The Disillusioned Land

Chapter 23 - Marionetter's Scheme

The object that Tsukiko handed to Reimu was an oddly shaped key, it's appearance was akin to a distorted scrap of silver, the bit of the key appeared to be contorted which made me wonder if this object would even open anything in the first place, but surely there was a reason why Tsukiko gave this item to Reimu. Kyoko and I were still confused over the purpose of this thing, but unlike us Reimu seemed to know something, her expression was grave and after inspecting the twisted key from a distance, I was able to make out a familiar looking dark half-moon crest embedded in the key's head. "Why do you have this." Reimu asked the lunarian with a cold expression unlike her, we could feel the pressure she was emanating even though it was not directed at us, I glanced at Kyoko and noticed she too glanced back at me with an apparent cold sweat running down her face, the situation had turned quite serious from the look of thing.

"That key shall grant you access to our hideout, I take that by your reaction you already know of our objective do you not?"

Tsukiko asked with the same lightless eyes from earlier, as if she was an entirely different person and Reimu, faced against our unreasonable guest, took a moment to think before answering back.

"...I'd have preferred not to. Fine, for the sake of balance I'll cooperate with you lunarians once more, but know that the moment you go back to your old ways it'll be your end."

"Splendid, we await your presence, Hakurei shrine maiden, the answers you look for shall be encountered there."

Having finished what she had to say, Tsukiko fell towards the ground as if she fainted in place, thankfully I managed to I grant her support so that she would not fall over and hit her head, I looked over at Reimu and she appeared to be quite infuriated, looking as neither her or Kyoko chose to say anything, I broke the silence by asking the one who seemed to have an answer to my question.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"...An ill omen, that's what that was" Reimu said before letting out a sigh. "This little rabbit friend of yours is more troublesome than I imagined, if my deduction is right someone sent her here in that boxed manner in order to avoid the eyes of a certain someone, though I didn't expect for her to be manipulated by that annoying princess."

"B-but I heard the lunar princess of Eientei hasn't interacted with the rest of the city in ages!?" Kyoko spoke while fumbling her words.

"Hah! I would have preferred if it was Kaguya, but now I have to deal with someone even more troublesome..." Another deep sigh can be heard out of Reimu, seems like our situation just turned for the worse, however I still have priorities I would see to first, Tsukiko still appears to be out cold, according to Reimu her mind and body were being manipulated by another lunarian, I handed the exhausted youkai over to Kyoko, who carried her to a vacant room inside the shrine, since Reimu herself is in front of me right now, I chose to take the opportunity to ask her about the sinister knife I found in the storage.

"A knife you say... hmm I don't particularly remember putting one there that resembles what you described to me... Just in case let's go take a look at it"

"Yes ma'am."

We enter the storehouse and look for the box containing the knife in question, oddly enough, the box with the velvet cloth appeared to not be anywhere, almost as if it hid itself. To our luck however, I managed to find it again after spending a couple of minutes searching for it with Reimu, I showed her the object but she didn't have any clues as to how it ended up here. According to her, all shipments sent to the shrine receive careful inspection so that we don't fall prey to youkai 'pranks' and whatnot.

I tried to hand her the knife but it appeared to reject her, for whatever reason it didn't appear to be cursed but it most certainly seemed to be alive...

"What the hell is up with this weird thing? Every time I try to reach for it my hand just gets repelled."

"Well... I have no idea either, it did strike me as familiar but I don't believe I ever came to hold this object before."

"Familiar you say... That in of itself already strikes me as odd. Sigh whatever, I would question why it doesn't allow me to hold it but I have more important things to think over."

Reimu said while pinching her forehead.

"Wait so what are we supposed to do with this?"

"Hah... Keep it to yourself I don't particularly care, just report back to me if anything weird happens. That knife has a foreboding feeling to it but I guess it's better in the hands of someone who can use it than an enemy."

"If you want that."

Our conversation ends and Reimu went back to the Shrine, I inspect the large knife again and the red lines convulse in the cold steel of the blade as if trying to tell me something, quite unfortunate that I could not grasp what it was trying to say, oddities appart, I could tell this knife was masterfully crafted, looking again at the pale gem in its hilt, I notice that gem resembled the half-moon crest I saw "Tsukiko" show us but unlike hers, this one was clear and light, perhaps this knife came together with the other box Tsukiko resided in...

Whatever the connection between the two is, I don't have the leisure to think about it too much since the shrine seems to be in disarray. Closing off the storehouse, I leave making my way towards the shrine with my new knife inside my pocket but before I am able to enter the main building, I noticed there was a witch flying on a broom directly towards the shrine, surprised by this odd visitor, I prepare myself for whatever will come out of our encounter.

"Phew, wonder what passed over Reimu for her to call me over here all of a sudden."

The witch wearing an extremely large hat says to herself.

"You there! Identify yourself." I exclaim towards her but the apparent nonchalant attitude she seems to have still remained.

"Yo! You must be the new guy Reimu was talking about, I'm Marisa Kirisame, just an ordinary magician you can find anywhere."

"So you're Reimu's friends?"

"That's right, by the looks of it she didn't properly explain anything to you huh... She never changes does she. Chit-chat aside it seems like something serious has happened here, let's enter the shrine to bother her for answers."

"Seems good to me."

Before I could notice it, I was already captured by her easy-going attitude and we enter the shrine together, only to be greeted by the hakurei shrine maiden and the hermit bickering at each other.