Hidden Story of Eastern Wonderland: Introduction

If you ask the common villager how’s life in Gensokyo, he would probably rant for a while about lesser fairies and feral youkais ravaging their crops, stealing their food and goods from their stands, and doing other minor acts of vandalism and plunder. But despite that, he would add, it is a rather peaceful and beautiful life, and he is quite content with how things are.

This is a book example of the saying “ignorance is bliss”. The common villager doesn’t have the slightest idea of how dangerous, unforgiving and inhospitable can Gensokyo really be. Gensokyo is a place full of magical and spiritual energy, and is the perfect place for extraordinary beings to settle. These beings surpass humans in many ways, and most of them are willing to prove it.

Apart from the youkai and fairy that any human living in Gensokyo knows about, there are plenty of other belligerent species that the common villager hasn’t heard about, each more powerful and terrifying than the other. Ghosts that possess inanimate objects, places or even living people; vampires that suck your blood in your sleep; devils that look in your heart and use your darkest fears to drive you into madness… And if they were to attack a human village by brute force, there isn’t a single thing the common villager can do to defend himself.

So, if these fearsome creatures are belligerent and powerful enough to attack villages, why haven’t we humans disappeared already from Gensokyo’s surface? The logical answer is that there is something that prevents these beings from destroying us. And that something is the very thing that defines Gensokyo itself, something the common villager –and I’d say most youkais and fairies as well- give for granted. Without it, this magical “paradise” cannot exist in the first place.

That’s right; I’m talking about the Hakurei Border, more commonly known as the Great Boundary. This border separates Gensokyo from the outside world. Thanks to it, magic can flow in streams that travel through land and air, and fill the entire place with the necessary energy for youkais and fairies to live. Humans can also use this energy to their own advantage, and perform tasks the common villager cannot accomplish without training and knowledge; we call them “magicians”. But more important –and this is the part almost anyone knows-, the Boundary also keeps the place where evil demons and spirits dwell sealed: Makai, the Demonic Realm. If not for this Border, these creatures would come out from the depths of hell and have their way with us puny humans.

Of course, these demons are not content with this situation, and they often try to destroy the seal that keeps them trapped in Makai, without realizing this would mean the demise of Gensokyo and Makai. But there is someone that keeps the Boundary active and stops the demons in their feet. To the common villager, she appears to do nothing besides drinking tea, sweeping the leaves of the courtyard and ask for donations. But powerful magicians and youkais know she has the weight of Gensokyo’s wellbeing over her shoulders, and they respect her profusely for that.

This person is the Hakurei Maiden. The Hakurei family has protected the Great Boundary since its creation, more than 100 years ago, and it was their duty to solve any incident that threatened the Border’s integrity. The Hakurei were known for their impressive spiritual power –in particular, their first daughters’-, and because of that they were chosen to ward off the demons and spirits from Makai. Thanks to the great power of the Hakurei Maiden and the Hakurei sacred treasures, the residents of Gensokyo have lived peacefully, and the hideous creatures that haunted them in the past became part of legend and folklore.

But despite this, the Hakurei Maiden is still human. And as I said before, demons and spirits are more powerful than humans. No matter how strong the Maiden’s spiritual force is, she simply cannot contain for long a myriad of desperate beings trying to break free from their sealed prison. But of course, the common villager has no idea of the troubles the Maiden has to cope with. If he was aware of this, he wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully for the rest of his life. Because then he’d know that at any moment, hell could break loose and Gensokyo would disappear.

This story I’m about to tell you is about the time where the Great Boundary was almost destroyed by a spirit that managed to escape from Makai. I hope that when you read these pages, you will understand how dangerous is the duty of the Hakurei Maiden, as I did when I got directly involved in these events. If you believe my words, you’ll probably never be able to sleep peacefully again after reading this, like me. And maybe you’ll begin to appreciate the sacrifices the Hakurei Maiden and other people have made to protect Gensokyo and its habitants.

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