"What...where the hell am I?"
Just before Ragna was about to deliver the finishing blow onto the Imperator. But now he was in a large white room where the walls were boundless, no corners ever connecting to the other.
Ragna scanned the room finding nothing until he saw a small object on the ground ahead of him. As Ragna approached the object he noticed that it was a book. It was opened. Ragna leaned down to pick up the book. By the worn out appearance of it anyone could tell that this book was used constantly, it was almost falling apart. It seemed that the book was left opened on the last page however there was only two words written on it.
"The End."
Ragna sensed a presence behind him and abruptly turns around while dropping the book to get into a battle position. His deadly aura disappears instantly the moment he sees the person in front of him.
"...Saya!" His eyes widened in shock. There she was standing there with her hands behind her back.
Anyone could of mistaken her as Noel Vermillion as the two looked completely identical as the only difference was that Saya was wearing a plain white grown. The only person that would be able to tell the difference easily was the eldest brother, Ragna.
It seemed that Saya was no longer under the Imperator's will or control. She did not look hostile either. Despite the many years of separation Ragna did not approach her. He did not move from his spot. His face was full of sorrow instead.
"...you were always here..." He muttered.
She nodded. Then she held out her hands gently to present it to Ragna. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the condition the hands and fingers were in. Some of the skin on the hands and fingers were slightly torn off and peeling, there were scratches everywhere and there was a combination of fresh and dried up blood on her palms.
Ragna suddenly recalled Terumi's and Rachel's words.
"How many timeloops has it been!? Thousands? Millions!? I've actually lost count now!"
"The Girl who had kept on rewriting the story begged the story's Hero to save the Girl. But the Hero did not listen to her."
"Because he was just a character in a story."
"Saya...I-" Ragna took a step forward.
"You were so close this time." She finally spoke. Ragna froze at the nostalgic cheery high-pitched voice that used to be a memory from long ago.
"But I'm so happy that I got to see your face again. It's been about six thousand-nine hundred and seventy years since I have!" Saya smiled innocently as if there was no wrong in the world. Ragna's heart ached painfully as he tried to process the numbers in his head. It was hard to put it in reality since Saya said the numbers as if she was just telling the time.
So she was the girl in the Amaterasu Unit. Then the Saya he knew years ago was just a memory and so was he. His little sister was trapped inside the unit for god knows how many years.
Alone. Always writing. Pleading. Begging.
Ragna clenches his fist. Tears were forming in his eyes. He failed her, again.
"Saya!" Ragna suddenly yelled, making her jump. "I promise you...I will save you! No matter what I won't give up! So please...don't stop believing in me. Saya!"
Saya closed her eyes as she smiled. She walked towards the fallen book and picked it up.
"That's exactly what you said last time. Ragna. And I replied... Saya then closed the book. She watched the horrified facial expression formed on her brother before he disappeared.
"I will always wait for you."
