Specialis Libri

[Coin Spire]

Specialis Libri
Chapter 1

"I am desire, lost within this darkness of this world."
I heard a voice from the darkness. It was a hollow voice, devoid of any emotion and tone.
"Do you seek power?"
It asked a question, but it was like a cry of a cicada that expects no answer.

Until now.

"Yes," I told the voice. I was in a dark place, and yet it was not cold. In fact, it was sweltering hot, as if I was bathing in flames. It was unbearable.

The voice stopped for a moment, as if in contemplation. The darkness became heavier, if it is indeed possible to measure the density of darkness. But nevertheless, the darkness felt heavier, as if a whole mountain is pressing around me.

"Whose voice is it that answered me?"
I felt the voice's indignity for my insolence in answering, but in it I also sensed amusement, and maybe a little curiosity.
"It is I, a seeker of your power, that answers your call."

The voice paused again. Even without my sight, I sensed a shifting of power; a sense of genuine amusement.
"Tell me your name."
"My name is--"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"So, I haven't been able to sleep well lately," said Marisa. She took a tea cup and took a liberal sip.
It was one of Marisa's afternoon visits at Alice's house.

"PHEH!!!" she spat out. "What is this stuff?"

"Coffee," said Alice. They were seated in an ornate dining room. The round table was covered by a lace table cover. On it were a pair of china plates to hold their cups. "I found some coffee beans in my basement, and I thought that it's a waste not to use them."

Marisa scowled. "Coffee beans don't age like tea leaves do. Or fine wine."

Alice shook her head. "Of course they do. Don't be silly." She sighed as she watched Marisa drain her cup while pinching her nose. "You could have some tea if you would just ask."

"I'm asking," said Marisa with a smirk. "That cup tasted like it died in your basement." Marisa made a sour face.

"Appreciating coffee is an acquired taste," said Alice. "And you don't gulp down coffee like last night's rice wine."

Alice snapped her fingers. From behind her, a small doll suddenly flew to a nearby counter. The counter was littered with a numerous glass jars, each delicately labeled with paper and ink. The doll took a jar labeled "Gan Lu" in Roman Characters.

A few minutes later, Shanghai handed Marisa a cup of tea.

"That's much better," said Marisa. She took another liberal sip from her teacup.

"So why are you bothering me this afternoon?" asked Alice. "I'm a busy person, you know."

Alice watched Marisa as she quickly drained the rest of the cup. "That's actually pretty disgusting," she added. "At least show some respect to the tea."

Marisa ignored Alice's scowls. "Hey, if it's you, I don't have to put up a good face, you know." Alice shrugged at her. "Anyway, there's been a huge ruckus near my end of the forest and it's been driving me nuts. There is this horrible noise that keeps me awake at night and I could hardly get a good night's sleep," said Marisa.
   
"What kind of noise?"

"It sounded like a woman screaming. It was very disturbing," said Marisa thoughtfully. "The first time I heard it, I went out to investigate but didn't find anyone. The next night, I heard it again around midnight, and also the night after."

"A scream, huh?" said Alice. She took a seat across Marisa and closed her eyes in contemplation. "It's strange, I always sleep well at night. Maybe a ghost is haunting you?"

Marisa sighed. "Alice, you sleep like an old lady in winter." Alice scowled at her. "Or maybe you were having pleasant dreams?" Marisa hiked a thumb at a small jar nearby. It was made out of colored glass, and the contents were hard to make out.

Alice scowled again. "Maybe it's because thieves are light on their heads and dislike being taken by surprise." Marisa started to say something, but Alice held up her hand. "You are going to bug me all night if I don't help you, so I'll come, whatever it is. But why me?"

"Well, I heard that you were doing an experiments on one of your dolls lately, and I thought that it might help, you know?"

"Is that so?"

Alice flicked her hand once more. Numerous dolls from the odd corners of the house suddenly sprang to life from their hiding places and began to assemble in front of Alice. As they assembled in a neat, orderly fashion, there was a sudden burst of movement within Marisa's person. From within Marisa's black vest and white shirt, a small doll burst out through the collar, unfastening some of the collar buttons in the process. The small doll took its place within the doll's ranks, it's blank face ignoring the pallid looks of Marisa and Alice.

"I am not going to ask why one of my dolls was inside your dress," said Alice conclusively.

"Good idea," said Marisa. "So, are we going or what?"

"Yes." Alice gazed outside. The sun was already setting. Teatime was over.


t.b.c
It means a URL is in this space:
           
Many thanks to Anunsew

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

Hmm. Kinda interesting setup so far. I'll have to follow this.

[Esifex]

It involves Alice and multiple Alicedolls.

I will follow this.

[Coin Spire]

Specialis Libri
Chapter 2

Why did I take her offer? What could she possible offer me that can help me?

Everything, or nothing, that's what she told me. I could feel her chains clasped around me, weighing me down as I walked inside my home. I can feel her burning pulse radiating within me. I felt like a different person.

The deal was already done.

As far as I can remember, I was branded different from everyone. They could always do things better than I can. I was always behind or below them, looking at them from beyond the reaches of my tiny arms. They always comfort me with small words, telling me that I can do better someday.

But today, I'll be able to show them, to prove them who I am.

"You will always have something that the others will never have." Those where the words my mother always told me. Today, I can prove it to them.

I have power. She had given it to me.

The price was only a small thing to pay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Marisa yawned.
"Don't fall asleep," said Alice. "It's not even midnight yet."

They were both flying through the night sky as they patrolled the Forest of Magic from above. They surveyed the canopy of trees, looking for the origin of the weird night noises.

Marisa yawned again. "I told you that I didn't get much sleep lately." Marisa shrugged. "If I fall asleep on my broom, can you please catch me before I fall to the ground?"

"Fall and die already," said Alice. "You would do me a great favor for once."

"No way," said Marisa. "This place would probably miss me." Alice chuckled in reply.

"So, aren't you going to use your dolls?" asked Marisa. In reply, Alice took out a doll from her sleeves.  "You know, I've always wondered how you can put those many dolls inside your clothes," said Marisa musingly.

"That's easy, I use a spell to shrink them," said Alice. "It's way easier than expanding space or making a magic pouch that can fit them."

Marisa shrugged. "Anyway, you were making experiments to make your dolls react to spiritual power, right?"

Alice was silent for a moment. "You know, it's really freaky when I hear about my experiments from you." She shook her head. "Where did you hear that from, anyway?"

"I didn't hear anything. I just read that from your notebooks."

Twitching her ears, Alice raised an eyebrow at Marisa. "Notebooks? When did you read my notebooks?"

"Oh, about a week ago. I borrowed them from your desk."

"You borrowed it..." repeated Alice. "You do know that you pushed back my research for about a week when I found out that my notes were missing?" Alice shrugged. "You should really do something about your light fingers."

"Oh details, details. Nobody cares about them anymore," said Marisa lightheartedly. "You'll grow old faster if you keep caring about small details."

"I care about details, especially if it means losing my stuff to you." Alice shook her head in frustration. "But why do I even bother talking about it with you?"

"Oh don't worry, I'll return them when we're finished here."

"Why did you take them in the first place, anyway?" Alice sighed as she alighted the doll carefully from her hands. The doll dropped like a rock for a few feet before suddenly springing into life as it became powered by Alice's magic. Alice and Marisa stopped midflight as they watched the doll float upwards become level with their altitude. It looked around in all directions, turning slowly like a lazy wind vane.

"So what does it do?"

"Didn't you read my notes? You should know what it does already," Alice said pointedly.

Marisa snorted. "Sure I read them, but it was like it was written in another language. They were full of stuff that I can't read so I stuffed them along with the others."

"Stuffed...." repeated Alice. "You're making me have second thoughts about helping you, you know." Alice shook her head in resignation. "And you shouldn't take things from other people, especially when you don't even need them."

"Don't be that way," consoled Marisa. "I'm going to return it, good as new." Marisa raised her right hand in promise.

"Somehow I doubt that," muttered Alice under her breath. "Well if you really want to know, that doll can detect spiritual powers of humans and nonhuman alike."

"Spiritual powers?" Marisa was puzzled. "You're starting to sound like Reimu."

"Perhaps," answered Alice. "But from a philosophical standpoint, magic is simply manipulating energies of nature. With that in mind, spiritual power is the power of life itself, as much as heat is the power of fire." Alice lifted two fingers from her right hand. "However, spiritual power differs from every being, as much as a fireplace differs from a candle. I have discovered a way to tell apart each being from their spiritual power."

"So how is that going to help us find the culprit?"

Sighing, Alice continued her explanation. "I can use my doll to detect every amount of spiritual power inside the forest. Since only a few humans stay in the forest at midnight, there is a high chance that what's making those night noises aren't human. I filter out humans from the results and narrow the remaining spiritual powers into plants, animals, youkai and ghosts. It's not easy, but I think I can manage to filter it down to your culprit."

The doll began to act strangely as Alice finished her speech. "I think I found something unusual..." The doll halted in its turning and began to shake with considerable force.

"Is it going to explode?" asked Marisa.

"I didn't stuff it with gunpowder," replied Alice.

They suddenly heard screech that ripped through the night.

"That's what we're looking for!" said Marisa. The doll suddenly faced towards the origin of the voice and flew off at top speed. "I'm gonna follow it, so hurry up Alice!" Marisa followed the doll, leaving Alice behind.

"Honestly, that girl..." Alice left her sentence unfinished. She shook her head and followed, but she soon lost sight of Marisa and the doll. Sighing, she slowed down and observed her surroundings thoroughly.

After a few minutes of slow flight, Alice found herself in the deeper part of the forest. On a whim, she disabled her flight spell and landed gently on the soft and muddy ground. "A little musty," Alice muttered.

"Who's there?" said a voice behind her.

Instinctively, Alice brought out a dozen dolls with a flick of her wrist. It formed a small ring around her, ready to protect her from any danger. She heard a squeak of fear and Alice turned around to find a young woman in ragged clothing.

"Who are you?" asked Alice.

t.b.c

[Esifex]

I love this Alice. Closest thing to canon!Alice I've seen in a long time, if not completely true to canon.

[Coin Spire]

Specialis Libri
Chapter 3

They did not want me. They hated me. They feared me.

"You broke the law of our realm, child," she said. Her words cut me like swords that she once used to fight my Mother's mighty enemy, to no avail. Something that I failed in, as well. "As it is decreed, I now use my power vested by Our Mother to exile you from the place you once called home."

As she spoke the words that decreed my doom, I heard a familiar voice within my head.

"Do you desire power? Power to overcome any law that stands in your path?" It was a sweet and charming voice, a voice that sounded good in my ears in contrast to the rough, heated voices of my mother's council. "Show them the power of your magic!" it told me.

I agreed to the voice. Without thinking, I stretched out my hand towards the woman speaking before, and uttered a single word that forever severed my ties to this world.

The entire chamber was suddenly in flames.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The woman tumbled backwards into the trees. Alice approached her, but the woman shrieked and backed away. Alice dropped her guard, and the dolls surrounding her relaxed from their defensive positions. Splitting the doll's ranks with a flick of her hand, the doll's stepped aside and opened up a way in front of Alice who timidly approached the ragged lady.

"Who are you?" repeated Alice. Alice quietly observed the woman as she waited for an answer. The woman was older than Alice by a few years. She wore a ragged robe which was torn in numerous places. However, upon closer inspection, Alice realized that they were not the common clothes of the human villagers of Gensokyo. Alice did not see her face, for the woman's hair was extremely long (and covered her face) and the night was dark and moonless.

"Me...?" said the young woman. "I..." Alice suddenly heard a tiny grating sound, like two wooden clappers rubbing together. Hiss....hiss...

"I...don't have a name..." said the woman at last. Alice was taken aback by the answer and remained silent for a few seconds as she thought of what to say. She was suddenly arrested by a low grumbling sound.

"...Er, are you hungry?" asked Alice. The woman nodded, and Alice took out a small biscuit which she was saving for a later snack. She handed it to the woman who took it gingerly from her palm. She sniffed at it a few times before graciously devouring it.

Hiss...hiss...

Alice heard the sound again. Alice looked through the corners of her eye (she didn't let her eyes leave the woman), but didn't find any possible source of the sound--except for the woman in front of her. Alice tensed a bit, and regarded the woman with suspicion. She watched the woman finish the biscuit who looked at her with piteous eyes, begging for another.

"I'm sorry, I don't have anymore," said Alice apologetically. Hiss...

The woman slowly stood up and approached Alice. "I'm...hungry..." she said in a slow voice. Hiss...

The grating sound became louder as the woman approached her. Alice tensed, and the dolls resumed their defensive position around her. She suddenly heard an awful screech which brought her to her knees. Closing her eyes in pain, she struggled to mutter a spell to block out the noise. As the screeches became louder, Alice saw that the woman's long hair became more animated and seemed to move of their own accord. They began a mesmerizing dance, bunching together to form two snakelike fibers.

The woman turned around, revealing a malicious mouth behind her head. It had rows of jagged teeth, and seemed to be the origin of the screeches. The woman slowly approached her as the mouth continued making the dreadful noise.

Alice shrank back at the atrocity. "You're not inclined to settle this with Spell Cards, aren't you?"

The snakelike hair coiled and prepared to strike.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


A few hours before Marisa visited Alice, another visit bothered another citizen of Gensokyo.

Reimu sipped her tea graciously as she watched the small birds hop along the greenery around her shrine. She sat on a zabuton beside the low wooden table placed at the center of her shrine's viewing room. Closing her eyes, she sighed in contentment for the peaceful afternoon. It was generally quiet that day (something that rarely occurs, if at all), and Reimu was insistent on taking advantage of it. 

Feeling a little extravagant, Reimu had prepared a batch of Oolong, delicately handling the purple teapot with utmost care. Carefully brewing the small batch of Oolong (which she had been saving for a peaceful day, such as today) she prepared a cup of tea and basked in the moment of victory.

"It's been awhile since you last hosted a tea ceremony, wasn't it?" said a voice behind her.

Without bothering to look behind her, Reimu sighed. "Well, it's not like anyone ever visits the shrine to find inner peace. Mostly, they do just the opposite."

Yukari Yakumo took a seat across the table without bothering to greet her host. "So, won't the noble head of the household prepare some humble tea for a starving visitor?" she said, half-mockingly. Reimu shrugged her off.

"I only prepared enough for one cup," said Reimu. "But they say that Oolong tastes better after the third brew."

After a few minutes of preparation, Reimu handed Yukari a cup of tea on a tray, along with some sweets. "Hold the sweets," said Yukari.

"Why? Watching your weight lately?" asked Reimu silkily.

Yukari made an exaggerated gesture of embarrasment. "My, you got me. My shikigami told me that I was getting fat lately."

Silence broke out as they sipped their tea in peace. The birds outside began to chirp a harmonious song, something to break the monotony.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Reimu at last.

"A little errand," said Yukari. "Just a matter of a group of youkai running wildly about."

"It's hardly little as long as you're involved," sighed Reimu. "Anyway, you wouldn't be sipping afternoon tea with me if it wasn't serious."

"Well, seriousness can be a bit misleading. And the youkai I'm talking about are just acting really strange," Yukari took another sip of tea. "They seem to be more rabid and less inclined about using the rules. There have been attacks in the human village for the last two days, too."

"Did you bother talking to the youkai involved?"

"Oh, you know that I'm not a person of words. Not like you of course."

Reimu sighed. She knew where the conversation was heading. "So, you want me to check out these wild youkai?"

Yukari took another sip of tea. "If my host would be gracious enough to do so, then yes."

Reimu shrugged. "Well, a bunch of wild youkai wouldn't be much problem, wouldn't they?" Reimu stood up and stretched. "I should be getting off before it gets too late."

"Be careful out there. I heard that some of them really bites," said Yukari in an amused tone.

t.b.c

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

Iiiiinteresting!

So ... a Gorgon/Medusa loli, then, huh?

[Iced Fairy]

Either that or the female youkai that has a mouth on the back of it head (futaguchionna?).  Or perhaps some other weird denizen of the night.

I also wonder how the bit in italics will tie in.  I'm looking forward to it.

[Esifex]

Anyone else think of the Miyabi Dolls from Ragnarok Online?

From the front they look like a kimono'd young lady, but from behind you notice that they actually have something clinging to the back of their head, which is what really attacks you.

[MysTeariousYukari]

Anyone else think of the Miyabi Dolls from Ragnarok Online?

From the front they look like a kimono'd young lady, but from behind you notice that they actually have something clinging to the back of their head, which is what really attacks you.

I've heard about them, can't specifically remember them though, which area were they in?

Back on topic, this story is pretty interesting, I'll eagerly await the next update

[Fenrir the Dusk]

I've heard about them, can't specifically remember them though, which area were they in?

Back on topic, this story is pretty interesting, I'll eagerly await the next update

I believe they are in the Amatsu Dungeon, I recognize the name, just can't remember the monster

On Topic:
Interesting story, nice way to start each chapter, looking forward to future updates.

[Esifex]

NSFW for Danbooru banner ads.

[nsfw]http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/429327/-_-acolyte-ancient_firelock-bad_id-black_hair-clos[/nsfw]

Look closely at the 'bow' in her hair.

[Coin Spire]

Specialis Libri
Chapter 4

When I came to, I only saw burning conflagration around me.
"You did that by yourself," said the familiar voice. It sounded proud and full of emotion.

I was terrified.

All I remember was that I was sitting on the chair of trial inside my mother's council chamber. I was angry, because they told me that I did a wrong thing. I knew it was wrong, and I knew what I did was to be punished.

But even so, I thought it was the only way that I would ever be accepted.
Now, it seemed like a faraway dream.

I was angry then, so angry that I listened to the voice. Now, I feel afraid of everything, knowing that I did even more evil and was about to be punished for it.

I heard screams and shouts, but they sounded so far away.

I began to run.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



"Humans are almost always busy, even though they never seem to know why they are busy in the first place," Reimu muttered as she entered the human village. "This village doesn't seem busy at all."

Reimu looked curiously at the sparse streets and shuttered windows. "Well, isn't this a nice welcome."  She walked along the streets, but the villagers gave her little notice, only glancing and giving a quick greeting before hurrying off to their business.

"It feels like somebody just died." said Reimu to herself. "Well, time to find someone who knows what's really happening."

Reimu was suddenly greeted by a familiar voice. "Oh, it's just you," said a woman with a familiar face. The woman approached Reimu with a purposeful stride. It was Keine, teacher who runs the school of the human village. However, she's not fully human, she's one of the few half-youkai that stays in the human village.

"This village really offers a nice welcome," said Reimu. "I should come here more often."

Keine shrugged. "Well, the village is a bit edgy since last night, so you won't get any cordial greetings today."

"I don't mind, just as long as I get a few donations, now and then," said Reimu with a smile.

"You do mind, then." said Keine mocking tone. "Come, I have tea at my place."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The two of them walked as they talked.
"So, there were attacks just outside the village?" asked Reimu.

Keine nodded her head. "It's really frustrating. Since we can easily deter anyone who tries to attack the village itself, the number of attacks on the villagers is almost nil. However, some humans who live at the edge of the village are being bothered regularly."

"Bothered? That's a pretty gentle way of putting it," said Reimu, putting a finger on her chin for emphasis.

"Not really. Mostly, it's a matter of youkai banging up the doors at night, or someone stealing food. It's actually been a while since there was a case of a real attack near the village."

"Well, that means you're doing your job as an exterminator, right?" Reimu said with a smile. "So what happened last night?"

"Last night was a bit different. A villager saw two youkai fighting each other near the forest exit of the village." Keine suddenly hesitated.

"Fights between youkai isn't really that rare," said Reimu smartly. "So what happened?"

"One of the youkai ate the other," said Keine quietly. "And not just there. There had been numerous reports of some youkai eating their own kind, but last night was the first time we had seen it with our own eyes."

"Youkai eating?" Reimu repeated.

"Yes. In fact, we have some young youkai taking shelter inside the village. They are of the harmless sort, mostly they are just pranksters. But right now, they are really terrified and aren't in the mood to talk about the attacks. We are offering them shelter, since we can easily defend this place from almost any attack." Keine sighed. "But not all of the humans actually like the idea. Still, we're not heartless people, and we can give them shelter for a few days. We have some of the exterminators searching for the youkai eaters, but we didn't have much luck."

"So that's why the village is on the edge today," said Reimu brightly. "So where are you hiding them?"

"We're hiding them inside the abandoned warehouse once owned by the Kirisame family," said Keine. "Since no one in the village uses it, we decided to let them stay there for now. The others stay at the nun's shrine, or in the abandoned houses. In return, some of them help around the village, but they are mostly clumsy and have little knowledge of the common things."

Reimu was in deep thought for a few minutes. "Can you let me talk to them for a moment? I'm going to ask them about the youkai eaters."

"Sure. But I don't think you'll get anything from them. We've been asking them since last night, and they weren't very cooperative."

Reimu smiled. "Well, I've got the shrine maiden's luck with me, after all. I'm sure I can get something from them."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"I should have taken the tea first," said Reimu grimly.

The night was already deep over the Forest of Magic. Reimu flew over the landscape, in hopes of finding another clue.

From what she gathered from the youkai she interrogated inside the village, she heard that a group of powerful youkai was taking residence inside the Forest, and apparently eating the smaller youkai who happened to be nearby. After getting the information, Reimu declined Keine's offer of tea and immediately took off towards the Forest to investigate. However, the investigation was far from fruitful. It sunset was an eternity ago, and Reimu longed for supper.

"Well, isn't this grand?" said Reimu aloud. "I'm going to have a long talk with Yukari tomorrow."

Suddenly, Reimu heard a distant screech. "What is that horrible noise?" It suddenly stopped and Reimu looked around for the source. Reimu saw something that caught her attention.

Across the dark horizon, Reimu spotted a black thing running towards her at full speed. "What the--?"
It approached her with an amazing speed. Reimu prepared for an attack, sliding her arms inside her sleeves ever so slightly. From within her sleeves, a pack of Hakurei talismans slid down onto Reimu's palm.

The black thing began to slow down as it came nearer, coming to a full stop before Reimu. It was a doll clad in black clothes with long golden hair that sparkled despite the moonless night. It had a black ribbon embroidered with silver trimmings which was neatly propped at the back of its head.. It wore an elaborate black dress with white trimmings at the hem and sleeves.

"One of Alice's dolls?" Reimu asked herself. However, Reimu noticed a pair of silky wings that fluttered against the night wind. Reimu touched it, and the doll suddenly took it's place on Reimu's arms. Reimu brought it up to her face and looked at it with a curious stare. "It's the first time I've seen a doll like this befor--"

Reimu suddenly heard a distant shout, like a battlecry from a Sengoku general charging towards the enemy lines. Without any hesitation, Reimu threw a handful of talismans into the air where they formed an interconnecting lattice of shapes. A red haze appeared between the talismans which instantly solidified to form a red lattice barrier.

To which Marisa instantly crashed into (at full speed) without any warning.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"What did you do that for?" Marisa asked Reimu when she regained her composure after crashing into Reimu's Duplex Barrier. They were standing at a clearing inside the Forest. There weren't any night noises inside the forest, no chirping cricket or a singing night sparrow. Reimu noticed it. Marisa did not.

"I thought you were a hostile stranger," said Reimu. "You shouldn't shout and charge at people without warning. It's very rude."

"I was just following that doll," said Marisa, pointing at the doll in Reimu's arms.

"Well, it's not my business at any rate," Reimu shrugged. "But still, I wonder why you are out here in the middle of the forest at night?"

"I live here, you know." Marisa was puzzled. "I'm looking for a noisy thing inside the forest. It's been bugging me for nights."

"Well, you're making little sense," said Reimu. "Except for that awful noise earlier, the forest is awfully quiet."

"Hmm," said Marisa. "I'm trying to find the one who's making the horrible noise, but that doll seems to be broken." Marisa reached out a hand to Reimu, to which Reimu stared with a quizzical look. "I need the doll."

"Why?" asked Reimu.

"Like I said," said Marisa. "I was following it so I can find the culprit."

"I dare you to make less sense," taunted Reimu. "In any case, I should return it to Alice first. You probably 'borrowed' it again."

They were suddenly thrown off guard by another long screech. The doll on Reimu's arms began to shake violently.

From the horizon, they saw a bright ray of light shot up towards the sky. It lit up for a few moments before slowly fading out into the night.

"Isn't that Alice's?" asked Reimu. The doll on Reimu's arm broke free from Reimu and flew off towards the bright ray of light. "Hey! Come back here!"

"Well, as long as the doll leads me to screecher," said Marisa. "I'm going to give that screecher an incoming what-for, that's for sure." Marisa flew off in pursuit of the doll.

Reimu sighed. It's going to be a long night, she thought before following Marisa.


t.b.c

[Esifex]

Tracker Doll just wanted a hug, Reimu, why you gotta be so meeeeeeean to Marisa?
She probably wanted a hug too.

+1 Update of Plot Continuation

[Coin Spire]

Specialis Libri
Chapter 5

"Isn't this a fly in the ointment?" asked Alice to herself. She sensed a movement from her right and immediately shifted her weight as she pirouetted perfectly in the air. A barrage of black shapeless projectiles zoomed harmlessly past her. Flicking her wrists, the dolls surrounding her dodged through the swarm, passing unscathed through the attacks. "I wish it would stop doing that."

Alice panned the scenery below her as she floated above the treeline. "Thank goodness it can't fly," Alice muttered. With a few flicks from her wrists, the dolls shifted their positions forward, making a wall in front of her. With Alice's command, they stretched out their palms and shot out beams of light to the attacker below, promising wanton destruction to the receiver. As the beams made contact on the ground, a cloud smoke rose up, throwing various bits of debris upward.

"Is it dead already?" Alice heard another screech within the cloud, and another barrage of black bullets sped past her way, narrowly missing her. Some of her dolls weren't lucky and they were smashed into pieces as they were shot down.

"Ugh, I hate you already, and we've just met," Alice shouted to the rabid youkai below. She was answered by another barrage, and Alice weaved through the mindless, patternless attack while her dolls were being mercilessly shot down. Alice fired back using one of her remaining dolls to suppress the attacks. Shouting in pain, the youkai stopped attacking and glared at Alice with red, hungry eyes. It gave another screech, this one was filled with indignation.

It just won't die, Alice thought angrily. I'll have to retreat at this rate, at least, before I run out of dolls.

As the smoke began to clear, the youkai shot another barrage of black bullets from the huge gaping mouth at the back of its head. "If that isn't disgusting, then I don't know what it is," Alice told herself.

As she dodged through the bullets, the long serpentine hair of the youkai below suddenly shot out and extended as it reached out for Alice's feet. Quickly wrapping themselves onto one of Alice's ankles, it dragged her down to the forest floor.

Wasting no time, she quickly incanted a short spell to break the impact of the fall, and she fell on the forest floor without any harm. After hitting the ground, Alice was suddenly dragged across the forest floor, leaving broken branches and dried leaves on her wake. Letting out a cry of frustration, Alice took hold of a nearby tree root with one hand as she tried to kick off the forceful tug at her foot. She heard another screech, and Alice tried beckoning to her dolls, only to discover that her puppeteer lines were cut when she was dragged down. Alice grimaced at the unfortunate situation.

She heard another screech from beyond the foliage as the pulls on her feet became more persistent and intense.

I can't keep this up forever, thought Alice. What mess did I get myself into?

Alice glanced around in desperation and spotted a small dagger, one of the many hidden weapons from one of her dolls. It was lying on a bed of dry leaves a few feet from her, and Alice frantically tried to reach it with her free hand. However, a sudden tug at her feet caused her to lose her hold of the tree, and Alice was dragged across the forest shrubbery towards the youkai.

When the dragging stopped, Alice found herself face to face with the youkai who laughed maniacally with glee. It turned around to make Alice face the large mouth which was drooling with hunger.

"You're a big eater, huh," mocked Alice, but she even heard her voice shaking. She tasted blood, and noticed that one of her arms was bleeding. Fearful for her life, Alice tried to kick off the hair that bound her feet.

The youkai started to pulled her closer and closer. While she thought of a solution to her escape, Alice heard a familiar voice inside her head. It was a sweet and gentle voice, a voice that sounded so loving, and yet menacing.

Do you desire power?

Alice clenched her teeth and shouted at the top of her voice.
"NO!"

Boom.

Something from above crashed down on the youkai, and the impact lifted Alice up in the air. As her consciousness started to leave her, she could swear that she saw two floating figures above her, watching her fall.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I am desire, lost within this darkness of this world."
I heard a voice from the darkness. It was a hollow voice, devoid of any emotion and tone.
"Do you seek power?"
It asked a question, but it was like a cry of a cicada that expects no answer. I answered it once before, and in consequence, my life was shattered as it spiralled down the depths of darkness.

Until now.

I did not answer.

The voice stopped for a moment, as if in contemplation. The darkness became heavier, if it is indeed possible to measure the density of darkness. But nevertheless, the darkness felt heavier, as if a whole mountain is pressing around me.

"Tell me your name."

I did not answer.

"Very well, you can defy me all you want. But know this, you cannot escape your fate."

The voice laughed.

"It's only a matter of time before you become mine, Alice."

There was a clatter of chains in the distance. The voice laughed again, and the chains rang with it.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Alice woke up and found herself lying on her own bed inside her room.

That dream again, huh,

She was still wearing her yesterday's clothes, and her forehead was drenched in sweat. Wiping it with her palm, she noticed a long bandage across her forearm.

How did I get here? And who treated my wounds?

Alice noticed that the sunlight was already shining through the curtains at her window.

I wonder what time it is. It must be pretty late in the morning.

She tried to leave the bed, but she was assaulted by a sharp pain from her right foot. Lifting her skirt, she saw that her right foot was bandaged neatly with a white cloth. Biting her lip, she tested her foot once more before trying to limp to a nearby chair.

After taking a seat on a stool, Alice heard a knock coming from the door. "Come in," said Alice. Who could that be?

Reimu opened the door, carrying a tray with tea and some pastries, to Alice's delight and surprise. "Are you already awake? I brought you some food, but it's way past breakfast, though. You could call it an early lunch if you like." Reimu set the tray on the desk beside the door. "I didn't know you weren't a light sleeper."

"What are you doing here, Reimu?" asked Alice.

"That's not a nice thing to say to someone who carried you back here," said Reimu in a mocking tone. "Then again, I'm pretty surprised at how things turned out last night."

Reimu handed Alice a cup of tea and some biscuits.
"Carried me?" asked Alice. "What happened last night?"

"I was investigating last night, looking for some certain youkai when I bumped into a doll, followed by Marisa," explained Reimu. "She told me that she was looking for the source of the horrible night noises in the forest using that doll. Then we saw one of your laser spells, and the doll flew off towards you." Reimu poured herself a cup of tea using one of the cups on the tray while she talked.

"We followed it until it crashed down on a youkai you were fighting with," finished Reimu. She took a sip from her cup. "You know, you have good taste for tea."

"I don't remember much from tonight. I think I suffered a slight concussion," sighed Alice.

"And a sprain," added Reimu. "It was hard convincing Marisa to let you ride her broom. Then again, I'm quite inclined to think that mostly what happened tonight was Marisa's fault."

"I thought you said that you carried me?"

Reimu shrugged. "Well, I did carry you back to this room." Reimu finished her cup and prepared to leave.

"Anyway, thanks," said Alice softly.

"Don't mention it," said Reimu in a carefree tone. "It's not often that I get troubled by things other than youkai hunting. Call Marisa if you need something, she's pillaging your pantry as we speak." Reimu left without another word.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Rinnosuke heard someone enter his shop. Glancing away from the parchment that he was writing on, he saw a gorgeously dressed woman in front of his counter. She was elegantly dressed and carried herself with utter authority, and yet she had that hint of demureness and delicateness that had enticed men over the years.

Clearly, the woman in front of him was not merely a woman, but a lady.

"What do you want Yakumo?" asked Rinnosuke. "I'm a busy person, you know."

Yukari smiled. "Well, after this, I think you're going to be as busy as you can be."

Rinnosuke sighed. "So what is this about?"

"It's about the Hakurei seal. It's weakening again."


t.b.c





Yakumo note # 1

Spoiler:

The are two seals made by the First Barrier Maiden.

One of course was the Hakurei Barrier, the seal that seperated Gensokyo from the Outside World.
The second one was the Hakurei Seal,  the seal that took the lives of the First Maiden and her helpers. It was used to seal away the worlds where non-humans live. Of course, the seal was partially weakened and repaired by the current shrine maiden...

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

Oh dear. Shit is starting to get real here ...

[Hieda no Aya]

I hardly ever comment on stuff here, I'm not even completely sure how I ended up sitting here with this reply form, but this really is shaping up wonderfully. Canon Alice is love, especially when she doesn't cease to be Canon Alice the instant she gets near Marisa (and I adore their snarky interactions). I love the way you've sprung a new wrinkle about her on us without making it seem like a change for her. Keep it up!

[Iced Fairy]

Oh my.  Such an interesting version of the Grimoire.  And the barrier as well.

I am curious as to what Marisa and Reimu did with the youkai.

[Coin Spire]

Specialis Libri
Chapter 6

"How did I get myself into this trouble?" sighed Rinnosuke. He walked slowly with little conviction, and although it was probably from the lack of the motivation that he walked with utter resignation, he did not forget to appreciate the morning sun that barely shines through the quiet red paths to Muenzuka.

"As usual, you live with no cares in your heart."

Rinnosuke sniffed a bit, and considered the possibility of having an allergy against Higanbana pollen. Dismissing the thought as utterly absurd, he sighed once more, this time with more emphasis than usual.

"But still, you live it with more caution, something that a mere human never does," she continued.
"Yes, my fair maiden. But I do it because I have great love for my life," Rinnosuke replied. "And I'm just half after all, maybe I'm just half as carefree as a human."

Rinnosuke shook his head. Certainly, this is not the time or place to remember and think about things long past gone. He shrugged off the pangs of nostalgia and returned to the matters at hand.

"Nothing to see here, I guess," mumbled Rinnosuke to himself. He dug inside his robes for a piece of parchment and a piece of what he called a "crow's writing stick". A relic from the outside world, the crow's writing stick was made of an unknown material encasing a thin, hard shaft with a metal at the end. The metal end sticks out of the outer casing, and excretes a black chemical akin to the graphite ink. Rinnosuke found it a convenient tool to carry around, being only the size of his palm, and less messier to have around than an ink bottle.

"A ballpen," mumbled Rinnosuke, "and it can't even be used for kemari. Hah, what a waste of a good name." Setting the parchment on the ground, he started to write his notes.

"What are you writing, Rinnosuke?" she entered the house without even knocking. Even if she is considered a heroine of Gensokyo, she is still the same old girl that Rinnosuke remembered and loved. And the same unladylike attitude, to boot.

"Just a few research notes, here and there," he replied. "Now what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be giving your blessings to the newlyweds?"

"It's a boring matter, to tell the truth," she said. Shrugging a little, she sighed with exasperation and lack of motivation. "It's not like they've been more lucky after I bless them. Sometimes I wish that the shrine's status would return to normal."

"But won't that mean that the donations would stop?"

"That's true," she sighed. "Then again, it's good that I don't have to forage for food now. Yukari is helping around too, so it's quite fun around the shrine."

"Even that youkai is helping?" said Rinnosuke. "The world seems to have gone crazy lately."

"Well, she's been a big help. If not for her, this place would have been--"


Rinnosuke sighed. Why did she have to die so young?

He shook off the last of his nostalgic thoughts as he finished writing his observations at Muenzuka. He folded the parchment and put in inside his robes for safekeeping.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Last night was definitely strange, Reimu mused as she sat inside Alice's living room. She poured herself another cup of tea and was sipping it contently. She smelled it's sweet aroma, and felt content, even though the promise of a clear morning was starting to become diluted by the rumbling of thunder in the distance. Reimu ignored it pointedly as she thought about last night's encounter.

The youkai last night, it was definitely trying to eat Alice. Alice was unusually lucky last night. Reimu sighed. She glanced at a nearby shelf where she put the black doll from last night. But crashing into a youkai like that is not a very convenient way to fight, little doll.

She glanced at a doll sitting serenely on a shelf, put there at Reimu's convenience when they brought Alice home last night. It's eloquent dress was torn, and some of it's joints were cracked. Still, the doll is almost equally lucky to make it one piece, after a crash like that.

What am I doing, talking to myself like this? Reimu sighed.

There was a crashing sound that came from below the floor. Now what is Marisa up to?

A cry for help rose from below. "Wait, I'm going to find Alice's cellar door." Reimu rose from her chair and walked around the house noncommittally and in no particular hurry.

Too bad the youkai got away, Reimu thought. I could have asked a few things here and there.

Proper youkai eat humans, so why are they eating other youkai? Maybe they got tired of fighting the exterminators from the human village?

Still, it's just trouble for me either way.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Alice took a deep breath. She stretched out her hands in the air and closed her eyes. Instantly, her mind was filled with numerous symbols and spells, something normal for a magician. Reaching out with her mind she went past the symbols inside her mind and searched for the severed strings of her dolls.

There was not a few of them lying around lifelessly inside the house. The combat last night had severed her magical strings and it would take a while to fix them all.

Let it be then, thought Alice. Reaching out with her mind, she felt the magical threads respond to her entity, her Magical Signature (as she had called it). She felt the strings become drawn to her as they sought to reconnect themselves using Alice's spell.

A doll is a lifeless thing, a hollow vessel made of earthly substances. However, as a hollow vessel, they provided great capacity for magical power. For a magician, or a witch of sorts, they can be used as a buffer for spells, or even as a storage for power, like a dry cell battery.

For someone like Alice, the dolls themselves are her pride. To be able to make doll in the image of man, and use them deftly for a multitude of uses (from keeping the house clean as well as for battle or bombs), is not a small feat. To be able to control all of them at once is phenomenal.

As she started to reconnect herself to her dolls, she felt a strange response from one of her dolls.

The doll...hesitated. Inside her own mind, she felt a doll hesitate in a fraction of a second, less than the amount of time needed to blink your eyes. It was like an illusion of life, the same way that you look at a haunting painting at night and see it staring back at you. Even with the knowledge that it was lifeless, it feels no less haunting.

A doll is a lifeless thing.

Alice blinked out of confusion and the feeling vanished instantly, like a mesmeriser after breaking his spell. The doll reconnected without any problem along with the other dolls.

I must be tired, Alice thought. She sighed with a little more emphasis than usual. I have to get the dolls I left outside later. I don't think Marisa and Reimu bothered gathering them last night.

Suddenly, Alice's senses began to dull as a wave of unendurable sleepiness took over her. Alice wasn't inclined to fight it, and she yawned as she submitted to its promise of a fitful slumber.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to discover that she was still sitting on the same chair. This alarmed her more than anything, as absurd and pointless it must be.

"You know, it's been troubling to call you lately," said a voice.

The place was dark, filled with black impermeable sheet of mist. It blurred what little view Alice had of herself, she barely can see past her nose inside the black mist.

Still, she wasn't troubled. She was annoyed, more than anything else.

"Avoiding me, I see," said the voice when Alice did not reply. The voice was melodic, as usual. Alice was getting tired of it. "You know that a deal is a deal."

"I know," answered Alice. "You didn't have to remind me."

"The medicine you usually take took me a little while to figure out. It was hard to talk to you in your dreams until recently."

"I would rather that you don't. I like my sleep after all." Alice was annoyed. She definitely didn't want to talk to her now. "My dreams lately were oddly nostalgic and disgusting at the same time."

The voice laughed. "You know, you don't have to hold back. Our deal still stands, after all. Just call my power and I'll be there."

"I don't need it. I haven't touched you for almost a week. I left you inside a drawer inside my room."

"I know," said the voice. "It's quite musty inside. I don't like closed spaces, after all. Books are meant to be put on shelves."

Alice remembered something. "I didn't expect you to hear you last night. It was you, wasn't it? Right when the youkai was restraining me?"

"Of course. I can't let my contractor die. As per terms of our agreement, I have a responsibility for your welfare."

Alice bit her lip. She didn't need to hear this now. She knew that she was outmatched by the youkai last night. She might have won if she used her full power, but she swore that she would never use it again.

After all, she promised her--

"Why did you call me?" asked Alice.

The voice was amused. "Last night was a close one. The next time your life becomes endangered, I will be forced to open myself, with or without your consent. And you know that the next time is the last time."

"I know that already," Alice replied. "Is this a notice?"

"More. This is a warning. As per terms of our deal, you will belong to me the next time you use me. You're lucky that someone saved you, else the contract would have been fulfilled." The voice laughed. "Even so, fate doesn't change easily. You will belong to me, as others had. Faust, Theophilus, Grandier, all of them belonged to me. You will be no different."

Alice gritted her teeth. "Is that all you have to say? If it is, I will have my leave."

"No, there is one thing more I have to say. That is, there is one way to break free of the contract. You can always pass it to another." The voice laughed again, more menacingly this time. "I bid you farewell, child. I think you will amuse me yet."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Alice opened her eyes. She heard the soft sounds of rain falling on grass, and she felt a hint of nostalgia, a strange feeling of deja vu.

It was like this, all those time ago when she found me.

It was almost evening, and she felt tired, as if something was drained out of her. Even so, she felt angry and bitter, to no one in particular, but still bitter nonetheless. Out of impulse, she stood up and walked towards the desk at the opposite side of the room. Digging out a key in her pocket, she jammed it onto a keyhole in her drawer and turned it with unspeakable frenzy.

As if a fury had descended on her, she pulled open the drawer and ripped its contents from its place. It was a black book, bound by a leather cover with a red book guard spreading over the book's four directions (the chilly north, the answering east, the calamity of south, and the covenant of the west) and then coming together, bound by the book's locking guard.

She stared at the book in her hand and spoke in quiet heated words, "I will not become a tool for your amusement, if my soul is damned forever, so be it, but mark my words that until the very last moment, I will not submit to you."

With those words she raised the book in her hand and threw it across the room with all of her strength, rebounding against a wall before falling to the floor. Alice felt her rage drain out of her and she settled down on the floor.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The rain pelted heavily outside, filling the Forest of Magic a sense of damp dreariness that was almost unworldly.

Marisa was scanning the spoils of her victory. "Thanks for helping me out, Reimu." Marisa was seated across Reimu, with a layer of books spread across Marisa's side of the table.

Reimu ignored her as she continued sipping her tea. She had spent what's left of the morning and the better part of the afternoon digging out Marisa from Alice's archives. Marisa was exploring Alice's house when Marisa discovered, to her delight, that Alice had a room dedicated for storage of research and notes. However, to Marisa's dismay, there was a myriad of armed spells that was made to deter intruders, and the books tried to bury her alive.

"I need to find something with more substance. I haven't eaten anything since last night," said Reimu as she looked at her cup. She sighed. "I don't want to eat anything from Alice's house, though. They're all too sweet, even for me."

"Why Gretel, do you think that the witch will make you fat by eating too much sweets?" Marisa teased. "And then eat you just when you are plump enough? I wonder if shrine maiden's taste good?"

Reimu scowled at Marisa. "No, I told myself that I would cut myself on sweets. I already got told off by two people about it. One told me that I won't go to heaven if I eat too much sweets. The other told me that I was acting too much of a celestial when I indulge on them."

Marisa laughed. "Then which one are you, really? Looks like you'll be stuck at the river when you die."

"Aren't you hungry?" asked Reimu, ignoring Marisa's teasing. "You haven't eaten anything since morning, if I recall."

"Not really. I've found some dried fruits inside Alice's cellar, want some?"

"Whatever, as long as they are not sweet," said Reimu. Marisa rose from her seat and went to get something to pass their hunger.

I wonder if the youkai will come again tonight? It looked badly hurt when it escaped.

Well, it's not my fault if it was able to escape. Darkness is the paradise of youkai after all, and it easily hid its presence even with me giving pursuit.

Still, why do I feel these strange sense of dark foreboding?

Marisa came back with a platter of dried fruits. She was already munching on some dried apples and Reimu took one and nibbled on it.

They suddenly heard a clunking sound from the other side of the house.

"What was that?" asked Marisa.

"Beats me," replied Reimu. "Alice might have fallen off her bed or something. I think she went back to sleep after I gave her something to eat. She was in bad shape last night, after all." Reimu took another nibble.

"What's bothering you Reimu?" asked Marisa. "You seemed to be out of it since morning."

"Nothing really," Reimu replied. "I wonder if my shrine is fine. I left my shrine to her care, after all. She might have set fire to it or something."

"It would be bad if the shrine is burned down," said Marisa. "Where would I spend my hot summer days if it's gone?"

"Hey don't use it as a resort," said Reimu. "I might start charging you for it."

Marisa settled to her seat. "Don't worry about it Reimu," Marisa said nonchalantly. "I'm pretty sure the youkai would show up again."

Reimu raised an eyebrow. "You're pretty perceptive at times," said Reimu mockingly. "You could be a decent shrine maiden." Marisa shrugged.

"I like my clothes better, thanks. Anyway, I'm gonna pay a visit to Kourin's," said Marisa.

"Hmm?" Reimu looked at her curiously.

"I'm just going to ask around about the night noises, or about your youkai eater."

"It's raining outside," said Reimu. "It would be annoying if you come to my shrine for cold medicine."

"I don't get the colds," said Marisa. "I only get the flu."

"Sure, whatever. I'm just going to stay here until the night comes." Reimu leaned back on her chair contently.

"You're not going to come along?" asked Marisa.

"In this rain? No way. Also, something tells me that I should be here for a little while longer."

Marisa started stacking the books and put them neatly at the corner of the room. "I'll get them later, before Alice wakes up. Also, make sure to keep an eye on Alice."

"So you noticed it too?"

"Yeah, I kind of felt it. A strange premonition of bad things to come."

"I call it my shrine maiden's intuition. What do you call yours?"

"I call it pessimism," Marisa went for the door and dove into the rain.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The rain pelted softly upon the Mound for the Foreigners, Muenzuka as it was called locally. It was a dark and gloomy place--fitting for a graveyard for people without relatives.

Rinnosuke was crouching, examining the ground and writing down notes when something caught his eye.

There was a silhouette in the distance, and Rinnosuke blinked twice before he was sure that it wasn't an apparition. The silhouette was that of a young human, but the mist made it indistinguishable between a boy or a girl.

"This place looks wet," said a voice. It sounded like a young girl, high pitched with a hint of youthfulness. "It's like a what you call a hollow in your books."

"I agree with her, my lady," another voice answered. Rinnosuke blinked. He only saw one silhouette, but the voice was deeper, a woman's--definitely another person entirely. Knowing better, he hid himself behind a tree and listened into the conversation with more attention.

"But getting through the stupid barrier is hard work, and all," said another voice. A young girl, but definitely not the first. "I dislike this place already." She had a voice of authority, even if she was apparently young. But there was a lack of refinement, she possessed a sense of brattiness. "I think this place is musty, pretty much like our house, no?"

"We can't stay here long, the barrier is fighting against us. If we stay any longer, you might be endangered, my lady," said the second voice.

Rinnosuke heard a sigh. "I think you're right. I need something to make a more permanent hole in this barrier," said the third voice. "Come, let's go Emi, En."

There was the dying sound of footfalls and the silhouette vanished. It was a full minute until Rinnosuke found his breath once more.

t.b.c







Yakumo Note # 2

Spoiler:

For a multi-layered seal of this proportions, it's not surprising that it has numerous weak points that are exploited by many individuals.

One of them is at Muenzuka, where the spirits of the dead outsiders (who for their own ignorance, think that they are still alive even after being eaten by some random youkai), try to break through the barrier and go back to their homes outside.

_____ Note #1

Spoiler:

__________________, _________________.
_____________? ____________?
1. Emi 笑
2. En 援
3. Kan 甘
4. Kou 慌
5. Shiku 死苦
6. Aiki 哀気
____________________________. _____________you, _______.

______________ Gensokyo.

[Esifex]

You have a true talent for writing, you know that?

I know I'm the sterotypical 'praise everyone' guy in PSL, but, seriously. Marisa and Reimu's little exchange - even the last bit about 'shrine maidens intuition' vs 'pessimism' was genius material. Everything else is just as good.

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

So, now we have the names of all six bosses, huh? I wonder who the Extra Boss will be ...

Also, that bit at the beginning, plus the whole deal with Alice, made me fairly nervous as to where this is going. (Time paradoxes aside, of course.)

[Coin Spire]

Specialis Libri
Chapter 7

"It really looks great when it rains," the young girl whispered to herself. She hummed a soulful nameless tune in beat to the heavy downpour of the rain. It wasn't much of a tune, and it was mostly off-key and threw her pace off-beat.

"Oh, this won't do," she sighed. She gave up on her humming and started to focus solely on the task in front of her. It was a task that she often forgot, and even if she did remember, she often found an excuse to put it off for another day. However, she felt a little more diligent today, and she promised herself to finish this mountain of a task by nightfall.

Unfortunately, nightfall is only a few hours away and her house was only half clean. She had been sweeping, and lifting, and stacking, and pushing, and pulling since morning, but her house was a silent stubborn sanctuary that begged for vengeance for putting off cleaning day for over a month.

She heard a distinct meowing behind her. Turning around, she saw her pet cat sitting at a nearby chair and staring at her curiously. Putting away the broom on her hand (which was quite exhausted, in her opinion), she turned her attention to Sokrates.

"What's the matter, my dear philosopher?" She giggled. "Hey, I just made a rhyme!" She stretched out her arm towards the cat who obliged by climbing up to her shoulder, its favorite spot. It purred loudly to show its contentment.

"Oh well, I won't finish today, so I should tidy up what I can for now, and continue another day," she said wistfully. "I do hope that my house doesn't get angry about it, though." She was preparing to lift another box when something suddenly caught her attention.

There was a small wooden box at the floor, in the corner of what-should-be the living room (it was crowded by lots of stuff of what you would call junk that it was nearly impossible to tell), something that she could swear that she'd seen before...or maybe not. It was hidden behind the other stacks of boxes she had (which she had sorted into garbage, recyclable, biodegradeable, and things she would rather keep), and only goodness knows since when did it last saw the light of the day.

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure I shouldn't touch that box, but I'm not sure why." Approaching it for no other reason other than curiosity, she spotted a few letters at the box's lid. She repeated the letters out loud.

"C-3-H-5-N-3-O-9. What a weird name." The cat on her shoulder meowed loudly. It jumped down from her shoulder and vanished into the mess of her house. She tried calling out to it, but she thought it would be a futile endeavor. It is a cat, after all, given to trivial whims and such.

However, her attention was still focused on the curious wooden box. She pried open the lid (which was only loosely fitted to the box), and found cylinders wrapped in coloured papers of varying hues. Atop these cylinders was a folded paper which was quite brown with age. Unfolding it, she espied a few lines written in red ink.

Tack s? mycket.
A.Nobel

Below was a looping signature of the said name.

"A letter from someone called A. Nobel? I do remember the name, but I can't remember where I heard it from..."
Scratching her head, she sat down on the floor and began to think.

The rain started to pour even harder.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Closed," repeated Marisa as she read the shop sign at Kourindou's door step. "I wonder where he is."

Could he had been attacked? His house is still near the boundaries of the village, but...

Then again, me and Alice weren't attacked until last night and we live in the Forest of Magic. Then again, my house does have wards against harmful youkai...

Too many 'then agains'. You're thinking too much again, Marisa. Where would Kourin go in a heavy rain like this?

The rain was still pouring down. Marisa was drenched in rain, but she ignored it.

Why do I feel anxious? I feel like something big is happening right in front of me, and I don't even know what it is.

She pulled down her black, pointed hat closer to her face to shield her eyes from the rain as she prepared for flight. Unlike Alice and Reimu, she preferred to use a broom during flight, something more comfortable and easy to get used to. She took off flawlessly, her grip on her broom was sure and firm. The rain pelted against her face as her speed picked up, and she used her free hand to adjust her hat in the rain.

I should at least check around the Forest for signs of trouble, at the very least.

Surely, I don't feel like myself today. I'm working way too hard.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The sun was already starting to set (or should be, if not for the rain), when Alice went out of her room. To her surprise, her foot was feeling better, as if it wasn't hurt at all last night. Still, she walked a little carefully and was intent to avoid overworking her foot.

"You shouldn't walk around too much, yet."

Alice found Reimu drinking her umpteenth cup of the day inside the dining room. "You're still here?" Alice sighed. "Don't tell me you've been tasting all of my tea, all day?"

Reimu smiled. "Well, I really don't mind the tea. But mostly, it's because it would be bad for my reputation if I left an injured girl alone inside the woods. Then again, the tea--"

"I live here," snapped Alice. "You haven't eaten yet, I gather?" Reimu nodded a little bleakly, and Alice made a grim smile. "I didn't think shrine maidens eat tea leaves for lunch." Looking around, she continued, "Where's the witch?"

"She went to Kourin's a little while ago," answered Reimu. "She was going to ask about something important."

"Is that so," remarked Alice. "In this rain? She might catch a bad cold. Then again, her head is too thick for something trivial like that."

Reimu shrugged. "She doesn't get the colds. She only gets the flu."

"I didn't think I'd hear that from you," said Alice. "Anyway, I'm going to cook something, if you two haven't purged my pantry yet."

"Yes, a meal...would be nice," said Reimu with a smile. I haven't eaten anything for over a day...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Rinnosuke ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He ignored the falling barrage of raindrops as they covered his spectacles, making his vision even foggier and mistier. He didn't stop to wipe them clean; as he knew the lay of the land relatively well, he dodged the ditches and jumped through broken pathways as he raced through the path towards the Forest.

It's going to be nightfall soon, and I didn't leave enough firewood in my shop.

Darn, this isn't the time for this! What did I just see in Muenzuka? Was it just my imagination? Or were the ghosts playing with me?

Or maybe Yakumo was actually telling the truth?

Since he started his frantic run from Muenzuka, Rinnosuke glanced behind him upon intervals to make sure that he wasn't followed. Human or youkai, whoever followed him now is suspect. What he held inside his robes now was the most important thing in Gensokyo.

He felt the parchment inside his robes stick to his skin as he became drenched in a mixture of rain and sweat. His breath came in rapid puffs, but he had no intention of stopping to take a rest.

When was the last time I ran this fast?

Yeah, I remember. The time of the second seal.

Rinnosuke felt it once more, after a what seemed to be a very long while, what it means to be trusted.

If we don't make it in time...

No, for the sake of what Hinaka died for, I will make it...this time, for sure...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


There are many layers that exist within the boundaries of Gensokyo. One is the land, where people and youkai live in relative peace. Others are the Skies, Waters, Makai, and Jigoku. They all exist within a coinciding harmony that maintain the balance of Gensokyo.

Youkai eat humans. Humans kill youkai in order to live. This was the order of Gensokyo.

However, Order itself is not permanent. It is as ephemeral as a flower that blooms in the middle of winter.

All because of a single shrine maiden, that all of these was possible.

Yukari floated in a layer that only exists without Gensokyo and yet still exists within it. It was the Barrier itself, the maintaining boundary that separates Gensokyo from the Outside World. Within it resides the Laws of Gensokyo, the maintaining Order that ensures that Gensokyo will not fall apart from its separation from the Laws of the Outside World.

There are many Laws that reside here, from the simple Law of Conservation, to the obtuse and vague laws such as [Cats like to eat Mice], or [Too much Wine can make you drunk]. Most of them sound frivolous, some of them doesn't even make sense. But all of them were put there for a purpose.

Most of these Laws are not apparent and obvious. In fact, most of the citizens of Gensokyo, whether youkai or human, are oblivious to them for most of their lives. Some of them are blatant, such as [Fire is hot] or even the recent Spell Card Law that enabled humans to fight squarely with youkai without the hazard of being eaten.

Yukari observed these laws (although she didn't always follow them), to make sure that not too many were broken (which was not altogether often) and disturb the balance of Gensokyo (which was too often, in Yukari's opinion). Most of the time though, Yukari uses her knowledge of these Laws for her own perusal. After all, the boundaries in which these Laws reside was created using her abilities.

For the past few days however she had sensed someone tampering with these laws. It was not from Gensokyo, Yukari gathered, because she had sensed someone...or rather some people, going inside and outside the barrier without the intent of going inside Gensokyo. They weren't like the humans from the Outside who got lost and wound up inside Gensokyo (which often happened). As a matter of fact, they weren't even human.

Or a youkai for that matter. That was something that disturbed Yukari greatly.

If this is a celestial's doing again...

No, a celestial wouldn't do something this underhanded.

So what are they?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Emi yawned. "Are we done here yet?" She was instantly glared upon by the dark-haired En. Giving her a mowing stare with her golden eyes, En dismissed Emi's complaints as mere jest.

"You jest a lot, Emi," said En. She looked at her grey-haired companion who wore a checkered capelet over a blue shirt, paired with a checkered skirt which was cut slightly above her knees. Along with Emi's short grey hair, her head was adorned by a checkered jester's hat which branched into two ends which was, in turn, adorned by two yellow bells each. Like En, she also had golden eyes. "You sure like your Fortunato motley, though your hat is really wrong."

"It's my nature to jest," said Emi. She gave En a quick smile, something that came naturally to her.

In contrast to Emi's mockery of a court jester, En was dignified by an old-fashioned breastplate and shoulder guards, akin to the armor of the soldiers of the Sengoku. She wore a thick leather jerkin underneath her armor whose lower end was hidden by the metal scales of her hip guard which stretched down to her knees. Her thighs were bridled with leather guards which was punctuated by a metal knee guard. Her thick leather boots covered the rest of her legs. She carried a spear on her left hand which was covered by leather gauntlets that extended up to her shoulder. She was a head taller than the smaller Emi, who looked nothing more than a child trying to pass off as a youth. However, Emi was years older than En, but nothing in their appearance or character say so.

"You should really lighten up," Emi told her companion. "Our master told us to wait here, but she didn't tell you to be gloomy while doing it."

"It is a responsibility that our master had given us. Even Shiku and Aiki are taking their jobs seriously," countered En with a stern voice. They were standing guard upon the Boundary of Gensokyo. Behind them was the invisible barrier that prevents outsiders of little power to enter the plains and valleys of Gensokyo. However, this invisible barrier was mottled with a lines of fissures and small cracks, something that Emi and En were proud about.

"If not for us, our master wouldn't be able to make these Cracks," said Emi. "You should be at least happy about that."

En was suddenly alerted by a shift in the surroundings. Around them was dark, which was normal for the nothingness in between the Barrier and the Outside World. However, she felt a strange presence, as if someone was watching them.

"Silence, there is someone here," said En. She became more guarded and alert as she felt for the strange presence which vanished almost instantly.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Very perceptive of you, thought Yukari. But you won't see me just yet.

Yukari hid her presence as she watched the two girls stand guard over the damaged portion of the Hakurei Barrier. As she looked at the ugly lines of cracks, she felt a little insulted, and not a little enraged. Still, stealth is best for the moment as she endeavored to hear more of the conversation of the two girls.

At the very least, I at least know that they are working for someone. Master, huh? I wonder who could it be. This could get interesting.

Yukari hid inside a half-opened gap, a rip in the layers of Gensokyo that Yukari is known for exploiting. Inside, Yukari can hide herself, or even make another gap to another place. For now, Yukari used it to hide her presence,  which is equivalent to hiding a candle in the dark.

Patience is the surest path to victory. I can be patient for a little while more.

Yukari continued spying on the two as the lowered their guard and started idle chatter.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Now what is the matter with you?" asked Marisa.

A fairy the size of a small girl grinned impishly at Marisa as it started to attack her with barrages of magical bullets that scattered in the rain. To her surprise, it suddenly faded out of her vision, and nearly hit her if not for her sense of danger that was sharpened by days of training and extermination. Gripping her broom tightly, she pulled up into the air as she tried to gain the upper hand.

I don't have time for a fairy, but if she wants to fight...

The fairy smiled maniacally at Marisa as it looked up to her before it vanished into perfect invisibility. Puzzled, Marisa was dumbfounded for a moment before a small shrill shout shocked her back to reality.

"She's right behind you!"

Without wasting any time, she pulled out her Hakkero--her most beloved treasure--from within her vest and incanted a single phrase while twisting around to face the materializing fairy behind her.

The last thing Marisa saw of the fairy was its face full of rage and surprise as Marisa fired off her self-proclaimed Annihilation of Love; Master Spark.

A rainbow colored beam of light painted the rainy sky as it cut through the dark colored clouds, only to reveal, in a fraction of a moment, a sun painted black against the darkening blue sky as it sunk behind the distant mountains. The clouds were immediately resilient and covered the atrocity, as if to hide something that should not be seen.

Marisa was puffing loudly, the mixture of adrenaline and bewilderment getting the best of her.

"What the heck..." she puffed. "What the heck is going on?"

t.b.c




Yakumo Note # 3

Spoiler:

One of Gensokyo's greatest disasters was the making of the Hakurei Seal. Many may get it confused with the Hakurei Barrier, but they are two separate things.

The Hakurei Seal was made in order to separate the world of the non-humans from Gensokyo. It was said that it was done in order to seal the power of the great underground dwellers.

However, this is only one of the reasons.

The reason why the first Barrier Maiden died was to protect both humans and youkai of above and below ground.

I am so sorry, Hinaka...

____u Note # 2

Spoiler:

There is a ___________l in Gensokyo who is __________, though her name is mostly forgotten by but _______.
Her _____ is ____naka Ha__rei, the ______  Barrie_______en.
博麗 陽名花
A na__ t____ I alwa___ found __nnily fa__liar.

[Sen]

This is fantastic, do you know that? I'm loving the multi-layered story here, and the sense of mystery with the Notes (I'll admit, my first thought when I saw the Notes was "Hey that's like Kingdom Hearts!" :V). And someone finally writing canon!Alice is always wonderful. Keep it up, I'm very interested in this.

[Iced Fairy]

Hm...  For every question answered another one pops up.  I see Rinnousuke and Yukari will be playing along as well.  I wonder if anyone else will be drawn in.  *Continues to wait patiently for all to be revealed.*

[Esifex]

I nominate Coin Spire for some kind of title of some sort, denoting possession of epic quantities of epic writing skill.

[Coin Spire]

Specialis Libri
Chapter 8

Sunny Milk dropped gracefully from the sky, like a Cochin-China that tried to fly. Unconscious from the blast of Marisa's spell, she fell head first on the wet grassy floor.

"Well, she dropped out faster than I expected," said Star Sapphire. She flapped her insect like wings on her back as she flew towards the unconscious Sunny Milk.

"Is she alright?" asked Luna Child who followed behind. She was puffing with exhaustion despite the heavy rain.

Star Sapphire shrugged. "Well, more importantly, we have to think of a way to catch that flying thing's attention."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"HEY, HEY, WEIRD MAGICIAN!"

Marisa blinked once before she realized that the calls were directed to her. Looking down, she saw three figures, one of them was sprawled on the ground, unconscious. The other two were jumping around, making catcalls to catch her attention.

"HEY, HEY, WEIRD MAGICIAN!"

Chagrined from fatigue, the mixture of stress of today's happenings and being drenched to the toes because of the rain, she landed quite roughly beside the two, kicking up mud and grass as she dug her heels on the soft ground.

She heard the two scream as the two were covered in mud. "Hey, watch where you're landing!"

Marisa gave a sideways glance to the two girls. They were fairies (and as such, they resemble the form of a little girl, except for their silky, insect like wings), and they were familiar to Marisa. One of them, the one dressed in a white and blue dress which was a match to the blue ribbon on top of her long black hair, stared crossly at Marisa as she wiped off the mud from her face.

"It's not nice to throw mud at people's faces, you know," said Star Sapphire as she finished wiping her face. Her curly haired companion nodded in conjunction. Unlike Star Sapphire, Luna Child wore a white dress with black ribbons and trimmings. In place of a ribbon, Luna had a shortened version of a white mob cap, also with black ribbons and trims.

"It's not nice to call people weird, you know," countered Marisa. She glanced at the prostrate figure on the grass. "She's the one that attacked me, right?" Marisa approached the unconscious fairy and examined her injuries. This one wore a white dress with red ribbons and her yellow hair was tied into two neat pigtails by two red ribbons at the opposite sides of her head.

"Hey, what are you doing with her?" asked Luna Child.

"I'm checking if she's still alive," said Marisa in a frivolous tone. Luna Child was taken aback by Marisa's remark and fell silent.

A fairy was a tenacious creature, despite their seemingly fragile appearance. Only a real exorcism would really kill a fairy. But while a fairy would sometimes attack humans, they rarely have the same amount of power as a true youkai.

Marisa flipped the fairy over and laid her on her back. Sunny Milk was still unconscious from her fall, but was relatively unhurt aside from her bruises and scratches she got from Marisa's attack and subsequent impact on the ground. Not even a broken bone, I didn't know fairies were this tough.


"She's fine, I think," concluded Marisa. "So, what are you guys doing, attacking people in this rain?"

"We're not attacking people," said Luna Child, a little bit flustered.

Suddenly, there blew a very strong squall, and the trees around them bowed down in its wake. Marisa held on to her pointed hat to prevent it from being blown away. The two fairies were more unfortunate, as their diminutive size did not prevent them from being nearly blown away by the relentless wind. With her free hand, Marisa caught Luna Child by her dress collar before she was blown away and Star Sapphire held on to Luna Child's ankles as they resisted the blast of wind. The two fairies dangled against the wind like the shiny Buddhist priest which the humans in the village hang on their windows as a ward against (and sometimes; for) rain.

Marisa stood her ground for an eternity or so (in her perspective), when the wind started to die down. Dropping Luna and Star on the ground, Marisa looked at the darkening angry sky. The two sighed as the wind stopped.

"I guess, no more flying for tonight, huh? Just great," she muttered under her breath. The rain showed no signs of stopping as a thunder rumbled on from a distance. It's suicide to fly in this weather.

Just great.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Alice hummed a soulful nameless tune in beat to the heavy downpour of the rain. It wasn't much of a tune, and it was mostly off key and threw her pace offbeat. Still, it was a catchy tune, and Alice ignored its ephemeral nature, despite it going against her usual tastes in music.

She was making vegetable soup (along with rice), something that was relatively easy (and fast, even without magic) to make but still manages to give the needed nutritional figures. She poured all the needed ingredients on an iron pot above a crisp flame and started to stir it using a wooden spoon. She took a small taste, and was immediately satisfied with the result. "Perfect as usual."

"Cooking is merely the act of adding the precise amount of ingredients at the right time," she told herself. "The art is in the preciseness itself."

Alice nodded, agreeing with her insightful thinking. "Well, I guess this will do for tonight. I don't think Reimu expected a feast, anyway."

A few minutes later, Reimu was chowing down her bowl of soup with utter gusto. "Considering that you don't usually eat with a spoon, you eat very fast," Alice told her.

With her magical strings restored, Alice's dolls were busy getting the house in order for the night. Candles and oil lamps were placed at the right spots to deliver the right amount of light and to avoid her house being drowned by the darkness of the Forest. Alice watched them wistfully as her dolls floated around, doing what their implanted instructions told them to do.

"You know," said Reimu between spoonfuls, "Dolls aren't made for housework. They're made for playing by little girls. It's just not right to make them move by themselves like that, it's just way too unnatural." Reimu took a spoonful of rice and washed it down with the soup.

Alice shrugged her off. She wasn't a very popular person in Gensokyo, and most humans stay away from her house (not the least reason was the Forest of Magic where her house resides is home to numerous creatures that are hostile to humans). She had gained the notoriety of being 'the strange puppeteer at the forest' and as such, most humans regard her with fear.

"Dolls are good with magic," Alice told her. "I don't have anything to say after that."

"Suit yourself," said Reimu. "Thanks for the meal." Reimu handed her bowl of soup and rice to Alice who took it to her kitchen without another word.

"Dolls are for little girls that don't mind the world at all, as they play with their own games," sighed Reimu under her breath. "Since when did I become so meddlesome of other people's affairs? Yukari and Marisa must be rubbing off on me."

Thunder rumbled on, promising a very stormy night.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Rinnosuke heard a loud grumbling sound nearby. He stopped in his tracks, thinking that it sounded too loud for thunder. Overhead, he saw a strange light in the sky, like a multicoloured pillar that rose to meet the heavens. Rinnosuke knew instantly what it was.

Marisa's spell? Who is she fighting with in this weather? Honestly, that girl doesn't have any sense of sematics. She would probably ride her broom into a beehive without thinking twice.

Suddenly, Rinnosuke was arrested by rustling sound from the foliage of bushes behind him. Glancing behind, he made out a limping silhouette, looking as if it was hurt. Rinnosuke stood rooted on the spot, unsure of what to do next. Indecisive between helping or continuing his marathon, he was saved from deciding when he heard a rough grating sound coming from the person.

"...hungry..." Rinnosuke heard the figure mutter in a woman's voice. The figure noticed Rinnosuke and started to approach him in a slow deliberate pace. Rinnosuke took a step back as he tried to distance himself from the creature.

The single seemed to hunch up, as if trying to draw a deep breath, and then let loose a cacophonous screech that tore the quiet rhythm of the storm. Rinnosuke was on his knees as he covered his ears from the noise.

What the heck is this? Damn, it, I have to run!

Trying to fight off the ringing pain from the screech, Rinnosuke staggered as he tried to stand. Gritting his teeth, he dug his heels on the muddy path as he started to run. The youkai was displeased as it saw its prey trying to get away and it let out another screech as it tried to grab Rinnosuke with it's long tentacle like hair. It shot out through the rainy night like an eagle for its meal.

Losing his footing in the mud, Rinnosuke slipped and fell face down on the mud. It covered his spectacles and face, and most of his clothes. Coughing off the dirt, he was aghast with horror when he felt the greasy hold of the youkai's hair around his body as it tried to drag him for its meal.

As the creature dragged him with glee, its screeching came in short excited bursts. Rinnosuke shuffled around its grasp as he tried to break its iron hold. He did not cry for help; in this heavy rain, no one would probably hear him. In frustration, he tried tearing through the tentacle like hair using his hands as he tried to break free.

Still it availed him no triumph as he got dragged closer and closer to the waiting youkai. It laughed with maniacal frenzy as Rinnosuke was dragged to his doom...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Alice dropped the wooden bowl. It clattered on the floor as it's remaining contents spilled on the floor. Immediately, a doll came inside the kitchen to pick it up and put it in the sink. Afterwards, it wiped the floor clean with a damp cloth before leaving Alice alone in her bewilderment.

She tried to catch her breath as she looked at the impossibility that threatened to override her sense of logic if she was not careful. Alice stared at her burned hand and stared at the blisters starting to form on her palm.

A few minutes ago, she came inside the kitchen to put away Reimu's bowl when she suddenly lost her balance when she tripped on some unknown object on the floor. She frantically took hold of a ledge for balance and avoided falling on the floor altogether. She briefly berated herself for being such a klutz when she noticed that in her carelessness, she grabbed hold of the heavy iron pot, still above the crisp burning flame. The contents were still boiling, hot enough to do more than just scald.

Looking at her blistered hand, Alice was dumbfounded, more than anything else, not by the alarming presence of pain; but rather by its appalling absence. Indeed, she did not feel any pain, not even the expected sharp sensitivity as she squeezed her injured hand with the other. In the corner of her eye, she felt the shadows lengthen as darkness seemed to engulf the room; the lamplight were dimmed--even with their numerous and strategic numbers, their light seemed to pale in the darkness.

There was a quiet whisper, like wind brushing through the curtains. It was close to her ears, but it sounded distant and faint.

Consider it a gift.

The whisper suddenly became a laugh and Alice turned around, only to see that she was alone inside the kitchen. The light coming from the lamps around her kitchen were flickering, even if there was no wind. The laughter suddenly vanished, and Alice found herself breathing heavily, like she had been running for miles. She pinched herself with her uninjured hand, trying to ascertain if she's awake or not.

She did not feel the hand that touched her cheek. She did not feel it close around the lump of skin that she grabbed. She did not feel the expected pain as she tightened her grip, trying to feel any hint of pain.

"I...don't feel anything," she told herself. "I don't feel anything."

It felt more of a conviction, more than anything else.

"What's happening to me?"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Reimu heard a distant clatter coming from the kitchen. In the relative darkness caused by the night, her hearing was a little bit sharper than usual. Alice's house was bright enough not to bump into furniture, but Reimu still took care of her steps as she felt her way through Alice's house.

What was that, I wonder?

As she felt her way through the dim corridor outside Alice's living room, Reimu heard a bereaved cry coming from the kitchen. Immediately, Reimu ran towards the source of the cry and found herself in front of the kitchen door. She pushed open the green wooden door and saw Alice leaning on a kitchen counter with a knife in one hand and a glassy stare from her face.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I don't feel anything, I don't feel anything, I don't feel anything--

Logic, the sole sense of reason behind the brilliance of analysis. It feeds on the unwritten notes of memory which was taken from observation. Observation on the other hand feeds on the senses; sight, smell, hearing, taste, and sensation of the skin. It is a task that is performed continuously, day after day, behind the barrier of the conscious mind. We hear, see, smell, taste and feel a multitude of sensations every day, and we do it without thinking about it. It is only natural.

I don't feel anything, I don't feel anything, I don't feel anything--

But what happens when you these senses away? The body feels anxiety, as it tries to ascertain a logical reasoning behind its absence. However, logic cannot function without information from observations, and obviously, observation cannot gather information without the senses. Anxiety mounts and the mind becomes illogical as it is deprived its local sense of order, the source of security of all things sentient; mortal and immortal alike.

I don't feel anything, I don't feel anything, I don't feel anything--

Why can't I feel anything? It makes no sense, no sense, no sense--

She was alone in the kitchen, which made it all the worse. She felt as if her reason is leaving her, and she fell down, grovelling, as she tried to make sense of her situation. She shouted, but she only heard a muffled sound; she didn't feel the wind escape her lips, and it only troubled her more.

I don't feel any pain, no pain, no pain--

Why was she troubled? It's because I felt no pain. Why did she feel no pain? I don't care. So what should she do to comfort herself? I can't find no comfort, I can't feel anything. Nothing at all?

I lost my feeling of pain. If I can only find it--

Before she knew it, she felt her hand reach out to a nearby knife. Her vision seemed to close up as she saw her other hand (injured), on the surface of the kitchen counter. She raised her hand clenching the knife and brought it down with utter deliberation...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Reimu wasted no time and tackled Alice down. As they fell down on the floor, Reimu grasped Alice's hand and wrenched the kitchen knife away from her hold. She threw it to the opposite corner of the room and shook Alice who was screamed horribly, as if she was possessed by some unseen apparition. Alice struggled, and Reimu took hold of Alice's arms as she flailed around, fighting her off.

"Alice!" Reimu shouted, but Alice's screams were louder and more frantic. Reimu shook her harder and Alice struggled even more.

A youkai possession? Darn it, if I could just hold her down long enough...

With a sleight of her arms, a talisman slid down from her sleeves to her free hand as she fought to keep Alice down on the floor. She placed on Alice's forehead and clasped her hands together in the form of rin. She held down Alice with her legs; literally sitting on her, as Alice struggled without abandon.

"On bai shi ra man ta ya so wa ka"

Reimu's voice seemed to quiver at first, and became stronger as she finished the chant. Her breathing became quick, in short bursts. Reimu formed the Great Diamond with her hands and chanted the next prayer.

"On isha na ya in ta ra ya so wa ka"

She changed the formation of her fingers once more and continued to pray. After each line of prayer, she changed the position of her hands; her voice became more composed and powerful, comparable to the song of angels that John heard in the Book of Revelations.

"On je te ra shi ita ra ji  ba ra ta noo so wa ka"

"On ha ya bai shi ra man ta ya so wa ka"

"On noo ma ku san man da ba sa ra dan kan"

"On aga na ya in ma ya sowaka"

"On hi ro ta ki sha no ga ji ba tai sowaka"

"On chi ri chi i ba ro ta ya sowaka"

"On a ra ba sha noo sowaka"

As her prayer rose in tempo, Reimu became composed and seemed to be enveloped in white light. Reimu clasped her hands together and shouted at the top of her voice.

"Kami Gi [Ya Hou Ki Baku Jin]!!"

Instantly, they were surrounded by a nimbus of white light as an exorcism circle appeared on the floor and enclosed them both. Alice suddenly became wilt and bereft of energy as she was bathed in the white light.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Darn you, I won't die like this!"

Rinnosuke struggled helplessly as he faced the open mouth of the youkai. It drooled horribly, and even in the rain, Rinnosuke smelled the odor of decaying flesh from its breath.

Closing his eyes, and perhaps praying for a miracle, he called out for help at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly, he heard a distinct popping sound from the sky as bullets of energy rained down on them. Rinnosuke opened his eyes and saw them. They were red, heart shaped things that exploded around the youkai who screamed in pain as it loosened its hold on Rinnosuke.

Overhead, Rinnosuke saw a giant heart shaped mass of energy about to fall upon them. Scrambling to get out of the way, Rinnosuke fell down backwards as the heart fell on the youkai with an explosion of stars and more hearts.

"What the heck--," started Rinnosuke, in a mixture of bewilderment and surprise.

"Are you alright?" said a voice behind him. Turning his head around, she saw a yellow haired girl dressed in red clothes. She had one hand outstretched that gestured around as she told her spell what to do.

The youkai in front of Rinnosuke shouted in pain, but it was far from dead. Instead, it began to ran away; it formed to giant wings using it's long hair and flew off, leaving behind a dazed Rinnosuke.

"Are you all right?" repeated the girl. She approached him and helped him up on his feet after seeing that he wasn't hurt. Rinnosuke looked at the smiling girl who was also drenched in the rain. "You look tired," said the girl. "I'll offer you a rest at my home nearby, but unfortunately my house became angry and blew up." The girl smiled at him once more.

Rinnosuke stood dumbfounded in the rain for a full minute before he tried to speak.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Marisa ran across the forest while carrying Sunny Milk on her back like a sack of potato. She was en route to her house with the two fairies fast behind her.

Come on, can't you give me a rest already?

Grimacing, she changed her direction and ran towards Alice's house. Behind her, Sapphire cried out.

"HEY! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING SUNNY?"

Marisa ignored them.

t.b.c




Yakumo Note # 4

Spoiler:

For some odd reason, youkai in Gensokyo had been acting strangely.
Of course, this had been happening for a while now. No one was actually paying attention until someone got hurt.
From what I have seen, something from the outside is blocking Gensokyo, as if someone is trying to pull Gensokyo back to the outside world...

K____ Note # 3

Spoiler:

Let me tell you about myself.
I am definitely ______. That being said, what am I? ______ destroy, ______ conquer.
______ kill. ______ kill other ______.
______ destroy everything they worked for, and they don't even realize it.
Am I ______ or not?

Sei Notes # 1

Spoiler:

Cochin-China is a chicken also known as the Chinese Shanghai.
Shiny Buddhist Priests? It's the Sunny, Sunny Man! Or the teru teru bozu.
Reimu's prayer? Shinto priests pray, Reimu is a miko so she prays.
Not too often though.
Divine Art [Demon Binding Circle of the Eight Directions] or more commonly known as the
Divine Art [Omnidirectional Demon Binding Circle] from THWiki.

But what do I know? I'm just a writer.

[Iced Fairy]

Hm...  It seems Alice is becoming more doll-like.  And not in a good way.  Meanwhile the three fairies of light are here.  That'll be an interesting addition to the party.  And was that Elly who saved RInnousuke?  Curiouser and curiouser.

[swamp147]

This is getting soooooo good. I can't wait for the next one. There are so many mysteries going on at the same time.

[Seian Verian]

This is amazing. I'm looking forward to the next update~ ...And every one after that.

[Coin Spire]

Specialis Libri
Chapter 9

There are many realms enveloped within the world that is called Gensokyo. Among all these realms, one stands apart; not only from its power and influence, but also because of the undying loyalty of its retainers. In this realm, where the nature of the place itself becomes unwittingly bizarre and inhuman, the people live in absolute prosperity under the guidance of their Mother.

This realm's borders are enclosed with the magical wards to hinder the entrance of weak mortals who would simply perish because of their weak souls that are unable to withstand the might of Makai. This harsh place is governed by the fortress of Pand?mnium, the center of this world.

However, harsh this place might be for humans, it is impossible to describe within human words the inhuman beauty of this place. If there is a limit--a boundary--where a thing can exist within the reality and within a dream, the majestic spires of Pand?monium is an excellent example. With its tall winding towers whose crystalline walls reflect the scarlet light of the lands into a thousand hues, and its thick foreboding walls designed perfectly to intimidate and demand respect from people, it is the prime example of the superiority of Makai above other realms.

Of course, this is but the opinion of the Makai dwellers.

However, more than the powerful demons of Makai, the one who controls everything in this realm is the Mother; the one and only creator of this realm and its citizens. With her power, she created the demons of Makai. With her magic, she had given birth to this land where magic reigns supreme more than anything else, thus giving her children more power as they stayed within her world.. However, despite her power, the Mother demands respect, not from tyranny, but from her wisdom that is equivalent to a god's. This gained her much love and praise from the powerful beings of Makai.

Indeed, for she is a god. The god of Makai. The Goddess of the Demons.

Demon Goddess.

Shinki.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Yumekooooo~"

Yumeko bowed curtly as her mistress called her by her name. Her Mistress Shinki was resting her head on the desk as she was flanked by two towers of paperwork on each side.

"How long before I can take a break?" Shinki asked. Yumeko smiled curtly as she raised her head in reply.

"It would not be wise of me to answer, my Mistress. Whatever hour I answer, you would simply assert your authority and take your break anyway."

Shinki sighed expressively as she leaned back on her stone chair. "Ah~," she sniffed. "I wouldn't have created Makai if I knew that I'll be stuck inside a castle doing paperwork for days." She stretched her arms and gave a big yawn as she leaned back a little more so she could peer through the window behind her.

From her upside down view of the red sky, she could see the miasma that covered the sky hanging like a misty curtain as it wavered gently to and fro. This miasma, while harmful to humans and weak youkai, is the source of power and life of Makai dwellers.

"Mistress Shinki, your paperwork won't go away by dawdling," reminded Yumeko gently. She stood beside her Mistress as she supervised her work. The paperworks are mostly of little trouble, a few petitions of the dwellers of Makai to make life more comfortable. However, no matter how little they are individually, Shinki had managed to pile it up into towers of terrifying height before deciding to pay it sufficient attention.

The Mother of Makai sighed as she looked at Yumeko bleakly. "Can't I just make someone do the work for me?" Shinki told Yumeko. "I can just give them the authority to sign the papers so--"

Yumeko raised her eyebrow as she looked at her Mistress with cool eyes. "Mistress, that would not be a prime example of a wise Mother," said Yumeko. "After all, many citizens look up to you, and they would not want to see a procrastinating Mother who didn't use her office for nearly two months."

Shinki sighed audibly. So much for being the absolute ruler and Creator of Makai.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Shiku, this place is horrible."

Shiku nodded, but actually took little notice of her companion's words. She surveyed the barren land and felt its inert power as it flowed into her. It was a pleasant feeling, but Shiku did not have any feelings. Not of pleasure, nor even of pain.

She was created this way, by their master.

"Shiku, can't we go home yet?"

Shiku nodded again, still taking no notice of her companion's words. Shiku looked at the red sky, feeling a tinge of nostalgia. Looking down, she looked at the large fissure on the ground that she was commanded to guard.

"Shiku, you're not listening to me aren't you?"

Shiku nodded, and she deftly dodged as Kou tried to pull her down from her flight. Instead, she deftly landed beside her and knelt as she touched the edges of the giant crack.

"It's perfect as usual," said Shiku quietly. "It's almost a masterpiece, even by our master's standards."

They stood at the edge of a cliff at the very edge of the borders of Makai.

Kou coughed. "I hate this miasma, it's killing me." Shiku ignored her taller companion and stood up to peer inside the crack. It was hollow, filled with an impermeable black void.

Seeing that she was ignored, Kou pouted. "I swear, you're more annoying than that boorish En."

Shiku nodded. "Do not worry. I feel exactly the same." Shiku started to walk around the crack as she surveyed each jagged edge.

It was a full minute until Kou realized the full weight of Shiku's words. "Hey! You were insulting me just now weren't you?"

Kou watched Shiku she walked around the crack. Shiku wore a long red dress that dropped near her ankles which was mottled by black streaks that decorated her dress. It had long sleeves that were tied to her wrists with red ribbons which hid her small dollish hands. On her head was a black Victorian headdress which held her long golden hair that dropped freely past her shoulders and into her back. She looked like a small girl like Emi, except that her back was adorned with black branchlike wings with silk like films trailing behind that resembled golden glaring eyes. She walked barefooted revealing deceptively fragile feet.

On the other hand, Kou wore a yellow dress that was cut short above her knees. She had a long, draping violet cloth on her right shoulder that fell diagonally on her left thigh, covering her whole left leg like a curtain. Her sleeves were short, revealing pale arms and hands with long violet nails that she often put at her lips when in deep thought. Her long dark hair was tied in a neat bun behind her smug face. She had red lips that often curled into a sneer, a near permanent feature on her face.

They both had golden eyes that surveyed Makai with a little hint of curiosity.

"What does our master want with this place anyway? It's too dry and barren, and it also smells bad," complained Kou. "It's a pity we can't just make a Crack through this place. It would be a great improvement."

Shiku shook her head. "This Crack is enough. A little miasma should be seeping through by now, out into the other crack at Emi's end."

"What is so special with this miasma anyway? It makes my head hurt a lot." Kou put a hand on her forehead to exaggerate. "Not to mention that I hate the reddish color of the land."

"That's a rude thing to say," said a voice above them. "For visitors, you sure don't act like a bunch of tourists."

Shiku and Kou looked up to see a two flying figures above them.

One of the flying figures, a girl with yellow hair and a black hat, laughed. "They look fun to play with, aren't they Mai?" She had a bright, gay voice that seemed to cut through the quiet, barren atmosphere.

Mai did not answer, but instead landed in front of Shiku. Mai stared at the two quietly as her companion landed beside her. "They don't look like they are from around here, Yuki..." said Mai. Unlike Yuki, she spoke slowly, like someone who is still half-asleep. "They don't look like humans either..."

Kou received a cold glare from Mai as she seemed to take mental notes of them. She felt a little peeved and uneasy. Shiku, on the other hand, was perfectly calm and composed.

"So they're not from around here?" said Yuki. "Then we can show them around this place." She gave a sinister smile as she snapped her fingers in the air. A dozen balls of fire appeared behind her. At her signal, they launched towards Kou and Shiku at an incredible speed.

"Welcome to Makai, weak earth crawling youkai," she said gleefully.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Rinnosuke heaved a sigh of relief when he closed the door of his house. He took out a small tinderbox and lighted a small candle which was placed on a small table beside the door. It lit up the room, which was also the front of his shop (of sorts). It had a lot of shelves by the walls that were filled with odd things that aren't practically useful to everyday villagers of Gensokyo. They are often junk that were thrown by the humans living Outside, but Rinnosuke finds them wonderful (and useful at times).

"My, this is a nice house you have," said the girl happily. "It's awfully crowded though."

The girl, Rinnosuke found out, lived in the Forest of Magic. However, she seemed aptly forgetful, and Rinnosuke had trouble getting much out of her other than the fact that her house blew up because of something.

She didn't even know why her house blew up. She couldn't even give him her name.

"Well, if it's worth remembering, I'll probably remember it," said the girl cheerfully.

Rinnosuke took a dry towel which hang conveniently nearby and threw it to the drenched girl. "Dry yourself with this," he told her. "I'm going to get something warm to drink."

Rinnosuke lit a nearby oil lamp with the candle. Taking the lamp on his hand, he went through the door behind the shop's counter. He went past his study and into his kitchen where he started to make a fire for tea.

"Taking home young girls isn't like you," said a feminine voice behind him. Rinnosuke looked behind him to see Yukari giving her a vague smile. "Although it's a bit masculine, if I'm allowed to say."

Shaking his head, Rinnosuke drew out a parchment from within his robes. "Here are my notes from Muenzuka," he told her. He gave her the package which Yukari secreted smugly within her sleeves.

"You look like a mess," she told him. "You've been swimming in the mud, if I'm not mistaken."

RInnosuke gave her a slight shrug. "I had a nasty run-in with a youkai on the way back." He noticed that Yukari looked a little troubled. "What, you've been concerned about my health?"

Yukari dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand. "Not at all, I've just been thinking a lot lately, that's all." Yukari started to leave, a gap suddenly opening in front of her. "Anyway, it would be wise of you to move into the human village for a while."

"Why? Someone has to take care of my shop, especially in this bad weather."

She shrugged. "It's not my life to lose, anyway." Yukari entered her gap and vanished into nothingness. The gap closed, leaving no trace of its presence behind.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The balls of fire exploded around Shiku. She heard Kou scream beside her, but she couldn't care less. Dust rose around her as the fireballs exploded, but she didn't move a muscle or even batted an eye.

When the dust subsided, she looked at Yuki's face that was a mixture of glee and surprise.

"Wow, she didn't even try to dodge," she laughed. "She's stupid, Mai!" Yuki broke into a fit of laughter. Mai didn't take any notice of her as she regarded Shiku with utter curiosity.

Kou struggled up to her feet, glaring at Yuki angrily. "What was that for?" she shouted crossly.

Yuki shook her head. "No reason," she said smugly. "If you're hurt by a simple magic like that, then you must be a really weak."

"What did you say?" retorted Kou. She raised a finger at Yuki. "I dare you to say that again!"

"I said weak, you little weak girl," Yuki answered with a sneer.

"Weak?" laughed Kou smugly. "Why aside from the fact that it was a dusty, your fireballs didn't hurt at all." Kou laughed mockingly as Yuki became angry.

Shiku ignored the hot exchange between Yuki and Kou. Instead, she focused her attention to Yuki's quiet companion. She regarded her with pale blue eyes, something Shiku didn't like.

"Yuki, we'd better leave," said Mai at last. "I don't think they want to play today." Yuki answered her with a pout.

"Can't I just play with them a little?" said Yuki. "We don't get as much as fun in Makai as we used to."

Without any warning, Shiku raised her left palm towards Yuki and whispered, "Pain of choking with a chicken bone." Yuki doubled over, clutching her throat as she coughed repeatedly. She was gasping for air while Mai was taken aback with shock.

Seeing her opponent incapacitated in pain, Shiku lowered her palm and Yuki suddenly stopped coughing. Giving her an angry glare, Yuki threw another fireball, this time hitting Shiku directly. Yuki sneered for a moment, but her expression changed into amazement when she saw Shiku still standing, unfazed by the attack.

"You...you're not..." stuttered Yuki. "What...are you?"

Shiku shook her head as she started to raise her hand once more.

"Come on!" urged Mai. She pulled Yuki up and started to fly away, with Yuki following suit. Shiku did not pursue them, but instead turned her attention back to the Crack behind her.

"Wasn't that a bit too much?" said Kou when the two were out of sight.. "I mean, they did attack us and all, but you didn't have to be serious about it."

"I wasn't serious," said Shiku. "More importantly, they saw the Crack. It would have been better if I eliminated them, but our master gave strict orders against it."

Kou sighed. "You're just too cold aren't you? Anyway, I don't think those two would be back for a while. You did a good job scaring them off."

"Scaring them off, huh?" said Shiku thoughtfully. "Wasn't that your job supposedly?"

Shrugging, Kou only replied, "Pain is the best kind of fear, I think. With you around, I don't need to use my powers."

Shiku took no more notice of her as she inspected the crack. It might be her imagination, but Shiku could swear that the Crack was growing steadily in size. "Well, everything goes according to our master's plan."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Marisa sipped her cup of tea. She was still drenched, but the warm drink invigorated her.

"From what I've heard from the two, the one they call Sunny isn't the only one who started to act strange. Other fairies and youkai are becoming more ferocious, and they've been on the run for a few days now, chasing Sunny and dodging other youkai."

"So you decided to bring them here?" asked Reimu tentatively. She looked at the two fairies flying around the room as they let their curiosity get the best of them. They were peering around the room, poking around Alice's possessions like children in a toy shop. Sunny Milk was sitting unconsciously on a chair, sleeping soundly like a baby.

"Anyway, more importantly," Marisa said quietly. "You said something about Alice being possessed." Alice was unconscious in her room, and Reimu quickly related her story about Alice.

Reimu frowned. "I wouldn't say possessed, but I'd say that she's under some sort of spell," she answered. "Magic spells are not my forte, so you tell me about it."

Marisa sighed. "Well, when it comes to that, it's better to ask an expert about it." Reimu gave her a nasty expression. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I don't like talking to her too, but we have no choice."

A quiet groan arrested their attention as they saw Sunny Milk stirred and slowly became awake. She regarded Reimu and Marisa with curious eyes for a moment before her face became contorted with rage. She flew up into the ceiling and gave out a shriek and charged at Reimu like an arrow.

Reimu, taken aback by the attack, barely had time to block her when Star Sapphire put herself between her and Sunny. She held something purple in her hand which she deftly stuffed at the shrieking Sunny Milk's mouth.

Sunny Milk dropped like a stone on the floor, unconscious. Star Sapphire looked pleased with herself as she lifted the unconscious Sunny Milk onto a chair, the purple object still stuck on her mouth.

"What was that?" asked Reimu.

Star Sapphire answered her smugly. "It's called star apple by humans," she told Reimu. "It knocks Sunny Milk out, for some reason. If she wakes up, just put one in her mouth so she won't cause trouble."

"That's handy," said Marisa. "But where did you get that? I haven't seen that fruit before."

"I found one from an abandoned orchard somewhere in the forest," said Luna. "I told Sapphire about it, that's why she knows where she can find it."

"So you stole it from a farmer," said Marisa. Luna started to protest but Reimu cut her off.

"I should be going now," said Reimu. "I've been here all day, so it's your turn to keep an eye on Alice's house."

Marisa gave out a puff. "Well, I don't want to go out in the rain tonight anyway. But seriously, you're going to fly over the Scarlet's place in this rain at night? Can't you wait for tomorrow?"

Shrugging, Reimu told her, "Well, I don't think the Scarlet's place close down at night. And the rain on the skin is good from time to time."

"Suit yourself. I'm going to sleep before I catch a cold."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Yukari sighed as she stepped into the cave in the mountains near the Hakurei Shrine. The cave is supposedly the entrance to the realm of Makai (something that was confirmed by Reimu herself), and Yukari didn't relish the fact that she needed to go there.

She stepped over the moist, mossy rocks as she made her way inside the cave. She heard a dripping sound from somewhere, no doubt that it was rain water finding it's way through the cracks and crevices inside the mountain. She walked slowly and delicately, trying hard not to get her ornate dress dirty.

She was inside the cave for a good while when a huge gate stopped her on her tracks. It towered above her, it's height nearly the same as the roof of the vast grotto where it was located. At it's foot was the gate guard. She looked at the young girl who mirrored her looks with a bored stare.

"Hold it!" she told Yukari. "If you want to go to Makai, I won't let you. No one from this side of the gate is allowed to enter."

Yukari smiled.

t.b.c




Yakumo Note # 5
Note # 5

Spoiler:

Makai.
There is a kind of mist that rises up from the realm of Makai that powers up magical powers. However, it is harmful to humans, that is why humans are forbidden to enter Makai.
However, if someone who uses magic is said to enter this realm, their powers are multiplied many times over.
In this way, even a human can gain great might.
Great enough to destroy the Hakurei Barrier.
I wonder if the the person in charge of Makai had seen strange things lately?

_i___ Note # 4

Spoiler:

#4
My creations, they are my children.
No, they are closer than that. They are a part of me, and because of this, they will never betray me.

Let me tell you a little about Shiku.

Once, there was a bully who liked hurting small girls. The bully would put insects on their bags, or trip them as they walked in the school hallways. Sometimes, the bully would even steal their lunch, and make them cry.
One day, the bully came to me and told me to surrender my lunchbox. The lunch didn't matter to me, but the lunchbox...it was given to me by _____, and nothing can part me from it. However, the bully pried it apart from my hands, and laughed when I struggled uselessly to get it back.
In my anger, I told myself that I wanted someone who can hurt people as much as they hurt me.
And thus Shiku was born. Born from my desire to inflict pain, she herself is immune to pain. She can feel no pain, but maybe that itself is the greatest pain of all.