A Centuries-Long Dream

A Centuries-Long Dream is the third part of .
==Steps==
# Go to the summoning ritual site
# Enter the summoning site
#* Enter the Quest Domain: Secret Summoning Chamber
#* Yae Miko will join the party as a trial character
# Collect clues concerning the summoning ritual
# Complete preparations for the summoning ritual
# Begin the summoning ritual
== Trial Character ==
==Dialogue==
;(Go to the summoning ritual site and talk to Yae Miko)
: Paimon: Miko, what is this place?
: Yae Miko: The ideal spot for a little meet-and-greet with a certain elusive author. This is the place where we are most likely to succeed in summoning the spirit.
: Paimon: Really? But it feels so eerie here...
: Yae Miko: Hehe, that seems rather fitting, considering that we are dealing with the spirits of the deceased here.
: Yae Miko: What are you so afraid of, honestly? We're finally about to meet the true author of "A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits." Aren't you excited?
: Paimon: Paimon's heart is pounding, but Paimon's pretty sure it's not because of excitement!
: Yae Miko: Hahaha. Come on, in we go.
: Paimon: Hey! Wait up!
: Paimon: *whimpering* Paimon's scared... , stay close by, okay? Don't leave Paimon all alone...
----
;(Enter the summoning site and observe the painting)
: Paimon: What a weird painting... Miko, do you know what it's supposed to show?
: Yae Miko: Hmm... Probably a scene from ancient Inazuma.
: Paimon: It's a good piece of artwork and all, but it's also kinda eerie... so it's a bit scary.
: Paimon: Hmm... Looks like the artist signed their name... Umm... "Rakusai"? Hmm, it's not very clear.
: Yae Miko: Let's go inside and take a look.
;(Continue deeper into the domain and observe the weird mirror)
: Paimon: Wow, this place is huge! Hey, is that... a mirror?
: Paimon: There's a really weird-looking stool as well. Wonder what it's for?
: Yae Miko: Ah, I see. Heh, this setup is quite handy. Saves me a lot of work.
: Yae Miko: Alright, go and take a look around. There should be a mechanism somewhere that makes the whole room move.
----
;(Complete preparations for the summoning ritual)
----
;(Begin the summoning ritual)
: Paimon: Whoa, it's that painting we just saw! It's turning this way, along with the whole wall!
: Paimon: It's getting eerier and scarier! Wh—What is this place!?
: Yae Miko: Okay. Next, I will show you a secret kitsune spell. This painting is a "swift summoning medium," which means I'll be able to skip many of the more tedious steps.
: Yae Miko: The murky mirror reflects the view of Inazuma in a bygone age. Spirits stirred by the sight of the past will be easily drawn to it.
: Yae Miko: You're up next, little one. Come on, sit yourself down here.
: Hold on, are we...
: Surely you're not planning to...
: Yae Miko: Yes, the whole point of a summoning ritual is for a dead person's spirit to possess a living person's body.
: Yae Miko: You saw what happened to that oni samurai's spirit. After leaving the host's body, he was only able to maintain his form for a very short time before disappearing.
: Paimon: Are we positive that summoning a spirit to possess isn't gonna have any lasting negative consequences?
: Yae Miko: Aw, you really care about the little one quite a lot, don't you? Hm, I'm a little jealous. I wish my friends were caring like that.
: Yae Miko: Anyway, are you scared, little friend? Don't you worry, now, it'll be over soon. Just think of it like having a dream.
: What do I need to do?
: Yae Miko: Sit on the chair, stare at the painting, and relax your body and mind. But try and be natural, there's really no need to be nervous.
: Paimon: It's like 's sitting inside the painting.
: Paimon: Huh!? Is Paimon seeing things? Did the painting just move!?
: Yae Miko: Recite the incantation in your heart, little one. Also, you'll need to have some intense thoughts going through your head — a wish, for example.
: Yae Miko: Now, what kind of wish do we think it would take to summon forth the author of "A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits"? Anyone?
: Paimon: Umm... probably something to do with writing?
: Yae Miko: Very good! The wish needs to be heartfelt, though, so let me help add a little realism to the equation:
: Yae Miko: "The book is selling exceptionally well, Traveler, but we're going to need an outline for chapter four as soon as humanly possible. When is the earliest that you can turn it in by?"
: Aaaah, please, someone, anyone!
: Help me write chapter four!
: Paimon: The painting is moving again! What the—
:
: ???: ...
: ???: Haw-haw... I never thought the day would come when I'd be summoned using my own ritual! Getting a taste of my own medicine...
: ???: What have we here? Another budding writer? What's come over you all, why is everyone wishing for help with their writing? Are novels so popular in this day and age?
: Paimon: We got you! So, you were the one who wrote "A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits"!
: Paimon: What are you trying to do, hmm? Why'd you put that summoning incantation in the book, huh? What's your game here?
: ???: Huh? What's this?
: ???: Oh, ho-ho, I see... No wonder this felt so familiar. I've walked right into your trap, haven't I.
: ???: You ask me what my game is here? Well of course... it was to use this incantation as a means for all the souls of the departed youkai to make their glorious return to the world and plunge all of Inazuma into a brutal, bloody war!
: Paimon: What!? Paimon knew it! You had an evil plan all along!
: ???: Oh, did you now? Then how naive of you to let me possess this body so easily!
: ???: I sense... Yes, great power within ...
: ???: Good... good! With this power, no one shall be able to stand in my way!
: ???: Mwuhahahahahaha!
: Paimon: Wake up, ! Quick, wake up! We gotta stop him!
: ???: It is futile... you shall never wake again! This body now belongs to me!
: Paimon: Hey! Come on, wake up! Don't let him take your mind!
: Paimon: Miko! Think of something! Miko! Miko!!!
: Yae Miko: ...
: Yae Miko: Pfff...
: Yae Miko: Bahahahaha...
: ???: Hahahaha...
: Paimon: ...Um...
: Paimon: You're laughing!?
: Yae Miko: Ahahahahahaha, oh, Urakusai, you haven't changed a bit. You caught on so quickly. Too perfect.
: Urakusai: Haw-haw, well, you made the face enough times that I couldn't exactly miss the hint. This is what you were going for, yes? Never one to stand on the sidelines of a good spectacle, are you? Always got to dive in and fan the flames... Ah, you mischievous little kitsune, you...
: Urakusai: Look what you've done to this little flying one here. Aw, poor thing's scared witless.
: Yae Miko: Pfft, you were having plenty of fun playing the bad guy a moment ago. Now you're trying blame it all on me?
: Paimon: Urakusai? Miko, you guys know each other?
: Urakusai: Yes, we do! Of course we do.
: Yae Miko: Hehe, allow me to formally introduce the author of "A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits," Urakusai.
: Yae Miko: No, wait. To be more accurate, it's Urakusai's memory.
: Paimon: Memory? But... isn't he a spirit?
: Urakusai: Ah, spirits, memories... they're just different words to describe the same thing. Something that comes from the Ley Lines.
: Yae Miko: Do you remember that recent incident when the rifthounds were gnawing at the Sacred Sakura's roots?
: Yae Miko: You witnessed human memories leaking from the Ley Lines, didn't you? Well, since there are human memories, of course there are going to be youkai memories, too.
: Yae Miko: In life, youkai possess supernatural powers, and even when they are a shadow of their former selves from a bygone era, they still have the ability to control whether they are visible or not.
: Yae Miko: Typically, youkai memories survive longer in the world than those of humans.
: Urakusai: Indeed, indeed. I was wandering around the Sacred Sakura's roots, when I suddenly heard someone yelling "Please, someone, anyone! Help me write a truly amazing novel!"
: Urakusai: It piqued my curiosity, so I popped inside his body and wrote a novel for him.
: Paimon: So that's how it happened... But why did you include a summoning incantation in the novel?
: Urakusai: Oh, little one... not to toot my own horn here, but when I was alive, I wasn't just another kitsune, no. I was a mighty and powerful Daiyouko. The memories of other youkai can't possess human bodies at will like I can.
: Urakusai: But with this incantation, they can go one last little joyride in the world for a couple of days. Anything they're still itching to do, they can go and get it done!
: Paimon: Uh, but... but...
: Yae Miko: She's trying to say that all the commotion this causes is likely to be a great disturbance to the humans.
: Urakusai: Disturbance? Haw-haw, I guess you mean that we might leave them with some broken dreams after we leave, hmm? Oh, yes, and they might have a fever, or whatever.
: Urakusai: But you know, I actually think that the most admirable thing about human beings is the way that they go out and shape their fate with their own two hands, given that they're not born blessed with the same powers that we enjoy.
: Urakusai: As for those who would rather draw on external power than seek to improve themselves, it's quite right that they learn their lesson eventually.
: Urakusai: So when you think about it, we're actually doing the humans a big favor. Miko, you agree, don't you?
: Yae Miko: Hehe, yes, that's what I thought, too.
: Paimon: Alright then... You've finally convinced Paimon, you guys were right.
: Urakusai: What are you scared of, little one? Don't be deceived by her day-to-day antics. Miko is actually one of the most powerful youkai out there.
: Yae Miko: Not only that, Urakusai, but my latest work has beaten that book you wrote, "A Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits," to become the most popular in Inazuma.
: Urakusai: Hmph, of course. You were never one to make extra work for yourself where you can help it, and yet you went to all these lengths to find my painting room and even took the trouble to summon me... I knew you must have some ulterior motive!
: Urakusai: You were always the one to pick a quarrel with me when we all used to gather around and share stories.
: Urakusai: Alright, alright. You win, I lose. Happy now?
: Yae Miko: Ha! I finally get to hear you say it, centuries later. Oh, I must say it feels good.
: Urakusai: Mmm... I remember when you were just a little girl, always hanging off my shoulders. A few hundred years later, and you're all grown up.
: Yae Miko: Urakusai, how much time do you have left?
: Urakusai: Not much. That goes for all of us, actually. We've all got to go back where we came from in the end.
: Urakusai: Everyone's quite content in many ways, but they still can't help but ask: "Are we ever going to have another Hyakkiyakou?"
: Yae Miko: Hehe, don't you worry about that, Urakusai. Arrangements are being made.
: Yae Miko: When my bell rings, it means the moonless night is upon us.
: Urakusai: Haw-haw, great, wonderful! Fantastic!
: Urakusai: Miko, it's been nice catching up, but I'd better conserve my energy if I want to stick it out until then. So I'll be on my way now.
: Yae Miko: Alright. Goodbye then, Urakusai.
: Urakusai: One last thing, Miko... I just want to know, have you been well all these years?
: Yae Miko: I've been great, of course. Every day is a happy one.
: Yae Miko: Especially these days. Not only do I have my light novels, but I've also met these two delightfully nosy outlanders.
: Yae Miko: And even Ei is finally starting to come to her senses. Quite a miracle, given how pig-headed she can be.
: Urakusai: Oh, well great! That's fantastic!
: Yae Miko: Urakusai, you'd be right at home in this era.
: Yae Miko: A great storyteller and artist like yourself would be the Yae Publishing House's ace in the hole. And I would personally be hounding you over your next installment.
: Urakusai: Hehe, hahahaha...
: Paimon: He disappeared...
: Paimon: Are you awake, ? How are you feeling?
: Yae Miko: Are you all there? Here, like last time, repeat after me—
: "3, 2, 1"...
: "1, 2, 3"...
: Yae Miko: Oh, you beat me to it. Looks like your brain is intact.
: Yae Miko: So, your first possession, hmm? What was it like?
: I remember everything pretty clearly.
: I just couldn't get in on the conversation myself.
: Yae Miko: Hehe, good. Saves me from having to explain everything again.
: Yae Miko: Hearing Urakusai admit defeat has put me in the most wonderful mood. In return, it's only fair that we make sure to deliver on what they're all hoping for.
: You mean the "moonless night"?
: They want to do a "Hyakkiyakou"?
: Yae Miko: Yes. Though they only represent a tiny proportion of the memories in the Ley Lines, it will still be quite a sight to behold when the time comes.
: Yae Miko: Since you've come this far, why don't you do one last thing for me, hmm? I'll need your help with the ritual.
: Paimon: You cannot be serious, Miko! After all that, you still have more errands for us?
: Paimon: Hmph, you guys teamed up to scare Paimon just now. If you think Paimon's gonna do anything you ask for, think again!
: Yae Miko: Aw, come on, I'm really only asking you to finish what you started. Besides... your paychecks are still in my hands. Heh, heh, heh.
: Paimon: Paimon's paycheck!
: My paycheck!!!
: Paimon: Ugh, well there's no way out now... We're in too deep.
==Soundtracks==
==Other Languages==
==Change History ==
es:Un sueño centenario