The Scarlet Devil Mansion was quiet—too quiet. Even with Remilia’s presehere was an uling stillness in the air, as though something was lurking just beyond sight. Luna could feel it, a presence, something old and powerful, yet chaotid uable.

  Marisa had wandered off, likely to "borrow" books from Patchouli, and Harry was engaged in a versation with Remilia about the nature of magi Gensokyo. That left Luna standing in one of the long hallways, deep within the mansion, following an odd sensation that pulled at her instincts.

  She rounded a er and stopped.

  There, sitting in the dim glow of a flickering delier, was a girl with wild blonde hair, dressed in a red and white outfit. Her wings were unlike anything Luna had ever seen—crystalline, bone like, and multicolored, refrag the dlelight into eerie patterns along the walls.

  The girl swung her legs idly from where she sat atop a wooden crate, her scarlet eyes glowing with a childlike curiosity.

  “You’re new.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  Luna tilted her head, a small smile. “I suppose I am.”

  The girl grinned, sharp fangs peeking past her lips. “You don’t smell afraid. And you definitely dont smell like food either? You look like a vampire but i hear your heart beat and you dont smell like some of the lower thralls I have seen.”

  “I have little reason to be.” Luna stepped closer, unbothered by the oppressive aura that radiated from the girl. “And you must be Fndre Scarlet.”

  Fndre’s eyes widened in surprise, then she giggled. “You do know me! That’s fun.

  Luna chuckled, her golden eyes glimmering in the dim dlelight. “I make it a point to know those worth knowing.”

  Fndre hopped off the crate with an unnatural grace, her crystalline wings jingling softly with eaent. She circled Luna, examining her like a curious child iing a oy. “Liar… you didn’t know me at first? What was that weirdl thing you did with your eyes for a brief moment a little bit ago?”

  Luna's smirk didn’t waver. “Ah, you noticed that? Impressive.” She let her wings out as she shift slightly, the fai shimmer of magig across her feathers. “It’s a habit, really. A way of seeing beyond what’s simply in front of me. Afterall I have eyes why not use them?”

  “Ooohhh pretty! What are you!”

  Luna chuckled at Fndre’s childlike excitement, her wings stretg slightly as the moonlight filtering through the mansion’s windows shimmered off her dark feathers. “An Ali,” she answered simply, tilting her head as she observed the younger vampire’s rea.

  Fndre’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Ali…? Never heard of one before!”

  ======================

  Meanwhile Reimu is outside with Sumireko Usami trying to figure out how to get the human home as the sun suddenly disappears and the moon hovers in the night sky a beam of moon light shining towards scarlet devil mansion.

  Luna chuckled at Fndre’s childlike excitement, her wings stretg slightly as the moonlight filtering through the mansion’s windows shimmered off her dark feathers. “An Ali, with a few other lesser races mixed in.” she answered simply, tilting her head as she observed the younger vampire’s rea.

  Fndre’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Ali…? Never heard of one before!”====================

  Reimu let out a long sigh, rubbiemples as Sumireko paced anxiously beside her. “Alright, so you just followed me into Gensokyo?”

  Sumireko stopped pag long enough to huff. “Yes! I always dreamed about this pd with the help of the occult ball i followed you here!”

  Reimu groaned. “Great. Another outsider to deal with. This keeps happening way too often…”

  Before she could finish her thought, the world around them shifted. The air grew heavy, thick with unfamiliar magic. The sun, which had been hanging zily in the sky, suddenly vanished. In its pce, the moon rose—far too fast, far too unnaturally.

  A beam of silver light shot down from the heavens, striking the Scarlet Devil Mansion like a celestial spotlight. The ke reflected its eerie glow, and even from the shrine, Reimu could feel the sheer magical power surging through the air. An then suddenly the sun was back like nothing had ever happened. It was but a fleeting moment.

  Sumireko froze. “Uh… is this normal?”

  Reimu’s grip on her gohei tightened. “No. No, it’s really not.”

  “Should we do something?” Sumireko asks

  “It appears to have fixed itself, and i believe that job is beyond my job description… Ill probably look into it after we figure out how to get you home.” Remiu states

  ===============

  Fndre giggled, taking a step closer. “So, you’re strong, right?”

  Lu her gaze evenly. “I suppose you could say that.”

  Fndre cpped her hands together, grinning wide. “Then you won’t mind if I test yht?”

  There was n before she moved—one moment she was in front of Luna, the she was behind her, swinging a hand wreathed iructive energy toward her back.

  Lued on instinct. With a flicker of dark magic, she vanished, reappearing just above Fh her wings spread wide. A pulse of silver light surrounded her, ag as a barrier between them.

  Fared up at her, expression unreadable for a moment, before she broke into a delighted ugh. “Ooooh! You’re fast!”

  Luna didn’t rex, keepiance firm as she floated down to the floor. “And you are quite reckless.”

  Fndre pouted. “A, don’t be mad! I was just pying! I challenge you to a Danmaku match!”

  “What is that?” Luna asks