"We're both already dead."

Her words had a chilling effect on me : I couldn't think of anything to say, and instead, just stood there, staring at Maribel with a blank expression.

"I'm sorry, Renko ! There's nothing we can do about this, so please... just try to forget me !" She repeated a final time, before turning heel and running off down the street. It didn't take her long to be swallowed up by the crowd, disappearing from sight.

...

Gone. She's gone.

...

I was still rooted to the spot, not only because of the shock of what she had just revealed, but also because, what else could I do ? I stood there, staring at the space in which I last saw her before she disappeared, as a warm afternoon breeze blew gently down the street. I barely noticed it. I wasn't paying attention to anything that was going on around me. As she left, it felt like she had torn away my heart, my brain, everything, and all that was left was an empty shell in the shape of Renko Usami.

This is it, isn't it ? She's gone, and by the time I see her again, she'll be a youkai. This is the last I'll ever see of Maribel Hearn. Panic was slowly filling me up, replacing the emptiness with something much worse. That idea had fully taken hold of me now : I would never see her again. I'm alone here. Alone in this horrible world.

...

I would probably have stayed in front of the school like a statue for the rest of the day, if it wasn't for the fact that Keine eventually came out of the front door. Expressing surprise that I was still here, she asked me where Maribel had gone. Feeling tears welling up just from thinking about it, I quickly blurted out an excuse, before briskly walking off, down the streets into the village, without any destination in mind. I just wanted to lose myself, to get swallowed up in the crowd, to not have to think about anything anymore; to cease.

Solitude never quite works out like that, though. On the contrary, as I walked, my mind seemed to recover from the shock, and thus began to wander, to think. About her. About everything we'd been through together. I remembered when we first met, when I was an awkward first-year student; the appearance of this radiant, golden haired girl left me in awe, and it took me an awkward amount of time to realise that, yes, it was me that she was talking to. I don't remember what made her come up to me out of all people, nor what we talked about, considering how mesmerised I was by her, but I'll never forget that initial conversation with her. We quickly became friends after that, which was a first for me, but it was when I told her about the Sealing Club that we really got close. The evenings spend together on the train, travelling to remote places throughout Japan to investigate the rumours we'd heard, gave us time to talk, to talk about anything, I didn't care, but we opened our hearts to each other, we got to know each other so well; she told me about all the things she saw in her dreams, things she had never dared mention to anyone else, and I talked to her about the theories I came up with, the way I could tell where we were from the night sky... We had become two sides of the same coin.

...

There was just one place in my heart that I couldn't show her. I didn't want to scare her away.

...

My feelings for her had only grown over time, of that I was certain. But I kept it to myself. She had always been so confident, hadn't she ? If she felt the same way about me, she would have said so. But she didn't. To her, I was just a friend. Well, more than a simple friend, considering how close we were, but still, I knew she didn't feel the same way about me. Despite knowing this, I always had a faint hope that, deep down, she might want to be more than friends, but didn't fully realise it yet, that maybe, if only I had confessed my love for her, she'd realise how she felt...

Now that she's gone, I'll never have even been able to try. That's what I get for putting it off for so long.

I didn't cry. I had been doing that far too much these last few days. Now that she'd gone, I felt like I had dried up inside, like I could barely feel anything anymore. It was with surprise that I finally realised that evening had started to fall, that I had wandered around, lost both in thought and in the village, most of the afternoon. I hadn't even begun to think about what I'd do for eating or sleeping that night; I didn't care. As far as I was concerned, I would just keep wandering in these streets until I couldn't any longer; maybe someone would rescue me again, maybe they wouldn't.

...

"Just try to forget me". Merry, even if I wanted to, I could never do that. I knew it wouldn't happen, but I hoped, I hoped so hard, that from behind me, I'd hear a familiar voice calling my name, and -

"Renko ?"

My heart leap. Was it ? But no, I knew Maribel's voice too well, and I could tell it wasn't her. Then who would know me...?

"Koujin ? Is that you ?" Turning around, I had seen the source of the voice : with her unmistakable green hair, I recognised who it was. I'd completely forgotten about her...

"So you're still alive. That's nice !" She seemed to be more cheerful than the last time we had met, but still lacked any kind of tact. Maybe she's trying to make conversation ? On one hand, I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone, yet, if it could take my mind of Maribel for a while...

"Where have you been ? You disappeared before I woke up, and your letter was so vague..."

She smiled proudly. Oh dear, she's been looking for someone to talk to for a while now, hasn't she ? "Well, now that I've been where I needed to go, I'd be happy to tell you about it. It all started with my great great great aunt..."

Yup, long story incoming. I contained my sigh. After all, a story was probably just what I needed right now. I never thought she'd be the talkative type, though... maybe, back then, she was just terrified. Like everyone else.

"...Give or take a few "greats". It was a long time ago. Anyway, this aunt of mine was a shrine maiden. Quite a popular one at one point, too : it was said she was able to produce miracles. One day, though, her whole shrine disappeared. Gone without a trace. Nobody knew what had happened, and she was never seen again. When I heard this story, I was intrigued. In an effort to find out what had happened, I found out who the god of her shrine was. Turns out there were two of them. So, I started praying to them; nothing happened at first, but as time passed, I started getting visions of a place I had never seen : a huge lake at the top of the mountain... and a shrine. I knew this must have been my ancestor's shrine." As she spoke, I nodded, so that she didn't think I wasn't paying attention. Getting visions of Gensokyo ? That sounds a bit like... Back to listening, then.

"I can't explain how, but I eventually started receiving knowledge about this place. I would just know something, without ever being told it. That's how I learnt that this place is called Gensokyo, and that I would never be able to find it on any map. I was happy to leave it at that : I was just curious to know what had happened to my ancestor, I didn't feel the need to set out on a quest to find her. That's when the incident on the bus happened." I nodded again. It was getting to the interesting part now.

"You know what happened until we parted ways. What I hadn't told you, though, I that from the lookout point I told you about, instead of looking down, I looked up; without a doubt, it was the mountain I had seen. With nowhere else in particular to go, I thought that I should try climbing it, to see what was left of the shrine. It was a difficult climb, but I made it by the following evening. Once I got there, I was greeted by a shrine maiden; you can imagine my surprise when she introduced herself as Sanae Kochiya : the aunt who had disappeared."

An idea flashed through my mind when I heard that. If such a distant ancestor of hers is still alive, either she's a youkai, or otherwise, when Merry talked about travelling through time, it wasn't... Koujin nodded as if she had read my thoughts.

"That's right. After talking for a while, she mentioned how long she had been here. Calculating it from when she had disappeared, that places us... roughly in 2010."

It was like a missing puzzle piece had finally been returned to me : questions that had been at the back of my mind could now be answered. So this must be why the residents of the mansion didn't recognise her ! Chronologically, this is the first time they've seen her, and so, when she saw them in her dream, they must have been pretending to have met for the first time... Not that that's of any importance any more. However, this also means that if we do return to our world, it'll be before we were even born, and we'd die before ending up back in our time, effectively making us dead to our world. Still, if there was a way to travel back to roughly our period, doesn't that mean there's still hope ? After a small pause, Koujin resumed.

"This was a bit of a problem; you see, I was told of a barrier that separates this world from ours. Crossing it isn't impossible, and that's even the reason why I'm here in this town. The problem is, if I do cross it the usual way, I won't be back in the same time as the one I was taken from. So, starting from tomorrow, I'll be investigating in order to find out who the blonde-haired woman we saw was. I'm sure she's behind our kidnapping, so if anyone can send us back properly, it's her." I laughed nervously. There's no way I can tell her that my best friend is the one responsible for all this. I didn't even want to believe it myself.

"So where are you staying tonight ? I've found a good inn on the other side of town, that isn't even too expensive." I turned away, too ashamed to admit that I still hadn't given that any thought.

"Don't tell me you intend to sleep outside ?" She asked, taken aback. "Tell me you've at least found something to eat ?"

"W-Well, I was given some kind of medicine that stops me from feeling hunger for a few days," I weakly admitted. She scoffed.

"Anti-hunger medicine ? That sounds like some kind of stupid plot device, if you ask me." With a sigh, she reached into a pocket, pulling out some shiny coins. "Here. It's not much, but it'll probably do for tonight. I don't have much myself, so I can't spare much for now." After politely trying to refuse, ended up accepting, thanking her for her generosity. She then said that she ought to leave now if she wanted a good meal, but as she turned away from me, a question surfaced in my mind.

"Um, I've been wondering," I started tentatively, "If it took you almost a day to climb the mountain, and you stayed there for a while talking to Sanae, how did you get back down to the village so fast ?"

She smiled mischievously. "Let's say that Sanae... taught me some things. Most notably, the preferred mode of transport used here." I stared blankly at her. She looked a bit disappointed, before resuming. "Maybe it's just a family thing, but she taught me how strong faith can be in this world. Or, to be more precise, this entire world is based on the balance between faith and the lack of it. When you're here, faith can shape this world. Faith can give you wings. So please remember, Renko : don't lose faith. As long as you don't, there's still hope." She was grinning as if she had just said the most meaningful speech imaginable. I smiled and nodded, pretending to grasp the deep meaning she seemed to put behind her words.

"Well, I need to be off now. May we meet again, Renko !" And with that, she left down the now-dark streets. I watched her leave, mulling over everything she had said.

Wait. Faith gives you wings ? She didn't mean... I looked up into the sky, but it had grown too dark to make out anything. Surely not... It was then that I remembered the coins I was holding. Well, the medicine is still in effect, and it's getting cold, so finding the inn would be my best bet... Looking around, I realised that I had succeeded in what I had set out to do : completely losing myself.

...

I set out to wander the streets once more, half-hoping to come across an inn. Part of me wished I wouldn't : a feeling of guilt was pulling me back. How can I stay the night in comfort whilst leaving Merry outside in the cold ? I knew I would never find her now that it was dark, though, so I carried on roaming the streets with no clear plan in mind. It was probably the faint light of dusk playing tricks on me, but out of the corner of my eye, I kept noticing something that seemed to be following me, ducking behind buildings whenever I looked. Nobody would be following me, though. Unless it was... I chased that thought from my head. She wouldn't. She's gone.

Eventually, I noticed the school in the distance, from the back. From there, I knew I could find my way back to the inn. I felt more disappointed than anything. No more excuses... It was then that I heard a loud crash from right behind me : lying face down on the floor was a young girl in a green skirt, carrying two swords at her side, which I guessed were the source of the noise. So I was being followed ! I took a step back, wary of the swords, but the girl quickly picked herself up, blushing profusely.

"Are... are you, um, R-Renko ?" She stammered. I nodded, surprised that this stranger knew my name. This is the second time this evening that I hear my name from an unexpected source... She straightened herself out, brushing down her top, before clearing her throat and talking.

"In that case, I have a delivery for you."

"Um, who are you ?" My question caught her off guard, but I couldn't help but wonder who this strange katana wielding girl was.

"I'm, ah, I'm just... a gardener. My name is not important. But what is important is this letter !" She practically shoved a small, old-looking envelope into my hands as she said that. Seeing that I obviously had a ton of questions to ask her, she quickly stated whilst backing off, "make sure you read it straight away ! It's important, you know !", before turning round and running away. What an odd girl. Does she expect me to believe those swords are for cutting hedges ?

I couldn't pretend that I wasn't interested in knowing the contents of the letter, though. Moving closer to a shop in order to shed some light on it (in both senses), I could now make out the details : it was definitely old, probably moreso than I imagined. It was sealed with wax, and the seal seemed still intact. Not for long ! I took pleasure in breaking open the old seal; it was one of those things that seemed like it would be fun to do, but that I had never had an opportunity to try. When the envelope was open, the smell of old paper hit my nose; it was a nice scent, reminding me of some old libraries that I had visited with...

The letter itself was written in ink on a yellowed, neatly-folded page. The handwriting was impeccable, although used some dated kanji readings that I had some trouble with. How can something so old be for me ? This must predate my birth by decades, maybe even centuries. But sure enough, when I started reading it, there was no doubt that it was addressed to me.

...

"To Renko, whenever you may read this :

If you have been handed this letter, then a friend of mine is on the verge of making a mistake that they will dearly regret. This friend of mine also happens to be your friend, under a different name. In a different life, to be more precise.

At the time I'm writing this, I have no idea how much you know about your friend. But for you to have been given this letter, the situation must be dire, so I can only hope that you've managed to inform yourself well enough.

I know Yukari well, and you know Maribel well. If this letter has arrived to you on time, then you can still appeal to Maribel herself; the situation must still be in your hands.

You must convince Maribel that Yukari is lying. Whatever story she's cooked up for herself, whatever she may have told or shown your friend, it isn't true.

Maribel doesn't have to disappear.

It will be difficult. Yukari is skilled in the arts of deceit, and most certainly isn't above lying even to herself. Well, if she was honest with herself, I wouldn't have to write this letter in the first place, but like I said : I know her well.

It's up to you. Prevent Maribel from listening to Yukari. Convince her to stay. Remind her of your friendship. Do everything you can.

If you have, and she still doesn't come to reason, there's but one solution left : you must confront Yukari yourself. I've already tried, believe me, but I don't quite have the necessary impact which you may possess. You might be able to make her remember.

Confront her at the shrine. That's where you're most likely to meet her. But be warned, because if you're already at that stage, you will not have much longer before you friend is gone for good.

Hurry now. Prevent her from making this mistake that everyone will regret.

-A concerned friend"

The more I read the letter, the more questions I had. It felt like a mess of confused ideas written in no particular order; I had to re-read it to make sure I had understood everything. There was one sentence that stood out from the rest both times my eyes passed over it, one sentence giving me the hope that had fled along with my friend : Maribel doesn't have to disappear.

I had no idea who this "concerned friend" was, nor how they knew about Maribel, Yukari and I. I knew that, in summary, they were just telling me to talk to Maribel again; I didn't care. They had given me the hope I needed. The emptiness I had felt all afternoon had gone, filled up with this new feeling of determination : there was still a chance. However slim it might be, however desperate it may seem to trust such an odd letter, I didn't care. Right now, I had a goal. I had to save my friend.

My friend who I haven't seen all day. My friend who vanished somewhere in this unfamiliar village, and could be anywhere by now. My newfound resolve faltered : I had wandered around until dusk and yet hadn't caught so much as a glimpse of her; the streets were almost empty now, which would help, but still, how was I supposed to find her ? As I paced back and forth, deciding what the best course of action was, my stomach growled. Then an idea hit me.

She wanted us to visit the tofu stand later on. Maybe, with a bit of luck...

...

I knew roughly where it was thanks to the school; I ran down the streets at full speed, arriving at the corner where we had seen the kitsune woman, turned the corner, and...

I could have burst into tears of joy just from the sight of her. There sat Maribel, on the edge of the street next to the tofu stand. She looked so small and fragile, sitting there in her purple dress, her head resting in her hands; it looked like she'd been waiting there for a while. I wanted to run up to her and kiss her right then, but noticing my presence, she looked up at me, and the sad look in her eyes knocked the joy right out of me. Seeing that it was me, a mix of expressions crossed her face : she somehow looked happy, yet at the same time, scared enough to run off. "Renko...?" she whispered. I walked up to her, but she stood up. "Listen, Renko, we shouldn't... it's only more painful for both of us if you don't let me-" I hushed her.

"Merry, listen to me. I was right. Yukari is manipulating you. Whatever she told you is wrong. You don't have to listen to her. You don't have to disappear, Merry !"

She averted her eyes, unable to withstand the intensity with which I gazed at her.

"Renko, please... I don't want it to be true either. I just want to go home with you. But you can't understand. You haven't talked to her. She hasn't told you the things she's told me. So how can you say that it's all a lie ? How could you even pretend to know ?" She sounded almost angry; I hoped it was because she wished I was right. I wasn't sure how to reply; I didn't want to reveal the letter yet, but at the same time, she was right : I had nothing even resembling proof that Yukari was lying. I still had to try.

"Yukari is powerful enough to carry an entire bus full of people through time and space. No matter what she may have told you, or even shown you; she must have the power to conjure up any illusion she wants to, no ?" Seeing that I wasn't getting through the wall she had formed between us, I had no choice.

"Wait." I pulled out the letter; she inspected it, curious. "You may not believe my theories, but you have to see this." I wasn't sure at first if I should sum up the letter or just let her read it, but seeing how reticent she was to trust my words, the letter itself would have more impact. I handed it to her; she started reading immediately. Once she had finished, she looked at me, wide-eyed with confusion. "I... I don't understand..."

"Neither do I. But just look at the letter. There's no way this is fake. That is definitely something ancient you're holding in your hands. And it was written by someone who knows Yukari. You might not believe me, Merry, but this ? You'd be throwing yourself right into her trap if you ignored this. Please, Merry, don't fall for her lies !"

Maribel was clearly shaken by this new piece of evidence. Gone was her guilty, avoidant look from earlier : now she was staring at me, as if pleading me to carry on, to convince her once and for all that she could stay, that somehow there would be a way out of this, together, and-

"This means nothing. An old enemy of hers could have written this. This is not proof of anything."

Oh no.

The deeper, menacing voice that I had first heard at the mansion was back. I had blinked, and gone was the uncertainty and the fragility in her eyes, replaced by a steely, cold glare. With that unmistakable purple glow. I knew what was happening now : Yukari felt threatened, and so she was taking control.

"There is simply no way someone like you could understand. Too much is at stake here. I can't let my doubts get in the way of Yukari's plan. It's much too important. After all, if there isn't Gensokyo, the balance-"

"Shut it." I wasn't going to let her pretend to be Maribel any longer. "I know it's you speaking, Yukari. And you know I'm right, don't you ? You're getting worried, so you're trying to cut me off from her, right ? Well since you're here, this is a chance for us to finally speak straight to you." I was scared, but I tried not to show it : this is what I had been waiting for, a chance to finally stand up to her, a chance to fight for Maribel; I wasn't going to let the increasing feeling of dread I felt creeping over me get the best of my resolve.

Yukari –for this was definitely no longer Maribel- replied with a laugh. It wasn't Maribel's, full of warmth, but a cruel, chilling laugh.

"But Yukari has nothing to say to you ! If you insist, you'll have to come to the shrine yourself..." As she said that, the air behind her seemed to tear open : first as a small crack, almost imperceptible, then, once it had become taller than both of us, two red ribbons wrapped themselves around the extremities; the crack then tore itself open, exposing a gaping abyss of eyes and black, dead-looking arms. "You'd better be quick, though !" she said, with a malicious smile, as the hands took hold of her, pulling her into the void.

I'm not letting you take her away again, Yukari !

The gap had almost fully pulled her in, and was starting to close; abandoning all self-preservation, I leapt in after her.

...

Darkness. The eyes were there, yet somehow, there was no light.

I felt a hand touch mine as I floated in the dark.

"Merry ?"

"Renko ? Please, help me Renko, that wasn't me, that wasn't-"

...

The darkness opened back up, dropping us both on the ground in front of a shrine. I scrambled to my feet, wasting no time running up to the body of my friend lying on the floor a few metres away from me.

"Merry ? Merry, look at me ! Are you ok ? Is it you ?" She looked up into my eyes : it was her again. She's back. I put my arms around her, sobbing.

"Merry... Merry..."

"You are a stubborn one, aren't you ?" The cold voice rang out again, but this time, it wasn't coming from between my arms. I turned round.

...

We were on top of a hill : a shrine gate was perched near the edge of an absurdly tall flight of stairs; above the gate, the full moon shone bright, appearing massive in the cold night sky. A black line then drew itself in the sky, splitting into another dark void, standing out in contrast to the silver moonlight.

The void wasn't empty this time. Out of it stepped a tall woman with long blonde hair, holding an ornate parasol and dressed in a familiar shade of purple. Even from here, her eyes carried such an imposing feeling of menace that I felt myself shrinking back under her gaze. Closing the gap behind her, she stayed suspended in the air above us, powerful, terrifying, yet entrancing. Pointing the parasol at us, she finally spoke as herself.

...

"Have you been having fun ? I'm afraid all your little attempts end now. Say your goodbyes; this is the last you'll be seeing of her."