As the Priestess's body disappears into smoke, I knelt down in exhaustion before taking a deep sip from my flask.

Flandre and Koishi were barely OK. Couldn't risk bringing them anymore if my quest hasn't yet been finished.

"It's over. What should we do now?" Flandre asked.

"No idea. But if that priestess is here... Then so does Hijiri. We need to find her."

Koishi however, stepped on a floorboard that sank a bit, and a hatch opened beneath our feet but we managed to hover over it (Daiyousei came to my aid, in carrying me while hovering). A giant staircase leads down towards a hidden altar corridor. And as we continued to walk across, we come upon a room where we see Hijiri, trapped inside.

We freed her, and she expressed her gratitude.

"Thank goodness you're here. Ichirin's gone mad..."

"You don't need to worry about that priestess anymore, Hijiri." I said.

She looked at Roukanken which I held on my right hand.

"You... Finished her?"

I nodded slowly.

"Thank goodness, we're free already! Oh, if it isn't the fairy turned elemental!" A figure said from behind Hijiri.

A black haired girl wearing a sailor uniform and hat.

"I hear that you just beat Ichirin. But I guess it's fine, since she's the one who locked us in!"

"Yes. She somehow won't listen to me... And went on her own accord."

"She believes that her way could save both Gensokyo and the World, but no. If the soul doesn't get it's elements back, the incident won't stop and the sun wouldn't be shining the earth."

"She told you, didn't she? Well I guess, we're glad you're alive. But now what should we do?"

I raised my shoulders as I don't know what to do next. I bid my farewells to the temple residents, and went back to Keine-Sensei's schoolhouse.

Both Satori and Remilia ran over and hugged their sisters, nearly choking them due to how tight their hugs are. I just smiled at them, before going in, and took a nap.

-----

I awaken, in a black void.

"Do you hear me, Fairy?" A voice called out.

Then, doors appear and from one of them, comes out a woman in a majestic set of clothes.

"You..."

"That is right, fairy. I am Matara Okina. We have met before."

I readied my stance, but she stopped me by raising her palm.

"I am not your enemy, Fairy."

"Then what are you this time?"

"I am here to give you a new quest, one that would save this shambling world."

I shook, before I made a small frown and said "Alright then. I'll listen."

"Both before the end and after, me and the other sages sought to save the worlds. We built realms within which to work, each dedicated to a different method of salvation."

I see worlds... One is Gensokyo, the other being what seems to be the outside world, and the final one is one that is unfamiliar to me due to how dark, yet well lit the city where that world is.

"It was our duty... Mine, Yukari's and Shinki's; to shape the worlds that we know as of now. We created the Soul of Nature as well, and it gave life to the worlds. Ice, earth, light, dark, thunder, fire, water and time... All of them, were given by the Souls."

I see as the soul, at first a small speck of light, bursted and everything became what I once knew. A Gensokyo with living creatures, living in peace.

"But once, someone has summoned another soul, in which the world ended... And we had to create a new one after we apprehended the thief of nature..."

I looked to see the world, if none of the elements exist. The humans were as thin as paper and their bodies were filled with holes and black marks. Their eyes were glowing white, lifeless, empty, hopeless.

That applied to even those who aren't human, like how I see Momiji back then.

When the Soul of Nature bursts, a massive quake shook the world, as nature begins to fill the earth, and they managed to turn the hollows back to their original forms while some others remained hollow, and were swallowed up by the earth. Presumably those hollows were horrid sinners when they were still totally human.

"The Worlds shook for days, the fires burnt for weeks and when the ash settled, less than thousands of humans still lived. More Youkai were born out of their fear. We carried on, together, to rebuild and to renew."

Then I see a hill surrounded by a forest, which then bloomed with tall trees and beautiful flowers. And as time goes by, a shrine is built there, but what caught my attention is a cave on a mountain behind the shrine.

I recognize the shrine. It was the Hakurei Shrine... Where Reimu lived.

That's right, I didn't see Reimu at all this whole time. Is she alright?

"Listen. You must go there... Seek the current Hakurei Miko, who went there in search of a way to bring salvation. Return to me, with any evidence of her being there."

And the world turns black. After a moment, I slowly open my eyes, to see Daiyousei standing over me.

"Cirno-Chan, can you hear me? Love?"

"I know what I need to do."

Daiyousei nodded, and pulled me up gracefully before she flew me towards the foot of the hill, where on top, is where the Hakurei Shrine stood.

We both looked at each other, and smiled. I went over to the frozen bonfire beside the steps, took sometime to wait for the flask to refill itself and the both of us walked up.

It is time to leave Gensokyo as it is for now, and to another realm. I have the hunch that this realm is the realm that Mouse Youkai had mentioned.

The Mystic City, of Makai.

- Ashes of Humanity, End