Sakuya leaned against the cold stone wall of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, arms crossed, head dipped forward as her eyelids grew heavier with each passing second. She snapped her eyes open, blinking away the drowsiness as she forced herself upright. The soft footsteps of Patchouli Knowledge approached, and though Sakuya caught the librarian's scent long before she arrived, she chose not to address it, pretending she hadn't been on the verge of sleep.

"Slacking on the job?" Patchouli teased lightly, her voice low and smooth. She glanced at Sakuya's posture.

Sakuya straightened herself, brushing a stray hair from her face. "I apologise, Lady Patchouli. Just… troubled. I don't mean to neglect my duties."

Patchouli gave a small smile, her gaze thoughtful. "Everyone is allowed to be tired, Sakuya. Even the perfect maid. Look at Meiling."

Sakuya sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Meiling doesn't take her job seriously enough to be tired."

"I suppose you're right," Patchouli said with a soft chuckle. She held something close to her chest. "But I didn't come here to scold. I brought a gift."

"A gift for the mistress?" Sakuya's sharp eyes locked onto the tome in Patchouli's hands. It exuded an aura that tugged at her, a gravity she couldn't explain. Her thoughts grew hazy as the book's pull strengthened. Something deep inside her stirred, something unpleasant.

"You're worthless."
"Not fast enough."
"Always lagging behind."
"You'll never be perfect."
"You're not enough."

The voices rang in her head, each accusation piercing through her like knives. They were her own words, her voice. The same thoughts that gnawed at her in the silence between tasks, in the rare moments she allowed herself to be still. It was unbearable, the constant feeling that she was always one step behind, no matter how hard she tried.

Sakuya clenched her fists, her mind wandering into the depths of her insecurities. There's always too much to do. It's too much to handle. Everything needs to be done right now. Her thoughts spiralled. If only... If only time could stop. If everything just stayed the same. She almost let herself drift further, but the lingering presence of Patchouli brought her back.

"I'll be happy to pass the book on to the mistress," Sakuya said with a smile, her tone more controlled now, though her mind still buzzed with unease.

Patchouli raised an eyebrow. "I was planning to deliver it myself. I've been meaning to have tea with Remilia. It's been a while."

Sakuya's eyes were drawn back to the tome. There was something about it—something she needed. "The mistress is asleep at the moment. Please allow me. I insist." Her voice held an odd urgency.

Patchouli frowned, confused. "It's just a book, Sakuya. It suddenly appeared in my library with no connection. Koakuma didn't recognise it. At first, I thought maybe Marisa accidentally left it when stealing another round of books. But regardless, I couldn't make sense of it; it's a language not known to me; perhaps Remilia might?"

"I'll take care of it," Sakuya said quickly, stepping forward. Her fingers twitched, eager to take the tome from Patchouli's hands. "Give it to me."

Patchouli hesitated, then sighed, handing it over. "Very well. I trust you know best."

As soon as the weight of the tome settled in Sakuya's hands, she felt its power sink into her like a parasite, twisting and burrowing its way into her very soul. She ran her fingers over the cover, lost in its dark allure.

This moment... this perfection... it should go on forever. Like a painting. No more decay. No more mortality.

Sakuya smiled to herself, her eyes closing as she savoured the thought. She opened the book.

And everything changed forever.

I was floating.

Or at least, it felt like I was. I wasn't moving, I wasn't falling—there was just... nothing: no sound, no light, no sense of time. The void around me was endless, like all of time had just packed up and left. I tried calling out. "Flandre!" I shouted—or at least, I thought I did. "Marisa!" But my voice… it didn't leave my mouth. There was no sound, not even an echo. Just silence. An oppressive, endless silence. I was trapped. There was no way out.

Just the void. Nothing but the void.

Yet even in that emptiness, a voice crept into my mind. Small, soft, coaxing. It whispered sweet little lies as if trying to lull me into submission.

"This isn't so bad..."
"This is quite pleasant, actually."
"Why worry about anything anymore?"
"Close your eyes."
"Just close your eyes..."

I felt myself slipping. My body, my mind—they were giving in, drifting deeper, sinking further into the timeless, weightless abyss. A smile tugged at my lips, unbidden. The voices... they convinced me. This is what I've always wanted.

Freedom.

At last.

But then, through that forced peace, something broke through. A crackle of a voice. Faint. Distant. Just a whisper, barely recognizable, but there.

"I'm here."

I tried to ignore it. No, this is better. I let the voice fade, sinking deeper into the dark. But it came again, louder, clearer.

"Don't let it take you!"

Marisa.

Her voice cut through the haze in my mind, yanking me back to the surface. My senses snapped awake, and I felt a warmth ahead of me—something real—a presence. I reached out, desperate, and something—someone—grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the void.

With a violent crash, I fell forward, landing on hard ground, my knees hitting the floor. Gasping, I opened my eyes. I was in a library. A familiar one. Shelves of books towering high, their spines etched with strange symbols. This place... had the same suffocating aura as Alexandria.

I barely had time to catch my breath before I felt my arms wrap around me. Marisa. She knelt beside me, hugging me tightly, her voice soft and shaky.

"I thought I lost you for a moment there..." she muttered into my shoulder.

I was dazed. My mind was all over the place, trying to make sense of it. What is this? What is she doing? I stared at her, confused. Is this... a hug? Why was she doing that?

"I was so worried," she continued, her voice barely a whisper. "When Sakuya dropped us into that negative space, I thought I was finished. I thought you were finished." She pulled back, holding both my cheeks, forcing me to look at her. Her eyes were wide, desperate. "Marcus, hey, look at me. Don't slip again. Stay with me."

"Marisa?" My voice was hoarse. "What's going on?"

"You lost to Sakuya." A crackling voice interrupted, cutting through the moment.

I turned my head and saw her—a small girl with short, light blue hair, red eyes, and a pink mob cap. She wore a light pink dress, her expression calm but sharp.

"Just like us," the girl continued, crouching beside Flandre, who was recovering on the floor.

I blinked, still trying to gather myself. "Where... where are we?"

"The library of my mansion," the girl said, standing up slowly. "My name is Remilia Scarlet. I've heard you've already had the pleasure of meeting my sister." Her voice carried an air of authority, but there was something else behind it. Curiosity? Concern? She glanced at Marisa. "I take it this is the friend you were talking about, human?"

"Yeah..." Marisa said, helping me to my feet. "This is Marcus. He knows about the book that took Sakuya's mind."

"What?" Patchouli, who had been standing nearby, suddenly stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "You know about the book?" Her voice was sharp, demanding.

Marisa let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. "There's no point hiding it now. Patchouli, everyone... we should probably tell you some... heavy stuff."

The air in the room grew tense. My head was still spinning, but one thing was clear—things were about to get a lot more complicated.

I felt like I was standing in the middle of a storm.

Remilia, Patchouli, and Marisa were locked in conversation, but my mind was spinning. I had to steady myself, leaning on Marisa for support as I tried to keep my breath steady. Flandre was awake but weak, curled up beside Remilia, recovering from her fight with Sakuya. And now... they were all waiting for me to explain everything.

I swallowed hard and began.

"I'm from the outside world," I started, my voice a bit shaky. "I was forced to protect the Forbidden Tomes in the Library of Alexandria. When I... when I was brought into this world, the books came with me." I glanced at each of them, watching their expressions shift as they tried to piece it all together. "That's why I'm tied to these tomes. As much as they are tied to me."

Remilia narrowed her eyes, clearly deep in thought. She folded her arms, tapping her finger against her elbow as if weighing every word. After what felt like an eternity, she opened her eyes, whispering to herself. "So, in other words, all of this is his fault."

Marisa's reaction was instant. She stepped forward, positioning herself between me and Remilia, her arms outstretched protectively. "It's not his fault! Marcus never meant for any of this to happen, Remilia! You can't just—"

"Calm down, Marisa," Patchouli said, though her voice lacked its usual monotone. She was rifling through several books, looking more uncertain than I'd ever seen her. "I... I can't confirm or deny any of this. I don't have the right references. But... Reimu was under the influence of a different book before, wasn't she? How did you two stop her?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "The books are tied to me as much as I am tied to them," I repeated, trying to make it clearer. "If I can get the book from Sakuya, take in its knowledge, it'll leave her and enter me. That's how we stopped Reimu. I can do it again."

"And we're just expected to believe you can handle these tomes?" Remilia's voice cut through, sharp and sceptical. "My best maid fell to it, yet you expect me to trust you? Forgive my intrusion, but I do not believe your intentions are pure. Nor will I just let you take up those books."

Marisa opened her mouth to argue, but I raised a hand, stopping her. I couldn't blame Remilia for her suspicion.

"I get why you wouldn't trust me," I said, my voice softer now. "You care deeply for Sakuya. You want revenge for what happened to your home, to her, and to your sister. And now... you're looking at me, searching for an excuse to pin this all on me. I won't deny it. You have every right to be angry. But Sakuya should take priority. Let me help save her. Then we can worry about everything else. Liberation, revenge... all of it."

A small voice whispered from the corner of the room. "He's not a bad person, sister," Flandre muttered, her body still trembling in pain. "He's here to help."

Remilia's gaze softened as she looked at her sister. She was silent for a moment, then turned back to me. "Very well," she said slowly. "I'll accept these terms."

Patchouli, who had been scanning through her books all this time, closed them with a soft thud. "There's only one problem," she said quietly. "We're all trapped in my library. I sent Koakuma out weeks ago to try and navigate it, but... she never came back."

"Wait, weeks?" I blinked in confusion. How long had we been here?

Marisa nodded, her voice low. "The library's never-ending. We're trapped in a bubble of time. Three seconds, looping endlessly."

Just like Alexandria... I thought, the realization hitting me hard. "All of this is the power of the tomes. But they cancel each other out. If I can focus on the two tomes we've secured, I believe I can get us out."

Remilia's eyes sharpened. "If you say so, I shall put my faith in you, human. Take the lead."

I felt Marisa's hand steadying me as I stood, taking a long, deep breath. This is it. I reached out into the air, feeling the weight of time pressing against me. Slowly, I swiped my hand across the invisible threads holding the moment together, forcing time to move forward.

The barrier fought back, pushing against me with immense force. My entire body trembled under the pressure, sweat pouring down my face. I bit down hard, feeling the blood trickle down my lip as I pushed harder, forcing the bubble to break.

Finally, with one last burst of effort, the barrier shattered. Time moved forward again. The endless loop was broken.

I hunched over, gasping for air, my body shaking. Marisa was right there beside me, her hand on my back, grounding me.

"We're through," I muttered, almost in disbelief. "We're through…"

Remilia's eyes were hard again, her focus now on the task at hand. "Now that the barrier is broken, we should move in and save Sakuya."

"Patchouli," she continued, turning to her. "I need you to stay here with Flandre. Keep her safe. And keep an eye out for Koakuma and Meiling. Something tells me we'll need all the help we can get."

Patchouli nodded as Remilia turned to Marisa and me. "Humans, I require your aid."

Marisa snorted, shaking her head as she stood. "Teaming up with a vampire. What has this day become?" She offered a wry smile before glancing at me. "But we won't let her win again. Let's save Sakuya."

I nodded, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. Sakuya… she didn't deserve to be consumed by this madness. I had to save her. I had to make things right.

And this time, I wouldn't fail.