Three figures sat side-by-side on a bench at Nakaoka Station. Three lanterns flickered through the mist, their flames dancing in the gloom.
They looked like reflections of the three people themselves.
Asahi leaned his back against a pillar, Kuon sat at the very edge of the bench, and Koyoi was nestled in the middle.
"Let’s review," Kuon said.
He rested the Registry upon his knees. Across its grey, cloth-bound cover, a single streak of gold traced a line.
"At the Moonshadow Well, we found the original records. We discovered the Sanctuary of Ice. In the depths of the Shimozato Well, we confirmed the layering of names. From the original texts in the Scripture House, we read the first command for the Freezing. And in the Valley of the Moon, we found the Vault of Covenants."
He counted them off, folding his fingers one by one.
"And we know now that the one who first ordered the names to be frozen was not an Observer. It was a god."
Koyoi listened, his hand resting over the drawstring pouch at his waist.
"The First God chose to have their own name frozen. We don't know why. But they left a promise behind. They intended to come back for it."
"But they never did," Koyoi said softly.
"They never did. And that voluntary freeze became the precedent. The Observers turned it into a system. One deity's decision was used as the justification for the forced freezing of thousands—millions—of others."
Asahi opened his eyes. "So, where is this 'First God' now?"
"Somewhere in this world, still holding their name. They aren't frozen. They couldn't be, since they were the one who issued the command."
"Do we know the name?"
Kuon opened the Registry to a page restored at the Scripture House. He cast a pale blue light across it, illuminating the final line. Characters shimmered into view.
But Kuon did not read them aloud.
"This name cannot be spoken."
"Why not?"
"The moment it is voiced, it will trip the surveillance of Providence. This name is tied to the primordial authority of the Freezing. If called, the Scripture House will react. Our location would be compromised instantly."
Kuon closed the book.
"However, there is a way to find them. The Droplets in your pouch will react. The souls within those silver tears were once in the same place as the First God. If we draw near, the Droplets will tell us."
Koyoi lifted the pouch onto his lap. The Droplets within pulsed with a gentle rhythm. Since touching the covenant in the Valley of the Moon, their warmth had changed.
Before, it had been a warmth crying out for help. Now, it was a warmth trying to tell him something.
"I understand," Koyoi whispered to the pouch. "I’m coming to hear the truth about you all. Even if I’m scared, I’m going."
One of the Droplets gave a single, powerful pulse.
Asahi stood up. "Which way?"
Kuon touched the golden streak on the Registry. The line glowed faintly, pointing toward the horizon.
"North. Deep within the northern reaches of Hokushu, there is a god hiding, still bearing their name."
Asahi adjusted the greatsword on his back and looked toward the northern edge of the station. Beyond the fog, tracks he had never seen before stretched out into the unknown.
Koyoi tied the pouch back to his belt. The Droplets felt warm against his skin.
I’m afraid, he felt the Droplets say. But they also seemed to whisper, Please, go.
The lantern flames flickered. From deep within the mist, the presence of an approaching train grew stronger. As the wind died down, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Koyoi stared at the three lanterns. Three lights for three people. The time they had spent sitting here remained behind, counted out in flames.
Kuon tucked the Registry into his robes and rose from the bench. The golden streak shimmered through a gap in the leather.
"...The distance between lights, I suppose," Kuon murmured to no one in particular.
"The distance from one light to the next... you can't see it on a map. It’s a distance that can only be measured by your own feet."
Koyoi nodded. "That’s why we have to go."
The rumble of the train grew louder. Through the fog, the hazy glow of carriage windows appeared. It was the train for the north.
The three of them left the bench and stood at the edge of the platform. Behind them, the three lantern flames swayed in their wake.