Chapter Two

My best friend is an annoying magician. Suika and I met her the next morning, after we had made ourselves presentable and hiked down the mountain path. I had Yukari’s yin-yang orb, so I left my gohei at home. Suika always had the Mugen Shubin with her, even when it wasn’t hanging off the chain on her wrist, but it wasn’t visible now. She would pull it out of nowhere if something threatened us, or if she wanted a drink.

A trail snaked out from the Forest of Magic and met the main road that led toward the human village. Marisa waited for us at the fork.

“Reimus! Oni-girls! Mornings!” She waved over her head as we approached. She had dressed for a day out, wearing a dark-blue dress and witch’s hat with white frills. A lighter-blue shawl covered her shoulders, and she carried an enchanted broom in one hand.

“Morning, Marisa.” I walked up to her, and the three of us fell in step together. “That’s a new look for you. Why blue instead of black?”

“Alices said it’d look good on mees,” she said. “Not so sures. Thinks she likes blue cause it looks good on hers.”

“I bet you’re right,” I said. “How are things going between you two?”

Suika let out a whistle then said in a deep voice, “If you know what I mean.”

“Shush now, horny-girls.” Marisa cleared her throat, er-hem, straightened her shawl. “Doing pretty goods.”

“I’m glad,” I said. “Because Yukari visited last night to talk about that stuff. She was presumptuous with me.”

“Oh yeahs? She talked about using oni-girl’s antlers to pierce the maiden’s veils?”

“No!” I hit Marisa’s arm with my elbow. “But, well, close to that actually. She said I should consider finding a man and getting married.”

Marisa sputtered and laughed. Pffftt-ahahaha!

“Be very careful when you explain to me why that’s funny,” I said.

“Not being mean, Reimus.” Marisa wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Could bag a guys if you wanted toos. But that’s just so... not yous.”

“That’s what I told Yukari. She said she didn’t believe me, then she gapped out of my house. I wanted to snap at her.”

“Maybe gap-girl’s sticking noses where it don’t belongs, but doesn’t means have to do anythings. Just keeps being best single Reimus.”

“I plan to, but I’m worried about what Yukari will do. She might gap a boy into my house, then seal all the doors and windows so we can’t get out. You know, like forcing two dogs together when the female is in heat.”

“Wows!” Marisa patted a hand on her chest, signaling a fluttering heart. “Better hopes she doesn’t already have that ideas. Don’t say too louds, in case she’s dropping eaves.”

Suika skipped for one step. “That sounds like a good time – for two people who actually like each other, that is.”

“You’ve said you would protect me,” I said to Suika. “So if a man suddenly pops into my house, I’ll need you to beat him within an inch of his life. When he screams for mercy, that just means you need to punch harder.”

Suika grinned. “That sounds like an even better time.”

We were probably joking.

I turned back to Marisa. “Speaking of beating people up, Yukari’s visit wasn’t all bad. She gave me something I bet you’ll be interested in.”

I dug my hand into my dress pocket, pulled out the yin-yang orb and held it up for Marisa to see.

“Hmms? Closer looks?”

Marisa took the orb in both hands and looked into it like a fortune-teller. She pulled in a deep breath, then willed a bit of magic power in through her hands. A yellow glow shone around the orb, barely visible in the sunlight.

“Good lordies,” said Marisa. “Can tells Yukaris made this. Super detailed works.”

“Can you tell what it’s for?” I said.

“Youkai-busting, looks likes. Alices and mees couldn’t make somethings like this, unless maybe worked on its for ten years.”

“Yukari said she made it in a few days.”

Marisa laughed again, half mirth and half anger. It’s natural to be jealous of those who do your job better than you.

“‘Course she dids.” She handed the orb back to me. “Keep thats. Will come in handies next time we see angry fairies like Cirnos or somethings.”

I dropped the orb back into my pocket. “Don’t remind me.”

“Cirno?” said Suika. “Wasn’t that the ice fairy who want-HNKCH!”

The air was forced out of Suika’s chest like she’d been tackled. Her feet popped out from under her, so she fell onto the hard-pack of the road. She slid off the dirt and into the grass, as if a snare was dragging her to a trap somewhere.

“What!” she yelled. “What— I’m not doing this! Reimu!”

Marisa and I stopped in our tracks, staring after Suika as she disappeared into the tall grass of Gensokyo’s countryside.

---

“Wh- what just happened?” I said.

“Uuhhhs...” was all Marisa could say.

We stared dumbstruck for a few seconds, then came Suika’s panicked voice from farther away.

“Gravity sign – Bla-aachhk!”

Her casting was interrupted as she bounced over a rock embedded in the land. She appeared over the grass just long enough that I could see she held the Shubin, then she dropped back into the green.

“Let’s go after her,” I said. “Now!”

“Righties. Get on brooms.”

Marisa pushed a flash of magic into her broom, then opened her hand to drop it. The broom handle didn’t fall to the ground. Instead it hovered at the right height for Marisa to straddle it for riding, like every witch in every story. I sat on the broomstick behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. The broom held our weight, and even lifted higher to carry our feet up off the ground.

“Hold tights!” said Marisa, using one hand to yank her hat down onto her head.

With another push of her will, we glided off the road and into the grasslands. Suika was already far ahead of us, so we picked up speed and flew after her. Blades of grass whipped against our shoes. Wind closed our eyes to a squint.

Some ten yards ahead of us, Suika appeared over the grass again as she was yanked over another bump in the ground. She tried to keep her hands on the Shubin, but it dangled on her wrist-chain as she tossed and tumbled.

“Reimu!” she shrieked. “Help me!”

“Faster!” I yelled into Marisa’s ear.

“Think she’s getting pulleds to water up theres!”

A hundred yards ahead, there was a stream that snaked across the grassland. This was a tributary that came from the mountains far off, eventually emptying into the central lake.

“Something’s... whoa!” Marisa yanked up on the handle, forcing our speed down to nothing. The change in momentum almost threw us forward off the broom. I was about to yell at Marisa: why are you stopping!

“Reimuuuuuu...!”

As Suika’s voice faded to silence, not before us but under us, I saw why Marisa had stopped. Suika disappeared into darkness below, holding up both hands as she cried my name.

---

Sitting on her broom, Marisa and I hovered at the edge of a giant hole in the ground. Suika had just fallen in – or rather, something had pulled her in. She was gone from sight and sound.

The hole was about half the diameter of my shrine’s courtyard, but there was no mound of displaced dirt anywhere nearby. The hole’s walls went straight down, as if the hand of God had stabbed a giant coring tool down from the sky, leaving a cylindrical shaft behind. I could see layers of soil with roots and rocks poking out. Bedrock ran further down than the sunlight reached.

This pit punched right into the stream. Off to our right, the stream’s water tumbled into the pit in a newly-formed waterfall. The stream bed resumed again from the rim at our left, but it had drained into damp silt.

“Where did this come from?” I glanced over my shoulder, back toward my home. The mountain path was mostly covered in trees, but could I have seen from back there? Maybe the tall grass would cover it from a distance.

“Oni-girls just fell in!” said Marisa. “Didn’t see this when came to meet yous.”

I hopped off her broom and stepped up to the edge, my toes bordering empty air. The chasm stretched into shadow below me.

I cupped both hands around my mouth and yelled: “Suika! Suika, are you all right? Can you hear me?”

My voice echoed down the shaft. Marisa and I waited. No reply came.

I pulled in a deep breath, then screamed with all the volume I could muster: “Suuiiikaaaa!”

Again, no answer, no sound but the stream’s water falling into the deep. I looked at Marisa. She was wide-eyed and shook her head; confused and afraid, just like me.

I stepped away from the edge, walked into the tall grass. Sick dread crept into my gut, and I fought to keep panic from clouding my mind.

“Marisa, help me find a rock or something. We need to see how deep this is.”

“Uhs,” she said. “We- we doos?”

“Yes!”

Marisa dismounted her broom, but kept hold of the handle. The two of us scanned the ground. My toe bumped onto a large stone, mostly covered with earth.

“Over here!” I waved Marisa over. “We might have to dig this out. Can your hakkero conjure a shovel?”

She had no chance to answer. We heard a new voice crying out.

“...mistress to the hitherto and utmost of stringent condolences! This poor airborne doll lacks proper gradients of means, measure and mass to cease her mistress’s unruly departure from hence-comfortable environs. Oh, woe is the unhappiness of this day to appear forthwith by such strange suddenness! And look! The maiden Hakurei and Lady Marisa stand nearby! Mayhap they can aid in this trial!”

I didn’t believe what my eyes told me. Maybe a mile off, the Forest of Magic stood over the grasslands. Much closer in that direction, skidding down through the tall grass, Alice Margatroid was being pulled and knocked over the ground just as Suika had. Alice wore a plain indoor dress, not something she would want to be seen wearing outside the home. She was even missing her frilled headband.

The youkai doll Shanghai had both her tiny hands clamped onto Alice’s wrist, pulling back with all the reverse thrust her wings could manage. She was too small to stop her mistress’s slide toward the pit.

Alice saw us, and called out. “Marisa! Reimu! What’s going on? Where is- gah!” She bounced over a bump in the ground.

Marisa willed her broom active again and threw it down. It was already moving as she sat on it. She flew straight toward Alice, cutting over the pit’s diameter in hopes of catching her before she went over the edge.

“Grab mees!” Marisa yelled.

They darted toward each other. Marisa held one arm down, and Alice readied to grab it as best she could. Their arms met with a meaty smack. Marisa grabbed onto Alice’s forearm. She tried to keep flying, with one hand on her broom and the other on Alice.

Alice’s momentum more than overwhelmed Marisa’s broom power, so that Marisa was jerked backward. She fell off the broom and lost her grip on it, but she kept her other hand white-knuckle clenched onto Alice’s arm. Marisa was dragged along the ground, right up to the edge. Her broom bounced off the rim, then tumbled into the darkness below.

“No!” Alice yelled. “I won’t take you with me! Let go! I’m sor—”

At the last split-second, Alice wrenched her arms away from both Marisa and Shanghai. She dangled for an instant longer, then lost contact with the ground.

Marisa crawled up to the edge, and Shanghai hovered nearby. They watched Alice vanish as her scream echoed up from below.

---

“Oh, rueful day!” Shanghai cried, slapping her hands to her cheeks. “My beloved mistress has been stolen from me by an invisible thief that performs not by words, but by deeds, even in the broadest of broad-day-shining-star sunlight! Oh, console me Lady Marisa, Maiden Reimu, please as do I so ever—”

Marisa and I yelled at the same time, “Shut up, Shanghai!”

She did, then put an arm over her eyes to hide her tears.

“Actually, no.” I ran over, giving the pit a wide berth for fear of falling in myself. “Don’t shut up, Shanghai. Suika just got sucked into this hole too. I need you tell me exactly what happened just now.”

Marisa stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress. Shanghai sniffed and tried to wipe her eyes dry.

“Oh, Maiden Reimu, it was so terrible in its suddenness. The mistress and I had just awoken from a pneumatic night’s slumber. I took no note of Lady Marisa’s absence, for we knew she intended to be out at the market today. We were prepared for a breaking of fast that was all three delicious, deciduous and deterministic. But just as we sat upon our opulent dining room seats, my poor mistress was ripped from our home as if caught by an invisible lasso!”

“How did it get her outside?” I said. “Was a window open?”

“Not at all!” said Shanghai. “The night air in early spring is too chilled for my mistress’s comfortable sleep. Instead, the front door opened by itself and she was pulled out through it. Through much painful topsy-turvy twists and turns, she involuntarily fled the Forest of Magic. I demonstrably flew in pursuit, and we came here as the esteemed Lady Marisa and Maiden Reimu just witnessed.”

Marisa and I looked at each other. We said much without speaking a word, like old friends who can have a whole conversation with a glance.

Alice’s door opened by itself to let her out. How was that possible? If there was some mindless magiquake dragging people toward a hole in the ground, it should have pinned Alice against one of the interior walls of her house. At worst, it might slam her against a window hard enough to shatter the glass and pull her out.

Opening a door takes manual dexterity. Gensokyo’s magic is a wild, explosive thing by nature, which doesn’t lend itself to operating knobs or locks. It requires a magician of Alice’s precision to open a door without touching it, or a magician of Marisa’s power to blow the door off its hinges.

So if it wasn’t a mindless force that had dragged Suika and Alice into the earth....

“Oh my god,” I said. “It’s happening again.”

Shanghai sniffled. “I am protuberantly apologetic to correct you, Maiden Reimu. I do believe this is the first time my mistress has been—”

Marisa cut her off. “Reimus means, it’s another... things. Some super-powerfuls magicians is doing this.”

“The first time,” I said, “Marisa and I met two vampires and their family, who nearly killed us multiple times. The second time, we met a suicidal demigoddess who nearly froze all of Gensokyo to death. The third time, we met the lunatics who live in the bamboo woods, and all the lesser fairies in Gensokyo were burned into killer beasts.”

“I do recall the latter-most of those gentrified events,” said Shanghai. “You’ll recall I served as my mistress’s weapon in a manner most befitting of one equipped, equivalent or equatorial to one’s combative—”

Shanghai was cut off again, but neither Marisa nor I spoke. A sharp sound cracked through the air, like two large plates of steel hitting each other at high speed. I winced at the noise, feeling a ring start in my ears.

“Reimu! Marisa!” said a new voice, taking our attention from across the pit. “I instantly surmise that my kidnapping is not your doing, as neither of you possess the necessary fine-tuned magical control to enact it. But please! I beg your help!”

---

Patchouli Knowledge hung over the edge, but not hanging from it by gravity. She hovered parallel to the ground like a windsock in a breeze, anchored by a metal spike conjured from her hand and driven into the ground. Her feet dangled over the open space of the pit.

Just like Alice, Patchouli looked as if she been pulled out of her home. She wore a plain dress and was missing her hat. One of her ponytails had come undone so her hair flew around in a violet tangle.

“Patchouli!” I called over. “Hang on!”

Marisa and I ran around the pit to reach her, and Shanghai flew after us. We were about to grab Patchouli and pull her back, but she stopped us.

“No! Do not touch me!” she yelled. “Whatever hexes me is not to be trifled with. I fear physical contact will serve to drag you down with me. Instead, please rush to the Scarlet Mansion and seek my mistress’s help!”

“Wouldn’t be fast, Patchys,” said Marisa. “Lost brooms into the hole heres! Would take forever to walks.”

The force that had been pulling people underground didn’t give up at Patchouli’s defiance. The drag on her body strengthened. Her anchor-spike bent downward.

“Blast!” said Patchouli. “So be it! I have taken my mistress’s teachings to heart, and I will not fear that which challenges me. It will rue its choice to demand a visit from this elementalist!”

She looked at me, both terror and pride in her eyes.

“Please,” she said. “Delayed or not, seek Remilia. Send her for me.”

She let go of her conjured metal spell. The spike vaporized into a splash of purple sparks, which let Patchouli’s body sail over the edge. I lunged after her with both arms, and Marisa tried to snatch her hand. We were both too slow. Patchouli fell, and was quickly gone from sight.