"Any idea why she requested you go as part of the Brood delegation?" Adam asked.
"No idea," Rowena replied while shaking her head before adding, "I ask her often; however, I always get the same response.
'I'll tell you when it's time."
"Strange," Adam remarked.
"Indeed, but that's Revi for you; she often gives the impression that she knows more about you than she is letting on," Rowena replied.
"Have the rest of you met her?" Adam asked curiously.
"I unfortunately have never had the pleasure of meeting her," Lorelie replied.
"Nor me," Stacey said with a shake of her head.
"I met her a few times when I was serving as the Deverinian ambassador; she was polite and sociable." Lady Erkath replied.
"Are you ever going to respond to your godmother, little hatchling? Or just sit there with that surprised look on your face?" Pevaphio asked while shaking her head.
"But how? I don't have her contact info?" Tephe asked in confusion.
"Dragon God help me," Pevaphio sighed as she ran her hand down her face before asking, "What is wrong with you today? Don't you remember that Revi insisted on being your first contact after you got your uniband?"
"She did?" Tephe asked in bewilderment before she accessed her uniband to find that she had 3 missed calls and 5 messages from someone called 'best godmother and friend ever.'
"What sort of name is this?" Tephe asked in surprise.
She was just about to take a look at the messages when the holographic screen of her uniband changed to show an incoming call from 'best godmother and friend ever.'
"You had your uniband on silent?" Pevaphio asked with a sigh as she saw the call, but no noise came from her daughter's uniband.
"I guess so," Tephe replied sheepishly before she answered the call, and a beautiful woman's face appeared that she recognised.
"Well, it's about time, don't you know it's rude to ignore a person's calls and even ruder when it's your own godmother?" Revi asked with a pout.
"Revi?" Tephe asked in surprise, making Revi's eyes widen slightly before smiling happily.
"So I was right, it's finally time," Revi said happily.
"Tephe, you know you should address Revi as godmother." Pevaphio scolded.
"It's fine, Pevaphio, things are different now," Revi replied.
"They are?" Pevaphio asked in confusion.
Revi didn't reply and simply asked Tephe, "Is Adam there with you?"
The other women in the room showed looks of surprise at Revi's question, and Rowena couldn't help but ask, "Revi, you know Adam?"
"Oh, you're there too, Rowena? Well, I guess that's not surprising." Revi replied after hearing Rowena's voice before adding, "And yes, we met a long time ago."
"You did?" Rowena asked as her surprise deepened, while Stacey and Lorelie gave Adam curious looks.
"So is he there?" Revi asked again.
"He is," Tephe replied before she transferred the call to the console in the room, causing Revi's beautiful face to appear on a large holographic screen for them all to see.
"Hello, Adam, you certainly know how to keep a girl waiting," Revi said happily as she saw the man she hadn't seen for over two thousand years.
"It's you," Adam said in surprise as all the women except Tephe looked at Adam in shock, as they realised he recognised Empress Revi.
"You're an empress?" Adam asked in surprise.
"Two thousand years and twelve lifetimes, and that's the first thing you say to me?" Revi pouted, but her eyes sparkled happily before she added, "Well, I suppose I never did tell you my identity back then."
"I thought you were just a squad commander," Adam replied.
"I was, but I was also the Phoenix Princess. I became Empress after my father's assassination."
"Wait, I'm confused. Can someone please explain what's going on?" Rowena asked.
Revi didn't directly answer and instead looked at Adam and Tephe before saying, "I never got the chance to do this in the past since you both left so suddenly, but as Empress of the Phoenix race, I, Revi Ashars, officially thank the black knight Adam and the white dragon Tephe for coming to my races aid in our time of need.
I officially declare in my position as Empress that from this moment forth, you are both granted the title of Phoenix Friend and receive all the privileges and benefits that come with it."
There was stunned silence in the room, but while Adam and Tephe wore confused looks, Stacey, Lorelie, Rowena, Erkath and Pevaphio all wore shocked looks on their faces.
"Unfortunately, you're too late to attend this year's national holiday marking our victory at the siege of Fenix Nest; however, I insist that as our heroes, you attend next year," Revi stated.
"Err, thanks, but I'm no hero, and what's this Phoenix Friend title?" Adam asked.
"You may not see it that way, but to every Phoenix that was alive back then, the two of you are the heroes who saved our race from extinction."
"Please don't go telling everyone that, I really don't want that kind of attention," Adam said with a groan.
"Hehe, still as modest as ever, I see," Revi said with a giggle.
"Don't you mean self-effacement?" Adam replied.
"Hehe," Revi giggled again before saying, " Phoenix Friend is the highest title a non-Phoenix can receive from my race. It grants you the privilege of owning property and business on our planets without applying for a permit. You are also recognised as an official citizen of the Ashes Galaxy, and that is only two of the benefits granted to you."
"Thanks, Revi, that's awesome," Tephe said happily.
"No problem, nothing is too good for my best goddaughter and friend ever," Revi replied.
"Ugh, what sort of name even is that, Revi? And why are you even my godmother?"
"It's a great idea, no? This way I can tease you about it for the rest of our lives," Revi replied with a smirk.
"No, that is not a great idea at all," Tephe replied as Revi giggled at her.
"I knew the two of them were close, but not this close," Pevaphio mumbled more to herself than anyone else, which snapped Rowena out of her confusion, where she immediately asked.
"Are you saying that what Tephe said before is true? They really are the black knight and white dragon from the Siege of Fenix Nest, meaning they really did travel back in time?"
"That's correct," Revi responded.
"Told you," Tephe said proudly as she puffed out her chest.
"Don't get too proud of yourself, little goddaughter. Adam was the one who destroyed their main forces in space; all you did was help stop a little city siege."
"That's not what you said after we won, you couldn't stop thanking me, and stop calling me goddaughter."
"I'm far older and more mature now, ' goddaughter', and I can see that what Adam did in space was far more important than what we did on the planet."
"Why didn't you tell me about any of this before now, Revi?" Rowena asked, partially to stop Revi and Tephe's bickering and partially to understand.
"I couldn't take the chance that it would in some way make it so they wouldn't travel back in time. If that happened, then my race would have lost the Siege of Fenix Nest and become extinct." Revi answered seriously.
"How do you know your race would become extinct?"
"Adam showed me proof when we first met all those years ago, apparently, in the timeline they came from, my race had become extinct because of the Phoenix Hunts and the Hepolisks' genocidal actions."
"But I thought time-travel was impossible?" Erkath asked.
"Yeah, the Dwarfinian science directorate was wrong about that. Though it seems them being sent back was accidental, right, Adam?"
"That's correct," Adam confirmed.
"So you can't do it again?"
"No," Adam lied. Spector had privately informed him via a message to his HUD that it would be unwise to admit that they could most likely travel back to Fenix Nest in the universal year 972, and Adam agreed, especially since that was the only date they might' be able to return to if they replicated the conditions.
"Shame, imagine what we could do if we could actually travel through time," Erkath remarked.
"Witness pinochle moments in history."
"Meet famous history figures who are long dead."
"Place bets on sporting events we know the outcomes of."
"Travel to the future to learn what is to come so that we can prepare for it."
"Apparently, travelling forward in time is impossible," Adam stated.
"It is?"
"Apparently, travelling to the past is possible because it has already taken place; however, travelling to the future is impossible because it hasn't yet taken place… or something like that," Adam explained.
"You don't sound too sure."
"I'm just repeating what my ship's AI told me, though honestly, I don't fully understand it myself, as time travel was already a complex subject when it was in movies and shows.
It's even more complex now that it's a reality."