A/N: "Mika" refers to the unnamed fairy in Reimu's Mystic Square ending while Senkou refers to the unnamed demon in Reimu's Mystic Square ending.
Moonlight coated the Hakurei Shrine when Marisa touched down outside the sliding doors. She forced them open, making a loud clack in an attempt to awaken the sleeping girl inside. An attempt which failed; Marisa frowned at the Shrine Maiden, sleeping with her body beneath her kotatsu and mumbling.
"Mmm… Meira…." Reimu rolled onto her side, fidgeting in her sleep. "You're so forward…. You make me feel so…."
Must everyone in her life do this creepy sleep talking thing? "Yo, Reimu!" After Reimu failed to wake up, Marisa walked over and nudged her face with her foot. Reimu weakly scrambled and pawed at Marisa's foot, eyes creeping open. Reimu pushed the foot away when she regained her senses, rising to a seated position then rubbing her eyes, blissfully unaware of the blush on her face.
"What do you want…?" Reimu asked, her tone a mix of sleepy and grumpy. "I was having a great dream…."
"I could tell." Reimu tilted her head in confusion. "I wanna talk 'bout somethin'. Ya remember Makai?"
"What about it?"
Reimu had mellowed out since they first met. Back then, her pride in her status as the 'great Hakurei Shrine Maiden' was clear, fighting back against anybody she perceived as a threat to the shrine or Gensokyo, Makai included. Though, perhaps luckily, she was hopeless with directions in unfamiliar places. Marisa trusted Reimu to be on their side, hence why she came here to 'recruit' her, but starting out with being a little vague couldn't hurt anyone. Just in case. Alice was trusting her not to mess anything up.
"What if dere's still people alive in dere?" Marisa asked. Reimu rubbed her eyes, leaning her head in her hand.
"..." Reimu leaned forward. "Why? Did you see someone when you went there?"
"Well, nah, other den da monk. But y'know, it was all still so ruined. I've been thinkin', if anyone was alive, it'd kinda suck for them to be stuck there."
"If anyone was still alive, wouldn't their god have fixed everything?"
Marisa paused for a moment, pouting in thought. "I guess. But still, there's a chance someone's out there, right? You didn't really do much, but the rest of us kinda messed up pretty bad back then. I keep thinkin'... don't we kinda owe it to 'em to help 'em out? If dere's anyone dere, ya know."
"You're asking whether they'd be allowed in Gensokyo?"
"Not really, moreso whether ya wanna help me look when I head over."
Reimu's arm she was leaning on sank, her face falling into her arms like a pillow. She let out a deep, depressed sigh. "I can't."
"Eh? Whaddya mean ya can't?"
Reimu closed her eyes, tapping her finger against the table. "Listen, if there are people there I'd love to help them. It's just… you know how there are some rules I have to uphold for the Hakurei God? Making sure no humans become youkai, no youkai attack humans in the village, those things."
"Da 'really really important ones that you'll always enforce', yeah." Despite Alice being a human-turned-youkai, Marisa managed to convince Reimu to spare her. It definitely wasn't an easy task, and by the end of it Reimu only seemed to spare her thanks to Marisa growing close to Alice.
"Well - for some reason - keeping Makai demons out of Gensokyo is one of those. Yukari said some vague nonsense about them being 'far more dangerous than even anyone from the moon'." Reimu sighed again, her body sinking further. "Didn't tell me why, she's Yukari, but it's still something I have to enforce anyway. Just forget about whether there's anybody there."
Marisa bit her lip. That certainly made things more awkward. Alice and the people of Makai were working to escape as they spoke. With how much this meant to her, Marisa couldn't just turn around and stop helping or tell Alice herself to stop. But with Yukari against them, there's almost no way they'd ever be safe out here. And given Alice felt so strongly about this, it'd be a shame to deflate her mood or, gods forbid, inadvertently convince her it's not worth it. Alice never seemed happy with life, but with the people of Makai safe with her, perhaps that'd change things. At least there was still someone else who might be able to help them. Might.
"Alright den. See ya later, Reimu."
Marisa gave a short wave before flying away towards the western edge of the barrier.
Slosh. Splash.
The sound of water drowned out their flight, and Alice became increasingly annoyed with the large basin Louise carried beneath her. After all, they had to fly slower than their maximum potential to ensure it didn't spill. "What's that for?" She asked.
"The fountain in Vina is the only source of fresh water we've had all these years. As the only person who knows where the others are, I took it upon myself to bring them water. Wouldn't want them going thirsty, would we? "
Alice acknowledged the good point. She then glanced at Louise. Come to think of it, she never asked the obvious question.
"You're a ghost."
"Observant!"
Alice wasn't sure whether that comment was a compliment or complete sarcasm. Her way of speaking was a little hard to understand.
"Did you… die… in the great magic?" Alice asked, tip-toeing around the big word just in case it was traumatic.
"No, just before it. I was travelling to the world above, eager for a holiday. Just my luck, I ran into all four of the invaders in a row. The lady without legs was the last one. Something about her attacks were… different."
"How so?" Alice tilted her head.
"She hit me with an attack, even I could tell it was low-output from someone as strong as her. When it hit, it separated my spirit from my body, like some special power. And, well, when you die it turns out the moments immediately after take forever to go by, so all I could do was watch my own lifeless body collapse to the floor and think back on my life. Your mind focuses especially on all the mistakes you made, it's torture. But I guess dying like that lets me exist like this, and not whatever Sariel sees and hears. Maybe I should be thankful?"
The two ducked down into the canyon, lava falling either side of them. "I'm… sorry to hear that."
"Don't fret it," Louise said with a smile before falling silent. Alice could tell by her expression that she was deep in thought. "Is there truthfully no escape without Shinki?"
"Do you not want her help, even if it's necessary?"
"No, nothing like that." They emerged from the bottom of the canyon into what would've been an entirely new world if everything wasn't scorched beyond recognition. The final, bottom layer of Makai, once frozen over but now bubbling more intensely than the others. Alice worried about the water. Would it really not evaporate down here?
"In truth… I don't care about Makai. Or Shinki, or anyone here. Perhaps it's my attachments as a ghost, but… the only thing I've cared about all this time is seeing the above world. That's why I hang out with both those from Vina and those down here, I don't care for the agenda of either side."
Alice gazed ahead of her. "If you want my opinion, there's two ways you can escape. Both of them would require Shinki, in some form or another."
"I see…" Louise gave a solemn expression. "Alice." Louise's voice took on a much more emotional tone. "I've thought for a while. It's like my entire existence as a ghost is to see the above world. When I finally see it… when I'm there… what happens then? Would I have anything to exist for?"
Alice chuckled slightly. "I wouldn't worry about that. There's no shortage of things to do up there. You'll find something else. In fact, you'll find many things. Like new people to get close to…" Alice said, thinking quickly of Marisa. "New past times. New places to explore. New incidents to live through and talk about. Gensokyo is a very, very lively place."
Louise smiled back at her, her demeanour warming up as quickly as it shifted. "Is that really so…? That's so wonderful to hear! I just can't wait! "
Alice couldn't help but smile, a feeling of warmth grasping her body. Though, she couldn't be sure if that was because of the terrain or the emotional discussion.
They arrived at their destination; one remarkably well constructed two-story house, and a small crystalline hut just next to it hidden within the tiny valley between two mountains. An unfamiliar girl stood atop the house, flying up to the two of them once they arrived.
"You're early. We still have plenty of water left," the light-pink haired girl said. She had similarly coloured eyes, much like all of Shinki's creations, and wore a short-sleeved white dress that cut off just above the knees and a black sleeveless jacket. Atop her head were two black devil horns, and she had pink wings lined at the top with black, though they were significantly smaller than the wings Elis possessed. She turned to Alice, her eyes narrowing and betraying a sense of hostility. "Who is this?"
"Oh, don't worry, she's no threat! In fact, she's quite a history with Yumeko, isn't that right?"
Alice frowned at being prompted to speak. "Shinki took me in a while ago, before the great magic. Alice Margatroid."
The girl's eyes twitched at the name. "Is that right…? Yumeko's talked about you before… Then… what are you doing here?" She asked, hostility and defensiveness still in her voice.
"I'm…" Alice cut herself off, pausing for a moment and thinking of the safest response. "Looking for Shinki." Not a complete lie either, though unlike her goal to help everyone, she was unsure whether that was what she really wanted. She'd rather see these people settled down in Gensokyo than meet that person's mother again, she was sure of that.
"How did you get here?"
Alice recounted her story about dreams, prompting the demon to laugh.
"Really? Dreams bring you here? What, are you one of that devil's illusions?"
"Senkou, treat her with respect," A new, light voice said, catching Alice off guard. She narrowed her eyes on the demon's - Senkou's - shoulder, only to see a tiny fairy. And she was tiny. Still, she could make out blonde hair and a white dress, with a red tie.
"We can't afford to let our guard down, Mika! What if she's on Sariel's side?" Sariel's side? The words echoed in her brain.
"You can't go around treating everyone like a threat." The fairy - Mika - hopped off Senkou's shoulder and fluttered up to Alice's face. At this distance, Alice was certain she could only be the size of one of her eyes, at most. She held her arm across her body, bowing politely. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Alicemargatroid," she said as if it were only one name. Of course, the people of Makai wouldn't know about second names. Shinki gave them all only one.
"Just Alice."
"Alice," Mika repeated, in a slightly puzzled tone. "I'm pleased to see you! Yumeko will be overjoyed!"
Senkou flared her nostrils, holding one hand out to her side as it swirled with red magic. "Why are you trusting her so easily? Don't you remember-"
"Senkou, SHUT UP!" Mika screeched, louder than anybody fifty times her size could manage. Alice flinched backwards, and a sense of fear clearly washed over Senkou as if she had angered a maniacal ruler. The magic vanished from her hand and she grumbled. A red blob enveloped her and she teleported away, leaving behind remnants of red.
"Ahem," Mika shakily cleared her throat. Her eyes averted downwards slightly, as if what Senkou said had shaken her up a little. "Forgive her, she's very distrusting of others. Don't blame her… she only means the best. She's usually much more cheeky and positive when you get to know her."
"D-don't sweat it…" Alice said, unsure if she herself should be afraid of the monster in front of her. "I deal with worse."
"Yumeko's in her room," Mika said. "I'm looking forward to speaking more with you, Alice."
Mika flew away down to the house. Louise smiled at Alice. "See? Somebody else here has manners, don't they? "
Alice followed Louise down into the red-bricked house. It felt almost… strange, to go from the Ruins of Vina to how this place looked. Even the inside was furnished and well-looked after. Though, that's to be expected from the house of a maid.
Louise led her upstairs and slid open a door before placing the basin of water by the entrance. "You're early," a nostalgic voice responded, though Alice couldn't yet see the face behind Louise.
"Yes, well," Louise said, clearly getting ready to introduce Alice. She grabbed the book at her hip, ready to hold it up as if it was identification. She doubted Yumeko would need it, but the people of Makai don't physically age like she does, so best to be sure. "I have my reasons. You have a visitor~."
Louise floated through the ground and instantly, Yumeko's eyes widened in shock. Something felt different about her. She had the usual fluffy, wavy blonde hair and yellow eyes, and her short-sleeved red dress remained the same as usual, however she lacked her headdress and apron, the latter of which instead taken, sewed and refashioned into a white cape. Without anything signalling her position as a maid, she gave off a much more casual aura.
Yumeko jumped through the room, fading out into a yellow outline which rematerialised in front of Alice. She gave her a big hug that almost sent her toppling backwards. She smiled and returned the gesture, remaining this way in nostalgic bliss. Yumeko's hugs brought her back to when she was a child; her eyes twitching at the thought but nothing her mind did could fight it anymore. Her big sister, though now (funnily, to Alice) shorter than her, embracing her once more. Embarrassing though it was to admit at this age, she'd longed for this. After a few moments, Yumeko pulled away.
"You look so different."
"So do you."
"Really?" Yumeko asked, tilting her head. She realised what Alice had meant and looked down at her outfit. "Oh, right. That's a… long story," she said with a slight laugh. "How did you even get here? I thought you were in Gensokyo." Alice briefly explained the same old story. "Dreams, huh…. I haven't had one of those since Lady Shinki vanished. Guess you can't shake being attached to this place. Lady Shinki would be flattered."
"Speaking of Shinki," Alice started. "Do you have any information about her? Why did she vanish?"
Yumeko's face quickly became serious, as she placed a hand on Alice's shoulder. "I'll tell you what I know, just promise me one thing."
"That is?"
"Don't tell anybody from Vina. I'll explain anything - just give me your word."
"I promise."
Yumeko smiled, giving her instant trust. She gestured for Alice to sit on the floor next to the low table, which she followed. Yumeko sat across from her, hand on her cheek.
"Hmm… Well, I guess I'll start with this. After the invaders left… Lady Shinki created this house for her and I to stay in for a while. She… wasn't herself after the incident, that much was for certain. Depressed… hardly moving, sitting around all day… it was strange." Yumeko averted her gaze, awkwardly fiddling with her fingers. She spoke with many pauses, as if she'd never talked about this to anyone before.
"I can imagine. Sounds like the exact opposite of who I knew," Alice said. Shinki was always a ray of happiness. Her smile plagued Alice's thoughts, though she hastily locked it away.
"Yeah, but I kept serving as her maid, anyway. After not too long, I finally asked her…"
"Lady Shinki." Yumeko held the sides of her dress, giving a polite curtsy. "If I might ask a question?"
Lady Shinki lay with her arms stretched across the table, head leaning against it. Her eyes betrayed emptiness, the stark contrast of her usual upbeat joy. "Mhm. Go ahead, Yumeko."
"Why don't you remake Makai?"
Shinki's eyes narrowed. She let out a depressed sigh. "That's what I've been thinking about… But I don't know…"
"If you need a second opinion, Lady Shinki, I'm happy to listen."
Shinki smiled, but her eyes showed no change in emotion. "I got carried away because of what that woman did to my creations… I accidentally destroyed Makai. I killed… all but the very strongest." Tears seemed to well in Lady Shinki's eyes. "How would they all feel if I just… recreated everything as if nothing happened? Replaced the homes they got so attached to… the family they spent their days with… the friends they made. Would it not be an insult?"
"How so, Lady Shinki?"
"I created everyone in my image… you, everything else in Makai, you're all perfect to me. To destroy everything and replace it all… it's like admitting that they're all replaceable. That the people they lost were replaceable. I shouldn't be able to bury my mistakes and start again… just because I'm a god. Should I?"
"Lady Shinki, I assure you nobody would think of you like that."
"They would, Yumeko. I gave you all free thought to think what you will of me. If everybody followed me loyally after this… it'd be robotic. Hollow. That's not the world I created…" Shinki looked up at Yumeko. "Yumeko… you've always been a perfect maid to me. I wouldn't want anyone else but you." Yumeko jumped, holding her hand over her heart as she felt her cheeks burn. "What do you think of me?"
"I-I…" Yumeko fumbled.
"As a mistress."
Yumeko gulped before speaking. "You've been perfect… of course. Kind, loving, understanding. You were so kind to me… I sometimes forgot you were my mistress."
"Then, would you serve anyone else? If I vanished, could you bring yourself to continue being a maid? Could I be replaced?"
"Of course not."
"Then… you understand how I feel." Lady Shinki paused, as if letting her feelings sink into Yumeko. And they did; the thought of serving anyone besides Lady Shinki, it sickened her stomach. Something in Lady Shinki's eyes changed, though, as if Yumeko's prior answer had… reaffirmed her, somehow. "Yumeko… what should I do?"
"You can do whatever you wish, Lady Shinki."
"What would you do if you were me?" Shinki asked. "If you made something perfect, if you made sentient lifeforms that you loved with all your heart, and then killed ninety-nine per-cent of them…" Shinki bit her lip, her body shaking. "Would you recreate everything and forget those you loved? Or would you accept your failure and leave everything as is? Or maybe I should remake the buildings, flowers, grass, mountains, but not people. Wouldn't that feel soulless…? No, a cheap imitation like that wouldn't work… it'd be too depressing…." Shinki said, as if working through her options as she spoke.
Yumeko hesitated. She stepped forward and crouched next to her mistress, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I would do what I could to protect those who are left. Apologise, own up to what happened, and do everything I can for them."
Shinki placed a hand on top of Yumeko's. "Yes, that's not a bad idea… but to face the others after what I did…."
"Take as much time as you need, Lady Shinki. I'll always be here for you. As a maid… or… someone to… talk to…" Yumeko said awkwardly. It was difficult to think of herself as anything more around Lady Shinki, but perhaps that's what she needed right now.
"Thank you, Yumeko…" Shinki said.
"Next time I woke up, she was gone. Nobody's seen her since. She's still around - she creates food and leaves it for us - but… try as I might, even I couldn't catch a glimpse…" Yumeko said quietly. She took a slip of paper out of a nearby drawer and passed it to Alice, who unfolded it. "She left this for me."
Dear Yumeko,
Thank you for talking to me yesterday! I'm heading out. I don't know when I'll be back. I'll be wandering Makai and trying to figure out what I should do now. Hopefully, I shouldn't be too long. Though if I do take long, I suppose that's an answer of itself, right?
If I don't return, then just know that you're special to me. Thank you for staying by my side through everything. I love you, and I love all of my creations. No matter what, that won't change.
Shinki
Alice folded the letter into quarters and handed it back to Yumeko. "Sounds like she was really struggling."
Yumeko let out a soft exhale. She held the letter close to her chest. "Maybe if I started talking to her sooner, things could've been different." Yumeko placed the letter back into the drawer. "I've read that letter hundreds of thousands of times by now. It doesn't feel like her and I are any less close, even after all this time."
"So that's why you stopped wearing the maid outfit."
"Mhm. I promised Lady Shinki I'd only ever be her maid. To wear it when I'm no longer in any position to serve her… as she said, it'd be an insult."
"What happened after? Why don't you want people in Vina knowing this stuff?"
Yumeko leaned forward again. "It took a long time for me to accept that Lady Shinki wasn't coming back. When I finally did… I went out to meet with Sariel and talk about what we should do. To say we had a disagreement would… be an understatement."
"What are you saying…?" Yumeko asked, taken aback by the archangel's words. "Lady Shinki… a coldhearted monster? Do you hear yourself?"
Sariel shrugged, effortlessly waving Yumeko's challenge away. "She put Makai in ruins. She vanished without making a single step towards correcting it. She's either not the benevolent god we thought, or immensely foolish. I understand your allegiance to her, but use your head for once rather than your heart."
"Are these the lies you've spread around Vina?" Yumeko asked, stepping forward. "How do you think Lady Shinki feels after all of this? You think she WANTED this? It's the fault of those from that other world! For you to paint it all as Lady Shinki's fault… to make her out as evil… how do you expect her to return after you've turned her own people against her!?"
"She committed a nigh omnicide, accident or not. She's clearly unfit to be our god and knows it. Everyone in Makai lost multiple people important to them. Everyone in Makai lost their homes, and Shinki abandoned them to live in this wasteland. This is all true, is it not?" Sariel paced around Yumeko, imposing their large stature over her. "What people need most in these times of suffering is a leader. A caring leader, who will do anything for their people. That's where I stepped in. I've done my best with the scraps she left to make a temporary village."
"Temporary?"
"You think the people want to stay here? With everything they've lost?" Sariel asked. "No. Nobody wants to be in this hellscape. I'm finding a way to Gensokyo, and the survivors are coming with me. It's what's best for us all, the living, and the dead."
"Are you kidding me?" Yumeko asked. "This ALL happened BECAUSE people from Makai went to the above world and they retaliated. It won't be any different this time. Shinki stopped us leaving to protect us! You're trying to lead everyone to their deaths!"
"No. This time, the people have a proper guardian. I devoted myself to protecting the people from those in the above world, at all costs to myself. It's what any good leader would do, don't you think? And," Sariel looked down at Yumeko, tilting their head. "Shouldn't the one holding the position as her 'strongest' creation do the same? If you're willing to help everyone in these trying times, come to Vina. If you insist on standing by these foolish delusions, know that I won't take kindly to anyone who stands against my people."
"And so I exiled myself down here. Far better than hanging around with that egotistical maniac."
Alice found herself lost in thought. At the least, her suspicions about Shinki not being the villain Vina painted her as were all but confirmed, even if Yumeko wasn't the most unbiased narrator. Still, was it really right to keep everybody here? Gensokyo… might be more welcoming towards the people of Makai these days, though she couldn't say for certain. Marisa definitely wouldn't have a problem with it.
Of course, when Yumeko said 'nobody had seen her since', that wasn't true; Byakuren had. Informing Yumeko of that would be risky. There was no doubt in Alice's mind that Yumeko would leap out of her spot and dash up to Hokkai in search of clues, putting her on a collision course with Sariel. She glanced over at Yumeko, who was scanning once more over the letter left for her.
"What have you been up to since?"
Yumeko looked up from the letter. "Not much, really. I've ventured out looking for her, but couldn't find any leads. Couldn't explore the upper layers, though. Sariel's been adamant about keeping me away from Vina."
So she wouldn't have been to Hokkai yet. Would Shinki have left something behind there? Even a strand of hair could be enough to find her, theoretically.
"I'm glad you're here, though," Yumeko said, leaning forward with a smile. "Mika and Senkou only found themselves here recently. Besides that, all I've had is Ayana to cheer me up." Yumeko pulled a large plush out from beneath the table, its eyes closed, dress red with white plus shapes on the skirt. The sight made Alice instantly nostalgic. "You taught me how to make dolls, I taught you how to use my phasing technique and a bit of swordplay." Yumeko's eyes shined, as if thinking back to simpler times.
"I was surprised you made a plush that big on your first go."
"I wanted to impress you!" Yumeko said with a laugh. "Of course, she only kept me company when she was actually awake." Yumeko flicked the back of Ayana's head. The sentient doll's eyes opened, then she yawned and tilted her head at Alice.
"Who… are you…?"
"It's Alice, remember?" Yumeko said, leaning in behind Ayana up to her ear. The doll tilted her head back to the side.
"Oh…." Ayana's eyes drifted back to being closed as if Alice's mere presence didn't fly in the face of everything she'd come to know. She quickly fell back to sleep. Yumeko's face darkened, as she recklessly tossed the doll backwards, where it hit the wall and fell onto her bed. Characteristically for Ayana, the act didn't even disturb her. Alice chuckled.
"Lady Shinki helped me, though. I was never as creative as she was, nor would I be able to create things as beautiful as she does alone. Last time I tried was the one-eyed Tsubaki incident."
"One-eyed Tsubaki is incredible," Alice protested. "Do you still have her?"
"Yeah," Yumeko said. She grabbed another doll from the drawer, this one lifeless. Characteristically, she only had one eye. She was also covered in small burn marks. "She was underneath something when… you know."
"Guess she can't stop with the battle wounds, can she?" Alice said with a smile. Yumeko smiled back, placing the doll back in the drawer.
After a few seconds of silence, Yumeko sighed and rested her face against the table, her hair: wavy, fluffy and, as Alice now realised, longer than she had previously, spread across it. "Do you think I said something wrong? Like… maybe if I answered her question differently, she'd still be with me. Then all three of us would be together again now..."
Alice rested her forehead in one hand. Yumeko had clearly been lonely without Shinki around, and while Alice hadn't hoped to see her prior life's mother again, something about bringing the three of them together still reverberated with her. She looked at her other hand, the blood of those seven men running through her fingers. Deep down, she'd figured as much. But sitting here now, having this conversation with this person, brought the depths of her heart that knew she hadn't moved on - at least not as much as she'd tell herself - out to the surface. If that was the case, then everything that happened in her house back then was for nothing.
"...Yumeko." She glanced upwards, still laying across the table. There was just… something she wanted to know. "You… haven't really done anything these past seven years, right?"
Yumeko paused for a moment, letting the 'seven years' part sink in. Naturally, Yumeko was one of the only people who knew about days, weeks, months, etcetera, thanks to her closeness to Alice and Shinki. "Pretty much. All I've been doing is turning over every rock I can hundreds of times looking for her. Besides that… just… lazing around."
"Quite the time off work."
Yumeko smiled a little, though the loneliness was still in her eyes. "I am one of Shinki's perfect creations. Her perfect maid. Whatever scraps of her perfect world are left - us, the people - we owe it to her to keep that in tact…" She looked away. "There's nothing I can do if I can't serve her…."
Alice narrowed her eyes. That's… odd. Even contradictory. "Is that what Shinki would've wanted?" Alice asked. Yumeko looked up at her, gazing into her eyes. If it were anyone else, Alice probably would've felt challenged by their glare, but Yumeko's felt more like a kind gesture to continue. "One of the last things you talked about was how you couldn't be a maid if she wasn't around. She knew that, but she still vanished."
"You're saying she wants me to be something else?" Yumeko asked, catching onto Alice's point quickly.
"I think…" Alice started, casting her mind back to her past life, remembering what Shinki was like. "What she would've wanted was for everyone to find their own path now, without her." Yumeko opened the folded letter again, eyes fixed on the middle of it. "Her perfect world doesn't exist anymore. It seems… to me, at least… like she wants everyone to move on from that 'perfect world'. Find… something else for themselves." Of course, such a thing was difficult - no, downright impossible - with this world in the state it's in.
"You think that's her answer?" Yumeko asked. Alice only gave a slow nod of affirmation. Yumeko gave it some thought, staying silent for a while. In that time, Alice couldn't help but think if anyone else had suggested it, Yumeko's hot-headedness would've immediately gotten the better of her. "It's impossible…" Yumeko said quietly. "I… can't think of anything I want besides her."
If that was the case, she at least owed it to Yumeko to disclose what she knew about Shinki's whereabouts. It'd put Yumeko and Sariel on a collision course, and possibly for no reason, but with a small chance of something, anything, being there, she couldn't let herself hide it from Yumeko, with how much it means to her.
"I've already told Sariel this, but there was someone else who saw Shinki after the incident." Yumeko's head jolted up, leaning in and staring intently at Alice to continue. She explained what Byakuren had told her.
"Shinki was in Hokkai!?" Yumeko said, shooting up to her feet. "This is news to me! Come on, we can't let Sariel find something before us!"
Yumeko turned around and used her powers to phase through the wall. Alice rushed out of the house and took off after Yumeko, though as always, Yumeko was faster. As she trailed further and further behind, Alice couldn't help but feel uneasy about her decision. Once Yumeko flew out of sight, a strange feeling washed over her. Like someone looking back at a stupid thing they said or did as a child.
Alice landed on the red, blue and black tiles of Hokkai. The place was a marvel, giving off a technological feel in stark contrast to the rest of Makai. The outside seal had protected it from Shinki's great magic, but nobody besides Shinki could access it until Marisa broke the seal.
Alice leapt up a few floors until a deep orange glow, reminiscent of the human world's sun, overtook the land. It never moved, but Alice wondered if Shinki took inspiration from the above world in that regard. She ran over to Yumeko, crouched near the very edge of Hokkai covered in the orange glow.
"What… is it?" Alice asked, panting. Hokkai was on the top of the nine layers of Makai, so the journey there was exhausting. With how much time Sariel had ahead of them, given Vina was on the third layer, it'd be a miracle if they found anything before them. Although, maybe if Sariel was sufficiently stalled by Elis' ramblings, there'd be a chance.
Yumeko rose to her feet, her fist clenched. She turned, held her hand out, and uncurled her fingers to reveal a hair tie with two red balls.
"That's…."
Yumeko nodded, then closed her eyes. The balls on the hair tie glowed and began moving. Alice narrowed her eyes in anticipation. Thanks to Shinki's magic, objects from Makai had their own will - her hair tie was of course no exception. If that's the case….
Yumeko stopped, tossing a sword to her side. Alice's eyes followed the path, revealing Sariel, clasping the sword between two of their fingers.
"This is neither where nor who I expected to see you with," Sariel said, tossing the sword aside and gazing straight through Alice's soul. "Do you no longer wish for Makai's freedom?"
"It's not that-"
Yumeko raised her arm, as if shielding Alice from an attack. "Don't try manipulating her. Shinki cared for her like a mother would, she knows better than your lies."
Sariel sighed with a disappointed shake of their head. They turned their attention towards Yumeko. They looked at the hair tie with a puzzled expression, as if its very existence didn't make sense. Still, they held out their hand. "Give me that. It just so happens that finding Shinki is in my best interest right now. I'd hate for this to end in hostility when our interests align."
"And if you find her?"
"We need her to open the gate."
"So you can lead everyone straight to their deaths."
Sariel's face flared in annoyance. "You claim I lie about Shinki's character, yet act as if I don't care for the people. Don't you see the hypocrisy?"
"Lady Shinki won't open the gate. She closed it for a reason. Everyone is safe here, that's all she wanted."
Sariel closed their eyes, giving a shrug. "Then if she won't open the gate, and she won't remake Makai, we'll have to resort to more forceful methods. I trust Shinki to know better, though."
"You think you can do such things to Lady Shinki? Taking her place has sent your ego out of control."
"I've trained nonstop since that incident to protect everyone from those wretches. I'm more than enough to face Shinki, yet alone you." Sariel gestured with their fingers to hand the item over. "Last chance. Let me examine it."
Yumeko clenched her teeth and tossed the hair tie across Hokkai, Sariel swiftly withdrawing a wand and pointing it towards the item. The beam fired caught a sword instead, dragging it towards them as Yumeko seized the chance to jump and grab it, twirling down towards the archangel. Sariel waved their wand, creating a tremendous explosion of light that Yumeko phased into an outline of herself to avoid.
Alice's heart dropped as the fight vanished behind the explosion. It should've come as no surprise that this would be the end result, yet it stung all the same. What was her delusion this time? That she could satisfy Sariel's desire to lead everyone out of the darkness, while simultaneously appeasing Yumeko's wish of seeing Shinki again? Her fingers curled. Selfish, to try and force her way into the best of both worlds. Selfish… just like her.
Sariel emerged from the explosion, thrown back by some immense force with their arms in a defensive position. They pointed their wand at Yumeko, launching several huge orbs of light. Yumeko weaved in and out of Sariel's attacks, phasing up to them and preparing to strike. Sariel struck first, however. Their wings slapped Yumeko the moment she became vulnerable and sent her flying across Hokkai.
"Stop…" Alice whispered, clawing for her grimoire in desperation.
"Well?" Sariel asked, holding their arms out to their side as if to assert superior power. "I thought Shinki created you as the 'strongest.'"
"Stop!" Alice yelled, grabbing her grimoire and holding it out, only to see small orbs of light coming off her fading body. Both combatants turned their attention towards her.
"Worry not," Sariel said. "I understand you and her have a connection. We'll talk the next time you arrive. You'll always have a home with us."
…Home with them….
"Don't listen to them!" Yumeko yelled, resuming her attack by throwing waves of swords at Sariel. Their small skirmish was cut short as Senkou teleported behind Sariel, launching a blast of red magic that took them off guard. Alice clenched her grimoire, forming a fireball and aiming towards the fight, not caring who it hit as long as the chaos - this ugly mesh of worlds that never should've collided - would stop.
And then her eyes opened.
She jolted up in her bed, looking around at the dolls around her room. She scrambled out of bed, staggering down the stairs as the effects of tiredness hadn't yet vanished. She had to get back. Before anything got worse, she had to get back and do something! She foolishly gave out information to both sides, leading them straight to each other. Who knows what could happen by the time night comes again!? Such an illogical decision was too unlike her. It was too much like her.
She reached up to her kitchen cupboards, pulling them open and grasping for her sleeping pills.
"Yo, Alice!"
Alice froze in place, glancing over her shoulder at Marisa, painfully aware of her heavy breathing and sweating face. Marisa's face turned solemn immediately upon seeing her, rushing over to her and grasping her hand.
"Yo, what's up with you? Somethin' happen?"
