Chapter 8: Invitation

Aya Shameimaru felt the loose soil fracture and split beneath her feet as she ground to a halt before the doors of Eientei. She frowned, disappointed with the hours it had taken her to locate the building. Such tardiness did little to further the stellar reputation for haste that Bunbunmaru News enjoyed through her efforts. Yet, Eientei always was a true challenge to locate without assistance from its rabbit inhabitants, even to one so inquisitive as her. She quickly scrawled some observations on her notepad and nodded. So far, her investigation was promising, why were there no rabbits to be seen even now? They should be scurrying to and fro around the mansion like ants swarming from their hive. She flicked the notepad shut and stowed it beneath her shirt, clicking the lid of her kappa-engineered pen with a flourish.

Eientei was abandoned, lifeless. No movement broke the sombre, serene stillness that had settled over the mansion like a thick blanket. It was as though the world itself stopped at the structure's walls, a bubble of nothingness within the bamboo forest. With a quick gaze at the empty, unshuttered windows, she strode over to the door and gave several swift knocks.

Minutes passed with no response, not that Aya had expected one. This all seemed to line up with the story as Remilia had presented it to her. All, except one small addition, one that may easily have been missed by the unaware, yet was blindingly apparent to the sharp eyes of the Tengu. Aya scribbled a few more notes onto her pad, then rose to her feet and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, rabbits of Eientei, but if you want to hide from me I am afraid you will have to try a great deal harder. No scoop evades me in the open air for long. Why don't you come on out and tell me why you all are hiding?"

At this, a cracking of sticks and crunching of leaves sounded as thirty rabbits bolted from their hiding places within the undergrowth, scattering in all directions like, well, frightened rabbits. In a flash, and with the piercing crack of broken sound, Aya Shameimaru darted after the nearest of the fleeing shapes, grasping its ears with a rapid flash of the hand. She gave a yelp, and as her ears pulled taught, the ground flew away from beneath her feet and rushed up to greet her unprepared behind.

Yuuka Kazami

Floral Nightmare of the Changing Seasons

"Send the invitations" sang Chishiki, dancing through the forest on the path to a bloody, brutal destiny. "Send them all, near and far, to each marked soul and every guest of honour. Set the tables down beneath the green, in the dew-soaked quiet of the woods at night. Bring them to me, near and far, bring each marked soul and every guest of honour, to the tables of the feast in the moonlit sky. While the sun is high we work and toil, for when it sets and dark night grips the land, our feast may start in earnest light. Now go my little faithful, on silken wingbeats laced with blood. Carry out the invitations, near and far, to each marked soul and every guest of honour. Bring them to my better world, my glowing feast in darkened woods. Now go my little faithful, my treasured precious children, fly into the sky. Tonight our world is yours and all your world is mine, and let me carry each of you to brighter dawn and better life. My prey, my faith, my newest souls, the light and life that will be mine. Now go, my slips of ink-stained fate, to each marked soul and every guest of honour."

All around her, fairies bustled and busied themselves, a frantic dance of panicked frenzy. The feast would be tonight, so little time to prepare, yet the lady was counting on them. The feast, the turning point, the start of the bright new world. Chishiki felt something inside her, a fluttering, a life. She saw it within her, seizing it, crushing it beneath her weight of knowledge. Now was not the time to feel.

From where she watched nearby, a manic grin plastered across her face, Lumia raised an eyebrow. A momentary darkness in the void… A weakness? A soul?

"Tonight," thought Chishiki and Lumia. "Tonight is the beginning."

Tenma

Heavenly Demon of the Youkai Mountain

Reisen Udongein Inaba felt herself crashing to the ground with a thud, her rear becoming rather bruised upon the ground, and her ears painfully tugged until they threatened to part with her head entirely. She gave a miserable moan, then swivelled her head around to glare at her attacker. As the form of Aya Shameimaru entered her field of vision, however, she felt fabric flick against her face as a fan slid over her eyes.

"Oh, no," stated Aya, "No, no, no. I'm not about to let you hypnotise me out of this scoop, little bunny. I know you, I won't fall for your tricks."

Reisen gave a small sneeze as the fan's sharp trail launched a scattering of dust into her nostrils, then glowered, although the expression was difficult to observe beneath the fan covering her face. With a brilliant red glow, the fan began to smoulder, yet with the cooling wind mustering to a roar, it remained unharmed and as obtrusive as ever.

"Miss Aya," stated the rabbit. "This really isn't a good time."

Aya grinned, her eyes glowing with enthusiasm. "See, every time someone says that, it's a real indicator that this is exactly where I need to be.

Reisen sighed, then vanished into thin air. At least, that is how it appeared to an observer. She simply disappeared without a trace, no sound, no sight, not a shred of evidence that she had ever been there at all. The perfect camouflage for most, but Aya Shameimaru was far from any normal youkai. The wind spoke to her, told her stories, secrets, details hidden to the eyes and ears. She sensed the hole in the air, the rabbit-shaped void retreating from her presence, and for a moment one could hear the sizzling of the air as true power flickered within her. She cleared her throat, announcing her declaration, as the rules demanded.

"Wind God: Thunderclap Gale!"

The bamboo all around glowed with the reddish haze of danmaku, in the moments before the shockwave saw them flattened. From their vantage in the distance, the rabbits of Eientei watched the Tengu vanish, then reappear that same instant three hundred metres off. In her hands she clutched Reisen, her fur puffed up and standing on end from the wind.

Reisen blinked, stunned for a moment, then winded as the Mach shockwave crashed into her stomach. Really, what kind of danmaku was that? She should have been invisible, impossible to find, it wasn't fair. Aya held her as she groaned, yesterday's tea and carrots threatening a repeat performance. As her queasiness subsided, she felt herself released, as Aya drew a notepad and pen, holding it towards her like a microphone.

"So, miss Reisen? Your name is Reisen Udongein Inaba, yes?"

Reisen nodded, to which Aya scribbled a quick note on her pad.

"Excellent, and, miss Reisen, do you consent to an interview?"

Reisen opened her mouth to object, but a crackle of power in Aya's eye saw her lips snap shut, and her head nod in agreement. Aya grinned, continuing to jot down illegible scrawlings on her pad.

"Perfect. Now, miss Reisen. Would you please tell me what exactly is occurring at Eientei currently? Why are you and what appears to be the entire rabbit population of this bamboo forest in hiding? Was there some attack, some disaster? Does this relate to the Phantom Killer Incident?"

Reisen's head began to spin. She was too tired, hungry, and dazed to be bombarded so ruthlessly with questions. She leaned against a nearby bamboo shoot and gave a sigh.

"If you must know, Lady Eirin ordered us to flee the mansion. Evidently it isn't safe to return yet, as she hasn't ordered us to return. I do wonder what could be keeping her this long, but perhaps she is taking a long nap after all the excitement. That's all I can say, if you want to hear more you should take it up with her, once she comes to retrieve us. It should be any moment now, I can't imagine she'd leave her patient waiting too long."

Aya nodded, snapping her notepad shut and returning it to the folds of her shirt. She gave a gentle smile, patting the rabbit's head and smoothing her frizzy fur.

"See, was that so hard?" she asked, wheeling around and stalking towards the doorway of Eientei. Reisen raised her hand, reaching out to the departing Tengu.

"Wait!" she called. "Lady Eirin surely won't take kindly to an intrusion, not right now! Please, just come back tomorrow!"

Aya waved away the rabbit's concerns with a disinterested hand. "No, no, I think I should go in now, while the story is fresh. If I wait any longer, Hatate might steal this one from me."

Disregarding Reisen's pleading, she danced upwards from the ground, and in three flaps of her ink-black wings, alighted before the mansion's door. She tried the handle, and quickly discovered it to be unlocked.

"Interesting," Aya remarked. "Either nobody has touched the door since the rabbit exodus, or else, I am expected. Either way, this is most likely a trap of some sort."

She marked this information on her notepad, then pushed the doors open and strode inside. The wooden halls were quiet, eerily so. The elegant tapestries adorning the walls waved slightly in the gentle breeze let in through the open door, but otherwise the building was motionless. Aya's keen eyes scanned each detail with a practised gaze, marking each discrepancy, each scrap of the unusual. As she looked, she muttered aloud to herself, chewing on the end of her pen, pausing frequently to scribble more into her notepad.

"Interesting," she muttered, kneeling to examine the floor. "Dust has begun to settle already. These floors are kept spotless, the tracks are hard to see, but I see a lot of rabbit feet, and someone else. The princess Kaguya perhaps? No, surely Eirin's mystery patient… Some relation to Remilia?"

She continued to search, making note of each detail that may prove important. She marked down the half-eaten food, the specks of dried blood leading from the dining room into the clinic, the smudges demonstrating an attempt at cleaning the gory trail.

"Interesting. This blood was here beforehand, the rabbits tried to clean it. The mystery patient? Ah, and look, scraps of burned wood and charcoal on this chair, yet no blood leading to it. Two patients?"

Aya approached the surgery, and froze. She sniffed, smelling the dead air, drained of life and light. Aya had no need of her extensive knowledge of magic to know that some truly powerful force had been at play here. She always smelled this burned air at the scene of every major battle. The ruins of the Scarlet Devil Manor had reeked of it. She flicked her fan, readying to fight at a moment's notice. The situation had just become serious.

Aya strode into the surgery, and stopped in her tracks, awed. The building itself remained intact, untouched, but all else within the room was charred, caked with blood, and soaked with the residue of powerful magic. Beyond that, a faint sickly feeling of inversion permeated the room. Aya withdrew her notepad, frantically scribbling notes and muttering.

"The lady Eirin was most definitely attacked here, by something she took seriously. This is the imprint of her strongest danmaku, she fought to win. Afraid? Or perhaps angry? What could unsettle someone like her? This inverted feeling… The amanojaku? No, she's not enough to prompt this reaction, is she? Where is Eirin? I need to find her to know for sure… The rabbit doesn't know, but perhaps the princess?"

Aya snapped her notebook shut and left the surgery behind, strolling down the corridors of Eientei towards the one door she normally would be forbidden to enter.

Yuyuko Saigyouji

Ghost of the Beautiful Dead

Chishiki was halfway between the Forest of Magic and the Human Village when the fluttering of wingbeats alerted her to the presence of Mystia Lorelei. She looked up, her eyes meeting the youkai's, a calm smile crossing her face.

"Dear Mystia," she crooned, her voice smooth and velvety. "Have you done as I asked?"

Mystia nodded, alighting upon the ground. "It is done, as you wished it, my lady. The goddesses, the monk, the saint, they are all trapped within Senkai."

"They are unharmed?" asked Chishiki. "Uninjured?"

Mystia nodded. "Yes, my lady. They are unable to open the portal, but otherwise, they are whole and unharmed."

Chishiki smiled deeply. "Good, good, you have done well my dear, beloved daughter. We kill where we must, but where cruelty and death may be avoided, we owe it to those unwilling martyrs of our cause to step around it."

Mystia bowed, tears glistening at the borders of her eyes. "My lady, we are unworthy. You carry such thorns and still think only of kindness!"

Chishiki placed a hand upon the youkai's shoulder. "Rise, my daughter. You must not bow to me. I am a humble servant, nothing more, and I will bear the thorns of guilt and understanding for as long as the roses they bring to bloom may be admired by my sweet, beloved faithful."

Lumia laughed, watching the exchange from twelve paces back. This goddess, she was a natural. The darkness in her prey she twisted as Lumia herself would, but the light too. She grasped the heart of her victim and made it her own.

"Jao-Wei… If you could see the sister of your kind, like a pallid ink-stained mirror to myself… With my powers, with her twisted words… Even you would serve us, you and that wretched offspring."

As Mystia flew away, Lumia approached the goddess with a fierce grin. Reaching out with a tendril of solid darkness, she tapped Chishiki's shoulder.

"Oh, partner?" she trilled.

Chishiki wheeled around, the motherly act draining from her face, the frigid nothingness returning to her eyes. "Yes, Lumia? You have a question?"

"Nothing major, but yes. How do you twist every soul in just the perfect way? How do you snatch such perfect loyalty?"

Chishiki paused for a moment, then smiled a mirthless smile. "My dear youkai, I am the Tome of Knowledge and Desire. I know the hearts of all I see, laid bare, unguarded. Light, darkness, good, evil, these are all shades of the one truth, knowledge. I see it all, light and dark. I see the gaps in the armour, the weaknesses of spirit, but there are limits. Memory, restraint, control, barriers that words alone cannot dismantle. That is why I woke you, why I returned Lumia to life. My knowledge, your darkness, and Mystia's song… There is no heart that may withstand.

Lumia nodded, thinking to herself. "Hence, the feast..."

"Hence the feast. Once our power to control is known, they will react. Our first great strike must also be our last."

Nitori Kawashiro

Underwater Tinkerer

Aya gently opened the forbidden door, alarm bells ringing in her head as she did so. For her to open this most unapproachable passage entirely unhindered meant that there really was nobody left to stop her. The lady Eirin would never allow her brazen entry to go unpunished if it was at all within her means. She stepped into the hidden chamber, the delicate silks of the princess's quarters doing nothing to dull the sense of apprehension growing within her.

She approached the bed, the rising and falling of the blankets making clear the location of her quarry. She reached out and gave the figure on the bed a slight shake.

"Lady Kaguya," she whispered, "Is it alright if I ask you some questions?"

The sleeping figure tossed slightly and groaned, her slender hand emerging from the bedding and reaching blindly for the jewel-encrusted branch resting on her nearby cabinet.

"Lady Kaguya," repeated Aya, "It's Aya Shameimaru, the reporter for the Bunbunmaru Newspaper. I'm sorry to disturb you but I really do need to ask you a few questions."

Kaguya's hand continued to silently reach for the branch for several seconds, before bashing against the corner of her cabinet painfully. She bolted upright giving a startled squeak, quickly affixing a look of dreamy calm to her face as though nothing had happened.

"Ah, the Tengu, miss Aya. Hello," sang Kaguya, her musical voice painting the words with a sense of importance and beauty.

Aya gave a slight bow. "Sorry to disturb your rest, lady Kaguya, but I really must ask some questions of you."

Kaguya nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, your queries must carry great importance if Eirin allowed you access to me. It is customary for those seeking me to complete an impossible task, yet perhaps I shall assign you a simpler one today. Bring me tea, then we may talk."

Aya nodded, retreating to the manor kitchens to prepare tea. As she carried it to the dining room, she noticed Kaguya already lounging upon a chair, as though she had been there forever and would remain as such eternally. She plucked a cup from the tray and gave a deep sip, her face wrinkling with displeasure.

"Normally, I take three sugars with my tea, and just enough milk to colour it as a sun-bleached autumn leaf. You fail your impossible task, Tengu, I shall have to ask a rabbit for a cup of something more palatable."

She snapped her fingers, waited three seconds, then raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Strangers entering my private chambers, dusty hallways, and now a plea for tea left unrequited. Where are all the rabbits? Where is Eirin?"

Aya raised a finger, her face triumphant. "Actually, that was what I wanted to speak with you about, lady Kaguya. Eirin is nowhere to be found, while the rabbits are all cowering outside. It seems miss Eirin had a fight, a rather serious one at that, and has yet to return. Did you notice anything last night? Anything unusual?"

Kaguya frowned, nursing her tea. "Last night I was asleep."

Aya sighed. "Well, did you perhaps notice anything out of the ordinary yesterday? Any clue would help with connecting the pieces."

Kaguya shook her head. "Yesterday, I was also asleep."

Aya spluttered. "When was the last time you weren't asleep?"

Kaguya thought to herself for a moment. "It is February, yes?"

Aya shook her head vigorously. "No, no it isn't February, it's March. Have you… Have you really been asleep for over a week? Seriously?"

Kaguya raised a patient finger with a smile. "To an eternal being, one week and one second are the same, miss Tengu."

Aya's hand met her face at speed. "Lady Kaguya, there was a major danmaku battle four rooms away from you, and you mean to tell me you slept straight through it?"

Kaguya simply shrugged. "I am used to others having fun without me. I have had many centuries of practice."

Aya sighed again, scribbling frustrated notes to herself. "So, I suppose it was a waste of my time and yours for me to seek you out then?"

Kaguya shook her head, her long black hair swaying to and fro with the motion. "No, no, quite the opposite. One fact is certain, Eirin is missing and the rabbits have abandoned their posts. The moment is mine to ask you what you know of the situation, if you would be so kind as to share."

Aya nodded, flicking through the pages of her notebook. "Yes, yes, alright. I don't know much, that's why I hoped you might have more information, but I know a little bit. Some time last night, miss Eirin received a patient. The traces of blood leading from this room to the surgery indicate the patient's injuries were quite severe. Some time later, a mystery assailant attacked Eirin, concerning her enough to order the rabbits to retreat. She then engaged the attacker in a danmaku battle, which seems to have been constrained entirely to the surgery. Judging by the magical residue, she attacked with her strongest danmaku, or very near to it. Anything after that is inconclusive, I was not able to locate either Eirin or her attacker, and the rabbits have yet to be welcomed back inside. That is all I know so far."

Kaguya nodded along as Aya spoke, her face impassive, her fingers steepled over her teacup. She took a sip, winced, and spoke.

"I see. Thank you for informing me of this, miss Aya. Tell me, what happened to Eirin's patient?"

Aya frowned, searching her notes for any detail she might have forgotten. "I, ah, I don't exactly know. My best guess is that she too is waiting with the rabbits outside."

Kaguya masked her expression by taking another sip of tea. "Eirin did not finish treating her patient?"

"I don't believe so, no."

Kaguya stood up, the grace of her movement not entirely masking her haste. She cleared her throat, taking the jewelled branch in her hands and meeting Aya with a more purposeful gaze.

"Tengu," she stated, her voice clear but firm. "I have known Eirin for a great many centuries, most likely longer than you have been alive. In all that time, she has not once abandoned a patient. For her to be so delayed is unsettling news."

She gave a giggle, masking her mouth with the back of her hand. "I would guess that something rather exciting is occurring, within my own home at that. This more than makes up for the disappointing tea, thank you Aya. You are excused, oh, and would you tell Reisen to come back inside when you go?"

Aya pouted, stomping her foot. "I'm not leaving, princess, not when I'm this close to a scoop. This could crack the Phantom Killer incident wide open! This is real news! Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere."

Kaguya thought, then nodded. "I suppose having a servant to help me might be convenient, and I'm sure Reisen would shepherd me back to my room and try to solve things herself. Very well, I grant you permission to stay for now. Please bring tea and rice crackers to Eirin's surgery, oh, and remember. Three sugars, milk until the colour is a sun-bleached autumn leaf. Thank you."

Aya growled, then sighed. Now was not the best time to be starting a fight, not when a scoop this big was so close. Besides, the princess Kaguya was powerful, Aya might actually need to try to win against her. She snapped her notebook closed and traipsed into the kitchen.

Nue Houjuu

The Unknowable Forgotten Outsider

Sprig Oakleaf buzzed her wings as fast as they could carry her. It had taken a tremendous effort of subconscious will to reform her physical body in such a short space of time, she was not eager to lose it again within minutes of reappearance. She felt the slight crisping at the base of her feet where the burning crimson heat had grazed her as she fled.

"She said the village," muttered Sprig, "The Human Village. That's where everyone else was. Oh, my lady, where are you? Something terrible is happening!"

She spotted two familiar shapes in the distance, and quickly altered her path to intercept them. It was Lady Chishiki alright, her and the youkai Rumia, although that one was difficult to see through her bubble of darkness. With a frantic flapping of gossamer wings and the hurried breathing of a winded creature, the fairy sped over to the pair as fast as she could.

She came to a stop in front of Chishiki, gasping for air, waving her hands madly. Chishiki smiled gently, placing one hand on the fairy's head, and the other on her hand.

"Sprig Oakleaf, my beloved daughter, oh, it fills me with joy to see you safely regrown."

The fairy shook her head frantically, still starved of oxygen. Chishiki sighed.

"This is about the message, isn't it? I know, it was a cruel thing I asked of you, but necessary. I pray some day you can forgive me."

Sprig shook her head once more, gulped for air one last time, then coughed. "No… no, my lady, not that. The village… An attack… I couldn't…"

"Breathe," crooned Chishiki, "Just breathe."

Sprig gulped again, then sat herself upon the ground. "Right, ah, lady C, the village. I went there to meet you like you said, but you weren't there. I was waiting for you, but the sun went behind a cloud, and all of a sudden this thing leapt out at us from the shadows. I didn't get a good look but it was red, though that might have been the bullets. I've never seen danmaku like it, my lady, not once! Not the Red-White or the Black-White, nor any fairy I know, no-one comes close! She was yelling something about playing, I didn't stick around to listen. Oh, my lady, it was so frightening!"

Chishiki nodded, her grip tightening on the fairy's hand. "Thank you for telling me, my faithful. My heart aches at your suffering, today and the day prior. I will take it from here, you must rest. You've done enough for now."

Sprig Oakleaf's eyes widened with horror. "My lady, you can't face that thing! You are great, kind, wonderful in all ways, but you aren't a fighter! I've seen you battle and you can't beat that horror! Please, don't throw yourself away for us!"

Chishiki's smile softened further, like melted butter, and she wrapped the fairy up into a hug. "My dear, that you worry for me fills me with warmth, but it is unneeded. I promise you, I will deal with the threat and emerge intact. I swear on every dream I hold to my chest and every drop of ink adorning my pages. Please, if you can, trust me."

Sprig Oakleaf did trust her, totally. She nuzzled in closer to the goddess's heart and smiled, finally letting go.

"I do trust you," she chirped, the worry draining from her face. "I trust you to make this all right. My lady, my goddess, my hope. Your word is the truth, always. I will rest until you need me again."

The fairy bowed, then flew away towards the forest, her pace far more leisurely in departure than during her arrival. Lumia floated over to the goddess, her arms spread wide, her face knowing.

"You know exactly who the fairy was talking about, don't you?" she asked, her voice half accusatory, half questioning.

Chishiki nodded. "I believe so, although my suspicion shall be unconfirmed until we return to the village and see for ourselves. If it is who I believe, ours is a fortune I dared not count upon. Are you ready to lend me your power?"

Lumia nodded, then gave a sly smile. "Perhaps. Are you ready to lend me your slippery tongue?"

Chishiki smiled, but there was no joy reflected in it. "Of course. Shall we?"

"Let's."

The goddess and the youkai hastened their pace, marching at double time to the village in the distance. Within minutes they were close enough to see the smoke.

Youmu Konpaku

Hybrid Gardener of Life and Death

Aya strode into the ruined surgery, a tray laden with tea and crackers poised atop her fingertips. Placing it upon the nearest upright table, she examined Kaguya closely, her Tengu eyes breaking down her regal facade and reading her true emotions. She was excited, yes, excited and perhaps a tinge concerned.

"Any ideas? Found any clues?" asked Aya.

Kaguya jerked to her senses, clearly snapping out of a trance of thought. She smiled coolly, and gave a graceful nod.

"Yes, indeed," she replied. "I believe that I have."

A few seconds of silence passed, before Aya began to tap her foot impatiently. "Care to share?"

Kaguya tittered, her hand covering her mouth, a trace of smugness crossing her eyes. "Yes, I wouldn't expect it to be obvious to one born of the Earth."

Aya rolled her eyes and bit at the lid of her pen. She took a deep breath, then calmly replied.

"Please, Lady Kaguya, if you would be so kind, do tell me just what exactly you have found."

Kaguya tittered again. "If you wish. As a youkai, you can taste the magic in the air, yes? You have, then, noticed how completely drained it is? Empty, scorched of life?"

Aya nodded. "Yes, I have. That's pretty common in the aftermath of powerful magic."

Kaguya waved a finger, as though lecturing a child. "True. What you are most like to have missed, however, is the air is not merely drained dead, but bleached clean of life and death entirely. Purified, as it were."

Aya frantically scribbled in her notebook, her eyes flicking between its pages and the princess's eyes. She nodded for Kaguya to continue.

"In short, this room has been exposed for a moment to the true moon, unbound and unfiltered by the murky sky of Earth. The only way I see where that may happen is for a Lunarian such as myself to open the passageway bridging Earth and the moon. Myself, or Eirin, and in this case I believe it to have been her. As such, that is most likely where she is."

Aya quickly finished scribbling her notes. "So, Eirin and her opponent went to the moon?"

Kaguya shook her head. "Oh, no, no, sweet Tsukuyomi, no! For Eirin or me to set foot on the moon would be madness, insanity! No, Eirin and her, hmm, victim might be the appropriate word. Eirin and her victim are most likely somewhere in space, between here and there, and without the bridge shortening the distance, quite far away indeed."

Aya watched as Kaguya flicked her robes, flourishing her jewelled branch. The gems set into it began to glow, a rainbow of colours, as an unseen wind rustled through Kaguya's hair. Her eyes shone white, and Aya began to smell power. Not the burning ozone smell of magic, but a white nothingness that was still, yet thrummed with alien power. Unwittingly, Aya took a step back. This was an unnatural, indescribable magic.

A shaky, nebulous gateway opened before Aya, but a hand slid over her eyes before she could make out any details.

"You mustn't look," chided Kaguya. "The true moon isn't for the likes of you, Tengu."

Aya scowled, then slid the camera from her neck and aimed it towards where she knew the gateway to be. "Can I at least take a photo?" she asked.

"That should be harmless," Kaguya replied. "Come to think of it, you should be mostly unaffected were you to look only through the lens of your camera."

Kaguya's hand slid from Aya's face, replaced by the familiarity of her camera. The camera was her pride and joy, hand-crafted by kappa engineers just for her. It had never let her down, never failed to capture a scoop with her. Comfort washed over her simply at the act of holding it.

"So," she began, "Miss Eirin is in that passage somewhere?"

Kaguya nodded. "So far as I know, yes."

"So, should we go in, look for her?" asked Aya, her fingers drumming the handle of her fan.

Kaguya tugged at her sleeves, drawing a pulsing flame-red jewel from the folds of her dress. "I believe so."

Aya and Kaguya took a step towards the gateway, then stopped. A disjointed laughing was echoing around them, a sinister, cruel laugh that Aya recognised immediately.

"Oh, I can save you the trouble," sang the voice of Seija Kijin, her words dripping with venom and contempt. "The good lady Eirin is spread evenly between here and the furthest, most isolated stars."

Kaguya laughed, barely maintaining her graceful demeanour in her mirth. "Oh, I'm sure. You shattered the eternal, unchanging Eirin Yagokoro, did you?"

Seija stepped out through the subspace gateway, landing on the pristine floor with a dance and a bow. Her malicious smile mocked Kaguya, carrying the cruelty and laughter of a true devil. The blue ribbon she usually wore around her waist was nowhere to be seen.

"That I did," goaded Seija. "It wasn't hard, either. Like blowing out a candle, really."

Aya scribbled notes like her life depended on it, her camera flashing as it churned out photo after photo. Kaguya laughed again, but this time with less patience.

"Eirin and I are unending, twisted wretch. We reject change of any kind, death among them. The blessed of Hourai are eternal, this is a law as unbreaking as gravity. So, tell me. How is it that you claim to have defied the laws of nature themselves?"

In response, Seija snapped her fingers, and Aya and Kaguya felt themselves falling onto the ceiling. Aya twisted in the air, landing deftly on her feet, but Kaguya slammed her head into the roof, toppled over onto her back, then felt the wind forced from her chest as the surgeon's table landed on her.

"Natural law," mocked Seija. "I couldn't have said it better myself. The laws of nature, the universal truths, I am the antithesis. I am the inversion, the opposite, the underside, and as much as I'd love to scatter your pieces to the winds like I did your precious servant, I'd much rather you live forever hating me, longing for revenge you'll never taste."

Kaguya pushed the table away from her and rose to her feet. The humour was draining from her face. "You, you aren't serious," she stammered.

Seija laughed. "Oh, of course I'm serious, your majesty. I'd never lie to a princess."

She snapped her fingers, and Kaguya shuddered, a chill of inversion running down her spine. The truth hit her, knocking the breath from her like the a great fist.

"You're serious..." she gasped.

Seija nodded. "And you're trapped in space."

Kaguya opened her mouth to respond, the vanished, replaced by a blue ribbon, which Seija secured to her waist. Smiling to herself, she grasped the edges of the subspace gateway, forcing them closed. Aya merely stared, shocked.

Seija wheeled around to Aya, cackling like a crone. "Hey! You! Reporter!"

Aya stopped writing, looking up to the inverted figure, unsure whether to fight or flee. For perhaps the first time, she felt genuinely intimidated.

"Yes?" she asked, unable to subdue a slight tremor in her voice.

Seija pointed at Aya's camera, which winked out of existence in a puff of radiation. "Tell the world," she gloated. "All that is beloved will crumble and fall to dust. Dreams will go unrequited from now until the end of time. Love is hate and hate is love, up is down, life is death, hope is despair, and light is an endless, sunless dark! Tell them all, I, Seija Kijin, will turn this world upside down!"

She snapped her fingers and vanished in a flash of inversion, leaving Aya alone in the bloodsoaked, charred black room. She let the breath she had been holding unwittingly float from her lips, and stared sadly at the empty space where her camera had been. First Reimu, now her precious camera, this incident was eating her friends alive. The air stirred around her, dancing in a furious ballet. Perhaps it was time for Aya Shameimaru to take things seriously, for once.

Tenshi Hinanawi

Scarlet-clad Seismic Celestial

Chishiki strode through the devastation scarring the human village. Houses had been shattered into fragments, streets scarred with deep ruts and craters, and here and there lay the unmoving bodies of humans, some so burned as to be unrecognisable. She glanced at the sky, in particular noting the sun uncovered by cloud or shade. The brief peace brought by the sun's reappearance had blanketed the village in an uneasy calm, one that threatened to splinter at any moment.

The faithful had their orders, that was decided. All that remained was the bold, unflinching steps into the shade where the devil lay in wait. One foot followed the other as Chishiki marched fearlessly through the ruined streets towards the shaded alcove where she knew her newest tool awaited her.

She stepped around the corner, staring into the shade, her eyes meeting the crimson gaze of Flandre Scarlet. The small vampire was crying, her face wet with mud and tears, her clothing caked with ash and dust.

Chishiki gave a candid smile. "Hello, little miss," she chirped.

Flandre rose to her feet, the rainbow crystals adorning her wings clinking and clattering as she stood. She hastily wiped the last of the tears from her face, smearing her cheeks further with mud as she did so.

Chishiki's face took on a motherly hue, her voice softening.

"Tell me," she asked, "Why do you cry?"

Flandre sniffed sadly, replying in a shaky voice. "I just wanted to have some fun! The last humans I played with were such good playmates! I didn't know these ones would be so fragile! I just wanted to play but they all broke, and big sister's going to be so mad!"

Chishiki approached, taking care not to waver in her actions, not to show the slightest hesitation or fear. "You say you have a sister. Why not play with her? Why come all the way out here in search of someone to play with?"

Flandre sniffled, her face forming into a fierce pout. "Big sister never wants to play with me. She never lets me have any fun, not ever. She wishes I'd never even been born, they all do. They all play and play all day without me."

Chishiki placed a gentle hand on the sobbing vampire's shoulder. "There, there, little lady. I imagine that must be very lonely."

Flandre nodded. "So lonely. A while ago some humans visited and played with me, and it wasn't lonely anymore, but that was before and now I'm lonely again."

Chishiki nodded sympathetically. "Won't anyone else play with you?"

Flandre pouted. "Not big sister, or miss Patchouli, or Sakuya. I tried playing with the fairy that brings me lunch but she just broke. They all just break, it isn't fair. Why is everyone so fragile?"

Chishiki smiled. "Most people are fragile, or perhaps more accurately, you're unusually strong. It's natural that you can't play with just anyone without them breaking, you aren't finding the right playmates. Still, little lady, this is Gensokyo, there are plenty of strong people you could play with!"

Flandre paused, thinking. "You aren't scared of me?"

Chishiki shook her head. "No, I am not afraid of you, little lady. I feel your soul, I see the goodness in it."

Flandre's eyes perked up, excited. "Only strong people aren't afraid of me! Will you play with me?"

Chishiki took a step back. "Ah, sorry, no. I'm not strong, I'm afraid, not at all. You'd break me too."

Flandre thought for a moment. "I'll go easy on you! Come on, let's play!"

She flicked her wrist, and in a flash a crooked black sceptre appeared within her grasp. Crimson power thrummed from it, and from her. Rainbow light strobed outwards from the crystals lining her wings. The air trembled with power, a terrible, untamed wildness that defied creation.

Chishiki sighed. This had always been a likely possibility. The plan now depended on the loyalty and haste of her subordinates. If they were not in position, she would take the brunt of the vampire's attack head on, and likely be reduced to a pile of singed papers and smouldering ash.

"Freeze!" yelled Chishiki, and for a moment within her gut spiked a flash of colour. Fear, perhaps? Apprehension? She shelved the colour, it was of no use to her plans.

Red light flashed at the tip of the crooked staff, Flandre's Lævateinn. It pulsed, flashed, like a bloody heartbeat. Chishiki analysed the spell card as the words left the vampire's lips.

"Taboo: Lævateinn!"

She counted down the milliseconds to contact, knowing there was little point in dodging. Even if she evaded the attack, she could not win the duel. Either she would win before the first strike, or she would die.

The red light burst outwards, readying to sweep towards her. The scarlet beam cut clean through two houses, blasting apart the wood like wet paper.

Then, suddenly, Flandre Scarlet froze. All motion drained from her in an instant, until her body lay as still as the depths of winter.

"Sister Cirno," remarked Chishiki, "That was a near thing, truly, but thank you. You have saved me, to be sure."

Cirno touched down upon the ground before Chishiki, grinning broadly, although her eyes were not entirely stripped of her prior sadness.

"Shade!" Chishiki shouted.

Flandre's shadow came alive, as did all the shadows lining the alcove. They danced and sang, a silent song that gave no clue to their nature. In her frozen state, Flandre watched, delighted. Her eyes began to glow red, then white, as the shadows whirled around her. There was a sound like the clenching of a fist, and darkness began to creep into the edges of her eyes, surrounding the white light, pushing it back further and further, until at last it was covered altogether.

Lumia's voice spoke from the shadows, all around, muttering a Sutra of lightless, loveless domination. "Shadow of the soul, shadow of the mind, bear the hidden desires of this beating heart forward. Reveal the truest, grimmest self from the depths of the buried shade. Help this child to find their lost, abandoned truth within their breast. Make alive the shadow. Make dim the light of altruism, mask the meddling glow of restraint, unshackle and unchain this soul's most bare reality. Shadow, I command you, seize the light! Bury it! Make this one your own!"

Flandre retched, writhing, foaming at the mouth. Her wings flapped frantically as, one by one, the light in each crystal turned first white, then dim and lifeless. The earth split and trembled as she tossed and turned, torn apart by the power of her fists alone. The silent chorus of the shadows reached a deafening crescendo, then at last a true quiet spread across the alcove.

Flandre opened her eyes. They seemed normal at first, but a keen eye could read a different purpose to their gaze. Those eyes were fiercer than before, bloodier, more willing to rip and tear.

Chishiki placed her fingers below the vampire's chin, tilting her head upwards and locking eyes with her. She stared into the blood-red eyes, searching for hope, for desire, licking clean every morsel of craving from the soul behind those bleeding portals. In a clear, crisp voice, Chishiki stated what she saw.

"You want to be free. You want to live in a revelry of joy and clamour. You want to live unbound by the rules of others, but still more you wish to be free of the crushing weight of power. You want to live free of the responsibility of caution, the constant restraint, the inadvertent bloodshed. Your life is a cage, one you wish to tear apart and fly free, unfettered, unbound, unbreakable."

Flandre blinked. "How do you..."

Chishiki smiled. "I am Chishiki Libre, the Tome of Knowledge and Desire. I know all, lady Flandre Scarlet. I see the deepest cravings of your heart. I will give them to you, if you will but pledge yourself to me. Help me build my world, and I shall make it the world which you so utterly desire."

Flandre shook her head, frustration and anger painting her expression. "No, no, you can't. Nobody can give me the freedom I want. I'm going to be caged forever."

Chishiki gripped the vampire's chin tighter. "I can. Trust me. You are angry, afraid, lost, but I will guide you. I will lead you from the cage that binds you to the freedom of the open air. I will give you all that your heart desires. All you must do is trust me.

Once more, Flandre shook her head, but not in disagreement. She felt a strange fog at the corners of her mind, like something vital was missing from her, but as she pressed, the fog grew thinner and thinner, until nothing remained. She smiled.

"You can help me to be free?" she asked, her voice hesitant but hopeful.

"Yes, my child," Chishiki soothed. "I can help you to be free, but to do so, for a time, I need you to do as I ask and let me lead you."

Flandre thought for just a second. "Will there be games?"

Chishiki's smile broadened. "As many as you like."

Kasen Ibaraki

Horned Hermit of the Wilderness

Yuyuko Saigyouji sipped her tea, savouring the delicate aroma and the sweet, delicious flavour. She nibbled on a rice cracker, then let out a deep, contented sigh. There was a tranquillity to be found in Hakugyokurou that she could never really find elsewhere.

A knocking at the door disturbed her moment of peace, signalling the arrival of Youmu Konpaku. She gave another sigh, then waved for her to enter.

"My lady," stated Youmu, "A letter has arrived."

Yuyuko raised an eyebrow. "A letter?"

"An invitation to a feast in the woods, tonight actually. For you only, so I suppose I'm not included. Will you attend?"

Yuyuko licked her lips. "Youmu, in life and in death, you must always take what the universe gives you. If the universe gives you a free dinner, you should accept without hesitation."

Youmu nodded. "I shall prepare a bath for your return, my lady."

The Ghost

Come to me, my lifeless faithful.

Suika Ibuki was lounging against a tree, drinking deeply from her gourd, when she heard the sound of wingbeats approaching. Sure enough, a small fairy quickly followed, grasping a letter marked with her name. Of course, she had been aware of the fairy since well before it had flown within earshot, but the flittering of a fairy was hardly an unusual occurrence in Gensokyo.

The fairy deposited the letter into her lap, giving a small bow. Blearily, Suika opened the letter and began to read. Her eyes lit up, and a smile crept across her reddened cheeks.

"Hey, fairy," she called, "This feast. There'll be lots of booze?"

The fairy nodded. "I think so. I don't know the refreshments exactly, but we've been stockpiling them for years so there should be plenty."

Suika rose unsteadily to her feet. "Count me in, then! For sure!"

The Oni

Give me your unrivalled strength.

Nitori Kawashiro wiped the grease from her fingers, staring at her latest contraption with pride. Sometimes, she wondered if this feeling of unequalled elation was what a mother felt, staring at her baby for the first time.

A knocking at the door to her workshop stirred her from her reverie. She rose to her feet, wandering over to the door with a cheerful gait. The door swung wide, revealing a small fairy clutching a sealed envelope.

Nitori sighed. "An envelope… Somebody really needs to teach the rest of Gensokyo how to use e-mail."

She tore the paper aside and read the letter contained within. A smile crossed her face, her eyes seemed to light up with yen signs.

"A meeting of Gensokyo's elite? What a perfect place to make a profitable deal or two! Hey, fairy, is it a problem if I bring a few bags of gadgetry? I'd like to pitch some ideas to the assembly."

The fairy nodded. "Indeed, Lady Chishiki requested that you bring some examples of your craftsmanship."

Nitori's head spun with thoughts of monopolising the modernisation of Gensokyo. She practically drooled at the thought of all the riches she might earn."

The Kappa

Come to me, and make us both endlessly richer.

Lord Tenma sat in his office, overlooking the hidden Tengu village on the slopes of the Youkai Mountain. He pawed through various reports and figures, running his hand over his face with exasperation. His fingers became caught on his impressive nose, and he had to consciously untangle them. A deep, exhausted sigh escaped his throat. Managing the Tengu had been so much easier before the Kappa industrialised everything. Now nothing could get done without messaging twelve different parties and re-routing several major systems.

A knock at the door proved a welcome distraction from his work. He looked up, as a fairy fluttered in, escorted by a Wolf Tengu. The fairy carried a letter in its hands. Tenma put on his serious leader's face.

"Fairy," he stated clearly, with a hint of gruffness. "You seek an audience with me?"

The fairy bowed, appearing rather flustered. "Ah, no, your lordship, rather, not me, ah, um, I bear an invitation from the goddess Chishiki Libre. Here."

Tenma took the envelope, his eyes scanning the invitation. Certainly, a feast would do well to break up the monotony.

He cleared his throat. "Ah, yes. The last time I ignored a goddess, it caused a wealth of problems for all of us. Perhaps I should meet with this Chishiki after all, yes."

He punched a number into the kappa-engineered telephone on his desk, barking orders into it the moment it was answered.

"Yes, clear my schedule for this evening. An important diplomatic event has come up. I simply must attend."

The Tengu

With you, my son, the mountain will be mine.

Nue Houjuu was resting on a tree branch, planning out her latest prank, when she felt a tapping on her shoulder. As she looked, a confused fairy met her gaze, holding an envelope in its hands.

"Excuse me," asked the fairy, "Have you seen a Nue Houjuu? I can't seem to find her anywhere."

Nue eyed the fairy up and down, grinning. "Why, yes I have. Shall I take that letter to her?"

The fairy sighed in relief. "Oh, would you? That would be such a huge help!"

Nue shrugged. "No trouble at all."

She waited until the fairy was out of sight, then tore the envelope and read the invitation. A few seconds passed in contemplation, then another shrug. It wasn't like she had anything better or more interesting to do.

The Unidentifiable

I see you. I alone know you.

Tenshi Hinanawi leaned against a rock, munching on a pear. It wasn't that she particularly liked pears, but any fruit was wonderful so long as it wasn't yet another peach. She idly tossed the core aside, where it struck a fairy in the face with a wet slapping sound. Tenshi burst out laughing, her fingers brushing tears of mirth from her eyes.

The fairy awkwardly laughed too, then held the letter out for Tenshi to take. She stripped aside the envelope, and quickly scanned the invitation. Her eyes scrunched shut in thought.

"This party..." she thought aloud, "There will be food entirely unrelated to the peach?"

The fairy nodded. "Yes, miss, there will be. What kind of feast just has peaches?"

Tenshi groaned. "You might be surprised. Yeah, sure, I'll go, why not."

The Celestial

Fallen from grace, let me raise you back up.

Fujiwara no Mokou marched idly through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, uncertain as to her path. Not that she was lost, merely uncertain as to what she might do next. An eternal life gives a lot of time but no more opportunities to fill it with.

Catching movement in the corner of her eye, she wandered over, finding a fairy flitting blindly back and forth, clearly lost beyond all hope.

"Hey, fairy," she called, "You lost?"

The fairy nodded, bawling its eyes out. "I… I was supposed to deliver this invitation to a Fruity Mokou, but I can't find her and this place is a total maze."

Mokou wandered over, curious. "An invitation for me? To what, exactly?"

The fairy perked up. "You're the Mokou? Here! From Lady Chishiki!"

Mokou peeled back the envelope and read the invitation. She shrugged to herself, scuffing the ground with her toe.

"Hey," she muttered, "I might as well go. I've no other plans. Now, come on, follow me back to the path."

The Immortal

I know your flame. Let it burn for me.

Yuuka Kazami lay amidst the seemingly endless fields of yellow sunflowers swaying in the afternoon breeze. For all the world she appeared to be totally at rest, but the thoughts racing through her mind were of excitement, at what games she might play on the next fool to trespass into her domain. Her eye twitched slightly as she felt the familiar energy of an unfamiliar fairy approaching her, and a smile spread across her face.

The fairy failed to notice that her target was not, in fact, asleep, right up until the youkai's hand darted towards her. She squealed, backpeddling desperately, but the digits closed around her chest and locked her tightly. A terrifying grin filled her vision.

"Now, tell me," asked Yuuka, "What exactly is a forest fairy doing all the way out here?"

The fairy trembled, squeaking and stuttering. "Ah, um, I… I'm delivering a message. Here."

Yuuka released the quivering fairy, taking the envelope in her hands. Her eyes lightened as she read.

"Chishiki," sounded Yuuka, tasting the words. "Chishiki. I know her, the fairy-stealing goddess from the forest! Well well, what might such a devilish figure be planning."

The cowering fairy peeked out from behind a sunflower. "A… Are you… Will you be…"

Yuuka laughed. "Oh, of course I will be attending! I've heard about that sneaking maniac, there's no way she's up to any good. This aught to be truly interesting!"

The Flower

Such darkness in you to twist and take.

Remilia Scarlet surveyed the invitation held within her hands, uncertain how to feel about it. There was no doubt, this Chishiki knew something, which gave a dangerously high probability that this feast was an elaborate trap. Certainly she would not put such trickery past her unknown adversary. Yet, on the other hand, it might be an excellent chance to gather more information.

"After all," she postulated, "Even if it is a trap, what can some upstart forest goddess do to me? The night is mine, my home, my domain, in the darkness of twilight I am unstoppable."

She nodded, her mind made up. "Yes. I shall go. Perhaps I shall find a chance to bring bloody vengeance to the wretched fool who trifled with a vampire."

A flap of her wings and a rush of magic carried her into the sky, two more off into the distance. This night, Remilia Scarlet was on the hunt.

The Vampire

You know something, don't you?

Aya burst into the bamboo clearing, rabbits scattering from her once more. Reisen's ears pricked up, she was sensitive to waves of all kinds, and this Tengu was trembling, almost like she was afraid. She wheeled around, locking eyes with Aya, taking in her ruffled, puffed-up feathers, her expression coated with fear and excitement.

"Aya..." started Reisen.

"Reisen!" yelled Aya in reply.

"Yes?"

Aya strutted over to her, her fingers twitching in the empty space in which her camera usually hung. "Seija Kijin! She attacked!"

Reisen nodded. "Yes, I know..."

Aya raised a finger, cutting her off. "She won. Eirin is dead. I think Kaguya is somewhere in space."

Reisen blinked, then forced her gaze into Aya's own. She laced her eyes with hypnotic charm, weakening the Tengu's will, demanding she speak truthfully.

"Say that again?" asked Reisen.

Aya nodded, calmly. "Seija Kijin murdered Eirin and stranded lady Kaguya somewhere in space. I believe she may be the mastermind behind the Phantom Killer incident."

Reisen staggered backwards, her thoughts racing, her face blank, but Alice called over from the edges of the clearing, where she had lain unnoticed by Aya.

"You're wrong, Aya. Seija is another puppet."

Aya sped over, eyeing her up. "Alice Margatroid. Eirin's mystery patient?"

Alice shook her head, gesturing at Hong Meiling, who lay still sleeping, an uncomfortable-looking rabbit serving as a pillow.

Aya nodded. "I see. Your clothing is scorched, you were the burned one. What makes you so sure it isn't Seija?"

Alice flashed a slip of paper to the Tengu. "I know how puppeteers think, how we act. I know that Seija isn't clever or subtle enough for this. Besides, there's no C in Kijin, but there is in Chishiki."

Aya read the paper, frowning. The calligraphy was perfect, such that each character seemed to be the truest of its kind ever set to page. In a way, the perfection was alien, unnatural, such that Aya felt her teeth set on edge.

"Dear Alice Margatroid.

You are cordially invited to a small feast organised by myself, the goddess Chishiki Libre. I wish nothing but peace and prosperity for Gensokyo, so I feel it pertinent to speak with any and all important figures that may be willing to attend on such short notice. Please attend, eat and drink with me, let us start a new life of happiness and contentment with this celebration tonight.

You are, of course, more than welcome to raise any concerns you might have with me or my plans, after the initial celebrations have concluded. However, I am by no means a wealthy goddess, so to ensure there is enough food and drink for all in attendance, I have been unable to issue this invitation with a plus one.

Please do come. I am eagerly awaiting you."

Aya snapped her fingers. "The goddess Chishiki, that would make sense. She's from the forest, where this all started. Even if it isn't her, she must know something."

Alice nodded. "Exactly. That's why I'm going to attend."

Aya frowned. "She speaks of important figures, yet she asks for you by name. She even sends a direct messenger. Not to be rude, but you aren't who I'd think of as an influential figure in Gensokyo. She obviously knows you're looking for her. There's no way this isn't a trap."

Aya's Tengu hearing twitched, as she heard a thousand tiny footsteps. From the bamboo all around emerged an army of dolls, thrumming with rainbow-coloured magic, their faces lit with murderous intent. Alice gave a wicked laugh, her eyes burning with wrath.

"Of course I know it's a trap, but she doesn't know that I know. If I play along, maybe I can find some kind of evidence. If you can publish that, the incident's as good as solved, don't you think? I can't exactly attack her around that many powerful witnesses, but once I know it's her, once we all do… I'll tear her apart, piece by piece."

Aya clicked her pen. "I'm going with you."

Alice raised a hand, shaking her head. "The invitation says no plus ones. You'd attract attention. We need to play this like we know nothing, understand?"

Aya scratched her head as the puppeteer departed. The sun began to set below the horizon, the blue sky bleeding with orange, then fading at last to darkness.

From out of the bamboo, a tiny army marched to war. As the moon rose higher into the sky, they came, one by one, to the forest. The table, set with food and drink, the flowers blooming all around. The pale light of the moon looking down overhead.

One after another, step by step, the guests assembled to the feast. She sat at the head of the table, watching. Her ink-black heart beat perhaps one iota faster. Laughter, reverie, one last spark of joy before the shadow of despair engulfed them all.

The clock struck 10.

The Feast of a Thousand shadows had begun.

Hope drained from the future of Gensokyo.

The Puppeteer

No Witnesses.

Well. It was a long time before this chapter, since its sister before it. Life happens, true, but not life alone. In truth, I had no clue where to start. I knew where this chapter would lead, but not the path it might take to get there, and it was essential that all the pieces be in place by its end. One missed factor could bring the story down.

I wasn't going to settle for a rushed job. I had to have it all planned out before it happened.

The Feast of a Thousand Shadows needed to be the best piece of writing I've ever created. Well, I'll leave it to you to decide if it is.