[x] Accompany Patchouli down to the lower library.

The magician paused before the staircase that led underground. Then, she turned around and offered me her hand. I took it without saying a word. Together, the two of us returned to the lowest level of the Voile library. This was the 'old library', as Patchouli called it. She led me back to her reading area.

"I shall continue searching. Please wait here for a bit."

"Wait here? Why don't I help you look, instead?"

"Can you read French? German? Latin? Egyptian? Aramaic?"

"Err... no, I don't believe I can."

"Then wait patiently. Your presence here is already more than enough to raise my spirits."

She said that without any hesitation. After giving me a very small smile, she left on her own, back toward the bookshelves. I watched her until she disappeared from sight. Then, I yawned. At a glance, I could tell that most of the books around this place were written in various foreign or ancient languages. But there wasn't any harm in looking around a little bit, was there?

"Ah! How about this one?"

I pulled out a thick book from the shelf. Upon the cover was a picture of a warrior wielding a great spear against a monstrously large wolf beast. But more importantly, the title was in a language I could understand.

"Fenrir and Odin," I read aloud.

With this book in hand, I headed back to my seat. And I began to read. The tale was surprisingly vivid in its description, and soon I found myself engrossed in it. Several minutes passed. And when I finally pulled myself away from the book, I realized that Patchouli had already returned. The magician was at her seat, examining a thick volume.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked without looking up.

"Sorry about that. I guess I got too caught up in this story. Did you discover anything new?"

She gave me a small nod.

"Your arrival here was no accident. That much is clear now. You were definitely the catalyst for these tragic events."

"My arrival? Catalyst? What are you talking about?"

Patchouli sighed and looked straight at me. But before, she could say anything else, a deep rumbling noise filled the old library. We both became very much aware that we were no longer alone down here. The magician immediately closed the book in her hands and stood up. Without another word, she walked up to me and grabbed me in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry..."

"P-Patchouli!?"

I don't remember how long we stood like that. The calm and cool magician of the Voile Library had suddenly threw herself against me. My mind couldn't even begin to process her bizarre behavior. I was still dazed when she finally pulled herself away.

"Stand over there," she said. "Quickly!"

She seemed to be pointing behind a nearby bookshelf.

"Huh? Over here? What's going on?"

Despite that, I walked over behind the bookshelf as I was told. Then, I saw the magician pull out a smoky green orb from her dress. And it was only then that I realized that the girl's eyes were damp.

"You must survive this," she whispered. "For everyone's sake."

"H-hey! Wait a sec -"

"I leave it all up to you, now..."

Before I could say anything, Patchouli threw the orb and shattered it on the ground before me. A strange green mist engulfed my surroundings. I coughed as I tried to wave it away from me. And when the smoke cleared, I found myself standing back in my room. Alone.

"Damn it, Patchouli!"

I took a glance at my watch. It was almost 3:00 PM.
[ ] Return to the Voile library.
[ ] Head down to the dungeon.
[ ] Try entering Remilia's room.