The back of Ragna's head gently hit the wall behind him as he looked up. Above him laid a dark abyss from the sheer height of the ceiling. With Aramasa on his lap, he sat waiting for the grogginess of sleep to leave his system. His fingers occasionally twiddled with the piece of cloth tied at its handle. Whether the sun had risen already or not, he had no clue. Only in this deserted corner had he been able to close his eyes to get some rest and untangle his thoughts.
Ragna had purposefully parked himself in position for an ambush, just in case. Any person who would come here in the middle of nowhere was his enemy, or a real unfortunate soul.
After some searching, he had found an underground chamber carved into the mountain on which the city resided. Ever since he ran from the boy with the puppet earlier the same day, he made sure to stay watchful for anyone following him. If those two tracked him down again, this empty arena provided the perfect place to cause as much of a mess as he needed to get both of them off of his trail.
"..."
A distant sound disturbed the stillness, snapping him awake.
Eyes narrowing, focusing on the entranceway below him, Ragna picked up his weapon as he stood up. Very faintly, the sound of steps rang out from the beyond pitch blackness in the tunnel. But something wasn't quite right when he strained his ears.
He expected to hear one person along with another heavier set of footsteps following close by. Still, he remained careful, raring to attack while he had the advantage—immobilize his target first, ask questions later. A slight numbness spread to the exposed skin on his face.
Without hesitation, Ragna dove at the person who had barely set a single foot past the entrance. "Take thiis!" But his blade never met its target.
Instead, he found himself being repelled by a biting cold, forcing him back. The sudden blast left a white mist that choked the air and obscured his view.
Coming to skidding halt, Ragna regained his balance. "Who…?" An uncomfortable feeling pulsed through his right arm in response to something. It begged to be used, but he shut it up with a solid squeeze. His Azure Grimoire shouldn't be something to rely on at any opportune moment of danger.
Footsteps echoed louder until they stopped. A figure emerged from the dissipating mist, his eyes fixated on him. "Ragna…? Ragna! So it really is you!"
That face and voice could only belong to one person. "Jin." Their past encounters now fresh in his memories, Ragna understood where the unexplained chill came from. He could never forget the anger and hatred he had held against his brother, even in this new world. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Nii-san… I didn't really know why I came here. But seeing you alive…" His previously listless expression brightened up with a soft grin. "Ahh, I'm so glad I put up with it all!"
This marked the second time someone had found him. It was as if he had unknowingly stepped inside a trap disguised as a city, solely created to attract one problem after another. Clearly, something had gone wrong if the events he remembered at those towering gates were true. "That kid and now you… What's going on around this place? Answer me, Jin."
"It doesn't matter… Now that you're here, I can finish what I've failed to do at long last." Jin raised an open palm up towards the hidden sky. An immense pressure seized the air as a vortex of cold wind gathered around his hand until solid ice formed. From the crystals, a sword with a blue scabbard materialized and fell into Jin's waiting grasp. "All right, Nii-san, are you ready to have some fun with me? I've really missed the times when we used to play together." The hand resting on his weapon's hilt betrayed his sweet tone.
A foreboding discomfort showed up, similar to when that mechanical doll had revved into life. Both the sword and the puppet must be weapons of the same class, made for a common purpose he recalled all too well now. Any wound from it was going to be a real bitch to heal. But running away was not an option this time, not with Jin standing there at the ready. Ragna gritted his teeth. "If it'll make you go away, I'm game. I'll kick your ass and make you regret showing up here."
"Nii-san, you understand? Of course you do…" The relieved smile on his face turned ecstatic as he drew his sword out of its sheath. "I need you to die, so don't struggle too much, okay? Now, let's enjoy ourselves!"
With the killing intent made absolutely clear, Ragna adjusted his own sword in his grip. Never had he thought his first taste of combat in this world would be against Jin. "Bring it!"