[x] Carefully melt the lock away with fire.

I pulled out the crystal vial from my pocket and glanced at it. The vial gave off a subdued glow, and it was pitifully small. Yet the tiny tongue of flame within it still flickered with life. Wait a minute. How was that possible? Even if it was completely sealed, it didn't show any signs of dying out.

"A-Ah!" cried Meiling. "W-why do you have that vial!?"

"Stand back."

After removing the cap, I held the open vial above the prison door lock. Very slowly, a single drop of liquid flame fell onto it. Upon seeing this, Meiling quickly stepped back against the farthest corner of the cell. I quickly replaced the cap and stepped a good distance back. For some reason, I felt that something was -

"FWOOM!!!"

The prison bars were completely engulfed in a great wall of flame. I couldn't help but shield my face from the sudden blast of heat and light. Then, I heard a violent hissing sound, followed by cracking and popping. I wrinkled my nose as the smell of molten metal began to fill the room.

"Meiling! Are you alright in there?"

"Y-Yes! Don't worry! I'm still fine, I think."

I couldn't see her very well through this fire, but I was glad to hear that she was unhurt all the same. And as I began to worry about the fire spreading to the rest of the mansion, it began to die all on its own, leaving behind a huge hole through the prison cell bars. I waited for a bit for the smoke to clear and the molten metal to cool before calling out for Meiling. She easily stepped out of the cell shortly afterward.

"Sorry about that," I said. "The effect was far more powerful than I expected."

Meiling narrowed her eyes at the vial in my hand as she approached.

"That flame... and that crystal vial. Neither of those things should be in the hands of an ordinary human. How did you come across such a dangerous artifact?"

I glanced at the vial for a moment. It gave off a faint warm glow. Now that I thought about it, I couldn't remember where I found this thing. Didn't I just pick this up while shopping at the village? Or perhaps, Remilia or Patchouli gave it to me for safekeeping. Either way, I couldn't pinpoint when I obtained this item. But for some reason, this did not feel at all strange to me.

"Dangerous artifact? Isn't something like this commonplace in Gensokyo?"

"You just burned through those magically enforced prison bars, which even youkai can't break. And not just that. You managed to completely shatter the spiritual and conceptual seals that prevent the use of magic within these prison cells."

"Well, that is..."

I only intended to melt away the lock on the prison door. The more I thought about it, the more confused I began to feel. But this was not the time to think about it. There were more urgent things to worry about.

"That doesn't matter right now!" I cried. "Something horrible is happening in the library!"

I shook my head and held out my hand to her. Meiling hesitated for a moment. Then, I gave her a gentle smile.

"I need your help. I can't do this alone."

Very slowly, she took my hand. And together, we quickly made our way out the dungeon and back to the Voile library. However, when we arrived...

"H-Huh? Where is everyone?"

Meiling glanced at me, but I couldn't give her an answer. Besides our own voices and footsteps, the library was silent. The little camp that the mansion staff had built was completed deserted. Not a single fairy maid was in sight. There was no sign of any violent struggle. Everyone who was here just vanished without trace. I had the worst feeling.

"Patchouli..." I muttered.

What was I holding in my hand right now?
[ ] Nothing. My hands were free.
[ ] The rifle. It was still loaded.
[ ] The crystal vial. It glowed a bit.
[ ] Meiling's hand. It shaked nervously.