Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

☆, Preparations before the end of the war: Dreams

—Give it a try, give it a try.

—Things that the pioneers failed to complete, or even abandoned, are accomplished by the successors.

—But is this what you expected? Is this what you wanted?

"This is truly... a pity."

Alice closed her eyes, then opened them. The next moment, she crossed the barrier of time and arrived in the past, more than ten thousand years ago, from the old future to the new present.

"Alice?"—She heard Marisa's surprised exclamation and saw that pretty face filled with a mixture of surprise and a little complexity.

then--

Alice reached out and grasped her neck.

Oxygen was rapidly depleting, and the body's systems began to stagnate. Completely bewildered, Marisa stared wide-eyed, her eyes instantly becoming bloodshot.

"Why...why?" She struggled to raise her increasingly weak arms, wanting to touch Alice's hand or her indifferent face.

She received a cold, indifferent reply.

"I'm sorry." Alice's voice was calm, as smooth as a mirror. Immediately afterward, a crisp cracking sound came from the tips of her fingers.

The will and fire in Marisa Kirisame's eyes dimmed, her neck lolled to the side, and she died.

Immediately following, pale golden flames rose from her stagnant blood and burned intensely in an instant.

Burning, burning, melting bones and shattering remains.

The girl's slender, pale limbs were instantly burned into a pile of bones, which continued to burn, turning into specks of pale ash that drifted in all directions. Immediately afterward, new flames were created where the ash landed.

The cabin caught fire, the woods caught fire.

The earth is ablaze, the world is ablaze.

Countless powerful beings resisted, but no matter what power or tool they used, the result was futile. They could only watch helplessly as the pale golden flames followed the power they released, burning and ultimately turning their bodies into ashes.

This timeline has been abandoned.

All things die, and flames burn from the new past to the old future. This Gensokyo, which should have remained unchanged for millennia, is reduced to ashes. History is removed, destiny is annihilated. Time, space, and energy are reduced to nothingness.

Everything quieted down.

Just like the incineration of humanity that occurred in the Moon World back then. When Alice took a step outward, all that came into her perception was primordial chaos where nothing existed. There were no rules, no order, no form, no structure. Even further, 'emptiness' itself no longer existed.

Alice destroyed everything, eliminated everything.

At the end of everything that should have been nothing, the form of life was reflected in her eyes. She saw the graceful human figure with six wings on its back, and the long, silvery hair that hung to the ground—and when she saw her, the destroyed world spontaneously began to be reshaped.

Reshaping, reshaping, back to before she acted, back to before Gensokyo changed, back to the moment the transfer ritual had just ended, and the departing inhabitants had just settled into their newfound place in this distant land—the universe in her eyes returned to its original form, transforming into the scroll drawn by the immortal painter. And the scroll then closed up and fell into the hands of that humanoid figure.

——Shenqi.

—This is not the Shinki that Alice encountered as a member of the Central Continent Team, the one disguised as a painter from the Aryandel-Loire province. Nor is it the Shinki who once met Zheng Zha and painted a portrait of him. Rather, it is the Shinki, the lord of the Demon World, who exists in the multiverse within the Touhou Project series.

—And this is what Shenqi looked like when Luo Ye was still just Luo Ye.

She stood quietly in the void, smiling as she watched the girl who had summoned the flames.

“Indeed, only fire can destroy painting, only the blood of fallen darkness can ignite flames.” Alice gazed at the humanoid figure that should be her mother. She flicked her fingers, dispersing the few remaining sparks. “Is this the test you gave me, Mother? Only when I understand what the ‘fallen’ you desire is can I find the fuel that serves as paint. Only then can I meet you here?”

What is depravity?

The concept of degeneration varies from person to person across different civilizations. But generally speaking, it simply means transforming from a good form into a bad one, and then solidifying in that bad form, irreversibly.

So, what exactly is good and bad?

Simply put, for Alice, whose essence is 'change,' 'stagnation,' or the 'unchanging' symbolized by Loyal, is 'bad' as the opposite of good. Although she doesn't hate Loyal for this, it is indeed the guiding principle she holds at this moment. And it is precisely because of this that when she arrives in Gensokyo and witnesses the fantasy paradise that has remained unchanged for over ten thousand years, this stagnant paradise before her is undoubtedly the embodiment of 'bad' in her eyes.

Even so, Gensokyo is 'bad,' but not corrupt. Because Gensokyo was already like this before she set off. And when she traveled through the entire Gensokyo and finally arrived at the cottage where Kirisame Marisa lived, the only individual in the entire world who had changed from 'good' to 'bad' came into her view.

Marisa has turned 'bad'. Because the Marisa of the past, though ordinary and unremarkable, never gave up on striving and improving. She wouldn't try to inherit Alice and Patchouli's ideals, nor would she follow in their footsteps. Instead, she would independently forge her own path and resolutely move forward—

—In the distant past, it was precisely because of this quality that Alice and Patchouli passed on their information magic to her. And when they left Gensokyo, it was because they saw her indomitable spirit and independence that Alice and Patchouli, who still had mortal emotions at that time, were able to leave the world of Gensokyo with peace of mind.

She should have been like this, but she has changed into this. She has become unambitious, complacent, and has stopped pursuing her own path to advancement. She has abandoned her own ideals and instead chased after the ideals once held by her predecessors.

If she is already a transcendent being, then abandoning her own beliefs and following the path of others is tantamount to self-destruction.

Even though she wasn't a superhuman being, her stagnant and resigned actions were proof in Alice's eyes that her behavior had changed from 'good' to 'bad'.

Therefore, in Alice's eyes, she was already dead. Thus, Alice went to the moment of her 'death,' destroying her already fallen self. From her remains, she retrieved the original source of this painting: the blood of a fallen, dark soul, desired by the painters of the Aryandel-Loire region. And the moment the blood ignited, this world, this universe, returned to its original form.

Alice thus arrived here.

Alice thus met with the goddess.

When Alice looked up at the woman who was conceptually her own mother, she realized that the essence of it all was Kamiki's test. And the changes that occurred in Marisa were proof that Kamiki had placed the key.

“What you desire is change,” Alice asked, gazing at Shinki.

However, Shinki simply smiled and denied it. "No, it is you who desires change."

Alice fell silent immediately.

She felt she had so much to say to Shenqi, so many questions to ask her. However, when she tried to organize the jumbled thoughts in her mind and make a clear list of them, she found that her mind was completely blank, devoid of anything.

The reason is unclear; perhaps it's due to suppression at a higher level of existence. Or perhaps the concept of 'tension' has returned to her, a state that has transcended all things, leading to this consequence.

However, she knew she would never have another chance to speak with Shinki.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because you are the 'change,' and I am not."

"Am I not a part of you?"

“Of course you are not a part of me.” Shinki’s form appeared behind Alice, a pair of slender hands gently resting on her shoulders. Then, a faint voice rang in Alice’s ears.

"You are my daughter, my prop, a reflection of my thoughts. But beyond that—"

"—You are not me. Nor can you, nor are you qualified to be me."

"Why?" Alice asked the same question a second time, this time for a completely different purpose.

And so the things before her eyes rapidly changed. From nothingness, a sea of ​​flowers was born, a castle was born, and in that instant when time was redefined and clarified, Gensokyo, which she had just destroyed, was reshaped—reshaped into the moment when the leap project was just completed, and the reborn Gensokyo stood on its own in the new universe. Then all the causal threads reconnected, reviving all things that were still and making them vibrant and alive.

She saw that the scroll was still in Shinki's hands, and that its contents had become completely empty. Yet, all the souls and all the lights of the heart within Gensokyo could find a counterpart in this newly born universe before her. Except for Kazami Yuuka, who had already been separated from the scroll for unknown reasons during the transfer, everyone in Gensokyo was reshaped in this new universe.

Kamiki created a universe in the blink of an eye.

Then, she looked at Alice and spoke the words from her lips.

Is this all you want to know?

You may only ask one question, and I will only answer one. Of course, I might say more, but even so, there is only one question I will formally answer.

She gazed at Alice, and Alice did not hesitate for a moment.

“I want to know.” Alice nodded earnestly. “I want to know the meaning of my existence—even though I have already given myself meaning. I also want to know why I was created. Not my subjective conjecture, nor the rough outline I deduce from clues—I want to know the answer directly, the only correct answer.”

She heard a sigh.

"You really are just like I was back then, so stubborn, so arrogant." Shenqi's form vanished behind Alice, then reappeared on the other side. She leaned languidly against an exquisite armchair, her eyes sparkling, a finger lightly resting on her chin. "Do you know that if you were to ask me now for victory, for freedom, even for ownership of this multiverse, I could immediately grant your wishes, allowing you to skip the next battle and reach the very end of your destiny?"

“I know,” Alice nodded. “Luo Ye told me about the characteristics of your kind. She called you chess players. She told me that you cannot experience any failure, and that you can easily achieve everything you desire.”

"But even so, I want to know the answer."

“Silly girl.” Shen Qi sighed regretfully, “But since you are so eager to know this secret, then I might as well tell you.”

She straightened up and got up from the chair. Then, she posed a question.

Do you know how to reach the sixth level of the genetic lock?

Of course, she wasn't expecting an answer from Alice. Instead, she gave her own answer.

"It's very simple: acquire everything, and then give up everything. That's the sixth stage of the gene lock that doesn't exist. It's what Luo Ye called the chess player, the upper-level narrative record, and transcendence."

"So, how do we obtain everything?"

She still didn't expect Alice's response; she simply provided the answer herself.

“The path may vary from person to person, but there is always a general direction. Take, for example, the gene lock you are currently studying. The first four stages control everything within, while from the fifth stage onwards, you control everything external.”

“That should be easy to understand.” She tilted her head slightly, a gesture that Alice often made. “Unlocking the advanced fourth stage of the genetic lock requires nothing but the Light of the Mind. The Light of the Mind is attached to the Dao and anchors itself through obsession. The process from the fourth to the fifth stage is about allowing the self to remain even after the anchor is discarded, while the Light of the Mind is projected onto every corner of the multiverse through the path it has taken. From then on, it becomes one of the embodiments of the Dao, or rather, it makes a concept in the multiverse its own essence.”

"This is the fifth tier, the standard True Saint level. Those nascent saints who use legends to represent concepts and map the multiverse need not be paid attention to. Only by starting from the True Saint level can one continue to climb upwards."

"So how do we climb?" She glanced at Alice, not keeping her in suspense. "It's actually quite simple. Since the True Saint's true form is a concept within the multiverse, we can extend outwards from this concept to govern more concepts. And at this stage, there are basically two methods available."

She opened her hands, and two orbs of light appeared between them. One was like a bursting source of light, releasing billions of rays of brilliance, while the other was restrained and hidden, yet contained the vast universe within.

"The first method is the Path of Universality. It involves encroaching on other concepts in the multiverse, thereby gradually increasing its own share. The second method is the Path of Oneness. It involves using one's own concept to derive other concepts and gradually cultivating them from few to many."

"Neither method is superior or inferior, nor is there a difference between one being faster or slower. Regardless of which path one chooses, as long as one sets foot on it, one will reach the level of 'Emperor' in this multiverse. This is a level above True Saint, but not yet reaching the next stage."

"And the next stage is the inner universe."

She closed her five fingers together, and the next moment, the two orbs of light vanished in her palm.

"Whether it's dominating the multiverse or creating a concept equivalent to a multiverse from one to ten thousand, once you take that step, it becomes the inner universe. It becomes the will of the multiverse, the mother tree of all things. Gu and Jun were at this level in the past. Of course, they used the second method, and it was given to them by others."

So they died, having completed their mission, they died like discarded tools.

"And once you get here, you basically have everything. Because while there are still multiple dimensions beyond multiple dimensions, there are no higher levels above them. Even if there were, they would just be boring stacking boxes. And under normal circumstances, once you reach this level, no more sages will be born in this inner universe."

"Therefore, if one wants to advance from the top level of the fifth order, from the inner universe level which is equivalent to the multiverse itself, the only thing one can do is to give up everything one possesses."

She looked at Alice and said softly, "Abandon the path, abandon the cause, abandon the light of the mind, abandon the self. After abandoning everything that can be abandoned, everything that can be known, if there is anything left to remain, then you have embarked on the path to the sixth stage."

“And you, Alice Margotrovid. You are the way of all change that I abandoned when I became a higher narrator.”

"So you are my daughter, therefore, you can never, and cannot, return to me—unless I feel it is necessary."

☆ Preparations before the end of the war: True knowledge

"That's what you wanted to hear, Alice." Shinki opened her hand, scattering shimmering light from her fingers. These were the remnants of the two shattered orbs of light, which then drifted into the depths of the world, disappearing without a trace.

"You've squandered your only chance to see me, and consumed your only desire to obtain from me. And this is the result you sought and hoped for—Alice, this is the answer you expected. I can tell you very clearly that there is no end or shackle I have set for you on your ever-changing path. The resources I have prepared for you have only allowed you to get to where you are now. How far you can go from here depends on your own exploration."

Alice fell silent.

Ah, that's right. She asks this question here, questioning her own origins, rather than directly seeking victory or a result. It's to prove that there's still a path forward for her, to prove that her path belongs to herself, and not to some predetermined outcome arranged by Shen Qi.

"I once made a conjecture... a conjecture that I was part of your thought process."