~ STAGE 0: "In Media Res" ~
[START]
It was a display like any other in the Land of Illusions.
Myriad colors shot outward in every direction, lighting up the night sky. They burst, popped, faded out like prismic fireworks. Sounds of fighting could be heard amidst the luminous cascades of bullets. Any resident of this place would recognize the sights and sounds in an instant:
A Spell Card battle. An even duel where either side had a chance at winning. A 'beautiful' and 'fair' fight where sheer strength was no deciding factor at all. Where actions taken had meaning, and consequently drew power from that meaning. Where the victor could not kill a human, and youkai could freely demonstrate their power.
That was how things were settled in this place. It was an unspoken, understood rule.
-So, it only made sense someone would someday break them.
"Agh-!"
A young woman cried out as a sound like breaking glass smashed through the fight, her silhouette turned into a blur that was flung across the ground. She skipped across the grass like a stone across water, barely coming to a stop at the edge of a nearby ravine. Her clothing, decidedly modern and foreign, was torn up in various spots. Even though she felt like she'd just been punched in the chest by an angry gorilla, she found enough strength to weakly rise to her feet.
Behind her, far below, she could hear the distant echo of rushing water. She tried to ignore it as she looked back ahead. There was no time for her to get distracted.
Approaching her was an older woman dressed in red robes, a similarly colored horn protruding from her forehead. The elder chuckled as she walked, taking a relaxed sip from a sake dish in one hand; so cavalier, yet the air carried a deep sense of dread. What she held in her other hand only strengthened that feeling: a blade, its steel gleaming faintly in the moonlight.
The elder raised it upward, despite being a fair distance away. And then, as though she was ignorant of the weapon's limited range... she swung it.
Overcome with an overwhelming premonition, the girl quickly moved-
Before she even took a step, a searing sensation tore through her side.
Again, again, and again, all across her body from every angle. She could faintly make out the visage of the woman in front of her, making shallow strokes in the air with her sword. She couldn't explain the sensation, but it was like something was being 'warped' with each swing. As though the law that 'this strike will miss' was being rebelled against; as if such a common sense was completely unrelated to her movements.
Soon, the strikes stopped, and she nearly crumpled under the weight of her own body. It was a miracle she could even stay upright.
Staring down the sharp edge of that sword, the young woman saw more than her own reflection. She could see a clear image of her opponent's intent, and her fate if she didn't overcome them.
This was no longer a Spell Card battle. It couldn't even be called something as glamorous as 'a fight to the death'. That would've implied she'd go down with anything resembling a fight, at this rate. No, there was only one way to describe this: the willful murder of a human.
She cursed at the thought, and new strength filled her body as she rose her arms in defiance. All around her, a series of rapid 'BANG!'s rang out-repeated flashes of light like a firing squad had just opened fire. If one had the reaction speed, they would see something that looked like bullets of light screeching towards the older woman. Each one aimed for vital points of the body and would surely hit their mark-
A flash of steel; a simple flourish. With as much care as if she were swatting summertime gnats, the horned swordsman had simply slapped the barrage aside. A cold smile crossed her lips as she continued walking forward.
The girl didn't relent. Never one to be cowed, she kept shooting. Her eyes tracked the movement of each shot as it was knocked aside, never losing track of a single one. On one hand, she pressed her index and middle fingers together, extending them outward as she concentrated.
One…
"What are you hoping you'll accomplish?" The elder tilted her head slightly, her cold smile turning to a chilling grin. "These movements of yours are meaningless."
She ignored her and kept shooting; she denied her as she had many things leading up to this moment.
(But for how much longer would that continue?)
Soon enough, the other was within range to cut her down; too close for her to continue firing without risk.
Two-
Time slowed to a crawl. Her eyes tracked the blade's movements. Raised, it was poised to cut her down in a single motion. Her body tensed, as though she'd seen her own death, and she saw the look of fatal determination in her opponent's eyes.
And, as though she'd been waiting for it, she charged forward.
"-?!"
The swordsman's expression twisted into surprise as the girl rushed forward, faster than either of them had anticipated. The song of steel slicing air rang out and the blade passed right through the girl's body-
-But she was untouched.
The girl's observation was right. But she didn't have time to muse over her opponent's ability-she needed to follow through on her motion. She leapt, a palm set to meet her opponent's face. Right before she made contact, a card had materialized in the youth's other hand.
A Spell Card.
The bullets the swordsman had been batting about hadn't faded away. Rather, it was as though they had been controlled and repositioned. She would probably see out of the corner of her eye something forming around and underneath her: light, melting together as though creating a small pool.
Three!
"Cannnonball 'Sake Bomb'!"
Roaring defiantly, the girl slammed her palm into her opponent's face. The force of the impact seemed to surprise the other, as she lost her footing and her grip on the sake dish in her hand. Gripping her by the head as she went, the girl drove her into the radiant pool-
The next instant, the entire area was bathed in light. A tower of fire rising and falling, like someone had hurled a boulder into a lake. An exploding howl echoed out for a good mile, nearby trees quaking in its wake.
As the impact seemed to settle, the sound of something breaking filled the air once more.
"Ah… ah-"
Had this been a proper duel, such a move might have won her the day.
But, this wasn't something so frivolous or playful. The outcome had already been decided the moment one had challenged the other.
She almost didn't notice something had gone through her torso. Had it not been for that cold sensation running her through, she'd have missed it entirely. That, and the sensation of something wet running down her body. Her vision was too red to make out what it was.
Her body seemed to get the memo, and it filled with a sensation like burning needles. It hurt. Breathing hurt. Everything hurt. She felt the strength in her body leaving her as she stubbornly gripped the thing that was inside her chest and weakly tried to pull it loose.
"My, you're quite something."
The elder woman said something. She couldn't respond-any attempt made everything hurt even more.
"You keep denying the truth, and where has it gotten you?"
The swordsman steadily lifted up the sword in her hand, and the girl felt herself rising up off the ground. The burning sensation became searing, and she almost started screaming.
The only reason she hadn't was visible in the ferocious glare she was shooting her foe.
"Oh, that's quite a look. Yes, you've got some spirit." She grinned. "Don't think I don't sympathize with your plight, girl. I know what it's like to reject the nature of your very existence."
Her eyes seemed to be screaming in return: Shut up already. Even suspended in the air, she found strength to keep her grip on the blade in her torso. Something wet was covering her hands, now, too.
"..." The other frowned, as if genuinely disappointed by something. Then, a sigh. "You're not going to listen, are you? Yes, I suppose you are alike after all. Always denying me, even when I try to help you. Such a shame..." Her eyes shifted to the ravine nearby. Her grip on the sword's handle tightened, and her smile returned. "Well, so be it. It's not like I made plans for any other outcome. You have only yourself to blame for that, ◻◻◻◻◻."
It almost sounded like she was talking to someone else. The girl didn't understand any of it.
"Goodbye. Make sure you leave a spot in the afterlife for the shrine maiden, hm?"
She couldn't have reacted to it. She couldn't have done anything about it, either. All she heard was the singing voice of steel that cut her mind in half, before her consciousness went blank. Her vision was no longer tinted red, but dyed complete crimson.
Her silhouette, split down the middle, tumbled down the ravine without a sound.
She shouldn't have been able to think. Not anymore, in a state like this. And yet, as she crashed into the waters below, some semblance of her conscious mind remained. A brief vision of someone special to her, along with a single, conscious thought-
I'm sorry, Reimu…
It was her last thought before the current washed her away.