The dregs of Makai had increased patrols, but nothing was easier for Mai than allowing her body to dissolve into an icy mist and slowly drifting back towards Pandemonium. If anyone was aware of her presence, it was only as a sudden chill passing by as it soon as it arrived.
She allowed her proper form to re-materialise back in the safe confines of the fruit tree she had lurked in before, then quietly observed all that happened around her, which wasn't much: after Louise's departure, Alice alone remained in the garden, pottering around aimlessly, lost in distant thoughts. Finally, she departed, leaving Mai alone.
Night fell, which in Pandemonium meant the unearthly glow of the spires around the perimeter dimmed, and the chains of light overhanging the streets went out one by one. Mai stretched out her wings then curled them around her body like a cocoon, allowing her mind drift into a slumber-like haze.
She was only tenuously aware of how many hours had passed when the lights returned and she found herself covered in morning dew. She shook her hair free of it, then spotted Alice back in the garden, wading through the wet grass, enjoying the sensation but not fully attending. Her mind was yet again somewhere far away, and Mai could guess it was with the distant intruders, wondering exactly what they were doing, and if they were gloating. Once more, she was holding the grimoire.
There were no sentries in the sky, and on a such a peaceful morning few would show up at the heart of the realm. There was no time like the present.
She plucked two of the crystalline fruits off a nearby branch, marvelling at the feel of the smooth texture of their peels, then alighted from the tree.
Alice spun around at the sudden rustling, ready to show no fear and to sling her most potent spells, only to freeze in surprise as she saw who the intruder was.
Mai stood before the largest tree in the garden with her hands behind her back, looking as sweet and gentle as she ever had, her small wings soft as clouds. Her blue eyes shone like dew as she offered Alice a small smile.
Alice blinked. She hadn't forgotten Louise's tale, She pressed the grimoire protectively against her chest before speaking up. "You shouldn't be here."
Mai nodded, as though she had expected this. She then held out a hand. There was a spherical, ruby-red fruit in it. "Are you hungry?"
Doubtfully, Alice accepted the fruit. Mai procured another one from behind her back and leaned against the tree trunk as she unpeeled it. Once she began to eat, Alice allowed herself to follow suit.
She kept eyeing Mai as she ate, feeling more uncertain by the moment. Even knowing of her magical prowess and the kinds of pranks she and Yuki had sometimes pulled, it had been difficult to imagine Mai as an agitator, let alone an army leader. Now that she was actually there, exuding her usual gentle, benign air, it was practically impossible. Wasn't Mai her sister, in the same way all residents of Makai were sisters? Could she really also be an exiled troublemaker? With eyes like that, meeting Alice's gaze with such obvious friendliness?
She swallowed the last of the fruit. "Why did you return?" If Mai made up an obvious lie, it would make the decision to find Yumeko or someone else to drive her away that much easier.
Mai stopped eating and sighed, in a light, airy way which suggested she wasn't exasperated with the question, just that she wasn't sure where to begin. "I wanted to see you again." She stepped forward and extended her wings, rising just a few inches in the air as was her wont when she wished to be comfortable. "I hadn't seen you since the fire, and I was worried."
"I'm fine." Alice wiped her hand in the hem of her skirt, then clutched the grimoire with both arms. Should she ask how Mai was, or would that be rubbing salt in a wound?
Mai had also noticed the grimoire, and she glanced in its direction every once in a while as she spoke. "There's another reason. Lady Shinki didn't want me to tell you what we're doing, but you're a good magician, and we're going to need you to reclaim Makai's honour."
"...In what manner?"
"By defeating those invaders, of course. You didn't really think Lady Shinki would allow them to sack Makai and escape without punishment?" Mai returned to the ground and sat down cross-legged on the grass, apparently heedless that it was still damp. "I heard how well you fought during the invasion. You can hold your own, and I think Lady Shinki is making a mistake by not including you in our plan."
Saying Mother could make a mistake was practically treason, but Alice would have lied if she claimed she hadn't also thought as much. "Did you tell her that? Is that why you were banished?"
Mai blinked. "You... Oh." She smiled, and Alice thought she saw a hint of smugness ghosting behind the usual shyness. A single glare was enough to make it evaporate, turning the smugness into tenderness. "You've spoken with someone who's not in the military, I suppose. Our true plan was kept on a strict need-to-know basis."
"I don't understand."
"We're not actually banished." Mai's eyes gleamed in the light reflected from the towers. "We're putting on a show so that once we retaliate against Gensokyo, it won't be all of Makai that suffers if they muster a counter-attack. Of course, it's impossible to tell if those people will actually care about the difference, but that's why we're staying elsewhere for the time being. If nothing else, they shouldn't return to Pandemonium if they chase after us."
Alice nodded at length. It sounded risky, but it warmed her heart to know the destruction of their home wouldn't go unavenged. She never should have doubted Mother.
Her brow furrowed. Then again, Mother also should have trusted her with this plan. Why did she always have to coddle her? Even the grimoire now seemed like something to keep her distracted while real heroes meted out justice, a sad substitute for real responsibility.
While she was still debating whether Mai or Louise's version of the events rang more true — Louise had the advantage of detail, but Mai's pleased her far more, bare-bones though it was — Mai frowned. "There's a problem, though. I was actually trying to reach Lady Shinki to ask for her help, but after I saw you were carrying that," she nodded at the grimoire, "I can tell we don't actually have to bother her. You're more than powerful enough to solve our problem for us."
Though she knew she probably shouldn't have, Alice felt warm. "What is it?"
"You already know Lady Shinki had to block the way between our world and Gensokyo." As one, they turned towards the distant barrier. "She meant to leave in a slight flaw we could use to break it. but she has made it so strong it won't budge unless we take so much time that those not in the know will spot us and come to stop us. The whole plan would be ruined."
Alice pictured the barrier in her mind. It was robust indeed: Mother's creations were always meant to last. "I don't think I can help you with that. I'm not—"
"With that grimoire, you can. With its powers, you're a match to Lady Shinki herself. In fact, this may have been Lady Shinki's real plan all along. She would want her true daughter to be the hero of the hour."
"Stop it," Alice said, trying to keep her cheeks from reddening. "We're all..."
"You fought really well," Mai continued in a tone which brooked no argument. "If I can see it, there's no way Lady Shinki doesn't. That's why she's decided to trust you with more power."
She stood up and returned to the air, flying close to Alice.
"I'm happy for you." She reached out, her hand brushing close but not quite touching Alice's hair. "I always knew you'd be a great magician, better than Yuki and me put together, and I'm really glad I got to witness it."
Alice's cheeks burned. Still, she smiled back at the sincere pride radiating from Mai's eyes. Did Mother really trust her so much? Perhaps Louise had been acting on her own, or else it had been a test to try her resolve. She had the grimoire, after all. Surely Mother wouldn't have given it to her if she had any doubts she'd misuse it.
She considered it and the immense power lurking beneath its covers, struggling to get out. "What should I do?"
"If you open the grimoire, you can blast through the barrier. Then we can follow you to Gensokyo to hunt down the invaders.
"Or you could stay here and guard the exit." Better not risk the lives of any other residents of Makai. If the power of the grimoire was as both Mother and Mai said — and it was, Alice could feel its power rattling her bones whenever she held it against herself — she should be able to exact payback on the four trouble-makers all by herself. "It'll be even easier to explain a single person gone rogue."
"You're not wrong, but..." Mai wrestled with the remaining words before swallowing them. "Yes. Of course you can handle them by yourself. You're not a child."
Alice stood up and offered Mai her hand. "You're right. I'm not a child." A part of her wished to rip the grimoire open right there and then, and it took all her willpower to resist the urge. "And I won't let Makai down."
She basked in the admiration flowing from Mai, as soft as her angelic wings.
They kept a low profile as they drifted away from Pandemonium, flying so close to the ground the hems of their skirts kept brushing against it. Mai had given her the lead without murmur, following in silent contemplation with the occasional darting glance to see if they were being followed.
The grimoire was changing. It was as if it knew it was about to be opened: it hadn't changed in size, yet it felt both both heavier and larger, the covers burning against Alice's bare arms. Still, she'd rather have let go of her own heart than drop the book.
From up close, the barrier looked like a sheet of pristine glass. She didn't need to touch it to know it would be freezing cold, and suspected the other side mimicked instead a dead end to deter curious explorers.
"You had better keep your distance," she said without removing her eyes from the barrier.
"I'll go, then." Despite her words, Mai lingered on a little longer. "Good luck."
Alice nodded. She waited till the echo of fluttering wings subsided, then held the grimoire before her. She traced her finger across the letters on the cover, lingering on her name.
She ripped the book open.
When she opened her eyes, the barrier was no longer there. She looked at the open pages to see long paragraps of ornate text accompanied by illustrations of magical fields, all quite mundane. Nor did she feel any different.
She was already beginning to doubt when the strength crept in, starting from the tips of her toes till all her pores were trembling at once and filling her with a soft, confident warmth that felt like immersing herself in a hot bath. She looked at where the barrier had been and finally understood that she had removed it, she herself, so easily she hadn't even noticed.
She flew towards Gensokyo without once looking back.