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[X] WAKE UP
She woke up to a pounding headache and a horrendous pain in her chest. Even with her eyes screwed shut, she could still make out a blinking light throbbing in perfect time with her head. Had she gathered a bajillion fireflies all at once or something? Didn’t matter, that was prob’ly what woke her up, so Wriggle hid her face in her arms, only to moan when that somehow made it worse. She briefly considered getting up to turn it off or shoe them away or whatever, but it’d probably stop if she waited long enough. The metal floor might be cold and uncomfortable, but it was less painful than getting up.
Wait. Metal? Dirt she could kinda understand, but what in winter’s name was she doing on metal? Where even was she? There’s no way she just passed out somewhere randomly, right?
Admittedly, it was the sort of thing that could happen to most youkai. Sake and post-incident parties were the sort of crap everyone did, and half of them would eventually wake up whining about hangovers and hunching over the nearest toilet. But not Wriggle Nightbug! She’d always tried her absolute best to avoid alcohol. Because she didn’t like the taste, definitely not because she was as lightweight as her beloved bugs! And if anyone ever saw otherwise, it was because Mystia gave her a dozillion drinks whenever she ate at her izyka- isekai- restaurant!
Just so that was clear. Besides, this couldn’t be a hangover, that should be a pain in her stomach, not her chest!
… unless it was a heart attack. You couldn’t get a heart attack from those fizzy blue drinks, right? Surely Mysty wouldn’t give her so many if that was the case! Reflexively she moved her hand up to touch her chest, and immediately yelped at the pain. It didn’t even have the decency to be the same sort of stabbing pain as her chest; her entire arm felt like pins and needles, and moving it burned.
Gingerly she lowered it back to the ground, trying to massage some feeling into it with her other hand. It helped a little, but her skin felt hot, like her arm had caught a fever or something! Just the l
[X] Takane’s facility did have a back exit into Chimata’s domain. They’d be forfeiting their mechs, but it would completely dodge the inchlings’ trap.
Sometimes, a little sacrifice is necessary to avoid something worse.
...
Unless it brings us closer to Mystia.
[X] Let Sanae have her way, try to blast through.
>215521
Wished Worlds War
WorldWideWeb
im onto you -_- (that cover is fucking GORGEOUS holy shit)
anyways uhh votr
[X] Takane’s facility did have a back exit into Chimata’s domain. They’d be forfeiting their mechs, but it would completely dodge the inchlings’ trap
Prologue - Collision Course
The streets of Kyoto were far from quiet. Constant arrays of neon signs and streetlights blocked out the stars above with a thick haze of light pollution. Down on ground, the scenario wasn't much different. Cars lined the streets in all directions like a river of metal and smog.
Despite the constant noise of the Outside World, one building happened to be relatively quiet. It was the apartments attached to Kyoto University, where students were busy sleeping, or cramming for exams while their body was being kept conscious by an influx of caffeine that held them upright like pristine strings on a decaying puppet.
However, lurking in one of these cramped, overpriced boxes was a hardcore gamer in the midst of her evening activities. The only light in her apartment was emanating from her television screen, painting her living room in a muted crimson red with occasional flashes of artificial lightning. Empty drink cans had formed a metropolis of tin and lingering sugar on the kotsatsu, and a half-eaten bag of shrimp crackers had fallen in-between the couch cushions.
Chiyuri herself was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her controller locked in a firm death grip as her eyes tracked the falling moon-like objects that fell from the sky. She had cleared this vertical shooter hundreds of times before, but at this point, she wasn’t doing it for the score. It was a moment of meditation; the muscle memory of dodging and the predictable(ish) rhythm of stage bosses all gave her the illusion of control in her life, which was mostly filled with halffinished lab reports and the constant insane ramblings of the professor.
A familiar “pichuun!” Noise followed a small explosion. She had clipped a bullet, allowing for her opponent to win.
“Tch. Screw you too, final pattern.”
That’s when a loud knocking nearly gave her a heart attack. It wasn’t the polite rap of a neighbor checking up on their friend, this was three rapid-fire impacts that rattled the chain lock and threatened to wake up the entire hallway.
“Chiyuri! I know you’re awake! Your light is on and the spectrum analyzer in the lab registered a phosphor decay signature consi
(Sorry for the short chapter, this is meant to be buildup for the finale).
The room was silent, but the silence spoke louder than words. Renko and Maribel were hovering over the unconscious Sumireko while Renko gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Sumireko’s torso had been bandaged up, but she still suffered traumatic injuries as a result of Konngara’s attack.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was in a state of unease. Rika and
Rikako were both tending to devices outside, Eirin was ensuring that Sumireko healed properly, and everyone else was trying to maintain some form of order.
“Who… Who even was that?” Sanae asked, her voice wavering as she tried her best not to break down.
“I’m not sure…” Reimu said, receiving a cup of tea from Yumemi. “She didn’t say much, and she didn’t look familiar. Whoever she was, she seemed… angry. Even going so far as to accuse me of genocide…”
“Genocide?!” Chiyuri looked flabbergasted by this accusation. “Where’d she get THAT idea?!”
Reimu opened her mouth to speak, but then froze. Everything came flooding back at once, and she was suddenly crushed under the weight of her past sins. Before the proper formation of Gensokyo, and before the scarlet mist incident… there were no spell card rules. As a result, there was nothing holding Reimu back…
“Yo, I’m talking to you!” Chiyuri’s voice snapped Reimu out of her trance, leaving her gasping and panting. “What’s going on with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost! …Which wouldn’t even be abnormal for Gensokyo.”
“No, no, it’s just…” Reimu took a deep breath. “I think I know what that woman was talking about.”
Chiyuri looked genuinely dumbfounded. “Wait, WHAT?! You… you actually…?”
“I did what I had to.” Reimu said bluntly. “The spell card rules weren’t a thing yet. It was either me or them. Makai is very different from Gensokyo, you see...”
“Makai…” Eirin spoke up. She had overheard the conversation, but the topic of Makai peaked her interest. “That’s the realm of demons, yes? Where Alice and Byakuren originated from?”
Reimu nodded with a solemn expression.
Prelude: "The Ones Who Witnessed It All"
Yumemi had always been a believer in the supernatural. Her passion shining through in the form of her brilliant mind and engineering skills. She had managed to create all kinds of different devices, gadgets, and weaponry. But most importantly of all, was her crown jewel: the Probability Space Hypervessel. It was a spaceship capable of traversing boundaries and finally exposing the truth to those she viewed as blind; which just so happened to be the very university in which she taught her students.
Despite obtaining undeniable evidence that proved the existence of Gensokyo, something always went wrong with the technology that fudged the results. Whether it be a blurry photograph or altered variables, the result was always the same: nobody could believe the evidence she presented. It almost felt like someone was intentionally sabotaging her, but she could never figure out the culprit. Regardless, her attempts eventually resulted in yhe university president firing her from her job as a professor, leaving her with nothing but her workshop, and with nobody but Chiyuri by her side.
Yet she remained determined. When she dragged Chiyuri along for her most recent Gensokyo expedition, she was confident she could finally acquire the evidence she needed to prove the others wrong, and have the greatest “I told you so” moment of her life. What she wasn’t expecting, however, was more questions than answers, and a disaster that almost resulted in the demise of her and her best friend.
Ever since the beginning of this incident, her views on the world around her have changed significantly. Almost witnessing the demise of her best friend in the inferno that claimed her prized possession taught her that there were some things even she couldn’t accomplish, and that her recklessness will cost her everything. As she’s formed new bonds with unlikely allies, she’s changed her objective entirely; proving Gensokyo’s existence no longer mattered. All that mattered was keeping her friends safe, and protecting what remained of the university she once worked at, even if it were only a few students.
As for Rikako, her backstory begins wit
Section 3: "Their Final Year of School"
Yumemi had prepared herself for a lot of potential scenarios Gensokyo would throw at her. She always knew there was an inherent danger inside of Gensokyo, but she never expected to find another dimension entirely. Especially one as dark and creepy as Makai.
Luckily, when the darkness arrived, Yumemi had grabbed Chiyuri’s arm. She had no idea it would work, but it resulted in the two being separated from the group together, even if the others were nowhere in sight.
“W-What the hell just happened?!” Chiyuri wailed, her expression containing a worried smile.
“I’m not sure…” Yumemi replied while attempting to check her tablet, only to be met with a black screen. “Whatever happened, it’s messing with my equipment. I can’t even turn my tablet on, let alone obtain a reading of our environment.”
“What readings do you need?! Just look around you!” Chiyuri gestured wildly. “We’re in the depths of what’s essentially hell, the rest of the group is gone, and we don’t even know what we’re looking for!”
“While I admit the situation is precarious, panicking won’t help.” She gestures towards the faint silhouette of a crystal fortress up ahead. “I suspect that the rest of the group is likely to regroup at the object that stands out the most.”
“A-Are you sure we should just start wandering around in a place like this…?” Chiyuri stared at the professor like she had lost her mind.
“Do you have a better idea?” Yumemi immediately retorted.
“I guess not…”
And so, the two would begin walking along the decaying, ashcovered pathway until a voice made them stop in their tracks.
“Leaving so soon?”
Mima was leaning against a nearby tree with an expectant smirk, her crescent staff resting beside her.
“You again?!” Yumemi asked, her eyes wide with surprise and a flicker of… recognition?
“What else were you expecting? Yuki? That failure of a magician never could’ve reached my level of education. As for you two… I must say that I’m impressed. Really, I am. When I first started this incident, I had created it as an experiment
Our world is ending, I can see it crumbling around me. I always assumed the end would be something more interesting, like an alien invasion, or maybe even a zombie apocalypse. But life isn't some fantasy novel, it's a dreary life that's been corrupted by artificial greed. Food is made with chemicals nobody can pronounce, half of your friends probably aren't real people, and even the delicious flavor of a strawberry cake… is artificial.
The end is not something that is happening suddenly. There is no sudden astronomical event that renders the earth uninhabitable. Instead, humanity has pushed the earth to its limits, and like a bridge with too many people on it, it’s starting to collapse. Nobody knows how long it will take, but humanity is nearing its end. Just like how a candle that once illuminated its surroundings with a beautiful flame is nearing the end of its wick, and it will soon burn away.
Despite the suffocating smog from the world around me, there’s something deep within my soul that’s telling me to keep hold of myself. Optimism is an underestimated force in this decaying world. Even the darkest of nights will eventually end in sunrise, and that’s enough for me. My hope for a better future keeps me going, and it’s what stops me from admitting defeat.
Leaning over on my bed, I take a quick glance at the framed photograph on my dresser. It’s me smiling while wrapping my arms around a girl in an extravagant cloak and plaid outfit, who happened to be taking a selfie of us. We were never a couple, but we were an inseparable duo throughout high school. Unfortunately, everything changed once we reached university. Her obsession with the occult resulted in her skipping more and more classes. I hardly saw her in person, but when I did, she sounded almost insane. She would ramble on about “ley lines” and “mystery spots.” I could barely even recognize her anymore, and I don’t think even she fully knew what she was talking about.
One day, she made a proud declaration during lunch, claiming that she was going to “expose the esoteric” and prove everyone wrong once and for all. She then took off running out of the cafeteria. I tried to stop he
In the middle of the night, I found myself waking up to the sound of frantic pounding on a nearby apartment door. It’s not my own, but it sounds panicked, and loud. Most people would still walk outside and yell at whoever is doing this, but I’m not one to make a scene.
As a result, I end up staring at the ceiling and waiting for the situation to resolve itself. Much to my surprise, the muffled voices sound… familiar?
“Chiyuri? What are you-“
“THERE’S A YOUKAI IN MY APARTMENT!”
“Wait wha- Chiyuri wait stop LET GO OF ME-“
I can hear the sounds of struggle coming from outside my room, followed up by frantic footsteps moving to the apartment that’s right next to mine. Seriously? Yumemi’s associate lives right next to me? Regardless, the adjacent door is practically burst open, and the two fall uncharacteristically silent for a moment.
“…Very funny. Now where’s this ‘youkai’ you speak of?”
“I-It was right here! She was in my bathroom like some kind of pervert!”
“Admittedly, this one is on me. I shouldn’t have entertained this nonsense. So, forgive me for my lack of sleep clouding my judgement. As for you, please go back to sleep before you suffer any other hallucinations.”
“But-“
“Chiyuri, youkai are not present in the outside world.”
“Ugh, fine! So much for trying to prove you right…”
“I appreciate it, but we can worry about this in the morning. Now go back to sleep before we get a noise complaint. Goodnight.”
Their conversation ends after that, and a single pair of footsteps walks past my door before fading away after the sound of a door closing, allowing me to sleep in peace for awhile.
Within my dream, I find myself back in that same forest where this all began. The same green trees, and the same gorgeous landscape all around me, which I’ve come to know as Gensokyo. Standing beside me under the night sky is Yukari, who is gazing up at the stars with an almost sad expression on her face.
“Hey Yukari, are you feeling alright?”
Yukari turns to me and hides her smile with her fan. Despite her attempts at masking, I can see the sadness in her eyes.
It’s almost time, tomorrow night is when we attempt to enter
Gensokyo for the final time, and maybe even set up a permanent home for the… five of us. Turning over to look at my nightstand, I can see the much more recent framed photo that I took with Koishi. However, one loose end still remains unresolved…
“I haven’t forgotten about you, Sumireko, and I wish that you were here to enter Gensokyo with us.”
I know I sound crazy since I’m talking to a photo, but it helps me feel better. I may never see Sumireko again, but I will keep going and carry on her work. This world may have forgotten her, but I will ensure that her sacrifice will not be in vain.
“I promise I’ll make it to Gensokyo, Sumireko. No matter what happens, I’ll stay with them to the very end, for our sake.”
Isn’t it ironic? I once denied her claims, treated it as hearsay, only to encounter her sister and club which proved her correct. Now I’m left to forever regret my actions towards a girl who could be dead at this point. I think… I’m gonna sleep in a bit longer. Maybe I’ll see her in my dreams.
“YO! MAXWELL!”
Chiyuri’s voice and energetic pounding on my door snaps me out of my depressed trance and causes me to come to my senses, albeit with frantic breathing. Once I’ve calmed down, I open the door. Or, rather, Chiyuri practically runs me over when she dashes inside my apartment with frantic energy.
“OkaysowereallreadybutwestillneedtopackupcertainthingslikecoffeecoffecoffeCOFFEEE!!”
“Woah, slow down! I understand like, maybe one or two of those words?”
Chiyuri (somehow) manages to compose herself, but she’s still buzzing with energy and maintaining an ear-to-ear grin.
“Okay, okay, sorry. So I might’ve been up since 6AM and there might be an almost lethal amount of coffee in my system, but that’s not important! What’s important is that tomorrow’s the big day!!!”
“Indeed it is. So why are you up so early?”
“To help the others prepare, duh! Renko and Maribel are busy making out with eachother-“
“…Seriously?”
Chiyuri bursts out laughing and almost topples over backwards.
“Relax
Sumireko lays motionless on a messy, unmade mattress, save for her breathing, of course. How long has it been since she last saw the outside world? Weeks? Months? Years? Who knows, for she certainly doesn’t. Her apartment rests under a blanket of darkness, a stark reminder of the bills she had avoided paying. In her mind, this would all be worth it. She would move to Gensokyo, live a fulfilling life, and leave behind a legacy that would be remembered.
But has that worked out for her? Absolutely not. She had abandoned her best friend, her club, even her own sister in the pursuit of apotheosis, and for what? Getting beaten up and lectured by a shrine maiden? Her attempts to breach the barrier attracted more attention than she could’ve possibly expected. Even with her occult powers and the occult balls, she was outmatched by the opposing force of Gensokyo.
She was left bruised and beaten, and she had lost her occult balls. One thing was made clear: she was not welcome there. Yet she remained undeterred. One night, while she was researching an occult novel under the soft candlelight, she gazed upon at the night sky, and a brilliant idea came to mind. She would go to the moon. If she could prove that she could handle the vacuum of space, then surely she could handle Gensokyo, right?
And so, she left… hoping to reach her absolution among the stars. Ascending far past human limits without proper protection, she paid no mind to any prying eyes below her. In her mind, this would finally be the proof she needed. This would set her free. Before long, she was surrounded by a vast sea of stars that spread out in all directions. She stared out into space for a moment, and she began to weep. She remembered how much her sister adored the stars, and she remembered the time spent stargazing with Renko.
That’s when she met her. The former greatest magician from a forgotten time… Mima. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, nothing more than a fleeting glimpse into the past. She had made the endless void her final resting place, hoping that she could finally put on one last show. The two beings locked eyes, and a smug grin formed on their face. Two beings that chased their prime, one from Makai, and one
Reimu panted and held her side, feeling the burn from one of the lasers which had grazed her. Her red hakama were covered in grey ash, and her white kimono was speckled with soot, dirt, and a little blood. She half-crouched, half-knelt on Genji’s back, the giant turtle having shrugged off most of the attacks that had hit him.
Still, she took some satisfaction from being in a better state than her opponent. The one she was fighting was a gargantuan woman, one who simply radiated power. Even so, it was clear that she had suffered; white hair cascading in front of her face, red dress covered in soot and one purple wing bent unnaturally and another bearing an angry-looking tear in it. The remaining four wings
“Looks like your bark is worse than your bite!” Reimu powered through the pain and gave the goddess a savage grin.
“How could you be this strong?” The goddess panted out, shocked at her defeat
“Well, that’s just normal for me” Reimu boasted, puffing her chest out.
Shinki just gave her an unamused look, before brushing the hair out of her face “Anyway, what business did you have in Makai again”
Now it was Reimu’s turn to give an unamused look “Like I’ve been saying! There’s been too many demons coming to the human world lately! You’re the god of their world, so do something about it!”
“Guess I’ve got no choice...”
Shinki grumbled, before raising a hand to her chest. A purple light washed over the goddess, causing her to be rejuvenated. Her Wings snapped back into place, the gash disappearing in an instant. Even her clothes began to sew themselves back together.
Then she raised a hand towards Reimu, wreathed in green light. Reimu was about to get Genji to dodge when the light poured over her. She could feel the pain in her side dissipate, as the wounds across her body closed.
Shinki gave her a slight curtsy, her six wings disappearing as she did so.
“In deference to that strength of yours, I shall do something about it.” she declared.
“Yes, Please do.” Reimu put her hands on her waist, like her mom did when scolding her. She wasn’t entirely sure what def-fer-ence meant, but it sounded like she
Rinnosuke sat calmly, equipped with a needle and thread. He wove blue threads together, repairing an old kimono which had suffered some tears. He cast an eye to the side, seeing a much less certain seamstress. Marisa grit her teeth in focus, attempting to mend a hole in her purple dress, suffered courtesy of Mima. However, once more, she exerted too much force, pricking her finger again and yelling in pain.
Rinnosuke put down his needle with a muted sigh.
“Kourin, I’m bleedin’!” Marisa exclaimed. “How am I gonna recover if I keep getting injured?” She asked dramatically.
The wound was a tiny pinprick, of course. It would heal within a day.
Rinnosuke let the girl peter out of complaints in her own time before speaking.
“Marisa, this is not a fight. You don’t have to use the needle so forcefully.”
The young witch pouted. “But, if I don’t hold onto it, then I’m just gonna drop it. An’ I need to use enough strength to actually get through the clothes” she pointed out.
Rinnosuke shook his head gently. “it’s certainly true that you need to pierce through. But you should let the needle do most of the work. It’s specifically made to do that, after all.” He said dryly.
With a gesture of the head, Marisa moved over a little, letting him sit next to her. “Here, like this” The man said, threading the needle and moving Marisa’s fingers onto it. “Now hold onto the clothe, and weave through” he said, going through the motion with her. One weave became two. Two became three. Three became ten, and ten became twenty. She was in a good rhythm- until she got too hasty, pushed through with too much force again and just barely avoided another pinprick.
Marisa grit her teeth, a quiet growl slipping from her. The half-youkai however, nodded in approval.
“That was well-done, Marisa.” he said, the warmth in his tone even surprising himself.
A shocked expression was Marisa’s answer to his praise.
Haru Hakurei tucked her daughter into bed, leaving the girl with a last kiss to the forehead. Honestly, she would never have expected her little girl to get so worked up over sewing of all things, but she had consistently been visiting Marisa and Rinnosuke for the past fortnight over just that.
Haru soon found herself lying in her own bed. She closed her eyes, trying to get some rest.
But inside of her, she felt something stir. A chill, running through her soul itself. Recognising it as an attempt to possess her body, Haru flooded her body with energy, sufficient to exorcise any ghost or phantom trying their luck. But as she did so, she realised; whatever was trying to take over her body was doing so remotely.
But to take over a person’s body from far away, a youkai would need an incredibly high compatibility with their victim. ‘At that level of compatibility,’ she thought, ‘they would have to almost be-’
As Haru came to that realization, a wave of emotions crashed into her.
Anger, bitterness, desperation. Haru knew those emotions, but she controlled them. Even as they welled up within her chest, she controlled them, and didn't let them overcome her.
She remembered her times, with Keine, with Misumaru, Kasen and Yukari. Akyuu and Eiko, Kotoha and Azama, people she didn’t know as deeply. People she had trained with fight with, grown with. She remembered her mother, stern and dutiful, with Natsu, cheerful but resolute. She remembered her time with Reimu; her brilliant and kind girl. Her lazy and careless girl. Her pride and joy.
Even while weakened, she had the strength to resist any attempt at invasion, because of her own strength, and because of the strength she had borrowed from others. With that, the power trying to claim her body dispelled, leaving her in control of her own body, but left with a deep exhaustion.
And so, Haru Hakurei slipped into a deep, deep sleep.
But something else stirred, far away.
Reimu awoke, the sun hanging high in the sky. She groaned and rolled over. She was never a morning person, though she felt especially bad wakin
Remilia suppressed a sigh as she stared at the woman opposite her. Yukari Yakumo, looking as smug as ever, sat and sipped a cup of tea. Sakuya had declined Remilia’s suggestion to put a little poison in the blonde’s tea- not least because the only poisons they had to hand were Patchouli’s magical reagents. Still, Remilia might have been willing to sit through one of Patchy’s lectures to wipe the smile off this woman’s face.
“Are you listening to me, Remilia Scarlet?” Yukari trilled.
“Yeah, yeah. All according to plan or whatever.” Remilia said dismissively. Honestly, the woman seemed to talk for the sport of it. Signing the woman’s little petition… Subjugating the humans sounded more fun. More fitting for the descendant of Tepes herself.
Yukari pouted, as though she were a 17 year old girl and not a who-knows-how old youkai.
“Aww, don’t be like that little Remi, this plan’s got plenty of benefits for you, as well.”
Remilia couldn’t entirely deny that. It would secure them a steady supply of blood, since apparently they were banned from just going down to feast on the humans that lived in the nearby village. Still, were Yukari out of the picture, then that ban would no longer be in place and she could drink freely.
Yukari walked over, reaching over to pat Remilia on the head. The vampire slapped the woman’s hand away with a force that could turn a human into a smear on the wall. The gap youkai barely moved her arm, simply retracting it with a smirk.
“Well, I’ll see you soon enough, Remi.” She said, vanishing into a gap.
Remilia blew a raspberry at the woman as she disappeared.
Sakuya, having watched the interaction in silence, chastised her. “Now, now mistress, please don’t spray your saliva on the table. It’s unsanitary.”
“If you say so, Sakuya. But that woman… she’s so annoying! I mean, how can anyone be that smug and childish?” She asked her maid. The silver haired woman gave her a strange look at that.
“Is there something on my face, Sakuya?” Remilia asked.
“There isn’t, my lady. I’m just remembering that you’re unable to look in a mirror.” Her maid responded.
3 AM. The Witching Hour.
A time during which the boundary between normalcy and the profane is at its weakest, when safety’s veil over mankind thins to gossamer and allows fear to seep through. Winds start to carry whispers, and the creaks of one’s home bring with them thoughts of unseen presences. At that hour, all that lurk in the darkness are at their most terrifying.
That’s the belief, anyway - one reinforced by generations of sleepless nights. And in Gensokyo, belief is a force of nature in and of itself. Surely then, at this very moment, you must be at your peak. Surely.
Despite your effort to steel your revolve, your breath shivers past your lips. The pressure in your chest is no less oppressive than it was moments ago. If anything, it only mounts further. But you have to be strong, now more than ever. Frightening as it may be to take the first step, you have to do this. For her.
Forcing yourself forward, your foot steps past the torii gate of the Hakurei Shrine. You’re trespassing on sacred ground now. The pressure in your chest doubles, a palpable weight that threatens to buckle your knees. But the night makes you strong. The next step is easier to take, and the step after that even more so.
It gets so much easier to keep pushing onward, in fact, that by the time you’ve made it halfway down the leaf laden walkway, you’re starting to feel rather light and jumpy instead of leadfooted. The fear of getting caught skulking around is a great motivator to hurry up, as it turns out. And so, you skedaddle around the building in your desperate search for her.
Due to the special link you two share, you find yourself naturally drawn toward a grove of cherry trees a short distance from the back of the shrine. You bypass the main shrine grounds entirely, feet guided by an invisible connection. There, half-buried in a layer of pink petals from spring’s end, your gaze settles on a large stone - a paper talisman stuck to its surface. A seal. The seal that contains your master.
The sight is almost enough to bring you to your knees. Couldn’t the Hakurei have thought of
>>215343
Sure, here you go
KOBOSHI'S HIT THE BUMP LIMIT!!!
NEW THREAD TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!
The adventures of our girlfailure continue in the NEXT THREAD: https://www.thp.moe/th/res/215370.html
Our total word count for thread 1 was 43,725, with an average of ~2.6k words per update. Not bad, if I say so myself, though some were certainly wordier than others :P
Koboshi sure has come a long way since prowling around a shrine at the witching hour, hasn't she? Hopefully she can learn to stop beating herself up soon.
You awake into this world with a scream.
Your eye flies open as your vision blurs. Panicking, you quickly stand up only for you to immediately fall over. You feel like you want to vomit.
So vomit you do, as you crawl over to a nearby tree and hold onto it for dear life as you puke whatever was inside your digestive system.
A few minutes pass as your show of repugnance slowly fizzles out. A sigh of relief passes over you as you move closer to the tree and plop yourself onto it for support.
You're breathing steadily now. Your eyes aren't blurry any longer and they adjust to the moon-lit night.
Looking around you realize you are in a forest, an ancient looking woodland to be more specific. The trees that surround your corpse (Did you just refer to ourself as a corpse?). Are old and- wait who said that?
(Me you fool, I am your conscience.)
That... Isn't normal. You think to yourself, one would think it impossible for your own conscience to have thoughts independent of your own, let alone have it's own voice.
(Well, something clearly happened before we woke up here. I don't remember much myself so I'm hoping you could fill me in.)
Ah right, your current predicament. You snap out of your thoughts and take another look at the forest around you.
You don't even know where you are. How does one even find themselves in a forest?
Like a quick clap of thunder however, you suddenly realize something.
Your breathing quickens in panic as it becomes increasingly obvious to you that you cannot recall a single thing before your awakening.
(Shit.)
You can't remember anything.
(Okay look I know this is a bad-)
You can't remember your life before waking up here.
(Let's just take a breather and coll-)
You can't even remember your own name.
(FOCUS.) Your conscience shouts.
(Look, we can't sit all day moping about the fact that we can't remember anything. Need I remind you we're in the middle of a forest?)
I guess you're right.
(Good, now get up and let's get out of here.)
With as much e
Aaaaand now Marisa is wondering if there's a corpse in her house.
THE STORY SO FAR:
The world has ended, but five (well, it’s complicated) humans get a chance to do it over, and make things right. Only problem is, for their second go around, they're not going to be 'human'...
Kosuzu, Reimu, Akyuu and Youmu have all remembered their pasts, and through significant trials and tribulations, begun the path of fighting against the doomed future. Of the five Immaterial Children who were wound back in time together, only one’s fate remains unknown - the former magician, Kirisame Marisa.
In this life, she is Houjuu Marisa, raised on the island of Sado in the outside world. Spending her childhood years looking up at the stars, the arrival of the Spiral Comet awoke her inhuman heritage - one she was completely unaware of, and equally unprepared to deal with. Having fled her life on the island, she now searches for a way to get to Gensokyo, ever chased by a mysterious group.
She is not the only one exploring the mysteries of the city she now finds herself in - she is joined by Goutokuji Mike, a young maneki-neko of the modern world also on the run from home. Together, they discovered the Lunar Rainbow Market, and with the assistance of powerful benefactors managed to evade their pursuers.
Their time at the Scarlet Talent Agency ended poorly, yet not fruitlessly - not only were they joined by fellow mystery-hunter Kotohime, but a mysterious shadow of a witch managed to contact the young Houjuu, and point her on the path towards discovering her nature and purpose. This has proven to be another pain point for Mike, who feels herself falling behind the young changeling and wants to catch up. Perhaps the Vanishing Path and the prisoner of the shrine it conceals will give her a chance to prove herself…
Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu >>205449
[X] When you get a chance, talk to Zanmu. That no-holds-barred training she offered previously might be good for getting more comfortable with her tentacles, and not falling on her face when trying to fly.
I'm not sure if this pole is still up but I think it would be neat for marina to get more a handle of herself and explore the new possibilities, also not just go fully down technique just because it's the cool new thing for this arc. There will be other chances to max it after all
[X] When you get a chance, talk to Zanmu. That no-holds-barred training she offered previously might be good for getting more comfortable with her tentacles, and not falling on her face when trying to fly.
I apologize if the voting time has passed for this. As this is my first ever post here and am not aware if there is an expiration date.
Just finished rereading this while thing over on Ao3, and I feel Marisa needs her instinct to be at least 0 and not negative 3, so that way she wont accidentally hurt people again. She has basically no instinctual control over her abilities, in fact they actively seam to fight against her. Even her shadow self basically told her to chill on hating her instincts. Plus I fear that she will hurt herself at this rate.
[x] Reisen is a brilliant little kit, and this was the time for her to shine. Just like with Chen, all I needed to do was give her a little support and encouragement.
I still remember back when Chen made her first spellcard. It had taken a lot of effort on both our parts - for all her good qualities, Chen simply wasn’t a natural with danmaku. Staying still while you cast a spellcard and the other person shot at you went against every instinct my kit had, and while spellcards with movement did exist, they were more difficult for a beginner. Making matters worse, the order for me to treat her as my pet made it difficult for me to teach her to the degree I wanted. (When she grew frustrated and started mewling for kitty cuddles, I almost had to tie my own hands to stop the shikigami from indulging her.)
But nevertheless we persisted, and finally she had her first spellcard ready to show Yukari. And my little girl was nervous. The shikigami possessing me had been anxious that everything be perfect for its master, and while that drive had helped in focusing enough to teach Chen… it had left my kit with stage fright, her voice wavering as she asked if we could maybe practice another week first.
I’d felt an almost primal urge to just embrace her and make the problem go away. To pick up my little girl, hug her, assure her she was the best kitten in all of history, and leave the spellcard demonstration for later. But that would have just delayed the problem and made it that little bit harder for Chen to stand on her own when “later” finally came. She’d done a good job, she’d put in the work, and “Kishin - Soaring Bishamonten” was a fine entry-level spellcard. As much as I wanted to hold her hand, that would be holding her back. She didn’t need my protection… just a little encouragement.
So I knelt down, and pet her. A quick stroke as my fingers traced a line from her fluffy ears down her cheek. She went completely still, looking at me as I told her not to worry. That she was ready, that she’d worked hard, and that Yukari was going to be just as impressed with her as I was. And in my kit’s eyes I saw the worry fade away as Chen fought her fear with pure, earnest determi
>>215149
It would be really funny if after all the bonding and trauma Greg and Satori have been through together, seeing Greg as a fox is what gets Satori to fold and get with Greg
After reading the little blurb from snippets about physical contact, I think it'd be really funny to see Ran trying to seduce Matthew and continuously being outdone by him unintentionally
New thing I've been thinking about: of the 3 possible powers Greg presented for the Jesus urban legend, I'm guessing the third (casting out demons) is probably Yuyuko's goal for Youmu or Greg(or possibly even Greg's dad).
Considering the specification on demons that possess people, it would be the best option to kick Tamamo out of Yukari's body and might be able to kick out the Shikigami spirit from Ran, which as I understand the shikigami spell would effectively release Ran. It could even cast out urban legends, which would be an instant fix for Remilia and get over a hurdle for Koishi.
Resurrection could also fit thematically for Greg or his pop pops, seeing as how all but like maybe 3 people think they're dead, and that could lead to an "awakening" of sorts for Greg's youkai nature. It might also affect Youmu, turning her into a full human for all that entails.
The healing power meanwhile doesn't really fit onto Greg or Youmu though. Maybe for Greg's dad. For Greg in particular, he's made his mark trying to keep people out of bad situations or making the best of them, not healing them(for his childhood trauma, he was the one being healed by Sumireko, not the healer).
I'm mainly considering Greg, Greg's dad and Youmu as the candidates here because they're the only ones to have ties to Christianity at present(and Ran, but I doubt the everyday villagers know about that).
This is also much less likely, but as I was reading the story I briefly theorized that Greg might get the literal antichrist as an urban legend as some sort of possible bad end; fox features might count as a "mark of the beast" and he simultaneously divided and united his class as a kid (like the antichrist is said to do to Israel)(I think)(I don't know that much abrahamic lore).
Imagine a tiny spark, as minuscule as a speck of dust, yet as brilliant as the most gigantic stars in the universe; slowly and lazily floating above nothingness. A nothingness where nothing and everything, paradoxically, exist simultaneously. Perhaps you don't remember, but you've been here before. Maybe it was that time before you were born, before or after your conception. Maybe it's the same place you go to every time you sleep, that brief, pleasant time before the next day begins. Maybe it's the place where you ended up, like all the others you've known and forgotten throughout your life.
Ah, now that I look at you more closely, it seems you're on your last breath. Tragic, but expected for your kind, whatever you were before ending up like this. Believe it or not, it's hard to tell from your appearance. Tidy yourself up a bit, okay?
But well, it seems you've been floating in nothingness for quite some time. That's odd, since you should have been picked up by a shinigami, if they even bother to do their job anymore...
Of course, our boss would have already taken matters into her own hands.
Or at the very least, turned into a vengeful spirit. Hmm, have you even visited the banks of the Sanzu River? I heard the Ministry finally allowed the installation of—
Please, focus! We have a job to do.
Ah! Where were we? Oh, yes! You, the spark, whatever you are, continue floating, illuminating the void with your nonexistent light, dancing with a carefree attitude. After an eternity of dancing—you need to work on those moves, by the way—you stop. And as you stop to a stand still, you explode with tremendous force.
Your consciousness awakens ~ ❤.
Hello there, long time lurker(wow has it been a few years) and first time thread maker here.
I wondered if anyone here would be interested in an story.(dumb question)
I am in posession of 2 brainchildren that for the love of all won't leave me alone. The first one developed into an red line, having the bare bones in the beginning, conflict with a few characters and an potential climax. It has no end since the other parts still swim around in the depths of my brain.
Well, all in all i want to know if anyone has enough interest to vote, comment and interact with me while putting up with my ADD, formatting mistakes, slipping grammar(im german) and an irregular release schedule that at least i can guarantee will lead to an end of the story.
It will begin as pretty standard gappy story,with votes on what an mc we will creating, mc will NOT be powerful very fast into it. There will be so much choice making(for hopefully our amusement and to help the plot along) and at last i will add an stat sheet with the skills of mc and an archievement tab. Everything astounding and all deaths(connected to the choices)will get one, with a bit of flavor Text the first time.
So yeah... i want to let this fester for 3 days before coming to an decision if it's worth it.
See you.
Wonderfully jobless and with too much time for the next 8 months
Alastor Darkwood
