an excerpt from ‘At time’s end’

reginarfic:

Over the horizon, light and darkness
stole from each other—in a state of unrest, a constant twilight, the sun about
to set but never setting. At a distance, there stood a low, wooden building. It
was shrouded by mist so thick the characters upon the arch were barely visible.

Utopia, huh,
Viktor thought as he took the path to the entrance.

He slid the door open, and chimes
signaled his arrival. The details were the same: the decorative birdhouse upon
the bookshelf; beside it, books seemingly untouched but without dust; a potted
bamboo that hadn’t grown since Viktor’s last visit; and the same animal and god
figures on the counter. Suspended in time, they stared at Viktor, unmoving.
There was something about the place that was both hostile and welcoming, in
conflict like the sky outside.

There was scuffle from the kitchen,
then the curtains parted: “Welcome to Yutopia—oh,
it’s you,” said a woman. She had unruly hair, partially bleached under a cloth
band. She shifted her weight on one leg and put a hand on her hip.

Viktor smiled. “You don’t sound too
happy, Mari-neechan.”

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