Time is running out, the both of them couldn't afford to waste any time. Knowing that, the man gulped down his fears and gave the girl a calm stare, trying his best to reassure her too. Now was not the time to fall into panic, not when the end is near.

Y/N: We should hurry before something bad happens.

Koishi: Something bad?

Confused, she watched the blurry figure in front of her eyes. Of course, unaware of the impending doom coming their way, she was left with only questions that the librarian couldn't answer. Keeping his silence, he reached for the materials that they gathered together before facing her once more.

Y/N: Don't worry, we'll finish this.

He mumbled to himself and walked behind a bookshelf. After a minute completely lacking of sounds, he returned to his original spot, wearing the black and red outfit that he wore when he left the library to go visit the shrine at the top of the mountain. Just like before, the sheathed sword was by his side and ready to be used.

Koishi: You changed back.

Y/N: Come on, we have to start the ritual.

Koishi: Ritual...

Whispering to herself, she observed the man with wide eyes. He ignored her and gathered everything necessary for their task, now set on the idea of completing the mission that he once thought to be a delusion, a wishful idea. However, luck smiled for the duo by granting them what they needed.

Y/N's mind: About time...

Finally... he would finally be able to close his eyes and rest with a smile, knowing that he did a good deed by granting the unlucky ones a second chance at life. The thought of them living a better life than his brought a feeble smile to his face, an end to his struggle. His torturous path to redemption has stopped, now at the final point.

The point of no return.

Koishi: Do you think your friends will fear me?

She asked that question out of the blue, making the lone survivor turn in her direction. Expecting a simple smile, he was instead greeted by a fearful stare, just like the topic of her question. To reassure her, he gave her a smile that she would never be able to see again in the current situation.

Y/N: Of course they won't, you're the one who helped me after all, they'll understand.

Reaching for her, he placed one his hands on top of her hat, hoping that it would be enough for her to perish that thought. The one receiving the treatment peeked once more at the face that she couldn't see clearly anymore, feeling an aura of kindness surrounding him. Without being able to see, she could tell that he was smiling.

Koishi: R-Right!

Feeling a little embarrassed for asking a stupid question like that, she averted her eyes from the man. Not prying further into that sudden change, Y/N moved his hand away, thinking that it was his fault that she looked away.

'Time's running out, your death is approaching.'

Y/N: ...

He couldn't say anything back to her and so he didn't try, turning around to continue their walk, attempting to reach an appropriate location to begin the spell. After all, cheating death was not something anyone could do so an advantageous place would be preferable. That spot ended up being the entrance used to confront the intruders attempting to break in.

...And soon, some will come if they do not hurry.

Koishi: What should we do?

Y/N: Give me a moment.

He clapped his hands and extended one of his arms in the direction of the library, requesting a book to be brought to him. Following his orders, the book requested flew through the air and perfectly landed into his palm, like a bird attracted to food.

Y/N: Let's see... we'll need a circle.

Koishi: A circle?

He nodded back to her bewilderment. Of course, not any circle or else it would be too easy. The pattern was illustrated inside the page and with rather complex symbols, a complete pain in the ass to copy. Of course, that didn't discourage the one reading through the book, too far at this point to give up.

Y/N: Luckily, we won't have to deal about that.

Koishi: Why?

To answer her question, he pointed down at the wooden floor and just as he said, the circle was already carved into it. In addition, it seemed like it has been there for quite some time, seeing as the mark weren't recent.

Koishi: This is the first time I see this...

Y/N: I did that a long time ago, when I found out about a way to resurrect people back to life. Couldn't tell you when though, hard to so without a way to tell time.

With the notion of time being as vague as hunger in this place, he could have made that circle a hundred years ago and he wouldn't know. In the end, it doesn't really matter for them, it just made the process a lot more easier.

Koishi: Why do we need a circle though?

Y/N: Don't ask me, I'm not the one who made the rules.

Shrugging as well, he focused back his attention on the plan and calmly placed the wood that he collected in his quest on top of the circle, placing them in a very precise position. Once done, he stepped away and judged the placement of each pieces with meticulous care, not wishing to mess up the ritual by not doing everything properly.

...After all, he won't be able to redo it if something goes wrong.

Koishi: What should I do with those?

She asked the librarian while holding the minerals in her arms. A good majority of them looked like quartz while some had the color of iron, not like it changed much in the end. Y/N looked at what she was talking about and averted his eyes back to the book.

Y/N: Place them at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 hours around the outer circle, the rest while be placed inside with the wood.

Koishi: ...?

Tilting her head to the side, his instruction flew in and out of her ears. Standing still, she observed the man continuing his inspection until he noticed that she wasn't doing anything. A little confused, he asked her if something was wrong, to which she responded with:

Koishi: Hours? What does the time have to do with this?

Y/N: ...

Silently taking in what she said, he heaved a deep breath before rolling his eyes. Of course, he knew that she wasn't the brightest one due to her condition but it still made him sigh. Extending a hand, he demanded one of the ores and she gladly gave it to him.

Y/N: When one talks about hours like that, they don't mean the time but more about position.

Koishi: Hm... how?

Y/N: Well, 12 hours in in front of you while 6 is behind you for example. If you consider yourself as a clock, every direction is an hour.

Koishi: Ohhh... I still don't get it.

Y/N: Nevermind, I'll do it. You just hold that torch while I do it.

Placing the book inside his suit, he gave her the reward collected from the previous guest while she gave him the minerals. Silently finishing the exchange, the librarian returned to his duties and kneeled beside the circle.

'Coward until the end, that fits you.'

Y/N: ...

While placing the crystals and ores around the ritual area, many thoughts arrived in his head. He decided to proceed with the ritual but still couldn't get rid of the fears haunting his mind. He wanted to have more time, he wished to have more time to think about his decision...

Now that the ritual has begun, he couldn't go back, he needed to go all the way to the end.

Y/N: See? When you place yourself in the angle, the hours will tell you where to correctly place each of them.

Although it was useless to teach something like that, he still went through the trouble of explaining her what she couldn't understand. Curious, she followed his advice and placed herself where he was, imagining a clock around her.

Koishi: Woah, you're right!

Where each numbers should be, an anchor was placed down around the circle. Making sure that his eyes didn't accidentally look at the fire that the youkai was holding, he placed near the wood the rest that wasn't used. Gently putting everything in place, he moved a hand across his forehead, taking care of a few sweats going down his face.

The time is near.

Y/N: Now that this is done, let's see the next step.

His hands free, he reached for the book yet again and flipped through the pages. While he was doing so, the satori was watching the result of their efforts so far. The wood was neatly placed in the middle and surrounded by minerals, almost like a camp fire. Still holding onto the inferno of madness, her thoughts wandered off to a silly idea.

...Her sitting in front of a camp fire, just observing its flames with no real intention. Under a night sky, with nothing to worry about, just looking at the warm source of light.

Chasing that away for now, she focused back on her job and took a glimpse of the man's face. Still absorbed by the book, he didn't notice her shift of attention, which made her view retreat. The library was oddly silent, an eerie wind flying through its many corridors made of books. A true maze filled to the brink with possible knowledge but unknown by many.

Koishi: Mister Y/N?

Y/N: ?

Peeking above his small cover, his eyes could only see the back of the girl who wanted to ask him something. Keeping his voice silent, he allowed her to continue. There was a single meter separating them but it felt much longer than it should... both of them separating.

Koishi: Once we're done...

She turned around and showed him a wide smile along with raised arms, still covered by the long sleeves of her outfit. Reacting faster than her words, his eyes widened slightly and a cold draft went past his shoulders.

Koishi: We should have a camp fire together, that sounds like fun!

On the surface, that idea seemed pretty innocent, even adorable for some but something that seems so simple always hide a layer. In fact, just saying something like this was a death flag, bringing misery for both parties.

Y/N: ...

His body stiffened and his eyes lost their already low vitality, like a machine after being unplugged. Standing still, he solemnly responded to her request with blank eyes, falling down into an abyss of sorrow. Silence greeted her proposition, almost shunning that possibility. The youkai saw that reaction and her smile dropped.

'This isn't happiness, nobody can smile with you there.'

Y/N: ...

The ritual needed to be completed, that was the final step towards true bliss for all who had to suffer because of this place. It was his fault that everything happened and with his death approaching, that suffering will come to an end.

Y/N: You should have that camp fire with the others, not me.

That was his last answer before falling back into the pages of his book. His voice was completely monotone and frigid, capable of leaving frostbites if it could actually affect people. Attacked by that sudden gust, Koishi could not retort an answer to change his mind.

Koishi: ...

His expression, however, was not as cold as his voice. With her own eyes, she could see dread plastered on his face, the fear of a future that was approaching at a faster rate than one might imagine. His thoughts were clearly occupied by something worrisome but with her ability to peek into people's minds sealed, she couldn't tell what the problem was.

The end is near.

Y/N: We're close to the end. Now, we have to place the catalyst inside the circle to begin the ritual.

He closed the book and buried it once more inside his outfit, not needing the instructions anymore. At the mention of the ritual, his eyes hardened and returned to their neutral state, devoid of emotions and fixated on the end of the journey. Of course, unlike the girl, he knew his time was limited and he wasn't planning on giving up without a fight if worse comes to worse.

Koishi: Cata... lyst? What is that?

Faced with a word that her mind couldn't translate properly, she looked back at the man for an answer. Not facing her completely due to the torch she was carrying, he explained her what it meant.

Y/N: The catalyst is what we're going to use to complete the spell. In this situation...

He pointed the object she was holding.

Y/N: We need the energy of souls to power the ritual and make it come to fruition.

Her brain assembling the pieces together, she mumbled a muffled 'Ohhhhh' in response and nodded. Being the one possessing it, it was her duty to take care of it and so she asked him what she had to do.

Y/N: Burn the wood.

The objective was simple and easy to understand, even for her. Nodding quickly, she lowered her arm carrying the last piece remaining, the flame flickered and touched the wood carefully placed inside the circle. What seemed like a small fire grew bigger until everything inside was consumed by its power.

Koishi: Woah...

She exclaimed her surprise when the flames suddenly turned white, white and silver. She quickly glanced at the item that she was holding but it kept its normal colors unlike the one in front of her.

Y/N: The minerals.

His answer was aimed at her shock, as a way to explain what was happening. Both of them staring into what seemed like the flames of heaven, excitement slowly grew in Koishi's eyes, their goal finally there.

Koishi: We did it!

Y/N: Not yet.

He shot down her statement but she didn't care, only a few steps and it was over, the reason why she helped the man would soon appear before her eyes. Outside of her field of vision, the librarian was longly observing the ritual with hesitation.

Y/N's mind: No... I can't hesitate anymore.

It was time for the coward to finish what he began a long time ago, the search for a second chance, a chance to amend of his errors that he placed onto himself.

Koishi: What else do we need to do?

She asked another time while keeping her gaze onto the fire, making sure that it wouldn't go out while they weren't looking.

Y/N: ...

His shoulders loosening up, his eyes slowly moved at the back of the youkai's head. Silently, he reached for the blade by his side and carefully took it out of its sheath without making any noise. The metal reflecting the light received from the fire, Y/N kept his attention onto the girl that wasn't facing him. Weapon ready, his tiredness was nothing compared to the expression on his face: grief.

Y/N: Sacrifice the life of someone who knew about them.

Koishi: Huh?

Surprised, she turned around and saw her friend pointing his crimson sword in her direction. The shock left her speechless and something clicked in her head.

...She remembered before he fought Clownpiece, he showed her all his friends that were attached to his outfit, giving her the knowledge of their existence. With what he said and that memory in head, she realized that he sneakily made her aware of all of them right there.

Koishi: M-Mister Y/N?

Y/N: ...

Blank eyes watching the girl, his mouth contorted into a painful shape, gritting his teeth in pain. Not willing to let herself die, she readied her own attacks. Frowning back at the librarian, he only responded with small tears.

Y/N: You said that you were afraid of them fearing you... I'm sure they'll accept you.

Koishi: ...?

Confused, she witnessed the hands of the man slowly moving around.

Koishi: Wait-!

Then the deed was done, the blade was plunged into the man's body and poking out from his back. The sound of the skin being cut open resonated into her mind and blood dropped onto the floor and the sword. Panting for air, the librarian slowly dragged his feet to the fire that she created and gave her one last book.

Y/N: Take care... friend.

With a smile, his body exploded just like the guests before and a book remained where he was standing. On the floor, the crimson blade used to perform the sacrifice and another book were laying next to its victim, now nothing more than words on pages.

Koishi: ...

Her eyes grew darker at the sight of her friend vanishing. Unable to say nor do anything, she remained frozen while the fire inside the circle turned red and became even larger, the ritual completed.

Her shoulders lowered and something that she couldn't comprehend began to build up inside her body. The welling up of emotions not understood by the one going through it, she began to question her body, unable to understand what was happening to her.

Koishi: Mister Y/N...

Above her, the lights of the library began to close one by one. With the lack of any living librarians, the place had served its purpose and was now closing, never be opened again. Still inside, she ignored the lights and reached for the weapon that the man left behind.

It was light yet heavy due to her own shock, she couldn't gather the energy to carry the belongings of her friend, now gone forever. All lights finally gone, the only source of warmth came from the fire in front of her, the torch of madness and the warm sensation of water going down her face. Slowly, the book that she held dearly onto slipped and fell down, revealing the name of the one who perished onto its cover.

Koishi: ...

Opening it to the first page, there was nothing written there. What was once a page talking in depth about the current condition of the librarian was now nothing but void, empty. The sight caused something to snap, breaking into many pieces.

Soon, the ritual was completed and the fire weakened. Losing its power, one the last lights inside the library diminished and with her scarred eyes, she witnessed the worst outcome of the situation. After his sacrifice and the efforts that were needed to reach that, nothing came out of it. The fire finally died for good and she was left alone, knowing that they both failed to achieve their goal.

...

The end had finally arrived at last.

...

Koishi: Heh...

In the darkness that was only chased away by a mere torch, a soft giggle echoed. Still holding onto the weapon that was used for the spell and the books that were left behind by the librarian, the youkai laughed to herself. In complete isolation, her chuckles grew into a laugh that gained intensity with each seconds.

Something snapped.

Koishi: Silly mister Y/N~

Mumbling to herself in a soft voice, a wide grin formed on her face and her eyes were completely wide. The last source of light available inside the library flickered and the girl looked at the book that Y/N used to reach this point. Her smile did not move, watching the book that caused this.

Koishi: He was too tired to read the instructions properly~ What am I gonna do with him~?

Giggling to herself, her grasp onto the sword became tighter.

Something snapped.

Koishi: I'll show him how to really do magic, I can't wait to start~

Something snapped.

Koishi: I'll bring him back and I won't fail! 

Standing up, she held the weapon close to her. In the other hand, the book that was used for the spell was there and opened, barely illuminated by the torch given to them by Clownpiece.

Something snapped.

Koishi: That's what friends are for, they support each other until the end, right~?

Something snapped.

...

...

Standing in front of a door, a man with torn up clothes looked around in a panic, fearing his pursuers. After falling asleep inside the trash of a back alley that he called 'home', he woke up into this hellish reality with monsters trying to eat him everywhere.

With desperation, he pushed the door and it opened without any problem. Without checking, he ran inside and closed the only access to the room. Finally a moment to himself, he heaved a sigh and crumbled onto the floor.

???: This is the worst nightmare I ever had.

Mumbling to himself, he looked around and was surprised by the sight. Around him, many bookshelves were standing on the other side of the entrance, so many bookshelves that he couldn't see the end of the room.

With nobody around, he was out of the trouble and able to catch a break from all the running he did. Feeling more than exhausted, he remained motionless for a moment and suddenly, footsteps echoed, shivers going around in his body.

???: W-Who's here?!

Panic in his voice, he stood up and clenched his fists, ready to fight for his own life. The culprit behind the sound soon emerged from the endless library and greeted the guest.

It was a woman around her 20s wearing a completely dark suit with red stripes at the end of the sleeves and at the bottom of the top that she was wearing. Long, green hair flowing down, leading right to a dark sheath containing a sword. Standing on the other side, she silently greeted the man with a welcoming smile.

???: I wasn't expecting any guests today, quite the surprise.

However, the thing that caught his attention the most was the purplish eye attached around her body, closed. Not trusting the person, he kept his distance and the woman chuckled at that sight.

???: Whatever chased you all the way here, I can assure you that they cannot enter this place.

???: Who are you?

When asked that question, the woman placed her arms under her chest, accentuating it for the man.

???: I am a guest just like you, one who wished to help someone once.

She extended a hand to the man, welcoming him inside. Taking that gesture, he approached with slightly wary eyes.

???: I don't know how I got here, I closed my eyes and then woke up here.

???: You must be confused.

She responded to his confusion and once close enough, took out her sword, reflecting the crimson color of the blade to the man before stabbing him through the chest. Unable to react fast enough, he stood there, feeling his body becoming colder.

???: I'll give you a purpose~

Just like many victims before, his body combusted into pages and a single book fell down onto the ground. Not even bothering to pick it up, she kicked it across the floor and returned to her duties.

This is Koishi Komeiji, the woman who spent many years trapped inside the library, even maybe hundreds without being aware of it. With the time spent there, the world beyond the entrance became a simple mist, unable to remember anything that happened outside.

Koishi: It won't be long, I'll soon finish it.

Flipping through the pages of a book, she quickly read the letters that she read a thousand times before. She knew how to properly complete the ritual, she knew what to do and she would do it without failure.

Koishi: I can't wait to see his look on his face~

The thought of him seeing her current body would surely leave him speechless, at least that's what she hoped. In her eyes, no light could be seen, they were entirely blank, broken to the core. In search of a way to perfect necromancy, her life extinguished but she didn't care, all she wanted was to see the results.

She would bring him back, that was her thoughts, she wouldn't accept another outcome. After all, friends support each other until the end and in Gensokyo, death does not mean the end, she knew that.

Koishi: Also... we'll finally be able to get that drink.

Remembering the words he told her, saying that he wouldn't risk it with her previous body, she chuckled once more. Clutching the weapon that he once used before placing it against her, she sighed and closed her eyes, falling asleep for today.

Bad ending

Achievement unlocked: Best Friends Forever

Resume of the ending:

>Y/N accepted Koishi's assistance

>Proposition to be removed of the cursed was accepted

>Did not defeat Fujiwara no Mokou

>Marisa Kirisame was chosen to be the last survivor

>Y/N did not tell Koishi about the truth

>All materials collected

>Koishi's feelings were not confronted

>Y/N's feelings were not confronted

>Ritual completed

Were you really that confused?

Don't you remember? If guests were truly aiming for the library, Y/N would have been warned by the library but he didn't. You were too worried about the time limit that you didn't stop to think.

If you wish for an happier ending, remember that guests do not arrive until the librarians are notified of their visit.

Also, try to find a way to open Koishi's third eye. If you do so, maybe the ritual would end on a better note?