Third Incident – Reimu and Marisa's Inferno

Prologue

Tenshi Hinanawi trudged through a field, her face contorted in anger. She had just received a harsh punishment in Heaven for breaking an important item, and now she was stewing in her resentment.

Collapsing onto a summoned rock, she pouted and muttered to herself about the unfairness of her father's actions. Suddenly, a brilliant light caught her attention, and she turned to see a mesmerizing figure floating beside her. The woman possessed long hair and twelve radiant wings, her presence exuding a shimmering aura of light. This was Lucy Ego Cecidi Et Non Possum Surgere, the queen of the pride devils, though all anyone could see was her hand and all anyone could hear was her voice.

Tenshi spoke up, startled, "Who are you?"

"My name is Lucy, my dear sweet child," the angelic, melodious voice of Lucy responded. "And I wish to know what troubles you."

Tenshi sighed in frustration. "It's my dad, Lord Dai. He made such a big deal out of breaking that stupid vase! So, I ran away to Gensokyo. I can't wait to see the look on his face!"

Lucy's voice resonated with a hint of mischief. "I see. How about we strike a deal? I will help you get back at... ...him... ...but in return, you must assist me as well."

Excited by the prospect of revenge, Tenshi agreed eagerly. "Deal! So, what do you need help with?"

Without warning, Lucy swiftly seized Tenshi by the neck and lifted her off the rock. Tenshi gasped in surprise and protested, "H-hey! What are you doing!?"

An almost malicious tone entered Lucy's voice. "Honoring our deal, child! FOR BOTH OF US!"

In an instant, Lucy knocked Tenshi unconscious by lightly tapping her on the side of head with one of her wings, and both of them vanished in a flash of blinding light. Meanwhile, Iku Nagae, who had been assigned to look after Tenshi and bring her back, arrived on the scene just in time to witness their disappearance, leaving behind a lingering scent of brimstone.

Iku began to fly around in a blind panic, "Oh no, TENSHI! What should I do?! Who was that woman?! Wait, I know! I'll go to Reimu! She can help!"

Iku swiftly flew towards the Hakurei Shrine, where Reimu Hakurei was cleaning her shrine, with Marisa Kirisame assisting her. Landing near them, Iku quickly caught their attention.

"Reimu, Marisa, I need your help! Tenshi has been abducted by someone! Please, you two have to help me rescue her!"

But Reimu was reluctant, as she had already had her whole day planned out, and to her that was more important. "I don't know, Iku! This seems more like a problem for the Celestials! As far as I can tell, it's got nothing to do with us! That is why-"

Iku promptly walked over to the donation box and emptied a significant amount of money into it. Reimu changed her mind instantly.

"…We are happy to help you," continued Reimu, "and would love to know every detail you have to offer!

Iku took a deep breath and explained, "I… I think she was a devil. Not any type of devil I've ever seen, though. I wish there was someone we could go ask. Someone important and with ties to Hell."

"This is troublesome…" Agreed Reimu, "Devils are of course native to Hell, but they're so numerous and live scattered throughout Hell. We will need help finding her. But who do we ask?"

"Well, there's Eiki Shiki, ze!" Marisa chimed in, "She should be able to help us!"

"Sounds like a plan," Reimu nodded in agreement, "Let's head to Eiki Shiki's office."

The three girls took flight, making their way towards Eiki Shiki's office. Upon meeting Eiki, they explained their predicament, and she said she would help as soon as she got a description of the devil.

Iku spoke up, though she had only seen the devil from behind. "Well... She was tall, with long straight blonde hair. She wore white and gold robes and had twelve magnificent wings that resembled glowing swords made of light."

Eiki pondered the description for a moment. "Hmm... It sounds like a pride devil."

Curiosity piqued, Reimu sought further clarification. "A pride devil? What's that?"

Eiki elaborated, "Pride devils are among the seven strongest types of devils. They're also known as sin devils and hold the highest authority among their kind. It's unusual for one to be so far from her designated Level in Infernal Hell. However, strange happenings have been occurring in Hell recently, especially involving Hecatia."

"What do ya mean, ze?" Asked Marisa.

Eiki then went on to recount her previous meeting with Hecatia Lapislazuli. She was going to her routine meeting with Hecatia and had entered her grand throne room. As she approached, she noticed that Hecatia's soul was sitting upon her simple yet extravagant throne, but she seemed lost in thought and staring off into the distance. Eiki had to raise her voice to catch Hecatia's attention, and when she succeeded, Hecatia appeared relieved to see her.

"A Yama...," Hecatia expressed, her voice filled with a mix of concern and urgency, "I'm glad you're here. I need your help."

"Of course! What is it?"

"I have a friend. We're very close, but lately thoughts of an unsettling nature have been entering her head. I'm worried she might do something regrettable. Something that will end badly for just about everyone… What do I do about it? I don't want to ruin our friendship for something that isn't even her fault."

Listening attentively, Eiki thought the situation over before offering her advice. "Well… First off, you should find out if she's actually going to do it. You should also find out how and why she's going to do it. And if it's really that bad, try to calmly talk her down. You should only use force as a last resort."

"Yes... Yes!" Hecatia's face brightened with newfound hope, "That's a great idea! Thank you so much! I'll go right now!"

With her soul invigorated, Hecatia's presence vanished from the throne room, departing for an unknown destination. Eiki stood there, momentarily confused by the sudden turn of events, but she simply shrugged it off and left the room, trusting in Hecatia's resolve to handle the situation.

Eiki concluded, "She has been gone ever since. No one knows what happened to her, but Hell seems to be functioning fine without her for now."

"Hecatia always did have a casual, hands-off way of running things," Said Reimu, with a determined look in her eyes, "But enough about that. Where can we find this "Infernal Hell"? Could you please take us there?"

Eiki agreed, acknowledging the current lull in her duties. "Infernal Hell lies in the southernmost region of Hell. I don't mind accompanying you. The other Yama can handle things in my absence. Let's go."