"S-Saya....?"

"O-Onii-sama..."

Both pairs of eyes were staring at the person in front like this wasn't real but just a wishful imagination.

For Austin, there were countless things to contemplate upon.

Like, as how she could suddenly appear when Austin watched her over the phone, which the system provided. The Saya, which Austin watches over with surveillance, still belonged to his previous world; how did she come here?

And how was she looking so mature when in his memory, Saya was only a naive little child, which Austin loved to spoil?

But in actuality, Austin wasn't thinking any of the things he should be at this moment, since the person in front was making his comprehensibility go numb and senses blank to oblivion.

The woman walked baby steps just like the man but all of a sudden, Saya halted in her actions and raised her voice.

"No... It can't be. It's not real... You are not real. You can't be my Onii-sama..!!"

Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she cried her grief like she was pushed into a fantasy where her heart was shouting her to embrace the man and wail out all her sorrow, but her mind was warning her not to believe whatever her eyes spoke.

Her legs were shaking, with her heart going colder and colder passing each second as she closed her eyes and let the tears fall continuously.

All of a sudden, a certain warmth enveloped her frame, without her even noticing someone approaching.

Shooting her eyes abruptly, she saw the man who was feet apart was now embracing her.

"Shh..... It's okay. Nii-san is here."

"Let me go... You are not him! You are not him! Let me go!"

Saya was flailing her limbs while trying to push away Austin but taking her natural strength into account; she evidently wasn't trying to push him away.

Austin kept on embracing his little sister like a precious glass doll that would break if he was to apply a little force.

"You are..not... You are.. *sniff* Waaaaaaahhh!!"

Lastly, Saya surrendered.

She might not believe her eyes or heart, but this warmth. This warmth, she can only feel from a single person.

Letting go of all restraints, and bringing out all the accumulated suffering and longingness, Saya hugged her beloved Onii-sama, like a small kid clinging to their parents after being bullied.

[Ding!]

[Weekly requirements fulfilled...]

The system popped in front of Austin's retina, but in his current state of mind, he didn't bother with the message.

There were tears in Austin's eyes too, but seeing his sister's miserable condition he held back himself and helped her calm down first.

He didn't know how such things took place, and he was reunited with his long-lost sister, but there was no way he would complain since this unexpectedness was more than welcome.

In the cold wooden cabin in the middle of a dense forest, sat two figures while embracing each other like there was nothing left for them in the world and what they required was only each other's presence.

Saya cried for a long time, and Austin started to get worried. He helped her wipe her tears, and gave her water, so she doesn't dehydrate, but only after half an hour, she seemed to calm down a little.

It was a sight to behold, where a mature woman with an incredible figure was weeping like a kid while clinging to a boy much younger than her.

"You okay now?"

Austin asked as he arranged Saya's midnight-long hair and tied them neatly in a ponytail, just like he did back in the past.

"I hate you, Onii-sama. You left me all alone back there. Have you thought about what would have happened if I didn't get summoned here?"

With a slight smile, Austin replied.

"So is Saya going to leave her Onii-sama again, since she hates him?"

Saya instantly shook her head as she lifted her face to look at her Onii-sama, only to see his amused smile spread across.

"Mou~ Ani no baka!"

(A/N: - Brother's stupid)

Saya pouted before turning her head away from Austin.

Austin wasn't able to control it as he burst into a small laugh while patting the bullied Saya.

Hearing her brother's hearty laugh, Saya also smiled as if she wasn't angry in the first place.

Even though his face was different, his hairs were now dyed, or his eyes were painted in a different shade, she could still see her old Onii-sama in Austin.

His gentle care, melodious laugh, and tender touch were similar to what she was used to and desired to experience all her life.

"Okay now. Are you hungry? Should we get something to eat?"

Austin asked as he stood up while supporting Saya.

Once again, when she stood almost half feet taller than him, Austin noticed how much she had grown up in so little time.

"Hey, Saya... What age did you turn in this year?"

Austin asked, still unsure how Saya turned like this when he saw her teenage image on screen just half a day ago.

Another pout made its way on Saya's cheek as she complained.

"Onii-sama. Asking a lady about her age is no good!! "

"Ah, yeah. Sorry."

Austin apologized right away for his insensitivity; however, soon Saya smiled as she quelled her brother's query.

"It's okay, Onii-sama. And I am turning 24 this year."

Austin nodded as he thought of something for a long half minute before extending his previous idea.

"So, should we go out?"

Extending his hand, Austin asked. Saya blushed heavily before grabbing her brother's hand immediately as she nodded.

"Mm-mm."

Both of them left the cabin hand in hand, as the greenery entered their vision just upon stepping out.

From the sun's position, it seemed that it was about 2 in the noon as they started strolling through the forest while chatting about various things.

"So Saya. How did you get here? I mean, haven't you fallen into a coma because of your Terminal Illness?".

From what Austin remembers, the system alerted him about the completion of his weekly requirement, which meant that the Saya over his phone must have reached a state where she could recover all by herself.

Now, whether the system was conning him all along, or this might be some kind of time travel. And Saya's following words made Austin conclude with his second option.

"I did fall into a coma just after the day you... You left me. But in my subconscious mind, I always felt you were watching over me but with a different appearance. And soon, not so long after I got up from my coma, my illness disappeared like it wasn't there in the first place. You should have seen the doctor's reaction."

Now, he was certain that he Saya he used to watch over the screen was the same Saya he was witnessing right in front, but just the time has leaped.

'Time and space magic... It always makes me dizzy. '

"And what about your summoning? Did it happen just anonymously, or you were together with the other summoned?"

Like what he read in the manga, people generally get summoned altogether, but Saya's next words made him baffled.

"No, I don't actually know the others and where they came from. I was just told that if I want to meet my beloved then I have to step in the illuminated circle in front, and so I did. And now, I am glad I took this step."

Intervening her fingers, Saya confessed with a blush heating her face as it was really a dream-like scenario for her to be able to be with her Onii-sama, again.

Austin smiled at Saya, but his mind was rumbling around the last words she spoke.

The Xylex Kingdom was the one who summoned heroes and from what the interrogation stated, it seemed they used their divine beast's mana to activate the ritual.

But neither the beast nor the Xylex kingdom should be aware about Austin's past self or his relationship with Saya.

There were so many things to solve but anytime Austin thinks that he has unraveled a knot, a whole dozen new mysterious erupts from nowhere.

'There is someone or something working in the background, which I have to know about, as soon as possible... '

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A/N: - Drop a comment~