Chapter 1: Preface
Chapter Text
Expanded History of Yougakudan, Part 5
By Hieda no Akyuu.
The purpose of this collection of various media and samples taken from Gensokyo’s old and scantly visited regions is to analyze the importance of its forgotten past. The hope is that not only will some quirks in the present world be explained but predict future anomalies as well.
In the prior report, various scientific articles written for an unpublished Gensokyo Scientific Journal were analyzed. These were gifted to the Hieda Estate by Yumemi Okazaki and contained accounts of experiments written by her, Chiyuri Kitashirakawa, and Rikako Asakura. Through thorough examination, these accounts covered the oddities surrounding the individuals who took part in the contest featured in the Dimensional Dream Incident. Not only that, but Okazaki’s own motives and the origin of their entry into Gensokyo were given.
After the conclusion of the past report, a consultation was arranged with the main transcriber for the Expanded History of Yougakudan, Keine Kamishirasawa. The meeting was made by Genjii, a sentient turtle blessed by prior generations of Hakurei Shrine Maidens. Mentions of him exist in records of the Hakurei Shrine and in Part 3 of this collection, which covered media concerning the now-dubbed Incident in Eastern Wonderland.
The knowledge he imparted upon Keine Kamishirasawa were poems made by an ancient Hakurei Shrine Maiden, also named Reimu. She is not the first Hakurei Shrine Maiden, but she is the first to be named Reimu.
The poems given, despite their vagueness, give insight into incidents the Reimu Hakurei of the past had solved. These incidents do not have names, nor are the events themselves well-documented. What has been gathered are names associated with individuals referenced in the works, some of them posing curious questions. Individuals such as Mima, Sariel, and the YuugenMagan discussed in prior volumes were assumed adversaries of this past shrine maiden. Some, such as Mima and Sariel, still supposedly have their footprints, be it either Gensokyo or Makai. Others, such as the YuugenMagan, have long since departed.
This will likely be the only work published concerning the past Hakurei Shrine Maidens made in this assortment of media and analyses. The history of the Hakurei Shrine is vast and storied enough that it could potentially warrant its own publications. This instance is only being associated with the Expanded History of Yougakudan as its recollection was inspired by past works.
What is also being currently discussed is the present state of the Expanded History of Yougakudan. Past hypotheses about the F.M. synthesis band and missing pieces to the incidents that fell out of the Hieda Estate and Keine Kamishirasawa’s scope have thus far been filled in. The most likely route is that this shall be the final volume. This is not to say the pursuit of knowledge is over, but rather that any more historical dives will likely go under a separate name. One of such will be a collection of biographies on the individuals discussed within these volumes, though that is currently tentative.
It is here that I, Hieda no Akyuu, would like to personally thank all who have read these publications. Whether you have been following them from their onset or merely giving a page a passing glance, all are valid in their consumption of this medium. I hope that all readers have felt blessed reading up on this as I have. Recording these for this and the Gensokyo Chronicle has been an honor and a privilege. I would also like to thank the various parties who have been incredibly generous in their assistance, such as our current Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame, the Bunbunmaru Newspaper, Suzunaan, and of course, Keine Kamishirasawa.
I wish you a good lifetime. Enjoy your read.
Chapter Text
Pious, holy, lost man seeks one last chance.
Spirit wanders, a danger in his glance.
Defies his Gods who wish his death endmost.
He values them naught, as he’s now a ghost.
Sanctity gone, greed upon his spirit.
Woe are we, who all are forced to hear it.
Demon from down below seeks the day's sun.
For the flames of Hell shall not be undone.
They burn with hate as searing malice cries.
She too can see, after freeing her eyes.
What had she done to that ebony flame?
To have demon labelled as her lone name?
He detests his being and seeks a way.
No more faith, not a kind heart left to pray.
To a temple he proceeds, plots in tow.
For it is the world who shall reap its sow.
It had failed, not himself, nor his actions.
He had traded care for vile infractions.
The demon wished for a vivid blue sky.
Yet, like the flames it burned hot, so why try?
Her despair accrues, the air no clouds left.
Only pain under the sun, essence bereft.
If not the sky, where should she even go?
Not the surface or the Hell deep below.
A man and a woman meet by odd chance.
Not a tale of love, but of circumstance.
Man of cloth and fury, demon of rage.
Impart themselves onto a horrid stage.
To stop the world’s heart and attack its core.
“Keep her enshrined, so she can do no more!”
Thus, the positive and the negative.
Opposites attract, how superlative.
Monk and demon joined as one together.
Their might grows, as long as they stay tether.
So they thought, as they swore they were supreme.
But as this tale tells, these hopes were a dream.
With vigor they struggled, the might of two.
Were no match for the single one who knew.
How hearts of dark stop in place, scared to move.
Once they see a heart of light, set to prove.
How her dear world is not just Yin and Yang.
But a balance that the just scale shall hang.
A tragic end to the demon and man.
Who had been blind to their salvation’s ban.
The Gods and Hell do not make one’s person.
It’s up to thee to better or worsen.
Value that life, lest thou seek disrepair.
Wanting to change a world through hate, not care.
Notes:
From 1 work in 3 months to 3 in 1 week!
Since I've been in a chatty mood in the notes, I think for this work in specific I may talk abt each chapter, since they're all based in different forms of poetry that I have never written before! Also, I don't really write poems to begin with, lol.
For this one, it's an attempt at iambic pentameter, which follows ten-syllable lines. They're supposed to have five "feet" per line (as in a weak and strong syllable per every two) but I didn't 100% follow that. Aka I really wanted that "Positive and Negative" line. For a character so black-and-white themed, I figured a form that splits down the middle would be fitting in some strange mathematical sense.
Chapter Text
Wondrous girl, gifted with the grace of infinite knowledge. Yet, evades...
Wisdom, time, age. A deep, dark pit she falls.
No matter her mind, her talent, her stubbornness. These dark arts obscured.
A chance at life, at love. Her future, gone.
For ebon ways she explored. Paths where no human should think to study.
So-called “magic.” A demon’s practiced art.
An ugly fate bestowed upon a foolish girl. A pitiful end.
“In death may she find her ultimate peace.”
Yet, blind to the signs were we. Ignorant of her anger, her anguish.
One so determined does not fade away.
But rather, they promise a fierce, unending vengeance. Spared, we are not.
Her death was not mourned, but rather dreaded.
The girl of magic brought the arcane to her grave. With it, she would strike.
Soaring in the skies with verdant rampage.
Under a new name, for the one that she had donned alive was unworthy.
Charming demon, it was. Fit like a glove.
For destruction was attracted to her presence, wherever she went.
As she had sworn, asunder she would tear the world.
A spirit so fearsome, no reaper would dare come to claim her soul.
The gates of Hell were her own dominion.
At a point, one can stand only so much. Justice needed to be served.
A hero upon the scene, here to cease
Two lifetimes of anger and vengeance. No more would the spirit rampage.
No matter the cost or the consequence.
Affixed at the Underworld that feared her, an awful battle had waged.
Maiden of red and white. Spirit of green.
A clash that even the yamas would not dare to lay their eyes upon.
But, thus is the tale of good and evil.
A happy ending follows, but never perfectly. Heroes still bleed.
And a villain shall always lie in wait.
Sealed is the charming demon. But seals can only contain for so long.
Before her fate, she had sworn once again.
To enact her vengeance. To torment the hero’s bloodline, her children.
A generation’s worth of strife and pain.
Her anger had shifted. No longer did it focus the world, but on
The brave one who had dared to set things right.
Dim hopes of totality hang on fragile threads. Peace clings to prayer.
Cries that the charming demon lay dormant.
Foolish they are. The determined will always find their way to stand upright.
Peace befalls your lifetime, but not the future.
A proper hope is that when she rises again, that a hero answers.
Hero of red and white. Of fantasy.
Notes:
New chapter, new format! This time, an elegy, but formatted in the old Greek style of dactylic hexameter & pentameter! Essentially, the first line goes 3/3/3/3/3/2, the next 2/2/2/2/2. Really fun format, the pentameter allows for very finale-sounding lines.
Also, elegies are often made to mourn the deceased. However, I tried to make it so the tale of Mima was a tad more precarious (and to follow up on what was hinted at in Vol. 3) and that her death was mourned, but for a non-traditional reason.
Chapter Text
A creature of the demon’s world is fixed within my gaze,
Wretched enough to make me question my days.
The morning I arose, I did not care to think
That such a monstrosity would tempt me to drink.
“Why me?” I thought, as I could only hope we would part ways.
It had five disgusting, bloodshot eyes
Horrid enough to elicit a toddler’s cries.
What do they see besides me?
Would I regret the ability to see?
It’s existence, common sense and holiness it denies.
Our world harbors many gods.
But I plea, what are the odds
One so reckless, so cruel
Forced me this duel
Against a demon who can see through all facades?
Within the ocular abomination’s center
A figure had appeared, righteousness’ dissenter
Humanoid, violent, demanding
For pillars of light it was commanding.
They seared hot, my skin a weeping lamenter.
In the triumph of my victory, there was no satisfaction.
Only a relief that there would be some later distraction
From a creature I wish was an illusion
As my slaying of it had been the only conclusion.
“Seriously, why me?” I had thought once more, my only reaction.
I assumed the beast was my welcome to Makai,
As only nightmares would follow, leaving me to ask why.
Many live there and don’t bother to ask
That their supposed ruler assumes the task,
Of controlling their fates’ thread, creating knots as they tie.
Notes:
This go around, we got a limerick! AABBA form which emphasizes talking about taboo things or making fun of stuff. Also, much shorter one this time around, there's not much to the big gross eye monster lol.
Chapter Text
Hail, the lady from the stars.
For upon her figure, the nights shall illuminate.
As if the moon could grace even the deepest, darkest pits of Hell.
Hail, the new sovereign.
Who yearns to seize the crevices set ablaze,
And desires complete control, to set this pitiful domain down the path of righteousness.
Hail, she of many enemies.
All of whom she disregards.
As like the sinners set ablaze, she only sees them below her shoe.
Hail, the one in over her head.
The throne of Hell belongs to no one,
At least for a mortal such as herself.
Hail, a fall from grace.
One who wished to reign over the realm most untrodden
To satisfy her hubris, her sense of being, and her supposed destiny.
Hail, the lady in bronze.
For death was too fair a punishment.
Now she can watch over Hell as much as she likes.
Hail, Hell’s Moon.
Whose body shines with a blinding radiance.
Reflecting the flames it wished to bend.
Hail, Hell’s Moon.
A beating heart in a body of metal.
Able to live and breathe, but never feel joy.
Woe is Hell’s Moon.
The turmoiled sun fairs more favorably.
She can only pray that she can be vindicated from a prison darker than the underworld itself.
Notes:
Much simpler one this go around. The goal was a somewhat repetitive ekphratic poem for Kikuri, just being a small batch of descriptors. Also, I like the idea that she's "Hell's Moon" in a literal sense.
Chapter Text
Frolic under the stars, o' bastard of desolation.
That smile on your face, assure it remains.
Enjoy this night, for it may be your only elation.
In a world of smog, you never lost your concentration.
Eyes always keeping their luster, immune to the fog's pains.
Frolic under the stars, o' bastard of desolation.
Must one so joyous be trapped in such isolation?
So sing-song in a realm worse than Hell, rehearsing her refrains.
Enjoy this night, for it may be your only elation.
With what God does she claim association?
One of death, or one who disregards her domains?
Frolic under the stars, o' bastard of desolation.
Her actions require explanation.
For the demon's attitude halts the noble maiden, who abstains.
Enjoy this night, for it may be your only elation.
Good-bye, girl of the cosmos, play to the extent of your imagination.
I pray your God hands a more noble soul the reins.
Frolic under the stars, o' bastard of desolation.
Enjoy this night, for it may be your only elation.
Notes:
Another shorter poem, this time in the form of a villanelle. Honestly, a fun format considering how strange it was. I tried putting in my impression of Elis, which was "huh she's really giddy and cutesy for this game." For Touhou that's normal, but HRtP has such a strange aesthetic to it that the most Touhou-y character felt out of place.
Chapter Text
In Hell, the moral of life is one's worth.
You claw, use tooth and nail, whatever works.
There exists no mercy, nor are there perks.
Recall, immaterial is your birth.
You must establish within the scorched earth.
Your merit, your grit, your defining quirks.
Let them be known, wear your pride in smirks.
Or else the devils will be wracked with mirth.
Unkind and brutal, such a world can be.
But that is only fair, no better fate,
belongs to the sinners who bear their weight.
So the flames of Hell are righteous, you see.
Fortunate they are to be in this state.
To enjoy their damnation's jubilee.
Refer to one of the few in their plight.
Who sought comfort within their flaming bounds.
In a haze they shone, silencing the sounds,
of oni alike, who stared at the light.
Title of oni, they denied with spite.
They were a yaksha, surpassing those grounds.
Blade of white, bowl of sake, thus surrounds
The air of the worthy, the Astral Knight.
Hell, they did not rule, nor did they seek to.
They yearned for respect, to walk empty streets.
Free of strife, worry, and useless defeats.
A shame is must be, they had not a clue.
The maiden's incident only completes,
when every foe in her way is through.
Yaksha of Hell's moon, o' their Astral Knight.
Were you at fault, or just amid the dearth,
of the pitiful ones I had to unearth?
You survived, but you fled after our fight.
A mist you became, having proved your worth.
We shared blood, yet we shall not reunite.
Notes:
This time, it's a Petrachan sonnet, with a bit of a twist towards the end. I wanted to emphasize the meritocracy of Hell that Hecatia discussed in AFiEU somewhat.
Also, side note, in double checking that I had the chapter title right, it shows Reimu absolutely cut to shit in the Konngara slide of the Hell route's ending. It's a tad offputting.
Chapter Text
O', my sovereign angel!
Upon holy light, free them!
O', my sovereign angel!
Upon holy light, save them!
Sa-!
Salvage these wretched sinners!
Freedom from their wicked ways!
Banish the crimes of grinners!
Thus they do not waste their days!
Angel of their demise, grant this wish.
Find it in yourself to feel,
Torpid air and a mind's slow decline.
And then you shall know the plight.
Bring onto them all what your god cannot.
The clearance of body and mind.
That is the fantasy to achieve.
A long life and peaceful death.
O', my sovereign angel!
Upon holy light, free them!
O', my sovereign angel!
Upon holy light, save them!
-ri-!
Angel of death, the name you embrace.
Mercy, your true dominion.
The demon's world, bereft of guidance, of leadership.
What say you?
Angel of death, the name you reject.
Fate, what you deny in full.
A smile of pure anguish and agony says it all.
You damn your own life.
-el!
Heed the years, beloved angel of death.
Now, until the moment you die.
The gift of death, the trial of life.
Only you control that balance.
O', my sovereign angel.
For thy kindness, I thank thee.
O', my sovereign angel.
Shine in this world of twilight.
Akyuu's Note: Unlike the prior poems recited to Keine Kamishirasawa, this one was recited by Genjii via singing. The use of the phrase "Now, until the moment you die" matches up perfectly with the title of a song released by Yougakudan. The tone of this song written by a prior Hakurei Shrine Maiden supposedly sounded similar to that of the song by Yougakudan, though it is not a perfect match.
Notes:
And that concludes this work! There's a few more stories I have lined up, but the overall Revived Score stuff is almost coming to a close.
For this, I chose to simply do a hymn, nothing felt more appropriate. To do so, I formatted the bits from Sariel's first theme that I felt someone could sing words to, and added a few repeating structures. It's not a perfect fit, I'm not a lyricist, but I tried lol.
freshlybakedspiderbread on Chapter 7 Sat 03 Dec 2022 08:05AM UTC
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Tryington on Chapter 7 Sat 03 Dec 2022 03:26PM UTC
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freshlybakedspiderbread on Chapter 8 Sun 04 Dec 2022 08:22AM UTC
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