Boundary of Time
Index
Boundary of Time
Nameless Phantom
...That's all I have to teach.
Nameless Phantom
In life, I was a well-known swordsman. At the risk of tooting my own horn, I'd even go so far as to say I was a master.
Nameless Phantom
The way of the sword is an arduous and demanding path, and not everyone is blessed with the talent to pursue it.
Nameless Phantom
Some people simply cannot master the sword, no matter how hard they try.
Nameless Phantom
Lady Saigyouji...
Nameless Phantom
I owe you a favor for mending my temperament.
Nameless Phantom
Thanks to you, I can speak and wield a sword despite being a phantom.
Nameless Phantom
I expected the long wait in the Netherworld to be tedious, but it wasn't because I could swing a sword just as I did in life.
Nameless Phantom
That said... Umm, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but...
Nameless Phantom
It seems I wasn't up to the task!
Nameless Phantom
I can't teach you the sword!
Nameless Phantom
I'm terribly sorry that I couldn't help, but honestly, it's kind of freeing knowing that I did my best and failed.
Nameless Phantom
See you in the next life, I suppose. I hope, one day, you'll find someone who can teach you.
Nameless Phantom
Farewell.
Yukari?
Oh, were you playing again? I understand that there really isn't much else to do, but...
Yukari?
How many times have you received training from historical swordmasters, only to send them off to their next life?
Yukari?
It's not like there even is a next life anymore.
Yukari?
The lingering thoughts and feelings of the dead manifest in this arena. If only you could tell someone about this...
Yukari?
I'm sure the arena would benefit someone in the future if you could. No, not the future. I should call it the past, shouldn't I?
Yukari?
Then again, to you, I suppose it's neither.
Yukari?
Anyway, now that you've trained your body, it's time to train your mind. Let's begin, shall we?
She's Yukari Yakumo, a greater youkai and my best friend. She trusts me with all her thoughts.
Or rather, she's my memories of her... No, that's not quite right, is it?
She's my memories of a different Yukari who came here from a distant world to try and stop the Lost Word Incident.
But, like most things, that no longer matters. We couldn't resolve the Lost Word Incident. Our efforts were meaningless.
The tiny Yukari claimed that while we failed with nothing to show for it in this world, our efforts will help a different world.
I'm not sure if that's true, but I would like to find out.
The tiny Yukari faded away after seeing that girl to another world.
That moment left such a strong impression on me that I still see her now instead of my world's Yukari.
Yukari?
I know I've told you this before, but...
Yukari?
You are all that's left of this world. Everything else has disappeared.
Yukari?
You should've disappeared too long ago, but you've lingered here because you're a special type of ghost.
Yukari?
You are neither living nor dead, and you can't easily fade from existence due to the peculiar circumstances of your unlife.
Yukari?
This has made you particularly resistant to the effects of this world's Lost Word.
Yukari?
This resulted in the dark void that should've engulfed you being forever trapped in the boundary of what is and isn't you.
Yukari?
This place is a microcosm of your mind.
Yukari?
It's a prison of your own identity, a closed circle...
Yukari?
...and a perfectly sealed room, hidden and isolated from any outside interference.
This is a world of make-believe. The phantoms pretend to move on to the next life, and this Yukari pretends to talk.
I pretend to live a normal life even though everything here is merely a reflection of my own memories and knowledge.
If this truly is a sealed room, then no matter how comfortable I am here, I will inevitably long to leave.
If you're trapped, you cannot help but wish to be free.
Yukari?
You cannot leave this sealed room. There is no exit.
Exactly. There's no one here but me. Nothing here but me. And I cannot run from myself.
Has there ever been such a perfect prison before? No matter where I go, I'll still be inside my own mind.
Yukari?
OK, that's enough revision. It's time to recall another memory...
I'll never be able to break out of here unless I find someone or something that isn't me, but it's too late for that now...
Yukari?
We've already recalled and discussed all your other memories, so today's memory will be the last.
Yukari?
You've done well to make it this far. Come tomorrow, we can start all over again.
Yukari?
Now, without further ado...
Yukari?
This last piece of knowledge concerns the peculiar circumstances that protected you from the Lost Word.
Yukari?
You can't disappear because you haven't discovered your own corpse buried beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi.
...What?
But Fujimi's daughter is buried under the Saigyou Ayakashi. I even caused an incident to try and revive her.
Why did she say my corpse is buried there?
And how could I know that?
Oh...
I think I get it.
Yuyuko
Thank you, Yukari. I know what I have to do now.
Yuyuko
I'm going.
Yukari?
Glad to hear it.
Yuyuko
I'm sure I'll be able to find you again―you and the other Yukari.
Yuyuko
And this arena will surely be of use to someone someday.
Yuyuko
I wonder what the connection is...
Yuyuko
...between the Saigyou Ayakashi and my corpse.
???
I can tell you that because, deep down, you've already realized the answer.
Yuyuko
Oh? Who are you?
Yuyuko
You look like me... but younger. I thought I lost all my memories from when I was alive...
???
Yes, you probably did. But you'll also forget that you forgot soon enough, so there's no problem at all.
???
Come on, aren't you going to see the Saigyou Ayakashi?
Fujimi's Daughter
Let's go together... Oh, right, I almost forgot. Please call me Fujimi's daughter.
Fujimi's Daughter
I won't be able to stay with you for long, so let's enjoy it while it lasts, OK?
Yuyuko
What?! Your father shoved you aside when you welcomed him home?!
Fujimi's Daughter
I know, right?! That was so mean! And after that, it wasn't long until my mother left to become a nun...
Fujimi's Daughter
Anyway, enough about that.
Fujimi's Daughter
We've almost reached the end of the path, and I still haven't answered your question.
Fujimi's Daughter
In short, the Saigyou Ayakashi and your corpse are sealing each other.
Fujimi's Daughter
Your corpse prevents the Saigyou Ayakashi from blooming, sealing its magic that could've killed every living being.
Fujimi's Daughter
Conversely, the greater youkai tree has effectively sealed the daughter of Fujimi's ability to truly die and reincarnate.
Fujimi's Daughter
The Saigyou Ayakashi's roots wrapped around her corpse, isolating her from the karmic cycle's pull.
Fujimi's Daughter
In other words, you're Fujimi's daughter. You're a special ghost removed from the karmic cycle of reincarnation!
Yuyuko
Unbelievable!
Yuyuko
That means if my incident succeeded, I would've uncovered my own remains and made myself disappear!
Yuyuko
And to think that I'm only realizing this now...! That incident was just too much fun!
Fujimi's Daughter
Also, I should mention that you will forget everything that happens here. So, knowing that now doesn't change much.
Yuyuko
Awww!
Yuyuko
Oh, but isn't this place inside my mind? I thought I wasn't able to learn things that I don't already know.
Fujimi's Daughter
Good catch. Yes, you shouldn't be able to learn about the life you had before you became a ghost.
Fujimi's Daughter
Unless, of course, there is outside interference.
Fujimi's Daughter
The fact that you're able to learn about this means someone has broken the seal on this prison. And that someone is...
Fujimi's Daughter
...the Saigyou Ayakashi.
It's in full bloom.
This isn't like the tree I'm used to seeing every day in this place. It was always close to full bloom but never quite there.
There's no doubt about it. The Saigyou Ayakashi has been fully restored.
I'm only able to witness this because it's within the microcosm of my own mind.
Because life and death are fake here. In this place, attaining enlightenment, reincarnation, birth, and death are imitations.
This is the second time I've ever seen the Saigyou Ayakashi in full bloom. And it's probably the last.
That's why...
I couldn't help but praise the sight before my eyes.
Yuyuko
It's beautiful.
???
Yuyuko Saigyouji.
???
Girl who manipulates death.
Yuyuko
S-Saigyou... Ayakashi? Um, Saigyou Ayakashi, I'm―
???
I cannot tell you much. But, if you wish to stop lingering here...
???
If you wish to move forward...
???
If you wish to bloom as I do...
???
Then follow my roots.
Yuyuko
Your roots...?
???
Hurry.
Yuyuko
O-OK.
Ne no Kuni―the Land of Roots―is another name for the world after death.
Some say it lies deep underground, whereas others think it exists somewhere across the ocean.
It's also speculated to be the original Otherworld.
It is the closest Otherworld to us.
Yuyuko
Where am I? This doesn't look like the Underworld...
???
Testing. Testing.
???
Sorry for the deception, but you were right to come here.
???
You're near the center of the multidimensional neural network. This place was based on a different world that fell to ruin.
???
Some say the network is a Taoist or senjutsu conceptual structure or that it's an interstellar lifeform's nervous system...
???
But neither of those things does it justice. They don't explain how it could be connected to the Saigyou Ayakashi's roots...
???
Sorry, I was rambling again. I'll leave the rest to you two.
Mysterious Girl A
Welcome. I've heard you're also a girl of death.
Mysterious Girl B
And I've heard you also like flowers.
Yuyuko
Who are you...? You both look similar to people I know, but you don't seem to be them.
Mysterious Girl A
In a way, we are them since it doesn't matter who came first or second.
Mysterious Girl B
Yes, and that's exactly the kind of thing we want to talk to you about.
Yuyuko
Hm?
Mysterious Girl A
You lingered on the boundary of life and death. And now, you're in a fixed memory where neither life nor death exist.
Mysterious Girl A
You cannot forget anything or learn anything new. There are no other people to meet or say goodbye to.
Mysterious Girl A
In other words, in this microcosm of your mind, there is no future or past.
Mysterious Girl A
This is the only way you could've resisted the effects of the Lost Word.
Mysterious Girl B
It's like you stopped time, or rather, discarded the concept of time altogether.
Mysterious Girl B
This isn't all that far-fetched, considering it could be argued that humans created the concept of time in the first place.
Mysterious Girl B
Humans and youkai perceive time differently. But it's more than that.
Mysterious Girl B
The concept of time can only exist when there's a beginning and an end. Or, in other words, a birth and a death.
Mysterious Girl B
Your microcosm was freed from time by renouncing life and death, effectively shielding you from your world's Lost Word.
Mysterious Girl A
However, this also isolated your microcosm, sealing you inside. And that's why you're looking for a way out.
Mysterious Girl A
But let me ask you something... Why do you want to leave?
Yuyuko
Isn't that obvious?
Yuyuko
It's because I'm worried about Youmu.
Mysterious Girl B
Youmu? Oh, that's the name of your servant, isn't it?
Mysterious Girl A
I get that she's a bit unreliable, but are you really that worried about her?
Yuyuko
Nothing's the same without her. That's been true ever since the day Youmu was born.
Yuyuko
Regardless of what grand ambitions we may claim to aspire to, deep down, we all find solace in the little, everyday things.
Yuyuko
It is for these things that people live and eventually die. As a ghost, I'm neither living nor dead, but I feel the same way.
Mysterious Girl B
I didn't expect such an honest and straightforward answer.
Yuyuko
Well, I've had plenty of time to think. No, if you're right and there is no time here, then I must've known that all along.
Yuyuko
Without life or death, beginning or end, time is the same as space. Both the past and future lie flat, like an open book.
Yuyuko
This must be what it's like to attain enlightenment. I'm sure my father and Youki must've experienced this...
Yuyuko
But I'm undeserving of that fate. Nor is it a fate that I aspire to.
Yuyuko
I have decided to leave this world, this ghostly microcosm of my mind.
Yuyuko
I shall leave in search of a world where life and death exist.
Yuyuko
With my power to manipulate death, I will restart the karmic cycle.
Mysterious Girl B
Well, Alice? Are you as surprised as I am?
Mysterious Girl A
Probably. I really didn't expect it to turn out exactly as the Saigyou Ayakashi predicted.
Yuyuko
What do you mean?
Mysterious Girl B
The Saigyou Ayakashi may be a greater youkai, but it's still just a youkai plant.
Mysterious Girl A
Like most plants, it isn't much of a talker.
Mysterious Girl B
That's why it slowly, ever so slowly, wrote a message for you instead.
Mysterious Girl A
We're here now because it has finally finished writing its message, and it wants us to read it to you.
Yuyuko
What does it say?
Mysterious Girl B
It's surprisingly short.
Mysterious Girl A
We're both here, so we might as well read it together.
Mysterious Girls
"The daughter of Fujimi will definitely try to leave, so please give her the two branches pruned from me."
Yuyuko
...
Yuyuko
I don't know what I was expecting, but it was definitely something with a bit more gravitas...
Yuyuko
Anyway, I wonder who pruned the Saigyou Ayakashi.
Yuyuko
You would need exceptional blades and incredible gardening skills to trim the branches of a greater youkai.
Mysterious Girls
...
Mysterious Girls
Are you really asking us that?!
Yuyuko
Hmm, that might have been a bit difficult to follow. Did you understand everything OK?
Youmu
Y-You completely lost me...!
Youmu
But I'm really glad that my sword slash bullet managed to cut off the branches of the Saigyou Ayakashi near you!
Yuyuko
You know that wasn't a coincidence, don't you?
Yuyuko
Time that no longer flows can be treated in essentially the same way as space.
Yuyuko
It's like how the people of Hourai can neither live nor die because the concepts of life and death don't apply to them.
Yuyuko
Hmm, perhaps there's a better way to explain it. Say you have a series of photos all lined up in the order they were taken...
Yuyuko
Actually, it might be easier if you picture the pages of a flip book.
Yuyuko
If you look at the pages in the correct order, you can easily intuit the passage of time.
Yuyuko
But what if the pages were shuffled around?
Yuyuko
What if the page numbers were changed for some reason, and you misinterpreted those numbers as the correct order?
Youmu
What?! Umm, I think... that would make it really hard to follow what's going on!
Yuyuko
Yes, but there are some upsides to this.
Yuyuko
It allows you to see the past and the future side-by-side, though there are limits to how far forward or back you can go.
Yuyuko
This means that actions capable of affecting things at long ranges can instead affect things in the distant past or future.
Youmu
Are you saying that's how my sword slash reached you?!
Youmu
Maybe I can learn to do that at will if I train hard enough...!
Yuyuko
I think you'd have to train very hard indeed to cut whatever you want beyond the bounds of spacetime.
Youmu
Awww...
Yuyuko
But it's not impossible.
Youmu
R-Really?!
Yuyuko
We need to think outside the box to find a means of combating the Lost Word Incident. We might need your skills.
Yuyuko
So train hard, OK?
Youmu
I will!
Youmu
L-Lady Yuyuko. I'm... so happy to see you again...
Youmu
Umm, I was worried that... *sob*
Yuyuko
Me too, Youmu. Hakugyokurou just isn't the same without you.
Yuyuko
Come here.
Youmu
*crying*
Yuyuko
There, there. I'm proud of you, Youmu.
Yuyuko
My dear Youmu.
Miss Yuyuko, Youmu, the meeting's about to start―
Oh.
(I'll come back later.)
The Blue Blossom Blade and the Blossoming Blade are the names of the two swords that grew from my branches.
No items are better suited to stitching together a torn karmic cycle and reviving a dead world.
However, I am worried about something. The passage of time is meaningless to beings that have transcended life and death.
What I presume to be the past might, in fact, be the future... or vice versa.
I can only think at the pace of a plant, so there isn't enough space to order all my thoughts here.
Oh, well...
What's a tree to do?
