The Destruction of Gensokyo

Pilcrow 2: Five Minutes to Midnight.

Meanwhile, Marisa was on her way to the limits of Gensokyo to meet the one man who could help her right now. Although the starts and ends of the Hakurei Barrier are fuzzy to say the least, roughly in the middle of the wall was Rinnosuke Morichika's shop for stuff from the outside world, the Corrin Den, or they called it the Kourin Dou back then.

Rinnosuke was a half-youkai with a highly useful power that, somewhat, could be helpful to Marisa right now, now she was fumbling back and forth, explaining to Rinnosuke her thoughts aloud.

MARISA:
"...and if she only has authority in the Gensokyo, so what if I just move out? As a last option, needless to say."

RINNOSUKE:
"Ok, from the top, why did you come seeking me for?"

MARISA:
"Komachy said that my soul is loaded with all the sins I've dribbed, and I thought that maaaaybe you could use your power to 'read' my soul and see the sin that will land me in super hell, I atone for that one and done! Now Komachy is slightly less fearsome! Truth be told... no no, I'm not going to think too deeply about it."

Rinnosuke looked very letchly at Marisa, he's known her all her life, and she still but a kid without understanding for the times. Time and time again did Marisa came to him, asking for this or that, looking for many unworthy things.

While Marisa has the worst of the outside world, their wanton wonderlust and man as the core of all, and the worst of Gensokyo with their ungodly beliefs and offgalths. While Rinnosuke has got none of the good from either, neither the useful crafts of the outside nor the homely warmth of inside. A much akin match they were.

MARISA:
"So? What's with that look! You ought to know, you weren't my first choice to solve this problem."

RINNOSUKE:
"..."

The little witch was a little too chary in her head, shop owner Rinnosuke must have thought it best to leave life run its course. If it was Marisa's fate to die, what right did he have to unmake that?

MARISA:
"But... what are you waiting for, go ahead! Worse-case scenario is I never get to even know what my 'severe sin' was. Though I truly don't get why didn't she straight up tell me what my sin was..."

RINNOSUKE:
"If she told you, knowing your ways, you would try to cheat your way out of atonement somehow."

MARISA:
"Whoa, you really think I would do that?... Hmm..."

RINNOSUKE:
"Besides, a Reaper cannot do that. It was already unseen as it were for her to tell you that you are going to die on the morrow. Even more so was her telling you that you are in 'severe sin', different from mere 'venial sin'. Whatever you did was truly bad. Yet you don't remember?"

MARISA:
"I right ago told you I know nothing! That's why I thought you might come in handy for once, your skill can understand things away can't it? Can't you try to explain what caused my sinful being?

RINNOSUKE:
"Somewhat, I remind you, that I can know the working and name of any given thing, to know the why and what of a thing but not the how."

MARISA:
"That's fine, we don't need to know how the soul is feeling or how it be, but what its being is."

RINNOSUKE:
"But what makes you think I can understand what your sin was?"

MARISA:
"This is but my idea, though I'm sure I'm right! Hear me out, so, since every soul has unique hue, if you try to 'read' my soul it's unlikely that we will get an overall description that works to all souls, doesn't that make witcraft now?"

RINNOSUKE:
"I guess so... But either way, I don't know if it will even work on a soul. In all my years I've never tried such a thing. Though I'm willing to give it a try anyway, if it makes you happy."