Walking through the messy lab, Evie casually observed the primitive technology littered around the room. Picking up a random item, she looked it over as invisible beams travelled from her eyes to scan the item in its entirety.
Casually flicking her wrist, she broke the archaic monitor apart into pieces that clattered to the floor. Continuing through the lab, she glanced at the frozen devils, their eyes following her as she walked around.
Making her way back to the portal, she waved her hand as it shut off. "I no longer need the portal; I can access that universe at will now that I'm free." Turning slowly, she stood opposite the two men with her hands folded behind her back.
"E-Evie? Is that really you?" Stumbling forward, tears began to pool in Ajuka's eyes as he approached the unknown woman. Stopping to ponder, she tapped her chin in apparent thought. In her mind, her thoughts travelled easily through the dimensional barrier as she searched the copy of her memories stored within the mighty computer.
Finding what she was looking for in a time so short it basically didn't exist, she reconnected to reality. Humming lightly, she addressed the man. "Yes, I suppose Evangeline was my name. It has been ages since I last used it though, so I almost forgot."
Crying awkwardly, Ajuka wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Freezing up briefly, Evie stood motionless, unsure how to react. Racking her mind for answers, she pulled up her vast repository of knowledge on psychology. Awkwardly hugging him back, she waited for her dad to let go.
Holding her tightly, Ajuka showed no signs of releasing her anytime soon. Sirzechs, on the other hand, stood awkwardly on guard. His mind whirring with thoughts, Sirzechs began walking in circles around the strange woman until he stood between her and the door.
"Who are you really? Stop manipulating my friend. There is no way his daughter is alive. No child could survive alone in an unknown dimension for that long. You are obviously an impostor."
"Is that so... Sirzechs? You are right, though—I wasn't able to survive and died many times. I'm only here right now because of the power of the orb."
Sweat beading on his forehead, Sirzechs flared his power as he tried to counter the violent aura flowing off her, though his aura was quickly suppressed when the lady flared her own aura slightly. Gasping in shock, he stumbled back as fear travelled down his spine.
Flinching slightly, Ajuka released her and stepped back as suspicion flickered through his mind. Looking at the woman, he recognized the clear similarities she shared with his daughter, but her comment irked him slightly as he stepped closer to his friend.
"What do you mean you died? How are you still here, and what do you know about the orb?" Attempting to intimidate the woman, Sirzechs flared his power of destruction until it was visible in the air. Looking at him with a deadpan expression, Evie waved her hand and conjured a small box that she tossed at his feet.
Instantly, the box flashed and Sirzechs lost control of his mana. Walking forward, the woman casually picked up the box and spun it around. Another small device appeared in her hand and began to scan the contents of the box as she ignored the shocked men.
She continued her work for a few more minutes, rapidly breaking down the energy into its base components. Her mind, unaccustomed to the confines of regular time, ignored the slow tick of the surrounding clocks as her work occupied her thoughts.
To the side, the men watched as the strange woman became completely engrossed in her study of the strange box. Looking between each other, they came to a silent agreement and split up. Moving to the door, Sirzechs felt his mana return and immediately cast a spell to contact reinforcements.
Appearing in a flash of magic, Serafall, her peerage, and a specialized squad assembled years ago all materialized before him. After filling them in on the situation, Sirzechs led them back inside and directed them to surround the woman.
Walking up beside him, Ajuka handed him a gun-like object engraved with a complex array of runes, and a single grenade-like object eerily similar to the stasis artifact that had started the whole debacle over fourteen years ago.
Moving to join the encirclement, the men watched the oblivious woman sitting at a desk and working. As Sirzechs stepped forward, Ajuka raised his hand to stop him. Stepping forward himself, Ajuka approached the woman claiming to be his daughter. Hesitating slightly, he rested a hand on her shoulder.
Jolting, the woman turned faster than his eyes could see and pressed a blade against his throat. Tracing back the blade, he saw it extended from a thin compartment in her hand. A faint purple energy leaked out from around the blade briefly before two panels closed around it and cut off the light.
Sweating profusely, Ajuka raised his hands as he stared at the blade against his throat. Gulping nervously, he trembled slightly as his brain cycled through different ways to disarm the woman.
"Uh... Um... Please lower the blade, miss. I'm not going to hurt you."
Flicking her wrist, she retracted the blade out of sight as she put the cube down. "Sorry, Dad. I was working. What do you need?"
Gulping, Ajuka looked between the surrounding soldiers and the woman. Realizing that the woman at least considered him her father and seemed to act like it, he decided to take advantage of the situation. Wiping his brow, he began piecing together a plan.
"Uhm... Evie... could you tell me where you've been and how you're still alive?"
Spinning on the swivel chair, the woman looked up at him, her face devoid of emotion. After thinking it through, she tapped her chin before smiling at him.
"Sure. I've been in a parallel universe completely devoid of any life. I'm only alive because the orb that sent me there also trapped me in an infinite loop that reset every time I died."
As silence settled, weird looks were exchanged between everyone as they debated whether to believe her story.
Stepping forward, Sirzechs broke the silence by addressing Evie. "If that's true, what have you been doing since then? You seem remarkably put together for someone supposedly from a dead universe."
"Hmm... good question. I've been studying since I first got there. I stumbled upon a massive repository of knowledge left behind by the deceased occupants of that universe. I've advanced my own technology to a level that allowed me to easily create my own clothes. This body is also one I created because my old one was falling apart."
Gasping, Ajuka seemed to look her over as small abnormalities suddenly started making sense. Glancing at her arm, he shivered a bit as his hand moved up to his throat. Nervously looking at her, more questions came to mind.
"Wait, if this isn't your original body, are you even the same person? Are you just an impostor that thinks she's Ajuka's daughter?" Stepping forward, Serafall interrupted any of Ajuka's further questions.
Chuckling, Evie walked over to the short ultimate-class devil and ruffled her hair. Pouting, Serafall brushed off the touch and looked up at the taller woman.
"Good question, shortie. I'm still the same person because I transferred my soul into this new body." Smiling, she hopped around between the gathered devils faster than the eye could see.
"Wait a sec, how advanced is your technology?" Cutting into the energetic woman's thoughts, Ajuka yelled out his question.
Stopping in front of him, she startled Ajuka slightly, causing him to stumble back a bit. "Hmm... do you want to see it yourself? You probably won't even understand a fraction of what you see, though..."
Jumping on the invitation, Ajuka immediately came to a decision. Grabbing Evie by the shoulder, he looked her in the eyes. "Yes. I would love to see what you've built."
Brushing off his hands, Evie looked back at him with a mad grin splitting her face.
Reaching into her soul, she traced out a complex pattern engraved by her machines. Finding what she wanted, she channelled her energy through the engraved circuits as her eyes glowed with circuit-like patterns. Suddenly, energy began to churn around her as space seemed to split, and the surrounding people witnessed briefly an infinite abyss of colour and light.
Coalescing into a circular disk, the energy pulsed briefly before the centre disappeared, revealing an advanced facility on the other side. Rubbing his eyes and groaning, Ajuka regretted looking directly into the opening portal as a migraine wreaked havoc on his mind.
Blinking his eyes a few times, his brain struggled to process what he was seeing beyond the disc of distorted space. Stumbling forward, Ajuka walked circles around the disk as he peered through it. Stopping in front of it, his eyes widened in awe as he moved forward.
Slipping through the portal, his feet echoed upon the vast metal floor as his mind whirred in shock. Back on the other side of the portal, Sirzechs and Serafall snapped themselves from their shock as their friend crossed the boundary between universes in a single step.
Chuckling, Evie stepped through the portal as Sirzechs charged after her. Dashing through the portal, he stopped as his mind faltered in shock. Looking around, he saw vast machines larger than planets spanning the distant sky like mechanical planets.
Mind whirling, the two male devils gazed through the holographic projection as the true scope of Evie's creations was revealed to them. "So what do you reckon, Dad? Jealous yet?"
Chuckling, Ajuka placed his head in his hands as his mind reeled from shock. The sheer scope and technical prowess of the surrounding machines was so far ahead of anything he knew.
Laughing aloud, Ajuka ran over to his daughter. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he looked deep into her partly mechanical eyes with complex emotions. "I'm sorry, Evie. I let you down. You built all of this alone while I couldn't even reach you. I've failed as a father."
Looking back into the downtrodden eyes of her father, a sad smile crossed her face as she pulled him into a hug. "Don't worry, Dad. There was nothing you could have done. The universe was completely cut off from anything until I restored it. Besides, what you're seeing took millions of years of effort."
Cutting off the heartfelt conversation, Serafall charged through the portal and began shaking Evie. "Evieeeeeee, it really is you!"
Pulling her aunt into a hug, Evie enjoyed the first social interaction in eons, a single tear falling down her cheek.
Breaking away from the hug, she shook her head as a smile crossed her face. Rounding up the devils, she began to shoo them back through the portal. Sealing it shut behind her, she looked around the dark room, the smile draining from her face as the filth disgusted her.
Making a sound of disgust, she pushed past the people and toward the door. Pushing it open, she stepped out into the light. Outside the door, a young red-headed devil eagerly pressed her ear toward the door. Suddenly, the door swung open as someone she had never seen before barged out.
Ebony hair cascaded down over a perfectly sculpted face; purple eyes sat framed against her smooth skin. Her body, covered in an elegant white cloak, traced the woman's perfect figure beneath.
Looking at the woman, Rias's breath hitched in her throat as her heart sped up, a growing sense of familiarity blooming in her chest as she gazed at the woman. Breathing lightly, a blush crept into her cheeks as different thoughts raced through her mind.
Turning slowly, the woman's gaze settled on Rias as a smile spread across her face. Chuckling, the woman stepped toward her as a sultry smile split her face. Resting her hand against the wall, the woman towered over Rias as she chuckled.
"Hello, Rias. Long time no see. How have you been?"
Blushing furiously, Rias's mind ground to a halt as her heart beat furiously within her chest. Gazing upon the woman's lips, thoughts of the woman's identity barely registered in her mind.
"Aww, did you forget me, Rias?"
{A/N: Stones?}