“When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes[ses].” — Julius Caesar
When SEES managed to stave off Nyx’s annihilation of the world, Ryoji was freed. His human form no longer existed, but the part of his consciousness that existed in that body was no longer trapped behind Nyx; he was his own person again; his consciousness simply returned to Thanatos, providing insight of the world that he did not have before.
He was solely Thanatos again, no longer the Appraiser, a vessel for Nyx to speak through. His duty was simply to act as the Gatekeeper of Souls. He was a facet of Death, but he now understood human emotions and the joy of life.
With every breath that Kotone took, he could feel her life slipping away, her life force fading, coming closer to Death. She deserved to live longer and enjoy a fulfilled life. She... had been a miracle. In the face of destruction, she refused to back down, using her own power to bring about the world’s near-impossible salvation. Ryoji hadn’t even believed in her ability to stop Nyx, but, now, he could say that he was truly fortunate to have lived within her for ten years.
The day graduation came, Kotone’s soul was barely there, the last one percent trickling away as her soul fueled the Great Seal. Ryoji felt it the instant she took her last breath, closed her eyes for her final sleep, and was ready to welcome her into the afterlife.
The universe worked in strange ways. The Great Seal existed on a different dimension; it was both physical and nonexistent, real but conceptual. There was a physical representation of the seal, the door which the Messiah stood, resisting Erebus’ claws, but it was more than that, it was a concept that prevented Erebus’ desire for destruction from touching the Earth.
He met her at the Seal, reaching for her consciousness in the Sea of Souls, willing himself to permeate the warmth of life even as he physically touched the cold stone that encased her soul.
“You did it,” he breathed. “Against all odds, you did it.”
Ryoji hesitated. He wasn’t sure exactly how she felt right now.
“I... You might be scared, but you’re not alone,” he decided to reassure. “I’m here. I’ll always be with you.”
