Haruyama, a small town nestled among snowy mountains, was the last place Yuuki had expected to see. The cold penetrated his bones, but it was a cold unlike any he had ever felt in life. Yuuki descended the endless spiral, each turn an incision into his soul. The cold, like an icy claw, clung to his bones, reminding him of the coldness of death. The walls of the spiral, covered in strange luminous symbols that pulsed like dark heartbeats, seemed to whisper secrets to him that he did not understand. In his mind, blurred images of his happy childhood paraded: laughter in the park, hugs from his mother, the feel of sand between his fingers. But those memories were like mirages, they vanished as soon as he tried to hold on to them. One question tormented him: why had he come to this place, so far from everything he knew?"
At the end of the spiral, an oak door opened. On the other side, a warm and cozy room, filled with books up to the ceiling. Behind a desk, a young man watched him with an enigmatic smile. "Welcome, Yuuki. I am the librarian. I've been waiting for you."
"What is this place?" Yuuki asked, his voice shaking.
Yuuki gulped. The librarian rose from his chair and walked to a window that looked out onto endless darkness. 'It's a place between places,' he said, his voice soft but firm, 'a space where memories fade and destinies are rewritten. You've reached the end of yours, at least for now.' Yuuki closed his eyes, searching deep within himself. Fleeting images of his life flashed before him: his happy childhood, the blurred faces of loved ones, the bittersweet taste of lost love. But there was an emptiness, a hole in his heart, that no image could fill. The name of that person, the one who had meant everything to him, had dissolved like sugar in water.
The librarian, as if reading his thoughts, placed a hand on Yuuki's shoulder. 'Don't worry,' he said softly, 'it's natural for you to feel this way. This diary is like A map of your life, a record of all your memories. However, there are parts that are blurred, corrupted. Your life as you knew it has come to an end, but the story is not over yet. '
Yuuki started. 'It's over? What do you mean?'
The librarian placed a hand on his shoulder, his gaze distant. 'Your life, Yuuki, is written in this diary. Each page, a memory. But memories, like the leaves of a tree, wither and fall. Over time, some are lost, fading into the mist of memory. The person you can't remember is like a leaf blown away by the wind. '
The young man felt a lump in his throat. 'And that person I can't remember? Is he lost too? '
The librarian nodded sadly. 'I'm afraid so. Sometimes, the most precious memories are the hardest to hold on to. '
Yuuki felt lost and disoriented. His life, his memories, his soul... everything seemed so fragile and ephemeral.
Yuuki felt lost and disoriented. His life, his memories, his soul... everything seemed so fragile and ephemeral. 'I can't stay here, not knowing what happened,' he pleaded, his voice heavy with anguish. 'I need to go back, I need to find the answers. Is there a way to go back? I want to know who that person was, what happened to him...'
The librarian sighed, his expression unchanging. 'I understand your wish, Yuuki, but things aren't that simple. Once the threshold has been crossed, there's no turning back.'
Yuuki clung to that hope like a lifeline. 'But I haven't done anything wrong,' he protested. 'I don't deserve this punishment. Let me go back!'
The librarian stepped closer, his eyes locked on Yuuki's. 'It's not a punishment, young man,' he said softly. 'We all come to this place at some point. 'Life is a journey, and everyone has their destination.'
Yuuki felt helpless. 'But my journey isn't over,' he insisted. 'There are still things I want to do, people I want to see.'
The librarian looked at him with compassion. 'I know, Yuuki. But sometimes, the chapters of our story close. You must accept that some memories are lost forever.'
Yuuki felt as if a piece of his soul had been ripped out of him. 'And that person I can't remember? Will I never see them again?' he asked, his voice muffled.
The librarian was silent for a moment, as if searching for the right words. 'Maybe in another place, in another time. But for now, you must accept that some memories are lost forever."
The librarian fell silent, his gaze fixed on the diary. Yuuki, plunged into despair, did not notice the tension that had taken hold of the librarian. Yuuki's coming to the library had been an accident, an anomaly that did not fit into the established order. The librarian knew that the corruption of the diary was a sign of something