A loud CRASH! echoed through the building.
The doors flew open and slammed against the wall.
Everyone in the room turned.
The clan leader's young daughter, who had been standing beside her mother, stared at the destroyed doorway.
Two figures stood in the opening.
Marisa brushed some dust off her hat.
"Hi, Reimu."
Reimu's eye twitched.
Her voice went dangerously calm.
"Marisa."
Marisa smiled.
"Yeah?"
"I told you to stay in Gensokyo!"
Marisa pointed at Chris.
"I did."
Reimu blinked.
"…What?"
"I stayed in Gensokyo."
She pointed at herself.
"I'm still in Gensokyo."
Reimu stared at her.
Then at the forest outside.
Then back at Marisa.
"We are outside Gensokyo!"
Marisa paused.
"…Oh."
Reimu's tick mark practically appeared on her forehead.
"YOU FLEW ACROSS THE BARRIER!"
"Technically, Chris did most of the navigating."
Chris stood beside her, completely calm.
The clan leader's daughter looked at him.
Then at Marisa.
Then back at Chris.
"…Who is the little Hakurei?"
Reimu immediately walked over and grabbed Chris.
"My responsibility."
Marisa raised a finger.
"Technically, he came with me."
"That's not helping!"
Yasaka covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
The spider clan leader looked at the broken doorway.
Then at Marisa.
Then at Reimu.
"You said this was a diplomatic meeting."
"It was," Reimu replied.
She pointed angrily at Marisa.
"Until she arrived."
Marisa looked offended.
"Hey, I brought important information."
Reimu narrowed her eyes.
"What information?"
Marisa smiled.
"I found the entrance."
A long silence followed.
The leader slowly looked toward the massive web-covered forest outside.
"You found the entrance that my clan deliberately hides?"
Marisa nodded proudly.
"Yep."
Reimu slowly covered her face.
'I'm going to kill her.'
Chris tugged on her sleeve.
"Reimu."
She lowered her hand.
"What?"
"Don't kill Marisa."
Marisa grinned.
"See? The kid gets me."
Reimu stared at her.
"...Unfortunately."
Reimu sighed and finally released Chris.
The young girl standing beside the clan leader was still staring at him curiously.
She leaned toward her mother and whispered something.
The leader smiled.
"Ah, forgive us. We haven't properly introduced ourselves."
She stepped forward.
She was tall and elegant, with long dark hair and the unmistakable appearance of a spider yokai. Several long spider legs extended from behind her, their golden markings catching the light.
She placed a hand against her chest.
"My name is Kogane."
Marisa tilted her head.
"Kogane?"
Kogane nodded.
"It's a shortened form of Kogane-gumo. The golden silk orb-weaver."
Marisa nodded.
"Yeah, that fits."
Kogane then gestured toward the girl beside her.
"And this is my daughter."
The girl stepped forward.
Unlike her mother, she was smaller and much more energetic-looking. Her spider legs moved slightly as she looked at Chris with open curiosity.
"My name is Tobiko."
Chris looked at her.
"Tobiko."
She smiled.
"Yes."
Marisa grinned.
"Lemme guess. Something about jumping?"
Tobiko pointed at herself proudly.
"Exactly! Tobi means jumping."
She crouched.
Then suddenly—
Boing!
She jumped several feet into the air and landed perfectly on one of her mother's spider legs.
Chris's eyes widened.
"Whoa."
Tobiko giggled.
"I can jump really far!"
Marisa laughed.
"Okay, that's actually pretty cool."
Reimu looked between the two.
"So Kogane and Tobiko."
Kogane nodded.
"Mother and daughter."
Chris looked at Kogane's spider legs.
Then at Tobiko's.
Then at the web-covered room.
"Spider family."
Tobiko smiled.
"Spider family."
Yamame raised a hand.
"Technically, I'm part of the extended spider family."
Marisa pointed at her.
"Spider family is getting complicated."
Kogane laughed softly.
"It tends to."
She then looked down at Chris.
"And you must be Chris."
Chris nodded.
"Yeah."
Kogane's expression softened.
"I've heard quite a bit about you."
Reimu immediately became suspicious.
"From who?"
Kogane glanced toward Yasaka.
"Your cousin."
Reimu sighed.
"Of course."
Tobiko stepped closer to Chris.
"So you're the little Hakurei everyone has been talking about?"
Chris looked confused.
"Everyone?"
Marisa raised her hand.
"I have questions about that too."
Reimu immediately pointed at her.
"You are not helping."
Tobiko looked at the pendant around Chris's neck.
Then she noticed something else.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Mom."
Kogane looked at her daughter.
"What?"
Tobiko pointed toward Chris.
"That's not just a Hakurei charm."
Kogane's expression changed.
She looked carefully at the pendant.
Then at Chris.
Then toward Yasaka.
Yasaka simply smiled.
Kogane understood.
"...I see."
Reimu groaned.
"Please don't start another political conversation."
Kogane shook her head.
"No."
She smiled at Chris.
"This is simply a family matter."
Reimu's eye twitched.
"Why does everyone keep saying things like that?"
Kogane gave a small laugh.
"Because you keep surrounding yourself with people who know more about your family than you do."
Reimu's face went blank.
"...I hate this meeting."
Yasaka chuckled from behind her.
"You'll survive."
Marisa leaned against the wall.
"So, Kogane, since we're apparently doing introductions now, what's your daughter's actual position in the clan?"
Tobiko immediately answered.
"I'm being trained to become a web guardian!"
She proudly raised one hand.
"I patrol the outer forest, check the traps, and make sure nobody gets into places they shouldn't."
Marisa looked at the destroyed doorway.
Then at Tobiko.
"Good job."
Tobiko blinked.
"Thank you?"
Reimu slowly turned toward Marisa.
"Don't encourage her."
"I was being sincere!"
"You broke the door!"
"I didn't know it was a secret door!"
"It was the main entrance!"
"That sounds like a design flaw!"
Kogane sighed.
"I am beginning to understand why you two are friends."
Yasaka smiled.
"They've been like this for years."
Chris looked between them.
"Are you angry?"
Kogane looked at him.
"No, little one. I'm more amused than anything."
She glanced at the ruined doorway.
"My clan can repair a door."
Marisa relaxed.
"See?"
"But," Kogane continued, "you will be paying for it."
Marisa's smile vanished.
"...Right."
Reimu crossed her arms.
"Good."
Tobiko suddenly walked over to Chris.
She crouched down in front of him.
"So, Chris."
Chris looked at her.
"Yeah?"
"You can really see our webs?"
Chris nodded.
"Even invisible ones?"
"Yeah."
Tobiko's eyes practically sparkled.
"Can you see me when I jump?"
Chris thought about it.
"I can see you."
Tobiko grinned.
"Then let's test it!"
Reimu immediately grabbed Chris by the shoulder.
"No."
Tobiko looked disappointed.
"Why?"
"Because we're here for diplomacy."
Marisa raised her hand.
"And because you don't want the kid getting launched through another wall."
Chris looked at Marisa.
"I wouldn't."
Reimu stared at him.
"You absolutely would."
Yamame laughed.
Tobiko looked at Chris again.
"Maybe later."
Chris nodded.
"Okay."
Kogane watched the two children interact.
Her expression softened.
Then she turned back toward Reimu.
"Perhaps your arrival isn't as troublesome as I initially thought."
Reimu raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds dangerously close to a compliment."
"It is."
Reimu sighed.
"...I'll take it."
Kogane then returned to her seat.
"Now, shall we return to the matter that brought you here?"
Yasaka nodded.
"Yes."
Reimu sat down across from her.
Marisa sat beside Chris, who remained between them.
Kogane folded her hands.
"The conflict with the Tanuki."
Her expression became serious again.
"We need to discuss how far this has already gone."
And for the first time since Marisa had crashed through the door, the room became quiet.
Kogane sat back down, her expression becoming more serious.
"The conflict between my clan and the Nekomata has been building for some time."
Reimu listened carefully.
Kogane continued.
"It started with territory."
She raised one finger.
"The Nekomata expanded their hunting grounds into an area that several of our families have used for generations. We protested. They refused to move."
A second finger.
"Then one of our patrols crossed into their territory while following a group of hunters. The Nekomata saw it as an invasion."
Marisa frowned.
"So both sides kept crossing into each other's territory?"
"Exactly."
Kogane sighed.
"What began as arguments became fights. What were once small skirmishes became organized attacks."
Yasaka's expression hardened.
"And now both clans are preparing their warriors."
Kogane nodded.
"That is the problem."
She paused before continuing.
"The Tanuki have tried to intervene."
Marisa tilted her head.
"The Tanuki?"
"Yes."
Kogane folded her hands.
"Among the Twelve Clans, the Tanuki are considered the middle ground."
Reimu looked curious.
"Because they're neutral?"
"Not exactly neutral."
Kogane shook her head.
"They have their own interests, just like every other clan. But when there is a conflict, incident, or even a war between clans, the Tanuki usually take the role of mediator."
Marisa nodded.
"So they're basically the guys who stop everyone from beating the hell out of each other."
Kogane gave her a strange look.
"...That is a crude way of putting it."
Marisa grinned.
"But accurate?"
"Unfortunately."
Yasaka smiled slightly.
Kogane continued.
"They also have another responsibility."
Her tone became more solemn.
"If there is a major conflict between clans, the Tanuki prohibit the distribution of information and weapons to either side."
Reimu's eyes narrowed.
"Information too?"
"Yes."
Kogane nodded.
"Maps. Intelligence. Military reports. Anything that could give one side a decisive advantage."
"And weapons?"
"Especially weapons."
Marisa whistled.
"So they basically cut off both sides."
"Exactly," Kogane said. "The purpose is simple. If neither side can easily obtain outside support, the conflict is less likely to become a full-scale war."
Yasaka nodded.
"It is one of the oldest agreements between the Twelve Clans."
Reimu looked thoughtful.
"But if they're supposed to be the middle ground, why are things getting this bad?"
Kogane's expression darkened.
"Because someone has been supplying both sides."
The room went silent.
Marisa's grin disappeared.
"...Someone?"
Kogane nodded.
"We don't know who."
Chris quietly looked down at his Grimoire.
The pages began to move.
Slowly.
Yamame noticed.
"Chris?"
His blue eyes shifted toward Kogane.
'Someone is lying.'
Nidhogg's voice followed.
'Not her.'
Chris looked toward the doorway.
'Someone else.'
Reimu noticed his expression.
"Chris?"
He pointed toward the forest.
"Someone."
Kogane stared at him.
"Someone?"
Chris nodded.
"Watching."
Yasaka's eyes narrowed.
The room suddenly felt much colder.
Kogane stood.
"Then perhaps this conflict isn't what we thought it was."
Marisa grabbed her hat.
"Well…"
She smiled.
"Now that sounds like an incident."
Marisa looked at Yasaka, clearly thinking about what Kogane had just explained.
"Hey, why don't you get fully involved? You're basically the unofficial leader of the Twelve Clans or something, right?"
Yasaka's expression became more serious.
"Because that would create more problems than it solves."
Marisa tilted her head.
"How?"
"The Kitsune Clan cannot openly take sides in a conflict between two other clans. There are political reasons for that."
She paused.
"And there is another problem."
Yasaka glanced toward Chris.
"My clan has no heir."
Reimu's expression immediately changed.
"You mean…"
Yasaka nodded.
"Exactly."
She looked back at Marisa.
"As you know, Reimu and I are both descendants of Amaterasu. My branch of the family comes through another aspect of Tamamo-no-Mae's lineage, but the authority is still connected."
She gestured toward herself.
"The power I possess isn't simply something I learned. My bloodline is tied directly to the ley lines under Japan."
Tobiko, who had been quietly listening, spoke with wisdom beyon her years.
"So if you die without an heir…"
"The authority goes with me."
The room became quiet.
Yasaka continued.
"The ley lines would lose their current anchor. I don't know exactly what would happen afterward, and I'm not interested in finding out."
Marisa frowned.
"Can't you just train someone to inherit the position?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"Training can teach someone how to use magic. It cannot give them my bloodline."
She looked down at Chris again.
"And before you ask, yes, that is part of why his existence has become important."
Reimu's eyes narrowed.
"Yasaka."
"I know."
Yasaka raised a hand.
"I am not asking him to inherit anything now. He's still a child."
Chris looked between them.
"Important?"
Yasaka smiled gently.
"Very."
She tapped the mark hidden beneath his clothes.
"He carries my mark. Whatever happens in the distant future, that connection means the possibility of an heir exists."
Reimu's expression immediately hardened.
"We are not discussing Chris becoming some political tool."
Yasaka nodded.
"I agree."
She looked at Chris.
"He should grow up normally. Learn, explore, make friends, and decide his own future."
Marisa scratched her cheek.
"So basically…"
She pointed at Yasaka.
"You're ridiculously powerful, but you're stuck playing carefully because you're basically holding Japan's supernatural infrastructure together."
Yasaka smiled.
"That is a surprisingly accurate summary."
Marisa nodded.
"Damn."
Kogane folded her arms.
"Which is why she cannot simply arrive here with the Kitsune Clan behind her."
Yasaka nodded.
"If I openly support one side, every other clan will interpret it as the Kitsune choosing a faction."
Reimu sighed.
"And then the conflict becomes a clan war."
"Exactly."
Chris looked toward the forest.
His Grimoire quietly opened.
The pages turned.
'Something is wrong.'
Nidhogg's voice followed.
'The conflict is being pushed.'
Chris looked up.
"Someone wants war."
Everyone turned toward him.
Yasaka's smile disappeared.
Kogane slowly stood.
"Then we need to find out who."
Reimu sighed.
"Easier said than done."
"I can help."
Everyone froze.
Marisa looked around the room.
"Who said that?"
"Down here."
Everyone's eyes slowly moved downward.
The Grimoire floating beside Chris.
Its pages began flipping on their own.
Reimu's eyes widened.
"...Nidhogg."
The flames around the Grimoire flickered.
Nidhogg's voice echoed through the room.
"My host has acquired a new power."
Marisa stared at the book.
"Wait, acquired?"
Nidhogg continued.
"Path Walker."
The symbol appeared briefly across the open page.
Yamame's eyes widened.
"Path Walker?"
Kogane looked at Chris.
"What exactly does that mean?"
Nidhogg answered.
"A power that allows my host to perceive and traverse paths that would normally be hidden, inaccessible, or impossible to follow."
Marisa's eyes lit up.
"So he can find hidden paths?"
"Among other things."
Reimu looked at Chris.
"Can you find whoever is supplying the two clans?"
Chris looked toward the forest.
His blue eyes glowed.
The Grimoire opened wider.
Several threads suddenly became visible.
One was connected to the Jorōgumo territory.
Another stretched toward the Nekomata lands.
But there was something else.
A third thread.
It went somewhere neither clan controlled.
Chris pointed.
"There."
Kogane immediately stepped forward.
"Where does it lead?"
Chris hesitated.
"Don't know."
Nidhogg answered for him.
"But we can follow it."
Marisa grinned.
"Now we're talking."
Reimu immediately pointed at her.
"You are staying behind me."
Marisa's grin faded.
"Aww."
"You already broke one door."
"It was trapped!"
"You still broke it."
Yasaka looked at Chris, then at the glowing path.
For the first time since arriving, she smiled.
"Perhaps his new ability is exactly what we needed."
Kogane nodded.
"If someone is secretly provoking this conflict, then finding them may be more important than negotiating with either clan."
Yamame looked at the strange thread.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Chris stepped forward.
The Grimoire floated beside him.
The hidden path began to glow.
Nidhogg spoke one last time.
"Stay close to my host."
The room suddenly felt much larger.
Because the path Chris had discovered didn't lead deeper into the forest.
It led through it.
And whatever was waiting at the other end...
Had been hiding from the Twelve Clans for a very long time.
To be continue
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