You wander into the sealed cave after having thoroughly tossed the weak barrier aside. Really now, it may have stopped you in the past, but the pathetic humans taking care of this item of sheer value to you are clearly showing a strong lack of interest in keeping it safe for you. Just as well, you wanted it back now anyways, and this way, you don't have to snap a few necks to get what you want. Everybody wins.

As you approach the pedestal brimming with black luster, you feel a small sense of satisfaction. After today, you will be back to full power, and you won't have to take shit from anyone anymore. Not even, ugh, him, god forbid you take anymore from that sad excuse of a demon. No, in fact, you won't have to take anything from any demon back in hell anymore. Once you're at your fullest extent, you think you'll take it over. What a nice prospect. Being able to command a massive legion of demons at the beck of your call. You think you'll do some remodeling while you're at it. Both downstairs and up here. Gensokyo was always very cold, you could probably stand to heat things up.

Just as you reach for the pendant stationed on top of the pedestal, you hear a voice. Someone's entered, without your permission. This just won't do.

"Hey! Who are you?! This is off limits!" Why yes, yes it is off limits. Precisely why this girl behind you is violating that very rule is what you want to know.

"My identity is of no importance. More importantly, who do you think you are, addressing me in such a manner?" You turn around a bit and spy a red-white. This shrine maiden has guts, you'll admit. To not know who you are, she must also be quite dense you figure.

"My name is Reimu Hakurei. I'm the keeper of the shrine that oversees this cave. You're not taking that pendant...are you?" Quite. Dense.

"...and if I am?"

"If you're a youkai, then I must exterminate you." You want to burst out laughing, her? Exterminate? You?! She makes very good jokes. But you don';t falter the least bit, oh no. You continue your strong, stoic gave upon this foolish miko as a warning to show her who exactly should be in control here.

"Exterminate me...very well. Give it your best shot. Don't disappoint me, miko." The very moment you finish that sentence she's spread out a complex pattern of fast talismans. You throw up your guard just in time, you underestimated her a bit. To be able to throw so many so fast, those are prime reflexes. Seems she will be fun to mess with for the time being. The talismans however, are very weak. You know that the moment you get a hand on her, it's all over. It's only a matter of time.

After the initial barrage of talismans, you find the miko foolishly charging at you. She appears to have enough spiritual power to at least fly. Somewhat unexpected, but doesn't change the outcome at all whatsoever. You bare your long, red, bloody claws on both hands and welcome the shrine maiden with open arms...arms that kill.

Something goes wrong though. Somehow, you weren't fast enough, your wide swipe with both hands misses her as she jumps backward just barely. Maybe that was to be expected, since she previously demonstrated her speed. But what's this? Another display of her incredible agility, you find she's stuck another talisman on the ground below you, and it's glowing. You know what's about to happen next. A simple trap like this is nothing to you. As you backstep yourself, you watch the talisman explode in a mighty pillar of light, and you realize something.

This strength...this power. How could she put so much spiritual power into one little talisman so fast, without you having realized it? You must be getting rusty after all these decades of being a lower demon for so long. It makes you angry. You think you'll stop holding back and start releasing some frustration on this idiot human. Enough is enough.

In a blinding flash, you're dashing up under the miko, about jump up into her and drill your powerful claws into her, literally tearing her into shreds, but you don't get the chance right at this moment unfortunately. She rains dozens of yin yang orbs down on you from above and you end up underestimating those as well, the first one you bat away nearly damages your hand because you didn't count on it being so heavy and powerful, the next ones you put more muscle into and are destroyed with little effort after that. Now yo-wait. This can't be...where did she go?! You look up and find her missing! You didn't even sense her moving from her current spot! In fact...you can no longer sense her at all now! Where di-

"Surprise."

It happens in an instant. The miko delivers a forceful kick into your back, so hard that it sends you deep into the ground, the rocks breaking your skin and the dirt getting everywhere. You're about to get up and retaliate, but then you feel a strong, shocking sensation spreading through your body, which quickly turns into an unbelievably intense pain surging throughout, fraying your nerves and causing you to scream in plight. How embarrassing.

After you notice the pain has went away, you lay there on the ground, fully paralyzed, your body variably twitching here and there. The only parts of your body in working order are your mind and eyes. You can just barely breathe too. The miko walks further behind you, and you realize she's taking your precious pendant.

"I guess I better hide this somewhere safer. I know I said I was going to exterminate you but...I think it be a good lesson for you if you were sealed in here where this was instead."

W-What?! No! You won't stand for this! If only...urgh! Damn that miko...you can't move an inch. You see her walking past you and to the entrance, turning around.

"Have fun then!" She closes up the cave with a large rock and you see the rock getting a large seal placed on it, glowing an ominous red that you'll have to sit and stare at for another...god knows how long. This...sucks.

...

Ah. He's here. About time. You sensed his arrival upon awakening. You get up and walk over to the large red rock. The seal somehow blocks your own attempts to open it from within and ends up sealing up the entire cave from every direction. You sorely underestimated that shrine maiden for sure, you won't make that mistake again. She will be the first to die by your hands once you're regained your full demonic powers.

After waiting a few moments, the red glow disappates and the rock slowly moves out of the way. The bright shine of the sun's rays nearly blind you at first. After the rock has completely moved out of the way, you look down at...a tiny imp. Hmm.

"...Jaaku. You're looking rather unwell." The imp is panting quite hard before realizing you're talking to him. He then scrambles a bit and attempts to make himself look more proper in front of you, however badly it may be failing.

"A-Ah! So sorry about that, Master! You see, I had been working on this seal for some time and after having finally broken it, it had sucked all my life force dry, but haha, you see I am still alive! Although it left me in a practically unusable and sorry state that you see me in now, so uhm..."

"...it is alright. We will just have to wait until you get your power back. I can do that for you once I get that pendant." You walk past your little impish servant who is very grateful for your words, which he very well should be.

"M-Master..."

"Enough of that though. Take out my mirror. I wish to assess the damage done by that spiteful miko."

"Oh! Yes Master!" The little imp takes out a small bag, and digs inside it, and from it, he pulls out a large, expanding body-size mirror, from which you examine your whole body with. The bag was a famous creation of your brother's, but you'd rather not talk about that. All you know is that it's abbreviated ASH for some reason.

You look into the mirror, your bright, red eyes still carry that hardened tsurime look, with your pupils in the shape of the immortal kanji for sin () to demonstrate your level of "demonsy", at least, that's what he always told you. You knew this to be a lie however, as it was a true testament to how much of a blasphemy you were to the family and to hell itself. To be the very embodiment for which the very place you were born from punishes for all eternity. It makes you sick.

Moving on, the rest of your face is as per normal. Neither of your short fangs were broken. They don't tend to poke out from your lips anyways unless you're particularly angry. On the side of your cheek though...feh, a large scar reaching down from a couple inches to the side of your left eye stretching down to your lower cheek. This was one of the things you oh so hated about your genes. Despite not only being youkai, but a full fledged demon at that, your regenerative skills were highly lack luster. It took you almost as long as an ordinary human to heal typically unworrysome wounds. While your burning flame of life is extremely difficult to put out, your physical body takes forever to recoupe, this is proof, despite the fact that you were in that cave for weeks.

That miko will surely pay.

You look at the rest of your wardrobe. That appears to be the only damage you've been charged with for now. Your clothes are simple, a long black robe stretching down and splitting into various points at the knee, revealing a different, white robe underneath that goes all the way down to your ankles. You have two belts criss-crossing at your waist, carrying a few things you like to keep at hand at all times. Your long black sleeves cut at one point to show the sleeves of your white robe under it, both stretch down so far to usually cover your hands and keep them out of sight. Your claws which are constantly covered in blood, are too much of a give away at times, and sometimes fooling someone into thinking you're human is the best strategy.

And then...your hair. You look at your long black hair. It stretches seomwhere just past your lower back, but it doesn't fan out very wide at all. It likes staying straight as it falls down your back like a dark waterfall. You take very good care of it. It's one of the few things about yourself that you're invariably proud of. Your bangs are also fairly long, but you tend to keep it brushed over to one side, causing it to typically half way cover your right eye. It doesn't particularly bother you. Your side burns are probably the highlight of your hair, stretching down long and resting lightly on your shoulders, falling further down the front of them and onto....ugh. Your chest. Your flat. Miserable. Sad excuse for a chest. You hate it. With a burning passion. All the succubus in hell made fun of you for it saying you'd never amount of anything as a demon with breasts like these. The sluts.

"A-Ah, Master Satoko, please don't think about your, uhm, chest too much. Remember what Miss Yokou tol-ULPH!" You deliver a swift kick to your little impish servant, sending him flying into a nearby tree and he slams into it a sickening splat. He's much easier to punish in this state, funny enough. You almost want him to stay like this just for that.

"I thought I told you not to mention her. Either way, put this mirror away. I am done assessing my damage counts. We're leaving."

"Y-...Yes Master Satoko..."

As your little servant goes and regains his bearings to put the large mirror away, you take note of your surroundings. Not much has changed. You're still in middle of the forest from which the cave was stationed in. The pendant is long gone and you can no longer sense it's whereabouts. How this could be is a mystery indeed. You'd ask the miko, but you're afraid that facing her in your current state, and under her own turf, for that matter, might be counter productive. You need to find a better way around this.

To the west of your lies the magic forest and beyond that, the human village. To the south of you stands the famous Youkai Mountain, the place of another shrine whose shrine maiden is likely much more of a joke then the one you just encountered was. And to the north of you is the entrance to Makai, which eventually leads it's way down into the lover levels of Hell, your birthplace. To the east? The shrine belonging to that detestable miko that put you in your place. Just thinking about it makes you angry.

Now that you've bravely solved the riddle of where the fuck you are, you should get going, preferably in one of the cardinal directions you've made note of.

_ Go North
_ Go West
_ Go East
_ Go South