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Within the gap, **Yukari Yakumo** sensed something. Her amethyst eyes flew open, unusually serious. She sat up abruptly from the futon.
The Great Youkai possessed a figure both alluring and graceful, with a slender waist and captivating posture. Her long golden hair cascaded around her. The thin quilt slid down her fair skin, revealing glimpses of flawless jade.
Normally, when Yukari awakened from hibernation, she was all languid charm and seductive grace. But this time, her expression was uncharacteristically stern, her eyes holding a deep, barely concealed anxiety and alarm.
"**Yukari-sama!**"
At Yukari's call, an exquisitely beautiful girl dressed in Taoist robes and a peculiar hat, with nine tails flowing behind her, appeared in the small bedroom. Her form alone marked her as the legendary **Nine-Tailed Fox**.
However, unlike the seductive kitsune of myth, this nine-tailed maiden carried less overt allure and more an air of solemnity. **Ran Yakumo**, originally a nine-tailed beast, was subdued a millennium ago by the Youkai Sage and became her shikigami, receiving the Yakumo surname. She had served her master faithfully and constantly for a thousand years.
Ran, who had been cooking in the kitchen, heard her master's urgent summons. She quickly dressed and entered Yukari's hibernation chamber. Seeing Yukari awake in the midst of winter hibernation, her eyes severe and bearing a regal, imposing aura, Ran felt a jolt of recognition. It was like seeing the Youkai Sage of a thousand years past.
*How long has it been since I last saw Yukari-sama like this?* Ran wondered. *Over a hundred years, surely.*
Ever since the **Hakurei Barrier** was erected over a century ago, isolating Gensokyo completely, Yukari had seemed to consider her duty done. She had transformed from the Youkai Sage into the "Youkai Idler" – essentially, she had given up. It was as if Yukari knew Gensokyo was "doomed" and had chosen to slack off in advance.
Who could have imagined that over a century later, Ran would see this side of Yukari-sama again?
*'Perhaps this means Yukari-sama will finally rouse herself and stop being a waste of space?'*
Ran's joy wasn't primarily about Yukari's sudden awakening to responsibility. Ever since Yukari started slacking, *all* responsibilities had fallen onto Ran, her shikigami. She had to carry out Yukari's bizarre tasks, manage her daily needs, and constantly patch the Barrier – all without a day off for a hundred years, requiring constant diligence. Compared to Ran's workload, 996 was a blessing. Under this pressure, Ran felt her sanity fraying. If Yukari-sama could regain even a fraction of her former Sage-like demeanor and help with some tasks, Ran would weep tears of joy.
"Something momentous has occurred, Ran. Accompany me!" Yukari declared, rising to her feet, her bare jade feet touching the tatami.
As her alluring figure spun gracefully, a purple gown adorned with water lily motifs and lace appeared upon her.
"Yukari-sama, has the Barrier been compromised?" Ran's expression shifted. In her mind, only the Hakurei Barrier could warrant such concern from her master.
"Something has entered Gensokyo *from outside* the Barrier," Yukari answered succinctly. With a thought, gaps opened behind both her and Ran – rifts in reality, bordered by space-binding ribbons tied into cute bows. Yet within the darkness of these gaps, countless eerie eyes peered out, inspiring primal dread.
Ran had long grown accustomed to the eyes. She was puzzled. Things entering Gensokyo from outside weren't uncommon. When the human population in the **Human Village** dwindled, Yukari-sama even abducted ("**Diverted**") people herself. Why was Yukari-sama making such a fuss this time? Was the intruder some terrifying Forgotten One or Youkai? Though filled with questions, Ran knew she would soon have answers. As she was swallowed by the gap, she readied herself for battle.
As the gap opened from the Japanese house, another gap manifested within Gensokyo. Yukari Yakumo emerged with her shikigami in tow. Her silk-gloved hand held a parasol. Her gaze fell upon a piece of pitch-black paper lying amidst the grass at her feet.
Emerging from the gap, Ran had braced for anything. She recognized they were near the **Hakurei Shrine**. Yet, after moments of tense vigilance, she found no enemy. Her gaze gradually settled on the black paper Yukari-sama had picked up from the grass.
"Yukari-sama, this thing..." Merely glimpsing the black paper caused the fur on Ran's nine tails to stand on end as if facing an abomination. Fear flashed across her face. She instinctively took a step back. Realizing this looked like abandoning her master, she quickly steadied herself and returned to her position.
"As you perceive, Ran..." Yukari murmured, her eyes narrowed to slits, her vigilance at its peak. "...The power contained within this object is truly dreadful and awe-inspiring. Even a mere trace reveals the sublime stature of its owner." It was this object's sudden appearance in Gensokyo that had jolted her from hibernation.
"Yukari-sama, what is this? Could it be related to the Moon—?" Ran ventured cautiously, her voice hushed as if speaking too loudly might attract the paper's owner's attention.
"No, you overestimate those on the moon. They lack such capability." Yukari shook her head. "...If this thing appeared on the moon, even the entire **Lunar Capital** would panic." She briefly entertained the idea of tossing the paper onto the moon but dismissed it. Its appearance in Gensokyo likely held a deeper meaning she couldn't yet grasp.
"Then what is it?" Ran asked hesitantly. She vaguely recognized the symbol on the black paper but dared not confirm.
"Ran, you noticed too, didn't you? This is the **Fravashi**, the symbol of Zoroastrianism."
"...However, strangely, the figure atop the Fravashi is typically male. This one bears a female visage."
"This object holds significant research value. I shall take it back for study."
Hearing this, Ran's expression changed drastically. "Yukari-sama! It's too dangerous!"
"Ah, I am aware, Ran. But perhaps its appearance is fate... or '**Hope**'!" Yukari whispered, her gaze distant. "...'Zoroaster' is the Greek name. More accurately, it should be called '**Zarathustra**'!"
...
Leaving the void of darkness, Orion stepped out of his private palace and headed towards the Colosseum.
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