Scene #4463: Into The Sunset

Owner	Pose
Konoe Kanno	It's been a week since Konoe and friends delved deeper into the world of Phantasmagoria. In this ever still, dead world, they discovered the ruins of a feudal palace, standing tall despite its disrepair. And inside, were phantoms of the distant past, chained to vague memories, unable to move on. Also waiting for them was Konoe's brother; Kumanokusubi. And after a brief, but fierce duel, he departed this land, saying that he had no more regrets. He did what he had to do, in his own way. The rest was up to Konoe and her friends now. To that end, she returns. Despite the hardship, she still has questions that need answering. A mystery that needs solving. She can feel it. Something creeping on the edge of her memory. Memories she's sure she shouldn't have... She needs to get to the bottom of this. But she's not quite reckless enough to do it alone. And so she produces a talisman in her hand and raises it to her lips, speaking into it. "...I'm going back to that place. Assistance would be appreciated, but I will go on alone if I have to." That brief statement made, she lowered the seal, letting it burn up into a drifting ash in the empty wind. And then she pressed forward, taking steps into this colorless, barren land. Her crimson eyes remained locked onto the palace in the distance, the top half of it sliced in half. A remnant of the recent battle...
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu flies in through the air as usual. As she flies through the silent sky, she can easily see the still broken top floor of the castle. Her entire trek through the break landscape is much more quiet then usual, but that's because everything else was dealt with already. As her vision of the castle becomes closer, she smiles slightly. For now, the four red and white orbs shimmer into existence around her body. As she flies over to the rest of the castle, she begins to think to herself. Soon, she manages to see Konoe walking toward the castle and she slowly flies downward. She lands on the ground lightly and raises an eyebrow as she speaks up, "Have you tried flying instead? It will certainly get you there faster."
Kirito	Going it alone's a mistake Kirito made for two years. He's not keen on the idea of a girl, no matter how divine, going off and doing it in the middle of a strange hellzone. Even though the last time he came here... it ended up with him in agony. The Black Swordsman's exudes very different vibes today. All business and fierce spirit. He swoops through the warp gate and skids to a stop near the group, keeping his translucent fairy wings primed and ready for flight... and he's already drawn one of his two blades. The other's in its scabbard resting on his back. No screwing around. No taking it easy. Not even taking a sliver of a chance. Spirit more focused and intense than it's been in months he scans the horizon for the slightest signs of trouble. "... I don't suppose... you remembered anything... Konoe?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone had been very concerned for Konoe, Kotone didn't take long to arrive she'd made sure the sword she had recovered was kept safe on her ship. Where it's rested, should the blade be asked for? Kotone would be happy to return it. For now she's arrive dressed for trouble and she comes up to Konoe looking at her concerned as she takes a moment to size her up a bit. "I'm not going to let you go alone into this my friend."
Xiaomu	Some people walk. Some people fly. Xiaomu gets around by lightcycle, pretty much whenever she has a good excuse. It's fast, it's cheaper than a gasoline-burning motor vehicle, it's MUCH better for the environment, and it looks awesome. And with Konoe providing the coordinates, Xiaomu gets there in relatively record time - with or without Reiji; if he missed Xiaomu leaving, it's totally his fault for dragging his heels. Xiaomu's lightcycle slows rapidly to a halt, finally stopping about five meters behind Konoe and the others, and the sage fox dismounts. "So, I've missed some previous adventures out this way ... what do I need to know?" she inquires, making sure her carrypack is settled across her back and that she has her staff and guns. (Also a couple of grenades, because you never know when you'll need big fiery explosions.)
Reiji Arisu	Reiji isn't that much of a leadfoot. If he was, there'd be no way he could jump from tall buildings in a single bound and NOT break every bone in both his legs. He is, however, riding bitch behind Xiaomu. Not that he looks at all like that's what he's doing. His powers of stoicism are far too developed to do anything like THAT. He hops off the cycle when Xiaomu slows, landing without flourish except for the clattering of the weapons in his trusty rack o' blades. "Konoe," he says when he lands. "This place is... Somewhat desolate. Is this what you called for us to look into?"
Konoe Kanno	Konoe just plods on at a leisurely pace, not even bothering to fly just yet. After all, she did call for assistance. No point in doing that, and then leaving them behind, right? Reimu comes in first, and she stops as the other miko lands nearby and questions her. "......" At first, Konoe just frowned silently at Reimu. And then she shook her head. "If I fly, I'll leave people behind. That would render the point of asking for help moot, right?" And then Kirito arrives. Konoe blinks a few times in surprise at his appearance, recalling just what happened to him last time. ... But then a small smile graces her features. "Hello Kirito. I'm glad to see you're okay after all of... well, that." She's not sure what to call it. It was like watching two forces of nature collide, swirl together, and then disperse all at once. Leaving nothing behind. She shook her head of the recent memory and glanced at Kotone's arrival. "...Thank you, Kotone." The kitty miko smiled slightly and nodded, her tails curling and sweeping behind her idly as she spoke. "But don't get yourself hurt." She looked about at Kirito, Reimu, and Kotone in sequence. "That goes for all of you." She didn't ask about her brother's sword just yet. Maybe later. But for now, they had things to do. And with that said, she began to rise up into the air, finally taking flight. There's a moment's pause as she gained altitude. Then she burst forward, soaring through the sky towards the castle. She wasn't quite sure why she was going there, but... something compelled her. They didn't really get a good look through the place last time, given that epic duel that cleaved one third of the building apart. And while she flew, she answered Kirito's question, "Oh...um, yes." She looked off towards the ruined castle. "This world's name is...Phantasmagoria." She frowned a bit at that. "I don't know how long this world has been dead, but... apparently the humans on this world banded together to ...oppose the gods?" She tilted her head a bit, then let out a little sigh. "I don't know why they did it, but they did, and...somehow this is the result." Konoe glanced downwards at the arriving Xiaomu, and indicated that she should get back on her bike and get moving again. They were heading off. "Oh, hello Xiaomu, Reiji. ...Thank you for coming. According to my sister, time is of the essence however... Except I haven't seen her ever since she disappeared weeks ago." She went on, explaining the particulars of what they knew so far, and what happened the last two times. The fight against the shadow army in the battlefield, their hatred against the Sun Goddess, their arrival at the castle, Kirito's duel with Kumanokusubi, the strange happenings after regarding him disappearing, and then the vague memories she regained from the conflict. By the time she finished explaining, they were arriving at the castle ruins. Those on the ground would be able to navigate through the ground floor, and out the back past a rear set of gates. From above, the fliers would see that after passing over the palace, and getting a glimpse of the place where they dueled her brother last, the back of the castle gave way to a set of damage stairs, stretching up and onwards, hugged by a dead forest. "...We missed that last time." Konoe mutters, summoning her shakujo into her grip and holding it aside and ready as they flew. Those on the ground would find that immediately, the staircase was occupied by drifting shadows. Memories of the past clung to the present. They are vague black forms, shambling up and down the stairs. Some look like attendants, warriors, civilians, none of them addressed those on the ground. And it would probably be a great idea not to disturb them. Bad things seemed to happen when the shadows were disturbed.
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu sighs for a moment as she flies along after the feline Miko. It doesn't take her long to keep up with her and as they fly toward the stairway, she smiles as the four red and white orbs follow along after her. As she flies along, her hair and dress actually flowing as she moves along, she responds pleasantly, "Phantasmagoria? That's odd. We actually have two incidents named after that word." She glances over to Konoe and smiles, "We might as head up the stairs and if anything gets in our way, then we'll just take care of it as usual. Right, Konoe?"
Kirito	"Phantasmagoria." Kirito sounds out the name with a shudder after passing through the castle gates and into the chamber. Yeah, with a shudder. He's not forgotten what happened here and isn't keen on a repeat performance. He's wound-up tighter than a clockwork main spring right now. "No talking to the ghosts." He's quick to declare.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa doesn't intend to let the kitty miko go it alone here. She seemned ready and if the sword did come up? Kotone would make no effort to hang on to it, should it be asked for. She makes ready to go, she has her weapons ready and falls in with everyone lse. She doesn't cloak just yet and tilts her head a bit. "I'm tougher than I look but I'll be careful." She grins and seems to be trying to keep her spirits up as the truth comes out at least about th world's name. She wonders about this? "Could things havebeen so bad, turning on thier gods was their only sane option....?"
Reiji Arisu	If Marisa were here, she'd probably say it was Wakahirume's fault for being a massive tsundere and never actually showing her dere-dere nature to the people. BUT SHE'S NOT HERE RIGHT NOW. Probably doing her own research somewhere. Instead, Reiji remains quiet as they continue on, silently extending his awareness into the dead and rotting land around them. The people turned against their gods, and in doing so, were... also obliterated? What kind of conflict could have inspired this much destruction, though? And who was at fault? Man or God? In his line of work, he finds himself thinking about these sorts of things all too frequently.
Xiaomu	Xiaomu actually shuts up and listens - and straddles the lightcycle once again, waiting for Reiji to get on behind her before they continue forwards. She would've figured walking was plenty, but if Konoe figures they might need to save their strength for later instead of wearing themselves out walking, she is the party leader as these things go. "No, that doesn't sound terribly good," Xiaomu concedes quietly, looking warily at the swarming spirits. Her lightcycle's good but it doesn't have an actual flight mode; the best she can do is try to weave through the shades and not hit any of them if she can help it. Good thing she's been practicing her bullet-hell games. "Hang on tight, Reiji, and keep some exorcism incantations handy in case we aggro more of these guys than I can shake off." The lightcycle accelerates - and despite the vehicle's size, Xiaomu handles it deftly, slipping through split-second gaps just wide enough to permit the lightcycle to pass between shades without going through any of them. Xiaomu may have to pull off the occasional hop over a cluster she can't dodge, but ... well. If she'd known flight was going to be a required skill, she would've put something else together, or tried to. Her working theory is that somebody or something stirred the army of shades up against Amaterasu - and what she knows of Shinto mythology does include a couple of possible suspects, but details are a little too scant right now to pin down one definite source.
Konoe Kanno	And if Wakahirume were here, she'd bap Marisa atop her head, witch hat or no! But she wasn't here. Konoe sighs and nods to Kirito's comment. "Don't talk to the shadows! They seem to get angry when we do!" She calls down to the ground crew as they start to ascend the stairs. The shades can be passed through, but it's like passing through a curtain of freezing cold. Not pleasant at all. Plus, it might agitate them. Better to avoid the whole thing altogether, no? Reimu's comment earns her a glance from Konoe who rolls her eyes slightly and chuckles faintly. "...Of course." That's what they do in Gensokyo, no? Shoot first, ask questions later? But this didn't seem to be Gensokyo. There hasn't been a single trigger happy fairy in sight! Kotone's musing is heard, and the miko shakes her head, descending a bit to talk more clearly. "I don't know. ...I've never been here before. No matter how much others try to imply that I have... What happened here; I couldn't even say..." However, at those words, there's suddenly a flare of shadowy flame, and streak that soars upwards into the sky. Konoe immediately stops flying at that point and comes to a stop in midair, levitating there. "What in the worl- ack!" What follows is an orb wispy black smoke that forms high in the sky. That orb remains there, billowing in and out of form. And then it suddenly breaks apart, splitting into multiple lances of inky black light that veers through the sky and aims to pierce through each and every last living person making their way up the stairs. And down on the stairs, each and every single shadow has stopped moving. They all stare up into the sky at the fliers, and down below at Xiaomu, Reiji, and Kotone. "........" Pure silence. They do nothing, but stare. But what is this darkness that's assaulting them!?
Kirito	Kirito's reaction to having a spear of shadow flying at him is almost instantaneous. He drops straight into a stance for a basic Sword Skill, the single-strike 'Slant', with blade diagonally held across his body. Brilliant light shines from the obsidian edge... and... "HUUUAP!" The question is, as he swings that thing with full intent of deflecting the blast into a wall or something, whether his strange digital magic strikes will even be able to interact with... WHATEVER that is.
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu's eyes begin to widen and the four orbs move directly behind her body as she swerves and weaves her way through the homing shots. As they curve torward her with surprising speed, the four orbs begins to unleash a veritable barrage of red talismans that fan out in front of her path. As the amulets rush through the air, they threaten to impact many of the lances in her apparent attempts to break them down before they come close. As Reimu continues in her attempts to break down the sharp, piercing lances, she begins to prepare for the use of a spell card just in case anyone else has trouble with them as well. After all, a surprise ambush is normally the best time to use abilities like these.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa says "It was just a thought there have been worlds where gods have gone mad. Whatever happened? We'll get down to the bottome of this together." Kotone seems confident enough about that, just as the burst of shadowy fire makes itself known. Kotone leaps not even bothering to hide her nature as this happens. She lands with the ground crunching under her weight. Shedoesn't make further attacks but she's also staring at them for a moment. "What do you want with us?! What happened here!? Why did you turn upon your gods?"
Reiji Arisu	One could easily make the mistake of assuming that Reiji's contemplative reverie meant that he was just a little bit distracted. Too distracted, perhaps, to pay attention to the sudden appearance of a suspicious black orb overhead. Too distracted to dodge the spears that it launches, or to address the sudden attention of the myriad spirits gathered around them. But these are all mistakes. Reiji Arisu isn't so easily caught off guard. The sudden ripple in the desolate spiritual landscape rips him straight out of his thoughts. It takes a split second for him to recognize the threat. A moment more to act on it. "Xiaomu, above!" Reiji yells, practically- and literally- leaping from his partner's bike. "Projectiles incoming. We've got attention on the ground, too. Let's blow them away!" He lands. The world around him seems to flicker and waver. Beneath, an azure glyph seems to etch itself onto the ground, blazing with the characteristic glow of the Arisu sealing arts. "Juu-no-Kata!" two clicks, a pair of guns find their way into his hands as the magic comes alive, "Xiaomu, I'm ready when you are!" Space seems to stiffen, becoming more viscous around them, causing the strange black spears to slow to a crawl as they draw near. Anything coming out from the center of that mystic square does not seem nearly so impeded, however. The opposite, in fact. When Reiji starts firing, his bullets actually seem to travel -faster- through that field. His main goal seems to be to obliterate the black spears coming in from overhead with slugs of blessed steel and sacred buckshot. The ghosts... Go unmolested just yet. But if they start moving, it won't be long before the exorcist turns his weapons on them as well.
Xiaomu	Xiaomu's ears perk up as her partner makes the call; a tweak of the lightcycle's accelerator, and she leaps into the air alongside Reiji, Silver and Platinum appearing in her hands. "Then let's do it!" she calls out gleefully, just before she starts twirling and posing in mid-air, unloading illogical amounts of anti-spirit bullets at the swarming bolts of dark fiery whatever. Literally illogical, in fact. No way she could have THAT many bullets in each handgun without reloading, and yet she doesn't even discard a magazine ... at least not until she and Reiji land on the still-moving lightcycle once again. She doesn't bother shooting at the ghostly shades, either. If the ghosts wanted to be hostile, they've got plenty of opportunity to do so - but it didn't seem like it was the spectres who launched that attack. Xiaomu does, however, keep avoiding the ghosts as best she can.
Konoe Kanno	Kirito isn't going to have what happened last time happen again. He's already prepared to go, and once the shadow lances right at him, he lets loose a swift Sword Skill, cleaving right through and parting the oncoming shadow into two that harmlessly shoot right by him... But then something mildly distressing happens. Those two parts don't dissipate. They instead arc through the sky and return to giving the Black Swordsman chase. And now there were TWO wisp of dark energy going after him. This certainly is not good. Reimu lets loose a volley of homing shots that make impact against the oncoming darkness. And the purifying power causes that black flame to split into many different little wisps... But they don't disappear. Instead, all of those smaller motes of darkness flare through the air and return to giving chase to Reimu. Like a growing storm. These shadows weren't going to give up from something like being /lethally purified/. No. Their hatred was too strong for something like that. Kotone dodges about, and the darkness lances around her, attempting to strike multiple times, never giving up after each dodge. And when she yells at the shadows staring at them on the stares, she gets an answer. ".......We are not puppets." "We are free..." "...We choose our own path." "We will create our own world..." "...Gods are no longer necessary." "...Humanity will forge their own future, unguided by malevolent hands..." These are the answers that echo out from the gaggle of shadows lining the stairs. They don't move to attack. But it seems like they may be controlling the darkness veering through the skies above. Like a collective will of some sort... Reiji unleashes his arts. Juu-n-Kata. Space slows down, causes the shadowy energy lancing towards him and Xiaomu to slow down to a near crawl. And then through the center, bullets speed through, and pierce the darkness, shattering those shadowy wisps of energy. And Xiaomu assist, the two of them unleashing a hail of bullets upon the inky black flames. But like with the others, they break apart, into countless smaller wisps of darkness. But they don't vanish. They aren't purified. They seem to get MORE aggressive in fact, as they pick up speed, swirling together into a literal hurricane of black energy then then spirals outward, breaking apart and homing back in on everyone once more. Konoe grits her teeth and holds her staff out in front of herself, forming a barrer that several shots of black impact with again and again. "Guh! We're not going to get anywhere, listening to these shadows and dancing around this darkness! Let's just out run it and go on ahead! We can figure out something while we move!" As while stating that, the miko takes off into flight, grunting in pain as black flame sears past her and impacts her back. She spins and then refocuses her barrier to be perfect sphere while patting herself down and picking up speed. They seriously had no time for this! She glared down at the shadowy people standing on the stairs staring upwards at them. Tch. They probably had something to do with this. But she wasn't in the mood to sweep through a literal army of shadows. They didn't have all the time in the world now!
Xiaomu	Okay yeah that's bad. "Hang on tight, Reiji!" the sage fox calls out, hunkering down over the lightcycle and giving her partner just long enough to literally hang on as tightly as he can. "HIGH SPEED XIAOMU!!!" Lightcycles aren't leisure vehicles; they're designed to cover distance at seriously high speed, and also to leave a barrier in their wake that very little can actually get through easily. Xiaomu's taking full advantage of both of those traits right now - still weaving between shades as well as she can, but even faster than before, and leaving a glowing hard-light barrier that marks the lightcycle's path amongst the spectres. Except that in this case, the jet-wall isn't just digital energy - that's how it would work on the Grid, in a compatible system. This is the real world, so the jet-wall is actually created from Xiaomu's own qi as she channels it through her vehicle. Hopefully she can keep up the evasive routine and the trail-wall long enough for the homing shadowfirestuff bolts to expend themselves on the wall instead of on the lightcycle or its riders. Catching anything that DOESN'T simply come in from behind is gonna be up to Reiji, if anything's going to be done about them at all.
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu concentrates for a moment as she tries to find a single path through the barrage of dark elemental wisps. At this point, she takes a deep breath upon finding one single path through them. It's a slim shot, but that has to be the best way to get through this barrage. She crouches down and then she immediately bursts forth in an incredibly fast demonstration of aerial speed. Afterimages of her body are left in her wake as she rushes up the steps. As soon as she makes it past them, she continues to fly forward at her normal pace. Unfortunately, for the black elemental wisps, a large sea of violet talismans burst forth behind her body. They practically threaten to overwhelm the spirits through their sheer number alone as the enormous wave tears through the air. Several round orange bullets stream toward the surprisingly empty space unoccupied by the enormous wave of keep away talismans.
Reiji Arisu	If there's anything the tech heads at Shinra have perfected, it's ammo clips with dramatically appropriate levels of ammunition. Reiji hasn't run out yet. That clearly means that things haven't quite gotten too bleak to deal with. The brief respite from the tremendous onslaught is all that he needs to get back onboard the lightcycle and speed off with his partner. Doesn't mean they're out of danger yet, though. Fortunately, Reiji can still aim and fire on the run. GOLD and HOLLYWOOD roar in tandem, filling whatever might try to get in their way with BLESSED BULLETS. If these things really are wrathful spirits, then... "They chose their fate," Reiji says after a moment. "No longer truly human. Wraiths. Memories." "If this is their new world, if this is what they believe it means to be free, then the only malevolence I see is that which lurked in their own hearts!"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa listens to the shadows, was it madness? WAS it a desire for them to be free? Did their gods go mad? There's no way to know for sure even with what was said. She does however star to get some better ideas of what the shadows motivations in life had been. She agres with Konoe and starts to follow after her, she can't fly but she does have some techs that let her boost jump and double dash on top of her own speed. "We can't be sitting around here!"
Kirito	It... SPLITS. Kirito wastes NO time debating what to do next. Konoe suggests running? He's in agreement. His wings thrum up to full speed almost instantly and OFF he goes, using them for extra thrust to dodge and weave around in the skies, just ahead of the darkness! "This is more than a little ridiculous!" The LAST thing he wants is to know what will happen to him if THAT stuff strikes... "Running. Right. Let's do that!"
Konoe Kanno	It seems they're all in agreement. RUN. With Xiaomu weaving about and creating light walls, and Reiji and Reimu unloading shots and talisman galore in their wake, the charge up the stairs is rather easy, save for weaving through the shadows standing about. They don't move to strike, but their piercing stares are more than enough as it is. Konoe sudders as they pass, and focuses on staying ahead of the wave of darkness. Up, up, and up the stairs they go, and eventually, they find themselves coming out on top and running right onto a wide, circular site. It's pristine, save for the massive fragments of mirror embedded into the ground all the way at the other end. The darkness continues to give chase, but then... Something forms behind them once they all arrive up top. A transluscent dome barrier erects, and the darkness impacts with it, time and time again, but it doesn't break through. "......?" Konoe certainly didn't do that. Who did? The sound of footsteps suddenly can be heard as someone appears up ahead, stepping into full view in a wreath of purple flame, similar to the way Kumanokusubi appeared last time. He wears a long overcoat, with a red scarf, and a hakama. His hair is short and white, with purple accents, and his skin is a bit dark. "Finally arrived, have you?" He states calmly, crossing his arms as he regards those who've gathered. A golden mirror with sun accents floats in and starts the circle around him at this point. "...I've been waiting. For all of you." It's Masakatsu, one of Konoe's siblings. And Konoe blinks several times, before rubbing her eyes and looking again. "...Masakatsu?" But then she frowns as she recalls last time. "...You're not here to fight us, are you?" The man shakes his head and smirks. "Of course not. I have somethng better to do than that." He glances aside, into the distance, ignoring the pounding of the darkness onto the barrier he apparently put up. "...That idiot with the sword tried to beat your memory out of you, but I have...something different in mind." His gaze settles back onto everyone present, eyes moving from Reimu, to Kirito, to Reiji, to Xiaomu, to Kotone. "....You want to know why this world became what it was, yes? I'm here to shed light on that.: Well, that was a thing.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa doesn't seem to mind playing catchup with her comrades and friends. She skids to a halt as they finally see that Masakatsu appears she looks at them for a moment and tilts her head a bit. "Err I'll return your sword later if that's a problem!" She notes and she listens nodding very strongly at his offer to tell them what's going on here. "Yes I want to know the tale of this place, what happened here? I see a people revolting against htier gods and claims the gods had gone mad."
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu slowly descends to the ground and takes a deep breath, "Well, feel free to speak to explain at any time you wish." As she walks across the ground, she smiles, "I take it that you must be another one of Konoe's siblings." From there, the young miko stares directly at the golden mirror and her smile begins to brighten up immediately. "First, we see a sword, and now we see a mirror. All we need now is the jewel and I think we might have the three sacred treasures." Afterwards, she glances back to Masakatsu and she continues with a hint of displeasure, "Considering that you're related to Amaterasu, this makes a lot of sense."
Reiji Arisu	The Three Sacred Treasures of Japan are familiar to Reiji. That's partially due to the fact that Shinra takes care of all three of them, and also because he's JAPANESE and he'd be a pretty shitty Japanese guy if he didn't know what those were. "If you know anything about what's happened to this place, it would likely be good for all of us if you explained." "This place," Reiji says, considering all that he's seen thus far. "This place is not normal. It's rotting. Decrepit. What happened to it to make it this way? What cause such animosity towards the gods?"
Kirito	Oh thank heavens. The magic's been repelled! Kirito cranks down his speed and flips down for a skidding-landing, blade drawn even with an apparent svaior around... a savior with a golden mirror... "..." A sword and a mirror, huh? He has a good feeling where this is going. The Black Swordsman exhales deeply, relief obvious... The idiot with the sword. Thinking on that gets Kirito shuddering again. The guy he killed. Uuuuuugh. "Just wandering around isn't getting us very far." Kirito replies, signaling his interest in such an explanation... and how grumpy he's feeling about the entire thing.
Konoe Kanno	Kotone is given a glance. "My fool brother went down fighting for what he believed he could do." And then he glanced pointedly at Kirito. "Whatever happened to you because of him and his foolish ideals, I suppose I should be glad that he hasn't seriously harmed you." It was kind of distant, but that must have been his way of apologizing. Somehow. Just a bit. See, he was a decent guy when he wasn't copying Master Sparks and Blazing Stars! Kind of. Reimu's comments about a jewel earn her silence. "The jewel is already gone. And it won't be coming back." That's right. Amenohohi was nowhere to be seen. Neither were Akiyama and Haruyama. Where did those loud, obnoxous twins get off to? Who knows. Konoe frowns at all of this, but keeps herself from shouting out any frustration. "...Right. Everyone just disappears from Gensokyo. And then sister shows up here and says I have to figure out this mess before time runs out." She points vaguely in the direction of the castle, "And then brother appears and tries to slash me! And then he slashed my friends!" And now she points forward, "And now YOU finally appear and say you want to explain? Where in the world were you from the start!?" Masakatsu sighs and shakes his head. "The pieces simply fell that way. Nothing more." He nods to Reiji and directs his mirror forward. It enlarges and then thunks into the ground, becoming large enough to stare into for multiple people. "...This world, Phantasmagoria, was a world where humans and gods once lived in harmony." The mirror lights up, and a vision of the past appears. Fields of flowers, rural farming villages, mountains, lakes. A panning bird's eye view appears in the mirror, and it sweeps this way and that, getting a good look at the land. "Humans prayed to the gods. And the gods, being empowered by the faith received from humans, maintained the world. The sky, the trees, the land, fire, water..." Masakatsu folds his arms into his sleeves as he explains, stepping aside and turning away to look off towards the fragments of shattered mirror up ahead, at the other end of the ritual site. "But there came a point where humans began to question why they should have to offer prayer to the gods, whose workings they seldom witness, much less their presence." He closes his eyes. The vision in the mirror changes to that of a feudal castle town. One can see an massive army mustering at the castle in the distance. "They began to preach to the people that prayer was useless, and that they could move on into the future with their own hands." The vision in the mirror changes to that of a volcanic eruption. And then it changes to a tidal wave wiping out a fishing village. And then a tornado ripping across the landscape. "As the people's prayers dwindled, the gods had a harder time maintaining the world. Natural disasters came one after the other due to the growing loss of control. People died, villages were wiped out, livelihoods were destroyed." He smirks. "Naturally, the people preached that the gods were punishing them for deigning to seek independence." He shook his head and turned to face the group, aside from the mirror. "Without knowing anything, they declared war on the gods. They declared war on Amaterasu; the Sun Goddess, and all of those under her." The mirror's vision changes to that massive army attempting to storm a land floating in the sky. It's Takamagahara. What follows is an explosion of light, and the mirror's surface goes white. "Mother had had enough. The god were not infallible. They relied on the humans for power. And the humans relied on the gods for the sustaining of their world. After centuries of malcontent, the gods decided to act."
Konoe Kanno	The mirror's vision changes again. This time it's much darker. The world is aflame. And at the center of it all, is a shadowy, vulpine presence. Great and terrible, with nine massive tails wreathed in scarlet flame. It towered above the world, it's crimson gaze balefully peering down at the burning land below. The Ruinous Goddess; Amaterasu. And the people of the world who fought against her and her kind. Armies of humans, wielding steel and sorcery. United against their goddess. "The people of this world decided that they no longer need the gods. And thus, a war between god and man commenced. But its more accurate to call it a slaughter."
Reimu Hakurei	The smile on Reimu's face immediately fades from existence. As she looks at the images presented in the mirror, she stays silent. It was very obvious where he was going with this. She sighs as she immediately rubs her temples of her head. She turns around and stares directly at the barrier that is occupying the broken spirits. "All of these shades. They're all people who were.." As she practically understands the sudden mass loss of lives, it doesn't take her long to do something that she normally does not do. At that point, tears begin to flow from eyes. It was getting increasingly harder to stay strong in front of the others, but for now, she wipes her tears once more, and turns to face Masakatsu, "What happened next and how does it relate to what's happening now other than the vengeful shades? Are you losing control over fire?"
Reiji Arisu	This is everything he has fought to prevent. The Shinra organization was created to ensure that man and spirit could coexist in harmony. Whether this meant keeping one's existence from becoming known to the other, or simply facilitating the rituals that kept the gods satisfied, it has always been their mission to keep the peace. To ensure that this- specifically this- would never come to pass. Without spirits, man and the world would fall into ruin. Without man, spirits could not fill the world with wonder. In either case, it would mean the destruction of All Things in Nature. Something that must never be allowed to come to pass. The exorcist's eyes seem to harden as he lays witness to what plays out in that great mirror. Disgust, anger, regret, grief. So many different feelings burn in the hollow of his chest. So many mistakes were made. So many places where things could have been made to turn out /differently./ His hands shake at his sides. His fingers bruise his palms. One thought wins out over all the rest. "What do we do to make things right?"
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa expression becomes mute, then it becomes doll like as Kotone just stares in abject horror. Another person comes to mind as she hears the tale, she's actually thinks of someone else who could lead a world like that to an end. She knows that mode of thought and the horror of all of it. Kotone would cry but as a full con cyborg? She is no longer able to do such but one might hear her sobbing softly a she looks away. Kotone is shaken, she's very very shaken. "So that is what happened..." She regains enough control to stop sobbing but she's looking quite haunted by the whole affair. Then Reiji speaks and she regains a bit more control. "You are right, we need to set this right if we can."
Kirito	Kirito's response is a kind of noncommital grunt. That's how he feels about the matter of that swordsman. 'Exceedingly uncomfortable.' Nothing to do here except... turn his attention to the mirror. Watching, and listening. The horrific tale. A conflict long past, with... Kirito starts making an IMMENSELY foul expression at the depiction of the flames. He casts a few glances about. Particularly at Reimu. Hoping that maybe the local Shrine Maiden might have some clue about what to make of this... "I have no idea where to BEGIN with this one." He mentions in a disgusted tone.
Konoe Kanno	The visions continued. The next one was of the very earth opening up wide, sending armies of man tumbling down into the abyss before the jaws of the land closed, crushing them all. And high above, two young men could be seen, hands held downward. Twins. One with blonde hair, the other with green hair. Their expressions were somber while they laid waste to man. The mirror changes again. The next vision is of a man dressed neatly and professionally. With glasses adorning his face and a great number of jewels revolving around his person. Down below , the armies of humanity stood, letting loose volleys of arrows, and magic bolts. He merely adjusted his glasses and the jewels around him revolved faster and faster, until they become nothing but a ring of light. All five elements are then unleashed, wiping out large swathes of people. Waves of fire, slicing hurricanes, metal spikes jutting up across the earth, localized quakes, freezing cold... The vision fades and changes. The next vision shows several armies converging on a single point, great and accomplished warriors with swords, lances, axes, and all other manner of weaponry to bear. But even that isn't enough. A blinding flurry of slashes follow, and then a massive spray of blood and body parts. At the center, Kumanokusubi walks across the field of newly dead, blade hefted onto his shoulder and a grim expression on his face as he stalks the earth... And then the next vision comes. Before a great golden palace in th distance, mortal armies fire off every magic spell they can muster towards a floating figure; Masakatsu himself. He stares at this veritable onslaught of power from man, and then, with a mere thought, he counters. A massive mirror descends, the surface absorbing everything fired at him. A moment later, all of that magic is released in countless beams of raw energy, razing across the land and obliterating those armies into nothing but dust. Another vision... A figure in a white dress stands upon the highest rooftop of a familiar looking golden palace. A familiar looking woman. With long white hair, red accents, ...and six tails. Is that Wakahirume? Far down below, the armies of man gather, with hatred for the gods in their hearts. They demand that the gods leave this world and allow man to move onward into the future with their own hands. She waves a single arm, and a storm of glimmering threads form, spiraling out to mince those at ground level to pieces. Her arm then lowers and she looks out across the world, her scarlet eyes narrowing, mouth pressed into a thin line. Then comes the final vision. In the final vision, there is nothing. Nothing but darkness, and a field of swords as far as the eye can see. Wreckage dots the landscape. No buildings are left standing. And in all of this, only one person still lives. Wakahirume wanders her way through this land, aimless and alone. She pauses and looks into the sky.
Konoe Kanno	The mirror fades back to normal at that. That's it. That's everything. Konoe is far too shocked to process this. She doesn't say a word. She just stares and stares and stares at the surface of the mirror long after it's done. And Masakatsu speaks. "That is what happened." He glances at Kotone and Reiji. "Set things right?" He looks away, a smirk forming on his face. "You thin there's a way to set things right? Man refused to give god faith. They raised weapons against god. God struck man down. And in turn, they faded away." As he says that, his form begins to grow dim, starting at the feet. "...And it looks like my time is up as well." He states, staring downward and taking an experimental step. He looks towards Konoe, Reimu, Kotone, Kirito, Reiji, Xiaomu, everyone. "You believe you can fix this? I don't. Man is dead. And without faith, the world is dead. And god with it. There's nothing more to be done. Phantasmagoria is but a monument to the failures of people." His form is now vanished up to his torso. "...But somehow, I want to still believe. Believe that there might be just a faint chance. Somewhere." He looks directly at Konoe. "This is why you exist, sister." And then he fades away completely. His mirror remains where it was, stuck there in the ground, no longer active. "....Wait." Konoe states, finally returning to reality. "...Hey! HEY WAIT! MASAKATSU!" She shouts, stepping forward towards the mirror. "You can't just-- COME BACK! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?"
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu nearly bites her lip as Kirito glances toward her. "I honestly don't know what to say about this though. If I had any idea about how to handle a conflict of this nature, then I would have done so by now." She stomps the ground in her frustration and she groans before finally speaking up, "Konoe, Kirito, everyone, I'm not the type to know the answer to these sorts of issues. The closest idea that I could possibly think of on finding out what to do would be to ask Amaterasu herself or to ask another relative. It most likely has to do with gathering faith and we may want to meet up with Sanae in order to meet up with Suwako and Kanako as a last ditch effort." She lets out an exasperated sigh and continues in a tone filled with not so subtle displeasure, "I do not want to work with them, ESPECIALLY Kanako, but we may not have a choice here. That or we could wait for the answer to show up." For now, Reimu walks directly over to the understandably distraught Konoe and begrudgingly says, "The villagers won't let me hear the end of this, but do you want to stay at the shrine until we figure out what to do?"
Reiji Arisu	The expression on Reiji's face is... To call it unreadable is a misnomer. There is no expression there. He has nothing to show for what he has seen that he has not already expressed. Now is not the time for rage or disgust or fear or delay. Reiji looks to Konoe and gives a shrug. "To me, the answer seems to be simple." Reiji takes a few steps towards the mirror, and then... Sits. His legs cross over one another. He reaches into one of the many pouches on his jacket and extracts a long set of sandalwood prayer beads which he wraps around one hand. "There isn't much time. You work on finding an answer out there, somewhere. I will stay here and do what I can. Ask the land, what little remains. Ask the ghosts out there. For now, though," he takes a slow series of breaths, "If none of them will, then at least I will pray." And so he does. Because Reiji Arisu is not just an exorcist. He's not just a samurai. He's a priest- and Onmyoji. This is his job, and he'll damn well do it. Now all he has to do is hope that the dwindling spirits have answers for him.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa wonders if she spkebrashly for a moment maybe it was human arrogance on her part. She just siuts there she wonders she thginks she looks to the otehrs she's not sure maybe she was just thinking too much of her self about this. She just gets really quiet now what else can she say but she looks to Reiji and maybne there is an idea where she can help...she's got a lot to think about.
Konoe Kanno	Konoe is...not calm. But she's stopped yelling. She takes deep breaths, and then closes her eyes. Reiji is right. She can scream and yell all she wants, but that won't actually solve the problem here. That won't bring them any closer to the truth, and to a solution. One more deep, deep breath, and then she opens her eyes. Reimu is given a glance, and she shakes her head. "Thank you, Reimu, but... I have a place to stay. Multiple actually..." Right. Heaven or Hell HQ, Marisa's house, Alice's house, the abandoned Amaterasu Shrine... Though she wouldn't go to the latter. It was just uncomfortable there now. "I'll choose somewhere to go after I finish here. But for now... I want to stay, and think." She disperses her staff and folds herself down, sitting formally in front of Masakatsu's mirror, hands in her lap. And her eyes close. But while they are closed, she speaks. "Kotone, you have my brother's sword, right? ...Hold onto it for now. I might want to...have a look at it some other time, but... not now." And with that, she falls silent, and she offers prayer. Prayer to Masakatsu's departure, prayer to the countless dead across this world, prayer to the land itself. And while they did this, Masakatsu's barrier fell. But even so...the shadows did not attack. The force chasin them from earlier vanished, and shadowed figures stand at the staircase's edge, just watching this prayer go on...