I woke up with a start, my head spinning and a metallic, damp taste lingering on my tongue. Blinking hard, I tried to focus, but the world around me blurred. Endless shelves of books stretched out in every direction, vanishing into the horizon. The smell of ancient parchment filled the air, musty and dry, as the weight of time itself hung over this place. Where... where was I?

"Are you kidding me?" A voice, sharp and irritated, snapped me out of my daze. "We only just lost Jeremiah two days ago, and the library sent us a rookie already?"

I turned my head, still disoriented, to see a girl standing a few feet away. Her blue hair was wild and curled, contrasting with her yellow eyes that glinted with annoyance. She had torn the bottom of her Roman-style robe and wrapped it around her neck like a scarf. Her arms were crossed as she sized me up, clearly unimpressed.

"Cleo," a man beside her growled, scolding her with a tone full of authority. His head was shaved, and his brown eyes looked at her with frustration. He wore the same robes, though his were worn properly. "Don't act like you cared about Jeremiah. You never even liked him."

Cleo huffed, then broke into a snort of laughter. "Fair. Jeremiah took his job way too seriously, just like you, Noah."

"It's our sworn duty," Noah retorted, his expression stern. "We are the final defence against Armageddon."

Cleo mimicked his words with a ridiculous face, her tone exaggerated. "'Final defence against Armageddon,' blah, blah, blah." She turned her attention back to me, squatting down and tossing a book into my lap. "Welcome to your new life, Not Jeremiah. Better get familiar with that." She gestured to the endless rows of books. "You're gonna be doing a whole lot of reading."

I looked down at the book; its cover was worn, but the title was unreadable. My mind was still too foggy to process anything. "What the hell is going on?" I finally managed to ask, my voice hoarse.

Noah sighed, clearly disappointed with how this was going. He glanced at Cleo, exasperated. "Next time we get a new guardian, I'm bringing Athena with me." His tone was softer but still held a firm authority. "My name is Noah. This," he gestured toward Cleo, who had a mischievous grin plastered on her face, "Is Cleo. We, like you, have been chosen as guardians of the Library of Alexandria."

"Guardians," Cleo cut in, her voice full of mockery. "Of all this forbidden knowledge." She wiggled her fingers in a spooky manner. "The wrong hands and all that. Scary stuff."

I felt a hand on my arm, helping me up. Cleo was grinning as she patted me on the back. "So, what's your name, Not Jeremiah?"

"Marcus."

Cleo snorted again. "That's such a basic name. Well, I'll remember it. Better than Not Jeremiah Number Two."

Noah's expression grew even more tired as he sighed. "His name was Michelangelo, Cleo."

"I was never going to remember that," she shot back, turning to me. "Why does everyone have to have these grand names?"

"I can't even with you," Noah muttered.

Cleo nudged me with her elbow, cackling. "Don't mind Mr. Unibrow here. He's all work, no fun. You'll catch up soon enough, don't worry. The memory loss, the crushing responsibility, the inevitable doom if you screw up. You'll get the memo."

It was all too much. I jerked my arm away, my heart pounding. "What is this place?!" I shouted, stepping back, my voice echoing through the massive, hollow expanse.

Noah calmly took the book from my hands, placing it back on the shelf with precision. He turned, his expression unreadable as he simply said two words.

"Our tomb."

Sitting on the wall of the park in the Human Village, I stared up at the night sky, letting the weight of the day press down on me. Everything was swirling around in my head, each moment replaying like a relentless loop. This outside world—so vast, so strange—was something I had always yearned for. But now that I was here, looking up at the stars, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was all... hollow.

I got what I wanted, didn't I? The chance to see beyond the endless shelves of the library. Yet something was missing. It felt unfulfilled, unrewarding, like an itch that couldn't be scratched no matter how much I reached for it. Maybe it was Alexandria—the only thing I had known for centuries—pulling me back, even from here. My duty to protect it, to safeguard its knowledge, had defined me. But now that the library was gone, what was left of me?

I sighed, the stars glittering above me like distant dreams, so far out of reach. "You were right, Athena..." I whispered, my voice barely audible. "The stars really are something else."

"Oi!" Marisa's voice cut through the silence, startling me from my thoughts. She came over, holding two buns, one of which she handed to me. "What's on your mind, huh?" She tilted her head, then glanced up at the sky with a smirk. "Ahh, never seen stars before, I suppose? Yeah, they're pretty cool. I sometimes spend whole nights just staring at them when I'm not running experiments."

I took the bun, unsure what exactly it was for. But the smell—it was... good. I held it close to my nose and inhaled, assuming it was some kind of aromatic object meant for sniffing repeatedly. The scent was oddly comforting.

Marisa, already munching on her bun, glanced at me and snickered. Her laughter was barely restrained at first, but it wasn't long before she burst into a full-blown fit, clutching her sides. "Pfft! You just—sniffing it like a flower! You eat it, dumbass!"

I blinked, watching her as she took another bite; her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's. "You need to chew and swallow, see?" she said with a mouth half-full, pointing to her open mouth.

Oh. That made sense.

I copied her, taking a bite and the bun filling my mouth, but instead of chewing, I just sat there, cheeks puffed out like hers. Marisa couldn't hold back her laughter this time. "No, no, you gotta chew it!" she gasped between giggles. "And swallow!"

I stared blankly at her but mimicked her movements, chewing slowly and swallowing the food down. As soon as I did, I looked down at the bun in my hand, a strange sensation spreading through me—warmth, satisfaction. It was... pleasant. I wolfed the rest of it down without hesitation, suddenly overwhelmed by how good it felt.

Marisa, eating at her usual pace, raised an eyebrow, a little taken aback. "Whoa, whoa, slow down! It's like you've never eaten before."

I wiped my mouth, nodding to myself as if I'd just solved a great mystery. "Eating... Eating." I repeated the word thoughtfully. "I like it. It creates a pleasant feeling in my stomach. Is this 'eating' used for fun?"

Marisa paused mid-bite, her eyes widening as if she'd just witnessed something unbelievable. "Wait—are you telling me... you've never eaten anything before? You know, eating. People do it to regain their strength, to stop hunger. We need it to survive!"

I nodded in understanding now, the pieces falling into place. "I've read about it in books. Caesar was obsessed with the concept. He collected every cookbook he could find. But no, I've never eaten before. The library provides us with the energy we need. Eating, drinking, sleeping... they're time wasters we can avoid."

Marisa muttered a soft "No shit..." under her breath, looking utterly taken aback. She shook her head, seeming to need a moment to process everything. "I mean, I thought about trying a spell to avoid basic stuff like food and sleep once. It'd give me more time for experiments and spells. But... the break is nice, y'know? Plus, I can't give up my sake. No way." She took a bite of her bun, chewing thoughtfully before looking at me again. "You've really never eaten food before? Not even a nap? And the library just... makes that decision for you?"

"My purpose is to serve," I replied, my tone flat but confident. "Anything else holds no value."

"Wow... That's, like, super depressing." Marisa shook her head, her expression softening as she stared at me. "This library sounds like a tomb. And I'm not going to stand by and let that be the only thing you experience. You've already had a taste of the outside world, and trust me, before you go back, I'm gonna make sure you have a kickass time here."

Marisa finished her bun in silence, her mind clearly racing with ideas. I could see her grinning to herself, no doubt putting together some kind of twisted bucket list of things I apparently needed to experience. I wasn't quite sure what that would involve, but knowing her, it wouldn't be dull.

As I was lost in my thoughts, a strange feeling crept up on me. My mouth opened on its own, and before I knew it, a yawn escaped. I blinked, startled. Then, it happened again—another yawn, this time deeper. What was happening to me?

I turned to Marisa, now genuinely creeped out. "What is the meaning of this?"

Marisa sighed, shaking her head in that exasperated way she had. "You're yawning. It means you're tired. Guess those oh-so-special abilities the library forced on you don't work here in Gensokyo. You're gonna have to eat, drink, and sleep like the rest of us."

"Oh." It was all I could manage.

She jumped up suddenly, spinning her broom as she caught it mid-air. "Don't worry. I already spoke to the right people, and they've set up a place for you to stay for now. I'd let you crash at my place, but..." She trailed off, thinking for a second, before simply shrugging. "I just don't want you to."

I wasn't sure how to feel about that, but I got the sense Marisa wasn't someone who minced her words. With a nudge, she motioned for me to follow, and I did, walking beside her as the village quieted down under the night sky.

As we walked, she glanced over at me. "How're your injuries holding up?"

I looked at the bandages wrapped around my arms and torso, still feeling odd about the whole situation. "It doesn't hurt anymore, but... my body feels weird. It's like it's burning. And my head's been throbbing. My eyelids feel heavy, too."

Marisa, walking backwards now with a knowing smirk, spun her broom like it was some kind of baton. "Yeah, no surprise there. You took a nasty fall, went through heatstroke, and probably had all that no-eating-and-no-sleeping crap catch up to you. You're more resilient than most humans here, though, so... not bad, Marcus."

I noticed a few people still out and about, going about their lives, finishing up the last tasks of their day. The simple, everyday life they led seemed... alien to me. I turned to Marisa, unable to hold back the question. "Why don't you live here in the Human Village?"

She shrugged, looking around like it was apparent. "It's boring. Everyone's so closed-minded. I'd rather have peace and quiet somewhere else, do my thing without anyone complaining about noise."

That made sense, in a way. Or maybe that was just her excuse.

Finally, we arrived at a small building tucked into a quiet corner of the village. Marisa slid the door open, stepping inside and waving her hand with a mock flourish. "Ta-da! Your humble abode."

She ducked in, her eyes scanning the one-room space with a quick, approving nod. "Yeah... it's as depressing as I thought it'd be." She shot me a grin. "But trust me, it's great. You've got everything you need."

I followed her inside, looking around at the futon, a small table, and little else. "What do I... do with it?" I asked, genuinely lost.

Marisa plopped down on the futon with a sigh. "You lie here, dummy. Close your eyes and sleep."

"And then?"

She looked at me, her expression flat. "And then... you sleep until you wake up."

"That sounds like a waste of time."

"It... rather is," she admitted, shrugging. "But we need to sleep, so that's that."

I sat on the futon next to her, unsure of what else to do. Silence settled between us, and for a moment, the room felt stifling. Marisa gave me a glance, her eyes lingering on the bandages before she sighed again, smacking her knees. "Well, I should leave you to it. You good here?"

I glanced around the room once more, feeling like a foreign object in this unfamiliar space. "Yeah... I guess."

Marisa stood up, walking toward the door before pausing. She looked back at me, her expression softer than usual. "I could stay here tonight. Y'know, just to keep an eye on you."

I shook my head. "I'll be fine. My moral responsibility is to be so. I had no time to feel sorry for myself or doubt. I have to keep up with my duties and purpose."

Marisa rolled her eyes. "Duties and purpose. Right." She slid the door open, giving me one last look. "I'll swing by tomorrow, and we can start looking for those tomes. Get some rest, yeah?"

Just as she was about to leave, I stopped her with a question that had been gnawing at me all day. "Why are you doing all this for me? You could've just patched me up and sent me on my way."

She leaned against the doorframe, nodding as if she'd expected the question. "Truth be told? It seemed like fun. Hunting down forbidden tomes... what else was I gonna do? Don't overthink about it. I'm helping you, and that's all that matters."

"I'm serious. Get some rest. Well... Goodbye?" With that, she gave me a casual wave and disappeared into the night, sliding the door shut behind her.

Alone now, I found myself surrounded by an uncomfortable stillness. The room felt small and cramped, with only my thoughts for company. I slowly began to arrange the books I had from the library with me. The forbidden tome, Vol. 0: Wishes, caught my eye, and I placed it on display before reconsidering. Staring at it for a long moment, I sighed, picked it up, and tossed it into a nearby box, closing the lid.

Lying down on the futon, I stared up at the ceiling, Marisa's last words replaying in my head.

"Goodbye..."

Goodbye? Why is that word so sad...?