Iantha was in the most dangerous battle of her life against an enemy that knew no mercy. The heinous evil of a complete lack of action was robbing her of coherent thought. Thankfully, she had a ragtag group of starship misfits to alleviate the onslaught of questions about their savior.

“That plate is violating the laws of physics,” Meyun said pointing at the rune engraved hover plate Eve had gotten from Jeffery T. Wellington a drow for a moderately minimal price. He was a cute elf type with a Class that heavily leaned in the direction she suspected her boyfriend would go.

Score one for fiction being truth in an alternate dimension. Iantha thought. At least the fantasy staple elves were hot instead of some weird version written by a bad director.

“The laws of physics don’t account for mana,” Mishka said as she practiced her new Skills on a dead body replica Eve had crafted complete with a disturbing surgical table to accompany it. The entire team was currently situated in the Dungeon where Eve was farming experience via a blatant application of physics and magic. Casual tables, chairs, and fluffy pillows abounded as a separate area catering to each individual had been arranged.

Lily and Mark are just the cutest servants of an evil queen. Iantha thought remembering how the two kids had been incredibly polite. The warrior women guards around Lily had given Helsted the itch to fight. She’d had to reign her in, remembering well the lesson Eve had taught in the cargo bay.

People here were leagues above the human species she knew.

“Mana shouldn’t break the laws of reality though!” Meyun said with a huff. The group had gathered up in the current location after calming down the remaining crew. Iantha hadn’t failed to notice that even her non-human crewmates were now sporting the same number of arms, legs, and dietary habits. Strangely enough, could still feel the soap-bubble silver form of her true nature just out of reach. Her true form resonated, like a switch that hadn’t been flipped, yet.

“Since we didn’t even know it existed, how can you claim it breaks any rules? For all, we know mana was in our old universe quietly making things work out of sight and undetectable.” Iantha pointed out. She had a habit of playing devil’s advocate now that she couldn’t see the future as clear as a computer code. While it endeared her to Eve, there was slight friction among her cabal who had followed her into the very jaws of not-death.

“We sacrificed everything to close the rift, and you personally sacrificed everything to save the galaxy three centuries later. Wish we knew how it all worked out in the end.” Bennie said sounding the thought that everyone was carefully not mentioning around Iantha.

Eve who had been nearby experimenting with strange silver dust drifted over. It took a moment before the young witch rotated in place so her floating body was staring at the chaplain before she said, “You could just ask Wilson, you know? You wouldn’t have been able to arrive in the Prison Plane if you weren’t part of the domain of universes he oversees.”

There was a moment of silent eye blinking before everyone started trying to talk at once. Iantha rubbed her forehead, somehow the young witch managed to throw everything into the blender every few minutes.

It was almost a psychic gift.

Iantha was completely sure from looking into what little part of Time she currently could that Eve had no current ability in the mental arts. No, the witch didn’t have any of the powers from the universe they had exited stage left. Probably. What little she had seen though made her understand that the power of their pointy hat companion was the real deal. A quiet inquiry to the System had given Iantha the understanding that Eve was just short of the highest Tier in this place. It meant she was the closest thing to a demi-god, although without the backstory to go with it.

Let’s not even mention the strange blank spot she occupies in Time. It’s creepy beyond all belief. Iantha thought with a shudder. Meyun wasn’t visible due to their personal relationship. Eve had no such excuse. The witch was flat-out invisible. I even checked against other witches, but they all showed up to varying degrees. Some of them even appeared to sense me looking, which is just disturbing on a whole other level.

When she had checked the possibility of success at fighting Eve, all she could see was Helsted’s corpse in a multitude of ways that clogged the time streams. Although she hadn’t been able to see Eve’s full fighting capabilities, she had seen that all attempts to fight were doomed. That had made the resulting contract a no-brainer in her opinion. It wasn’t like the witch was evil, although she did keep two rather cute children as her disciples. When asked if the oven was used for naughty children both of the kids had stared at Meyun like he had three heads. It was hilarious, to everyone involved.

Besides, if she isn’t prior military somewhere I’ll eat my boots. Iantha thought watching the witch defy gravity with nothing other than the power of her mana. She’s got all the signs of someone who worked in one of those secret squirrel departments that solved issues quietly.

When the entire story of what Iantha had been doing was told over a wonderful dinner with a salad to die for, Eve had raised several questions after the tale was told. Each had made Iantha unsure if the path that led here was the right choice. When she had gone through the rift, she had been sure. The kind of sure that couldn’t be shaken. She was almost completely certain the Redeemer had managed to save her galaxy. Now however, realizing that she hadn’t died was eating at her. If something like the Prison Plane existed it threw all the possibilities into doubt.

Iantha privately admitted she was utterly terrified she might have failed to save her home galaxy three centuries in the future.

“Eve, what would be involved in learning what happened?” Iantha finally asked. She was willing to pay almost any price to be absolutely certain that her actions had been worth it.

“Oh!” Eve turned from a heated discussion with Meyun about runes to say, “Just pay the Soul Slot cost and Wilson will show you the result of your actions.”

“Eve, I don’t have any of those,” Iantha said with an eye roll. This woman was worse than Mishka!

“Ah, then uh, just bill it to me. As long as it is affordable I’ll pay the fee.” Eve said with a bright smile, “I pay double so I can view it too!”

“How do I do that?” Iantha asked.

“Just say something like, “System can I see whether my Thanatos Gambit was successful?” or something like that,” Eve said with a hand wave of casual dismissal.

Iantha sat up a bit straighter and said, “System, could I see whether my plan succeeded or failed?”

Cost is 24M Soul Slots.

“Uh, bill to, Eve?” Iantha said in response to the message shown.

Billing authorized. Payment rendered. Prepare.

“Prepare?” Iantha said slightly confused before she felt herself lifted into Time by a hand not of her own power. A glance to the side showed Eve alongside her looking around at the lush grasslands of the time-planes with extreme interest.

One moment.

Iantha felt the time-planes shift as she moved in a blurred motion to the enormous cliff that represented the death of all sentient life in her home galaxy. The various streams around them petered out and died. Grass gave way to baked rock as a single stream fought a desperate battle to arrive at the base of the cliffs.

Witness the worth of your actions, Prophet.

Iantha’s eyes narrowed as the System referred to her by something that had never been mentioned since the arrival at the Prison Plane.

Unlike the previous times she had seen this scene, they didn’t go into the cockpit of a Terran pilot. Instead, they stood in space surrounded by a vast armada of ships that had only a passing resemblance to the Damnation starship she had commanded.

The invaders arrived as you predicted, but not to unaware prey.

The titanic orb of the invading race appeared exactly as before and Iantha drew a cold breath at the realization that the enemies were no longer predators. Tears glimmered in her eyes as the realization all her insane gambles paid off.

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No, now they are prey. Iantha thought watching as the woman she knew as the Savior flashed into existence just ahead of them both. The woman fated to save the galaxy floated in space without a suite clad in armor and weapons that had seen long use. Iantha read the woman’s clothing, as it spoke of a tale of battles fought and won all leading to this singular moment of success. All the paths. All the chances. All the dominoes for this moment. This singular opportunity to strike a killing blow!

The Savior raised her palm towards the invaders before saying in a voice that shuddered into the psychic aether, “Execute them.” Iantha and Eve watched as the woman whispered softly, “For you, Grandmother. Rest in peace knowing your sacrifice was not in vain!”

Countless swords of light descended from the armada of starships above the enemy like the cleavers of a demonic god to carve the invaders flesh. The titanic orb, and orbiting gas giant consuming feeder stations were carved into chunks. No longer would the Bugs consume the resources of the Milky Way to satiate the rapacious hunger of their eternal appetite.

Iantha could feel a scream rippling into the psychic realm as the insects who had arrived realized their food fought back. They knew now that this place, this section of the endless cosmos, would be grave of their Race. From here the counterattack would ripple out into a Hunt resulting in the extermination of their entire species.

Iantha had already seen it. This was the domino of fate that destroyed the Bugs, forever.

“Again. Do not stop until they are nothing but stardust.” the Redeemer said, as her cold vicious eyes glared at the crippled Dyson Sphere spaceships the invading enemy had arrived in while her open palm clenched into a fist as if to crush them all within her grasp.

“Wow! That was a huge pair of nuts!” Eve said breaking the sanctity of the moment irreparably for Iantha.

Iantha rolled her eyes as she watched the invaders wiped out of existence like a child erased a mistake on a test. It was extremely cathartic to witness. “Those were the race I fought tooth and nail to win against,” Iantha said as Eve watched the spaceships around them with childlike awe. It was pretty clear wherever she came from, Eve’s people likely hadn’t escaped their planet.

“Yeah, they looked like the good old Space Locust type,” Eve said causing Iantha to stiffen.

“Space Locusts? Are there more of those types of Races?” Iantha asked with her eyes wide. Eve nodded and dropped another verbal bombshell, “Yeah, they come in and rip apart everything in a galaxy to fuel the creation of a new Hive Ship. That’s the Dyson Sphere look-alike thing they arrived in. Once the new Hive is created they split and head off to new separate targets. I’d rate them on a danger scale of like, probably three out of ten.” Iantha felt a chill darker than space envelop her.

“Three?” Iantha said numbly. Three out of ten!

“Yes, definitely three out of ten,” Eve said with a firm nod leaving no doubt.

They are rated two out of ten normally due to the lack of mana use under System operational Protocols.

“It should be three, they could have the potential to learn about mana!” Eve argued with the System’s message. Iantha cracked a grim smile at the banter even as her mind raced.

Two.

Eve grumbled, “But they have like, a massive star-orb ship. That’s like plus one in my book.”

Two. You are wrong.

Iantha’s dawning horror was curbed by the witch’s antics as she asked with morbid fascination, “Well what would be above two.”

“My brother,” Eve said with a firm conviction.

The Darkness is indeed above a ten.

“The what?” Iantha asked confused.

“Ah, yeah. “The Darkness” is the edgy nickname the System calls him by. He has a bunch of other titles and stuff, but who cares. He’s still my little brother.” Eve said rolling her eyes.

Iantha stared before she said in a dead monotone, “Your little brother is considered a galaxy devouring threat?”

“Oh, no! No, no, definitely not a galaxy threat.” Eve said as Iantha relaxed, “No, he’s a universe eater. Consumes them slowly over eons one star at a time from what I understand.”

“Is she telling the truth?” Iantha asked the System as the back and forth gave her a mild headache. She had trouble understanding the scales of time involved and Time was her thing!

Yes.

“Can we see my brother? Can we see my Earth from this place in Time?” Eve asked her eyes suddenly glowing with silver light. It brought home the fact that the witch was stranded in a place, not of her own. Iantha felt a sudden upwelling of sympathy for the younger woman.

No.

Iantha watched the light leave the witch’s eyes as her expression grew depressed. She knew what it was like to be unable to see your family. One of the sacrifices she had to make had been to leave her entire kin behind enemy lines. It was one of the two sacrifices that ensured the massacre going on now could occur. It had been necessary but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Glancing at Eve, Iantha asked, “Is there any way to show Eve the situation at her home-world?”

Not with your current Tier.

Eve’s eyes lit up like blazing orbs in the dark before she said, “What. Tier. Speak!”

There was a long pause before the System finally replied.

Seven, at a minimum. It would have to be done outside the Prison Plane. I will not risk the attempt being tracked back. The mere shadow of His presence could breach the walls of the Prison Plane causing untold catastrophe.

“That would mean Tal Mor. She’s only human though…” Eve muttered looking at Iantha as if she had found a treasure, “Wait, Tier goes higher than a Seven?”

Not in the Prison Plane, but it does go higher, yes.

“Wait, you aren’t a human?” Iantha asked looking sharply at Eve.

“No, I’m a Witch. That’s my Race. We live a lot longer than humans.” Eve muttered distractedly causing Iantha to blink at the bombshell. She had seen the Race in her Status, but with the disappearance of the alien portion of her crew had assumed the wrong idea. Granted she hadn’t seen the other occupants of the Hut that Lily and Mark claimed existed.

Apparently humanity isn’t the only option under the System. Iantha thought holding in a mad giggle as she imagined Meyun with a fluffy tail and rabbit ears in place of his current ones. I’ll have to take a look at the other Races. I doubt they are all different shades of Human.

A thought occurred to Iantha and she blurted out, “Would it be possible to see you deal with the Bugs?”

“Uh…maybe?” Eve said tilting her head questioningly.

For a small price, this can be done.

Eve’s face scrunched up as she said, “Fiiiiine! Blood-sucking demon System, take your vile payment so I can demonstrate my utter awesomeness!” Iantha watched as Eve’s current scholar witch vibe set of clothing shifted to the same gear set up she had worn in the combat bay. The strange wooden sword, ring, flower bracelets, and book were clearly some type of Items of Power in Iantha’s view. While her attempts to ‘identify’ them kept giving ludicrous results it confirmed her suspicions.

The System pulled them once more into the time-planes before moving backwards in time. Iantha watched as what could only be described as a copy of Reality was created before both women were moved back into the copy of reality. It was disorienting but Iantha shrugged off the dissonance quickly. She wanted to see if Eve's words were true.

Eve looked at the Bug’s craft as it rippled into existence from whatever unholy method of transportation they used. Eve raised her wooden sword even as the Savior appeared behind them and solemnly said words that resounded with meaning, “The First Purpose of a Sword: To Cut Space.” Iantha watched the blade descend in a blurred form that spread out in a massive fan of phantom blades. In a miracle, not a single blow landed anywhere upon the spaceships mustered around them.

“Who the hell are you-” the Savior asked before gasping in shock and saying, “Grandmother?!”

Iantha glanced back at the woman and said in a dead monotone, “I was just passing by and my friend here wanted to settle a bet.” Even as she finished speaking Eve’s lowered blade bore witness to the Bug’s entire massive orb of titanic proportions equivalent to multiple suns split into wafer-thin slices.

Iantha watched the book on Eve’s shoulder float into her left hand before flipping to a specific page.

The witch spoke words of power once more and said, “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust!”

Iantha and the Savior both bore witness to the disintegration of the enemy’s entire armada based only on what appeared to be a few spoken words. Silver dust glimmered wetly in the empty space where once a galaxy devouring threat had floated before flowing into the witch's clothing to be eaten.

The Savior raised one eyebrow and said, “Cute friend.”

“She was bored,” Iantha said with an expressionless face. It was tough, but she managed to keep a straight face with pure willpower.

“Woo, that was a blast! Let’s do it again!” Eve said turning back to the other two women.

“Unfortunately we are out of Time.” Iantha said deadpan before turning back to the Savior, “Live well and prosper. Even if this is a phantom of reality, I hope the words make it to you somehow. Your life still has purpose even after this threat is gone. Meet someone good, raise a few kids, travel the galaxy, and don’t forget to visit the Greys to threaten them. I’ve never forgot the mess those morons made me clean up.”

The Savior looked around before staring straight at Iantha and saying, “Rest in peace, Grandmother. I will make sure that what you paid to provide is never forgotten.”

Iantha’s eyes teared up with unshed sparkles before she turned away to face Eve, “I’m ready to go back now.”

Eve nodded at Iantha before looking at the Savior and saying, “You’re a good kid. Not like my brother, he’s not cute at all. I guess I can give a small gift to help my friend make peace.” Silver dust flowed out from the witch’s extended hand to circle the Savior’s form, “History never changes, memory never alters, past to future, future to past, thy Soul remembers the fate that never was.”

Iantha watched a shocked expression appear on the Savior’s face as the System pulled them once more into Time.

As they shifted back to the Prison Plan, Iantha was silent. She was certain Eve’s actions had echoed into her Reality allowing the Savior a glimpse of them both. It was an incredible gift, given at great cost Iantha suspected.

Does it matter? Iantha thought as the other members of her crew appeared around them. Meyun gave her a raised eyebrow and she smiled, finally at peace. No, no it doesn’t. All that matters is moving forward, now. I’ll find a way to reach a Tier that allows for communicating with Eve’s brother. That’s the least I can do to repay her.

“It was awesome!” Eve said explosively, “The invaders had giant balls, but I chopped them like swoosh and swish!”

On the other hand, I might just strangle her while she sleeps. Iantha thought as she rubbed her forehead.