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Thought's End & Embodiement of Dreams (2nd Ignition)

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Valesta: [Next part!] --- In the chamber where Kaguya and Eirin are imprisoned inside round green fields, Kaguya asks, ?Eirin, have you thought of any ways to get out of this yet?? ?No ways that will get us out and guarantee our escape, especially considering we don?t know where we are?? ?There HAS to be a way, though! You?re way smarter than Yumei, Eirin! She can?t hold us for long?? ?Perhaps, princess, but I?m convinced that she thought of this prison for us, with my intelligence quotient in mind. History has proven that even the most brilliant minds can potentially fall before the power of well-planned trap or overwhelming odds.? ?No?? ?Look, I?ll continue thinking for both your sake and mine, but I?m not reaching any logical conclusions in the near future at this rate. The best thing we can do right now is have faith in the others. Reisen will most certainly try to find us. I?d say there is also a chance Mokou would want to save you too?? ?Mokou? Why her?? ?Please think about it, princess. She views you as her greatest adversary. I?ve had a lot of opportunities to examine her mindset, and I doubt she will let you be defeated by any force besides her own. In a way, you could even say she cares about you, roundabout as though it may seem?? Kaguya starts to giggle, ?Teehee? Mokou? I never would have thought?? ?The best plan I can come up with at the moment is to have faith that they will find us.? There is a long pause, which is eventually broken by Kaguya?s voice, ?Eirin? um? I never asked you this before, but? well? If I asked you for a potion that would do away with my immortality, could make one?? ?It?s impossible,? answers Eirin so immediately that Kaguya gets caught off guard, ?Why this all of a sudden? You are the one who asked me for the hourai elixir in the first place.? ?Hypothetically speaking.? ?Hmph. Just like immortality renders a person unable to truly die, immortality, too, is immortal it and of itself.? ?I see. It?s just that? I?ve been wondering about everyone, like mother and father?? ??Mother? and ?father??? ?I meant my parents when I was exiled here, not Empress Lunariya. Rather, the woodcutter and his wife, as well as the emperor. Also, after hearing about her father from Mokou, I want to apologize to him too. However, they have all been dead for a very long time now, and I?ve lived on ever since. Immortality has its advantages, of course, but anything living can never journey to what lies beyond the Netherworld, and I?ll never be able to see them again. I feel despair when I think of that?? ?Princess? Do you regret your request to me now?? ?Maybe a little. An eternal life with eternal regrets may very well be what Hell is like. Perhaps someone like me deserves as much for rejecting something that seems so scary? but may also be one of the most precious gifts living things are given?? Alice?s old bedroom in Makai is a room essentially untouched for decades, but kept in good shape by Yumeko. Around it are old dolls Alice had collected over her years as a human. At the back of the room is Alice?s bed, at the foot of which is a futon prepared for Sakuya. After a hearty and delicious dinner, Alice and Sakuya decide to retire for the night. In the dimly lit room, Sakuya, in her futon, whose arms and legs are now completely wrapped in bandages and who also has a white patch over her left eye, directs her attention to a large picture hanging one the wall over the far end of Alice?s bed. In it, there are five figures. Sakuya immediately recognizes three of them as Yuki, Mai, and Sara. In spite of the recognition, she also finds something bizarre, specifically about Mai, as all five girls are smiling as if they don?t have a care in the world, whereas the only expressions Sakuya saw from Mai, personally, were either with bitterness or blankness. She also recognizes Alice, although, unlike the former three, Alice looks considerably younger than her present self, as well as wearing a blue hair ribbon and a dark blue dress over a white blouse. However, she has absolutely no recollection of the fifth girl in the picture, a girl, looking slightly older than the others, with short blonde hair and wearing a white dress and a large white brimmed hat. ?Who is that?? asks Sakuya in regards to the picture. Alice, who had been having trouble getting to sleep, groans, ?Who?s who?? ?That girl in the picture. I recognize Yuki, Mai, Sara, and even the younger you, but I don?t believe I met the remaining girl since we arrived here?? Alice rolls over in her bed and glances up at the picture. ?It?s no one? just? no one?? answers Alice in a suddenly melancholy voice. ??? With Alice?s response, Sakuya realizes she may have touched on something Alice would rather not talk about and abandons her line of questioning. They eventually fall asleep, though was hard, considering their worries regarding Marisa, Reimu, and Youmu. However, only a few hours pass before Alice feels someone rubbing her shoulder, gradually disrupting her sleep, ?Mm?hmmm??? ?Alice, wake up!? A voice whispers. Alice looks at her awakener with squinted eyes: Yuki, with Mai standing nearby, whose gaze is cast on the picture Sakuya inquired about earlier. ?Yuki?? What is it?? Yuki instructs Alice, ?Get dressed and meet us in the room where your maid friend and Yumeko fought earlier. Please be there.? With that, Yuki turns and leaves the room. ??? Mai follows Yuki, but briefly looks back at Alice and gives her a sinister expression. Alice sits for a minute, trying to figure out what Mai?s expression meant before following Yuki?s instructions.

Valesta: Heeding what Yuki told her, Alice gets dressed out of her nightgown and into her everyday clothes, and heads to the location she was instructed to go to. Sure enough, Yuki and Mai are there, waiting for her. ?What is the meaning of this?? Alice asks Yuki, ?Why did you wake me up?? Yuki says, after a few seconds of hesitation ?? Mother may have given you permission to return to the world you came from?? Suddenly, a ball of white fire materializes in Yuki?s hand, which she throws at Alice, who narrowly dodges, her arm getting slightly singed in the process, ?But I have not!? ?Y-Yuki?? ?I?m sorry, Alice, but you heard Mother! If you go back, you WILL die! You lived here, and you heard her predictions MANY times! Name ONE time she?s been wrong, Alice. Just one! What I am doing is stopping you from making a grave mistake!? ??? Mai stands next to Yuki with her deadpan expression focused on Alice. ?So you?re going to attack me?? ?I?m going to put you in a condition where you won?t be able to return. Danger awaits you there, and if you are in no condition to fight, let alone move, you cannot face the danger that will end you!? ?What you are doing, Yuki, is disobeying Shinki!? ?No arguments there. We will most likely get in trouble for this? but it is worth it to keep my dear ?sister? from inevitably losing her life! I could have just incapacitated you in your sleep, but Mother would truly be furious in that case, hence the reason I am giving you a formal challenge and a chance to defend yourself. Besides, it doesn?t make sense for that maid to decide what will happen to you. You?re not going back there unless you prove you got what it takes, and under my rules, mere effort is not enough. You will have to beat both me AND Mai!? Alice pauses for a few seconds, and then materializes two dolls at her flanks, ?Okay. Fine. Whatever is supposed to kill me, I?m sure the two of you will be good practice.? Yuki smiles gleefully, ?That?s the spirit!? Then her expression turns to something more menacing, yet sad, ?Now let us begin!? Yuki immediately uses a spellcard, ?Shining Flame: Cremator!? Yuki sends a large white fireball at Alice, who reacts by having tower shields materialize in the arms of her two dolls, and has them fly in front of her, blocking her from the fire, though the sheer heat causes her to sweat. The effect of the spell expires as the shields are reduced to molten metal, destroying the dolls. Alice jumps in Yuki?s direction and summons five dolls armed with lances. Yuki suddenly engulfs herself in white fire and vanishes into a pillar of flame as the dolls fly into it and get burned. An identical pillar erupts in front of Alice, and Yuki dashes out of it, attempting to attack the puppeteer with a flaming punch, which Alice jumps out of the range of and counterattacks with a blast of magic energy that hits the demon?s face, knocking her off her feet and to the ground. Yuki rubs her face, ?Ouch! You?re as good as I remember?? Alice says with a shrug, ?Excuse me if I was under the impression that you were serious.? ?You should know I?m not THROUGH!? Yuki shoots a fireball at Alice, who dodges, and then jumps away to put more distance between herself and the demon. Yuki follows up with a spellcard, ?Flame Sign: Demon Blaze!? Yuki?s body becomes engulfed in fire and she dashes at Alice, flames erupting from the ground in her wake, at an increased speed that the puppeteer fails to react in time. Yuki slams into Alice, sending her flying and crashing back-first into the wall. ?Guh!? Alice coughs out a small drop of blood, and falls to the ground, clutching her lightly burned torso. She slowly rises to her feet, recovering, ?Tch. That stung a little?? ?THIS will end it, Alice. No hard feeling, alright? It?s for your own good!? Yuki raises yet another spellcard, ?Purgatory: Platinum Inferno!? Around Yuki, several fireballs appear. They approach Alice slowly at first, but gradually increasing in speed. Alice raises a retaliatory spellcard, ?Puppeteer Sign: Dolls in Sea!? Several blue dolls appear around Alice and fly spirals around her, leaving trails of water in their wake, altogether creating a shield of water around Alice, who calmly walks in Yuki?s direction as the demon?s fireballs get extinguished. ?Darn it?? Yuki becomes short of breath. Alice smirks, ?Feeling under the weather already, Yuki, and you?ve only used three spellcards thus far? I see you are as diligent in your training as ever.? ?Ah?? Alice?s dolls cease creating water and become normal dolls. The puppeteer draws another spellcard, ?You?ll see that I?ve been quite busy since I left Makai. Now feel the fruits of my trials. Corps Command!? Various melee weapons, primarily lances, materialize in the hands of Alice?s dolls. ?Shanghai Battalion!? The dolls fly toward Yuki one by one. The demon dodges the first few dolls, but then gets bombarded by the rest. As Alice?s attack ends, Yuki lands short of Mai, and gets back to her feet fatigued. ?Sheesh, she?s tough. You gotta back me up on this, Mai! It?s gonna take both of us!? ??? The previously idle Mai extends her hand in front of her in Alice?s direction. Yuki give a satisfied nod, ?Okay! Let?s do this, comrade!? Yuki?s hands ignite and she charges in Alice?s direction. A few more dolls materialize around Alice as she assumes a defensive stance, anticipating the demons? moves? however, she is shocked by what happens next. A lance of ice materializes in front of Mai, but instead of being fired at Alice, it flies in Yuki?s direction and impales the fire demon through her right shoulder. ?OUUUUCH!? Yuki slumps to the floor in pain, ?Mai? why??? ??? Mai walks over to Yuki and kicks her to the side, causing the fire demon to slide across the floor and into the wall. Alice stares at Mai, ?Mai? What do you think you?re??? At the edge of the room, Shinki appears, ?What?? Around the same time, Sakuya enters, ?What is? going on?? Mai glances back at Shinki, ?? Glad you could make it to the festivities, Mother.? ?She speaks?? says the dumbfounded Sakuya. ?What is the meaning of this?? demands Shinki. Mai answers, ??The meaning of this,? Mother, is that justice, a long time coming, is about to be served. I?m going to do something that your worthless ?love? prevented you from carrying out yourself?? Mai?s attention shifts toward Yuki, ?Accept my apologies, dear sister. The thing is, I have my own reasons for wanting to DO Alice. Besides, you?re useless and you?d only get in my way.? Alice raises an eyebrow, ??Justice??? ?That?s right,? answers Mai, ?Your day of reckoning has come? murderer!? Alice clenches her teeth, ?I see. I should have known that would catch up with me here?? ??? Shinki and Yuki hesitate, knowing the meaning in Mai?s words. Sakuya?s remaining eye blinks a couple times, ?What?s? going on??

Gpop: Oh god reading right now!

Valesta: Many silent hours pass in the Netherworld prison. Komachi drifts off to sleep while Yukari and Sikieiki pass the time without a word exchanged between them. Finally, Sikieiki breaks the bleak silence, ?Yukari?? ?What?? ?I was thinking back to the story you told regarding the circumstances that led to your death, and thus, your arrival here.?   ?What about it?? ?We have known each other awhile. Many years ago, I recall you telling me about the boundary that exists between dreams and reality. Shortly before your death, you used it to convert Reimu and Marisa to their ?dream? selves.? ?That?s right. What about it?? ?You told me that the boundary between dreams and reality requires tremendous energy to manipulate?? ?? And?? ?Well, Yukari, you WERE wounded at the time if I recall correctly. Logically, you could have saved your energy and healed, but instead, you took a course that resulted in your death. Why didn?t you do things that way? Why choose death instead? It?s not like you?? Yukari pauses for a few seconds, ?Who says death is eternal?? Sikieiki is taken aback, ?What a ridiculous question! That?s an absolute decree of the powers that be.? Yukari smirks, ?Well, those ?powers that be,? as you put it, might have to second-guess some circumstances. The way I see it, this is only a minor and temporary inconvenience to me.? ?What makes you say that? Death is the absolute end of life!? ?Are you sure?? ?Wh-what?? ?Think about it, Yama. I am a product of a dream Reimu and Marisa had. Sure, Yumei had taken the reins for the time being, but what if they regain control? They would return Gensokyo to what it used to be? and the last time I checked, I was ALIVE before Gensokyo vanished, so I imagine, I would be back, resurrected, should such a thing take place.? Sikieiki takes a moment to consider Yukari?s words, ?Well, you might be right?? ?Fufufu~ The power to overcome even death. A dreamer?s power is indeed remarkable. Before the power of Reimu and Marisa, even I am powerless by comparison.? ?Do you believe that it will all go as you think?? ?My honest answer? I don?t. However, good things come to those who are not afraid to roll the dice. If I had insisted on living, my energy would have continued to drain, and Reimu?s original world does not have regenerative magic, nor Yuyuko?s netherworld. I decided to give them a solid fighting chance against Yumei instead. That rabbit may believe that she had gotten rid of me, but this is all going according to my plan. Maybe if they defeat Yumei, they will control the dream again, and it would all be worthwhile? ? ? ? ? I just hope they take their time enough so I can teach that Kotohime a lesson and get my boundary manipulation back before my resurrection.? ?Looks like you have things figured out,? says Sikieiki, ?For now, however, we should rest. There are no windows, but I imagine it is nighttime. We will decide our next course of action tomorrow. Hopefully Toyohime will lend us a hand? with a little luck, granted.? --- Yeah, this one is rather short (just good old Yukari being a mastermind in spite of her prediciment), but hopefully it will get things moving again, as I was having trouble figuring out how to continue. Thank you Kilga, for the words of support during AB09. You helped me get back some of my motivation.

untitled servent: Short, but it's a nice little installment. I'm glad to see you got your motivation back for this, you've put so much into it and it'd be a shame for it to be dropped. Good job on getting all the way here.

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