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Chapter Text

~Pandaemonium~

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

Thunder crackled through the quiet of the night, lightning cutting through the darkness in its wake, rain battering itself against anything the windows with its icy touch. Grafting itself through the thick gray clouds was the purple miasma tainted silhouette of the moon. Cast in the shadows of the moonbeams violet illumination staged a crystalline European-styled stronghold, lined with blue pellucid material, glimmering the moon's image onto the contrasting stone floors. The towering Pandaemonium loomed over the land of Makai, bathing the grass with its gentle artificial light as the inhabitants slept soundly in their beds. Nights like these were the serene beauty vampires strove to bask in, Elis was no exception to this, although she was upset at the fact that there was no enjoying it due to the rain. Just earlier before she'd arrived at the castle, the demon had made an unsettling discovery that both appetized and startled her emotions. The storm unfortunately cut the expedition short, causing her to retreat under the cover of a hydrophobic barrier spell she'd crafted herself. And now she was here, skulking through the darkened halls of a building almost completely foreign to her, guided by only the candlelight and faint glimmers of the moon shining through the crystals. It had lead her to a door isolated at the end of the hallway she stood in. She'd tried many before, only to find nothing but a dining room, some sort of study, and various other seemingly randomly decorated rooms. Hoping to find some luck with this final door, she rapped her fingernails against the doorknob, peering inside the room with what little light poured in. A bedroom, mostly barren save for what seemed to be the shimmer of blades lining a section of a wall, a closet and a dresser complete with a teaset, and an occupied bed. It didn't seem like a room fit for a Queen, yet the Goddess of Makai was no stranger to unorthodox. Slowly, she creaked toward the bed, hovering over the figure

underneath the blankets, her sharp red eyes peering down at the silken blonde hair belonging to none other than the sleeping head maid of this estate. She was no God, but she would have to do. Contemplating whether or not she'd end up with six inches of cold steel embedded in her if she tried to stir the girl from her slumber, her hand hovered over the lip of the blanket, slowly peeling it back off of the maid...

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The golden haired maid was  dressed in what seemed to be a white night gown with a stitched floral design across it's fabric.

she was almost completely silent in her deep slumber, laying on her side, her breathe would be  barely audible, comparable to some very heavy snoring that could be heard in another nearby room.

Her face was soft, her skin was absolutely perfectly clean in every way one would expect from a head maid, infact, she had quite the nice aroma of.... metal and lavender.. whatever that was. her expression was stern, which was enforced by her thick eyebrows, which gave off an imposing impression on their own.

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

Frozen in suspense, Elis waited for a response, of which there was none to meet her. Her nerves slowly eased, studying the sleeping maid's movements. Intimidating as she'd appeared, she turned out to be a pretty heavy sleeper. And that familiar sting of iron's sickly scent rendered great familiarity within her senses, reminding her of the reason that brought her here in the first place; hunger and curiosity. As inviting as that neck looked, she knew it'd end poorly. Finding what little courage she was able to muster within herself, she shook the girl's shoulder in an attempt to stir her from her slumber.

"Hellooooo?" she called out sheepishly, hoping the noise would add to her efforts.

Risky as it might have been, it was the only way she'd get answers... that and she was too lazy to find anyone else.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maids eyes gently opened, she appeared very groggy as she slowly came back to the world of consciousness. 

her golden eyes would almost glow in the pitch dark room, despite her eyes being just barely open.

she groaned softly and spoke with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Louise.... I told you... there's no one in the bathroom... go to bed.."

just like that, the maid would close her eyes once more and use a sloppy hand motion to shoo away the blond haired figure.

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

Taken aback, Elis peered at the closed eyes that just barely acknowledged her presence, frustration bottling up inside of her. With a pout sprawled across her face, she gripped the girl's collar, dragging her out of her bed and throwing her on her feet.

"Don't give me that! It's Elis, not Louise!" she shouted, as if expecting her to recognize that name at all. Being a creature that dwelled in the night, she had little to no consideration nor patience for the daylife of Makai and their sleeping schedules. Of course, this wasn't just some random visit... standard protocol was to report any problems to the Pandaemonium after all. A breach like this was most definitely an important enough problem to go harassing its residents for help.

"We've got a problem... get dressed. And bring an umbrella with you, I don't want to waste any more valuable energy just to keep the water away." Crossing her arms, the vampire turned away, entitlement marking its presence everywhere in her posture. She was a maid, she was meant to serve, that's how she saw it... even if the two weren't even on a name-to-name  basis.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

Not a moment after the creature lowered her guard, a sharp metallic woosh would cut the air behind her. She did not see it, but the maid was now in a ready position, with her long sword in hand, with an arming sword now occupying her second hand in a low ready position.

as the intruder turned to face the maid, she was met with a sharp blade pointed at her heart, and a sharper glare from the newly awakened Maid, her bright golden eyes cutting the girl into calculated pieces. 

she spoke clearly, and in a tone that no lowly demon could ignore. yet she spoke quietly, perhaps not to wake the master of the household...

"how did you get in here, this is no place for lost children to trespass, you must leave right this instant."

The Maid did not discern any threatening intent from the intruder, but she still felt that a stranger in her room was enough cause for a stern reaction. 

she stool tall, her posture was absolutely perfect with her chin held up proudly, her well toned arms held the shining swords with perfect balance.

she waited for a response from the intruder, carefully watching every move, with full intent to attack at any foul move

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

Feeling the air sharply cut behind her, the wind brushing her hair against her back and feeling a few strands lighter, the vampire nervously turned to face her enraged assailant. Met with nothing but an icy glare, a pointed tip sitting on her chest waiting to slip through her ribcage, and a harsh yet quiet tone that ignored her requests. If this was what trouble she was expecting, she certainly found it.

Fearful for her safety, sweat beaded down her face, yet she was annoyed her pleas for help were met with such violent behavior. "...Well... no one was guarding the front door, so I invited myself in... I didn't want to disturb miss Shinki, so I figured you'd do. I-I'll be leaving soon anyway, just so long as you promise to come with me!"

Finishing her explanation, the girl's hands instinctively rose in surrender as the imposing stature of the maid loomed over her, the hint of killing intent still lingering in the air despite her efforts to try and de-escalate the situation.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The inflamed Maid lowered the gleaming longsword sword, it would vanish into thin air within her grip. the newly freed hand would pinch the top of her own nose arch in clear frustration, as she spoke in what could be described as fury mixed with embarrassment.

"the door was... unguarded.. again.. if it was my own choice I would have gotten rid of that good for nothing girl..."

after letting her grumbles be heard to no one in particular, she would regain her compuserve and disarm herself of her magical arming sword, in order to properly cross her arms against her chest. she had retained herself and was ready to start talking with this intruder. the maid would speak once more, with a refined but suspicious tone.

"I really don't know what to tell you, I'm not a babysitter. I can't just leave the mansion, especially  without Mistresses approval..."

the golden haired girl would begin to dress herself while speaking, going behind a set of curtains to degown and get into her signature head maid uniform. Quickly pushing the curtains to the side and emerging fully dressed (in some sort of record time), with the exception of any footwear. She continued to speak as she grabbed a pair of tanned leather service boots, and began to secure them onto her legs. The maid knew whether or not she would be leaving the mansion, fighting in her nightgown was simply improper and foolish. 

"if you must insist on receiving my assistance, then just make it quick, I have things that need to be done after all..."

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

Sighing in relief as the maid finally let up, lowering her weapon, Elis' hands fell by her side as her eyes beadily peered up at her new friend with curious eyes. Her nerves spiked again when the maid spoke of her duties and need of permission from their superior, the hopes of accomplishing anything tonight dwindling, at least until the girl ducked beneath cover and returned, fully dressed in no time at all. Nodding her head eagerly after hearing the reluctant acceptance to her forced proposal, Elis quickly scooped Yumeko's hand in hers, locking her in her grip with her long nails acting as a cuff. Her hunger for blood was finally about to be sated... and she couldn't wait for anybody. Picking the maid up in her arms, the wings on her back began to flap as they burst out the front doors, zipping off into the night sky.

~Hokkai~

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

Finally the two arrived, landing at Elis' hunting grounds; the abandoned sector of Makai left to wilt and die as wildlife and nature consumed and reclaimed the territory for itself. Senkai was a sparse land, save for the Ruins of Vina and the Fallen Temple of Quietus, the latter of which the small vampire claimed as her home. A house tour wasn't necessary at the moment, however, as she'd expect anyone hailing from Makai to be familiar with even the most obscure of its landmarks and terrain. What did catch both of their eyes, however, was the pool of bright red blood idly sloshing to and fro subtly as it occupied the normally flat patch of grass that was in its place. Releasing the maid from her clutch, she instead opted to hold onto her dress, gently tugging her along in attempt to coax her toward the mysterious puddle.

"I woke up this morni... er... evening... and found this here. And I know for certain it isn't from anything I've killed. I'm very clean." Pridefully, she crossed her arms, taking a few steps closer to the lake as she continued the exposition. "You might be thinking I'm crazy for complaining about free sustenance, and believe me, I'd love to dig in right now... but something about it isn't right. You see what I mean, right?"

Sure, it was an odd coincidence that this pool appeared suddenly, and it was odd how there was a slight warp in its movement, but otherwise; it appeared to be normal... or so it seemed.

"...I swear it wasn't this big when I left, either." Kneeling by the lip of the blood, she bent over its reflective surface, staring into it. "I went to drink from it, and... something came out of it. I think I saw the face of someone else, too, but now that I'm looking at it, maybe it was just my reflection..."

Finally, she scooted back, sitting away from the puddle, looking up at Yumeko.

"I don't know if a blood mage decided to make their home right next to mine, but I'd like for you to have a closer look for me."

Holding out her hand, she waited for the maid to shake, sealing their deal.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

She largely ignored what the vampire said, she still felt none of this really concerned her, and being pulled out to the forgotten area was very annoying. it's abandoned for a reason, her master wanted nothing to do with it.... This whole adventure was getting out of hand already, it was masters meal time soon and she really needed to go. On top of that, this just seemed way to suspect to some sort of trap set by one of her masters rivals. She questioned why coming out here even seemed like a decent idea to go along with now. 

the lake of blood indeed was something she had not seen in the area before, but it didn't exactly come off as odd or foreign to their lands. However, it had some sort of feeling surrounding it that made the maid a bit uneasy to be around. but against her own gut feeling, she approached the vampire and the lake, looking down into it's horrid surface, where no light could escape the depths of the deep.  she spoke with a glint of regret in her sturdy voice.

"why don't you deal with this on your own... or just ask Mistress on what to do... this really is not my job to fix wierd incidents.."

she faced the vampire, standing close to the edge, she crossed her arms. Giving the girl quite the bothered look.

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

Annoyed, Elis stared back with glinted eyes, staring down the maid as she slowly approached her from behind. Kneeling down next to Yumeko, just a few meters behind her, she glanced between the lake and the maid with beady eyes.

"It's not my job to fix weird incidents, either... You're miss Shinki's maid, and I'm certain she would just ask you to go deal with it!" Elis' argument, albeit unconvincing short, still held a point. It's true that since Makai's destruction at the hands of four terrorists from the outside, Shinki had been quite reluctant to start another out-of-makai expedition. She'd most definitely have her most trusted and, by her claim, most powerful creation investigate the land before they even attempted anything. Even though Elis was an isolationist at heart, she was not aloof to the happenings around Makai's lands.

"Alright... if you're not going to do it..."

There was that expression of thinking sprawled out on her face, contemplating yet another risky decision. She most definitely saw that hand pop out from that puddle of blood... Why was the maid being so stubborn about this?! Emotions overflowing from within, angrily, she delivered a swift kick to her back, swiveling on her heel to face the other way in another classic display of her arrogant behavior, arms crossed.

"Hmph! Fine then, go crawl back hom...e..."

It was then that what she'd just done had hit her as the sound of liquid splashing and sloshing quickly started and subsided, consuming the maid's screams of shock. Slowly turning around with regret in her eyes, she looked at the steadily expanding puddle of blood, its surface was now oddly violently thrashing about, splashing more of the blood on the surrounding ground. It seemed wherever on the ground the blood touched, the area grew bigger and bigger, infinitely expanding with every move. And then... it was calm. Elis thought to herself that she had just killed Shinki's personal servant.

...It was too late... Elis was so done for.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

She huffed and turned back towards the lake, listening to the rest of the girls argument as she watched the thick mist blow over the crimson lake. she refused to reply to the girls demands, this really just wasn't something she wanted to deal with... if Mistress asked her to deal with it, then she would do it with haste. But elegant maids do not take orders from children of the night.

but before she could properly speak, a firm blow was directed into the center of her back, making her lose her footing as the ground would crumble beneath her boots.

the blood was thick and warm, as she sunk into it's depths, she could feel her body being completely saturated as she desperately tried to bring herself back to the surface. reaching out for anything that could save her from this horrible fate, she gagged and choked as the water began to bubble and boil around her as she plummeted deeper.

the maid thought about her mistress, she left without anyone knowing about her whereabouts, she left her guard down, and now she's going to die alone, in an ocean of blood. 

Lady Shinki...

she stopped moving, it was over, she would die in peace.

although this would not occur, as the gravity around her would shift, she could feel that her entire world had spun upside down as she crossed some sort of threshold.

she was now rising out of the blood, or so it seemed... she began to feel lightheaded as everything began to turn black and she slipped into unconsciousnes.

~Lake of Blood~

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

Bubbles would appear on the surface of the lake, as if something below was being boiled to a crisp. as the bubbles increased in intensity, a body would arise from the blood.

with hair of blond, covered in blood, and a red soaked maid uniform the girl would float atop the crimson waters.

a small current would bring her to the edge of the lake, laying her face side up onto the banks of the blood lake.

she would lay completely still, unmoving and barely breathing.

Kurumi

Kurumi clicked her tongue and swung her legs around. Another day of nothing; no chores, no chasing Orange around, no talking with Elly because she was ‘busy’ too, just sitting on the tallest spire of her lake to spot ‘intruders.’

Even though there were no intruders, ever. Besides, who would be there to ‘intrude,’ anyway? They were alone here…

With a sigh and a small jump, Kurumi took to the air and began another trip around her lake.

Much to her surprise, she actually spotted something for once. A mess of gold along the off-gray shores of her lake, sticking out like a sore thumb. A squint provided Kurumi with the vision that the yellow was connected to something red.

A grin spread across her face, “Did Elly come and see me early?”

Without a second to spare, she dove down to greet her friend. But as she grew closer still, she picked up on more non-Elly-like details. For one, the dress was completely different. And for two, the person’s hair was longer than Elly’s. Less curly, too.

Kurumi blinked a couple times. Was this an ‘intruder?’ If so, where did they come from? And why were they on the shores of her lake?

She decided she wanted a better look. Attacking someone who wasn’t doing anything bad seemed wrong, so the least she could do is ask who they were. (Who knows, maybe the Mistress would even get a new maid or guard!)

Without thinking about it more, she dove down and grabbed the person by the shoulders, gently dragging them out of the tranquil ‘waters’ and fully onto the shore. She then landed and crouched down to the ground, lifting the woman's head up gently to get a look at it.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The Maid was in bad shape, besides the fact she was soaked to the bone in blood, she had gotten a considerable amount of blood into her lungs. her breathing was garbled and dangerously shallow, along with the fact her eyes were just merely slivered open. 

she would gag and cough weakly, a spurt of foreign blood leaving her mouth, her body desperately trying to save itself.

the maid herself was barely able to perceive her own state, she possibly could make out differences in the light reaching her inoperable eyes. but that was only if she managed to stay conscious long enough, using the little amount of oxygen that would make it to her brain.

Kurumi

“Oh!” Kurumi exclaimed, dropping the stranger’s head a bit too quickly, “You’re awake, kinda!” And quickly followed it by lifting her head again and apologizing.

The woman just kept coughing up blood while Kurumi looked at her. Kurumi stared hard into her barely open eyes for a moment, then began to wipe the woman’s face with her sleeve. Once the non-hardening blood was mostly cleaned off, Kurumi once more realized that she still didn’t know who this was.

“Um, that’s not too good, right?” Kurumi asked with a bit of a furrowed brow, not expecting any sort of response. And of course, didn’t get one. “Lemme help, okay?”

Kurumi gently rested the woman’s head back down, using her hair as a cushion, and stepped around her. She gently put her hands on the woman’s back and began to ferociously pat it, something Elly would do with her if she choked. It usually worked, so why wouldn’t it here?

“When this is done, I should take you back home. Elly can fix you up and you can talk to Mistress…” Kurumi mused as she kept patting, completely unsure if this was actually helpful or not.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid would cough sharply, a concerning amount of blood spurting out of her mouth and nose. A sharp and deep breath would bring the much needed oxygen back into her system. 

The maid could see something now, although her eyes had been crusted over by the dried blood, which hampered any attempt to get any sort of bearings or acknowledgement of survival. Although the heavy pounding on her back reminded her that she was infact alive, if barely.

She could feel her body begin to wake up again, although everything still felt numb and cold. She would try to bring words to the world, but she felt breathless, her constant coughing would restrict any sort of speech attempt. 

so instead she simply allowed her savior to continue bringing her back to life, she wondered what would become of her. She was a fool, she had let her master down in the worst of ways.

she groaned loudly, and slipped back into a unconscious state.

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Coincidentally as the events at the normally calm and still lake were unfolding, Orange was making her rounds around Mugensekai's grasslands. Usually leaving the safety of her garden was a risky move, today was no exception to that. Walking around an ichor-filled reservoir definitely beat out sitting around and watching her orange trees wave about in the wind instead. Twirling her baton around wildly in her hand, she marched on, staring forward until something had caught her eye. The familiar silhouette of Kurumi was clear, nothing was wrong there, but there was something... new. Inching forward, the girl placed her hands behind her back as she slowly snuck up on the two. Pausing in her tracks, the gardener's eyes widened as she realized what was going on. Kurumi had finally lost her mind... The red dress, the yellow hair, the blood... oh god, the blood... Orange couldn't hold back the fright that consumed every nerve of her body, an instinctive scream of shock rung out as the horrible sight registered in her mind.

"Kurumi!?!?! What are you doing to Elly?!" Horrified, Orange dropped to her knees by whom she presumed to be Elly, pushing Kurumi aside as she placed her ear to the foreign girl's chest, listening for any signs of life.

Of course, Orange had no idea what she was actually doing and was just copying what she'd seen the others do to Kurumi. Slowly, she lifted her head, her tearful eyes turning to face Kurumi. Realization had struck her too late. The girl had rose clumsily to her feet, readying her baton at her side. "L-Listen, I'm actually not all that tasty, and... um.... Miss Kazami won't be too hapwUUHH!" Mid-sentence, she had slipped on the blood-soaked grass, her legs coming out from underneath her as she became airborne. As she fell, her desperate struggle to regain balance was moot, stumbling over on top of the battered and bloody girl's back, forcing the coagulated blood loose from her lungs. Looking at the red pooling from her mouth, her face

drooped, thinking she made the problem worse rather than better. Sporadically, she looked between the two, as the woman's coughing fit grew worse and louder.

...Now that she looked at her more... that dress... that hat... that voice... wait a minute, this wasn't Elly at all! Of course, realizing that this wasn't the beloved gatekeeper only rose more questions, like how did Kurumi bring some outsider in here, and why she was clumsily banging on her with her fists in an attempt to tenderize the meat. Slipping off the back of the woman, she inched herself back towards Kurumi, brushing the blood off of her clothes as she got back up on her feet. Wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulder, she took a deep breath in, patting her other shoulder with her free hand.

"I may have jumped to conclusions... I am sorry."

Seeing fit with that, she exhaled deeply, a smile quickly replacing her grim expression as the mood began to brighten up a little... minus the dying person on the ground. Pointing her baton at the maid, she looked to Kurumi for answers.

"What's going on here? Why is she dressed like Elly, why are you beating her to death, and where did she come from?" Intruders were something of a rarity, Orange, albeit skittish, felt a bit of excitement rising in her. She frowned when she realized they were both in the same boat of not knowing anything. Releasing Kurumi from her grasp, she sauntered back over to the near-lifeless body, poking at her.

"...Well, what do we do with her now?"

Kurumi

Kurumi felt like a bystander as Orange’s shenanigans just continued to go on and on. Sure, she was a bit annoyed from roughly being pushed over, but everything after was just so silly that she couldn’t not laugh. And Orange just apologized…

“No hard feelings. And er, I don’t know, and I don’t know? I was flying around, saw her in the lake, so I dragged her out.” Kurumi explained while stumbling back to her feet, nearly slipping on her own wings in the process. “And ‘beating her to death?’ I’m just patting her back, like Elly and Mistress do if I start coughing on blood.”

Kurumi continued to stare at the woman, who’d sadly gone unconscious from Orange’s little stunt. Her breathing was ragged, and she appeared to still be leaking blood from the mouth.

“Well… Elly knows how to heal and patch people up really well. I was going to drag her up to Elly and ask for help. You know, if Elly’s still at her station.” Kurumi mumbled the last bit while nervously tapping her fingers together. The trip would take a minute, and Kurumi would just have to hope she wouldn't drop the woman.

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Knowing Kurumi, and even just by looking at her, Orange knew that the vampire was as puny as an ant, despite vampires being known for their strength and agility. Finished with poking for a reaction from the girl, she shook her head, scooping her up in her arms.

"I hope this will come out in the wash..." the girl muttered, placing the unconscious Yumeko over her shoulder, patting her on the back to settle her in. She didn't hear any nasty grinding or crunching noises, so maybe she didn't kill her after all... phew!

"Let's hope we can find miss Elly, then... I'm not so sure miss Kazami would be inclined to help." Sighing, the girl twirled her baton in her hand, before pointing off in some random direction she assumed was toward the mansion.

"Forwaaaaaaaaaaard... march!" She shouted, marching alongside the vampire as the girl clutching to the vices of life swayed to and fro on her shoulder.

"But, uh..." she started, nudging Kurumi with her elbow.

"What are we going to do if we can't find her? I can try making a herbal remedy, but... well... plants are more Kazami's forte, eh? Maybe we could try CPR... mouth to mou...th..." she slowed down, gagging at the thought of having to come into contact with the cold dry blood. Maybe she could put her in the oven or microwave to warm her up before she tried that... Either way, this entire 'saving the stranger' operation was riding on Elly's shoulders. Stifling any other questions that she may have had, Orange stared straight ahead, emotionless. It was better to focus on the task at hand anyway. If this was a human, she must really be strong to survive something like this.

~Mugenkan~

Elly

Standing in front of Mugenkan was a feeling Elly knew quite well. She’d spent about a third of her life doing this, and she didn’t think she’d be stopping anytime soon. Moving until her ‘clock’ went off meant getting punished. So she just kept standing, watching. Even if the Mistress was out, Elly learned that maids liked to tattle in order to get ‘special privileges,’ so she couldn’t even go in for tea yet.

She could only really faintly see Kurumi in the distance. She took into the air, dove down, and then nothing. Since Mugenkan was a little lower than the Lake of Blood, she couldn’t see what Kurumi was doing.

“Pro’lly jus’ found an interestin’ rock…” She mumbled. Rushing over would be pointless. She’d learned that quickly, after Kurumi found a rock that looked like a face, one like a flower, and one like a star.

Nobody ever went out this way while she was guarding. The prospect of being ‘attacked’ by ‘invaders’ while their ‘savior’ was out kept them away from Elly’s post. At least that meant she could bring out a chair in a hidden hole nearby, to use specifically when her legs got tired. Which was right about now.

Now seated, Elly continued to do nothing but stare ahead and wave her scythe around absent-mindedly. She'd already loosened and tightened the rings around the blade so it’d stop wiggling, and she wasn’t about to risk tearing the wicker again. Then she’d have to go inside. And then she’d be seen, told on, and punished.

She looked to the skies in her boredom, watching the constellations above. At least they were entertaining…

… And now she was hearing some sort of loud whistling sound. Odd.

Right as Elly looked down, Kurumi and Orange were rocketing towards her, holding something big and red. Orange was holding the thing, and Kurumi was holding Orange. The whistling was Orange’s high pitched screams getting closer. And unfortunately, Kurumi was very fast.

That was all she processed before they slammed right into her, knocking her out of the chair and right into the wall.

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

And just when the girl thought it couldn't get any worse, Orange had lost all sense of control as Kurumi had forcefully hoisted her up above her head, having taken a problem with how 'slow' she was moving.

"I-If you're this strong, why don't you just carry her yourseeeelf?!!" She tried to reason, but everything was going in one ear and out the other, and the fast-approaching mansion gate made her stomach sink.

"KUUURUUUUUMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!" Orange screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking and wailing to be put down before they made contact with the gatekeeper, and not in the good way. Kurumi must have tripped over a rock or something, because Orange suddenly felt herself relieved of the grip of the vampire as she went hurtling into the air, slamming her stomach on the top of the brick wall next to the fence. Slowly, and with a pained moan, she slipped off backwards, landing next to the fallen gatekeeper.

The world was a spinning blur of colors as the girl slowly rose to her feet, scanning the area. There was Kurumi, there was Elly... where was the stranger? Stumbling about as the ringing in her ears monotonously sounded off, Orange braced herself up against the wall. Patting her clothes down, she took a deep breath, reached over, and slowly began to peel Elly from out of the wall. Holding the collar of her red dress in one hand, she rubbed the back of her neck anxiously with nervous laughter.

"Sorry about the rough landing, miss Elly. Are you alright?" she questioned, letting the girl drop to her feet. Patting the gatekeepers shoulders, she brushed some of the brick debris and dust off of her clothes, trying to make any small amends for what wasn't even her fault. Leaving her side, she leaned over the edge of the wall, peering through the gate bars for any sight of the stranger... If Orange landed where she did, then she couldn't have gone far…

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

She gasped as she hit the top of the wall, whatever little breathe she had in her lungs would shoot out on impact.

she felt wide awake as she fell forwards from the wall, she could see a large building of some sort on her way down. although she didn't think much of it since a large tree branch of some sort would punch her directly into her liver, the pain causing her to grunt loudly and become completely stunned as she fell into a bush.

which normally would cushion ones landing, but instead caused her to painfully twist her arm on a hard set of  branches, nearly breaking it.

the hard dirt and sturdy leaves would instantly stop her descent, even causing her to bounce slightly before laying completely face down atop the now half crushed flower bush.

the mess of a maid would lay there for a second, completely motionless as some broken leaves and petals quickly covered her battered blood covered body

she groaned, without lifting her head, she would try to move her arms down, in order to try standing up. Her left arm was completely unresponsive and gave off a deep surge of pain when commanded, while the right arm had a deep burning sensation across the skin. however it was still ready and able to painfully push the girls body off the ground.

the maid would make it about half a foot off the ground when a sudden heavy impact would lay her out completely in the messy remains of the bush, and take whatever breathe she had out of her body.

"GUHUHHH"

a stray branch she has snapped had given way, and landed onto the upper portion of her back.

she laid motionless and quietly grunted as whatever energy she had form the fall left her body. 

she decided that waiting a bit for her inconsiderate saviors to find her would be best at the moment.

this is fine.

Elly

While Orange did pull Elly out of the new hole in the wall and ask if she was okay, she abandoned her before Elly could once again stand or speak properly, much to Elly’s ‘joy.’ Instead, Orange had limped over to the gate to look around for something, leaving Elly gripping on the edge of the new wall indent, and Kurumi laying, dazed, on the ground between them both.

“You were going the wrong way!” Kurumi loudly groaned while flipping onto her back, apparently already recovered enough to speak again. “I tried telling you, but you ignored me! Twice!”

“Well, I asked ‘if you’re so strong, why didn’t you carry her?’”

“You grabbed her and were ignoring me!”

“Girls,” Elly put a hand up, slowly feeling the spinning feeling around her fade slowly, “What’s goin’ on?”

Surely, Yuuka would not be happy about the wall damage thanks to Kurumi and Orange’s roughhousing getting out of hand, again. Best she could do was resolve the argument, and fix the damage before she got back.

“I found a lady who looks like you in my lake, she’s hurt and she needs help!” Kurumi explained quickly, slowly sitting up with her hand on her head. “I was gonna come to you so you could help but um… I couldn’t stop on time?”

Elly pinched her brow and sighed. It was all she could do. “Ya need to learn how to stop when flyin’ quickly, please.”

But that still left the question of the mysterious ‘lady that looks like her.’ It was best to sort that out before Yuuka came back as well; she’d been getting more strict with ‘intruders’ lately, and with Yuuka’s track record…

“Well then, where’s this woman? I’d like to see her an’ speak to her.”

“After you help her.”

Another sigh. “After I help her.”

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Tugging at her collar, she swallowed her guilt, nodding as the sounds of breaking brush and groaning confirmed her placement on the other side of the wall. Pulling back from the locked gate, Kurumi immediately got her caught up in an argument. Bickering between the two, Orange halted once the voice of authority spoke up. She looked between the two, shrugging her shoulders, letting Kurumi handle the explanation. A discontented 'tsk' sounded from her snarled lips as her body leaned against the wall, looking at her fingernails as if she didn't know the both of them. She had a hunch, she was following it... usually her hunches are right... 5% of the time. Now that Kurumi was done thoroughly making her look bad, Orange adjusted herself up against the wall with a 'hmph,' pointing simply to the gate.

"In there." She simply said, letting such a small thing really get to her for no good reason at all aside from the fear of punishment. Luckily, it looked like that probably wasn't going to happen.

"Well, I say 'in there,' but I don't know specifically." Orange said as she nonchalantly opened the gate that was supposed to be locked shut if it wasn't for their stunt earlier. Making her way past the wall, she placed a hand over her eyes to obscure the sunlight, scanning the bushes for any sight of the intruder. Noticing a leg poking out of one of the sharp rose bushes, her eyes lit up. "Ah-ha!" With an eager shout, she wasted no time in rushing over to the bush, dragging the woman out with no concern at all for potentially worsening the injuries she'd sustained. Sprawling her out, Orange put her hands out, as if to say 'ta-daaaaaaa.'

"She's all yours, miss Elly!"

And so, she left it to the guard to tend to... not before giving Kurumi a quick elbow for sending them both hurtling to potential death.

"Quit making me look bad..." she warned, pouting at her. Deep down, she just wanted to get this over with before Yuuka got home and started delivering some real punishment…

Elly

Elly rolled her eyes at the girls. When they began to bicker, trying to find who was lying was near impossible; Kurumi had the better streak but was prone to trying to make herself look good in front of Elly, while Orange lied more but tried to be honest in front of authority. Whether or not Elly was ‘authority’ depended on what day it was.

A single look at the woman made Elly flinch, gag, slap a hand on her face, and nearly topple over again. Her left arm was very clearly broken, bent in a way that made Elly’s skin crawl. Trying to find the difference between the Lake of Blood’s dried blood and the woman’s was difficult, but Elly could still see the parts of her skin where it was cut open and bleeding– definitely due to Orange haphazardly dragging her out of a rose bush. Not to mention, she neglected to move the fallen branch completely off of the woman, as its branches were still wrapped around her right leg.

Elly groaned and got to work, side glancing at the two accompanying her to make sure they weren’t going to mess anything else up. The quicker she got this done, the better.

“Ya’ll did a good job on messin’ this lady up,” Elly called loudly, “I’m gonna need some supplies. ‘Rumi, you go inside an’ find th’ bandage wraps in th’ storage room. If ya can’t find ‘em, go ask a maid.”

She looked up at the two, specifically to Orange, and added, “You. Do whatever ya want, don’ cause a bigger mess.” Then she looked to Kurumi as she was walking off, “That goes to ya too. Someone gets to fix th’ wall too, figure out who it’s gonna be, please.”

Elly looked back down to her ‘patient,’ slowly looking and feeling for possible splinters or thorns stuck in her as she rolled the person over. At a glance, Elly could see the resemblance between them, but could also see where it ended, fast. The woman was very clearly a maid based on her clothes, likely not one from Mugenkan since Elly did not recognize her at all.

Elly tightened her lip a little. So, this was an ‘intruder,’ she supposed. Yuuka was going to have a hayday with her, if she didn’t recover in time for Elly to talk to her. The other maids too, thanks to their previous invaders.

It took her a minute, but she managed to ‘summon’ some herbs near her, plucked them, thanked the plants, then began to crush them up. Once more, the sooner the better. Kurumi would be back with the bandages somewhat soon– she never found things quickly– so she should go ahead and make the ‘medicine’ to slather into them now.

With her previous thoughts in mind, she was a bit on-edge. Their last non-Fantasy visitors weren’t the kindest, especially to Elly. So even if Elly was helping, it was out of curiosity, and to make the younger girls happy. She was a lot less rusty than she was during their invasion, so she wasn’t afraid to defend herself anymore. If push came to shove, she could take it this time, and wasn’t afraid to try. (Mostly.)

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Nodding dutifully, Orange stood around idly, her hands placed firmly behind her back as she watched Elly work her magic. Rocking back on forth on her feet, she tried to seem inconspicuous, but ended up just standing out more with her attempts to quell the sudden boredom that washed over her as soon as she realized she had a responsibility. Fluttering her lips together in frustration, she decided the repairs would have to go to her.. she was horrible at it, maybe just slightly better than Kurumi, but still horrible. Kicking at the ground, she swiveled on her heel, heading for the nearby shed, foraging for whatever supplies she could use to repair a broken wall. The trowel was a no brainer, but where was she going to get bricks and cement???

"Ehhh... glue should do it, right?" With a shrug, she took a wheelbarrow full of random supplies and decided she'd figure it out along the way. It'd better look indistinguishable from before... Orange shuddered. Burdens and responsibilities sucked…

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

She could feel more of her skin rip in tear whilst she 'rested', she wanted to regain some more energy so she could possibly get out of this nightmare before one of these morons broke something else. since her unresponsive arm would heal within an hour or more, but any more damage could be costly and effect her chances of survival.

she couldn't understand anything of what these fools were saying, but she knew it was about her, and when she felt herself get turned onto her back she would try her best to open her encrusted eyes, but to no avail.

whoever this stranger was, they seemed to be trying to help with strange things that made the burning sensation go away quickly. But The Maid did not need this pity, she just needed to get away from these unknown figures.

she conjored up whatever strength she had and painfully peeled her eyes open,  she still couldn't see anything of value aside from the figure above her.

this will do

target spotted. engage.

she would whip her left arm up to grab the poor weaklings throat, that wil-

"A-"

the maids shattered arm would limply slap against the figures upper arm, making a loud cracking noise as it landed back atop her body.

once again darkness would consume her before being able to register anything that had happened.

Elly

Elly watched the events of Orange picking up and hauling away random nearby supplies in and outside of the mansion, and the woman breaking her arm further while trying to fight happen simultaneously. The best word she could describe the two events was ‘migraine.’

With a sigh, she broke a part of the closely discarded branch off, and laid the limp arm against it. Whenever Kurumi finally returned with those bandages, they’d make a good splint. That was, if Miss rambunctious here wasn’t going to try and slap her again.

Speaking of, she should go back and get her scythe. Just in case.

She stood up shakily, stuffing what she had of the paste so far in her hat, and stumbled back to the outside gates. Kurumi’s stunt managed to severely hurt her leg, which was healing at a decent-enough pace.

(When she got there, she saw Orange’s collection in closer detail. She simply grabbed her scythe out from under the wheelbarrow, and walked away with a repressed smile. She didn’t think Orange saw her; she was staring at the wall as if it were an unfinished puzzle.)

Lucky for her, right as Elly returned to the woman, Kurumi did as well, holding the bandages with a big smile.

Elly returned the gesture. “‘Kay, now go get some water, leave it on the porch. Two buckets. I’m movin’ her up there before we wrap ‘er.”

Kurumi wordlessly scampered off to do that, while Elly struggled to hoist the woman up and move her. Instead of getting far, she was mostly being crushed down by a woman tall enough to rival Yuuka. It was made even worse because of her leg being unstable. “Shoulda had ‘Rumi do this…”

And of course, she fell.

Kurumi

Kurumi cautiously walked back with the bucket, so she wouldn’t spill it on herself. Because getting splashed hurts her, surprisingly…

Slowly going from the back to the front of Mugenkan with two buckets full of water was a hard task for her, because the urge to run was there and she couldn’t just do it. After what felt like an eternity of cautiously balancing pain liquid, she got up to the porch. The woman was up there, and Elly was out of breath.

“So, um, do I have to fix the wall? I’m not good at that…” She softly asked while taking very careful steps up the stairs. Her eyes were glued to the buckets, and she would not look away until they were safely put down and away from her.

Elly got her response out between pants, “Orange’s doin’ it. An’ please get th’ brushes an’ towels, too.”

Kurumi’s sigh of relief wasn’t commented on, thankfully.

All this running around was tiring Kurumi’s legs out. She was used to flying, but her recent mess-up was enough of a pointer to not do that again anytime soon. By the time she came back to the porch, Elly was back to normal, sitting on the steps up to the porch– having her scythe resting nearby– but Kurumi was out of breath. A complete switch from earlier.

Elly looked back at Kurumi with a soft grin, raising her hand to ruffle Kurumi’s hair. “Thank ya. An’ scrub, if ya can.”

“I thought I told you to stop that…” Kurumi whined. Elly just laughed.

So they did that too– clean off the woman. While Elly treated dumping water and scrubbing like a casual game, Kurumi was being extra cautious to not have too much splash on her. Sure, some dribbling on her hand would be fine, but a torrent felt awful.

The job was split up between dumping water on the woman’s face and torso, soaking and scrubbing her limbs one at a time, and then leaving Kurumi to dry and wrap it per Elly’s instruction. Elly kept her in her dress, because something about ‘decency’ and ‘I’ll do it when you aren’t looking.’ And they’d take the maid inside, where Elly would clean the dress and everything under it, then finish healing the woman’s body with her abilities. Kurumi would just go back to Orange while she waited, she guessed. Her role in the explanation for future events wasn’t very clear.

“This green mush will help?” Kurumi had a wad of it prepared in her hand, which she definitely didn’t take a glob out of and lick. It definitely just smelled terrible. And now Elly’s pretty hat would be ruined…

“Yes.” The woman was being jerked around ferociously by Elly’s scrubbing, “It’s good fer people. Heals ‘em as fast as ya heal, keeps ‘em from gettin’ diseases.”

Kurumi shrugged, slathering it on another bandage and slowly wrapping it around the woman’s right arm. Elly knew this stuff really well, so she had to be right.

“Is she from near here?” She asked, tilting her head.

“Never seen her,” Elly had moved on to pouring more water onto the woman, to squeeze blood out of her dress.. Kurumi watched with a shudder. “Red ain’t Mugenkan colors.”

“But you wear red?”

The bucket was set down harshly. “I ain’t a maid.”

“Oh.” Kurumi blinked. “But Mistress is always ordering you around like one?”

Elly just sighed. Kurumi giggled.

“So where do you think she came from?” Kurumi bit off another strip of bandages. Even if it was small talk, she liked it more than silence. “Do you think she’s one of the ‘intruders’ Mistress warned us about?”

“Dunno. Never seen ‘er ‘round.” Elly grabbed her brush and began scrubbing the leg again. As she was doing that, she looked up and stared Kurumi in the eyes. “Tried to slap me. Not sure if it’s ‘cause’a shock, or ‘cause she’s gonna cause issues. Be careful.”

Kurumi gulped and nodded. “Well, I never saw her enter my lake. I was paying close attention, so if she came from somewhere, it had to be over here…”

Elly shrugged a single shoulder. The other one was too busy holding the leg down. “An’ I didn’ see ‘er ‘till ya brought ‘er here.”

“Do you think she can teleport?!” Kurumi asked with stars in her eyes. Elly’s skeptical face made Kurumi’s enthusiasm wilt a little, but Elly just shrugged. “Or– Or is there a portal to another world nearby?!”

“Don’ fall for tall tales, please. We’ll jus’ find out when she wakes up. Hopefully, it’s before Yuuka comes back.”

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Patting down the final brick in place, the wall was complete... at least to her standards. In truth, the elly-shaped imprint in the wall was barely cobbled together by shattered pieces of brick, clay, chewing gum, glue and plant sap. To say it stuck out like a sore thumb from its surroundings was a severe understatement. Orange, however, took pride in her work, placing the trowel over her shoulder as she wiped the sweat away from her forehead. With a final nod of acknowledgement, she gathered what mess of supplies she didn't end up using, and wheeled them off back inside. She hoped no one would notice anything wrong with it, but, well... the blame could be laid on Kurumi. It was her who caused it in the first place. Brushing her hands together to remove any dust that might be stuck on, she sat down on the porch. Without saying a word, she watched the two work their magic at wound care, her head rested in her hands. While it was certainly interesting to have someone new finally appear in her home, if she was going to be this much of a wet blanket, the girl might as well just go home. Even though it would be for the best, Orange's curiosities prevented her from leaving right off the bat just like that. Inching off the porch, she crouched down near the trio, staring at the handiwork.

"...Sooo... need any help...?" she suddenly offered, bridging the awkward silence that was poisoning the air. Might as well look for some way to help out.

Kurumi

They had the maid mostly wrapped and cleaned when Orange wheeled up, already done with her chores somehow. All that was left was making a ‘splint’ for the woman, something Elly decided to do after Kurumi broke the stick they apparently needed. (It wasn’t her fault it was so fragile…)

“Not right now,” Elly grunted as she tugged on the bandages, causing their roll to loudly creak, “We’re almost done, then I get to clean ‘er dress off.”

Kurumi nodded, adding. “Elly said we have to wait because of ‘decency’ and ‘this lady will probably have half a mind to snap your head off if you try and feed her,’ so I don’t have to help for a while.”

After side-glancing to Elly, Kurumi leaned closer to whisper, “The lady is probably mad because Elly is rubbing puke all over her.”

Despite her efforts, Elly did hear it, and sighed. “It’s gonna help, ‘Rumi. Anyway, if yer really itchin’ to help, ya could help me carry ‘er into th’ livin’ room. My leg’s still messed up after th’ crash.” Even if Elly didn’t allude to being annoyed with her, Kurumi shrunk down regardless.

A decently loud snap pulled their attention back to Elly. The bandages on the roll ran out, leaving nothing but a white cylinder and a small strip of bandages in her hands.

“Drat.” Elly muttered a few other things as she stood, all of which Kurumi didn’t want to even repeat in her thoughts. “I’ll go get more. If we have ‘em. Be right back, don’ break her ribs more.”

She watched Elly leave, creaking the door of Mugenkan open and slipping in, then shutting it with a resounding clunk in the air. Kurumi waited another moment, then another, and then whipped back around to Orange.

“Okay, so this lady isn’t from around here, clearly. I didn’t see her and I was looking at your forests and mountains, so the only way she should’ve gotten to my lake is if she came from over here, right? But Elly didn’t see her, either. Did you? You were closer to the ground.” With how much her excitement was swelling, Kurumi didn’t wait for an answer before she continued. “If she’s an intruder, I’m gonna go back and look for where she came from, so I can close it up. Er, kinda close it, so we can send her home. Y’know, before she does something like those two did.”

Kurumi shuddered at the thought of that happening again. The idea of spending yet another few months in recovery and repair wasn’t a pleasant one; and neither was the idea of the trend continuing. That didn’t need to happen again, so that’s why she was going to handle it instead of Mistress. She was still out and who knew when she’d be back; the sooner things are prevented, the better.

That’s what Elly might say, anyway. And Elly didn’t need to try and close up an entrance to their valley, Kurumi already injured her enough…

“So, you in? Wanna go looking for an entrance with me, and throw some boulders in it? But, er,  I’m gonna help Elly carry the lady before we go, so she won’t hurt herself more.”

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Squinting in disappointment as her offer to help was turned down, Orange sat down and crossed her legs, nodding nonchalantly. "Ahhhh... puke... I'd be mad too," she replied, turning her eyes toward Elly to see if she heard that, sure enough she did. Her eyes lit up when the conversation continued, eagerly, she hopped up and immediately went to go pick the unconscious maid up, only stopping when the snap sounded out before she could lift her up. Watching as Elly left, the air was silent save for the sigh that sounded as Orange let the maid back down on the grass. As soon as the door had shut, Orange slowly turned to face Kurumi. Staring into her yellow eyes, her jaw lazily hung open as she listened along to the plan. Slowly she shook her head, even though Kurumi didn't wait for a response. The only time she saw the maid was when she was choking on blood back at the lake. Surely, that would be where she came from in the first place. 

"Uhhhhhh...... sure...?" She finally responded dully. She wasn't really listening to begin with... Orange's eyes were set on the butterflies that danced behind Kurumi, giving the illusion she was actually paying attention. All she heard was 'carry the lady,' and immediately, she set off again, completely forgetting the fact that Elly was meant to return with more bandages and splint the woman's arm. Instead of putting her over her shoulder, Orange simply held her in both arms, bridal style, and carried her over to the front door. Swapping her arms so she was instead cradling the woman like a baby that was at least two feet taller than her, she opened the door quickly, kicking it open the remaining way. For someone so sickly skinny, she was pretty heavy... Waltzing through the hall, she brought the woman into the freezer room, laying her on the cold steel floor, dusting her hands together once relieved of the weight.

"Pfffhw... there. She'll keep fresh in there." She smiled, swiveling towards Kurumi before marching off past her.

As she got outside, Orange stood proudly on the porch. Licking her finger, she stuck it up above her head, testing for the wind direction. Nodding in confirmation, she again, marched off in a random direction that was completely opposite of the lake. Oh, dear... this ordeal again?

Kurumi

“Wh– Wait! We have to wait on Elly to finish! Orange!” Kurumi yelled, chasing after the girl. Well, not really chasing. More-so slowly following in complete disbelief as Orange mentally slipped back into whatever daydream she frequently dipped into. Yelling was useless, she knew this, but it was all she was willing to do. Trying to fly indoors was a bad idea, and trying to fly indoors in order to take the woman away was an even worse one. At least maybe Elly could hear her and stop Orange, maybe?

Kurumi didn’t think she understood Elly more than when she watched Orange put the woman in the freezer, slam the door closed, and walk away with a prideful strut. She gently opened the door and pulled the woman out, but just left her on the floor. Kurumi liked cold places more than warm ones, and tried to sit in there during a particularly hot day, but quickly learned that freezers were uncomfortable and not-good for people. Especially people who don’t like to play with ice barehanded.

If the woman was too big for Elly and Orange, then she would be for Kurumi too. She knocked enough things over with her wings, and she was too small compared to the woman so wouldn’t be able to see while carrying her and walking, either. That would probably end in worse damage than the wall outside.

Kurumi stopped near the hallway with the storage closet, and heard Elly still rummaging around. She would absolutely notice the missing maid, so Kurumi opted to leave a note instead.

It was a simple note, really. It just said:

‘Orange is a dummy and ignored me again. Maid is in the kitchen. We’re gonna go play now. Good luck!

PS if you need anything, come find us by my lake (probably) : )›

~Kurumi♥’

When she slipped back outside– quietly and gently closing the giant doors behind her– she got to witness Orange wandering off without her. In the wrong direction.

“Ah, Or– Orange! Orange!” She yelled, instantly taking flight and chasing after the girl. “If you’re going to help, you’re going the wrong way!” She chastised, flicking the back of Orange’s head. Of course, that did literally nothing.

After trying to get a redhead’s nonexistent attention for minutes on end– naturally with exactly zero changes in Orange’s direction– Kurumi huffed. “Fine! Get lost again!” And took off for her lake without a second thought.

(Except there was a brief one: a quick mutterance of, “Well, she’s heading for the cliff clusters and that other lake. Maybe something is over there…”)

Elly

Finding another box of bandages was apparently difficult. Elly had torn up half of the storage room by now and the best thing she had was some oddly short fishlines and ‘band-aids.’ And that was apparently all she’d ever find, because the rest of the room looked like the only thing it needed to have a reason to fall was a mean glare.

“I’ll fix it later.” Elly said to nobody, slamming the door to hell’s pocket closed behind her. Instead of the hallway’s door being closed like she left it, it was ajar, with a small note folded up in front of it.

She read the note for exactly five seconds before she sighed with a small smile. This was just like those two. She couldn’t exactly fault them for being childish like this– she wasn’t Yuuka. (Even if Orange could push that line, which she did, very often.)

Elly wandered back out to the main hall, left the supplies sitting on a nearby table, and headed for the kitchen. Sure enough, the maid was laying on the floor. Elly struggled to lift her back up, but managed, and limped her to a couch in the living area. Elly rubbed her head with a huff, going back out of the room to retrieve her hat, scythe, and the stick for the splint. Hopefully Orange didn’t grab that to use as a toy, because Elly wasn’t against the idea of taking the baton surely left behind and using it as a splint instead.

When she stepped outside, she saw the scythe immediately, but then noticed that her hat wasn’t gone. She blinked, going back inside to look for it, then back out to see if it blew off. No, it was nowhere.

Sweat was starting to form on her head and run down her face. Depending on who grabbed it or where it went, she’d either have to fight for it or make a new one. Neither was an option at the moment, which wasn’t something she enjoyed.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The Maids eyes burst open, her eyes quickly darting around the room she was in, watching for any possible morons. she had no possible idea how she ended up inside this strange room, but of course she could assume that one of her incompetent 'saviors' likely moved her. although that did not answer the question of why she was wet and cold.

she leaned up slowly, using her right arm to bring her body upwards, while bringing her legs up to support her uneasy body. from there, she checked her body, taking note of her current status.

her left arm was perfectly fine up until the wrist, which was completely broken and limp, it hung to the side. however it was starting to heal... while facing the wrong way...

her right arm was covered in bandages, and felt absolutely no pain, besides an deep aching feeling.

her torso was heavily tender, and hurt to touch, she would assume it was heavily bruised. but it would heal within an hour or so, she was thankfully able to heal quicker than the other residents that she knew of.

her legs were bandaged and deeply bruised, they hurt to move, but she could definitely walk or run if prompted

her left wrist was her biggest priority, it had already begun to heal the bone. but it was completely off, and totally unusable. she knew what she had to do.

she would firmly grab the upper side of her left wrist, preparing herself for what was to come. she took a deep breath, then she would yank forward as fast and hard as possible. her vision became blurry and covered in stars, as the room filled with a sticky cracking noise.

The maid gasped and fell backwards, nearly fainting again. but she steered her mind and focused hard, staying within the realm of consciousness.

she slowly came back up, gently cradling her re-broken arm. she did not think this far ahead, a splint would need to be fashioned fast......

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid would pull herself across the floor, towards a chair that was perfect for her needs.

it was beautifully crafted, but unfortunately it must fall victim for the maids sake. She grabbed a piece from the middle and twisted it, it would snap under the tension, thankfully giving her a perfect cut of wood.

she peeled the oddly green bandages off her legs, and begin to realign her damaged arm with the help of the wooden splint. 

she wrapped around and around, tightly ensuring the wrap would keep her poor arm in place.

after the job was done, she would lay against a nearby table, resting for a bit would probably be best at the moment.

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

With a roll of her eyes as the bickering started ringing out again, Orange ignored the pleas and cries, calling her name and begging her to halt her plans. It was only when they were outside that it grew worse and worse. Although the gardener had appeared to be completely ignoring her, she was fully aware of Kurumi's actions, and it was starting to get on her nerves. She barely flinched as the vampire weakly flicked the back of her head, except for the frown on her face growing in size.

"Memememe, get lost again, memememe..." she mumbled, moving her head back and forth and puppeting her hand like a mouth, mocking Kurumi's concern.

A sigh of relief rung out when she was finally on her own again. Sure enough, Orange knew for a fact she wasn't going anywhere near the lake. No, she had plans of her own. Blood was kind of gross, after all, anyway. And judging by today's earlier stunt, Kurumi is surely strong enough to handle whatever it is she'd be doing on her own. It was times like these when she realized just how small their world was. It was hard NOT to get bored. Orange was heading the complete opposite direction of the lake entirely, planning to go on one of her impossible hikes. She'd been in enough trouble for the day, and when Yuuka got back, she'd be pretty hard to find. Survivalism would be a piece of cake, especially if it was only for a few days. She'd just wait it out until everyone forgot about this. The newbie wasn't as interesting as she'd thought anyways, and judging by how violent she sounded, perhaps she dodged a bullet abandoning the group. As she made her way to the pathway that lead to the mountain's twin ponds, she'd reached for her hip, freezing.

She'd forgotten her baton... Tempted to turn back and grab it, she instead shrugged, beginning the march up the hill. It'd be there when she got back, surely... The mountains were Orange's true playground. If only the all-consuming void hadn't existed, maybe she could go exploring beyond.

What an empty dream that is.

Kurumi > Lake of Blood

Orange > Mugensekai

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Naturally, there wasn't much to behold up here on the mountains, Orange had seen a majority of it all already before, she didn't really have any good reason to come up here aside from boredom and disinterest. Below, she could see the calm and still fields, everyone must still be inside. It looked like Kurumi was coming back home, too, although her clothes looked a lot more white than usual... Guess her dress must have gotten soaked in blood. and was being hung to dry. Nonchalantly, Orange continued along with her hike, following the stream of the river between the two ponds connected by its path. She greeted the huge, clearly out of place boulder, as she passed it by without any mind. It was now and then that boredom began to hang her spirits even lower. It wasn't like anyone but Kurumi really considered her company, maybe she'd stop the hike and tag along with her. Taking another glance down toward the lake, she'd realized now, that wasn't Kurumi at all, as it should have been obvious before. Was that an assassin sent to retrieve the maid?! If so, she had to take this slowly, calmly... analyze her opponent... from 300m away on a cliff-face. She'd have to get closer. Carefully, Orange bounced down the mountain from rock to rock, before she'd set foot on the grass.

Orange > Mugenkan

Chapter Text

~Mugenkan~

Elly

Elly’s hat was gone, that was something she was certain about.

She’d looked high and low for it outside, and there was no sign of it. She’d already looked inside, and it wasn’t in there– not even in the messy storage room. A maid could’ve picked it up and took it to her room, thinking she was being lazy with it, but they were currently cleaning the second and third floors en masse. All thanks to a fight between a couple demons, a few fairies, and the fuchsia breaking out right after Yuuka left. (Pollen and shards of glass were everywhere, and Elly could only hope that the flower youkai were competent enough to make sure another one wouldn’t happen while neither guard was there to supervise.) Not to mention, they would’ve taken her scythe with them, and that was still sitting on the porch.

Elly rubbed her temples. Her only options left were Kurumi or Orange taking it by accident, or as some sort of game. She didn’t even have enough time to go grab it and come back, because she wasn’t a fast person, and who knew when Yuuka would return. So she’d just have to wait for this to resolve itself, or wait on Kurumi to come back with it. (She was responsible enough. If Orange had it, she’d eventually notice and take it with her.)

So Elly would just have to go hatless for now. She absolutely hated the thought of her head being bare, but there wasn’t much else to do about that right now. Elly sighed and reluctantly grabbed her scythe– and a certain baton she managed to find– heading back for the front doors.

The servants’ cleaning was still as eerily silent as before, a constant pang of ‘maybe I should go check on them, to make sure they aren’t slacking off’ ringing through her mind. Yuuka’s punishments weren’t the best, especially to ‘disposable’ youkai like the fairies, baku, and demons. Elly would do anything to prevent something like ‘that.’

So she did pop upstairs to make sure they were still working. Which, they were, and she instructed them to keep at it. The quicker they fix the damage, and the longer they’re distracted, the better. (She’d also asked about her hat. None of the servants had any idea where it was. Joy.)

On her way back downstairs, she stopped for a moment. She heard something– no, someone moving. Did a servant go downstairs for a snack?

Elly stood still for a moment longer, listening. She was thankful the servants above her were taking the time to be quiet– just in case Yuuka arrived while they were still at it, according to them– because she could hear things better this way.

Elly took another step down the stairs, quiet as a mouse. She heard something snap, coming from the living room. No maid would dare break furniture, so it had to be their guest.

Elly quickly and quietly continued to descend down the stairs, scythe pulled out and around her, opting to leave the baton leaning against the stairwell. Sure, she had a scythe made of extremely durable wood, but it was still flimsy enough to bend around and throw in the air. Breaking it was more than simple, as long as the massive blade didn’t hit you in the process. She’d like to have a backup weapon for once, even if she didn’t have anywhere pleasant on her person to keep it. At this angle, the intruder wouldn’t be able to see it very well. She’d have enough time to rush back out and snatch it.

If their squirrely new ‘friend’ jumped at the chance to slap her, who knows what else she could be up to. And with her previous experience with intruders in mind, Elly didn’t want to risk not running in without a weapon and escape plan.

Slowly and silently, Elly approached the double doors of the living room, intent on gently opening them to peer in.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid felt that her rest was suitable for the time being, it would not be long until her soon to be captors would arrive and seal what their fairies started.

she stood up, her legs cracking a bit as they fully extended. the majority of her body had mostly healed, but certain parts definitely needed more time... and nutrition... her stomach hurt...

she took a small white table cover, it was perfectly long enough to use as a makeshift arm sling for her injured wrist. it would make everything easier to not have to worry about keeping her wrist in place.

she carefully wrapped it around her splinted arm, and up around her shoulder. painstakingly securing it at the bottom end, where whatever excess material would dangle free.

she the  had to think of what to do next, getting back to Mistress was her biggest priority. But she needed to escape from this mansion first, after all she still had no clue as to whether or not she was still in Makai. Getting any sort of bearings would be a good way to get some sort of idea.

the door creaked behind her, someone was coming inside...

she could see her potential kidnapper for the first time, the girl had curly golden hair and a long red dress, with a very disappointed looking expression across her face.

it was as if she was looking into a magic mirror.

the maid couldn't find the words to speak, she simply stood there amongst the broken and missing furniture and bloody carpets, looking a bit shocked.

Elly

Elly cursed under her breath for letting the doors stay this squeaky. Now the maid was staring dead-ahead at her, eyes wide like a frightened deer. (Whatever a ‘deer’ was, anyway…)

Elly spotted her random assortment of tools within a second. A cloth missing from the nearby table tied around her like a sling– why didn’t Elly think of that– and part of a now broken chair was clutched in her other hand like a makeshift dagger.

Elly blinked lazily. The maid just kept staring at her, unmoving. Elly gripped her scythe a bit tighter, the wicker lightly crackling under her hands acting as a bit of an anchor for her anxiety.

“Howdy,” Elly greeted as plainly as she could, voice kept completely neutral, “Ya feelin’ any better?”

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The Maid was silent for a second, contemplating whether or not to use the makeshift dagger as a distraction to toss claymore through the girls torso.

but she figured peace should at least be attempted,since if there's one thing she was sure they could both agree on,  it was their shared distrust.

she spoke, her polite voice would sound a bit shaky and gruff.

"i-im fine, thank you."

she loosened her grip on the shattered wood, her whitened knuckles returning to their pale flesh color. 

she wasn't sure if moving was a good idea at the moment, so staying completely still seemed to be the play.

the maid cleared her throat and spoke again.

"what is the name of this household, how did you get into our land without being detected..."

she gave a suspiciously stern look, but the golden maid was clearly quite shaken up, a fish on land

Elly

The fact that her ‘patient’ was okay brought a slight amount of relief to Elly, a bout of pride over her skills holding up. She didn’t give herself the sigh of relief, though; she needed to keep her poker face held strong.

The maid loosening the grip on the wood made Elly almost cock a brow, but she didn’t say anything. Perhaps the stranger was simply on-alert after the kids did what they did best, and needed a friendlier bit of introduction.

Even still, she wasn’t letting go of the scythe.

One thing caught her attention instantly, though. “Your land?” Elly laughed a little, a hearty one she hoped wouldn’t put the maid into a frenzy. “Nah, yer in Mugensekai; the Land of Fantasies. This’s Mugenkan, I’m basically th’ number-two here. The Mistress is out at th’ moment. No, I dunno where she’s at or when she’s comin’ back.”

Elly clicked her tongue a little bit, “Though, I’d love to know where ‘your land’ is. Might be a good thing to know.” And to never, ever tell Yuuka. The last thing Elly would ever want was Yuuka waking up and creating another faux war, with how hard they lost previously. And that was just two people; who knew how much firepower was behind this maid.

… If she really was from somewhere else, that is.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid looked shocked, everything was starting to make sense.. but there was just too many blackouts to remember anything of value.

she wondered who this mistress was, just hearing the word brought some strange sense of dread to her. she shook it off, it was just some common uncertainty is all...

continuing on, she used the wooden stake to pont at Elly, making the girl flinch slightly. speaking loudly with whatever pride she had left.

"if you would kindly take me outside at once..! I would like to be on my way..."

she huffed and lowered the stake, placing it onto the table next to her and approaching the number two with as elegant of a stride as her lightly bruised legs could manage.

she stood just a bit taller than  the curly haired girl, their gaze started out cold but as she closed the distance and stood face to face with the girl for a bit... she could feel a sense of respect between the two.

she had no idea where it came from, but she could feel as if she just met her equal... someone who might understand her...

she silenced her inner thoughts and spoke politely.

"if you would lead the way... please.."

Elly

Elly stiffened the moment the maid began turning the stake in her direction. Oh, oh boy. A fight was about to break out. Despite a fast flinch, Elly kept her stillness strong, not moving any more than tilting her head down slightly. (Without her hat to cast a shadow, this probably looked stupid…)

The maid approached once again, showing Elly that the maid was slightly taller than her. Elly looked up to her, which only made Elly’s decision to look downward even dumber looking.

“If you would kindly take me outside at once..! I would like to be on my way…” The maid muttered, near growling. And then lowered the stake. Elly watched her hand as she did it, and kept darting back and forth between the maid’s face and hand as the maid continued to move the stake onto a table near the door.

Elly kept her cold glare on her, as did the maid. Her scythe continued to lightly crackle in her grip, an outlet to keep herself from biting her lip and sweating up a storm. She wasn’t as good as Yuuka with the ‘tough person’ game, even with all her years stuck in this house, and with her training. (Because if two people can catch her lying within a day from how much she sweats, she needs to fix that…)

Suddenly the maid sighed and gently told Elly, “If you would lead the way... please..”

Elly blinked a couple times, loosening her grip on her scythe slightly. The maid looked a little defeated, and a lot less antagonistic than a few seconds ago. She was quickly thinking of what to do…

… If she would leave kindly, that meant Elly wouldn’t have to deal with a murderous maid or Yuuka. She’d live another day without making another ‘Elly-shaped’ landmark around Mugenkan.

With her mind quickly made up, Elly stepped back a few paces, keeping her scythe out but releasing one hand from it to point. “This way, then. Th’ doors are straight over here.”

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Stalking alongside the cover of the mansion's wall, she'd peer over the corner, stalking the slouching youkai whom lay there on the grass, clad in white. Orange had to think quickly and set a trap while her opponent was distracted. A trap meant she didn't have to fight directly, after all, and that was a good thing. Sneaking alongside the wall, Orange ducked behind the gate before pulling out some wooden stakes that lay in the ground, marking spots in the front garden for what kind of plant was planted there. Gathering the leftover bandages that were discarded in the grass from where the intruder once lay, she set a tripwire for the unsuspecting victim once they happened to cross by. That should do it! Now, all she had to do was lay in wait... except that sounded really boring, so instead she'd ransack the garden and find some delicious veggies to snack on. A few wouldn't hurt.

~Lake of Blood~

Hikariko - Careless Fairy

While it wasn't an uncommon sight for the vampire of the lake to behold, it sure freaked everyone else out, how nonchalantly she bathed in the blood, but preserving it was on a whole new level of low. Taking her feet out of the 'water,' she lay them out on the grass, turning slightly to face the new face visiting her at the body of blood.

"Mhm!" She exclaimed, nodding along as the fairy gathered her jars, about six of them lined up next to her. Of course, as it might have seemed, Hikariko was not here for a bath at all. Nor was it the pebble-tossing... she'd just gotten bored and decided a nice game of rock-skipping would quell that boredom a bit. She stared a bit at the girl while she iced her for her pebble stacking in the midst of the lake, her cheery smile quickly becoming a sad expression until she'd finished off on a positive note. She supposed that was enough of the game for now anyway, time and a place and all that. The fairy would oblige, as she had other plans anyway.

"Not to worry, miss Kurumi. I'm going in the lake now anyways to see all my other friends." The fairy said casually before gathering the jars. With a flick of her wings, Hika fluttered over the stack of pebbles that bubbled in the gooey bloodlake, kicking them over on the grass with surprising strength. She'd wave goodbye, but her hands were full.

"Bye-bye! See you soon!" She shouted back, before plunging into the depths below.

Kurumi

Kurumi stared ahead, jaw completely slack. She had no words available in her mind to process anything that she just witnessed. Hikariko jumped in her lake, to see her ‘other friends???’

Was she going to drown herself?!

Before Kurumi could move, a small bit of wind blew from behind her, rustling something on her head around. She blinked, and reached up–

It was Elly’s hat. Faint green stain and all. Ah.

… When did she put this on??

Wait, she had it when she was chasing Orange, and instinctively put it on her head when she needed her hands… Kurumi sighed harshly. Elly was probably looking for this, and Kurumi was a dummy who didn’t think to put the hat down.

Kurumi swallowed a quickly forming lump in her throat, glancing back and forth between the hat in her hands and the bubbling red lake.

Forget it, the hat could wait; Hikariko was drowning!

Therefore, instead of flying home, Kurumi opted to just leave the hat laying under some rocks nearby, in order to keep it from blowing off. And an arrow made of smaller stones pointing to her lake, to get the message across. If something happened, hopefully Elly would see it… Eventually. And hopefully, Elly would be coming back before something happened… Yea. Probably.

Kurumi swallowed another lump, and took a shaky breath in. She’d seen some servants drowning, including being in that camp herself once, but NEVER tried to save anyone from that before. A baku, Elly, Mistress, or anyone else who could swim always would save them, or her.

Not to mention, blood is thicker than water. Her pathetic amount of swimming knowledge would be near useless in such a different environment.

Kurumi took a step forward, shaking like a leaf. She couldn’t swim, not at all, and there was a good chance she’d just make things worse. But dang it, she just couldn’t let someone drown!

Her teeth were chattering while she was running Hikariko’s actions and words through her head on loop, trying to find any sort of logic in them. Her feet entered the blood’s lazy waves and squished on the mud under it.

Her mind quickly flipped to the maid for a second, like it figured out a puzzle. Kurumi hadn’t seen her get to the lake, neither had Elly…

Was something under her lake? If so, did Mistress know about it…? Kurumi surely didn’t; this was her lake, after all.

Kurumi jittered and stepped even closer. Her knees were in the blood now, so if she wanted to do something, it was now or never.

Kurumi took a deep breath in, closed her eyes, and plunged under the blood, propelling herself in it using her wings. She had no idea where she was going, but all she could hope was that it was closer to Hikariko.

Kurumi failed in holding her breath for more than a minute. Not long after delving down in the lake, she had to resurface for air. Or at least try to, because she had no idea which way was ‘up’ anymore, and no matter how much she swam in the direction she thought it was in, she didn’t progress any further.

It didn’t help when she tried opening her eyes as a reflex. Besides her ability to see well in the dark not working in a sea of thick red ooze, said thick red ooze instantly began to pour into her eyes as well, causing pain worse than any water that she’d fallen into.

And as another instinctual response, she opened her mouth to scream in pain. Of course, that did nothing but have more blood pour into her face, and cause more pain. Not to mention the lack of air making it harder and harder to think or do anything.

Kurumi would’ve begun to tear up or frown. She was certainly drowning, and she couldn’t do anything about it. She was too far down for anyone to help her.

So she just let herself drift down, leaving her with the sound of her lake sloshing around her as it slowly killed her.

(And, a faint and rhythmic drumming sound, before she felt like she was being pulled.)

~Hokkai~

Hikariko - Careless Fairy

Emerging from the forming pool of blood, the fairy's normal nonchalant smile grew into a ginormous grin as she realized silly idea had worked. Fairies weren't normally smart enough to conjure up such drastic plans, however, and it was more of a lucky guess than anything. Through the trials and tribulations that the people of Yuuka's land of Fantasy went through, the fairy had gathered the common knowledge that somehow the lake of blood had made its way outside, into a land called Gensokyo. Ever since she'd followed Yuuka home that one day, it'd been a difficult process going to and fro Makai and Mugensekai to play with her other fairy friends, as her and the maids back at the mansion were not as close. With this new gateway opened, the lake may dry out like last time, but at least she'd have a way for Ayana and Wayousei to come over for play-dates, or vice-versa! Of course, Hikariko did not actually fully weigh the consequences of her actions, and her desires were all selfish and nothing more. These jars were just to ensure that the new lake's expansion was coming along nicely, and sure enough, it was a pretty sizable pond now. If they were lucky, the two bodies of blood would equalize, instead of Gensokyo's dominating the blood supply like last time. She was content with the spot she'd picked, as well. The trio had been eager to explore Makai's old and abandoned ruins, which were home to many of Shinki's old and outdated creations, or those cast out from the village. Maybe they'd find new friends there as well!

...Though, she didn't remember Kurumi coming through the portal with her. She sure changed her outfit fast... why did she look so scared, though? Hikariko didn't get a good look at the girl, because she'd run off as soon as she saw her make eye contact...

Oh well! Uncapping the jars, Hika began to pour the blood around and outwards, forming a border that would eventually fill with blood and consume the ground in its place. With that part of the job done,

the fairy quickly scurried off, heading out to go gather her two friends so she could share her discoveries with them.

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

Elis had been sitting over the edge of the lake in a panic for about 24 minutes now, and still no sight of the maid. Shock had mostly subsided, but she still felt frozen in place, the fear of the coming repercussions weighing down on her back. She was ready about now to give up on seeing that maid ever again... how quickly a few bad decisions had lead to such a disaster... if only she had the courage to take the issue to the big boss instead of a subordinate. She wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for herself. With acceptance finally bearing in, Elis got back up on her feet, sighing as she sauntered back into the ruins. It was when that hideous bubbling started again did she only turn back, seeing a figure emerge from the red goo. The stress of everything had exhausted her to the point where her eyes were nothing but a blur, even with her enhanced nighttime sight as a vampire. Barely making out the figure, she'd immediately assumed the worst; Yumeko was back for blood. Sure, she was back, that was a good thing. However, she may end up with no skin left on her body. As their eyes locked onto one another, Elis swiveled toward the ruins' entrance, immediately taking off like a fighter jet with one powerful thrust from her wings. She didn't care to stick around and apologize, all she cared about was going as deep as she could, even if it meant leaving the comfort of her room. Her friends would protect her; the all seeing eyes that kept tabs on the ruins, and the fallen angel. Even if they fended off the maid, if Shinki wanted all three dead, it was as easy as a snap of the fingers. Perhaps the struggle to fight was pointless, but her will to live was not so easily wavered. She couldn't keep running like this for long, but all she wanted was more time, and someone to talk to in order to ease her nerves. Hopefully those two were still awake…

Kurumi

Just as she began to accept fate and allow the darkness to swallow her, she felt herself flying up a little, as if she was being spit upward by something?

She was. It was like one of those ‘geysers’ she’d never seen spat her up, but only just a little.

Immediately, Kurumi sat up and began to cough up all the blood in her system. It wasn’t good enough to swallow anymore, probably laced with a bunch of spit and other nasty things too vile for her to eat. The blood in her eyes kept her from seeing where she was going, but she still managed to quickly stumble into a standing position as she continued to choke.

She continued to limp and drag her wings until she finally got out of whatever pool she was in, which was infinitely smaller than her lake. She couldn’t see it, but if she could stand perfectly straight in it’s middle, it was not her lake at all. Which only made her current location even more puzzling.

Once she got to solid ground, Kurumi kept hacking and spitting out enough blood to well… drown her. The fact that she was still alive was honestly a miracle.

Kurumi quickly began rubbing her eyes, hoping to drain them of blood and get what’s on off before it began to crust. Instead, she just smeared more blood over her face, because her clothes were probably soaked. That meant she had to use her last resort.

Kurumi slammed her face head-first into the ground, with full intent to rub it around in the fresh dirt around the Land of Fantasies.

Instead, she slammed her face head-first into stone.

And of course, she screamed. It was horse and hurt, but it did not hurt nearly as much as her face did now.

Louise - Wayward Demon

The clattering of plastic wheels rolling alongside the stone path slowly approached toward the source of the scream, enclosing on the vampire's location with every passing second. The pace of the sound slowed, before halting right in front of Kurumi, a girl in a purple and white dress stood in front of her with a worried look as she crouched down to get a better look.

"My, Elis, is that you...?" the voice rung out, seemingly concerned for their wellbeing. Accompanied by her travelling suitcase kept firmly by her side, she placed it on its back and opened the zipper while placing a comforting hand on Kurumi's shoulder. Reaching for a pack of adhesive bandaids, peeling open the wrapper and applying it to the spot on her face that made the hardest contact with the rough surface.

"There we are... Please, do be more careful." Standing back up, she hooked her suitcase up back on its wheels, adjusting her sunhat. "Did you hear about the mysterious lake portal, too?" The woman questioned, looking to the pool of blood behind her. "Word spread to quickly, I had to rush to get my things. I'm eager to see what this other world is like." Wheeling her luggage closer to the rim of the lake, she frowned. "Maybe I shouldn't have worn white... I didn't realize it'd be so unconventional."

Turning back to another case of mistaken identity, Louise glanced 'Elis' over, scanning her from head to toe. "You look... different, today. I like it. I'm assuming you've already been there?" She questioned, in reference to the blood soaking her body. "How was it?"

Despite being eager to investigate this new mysterious world, Louise was still no stranger to chit-chat. It could wait a while if it meant catching up.

Kurumi

Kurumi didn’t even know she went unconscious until someone woke her up by pressing something to her forehead. Immediately, she groaned and tried to lift herself back into a sitting position while still coughing up blood. “Aaahuuh?” Was the nonsense that came out of her when she tried asking where she was.

Because of course, she wasn’t alone. Someone had walked up to her and put something on her face, after all. The person was saying something to her too, but what it was went completely past Kurumi. It felt like she had cotton in her ears and head.

She gently began swiping at her eyes, trying to un-crust them without hurting them more than her stunt, and trying not to poke them with her claws. That'd hurt a lot more than squeezing her head too hard. And, trying to figure out who was with her and where she was would probably be a good idea.

She managed to at least pry one very, very sore eye open slightly, and was thankfully in a spot that wasn’t too bright. All she could make out of the person close was that she wore white, and had… Elly’s hat? It looked almost just like it, but Elly never wore that much white. All of her dresses were some form of red, with a single purple one hidden in the back of her dresser. A maid must’ve found it and put it on their head for safekeeping, or something.

The woman’s words were still almost gibberish. The only parts Kurumi was able to hear properly was, “... ake por…,” “... ealize it’d be…,” and “How was it?”

Since she could at least see a little now, Kurumi sent her hands to her ears to clean out any blood caught in them, too. She coughed and rasped out, “H-Horrible. A-Ah, and wh-who are you? Is Huh-Hika okay?”

Louise - Wayward Demon

Staring back at the girl, her smile slowly faded, turning into a look of confusion. 'Who are you?' Of course she knew who she was, right...? Unless, this wasn't Elis at all, and instead was that strange little fairy's friend? Nonetheless, regardless of the two being strangers, Louise realized this must have been a newcomer from the outside, and her smile quickly returned.

"Oh, me? No one in particular, just a passing demon. My name is Louise." She reached out an inviting hand, shaking with the vampire's to make sure they were acquainted. "And you are?"

Kurumi, huh... definitely an outsider, no one in Makai would ever have a name like that. "It's a pleasure, Kurumi. Welcome to Makai." Helping the girl to her feet, she gently patted her back, encouraging her to cough out whatever was choking her. "I see the welcome hasn't been that inviting, hm? I apologize for that, but I can assure you, Makai is a very nice place. You'll like it here."

This was the first outsider that she'd interacted with that hasn't immediately threatened to kill her, it was a nice change of pace. "I'd love to stay and chat, but as I've said, I'm quite eager to visit your world." Finishing off with a gentle pat on the shoulder, Louise walked around her, looking at the pond. "Don't be afraid, everyone here is very friendly. You'll get along with them nicely." Now...

How to go about going through this puddle?

Kurumi

“And you are?” ‘Louise’ said with an outstretched hand. Kurumi was lucky to have plucked out a good amount of dried blood from her ears, returning her hearing, mostly. Hopefully she won't get an infection…

“Kurumi…” She jumbled out, slowly accepting the hand and being pulled up. Her legs felt weak, and her wings were very close to being anchors that invited her back down to the ground…

Louise patting her back to get more blood out felt nice. Although, even with most of the blood gone, she still felt like she was choking. The air felt weird, so much different than the fresh earthy smell of her home. This place smelled like… ash?

Despite all that, she still wheezed out, “Thank you…” Even if her lungs were dying, that wasn’t going to stop her from being polite. And she fell back down…

“It’s a pleasure, Kurumi. Welcome to Makai.” Louise told her again, saying her name like it was some sort of mystery. (Even though it wasn’t, it was a pretty normal name…)

Although, Makai? She’d never heard of that before, ever.

… Maybe? It sounded faintly familiar…

As she was thinking about that more, Louise continued patting her. At this point, Kurumi had most of all the blood washed out of her system, but still kept coughing. It felt like her throat was tightening…

Louise said something else, but Kurumi barely heard her. Her coughs were too loud, and they were beginning to hurt a little.

All of a sudden, Louise stopped patting her back, and Kurumi tried to compose herself. She kept coughing, though. “I'd love to stay and chat, but as I've said, I'm quite eager to visit your world.”

“E-Eh?” Kurumi grumbled. Her voice was so quiet and scratchy from her hurting throat that she wasn’t sure if Louise could hear her. Kurumi rubbed at her eyes more, pushing away more bloody flakes and allowing her to see a bit more than before. (However, it was still all blurry…)

What she could see was Louise in front of her, naturally taller than herself. She had some sort of rectangular bag in her hands, which looked pretty full. Around her, Kurumi could see a lot of dark and hard earth…? Maybe earth wasn’t a good word; it looked too smooth to be called that, compared to the dirt of her home. But the green grass she did recognize as being familiar, but where was all the purple grass that blended with it? (That was common at home, too…)

And then, right in front of her was a pool of blood that smelled very familiar.

“Guh! Uh–” Kurumi sputtered out, rushing towards the pool, running up beside Louise.

“Ah! M-My lake!!” She babbled loudly, despite the air threatening to send her down at any minute. She kept staring dead ahead at the blood like it would suddenly tell her what's going on. “How’d it get here?! A-And so small!?”

Louise - Wayward Demon

Pausing her train of thought as the newcomer stumbled over her words in what sounded to be shock, Louise turned back to face her, glancing between her worried expression and the forming 'lake.' This belonged to her? Suppose it would make sense if she was a vampire, which seemed to be the case.

"This here belongs to you, huh?" Now Louise wasn't sure what to make of the situation. She didn't have any answers for what she was observing, and felt like she was about to be caught up in a bad situation. Tugging lightly at her collar, feeling as if it was choking her, the girl swallowed before casting her eyes aside. "Ahhh, um... What's the occasion?" She asked, as if Kurumi would have any clue in the slightest.

If this belonged to her, did that mean she was behind it appearing? But she sounded so confused... Louise's head was hurting just thinking about what it could possibly be. Then, she remembered, that fairy she saw... she was scurrying away with what appeared to be bloodied jars.

"You mean the little fairy, right? Hika, you said her name was?" Of course, the two weren't formally acquainted with one another, but she was babbling with one of the local fairies about how she was going to make getting from point a to point b a lot easier.

"I think she'd have answers for you, none of which I can give. I saw her with some of your blood, I guess she's trying to put it right here in Makai very slowly?"

Concerned, Louise leaned on the handle of her suitcase, placing her hand on her hip. "I saw her run off that way, if you want to go looking for her." She pointed behind her. "Don't worry yourself too much, dear. It's not good for you. Just try to take in the beauty of Makai and relax a little, I'm sure you'll get your little problem of yours sorted out."

Louise really had no clue how she could help without delaying her travel plans... she'd missed the opportunity before, she wasn't going to miss it again, even if her kindness beckoned for her to help search.

All she could really do is wish her the best of luck with tracking the troublemaker.

Kurumi

Kurumi had no idea how to respond, too busy being flabbergasted at the miniature Lake of Blood. In any other situation, she’d probably call it cute, but right now this was completely disturbing. Kurumi coughed again, then rubbed her eyes to get more blood off, and figure out what exactly was going on.

A snap of fingers caught her ear, so she stopped rubbing to glance back at Louise. “You mean the little fairy, right? Hika, you said her name was?”

Kurumi wordlessly nodded. Hikariko’s little farewell was still somewhat fresh in her mind, enough to where Kurumi was certain Louise might’ve seen her.

“I think she'd have answers for you, none of which I can give. I saw her with some of your blood, I guess she's trying to put it right here in Makai very slowly?” Louise leaned on her rectangle, to put a hand on her hip and to point behind her, “I saw her run off that way, if you want to go looking for her. Don't worry yourself too much, dear. It's not good for you. Just try to take in the beauty of Makai and relax a little, I'm sure you'll get your little problem of yours sorted out.”

And with that said, Louise seemed completely (but politefully) done with their conversations, as she took a step closer to the newly made(???) Pond of Blood.

A maid clicked back into Kurumi’s mind, as did her Mistress’ commands. “Eh– Ah!” Kurumi sputtered, taking a moment to cough and hack. Louise was already standing in the blood, so Kurumi rushed back in the middle to cut her off. “P-Please don’t go to my home! I’m supposed to be keeping intruders out, and Mistress will get really mad at me and Elly if you go in…” Kurumi rushed out, immediately going into another coughing fit. She was getting light headed.

Kurumi tried to end it by taking a quick and deep breath in, repeating, “Really mad.” Before going into another storm of hacking.

The blood was out of her system, she was sure of that. That left only the ash-smelling air as the only other source of her coughing. If so, just what was up with it…?

Louise - Wayward Demon

Cautiously, Louise flipped her luggage on its back, pushing it into the lake like a kayak, slowly boarding atop before she floated off onto the surface. Unfortunately the buoyancy was causing problems, it was especially resistant with her sitting atop the luggage for some odd reason. She'd feared having to get her dress wet with the red liquid, but it was seeming like more and more of an unavoidable casualty. Her head darted when the vampire begun to choke on her words again, staring emptily at her pleas. It'd be unfortunate to put all this planning and time to waste yet again. She shook her head, staring down at the puddle as she stepped off her luggage, floating atop the surface with her shoes as she slowly sunk.

"Sorry, ma'am..." she said regretfully, a pained look on her face as she was clearly fighting the moral dilemma inside of her mind. "Sara's supposed to keep intruders out, too, but I don't think that's right. Well, that, and this new gateway sort of makes her obsolete." Rubbing the back of her neck as she slowly dragged her luggage down with her, a milky white ghastly aura formed around her, forming a protective barrier. That ought to keep her dry, and her oxygen supply should last the journey. "I've been waiting for a chance like this for years, and I can finally go and see the world outside. I've seen everything there is to see here... I'm sure you understand. That's why you came here, right?" She asked, before the aura finally sealed off, forming an airtight bubble. And just like that, the wayward traveler was gone. There was a sense of guilt that built up in her as she was swarmed by the gelatinous red. She'd make the trip quick... the mistress... must be that red white, and that 'Elly' must be that black white that came here all those years ago. Hopefully the girl would be okay... But for now, Louise quelled her qualms, the eagerness reaching its peak as she was about to be greeted by an entirely new world. This was no time to be upset!

Kurumi

Kurumi stared ahead, completely shocked. She kept her mouth open, although her dry throat was screaming at her to close it.

Within seconds, Kurumi instantly dove into the pond, fully intent on stopping Louise before Mistress saw her and Kurumi got punished for letting not one, but two people in.

Instead of sinking down like Louise did seconds before, Kurumi simply hit the ground under the lake. She sat there for a few moments, waiting for the lake to reclaim her, but nothing happened. So she waited longer, still nothing.

The longer Kurumi waited, the worse the air felt to her. She felt like she was getting weaker and weaker…

She sat up with a whine, taking a look around her still blurry surroundings. If she couldn’t go home yet, she might as well find Hikariko and force her to take her back…

… Except, she hadn’t paid much attention to where Louise pointed. She was too busy being freaked out over the Pond of Blood.

Kurumi whined again as she stood up, clutching her chest. Her lungs felt like they’d fall apart any minute, and her throat was so dry…

Even if the thought of spit and dirt in her blood disgusted her, Kurumi took a small sip of the blood she was standing in. Oddly, there was no taste to it. And worse, she wasn’t feeling refreshed.

She slunk out of the pond with a frown, too tired to do more with her wings than drag them behind her.

She continued to look at her hazy surroundings, trying to figure one thing out: if she were Hikariko, which direction would she go in…?

Louise > Lake of Blood

Kurumi > Makai Entryway

~Pandaemonium~

Alice Margatroid [PC98]

"M...miss Yumeko...!"

     Started the girl as she ended her mad dash through the winding hallways of castle Pandemonium. clearly unsettled as she clenched a doll in her comfort-pining hands. With little hesitation she pushed open the head maid's bedroom door in a rush- so much so that she had not even noticed it was already open. Stuttering to speak, Alice Margatroid stopped in her tracks. She did not know where to start, knowing she had already made herself seem a fool by interrupting a high figure's much-needed rest for reasons only another young girl would share. 

Regaining her focus and aiming towards the bed, it was noticeable.

Something here was off.

...Tip-toeing to the side of the unmade bed, the girl crept upon the sheets to notice the lack of long, golden hair spread across the pillows. The lack of that guardian scent. The lack of a lump. The lack of a maid?! Just where had miss Yumeko gone!? Gathering her thoughts together, Alice tried to produce numerous reasons of the disappearance in order to save her sanity. Perhaps Shinki had.... no, she is.. asleep...

Well, well! The key word here is tried.

" ...eep..! This is almost like my dream..... " whined the girl, trying to keep it together as she had always tried to do. There had to be a reason, but Alice could not deduce it... Yumeko was not known for unauthorized voyaging, and it was doubtful that she would even think of starting such a thing. 

With the sudden crash of thunder and lightning, the startled girl's attention turned to the window, where within the curtains, she would find a clue.

" ...Her sleepwear...? " She took one confused look at her doll, before poking back at the lump of clothes on the floor. Upon inspection, it looked as if they were taken off with haste, and the lack of Yumeko's maidwear had given Alice a better, more reassuring idea of where she had gone... but she still needed more answers.

" ...I may have entered a coward, but I must get to the bottom of this...! "

Alice Margatroid [PC98]

Now filled with a timid determination, Alice's first step in her perilous search was to set her doll back in its rightful place. Nobody seemed more deserving of comfort than such an adorable little companion, after all...

...Other than Lady Shinki, of course, whom she would not be informing about the night's mishaps. It was better, atleast in Alice's mind, that she didn't get involved in the search for Yumeko and continued to rest peacefully. The girl had enough confidence in her to state it proudly, but not enough to stay in her own bed after a nightmare.

With all that said and done, and her spells fine-tuned for use if need-be, Alice crept her way to the front gates, trying her best to avoid creaky floors, doors, and obstacles. Easier said than done, of course. Alice could not help but make noises here and there.

However...

...Maybe a small slice of midnight cake along with some tea wouldn't hurt...?

Shinki - God of Makai

Appearing before Alice was the elusive figure that kept bouncing around in everyone's thoughts, the powerhouse of creation, the ultimate and sole ruler of Makai, its very own Goddess. Menacingly, she stood there, faintly illuminated by some sort of ominous light, a purple aura glowing and looming around her silhouette, as her eyes faintly glowed red in the darkly illuminated room. Everything about her screamed imposing, her tall stature, those sharp devilish wings, those crimson eyes. There was a reason the demons of Makai held her in such high regards. Alice should have known better than to come here this late at night. Slowly, the Goddess's head turned, as the lights to the room were flicked on.

Through squinted dazed eyes, Shinki wore a glassy-eyed stare as she tried to make out who had snuck up on her during this time of night.

"...Mmm?" she vocalized, confused as she rubbed her eyes with clenched fists. "Ah, Alice? What are you doing up so late?" Shinki questioned, before turning back towards the open fridge, as she rummaged around for a midnight snack. "The least Yumeko could have done before leaving was prepare something..." she mumbled sadly, pulling herself back out of the fridge with a box of Makai crackers and some cheese in her hands. 

With that, Shinki waltzed over to the table before taking a seat, laying her head in her hand, watching Alice with attentive eyes. "Would you like me to get you something?" she questioned. Seeing the girl frozen in the doorway, she pulled out a chair, inviting her to have a seat.

Alice Margatroid [PC98]

Clenching the doll in her sweaty grasp, Alice froze in place as she sensed the indisputable aura that approached the immediate vicinity— an all-too-clear intimation that her "expert" attempts to remain stealthy had all but succeeded. Her glare remained intense as she turned, watching the supreme figure of Makai trudge into view.

Staying silent, Alice watched as the woman walked to the fridge, herself deciding to indulge in after-dark appetizers. She could not say such a sight was a rare one. It didn't seem as if Alice could say anything else, however.

The sound of a chair leg scraping against the floor broke Alice from her frozen state, prompting her to try to process what the Goddess had said moments before.

Suddenly, her eyes were wide open again.

" ...A...ah! You... know Yumeko-san is... gone? "

Shinki - God of Makai

Shinki wore a look of exhausted vexation, her eyes shut as she breathed a deep sigh, the air chilled into a faint fog around her mouth. She replied with nothing but a gentle nod, of course she'd known the maid had left already, she'd checked her room before coming down here. It didn't frustrate or anger her, but she instead was worried that perhaps something was wrong. It was not often that Yumeko left home without at least saying where she was going, even if the Goddess had decided to sleep in and it meant awakening her.

"You're looking for her, yes?" She asked simply, the obvious answer being yes, she did not even wait for a reply. "I don't know where she went off to. I'd go look, too, but..." Her eyes trailed down to her snack, as she slowly stuffed a cracker into her mouth, chewing noisily. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing. She'll show up." Clearly her priorities were out of whack...

Patting the chair next to her, she beckoned Alice over once more, this time not breaking eye contact. "Surely if it's something you can say to her, you can say it to me as well." She spoke in that calm monotonous tone with a hint of authorative dissonance in her voice.

"...Mm..." she muttered quietly, afterward. "These are pretty dry."

Scooting out from her chair, Shinki moved past the girl, and as she stood up once more, now that Alice was closer; the woman was like a tree in comparison of height. The castle itself had always been a bit on the 'big' side, architect and appliance-wise in order to suit her needs best, yet she still threatened to bump into the ceiling or hit her head on the top of the doorframe with just how tall she was. She'd set some tea out in the kettle to boil, before returning to the table while she waited for it to whistle out. Letting Alice do all of the talking, she kept her eyes trained on her, patting her hand around on the table like a blind person who was trying to feel their way around, before snatching up the crackers and slowly feeding herself.

"Now... there was something you wanted to tell me, yes?"

Alice Margatroid [PC98]

The girl stood idle as she took in the words of her lady, the cold midnight air of the castle making itself more apparent as time went on. if nothing or noone were to be distracting, Alice would likely have been shivering bitterly as she tried to shove a cut of cake into her mouth. 

Being offered a chair, she promptly sat down next to her beloved creator, whom was busy shoving snacks down her gullet, not seeming to have even a worry of where the head maid has gone. Alice had an admiration for Shinki's calm, approachable demeanor... though being that she had close contact with her, she may have perhaps been biased.

With the tea kettle now boiling, Alice had something to look forward to as the two sat in the serene, dimly-deferred darkness. Taking a cracker prematurely, the girl flipped it around and around, fiddling with it as she prepared to respond. The doll was sat on the table, seeming to be listening intently even if it did not have a conscience. 

" ...Something I wanted to tell you...? " she played dumb for a moment, though she truly was not sure what to say.

" ...No, I just wanted to... you know... look for her. Did you not, Lady Shinki? "

She took forward, munching into the corner of the biscuit.

Shinki - God of Makai

Tapping her finger idly upon her chin, the goddess's eyes cut into Alice's meek and timid appearance, taking her words in and letting them stew in her mind. Shinki paused, clearly deep in thought. "Did I look for her...?" 

"Of course I did, I checked her room." she blurted out, with a shrug. "I couldn't find her." She clearly knew that Alice had something to hide with the way the conversation was going, and how much she'd paused in between her words. Not like she cared, either way, everyone has their secrets after all. As the whistling rung out from the kettle, she took out two teacups and sprinkled some purple leaves in before pouring the water. Letting the brew steep, she brought the two cups to the table, settling back down as she bit into another cracker.

"It'sh the besht I could do..." Shinki said lazily as she chewed. She didn't get much rest and knew with how big Makai was, she'd be looking all day most likely. "Like I said..." she spoke up after choking down the dry cracker. "She won't be gone long, she will show up."

Patting Alice reassuringly on her head, she picked up the cup and guzzled down the lava-like liquid, unphased by the heat. All that she sounded was a sigh of satisfaction. "Don't worry yourself over something out of your control." She left off with that. Hopefully the girl would keep quiet and stop pressuring her to go digging around for the maid's whereabouts... It'd only been 7 hours at most, she'd seen her before she went to bed after all. Time would be the only thing telling... for now, at least.

Alice Margatroid [PC98]

Much too hot for the girl to even manage a small sip, Alice took to tracing her cup’s handle with the tip of her finger, taking in her mistress’s words and mannerisms. She found it difficult to witness the violent treatment of crackers— so much so that it made her cringe. The brash downing of the tea was not much better, though she hated to judge those superior than her even if it came naturally.

“…Yes, I understand.. “ she muttered out, running her hands down through her ruffled hair. Alice grasped her doll, glaring at Shinki in an analytical, yet concerned manner. Her gaze seemed to emit childlike curiosity, yet also mature observation.

After a considerable pause, Alice posed:

“ …Is everything treating you fine lately, Lady Shinki? “

Showing a hint of nervousness, she groomed the hair of her beloved doll as she watched the goddess’s pupils respond, apprehensively snapping back onto her. The recent invasion of Makai had been a significant presence in the back of all citizens minds, and it was needless to say that the land’s leader would be dwelling on it the most… 

Ideally, atleast.

Shinki - God of Makai

"Good, good..." the goddess vocalized, helping Alice sort out her hair as she gently stroked the locks back into order, staring off at the crystalline windows that offered a birds-eye view of Makai. The pause of silence continued on and on as her hand slowly brushed against Alice's head over and over again, raising the teacup up to her mouth and sipping the still-hot Makai Lavender tea. It wasn't often she spent these quiet, peaceful moments with her children. Alice was a particularly independent one, perhaps that had to do with her not being of Makai origin and not of Shinki's essence, and that made these rare occasions all the more special. It helped to take her mind off things. Things she did not want to think about.

“ …Is everything treating you fine lately, Lady Shinki? “

As those words rung out, her hand froze in place, still clutching a bit of the girl's hair. Her expression turned discontent, partially obscuring her frown with her hand as her elbow dug into the table. Was everything really fine? Shinki's eyes widened slightly as she continued to gaze off at the distant Makai landscape.

The memories of the fires burning bright red, consuming everything she created, lighting up even the crystal castle from a distance. Being forced to witness the ravaging of her world. Having to physically feel and watch as her children died, their ghostly forms barely clutching to the strings of existence, the horror they experienced as their homes were torched and their families slain. Though she played coy and strong, it tore deep scars into her soul that might never heal. Her, Yumeko, Alice and a scarce few others were the only ones that survived the ordeal... were those whom she rebuilt really who they originally were? Would they have been better off had she not thought of their enjoyment and wellbeing, offering a trip to the outside instead of keeping them locked inside with an iron fist? Was it cruel to try and bring her lost children back to life once more?

Did they remember what happened to them? So many questions, so many memories, so many thoughts... they all rushed in her brain in the span of seconds. It was all her fault. Everything that happened was her doing.

Shinki hadn't realized her hands were shaking, the tea spilling on her lap from the tremoring snapping her out of her trauma induced trance. Slowly and reluctantly, her eyes shakily peered toward Alice, nervous and afraid to see the expression on the girl's face. Patting her head gently, she couldn't help but fake a smile as she looked down at her concerned eyes.

"Everything is alright, Alice... thank you."

All she could do was lie and act like nothing happened... time would heal the wounds eventually. But now that it had her thinking again, she wanted to take her mind off it once more. Breaking off the topic, Shinki interrupted whatever plans Alice had, suddenly standing up from her chair.

"If it will make you feel better, let's go look for Yumeko together." She offered, holding the girl's small hand in her own as she lead her out of the kitchen. "It'll be easier with the two of us."

Ah... Yumeko would probably be a little insulted if the two had gone looking for her, the maid having been Shinki's magnum opus, she could definitely handle herself. But if it was for Alice's sake, she'd do it in a heartbeat... though she'd much rather be sleeping right now.

Alice Margatroid [PC98]

Though it was obvious the goddess had tried to hide her anger, Alice knew exactly the feeling of despair and anger that rose within, and it was needless to say it startled her. The head-patting did little to help, though it was quite comforting.

Looking up with worried eyes, the girl started to say something, but she was promptly cut off by an invitation:

”…Let’s go look for Yumeko together.”

Hearing those words would have given Alice a thrill, but she had already adjusted to the plan of staying put and waiting for her return.

Though, if Alice had learned anything recently, she knew that passive playing did little to help anything.

“ …Very well, Lady Shinki… Let’s go look! “

Her face brightened up, cheerful at the thought of finding the maid— whom had only been gone for one night.

Shinki - God of Makai

As Alice's content and cheery smile grew, the memories of pain and fury faded away as though they were never there in the first place. Maybe this search would prove an ample distraction from the problems she was dealing with. Regardless, she couldn't stand to see any of her children upset, so she would have agreed to help look eventually. Linking the girl's hand around her palm, the pair stepped forth toward the stronghold's doors, stepping out into the glistening light of the moon. Through the blackened stone and garishly green grass, Shinki served as Alice's beacon through the night, the moons rays complimenting the red in her dress and her wings. It was very rare to see her come outside, as Yumeko usually handled all that needed to be done for her. Shinki had created her to practically be an extension of herself, after all, yet still her own individual person. And of course, given that all lifeblood in this realm derived from her, finding Yumeko's pulse would be no problem at all. She just had to follow the signal of her beating heart.

Going through the village was going to attract a lot of unwanted attention, but that seemed to be the direction it was coming from. Instead, she'd sprout out all six of her dagger-like wings to her side, tucking Alice tightly between her arms.

"Ready?" she asked, before taking off to the skies. Air surveillance would be much easier and convenient than walking through the treacherous march of Makai's terrain. Now... to find that maid.

Chapter Text

Louise - Wayward Demon

Bubbling on the surface of the lake, the milky white aura slowly dissipated from her head to toe, as Louise sat back down on her luggage. Unzipping a pocket, she pulled out a telescopic paddle, which had happened to conveniently come in handy for this very situation. Louise liked to be prepared for any sort of situation that may try and get in the way of her plans. Paddling her way to the rim of the lake, she hopped off and collapsed the paddle back down, hiking her luggage back onto dry ground, as the blood dripped off of its hydrophobic surface. Immediately, she was taken aback at the wonderful sights that registered in her eyes, goliath mountains, impressive rock spires, beautiful grass that was in more than one shade of color, and breathtaking clouds. It was exactly what she'd imagined, and precisely the breath of fresh air that she sought for so long. And straight ahead, just over the horizon, she could see what appeared to be a hotel for visitors, clad in a red that stuck out from its surroundings. Perfect! With no time to waste, Louise tugged her suitcase behind her as she made off in no particular rush whatsoever, soaking in the beautiful atmosphere. Perhaps she'd stop and rest for a while on the way there before checking in.

...Maybe she wasn't going to keep true on the idea of not taking long after all.

~Mugensekai~

Louise - Wayward Demon

The land of Mugensekai was an odd yet fascinating sight to behold, that much was true, the sky perpetually bathed in the blackness of night, only illuminated by the 'sunmoon' that danced lazily in the sky. It was not unlike Makai in that regard, daylight was something that just simply did not exist there, and yet it was almost as bright as day. It was a fond reminder of home. After she'd had her fill of lying in the grass, staring at the twinkling stars, Louise continued on her trek toward the 'hotel.' For such a delightful place, it was quite barren of, well... any life, really. There were the occasional sprites and bakebake that floated along on their merry way, not paying any mind to the very obvious newcomer that nonchalantly strolled toward her destination. It just struck her as odd that she was the only demon to come visit... fairies, of course, don't count. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long until she saw her kin. 'Til then, it was just her in a world full of strangers. The vampire seemed amicable, but how well would that apply to the others? She was warned of their less than polite nature, after all... Despite her having second thoughts, she paid the warnings no other part of her mind, finally having reached the gate to the manor.

~Mugenkan~

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The Maid intended on following the girl, but instead ended up walking side by side out into the main entrance hall.

She wondered what kind of place she found herself in, which seemed to be a mansion of some sort. With strange architecture that she had never seen practiced before, so it was clear that whoever created this place must be some sort of new god. maybe even a  rival to her own Mistress, which would mean the girl currently walking at her side would be her own sworn rival.

She remained silent, burying her intrusive thoughts and clearing her mind. the time would come when everything would become clear, but now was not that time.

as the front doors were opened, her gaze was greeted by an explosion of plant life, she had simply never seen such a vast collection of living things gathered in such a small area before. The most she had to compare was the overgrown Makai Ruins.. and some plants that her mistress would create occasionally, although nothing really lasted long around there.

The maid could barely hold her amazement as she took in the wonderous sights that the garden provided.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

She would turn and speak to the girl at her side. her demeanor was a bit taken aback, but still quietly polite.

"did you grow all of these... how do you manage to keep them alive.. and looking so vibrant... are they made with magic of some sort?"

her gaze led up to the sky, it was a pitch black void with a large gap of light poking through a certain point. Gently Illuminating the land below it with a cold but completely even blanket, making the maid wish she had longer sleeves.

across the vast garden she could spot what she assumed was the block wall that wrapped around the perimeter of the of the mansion, along with it's respective barred front gate. 

it felt like a much higher quality version of her own home surprisingly, she couldn't exactly put her finger on it. it simply just felt nice, at least compared to the toxic skies of Makai, where the thick poisonous mist covered most of the uninhabitable land. Anyone who wandered into the mist would never return the same, it always gave her chills to think about.

she spoke again, questioning the  gatekeeper once more.

"How long have you lived here for? how many others are out there...?"

Elly

In hindsight, leading the person who made a makeshift knife out of a chair back into the wilds of Mugensekai was probably not a good idea. But if it meant g̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶r̶i̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ taking her home, Elly thought leading her away wouldn’t be too bad.

As long as her scythe was kept in-tact and they were on or near a walkway.

The maid hobbled behind her at first, but quickly ended up walking beside her, something Elly was a bit happier with because then she could see if the maid tried running off or tried attacking. But the maid did quite the contrary, she stuck to Elly’s side as they walked to the front door, with a look of curiosity.

Elly simply stood and watched the curiosity turn into pure awe as she opened the grand front doors. They remained there for a moment; Elly allowing the maid to soak it all in, as Elly allowed herself to feel pride. Yuuka and all the servants weren’t the only ones who did gardening, after all.

The maid broke her gaze from the flowers and turned to Elly, looking like she was repressing her awe in order to keep a professional look. (Ah, much like her.) “Did you grow all of these? How do you manage to keep them alive, and looking so vibrant... are they made with magic of some sort?”

Elly smirked, and raised a hand to flick her hat… except she just flicked nothing but air. The embarrassing action instantly lowered her hubris back to safe levels.

“Not really, they pop up half on their own, half us plantin’ them. We take care a’ all th’ plants ‘round here, so that keeps ‘em healthy. Dunno about magic an’ all them, but we do get some energy from…” Elly stopped herself mid-rant. The maid was not paying attention, instead flipping her gaze from the skies, to the walls…?

Elly sighed. Anything left of her pride slunk back into the hole it came from.

When they stepped off of the porch, the maid asked, “How long have you lived here for? How many others are out there?”

Elly glanced to her side to make sure the maid was paying attention this time. Sure enough, she was looking at Elly and expecting an answer. Elly puffed herself up for the explanation again, “Dunno how long we’ve been here. Time isn’t exactly an easy thing t’ measure when all ya got is a sun an’ moon lookin’ the exact same.”

Elly looked around in the skies for the elusive dot, unable to find it. It must be a transitioning period, then… “Over two decades, that’s fer sure. If they’re the uh, ones with ten? An’ there’s about fifty-six people livin’ here. All but one in th’ mansion behind us.” Elly pointed back to Mugenkan, not even bothering to look.

“Trus’ me, when ya’ve been here as long as me, th’ sights get old fast. I can probably count all th’ shingles on th’ roO–” Elly shouted as her foot got caught on something, sending her tumbling onto the ground. The sad sound of her scythe cracking in two (again) let her know what happened to that, leaving her only thankful that the blade wasn’t pointed towards her. That simply rattled against the walkway when it landed.

Even more thankfully, Elly was durable. When you’re living with a bunch of hair-brains, someone needs to be the tough one who can take a hit, and that was exactly what Elly made herself be. A simple fall onto concrete wasn’t that bad, her dress even padded out whatever knee-busting injury anyone else might’ve gotten.

“What in th’ world…” A single look at the tripwire sent Elly into pure confusion. Nobody would dare set this up here when Yuuka was coming home, eventually. The only other person who’d do this would be Orange, but she was playing with Kurumi…?

While trying to find the culprit behind the prank, Elly looked up, and saw someone by the gates. The height was enough to keep her from panicking over Yuuka’s return, and questioning Kurumi extensively over why she did this; too tall to be Yuuka, too small to be Kurumi. Plus, nobody here wore nearly all white…

Without looking back to see if the maid was okay, Elly lifted herself up slightly, yelling to the new person, "Hey, you! Get over here, please!" In a way she hoped did not sound like the person would be in trouble.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

She was a bit shocked to hear about how short of a time the inhabitants been there, to have built such a vast mansion. but it confirmed her idea that whoever owned this land was definitely some sort of god. Albeit a lesser god than her mistress, since Makai seemed much larger than the land she found herself in currently. Although she hadn't exactly seen much yet, not that she exactly wanted to anyway. She couldn't really say that it was all that horrible to get out of Makai though, the same ruined scenery was becoming boring.

The Maid was snapped from her inner thoughts, her gaze clicking to the gatekeeper who had been sent flying into the dirt. she would have tripped as well if she didn't stop to feel one of the absolutely beautiful flowers...

She would gently grab the gatekeepers upper arm and assist her back to her feet, while inspecting who the girl was yelling at.

"Louise?"

She felt stunned, she actually knew this women, they weren't very well aquatinted but she used to live at Pandaemonium before everything went downhill.

Louise must have gotten trapped here too, she called out to the white clad girl to get her to hurry over. she simply needed to find out what was happening.

"Louise, please come over here!"

Louise - Wayward Demon

Edging closer towards the gate, she could make out two figures, both appeared to be armed. Red and white, with a bit of gold mixed in... both of them. Her mind flashed back to the time when that foreign invader burnt Makai down to nothing but rubble, save for the abandoned parts of Hokkai and the ruins. Red and white... she could not remember the girl's face or her hair color for some reason, but only those two colors, and that was enough to put a knot in her stomach as she anxiously approached the open gate, her pace slowly decrementing. Having seen the tripwire already, as it very obviously clashed with the stone path and the grass, she held a hand up to the women to warn them. "Mind your step-...!" Yet it was too late, the one with the scythe had suffered a less than graceful landing, luckily no harm had come to her. She paused just a few meters before her head, staring down at her with worry on her face. And of course, when beckoned to come to the woman's aid, Louise did not hesitate at all to lend her help. Gripping the stranger's arm, she sat her up, helping her to her knees, before pausing as she could have sworn she heard her name. Her head shot up, her eyes darting around like a startled deer trying to find the source of the noise, until she locked eyes with the maid, standing tall over the two of them. Through all the bandages and scars, she thought she could make out someone similar.

"...Yumeko...?" She questioned, clearly it was her, but she was dumbfounded to see the Goddess's personal maid here. Not shortly after, her usual cheerful smile returned. "Yumeko!" She shouted once she realized for sure it was her, rushing over, as the stranger was already back on her feet. Minding the tripwire, she abandoned her luggage, and wrapped her arms around the maid's waist in a warm embrace. They had not seen each other for a while since the incident long ago, it had felt like ages. "Why, what are you doing here? Fancied a vacation as well?"

She immediately questioned, releasing her from her unexpected bear hug. It was more than a relief to see more than one person from Makai at the resort. They most definitely had to catch up over some tea and Makai biscuits once they settled in!

Elly

Compared to her earlier almost-slap and almost-being-stabbed, being helped up without question was a nice change of pace. Elly thanked the woman quickly, although it didn’t seem like she was paying attention. The lady in white was distracted by the maid, mumbling, “Yumeko?”

Elly processed the word the second she heard it. The context implied it to be a name, but it wasn’t one Elly ever heard, or considered. The repeating of it in excitement let Elly know that her hunch was correct, which she mentally noted.

Elly got to work taking down the tripwire while the two were reuniting. Yes, she is absolutely questioning where this person came from– no, where they both came from, but the hazard came first. Then introductions. Then a well-needed explanation. (At least the lady in white could help keep the maid at bay, if she attacked. Elly would also need to rebuild her scythe…)

She was ignoring the conversation, up until she heard the lady say, “Fancied a vacation as well?”

Elly froze up when she heard that, dropped the tripwire and her broken scythe as well. “’Vacation?’” She parroted in complete disbelief, “Th’ hell? Nobody’s supposed to be here ‘cept us.”

It wasn’t her whole scythe, but Elly still kept a good grip on the blade. Just in case. “If ya don’t mind me askin’, where th’ hell are ya comin’ from, an’ why’s this place suddenly a ‘vacation spot?’” She asked wearily, eyebrow raised.

This valley was supposed to be secluded, it was its entire life. (Well, besides the dream geysers; and those are dry now.) Hell, Elly’d thought the fabled ‘Land of Realities’ or ‘Outside’ was a myth until a month ago. The idea of more people coming in after the first two put a really bad taste in her mouth, not to mention how Yuuka would react. Either by making even more enemies, or by working the staff to the bone, no doubt…

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

As she scanned through the garden, she dug up a few potatoes, carrots, leeks, radishes, the works. Seeing the doors open, she froze as she bit into the hard crunchy interior of a raw potato, slowly chewing the coarse vegetable while she stared as Elly and their guest waltzed outside, not even having noticed her. Yellow made her stick out like a sore thumb, though it was a good thing she was coincidentally hiding in the bush right next to a miniature lemon tree. It was when Elly had fallen victim for her trap meant for the other intruder that she almost spit out her food, trying to keep her calm. Out of sight, out of mind... surely Elly wouldn't think Orange did it... at least not with the intent to harm them. In fact, it completely backfired, as they called out for the intruder. Louise, huh...? Well, she doesn't look like much of a killer up close, now that she thought about it. That wasn't the point here, her trap failed!

...Not like it mattered, she had all the delicious vegetables in the world to sate her anxieties right now. The game was not getting caught... and Orange clearly did not intend on playing that game as she ducked from out of the bush and walked over to see what the commotion was about, still keeping behind the wall so Elly wouldn't immediately see her.

Louise - Wayward Demon

Staying close by Yumeko's side, Louise tipped her hat up so she could get a better look at the two, both on opposite sides of the gate, one of them stuffing their face and the other clearly vexed at what Louise had said. Worry cast over her again, as the woman's irritated tone of voice and harsh inflections accompanied her gripping her halved weapon.

"Now, now, let's take it easy, here. I don't mind one bit! You look awful stressed, maybe you need a vacation, too? My name is Louise, and this is Yumeko. We're from Makai. We heard a new resort opened up, so we took to the portal. Unique choice with the blood, quite charming, really." Stepping out from behind Yumeko once she'd introduced the two of them and made it clear that she didn't want to pose any threat, Louise put her hand out, inviting the woman to shake. "I believe I met your friend, already. Kurumi? She's a real dear, I think she'll enjoy Makai very much. Are you fixing to join her, or do you run the hotel here?" Louise was clearly VERY out of the loop as to what was going on here.

As she shook hands with the woman, her eyes glanced over to the redhead, who stopped being invested in the conversation about 5 minutes ago and went back to filling her gullet with vegetables. "Ah!" She suddenly interjected. "Where are my manners, what's your name, dear?" She looked back at Elly, waiting for an answer.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

Yumeko was not much of a hugger, but it was a pleasure to see anyone from her own homeland at this point. But calling this absolute nightmare a 'vacation' offended Yumeko's battered body just a bit. However she would remain silent about her personal woes for the moment. Instead questioning Louise, speaking with a hint of polite irritation. 

"Louise if you know what's happening.. i would be delighted for you to explain. You must have been tricked by that devil as well....."

The maid crossed her arm over her sling, giving a look of concern to Louise. this was an issue that was beginning to seem like something bigger occurring across their realms. It could even mean Makai itself was in danger... or The land she found herself in now. Not that she cared about this new realm too much, it would simply be a shame to see it turn out like her own land did after the invasion. 

Stopping this strange occurrence would have to be Yumeko's main priority, she would just have to somehow get this gatekeeper to join forces with her. They already seemed to have a good common ground anyway, therefore convincing them to help would likely be quite simple.

Louise - Wayward Demon

Interjected in the midst of her polite solicitations with the lady with the scythe, Louise cocked her head back to face the maid as she spoke up. She blinked a few times after hearing her out, confused at what she'd said.

"Devil? I've not been played by any of the sort... Nor do I have any idea what you mean. This is a new vacation resort, yes...?"

Now with the two of them battering down what Louise had thought was some nice time away from home, she was in the same boat, confused and unsure of what was truly going on here. Louise shared the same look Yumeko wore, facing back toward the stranger as she had begun to speak up, hopefully to provide some sort of explanation to what this place is and why its bloody lake opened a wormhole in Makai.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid gritted her teeth slapping her forehead with light frustration, Louise and the other lower ranking inhabitants tended to make questionable decisions that caused trouble for Mistress. And trouble for Mistress meant it was The Head maids job to fix anything out of order, which was easy enough anyway...

The maid spoke with a bit less patience than usual, although she knew Louise never really knew any better anyway..

"Louise, I don't understand why you feel the urge to leave our own world so deeply. We have everything you need to live happily at home with the Mistress... someday you won't be able to come back. And I'm going to get blamed for it... again..."

She would sigh quietly, her face showing concern. even tilting her head a bit to really try and nail through some show of empathy for the girl she would consider family.

Once the moment would pass, the maid would speak again. This time getting back to business, burying the soft display she had put out. She cleared her dry throat a bit.

"... now, Louise please.. tell me who told you this land was a... 'resort'.. this is really serious.. Makai could be in danger..."

Yumeko would turn to the gatekeeper a bit.

"..or even this land. We don't know if the combination of our homes could end badly..."

Elly

Elly blinked slowly as she watched the two talk, neither answering her questions at all.

Interrupting them to get a fast response would’ve been easy, but certain keywords caught her ear. ‘Tricked by (a) devil’ wasn’t exactly a common phrase around her valley, unless it came straight out of Elly’s mouth. So instead she shelved her questions for a minute to listen and think.

Because if Yuuka decided to run off and cause more issues for everyone, Elly would be more than glad to take all the servants, Orange, and Kurumi, then leave the Land of Fantasies with her own self-made portal.

Note one: the maid– Yumeko? Eh, using her name without being properly introduced felt weird– was ‘tricked by ‘that’ devil.’ Who the devil is was left unclear, so Elly could already assume who that was. The implications in her words pointed to ‘that devil’ being the reason the maid is here to begin with. That lowered the chances of it actually being Yuuka, as Elly knew that Yuuka wouldn’t just invite people in without some other reason. And if she wanted more ‘competent’ servants that badly, she’d just get them the same way she always did.

Note two: the new lady doesn’t know who the ‘devil’ is, still thinks Mugenkan is a resor possibly? Yuuka would never, ever call her home anything like that, even as a ploy. So that lowered the chances of her being the ‘devil’ even more. This made the maid frustrated?

Note three: the two called their home ‘another world,’ making it absolutely clear that they were not from this land whatsoever. A small plus, because that would mean less birth plants to transport. Three-and-a-half was that the maid was obviously very loyal to her mistress, and the non-exploring type. Elly couldn’t blame her for not wanting to venture, but couldn’t connect with the loyalty at all. Three-and-three-quarters was that someone ‘left’ and ‘wasn’t able to come back,’ which the maid was blamed for? Seemed like something to ask about later.

A moment passed in utter silence, which Elly considered breaking up. But some rustling in bushes near her caught her attention for that moment, and by the time she started paying attention again, her chance had come and gone.

Note four: ‘Makai’ is a place, and could be ‘in danger?’ And so could their home. Good, perfect, great. Asking would be pointless, because the maid was also clueless. Time to file that info away, buckle up, and wait for reality to collapse inwards or not.

… ‘Makai’ sounded familiar, but Elly couldn’t put a finger on where she’s heard it before for the life of her.

The maid was looking at her now, with the white lady following the maid’s motion. Upon seeing the eyes back on her, Elly blinked a couple times.

Ah. They wanted her opinion.

“Dunno what any’a ya’ll’re talkin’ about.” She told them bluntly. “Dunno any devil who’d do all this. Dunno what a ‘Makai’ is, either. What I wanna know, though, is why Mugenkan’s suddenly some vacation spot. An’ how ya’ll got here, because this place should be closed-off from any entrances. Our last visitors weren’t th’ best, to say th’ least.”

She left any details about Yuuka unsaid. These two don’t need to know how badly Elly’s own Mistress would beat the three of them, and either go on a rampage in this ‘Makai,’ or begin ‘obtaining’ more servants from there, like the baku.

“I’m also tired of callin’ ya two ‘the lady’ or ‘the maid’ in my head. Since we’re probably gonna be stuck together fer a bit longer, my name’s Elly. Yours?” She asked with a tilt of a head and an extended hand.

Louise - Wayward Demon

The demon peered from underneath her hat, wearing a frown as the maid ridiculed her fondness for travel, adventure, and sightseeing. Tourism was her hobby, and it was one she rarely got to exercise, she couldn't help but feel a little sad that Yumeko couldn't grasp her interests. She sighed, just lowering her head sheepishly in shame, trying to hide her embarrassment. "My apologies... I didn't mean for my hobby to become such a burden." Nervously, she danced her foot around behind her. "As for the false promise of a resort, that 'Hika' girl told me about it." Her disappointment showed, as she kicked her shoe lightly into the ground, sadness laden in her words. "I just wanted to take it easy and look at the beautiful sights the world has to offer... I thought that was why you came here, too..."

Stewing in her sorrows and guilt, she followed along with Yumeko, staring at Elly in silence until she perked up with answers of her own. It was even more salt in the wound, seeing how the woman had previously disregarded Louise's prior introduction of the two of them. Nonetheless, she took it on the chin, not blaming her as a lot was going on after all.

"Pleasure to meet you, Elly. It's Louise." Perhaps it'd help if they introduced themselves rather than Louise doing all of the talking. She'd let Yumeko introduce herself.

"Some sort of portal opened in our world, and the last time that happened was when miss Shinki organized a vacation resort for us out in the human world. I'd thought that chance had come around again, but this is an entirely different world, it seems..." As she prattled on, she clutched the grip of her suitcase, hoping deep down inside that they'd still be welcomed as guests and allowed to stay. She didn't want to go back home after all of this trouble…

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Feeling ignored by the two foreigners, Orange crossed one arm over the other and rubbed her shoulder nervously. Despite not wanting to give herself away, she still felt the need to properly introduce herself to these two. Even if her sudden appearance would almost immediately alert Elly to who was behind the tripwire, she didn't really expect much to come from it, anyway. It was all done for the greater good, after all! ...Even if it had fallen completely flat! Edging her head around the corner just as Louise had finished her meager explanation, she gave a polite little wave as she stepped out from behind the wall.

"Um, hi... you forgot me? I'm Orange." With a big cheery smile, she was met with nothing but ignorant stares, aside from the tourist demon who welcomed her with open arms. At least someone cared... even if it wasn't for long as the trio immediately went back to conversing as if she'd never shown up or existed in the first place. Such was life, she guessed... Kicking her leg up, she turned on one foot back toward the gate after the awkward encounter, making off with one more cucumber as she headed inside the mansion to let the others sort things out. Complex things like that were too much for her tiny brain, anyway. Though this wasn't her own home, Orange made herself at home regardless, making her way past the servants upstairs as she marched toward some random bedroom. She'd never actually explored the upper floors of the mansion, much... it was kind of fascinating. The most she'd been up here was in one of the temporary guest rooms that have spent more time gathering dust than actual guests. With all of these empty guest rooms, surely it wouldn't hurt to welcome the newcomers into the abode, were it otherwise that she had a say in anything. But the hallway opposite of her own, she had never explored.

Creeping through the alluring hallway, carpeted with red and dimly illuminated by the candlelight that burned infinitely, Orange found herself in a strange new room. A secret bedroom? She was pretty sleepy, maybe a nap wouldn't hurt. The bed in the middle of room was pretty big and fancy... and so inviting looking. She couldn't help but find herself ensnared in the comforting warmth of the blankets, yet the pillow was a bit coarse... Luckily, she quickly solved the matter, discarding the pink alarm clock that was nestled underneath. Wondering who this fancy room belonged to, Orange lay in the bed, staring up at the ceiling, where somehow constellations and stars danced across the room, almost as if it were a window to the sky... Just how many were there...?

As she counted, she found herself grow drowsier, and drowsier... all that hard work spent on the mountains and in the garden... sure enough, it was naptime.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

A portal?? It really should not have surprised her as much as it did, given the circumstances. Yumeko felt her chest tighten up a bit, the possibility of yet another invasion occurring was coming closer to fruition. Under no circumstances could she allow this to happen again, her Home wouldn't survive yet another incursion. Even if Mistress was the god of Makai, she never really seemed to act the same after the attacks. 

She closed her fist tight, her knuckles turning pale. her tone was sharp but still kept a refined aspect to it.

"It is of utmost importance that we find a way to seal the breach, imagine if something happened similar to the last invasion.. we might not have a place to call home Louise... We have to do what needs to be done, no matter what. I'm not losing our home because of this mess..."

Yumeko was clearly upset, she tried to keep her composure. The idea of losing everything shook her deep to the core, she wished Mistress was here to tell her exactly what needed to be done. But she couldnt worry about any of that right now. there was no time to waste.

She looked directly into Louise's eyes, her tone was patiently sharp. 

"Louise... we can find somewhere better to visit once we close this portal...  please show me the spot where you came from.... we can most likely work from there..."

Louise - Wayward Demon

Sighing, she realized the possibilities of her hopes and dreams coming true were once again nil, Yumeko did have a point after all. The last thing she'd want is to not have anywhere to call home. The recent events had everyone shaken up still, even if they didn't show it. Nodding as Yumeko kept her unwavering glare on her, she reluctantly and sheepishly moseyed along, dragging her suitcase behind her. At least she had the promise of going on vacation somewhere even better to visit if she helped resolve this incident. 

"Well, you ended up here through the same way, right?" She asked, pointing out over the horizon. "That lake over there, it's leaking into Makai. If I had to venture a guess, that fairy might be behind it..."

Elly

Elly mentally checked ‘Louise’ into her mind, as well as took note of the maid ignoring her request for a name. Which was fine, because she seemed just as ready as Elly to seal off the portal for good. If fixing a fence and not getting to know your neighbor meant keeping your house and sense of privacy– especially since that privacy also kept a certain green-haired youkai away from ‘dominating’ a kingdom or whatever– stable, then Elly would go for it.

The maid appeared to be getting herself distressed. Elly couldn’t blame her, she’d be freaking out a lot more if she weren’t so sure that they’d be able to seal off the portal. Gotta keep a positive mind, and all.

(... And Orange popped out of a nearby bush, introduced herself, then walked away without a second word. Her close proximity meant she definitely was no doubt the one responsible for the tripwire; nobody else had that thick of a skull to think making one now was a good idea. Oh well, Elly could talk to her later. And then wonder how the hell she keeps evading all the mouse traps Elly made and set up in the faux garden.)

If she spoke up, she was unsure that the two would even hear her through their conversation– again. They had some sorta look in their eyes when they got ‘deep’ into conversations. Regardless, Elly jumbled out, “Hey, maid. It’s gonna be okay, we can rush to th’ portal an’ close it off before anythin’ bad happens.” With a slight confident smile.

She was used to working with wracked nerves in a short amount of time. Cheerful and optimistic as Kurumi was, she had a habit of losing control of her anxieties once they built up too much. A quick way to get her happy was the best way.

“Well, you ended up here through the same way, right? That lake over there, it’s leading to Makai–”

And that right there broke Elly’s wall. The woman– Louise, right– was pointing right at the Lake of Blood. She made some sort of noise that she thought could only come from her whetstone, accompanied by dizziness and sweat flooding from her head once again.

“The Lake?!” Elly near bellowed, her low-tone voice straining itself to get to that volume. Wait. Wait–

Without seeing how the ‘intruders’ reacted, Elly bolted for the Lake of Blood the second her mind clicked some puzzle pieces together. Kurumi was playing over there– obviously alone since Orange was at Mugenkan– and Louise popped out of there. Kurumi would’ve escorted her to Mugenkan if she saw her, or followed Louise to the mansion. She might’ve popped into the lake-portal(?????) like an idiot, because that’s absolutely something a curious person like Kurumi would do. Otherwise, she was in danger of going in, and Elly had to make sure she wouldn’t be that hair-brained before anything else.

Louise - Wayward Demon

Her eyes darted back and forth from Yumeko and Elly, concerned at what sort of reaction her explanation might have spiked in their 'tour guide.' Sure enough, she'd sent her off in a panicked frenzy, and Louise couldn't help but feel bad for her. Placing her hand on her cheek, she made a 'tsk' noise as she shook her head. "These poor folk, we've been nothing but a burden..."

Suddenly, she gripped Yumeko's hand, trying to drag the girl whom towered over her over to the lake with her. "Come along, now, there's no time to waste. Our investigation will commence with the fairy, let us find her."

And like that, the two were sprinting off after the gatekeeper. Hopefully she didn't go in by herself already...

Everyone > Lake of Blood

Chapter Text

~Makai Entrance~

Sara

Sara stood at her post, it used to be a fancy marble guard house, but after the years and countless battles, it was looking a bit worse for wear.

she lady Shinki never really made it this far out from Pandaemonium, so getting a new shack made was highly unlikely. But Sara didn't really mind, it gave it plenty of character and did it's job of keeping her safe  enough from the occasional escapee or intruder.

she went outside, the air was cold and harsh as usual, most of the thick wind coming from over the hokkai gates. as well as some of the more toxic fog ever so slightly creeping over the gates like a steaming pot.

The guard would approach the Hokkai gates and fly above them, watching over the terrifying landscape, with it's drab plant life and crater's where toxic fog would accumulate. she never went past the gates, but watching over them was always a good idea to make sure nothing was trying to claw the gates down again. The creatures of hokkai always made Sara's skin crawl, they weren't that powerful and could be defeated. but they would always come back, perhaps they were some sort of corrupted fairies. gone feral from the fog, and left to eternally wander.

she stopped herself, thinking about such things made her sad. but as she began to turn away she caught some movement.

Something in the distance was slowly approaching the gates, it would fly low to the ground, with gently beating wings.

she stood still and watched with keen interest, judging whether or not Ellis was returning for round two.... or perhaps another demon she hadn't met yet…

Kurumi

Kurumi didn’t really know where she went, or where she was at anymore. She just kept stumbling in one direction as the coughing got worse and worse, hoping she’d find Hikariko or get out of whatever was in this air before she collapsed. (Or worse…)

Eventually, she hit some sort of gust that pulled her up slightly. She pathetically flapped up into the air, seeing no reason to keep walking. She was a better flier, and she could cover more ground there. She was more surprised with herself that it took the gust to convince her to fly, but then again, her head was feeling awfully stuffy…

She slowly(?) flew through the air, eyes near closed. The wind rushing across her didn’t help her cough at all; it was flying into her nose and open mouth, keeping her from being able to breathe out. That nearly left her unconscious. (Why couldn’t she close her mouth again?) And she had to keep putting so much force into her flaps to fly against it, despite feeling so weak…

Eventually the wind stopped rushing against her face as much, turning to push her back instead. Kurumi allowed the wind to carry her, numbly gliding in the air.

The wind kept getting thinner and thinner, until there was no air at all. Just a blur of darkness and faint colors, and the sound of her wings sloppily beating behind her. Was she even flying anymore?

Soon enough, Kurumi’s wings gave out, and she fell to the earth. It was less hard here than it had been behind her, but she still fell from so high up.

The impact knocked the wind out of her. And she kept coughing and coughing… She even spat up blood, even though she thought she coughed it all out.

Her body was too weak to move, head too stuffy to think of much. She let the blood drool out of her mouth pathetically as she slowly gazed around. Not that she could see anything, everything was so blurry…

Sara

Sara watched as the figure would flop to the ground, peaking her interest in the Elis look alike, but Elis never had a problem with Hokkai's rougher atmosphere...

something was wrong... and Sara really didn't have anything better to do anyway.. so she wouldn't even think of looking back to her post as she jumped over the weathered gates. Running around the decimated landscape  to the fallen bat creature..

Upon a closer look, it was clear that it wasn't a fog creature of any sort. but a very fancy looking girl, she had large wings that would nearly cover her limp body. Although she was absolutely covered in blood, which immediately gave Sara a deep fright, she wondered if this girl might actually be seriously dying. 

Sara grabbed under the poor girls shoulders, lifting her up a bit to pull her near lifeless body back towards the gate. Being as careful as she could to avoid any potentially harsh or toxic terrain to avoid injuring the girl further..

Sara

Sara would make it near the gate and lift the girl up higher into her arms, pulling her closer until she was able to lock her arms behind the poor girls back. From there she slowly began to fly backwards over the gate, holding onto the limp girl who would struggle with breathing.

The bat girl would cough a bit of blood onto Sara's neck, as nasty as it was, it let Sara know the girl was still kicking. Sara whined a bit as she finally made it to the top of the gate, sitting on the top and pulling the girl over to the other side. being careful not to loosen her grip on the child as she let herself slowly levitate back down to the guard post.

Once again the guard would drag the girl over to the small shack, the girls wings completely limp and motionless as they dragged on the dirt. Many of her Bakebake friends began to gather around the peculiar scene, watching from afar with a helpless curiosity.

Sara threw open the door of the shack, pulling the girl the final stretch into the clean but weathered marble flooring. Carefully sitting the girls back up against a nearby table, trying to allow her as much room as possible for her large wings…

Kurumi

Kurumi jolted awake, taking a few seconds to realize she went unconscious, again. Her vision was still a bit blurry, and she was still coughing, but she could instantly tell wherever she was now was better than before. It didn’t feel like her head and chest were weighing her down anymore, and she could breathe somewhat properly.

She lifted her hands to rub her face again, still not really being able to see much. And to her surprise, neither her face or her hands were sticky. She still rubbed her eyes a little to try and clear them out, then once she could mostly-see, looked down to her hands. They were clean, with only a few smudges of red left on them. However, her shirt was still soaked. And it was getting crusty, too…

She shuffled around on whatever floor she was on, not really trying to stand. Wherever she was had a gray floor, shinier than any wood she’d ever seen. It even felt more like a rock, but she’d also never seen any rock this color before. Not even the glass over the greenhouse was this shiny…

The floor was incredibly dirty, with at least an inch of some sort of dust? There was a table behind her and a chair near it, noticeably more clean than the floor.

Kurumi looked around more. Wherever she was looked decrepit, like it’d been abandoned. At least, compared to Mugenkan.

… That’s right! She had to go find Hikariko and go home!

Kurumi looked around for a moment longer, trying to see if she could figure out how she got here in the first place. Since she didn’t see anything, she slowly and cautiously stood up, trying to not slip on the ‘sleek’ floor.

Sara

Sara sat and watched over the small kettle, it was cooking over a tiny metal stove someone made for her quite some time ago. She figured some tea might help the girl feel better, and help flush out some of the toxins in her body. Or at least it was worth a try, she really didnt really know what else to do... 

A slight noise caught her attention, Sara quickly jumped back into the main part of the guard post. Wanting to see as soon as possible if the girl had woken up yet. She blurted out loudly, not really considering whether or not the girl might become startled.

"Hello!?!?" 

The poor girl nearly fell with the jump Sara gave her, thankfully Sara was quick to grab the girls arm and keep her up. The girl made a very loud squeak, Sara thought she might have hurt the girl, but she realized her not-so subtle entrance might have startled her. she spoke in a lower tone as she let go of the girls arm.

"im sorry.... are you okay..?"

Sara stepped back and wiped the blood onto her dress, blood pretty much matched with her dress anyway.. she did not give it another thought before speaking again. Pointing her thumb to the back section of the Guard post.

"....i um... i made tea... if you want some..."

The back of the guard post was filled with everything someone might need to stay for long periods of time, a small kitchen sort of area with boxes, along with a very comfy looking bed huddled in the corner. There was a faint orange glow throughout the post from the fire, a makeshift stool sat next to it. A kettle filled with what was probably water, let out a gentle wisp of steam. 

the table that the wounded girl laid upon had a set of tea cups already prepared, along with a small tea jar in the center of the table.

Kurumi

As soon as she heard the sudden greeting, Kurumi jumped, nearly sliding and falling onto her face. (Ah, her shoes were clean too?)

Thankfully, someone behind her thought to grab her arm, keeping Kurumi from injuring herself more. As soon as her body was steady again, Kurumi whipped her head around to her savior. A girl with purple hair and a red dress seemed to magically pop up behind her, with a face full of worry.

As soon as Kurumi steadied herself, the girl let go of Kurumi’s arm. “I’m sorry… Are you okay?”

“Um, yea! Thank you,” cough, “Miss!” Kurumi rasped out. Her cheerful voice sounded dry and crackly, something she’d never experienced before. It almost made her jump again, but the slick floors kept her body from repeating that mistake.

The girl nodded gently, and pointed to a doorway behind them, something Kurumi missed while on the floor. “I, um, made tea… If you want some.”

Kurumi tilted her head. She was very used to tea, to the point where she drank it more than her blood. The request wasn’t too strange to her, although she was surprised that a stranger would be as eager to drink it as she was. And upon a closer inspection, the table beside them was already prepared for tea. There were even two cups laid out.

Kurumi stared at the setup a little, contemplating.

As nice as this person was, she needed to find Hikariko and go home as quickly as possible. Even if this place had extremely clean and breathable air, her friends– and Mistress if she was back by now– were probably worried about her. 

… But at the same time, she could now see that the furniture around them definitely wasn’t covered in nearly as much soot as the floor, likely kept clean by this person. So, the house wasn’t abandoned, and this person saved her. Leaving now, right after being saved and cleaned up, would just be rude.

Besides, she could ask for some information about her current location, or if this person knew where Hikariko went. And the tea might make her throat less dry…

She blinked again, coming to her final decision of what to do. “I guess so, but I need to go find my friend after this. Um, what tea is it, anyway?”

Being honest and polite never hurt, after all.

Oh, yes, she’d nearly forgotten. So she quickly added on, “And, err, won’t I get your nice chair dirty?” Kurumi grinned sheepishly, lifting her blood-soaked arms a little to say ‘just look at me.’

Sara

Sara would visibly think, quickly giving up and shrugging. 

"I dunno! Miss Yumeko has it delivered to me, it tastes really good with sweet bug sap~"

Sara would observe the girls display, nodding in agreement with a thoughtful sort of look across her face. She would come uncomfortably close to the girl, looking around her, at her body and large wings. She stepped back and nodded, smiling wide.

"that's okay!!! you can borrow my dress!! we can even cut holes in the back for your big wings!! it's really no problem!! I can ask Miss Shinki for another few!! you might blend in better with the locals too!! since outsiders aren't really welcome near Miss Shinki's house..."

she smiled wide and briskly walked into the back room, pulling a box from under her cot and opening it. inside was a nearly identical red dress, albeit a bit cleaner than the one Sara was wearing.

she would bring it back to the girl, unfolding and openly displaying it. she had a star in her eye, as if she was proud to show the dress off. She really hoped the girl would accept it, she never really had anyone else around to play with. so maybe this girl would be her friend!

"um.. well we can put big holes in the back... or we can um...."

she would look over the dress, and back to the girls large wings

"..can they squeeze into holes.. how big would we have to make the cuts..??"

Kurumi

Kurumi had no idea what that was– she knew of sap, yes, but bug sap was new. She already liked sap enough, licking it up whenever she could, so maybe ‘bug sap’ wouldn’t be too bad? (What kind of tree was ‘bug,’ anyway?) She just nodded to the girl with a smile, not wanting to hurt her throat too much more, and get into another coughing fit.

Then the girl walked closer to Kurumi, looking her over while being a bit too close for Kurumi’s comfort. She didn’t say anything though, besides a quick squeak of shock.

“That’s okay, you can borrow my dress! We can even cut holes in the back for your big wings! It’s really no problem, I can ask Miss Shinki for another few! You might blend in better with the locals too, since outsiders aren’t really welcome near Miss Shinki’s house…” The girl blurted out quickly, looking a bit excited until the end there. Kurumi understood all of it, naturally. She’s blurted out stuff like that before, so of course she’d understand it.

“Ah, sure, Miss!” Kurumi smiled weakly. As much as she didn’t want to part with her beloved dress– even if she had dozens like it back home, each and every one was special to her– tracking blood all over the house of the person who saved her would be awfully rude. “But uh, can I have it back after it’s clean…?” She asked, only to realize the girl ran off while Kurumi was thinking.

By the time Kurumi took a step forward, the girl returned with sparkling eyes and a wide grin. Then, she quickly began unfolding the dress in order to present it properly. The dress itself was a near copy of the one the girl was currently wearing; an almost-red pink with a white stripe, and a white shirt to put under it.

Now, it wasn’t that Kurumi hated it, it was just… a bit too similar to Elly’s own dress, for Kurumi’s liking. She didn’t hate red, but she wasn’t a big fan of it, either. It was nice with other colors, not as the main one. Like how her lake had a lot of gray and black stones in it, it balanced it out!

… But she wasn’t about to turn down someone being so kind. Besides, her clothes were already dyed red probably, so it wasn’t like it would matter much… And they were already so crusty and sticky…

While Kurumi was busy being conflicted, the girl began to speak again, holding the dress a bit closer to her. “Um… Well, we can put big holes in the back… Or, we can, um…” The girl lifted her head up to look behind Kurumi. She followed the girl’s gaze, being met with one of her semi-limp wings. “... Can those squeeze into holes? How big would we have to make the cuts??”

“Ah!” Kurumi blinked, lifting her wing up more, cringing a little due to the dried blood in her wing’s hairs cracking from the movement. It felt like being pinched by a bunch of tiny fingers, all at once. “Yes they can! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to put a shirt on. Watch this!” Kurumi boasted, looking back at the girl with a confident look before starting her trick.

It was pretty simple; she just folded up her wing’s ‘fingers’ a little, then stretched her wing out completely– all while flinching thanks to the dry blood. When she was done, the best way she could describe how her wings looked was like a weird umbrella.

“The wing-stuff,” Kurumi poked the stuff in-between her fingers, “Gets thinner when it gets closer to my back. So all I have to worry about is that.” And then moved her hands up to her wing ‘fingers.’

Kurumi turned to face the girl completely, a confident smile plastered on her and a huff escaping with it, “It's pretty cool, huh?”

“... Also, can I have some water and a washcloth before I put that on?” She quietly added after a second. Her hair felt all crusty too, and it’d be pointless to change clothes if her skin was also soaked…

Sara

Sara had another glint of amazement in her eyes, making audible noises of interest as the girl displayed her wings. Nearly letting the dress touch the floor as she would learn around the girl to get a better look.

she listened as best of her ability to the girls explanation, but most of it would probably be unfortunately forgotten. The guard spoke again, sounding as if she forgot something important.

"..Oh!! cleaning yourself!! of course... um... here.."

Sara quickly folded up the dress sloppily and placed it into the center table, going into the back and retrieving a single decently sized towel. The weathered white towel that was probably very high quality at some point, but had been washed and dirtied over and over again for years.

Sara

Sara would lay the towel on the table next to the dress, giving it an extra little pat pat. She smiled and stood for a second, before remembering something (the tea water would likely boil away at this point). Sara would raise her left foot upwards, she wore some sort of outdoor dress shoes, with long white knitted socks. She would pull something odd out from the side of her sock, quickly displaying a full dagger to the girl.

"Miss Yumeko made me carry this!! ...I don't really understand why, but it's really good for cutting things, like paper and food!! but um... you can use it for cutting the wing holes..."

She carefully laid the 6 inch blade onto the table, it looked perfectly good for stabbing and cutting. Although it's obscure intended use probably hasn't been realized for many years now. Instead serving as a trusted utility device.

Sara smiled for a second, staring blankly at the tea cups before making a sound of surprise.

"..wah! i forgot the pot..!"

Sara ran to retrieve the small kettle, which had been puffing a thick steam for quite some time now. Grabbing a nice padded handle on the pot and bringing it back to the table. Pouring the two cups, before setting it down on a specific spot that seemed to have seen better days from repetitive use.

 She would warmly smile while humming, gently working around the girl to bring their tea to fruition. Sara would open the small box and retrieve an enclosed straining spoon that came in its own handy compartment within the box.  Using the hinged spoon to grab some tea material from the box, trapping it within the tiny strainer and placing it into the steaming cup.

The guard would pull another jar from a nearby weathered wooden cabinets, it was marked with what looked like a striped red winged 'bug' of some sort. Popping the sealed jar, Sara would use another normal spoon to take a bit  of the clear but thick, sticky red substance. Placing the spoon into the first cup and stirring it around carefully, being car

eful not to spill anything. 

Sara would repeat the process for the other awaiting cup and present her work to the girl.

"annd.. there it is!! bug sap tea! it always helps me when I feel sick or sad.. so maybe it will help you too!!"

Kurumi

After the girl set the towel and knife down on the table and ran off, Kurumi looked around a little bit, trying to find a room to clean herself off and change in. While she was happy that the girl understood her need for the cloth, she wished that she’d brought some water back as well. With how dry the blood was getting, she’d need to get the towel damp before she could even start scrubbing herself off…

Sadly, she didn’t see any other place in the house besides the extra room, which the girl was already in. No stairs, no extra doors…

Oh well. It could just be like back home.

Kurumi picked up the dress, the old-looking towel, and the knife– holding the dress behind the towel so the blood wouldn’t ruin it, of course. “Um, I’m going to go find a place outside to change?” She called out to the girl, who didn’t seem to hear her. Kurumi couldn’t blame her; her voice was so crackly and hoarse that shouting would probably just sound like whispering.

Kurumi slowly walked towards the door behind her. Mugenkan didn’t really have any interior faucets that weren’t in the kitchen or greenhouse, so when someone needed to clean, they’d get water from a faucet behind the mansion, and then carry it in a bucket to a small shack right behind the mansion. This girl probably had something similar and Kurumi just had to find it.

The second she stepped outside, she felt her throat tighten again. The air still felt like it was constricting her, but it was somehow not as bad as wherever she was before. Regardless, Kurumi walked around the sides of the house in order to find the bathhouse.

Wherever she was now looked pretty bleak. Kurumi was always mystified by the black skies with the colorful constellations that her home had, but wherever she was now contained simply… black. From how it felt, it was all stone; just about as smooth as it was inside the girl’s house, yet not as sleek. Occasionally, she’d see a small patch of red… moss? On the ground, or on the equally dark walls of the cave she was apparently in. From where she was standing, she could see a large, circular patch of the moss a little ways away, with a few small, glowing red stones surrounding it.

Kurumi continued to go around the house, now aware that she’d be unable to see any pathways opening up in the ‘darkness’ unless something was ahead of her, despite her ability to see well in the dark.

Eventually, she did find a small pathway, which turned to the left to reveal the door of another small shack. Inside was an obvious setup for a washroom, with a faucet, bucket, clothes rack, and holes in the floor to drain the water out. And of course, it was all that same slick-white stone, just like the other house. Kurumi grit her teeth a little, and stepped inside.

Kurumi got to work quickly, filling the bucket as she gently cut the holes on the dress’s backside. (She didn’t entirely know why the girl gave her a knife when she had her claws, but she wasn’t going to complain…) Then she gently got the cloth damp without getting her hands too wet, and got ready to scrub.

It took a bit, but Kurumi had fully cleaned herself off, even her hair and wing-fur. The floor under her had a bunch of faint-red splatters on it, but she could wash those when she came back for her clothes. Right now, those were soaking in the bucket, after being thoroughly wringed out.

The process took a little while, (fifteen minutes?) but she was finally done, and so was the tea probably. It would be rude to skip that, especially after being given a dress…

So Kurumi sheepishly rushed back to the shack, doing her best to memorize which side had the bathhouse hole in it.

Sara

Sara turned around with the tea now complete, but the girl was gone. She made a quiet noise of surprise at the girls disappearance, looking around the room for any trace. The knife and Dress were gone, so the girl had to have taken them already while her back was turned. 

She felt a bit silly for taking so long, but more silly for not telling the girl where she could clean herself... Although figured the bath house would be close enough to locate anyway. Sara set the tea down on the main table, quickly grabbing another stool from her small kitchen area and bringing it back to the side of the table for the girl. Pulling out her own stool from under the table, pulling herself onto the chair at the head of the table.

Sara sat and waited patiently, watching the hot steam bellow up from her wooden cup. It was far too hot to drink anyway, perhaps that was why the girl did not feel the need to wait. She sat for another 5 or so minutes before she heard the ground outside being disturbed, she knew it was probably the girl, but Sara couldn't help the chills that ran up her back. 

Being alone in a small shack right next to the forbidden lands never ceased to spook Sara. Even if she was just about able to defeat any husk or common inhabitant that tried to cross the boundaries... She always felt more comfortable in the guard tower portion of her post, the ground level felt too easily accessible. 

Sara watched out the windows, looking for any source of the noise.

~Lake of Blood~

Elly

Elly wasn’t the fastest person in the Land of Fantasies, yet she also wasn’t the slowest. She was below the in-between line, which meant it took her a little bit to run the Lake of Blood, even if adrenaline was giving her a bit of an extra push.

And when she got there, all she found herself with was an empty lake, and a few piles of pebbles– an obvious sign that someone was at least here at some point. The sight of an empty lake compounded itself with her anxiety, flooding her hearing with panting and the pounding of her heart.

“Kurumi?!” She yelled out a few times between gasps for air, not even hearing the echoes of her voice bouncing off of the pillars and lake. Elly flipped her head between the skies and to the lake, slowly deciding on something as she tried to find Kurumi. The lack of any sort of response made her decide quickly.

She wasn’t nearly as good as Yuuka when it came to manipulating the plant life. Yuuka was the master of all plants, after all. But Elly could still pull her own weight with things, especially wood.

Getting a small seed to tunnel over to where the grass bordered the lake was quick and easy, giving the energy for it to grow into a sapling was a bit less-so. But she still did it in record time, thanking it as she gently broke off enough branches to rebuild her scythe. (Which was also quick, even without tools. All she had to do was ‘motivate’ it before the life left the wood.)

Elly quickly stumbled back to the lake, dreadingly staring into the pulsating ‘waters.’ Everyone knew that the lake killed all the plant life that tried to grow around it. It did so when it appeared, and it did so when Kurumi tried to ‘liven it up.’ Since she herself was technically a plant, she was weary what submerging in the stuff would do to her.

Even still, once in a while, she’d catch others taking a sip from the lake, even other flower youkai. They were always fine. So, maybe if she didn’t linger for too long…

But she also didn’t need to get herself lost. Kurumi might’ve just flown somewhere else when Orange left, and never went in the lake or saw Louise. So Elly might just be endangering herself for no reason.

But she didn’t want Kurumi to get hurt–

And so Elly found herself stuck at the shore, the blood lapping at her shoes. Too terrified to go forward, too terrified to go back.

Louise - Wayward Demon

In no time at all, the wayward demon Louise and her maid acolyte caught up to the land's sentinel, their pace slowing as they inched closer before halting a few feet behind her as they edged toward the lip of the lake's shore. Louise knew for a fact that the lake was a hotspot for interdimensional travel, as she'd seen at least two other people cross over, not counting Yumeko. She wasn't surprised at all to hear the familiar name of 'Kurumi' being called out, she'd just met the girl before she got here, and she saw her off when the two parted ways. As the girl worked her magic in repairing her scythe, she watched in both amazement and confusion... what was she doing? Splitting away from her friend, she slowly approached Elly as to not appear threatening, crouching down next to her once she'd gotten close enough and once the girl had calmed down. Though the grass bled into her dress, and the blood threatened to do the same, she could ignore the fashion crisis for a while to help a few lost souls out. Placing a hand on her shoulder, she spoke.

"You're looking for Kurumi, mm?" She stared into the girl's eyes, her answer solidified as she saw the dread in her eyes. Though it would potentially scare Elly half to death, she decided the truth was better out than in.

"I saw her come through the puddle in Makai," she started. Now that she thought about it, that 'puddle' was probably about a miniature lake in terms of size by now. "She was a nice girl, we had a good talk. She had the same idea, to go look for that 'Hika' fairy. Of course, I thought the two were just sight-seeing in Makai initially... I wouldn't let four bad apples ruin the experience for others, so I helped her." Tapping on her chin as she stared into the black sky, she wondered if she was forgetting to mention anything.

"Ah!" She finally exclaimed. "If you'd like, I can ferry the three of us to the other side? Of course, my suitcase isn't big enough for all three of us, but... if we could find a raft."

She quickly demonstrated her crazy idea, wrapping a similar bubble to before around her luggage. "With this, we won't have to worry about drowning or anything. Just enjoy the nice ride, and eventually we're on the other side." Patting the bubble, her smile gleamed, waiting to hear Elly's thoughts. Though she rambled on and on, Louise was hardly out of breath. Long-winded conversation was something of her specialty…

Elly

Elly jumped when Louise appeared behind her, then spotted the maid further back. Of course, she should’ve expected this. She did run off in a hurry, without much explanation.

And of course, Louise knew who Kurumi was, which only filled her with more dread. It was the confirmation she didn’t need, that Kurumi was being hair-brained again.

“She was a nice girl, we had a good talk. She had the same idea, to go look for that ‘Hika’ fairy…”

“Hika… fairy?” Elly murmured while Louise kept talking.

The fairies around Mugenkan weren’t that easy to tell apart sometimes, with their wings and hair colors being the only ways Elly could figure out who was who. Except for a certain fairy who had a knack for ribbons, stealing things, and overall causing trouble. Suffice to say, Elly knew exactly who ‘Hika’ was.

Which earned a groan, a pinched brow, and a, “Oh. Her.”

Louise seemed to smile a little, then looked like she realized something, with an exclamation to boot. “If you’d like, I can ferry the three of us to the other side? Of course, my suitcase isn't big enough for all three of us, but... if we could find a raft.”

Suddenly, some sort of white circular aura appeared around the two of them. Elly looked around in surprise, quickly attempting to poke the ‘edge’ of the bubble gently. Minding her scythe too, of course.

Even though Elly was still processing the aura, Louise lowered it. “With this, we won't have to worry about drowning or anything. Just enjoy the nice ride, and eventually we're on the other side.”

Elly turned back to Louise, who appeared expectant. Elly quickly began to quickly think things through, rustling her curls as she contemplated. Go try and drag Kurumi back home, probably leave Hikariko behind because honestly Elly could live without her, put trust in these two random strangers, possibly get lost and/or hurt… Or, leave Kurumi to try and come home on her own, worry herself to death, possibly get punished…? (Did Yuuka even care about Kurumi that much?)

One obviously outweigh the other. And with a sorrowful sigh, Elly announced, “I can jus’ float next to ya’ll, but I’d like to make this fast an’ all. Nothin’ against ya’ll, jus’...” She thought for a moment, chosing her next words very carefully, “If my mistress come home while th’ two’a us are gone, we’re gonna ‘get it,’ roughly. An’ I dunno what’s in your world beyond yer words, so I’d feel better of we found ‘Rumi quickly, ‘kay?”

She felt a bit defeated and even embarrassed to be asking for help from a stranger like this, but this was the most necessary route in order to find Kurumi quickly. She liked not being stained with blood, and she also liked herself and Kurumi being alive. She just had to put her faith in someone for now.

Louise - Wayward Demon

Smiling, Louise left off with a nod, pushing her luggage off into the lake once more before climbing atop it. "If you're like me, you'd prefer to remain clean. I can make room for the three of us, not to worry." Louise was perfectly okay with helping anyone, stranger or not, this was nothing new or weird to her. "We'll find Kurumi as quickly as possible... or the fairy, whomever comes first." Patting her lap, she beckoned the two over, inviting them to take a ride on the bubble ferry with her as the aura slowly began to enclose the surrounding area around them once more. Once they were all inside and secure, Louise simply sat there, legs folded neatly atop her suitcase while the blood began to consume the sinking bubble. Louise could feel the excitement boiling over inside of her, she could finally take an outsider around Makai and show them all there is to see... within reason of course, they were searching for somebody... But, where would they even look first...?

~Hokkai~

Louise - Wayward Demon

And once more, the aura bubbled to the surface, immediately greeted by Makai's hostile and harsh looking environment. Dead plant-life, but the grass was greener than the grass in Mugensekai somehow, and a pitch black sky that swarmed with menacing violet clouds that intoxicated the air. The ruins were full of old broken down and abandoned modern-looking homes and lost temples that had been reclaimed by whatever sort of toxic nature managed to thrive in such a violent environment. The demons paid it no mind, the world was like second nature to them, but for outsiders it was a nightmare world. A complete and stark contrast to where they just were, minus the overgrowth of grass and the almost perpetual night cycle. The most daylight Makai has seen would be best described as dawn and dusk, the poison clouds had obscured and absorbed most of the suns light.

Allowing the bubble to pop, the trio had made it to land. Louise stepped onto the grass before looking down and scanning her dress, hoping she didn't get splashed with blood. After thoroughly inspecting her wardrobe, she wheeled her suitcase over onto the stone path, staring off to the left.

"The last I saw her, she went this way." She pouted, looking back to Elly to deliver the bad news. "Makai is so big, we may not even be able to find her." Kurumi could have gone anywhere in this thick smog, and Louise could tell that immediately, Hokkai's harshness was taking a toll on Elly. It wasn't helped that the land was perpetually on fire, burning a lazy purple flame. It's been burning since Makai was set ablaze by the intruders... even Vina looked better before they showed up.

Looking to Yumeko with concern, she came up behind Elly, holding her hands on her back in case she passed out from the sudden change in atmosphere. "Hokkai's really no place for anybody to be visiting, we should leave as soon as possible."

"There is a way to find Kurumi as quickly as possible, but, well. I don't want to stake your life on a chance

There's no guarantee that they would be willing to help, even though they see everything... If you're willing to risk it, miss Elly, we can try it. I would advise against it though, you really shouldn't be here for too long."

Makai's all-seeing eyes... were they really worth the risk? Louise stared off at the Fallen Temple. Though it stood upright, there was a reason it was named 'Fallen.' The Angel of Death and its vergers reside there. Elis was the more sociable of the folk, she was their best bet at convincing the eyes to help them. However, that was all dependent on her mood. Louise pondered as she waited for Yumeko's and Elly's input on the situation.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

Yumeko was just narrowly relieved to see that the Portal was as about as simple as it could get, allowing them to quickly gain their first steps into the investigation. Although the idea that the portal was so easily accessible to those who understood its existence was very worrying, especially in the forbidden area. The land mainly occupied by exiles and the demons from the temple of the fallen angel.

She stretched upwards, getting ready for what was likely going to be another round of madness. Her battered body had nearly fully healed, but she decided to just play it safe and keep her arm properly set with the sling. Such a ruse would allow for an excellent sneak attack as well,  if the moment may come. She liked to have some sort of trump card up her metaphorically sleeve after all, ever since she failed her Mistress during the invasion. She vowed to do whatever was needed to come out victorious, no matter the cost.

The maid watched as Louise motioned to the Fallen Temple, suggesting possibly seeking some sort of help from those no good filthy demons. She sighed and rubbed her temple, mentally weighing out their options as she spoke.

"Going and asking them for help should be our last option, I'm quite sure we can easily track down where she could have gone anyway.. she could not have made it far in the mist.... if anything she has most likely already di-- made it to safety... we should search around for any clues around the lake.."

Although Yumeko did not realize it, the lake was slowly growing right under her feet, whatever evidence was on the banks, may have already been overtaken by the thick tide. A stiff wind would blow through the group, putting toxic air into their lungs, and covering their skin with bits of ashy dust.

Elly

Being squished between two other people while sitting on a suitcase and slowly sinking into toxic ‘water’ was nothing short of nerve-wracking, to say the least. She had to keep her grip half on Louise, half on their ‘raft,’ all while balancing her scythe so it wouldn’t ‘pop’ the ‘bubble,’ or stab the maid squished against her.

She at least had solidarity with the maid, who didn’t look too happy about their close proximity either. Elly attempted to look up at her a couple times, get a proper introduction out of her, but her snapping the glare right at Elly made her leave that idea on the lake banks. The last thing she wanted was to get pushed into the blood, have her body slowly melted into a somehow crunchy mass, and then wait a month as her energy reformed and created a new body for her.

Seeing the intimidatingly dark red ‘waters’ slosh around her did nothing to help her anxieties about Kurumi’s whereabouts and safety. She’d never been this far into the blood, and she never wanted to go this far in (outside of returning home) again.

And she was even more not-helped when they reached a certain point; where it felt like Elly’s guts were doing loops inside her body, as something very loud, yet oh so quiet, kept pounding in her ears. And she wasn’t afraid to admit that she sunk into the group a little more out of fear.

And right after that, she felt fine again. The blood kept flowing against their bubble from the back, almost looking like it was pushing them back up, even though they were just going down? When did they start going up?

Their ‘raft’ soon surfaced, greeting Elly with a thick, purple haze covering a sky somehow darker than the one back home. As the raft approached the ground again, Elly could spot the freshly-dying patch of bright green grass surrounding the lake(?) they just emerged from, bordering a field of absolutely nothing but grass and rocks. A couple pathways bled out from all the green, but they were so overgrown that you could miss them extremely easily.

At last, they were above the ground, so Louise hopped off the suitcase, leaving Elly and the maid to gain their balance quickly. As soon as Elly’s feet hit the ground the bubble around them faded, so Elly decided to go ahead and take her first breath of this world’s fresh air.

She choked.

Somehow, it felt like her throat was being constricted, and hardly any air was going in or out of it. Elly heaved a few times trying to make her throat feel less terrible, but instead the massive pressure began to spread to her chest.

The rest of the group seemed utterly unphased from this, somehow. They didn’t even bat an eye at Elly as she continued coughing.

Louise explained where Kurumi went, along with more information Elly heard and quickly stashed away, but she was too busy trying to just stop coughing. Instead of a response, she gave a weak thumbs-up. (And of course, the maid looked indifferent. Elly wouldn’t care so much if the maid stopped staring at her already.)

They continued talking amongst one another, but Elly could hardly focus. The pressure was getting worse; she was hardly getting any air at all now, on top of her hearing becoming muffled and her vision all blurry. She dropped her scythe and began doubling over while wheezing, still not gaining either person’s attention. Which was getting a little frustrating, to say the least; even if the both appeared to be fully engrossed in some sort of conflict. But she could hardly tell anymore, they were just too blurry.

“G-Guhh…” Elly opened her mouth to finally alert the two, immediately regretting it as her throat clenched even tighter. She gagged, and went to cover it as she sank to one knee. “H-Help, pl-ea-se?” She finally rasped, going straight back to coughing and gagging as her throat somehow clenched tighter. Her voice felt and sounded so light that even she could hardly hear it. Which meant her chances of the other two finally paying attention was slim, if anything at all. Elly attempted to gulp as her anxiety spiked up again, praying that if she disappeared for a month while recovering, that Kurumi would at least be okay.

Louise - Wayward Demon

"Hmm... perhaps you are right, Yumeko. Yes, they will have to be our last resort, then..." she finished off, still tapping her chin contemplatively as she waited to hear a response from Elly that wasn't the sound of choking and struggling to breathe. As she could barely make out the words for 'help,' she inched her head back, glancing at the sentinel, before fully turning around with panic in her body. Though Louise didn't know anything about it, since Elly was a plant youkai and Makai's miasma was especially deadly to plants that weren't grass or very rare species of plants, she'd be coughing up bloody foam in a matter of seconds if they didn't act fast.

"Uuaah!?! Are you alright!?" She screamed, rushing over to her side, supporting her body as she got weaker. The lungs of demons were able to exchange this violent air with no problem, but for foreigners, it was not so easy. Worst comes to worst, she could just do mouth to mouth..... but let's not have it come to that!

"Yumeko!" She shouted at the maid, trying to break her from her stoic gaze. "Help me take her somewhere safer, please?!"

Once the two of them had a grip on the girl, they quickly hoisted her away, taking to the air as a ghostly white aura began to surround them once more. Though they abandoned everything back at the lake, they shouldn't be gone too long. There was a Makai Rebreather shop in the village, but no one shopped there, because no foreigner ever visited in the first place... at least they'd finally get a sale. For now, all Louise was worried about was keeping her condition stable through whatever means necessary, and blowing her guest's face in the toxic wind with how fast they were flying probably wasn't very good, but they'd be there any second now anyways...

Chapter Text

~Makai Entryway~

Kurumi

The door was creaky, and the ground around her kept crunching, so there went her chance to come back silently. Kurumi kept nudging the door open regardless, preparing her best nervous smile for when she poked her head through.

The girl was sitting on a chair on top of a stool, looking at the door apprehensively. “Sorry I took a while…” Kurumi muttered nervously, nudging the door open more so she could slip in fully. “I guess the tea is cold now…?” She finished after an awkward bit of silence, in which she sat on the stool sitting out for her, sat down the knife down on the table, and looked in the cup before her. Whatever was in it looked lukewarm, was bright red, and moved slowly when she blew on it. It was a far cry from her normal red beverage, instantly making her hesitant to drink it.

Sara

Sara looked wide eyed as the door creaked open, letting out her breath as she saw the nervous girl. Her lack of filth and blood confirmed that she simply went to wash off in the bathhouse. The guard smiled, hiding and forgetting whatever fears she held. 

"its not cold.... its perfect now, you came back just in time... the tea still tastes good cold anyway. i still have more hot water in the kettle too, if you want it to be hot."

Sara motioned to the tea kettle on the table, giving the girl a warm reassuring smile as she sipped her own tea. The bug sap added a natural sweetness to the bitter tea, coating the throat nicely.

"... i can make something for you to eat, if you are hungry.. even if you just want some dry grain slices , i hate being hungry."

The girl sipped her tea again, already downing the majority of the cup. Outside a stiff wind blew past the sturdy shack, making the reinforced windows creak a bit. Dust and mist would simply blow along with the wind, likely coming from over the forbidden zones gate. It was often the harsh weather from the zones would intersect around Sara's humble post. The guard watched the mist blow past with a cold relaxed stare, she would turn to the girl, speaking with a curious tone.

"..I um... never got your name... and you never got mine.... my name is Sara, I'm the Guard of the Makai gates. I keep any outsiders or husks away from the village. Technically I should have banished you back to Hokkai.. but you don't seem to belong there to begin with... I think Miss Shinki will understand anyway."

Kurumi

Kurumi took a cautious sip after the girl did, bracing herself with the quietest grimace she could make. The tea wasn’t as thick as it looked, but it was still pretty thick. The bitterness with a hint of sweetness didn’t help her need to gag much, so she had to force that urge down with the tea.

But hey, the girl was right. The temperature was just right for drinking.

“It’s ah… good?” Kurumi politefully lied, not wanting to hurt the girl’s feelings. The drink slunk down her throat slowly, almost sticking to it as it went down. It felt atrocious.

After a few seconds of trying not to flinch, the tea landed in her stomach. It left a terrible bitter-sour aftertaste, but at least her throat was feeling better now… somehow.

“I can make something for you to eat, if you are hungry. Even if you just want some dry grain slices. I hate being hungry…” The girl murmured, looking to a window as the roaring wind outside beat against the shack, and made it almost roar.

The sound was bordering unfamiliar territory with Kurumi, as Mugenkan was a sturdy building and the wind never got too bad back home. But, there was that one time when she got stuck in the abandoned watchtower during a meteor storm. Just the memory made her shudder…

Right. Food.

“Um…” She mused, thinking. Was she hungry? She’d snacked on some apples not too long before finding the maid, and her little ‘trip’ gave her plenty of blood… “I’m not that hungry, but thank you anyway, Miss.”

The girl seemed to understand, nodding gently. “I um... never got your name, and you never got mine. My name is Sara, I'm the Guard of the Makai gates. I keep any outsiders or husks away from the village. Technically I should have banished you back to Hokkai… but you don't seem to belong there to begin with. I think Miss Shinki will understand, anyway.”

“Ah, I see.” Kurumi nodded, beginning to think. “My name’s Kurumi, by the way. And I’m not really from around here, I got lost while looking for my friend. She ran off, and I want to bring her home. But uhm, the air makes my throat feel bad?” She finished with a head tilt.

… And she might as well ask before she jumps to any silly conclusions, like Elly or Orange would. “And er, If you don’t mind me asking… Husks? Hokkai? Miss Shinki? What are all those? I have a mistress myself, and I’m even her gatekeeper, too, but she’s Miss Kazami. I’ve never heard of a Shinki before…”

Sara

Sara felt a bit happy that the girl downed her tea, but she could tell she was lying just based off the displeased shivers the girl barely displayed.

She spoke, and after receiving her answer, she added with a sigh

"Kurumi.... of course you're a lost outsider, nobody else ever wants to come visit my post.. not that you should feel bad about it, I just wish I had more friends to play with I guess..... I really can't say anything on your friend though, no one else has passed through here .. besides the usual fairy traffic, but they never cause any meaningful trouble..."

Sara scratched the back of her neck, fairies really weren't allowed between areas, she simply got sick of fighting the same forgetful fairies all day long. enforcing petty rules was never really all that important to her once she saw first hand what dangerous outsiders were capable of. although even then, she was mostly powerless to stop anything bigger than herself, That was supposed to be the job of her superiors...

".. well if you're friend is still alive .. they'll probably be back at the place you came from... especially since it sounds like they're an outsider too. oh and the air gets really thick in Hokkai... just please stay out of the thicker pockets... it turns you into a husk... husks make me really sad."

Sara had a thousand years stare now, she sipped the rest of her tea and set the cup down. listening closely to Kurumi speak, She would begin to pour and prep another cup for herself. Politely offering Kurumi another cup but getting an answer she expected.

"well.... husks are fairies or demons who got lost in the mist, and had their minds turned to mush.... they kind of just wander around aimlessly. They don't really attack or anything, but sometimes they might.. they are really scary... Hokkai is the place you came from, it's the biggest and scariest place in Makai.. which is what our world is called. ummm.. Miss shinki is the lady who created Makai and all of it's inhabitants, rou

ghly. she's really nice, but she doesn't do much anymore... ever since the invasion.. maybe she's sad, or sick...? I hope she gets better soon though, we used to draw together and play games. Maybe our Mistresses can come together someday!!! Miss shinki probably just needs a friend that she can do god stuff with... I guess..."

Sara smiled and tried to sip her tea, this time forgetting to let it cool and burning her lip on the still scorching kettle water.

Kurumi

“Mmm,” Kurumi hummed in understanding while finishing the last bit of the tea. She waited for the slimy drink to fully exit her throat before she tried to continue the conversation, keeping her face tight from discomfort. “I’m sorry about your lack of friends…” She responded with as much guit as she could feel, all while fully knowing its never bothered her and thus did not relate. There’s such a small amount of other people where she came from that would be okay with playing for a bit, so she never really thought about that much.

Kurumi pouted a little from the news that nobody passed by here recently. Now she had to spend a longer amount of time looking for Hikariko in this poisonous environment, or go home empty handed…

Sara kept going, so Kurumi listened closely. There wasn’t enough tea left in the cup to spin around, just whatever gunk stuck to the sides and bottom. With nothing else to do as she listened, Kurumi took to scratching the gunk off with her nails, then licking. Somehow, the gunk tasted slightly better than the tea. Only slightly.

Mid-story, Sara noticed her scratching and asked if Kurumi wanted more. She politefully shook her head

After Kurumi asked her main question and Sara began explaining, Kurumi waited intensely, her cup now fully empty. Hearing what husks were made Kurumi’s skin crawl and her imagination wander. Her mind brought the familiar shape of a fairy up, but kept twisting and twisting it until it resembled nothing fairy-like at all. The fact that they weren’t that aggressive was at least a positive, so if she saw one she could avoid it. (And she’d have to keep an eye out for a ‘pocket’ so she doesn’t become one herself… Why this place would have flying pockets like the ones on shirts and pants was too weird for her to even slightly understand.)

Kurumi made a little half-whine after she heard about this land’s ruler’s current condition. “I can understand how she feels,” She started while fidgeting her hands together, “We were invaded a little while back, too. Everyone back home got really beaten up by this witch and ‘shrine maiden,’ so we had to keep fixing stuff, changing bandages, and tearing these little pain stickers off of us for a few months. It sucked. I really hope your Mistress gets better soon.”

While Mistress wasn’t the type to fully engage with her servants beyond ordering them around or helping with gardens, Kurumi couldn’t imagine how lonely it would be without her looming over everyone’s shoulders. This Shinki sounded like the perfect combination of Elly, Orange, and Mistress, so Kurumi could at least relate to missing those qualities.

Although, one thing puzzled her. “‘God-stuff?’ Um, if you don’t really mind me asking this, too: what’s a god? I’ve never heard of a person being that before, and Mistress isn’t that… I think.”

Usually, Kurumi had half of an idea for what things were. She faintly remembered Elly explaining something about ‘knowledge pumps’ to her, but she never understood what she meant. Was knowledge like water, then? If so, where was it in the Land of Fantasies? Kurumi never saw anything close to a random pump in the middle of nowhere, so…

Anyway, usually Kurumi just knew what things were, automatically. Not what they looked like, or did, more like the idea of something. That’s why she knew what a ‘god’ was, sort of; she just thought it was a really big compliment? Something like that.

Sara

The girl was silent for a bit, she really didnt have an answer on hand. Since She never really paid it much mind, not really finding any value in questioning what sort of powers may be at hand. But she thought of it a long time ago, she just had to refresh her memory for Kurumi. 

"well um.... its like........a god is uh.... someone who gives everything... everything you see around you, including me... and the other residents in this realm. Well most of the residents... but um... yeah... she is everything... i guess.. maybe you should ask Yumeko when you see her... she will know what to say, she always knows!! Yumeko taught me how to double tie my shoes!! see!!"

she lifted up her foot, her battered dress shoes were indeed tied not once, but twice. After kurumi gave her polite reply the room fell silent again, Sara was not very good at making friends. It would probably be the reason why she was chosen to become the guardian of the gates, since it would entail long periods of alone time. Sure, Sara saw plenty of fairies and wandering Residents around the gates. But nobody really visited her post with the intent to play or hangout with her, always asking if they're allowed to cross into reality yet. Always questions about that horrid place that she didn't know anything about, and did not ever want to know.

Sara snapped back to reality, remembering Kurumi's original plans of finding her friend. She thought for a second before speaking up, suddenly breaking the silence with an upbeat tone. 

"Lets go to the village and find your friend!! someone there is bound to have seen them... and if that doesnt work.... we can ask Lady Shinki!!! she will know for sure!!"

Sara bounced up and grabbed a small utility sling bag, throwing some snacks, a a metal drink container, and a neatly folded cloth into her bag. She made sure to snuff out the fire and blow out the candles before standing proud in front of Kurumi, ready to roll in record time, as if she was always prepared to m

ake a quick ditch from her post.

"grab anything that you might want too!! i dont really mind!! honest!! when your ready we can head out!!"

Her eyes locked onto the dagger atop the table, quickly grabbing and sticking it carefully back into her sock sheath. Making sure it was nice and snug in place, Yumeko told her that she might never know when it could save her life afterall!!

Kurumi

Even if Sara’s answer wasn’t helpful and didn’t leave more answers than questions, Kurumi nodded and understood exactly what Sara meant. Kurumi decided to try keeping ‘Yumeko’ in her mind, so she could get a more thorough answer whenever she bumped into the lady.

And when Sara lifted her foot to show her double-tied shoe, Kurumi ‘ooed’ and clapped. “That’s neat! My shoes don’t have laces on them like that, but I wish they did…”

Kurumi continued to think about the laces, even after Sara’s foot was lowered again. She should ask for Elly or Mistress to add some onto her shoes when she gets home. Maybe something fancier, and gold, though…?

A sudden gasp from Sara brought Kurumi out of her daydream, so she turned to face the girl completely.

“Lets go to the village and find your friend! Someone there is bound to have seen them, and if that doesn’t work.... we can ask Lady Shinki! She will know for sure!!” Sara beamed, pure excitement leaking out of her in spades.

As the local ‘excitement sponge–’ how Orange described it– Kurumi couldn’t resist joining in on the excitement. “That sounds like a great idea! If she's everyone, then she must know where Hikariko is!” Kurumi balled her hands and shook them around in pure joy, thinking of how convenient and fast that would be. Elly and Mistress wouldn’t even know that she’s gone!

“... Wait, does that mean she’s also me??”

Sara didn’t seem to be paying attention, and instead began gathering her things. She finished within seconds– a magical feat, considering all the things she did in that time– and turned to stand in front of Kurumi with a grandiose pose. “Grab anything that you might want too! I don’t really mind, honest! When you’re ready, we can head out!”

Kurumi nodded along, slipping out of the stool. The room was ‘dark’ now that the fires were out, but Kurumi could always see better in the ‘dark’ back home. Needless to say, she found what she wanted pretty quickly. She grabbed a couple towels, a small sack, and a handkerchief. She had the handkerchief tied around her neck with Sara’s help, then traced her steps back to the bathhouse.

When she got in, she gently pulled her clothes out of the bucket and wringed them out once more, then rubbed them with one of the towels until they were mostly dry. Then, she folded them up in the other towel, folded that, stuffed it into the sack, then finally slung the sack against her back. (But obviously not in a way that would restrict her wings.) She left the first towel on a rack before she exited, and met back up with Sara in front of her house.

“I’m ready to leave now!” Kurumi grinned, pulling the handkerchief over her mouth and nose as preparation for the trip. Not choking to near-death would be a good thing, after all.

~Makai Village~

Louise - Wayward Demon

As the visage of latticed rooftops and windows dimly illuminated by yellow lights came into view, Louise could breathe a little bit easier knowing that the air was relatively cleaner here, hopefully the same could be said for miss Elly. Promptly touching down on the village's pathway, she helped her walk along the road as a few stray demons in the streets stared at the trio. They could detect from a mile away that she was not a demon at all. Though it was not as if the stares they were garnering harbored any hostile intent, in fact everyone had either immediately scurried off from fear or politely smiled and waved, regardless of the hostile takeover that happened. Louise patted Elly on the shoulder, trying to reassure her.

"Everything's okay now, just keep hanging in there..." She wasn't certain if she could even hear her or not, but it was better to try than not to at all. And just like that, the storefront of the Makai Rebreather shop had come into view.

"Yumeko, dear? Would you please keep an eye on her for me? I'll be a moment."

Leaving Elly in the maid's care, she went inside of the store, and after a few minutes, came outside with a triangle apparatus with two valve-like objects on the side: sure enough it was a respirator. With the girl hatless, it was easy as pie to strap it onto her face. They had no idea how she'd react to the material it was composed of, in fact not even the shopkeeper knew if his device worked or not, but now was the moment of truth. Yumeko and Louise took a step back, letting Elly regain herself as clean air finally reintroduced itself into her lungs. Relieved, Louise let out a deep sigh, crossing her arms together as her quick thinking once again came to someone's aide.

"Well...! That's that!" She spoke, turning around and scanning the village.

"I suppose since we're here already, we should start looking for that Kurumi girl, hm?" She knew for a fact Yumeko wouldn't let them split up, so they'd have to search together.

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid followed faithfully, hardly glaring at any demons that dared come close to the group. Although most times it was not even required, The Acolyte Maid was instantly recognizable by anyone who called makai home. She found herself highly feared and respected by the inhabitants of Makai, and even Hokkai. Although her reputation would most likely not reach the Fallen Angels Temple, but they were good for nothing reprobates anyway. 

Even in a "wounded" state, it was clear to those who knew of her past that she was still as strong as ever. Although the Invasion tarnished her unbeatable reputation quite a bit, but that was quite simply how things happened to even the strongest of fighters. 

Yumeko Stood next to the gardener, holding her arm around the weakened girls waist. The Maid would prefer not to be the babysitter of an outsider, but perhaps it was in return for the help she had been given by the Gardener. So she stood guard without question as Louise did whatever business she was doing. Some villagers watched from afar, simply curious as to why the God's Maid was in such a situation. Yumeko paid them no mind at all, she simply waited faithfully. 

Once Louise came back to fit the respirator onto the girl, they were ready to continue, she spoke to the gardener quickly. 

"how does it fit? can you breathe properly now..?"

Yumeko nodded.

"...next up, we really need to better investigate the lake... and find your friend as soon as we can.."

Elly

Most of the events following being picked up and rebubbled was a blur. Elly did all she could to clamp onto consciousness, but she was to the point where not passing out was an achievement.

The next thing Elly was fully aware of was being held up, with Louise pushing some sort of hard thing against her face. She blinked a few times, staring in complete confusion at whatever bulky thing was strapped onto head. When she looked back up at Louise for some sort of explanation– not wanting to tempt fate by reopening her mouth– the person holding her up suddenly let go. Thankfully Elly was quick to react, stabilizing onto shaking feet as Louise and her holder stepped away. Annnnnd… of course that maid was the one who held her. Letting go of someone without warning seemed like something she’d do, based on her eternally sour expression.

“Well… That’s that!” Louise huffed, turning around and looking about. Elly would’ve joined her, but she was too busy tapping the thing on her face. 

“How does it fit? Can you breathe properly now?” Asked the maid, something Elly absolutely didn’t believe came from her at first.

Well, the air still smelled like the world’s most rancid and moldy rotten fruits, laced with a barrel of poison, even from inside the strange mask. But somehow, her breathing was normal again.

“Peachy.” Elly mumbled, her already weak voice muffled more by the mask. “Jus’ gettin’ my bearings…”

The maid oddly heard her, nodding quickly. Elly wasn’t quite sure of how she managed to do that, but she wasn’t going to knock that.

Elly took a look around while the two were talking, absorbing her environment. The skies were still abysmally dark, which equally cloaked the land in it. But she could see decently well, thanks to an absurd amount of lamps hanging around the streets.

And streets there were, tons of them. More than Elly ever saw in her life, as the idea of one was more so just another fact provided to her by whatever gave them their knowledge from home. The streets were made out of some pitch-black stone that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, bordered by hundreds and hundreds of bright red bricks. Any color that was not red or black seemed to only exist in brief splashes, with the standout being some brilliant, shining blue crystals that the lamps used for lights. Block-like houses sat en masse on the jagged streets, large enough to very easily rival a single floor in Mugenkan, and stacked on top of each other like blocks. With how many there were, the people here would more than definitely utterly dwarf Mugenkan’s entire staff. If a war broke out, then all fifty-six people in Mugenkan would absolutely be destroyed within seconds. Including her fearsome mistress.

This is all to say that the location around her is a marvel, if not intimidating. Her home was dimly lit and had periods of near-complete darkness, but it was never this bad. How anyone could live in such a place, much less figure out what lights were, was a mystery.

And that’s all without mentioning the people. Most were taller than Elly expected, as most people in her home tended to be smaller than herself. But here everyone was just as tall as she was, if not taller. Some would give her empty looks as they passed by her, which she only recuperated. From her experience back home, she knew the aura demons gave off like the back of her hand, but like much of everything else, it seemed stronger here. The oppressing feeling was enough for her to finally experience the goosebumps the baku and fairies complained about.

Her companions snapped her back into reality. Louise turned around and gently tapped Elly on the shoulder, only speaking when Elly snapped her head in her direction. 

“I suppose since we’re here already, we should start looking for that Kurumi girl, hm?”

“Next up, we really need to investigate the lake. And find your friend as soon as we can.” Added the maid, emotionless as always.

Elly looked between them, finally mustering up enough courage to speak again. “Definitely. I know ‘Rumi like th’ back of my hand. She’s real’ friendly, but if she gets in a fight somehow, she’s gonna think she’ll win. Think bein’ th’ keyword.” She took a nervous step forward, still being cautious about her weak legs.

“An’ you,” Elly jabbed a finger at the maid, “Name. Please. Again, I’m Elly.”

… Right as she waited for a response, Elly realized something. Louise was empty handed, as was the maid. Elly didn’t feel any weight on her shoulders. Her eyes instinctively widened as she looked around in a brisk panic, both on and off herself.

After finishing, she snapped her head back to the two. “An’ where’s my scythe?” She added, accidentally letting a bit of her nervousness into her tone. She absolutely did not want to lose her prized weapon on top of her hat, even if she was dying mere minutes earlier. (The blade’s materials were very damn hard to obtain, much less forge when you’re very prone to catching on fire. Elly did not want to spend another month scavenging in the mountains again, thank you very much.)

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid sighed at the jabbing, giving the gate keeper a subtle glare as she spoke.

"my name is Yumeko, I am the Proud servant to the god of this realm. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Elly, perhaps some day we can join together once more, when time is not of the essence."

After Elly mentioned her lost scythe, Yumeko turned to Louise expectantly. holding back the urge to slap her forehead when she realized the mistake they had made. she spoke in an irritated tone, feeling like quite the fool.

"..your Scythe... right... well I suppose that means we have two things to look for back at the lake... (what a mess..). we must ensure we are being more careful, we can't waste time on such crucial mistakes. let us make haste back to the lake..."

Yumeko gently nudged Louise along, as she was starting to get distracted by a passing tea merchant. Keeping side by side with Elly, as they went back towards the shortcut they had taken from Hokkai. 

Normally the zones between Hokkai and Makai city were impassable magical barriers (put in place by Mistress to keep common husks out), but thankfully Mistress's servants were taught the ability to traverse these long distance seals with ease. Otherwise any servant or demon would have to pass through Sara's post in order to get to other areas, it was a well made operation of course. Yumeko never doubted her mistress.

Louise - Wayward Demon

As the two had finally gotten to introduce each other properly at last, Louise kept by idly, waving her dress side to side slightly as she waited for the 'go ahead' to start searching at the lake. She'd lost all attention in the conversation the two were having, as a familiar clattering noise accompanied by the rolling of wheels drew up the pathway. She could recognize that sound anywhere. The usual vendor at her stall, rolling uphill to the village square to set up shop for the rest of the day. Louise couldn't help but become completely captivated by the enticing thought of delicious warm Makai specialty tea. Perhaps some icethorn would be good, the flowers were normally encapsulated in a film of ice, as they came from the frozen wastelands, but once warmed they released a delightful sweet taste, although the leaves are covered in permafrost so it was difficult to keep that kind of tea warm for a long time. As she pondered her selections, the soft gentle nudge of a hand pushing against her hip forced her to walk along with the group as the tea slowly drew further away. It'd just have to wait, as bummed out as she was over it.

"... back to the lake so soon? Wouldn't it be better for us to split up, then?" Louise offered, of course, to stay behind. Naturally she'd help herself to some tea, but they'd probably find the vampire quicker if they individually sectored themselves off to the cordons of Makai's zones.

Elly

Elly huffed a little from Louise’s obvious distraction, as she followed Yumeko– and also Louise being dragged along from the hem of her shirt by the maid– by exactly two paces. Yes, tea did sound nice about now, especially some gotu kola, but dozens of other things were currently more important. If one of her companions was this scatterbrained or easily tempted, then it was suffice to say she didn’t expect a reliable travel guide. (Yumeko was out of the question. She’d probably turn Elly into ribbons before she smiled.)

“Splittin’ up sounds like a bad idea. I dunno anythin’ about this place.” She explained to Louise, speeding up her walking a little bit when an absolute giant walked by. Oh, how she missed her hat, she could pull on the flaps when this nervous… Or run her hands along her scythe’s handle… “I’d get lost, maybe jus’ suffocate again. It ain’t gonna be fun to wake up a month from now, with no ‘Rumi, either.”

Since she was this close, Elly leaned in closer to Louise, and whispered, “‘Sides, I think Yumeko here’d just tear me in half if we were alone together.” with the hope that the mask didn’t muffle her message too much for Louise to understand, yet enough for Yumeko to miss what she whispered.

Either way, she backed up quickly, and prepared herself for a retaliation. Somehow, the maid must’ve heard her again, because she turned her head to Elly slightly, with a nasty glare. Elly recuperated the gesture, albeit nervously. She was unarmed, and she had no idea if the plants here would assist her in lifting tiles up to throw. The stone and brick would surely be unresponsive without the push. Of course she’d be nervous about pushing the envelope.

And of course, there was the ever-present anxiety picking at her mind. If she almost choked to death, then what about Kurumi? She’d barely looked around, but she didn’t see a corpse. Neither did the group, because otherwise they’d be acting fidgety or would just outright tell her that Kurumi perished. (Yumeko seemed like that type.) There was a chance that Kurumi got out of that mist– which seemed less prevalent here, so maybe it was just that one spot– or some kind samaritan found her and took her to safety. Hopefully.

… And now that things were calm, that left one other problem for her to think about. How in the everloving hell did Hikariko get here? Why was she coming here, and how was she okay? Most importantly: why was she trying so hard to make a portal to this Makai? What interested her in this place so much??

(And why did Makai sound so familiar still? She remembered that Hikariko snuck out with Yuuka once, was it to Makai…?)

As Elly continued following four paces behind Yumeko, she kept her eyes on the passers-by. For some reason, most of them kept staring at her. She knew the feeling of having your space suddenly invaded by strangers very well thanks to today, but the shock should wear off eventually, right?

With nothing else to fiddle with, Elly pulled an arm up to fiddle with her large curls. As she was reaching up, something finally caught her attention.

… She was seeing things, right? Right?? She waved her arm around a few more times to make sure she was seeing things correctly. Some sort of small golden aura was around her arm, which intensified as she moved it, like an after-image. But not only was it around her arm, but all over her body?

“Hey, ya’ll,” Elly called out to her companions, loud enough for them to hear but also quiet enough to not get more stares, “Hate to ask ya somethin’ after, well, blackmailin’ ya, but am I like… glowin’? Or did that air mess with my head?”

Louise - Wayward Demon

Peeling away from Yumeko's surprisingly soft grasp, she followed alongside the two at her own pace now, letting the tempting offer of tea drift into the back of her mind. "Well, maybe so... I just thought you and Yumeko would make a good team together." Louise's weird attempts to mend the strange tension between the two would prove fruitless time and time again. Some people just don't get along, she supposed... Louise inched her head back a little with a look of surprise as Elly nudged closer, whispering in her ear as they walked along. It was rough to make out, but she got the message. Her cheeks flush with red, she waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, don't be so silly... There's no need for that kind of thing to happen. Don't be so tense, you're among friends." Friends who were completely foreign, intimidating, stronger than her, equipped to kill and maim, and lived in the deadliest atmosphere on the planet. She knew for a fact Yumeko would have heard their quips about her, but she paid no mind to her piercing glare. As Elly fell in line behind the two, they marched back their paces, tracing the way they went back to the lake. It'd definitely increase the search time, but, she had no objections. Makai was fun to walk around regardless.

As time passed and the air grew quiet, Elly's voice cut through the silence once more, calling out to the two of them. She turned around to face her, only to be greeted with a glowing yellow light surrounding her. That was certainly... "Curious... I've never seen anything quite like that before." Louise commented, tapping on her chin as she studied her. "Yes, you are glowing..." Surely this couldn't be an effect of the air, right? All plant-life performed respiration, which is why the toxic air had such a poisonous effect on them, but did plant youkai also breathe through their skin??? Even if she kept her voice down, she still managed to garner a bunch of stares, there's no way she didn't stick out like a sore thumb now. What to do..?

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

Yumeko sighed, speaking briefly and quietly.

"well perhaps we will find out eventually.."

The two obviously did not pay Yumeko any mind, they were already discussing quietly between each other. Yumeko did not care enough to listen, it simply was not any of her business at the current moment. So she kept walking, slow enough for the dabblers to keep up along the path. 

With some casual magical manipulation, Yumeko opened the shortcut in the thick mist. A clear tunnel quite literally opening in the mist, exposing the true distance manipulation that was at hand. hundreds of miles worth of hellish air, condensed into 50 feet worth of completely clear air. Blessed was the demon god of makai, may her divine powers grant eternal life, to all those who deem themselves true of heart. 

Her compatriots called out from aside her as they crossed into Hokkai once more, a slightly concerned Elly appeared to be quite clearly glowing faintly. Her exposed skin would give off the most vibrant of an outline, whilst her clothes would give off a dimmer glow. Yumeko had seen this before with outsiders, it was mostly apparent where the heavy divine atmosphere was more present. But nonetheless, it was very visible around certain outsiders..

"oh yes, this is an occasional occurrence to outsiders, albeit more rare. I suppose it has something to do with a chemical reaction from the foreign particles on your body, its something that Mistress never fully explained to me..."

she tried to give a reassuring 'dont worry its fine' smile, but as per usual her stern attitude put any attempt up in smoke. Yumeko turned back around and continued leading the way back to the invading lake, this time planning on staying until proper progress could be made. The tunnel behind them silently filled in with the thick mist, covering any trace of Makai village.

Everyone > Hokkai

~Makai Village~

Shinki - God of Makai

Soaring over the dozens of rooftops and buildings, she could feel the beats of everyones hearts resonating synchronously from within her own, yet none of them even came close to matching Yumeko's signature. None of them matched the souls of the deceased, either. Try as she might, there was just no replacing what was lost. At least these people were able to live happily and comfily being closer to the castle, not separated by the swarming toxic fog that was Hokkai's junction to the rest of Makai. The parts between the village and the ruins of Vina were once normal Makai land, however when Vina burnt down and the majority of Makai's life was extinguished, the new overabundance of husks had caused that region to become classified as a new part of Hokkai. Hokkai, in of itself, was a graveyard of sorts, and the reason behind the fogs existence. The miasma was the polluted essence of death, one that Sariel used to keep under control. Ever since the first ever Makai invasion involving the ruins and the temple, the angel had been weakened and kept under control with a seal crafted by the Hakurei miko. This meant not only was she unable to keep the death miasma under control, she had lost all ability to manipulate one's life and death. She was completely nullified. Shinki couldn't help but feel helpless in times like these... all she could really do was assure no one else died.

With the village clearly not being the target goal, Shinki continued forward, slicing through the space in front of her as she jumped from point to point. Alice was getting a bit heavy at this rate, too...

Hoisting the girl up, she placed her on her back, the wings battering her a couple times before Shinki caught their pace in a way that avoided clubbing her with them. Yumeko's pulse was still ahead, and it was getting stronger. She was heading the right way for sure.

Shinki & Alice > Hokkai

Chapter Text

~Mugenkan~

Yuuka - Dreaming Terror

It was a long day worth of roaming around the new realm, her recently found power had allowed for the ability to traverse between dream and reality with ease. Or what she initially believed was reality, since last she remembered her forgotten homeland was not a place filled with fairies and yokai. Something was not right at all, she even considered that the land she found might be another elaborate dream realm.

Although the rays of sun she felt, those warming rays of absolute bliss screamed reality. No dream world of her own could ever beat the real living sun she held so deeply within her heart. Being out in the sun made the Flower Demon feel more alive than ever. It was a feeling she deeply missed since the forming of her dream realm, since creating her own sun was something she could never fully accomplish for whatever reason.

She flew in to the side gate, using her keys to unlock the heavily secured metal door. Normally the main gate was her goto entrance, but she did not want to share the bag of fresh yams with Elly just yet. Her underling would just have to manage with whatever leftovers were left from the last dinner. Which was.... well that didnt matter, Elly would be fine. She was Yuuka's own creation after all, of course she would find a way.

She would silently hover up to the balcony, landing gracefully onto the wooden flooring and going to unlock the balcony doors. The lack of any real sunlight would mean she would have to get back into her regular nap schedule, which was right now. Being an all powerful 'Demon' came with its downsides afterall, as did everything else.

The room door was cracked, which was nothing out of the ordinary, since little Kurumi would always explore and leave the doors ever so slightly cracked. Her own room was no different despite being off limits to everyone, but that little creature of hers couldn't harbor a single bit of bad intentions. Maybe Elly should learn from such a simple thing. 

She came into her room, it was pitch black with a gentle glow from the blinded windows. It was just enough light to place her items down, and redress into her prized nightgown. Her bed seemed a bit lumpier than usual.. but she assumed it was just the shadows playing tricks on her... she was too tired to think about it anyway. The darkness seemed to drain the life from her body, its really the reason why she was never able to do much dream expansion anymore. She would always wonder if perhaps another underling would appear at some point, she really hoped for a head maid of some sort, like the one she saw (and beat to a pulp) in the neighboring realm. Such undying loyalty would suit her realm nicely, maybe even allowing for a bigger territory to rule over. 

Yuuka jumped into her bed, pulling the covers over herself, and hugging her big warm pillow.

Her big warm pillow.... so soft... it smelled very fresh tonight, perhaps she accidentally brought home some oranges as well. the smell was almost overwhelming.... but alas void would come with haste. As well as an absolutely bed quaking snore, although this was not something that was ever told to her. (Perchance...)

"Hoooooooughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoohnnnkkkk....... Shooohoooooguhooooooh..........hoooooooooonnnnnnghhhnnkk.....shooooooughhnoooo"

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Ahhh, the orange grove... so serene... so beautiful... Nothing could ever come clo-"BWUHH!?!"

Suddenly, Orange felt a crushing weight slam into her gut, causing her to snap out of her dream and into the land of the conscience once more. She had the wind completely knocked out of her, gasping for breath as she realized what was going on... She was where she wasn't supposed to be at all... and because she moved around so much in her sleep, she ended up situated in the perfect place for where a pillow might be... Yuuka had come home and was sleeping right on top of her. How did she not realize!? If she moved, it'd be risky, but it'd be better than having her wake up with the realization she was sleeping on Orange this whole time. Besides, Elly always complains about how much of a heavy sleeper Yuuka is... it shouldn't be a problem, right? Slowly, Orange slunk her arm out from under Yuuka, before placing her hand on her nightcap, gently pulling it over her eyes. She didn't even flinch...? In that case...

Orange, stuck up against the head of the bed, lifted up Yuuka's head slowly before...

Ooops...

"HWHUUUHF!" Orange bursted out, the pain hitting her as she dropped Yuuka's head against her chest.

Oh no... that certainly woke her up. Orange's body froze completely, sweat beading on every pore of her skin, staring down at Yuuka. She fell asleep so quickly the first time, she'd just fall right back asleep, right...!?

Yuuka - Dreaming Terror

The Flower demon was suddenly brought back into the realm of awakening. she was absolutely boiling for some reason, to the point where she must have kicked off all her covers during her slumber. She pouted a bit and released her cuddle pillow, it would make a sort of squeak sound. She rubbed her eyes, getting the fog from her vision. Orange, was in her bed, right next to her. Valiantly acting as a sort of pillow for some reason, a terrified sweaty pillow at that. The Creature made a screeching sound akin to a moth being grabbed, the poor thing.... 

In Yuuka's bed...

Orange would be sent crashing through the door, making a near clean cut through the fancy wooden door and almost taking out a fairy maid before hitting the next wall. The girl would become lodged into the structure itself, making pained groans as she slipped in and out of consciousness, completely stunned. Right as the girl began to recover from her stunning, trying to free herself, the broken door would be kicked off its hinges and slam against the girls back. Causing her to become stuck to the solid door, like a bug against a window. The door with newly attached Orange would clatter to the ground, leaving the girl sprawled out facing the fanciful ceiling. Every fairy maid within the floor would quickly assess the situation and scatter for their safe spots, as per usual.

Yuuka would walk through the door, now adorning her signature Trousers and dress shirt, although without shoes or her ascot and vest. She had hastily put everything on as the cretin lay stunned in the wall, She would approach the intruder with parasol in hand, an intimidating aura steaming off her body and filling the halls with Terror. As she entered the blurry view of the small girl, she spoke in a calm but irritated voice.

"i do believe we have had this talk before my dear, You are not to be anywhere close to my personal space... let alone this floor. You have been lucky enough to be let on t

o the grounds in general... Must you test my word?"

Yuuka frowned and stared down at the poor thing, sighing before speaking again.

"are you even alive...? hmm? .... perhaps i overreacted... hahahhaha.. come on now dear, i barely even threw you..."

The 'demon' crouched down and grabbed the girl, carefully peeling the orange colored mess of a girl from the door. Holding the small creature up by her back collar, dead pan staring her deep into the girls soul. She sighed, dropping the girl back to the ground, she wiped the dust from her hands. She's done worse to this one, she just never seemed to learn, so excessive violence just couldnt be helped. What a shame.

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Like a stone, Orange lay there... a quivering, terrified stone that knew she was about to be obliterated into an orangey pulp for waking the mistress of the mansion up. Maybe if she didn't move, she wouldn't see her...?

Who was she kidding... it was too late for that.

Before she even knew it, she was hurtling toward the door, bursting through the wood and emerging on the other side, colliding with the wall with a force great enough to knock her out. Her head swung back and forth like a cartoon, as she tried to regain her balance before the door itself was sent crashing straight into her back, the force of the collision peeling her off the wall and onto the ground, where she lay, staring up at the sky with her eyes rolling into the back of her head...

...So that was her room she decided to take a nap in... whoops... She could hear Yuuka talk, but she couldn't even muster the strength to talk, just rasped breathing choking out into the air. Her hand shakily reached up, before falling flat, as Yuuka slowly peeled her off of the shattered door. Oh, how cruel... all she wanted was to be loved and accepted, yet she was met with brutality and harsh reception. What had she even done to garner such a hatred from her compatriots? As she hung there limply in Yuuka's grasp, the collar of her shirt pulled back far enough to choke her out, Orange suddenly crumpled to the floor again, sprawled out across the ground with a sorry sound emerging from her mouth. Slowly, a fairy maid crept out from behind her cover, waddling over with a broom in hand, as she cleaned up the slivers of door that lay sprawled around, while others quickly worked their magic on the empty doorframe, having brought a spare out of storage.

Groaning, Orange pushed herself up with her arms, weakly clamoring into a sitting position as she lazily stared up at the face of her attacker.

"...Hi, miss Yuuka..." she muttered out, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. Hopefully the beating was over and done with?

~Hokkai~

Elly

While distracted from her odd new feature, Elly hardly noticed the distortion of air around her. By the time she looked back up, she found that they were now in an entirely different location, a very different one from the village.

The shock of the sudden change made her jump, then stop as she looked behind her a little to spot if they just walked out of the village. But no, there was nothing that would suggest that behind her. She also braced herself for the violent reaction this mist gave her before by clenching her eyes and locking up, but found that nothing happened. Elly took a couple deep breaths to test this, only to confirm that her breathing was indeed okay. The mask worked. (She’d have to find a way to sincerely thank whoever made this contraption later.) 

Since she could breathe without collapsing now, Elly took advantage of it by finally taking a good look around Makai's environment. Most of her vision was obscured by a thick, purple fog, but she could hardly see anything around her thanks to the perpetually dark skies above. But, at least there were more lamps to light the way, along with being scattered in the distance. They allowed her to see things up-close, or as mist-shrouded silhouettes if they were too far away.

Before and behind her was some sort of pathway made of white stone, which seemed dyed with a bit of purple spots. It reminded her of when she broke open a rock she found, finding circular, orange and white patterns inside. Although, the purple reminded her more of the mold she spotted on bad fruits and vegetables; albeit stuck in the stone itself, rather than growing upon its surface. Around the decently-wide path was a great abundance of green grass, brighter than she’d ever seen before. It’s green wasn’t the calm and serene color some of it back home had, rather a more harsh color that bled into your vision more than the purple smog around her. It was such an angry color that it practically glowed.

Elly stopped trying to spot the surroundings from inside the obscuring purple mist when she noticed how far away her companions had gotten, almost becoming silhouettes themselves. Elly sped after them as fast as she could, not wanting to lose them, or make them wait for too long.

The two didn’t seem to notice that she stopped, or care all too much. All she got when she ran back was the two turning back to look at her, then continuing their travel.

It had been a while since they started walking, but they hadn’t progressed into anywhere that looked different. The path broke off a couple times, and they took almost random directions while being led by Yumeko. Elly couldn’t complain about that, either. She didn’t know the first thing about this world, at least compared to the maid and tour guide. If she was being blindly led into getting lost and walking herself to death, at least she would do so without being lost and alone.

Louise kept the walk alive by attempting to have the three converse; Louise herself being the most talkative of the three, Yumeko the least. Both kept asking simple questions, or inquiring about Elly’s home and such. Elly kept her answers short, both because she had things to hide, and because her world was mostly the same all around. Questions about the maids and her elusive Mistress were kept even shorter, unless they were about Kurumi or Orange. Only because they needed to find one, and Elly couldn’t care about the other.

Once in a while, Elly would even the ground by asking a question about Makai; mostly about the land itself rather than its people. Yumeko’s answers were equally simple and blunt, unless Elly made her either gloat or defend her mistress vehemently. Louise gave the more thorough answers, explaining things that Yumeko was more quiet about.

All Elly really got from this was that this land was run by whatever a ‘god’ was again, that said god was basically the opposite of Yuuka, that there was a lot of ruins and danger, and something that she should avoid at all costs. And that they were invaded a while back, which made Elly slip a little about their own invasion issue. Only a little.

Between the small talk, she got to see more of the land as they walked. They’d walked past a few spires close enough for Elly to see up close, allowing her to admire their detail and horrifying height. They almost reminded her of the spires back at the Lake of Blood– her world’s Lake of Blood– although they looked to be made of something other than stone. Some were made of crystals; massive shining things that made the ground below shine blue– unless the spires were purple, then they appeared to be coated in a dense bit of the smoke. Louise and Yumeko advised her to not approach, so she did not. Some were made of the same smooth white stone that they walked on, with the ‘mold’ and all. And some, which she originally thought were the same as the last category, felt just like bone. They were almost always broken at their ‘tops,’ allowing Elly to see the crusty remains of dribbled blood on them. She didn’t want to know.

They’d been walking for more than a while now, and didn’t appear to be any closer to the faux lake. Elly had no idea how much longer it would be until they got there, either.

“I don’ mean ta diss y'all's sense of direction, but,” Elly lifted her arms and held them out completely, to gesture at the vast nothingness around them, “Are we any closer to that copy lake? My legs aren’t killin’ me, but th’ anxiety over my friend is.” Especially with nothing to run her hands along, to keep her cool with…

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid turned slightly, not really willing to admit they were just a bit lost. As much as Mistresses Servants knew Makai like the back of their hands, Hokkai was a land that was constantly changing. Every journey into the forbidden lands was equally as confusing as the first, meaning that a reliance on certain natural landmarks was key on finding ones way around. She spoke politely, but swiftly.

"I can assure you we are trying our best to find the lake as soon as we can, finding ones way around this land can be quite challenging due to its vast level of decay..... I believe this land was also under some sort of attack by outsiders as well.  However none of Mistresses creations seem to remember much of anything about it, and we have never felt any need to ask."

Caution and care was required to walk across the uneven ground, especially where it was loose in some places. Louise nearly had a sudden spill on a dip, but the maid was quick to catch the girl and right her. Yumeko of course felt the need to inform the girl about her lack of care, but otherwise they both knew everything that was going to be said already. 

They continued once more until a hollow screech was heard right off the right, without a second guess Yumeko and Louise readied themselves for battle. A demon of some sort came running from a thick patch of mist, it was likely planning an ambush on some other demons for the usual game of hunt. But the divine servants were a shocking sight that made the demon immediately change directions, sending the gung hoo fellow into a screeching retreat back into the mist. From what Yumeko saw, the Hokkai inhabitant was covered in what was clearly a foreign blood, as if they had been accidentally soaked in the substance. The blood left a convenient trail of excess droplets, back where the demon must have come from.

It was too easy sometimes, Yumeko led the way.

The Trio was mostly silent, keeping close together as the trail of occasional blood droplets led the

m towards what they hoped would be their target. Yumeko really still had no clue what she would do upon arriving, but she assumed things would make themselves apparent upon a simple investigation. Closing the portal was their top priority, but first they would have to find Elly's friend, the hat and scythe were not as important. Family was not easily replaceable, Yumeko and Louise knew that well. So helping their new compatriot save their own family was of utmost importance, even if they were an outsider, its what Mistress would want....

The lake was spotted, it had grown bigger, it was now a concerningly permanent looking size. Yumeko began to think hard over the lake, her companions would fan out behind her, in search of their own objectives. This was going to get worse and worse.... they needed a good plan soon.

Louise - Wayward Demon

As Louise rose to the occasion to explain their current plans and predicaments, she was interrupted by Yumeko, whom seemed to be taking charge of the explanations for now. Louise had somewhat chatted herself out already, anyway... she was more-so focused on the landmarks and sprawling wonders of Hokkai, as well as the intriguing mysteries behind the fog. Too focused, as she stumbled over the steep decline in the terrain, luckily before she fell, Yumeko caught her. She replied with an apologetic smile, knowing for a fact she'd get chewed out for being so careless, but nonetheless she still thanked her for her quick reaction time. She'd certainly keep her guard up now, instead focusing on the ground she was traversing, which in of itself was still kind of eye-catching. It didn't last long, as a wretched noise rung out from the miasma.. a husk?! Jumping to Yumeko's side, Louise put her hands up like she was a martial artist, since she'd left her bag with the scythe and hat back at the lake. It was a good thing she didn't need to fight, since it wasn't a husk at all, but a bloodied demon. Unamused, Louise stared blankly at the prankster, whom immediately went back from where they came from. She rolled her eyes.

"It's a good thing you're here, miss Yumeko... Don't worry, Elly. She'll keep you safe." With a reassuring pat on the maid's back, she followed close behind, letting the silence guide them toward the lake.

Sure enough, it was most definitely a lake now. The mass of blood had quit moving, however, and seemed to be stabilized in its current size. It wouldn't be doing any more growing, that was for sure...

Without hesitation, Louise gathered her things before the body of blood decided to suddenly start growing again. The blood had luckily not grown far enough to consume anyone's personal belongings. Once Elly was settled, Louise pulled out two straps from the suitcase's back, strapping them around her arms like a backpack. In their time away, it had dried off, and not a single stain of blood was on it. Makai's things were built really well and really conveniently.

Just like before, the lake was dead when it came to others hanging around its presence. The blood droplets had ended at the lake, and there was no sign of the vampire girl anywhere. They were back at square one.

"...Well, maybe now that we're back here, may I suggest we talk to the nice folk at the temple...? They're good people, really...! We could use their help. Makai's so big, and well, that girl is so small... It'd take us at least five months to search all of Makai's terrain... and that's if we fly." Louise was a bit hesitant to bring up the idea again, but it was worth a shot... it really would be the quicker and easier way if it worked... Of course, she was still prepared to be met with the maid's stubbornness in her ways. She'd just have to see what they thought…

Elly

Elly clicked her tongue as quietly as she could, reaching her arm over to take her anxiety-squeezing out on that rather than her slowly-unraveling curls. She didn’t understand the idea of getting lost due to her home’s size and isolation at all, but this also made her unable to complain. The decay bit caught her ear a little, causing her skin to crawl just from the word. To a ‘plant’ like her, that was the last thing she wanted to imagine. A whole world doing that was well…

She shoved it out of her mind, as the image of the many rotting masses of flowers she's seen kept popping in. Instead, she honed in on nobody in Makai supposedly remembering their invasion. The very idea confused her– even if she was familiar with someone being forgetful thanks to Yuuka. But how could you just forget something like that…? And then just not ask about why your memory of the event is gone… It rubbed Elly the wrong way. Perhaps it was the faith they put in their ‘god?’ She did sound kinder than Yuuka was, but the memory blank was rubbing her the wrong way.

As they walked more, Elly began to notice that the walkway was becoming more and more deteriorated. Some slabs would be missing, some would slide as you stepped on it, some would be cracked into pieces, and some would even be sticking up slightly. After Louise quickly tripped, Elly made sure to pay more attention to the ground below. (And at least she knew that these slabs were loose-ish. Enough for her to throw, if need be.)

A screech broke out from Elly’s right, instantly making her stop and stiffen up. Yumeko and Louise took battle positions instantly, which Elly mirrored a second later with her own. (Right after she calmed her nerves…) Since she was defenseless besides whatever energy bullets she could make on a whim– which even then, the poor petals would probably rot from the mist– she began to quickly focus, with her eyes closed. If she wanted to weaponize the path, she needed them to attach themselves to the bottom of the slab so she could ‘control’ it. Since she wasn’t as ‘in-touch’ with nature as Yuuka was, she had to get into a certain state of mind to communicate with the plants as well. She was used to this, so it took no longer than another second to request the aid of at least the grass. Enough time to retaliate before her foolish method got her killed.

If she could describe her response, it was like ‘a hiss.’ She became confused, because plants could at least ‘speak’ their own language. This was too… feral? Than what she was used to. She felt the sweat begin pouring down her head as she tried again, only to be met with another ‘hiss.’

Elly opened her eyes in shock, and allowed her eyebrows to furrow. As such, she opened her eyes to see the attacker fleeing. Elly turned to see Yumeko dispersing some sort of energy, and Louise shaking her head. To say the least, her confusion was doubled.

Louise sighed, and turned her head to Yumeko, “It's a good thing you're here, miss Yumeko…” Then she faced Elly with a bit of a smile, sweet enough to melt butter. “Don't worry, Elly. She'll keep you safe.”

“I can… defend myself.” Elly grunted while turning her gaze to the ground. Her pride wasn’t the strongest thing in the world, but she still felt an obligation to feed her neglected emotion sometimes. Having the fuel for it snatched away by the beings she (technically) commanded over and cared for, then being accidentally slapped by Louise and Yumeko didn’t make her feel too great. It was all she could do to keep her cheeks from puffing up and blushing from sheer embarrassment.

By the time Elly recovered enough of a focus to be a functioning person again, she saw Yumeko storming off rather quickly. Louise was slow to follow, instead staying back a little to make sure Elly was moving. Which she did start doing immediately.

(As she walked, she kept trying to communicate with the grass. And of course, all her attempts were useless.)

Elly looked back up when Louise’s shoes entered her vision. To her utter horror, the pond that was there previously now looked like an actual lake. It even had the bean-like shape that the proper Lake of Blood had. Needless to say, Elly’s jaw slackened and hung open, as terror began to crawl further up her spine.

Yumeko was completely still now, staring at the faux-lake with a look of speculation stuck on her face; while Louise simply walked off to find her things. With absolutely no idea what to do next– the sight of the lake’s size cleared all thoughts from her head, and kept her mind that way as she kept staring at it– Elly limply followed.

Louise’s suitcase was left laying on the ground, with Elly’s scythe not too far off. Louise picked up her suitcase with a happy hum, all while Elly blindly reached for her scythe. Her eyes were completely glued to the lake.

Now that she had her anti-stress object, Elly began instinctively strengthening her grip on the poor scythe. The wicker began to crackle a little under her grip, but it wasn’t loud enough to make her worry about it breaking.

Louise might’ve heard this, because she once again broke the silence with a message with a loud beginning, likely to gather everyone’s attention. “...Well, maybe now that we're back here, may I suggest we talk to the nice folk at the temple...? They're good people, really...! We could use their help. Makai's so big, and well, that girl is so small... It'd take us at least five months to search all of Makai's terrain... and that's if we fly.”

Yumeko scowled very visibly, snapping her head in the two’s direction. But before she could get a word out, Elly’s thoughts fell out first.

“Yuuka’s gonna be pissed.”

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid immediately whipped her head around to her companions, another mention of getting help from the Fallen temple. Yumeko held her own doubts towards them, they were a separate entity from her Mistresses home, trespassers even. But despite this, they had managed to set up their own claims within Yumeko's own homeland. She sighed, approaching the two, as to refrain from having to raise her voice.

"I can assure you we don't need help from the likes of them, we already have enough concerns trying to keep them out of our own worldly affairs..... they house demons that threaten to daily lives of Mistresses people... our family. To ask them for help would be giving them an inch of allowance, which to use against the people of Makai."

She huffed a bit, crossing her arm. The maid was clearly a bit upset, but for what she felt was for good reason. She wanted to make it clear to Elly that these people were dangerous to the wellbeing of Makai, maybe even beyond. As normal demons or fairies will simply play and cause minor inconveniences, Demons under a leading figure can cause chaos amongst the civilized world. Which is not to say this was purely a bad thing, after all Yumeko and her family were a sort of demon-kin themselves. Albeit created for a civil purpose, and raised with a clear sense of right and wrong. 

The Temple took in just about any demon, making their inhabitants unpredictable and possibly dangerous. However.... yumeko did think about it, a gang of loosely organized demons would make a perfect solution to such an incident... 

nope, absolutely not, they would just take advantage of this opportunity to escape into a new world... Plaguing Elly's dream realm with an infestation of rabble-rousers.

"...not to mention, if word may get out to the temples inhabitants that this lake is a portal to your world. We cannot say as to what kind of horrors may be unleashed into your home, these demons all wish to find a new place as much as anyone else does. So this

opportunity would be put to use by powers you have yet to truly understand..."

Yumeko plead, she sounded as emotional and empathetic as she could tp her companions. Working with the fallen temple would truly bring upon more incidents upon both worlds…

Louise - Wayward Demon

Louise looked over at Elly, her disdain clearly evident in her expression, she couldn't help but feel a bit upset seeing her like this. It wasn't exactly their fault this happened, no one wanted this to happen in the first place. The people of Makai were victims of circumstance, and that fairy was their main suspect. They could kill two birds with one stone, right here, right now... Find Elly's friend, and this fairy. If only Yumeko had allowed for things to be that easy. Perhaps Louise was just too forgiving, she didn't even hold any resentment toward the four who wreaked havoc upon her home, she did not believe in bad people, only bad decisions. Despite her own views, she still understood where she was coming from... it'd be the last time she'd ask for their help with this problem. Wordlessly, she nodded, showing that she understood the reasoning behind Yumeko's decision. They'd just have to keep walking... 

And just who was this Yuuka person?

"Yuuka...? Who might that be?" By the sounds of it, was it her superior? Maybe Makai wasn't in as much trouble as their world was, every bad outcome seemed to lay on their part... Those poor people.

Adjusting the straps on her newly affixed backpack suitcase, she tilted her hat down a bit to block out the obscuringly bright moonlight. Louise listened to whatever explanation Elly cooked up as she scanned the surroundings. Aside from Ayana, Wayousei and some other fairy she'd never seen before, it was nothing but dead space. Without responding, Louise stepped forward towards the trio, too wrapped up in their game to realize she was slowly approaching. They were fairies, and fairies usually knew almost every other fairy in Makai... perhaps they knew the girl they were looking for? She'd hate to interrupt good fun, but this was important.

"Excuse me, you three?"

The fairies immediately perked up, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Do you know a... 'Hika' perchance?"

They stopped to think, staring at each other for a moment…

Wayousei - Wheel of Misfortune

"I don't know a Hika, no..." the one who was swarming with a blazing blue aura of lightning replied. It looked pretty deadly, but it was actually relatively harmless in reality. She looked to her friend, to see if she could help the stranger. The friend stared back, nervous sweat beading down her forehead. Now that she was thinking about it...

"I know a Hikariko...? Are you looking for her?" She looked back to Louise with her confused eyes, pointing to the fairy dressed in yellow and green. She was kind of an eyesore compared to the other fairies of Makai... she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Louise - Wayward Demon

Louise felt her hopes waver once the smallest of the three spoke up, she was already ready to turn the other way and give up with a 'thanks for trying,' but then she spoke again. Hika... Hikariko... Could that be her? Louise's eyes lit up as she stared at the clearly guilty looking fairy, though no mention of her crime was brought up, she knew she was in hot water just by her expression. If people were looking for her, people who weren't her friends or fairies, then most certainly they found out who was responsible for the portal. As she approached the fairy, she glanced behind at the two, before crouching down in front of Hikariko. Though her analytical expression scared the fairy, she quickly smiled as she gripped the girl's hand and shook it as it swung idly with no real input from the girl. "Nice to meet you, Hikariko. My name is Louise."

She was going to try to make this as simple and non-intimidating as possible, even though the divine servant of Makai's god was right behind. "We have a few questions for you, if you don't mind? Come along with me."

And with that, she walked back to the group, the girl's sweaty palm locked in Louise's grip.

"That Kurumi girl mentioned a 'Hika.' I found a 'Hikariko,' if that helps?" Louise didn't seem at all bothered that she had just found the person responsible behind the portal's existence. As they say, the culprit always returns to the scene of the crime, and sure enough she did. She didn't need any verbal confirmation, Elly's look said it all. It wasn't Kurumi, but it was their culprit.

Ayana - Devilish Fairy

Looking back at Wayousei, she gave a shrug as the two watched Hikariko get tugged along toward the group. They clearly remembered Hika explaining the portal, it was quite a genius plan, how she snuck out of her home again and managed to bring some of the blood with her to Makai. Hikariko had gotten sick of the small world she lived in, so when she initially came to Makai with her master, she tried to fight her. The two weren't sure why she was so insistent on becoming a Makai resident, it really wasn't any place for a normal fairy, but it could be that she had no other friends back home. Ayana didn't say anything, just glancing silently at Wayousei as they watched the events unfold. Were they going to have to cut the game of tag short? It wasn't as fun with two people... Hopefully that wasn't her mom with the scythe telling her to come home...

"I hope we aren't roped into this if she's in trouble..." She finally said, sitting down in the grass. In the off chance they'd be questioned, the fairies of Makai were fairly competent and compliant, so she'd wait for the ultimatum.

Elly

The other two were talking to each other and her, but Elly couldn’t answer them right now. She was trapped in her head, running through all the worst-case scenarios on loop. She was dreading to see a hand fly out of the lake, followed quickly by a certain livid green-haired person. She was dreading to see the bloated and foaming corpse of her best friend laying somewhere around here. She was dreading to see if this lake would keep growing. Most of all, she was dreading to find out the adverse effects of the portal; and what the flooding would cause.

Running her shaking hands along her scythe wasn’t helping much anymore; she needed to scream.

Elly very quickly began working on going from worrying to reassuring herself, a habit she picked up thanks to not wanting to worry Kurumi, or make Yuuka aware of her own disapproval. She started doing this at just the right time, apparently, as her pounding heart slowed enough to hear Louise ask a question. “Yuuka...? Who might that be?”

Shit. Sweat began pouring down Elly’s head again as her mouth flung something out before she could properly think about it. With one swift motion that made her neck crack, Elly dumped out, “S-She’s real’ important back home! She’s, er, my equal!” Flawless. Amazing. They will absolutely not believe her.

Louise didn’t give her much of a response other than a smile before walking off, all while Elly was berating herself for such a crappy lie. She didn’t even want to see how Yumeko was reacting. Instead, she hung her head and drew her scythe closer to herself, breathing heavily.

Louise returned when Elly finally regained her dignity, slightly. Louise now had a small group of three fairies behind her, with the one in front being held by Louise. For once today, Elly’s anxiety quelled itself as her gaze lowered a little from sheer… disappointment? Irritation? Some combination of the two.

“That Kurumi girl mentioned a 'Hika.' I found a 'Hikariko,' if that helps?” Louise’s voice was almost too chipper for Elly’s current mode. Just the sight of Hikariko in front of her made Elly want to shelve her decency and lower herself to Yuuka’s level for a minute. Because oh, that fairy was so kickable right now. Louise must’ve noticed the reaction, because she tightened her grip on the fairies’ hand with a worried-ish face. One of the two unfamiliar fairies behind the lady and culprit in front of her whispered something to her friend, but Elly didn’t care.

“What th’ hell did ya do?!” Elly’s voice cracked a little from the pure, raw anger boiling in its container. She flung an arm out to the lake, almost hitting her leg with the scythe and throwing it in the process. “Do ya know how much of a problem this is?! I can’t even begin to start listin’ out all th’ problems this has caused an’ will keep causin’!!”

Elly finished with another dreaded cough, from dehydration and her shouting rather than the air.

Hikariko - Careless Fairy

Here she was, having the time of her life with her friends, and now suddenly she's dragged off by some pretty stranger to another pretty stranger and the girl back home who did not fancy her all that much. All she wanted was an easy way to go see her Makai friends, but that would be too convenient... Hikariko pouted when she realized Louise tricked her into coming along... Kurumi sold her out completely! Her once high spirits had completely plummeted once she realized that she was in hot water. She couldn't help but flinch initially when Elly began screaming from the top of her lugs toward her, clutching closely to the kind lady in white for comfort. That funny thing on her face made her sound even more intimidating than usual... She ashamedly kicked a foot in the dirt and dug the toe of her shoe into the ground as she looked to the ground.

"...I'm sorry... I just thought it'd be nice if I could go see my friends, and if they could come over to play as well... I didn't think anyone else would find out about it..." Truly, there was no getting out of this one... Unless...?

"Uhm... but I do know where that Kurumi girl went... Ayana and I followed her around for a bit, since she looked like she was pretty sick."

She waddled away from the safety of Louise's side, stepping between the two husked out scaffolds that were once village homes, pointing down the road. "I can show you the way. I think she was going to the gate." She looked over at the two of her friends, sat patiently in the grass. As they exchanged looks, Hikariko then turned around and began leading them down the path, until Yumeko took over. No one ever trusted a fairy's directions... that and Hikariko was going the wrong way... She ended up a follower, pushed to the back of the search party's line, dangerously close to Elly. Hopefully Elly would be nice once they found her, and she wouldn't be out of action for a month…

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid Felt a deep dread, she wouldnt have had a single doubt that this incident was caused by a demon or invader. But a fairy? A common fairy, that just wanted to "see her friends". It was hard to believe for yumeko, how could this even be possible for a powerless fairy... did she have a special power that allowed her to do this...? Yumeko sighed, there was nothing she could do to know for sure, since only time would tell if the fairy was really telling the truth. she muttered under her breath towards louise as they began to walk.

"unbelievable... this cannot be true..."

Yumeko figured following the fairy would be the best course of action to follow, worse comes to worse, they will have just wasted some time. Although, that really would be the worst case scenario were something to happen while they were gone. So the maid took the lead, with the fairy behind giving the occasional input on possible direction. 

The maid was about to scold the fairy when she noticed a thick set of prints in the ground, as if someone had slipped and struggled to get back up. A single long footprint that slid backwards, and a set of hand/elbow prints ahead of it. Which were all smudged from the suspect getting back up, but from there a full trail of subtle could be discerned in the barren soil.

Whoever had made the tracks was limping and stumbling badly, broken brush and crushed plant life would show this person was having quite a hard time navigating through the misty area. While it could have been a husk trail, the shoe prints were almost fancy looking. it was a similar enough shoetype, akin to what Lady Alice would wear. So it had to have been their target.

They kept moving, towards the gates of Hokkai, it wouldnt be long now... 

yet, the tracks ended... gone, as if the target had been picked up. Yumeko turned to her compatriots in a slight tiffy, not really aware of what to do next, aside from just hoping for the best. She stayed quiet, hoping for someone to break the silence.

Louise - Wayward Demon

With a nervous gulp, Louise couldn't help but feel sorry for the fairy, and wasn't really ready to bear the responsibility behind her being caught... Be as it may, what was done was done... even if the intentions behind it were different. At the very least, the fairy was willing to guide them towards Kurumi's last known position. Wordlessly, Louise followed elegantly behind, trusting in the fairy's sense of direction wholeheartedly. Yumeko wasn't so inclined, however, as she murmured jeers under her breath toward their guide. "Well... at least this clears of us wrongdoing, no...?" She offered, trying to see the light in things... Yumeko walked away from her, pushing the fairy aside and behind her in the line. She noticed Hikariko give a scoff as Yumeko stepped in front of her, but nonetheless continued to give instructions.

And so, they trudged on and on, through the treacherous Hokkai terrain... until they halted in front of a pair of tracks that resulted in a dead end. Just when Yumeko thought she had it all figured out, she realized that they didn't... this Kurumi girl had flown the rest of the way, and wings didn't exactly leave tracks anywhere...

Hikariko shook her head. "So what if the trail ends here...? You know where the gate is right? Keep going."

Louise offered her peachy smile in response, looking between the two before nodding at Yumeko. They'd have to cut through the village again to get to the gateway anyways, as Hokkai's gate to the keeper's den was a one-way trip so Husks didn't have the chance to break out... The entourage watched eagerly as Yumeko tore open another hole in space, this wormhole jumping ahead past the village's gateway. If only they could just conveniently gate themselves toward the keeper's den itself... Before anyone could step in…

Shinki - God of Makai

The goddess could feel it now, the pulsating beat of Yumeko's heart resonating loudly within her own. The two of them were definitely close now, almost as if she was... right on top of them.

Looking down, her thoughts were confirmed, the maid and... a growing group of followers right below? What was the occasion, especially all the way out here? Was it something so important that it had to be kept secretive in a place like this? Shinki couldn't really look back at Alice to see how she was doing. but she was confident she was alright, seeing as she was making passing comments on the landmarks they'd passed earlier.

"Do you see, Alice? I told you she would be fine... though I'm not really sure what's going on?" Shinki scratched at her head curiously, a dumbfounded look on her face as she watched the group pause for seemingly no reason. "Shall we take a look and say hi?" She asked the girl, lowering their altitude slowly as the gap was forming.

Suddenly, the imposing goddess was stood in front of the wormhole, eliciting a shocked response from everyone but Yumeko, who retained her stoic expression. Alice hopped off her back and peered out from behind her uncannily large wings.

"Ah... ehe... hello!" Shinki said with an awkward laugh, waving at the onlookers. Shinki didn't do well with large crowds, honestly; all of the attention was embarrassing for her. Shinki glanced at the back of the gathering, noticing Elly's frightened expression before she broke off eye contact. "Alice wanted to come say hello." She spoke, turning to Yumeko. "She was looking for you, though she won't say why." Shinki was suddenly bear-hugged by the girl in white, the goddess returning in favor after the sudden shock that onset had calmed down. "Oh, hello, Louise! It's very good to see you again!" Patting the girl's back, she looked at the last two remaining people.

"Erm... Yumeko, dear? Who are these strange people, and why are they staring at me? Guests? And what exactly is going on here?"

Clearly they weren't demons, the line was drawn now between Makai and foreigner. Fairies were not uncommon, but she was certainly not of Makai origin... and this girl who looked an awful lot like her maid... Shinki's eyebrows lowered cautiously as she glared at Elly, piercing her eyes with her sharp red leer. Something about her felt familiar... like a trace of her belonged to someone else... someone she knew. That odd, flowery essence. Shinki felt an intense increasing burn in her heart, before Yumeko cut in with her words, breaking off the staring contest of murderous-intent, Shinki already having won. Attentively, she turned to the maid as she delivered the news to her.

Elly

Now, Elly knew perfectly well that getting mad at a fairy was near useless. They have an awful habit of never learning, thanks to their memories not being the best. But she just couldn’t help but keep seething right now. Hikariko’s apology helped a little; only a little since even the world’s most well-thought-out ‘I’m sorry’ couldn’t push her anxiety demons out of her mind. It was enough to at least remind her that she probably shouldn’t take her stress out like that, especially in front of people she didn’t know very well…

Ugh. She was too fed up with today, and the things she needed most was knowledge that Kurumi was safe, and a nap.

Elly took a few huffs to calm down, completely out of breath from her burst. “... ‘T’s all good, as long as we fix th’ problems as fast as possible. Before Mistress comes home n’ all…” She muttered, probably not being heard at all.

She muttered a ‘thank you’ when Hikariko mentioned seeing Kurumi, and trudged along when they began to follow her. Initially, she was walking next to Yumeko, but the maid was moving too quickly for Elly’s sore legs. She would’ve traveled next to Louise instead, but the face she was making kept Elly in the back with the other two fairies. Hikariko was leading them at first, but Yumeko’s pace pushed her back, until she completely slowed down to get near her friends again. Elly had her head hung a little– embarrassment, tiredness, irritation, and the sheer power of being done with the day– but would still dart her eyes over to Hikariko. And of course, the fairy looked spooked. (She’d have to apologize later, huh…)

Elly finally raised her head when Yumeko stopped for a second, followed by Louise looking down at something to their side. Elly joined in to spot whatever it was, praying it was some sort of good sign. Now, Kurumi’s footprints were practically engrained in Elly’s skull, thanks to the amount of times the girl has tracked mud, dirt, sand, blood, or some other substance around Mugenkan. The fact that Elly made her shoes herself helped, too. And seeing the exact print of her shoes, along with what was obviously signs of her struggling to walk properly, made her stomach plummet. And then they eventually just stopped and Elly felt her heart beating faster by the second.

Elly’s daydreaming was broken again, from Hikariko giving the loudest remark she’d heard since the trip began. (How long had they been walking for?) “So what if the trail ends here...? You know where the gate is right? Keep going.”

Hikariko was back up front again, with Louise and Yumeko on both of her sides. The two fairies were still a fair distance behind her, but they turned away when they noticed her looking at them.

Elly hadn’t a single idea what to do at this point but let the others take the reigns. She was so used to commanding others and knowing what to do that this was just… Strange territory. She just felt like an embarrassment of a paperweight that only stuck around to make sure her friend was okay, a third wheel? Was that the phrase?

And then any more wallowing and wishing to go home was cut off when someone landed in front of them. Whoever they were did it with such grace that– despite their speed– the landing made no sound, and only left a gentle breeze in their wake. The person was large, tall enough to rival Yuuka, but she was wide too. Six brilliantly white wings in a shape closest to Kurumi’s were brightly radiating from behind her, nearly blinding to the eyes as a result. But Elly could still make out her ruby-red dress, and perfect white hair from its middle.

Needless to say, Elly fell backwards in pure shock, and landed right on her spine. The others seemed shocked as well, moving back or squeaking. Well, everyone except Yumeko. (Of course.)

“Ah... ehe... hello!” The person’s tone was awkward, nearly unfitting her voice. Elly could barely see something blue and small moving from behind her, but the wings made sure she wasn’t able to make out any more details

“Alice wanted to come say hello.” She said, gesturing her arm down to whoever was behind her. Elly couldn’t make out whatever ‘Alice’ did next at all, too busy rubbing her eyes. The rest of that conversation wasn’t for her, so Elly wasn’t paying much attention until she heard her name.

By the time Elly looked back up, the lady in red was coldly glaring at her, a force strong enough to burn a hole into Elly. Did she… do something wrong? (Was she aware about her outburst??)

“H-Howdy?” Elly fumbled out, with a gentle wave. The stare continued to just peer into her, like a knife. She was well used to stares like this, the ones that reeked of pure murderous intent. But nothing could ever make them a familiar thing to her, always making her shake uncontrollably. She looked back down to the ground, keeping her shivers held back as much as she could. It was a contest she was not winning, resorting to trying to pull on her curls again. That wasn't helping, either.

Alice Margatroid [PC98]

The girl glanced downwards as Lady Shinki’s cheerful tone rang out, reassuring the notion that Yumeko was fine— with definitive proof to back it up. It was no lie. She was down there, and she was not alone.

At the proposition of flying down, Alice responded with an immediate noise of agreement. It was needless to say, as it was what they had travelled for.

They were both on the ground before she had even realized.

…Standing in front of the crowd, Alice shared a similar sense of anxiety to the goddess she peered behind from. She was, naturally, glad to see that Yumeko was operating as normal, greeting her with a small wave as to not cause disruption. However… something seemed off about her condition, she thought. Apart from that, there was the vagabond demon, Louise, whom Alice did not see often for obvious reasons, along with people she had never seen before. Intruders?

They did not seem too intimidating, but Alice was no less than curious.

Chapter Text

~Hokkai Badlands~

Byakuren

The further you went into Hokkai, the darker it got. The deep black skies of night and the lightless colors of the day would fade as you traveled, and the poisonous fog would lighten as you reached the seal to the badlands. A large, grandiose seal with countless countermeasures against those who wish to break it, which ended up in a dimly-glowing off-white seal the size of a large temple, locked in a radial pattern that almost mimicked a flower. You could pass it easily, but only if you had any sort of connection with the goddess of the land, of course. This is to keep saviors out and allow punishers in, as well as to keep the badlands only permanent resident in.

Beyond the seal was seemingly nothing. The grass and varied stone would almost completely vanish, revealing the chrome-like stone that laid underneath all of Makai. It was slick and absorbed the light around it, which made its natural engravings glow brilliantly, if not faintly before being reabsorbed.

Makai’s dying orange sun lay within the badlands as well, physically existing in the air. It wasn’t made of gas at all, instead being a powerful crystal that floated about on its own. It was as old as Makai itself, and its age was easy to see from how it acted. The years of being disconnected from its god made it become ‘rogue,’ refusing the god’s polite ‘calls’ back to herself. And because of that, it kept only getting dimmer and dimmer as years went by, and moving to random spots it decided was ‘right’ to be in, instead of a set path. Not to mention how it was now so brittle that little shards of it would fall wherever it floated.

Whenever the sun decided it was night, it would dim itself, and move quickly in order to return to its proper ‘morning’ position– wherever it decided that was for the day. With the sun’s light gone, all that was left to light the starless skies was the glowing ground, but even that would darken eventually. The combination of the darkness and fast-moving sun made it hard to determine when you were about to be pelted with shards of near-indestructible crystal. So, upon nightfall, you had to find some sort of cover quickly, or spend the next day bleeding out as you plucked shards out of yourself.

The ground was flat, and the lack of dirt or water made it hard to grow plants. The lack of available resources also made it hard for anything to live inside. Yet still, Byakuren lived.

She broke down some of the few stones that existed within the badlands, and built herself enough of a house to protect herself from the crystals from raining down on her. For the first few decades of her stay within Hokkai, she slept on the bare ground, and existed from the small amount of water and plants that ended up within the badlands. The more recent ones, she’d find herself being gifted with food, water, and supplies from the residents outside. Sometimes, she’d even be graced with the presence of the god of this world. The god seemed to sympathize with Byakuren and enjoyed her merciful attitude, doing her best to keep Byakuren safe. Sadly, even a god like her couldn’t break the seal keeping Byakuren in. So, most of the time, Byakuren was left completely alone.

She wouldn’t lie to herself; after all this time alone, she was sadly used to it. She remembered being in complete despair for the longest time, yet now felt little to nothing. All she could do was hope that somehow, someone would finally break the seal. But, if even Lady Shinki could not…

Byakuren’s days were mostly spent meditating. She’d sometimes wander around the badlands to find something to bring back to her hut, but those were almost always trips ending the same way they began. Once in a while, she’d stare off at the mountains barely visible in the distance, or even the small sights of a city and castle peeking out from behind them. Sometimes she’d even go visit the seal, which was constantly visible, looming over the badlands’ horizon. Those times were even rarer than when she’d find something.

Sometimes a ‘husk’ would wander in, and keep walking about until it fell apart and rotted. Byakuren did her best to bury the bodies properly, even going so far as to break the ground just to do it. The dirt underneath was just as much of an inky black as its cover, but at least the ‘stone’ didn’t smell like rot and sulfur. But her suffering was worth making sure another could pass on properly. (And, she’d always keep the shards of the earth and sun, eventually getting to make her scroll, and then would use more to refine it…)

This is all to say, almost all of Byakuren’s days were the same routine. Wake up with the sun, run home and sleep before the sun pelted her with shards yet again. It was miserable, yet also peaceful.

Right now, it was already nearing nightfall, judging from how the sun was dimming. Byakuren was a decent distance away from her home, meaning she had to leave now, before the land was shrouded in shadows that even a youkai couldn’t see through.

But she didn’t leave yet. Something odd was happening with the seal, and she’d even noticed it from her house. From inside of it, she couldn’t really tell what was wrong. It was just a vague flower shape that was a faint white, with little dot ‘locks’ covering certain converging lines.

But now, two locks were missing. Byakuren put a hand against the seal curiously, meeting with the jolt of resistance she was already very used to.

And as she laid her hand on the seal, she felt something on the other side beat against it. It had enough force to rattle the seal.

How curious… Makai’s residents usually didn’t come to visit her, and most definitely didn’t beat against the supposedly indestructible seal like this. So now, who could this be?

She could wait, greet the person, possibly leave, and get pelted with crystal from the nearing sun… Or, she could go to her hut and wait for the visitor to find her there. It wasn’t like you could miss one of the very few structures in the badlands, after all.

Byakuren lingered in front of the rattling seal for a moment longer, thinking. And with a heavy sigh, determined the best course of action was to go back to her hut and wait. Because even if she never got to meet whoever this was, the seal would at least possibly be gone.

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

Tap... tap... tap...

The rhythmic striking of the massive barrier reverberated throughout, the seal warping and wobbling from whatever was interacting with it on the other side. Surely, if it was this permeable to a mere touch, then she could easily pass through...

An unfamiliar sight to be seen outside of the temple, a revered and feared deity in the hearts of Makai's people, the reason why hardly anyone went to venture out beyond Hokkai. The Ophanim who served as Sariel's eyes to the outside. The Angel of Death and her servants served to keep Makai's population in check, or rather, the outskirts. The Angel had struck a deal with the Devil to prevent a mass-killing of all the demonic life, herself included, and were secluded to Hokkai and whatever else was outside of Pandemonium's territory. A contractual deal with a devil can never be broken, this was law. At least, that's what they wanted Makai's goddess to believe, in reality, Sariel was never sealed away, nor had ever planned to control the deathwisp that polluted Makai's air to begin with. Their plan was to keep their prey in check with it. The people of Makai had always conjured rumors about who the mysterious trio were, what their purpose was, where they came from. Not even the Goddess knew much of anything, mystery was their veil, and they'd stay shrouded in it.

As for what brought her to a place like this, so empty and devoid of life, was quite simple. As she had full omniscient oversight of the entirety of Makai, there was always something that managed to escape her eyes. A blindspot in the furthest reaches of Hokkai, completely unseen from the outside. There was no telling how long it had been there for, only recently had it come to her attention. Whatever was on the other side, no matter how boring or uninteresting, was still worth the look. Given how it flowed with her movements, it seemed this barrier was made to contain something specific. With her goal in mind, she stepped through the barrier.

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

Immediately upon crossing the barrier, she was flooded with the sensory overload of an entirely different region, almost like jetlag had put a shock to her senses. There was next to no miasma here, the rock was a pitch black glass with strange veins of red and blue light rippling through the ground, bright orange fires dancing beneath the surface she stood upon. In the center of the underground, a massive beating heart sat locked in chains, the normally dimly orange glowing ground pulsing with a beautiful bright blue synchronously every time it beat. The sky was a strange new dusk-color accompanied by a dimming crystalline structure that danced with the stars in the night. The land held a strange otherworldly beauty to it. What was most absurd, is that she had no omniscience of the outside nor inside. She was completely blind, save for what was in front of her. Her senses were completely dampened. All she could see was light, all she could hear was the absurdly loud rhythmic drumming of the heart. And the only other life she could detect... was that of an oddly human life signature? It was widely known that aspiring magicians came here to practice their magic with the deathwisp's amplifying fields, only to fall victim to the effects minutes later. How was one surviving undetected in Hokkai for so long? Did it have something to do with that barrier? Had she stumbled across a prison...? She was contemplating turning back and leaving to regain herself, however the curious wonders of this land pushed her forward. This may be the only chance she gets. And that calling in her soul was telling her to save this human from this land polluted with demons.

Through the barren darkness, she found herself guided by the light in the ground as night soon fell. The surface itself was nothing, save for a few hoodoos and a rather elaborately constructed shelter whose silhouette stuck out the most. She hesitated, observing from afar, cautiously approaching the signatures location.

Byakuren

Thankfully, Byakuren managed to return to her hut before ‘nightfall.’ She always made sure her body was at its peak at all times, which included semi-daily runs that kept her speed at its best. This was also a plus for times like this.

The hut itself was just four removed ground-slabs acting as walls, with a fifth slightly-oversized one acting as the roof. The durable slabs provided her with plenty of shelter against the crystal ‘rain,’ and would still glow while detached like this, which provided her with some light at night. The inside of the hut was relatively simple; there was her bed in the back-left corner, a hole she dug to store the food the goddess would bring her, and what little other belongings she had sat near her bed. That was all she needed to live, really.

Her hut had no door– she didn’t need one, as the only person here– so she simply entered, removed her boots, and sat on her bed. It was best to be as far away from the incoming onslaught as possible, just in case anything ricocheted.

Byakuren sighed as she stared out of her doorhole, finding herself unable to get in the mindset to meditate just about yet. The seal’s rattling continued to echo in her skull, bouncing back every time she tried to make it vanish. The idea of being visited or let out was an extremely compelling one. The goddess hadn’t visited or sent her supplies in a long time, which was a little concerning. The goddess was a very merciful one, and Byakuren could only hope that she was still alright.

The skies were only getting darker now, making the ground’s glowing begin to stick out even more. But there was one oddity that caught Byakuren’s eye; there was something gold glowing in the distance. It was about straight ahead, compared to the sun which she knew was currently to her right.

It could honestly be that thing just acting erratically again, but Byakuren’s already fueled curiosity compelled her to go to the doorway and make sure that it was really just the sun.

As soon as she got to the doorway, she quickly found it was not. The ball of dimming glass was to her right still, and whatever was approaching looked wider than it. She couldn’t make out any details, because the golden light was so bright that her eyes wouldn’t focus.

Another oddity, something deep down in Byakuren began to panic as soon as it saw the light. It was like a wild beast, flailing around to escape something in front of it. Her leg muscles tensed with a strange fight-or-flight response, which Byakuren found herself unable to soothe. She didn’t understand why this was happening, either; she felt nearly completely calm. And a little excited, because this was more than likely her newest visitor. So why did she feel so… frightened?

Against whatever-it-was-inside-of-her’s better judgement, Byakuren walked outside to greet the person with a smile.

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

Shambling towards the hut like an undead husk just freshly risen from the grave, Yuugen's clouded electrical field radiated brightly in the darkness. One might mistake her for a microstorm, which were quite common in Makai and were just grounded clouds that floated dully as their electrical charges shot off in the ground. The circlet of eyes that closely followed by had shut, leaving only their discs floating ominously in the cloud of bright light. Were one to see it, it would be comparable to the gates of heaven, a pristine golden purity of light. There was no way she did not stick out like a sore thumb in the vantablack night of Hokkai, but she was hoping this appearance would be less intimidating towards the suspected human... better an angel than a demon.

As she edged closer, she could almost feel the heartbeat of the lost soul in front of her, it was definitely that of a human; but one tainted by black magic. That would explain why they were here, and how they were still alive in a place that seemed to hold nothing but it's strange atmosphere. Slowly, the electrical field dissipated, her arms out at her side as if ready to embrace, accompanied by a welcoming smile. She finally stopped just before the woman in front of her, the glowing radiance having subsided as she was now fully evident to the monk, save for a few sparks that licked the air as they discharged. Slowly, the eyes opened, blinking rapidly as they adjusted to the light once more, before staring right at her.

"Greetings." Yuugen spoke, her voice containing an unsettling softness to it, bowing to show respect toward the exiled human. "There is no need to be fearful. I am not here to hurt you." She'd make her intentions clear later, not saying another word as she studied the woman carefully. She didn't appear to be corrupted, but it was always good to be on the safe side. Her eyes lazily blinked one by one in a row, as she looked behind at the hut, before returning her gaze to Hijiri.

"This place brings great curiosity, I could not see within... Now my eyes have been opened. They were keeping a human trapped in this place..." Her voice contained a hint of disgust, however not one that would rouse suspicion. "Won't you invite me inside?" She then asked, looking toward the hut once more. Every time her eyes shifted, it sounded like giant stone pillars were being grinded against a gooey paste. It was a grating noise, but one that was practically white noise to the angel. As she pushed the monk along toward the entrance of her hut, the circlets wrapped together behind her in order to fit through the doorway, before swarming around the home and attaching themselves to the corners and center of the roof. She had practically invited herself in, even though the monk had agreed... She wanted to cut straight to business, but it was important to ease into things.

"Pray tell..." she started, clasping her hands together. "What brings you to such a place tainted with evil?"

Hijiri couldn't catch a break... she was always being stared at, it was no wonder she was uncomfortable... Angelic creatures always had a sense that they could do no wrong, however it was this warped sense of self importance and perfection that they made horrible companions. All her mind was set on was to bring this human forth to Sariel, and have their soul cleansed of the impurities that Makai had dug into her heart.

Byakuren

The more Byakuren stood and watched, the tenser she got. She did her best to calm her mind before her visitor arrived, but almost nothing she did worked. The beast deep, deep within her soul was thrashing around in its cage, and no amount of comforting would quell its terror. But she still did not move.

The glowing thing moved closer still, dimming quicker than the false sun off to the right. However the lights were still cloaking the figure, or rather, figures. Byakuren could see at least five… things spinning within the radiance, as well as a humanoid figure if she squinted. More details revealed themselves as the figure continued to approach, such as the fact that the five spinning things were in fact golden disks. Well, disks within disks, within disks, within disks that had a spiraling pattern within them… The five of them were tethered by lightning to the humanoid figure, whose figure Byakuren couldn’t see beyond their robe and helmet.

As Byakuren absorbed the details, an eye on each disk appeared with a loud clunk, as if large rocks clattered against each other. All five of the red, unblinking eyes were staring right at her, making the beast within her howl in fear. Byakuren ‘hushed’ it as the figures began to lower themselves to the ground, arms outspread.

“Greetings,” The figure said in a silky voice that echoed around in Byakuren’s head; the soft-yet-loud tones screamed of danger– but that probably just came from the paranoid beast within. Right after, the figure gracefully bowed to Byakuren, with the eyes on the disks loudly snapping shut during the gesture. “There is no need to be fearful. I am not here to hurt you.”

Now, Byakuren was already fairly tall. Yet this figure towered over her, nearly doubling her height. This combined with her already existing apprehension, which flowed into a growing pool of anxiety.

Byakuren continued to ignore this, instead bowing in response after a moment of fearful hesitation.

“Greetings as well. It’s not often I get visitors.” She joked, trying to lighten the air within her. But still, she felt the undying urge to just run away. The more her youkai instincts fought with her, the more confused Byakuren became with her visitor. She knew that demons had a chilling aura around them, but why would the instincts of a youkai be so afraid of just a simple demon? (Or likely, a more powerful one. But she’s met their god, if a powerful demon causes this, then why wouldn’t she be put into shock from being around the goddess?)

The disks quickly shuffled around the figure a little bit, forming a very flat star within the blink of an eye. The one at the topmost point quickly moved up and began to look around, while the rest continued to stare at Byakuren in an unsettling manner– instincts or not. The clunking of their rhythmic blinking only served to remind her of how much she was being watched right now.

“This place brings great curiosity, I could not see within... Now my eyes have been opened. They were keeping a human trapped in this place…” The woman spat, spoken in a way that said that she wasn’t paying attention to Byakuren’s response. The topmost eye snapped back into a ‘normal’ position above the figure’s head, and returned its gaze to Byakuren.

“... Come again?” Byakuren was a little confused over the strange statement. While the human part contributed a lot to the emotion, (didn’t youkai have ‘that feeling’ around them? Of course, demons couldn’t feel that, so maybe…) the fact that this person was more concerned about seeing the badlands was just… confusing.

The eyes blinked again, as the figure floated closer still to Byakuren. “Won't you invite me inside?” She asked, as the two eyes furthest from her body looked up to the hut behind Byakuren. The ones closest to them– on the bottom points of a star– shifted their gazes to the sun, and the one on top kept staring at Byakuren. The sounds they made as they turned rivaled their blinking in sheer unsettlingness; like a stone being ground up against a corpse.

“Of course, but there’s not much room. I’m not sure if you’d even fit.” Byakuren smiled, returning the stare to the disk that towered overhead. She turned back to enter her hut, followed so swiftly by the figure that she was being pushed. Byakuren turned back to look at the figure, but was confused once again when she saw the figure had shrunk to be about Byakuren’s height. The disk above it had as well, following the two inside, being quickly followed by its four (also smaller) ‘siblings.’ The second the figure stopped moving, four of the disks flung themselves into the corners of the roof, while the fifth continued hovering over the figure in the middle of her hut.

Being so close to the figure made Byakuren’s ears finally pick up on a strange crackling coming from the figure; almost sounding like a fire, yet it sounded… off, somehow. Like the snapping from burning wood wasn’t allowed to resonate and echo, only releasing a harsh crack. 

Right as Byakuren was about to chastise the figure for the rudeness, she was stopped by the figure speaking once again.

“Pray tell… What brings you to such a place tainted with evil?” She asked with a clap of her hands, that sounded more like colliding stone than flesh.

Byakuren wearily stared ahead at the figure, darting her gaze around the room to the five eyes that only continued to stare. It was a little… uncomfortable.

With a sigh and the hope that the figure would listen to her for once, Byakuren gently explained her story in a summary. “I was exiled here. I am a buddhist monk, but I believe we can find a common ground of peace between humanity and youkai, as I’ve met many youkai who’ve brought out only sympathy from me. That belief and my powers ostracized me, so my fellow monks banished me to this realm and locked me in here. I cannot leave, as even the goddess of this world cannot break the seal the monks made, but I hope to one day leave.”

The beast within her began shrieking again, her fear spiking over something she’d just said. She didn’t understand why, because there was nothing to be afraid of. This was just a very powerful demon, one which she could defend herself against if need be. But still, she felt like she just said the wrong thing to the wrong person, and couldn’t explain why.

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

Readily listening with her eyes focused solely on the monk, the figure made herself comfortable, her legs folding in on one another as she levitated up off the ground with seemingly no strain at all, her hands still firmly clasped together as she watched on attentively with a smile. Her wispy breathing reverberated through the room, filling in the white noise with its chilling echoes as the lightning crackled and the woman continued to speak. What a strange assortment of beliefs to follow... The figure's mouth closed, the smile barely even noticeable anymore. Her whisper-like voice rung out, cutting into Hijiri's ears.

"One of belief and faith, I can admire, however your ideals seem misguided..." Twisting and unlocking from their pivots on the ceiling, the twisting mess of gears returned to the figure's side, clicking as they blinked slowly. "Human and Youkai cannot be equal, as cannot Demon and Angel." The topmost eye violently thrust itself towards the monk, stopping inches before her, staring deeply into her eyes. "As suspected, your heart is tainted. These sins you live by have gone unaccounted for... your fear of death, pursuance of Demonic arts." The eye retracted, the magic circle surrounding it glowing intensely. "Though Demonic blood runs through your veins, there is still a trace of humanity within." Suddenly, Byakuren's body began to glow as well, her skin growing translucent as her circulatory system peeked through her flesh. "As punishment for your sins, you are repentant, however you do not truly repent. To be punished is one thing. To be redeemed, another." The eye slowly backed away, Byakuren's body returning to normal as if nothing had ever happened.

Clapping her hands together, the figure quit hovering in the air, her legs shooting out from underneath her to catch herself. "Faith and belief alone cannot guide one's tainted heart to redemption." Yuugen approached, stopping as she backed Hijiri against a wall, peering her down. "One must ask..."

She placed a hand on her forehead, pulsing sensations driving through her skin, the intensity blurring her senses. As if almost inside her mind, the angel spoke.

"For forgiveness..."

She withdrew her hand and herself, her arms soon returning to their folded manner as she continued. "Your mind still, polluted with fear, and with insolence." Her voice took on an almost insulted tone, while still keeping the pressure on. "Through your belief, you find there are demons, however you do not acknowledge that there is always an opposite for everything. I am no demon. I am an emissary of the heavens."

The figure seemed disgusted that the monk had thought of her as one of them, however she soon returned to her polite, soft tone of voice. "That is why I am here... this blinding was no attempt to hide something from the eyes of Sariel... T'was to draw you toward vindication."

The angel had finally quit talking, instead opting for the silent approach, leering and looming over the monk as her mind processed everything... Knowing that this human mind was tainted by dark arts, would she have to bring her to the Angel of Death by force? Was there truly any hope in saving this one from the demon's grasp? Or was she too far gone? The eyes slowly circled around the angel like clockwork, waiting patiently as they analyzed the woman.

Byakuren

Byakuren watched the figure as they floated– cross legged– in midair and contemplated her tale. They were humming occasionally as they thought, each time in a different form of a broken key.

At once, the figure’s quiet voice wormed its way back into her ears in what felt like a small burst. “One of belief and faith, I can admire, however your ideals seem misguided…” The woman’s voice was so smooth that the statement sounded close to a hiss.

The loud clanking of the disks around the room caught Byakuren’s attention, listening to the figure speak as she watched them circle back behind the figure. That was, until the eye in the center of the room thrust itself mere centimeters from her face, making Byakuren jump back a little. Its red-and-gold-ringed gaze stare was near hypnotic, and she couldn’t find herself able to part her eyes from it for a bit. The beast in her soul was oddly silent under the disk’s watchful eye, even if her humanity found itself flaring up as her beliefs were being mocked.

Thankfully, the figure retracted the disk as she finished speaking again, allowing Byakuren to compose herself a little. By the time her heart slowed enough for her to be calm again, she looked upwards once again to her visitor. The disks were surrounding her again now, circling in a lazy star around her floating body.

She straightened herself back up, preparing herself for any sort of fight that may break out. As much as she didn’t want that to happen, she may have no other choice. That, or she had to run. “Now, there’s no need to be so rude. Both getting in my face, and telling me how I am wr–”

The figure continued her speech without a care for her input, slowly moving her gears closer to Byakuren’s body once again. “... Though Demonic blood runs through your veins, there is still a trace of humanity within.”

Right as the gears reached her, they began to circle. And right as they did that, Byakuren’s body began to glow a bright gold, then became transparent? She stared at her pulsating insides in horror, watching the blood flow through her body as muscles tense; both her human and youkai 'consciousnesses’ screaming in unison.

The figure still kept speaking, as if nothing was wrong at all. “As punishment for your sins, you are repentant, however you do not truly repent. To be punished is one thing. To be redeemed, another.” And retracted the disks, returning Byakuren back to normal.

Despite the figure’s coolness through the event, Byakuren felt sick. She just got to experience something she thought she’d only see in nightmares now up close, and was not only still alive, but perfectly fine no less. Even still, she stared at her hand in horror, flexing her fingers and watching the nerves bulge slightly as they worked. Something she never thought about before was only bringing her terror. She was so horrified, in fact, that she didn’t fully hear what the figure was saying until they clapped.

The figure stopped hovering, and landed with a thud hard enough to crack the ground under them. “Faith and belief alone cannot guide one's tainted heart to redemption.” She began, starting to approach Byakuren with her disks slowly swirling behind her. Byakuren found herself willing to give in to running, for once, but couldn’t find her legs moving when she wanted to.

“One must ask…” The figure was before Byakuren, and gently put a hand on her head. It felt cold and rough like stone, yet fleshy and perfect in the sense that there were no calluses. Her hand was giving her forehead a soft buzzing feeling, that was scrambling her thoughts as it lingered. “For forgiveness…”

Then the figure retracted her arm and backed away once again, leaving Byakuren to recover from that as well. The figure didn’t spare a moment for Byakuren to commentate or recover, instead stealing the chance to continue speaking. “Through your belief, you find there are demons, however you do not acknowledge that there is always an opposite for everything. I am no demon. I am an emissary of the heavens.”

Byakuren was rubbing her head, allowing her thoughts to reposition themselves. It felt like they were pushed away by a forgien body, leaving her mind feeling, in a way, violated? She still managed to catch what the figure was saying; not like she couldn’t, anyway. It felt like her voice was flying directly into Byakuren’s brain, making sure she heard everything and understood.

“An emissary of the heavens…?” She muttered to herself, trying to figure out what exactly was in front of her. A celestial? An oarfish? A dragon? No, they wouldn’t come to Makai…

The figure’s voice softened, without Byakuren even realizing it had harshened in the first place. “That is why I am here... this blinding was no attempt to hide something from the eyes of Sariel... T'was to draw you toward vindication.”

… An angel. An angel was before Byakuren. She was sure of it now. When she returned her gaze to the figure, she’d found that she grew again. She was towering over Byakuren, staring down with blazing red eyes that just barely appeared from inside her helmet. The disks were circling Byakuren once again, thankfully without the same effect they brought before.

Her head continued to spin as she looked from eye to eye. Byakuren was an extremely composed person, decades of training ensured this. But now, she could feel all that training unravelling into pure terror, unlike any she’d ever felt before. An angel was making her more afraid than any youkai, demon, oni, or god had. And there wasn’t a single thing she could currently do to regain her composure; too panicked to keep her thoughts consistent. And then they just kept feeling like they were being moved around by something else, something that shouldn’t be in her head–

“... Thank you for visiting me, miss angel, and I’m sorry I offended you. I didn’t expect you to be in the realm of demons.” She rasped out, having to force her thoughts to stay consistent. “But, well… I believe in what I believe, if that makes any sense. I am committed, and I think I can find some common ground for everyone, that not a single soul, or god, has found before. I fear death for good reason, as anyone should, and just… could not bear to stop living in a reality seemingly only I can fix. The monks who sealed me here were just as afraid, just of a different monster. Even if that monster is myself, I cannot blame them for that. I have done wrong, yes, but I seek freedom in order to right some of those wrongs; as well as continuing to teach others of a peaceful future. I was wrong to be so fearful of my own demise, but not with my beliefs about youkai. They are people too, and if someone can teach them right from wrong, they can become just as ‘pure’ as humans can. I mean no offense from this, of course.” She finished with a heave, not really realizing how little she was breathing as she spoke.

And as she finished and continued to look at the eyes, she got more and more thankful that she hadn’t put her scroll down yet. Because both the beast and human within her were telling her that she needed to leave, quickly.

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

"Untruthfulness... is that not against Buddhist code? Do Buddhists not wish to find the truth? If you are so insistent you have lost your fear of death, then you will not mind undergoing purification. Sariel's glow will enlighten thee, as it has for many before..." The angelic figure turned her back to the monk, the eyes following suit before rolling into the back of their sockets with a whirring that sounded like a rasped ethereal moan as they emerged from the other side. "Only God can change this world. I have no doubt your intentions bid well, yet it is foolish to think a mere human could so easily change the balance of life. Humans and Youkai could never become equal, nor could Demon and Angel, as I have illustrated earlier... Prey and Predator serve their purpose in this world. It is not up to you to destroy the balance of life." Yuugen turned around, holding Byakuren's chin in her hand, as she reached her other arm out to grasp onto her hand. "That said... if it is freedom you want, allow me to grant it for you. We Angels exist here in Makai to rid it of its evil... this is no different to me." Releasing her head, now she gripped onto her other hand, holding them both while she stared at her.  "Come with me, child... I will take us across the barrier, toward the safety of our holy temple. You have nothing to fear, and nothing to lose, save for your own evil..." With that, the angel began to levitate once more, before pulling Hijiri up and onto her, as she carried her outside into the night, slowly approaching the lotus flower shaped barrier.

Byakuren

“I’m sorry, Miss Angel, I don’t believe I understand. I didn’t say I ever, um, lost my fear…” Byakuren mumbled a little, preparing for the worst to happen at any moment. She already had a route planned, if she needed to run. Which, she would.

(She just hoped that she’d be able to better fight this angel outside… Or that someone would come to save her.)

The figure turned around, with her back to Byakuren. Perfect, she had the chance to–

A screech-like sound from the disks got Byakuren’s attention. Their eyes were rolled up to a dangerous degree, and emitting a sound that should only come from the depths of Hell itself.

“Only God can change this world. I have no doubt your intentions bid well, yet it is foolish to think a mere human could so easily change the balance of life. Humans and Youkai could never become equal, nor could Demon and Angel, as I have illustrated earlier... Prey and Predator serve their purpose in this world. It is not up to you to destroy the balance of life.” The figure spoke in a chilling voice, almost hidden from the disks screaming.

Suddenly, the figure whipped around so quickly Byakuren had no time to react. Her chin was being held roughly by the figure, keeping her mouth closed while being rubbed by the figure’s long, perfect nails. She had no room to run now, nor fight back. Byakuren felt rather than saw the figure’s free hand grasp one of her own, rubbing it just as gently.

“That said... if it is freedom you want, allow me to grant it for you. We Angels exist here in Makai to rid it of its evil... this is no different to me.” The figure released Byakuren’s head; or rather, tossed it back so that she landed on her blanket, just nearly missing the wall. The figure kept her grip on Byakuren’s hand, her shoulder letting out an awful crack as she fell.

“Come with me, child... I will take us across the barrier, toward the safety of our holy temple. You have nothing to fear, and nothing to lose, save for your own evil…” The figure’s smile was worse than any fox’s. It was sly and screamed of danger, hidden under a smile made of powdery makeup.

Byakuren still tried fleeing, futile as it may be. “Miss Angel, I hear you and understand, but I am not interested in coming with you. I want freedom, but I’d rather stay here than come with you. Especially after how you’ve been acting, how you’ve been treating me.” She scolded, trying her best to just fight back. Of course, it was no use. The angel pulled her up by Byakuren’s limp arm, and flung her into the angel’s other waiting arm with a louder crack and a quiet scream from Byakuren. Just as quickly, Byakuren’s scroll was discarded, thrown to the ground by her ‘savior.’

“Let me go–!” Byakuren futility resisted, pushing against the angel’s chest with her one good arm. But it was no use, she was only held more closely.

And just like that, the angel took off. They were moving so fast that Byakuren’s head was spinning, and air was leaving her lungs faster than it could come back. She had enough time and force to look behind her, to see the dimly glowing barrier getting closer and closer.

“No, wait, I’ll get–” It was too late. The two slammed into the seal roughly, making the entire thing shake and make a sound similar to a gong. The angel was naturally just fine; anything could enter and exit the barrier with ease, except Byakuren. The angel was just getting some pushback at least.

Byakuren, on the other hand, was being crushed. The best way she could describe it was a boulder falling on you and crushing you, except the oni who threw the boulder decided that it would be fun to just keep squishing. She could feel her bones breaking and cracking, her muscles straining to keep their shape and not be reduced to a mush of gore, and she lost all her senses except for just feeling. She thought she was screaming, but she didn’t know. All she knew was that death was rapidly approaching, youkai or not, if this angel didn’t back down. And she surely wouldn’t, which meant Byakuren would– would–

She just kept screaming, hoping that she could eventually get the angel’s attention, to make her stop, before she met her greatest fear directly.

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

The angel stared back stubbornly, the smile unwavering as her head gently shook in disapproval. "Come along, now..." the voice whispered gently, the eyes individually clicking as they turned to face the woman as she struggled, their forever peeled-open expression of shock. Her arm was locked in place tightly around her waist, the strength behind it unimaginably strong, somehow supporting her weight and not budging in the struggle. As they approached the barrier, the angel looked toward her captive once more, before thrusting toward the barrier to test its resilience, accelerating at a dangerous speed. Even with Yuugen's attempt to shield the monk, it was futile, the eyes that acted to form a shield in front of her instead phased through on the other side, prompting a pained gasp from the angel that slowly turned into a choked scream as she reeled the eyes back in toward her. Even a temporary disconnect like that was extraordinarily painful... almost comparable to the agony Byakuren was feeling as the angel's body smothered her against the barrier's field while she slowly awoke from the stunned state she was in.

Finally, the angel withdrew, collapsing backwards as she dropped the monk who's screams were still sounding throughout the realm's pocket dimension. Catching her breath, the angel cleared her throat before stepping over and looking over the battered and crippled woman with a guilty expression.

"...How foolish of me... I said I was not here to harm you, yet that is exactly what I have done..." Her voice turned to a tone of nursing, as she knelt down beside the girl, holding her hand in one, the other on her forehead. "As I suspected, that barrier is impenetrable for you... Given your demonic nature, you should heal naturally within the course of a few hours... but I do not leave my mistakes uncorrected."

With that, the angel's eyes each lit up with a bright yellow light, a giant pentagram forming around them, before five beams of light emerged from their pupils, shining directly onto her body. As the light passed through, one could see all the damaged layers of flesh, bone, vessels, and nerves... and almost instantaneously as the light hit the structures, they had almost instantaneously healed. The angel had rekindled severed vessels and knit shattered bone together with her divine light, however it burned like a thousand suns were shining directly on the monk, as it reacted harshly with the traces of demonic art in her blood. Within the span of seconds, Hijiri was fully restored to herself minutes prior, save for the memory of the horrible pain she'd just endured. Softly, the angel sighed as she left the monk's side as she lay there, staring at each other.

"I suppose I will have to leave you here and bring them to you..." Elis could possibly serve as another work-around this problem, however their relationship was strained, and the demon proved herself hard to find. Yuugen turned away, facing the barrier as she spoke. "The Temple is not far, it will be but a moment. Your patience will be rewarded greatly, you will see... Sariel will grant you your eternal freedom."

With a smirk, she finally left, stepping out of the realm and leaving Byakuren there alone, dazed, and shocked.

She had better be prepared to fight for her life…

Byakuren

After what felt like an agonizing eternity, Byakuren was finally released from her captor’s grasp. She hit the hard, flat ground below her roughly, breaking even more things inside of her body with a loud, squelchy crunch. She was still screaming hoarsely from the pain of it all, as well as almost meeting her worst–

No no, she was just screaming from the pain, yes. Best to not think of that right now…

More of her senses were returning as she continued to lay in a crumpled pile, bones beginning to snap back into place, dragging their meat with them. It was horrifying to watch, and even more horrifying to feel. This wasn’t fast of course, it would likely take a day for her to be back to normal, with how little energy she had to cast a spell now. All she could do was moan and gurgle on her pooling blood every now and then, feeling every fiber of her being put itself back into place, slowly.

She nervously tried twitching and eye back into place, urging the nerves to pull itself back into her skull and reconnect without having to raise a pained, broken and battered arm. (She didn’t bother with the other eye, as it was… well, exploded. That would take longer to heal, and would require her hands.) Vision returned to her, dim and blurred, but it was enough for her to be happy with. She would’ve smiled if her jaw wasn’t broken.

But alas, who was standing above her but the angel. Her expression was unintelligible, thanks to Byakuren’s eye not being fully healed up.

Her ears were the first to regain their sense, so Byakuren got to hear the angel’s haunting voice clear as day.

“...How foolish of me... I said I was not here to harm you, yet that is exactly what I have done…” Muttered the angel, shrinking down to a ‘normal’ height once more. She kneeled over Byakuren, and grabbed one of Byakuren’s hands. That one was barely attached to her body right now, hanging on only by a single fractured bone and the muscles that hung onto it, but the angel held it like there was no problem at all. If she had any bit of fight in her right now, Byakuren would’ve pulled her hand back and tried to push the angel away. But all she could do was watch and hope she wouldn’t be brought back to the seal, that the angel had some ounce of sympathy and sense as to not try again.

As Byakuren was thinking, the angel placed a hand upon Byakuren’s head, rubbing the tender skin where skull had fractured underneath. “As I suspected, that barrier is impenetrable for you... Given your demonic nature, you should heal naturally within the course of a few hours... but I do not leave my mistakes uncorrected.”

Suddenly, Byakuren’s blurred vision was dominated by a bright golden light, the sudden switch only causing her more pain in her half-healed eye. And it wasn’t like she could close it either; the muscles to her eyelid had been smashed, too.

And then, it worked; she could close her eye now.

But oh, her body burned. It felt like she was lit on fire, while salt was being poured all over her simmering body. She screamed again, her mouth and throat repaired enough for that achievement. She attempted to see around her again– with her now functioning other eye as well– but was still met with the blinding light adding to the burning.

And just like that, the few seconds that felt like hours were over. The lights went out, and Byakuren felt fine. All her senses were back, she could move fine, and her body was as it should be. Except for the lingering burning sensations spread all over her body; from her skin to the smallest bones, they all burned like the fires of Hell were lapping them.

The burning faded quickly, leaving Byakuren with little else to do than stare up at the angel’s red eyes.

“Please do not do that again, I beg you.” Byakuren quickly and quietly begged, rubbing her arms along her shoulders while shuddering. If the angel decided to keep trying to break out with her, turning her into paste at the brink of death, then healing her over and over, then she’d go back to an eternity of lonesome solitude at any cost.

“I suppose I will have to leave you here and bring them to you…” The angel muttered, her spiraling red eyes showing no emotion in them, just like her voice. As always, it was like she didn’t even hear Byakuren.

Byakuren had heard plenty of gossip about Heaven from youkai. That it was just an overblown place full of the snobbiest people imaginable, but Byakuren still kept an olive branch held out for them. One thing she knew for certain, however, was that angels were hard to approach, hard to speak to without them misunderstanding emotions, and even harder to get to stray from ideals. Frequently, they’d become so obsessed with their idea of ‘right’ that they’d be banished from Heaven entirely. Byakuren never met one before, but all the stories she’d heard of them lined up, leaving apprehensive curiosity.

Now that she knew what her friends meant, she was well and done with angels entirely. The figure’s lack of sympathy, determination to do what is ‘just’ against the wishes of others, ignoring Byakuren's pleas… It all lined up. And that made her even more prepared to run with her freshly healed legs.

The angel finally stood again, regaining her height as she went. She turned from Byakuren, walking towards the barrier like she was in a trance. “The Temple is not far, it will be but a moment. Your patience will be rewarded greatly, you will see... Sariel will grant you your eternal freedom.”

The angel spoke as she crossed the seal, leaving Byakuren with a chill down her spine. Byakuren wasn’t the most well-versed person when it came to other religions– especially western– but she made sure to know the names of possible bad omens, after a nasty encounter with Thanatos during a trip. So her ‘guest’ speaking the name of an angel of death with such joy, one that someone would only use when talking about a close friend…

Byakuren knew she had to act fast, or she was never seeing the light of day again.

She waited a little bit, making sure that her visitor was fully gone before acting. Being caught would not end well, not at all. So, she sat there, until the ‘sun’ was fully out, leaving her only source of light as the ground.

Running would have no purpose. There weren’t any places to hide but the death-ball that was the false sun, or her home. Fighting would likely be worthless; angels were powerful, and two against one youkai magician would only mean her demise. Especially against an angel of death.

She had one option left: a desperate plea for help. Since she couldn’t just leave and ask for assistance, well…

Byakuren pulled out her hidden scroll, aligning herself right in front of the seal as she slowly unfurled it. Its calm, rainbow glow was comforting to her, a literal light in the dark against a terrible day. She admired it for a moment longer, then looked back to the seal. Unmoving, unchanging as always. Two of the loops were still broken, likely done by the angel as she was trying to enter. That would make this easier.

With a deep breath in, Byakuren unleashed as many attacks against the barrier as possible. The seal was connected to the goddess and her guard, Byakuren knew this. So, if she kept this up, then someone had to notice eventually… Right?

Mercy be to whomever comes to aid her, in life or tragic death.

Chapter Text

~Hokkai~

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid nearly jumped to embrace her Mistress, and even Miss Alice too! But she sated her excitement, giving her favorite doll maker a refined little wave accompanied by a bright smile. Yumeko quickly Approached her mistress, (ignoring the strange looks she was sending towards Elly) bowing her head down and greeting the goddess.

"Hello my Lady, it is good to see you again.."

The maid would straighten her back, taking all of the gods attention off the poor gardener. trying to find the words to sum up what had happened in the last few hours, drawing up a few blanks before speaking. awkwardly touching her wrapped arm.

"...well... a portal has opened up in the form of that lake... it leads to another realm that is much smaller than ours. A realm inhabited by a small population of non-hostile plant Youkai. such as the one you see here, she has been assisting us valiantly to solve the issue at hand... eh.. as well as another Youkai of some sort that has gotten lost in our realm..."

The maid politely, gestured to Elly, trying not to pull too much attention back to the girl. Instead continuing with more gathered information. 

"We ah.. have been recently informed that the cause of this incident, was from the clueless actions of this fairy accompanying us. Taking foreign substance from an accursed lake of some sort, and gathering it nearby. Creating the incident we are now attempting to solve."

The maid took a breath, trying not to dump too much info on her Mistress all at once. But also desperately trying to get anything important into the godly spotlight as soon as possible. since if anyone could fix this odd situation, it was none other than her beloved Mistress.  She would know exactly what to do....

"..What may you have us do, my Lady..?"

Shinki - God of Makai

Shinki blankly stared at Yumeko as she babbled on her explanation of the current events that were unfurling, as well as the past events that had already unfurled. Once she finished, Shinki cocked her head to the side, eyes still intently focused on Yumeko's, her goofy smile shining brightly. "A portal in the form of a lake, you say?" Plant Youkai... Shinki's eyes once again slowly edged towards the gardener, the look alone giving the signal of burning and boiling emotion deep inside of her wounded heart. It wasn't long until Yumeko once again spoke up, drawing the god's attention back to the maid. As the spotlight was placed upon the fairy, Shinki laughed, patting the girl's head gently. "Ahh, hahaha... fairies will be fairies, I suppose." Stepping past the growing crowd, she gripped Elly's collar, roughly tugging her from out of hiding and dragging her behind, not really caring if she was choking or not. This close, she could confirm it now. This girl before her was somehow tied in with that checkered-vest youkai, the one who slaughtered thousands for the sake of 'fun.' Shinki cared not if she was armed, instead dropping her in front of the lake. She crouched down beside Elly, staring into the blood. "Quite the problem on our hands, no?" She cheerily remarked, turning to smile at the girl. She leaned in closer, practically breathing down her neck, drawing forward to her ear.

"Take one last good look," she whispered threateningly. "You may not return home until I am done with you."

Stepping back, the goddess returned to her feet, withdrawing from the lake. And in thin air; a wisp of purple energy gathered in her hands, swarming into an orb shape. Working her magic, the energy surrounded the lake before it collapsed within itself, a violently loud thunderous crash sounding as the ground around it literally collided together faster than light, sealing up the portal and leaving no trace of blood, instead the same black stone that covered the land was in its place.

Shinki - God of Makai

With the portal sealed away, as easy as that, Shinki dusted her hands together, leaving Elly behind at what used to be the portal back to her realm and returning to the crowd. "Well, that's part of the problem solved." She simply said, sighing with relief as she patted the maid's shoulder. "As for what I will have you do..."

With that small act of revenge, Shinki felt emotions she had not felt for a long time. She felt alive once more. She felt good. But she was not done yet. Pointing toward Elly, Shinki hugged the maid to her side. "I want you to keep a close eye on our 'guest' whilst you search for the other one."

Placing a hand on her own chest, Shinki's hand began to glow again, this time a bright red as a thick pulsing line of energy formed a string from where she withdrew her palm. Tracing the line to Yumeko's chest, she placed her arm firmly over her heart, allowing the energy to seep through her veins. "I'll lend you this. Her signature should not be hard to find amongst the crowd." She smiled, patting the maid on the back.

Suddenly, she froze, confusion sprawled out across her face. A rebounding tremor began to quake in her body. It wasn't an effect of the energy transfer, this was something she had felt before a long time ago. A disturbance. It had never been this violent and desperate since the day she had first met her. Shinki stepped back from the group, her wings spanning out in wide array once more.

"I hate to leave on such an early notice, but other matters are being called to my attention. I entrust Alice in your care, Yumeko."

And just as soon as she had arrived, the goddess was gone, shooting off into the sky, only to disappear behind the clouds of miasma.

What had that monk been signaling her for this time?

Elly

Yumeko was overjoyed to see this person, that was all Elly could tell. She just wanted to stop shaking already, stop seeing those red balls stare streams of flames through her–

Elly took a shaky breath in, swallowed, and began trying to count up to ten, then back to one. Her rhythm wasn’t that good, and neither was her breathing, but she needed to calm down. Really quickly.

She was still shaking, and her rhythm wasn’t improving either. It only worsened when she flicked her eyes up to watch the lady in red talk kindly to the others. No malice, no hatred. She even pat Hikariko’s head…

… Maybe Elly was overreacting? After all, she was a stranger… {She isn’t like Yuuka, she isn’t like Yuuka…}

Then she was yanked back by her collar. She didn’t have enough time to gag, only heave out whatever breath and number she was on. Her vision regained its sharpness (when did it begin to blur?) and she was met with a malice-filled stare again. The lady was glaring at her while dragging her out from behind Louise. (When did she get behind Louise?)

Any sense of Elly’s stability shattered at that moment. It felt like one second, she was in Makai, waiting to find Kurumi and go home already. The next, she was little again, in her old maid uniform, and Yuuka had just pushed her onto the ground for accidentally breaking a vase and spilling too much polish. Staring her down with a foot on her chest. Pushing. Not stopping when Elly’s ribs groaned like an old tree’s branches. Not even stopping when those branches broke.

Her shaking came back fully. She couldn’t see properly, all she could see was her standing over her. Kurumi, Orange, or whoever else wasn’t around to maintain her shattered pride in order to keep them feeling safer. It was just her, and t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶a̶d̶y̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶r̶e̶d̶ Yuuka. Words were spoken, but her heart kept her from hearing them. (Her mind filled in the, “My, look at what you’ve done now.” for her, filled to the brim with venom.)

“Please don’t hurt me, I’m sorry,” Elly weakly mumbled over and over, shaking like a leaf, staring upwards and constantly switching between looking at the empty, red eyes staring at her, or anywhere else. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me…” She reached a hand up to grab the foot on her chest, to push it off, but found it wasn't there.

... Wait, that's because...

Elly snapped back to reality when the ground rumbled harshly, something she knew Mugenkan never did at the base level. The corridors of home vanished with a blank, and she was back in Makai. She was free again, and the lady in red had moved on from her. Instead, she’d move onto in front of the faux lake, and raise her arms as the earth rumbled below them all.

Then the ground collapsed. The lake’s ‘waters’ roared louder than the crumbling stones around them, sounding like a roaring dragon as its rest was disturbed. A ball of pristine white energy began to gather around the faux lake, passing through the stones and erasing whatever blood it touched. And then, all at once, the energy and stones slammed into each other, before resetting back into nothing but grassless earth.

The lake was gone.

Her way home was gone.

Elly’s heart finally ceased its relentless pounding as she gawked at the sight. It was… gone. Somewhere within Elly was happy about this, knowing she wouldn’t have to see Yu– {shake, shake,} her again.

But, her way home was gone. Her home was gone. Everything she owned, gone. Her maid friends, gone. Kurumi’s home was gone, too. Everything her and Kurumi made together, gone–

Elly dry heaved, fully back in a shaking storm. Her throat was dry, and her stomach empty, and her insides kept twisting and twisting. She stopped, to pull on her hair again, feeling some of the delicate locks finally snapping out of her head from the pressure. Her knuckles were cracking from how hard she was balling them. Her scythe wasn’t here, where was it, where was it–

Worst of all, it felt like something in her snapped. Like she was hanging from a rope that was cut in half, left falling endlessly. She felt weak, weaker than before. She collapsed onto the ground fully, unable to find the energy to get back up.

(She was happy that Kurumi wasn’t around right now.)

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The maid turned to Alice as Her mistress walked away. She was just about to start speaking when she heard a sudden painful croak from behind, accompanied by dirt being tossed up.

She snapped towards the sound, witnessing a shocking scene suddenly unfolding. Elly was being roughly dragged by Mistress, getting thrown into the ground near the massive accursed lake. Yumeko started to approach the two, but stopped in her tracks as her mistress began to use her magic on the lake. The maid tried to yell towards the goddess, her voice becoming lost as the lake screeched in agony.

"My Lady wait!!! we still have not.."

her jaw dropped as the lake closed, the outsiders would now be trapped here until further notice. This was not at all apart of her slim expectations, at least not as sudden as this madness. Yumeko was not one to question her master, but the harsh treatment of the poor girl was quite simply uncalled for. It was unlike Mistress to act out in such ways, at least not without reason. Her eyes locked onto poor Elly, she simply fell to the ground, as if every bone in her body had turned to cast iron. She was about to question her master once more, when she was pulled close by her Lady.

the maid did her best to listen closely, still a bit shocked by the sudden events unfolding. keeping loose eye contact with her master as she would listen closely to her masters cold, yet gentle words..

Yumeko was to keep a close eye on Elly, while continuing the search for the lost girl (she couldn't think of her name at the moment). She tried to make her mental checklist, but her master would continue on and begin a transfer of energy to her. this method had been preformed some other times when The Maid needed some divine assistance from her master. But this time it was a new skill, something she was not quite familiar with. and with her masters simple explanation, she guessed it was some sort of way to track the plant like outsiders. added by the fact she could now somehow feel Elly in her chest, directing her towards the broken girl. she plead quietly to the goddess, trying to get any possible answers.

"but m'lady... I do not understand... how will we get them ho-"

she was cut off as her master walked off, seemingly becoming occupied with something coming to her mind.  Yumeko watched with an agap jaw as her master bid her farewells and simply left to attend something else. leaving Alice, and the rest of the mission in the maids hands.

she swallowed hard, turning slowly to Elly, not sure what to think of the Gardener. Simply approaching the girl and slowly kneeling down next to the poor girl. gently laying her hand on the girls back, speaking in the gentlest of tones she could possibly manage.

"Elly..... please get up... we need to go..."

Yumeko quietly listened for any response, aside from what she thought might have been a quiet sob. she gently rubbed Elly's back, trying to offer any sort of comfort to break the girls trance. Yumeko had so many questions now, but she had to contain herself for now. instead just continuing to comfort the girl, turning around to get any sort of input from anyone else. 

What was happening? what did Mistress know, that Yumeko didn't..

Shinki > Hokkai Badlands

Louise - Wayward Demon

After lovingly reuniting with her creator, she was gone before she even knew it. Watching her take off to the skies was awe-inspiring. However, once everything settled down, Louise was just as confused as the others. The portal had been closed now, but that'd mean these two would be trapped here without the help of Shinki or Sara. It was surprising that Yumeko had suddenly grown so affectionate towards their guest, when before she was nothing but cold uncaring and expressionless. Louise went over to the two, helping the girl get to her feet with the aid of Yumeko's strength.

"Ah, don't worry a thing about it, dear..." she tried to offer words of encouragement, dusting off the black stains that coated Elly's dress with her hand. "We'll work out a way back to your home once we find your friend. It'll all be fine, you'll see."

Louise's eyes wandered over to Alice, herself sharing the uncertainty of her comrades. Though she was now the maid's responsibility, she clearly had her hands full enough as is. For the time being, Louise kept by Alice's side, offering her hand for her to hold on. The woman shook her head with a sigh. It was best not to question whatever happened, what is done is done, and they still hadn't accomplished their original goal. Looking behind her one last time, she lead Alice behind her into the still-open wormhole, taking the two of them to the village.

Alice & Louise > Makai Village

~Mugenkan~

Yuuka - Dreaming Terror

The 'Demon' smirked wide, always impressed by the tiny creatures resilience. she elegantly leaned down a bit towards the girl, her polite introduction making for an excellent apology (mostly since Yuuka suspected she would never get one anyway). 

"..hmhmm.. hello dear~"

the fairy maids could feel it in their bodies when Yuuka was no longer in a dangerous state, allowing them to emerge from their safe havens and quietly assess the damage done in the daily rampaging. carefully working around Yuuka as to not accidentally spark another damaged wall case. 

The flower 'demon' sighed, she wanted to go back to sleep, but now she was wide awake from the fun.

"...you are always quite the trouble maker, why aren't you out playing with Kurumi? it's not often I see you inside without her around."

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Orange's eyes darted around the room anxiously once Yuuka asked why she was all alone in here. The last thing anyone would want is for her to find out that another portal to Makai is open, this time in their world... knowing what she would do to not only them but Makai's people as well. She sputtered out, trying to make it seem convincing. "W-Well, erm... she's... playing with miss Elly? And I was tired, so I wanted to take a nap."

Smiling, she hoped that'd suffice as a proper explanation. "Oh, and um... sorry for accidentally sleeping in your bed?"

Orange then looked away, frowning as she stared down the hallway. What was it like in that other world...? Were the people nicer there? How was no one tired of living in fear under this youkai's tyranny? She grumbled, placing her hands on her face as she lay on her stomach, kicking her legs back and forth. Why'd she have to go and forfeit those simple days of living alone on the mountain's countryside? These people clearly did not like her, was staying for Kurumi really worth it??

Existential dread and qualms aside, Orange rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. This place was boring... that feeling wasn't helped by getting the living daylights beaten out of her. She turned her head, staring up at Yuuka, contemplating the thoughts rushing through her mind. When would they be back? Maybe she should run away and go to them... they were trying to close the portal, it was a one-shot deal. Yet she had no idea if they were even still alive in there or what kind of world it was like. She'd felt like this for so long, yet something made her hesitant, and she wasn't sure what...

Slowly, she rose to her feet, approaching the stairway. "I'll get out of your hair now." She said apologetically, before descending the flight.

Hopefully the other side of that lake held a fate that was worth drowning in blood for... playing the game of punching-bag was getting old. She wanted to explore what the other worlds had to offer.

Yuuka - Dreaming Terror

Yuuka would grab the absconding girls shoulder with a firm yet gentle grasp. Stopping her from escaping to safety.

Yuuka was now fully dressed somehow, she must have snuck off as soon as orange turned away. Adorning her full signature outfit, in all it's glory. she had her small canvas bag in hand, filled with fresh smelling produce. The 'demon' spoke in as cheerful as a tone that she could pull off.

"now now.. why don't we spend some quality time together hmmm? I have to go and speak with Elly anyway, so I'm sure you wouldn't mind one bit, if I were to accompany you to the gates~"

Yuuka smiled wide, not a hint of good intentions within her terrible grin, even most common fairies could see through such a facade.

"perhaps you might be hungry as well dear...?"

she reached into the bag and pulled a beautifully fresh apple, looking absolutely succulent and filling. her hand would extend downwards towards the small girl, a rare offer from the cruel 'demon'.

"..I picked them fresh just a few hours ago, you may have one of you would like~"

Yuuka once again gave a reassuring smile to the girl, who was looking a bit pale now, she must have been starving after all…

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Just as she was about to leave, her body recoiled from the strong immovable grip that clasped around her shoulder, yet it was somehow gentle enough to not hurt. Her head snapped back, her body soon following suit, her eyes trailing down toward the bag in her hand, then back up to her. "...Quality time?" Orange looked puzzled, her head cocked to the side like she'd just heard the most confusing thing in the world. "...With me??" The gardener had her doubts, but that smile seemed so genuine. She almost completely forgot that just two minutes ago she had the fear of god put in her, her hand reaching over to her shoulder as she laughed nervously.

"Uh, sure... if you want to?" She wasn't honestly too keen on the idea, in fact she wanted to say no, but that'd probably result in another broken bone or four. Maybe if she did this, she could buy the others some time, so she wouldn't find out that they're all missing in some outside world.

It was almost like Yuuka could tell that she was digging through the garden earlier, because she'd offered up one of the most delicious looking apples she'd ever seen. Her mouth immediately began to water, gently taking the apple from Yuuka's hand before chomping down into it. Hopefully there weren't any razor blades in it... She was pretty hungry, vegetables weren't exactly filling, so this would do the trick. She bounced the apple up and down in her hand, responding with a muffled 'thanks' as she swallowed.

"So, uhm. What is it exactly you want to do together? We could go mountain climbing...?" She offered, hugging her back to the railing and keeping her eyes on Yuuka as she went down the stairs.

Yuuka - Dreaming Terror

Yuuka laughed quietly, patting orange a bit roughly on her beret covered head. such a cute little thing, despite all the annoyances she caused when Yuuka's back was turned, she was just a clueless little baby.

"if we were to ever go mountain climbing together, it would be to tie a rope to you and throw you into a portal to see what happens."

Yuuka laughed wholeheartedly, the look on the girls face changing to something akin to childlike terror was absolutely golden. she finished snickering and continued with the girl down the fanciful stairways, making her way down to the first floor and waltzing straight to the front doors. Normally at this time she would begin attending to the downstairs garden, but visiting Elly would be all but a moment. she watched in the corner of her eye as Orange would carefully place her apple core in one of her plant boxes. She supposed a bit of compost would be fine, as long as it didn't end up on the floor.

"so have you perhaps seen anything out of the ordinary recently...? any intruders on our land?"

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Orange flinched, her eyes squinting with every pat on her head. A frown quickly grew as Yuuka made her intentions clear, should they actually go mountain climbing together. Guess that's one crossed off the list... Orange crossed her arms, chewing at the apple so she could form an excuse to not talk. How long could she keep Yuuka at bay? Not for much longer that's for sure. As she finished chewing, tossing away the core into a planter, the question rung out. Orange stopped, staring at her.

"What sort of question is that? Especially out of nowhere. No, no I haven't..." Did she know already? It wasn't her fault, she wouldn't have to take the blame for it, hopefully... Orange left off with a shrug. "If there were, I haven't seen any... Miss Elly would've taken care of them straight away."

Hopefully there was no more questions like that.

Yuuka - Dreaming Terror

She shrugged slightly, speaking in a uplifting sort of tone. 

"well ever since the unwarranted invasion from the outside world, you were the first one to encounter the invaders. since then I might have figured you to be some sort of guardian of our land"

she leaned down towards Orange, her usual polite smile across her face. Yuuka always wanted to utilize the troublesome girl as some sort of scout, but the girls independent nature proved to be something that did not bode well with Yuuka's plans. 

"if you were to see any more invaders or interlopers, keep in mind to tell us as soon as you can.  As much as Elly or Kurumi can handle most threats, getting an idea of what we might be facing turn the odds in our favor exponentially."

she stood back up straight, grabbing another juicy apple from the bad and handing it to the girl.

"just remember that."

she would turn around and head towards the grand entrance doors. The apple would shine beautifully in the ambient lighting of the entrance hall, giving a sudden sense of melancholy as Yuuka threw the doors open.

walking slowly down the steps, stopping for a second to allow for the girl to catch up from her sudden strange daze.

"come along dear."

The gates were empty, no Elly, no Kurumi, just a faint smell of blood. Which was nothing out of the ordinary, Kurumi always tracked blood back to the garden entrance. But the top of the wall nearby the gate had a faint splatter on on the top and sides, dripping down a bit behind where a bush was. Yuuka inspected closer, a faint trail of blood had come out of the bush and lay splattered on some nearby brick pads.

yuuka turned to orange, a completely blank look across her face, she spoke in a polite but stern tone.

"Orange. Are you sure no one came in from the outside.. I promise I won't get mad..."

she stood tall and faced the poor girl, a sudden feeling of dread came from all sides. An instant indicator that Yuuka was close to the brink of something horrible.

Orange - Mandarin Gardener

Orange nodded, taking the apple and putting it to her mouth. "I understand, miss Yuuka..." she said, before biting into it. It was a little old she was constantly supplying her with these... were they really apples? Were they poisoned? She'd been so abused she'd have no idea if any of their actions were genuine or just another prank to get at her. Orange just decided she'd quit questioning it and enjoy it while it lasts, realizing the doors had already been opened and she was being beckoned outside. Following along, her walking slowed as she remembered her pretty poor repair job... thankfully that was on the other side, and she hadn't brought it up. Maybe she didn't notice? As for the blood, well... that was less than ideal.

Orange felt herself instinctively shrink as Yuuka turned to her, looming over with an empty stare, driving that deep fear into her once more.

She sighed.

"...There um... there was? But last I saw, miss Elly was talking to the two of them, and then I woke up and now they aren't here. So... I think she took care of them? They said something about Makai, I guess that's their home? But, I dunno where they came from. All they mentioned as a portal and... blood..."

Orange slowly connected the dots, staring over at the obsidian spires that rose out of the lake.

"...Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." she said with dull realization.

Suddenly, Orange sprung up, clicking her heels together with a salute.

"Yes, the intruders came from the lake, miss Yuuka!" She shouted dutifully, a grin on her face. Then she pat her hip. Right... where was her baton? "Uhm... I'll come help you close it, I have to go find my baton."

Then, Orange took off, running inside. It didn't take long, as she immediately came back out, baton in hand. She didn't remember leaving it leaning on the stairs, but oh well!

"Okay! Let's go!" She pointed toward the lake with her baton, marching towards it. She wasn't going to question how they'd use the portal, miss Yuuka would figure it out

~Makai Village~

Alice Margatroid [PC98]

Riding atop of her lady's back akin to a flying carpet, Alice dragged her pupils across the vast landscape, strangely always seeming larger each time she went outside. She had acknowledged already that finding where the maid had went would be a daunting task, especially when there was no previous indication of just where she had gone.

However, though, as goddess Shinki had the ultimate connection to her creations, Alice was confident that they would find her in no time, no thanks to herself.

Still, she made the effort to scout details that may assist in gaining context.

Louise - Wayward Demon

To say the new change of atmosphere was a cleansing experience was an understatement. Louise had been exposed to Hokkai's air far longer than she would have liked, it was refreshing to be back in the comforts of civilization and to be breathing clean air once more. Alice had seemed less than pleased that she'd been separated from not only Shinki but Yumeko as well. Louise pat her head, ruffling her hair a little bit. "Don't fret, they'll be here in a moment." While they waited, Louise made herself comfy on one of the benches nearby, digging through her luggage. It'd been a while since she'd eaten anything, and she figured the girl would want something too, so she pulled out a box of jellied tea-cubes she had been saving for the trip. One could eat them as is, or put them in a cup of water. It was like a tea-flavored candy, and they came in many different flavors. It didn't beat tea in its original form, but it suited her tastes all the same. Offering one to the girl, she popped another in her mouth, swinging her legs under the bench. What was taking them so long...?

Alice Margatroid [PC98]

Alice sat silently, swinging her legs. She found herself situated next to Makai's traveller: Louise. Louise was, as mentioned before, someone she did not see much. She viewed the lady as aloof and free-spirited, yet someone who acted quite kind. She had taken her away from that whole scene, after all.

…It was hard to comprehend just what had happened. Yumeko had met someone similar to her named Elly, whom came from another world: Presumably, it was accessed via the blood lake that Shinki had decimated.

…Of course, this meant Elly was stranded, as well as her unfound companion. It would not feel as bad to acknowledge if the woman had not broken down emotionally.

It hurt Alice to imagine a scenario in which she was stuck, trapped far from home in a place full of strangers upon strangers. It was a moment of sympathy that the girl did not often spare for others. Of course, she did not think she could be misunderstanding anything at all. 

Her train of thought halted as Louise spoke up, reassuring Alice of things only a child would worry about. However, the crinkling of a plastic box enticed her curiosity, and her pompousness vanished. Willingly she accepted the cube, which smelled distinctly of chamomile. Quite a snack, she thought.

“ …Thank you. “ was all she said before popping it into her mouth, waiting patiently as her thoughts on today’s events wandered.

Chapter Text

~Temple of the Fallen~

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

Returning home empty-handed with all but the knowledge of what lay beyond the blindspot in Hokkai's corner, Yuugen set foot in the temple's vast and stretching hallways, empty save for a few murals and scribings scribbled on the walls as well as the pillars that lay the foundation for the temple. It was a layout she was more than familiar with, having lived here an eternity's sake. The angel began to walk down the seemingly endless stairway that lead into the temple's catacombs, the floors and walls a shining and glimmering cobalt that reflected her naturally emissive self. Passing through Elis's empty room, she had made it to her own crypt. The walls were a blending gradient of cobalt stone and ruby brick, sculptures of eyes scoured the walls with flames burning in their pupils that lit up the surroundings. While it was pleasant to sit idly in her tomb and observe the outside, she wasn't here to indulge in her own hobbies.

Footsteps echoing through the hallway, the dim yellow light grew closer until stopping before the front gate to the Angel's shrine. Crucifixes and other holy furnishing decorated and obscured the room from it's scent of death. Yuugen paused before the Angel, prostrating herself and bowing in respect.

"Sariel, I come to bear news of my findings." She started, before standing back up on her feet, her eyes focused on the Angel's. "While the land itself is unremarkable, I have found the problem. There is a barrier that obscure what lay within; that being a human whose heart is poisoned with sin."

Her eyes then drew down to Sariel's lap, Elis was sitting contently, the angel stroking her back like she was a cat. With the both of them here, perhaps orchestrating a plan would not be so difficult.

"That barrier serves to keep her and her only imprisoned, anything else can pass freely. I think she is one worthy of saving... what is thy word, Sariel?"

The ophanim's hands clasped behind her back, finishing her report.

Sariel

On most days, Sariel remained almost entirely ‘inactive.’ Since a grueling defeat at the hands of a near-demonic child, she’d been finding herself being able to exert her power less and less. (Not that she had to worry about that so much anymore; this hellish land was already on its knees. If she fell, surely it would be after the land itself had finally been taken into God’s almighty hands.) Instead of standing tall while wandering in this temple’s corridors, or roaming the land to spread God’s will, she simply sat in the altar room she claimed as her own. She’d enter a state in which she was too tired to stay awake, yet unable to sleep, and would remain unaware of her surroundings for hours at a time. Most days, she’d find that Elis had wandered inside and would be doing… something. What it would be changed day by day.

YuugenMagan’s blessed return awoke her from one of these transes, allowing her to find that Elis had snuck onto her lap, and coaxed her unconscious body into petting her. (Even if she were allied with them, demons were still unpredictable and strange. She’d have to think about this more later, possibly punish Elis for making her act in such a way. Deter her from using Sariel as a tool; from forcing her out of God’s light.)

YuugenMagan bowed before Sariel, to which Sariel simply nodded.

“Speak, Child.” Her voice was but a whisper, through which her might turned into an echoing roar, “What is it that you’ve found?”

YuugenMagan promptly explained all to Sariel, quickly and diligently, as she was trained.

Once the news was delivered, Sariel took a breath and and thought, keeping her eyes closed and mind at peace. A human, poisoned with the powers of darkness. Yes, she’d seen many of those before; it was not unusual before. She’d been on many missions like that, to bring them to peace, and put them on the path to meet God in all Their glory.

However, a seal to keep a human such as that was unusual. Mostly, she’d instead have to free the burning souls of the many. It almost sounded like He Whom Goes Unspoken had constructed a special Hell specifically for this poor woman. Sariel’s heart throbbed in pain at the thought; its bright, white nerves glowed with the swell of emotion, almost causing her entire torso to convulse. 

As she thought this over, she felt the dreaded fog returning to her mind. A curse no doubt brought upon her thanks to that child, something that God in all Their glory hadn’t fixed yet, no matter how much she prayed and begged for mercy. (Which was odd. God sent her on this mission, and always gave her help when she would pray. Why hadn’t They answered yet? Were They resting as well?)

Sariel cracked her eyes open only slightly, seeing how YuugenMagan and Elis were waiting on her word. As her current condition worried them enough as-is, Sariel thought quicker in order to answer before the fog claimed her mind.

“Of course she is worthy of salvation. Nobody is not, not even those who are touched by evil cannot be saved. That is Their word. Thee know this thyself.” She explained, patting Elis on the head as she returned the demon to the floor.

“Alas, mine spirit is weak once more. This dreaded curse strikes me,” Sariel lowered her hands to under her exposed heart. A hole lay in her chest where He Whom Goes Unspoken had struck her a millennia ago; leaving the weakest spot of her body (but the strongest of her spirit,) exposed. For that millennia, no soul nor demon nor misguided comrade had attempted to strike it and receive the full force of her wrath. But alas, that one demonic child was foolish enough to fight her, struck her down, and left something inside of her heart. She could not remove it, nor could YuugenMagan or Elis. Her heart had grown over it, fully trapping the curse inside of her, and leaving a scar on her (nearly) flawless body.

She continued after a moment of labored breathing, “I am in nay shape to leave this temple yet. I doth not believe I can gain the power to save her yet, even if I tried. Please forgive me for indulging in sloth– the Lord, as well as the two of you– but she shall have to wait until mine power returns.” Sariel lamented. She felt the equivalent to crying build up within her, yet her eyes remained dry and still. She could only hope that her comrades understood her plight.

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

Yuugen nodded, her smile not leaving her face, as she stepped forth towards the holy angel. "You needn't apologize to us, nor the Lord. Elis and I will see to it that she is saved." She couldn't help but feel a bitter pity eat at her heart every time she stepped foot in the angel's chambers. It was rare she'd ever find her not indulging herself in a trance-like state in an attempt to reach the divine light's powers. The Ophanim and her acolyte; Elis, had both tried all options they could think of to free her of her binding curse, but alas it was all fruitless against the wicked power of the unholy Miko's seal. Perhaps it was also her who had sealed that girl in Hokkai? Yuugen would offer her more comfort, however they had a job to do. Bending over, she picked the disgruntled demon off of the ground, clearly upset that her selfish indulgence of the angel's half-conscious comforts were so brashly interrupted. The pair knew that Sariel's power would never restore itself to full capacity. Elis was no angel, but Yuugen knew for a fact that although it was God who had put them here in this realm of demons, they were alone and without his voice of guidance. It was not to say God had abandoned them, but that he was testing them. Elis, of course, knew better, and she knew to keep it to herself, being at the mercy of these angels herself. "We will see to it that thy will is carried out, master Sariel."

With their parting words, Yuugen took Elis's hand in hers, guiding her outside of the temple. Their destination; the seal. If the angel could not come to her, they would just have to bring her to angel through force. Elis's manipulation of magic mirrors could phase through any space, no matter the barrier.

Even if it failed due to the nature of this barrier, a little demonic bloodshed was not something to fret over. Even if the woman died in the procedure, she would still find herself in God's welcoming arms, regardless of what her personal beliefs might tell her.

~Ruins of Vina~

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

Once more, the angel left the comforts of the temple to the unwelcoming land of demons, Elis's collar firmly grasped in her hand as she dangled the demon whom she dwarfed over the ground. Letting her drop to her feet, the angel's hand fell to her side. Taking a knee, she got down to the demon's level, patting her head firmly. Softly, she commanded the girl with her quiet yet booming voice.

"You know where to go."

Nodding, the vampire quickly gave a wave of her magic wand, an abnormally large mirror materializing from small crystalline sparkles that radiated from her wand. When the mirror had finished materializing, the reflectiveness of the glass began to warp as the crystalline sparkles flew away in the wind, suddenly the vision of the lotus flower seal becoming visible in its visage. Even with its large size, it was still a tight squeeze for the ophanim to get through. Once on the other side, the demon soon followed suit, hopping into the mirror portal. When they emerged...

~Hokkai Badlands~

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

Elis wasn't really sure why she always had to be dragged into these angel's problems, and despite how much it annoyed her, she really had no say in the matter at all. Elis was something of a puppet and a pet to the two, her life guaranteed so long as she helped the angels with their twisted and sickly overblown sense of right. Elis had become so desensitized to the idea of death, as her whole lifestyle revolved around it, angel or not, so in the end she didn't really care so long as she got to keep living. There was a rumor that Yuugenmagan was once a powerful demon under Shinki's elite, however became a purified being of light after Sariel had touched her, thus resulting in the angellification of the demon. If that were true, Elis wondered why they didn't just go ahead and do the same for her...

Nonetheless, here they were, the barrier that Yuugen had mentioned earlier to Sariel. It's bright yellow glow cut through the dark, it was like a beacon in the fog. Cautiously, the vampire edged closer, until Yuugen stepped in front of her with not a hint of hesitation. She was really determined to have this human put to trial, huh? And just like that; the angel phased through the barrier without breaking so much as a sweat. Elis reluctantly followed behind, anxiously edging herself in through the barrier inch by inch.

Emerging on the other side... she was greeted by the sound of the barrier's beating heart, and the lights pulsing through the ground. Aside from what seemed to be a really shoddily put together shelter off in the distance, the land was completely empty. Elis didn't see a human anywhere... Was she in hiding? She looked to Yuugenmagan. It seemed that her prior surveillance helped. 

The eyes could finally see.

Yuugen's aura of eyes rolled into the back of their sockets with another disturbing moan, before locking on a target behind.

"There you are..."

~Makai Entryway~

Sara

Sara beamed at the makeshift handkerchief mask, quickly going behind Kurumi and tightening the wrap gently, as to keep a good seal around the girls face. Sara seemed as if she had quite the amount of experience when it came to wrapping cloth, perhaps from all the time the lonely guard spent inside her solemn post.

she proudly stood aside and thought for a second, making an audible sound of recalling something. pulling small white paper with purple ink writing across it from one of her pockets. Sara would bring the paper close to whisper something outlandish to it, seemingly causing it to fissle and glow powerfully. She would stick the glowing paper across the crack of the metal door, instantly sending a wave of beautiful color across the buildings exterior. Wrapping around the stone building uniformly, before fading away, seemingly disappearing. Sara spoke as if she knew what she was doing.

"There! now my things won't get eaten or stolen while we're gone.. I hope you didn't leave anything inside..."

Sara smiled a bit, proud of her work, quickly turning to Kurumi again. She grabbed the girls hand and led her towards the broken metal gates, with an overgrown sign barely hanging from two ruined lamp posts, reading 'Welcome to Makai'.

Kurumi

Kurumi stared in pure awe from the small light show, left nearly speechless. It was like she just got close to a constellation forming back home, which was super rare and unpredictable…

“There! now my things won't get eaten or stolen while we're gone.. I hope you didn't leave anything inside…” Sara boasted quietly, sounding almost too humble to be called a ‘boast.’ Either way, Kurumi was starstruck.

“Wow! Um, I didn’t, but that was really cool! We have stuff that look kinda like that at home, but they’re in the sky, and hard to figure out when one’s gonna burst like that.” Kurumi explained giddily, taking to the air and flying alongside her new friend.

The trip barely began, and Kurumi was already intrigued by the land. There were an awfully large amount of broken things laying around, and some patches of grass that looked almost too green.

Sara led Kurumi to some vine-covered metal gate rather quickly, which she struggled to open. Kurumi had to help her, because the metal door was just as thick as either of their bodies. They flew in, Kurumi helped close it, Sara ‘locked’ it, and they were off again.

There were very few patches of grass on the whole trip, mainly just the dark-stone and some shining crystals zooming past them from the ground. The sight made her extremely excited, making her fight off the urge to just zoom ahead so they’d move even faster. And of course, there were still random bits of things that looked too out of place down there, like twisted metal poles, some sort of broken metal net? It was odd, but she didn’t bring it up.

“So what’s your Lady Shinki like?” Kurumi asked eventually, extremely curious. “Because Mistress gets erm… mean-ish, if you bug her for the wrong reason. Y’know?” Kurumi held her arms up and waved them around, trying to articulate what being glared at was like with her hands.

“Whuh?” Kurumi blinked a couple times from something she finally noticed from her movements. She tested it out by flailing her arms around more, ending in a tilt of her head.

“Hey, do you see the weird green behind my arm when I move it?” She turned her head to Sara, showing her how her arm had some sort of green aftertrail. “This hasn’t happened before?”

Sara

Upon hearing the question about Lady Shinki,The girl stopped mid flight and thought for a bit, before replying.

"well uh... she's just, really nice...? she always used to ask me how I'm feeling and if I'm hungry or bored...and then if she had time, she would play with me! she's never really mean or anything... Lady Shinki is always really nice.."

Sara looked really comfortable thinking about the great lady, as if Lady Shinki was some sort of emotionally valuable person in Sara's life.

she was about to say something else when kurumi's attitude changed, the girl began to observe a strange phenomenon occuring to herself. Sara audibly made noises of amazement, she wished her own body could glow like that. she spoke with a more reserved tone, not really sure of how to explain it.

"that happens to some outsiders I think, something about how like.. uh... I don't actually know... but it happens rarely to some people who come from the outside realm. like this one lady who threatened to kill me, and then beat me senseless... she glowed so much I could barely fight back."

Sara sighed and avoided eye contact, the embarrassing string of defeats still weighing down her mind. Knowing deep down that she could have prevented the great invasion if she would have just stopped those intruders... she stopped thinking about it before her eyes got watery. speaking once more

"...anyhow, don't worry about it.. just try to cover your exposed skin...? if you can, since the locals might get angry and try to fight you ..."

Kurumi

“Oh really?” Kurumi tilted her head, then quickly struggled to make sure she wouldn’t lose balance while flying. Outsiders in this place glow…? What a strange place. Was that normal for places besides Mugensekai, or…

And when Sara mentioned how she was threatened, Kurumi frowned. That was so mean, who would even think to do such a thing?!

“That’s so rude!” Kurumi huffed, balling her fists up a little. “I was attacked by two weirdos before– a witch and shrine maiden. But even if they beat me, Elly, Orange, and Mistress up, they never threatened to kill us!”

And then Sara mentioned covering her skin. She didn’t fully understand, because the glowing was coming from her clothes, too. (But there was a bit less?) Either way, her clothes should probably be dry soon?

“I’ve got my clothes, those should work. I can just pull my sleeves over my hands, and uh, pull the handkerchief up more?” She smiled nervously, hoping her teeth wouldn’t spook Sara.

“Ah–! Wait, my wings! What’re we gonna do about those?”

Sara

Sara thought for a second .. the girl had quite massive wings that would indeed be hard to cover in any convenient way.. but after thinking for a bit the gate keeper smiled wide and pointed her finger upwards, speaking excitedly.

"well what if we, cover it in a thick liquid, or a powder..! or maybe even both!! maybe it could work, since I don't really want you to get beat up by the locals.... they really don't look like outsiders... "

she waved her hands around for extra emphasis, always full of energy and wonder. even after all these years of solitude, life was simply too fragile to worry about the negative things after all!

she looked around for any sort of method to coat the girls wings, while speaking a bit quieter.

"if you uh, think that's a good idea of course.... I don't wanna accidentally hurt your pretty wings with anything.... so it's really just up to you..."

Sara shrugged, giving Kurumi some time to think about how she wanted to go about this situation.

Kurumi

“A thick liquid, or powder…?” Kurumi blinked a couple times. “Wouldn’t that just make them stand out more?” How would you get a liquid to stay on her wings, anyway? Unless it was like the blood, and if it was, she wouldn’t want it to make her wings crustier than they were before…

Kurumi huffed, “Do people really hate outsiders that much? Is that why there’s so much pain-gas back there?” She lamented, trying to think of anything better. If only she could just pop her wings off sometimes…

“Hey wait,” Kurumi piped up again, “I’ve got an idea. What if I wrap my wings around myself, before I put my shirt on? I broke one once, so I had to keep it like that so I’d stop hitting it against walls. It’s a little uncomfortable, but it would work, right?”

Just as she finished asking that, she felt some sort of odd feeling. It was like something in her fell, that ‘stomach-sinking’ Elly would sometimes talk about. It felt weird, and left her feeling… tingly?

“Hey, um, it might be me again, but do you feel odd? Um, like there’s a hole in you and you feel kinda tingly?”

Sara

Sara looked a bit dumbfounded, repeating what Kurumi said without thinking much. 

"Wrapping your wings around.... I didn't even think you could do that.. wouldn't that be really uncomfortable though.. and you wouldn't be able to fly either..."

she would have continued but Kurumi hit her with another topic of interest. Something that caught her off guard as well. Sara shook her head from side to side, speaking with concern in her voice.

"I don't feel it at all. could it be some sort of chest pain from eating something you didn't agree with.... that happens to me when Lady Shinki cooks... or maybe its just from stress..?? if it gets really bad, we can go see someone and get medicine. It might work for you, but it might not."

Sara shrugged, closing in and touching Kurumi's forehead. Presumably to check for a fever, just in case. Apologizing quietly for the sudden touching. She lowered herself to the ground, touching down alongside Kurumi. They were in the middle of a decayed pathway, long since maintained. Some sort of dark forest would surround them, a perfect place to sit and deal with disguises and fevers.

"...well do you wanna do that thing with your wings, or should we just uh.... see what happens at the village.. im pretty confident we can escape if anything happens. But....."

Kurumi

“I think I’m fine? But, uh, yea, wrapping them gets really uncomfortable after a while, but I can hold it until I can find Hika.” Kurumi commented while following Sara’s descent. She didn’t really add much onto Sara’s point about the pain, because it made a lot of sense. She’s never had bug sap tea before, and it could be bugging her stomach. She went through this kinda before; getting really sick from random foods, unable to figure out what the issue was, until everyone found out that she was deathly ‘allergic’ to garlic. This feeling wasn’t as painful as garlic or beans, but it still felt odd. As long as it didn’t get any worse…

“Alright, I’ll go, um, change?” She announced as she trotted off, trying to find a good spot to change in. The forest they were in was pretty dark, even to her, and the trees were downright strange looking. Their bark felt more like steel, and they varied in every color that wasn’t the usual brown or light gray. Looking up, she couldn’t even tell if they had leaves from how dark it was. At least the vines on trees were mostly normal, save a few bright blue or purple ones.

After a few minutes of searching in a straight line, (and marking her path with her wings dragging on the dirt) Kurumi found a decently secluded spot in-between five ‘trees.’ Once in, she slipped off the dress, and almost-quickly slipped her actual clothes back on. Almost-quickly, because her two extra limbs made slipping into things a little more difficult, even when they were wrapped around her.

After a bit of grunting and falling over, she got her clothes back on. They were still a little damp, and smelled slightly, but she could hide just fine now! She’d even kept her socks straight up instead of rolling them, to hide more of her legs. (Even though she didn’t have to, her dress reached down pretty far.)

Right as she went to tie up her ribbon, she felt a breeze hit her back. It was just a normal breeze, but it was chilly. More so than normal.

… Right. Holes.

Kurumi sighed as she tried to figure out what to do about the holes in her shirts. It wasn’t like she could just sew them up, so what to do? Someone would definitely see her wings and back through them.

She looked back at the sack, Sara’s spare dress and scarf sitting on top of it. It took a few seconds, but she quickly gained a really good idea.

“I’m going to have to apologize to Sara…” Kurumi mumbled as she used her nails to tear up the dress, removing almost everything below the waistline, slicing up most of the back, and thinning up the billowy collar area so it’d fit under her shirt. Then, once her work was done, removed her clothes again, slipped the modified dress on, and then put her clothes back on.

She’d put the dress on backwards, hardly noticeable thanks to her modifications. The mostly-in-tact ‘front’ half was covering up the wing-holes now, with the ‘back’ area opened up so she wouldn’t overheat as quickly. The shorter dress part kept it from possibly poking out from under her skirt, also keeping her from overheating as well.

Hopefully Sara wouldn’t be too mad? Kurumi could just give her some of her own clothes as payment, or ask Elly to sew Sara a new dress… (Kurumi should learn to sew one of these days. It’d be really helpful, and would ease some work off of Elly.)

With most of her body covered up, Kurumi looked back down at her hands. She pulled them back up as much as her shirt would allow, but they still poke out a good amount. So she took another look around, brainstorming.

Her eyes went back to the scraps of Sara’s dress. She picked up some of the remnants of the skirt part, and cut them up a little more, so she had two strips of fabric. Then, she wrapped her hands up in them by spinning them around, until her hands were trapped inside.

There we go! That worked!

She unwrapped her hands, picked up the other scraps, shoved them back into the sack, and returned it on her back. Slipping it on without having to maneuver her wings was odd, but extremely convenient. She was a bit jealous of everyone else who didn’t have them, now.

With that, remained Sara’s scarf. Kurumi slipped it over her neck as a little bit of coverage, and pulled it over her mouth to replace the handkerchief. She still kept the handkerchief tied around her, of course, but since she didn’t need to cover her face yet, she just kept it around her neck.

Now that she was all dressed up, Kurumi followed her line back to Sara.

Sara

S ara waited patiently for Kurumi to return, sitting atop a withered tree stump along the path. She tapped the backs of her feet onto the hollow wood, listening to its solemn reverb among the silent forest. The gate guard understood Kurumi would take a reasonable amount of time to dress herself, yet she still felt a bit fidgety. Simply feeling too excited to sit still, Sara really wanted to get Kurumi to meet her family.

Although Kurumi's friend really did need to come first, who knew what could become of another outsider? Especially one that somehow got past Sara's post.... something felt off... but she couldn't really think of any possibilities. What if this friend was actually malicious in nature, and somehow snuck by the gates on purpose.

It was kind of scary to think about, but Sara decided that bringing up anxiety would not bring any solutions. She just really hoped they could find them as easily as possible, so Kurumi wouldn't have to worry anymore. Maybe then, Sara could bring Kurumi to Pandemonium and introduce her to everyone. It would be really fun, and she was sure that Kurumi would be a welcome visitor.

Sara snapped up as Kurumi appeared from the brush path, her now clean outfit was looking as fine as ever! It was also very impressive to see a total lack of wings as well, Sara never thought such big wings could be concealed with such ease. She jumped off the stump and quickly approached Kurumi, looking around the girls modified garb for all of its details. 

"Wow!! You really did it! That's so cool....ah..."

Sara quickly frowned a bit, rubbing the back of her neck shamefully.

"...it really is a shame you had to cover your wings up though.... they're so big and... pretty..? uh... I guess its not worth risking anything though... hmph.... I'm sorry about that.."

she avoided eye contact before trying to smile again, trying to keep a positive attitude for Kurumi. 

".... well uh, the village is really close now! I hope we can ask someone about your friend there. Someone is bound to know about an outsider being sighted around the area. (hopefully shes okay..)... um.... if that doesnt work, we can go ask Miss Shinki!! she would know!!!"

Sara spun and grabbed Kurumi's hand, pulling her back towards the main pathway excitedly. 

"Come on, its right over this hill!!"

Kurumi

"Thank you!" Kurumi smiled sheepishly over the compliment. Nobody really told her that her wings were pretty, it was mostly just people talking about how annoying they were when she knocked something over. "It's no big deal, really. Well, as long as I don't have to bend over, actually…"

Despite trying her best to be positive about it, (it *really* wasn't a big deal…) Sara still looked guilty. Kurumi frowned a little, feeling guilty herself over this.

They stood in silence for a moment, before Sara broke it by talking more. Kurumi listened patiently, absorbing every word.

"Sounds good. Someone *has* to have seen Hika, so that's a good idea!" She parroted, before Sara ran up, grabbed her hand, and started running.

"Come on, it's right over this hill!"

"A-Ah, wait! I'm not good at running!" Kurumi pleaded, struggling to keep any kind of decent pace with Sara as she was practically dragged up the hill.

_____________________________

[[ Possibly missing sara segment? ]]

_____________________________

Running up the hill proved to be harder than Kurumi thought it would be. Her legs weren’t the strongest and tired easily when running, so them pushing her up such a massive hill was complete agony. (At least, to her. The pain from the fog earlier felt a hundred times worse, but this was still agonizing!)

Sara got to the top before she did, stood for a moment, then ran back down to help Kurumi trudge up. It took a few more minutes of struggling, but Kurumi managed to actually get up the hill without flying. And after this, she was never going to do it again.

Her quiet complaints were silenced when she saw the view in front of her. Right before them was a large red brick gate, with a path that led down the hill, and into a similar gate with walls on both sides right at the bottom. Behind it, Kurumi could see a large place filled with a bunch of tiny Mugenkans made of the same brick, with the weird black stone going down various paths through the brick. Behind all that was a breathtaking valley, enough to rival Kurumi’s home. Mountains rose high in the distance, almost like they were sitting within the palm of a hand, their tops covered in some sort of green. Behind the village and leading into a pass between a few of the natural beauties were lands completely covered in ice and snow, with the most beautiful and crystal-like water she’d ever seen. And behind all that, she could just barely catch the sight of some blue crystalline structure peeking out from behind the pass, as well as the tip of a magnificent spire from over the mountains.

“Whoa…” Kurumi muttered, “It’s pretty…”

But she [[ rest is missing, non recoverabl e ]]

Sara

The guard stood as tall as she could, next to her new Friend. The view never ceased to amaze Sara at first sight, but she tended not to stare too long. Kurumi's words hit Sara, she was speechless for a second before sighing.

"...yeah.... it used to be pretty busy around here.. but everyone got scared off."

Sara began to make the descent to the village, the hill was not as steep on the way down thankfully, and a stone path eventually became visible in the ground. It was shattered in certain places, and completely overgrown in most. 

They finally reached the gates, they were rather pathetic as per usual. Most likely just to keep out small creatures or discourage trespassers. But more than likely, the effect was meant to give the area a more secure feeling for the locals. Sara spoke as she heaved open the gate.

"Once we... arghh... get a bit farther into the village.... we can hopefully see some of the current residents.... whew.."

Sara allowed kurumi through, closing the gate right away and turning to the girl. 

"As long as you are okay to go of course... do you need to rest really quick? we can sit in one of the houses."

Sara watched around their surroundings, all of the homes around them were completely derelict and devoid of life. The Feeling of being watched from the pitch windows, would send chills down their spines instantly. 

".... or outside..."

Kurumi

“Scared off?” Kurumi asked with a tilt of her head, not expecting an answer and not getting one.

The two of them strolled down the hill together, at a pace Kurumi could thankfully keep up with. (Mostly)

The gate before them looked worn down and decrepit, like it hadn’t been touched in years. That was a nearly forign sight for her, as everything back home was kept in mostly-decent shape. Even that broken fort they tried making. She fully understood why now, because if anything back home looked like this, then she’d get sad just from looking at it.

Kurumi watched Sara struggle to open the gate, with its locks clearly coated in rust. She snuck behind Sara and gave the gate her own push, finally breaking through the old locks pretty quickly and easily. Kurumi smiled and didn’t say anything, though. She knew how getting the surprised ruined felt, so she wanted Sara to feel strong.

“Um, no. I’m fine, but thank you for offering anyway.” Kurumi smiled. She really was fine; just because she wasn’t a good runner didn’t mean she got tired quickly. Usually.

She took a step forward before remembering the scarf and handkerchief. “Oh yea, and I’ll do this, too.”
She tugged the scarf up and over her mouth, stopping right below her nose. Then, she tied the handkerchief around her head, and covered the rest of her face with it. The only exposed spots were a little hole around her nose to be able to breathe, and the back so her hair could go out.

“Okay! Done!” Kurumi exclaimed confidently, and took a step forward. Into a wall.

… Right. She can’t see now. The handkerchief was over her eyes, and she couldn’t move it without exposing too much skin.

“Uh, I think I’ll need some help.” She giggled nervously, and held a hand out for Sara to grab.

Chapter Text

~Makai Badlands~

Shinki - God of Makai

It wouldn't take long for the goddess of Makai to arrive at the source of the disturbance. The foreign barrier in the badlands was not linked to the god herself, however because of it's warping of the land around it, it was not hard to tell something was wrong with it. Even though it had been what felt like an eternity since she'd last been here, she still knew it like the back of her hand. From the few interactions she'd had with the monk, the two had become decently well acclimated to each other. It was particularly rare to find any foreigners in Makai, let alone those who stay for more than a few weeks at best. Practicing magicians had never stayed as long as the fire & ice duo, nor the monk. She had taken Alice under her wing, and she would extend that hospitality towards any whom find themselves here... with few exceptions.

Surely enough, the barrier was still standing strong, the lotus symbol in pristine condition aside from a few cracks in two of its petals. Just what had occurred to deal such significant damage to something that even she, one of immeasurable power, found nigh unbreakable?

Curiosity flowing within her, she phased through the barrier and onto the other side...

Only to be greeted with hostilities, and the look of fear. Shinki, taken aback, laughed nervously and put her hands up in a faux surrender.

"Now, now... Don't you remember me?" She asked rhetorically, seeing the relief wave over her. Putting her hands down, she approached the woman as she lowered her defense. "You rang?"

Byakuren

The divine sight of the goddess’ presence made Byakuren sigh in relief, ceasing her attacks the second Shinki passed through the seal.

Byakuren quickly bowed, getting straight to the point. “Please forgive me for being so frantic and rude, but I am a bit shaken. I have received a visitor most concerning, an angel who I believe is acquainted with an angel of death. She has, to say the least, caused a bit of trouble here,” She gestured to the seal’s broken lines, as well as her own blood-stained impact crater. “She will be returning, determined to get me out of here, despite it being impossible. She nearly crushed me while trying to force me out, without caring for my pleas and cries of pain. Either that, or she will return with ‘Sariel’ in order to ‘help me.’ I am, needless to say, very concerned about my wellbeing.”

Byakuren quickly got onto the ground, and took a praying position. “Please, I request your aid. Help me fend them off, convince them to leave, protect me, something. I understand I am little to no position to beg for this, but I just… I cannot die. I cannot…” Byakuren’s voice trailed off, too shaky to her to finish her thoughts.

“I will repay you as best as I can, as soon as possible.”

Shinki - God of Makai

The goddess blinked, overwhelmed from the sensory overload that was the long-winded yet very blunt explanation about her current predicament. Shinki could feel a bitterness grow in her heart after hearing the word 'Sariel.' She was practically the angel's prisoner, supplying it with prey to mercilessly slaughter, all for their deluded sense of right. Now they were meddling with a poor human? Following along with Hijiri's directions, she looked over to the broken seal, nodding. "Ah, yes... I noticed that." Holding a hand to her chin, she curiously eyed the decently-sized crater, filled with blood and other viscera, before staring with confusion at the monk prostrating herself before her. Shinki let out a nervous laugh, putting a hand out in front of her. "Aheh, now, there's no need for that." She commiserated, patting the woman's head gently. "I will help you."

Shinki would have helped regardless, knowing the angel of death was behind this incident. Though she was at it's mercy, and wasn't really sure why it didn't just outright kill them all instead of going along with their agreement, she would not be pushed around by it. "Repayment is not required, either." she spoke, trailing off past Hijri and towards her hut. If they were going to play the waiting game, might as well make it comfortable…

Byakuren

“Thank you so much, dear goddess.” Byakuren breathed, sighing quietly in relief over her (hopefully successful) protection. Even if Shinki was kind enough to refuse a debt to be paid, Byakuren would still see to it that Shinki would get something in return for this.

They quickly strode off to her hut, Byakuren listing apology after apology for the goddess’ possible discomfort, as the ceiling was too low for her to stand in the hut normally. (Thankfully, her wings could retract, and were not squished as well.) Even if Shinki insisted that she was fine, Byakuren still felt bad.

They got to talking about recent events quickly– Shinki seated on Byakuren’s pillow, and Byakuren on her blankets. As Byakuren didn’t have much to speak of, it was Shinki doing most of the talking. Byakuren didn’t mind, she knew getting things off of your chest was a miraculous thing. Even the gods could have problems, but there were sadly few who’d wish to listen to a god’s feelings beyond face-value. Especially for a ‘heretical’ goddess such as Shinki herself– Byakuren couldn’t see her confiding her creations in her problems, either. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like, for your god to appear before you, and complain about how tired she was. It would be strange, and the guilt it must imbue would be massive…

And the recent years seemed to be quite eventful. There was the usual economical issues, power struggles, and the like, but according to Shinki, there was an invasion and mass genocide. Byakuren couldn’t believe it almost; a shinto priest getting mad over escaping demons was something she could expect, but two magicians and a ‘devil-like’ youkai (As Shinki put it,) invading and causing destruction en masse wasn’t one of those things. On top of that, there was the genocide…

Byakuren’s skin crawled. Today was enough…

However, as the newest update on events came to a close, Byakuren noticed something out of the corner of her vision. She leaned her head out the door to confirm that what she was seeing was what she was hoping not to see.

In the distance was a bright glowing object, so bright you couldn’t make out what it was. And it was approaching her hut.

Fear raced up Byakuren’s back, as she did her best to keep calm.

“She’s back.” She warned Shinki, while pulling out her scroll.

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

As suspected, the angel's eyes were not looking in any one particular direction, for it was not their retinas that was receiving the information. Solely by entering the realm prior, as well as having conducted her surveillance in and around the hut, the optical link between her and the blindspot was now fully realized. Blinking in satisfaction, the whirring mechanics of her eyes clicked and grinded as the optics returned to their default positions, instead now having complete concentration on the hut. Now armed with direct confirmation of her target's whereabouts, Yuugen picked Elis up off of the ground once more, the demon girl now putting up no fight; used to these shenanigans. Riding atop the angel's shoulders like a piggyback ride, they began their 'righteous' march to 'free' the human at last.

Elis kept surveillance around Yuugen's blindspots, seeing as she was completely focused on the hut, instead of designating a few of her eyes to keep an eye on the surroundings. There was absolutely zero synchronism between the pair, seeing as Elis was just kind of there for one thing and one thing only. It'd have to be a pretty good reason for the angel to willingly put herself in a vulnerable position like this... what was it that she saw in there, the vampire wondered?

Upon reaching the monk's last known position, the ophanim halted before the doorway, leaning under to peer inside.

...Empty.

Decreasing her size, Elis was now actually a pretty comparable height with the angel. The two made their way inside.

Sure enough, it was dead in here. Yuugen did not have the ability to see in past or future, only present... Sariel handled that sort of business herself.

Not allowing herself to be disheartened, the eyes groaned as if agonized just by moving once more, tapping into the optic link...

...it's... empty?

Empty all except for that feeling of something quickly approaching... and then...

Darkness.

Shinki - God of Makai

With the two exchanging consultations and pleasantries like old friends, as well as reminiscing on the past tragedies befalling Makai's people, it took the Goddess by surprise to hear that their guests had arrived so quickly. Shinki uncrossed her legs, getting to her feet from the comforts of the pillow. She planted a hand on Byakuren's shoulder, leaning over her to get a better look at what was unfolding outside. Sure enough, she could recognize that hideous yellow glow from anywhere. She could feel the woman's body trembling with fear, despite how hard she was trying to stay calm. Shinki wrapped her arms around her from above in a hug, wrapping her wings around the both of them. "Keep calm, and I will take care of this." She whispered, before the both of them were suddenly surrounded by a purple-silver sphere that enclosed the two, before it collapsed in on itself, leaving no trace behind in the hut.

There they were, hovering above the structure, out of sight from the angel's peering eyes, for now at least. Shinki quickly unfurled her wings, keeping the monk held close and securely. Down below, the approaching light could be seen, nearing the hut. Hatching a plan, her wings flapped in the still air, gusting off in the direction the angel had come from.

"Ready?" She looked to the monk, confirming with a nod. Swooping down to the ground level, Shinki prepared herself as Hijiri unraveled the scroll.

With the monk's recitations, the pair were imbued with the power of the scroll, a piercing gold light shining and spearing out from their bodies like stars. It was a color more intense than that which radiated off of the angel, the hut illuminated with her dull yellow glow. With the stones set in place, Shinki took off at full speed, before the vibrant illumination exploded and left nothing but darkness in its wake.

The hut was levelled, a crater in its place, and the ground torn up in a path which the ophanim lay in, her glow dead as night and the eyes that swarmed her scattered around with lifeless gazes in their visage. The goddess hovered idly in the air above the crater as the dust settled, touching down with the monk still safely secured in her arms before she let her loose.

"I hope that will serve as a proper warning."

Dusting her hands off, the god let Byakuren regain her senses. She scanned the area, turning around to look about. The angel's body was still, the dust was still, the ground was still. The only thing that accompanied the two was the pulsing veins of the grounds lights, and the beating heart of the glassy underground.

Shinki couldn't help but feel a little defeated in of herself. It was that easy to strike an angel down? And yet, the power that Byakuren drew from almost felt as if it were holy itself. With corrupt hearts like that, were they truly angels anymore? Bishamonten's power seemed to disagree.

Perhaps with the defeat of one of the 'angels,' she would have more in the way of winning over the Angel of Death's influence. It was a hopeful yet anticlimactic success.

Shinki sat back down, too absorbed with her thoughts to realize something was stirring from the corpse of the angel.

Shinki

With the two exchanging consultations and pleasantries like old friends, as well as reminiscing on the past tragedies befalling Makai's people, it took the Goddess by surprise to hear that their guests had arrived so quickly. Shinki uncrossed her legs, getting to her feet from the comforts of the pillow. She planted a hand on Byakuren's shoulder, leaning over her to get a better look at what was unfolding outside. Sure enough, she could recognize that hideous yellow glow from anywhere. She could feel the woman's body trembling with fear, despite how hard she was trying to stay calm. Shinki wrapped her arms around her from above in a hug, wrapping her wings around the both of them. "Keep calm, and I will take care of this." She whispered, before the both of them were suddenly surrounded by a purple-silver sphere that enclosed the two, before it collapsed in on itself, leaving no trace behind in the hut.

There they were, hovering above the structure, out of sight from the angel's peering eyes, for now at least. Shinki quickly unfurled her wings, keeping the monk held close and securely. Down below, the approaching light could be seen, nearing the hut. Hatching a plan, her wings flapped in the still air, gusting off in the direction the angel had come from.

"Ready?" She looked to the monk, confirming with a nod. Swooping down to the ground level, Shinki prepared herself as Hijiri unraveled the scroll.

With the monk's recitations, the pair were imbued with the power of the scroll, a piercing gold light shining and spearing out from their bodies like stars. It was a color more intense than that which radiated off of the angel, the hut illuminated with her dull yellow glow. With the stones set in place, Shinki took off at full speed, before the vibrant illumination exploded and left nothing but darkness in its wake.

The hut was levelled, a crater in its place, and the ground torn up in a path which the ophanim lay in, her glow dead as night and the eyes that swarmed her scattered around with lifeless gazes in their visage. The goddess hovered idly in the air above the crater as the dust settled, touching down with the monk still safely secured in her arms before she let her loose.

"I hope that will serve as a proper warning."

Dusting her hands off, the god let Byakuren regain her senses. She scanned the area, turning around to look about. The angel's body was still, the dust was still, the ground was still. The only thing that accompanied the two was the pulsing veins of the grounds lights, and the beating heart of the glassy underground.

Shinki couldn't help but feel a little defeated in of herself. It was that easy to strike an angel down? And yet, the power that Byakuren drew from almost felt as if it were holy itself. With corrupt hearts like that, were they truly angels anymore? Bishamonten's power seemed to disagree.

Perhaps with the defeat of one of the 'angels,' she would have more in the way of winning over the Angel of Death's influence. It was a hopeful yet anticlimactic success.

Shinki sat back down, too absorbed with her thoughts to realize something was stirring from the corpse of the angel.

Elis

Elis' worst fears were realized. The moment she had dreaded had finally come. The Goddess of Makai had been laying in wait to ambush her for what she did to her personal servant. And now, her only protection was either dead or seriously hurt. This whole plan was a bust, she knew it from the start. From now, until the moment she'd die, she would have to fend off against the weight of her actions until Yugen woke up.

All she could hear was the ringing in her ears, and the breathless rasping moans of the figure laying atop her. The vampire girl pushed the heavy body off of her, struggling to squeeze herself out from under her 'protector.' Her only true friend, and even then that word's meaning was stretched, was relying on her, and so was her own life. Finally she squirmed out from underneath, grunting and trying to catch her breath from the amount of exertion she had to do just to free herself. Crawling a few steps, she reached for her wand that wasn't too far away from where they landed. Then, she prepared for the worst... she turned to face the direction the opposition came from.

Slowly, Elis stumbled to her feet, coughing as all of that moving stirred the dust back up into her lungs. She couldn't stand straight, clutching her chest with pained breathing. As she glared through the blurred mess that was her vision, her eyes finally regained their balance, locking onto the two figures rested in the crater. Elis' wand began to glow, and her form began to shiver and distort, and she rushed forth with incredible speed.

With a shout mixed with fear and pure instinctive rage, Elis' figure became tangible once more as she leapt into the air, a small bat taking her place. Using the prior momentum, she carried herself across the gap of the crater, a storm of needles raining down on the two surprised victims.

Returning to her natural form once more, the girl landed on the other side, snapping back around and pointing her wand at the two, her fangs bared in a crooked smile.

"I'm not afraid of you! I'm not afraid to die!"

Those were both very blatant lies.

Byakuren

Byakuren stared on blankly as the combined power of the goddess and her magic tore through their shield at once, and blasted through the angel below. Even if she was scared of whatever outcome the angels would bring, her belief in the five precepts were stronger. No attack of hers would kill, she fine-tuned all her magic in such a way. But the goddess surely was not; and hope that they would be as merciful as her own disappeared when the attacks hit their target. This could only mean Byakuren was aiding in the slaughter of another. Ill-intentioned angel or not, self-defense or not, the rules still applied, and she was already beginning to feel the guilt seep into her being. (Hopefully, the goddess would not be bothered by Byakuren easing up her attacks.)

Soon enough, their attacks dimmed, leaving the land cloaked in shadows once more. Aside from the only things that emitted light, Shinki’s wings, Byakuren’s scroll, and the earth’s veins, but the light-absorbing earth prevented the two sources from illuminating much. But, she could faintly see the grayed-out corpse of the once gold angel. In a crater, no less– leaving the dark sulfur-smelling dirt exposed to the world.

Shinki lowered Byakuren to the ground, and allowed her to gather her bearings. The second Byakuren regained a proper balance, she sheathed her scroll and began a small, quiet prayer. Even if the angel did not believe in the same salvation she believed in, the least she could do was pray for their soul to find peace.

Just as Byakuren finished her prayer, she heard something stirring in the pit. Fear and curiosity won over, and she peered inside. Being a youkai didn’t boost her vision as much as she thought it would, so that combined with the darkness meant she wasn’t able to find much that the disconnected shards of ‘veins’ dimly illuminated. But, she did hear something move.

A war cry rang out, from a voice that did not sound like the dead angel at all. It was near shrill, and echoed like a normal voice would within this pit.

From seemingly nowhere, needles began to rain down all around Byakuren and Shinki. Byakuren could dodge them with near ease, even in the darkness, but she figured Shinki’s size would make that more difficult. It took less than a second to generate a weak shield above them, and only a second longer to ask, “Are you okay?”

The perpetrator of the attack was quick to appear, on the opposite side of the pit as them. She was holding a wand, its light-pink glow illuminating her enough for Byakuren to see her face. A blonde girl was standing before them with fear and rage embedded deep into her eyes, her stand-out tattoo resting threateningly next to her fanged smile.

Unsure of what to make of her, Byakuren turned back to Shinki.

Shinki - God of Makai

Breaking the silence that the goddess had grown far too comfortable with, a deafening scream rung out, one that would inspire fear in those with lesser hearts. Shinki did not take it seriously at all, slowly raising her head to glance over to the direction of the sound. She was all too familiar with this one; her rogue creation who erred on the side of their oppressors. The goddess sat there, her wings gently careening over, pulling Byakuren in slightly for cover; these efforts nullified by the magic shield that protected them at the last second. The sharp white needles had almost pierced through the other side, their points threatening to stab anyone who came too close. The shield fizzled, and with it, the needles fell dully on the ground.

Shinki released Byakuren from the comfort of her wing, looking up to the girl standing on her right, her chest raggedly moving up and down as her panicked fury caused her to hyperventilate. Standing, she shook her head and waved her finger at Elis with a chuckle.

"What a bad girl, don't you know better than to try and hurt your mother?"

The vampire froze, sweat beading on her forehead, thrusting her wand forward with another threat, which Shinki shrugged off. Taken under the wing of angels or not, she was a demon at heart, and could only use demonic art. The art which Shinki had created and perfected. The art which she was by effect; practically immune to. Elis slowly retreated step by step, keeping the wand pointed as it shook with fear.

With one swift movement, Shinki practically teleported in front of the girl, sweeping her leg out from underneath her.

And; she caught her with her arm, reeling the now-disarmed girl into an embrace as her wand clattered to the ground. She sighed solemnly, laying her head on the vampire's shoulder.

"Won't you come home, Elis? I've missed you so much."

Shinki gently caressed the back of the girl's head, Elis's eyes stuck open, welling with tears as confusion and uncertainty immobilized her.

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

And before another word could be spoken, her form began to split apart again, vanishing out of the woman's arms and back to the false safety of her magic wand. "Like hell I'd fall for that!"

It seemed her mind was too far gone. Elis had lost any and all regard for their safety, unleashing the volley she had prepared toward the duo. The dust kicked up again in a bright white light, masking all but their silhouettes. She knew she stood no chance fighting against these two; they had killed Yuugenmagan in just one blow after all. Darting away from the duo, and swallowing her guilty emotions down, Elis fled back to the angel's colorless corpse.

She would have paid respects, yet she could not waste any time. It was not as if all was a lost cause, either. Elis was trained for this sort of scenario.

Finding herself situated next to one of the ophanim's eyes, she knelt down, the weight of it being far too much for the little vampire to carry on her own. Opting for the easier method, Elis quickly materialized five mirrors around the scattered eyes, and materialized five more near the angel's body.

Through the portals, one by one, each piece of the puzzle fell into place. Static electricity began to spark off of the ground, arcing toward the lifeless body. The eyelids violently clattered and twitched open with their harsh camera-shutter like noise, the electrical current restoring power and life to the ophanim's dead heart. The odd combination of flesh and organic machinery sprung to the realm of consciousness once more, lightning shooting up from her body in loud thunderous crashes accompanied by another bone-chilling scream.

Elis wasn't entirely sure that it would have even worked, yet it did. Nervously, she chuckled, before rushing over to the angel's side and clinging closely by her side.

Now that the odds were a little more even again, Elis tried to help the ophanim regain her bearings.

"Quickly, the demon-lord is here! What do we do?! Without Sariel, there's no way!"

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

Cutting through the darkness, the familiar and welcoming yellow glow of purity reached its arcing tendrils back into her soul. The buzzing replacing the ringing in her ears, and the encompassing cold brought warmth in its leave. The pain from the harsh awakening was enough to prompt a fierce roar from deep within her, yet it was all the more worth it. Another chance, granted by the lord to rescue these misguided souls. Her eyes ceased their sporadic twitching, floating into locked positions, vision reintroducing itself, while the buzzing became a more recognizable shout; that of Elis'.

The world was no longer the dark blur it was for those agonizing moments. Dazed and discombobulated, the Ophanim struggled to sit herself up, reeling her long and heavy arm around Elis' shoulder, the girl buckling under the weight and falling to her side. Between grunting breaths, she choked out.

"We stay and fight. This is our duty."

Even when faced with clearly unbeatable odds, the angel's stubbornness did not let that get in the way.

Struggling to her feet, using Elis's body as leverage, she hunched over, lurching a couple steps towards the monk's direction.

"Guard yourself well." She spoke, channeling electricity in her hands, a large star fading into view behind her.

The star took shape, a wall of electricity intended for their victims, hurtling straight towards them. That should throw them off long enough to synergize a plan with the vampire…

Shinki - God of Makai

Breaking the silence that the goddess had grown far too comfortable with, a deafening scream rung out, one that would inspire fear in those with lesser hearts. Shinki did not take it seriously at all, slowly raising her head to glance over to the direction of the sound. She was all too familiar with this one; her rogue creation who erred on the side of their oppressors. The goddess sat there, her wings gently careening over, pulling Byakuren in slightly for cover; these efforts nullified by the magic shield that protected them at the last second. The sharp white needles had almost pierced through the other side, their points threatening to stab anyone who came too close. The shield fizzled, and with it, the needles fell dully on the ground.

Shinki released Byakuren from the comfort of her wing, looking up to the girl standing on her right, her chest raggedly moving up and down as her panicked fury caused her to hyperventilate. Standing, she shook her head and waved her finger at Elis with a chuckle.

"What a bad girl, don't you know better than to try and hurt your mother?"

The vampire froze, sweat beading on her forehead, thrusting her wand forward with another threat, which Shinki shrugged off. Taken under the wing of angels or not, she was a demon at heart, and could only use demonic art. The art which Shinki had created and perfected. The art which she was by effect; practically immune to. Elis slowly retreated step by step, keeping the wand pointed as it shook with fear.

With one swift movement, Shinki practically teleported in front of the girl, sweeping her leg out from underneath her.

And; she caught her with her arm, reeling the now-disarmed girl into an embrace as her wand clattered to the ground. She sighed solemnly, laying her head on the vampire's shoulder.

"Won't you come home, Elis? I've missed you so much."

Shinki gently caressed the back of the girl's head, Elis's eyes stuck open, welling with tears as confusion and uncertainty immobilized her.

Elis - Magic Vampiric Devil

And before another word could be spoken, her form began to split apart again, vanishing out of the woman's arms and back to the false safety of her magic wand. "Like hell I'd fall for that!"

It seemed her mind was too far gone. Elis had lost any and all regard for their safety, unleashing the volley she had prepared toward the duo. The dust kicked up again in a bright white light, masking all but their silhouettes. She knew she stood no chance fighting against these two; they had killed Yuugenmagan in just one blow after all. Darting away from the duo, and swallowing her guilty emotions down, Elis fled back to the angel's colorless corpse.

She would have paid respects, yet she could not waste any time. It was not as if all was a lost cause, either. Elis was trained for this sort of scenario.

Finding herself situated next to one of the ophanim's eyes, she knelt down, the weight of it being far too much for the little vampire to carry on her own. Opting for the easier method, Elis quickly materialized five mirrors around the scattered eyes, and materialized five more near the angel's body.

Through the portals, one by one, each piece of the puzzle fell into place. Static electricity began to spark off of the ground, arcing toward the lifeless body. The eyelids violently clattered and twitched open with their harsh camera-shutter like noise, the electrical current restoring power and life to the ophanim's dead heart. The odd combination of flesh and organic machinery sprung to the realm of consciousness once more, lightning shooting up from her body in loud thunderous crashes accompanied by another bone-chilling scream.

Elis wasn't entirely sure that it would have even worked, yet it did. Nervously, she chuckled, before rushing over to the angel's side and clinging closely by her side.

Now that the odds were a little more even again, Elis tried to help the ophanim regain her bearings.

"Quickly, the demon-lord is here! What do we do?! Without Sariel, there's no way!"

Yuugenmagan - All-Seeing Eye of Makai

Cutting through the darkness, the familiar and welcoming yellow glow of purity reached its arcing tendrils back into her soul. The buzzing replacing the ringing in her ears, and the encompassing cold brought warmth in its leave. The pain from the harsh awakening was enough to prompt a fierce roar from deep within her, yet it was all the more worth it. Another chance, granted by the lord to rescue these misguided souls. Her eyes ceased their sporadic twitching, floating into locked positions, vision reintroducing itself, while the buzzing became a more recognizable shout; that of Elis'.

The world was no longer the dark blur it was for those agonizing moments. Dazed and discombobulated, the Ophanim struggled to sit herself up, reeling her long and heavy arm around Elis' shoulder, the girl buckling under the weight and falling to her side. Between grunting breaths, she choked out.

"We stay and fight. This is our duty."

Even when faced with clearly unbeatable odds, the angel's stubbornness did not let that get in the way.

Struggling to her feet, using Elis's body as leverage, she hunched over, lurching a couple steps towards the monk's direction.

"Guard yourself well." She spoke, channeling electricity in her hands, a large star fading into view behind her.

The star took shape, a wall of electricity intended for their victims, hurtling straight towards them. That should throw them off long enough to synergize a plan with the vampire...

Byakuren

When Shinki teleported before the strange girl– Elis(?)– Byakuren stood idly by. As she saw it, the quarrel in front of her wasn’t something she should get involved in, at least at the moment. As a plus, if Shinki were this girl’s mother, then that would mean she held dominion over the girl, and could handle her better than Byakuren herself could. But she still kept herself at the ready closeby, for any unexpected movements.

And unexpected movements there were, which Byakuren blocked with another shield. Shinki looked just fine from where she was, but Byakuren’s view of the goddess was very quickly blocked by the ground blowing up around them in a giant cloud of dust, which itself was quickly covered up by light.

Byakuren huffed from the inconvenience. The spells casted were generated quickly, meaning that they were easily undone as well. She held her scroll up and reached across it, pulling out the magic needed to stop the gale and the light. The former was a fast action, however the latter took a minute due to the complexities of the spell.

The spells got canceled just in time for them to witness Elis dropping the angel’s eyes back into the mass of gears, causing a shrill chorus of screams and a blast of lightning to erupt out of the almost silence. Thankfully, Byakuren still had her shield up, spreading it to cover Shinki as well. Even if she could handle magic from her own creation, Byakuren didn’t think she’d fare against lightning from an angel as well.

Seeing the angel lift itself back up made Byakuren’s heart sink slightly. This was not good, not good at all. If they kept attacking the being as they did before only for it to be revived, then they’d surely run out of energy before the angel would.

Byakuren quickly turned to Shinki, asking as quietly as she could, “Lady Shinki, do you have a plan? I could try and fight the Elis girl, due to her skills landing in a place close to my own. I am not the best flier around, but I doubt I could handle the angel on my own.”
As she spoke, the angel created a star-shaped wall of lightning, which began to rapidly approach. Byakuren had to quickly finish her question, before focusing all her attention on her scroll, simultaneously strengthening the shield and attempting to disperse the wall. Needless to say, one of those was going better than the other.

Chapter Text

~Hokkai~

Elly

Elly continued to lie on the ground. Her body was so heavy, and she didn’t want to see those eyes again. Everything kept hitting her over, and over, and over, and she couldn’t take it anymore. She just wanted to stay here, unless they found Kurumi instantly.

Someone began to touch her, so she jolted back with a flinch. Well, as back as she could, when she was laying on the ground. She was expecting to get thrown around again, maybe even hit, and she wasn’t in any state of mind to defend herself.

Instead, the hand remained gently pressing against her backside. It didn’t push down any more than the little it already did, with not even enough force to push her dress down.

“Elly... please get up, we need to go…” Yumeko told her, her tone gentler than Elly had ever heard– at least for the short amount of time they were together.

Elly wasn’t quite sure of what to do. Yumeko wanted to help, she sounded genuine, so maybe she’d be understanding? But at the same time, that person had to be Yumeko’s master, so if Elly stood back up…

(Smash, crash. “Why are you so worthless? Incapable of doing the most simple of tasks?!”)

Elly’s entire body seized for a second as she relapsed into her memories.

She felt exposed; she was exposed. Elly curled her body up a little, wanting to protect what little of herself was left to their mercy.

Her back was being rubbed now, with a bit more force than the hand resting on her previously. Elly choked out something as she pushed her head down more, unwilling to look up anymore. Not to mention, the fact that her body felt more numb than before. It was strange, and she was having a harder time breathing because of this, and her breathing mask getting pushed so harshly into the ground. Dirt was even beginning to seep inside, and she could taste it as it stuck to her face. It tasted like… sulfur?

The hand was soon removed, and Elly felt herself being hoisted into the air from under her arms. She froze up, bracing for the throw that would send her rocketing out of Mugenkan, and into the mountains where–

… Wait, right, Makai. It happened again…

She felt so vulnerable being held like this, she wanted to fight back, run away, but she couldn’t. She felt too weak, and whoever was holding her now was too strong. She kept her eyes sealed shut, not wanting to see even a glimpse of red. (Unless it was her dress, or the lake, or Yumeko’s dress…?)

Someone was patting her front, each bit of contact making her tense and flinch. Louise spoke to her, her words being completely and utterly useless to Elly right now.

She had been set back down, remaining on her knees as Yumeko(?) pat her back. (It could be anyone, really. Louise, Yumeko, that lady…) The passage of time had lessened her anxiety a little bit, because if she hadn’t been hit or drug around for more than ten minutes, she was probably okay, right…? She’d opened her eyes to do a quick survey of the area, and found that almost everyone had left already. It was just her and whoever was rubbing her back.

When someone began to hum, Elly snapped her eyes shut again. That wasn’t good, not in this situation. Someone was preparing to hit her, strangle her, something else. Elly tensed up and braced herself for the beating that was sure to come. As much as she tried to keep herself still, she couldn’t get her teeth to stop clattering.

(It could also be some sort of comforting humming, she knew that. She’d found herself doing it to some of the younger maids when they were scared, to Kurumi when she ‘couldn’t sleep.’ But it wasn’t wasn’t Elly humming, so–)

“I-If yer gonna kill me, j-jus’ don’t hurt Kurumi…” She croaked. Elly was fully aware that even if she was ‘killed,’ she’d just come back in a month, with the memory of her death fresh in her mind. She’d done it plenty of times before. And if she were, she’d only repeat the process for losing Kurumi, as well as be stuck with the guilt. “Please… I want her to be safe, an’ happy…”

Yumeko - Maid of Demons

The now sitting maid ceased with her consoling attempts, staring blankly at Elly. She was beginning to run out of options at this rate, pretty soon Louise or Mistress might return and attempt to push the poor girl along.  So she spoke once more, quietly trying to reassure the girl in front of her.

"Elly, please do not act as if I wish to cause you harm. I feel as if we've gotten past this... I want to help you. So you need to come back to me Elly. Please."

She debated touching the girl again, perhaps putting a reassuring hand atop her shoulder or holding her arm. But perhaps Physical reassurance was not the maids strong suit after all. So Yumeko simply allowed for Elly to take in her words at her own pace. She added on... 

".... I do not want to continue this mission without your guidance after all. The safety of your 'Kurumi' should be in your hands anyway, It is just my job to make sure you guys get home somehow..... (at least I would hope). "

Truth be told, Yumeko had no idea what her Master had in mind when it came to the Outsiders. She likely expected The Maid to keep them detained until further notice, but this hardly seemed justified. Since Elly and Kurumi were simply caught up in some strange course of events stirred up by unlikely suspects.

She continued to watch Elly, waiting for any sign of the girls recovery.  Sighing quietly she stood up, following the lines in the dirt from Mistresses sudden outburst. They lead a short distance straight to The Gate guards weathered scythe. It lay amidst the weeds and grass, already being taken over by the hostile roots. Yumeko ripped the Tool from the resistant weeds grasp, Instinctively spinning the scythe around. It was just another bladed weapon after all, it would take no time to master something of its sort. 

But Farming tools did not exactly make for the best weapons, at least from her own expertise. Not as if she was planning to keep it anyway. The Scythes handle was bent and cracked from all the stress it must have gone through, but its flexible nature allowed it to remain sturdy enough for battle. Tool in hand, she elegantly returned to her knees aside Elly.

Elly

Elly allowed Yumeko’s words to settle in her anxiety-ridden mind, trying her best to find any sort of comfort in that. The lack of any contact for a while sent her into a brief panic, at least until she heard Yumeko walking away. The distance allowed her mind to calm down slightly– only slightly– and asses Yumeko’s words.

She… sounded genuine. Even with her, even with the lady, their words were laced with a coolness only the heartless knew. But, Yumeko sounded like she cared, like she understood.

Elly poked her head back up, looking around for any sign of Yumeko. She was there, behind her, and pulling something out of the ground. Whatever it was released with a loud snapping sound, allowing Elly to see her own scythe in Yumeko’s hands. Being twirled around like it was nothing. (She must handle scythes as well, because most people had issues twirling her scythe due to the curving.)

Her anxiety spiked again. Yumeko was going to use that against her, Elly knew it. She ducked her head back down and braced herself for the stabbing she knew was coming.

Instead, she heard something get set down in front of her, and Yumeko backed off.

“Here you go. The grass broke the handle slightly, I’m afraid.” She explained to Elly, and just… stood there?

Elly peered back up and loosened her muscles, seeing none other but her scythe back in front of her. The wooden handle was cracked and broken in some places and the blade was somehow already rusting.

Elly cautiously looked back at Yumeko, slowly reaching out for her scythe. Just in case. She didn’t want to be harmed while distracted.

Despite her efforts to remain aware, once her hands touched the damaged wood, she was instantly enveloped in her scythe’s pain. Despite it not being a living tree per say, the wood was still imbued with some form of life that Elly could connect to, and fix easily if she wanted to. (It was a little more convenient for her to summon a tree, though.) Right now, the scythe was doing the equivalent to ‘screaming in pain.’ Elly adjusted her grip on it to be laying in her lap, with her hands gently petting the poor thing.

Since she wasn’t in any position to summon a tree’s aid, she just had to fix the damage herself. It would be exhausting and leave her a bit more vulnerable for a bit, but she thought having a working weapon would pay out more in the long run.

“I’m sorry,” She mumbled to the wood as she continued to pet it, beginning to use her skills. She closed her eyes to properly ‘speak’ to the wood as a plant would, and quickly felt the results under her fingers, as well as heard the light crackling of the wood.

Although, strangely, this felt more… taxing than usual? Like she was already tired, and trying to run laps around Mugenkan. She usually got a bit exhausted after fixing her scythe like this, but she felt more exhausted than usual.

After she was finished, Elly opened her eyes back up to the mostly-repaired scythe. As the blade wasn’t a plant, she couldn’t fix that, and simply had to deal with the rust until she got home.

Elly quickly remembered where she was, and who she was with. She held the scythe’s handle closer, and turned to look back at Yumeko. Instead of her previous position, she’d moved closer.

Yumeko

The maid watched the healing process of the wood, it really was interesting to her. She just couldnt find herself able to verbally show any interest. Instead she blankly stared at Elly for a few seconds before speaking in a polite tone. 

"well... are you ready to go yet? Believe me, i do not wish to rush you. But i think you would rather be at home right now... with your family"

Yumeko sighed, standing up and brushing the loose dirt from her dress. 

"Our next task will be to find your friend, which we should be able to do with ease. The girl is not as far as you might think....."

The maid grabbed her arm sling, loosening the wrap until it would fall from her arm. Her arm was still slightly bruised, but otherwise was perfectly healed. Which took far longer than she would have liked.... But otherwise she was in perfect condition, aside from being exhausted. She should have been home by now, sleeping.

But alas she was in front of Elly, offering her hand to the girl. It was time to move things along, they could talk about their issues along the way. 

"Lets get this done Miss Elly, I wont leave your side until we get you back home. We will figure everything out.... i assure you...."

Yumeko formed a smile, it was forced and crooked. But most importantly, it was a show of something genuine aside from not-so-gentle back pats.

Elly

Fear and panic repeatedly surged through Elly while Yumeko spoke. She was doing everything in her power to keep Elly calm, she could tell. She’d done the same things herself, to the younger maids. But she just couldn’t find it in herself to stand yet. She was still too scared.

And then Yumeko reminded Elly of Kurumi. That’s right, Kurumi was still out here; lost, possibly hurt. And here Elly was, moping on the ground. Needless to say, she quickly got to work in repressing her anxieties again. It wasn’t that hard, thanks to years of practice. It just took a little bit out of her mentally, only a little. She just needed some good tea, a calm place, and Kurumi, and she’d be fine again.

Elly shuffled around slightly, fully intent on getting up on her own. As well-crafted as her scythe was– and unlikely to break, because fixing it as she did had the side-effect of strengthening the wood– using it to help her stand would snap it in half. Her methods almost always left her feeling dizzy for a little bit, so she’d have to be careful. She slowly moved her legs under her until she was sitting on her knees, and put her arms forward in order to push herself up.

A shredding sound stopped her, so she looked up. Yumeko was… tearing the cast off? Elly flopped her mouth open instinctively, ready to tell the maid off for being impatient. (She was already used to this thanks to Orange having an awful habit of tearing off bandages mid-recovery. Mid-wrapping, even.) Instead of the same beaten-bloody arm that she’d wrapped up before, there was the same pale-like skin on the rest of Yumeko’s body. Aside from some purple bruises, of course.

… Huh.

Yumeko flipped her eyes back to Elly, and outstretched her hand. Elly stared at it for a moment, contemplating. Yes, her anxieties were buried, ( For now. ) and she would need help walking for a bit.
Yumeko smiled, too. It was clearly framed on the face of a person who did not smile much at all, appearing more frightening than comforting. Elly blankly stared up at the woman’s bare teeth (would ‘fangs’ be more appropriate…? They all weren’t sharp, and weren’t that sharp-looking, but…) and unevenly-squinting eyes without uttering a word. Yumeko looked downright goofy.
Oh, how she wanted to laugh right now; if only her emotions weren’t throwing flames around in the back of her head.

Slowly, cautiously, Elly reached her arm out and grasped it around Yumeko’s wrist. Holding on there would probably provide a better grip than just the hand, after all. You don’t hold onto a rope by its end.

Ignoring the fact that Yumeko’s hand was near-freezing to Elly, Yumeko’s grip was strong enough to pull her up. Elly was thankful for that, as she struggled to keep her balance. She nearly toppled over again, if it weren’t for Yumeko catching her other arm.

Yep, she was dizzier than normal. Usually, she could at least stand up straight once she got there, but now it felt like something was weighing her down. It was then Elly remembered the empty feeling within her, which brought out some kind of… weakness? She felt fainter than before.

She gently rubbed her hand over her heart, where it felt like part of her was missing. What was wrong now? She’d never felt this before; not after fixing her scythe in that manner, not after one of those… episodes…

It was like she was missing something, but what could it be? (Aside from her hat.) A deep ache so hollow that she could hardly feel it, at least until the small ripple became a wave. Then, it felt like her skin was being picked by a cactus from the inside. And then nothingness again, until the cycle reset.

And then she lost her balance. Her ankles weakened instantly, and gave out under her. She struggled to stay up, because her legs felt like they were falling apart, too. It was like removing a log near the bottom of the stack, and then watching the rest fall. She flailed in the air for a moment, before beginning to fall forward.

Of course, Yumeko caught her.

Elly sighed. This was getting beyond degrading at this point, all of this. She hadn’t been this helpless since she was little…

She opened her mouth, instantly regretting it because the air hitting her throat reminded her of just how long it's been since she got water. (And she just had to go and cry the rest out…) Elly coughed a few times, but eventually managed to get out, “I uh, don’ think I’ll be good to walk fer a bit. Not without help. If that ain’t a problem, ‘f course…”

Yumeko

The maid gave up on smiling quickly, it did not seem to help much at all. But perhaps she would work on it more as she went along. Yumeko held Elly's arms in place, allowing the girl some time to stabilize herself somewhat. She moved her hands away, letting go of Elly and preparing to speak. They really needed to get back with Louise and form a plan, or maybe even just go without Louise and follow the trail once more. Although Elly beginning to topple over broke her train of thought. Her quick actions ensured the girl would not fall, grabbing her left arm and holding her shoulder. Supporting Elly, whilst sprouting a look of concern across her face. 

Hearing Elly explain her inability to walk independently was concerning of course. But Yumeko supposed it was understandable, even if Elly had not sustained life threatening damage. The maid understood nonetheless, and would not force the girl to push herself after what happened anyway. Yumeko carefully positioned herself in front of Elly, grabbing the girls right wrist and letting go of her left. The maid would speak quickly. 

"please do not stab me in the back with your Tool, i am going to pick you up now. if it hurts at all, do tell me at once."

Once Elly was ready, Yumeko turned to her left, pulling the girls arm across her chest a bit. Then she would lean down to her right, and carefully grab Elly's right ankle. Before Elly knew what was happening, Yumeko straightened out her back, lifting the girl up onto the Maids back. Yumeko's upper right arm would wrap around Elly's leg, aswell as pulling the girls arm into her chest. Elly was now a limp backpack, her scythe hanging about. The Gate keepers chest would feel a bit uncomfortable, but it was better than being dragged on stone or to be held like a child. Yumeko grunted a bit, trying to better position Elly on her back before turning towards the wall of fog. 

"this will have to do. We will go reconnect with Louise now, i do not understand why she insists on g

oing back to the village. Since I am quite sure your friend went another way.... i can feel it.... perhaps you can feel it too? in your chest?" 

Yumeko began walking towards the miasma, preparing to open the tunnel once more, before stopping.

"is this what you desire Miss Elly...? i fear i cannot predict what will become of you, should we return to Pandemonium. These are uncertain times for someone the likes of yourself. So perhaps we should consider bending the rules in our favor..."

Yumeko turned towards the faint trail, leading into the distant fog. It would lead to Sara, she would definitely know if Kurumi had passed through.

Elly

Elly didn’t really know what to expect when Yumeko asked Elly to not stab her with her scythe. That wasn’t something she’d expected, because Yumeko absolutely had the upper hand right now. Before Elly could counter with a ‘what?,’ she found herself slung over Yumeko’s back in an instant. It all happened so fast that the wind was knocked out of Elly, resulting in her making a noise that sounded like a deflating balloon.

After she recovered from the sudden movement, (and the bracing,) Elly pulled her scythe up from dangling by Yumeko’s side, and stuck it under her arm in a way that would make it fall against her back, blade upwards. Yumeko struggled for a moment longer, bouncing and shuffling Elly around until she got comfortable with how Elly was positioned. Elly herself could say for certain that she wasn’t too comfortable, but this beat walking or being drug on the ground. (If anything, she expected to be stuffed under Yumeko’s arm. That’s how Elly usually carried the smaller maids…) She could at least move her her arms and legs around to dangle in a more comfortable way, at least as much as she could with Yumeko having an iron grip on them.

“This will have to do. We will go reconnect with Louise now. I do not understand why she insists on going back to the village, since I am quite sure your friend went another way… I can feel it. Perhaps you can feel it too? In your chest?”

Elly made a face during the latter half of Yumeko’s words, something Yumeko couldn’t see due to Elly’s position. “Er, my chest feels kinda… empty, y’know? Like somethin’s missin’...? ‘S’at what’cha mean?” She mumbled, fiddling with her breathing mask a little in order to get it back to a more comfortable position. How do you know where someone is with your chest, anyway? Wouldn’t that be a feeling in your head?

Yumeko didn’t respond yet, instead standing still like she was lost in the moment. Elly apprehensively lifted her arm up, prepared to give Yumeko a light tap on the head to make sure she’s still aware. She tried to get Elly out of ‘that’ state earlier, might as well return the favor…?

Her actions were broken off by Yumeko speaking once again. “Is this what you desire, Miss Elly? I fear I cannot predict what will become of you, should we return to Pandaemonium. These are uncertain times for the likes of yourself. So, perhaps we should consider bending the rules in our favor.”

“Huh?” That caught Elly completely off-guard. Yumeko, going against her mistress’ word? Everything Elly knows about Yumeko for the… five? Six? Hours she knew her for pointed towards her being the type to never break the rules.
{ Flashes of red, white, and cracking– }

“A-Ah, wait! W-Wait!” Elly stuttered, patting Yumeko’s arm while Yumeko began to move forward, towards a radiating blob of mist in the distance. “Should we really do that though? Betray uh, h-her word? Your mistress’ word? Won’t she er, beat ya, break yer arms, legs, ribs…? Fer disobeyin’?”
The last bit came out before she could really think about it, because she was so used to that being the case. And from what she knew about that lady, it could be that she was similar to her in that way. But this was also someone who looked more than ecstatic at her mistress’ arrival, so then Elly could be grasping at thin air and assuming the worst. (Possibly get thrown to the ground like a sack of flour for that assumption, as well. Her muscles uncontrollably tensed for that outcome.)

A bead of sweat rolled down Elly’s face. She really needed to think things over before saying them.

Yumeko

Yumeko stood tall with the girl atop her, she quietly listened for Elly's reply. The girls words clicked into the maids mind.. "wont she er, beat ya... fer disobeyin?". beat her.... for disobeying? why would anyone suspect her mistress to ever do such a terrible thing...

She recalled back to Elly being dragged through the dirt, and getting tossed onto the ground. Perhaps this strange encounter with Mistress gave Elly the wrong idea. After all, it was simply all too strange for Yumeko. Some information was missing, the level of concern her mistress showed towards this girl did not add up at all. She could not possibly pose any threat to their home after all, she was an Ally if anything. While Yumeko would remain cautious about the outsiders, she felt there was no possible reason for Elly (or even Kurumi) to cause harm to Yumeko's homeland.

But of course, if push came to shove... Yumeko would not hesitate. Alas, the maid firmly trusted Elly. Seeing no reason to cause the girl any more grief, she had suffered enough. Especially when this girl made sure Yumeko was cared for when she was less than healthy....  Yumeko spoke plainly.

"My lady would never do such a thing to me, nor the others. We are family, and she trusts all of us to make the right choices. Even if she does not entirely Agree with our choices for some reason.... Such is the situation now. I do not feel My Lady is under the correct judgment to treat you such a way. I whole heartedly believe this is a simple misunderstanding..."

Yumeko Sighed, the wormhole to her right already in the process of losing its integrity. A simple snap of her finger would instantly collapse the portal. Returning the thick mist where the tunnel once was.

The maid would trust in her own heart, bringing Miss Alice into the forbidden lands was something Yumeko did not desire to do anyway. Louise would most likely just go home with Alice, or head into the village. This was something that did not need to concern The maid at th

is moment. She needed to go find Sara at the watch post, perhaps on the way they might even find Kurumi. Hopefully the poor girl would be in good health, especially when Elly had such an adverse reaction to the air. Kurumi might not fare as well....

Time was of the essence, and they had to get moving. 

"Please do not worry Miss Elly, we will find Kurumi in no time. I will ensure that the both of you will remain quite safe, during the remainder of your stay. I am quite sure we can clear up any issues my lady may have with ease. So just keep breathing.... and try to relax... as much as you might be able to."

Yumeko began to march forward, retracing her steps back to the trail that Kurumi left. She would follow it briskly up until its abrupt ending. Where it would become a game of mystery tracking along the way to the Gates. perhaps they would even find some sort of Evidence elsewhere..

She marched on, keeping a straight shot from the last print, quickly becoming enveloped by a passing breeze.

Elly

Elly listened to Yumeko talk about her mistress with a lot of skepticism, and a small amount of… regret? From another reminder that what she does to her servants isn’t normal. Said concept of abnormality introduced to her from none other but a gut instinct and the magical absorption of knowledge forgien from her home…
(Oh, and only a pang of sadness. She wished she could call everyone back home her family with the confidence Yumeko does.)
… A misunderstanding this may be, but that still gives no right for a lady to toss people around like that. Elly didn’t say this out loud, of course. Instead, she just coughed due to a dry throat, and left it at, “Good for you.”

Left with nothing to do but dangle helplessly as Yumeko walked, Elly sunk into her thoughts again. Not so much the same memories as earlier; she didn’t want to have another ‘episode’ on Yumeko’s back. Just her constant worry over Kurumi being okay, where she could be, etcetera…

And the hope that Yumeko’s ‘guts’ were actually pointing them in the right direction. Which she still seriously doubted, because your guts can’t direct you anywhere, it’s your mind ..

Her internal griping was interrupted by Yumeko speaking once again. Elly listened carefully, not having much else to do at the moment.

“I’m pretty relaxed right now. Yer dress is pretty soft.” She grumbled. It was the honest truth; she just wanted to walk already, but that weird numb feeling was still there, hardly recovering at all. “I jus’ hope that won’t happen again. ‘Rumi doesn’t need to see all that, an’ doesn’t need it happenin’ to her. At all. I will retaliate if I need to.” And utterly get her shit handed to her. Something told Elly that trying to fight that lady would be biting off more than she could chew.

They were entering some sort of gate system now, all of them automatically clicking and flying open as Yumeko approached, then snapping shut as she walked past. The mist became less apparent as well, and the grass faded to that same black stone that was in the city. Along with that, Elly could feel a breeze pulling on her curls and scythe, followed by Yumeko shooting into the air like a bullet. If it weren’t for the maid’s iron grip, Elly surely would’ve fallen, so she wrapped her arms and legs around Yumeko’s waist a bit more.

Yumeko
Yumeko felt pretty decent right now, even if the gate guard was most likely still not having the best of times. The maid figured that things could be much worse, at least they could rest with Sara for a bit. Maybe even get a hot meal prepared after all this messing about.  She would give an awkward reply to Elly as she thought to herself. 

"that is good to hear....? we are almost there now."

With Elly properly secured, Yumeko gazed up at the great accursed gate. It had been left uncared for throughout all the years, likely since most of the workers or caretakers had either quit or been killed during the multiple invasions. 

The massive Stone construction had been covered with overgrowth and damage. Mostly chunks of stone taken out from brute force breakout attempts by the imprisoned souls that resided in that hell scape.

She held onto Elly a bit tighter, trying her best not to cause any discomfort. Her feet kicked off the dirt as she ascended upwards quickly. Gaining speed as she rose towards the top of the gate, passing by the numerous hostile vines. Eventually reaching the top, Yumeko carefully avoided the spikes which adorned the full length of the wall.

Elly's hanging Scythe would touch one of the spikes, sending out a thrashing pulse of energy that consumed Yumeko's left leg. Making her gasp and fall forward, nearly sending Elly off from her back. She steadied herself hastily, The way down was a vertigo inducing distance. Yumeko whined a bit as her leg would dangle completely limp, it was now covered in scorch marks and burns from what Elly could see. 

The maid Hissed as she quickly levitated downwards. Maintaining a comfortable but fast speed as they came closer to the ground. She had accidentally gripped Elly's arm and leg a bit too hard during her shocking. Causing sounds of discomfort to riddle the air around both girls as they reached the ground.

Yumeko touched down with her right foot, slowly bringing her entire body onto her knee, then carefully laying backwards. Allowing Elly to slide off gently into the grass as Yumeko laid her upper body on top of her. The maids chest was rising and descending quickly as she tried to speak.

".... augh.... a-are you okay... i swore i was high enough t-to.. evade the countermeasures..."

Elly

Elly stared apprehensively at the big, darkness-cloaked thing they were quickly approaching. Those light crystals were sparsely spread around here, a complete contrast to either of the areas she’d been before. As a result, the few that still were around barely illuminated some sort of massive structure; so large compared to them that they’d be ants (those were the small things, right…?) if they stood next to it, almost like a mountain. From the looks of things, it gated off the area they’d just been in, with the wind tunnel leading them inside rather quickly.
Elly didn’t ask about it, too busy being intimidated by it, as wind continued to push them forward. Although she grunted when Yumeko’s grip on her tightened a little bit, she thankfully didn’t panic this time. She supposed she felt… safe? Around Yumeko now. At least, compared to before.

During their trip inside, Yumeko kept dodging around things, with the darkness keeping Elly from seeing what exactly they were. She pushed herself against Yumeko as much as possible until they got out, just in case. But her scythe tapped something, (based on it pulling back against her grip for a split second,) followed by a wave of white energy shot out quickly, with an earth-rumbling roar that made Elly’s ears hurt. The energy gathered in the air for a moment, before slamming into the two of them– no, no, it slammed into Yumeko.
Yumeko lurched forward with a grunt, nearly dropping Elly in the process. Elly held on as best as she could, gripping onto Yumeko since her life depended on it.

Thankfully, Yumeko quickly recovered, for about a second. Before Elly knew it, they were flying forward, and she was doing her best to not fall too far away as she was flipped to Yumeko’s front. She quickly reacted by tensing up, pouring energy into muscles she hadn’t in a long while, and forcing vines to grow out of her body for a better grip. (At the cost of becoming more exhausted…)

The ground was approaching faster than Elly predicted, and before the vines trailing down her arms could get around Yumeko. Instead, Yumeko’s grip tightened once more, locking Elly’s limbs into awkward positions as her vines just dangled.

With the ground only getting closer, Elly braced for impact, but flinching, closing her eyes, and trying to get at least some sort of grip on Yumeko with her vines.
Instead of a rough crash, Elly felt Yumeko land gently, before falling backwards with Elly still wrapped around… her back, around her waist. Not too far off from where she was originally. Her vines weren’t even fully wrapped around, either, only being at a halfway point around Yumeko.

Elly released her grip when Yumeko did, sliding off into the grass with a huff. The small break was interrupted when Yumeko collapsed on top of Elly, panting so hard that it was making Elly’s body shake.

“I’m… fine.” Elly breathed out, letting her head fall back into the grass as well. “I suppose… askin’ ya if yer good would be pointless, yea?”

Elly heard her scythe clatter to the ground in the distance, but that could wait. Her muscles were so sore now that she couldn’t even pull the vines back into her skin. “... Sorry ‘bout all that. Didn’t know… Was too exhausted t’ bend my scythe… Would’a done it anyway, if I’d known…” She coughed out weakly, while reaching a hand (and dangling vines) up to her head to rub it.

… Oh.
Her mask was gone.

Yumeko

Yumeko did her best to regain her breath, ignoring the searing pain in her lower leg. The afflicted area feeling as if it had been properly cooked in oil. She winced in pain as she tried to bring herself upwards, instead finding that Elly was a much more comfortable place to lay her head for the time being. 

The sky was properly pitch as per usual, with the ambient glow from the nearby fauna and minerals giving off a beautiful sight to behold. She never really found herself coming up this far for errands, and even less did she find herself gazing up at the sky. Maybe after this was over, she could bring Lady Alice up here to gaze at the sky. 

The burning sensation still remained, but she had to do something. So turning onto her side would be the first step to a hasty recovery. She pushed down on her left elbow and slowly shifted off from Elly's stomach, ending up on the support of her arm, her front Facing Elly. Her gaze was immediately caught by green vines coming from the girls hands, they were quite literally attached to Elly... 

How bizarre, she knew that Elly was a plant based being, based off prior information gathered. But something like this was quite simply strange, and even unnecessary. Perhaps in a panic, Poor Elly tried to root herself into... Yumeko.... she spoke up about it with whatever breath she had.

"..your hands... how did you do that..."

The maid stayed in her awkward position for a bit, watching Elly closely. Breaking eye contact whenever it stuck too long, still clearly dazed. 

She pushed herself up, slowly bringing her legs inwards as her body was brought upwards. Eventually ending up in a sitting position, with her injured leg extended. Yumeko rubbed her face a bit, before speaking again.

"...I should perhaps apologize for bringing you along into this.. I feel as if staying with Louise might have been the right thing to do. But I can't help but feel that something is not quite right..."

Elly

The lack of her breathing mask sent Elly into a very brief panic. It only lasted a couple seconds due to her extreme exhaustion clouding over her vision, as well as her throat feeling like a pepper exploded inside it every time she took a deep breath in. Needless to say, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but it hurt less than before… weirdly.
Elly flopped her arms back down in defeat after her small freakout, simply accepting things as-is, not wanting to push her luck too much.

Eventually, Yumeko winced and grunted her way off of Elly’s stomach, instead laying near Elly’s side, using her arm as a support. Elly lifted her head slightly to watch and make sure she was okay, but her aching muscles lulled it back to the ground quickly.

Soon after Yumeko rolled off, Elly heard her weakly rasp out, “Your hands… How did you do that…?”

That made Elly lean up slightly herself, wincing from her body screaming at her to just keep laying down, as well as her vines getting pinched and crushed in the process.
She lifted one arm out in front of her cautiously, not wanting the other to go slack and make her fall.

“These…?” She tensed her already sore back muscles back up again, making the vines swing and curl slightly, “Oh… Um. Sur-Survival instincts kicked in, I guess…”
With that said, Elly finally flopped back down onto the grass, laying her arms over her face. “They’ll go away, eventually. Gimme… I dunno, a few hours? ‘M tired…” (And then when she was reenergized, she could try healing Yumeko up… maybe. If they had the right herbs here in Makai. Elly should’ve grabbed some emergency seeds before she left…)

How embarrassing. Pulling out any branches, roots, vines, leaves, petals, or what have you from your body in front of others was sort of… strange. Nobody really did it unless they had to, because it was taboo, in a way. Kind of like how you don’t go outside without being properly dressed.
And now, Elly was stuck with her vines out, too tired to pull them back in. With a woman she barely knew. Elly just hoped she wasn’t turning a bright red from her embarrassment, or at least that Yumeko wouldn’t notice her discomfort… Or that Yumeko wouldn’t get uncomfortable.

Elly heard Yumeko shuffling more while her face was covered. Elly quickly parted her fingers and vines to make sure Yumeko wasn’t trying to get up, otherwise Elly would have some words for her. She saw Yumeko sitting, arched over and staring at the ground. From this position, Elly could see where exactly she was hit, and the injury itself. A large and nasty burn coated her left leg; so burnt that the wound was already cauterized. Some of the blisters had already been rubbed open– likely due to their landing and Yumeko’s moving– letting a long stream of blood run out of them like a waterfall. Oddly, parts of her leg even looked shattered, like broken glass. With bits of her ‘skin’(?) falling off in small shards.

Elly felt her mouth flatten at the odd and gruesome sight, flinching and turning her head away. She was never good with blood…

“I should perhaps apologize for bringing you along into this. I feel as if staying with Louise might have been the right thing to do. But I can't help but feel that something is not quite right…”

“Huh?” Elly mumbled, slowly lifting herself back up. “Why’re ya apologizin’? This all was my fault, I should’a rolled my scythe up before we left…”
Elly paused for a moment, thinking about how she should handle the second bit. “Although, yea. That second one’s on ya. I ain’t gonna pretend like that wasn’t a hair-brained idea. Course, I could’a squirmed out an’ rolled off ( Or fling herself off by pushing her wings out, but that might’ve just knocked her unconscious instead. And would make her more unsightly than simple vines would. ) at any time if I didn’t wanna… take a break, I guess. Calm down. Yea. Louise is great, so’s that girl I bet, but, I dunno. I just… Didn’t feel like I could sit around them fer too long?”

Elly rubbed her forehead a little, attempting to clear her crowded thoughts. She waited for a response, but when she didn’t hear one, she decided to entice one. It was better than silence. “An’, er, ya feel off? How-so?”

—[[ possible missing section again…? ]]–

Yumeko

Yumeko slowly nodded, letting her arm fall from her face into her lap. She had caught Elly's glare towards her burned ankle. The perfect porcelain skin was peeling off around the wounds, as well as long cracks leading around the leg.

The maid winced as she tried to move her leg inwards, trying to hide it from Elly's view. Yumeko clearly remembered the early days when her limbs would break off, and make some of the younger residents burst into tears. She would always feel so terrible afterwards, having to get Lady Alice and Master to reattach her parts, or make new ones.

Yumeko worried if Elly might have a similar reaction, to what kind of demon she really was. Although, admittedly now was not a good time to worry about this sort of thing.

The maid took some of the wraps saved from her arm sling and carefully fastened the used cloth over her ankle, Completely covering and securing her wound. It wouldn't help much with repairing the damage, but that wasn't something she wanted to occupy her mind with at the moment.

They had to get to Sara's outpost quickly if they wanted to keep up with 'Kurumi'. Had Sara seen her, she couldn't have gone far. Worse case scenario was if Sara had gone away from her post. That girl had the tendency to leave her sole job unattended frequently, whether it was to visit the town or play with the local bakebake. 

Master really deserved a better guard for her paradise, even if Sara was well loved among Pandaemoniums residents. Being one of Masters first true creations, she was simply never as intelligent or mature as the others. 

Yumeko began to stand up, putting her weight onto her uninjured leg, summoning a shining broad sword to support her. It's perfectly sharpened blade digging into the firmly packed ground. She stood as tall as she could with her current status, allowing her pained leg to merely touch the ground gracefully.

She quickly looked over Elly, ensuring she wasn't injured in any other way that could effect her future well-being. Yumeko turned and began to hobble her way towards the stone structure across the overgrowth.

"I will return shortly, please stay where you are."

And with that Yumeko would vanish into the brush, her careful steps slowly fading into the distance.

Chapter Text

.... And, as a treat, one last written part, separated from the rest:

Yuuka

Yuuka elegantly stepped through the portal, the cold air stung her skin and lungs instantly. It was easily ignorable, but she would not be able to subsist in an environment such as this for long. Her makeshift method of cross world teleportation was unreliable at times, which led to slight deviations in her locations of choice.

She hid her disappointment and stood tall amongst the flat wasteland. A few accursed flowers would pepper the land, but they were nothing that Yuuka wanted to interact with. Such impolite and vile organisms, she made sure to pinch their roots a bit as she walked near them. It's what they deserve for resisting a god in their presence.

But perhaps punishing worthless life was not something she should even bother doing, especially with the current situation at hand. She looked down at the poor shivering creature, Orange was definitely not able to survive for more than an hour in these conditions. So the girl would just have to manage, at least until Yuuka found which direction to head.

Yuuka would speak in her usual tone, completely devoid of any enjoyment. 

"It is really not that bad, just be sure not to stand still."

She would turn towards the distant citadel, it was something she could never forget. The massive building was quite the spectacle to be had, even if it was a horrid eyesore on the glowing horizon. Yuuka remembered exactly how it felt to blast it's gates wide open, and how much fun she had tossing around all of those pathetic servants. Perhaps another round couldn't hurt, even if she wasn't coming for fun this time.

"Are you able to see that in the distance? That is our first target, the weak master of this realm resides there. So she would most likely be the one responsible for this mess."

Yuuka instantly began to stride forward, wasting no time whatsoever. Although she stopped for a moment to ensure Orange would follow along. Even if she didn't care about this small creature, there would no point in wasting her life here.

"come along now Dear, it will be a long walk from here."

Now, as for other parts I remember happening or being planned but never written:

Sara & Kurumi - Louise & Alice:

Sara and Kurumi meet Alice and Louise in Makai City. Louise is shocked to see Yumeko disobey Shinki and leave to help Elly, since if Shinki hates someone there has to be a reason for that. Upon meeting Kurumi again, Louise is now suspicious of her. Sara and Kurumi don't pick up on it. I don't remember if Alice had anything new because the person who was writing her left the internet for a bit close to this point. Louise was going to direct them to Pandaemonium instead of reuniting Elly and Kurumi so Kurumi could be held prisoner until Shinki returned.

Orange & Yuuka:

Yuuka threatens to throw Orange across Mugensekai/The Land of Fantasies unless she tells her where Elly and Kurumi went. Yuuka and Orange go into the LoB to get to Makai, Orange was tossed into the lake first by Yuuka to see if it was safe. Orange nearly drowns and chokes on air but Yuuka hardly cares. The plan was for the two to run into Mai and Yuki. (Yuki was going to be played by PenumbralPeridoxide and Mai by TraeshNWriting/PiTwo)

Shinki & Byakuren + The Angels:

I won't lie chat i don't remember what happens after what i got lol. i just woke up to 7 new notifications in that channel, frowned, and forgot about it. Sariel was going to slink over there at some point?

Elly & Yumeko:

I don't remember. The plan was for them to find Sara's house, while Sara was missing, stay a bit to recover and talk, then leave. Yumeko would think something is wrong (in general), and try pressing Elly for more info, while Elly kept being stubborn.

We discussed the getsu twins for about 2 seconds before deciding there was already too much going on. I believe the ultimate plans were to have Yumeko beg Shinki to help with Elly because something isn't right there, Shinki be stubborn about it, Kurumi get locked up (and if she was, she'd try escaping), Yuuka tries fighting Shinki (again) which makes the misunderstanding with Elly worse, and then ultimately everyone fights Sariel. Then idk shinki kicks everyone out, elly and yumeko say bye but they'd see each other again, then elly gets stuck under a fuckin' house lmao L bozo