The humid forest air that hung heavily on his shoulders? It was annoying. It made breathing hard for him with every step he progressed.

How long had he been running?

How much was left there to run?

His legs ached, his lungs burned, and his face was beaded with sweat. Every breath he took was rewarded with a sharp burst of pain from his chest.

It wasn't like he could really blame her for this. While her body was in a fairly healthy shape from living in the mountains for a decade and a half, she simply wasn't built for a marathon. Her legs lacked the toned muscles of a sprinter.

If he could sigh, he would. He felt sorry for abusing her body, and the pain that would come when she got her body back.

That was, if he succeeds.

And if he fails…

There wouldn't be anybody left for her to return to.

No. NO!

He frantically shook his head, berating himself for even allowing his brain to think those thoughts. As much as he despised it, there would always be a cynical side of him, compensating the 'what if's in a more realistic and darker aspect. It was very distractive right now.

Which was why he missed protruding root and he nearly earned himself a painful faceplant for that. Luckily, with surprising reflexes he didn't know he had, and a short burst of speed he didn't know her body had, he righted himself and reduced it to a mere stumble. The moment he regained his balance, he resumed pumping his legs to their limits.

There wasn't much time left to spare. In a few short hours, the comet would come, and Itomori and a third of its residents would meet their impending end like it was a scripted play that was doomed to happen.

Earlier this day, he had exhausted his brain with ideas and solutions to come up with the best feasible plan. As slim as the chances of it working was, it was still enough for he and Mitsuha's friends put them in action. What other choice did they have? It was their only hope.

But he failed. He failed his role to persuade the mayor to order an emergency evacuation. It wasn't enough.

Thus, he had doomed the town. And by extension, he failed Mitsuha.

Out of options, he had no choice but to take a very dangerous gamble, a very dangerous gamble once again played against the divine deity that had brought him here.

For it to work would take nothing less than a miracle. Which would less likely to occur since it had already happened once when he found himself back in Mitsuha's body after he drank the sake. But to save her, it would take nothing short of another miracle.

But miracles rarely happen twice, as one might say.

But he trusted in it. He had faith in their bond, he trusted its divine intervention, he placed his trust in Musubi.

It had taken him here once without fail when he needed it the most, he dared to believe that it won't fail him now that he was this far.

But still, he was taking a risk. And it was not guaranteed to happen.

And should it fail, all this would be over, and all their effort would be in vain.

Nothing would change. History would repeat itself.

She would die.

And he hated that.

The desperation, the anger, the feeling of hopelessness.

To know how everything would turn out and watch it all happen right in front of his eyes, so desperate to change it but couldn't gain the power to do so.

Despite his incredible determination, he was still, after all, human. His resolves could still waver and shatter.

But…

He gritted his teeth, and his legs suddenly felt lighter as he pushed them harder. The run had become a sprint. The trees flew past him like a blurring background that mattered none. He felt like dying from suffocation, but even then, he pushed on.

He would keep going, trying his very best. Until he saw the end and saw no way out of this dead end, he would keep trying.

And even he failed this time, he would find another way again. A different route.

He would try infinite times, until he eventually saves the town and its people, until she was safe from her demise.

The power of faith was strong. The will of belief was unmovable.

He believed that he had the power to change this, to change the fate of Itomori, and to rewrite the history anew where all the fifteen hundred people survive the comet crash like it was a miracle.

He was doing this, because she was important.

Because she didn't deserve to die, she was still young.

Because she still had a life to live, out the mountains, in the cities.

Because of his selfishness, he wanted her to live, to be loved. He loved her.

Yes, he loved her. The love had bloomed without him knowing not long after he began trading body with the quirky girl. Even though they hadn't really came in contact with each other except messages left through phones, he with absolute no doubt and hesitation loved her.

Her spirit was one of the many things he loved about her. So uplifting, so bright and full of life, always managed to bring a smile up to his face when she left a joke on his phone to crack him up. Her soul was a bouncy flame of golden fire, warm and fierce.

He loneliness, while many people would find it sad, was something he loved about her. Her strength to stay strong and unbroken even when she was lonely and isolated from people because of her status and parentage was something he had always admire. Her loneliness made him more desperate to hold her in his arms and never let go. It gave him the thought that he should protect her no matter the cost.

And of course, he loved her because he was attracted to her pretty looks. After all, he was a healthy teenage boy, he could appreciate the feminine features of a girl. To him, she was perfect, inhumanly beautiful. He liked her hair, her face, her slim body, the shape of her delicate hand.

As cheesy as it might sound, he loved the color of her eyes the most, golden brown orbs that radiated warmth and light which he could felt every time he looked at the reflection in the mirror. Sparkling with life and mirth, he loved her eyes for what they represented her personality.

He snapped out of his thoughts as he slipped on wet mud. This time he was not so fortunate, his knees scratched the ground painfully, he gasped. But he ignored the pain in order to push himself up, and continued the seemingly endless journey. Blood was leaking down his knee and painting his stocking red, but those were petty little concerns that mattered little to him.

The forest grew dimmer, and he gazed up the sky. It was darkening, and traces of orange could be seen through the clouds, accompanied by hues of pink.

There wasn't much time left. But fortunately, he was nearly there.

He recognized the surroundings from his last visit here with Yotsuha and grandma. The trees were becoming less dense as he went in deeper, and the clouds were nearing the surface like it was about to come in contact with the surface.

He broke through the ranks of trees and leaves and faced a steep slanted flat surface of a barren land that only contained nothing more than piles of scattered rocks. And at the very end of the sloped hill, still far out his reach, was the top of the mountain.

His body was drenched in sweat, he could feel it soak into his clothing, and clung to his skin. His legs were seconds from failing him. His chest burned with agony as he panted for breath. The feminine assets that hung on his chest were weighty, becoming much a bother that it began to mess with his balance.

Overall, he was dead tired, and he felt he could collapse at any second now.

Mitsuha!

His eyes flared, and he pushed on.

Struggling and staggering, he rushed his way up the side of the mountain without twisting his ankles or risking another injury that would further hinder his movements. It was painstakingly a slow process, but he was getting there gradually and surely.

Orange rays of warm light shone down upon his back, casting his own shadow in front of him. And the light was getting dimmer as moments continued to pass.

He was running out of time.

The tip of the mountain appeared in his sights, and he sighed a breath of relief and fatigue. He ran the last short distance with ragged and angst pants.

Then, it happened.

He heard… something.

Something familiar, nostalgic.

It was a voice, faint and distant like it was an echo.

It was a voice. Whoever it was, it was shouting.

What was the person shouting? Why did he sound so desperate?

As tiny it might be, he could listen to the well-pronounced words.

It was oddly familiar… was it her?

Then he heard—

Taki opened hi eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks as stared up the darkened ceiling of his inn room.

A hand slowly reached up, touching the tears with trembling fingers.

A sense of lost consumed him like a gnawing pit.

The van's engine emitted a deep and low hum was both comforting and reassuring to Taki's ears. He was almost lured to sleep until he was jerked awake when the car jumped as it rolled over a bump on the road.

"Oi, quit trying to sleep, we're nearly there," the chef said as he leaned forward to observe the road ahead. Eyes squinted, he steered the wheels as he made to turn another corner, "can't be too sure, but if it's anywhere, it'd be here somewhere nearby."

Before long, the car slowed to a stop before a wooden fence that used to prevent cars or trucks from further entering. It was broken into splinters, what remained of the railing was left embedded in the dirt. It was barely hanging on its last leg. Yet another sign that this place was long abandoned before his prolonged arrival.

With a grunt the driver killed the engine with the twist of his keys, then he twirled his body and bent over his seat to retrieve something from the backseats, mumbling something under his breath.

With nothing to do, Taki placed his chin on his hand and idly leaned on the window sill, staring out at the foliage that surrounded them. Fiddling absently with the half-done ribbon he had hastily tied around his wrist this morning.

Far above their heads, as far as eyes could reach to see, everything was a luscious green, the blue of the sky was barely visible through layers upon layers of thick leaves. The color was rich and luscious, green to its stems and brown to its roots.

It was calm and nice. A benefit from occasionally visiting the nature, Taki supposed, a change of scenery certainly did help ease his stress and lighten his mood.

But there was something else in this forest that helped ease his nerves. The scenery was familiar to his mind's eye. A headache that had been brewing for a while had toned down a bit the moment he laid his eyes on the trees; a thick white rope wrapped around its trunk.

He pulled a map out from the fold of his traveling coat and unfolded it with an equal amount of care and haste as he read through the marker-traced path he would be traveling. He had a compass in his bag as well, just for extra discretion in case he found himself lost in the woods.

"Here."

A lunchbox was thrust in his face, the plastic cool against his cheek through the cloth wrapped around the box.

Taki blinked at the chef, whose lips curled up wryly as he gave a smile of dry humor.

"I'm feeling a very strong déjà vu here," Taki muttered, "is this, by any chance, onigiri?"

"You know it," the chef shrugged in response, "eating can food and energy bars ain't gonna do much to replenish your energy."

Taki grabbed the bento by its knot, noting its rather heavy weight, "you're too generous, thank you."

"Don't thank me, thank my wife. She insisted on making you lunch," the chef said, rolling down the side windows. He leaned back in his seat as he lit his cigarette, "I just smile and nod and go along with whatever she says. Really, I don't know why I'm in charge of the ramen stand when she was much bossier boss than I could ever be."

Taki laughed.

"Laugh while you can, kid. Just don't say I didn't warn you. When you find yourself a woman in the future, you'll be so whipped that you would be following her around like a lost puppy," the chef chortled, "you'll see what I mean when you are older."

"We'll see," he chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelts as he opened the door and stepped out. The cool air greeted him and he took in the scent deeply minted with leaves. The soft soil under the sole of his shoes sunk a bit as he stood up straight and stretched.

"Hey. Just know that I'll be picking you back up here at seven, it's dangerous out in the dark, more so being in the woods. So just make sure you are back in time, otherwise there will be a searching party for you, and we won't want that kind of trouble," the chef started, closing the door for him as he started his engines, "okay?"

Taki nodded, placing the lunchbox into his bag before securing it back on his back. The man nodded, satisfied.

Before he drove away, the chef leaned out the window, "so, mind me asking?"

"Shoot right away."

"What's with the change of itinerary? I have to ask, what made you change your mind to come here instead of going back to the school like you said you would yesterday?"

"Well," Taki mused, shouldering his bag as he stared far into the distance, "I just realized this morning, that there is something pretty important on the mountains that I must see. That alone is more than enough a reason for me. Other than that, I guess to relax a bit and enjoy the local view."

"Damn straight, doubt there'll be any view better than Itomori," the chef left down as slid down the window, "hope you find what you're looking for, kid. I'll see you soon."

He couldn't agree more, Taki thought as he watched as the van drove away in the distance, a small trail of dust left in its wake. He turned around and moved the opposite way.

For the umpteenth time, Taki checked his map. He frowned, then turned the map sideways, and cocked his head the other way.

"I'm pretty sure it's this way," he pointed at the spot, and then his eyes shifted to another spot, "…or is it this way?"

Was he lost?

Yes, and this time he wasn't ashamed to admit it.

Because, how was he supposed to know which way to go when the correct road had literally disappeared from the face of the earth? Or when there was suddenly another path that didn't exist on the map? Or how about when a wall of fallen tree blocked his path and he had to take the extremely long way around?

To sum up what Taki had just discovered in the past hour, the map was nearly a decade out of date.

He didn't know why he was surprised anymore. Luck always seemed to be on his opposite side he took. He sighed a breath of resignation.

Damn it, it would've been so much easier if he could use GPS, too bad the signal couldn't reach that far deep into the forest. Now all he could rely on was an outdated map and his slightly acuter-than-most-people institution of direction.

"I think… it is this way?" Uncertainly, he turned to a stray path that seemed a lot wider than the other ones, and checked the map again, "logically speaking, it is wider than the other paths, and it does lead to the higher grounds, so…" he took one last glance at the map, "forget it."

In the end, he took the wider path, and he prayed to the gods above that this would be the one leading to his destination, and to please not to crush any more of his dreams and hopes.

He had been walking for quite a while now, with most of the time was spent with him trying to figure out the right way, or just him heading back the way he came from whenever he reaches a dead end.

But, oh well, he wasn't in a hurry, far from it. There was no need to rush when he still had… about ten hours or so to spare, more than enough time to make his way up and down.

So, why not enjoy the hike while he was at it? It would be a shame to waste this perfect opportunity, to be able to kick back and relax all the while admiring the view. He advanced surely and slowly, in a steady and sedated pace that would conserve him his dwindling stamina. And it would give him the time to ponder on his thoughts.

He had been feeling it the moment he entered the forest, the weird vibe that gave him this odd feeling. He couldn't stress it enough, but this place was very familiar. Like, extremely familiar to a way that it was creepy.

But then again, he did hike this part of the mountain a year ago, so even if he had trouble remembering it, it probably left enough of a deep indention in his subconscious like an aged and fading ink that he would recall over time.

He sighed slothfully as he took another step up the path, placing the map back in his pocket since it was not needed right now. He stopped to poke his legs muscles and felt it strain slightly against his touch. It felt sore, but in a good way.

So far, it was quite a lax hike in his opinion, without steep slopes that led ups and downs. Though, he was feeling a bit out of breath.

It wasn't like he was out of shape. He just wasn't used to walking such long distance since there were traffics in Tokyo, and he was never a part of his school's track team nor any sports related extracurricular activities.

God, he wasn't even half-way to the mountain, and he's already feeling tired? He should really do some exercise and morning jogging the moment he returns to Tokyo.

Sighing had become a habit, maybe it was mental strain he had been feeling, but he couldn't found a day without less than five times of sighing. He was changing, for the better or for the worse? He didn't know. Though he hoped by the time this searching journey was over, it wouldn't be much a dramatic change of his character.

With that thought he kicked a twig away from the road, watching it fall off the side of the path and down a cliff.

He was thinking about the dream he had yesterday. Which he knew had something to do with a mountain, he was sure of it.

An hour had passed, when the soreness in his legs became slightly unbearable, he had found a relatively clean spot under the shade of a tree to rest. A bit out of breath, he had dropped the bag off his shoulders and to the grass, and with a sigh he sat down on a soft patch of dirt, leaning back until his spine touched the thick trunk behind him.

He leaned back, closed his eyes, and went slack against the trunk. Relaxed and at ease, he allowed his mind to drift, to the dream he had dreamed yesterday.

He couldn't actually recall it, to be honest. It had faded back to the back of his mind and refused to surface upon his calls, like every other dream he had had.

Though he could tell that this dream was a bit different from the others. There was an indescribable feeling about this particular dream, and he didn't know what to make of it. Was it pleasant? Was it heartbreaking like most cases? Was it nostalgic?

The dream was quite emotionally stressed if the tears he woke up with was any indication. Then again, that was practically every other dream he had every night he went to bed.

He had no clear remembrance of the dream last night, none save for the odd and sad lingering emotions and a faint image of a tall mountain.

A mountain, he could recall certainly.

It was vague, but he could recall it stood high above sea level, above human civilization, piercing clouds like it was wet paper, touching the heavens with its tip like it was an easy feat.

It was quite an impressive mountain, which led to him spending the whole morning and the short trip on the chef's car pondering on it. He had come to the conclusion: he figured that if there was any mountain it could possibly be, if it even exists, it would be the one he had climbed and found himself awake on roughly a year ago, the one that had left him dead confused in how and why he was up there. The mountain he was climbing right now at this very moment.

All the events that had happened a year ago, there were weird and made little sense. But somehow, he had a feeling, that they were not mere coincidences, they happened for a reason. He just knew that they were all linked together, like an unfinished puzzle yearning to be completed

Hence, the reason he was hiking said mountain.

There was something important up there he just must know, a truth he must discover no matter the cost.

Why was he up there a year ago? How did it have anything to do with Itomori? What was up there that managed to cause him this heartache?

Somehow, he knew. Don't question him how he knew when he didn't know it himself, but he just had the feeling, that the key to all these mysteries was on that mountain.

And the wait was killing him.

He pulled out his map again and judged that it would probably take him another hour or two until he arrives the foot of the mountain. He was still pretty far from it.

He pocketed the map, and checked his wrist watch with a glance.

Then, he frowned, as though something had jolted in his mind.

Taki pursed his lips in deep thought, brows knitted together in concentration, eyes glazed over on the reflective surface of the glass on his watch.

Now that he thought about it.

Aside from the mountain, he could remember hearing…

…the voice of a person?

The ginormous blazing ball of flame known as the sun was high in the sky when he finally broke out the lines of trees to the open. The sense of accomplishment he felt at moment was short-lived when a sudden and abrupt flash of light saluted him. The brightness rendered his vision white momentarily. He yelped in surprise and rubbed his eyes to clear his sight.

The persistent whiteness from his eyes faded after a couple seconds of furious blinking. And when he finally opened them, he took in the scenery in all its glory.

He stood on a wasteland of rocks, and it stretched for miles upon miles, seemingly endless. The air around him distorted as the sun scorched the earth mercilessly.

Then, he tilted his head up, covering the sun with his spare hand. And his jaw fell open.

"Good lord, it's much taller than I originally thought."

Yep, it was tall, as tall as the Tokyo Tower that was.

Perhaps he underestimated the length of the journey. His legs would be in absolute agony tomorrow. With squinted eyes, he could make out the vague shape of the mountaintop, which was buried in a layer of clouds. And he didn't see any signs of stairs anywhere.

Great, just what he needed.

"Why does it have to be so sunny," he gritted out venomously, feeling grumpy. Three minutes out in the opening and he could already feel the black material of his clothing absorbing heat as if trying its best to cook him alive. Grunting in dismay, he shrugged off his coat and stuffed it in his bag, leaving him wearing a light blue jacket and a shirt beneath. He flipped the jacket hood over his head, shielding his face and hair away from the prying sun.

The sooner he got up the mountain, the better. The scowling face relented and sighed. And so he moved, his legs wobbled as he made his first step towards the mountain.

A few moments later, the horizontal ground began to curve upward to a slope, and Taki ascended.

At one point, he was more of staggering than walking, from exhaustion. His legs repeating their robotic movements with awkward stiffness, his limp arms swung reluctantly beside him with every step he took, and slowly his shoulders began to burn from the friction generated by his bones grinding in their sockets.

His body was warming up so much that the cold didn't matter anymore. Instead, the heat was becoming overbearing. His head swirled, feeling slightly lightheaded probably from dehydration, and caused him to stumble over an embedded rock.

He staggered a few steps. Sweating pouring down his forehead and soaking his collar as the sun beamed down. Panting, he felt the fatigue from yesterday was coming back to finish him off.

He placed his foot on another rock as he pushed himself up, the boulder was fortunately secured in its place so it didn't shake or shift as he moved his weight on it.

He was near, he could literally feel it deep in his bones.

He tilted his head to glance up, and he deduced that he was another fifty meters away from the top, and wasn't he glad that this all finally end.

The hill was steep, and emphasis on the word. He swore it was more than a forty-five-degree angle at one point, and he would be kidding if he didn't found himself fearing for his life.

Against the better of his judgment, he allowed himself a moment of courage to look over his shoulder to the world far below him, and gulped in unconcealed fear as he immediately regretted said action.

He could easily imagine himself slipping the next step, and roll off the cliff like a ball of human meat.

Then.

He'd probably go SPLAT.

A very wet and messy SPLAT he might add

Not the best way to die, he supposed.

He mused gloomily to himself as he took another step forward, legs shivering from exertion, or was it fear?

What a happy thought.

Taki hummed in thought as stood on top of the mountain. He whistled, he was thoroughly impressed.

"He wasn't lying when he said the view's one to die for."

Indeed, in the end, the hike was worth all the trouble.

At his point of view, he was practically standing on the very top of the world, everything was far under the sole of his shoes. He might sound exaggerative, but he had a very good reason to. The horizons stretched as far as eyes could see, every creek, every tree, every mountain, were as small as mere ants. Insignificant when they were alone, but represents nature herself when united together.

Breathtaking. It was like a scene straight out from a drawing, from a fantasy.

He turned, and faced the inner interior of the mountain.

In front and below him, was a huge indentation the size of a soccer field. Enormous enough to contain a small town in it, small enough to make it someone's secret little haven.

It was as beautiful as the view outside, a circular field filled with grass of the brightest green. Plants and flowers of all different colors scattered across the field, dotting the green with assortments of yellow, red, orange, and purple. An enormous piece of mosaic art crafted from and by nature alone, he couldn't help but admire in awe.

There were trees, though not by much. It was more like minor adornments that helped create a peaceful ambiance.

What really caught his eye, though, was a small ring-shaped creek that surrounded a stone structure.

An ancient relic blessed by gods with sacredness so thick he could feel it crawling over his skin like humid mist even from such a distance.

And he found himself drawn to it in a similar manner of a moth attracted to a blazing pit of fire.

He walked down the interior of the indentation with careful steps, and the soft touch of tall grass and natural wheat greeted his arrival as he made it to the bottom. He marveled the true beauty of this haven as he treaded his way across the field to the structure.

Undefiled, pure. This place didn't contain a single piece of waste or garbage. And as far as he could see, there was no sign of human population or traces burning for the purpose of fertilizing.

Was this what people would call a sacred place? Great, because now he felt like a trespasser.

He marveled the softness of the grass as he proceeded slowly, glancing around the remarkable view in deep wonder.

The tall grasses were quite tall, since there wasn't anyone harvesting or managing the field, the taller ones were just tall enough to scratch his belt with their tips.

And god, the smell. The aroma was so deeply immersed with the nature that he no doubt he would smell like fresh grass hours after he left this place. It was amazingly refreshing to his mind, almost as though he was taking drugs, his brain felt clearer. He took a deep breath of nature and exhaled out, a dreamily smile on his face.

Eventually, he stopped in front of the weirdly shaped creek, standing beside a willow tree.

Now that he was significantly closer, he could observe the stone structure with a keener view.

It wasn't overly large, smaller than a house, but the size of a hut. It was built in the form of multiple large flat stone slabs leaned against one another, a slit formed between two loosely placed slabs, just big enough to fit a person in one at a time. He could hear the whistling of wind through the gap.

Behind the structure, was a giant tree. At least twice as high as other ordinary trees he had seen so far, this was loomed over the structure, casting a shadow over the area, like a guardian of some sort. With its trunk thick and leaves bushy, it certainly looked like the mother of trees.

The water was clean, clear enough that not a taint of murky water could be seen, so clear that he could visibly see the depth of the pond. And from that, he could deduce that it was only waist-deep, give or take half a meter.

Crossing it would not be a problem, he could spot a few conveniently well-placed rocks poking out the surface of the water, which could be served as stepping stones.

And seeing that the rocks were large enough for him to place a foot on it and have space to spare, he proceeded casually with light steps.

It was probably the sun's fault that he couldn't see a layer of moss surrounding the smooth surface of the rocks.

He promptly slipped and fell into the water with a loud splash.

His footsteps made wet slapping sounds as he treaded across the stone floor when he entered the slot produced by two stone slabs. Though he could hear the clattering of his teeth better.

He was drenched head-to-toe, he was shivering like mad against the cold. It couldn't be help, really. Regardless of how smothered he was an hour earlier, the freezing dive he recently took easily dominated the heat, and would probably bestow him a problematic cold.

He had quickly changed off his soaked shirt and jacket and tossed them out on the field, leaving them out to dry, and pulled out another spare shirt he had stored in his bag together with the coat he had discarded before, he quickly put them on. But the damage was already done, and he could already feel the impending sneeze coming forth.

To make it even worse, the air inside the cave was a few degrees lower than it was outside, and he was shivering with goosebumps gradually appearing on his skin. He made a futile attempt to wrap himself tighter in the coat to preserve what little warmth he had left.

The cave was dark, and it was probably the reason his head was smashed to the roof of the cave with a dull thud, snapping him out from his dazing. He groaned under his breath as he nursed the bump on his forehead.

"Could this day get any worse?"

He stepped down deeper into the cave, with more carefulness than before. He noticed was getting darker with every step he took, only able to see the faint outlines of his hand when he held it out in front of him. He grabbed his water-proofed phone from his pocket and activated its flashlight function, illuminating the cave in an instance.

It was also getting narrower the farther in he got, and soon he needed to kneel and crawl as he carried on. His pants soiled by wet mud and the skin on his palm scrubbed off as he continued to rub it with the cave ground.

His phone flashed, and he saw something at the end of the cave.

Was that… an altar? What's an altar doing this deep in a cave? So far up on a mountain?

He moved in closer to take a closer look. Even when it was covered in dust, runes faded over time, he could make out the stone tablet and a small platform for people to present their offerings.

Another flash of disorientation, something abnormal occurred in an instant, and Taki felt his senses dull as though a wave of drowsiness overcame him, but not quite enough to fall sleep, but to remain in a dream-like state.

Blank eyes locked on something on the altar, two bottles covered in moss and aged strings, a wooden stopper secured on top, it seemed like it contained something sacred and precious.

His senses further dulled, as if he was lured to a dreamland, into a trance-like state. His eyes glazed over as his vision blurred and… split?

A double image? Was he hallucinating? Or was it him losing his mind at long last?

He watched blankly as his illusionary arm reached over to the altar, grabbing the flask on the right, and undid the straps and unplugged the stopper.

Inevitably, unexplainably, he followed the motion like it was the most natural thing to do.

The coldness in his bones was forgotten as though it wasn't even there. His mind was blank, his lips were dry, and his eyes were glassy with excessive wetness. His emotions were a raging hurricane of a mess.

But it felt right deep at the bottom of his heart.

It felt right, perfect even if he dared to say.

As he took the bottle from the altar, undid the clumsily made knots, pulled out the stopper from the flask, raised it shakily to his lips, and took a gulp of the kuchikamizake. Everything started making sense.

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then, the world blurred, losing color as the cave warped.

And, a year since it all began and ended, Taki Tachibana saw once more.