Think movement was simply too fast. Or rather, it was because she knew Sū ěr so well that she could act precisely before he could react. She knew better than anyone that if Sū ěr had the chance to respond, he would never allow her to take such a risk.
But she wanted Sū ěr to stay in a safe place.
Sū ěr hand, which had instinctively reached out to stop her, froze in mid-air. Even the words of anxious anger were blocked by the image that suddenly appeared before them. After crossing this water-like gate, the first thing Think saw was a sight sufficient to stop a child from crying at night.
With Think current perspective, she couldn't even tell if it was an illusion. But whether it was the hateful gaze shooting from what should have been the eyes of the chain-bound figure, or the tar-like blood dripping from the ends of the chains hanging in the void, everything was undeniably real.
It was still alive. It was unclear if it was being punished for the crimes it committed in Ashihara no Nakatsukuni—Amatsuhiko-hiko-ho-no-ninigi-no-Mikoto.
Not just Sū ěr and Think; anyone who saw it would have the name rise in their heart. It was a name that surfaced automatically. As a "punishment to warn others," it was undoubtedly successful.
He felt no sympathy for the Heavenly Grandson's current wretched state, nor did he feel terror. Sū ěr was merely confused... was this the work of Amaterasu-Omikami?
Whether from the Nine-Tailed Fox before her fall or from the legends circulating among the gods and yokai of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, the personality profile Sū ěr had built for Amaterasu was that of a kind-hearted goddess—kind to the point of weakness. From the distant past when she was bullied by her brother Susanoo and hid in the Heavenly Rock Cave [Ama-no-Iwato] rather than drive him away, to various minor details, it was clear that Amaterasu was not a ruthless, bloodthirsty, or malevolent deity.
She was entirely unconnected to the word "cruel"; she truly warmed all things like the sun.
The only thing to the contrary so far was likely the Kusanagi Sword that had flown from the direction of Yamato. It had ruthlessly dealt a fatal blow to Tamamo-no-Mae just as she thought she had regained hope. However, that incident still held many questions. Amaterasu had already bestowed the Kusanagi Sword long ago; after the Heavenly Grandson vanished, the sword and mirror had disappeared. Perhaps it was held by some other being with Amaterasu bloodline who harbored a grudge against the fox.
Aside from that, there was what Think was currently seeing through the Gate of Takamagahara.
Even if he committed a crime and deserved punishment, could that goddess, whose positive legends far outweighed the negative, truly carry out such a bloody and cruel punishment? Especially since this was her own grandson.
There was a catch—a major catch.
"Come back first, Think. I feel like something isn't right," Sū ěr called out.
Wait until you get back for a lecture! How dare you do something so dangerous!
"Yeah, no problem. We should just grab a yokai to take a look—?"
An anomaly occurred.
Just as Think agreed to Sū ěr words and prepared to pull back, the scene before her eyes suddenly shook like a lake when a stone is thrown in.
Sū ěr and Think nerves, already taut to the limit, were subjected to more pressure. Before he could say another word, Sū ěr grabbed Think body—which was still outside the gate—and pulled back with all his might.
There was no resistance. No invisible force tried to keep them there or drag them in. In fact, for a moment, Think felt a force within the gate pushing her out.
It was so easy that not a single complication arose. The shaking vision stabilized instantly. In the moment Sū ěr yanked her out, Think suddenly saw a woman in a white robe to her right. She was looking at the bloody figure, then turned her head toward Think side, seemingly smiling at them—Think saw it, and Sū ěr saw it too.
A hurried, mutual glimpse.
Theoretically, a smile should show goodwill and facilitate communication, but it didn't make Sū ěr or Think relax. In fact, Sū ěr didn't slow his pulling; he moved even faster, to the point where his entire body instinctively recoiled back two steps!
The world turned upside down.
As if walking vertically up a building, Sū ěr stared blankly at the pitch-black universe at the end of his vision. The Silver River beneath his feet had inexplicably shifted to a vertical angle during those two steps back. The Gate of Takamagahara vanished. Everything around him began to glow brilliantly... and flow.
But Sū ěr was confused... he clearly hadn't moved?
At first, he only noticed a single star at the edge of his vision moving away. Yet in just a few seconds, the light from the receding stars drew countless ribbons of light, connecting into a dense wall.
Sū ěr suddenly understood—it wasn't him moving, but the endless Silver River itself!
It wasn't the man walking to the mountain; it was the mountain walking to the man!
Even though no one had given him a hint or experience, Sū ěr realized the mistake he had made in that moment—he should not have taken those two steps back, not while on this Silver River.
The space beneath his feet and by his side had completely transformed into ribbons of light; he couldn't even see individual stars. Sū ěr lost his perception of time. He even abandoned the attempt to move the moment he felt a sudden surge of danger in his heart.
The congealed Silver River... had it resumed its flow?
Was he really not moving?
Sū ěr couldn't even accurately judge his current state. The world his eyes and senses touched seemed entirely illusory. Even Think had fallen into bewilderment.
There was no way to know if the changes around them were merely local. But every god, yokai, human, and beast in Ashihara no Nakatsukuni who happened to look up at the Heavenly River—which hadn't changed for centuries—would be deeply intoxicated by the beautiful sight.
It wasn't a simple flow of starlight like a river on earth, but an unspeakable vitality that made them realize a fact more clearly than ever—the world was alive.
But Sū ěr was... falling.
Dashing downstream, losing time, losing space, even losing his purpose. He merged completely into this flowing river of stars, becoming light.
"...Is it them?"
Still sitting by that small pond, the golden-haired female yokai in the purple dress looked up at the changes in the sky and murmured softly.
Within that flowing river of stars, a bright light was darting through.
Like a fish leaping out of the water.