Keine Quest (Part 5): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>"Maybe she did make a mistake. I suppose we'll have to see. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but when she went after that dreamer, Maribel, something happened as a result. That sounds has reached into the past, and changed history rather dramatically. Yukari had to sacrifice herself to hold...whatever happened at bay before it could do more damage. As a result, the world has become a radically different place. The only reason I know, I think, is due to what I am."

[DracoOmega]

>"Maybe she did make a mistake. I suppose we'll have to see. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but when she went after that dreamer, Maribel, something happened as a result. That sounds has reached into the past, and changed history rather dramatically. Yukari had to sacrifice herself to hold...whatever happened at bay before it could do more damage. As a result, the world has become a radically different place. The only reason I know, I think, is due to what I am."

>Mugetsu frowns. "How could touching someone's dream, not matter how unusual its form, change the past?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Because she is connected to Yukari, and putting her dream self to sleep put her proper self into a coma. Whatever latent power she had, which is quite a lot, appears to have run wild."

[DracoOmega]

>"Because she is connected to Yukari, and putting her dream self to sleep put her proper self into a coma. Whatever latent power she had, which is quite a lot, appears to have run wild."

>"I... still don't think I really understand. But if her dream is gone, how can it be asleep? Not even Gengetsu can leave a person to sleep forever without her presence. Perhaps Maribel's dream and my sister have gone to the same place?" She looks down and shakes her head. "I don't know what it means to touch a walking dream. Dreams don't exist in the waking world."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Her's did."
>Helpless shrug.
>"From what I can gather, the end result was shutting down Maribel's consciousness. So I suppose whatever part of herself that is sent out when she is asleep is unable to return. As for going to the same place, it's...possible. There was...another thing we met yesterday. A...think that used a sleeping-inducing power similar to your own. It most certainly did not resemble your sister or Maribel, but it emerged from the energy left over after a large piece of land was...sucked out of Gensokyo, for lack of a better description."

[DracoOmega]

>"Her's did."
>Helpless shrug.
>"From what I can gather, the end result was shutting down Maribel's consciousness. So I suppose whatever part of herself that is sent out when she is asleep is unable to return. As for going to the same place, it's...possible. There was...another thing we met yesterday. A...think that used a sleeping-inducing power similar to your own. It most certainly did not resemble your sister or Maribel, but it emerged from the energy left over after a large piece of land was...sucked out of Gensokyo, for lack of a better description."

>"I know," Mugetsu says. "I don't understand it."
>"...sucked out of Gensokyo? What do you mean? And what did it look like?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"That would be the major problem we've been having. Bits and pieces of the world have been sucked out, and we don't know where they've gone. Visiting outside of Gensokyo, we've found people who have been caught in this, but no sign of the actual land that's been taken. The real problem is, this is reaching into the past, and causing time to change by causing significant places and people to vanish."
>"As for the thing from the gap, it was only barely like a person..."
>Describe it as best we recall, and summarize the fight.

[DracoOmega]

>"That would be the major problem we've been having. Bits and pieces of the world have been sucked out, and we don't know where they've gone. Visiting outside of Gensokyo, we've found people who have been caught in this, but no sign of the actual land that's been taken. The real problem is, this is reaching into the past, and causing time to change by causing significant places and people to vanish."
>"As for the thing from the gap, it was only barely like a person..."
>Describe it as best we recall, and summarize the fight.

>"And you think that Maribel is doing this... because she's asleep?"
>You describe the shadow creature to Mugetsu, and explain how the fight unfolded. She frowns increasingly as you describe some of the exchanges in the battle and asks for more specifics about the silhouette's form, and some of the danmaku it used. She is silent for a moment afterwards.
>"That sounds... disturbingly similar to my sister in several ways, although I'm not sure how that's possible. You say you tried to speak with it, but it didn't reply?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"It did not. It...make some sort of efforts at...something like communication through impressing thoughts into my mind, but what it did and what it projected were very much at odds with each other."

[DracoOmega]

>"It did not. It...make some sort of efforts at...something like communication through impressing thoughts into my mind, but what it did and what it projected were very much at odds with each other."

>"Do... you have any idea what it was trying to communicate?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do... you have any idea what it was trying to communicate?"

>"It seemed confused and lost. Which was very much at odds with attacking people through gaps, then lashing out with lots of danmaku."

[DracoOmega]

>"It seemed confused and lost. Which was very much at odds with attacking people through gaps, then lashing out with lots of danmaku."

>"So a lost and confused shadow of something that looked a little like my sister emerged from a gap that you think that person whose dream she touched created?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.

>She frowns fretfully. "This is all so confusing... I don't know where she's gone. I don't know what's happened. I can barely even guess at how any of this is supposed to work. I'd hope if I waited here long enough, she'd return." She pauses and sighs. "But now I'm not so certain. We've seen the dreams of many people, and no harm has ever come to them or us because of it. But dreams are not supposed to walk separate from their dreamers. What happens when you enter such a dream? Gengetsu might be the only one who knows this, and I can't even ask her."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I think the problem is she made the mistake of trying, rather than just approaching Maribel like a normal person."
>Sigh.
>"Sorry. That was meaner than necessary. Regardless, I can show you where that thing appeared. Shall we? Mokou's going to be very upset if I'm gone too long as it is."

[DracoOmega]

>"I think the problem is she made the mistake of trying, rather than just approaching Maribel like a normal person."
>Sigh.
>"Sorry. That was meaner than necessary. Regardless, I can show you where that thing appeared. Shall we? Mokou's going to be very upset if I'm gone too long as it is."

>Mugetsu frowns. "But we don't usually speak with the waking...."
>You sigh. Mugetsu looks more confused and uncertain than offended, however.
>She tenses again as you mention Mokou's likely irritation. "....do- do you think she'll be angry with me if I come along?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Not as angry as she'll be if you don't come along."

[DracoOmega]

>"Not as angry as she'll be if you don't come along."

>You think you almost catch her jump a little. Then she shakes her head. "She can't hurt me here."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Or you could try to help and perhaps dispel that anger, you did bring it upon yourself. I won't let her do anything to you unless you do something to have it coming. Alright?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Or you could try to help and perhaps dispel that anger, you did bring it upon yourself. I won't let her do anything to you unless you do something to have it coming. Alright?"

>"I brought it upon myself?" She tilts her head to the side. "How?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"It's just like I said, you tried to put me to sleep, rather than talking like a normal person, after I had already been attacked that way twice. Do you have any idea how much trouble we might have been saved if you didn't do that? Or if Gengetsu didn't do that? You can't expect to go around doing this to people and expect them to just be okay with it. Would you be okay with it if someone drug you out of her whether you liked it or not? No matter how you look at it, it's a problem."

[DracoOmega]

>"It's just like I said, you tried to put me to sleep, rather than talking like a normal person, after I had already been attacked that way twice. Do you have any idea how much trouble we might have been saved if you didn't do that? Or if Gengetsu didn't do that? You can't expect to go around doing this to people and expect them to just be okay with it. Would you be okay with it if someone drug you out of her whether you liked it or not? No matter how you look at it, it's a problem."

>"I just wanted to speak with you," she replies, frowning. "My sister was just curious. I never attacked you. Dreams are a safe place; you needn't be afraid of them."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Then following that kind of logic, it wouldn't be a problem if someone dragged you out of here against your will into the waking world, would it? Because that is how it feels to us."

[DracoOmega]

>"Then following that kind of logic, it wouldn't be a problem if someone dragged you out of here against your will into the waking world, would it? Because that is how it feels to us."

>"But people dream all the time. It's a natural thing. Even you felt comforted by the slumber as it embraced you. I could feel it. For me... the waking world is far more unnatural than the dream is for you."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Doesn't matter. You're still more or less assaulting people, rather than greeting them politely like anyone with manners would do. Whether this place is unnatural or not, you still go around more or less knocking people out just to say hello. But really, that doesn't matter. If you don't come with is, you're probably not going to be able to do anything about Gengetsu while just hiding in here. "

[DracoOmega]

>"Doesn't matter. You're still more or less assaulting people, rather than greeting them politely like anyone with manners would do. Whether this place is unnatural or not, you still go around more or less knocking people out just to say hello. But really, that doesn't matter. If you don't come with is, you're probably not going to be able to do anything about Gengetsu while just hiding in here. "

>"I still don't really understand why this bothers you so much," she says. "But... I'm sorry. I mean no harm. ...you promise that none of you will try to hurt me?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I don't think they will. And if one of them tries, I'll do what I can to stop them."

[DracoOmega]

>"I don't think they will. And if one of them tries, I'll do what I can to stop them."

>"I'll..." she pauses and hesitates. "I just... well..." She is silent for another few moments, then nods slowly. "I'll try. For her sake."
>As she says this, the world around you grows blurry and vague. You see Mugetsu's form dissolving. Then everything goes black. It takes you a moment to realize this is because your eyes are closed. You open then, blinking a few times as you orient yourself again. The ground is much colder and lumpier than it felt like when you fell asleep here. You shift and try to stretch. As you do, your eye catches Mugetsu's form partially hidden behind a nearby tree.
>"H- hello," she says.

[Hello Purvis]

>Blink.
>"'Lo."
>Sit up. Stretch.

[DracoOmega]

>Blink.
>"'Lo."
>Sit up. Stretch.

>You blink your eyes. Thankfully, once the mild sense of spatial disorientation passes, you realize that you're no groggier than you were before you came here.
>You return Mugetsu's greeting, and she takes a tentative step around the tree. The look on her face makes you wonder if she's expecting you to attack her at any moment.
>You sit up and stretch. As forced naps on the forest floor go, you suppose that wasn't all that bad.