I started running towards the place that miss Hina told me. I was looking for a huge red-looking manor if I remember correctly from what Hina said. I still have no idea where it is located, but hopefully I'll see it soon.
Maybe by following this path I'll be able to get there in a couple minutes. Man, this is exciting!
I had to run for a while and make myself though some bushes and trees, but nothing different from what you can see in an ordinary forest from the outside world. Although…this forest does have a different vibe. Can't tell what it is right now.
Hina did say that we should be careful, since there's a high chance of running into some youkai, which can be hostile towards humans as far as I know. But I think I'll be just fine. Hopefully…
****
After running, climbing some hills and crashing my face into several tree branches, I found a river which I had to manage somehow to cross.
There were some rocks sticking out of the water. So, I thought that I could use those for doing some epic parkour jumping and getting to the other side of the river.
Little I knew was that those rocks were very slippery due to the water. After a few jumps, I was one jump away from reaching the other side.
As you may be guessing, as I stepped on the last rock, my boot slipped, and I lost balance when I landed on the other side of the river. Causing me to trip over a rock.
I closed my eyes before landing with my face on the ground. This is not good; my new clothes are gonna get all dirty…
I landed on something.
"Huh, this ground feels so soft…" I said to myself.
As I opened my eyes, I noticed that I actually landed on someone. She had soft black wings and silky black hair.
Immediately I stood up.
"Am really sorry!! Are you okay!?" I exclaimed worriedly and ashamedly.
There was no response.
I tried to get closer to see if she was still conscious. But as soon as I got my hand close to her…
"Ayaya…. That hurts."
"Sheesh, look where you are walking. You don't greet someone by bumping into them just like that." Said the girl upset while rubbing her head.
I must admit that at first, I thought she was going to start attacking me, but she seemed kind of chill.
"My bad…, I tripped over a rock and somehow landed on you. Are you okay?"
"Yeah yeah…am fine." she said calmly.
"Good to hear." I sighed.
She seemed suspicious about me and started looking at me with a doubtful expression.
"I've never seen you around here… Are you from the human village? Hmm… probably not, you don't look like a human." she suspiciously said.
"What do you mean I don't look like a human...? - "I thought.
"Human village? No, I just got into this place a day ago. I replied. "And… are you some kind of youkai" I said full of curiosity.
"Yes I am!" She proudly exclaimed. "My name is Aya Shameimaru. Am what you can call a Crow Tengu fu fu fu~." She teased.
"I am as fast as the speed of light and oversee the famous Bunbunmaru newspaper. Everyone knows me be because of my amazing storytelling- I mean, my incredible and objective writing skills he he." She proudly laughed.
"Ohhhh, so you are a fake news reporter?"
"WRONG!"
"But anyways…you are?" She asked with an upset expression.
"My name is-…"
I still wasn't able to remember my name.
Since I got into this place, most of my memories vanished and I couldn't remember such basic things as my name.
But the voice inside my head was listening to the conversation and spoke.
"I forgot to tell you, but your name is Akumu. Introduce yourself using that name." She said.
"Akumu? Do I have such an odd name?" I thought while still doubting it.
Well, couldn't be helped, I don't remember my name at all, so I guess that's my name now.
"I'm Akumu."
"Akumu huh." She doubtfully replied. "Well, nice to meet ya, Akumu." Smiled.
"Were you looking for something?"
"Mm… yeah. I was looking for a huge red-looking manor that is supposed to be somewhere around here."
"Oh, are you looking for the Scarlet Devil Mansion?" She surprisedly said. "Hmmm… You'll have to continue walking this path for a while and then you'll see a big blue lake. You'll see the mansion from across the lake. She said while pointing out the other side of the forest.
"Great… I'll have to walk even more." I sighed.
"Understood, thank you very much!" I exclaimed.
"OH! I almost forgot to tell you. The Scarlet Devil Mansion is not a place safe for humans. People there are… kinda mean to others."
"Huh? Why is that?" I asked intrigued.
"Ehh… Am not completely sure. I've tried many times to take pictures of the residents and I always end up getting beaten up with knifes." She said with a nervous smile.
"Knifes? Geez…What kind of people live there?
"I see. In that case I'll be careful. Thanks for letting me know."
"No problem. See ya."
Aya blasted off to the sky in the blinking of an eye.
I couldn't believe that someone with such speed could even exist.
"Okay then, I guess I'll continue with my little journey." I exclaimed full of joy.
So, I kept walking towards the place.
****
I'm almost off the forest. Geez, am kinda tired now, that was a long way to go.
I was bored, so I decided to try something fun like talking to the voice inside me to see if it was still there.
"Hey, voice inside my head. May I ask you a question?"
The voice sounded nervous, and she remained silent for a couple seconds.
"Uhm… yeah… What do you want?" Ashamedly replied.
"I think I've never asked you this, but what is your name and what are doing inside my head?"
"My name is Michitsuju, Michitsuju Yakumo and am not inside your head you incompetent human." She replied with an upset yet proudful tone.
"Okay then, miss Michu, nice to meet ya." I teased.
"HA?! Miss Michu…?! -" said the youkai embarrassed. "That's not how you should call a superior deity like me! Hmph-" She pouted.
"…"
"Also… I am communicating with you through your energy ridges that you have on your head. And I am doing this because I need your help…" She explained.
"Wait what?" What energy ridges are you talk-"
I started rubbing my head to see if I had something on me. I panicked the moment my hand touched a pair of horns that felt like crystals.
"WHAT ARE THESE?!! I yelled in concern.
"FOR HOW LONG HAVE I HAD THESE THINGS ON ME?!"
Michitsuju looked confused.
"Don't tell me you only now realize that..." She said disappointed.
I was still worried about the discovery. I finally understood why people glared at me with curiosity.
Michitsuju sighed.
"Ever since you entered Gensokyo you've had these ridges. I grew them on your head as a way to communicate with you, since my physical body is somewhere else." Explained the youkai.
I was still a little rambunctious and had a lot of stuff going through my mind right now.
"Hey! Are you listening to me?" she said annoyed.
I stopped for a moment to breathe and calmed down for a moment.
"And what do you need to communicate with me for? I sighed.
"It's a long story, but I can only tell you that, for unfair reasons, I ended up chained somewhere in this land. They put a seal on me so that I couldn't use my powers to their fullest." Michitsuju said in a subdued tone. "I really need your help to be able to locate my body and help me break the seal."
"So you took me from the outside world by force to help you escape from your prison...? You could have at least asked at the beginning." I thought somewhat annoyed.
"Gee..." I sighed. "Okay, I get it. But I'd like to get something in return."
Michitsuju seemed surprised.
"Uhmm... I guess that sounds fair. She said intrigued. "And what would your request be?"
I stopped walking for a moment and looked up at the sky again as I watched the clouds pass by.
"I have a life outside of this place." I replied somewhat wistfully.
"I'd like to leave this fantasy land where my life is at risk and return to my ordinary lifestyle..."
"Well... I guess that makes the two of us." Michitsuju sighed and smiled.
"Huh, what do you mean by that?" I asked confused.
"This land is full of evil and selfish beings. My only wish has always been to be able to go out into the outside world and free myself from this cage." She said in a nostalgic way. "If you help me get out of this cave, I promise to make it possible for you to return home."
It seemed that we both had the same goals regarding the situation, so I decided to help her. Even though I'm not sure how am I supposed to break a magical seal…"
"Okay, if we're both going to be able to get out of here, I'll team up with you while we're in Gensokyo." I said resolutely.
Michitsuju seemed to be really happy and relieved to hear this.
As we were talking, in the distance we could already see the end of the forest. So I smiled and started running towards the light.
Once there, I managed to see a HUUGE blue lake surrounded by trees and mountains that could be seen in the distance. The sun was reflecting a bright light on the water and I could also see what looked like fairies flying over the lake.
It's not a sight I get to appreciate every day, so I couldn't help but linger for a few seconds contemplating the beauty of the place.
"So we arrived at Misty Lake, huh? She grinned.
I fixed my eyes a little more, and sure enough, a large scarlet colored mansion with a tall clock tower could be seen across the lake.
"Hey Michu, did you ever visit that mansion?" I said as I walked to circle the lake.
"I already told you not to be calling me by that nickname, humph-" She grumbled.
"All right, your majesty." I said in a mocking tone.
"Call me whatever you want, there's no point in getting into an argument with a child." She said somewhat angrily and pouting. "And no, I've never seen that mansion before. The Gensokyo I knew back then didn't have many landmarks; it was mostly mountainous terrain." She said in a curious tone.
"Ah... I see. Then it's been a long time since you stood on this land." I said somewhat sadly.
Michitsuju looked a little down. So I tried to change the topic.
"Wow... getting to the other side of the lake is going to be quite a hike. I wish I could have the ability to fly right now and get across the lake quicker." I sighed.
Michitsuju was silent for a couple of seconds.
"Agh... fine. If we're going to team up, I suppose it will be necessary for you to be able to defend yourself on your own. My ability to control you from a distance is limited due to the seal I'm under. She said sighing. "So I can grant you a fraction of my powers so you'll be able to control electricity."
I stopped walking for a moment and got excited.
"You can really do that?!" I exclaimed.
"I am a goddess after all, I can do many things hehehe." she said proudly. "So... I'm going to proceed. Just relax and close your eyes as you feel the energy flow through your body."
I did as Michu instructed.
It felt as if a strange kind of force was coming in through the ridges in my head and started going down little by little.
Suddenly I began to feel my blood circulating at an abnormal speed and my chest ached a little. I scrunched up my face and clenched my fists trying to endure the pain.
After that, the pain stopped. Suddenly a purple lightning bolt fell from the sky and hit me with a loud bang, shaking everything around.
I opened my eyes and could see a purple aura surrounding my body, plus I felt lighter for some reason.
"Done." said Michu somewhat exhausted. "How was it, did it go well?"
I was still amazed at what had just happened.
"Uh... I don't know." I said as I continued to stare at my hands.
"Well, I guess there's only one way to check. Try to get some momentum and try to cross the lake to the mansion."
"Ahhh…? Can I really do that? I said in amazement.
"Yes, just concentrate the energy flow in your legs when it's time to make the jump and you'll take off like a bolt of lightning."
I turned my gaze towards the mansion.
"Got it." I said resolutely.
I stood in front of the lake and flexed my knees. I closed my eyes to concentrate, and the moment I felt like electricity coursing through my veins, I jumped.
Suddenly I felt as light as a feather and took off several meters above the ground, I really couldn't believe it, everything felt like slow motion.
"Excellent." Said Michu smiling. "Now just try to propel your body forward as if you were trying to run. But do it carefully so you don't crash into something."
"Okay." I said with a challenging look.
I grabbed a big momentum and pushed forward.
My body shot out at an incredible speed. Not even a bullet could reach such speed, it was almost as if I had teleported. Although from my perspective it felt like I was moving at a normal speed but seeing everything around me moving extremely slow.
I was already halfway through the journey. But because I wasn't paying attention in front of me I accidentally brushed my body against a fairy that was flying over the lake.
"I'm really sorry!" I said worriedly. But because of the speed I was going, she couldn't even see me.
Because of the blow I swerved a little and lost control.
The last thing I saw in front of my face was a red brick wall.
"Ouch...that hurt." I said as I rubbed my head.
Somehow I landed on a balcony of the mansion. I guess it's not a bad idea to go inside and investigate.
I opened the balcony window very carefully so as not to make any more noise than I already had and took a small hop inside.
"Alright then." I said as I looked around.
We were in a long hallway with a big red carpet that seemed to be over the entire floor. There were a few wooden doors, a few pieces of furniture with drawers along the hallway, some with vases on top. Also as a way of lighting there were a few candles placed on the walls. And the windows seemed to be made out of tempered glass, since sunlight couldn't reach the inside of the manor.
The atmosphere was covered in absolute silence, so much so that I began to doubt if such dangerous people really lived here. So I started walking down the hallway looking for something interesting.
The whole floor seemed to be the same. It was a series of corridors and rooms with the same things I saw when I entered. Until we hit some stairs that led to a lower floor.
"Well, it looks like we can still investigate further." I said in a reckless tone. "I wonder what's downstairs."
I descended the stairs to what appeared to be the first floor. The top of the stairs seemed to be located in the middle of a hallway, and in front of it was the front door.
I looked sideways and saw that there were more hallways and rooms.
"Wow, this mansion is quite a bit bigger on the inside than it looks when you see it from the outside." I said in awe.
*****
I walked for about two hours around the mansion and I simply don't have words to describe how monstrously huge it really is.
I walked around touring balconies on four different floors, kitchens, living rooms and even large internal gardens. It was a Victorian era European mansion, so everything inside looked old, but surprisingly everything was clean, there was no dust anywhere. I couldn't help but wonder how many hundreds of people work here cleaning this place, even though I didn't manage to see anyone during the whole tour.
After walking around for a few more minutes, we came upon a giant lobby. It looked like a dome about twenty meters high. On the sides it had about ten doors leading to various places.
I stood there for a moment in amazement, then Michu said:
"That door in front of us looks bigger than the rest, how about we go take a look over there." She said somewhat intrigued.
I walked towards the door; it took me a while to open it because of how heavy it was.
On the other side of it there was a series of stone stairs that continued down. The material on the walls was now different. Instead of being scarlet, they were now stone walls of a grayish color.
It was a long descent, those stairs seemed to have no end.
After that we walked down a stone tunnel for a few minutes. This place really is a complete labyrinth, the corridors seemed to multiply every time we moved forward and everything looked the same. At this point I think we had already lost our way, going back would be almost impossible having already walked so far.
I stopped to rest and think a little.
"Ahh.... Michu what should we do?" I said tired and hopeless tone.
Michu paused to think for a moment.
"I think I have an idea." She said somewhat worriedly.
"Ohhh? What do you have in mind?" I replied in amazement.
"I can scan the whole area and track down an exit." She explained.
"Sounds good, could you do that?" I said as I got up from the floor.
"Yes... I can do it. However, doing so would use up almost all of my energy that I have available. After that I would have to rest for a few hours to recover." She said somewhat hesitantly.
"Hmm... I guess that's our only option at the moment." I said mumbling.
"Yes, but it's extremely dangerous. We are in uncharted territory, who knows what beings we might encounter later on. And without my help, you could be in grave danger. I might not even be able to communicate with you once my energy is expended."
"It's either that or never get out of here." I replied.
"..."
"I promise to be careful." I said to Michu.
"Okay... I really hope you keep your promise and we can get out here in one piece." Sighed Michu somewhat annoyed. "I'll get started with the scan."
Suddenly the entire floor and walls turned a very bright purple color. It lasted for a few seconds.
"There, I managed to find an exit a few meters away." Michu said convinced. "I'll mark the path with a trail of light so you can move forward...-" Michu said in a tired tone.
"Michu?" I asked when she finished speaking. "I think she fell asleep; I better keep going before the trail disappears."
I made use of my new ability to move faster to get to the exit.
The trail of light ended just in front of another large wooden door. This one was even heavier than the one at the beginning, but I managed to open it.
I have no words to describe what I saw on the other side of the door.
There was a gigantic library about the size of a stadium. It could be perfectly over one hundred meters tall.
I walked around in awe with my gaze up, gazing at the huge shelves of books. How many books could there be here? I wondered. All the books in the world could be here.
There were large chandeliers and huge hanging chandeliers on the ceiling. It was really something incredible.
A brilliant idea came to my mind to look for a book that might have a map of Gensokyo and try to locate the place where Michu might be right now so I could free her. But of course, it would take me ages to search for a book among all the books out there, so I decided to look for someone who could help me look for it.
I wandered into the huge library, walking among the tall shelves of books. There didn't seem to be anyone in this place, I told myself. And just like throughout the mansion, there was an eerie silence here as well.
That is until I heard a book fall from somewhere, and impacting the floor it created a great echo.
I ran to where I thought the sound might have originated, searching through the aisles that were divided by bookshelves I came across someone who was also in the library.
There was a blonde girl who was dressed as a witch.
I approached to ask her about the book as she picked up the book she dropped. She came with a big cloth bag where she was placing the books, so I figured she knew where to find the one I was looking for.
"Uhmm...hi." I said somewhat nervously.
"Oh, greetings!" The witch exclaimed in amazement.
"I'm looking for a specific book, I don't know if you could help me find it?" I asked her.
"Ah... I think I can help you. What's the book about?"
"You see, I'm looking for a book that can show me information about ancient Gensokyo and its iconic places." I explained.
"I see... a book about geography. Not my style, I just come here to borrow a few magic books." She said as she stuffed more books inside her bag.
"And would you know where I can find it?" I asked.
"Haven't you seen how huge this library is? It would take me ages to sift through so many books ze." Said the witch while pouting.
"Makes sense…" I said disappointed. "I think I'll get someone else, thanks!" I exclaimed as I ran off.
"Eh...? what a strange boy." Murmured the witch as she saw at me walk away.
I kept walking between the corridors that seemed to have no end. Until out of the corner of my eye I managed to see a person sitting at a desk reading a book.
I ran towards her to see if she could help me.
I rushed over to her desk.
"Hi! I need help finding a book." I said as I watched her read.
The girl stopped reading and looked me in the eyes.
She had long purple hair, and a mob cap with a small moon. She seemed to be wearing a dress that looked like light purple and white pajamas. She was also wearing glasses.
"Hey, who let you in here? Said the girl in an annoyed tone.
"Uh... no one, I guess." I said nervously.
She sighed and closed her book.
"I figured. But well, what do you need?"
"I'm looking for a book about ancient Gensokyo." I explained.
"Hmm... I don't remember reading something like that, but I think I know where there might be one." Said the girl as she stood up from her chair.
"Oh really? Thanks. I asked another girl who was around, but she said she only knew about magic books."
"Wait, someone else? Here?" said the librarian in confusion.
"Uh... yes, she was dressed as a witch and was arranging a few books in a cloth bag." I said somewhat curiously.
"That's already the third time this week she's broken in to steal!" Said the girl very annoyed.
We walked a few aisles and came upon the witch who was still there.
"Marisa! What do you think you're doing in MY library!" exclaimed the librarian angrily.
"Ohhh, Patchouli, good to see you." Said the witch smiling. "I'm borrowing some books hehe."
"You're not taking those books from here..." muttered the librarian.
Out of nowhere some magic circles appeared around the librarian as she opened a book.
Many many bullets of assorted colors and shapes started coming out of those circles, all aimed at the witch.
"Oh crap." said the witch with a worried expression. "I think it's time for me to go hehe."
She grabbed her bag and ran off as behind her came a broom flying at high speed. She jumped up and landed on the broom.
The bullets hit the shelves and the witch flew into a window high above the library.
"See ya Patchouli, I'll bring them back someday!" exclaimed the witch as she laughed.
The librarian dropped to the floor as she groaned.
"Ah... when will you learn to borrow things directly..." she said in a tired tone.
"Uhm.. are you okay?" I asked as I saw her on the floor.
"Yeah... I'm just a little tired, I don't usually run like this." She replied.
I helped her up and we walked back to her desk.
"By the way, who was she?" I asked full of curiosity.
"Ah... just a brat who likes to take everything she sees. We're both magicians, so we're interested in certain kinds of books, but Marisa doesn't even bother to ask before she steals those books."
"I see..." I muttered.
"I don't know why, but for some reason I think I've seen that witch before somewhere..."
"I've never seen you around here before, who might you be? The librarian asked.
"My name is Akumu. I came to this place by accident after trespassing the barrier without realizing it." I replied.
"A lost human, huh? May I ask why a lost human would be looking for a book about ancient Gensokyo? She said with intrigue.
"I need to locate a place in Gensokyo to help someone I met here."
"Hm.. I see. In that case I think this would be the right book." Said the girl bringing a book from one of the shelves floating towards her. "Here is a map showing Gensokyo from over a thousand years ago." She said as she pointed on a page to the map."
"Ohhh, thank you very much... uh.. what's your name?" I asked.
"My name is Patchouli Knowledge; I am a close friend of the owner of this mansion."
"Nice to meet you Patchouli." I replied smiling.
We walked over to her desk and she settled in to continue reading.
"Would it be okay if I take this book with me on my trip? I'll return it later." I said to Patchouli.
"Oh, sure. No problem as long as you return it." She said as she put her glasses back on.
"Understood, thank you very much!" I smiled gratefully.
I saw that there was another door at the end of the library, so I walked towards it with the book in my hand.
I opened the door and walked up a few stone stairs that led to another door. Opening it, I had reached another part of the mansion.
"Ah... good thing there wasn't another maze..." I said sighing.
I walked down one of the corridors, and as I looked towards one of the inner gardens, I could tell that it was already dark, it could perfectly well be midnight already.
"Hina should be very worried." I said with a nervous smile.
As I walked down the halls looking for the exit, I heard heels heading towards where I was. I stopped and tensed up a little.
At the end of the hallway I could see a girl approaching me. She had pale short light blue hair, a mob cap like Patchouli's and a light pink dress. She also appeared to have bat wings on her back.
She approached me and stared at me with intrigue.
"And who might you be? I've never seen you around here before."
I looked at her and replied somewhat nervously.
"M-My name is Akumu, I entered this mansion in search of a book, but I was just leaving ehh.. hehehehe..." I replied with a nervous smile trying to avoid her.
"I see…My name is Remilia Scarlet, and I am the owner of this huge mansion you see here." She said in a tone full of pride as she laughed.
I tried to avoid her and slink away.
"HEY! I'm not done with you!" She said annoyed as she stomped her foot.
She approached again.
"Since you trespassed into this mansion, from now on you will serve me as a butler. Sakuya could use some help that isn't from the maid fairies."
Butler? You've got to be kidding, I didn't come here for this.
"Sorry, I really don't have time to stay, I really have to go." I said nervously.
"Ah...? Are you trying to challenge me? She said while pouting. "But that's okay, if you want to leave so badly, you'll have to go over me. So I challenge you to a danmaku battle!" exclaimed the little mistress.
"Danmaku battle? I can't even shoot those strange bullets people use in here as far as I know...." I said to myself.
"See you on the mansion roof in an hour. I just got up and must go and have breakfast, see you later human." She said as she walked away with a proud laugh.
Breakfast? Isn't like midnight already?
"Anyhow, how I'm I supposed to get out of this…" I said sighing.