The world is strange. Even when you think you understand it, something comes along to remind you that normal is just an illusion. Witches, goddesses, eldritch gap hags—sure, the supernatural is bizarre, but even among the abnormal, this place is something else entirely.
Chris's eyes fluttered open, his small hands gripping a Golden Freddy plush tightly. The air was different here—fresh but eerily quiet. He was in a forest, the towering trees around him unfamiliar, their leaves shifting in colors beyond what he remembered from the pizzeria.
He took a shaky breath, trying to process where he was, but then—something rushed at him.
His instincts screamed, and before he could react, an overwhelming fear gripped him. The world turned gray.
In that instant, everyone in Gensokyo felt it.
---
12 Years Later
Between life and death, a man lay gasping for air, his vision hazy as blood dripped from his lips. He had tried to save his wife. Instead, he had lost his life.
He could hear the distant wailing of sirens, his wife crying over him, their son standing frozen beside them. Hands pulled at his body—paramedics? Police? It didn't matter anymore. Darkness swallowed him whole.
Then, he woke up.
No flashing ambulance lights. No pain. No sounds of the living world.
Just… a forest.
His fingers dug into the damp earth as he pushed himself up, still trying to process the change. Then, he heard it—the crisp crunch of an apple being bitten into.
Looking up, he saw a young man sitting on a tree branch, casually eating a red apple like nothing was wrong.
The boy looked about 18 years old, with brown hair, deep brown eyes, and fair skin. A pair of angel-like wings rested behind him, shifting lazily as if they had always belonged. He wore a hoodie under a jacket and jeans, looking more like a modern teenager than some celestial being.
But what stood out the most? The faint but unmistakable tear tracks running down his face.
The man finally found his voice. "...Who are you?"
The boy took another bite of his apple, swallowing before flying down effortlessly, landing with an unnatural grace. His expression was calm but knowing, as if he had done this far too many times before.
"Your Guide to the Afterlife," he said, tossing the apple core behind him.
Then, with a slight smirk, he added—
"Or, well… Limbo, at least."
This young man was Chris
The man blinked, his mind struggling to process what the boy—no, the winged stranger—had just said.
"Limbo?" he echoed, his voice hoarse.
Chris stretched his arms, his wings flexing slightly before folding behind him. "Yup. The place between life and death. Or, in simpler terms, you're dead, buddy."
The man's breath hitched. His hands ran over his own body, expecting to find wounds, pain—anything—but he felt fine. Too fine.
He swallowed hard. "No… That can't be right. I was just… I was…" His mind reeled back to the last thing he remembered—his wife crying, his son screaming, the red and blue lights flashing.
Chris sighed, shaking his head. He's seen this reaction before.
"Yeah, yeah. It's a lot to take in. But trust me, you're dead." Chris pointed at the man's chest. "Try feeling your heartbeat."
The man did.
Nothing.
No rhythm, no pulse. Just emptiness.
His eyes widened in horror.
Chris watched patiently, taking another bite of a fresh apple he had seemingly pulled from nowhere. "You're taking this better than some people," he muttered. "I had one guy scream for a solid hour."
The man clenched his fists, his breathing uneven. "So… what now?"
Chris wiped his hands on his jeans and gave a lazy shrug. "That depends. Normally, I'd guide you through this whole 'accepting your death' thing, maybe even point you toward where you're supposed to go next. But…"
He narrowed his eyes, scanning the man from head to toe.
"…You don't feel like an ordinary soul."
The man frowned. "What do you mean?"
Chris exhaled, crossing his arms. "Normally, souls here follow one of a few paths. Some move on to the afterlife, heaven or hell, wherever they belong. Others get stuck here for a while, unfinished business and all that."
He tilted his head. "But you? You're… different."
The man's unease grew. "Different how?"
Chris didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head slightly. "Cassidy."
There was a faint rustling sound from the trees behind them.
From the shadows, another figure stepped forward.
A blonde girl, around the same age as Chris, with piercing golden eyes and an intimidating aura despite her small frame. She wore a black hoodie and dark pants, arms crossed as she stared at the new soul with suspicion.
Cassidy—his best friend, his partner in this strange afterlife.
She didn't say anything at first, just stared at the man like she was sizing him up.
Finally, she spoke. "Another one?"
Chris sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yup. Dropped in out of nowhere."
Cassidy's expression darkened. "That makes three this month."
The man looked between them. "What do you mean? Are souls not supposed to show up here?"
Cassidy clicked her tongue. "Not this many. Lately, the flow of souls into Gensokyo's Limbo has been… off."
Chris nodded. "Normally, it's a trickle—one or two lost souls every few months. But recently? It's like someone opened the floodgates."
The man shivered. "That… doesn't sound good."
Chris shrugged. "It's not. But hey, not my problem."
Cassidy shot him a glare.
Chris rolled his eyes. "Fine, our problem."
He turned back to the man. "Anyway, let's start with the basics. What's your name?"
The man hesitated for a moment before answering. "…Shinji."
Chris smirked. "Well, Shinji, welcome to the most peaceful and chaotic afterlife you'll ever experience."
Cassidy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Chris, stop scaring the dead guy."
Chris laughed. "What? It's true."
As Shinji stood there, trying to process everything, he had no idea that his arrival was just the beginning of something much, much bigger.
Something was wrong with Gensokyo.
And whether they liked it or not, Chris and Cassidy were about to be dragged right into the middle of it.
Chris looked at Shinji as he spoke. "Your soul is already in the middle of going to the afterlife, You don't need to do much work today".
Shinji spoke Looking at him. "Is it normal?"
Cassidy spoke as her yellow hair flowed in the wind. "Kinda it's rare, normally takes a soul 5 months at the least".
Shinji spoke gloping. "So where am I going".
Chris pointer it up. "Up there".
Shinji sighed as he spoke. "So Heaven correct?".
Chris rolled his eyes, with enough enthusiasm as a retail worker. "Yeah, pretty much; let's talk to someone who will make this process easier".
Cassidy then flyer and grabbed the map, and Chris started to fly, they flew into the sky and Shinji screamed his lungs out, they arrived at a shrine and landed
Shinji was very confused as he tilted his head. "A Shrine?".
Chris then spoke looking at him. "Yeah, this is not a Normal Shrine; let's say one of my 'Friends' is here".
Chris then spoke as he yelled. "Hey, you there. It is me, Chr-".
He didn't need to finish as a red blur came out of the shrine, ready to hug and kiss Him at the same time, he just stepped away as the girl tripped as Crish held her, Shinji saw how the girl looked like
She has black with a red bow, the Purification Rod, a gohei created by Rinnosuke Morichika, and a red and white hakama with a long skirt.
[Insert Image of Reimu]
Reimu saw that she was being held by the collar of her outfit as she looked back at the most wanted guy in Gensokyo and not wanted in the crime way. "Fufu, still mad at me for attacking you when you first arrived at Gensokyo".
Chris chuckle as he looked at one of his girlfriends. "Yes".
Chris sighed, gently lowering Reimu back to the ground as she pouted at him.
"You did come out of nowhere," she muttered, crossing her arms. "And you're way too suspicious to just let roam around unchecked."
Cassidy rolled her eyes. "That's what you tell yourself at night, huh?"
Reimu huffed, her cheeks slightly puffing up. "Shut up."
Shinji, who had been watching the interaction with increasing confusion, finally found his voice. "Wait… you two know each other?"
Chris nodded. "Yeah. Reimu here is the Hakurei Shrine Maiden. Big shot around these parts."
Reimu smirked. "Damn right I am."
Chris ignored her and continued, "She's in charge of keeping Gensokyo from falling apart, handling incidents, and… well, occasionally picking fights for no reason."
Reimu's eyebrow twitched. "I do not pick fights for no reason."
Cassidy coughed. "Cough first meeting cough."
Reimu clicked her tongue. "Okay, that was one time."
Chris smirked. "One time? Girl, you've swung at me more times than I can count."
Reimu looked away. "T-That's just how I show affection."
Cassidy deadpanned. "By trying to exorcise him?"
Chris gave a dramatic sigh, placing a hand on his chest. "Truly, nothing screams romance like spell cards to the face."
Shinji, still struggling to catch up, shook his head. "Okay, okay. Can someone explain to me why we're at a shrine?"
Chris snapped his fingers. "Right! Almost forgot about that." He turned to Reimu. "Got a soul for you to process. Guy's heading upstairs."
Reimu hummed, looking Shinji over. "Huh. He's already stabilizing. Shouldn't take long."
Shinji rubbed the back of his neck. "So, uh… what happens now?"
Reimu waved a hand dismissively. "You just wait here. I'll open the path to the afterlife in a sec."
Shinji blinked. "That's it? No tests? No judgment? No grand heavenly council deciding if I get in or not?"
Reimu shrugged. "I'm not a judge, just a gatekeeper. If the system says you're going up, you're going up."
Chris gave Shinji a thumbs-up. "Congrats, man. No hellfire for you."
Shinji let out a shaky breath. "Huh… I guess I should be relieved."
Reimu clapped her hands together, and a glowing path of light appeared in front of them. A soft warmth spread through the air, almost like a gentle breeze carrying the scent of spring.
Shinji swallowed. "So… this is it."
Chris nodded. "Yup. One-way trip. No turning back."
Shinji hesitated, then looked at Chris. "…Thanks."
Chris blinked. "For what?"
Shinji smiled softly. "For making this easier. For explaining things. I think I would've lost my mind if I woke up here alone."
Chris shrugged. "Hey, it's my job."
Shinji chuckled. "Then you're damn good at it."
With that, he took a deep breath and stepped forward. The light wrapped around him, and in a blink—he was gone.
The shrine returned to silence.
Reimu stretched. "Welp, that's done. Anything else?"
Chris sighed. "Nope. Just another day at work."
Cassidy smirked. "Except you don't get paid."
Chris groaned. "Don't remind me."
Reimu giggled. "Well, if you ever want payment in kisses, I'm available."
Chris shot her a look. "No."
Cassidy cackled. "Rejected."
Reimu pouted. "Hmph. One day, you'll appreciate me."
Chris sighed. "I already do. That's why I'm still here dealing with all of this."
Reimu blinked, then gave a small, genuine smile. "…Good."
Cassidy clapped her hands. "Alright, lovebirds, let's get going. We probably have more lost souls to deal with."
Chris groaned again. "Can't we just pretend we didn't see them?"
Reimu snorted. "If only it were that easy."
And with that, the trio left the shrine, unaware that something far more dangerous was brewing in the shadows of Gensokyo
After a while, they met many souls, and sent a few of them to heaven and the remaining ones to hell.
Cassidy kicked the ball before he was sent to hell. "I hate Pedo".
Chris spoke. "People like doesn't even deserve hell". He then spoke in his head. "They are luck I didn't use my curse or Hex".
Reimu sigehd as she spoke. "The Number of souls are large.... Why do I feel we already know who the problem is?".
Crish spoke remembering another one of his lovers, a girl with Yellow hair, who likes too wear purple. "Yeah, we all do, if anything she did for fun like she always does".
Chris sighed, rubbing his temples. "I swear, if it's her again…"
Reimu crossed her arms, already annoyed. "It's always her."
Cassidy groaned. "Why does she keep messing with the cycle? Does she not have anything better to do?"
Chris snorted. "You're talking about Yukari Yakumo. Of course she doesn't."
Cassidy kicked another rock into the abyss before muttering, "I really wanna punt her into one of her own gaps."
Reimu sighed. "We should at least check what she's up to."
Chris shrugged. "Might as well. Knowing her, she probably already knows we're coming."
Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Great. Let's go get gaslit by a thousand-year-old hag."
And with that, the three of them took off toward Mayohiga, ready to confront Gensokyo's biggest menace.
As the trio flew their way Toward Mayohiga, Reimu looked at Chris.
Reimu chuckled and looked at him as she Pocketed his cheeks. "Flying by this Forest, remind me when we meet"
Flash Back
12 years ago
This happened when Chris was attacked, as Chris who was 6 years old, held up his arm in fright, as the world went grey, as he saw a card and he saw they were stopped mid-air, as Chris still holding on to his golden Freddy he started to run, as he did the world turned back too Normal, as than on a tree was Reimu.
Reimu's eyes narrowed at him as she spoke. "He doesn't seem like a lost soul; he can also stop time, like Hed and a Golden soul; no doubt he is a powerful Yokai".
Reimu observed the boy carefully. A young child with angelic wings, tear-marked cheeks, and a Golden Freddy plush clutched tightly in his arms—definitely not an ordinary soul.
Her instincts as the Hakurei shrine maiden told her to eliminate threats to Gensokyo… but something about him felt off.
Chris, still trembling from whatever had just attacked him, turned his head and locked eyes with Reimu. His golden-hued soul shimmered faintly, as if reacting to her presence.
"… Who are you?" he asked, voice shaky but firm.
Reimu floated down from the tree, landing lightly on her feet. "I should be asking you that. You're not a normal human."
Chris blinked. "I—uh—I think I am?"
Reimu tilted her head. "You think?"
Chris looked at his wings, at his hands, at the plushie in his grip. "I… I don't know."
Reimu sighed. "Great. Another weird one."
Suddenly, the air around them shimmered, and a voice whispered from the shadows.
"A golden soul… how fascinating."
Reimu's grip on her purification rod tightened. She turned sharply toward the disturbance.
Chris, meanwhile, felt his whole body tense. The voice was cold, too familiar—like the whispers that had haunted him in the darkness of the pizzeria.
And then, out of the gap between the trees, a woman with piercing violet eyes and a fan covering her smirking lips stepped forward.
[Insert Image of Yukari]
Yukari Yakumo had arrived.
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy