Flandre lay on her bed, her legs kicking up and down as she hugged a worn teddy bear to her chest. The dim light of the candles flickered gently in her room, casting long shadows over the dozens of other stuffed animals scattered across the floor—some torn, others missing limbs. She was lost in her little world, humming softly, when the door burst open, and Meiling, the gatekeeper, stumbled inside, looking worn down and panicked.

"Meiling?" Flandre turned, blinking in surprise. It was rare for anyone to come into her room like this, especially in such a hurry. "What are you doing here?"

Meiling made eye contact with Flandre, her breathing ragged as she rushed over. She was clearly out of breath, her usual composure shattered. "Flandre... I've been ordered to get you out of here."

Flandre's grip on her teddy tightened. "Out?" she whispered, her voice almost childlike in its confusion. "Like, out of the basement?"

"Out of the Scarlet Devil Mansion," Meiling clarified, her voice low and urgent.

Flandre's eyes widened, and she sat up straight. "What? But... I've never left the mansion before! Why?! On whose orders?"

Meiling hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Your sister."

Flandre's world suddenly twisted. In a blink, everything in the room shifted. The walls morphed, the air thickened, and hundreds of ripped teddy bears lay scattered across the floor as if she were seeing every one of her outbursts at once. The room rippled and distorted, time itself seeming to shudder around them.

"Come on!" Meiling grabbed Flandre's hand, yanking her from the bed and pulling her out of the basement. They ran together through the twisting hallways, the walls and ceilings flickering between the familiar gothic elegance of the mansion and something else—a more modern, sleek, futuristic design that felt out of place. Flandre stumbled, her mind spinning, struggling to make sense of the rapid changes, but Meiling held her tightly, pulling her forward.

They reached the split in the hall where the grand staircase led up. Waiting there was Koakuma, Patchouli's assistant, her face tight with anxiety.

"Koakuma!" Meiling called out. "How bad is it?"

"We need to hurry. It's real bad up there," Koakuma replied, glancing nervously toward the upper floors.

"What about Patchouli? What's she doing?"

"Aiding Remilia with this... dilemma," Koakuma said, her voice uncertain. "But I don't think—"

"If my sister's in trouble, I should help her!" Flandre interrupted, her voice rising. She tried to pull away, but Meiling held firm.

"No!" Meiling gasped, keeping Flandre by her side. "Your sister gave me strict orders to get you to safety. We're going to make for the shrine. We might be able to get Reimu's help—"

But before she could finish, the world around them blinked again. Time fractured, and the mansion's walls twisted once more. The air grew thicker and more challenging to breathe. Flandre's head spun as the environment shifted back and forth, her sense of direction slipping away.

Koakuma, looking more weary than before, nodded. "Go, Meiling. I'll... keep the library safe."

With a firm nod, Meiling hauled Flandre up the staircase, faster now, pulling her along. Flandre wasn't resisting, but she wasn't helping either, her mind dazed by the constant shifting reality around them. The building rumbled, the floors shaking beneath their feet as it continued to warp and change.

"What's going on?!" Flandre yelped, her voice trembling. Everywhere she looked, the mansion's layout shifted—the floors, the walls, everything. It was as if time itself was crumbling.

"I told the Mistress that book wasn't right!" Meiling muttered through gritted teeth, half to herself. "It felt wrong... why didn't she listen?"

As they rounded another corner, the hallway changed yet again—this time into a war zone. The walls were pelted with dozens of knives, and the fairy maids lay on the ground, defeated. Meiling's face twisted with panic, her grip on Flandre tightening as they neared the source of explosions and chaos echoing from deeper within the mansion.

She knew they weren't going to make it out quickly.

Dodging a set of knives that appeared out of nowhere, Meiling heard the fighting getting closer. Her time was running out. With a determined look, she glanced down at Flandre, her voice strained but kind. "Flandre... listen to me. You need to get to Reimu. Find her and tell her to help us."

"But I don't know where the shrine is!" Flandre's eyes were wide with fear. "You can't leave me, Meiling!"

Meiling bit her lip, her frustration and desperation evident. "Okay, that's alright. If you can't find the shrine, then over the Misty Lake, there's the Forest of Magic. Marisa lives there in her shop. Find her. She'll help. She has to."

Flandre nodded, her fear palpable, but before she could protest any further, the mansion shifted once more, the walls crumbling around them. A window appeared suddenly, revealing the misty night outside. Without hesitation, Meiling threw Flandre toward it, blasting her with a flurry of bullets to propel her through before the mansion could change again.

Flandre tumbled through the air, blown clear of the building. As she hit the ground outside, the mansion loomed behind her, frozen in time. Above it, a massive clock had replaced the moon, ticking ominously as heavy mist swirled around the gates.

Flandre trembled, her mind reeling from the chaos. Meiling's last words echoed in her ears—find Marisa—and despite the fear gripping her, she forced herself to stand.

With one last glance at the mansion, now locked in some strange, timeless state, Flandre turned and ran, heading for the Forest of Magic.

Flandre rested peacefully in Marisa's bed, her breathing shallow but steady. I stood at the edge of the room, glancing between her and Marisa, who was sitting in a chair by the desk, idly stirring through her potions, clearly troubled. The tension in the air was thick, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was at play.

"Who is she?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Marisa stood up, rubbing the back of her neck. She walked over to one of her shelves, rifling through vials and ingredients, more to keep herself busy than anything. "She's one of the Vampire Scarlet Sisters," she said, her voice low and serious. "Her sister, Remilia, has caused problems for us—and Gensokyo—in the past. From creating that red mist to block out the sun so she could wander outside without worries to... other things." She trailed off, her fingers brushing over the edge of a potion bottle before she pulled back with a sigh. "Remilia's trouble."

I looked over at Flandre, still unconscious, her petite figure tucked under the blankets. Something was unsettling about seeing her like this—so vulnerable, yet knowing the kind of power she must have. "How often do they ask for your help?"

Marisa shook her head, frowning. "This is the first time. I've never seen Flandre outside of the mansion before. She's always kept in the basement. If she's here now... whatever's going on, it's bad."

I didn't like the sound of that. "Are you going to investigate?"

Marisa straightened up, her face hardening into determination. "Yeah, I'll go bash it head-on before it becomes a bigger problem—or before Reimu gets involved. Better to nip this in the bud before we've got another incident on our hands."

"Then I'm coming with you," I said, already stepping forward.

"No, no, you should stay here," Marisa replied, waving her hand dismissively. "Make sure Flan is okay. You're still not in any shape to be fighting out there."

"Marisa, I'm fine," I argued. "I can help."

Before the argument could heat up, Flandre stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She looked around, confused, her small hands gripping the sheets. I knelt beside her quickly, speaking softly. "Take it easy. Are you okay?"

She blinked up at me, still disoriented. "Where... am I?"

"You're at Marisa's place," I answered, giving her a reassuring smile. "You should feel honoured. Very few get to sleep in her bed."

Marisa smirked from the corner, arms crossed. "Yeah, brat, only the chosen few. Be grateful."

I shot her a look of annoyance before turning back to Flandre. "Can you tell us what happened?"

Flandre sat up slightly, looking at me with a puzzled expression. "Who are you?"

"My name's Marcus," I said, keeping my tone calm. "I'm a friend of Marisa's. You looked really scared back there. Can you tell us what happened?"

Flandre hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the blankets. "Something... something happened. The mansion was under attack."

"By who?" Marisa asked, stepping forward.

"I don't know..." Flandre's brow furrowed. "At first, I thought it might be you. You know, stealing more books."

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Marisa with a half-amused smirk. "Stealing books? You don't say."

Marisa huffed, crossing her arms. "Hey, I borrow books. There's a difference. They can have them back when I'm dead."

"Flattering argument," I muttered. "I'm sure that'll hold up in court. Anyway, Flandre, anything you can tell us about what started this?"

Flandre seemed to think for a moment, her gaze distant. "It started... a few days ago, I guess. I overheard some of the fairies saying Patchouli found a book she'd never seen before."

At her words, my heart stopped. My stomach sank as an icy chill ran through my veins. A book. Not just any book—my mind instantly connected the dots.

"What kind of book?" I asked, my voice sharp, harsher than I intended.

"I don't know—" Flandre started, but I cut her off, stepping closer, my hands trembling.

"What kind of book?!" I snapped, my vision blurring, my voice filled with urgency.

Flandre flinched, her eyes wide. "I don't know! Patchouli couldn't read it. It wasn't in a language she recognized. She was gifting it to Remilia."

I stepped back, my breath coming in ragged. A forbidden tome... The weight of those words crashed down on me. I could feel the air shift around us as my mind raced, the implications of what Flandre had said taking root.

Marisa glanced at me, her face troubled. "You don't think this is another one of those tomes, do you?"

I clenched my fists. "I can only imagine... If one of the tomes is involved, I'm not sitting this out. This is my responsibility."

Flandre, suddenly wide awake and determined, jumped out of bed. "I want to help too! I'll save my sister!"

Marisa groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Good grief, I've got my work cut out for me. I ain't babysitting you two, got it? But fine, we'll work together."

Before I could react, Flandre had already bolted for the door, her energy back in full swing.

"Wait—Flandre!" I called after her, but she was already halfway out the door.

Marisa sighed, muttering something about how she was going to regret this. I quickly followed her, my mind racing, knowing that whatever awaited us at the Scarlet Devil Mansion was far worse than anything we'd faced before.

We reached The Misty Lake, and my stomach churned the moment I saw it. The water was utterly still, unnaturally frozen in time. There wasn't even a ripple on the surface, and there were no signs of life. It was wrong—everything about it was bad.

"Is that... Cirno?" Marisa muttered, her grip on the broom tightening as I looked at her sitting on the back. She kept going concerned. "Looks like it, But this... this isn't right."

Cirno was down there, trying to flee, but she was trapped. Every time she took a few steps forward, she would flicker, her body snapping back to where she started like she was stuck in some sort of loop. Her face was twisted in frustration, her wings fluttering erratically as she tried over and over to break free.

I asked, squinting as we floated overhead on Marisa's broomstick.

The air around the mansion was thick with a strange mist, hazier than anything I'd seen before. It clung to the sky like a shroud, and as we got closer, I could feel the weight of it pressing down on us. Flandre was already flying ahead, ignoring everything, heading straight for the mansion like a bullet.

"Flandre, wait!" I called out, but she didn't even slow down.

"This isn't like last time with Reimu," I muttered, narrowing my eyes. "I don't like any of this."

Marisa's eyes were sharp, focused. "Yeah, I'm getting a bad feeling too... This feels worse."

As we drew closer to the mansion, the atmosphere seemed to shift. The mist grew denser, swirling unnaturally around us. I felt a sudden pressure in my chest like the air was being sucked out of my lungs. I gripped Marisa's waist tighter, my instincts screaming at me to turn back.

Then, without warning, something changed in the air. There was a split-second shift—a pulse—like time itself hiccupped, and before we could react, we were hit by a violent blast of energy.

The world around us exploded into chaos.

I barely had time to register what was happening before we were thrown from the broomstick, the force of the blast sending us spiralling through the sky.

To be Continued