they need my detective skills. That's why I've been visiting them often."
"Hehe. Well, if you say so, I won't pry. I've just noticed you're good at making women blush, is all I'm saying." He stretched out. "I used to go on all sorts of crazy adventures when I was your age, trying to pick up village girls with my friends, but over time I learned how to be a gentleman and treat them with respect. I just hope you're doing the same, especially around her."
"Of course I am," I bowed.
"Hehe, well, alright."
Of course, in the end, the "good boy" act was just that: an act to cover up my true, misanthropic and cold demeanor. But… they say if you keep an act up for long enough, it ceases to be an act. And I wondered, was I, in fact, as charismatic and charming as I claimed to be? I already had a growing circle of friends, all female. Maybe it was just the effect that awakening to Bond and discarding Robin Hood and Loki had on me. Perhaps… Perhaps all my positive feelings were cast away into my shadow before, and now that I had accepted it they were rising to the surface. My new friends weren't the only ones who had changed; I had changed significantly as well.
I just had to hope my past would not ever fully come back and consume me.
1/20
As promised, Masato said I could have the day off, and in fact insisted that I take it off as well. Unfortunately, I quickly found that, between not having school, not having any work, not even the modern entertainments I would usually enjoy during the precious few moments of downtime I would get on the Outside, I was restless and desperately needed something to do. Our next investigation into Byakuren wasn't until tomorrow's sutra concert, as well, so the entire day was a blank slate for me.
Not knowing what else to do, I strapped on my snowshoes, threw on my heavy clothes, and headed out for a walk in the general direction of the Shrine, figuring Reimu might be up for some spell card practice. I also thought about the deal I made with Eientei; today was two weeks since my last visit, so I could move forward with the trials if I wanted to. I decided to wait until after tomorrow, however, to ensure I was in good condition for our information gathering. I also thought about suggesting going to Ethos, but realized I might not be able to - we agreed that if everyone didn't go at once, no one would. So, that left me to essentially wander around in the snow, contemplating my present situation…
"You desire to have an interesting experience," came a voice.
I jolted around to see a woman in a large, heavy jacket, with short, blonde hair tied up into two, upward-pointing twintails like owl's ears. "H-how did you know? Who are you?"
The woman bowed. "My apologies for coming up behind you unexpectedly. I couldn't help but hear the desires coming from you. My name is Toyosatomimi no Miko. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Toyosatomimi no Miko… was she that woman Marisa said was Byakuren's biggest adversary? How coincidental and convenient that I would meet her right here, right now. Perhaps I could get a clue on the keyword from her, I thought. But, of course, it would be rude to simply jump straight to that, not to mention suspicious.
"My name is Goro Akechi," I bowed.
"Goro Akechi…" Miko thought for a moment. "...can't say I've met you before. Did you just come to Gensokyo recently?"
"Correct," I said.
"Interesting. Outsiders, of course, aren't unusual, but very few come during winter. Certainly very few who survive the cold, and evade the youkai attempting to eat them. But, I can tell you are special, just by reading your heart."
Reading my heart? "Excuse me, but what do you mean by that?"
Miko looked around at the stark-white snowscape surrounding us. "Pardon me, but it is rather cold out here, I'm sure you'd agree. Why don't we take our conversation somewhere warmer?"
"Somewhere warmer," ended up being Geidontei, where we were again surrounded by mostly older gentlemen. Given what happened a couple nights ago, I wasn't especially up for any more alcohol, so instead I ordered some tea and fried fish, which Miko offered to pay for.
"Are you not going to get anything?" I asked her.
She shook her head. "An old hermit such as myself has no need for anything more than the mist and haze of the morning air."
"A 'hermit?'" I asked, confused.
"Specifically, a Shikaisen, one who has mastered the Taoist art of extending their lifespan, who devotes their life to Taoist training and warding off the youkai who try to eat our flesh, or the kishin who attempt to claim our souls. I am an ally of all humans, sharing a common goal of repelling youkai so that we may live peaceful lives. Now, how about you? What path do you walk?"
I thought for a moment, then answered, "I am, or I suppose was, the 'Charismatic Ace Detective,' working under the SIU while still attending school, and I have solved a number of high-profile cases. One such case led to a series of events which saw me end up here."
"I see, I see," Miko noted. "And your sense of justice is quite strong, I can tell."
"How so?"
"It's as I said earlier: I can read hearts. Although, it is a little more complicated. Specifically, I can listen to ten conversations at once, and give a perfect answer to each one."
"So, just like Prince Shotoku?" I asked.
"Well, of course, just like myself," she laughed.
...wait…
"Yes, I am 'him,' although, as you can assume, the records about my true self have been lost to time."
"I...see." I paused. "So, in just a month, I personally met Princess Kaguya, Shuten Doji, and now Prince Shotoku him - er - herself." I bowed in my seat. "It is a great honor to meet with you in person."
"And it is similarly a pleasure to meet you as well, Akechi."
I took a sip of tea. "Getting back on topic, you claim to be able to 'read hearts.'"
"Ah, yes. In addition to listening to one conversation from ten people, I can also hear ten 'conversations' within the same person, allowing me to hear each person's 'Ten Desires.'"
A person's 'Ten Desires." I asked, a bit hesitant, "so, in other words, a telepath?"
"Not… quite," she answered, shaking her head. "I can't read a person's mind, only their heart. Desires and conscious thoughts are quite different. You can think of desires as a person's unconscious thoughts and motivations, ones which they themselves may not know of or ignore."
The more she talked, the more I realized she could discover my true past, or about me and the others' Metaverse adventures, if she had the ability to parse "desires." I had to, as much as possible, ensure she did not discover them, but I still needed her to try and obtain a keyword for Byakuren's fortress. Again, though, I didn't want to sound rude or hasty, so I just attempted to naturally curate the conversation in that direction.
"Ah, so that's what you mean," I said.
"Correct. Earlier, I sensed your presence, as you were desiring some form of stimulation."
"Well, I have nothing going on today, admittedly, and I was going to visit Reimu to practice spell cards."
Miko smiled. "You practice Spell Card Duels as well, and even managed to convince her to help you learn. Well done. You are truly special among Outsiders."
"Thanks."
"Although…" she looked down. "When I sensed your most immediate desire, I also heard… others."
"...oh?" I started tensing up.
She shook her head. "Sorry, perhaps it would be rude to bring them up. But it was very strange: it was hard for me to ignore you, even with these earmuffs which allow me to block out conversations, because all of your heart's desires are unusually close to the surface, and right now are practically front and center, loud and clear. All of them, even the ones which other people repress so deeply. Furthermore, I could also sense many hearts and sets of desires within you, and it's impossible even for myself to try and parse them all at once."
I realized she was sensing both my Persona and my Wildcard ability, even if she had no idea what either of those were.
"You're an odd fellow, one-of-a-kind, I would even say, having so many hearts and desires within yourself, all so close to the surface. Trying to hide something, and yet feeling so confident that there is nothing to hide. Accepting all of your desires, positive and negative. And yet you only claim to be an Outsider detective."
"Charismatic detective," I slyly clarified. "I did have quite the entourage of fangirls, and have made a number of media appearances."
Miko chuckled. "Well, I suppose having natural charm and being famous would affect your heart, but that still doesn't explain why you seemingly have so many hearts within you." She sighed. "Certainly, it can feel like she has two hearts."
"'She?'"
"Byakuren Hijiri," she said simply.
Aha. Now things were getting interesting.
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"Sorry, I don't mean to trouble you with my personal gripes."
"No, no, actually, I was wondering if you could help us. I am assisting Reimu and some others with an investigation into her."
Miko perked up. "What… investigation?"
"Allegations that she's abusing her acolytes," I said. "Reimu and Marisa wanted me to help out because of my detective skills."
"Ahahaha!" Miko laughed and pounded the table. "Oh, I'm sure it would be obvious even to a fool that she misuses them for her own gains. I mean, how sincere can someone claiming to achieve enlightenment actually be when they're guilty of indulging in their own vanity and trying to lead youkai down that path? It's impossible, just because of their very nature." She looked right at me. "The fact of the matter is, youkai regard her as a saint, an idol who fights for their causes because she turned her back on humanity in order to save them, and, guess what? She knows that, and lets it get to her head." She smirked and shook her head. "To be sure, that is no Buddhist temple. Myouren is, quite simply, a shrine, a church, a cult of personality where she and she alone is revered as a divine figure. Actually, I'm thoroughly familiar with her desires, getting down even into their deepest, darkest recesses. If I had to describe it, it's almost as though, to her, the temple is a sort of grandiose cathedral dedicated to her impossibly inflated ego and achievements, something no layperson would ever guess just from looking at her and conversing with her."
...aha. A church? Perhaps a "cathedral" as she puts it? I already deduced that the distortion was very likely religious in nature…
"It sounds like you have rather choice words on her," I commented.
"Oh, you bet I do," she said back. "But, ranting won't do your investigation any good, I'm sure. So, how about this?" She handed me a small whistle made of bone. "Use this near the Myouren Temple if you require my services. I will be able to hear it from Senkai and will come out to assist you."
"Will it not bother you?" I asked.
"Anything for someone investigating her abuses," she said.
I nodded. "Fair enough. Then, we shall meet soon?"
"Absolutely," she smiled. "And, good luck with your new life in Gensokyo. If you need help or someone to turn to, know that you can trust me."
"I'll keep that in mind," I said.
Of course, I knew what I actually needed to do, to see if forming a deal with her would be worth it.
I hurried back home soon after the meeting, went up to my room, and pulled my Metaverse key out of the secret pouch I had hidden in my clothes specifically to keep its glow from being seen. And there it was, plain as day:
BYAKUREN HIJIRI
MYOUREN TEMPLE
CATHEDRAL
I grinned. Finally, I had the missing keyword. Byakuren, as it turned out, saw the temple as a presumably grandiose Catholic Cathedral. I could already imagine the place crawling with things like Angels, Archangels, Principalities, Powers, Dominions, and, if we were really unlucky, perhaps even the Big Four. And since it was a Buddhist temple in real life, perhaps some Buddhist monsters and figures like Apsaras, Nagas, Kumbhandas and Haritis as well. Luckily, I was too far from the Temple for the distortion to trigger, so I let it deactivate and stowed it in the locked drawer I now had specifically to hide it. I spent the rest of the day putting together some infiltration tools on my desk, helping cook dinner, and then read for a couple of hours before bed.
1/21
This was it. Today was the day where we would finally infiltrate Byakuren's fortress. I realized that it was not progress on the pressing Outside case, but given that this was an incident in itself, if not part of a larger one, it was still cause for enthusiasm.
We agreed, before heading to the Sutra Concert, to meet up at Nitori's cave to hash out the details of the mission, but I already knew there wasn't any more real-world information we needed. Still, working out an infiltration itself required much planning. I wasn't intending to do much more today than scout out the Fortress to get an idea of its layout, and where best to enter it from.
After breakfast, I threw together the infiltration tools I made last night as well as some other supplies, before heading to Genbu Ravine. Within half an hour, I went from being in my room to being in front of Nitori's door. This time, there was no camera coming out of the door, and Nitori simply threw it open for me.
"Morning, Goro!" she smiled. "You're here early!"
"I wouldn't be setting a good example as our leader if I were late," I replied.
"True that," she smirked.
The other three all arrived within fifteen minutes of me, with Reimu being the last to show up. Marisa chided her about being the shrine maiden responsible for Gensokyo's peace and yet still showing up last to a meeting about resolving an incident. Reimu deflected it, claiming she had some business to take care of first. Youmu then started to ask "but what about those Outside beer cans-" before Reimu quickly shut her up. I myself could see several hairs on her head standing up, and her outfit appeared to be hastily thrown on, as though she rolled straight out of bed and out the door. By contrast, Marisa, whose house was a mess, at least looked like she took some time fussing over her appearance before coming, and Youmu outright admitted she had already been up for several hours tending to the gardens and practicing her swordplay.
"Alright, so before we discuss the plan, I have something I wanted to show you all!" Nitori chirped. "It's in the Metaverse, if you all don't mind popping in for a bit."
"Sure, I don't mind, what is it?" Marisa asked.
"You'll see!"
We did as Nitori requested and entered Ethos from within her cave. At first, nothing seemed different, aside from all of us being in our Metaverse outfits, but that all changed as soon as Nitori opened the door to the Ethos version of her home.
"Whoa..." Marisa marvelled.
"This is…" Youmu said.
"Amazing…" Reimu said.
Truly, I myself found it very impressive. The entire inside of her cave had been completely overhauled, with a tunnel out to the training grounds having been bored, and a main hall with "The Day Breakers" spelled out across the wall in the back atop a logo depicting a fist rising up and cracking a circle representing the sun from below. The room had a marble floor, a supercomputer off to the side, and in the middle, a round table with exactly twelve seats and which also had the logo on the wall sprawled out all over its surface.
"Welcome, comrades, to the Hall of the Day Breakers," Nitori boasted, holding out her arms. "This is what I've been working hard on these past few days."
Marisa whistled. "Gotta say, Doktor, 'ya really outdid yourself on this one."
"A group dedicated to solving an otherworldly incident such as ours deserves only the finest place where we can convene and discuss our matters, away from the prying eyes of any villains who might want to expose and destroy us. I humbly offer this space along with the training grounds outside as our permanent hideout."
I observed her handiwork and smiled. "Well, having our hideout within the Metaverse would certainly be the best way to help keep our activities secret."
"Yer really goin' whole hog on this whole 'Day Breakers' thing, arent 'ya?" Marisa said.
"Why wouldn't I, since it has given me a whole new perspective on my life and my work? And after researching and analyzing Western comic books, I came up with the best superhero hideout one-kappa labor could provide." She directed our attention to the table. "And just like King Arthur and his knights, this round table where all of our voices are even and equal, and on which consensus can be easily reached."
"Why does it have twelve seats if there's only five of us?" Reimu asked.
"In case we recruit extra members," Nitori replied.
"Aha. Thinking ahead to the talent we might pick up," I commented.
Nitori insisted we all convene around her table, so we took up her offer in order to finalize the infiltration.
"First off," Reimu started, "are you okay after what happened the other day?"
I nodded. "I'm fine. Better than I expected. I had a moderate hangover, I suppose, but nothing severe enough to keep me from working all day."
The others were visibly shocked.
"Are you shitting me?" Marisa said. "One bottle of oni sake would make a normal human see weird shit for days, and they made you chug three! How the hell did you get away from that with just a hangover?"
I shrugged. "Well, I… er, evacuated it from my system the night before, I suppose."
"So? 'Ya gotta have a liver of steel to get away with even that!"
"Plus, they poured it down your throat with ruthless speed," Reimu admitted. "That's the only reason I didn't jump in before they already had the third bottle in your mouth. Honestly, if Starburst hadn't jumped onto the stage to distract them, you very well could have died… but then, if your tolerance is that high, then perhaps you weren't in as much danger as we all thought. Still, let's… not go bar-hopping down there again." She gripped her sides. "I'm still feeling the after-effects of that potion. Humans just aren't built to have oni strength…"
"Eh, I was fine after I came here and had Doktor rub my shoulders," Marisa said. "Lemme tell 'ya, she gives really mean shoulder rubs."
"Thanks," Nitori smiled.
"No prob. Anyway, Seraph, if you want me to come and pound your shoulders, I'm all for it."
"I…" Reimu paused, then smiled lightly. "...Thanks."
I cut in, "sorry to interrupt, but we do have a meeting, and a very important topic to get to."
"Oh, right." The girls looked at me expectantly, since I now had the conch. "So, what did you find out?" Youmu asked.
I spun my key around my finger. "We have a keyword."
All of their eyes widened. "Wow, really?!" Marisa exclaimed. "'Ya got that from drunk girls?"
"Not exactly," I said. "I guessed that the distortion was religious in nature based on what they said, but I actually met Miko by chance yesterday, and she went on about how evil Byakuren was, during which she dropped the keyword."
They were silent for a second, before Youmu chuckled. "I guess that makes sense. She is the 'heart-reader' who can hear a person's 'Ten Desires.'"
"She even sensed my Persona, although she didn't know that's what it was."
"Wait," Marisa cut in, "if she can sense our Personas, wouldn't that make her dangerous?"
"Absolutely," I answered, "but it could also make her a powerful ally, since she can sense distorted desires for us as well. I'm thinking about striking a deal with her for that reason."
"Having Miko as a confidant…" Reimu mused. "...to be honest, I've never really trusted her intentions either, and if she can reveal our operation that just makes me even more suspicious."
"As I said, she doesn't know about Personas per se. Instead, she described it to me as my desires being 'unusually close to the surface,' including all of the negative ones which we all subconsciously bury, which is what our Shadow Selves are. Awakening to a Persona involves coming to terms with those negative thoughts and desires, accepting them as part of yourself, and then resolving to make yourself greater."
"So, wait," Nitori asked, "in other words…"
"In other words, our Personas are our Shadows, transformed and fused with us to give us power in the Metaverse."
Marisa sighed. "This is even more complex than I thought. Still, I can't call myself a witch if I don't uncover all the truth, so I just gotta roll with it."
"That's the spirit," I smiled. "Now then, getting back on topic, the keyword is 'Cathedral.'"
Again, silence, before Youmu asked, "er, what's a 'Cathedral?'"
"Oh, I can answer this one," Marisa said. "So, you know what Christianity is, right?"
"...sort of?" Youmu said hesitantly. "Something about angels and a God and someone named Christ?"
"Yeah, exactly. Actually, Christmas is supposed to celebrate that guy's birthday. Anyway, there's a branch of Christiantiy, one of the oldest, called Catholicism. The Catholic Church is run by a guy called the Pope, who manages a bunch of other guys called Bishops and Priests. Priests run Catholic churches, where people come together on Sundays to worship, and those Priests and churches are managed by Bishops who run 'Cathedrals,' big, super-fancy churches with gothic facades and all sorts of Christian artifacts and art. The Pope himself runs the Vatican City, the largest Cathedral in the world, and the most important."
"I see," Reimu noted. "So, if Byakuren sees the temple as a Cathedral, that must mean she sees herself as the sole center of worship there, and it also reflects her oversized ego as well."
"Knowing that it's a Cathedral also gives us an idea of what kind of shadows to expect," I added. "Given that it's a Christian distortion of a Buddhist temple, we'll likely see figures from both mythologies as foes. I'm most concerned about the Christian ones, since those tend to be angels, and angel-type shadows often pack instant death spells."
Marisa's head hit the table. "Good grief, not more instant-kills!"
"Unfortunately, yes, more instant-kills. However, Seraph has proven herself to be immune to Bless spells, not surprising given that she looks like an angel herself."
"An angel with a devil wing," Reimu added. "I still don't know why that is."
"Prolly 'cause yer lazy and kind of a grouch," Marisa said.
"Oh really?" Reimu replied, cocking an eyebrow.
"Let's not get off-topic," I said, cutting in between them. "Today, I would like to go investigate the Fortress so that we can get an idea of the layout and establish an entry point. Then, we will spend a couple days preparing for the infiltration before going in for real."
"Hell yeah, I'm ready to kick ass!" Marisa grinned.
"Time to resolve another incident," Reimu said.
"I don't want the Myouren acolytes to suffer any further, like I did," Youmu said.
"We made a deal, and you fulfilled your end, so I'll fulfill mine," Nitori nodded.
I smiled "Alright, no objections. Let's begin the operation."
We arrived just as the crowd started to gather for the sutra concert. Both human and youkai, emerging from the path, the trees, and the air, converged in front of the Myouren Temple, ready to hear and feel the sound of Byakuren's chanting and wooden fish-beating.
Staying hidden proved a challenge, but we managed to hang low in the shadowed understory of the forest between Genbu Ravine and here. We hid in some bushes, and I crept forward to assess the situation while the others laid low. After a few minutes, the last of the guests arrived, and once I was certain there was no more movement around us, I fell back to the others. I saw Byakuren come out and begin to speak, but from where we were it was hard to understand her.
"Byakuren is distracted and there are no more guests," I whispered. We did another quick check to make sure we were sufficiently spaced from the Temple and that no stragglers would be inadvertently caught up with us once we entered the Metaverse.
"Alright, let's say the keyword." The others nodded, and I quickly and quietly uttered those words: "Byakuren Hijiri, Myouren Temple, Cathedral." Just like clockwork, the key activated, and the world began to twist and distort into a new form.
The light coming down from the sky was so bright, we all had to cover our eyes. And it seemed not just to all be coming from the sky, but from all directions, as though someone had placed massive spotlights around us and shone them at full power.
Once our eyes had adjusted and we could look up, it took shape in front of us. And it was a spectacle to behold.
"Holy..." Marisa said.
"What is…?" Reimu wondered.
"Incredible…" mused Nitori.
I looked around. We were on top of a large hill, surrounded by an ancient, Greek or Roman city as far as could be seen. And in front of us was a large, looming complex of buildings which looked just like the Vatican, complete with a towering basilica with a shining, gold roof and marble exterior. Crowds gathered in the square around the obelisk, which mirrored the Vatican's own, but with a gold statue of Byakuren atop it. Other statues lined the top of the column-supported parapet surrounding the square and the entrance to the basilica, all statues of Byakuren as well.
If Yuyuko was gluttony, it didn't take a genius to see that Byakuren's sin was overwhelming and oppressive vanity.
"So this is how she sees the Myouren Temple," Youmu said. "Just a place which exists to stoke her impossible ego."
"Also," Marisa pointed. "That's a massive crowd. Think it has somethin' to do with how full of herself she is, tryin' to convert everyone in Gensokyo to Buddhism?"
"Possibly," I said. "It might also be because of the large crowd gathered for the sutra concert in real life. Remember, this place exists within Byakuren's cognition; anything she perceives will affect what goes on in the Fortress, including the form it takes. I will bet you that the crowd will not be present when we return on another day when there's no sutra concert."
Reimu looked out at the crowd. "No way we're getting through that crowd to reach the entrance."
"Plus, look at this." Nitori's Persona reached into the "backpack" part of itself and pulled out a monitor, all while the satellite dish spun around. It showed several figures walking along the front steps of the basilica, all in white robes with purple and gold tabards, distinctive mitres, and porcelain masks styled after Michelangelo's statues, all holding scepters. "Shadow guards," she explained. "They're all over the square. If we're caught, we'd be swarmed in no time flat."
"So we'll just have to look for another way in," I said. I briefly scanned the area. "Let's work our way around the right side of the parapet. Then we'll try and find an open window or the like from which we can infiltrate."
"Good idea," Marisa nodded. So we rushed over to and traced along the outside wall, staying low to avoid detection from inside the square. Eventually we came to a gate, with sharp spikes at the top to deter those trying to vault it; however, a convenient broken pillar allowed us to jump up to the top of an adjacent building's roof, past the gate, and look out upon the Fortress from our vantage point.
We observed the area in which we found ourselves: streets lined with buildings which were a strange mishmash of Roman and East Asian architectural styles, borrowing ideas from both Western chapels, churches and sanctuaries, and Eastern, particularly Buddhist, temples and castles. It made sense, since the Myouren Temple was a Buddhist one in real life, and Byakuren herself was Buddhist, but the nature of the distortion, the way in which she viewed her temple, the way in which she viewed herself, really, twisted it into a grand cathedral fit for worshipping a saint, a lord and savior.
"What even IS this place?" Reimu wondered aloud.
"It's like if Vatican City were built in Tokyo or something," Marisa said. "I've seen maps and pictures of the place in Patche's books."
"It's strangely beautiful, and yet…" Youmu closed her eyes. "...I can just sense… something very wrong about it."
"It is a distortion, after all," I said. "And we don't yet know the full scope of it. All we know is that Byakuren is misusing the Temple and her acolytes for her own ends."
"And the core?" Marisa asked. "That's gotta be somewhere here too, right?"
"Core?" Nitori asked.
"Oh, right, this is your first Fortress infiltration." I turned to her. "In Yuyuko's fortress, there was a Core representing her distorted desires, which we could access only by finding three 'Will Seeds' scattered throughout the Fortress." I looked out toward the basilica. "If this place is anything like that one, we'll need to scour all over to find those Will Seeds, then open up a path to the Core."
Marisa observed the basilica, noting the high metal spikes, barred windows and high walls surrounding its backside, along with what appeared to be a deep, wide trough around those walls preventing any attempt at scaling them. "1000 yen says that's where our Core is. Ludicrous defenses around the back, high concentration of guards in the front, that just screams 'hey everyone, I've got treasure inside me!"
I nodded. "Good observation. Just like the cherry tree in Yuyuko's Fortress, that highly guarded basilica must be where the Core lies. And if we collect all three Will Seeds, it will weaken the defenses enough for us to be able to break in from an undefended side."
Reimu gazed out upon the buildings and gardens which made up the rest of the Fortress. "I hope we don't have to comb each and every little corner of this place just to find them all."
Nitori grinned. "I bet I could just scan our surroundings, and that way I can pick up Will Seeds or whatever else near us!"
Reimu thought for a moment. "Hmm… you might be right. We could simply go along the main paths, then when you pick up something we'll go check it out." She looked up at Nitori. "Your Persona really is something different from ours."
"Yup! In fact, I can start scanning right now!" Her satellite dish came out, and started scanning the area while Nitori looked at her PDA. "Lessee… hm… I'm picking up something nearby…" She pointed at a small shack-like structure. "There! It's in there!"
"Then let's go check it out," I said. I jumped down onto the street, checked for any passing shadows, then led the others down as well. As we approached the shack, its door grew hazy and twisty, leaving no doubt that this was one of the Fortress's Safe Rooms.
"A safe room," I said. "Good find, Nitori. Let's head inside."
Opening the door, we came into what looked like some sort of reading room, with a table in the center and benches along its sides. I could definitely feel the hole in cognition here, and already mentally figured out how to use it to quickly get us back out to the entrance.
"Alright, first safe room," Marisa said.
"A 'safe room?'" Nitori asked. "I know I found this place for you all, but…"
"It's a gap in the ruler's cognition," I explained. "Places where their control isn't as strong. Shadows can't see this place, and we can also exploit the weakness in cognition to jump back to the entrance, or any other safe rooms we come across. The cognition is weakened because all the safe rooms are based on rooms or other spots in the real world in which the ruler doesn't hold as much power."
At that moment, the room distorted and briefly transformed into one like the ones in the temple, a bedroom, judging from the futon on the floor, before shifting back.
"Geh, I wasn't ready for that!" Marisa exclaimed.
"This must be one of her acolyte's rooms," Reimu thought. "Probably because they're the only places that are theirs, not hers, and they can escape her influence, however briefly."
"Good observation," I complimented. "That means there's likely one safe room for each bedroom in the temple." I had a seat on one of the benches, and the others sat down as well. "Now then, we need to think about where the Will Seeds might be located, so that we're not just aimlessly wandering the entire Fortress attracting the attention of shadows."
"All of us except Nitori have been to the Temple a few times, so I think I might know some spots to check out," said Marisa. "Y'know those gardens we saw from the roof? Those are prolly based on the cemetery that's behind the Temple in real life. That cemetery also has a cave leading to the Hall of Dreams' Great Mausoleum, where Miko's tomb used to be. So there might be an underground section of the Fortress as well."
I nodded. "On the Vatican side of things, there's a building called the Sistine Chapel adjacent to St. Peter's Basilica, and if the layout of the Fortress is similar it's not far from here. And seeing as how the basilica here overlays the main Temple, investigating the areas based on its grounds appears to be our only option. Certainly the only places our Will Seeds could be hiding."
"So, then, we have three places to investigate for sure," Youmu said. "The Chapel, the Gardens, and then the underground section if it exists." She shuddered. "I-I hope there's no ghost shadows, I hated that cemetery and mausoleum in real life, so…"
"As I said, we'll most likely come into buddhist monsters, and angels with instant-kills," I smiled.
"DON'T SMILE WHILE SAYING THAT, DUMMY!" Marisa shouted. "'Specially since Fury here's already been hit by one!"
"Geeeh…" Youmu groaned. "It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life, and it hit me in a flash. I hope I don't go through it again."
"If it's any consolation, they don't always work," I said. "So, just pray that it fails if it hits you. Or try to avoid it, since they tend to be telegraphed." I looked around again. "Either way, we've accomplished our goal today, as we now have a forward entry point."
"Ya sure?" Marisa asked. "I didn't see any shadows near us…"
"You saw that crowd at the front, correct? That many beings in the Fortress means the security level was likely through the roof even before we got here. Even if there's no shadows immediately around us, it is most likely extremely tight around the Will Seeds and other critical locations. It would be wise to wait until the Temple is quiet once more before continuing our exploration further."
Marisa was about to object, before Reimu shushed her. "Let's just trust him, Starburst. He knows a lot more about these places than we do."
"And he has a point," Nitori said. "I'm already detecting a large crowd of shadows near here."
Eventually, Marisa shrugged. "Eh, well, fine. Let's bounce, I guess."
"Great. Then we'll spend a couple of days making preparations so that when we come back, we're absolutely prepared." We all warped back to the Fortress entrance, and walking away led us onto the path leading to the Temple. The sutra concert was well underway, likely explaining the security spike, so we all went our separate ways. I spent some time at Suzunaan reading before they closed, then helped Masato out with vegetable stir-fry. My only blunder that night was trying to add entirely too much sauce to the pan.
