Long, long ago, there lived an old bamboo cutter. He was very poor and sad also, for no child had heaven sent to cheer his old age, and in his heart there was no hope of rest from work till he died and was laid in the quiet grave. Every morning he went forth into the woods and hills wherever the bamboo reared its lithe green plumes against the sky. When he had made his choice, he would cut down these feathers of the forest, and splitting them lengthwise, or cutting them into joints, would carry the bamboo home and make it into various articles for the household, and he and his old wife gained a small livelihood by selling them.

One morning, as usual, he had gone out to his work, and having found a nice clump of bamboo, had set to work to cut some of them down. Suddenly the green grove was flooded with a bright soft light, as if the full moon had risen over the spot. Looking round in astonishment, he saw that the brilliance was streaming from one split stalk. The old man, full of wonder, dropped his axe and went towards the light. On nearer approach he saw that this soft splendor came from a hollow in the bamboo's stem, and still more wonderful to behold, in the midst of the brilliance stood a tiny human being, only three inches in height, and exquisitely beautiful in appearance.

-.-.-.-.-
-1-
-.-.-.-.-

It is slightly controversial among those with interest in such things to claim that The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is the oldest known science fiction story. To begin with, there is some contention over whether or not such a story can be classified as sci-fi, arising as it does from a time and place before science, as it is now understood, had been conceptualized. If we were to take the themes of sci-fi more broadly and claim that any story examining the implications of an interaction between a human and non-human intelligence qualifies, then many religious texts could be thought of as science fiction and many of them are much older than the roughly 1900-year-old Tale.

So let me instead say that The Tale of The Bamboo Cutter is the earliest known story about first contact between humans and aliens from an extra-terrestrial body.

Or perhaps, if you read it from the point of view of a lover of mystery fiction, you could say it's one of the world's earliest known mysteries. The mystery in the story is of course "who is Princess Moonlight?" and "Why does she reject marriage proposals from all of her suitors?" In the perspective of readers of the time, the thought of a being who would willingly reject the emperor's proposal would indeed classify her as 'non-human intelligence,' something with truly incomprehensible values and morals. The answer to both of these questions, as presented in the story is that Kaguyahime is a princess from the moon which explains her otherwise incomprehensible refusal. Perhaps this is evidence that mystery and science fiction are offshoots from the same precursor at some earlier point in their family tree.

Of course, the children in my literature and composition class had no interest in such obscure and nuanced discussions. To them, the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter was merely the latest volume to be taught as a text for reading and composition practice.

-.-.-.-.-

"Um, teacher!"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Was Kaguyahime a fairy?"

To an Outsider like myself, this question would seem odd -the concept of a fairy that exists in the outside world has little to do with the well-known figure of Princess Moonlight, but to the children of Gensokyo, it's a perfectly reasonable assumption. In fact, if someone were to find a small child dwelling inside a glowing stalk of bamboo here, it might not even seem unusual -it would just mean you had unknowingly cut into a fairy's house, a situation that probably wouldn't end well for you.

"Nooooo. She's a youkai! If she were a fairy she'd never grow up, everyone knows that."

"Nuh-uh. She came from the moon, I've heard this story before."

"Doesn't that just mean she's a youkai? They get stronger when the moon's big."

"Yeah, and that's why she can't marry the emperor. I've heard this story before."

To the children of my class, the solution to the mystery of Kaguyahime's identity was obvious, but the conclusion was much different than I might have expected. To them, Princess Moonlight was a youkai and the Tale itself could be read as a polemic against interspecies marriage. It was not the lesson I had intended to teach.

"What kind of youkai was Kaguyahime though?"

"A bamboo youkai!"

"No, she's a moon youkai!"

"She's a rabbit youkai, cause the moon is full of bunnies."

"My dad says he saw a rabbit youkai in the bamboo forest once."

"It was Princess Moonlight!"

"All right, everyone. That's enough shouting please. I appreciate all of the excellent imagination you're showing, but we should get back to the lesson." I clapped my hands to command their attention. If this were miss Kamishirasawa's class, she might have scolded the kids for talking during the lesson, but being as my class was for creative writing, among other things, I liked to encourage their imaginations, as long as they weren't getting too far off topic. Here in Gensokyo, after all, imagination was an important attribute, and a skill to be cultivated. In a world where the laws of common sense were malleable at best, it was imagination -the ability to conceive of ingenious solutions and spot unobserved dangers that would make this kids safe and successful in their lives as human villagers.

"Teacher, what's 'imagination?'"

"Well, it's the ability to picture something that you've never seen or done, and figure out what it would be like. For example, have you ever imagined what you might like to do when you grow up, or what your life would be like if you could do something you can't do right now?"

The children all looked at eachother, sharing the telltale expression that said I had just introduced an idea that marked me as an Outsider, one of the conceptions so everyday to Renko and myself as be unworthy of examination, but so foreign to the people of this world as to generate the same reaction as if I had calmly talked about getting up in the morning and lacing my boots up onto my head. It happened more frequently than I would like.

My thoughts were interrupted by the noisy clattering of Keine hammering on the iron bell that dismissed the children for lunch. "That's all for today!" I shouted over the commotion. "Your homework for next class is for everyone to use their imaginations and be prepared to tell the class what you want to do when you grow up!"

"Yes, teacher," droned twenty voices in unison.

I stepped out of the classroom as the children began to unwrap their lunches, wondering for the thousandth time this week if I was really qualified -as an Outsider, as a college student, as a person even, to be teaching a classroom full of young, impressionable minds.

I sighed as I began to walk down the hall, then looked up to see my partner, Renko Usami leaning up against the wall, her hat pulled low over her eyes.

"I was listening," she began. "It was a little hard to hear over the noise, but miss Merry the teacher said some nice things. Telling the kids to use their imaginations is good. For the sorts of lives these kids live in the village, they don't get much chance to exercise their creativity. I'm glad you're encouraging it. You're sounding more and more like a real teacher in there."

"False flattery will get you nowhere," I said as I brushed past her.

"Well then, how about the honest truth?" She grinned as she reached out and took my hand as I passed, giving it a squeeze and preventing me from walking away. With her other hand she poked the brim of her hat back as she looked up at me. "You're doing a good job."

"An honest compliment from Renko?" I asked, willing myself not to blush. "I wonder if we'll get snow tomorrow."

"Gah, I hope not. The Spring Snow Incident is over, and we've already had more than enough snow for a year."

She turned to walk with me down the hallway, hand in hand.

At the time, I had no way of knowing just how critical both a strong imagination and the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter would be to the next Incident.

-.-.-.-.-
-2-
-.-.-.-.-

"I'm going to make dinner for Mokou tonight, would you two like to join us?"

This was the fourth or fifth time Keine had been kind enough to invite us over for a meal after a day's work at the school. Without a moment's hesitation, my partner raised her hand, saying "Make double for me, I'll want seconds!"

I reached out and pinched the back of her hand. "Show a little restraint, Renko."

"Ow! You show a little restraint, Merry! That was my hand, and this is food! We can save a little money and get a tasty meal this way."

"We'd love to join you, miss Keine. Please forgive my partner's lack of common decency." I nodded slightly to Keine, ignoring my partner's outburst.

"It's alright." She replied with a laugh. "It's good to be honest and it's nice to know someone appreciates my cooking. I'll come by and pick you up later, I assume you'll be at home?"

We nodded and Keine smiled, then turned to walk out the door and into the bustle of the village streets, probably off to go check in at the neighborhood watch office as she did most days. We walked with her as far as the gate of the temple school's yard, then turned and headed for the detached storeroom that had become our home and office.

Above the door, which always stuck in its frame, the ink-on-wood sign that read "Hifuu Detective Agency" was slightly crooked. It had been more than a year now that the two of us had been living in this 8-mat room. You would think after that long we would have made some improvements, making it look a bit more like home, or an office, or something in between, but the only change the place had seen since we had put up the sign was the magnificent nest some birds had built on the roof and hatched their chicks in.

As I reached up to fix the angle of our sign, my partner extracted the rolled up newspaper that had been wedged between the door and the frame. It was the Bunbunmaru Shinbun, the somewhat irregularly published newspaper put out by the tengu Aya Shameimaru, with whom we were acquainted. We had never signed up for a subscription or paid for a copy, but every now and then a promotional issue or special extra edition would find its way into our office.

As I finished with the signboard and was wiping the dirt off of my hands, I entered to find my partner sprawled out on her stomach on the tatami, with the newspaper spread open in front of her. Even the children in my class could be counted on to reliably display better manners and posture. By this point, I had lived with Renko long enough to know that criticism would serve no purpose.

"Any good articles today?" I sighed, taking off my cap and cloak and hanging them beside Renko's hat and coat.

"The top story is that a new 'Insect News Service' has just been launched."

"What's that?"

"Apparently it's a service you can hire that will deploy insects to carry messages at specific times. For example you can ask for a wake up call, and in the morning a large number of bugs will gather on your bedding and wake you up by walking all over your face."

"Ugh! Stop! I don't want to imagine that!"

Here in Gensokyo, it was important to keep an open mind. Between ghosts, youkai and fairies there were all manner of different values and systems of beliefs you might run into and it was important not to judge others for their nature, even if they occasionally had been known to eat humans. That said, I didn't want anything to do with anyone who would want to be woken up by bugs crawling on their face. Some things are just too horrible to countenance. "Well horrifying as that thought is, if that's the top story, then it must mean things are peaceful in Gensokyo. That's good at least."

"If Gensokyo is peaceful, it means we don't have any work to do, though."

"It's not our job to solve Incidents, Renko. That's Reimu's line of work, or the neighborhood watch's if something happens here in the village. We take cases from clients, there's no relationship between the peace of Gensokyo and the idleness of our business. In fact neither the Spring Snow Incident nor the Night of One Hundred Demons Every Three Days Incident has brought a single penny into our office."

"That's not true! Ran paid our standard rate to find Chen, even if that was only slightly related. More importantly, I got beans and a coffee set!"

"Which you always made me go boil water for first thing in the morning."

"It's not my fault we don't have the convenience of boiling water at the flick of a switch here. Do you really think I could be trusted around a fire before I've had a cup of coffee in the morning? Getting back to the topic at hand though, I'd like it if something strange happened again soon. Maybe this time we could get a fat reward out of solving the mystery and it would do something to alleviate my boredom to boot."

"Renko, it's only been a month since Suika finally lost her wrestling match. How often do you expect events like that to occur?"

"Oh I envy you, Merry. My grey matter is constantly hungry, always searching for new mysteries to bite into."

Our first six months here had been a bit more hectic, what with getting used to how different everything here is and starting a new job on top of dealing with the aftermath of the Scarlet Mist Incident. Even with the two Incidents since then however, things had gotten more predictable. We had a routine now, and established patterns in our daily life. If things continued this way for much longer, my partner might consider starting an Incident herself.

"I wonder if I could start an Incident myself?" she said.

"I can't believe you actually said that. Aside from the obvious conclusion that inviting Reimu to exterminate you is not a great idea, there's also the issue that the two of us are just ordinary humans, Renko. You can't wrap the world in red mist or prolong winter by stealing spring or even force acquaintances to gather up without them knowing it."

"Well not with an attitude like that, I couldn't. Humans solve problems using tools and ingenuity, Merry. I'm sure I could come up with something."

"Why bother though? There's no mystery to uncover if you're just causing it yourself, right?"

"Well that depends on how you do it, doesn't it? If, for example, I were to manipulate Ran and Chen into doing something that caused an Incident, I might be able to use that to get to the bottom of the biggest mystery of all: What is fake Merry, the great youkai sage up to?"

I was about to tell Renko not to call the great youkai sage, Gensokyo's administrator 'fake Merry' when our conversation was interrupted by a third voice from outside the office door.

"What's this about me and Chen?"

Both Renko and I jumped up in alarm as the door slid open to reveal Ran Yakumo. Renko and I had already seen her conceal her presence and go unnoticed even when she was in the same room as us, but popping up suddenly like that was still unexpected.

"M-miss Ran!" Renko stuttered, "when did you get here?"

"I told you I'd be watching over you two. It's safest to assume I'm always around. Somewhere."

I tried to focus on her face as she spoke, but predictably my eyes were drawn to the nine golden tails swaying gently behind her. After all of this time apart, the mofumofu had returned to me.

Renko climbed to her feet and clamped one hand around the collar of my dress as she greeted Ran. "Try and show a little restraint Merry, I know it's hard for you, but this is a paying customer."

I twisted and groaned, trying to shake my collar free. I debated the merits of just taking my dress off.

"You'd do well to show a little restraint yourself, miss Usami. It would be better for you if you didn't say dangerous things so lightly." Ran's glittering, mischievous eyes fixed Renko with an appraising stare.

"Please excuse us, it was just idle chatter." Renko said, nodding her head. "It's not like a young human like me could easily deceive a nine-tailed fox anyway."

"You almost sound like you're planning to deceive Chen instead." Ran's tone was unchanged, but her eyes were no longer smiling.

"Well, if Chen told you that she wanted to cause an Incident, what would you do?"

There was a momentary pause before Ran answered "...I'd tell her to stop."

It was an unconvincing rebuttal.

"Isn't it every Youkai's right to cause an Incident if they like though? That's why the Spell Card rules were invented, no? So a youkai can relieve stress or settle a dispute without harming the humans of the village. If the activities of a youkai get out of hand, then they have to contend with the chosen representative of Gensokyo's standing order, the Hakurei miko in order to enforce their will. That's how it's supposed to work, right? It stands to reason then that the right to cause an Incident is akin to the right of free speech - any youkai can do it, it's up to the rest of the world to accept or reject it."

"You're correct in theory, but in practice there's no need for the Hakurei miko to get involved in most disputes. Typically, if it were just to release stress, one could simply challenge the shrine maiden or that forest witch to a duel and expect them to accept. If two youkai have an issue to resolve, they can settle it between themselves with a duel, with no interference from the Hakurei miko required."

"That makes sense. So in that case, large-scale Incidents like the Scarlet Mist Incident or the Spring Snow Incident only occur when someone has a strong need to change something about Gensokyo or make their presence known, right?"

"The motive varies from youkai to youkai of course, but at the end of the day there aren't that many people in Gensokyo capable of creating a large scale Incident just because they feel like it."

"So in that case, does any powerful newcomer to Gensokyo need to create an Incident in order to make their presence known and establish themselves as a force in the landscape? If they fail to do so would they become just another minor youkai like countless others?"

"That could certainly be the case for some. I expect the Scarlet Mist Incident and the Night of One Hundred Demons Every Three Days Incident were both like that, at least in part, but it's not a requirement. Newcomers can establish their presence in whatever way they see fit. For myself and lady Yukari, our presence is already well cemented here. Lady Yukari was one of the founders of Gensokyo and I am widely known as her shikigami. There is no need for either of us to cause an Incident."

"But if the need arose to create an Incident, you'd have the means and no objection to the concept?"

"I can't imagine any circumstance that would make Lady Yukari think such an action was warranted."

"Well you never know what'll happen in this world. Anything goes in Gensokyo."

Before she could press the point further and get us in trouble I interjected. "Renko, if you're thinking of causing and resolving an Incident just for the sake of the agency's publicity, don't. I won't help you."

"You're not a youkai, Merry. You can't read my mind. How do you know your refusal isn't just part of my plan?"

I calmly stood up, pulling Renko's fingers away from my collar, then turned to face her. She was grinning in the most infuriating, confident way that she seemed to reserve only for me. As revenge for grabbing me by the collar, I latched on to both of her cheeks, stretching them as far as I could, paying no heed to the presence of a potential customer.

Ran watched with quiet amusement as Renko groaned and I twisted my hands, forcing Renko to her knees.

"You two really are good friends," she chuckled.

-.-.-.-.-
-3-
-.-.-.-.-

After that, Ran, who had stopped by our house in the middle of a shopping trip, departed. We had some time to ourselves for a bit, then just before sunset Keine came to pick us up for dinner.

"We got some good chicken tonight. Some eggs too, so let's head out if you're ready!" Keine was smiling, holding a plucked, headless chicken by the feet. Coming from an age of synthetic foods, I was used to my chicken coming from a vat and being delivered in soft plastic cubes or pre-breaded and frozen. Seeing someone holding the actual animal, skin, bones and all seemed a little barbaric to me, but that was just one of the preconceived notions from my time that I'd have to learn to let go of here.

Renko and I got our coats and headed out the door. It had been a year now, but there was still always a twinge of expectation in my mind waiting to hear the notification chime from my cellphone telling me that we had moved out of communication range of my apartment's network and the doors had automatically been locked. Such a thing was impossible of course. There were no networks here to leave and both of our phones had run out of power more than a year ago.

Following Keine, we left the village, heading south through farmland before making our way to the long, quiet trails of the bamboo forest as the sun dipped below the horizon. In all of our times leaving the village, we had never once been accosted by a stray youkai who had tried to eat us. I wondered if this was due to the unseen actions of Ran acting as our escort or if the threat of lawless youkai had been exaggerated. Thinking like that is probably exactly what got villagers eaten though. I started a conversation to distract myself from such thoughts.

"Miss Keine..."

"Yes?"

"We appreciate the invitation, but I wouldn't want Renko and I to be a pair of third wheels."

"Two... third wheels? What do you mean?" Keine raised her eyebrows in confusion. It seems I couldn't go five minutes without reminding myself I was an Outsider, apart from the natural order of this world today.

"Um, forget the expression, I'd have to explain what a bicycle is. What I mean is I'm a little worried that Renko and I are intruding on your alone time with miss Mokou."

Keine fiddled with her square hat, making sure it was still pinned and perched atop her head and trying to smooth out her hair as she spoke. "Please don't get the wrong idea. I'm only taking food to her to make sure she eats. If I don't feed her, she sometimes goes weeks without getting a proper meal." As she said this, Keine's eyes were cast down, a far-off, lonely look reflected in their gaze. "It's nothing more than that. Look, there's Mokou's house, let's hurry along!"

So saying, she scurried ahead.

Renko was grinning, with her fingers interlaced behind her head as she walked. "Oh-ho. Who's the one always telling me to respect others' privacy, Merry?"

I poked her in the ribs.

"Gah! What's that for? I think they'd make a cute couple too!"

"There may well be circumstances we don't understand as Outsiders. This isn't Kyoto in 2086, Renko. Keine is trying very hard to be a human villager and Mokou seems to have rejected the village. Not to mention the whole youkai blood thing. Maybe that sort of relationship is frowned upon here."

"Yeah, there's definitely something there keeping them apart. I don't think it's just that though, I get the feeling Keine is inviting us as a way to keep things between them from feeling too intimate."

As we were whispering to eachother, Keine turned and shot us a look over her shoulder as she stood before the door, one hand poised to knock. We quickly shut our mouths. With all Keine had done and continued to do for us, I suppose it was a bit vulgar of me to entertain suspicions about her motivations toward Mokou.

Keine turned back toward the door and rapped twice neatly as the two of us caught up to her. After a few moments, Mokou opened the door, bleary-eyed and looking only half awake.

"Oh, Keine? Hello."

"Were you sleeping Mokou? I thought I'd come and make us some dinner."

"Yeah. Was just napping. Must have overslept. -Ah, you brought Renko and Merry too, I see."

"Well, it looks like you haven't cooked anything in a while. I expected as much. I brought a nice chicken. Shall we?"

"Sure, come on in. I have rice and some fresh vegetables, so we can make a hotpot, if you like."

"I thought you'd say that, so I even brought some eggs." Keine nodded toward the basket I was carrying with a smile.

Looking between Keine, the basket and the chicken for a moment, Mokou couldn't help but smile too, her face brightening with childlike glee. "Sheesh, leave it to you to have everything planned out already. OK, I'll go start a fire."

Watching the two of them grinning innocently at eachother, it was hard to think who might be the elder. Keine looked to be about 30, but still moved with the grace and vitality of youth. Mokou looked a bit younger, but had an air about her of someone much older. Of course I had never asked either of them their age directly, but watching them set to work over the hearth and in the small kitchen, I couldn't help but think the care Keine showed for Mokou made the relationship seem more like mother and child or perhaps an older sister watching out for a younger one.

I stepped into the kitchen and set down the basket. "Do you need any help?" I asked.

"Yes, would you mind washing and peeling the vegetables?" Keine asked.

"Renko, you help too," I called as I dug a leek out of a bin on the shelf and brought it to the washbasin.

"No can do, I'm afraid," she called back from the shack's other room. "I've a grand task of vital importance in front of me." I leaned around the corner to see her setting up a shogi board, lining up the pieces opposite her own side as Moukou settled into a cross legged sitting position across from her.

"You still want a rematch? Had you memorized all of the piece positions from last time?" Mokou asked.

"You can't escape your fate so easily," Renko grinned.

-.-.-.-.-

The beautiful hues of sunset were long gone and the moon was high in the sky by the time we had all finished eating.

Mokou was staring intently at the shogi board, rubbing her head in frustration. "Rrrggg, dammit! Yeah, you got me. It's checkmate." She sighed and leaned back from the board. "You're good, Renko."

"Pah, it's nothing, just a hobby of mine." Renko grinned broadly while Mokou let out another sigh. My partner happens to be an expert at all sorts of board games, not just shogi. She's beaten me at everything I've ever played against her. She's quick witted, good at improvising, good at calculation and quick to see patterns. It's exactly the skill set suited to mastery over an idle pastime with no real-world applications.

"You two seem to be having a lot of fun together." Keine said with a smile. "I'm glad I introduced you to Mokou, she always looks so happy to see you. Usually Mokou stays at home and hardly ever sees anyone but me. I'd be happy if the two of you could become eachother's friends without me here sometimes. Though, I wouldn't recommend trying to come out here on your own after dark without an escort, Renko."

"Renko's the kind of player I haven't faced in a long time." Mokou said as she leaned over the board to collect the pieces. "I'd consider you a friend already. Now, shall we go again?"

"Coming back for another beating so soon? Don't underestimate me, you're a thousand years too young to be my match."

As Renko said that Mokou paused, her hand frozen as she placed down a bishop, a far-off look in her eyes as she stared into the distance.

"Hey, you OK there? Sorry if I came on too strong, it's just a figure of speech from the Outside world."

"Yeah," Mokou said, recovering herself. "Just a figure of speech. Forget about it, let's just play." She continued setting up her pieces for the game, but didn't banter any further.

-.-.-.-.-

"...Auuuuuuuuuuuhmn." It was second time a yawn had escaped my mouth as I sat chatting with Keine in the kitchen and watching Renko and Mokou play.

Mokou had just made a move she seemed rather proud of, saying "Consider your next move carefully" as her tile clacked onto the board. After a moment of staring intently at the board, Renko had stood up and was pacing around, occasionally shooting unbelieving glances back at the game, as if unwilling to countenance the situation she had gotten herself into. She had just paced into the kitchen, with her chin cupped in her hand and her head bent low as I yawned.

Renko looked up from her grumbling reverie. "Getting sleepy, Merry?"

"No," I said, stretching my back "I just... uuuuuaaaahhhhff."

"Ah, come to think of it, it is getting pretty late..." Keine said, with a hint of reluctance in her voice.

"Time flies when you're having fun I guess. I'd invite you all to stay, but there aren't beds or enough space to lay out mats for four people here." Mokou said with a shrug.

"We should head out then, Mokou. Thank you for lending us your kitchen, and for the company." Keine stood up, a smile beaming on her face.

"Pretty neat trick getting me to do all the dishes. I appreciate it though. Thanks as always Keine. Let me taste your cooking again some time." Mokou's smile was smaller, but seemed just as earnest. "And as for you..." Mokou turned to Renko. "I'm writing down where every piece was. We'll continue this next time."

"I've memorized every position too, you just think about your next move, I'll have this turned around before you know it."

We collected our things and made our way to the door. Outside the shack soft moonlight filtered through the dense leaves of the forest, casting the ground in a deep, patterned chiaroscuro of silver and shadow. Keine borrowed a burning twig from the hearth and used it to light a lantern before stepping out of the door.

"It's quite dark out tonight, so watch your step."

"Oh, it is rather dark. Renko, what time is it?"

Renko looked up at the night sky, searching for a gap in the canopy to peek at the moon or stars from.

The next moment she staggered back, her spine arched and howling in pain, hands clutching at her eyes.

"Renko!"

I rushed to her side, reaching out to support her body before she could fall. Her entire weight collapsed into my arms as she groaned, her palms pressed forcefully into her cheeks. It was as if she had been hit in the eye by a laser.

"What's wrong, Renko?"

Keine was at my side a moment later, helping to hold Renko up and shaking her shoulder. Her head lolled limply and she groaned in pain. "It's... the moon," she muttered.

"The moon?" Keine turned to gaze into the sky and her eyes widened in astonishment.

I followed her gaze and gasped as well. A dizzying, vertiginous sensation washed over me.

Hanging in the sky were two moons.

"What is that distortion? Why does the moon look so... wrong?" I asked, hearing the fear creep into my voice.

Keine let go of Renko and thrust out a hand to cover my eyes. Already though, the image of the distorted, horrifically warped boundaries ringing the moon like a Mandelbrot fractal made entirely of cruel teeth had been burned into my mind. A fake, moon, constructed of misshapen, powerful wards floated in the night sky, covering and obscuring the true moon behind it, and distorting the dome of the heavens like a sheen of oil on top of a lens.

Perhaps it was the unique ability of my freakish eyes that allowed me to see both moons at the same time. For my partner, whose eyes and brain were constantly calculating the placement of the heavenly bodies, had the distortion simply introduced irreconcilable errors into her perception? Or had she looked upon the fake moon, which shone with an eerie ominousness that felt like the predatory aura that we had felt surrounding youkai had been flattened from a sensation into a color then amplified a thousand fold.

Either way, it was and instant and inescapable conclusion that the moon above us was not real.

It was a waxing crescent, just a week or so shy of full, and wildly, ominously distorted.

-That was the beginning of the uproar that would later be called the "Eternal Night Incident." This was the beginning of our brush with eternity.