24.7

March 4, 2070, at 0601

Seattle, Dragon Foundation Corporate Holding, Central Ring

Within the Soul-Space of Crystal Moss

Eve Smith, the Silver Witch Prime, observed that her association with the Law of Blood allowed access to the Law of Silver. Knowledge of the so-called meta-planes was the final component she needed to make a breakthrough. Her eyes, sharp and focused, traced the intricate patterns of the ritual before her before slotting [Silver]. The air around her crackled with arcane energy, casting flickering shadows on the ancient interior of her created soul sanctum. The scent of burning sage and myrrh filled the room, mingling with the metallic copper tang of blood magic.

Time-shifted and warped as the Anomaly at the center of Reality accepted the input from her delicately formed Ritual of Time. The ethereal air seemed to ripple, and the world around her twisted into a surreal tableau of shifting colors and shapes, like a painting coming to life and then dissolving into a kaleidoscope of temporal fragments. She watched the bold gold letters of her current link to the Anomaly written in the air.

ACT 963161069-26889.24. (M09.D6)(8647 B.C. Hearthfire (September) Third Moon (Third Week) Terdon (Thursday))-Eve-Smith-Silver Prime

ACT-Anomaly Central Time shifted slowly with the faint supernatural harmonic of grinding gears until a new string appeared before her eyes, resonating through the chamber like a ghostly echo.

**ACT YoE 4,171/LT March 4, 2070, at 0601**

Perfect. Eve thought, a satisfied smile playing on her lips, her eyes blazing with triumph. “Now it will base the timeline off my Years of Existence and link it to the local time field,” Eve said with satisfaction. The purpose of this was twofold: one, to make things less confusing for the Silver Witch, and two, to make it impossible to de-centralize or adjust her time without titanic inertia. Eve’s existence was now linked to the Anomaly’s Central Time, it wouldn’t be able to be adjusted without her express input as it was now ‘locked’. Perhaps I’m paranoid about time mages, but after realizing what I can do with the Law of Silver and that of Space, who wouldn’t be? Without such measures, how would I even know I wasn’t in a temporal loop or in the process of being deleted by some sadistic temporal mage?

Unfortunately, Eve’s current Years of Existence had ballooned so much due to experimenting with the Law of Space. It had unequivocally demonstrated she had no talent in Time. Indeed, Eve could barely affect Space’s sister, only due to her massive talent for spatial manipulation. As a result of her meddling, somewhere in a future yet to be written in Time, she had formed an Empire, helped a cute little beast child, watched a world turn to Sea, and battled an entity from the Void to eke out a victory.

That was something for future Eve to worry about, though.

With inherent mastery of Space and now Silver, she could skip past that story at a cost. Eve knew that, eventually, such events would be written as the connection between Space and its sister couldn’t be tricked forever. However, after looking at the Cyber Depths, I have a much firmer concept of what I need for my advancement. Building an Empire requires more than knowing one plus one equals two.

Her mind flickered back to excellent discussions with her allies Felix, Kudzu, Hut, Nota, and the Brick. For the meeting, Nota decorated the entire place with the ambiance of a secret cabal meeting. The walls were lined with towering bookshelves, overflowing with pristine grimoires and scrolls. The flickering light from enchanted candles floating in the air cast eerie shadows, making the room seem alive with unseen presences.

The reason they convened was to escape the Prison Plane into the wider Omniverse with Dust guarding the path through the Void. As the discussion proceeded, Eve nodded when the rest pointed out that she would be directionless after escaping. Finding her brother and returning wasn’t the work of a single lifetime.

“Even should we escape, where would we head? What would we do to reach your brother?” Felix had pointed out, his crystalline voice laced with concern. The sapphire Dungeon Core was a halfling with piercing ice-blue eyes and exquisite Victorian-era clothes. Hut seemed to prefer the look, which had turned it into de facto superiority in Felix’s eyes. After considering the question and realizing her family's distance, Eve felt the icy clutch of eternity.

She was so far away that even her vaunted brother, who could barter with creatures like Dust, couldn’t reach her. Granted, neither could his enemies in theory, but the thought only brought cold comfort. Eve wasn’t so naïve as to think her brother had no one wishing harm.

“If we cannot reach your family in a timeframe that makes sense, perhaps we should begin by accelerating our power base?” Nota had proffered with an adjustment of her glasses that caused light to reflect off them. Nota’s most common form was frequently a busty, long-legged librarian with an air of quiet intensity, her eyes always hidden behind the glare of her glass lenses. Eve privately knew this was the fault for allowing the bookworm familiar to watch all the anime recorded in the Eternal Library.

“If we do that, we need to enter places where it is cost-effective. Places plentiful in birds and bread.” Kudzu had said as he experimented with alchemical reagents at the table they’d been sitting around, his oak-flesh hands deftly manipulating small test tubes while mixing liquids without pause. Kudzu’s current form was that of a burly man with a mane of wild green hair and eyes and a penchant for tinkering with anything alchemical, his fingers always suspiciously clean.

The meeting in her memory fired Eve’s mind as she knew of three instances from the stories in her world that would match perfectly with her needs: Mon-Poke, War of the Stars, and Forty Thousand Millenniums of Stellar Empircus.

Mon-Poke, for example, had a massive breach occur in their story when a storyline Team of Evil attempted to rewrite space and time. Eve knew without question that her mastery of the Law of Space would allow for cost-effective entry into the Multiverse there. It was the same as walking into a house with the door unlocked. As for why it would be a good place to go, that was self-apparent.

Where else would I be able to get excellent training for my allies? Eve thought with a grin, her excitement palpable. A creature who encouraged such things maintained the entire Multiverse of Mon-Poke!

She wasn’t just going for the cute, adorable pets, the Mon-Poke critters, no, not at all.

Finish sealing the Cyber Depths. Then, I returned to the Daedric Prince, finished my agreement there, and learned to reach Tier Seven. Escape the Prison Plane that Dust is guarding using what I’ve learned about Laws. With the same twist of knowledge, depart Tal Mor and breach into Mon-Poke’s Multiverse from the Void. Rinse and repeat for War of the Stars and Forty Thousand Millenniums of Stellar Empircus. If I don’t know how to bring my Empire into existence at that point, I’ll have to wing it. Eve’s mind grew clearer with the basic plan in place. While each Multiverse to visit had dangers, the Silver Witch was no pushover either!

Proper Rituals in each Multiverse would allow her to acclimate at an inhuman speed while keeping most of her power intact.

Eve pulled up her Status and looked at it with a severe expression. She was far from the beginning at Tier 6, but plenty of growth was still available in the Cyber Depths.

Status

Name: Eve Smith

Title: The Silver Witch

Alias: Zun Eve

Level: 7,500 (Tier Six)

Race: Silver Prime Traveling Dust Witch

Class: The Silver Prime Traveling Witch of the Dust Library

Profession: Silver Prime Traveling Talismanic Librarian

Affinities (4): Paper, Ink, Space, Dust

Core: Space-Papered Ink-Dust

Mana: (Infinite)

[Sustained] through the Traveling Dust Witch's Core of Space-Papered Ink-Dust.

Laws:

Primarius Space

Secondus Silver

Stats:

STR  101k

DEX 101k

CON 101k

INT   101k

CHA 101k

Ritual of Balance maintains the equilibrium of existence.

Soul Slot Coins: 0

Skills

Traveling Dust Witch's Core of Space-Papered Ink- Dust

You extract food to regenerate the appropriate Resource from anything within your Zone. Immune to Mana Burn.

Immune to World Energy Overload.

Immune to Chaos Contamination.

Everything is food for a Traveling Dust Witch.

Runic Cryptography V

You can decipher any Rune Language.

There is no lock without a key.

Ritual Rune Ciphering V

You can write in any Rune Language learned.

Skeleton's keys are not supreme.

Runic Skeleton Key V

You can break any Rune Lock with time.

Unlock the potential of eternity.

Ritual Runes of Body V

You can carve Runes into your flesh to form Rituals. Only a single Rune can be active per each amount of twenty thousand Intelligence Stat.

A true Witch is never unarmed.

Soul Cooking

Runes, Flesh, Soul, Food.

A cruel Art from the ancient Dremora.

Let the Hunger be assuaged!

Runes of Flesh (5/5)

Rune of Shroud

Burn existence to fuel existence.

You maintain a Shroud of Mana under your control.

Rune of Ink

You have learned the Primordial Rune of Ink.

The pen is mightier.

Rune of Paper

You have learned the Primordial Rune of Paper.

Record to remember.

Rune of Space

You have learned the Primordial Rune of Space.

Infinite.

Rune of Dust

You have learned the Primordial Rune of Dust.

Bigger isn't always better.

Spells

Siren's Voice

Your voice is pleasing to all.

Your voice can be altered at will.

This effect is maintained indefinitely with Mana.

You cannot be Intimidating while using this Spell.

Dryad's Scent

Your scent is pleasing to all.

Your scent can be altered at will.

This effect is maintained indefinitely with Mana.

You cannot be Unclean while using this Spell.

Continuous Prestidigitation

You are always under the effect of Clean V.

Your clothing is always under the effect of Clean V.

This effect is maintained indefinitely with Mana.

You cannot be Stained while using this Spell.

Summon Food

You can summon any food you have eaten before.

You cannot Poison any food you have Summoned.

You cannot Disease any food you have Summoned.

You cannot Enchant any food you have Summoned.

You cannot Sustain from any food you have Summoned.

This effect has a variable cost in Mana.

Summon Drink

You can summon any drink you have drunk before.

You cannot Poison any drink you have Summoned.

You cannot Disease any drink you have Summoned.

You cannot Enchant any drink you have Summoned.

You cannot Sustain from any drink you have Summoned.

This effect has a variable cost in Mana.

The cost of alcoholic drinks in Mana is double the regular cost.

Thousand Ghostly Hands

You have a thousand ghostly hands that touch the mortal world in a thousand unseen ways.

Each hand can craft with an affinity of your own.

You cannot use these hands directly to fight.

The number of hands currently in use depends on the amount of Mana allocated.

Items

Primarius:

Talisman of Dust III (Unique)

Soulbound.

A mystical Talisman created by a combination of Skills, Spells, and Traits exposed to the primordial dust. Mystical runes scroll across the surface, their power beyond mortal minds. Two may exist, one bound to the Witch, one to her Hut.

The cost of new Runes is double the previous amount.

There is no limit to the amount of space to inlay Runes.

The Item is unaffected by anything lower than a Higher Power, granting Immunity to Mind, Body, or Soul alteration.

The Silver Witch gains Damage Reduction.

The Silver Witch gains a Balance of Power.

The Silver Witch gains Immortality.

The Silver Witch gains Devour.

I am forever; I eat eternity.

Secondus:

Tome of Dust (Ritual)

Soulbound.

A mystical book Sustaining multiple Rituals.

Witch's Ink Athame (Ritual)

Soulbound.

A mystical knife Sustaining multiple Rituals.

Witch's Paper Candle (Ritual)

Soulbound.

A mystical candle Sustaining multiple Rituals.

Zones

Primarius:

Library of Dust III (Unique) Soulbound.

A mystical Zone created by a Librarian exposed to the Primordial Dust. Library, Factory, Sanctuary, and Sword is the Zone.

Two may exist, one bound to the Witch, one to her Hut. The Zone attracts ambient mana-doubling

regeneration rates.

The Zone allows for Space Folding, which is limited only by sight.

The Zone is unaffected by anything lower than a Higher Power.

Grants Multiply. Grants Manipulate.

Grants Consume.

Grants Craft.

Grants Sight.

Here is a monster, mortals

Perks

Ritual Paper V

Spend available Slots to create a Ritual with Paper.

Ritual Ink V

Spend available Slots to create a Ritual with Ink.

Paper Intent V

Spend available Slots to alter existing Paper.

Ink Intent V

Spend available Slots to alter existing Ink.

Big Tool Sack V

Within the space you command, all items are tools. Within the space you command, all tools are equal.

Paper Stack V

Spend available Slots to stack effects on Paper. Effects cannot be duplicated.

Max limit of ten effects.

Ink Sheets V

Spend available Slots to stack effects on Ink.

Effects cannot be duplicated.

Max limit of ten effects.

Rituals

Tome of Dust (Ritual)

The Silver Witch acquires Eternal Memory along with several other Tome Effects.

What you witness cannot be forgotten.

Sacrifice for Power (Tome Effect)

Using a runic circle, trade material objects for Soul Slots.

Instant Ritual (Tome Effect)

Rituals have no cast time.

Boosted Ritual (Tome Effect)

Rituals are three times stronger.

Permanent Ritual (Tome Effect)

Rituals are hardened into Reality unless dismissed by will.

Multi-Layer Ritual (Tome Effect)

Wheels within wheels, gears within gears.

Ritual of Space (Tome Effect)

Rituals can be carved upon Space itself.

Ritual of Time (Tome Effect)

Rituals can be carved upon Time itself.

Ritual of Attack (Tome Effect)

All combat is more straightforward.

Witch's Dust learns attack methods faster.

Ritual of Defense (Tome Effect)

All defense is more straightforward.

Witch's Dust learns defense methods faster.

Witch's Ink Athame (Ritual)

The Silver Witch acquires Writing along with several other Athame Effects.

A blade does more than cut flesh.

Ritual of Truth (Athame Effect)

You know when they lie.

Ritual of Elements (Athame Effect)

You play with fire as quickly as drinking water.

You move earth as quickly as air.

Ritual of Detection (Athame Effect)

You know where they are.

Ritual of Obscurity (Athame Effect)

You surround yourself with the inverse of your Charm Stat.

Ritual of Silence (Athame Effect)

The bane of those who must speak to use Mana.

Ritual of Reflection (Athame Effect)

Upon experiencing a non-physical attack, Witch's Dust learns to reflect a smaller version of it using ambient mana.

Ritual of Mimicry (Athame Effect)

You can mimic what you have experienced.

Combo: Ritual of Reflex

Ritual of Movement (Athame Effect)

You are faster than mortal eyes can witness.

Speed above mortal limits requires Mana to be spent.

Combo: Ritual of Acceleration

Ritual of Reflex (Athame Effect)

Those you have fought once, you can defend against without thinking.

Combo: Ritual of Mimicry

Ritual of Acceleration (Athame Effect)

As a combat encounter continues, you grow faster.

Combo: Ritual of Movement

Witch's Paper Candle (Ritual)

The Silver Witch acquires Reading along with several other Candle Effects.

The candle burns twice as brightly.

Ritual of Strength (Candle Effect)

You are Immune to status effects involving Strength.

Ritual of Dexterity (Candle Effect)

You are Immune to status effects involving Dexterity.

Ritual of Constitution (Candle Effect)

You are Immune to status effects involving the Constitution.

Ritual of Wisdom (Candle Effect)

You are Immune to status effects involving Wisdom.

Ritual of Intelligence (Candle Effect)

You are Immune to status effects involving Intelligence.

Ritual of Charm (Candle Effect)

You are Immune to status effects involving Charm.

Ritual of Balance (Candle Effect)

You cannot lose your balance.

Ritual of Mapmaking (Candle Effect)

Where you travel, you remember.

Ritual of Storage (Candle Effect)

Like a dragon's Hoard, a lich's Vault, or a fairy's Pocket, your own is stored in a dimension accessed only by you as long as you exist.

Ritual of Looting (Candle Effect)

Anything that isn't nailed down, and some that is, can be placed in Storage.

After reviewing her Status, Eve felt her blade call out to her, and reality rippled as she found herself within the Jian. The sleeping blade had recovered by siphoning a small portion of the Ritual of Time. A crystalline plane of silver salt surrounded her as a voice echoed in the surrounding wind.

Soul-Bound Weapon

[Mugen No Gin’un] Q Manifestations [2/2]

Elemental Manifestation

"̴̗̓͐E̸̟̒ṉ̵͌͝s̸͙̠͆͂h̴̳͍͋̃ȑ̴̟͔ǒ̷̲u̷͕̼͛̈́d̸̠̓e̷̲̼̎͑d̶̫̫̿ ̶͙̻͐w̷̟̃i̴͓͖͛͝ṯ̸̓̆h̷͚̉i̷̛̦͋n̵̬̒

̶̀͋ͅt̷͇̣͐͝ḧ̴̦̘́ę̶̏ͅ ̴͔̒̓a̶̤̝͝g̶̨̹̍͛e̵̎̂ͅl̸̻̆͒e̶̓̀͜s̸̟͊̚͜s̸͍̥̒ ̵̢̍ș̵̾ỉ̷͕̉l̵͚̿v̴̗̐ẻ̸̦r̵̪͙͑

̸͉̋̆d̵̗͂̾u̶̥͛s̴̟͗͌͜ț̸͍̚ ̷̛͉̭̈́o̵̺̊͛f̸̡̪̿̽ ̸̜̳̈̇t̷̖͋̾ḧ̴͓́è̴̮̌ ̵̘̭̌̇ì̶̘̒ń̷̨͘f̵̫̅̊i̶̼͝ṇ̷̻́̔i̵̯̔ţ̷̜̀ȅ̷̜,̸̟̭̏̀

̴̱͊c̸̟̭͊u̶͋͜t̵̟̲͋ ̷̟̱̾̌t̵̫̅ḧ̸̦̙́é̴͈ ̴̘̌p̶͎̟̆̕a̶͖̒̀ṫ̸̳h̶̢̅ ̶̙̆h̸͉̲͂͝o̶̭̓m̴̡̧̂ē̴̙̱͠ẅ̸̹́̀ā̷͍̗r̴̹̈́d̵͓̂̅!̴̉͠ͅ

̴͖͗D̴̯̙̒i̶̼̊ͅs̶̩͝p̷̡̌͌e̴̬̮̋̓ŕ̸͕s̵̛̺̋e̷͓͌̈́,̴̧̧́

M̴̪̥̈͒̑͐u̶̲͖͌g̴̭͌̄é̵̛̛̲̭̟̒͠n̷͉͌̋̇̐͆ ̵̘̖͍̙̺͊̓͛̀́n̷̰̪̅o̵͉͉̖̐̎͌ ̸̢̥̻͖͇̈̚G̴͙̘͉̫͛̉̍͆i̴̡̤̩͗̑̓ͅn̸̯̳̩̫̄̒̋'̷̢̙̣̏͋ǘ̶̠̀n̵̩̬̲̘̅̋͠!̵̠͈͇̲͗"̵̩͌̾̔

Recitation:

“Enshrouded within the ageless silver dust of the infinite, cut the path homeward. Disperse, Mugen no Gin’un!”

Silver Cloud Manifestation: The user gains complete control over the silver particles that comprise their Elemental Manifestation. These particles can be manipulated to form a variety of defensive and offensive constructs, including shields, blades, or even complex structures for strategic purposes.

Path of Homeward Slash: By slashing their Elemental Manifestation blade, the user creates rifts within the fabric of space, generating shimmering portals that allow them to traverse distances instantaneously. These portals can be utilized for swift, evasive maneuvers, surprise attacks, or tactical positioning.

Apex Manifestation

"̸̡̦̤̚͜ͅE̷̙̾̈̇ṃ̷͙̪́ȅ̷̞͉̰͎r̶̪͆͜͝g̷̛͉͇̳͛̊̾͋í̴̙̦̙n̸̨̦̈́͊͒͗͘g̸̳̟̐̔͊ ̸̡͈̘̅͆͝f̴͔͖̗̔r̶̗͠ò̷̱̺̰̲̈m̶͇͎̦̘͊͝ ̷̥̊̆̑̕͝ţ̴̘͚̦̔̂̌ͅḧ̵̨͙̫́͋͠é̵̢̜͇̰͖͝ ̸̮͓̗̔̄̂͒̓ͅb̸̳̝͕͛̀͊̃o̸̱̱̜̍́̋u̶̙̐̚n̷͉̼̫̱͇̅̒͝d̷̤̝̦̭̦͆̾̾͠l̷͕̂̀̂͋̀e̵̲͗̽̾̅s̸̳̗̾̈̃̃ͅs̶̯̝̞̾

̵̻̝̤̈͗͂̀̕ė̶̤̋̆ṁ̷͎̝̲̖̋͒̾̃b̶̡̭̣̺͕͑̄͐̐̓r̷̮̖͓̫̙͂̆́ä̴͓̻̱͖͑̄c̷̯͓͉̽̅̍̈́̄e̸̜̦̝̳͌͜ ̵̡̡̘̮͐͛̊͘o̵̼̓̄̾̈͜f̶̭̼̪̗́̎͘ ̶̰͗e̵̪̰͒̚ṭ̶̳̼͇̝̓́e̴̠̟̔̌̑͘r̸͈̺̍̊̓͒͌n̵̠̞̉̍̓̇a̵̰̋ḷ̸̩͖̏ ̶̥̒͌͑͑̀ȧ̵̖̱͙̦̺̏ŗ̴̝̺̺̆̅g̸̻̽ḙ̷͘n̷͉͙̾t̸̼̜̥̀̏̈́

̶̣̠̜̭͌̄͌͝p̷̲̤͕̉̀̀́å̸͉̺͓̔̆́͠ŗ̶͇̹̦̏̈́͜ṫ̶̞̈́̐̽̊i̴̡̔̅̀͗c̶̨͈̗̀͌͌̈́̂l̸͖͔̔e̵͕͙̻̣̞͊͂s̵̟̎́̒,̶̮̱͌̄̏ ̵̥͙̐ç̵͍̉͊l̶̡̲̩͛̈̚͠e̷͈̜̓͊̆a̸̛̼̜̯̋̂͋͝ͅv̴̖͉̥͍̣͝ĕ̶͎̹ ̶̻̼̤̹̦̅̊͘͠t̵̛̝̾̈́̕h̵̪͍͓̍̔̀e̴͈̻̩̼̊ͅ ̷̢͙̞̥̞̓̀̇r̸̨̡͍͓̜̽̇o̸̮̪͋͂̈́̓͂͜ͅu̷͇͙̭̓̽̀t̴͚̳̑ȩ̵͈̱̗̒̂̋̄̀

̴͕͔͙͓͍̿t̶̢̎ȏ̶͉͈̖̜͔̓͆̿ ̷̺̭̞͂̃͋t̶̤̝͊̃̇͆͜ͅḥ̴͓̬͑ę̵̡̻̗̄̀ͅ ̷͔̩͊h̷̦͚̫̜̎̅̕e̸͍͖̊͑a̸͔̻̟͗ȑ̸̯t̵̲͈̪̎'̶͖͚̺̻͗͂͑̏͝s̵̜̭͒̏͜ ̵̨̟̰̗͓͑̽a̸̞̐̅͊b̵͓̦̘̟̏̿̃ͅò̶͔͍d̷̡̻͎͉̈̅̐e̵̥̜̯̒͝!̶̠̱͛͝ ̵̧̲̖̠͇͋͆͑̏

S̷̼̮͍͍͕͂͝c̶͇͉̘̄̀̑̕͘a̵̲̓̀̋͜͜t̵̜̥̟̟̂̓̀t̵̨̢̻̊̇̒e̸̤̬̟̬͔̐̄̿͊͗r̸̨̯̩̫̞͛̆́͊,̷̰̗̦͔͂ ̷̤̫̋̊͐̎

M̴̪̥̈͒̑͐u̶̲͖͌g̴̭͌̄é̵̛̛̲̭̟̒͠n̷͉͌̋̇̐͆ ̵̘̖͍̙̺͊̓͛̀́n̷̰̪̅o̵͉͉̖̐̎͌ ̸̢̥̻͖͇̈̚G̴͙̘͉̫͛̉̍͆i̴̡̤̩͗̑̓ͅn̸̯̳̩̫̄̒̋'̷̢̙̣̏͋ǘ̶̠̀n̵̩̬̲̘̅̋͠!̵̠͈͇̲͗"̵̩͌̾̔

Recitation:

"Emerging from the boundless embrace of eternal argent particles, cleave the route to the heart's abode! Scatter, Mugen no Gin'un!"

Endless Radiance: The silver particles emitted by the Apex Manifestation create an ethereal glow, illuminating the surroundings. This radiant aura is soothing, dispelling negative influences and boosting the user's allies' morale and energy.

Silver Dust Arsenal: The user can disperse their silver particles into the air, forming a vast cloud of glimmering dust. These particles possess exceptional cutting properties, enabling them to shred through defenses easily. The silver dust can also interfere with the opponent's energy defenses, suppressing their powers and hindering their movements.

Hakugin no Rinne (Samsara of Silver): This ultimate technique, requiring considerable expenditure, allows users to merge their consciousness with the silver particles of their Apex Manifestation. In this state, the user gains heightened perception, enabling them to foresee opponents' movements and respond with unparalleled speed and precision. They can also freely reshape and solidify the silver particles, granting them exceptional versatility in combat.

Eve carefully noticed that the blade had synchronized, taking on the full name Mugen no Gin’un. Previously, it had slightly confused her why the end of each recitation was different. Now, however, there was no feeling of dissonance. The blade was whole, only separated between Elemental and Apex Manifestations.

Taking a deep breath of the poisonous air of the Wastes, the witch looked at the surroundings. Crystal was questioning the slick young corpo executive named Cho Eun-kyung on the left provided by Nadja, but that wasn’t anything Eve cared about. The small chickling and the rotating Runic AI held her interest far more, but interaction could wait momentarily.

First, a look at the land.

Eve stood still as she expertly extended her senses for tens of kilometers, finding nothing moving toward them from the nearby city of Seattle. Satisfied there wasn’t anything directly threatening, the witch focused her mana, shrouding their surroundings in an invisible blaze, extending the Shroud produced by her Core: Space-Papered Ink-Dust. In apparent ignorance of their technological might, most Cyber Depths people had no clue the Wastes were far from uninhabited.

Electromagnetic specters of the many rogue AI populating this piece of the Deeps abounded, each attempting to access the physical realm. They were held at bay by the same rules that had restricted her entry. The electromagnetic entities could not move from their digital domains without access to a Law.

“Well, that explains the failure of Waste Chrome.” Eve rationalized as the Witch’s Dust flowed into a series of silver runes floating in the air. A flex of mana bound the space, designating it Territory. The invisible AIs lurking behind the paper-thin division from cyberspace departed with ghostly screams of fear. Eve’s eyes narrowed briefly with a silver glint. Interesting. They recognize the danger if not the reason.

Eve suspected without direct access to a mind to overwrite the electronic impulses. Essentially using chrome to create a doorway into flesh, the AIs were blocked out. It made the immensity of cutting through a Blackwall readily apparent. She had done nothing less than directly transition from the cyberworld to reality while posting a titanic ad for the action. It's best to take a disguise. It is more accessible to pick and choose battles. It won’t last forever, but I don’t plan on spending eternity to finish my business here.

Eve knew the effects of the Ritual of Time were far-reaching. Eventually, more mana would seep in following the path she had carved. With that at the forefront of the witch’s mind, her body shifted and warped the entire enchanted attire, altering it to match. Previously, where a stunning female embodiment of beauty and elegance had stood, captivating all who beheld her, only a modestly pretty young woman remained. Eve kept the silver eyes but shifted her hair to raven black with pink tips, ensuring the length was just above shoulder height.

Mana would soon pool into Crystal’s homeland like blood leaking from a dagger wound. This meant that creating the seals on the Free Cities would be exponentially easier. On the other hand, methods of detection, monsters, and dungeons were also sure to arrive. The System wouldn’t let a chance like this go, something Eve knew well. That was to say nothing of how the native corpus would respond. Mana could easily replace the entire system of currency in place with barely a blink of effort.

Eve grumbled to herself about the depravity of human greed. At least the Dragons wouldn’t be able to enter anytime soon. There wasn’t anywhere near the level required to support them. Turning to the two exciting parties, Eve floated the chickling and Runic AI to her with telekinesis. Four eyes and one rotating sphere took the measure of each other in silence. Crystal and Cho Eun-Kyung continued bickering to the side before Eve finally broke the stand-off and said, “Good afternoon, Fluff and Rabbit.” She had tried to ensure her voice didn’t have the same overwhelming resonance as it normally did. It wouldn’t do to turn Crystal’s companions into braindead mush accidentally.

“Fluffyfeathers.” the chickling replied. Eve shook her head and countered with pure logic, “You have no feathers as a chickling.” The tiny cyberhacker had an expression of dumbfounded shock.

While the cyber chickling was occupied, Eve flicked a finger at the Rune AI core’s sphere, adding two silver runes, “Sonic manipulation, you can join the conversation outside the realm of cyberspace now.”

“You are the Patron of Crystal.” Rabbit said, testing Eve’s claim instantly. The AI had chosen a male voice with a slight robotic overtone.

Eve nodded and said, “Astute, as expected of a mind and soul unbound of flesh.”

“Machines do not have either of those.” Rabbit replied instantly.

“All sapience has a soul. All sentients a mind. No matter how rudimentary. I assure you, Mr. Rabbit, it is a fact.” Eve replied without missing a beat.

Fluff had recovered and asked, “What are you planning regarding Crystal?”

“Crystal has served her purpose; now I have no further use for her. I’ll tie up loose ends and proceed with my diabolical plan for world domination.” Eve replied in a flat monotone with evil robotic overtones. She kept her face completely blank to sell the joke as accurate.

“She’s joking.” Rabbit analyzed instantly. “If she weren’t joking, we’d already be dead, according to the energy readings earlier.” Fluff fluttered in place, futilely struggling to break the telekinetic grip Eve held her in before relaxing when the AI spoke. It provoked a broad smile from the witch.

“Oh, no. My diabolical plan has been thwarted by the logical analysis of a Rune AI. Curses, foiled again.” Eve said with a twinkle in her eyes. Showing no mercy, she moved Fluff to her left finger and petted her gently, successfully calming the struggling chick. “Relax. I did not invest so heavily in turning Crystal into a pseudo-immortal only to liquidate my investment with no return.” Her voice was subtly altered to give a sense of safety and security. It was all fun and games to her, but she didn’t want Crystal’s two companions to have a stroke or logic stutter.

“By the same word framework, you can’t possibly mean harm to your investment unless a greater return is available.” Rabbit said, his synthetic tone turning relaxed. Working with those with a processing speed similar to Felix's was good.

“Correct. Could I enact what is needed to reach my goals alone? Certainly, however, there is no point in which I can sub-contract out and enjoy myself during the interim. Ennui is dangerous.” Eve said as she took out a plethora of perfectly cut small silver cuboids from Storage. Manipulating silver was as easy as Witch’s Dust now.

Even as the conversation volume between Cho and Crystal gained steam, the witch ignored them in favor of enchanting. Witch’s Dust carved runes on each small pinkie-sized cuboid. After being carved, the barely visible glowing cubes started to circle Eve’s head. It looked like nothing so much as a halo formed of rune-engraved silver squares.

Eventually, cracking under curiosity at what she was doing, Rabbit and Fluff asked, “What is that? Are those nanomachines?”

“So, you are both familiar with decks?” Eve said, ignoring the question of what Witch’s Dust truly was as she finished her enchanting. When both gave the sound of acknowledgment, she continued, “This is a Crown. Far superior to a deck. The functions are superficially similar.”

“Improvements?” Rabbit asked, curious.

“No heat, connection traces, more syntax use, no lag for starters, faster segment loading, more magic in essence,” Eve said, smirking.

“Impossible,” Fluff said, shaking her head.

“Magic is a cheat,” Eve said, poking the chickling with a grin. It was fun watching the two of them reconcile the current reality.

Eve could see the moment the implications took hold.

“Chaos is coming. Will Crystal survive?” Rabbit said his sensors noticed the increase in background mana. At the most basic, mana was still energy. Detectable, traceable, and visible to the suitable methods. Suppose anything could recalibrate sensors on the fly to detect it, and that would be a Runic AI.

“How much do you want to know about reality?” Eve said without preamble. “While I don’t deal in pills, red or blue, the stuff I can tell you will be just as mind-bending.”

“Everything.” Rabbit replied excitedly.

“Nothing,” Fluff replied deadpan.

 “Think of this universe like one sliver of reality trapped between two others, providing passage to each. Physics is a set of rules that helps keep things stable. Metaphysics is what you get with mana added. If you were to leave this planet and travel through the shard of reality it exists within, you would reach the Deeps. That’s where this Cyber Depths exists, floating near the surface, which is pretty safe compared to below.” Eve continued for a good twenty minutes, imparting knowledge through vocal communication. Eve had Nota, her familiar, upload a far more in-depth explanation for Crystal to reference later.

“These Free City-based seals; they would make it harder for the opposing force to invade System Wilson’s territory?” Rabbit asks, getting to the meat of the matter.

“Correct. Since the Blackwall is, in essence, a massive AI, it would be perfect to host the Sigils.” Eve nodded. There wasn’t even a flicker of emotion in her silver eyes as she condemned a potentially sapient entity to unending service. The Blackwall wasn’t one of hers. Its opinion was immaterial. The chance of gratitude or reward from Wilson far outweighed the Free City security AI in her calculations.

It isn’t like the Blackwall AI is helping humanity out of the goodness of its heart, either. The only reason there isn’t a mass upheaval of society is ignorance. Eve looked at the chickling and Rune AI before saying, “Have you considered what to do when Crystal is finished assisting me per her contract?”

“What do you mean?” Fluff asked with narrowed eyes.

“She’s offering to take us with her when she leaves.” Rabbit said, leaping logic with uncanny skill.

“That is correct. To be clear, I won’t force you to go. I’ve invested many resources in Crystal, but that’s very transactional.” Eve said, looking off in the distance.

There was silence as the two considered her offer before finally Rabbit said, “I would like to depart with you.” The chickling took longer before finally saying, “Me too. Do you think Crystal will want to leave, though?”

Eve gave a terrible smile filled with schadenfreude before she said, “She’s met some of my other companions, and even with her preference for female companionship, she was drooling.”

Even though the witch couldn’t perfectly parse the expression of her conversation partners, it didn’t take much to read an evil smile from them.