Nicolas Notes:

Beneath the pools, the monster sleeps
Memories of the stars, its dead heart it keeps
Fate's gears turning, it answers to her call
May the mansion forever stand tall

The land before us wrapped in scarlet magic
Everyone do their best, do please solve this mystery
Stories of mystery are nothing but tragic
A deal is struck with an enemy

We pass by a rather stinky hill
Mannequins over one another, an aftermath of a monster's meal
A lonely flower comes across our path
Oblivious to our unseen wrath
It trembles as we crush it underfoot
Masked intentions, we rip it by its roots

From her poison we come to be
Endless halls is all we see
Oh look a library, let's go and read
To rid ourselves and Old Grudge's seed

Lo and behold, the Mistress of Fate
The Final Obstacle, the Unbreakable Gate
And so we duel, scarlet and sapphire collide
The mansion shook, both with the strength of a tide

Blue and red ruled the night
Lightning flashed and so ended the fight
The tower and the devil had finished their deadly dance
The bishop joins them, the tower falls under the devil's lance.

{Saving game: 12/21/12}

{Loading checkpoint}

{Welcome to the Madness of Laevateinn}

Select Difficulty :

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CHAPTER 14: Against the Crimson King, 2

Year: 2005

3:33 Anti-meridian

Scarlet Devil Mansion, Rooftop, Gensokyo

The roof's tiles shattered as the vampire landed, causing the Human to step backwards and duck as spear head travelled past his head. Remilia continued the spear's path to the right, cutting Rook's cheek as he resumed his retreat. Remilia thrust out her spear with her left arm, slashing in a wide arc to the right before drawing it back to the left. Rook managed to keep his distance from the slashes but had to shield himself with his arms as the vampire finished the combo by spinning around and performing a jump slash.

He had to redirect a spear strike above his left shoulder using his arms. Remilia brought the spear the other way and slashed while spinning, forcing Rook on the defensive before he jumped away. The Human almost lost his balance as he landed, cursing himself for building a slanted roof. Once he regained his footing, he turned his attention back towards Remilia who was coming for him.

He gathered energy within his arms before clapping them together. The proceeding shockwave managed to push Remilia back and cancel her attack. She opened her eyes to see Rook bringing his fist down upon her, causing her to block the strike and push him away. The Human took a couple steps backwards before running towards his opponent, performing two consecutive kicks in mid-air, forcing the vampire to step backwards. Remilia retaliated by swinging her spear and thrusting forward, however Rook managed to step aside and redirect the strike.

A smirk appeared across the vampire's face as she used her monstrous strength to grab hold of the Human with the momentum of her spear, coming to a halt to toss the Human near the ledge. Rook grunted in annoyance as he almost slipped on the edge and forced himself to stand up. He drew out his gun and started emptying the magazine by firing at Remilia.

The vampire casually swung her spear left and right as if it weighed nothing, deflecting all of the darts flying towards her. Not giving the Human a chance to reload, she raised her hand in the air and four spear headed chains pierced through the roof, arcing their forms similar to snakes.

Rook looked at the damage in disgust, "That's gonna be an ass to fix."

He drew his dagger and deflected the first chain before crouching low to dodge the second one. He dived forward to avoid the third, making a mistake of blocking with his arm which caused the fourth to pierce his entire forearm. The blade was still made from Danmaku unlike Patchouli's, so Remilia was still playing by the spellcard rules. When the chain was about to pull him, he managed to cut it off with one strike of his dagger. That was when the other chains started to surround him, trapping him within a swirling scarlet world of metal.

And then they closed in.

Remilia smiled as she approached the Human's form wrapped in thick crimson links. Her spear at hand, she was about to stab it when it suddenly exploded in blue light. Rook flicked a chain from his shoulder before charging the vampire. Remilia blocked his initial strike, pushing him back with her strength. The Human retaliated by sending a tornado kick before Remilia could even attack, forcing her to block once more.

He lashed out with his dagger but was met with the blade of the vampire's spear. He was forced to fend off the vampire's counter attack, seeing himself at a disadvantage for having the shorter blade. In terms of speed they were matched since Remilia's spear was light as feather, but in terms of range and power they were handicapped. Rook managed to parry a decisive strike and crouch as the spear came slashing from the other way. As Remilia finished her revolution, she immediately brought her spear down, only to have Rook block her attack with his accursed dagger. She forced his hand upwards, giving her time to prepare to kick him in the gut.

To her surprise, the hand which she had trapped dropped the dagger and allowed his right hand to catch it from below, causing the blade to meet with her foot.

The vampire howled in pain and pushed the Human away. She planted her right foot on the ground and examined it, watching the wound close before glaring at Rook. She shot off backwards before coming to a halt, beating her wings hard and diving towards Rook like an arrow. The Human's electricity turned crimson for a moment before he brought up his dagger to fend off a direct spear attack.

Remilia was sent sliding a few feet backwards, leaping into the air until she was nothing but a black speck in the scarlet moon. Rook knew what was coming next and immediately stepped away from his position to judge, only to fail as Remilia brought the entire roof down with him. As he fell, he felt two gentle hands embracing him from behind, draining him of his power and will to fight.

Fool, she's behind you!

Rook's eyes widened, but before he can even do something to release himself, Remilia already did by kicking him to the far end of the throne room as they were about to land. The Human hit the sealed doors hard, almost knocking him unconscious. A few seconds passed before Rook regained most of his bearings. Standing up by using the doors behind him for support, he watched as Remilia stood in the middle of the hall with her spear at hand as if she was intentionally waiting for him to wake up.

She brought her hand in front of her and snapped her fingers.

A powerful torrent of red liquid burst from the floor and shot through the roof, forming what seemed like a moving river of glowing red substance. Remilia snapped again and Rook felt the floor below him rumble, cue for him to dive wildly out of harm's way as another torrent exploded just where he was standing.

"Stop blowing holes in my mansion!" he yelled angrily with gritted teeth.

"You mean my mansion," snarled Remilia, casually twirling her spear in her hand, "I think it is time for this show to end... Scarlet Sign~ Scarlet Meister!"

She brought her hands in front of her and her spear suddenly disappeared into nothing. A continuous stream of large red bullets burst forth and made their way towards Rook, who did his best to dodge while on the ground. Red orbs of all sizes were being spewed out at dangerous rates, causing minor explosion on the walls and floor. The Human took cover behind a pillar as Remilia continued to release random Danmaku bursts all over the throne room.

"WHERE. ARE. YOU?!" screamed the vampire followed by a short tremor. Rook peeked out of his hiding place and surveyed his surroundings. If the hole in the wall wasn't obvious enough, Remilia's voice echoed from the outside, sounding utterly livid that her prey escaped her. The Human cautiously stepped to the center of the hall, eyeing the torrent of blood warily as he passed. At the distance, he can hear the vampire's faint cries of rage.

Maybe she's too far away—?

The wall at the far end of the hall exploded.

You just had to say something.

Ignoring Mima's snickering, Rook whirled around to see Remilia burst through the pillar of blood, slashing with a claw that may have torn his face off if he hadn't backed up. The vampire followed up with a couple more strikes before letting loose a stream of her red bullets. The Human was hit square in the chest, sending him flying. He toppled over the throne before jumping off to avoid Remilia's spear thrust.

Rolling into a crouch, Rook released a steady fire of blue lightning before cutting off the power to dodge. He held out his palm and conjured a thin stick made out of pure raw power before tossing it towards the vampire. Remilia crossed her arms in front of her as she was suddenly engulfed in smoke. Screaming out in rage, she flew out of the black veil and missed Rook by inches, scratching the wall's surface instead of human flesh.

Rook entered her guard and tackled her waist, using the momentum as they spun to throw her at the wall she just clawed. Not a few seconds later, he sent an electrified kick to her gut and pinned her to the wall, enveloping himself in crackling energy which caused Remilia to scream in pain.

"Grit your teeth and bear it. This hurts me more than it does to you," he growled as he pushed his forearm further up Remilia's throat. Her finger nails dug deep into his skin as she struggled. With one lucky kick, the vampire shattered his knee and pushed him away. Rook was sent rolling on the floor before coming to a halt, groaning at the pain exploding on his right knee. He made the mistake of looking up as Remilia's foot connected with his chin, sending him fly once more into a pillar.

The vampire huffed as she examined her handy work and was about to finish it off by firing a Danmaku burst, however it seemed like it would take more than a few well aimed kicks to keep that man down. Tendrils of sapphire electricity danced in the air as Rook kneeled on his good leg while drinking from a vial. He threw the empty glass away and glared at the vampire. She just made him use one of his last two vials. Once he was out he'll have to rely on his basic healing.

The Human broke into a sprint and attacked with a jab and a right hook, using the momentum from the hook to spin around and kick Remilia on her chest. She stood her ground even if she slid a few feet, redirecting Rook's strikes with her claws the best she can. Rook performed a sweep kick which lifted the vampire off her feet, however Remilia twisted her body in mid-air as she fell, firing a bat shaped Danmaku bullet. Her opponent's torso smoked for a bit, but was otherwise unscathed.

She ducked in alarm as Rook summoned a whip made out of pure electricity. He drew it back before lashing out again, forcing Remilia to take flight. She felt confident that even with his whip he won't be able to reach her; though it seemed like fate itself was conspiring against her as she watched the whip extend and stick its end upon the wall. Rook pulled himself up and hit the wall, rebounding off it as he dived towards Remilia.

He grabbed hold of her shoulders with his arms beneath her armpits in an attempt to send her off course. Gritting her teeth, Remilia flew backwards, intentionally hitting her back on the wall, causing a groan to elicit from Rook. She flew high and rammed the ceiling with her back, the Human grunted in pain as he held on. An idea struck him and he tightened his grip upon her just a tiny little bit, using his weight to bring them both into the ground. Remilia, proving the mighty vampire she was, refused to submit and struggled to fight his weight with her strength.

Rook solved this by shocking her with a thousand volts of electricity, breaking her concentration and causing herself to go limp. The vampire and human fell, however it was only Remilia who took the brunt of the impact. Rook managed to plant his knee on her gut by the time they hit the ground. His knee dealt quite the damage to her with his combined weight and their momentum. He got off the weakened vampire and put as much distance between him and her as possible.

Hmm, maybe you can use this to deliver a strong attack. Maybe one that'll shut her up for awhile and make her listen to you. I suggest going up the balcony, and... You can improvise...

Don't tell me what to do, thought the Human as he began to climb the staircase leading to the way up. Once he arrived at the top, he noticed Remilia slowly rising to her feet albeit a bit dazed and confused. He began to focus large amounts of electricity into his palm as he aimed it towards the vampire. Lightning danced and crackled before his eyes, making the hairs on at the back of his neck stand from the static. Blue light enveloped the entire balcony as Rook charged up his power.

More... You'll need more than that...

At Mima's comment, he began to focus a whole lot more power than what he was feeding his palm earlier. Soon he realized that the Evil Spirit was telling him to draw power from the dagger. Closing his eyes to release a sigh, the Human placed his free hand on his chest where the dagger was sheathed. Almost immediately, red electricity surged forth, slowly turning to blue as it travelled from across Rook's body. His left palm began to tremble at the amount of power and that's when he decided to let go...

Remilia never saw it coming as she was hit with by a lightning bolt, sending her flying across the throne room and crashing into her throne, demolishing it.

The Human staggered backwards and fell on his butt as he stared at the ceiling. That... was easy...

Will you keep it down; you wouldn't want her to—

An inhuman shriek filled the throne room with scarlet light.

...

Speechless, right? Heh, well as her guardian, I would've been pretty disappointed if she got defeated by this weakened state of mine. Surely you'll feel the same with Marisa if you were in my shoes .

Shut it... Either way you're dead man.

"Divine Spear~ Spear the Gungnir!" screamed Remilia as she rose out of the debris and stones with her wings outstretched to their fullest length. Her scarlet eyes shined a faint scarlet light as she held out her hand in the air where red aura began to gather at dangerous rates. A sudden gust blew as Remilia flapped her leathery wings while the air hummed with power, almost causing Rook to go deaf for a moment. Soon, the aura began to form the distinct shape of a weapon, a large spear made out of pure red magic. It didn't have a solid shape; it was just energy forming the shape of a spear and nothing more. Nothing classy or fancy, just pure unstable energy melded into an unstable shape, waiting to be released. It was funny how Rook noticed a sense of elegance in it despite its size and power.

The Human slowly rose to his feet, eyeing the familiar weapon of the girl below him with caution. He blinked.

One moment Remilia was below him at her throne, staring at him with eyes of hate and disgust. The next moment she was standing on the marble rails with her hand drawn back before it suddenly shot forward. Rook tilted his head aside; however the burning power managed to slice his cheek.

Remilia pulled her spear back and spun on the spot, swinging her giant spear all the way. Rook stepped away from the spear's path in time for it to slash; however once it had finished its journey, the vampire threw it forward with all her strength, cutting deep into Rook's shoulder. His heart skipped a beat as the spear clashed against the wall, blowing a hole through it. When he turned his gaze back at Remilia, he realized that she was gone.

Pain exploded upon his left shoulder as well as his right leg. He felt as something strong and heavy crushed his left foot and kick his gut, sending him skidding back first into a wall. He looked to his right arm and saw that four claw marks slashed across it, sending blood flying into the air. He struggled to fight back by sending lightning bolt after lightning bolt into random directions, yet none of them hit their marks.

Suddenly, he felt a hand wrap itself around his skull, lifting him off his feet and throwing him off the balcony. Rook landed at the middle of the hall, groaning and bleeding. He managed to stand up on his shaky and bleeding legs as his eyes darted around for Remilia. There was no sign of her, yet he knew with all he had that she was the cause of this.

You'll never beat her at this rate. You will lose, Rook.

If you don't have anything good to contribute to my survival, I suggest shutting the fu—OUCH!

That's going to scar...

The Evil Spirit's comment was directed to the four long scratches across Rook's right cheek. Acting on instinct, he let go of his wounded face and punched the floor with his fist, sending a small shockwave of electricity around him. By some stupid stroke of luck, Remilia happened to be in the middle of an assault and was hit by the blast. She hissed and spat profanities that were better left unsaid, however Rook wasn't about to let that slide and delivered a crackling foot to her gut.

He was caught off guard as she faked her stunned condition and suddenly whirled around, a giant spear forming within her grasp. Leaping away from what would've been his death, Rook clutched at the shallow cut he sported at the base of his throat. She was aiming to behead him. He was about to dodge the next strike when his right leg gave away, forcing him to kneel. Remilia let out shriek of delight and brought her spear down.

A frown appeared on her face as she saw that Rook wasn't cut in half. She raised her spear and slashed again, only to hit something hard. On her third raise, she caught the sight of Rook's silver dagger raised in defense against the colossal spear. The larger weapon clashed with the smaller one, surprising Remilia as Rook swung his left arm and redirected her attack's course. He brought his palm unto her face and fired a lightning bolt.

The vampire managed to turn into a swarm of bats in a split second, materializing behind Rook before diving. She gritted her teeth in frustration to see the Human stop her spear with his gloved hand. Glaring at Remilia, Rook softly muttered to himself, "Wayward Chess Piece~ Checkmate..."

He brought his right arm up and sent Remilia tumbling in the air until she regained her balance. He slowly got up to his feet, this time they were firm and steady as he shrugged off the pain from all of his injuries before. Sheathing his dagger on his chest, he stretched out his fingers as his arms burst into life with electricity.

You have two minutes... Why not using that last new ability you unlocked? Or did you forget that you just broke past your Gauge?

"DIE, HUMAN!" Screamed Remilia raising her hand in the air, "Millennium Vampire!"

Rook started to run before kicking off the ground and shooting into the air, Remilia swooping down to meet him. Pulling out another card in their pockets, they both shouted in unison, simultaneously casting new spellcards.

"Divine Spear~ Spear the Gungnir!"

"God Hammer~ Roar of Mjollnir!"

The two collided in mid-air, red aura against blue electricity.

As both combatants clashed, a shrill sound of glass breaking tore through the air. Rook's grip on his half formed weapon started to loosen and tremble. Like Remilia's spear, his hammer was roughly the same size and length, only that it was made out of blue electricity instead of red aura. His hands began to shake violently as the two weapons remained connected, dealing a large amount of damage to Rook's own.

"Mjollnir is it?" purred Remilia, a malicious grin creeping across her lips, "How disappointing..."

Rook's hammer shattered within his fingers, sending him crashing into the floor. Using the momentum from the fall, he managed to roll into a crouch before standing up and unleashing a stream of blue lightning. Remilia dodged and danced between the tendrils, responding with a cannon burst of red orbs. The Human was left disoriented as the sphere hit his surroundings, causing smoke and debris to fill the air. He summoned another hammer just in time for Remilia's spear to fall upon him. The two clashed weapons once more, exchanging blows and parries with great expertise.

Due to the hammer's great size, Rook was having more a hard time keeping it active than worrying about its weight. Like Gungnir, Mjollnir was light as a feather. The Human spun his body around along with his hammer, covering a wide range for the attack which caused Remilia to take flight. The vampire swooped low and struck, only to for her attack to be blocked and countered with Rook's thrust. He spun the hammer above him before bringing it down, causing a dome of blue energy to erupt around him.

Remilia landed and took a few steps forward as she swung her spear. The dome managed to deflect Gungnir's attack before it disappeared. Remilia drew back her spear before thrusting it forward, meeting with Rook's hammer and causing scarlet flames and blue electricity to dance at the point thy connected.

One minute and thirty seconds...

I'm doing the best as I can! Where the hell is Reimu?!

She's not coming; you're already dead, hehehe.

Rook grunted as his arms began to tremble once more. You're really not helping... I'm on my last legs and I don't think I'm going to survive the next hour...

Don't you have another spellcard lying somewhere in your pocket? You seem to like pulling attacks right out of your ass...

It's not like I have the power or time to activate it! The Price will take effect as soon as 'Checkmate' times out!

Which is to say one minute and ten seconds from now... Think fast Rook, because you're going to die...

Remilia pushed him away with one mighty swing of her spear. He managed to block couple of sharp strikes with clumsy and sluggish movements as Remilia came upon him. He spun around and struck his hammer upwards, sending Remilia flying towards the ceiling. The vampire gracefully landed at the other end of the hall, reaching deep within the folds of her dress and raising her spellcard.

"It is once said that Odin paid with his eye for knowledge to be bestowed upon him. The power of foresight given to him by Mimir from the Well of Knowledge," hissed the vampire as she smiled, "With that power he was able to determine the future of the world, on how it will end at the day of Ragnarok. I too have a similar power only that I have full control upon future events... The moon is red and I control the strings of fate. I can only activate this ability when certain conditions are met, be honoured Human, for I will give you front row seats to witnessing this power!"

Her spellcard began to glow a deep shade of crimson.

"I am the Scarlet Devil, the Mistress of Fate. I can make this whole world that you dearly love into my personal playground. I am invincible; no one will be able to defeat me, not ever! Not you, not the Shrine Maiden, and not the demons that tread this foul land," with a grin she released her spell, "I will give you a future much more horrible than death. Destiny~ Miserable Fate!"

Rook swung his hammer left and right to block the incoming chains, spinning around like whirlwind to hit the others. However it seemed like there were endless numbers of them spawning from the magic circle behind Remilia. He broke into a sprint, hitting any chain that got in his way while jumping from time to time to avoid some sneaky ones from grabbing his feet. He slowed his pace as a dense number of chains were upon him, jamming the head of his hammer down to dispel them and to use the lightning that it emitted to launch himself into the air. He raised his hammer above his head as he flew; bringing it down once he was close enough to Remilia.

There was the sound of blade piercing flesh and everything went silent.

Rook looked down on his stomach to see a glowing red chain gutting him. His hammer flickered and disappeared as his arms hung limply at his sides. His breathing was laboured and he gritted his teeth as he struggled to lift his arms in an attempt to push himself from the chain. He froze as he fought back the urge to cry in pain, twelve more chains stabbed into his body from his arms, back, shoulders and legs. Each having two to three chains each.

Two chains arced their back before lunging forward, piercing his wrists and stretching them apart. Rook hung helpless as the vampire slowly approached him with a bounce on her feet.

"Well, well, well... Like that Shrine Maiden, you managed to impress me with your tricks and power," praised Remilia, her voice back to its original tone, "Alas my dear intruder, you lost. Now I get to claim my prize..."

She extended her arm to reach for something, it was only then the air in front of Rook slowly became cold and bright with red light. Upon the vampire's open palm was a single white string with no redeeming features save for the faint light that surrounded it. Remilia caressed it gently with one finger and Rook suddenly felt something, something within the very recesses of his soul. It felt cold and menacing, fear biting into his heart as he watched Remilia cover the string with her hand.

That string was him. That was his fate.

"I did say that I will give you a fate worse than death, no?" Remilia began to tighten her grip around the string, causing Rook to choke as if someone was strangling him. The roulette had hit the jackpot. "I have no intention going back on my word..."

"Remilia..." whispered Rook, forcing power to course through his arms only to fail, "Remilia..."

"Good bye, Rook," and then Remilia enveloped the white string with red energy, causing a pillar of scarlet magic to engulf Rook.

"REMILIAAAAAAA!"

4:00 Anti-meridian

Forest of Magic, Gensokyo

"What the hell, ze?!" Marisa Kirisame came to a halt in mid-air as she caught the sight of a thick red pillar erupt from the distance. She buckled in her seat as she noticed the red mist being sucked from the landscape and into the bright red thing's direction.

Not knowing what in the world was going on while she was in the middle of an incident investigation; Marisa urged her broom to shoot forward at high speed. Whatever was happening, she could tell that someone needed her.

4:00 Anti-meridian

Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gate, Gensokyo

Rumia felt sick, she clutched her stomach in an attempt to ease her pain. Something big was going on. She can hear it, screams of terror and fear. She couldn't bear it, it was breaking her mind. She felt something dead and cold creeping in somewhere she thought her soul was. Wrapping its coils around her and suffocating her. Not being able to take the strain, she fell on her knees, groaning.

Hong who was with her broke into panic. "Miss Rumia? Miss Rumia, what's wrong?!"

The Gate Guard placed one hand on the Youkai of Darkness' shoulder and recoiled. She can see them. The strings of fate, the ones her mistress used to change the course of everything. But Hong didn't understand, it shouldn't be this powerful, let alone make a random youkai suddenly sick and suffering. It wasn't just the fate strings Hong could see but Rumia's Qi was quivering. One long white string with a hint of red was wrapping around Rumia's own.

It was like Remilia was causing the little youkai to be her servant without knowing. Only Remilia's allies and servant could also see fate strings since they were connected to her by the power. Hong had to stop it, since her Mistress was probably doing this subconsciously, her attention must not be solely upon Rumia. The Gate Guard would be able to cut the strings off if she did it right.

Placing a hand over the groaning Rumia's forehead, Hong began to stabilize her Qi. She couldn't but help worry for the man she only knew as Rook.

4:00 Anti-meridian

Misty Lake, Gensokyo

Cirno stared in awe at the red pillar that pierced the heavens. The clouds above were nothing more than a swirling eye where the pillar entered. The Ice Fairy was used to the cold, but she was surprised when one frosty feeling managed to catch her unaware. It was something inside, slithering within her like some sleepy snake. As a fairy she didn't quite understand it, but her best friend couldn't help but guess on what was going on.

"Come on, Dai! Look it's so pretty!" said Cirno without looking at her friend behind her.

"C-C-Cirno, I-I-I'm scared. We need to get out of here," replied Daiyousei as she hid behind the cover of a tree. Cirno remained unfazed at the lake's shore.

She wondered what it all meant, only to drop the idea when she realized she was just a fairy. Maybe one day... She'll find out, but she guessed that someone else had to find out first.

4:00 Anti-meridian

?

"So the little girl thinks she can put Gensokyo under her thumb just like that, huh?"

"She is truly a naive one, Yukari-sama."

"Ran... Do you think that it's about time you helped him?"

"..."

"I understand. He wouldn't be the Rook we all know and love if he gave up just like that. Besides, it seems like fate itself is not going to let this one pass..."

4:00 Anti-meridian

Scarlet Devil Mansion, Throne of Odin, Gensokyo

"Divine Spirit~ Fantasy Seal!"

Remilia's eyes flashed and dispelled her spellcard, causing the chains to disappear and for Rook to crumple on the floor. The scarlet light died as well, leaving the room dim and silent. The torrent of blood that gushed earlier was gone, leaving the room ankle deep in red liquid. A series of explosions followed shortly after Remilia's evasion. She bared her fangs as the Shrine Maiden dashed to hit her with her purification rod. Reimu swung and stepped back as Remilia retaliated with a claw. She drew her fist back and jabbed only to miss, giving Remilia the chance to swipe. She too missed as Reimu spun around and hit her across the face with the gohei.

The vampire's shoes squeaked and splashed against the bloodied floor, beating her wings to fly away from Reimu. The Shrine Maiden thrust an arm forward and threw a single charm. Remilia changed course and flew upwards, only to realize she fell for the Shrine Maiden's trap. Blue ofudas began to appear on every angle, and the world seemed to become slow all of a sudden. They all flew inwards and Remilia was forced to take them all.

With a roar, the vampire unleashed her fury in the form of knives. Remilia punched the air in front of her an out came hundreds of red and blue knives in a swirling vortex pattern. Reimu erected a barrier in front of her where most of the knives hit harmlessly. She then pulled a spellcard from her pocket and stretched her left hand to the side.

"Divine Spirit~ Fantasy Seal -Blink-"she declared in a soft tone.

Eight small Yin Yang orbs surrounded her and glowed a bright blue light. When she began to move, she was nothing more than a blur, leaving faint afterimages in her wake. She soon flew around the vampire, causing Remilia to dart her eyes around in search for her opponent. Firing a wild Danmaku to her right, she only succeeding in creating a hole in her mansion. Reimu still continued her dizzying flight, frustrating and confusing Remilia.

When she thought the time was right, Reimu unleashed her silent fury.

Red and white ofudas flew from everywhere. Anywhere Reimu passed waves and waves of paper charms flew out to meet Remilia, sending the vampire into a moment of panic at their sheer numbers. The white ofudas were slower than the rest but more numerous. The red ofudas were fast, though there were only maybe twelve of them flying around. Just when Remilia thought it couldn't get any worse, purple bullets began to spawn from Reimu's after images. The Shrine Maiden didn't seemed to find it uncomfortable moving at such high speeds, but kept on firing Danmaku after Danmaku throughout the whole battle.

Reimu knew she had Remilia on the ropes as she surrounded the vampire with charms and amulets. She mercilessly bombarded the vampire with all she had, gritting her teeth as she intensified her attacks. Amidst the explosions and paper charms, she caught sight of Remilia pulling on last spellcard from under her hat.

"Oh no you don't," snarled Reimu, revealing a hidden spellcard beneath her sleeve, "Fantasy Nature!"

"Scarlet Destiny!"

The world was then enveloped in white light.

Rook opened his eyes to destruction. He was lying on his back as he stared at the ruined ceiling of the mansion he built from scratch. A dull throb pounded against his skull as he struggled to sit up. Looking around him only revealed a whole lot more devastation than what he could imagine. Pillars were reduced to rubble, the floor decorated with craters while the walls sported holes ranging from the size of a pinhead to that of a house.

The red black checkered floor was filled with the red liquid from the torrents earlier while there were some patches of flames burning around it. He felt fortunate to have collapsed at the foot of the throne so he didn't have to worry about getting his clothes soaked in blood. At least that was the least of his problems.

A sound at the center of the hall directed his attention. He blinked hard as he tried to make out the figures moving, but all he could see were blurry images. He placed a hand on his temple and gave his mind a mental poke.

Mima, you there?

No response. The time he passed out must have either blocked or cut their connection. He felt a bit relieved and annoyed at the same time since he could no longer communicate with her for hints and ideas. Maybe it was better that way. Brushing his hand against his coat, he then used it to rub the exhaustion away from his eyes. That's when he identified the two figures moving about.

The first blur turned out to be Reimu, alive yet filled with burns and bruises. Her sleeves were gone and her ribbon was in tatters, she gripped her gohei so tightly that her scraped knuckles trickled droplets of blood. Her hair was undone, yet her ribbon managed to hold on. She looked battle worn and exhausted; she looked like she would drop at any given moment. Truthfully, she was looking better than the person opposite of her.

Rook didn't recognize Remilia until his vision completely cleared itself. The blue haired vampire was on her knees, arms burnt and dirtied hung limply on her sides. Her mop cap was now missing, causing her untidy hair to reveal itself. Her dress was also in tatters with rips across the stomach and the hem. Like Reimu, she looked ready to fall unconscious, though Rook was surprised that she wasn't regenerating as fast as few hours earlier.

He got his answer as his eyes noticed the sky above the ceiling. It was light blue with a tint of orange. Dawn has come and the scarlet night has passed.

The Human turned his attention back at the two fighters and slowly rose to his feet, albeit unsteadily. The two of them didn't notice him approach. Reimu kept her eyes fixed upon the fallen vampire as Remilia did something that managed to surprise even Rook. Remilia began to cry.

"It's not fair. Not fair at all!" she wept, giving the sky above a blank look as tears fell down her cheeks, "I was supposed to be strong. I am the Mistress of Fate... To be defeated by a simple human girl is... is... Oh the shame! Father wouldn't let me hear the end of this! I soiled the Scarlet name, I'm a failure! A failure! I couldn't even defeat a human!"

Reimu ignored this and turned to look at Rook who had now reached her. "Back from the dead?"

"What's wrong with her?" asked Rook as he let his gaze rest upon the vampire.

"She knocked you out, I beat her, now she's like this," Reimu bluntly replied, "She's caused too much trouble; I can't let her go with just this..." The Shrine Maiden lowered her head and spoke in a grim tone, "I might have to seal her..."

"This can't be happening this can't be happening!" sobbed Remilia, throwing herself on the ground. She then slowly lifted her head to look at her opponents, "You... To see me in this state... You take pleasure from my suffering, no? W-w-why don't you just kill me... And... Be done with it..."

Reimu then took a step forward and raised her gohei to mid-chest. "I don't have any intention of doing that, you know? Leaving you sealed for a few weeks would be good enough and then you'll go free. No need to be so dramatic about it, sheesh..."

Just a she was about to commence the sealing, she stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, Reimu saw Rook's solemn expression and she was immediately confused. The Human ignored this and cautiously approached the weeping vampire before kneeling to her level. She glared daggers at him as he came close, almost ready to swipe any part of his flesh that came near enough for her to reach. However with the presence of Reimu, she could barely do anything but shoot Rook a nasty look.

"No, don't seal her," muttered Rook as he continued to study Remilia.

"I don't need your pity or mercy, especially not from a human such as yourself!" sneered the vampire, her red eyes flashing.

"Why not then? I mean she almost killed you! Heck, she almost killed us along with the entire countryside!" argued Reimu, frowning upon the Human, "This is too much even for me to let slide. She's too dangerous; we can't just let her prance around with a clean slate."

"Reimu, she has more than enough reason to kill me, and I understand. And I'm telling you myself that she won't pull something as stupid as this since I'm vouching for her," explained Rook without looking at the Shrine Maiden behind him. Reimu on the other hand had her jaw hanging.

"V-vouch? Vouch?! But you never vouch for anyone!" sputtered Reimu with her hands in the air, "How can you be so sure that she won't do something this stupid again?!"

"Because Remilia isn't the type of person to think twice on taking on people that she can't touch," Rook replied in a sad tone, staring into the vampire's surprised scarlet eyes. Fortunately for him, a vampire's charm had little effect on him. "Remilia... I knew I should've never left. Now look at you, how low have you fallen."

"Fool, do not speak as if you know me," she hissed with spite, "Even if you make up a story, there is no god above and below that will ever make me believe you."

"But Remilia," began Rook with sigh, "I know you more than anyone else, save for your mother and father. Having watched you grow into the young lady you are today over the centuries. If you are only willing to hear the entire story, then you will understand. You deserve to know that truth."

The vampire smirked evilly at that. "Is that so? Then what proof do you bring aside from the words you silver tongue holds?"

"My fate. At its very base you'll see something that will clear everything up," replied the Human.

Gritting her teeth, the vampire snapped and lashed out. Reimu moved in to intervene only to have Rook signal her to stop. She watched as Remilia grabbed something invisible in the air and everything froze in red light. What Reimu net saw took her breath away. All around her were hundreds, no, thousands of red strings. Their sheer numbers almost rendered them uncountable. They connected to almost anything, rubble, furniture, ceilings and decorations. Heck, Reimu even saw one tiny string protrude from her heart. She made an attempt to grab it, only to see her hand pass through.

She turned her attention back at Rook and Remilia, both kneeling on the floor. The vampire had in her hands a single white string that came from Rook's heart. She began to trace it with her fingers as she thoroughly examined it with a critical eye. The Human on the other hand was more relaxed if not a bit sad. It was as if something heavy was suddenly placed upon his shoulders. Remilia tugged at the string and Rook gave out an involuntary grunt.

It was weird, seeing these strings connect to everything. Did Reimu ever give notice to it before? Were all these strings the fate of everything around her? From the living to the non-living? Her gaze travelled to the very end of Rook's string. The color white was slowly turning into the shade of dull gray before lighting up again. At its very tip where it ended, it was blue, electric blue. She heard Remilia's proclamation of him having a fate worse than death. Was it all going to come true? If so, then why was his fate blue?

She turned her eyes towards the part where Remilia was focusing. It was at the base of Rook's string, it looked brighter than the tip or the part that followed it. It was pure white, though there was something wrong. There were number of strings connected to it.

And one particular string was connected to Remilia.

"I-Impossible..." whispered the vampire as she gazed at the string.

"It isn't. We've met before and my fate was once tied to the bloodline of the Scarlets after I made a promise to your father, a promise to my best friend," replied Rook, looking into the distance, "Fate never lies. No matter how you bend it to your will, fate will always run its natural course. Still, this doesn't unlock the memories you have sealed, this just give you an idea that I'm doing this for your sake. That my mercy is sincere and that I really do care. I'm a man of my word, and I'm not about to turn my back to a promise I made with Clark Alphonse Scarlet and Natalie Rosella Scarlet."

"Father... Mother... They entrusted my life to... you?" Remilia muttered half to herself.

"No, not just you but your sister too..." clarified Rook as he stood up. He offered his hand to Remilia, "Flandre... I can save her, but I'll need your help. I need your strength if we'll be able to help Flandre regain her sanity. I've been proved wrong a lot of times that I can't do things only by my own power."

Reimu let out a huff.

"So please, we'll have to work together if you want your sister back," finished the Human still extending his arm to Remilia.

The vampire had her bowed down as she stared at the ground. Rook wasn't able to see her face so it was hard for him to determine her expression. At last, Remilia lifted her head and finally spoke.

"No."

A hand pulled Rook backwards, sending him into the floor followed by a shout, "Duplex Barrier!"

There was an explosion and everything broke into chaos. Rook managed to see Remilia turn into a swarm of bats and disappear somewhere above the ceiling. He turned his attention to the attacker who was bombarding Reimu's barrier over and over again. The Shrine Maiden's shoes were slipping backwards as the force from every hit intensified. By the time Rook got up, the barrier broke and Reimu was thrown behind him. That's when he managed to see the culprit.

Patchouli.

The moment she laid eyes upon him, she immediately hurled a grand purple flame towards him with cold rage. The wide area the fire ball took gave Rook no chance of dodging it, even if he did, Reimu will take the brunt of the attack. So he did the only thing that came to mind, he used his body as a shield.

As expected he was blown backwards through the wooden doors and into the bridge hall.

With his clothes smoking, Rook rolled into a crouch; barely maintain his balance before falling to one knee. He turned his gaze to Patchouli and saw that she had enveloped herself in an ominous purple aura unlike the power she had displayed during their battle. The Human sprung into action by firing off a fast stream of lightning bullets before diving to the side as a fire ball came his way. He was about to retaliate when the aura surrounding the Magician spread outwards, transforming into purple flames as they flew.

The fire managed to lick Rook's cheek and burn him. This wasn't Danmaku anymore. She was aiming for the kill.

An ofuda hit Patchouli square on the back and immediately turned her rage to Reimu. The Shrine Maiden threw one ofuda after another as an act of defiance against Patchouli's flames. Rook wasn't about to question how she managed to revive so fast from his tranquilizer darts, but he was willing to try bringing her down the same way. The Human and the Shrine Maiden caught the Magician in a pincer attack, causing her to attack by only using a ring explosion around her. That was before Remilia decided to intervene.

Falling from the ceiling in a red blur, Remilia hit the ground and let loose a mild tremor that unbalanced her Librarian's opponents.

She threw a spear at Reimu to which the Shrine Maiden responded with a barrier. Reimu was sent flying into a wall.

Patchouli sent a pillar of purple flames towards Rook which forced him to dodge. She followed by turning the flames into a giant hand in an attempt to crush him underneath. He managed to roll out of the way and fire a lightning bolt that hit her in the chest. The Magician didn't even seemed fazed by the hit and continued attacking.

Run, they're too powerful. You and Reimu will only die.

That was the only moment Rook ever agreed with Mima, so he reluctantly drew his dagger and absorbed energy from it just this once. Immediately all his pain soothed and faded away, he felt powerful as the energy ran through his veins. He let loose a red lightning bolt that slammed Patchouli into a pillar. He was about to send another blow but Remilia caught him by his arm before sending him to the ground.

"You don't have to do this, Remilia," he growled as he struggled under her strength.

"I'm to letting you... Do as you please. Even if I did know you, YOU WILL NOT HARM MY SISTER!" she shrieked as she threatened to snap his neck.

Suddenly she was off of him thanks to a Yin Yang orb flying above. Remilia was about to pounce back, but with a red lightning to the gut she got the message. Rook was beginning to feel light headed from the amount of power swirling inside of him. He had to get out of here soon and cut the power off. Reimu limped towards him as she used her gohei as crutch.

"We have to beat it, this is getting dangerous," she huffed, apparently out of breath. A groan escaped her lips as fire roared around them trapping them in a spiral prison of flames. Patchouli seemed reluctant to let them go easily and was casting a purple flame tornado to cage them in.

"Enough is enough, Damn it!" roared Reimu, pulling out a spellcard from her pocket, "Divine Spirit~ Fantasy Seal!"

The spectrum of giant orbs dispelled the flames and exploded into random directions, Patchouli dodged n orb however Remilia wasn't as lucky. The light headed feeling Rook had was getting intense until it finally caused all remaining energy he had in his body to disappear. The last thing he knew before passing out was collapsing in Reimu's arms.

"God Damn it, why now?!" snapped the Shrine Maiden as she struggled to keep Rook upright. She ducked low as a bullet whizzed past her head. Getting the hint, she flew straight up into the ceiling and disappearing behind the hole. Reimu shot into open air, the cold morning wind piercing her eyes making them water. She shook her head and flew on as a purple bullet missed her and her passenger by a hair's breadth. Patchouli was still hot on their tail, five crystal stones hovering around her.

The crystals were launched forward and at the speed Reimu was travelling she had little time to dodge.

"Love Sign~ MASTER SPARK!"

A magnificent rainbow beam tore through the air with a destructive force, disintegrating the crystals on the spot. Reimu spun around to see their saviour, only to realize that it was the person she would least expect.

"Go, I'll hold her off!" yelled Marisa, gripping her hakkero tightly in her right hand while her left kept her broom steady. The Witch's gaze rested upon the other blonde who Reimu was carrying, "Take him to your shrine, I'll follow as soon as I can."

"Marisa..." the Shrine Maiden whispered in shock.

"GO!"

Without another word, Reimu shot off into the direction of shrine.

"La la, la la, la lalalala~ Ahh~ the Bishop's counterattack was a success~!" sung a feminine voice from behind one of the few windows in the Scarlet Mansion. Maroon eyes watched as a black-white spot shoot a grand laser at the purple spot surrounded by crystals of five different colors. "At least the pests were chased out. I couldn't have Lady Patchouli waking up knowing Rook scored a point."

There was the brief sound of wings fluttering before the voice spoke once more.

"If only Lady Remilia managed to finish the job, *sigh* looks like Sakuya's going to work overtime again," the voice continued in a depressed tone before reverting back to its normal one, "Hm, what do I know? It's not like I care about anything else, whatever makes Lady Patchouli happy makes me happy~ I just hope Rook realizes that it's nothing personal..."

Nicolas Notes: YOU, KEEP OFF THE FOURTH WALL, CAN'T YOU READ THE SIGN?

Oh what? Hehehe, didn't realize we were on air. Gah! I just can't finish that Endless Echo chapter. If you're one of the few people looking forward to it, expect it before Christmas. If not, then the New Year. My holiday schedule's just really full and I can't focus. I think I'm losing my grip here... Maybe I just need to play a few games here and there. Maybe that'll make me feel better.

Hm? Ah, the chapter. Well sorry for dipping a few notes on what's happening in IRL. Anyhow, I have to say that this chapter was hinting a whole lot of stuff than it let on. Honestly I think I dropped a few bombs than I intended but hell, only the sharpest eye would be able to catch them. Dem Spoilerz..

Yay, 100 REVIEWS, TO THE PEOPLE THAT MANAGED TO PUT UP WITH MY AMATEUR WRITING, I THANK YOU ALL!.

However this chapter does not mark the end of the "Homecoming Arc", heh that sounded cool. There's still maybe three chapters to go before we dive into those sweet, sweet backstories once more. Take off where we left off, aye? Now let's just summarize a few bits of his arc, shall we?

Right, so we get a crash course on Gensokyo's situation with youkai related activities and the Scarlet Incident brewing. Rumia speaks british english and we managed to unlock a majority of Hong's memories. Hooray! Rook throws it down with Patchouli, acquiring what might be an important tool to regaining Flandre's sanity (guess what it is). Koakuma is a calculating individual with Yandere tendencies and... Actually I leave the others out. Flandre loses it completely though to whom? And Rook and Reimu team up to fight Remilia, giving our Hero (?) a chance to help the charisma breaker a chance to reclaim fragments of her broken memories.

Finally...

THE. GOSH DARNED. REFERENCES.

So that's this Arc in a nutshell, without the danmaku, explosions, long actions sequence and poorly written paragraphs.

And I think I'm losing my poetic skills... Crap...

Well that's all for now. No, I won't be writing the next chapter. Endless Echo has become top priority next to Memebase and Youtube. Please Internet let me write for once!

Merry Christmas and Happy Armageddon!

See you all soon, YAHOO~!