Loading User Commands:
[X] Suggest asking help from Yukari. She might know another way.

---

There may be another way.

"Why don't we ask Yukari for help?" Grimnr asks.

Everyone in the room turns toward him. Alice looks particularly irritated, perhaps even angry. Eirin looks slightly shocked, if not a bit curious. Reisen looks outright terrified. The room is silent for a few minutes.

"You are talking about Yukari Yakumo, I assume?" Eirin finally asks.

He nods slowly.

"B-but isn't that too reckless?" Reisen argues.

Eirin looks at him thoughtfully.

"Marisa is in dire condition," she says. "I suppose we can consider that option."

Alice suddenly stamps her foot on the ground.

"A-are you crazy?" she stammers. "She forced her way into your head!"

He takes a step back from the agitated dollmaker. She looks furious.

"I know she is dangerous," he says. "B-but she sorta visited me earlier this morning and offered her help."

Alice's expression darkens.

"I-I mean that she apologized for what happened before. It was a misunderstanding," he adds.

"She could have killed you," she whispers.

"I know that, but she seemed sincere this time. I think she just wanted to protect Gensokyo."

Alice shudders angrily.

"F-for all we know, she might even be the one who did this to Marisa!" she says.

"..."

Silence fills the room. Several minutes pass. Only the sound of Marisa shifting in her bed can be heard. Finally, Eirin decides to speak.

"If you really want to meet the gap youkai, you should head to Hakugyokurou," she says. "The ghost princess is her good friend, and she might know of a way to contact her. Otherwise, I can provide you a list of herbs I need from the Forest of Magic."

"Give me the list," Alice says.

Grimnr pauses.

[ ] Try to convince Alice to go with you to Hakugyokurou. (Specify argument)
[ ] Go to Hakugyokurou alone.
[ ] Collect herbs with Alice at the Forest of Magic.
[ ] Stay at Eientei with Marisa.
[ ] Custom

"I brought her to Eientei as soon as I found her. She was lying unconscious outside the Human Village," Reisen says.

"Her condition is steadily deteriorating. At this rate, she won't last the day," Eirin says.

Grimnír frowns at the pharmacist. Eirin Yagokoro is known in Gensokyo as a genius of medicine and an excellent doctor. She has dark grey eyes and long silver her tied in a braid. She is wearing a strange red and blue dress covered with constellation patterns. She seems to be wearing something similar to a nurse's cap on her head.

"B-but you are a medical genius, aren't you? You must be able to do something!" Alice cries out. Her eyes are full of tears.

He takes a glance at Marisa. She is lying on a medical bed with several strange instruments attached to her body. Every once in a while, her face cringes in pain, but she doesn't regain consciousness.

"I've never seen this kind of injury before. There isn't anything visibly wrong with her body."

"What do you mean?" Grimnír asks.

Eirin pauses to organize her thoughts. After a few moments, she sighs.

"It is difficult to put in simple terms, but I can try," she says. "Fundamentally, her injury seems to be reducing the probability of her existence in this world."

"Reducing existence?" he repeats.

"She isn't dying in a proper sense. To be accurate, she is being erased completely. If this continues, there will be no trace of her left - even her soul will be lost."

"C-can't we do something?" Alice stammers. She looks like she can break down at any moment.

Eirin nods gravely.

"That is why I sent Reisen to fetch you. There may be a few things I can do to buy us some time, but I'll need you to gather certain things for me. I can't afford to leave the patient until she stabilizes."

"E-excuse me, Mistress," Reisen says. "Shouldn't we inform the shrine maiden of this incident?"

Eirin strokes her hair as she considers it.

"That might not be a good idea," she says finally. "Reimu is still investigating the incident at Youkai Mountain, and I have a feeling that she might not react well to the news. We should focus on buying Marisa more time."

Eirin turns to Alice and Grimnír.

"That is, unless you have some other idea we can try."

Alice stays silent. Looks like she isn't handling this very well.

[ ] Ask Eirin about what she needs you to gather. You have to buy more time.
[ ] Suggest asking help from Yukari. She might know another way.
[ ] Look for Marisa's attacker. Maybe you can force the person to help.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Stand your ground and try to form a barrier. You can trust in Alice.

---

Grimnír sighs heavily.

"Don't you think that was a bit dangerous?" he asks.

Alice takes a sip of tea.

"Of course not. I held back, didn't I? Those shots didn't do any permanent damage."

"..."

His body aches all over. Even if he managed to create a rudimentary barrier, he still felt the force of the shots. He feels like he got hit several times by high-speed soccer balls. Alice really pushed him to the limit. He isn't sure if he can block that kind of damage again.

"You did quite well. Try to rest for a bit before we try again," she says.

"I still think that was pretty reckless," he argues.

"If it was someone else, I would have taken it slowly," she says.

Grimnír frowns at her. Alice smiles gently in reply.

"I believe in you," she says.

For a moment, the two stare deeply into each others' eyes. They can feel themselves blushing, but they don't pull their gaze away.

"Alice, I -"

Suddenly the main door to the cottage swings open.

"E-eh?" Alice mutters.

Grimnír takes a look at the newcomer. The girl has long light-purple hair and bright red eyes. She is wearing a black business suit complete with a neat red necktie and a white shirt underneath. What stands out most are a pair of long rabbit ears poking out of her hair; somehow he doesn't think they are fake. She seems like a strange cross between a bunny girl and an office lady.

The girl looks at them with an expression that spells panic.

"Reisen? W-what happened?" Alice manages.

"M-Marisa is hurt!"

"Stop dodging!" Alice shouts.

"W-what the hell?" Grimnír shouts back.

Alice fires another barrage of bright blue energy bolts at him. He quickly flies left in order to avoid them. One of the shots manages to singe his shoulder.

"D-damn, that hurt!"

Alice puts her hands on her waist and pouts.

"That's what you get for not listening," she says. "I told you that I'll cancel out the shots before they hit you, so stand still!"

"B-but you haven't even told me how to make a barrier!" he argues.

Alice folds her arms.

"I don't have to. You already created it before when you were attacked by fairies, remember?"

Grimnír catches his breath.

"Then why do I have to block real energy bolts?" he shouts.

"I told you, this is the best way to test the strength of your barrier."

He sighs as he starts to understand the meaning of this training. She is trying to get him to form a barrier to defend against danmaku shots. Unfortunately, he can't remember how he did it last time, and now that he can fly, his mind keeps telling him to avoid taking damage.

"B-but I'm afraid of getting hurt," he mutters to himself.

"Get ready, I'm going to shoot several more this time," Alice says.

He feels himself shudder in fear.

[ ] Dodge the shots. Those things hurt when they hit!
[ ] Fly away from Alice. She is attacking you.
[ ] Stand your ground and try to form a barrier. You can trust in Alice.
[ ] Attempt to counterattack. You have to try to stop her.
[ ] Try to use your spell card. It might help somehow.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] "Thanks for believing in me."
[X] "Why don't we have a short break?"

---

"Thanks for believing in me," Grimnír says.

Alice looks away and covers her face for a moment. Shanghai rests herself on his shoulder.

"Why don't we have a short break?"

She gives him a slight nod before heading down to the cottage.

Grimnír glances at the doll on his shoulder. Looking closer, the doll seems to be capable of humanlike expressions. Unlike her other dolls, he can't see the seams or joints of Shanghai. If he didn't know any better, he would think that she was a miniature human being. Even the doll's hair feels real. He strokes the doll's hair gently as he examines it.

Shanghai silently giggles at he touches her hair. He can't help but think about why it feels so real. Suddenly, he gets a strange idea. Does Alice use her own hair in her dolls?

...

"Thank you, Shanghai," he says to the doll as it pours him some tea.

Shanghai bows and smiles brightly at him. She floats over to Alice and starts pouring her some tea.

"She really is amazing," he comments. "I find it hard to believe that she's a doll."

Alice gently pats Shanghai on the head.

"She and Hourai are my best works," she says. "Though the materials I used are slightly different, they both share the same type of core. Thanks to that, I am able to infuse some limited independence into them."

"So you were able to make independent dolls?" he asks curiously.

Alice shakes her head.

"They aren't completely independent in the sense that they have their own will. Their movements and actions are closely tied to myself. Everything they do is based on their owner's will and mental state."

Shanghai rocks her head gently back and forth as Alice fixes the doll's hair.

"You can think of them as little versions of myself," she says with a smile.

"I see," he says.

Alice brings out a tiny hairbrush and begins brushing Shanghai's hair. Grimnír watches them silently as he drinks his tea. The sight is quite relaxing.

After a few minutes, Shanghai cocks her head in his direction. She pulls away from Alice and flies closer to him. She raises her little hand to point at his face.

"How can I help you?" he asks the doll.

Shanghai makes several cute gestures in front of him, but he doesn't understand. Without warning, the doll hops on his shoulder and hugs his neck. His eyes widen slightly as he realizes how soft and humanlike the doll's embrace feels.

"I-it seems like she wants to be your friend," Alice says without looking at his eyes.

Loading User Commands:
[X] Alice

---

"An anchor is something you use to maintain focus as you channel your energies," Alice says. "Magicians often use these as reference points when testing new magic. As you know, learning and developing new spells is often a slow and dangerous process. Magic-users rely on their anchor to dispel fear and use their abilities to their full extent."

"I think I'm starting to understand," Grimnír says. "But what things can I use as an anchor?"

Alice pauses to think.

"You need something that you can look back to and believe in, no matter how hopeless a situation can be. It needs to be a beacon of hope and faith in this world and in yourself. Most magicians use a fond childhood memory, or someone important to them."

He sighs heavily.

"But I can't remember anything from my past," he says. "The only clear memories I have start from when I arrived in Gensokyo."

Alice smiles at him.

"It doesn't have to be anyone in the past. Like I said, as long as you can believe in something hard enough, you can use it as an anchor."

...

"Are you ready?" she asks.

They are a few hundred feet above the clearing. Alice is gently holding his hand to keep him afloat.

"Someone I believe in," he mutters.

She waits patiently as he makes a decision.

"Alright, I'm ready," he says firmly.

She smiles at him once more for encouragement before letting him go.

Grimnír closes his eyes to focus. He feels the ripples of the air like before. He calms himself as he tries to understand and communicate with the element.

"I can't believe in myself," he whispers.

Slowly, he starts synchronizing with the air. He feels it flow around and into his body.

"I'm just another nameless person in this magical world."

He visualizes Alice's smiling face. Her kind smile was breathtaking. He would do anything to see that smile again.

"But I can believe in you."

In a moment that feels like forever, he feels like he enters a new world. He can sense them - the threads that bind the air together. It flows together like a river full of life and promise. He reaches out to them with only the thought of that wonderful girl's smile.

"..."

He calmly opens his eyes to see that he is hovering above the air on his own accord. He feels the air itself flow playfully around him, as if welcoming a new friend. He turns his head to look for Alice. His eyes widen in surprise as he feels something clasp on his head.

"Mmmph!" he manages.

"Y-you actually did it!" a familiar voice says. "You're flying!"

Grimnír gives Alice a thumbs-up as he gently pulls an overexcited Shanghai from his face. He ruffles the cute little doll's hair before turning back to Alice.

"I could never have done it without you, Alice."

Alice blushes red.

[ ] "Thanks for being here for me."
[ ] "Would you like to fly with me for a bit?"
[ ] "Why don't we have a short break?"
[ ] "Let's continue with the next lesson."
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Master flight magic (air element)
[X] Train defensive magic (earth element)

---

"I'd like to try flying again," Grimnír says. "Preferably without the freefall and pain."

"E-eh? Are you sure you want to try it so soon?" Alice asks.

"Humans have been dreaming of flight for millenia. The sky has always been a domain of legends and myths. To realize that dream without machines would be simply amazing," he says.

Alice frowns and folds her arms.

"If you really want to, then we can continue from yesterday," she says. "But this time, we do this my way. No reckless stunts."

Grimnír nods in agreement. While effective, Marisa's method is a bit too dangerous.

...

"Now try it again," Alice says sternly. "Visualize the air around you as you channel your energy into it. Communicate and synchronize yourself with its ripples."

"..."

"Focus on lifting your body from the ground. Let the air flow under you."

"..."

"And then, just let go," she says.

Grimnír leaps into the air. For a few moments, he feels like he can control it. Then, he opens his eyes.

"O-oh shi-"

He starts plummeting straight down into the ground.

...

Alice sighs heavily. They have been practicing for over an hour, but the most he can accomplish is hovering in place for a few seconds.

"A-am I doing something wrong?" Grimnír asks.

She shakes her head.

"No, you're doing fine," she says. "Maybe we should try another approach. You tend to panic and lose focus without some kind of anchor."

"Anchor?" he repeats.

"You need something that you can hold on to and believe in," she says. "Magic thrives on faith and belief. For magicians, one usually uses a fond childhood memory or someone important to you."

She closes her eyes and starts to smile.

"For myself, I remember my mother."

Grimnír pauses to enjoy the moment. Her smile is dazzling.

...

He tries as well as he can, but he can't remember anything from his past.

"We'll try from higher up this time," Alice says.

She said that it could be someone important to him.

"Are you ready?" she asks.

He takes a moment to decide on his anchor.

[ ] Alice
[ ] Marisa