Chapter Text
Venturing deeper into Kinkaku-ji, Kyon was surprised that despite all the shadows seemingly emerging from the temple, there were none in its ‘interior’. At least, if what they were walking through was supposed to be how the temple looked like on the inside.
Rather than traditional Japanese architecture greeting them, what Kyon saw was simply a tunnel of complete darkness, though it was obvious to the naked eye there was something swirling around in the nothingness. With the only source of light being the entrance from which they entered Kinkaku-ji, Kyon’s eyes were struggling to adjust in the dim environment.
Looking behind him, Kyon saw that everyone had managed to follow the SOS Brigade into the temple, which was a relief. As there were no sign of shadows inside of Kinikaku-ji, Yuki and Itsuki had reasoned that bringing everyone in there would be safer compared to leaving them outside. There was no certainty the shadows wouldn’t return even after what Yuki, Fafnir, and Munto’s devastating attacks did to them.
“ARRIVAL. RELATION. CURIOUS. ” Those words weren’t spoken out loud, but Kyon still felt them resound in his head with a booming voice. Looking around and trying to figure out where they came from, Kyon also saw everyone else turning their heads in confusion, indicating they felt that sensation as well. Somehow knowing it came from the void itself, Kyon reckoned the only way to get a reaction was directly shouting at it.
“Who are you? Why did you create all this in the first place? Show yourself!” Breathing several deep breaths after calling out to the depths in front of him, Kyon saw the darkness visibly shift around before slowing down again, as if it was processing his requests. After a few short moments, he got a reply in the form of more sensations.
“DEEPER. CENTER. REVELATION. ” Judging from her reaction, it seemed that even Yuki couldn’t process what the void was trying to tell them, so Kyon had no choice but to trust his instincts this time around. With those three feelings echoing in his mind, Kyon decided to venture further into Kinkaku-ji, hoping it could provide the answers he was seeking. Motioning for the SOS Brigade and everyone else to follow him, Kyon then proceeded further into the temple.
After an indeterminate amount of time spent walking, Kyon was surprised to see that everyone had followed him on his journey to the root of all this, even though they didn’t need to. They most likely thought staying where they were would only mean being sitting ducks for the shadows, so coming with him was clearly the better option.
With his feet starting to ache, Kyon was certain they had arrived at their destination when he saw what lay in front of them. His eyes fully adjusted to the darkness after spending so much time in it, Kyon realized everyone was now suspended midair in a spherical ‘room’, and they were all facing towards something he could only describe as an impossibly large orb of shadows.
The spectres on the dark sphere were swirling around, and were much more defined compared to the nondescript ones Kyon saw outside, with clear outlines and more depth to them. However, this was no time for being intrigued about what was in front of him. Kyon had a world to save.
“What are you?” Kyon decided to start from the beginning, hoping that he would finally get a definitive answer this time around. With the shadows swirling around more visibly in their orb, it seemed that Kyon would get his wish. Unsure what to expect from it, all Kyon could do in the moment was wait until the void responded.
“PERISHED. SOULS. DRIFTING. ” Upon feeling those sensations coursing through him, Kyon instantly knew what he and everyone else was dealing with. The mass of shadows wasn’t a mindless entity, but rather the collective consciousness of those who lost their lives in the incident which happened 70 years ago. That reveal put Kyon unsettlingly on edge, but it didn’t stop a curious young woman from pressing further.
“Why did you cover everything with shadows? What’s your motive?” Despite this scenario being far beyond anything she had ever encountered before, Eru was still determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. Armed with the knowledge of what (or who) was behind the shadows, Eru knew confronting their source could well be their only chance at undoing what the darkness had done.
“PAIN. SUFFERED. IMMENSE. ” With those sensations, the formless spirits in the orb appeared to uncomfortably writhe around, as if they were still feeling torment from what had happened to them. “RELEASE. UNABLE. HELP. ”
The spirits’ call of distress was then accompanied by an audible howl, followed by even more darkness bursting out of the sphere and into its surroundings. Now that it was apparent the shadows were caused by the spirits’ continued pain, which in turn was caused by what bound them to the world, Eru wanted to help free them from their suffering.
“How can we help you? There must be some way we can do that.” Eru was getting more and more worried by the spirits’ condition. It was clear they also didn’t want to cover the world in darkness, but it seemed to be the only outlet the spirits could release their pain through. “After all, both you and us don’t want the world to be destroyed by the shadows.”
“CONCEPTIONS. CREATE. SUFFERING. ” As the spirits answered Eru’s question, it appeared that whatever machinations had tied them down to the world of the living were working against them. With each new sensation came more howls and even more shadows being created. However, the root of the spirits’ problem was now visible, which meant it could be confronted directly. “SUFFERING. CREATES. SHADOWS. ”
“So you want us to change your conceptions? That’s going to break what’s trapping you here in our world?” Kumiko asked. Being someone on the receiving end of paradigm-shifting events ever since she first entered high school, Kumiko knew first-hand how challenging that was. Since her own perspectives had been adjusted through major events in her life, Kumiko couldn’t see how that could be replicated for the spirits. “But how can we do that for you?”
“THE… ONLY… WAY… ” With each successive sensation, it seemed the spirits were struggling against what bound them to the world of the living, shadows and screams emerging nonstop from the orb. Hoping they could still answer her question, Kumiko closed her eyes and clenched her hands together as the spirits replied with three more sensations. “ANSWER… OUR… QUESTION… ”
Then, a coherent sentence rang out from the darkness.
“WHAT DEFINES YOU？？？ ”
Surprised at the spirits’ message, everyone was frozen in shock, unable to respond as they processed what the spirits asked them. Though the question they received was certainly unorthodox, it was clear that the spirits had no other choice with the pain they were in. Their answers having the power to save the world or tear it apart, no person stepped forward for fear of unwittingly dooming everything they knew with a casual reply.
Observing the apathy around her, Yumemi couldn’t stand the indecision she was feeling anymore. Taking a leap of faith, she stepped forward with a brave face and stared directly at the sphere of spirits, eyes glinting with determination as she spoke her mind.
“Forging towards the future despite all the uncertainty it brings.” To everyone’s relief, the shadows emanating from the orb slowed down, indicating Yumemi’s bold reply had reached the spirits. After hearing Yumemi’s words, Ichiko, Suzume, and Munto also expressed similar sentiments, drawing on what they had been through.
“Facing and overcoming new challenges together with comrades.” Inspired by what Yumemi had started with, Sosuke knew her example had to be held up, or else the darkness would never stop. Following Sosuke’s lead, Kaname couldn’t help but say something along those lines as well.
“Creating bonds that can stand the test of time, especially with people close to you.” For some reason, Yukito impulsively blurted those words out, knowing them to be true from the bottom of his heart. To his surprise, Misuzu also said something that was almost identical, as if she had been through an experience like that herself.
“The spirit of adventure.” Despite his response being extremely short and to the point, Kyon was sure they had succinctly summarized why Haruhi had founded the SOS Brigade in the first place, along with what she had dragged them through together. With the other brigade members echoing how he felt, Kyon was now cautiously optimistic they were on the right track. Though Haruhi, Yuki, Mikuru, and Itsuki’s identities were wildly different, going into the unknown was what bound them together as a team.
“Keeping promises, no matter what happens.” Ever since he returned to the town his aunt and cousin lived in after he last left seven years ago, Yuuichi had received so many blasts from the past to the point where everything he thought he knew about his childhood had been turned upside-down. As Ayu had been the center of everything which happened to him both seven years ago and more recently, Yuuichi felt a tinge of melancholy when she revealed she had similar thoughts.
“Sharing your interests with others.” Being an otaku, the most vivid memories Konata had aside from extremely emotional moments during anime, manga, video games, or visual novels was when she got to discuss them or other inane topics with her friends. Though she was a tad bit annoying with her rants at times, Kagami, Tsukasa, and Miyuki also thought those mundane conversations were when they had been closest as friends, and wholeheartedly joined Konata in her answer.
“Finding a family, even when they’re not related by blood.” While he had been mending the estranged relationship he had with his father, Tomoya was certain that wouldn’t have happened had he not met Nagisa in high school. Falling in love, marrying Nagisa, and preparing to start a family together was what caused Tomoya’s rough edge to soften, allowing him to reconcile with his past. Agreeing with her husband, Nagisa repeated after him. Despite having a happy family right from the get-go, she knew all too well from the memories she shared with Tomoya about how they changed him for the better.
“Having fun with friends!” Being the straightforward and innocent girl she was, Yui’s personality was immediately evident in her answer. Even though it had initially started because of Ritsu’s unyielding passion for rock music, the light music club had evolved into a place where the five girls of Hokago Tea Time had created unbreakable bonds with each other, all while having fun along the way. Yui’s words unable to be any closer to the truth, Ritsu, Mio, Mugi, and Azusa followed her lead.
“Finding pleasure from the little things in my ordinary life.” Her own life being anything but ordinary to an onlooker from outside, the bizarre things Yuuko had gone through with her friends distorted her perception of reality so much that it was now her new normal, and she savoured every moment of it. With Mio and Mai being accomplices to her craziness (when they weren’t the sources of it), they had no choice but to agree with Yuuko.
“Being curious about the world around you.” Though this wasn’t a sentiment he held himself, Houtarou’s high school life had been changed so much by Eru’s rampant curiosity that it would be foolish for him not to answer that way. Sharing those memories with him, Eru, Satoshi, and Mayaka responded in the same manner.
“Taking breaks from reality, but not abandoning it forever.” The consequences of forcibly doing that to Rikka hurt her a lot, but Yuuta thought going through that allowed her to fully embrace her chuunibyou, setting her free from using it as a defense against reality. Agreeing with the way Yuuta framed their collective delusions, Rikka, Shinka, Sanae, and Kumin echoed his words.
“Appreciating what you have with friends and family.” Her own life being plain by any measure, Tamako was content with what she had. Nothing more they could add to what Tamako had already encapsulated, Mochizou, Kanna, and Midori simply repeated after her. Sometimes, the best life was one you could enjoy with the people closest to you.
“Striving towards a goal with friends and rivals.” Surprised that something not related to water, swimming, or mackerel emerged from Haruka’s mouth for once, Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, Rin, and Gou couldn’t help but be awestruck by how profound it was. Quickly agreeing with him, the others couldn’t help but be amazed by how easily Haruka had condensed all their feelings in a neat little package.
“Accepting yourself for who you are.” Being ostracized all their lives for being ‘cursed’, Akihito and Mirai knew all too well how much their journey towards realizing they were valued meant to them. By accompanying what their friends had been through, Mitsuki, Hiroomi, and Ai also gave a similar response due to their shared memories.
“Finding a reason to care about others.” Despite being forcibly roped into becoming the manager of Amagi Brilliant Park, Seiya had grown to appreciate the wackiness which came with the job, and eventually couldn’t bear to leave it behind. With Seiya’s passion for saving Amagi growing as he became more accustomed to his new job, Isuzu slowly warmed up to his former overly-narcissistic self, which was why she echoed his words.
“Constantly improving yourself.” Despite already achieving a gold at prefecturals, Kumiko was surprised at Reina’s frustrated outburst when their middle school’s concert band didn’t advance to the regional competition. However, her own concert band journey during high school had led her to think the same way, so Kumiko now knew that Reina had always looked towards greater heights. Her special one’s thoughts on striving to be better meant that Reina automatically agreed with Kumiko, no questions asked.
“Bonding with unexpected people and working together.” Even though it was by way of circumstance which caused most of them to meet, Haruhiko thought how Team E worked together with their unique powers to hunt down and defeat rogue Phantoms was nothing short of impressive. Thinking back to how they all met and fought together side-by-side, Mai, Reina, Koito, Kurumi, and Ruru were in approval with Haruhiko’s words.
“Finding a path towards redemption and beyond, no matter the effort needed." After needlessly tormenting the already disadvantaged Shouko during elementary school, Shouya had made it his number-one priority to atone for everything he had done to her, even before they had reunited in high school. Going to extreme lengths to prove how much he changed, Shouya had now found happiness together with Shouko, who was repeating what he said to the best of her ability after reading his lips, believing in his silent voice.
“Family can come from unexpected places.” Being emotionally and sometimes physically distant from her biological family growing up, Kobayashi’s relative solitude had now been replaced by the joy of having two dragons to care for and show love towards, as if they were her own wife and daughter. Tohru, Kanna, Elma, Lucoa, and Fafnir agreed with Kobayashi, despite only the former two actually being considered part of her ‘family’. Compared to the world of dragons, the human world was filled with boundless warmth and affection.
“Finding the meaning behind ‘I love you.” Remembering the major’s parting words to her before his untimely death, it had been Violet’s goal ever since taking up a job as an Auto Memory Doll to discover what they meant. Through recording her client’s unspoken words to their loved ones on her various assignments, Violet wholeheartedly believed she was getting ever closer towards figuring out their true meaning.
“Letting go of those close to you.” When she realized she was the one limiting Mizore from reaching her true potential, Nozomi was distraught that she had treated someone close to her like that Conversely, Mizore had always felt that she was holding back Nozomi from socializing with other people, leading to both of them reaching the same conclusion.
“Rediscovering your passion.” After developing debilitating target panic back in middle school, Minato had been reticent towards taking up a bow and practicing kyudo again. However, after learning that his high school’s kyudo instructor once had the same problem and overcame it, Minato slowly but surely regained his love of the bow, and eventually got over his target panic as well. With Minato’s own journey also causing them to appreciate kyudo more, Seiya, Ryouhei, Nanao, and Kaito agreed with what he said.
“WE… UNDERSTAND… NOW… ” With the amount of shadows emerging from the orb slowing down to a trickle, everyone was convinced their words had been satisfactory for the spirits, who had now stopped shifting restlessly inside their sphere. As the remaining darkness began to disappear from around them, Kyon was sure all this chaos was finally over. “ANSWERS… ARE… ACCEPTABLE… ”
However, it looked as if he had spoken too soon. Just when Kyon turned around to face everyone and tell them they could leave, the spirits let out a final howl of despair which echoed endlessly. That gut-wrenching sound nearly splitting his eardrums, Kyon saw from the corner of his eye that even more shadows were now bursting out of the orb, covering everything in the void’s nothingness again.
“Why is this happening? I thought we did as the spirits asked! Did they suddenly change their minds or something?” Kyon exclaimed in sheer confusion, almost unable to believe that all their efforts were for naught, even the second time around. Was the world simply doomed to be destroyed?
“It appears this second influx of shadows is not of the spirits’ own volition.” Yuki seemed to be buried in her own thoughts as she ran through every calculation and subroutine in her databank. “This is most likely the result of providence forcing the spirits to act this way, causing their negative emotions to intensify and forbidding them from departing this world. In other words, they have been chained to this world by their burdens, and the shadows are physical manifestations of that.”
“So what are we going to do now?” At this rate, there were going to be even more shadows compared to the initial barrages. Even with all the combatants assembled in one place, it looked like this was going to be an extremely uphill second round. Letting out a sigh of resignation, Kyon prepared to address everyone again when a voice pierced his thoughts.
“Stop it, everyone!” Turning to look at who had spoken out of nowhere, Kyon’s eyes soon settled on an old man coming from the temple’s entrance who he had never seen before, yet looked extremely familiar for some reason. Based on his appearance, Kyon guessed the man was in his seventies, though something about him seemed to imply that he was much older.
“HEAD… PRIEST… HERE…? ” The spirits began projecting their sensations again, which temporarily slowed down the shadows’ rampage. As if they were looking at the old man with a gaze of curiosity, Kyon’s eyes instinctively shifted to a white hamster with black spots sitting on the man’s shoulder. “AND… BAJA… TOO…? ”
“Yes, Baja’s here as well.” the old man- no, head priest answered, his tone of voice appearing to console the spirits. Jumping down from the head priest’s shoulder, the tiny hamster scampered over to the orb of spirits, and appeared disappointed when he couldn’t nuzzle it (How did Kyon know it was male?). “When he saw the shadows coming from Kinkaku-ji, he had a feeling something had happened to you, so he asked me to check up on your condition.”
“WE… SEE… NOW… ” The spirits’ tone now softened compared to the previous pain they were in, the head priest’s words had clearly resonated with the shadows just as well as everyone else’s. Based on contextual evidence, Kyon suspected that the old man calmly talking with the shadows was the head priest of Kinkaku-ji. “WE… THANK… YOU… ”
“You can’t thank me just yet.” The head priest’s lips appeared to be quavering as he spoke his next words, every single one of them loaded with emotion. Worried about both the spirits and the head priest’s condition, Baja couldn’t decide who he should comfort at the moment. “There is still something I need to do. Something which I haven’t had the heart to perform for a long time.”
“THAT… IS… APPARENT… ” The spirits noted, seemingly aware of what the head priest would do next. Stopping their restless shifting again, the spirits looked to be at peace with what awaited them.
As the head priest strode forward towards the orb, everyone parted to make way for him, innately knowing his connection with the spirits would be able to finish what they had started. Taking a deep breath, the head priest’s eyes were filled with a blend of sorrow and catharsis as he began to speak.
“Everyone, your duties are over now. You can rest and depart from this world. After everything you have been through in life, I hope you can find solace in what comes afterward.” With the head priest continuing his blessings, Kyon could see tears visibly streaming down his face, raw pathos coursing through his voice. All this had certainly not come easy for him.
What the head priest said certainly had an effect on the spirits, whose howls of pain faded as the shadows stopped coming out from the sphere. It appeared the spirits were listening intently to the head priest, but Kyon wondered if these sayings carried more weight than what he was aware of.
“Though there is not much I can do for you anymore, I will continue to honor your memory in the world of the living. Now, and always. Thank you for everything you have done.” Finishing his parting words, the head priest took a step back and simply looked at the orb of spirits, hoping what he said had reached them.
After the brief sensation of a slow nod, an outburst of gratitude and relief came from the spirits, who had fully accepted the head priest’s blessings. Kyon noted that sensation could be more accurately described as ‘joy’, but he felt it was more subdued compared to an ordinary outburst of pure positivity.
With the feeling of their joyful tears reaching everyone’s hearts, the orb of spirits glowed a soft white before separating into countless small spheres, illuminating the darkness surrounding them. One of them settled into the outstretched hands of the head priest, as if offering a final farewell before truly moving on.
When all the shadows around him began fading away, Kyon knew that this was the definitive end to the darkness’ unchecked rampage. The previously barren void had now been replaced by the crimson red of a rising sun, signalling the dawn of a new day and the triumph of hope over despair. About to question why he could see the sunrise when he should be inside Kinkaku-ji, Kyon saw that everyone had been brought outside the temple, possibly as a gesture of goodwill from the spirits for helping them find peace.
Seeing smiles, hugs, and sighs of relief across the assembled crowd of people as they realized the world hadn’t been destroyed, Kyon was grateful that everything was over now. However, before he could make his leave with the SOS Brigade, one voice broke through the crowd again.
“Everyone, thank you for what you have done.” As all heads turned to face the head priest, he then began to address the assembled crowd in a dignified manner few could hope to match, even with Baja perching on his shoulder. “Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier, but I am the head priest of Kinkaku-ji, and have been even before the tragedy which claimed the lives of my colleagues. On behalf of all those who have dedicated themselves to their craft during their time there, I express my deepest gratitude towards helping my companions move on from their troubles.”
“Every person who I have had the honor of working with was a comrade-in-arms to myself and each other.” the head priest continued. “We were like a close-knit family, celebrating each others’ successes and sharing each others’ sorrows, all while cherishing our time together. That was what made the incident infinitely more difficult for those who survived to go through. Many priceless lives were lost that day, lives which can never be brought back. However, rather than curse the world for what it has taken from us, everyone collectively decided to honor those who have left by dedicating their craft to them, believing that is what they would have wanted from us.”
“Fate can be unimaginably cruel sometimes, but we must never dwell on the past for too long. We should not only grieve for those who have passed, but also celebrate their achievements in life.” the head priest concluded. “None of my colleagues would have wanted us to hate what has been done to them, when we could instead continue their work to serve as a reminder of what we still have. Bringing joy to others is what they did best, so it is also what we should do. The memories of what they have done will continue to live on in the hearts of everyone they have positively affected, which is why I must thank you once more. Thank you, for allowing them to find peace and honor their memory.”
As the head priest finished up his words of gratitude, there was not a single dry eye in the vicinity, with everyone being moved by the head priest’s inspiring message. Looking up while he continued to wipe away at his still-running eyes, Kyon saw that there was a stone tablet right next to Kinkaku-ji’s entrance, with an even amount of names etched below two words and a simple statement.
IN MEMORIAM
Thank you for everything