Nicolas Notes: Ayayayayaya, I'm the fastest!
Disclaimer: I do not own Touhou or any other Touhou related materials as much as I want them to be.
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CHAPTER 12: Mind Games
Year: 2005
10:50 Post-meridian
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Voile the magic library, Gensokyo
Rook has been into the Voile on a number of occasions during his last stay within the mansion. Most of the time he would enter the library to gather information on something and leave. However it was rare for him to actually interact with its inhabitants.
If memory serves right, Patchouli should have her familiar flying around placing books into the right shelf and organizing while the librarian herself locked herself up in her study, only to come out during dinner. Sadly even getting the 'Unmoving Library' to move was quite a task and would inevitably result to threatening a few books into burning before she would follow her orders to dine with the Mistress.
It wasn't like Rook always bore a grudge against the Magician. It was just on that one night he found about everything. But that was a story for another time. The matter still stands that the library had just increased in size. When Rook opened the doors, he was met with the sight of a titanic room filled with rows and rows of wooden bookshelves.
The external walls were also covered with bookshelves as high as buildings. From the ceiling, both wooden and magical platforms hung from strings reinforced by purple energy, possibly to increase their strength.
Above the shelves numerous orbs of pink lights illuminated the room the best they can, assisting the golden chandeliers Rook made himself in lighting the place up. Below and long the aisle, the floor glowed of eldritch light.
The library had gone renovations, it seemed like the sign outside was telling the truth. Rook took five steps forward and leaned on the marble railing. He was standing on a balcony with its floor draped in red carpet. At the very center of the railings an opening was made for the stairs that lead to the top of a bookshelf. The stairs were made of the same marble as the railings with angels carved on its sides.
"What... the hell..?" Rook took a step back as he took a moment to register everything he had seen.
"Beautiful isn't it?" said a soft voice behind him. Without hesitation Rook swung a fist only to succeed in denting the wall.
His fist crackling with electricity, Rook shot a venomous glare at the person beside him. Patchouli sat comfortably on her coffee brown arm chair while reading a book with no title. She took a sip of coffee from her mug without acknowledging the Human's presence except when she spoke to him.
"My, my, aren't you hot blooded?" she commented, her tone was soft and carried no hostility in it. Though Rook knew better than to fall for that, he still continued to give her a look of loathing. "It seems to me that the scenery would be complete if it didn't have your body obstructing its beauty. Such a waste of space."
"What do you want?" snarled Rook impatiently. He didn't need this; he had to get to Remilia.
"No, no, no. You mean 'what do you want'? Wasn't you objective already clear before you came here or did you charge blindly into the fray once again with no real plan whatsoever?"
"Yeah, I have a plan. It involves cracking your skull and breaking your curse," replied Rook as simply as he could. He couldn't help it; his patience was wearing thin whenever he was in her presence.
"And how did that work out? Almost got you killed and drowned, got chased by fairies and an angry time stopping maid. Oh let's not forget that little brawl you had with China," Patchouli's eyes glazed over to Rook's direction. Her purple eyes meeting his gray ones. With a smirk Patchouli closed her book and set it down her lap while her tea cup hovered above right shoulder. "Face it, Chess Piece. You were doomed to fail just like with all the other plans you had in the past."
"And yet even with all of those failures, I still succeeded in bringing you into Gensokyo," said Rook with is right hand trembling at his side.
Patchouli's smug face perhaps got even smugger. She eyed his fist with bright interest before meeting his eyes once more. "So how exactly was that beneficial on your part? By making us an easier target for your schemes? By enlisting the powers and strength of the monsters that you befriended during your stay here?"
"Yes on the former but—"
"Rook you only brought yourself closer to the brink of death," cut off Patchouli, her smirk becoming an uncharacteristically yet mocking sweet smile on her face. "Remilia and I knew that the moment we landed here is that your first step was to welcome us personally. Knowing that, we took extreme measures on ensuring that you do not get out of here alive. Even if you did have outside help all of them would be rendered useless because of my wards. All knowledge is stored here, and I know exactly how to counter the Gap Demon's powers, though not forever but enough time for us to end you."
To her surprise, Rook was chuckling. She knew how this would end, and she wasn't going to like it. It was just like last time they met, it was like he always had a new trick on his sleeve every single time they met. Last time he had the last laugh, and by the gods she was not going to let him have this one.
"What are you laughing about?" she asked frowning at him, yet he only responded with a raised hand.
After a few minutes relieving himself of chuckling, Rook said, "But my dear Magician, even if what you have said is true there is still one more thing I haven't done yet."
"And that is?" questioned Patchouli, this time it was her patience that was wearing thin.
"I have yet to improvise."
And as if on cue, Patchouli's body began to blink and become transparent.
"An illusion, right? It wasn't like you had the guts to face me in the flesh anyway," Rook said with spite in his tone and a look of disgust on his face.
"Interference from another magician? Not unexpected, but still somehow impressive. This one is practically advanced in this area," Patchouli stood up and strode over to Rook, coming to a halt a few paces away from him. "I don't know who your friend is, but to counter my wards like this, I say you're in luck Chess Piece."
The Magician's image began to become even more transparent, and her voice started to slowly fade away. "How about we play a little game while you're here? If you head straight ahead while jumping from bookshelf to bookshelf you'll come across a door at the end of this room. Enter that door and it'll lead the way to me, but don't wet your panties just yet. There are two puzzles that you have to solve before facing me. Let's see if you're mind is still as sharp as it is Chess Piece. Until next time..."
With that final message, Patchouli's form was gone. Her image still burned behind Rook's eyes as he stared on the spot from where she disappeared. He then inhaled a deep breath before walking down the stairs and stepping on the colossal bookshelf.
Rook then pushed his feet from the ground and ran.
Year: 2005
10:50 Post-meridian
Forest of Magic, Outskirts, Gensokyo
Rin was skipping her way over logs, above rocks, past trees, and generally across the forest. She was humming herself a catchy tune that she heard from the Human Village nearby while swaying her large sleeves back and forth. She was having an exciting night, going to the new mansion that appeared over a month ago and rigging it with dolls was fun. If only she had the time to stay a bit longer she would've observed how some interesting events would have unfold.
However the threat of being part of the body count due to a freak explosion got into her deeper than she thought.
She continued humming as she went her way; her friend was not far behind judging from the rustling of rustling of bushes. Strange how her friend didn't simply wave her hand and teleport them both back home instead of going through all of this trouble with walking.
The night was young and there are plenty of places in which she can explore. And then she remembered that she was yet to have dinner. She found it weird how her friend was frantic on going to the mansion when they both knew that it was dangerous for the both of them. Al had been telling her that since that mansion got here, but to suddenly break her word for some mysterious motive. It was strange... Oh well, Rin didn't mind much, at least she got to see the mansion up close.
"Rin heads up," whispered a voice behind her, and before Rin even noticed it she has lost control of her body. The first thing she did and what any sane person would do was to struggle. It only took her a few seconds to recognize the familiar sensation tingling along her nerves.
"Hey Al, what is it now?" she hissed to the person behind her. Unfortunately when she had the chance to look back, she found no one there.
Shrine maiden, just keep quiet and do as I say, said a tiny voice at the back of the girl's head. Telepathy. She hated it when Al did this; it was way too freaky seeing your body move without your consent.
As for the woman herself, she was kept herself hidden behind a tree trunk not far from Rin. Tiny nearly invisible string tied on her fingers connected themselves into the back of the younger girl's head, back, arms and legs.
Okay here we go. Don't tell her about me or our original purpose. I will handle the talking if she ever asks you questions. Do not sputter or fumble with your words. Act as you would normally would but do not provoke her. The last thing we need is to fight her. But under the circumstances she would be likely to ignore you and head on. And please, Rin do not hum, mock, comment, threaten, or insult her because doing so will be asking for a death wish. Do I make myself clear?
"Yes..."
What?!
"I mean yes ma'am"
Not soon after Rin released a sigh, a black haired girl dressed in red and white landed directly in front of her. The girl seemed to be between fourteen to sixteen years old and was a head taller than Rin, though from the looks of it was a few inches shorter than Al. She had a beautiful set of brown eyes and a pretty decent face, though the scowl that was present ruined the image.
Clumps of grass were crushed under her foot as she stomped her way towards Rin. If Al presence disappeared and her control on her body returned she would have been shaking right now. The Shrine Maiden after all had a bad reputation among youkais since there were rumours that she usually attacked them without reason. Rin felt a bead of sweat trickle down her cheek.
"Hey you, can I ask you a couple of questions?" asked the Shrine maiden with obvious edge in her voice.
"Sure, why not?" came Rin's reply, only that it wasn't entirely hers but Al's. This is so flipping weird...
"You aren't one of the youkais that live in that big mansion across the lake, aren't you?" said the Shrine maiden in the same tone a before.
"Um no, but I was only passing by and visiting my relatives," responded Rin.
"'Looks like I'm not going to get anything out of this one," muttered the red-white girl, ignoring that Rin was just a few steps away from her. This caused Rin an involuntary twitch.
"I, uh, beg your pardon?"
"None of your business..."
Rude hag! Why I'm gonna punch her right here right now! Thought Rin but Al's voice held her back.
Rin. Heel.
"You know while I was passing by the lake's shore, I noticed something strange going on in the island," said Rin, somehow catching the miko's attention. "There were explosions and loud bangs so I went to see what was happening. I know what you're thinking that it was stupid and stuff, but hey I was curious. And then it got interesting."
With one deliberate movement the Shrine maiden had the tip of her gohei under Rin's neck while her left hand held a fistful of ofudas. "Get to the point if you have anything to say."
"A sign went up at the very top of the mansion, possibly some kind of doom's day ritual," guessed Rin as badly as she can while shrugging her shoulders. "It was like a web made by a spider covering the mansion's roof with orange lines. But that's only what was happening in the air. The other interesting thing was on the ground."
"Tell me; was a black-white witch there?" asked the Shrine maiden lowering her gohei.
"No, but when I arrived at the entrance there was a woman clad in green knocked out cold," Rin lied more convincingly than she could by herself. Without another word, the Shrine maiden kicked off the ground and flew as fast as she to the lake's direction.
Rin's body relaxed as she watched her fly away and as Al's control disappeared. The girl fell on her butt, staring at the path the Shrine maiden took. The woman casually walked to her side and gave her a pat on the head. "Good job."
"Please," whimpered Rin with a look of relief on her face, "Never ever make me do something as crazy as that again."
"I'll consider it..." replied the woman without a second thought.
Rin sat there for a few moments before sprawling after her companion, "Hey wait for me~!"
Year: 2005
11:13 Post-meridian
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Voile the magic library, Gensokyo
Rook leapt of a bookshelf only to land on the next one. Exhaling his breath, he lifted his head up and broke into a sprint, his boots thundering with every step. Once Rook reached the far end of his shelf, he kicked the wood once more and leapt. But this time there wasn't another shelf to catch him, obviously because he just reached the center of the library. A bare red carpeted space that housed stacks of books around the edges and with nothing but a single desk at the very middle. Rook's body dissolved into fine mist as he fell; only transforming himself back as he met with the ground.
"This place is huge..." Rook commented, turning his head left to right. "Hmph, maybe it wouldn't hurt poking around for a bit."
Apparently, the lonely desk caught his eye causing him to approach it. On the desk were a dead lamp and a cup filled fountain pens. This was Patchouli's library, strange how she left it unguarded while her most hated enemy was within. Wouldn't setting up a death trap or two be practical? Circling around the desk, Rook placed a hand around a drawer's knob and drew it.
Inside it was a crystal, smooth and hard, small enough to fit Rook's palm.
The Human closed his eyes and burrowed deep into his memories.
Hey Rook look! Something grew on my wings!
Huh? Weird, your wings are made entirely of metal. There's no way you'd be able to grow this. Did you use magic?
No I didn't! But... It looks so pretty. Hey can we ask Patchy if she can have a look?
Heh, I don't see why not.
The memory slowly faded into gray ripples and eventually into black. Rook opened his eyes to find his hand clenched around the crystal. "This was Flandre's... How did she get it?" he whispered, not noticing the shadow enveloping his body.
Rook tensed and dove to his right. Rolling into a kneeling position, Rook gritted his teeth at the sight of a hostile. Just beside the broken remains of the wooden desk was a twelve foot tall goliath made entirely out of pure energy. It took the shape of a stocky looking humanoid with large arms and short legs. Its build indicated that it relied mostly on its strength to win battles, and that it lacked quite a lot of things in the speed department.
It had no head, and seemed to be hunched back as it stood. Even then, it was much taller than Rook wanted to be. The energy golem drew its fist from the crater it had made and went to face Rook. With a soundless roar, the golem rushed to assault him. Rook side stepped a clumsy fist that shattered the floor, only to step on the offending fist causing the Human to be launched into the air using the momentum as the golem drew its hand up.
Rook allowed gravity to do its job giving the golem a fist from above as he came down. The golem stumbled back as Rook landed on his feet, only to counter by sweeping its massive arm across the air. The Human's torso met with the golem's wrist, sending him rolling till he skidded to a stop.
You're pissing me off, thought Rook only to notice something he hasn't before. At the golem's feet was Flandre's crystal, Rook must have dropped it when he got hit.
Rook charged the golem barehanded. Once I close in, he's going to make a wild grab in order to crush me. But before he does I would have jumped over his hand and slid between his legs, grabbing the crystal while I'm at it. After that its a full lightning show behind his back.
With those thoughts in his mind, he proceeded to perform it. Timing the golem's hand just right, Rook kicked off its fist and diving below its legs, grabbing a tiny glint on the floor as he passed between the golem's feet. Once he was at the golem's back, a light flashed at the very center of the library.
Rook slowly got up to his feet with his left palm still smoking. A few feet away was the golem, still standing strong and high.
"Oh... It's immortal" he whispered. And as if on cue, the golem raised its arms in the air as if to utter a roar.
With the crystal hidden in his pocket, Rook began to run.
In a normal library, things were supposed to be... normal. True it should be filled with vast amounts of books, and strict librarians, though the library Rook was currently in was anything but normal. Yes, this library had more books than five national libraries from four different countries all over the world had and it also had a cranky librarian with the intent of killing him who off handily set off a very large sentinel after him all over the place, but aside from those, what difference it would have with a 'normal' library?
Rook had his fair share of the strange, weird, and plain insane predicaments to stop caring about those sorts of things. He was even one of those strange things. A young man stuck the way he is because of two mad women made him eternally young on whim. Now isn't that just grand?
Most people would have considered it a blessing, a gift that he should be thankful for. But on the other hand, such gifts came with a Price. One example of such a price is being chased by a ten ton goliath, which if given a voice, would be screaming bloody murder.
Rook now found himself blasting his way through bookshelf to bookshelf, carving out a path fit for his size. Behind him was a large Hostile made out of purple energy, making much larger holes with its sheer brute strength. Rook wasn't even sure if he was going the right way. Everything was the same. The Magician's words told him that the door he should be heading for was at the far end of the library.
He was at the balcony at that time, so if he were to spot where the balcony was facing then things would be a whole lot easier.
Making a sharp turn between the aisles, Rook turned himself into mist and floated his way to the very top of the shelves. Returning into humanity once more, Rook found the balcony far off west. This meant that he would go for the opposite direction, forward if he based it off from where he was standing.
The colossal shelf began to shake and at its feet was the golem, pushing the shelf with all its might.
It was then the Human began to feel that he was slowly moving forward. "Oh come on! When will you give up?!" he yelled to the golem, causing it to redouble its efforts in making him fall. The shelf began to lean forward. Rook leapt to the next shelf only for it to be hit by the one from which he came from.
Rook jumped again. Not long after he began jumping, he already cleared three shelves while the rest collapsed into giant dominoes. Shelves fell over each other as a single figure leapt over the ones that hadn't fallen yet. Rook had to double time, using the same foot in which he landed on to kick off, he cleared the shelves one leg at time. As tiring as it was, he couldn't afford to lose ground now. The sounds of wood crashing against each other distracted him, almost breaking his rhythm yet he held on.
Once he had reached the near end of the room, Rook made a wild dash along the shelf in which he landed on, jumping off just in time for it to collapse. Rook crashed against the side of his new shelf with his torso first. He gripped the sides of the shelf as he clung for dear life, causing a few books to fall into the wreckage below him. With a grunt he pulled himself up and surveyed the damage.
Patchouli was going to be pissed, that single thought was enough to make him smile.
The smile however didn't last when he saw something wading across the debris and books. Turning his head around, he ran along the shelf's roof to jump for another one. He spotted another balcony and door just beyond it. Leaping for the last time from his second shelf and on top of the third, Rook began making short jumps as he did a while back in the dominoes.
Stepping on the marble stairs, Rook jogged up and went to reach out for the door's handle. And then the balcony disappeared.
Had he not opened the door before the floor dissolved into nothing, Rook might have not hung on at pathway's edge. Rook glanced down and saw that the golem was there, waiting for him to fall...
Exhaling a shaky breath, he began to pull himself up. His legs and arms were sore, yet it didn't compare with the buzzing he had on his head. Maybe it was just fatigue building up with all of those close calls. At least he was safe, for now. He leaned with his back against the wall and sighed. Reaching in his pocket, he took out the tiny crystal he had found in the desk.
Because of one unfortunate event, Flandre lost her wings. Rook was dead set on killing the bastards who took them, but instead the vampire only asked him to make her new ones. And so, with Remilia's consent, he went out to make a pair. Rook conversed with a dragon and struck a deal with it. Had Hong not interfered, Rook would have been killed. In the end the dragon gave him permission to take the treasures he desired. The rest was history.
However, a few years later something strange happened. A tiny crystal, different from those that hung before it, grew on one of the branches on Flandre's wings. Because of its unexplained existence and uniqueness, Flandre took care of it in hopes that it will soon one day grow as big as the others.
Rook blinked once and glanced down on his palm. The crystal was there, and it had yet to grow, not that it will ever will.
He slowly got up to his feet while looking at the opposite end of the passage he was in. Leaving the door he came in behind, he reached out for the second door and pulled the handle.
Rook was then met with another bizarre form of the library. The room was oval shaped and didn't seem to be longer than fifteen meters. The height however seemed to reach up to a hundred feet, it was almost like being within a stone watch tower. Then again, instead of having stones for walls, this room had books sitting within a shelf that took the form of the walls. There was a spiral stair case leading the way up, and on the way there were a series of doors standing along the books.
Walking to the center of the room and turning around in a three hundred and sixty degree angle to get a better view of his surroundings. Eight doors with seven different colours, two doors having the exact the same one.
"I wonder where those will lead me," whispered Rook as he gazed at the very top of the room where the final door stood. "One way out and it's through these... The Magician said that she had two puzzles for me to solve. This is the first... Doors..."
The colours of each door leading the way up go this way: Purple, orange, yellow, light blue, light green, pink, blue, and light blue again.
Rook moved towards the first door and gave it a quick look. It was a simple door painted purple; save for the silver doorknob, there wasn't actually anything noteworthy about it. He gazed at it for a few seconds before extending a hand to open it.
The moment his hand touched the knob, pain exploded all around his head.
"DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! ROOK! ROOK!"
And then it was gone. He then realized that he was on his knees, breathing hard while sweat formed on his brows. It was like he was being beaten senseless with a sledgehammer while his skull refused to crack, giving him front row seats to a world of pain. Rook suppressed a groan and held his throbbing head as he stood up. Without a second thought, he wrenched the door open and dove inside only to find himself... Back at the entrance?
Rook glanced at the door that he came through and realized that they were the same double doors he used to enter the room. A loop? Or maybe the door had some kind of portal that led him back? Rook approached the door once more to try it out. This time, he braced his mind before grabbing the door. To his relief there was no screaming anymore, no more pain.
"That voice... Why does it seem so familiar?" he whispered, twisting the knob and opening the door. In his pain filled state earlier he didn't as much notice the black liquid like substance behind it before diving in. It was like melted steel, only darker. An experimental tap resulted into tiny ripples to go to all sides. Slowly and gently, he began to push his arm inside, followed by his body. For a few seconds, the world was black until he stepped into the room once more.
"Okay, this is new..." Rook looked around him once more and found that nothing has changed. "Maybe the doors lead to different places?"
He began climb the staircase, making his way towards the next door. Rook placed a hand on the knob and pain filled his skull once again.
"Out of my way Reimu, let me kill him! I'll kill him for what he's done! I'LL MAKE HIM PAY; I'LL MAKE THIS DAMN BASTARD PAY FOR WHAT HE DID!"
Rook felt sick. He struggled to keep what little food was left in his stomach as he leaned against the door's frame. Now that he recognized. Lifting his hands to his face, he found out that they were trembling. He guessed that if he had a mirror at hand, he probably looked ghost white. The throbbing in his head grew stronger, the pain accompanied by the voice was worst than before. It was probably the Magician's sick way of mentally torturing him. Still, the voices and pain didn't help him in the slightest into solving this puzzle.
He sucked in a lungful of air before reaching for the handle once again. He wasn't the least surprised to see the black substance staring back at him. With a flat gaze, he could tell what was going to happen next, he stepped through the door.
Now it was the time to stop and think. With every door he opened, Rook was always led back to the starting point via black alien like substances. And it was obvious enough that the only way out was one of those doors. Trying them all out was out of the question since his mind will break if it somehow continued, and who knows what will happen if he opened all of the doors without finding the real one.
The voices could act as his clue but they were too vague to make anything out. One thing's for sure is that those were memories in him, and those were the words of the people he had done wrong. The doors and the voices must make some kind of connection, but how? This wasn't as simple as going to point B from point A like a stroll in the park.
Rook set his back against the wall and slid down to a sitting position.
"Hold on a second..." standing up, Rook made his way towards the door at the foot of the stairs. It was light green.
He placed a hand on the knob and nothing happened. It seemed like no voices emerged if he hasn't touched a new door or anything, so door's in which he has gone through before no longer hurt him. Opening the door, Rook stepped into it for the final time before returning at his starting point. The colors of the doors were still the same, but something else was happening. Rook glared at the light green door at the foot of the stairs, only to witness that it was slowly turning into orange.
"That bitch, the doors are shifting. No, the colors are," Rook gritted his teeth and went for the second door which was now painted purple. He grabbed the knob and entered. Once he was back at the entrance he ran for the door at the foot of the stairs and entered.
This continued for several minutes until he finally tired out, gasping for breath while sitting down. "Time... There's a time set for the colors to change... Max is... fifteen seconds."
But what was the time limit for? Unless it required some kind of skill or ability to be set against. Either Stamina, speed, or endurance. That was all he can think up at the moment. Breathing deeply once more, Rook focused his gaze at the first door which now colored itself light blue. Rook got up to his feet to try entering the door again. He was missing something; he just didn't know what it was. Does he need to enter through all the doors under fifteen seconds? If so, in what order?
And then it clicked. Puzzles tend to be that way, if one method didn't work; all you have to do is try again and again till the lock opens. Everything has a pattern, now all he had to do was to find it, but how?
He pulled the handle and opened the door, this time something was different. One was that a piece of paper flew into Rook's feet, and the second was that instead of the black liquid metal meeting him the substance somehow adopted the color of the door. Rook knelt down to pick up the paper and read it.
The entrance is the exit. Solve this and the wings of realization will bless you.
Though it didn't help much, it gave him something to think about. "'The entrance is the exit?' Does that even make any...sense...?" Rook lifted his head up and gazed at the light blue liquid. "So if this door is the entrance..." Rook turned his head at the other light blue door's direction, "Then that's the exit..."
Rook slammed the door in front of him shut and climbed the stairs to the fifth door just ahead the pink one. This was the way out!
Or so he thought. The moment he placed his hand on the door knob it wasn't just voices and pain that met him this time, but Flandre herself.
The girl extended her arm and screamed, "HELP ME!"
Rook saw himself reach for her and grasp her hand to pull her away from whatever was dragging her back. And then with a sickening pop, Rook's arm was on the floor as he sported a bloody stump on his shoulder. Flandre gave him a mischievous look as she grabbed him by his other arm and tore it off its socket. "Oops..."
The throbbing in his head along with the loss of his arms and the feeling of being drained of his blood clouded Rook's vision in a red haze. He made an attempt to get away from her but found that his back was against the staircase's railings. Behind the little vampire her wings flapped in anticipation, making a jingling sound as a result.
Flandre pushed him and he fell. It wasn't a long fall since Rook hit the ground a second later, groaning in pain both physical and mentally. He shook his head and found out that his arms were back, looking up he saw no signs of Flandre ever being there. All that was left was a door that's left open.
"Light blue, blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, light green, and light blue... The entrance is the exit, the wings of realization will bless me," he whispered as everything fell into place, "Did she really wait for me to go for three tries or was it just dumb luck? Nevertheless, I've got to thank that last illusion of hers..."
Rook winced as he stared up at the doors again. "The colors of Flan's wings..."
Year: 2005
11:27 Post-meridian
Scarlet Border, Gensokyo
Reimu flew like a bullet over the Misty Lake. If it was true that the annoying Gate Guard was beaten up by someone who went before her then it would have saved her all sorts of trouble. Mainly was because she didn't have to waste her energy in fighting someone near undefeatable. It was her first time to actually put the Spellcard system to the test and was actually taken by surprise on how it actually worked. It took Reimu five tries till she got the hang of it, and that was all while fighting the green clad guard. Some creator she was, not even knowing her own system.
Still she had to be grateful. If it weren't for the Spell cards and Danmaku she'd be dead by now since that youkai was really strong, facing it without the aid of the system was nothing short of suicide. It's been weeks and she wanted this incident over with. She cursed herself for being overconfident, she cursed this incident for making the air so cold, she cursed the culprit for making the day into night and now she didn't even know when sleep and wake up! Having an ancient turtle as an alarm clock had its drawbacks.
A few moments after clearing the lake, Reimu arrived at the island on where the mansion stood. She flew over the rotting carcass of the poor saps that went toe to toe with the residents of the mansion and died. True they had strength in numbers but they lacked strategy. And not everyone was reached by the System. It was an option whenever two sides do battle.
They could either choose to duel with Danmaku or fight to the death with their powers. Reimu's presence automatically enforces non-fatal duels if she ever got into a fight. She didn't understand how exactly, but it had something to do with the barrier protecting her if Genji's words were to be trusted.
Flying low and through the forest, Reimu wasn't surprised to see the dense mist in which she usually met disappear. The Guard's defeat must have cleared the path. After gliding along the trees, the Shrine maiden has reached the gate. There she found a tall red haired woman being tended for by a girl in a black outfit. The woman seemed to be knocked out cold, while a girl sat beside her patching up her wounds with plants nearby.
The girl noticed the tap of Reimu's feet as the Shrine maiden landed. Reimu had a scowl on her face yet made no hostile actions towards the girl.
"What happened to her?" she inquired as she examined the prone woman's form.
"Knocked out cold as you can see," replied the blonde little girl as she covered a bruise on the woman's cheek with a leaf.
"Did you do this?"
"Nope"
"Then who did?" said Reimu with an obvious edge in her voice.
"Idiot with blonde hair and threw electricity. I suppose you know him," said the little girl in the same flat tone.
Reimu froze at that. She hoped it wasn't who she thought it was. Nevertheless, Reimu gripped her gohei and marched up to the gate.
"Bad idea."
"Excuse me?" Reimu turned around shot the little girl a glare, which was returned with a bored gaze and a yawn. The girl revealed a set of sharp teeth from both top and bottom, clearly indicating that she wasn't what she seemed to appear.
"I smell a person behind that door, and she has some rather sharp things in her hand. So unless you're immune to sharp objects, I suggest for you to go back to your little home and sit this one out."
"Are you, a youkai... telling me, a Shrine maiden to do exactly as you say?" Reimu's glare turned into a look of utter disbelief.
It took the girl a few moments to answer since she was busy picking her ear, "Mhmm, yup. Something to that degree."
"Weirdo..." Reimu finally said while shaking her head.
"Hey! Who are you calling a weirdo?!" snapped the girl while stomping her feet. Reimu only ignored her and flew over the gate. The girl glared at her and went back to tending the woman's bruises, "You better hurry. I don't think that idiot will last longer than he should."
Reimu failed to hear her words since she was already out of earshot. She turned her head left to right as she observed the well tended gardens and healthy roses that grew there. True enough, this was the mist's source seeing that it was being released through the very few windows that mansion had. Just above the roof, strange orange lights hovered in the air like some kind of dome. It seems like the girl she spoke to earlier was right.
The lawn was most certainly wider than what her entire shrine could cover. Reimu landed just in front of the front door and looked downwards as her feet came in contact with something wet. Water was seeping from below the mansion's doors.
"I wonder what these lunatics are up to," she muttered, placing a hand on the door and pushing it forward.
The first thing she noticed was a maid dressed in an odd fashion. She figured it was a maid because of the white headband on the woman's head. The second thing that she noticed was that the floors, the walls, and perhaps almost everything was soaking wet. Reimu didn't even want to ask what happened here. And as for the third thing that she noticed, was a shiny golden pocket watch lying on the floor.
At first the maid didn't seem to pay Reimu any mind the moment she burst from the door. It was only when the maid had retrieved the pocket watch did she notice Reimu.
"My apologies for a guest to witness the mansion in such as state, there has been a few problems with the previous guest that has entered our doors," the silver haired maid did a curtsy before continuing, "On behalf of the Mistress of the house, I welcome you to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Miss...?"
"Hakurei, Hakurei Reimu. Resident Shrine Maiden of Paradise, and the person that's going to kick your ass up and down this place," introduced Reimu shooting the maid with a harsh glare.
"Miss Hakurei then. I am the Chief of maid of the house, Izayoi Sakuya. A pleasure to meet you," said the maid with another curtsy.
Reimu held back a snort and said, "Can't say I feel the same. So, is your Mistress the one responsible for this incident?"
"Why yes, the beautiful mist is her doing. You see, my Mistress is very unique girl. She couldn't stand seeing the sun ruining the beauty of the landscape, so in its place, she simply covered the sky so that she would be able to stroll around admiring nature's gifts," explained the maid with a smile. Though Reimu could see that it was fake.
"A load of bull if you ask me," said Reimu as she pointed her gohei at the maid, "Look, if you don't mind I'll be having a bit of chat with your Mistress. So if I were you I'll be hiding somewhere hard and durable until the explosions die down."
Sakuya didn't respond immediately to that. Instead she waited for a couple of minutes to pass, much to Reimu's displeasure, before she said, "Oh, is that so? Well, I'm sorry if I wasted your...Time..."
At the last word, Sakuya lifted her head to reveal two scarlet eyes staring into Reimu's brown ones. A smile on her face, six magic circles hovered in the air behind the maid as she held her golden pocket watch near her lips. Reimu summoned a fistful of ofudas before charging. She had the feeling that this was going to be a sucky night.
Year: 2005
11:27 Post-meridian
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Voile the magic library, Gensokyo
This sucks...
Rook wrenched the light blue door open before throwing himself inside. He appeared back at the entrance and wasted no time sprinting all the way up to the next door. He passed by the pink and orange door and reached for the blue door. Upon entering, he repeated his sprint at the bottom of the stairs all the way up to the purple. These actions repeated until Rook was panting as he reached for the final light blue door.
And then the doors switched.
Rook didn't have enough strength to prevent himself from crashing into the orange door. Pain found their way into his skull and filled his brain. Rook collapsed on the stairs as he clutched his head in an attempt to block out the pain. In his mind, he can hear the voices again.
"HE'S ONE OF THEM! HE'S BETRAYED US, KILL HI—"
"Mason, stop! Don't kill the humans! Leave them be and get out now!"
"I'm not leaving you behind!" shouted Rook, or at least he heard his own voice shout. The images were blurry, yet he knew he was supposed to remember them. If it weren't for the pain they would have been as clear as day.
"BURN THE BLASPHEMERS! LEAVE NONE OF THEM ALIVE!"
"Mason, NO!"
A thunderclap rung Rook's ears and it was over. With a grunt of annoyance, he got up and went back at the foot of the stairs. This was getting him nowhere. Every time he fails to enter the doors all at once in fifteen seconds they shift their colors. Every time he touches the wrong door with the wrong color, a royal mind screw invades him.
He leaned against the light blue door and opened it once more. "One more time, go!"
Fifteen...
Fourteen...
Rook burst from the entrance and shot a lightning bolt from his right palm, using the recoil as a boost. He crashed against the blue door and went inside. Once he was back, he broke into a sprint as he headed for the second door near the foot of the stairs. He grabbed the handle of the purple door and went inside.
Thirteen...
Twelve...
Eleven...
Ten...
Rook shot another bolt on the ground and blasted his way up to the second to the last door: The pink one. Rook landed in heap yet lunged for the handle and dove inside. Again he was at the entrance and forced his legs to climb the stairs to the next door.
Nine...
Eight...
"CHECKMATE!" he roared and with a mighty kick sent to the ground, Rook was in the air. Another door entered, he wasted no time climbing the stairs and leapt for the walls. He kicked and launched himself from them similar to that of a bouncing ball, destroying books in the process. He reached the yellow door as two seconds passed.
Seven...
Six...
Rook ran up a wall and launched himself from it. He grabbed hold of the stair's railings and pulled himself up, the light green door before him. Grabbing the handle, he went inside slamming the door behind him. The last door was at the very top, he had to make it.
Five...
Four...
He cleared the first three doors at the side of the stairs.
Three...
Two...
Four doors, now for the last one. Rook reached for the handle.
One...
Wrenched it open and pulled himself in. Rook landed in a heap on the stone cold floor. He pushed himself off the ground and looked at the door behind him, it shined a blinding bright color for a few seconds before cracks appeared, eventually breaking down into nothing. He was out of breath, and he had to rely on his stupid skill to clear that one. Dumb luck, the lot of it. He glared at the shattered door, now a blank wall had replaced it, and slowly gut up as he approached yet another door.
This one was pure white with a golden handle. Felling exhausted from the last puzzle, he carelessly placed a hand on the knob.
Rook swore loudly as the pain stabbed him in head once more and hopefully for the final time. This time it was ten times worst, he was hearing voices, of those he had hurt, those he had killed, murdered in the past. He can see it. He can see that night, that one night where everything ended. He saw himself lying on the floor, a hand outstretched at a chained Flandre.
She was different, insane; she was crying tears of blood as her teeth turned into jagged spikes. She was undergoing a horrible transformation and it was only the purple chains that kept her from doing so.
The image turned static for a moment before focusing once more. Hong had her stomach open as she lay unconscious with her back against a wall. A few feet away from her was Remilia, having lost her left arm and foot, she was bleeding badly.
The mansion was shaking, the walls were cracking as debris came falling. Everything was red, the crimson madness seeping from the young vampire's skin as vermilion electricity arced around her. Rook then saw Patchouli step into view. Her lips moved yet no sound emerged. Everything was buzzing.
It ended.
Year: 2005
11:40 Post-meridian
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Entrance Hall, Gensokyo
Sakuya leapt into the air throwing three blue daggers before disappearing. A second flew and she appeared with hundreds of knives raining downwards. Reimu slid on the floor as she swung her gohei in a wide arc, knocking knives out of the air. She kicked off the ground and flew towards a wall only to rebound off it as she went straight for Sakuya. The maid flew backwards, sending knife after knife towards the Shrine maiden. Reimu retaliated by sending ofudas and needles flying to Sakuya. Needles and knives met in the air and many of them clattered harmlessly to the floor.
With three knives between her fingers, Sakuya raised her pocket watch and disappeared. Reimu came to a halt in mid-air as she searched the room for her opponent.
Knives began to appear in large numbers all around Reimu all while heading straight for her. The Shrine maiden smirked and quickly shot off into a gap she spotted between the knives. Travelling safely through the gap, Reimu unleashed a volley of needles from her sleeves forcing Sakuya to roll in mid-air before answering with her knives.
Backing away quickly from the line of fire, Sakuya drew her spellcard and declared, "Illusion Existence~ Clock Corpse!"
Reimu's eyes narrowed and continued to plunge forward as a curtain of blue daggers flew for her. The Shrine maiden allowed the daggers to follow her before with a sudden burst of speed gave her the chance of bypassing them with the opening they made. The trick was to make the daggers as dense as possible and having them follow her upon release; once they close in she'll head for the other direction and pass there.
Time stops once more and a new curtain of blades homed for the Shrine maiden's heart. Reimu's smirk turned into a full grin as she drew a spellcard and declared, "Jewel Sign~ Concealed Orbs of Light!"
Three large Yin-Yang orbs around her and bounced their way to the front, clearing the air of the curtain of knives. Sakuya didn't seemed to be impressed by this and disappeared once more, however the moment she unfroze time, she realized that Reimu still had a trick up her detached sleeve. The Shrine maiden struck a bouncing orb with her gohei, causing the ball to rebound n the wall and narrowly missed Sakuya. Reimu struck another orb and it too bounced all over the room. With two orbs bouncing all around her, Sakuya didn't have much concentration in firing back, causing her knives to decrease in numbers.
"Here, a welcome gift from Gensokyo!" said Reimu as she struck the third orb with all her might and delivering it towards the maid.
The orb was an inch away before Sakuya disappeared again. Reimu cursed under her breath as the maid appeared above her, four knives in each hand. Sakuya threw her knives at Reimu, to her surprise it was the Shrine maiden's turn to disappear. Reimu exited through a rift while firing rapid needles in a wide arc, hitting their mark on the shoulder, left arm and right foot.
Sakuya gritted her teeth and spun in the air, releasing an explosion of red, blue, and green knives all around her. The Spellcard she activated earlier destroyed the moment she was hit. Reimu grazed a couple of knives while being cut by several more. She was hurt yet she fought the barrage and replied with a volley of her own needles.
Sakuya gripped a blue knife and slashed the air, intent on sending needles away from her. Once she saw that there weren't any follow ups, she threw her knife at Reimu which slowly multiplied by the second passing by until there were multitudes of them. The Hakurei Miko pointed her gohei in front of her and muttered a small prayer. A large golden shield burst to life and blocked every single knife headed for Reimu.
Sakuya's crimson eyes burned as she drew another spellcard from her pocket, "Silver sign~ Silver bound!"
A circle of black handled knives spread from all angles surrounding Sakuya. The knives bounced along the walls into random directions. Slow they may be but they made up for their sheer numbers. Reimu dodged, rolled and zigzagged through the knives. Just as she was about to break through the storm of silver, she heard Sakuya's voice from the other side of the curtain.
"Light Speed~ C. Ricochet!"
Sakuya hovered a few feet away from her as purple flashes began to fill the room. Reimu turned her head from left to right as she followed the sound of metal clashing against stone around her. Then the clashing ceased and Reimu could hear the sound of something fast flying towards her. She leaned left as a knife passed through her hair, sending strands of it into the air. Reimu spun to her left and swung her gohei. Unfortunately, the swing that was meant for the knife missed and the blade dug into her right shoulder.
Reimu gritted her teeth and pulled the knife out. The blade was made from Danmaku, so it left no wound behind. Still, the hit hurt as if she was stabbed with a real knife. And to think there were a mass of them; Reimu knew she was in a real pain by then. She waved her right hand in a wide arc, summoning eight glowing paper charms in front of her.
Sakuya stretched her arms on either side of her followed by a flurry of knives flying out of two magic circles. With single command, both combatants sent their bullets to each other. The knives into the air leaving behind them a bright trail of blue light while the flying ofudas left behind them lines of red. Charms met with blade and they exploded in an earth shattering force. Sakuya wasted no time charging into the aftermath and summoning wave after waves of knives.
Reimu had summoned at her side her Yin-Yang orbs which peppered Sakuya with needles in return. The maid and miko exchanged blasts, circling in the air above the entrance hall. The walls, floor, decorations, and ceiling littered with knives, needles, and paper charms. The air exploded whenever a charm and knife came in contact yet the two locked themselves in a desperate struggle.
Reimu twisted in the air to avoid an incoming knife and decided to change tactics by switching shots. Raising her hands in a deliberate movement, she summoned two large charms the size of a wheel and delivered them to Sakuya. The maid flew forward, looping in the air to dodge the first amulet while grazing the second. When she was near enough she stopped time and resumed it, only to hail Reimu with a volley of knives.
The Shrine maiden danced in the air to evade, entering a gap large enough for her body to fit before tossing a paper charm into the air. Sakuya's crimson eyes flashed and answered with a black hilted knife.
The walls shook as it witnessed the explosion erupt.
Sakuya shielded her eyes from the light of the blast, only to stare wide eyed at the Shrine maiden. With a smirk, Reimu brought her spellcard into the air to declare it, "Divine Spirit~ Fantasy Seal!"
A number of large multi-colored orbs circled Reimu for a few moments while her Yin-Yang orbs spewed ofudas on every direction, caging Sakuya in. With nowhere to run, Sakuya reached for her pocket watch in her pocket. A look of disappointment appeared on her face as she noticed that the hand of the clock was trembling while pointing at twelve.
A sigh escaped the maid's lips as she watched the orbs release and fly towards her.
Year: 2005
11:40 Post-meridian
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Voile the magic library, Gensokyo
Rook's consciousness returned along with the feeling of his entire body, mind, and soul aching horribly. Get up... He thought as he commanded his arms to push himself from the ground while his knees helped him stand. When he was upright, he leaned against the wall for support. He felt drained and he still hasn't faced Patchouli yet. He gritted his teeth and limped forward. Putting one foot ahead of the other, Rook approached the white door. He twisted the knob and pushed the door.
Walk... Walk damn it... Rook entered the next room, his ragged breathing echoing against its walls.
He leaned against the door frame and surveyed his surroundings. Rook found himself in a much smaller room compared to the grand interior of the last one. This one appeared to be much simpler and was decorated only by a single long violet carpet between eight ivory pillars leading to a blank wall. A dead end.
Between the pillars floated six purple crystals providing light to the room, it almost appeared eerie and beautiful at the same time. With a grunt, Rook slowly made his way through the room while limping. He winced at every step and flinched at the tiniest noises which were his footsteps, those constant mental tortures has done something to him and he can't think straight with his head throbbing so hard. To engage whatever Patchouli had in store for him was nothing short of suicide, yet his mind was fixed on the sole purpose of breaking through every obstacle set upon him.
Not... the time... for resting... he whispered in his mind, I need to hurry...
His hand reached for the zipper of his belt bag on instinct yet he stopped himself. Wasting a vial now won't do him any good; he had to save them for later. Soon enough he arrived at the blank wall and fell unto all fours, breathing laboriously as if he just ran a thousand miles. Shaking his head, Rook slowly rose to his feet and placed his palm on the wall.
A faint humming sounded from behind the wall, a cue for a large purple magic circle to form in mid-air. The Human glared at the circle as he put some space between him and it, examining it for any clever traps. A few seconds passed and words began to etch themselves into the circle, using purple flames as ink.
Hello Rook...
"Patchouli," growled the Human as he watched the next words being written down.
Congratulations on making it this far. I would have never expected you to get past the golem nor solve your way through those doors. Are you ready for the final game?
"Cut the crap and face me yourself!" snapped Rook, balling his hands into fists.
In due time, after all why not provide me with more entertainment? You make out to be a good circus performer.
"I don't have time for games," growled the Human, "And even if I did I would've beaten you so hard that you'll be eating your own books."
Something in your tone tells me to be afraid, no matter it's probably nothing...Hmm, seems like my puzzles aren't as hard as I thought them to be.
"You're getting rusty," said Rook with a smirk.
Maybe, but so are you. You're powers and brain cells are diminishing as we speak. I mean, the doors were merely color coded with Flandre's wings and yet it still took you awhile before you realized it.
How shameful Rook, you're supposed to be better than this.
Rook said nothing and continued to stare down at the flaming words.
Well, it seems like we've chatted enough. How about I give you the final obstacle now? You're not walking out of this mansion alive, Rook. Not under my watch you won't.
"I'd like to see you try," taunted Rook with a scowl.
Oh I will... I'm going to kill you Rook.
"I'm ready," said Rook, standing up a bit straighter, "Show me your stupid puzzle and I'll solve it!" For ten seconds the flaming words remained still, Rook waited patiently just as words began to appear on the circle once more. He took a step closer so that he can see them a bit more clearly.
Solve my riddles and you'll be able to advance to my study.
Who am I?
As flighty and evasive as a fly
Red or blue either path I will choose
Come on now, gather all the clues
Time reversed, I was once a simple man
With the job of harvesting flaks
Time advanced I am now monster
Twister of words and murders rivalling Jack's
In my throne room where I am a god
I stare at my hands untainted by blood
My victim before me, an innocent named George
Raising my weapon, gore spatters the forge
As a monster I live, a demon I die
Yet still I wonder who am I?
Rook had to bite his tongue from uttering his own name, there was the chance of Patchouli implying the riddle to him as the 'monster' but it was clear that it wasn't him since he had no 'throne room where he was a god'. It could only mean that she was talking about something entirely different, but the question was what? His gray eyes ran through the riddle once more and began to think. Thinking that it was about him or their little feud would be suicide, Patchouli was smarter than that, and she wouldn't leave an answer so obvious.
Untainted by blood, so something pure? But how could be pure if it was a monster? He wondered, wincing at the pain that shot up on his skull. 'Twister of words and murders rivalling Jack's'. Jack the murderer. The image of Sakuya's irritated face appeared in his mind that time he mentioned 'Whitechapel', Jack the Ripper? So this person has more kills than mass murderer. An executioner might make sense but no that would contradict with the throne room and untainted hands.
Rook's gaze rested upon the first four lines. Evasive as a fly, someone cunning. Red or blue... It's obvious the red is bad, meaning evil, and blue is good, meaning justice or the sort.
Then his eyes fell upon the third stanza. 'Innocent named George'... 'Gore spatters the forge'... Forge... The weapon's a hammer.
And then it clicked. The second stanza depicts the life of an honest man turning evil. The first explains his traits of being cunning and neutral. 'Throne room where I am god', it's a person of high authority on some place, and that place is the 'throne room'. Being cunning and evasive has it perks if you want to get away with 'Murders rivalling Jack's' while having 'Hands untainted by blood'. 'My victim before me' means that the answer has its sights on its prey at all times until 'Gore spatters the forge'. Despite being innocent, George still dies.
"The answer's the 'Corrupted Judge'," answered Rook.
The flames flickered before winking out of existence. Soon blue flames replaced the purple and words began to write themselves once more.
Congratulations on solving the first riddle, here's the next one.
I whisper in your ears
I listen to your fears.
I am your friend, yet I am not your friend
I am the one you call a godsend.
I am your enemy, yet I am not you enemy
I therefore bring you, bittersweet glory.
I will make sure that you will never fail
Though however I will always control the scale.
I am not what you think
I appear when you blink
So do not struggle, and in my arms you shall sink.
Tricky, thought Rook and peered closer to the words, 'Bring you bittersweet glory', huh? Something that grants wishes only to stab you back in the end... Something that people will call a 'godsend' and forget the bigger picture of what that 'thing' is. It 'Whispers in your ears', the answer should be the Devil but the guy doesn't appear when I blink. Or maybe she's talking about something else... Not struggling, the first choice always likes a struggle and the thing being discussed here always gets what it wants in the end without a fight.
Rook thought back on his first answer. The Devil is really the closest thing I have right now, but then again... Appear when you blink, does she mean sleep? If so, then people usually live their delusions in their dreams which could probably lead to 'bittersweet glory'. Sleep and dream, huh? This thing has control of the scale meaning that it can dominate... something, something...
The Human took his gaze away from the flames as they began to blind him. What if 'bittersweet glory' is people's delusion and if this thing can bring those delusions, those desires to life then wouldn't it be a 'godsend'?' It's an enemy yet not an enemy', no clue there but I think I know the answer...
"Koakuma, or more specifically a 'Succubus'" said Rook.
The flames shuddered as if coming in contact with a light breeze before burning themselves out. Again, flames began to replace them, this time with the color of acid green.
Impressive, so it looks like there's still hope for you after all. Try guessing this one.
White Beak takes to the sky
The crippled Black Wings cannot fly.
White turned Black for friendship's sake
Merged together, what do they make?
"You're enjoying these stupid mind games aren't you?" Rook told the dancing flames. "Fine, I'll play along a bit more..."
This one's short compared to the others, it shouldn't be that hard, right? But even as Rook thought it, he knew that this one was just as tricky as the others with Patchouli's double meanings. White Beak... Black wings... of course it's a bird but don't tell me... Hold on... It's too obvious. But then again I could be wrong. No it can't be a 'rook', and neither can it be 'chess rook' so it can't be me. A bird rook has a gray-black bill not white. A 'chess rook' has two colors: Black and White. But if merged together, what do they make?
Rook took a step backward as a sentence formed just above the riddle.
Think Rook, it shouldn't be that hard...
You're pissing me off... Ignoring the Magician's taunt, the Human returned to thinking, Something that has both black and white... Yin and Yang? But what of the friendship part? In chess, white goes first followed by black. This has something to do with the game and this is proved by the first stanza.
He gazed at the second stanza's first line. Is she trying to confuse me? In chess the only thing with mixed black and white is the board itself...
"It's a chessboard, the two make out a chessboard," said Rook with a cold glare at the flames. Without further ado, the green flames disappeared and were replace by red ones.
Nice try. At the first glance it would seem like a far answer, but nevertheless the correct one.
"I read," replied Rook in an icy monotone.
I see... Now time for the last one.
Take all of your previous answers and crack the puzzle after witnessing the memories.
"Wait, wha—"Rook never had the chance to finish as his words never reached his vocal cords. Upon the circle, the red flames wrote three words: The Judge, the Demon, and the Piece. Those must be his previous answers only altered to fit the final question. It was then the time when all of his muscles seized up and stiffen while his brain experienced its worst torture yet.
Rook's vision began to fade as his mind was being drowned in the sea of pain. He struggled to make out the letters being written on the circle as his knees gave away and for his hands to push him away from the ground. He managed to see the letters: I A M F, before everything went dark.
...
Rook found himself spinning, or his surroundings were spinning instead of him. Everything was a big, black-red blur before he suddenly came to a halt. He found himself with his back against the cold surface of a wall. Looking around him, his blood immediately ran cold at the familiar looking cave he was currently in. Gazing to his left he found Remilia's sleeping form under a brown blanket as she dozed away peacefully. Rook had other ideas though instead of waking her up.
No, not this, please not this, he thought as he shoved a blanket off of him and ran outside. The sky was a deep shade of purple with a pinkish aurora cutting across it. There was no sign of the moon, clouds or stars in the heavens. A scream tore through the night, causing Rook's head to turn to the sound. "FLANDRE!"
Rook broke into a run, leaving footprints in the snow behind him. His breath smoked as he exhaled and sprinted as fast as he can. Navigating through a few trees, Rook finally found her alive and well though gravely injured. The figure of what could only be Flandre Scarlet sobbed with her head looking downwards, crystal tears falling into the snow below her mixing with the blood that gathered. The crimson liquid dripping from her back and from the bodies of five green robed figures tainted the white blanket that could be barely described as snow.
"You weren't fast enough..." she muttered between sobs, "Why? Where were you?"
"Flan..." Rook made the mistake of stepping forward when Flandre suddenly lifted her head.
Only that it wasn't Flandre's face he saw. "I WAITED FOR YOU YET YOU DIDN'T COME! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THEY HURT ME?! DON'T YOU EVEN CARE!?" screamed Flandre, bearing the face of Patchouli Knowledge as she screamed. Then all of a sudden, Patchouli's face broke into a fit of giggling before in the Librarian's voice she said, "Murderer..."
...
Rook was now back at the room, clutching his head and groaning in pain. The voices... They were back, clearer and louder than ever.
"Rook, will you do anything as I say?"
"Of course, what makes you think I won't?"
"... Then, I told you that I wanted someone gone, will you do it?"
"Remilia..."
The Human opened his eyes and found himself standing before a bloodied and burnt body of what used to be a human being. It was lying on its bed, apparently dead from its executioner's attack, a lamp lit at it side revealing its final expression before death. A look of pure terror.
Rook saw his vision turning towards the window while he watched as his own hand opened it before everything went dark again. A few moments of darkness his eyesight returned and he found himself writhing at the foot of a pillar. He was starting to feel sick yet he fought to keep his food down and think straight. However it seemed like doing the latter one was near impossible since he felt like he was being bashed on the head by an angry Oni with a fold-able chair.
He crawled on all fours, saliva dripping from his chin as beads of sweat soaked his forehead. The worst was yet to come, and his whole body suddenly stiffened as his vision went haywire once more. And hopefully for the last time.
...
"You promise it won't hurt?"
"I promise, it'll be over before you know it."
"Okay then, well here it goes..."
A familiar scream forced Rook's eyes to open, only to witness Flandre being enveloped in pure white electricity, her scarlet magic mixing with the lightning seeping through his hands. Horror dawned upon his face as he attempted to stop the flow of energy only to fail at it. It was just like last time, there wasn't a thing he could do and all he do was watch as her sanity slowly broke away.
Flandre's red eyes found Rook's gray ones in the midst of her pain. Her scream slowly turning into a silent one, she managed to say, "Y-y-you lied... Liar..."
And then everything exploded in crimson.
...
It was gone... The pain was gone... Rook gathered his broken thoughts and sent one command throughout his body. Get up...
It was no use dwelling in the past... It was done, over, finished. All he had to do now is repent, and bring the two sister's memories back in hopes they'll forgive him. This has gone far too long already and he was tired. Rook was tired of it. Only one person was in his way, and he wasn't about to let her keep him from clearing his conscience.
"The Judge, The Demon, and The Piece," muttered Rook as he slowly picked himself up from the floor and stand unsteadily on his feet. "Each symbolizing at least something related to the memories you dug up from my head. Let's see if I got this right..."
He raised his index finger at the magic circle and said, "To put it simply, it's obvious that the Piece is me, yet here comes the Judge. The Judge there symbolizes my poor decisions in the past leading to the consequences of my actions, also known as the Devil..."
"Those three words are clues to the keywords you're showing me now: I A M F, and it won't take an idiot to know what you're trying to say," Rook raised his thumb, creating a finger gun, "You're trying to make me say 'It's All My Fault' aren't you?"
The flames danced and shivered before erupting into a wall of flames, covering every part of the circle before burning itself out, leaving behind a dark orange portal. With an exhausted sigh, Rook slowly made his way towards the gateway and entered it.
What met him was a large study with books neatly arranged on the bookshelves which were on the wall. A sofa and couple of chairs surrounded a small round table in front of the fireplace as its dying flames slowly wasted into nothing. An old chandelier lit up the room in golden light, obviously being powered by magic.
However Rook had only eyes for the person behind the desk in front of him. Patchouli's lips were spread into a warm smile as her right eyes glowed an ominous red, "Why yes Rook, after all, you brought this all upon yourself, no?"
Nicolas Notes: New chapter already? The world is going insane!
I don't really have much to say about the chapter except that making sense of those riddles is HARD. Especially the Black and White wings being the chessboard. I found myself saying, wut?
The Riddle about Koakuma just came to me while writing the chapter, originally it was only to be one riddle but then I decided on making it into three. But seriously, the closest thing to the second riddle is 'Succubus' or 'the Devil'.
Now for the third, Damn it, it still doesn't mke sense. I just pulled that one outta my hat and threw it there. I'm losing my poetic skills!
Ah and yes this is a chapter edited by yours truly, you can tell me what's wrong but please don't be too harsh. I'm either going to take a break or start writing for Endless Echo. 4:95 could go hide in a hole till I get inspiration to write the third chapter.
That's all for now, until next time everyone~!
Yahoo~!