"東方鎮江市 ～ Sinking Hermetic Seal." ~ Full Script (English)

[ TOUHOU PROJECT DERIVATIVE WORK ]
[ ALSO INSPIRED BY TOUHOU HOUTENKYOU ]

This project is a work of fantasy.
All persons, places, and prospects involved are therefore fantastical as well.
Do not mistake it for actual history.

（とうほうしずえじ） / (Touhou Shizueji - Eastern Sinking River City)
東方鎮江市 ～ Sinking Hermetic Seal

With respects to Orihime, Hikoboshi, the Jade Emperor, and the folks behind Madoka Magica.
May the author and the reader's wishes all come true, as we watch the magpies' bridge...

---

東方鎮江市 ～ Sinking Hermetic Seal OST

Track List:
-
01. Sis Puella Fantasia!
02. Where the Sky and Sea Connect
03. Feather Mantle ~ Atmosphaera Advena
04. Deep in Green, Lacking in Red
05. Neither Internal Nor External
06. Hallway of Fallen Heroes
07. Anima Libum
08. Naive Humans and Foolish Youkai
09. An Unshakeable Dharmic Gate
10. Chorus of the Dragon Maidens
11. The Law of Ouroboros ~ Puella Lamia
12. The Devil Sealed Forever in the Temple
13. Inferno of the Yearning Star ~ Malefica Incendium
14. Requiem in Somnio
15. Our Cosmic Happily-Ever-After
16. Denouement for the Puella Magi ~ Take a Vow!
17. Pearl-Diving in a Quiet Sea
18. Jurassic Dragon
19. Magic License Agreement
20. Flying Sword of the Eight Immortals ~ ViPN
-

---

Prologue:

♪ 01. Sis Puella Fantasia!
Title Screen theme composed by: N/A

The weekend had finally arrived in Gensokyo.
Schoolchildren ran to their homes, and field workers retired from their posts, all awaiting the two-day respite that lay ahead of them.
For the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, the weekend meant one thing: Drinking party.
Reimu had been hosting small parties every so often as of late, mostly as a means of staving off boredom.
The dull lull between incidents was almost worse than the incidents themselves.

Marisa: "Maybe you need, like, a hobby or something...?"

Marisa was one of the first people to show up today.
She had caught on to the parties' true purpose a while ago, realizing that Reimu usually only organizes events for her own interests.
Instead of a moneymaking scheme or some sort of one-upping of her rivals, though, the intent here was much tamer, and as a result,
so were the festivities...

Sakuya: "Perhaps you could occupy yourself by actually getting together the elements needed to throw a party throughout the day?"
Reimu: "Could it be that the Scarlet Devil Mansions' cooks don't like local catering?"
Sakuya: "Not quite. They're just simply tired of delivering to the same place all the time.
I've brought champagne with me this time, as well as some rice and seafood tempura..."

Sakuya showed up as well.
Whether on orders of the vampire, or because she couldn't stand to see rushed celebrations unfold like crumpled paper, she too
had become a regular guest.

Marisa: "You've been going down to the village and stuff, right?"
Reimu: "More than I really should...
There aren't any youkai running amok there, and I've already /read/ all the good mystery novels at Suzunaan!"
Sakuya: "That sounds dire."
Marisa: "Humm...
I guess Tanabata's coming up. Have any plans for that?"
Reimu: "I don't wanna do what the Moriyas did and get the Jade Emperor on my ass for making too much of a fuss during Tanabata.
Excitement's one thing, but I don't want to be blessed with heavenly paperwork in the new year...!"
Marisa: "--Anyhoo, I'm sure you'll think of somethin'.
Don't let it get you down! This is a party after all, ain't it?"
Reimu: "That's true..."

And so the festivities commenced.
It was a good way to cap off the week, all things considered.
At some point, in a half-drunken stupor, Reimu rolled over onto her side, eyes cast towards the nighttime sky.
The stars seemed especially bright tonight.
Before she really knew what she was doing...

Reimu: "...Just give me something to do. Anything, really...
Send a mastermind my way, Heaven..."
Marisa: "Huuuh?! Y'say somethin', Reimers??"
Reimu: "Wha-- oh, uhm, nothing!"

A wish came and went, fleeting as a bug in the night.
By the time the party wound down and the horrors of cleanup showed their faces, Reimu had forgotten about her Faustian slip.

Evidently, someone hadn't.
Having gone to bed expecting to get away with waking up a little later than usual, Reimu was rather rudely snapped back to reality
with a splash of-- cold water??

Reimu: "PTOOE-- Eugh, ugh, what the hell?!"
Marisa: "'Morning, sleepyhead."
Reimu: "Marisa...
What you've done here today... won't ever be forgotten..."
Marisa: "Don't kill me over the water. You were gonna wash your face anyway, weren't ya?
I saved you the trouble of doin' it yourself."

Reimu reached for her gohei with lethal speed and intent.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, it eluded her grasp-- and fell into Sakuya's hands instead.

Sakuya: "Please don't go about getting blood all over the freshly cleaned floors.
Also, I think your fury would be better directed at something /else/ about right now."
Reimu: "There's no way."

Sakuya motioned for her to step outside.
What Reimu saw when she stepped out on the shrine's veranda...
...Was a massive column of water, stretching down from the sky and disappearing somewhere into the Bamboo Forest's treeline.
/That/ really woke her up.

The line that was drawn between Heaven and Earth, constructed from the liquid of life.
What would Reimu and company find within its... um, walls?
Hidden treasures? Forgotten monsters? Something to /do/ for once?
...The resolution to all their wishes, all their wildest dreams...?

--Within that structure, "it" continued to writhe and flail.

---

Difficulty Select

EASY - Anecdote Level
A difficulty that's easy to write off.
This is a good start if you're planning on working your way up to something great.

NORMAL - Local Folklore Level
A familiar difficulty that's the talk of the town.
You know it well enough to call it a friend.

HARD - Heroic Legend Level
A difficulty for the strongest of us.
If you clear this, you'll go down in history right next to the greats!

LUNATIC - Tragicomedy Level
A difficulty that's so miserable, you can't help but smile.
Play this if you want a good laugh.

---

Actor Select

-

Shrine Maiden Dreaming of Busy Skies
Reimu Hakurei (博麗 霊夢)

Species: Human
Ability: Capable of floating through the air

Our much-beloved and all-too-familiar Hakurei Shrine Maiden.
Having suffered long through a period of intense boredom, she's actually a little excited about a new incident
on the horizon. Not like she'd tell her enemies that.
On her way to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, she stopped by the Human Village to check in, and found out about a concerning
number of missing persons cases related to the Bamboo Forest that seemingly happened overnight.

Unfocused Shot: Desire Amulet
Focused Shot: Convincing Needle
Spell Card: Dream Sign "Dream Resealing"
Last Wish: Dream Unbound "Everday-Life Balance of Humans and Youkai"

-

Ordinary Magician Wishing Upon Stars
Marisa Kirisame (霧雨 魔理沙)

Species: Human
Ability: Capable of using magic

A human magician with a penchant for pilfering.
As usual, she's solving the incident alongside her colleagues.
Her biggest concern regarding this incident is getting inside the waterspout without getting absolutely soaked.
Thinking of this, she switched on a mode of her mini-Hakkero that she hadn't used in quite some time.

Unfocused Shot: Fantasia Laser
Focused Shot: Cocytus Inferno
Spell Card: Love Sign "Andromeda Cannon"
Last Wish: Burning Love "Warm the Hearts of Frozen People"

-

Perfect Maid Hoping for a Swift Resolution
Sakuya Izayoi (十六夜 咲夜)

Species: Human
Ability: Capable of manipulating time

The head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and servant to one Remilia Scarlet.
Before going out to resolve the incident, she first checked in with her master back at home.
Perhaps due to her innate hatred of running water, the vampire declared the pillar of water an eyesore,
and commanded Sakuya to dispose of it as soon as possible.

Unfocused Shot: Wuthering Blades
Focused Shot: Twin Blades "Pride" & "Prejudice"
Spell Card: Time Sign "Perfect Internal Clock"
Last Wish: Timeless "Everything Becomes Still"

-

---

ACT ONE ~ Freya in a Foreign Land
Youkai Trail

♪ 02. Where the Sky and Sea Connect
Act 1 theme composed by: N/A

The morning sky was plenty bright today.
A light fog hung over the Youkai Trail, as it tends to do during summer.
Among the waxen hues, the scattering of white down was hardly noticable...
...Until it flew right into our heroes' faces.

[ Hard, Lunatic ]
Feather Sign "Feather Dance"

---

♪ 03. Feather Mantle ~ Atmosphaera Advena
Tsurumi Sorazaki's theme composed by: N/A

Tsurumi: "Aha! Earthling spotted!"
Reimu: "What? Another alien?
You're, uh, /really/ early."
Tsurumi: "Is there not a Terran saying about this very situation?
'The early bird gets the worm,' or so I am told!"
Reimu: "And I suppose I'm the worm in this scenario?"
Tsurumi: "You do live in the ground, don't you?
Coupled with your outfit, I say the comparison's more than apt!"
Reimu: "Ah, but there's also another Terran saying.
'The small fry always gather around the start,' right?"
Reimu: "You really should've shown up later!"

[ Easy, Normal ]
Feather Sign "Crane Eclosion"
Wing Sign "Soundspeed Flier"

[ Hard, Lunatic ]
Feather Sign "Tsurumetamorphosis"
Wing Sign "Lightspeed Flier"

[ Last Wish ]
Lost Wings "Crane's Request of a Favor"

---

Act 1 Boss - Swan-Maiden Dreaming of Heaven
Tsurumi Sorazaki (空崎 つるみ)

Species: Magical girl (Alien)
Ability: Capable of manipulating feathers

An alien who crash-landed on this fine little blue planet.
Her Galactic Hagoromo (space shuttle) was destroyed in the landing, and its Universal Core (warp drive)
was even stolen by a belligerent earthling. Honestly!
Fortunately, she happened across something that could grant her a new set of wings... at an unspecified cost.

Having committed the entire contract to memory, Tsurumi remembered that her new wings
would grow more powerful the more "enemies" she took down.
...So she's just been wandering around Gensokyo, challenging and beating up strangers,
while hoping she also finds the person who stole her warp drive.
Maybe someday she'll reach a double-digit level count from all this XP grinding.

---

ACT TWO ~ Even Though the Way Out is Lost
Bamboo Forest of the Lost - ???

♪ 04. Deep in Green, Lacking in Red
Act 2 theme composed by: N/A

Of course, even after all this time, the Bamboo Forest still had zero road signs.
Even familiar landmarks could not be trusted in here.
Perhaps if you walked in a straight line, you could end up back where you started,
but today, that no longer seemed to be the case...

[ Easy, Normal ]
IN Sign "Walking Down a Wicked Road"

[ Hard, Lunatic ]
IN Sign "Walking the Hermit's Road"

---

♪ 05. Neither Internal Nor External
Bokuko Byousen's theme composed by: N/A

Marisa: "Man, I really am lost."
Marisa: "...Well, I know, I know, 's in the name of the forest and all,
but /this/ is a whole 'nother level of being lost!"
Marisa: "Don't even recognize most of the plants 'round here anymore..."
Bokuko: "Ahh, could it be?
That the magicians of today have forgotten the names of the mystical zhi?"
Marisa: "Naw, hold it right there, I know the Five Essentials!
Shiitake, bamboo shoots, carrots, chicken, and rice..."
Marisa: "Stir that together, and you've got somethin' way better than
mercury soup."
Bokuko: "Death by clogged arteries at 38."
Marisa: "C'mon!!"

[ Easy, Normal ]
OUT Sign "Crucible Cooker"
IN Sign "Silmarils Mandala"
Roundabout "Qi Circulator"

[ Hard, Lunatic ]
Waidan "Over-the-Counter Penglai Pills"
Neidan "Three Treasures -Sanyuan Alchemy-"
Dantian "Chakra-Go-Round"

[ Last Wish ]
Ancient Alchemy "A Great Mystery, Now and Forever"

---

Act 2 Boss - Great Mystery of Sanyuan
Bokuko Byousen (鮑仙 樸子)

Species: Physician
Ability: Capable of manipulating "in" and "out"

An old-fashioned alchemist.
She's a Taoist and a hermit at heart, but focuses more on the elixirs and meditation rather than all the cool
flying-around-and-shooting-lasers stuff most Gensokyo residents use Taoism for.
This is not to say she doesn't indulge in the latter at all, though.

Some sort of disturbance was happening on the surface. Right outside the entrance to her senkai, as a matter of fact.
She went up to the surface to investigate, and to see if she couldn't show off a little by trying to solve the incident.
Unfortunately, the crowd she had gathered to watch the grand unveiling of "whats-behind-the-water-curtain" was disappointed
when Bokuko couldn't open it. (It didn't really have an "in" or an "out," so...)
Desperate to prove she wasn't a fraud, and quite peeved at the reactions of the insolent humans watching,
she hurredly swapped around the "IN" and "OUT" functions of a bunch of nearby paths, gates, and exits.
As a result, a lot of people got turned-around, displaced, and generally lost in the woods.
...Including Bokuko herself.

Rumor has it that, when all this is said and done, she's thinking of setting up a rival pharmacy near the Yagokoro clinic.

---

ACT THREE ~ Condemnations of the Ten Courts of Purgatory
Bamboo Forest of the Lost - Outside the Pillar of Water

♪ 06. Hallway of Fallen Heroes
Act 3 theme composed by: N/A

As long as they do not stray from the path of righteousness, heroes will live on forever as heroes.
The very same can be said for these magical girls.
But, should heroes fall from grace and descend into madness and debauchery, they are then reviled and scorned.
...Could the same be said for these magical girls?

[ Easy, Normal ]
Substitution "Mannequin Hands"

[ Hard, Lunatic ]
Substitution "Wuguan Idol"

---

♪ 07. Anima Libum
Tansa Kazan theme composed by: N/A

Sakuya: "That body back there was falling apart at the seams.
It's a miracle it was even able to move without collapsing."
Tansa: "Ah found a live one!"
Tansa: "Say, you're a pretty thing.
But how much of that is just cosmetics, ah wonder...?"
Sakuya: "My thanks for the compliment. I'm afraid I only use eyeliner and blush, though."
Tansa: "Woah! So, that's gotta be, like, 80% /natural/ beauty?!"
Tansa: "Ah, er, how much did you say was yer market value?"
Sakuya: "I'm both priceless and not for sale.
These limbs of mine are already sworn to another vampire's possession."
Tansa: "...Just now, y' said something really weird, didn't you, lass..."
Tansa: "Ahh, whatever! If there ain't a price, howsabout a trade?
These stiff, rotting, clearance-sale limbs for yours! Ah dare say it's a steal, guahaha!!"

[ Easy, Normal ]
Substitution "An Eye for an Eye"
Substitution "Forehead Plating"
Substitution "DIY Corpse Liberation"

[ Hard, Lunatic ]
Substitution "Glass Eye Roulette"
Substitution "Jiang-Shiwen"
Substitution "The Shikaisen Who Used Her Own Corpse"

[ Last Wish ]
Autopsy "Cause of Death: Open-Soul Transplant"

---

Act 3 Boss - The Flower Grafted to a Dying Tree
Tansa Kazan (華山 たんさ)

Species: Witch (Jiang-shi)
Ability: Capable of mix-and-matching her own body parts

Should one of these "magical girls" lose sight of the path of righteousness, and descend down that dark road,
they become known as "witches" instead.
Tansa here is one such example.
After using her powers for petty gains like cosmetic surgery and soul transplants, she became rotten inside and out,
turning into a jiang-shi.
The contractor she had been borrowing the power of vanished, and she was left empty inside.
To keep her joints oiled, she siphoned magical energy from her surroundings and other people,
and when that energy fizzled out in the Outside World, she lumbered her way into Gensokyo.

Recently, it appears she's been trying to regain the favor of her former contractor.
She knew of the importance that the temple had to them, and has been guarding it from intruders.
The presence of the sudden curtain of water lowering around the temple didn't seem to disturb her, though,
and she's actually been using it as a way of washing off her clothes.

---

ACT FOUR ~ The Legend of Longyou Temple
Milky Way Temple - Outer Hallways

♪ 08. Naive Humans and Foolish Youkai
Act 4 theme composed by: N/A

Behind the curtain of water laid a holy temple.
Was this simply the fantastic side of a venerated structure, or the true nature of the realistic side?
Caught between the fantasies of the past and the future, it existed in equilibrium,
containing bygone wishes and faraway hopes at the same time...

[ Easy, Normal ]
Qing Sign "Mirrors of the Past and Future"

[ Hard, Lunatic ]
Qing Sign "Bronze Mirror Tower"

---

Act 4 & 5 Midboss - Vigilante of the Emei Sect
Kosei Fukushuu (福酒 こせい)

Species: Magical girl (Fish spirit)
Ability: Capable of channeling retribution and turning it into spiritual power

A fish spirit who gained a humanoid form via a wish.
Because the wish was centered around the sake of someone else, and because that very same someone saved her from eternity as a witch,
she feels a passive compulsion to stay by her side at all times.
She has a very clear-cut sense of right and wrong, and cuts down her foes with extreme prejudice.
She's the spitting image of a chivalrous knight, in that regard.
(And, in other regards, the spitting image of a little mermaid...)

There's a sense of reluctance and urgency about her today, which is why she doesn't stop to initiate a full fight with the heroines.
Perhaps she's not a hundred-percent certain about her senior's mission?

---

♪ 09. An Unshakeable Dharmic Gate
Houkai Zendera theme composed by: N/A

Houkai: "Halt."
Houkai: "As abbot of this temple, I must gauge your intent here before you proceed.
Are you here to enter into the priesthood?"
Reimu: "Ha! You wish.
I'm actually here to catch a culprit."
Reimu: "Considering this place is smack-dab in the middle of that /giant waterfall,/
I'm pretty sure I'll find whoever's behind it in here!"
Houkai: "Your intuition is not misguided. The culprits you seek are indeed here."
Reimu: "Culprit/s/?"
Houkai: "There are several forces at play behind this incident.
They lie deeper in the heart of this temple-- within the Labyrinth that recently formed in the inner chambers."
Reimu: "Oh, really? Thanks for the directions, ma'am.
Now, if you don't mind letting me scoot past--"
Houkai: "Ah, but I cannot simply let you go."
Houkai: "They'll be furious with me if they hear I willingly let you pass.
I'll have to put up some kind of struggle. Make a show out of you defeating me."
Houkai: "How does that sound?"
Reimu: "A little convoluted, but okay.
I don't wanna bruise you up too bad-- How much are we holding back here?"
Houkai: "Hmm? Who said anything about holding back?"

[ Easy, Normal ]
Gate Sign "Dual Guhyapāda-Nārāyaṇa Breathing"
Four Heavenly Kings "East & West: Dhṛtarāṣṭra & Virūpākṣa"
Founders' Hall "Wanshou Palace Record"
Dharmic Power "Cishou Pagoda Suppression"

[ Hard ]
Gate Sign "Vajrapāni Crusher"
Four Heavenly Kings "North & South: Vaiśravaṇa & Virūḍhaka"
Founders' Hall "Shenxiao Yuqing Wanshou Palace"
Dharmic Power "Leifeng Pagoda Suppression"

[ Lunatic ]
Shanmen "Heng-Ha NEO"
Hall Sign "Front & Back: Maitreya & Skanda"
Gatha "A Quick Summoning of Abbot Foyin"
Dharmapala "Three Pagodas for Three Demons"

[ Last Wish ]
Guardian Priest "Warden of the Milky Way Stupa"

---

Act 4 Boss - Shenxiao Spirit Medium
Houkai Zendera (禅寺 法海)

Species: Monk
Ability: Capable of suppressing demons

The abbot of the Milky Way Temple, and formerly the sole sentient habitant of it.
Long ago, she witnessed a young couple's love first blossom near the waters of a great lake.
Seeing as it was a romance between humans and youkai, she attempted to intervene, thinking that the human might be in danger,
but was effortlessly brushed off by both of them.
At the same time, a friend of theirs, and another resident of that same lake, Kosei,
made a contract with some otherworldly force, and gained incredible power as a result.
Houkai grew suspicious of this newfound power, too, and of the fact that Kosei refused to divulge details of the deal.

Not long afterwards, Kosei seemed to go headlong into a downward spiral, and transformed into a monstrous creature known as a "witch."
Among the chaos and conflict, only Houkai noticed the sudden appearance of the magical girls' mysterious benefactors.
Then, all at once, the true nature of the magical girl program became clear to her.
Acting quickly, she sealed the snake spirit beneath a massive pagoda, in order to conceal her existence from the contractors.

Unfortunately, they had already seized the human.
While the contractors were fussing over "power output levels" and "emotional energy," Houkai spoke up,
offering to use her temple as a holding grounds for the hostage, thinking there might be a way for her to keep this situation under careful
supervision.
A deal was struck, and a "hidden interior" of the temple was created.
A fantastic side of the structure.
The "Milky Way Temple."
There, in the center of the facility, the hostage lay in suspended animation, surrounded by incomprehensible equipment meant to
harness and chart her power.
Houkai had no idea what to do at this point, so she simply went about her daily routine once more.
Waiting for a sign from the hostage, or an opening to act.

...Eventually, the "Legend of the White Snake" passed into fantasy.
Houkai awoke one morning to find an unfamiliar landscape around the temple.
Gone was the lake, and in its place, bamboo tall and thick enough to rival the Great Wall in terms of defense.

Would the hostage's liberation finally be at hand?
Houkai had no choice but to wait and see.

---

ACT FIVE ~ What Makes the World Go Round
Milky Way Temple - Inner Hallways (Labyrinthized)

♪ 10. Chorus of the Dragon Maidens
Act 5 theme composed by: N/A

Indeed, "hope" is a tangible thing for all beings.
Any given persons' store of it fluctuates over their lifetime, and can sometimes dwindle away into nothing.
But even when all hope seems lost...
Never forget that there is someone out there, fighting for you.

Kosei: "Ugh! Do you really need to keep interrupting us??
What we're doing here is none of your business!"
Marisa: "Can't help it, sorry. 'm a nosy person!"
Kosei: "Then I suppose I'll have to stave off your curiosity with even more force!"

[ Easy, Normal ]
Spirit Reflection "Convincing Cutter" (Reimu)
Magic Reflection "Fantasia Fencer" (Marisa)
Time Reflection "Wuthering Sands" (Sakuya)

[ Hard, Lunatic ]
Blue Spirit "Goujian Dueling" (Reimu)
Blue Magic "Fuchai Jousting" (Marisa)
Blue Time "Mirror of the Present, Too" (Sakuya)

---

♪ 11. The Law of Ouroboros ~ Puella Lamia
Oshiro Shizume theme composed by: N/A

Sakuya: "The further I go, the messier these halls become...
Did I take a wrong turn somewhere?"
Oshiro: "No, you're definitely going the right way!"
Oshiro: "Further along this path is the heart of the Labyrinth.
There, we'll find the 'final boss!'"
Sakuya: "'We?' Are you also here to resolve the incident?"
Oshiro: "Um, in a way, I suppose so!"
(Though I might have caused part of it...)
Oshiro: "My name is Oshiro Shizume.
The person trapped within this maze is a girl I deeply care about."
Oshiro: "I know she didn't want any of this to happen.
She's been alone for so long, swamped in her own feelings, too far deep to ever see the light above the water's surface."
Oshiro: "And I...
I want to bring that light back to her. That's all."
Sakuya: "Oh my."
Oshiro: "...So, please forgive me, Izayoi-san, but I can't allow you to reach her first!!"

[ Easy, Normal ]
White Curtain "Weaver Girl Veiling"
Star Sign "Lobster Nebula"
Keystone Sign "Sacred Bricks of Leifeng"
Snake "Hoop Snake Theorem"
Celestial Bridge "Broken Ame-no-Ukihashi"

[ Hard ]
White Curtain "Loom of Wakahiruhime"
Star Sign "War and Peace Nebula"
Keystone Sign "Leifeng Collapse"
Snake "Midgard Serpent Hypothesis"
Cosmic Bridge "Celestial Ford's Magpie Bridge"

[ Lunatic ]
White Curtain Fire "Mastermind Weaving"
Galaxy "Sushen Nebula"
Sinkhole "Namazu-Type Soil Liquefaction"
Constriction "All-Encompassing Law of Cycles"
Fantasy Bridge "Ferrying the Milky Way"

[ Last Wish ]
Gathering Dreams "Refilling of the Wish-Filament Arrow Quiver"

---

Act 5 Boss - The Star-Crossing Lover
Oshiro Shizume (鎮女 おしろ)

Species: Magical girl (White snake)
Ability: Capable of granting happy endings

An exceptionally powerful snake youkai.
Once upon a time, she fell in love with a human being.
This human, unlike many others of the time, was completely fearless in the face of hardship.
She fought for what she believed in, defused conflicts with an experienced hand, and had an air of mystery around her
that seemed to invite people to take a closer look at who she was.
Oshiro quickly fell head-over-heels, hook, line, and sinker for a person like this.

Then, just as quickly, she was torn away from her.
Oshiro's sworn sister-in-arms, Kosei, had developed a grudge in secret, and it festered into a catalyst for her metamorphosis
into a witch.
Before she knew what was happening, though, Oshiro had already become sealed beneath a great pagoda.

Then, after many long years, the pagoda caved in.
It wasn't so much the crumbling of the pagoda that unsealed her-- rather, its collapse represented a mental liberation.
Even if the seal had become defunct years ago, Oshiro could have stayed there forever had something like this not woken her up.

When she ventured out of the ruins, the world she saw around her had greatly changed.
Familiar landmarks had been reconfigured or paved over entirely. The abbot at the temple was someone different.
Above all else, the wonder, fantasy, and romance of the past had nearly completely faded away.
Oshiro sensed she was soon to fade as well.
Considering her situation, and despairing over the unknown fates of her past friends, she sought out the contractors with a wish of
her own in mind.

"...I wish for the power to give all magical girls, everywhere, their happy ending.
That's the least they deserve..."

Since then, she has operated as a curtain-call for magical girls at the end of their ropes.
Because of the nature of her wish, her powers change depending on whoever she's saving at the moment.
Capable of severing the tie between magical girl and contractor, she shoulders their burdens, neutralizing witches
and taking their remains to a peaceful "other world."
A psychopomp for the puella magi.
To this end, she was hailed as a deity among the magical girls, and thought of as a force of nature by their contractors.

Eventually, as the number of remaining magical girls in the Outside World began to dwindle,
Oshiro felt herself slowly begin to fade away, too.
It was then that her dear old friend, Kosei, intervened with something to say.

"There's still someplace you haven't looked, you know?
I know there's also someone /you're/ still looking for."
"I just heard about this place called 'Gensokyo.'
If there's anywhere /she'd/ be, it's there."

And, with these brief words...
Oshiro allowed herself to hold a little hope again.
The hope that maybe her story hadn't quite ended yet.

---

ACT SIX ~ A City Sunken Deep into Fantasy
Labyrinth - ???

♪ 12. The Devil Sealed Forever in the Temple
Act 6 theme composed by: N/A

In the depths of the earth, a primordial fire burns.
At long last, it has boiled over, aiming to consume everything in sight.
This fire will continue to burn, regardless of any attempt made to contain or extinguish it.
...Perhaps it has to be reminded of what first caused its spark.

[ Easy, Normal ]
Lost Sign "Hole in the Human Settlement"

[ Hard ]
Lost Souls "Deviling Away"

[ Lunatic ]
"Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here"

---

Act 6 Midboss(es?) - Missing People
Background Human Souls (魂雑魚)

Species: Spirit(s)
Ability: Capable of getting lost

The poor souls of ordinary humans who got sucked into the Labyrinth.
They march to the beat of a deafening drum.
In exchange for their freedom, you must pay the piper.

---

♪ 13. Inferno of the Yearning Star ~ Malefica Incendium
Senka Ichirou theme composed by: N/A

Reimu: "...This is as far as the path goes."
Reimu: "So within the water was a temple... within the temple was a maze...
Within the maze was a city, and within the city..."
Senka: "Here sits an egg."
Senka: "This egg will not hatch through outside force.
The chick inside must be the one to puncture the shell."
Senka: "Because there is nobody else around to free her.
Because the only person she can count on is herself."
Reimu: "Oh, I know this one.
Who laid the egg, then?"
Senka: "What? What are you saying?
Nobody laid the egg! It has been here since time immemorial."
Reimu: "That answer doesn't make any sense.
The chicken laid the egg, obviously."
Reimu: "Something got you in here, at least.
You had a life before being sealed away."
Senka: "I have already forsaken it."
Senka: "Thousands of years of evolution, and this is the end result.
This is my highest high, and my lowest low!"
Senka: "...You're the first person that's come here who hasn't fallen under my spell.
Why is that?"
Reimu: "Good genes? Divine blessings?"
Reimu: "You ought to take that as a sign.
I'm the Hakurei Shrine Maiden of Gensokyo, the miko (magical girl) who silences (defeats) even crying children! (witches)"
Reimu: "Seeing as you seem to be a big crybaby yourself, this should be a piece of cake."
Senka: "Mgh... is that so?
You certainly have a strong conviction."
Senka: "Pray tell, how much of that is just bravado?
When the chips are down, when you've forgotten who you are, will your spirit remain the same?"
Reimu: "Even if you mess with my mind, there's certain basic facts (tropes) that can't be ignored in this world!"
Reimu & Senka: "You are /definitely/ a demon (final boss)! It's my job to suppress (defeat) you!"
"Toil in oblivion, scarlet caterpillar! Down here in the deep, all of us are lost!"

[ Easy, Normal ]
Comedy "Slapstick Humor"
Tragedy "Starry Eyes and Feeble Hearts"
History "Classic of Magic and Monsters"
Musical "21-Cannon Salute"
Drama "Grief Seed Sowing"
Theater "Illusory Qixi Festival"

[ Hard ]
Comedy "Humor in Pain"
Tragedy "Falling Stars and Broken Hearts"
History "Redacted Fantasy Documents"
Musical "Cannonball Dirge"
Drama "Doubt Seed Sowing"
Theater "Eternal Qixi Festival"

[ Lunatic ]
Comoedia "Theater of the Absurd"
Tragoedia "Apocalypse Catharsis"
Historia "Magi Occulto"
Musaeus "Danmaku Arpeggio"
Drama "Discord Overflow"
Arena "Self-Fulfilling Qixi Cycle"

---

Act 6 Boss - Samsahara Sands' Hourglass
Senka Ichirou (市朗 せんか)

Species: Witch (Hermit)
Ability: (As a witch) Capable of creating and manipulating closed circuits
(Normally) Capable of seeing into her past lives

She was once an ordinary person.
Seeing the fantastic power of the sorcerers and monsters of her time, she longed for a chance to join their ranks.
Then, the person she idolized the most fell in a great battle.
Mourning, cursing her own perceived weakness, so steeped in misery was she that when a contractor came around,
offering her the chance to make anything she desired come true, she didn't even hesitate to read the fine print.

"...I want to try again!
Let me have a second try! Please, just give me the power to save her..."

The price she paid for this wish was a guaranteed unhappy ending.

This was around 12,000 years ago.
Since then, in each reincarnation, she has been born as an extraordinary person who knew more than they should.
Over eons, her heart became closed-off and cold, rarely showing warmth unless absolutely necessary.
She was, of course, dedicated to a single task, and could not truly rest until it was done.
"Save her."
Make a world where both of them can live happily together.
And over and over and over did she fail at this. Each time, she walked away with more experience, but it never seemed to be enough.
She began to wonder if the price she paid for this wish was infinite guaranteed unhappy endings.

"Oshiro."
That was the name of her soulmate's reincarnation in this life.
She herself was named "Senka." This time, the divide between them was one between humans and youkai.
Like every attempt before, she resolved that /this time/ would be the one where she succeeded.

At some point she was taken out of Samsara entirely, and placed in an artificial Nirvana.
The Milky Way Temple kept her in suspended animation, feeding off of the slumbering power of countless past lives still flowing
through her body.
Even in this state, Senka was semi-conscious; just enough to think, at least, but not enough to reason.

"Where did I go wrong? When did I go wrong?"
"Was I doomed from the start?"
"Could it ever have gone /right?/"
A horrible sense of futility began to brew in her semi-conscious mind.
"That's right, it was all useless. How pointless. How utterly stupid."
So, when she finally snapped awake one day out of the blue, she found her hopes already eroded away.
Only one desire was left among them.
"It's all futile anyway, isn't it?
We're all in this miserable world together.
If my power is truly too weak to save anyone, then let me prove it.
I'll burn it all away, and turn this wretched planet into one big stageplay, where failure is the only thing playing!!"

"Then, maybe... I'll finally have some control over my life..."

---

???: "Honestly, Senka-chan...
Self-sufficiency is a noble trait and all, but this..."
Senka: "?!
O-Oshiro??"

♪ 14. Requiem in Somnio
Oshiro & Senka's Last Spell theme composed by: N/A

Oshiro: "Humans and youkai aren't meant to be solitary creatures."
Oshiro: "Humans, at least, grow stronger in groups, where they entrust one another with anything.
Youkai, too, are born from the fear of other beings, and rely on others to sustain them."
Oshiro: "That's why, if we try to shoulder all our problems by ourselves...
We'll just end up crushed."
Oshiro: "I don't want that to happen to you, Senka-chan!"
Senka: "Oshiro..."
Senka: "I- I'm so sorryyy!!
I wasn't-- I couldn't-- I don't--"
Senka: "...Why did you come back?"
Oshiro: "We've both come so far, haven't we?
But our story hasn't ended yet."
Senka: "...Haha. We both wished for the same thing, didn't we?"
Oshiro: "It looks like we did."
Oshiro: "Now, how about we make these wishes of ours come true?"
Senka: "But... the seal...
Oshiro, I don't think we can break it by ourselves!"
Oshiro: "Right. We're both 'magical girls...'
But the girl in front of us isn't, right?"
Oshiro: "You there! Magical-- no, fantastical girl!
We're counting on you to break the seal! With my blessings--"
Senka: "--and with mine, too... you just might be able to..."
Senka: "...Alright!
Child of fantasy, we lend thee our power!"
Oshiro & Senka: "Bring this tale to a close!!"

[ Last Wish ]
"Shatter the Hermetic Seal!"

---

Ending:

♪ 15. Our Cosmic Happily-Ever-After
Ending theme composed by: N/A

...The Hakurei Shrine, the night after the incident.
The seal on the Milky Way Temple had been shattered. The hostage, held there for centuries, had finally been liberated...
...And was currently making an absolute mess of the shrine.

Senka: "Ossshiiiroohh... Osssshiroooo...
Don't... don' ever leeave me again like that, y'hearh??"
Oshiro: "I only got up to use the bathroom!
...Gosh, you really can be a sad drunk, huh...? Come here, come here..."
Senka: "Euuuughh... *sob sob*"
Oshiro: "I could never abandon you. In fact, I'll prove it!
Let me just wrap my tail arou--"
Reimu: "Just so you guys know, we /are/ all still here."
Marisa: "Shhh!! Jeez-us, Reimu, you can't just interrupt these things...!"

Reimu was holding another party. The usual post-incident celebration.
Out of all the people who showed up to this one, Senka was definitely drinking the hardest.
Close behind her, though, in second place...

Kosei: "No, no, she's right. This is the shrine maiden's house, no?
Can't you two hold the PDA for later? Or at least- *cough* -do it outside?"
Marisa: "Gaah, you too? T' think someone from a love story would be so cold-hearted...
Hey, if you're worried about bein' left out, I could--"
Kosei: "Death by a thousand cuts in two seconds."
Marisa: "You gotta be kiddin' me."
Sakuya: "Status update!"

Sakuya suddenly appeared. Not uncommon for a girl like her.

Sakuya: "The pillar of water has dispersed. The youkai sages have mended the hole in the Barrier where all the water was coming from."
Reimu: "Ahh, some good news!
Hey, everyone, listen up!"
Reimu: "I declare this incident officially resolved!!"

A loud cheer went up from those attending the shrine's party.
Senka and Oshiro, whose mouths were each occupied with the other's, broke apart momentarily to cheer as well.
Even Kosei, who was just relieved to hear the words "resolved," threw her hands up in celebration.

All in all, the happy couple's promised happy ending was finally achieved.
For our heroines, though, this stage of the incident was only a brief respite.
Reimu knew in her heart that she would eventually have to go looking for who-- or /what/-- caused the hole in the first place.
...Until then, though?
She felt it was alright to celebrate the little things.

ENDING 02 ~ An Ending, No Matter How You Slice It
Congratulations on finishing the main story!
If you wish for an encore, you must read the next chapter.

---

Epilogue:

♪ 01. Sis Puella Fantasia!
Title Screen theme composed by: N/A

When they awoke the morning after the post-incident celebration, and after their hangovers had dispersed,
our three heroines set out again.

Sakuya: "Continuing off of what I said last night...
Though the sages closed the hole, they were unable to catch the perpretrator."
Reimu: "Any real reason why?"
Sakuya: "I believe they called the person responsible 'slippery.'"
Marisa: "Somethin' hard to get ahold of?
Wanna bet it's, like, a prehistoric slug youkai, or somethin'?"
Reimu: "Where in the world did you get that idea?"
Marisa: "Just takin' an educated guess..."
Sakuya: "Then I'm afraid you need more of an education."
Reimu: "Hoooh, tell us something we don't know!"
Marisa: "I don't hear any of YOU guys comin' up with any predictions!!"

The three of them reached the rendevouz point, where they found the Milky Way Temple's abbot, Houkai Zendera, standing alone.
She informed them of the situation.
Evidently, after the seal was shattered and Senka was rescued, all the water from the surrounding column had funneled into the temple,
flooding it thoroughly.
The situation seemed urgent, so Reimu and co. didn't prod much further, and went on ahead-- not before Houkai blessed them with the ability
to breathe underwater. Somehow. Something to do with suppressing the air itself...

Something that passed in and out of even the hands of Gensokyo's Sages.
Somebody who could puncture through the barrier from the Outside.
Was this another invader from the modern Outside World, or actually a remnant of the distant past?
Only the newly-formed artificial ocean, inside of the artificial temple, held the answers they sought.

---

ENCORE UNLOCKED!

Difficulty Select:

ENCORE - Reinterpretation Level
A difficulty that draws from one source and makes something new.
Intended for creative minds and obsessive dreamers.

---

ENCORE ~ A History Running Deeper than Dragon Veins
Milky Way Temple - Flooded

♪ 17. Pearl-Diving in a Quiet Sea
Encore Theme composed by: N/A

Though the water flowing before was freshwater, it has since turned saline.
The primordial sea, where the first organisms lived and died, was entirely out-of-place in a sterilized environment like a holy temple.
The deeper you go, the further back in time you look, tracing the royal lineage of life itself...
...Back to the former rulers of a bygone Earth.

Tansa: "Tah-dah! Ah'm all better now!
My natural hardiness an' Oshiro-san's powers combined, allowing me t' be reborn as a real magical girl!"
Tansa: "Adapting on the fly's the only way to live, y'know?
If ah need new ideas, I swap out my heart! If ah need t' breathe underwater, ah take the lungs of a fish!"
Tansa: "--Ah also heard there were some /dragon bones/ or somethin' at the bottom of this temple,
so ah'll be takin' those too!!"

[ Encore ]
Substitution "Backup Parts Worth an Arm and a Leg"
Substitution "Jiang-Shijie"
Vermillion Sword "Kazanmaru -Bold Yet Cautious, Wise Yet Direct-"

---

Encore Midboss - A Splendidly-Blooming Langgan Tree
Tansa Kazan (華山 たんさ)

Species: Magical girl (Hermit)
Ability: Capable of mix-and-matching her own body parts

After everything was said and done in the main story, Oshiro went around Gensokyo to search for other witches.
Already being nearby, Tansa was among the first to be rescued.
Having joined Oshiro's party, she was tasked with... uh, keeping watch of the temple. The same thing she was doing before.
I suppose the unchanging is baked into the hermits' way...

---

♪ 18. Jurassic Dragon
Hinoe Goutatsu theme composed by: N/A

Marisa: "Yoo-hoo~ Secret mastermiiind~
We've got the temple surrounded!"
Marisa: "Don't go takin' that as grounds for surrender, though!
I wanna get a chance t' see what you're made of."
Hinoe: "If it's a duel you seek, then a duel ye shall recieve."
Hinoe: "You stand before Hinoe of the Goutatsu Family!
We were once the royals of a bygone Earth."
Hinoe: "Now that the age of dinosaurs has ended, and mammals rule the world,
we have taken on the identity of 'dragons,' and integrated into your worldly faiths."
Marisa: "Hold on, WHAT?!
I mean, it makes sense... can't spell 'kyouryuu' without 'ryuu'..."
Marisa: "Wait, ain't this just what Kourin was talkin' about?"
Hinoe: "Hmm? Someone who knows of our ancient plight?
Well, that's something for me to ask about /after/ our battle."
Hinoe: "I see no reason to delay any further!
Have at thee, maiden of the modern age!"
Marisa: "You really don't mess around, do you? I can respect that!
Let's see if I can't blast the dust outta yer joints, you literal dinosaur!"

[ Encore ]
Rainwater "Water Permeating Through the Firmament"
Conduit "Gargoyle's Pipes"
Sprinkler "Dragon Lights Over the Bay"
Great Sea "Magu's Mulberry Fields"
Fossils "Dragon Stones of Maotianshan"
Undulation "Dragonscale Pattern"
Swordsmanship "Anomalokopis"
Swordsmanship "Blade Whorl"
Swordsmanship "Perforare Finale"
"Eastern Illusory Sea"

[ Last Wish ]
Great Bridge "Magpie Charon"

---

Encore Boss - Dinosaur King of the East Sea
Hinoe Goutatsu (敖龙 火之江)

Species: Dracosaur
Ability: Capable of manipulating leakage

The current head of the Goutatsu family, who are the descendants of dinosaurs forced into the seas
to avoid extinction millions of years ago.
As the original rulers of Earth, they don't think kindly of most mammals, who laid claim to the planet
and soiled it in the dinosaurs' absence.
However, even more than mammals, they loathe the extraterrestrials who created and promoted them.

All too familiar with the aliens' schemes, Hinoe has been looking to pull a win over on them for ages.
With the gradual dwindling of spiritual power in the Outside World, she knew they would have to either
create or flee to a safe place where they could continue their operations. A secret base of sorts.
In particular, she took notice of them moving the Milky Way Temple, one of their most highly prized creations,
into a place called "Gensokyo."
She was passively aware of the temple's history, so, taking this as a sign to act, she reached out to Kosei,
who she knew had a link to Oshiro-- the greatest ally Hinoe could get in this long-standing ancient rivalry.
She notified them of the temple's relocation, and even offered to find the two a way into Gensokyo,
which ended up being a very noticeable funnel-hole that she poked all the way through the Barrier.
From there, she figured they had it handled.

Later, she decided to check in with them at the temple, but found it completely vacated.
After spending a while poking around the interior, she heard some commotion outside, and realized that some challengers
were heading her way.
Humans, from the sounds of it.
Even if they weren't her main target anymore, they might make for some good practice dummies.
That's what she thought, at least.

---

Post-Epilogue:

♪ 01. Sis Puella Fantasia!
Title Screen theme composed by: N/A

Several days later...

Tanabata had finally come around to Gensokyo.
(Also known as "Qixi" in another part of the East.)
The various new faces introduced this incident were gradually settling down into Gensokyo.
Hell, on the night of Tanabata, Senka had even proposed to Oshiro, so a wedding was imminent as well.
Even Reimu, who assumed this entire situation happened because she was bored, was now satisfied with the return to norm.

...In the end, who had heard that foolish wish of hers?
Even if it was a silly idea, this was Gensokyo. No superstition or theory could be dismissed so easily.
So... Reimu's wish on Tanabata Eve was...

"Show yourself, whoever you are.
The person who made these girls' wishes come true, and mine, too..."

She's really got to learn to stop doing that, huh?
Reimu woke up the next morning after unconsciously dodging a splash of water from Marisa.

Reimu: "Whoo! What's the situation? Whodunit?"
Marisa: "Reimu, I don't mean t' alarm ya, but we might not be the only super-powered fantasy maidens anymore."
Reimu: "...Were we ever?"
Marisa: "Oh, you know what I mean!! LOOK!"
With this, Marisa turned Reimu's head to look out of the shrine's open doors...!!!

Sakuya was standing there.

Sakuya stepped to the side.
Visible in the far distance was the Human Village... with fly-like silhouettes of villagers, now endowed with fantastic powers,
soaring and brawling amongst one another over the rooftops.

Be careful what you wish for.

---

COVENANT STAGE UNLOCKED!

Difficulty Select:

COVENANT - Commercialization Level
The sum of our efforts. There's no going back from here.
You're either with us, or you're against us.
So... wanna make a deal?

---

COVENANT STAGE ~ Perpetual Wish-Granting Machine
Outskirts of the Human Village - Roto Hokora

♪ 19. Magic License Agreement
Covenant Stage theme composed by: N/A

Overnight, hundreds of denizens of Gensokyo had their dreams come true.
To boot, they were even imbued with incredible magical powers, deriving from these wishes of theirs.
The person they had to thank for this... The unexpected messenger of this new kind of magic...
"Roto-Myojin."

Tsurumi: "I have, at last, been made aware of the proper Terran phrase!"
Tsurumi: "It is not a matter of birds and worms, but /cranes/ and /snakes!/"
Tsurumi: "Ergo, and to that end...
/Direct me to where the White Snake dwells!!/"

[ Covenant ]
Great Wings "Kun-Dapeng Metamorphosis"
Ruyi "Cintamani Kagome"
"All-White Skyline"

---

Covenant Stage Midboss - Swan-Maiden Equal to Heaven
Tsurumi Sorazaki (空崎 つるみ)

Species: Magical girl (Alien)
Ability: Capable of manipulating feathers

Tsurumi, of course, still feels grateful (and a little indebted) to her contractor.
Ever since being defeated by our heroines, she's been hard at work, honing her skills with the intent of not losing so embarrassingly again.
Suddenly, she was notified that her old enemies from the other day were on the attack.
Armed with a perhaps misguided sense of justice and her own two wings, Tsurumi soared off to greet them.

---

♪ 20. Flying Sword of the Eight Immortals ~ ViPN
Hamachi Utsuru's theme composed by: N/A

Hamachi: "How long are you going to keep standing there, Sakuya Izayoi?"
Sakuya: "However long it takes for you to show up."
Hamachi: "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"
Sakuya: "So it would seem."
Hamachi: "You've come here to 'deal with me,' haven't you?
Why waste your precious time and energy on a conversation with your enemy before the fight?"
Sakuya: "Now, who said anything about fighting?
I'm here to inquire about your services as a deity and wish-granter."
Hamachi: "?!"
Sakuya: "I've seen all that you've done for the people in that temple, and I'm interested in learning more.
What are your terms of service?"
Hamachi: "What of your loyalty to the Scarlet Devil Mansion?! To the Scarlet Devil herself??"
Sakuya: "Is that relevant?
Why waste precious time and energy questioning a client about their career history?"
Hamachi: "...I see.
Here's the general outline, then:"
Hamachi: "If you pledge yourself to the LAN as a Puella Magi, you will be sacrificing a fraction of your own autonomy
for the betterment of the universe at large."
Hamachi: "Your mental processes will only be enhanced, not dulled or otherwise maliciously tampered with.
The same can be said for your physical and spiritual power."
Hamachi: "All that the LAN requires from you is your service, your loyalty...
And a small share of your own potential!"
Sakuya: "No deal."
Hamachi: "Your mind was already made up from the start! Talk about wasting our time..."
Sakuya: "No, your terms are just terrible.
You're omitting a lot of information from your potential clients-- or should I say /victims?/"
Sakuya: "You should have seen this coming the instant I brought up the temple.
/I've seen all that you've done for the people in that temple, and I'm interested in learning more./"
Sakuya: "What is your true goal with Gensokyo's weak-minded and weaker-spirited people?"
Hamachi: "Friction is what makes the universe turn. Particles colliding with particles! People colliding with people!
Ideas clashing on metaphysical battlefields, vying for control of everybody's minds!"
Hamachi: "Conflict can only sustain itself for so long, though. People make up, or drift apart."
Hamachi: "The universe will eventually forgive itself, and once that happens, everything will freeze!
There will be no more life, and no more death."
Hamachi: "An unimaginable amount of frozen space, drifting through oblivion, only good for setting an example for other universes!"
Hamachi: "We want to avoid that.
We wish to keep the universe's heart beating."
Hamachi: "To this end, we stoke the coals of sentient organisms, and use the resulting heat to keep the cosmic hearth warm!"
Hamachi: "Does that answer your inquiry, Sakuya Izayoi?"
Sakuya: "I've certainly arrived at my answer."
Sakuya: "You, Roto, cannot be allowed to operate here any longer.
Consider this your first and only warning."
Hamachi: "The folly of heart-minded organisms... Really, Earth has such selfish people!"
Hamachi: "Don't you think it's a worthy sacrifice for a handful of organisms on a few specks of cosmic dust to fork over their energy
so that the /entire universe/ can continue to prosper?"
Sakuya: "I think anyone who talks like that deserves to lose."

[ Covenant ]
Rate "Incident Frequency"
Gradient "Matrix Manipulator"
Law of Dreams "Danmaku Electroencephalogram" (Reimu)
Law of Magic "Mythopoeic Power" (Marisa)
Law of Time "Euclid Observatorium" (Sakuya)
Cosmic Fabric "Universal Curtain Fire"
Heaven Net "Virtual Puella Network"
Ensnaring "Wish-Filament Lasso"
Wireless "Remote-Controlled Flying Sword"
Demonstration "Perfect Entropic Crystals"
Paradox "White Hole Theorem"
Fantasy "Big Rip"
"Hominid Traffic Director -Router-"

---

Covenant Stage Boss - Messenger of Another Star's Magic
Hamachi Utsuru (遷 濱地)

Species: Artificial lifeform (Router)
Ability: Capable of wireless manipulation of things

An artificial lifeform hailing from another planet. She claims to belong to a mysterious organization known as the "LAN."
She, and many others like her, were created with the intent of finding and harvesting new sources of energy.
After years of searching, calculating, poking, and prodding, the LAN finally settled their sights on Earth,
which had recently become war-torn by a colossal conflict and was slow to recuperate.
It seemed as if some other extraterrestrials had already landed here some years prior, but they had long since fallen dormant,
and soon proved to be of no concern at all.

Eight links to the greater LAN were established around the Earth.
Each one was tasked with stimulating the growth of a civilized species, and were each given different tools to do so.
Hamachi is one of these eight, and has proven herself to be the most capable, so she was chosen to spearhead the Gensokyo Outreach Program.
Fittingly, her domain is that of magic and miracles; the fulfillment of wishes itself.
(The other seven links deal in domains such as the arts, economics, inter-personal relationships, and so on.)

Earth specifically was chosen because of the great spiritual, emotional, and creative power that its inhabitants possessed,
which could be owed to their mutated brains.
This energy is harvested by using organic lifeforms as "hardware" to install "software" on,
which grants them extraordinary powers in exchange for the "program" now running inside them slowly feeding off their energy.
The emotional highs and lows that Earths' inhabitants were capable of was also taken into account,
and so the LAN focused on contacting the more eccentric individuals.
(This probably explains why so many hermits back in the day were such weirdos...)
As for the "witch" process...
When a contract becomes "null" (i.e. the magical girl dies or betrays the LAN), the "software" ejects itself from the "hardware,"
taking as much as it can in the process and leaving behind a hollow husk.
(A process that Oshiro's intervention halts by downloading the "software" onto herself instead, and returning the missing "files"
to the magical girl they belong to.)
(Additionally, it appears death-based witchification did not apply to Senka's previous lives, likely due to the nature of her wish.)

Writing it all down now... doesn't this seem a little immoral?
It can be presumed that Hamachi and the LAN don't really possess the same level of morality that we do, if at all.
As for the ends that they're going through these convoluted means to achieve... oh, would you look at that, I'm running out of space--

---

Conclusion:

♪ 16. Denouement for the Puella Magi ~ Take a Vow!
Staff Roll theme composed by: N/A

In the end, our heroines were able to drive away Hamachi.
...Temporarily.

Hamachi: "It would be best if we retreated for now, if only to consider our options.
No amount of logic-based reasoning holds up within Gensokyo's Great Barrier, apparently..."

Thus were her parting words.
Reimu and co. got her to dissolve all the contracts made on Tanabata, too, as well as those of any other magical girl who wanted out.
Oshiro declined, because she knew there remained still more victims of the LAN to save.
Senka and Kosei followed suit, declining as well, not wanting to abandon Oshiro after she refused to give up on them. As did Tansa.
Tsurumi, too, remained in servitude of the LAN, to nobody's surprise.

Bokuko did end up opening that pharmacy after all.
Her unorthodox methods, short temper, and dingy base of operations aren't helping her net many customers, though.
Not to mention the fact that some people can't enter /or/ exit the building...

Houkai and Hinoe worked together to flush all the excess water out of the Milky Way Temple.
With it, they created a replica of the great lake that was visible from the temple in the past.
It's many times smaller, but Houkai seems to prefer it this way.

Senka and Oshiro's wedding went off without a hitch.
They've since settled into a house on the very border of the Human Village, so as to not disrupt the no-youkai policy.
Senka gets the half that overlaps with the village's border, and Oshiro gets the half that's outside of the humans' jurisdiction.
...This feels kind of cruel.

Now, where did we leave off with our heroines...?

--At the Hakurei Shrine, one last time.
Another weekend had arrived.
Reimu wasn't even planning on hosting a party this time, but Marisa and Sakuya showed up again anyway.
While they were all in attendance, Reimu figured now would be a good a time as any to come clean.

Reimu: "...Guys?"
Marisa: "Mmh? What's up, Reimers?"
Reimu: "You know how the incident(s) this time around... kinda happened overnight both times?"
Sakuya: "Yes..."
Reimu: "And, um, how I was kind of muttering to myself during some of the parties?"
Marisa: "Yeah, I remember that pretty well.
Finally lost your mind?"
Reimu: "Sometimes I wonder, Marisa. Sometimes I wonder.
...Uh, anyways-"
Reimu: "Hypothetically speaking... if I said these incidents happened because I /wished/ for them to happen...
How would you guys react?"

Marisa and Sakuya fell quiet.
They held their Reimu-pointed stares for a bit longer, before glancing at each other.

Marisa: "We~ll, I'd imagine we'd say somethin' like:"
Sakuya: "'So the TRUE final mastermind has at last revealed themselves.
And to think it was you all along, Reimu...!'"
Marisa: "'T' bet on Gensokyo's stagnant fate, I'll wager you one last spell card duel!'
Haaa-hahahaha~"
Reimu: "Pfft-- hehe, seriously, you guys..."
(Wait, that last line from Marisa...?)

This is where we leave Gensokyo be.
For now, at least.
The chronicle that is the "present" is still being written.
Even if we lose sight of hope, our stories will continue, for better or for worse.
Will you sink into a miserable, cold past, or ferry the river of "impossibility" and unseal your greatest dreams?
Ultimately, the choice is yours. It is /your/ story that's being written. Let no one tell you otherwise.
Ah... And remember to always read the fine print of legally binding documents, okaay?

CREDITS:

Hakurei Shrine Maiden
Reimu Hakurei

Ordinary Magician
Marisa Kirisame

Elegant Maid
Sakuya Izayoi

Easily-Overlooked Xianhe Tongzi Expy
Tsurumi Sorazaki

Greatest Mystery
Bokuko Byousen

Accidental "Charlotte-Bebe"-type Lifeform
Tansa Kazan

Suffering Meguca
Kosei Fukushuu

Still Working To Beat The Youkai Racist and Homophobic Allegations
Houkai Zendera

Schlangen Gretchen
Oshiro Shizume

Himmlischnacht-- I Mean Senkalily
Senka Ichirou

Her Nezha Is In Another Castle
Hinoe Goutatsu

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼
Hamachi Utsuru

! SPECIAL SHOUTOUTS !

Hakurei Shrine Head Priest
ZUN
The guy who made Gensokyo, on a strictly meta level.
Touhou has made a profound impact on my life for the better. It's sent me down a long rabbit hole (lol) of Eastern mythos
that I don't think I would have ever looked into otherwise.
Thank you, Kannushi-sama!

Author of Treasure Castle Labyrinth
Iroboshi
It's probably not a surprise to anyone vaguely familiar with me, Touhou, or Touhou fanworks in general, but Treasure Castle Labyrinth
has also had a pretty big impact on me.
SHS here exists because I was inspired by the author and their creative process!
(Hope you're doing better...!!!)

The Yorimashi Who Sits Between Untranslated and Translated Works
Gilde (C.T.)
Hi Gilde

--And everyone else who's ever supported me! I thank thee kindly!!
Next time you see me, we'll be taking a look at Water Margin, in an exciting new format of fanwork concepts...
Yes, a foray into the terrifying domain known as... "PHANTASMAGORIA-LIKES!" Aieee!

（とうほうすいきせい） / (Touhou Suikisei - Eastern Waterworks Castle)
"東方水器城 ～ Phantasmagoria of Hydro Fighters"!!!
Coming soon to a forum near you!