[x] Meiling's hand. It shook nervously.

I led the way forward as I held her hand. Together, we slowly flew above the bookshelves and searched. A tray of tea and cookies left beside a neat pile of books. A half-empty picnic basket lying upon a blanket on the floor. A lace handkerchief dropped carelessly on a desk. There were many signs that there were people in this place not long ago. Yet, there was no sign that any of them were still here. It almost felt like we had entered a different world, one where the Voile library was completely empty of life. The only source of sound was the endlessly pounding rain from the outside. And that only made me feel more uneasy.

"Let's quickly check the lower floors," I said.

"A-Alright, but could you wait a second? Please don't pull me so roughly..."

"Pull you? What are you talking about..?"

We stared at each other for several seconds. I could tell that Meiling had noticed something. But I still didn't understand. Not until she finally spoke.

"Forgive me for asking, but how are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Leading the way, I mean."

"Eh? What do you... wait... huh!?"

As an ordinary human, I had no capability to fly on my own. So naturally, I had to borrow some of Meiling's power and synchronize so that we could fly together. But even so, it shouldn't be possible for me to control the direction and speed of our flight. My eyes widened as I realized this. And in my surprise, I lost focus and let go of her hand. In that instant, I felt the effect of gravity return and I began to plummet down to the ground. She grabbed me before I fell.

"W-woah! How the heck!?"

The moment her hand touched mine, I stopped falling. She giggled a bit and shook her head.

"Let's just call that a fluke, for now. Do you mind if I lead the way this time?"

"Err... yeah. That might be a good idea.. ha ha ha."

Thankfully, Meiling did not ask me any further. Even if she did, I wouldn't know how to explain it. She probably sensed that and quickly dropped the subject. Well, it probably didn't matter. All I knew was that if I held her hand, I could fly.

"To the lower library, then."

We slowly made our way down. The sound of the wind and rain faded away as we went deeper underground. And in its place was an ominous silence. We could hear nothing but our own breathing. The place was clearly illuminated by the lower library lights. We had no trouble finding our way. But the air felt unusually heavy and stale. Even without words, we knew that something was wrong.

Meiling's hand began to shiver again. I swallowed nervously. We were almost at the lowest floor now. And as we approached the bottom, a disturbing sight came into view. The once neatly arranged bookcases of the library were in disarray. The lucky few were only tipped over, with their contents scattered all over the floor. Most looked like they had been tossed around the room like old toys, and their wooden frames were cracked or shattered. Some even look like they had been burned or ripped apart with sharp tools. Old memoirs and tomes were brutally torn to pieces, their loose pages scattered all about. The place almost seemed like a...

"Battlefield," whispered Meiling.

She tightened her grip on my hand as we surveyed the area. The old library was in complete ruin. And as we searched, I silently prayed that we wouldn't find anything. And I was right. We didn't find any 'thing' in particular. What we did find was much worse.

"Damn it, Patchouli!"

We had found the magician at the very rear of the library. A strangely shaped metal wand was driven straight through her chest, impaling her to the floor. Her head was tilted forward, so I couldn't see her face. One of her hands somehow remained on the wand, as if she had tried to pull it out. And her other hand was closed into a tight fist. Blood stained the floor around her. It gave the impression that she had died fighting.

"T-That's not all. Look!"

At the sound of Meiling's voice, I turned around.

"What the..."

Just a short distance away stood a single little tree. It had no leaves at all - just sharp, twisting branches. And upon the very top lay the body of a small girl. The growing tip of the tree had pierced ruthlessly through her belly. Even from here, I could see a short string of intestines hang out from the opening. The arms and legs were in awkward positions. Then, I saw it. An unmistakable pair of gem-filled wings jutted out from her back.

We had found Flandre, as well.
[ ] Examine Flandre first.
[ ] Examine Patchouli first.