Chapter 03: Eaten... Gouged... Devoured Alive…

The memories were brief. Calm and confusing at first, intense and painful in the end… The whole endeavor didn't take a day. From the light of the sun entering one's eyes in the middle of the streets; to the alleys of a marketplace filled with life; to the parks and river bridges walking side to side; to slums at sunset and hidden horrors at night… It was an adventure born out of innocence, a displaced soul, seeking fortune in a new world he hoped for to change, partaking in the presence of a beautiful and friendly soul at his side, only to find a struggling disappointment and a shocking death.

That was the experience the group went through bathed in the light of the spirits as the memories of the first volume ended…

"...! Argh!"

Waking themselves from stupor, a mix of groans, grunts and, in the case of the dragon, a very angry screech, entered their ears. Feeling their bowels flowing out, many struggled to resist vomiting, and while the spiritual magic that coursed through their bodies did help alleviate the nausea, some fared better than others…

"Guh!" Being the ever-famous Greatest of Knights, Julius was used to withstanding pain. His training for battle and war allowed him to get a better grip on his surroundings right away. That combined with his maidens being rather biased towards his safety, he was the first to lock his stomach and contain himself before his instincts forced him to get up. However, the sight that came after that wasn't pretty.

Aside from him, only Echidna, Ram and that child assassin got a better hold up as they awakened, their faces panting while crippled on the ground. The dragon? She ravaged wildly for a second, dropping Meili by accident before growling all around alert looking for targets. When there was none, she decided to grumble around, distancing herself as anger overtook her mind.

As for Emilia… couldn't handle it… As the pain stung her belly far stronger than anyone else, she fell on her knees and emptied her stomach practically immediately, coughing and gasping while trying to recover a semblance of a breath. When it was all over, she leaned back, trembling dazed before the vigor on her skin returned, feeling slightly disgusted at her own mess.

It took some seconds, but Julius' spirits made full use of the preparatory circle they had planted earlier to infuse their healing magic into them and relieve the burning torment completely. From there, moving into the mind, washing away foreign emotions, dulling the overwhelming ones, the whole dissociation of mimicking another soul slowly went away, allowing them to recollect themselves much quicker.

And even then they were still lost to panic and uncertainty…

"...Uff, that 'sa bad reaction you got there… Almost as bad as Beako-chan earlier…" Anastasia commented, offering water in sympathy while feeling a certain murderous gaze on her back, which she quickly ignored, "Why did it happen though? Is the relivin' spell weak when used in groups or something?" The merchant inquires of her knight.

Julius however shakes his head, "…No, that's not it…" He responds, hearing the shimmer of his maidens, "For some reason, the malaise struck with different intensities for everyone, something that the glyph wasn't fine-tuned for it. My ladies weren't expecting this, so they were caught off-guard again…"

"...That's the second time tonight…" A fox spirit silently states in a snide.

Not that anyone heard it, "I see… In that case, do you wish to take a break, Emilia-san? We can have this discussion a little later. (Please don't though, I have SO many things to ask!)" The merchant proposes reluctantly, facing the struggling half-elf, only to receive a hasty head-shake.

"No-no, I can handle it… I'm fine." She states, cleaning herself by freezing the very ground where she vomited. It's… quite practical, impossibly enough. But then, getting pensive, Emilia slowly stared at the floor looking perplexed, "That's vision…"

"Eye-opening, isn't it?" The princess states smiling with burning curiosity, "Come on, spill it out. Anything familiar?"

"...It… It makes no sense…" The half continues, looking rather fearful, "...She was… I was… killed…? It… It all went so wrong, so different from what I remember… yet, at the same time, so real and natural…" Emilia comments, holding her own belly in a reflex again, "Subaru felt… Ghk!... He felt so hopeful… and so hurt…" It pained her to see the befuddled knight dying in such a sudden manner. He was woefully innocent from beginning to end, slain like cattle being caught by a wolf, completely brutal and cruel.

"Urgh… Barusu was all talk. Showing recklessness, leading onwards without any care… Hmph! He couldn't restrain his own perversion towards Emili-... no, towards that fake half-elf…" Argued Ram, still nauseated after viewing that would-be butler-knight enthralled by the supposed witch of past horrors, "Then again, I guess it is fitting for him. acting like a dog for someone like her…"

"..."

Granted, the fact that said witch had practically the same appearance, voice, dress AND spirit creature as her current superior might have been too conspicuous, but the maid preferred to rudely differentiate that away as a coincidence just to be safe. Deep down, she was just as confused and worried as everyone…

Not that she ever wanted to fully express that out.

"Satella…" Regardless however, Julius couldn't ignore such a thing by himself. Scowling, he looked at the guilt-stricken half-elf beside him and felt reluctance reaching his heart, unable to understand it, "I have to ask Emilia-sama: Why? Why take up that name?" He interrogated, distraught. The last thing he wanted to believe is that this elven girl they have known all along has always been the dreaded witch of the tales…

To that, the half-elf immediately reacted, "I-I didn't! I never called myself that! That person wasn't me!" She defended herself abruptly, "That memory is all wrong. I never met Subaru in that alley!"

"..."

Silence installed among them, wondering the veracity of it… Just how to prove such a thing? They wondered, without answers.

Eventually, Julius simply closed his eyes and let it be, "I see… Forgive my words then... That sight and behavior left a sour taste in my mouth. It's unbelievable that Subaru didn't recoil from the mere mention of that name." He spoke with alarmity. It felt bad to judge this much knowing her attitude so closely since the start of their journey, but that name carried a terrible crime in it, especially with her physique in particular.

"...It's fine. I get it…" Alas, Emilia understood what he meant, even though it still hurt deep down upon hearing it. Her sadness and guilt however was not just from the insults themselves though, but rather the scary possibility that crossed her mind just now when she heard herself introducing that name to Subaru… Looking back, a thought of loneliness came to mind. If she's right, then a greater regret comes to mind right now, chilling even the Witch of Frost on her spot…

"Well, that's what makes it interesting, isn't it?" Echidna drew everyone's attention, collecting what she had ingrained into an idea, "Satella; the stolen insignia; and more importantly of all, Subaru's words, mannerisms and possessions… I can't help but to think there are some hidden grains of truth amidst this falsehood." She clued them, "Compared to the recounting of the events on Emilia's words, this memory was still quite accurate on some aspects."

To which Anastasia nodded fiercely, "Yes yes! I think the same. All his talk about a new world, his detailin' of the places, it's all very curious indeed." The merchant prized, "Seriously Emilia-san, ya wouldn't happen to know if Subaru is from beyond the Great Waterfall, wouldn't ya?"

"Eh, the Great Waterfall!?" Disturbed from her thoughts, the half-elf blinked surprised, "Hmm…"

It was certainly possible. A boy waking up in the Capital, sprouting nonsensical comments about being 'in a parallel world'… That was impossible to miss considering it left from their own mouths. His excited expectations, his fumbles exploring around, walking into the wrong bathroom, entering the wrong tavern, all of his displeasure at his strange conditions. It was like he never stepped into a big city before, much less seen demihumans despite somewhat expecting them. He couldn't even read the most basic things like hanging signs or market prices.

Then there are his trappings, the clothes of fine yet unknown materials, the strange items in that whitish crumpling bag, most of them inscribed with the characters of the ancient, unreadable Ka-glyphs Anastasia spoke of… Even his metia looked outlandish to operate, so impossibly complex in view yet treated as a completely common accessory that proved to be useless in his strange circumstances... To them, Subaru seemed too naive and deluded, acting as if he was destined to gain power and notoriety, or be doted on by whoever "summoned" him into this "parallel world" he constantly spoke of.

Thus, the potential evidence of his origins was alarming…

"That's… Erm… Subaru never said anything…" Emilia tried, but couldn't find a better explanation, "I only know he says a looooot of strange words sometimes, and that he jokes about the strangest things. He did say that he came from a far land, and that he couldn't return to it no matter what (which is sad). But to compensate for that, he did end up recreating some inventions from his hometown in the mansion, like the Mayo Sauce and the Othello game… They all look outlandish and uncommon to my eye, something I never found in any of my studies, so I guess… I guess it could be true." The half-elf assumed, surprised by her own reasoning.

"No, it makes no sense." Ram however rejected that idea outright, "It is preposterous for us to say Barusu is anything beyond some exotic type of animal from the countryside that knows a few trade secrets. Those words and ideas of his are just part of his simplistic character who's homesick for comfort. His hometown must come from some unknown corner in the kingdom. He said it himself. There is no point in making any definitive reasoning based on this thing." She retorts, pointing at the book.

"How so?" Anastasia inquiries, eyebrow raised, (Also, mayo sauce? Othello?)

"Ram abides by what Beatrice-sama said earlier: That book is false." The pink maid affirms, bluntly and decidedly.

This made Julius consider it, "Well, it is true that most mentions of the Great Waterfall are often proven to be false by those that claim it. There are many charlatans in the world that take advantage of it to sell their lies. But, while his lack of etiquette as a knight is shameful and considerate, I doubt that Subaru of all people would simply make such outlandish claims for his own gains." Affirmed the knight in a vouching manner, "After traveling together and fighting side by side with him, I do believe there's some merit to his origins, especially considering… Well, his lack of an origin to begin with." He hinted out, glancing sideways towards a certain fox spirit nearby.

"(Oho, so he even knows that…)" Anastasia noticed it, feeling intrigued, "(...He really must be my personal knight after all…) Hm, right, I guess that's that then. I'll say though… While I get all of yer opinions right, I don't think I'm that convinced." She expressed immediately after, holding her chin by the hand, "If ya ask me, Natsuki-kun being from beyond the world's borders would explain a lotta things in that memory. If we take that into account alongside any possible reason why Emilia-san would hide her real name, then everythin' would fit…" She argued, raising a point.

"But I didn't have any reason… I never-"

"-That's absurd." Ram retorted strongly once more, coming to her superior's rescue, "Even if that was true, Emilia-sama would never want to associate herself with the Witch, much less take up her name on any occasion."

"You say that, but she has something to hide, no?" The fox Echidna challenged her, facing both the oni maid and half-elf directly, "For instance, you never told us that it was your dragon insignia that had been stolen…"

"Ghk!..." She cornered them, making Emilia flinch.

"And of course, given its tremendous importance, it would be quite the shame and embarrassment for any candidate if such knowledge came to be publicly known, so I accept that omission from you. Even so, this doesn't dismiss the possibility of anything else being subtly withheld by you to hide a greater secret. Add that to the fact you introduced yourself as Satella in the memory and every other strange thing about Subaru combined, from his origins, to his connections with the Witch Cult, to the Witch Miasma hanging around him… You will have to excuse me but I have a hard time doubting the book's veracity as it is…"

"..."

Faced with such arguments, it was easy to read between the lines on the way Echidna just implied that Emilia could be simply lying to them… With the fate of her actual Knight known, consumed by some blackened aura, as with misfortune that every other camp had endured so far, one could very much argue that Subaru's displacement might be as well as her fault regardless, a malice that the half-elf was rather used to.

However, even though Emilia herself never attempted to connect the dots about Subaru or question anything he said in their times of crisis, in her heart she didn't want to doubt him now. So, taking a deep breath, she brought a hand to her chest and stared back a the fox firmly.

"...I understand what you say and why you came to that conclusion…" She started, seriously and fiercely, "But let me make something very clear: I didn't hide anything. I never met Subaru in the alley, I met him in Felt's loot house; and I fought alongside him exactly as I told you. I never introduced myself to anyone until the very end; and the name I gave to him was my own and my own only, just Emilia, not that of the Witch of Envy or anyone else!"

"..."

"..."

The intensity of Emilia's words came like a bastion turned against them, ready to defend her stance. The eyes she adorned carried a conviction that gave many a pause when seeing it, which is a far cry from how she first presented herself back in the Capital reunion, so timidly, insecure, soft and delicate…

"Hmm, hmm~" Against that, Anastasia was admittedly pleased with such an attitude, even nodding in agreement, "Yup, and you didn't just die in the end as well, right?~"

"Yes that's right!… … …Eh?" But, much to the confusion of the half-elf a second later, she was faced with a humorous smirk.

"Don't ya go forgettin' now~ Echidna here said: …There are some hidden grains of truth amidst this falsehood." The merchant paraphrased, "A falsehood, dear. We are just makin' it certain on some points."

"..."

"Then again, I guess her words came a bit too aggressive there, so I apologize on her behalf~" The princess bowed before her peers.

"…"

Planned or not, Julius and the others felt a bit disconcerted at Anastasia's silver tongue. She somehow managed to turn this sour interrogation between allies into a slight fumble of words, painting it as a misunderstanding born from curiosity. Quite the talent for whiplash…

"Now, given how little we know about this library, I wouldn't be surprised if we made many wrong assumptions on the way. Perhaps if we have another point of view we could solve this mystery out right, in fact, Julius-kun!" And already bringing up another point at hand, Anastasia just continued by calling up her knight, "As someone who saw through the memories of another, how does it compare with this one here? Were there any falsehoods in that General's "life" when you first saw it?" She inquired him, recalling what Echidna told her about Julius's own experiences with the book of one Balleroy Temeglyph.

Still dumbfounded from the last hostilities, many simply took it as granted, turning to the man himself for his response…

"No… What I saw was accurate. Though my duty prevents me from speaking the extent of it, at least my actions in that vision were true and through, I guarantee it." He affirmed first before showing uncertainty next, "I do have one thing to mention however. Back when I read the book myself, I had gone through entire years of his life, including his childhood and wardship to the fullest. I saw the actions that led Balleroy to his death in full and can confirm it step by step…" The knight explained, " But here, with this book we just read into… We saw only a fraction of Subaru's life. Barely a single day, to be exact…"

"..."

Exposed to that revelation, many were caught in the epiphany of acknowledgement, unable to deny the truth itself. From the moment they saw it, the enigma had started right there, at the very beginning of the memory by not showing how Subaru even got to the Capital in the first place… Given how the book of the dead is supposed to reveal one's entire life from his memories, this simply casts the same feeling to everyone when thinking of Subaru's conditions and reactions: Confusion.

"I see… Yet why is that so, I wonder?" Anastasia echoed the thoughts of everyone as they reflected on this peculiarity.

"..."

"...Perhaps this would give the answer you all seek, I suppose."

"...?"

It was then that Beatrice finally decided to speak, having kept her mouth shut as these buffoons judged and pushed their presumptions on her contractor's fake memories. Within her hands were the two other tomes of ancient letters, bearing the same unreadable name that brought about so many questions on Subaru's life. The sight of it made many eyes widen on the spot.

菜月・昴・ 巻・ XV

菜月・昴・ 巻・ XVI

"Is that-"

"Yes. More of these disgusting texts, in fact. Betty had seen them earlier before we got here. If that theory of yours follows, merchant, then these will show something concrete to speculate, I suppose." The Great Spirit concluded, her expression quickly growing sullen and grim, "...I do reaffirm however that I still refuse to believe these have anything to do with Betty's Subaru, in fact, but if you fools wish to continue with this charade, we can go ahead and start with this one, I suppose."

Receiving the first one with the lesser scratches, Anastasia's eyes shone, "Oh by Hoshin's fortunes, this is rich! We will be reading these right away! No sleeping tonight!" She exclaimed with delight, much to the worry of the rest.

They all are in agreement though. Too much anxiousness and curiosity around to leave this mystery unsolved. And although some suspected that Meili would complain, the girl herself didn't say a word, finding her quietly leaning a face into Patrasche's body when they looked. Unknown to them though, the child assassin herself was inadvertently excited. She didn't expect to see first hand the work of her precious sister here! Granted, it was just a glimpse in the first book, but her voice was there. She recognized it.

Real or not, Meili didn't care for the nature or the authenticity of the memories as the only thing that mattered was the simple catharsis of seeing Elsa being posthumously avenged... She misses her onee-sama dearly, and seeing her alongside onii-san getting what he deserves without paying any price for both is practically two gifts wrapped in one box, a joy Meili never knew she wanted. So, if all she had to do to see Elsa again was to keep her mouth shut and let them read more, she was all out for it…

"Well, I'm waiting!"

Thus, with their decision taken, they all observed as Julius instructed his spirits into action, telling the green one specifically to hold the newly-found book with its wind magic and send them into it once they were ready…

With both Anastasia and Beatrice joining them on the circle last, one thrilled to explore, the other affronted respectively, the whole group known as the Saviors of Priestella, and in the future, the Conquerors of the Sage Tower, partook in the next venture of yet another memory, this time, falling on their back as their minds were whisked away sitting on the ground of their spiritual circle.

And so, the journey continues…

…

…

It had been a nightmare.

It had to be.

Hell, after the things he had seen… after what that monster did… Only horror remained. Yet, it was that horror that eventually made Subaru gasp awake from where he stood, the cold and wet temperature of the floor sinking into his flesh, coating his bruises through his tracksuit.

"Ah… Why…" He muttered, looking around confused as he found himself in some kind of indoor cell, back where it all went wrong in this damnable loop, "Why am I here?" He pondered shortly.

Had that tiger monster captured him again? Spared and brought him back to this place again? If so, why wasn't he tied?

…

No, the crystal Frederica gave him… It glowed again, right? He must have been teleported.

Yes, that's right… he remembers it now.

"Urgh…" At any case, Subaru couldn't think much about it. His head was aching, a result of being bounced and thrown around by Garfiel without any mercy… He had to get a grip on himself, and he would do so, only to be startled by the dirty smear coating his hand with the now dried up remains of a bloody stain… a stain he knew very well from whom it came from…

"Ah…!" It all came back to him… The panic, the regret, the mistakes he had made, the sacrifices in vain… Subaru would have cried there mourning for the losses he had experienced but a few minutes ago of consciousness if it wasn't for the pressing matters at hand that he had to focus on, lest everything had been for naught…

Time was running out, so, standing up and limping out of the room, he headed for the exit right away, the corridor of these ruins quickly becoming clear to him, the light outside glowing strong as it peeked from the entrance at the end of the tunnel.

The mere sight of it made him wonder… "(Is it morning already? Damn it… How long have I been asleep?)" Subaru grit his teeth. This wasn't a good sign. It wasn't good at all. And his fears would have proven correct again, for instead of the sun heating up on face as he expected, what Subaru encountered going outside was shockingly enough the opposite: Cold… cold from snow to be exact.

"Huh?"

Snow everywhere, reaching all the way into the horizon… The skies were closed, the clouds heavy and gray, raining down snowflakes gently at some light breeze, tinging the treetops before him. Subaru couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What's going on?" He puzzled on while exploring, forcefully crossing out into the forest ahead. Did he make it all the way into effing winter!? If so, that would mean…

"Ah!" Before he could complete his horrific thoughts, Subaru suddenly tripped, his eyes falling down to stare into his right hand… Right where a handkerchief was tied to his wrist: Petra's little gift of hope…

"..."

This made him doubt himself, the memories of his past failures flashing into his mind, reminding him of his weakness. It started to make him believe there was nothing he could do to change things back now, a line of thought that Subaru himself knew it was bad to delve into, so, in denial, "I can't… I can't! I can't! I can't!" He shouted out, convincing himself to push onwards no matter what, "I have to get them back… whatever it takes…" This is what he decided on, what he focused on, for he was their hero… both Rem's and Petra's… Nothing else matters.

Alas, for all his determination, the mysteries didn't end there. Reaching into the Sanctuary, the streets seemed abandoned; the roads and lodgings empty and untouched. There were no signs of footprints on the snow; and most strange of all, the refuge halls appeared to be vacated, with no soul on sight despite the vast amount of luggage and trappings left behind. Even Emilia's room seemed abandoned, the mesh of the room signaling that she simply ran out and went somewhere else…. And through it all, every door was left open and unlocked, the buildings left immaculate. There weren't even signs of struggle or battle.

"There's… no one here? Where is everybody!?"

The more Subaru explored, the more he got confused. Did they get back to Arlam? Did Garfiel kill them all and hide the evidence? Did he harm his Emilia-tan!? Subaru was unnerved. It would seem that regardless of it all, if he wanted answers, he had to get back on his own the slow way, namely, by walking.

And so he did, braving the cold, on foot, without his beloved dragon to cross the land…

As snow fell on his shoulders, Subaru let the cold weather numb and bury his doomed feelings to obscurity. He failed, obviously, but it was better that he do that instead of falling into the depression of yet another failure as there was too much at stake. If anything, he considered what he would do once he found the truth. The many dangers he faced before still remained: Elsa was lurking in the mansion; Garfiel proved to be a threat alongside Ryuzu; and then there's Roswaal and Beatrice, both who are withholding their own selfish secrets... Subaru had to face them all somehow.

"...?" With that in mind, just as he reflected silently on the way, a strange movement eventually caught his eyes as he crossed a large open clearing in the forest, "A rabbit?" Yes, quite so. It certainly looked like one: Small, white fur, bearing two rodent teeth plainly on sight. The only curious thing about it is the blood red eyes it had, and that little horn protruding from it's forehead, but it was definitely the critter alright, "Why is there a rabbit here?" He wondered.

Crouching down, Subaru was slightly relieved to see the thing simply approaching him instead of running away. Indeed, it stopped right in front of him, merely staring expectantly. Seeing that as confirmation, he then attempts to do what everyone does when met with a fluffy cute creature vouching for his presence, the blessed act of petting it.

"...!"

Or so he thought of doing it, before his hand simply… flew off his arm, bursting out in an abrupt impact of… teeth?

"Eh?"

Wide eyed, he didn't have time to think as the pain quickly stung, making Subaru recoil back and scream, holding his now bleeding stump of an arm in shock as he saw the still-sitting rabbit, feasting on his bitten down finger!

"Ah! AHHHH!"

Its eyes glowed, filled with blackened malice fostered by hunger, savoring the flesh and blood with a silent looming demure… Subaru couldn't even retreat from it as he strangely fell on his butt, the pain that coursed through his arm now flaring on his left leg out of nowhere!

"...Ah!?"

A few feet from him, what remained of it lay right there, in front of the unmoving rabbit, who still feasted on his finger without moving. When he thought of that being impossible, two more rabbits surfaced from deep in the snow, their mouths smeared in what can only be his blood, looking at him. And that wasn't all of it, all around him, one by one, more rabbits appeared, be it from the forests themselves or digging up from the ground. They all stared at him, approaching ever closer, teeth chattering, eyes unblinking… It was as if Subaru was bit a piece of candy presented to them, a cattle sacrifice laid bare to sate their hunger.

Panicking and hyper-ventilating, It was clear that this would be his end. Subaru instinctively knew what would come from here. He just didn't want to believe it, didn't want to think of it, couldn't even process it as fear consumed him from the prospect of being essentially devoured alive… This isn't at all like the Ulgarms he faced before. There were no curses this time, only a slow and painful fate about to unfold.

"Ah… Ah… Ah… AAAAAHHHH!"

And then they hopped in… Bite by bite, piece by piece, tearing him apart by the thousands… They showed no remorse or restraint in the feast. They dug deep into his body, deep into his organs, eating everything they could. His very skin was distorted and torn, the rabbits seemingly swimming from the inside the muscles and tissues. From every gap they could reach, they would gouge new holes to enter, or force their way through common ones, through the clothes, through the pelvis, through the anus, through the ears, eye, skull, everything!

And through it all Subaru screamed and screamed and screamed… endlessly. The agony he felt simply broke the limit of possibility, reaching all the way into the phantom zone of his consciousness, deep down in the soul…

His consistent voice only lasted for a few seconds before it distorted out of tune, screeching ever so high in pitch before it was muffled out by his throat getting torn apart and devoured. From his only remaining eye, all that he could see was red, the veins of his socket bursting out vividly to flow out tears of blood. The rabbits were everywhere. Not even the sky could be seen, only a sea of white fur and teeth before one last rabbit finally found a new entrance to bury himself into, mouth opening wide to finish this final, everlasting feast on his only remaining eye.

And even then, as a carcass long dead… Subaru's soul still screamed…

At the precipice of the night, silent and cold amidst the deserts of the Watchtower, the proper spirits of Julius stood in guard over their master in the Library, keeping a grip on the spell that was created to protect the minds of those who delved in the secrets of the dead… They vowed to not falter this time, to not be overwhelmed by the distress these things would cause once they would wake up…

Yet, for all their strength and vigilance to not fail a third time, nothing prepared them for the unending avalanche of horror that just burst out to scar their mana cores alive!

In an instant, frothing, convulsing, spasming on the ground, a cacophony of high pitch screams just blasted out upon the poor spirits who suddenly found themselves pushed to their limit in containing what just surged. They couldn't understand what they were seeing… The humans… It was as if they had gone mad! Their eye pupils constricted into a dot, jumping out from its sockets in a wide-faced agony. Their arms shaked and trembled, hands reaching out to dig into their clothes as to bash away any semblance of some phantom attack at every inch of their skin and their bodies… their bodies are just flopping on the ground, beset by some kind of extreme seizure. It was all madness and pain, a torture so spontaneous that the spirits almost felt their contract expire from what appeared to be Julius' suffering an heart attack.

Yet they couldn't falter right now… Knowing the cause behind this mess, their magic bursted into form. The glyphs beneath them would glow and grow, wind would be summoned to form a whirlwind of mana, and the accursed tomes that brought this anguish would be repelled from sight, crashing into the bookshelves and locked behind a cage of shadows that would reach and fold the Od-damn ceiling!

All magic that could gather would be poured into their master and his allies; light and water tending both mind and flesh; darkness banishing their senses all while fire, earth and wind would remain in gathering duty, pulling every strand of mana that they could to help and then stop the rest of the Library from simply collapsing on their poor friends because of their panicked blunder…

The whole room was shaking violently from the turbulence of magic, and as a result, an avalanche of books descended from their fixed shelves to bury the ground beneath their pages.

It was only due to a quickly summoned wind barrier from Alo that a following disaster was averted, the books being carefully turned away, pushed aside, and then distorted out of view. But even so, the outcome was in the end rather pyrrhic for everyone. The humans… They were left inert, eyes tearing sideways into the floor, mouths hanging open with drool pooling out. They flinched their limbs here and there every second, but their minds had been rendered asleep…

And while this seemed fine at first glance, their Od however… It felt distorted. Somehow, from somewhere, a strange imprint just showed up and dug its way into the souls of both their master and the others… it rearranged the essence; mutated and changed it from within in some fashion, molding it to fit a foreign presence for a purpose they couldn't understand. At first glance, this did appear to be reversible, but the work would be long and slow going to fix.

Whatever the hell they had discovered in that memory, they were left in no state to even have a conscious thought for a discussion. Worse, there's no telling what state of mind they are even in to begin with. The spirits decided then that instead of bringing them to their beds outside on the fifth floor, it was safer to bring their beds into the Library. It was their only choice now that their night adventure had ended so abruptly.

Thus, their vigil began anew, with their first patient already escaping from her magically-induced sleep, already screaming in horror of a trauma never before seen… The maidens could only pity her, fearing for their own master as the long hours of the night slowly befell in the horizon…

…

To be Continued…