Inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Rex was shaking where he stood. He couldn't believe what he had just seen.
The lamp that he had dropped recently was flickering out, the flame slowly dissipating.
Rex gasped as it went pitch black, going into his pocket for the matchbox. He struggled in getting a match out due to his broken arm and constant shaking from fear.
Finally managing to pull a match out, he held the box in his mouth and drove the matchstick against the striker, igniting it. He spat the box out and went to the lamp, relighting it.
Standing back up, he was able to see the horrific sight once more.
Right in front of him was what seemed to be a dismembered human corpse. It was missing a head and part of its arms and legs. Whatever was left was cut off from the body, a large butcher's cleaver lodged into its chest. The metal table was a bloody mess.
Rex covered his mouth, nearly throwing up at the gruesome display. He knelt to the floor, try his best to recuperate. Blood covered the floor making the surface sticky. It smeared onto his grey jeans, staining them with a dirty brownish red.
It took a while for him to recover, slowly getting up, now able to cope with the horrific sight.
"What the fuck is going on here…" Rex whispered to himself, unable to find an answer. He looked around.
Various shelves were stacked with glass jars. Many were empty, but there were a couple filled with a red liquid which he could only guess was blood. More body parts hung off of hooks attached to the walls. Smaller wooden tables lined the back wall with more knives atop. It was unlike anything he had seen.
"I-I need to get the hell out of here as fast as possible," Rex said, slowly backing off away from the table. He was afraid of reaching the same ill-fated end like the corpse in front of him. The faster he got out of this damned place, the better.
Turning around, Rex scooped up the lamp into his hands and ran to the door. He ducked under the hanging meats and swerved around barrels and crates.
He headed towards the door and continued to run.
Sakuya had figured out someone had trespassed into the mansion. She was going to deal with the matter with herself to not worry her friends. From the blood, she surmised that it was probably human. It was also apparent that they were severely injured, making her job easier.
She strode down the red-carpeted entrance hallway, a big room that had one large staircase going up and several diverging doorways. One could get lost if they didn't know the right direction. Sakuya knew the layout by heart since she was the one responsible for manipulating space to make the already roomy mansion even more abundantly spacious.
She would first have to check up on Patchouli before putting the groceries back in the kitchen.
Wasting no time, she manipulated time and instantaneously appeared in front of the doors of the magic library located in the mansion's basement.
She knocked on the door and putting the groceries against the wall.
"Miss Patchouli, may I have a word with you?"
Sakuya quietly waited, expecting an answer. To her surprise, there was no response. Without a thought, she pushed opened the door, worrying for the magician's safety. It was unusual for her to not be here, she rarely left the library.
Entering inside, she looked around for Patchouli. The magic library had a large collection of books kept in bookshelves that floated in the air and some against the walls. It spanned high up, reaching the first floor and had windows with curtains covering them.
The maid spotted Koakuma floating above organizing a bookshelf.
"Koakuma~! Where has Miss Patchouli gone?" Sakuya called out to the devil assistant.
"Eek!" Koakuma yelped in surprise. She nearly dropped a book, desperately fumbling with it in the air before securing it safely in her hands.
"S-Sakuya! I didn't hear you come in!" Koakuma said as she floated down to greet the maid. She landed on the ground in front of her and held the book close to her chest. "Were you asking for Lady Patchouli?"
"Mhm, I was just checking on how Patchouli was doing," Sakuya responded. "Is she here?"
"Ah~! She's meeting up with the mistress," Koakuma answered, recalling a recent conversation she had with the magician "She never told me why I'm afraid, so I apologize if that's what you needed to know."
The maid shook her head. "It's fine, I'm just glad to find that she is still here."
It seems the intruder hasn't encountered any of the residents of the mansion... Sakuya thought to herself.
"Um… may I ask why you are so interested?" The devil shyly questioned, not wanting to rudely pry into her business.
Koakuma was now curious why Sakuya had been so interested in her lady's whereabouts.
It seemed I piqued her interest... it's better off she doesn't know the situation…
"I was going to prepare dinner," Sakuya remarked confidently, quickly coming up with a reliable excuse. It was partly true so she wasn't completely lying. "I was hoping to inform Patchouli what she wanted to eat since I came back home with fresh ingredients. It has been a while since I've made something specific for her and since she's not here…"
"Oh! I'll make sure to tell her when she returns," Koakuma gleefully responded, her wings fluttering slightly. "Though I'm sure she'll just eat anything you make since you're the one making them."
Sakuya's cooking skills were quite proficient, but that was expected to be being the personal maid of the Scarlet Devil, Remilia. Every dish was always amazing. The devil slightly envied in the maid's cooking expertise, having only some experience in pastries and tea she's made repeatedly for Patchouli. However, she was happy with her current skills and only wishes to improve from there on out.
"Well… I-I'm only doing my job..." Sakuya acknowledged the praise, feeling flattered not expecting any compliments. She felt a slight blush creeping up to her cheeks. Faking a cough, she brushed the emotion away and returned to her usual self, elegant and refined. Inside, she appreciated it but her job came first.
Koakuma was smiling brightly for some reason, looking back. The devil was glad in catching a glimpse of the maid being flustered.
"I have some matters to attend back in the kitchen so I'll be leaving now," Sakuya said, bowing slightly to Koakuma and turning around to leave.
"Ahh, okay~ bye~!" Koakuma waving goodbye, the smile remaining on her face.
Before closing the library doors, Sakuya smiled back.
*Ka-chick*
Sakuya let out a deep sigh while picking back up the groceries leaning against the opposite wall. The faster she got rid of the trespasser the better. She was starting to feel guilty for lying to Koakuma.
I'll just drop these off the kitchen then I'll go around the mansion to find the trespasser,
The trampled flowers were still fresh in her mind. She was waiting for weeks for them to grow so she could try out a new tea that her mistress could have enjoyed. Although she could just use her powers to speed up a new batch, she disliked that, believing that growing them properly is the best way to prepare them.
With her powers, Sakuya was sure she could find and eliminate the intruder fairly quickly, but the conversation that she had with Rumia and Mystia was floating in the back of her thoughts.
There was still a chance that Remilia, Patchouli, or possibly Rumia have already caught him.
While thinking of the possibilities of what could happen, she instantly disappeared. Her next destination, the kitchen.
Rex ran out of the storage room into the kitchen.
Upon reaching the doorway, he blew out the lamp and placed it on the countertop. The kitchen was a mess, the floor cluttered with things he had previously knocked down in a desperate attempt to find medicine for his wounds. The sight of the mess made him feel slightly guilty.
Rex carefully stepped over a pile of knives that he had knocked out of a rack. He was slowly treading through the clutter. Spices from the broken pots were sticking onto his bloody shoes.
While he was going through the mess, numerous thoughts were going inside his head.
How do I get back to the entrance?
Am I going to get out of here alive?
I don't want to be fucking chopped up by some psychopath!
Holy shit, I need to get out.
Christ, I made such a huge mess, this is hard getting through...
More or less, he was having a panic attack. He nearly slipped from not concentrating on traversing through the kitchen.
Reaching the doorway out of the kitchen, he turned the corner out only to run into someone, bumping them down to the ground.
Rex looked down at who he had knocked down. It was a female with silver hair who was wearing black and white attire. A white maid headband was atop her head. It seemed he ran into one of the maids of the mansion, but she seemed different from all the others. She didn't have any wings, so… is she a human? The maid had a surprised expression on her face.
He felt his heart drop in fear, unsure if she would kill him or not like everything else he had encountered.
"H-Hey! Your human right?" Rex asked, hoping that she could help him escape. He still kept his distance away from her in case she became hostile and was forced to use his power.
Sakuya was on the ground, looking back at the human. The groceries she was holding had spilled out on the ground. She wasn't expecting to find him this quickly. The human looked distraught and in terrible condition. He had blonde hair that was like Marisa's but was short and stuck out weirdly in some places. His shoulder was bandaged in a bloody wrap, even his torn clothes were covered in dried blood.
The maid stood back up, dusting herself off. Rex was still anxiously staring at her, one hand gripping onto the door frame and the other balled up into a fist. He was only a couple of feet away from her.
"Yes, I am a human," Sakuya answered clearly, her voice sharp and clear. Her hands slowly went over to thigh, hovering above the knife holster, hidden by her skirt.
Rex suddenly grabbed onto her shoulders, catching her by surprise. She yelped at his sudden action. He was thrilled to find someone he could trust.
"Y-Yes! Please, we need to get out of here quickly!" Rex cried out to Sakuya, his hands were shaking as he held onto her shoulders. "Whoever you're working for… they're doing something terrible behind your back! We need to leave! Are there any others like you in here?"
Sakuya blankly stared back at Rex, her face showing no emotion. She now knew what he was getting at. He had come out of the kitchen, which probably meant that he saw the special ingredient. It seemed he came across the human she had previously chopped up for Rumia's dinner.
Pushing him away, Sakuya knew what she had to do.
"I think you misunderstood…" Sakuya responded, reaching for her knives.
"W-What?! I think you don't understand what's going on!" Rex objected, hoping he could explain the situation to her.
But that was not needed.
"I was the one who killed that human," Sakuya coldly replied, swiftly pulling out her three colored knives in one hand. She held them in front of her, hand near her chest as the knives dangerously gleamed.
Rex couldn't believe what he had just heard. A growing fear started to emerge inside him.
"T-There's no way! W-why would you want to kill someone and then fucking chop them up?!" Rex yelled back, hoping that this was some sick joke, but inside he knew there was no reason for her too. He slowly backed off into the kitchen, continuing to stare back at her.
"There's no need to tell you…," Sakuya whispered as she readied to throw her knives. "I'm afraid your time is up…"
"Wait! We can talk about thi-"
Before Rex could finish his sentence, Sakuya raised her arm across her face and swung.
Instantly, three knives became six. Those six then became twelve. Rex had just witnessed magic. The space in front of him became occupied with a barrage of knives.
That was when Rex desperately called out for his power, freezing time. The knives froze in place inches away from him.
"That should give me a couple of seconds," Rex sighed in relief.
Suddenly, he felt the air freeze up again like how it would when he used his powers… but he wasn't the one who did that...
"I don't think so…" A voice cut through the silence.
"Huh?!" Rex turned around to find the killer maid still moving, a knife in her hand, poised to strike.
When did she get behind me? She was in front of me a moment ago! More importantly, how the hell is she still moving?!
Sakuya had suspected Rex to have some sort of power, her conversation with Rumia aiding her in realizing that. She manipulated time for her to be able to move in his plane of time. Unlike Rex, she was able to control the flow of space and time, though she was unsure if Rex could do the same. What she didn't know was that he could only hold it for a certain amount of time.
But to find a human with similar powers as hers was chilling.
This human needs to be stopped before he could do anything worse… humans loathe this kind of power… they fear it…
"It seems you made quite the mess...," Sakuya seeing the condition the kitchen was in. It undoubtedly pissed her off, but she refused to let it get to her, remaining composed. She raised her knife threateningly towards Rex.
"Goddamnit!" Rex cursed to himself, finding himself in between the maid and a wall of knives. The stopwatch was still counting down in his mind, six seconds already passing.
I'm nearly at my limit!
Rex jumped up on the center countertop and leaped away to safety away. He unfroze time, the barrage of knives began to move again except this time Sakuya was in its path.
The knives flew towards her but before they could hit their mark, Sakuya had stopped time and safely got out of the way. From Rex's point of view, it just looked like she teleported out.
Is that how it looks like when I do the same?
Sakuya dashed towards Rex, not giving him time to relax. Somehow, more knives appeared in her hands.
"Shit!" Rex catching a glimpse of the maid behind him. Grabbing a cutting board, he managed to turn around and catch Sakuya stabbing down on him. The maid struck down with her knife but managed to lodge it deep into the board. He had to use everything to push back, even forcing himself to use his broken arm.
AHHHH! FUCK!
His arm felt like it had just broken a second time, shattering into pieces, but he perilously held on for his survival.
Ah- Fuasdawlk?! Holy shit, this girl-... has some force!
Rex felt himself get pushed back against the countertop. He struggled in holding the board as Sakuya pushed against him. His shoulder was starting to hurt again with the amount of force being exerted onto it.
"Your fate is already sealed, why struggle so much?" Sakuya coolly questioned Rex as she swiftly pulled out another knife, ready to jam it into his sides.
"Just...! Shut it!" Rex said as he clenched his teeth, speaking in between his pained breath. Somehow, he was managing to hold up against Sakuya with the cutting board. He swung it to the right, using the maid's force against her to throw her off before she could get in another stab.
Sakuya leaped back, nimbly landing atop one of the counters.
"Tsk! You certainly are making this difficult!" The maid fussed as she hurriedly flung out more knives towards him.
Rex watched as the few knives she threw become dozens.
"How are there this many knives?!" He dashed away to the kitchen exit, ducking with a cutting board in hand. The knives trailed behind him, embedding into the wall beside him.
Reaching the exit, he slid over the dining table, knocking down the silverware off the table.
Sakuya quickly followed behind, hell-bent on ending this stupid human's life. She scowled at how much of a mess he had already made. The thought of the human living and escaping from her grasp was both aggravating and embarrassing. She couldn't make the same mistake twice, the first time was when she had let Reimu and Marissa slip past. She didn't want to disappoint her mistress again.
Rex felt Sakuya's dagger-like glare piercing his back.
Shitshitshitshit- she's catching up?!
He kept on running for his life, his broken arm painfully aching while the other held the board. Sakuya was hesitant in using her powers to stop him, unsure of his capabilities with time manipulation. She was against another time user, something she was unprepared for.
Why is he using his powers so sparingly? Sakuya was stumped, uncertain of what to do next.
Reaching the big open room with two staircases leading up to the second floor, Rex had to do something.
He needed to get away from the maid, but how? He had no other option but to keep running. Taking the wide left staircase, he ran up but felt time freeze up momentarily.
Looking back, the maid was no longer behind him. His senses flared up screaming at him to move.
Turning back, the maid appeared right in front of him, ready to thrust a knife through his chest. He frantically raised the board with one hand, putting it in front of him. Rex barely managed to block the attack as the knife stabbed into the board. The strength behind the thrust sent him flying down the stairs, colliding into the floor as the board was sent tumbling away.
"G-augh!?" Rex gasped for a breath, the air knocked out of him. His shoulder erupted in pain, the fall made the injury feel even worse. He writhed in agony, the pain tormenting him. It was getting difficult for him to breath, gasping in between his hurtful cries.
Sakuya elegantly walked down the wide red-carpeted staircase, holding onto a single red hilted dagger.
"It was about time you stopped moving you rodent…" Sakuya scoffed as she slid a hand down the polished wooden railings.
Rex struggled to raise his head to look up at the descending maid.
Fuck! Move! MOVE!
He strained his body to crawl away- away from his death, but he could hardly move an inch.
Sakuya looked down at the trespasser, watching him squirm like a crushed bug on the floor.
"It is a shame to find another human with such a unique power…" She apologetically looked down at Rex, but she felt no remorse. This needed to happen, for what problems he could potentially cause in the future and for trashing the entire kitchen.
She had killed hundreds, maybe thousands of humans, and she never felt any guilt about any of them. Deep inside, if humans knew about the truth… they would despise it … fear its power…
But this one was different. He possibly could understand what it's like for her… what struggle it is to hold such power like this… but she needed to finish her job. It was her duty, something she had sworn on a long time ago... What was one more human going to hurt?
Rex winced at the waves of pain coming from his shoulder. He laid there on the floor as he stopped his struggling. It was useless.
I'm sorry gramps… I- I- I wish I had spent more time with you… I- I know you want me to keep smiling… but I don't think I can anymore…
Sakuya took notice of his sudden stillness.
It seems he's given up. Wise choice…
Rex could hear the clack of her shoes echoing through his fatigued mind as she came down the stairway. He could feel himself lose consciousness to exhaustion, his vision gradually turning darker and blurry.
Sakuya was a foot away from him on top of the stairs. She raised the single knife above her head, ready to send it through his heart.
Before losing consciousness, he caught a glimpse of a bright shining white light and a silhouetted figure.
What a beautiful sig-
Darkness washed over him.
Sakuya threw the knife down with a deadly aim, flying straight towards his exposed chest. She wasn't going to let him have a chance to react, freezing time herself. In that instance, she leaped high into the air and flung down hundreds of knives. They circled Rex, suspended in the air, ready to turn him into a pincushion.
Gracefully landing, she rose and crossed her arms raising a stopwatch and the other holding her signature knives.
With a confident voice, she announced loudly.
"Cancel!"
The suspended knives in the air unfroze, darting down to strike its intended target. It flew at a blinding speed, faster than the blink of an eye.
*SHINK *
…
The knives had met their mark.
but the human was still breathing, still laid unconscious on the carpeted floor.
What?!
Sakuya's eyes grew wide looking at what her knives had struck instead.
Magical floating books surrounded Rex, dozens of knives sticking out of each cover as was the floor. The books had protected Rex from her attack, not receiving a single scratch.
"What a waste of such valuable books…" A voice muttered disappointingly in the distance, Sakuya hearing a pair of footsteps approaching behind her through a dark hallway on the second floor.
"Clearly, but we have a more important matter to attend to Patche!" Another voice childishly replied, the footsteps getting closer. Sakuya recognized who they were and ran to the top of the stairs, kneeling in front of them.
"M-Mistress!" The maid apologetically exclaimed as she bowed to the mysterious person. Sakuya instantly knew who they were, her mistress and close friend, Remilia. The mistress of the mansion walked out of the dark hallways into the lit room.
She had the appearance of a child looking around the age of ten but carried a semblance of maturity. Atop her short light blue hair, she wore a pink mob cap decorated with a red and white ribbon. Her dress was pink as well, red ribbons wrapped around her sleeves and a larger one tied in a bow on her back, around her waist. She wore small brown slippers that clacked at every step. The most notable features, however, were two large bat-like wings protruding from her back.
"It seems we have arrived just in time…" Remilia sighed in relief as another figure appeared behind her.
"At the cost of my precious books, please remember that," A magical lady chided Remilia, holding onto a book like the ones that had protected Rex. She coughed loudly right after.
Her hair was purple with multiple colored ribbons tying her hair and other parts of her clothing. She wore pink pajama-like clothing and a nightcap with a gold crescent moon decorating it. Her dress had purple and violet vertical stripes running down the middle and wore small purple slippers. Despite possessing incredible magic, she has a weak constitution and possesses asthma.
"Yes, I have not forgotten Patche… will you please forgive me for this one time? This is much more significant than what you might imagine," Remilia sighed once more, fully knowing how much Patchouli loved her books.
"Well..." The magician began to speak-
"Mistress!"
Before Patchouli could respond, Sakuya spoke in turn, cutting her off.
"I apologize for my rude tone, but why save this human's life?" Sakuya asked, visibly upset with a bitter look on her face. "Are you aware of what he has already done and what problems he could potentially bring in the future if he continues to live? His powers pose a threat to us or any of our friends!"
Remilia listened to her question, closing her eyes after.
"As you know Sakuya, in my long lifetime, I have become prone to boredom … becoming interested in prizing anything that I find novel."
Sakuya nodded, continuing to listen to her mistress.
"That human-," Remilia pointed to the unconscious Rex as she opened her eyes back up. "Is exactly what I find peculiar. Though I already possess a time manipulating human, you Sakuya, imagine owning two of the rarest humans! Hahaha!" The vampire childishly laughed, bringing up her hand to her mouth. Patchouli covered her face with her book in shame.
"Wha-? Remilia, please reconsider this! That is no acceptable reason to have him continue to live!" Sakuya hotly responded.
"Well, of course, that isn't the only reason," Remilia calmly said, shortly after laughing. Her demeanor suddenly altering, becoming serious.
"That human… something about him tells me that his fate would end up being extraordinary. Somehow, it is connected to not only us but others in Gensokyo... I'm quite interested where this possibly could go..." The vampire was interested in finally seeing something happen, beginning to think of the possibilities of what could occur.
Sakuya always trusted Remilia, being close friends with her and abiding by everything she says, but this is the one time she whole heartily disagreed with her mistress. Even when knowing about Remilia's hand in the power of fate.
That human is a time manipulator, nothing good can ever come from those… I, myself, can confirm that...
She spoke to herself, not bringing herself to disagree with Remilia. She would just comply with her orders, trusting in Remilia in making the right decision.
Patchouli peeked out of her book, catching a glimpse of conflict that appears on Sakuya's face for a split second before returning to her usual look.
Was this the best decision Remi? If perchance, I had not told her, how would have this played out? ... Hah… there's no reason to contemplate this for any longer. I just want to return to my library and read. Patchouli thought to herself, sulking inside her mind. Her mood diminished every time she thought of the books she sacrificed for Remi's sake.
The magician let out a cough then sighed, rubbing her head right after. She left the two to deal with the matter themselves and wandered to the library where Koakuma was still organizing books.
Dropping down to her usual spot, Patchouli turned on a tulip-shaped lamp on her desk. She turned the page where she had left off and continued reading. While reading, she heard a subtle patter.
Is it raining again? Hm… What perfect weather to be reading...
Patchouli leaned back in her chair, flipping through the pages of her book as the soothing faint sounds of the rain resounded through the mansion.
Alright, I managed to finish this through winter break despite still being sick... I'll be busy again so I won't have much time to pump out longer and frequent chapters until the next break because of school stuff. That sucks, but hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter! I have done some more research on Touhou and I hope I have been nailing it. I'm not too well educated in the lore so I've been reading a bunch of shit. I might've missed some mistakes in this chapter, but please let me know so I can quickly change them! I'm glad some of you guys enjoy the story. Thank you for reading and happy late New Year!