His sneakers were a godsend to Iker. Outside air was also an opponent in this square center of the lambda spaceship, and it wanted to fling Iker towards the sky. While Monica had only her bare feet, it was probably to her benefit as she probably had enough hubris to think she would win with her heels on. She had an opportunity to attack while Iker dug in his soles to the metal, yet she did not. Luckily, his summon Iggy did not seem to be affected by the suctioning entrance.

  "Why didn't y–"

  A mercurial yet precise strike came Iker's way; Monica had extended her flux-infused fingers to create a piercing force that shattered Iggy's left skeletal arm. While the entrance tried to pull Monica outward to a blue oblivion, she was able to grab on to a ceiling vent and stabilize herself. With her regained composure, Monica did not hesitate to lunge both of her feet into Iker, and his summon shattered into bone rain as it blocked both of her directed heels.

  And Iker, even though his flux had yet to awaken as per Bastian's warning, found an opening for an attack based on a realization he just made. Jumping up with both of his arms raised, seeing that Monica lost some experienced-based ability in her hand-to-hand combat skills, grabbed her by the edge of her dress. Indeed, because Monica sojourned with Yggdrasilland for an inconceivable amount of time, she was no longer maintaining her hand-to-hand combat skills across that span of time. Less so as she was more of a jaunter and no platoon would risk their jaunter like this unless it was necessary.

  However, trying to connect punches into Monica's flux-clad face did not prove to be so effective. Her flux coat was indeed more feeble, and Iker managed to hurt one eye of hers as he used her dress to pull himself up towards her to attack, and the force was enough for her to keep one eye closed, but Iker shattered both of his knuckles thoroughly. Adrenaline kept him from feeling any pain as he fell towards the sky.

  However, Iker stopped perfectly in midair. And Monica, who went after him, did too. And so did the black lambda shuttle that they were outside of now. Around them in every direction, a green and spectral light was sheening them all.

  Iker glanced skyward to discover an arak ship was pulling them up with their own technology. All Iker and Monica could do was wait.

  Shit, is this the day of unofficial first contact? Iker asked.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Yea... a lot of time travelers and espers tried to change this event and the recollections of this event for their gain, Bastian explained. It's thanks to them I can use this event as like... an everchanging and scrying save file.

  Confusion is the point, Iker spontaneously declared.

  Huh? ... that's... random.

  Bastian, what's the prime objective? If I was in Ameen's shoes, on top of changing the past to benefit me, I would also change the past and everyone's memories to make things confusing for my enemy, Iker explained. The more confused we are, the better... and I remembered us defeating Prophet Ameen in the future. We stopped him from bringing down Ember City to the ground. Er... or we will stop him? Stopped him? Will stop him? Or have stopped him? This is hurting my head.

  Iker... the universe is going to disappear. And everyone that is in it, Bastian explained. Ameen, Maverick, and Ember are allies, and if they trap us in the disappearing universe our past, present, and future selves will be gone. We will only be safe if we make it to a flying city when The Confluence happens, and even then... we have to stop them from bringing down the flying cities too.

  The Confluence?

  The triangular and in shadow arak spaceship sequestering its targets was pulling them faster towards the hangar's entrance underneath the ship. Despite Iggy being shattered and having the slowly rising ship blocking its path towards Iker, his reconstitution was sometimes causing the flying bones and tunic to noclip through the spaceship to get to Iker faster. Iker winced as the adrenaline was subsiding, now his shattered knuckles were aching profusely. He had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from crying.

  Iker, be careful about getting too far from Iggy.

  Upon reflection to distract himself from the pain, Iker knew exactly why Bastian had said that. With the hundreds of meters already separating where Iker was and where Iggy had blocked Monica's downward attack earlier, Iggy's memories felt more fuzzy. It was as if they were individuating the more distance they had from one another. However, as Iker spotted Iggy's skull now flying towards his direction, he felt less like Iker as Iggy was finishing reconstituting. His memories as Iker felt more like night dreams rather than concrete recollections.

  And the hangar gates above swished open, sucking up its hostages. And before he realized it, Monica leaped behind him and locked both of Iker's arms with her own grasp. And the colony of arak espers awaiting them and circling them waved their tentacles and needle-arms to hold Iggy into place.

  "We did it! And no more time travelers, jaunters, espers, or any of those fictional characters randomly spawning in this event to stop us!" Wexil yelled among the ranks of arak espers standing in single file. He then floated past the front row using telekinesis to stop Iggy altogether, and each of his eight tentacles wielded a different kind of dagger if the sudden need for combat arose.

  "We have captured the narrator! Godhood shall be mine!"