dawn and twilight

Murata fell onto his back like a mechanical toy whose batteries had suddenly run out. The fight was over. The entire group—Kaguya, Robert, the exorcist Asagi, and Mr. Harada—turned their attention to the taxi driver Suzuki, who was slowly getting to his feet, carefully holding in his hand the object they had fought so hard for: the finger belonging to the goddess Aya had become after, far in the future, her body had been scattered across time and space. Even in this fragmented state, they all felt—and could see—that she had been watching over them and trying to help. The rescue of Robert’s ancestor in a critical moment was the clearest proof of that. Somewhere deep down, they knew this was the final piece they had needed, though until now they had not even realized it.

Kaguya, somewhat reluctantly, handed Robert the bag. He took it and gently removed the human hand that Aya had once left with Kaguya thousands of years earlier. Now the hand was dried and wrinkled, yet still powerful—as evidenced by the cracked Moon hanging in the sky.

“Just be careful now…” Kaguya whispered.

The rest of the group watched in silence.

Robert took the glowing finger in his hand and focused. He felt power flow through him—far weaker than that contained in the entire hand, but still something he could control. He thought of Aya, the petite shrine maiden in a kimono who not long ago had ridden in a taxi with the exorcist Asagi to this very dock; how she had protected the fighters with her talismans and healing magic, without which they likely would not have succeeded at all. He remembered her determination when she tried to defeat Murata of the past, and the disbelief in her eyes when she fell onto the beads turned into artifacts for traveling through time. He remembered the goddess’s wail as she slowly materialized in the distant future, still incomplete, missing fragments scattered across existence… and her boundless sorrow when, after hundreds and thousands of years, those she cared for so deeply finally stood before her—and she could not even speak to them.

This entire torrent of emotions rushed through Robert in a single instant. He trembled.

Then he focused on the wrinkled hand. Slowly, he began to channel life force into it, using the much smaller amount of power contained in the single finger. The hand ceased to be dried and shriveled; its skin grew smooth and young once more. Robert imagined Aya as he had come to know her during those few hours of a night that had lasted countless eons—smiling, joyful, determined, eager to support everyone around her.

Gradually, more fragments of the luminous figure began to materialize. One by one, the pieces that had been scattered through time and space returned to a single place, becoming whole once more. What would naturally have taken thousands of years—and still could not have been completed due to missing fragments—now unfolded rapidly, thanks to Robert skillfully directing power to where it was needed. Soon, the radiant figure was complete.

Aya, lying on the concrete dock of Tokyo Bay, opened her half-lidded eyes.

“It’s you… at last… I’ve returned…” she said weakly. “I’m so happy… but… I’m so tired…”

She slowly turned her head, looking at each face in turn, until her gaze settled on Robert.

“I knew you would succeed in the end…” she smiled faintly.

Suddenly, her eyes widened.

“Watch out…!” she tried to shout.

Everyone turned toward the edge of the dock. It was Murata—his dried skin stretched tightly over his skull—charging at Robert with a rusted knife thrust forward. His hair was falling from his scalp; he was aging at a terrifying rate now that the goddess’s power had left him. Blinded by mad rage, nothing else mattered. No one had time to react.

Just before Murata reached him, the Traveler materialized in front of Robert and took the full force of the attack. The rusted knife sank deep into the old man’s abdomen, and he doubled over. Murata stopped, dropped to his knees, released the knife embedded in the Traveler’s body, then toppled onto his side and lay still. His body began to crumble into dust.

Aya lay in Robert’s arms as he tried to lift her into a sitting position, but the shrine maiden was too weak. The Traveler sat heavily, clutching his stomach. He did not try to pull out Murata’s knife.

“Maybe Aya could help you…” Suzuki began.

“No!” the Traveler protested sharply. “This is how it had to be. This was one of the few things…”

He took a deep breath.

“…that I could not see.”

The old man smiled to himself. “I managed to see so much in my life…” he said softly. “It was worth it.”

Those were his last words.

“Oh no…” Aya moaned. “I can’t help him…” She closed her eyes. “I’m so exhausted…”

Her head fell limply onto Robert’s shoulder. Aya died.

Kaguya could see nothing through her tears. Asagi sobbed. Taxi driver Suzuki stared sadly at the ground. Mr. Harada bowed his head. Robert was too shocked to move, still holding Aya’s lifeless body, which looked as though she were peacefully asleep after a very long, hardworking day. He tried to call upon the goddess’s power again, just as he had moments earlier—but there was no power left. He could do nothing.

Aya’s body grew lighter in Robert’s arms, more transparent with every second. A soft glow surrounded her, lifting the small shrine maiden into the air. Her form transformed into a sphere of light and soared skyward. They all watched the receding point as it flew toward the cracked Moon, moving faster and faster. They stood there, transfixed, until after several minutes they saw the fractured pieces of the Moon glow with the same light. Then, in a moment, the Moon became whole again, as if nothing had ever happened.

Aya watched over them even now, sacrificing the last remnants of her power to save the world from catastrophe.

Robert knelt beside the Traveler’s body, which was also beginning to fade. Perhaps this was the fate of those who traveled through time for far too long… He removed the man’s glasses and pushed the hat back from his forehead. He gasped sharply in surprise.

“Is something happening again…?” Asagi asked anxiously.

“The Traveler… is me…?” Robert stared at the older version of himself.

“He said he managed to see so much…”

The Traveler’s body, too, was enveloped in a luminous glow—but instead of rising skyward, it flowed into Robert himself. The Traveler had been right. This, too, was how it had to be. All that remained were the hat, dark glasses, and coat, which Robert picked up and put on. Of course they fit.

He reached into his pocket, where a small box with a dial—the device that enabled time travel—rested. Robert had experienced so much in just a few hours, and there was still so much to see, so many people to meet, and so many problems he could help solve. Especially now that he finally knew how.

Once more, they all looked up at the full Moon. They felt that Aya was watching over them.

A new day dawned. They all stood together a little longer in silence, until eventually each went their separate way.

Kaguya and Asagi visited Aya’s grandmother and told her everything. The old woman wept for a long time, until Kaguya decided to stay with her. Days turned into weeks; Kaguya helped in the tsukemono shop, and eventually took it over when Aya’s grandmother passed away. Decades later, Kaguya herself reached the end of her journey—alone, but happy that her long life had finally come to an end.

Asagi returned to Hokkaido, where she ran a dojo and trained young students in the art of swordsmanship. On one of her trips to Sapporo, she met her future husband. She had many children with him, lived to see numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and passed away peacefully surrounded by them.

Taxi driver Suzuki, using money from Murata’s organization—now taken over by Mr. Harada—acquired a new, beautiful vehicle. He earned an honest living and supported his wife and children, despite not receiving much gratitude nor love from them, though he never expected it. One day, a moment of inattention while driving abruptly ended his journey as well—but it was all right. He left no unfinished business behind.

Mr. Harada withdrew completely from his former line of work after that fateful night and focused solely on himself. He used his considerable wealth to travel and embark on solitary expeditions. He visited distant lands, ventured into wild regions, and climbed dangerous mountains. From one such journey, he never returned. His body was never found.

And Robert…

Robert became the Traveler.

For the rest of his life, he journeyed through all the places in time and space that the fabric of time allowed him to see. He lived and experienced much, helping those lost in time—because there were always some. And one day, he too set out on his final journey…

At the end of every path, a smiling Aya was waiting.