I sat there between them, Reimu and Marisa, trembling. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, and the blood was still trickling down my face, staining my fingers as I wiped it away for what felt like the hundredth time. The two forbidden tomes lay on the floor beside me, quiet now, but I could still feel them. They didn't need to speak. Their pull was constant, whispering to my every nerve, trying to claim me like they had Reimu.

I glanced over at Marisa. She was unconscious but breathing steadily. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. She had fought so hard, all for Reimu, and now she lay there, vulnerable. Reimu, on the other hand, was conscious but barely. She sat hunched over, tugging at the edges of her torn robes, her fingers twitching as she whispered, "I'm sorry..."

Her voice was weak, her eyes distant, as if still trapped in the thrall of the tome. I let out a long, exhausted breath, fighting the wave of nausea that threatened to overcome me. Part of me wanted to lash out, to say something—anything—but I couldn't.

"It wasn't your fault," I said softly, my voice hoarse.

"But—" Reimu's voice cracked, and I cut her off.

"It wasn't your fault." I glanced at the two tomes beside me again, their weight pressing down on me. "Anyone would've gone through the same thing. These books... they take everything. Your wants, your needs—the ones you don't even know you have—and they twist them. Before you know it, you're caught in their web."

Reimu shifted uncomfortably, her head lowering. "I'm the Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine. It's my duty to protect Gensokyo... to put everyone else above myself. But I couldn't..."

I shook my head. "There's nothing wrong with putting others first, Reimu. Athena, she was like that. She made sure everyone else's well-being came before her own... until it destroyed her. She gave everything, and in the end, all it did was tear her apart."

Reimu blinked slowly, her gaze clouded with fatigue and confusion. "Who... who was Athena?"

A faint smile tugged at my lips, though it didn't reach my eyes. "She was the closest thing I had to a mother. Always there, always caring. Never cried, no matter what." I let out a soft laugh, the weight of the memories almost too much. "Ring a bell?"

Reimu's expression darkened with guilt. She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off again. "I forgive you. That's what you wanted to hear, right? I forgive you, Reimu. And I'm sure Marisa won't hold this against you either. But you need to start caring about yourself—not just everyone else."

Reimu hesitated, her eyes shifting to Marisa. "Is she... going to be alright?"

I nodded, a small, tired smile breaking through. "Yeah, she will be. She's tough. I can just tell."

Reimu's lip twitched in the faintest hint of a smile. "You've actually read her spell books? That's impressive. I can't even get through one without losing track—no matter how much she begs me."

I chuckled lightly. "They're... well-written, if not a little chaotic. But still, interesting."

For a brief moment, there was a flicker of normalcy between us—like things weren't completely broken. But that moment quickly passed as Reimu glanced at me again, her eyes focusing on the blood smeared across my face and the trembling in my hands. "You know," she said softly, almost to herself, "you're kind of a hypocrite. Telling me to care about myself while you're standing there bleeding and barely able to stand."

I ran my fingers over the gash on my head, wincing at the sting. She wasn't wrong. But what could I do? I couldn't just sit down and rest like Marisa. I had to look after them. If not me, then who?

Reimu tried to shift, to move toward me, but her body betrayed her. She was too weak, too exhausted. I forced a laugh, trying to shake off the pain. "I just need to make sure Marisa's alright," I muttered, my voice slurring slightly.

"Marcus..." Reimu's voice was strained.

"I'll make some tea. For when she wakes up," I said, struggling to my feet. My vision swam, the world tilting violently as I tried to steady myself. But I smiled through it. "I've got this... I-I've got it."

I took a few shaky steps toward the kitchen, every movement sending a wave of dizziness crashing through me. The room spun the floor beneath me, feeling like it was shifting with every step.

"Marcus..." Reimu's voice echoed again, but I ignored her.

I had to keep going. I had to do something for them.

I didn't even make it halfway before my body gave out. The last thing I felt was the cold, hard impact of the wooden floor as my vision darkened, blood dripping onto the floorboards.

Everything went black.

I opened my eyes slowly, the world coming into focus through a haze of dull pain. My head throbbed, and the warmth of a futon beneath me told me I wasn't where I had collapsed. Bandages wrapped around my head and hands, their tightness a constant reminder of how much I had overdone it.

The first thing I saw was Marisa kneeling beside me, her face a mix of relief and irritation. She forced a smile as soon as she noticed me stirring. "Hey, stupid. You gave Reimu quite a scare there. How're you feeling?"

"Marisa..." I muttered, my voice hoarse. "You're awake... That's good. You look better."

She scowled, taking off her hat and squeezing it in frustration. "Can't say the same about you, idiot. What were you thinking? You could've seriously hurt yourself pushing yourself that far. For what? I was fine."

"I couldn't be sure."

"I am fine."

"I couldn't be sure," I repeated, the words barely leaving my lips.

Marisa sighed, shaking her head. "You're a right idiot, you know that? Like you're giving Cirno a run for her money." Her voice cracked a little, and she huffed, trying to hold herself together. "I mean, not only do you push yourself to read that damn cursed book, but you do it twice, let yourself get beaten to a pulp, and then nearly die trying to take care of me."

She sniffed and, without warning, started smacking me with her hat, muttering "idiot" over and over again. "What part of run did you not understand?!" Her hits weren't painful, but they left me dizzy. I could barely respond, just staring at her as she vented her frustration.

"God, you had me so damn worried. Don't do that again," she said, her voice breaking as she finally stopped hitting me, tears welling in her eyes.

I didn't know what to say. It wasn't like I could've just left her behind. Before I could come up with a response, Reimu walked in, carrying a tray with cups. Her smug expression was impossible to miss.

"Rare to see someone make Marisa cry," Reimu said, smirking. "You should feel honoured."

"It's not that, Reimu!" Marisa shot back, flustered, hiding her face behind her hat. "I just... hate the idea of people getting hurt for me. If Marcus... well, if something had happened to him, it would've been on me for not protecting him. And now I owe him one. You know I hate owing people."

Reimu chuckled, her expression softening. "Some things never change."

Marisa huffed, forcing her hat back onto her head, arms crossed as she tried to look composed. Reimu handed her a cup and then passed one to me. I eyed it warily, expecting tea again, but Reimu quickly caught on.

"Don't worry," she said, amused. "I made you hot cocoa. Figured it'd be more to your... kiddy taste."

I was too tired to argue, but the warmth of the cup felt good in my hands. Marisa helped sit me up, her hands surprisingly gentle despite her earlier frustration. I took a sip of the cocoa, and immediately, the sweet, rich taste washed away the bitterness I had been expecting. "This is so much better than tea," I mumbled, taking another sip.

Reimu rolled her eyes, amused. "I thought you'd think so. But don't get used to it. I can't afford to keep you stocked up on cocoa. That stuff's expensive."

A brief, awkward silence fell over the room, the weight of everything that had happened hanging in the air. Marisa finished helping me drink, kneeling next to me, her gaze avoiding Reimu's.

Reimu, sensing the unease, set her cup down and looked at Marisa. "Marisa... can you come here for a moment?"

Marisa hesitated, glancing at me before standing up with a sigh. She walked over to Reimu but refused to make eye contact, her arms crossed defensively. Reimu stepped forward and, without warning, pulled Marisa into a hug.

"I'm sorry," Reimu whispered, her voice thick with guilt.

Marisa blinked, clearly taken off guard. She stood there for a moment before sighing again, her head resting on Reimu's shoulder. "You dolt... No hard feelings."

I watched them from the futon, a small smile tugging at my lips. The scene felt oddly familiar. My mind flashed back to something I had read in that stupid book, *Dating for Dummies, a page about the importance of hugs. Maybe I had jumped to conclusions too quickly.

Marisa, catching me smiling like an idiot, scoffed. "What're you grinning about?"

I shrugged, trying to suppress my amusement. "Nothing. Just nice to see you two making up."

We had managed to recover another forbidden tome, and despite everything, it felt like we were more vital for it—eight more tomes to go. The weight of that thought pressed down on me, but before I could say anything, Marisa spoke up.

"For now, we rest," she said, looking down at me. "We've got time before we need to go hunting again. Might as well enjoy the little moments while we can."

"For once, I think I agree with you," I replied, exhaling slowly as I let the tension drain from my body. "Just taking a moment to let everything pass by..."

Marisa snorted. "You'd let everything pass you by if I didn't drag your lazy ass out of the shrine."

The two girls laughed as I lay there, still feeling the warmth of the futon beneath me; the sound of their laughter filled the room, giving me a sense of comfort I hadn't felt in what seemed like ages. The pain in my body lingered, but somehow, it felt less intense with them around, their presence acting like a balm to the wounds I couldn't bandage.

Marisa, still standing with her arms crossed, glanced down at me, her sharp eyes softening. "You better rest up, Marcus. You're no good to us if you're flat on your back all the time. I'm not going to drag you around every time."

"You do realize you're the one who usually drags me into trouble, right?" I managed to say, my voice is a bit raspy but amused.

She rolled her eyes. "Details. Either way, you owe me for this one."

"I owe you?" I couldn't help but chuckle. "What happened to you owing me? You were the one unconscious while I—"

Marisa bent down, jabbing a finger lightly into my forehead, just above where the bandage was tied. "Don't finish that sentence. You're still an idiot for not running when I told you to." Her voice softened again. "But... thanks. For what you did."

There was a silence after that, not awkward but quiet like we were all catching our breath. Reimu set down the tray and sat near the window, the soft sunlight filtering through the paper panels, casting gentle shadows across the wooden floor. She looked exhausted, too, her usual stoic composure cracked by the events of the day. The forbidden tome, now in my possession, sat on the floor between us. Its presence felt heavy, like a dark cloud that none of us could ignore, but for now, no one brought it up.

"You said there are eight more, right?" Reimu finally spoke, her voice quiet but firm. "These tomes... they're dangerous, but we have to deal with them. One way or another."

I nodded, wincing slightly at the pain the movement caused. "Yeah. Eight more. Each one is more dangerous than the last. They twist reality, warp our desires, and feed off our weaknesses. But we don't have a choice. We have to collect them before anyone else gets hurt."

Marisa's hand gripped her hat tightly again, her knuckles white. "Then we need to be more careful. We can't just rush in like before. If this happens again..."

"I know," I said, cutting her off. "We'll be smarter about it next time. But we have to do it, Marisa. We can't let these things stay out there."

Reimu leaned back against the wall, eyes half-lidded, as if she was trying to focus but too worn down to keep up the façade. "We can rest for a while, but not too long. The longer we wait, the more dangerous it becomes. These tomes... they're not going to wait for us."

Marisa, ever the stubborn one, threw her hands behind her head and flopped down onto the floor next to me, staring up at the ceiling. "I hate to admit it, but you're right, Reimu. Rest now, fight later."

For a moment, we all just lay there, the three of us caught in a fragile peace. The sunlight felt warmer than it should have, and the smell of tea—well, cocoa, in my case—still lingered in the air. The momentary lull in action allowed my thoughts to wander back to everything that had happened. I thought about the forbidden tomes, the weight of the knowledge I'd absorbed, and the cryptic voice that had echoed in my head when I closed each book.

Your twisted dream will doom us all.

The words haunted me, gnawing at the edges of my mind. I glanced over at the two girls, Marisa lost in her thoughts and Reimu staring out the window. They were strong, both of them, and I couldn't help but admire their resilience. But I also knew that what we were up against was unlike anything we'd faced before.

"So," I said, breaking the silence. "Any plans after we rest?"

Marisa snorted, her grin returning as she rolled over to look at me. "Yeah, I plan to kick your ass in the next spell card duel. After all, someone has to remind you that just because you've got some fancy forbidden magic doesn't mean you can beat me."

Reimu smiled slightly, her eyes still fixed on the horizon outside. "I'll have to see that. Maybe I'll join in, too. Just to keep things fair."

I couldn't help but smile despite everything. These two—they were relentless. But that was why I trusted them. No matter how bad things got, they wouldn't give up. Neither could I. Closing my eyes, I let their voices wash over me. A strange warmth filled me, something I hadn't felt in a long time. I whispered to myself, so quietly that no one could hear, "So this is what it feels like... to have friends."