Search Worlds Without End

This short story originally appeared on Strange Horizons, 1 May 2006. It can also be found in the anthology Fantasy: The Best of the Year, 2007 Edition, edited by Rich Horton.

Read the full story for free at Strange Horizons.

Once upon a time, there was Winter. Winter was once the only season in the world--but such an existence was too lonely to bear, and so it created Spring to love. Before long, the earth wished for more time to rest in the cycle, and Summer and Autumn were born. The ones who carry the cycle are called the Agents of the Four Seasons. Hinagiku, the Vernal Agent, disappeared from this land ten years ago, taking the season of spring with her. Now, after incredible hardship, she has returned to restore the cycle to its proper state--and, as in the myth passed down since the dawn of time, she sends her love to Winter.

"Don't Leave Me."

Sakura Himedaka is the Guard of Spring and loyal blade of the young goddess Hinagiku. She has chosen to take her revenge on those who kidnapped her beloved lady, as well as the ones who stood back and let it happen. She will one day die protecting Hinagiku, and she has abandoned any threat to her resolve--even her love for the man who once taught her so much. This battlefield is only for those with an iron will. Now the dance of spring can truly begin.

"I love your summer." After the long-awaited return of the Agent of Spring, Hinagiku Kayo, and New Year's surprise attack on Summer and Autumn, the Four Seasons have formed an unprecedented united front. While they successfully overcame many hardships, a new challenge has arisen. The Hazakura sisters have become the first dual Agents in history. Is this a good or bad omen? Summer has arrived, and the Agents' story begins once more.

The arrival of two Agents of Summer has created a political nightmare, and the Agents themselves have ultimately suffered the consequences. Thanks to rumors that they are cursed by the gods, Ruri and Ayame were forced to break off their engagements when a wolf appeared on Mount Ryugu. Not to be deterred, they have arrived on the sacred mountain to meet the Archer of Twilight and solve the mystery themselves--but the shadows around the wolf go deeper than they know. Meanwhile, the conflict among the conservative and progressive factions within the Towns rages on, and various ulterior motives are at play. Those involved in the unrest are all gathering in one place: Ruri's fiance Raicho Kimikage, Ayame's fiance Renri Rouo, and the Agents of the Four Seasons themselves. When the storm finally calms, will the twins be with their loves, or torn apart forever?

No matter how dark the night, the sun will always rise. Kaya Fugeki is a teenage girl living in Enishi, an island at the northern tip of the Yamato archipelago. She brings the day to Yamato as the Archer of Dawn, granted powers similar to those of the Agents of the Four Seasons. The young goddess attends school along with the people she serves, yet nobody except for her handsome young retainer knows she is the country's Day. Thus begins Kaya and Yuzuru's story.

One summer morning before school, Kaoru hears an unsettling rumor--of a mysterious tunnel that can grant any wish to those who enter it, but ages them dramatically in exchange. At first, he writes it off as nothing more than an urban legend, but that very night, he happens upon the selfsame passage: the Urashima Tunnel. As he stands before its gaping maw, a thought occurs to him--if this tunnel truly does have the power to grant any wish, could he use it to bring his younger sister back from her untimely death five years prior?

Yet when he returns to explore the tunnel the next day, he finds he's been followed by the new girl in class: a total enigma by the name of Anzu. She takes an interest in Kaoru, and they agree to work together to investigate the time-twisting tunnel and uncover its mysteries. Together, they might achieve their deepest desires... but are they prepared for what it may cost them?

Childhood friends use time travel to try to avert tragedy in this bittersweet book about growing up, love, and loss...

Two years ago, high schooler Kanae left his small island community of Sodeshima to pursue his academic dreams in Tokyo. When that life falls short of his expectations, he runs away from home to return to Sodeshima and his childhood friend, Akari. But before they can rekindle their old feelings for each other, the clock strikes six and Kanae finds himself inexplicably thrust forward four days into the future. Worse, he learns that Akito, Akari's older brother--and Kanae's childhood hero--is dead.

Except death might not be the end for Akito. As Kanae tries to fill in the four-day gap of his memories, Akari explains: he's about to relive those four days in reverse order in a phenomenon known as "Rollback." Kanae himself explained it to her... in a past he hasn't yet experienced. Armed with this new knowledge, Kanae is determined to leverage Rollback however he can to save Akito's life--and Akari's heart.

A novel about setting aside differences to solve the mystery of a world frozen in time...

Socially awkward loner Kayato has an intense fear of being touched and finds making friends extremely difficult. When he and his high school classmates visit Hakodate for a field trip, he suffers through some attempts to engage with the others, until...

Time stops for the entire world, but not for him.

All the hustle and bustle of the city fades into an eerie veil of silence, leaving him the only soul left in motion--until he finds another in Akira, a sharp-tongued local delinquent. Though she's his total opposite, she begrudgingly agrees to help him solve the mystery. Their only lead is something Kayato's uncle said just before he died about a "world plucked out of time," as if preserved in amber. Hoping to find a clue among his late uncle's possessions in Tokyo, the two teens must travel through the frozen world.

What was supposed to be a fun day at the amusement park turns into a nightmarish time loop for one high schooler...

After winning tickets to an old theme park on the outskirts of Tokyo, Casio and his friends brave the eerie rumors surrounding the place for a little winter adventure. However, what was supposed to be a fun day trip takes a horrific turn when one friend lures Casio away from the group--and stabs him to death. While he bleeds out, his friend tearfully begs him to save someone named Asebi.

When Casio next awakens, time has rewound to the moment he set foot in the park that morning. Though he's shaken and desperate for answers, his "second" day goes by without incident--until he tries to leave and snaps right back to that morning again. As he spirals into panic, a mysterious girl appears and introduces herself as Asebi. She tells him she's been trapped in the park for a long time, reliving the same day over and over. Now Casio is caught in the loop as well... and according to Asebi, the only way out is to kill someone.