My thoughts were in a jumble as we made our way down the corridor. Perhaps it was due to the labyrinthine nature of the hallways on this floor, an intricate network of corners, doors, and shelves whose age seemed to predate even Gensokyo itself – occasionally I could see relics from eras so far in the distant past that they seemed beyond even the grasp of recorded history. Perhaps it was the primordial magic that thickened the air, turning it to treacle, forming lumps on my throat that threatened to suffocate me.

Or perhaps it was the mesmerizing sight of the wiry black tail swishing back and forth, its heart-shaped tip curled into itself as the girl leading the way navigated the maze with practiced ease.

The devil had no name, but it seemed that she was known as Koakuma – which in itself meant "little devil" – to those who inhabited this mansion. That epithet was not coaxed out of her without much difficulty, as her lips were sealed tighter than the secrets of the Library. Yet it seemed that she at least trusted me enough to disclose that much, though I still had yet to remember how exactly I knew her.

I had met her here, in my first and original visit to the Mansion. That much I knew. But I did not know any more, and she would not oblige my desire to remember.

I could not tell if the combination of circumstances was addling my mind, but the more the tail swished and flicked in front of me, the more I felt the urge to grab it. I wondered what its thin, shiny surface would feel like under my fingers. It was easy for me to take the humans – or human-bodied maidens – of Gensokyo for granted, given that I had spent all my life around them even if I did not always remember doing so. However, I did not feel as uncomfortable with the more supernatural and fantastical elements of this world as I thought I would.

"We are here," she whispered.

At this point, the repressed recollections were scratching at my skull, yet I could still find no way of letting them through. The unbearable familiarity of the shelf before me was testament to the strengths of both the spell cast upon my mind, and the memories that it had submerged within my unconsciousness. Koakuma took a tome from one of the shelves and handed it to me.

"This is the one," she murmured.

"The one?" I stared at the front of the book. It was lined with smooth gold leaf, yet the creases on the leather binding underneath had etched themselves onto the surface, and some of the gold had been worn away by the many fingers that had brushed against the cover over the centuries of its existence.

I knew this book. I had read it once.

The memories returned, inundating my thoughts, crashing against the back of my head like a tsunami. I staggered, letting the tome fall from my grasp, placing one hand on my head and another against the wall. Koakuma leapt to my aid, holding my shoulder, but I could not summon the will even to stand.

This shelf, and its books. The Library, and its guardian. The Mansion, and its master.

A pair of red eyes, glimmering with a level of malice that no human could bear.

Yet just as the wave of images and sounds gushed into the canals running through my brain, their source was abruptly halted, leaving me grasping at what remained. I had met Remilia Scarlet, but I still could not remember what we had talked about, or what had happened next. My full recollections began at the Library; they refused to reach any further into the past. The spell had not been broken.

I was disappointed, but also hopeful. Perhaps the more I found out about this Mansion, the more memories I could unlock. That was all the motivation I needed for now, and I straightened myself back up, to Koakuma's obvious relief.

"Did you remember something?" she asked. She might have a meek personality, but she was evidently more observant than she let on.

I nodded. "I remembered you."

She blushed faintly and smiled.

"This book," I said, gesturing at the tome. "What does it contain?"

"Perhaps you would like to hear the answer from a more authoritative source."

The two of us jumped. Behind us had materialized a robed figure, whose true form remained shrouded in the dark, just beyond the feeble torchlight. Nevertheless, I could see that the hem of their dress was mauve, and I knew immediately who had spoken.

"I see you've rested well, traveler," said the host of the great Library, in a measured tone that suggested her statement was to be interpreted rhetorically. "What brings you down here at this time of night?"

"I had my fill of sleep, so I decided to take a walk." A frail excuse, but it would have to do for now. "What about yourself?"

Patchouli curled her thin lips into a smile. "I do not subsist on sleep. Knowledge is my bread; history is my wine. And I could do much worse than keep myself awake to find if any little rats have scurried into the pantry, lest they steal the food that is rightfully mine."

The jig was probably up, though I refused to give up hope. "I don't suppose you'll tell me what's in that book?" I asked.

Patchouli shrugged. "It depends on what you already know. Or rather, whether you already know."

"I only know as much as you've told me about this world. I hope you will forgive my inquisitiveness."

"Oh, no. It's not you I'm angry at." Her expression hardened as she glared at the girl cowering behind me, her wiry tail wrapped around my leg. "Return to your chambers. I will discipline you later."

Koakuma relinquished her grasp on my back, and shuffled away into the shadows, long gone before I could turn to see her reaction.

"Now, I cannot allow you to have that book, though I suppose residual memories are not out of the ordinary." Patchouli puckered her lips, deep in thought. Perhaps she was reconsidering whether to have me sent back to sleep against my will. She sighed, and it seemed that her decision was made. "It is regrettable, but I suppose we will have to wait for the next chronicler to come by."

'Chronicler'? By that, did she mean… me?

I had no time to ponder the meaning of that epithet. She flicked her wrist, and the same scent of lavender I had smelt before tingled my nostrils. This time, however, I did not feel the same panic as I had done previously. For now that I knew I had a reliable way of coming back, I would be able to do so again and again, making my way through every avenue, repeating the process until I had the answers that I sought. It would not be easy, but just the fact that I had obtained even the tiniest modicum of knowledge in this latest iteration gave me all the motivation that I needed.

I readily accepted my slip into unconsciousness, knowing that I would wake up and find Marisa, Reimu, Miko and Alice awaiting my return. And sure enough, I found their worried faces inching closer and closer to mine as I opened my eyes, startling them and causing them to jump backwards in unison.

I was lying on the grass, with the four of them standing around my collapsed form. The midday breeze was soothing as it drifted across my face, especially when compared to the damp environs of the Library, but this was hardly the time to be enjoying it. I sat up, easing my aching head in my hand.

"Traveler? What happened?" asked Reimu.

"A lot happened," I replied. "It's… difficult to explain."

"We have the time." Miko helped me to my feet. "Although I may hazard a guess. Was it another dream about the Scarlet Devil Mansion?"

"'Another' dream?" Reimu raised her eyebrows. "You do have a lot of explaining to do, traveler. I will not countenance you hiding such things from me."

"Don't worry, I have no intention of hiding anything. In fact…" A question materialized in my head. "I may need your help with something. Do you know what a 'chronicler' is?"

A/N (March 5th 2021): This is the first author's note I've ever written, so it may be a little long. Bear with me.

As we near 100k words for this story, the most important thing I can really say is a big thank you to anyone who's been reading this, especially if you've been following for a few years. When I first started writing this 6 years ago, I never envisioned that I might end up dragging it on for this long - I just wanted to try writing a fanfiction diary to pass the time, and somehow it turned into a full-blown story.

I know I've taken many long breaks from this story (year-long breaks, even), which is probably kinda unfair on the people who have been reading this, so I apologize for that. Most of those breaks have been out of simple disinterest or a lack of ideas. However, this most recent break has been due to me having the busiest month of my life so far, with three 3000-word assignments and a presentation due in the space of three weeks. (Law school is no joke!) I've tried to write one chapter per week for the past few months, and I've managed to do so up until the end of January, but it seems that real life is catching up with me, as it always does.

Nevertheless, I do want to try and finish this story. I can see it being around 100 chapters long, so if all goes well I'll be able to finish it by the end of this year. If there are any month-long breaks in the future, rest assured that I'm still dedicated to trying to finish this, it's just that I might be caught up with essays, presentations, or whatever my postgraduate studies are throwing at me.

I might end up writing one chapter per week or per fortnight, depending on how many ideas I come up with and how busy I am. I have a general notion of how I want to finish the story, but it's not fully formed in my head yet. So, I'm as in the dark about the ending of this story as any of you readers might be. That makes it exciting for me, but that also means that once I hit a rut, it takes a while for me to break my writer's block.

I might also take breaks to keep writing my other fanfic. If you're interested in grittier, bloodier stories, and you enjoy SAO as much as I do (at least, its premise and not necessarily its characters), then feel free to check it out. Otherwise... stay tuned, and thanks again.

- A Port In Any Storm