A horror unspoken
Byakuren stood up and went out of the river first. She undressed and tried to dry her clothes with some success. Since it was still warm, unusual for autumn, the drying did not take too long. However, something bothered her: it was silent all around. No birds were heard, the wind was dry and a creepy stench filled the surrounding air.
"Something is just wrong here.", Byakuren thought. "I cannot feel anyone, neither humans nor youkai, but there should be something,... someone."
Byakuren dressed up again and turned around. The sun stood high in the sky, symbolizing it was around noon. "I have to leave this place behind. I am unable to feel life, thus this space must be already dead."
Byakuren went to an open place in the woods and jumped up to fly around. Only now she realised what really happened and could not believe her own eyes: "Great gods of dharma... oh Buddha... please, let this be a nightmare and not the truth..."
Byakuren was unable to comprehend the disaster at first. The little patch of wood where she landed was surrounded by enormous craters everywhere. Many of them were blood-red, mud and rotten flesh lay in the holes. She landed to search near the craters, and found an umbrella. It was Kogasa's.
She could barely watch into the crater, too big was the shock. The little karakasa's body was half-buried, half over the earth in the pan. Her arms were decapitated several times, her head turned 180 degrees backwards. Heavy fire damage was done to her skin and clothes, making her body look like charcoal. Her inner organs were ripped inside out and flies and maggots were eating on her broken legs. A truly devastating view.
Byakuren could not hold it in and threw up at once over the disgusting sight. After some time she tried to get away from there and try to find any survivors – unsuccessful, as it happened. The human village was burned down to the roots, with the humans having suffered the same fate as the youkai of surprise. The rice fields had become a place slaughter, the village people tried to flee it seemed. Flying around, Byakuren found more and more evidence that likely no one in the whole of Gensokyo might have survived.
The Scarlet Devil mansion was ruined, the misty lake vaporised. Somewhere was Cirno, seemingly alive and yet not, chained to a boulder. As a fairy she could not die, but she had gone insane from the apocalypse that had happened.
"Are- are you... Cirno?" Byakuren tried to talk to the fairy, but she pulled like an animal on the chain tied to her neck like a dog. She was badly hurt, deeply scratched all over her body, her clothes torn, barely resembling her favourite dress any more. Her right arm was twisted multiple times, and she must have gone through hell already with the pain it caused. Byakuren wanted to help her, but Cirno tried to bite her like a mad hound would, wild and uncontrollable. Healing her had the risk of Byakuren herself getting hurt badly by the ice fairy.
"I will leave you alone, may the Gods have mercy." With these words, Byakuren went away leaving the disturbed shadow of the once proud fairy youkai behind. Unsure what to do now, she went to the only place she knew where to find help.
She landed in front of the Hakurei Shrine, which seemed to be relatively undamaged. "This might be only due to the wards, though." Byakuren thought and entered the shrine. She regretted this decision barely a minute later, when an arrow made its way towards her, and she could catch it only millimetres before her eye. The archer was Reimu herself, stripped of her Hakurei orbs, her magic seemingly taken away, she gave a lifeless expression of herself. Her skin appeared dry, her clothes kept barely together and she could not speak. The view in her eyes was dumb and she shivered holding the bow. Not much remained of the great Miko who had saved Gensokyo so often in the past.
"Reimu, I... you are alive. Can you tell me what happened?" Byakuren asked. Reimu did not seem to understand the question and hold the bow up again. Then it was noticeable what she actually suffered – Utsuho had ripped her tongue out and left her to die a gruesome death alone in the rubble. Her being alive after all this time was half a miracle, half a curse for her.
The muted Reimu fired another arrow, which Byakuren took out of the air again and broke into two. She went over and disarmed the Miko, then tried to restore her with her powers. Reimu fought against it, believing Byakuren would try to hurt her, just until she slept in by the saint's magic. Hours later she awoke, her wounds healed, her tongue restored but still without her magic.
"You healed me, despite me trying to fend you off. But what can I do? I am stripped of my powers, and everyone else is dead. That insanity in person did not kill me for reasons beyond me. What do you want?" Reimu looked heavily depressed, even more than the moment she held that bow up and at the intruder.
"You see, I died already but came back. The gods gave me a new power, the power of timetravel, enabling me to undo all those gruesome things, but I need to know when and why this happened. If you have any ideas, any suggestions what I shall do to prevent the slaughter, then tell me your opinions." Byakuren said, looking over to Reimu.
Reimu thought heavily about it, then it came to her: "Remilia! Save her first, she is the first victim as I know. Go back to the 23rd of April and head right over to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Tell her that I send you and give her this to prove it." Reimu gave Byakuren a small silver cross.
"With this, she will let you in. Then you wait for that insane bird and beat the crap out of her!"
Byakuren took the cross and replied: "I thank you for your gratitude and trust. I will depart shortly then and I promise I will stop her. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"If you kick her out, this entire scenario will become bleak for me anyway. Head off and don't screw up."
With this, Byakuren went off right away. Reimu tried to sleep in after Byakuren's departure, but suddenly her ears started hurting. Wondering, she touched them, noticing cross-styled earrings. "Huh? Did I always have those?"
In the meanwhile, Byakuren reached her designation. Cherry blossom were where they should be, she had landed in the spring time again. She went off to the Scarlet Devil Mansion right away and landed in front of Meiling, the door guard.
"Halt! Who are you and what do you want?" the Chinese girl asked.
"I am Byakuren and I am send by Reimu because I have to talk to Remilia. Here, Reimu told me to show this so I can prove it."
Meiling looked at the charm, then nodded: "Alright, you may go in. But behave, ya hear me?"
Byakuren was given entry to the mansion. The huge gate opened to a yard full of flowers and trees, and, somewhere in the distance, the towering mansion showed itself. A huge, European castle, including its own clock tower on one side made of red brick with a dark blue and black roof, it was an impressive structure worthy of the high-class that were the vampire twins Remilia and Flandre.
The front door, just as huge as the garden gate, opened up. The dark brown wooden door made a sound typical for its age while the gold decorations from another age have shown their lot. Byakuren stepped into an eternally long floor, repeating the same pattern of doors, angled architecture and lights endlessly.
A fairy maid came along her, asking her in simple speech: "Who are you, what you want!"
Byakuren answered the rather rude sounding fairy: "I am Byakuren Hijiri, and I wish to be bought to your Mistress."
The fairy tilted her head, not understanding the term "Mistress" it seemed. Byakuren sighted and repeated: "Please bring me to your boss."
Brightening up, the fairy flew away and Byakuren followed her. After some time, the fairy stopped in front of a door, looking exactly like every other door in the long floor. "Floor is enchanted. Must stop for few minutes. Then after stop, search for door with gold knob, that's right one." The fairy resumed to her work, while Byakuren noticed the indeed golden knob, opened the door and stepped in.
Inside was a sparsely outfitted room, a bed, a desk, a drawer, a tiny window and a few pictures. They showed Remilia, Flandre, Sakuya and a few others of the inhabitants of Kumakan. Byakuren thought she was in the wrong room, after all Remilia would for once sleep in a coffin and also never spend time in such a tiny room.
"What are you doing in my room?" a voice came up from behind Byakuren.
It was Sakuya, the head maid, thus it was her room, not Remilia's. Byakuren sighed, then answered: "I am sorry. One of the fairy maids who I asked to bring me to her boss led me here. You are Sakuya Izayoi, right? Reimu Hakurei send me, I am searching for your mistress, Remilia."
"Show me a proof of that."
Sakuya seemed annoyed. Byakuren held up the small silver cross and Sakuya nodded.
"Very well, I will lead you to the mistress' room, but she is currently a little busy so you should remain silent until she has time for you."
Sakuya gave Byakuren a very sharp look, then led her to the throne room. Remilia sat above it, in front of her were some peasants from the human village bowing down and offering various bottles.
Remilia laughed like the childish brat she was, then spoke up: "Ha, very well as usual. For another year my minions will protect the human village from remaining evil spirits. But don't you dare to forget, without me you all are worthless."
The three humans from the village went out, Sakuya leaning on the opened door eyes closed as she waited until Remilia would calm down from her obvious superiority showing, then told Byakuren to come. Bowing down and holding her skirt up slightly to show her devotion, she stood up and presented Byakuren to Remilia.
Remilia, holding a wine glass filled with fresh blood from one of the bottles, leaned in her throne in what looked quite an uncomfortable position, but gave the saint a sharp view: "Speak up, what do you want, nun?"
"I will come straight to the point, you and your entire mansion are in great danger from an evil spirit who possessed the eternal flame of the underground, Utsuho Reiuji. I plead to you to show awareness at all times and to increase your guard. I do not know when she will attack, but..."
Byakuren was cut out by Remilia: "Wait wait wait. ME? In DANGER? Oh sure, is that some kinda joke you and Reimu are trying to pull off? Seriously, I am the SCARLET DEVIL, unbeaten but once in my entire life. And you think I'm in danger? Sakuya, get her out of my sight!"
"At once, Milady. Please follow me."
Byakuren could not stand such a huge ego that Remilia showed, then took out the cross and threw it upwards. Remilia caught it. "As a vampire, you should be able to recognise whose blood this is."
Remilia held the cross near her nose, then looked shocked: "It's Reimu's blood! Explain that!"
Byakuren was about to say that she came from the future, but an explosion interrupted her before she could open her mouth. Turning around, she was devastated – it seemed Utsuho was already here.