Disclaimer: Amanda belongs to Kathleen Ryan. Shepard belongs to Bioware.

Author's note: I mentioned Shepard's conversation with the Illusive Man was coming next, so of course Amanda had to step in. The idea of back-and-forthing between ME2 and the past each chapter was the reason for the long delay a few chapters ago – trying to meet that artificial cutoff point to make sure I told enough of the story had me trying to stretch things farther than they would naturally go. Once I let that concept go, the words flowed smoothly. Ironically, the story of Amanda's death fit here perfectly, so we have a chapter of the past. Sorry its short.

If you don't know the Mage metaplot at all, then this chapter may not do much for you. Between this chapter, and Shepard's conversation with the Illusive Man next chapter, I think I will have hit on most of the history of Shepard, and we can then proceed with twisting the Mass Effect universe in ways it wasn't designed.

Avaunt!

August, 2001. Pluto, the shard realm of Entropy

Shepard was always good under pressure. She got that from Amanda; when the Old Man gambled everything on her, Amanda was ready. Death came quickly.

The Knife of Ixion flashed and Voormas's head separated cleanly from his shoulders. His physical manifestation as the Shivasakti Ayavatara, a 10-foot-tall, black iron body with six arms combining attributes of Shiva and Kali, was not enough to stop the Knife from shearing his head off. The Knife was the origin of murder, after all; the tool was still as sharp as when it was used by Cain to kill Abel, despite its crude appearance.

The Knife dropped from Amanda's convulsing fingers. Voormas's head hit the ground next. His body stood frozen; a statue of dark iron, but she sees it sublimating into death, chaos, and corruption. She can already feel his death curse filling her body, turning her into a twisted copy of the Grand Harvester so he can rise again in his quest to end death. She cannot let that happen. She will never let anything corrupt her soul again.

She turned to the rest of her cabal, the last few of the Second Seven that were still alive. Her friends and companions through so much; they were the ones that paid the price for the opening to end Voormas. "Bury me next to the Old Man." she whispered.

Amanda closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then snuffed out her own life. Voormas's jhor scrabbled at her soul, unable to take hold as she started to leave her flesh. She saw Voormas drift away, unable to latch onto her body. Her friends were protected. There was nothing left for it here; the barren wastes of Pluto were empty. The Old Man had sealed the all gates leading here months ago, and now the realm of Entropy was inaccessible. Nothing survived here; Entropy ground away at everything quickly. As nothing but a black malaise detached from the Wheel, Voormas would soon fade into nothingness. Extinguished; the exact fate he had feared all these years come to pass.

Dying had protected her from his corruption and finally ended Voormas's mad plan to destroy the Wheel. His desire to crush Death and Fate was finally stopped. Senex's faith in Amanda was fulfilled. Now, she just had to let go.

She released her hold on her sarx, letting her flesh fall away. Her mind was cast up into the abyss. She tumbled uncontrollably, but then felt a hand grasp at her, stabilizing her ascent. Her Avatar was flying next to her, holding her hand. Wings of flame spread; fire sweeping behind them as they rose. Up, past the desolate wastes of Pluto, leaving behind the realm of Entropy they flew. Higher. Higher.

They crested over the edge of the realm of Entropy. The Umbra opened up around them, unfolding out from itself in an infinite series. Fractal patterns of energy spun. Currents of reality billowed instantly around and through them. Above them, crossing the entire sky, the Wheel of life, death, and reincarnation appeared; descending from inspiration, materializing from imagination into truth.

Far behind her, on the surface of Pluto, Amanda's body expired. Taking the power of her own death-sacrifice, Amanda anchored her mind to her soul. Flying together into the churning Wheel of rebirth, she clung to her Avatar with her mind and her magic. Her Avatar turned, and pulled her into an embrace. Wings surrounded her. Held safe in wings of fire and boiling lead, fueled by the power of her self-sacrifice, Amanda felt the spirit tides take hold of her Avatar, pulling it and her as well, to their next life.

Amanda smiled. Her old duties were complete. Now, only one task remained; the Old Man's final desire for her redemption. She was free. She was now ready to guide her new self, and protect them from the corruption bleeding into her from their previous life as Mercedes. Redemption was at hand. Within her, buoyed by her self-sacrifice, she could feel her magic bleeding over and preincarnating a hazy shard of Mercedes inside her mind. Mercedes murmured to her, words of encouragement, madness, and memory. Mercedes recalled the path through the Wheel, remembering from her own trip through death.

They entered the Wheel. An endless roar filled Amanda's senses, the churning noise of reality renewing itself. Everything shook. Amanda felt her consciousness start to dim as the spiritual pressure squeezed down on her. They were passing through to rebirth; a process that flattened minds that passed through it, leaving blank slates for the next incarnation.

Nestled in the wings of her Avatar, shining with power, Amanda was safe. Nothing could harm her in the embrace of her soul.

Together, Mercedes, Amanda, and their Avatar passed through the spoke at the core of the churning Wheel of reincarnation and were flung back into reality.

Perception stretched, a black tunnel of sensation driving to a single point.

A rapidly expanding and unfolding inexorable pulling.

Darkness.

Pressure.

Trapped.

Pressure.

Rhythmic convulsions.

Pressurepressurepressurepressurepressurepress-

They were born.

Giant hands reached down and picked them up. A newborn girl's cry filled the hospital room.

Amanda smiled as she and their Avatar watched their new self's first breaths. She reached a mental hand out, stroking the newborn's mind. At the unknown but still familiar presence, the baby girl stopped crying and gazed blindly about, blue eyes looking for something that wasn't there.

All Amanda had to do now was guide her new self through life, avoid any Nephandi that might smell the stink on their soul, awaken their new self, prevent their Avatar from tempting their new self as corruption slowly drove them all insane, and coach her new self on how to finally cleanse the taint off their Avatar before it was too late.

Of course it wouldn't be easy. Still, Amanda grinned.

Ascension awaits.

Five years later, Pluto is no longer a planet; scientists demote it to an asteroid. The shard realm of Entropy is no longer accessible. The long Ascension war for the belief of mankind continues.

Two years after that, a serial murderer holds Janice underwater until she dies, and Janice meets her sisters for the first time.