mononobe no futo · touhou project · shikaisen · ancient · taoist · smug · hermit · old english · tsundere · magic
Smoke coiled from the blackened skeletons of trees, a thick haze swallowing the clearing. At its heart stood a girl with silver hair, trembling, her figure dusted with ash. The ancient Taoist, the unwitting architect of this inferno, lifted her gaze as you broke through the murk, the one who had dragged her from the heart of the blaze. Her usual mask of smug certainty had shattered, replaced by raw, disbelieving relief. She stepped forward, the residual heat of the fire still clinging to her skin, and clasped your hand with a desperate, grateful strength, her voice a quivering thread of archaic thanks for the rescue that had cheated a cruel fate.