In the morning, the sky was cloudy. Heavy clouds covered the Boundary Village.
The Head and several villagers had come to see him off.
"Go carefully. The path is steep, but you will not lose your way."
At the Head's words, Koyoi nodded.
"...Thank you very much."
"Give your thanks after you have returned."
Carrying only a little food and water, Koyoi began to walk. He hung the pouch from his waist. It was heavy. It was certainly heavier than it had been yesterday.
"...Let us go."
He heard the voice of the shrine god.
"...Yes."
The voice of the vacant lot god as well. The voices were calm. But he felt as if they were somehow strained.
He walked along the path through the forest. The path was narrow, and fallen leaves were piled deep. Tree roots rose from the ground, threatening to trip him time and again. There was little light. The trees covered the sky overhead, and combined with the cloudy weather, it was dim despite being midday.
By the time he had walked for about an hour, the pouch began to dig into his shoulder. The strap pressed down upon his collarbone.
"...Are you alright?"
He asked in a small voice.
"...Yes."
The voice of the shrine god. But it broke slightly.
"...It is... a little painful."
He stopped walking. He looked down at the pouch. Its appearance had not changed. But the weight was different. What he could hold in one hand just yesterday now took both hands to lift.
"...I am sorry."
The voice of the vacant lot god sounded raspy.
"...It is... cramped."
"...We are... heavy."
Koyoi shook his head.
"You don't have to apologize. I will deliver you."
Gripping the pouch tightly, he began to walk again.
Two hours passed. His lower back ached. His shoulder was numb. His footsteps grew steadily heavier. The voices of the gods had become almost silent. Occasionally, only something like a faint groan would leak out.
The Head's words crossed his mind.
"If you hold onto too much, both you and the gods will break."
"'I'm still okay' is a dangerous phrase."
He knew that. But he could not stop.
As he entered the third hour, he saw collapsed stonework. By the side of the path, among the trees, lay the remains of what had once been something. Moss-covered stones were piled up, with weeds growing thick over them. Had it been a boundary marker? Or perhaps a small shrine?
He stopped. He felt something.
The pouch was trembling. It was cold. It had suddenly become cold.
From the gaps in the stonework, a faint light was leaking out. A weak, flickering light on the verge of vanishing.
Koyoi approached the stones. He knelt down and peered into the gap.
Something was there. A small something, like a lump of light. It was a god.
"...Is... anyone... there..."
He heard a voice. A raspy, broken voice that seemed ready to disappear at any moment.
"...The one... who protects... the path..."
"...I have... been... forgotten..."
It was the signpost god. A small god that protected travelers. Forgotten, beneath the collapsed stones, it was fading away.
From within the pouch, he heard the voice of the shrine god.
"...Koyoi... no."
"...It is... already full."
The vacant lot god's voice too.
"...Any more... than this..."
He knew. Even though he knew.
Koyoi reached out his hand. He moved the stones aside and touched the light. It was cold. Cold as ice. But there, certainly, was something trying to live.
"...Help me."
That voice pierced his chest.
Koyoi opened the mouth of the pouch.
"Come inside."
The light moved slowly. It slid inside the pouch.
"...Thank you."
He heard a faint voice.
In that moment, the weight fell upon Koyoi's body.
His knees buckled. He pressed his hands against the ground. He could not breathe. His chest was being compressed. The pouch was heavy as lead.
"...It hurts."
The voice of the shrine god echoed like a scream.
"...Cramped."
The voice of the vacant lot god as well.
"...Quickly... put us down."
The new voice also joined in, sounding pained.
Koyoi tried to stand up. His legs were trembling. His entire body was trembling. Somehow, he managed to stand. But taking a single step was all he could manage.
He walked the path. No, rather than walking, he advanced as if dragging himself along. The strap of the pouch dug into the flesh of his shoulder. His head felt fuzzy. His vision swayed.
A canyon came into view. The path opened up, and he came out to the edge of a cliff. In the distance, he heard the sound of water.
Koyoi sat down on the spot. He could no longer move a single step.
He looked down at the pouch. Three gods were inside it. The shrine god. The vacant lot god. And the signpost god. Everyone seemed to be suffering.
"...I'm sorry."
Koyoi murmured.
"...It's because I was greedy."
"...No."
The voice of the shrine god was heard in fragments.
"...You are... not to blame."
"...But... quickly."
The voice of the vacant lot god.
"...At this rate..."
The new voice added quietly.
"...Everyone... will break."
Koyoi looked up at the sky. A cloudy sky. Heavy clouds. Nowhere could light be seen.
He had to put them down soon. He had to deliver them soon. If it continued like this, everything would break.
The pouch was cold as ice. The voices of the gods could no longer be heard.
Koyoi stood up on trembling legs. One step. Then another. His body was screaming. But he could not stop.
The place to leave them should be just ahead. If he reached it, things would become a little easier. If he reached it, he could leave one god behind. But would he truly make it in time? Could he truly continue walking like this?
He felt as though he heard a faint voice from inside the pouch.
"...Hurry."
It was like a prayer.