It took a little while, and I managed to reach the foot of the Youkai Mountain. The shrine is already nearby, above a flight of steps.

I took a sip from my flask as I walked up, and after a while I reached the top. To my right is another extinguished bonfire, where I would conjure another ice statue of myself to mark my progress.

I took a seat on the ground in front of it, in a fetal position.

Is it really worth it? This whole journey, me killing off my friends, one by one?

"Where are you, Daiyousei?"

I missed her. I want this to be over with so I can be together with her again, but I don't know what would fate give me as of next.

After a while, I stood up, and went towards the shrine building. I attempted to open the door that leads inside, until...

"Well, well, well..."

I turned around, to see...

The Miko of this shrine that would occasionally try to 'exterminate' fairies and Youkai around the mountain, alike. Kochiya Sanae... And next to her is the very person I was sent to find.

The distinctive red and white untraditional Miko attire, and that gohei... It is undoubtedly Hakurei Reimu.

Both of their eyes are glowing, as Sanae makes an ear-to-ear grin while Reimu remained expressionless.

"Darling, I guess we'll have fun torturing this ice fairy, just like how we did to that Greater Fairy..."

My ears perked up as I heard Sanae's words.

"You had Daiyousei!? Tell me, where is she!?"

"Ara? I thought you were looking for Reimu here... Too bad that she won't leave my side, because she's in my control now... My love slave!"

This girl is crazy. Well yeah, even before this incident she is kind off a coocoo in the head. Looks like the moon amplified that craziness to another level.

Conjuring my ice sword and shield, I took a stance and held the shield in front of me.

"You really want to fight me? You shouldn't. Reimu is mine, and mine alone."

She moved her gohei, and Reimu dashed forwards, to strike me with hers.

So she uses her so called lover as an attack puppet? I don't know if that kind of love is ethical or not.

She manages to strike me twice, but I bashed them off with the shield until she summoned her yin-yang orbs which then shatters the shield upon impact, knocking me a few feet back afterwards.

"Why won't you just give up and accept your fate? You're not getting her from me."

Sanae continued to taunt, as Reimu then fires off multiple lasers, which I froze mid-air, and sent them back to the sender.

One of the ricocheted frozen lasers hits Sanae, causing her to shake and yelp a bit from the pain.

Afterwards, I try to land my own set of attacks as well. Brushing Reimu off from my front, I dashed to Sanae and strike down my sword to her, only for a gohei to stop it.

"Darn it, Reimu! Get out of my way..."

I said before I kicked her off, but it doesn't seem to please Sanae.

"Don't. Try. To. Kill. My. Lover!" She bit down every end of each syllable, and clawed me in the neck in great speed.

I can feel her rip my neck skin off, making me choke, and tremble in pain. Quickly, I took a sip from my flask and it healed right up.

It was then when I noticed there is a talisman on Reimu's neck, which must be what's controlling her.

"So you noticed. But then you'll forget it since you're gonna be dead."

She then used one of her spell cards, in which 2 waves of water came from both my left and right sides trying to crush me.

Quickly, I conjured two shields and managed to hold my ground against the crushing waves. I turned one of the shields back into a sword before I see that both of them had vanished from my view.

It was then when I feel a heavy heel striking me from the top of my head, making me fall to the ground, creating a small crater.

It was Reimu's move. So not only that she controlled her moves and attacks, but even special attacks!

I slowly stood back up, and chanted out my spell card to change my element into fire, but then a rush of water hits me, quickly reverting me back to ice element.

What should I do? I'm totally helpless here... Unless...

Maybe if I calm down my nerves and fluidly dodge each attack, maybe I can...

That's it! I need the fluidity of water, to gain another element just like how I did gain fire... If fire is an immense amount of spirit, then water is a calm one!

I closed my eyes, and emptied my thoughts as I feel danmaku grazing through my body. And when I opened my eyes, I noticed that one of my wings turned into like that of a water drop.

"Nature Sign - Change element, Mizu Cirno."

And the next attack from Sanae is that 2 crushing waves that attacked my sides. Closing my eyes, I let the water hit me.

I hear her cackling, but then she stopped as she looked at me.

My ribbon and dress turned into a more cyan color, and my wings are shaped like drops of water instead of 6 pointy ice shards.

Sanae grunted in anger, before attacking me with more waves of water, to which I countered with

"Water sign - Water manipulation technique!"

I managed to stop the waves before they hit me, and I pointed them at her.

"Water sign - water dragon attack!"

I turned both of the waves into two draconic like shapes, which then surged to both of the Miko in high speed.

Sanae jumped to dodge that, but then I had another trick up my sleeve.

"Water sign - water whip!"

I conjured a whip made of water and struck Sanae back down to the ground and binded her with it. Then I dashed over to Reimu to take the talisman off her. If Sanae couldn't use her gohei, then she can't control Reimu.

And with a flash, I ripped the talisman off from Reimu's neck, and her eyes returned into normal before closing again, and she fell to the ground motionless.

"No... What have you done!?"

"I freed her."

"No... You won't take her away! I don't want to be alone again! Not again..."

Sanae teared up, before her body stopped moving. But then she manages to rip the water binds around her with an inhuman strength, and stood back up.

In caution, I pulled out Roukanken and readied a stance as I returned into Ice element.

Sanae waves her gohei like a crazy person would do with a flag, and huge pentagram shaped danmaku then comes surging right at me.

"Die! Die!"

She shouted as she then cackled maniacally, but I managed to either dodge or block the danmaku with Roukanken. She continued to fire out that same danmaku over and over until she knelt down, which is the opportunity for me to strike.

I thrusted the blade at her, but she caught the blade with her bare right hand before it touches her chest.

She then brushes the sword off and held me by the throat before lifting me up a few feet away from the ground, strangling me.

I tried to kick her off so that she can let me go, but it proved fruitless with my draining strength.

But with one last surge of energy, I managed to plunge the sword into the side of her neck to which she then released me. She fell on her back to the ground, and raised one arm up as she dissipated into cinders.

"Reimu... Mine..."

I coughed a few times from the strangulation, before easing it off with a sip from my flask. I turned to look at Reimu's body, which is still lying on the ground.

Oh right, Daiyousei! I barged into the shrine building, and found her lying in front of the altar, as if she was being sacrificed.

I held her in my arms, and I called her out a few times before she opened her eyes.

"C... Cirno-Chan? What happened?"

"It's complicated, Dai-Chan. Now let's get you both out of here..."

I said to her, as I put her over my shoulder and left the building. I lent her my flask, so that she can heal herself, and after doing so, we both carried Reimu all the way back to the Human Village.

- To Be Continued