Rokujouma v7.5 Prologue

Space and time are like a river.

Rivers originate when a stream of water comes forth from the ground. As the volume of water increases, it flows from high to low, splitting into numerous tributaries. At the same time, these tributaries also have the possibility of joining anew. As this process occurs time and time again, the drainage basin gradually grows in size, delivering moisture to the dry earth.

Time and space are analogous. With the flow of time, the Origin gradually divides into countless universes. The flip of a coin serves as the perfect example of this process. The outcome of a coin flip results in a world where a heads was flipped and one where a tails was flipped: one universe has become two. Were this coin flip to decide the order of ball possession for a football match, then the outcome of this flip would wield great influence on the outcome of the match itself. This would result in the bifurcation of the original universe, leading to the creation of two parallel worlds. At the same time, however, it is possible for worlds to merge. Consider the flip of a coin once more. Were this coin to be flipped into a wishing well, regardless of whether it eventually landed on heads or tails, it would find its way to the well's depths with other coins, changing nothing. Simply put, the value of the heads or tails outcome would simply vanish into the cloud of probability described by quantum mechanics. Oftentimes, worlds which split off in such a manner - ones where the differences are negligible - are often reabsorbed by the parent universe. Rivers are subject to similar phenomena. For example, a river that has been split in two by a large rock will nevertheless meet again farther down. Via this process of numberless bifurcations and countless merges, the universe is weaved together into a vast tapestry of histories, the entirety of our lives happening on but a single thread.



Koutarou had just left that thread entirely.

The cause? Clan's Hyper Spacetime Repulsion Cannon. Although Koutarou had interrupted its firing by slicing it in two, the energy it had accumulated up to that point was released at that moment. As it had failed to fire, the energy released was but a tenth of what was intended. Nevertheless, what remained was more than enough to throw Koutarou, Clan, and the starship Yurikago out of their universe entirely.

The problem was that the weapon had released its energy in an uncontrolled state, the result of which had thrown Koutarou and company into the worst possible location——

The origin of all worlds, the fount from which the river flows.

This location outside of time and space went beyond uninhabitable - it was somewhere where physical entities could not exist. This was a place where physical laws did not apply; truthfully, it could not even be said that this place itself was a "place" at all. Koutarou and company had not only been ejected from their universe, but had further been sent here, to the origin of all worlds. Here the entirety of space, infinitely compressed, and the infinite possibilities of the multiverse, frozen in a single instant, coincided in a realm of absolute stillness. All things were at once possible and yet eternally out of reach. In the vast ocean of the multiverse comprised of countless threads of histories, this was the sole exception.

Having been sent to this location - which, it has to be said, was more of a concept than a "location" per se - Koutarou and friends should have been subjected to this compression effect and decomposed to the most basic of elementary particles, joining that sea of endless possibility...




Reality and expectation, however, differed——

A certain Will present saved Koutarou and Clan. This Will, in absolute dominion over this place, had seen the omens of their coming far in advance, preserved their physical bodies at the time of their appearance, and thus rescued them from certain destruction.

"What is this..."

The first emotion that struck the Will was that of puzzlement. The Will was the only being here, and so it had always been, was now, and would always be. This was a place where space had been infinitely compressed and time was frozen; in the Will's experience, this was the first time it had ever encountered another. Its surprise was natural. The predominant emotion after surprise, however, was interest - an interest in Koutarou and company.

"This young man is..."

The Will was particularly fascinated by Koutarou. Three entities had appeared simultaneously: Koutarou, Clan, and the starship Yurikago. Of these three, Koutarou possessed a boundless "potential" far surpassing his companions. The energy contained by the starship was, of course, the greatest, but Koutarou's endless potential was all that mattered to the Will.

"Aside from myself, nothing can exist here... Just how exactly did this young man...?"

The Will stared at Koutarou, thoroughly examining his body and spirit. Was he another existence like itself, or had he come from somewhere else entirely? As far as it was concerned, there was nothing else it was quite so curious about.

As the Will began to examine Koutarou, however, it found itself confused once again, a sudden, unexpected confusion that came from the depths of its heart.

"...Young man...? Why do I address the target in that manner?"

The fact that the Will had called Koutarou "young man" was inconceivable to it for this was not a term in Its vocabulary.

"Wait... 'I'? That's right, I just addressed myself with 'I'!"

The next surprise was the Will's awareness of itself. It had never before experienced such a thorough cognizance of its own existence; as the only being in existence, it had never before had the need to distinguish itself from anything else.

"...This awareness of 'myself' comes from this young man!"

Interacting with Koutarou had produced an unimaginable change. When the Will had come into contact with Koutarou's spirit, awareness had flooded the Will, giving definition to the previously unobserved Will, formed of primeval chaos.

"In his own timeline, this young man has met me before!"

At Koutarou's side, a tiny ray of white light flared, this was the form that Koutarou had bestowed upon the Will. The light gradually expanded until it had attained a certain stature, and then solidified into a specific shape. As the light gathered, the Will had finally obtained a physical form.

"This was the form I bore when I first manifested before him, so allow me to take that form once more."

What appeared was a mature, austere young woman with gentle eyes.

The white light by Koutarou had become a young woman. From Its contact with Koutarou, the Will had attained a true form. Contact with Koutarou's spirit had resulted in far more than the acquisition of a physical form however: self-awareness, cognizance of time and space, even language - its, no, "her" entirety.

"The target's designation is Satomi Koutarou... That's right, you're Koutarou..."

She knew Koutarou. After the changes to her mind and body, Koutarou's name was within her realm of knowledge.

"His ID has a lot of different information... As far as parameters are concerned, he's no one special, but he's been gifted with limitless potential..."

In order to reconstruct Koutarou's being, she read everything about him. His weight, his height, down to the specifics of his genes, even including the entirety of his history. Everything that comprised the person known as Koutarou filled her mind.

"There's a block on certain parts of his memory... This block has to have been placed by the me that meets him in the future."

Some of the data regarding his person had been sealed with a code, and was unable to be read. The sealed portions included some of the things she was most curious about, but she could only wish in vain. That notwithstanding, there was one point on which she was abundantly clear:

"In this place where nothing else exists, where the stars and life have yet to begin their next cycle... I am no longer alone."

Right here, right now, she was certain: she wasn't lonely.

Before Koutarou and his companions had appeared, loneliness had not been a concept of which she'd been entirely aware, just an ambiguous pain of which she had been a victim. Loneliness had been an unavoidable fate, something that ever was and would ever be. In this place, where time had no meaning, there was no way of knowing just how long she'd suffered. Were she to hazard a guess, then it had to have been at least several hundred human lifetimes.

That was why all that she had learned from Koutarou filled her with a wild and primal joy. The birth of the universe, the spinning of the stars, and the inevitable death of things. Within her heart, she uttered a silent prayer that she would not be eternally alone.

"...Mmm...?"

At this moment, Koutarou gradually awoke. Blinking uncertainly, Koutarou took in his surroundings, took in this situation which was beyond his ability to comprehend. Watching him, the young woman couldn't help but smile.

"Koutarou."

At the beckoning voice, Koutarou turned his gaze to the young woman.

"You're——"

Her voice and appearance filled Koutarou with indescribable emotion.

——I've met her before...

An intimate feeling, as if the two had previously spent time together. If he had to describe it, she felt like those girls who had invaded his room.

——Something's different though... I don't know her...

It was nothing more than a feeling, Koutarou's brain held no memories of the young woman before him. The feelings of familiarity and strangeness collided, leaving him in a state of confusion.

"Well met, Koutarou. Although for you, it's 'it's been a while' instead."

The sound of the woman's voice caused images to flash through Koutarou's mind.

A dark cellar with a stone floor. Stone pillars encircling a stone statue. The young woman's form ran together with the figure of the stone statue at the pillars' center.

——What was this memory...?

A series of fragmented images. The woman's words stirred an intermittent series of memories.

"Ugh..."

As Koutarou sought to organize his thoughts, to sort through his memories for the missing pieces, a sharp pain ran through his skull.

——Who is she...? What have I forgotten...? And why is my head hurting...?

The feeling of familiarity was undeniable, and yet try as he might, the details would not come. The general outline of things, hard-earned, scattered as the pain grew to the point that he could no longer think. The second he stopped trying to remember, the pain would subside, but unconsciously, he determined that this was a thing of terrible importance, something to be remembered at all costs.

"Koutarou, don't push yourself..."

As she saw Koutarou's face twist in pain, the young woman's gaze filled with sympathy.

"Your memories have been sealed."

A soft smile touched her lips and she placed her hand lightly on his forehead. The cool sensation of that frail, slender hand wiped the compulsion to search his thoughts from his mind.

"...Sealed?"

"Yes. The seal is incredibly complex; I can't undo it."

When comparing encryption and decryption, decryption was obviously the vastly more difficult task. Moreover, since the encryption had been performed by her other self, whose abilities were equally matched with hers, there was no possibility of a successful decryption.

"Rest, Koutarou. On your path back to where you ought to return..."

"Where I need to return?"

The young woman had learned something special from Koutarou's person. That information pertained to the time and location to which he belonged, a message left behind by her future self.

"There are people waiting for you there."

As her words finished, Koutarou's conscience began to fade. The young woman had exercised the powers within her to cause a sleep to come upon him. Koutarou felt no fear, though, for he saw the tender smile of the woman.

"...Why're you crying...?"

His consciousness fading fast, Koutarou nevertheless noticed her tears. Although she wore a brilliant smile, tears still ran down her cheeks.

"Meeting you has made me so happy. Because for so, so long, I've been alone."

An unending loneliness and unending solitude. This meeting with Koutarou had saved the young woman. The joy she felt was beyond her ability to express, the smile adorning her face and the words she spoke simply did not suffice.

"The thought of you leaving is unbearable. Afterwards, I shall be alone once more."

Koutarou had a place he belonged to which he must return, but the young woman could not leave this place. From the time when the universe would come into being until the fading of the last star, she would have to stay here, all alone. Cruel reality wracked the young woman with sorrow and her tears flowed unceasingly.

"...My dad always says that when you feel alone, you need to do your best to turn things around."

"Hahaha. Yes, that I know."

As Koutarou's vision faded to white, the young woman wiped the tears from her eyes.

——That's great...

The tears gone, a radiant smile bloomed on her face. Koutarou sighed in relief at the sight, a powerful wave of drowsiness pouring over him. Koutarou gave in to the feeling, though not without forgetting to offer up one final question.

"We'll meet again... won't we?"

A warm, caring, and yet lonely young woman. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he wanted to meet her again.

"Of course."

Her answer carried a hint of earnest felicity.

"But when that time comes, will you still want to meet me...?"

Accompanying that feeling of joy was one of unease.

——The smile on her face faded...

Koutarou forcefully propped up his sluggish body, and gave a solemn reply.

"If I didn't want to see you again, then why would I have asked?"

"...Thank you, Koutarou. We'll definitely see each other again."

At this point, Koutarou was unable to hold himself up any longer.

——Aw, crap... I forgot to ask her name...

With this final thought, Koutarou's consciousness finally succumbed, sinking deeply into the world of dreams. The young woman exercised her inborn powers once more, wrapping Koutarou, Clan, and the starship in a powerful light.

"Goodbye... Until we meet again...."

The young woman sent Koutarou and the others on their way. They vanished, where they were headed unknown. For a time, she stared at the space Koutarou had just occupied, her hands clutched to her bosom, her eyes slowly closing.

"The first star will be a brilliant blue, just like Koutarou's armor..."

And so she began to weave together the threads of space and time.

Dreaming of the moment when, billions - perhaps tens of billions - of years from now, she and Koutarou would meet once again.