The Disillusioned Land

Chapter 33 - Commencement

"Reimu what the hell is going on?!" I ask her in a panicked voice.

"I don't know! No time to chat, we better find some safer spot on this train!" She yells back at me. Suddenly the barrier she set up behind me shatters, revealing one of many ghosts of my past. Ran Yakumo, one of Yukari's 'hands' so to speak. Her being here made it clear to me how severe the situation I've found myself in was and made me freeze in place for a moment. Ran took this opportunity to take a swipe at my throat with one of her hands, I barely pulled my knife up in time to block the attack. My arms trembled as the side of the blade made contact, sending a small shockwave through them and causing me to lose my footing. I don't have any time to react as Ran goes for a follow up, before she can hit me however a sudden barrier of light appears in front of me and blocks it. Reimu catches me before I fall over and I regain my balance.

"Come on Ryan, we better run!" She began sprinting to the next train carriage and I followed after her.

"Where are the others?"

"Beats me, they probably got swallowed up by that black goo as well. I didn't notice it until it was too late."

"They might be somewhere on this train then" I turn back to the barrier Reimu set up moments ago and see that Ran's almost broken through it. "You think we could take her down?"

"Doubt it, she seems stronger than usual and there's not much space to move around in here. And als-LOOK OUT!" She points behind me and I see a gap opening behind me, what emerges from it is the first beast that attacked me before arriving here. Reimu pushes me out of the way and shoots a danmaku at it, knocking them out of the air and removing the mist obscuring their body. The other hand of Yukari reveals themselves, Chen Yakumo. Even though we didn't interact too much in the past, it still hurts me a little to have former acquaintances like her ruthlessly attack me like this. I pull myself off the floor and stare her down.

"Chen, please, it doesn't have to be this way." I tried to talk my way out of fighting her, but she wasn't having any of it.

"I'm sorry Mr. Ryan, but the will of Lady Yukari and Lady Ran are also my own." She narrows her eyes at me and gets ready to pounce "and I have no intention of letting them down."

"As do I" Ran appears next to Chen and the feeling of tension in the train carriage skyrockets. Through the mess of thoughts of our impending doom a single idea emerges from the maelstrom. I whisper to Reimu.

"I have an idea, can you make a barrier to hold the both of them back for a few seconds?"

"I could try, but there's no guarantee it'll work considering how they are right now." She replies.

"A moment is all I need."

"You...Fine."

"Whatever you two are scheming about, forget it. Your defeat is inevitable, don't make this any more difficult than this needs to be." Ran says to us in a foreboding tone, with a hint of melancholy. I raise my blade in response and the two of them tense up, ready to retaliate at a moment's notice.

"Now!" I signal to Reimu, she throws 3 ofudas on the floor in front of us that form the barriers she made before and then turns to me quickly. "Whatever you're planning, do it now!"

"Okay, stand back" my knife begins to emit that glow I saw before as I pour my will into this next swing. Time slowed down and I tuned out all of my senses to focus. However, as I did this a strange voice began to speak to me.

This knife is mine.

It was made for me.

It can cut anything.

With that last line I swung the blade in a sideways arc pointing downwards in front of me and a flurry of cuts was unleashed on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the train carriage, slicing cleanly through them like butter. It was enough to divide the carriage in half and begin separating us from Ran and Chen. In the next instant the barriers were broken through and Chen had leapt over the gap and landed past us at the other end of our half of the carriage. She unleashed a flurry of bullets our way, which Reimu was skilled enough to avoid, but I wasn't so lucky. 2 bullets grazed my sides and another hit my leg which sent me stumbling backwards near the edge. I attempt to stop myself from falling over but it's no use, Reimu tries to reach for me but is too far away to grab me.

I plunge into the void below...

...Until my back lands on a hard surface and I yelp in pain.

"GAH!" I wince and my eyes meet with what appears to be a floating set of doors above me.

"My, what a pitiful state I've found you in Ryan" a familiar authoritative voice booms to my right, I turn to see Okina sitting on a throne accompanied by 2 other people at her sides.

"Miss Okina?" I scramble onto my feet "Where-"

"Hush and listen to what I have to say" she cuts me off and I shut up quickly. "It appears Yukari was a step ahead of us and gapped us into her domain a day before we were prepared."

"So what now then? Do we follow the original plan?"

"I have already contacted Doremy about the situation and she is currently rallying the Lunarians as we speak. I have also yet to figure out where Junko is located, but I have found where the other two in your group are." She waves her hand in the air and a door floats down in front of me, it opens to reveal a view of Marisa and Kasen being swarmed by a group of fairies shrouded in a black mist. "I will send you to them."

"Wait, what about Reimu?" Okina lets out a hearty laugh.

"Haha! Oh, you needn't worry about her, I've put her through far worse." She looks at the girl in the magenta dress to her right "Satono," then to the one in a green dress on her left "Mai, accompany Ryan and support him and the rest."

"As Master wills!" Satono and Mai say in sync.

"Oh, and one more thing Ryan."

"Yes?" I ask with anticipation.

"Come hither a moment and turn your back to me" she beckons me over and I comply with slight hesitation. I turn my back to her and I feel her place her palm on my back, in the next second I feel a sudden surge of energy flow through my body. "There, that should make you a bit more sturdy" she slams her palm against my back and I stagger forward a step and turn around. "Now then, go on Ryan. Put on a good show for me." I nod at her and walk towards the door leading back to the pitch black space I was in previously.

"Wait, the door on the other side is floating above the train isn't it? What if I just fall and miss it when I jump through?" I ask with apprehension.

"Don't worry, you won't fall!" I hear Mai exclaim to my left.

"How?"

"Like this!" She links her right arm with my left and begins running to the door, dragging me along.

"WhoawaitwaITWAI-" but it was too late, Mai had already leapt through the door and we were falling about a meter above the top of the train, Satono following soon after. The two servants of Okina landed gracefully on their feet while I comically face planted onto the roof of the carriage. I silently thank Okina for giving me that boost. Our sudden appearance garners the attention of Marisa and Kasen, both stunned at what just happened.

"Ryan?!" Kasen yells in confusion.

"Ha! Talk about being fashionably late to the party!" Marisa says in an exhilarated manner. I tug myself to my feet and brandish my blade.

"Okay. Let the main act commence."