Scene #4534: Into the Sunset - Idol of Nothingness

Owner	Pose
Konoe Kanno	This is it. There is no more posturing, no more traveling. No more seeking answers. Everything that they've done up to now was leading up to this very moment. Konoe stands upon the vast ruins of Takamagahara, a ghost of it's former self as seen in Gensokyo. Everything was in shambles. The land itself was grounded, shattered into many fragments, and the once beautiful locales were now merely rubble and dust. Off in the near distance, the shambles of the once great Palace of The Sun can be seen. Rising up from its ruins is a continual rising current of darkness. It swirls, writhes, and pulses endlessly. Like a heartbeat. This is the culmination of Phantasmagoria's memory. The will of the world itself. The will that refuses all life, deeming the only answer to be fading into darkness forever. There is no need to call for everyone to come. They've already been informed. On this day, at this time, they would be making their way into the heart of Phantasmagoria to do what they can. "So this is the Origin..." Konoe mutters, narrowing her eyes at the coalescing darkness. "...It's sad." But not just that. Just being this close to the heart of the world's hatred for the life that once dwelled on it is enough to make the fur of her tails stand on end. But that much paled in comparison to the sheer feeling of regret, sadness, and anger that assaulted the senses from all sides. Stay focused on the task at hand. Stay focused.
Kazuko Kawakami	The last time Kazuko was in Takamagahara, it was a nice place. Full of life and sunlight and punching that one guy while hanging out with that sun goddess and all her kids... This time, though? This time, everything's different. Everything's wrecked. She could be asking what happened, she could be wondering about what changed, but instead, the martial artist looks focused. Today, she's not here to inquire about things. She's here to fix things! Probably by punching and or kicking someone in the mouth. The brunette tightens her grip on her naginata (the real one, even!) as she advances slowly, stopping only once she's standing beside Konoe and staring into the darkness. "The Origin of what? Is... Is that what's causing all of this?" She furrows her brow slightly as the odd feelings swarming in threaten to overwhelm her, the martial artist's training and discipline being the only thing keeping her from just rushing in to try and stab the nearest threatening-looking thing.
Xiaomu	"Wrong kind of Origin, kiddo," Xiaomu says to Kazuko. "As best I understand it, this is the point from which this world came into being, the point from which it continues to be sustained. If Konoe decides the only thing to do is turn out the lights and put up the chairs, this'll be the last spot standing." The sage fox pauses to take another bite of fried tofu. Normally she wouldn't snack like this on a mission, but just being in a mostly-dead world takes its toll on her; the fried tofu (which Reiji probably cooked through some ancient and esoteric recipe) helps to offset those ill effects, maintains her reserves of spiritual energy, and so forth. Besides, it's an excuse to munch on her favorite snack even in mid-mission - what's not to like about that? "Then again, after everything we've gone through including forcing Wakahirume to back off from HER plan, 'turn out the lights and put up the chairs' seems like a pretty sucky ending."
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu wastes no time as she flies forth through the ever coming feeling of negative emotions. Four yin-yang She grits her teeth as she struggles to make her way through the oppressive force. Soon, she manages to make it next to Konoe and she manages to bring out a grin. "Heh, I should have guessed that this would be the case." She immediately summons a large red talisman in front of the whole group as she continues, "Do you think overwhelming it will work?"
Sarah Parsle	This is the end. Perhaps it's appropriate, then, that Sarah is here. She is quiet for once, her usually snarky demeanor slightly subdued in the face of what can be described as nothing less than a world's worth of negative emotion and death. "It's not the cause. It's the result. The problem is figuring out how to commune with all of that and help it find some kind of resolution." Sarah shakes her head. "The people here had a raw deal. People look for a reason for everything... But there are some things that people just have to accept." She gestures. "Now we're looking at some kind of anti-sun because of what happened. If this place is going to get better, we would need to find a way to contact this thing and help it get over what happened." There's a pause. "Actually, you're going to need to do that either way. Maybe letting it finally let go and fade away would be a better mercy. But this isn't my world. It's yours. I don't tell people what to do with their world. Don't want to set bad precedents." She sighs, and shuffles up, patting Konoe's back. "Whatever you do, you're going to need to make a choice. And it's still yours, no matter what happened."
Sanae Kochiya	Perhaps it was duty elsewhere that had her tied up, or she simply had too many new and otherworldly obligations. Or, Kanako was waiting for the chance to make bank on faith from it, somehow. Regardless of the circumstances, it could no longer be ignored, and a blue and green shape comes hovering in, before setting down and resolving into the form of Sanae Kochiya, the gusts of air around her growing still, either by her own command, or the strange forces of this place. "Sad is a bit strange of a word to use," she figures, feeling that dense pressure through her very being...but after raising a finger to tap lightly at her chin, she nonetheless is able to summon enough empathy that it may not be quite the same for Konoe. "Though, maybe if I saw it through your eyes, it'd be different. Whether it's an angry force, or in pain, we'll get it resolved soon, right?" She's going to have plenty of backup, if this caught as much attention as she reasoned. While those projected others are arriving, expressing their own thoughts, and preparing, she does a little bit of it herself, sorting through her carefully prepared, card-like talismans and other ceremonial objects. Where does she conceal it all? Every priestess has their secrets! She's managing to resist the writhing emotional distress by keeping her mind on these other things, for the time being. Aside from Konoe, she does notice a few familiar faces, out of the corner of her eye, but she'll keep it to herself for now. There'll be time for making connections and reconnections after things are dealt with.
Reiji Arisu	It's time to either save a world, or fall in the attempt, and Reiji does not intend to fuck this one up. He arrives at Xiaomu's side, his eyes squinted tightly against the dead, dry wind. They're staring at the incredible mass of darkness that looms so large over this sacred land. In his world, Takamagahara is an unreachable place for mere men- the Divine Plain upon which Amaterasu reigned, shedding her life-giving light across all the world. Not so here. The opposite, in fact. Like someone turned the sun itself inside out, and replaced it with the Thanatos Impulse made manifest. Kuroshio is heavy in its sheath. Reiji's lips tighten into a line. "We must ease its suffering," Reiji says, making his way inexorably forward. They have their destination, after all. "We must make it see that it- that this world and all its people- deserves another chance to make things right." The question then is... how? It would take a miracle. Perhaps that's why he made a few calls, tipped off a certain pair of goddesses. Or perhaps has his own plan brewing, above and beyond even that. Or, more likely, he's riding in on a hope and a prayer, and the grit that he and all these other Elites have demonstrated before. "I can try to... speak with it," he says, after a moment. "I'm not sure what will happen, but I am a priest of sorts, after all."
Kirito	Do what they can, huh? Kirito, flying along with the group in his fairy avatar form... isn't so sure what that is. he's not THAT astoundingly, magical girly optimistic. He's a pragmatist just as much as he values such optimism. It's what kept him alive this long... But the Black Swordsman has a feeling. If something can be done, someone in this group will be the one to do it. He wants to see that, and he wants to make sure they have their opportunity to do it. He swoops in low for a landing, shivering. Even he can feel that somehow, through the avatar, it seems. "A world's feelings, above and beyond those who lived on it..." He mumbles thoughtfully, a little disturbed at the idea.
Kotone Yamakawa	Well it was time to go attempt to save a world or end up fialing in the attempt, but there would be no try on Kotone's part. She's setting out to save this world not just try to. After all Do or do Not there is no Try. So here she was kitted out as best she could as she followed up a bit after Reiji for a moment. "I'm still not sure how but ... I will do what I can to help with this. I can not look away from this world, or my friend." She wasn't leaving anyone snapping in the wind on this. "Kirito I wonder, at that maybe that is something...."
Konoe Kanno	Konoe looks to all who arrive, nodding in turn to everything said, and then to Sarah. "...I'll do what I can." They all will. "I have an idea...and I think it aligns with what Reiji said." Of course, that's not to say that things couldn't turn belly up at any moment, but... They had to try right? With everyone gathered, it was time to move. And move they did. Into the distance where the ruins of the sun palace lie. As they get closer and closer, the darkness grows thicker and thicker, and the dry winds get ever so stronger. But more than that, they can hear voices. Some of them even familiar. A confident sounding male speaks up. "This is it, huh? You've finally heard everything we had to tell ya.' His voice grows warped as the darkness pulses. "We're...countin'.....o.....n....." Another voice speaks up, two in fact. Young boys by the sound of it. "Hey bro, they're finally here!" Aw yeah! I knew it'd only be a matter of time before sis came back with the calvary! Ya think they'll do it? Let's place bets!" "Idiot! Everyon...e's.....li...v....e's......st...ak...e..." Konoe's expression turns difficult as she hears these voices fade in and out. Those fools, talking from whatever plane they were stuck in now. How distracting. It's not too much longer before they all arrive at the ruined foundations of the palace, literally face to face with the darkness. And then she stops. Walking any further would be bad. Probably. She opens her mouth and speaks. "...You're it, right?" She asks tentatively, keeping her arms lowered to her sides, not brandishing any weapons. "...You're Phantasmagoria?" The inky blackness pulses violently in response, causing a strong gust of wind to burst past them, strong enough to send someone flying if they weren't prepared for it. Konoe digs her feet into the ground and holds fast, an arm raised to shield her face. "Wait! We just want to talk! We want to fix everything! Give us a chance!" She pleads against the writhing, pulsing energy which, though voiceless, seems to make it's intentions clear enough as it is. Let me fade away, or die.
Kazuko Kawakami	The result? But then shouldn't...?" This is no time to debate semantics, Kazuko! This is the time for... For... Uh. What /is/ this the time for, anyway? She certainly isn't sure, but everyone else seems to know what's going on. Kazuko listens intently as the gathered people explain the situation and Konoe's role in all of it, nodding every now and then before starting to move once more. As they draw closer to the Phantasmagoria, the martial artist keeps her naginata low to try and look as unthreatening as possible despite having that long weapon in her hand. That's not to say she isn't on guard at least somewhat, though, barely managing to dig in just in time as that wind buffets her and nearly blows her right of her feet. "W... Wait up! We're here to help, not fi-" Oh right. The naginata. She sticks that right into the ground before inching closer, using it like an anchor while trying to keep close with the rest of the group. "Just.. Uh. Just talk to us or something! We can figure things out." Probably.
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu grits her teeth as the talisman continues to hold up. Her feet still dig into the ground though and she concentrates for a moment once more as a large blue talisman is created directly behind the red one as well. The force of the wind is still incredibly powerful as she struggles to keep moving forward, "Just listen to her already." At this point, the young miko doesn't really know what to do though. Her usual method of just forcefully sealing them won't work this time so she'll have to think of a different idea. Reimu stops as she glances toward everyone else who arrived and begins to concentrate for a moment as respective barriers surround their forms. She stays in place at the moment and grimaces, "I'll keep you from being blown away. Go help Konoe!"
Sanae Kochiya	Some of those voices were indeed familiar. It hadn't been long ago that Sanae had heard them personally, and not through a spooky transdimensional filter, that almost sounded like their very essences was trying to be ripped away. Even if they were not bodily present, they could still be felt, and they were watching. Pacing behind and letting Konoe take point, she spares glances at the void that threatens to encompass and swallow everything -- perhaps even these intruders, if they weren't careful, or told it something it didn't want to hear. The ruins of former splendor and worldly self-destruction call to mind tales she had heard from an old incident, one that Reimu likely remembers well: The Makai. There's little opportunity for her mind to wander too much, for once, as they quickly approach the nexus of this chilling force. Just as with the movement, the words are Konoe's to speak first, as she is likely to know what they're dealing with best. The rest of them are here to support her, as she herself is. She twists her mouth somewhat, as that blast of air ripples across her form, jostling both her ceremonial robe and her hair briefly; she makes it look easy, but it actually took a quick application of her own power in addition to Reimu's assistance to resist it, and try to present a strong face toward the Origin. After a quick nod of acknowledgement to her comrade in detached sleevedness, she continues forward, but something strikes her. Somehow, through it all, one sensation that she thinks she feels seems familiar, and she can't help but wonder to the nexus of darkness, "Are you lonely here in these shadows you've wrapped around yourself? I used to know someone like that, but they were able to find friends that made existence worthwhile. If you were to just vanish, you'd never get to try." Yes, she did just pull the friendship is magic card, apparently. Even with all the spells she had prepared ahead of time, if this can be reasoned out, or try to peel through the absolute terror field, she's willing to give it a shot. And if she's aware of any plotting on Reiji's behalf, she doesn't let it show. It's probably between him and Kanako anyway.
Xiaomu	The rings on Xiaomu's staff jangle as she digs its other end into the ground - whatever 'ground' there still is here - to anchor herself; she digs her heels in for good measure as well - although Reimu's barriers are certainly welcome, and she spares a grateful nod for the miko before focusing on the Origin ... presumably still 'ahead' of her. "After everything that happened - humans taking gods for granted, gods deciding they don't need humans, and both of them going to war with each other - I can understand just why you'd rather let the story end," the sage fox states, her voice as loud and clear as she can get while speaking in something like a normal tone of voice. "Other worlds have ended when gods and mortals went to war with each other, and right now, there's nobody left ... EXCEPT this bright young thing here." Somehow, Xiaomu is close enough to reach out and squeeze Konoe's shoulder; she does exactly that. "The granddaughter of Amaterasu missed all the fighting; her hands may not be entirely spotless, but she's innocent as far as that war goes. If anyone in the Multiverse is suited to give Phantasmagoria a new beginning, she's the one who can usher this world back into life. And she doesn't deserve to suffer the way she'd suffer if you die out entirely." Xiaomu's ears flick briefly, her hairtails rustling a little as she looks around and listens. "So for the sake of one last survivor who hasn't given up ... for the sake of the last daughter of your gods, and for those who place their faith in her ..." And then, without warning, Xiaomu is shouting at the absolute top of her lungs, "DON'T YOU _DARE_ DECIDE THAT DISAPPEARING IS EASIER!!!"
Kirito	Those voices! Kirito blinks a few times. Was he hearing things? Hard to say. He turns his gaze briefly on Kotone, unsure what to make of whatever she was getting at... But for now.. for now he lands near the pulsing miasma and scowls at it. A part of him's deeply awed that a WORLD could have a tangible Essence to interact with, a spirit... another's terrified. But he has no awed face for the entity. Just a fierce one. "Oh come on... are you telling us you think this outcome's right for everyone? It all ending and fading away? Giving up now, when there's other options... is like saying your entire existence has been a complete waste."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone now looked around for a moment and then looks to Konoe and she nods for a moment they have a plan and she will pitch in, in what ever way she can. She hears a male voice and pause s more start to talk. She attempts to listen. She frowns a little bit but speaks. "We have come to talk, not to fight we ... can't stand seeing the world being in ruin like this." her weight helps as she's able to plant her feet to keep from being blown away. There was plus to being made out of synthetic materials it was a heck of a lot harder to blow you away in strong winds. She's also silently praying right now. "Disappearing would be giving up...for all the darkness that happened here I don't see this as a world of mortals or gods who'd just /give up and die/ I could have accepted dying but I chose to live, even with what I had to give up to do it!"
Reiji Arisu	As they approach the great darkness, its nature seems to unfold all around them. The oppressive gloom that clings to this place is incredibly dense. It's like trying to breathe in vaporized despair. Reiji steels himself, the light of his will pushing back against the darkness that threatens to crush him beneath its inexorable weight. But he is not alone. Not just his companions, but ghosts from beyond. A certain swordsman. A pair of little nature gods. Reiji does not know them, Reiji has never met them, but Reiji has heard of them. Even now, what little remains of the old gods watch to see whether they succeed, or fall into the darkness just like everything and everyone else. The others speak. Voices raised to coax the darkness from its ageless spiral of depression. How does one even counsel a whole world? If they had someone who could make contact on that level, then this would be so much easier. But they don't. They will have to make do with what they have. "It's as they say," Reiji murmurs, glancing at Xiaomu and Sanae. His voice slowly rises, "You have suffered. You've seen your children fight and kill one another, because they could not understand each other. You've watched their war, felt their grief and rage and regret as their spirits struggled to pass onto the great wheel. I cannot fathom the depths of your pain- as I am but a man, speaking to the will of an entire world." "However." Reiji stares into the darkness, feeling its terrible, anguished fury wash over him. "You have one child who still wants to try. Someone who has never even once seen the beauty of her homeland in full bloom. And she has us, her friends: humans, spirits, a god-in-flesh. The ones who lived here failed to find understanding, but she has. She is proof that there is hope." "And," Reiji says, taking a single step, "If you still don't believe me--" Another. He's face-to-tenebrous-mass now. "If, even with proof right in front of you, you think it's hopeless--" Another step. Reiji throws open his arms, "Then come! Let me show you. If you can read them, if you can see them, let me share my memories. Let me show you a world in harmony, and the humans, the spirits, the gods who work every day, hand-in-hand to protect it! You are a god yourself, aren't you? Then peering into my mind should be easy!"
Sarah Parsle	It's not the spectral words that get to Sarah. It's the phantasmic core-like entity that seems to be the focal point of everything. Oh, that and the wave of force that sends her flying. It's a flash of light that saves her from a nasty impact with a rubbled wall, the barrier boinking her back off of it and then rolling back over and over until the kinetic energy is disspated. She flops to the ground, groaning for a moment. "I guess we're not getting an apology for that. Thanks, Reimu." She sits up and looks at that /thing/ from her new position, dusting herself off as she looks over at thething once more. "You know, I'm not one for big speeches. This crap doesn't actually help." She gestures. "You know... If you really wanted to die by now you would have done it. You've had all this time to sit here and think about it, didn't you? You're looking for something to help you decide." She shrugs. "So let her decide. There really isn't anyone better for it."
Konoe Kanno	Wanko pls. Reimu's timely barrier intervention saves Sarah from crashing into a wayward wall. That's good. Sanae speaks after, assuming that the void was merely lonely. But there was one minor misconception here. The darkness, the void, the cloister of hatred, it wasn't a person. It was a 'will' without a form. A will without a voice. It's only response is to pulse angrily, and then swirl outwards, causing wisps of black energy to gradually begin blotting out the gray sky above. And while it does this, Xiaomu says her piece. Not to give up. Because there was still one left. And that she was technically not present for the tragedies of the past. That just her alone represented hope for a new world. This makes Phantasmagoria angry. The pillar surges, and tenebrous hatred erupts from the crust of the earth beneath the palace, flooding the area in a sickening black that threatened to corrupt just from presence alone. Kotone is heard, but she is not heeded. Phantasmagoria is not willing to budge. And Reiji's words follow. There is pause. Pause, as the darkness ceases it's movements, as if thinking. ...Thinking and thinking...but it does not flow into Reiji to view his memories, as he had so boldly dared it to try. No, it had other intentions. All of Phantasmagoria's darkness contracts, vanishing from sight nearly, and condensing impossibly into a single point. A single, black orb of hatred. Konoe blinks slowly, having been awfully moved by what everyone was saying. She didn't even have time to get a word in before suddenly, everything goes right to hell in a handbasket. And that happens when abruptly, Phantasmagoria's SHOOTS forward, and strikes Konoe right in the chest! "Ghk!" She chokes, stumbling back a step from the impact as the darkness vanishes inside of her. "Wha....? What...! Stop! STOP!" Konoe cries again, her hands coming to her head as she hunches over. "What are you doing!? We just wanted to talk! To work things- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" From the catmiko, a massive pillar of black energy erupts upwards, enveloping the girl in it's might and obscuring her form completely. It's a literally black tornado as debris is uprooted, flying through the ruins of the palace and hurtling upwards from the force. And in all of this, Konoe's screams can be heard within, growing fainter and fainter as the surge of energy and wind drowns her out. ....OOPS. The tornado eventually begins to change, dying out as flare of red flame bursts upwards, quelling the darkness and drawing it inwards. And when it's finally gone, what floats there, a meter or two off the ground, is.... ...Is that Konoe? Yes, but... no. Something, SomeTHINGS were very very wrong. This was not Konoe. This was something in Konoe's body. This was Phantasmagoria given form. Form that she forcefully stole right from the last living entity from her world. She opens her mouth, eyes glowing red against black sclera, and she speaks. "We have already made our choice." Her voice comes out in an echo, an echo that contains the voices of millions of other people that have died and returned to her. "We will vanish. And none will stop us." She raises a hand, the flames upon her six tails intensifying harshly. "We will take her, and go together. And if you believe you will prevent this. You will die." And then from her open palm, there is a burst of brilliant scarlet flame, firing outward and then impacting against a wall. It bounces off and impacts against another surface, and then another, and another, forming a pentacle. That pentacle then erupts as scarlet fury envelops the entirety of the palace grounds, aiming to reduce everything to ash. This is Phantasmagoria's answer.
Kazuko Kawakami	So much love, so much emotion! Even Kazuko's looking touched by those words regardless of who they're aimed at! Surely that would-nope. No, things are still going to shit, and Kazuko's grimacing painfully as Konoe's screams get drowned out by the noise and dark light. She makes a brief effort to try and catch her hand as she's drawn away by that tornado of energy, but Kazuko's forced to brace herself against the naginata again before long. "Nngh...! Konoe, what are you tal... Eh?" Their choice? Their answer? They were talking about taking Konoe, weren't they? The martial artist scowls, and she draws her naginata out of the ground as she steels herself for fighting something way above her weight class. "Even if you're hurting like that... Even if you hate this place that much... If you think we're gonna let you take Konoe away from us, you've got another thing coming!" She'd probably sound more convincing if she didn't need Reimu's and Sanae's barriers to keep her from getting blown away. Alas, she's certainly looking defiant enough even as that fire grows and draws closer. Kazuko starts spinning her naginata rapidly in front of her, the entire polearm glowing yellow as she pours her ki into the weapon to try and clear at least some of the flames from reaching the allies behind her!
Sanae Kochiya	Out of all of them, it's Reiji's offer that seemed to give this force the most pause. Otherwise, it almost seemed to be growing even more restless, the more they tried to interfere. Sanae, herself, doesn't care whether it's a person by conventional reasoning, since coming to Gensokyo, she's gotten to know a lot of weird conceptual type beings. Regardless, Sarah did have a point, though -- if all it really wanted was to fade away, and take all of this with it, it could have done that by now. Why did it wait for them to come here, unless it wanted to hear these last pleas? Sanae manages a momentary quizzical look, as the darkness contracts and congeals into that pinprick of darkness, seemingly stabbed into the fabric of reality here. That's when it makes everything painfully, mostly for Konoe, clear. It was waiting for its final piece of the puzzle, perhaps. There's scarcely any time to react, and the pressure of feeling remains intense, even for a living god such as herself. "Konoe," she yells out, a rare raising of her voice, and reaching futilely with a hand! Perhaps Xiaomu, closer than her, can do something more immediate, but all hopes of that seem to be fading, when she begins to react as she does. Finally pushing her way forward, on the cusp of reaching the cat to try and lend a hand more directly, she's instead blasted off her feet by the resurging of that dark power, this time seemingly radiating from where Konoe was, "Gyah--!" After doing the anime-style sliding bump on her back, and possibly jostling a few pieces of debris and decayed architecture in her path, Sanae finally picks herself back up on her elbows, doing her best to hide a hint of a grimace. "Lady Kanako is going to be...cross with me, for being careless," is her first thought, before her vision refocuses, in time to see Konoe emerge from the shadow cocoon. That's no butterfly, though. Well, unless that glowing red style's your thing. "This...isn't going to solve one thing!" There's no time to lecture, or get caught up in the moment, though. Once she feels that power beginning to gather, she quickly picks herself up completely, a gust of hastily gathered air lifting her up, just in time to keep her robes from being singed, rather than all of her. In her momentarily compromised position, there's not much she can do for others...nor can she conjure up a counter, immediately. Full evasion!
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu grits her teeth as she looks at the Yin-Yang Orbs. For a long time they had been gathering energy for years at this point. She thinks back to an old memory of a certain fight with Mima and back to what she said long ago. The Yin Yang Orbs are influenced by the user's power, and steadily absorb it. Once they have taken their fill, they will release all this immense power at once. Whether it's a positive or a negative force as well. She closes her eyes immediately as the four orbs transform back into a single pair. As the fire closes in on the whole group. The pair of orbs begin to shake violently in the air. As the pair of orbs shake, they emit an enormous white flash of energy that threatens to eradicate the fire. At that point, her body begins to glow a vivid white as she flies backwards as well. The flash of energy lasts much longer than anyone would have expected, and several kanji flash through the sky as well.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa is heard but not heeded, she's not done yet however. She keeps pressing forward towards them as hard as she's able to do so. She notices the darkness. Then something happens to Konoe and it's out of the range of what Kotone can do. She sees her friend taken and there's now six tails? Oh dear that can't be good. Oh things are going to be bad it's going to end n fire and this is going to be bad. For all her strength she cant get close enough it's too late and she's knocked off her fear, she's not going to give up but Kotone's going to need a moment to recover but it seems that it's going to be a fight one way or another. "We came... to help and now you wish... this? No, not like this." She rises up but it's going to take her a moment to get into the fight.
Kirito	The moment that ball of darkness condenses, every bone in Kirito's body knows something TERRIBLE is about to happen. Absolutely, frighteningly terrible. And there's little to nothing he can do about it. And then it zooms for Konoe. "NO! Don't do--" That. Too late. As genre savvy he is... he knows what's about to happen. Just as his gut warns him... Konoe loses her control. And because he felt that was going to happen, Kirito already executed a quick wing-boosted backflip and drew his sword. Flames spread everywhere... And it's ONLY his tremendous experience fighting over a hundred raid bosses with area attacks that he predicts the timing on this one! Kirito's blade flashes a frosty blue-white and he enters into a SWORD SKILL motion, slashing four times, once in each direction! ICE erupts from the ground around him with almost perfect timing, the gusts of frigid air slamming into the FAR greater wave of ferocious fire. The ice is almost INSTANTLY converted to steam... but Kirito didn't expect it to be full protection. He emerges from the FLAMES EVERYWHERE ASSAULT looking scorched, with a body covered in red damage decals and gasping for breath.. when that probably should've vaporized him! "Uweh... that's one fearsome bundle of emotion..... now what?!" Can they force it from Konoe? Maybe it will be more receptive in a human shape? Or maybe... just maybe... "Konoe, I know you're in there! You've got to regain control!!" He pleads quickly. Because if she can overwhelm this power.... SOMEHOW.... For now though, he doesn't fight back. All he has is a sword, his enemy's possessed... he's not going to cut them!
Reiji Arisu	It seems that things will not be so easy. Reiji's offer is soundly rejected as the enormous mass of malevolence instead chooses a different target. One who didn't deserve what was about to happen to her. One who only wished to save her family, her world, and all the people upon it. "Konoe--" Reiji yells, a split second before things go to hell. Phantasmagoria decides to speak through its new host. Reiji's blood runs cold. "You--" his eyes tighten, his heart throbbing a heavy drumbeat against the inside of his ears. The fury builds in his veins; liquid wrath surging through every fibre of his being. Dark power buffets his body, pressing against his will, but he presses back. His spirit expands against it, the ancient power dwelling within the blood of the Arisu family rising to stand against the incredible crush of despair. "--Do not belong there." Phantasmagoria isn't going to give them much chance to do anything about it. Fire rises all around them, a massive, twisted mockery of Konoe's own magic-- but something blasts right through it. The Hakurei Shrine Maiden is displeased, Reiji briefly considers. But he can dwell on that later. It's time for him to make his own move. "You waited all this time, just to take her?" The exorcist murmurs as he reaches into his pockets and withdraws... a small pebble- one of a small handful. "You underestimate her. You underestimate all of us. She is not alone, and we will not give her up without a fight." "She is not alone," he murmurs again, pressing his hands together in... Prayer? Now? His palms wrap around the little pebble, his mind focusing down upon it, upon the connection that it represents- and on something else. A prayer. It is a prayer. Reiji is a priest; this is his sermon. As the flames and the power of the Hakurei Orbs rage around him, Reiji focuses his will into the tiny lump of stone. "Konoe. You're not alone. All that you've done, the bonds you've made, let them be your strength. You're stronger than this, greater than this malevolence- this ancient lump of rage and grief." "So, let me pray," Reiji suddenly thunders, a ring of magic of his own materializing beneath him. This one is a deep, sapphire blue, contrasting against the red and the white clashing around him. "Let us all pray. Because we won't leave you here. We won't kill you, no matter how far this thing pushes us. It doesn't matter how much it wants to disappear, how much it wants to let it all end. YOU are part of this world, too! That is Shinra Bansho! All Things in Nature does not mean that Nature is All. It means that we are all part of the same great cycle- and that we all have the power to guide it. So let us be your strength! Fight! Save your world!" "EVEN IF YOU MUST DRAG IT KICKING AND SCREAMING!"
Xiaomu	Okay, so maybe yelling at the suicidal remnant of a devastated world wasn't Xiaomu's smartest move ever, but she had some really bad memories stirred up lately and Phantasmagoria's attitude pushed one stray button too many. The sage fox is decidedly not human, and being lumped in as one - while that may have some benefits now and again - doesn't sit well with her. She's more worried at that point about Reiji parking himself as close to 'right in Phantasmagoria's not-quite-metaphorical face' as he can get, although at least when Phantasmagoria moves, he's safely out of the way. Reimu's counterblast does a good job of countering Phantasmagoria's opening fire, although Xiaomu wraps herself in a surge of ice/water magic from Suiren for good measure - countering the flame magic, or at least attenuating it further if there's anything LEFT to attenuate by that point. So. Konoe's possessed by a pissed-off remnant of a mostly-dead world, Reiji is ... praying. Seems like as good a response as any, really. Xiaomu moves to form up with her partner, channeling her own power and making the blue ring beneath his feet spread to encircle both of them; rather than clasping a pebble in her hands, Xiaomu plants her staff in front of her, grasping the shaft with both hands, fingers and thumbs intertwined in a single grip. Fire is all around them, or close enough to it; Reiji's holding Earth in that pebble, and Xiaomu's staff is a passable representation of Wood (the shaft), Metal (the hidden blade of her sword Suiren), and Water (Suiren's elemental enchantments)] all in one. Not their usual combo for Shinra Bansho, but all five elements are still present in the microcosm that the human and the sage fox have brought together. And for all that Phantasmagoria wants to come to an end, Xiaomu still isn't about to let it - partly because dammit she LIKES Konoe and she hasn't finished getting the nekomiko hooked on anime yet, but also because life is supposed to transition into death which is supposed to make way for life again, NOT nonexistence.
Konoe Kanno	Wanko pls But at least SPINNING TO WIN seems to ward off the flames around her enough to not immediately give her a new secret identity, The Woman on Fire. Hell bent on getting revenge against Big B- Wait no. Sanae deduces why it was waiting rather aptly! Phantasmagoria cann't fade away until all parts of itself have returned. Wakahirume, and now Konoe were key to that. And now, since Wakahirume merged with Konoe, and Phantasmagoria jacked Konoe in turn... The pieces were all in place for her to vanish just as she had wanted. And she confirms it without prompting. Her lips curl into a small smile. "All the pieces have returned to us. All has returned to the Origin." Her arm lowers, not even bothering to context Reimu's activation of the bomb, wiping out the majority of the fire that wasn't already fended off by the others. "The time is now." Her other arm is raised aside, and several peculiar items are summoned. A single ornate katana. A large mirror, and a single jewel. All three items revolve around her in a slow circle as she speaks. Kirito shouts at her, or rather, at Konoe, and Phantasmagoria turns her gaze upon the Black Swordsman. "The one you refer to 'Konoe' no longer exists. She is now a part of us. As it should be." She covers her face with one hand, smiling still as inky black power emanates from her, and starts to leak upwards into the sky, painting it pitch black. She's already beginning the process. The process to bring this world of her's to an end and finally sleep with her creations, all of them. Once and for all. And Reiji, Reiji does not lunge forward in a rage. No, he does his job as an Onmyouji. He prays. And as he prays, Phantasmagoria continues to paint the barren world black. Xiaomu, his trusted partner, steps forward and joins him. They assert that Nature does not have the right to decide that all things should end. Phantasmagoria sees this, and she scoffs. "Foolishness. You believe that your prayers will reach a single soul that dwells within us?" There's a twinge. And she stops. "....?" It gets stronger, and the ancient deity clutches her heart suddenly, the flow of black energy obscuring the world halting stutteringly. "R-Reiji.....Xiaomu.....Reimu......Sanae...." Konoe's voice, and her voice alone starts, but is promptly overtaken again. "No. This will not come to pass. We are all! Our decision has been made! Do not resist! You...are part...of us!" Seemingly stuck struggling with herself now, the figure in the sky clutches her heart ever tighter. "Kirito...Kotone...Kazuko.......thank you...all of you..." A surge of flame starts up, mixing in with the darkness that is threatening to obscure the world. "How...dare...you! A single...soul...rebelling against...the world itself! We...will not...let this....stand!" Scarlet flame, and corrupting darkness swirl together in a typhoon of clashing ideals as Konoe's lone will, and Phantasmagoria seem to intertwine. "I... want to see this world continue! I tried...to be nice! ...To be peaceful! ...But if you want to sit around and mope and cry...then I'll take it back by force and do it myself...!" The two clashing powers grow stronger and stronger, before a calamitous surge of crimson and black erupt outwards from Phantasmagoria herself. It's not even an attack. It's just a violent surge of struggling powers that's hurtling outwards, threatening to raze anything in it's path. Could...Could Konoe actually do it?
Reimu Hakurei	As the young miko floats in the air, she can actually hear Konoe through all of the sounds around her. For once, she begins to concentrate as the Yin-Yang Orbs unleash wave after wave of positive energy. She kneels in the middle of the air and begins to pray as well. As she continues to concentrate, she remembers the oldest known form of prayer to the gods. She closes her eyes and recites, "HI FU MI YO I MU NA YA KO TO MO CHI RO RA NE SHI KI RU YU I TSU WA NU SO O TA HA KU ME KA U O E NI SA RI HE TE NO MA SU A SE E HO RE KE" As she continues preying the pair of orbs begin to unleash more energy in the form of large waves of white bullets to counter the corrupting darkness as well.
Kazuko Kawakami	NEVER Kazuko's got the power of YOUTH on her side! And spinning. It's working better than expected, although the sheer volume of the flames is still singing and burning her, and she can even feel her sleeves getting burnt off after not too long. Despite the pain, however, the martial artist appears to be doubling down as Konoe's voice reaches her, and their combined voices seem to be reaching her despite the will of Phantasmagoria. "'Thank'...? Don't say it like that, Konoe. We're gonna get you back!" A determined grin crosses the brunette's face as she starts advancing towards the VERY HOT FIREY PAIN, biting her lower lip to try and ignore it even as she picks up the pace with her naginata spinning. "We're gonna get you back, even if it means punching this Phanstama... Phamtabm... Thing until it spits you out. Nobody's dying today!" Brave words, but will they be enough to keep her from literally burning to a crisp? Signs point to no as she continues moving onwards, trying to position herself in front of Reiji and Xiaomu to help provide them with some measure of the protection in the form of a ki-enhanced naginata barrier and her own body! The weapon, oddly enough, seems to be in better condition than she is.
Kotone Yamakawa	There are worlds where life after death are a sure thing were souls and gods are known to be. She knows the Ghost exists a proof of what has a mind and what doesn't. Yet the rest she has no idea on her world. Ye she prays as she hears Konoe she prays silently it's all the cyborg can do at thios point. She's now on her knees praying. She watche as others use their powers, there' not much else she can do it seems Konoe is trying something. Yet she's also seen things hinting in the multivese the God she does worship does exist, so all she can do is have faith...
Sanae Kochiya	With this much power gathered into such a dense region, there's not making much headway through brute force, at the moment. Even Reimu, who might otherwise have the right idea, was really only able to clear some of the more threatening parts of it away with her bomb technique. With this much power surging, it's clear that what this intimidating figure is saying is the truth: If there's no intervention, this world will crumble and cease to exist. It leaves seemingly only two options -- to evacuate and let her do so, or even more unthinkably, to try and defeat, and possibly destroy, a girl that was only caught in the middle of these two existences, and wanted to bring peace to them both. Neither is something that the good girl Sanae can stomach. Her friend, that Dukemon, wouldn't turn his back on this, so she can't either. Fortunately, Reiji and Xiaomu show that there is indeed, perhaps, still another way. As cheesy and cinematic as it may seem, their exertion and expression of will, and the well-wishes of everyone, does seem to be enabling Konoe's own willpower to linger. As long as she remains, there's still a chance... "Konoe..." Brushing off the intense pressure of the atmosphere, Sanae moves to float close to where Reimu is maneuvering, glancing at her meaningfully, and uncommonly seriously for the green-haired girl. "Miss Reimu. I think they've got the right idea. If it comes to it...we'll do what we must, but for now, we need to give her and everyone a fighting chance." With this, she moves off, calling out, "Let's perform a miracle together!" Whether or not her words are accepted, she gives a glance back to the others; "Please send Miss Konoe all of your positive energies. It isn't over yet!" With this, she lifts off further into the sky, with a quick appraisal of the situation. It's almost like the sky itself is splintering at this point, under the intense and disintegrating pressure. Conjuring up her stored faith, she moves her arms into a spread and maneuvers herself closer to the seeming point of contact, as impossible as that may seem. Miracles don't care for impossible! With this, she begins to appear to press against something physically, as the winds about her body rustle and whip violently. "The Titan condemned to hold the sky for eternity...grant me, your miracle!" With this, beams of energy begin to radiate in spokes, seeking to resecure what remains of the firmament from further disruption. There will be no shrugging here, at least for as long as her Faith and strength can hold out, which certainly isn't indefinite.
Sarah Parsle	OH CRAP EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE. "Well, crap." Sarah says. Her barrier isn't going to stop a murderous unholy fire wave, and this thing is playing for keeps. She leaps up against the wall and begins scrabbling up against it, climbing up along it in an attempt to get out of way... But the fire is coming too fast. With a cry, she falls, losing her grip in the increasing heat to fall towards the flames. Her last words? "NONLETHAL DANMAKU IS BULL.." FLASH. THUD. "...Ow." Sarah blinks, picking herself up from the ground as she looks out over the flashing area, the intense power of the various people arrayed here being made manifest. "Wow, this is pretty crazy." Still, everyone is praying... And Sarah looks around for a moment, before she shrugs and bows her head. "Hey Konoe." Sarah comments. "I'm not one for formality, but I'm going to just point out that you just had a big throwdown with your sister over your whole 'right to exist' thing. If you let a bunch of people who are more interested in making people suffer pointlessly than moving on to whatever afterlife they've got waiting for them take you down, I'm going to be /really/ disappointed. Also, I apologize in advance." What is she apologizing for? Well, everyone's holding their fire because they have murderbeams and hellswords and one hit kills and legendary weapons. Sarah doesn't have any of that. All she has is... DOIP. She points this not at Konoe. A weak magic like that wouldn't even get through her barriers. No, she points it at the Mirror, trying to send it rapidly spinning in an increasing series of DOIP... And possibly spin away from Konoe. Without the Three Treasures, after all, maybe it'll interrupt the destruction of the world. After all... Konoe made her choice.
Reiji Arisu	Reiji prays, and Xiaomu joins him. The only indication of his recognition of her presence is in the slight uptick at the very edges of his lips. He is not alone-- and neither is Konoe. Wood and Fire and Earth and Metal and Water dance around them as Reiji continues his prayer. Here, in this circle that contains all things in the world, Reiji watches as Phantasmagoria begins to tear itself apart. It preaches hopelessness. Uselessness. The futility of the struggle. But there is another voice that rises in its opposition. Konoe. "I told you. She is not a single soul," Reiji answers the Corrupting Dark. "She is not alone. We heard her siblings' voices. We know her sister's hope. We stand with her, and we shall not allow her to be taken by something that has already given up on living!" "Her life and death--" Reiji focuses, his will only bolstered by his partner's presence, by the others' prayers, and by the light of Konoe's soul shining in the blackened sky. "Are not for you to decide! ONLY THOSE WHO LIVE CAN MAKE THAT CHOICE!" The wind around him swirls. Somehow, it isn't the old, dry air of this barren wasteland. Reiji, hands still pressed together, kicks his weapons rack into the air. Two blades sink into the earth at his sides, flanking Xiaomu's own staff. A heavy shotgun makes a fourth point in the circle, and another quick motion sees a golden handcannon fall into the fifth. Another pentagram forms. But this one... The light- the power it emanates- is the antithesis to oblivion. Wood burns to feed the Fire. Fire turns all to ash and returns it to the Earth. Earth nurtures and gives forth rich Metal. Metal enriches and serves as vessel for Water. Water sustains all the world's Wood. This is the Circle of Generation. Wood penetrates and infiltrates Earth. Earth absorbs and contains Water. Water quenches and extinguishes Fire. Fire melts and forges Metal. Metal splits and resists Wood. This is the Circle of Destruction. The two powers are inexorably linked, forces within the world that allow it to keep turning. Both are necessary. Both must be within balance. And here, within this circle, Reiji draws upon them both. Reiji's will expands, filling the void. For a moment, it seems as though he is growing to envelop the world. But. "Konoe Kanno," Reiji thunders, light streaming from between his clasped fingers. "By the power of the Five Elements. By the Disparity of Fire and Water, Heaven and Earth, Darkness--" The gathering energies streak upwards, pouring into the light of Konoe's soul, "and LIGHT! Take it-- the power of Tenchi Banbutsu-- the power to ENCOMPASS ALL THE WORLD!"
Xiaomu	In other circumstances, Xiaomu might not be standing there and concentrating on her prayers. She would snark or snap or retort or taunt, and the impulse is there regardless - particularly when Phantasmagoria scoffs like that. And the sage fox's lips do quirk slightly - more like her prayers and Reiji's reached the soul that Phantasmagoria is currently dwelling within (like an unruly houseguest, at that). Seriously, who's inside who over there? Last time Xiaomu took inventory, that was Konoe's body, and spiritual possession doesn't transfer ownership that easily - Xiaomu's been helping deal with possessions basically since she completed her training in Buddhist rites of spiritual containment and reprimand. If it had been a willing channeling, it'd still be on loan, and that was anything BUT willing. Anyway, back on task. Reiji is doing things again - chewing Phantasmagoria out more epically than Xiaomu herself did (chalk another win up for mortal human creativity and intuition), and planting his weapons around them to complete another pentagram, all Five Principles in play and in order - in both orders. Creation and Destruction, birth and death, the living world and the realm beyond: one cannot exist without the other, and Xiaomu knows it as deeply as Reiji. Yet Phantasmagoria would choose the void? Even when its last daughter has come to call for the cycle to resume, for a new creation to follow after the uttermost destruction? Fuck that noise. Xiaomu opens her heart as well, her will and her spirit flooding out to fill the circle which she and Reiji have created, her power meshing with Reiji's - the light and the darkness, the masculine and the feminine: manifestations of yin and yang, the dual principles by which All Things In Nature are set in motion, the Two from which the Ten Thousand Things of Heaven and Earth are brought into being. Honestly, Xiaomu couldn't care less what Phantasmagoria wants; she's ready to help Konoe take the decision out of the old Origin's hands if push comes to shove - although she still wants the nekomiko to come home from this mission. Strengthening Konoe seems to be the way to go, and with Reiji throwing his weight behind that, Xiaomu is determined to maintain her support.
Konoe Kanno	YOU NEVER KNOW, WANKO. Nonetheless, she calls out for Konoe. And her voice is heard. Just endure not getting set on fire for a little while longer. JUST A BIT LONGER, OKAY!? Reimu prays as well. But not just that, her orbs continue to fire off bullets that collide with the whirling flames and darkness, adding a third force to the already struggling mix. This serves to barely disperse the eneregy around them, giving those praying the time they need to do so without gaining new secret identities like Darkman, and Man on Fire, and Harvey Dent, and so on. It's for the best, really. Kotone prays, and her thoughts are heard, adding to the growing prayers. Meanwhile, Sanae does the impossible thing, and literally conjures up a miracle. The miracle of Atlas itself holding up the sky, keeping it from shattering and falling into nothingness. This is just as well. It buys Reiji and Xiaomu additional time to do what they need to do. Sarah speaks, and her words are heard. But not just that, the DOIP that follows strikes the mirror revolving around Phantasmagoria, spinning it. Doip doip doip doip! It continues to spin and spin, until it spins right out of formation. ..It doesn't seem to have visibly done anything, but... But perhaps not all effects need to be seen. "We...refuse....to accept...." Phantasmagoria rumbles, her voice, the voices of all the souls trapped inside of her, kept from reincarnating all this time, but it's no longer unified, her voice, her voices are shaky, unable to be maintained. The deity covers her face with a hand, struggling to keep control of herself. But then Reiji and Xiaomu complete their ritual, and the power of the five elements comes to life. That power expands...expands....more and more...until it fills the void. That light then is fed right into Phantasmagoria's, no, Konoe's body, and she shines with the light of creation. "You foolish creatures...! We.... We will continue....-" Suddenly, she seizes up, and Konoe's voice alone comes through "No. ....I... I'm going to decide what we do from here on out!" "Wood...Earth...Water...Fire...Metal...!" Konoe curls up, crossing her arms over in a diagonal cross as she musters up all of the power in her body. "Control all creation...!" And then she unleashes it, lashing outward with her arms, and unfurling her body to full height. "Tenchi Banbutsu!" And then the power is unleashed, and everything goes white. The flames, the darkness, the barren world, it all VANISHES into the white light of creation... And Konoe herself vanishes with it. At first, there's nothing. For several minutes, just silence, and white. ...But then something starts to stir... The ground beneath their feet regains color. It's brown dirt. It extends as far as the eye can see. Into the distance and onward. That dirt then becomes grass, growing in relatively quickly. Then a soothing breeze blows through. Cool, and lacking the oppressive air that Phantasmagoria previously held. ...What follows is the formation of a blue sky. Clouds filter in after that. Trees form, littering the landscape. And then come the twittering of birds in the distance as trees form into forests. Other wildlife go through rapid evolution, before slowing down into a formacceptable by the world. ...Then flowers begin to grow through the grass, giving the world much needed color and variety... ...And then nothing more. There don't seem to be people or villages just yet, but...the Phantasmagoria is reborn. Konoe has vanished, nowhere to be seen once a new world comes back into view. But... They succeeded, right?
Kazuko Kawakami	FINE MOM GAWD Luckily for Kazuko, her UNWAVERING SPIRIT is keeping her from collapsing into a burning heap on the floor! Sure, her track jacket might be burnt beyond all recognizability, and she'll probably have a lot of explaining to do when she returns home with her naginata all but melted onto her palms, but it'll all be worth it if they can just get Konoe back safely from this giant shadowy thing! Woman on Fire it is. Just as she's about to succumb to all the burning and her stamina giving out, however, things start shifting once more. The ritual completes, Konoe shouts... Something or another, and everything goes white! By the time Kazuko comes back to her senses, she's... ... Well, she's actually lying on the ground. Having several minutes to herself without the adrenaline pumping through her veins gave her a good opportunity to just lay back and wait for either death or salvation! In this case, salvation. And no Konoe. "Where...? Ow ow ow... Uh. H-hey, where are we? And where's Konoe?" Kazuko mutters something incoherently as she tries to will herself back onto her feet, then flumps back down onto the oddly grassy ground that wasn't there moments ago. She also bites down on her lip to try and not whine too loudly, but... Dammit, those burns really hurt!
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu watches as it all unfolds, but now that Konoe is no longer there, her right eye begins to twitch as the pair of Yin-Yang Orbs fall to the ground and return to their original colors of black and white. "No." Reimu falls to her knees and drops her gohei right onto the ground, "I-I actually prepared experimental cards just so that we could-" Her right arm is clenched as she immediately punches the hard ground in response. At this point, tears begin to fall from her eyes, "Why is it that every one I get attached to has to die?!"
Sanae Kochiya	Eventually, Sanae's strength begins to wane. The point of a living god is that they're still of earthly being, after all, and she doesn't quite have the connection with the sky that her patron Kanako can claim. With the last ounces of her strength, and as her vision begins to fade in and out, a burst of light suddenly overcomes the darkness. The practically all-encompassing pressure of hatred and ill-will fades into the background along with it, replaced by, at least at first, nothingness. Had they failed? There was not time to think about it, before she completely gave out, and the winds and energy wrapped around her body gave out. She hangs there in the air for a moment, before her body begins floating downward. It's slow at first -- part of what enables Sanae to fly in the first place is subtly lightening her own body, and it's not like there's any ground left to fall toward. As the turf turns brown again, then begins to sprout green, gravity seems to return, along with the rest of nature, and she now plummets like a rock. Unless she's caught, at least, she'll plow into the ground. The good news is that the passive seals on her ceremonial clothing are a bit like armor, and that she was unconscious to begin with. Though, that's probably not what she would need on top of all the other energy she expended to get this far. Regardless, after a few moments, she regains her consciousness, though she holds her hand to her forehead, which is throbbing in protest at her trying to refocus her eyes. "A newly born world...it's beautiful." But something weighs heavily on her, even if it takes seeing Reimu crying...REIMU, CRYING...for it to hit her like a brick. "Miss Reimu, Miss Konoe is--? But..." She shakily moves to her feet and paces over to her, "No, you can't think like that! Look around you. This is the world that Miss Konoe wished for, and made reality. As long as it exists, then...she's surely still with us." Despite trying to sound encouraging, she herself has a heavy heart, if that turns out to be true. Yet, it doesn't change that she really believes her words.
Reiji Arisu	Tenchi Banbutsu. Taken literally, it means 'The Ten Thousand Things of Heaven and Earth. The whole of the universe, united as a conceptual singularity. Between Reiji and Xiaomu, the microcosm is writ. Five elements rise as one. Yin and Yang emerge from the primordial chaos. Two creates four. Four creates the eight trigrams. From the trigrams, all of that which is of substance emerges. This is the power that Reiji and Xiaomu direct to their friend, their comrade, the last living voice of Phantasmagoria. And, as Sanae literally holds up the world, as all those elites who gathered lent their aid, it seemed as though they were successful. Konoe triumphed over the twisted goddess that stole her face. With the power to encompass the world, she decided to remake it. And so everything faded to white. When Reiji opens his eyes, it's to a world awash in light. This is Destruction. He heard her speak it, the Circle of Destruction, a moment before all this happened. So then, what must logically follow is creation. And so it does, the world seems to knit together all around them, before their very eyes. The earth, the sky, and brand new life all emerges from the void. Reiji takes in a lungful of freshly minted, brand-new air. It's... beautiful. Breathtaking, even. Everything is here; everyone is here, but... ...But. "...Konoe?" Reiji asks the empty air, "Konoe, where are you? Are you still with us?" Or... Or did she, having usurped the Origin, become the Will of this world? He glances over towards Reimu; tears. Those would be appropriate here, wouldn't it? "...This is her world. She wouldn't just make all of it and leave it at that. That girl is way too responsible to do that." ...Isn't she?
Sarah Parsle	It was only a matter of time. With the power being thrown around here, only destruction was guaranteed. The only question would be if that destruction would lead to a new beginning, or the shattering of a cycle, leading to an ultimate end. Sarah is not someone who is capable of manipulating such a thing. Her idea was successful. She doesn't know if it was enough... And so everything goes white. And after that, Sarah is witness to the creation of a new world. Working in overwhelming speed, Sarah observes life spread and develop, becoming lush and verdant where only death reigned before. Something it... is very profound to her, perhaps. Maybe even Relevant To Her Interests. Regardless, Sarah turns from the display eventually to look over those present. She slowly inhales, the clean, cool air, and exhales. "You people are a bunch of melodramatic punks." She injects, having given them about five good minutes to work themselves up. She gestures. "Konoe just recreated the world. That makes her the Goddess of this place. If that's true, where do you /think/ she'd be?" Sarah turns away, then, the Cane of Pacci going up over her shoulder. "You want to know anything for sure... Go to her shrine. Didn't she have one back out there?"
Konoe Kanno	......... ...... ... There is no response. Konoe doesn't just pop up out of nowhere and go HEY GUYS, SORRY ABOUT THAT. No, there's really no people here. It's just the land, the sky, the sea, and the wildlife that accompany it. Humanity doesn't seem to exist yet. But... Gods aren't humanity, right? In fact, Sarah just might be onto something. Why not go pay her shrine a visit? Or at least the place where it used to be. If the geography of old Phantasmagoria hasn't changed, then... well, something must be off in that direction, yes? No?
Xiaomu	Shielded from the fires by the elemental power of the circle around her and Reiji, Xiaomu's ears perk up a bit at the multiple voices within Phantasmagoria's own. Yeah, it wasn't even a 'single' soul to begin with, was it ... ? Granted, it kind of stands to reason - but she wasn't thinking about the extended metaphysics of what was happening. (That, and it was getting to the point where nothing could be born, human or otherwise, from all the memories she'd seen of the conflict between gods and mortals. Ugh.) And then Konoe takes action of her own accord - drawing in the power that Reiji and Xiaomu had been putting forth for her, and creating. To be present at a world's birth is a privilege rare beyond the counting; Xiaomu closes her eyes reflexively at the wave of white light, only cautiously opening them again as she feels the ground reborn beneath her feet, the sunlight and the breeze on her skin, smells grass and plants coming into existence ... There should be animals, and people, but they'll emerge soon enough - Xiaomu is sure of that. For now, the sage fox relaxes her hands, plucks her staff loose from the ground, and - staggers? Yep. Only a quick movement of her staff lets Xiaomu avoid an undignified collapse on shaky legs; she probably shouldn't have done that when her reserves were shaky to start with, but she couldn't leave Reiji trying to pull crazy shit like that on his own. He wouldn't have survived, and then where would she be? Leaning on her staff for support, Xiaomu walks over to approximately where Konoe would have been standing at the moment that she recreated Phantasmagoria; it may not be the Origin any more, but the sage fox goes down to one knee, placing a hand on the ground. "If she survived creating Phantasmagoria anew, she's probably very tenuous right now - and doing that isn't something a mortal body is really designed to handle. She may have to reconstitute her physical form before we'll be able to see her in front of us ... but whatever toll that took on her?" She looks over at Reimu. "If Konoe were dead-dead, we'd be floating in the void, not kneeling on newly-remade soil and fresh grass. She's alive. Maybe not in a form we can see or touch and recognize as Konoe, but alive." .. and like Sarah said, wasn't there a shrine? That's definitely a place to look, too. Xiaomu gets back to her feet, looking around to try and get her bearings. "Anyone bring a picnic lunch?" she asks as she starts walking in what she thinks is the right direction. No, Xiaomu's not asking about picnics because she's hungry. .... well okay, but that's only PART of why she asked.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa flops to the ground it was like nothing Kotone had ever been a part of somethignf like shie. She can only watch now as shey all have done what they can for Konoe. She rises now watches but she sees something is happening the world is starting to reform, it might take longer than she'll live but it's been done. "Is everyone all right?" The Cyborg is on her feet now and she's clearly trying to weep but ... she has no trears to cry. "...we lose too many ...."
Reiji Arisu	Reiji stares at Sarah for a loooong moment. And then he starts laughing. It's a strange sound. Almost like it's... rusty. Or something. Rusty laughter. How? "Heh, yeah. You're right. If she's here, then that's where she'll be." Reiji takes a moment to collect his scattered weaponry before turning in the direction of Konoe's shrine. "The only food I brought is a few packages of tofu," he says to Xiaomu. "You're right, of course. Even if we don't find her, she's not gone." "This world. Everything that exists within it. It'll be part of her creation, after all."
Reimu Hakurei	Reimu dries her tears as she picks up both the Yin-Yang Orbs and her gohei. She speaks to everyone, "Y-yes, let's head for the shrine." From there, she remains silent as she flies on over to the shrine. If Konoe isn't there, than more tears will probably be shed. However, even the smallest hope of survival is better than nothing at this point.
Kazuko Kawakami	"Is that... Is she really...?" Kazuko groans as she finally wills herself into sitting up, looking around slowly as the sight of everything around her starts to make more and more sense. Sarah's explanation actually draws a quiet giggle from the girl, although there's a clear sadness in her eyes that isn't just the result of all the burning pain. "Yeah, let's... Let's check that place out. There's no other explanation for all of this happening, right? Then it's gotta be that! Even if she's not there-there, Mister Reiji's and Miss Xiaomu are right. We'll see her again sooner or later!" Staggering a bit, she even moves over to give Reimu a reassuring pat on the back with her... ... Naginata handle. Right. She'll need to get that checked out later.
Sanae Kochiya	"Ah...ahah, good idea," Sanae tries her best to laugh, which is difficult because of both the situation, and that her ribs are aching. She even has the little anime blood trickle at the corner of her mouth, denoting GRAVE INJURY, even if her exterior doesn't betray much more than some scuffs and bruises. She'll just walk instead of flying after the ungraceful landing earlier, but she's at least able to do that under her own power. Somewhere, Kanako is probably cursing their luck that they didn't get to set down the first shrine.
Konoe Kanno	They stop wailing and jumping to conclusions for five seconds. THANKS, SARAH. And then after a bit of a trek across this little portion of the world, they eventually reach the place where Wakahirume and Konoe's shrines should have been. What they find there, aren't wooden shrines like before, but rather, a pile of rocks. Two piles of rocks actually. And laid atop one stone platform each are... well, hey, Sanae wins the prize. Two infants. Sporting white hair with red accents. and they both have a single tail, along with a pair of ears atop their heads. They sleep peacefully, eyes closed and breathing quietly. And the animals that wander on by seem to give the area a wide berth. Not out of fear, but seemingly out of reverence. Even predators avoid the place. But some do eye the strange humanoid creature encroaching upon this sacred place warily. ...Well, suppose that when one recreates they world, they don't escape it's clutches either. Oops.
Reiji Arisu	Reiji feels just a little bit like a pilgrim, walking across this enormous expanse of lush, green land. It takes a moment for him to realize that he was quite literally witness to the Creation of a world. That's... Something that is technically reserved only for the highest of gods. Well. He'll have a hell of a report to write after all this. It isn't long before they return to the grove that served as home for Konoe's and Wakahirume's twinned shrines. Reiji's heart sinks when he realizes that the shrines are just... gone. And then he finds himself becoming very, very confused when he instead finds a... pair of babies. Distinctly familiar babies. Ones that do not actually have shrines. Which implies... Things. "...Xiaomu." Reiji says, his eye twitching ever so slightly. "I... I don't think I've ever been briefed on the proper protocols for... This." Babies. What the Hell is he supposed to do about... babies? Reiji looks to a nearby, scandalized deer as if to ask it what he's to do here. "...Are they still gods? Or are they just... children, now? Spirits?"
Sanae Kochiya	"Well, they don't seem to be in immediate danger, at least," Sanae figures, leaning very gingerly against a piece of the structure. "It'd probably be better to just...watch over them, for now."
Reiji Arisu	"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with just leaving them here in the middle of nowhere," Reiji says with a sigh. "They're Amaterasu's daughters, aren't they? Where is she?"
Xiaomu	"Cheap price to pay for recreating a whole world from the brink of oblivion," Xiaomu assesses the situation fairly succinctly. "And hey, they're sisters again. That ought to make Konoe happy when she grows up enough to appreciate it." She pauses, digging out some fried tofu to munch on. (She was getting ready to make it an offering at the shrine or shrines, but since there's little need for that, she's snacking. Again.) And then Reiji asks a Very Important Question. "... Y'know, I'm not sure either. I'd say they're goddesses, but they have to grow into their roles again .... huh. Guess I need to go home and do some research. Maybe put in a request with the budget office, I don't think my health insurance is going to cover it ..." This is probably the point where 'wait what' is memetically required.
Reiji Arisu	Reiji pauses. He stares at Xiaomu. And then he blinks like a brick just fell on his head. "...Come again?" Oh no, it looks like he knows exactly where this is going.
Konoe Kanno	The two babies sleep on. Said scandalized deer peers back at Reiji. And then walks off. It does not have the answers you seek. Amaterasu does not appear. Where the heck is she? Who the hell knows. Maybe she's not actually present in this world as a tangible being. Maybe she literally IS the sun? Who knows. Xiaomu suggests a crazy thing. Reiji goes wut. All is well.
Sanae Kochiya	"Ah...I didn't mean just, leaving them. But," she grimaces, but manages to keep the pain down, "It doesn't seem right to whisk them away from this world...at least until they're old enough to want to leave. They fought hard for it, after all." Though... "Well, why don't you just build a house for all of you here, then," she gets a slightly sly look?
Xiaomu	"Building a full-on house might be overdoing it a bit," Xiaomu points out. "Getting an environmentally-friendly trailer or something might be a better option for the short term, but you're right that taking them offworld might be a bad idea - if not for them then for the world they're supposed to be part of." Honestly, finding Amaterasu is probably a better idea ... but short of enchanting a sextant, she's not sure how to go about that either.
Reiji Arisu	Reiji turns his head from the disappeared, scandalized deer to stare at Sanae like she'd somehow grown a second head. Like some kind of Amphisbaena. BECAUSE SHE IS A SNAKE. THAT'S THE JOKE. "...A house." He stares at Xiaomu next. "..." Reiji un-says. "...Are you saying that we need to move the apartment here?" Because that would be a HELL of a to-do.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa looks to Xiaomu nodding. "I can help I think with building a house if you want for them. I could put even so9me things that might be nice for you like a charger hummm Or a power supply for a fridge." She nore mostly teasing for the most part.
Kazuko Kawakami	"Building a house? Ooh... I could help with that!" Kazuko almost manages to get a hand raised for that one! Almost. "I watched a bunch of shows a while back when I was sick, and they had these people putting together houses with nothing but logs and a couple of windows and they all had beards..."