Sure, she'd only been awake for a couple of hours, but to Mystia Lorelei, it had already been a long day.

Sure, none of the blood that caked her hands and covered her outfit was hers, but that didn't change the fact that it would take some serious effort to wash out.

Sure, she wasn't necessarily close with the two of them, but that didn't mean that the gravity of the situation didn't make her rather uncomfortable.

…

She figured that she'd seen enough corpses today.

And, as she hovered uncertainly in the lobby of Eientei, she found herself considering a morbid question.

…Will there be two more?

…

She couldn't help but think back on what had led up to this point.

~~~~~~Tradition's End~~~~~~

Sure, she'd only been awake for about an hour, but to Mystia Lorelei, it had already been a weird day.

It was weird that she was out and about during the daytime in the first place.

Now, she didn't need to sleep (she was a youkai, thank you very much!), but she vastly preferred the darkness of the night. Enough so, that she considered sleeping to be one of the best ways of passing the time until the next sunset.

So, when she was rudely awakened in the late afternoon by a frantic knocking at her door, she was only slightly miffed.

"Hold ooooon… I'm coming…" A sleepy-eyed night sparrow rose from her nest of blankets and shuffled towards the front door.

Youkai didn't need to sleep, but for some reason, they could feel the effects of it.

…

The source of the knocking had turned out to be a rather panicked Daiyousei.

As it turned out, Cirno had disappeared that morning, and Dai couldn't find her at any of their usual spots.

That was pretty strange. Cirno and Daiyousei were practically joined at the hip. Those two did everything together.

Why would she have run off without telling Dai?

…

Mystia wasn't really all that concerned. Cirno was a fairy. Basically immortal.

And… she might have been a blockhead, but she was a surprisingly good fighter.

She really didn't feel the need to worry about it.

As such, she got herself ready at only a slightly faster than normal pace.

Faster, only because she had a certain green-haired fairy rushing her along.

…

As Mystia helped Daiyousei search the Forest, the pair happened to come across another friend.

Wriggle Nightbug, even more of a night owl (or night bug) than Mystia, was wide awake and investigating the area around her home. That was also weird.

Apparently, she'd been woken up by vibrations.

That had confused Mystia at first, until she remembered that Wriggle was, in fact, a bug. She was good at feeling vibrations through the ground.

Wriggle had said that the vibrations felt like an ongoing battle, and she'd wanted to check it out.

…

Mystia was happier now that Wriggle had joined the search party. It made the whole thing feel like more of an adventure.

That, and she considered Wriggle to be one of her best friends. There was a certain kinship between the creatures of the night.

…

They'd actually found Cirno not long after that.

The ice fairy looked pretty roughed up. There were rips on her dress, she had some scratches and scrapes (which Daiyousei immediately tried tending to), and her hair bow was barely hanging on.

However, Cirno was beaming. It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

Flanking her was one large ice cube. Truly, it was more like a frozen prison.

Within the mass of ice was a nasty looking beast youkai. Its ragged fur was gray and patchy. Long, bony limbs ended in huge claws.

There was an absolutely feral look in its frozen eyes.

And… It was thin. Much thinner than it probably should have been.

…Starving?

It was a thought that never failed to make Mystia shudder.

…

To hear Cirno tell it, the whole thing was a story of glorious battle and spectacular triumph.

Apparently, she'd heard rumors from the other fairies of dangerous beasts roaming the Forest and attacking anyone in their way.

…Who else but Cirno to take those rumors as a challenge?

After hours of looking, she'd finally come across the feral youkai. They'd engaged in a long, hard-fought battle. One from which Cirno had emerged victorious.

…A quick glance at the surrounding area actually made her tale more credible. Ravaged foliage and patches of melting ice were littered about. Deep gouges were taken out of both the ground and trees alike. There was at least one tree that was frozen solid from top to bottom.

Mystia flitted about the area, trying to decide on what the most impressive damage was..

…

"I can't believe you left without saying anything! I was so worried about you!" Now that she'd doted on Cirno's minor injuries, Daiyousei was really letting her have it.

Cirno, probably owing to her good mood, actually managed to apologize.

"Sorry, Dai! But that thing was crazy strong! I didn't want you to get hurt."

Wow… Mystia could have counted on one hand the number of times that Cirno had said 'sorry' about anything.

…Maybe she was actually starting to get some sense in that ice brain of hers.

"Mmph… You still should have told me. I could have helped, you big dummy." Judging by the way she'd latched onto Cirno's arm, Daiyousei was already over it.

…Welp, guess that takes care of that.

…

Little did she know at the time, this was, in fact, not the end of things.

~~~~~~Tradition's End~~~~~~

It was well into the afternoon of a pleasant late spring day that Alice and Eric had gone for a little walk.

Well, there was a little more nuance to it than that.

…

The weather was downright lovely. A pleasantly cool breeze found its way through the trees, giving a welcome respite from the heat that had lingered for the last couple of weeks. A scattering of fluffy clouds drifted idyllically overhead.

Typically, Alice would have preferred to enjoy this weather at home, perhaps opening some windows or relaxing on her porch.

However, in this case…

Eric had suggested a small picnic, and Alice, surprisingly, found that she wasn't all that opposed to the idea.

She knew that she'd be in good company. And, she had to admit, fresh air might do her some good.

For the past three days, she had been engrossed in drafting up an array of new experiments to perform with Shanghai. Chiefly, ways to insulate the doll from her subconscious influence so that she could observe the effects.

Eric's tale of Shanghai's pseudo-independence had yet to fade from her mind. If she was able to see this with her own eyes…

She was nearing a breakthrough. She was sure of it. All she needed to do was focus.

…

Unfortunately, this sort of focus came with a price. Alice had begun to neglect herself, and she was fully aware of it.

It was a minor sacrifice, she had reasoned. Skipping a meal here and there was of no concern to a magician youkai. Neither was staying up throughout the night while she drew and redrew the schematics of a magic circle because she just couldn't get the damn runes to line up prop-

…

…there was no reason to think back on last night's frustrations. She had already solved that problem, and now, with Eric showing up, basket in hand, she had been given a terrific opportunity to stretch her legs and clear her mind.

Perhaps a little distance will yield some new inspiration.

That, and the thought of sharing a picnic with him, however cliche it may be, made some small part of her giddy.

…

With the familiar weight of her grimoire affixed to her hip and a security detail of four combat dolls plus Shanghai surrounding her, she floated up to Eric, her boots mere inches above the ground.

Walking. Floating. These modes of transport were interchangeable to her. At times, she desired to feel the earth beneath her feet, to remain as grounded as possible. At others, she elected to remain airborne, to keep herself free from the shackles of gravity.

Today, she had chosen the latter.

Eric didn't seem to mind, if his awkwardly disarming smile was of any indication.

"Hey, um, do you happen to know any good picnic spots around here?"

…Hmm. Now that was a good question.

There were some small clearings nearby that she was aware of. But… would any of them be good enough?

She brought a hand to her chin in thought.

"Heh. I, uh, didn't mean to thrust the responsibility on to you," he followed up apologetically. "I just figured that you were more familiar with the area."

…There were a couple of small bluffs where a section of the Forest transitioned to the shoreline of Misty Lake. Those would be perfect for a picnic.

"You need not worry. In fact, I believe that I have an acceptable location in mind." Alice tilted her head towards Eric. "Shall I lead the way?"

That smile was back, more confident this time. "Yeah, definitely!"

…

For several minutes, they traveled in companionable silence.

That was certainly one thing that she had come to appreciate about Eric. He wasn't one to try and force a conversation if it wasn't necessary.

…Sometimes, the spaces between the words were just as meaningful.

…

The quiet did give Alice's mind a chance to wander. Eventually, it settled upon her surroundings.

The weather had been dry, and, unfortunately, the effects were starting to become noticeable.

The grass, the vines, the underbrush… all of it was losing its green luster. Patches of brittle, desiccated plants had begun to form and spread.

The Forest canopy was less robust. Once broad leaves now appeared to be shriveling, their tips curling upwards.

The foliage was certainly healthier in the vicinity of the occasional small streams that ran through the dense woodland, but those areas were few and far between.

Alice sighed internally. Perhaps the people of Gensokyo ought to pray for rain? Maybe the Moriya Shrine could do something about it?

…

Eric broke the silence with a question. A simple, innocent question.

"Hey, Alice. Are you… okay?"

Alice turned her head to look at him. There was a vague look of worry within his warm brown eyes.

…Okay? Why… wouldn't she be okay? She was right next to him, perfectly fine, wasn't she?

She nodded in affirmation. "I am. Why do you ask?"

"That's good. It's just…" He gestured in a crescent motion, just below his eyes. "...the dark circles. I've never seen them on you before."

Oh. She… hadn't bothered to look at a mirror this morning. She'd simply relied on years of practice to ensure that her hair was styled as it should be.

"Are…are you sleeping alright?" His voice was softer now. More tentative.

She almost wanted to laugh at that question after the past few days. Did it count as sleeping alright, if she hadn't slept at all?

But, she didn't laugh. Not with the genuine concern his gaze held.

"As a magician, sleep is unnecessary. It's… a waste of productivity when there is research to be done," she said, as if she didn't slumber nearly every night.

"That being said, when I do sleep, it typically proves quite restful."

Eric was seemingly unconvinced. "Uh… Far be it from me to tell you what to do. But… if it was truly unnecessary, you wouldn't be getting dark circles under your eyes, right?"

Alice…supposed that he had a point. Perhaps it was because she was formerly human, as opposed to a naturally born youkai?

But even then, sleep deprivation shouldn't affect her beyond some minor appearance changes. She certainly didn't feel negatively affected. …Right?

Instead of vocalizing a response, she hummed contemplatively.

Eric… awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and turned his gaze away. "S-sorry. You probably know a lot more about it than me. Just…" He gave her a meaningful look. "Please take care of yourself. I don't want anything bad to happen to you…"

…

Despite the unusually cool breeze, Alice felt warm.

She… she certainly wasn't used to being doted upon.

Gods… when was the last time she'd felt someone care that much? Well, besides Marisa, in her own, infuriating, ways.

It had been a long time…

…

Her eyes glanced downwards, and, for the briefest of moments, considered Eric's hand.

Despite herself, she felt the urge to reach out for it. Such a simple action would speak volumes, and yet…

…

She couldn't bring herself to do it.

Instead, she took what she considered to be the coward's way out.

Shanghai drifted over, slowly, and patted Eric on the head.

"I will try. Please, don't worry yourself so much." Her voice was steadier and… warmer than she'd expected it to be.

Eric's tense (when had it become tense?) posture relaxed. He smiled a grateful smile. "Thank you."

…

"...so, are we getting close to the picnic spot you had in mind?"

"Y-"

*SNAP*

!

The sound of what was surely a large tree branch snapping immediately put Alice on high alert. This was accompanied by the dry rustling and crackling of something making its way through the underbrush.

And it was getting closer.

Acting on instinct, Alice backed up towards the other side of the path, gesturing for Eric to do the same. As he complied, her mind went to work and analyzed the situation.

It appeared as though they were no longer alone. Would this newcomer be friendly? Hostile?

If they were looking for a fight, then Alice would certainly have to be the one to oblige them. As far as she knew, Eric was not a fighter.

It was lucky that she had decided to bring along a squad of her dolls. Maybe, through sheer intimidation, she could win before any danmaku was even fired.

…Oh.

What stalked out from the thick undergrowth immediately threw that idea out the metaphorical window.

Massive teeth, gangly limbs, and sharp claws greeted them. Its tattered, patchy gray fur had a certain rugged quality to it. The overall body shape was similar to that of a wolf's, yet its proportions made it more of a warped mockery. It held itself low to the ground, as if ready to pounce.

This creature, this youkai… It's hostile, sometimes jerky, movements as well as its nearly constant growling suggested the worst. It's eyes were locked on Eric. It was absolutely feral… and it was a threat.

Under no circumstances would Alice have expected it to comply with spell card rules. It had likely been driven mad by hunger.

She motioned for Eric to move even further back. He'd be safer in the treeline.

When the youkai snarled, she was certain what kind of fight this would be.

Her nerves were steeled. Her mind was focused. Her wires hummed with magical energy.

…

The youkai pounced.

~~~~~~Tradition's End~~~~~~

There were a lot of things that Eric thought might happen today.

Maybe Alice wouldn't have been interested in a picnic. Maybe they'd be harassed by fairies while they ate. Maybe everything would have gone really, really well, and… well, one could dream, right?

Needless to say, Alice defending him from a horrible wolf-like creature was not one of them.

As he peered out from behind a tree, Eric felt as though he could do nothing more than watch. He… probably would have just gotten in the way if he tried to help.

That youkai was fast. Far faster than he would have thought. With every leap, every attempt to sink its claws into Alice, it came worryingly close.

However, Alice was, so far, able to just avoid being grazed by the beast. In return, her dolls were leaving burn marks and shallow cuts as they alternated between firing energy bullets and lunging forward with their lances.

This… couldn't keep up forever. Eventually, one side had to make a mistake.

Thankfully, the mistake did not come from Alice.

After yet another near miss, Alice made an elaborate motion with her arms. Then, she pulled. The dolls pulled, too.

As if out of nowhere, fine, gleaming threads seemingly materialized around the youkai, pulled tight around its body. Tangled as it was, it found itself unable to move.

Alice… she had managed to weave the beast into her dolls' wires during the fight. That was…

…Amazing!

The puppeteer approached the youkai and put a boot upon the back of its head. "Do you yield?"

It was as direct of a question as possible. However, judging by the way it struggled and snarled, it did not, in fact, yield.

(Hey, so by the way, beyond here, there will be mentions of blood and injury, probably until the end of the chapter. It's not graphic, but still, you've been warned.)

"...Unfortunate," was all she said before the wires began to glow with a sort of multicolored energy. With a grunt, Alice yanked.

The feral youkai… quite literally fell to pieces as it was sliced through in an instant.

Blood splattered on the lower end of her dress, and she looked rather grim.

Fortunately, none of it was her blood.

…At least it's over.

However, any relief he had felt quickly dissipated as more rustling heralded the arrival of two more beast youkai that looked suspiciously similar to the one Alice had just dissected.

Pack hunters…

…Of course there's more…

He did not have time to ponder that, though, as a sudden noise caused Eric to tear his gaze away from Alice.

A fourth youkai had been quietly approaching his flank. As he turned towards the beast, it lunged at him, with all the force of a small car.

It took only a split second for a translucent, amber barrier to surround him. Never before had he been so grateful to know a defensive spell.

As the creature impacted, the barrier shuddered, and the youkai seemed to latch on to the vaguely geometric shape. There was a horrendous grinding sound as its claws attempted to rend through the shield.

For the moment, at least, his defense was holding steady.

That did not, however, mean that he had much of a plan.

His heart beat fast within his ears. Fear and adrenaline spiked in equal measure. It was all he could do to keep himself from panicking..

Oh SHIT! What the hell am I even supposed to do about that!?

Seriously, what was he going to do, punch it? Like that would do anything!

A quick glance in Alice's direction confirmed that her hands were still quite full with the other youkai.

With a frustrated growl, the beast removed itself from Eric's shield. It put some distance between them before charging the barrier again.

The force behind the impact made it difficult for Eric to stand his ground, but he managed. The magical barricade wouldn't last forever, and he knew that.

Fight or flight? Fight or flight? Fight or flight?

As much as he wanted to run, he would not abandon Alice. What if even more came?

But… time was running out for him as he faced down the beast. What if… he charged forward at the same time? Maybe the barrier could knock it out?

He'd made his choice.

…

Unfortunately, it turned out to be the wrong one.

…

With a ferocious snarl, the beast pounced again, this time with such staggering force that it shattered Eric's barrier.

His eyes went wide.

It had finally reached its target.

…

A split second after his shield went down, a set of horrifying fangs sank into his left thigh. The first wave of pain was almost immediately surpassed by a second, far more intense wave.

This searing, blinding pain was accompanied by a sickening crack as the pressure from the youkai's bite snapped the bone beneath it.

It was the most intense agony Eric had ever experienced, bar none. A scream erupted out of his mouth.

Out of sheer panic and desperation, he erected the strongest barrier around himself that he possibly could. A gleaming, far less translucent shield materialized, and in doing so, it bisected the youkai that had latched onto his leg.

In two pieces, the monster fell to the ground, jaws releasing Eric's leg as it did so. Eric stumbled backwards before dropping as well.

Pain. Pain was the only sensation. A look down at his leg only made it worse.

FUCK FUCK FUCK IT HURTS

His leg was ruined. Deep gouges went all the way down to the shattered bone. He wouldn't have been able to walk on it even if his life depended on it.

And it was bleeding. Heavily.

All he managed to do was apply what pressure he could with his hands and force out as powerful of a healing spell as he could possibly muster..

…

It… didn't stop bleeding. It didn't stop bleeding. It slowed, slightly, and that was all.

So he tried again. And again. Why isn't it stopping!?

He looked desperately to Alice for help, only to see her finishing off yet another youkai. Blood and body parts and bodies were scattered at her feet.

How many had she killed? He was in no shape to find out.

Her eyes quickly re-scanned her surroundings before the wounded man seemingly caught her attention. "Eric!?"

At that exact moment, another youkai emerged from the underbrush and lunged at her from behind. Alice moved to dodge, and spun around to face her next opponent. She was fast.

But not fast enough.

Eric watched in abject horror as the huge beast flew through the air. It was met by three metal lances digging into its body, one of which embedding directly into its head.

It all felt as if it was happening in slow motion.

But… the youkai's momentum continued to carry it forward… and there was an impact.

…

One of the beast's massive claws tore a frighteningly large hole in Alice's flank as it went down.

"Guh- Ack-!" was all he could hear before Alice unsteadily tripped forwards.

No fuck gods no shit oh fuck!

"A-Alice!" he wailed.

There was… no coherent response, only coughing and sputtering.

He… He had to focus. He had to focus on his leg. If only he could get it to stop bleeding. Then he could get over there and he… he could heal Alice too!

…it just wouldn't stop.

He felt… utterly useless. This… this goddamn magic… It wasn't good enough! He couldn't save them both... …He couldn't even save himself…

But he tried. He tried… He tried so hard…

Everything began to blur…

"...r…it….o..r…here."

Eric dimly registered the sound of voices as he clung desperately to his wound.

"See! I told you I heard fighting over here!"

"Okay, okay, Misty! You were right. Jeez!"

A small spark of desperate hope flickered within him. It compelled his body to move.

Eric pointed vaguely in Alice's direction, who was now lying face down in an alarmingly large pool of blood.

"P-please… help us… H-help her…Ju- h… Al… help…" was all he could manage before the mix of pain and blood loss robbed him of his consciousness.

~~~~~~Tradition's End~~~~~~

It was only after Cirno and Daiyousei had left that something else caught Mystia's attention. She'd had to strain her ears to hear it (she'd always had keener hearing than most bird youkai), but it was there.

It sounded like a fight, or… no.

It sounded like a struggle…

"I can hear another battle." She flapped her wings in anticipation. "Come on! Let's go check it out!"

With that, she darted off through the trees.

Wriggle, caught off guard by her friend's sudden departure, was nearly left behind. "Whoa… wait! Wait for meee!"

…

It must have been just on the edge of her hearing range, because she had yet to come across any signs of a fight.

"Misty! C'mon, wait up!" Wriggle still struggled to catch up to her. "Are you sure you heard something?"

But… she knew it was in this direction. She was sure of it!

"Yeah, I'm sure! Just keep following me!"

…

There. She could just barely make out the shape of some figures through the trees.

"Here! It must have been over here!" she called backwards.

As Mystia approached, she was caught off guard.

This… this was not the scene she was expecting to find.

There was blood everywhere. More blood than would fit in just one body, that was for sure.

Speaking of bodies, there were bodies. They looked like that weird youkai Cirno had turned into a block of ice earlier. And-

…Hey wait… Is that a doll?

"See! I told you I heard fighting over here!"

Wriggle had just caught up to her. "Okay, okay, Misty! You were right. Jeez!"

…

As Mystia looked over the corpses, there was one that stuck out. One that was very familiar.

…Is that Alice? The crazy doll lady!?

Mystia heard something shuffle, then, ""P-please… help us… H-help her…Ju- h… Al… help…"

…

…ERIC!?

What the hell just happened here!?

…

Normally, Mystia Lorelei wouldn't have thought twice about blood and death. After all, she had been the cause of quite a few deaths over the years.

But for some reason, this particular situation… It just didn't sit right with her.

Maybe it's because she knew Eric? They weren't like… friends or anything… but he was fun to mess with. And… if he died, then she'd lose a good business rival…

Regardless, she felt compelled to help. And, since he was apparently friendly with her, Mystia supposed that they could save the crazy doll lady, too.

After all, she couldn't give a rematch if she was dead.

…

There was only one place that could help something like this.

Not that she'd ever been there before.

But… she'd definitely heard stories about their impossible medicines.

They were taking them to Eientei.

…

As loath as she was to ask for help from the yakitori stand lady…

She really didn't want to get lost in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost.

…It wasn't like she or Wriggle were there to fight anyways. Hard to shoot danmaku when you're cradling a body that was slowly bleeding out.

…

When they'd actually made it inside the clinic, there was an instant flurry of activity. The rabbit staff probably had lots of experience with traumatic injuries.

Almost immediately, Eric and Alice had been taken out of their arms and rushed away on gurneys. The terms 'medical emergency' and 'Doctor Yagokoro' were thrown around at least a couple of times.

As the two disappeared into the depths of Eientei, the lobby became calm once more.

And that brought her back to the present.

…

It was quiet. Maybe it could have come across as peaceful to most, but to Mystia, it was more eerie than anything.

Wriggle had already left, claiming that she didn't feel right about sticking around.

That made sense, and normally Mystia would have cleared out as well. However, she'd felt oddly compelled to linger, if only for a little longer.

It was… different when it was someone you knew.

…

Well anyways, her waiting around wasn't going to help anything.

Their fates rested in the hands of Eientei now.

…

Mystia did not envy the doctors.

~~~~~~Author's Notes~~~~~~

Wow! I did not have as much time to work on this chapter as I would have liked. As such, it has fewer revisions and added details than the previous chapters.

I'm going to chalk it up to the character's perspectives this time. Mystia has a simpler thought process in her head, Alice was sleep-deprived, and Eric, well, some bad stuff was happening during his turn.

You know something's gone wrong when it opens up with a supporting character's perspective, and they are covered in blood that isn't theirs.

Now, I do like to think that the 'members' of the infamous Team 9 are just a teeny bit more competent than they are often made out to be. Not much, but a little. I... also just needed a reason for Mystia to be in the area during the daytime in the first place.

Just like I needed a reason for Alice and Eric to be out and about together. A picnic between them would have been a really cute idea. But...

Well, humans aren't the only outsiders that find their way into Gensokyo.

I apologize for the tonal whiplash! Thank you for reading! Have a nice day!

~~~~~~Reviews~~~~~~

Derago: Thank you! I just really like writing that sort of character, lol.

sid99: Hehehe, history is full of humans doing stupid and ridiculous things, especially if they're frustrated by something. They're certainly not gonna stop in Gensokyo~

fajar867: Well... at least there was some wholesomeness? Y'know, before grievous wounds were applied, that is. Whoopsie! It might be another chapter or two before circumstances will allow for some real heart-to-heart.

~~~~~~Extra Writer's Note~~~~~~

So, I may have to slow the update frequency just a tad bit. I almost didn't have enough time to finish this week's chapter, and it wasn't quite where I wanted it to be, quality-wise. Having said that, future chapters may take 2 weeks instead of 1 to come out. Thank you for your patience!