Stumbling onto her feet, as if she’s just landed a long jump, Niko arrives in the Library’s central atrium, clutching the Soul Lantern in her fist.

Niko: (failing to spot Kotori in her usual spot amidst the books, she raises her voice, heading into one of the aisles between shelves at random) Tori?! I got the Lantern! Where are y—Whoa! (knocked off her feet by what seems to be a sudden sonic blast, she is slammed into a shelf, which seems to flicker upon impact) Agh! (she narrowly dodges some books tumbling off the top) What the hell is going on?

Fei: Head down. Place is falling apart. (she shelters Niko, barely staying on her feet, as another loud tremble bellows through the Library halls)

Looking up, Niko spots Kotori and Mei not too far away from her, the latter standing with her back against a pair of massive wooden doors, desperate to keep them closed, while the former is pacing about desperately, leafing through a tome.

Niko: What the—Since when does this place have doors?!

Mei: Since we needed to keep fragments from burning the place down! Where the hell have you been?!

Kotori: (Fiery wings on her back, she floats around a group of spirits, as if trying to corral them) Ah! You got it! Great, this is an opportune chance to test it down here!

Niko: Hey, I have a life outside of this place, okay? How was I supposed to know the zombie apocalypse would come knocking at the door we didn’t use to have!

Kotori: They’re more akin to ghosts—

Mei: Focus! Niko, can you use that thing to gather them or not?!

Niko: I… I should be able to, but… It’s not like there’s a manual! 

Fei: (she darts past Niko, her blades at the ready) No time. Intuit it.

Niko: Intuit what?! (she holds the Lantern out towards the doors as they burst open, and a wave of ravenous figures cascades into the Library, like wolves hungry for whatever scrap of edible they can find) 

Mei: Waaah! (She falls onto her face from the force of the opened doors)

Fei: (she meets the attackers head on, grabbing two of the frontrunners of the pack by their necks and hurling them back outside — though they are quickly replaced by a dozen more) Hurry!

Mei: Of all times for the Aria to not be a pain in my ass… winds’d really come in handy right now… (Slowly rising to her feet, she holds her megaphone to her lips) Alright fuckers! Time to dance!

Niko: (she shakes the Lantern) Do something, you stupid thing! (she perks up slightly as the Lantern lights up, but it’s already too late, as in their desperate thirst for the Library’s contents, the horde tackles her to the ground, knocking the Artifact out of her hand) No!

Kotori dives after the Artifact, a ring of fire surrounding it. The fragments seem to ignore the Lantern altogether, however, trampling through the fire and kicking the Artifact around as some of them begin climbing the bookshelves, completely oblivious to the flames spreading through their ranks.

Niko: Oh for the love of— (she tries to peek her head out of the crowd, pushing some of the fragments down to raise herself up) Hands off my books, zombie scum! (as some of the assailants get their hands on the books, they begin floating up towards the ceiling, as if trying to shake the fragments off)

Fei: (holding up Chiemi’s rifle, she picks off a couple of the fragments pouring into the library as she notices the Lantern rolling up against her feet)

Niko: Punisher! T-Throw me the thing, I think I know how to do the thing—Whoa! (she glass back into the crowd as one of the fragments tugs at her collar)

Fei: (she picks up the Lantern by its chain, quietly looking at it briefly as it begins to glow)

Niko: What are you doin—Oh God they’re on fire!

Fei: (in a flash, it is as if she dissolves and is absorbed into the Lantern, and the Artifact falls to the ground with a dull thud)

Niko: GET! OUT! (she throws out her arms, and, like a large whale spitting out its food, the library convulses and pulsates, ejecting the invaders back through the entrance and closing the doors)

Mei: …Where did Punisher go? She didn’t… did she?!

Niko: Did she bail on us? (she gets back up, groaning) Some badass she is… And where the heck is that Lantern? Ugh… (she clutches her head, revealing some bruises on her arms)

Kotori: Niko… your arms…

Niko: What the—(she looks at her arms) Since when do I bruise in here? Should be alright when I wake back up, right?

Kotori: …I would not try to force yourself awake right now, Niko.

Mei: Wait, yeah… if you’re getting injured down here, then…

Kotori: You’re stuck. …Until Liu Fei— …Until Punisher returns from the waking world.