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[X] Head into the Forest alone. Leave Mystia with Alice.

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"Lonely and frightened," whispers Mystia. "Firefly in the darkness~"

With those last words, the sparrow girl falls unconscious in his arms. Then, they hear another loud crash from the direction of the Forest of Magic. Grimnír hesitates for a moment before speaking.

"Alice, can you do something for her?" he asks carefully.

The dollmaker steps closer to examine the wounded girl. He, too, carefully notes the locations of the broken limbs. Shanghai floats about nervously as they check her injuries.

"I can probably try to close the wounds, at least," says Alice. "This isn't my specialty, but I think I can do something."

"Alright," says Grimnír. "Can you stay here and take care of her for a while?"

"What?" she replies. "You aren't thinking of -"

"I'll be right back," he says. "Something doesn't feel right..."

Grimnír carefully lays the sparrow girl down before picking up his sack and staff. He gives Alice a little wave before walking off toward the Forest of Magic. Then, something suddenly tugs on his robes from behind. He turns around to see Shanghai pulling desperately at him, her face full of worry.

"Don't be reckless," says Alice. "We don't know what we are up against."

"I just want to check it out," he says assuringly. "If it looks bad, I'll retreat right away. I'm not stupid enough to believe that I can fight."

He gives Shanghai a small pat on the head as he pushes her tiny hands away. Then, taking a deep breath, he hops into the air and begins flying toward the direction of the noises.

...

The first thing he sees is a fast-moving red and green blur in the distance.

"Flowery Sign, 「Mountain Breaker」," it cries.

At those words, everything is filled with an explosion of colorful light. Suddenly, the whole area around is illuminated with the colors of the rainbow in a beautiful and destructive display of power. The tree, the bushes and the ground - everything that is touched by the brightest portions of the light simply shatters and turns to ash.

Grimnír covers his eyes to shield them from the brightness, and by the time he looks again, everything around the red and green figure has been reduced to a blackened crater. He slows down and watches in awe as the person lands on the ground as she rubs her knuckles. Wait, isn't that the gate guard from the Scarlet Devil Mansion?

"Not bad at all," says another voice. "If that hit, that might have hurt a little. Perhaps I have underestimated your abilities."

A small, cloaked figure steps out from the shadows of the Forest. From the person's voice, he can tell that it is a girl, but her stature is that of a child's. However, he can sense an unusual energy coming from the stranger.

"Too bad I don't have time to play with you," she says. "Why don't you just go back to your nap and mind your own business. A good servant does what she is told, after all."

"Stop pretending," says Meiling darkly. "I know that you were behind the attack at the gate."

"Eh? I don't know what you are talking about~"

"I have been on your trail for a while now," says the gate guard. "Originally, I was planning to follow until I find your hideout. But after what you did to Mystia, I couldn't just stand and watch."

"I see," says the stranger. "Pretty sharp for a simple servant. And powerful, too. You aren't what you seem to be. I really have underestimated you..."

Suddenly, the shadows behind the cloaked stranger light up with hundreds of eyes. Slow and deliberate, she motions for them to show themselves. Grimnír barely stops himself from gasping when they come out. Dozens of gigantic hornets fly out from the trees and into the open. Their eyes shine of youkai intelligence.

Meiling narrows her eyes, but she says nothing as she prepares a martial stance. Her eyes are filled with determination and focus.

"Don't take it personally," says the cloaked figure. "Things beyond control, both yours and mine, have brought these unfortunate, but necessary circumstances."

Neither of them have noticed his presence.
[ ] Help Meiling fight against the cloaked figure.
[ ] Help the cloaked figure fight against Meiling.
[ ] Don't do anything. Stay silent and watch.
[ ] Don't get involved. Head back to the others.
[ ] Custom