Inside the library, books were stacked on the tables like small mountains. Some were half open, some were sliding toward the edge, and others were piled so high that only the top covers were visible. Rin, Akari and Shion had already turned half the section upside down. Dust filled the air every time one of them pulled out a heavy books and scrolls, and the scent of old pages hung thick around them.
Rin shut another book with a dull thud and let it drop onto the pile she had created.
"Okay, this is totally useless. Not a single book about history, ancient rituals or anything about a dark stone."
Akari did not even glance up. She was leaning forward with her chin almost touching the pages of the book she had found earlier, something titled Aftermath Breakup. It looked nothing like the books they were supposed to be reading, yet she treated it like it contained the secrets of the universe.
"If you want to talk about history, your fiancee is history herself. You can ask her," she muttered without emotion.
Rin clicked her tongue and stretched her back. Sitting for hours on a stiff wooden chair was beginning to feel like torture.
"Do I look like I have a fiancee? My fiancee has been MIA for weeks now. God knows what she has been up to, and I do not care."
Her voice wavered slightly at the end. Even she heard it. The words sounded flat, like they had not fully settled in her chest. A piece of her still reached out for Selene in ways she could not admit.
Shion's head rose from behind a stack of books. Her soft hair was scattered and messy from hours of searching.
"Really? You do not care anything... about Selene anymore?"
Rin groaned, grabbed another large volume, and flipped through it with barely a glance at the contents.
"I do care. She is my fiancee. But I also do not care. I don't understand why she is suddenly playing hard to get after turning my life upside down. One minute she is everywhere, the next she is gone, like we are in some long distance relationship"
Shion closed the book she had been pretending to read.
"What way are you talking about? Is Selene not attractive enough to fall in love with? Or is she annoying enough to fall in hate with?"
Akari looked up at her sister with a small frown. There was something off about the tone, something too sharp, and curious. Shion was not usually this invested in anyone's love life and plus anything that has to do with Selene.
Rin stared at Shion for a long moment. She could not even form a proper answer.
"Can we stop talking about Selene? We should focus on curing you. Who knows what Rei will do next. After what she pulled at the Lord Hall, something tells me that was only the beginning. Rei is not going to rest until she kills you and the butterfly."
Akari flipped a page, but her hands trembled slightly.
"I did say that. Rei never lets things go quietly."
For a moment, the library felt too still. Then Shion let out a laugh that sounded more playful. It echoed softly between the bookshelves, too confident and too old to be Shion's voice.
"Rei Akarawa cannot kill me. I am a queen. Undefeated. Even if she kills this vessel, I will still be alive and..."
She trailed off. Rin and Akari were staring at her like she had grown a second head. Their silence pressed in around her.
Shion blinked slowly, almost puzzled.
"Why are you two looking at me like I am a artifact?"
Rin felt her heart drop. The air around Shion had changed. Even her posture felt different, she knew right away.
"You are not Shion. Are you?" Rin whispered.
The girl's expression slowly shifted into something unfamiliar. Her lips curled into a slow, wicked grin.
"How long does it take you to notice Rin Kisaragi?"
It was the butterfly.
Rin shot up from her chair on instinct. Akari moved too, but the butterfly reached out and tapped Akari's arm with two fingers.
"Sit down."
Akari's body froze. Her legs bent without hesitation, and she dropped back into the chair. Her eyes widened in panic as she realized she could not fight it.
The butterfly then looked at Rin. Her tone was calm, almost polite.
"My power doesn't work on you. But if you refuse to sit, everyone in this library will drown in their own blood."
A cold aura seeped out of Shion's body like a slow winter breeze. It slithered across the floorboards and crawled up Rin's legs, sending a chill down her spine. She did not want to test the threat.
"What do you want?" Rin asked. Her voice was steady, but her hands shook.
"I do not know," the butterfly said. Her tone was playful, like a child choosing between desserts. "You have all been trying so hard to eliminate me without any efforts. It is boring. I want something fun."
Akari clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned pale.
"Let my sister go. Do not do this to her..."
"Stop talking," the butterfly said. "I am speaking to Rin Kisaragi. You will sit and watch."
Rin's eyes narrowed.
"So your ability is controlling people. How does that make us alike?"
The butterfly chuckled softly.
"Very fast. How intelligent. Since you have questions, I will answer them. But first, I want to do something Shion Hoshino failed to do for weeks. It's annoying me.."
She leaned close, so close Rin could feel her breath on her cheek. Her smile stretched wider than before.
"Rin Kisaragi. Go out on a date with Shion Hoshino. End the date with a kiss. If you refuse, everyone around you will suffer and die. What do you say?"
"You cannot tell me who to go..."
"Yes or no?" The butterfly's voice cracked through the library like thunder. Conversations stopped. Paper rustled in the distance. Everyone nearby turned their heads, their bodies stiff and locked in place.
"If you say no, I will make Akari drown every single person in this room. And you will watch her die too. If you doubt me..."
Her eyes shifted to Akari.
"Stand up. Summon a water dummy. Kill that one right there."
Akari's face twisted in horror. Her hands shook violently, but her body obeyed the command. Water gathered beside her, swirling into a humanoid shape. She tried to pull her hands away, tried to stop the technique, but her fingers moved like puppets.
The dummy lunged forward. A helpless maiden barely had time to scream before it struck. The body fell with a dull, heavy sound. Akari gasped, choking on her breath. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at her own hands like they were someone else's.
Cries exploded through the library. People tried to run, but an invisible force rooted their feet to the floor. Some struggled. Some begged. Some simply shook in terror.
"If I do not hear a yes, they will all kill themselves," the butterfly said calmly.
Rin's throat tightened so hard it hurt. Her heart hammered in her chest.
"Yes," she whispered.
The butterfly closed her eyes, satisfied.
Like a switch being flipped, the pressure vanished. Bodies unlocked. Gasps and shouts filled the air as everyone scrambled to escape. The water dummy dissolved at Akari's feet, soaking the floorboards.
Akari dropped to her knees beside the person she had killed. Her hands hovered over the still body, trembling so hard she could barely breathe.
Shion blinked slowly as consciousness returned to her eyes. Confusion replaced the sharpness that had been there moments ago. She looked around at the destroyed library, acting unaware of the nightmare she had just caused.