Koyoi walked back through the twilight forest with his guide.
Even though it was the same path they had taken earlier, the scenery looked different. Was it because his body felt lighter? Or perhaps because his heart did?
The drawstring pouch was still heavy. But it no longer felt like lead. The shrine god and the vacant lot god rested quietly inside.
"...Peaceful."
He heard the faint voice of the vacant lot god.
"...There's a little more room now."
Then, the voice of the shrine god.
Where there had been three, there were now only two. His pouch had finally found some breathing room.
The final words of the signpost god echoed in his mind.
"...I don't know."
Whether they would ever meet again, the god didn't know. That was the simple, honest truth of their parting.
The sky deepened to a madder red, then slowly dimmed into dusk. Night crept in from the depths of the forest, but Koyoi wasn't afraid. Once they reached the village, he would be safe.
After walking for about two hours, they arrived at the Boundary Village. A bonfire blazed in the central plaza, with a few villagers gathered around the flames.
"You're back," someone called out.
"Looks like it went well," another added.
The guide nodded. "Yeah. I left him there."
"I see. Good work."
Koyoi felt a small sense of relief from the warmth of the fire. This was a safe place. At least for tonight.
Before dinner, he visited the Elder's house. He knew he had to report in.
Inside, a fire glowed in the sunken hearth, and he was served a cup of warm tea.
"I've seen him safely there," Koyoi said. "The third god."
The Elder nodded slowly. "I see. Well done."
There was a certain weight to his words.
"...I feel lighter."
"I expect so. That is what it means to see them to their place."
The Elder took a sip of his tea.
"You still carry two. The shrine god and the vacant lot god, correct?"
"...Yes."
"There are two more places where they belong."
Koyoi straightened his back. "...Where to next?"
The Elder stared into the hearth fire as he spoke.
"Beyond the Second Boundary. It will take two days from here. You will pass through the Nameless Valley. Be careful."
The Nameless Valley. The words alone seemed to cast an unsettling shadow over the room.
"...What is there?"
"It is a place where names melt," the Elder's voice dropped low. "There, you may find yourself forgetting who you are. You must not identify yourself. You must not call out to anyone."
Koyoi etched those words into his mind. The Nameless Valley. The place where names melt. Yet another trial awaited him.
"...But," Koyoi started, a question suddenly bubbling to the surface. "...Why do we bring them to these places at all?"
The Elder looked slightly surprised. "Why, you ask?"
"Gathering them, carrying them, leaving them behind..." Koyoi chose his words carefully. "What does this endless cycle actually achieve?"
The Elder remained silent for a while. A spark popped in the hearth.
"If they aren't seen to their proper place, they remain scattered," the Elder said slowly. "Gods cannot stay in one spot forever. If they are forgotten, they vanish. That is why a Gatherer finds them and brings them where they belong. That way, they don't have to disappear."
"...But is it always going to be like this?" Koyoi asked. "Is it just a constant cycle of gathering and moving them?"
The Elder shook his head. "No. Eventually, there will be an end."
Koyoi caught his breath at that. "An end...?"
"The gods will eventually come together in a single place."
The Elder's eyes glinted, reflecting the dancing flames.
"We call it Kamiatsume—The Gathering of Gods."
Kamiatsume. The word resonated in Koyoi's chest.
"Kami... atsume," he whispered. "The gods... coming together."
"Yes," the Elder nodded. "The ones collected by the Gatherers will one day meet. Those who were scattered will become one again. That is the Gathering."
Koyoi turned the word over in his mind. Kamiatsume. Every god meeting in a single location. Was that the ultimate end?
"...When will they gather?" Koyoi asked. "When will the Gathering happen?"
The Elder shook his head. "I do not know. But it will surely happen one day. Legend says that once, long ago, all the gods were brought together."
Koyoi's heart skipped a beat. "...It really happened? Truly?"
The Elder had a distant look in his eyes. "It is a legend. A very ancient one. No one knows what happened then. Only that they all came together. That much is certain."
Kamiatsume. All the gods in one place. It had happened before. And one day, it would happen again.
"...Even the ones I've gathered?"
Koyoi looked down at his pouch.
"The shrine god, the vacant lot god, the signpost god... will they all be there too?"
The Elder nodded slowly. "Perhaps. That is why we see them to their places. From where they are left, the gods will eventually set out again. They will head toward the site of the Gathering."
Koyoi took those words to heart. Seeing them to their places wasn't the end. It might very well be the beginning of the Gathering.
Koyoi left the Elder's house and ate dinner in the plaza. It was a simple meal, but it was warm. He could feel the warmth and nourishment sink in.
After eating, he rested in a small hut provided for him. The straw bedding was a bit stiff, but for his tired body, it was more than enough.
Under the covers, he gripped his pouch. It felt warm. The shrine god and the vacant lot god were sleeping peacefully.
"...Kamiatsume," Koyoi whispered softly.
A faint voice drifted from inside the pouch.
"...The Gathering."
It was the shrine god.
"...One day, everyone... will be together."
The vacant lot god joined in.
"...I see," Koyoi said, closing his eyes. "...So everyone will meet one day."
Kamiatsume. The day all gods meet in one place. Koyoi didn't know when it would come. But that day would surely arrive.
Long ago, all the gods gathered in a single place. The words repeated in his mind.
Before falling asleep, he thought to himself: Gathering them, bringing them home, leaving them behind. Perhaps that was the path toward the Gathering. And he was right in the middle of it.
He still carried two gods. There were still destinations he had to reach. Beyond the Second Boundary. Across the Nameless Valley.
But tonight, he would rest. A brief moment of rest. Tomorrow, he would start walking again.
The pouch felt faintly warm. Feeling that warmth, Koyoi drifted into sleep.