Reimu Quest (Part 12)

[日巫子]

>Should be easy enough to keep eye out for the last one.
>Yukari up to anything at this point?

> You look west, and wait for the last point of light.
> As you're doing this, you glance over at Yukari.  She doesn't seem to be up to anything.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Wait for that light, then.

[日巫子]

>Wait for that light, then.

> You wait.
> It's very quiet, and somewhat awkward being alone with Yukari.  What feels like an eternity passes before you see the final point of light, coming from the west.

 >_

[Hello Purvis]

>Who was to the west?
>When it arrives, place the ofuda. Assuming nothing new happens, look to Yukari and say "Now what?"

[日巫子]

>Who was to the west?
>When it arrives, place the ofuda. Assuming nothing new happens, look to Yukari and say "Now what?"

> Byakuren's group was to the west, you believe.
> When the last path of light connects to the platform, you slap down the last ofuda.  The platform and all four paths gleam, and you're bathed in a pool of light.  You can hardly see anything else.
> "It's time for your contribution," Yukari says, standing up and walking over to the center of the platform.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Right. Directly in the center?"
>Approach the middle and prepare a needle

[日巫子]

>"Right. Directly in the center?"
>Approach the middle and prepare a needle

> "Yes," says Yukari.
> You walk to the center of the platform and take out one of your needles.  The circle in the center of the platform, glows with a gentle light.  You feel a tingling sensation run through your body.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Prick our pinky, then kneel down and make sure the blood falls right into the center.

[日巫子]

>Prick our pinky, then kneel down and make sure the blood falls right into the center.

> Using the needle, you prick your finger.  You kneel down, setting the egg to the side and hold your bleeding finger over the center of the platform.  The blood drips down from you, and then lands.
> The blood makes a sharp ringing sound when it lands.  Rivulets of red spread throughout the platform, and everything explodes into light.  You feel yourself being torn away from the platform and high into the air, the egg miraculously landing in your arms as you spiral up into the air.  Are you really moving?  You can't feel or see anything around you but light, and hear nothing but the rushing of wind.
> You see a wide open space of nothing but light and stars.  Far below, you see a sphere not unlike a bubble, suspended in the endless void.  It's different from what you saw when you were dreaming: this is something much bigger, something far beyond you.  Or perhaps it is you who is beyond.  You feel the egg quaking in your hands.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Glance toward the egg for a moment.

[日巫子]

>Glance toward the egg for a moment.

> You look down at the egg.  It's visibly shaking in your arms, but you get the sense it's not from fear.  Rather...anticipation?  Like an uncontainable excitement desperate for freedom.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's break that gem.

[日巫子]

>Let's break that gem.

> You bring your fist down on the gem, shattering it easily.  Shards go flying, but you won't need to collect them.
> Cracks appear in the egg, and it explodes in a wild gale that blows you back through space.  Pure energy floods the space, washing you away.  Above you, you see the space and all the stars and light being overtaken by pure white.  A vaguely-shaped, winged behemoth soars above you.  You feel impossibly small watching it, but at the same time you feel like you're going to overflow with power just by looking at it.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>What comes next in the ritual?

[日巫子]

>What comes next in the ritual?

> You're...not sure...you could have never imagined something like this to happen.  You're not even sure where you are.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Observe the behemoth for a moment. Stay calm.

[日巫子]

>Observe the behemoth for a moment. Stay calm.

> You watch the behemoth in silence.  It flies until it, along with the remnants of stars, is the only thing you can see.  Bits of energy rain from it and land in the space you're floating along in, sending waves that take you further back.  The tide is stronger than anything you've ever experienced, and as more of it rains down it the space starts splashing up.  You hear an eerie screech from the behemoth, a swan song before it is torn asunder and spread thin into the atmosphere.  A rain of light comes down from the heavens.  There is chaos, during which your vision goes white, and then black.  Everything is quiet.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Can we hear or feel anything?
>How do we personally feel?

[日巫子]

>Can we hear or feel anything?
>How do we personally feel?

> You feel something cool and smooth beneath you.  You are lying on a flat surface.
> You don't know.  How do you feel?

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>A bit confused.
>Sit up and look around.

[日巫子]

>A bit confused.
>Sit up and look around.

> You're a bit puzzled, to say the least.  You sit up.  It's pitch black; you can't even see your own hand in this dark.
> As you look around, however, you see a long, thin rectangle of light some distance away.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Suppress a groan, then head toward that light.

[日巫子]

>Suppress a groan, then head toward that light.

> With a groan, you get up and approach the light.  You get closer, and realize...It's a door.  The light is just coming from the crack beneath it.  It has a simple doorknob, hinges, everything a normal door should have.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Open the door.

[日巫子]

>Open the door.

> You turn the knob.
> Your surroundings change again, and you feel someone take your hand.  A warm but unfamiliar voice says, "This way."
> There's nothing but light all around.  A woman with long, black hair and red and white robes pulls you along, towards some unseen destination.  She's speaking to you, but you can hardly hear her over the wind howling around you.  The light begins to clear away, revealing an endless, pure blue sky.  The woman is starting to fade away, dissolving into nothing.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Wait! Who are you?"
>Hold that hand tight.

[日巫子]

>"Wait! Who are you?"
>Hold that hand tight.

> You hold her hand tightly.  She looks over her shoulder to smile at you as the two of you run.  Her eyes, though youkai red, are as warm and soft as her voice.  She's wearing hair tubes, and her bangs are cut straight across.  However, it's getting hard to make out these features, as she continues to disappear.  It feels like your hand could go through hers at any moment.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>So many questions, so little time.
>""Why!"

[日巫子]

>So many questions, so little time.
>""Why!"

> She's going to disappear before you can get anything out of her.
> She opens her mouth to speak, but then makes a surprised expression and puts a smoldering hand to her throat.  The sky becomes more overwhelming.  She reaches over and takes your other hand as the wind picks up.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Let her take 'em and follow.