The doors at the start of the carpet slowly creaked open; the delegations stood up from their chairs and everyone turned their heads to see the arrival of Princess Meiko. She stepped out of the shadowy interior of the Garnet Palace. She wore a majestic dress of gold and red, truly befitting of royalty; the sparkle of the gems embellishing it complimented her gorgeous looks. With slow and careful steps, she proceeded along the path laid out before her. The Crimson Wolf guards bowed as she passed them by, the guests following suit. Finally, she reached the stage and Kaito escorted her up the couple of stairs leading up to it. She stopped in front of the wooden column holding the crown and turned to face the masses that have gathered.

"Greetings, dear citizens of Diavolco. I am grateful that so many of you had come to witness the crowning ceremony. The passing of the King and Queen has caused grief to us all, but life in Diavolco must not come to a halt. It is necessary that I, Princess Meiko, succeed the throne to guide our country during such dark times. I hope you have it in your heart to forgive me for requesting a private funeral for my beloved parents. Nevertheless, this is a joyous day; within moments, I shall be your Queen," she spoke to her subjects.

Dell removed the glass display box from above the crown. He cautiously took it in his hands and stepped on the stool beside the column, so he could place the symbol of power and sovereignty atop Meiko's head.

"As tradition dictates, by the power granted to the Head Librarian of the Royal Library, I now announce thee Queen Meiko of Diavolco." A wide grin appeared on her face as he spoke these words. The gathered guests started clapping and she curtsied. The new Queen turned slightly to the left, towards Kaito. The knight knelt down on one foot, placing his left hand upon the hilt of his sword and his right over his heart.

"I vow to you, Queen Meiko of Diavolco, in my duty as the Commander of the Crimson Wolves, the Royal Family's guard, that I shall protect you," he made his oath with his head slightly bowed. She placed a hand on his shoulder to signal that she accepts his pledge of loyalty. He rose afterwards and Meiko once again turned to the crowd to bestow upon them her second speech.

"I'm delighted to stand before you all as your new Queen. There is no reason for concern; the future of Diavolco is in good hands. I shall rule the country as I see fit and lead it to the best of my abilities. At the side of the former King and Queen, I have seen glimpses of the glorious fate of our homeland and I shall be the one to deliver that reality unto it. For now, let us look at the present; it is a night for merriment and glee. For the commoners, refreshments are prepared at the back of the courtyard. I invite the leaders arrived from afar to join me for a royal dinner, in order to familiarise myself with the exact state of the land. Once more, I thank you all for attending my crowning on this blessed evening," she spoke with an air of dignity.

Queen Meiko descended the stairs and headed back on the carpet towards the Palace, waving to the multitude of people, wearing her frozen, fake smile. Most of the Crimson Wolves also parted with her, leaving the guests to enjoy their feast in the courtyard. Merely a handful of them stayed, to ensure that the evening passes without incident.


Len felt uneasy from the Queen's words and the expression she wore while making her return to the safety of building's walls. This crowning ceremony was nothing special...didn't she say the book she returned had something to do with it? I don't see why it's placed in the Restricted Section if it doesn't contain any kind of particular ritual, he mused. Rin may be the curious one, but Len's the one who takes note of the minute details. At that moment, his sister interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, I'm hungry, let's grab something to eat. Lookie, they've got a ton of sweets on that table!" she exclaimed, pointing in its direction. She grabbed his arm and dragged him behind her.

Rin's statement was entirely correct: one of the many tables was brimming with desserts of all kind, a wide variety of mouth-watering pastries, cakes, pies, tarts and many more. She immediately found something to her liking: an appetizing orange chiffon cake. After she had acquired a plate and placed her treat on it, Len pulled her aside, below the archways of the Garnet Palace, where they could remain hidden from the eyes of the others. Uh-oh, he probably has something urgent to say, she figured. Behind the columns of the arches were conveniently placed benches, so the twins took a seat on one of them. He leaned close to her ear, draping his hand around her waist.

"Rin, we should go back to the library and take a look at that book," he whispered.

"Which book?" she asked, a confused look on her face. Len sighed, and tilted his head towards stage where Meiko had been crowned.

"Uhhh, a recipe book for those scrumptious sweets?" she guessed, still clueless about what her brother was thinking of. He rolled his eyes in exasperation. Rin broke off a piece of the cake with her fork. Suddenly, realization hit her.

"Ohh, I remember! The one the Queen had stolen!" she shouted, twirling the utensil in her hand. Len grabbed on to it and stuffed the bite into her mouth, before his sister continued to blabber.

"Sheesh, Rin, mind your words, you don't know who could be listening," he scolded her, the vexation taking priority over keeping up his wall of silence.

"Like someone who could take an interest to what you're claiming?" a feminine voice coming from behind the column implied, startling the twins.

Two young women stepped into their view. One of them wore the Teal Rose Knightess armour and a mischievous smirk on her face; the other looked slightly older, the elegant pink dress she wore complimenting the shade of her hair.

"Well, that is to say..." Rin attempted to explain. She glanced over at Len, who had clamped his mouth shut. Looks like I'm on my own, she noted.

"It wasn't actually the stealing we saw, but rather the returning of a book. It was in the Restricted Books section, though!" she clarified, with Len nodding in affirmation. The strangers observed them disbelievingly.

"And two teenagers like you know this, how?" the knightess asked. Her teal pigtails swayed in the light breeze.

"We work in the library, that's how. We heard the footsteps in the emergency stairway and went to check out who the intruder was. It turned out to be just the Queen, and she said it was a book about the crowning ceremony. She got a little bit scary as she sent us away, though...Anyways, for some reason, my brother wants to take a look at it," Rin delved deeper into details, at the same time leaning over to hug Len's shoulders.

"Well, your little story has really piqued my interest. So, why exactly do you want to find that book again?" the younger girl addressed herself directly to Len. An awkward silence set in as he refused to speak.

"He doesn't converse with people; other than me, of course. Even then, only if it's just the two of us," Rin informed them. The tealette laughed from amusement.

"That's really convenient," she noted. Len's face reddened from her comment.

"I wouldn't mind tagging along, if that's not a problem for you. This really sounds more interesting than a boring, official dinner. Unless you really want to attend, Luka," she proposed, directing her last sentence towards the pinkette.

"Heck, no. Schmoozing with the upper echelon is not what I'd have in mind for an ideal evening, I'd rather just send a replacement," the older woman agreed.

"Hmm, I guess it's alright. I mean, if you really don't have anything better to do," Rin reluctantly approved of their plans.

"That's settled, then. We're going on a late-night library visit!" the knightess announced, the enthusiasm quite apparent in her voice.

"Oh yes, we haven't even introduced ourselves yet. I'm Hatsune Miku, a knightess from the Sisterhood of the Teal Rose, but I suppose you can see that. This woman here is Megurine Luka, Head Huntress of Lyrcast," the girl clad in armour said, pointing to herself and her companion.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Kagamine Rin, and my twin brother's called Len. We're both spellcasters from the Order of the Golden Magnolia," she presented themselves. "Let's get going!"

Rin abruptly stood up from the bench, Len doing the same. She held onto his hand and they headed towards the gates of the Garnet Palace, Miku and Luka following behind them.


The group of newly-made acquaintances arrived shortly in front of the Royal Library; the entire building was dark, since all the employees were at the crowning ceremony. Of course, it wasn't a non-stop library, though it usually closed later on in the evening. They opted for entering through the back door, so as to not attract the attention of the passersby wandering the streets.

As they stepped inside, Luka stared around in awe; she had never seen so many books collected in one place. They slowly made their way across the labyrinth of bookshelves in the dark. Suddenly, Rin halted, causing the others to bump into her.

"I'm so stupid, we don't need to go completely without a source of light!" she exclaimed. She spread out her hand, palm facing upwards.

"Lumen," Rin recited the spell for creating a ball of light in her hand. It had an orangey glow and it was enough for them to see where they were going without anyone noticing from the outside. Luka sniffed into the air, her nose faintly picking up the traces of an orange scent.

"Why does the library smell like oranges?" the huntress voiced her question.

"Ohh, that's just my magic. The stronger the spell, the stronger the scent. It's also different for each spellcaster. It has something to do with our will altering the natural state of things, and so the reaction discharges a signature scent. For me, it's oranges; for Len, it's bananas," she concluded her crash-course on the way magic works in Diavolco.

They continued on their path, finally reaching the door to the emergency stairway. The twins still leading the way hand-in-hand, they ascended the steps all the way to the top floor: the Restricted Books section.

"Uhh, Len? Do you remember where that book was? You made me completely forget..." she admitted, her cheeks turning a rosy pink as she remembered just how her brother managed that feat. He nodded with a grin; from this point on, he guided them through the columns and rows of bookshelves.

After a short while, they arrived at their destination. Within minutes, he found the book they were looking for: the piece of onyx set into the cover had a menacing shimmer to it from the glow of Rin's ball of light. The group encircled Len as he opened the book and began leafing through it.

"I'm no expert on magic and the like, but this doesn't really seem like a book about crowning ceremony traditions," Miku made her observation.

"You're right, it isn't. These are all very powerful spells...and not very nice ones, either. It looks like rituals for releasing dangerous monsters. The author was pretty stupid, though, because the resealing methods are right beside them," Rin added her remarks.

While flipping through it, they happened upon a ripped-out page. The four of them raised their heads from the book, the same expression of horror: widened eyes, paled complexion, dropped jaw. The same, frightening theory filled their minds.

"I-it can't be, ri-right?" Rin was the first to break the oppressing silence, her voice shaking.

"The Queen wouldn't want to destroy Diavolco, would she?" Luka chimed in, her voice sounding like a high-pitched squeak.

"There has to be some sort of explanation. Although, I'm getting a gut feeling that this is exactly what it looks to be," Miku concluded. The silence further weighed down on them, as their brains tried processing the incredulous information they had just received.

"As I see it, there's only one thing for us to do: team up and save Diavolco," the knightess announced calmly, her sense of adventure perking up. "We've got the instructions for it right here."

They returned their attention to the book, inspecting the page beside the ripped-out one: the 'instructions' Miku spoke of was a counter-prophecy.

"Before the Shadows consume the Light,
The menace can be brushed away.
Seek the Amethyst and Jade,
May they become your aid.
The Maiden with eyes like the Sea and hair like the Sun,
Bring her the Treasure of the Lake.
Under the shine of the Harvest Moon,
Sealed is Fate."

"Alright, so 'the instructions' are not as straightforward as a cookie recipe, but that doesn't mean they can't be deciphered," Rin stated after having read it aloud.

"By the sound of it, we have time until the Harvest Moon, which will be upon us in about a month. I'd suggest for us to meet up tomorrow and think about this entire situation then, we're not in that big of a hurry. It's a little bit too much to take in at once," Luka expressed her opinion to the others.

"Yeah, that sounds reasonable," Miku agreed. "Do you two know where The Sugar-coated Camellia is?"

"Mhmh, we've passed by it a couple of times. Does meeting at 10 o' clock sound good?" Rin recommended.

"Perfect. Now we just need to copy this down; I'd really prefer not ripping it," Miku said. Len started the task at once, procuring a piece of paper and a pencil from his pocket.

Afterwards, they returned the book to its place on the shelf and made their way out of the library, following the same path they took upon entry. They began saying their goodbyes to each other.

"A knightess, a huntress and two spellcasters. Saving Diavolco will surely be a really fun adventure," Miku stated confidently, as they parted ways.