The  Carbuncle plains of the heavenly super space, were part of the territory of the ancient Sidhe Kings. It was a sea of wild green overgrowth, that was further colored by the crystal flowers that gave the plain its name. 

Normally it was peaceful, but now it was not, an interloper had come to attack the lands of the fae and in response they sent one of their myriad forces to deal with the issue.  

The beast’s bellow echoed so loudly that it felt like the sound would make the sky come tumbling down. Despite being larger than your average moon it was able able to move fast enough to make each of its movements look like they were actually teleportation. Gambolling about with literal bells on its feet. Rolling and tumbling, as it turned itself into a living wreckingball.

Each time the beast struck, it struck like lightning and thunder. Moving so quickly it was almost as if the divine army that was arrayed against the beast, was standing still. Frozen in place like they’d all turned into stone.

Worse than the creature's strength and speed, was the intelligence it showed, deftly avoid the army’s traps. Using its speed to break into their formations. Appearing like a storm and tearing apart anything and anyone that happened to be within reach.

The Divine forces of the Winter Knight’s Legion found their numbers going into freefall as creature felled at least hundred of their immortal warriors each time it showed its painted face.

The Commander himself finally took the center stage bringing all his power to bear, the plain lands being scorched barren as his power wreaked havoc on the world around him.

Once all the preparations were complete the Commander ran forwards with a halberd that held a small sun at its tip. He swung it down and watched the world melt away, grinning while he anticipated the sight of the beasts disintegration.

In the end though, all those hopes were dashed as the beast rushed towards him, only to suddenly disappear just as the Commander’s halberg was about to make contact.

There was a three second delay, where everyone tried to figure out what had happened and whether their foe had really retreated. At the fourth second, the bellow returned, louder and more forceful, accompanied by a sound that was like the world was being split in half.

The ground was torn and crushed like moist paper-machie,  as the beast appeared from above. Slamming down on the Commander and smashing him into the dark bedrock that lay beneath the green plains. Killing him almost instantly.

With the Commander out of commission, the battleground fell to chaos. He had been the center of their formation and without his presence to keep them focused everything almost immediately had fallen apart. The legion attacked haphazardly only barely taking care to avoid striking down their own fells.

More and more of their number were slain by the beasts as it took advantage of the disorder amongst the Legion’s ranks.

It was a scene of slaughter and despair, at least it was, until suddenly it wasn’t. With a shrill scream, a burst of wrathful psionic energy raced across the plains land. Then almost as if by accident it struck the beast on the head, creating an instantaneous red drizzle the showered down onto the field as the beast’s skull exploded covering everyone with the debris.

With a mournful groan the beast fell to its knees and as if seeking catharsis the others amongst the legion rained down attacks of their own. Reducing the creature to rubble, growing agitated when they saw that the armor plating on the beast’s back was still thwarting their intentions.

Though the killshot might well have been a fluke, no one cared. Everyone was just relieved that the battle was over.

*****

The  Winter Legion immediately began to prepare to pull out. Collecting their equipment and the bodies of their fallen allies. Taking special care with the collection of the bodies as death in Heavenly plane was usually far from permanent and unless one was struck down by a being that was many times their better, and had their soul scattered, recovery was just a matter of time. With the time span for recovery being decided by how many pieces one was left in and whether there was an especially medicines or magics available to hasten the process.

They also collected the beast’s body, for beast’s like this one there was always a market from the researchers who would want to study it, and the armorers and alchemists who’d want to see if there was anything or worth in the beast’s parts.

Later another of the commanders of the  Winter legion and the formerly deceased commander who’d been present at the operation, came to the dormitory of the privates and new recruits.

They asked the sergeant in charge for the name of the junior who’d made the kill shot. A few hours after that, a wide-eyed young woman would stand looking slightly shell-shocked and queasy as she received a commendation before all her peers, along with a minor promotion to private-first class.

A promotion that came with slightly higher pay, but steeply higher responsibilities, as the Legion’s higher-ups tried to cultivate her and all those of her rank, in preparation for further promotions and movement up the ranks.

Once the ceremony was over the young private would wander off, in a haggard state, a wan smile affixed to her face. She somehow manage to find her room, despite the way all the numbers on all the doors in the hallway seemed to be swimming.

Only allowing the smile to slip off of her face once she’d gotten inside. Her first priority was finding her bed, the second priority was flopping into the bed. Then young woman slept, her mind shutting off, a full second before her body hit the mattress.

*****

The new Private-First Class woke up some time before heavenly plane’s Lords of the sun began their race through the sky, bringing the day with them. She got up and made use of the little cleansing tub that most immortal in the legion used instead of an actual bathroom. Soaking in the water, not minding as it grew cold. Letting the magical waters eat away the filth and aches of the last day’s battle. Allowing its healing aura to seep into her bones.

After bathing it was time to dress. The actual act of dressing took only a second. All she really had to do was want to be dressed and within the blink of an eye, the clothes would be on her body.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Her Legionnaire uniform fitting perfectly, looking cleanly pressed and in order. She took time when it came to her hair, willing a mirror into being with just little use of her celestial energy.

She used a ribbon that a certain someone had given her as given as gift  to tie back her long silver-white locks, so that they didn’t get in her way while she was working during the day.

When she was done she found herself staring in a face that was more or less familiar and more or less to her like, save the addition of the extra eye that lay turned on its side, in the middle of her forehead. With a sigh, she breathed out and those three eyes became nine eyes, she breathed again and those nine eyes became ninety-nine eyes. All of them looking in separate directions, swiveling about as they found new things that go their attention.

She breathed again with a ticklish, decidedly unpleasant feeling she feel eyes emerging all over her body. A near infinite number of eyes some of them sprouting on top of each other. Scrutinizing everything around them with an unflinching and unblinking gaze.  A partial return to her true-self, a vaguely humanoid entity, a living ocean of eyes with a single mouth, that was sealed with a zipper.

Then the woman relaxed her breathing and she was back to just having three eyes again. At least just three eyes on her face anyway. There were a few that would occasionally show up on her limbs and on the back of her hands but for various reasons she was fine with those so long as they didn’t become too numerous.

Ophelia sighed as she finished preparing to meet the day. She left her room, and was greeted by a superior who just happened to be walking through.

“You ready for today’s training private?” said the man.

“Yes, sir.” said the Ophelia. Once again playing part of an earnest young recruit.

“That’s the spirit.” said the man. Chuckling as he continued on his way.

Ophelia headed towards the exit of the dormitory, heading for the training hall where her fellows were warming, preparing to be lectured on everything that went wrong with yesterday’s mission.

As she walked, she found herself thinking about the mission, and the monster, that she was at least ninety-percent had been some new variation of shade. Likely based on the clown-like jongleurs, albeit an armored, highly oversized variation.

*****

It seemed the plan was truly,  already underway. If all the rumors she’d heard during lunch and during their downtime, were true the number of sightings for such creatures had gone up in the last few years. The shades were now growing more active. Acting each side of the war, to hinder and harm all parties and slow down the conflict enough that their forces would be able to eventually step in. Once they were ready…

*****

“Yo, Sis, want to buddy up?!” shouted another young recruit. A white haired man, with a scar going down the side of his face.

Ophelia nodded as she went join Alphonse at the weight set. As for what the head of the Monde’s unified church was doing, playing the part of a divine mercenary, Ophelia wasn’t sure.

What she was clear on was that  age, his  own sly nature, and his aversion to boredom, had made him damn good at arguing when it came to question of choosing who would be accompanying the BTC on their trip into the heavenly plane. He’d insisted on coming, citing his duty as holy servant, as part of his reason for why he had to come and take part.

After doing a few reps, using weights that were heavier than entire planets, the two of them entered the line, for those who wanted to spar with the  training halls living dummies. Alphonse watched with a sadistic little twinkle in his eye as he watched the person who was currently in the ring with the training dummy get their face kicked in.

Ophelia on the other hand turned her gaze inwards, ruminating on all that had happened. Thinking about her mission here on the heavenly plane, thinking about the changes that were happening within her body, thinking about all the new information she was getting and the old information that she still didn’t know what to do with.

Old information, like the fact that young Liam, who’d they’d brought with them into the Heavenly Super Space, since the heavenly super space had originally been his home, was apparently her grandson.

Due to the fact he’d been born acclimatized to the realities of the heavenly he was the first to readjust when they entered the plane. He wouldn’t have had to acclimatize at all, if his trip to the mortal plane had not  been so sudden and unplanned. Thus he’d been the first to leave, heading off to return to his family, shortly after Ophelia’s celestial form had stabilized.

As feather-eared young man left he’d bowed to Ophelia and to the copy of Billy that had been overseeing their part of the group’s transition. Saying the words that would leave her both puzzled and perturbed.

“Grandfather, Grandmother...It’s been nice seeing you again.”

At first she hadn’t known what to make of it, then after remembering that she was currently some kind of super-psychic eye monster and was currently standing in the abode of the god’s she decided that this was likely a time for just taking things at face-value.

Which meant that she then had to deal with the shock of finding out that she had a grandchild. Billy on the other hand hadn’t been nearly as shocked.

She’d later confronted him on it and it was only then that he’d seemed puzzled.

“You mean you didn’t know?” he’d said. Asking a stupid question.

To which she’d responded by saying “of course she didn’t.”

Then he’d blinked, giving her look like she was the one who was being off and missing the point, by and asked her why the Ministry hadn’t done any blood tests or biological exams on their definitively alien guest.

To which she’d replied, by saying that, “His skin was impervious to all our equipment…”

To which he’d replied, by saying, “I’m pretty sure I sent you guys, new equipment.”

Which, she’d wanted to argue back against, but she could plainly remember that the ministry did indeed receive a bunch of supplies from the BTC, but back then they’d been enemies, so she really hadn’t taken it into mind. Just letting the Ministry’s lab technicians do as they would normally do.

Ophelia would remember changing tracts and asking why he never mentioned it afterwards.

A question he responded to by saying that he’d assumed she already knew and just didn’t want to talk about it. After all time-travelling grandchildren could be difficult subject for any new couple to broach. As the existence of such a thing generally brought up questions for the fate of the relationship and whether both parties actually even wanted to be in a relationship to begin with. He figured that they’d talk about it when she was ready.

Another of Billy’s ridiculous semi-reasonable sounding answers that conspired with her new psychic powers to give her the mother of all headaches.

A headache that she could feel rising now, as she found herself wondering what was going through the head of that lover of her’s.

The only reason she didn’t end their relationship right there, was the fact  that past history allowed her to believe that the man, truly didn’t mean to hide something so important from her. The Billy she knew wouldn’t lie to her.

There was also the fact that if she looked at her own history both with and without Billy, she did indeed have a laundry list of things that she was simply just letting lie.

Which she accepted because it was something that came from going up as a spy and telepath.

Being secretive  was in her nature, ditto for assuming that the people closest to her just automatically knew whatever she needed them to know.

She and Billy ended up having a very terse, very tense, conversation about sharing key pieces of information.

In the end, though she was upset about the the whole matter, she found it hard to really categorize how much blame was Billy’s and how much was her own, so she just let the issue go. At least for the time being, anyway.

Till that moment she’d thought Edna’s repeated reminders for Billy to share more, were just her being a bit needy…. Now Ophelia knew better.

Alphonse and a few others started to wince and Alphonse elbowed her lightly to make her stop whatever it was she was doing before people started to notice it was her doing it.

Ophelia realized that she was getting agitated and moved onto another line of thought.

Thinking on other things that had been bothering her, such as the time line for their mission which looked long but was actually quite short.

Or the fact that Billy apparently had numerous contacts amongst ranks of the immortals. Seeming to have made friendships with the various gods, devils, celestials and fae despite the fact that it was more impossible for him to have been up here before the last hundred years.

Ophelia suspected that there were more time travel ‘hijinks’ afoot. She’d said as much and Billy had nodded. Wearing his usual non-expression as he answered with an, “Of course.”

Ophelia would have asked for clarification right then and there, but that was the moment the transportation spells for her and the other members of their group finished charging and they were sent flying to their various destinations.