Gensokyo... A land of Fantasy and the Occult, hidden within the mountains of Japan. Few knew it's exact location, and from within a community flourished.
Humans, magicians, fairies, Youkai and even Oni coexisted there peacefully. Although some start...
As I continued on my journey, I stopped due to thirst. Luckily I brought my flask along... Which is a gift from Letty, a Yuki-Onna who is also my friend during the winters.
She told me that the flask has a unique ability to replenish it's water whenever I rest in a cold place. Since it was dark, and cold I opened the flask, to see that it's nearly overflowing.
I motioned the flask towards my lips, until I sensed something coming to my direction. I managed to hop back, dodging... A giant ant leg?
I gasped as I see the person who is controlling the ant... It's Wriggle Nightbug, my friend and teammate.
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She stood there, her boyish figure exposed in the moonlight. Her expression is empty, and what frightens me is her eyes. The scleras are all black, and her pupils are glowing white.
"You're awake, Cirno."
"Wriggle...? What happened to you? What are you doing?"
"I'm just having fun. It's satisfying seeing that now in this darkness, bugs can stand up against even Youkai."
"And why are you attacking me, again?"
"Because you once froze a whole colony of ants. This one here is one of the survivors, thirsty for fairy blood."
"The moonlight... It's driving you crazy, Wriggle. This isn't you!"
"You may say so, but I feel so alive Cirno. I realize that the time for bugs to show their dominance has come, in this times of darkness. Now, prepare to be devoured."
She casts her hand towards me, and balled her fist. Is she really intending to kill me for that?
The ant, obeying it's mistress charged forwards. I was able to freeze it in it's tracks, and I smashed the insect to pieces with my spell card "Ice sign: Great Crusher!"
Wriggle doesn't seem to change her expression, however she managed to catch one of the ant's leg, and holds it like a rapier. On her other hand is one of the pieces of an ant's sharp mouth pincer.
"You killed it. Now you pay with your life as well, Cirno."
"I don't want to fight you, Wriggle."
"You leave me no choice."
Both of us clashed our blades together. I was unable to make an ice sword in time, so I unsheathed Roukanken and our weapons met with each other.
However I remembered that she had that pincer which she used as a small dagger, and I managed to hop back, dodging the incoming jab from the serrated appendage.
"What's wrong Cirno? Are you perhaps, afraid? Where is your merciless attitude towards the bugs you froze?"
"I guess I'm about to show it just now!" I said, as I make a thrust attack which targets her chest, but she deflected it with her dagger.
She then kicked me, stunning me for a bit before she made her own thrusting attack using the ant leg. However I narrowly dodged it, and stepped onto it, bringing it to the ground and exposing Wriggle's back as her figure hunches over.
It was my chance to climb on her back, and I raised Roukanken up, and plunged it down through her back, probably piercing her heart as well. As I pulled the blade out, blood sprays out from the wound like a fountain.
But to my surprise she can still move, and she knocked me off her back.
"C... Curse you...!" She muttered out in pain.
"You can still stop, Wriggle! Open your eyes, for goodness sake!"
"And let... All those resentment slide? Never, Cirno!"
She shouted, as hundreds or maybe even thousands of insects of all kinds flew from behind her and surges at my direction like a huge wave.
In time, I conjured an ice propeller which killed most of the incoming insects, until I realized that it was a distraction. Wriggle came from behind me and managed to plunge the ant leg through my back.
I coughed out a bit of blood, before she pulled the leg out from my back, and blood spurted out. However, I managed to reach my flask, and took a sip. The cold water inside it healed my wounds, and I stood back up.
"Ice Sign: Icicle Fall!"
I used my spell card, and a hail of icicles rained down on my former friend.
"Do you really think those ice picks can stop me?" She asked, as she dodged the hail effortlessly.
"Nope! I'm using the same tactic as you are!" I dashed to her back, and pulled out Roukanken.
I thrusted the blade through her back, and blood spurted out as the blade was pulled back out. After that I sealed the deal with a slash to her throat from behind.
"C... Cir....No... I... Controlled..."
I couldn't make out what she just said, but she slowly fell forwards to the ground, lifeless.
"I'm sorry, Wriggle... And goodbye."
To my surprise her body disintegrated into cinders, leaving behind a photograph on the ground. I picked it up to see that it was the photograph from during Sunny's party.
I readied Roukanken as tears fall down from my eyes, and stabbed the blade towards Wriggle's face in the photograph.
This incident is really getting on my mental state. I really need to stop this, if I am the only one who is sane in all this.
