His consciousness came and went. Sunlight filtered through the trees, blurred. The coldness of the ground pressed against his cheek.
He did not know where he was. He did not remember how far he had walked. He knew only that he could no longer move.
His forehead was hot. He felt as if blood were still flowing. His left arm hurt. His whole body hurt.
"...It is alright."
The voice of the god of the shrine reached him from afar.
"...He is here."
"...He is still here."
The voice of the god of the vacant lot, too.
The voices of the gods were tethering Koyoi. They were barely holding his fading consciousness together. But he had reached his limit. If he closed his eyes, they might never open again. Even so, his eyelids were heavy.
At that moment.
A footstep. Coming closer. The sound of human footsteps.
The Observer? Had he been caught?
His body would not move. Even as he willed himself to flee, he could not move a single finger.
The footsteps stopped. Very close by.
"...Are you alive?"
A voice. Low. But different from the Observer's. It had intonation. A human voice.
He tried to open his eyes. His vision was blurred. He could not make out the face. There was simply someone there. Looking down at Koyoi.
"This is terrible..."
The person muttered.
"Do not move. I will treat you now."
Something lifted Koyoi's body. He was being carried. On someone's back.
"Hang in there. Do not die yet."
Swaying. With every step, his body swayed. Consciousness drifted away again.
"...Who?"
A voice came out. Raspy.
"Do not speak. You will bleed."
It was growing dark. His vision narrowed. But the voices of the gods still reached him.
"...It is alright."
"...He is not a bad person."
"...Probably."
With that as the last, his consciousness cut out.
◇
He opened his eyes.
A ceiling. A stone ceiling. He was inside a cave. It was dim. But something glowed nearby. An oil lamp. A small flame flickering.
The rock surface took on a reddish hue in the firelight. From deep within the cave, the sound of dripping water echoed faintly. The air was cold, yet a sense of warmth drifted from somewhere. Someone had lit a fire for him.
"..."
He tried to speak, but his throat was dry.
"Are you awake?"
A voice. He turned his neck. It hurt. But it moved.
Someone was there. Sitting with his back against the wall. He could not see his face well. The oil lamp's light cast him in silhouette.
"Where is this...?"
"A hideout in the forest."
The person answered.
"The Observer will not come this far. Probably."
Observer. With that word, his memories returned. He had been fleeing. He had been pursued. He had fallen from a cliff. He had bled.
"...Who are you?"
"I am from the village of the Boundary."
He answered briefly.
"I saw you flee into the forest and followed you."
A person from the Boundary village. He had followed him through that chaos?
"I have closed your wounds."
The person said.
"The cut on your forehead is deep, but it is not life-threatening. Your left arm is bruised. It is not broken."
Koyoi looked at his own body. Cloth was wrapped around his forehead. His left arm was also held in place with something. He had treated him.
The cloth was wrapped carefully. Neither too tight nor too loose. He could tell the treatment had been done with practiced hands. From the bandages came the scent of medicinal herbs. A bitter, green scent.
"...Why?"
Koyoi asked.
"...Why did you save me?"
Silence. The flame of the oil lamp flickered. He caught a glimpse of the person's face for just a moment. A tall boy. A stern face. But gentle eyes.
"I could not abandon a Gatherer."
The person said.
"What you carry is important to the village as well."
Gatherer. This person knew, too. He knew who Koyoi was.
"You were being pursued by an Observer, weren't you?"
The person continued.
"They crossed the Boundary. The village is in an uproar."
"The villagers...?"
"They are safe. The Observer was only chasing you. They did not lay a hand on the villagers."
Hearing that, he felt a small measure of relief. The villagers had bought him time. Thanks to them, he had escaped.
"Can you drink some water?"
A bamboo tube was held out to him. Koyoi took it. The water moistened his throat. Cold. Delicious.
"Stay here for a while."
The person said.
"Do not move until your wounds heal."
Koyoi nodded. As he nodded, he thought.
Is this person truly an ally? Can I really trust him?
He reached for his pouch. It was at his waist. Safe. The gods inside were there, too.
"...What do you think?"
He asked in his heart.
"...I do not know."
The voice of the god of the shrine.
"...Wait and see."
The voice of the god of the vacant lot.
It seemed even the gods could not judge. But at the very least, they were not on guard. The pouch was not cold.
The person stood up. He headed toward the back of the cave. His back was turned.
Koyoi gazed at his retreating figure. A person from the Boundary village. Someone who knew about Gatherers. The person who had saved him.
Could he believe in this warmth?
He did not know.
He still knew nothing at all.