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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 ~ ❤.
It's absolute chaos. You can barely form a coherent thought. Your mind, if it can even be called that—
Well, of course, what else could it be called? Its brain?
S-shut up—help me instead! Ahem! Your brain is desperately trying to understand the situation. Your first thoughts are a primordial soup: ideas emerge from the void and persist, some mingling with others to create slightly more complex ideas, and others are simply discarded back into the void. But after a second eternity and an endless stream of ideas, you finally bring order to your disorganized consciousness. And a wandering thought crosses your mind: if you think… therefore, you exist.
Ri~ight?
Anyway, your consciousness, armed with a primitive sense of being, looks outward. Toward the unknown. Of course, with the expectation that it will find something, if it can even find anything outside its immediate vicinity. It doesn't matter; any piece of information, however insignificant, is precious to your developing mind.
However! Not a moment has passed when a new sensation invades your nascent sense of being. It's a rather simple sensation: one of slowness, lifelessness, where everything freezes. And it quickly overwhelms you. You don't know why yet, but you simply know that if you let it do its thing, you'll return to nothingness. And that's something you really don't want. No sir!
Your consciousness fights against the strange sensation. But apparently, the strange enemy doesn't offer much resistance. Yet at the same time, you have difficulty gauging the resistance it offered, since you have no point of reference. Perhaps it's because of your will to exist, or your stubborn refusal to return to nothingness. You don't care about the why or the how, but you prevent it from overwhelming your sense of feeling and send it back to the hole it came from.
And perhaps the same hole from which you emerged…
In any case, now that you have a newfound sense of freedom from that strange sensation, your mind begins to explore the unknown. It's strange, your mind, timidly, takes a small step… another…
And finds a new and va~ast world! New sensations quickly assault your developing senses from all sides. Ah, it seems your mind has connected with your memories. How strange, they were right there beside you! Your mind mercilessly plunders the collection of memories, fully integrating them with your own. You don't know how much time has passed, nor do you care, and once you're sure you've taken every memory there was, you try to remember. It's an act that causes you great pain, since you never thought the simple act of remembering could hurt.
You move your hand, or what you think is your hand, to your forehead and give yourself a little massage. It doesn't completely solve your headache, which you think is a disguised migraine, but it's the only thing you can think of at the moment. Even so, it helps to calm it, although a part of you wants something to take it away.
With a slightly aching—but functional—head, you take stock of your situation. Your vision is blurry. Your whole body aches. And your brain still wants to kill itself. But you fight your ailments and stand up. You wobble for a few seconds but maintain your balance. Congratulations! You won't be food for animals or youkai in the next five minutes if you stay on your feet.
Battling your blurred vision, you take a few steps. It's difficult; your feet protest every movement, and your eyes refuse to focus. A noble act of resistance against a tyrant seeking to use every ounce of effort they can muster. This act is joined by your lungs, which, whether by mistake or malice, your brain hasn't yet decided, causing you to cough at the worst possible moment, sending you sprawling to the ground. It wasn't a clean landing; you'd swear you collided with something, but perhaps it's just your brain still recovering from your abrupt awakening.
You decide to lie down for a few moments, allowing your brain to work out a few remaining peculiarities. And once you think you can get up without any problem, you do. You're surprised that this time your body moves with certainty and fluidity, although, of course, you still feel you need to rest to fully recover.
Look! Your eyes finally decided to cooperate, focusing and revealing your surroundings. Muted, grayish, and brownish colors welcome you. They are everywhere: on the floor, on the walls, and even in the sky!
Except for one place. Your gaze focuses there, where the terrain is illuminated by a gap in the sky. You stand up and approach. Come on, come on, don't be afraid! There's no one else there but you (and the two of us!). And as you approach, you notice a small puddle of water at your feet. You're surprised by how clear and transparent it is. You kneel and stare at the puddle. And you're surprised yet again when someone looks back at you.
Tell us, who is that person looking at you?
[ ] A young woman with a soft, gentle face; with dark navy blue eyes, and dressed in a priestess's robes of white and red.
[ ] A woman with a sharp but kind appearance; with red eyes, and wearing a simple, but elegant, Western-style dress of black and white.
[ ] An ordinary-looking man, with brown eyes, dressed in Outside World clothing.
[X] A woman with a sharp but kind appearance; with red eyes, and wearing a simple, but elegant, Western-style dress of black and white.
Where will this story go!??!?! A second person perspective from a literal second person...
And as a tip, you should look at the FAQ to figure out how to make your story updates appear on the update panel, its just here https://www.thp.moe/?page=faq or you can get to it from the front page. Happy writing!
[X] A woman with a sharp but kind appearance; with red eyes, and wearing a simple, but elegant, Western-style dress of black and white.
[X] A young woman with a soft, gentle face; with dark navy blue eyes, and dressed in a priestess's robes of white and red.
>>214812
Not just any old literal second person, either. but a pair of backup dancers! This surely bodes well for our protag's long-term health.
[X] A young woman with a soft, gentle face; with dark navy blue eyes, and dressed in a priestess's robes of white and red.
Interesting take on the 2ND Person POV
If the second option is who I think it is…
[X] A woman with a sharp but kind appearance; with red eyes, and wearing a simple, but elegant, Western-style dress of black and white.
Really dig the little drawn illustrations
[X] A young woman with a soft, gentle face; with dark navy blue eyes, and dressed in a priestess's robes of white and red.
[X] An ordinary-looking man, with brown eyes, dressed in Outside World clothing.
>>214811
"They're right behind me, aren't they?"
[X] A woman with a sharp but kind appearance; with red eyes, and wearing a simple, but elegant, Western-style dress of black and white.
[X] An ordinary-looking man, with brown eyes, dressed in Outside World clothing.
[X] A woman with a sharp but kind appearance; with red eyes, and wearing a simple, but elegant, Western-style dress of black and white.
[X] A young woman with a soft, gentle face; with dark navy blue eyes, and dressed in a priestess's robes of white and red.
I’d rather not be an obvious outsider in Gensokyo of all places.
[X] A young woman with a soft, gentle face; with dark navy blue eyes, and dressed in a priestess's robes of white and red.
The next vote breaks the tie between the first two options. Otherwise, I'll flip a coin.
[X] A young woman with a soft, gentle face; with dark navy blue eyes, and dressed in a priestess's robes of white and red.
[6] A young woman with a soft, gentle face; with dark navy blue eyes, and dressed in a priestess's robes of white and red.
[5] A woman with a sharp but kind appearance; with red eyes, and wearing a simple, but elegant, Western-style dress of black and white.
[2] An ordinary-looking man, with brown eyes, dressed in Outside World clothing.
A drop of water falls from the cave ceiling, landing in the puddle and breaking the reflection of the person staring back at you.
It's a young girl looking back at you. With her gaze, she observes you from the puddle, discerning every detail of your face. She is rather rude doing so, so you stare back. She appears to be in her early twenties (How young!), judging by her soft features, devoid of any noticeable marks. She has a pair of dark navy blue eyes. And her long (and beautiful!) hair is such a muted blue (or is it purple?) that at first glance it looks black.
Pretty common for someone born in Gensokyo.
Do you think so?
Of course! If she were an outsider, she'd look even more ordinary. You'd see it from miles away. Not to mention how boring it would be to follow another one around again, it gets boring watching them get devoured for the tenth time. Ah, I'm so glad that's not the case with her. What about you?
Me? I would’ve been happy with a youkai too…
Yes, yes. A youkai would have been fine too. But look at her closely: her clothes. Don't those reds and whites look familiar?
….Damn, I think someone really messed up at the Ministry.
Yes, yes. But that's not our problem, is it?
No, it isn't. Ah, I hope the boss knows what she's doing. (May the gods have mercy on that poor ministry employee.) A-hem! The young girl stares at you, motionless. So you decide to take the initiative: with one hand, you touch your cheek. She does the same. You tap your forehead, she also imitates. So you take your finger and touch the water, the girl copies without delay. Try as you might, you couldn't perceive any lag, illusion, or anything else that might interfere with your vision. She mirrored your movements perfectly.
You take a moment to process this new information, and you say the first thing that comes to mind: your name.
"Ri… Ho… Ri-ho… Riho. T-that’s my name, yeah."
A name that's both familiar and strange. You pronounce it a few times until it flows smoothly from your lips.
And when it happens, you collapse onto your bottom, as if a great weight has been placed on your shoulders. Breathless, you put a hand on your chest and press. Your blood runs cold. You press a little more, and more, until you stop when you groan in pain.
Easy, easy darling! You haven't been awake long, and the first thing you do is hurt yourself.
You take a deep breath and try again. You place your hand on your chest again and press lightly. You frown. You lower your hand, moving it slightly to your side, and press again. A sigh of relief escapes your lips.
"Ha, I'm still... I'm still alive. I'm..." You can't suppress the giggle that comes with the statement. So, being alone (with us), you feel free to burst out laughing.
Now that I hear it, her laugh kinda sounds like the boss's when a plan goes perfectly…
You're forced to stifle your laughter, but you can't wipe the smile off your face. With your spirits lifted, your mind prepares to think about the next step. That step manifests itself in your hands, tracing every inch of your body. Head, hair, face, cheeks, chest, arms, back, legs, chest again, hands, fingers, neck; everything is in its place, nothing suspicious. Although that doesn't stop you from doing it all again, just in case you missed something.
Alive and in one piece, you get up from the cold floor and stretch your body. That's it, stretch your muscles! Your body responds perfectly. However, you're not satisfied with simple movements. So you lean against the puddle and use your reflection to detect any anomalies. There are no strange limbs nor extra joints to worry about. (You're so paranoid…)
Another sigh of relief, heavier than the last, escapes your lips. "A-ha… Ah, I wonder if…" You murmur before recruiting your hands to empty your pockets (and sleeves).
Instinctively (or rather, out of habit), your hands start with your sleeves. The large pieces of fabric always hold your tools of the trade. With a few pats, they fall to the rocky floor: a bundle of paper talismans, a pair of (serrated) steel needles, and a hama arrow. It's what you remember having before… Hey, do you remember what the boss told us about what happened to her?
No.
You had to… Ngh, I… I should’ve paid more attention. A-anyways, pleased with the contents of your sleeves, you move on to your pockets. You start with one, but nothing catches your eye, just more talismans and a small pouch of coins that jingles when you pull it out. A quick inspection of its contents reveals you have enough money to say you have a little to spare. Satisfied, you put it away and focus on the other pocket. Inside, you find a small cloth holding an assortment of pills and capsules, mostly of the red. A~and a… a rosary?
Let me see. Oh, it's quite simple: a small wooden cross tied with a thin cord; it's not even adorned with beads. But its simplicity seems irrelevant, because seeing it brings back memories. Memories that you suppress as quickly as they appear. They only stop when you clench them in your fist and throw them into your pocket.
Your eyes search for something to make you forget you saw the rosary. They don't search far, as they end up on something red on the floor: your cap. It looks like it must have fallen off when you bumped into something a while ago. Thank goodness it didn't land in the puddle. A quick dusting, and it's back on your head.
"I'm alive, in one piece, and I'm still human," you murmur. "Let’s see if it worked..."
Humming to yourself, your eyes quickly scan your surroundings: you're inside a large, sparsely furnished cavern. There's just the puddle, a small crack in the ceiling that serves as a skylight, a couple of s... smites…
Stalagmites.
That thing! (You're welcome.) And finally, they stop over a large burn mark on the floor. Out of curiosity, you approach it and notice that it's the remains of a ritual. The salts used have turned to ash, but it still mostly retains its original shape: a large ring with a pentagram and a star inscribed inside; the lines are accompanied by small mounds of ash on both sides, their shapes unrecognizable. And what looked like candles on the each tip of the star are nothing more than melted pieces of wax. It seems like someone stepped all over it, I wonder who…
A small, quick kick and the ash scatters. If it still had magical power, it didn’t seem to matter to you. So you focus gaze on the rest of the cave, spotting a couple of gaps in the walls. You decide to go toward one, the larger of the two. You don't decide to venture into the gap. You just peek inside and discover that it's a tunnel. A tunnel, with walls that extend into the darkness. The last thing you want to do right now is go exploring caves, so your attention shifts to the other gap.
This gap seems to lead upward. Or at least, that's what you think. You place a foot on the ramp and look up. A long corridor of darkness lies ahead. However, you manage to spot a small light deep within and high up the corridor. Your body reacts before you do, taking one step forward, and another, and one more, and before you know it, your walk has turned into a trot. With every inch you cover, the small light grows larger and larger, suppressing your ability to see beyond it, until finally it's right in front of you. The light comes from a very narrow passage.
Why are you stopping? Oh! You seem to be getting nervous. Take a deep breath and exhale. With one hand, you make your way through. It's not as long as you thought, because you instantly feel the cold outside. You ignore it and push through to the other side.
A blinding flash rushes toward you, completely swamping your sight. But as quickly as it appears, it vanishes. And what you see leaves you speechless.
A va~ast sea of grays and whites welcomes you; snow and ice as far as the eye can see. Far beyond, on the horizon, you can make out a mountain range stretching to infinity, occasionally interrupted by a snow-capped peak. But, but! Your eyes aren't focused on such simple things, as they've been captivated by the most breathtaking sight Gensokyo has to offer: Youkai Mountain.
Ah, Youkai Mountain. There's simply no other mountain in this land that can compete with it. Its imposing size dwarfs all the surrounding hills. Not to mention its magnificent snow-covered summit, unmatched by any other. Perhaps Hakureizan, or Higashiyama, but I'll go with the former; it's more about the view than the size…
Heh.
Hmph. Grow up a little, okay?
"No," you, the priestess, I mean Riho, declare. "N-no, it's not possible that I'm still here. I performed the ritual exactly as instructed. I swear I did!"
No matter how much your eyes scan the picturesque landscape, they always end up back at Youkai Mountain. So you close your eyes to think more clearly.
"What could have gone wrong? What could have been? I don't think it was the place, nor the ingredients. The time? No. Maybe the runes? Ngh!" You lose your balance and lean against the wall for support, putting a hand to your forehead. It seems your migraine has returned. (And with a vengeance!) Quickly, you reach into your pocket and pop a capsule in your mouth.
A long minute passes, but your migraine eventually subsides. You sigh, and look back at the snowy Gensokyo. “It doesn't matter," you say softly. "I'm… I’m going to… I should head home first. Yeah. Go home and figure out what went wrong later—Keep things simple, Riho.”
You focus on the sea of white in front of you, then on the imposing mountain before you, shielding your eyes with the palm of your hand. Finally, you sigh after getting your bearings. "Western Territories, somewhere deep in the land of the tengu. How fun."
“Okay, let's see…” You hum while considering your options. “From here to the Hakureizan shrine. No, first, get out of these lands. Crossing the mountain, with caution, would take at least three days. Or just one, if…” (H-hey. Watch your hands with the needles!)
Your gaze focuses on the sea of snow below you, trying to make out the details. You manage to find a frozen river, almost invisible if it weren't for the channel it makes through the snowy forest. "Or I could follow the river. It would go around the mountain, but it would take… How long? A week at most? But at least I shouldn't run into too many tengu patrols."
You think for a moment as you turn and look back at where you came from. Just as you do, a wave of heat washes over you. "Although, I could also go back and go through that cave tunnel…"
What do you think she’s going to do?
Well, I think she will...
[ ] Blast across the mountain!
[ ] Sneak through the mountain!
[ ] Follow the river away from the mountain!
[ ] Escape through the underground!
[ ] Hang on, I think she considering… Write In
So we - she - tried to perform a ritual to, what, leave Gensokyo? And it didn’t work.
“Keep this simple,” she says. An excellent idea. Let’s start this adventure off with a bang and…
[X] Blast across the mountain!
[FLY] Blast across the mountain!
[X] Blast across the mountain!
I don't think our current clothing is well suited for the cold or hiking, if we are who I think we are. The DiPP label girl?
[X] Follow the river away from the mountain!
...Hm, so, I don't know what map is being used, here, but usually, the Hakurei Shrine is portrayed as being East or South of the Mountain...
And usually there's... uh, trees at the base...
...How fucking far away is she?
Honestly, the safest way in terms of youkai is probably the river, I doubt the Kappa are doing anything other than curling up for their space heaters, but unfortunately that's probably the one route Riho would legitimately struggle with due to lack of supplies.
Over the mountains will lead to her attracting every Tengu and Fairy on the mountain...
Sneaking would be less dangerous, but still kinda risky on supplies...
And back into the Cave will probably lead to the Underground... which is probably Old Hell. Which... uh, has implications...
[X] Follow the river away from the mountain!
[X] Blast across the mountain!
