Chapter Text
A large, old, abandoned library stood in the heart of an overgrown forest somewhere in Japan, one that no one dared to enter.
The walls of the place seemed to be run down, with visible cracks at its corners. The roof of the library has been decolourised after being soaked by rain for many years, as well as it missing several tiles. Moss grew on the huge rocks piled up nearby, and the water of the nearby river seemed to be still with algae.
A mysterious hooded figure wearing a green amulet made their way through the forest, before stumbling upon the worn down library.
"It's been a while, has it not?" The figure grinned, before entering the building.
The atmosphere in the library seemed to be dark and damp, but surprisingly, the books still seemed to be stacked neatly in their respective bookshelves, some of them even being piled up at the sides of the shelves. The hooded figure continued walking down the library's aisles, their amulet slightly glowing in the darkness.
"Nothing much has changed since I first came here......" They suddenly stopped in front of a shelf, before pulling out a book of classical literature and dusting the cover. "It's a pity that no one is interested in reading anymore....."
"If I recalled, this place used to be lively as it was, but the more my comrades have since left, the duller the place got." The figure sighed. "I still want.....to protect this place, even if I have to use the last of my strength."
Maybe it was just the figure's imagination, but the book that they were holding gave off a faint glow, as if it agreed to whatever they said.
"I see, so that's how you want it to be, huh? Very well, then. I'll do it. If it helps the library, I guess....."
The figure held out their green amulet, before pointing it at the book. A weird form of energy flowed from the amulet into the book, and one by one, the words started to peel themselves off the book floating into thin air, taking on the form of a human being. Then, they took off the amulet and placed it on top of the book right beside the unconscious young man which was newly created.
"It seems like my time has come. Although I can't explain much about the details now.....I have carefully slipped a handwritten note into your book containing information about this library as well as info on how to get through and recruit a book's 'soul'. Also, I entrust you my amulet. Take good care of it, okay? Good luck!"
These were the figure's final words, before they finally faded away into thin air.