After explaining the nature of the time loop to Yr'Arl and Fal I turned my attention back over to my system display. 

[ Null Space Time Beetle Defeated! ]

[ Level-Up! ]

[ Level-Up! ]

[ Level-Up! ]

[ Jacob Lyre Stats Sheet:

Level: 17

HP: 1550

Manna Reserve: 5500

Strength: 675

Active Ability Points: 6

Passive Ability points: 1 ] 

[ New Passive Skill Obtained: Chaotic Focus - When you cast an energy-based spell, the spell will consume a portion of your Corona Shield to empower it. The more Corona Shield you allow the beam to absorb, the greater the bonus to the energy spell's power. ]

I was surprised by the amount of XP that taking out the Time Beetle had given me, it was way more than the Null Space spider hybrid had given me. Though in a way it made sense. While the spider had been a formidable opponent in battle, the Time Beetle was much more dangerous in its application had likely held much more power to be able to exert the effects that it did on the space-time continuum. I didn't even know how the thing had managed to get onto my back. 

"We'll have to be careful going forward," I remarked. "I'm not even sure how the time beetle managed to get onto my back, let alone what else they have waiting in the wings." 

"If the creature can manipulate the progression of spacetime, then it is likely that it merely warped itself onto your back somehow. It is impossible to stop such an event from occurring again. Fortunately, you now have the ability to deal with such a creature if you experience the time-warping effects of it once again," Yr'Arl said. 

"You said you'd gone through multiple loops though, right?" Fal asked. "Kinda makes me wonder what happened to all those other versions of us that you walked through the room with. Do they even exist now?" 

I shuddered. I never thought I'd have to deal with the ramifications of a paradox, and I didn't really want to start thinking about the existential questions of the multiverse when I actually knew that a multiverse already existed. 

"That's not something I even want to begin thinking about, Fal," I said in return. "How about we just focus on getting through to the bridge of this ship, yeah?" 

It didn't take us long to get through to the bridge. With no more time loops slowing me down, it was just a matter of walking down some corridors and taking a lift 20 floors up. I'd forgotten how big spaceships tended to be. 

Back on Earth rockets were tall narrow things, but that was only because we needed to make them streamlined and as light as possible so they could break escape velocity. If the species of this universe were as advanced as they seemed to be, it was logical that instead of constructing ships on a planet and launching them up into space, they'd build them on asteroid tethered drydocks instead. 

That way you could just build your ship already in space and then not have to worry about any of those pesky things like aerodynamics. I'd bet that most ships in this universe never even had to worry about entering the atmosphere, not unless something went terribly wrong. That or they were being used by an evil force like Clan Pren as a secret hideout. 

The doors to the lift opened with a swish, and my inner fanboy nearly burst out at the sight before me. It was the bridge of an actual spaceship. Something that I never would have been able to see back on Earth, no matter how much I fantasized about it. Yet here one was. 

On the far wall, there was a central viewscreen that was currently powered down, though I imagined when the ship was in flight it could be used to show a bunch of different information or real-time views of the ship in action. Set back from that point was a seat in the direct centre with its own smaller viewscreen and a bunch of complicated-looking panels with buttons and sliders, I could only assume this was where the pilot would be seated. 

Set back from the pilot, right at the back of the room, was a chair slightly raised above anyone else. The captain's chair, positioned as such so that anyone who was sat there could see every little thing that was going on throughout the rest of the bridge. 

Lining every wall were complicated arrays of screens, buttons and lights. I had no idea what any of them meant, but I was sure that Fal would know her way around to find what we needed. 

I took a step out of the elevator and into the room. My nose was assaulted by the stench of death almost immediately, and I gagged to keep myself from throwing up all over the floor. 

Clearly, the Null Space Spider had been here before we had dispatched it. Blood and body parts coated the floor. Slumped down next to the captain's chair was another of Yr'Arl's species, though they weren't wearing anywhere near as much armour and ornaments. 

"And at last, justice has befallen you, Spec'Ran," Yr'Arl said as he walked over to the body. 

A set of runic symbols emerged from his outstretched hands as he chanted under his breath. The spell was completed quickly, and in a flash, the alien's body, Spec'Ran, disintegrated into nothing, not even ashes. 

"Spec'Ran was the leader of Clan Pren, and now he is no more. A fitting end to be destroyed by the very creature that he helped to smuggle onto this world." 

Yr'Arl didn't say anything more and stepped away from where the body had been. I'd offer to let him talk about it later if he wanted, but it seemed as if the small ceremony that he had just completed was a deeply personal thing.

"Okay Fal, it's time for you to do your thing. Hack into the mainframe, download anything you can, and we can finally get ourselves out of here," I said. 

Fal nodded and walked over to the nearest console. It booted up without a problem and Fal began hacking her way through the Clan Pren files. 

But, as she started, the main viewscreen of the ship flickered into life, and a hooded figure with glowing green eyes took centre stage. 

"Well well well, Jacob Lyre, we meet again," The figure said. Their voice was one that I had never expected to hear again. 

Not after I had seen what had happened to her. 

Not after we had fought alongside each other. 

Not after she had jumped to her death. 

Was Lara… actually behind everything that had happened so far?