I remember the soft glow of the library's lamps as I stood in the vast hall of Alexandria. Athena was by my side, her long white hair pulled back into a neat braid, its tail resting over her shoulder. Her red eyes shone with an almost ancient wisdom, even behind the cracked lens of her glasses. She was quiet and organized, and when she spoke, it was with the weight of centuries of knowledge.

"Marcus," she began, her voice soft yet firm, "being a Guardian of Alexandria isn't just about preserving knowledge. It's about protecting the meaning behind the knowledge. Every book here, every scroll, every fragment of paper—it all has a purpose. It's not about the words written inside; it's about what they mean to people."

She guided me through rows of towering shelves, where books of every shape and size rested. Some were worn and tattered, others pristine. Each of them seemed to hum with quiet energy, as though the stories within were alive, waiting for someone to discover them.

"Take this book, for example." Athena plucked a dusty volume from a nearby shelf, its cover darkened with age. The title glinted faintly in the dim light—Grimoire of Marisa. She held it out to me, her smile soft but knowing. "To me, it might not mean much. A good read, perhaps. To Cleo, it's a bore." She chuckled softly. "But to you? It could mean the world."

I hesitated before taking the book from her hands, feeling its weight. The leather was cracked in places, but the binding was solid. I opened it, skimming through the yellowed pages. The words flowed in a language I was unfamiliar with, but somehow, I understood. It spoke of a place called Gensokyo—a world of magic, youkai, and humans who fought to keep the balance. A place that felt like a dream, just out of reach but close enough to touch.

Athena observed me, sorting through the pile of books she'd been organizing. "Do you get it now?" she asked after a moment. "Each book can lead to a new adventure. It's not about the stories they hold but the dreams they spark. It's what keeps us going in the darkest moments. It's what gives us the dreams we yearn to chase."

I nodded, but my mind was elsewhere—drawn into the world the grimoire was describing. Gensokyo. A place so foreign, yet I could picture it perfectly. I could see the lush forests, the bustling villages, the strange and wondrous beings that inhabited it. And somehow, it felt... familiar.

I closed the book and looked up at Athena. "Do you have a dream?" I asked her, curiosity getting the better of me.

She smiled, but there was something sad in it, a hint of longing. "I do," she said quietly, her fingers brushing the spine of another book. "But don't tell the others. They'd think I'm straying too far from the path."

Her confession caught me off guard. Athena was always so composed and focused on her duty as a guardian. "What's wrong with having a dream?"

"We're all allowed to have dreams, Marcus, regardless of what Alexandria may lead us to believe." She gave me a sidelong glance, her smile returning but tinged with mystery. "Even you."

I looked down at the Grimoire of Marisa in my hands, turning the pages slowly as if searching for something deeper within them. The more I read, the more I felt a connection to this strange, magical world. It was like a pull, a gravitational force that kept drawing me in, as if I was meant to be a part of it.

I muttered under my breath, barely audible, "Even me? But... what is my dream?"

The question lingered in the air, heavier than the book in my hands. It was something I had never really considered. I had spent so much time following the path of a Guardian, learning, absorbing knowledge, and protecting it... but for what? What was my dream?

Athena didn't answer. She didn't need to. She simply smiled as if she knew I was on the cusp of something important—something I had yet to discover.

The shrine felt like a maze as I scrambled through its halls, trying to dodge the blasts of light and energy from the battle raging behind me. Marisa and Reimu were locked in a deadly duel, their spell cards lighting up the twisted walls of Reimu's corrupted shrine like fireworks gone wrong. The air was thick with a suffocating aura—the weight of forbidden knowledge, bending everything to its will.

I couldn't do anything but run. The sheer power these two were wielding was beyond anything I could comprehend, let alone counter. I wasn't from this world—I had no way to fight back.

Behind me, I heard the shrill sound of Reimu's spell card being activated.

"Wealth Sign: Dream Seal!"

A barrage of bullets screamed toward Marisa. I glanced back, my heart pounding in my throat, seeing her dart and weave between them like a pro, though each one grazed her closer than the last. Marisa had this determined, almost furious look in her eyes, but I could tell something was wrong.

"She's not even looking at me!" Marisa growled through clenched teeth. "It's like she doesn't care... she's just throwing these attacks wherever."

I could see it too. Reimu wasn't focused; her movements were lazy and erratic, like someone in a trance or a puppet on strings. It wasn't a focused fight; it was chaos—wild, uncontained, and far more dangerous for it.

"Come on, Reimu... fight me for real!" Marisa yelled, blasting a Non-Directional Laser back at her. The purple beams sliced through the shrine's twisted halls, but Reimu deflected them effortlessly with another wave of her corrupted spell cards.

The walls around us warped and cracked as Reimu unleashed her next card—"Wealth Land: Great Duplex Barrier!"

An enormous barrier of shimmering bullets materialized in front of Marisa, cutting off her escape routes. She cursed under her breath, firing magic missiles to counter the barrage, but the barrier seemed endless, closing in around her like a cage.

No matter how hard she pushed, Reimu always seemed just out of reach, just beyond her grasp.

I ran down the hall, trying to get as far from the fight as I could. My heart was hammering, and sweat dripped down my forehead. The whole shrine felt like it was closing in, twisting around me. It was as if the walls themselves were shifting, the structure changing. I heard footsteps—Marisa's—catching up to me and then her voice, urgent and commanding.

"Grab on!" she yelled, reaching out as she sped past on her broom.

Without thinking, I lunged for her hand, my fingers barely gripping onto hers as she pulled me onto the broom. We sped through the shrine, the world a blur of gold and chaos around us.

"Is Reimu always like this in a fight?" I asked, trying to catch my breath, still reeling from how fast everything was moving.

Marisa gave a dry, humourless laugh. "Usually, she beats me in these kinds of battles."

I blinked. "What's the percentage?"

"About 40% I win..." she admitted, then clenched her teeth. "But with that damn book... my chances are..." She cut herself off, shaking her head. "No, no. We're not going down. I got you, Marcus. I'll protect you, don't worry!"

I could hear the resolve in her voice, but there was doubt, too. I could see it in her eyes—this fight was different, harder. Reimu wasn't herself. The book, The Power... was warping everything, even Reimu's will.

Suddenly, Reimu appeared before us, cutting off our escape route. She swung her purification rod high, and another spell card activated.

"Wealth Sign: Dream Seal – Concentrate!"

The attack was so fast, so overwhelming, that neither of us had time to react. The blast hit us both, sending us careening through the air. The world spun as Marisa and I were thrown through the shrine's walls, crashing outside onto the shrine grounds.

I hit the ground hard, my body rolling with the impact. I groaned, and the wind knocked out of me. Dust filled the air, and through it, I saw Marisa struggling to get up, her hat lost in the chaos. Blood trickled from a cut on her forehead, but she gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain.

She pulled out her Mini Hakkero, eyes blazing with anger. "I'm not done yet, Reimu!"

Marisa unleashed a *Master Spark, the massive laser beam tearing through the shrine like it was made of paper. The sheer power of it rattled my bones, the light searing into my vision.

But Reimu dodged, moving with a disturbing grace, and in a flash, she was upon us.

Before Marisa could react, Reimu landed the final blow; her yin-yang orbs striking hard and fast. Marisa fell to the ground, her body limp, defeated.

"Marisa!" I shouted, scrambling over to her. She was breathing, but she was down, beaten.

I turned to Reimu, my heart pounding. She stood there, her eyes glazed with greed, her golden robes shimmering in the sickly light. In her hand, she clutched the forbidden tome, *Vol 4 – Wealth, like a lifeline, like it was the only thing keeping her sane.

"You've done enough, Reimu..." I croaked, barely able to stand, feeling that same suffocating aura as before. "This isn't you. The book is changing you. Don't let it—"

Reimu's eyes flashed, and she summoned her yin-yang orbs once more. "Those who oppose the Hakurei Shrine... will be eliminated."

Reimu's attacks slammed into me like a wave. My body hit the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of me. I was on one knee, my clothes torn, blood trickling down my face. The metallic taste filled my mouth as I gasped for air. I looked over at Marisa, lying defeated a few feet away. Her hat was gone, her face pale, but somehow she managed to look up at me, her eyes barely open.

"Run," she whispered, her voice strained, barely audible.

I should have. But I didn't.

Instead, I forced myself to stand, legs shaking from the pain. Something heavy slid into my hand—a familiar weight, cold and dark. The tome. Vol. 0 – Wishes.

Reimu's eyes widened, and for the first time, I saw something flicker in them—fear, maybe. Or recognition. She took a step back, the corrupted aura around her flaring as she sensed the power I held.

I clutched the book tightly, glancing at Marisa. She had put everything on the line for me and Reimu. I owed her more than just running away.

I scoffed, turning my gaze back to Reimu. "I don't know how stupid you have to be, Reimu, not to see what that book's doing to you. You hurt Marisa—badly. You've lost it."

Her expression hardened, and she snapped, "She's always been a troublesome fool who doesn't know when to quit. She brought this on herself."

I shrugged, the absurdity of the situation gnawing at me. "Maybe. But regardless, the blame for all of this? That's on me. As the Lone Guardian of Alexandria, I'm the one who keeps the dreams of others going."

I held the book up, facing it down, feeling its weight. The moment I opened it, the knowledge flooded into me. The words weren't just on the page—they were in my head, a twisted plea, an almost familiar voice whispering.

You're dying!

The echo of it reverberated in my mind, but I shook it off, slamming the book shut and dropping it back to my side. I wasn't fully adept at this, but I could learn—and fast.

"I'm not good at these spell card battles," I muttered, the weight of the tome in my hands steadying me. "But I'm a quick learner."

I activated my first spell card: Dream Arts: "Forbidden Floods."

A surge of bullets swarmed down, covering the entire courtyard outside the shrine. Reimu had to back off, her orbs flying around her as she countered with her barrage of bullets. But I was already moving, walking straight through her attacks, weaving between the shots.

I clicked my fingers, activating another spell card: Dream Arts: "Forbidden Strike."

Lasers shot out, fast and sudden, leaving a trail of bullets in their wake. A few grazed Reimu, forcing her to retreat further.

But she wasn't done. Furious, Reimu went on the offensive, her yin-yang orbs spinning rapidly as they shot bullet after bullet at me. I could dodge, but unlike Marisa, I couldn't fly. I was at a disadvantage, and it showed—several of her shots hit me, knocking me back.

Reimu sneered, continuing her relentless barrage. "You know, the power you've always wanted, yet you use it to protect a weakling like her? What a waste!"

I batted away one of her bullets, snapping my fingers as I sent a wave of my own back at her. "This isn't something to be proud of, Reimu. Can't you see what it's doing to us? All it does is *take.* Takes and takes until there's nothing left. Is this really what you want? Is this how you want to be remembered?"

I pushed forward, trying to find some cover, my body aching from the hits I'd already taken. The gate to the shrine wasn't far. I managed to jump up, finding a spot to catch my breath.

"I didn't know you long, Reimu," I called out, breathing heavily. "I don't have the right to say much, but look at Marisa. She's not fighting against you—she's fighting *for* you. Isn't that enough to make you realize something's not right?"

Reimu hovered in the air, her eyes cold and unfeeling. She raised her arms, and the air around her seemed to ripple with an overwhelming power.

Last Word—Fantasy Heaven.

The sky above us darkened, paper charms materializing out of thin air, exploding into countless bullets that rained down on the shrine. There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. But I wasn't backing down.

I held my ground, raising my spell card: Dream Arts: "Perfect Night."

The entire world around us faded into darkness. Reimu's bullets vanished, swallowed by the void, and from that darkness, an unseen force struck her down, the impact of it bringing her to her knees.

It was over.

Reimu lay on the ground, clutching the book to her chest. I jumped down from the gate, barely able to stand, my body screaming in pain. With a sharp motion, I snatched the forbidden tome from her grasp. It was still warm with the corruption it held.

I opened the book, feeling the knowledge and power flow out of Reimu and back into the pages. My mind buzzed as I read, the twisted voice in my head screaming louder this time.

Your twisted dream will doom us all!

I slammed the book shut, silencing the voice. The melding between reality and the tome began to fade. The shrine, once corrupted and gold-plated, slowly returned to its original state. The twisted aura lifted, and the suffocating pressure disappeared.

Reimu stirred, opening her eyes slowly. She was battered, bruised, and worn down. Her once-proud robes were tattered, and the power that had once fueled her had vanished. She looked at me, then at Marisa, who was still unconscious on the ground.

Her eyes filled with tears. "Marcus... what did I do?"

I stood there, panting, bleeding, holding the two forbidden tomes in my hands. Marisa was knocked out, and I could barely stand. But somehow, I managed to look her in the eyes.

"You lost yourself, Reimu."