“The sea is cold and dark. As I drifted, that was all I felt. The cold… and the dark.” There’s no sea in Gensokyo. But in this Gensokyo, there is. Little did I know, unlike the mountains, warm and teeming with life, the sea bites at you with bitter cold and silence. With no sun in the sky, there was no light above me, only darkness. I decided to try and float upward, just a little at first. I was spurred on because I thought I heard splashing water and a voice calling out to me…

As I floated upward, I saw a goddess. She was blue and could swim freely through the water. Gazing upon her, I began to understand why the sea was this way. “It all makes sense now… This sea is Hell.” Hecatia Lapislazuli is a goddess of Hell. In another Gensokyo, she has red hair… but it seems there was a time when it took on a different color. Whether that’s the case in this Gensokyo is a mystery to me. However, seeing how much fun she was having swimming this way and that, I can only assume that this sea―or at least a part of it―is Hell.

Then there was light. I felt a slight warmth as the waves rocked me back and forth. The light trickled down in streaks like stardust. I was captivated by the goddess, so I can’t say for sure, but it may have been sunlight. Light, sound, color, and the goddess swimming next to me. The once cold and dark sea had come alive. “Oh, there’s one here too,” said the goddess as she looked over at me. “Welcome to ■■.” Yes, of course… This sea is―

The blue goddess swam through the sparkling sea, bathing in the light and splashing as she went. If I’d never floated upward, I never would’ve known that I wasn’t drifting alone. I was joined by fish, seaweed, coral, and all manner of living things. Why was there a goddess up here? Why was it so bright and warm? I put those questions out of my mind. The goddess swam where she pleased, taking great pleasure in doing so. The sea was teeming with life and sensation. I was content having felt its glow. The goddess smiled at me once more and said, “Welcome to the sea.”

The goddess floated up further toward the light. Where she was headed, I didn’t know. And yet, I wanted to go too, so I floated alongside her. The further up we went through the sky―or should I say, sea―the warmer and brighter it got, and I became a part of it. Just then, the goddess smiled and reached out to me. “With just a touch of my fingertips, bubbles burst and disappear. It only takes an instant, but in that instant, there is beauty. “ As a bubble, I had known the light. In that last moment, I wondered if I’d ever come again to this beautiful blue sea.