Cassidy and Chris were walking through the Human Village in Gensokyo, with the locals waving at them as they passed by. The air was warm, and the village had that lively but relaxed atmosphere that Gensokyo often exuded. The pair were here to buy some supplies for their house, though Chris didn't seem particularly focused on it. His mind wandered, a thoughtful look on his face.
Cassidy glanced over at him, noticing his distracted expression. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, nudging him gently.
Chris snapped out of his thoughts, looking at her with a faint smile. "Yeah, just thinking about the day I became the Guide of Lost Souls." His voice carried a tinge of nostalgia, and Cassidy raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
Cassidy gave him a playful nudge. "You know, I was there, right? I remember that day well." She smirked. "You were a little... overwhelmed."
Chris smiled wryly. "True, but it was a big turning point for me. Let me tell you again, though, for good measure."
Flashback: 11 Years Ago
The scene unfolded in a time long past, in the vibrant yet chaotic days of Gensokyo. A 7-year-old Chris was frantically dodging a storm of flying knives in the courtyard of the Scarlet Demon Mansion. Sakuya Izayoi, ever the perfectionist and skilled maid, was testing Chris's reflexes and abilities. The young boy twisted and spun in mid-air, barely avoiding the blades that Sakuya expertly threw his way.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Chris screamed as he teleported again, narrowly avoiding another volley of knives that zoomed past his head.
"Use your time powers!" Remilia Scarlet called out from the sidelines, her voice full of impatience.
"I... I don't know how to!" Chris shouted back, his voice desperate and panicked as he landed on the ground, trying to steady himself.
Meanwhile, nearby, Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame, and a young Cassidy stood by, watching the scene unfold. Reimu observed Chris's erratic movements with an intrigued expression, while Marisa, ever the curious one, glanced at Cassidy.
"Hey, you two have the same... thing going on. But you control yours better. How does that work?" Marisa asked, cocking her head in Cassidy's direction. Cassidy, who had always been more at ease with her abilities, shrugged nonchalantly.
"No idea," she said with a slight grin, completely unfazed by Marisa's curiosity.
As Chris continued to dodge, Patchouli Knowledge emerged from the mansion's door, her eyes widening as she took in the chaotic scene. She adjusted her glasses, clearly assessing the situation.
"Out of the library today, which means nothing good," Remilia remarked with a smirk, not missing the opportunity to tease her.
Chris finally managed to land after another narrow escape. He was panting heavily, looking up at the purple-haired woman who had just appeared. "Who is she?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
Remilia, still watching the young boy with a mix of amusement and concern, answered without taking her eyes off Chris. "That's Patchouli Knowledge. She's a wizard, and a very powerful one at that. If you're lucky, she'll teach you a thing or two. If not... well, you'll learn the hard way."
Chris's eyes widened as he looked at Patchouli, still unsure of what to think. He'd heard of powerful people in Gensokyo, but this was his first encounter with someone who radiated an air of mysterious knowledge and power.
"Don't worry," Remilia added with a wicked grin, "You'll figure it out soon enough."
Chris watched Patchouli as she calmly observed the scene, not moving a muscle as she analyzed his every move. It was then that he felt something strange stir within him—a pull toward this strange woman and a feeling of something important.
Reimu walked up to Patchouli as she spoke. "The fact you came out, means that something is about to happen".
Patchouli looked up as she spoke. "Yes, if you don't mind, I need to find Yukari".
Reimu watched as Patchouli flew off in search of Yukari, her expression tense. "The fact that she came out means something big is about to happen."
Marisa crossed her arms. "Yeah, no kidding. If even Patchouli is going out of her way to find Yukari, then whatever's coming isn't gonna be pretty."
Before anyone could say another word, the ground trembled violently beneath them. A deep, low rumbling echoed through Gensokyo, sending a shudder through the air itself. Everyone had to steady themselves, holding onto the ground or nearby structures as the tremors intensified.
Cassidy's voice broke the uneasy silence. "What the hell is happening? Is this an earthquake?!"
Sakuya narrowed her eyes, her stance firm despite the shaking. "Gensokyo doesn't have earthquakes."
Then, in the distance, an eruption split the ground apart. Lava spewed into the sky, and the very earth beneath their feet groaned as if in agony. But while everyone was focused on the eruption, Chris felt something else entirely.
A flood of voices invaded his mind.
> "Why must I suffer…?"
"Why did I have to die…?"
"My family… I'm sorry…"
"Why was I falsely accused…?"
"I was just a kid…"
"Please help me!"
Chris clutched his head, his body shaking uncontrollably. The voices grew louder and louder, a deafening chorus of despair and suffering. It was as if the eruption had broken open something more than just the ground—something beyond the physical realm.
Reimu and Remilia rushed toward him, their eyes filled with concern.
"Chris, what's happening?!" Reimu demanded, but Chris barely heard her.
He could only scream.
> "MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!"
Marisa flinched at the raw pain in his voice. "Make what stop?!"
But Chris wasn't responding anymore. His fingers dug into his scalp as if trying to claw the voices out of his head. The sheer pressure, the overwhelming agony—he couldn't take it anymore.
Then—
The world went grey.
Everything around him froze. The sky, the ground, even the eruption in the distance—all of it stopped. Even Sakuya, who was normally unaffected by time-based abilities, was completely frozen.
Chris barely registered what had happened. He collapsed onto his knees, tears streaming down his face. The sheer weight of the suffering he had just felt had shattered something inside him. He sobbed, unable to comprehend why he was experiencing such pain.
Then—
A warm hand gently lifted him up.
"Don't cry. You're strong, my love."
Chris's breath hitched. He slowly looked up, his tear-filled eyes meeting those of a woman.
She had long, blonde-orange hair, red eyes, and wore a Chinese-style red and yellow tabard with a wide-sleeved black dress and a black Phoenix crown. Behind her were seven light-purple flame-like tails, flickering with an eerie, yet strangely comforting energy.
Chris blinked, startled. He had never seen this woman before, yet her presence was soothing. It felt... familiar.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice still shaking.
The woman smiled gently, patting his head before placing him back on his feet. "My name is Junko. And I have to say, you need to calm down, okay?"
Chris wiped at his eyes, trying to process everything. "But... the voices… they're too loud…"
Junko's expression softened even further. Leaning down, she gently kissed his forehead.
Almost instantly, the voices quieted.
Chris blinked in surprise, then reached up to touch his forehead. There was now a glowing, star-like mark. He looked at Junko in confusion. "What… what did you do?"
Junko chuckled softly. "That should help you manage it better. You'll still hear them, but now, they won't overwhelm you."
Chris's hands trembled as he took a deep breath. The voices were still there—but they were no longer a deafening, chaotic storm. It was as if they had been organized, made more understandable.
Junko smiled knowingly. "Also, I suggest you start learning Curse and Hex Magic. Something tells me you'll like it."
Before Chris could respond, the world suddenly snapped back into motion.
Everything unfroze.
Chris lowered his hands from his head. The pain was gone.
Reimu and the others were still looking at him in worry, unaware of what had just transpired in the frozen world.
Before anyone could question him, their attention was snapped back to reality as a massive geyser erupted near the Hakurei Shrine.
From within the geyser, countless earthly spirits rose into the sky, swirling chaotically.
Cassidy, still on the ground, stared in disbelief. "So… this isn't normal, right?
The geyser erupted violently, sending waves of earthly spirits flying into the sky. The once calm atmosphere of Gensokyo was now filled with an eerie presence, the spirits swirling chaotically above the Hakurei Shrine.
Reimu immediately stood up, her expression grim. "This isn't just some minor incident. Something is happening underground."
Marisa dusted herself off and adjusted her hat. "Yeah, no kidding. First, Patchouli suddenly leaves the mansion, now an underground geyser filled with spirits? Feels like something's stirring beneath us."
Cassidy frowned as she helped Chris up. "And Chris just had some kind of spiritual overload right before this. I don't think that's a coincidence."
Chris took a deep breath, still processing what had just happened. The voices were still whispering, but thanks to Junko's mark, they were manageable now. He could hear them clearly without the overwhelming pain. He turned toward the geyser, narrowing his eyes.
"Souls… these aren't normal spirits. They feel… restless. They're being forced out of somewhere."
Chris then realized something crucial.
The spirits weren't coming from the surface they were escaping from underground.
Meanwhile, in the Underworld
Deep beneath Gensokyo, in the ancient ruins of the Former Hell, a familiar blue-haired girl floated near the bubbling lava.
Satori Komeiji, the mind-reading youkai, sighed as she turned toward her pet Rin Kaenbyou (Orin), who was anxiously pacing back and forth.
Orin, the hellcat with fiery red hair, looked worried. "Satori-sama, we have a big problem."
Satori nodded. "Yes, I know. The spirits from the Remains of Blazing Hell are leaking to the surface. It's only a matter of time before someone from above comes to investigate."
Orin clenched her fists. "It's all because of Okuu… Ever since she absorbed that god's power, she's been acting… different."
Satori sighed. "Utsuho…"
Utsuho Reiuji, also known as Okuu, had recently gained the power of Yatagarasu, a divine solar entity. This had granted her immense nuclear abilities, but it had also made her… unstable.
Now, with the spirits overflowing from the Underworld, the surface dwellers would undoubtedly take action.
Back in Gensokyo, Reimu cracked her knuckles, staring at the geyser. "Well, I guess it's up to me to fix this. Again."
Marisa smirked, adjusting her broom. "I mean, you could let me take care of it."
Reimu gave her a deadpan look. "Yeah, right. Like I'd trust you alone with anything important."
Cassidy then spoke up. "Wait, before anything else—Chris, are you feeling okay?"
Chris nodded slowly. "Yeah. I can still hear them, but it's not unbearable anymore." He turned toward the geyser, his expression serious. "But I need to go down there. Something is very wrong underground."
Reimu sighed. "Figured you'd say that." She glanced at Marisa. "You coming?"
Marisa grinned. "Like I'd miss out on an adventure?"
Cassidy smirked. "Guess that makes four of us."
Sakuya, who had been watching silently, finally spoke. "I should return to the mansion and inform Lady Remilia. If this is connected to the Underworld, there's no telling what kind of power struggle might erupt."
Chris gave her a nod. "Good idea. If things get worse, we might need backup."
With that, the four of them prepared to descend into the Underworld.
As Chris, Reimu, Marisa, and Cassidy entered the geyser, they were met with an eerie red glow illuminating the cavern walls. The deeper they went, the more intense the atmosphere became.
Cassidy looked around warily. "Something about this place feels… unnatural."
Chris narrowed his eyes. "There's an overwhelming presence of death here. It's not just from the spirits—this place itself has seen countless souls perish."
Before anyone could respond, a figure emerged from the shadows.
A girl with long, wavy green hair, a purple dress, and red eyes stood before them. She carried a small lantern, which flickered with blue flames.
"Welcome to the Road of Liminality," the girl said with a polite smile. "My name is Kisume. If you're heading down, be careful—things have been… unstable lately."
Reimu placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah, we noticed."
Kisume glanced at Chris. "You… have the aura of a Guide. The spirits whisper to you, don't they?"
Chris hesitated. "You… know about that?"
Kisume nodded. "Yes. The spirits of the Underworld recognize one of their own. You are a Guide of Lost Souls."
Chris's grip on his sword tightened. "...Then I guess I need to make sure they don't suffer any longer."
Kisume chuckled. "Good luck, then. You'll need it."
As the group continued forward, they could feel the intense heat increasing. The deeper they went, the more restless the spirits became.
And at the bottom of it all…
A certain raven was waiting.
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch and give me power stones and enjoy