Chapter 4

The last month or so hadn't gone well. Reimu had physically recovered from her defeat—but it seems her spirit hadn't. Despite managing to obtain a few more Eyecons—the Beethoven, Billy the Kid, and Benkei Eyecons—but they had not recovered the missing Edison, Newton, and Nobunaga Eyecons.

"Musashi, Edison, Robin Hood, Newton," Takeru said as he wrote in his book, "Nobunaga, Tutankhamen, Beethoven, Billy the Kid, and Benkei. That's nine in total."

"She has 45 days left," Akari said somberly. "If the rate we've been collecting them continues, we'll make it, but . . . " she bit her lip. "There's still the matter of getting the stolen ones back."

Onari nodded. "That and Lady Reimu has been . . . not herself lately."

The three were in the basement, seated around Takeru's work desk. It had been converted into Akari's scientific workbench for the time being, as she worked to find a way to debunk the supernaturality of spirits. So far, she had only come up with a way of making Ganma visible.

"Speaking of Reimu, how is she?" Akari asked. "I haven't seen her in a few days—ever since we got the Benkei Eyecon."

"She's on the roof," Takeru informed them. "She just stares off into the sky, not saying a word."

"You should go talk to her," Akari encouraged. "She trusts you, right?"

"Somehow I doubt that, but I'll try."

Takeru climbed up to the shrine roof, where, as he said earlier, Reimu was sulking. "Hey, Reimu. How are you?"

No response. He sighed and stood next to the ghost. "You know, you can't keep running forever."

That got her attention. "I'm not running!" she snapped, twisting to face him.

"Yes, you are. Every time we get a case you make sure to form the Eyecon as fast as humanly possible—we're barely given time to get our facts straight," Takeru shot back. "And every time Specter shows up, you hightail it out of there, stalling with an Omega Drive to bide time."

"Shut up." She turned away, bringing her knees to her chest.

He sat down by her. "Fear is normal, Reimu. Anyone would be scared after the beating he gave you. Heck, I was terrified, and I didn't even get hit once!"

Reimu mumbled something that he didn't hear, so he urged her to repeat it.

"It's not just me," she sighed. "I can't afford to lose. The entirety of Gensokyo is riding on my back. I have to win by any means necessary."

"I see," he said. "But that's not it, is it?"

"I hate you," she grumbled. "But you're right. It doesn't seem like it now, but I've stopped many incidents before—from someone stealing spring to a nuclear reactor going—well, nuclear. It's frustrating that I could lose to someone when I know I've beaten stronger people before. Heck, I don't think I've ever had this much trouble. And I hate this feeling inside me—this paralyzing sensation that I haven't felt in a long, long time."

"Like I said, that's fear," he said. "And I feel it pretty much every time we get a call."

"Really?" she lifts her head.

"Really," he said. "I'm scared. I'm not like you. I'm not strong or skilled. I'm just a kid with an axe. But when I see you charge in all confident, it inspires me to push through."

She gave a little chuckle. "Well, look at you. You've come a long way from the brat who practically worshipped Mutsubishi."

"That's Musashi," he corrected. "And he's still great. I respect him more than you, at least."

The two shared a small laugh. "I guess I've been worrying the others," Riemu admitted. "I can't save Gensokyo if I can't even take care of what's right in front of me."

The two descended and rejoined their companions in the temple. For a moment, all was right. Reimu had taken her first step as a Rider.

Specter stood atop a bridge, holding a blank Eyecon in a surprisingly gentle grasp. "I'm sorry, Kanon," he said softly.

The Eyecon glowed. "It's not your fault, bro," a feminine voice resonated. "You couldn't do a thing. It's not your fault I ended up like this."

He sighed. "I should've been stronger. I would've been able to do something about it."

The Eyecon was silent for a second. "Makoto," it—she? Began, hesitant.

"What is it, Kanon?"

"Why don't we team up with the Rider and the hunter? We shouldn't be fighting."

"There's only one wish, Kanon. They want the Eyecon for themselves. There's no way they'd sacrifice her chance to come back for someone else," Specter—know known as Makoto—said bitterly. "You heard it yourself. Ghost's silence proved that she wouldn't sacrifice herself for another."

"Bro, I'm sure she has her reasons," Kanon replied. "Why can't we just let them take the wish?"

"You know that's not how the wish works," he said. "One wish per summoning. And by the time we reclaim the Eyecons, your time limit will be up."

Kanon went silent. "Even still, you don't have to act this way."

"I'm not going to work with a coward who tried to murder you and then fled every time I found her," he snarled.

The Eyecon sighed. "Makoto . . . ."

Makoto was about to respond, but stopped himself as he felt a presence. "What do you want?"
A strange, elderly man in a long, brown coat and an equally brown fedora stepped up to the edge of the bridge alongside them. "My name is Saionji. I have been offering my services to Mr. Alain. I trust you know him, yes?"

"Sir Alain?" echoed Kanon, as Makoto narrowed his eyes. "What of it?"
"Were you not the two that were sent to the Ganma's world ten years ago?" he asked, pushing up spectacles. "In the experiment."

"What?" Makoto definitely wasn't expecting that.

"Tenkuji Ryu and I were working together, studying the Ganma ten years ago," came the reply. "We were what you would call Ghost Hunters."

"You knew Mr. Ryu?" Makoto asked.

"It seems that you two were victims of the experiment," Saionji muttered. "Strange, strange."

"It was an accident. What experiment?"

"I suppose you could call it that," he mused. He then noticed what was in Makoto's hand. "That Eyecon. I take it your sister's soul is in there?"

"How did you—" Makoto strode towards him, glaring. "Speak of my sister again in such a way and I'll end you."

"Ah, I understand. I shall take my leave." The odd man bowed. "If you'll excuse me."

As he walked away, Makoto frowned. "Experiment? What was he talking about?"

"Kanon!" Makoto tried to pull his sister back from the portal, but his childlike body was rapidly losing strength. "Kanon!"

The portal the Monolith had conjured sucked everything around them into it—papers, tools, books—even the small bodies of two children. Eventually, the suction overcame Makoto's slight frame, and the two of them were sucked inside.

Makoto held Kanon as all around them, sand and strange Eye-shaped things swirled. Even as they cried, a shadow loomed over them.

"Bro?" Kanon's worried voice snapped Makoto out of his memory. He shook his head. "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry," Makoto assured her. "I'm going to collect the fifteen we need to bring you back to life." With that he strode away, heart steeled for whatever he had to do. He'd get his sister back—at any cost.

"What's the plan?" Takeru said to the assembled group. Onari, Reimu, and Akari, now joined by two other monks, Narita and Shibuya, sat around a table, pondering their next move. Reimu, at Takeru's suggestion, had started training, in preparation for her and Specter's eventual encounter. "This is too tedious," she had complained after one session. "Things just normally go my way—or I rechallenge people until they do."

"That says a lot," Takeru had muttered.

"What!?"

"Nothing."

The group had drawn up a list of potential locations for Eyecons to spawn. They had initially mapped out some things based on the fifteen "luminaries," as Takeru had come to call them, based on the locations of items relating to the historical spirits. However, they decided to expand their search to other heroes in Takeru's book, as the possibility they'd get all fifteen seemed a bit too low for their liking.

"Visiting the movie lot?" Shibuya suggested. "I hear they have some Bruce Lee memorabilia."

"Maybe," Akari frowned. "What about the art museum? They have a Da Vinci exhibit going on—there's bound to be things we can buy.

"Can't we go back to the antique shop?" Reimu yawned. "There's gotta be something relating to someone there. I mean, that is where we found the bullet shell that turned into the Wally the Kid Eyecon."

"Billy the Kid," Takeru corrected. "And we were banned, remember?"

"So what? It's not like he remembers."

"Anyone would be bound to remember that same dress you wear day after day," deadpanned Takeru. "What happened to getting a change of clothing?"
"Shut up! It's not like you can talk, floral hoodie."

"Hey!"

"Break it up, you two," Akari said firmly. "That's it, we're going shopping later."

"Hah!" Takeru smirked triumphantly at Reimu's despair.

"And you're coming too."

"Hah!" Reimu stuck her tongue out at Takeru as he moped.

"In any case," Akari continued, "We may find something while we're out. Onari, call us if we get a case. Takeru, Reimu, we're going."

"Now?" they complained.

"Yes, now."

One motorcycle ride later—Reimu wasn't quite sure what the Buddhists' fascinations with motorcycles were, Looking at you, Byakuren—they arrived at the mall.

"You two are going to get a full wardrobe, so help me," Akari said firmly.

"Why?" Reimu stuck her finger in her ear.

"Because wearing the same thing over and over again is ridiculous."

"I have a wardrobe!" Takeru insisted. "I wear plenty of different shirts!"
"I'm getting you different jackets. That one smells."

The two grumbled as Akari practically dragged them around the consumerism paradise that was a clothing store. Eventually, after a few hours or so, they stopped by a food court, now significantly heavier in the clothing department—but significantly lighter in the wallet. Akari left to go the bathroom, leaving the two defeated Ghost Hunters by themselves.

"Ugh, my wallet," Takeru moaned.

"So many clothes," Reimu lifted her head up from the table. "Is she always like this?"

"Yeah. Especially when it comes to science," he confirmed. "I've known her since we were kids. She's always been hardheaded and stubborn—once she sets her sights on something, she won't stop until she gets what she wants."

"Childhood friend, huh?" the shrine-maiden-turned-ghost responded. "You know, ain't that a fetish?"

Takeru chokes on what he was drinking, drawing some stares. "No, no," he said, waving his hand in front of him. "That's not the case between us. We're just friends."

Reimu gave a catlike grin. "Just friends, huh?" Takeru shot her a glare.

After a few minutes, she said, "You're lucky to have such a great childhood."

"Hm?"

"When I was a kid, I was constantly getting into fights," she reminisced. "My parents weren't around a lot, so I ended up going on a bunch of adventures with only my pet turtle for company."

"Really, now?" Takeru hadn't heard much of Reimu's past—of anything relating to before she became a ghost. "Do tell."

"Not much to say. I got into a bunch of fights, often fighting with—and against—a close friend of mine." She seemed almost surprised to hear herself say this. "Yeah, I guess she is a friend. Actually, things haven't changed much since then. Just add more people to beat up."

"Sounds exciting," Takeru said. "So you didn't know your parents well?"

"No. Yes." Reimu frowned. "Any time I try to think of them, my head hurts and my memory goes fuzzy. It's odd."

"Huh." Takeru nodded. "Strange."

"Yeah."

A moment of silence passed. "My dad raised me after my mom died," Takeru said. "He was strict, yet kind. It's because of him that I have my passion for history and the supernatural today."

Reimu nodded, indicating that he go on.

"There were these two other kids—Makoto and Kanon. We had a good time, playing and training. But they moved away one day. I haven't heard from them since." Takeru had a far-off look in his eyes. "My dad died around ten years ago. I found him atop a burning pyre, a hole in his chest." His breath hitched. "Before he passed on, he gave me Musashi's handguard and told me to study the Luminaries."

Reimu subconsciously grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It was ten years ago." He gave sad smile. "I'm over it."

Reimu had her doubts, but she decided to change the subject. "Well, I'm glad that that particular piece of advice turned out well for us."

"Yeah," he nodded and let go of her hands. "Though I'm starting to wonder just how much he knew—my Eyecon came from him."

Muttering, he said, "Just how much did you know, Dad?"

He shook his head. "Reimu, what was life like before . . . well, you know."

"Before I became a ghost?" she asked. "Wait, would it be 'became a ghost' or 'became Ghost?' Because one's a state of being, and the other's a title, really."

"For you, it's interchangeable, I think," he said. "Does it matter?"

"Not really," she admitted. "So, my life. Well, like I said, I went around solving incidents. Occasionally pests would show up and I'd go and put 'em down. Usually a few annoying people who fancied themselves incident resolvers would try to help out, but they'd cause more bad than good."

"Sounds like fun," Takeru grinned.

"Ugh, you would say that," she dismissed. "Anyways, in the off-moment that I wasn't beating up some youkai or dodging billions of magical bullets, I would tend to my shrine."

"The Shinto one, right?"

"Yeah. I'm still decently surprised that there are Buddhists like you," she said. "I mean, you still ride motorcycles, but you're not crashing flying ships into mausoleums."

"What?"

"Nothing," ignoring Takeru's confusion, she pressed on. "I barely got any visitors 'cuz my shrine, despite my best efforts, became the sort of place youkai loved to hang around. So while I got no money, annoying gap-hags and witches and racoons and dumb hermits lazed about and made me make them tea."

"Sounds like you had a lot of friends." Takeru grinned impishly.

"Ugh, they were pains in the neck." Reimu gave him a flat look. "I mean, there were some visitors and some donations but nothing you'd call productive. Thankfully there was an antique store to pillage and a mansion to mooch from nearby."

"That does sound very much like you," Takeru sighed, remembering how she nearly at them out of house and home when she first arrived—and how the food bill was still the biggest of their concerns, money-wise. "So what kind of incidents did you get involved in?"

"Well, there was this one bratty vampire who tried to blot out the sun so she could go play," Reimu listed off. "Then there was an annoying ghost who wanted to steal spring for a dead tree, a stupid oni, a stupid eternal night princess, a stupid judge, and an insufferable player two miko and her pain-in-the-neck gods." She finished. "There's more, but I don't feel like telling those right now."

"So the vampire thing was the start of your career?" Takeru inquired.

"No. I remember doing things before that," Reimu had a far-off look on her face. "But I can't remember what. I have a hunch I went to makai, however."

"Hm. Do you know why you feel that way?"

Reimu was about to answer, but then a voice that she most definitely didn't want to hear right now interrupted them. "You," spat Specter.

Reimu and Takeru jumped, knocking over some bags. "What do you want?" Reimu asked warily.

"The Eyecons," came the reply. "Or are you going to run away again?"

Reimu flinched, but held her ground. "I'm done running," she said. "And I'm gonna take your Eyecons."

Specter smirked as his Driver blazed to life. "Very well. Come and get them."

"Just what are you doing here?" demanded Takeru. "Leave us alone!"

"None of your business," he coldly said.

"Actually, it's because his outfit is a mess," a disembodied voice spoke in their minds. "We were going shopping."

Specter seemed to stare in horror as an Eyecon—the same one that Reimu stole, she dimly realized—floated out of a pocket. "I'm sorry we didn't have a better first impression." It shone pink as the feminine voice echoed in their heads. "I'm Kanon, and this is Makoto."

"What!?" Takeru asked, shocked. "Did you just say that your name was Makoto?"

"What's it to you?" the man now identified as Makoto said cooly. He tried to grab the floating Eyecon, but it hovered out of his grasp. "Knowing my name won't stop me from taking those Eyecons."

"I'm Takeru! Tenkuuji Takeru!" he nearly shouted. "Your friend from ten years ago!"

Makoto looked shocked for a split second. "Takeru? Is that really you?"

"Yes! What happened to you?" he pressed. "You haven't contacted us for ten years! What happened? Why is Kanon an Eyecon?"

The moment was over. Makoto's face hardened again. "Nothing you would understand. Now get out of my way, Takeru, or I can't guarantee your safety."

"But why!?" Takeru cried. "Makoto, let's stop this! We can work together!"

"Bro, he's right," Eyecon-Kanon thought-spoke. "We don't have to go this way."

"Even if that was the case, what about her?" he thrust an accusing finger in Reimu's direction. "She wouldn't give up her chance to save her own hide!"

"What do you know!?" she responded angrily. "Yeah, I am trying to save my own skin! But my entire home relies on me being alive! I have hundreds of people to think about!"

The two glared at each other. By now the food court had gone silent, people backing away from the volatile pair. "Bro," Kanon whispered sadly.

A voice broke through the tension. "What's going on here?" Takeru turned to see a security guard, summoned by the ruckus they were causing. "Is there anything wrong?"

"No, I'm leaving," Makoto replied, shooting Reimu one last glare. "Kanon, let's go." He stalked away, even as Kanon labored to keep up. Reimu stared off into his direction as Takeru answered some questions the guard had. Satisfied, the guard left them alone.

"Jeez, what is that guy's problem?" Reimu grumbled, falling back into her seat. "What a jerk."

"It must've been rough," Takeru said sadly. "He used to be so kind."

They stayed there in silence for a few minutes. "I'm back. Sorry for taking so long," Akari announced as she return. She then notices the mood. "Uh, what happened while I was gone?"

"Trouble," Takeru sighed.

Back at home, Akari pressed Takeru for answers. "You're sure it was Makoto and Kanon," she said. "Not just coincidentally-named siblings."

"Yes," Takeru repeated for what felt the one hundredth time. "Kanon recognized me."

"And she's been turned into an Eyecon, like Reimu," she muttered. "Curious."

Reimu had been silent the entire time. "What's on your mind?" Akari prompted.

"Kanon was Makoto's sister, correct?" At Akari and Takeru's confirmation, she sighed. "So that's why he's collecting the Eyecons. He's trying to bring her back."

"Yeah," Takeru muttered. "You're not thinking of letting him have the Eyecons, are you?"

"I'm not too sure, anymore." Reimu hugged her legs close. "I don't have any siblings, so sacrificing so much for someone you care about isn't something I'm terribly familiar with. It's true that Gensokyo hinges on my life, but it's always been a job. A burden. I don't have any particularly strong feelings of loyalty towards it."

"Even so, it's your home," Takeru said. "And there's nothing wrong with using the wish on yourself."

"I know," she said. "I just . . . Need some time."

She flew up to the roof, deep in thought. Eventually, the day's events caught up to her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Reimu dreamed troubled dreams, full of horned blue men, inky black ghosts, and floating eyeballs. After one particularly disturbing vision involving black spears and skeletal fiends, she found herself staring at a crossroads.

"Well, this is a bit on-the-nose, isn't it?" she remarked. She took a look around her. "The Forest of Magic," she realized. "Either I'm back home, or this is a dream."

"Bingo~" came the annoyingly cheerful tone of Yuyuko. She stepped out from behind a tree, giggling behind her fan. "I should have made it a bit more subtle, hmmm?"

"What are you doing here, Yuyuko?" Reimu sighed. "With all the interfering Gramps had done, I thought you'd show yourself before now."

"I had business to take care of," she said airily. "A travelling wizard was baking donuts."

Reimu rolled her eyes. "Of course."

Yuyuko's mirthful smile died down. "Reimu. Yukari has entered a special hibernation, temporarily sealing herself away to ensure the Barrier's integrity."

A weight that Reimu hadn't realized she had been carrying vanished. "Oh," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"I hear you're now competing with that Specter fellow to get a wish granted."

"Ugh, don't remind me," the Rider groaned. "He's such a pain."

The princess giggled. "Well, I thought I'd help by taking a burden off your back," she said. "Now, what will you do? Bring yourself back, or give the wish to his sister?"

Reimu hesitated. She was uncertain before, and this new revelation only complicated matters. "I'm . . . not sure."

Yuyuko places a hand on Reimu's shoulder. "Reimu, remember this. You may say you don't have any loyalty towards your home, but I think you may find that you care more for it than you previously thought," she said. "Likewise, I know Gensokyo may not show its gratitude, but you'd be surprised how much we actually care for you."

Reimu was silent. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Just something to think about," she said. "Ah, the sun's coming up. You'd best get along."

As Reimu vanished back into the realm of the awoke, the terrain dissolved into a familiar waterfall. Sage stepped out from a thicket. "Are you sure that was wise?"

"I wanted to relieve Reimu of any burden she thought she had," she explained. "Any decision will make will be her own, and not restricted by duty."

"Could it not be said that you burdened her with the knowledge that there are those who look upon her favorably and would like her to return?" Sage asked, folding his hands behind his back.

"Perhaps," Yuyuko admitted. "But I wanted Reimu to get a clearer picture of what her decision will entail." A twinkle sparked in her eye. "Besides, I like the girl. Is it that wrong of me to rig the game a bit in the outcome I want to happen?"

Sage chuckled. "In any case, it's bound to be interesting."

"Indeed."

The two spirits then vanished, leaving only a still glade and gentle waterfall.

Reimu and Takeru stood atop a bridge over a gorge, just having fulfilled a request. "No Eyecon, but at least that's one less Ganma causing trouble," Takeru said, sheathing his axe.

"Yeah," Reimu said as she cancelled her transformation. Thanks to yesterday's shopping trip, she was now clad in athletic shoes, comfortable blue jeans and a red tank top. Her hair tubes and ribbon had been confiscated, leaving her to tie her locks into a ponytail. "How much are we being paid?"

"Enough." Takeru hadn't escaped the purge either. Akari had dressed him in black slacks, a gray tee, and an orange jacket. "Thankfully, we don't have rent to pay, so this should cover our bills," he said. Then he froze.

Reimu caught his stare and turned around. At the other end of the bridge, blue motorcycle parked, stood Makoto. His outfit, too, had changed. He was wearing a forest green suit and purple collared shirt, with a black tie.

"One of these things isn't like the others," Reimu muttered. "Nice clothes!" she called out.

"Reimu, please," sighed Takeru.

Makoto came forward. "This is why I wear that tracksuit," he muttered. "Ghost. I have come for your Eyecons. Resist and die."

Reimu closed her eyes, sighing. When she opened them, they were full of determination. "I've made my decision, Makoto. I don't know what you've been through, or what it means to have a sister. But I've decided that I'm going to live on. Both for myself, and for my friends waiting for me back home."

"So be it," came the stoic reply. Ghost Drivers blazing to life with orange and blue fire, the two Riders squared off in the middle of the bridge.

"Henshin!"

"Henshin."

Even as the spectral armor formed around them, the Watashi and Specter Parka Ghosts fought in the sky to the chanting of the Drivers. Levers were pulled simultaneously and hoods were thrown back as faceplates slid into place. Punch was met with punch, and the collision sent a wave of pressure that knocked Takeru, and the suddenly-present Yurusen, back.

"Your fists aren't as weak as they were before," Specter noted. "This is your determination, then?"

"Yeah," Ghost replied. "I'm not backing down!"

The two broke apart. Reimu threw punch after punch, yet Makoto continued to block them all. I have to break past his guard, she thought with gritted teeth. She ducked out of the way of an arcing kick. Where is it? Where's his weak spot?

Even as she shrank back and deflected a hail of blows, a spark of inspiration struck her. "That's it!" She leapt back and feinted with a punch. As she had predicted, Makoto deflected with one arm and spun around to strike with the other—exposing his side. The shrine maiden sent a heavy kick into his side, sending him rolling across the ground in pain.

"Your side is exposed when you throw out a heavy attack," she said. "I noticed it when I first swiped Kanon's Eyecon—and just now when you sent me flying back."

"Clever," he growled, Ghost Changing into Tutankhamun. "But not good enough!"

"Benkei!" Reimu commanded as she donned the white parka. She summoned the Gangun Saber, extending the handle to turn it into Naginata Mode. Scythe blade clashed against polearm as Specter and Ghost tried to press forward. "I've decided," she said. "I'm going to beat you up and then help you out."

"Quit speaking nonsense," he viciously swung at Reimu. "There can be only one."

Reimu deflected blow after blow, before spinning her blade around and scoring a hit across his chest. "Shove it! I'm gonna do what I wanna do! And I'm gonna save both!"

Makoto roared, scanning the Gangun Hand over the Energy Eye Crest. Reimu did the same. "Eyes wide open!"
Makoto swung, firing a wave of energy. Before it could hit its mark, Reimu smashed her polearm into the ground, disrupting the dimensional slash while creating a glyph upon the ground, up from which rose many spectral weapons. "Take this, you blue jerk!"

"Omega Bomber!"

Swords, spears, hammers, and weapons of all kind assaulted Specter. He reeled back from the blows, staggered by the continuous onslaught. With one last swing, Reimu sent a ghostly naginata careening into Makoto's chest, where it exploded and knocked him out of his transformation. He rolled across the ground, gritting his teeth as he slid across the gravel.

Reimu's armor disappeared. "I don't know your circumstances, Makoto. You're not even my friend. But this is the path that I believe to be right."

"Shut it," he moaned. "Stop saying things that Kanon said."

"Bro . . . ." Takeru and Reimu could see Kanon's eyecon floating over the bridge railing. "You know it doesn't have to be this way."

Wordlessly, Makoto snatched the soul container and hobbled off towards his motorcycle, no doubt to return at a later date.

After he disappeared from their view, Reimu's knees gave out from under her and she collapsed. "That was intense," she said, laying her head against the warm road.

"It was," Takeru agreed, squatting down next to her. "But you did it."

"Yeah," she smiled softly. "I did. My first win against Specter."

Takeru smiled. Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out alright.

Alain smiled. Things were going to turn out alright.

"The gate to our world will open soon," he said. "Our plan is proceeding smoothly."

The Ganma was perched on a rooftop, overlooking a crowded train station in the middle of the city at night. Beside him was an older Ganma dressed in a military uniform. "

"Quite an impressive sight, isn't it, Javert?" the young man said. "The way home."

"It is indeed a privilege to look upon," Javert responded. "What next?"
"We need to move to the next site," Alain replied, already walking away. "After all, the time is almost upon us.

Elsewhere, Saionji chuckled to himself. "The final Eyecon is mine," he whispered. "All is going according to plan."

Sage, in Takeru's basement, somberly studied the Monolith. Yuyuko leaned against the wall. "It's almost time," he said.

"Yes," she agreed.

Time was running out. Forty days remained until Reimu would disappear forever.