Lost In Translation

Chapter 1 - The Girl from the Lake

Out in the mountains of Japan, there is a valley hidden beneath a towering mountain range. The bustling cold breeze announced the coming of winter as autumn reared its peak and fall, and the inhabitants of this land were preparing for the traditional change of the seasons. But it wasn't just the preparation one would typically expect from autumn, such as children running towards their first day of school, or people brushing up their lawns from fallen leavesㅡ it was more than that. In this land, magic was as abundant as the air you breathed at every moment. Gods painted the trees crispy colors and gave blessings to fruitful harvests; spirits roamed freely in the name of mischief and hedonism; fairies played tricks and gave life to everyone they met; maidens, witches and wicked mansions lied in close proximity to one another, along with all other tales and forgotten legend the modern world may have left behind.

This land, this world of magic . . . it was known as Gensokyo. The land of illusions.

And in the center of the phantasmagoria, there sat a lake covered in fog no matter what time of year it was. It was because of this that the locals called it Misty Lake. Besides its supernatural mist, it was also known for being the home and daily play place for some notoriously mischievous spirits. Were they plotting some dubious prank at the moment, or maybe causing trouble for the other lake-dwellers?

Well . . . it wasn't entirely clear.

"Cirno, what are you doing now?"

"Trust me on this!"

SHYOOK!

Ice shards pierced through a rag doll with a book for a head, right in the stomach area. The girl who shot it, a fairy with icy wings and a blue dress, puffed out her chest and gave a hearty laugh. "Haha! See? I hit it without hitting it!" This little fairy's name is Cirno. She's a spunky little girl who always packs a punch in her actions, though her thoughts don't always shine as brightly as her ice.

The other fairy, wearing green like a morning dew, looked confused at her friend's accomplishment. ". . . I-I don't really follow you, Cirno. What's the logic here?" This fairy's name is Daiyousei. Though she's quite big for a fairy, given her name, she doesn't stand out as much due to her quiet demeanor compared to her bombastic friend.

Another girl was lying on the grass, brushing a finger on the strands on a dandelion weed. She gave a snide kind of chuckle, which made her antennae rustle above her hair. "What logic is there with her? You can't hit something without hitting it, that makes no sense." This young lady is Wriggle Nightbug, a firefly youkai. She blew on the dandelion and watched its little seeds ride the breeze. Smirking, she continued. "You tryin' something to get out of the work Ms. Keine gave you? At least make a good excuse that isn't 'I used my homework for target practice.'"

"Hey now, Wriggle, that's not very nice," A light, chirpy voice chided Wriggle up from a tree near the lake, "Maybe Cirno has a different way of thinking through this; give her the benefit of the doubt!" She fluttered down from the tree branch, and some feathers shuddered off of her wings. Her name is Mystia Lorelei, a night sparrow youkai. She usually isn't active in the daytime, but today she decided to hang out with her friends. "So what is it you have planned here, Cirno?"

Cirno smiled. "Okay okay okay! So," She started excitedly, "See the dummy over there?" She pointed at the donutted dummy with the book attached to the head.

Daiyousei nodded fervently, trying to follow whatever goes on in Cirno's head. Mystia rested her finger on her chin, giving Cirno her full attention. Wriggle noticed a ladybug in the grass and petted it.

"I've been thinking-" ("Well that's new," Wriggle snarked.) "Of a new way to mix training my power with my brain! It's totally rotationary, guys!"

Daiyousei tilted her head to the side. "You mean revolutionary?"