Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Hephaestus was surprised at seeing the 'eternal flame' imbue a fragment of its essence into Vahn's heart. She could now feel the rhythm of his heartbeat gently echo within the interior of her soul. It was almost imperceptible, but when she focused she was easily able to detect its presence. Since the 'eternal spirit' was a part of her and had now imbued itself into Vahn, they now had a permanent connection with each other that could never be severed. This thought caused her own heartbeat to accelerate as she looked at the young boy that had introduced so much mystery and intrigue into her life.Vahn could feel something within him draw his gaze towards Hephaestus. He saw her aura was gently radiating like the warm glow of the sun. It had a mellow yellow color tinged with pink. When he made eye contact, she gave the most radiant smile he had ever seen on her face...//[Hephaestus]: Affection +8////[Hephaestus]: Affection has reached Affection:90[Fated Bond?], Intrigue:100[Overprotective]//Within his mind, Vahn could see her affection update and the notification for the heart's desire quest now had two active notifications. Though he was confused about the sudden change in the situation, Vahn returned the smile since he was able to feel her care and concern and wanted to reciprocate the feelings.---After Vahn had subordinated the 'eternal flame', Hephaestus was relieved seeing that the core of the flame still existed within the forge. She would still be able to continue her livelihood in the future and had one fewer concern to deal with. Now she could focus her attention on resolving the biggest problem before her, dealing with Vahn's unique circumstances."Vahn, as we discussed previously, you need to protect your identity until you are strong enough to defend yourself against outside threats. Once you are exposed as a demi-god that can activate a pseudo-divine state, many Familia will actively try to get their hands on you. In the worst case scenario, they may even try to have you assassinated to prevent future troubles. I will do my best to protect you and provide support, but for now, I will leave your protection and training to my most trusted child, Tsubaki."Vahn nodded his head and listened in silence. At this point, they were both sitting on the couch in her office, and they were in close enough proximity that he could feel the body heat radiating from her. To prevent himself from being distracted, he pushed his focus to the limits while trying to maintain his facial expression. Ever since the event with her Divinity earlier, Vahn was overly conscious of her presence.As she continued explaining, Hephaestus started to blush slightly because she was able to feel Vahn's heartbeat accelerating. Though he was showing a stoic and honest appearance, she was aware he was putting a lot of effort into maintaining his demeanor."Tomorrow morning, I will accompany you to her residence. Once we arrive, I want you to live there from now on. She will be able to train you in smithing while helping improve your combat abilities. Since she is both a Master Smith and Level 5 Adventurer, she is the most qualified person in the City to help increase your strength. I have already let her know of our visit, and she has closed her workshop to all but her contracted clientele until you are capable of defending yourself."Hearing that he would be staying with a master blacksmith and level 5 adventurer, Vahn was pretty excited. However, once he heard she would be closing her workshop to help him, Vahn began to worry. "Wouldn't it hurt her livelihood if she drops everything just to help me train? I'm capable of increasing my strength on my own, I don't want people to have to sacrifice their wellbeing at my expense."In response to his concerns, Hephaestus covered her mouth and simply laughed. Vahn wanted to ask why she was laughing, but Hephaestus took the initiative in explaining. "Tsubaki has accumulated quite an amount of wealth over the years. If she wanted to she could retire at any time and live the rest of her life in luxury without any concerns. As one of the few Master Blacksmiths in the City, she can make several tens of millions of Valis on a single contract. Right now she manages seven active contracts and earns more than 300,000,000 Valis a year without having to leave her workshop."Vahn was stunned hearing the astronomical numbers. He remembered that the dagger Hestia obtained for Bell was worth 200,000,000 Valis, but he didn't think a mortal blacksmith would have such insane earning potential. He began to get excited at the opportunity of vastly increasing his own wealth in the future.---After Vahn's mind was blown by Hephaestus's statement, the two continued talking about various topics until late into the night. At some point, the distance between them had shrunk even further, and Hephaestus used the opportunity to hug him as she had previously. She used the excuse that she had promised to hug him again earlier, and this was her making good on her word.Vahn didn't resist and just allowed himself to rest in her embrace. Though he never realized it before, it was very calming to be held by another person. It felt like, deep in his heart, something that had been lost was slowly being regained. He was so comfortable in Hephaestus's arms that he even began to fall asleep...---"Wake up Vahn. There isn't much time left in the day and you'll need to prepare everything before tomorrow morning." Hephaestus gently roused Vahn who had fallen asleep in her arms. Seeing his peacefully sleeping expression, she was almost unwilling to awaken him but knew it was necessary.Vahn reluctantly removed himself from her embrace and released a long yawn while stretching. He shook the sleep out of his body before looking into Hephaestus's smiling face. Seeing her calm after he fell asleep in her arms, Vahn was somewhat embarrassed. He continued stretching out his body to hide this fact, but Hephaestus could easily see through his attempts due to their current bond.(A/N: WTF, writing the first sentence made me yawn.)After bidding farewell, Vahn finally left Hephaestus's workshop. On his way out he passed by the security guards who had continued holding their perimeter since he first arrived. Vahn was very impressed with their dedication and professionalism.When the head guard, Zaff, saw the tired boy exit the building he approached with a somewhat callous expression on his face. "Hehe, you kept us waiting for quite a while kid. Had I known you were going to be inside for five hours I would have split my men into shifts."Vahn gave a helpless shrug before politely bowing and apologizing for the inconvenience. Given the current time, he had been napping for nearly an hour and a half which caused the men to have to wait outside even longer. Though he didn't state the reason, he honestly issued his apology and promised to treat the men if the opportunity presented itself in the future.Zaff laughed and informed his men who gave a loud, albeit tired sounding, hurrah. He then split the group and had some men send a message to their headquarters to arrange for a personnel transfer. Then, noticing Vahn was still in the area, he patted the young boy on the back and sent him on his way. "Make sure not to cause any trouble for the Lady, you hear?"Vahn nodded before making his way through the darkness towards the inn.---After making his way through the entrance, Vahn almost felt his soul leave his body when he saw the face of Lili who had apparently been waiting for him. From her expression and aura, he could tell she was very angry with a bit of concern mixed in. Without saying anything, she stood from the chair she was sitting in and came very close to his body...and began sniffing."You told me you had business with the Hephaestus Familia, but now you come home with a woman's scent on your body." Lili sighed after recognizing the presence of the foreign aroma. Judging by how prominent it was, he was likely in contact with a girl for several hours.Vahn noticed she was disappointed, probably assuming he had lied as an excuse to have a rendezvous with a woman without her knowing. He sighed and shook his head before explaining the situation."I was with a woman, but it wasn't anything I need to keep secret. I was meeting with Hephaestus herself and we were talking about my future living arrangements. Various other things happened, but it wasn't like what you're expecting..." Vahn's words began to trail at the end after remembering the incident with Hephaestus's Divinity.Lili saw the change of expression and almost flared up, but just gave an exasperated sigh instead. She remembered that she was making an effort to overcome her selfish tendencies, but found it hard to contain herself when it came to Vahn. After calming herself down, she asked about what had been arranged.Vahn explained the details and that he would be staying with the Captain of the Hephaestus Familia to train his blacksmithing and combat capabilities. He also discussed the plans for Lili's future training and that she should continue her morning routine for tomorrow until he was able to discuss things with Tsubaki. As long as Tsubaki agreed, he wanted Lili to train there as well. As for their afternoon ventures into the dungeon, Vahn was determined to keep doing so. Even if Tsubaki refused to train Lili he would be able to impart what he had learned to her in the dungeon later in the day.Lili recognized the name Tsubaki, as she was quite famous within the City. Though she had never seen her, there were plenty of rumors in regards to her skill as both a blacksmith and adventurer. She knew it was a good opportunity for Vahn, and it made her happy hearing that he had taken her into consideration when talking about the future. She decided to forgive him for arriving so late but resolved to find out his exact relationship with Hephaestus in the future. Lili didn't have a lot of confidence she could compete with a goddess...After their discussion, Lili showed him where she had placed all of the weapons that had been delivered in the afternoon. Vahn stored away all but the hammer since Lili intended to use it for her training in the morning.The two then made their way to their rooms and Vahn gave Lili a hug as he had been doing so ever since the first instance. At this point, it had become a routine that concluded the end of their day, but Vahn felt strange compared to all the previous times. Unlike when he was being hugged by Hephaestus, Vahn didn't feel much security in the embrace. It felt like he was holding onto something fragile and it stirred his feelings of wanting to protect the small girl in his arms.After they parted ways, Vahn began pondering the difference between the two embraces within his mind. He wondered if Lili felt the same way he did when he was being embraced by Hephaestus. If so, he could empathize with her desire to be held. He had felt so comfortable being held by Hephaestus that he even fell asleep while enjoying her warmth.Laying in his bed, Vahn roused the memories from that moment and replayed the scene within his mind. During his absentminded state he could feel the 'eternal flame' pulsing in his chest. It seemed to be comforting him in a very similar manner as Hephaestus. He quietly listened to the gentle rhythm and slowly embraced the coming sleep filled with a comforting warmth.

Vahn awoke early the next morning and accompanied Lili to the City gates. He still had time before his meetup with Hephaestus, so he decided to enjoy the sunrise with Lili before she started her training. Lili was very pleased with the decision and spent the entire breakfast period humming away while happily eating the crepe Vahn had taken from his storage. (A/N: Seriously guys, I had some amazing seafood crepes and I can't help but write about them!)After reminding her to take her training seriously, Vahn parted ways after Lili exited through the gate. Though he still had plenty of time, Vahn headed towards Hephaestus's workshop. On his way, he could feel the 'eternal flame' in his chest pulsate in a slightly more powerful manner. He enjoyed the feeling as he slowly made his way through the early morning traffic toward his destination.---Vahn arrived outside the workshop nearly two hours before the designated time. The shop was currently closed, so he loitered around the area and just watched as residents of the City went about their day. He often found himself surprised at the sheer number of people in this world, and the variety of shapes and sizes they came in.As the people made their way without taking notice of his observations, Vahn found himself wondering what each of their stories were. Unlike the manga that only showed a limited number of characters, he now saw hundreds of unique people that all had their own stories. Each of them had a past that shaped their current life, desires that determined their current state of mind, and goals that helped pave the way towards their future.Though it had only been around eight months since he entered this world, and barely three weeks since he entered the City, Vahn found his current life to be infinitely more enriching than the entire 14 years of his previous life. He wondered how his future actions would shape his experiences even further into the future, and even began to imagine if he would ever interact with some of the people who moved about completely unaware of his current thoughts.---With more than an hour still remaining, Vahn's reverie was interrupted by the sound of the door opening from behind. He saw Hephaestus giving him a bemused look with an awkward smile on her face. Though he was still a little absentminded, Vahn instinctually spoke the words that came to his lips. "Good morning, Hephaestus."---Hephaestus had been observing Vahn crowd-watching almost since his arrival. When he had been making his way towards her workshop, she was able to vaguely sense his approach. Over time the feeling grew more powerful until she felt he was very near.From inside the workshop, Hephaestus had been waiting on the other side of the door for Vahn to knock, but after nothing had happened for several minutes she decided to peek through the window to see what he was up to. She saw that he was staring into the crowd in a daze while watching people pass by. In his expression, she could see feelings of melancholy, hope, and even expectation. Afraid of interrupting his thoughts, she just idly watched him for nearly an hour before breaking out of her own reverie and deciding to invite him inside.When she heard him greet her, the awkward feelings she had been experiencing immediately faded away. She returned a gentle smile and reciprocated his greeting. "Good morning Vahn. Come inside, I'll pour you a drink before we head out." Vahn nodded in response and entered through the door at her invitation.They sat at a table where Hephaestus would often negotiate with her customers. There was a kettle for tea and coffee nearby, and Hephaestus filled two cups before passing one to Vahn. Vahn accepted the cup and deeply inhaled the rich fragrance, still not fully free from his earlier state of mind. He felt at peace and wanted the experience to last for as long as the circumstances would allow.Hephaestus was aware of his present state and allowed him to enjoy the coffee in silence. She just sat at his side with a relaxed expression of her own while periodically sipping at the contents of her cup. She very much enjoyed the current atmosphere, and the steady beating of Vahn's heart within her soul brought her a rare peace of mind. It had been longer than she could remember since she was able to simply enjoy the process of 'existing' without worry.---Unfortunately, all things must come to an end, and time ceases for no man, woman, or god. The moment for their departure had arrived, and the two released simultaneous sighs and smiled after the realization they had similar reactions as each other.Hephaestus cleaned away the cups before leading Vahn outside the workshop and locking the door behind her. He noticed that, once she had secured the lock, a formation had activated that prevented anyone from approaching the building. Seeing the curious look on his face, Hephaestus explained it was to prevent anyone from trying to steal her crafts while she was away. She also let him in on a secret and told him that the surrounding buildings were all a front for her security service. Even if there was nobody inside, there were always people watching the workshop.---The two made their way through the City and Hephaestus pointed out landmarks and buildings she was familiar with. As she had been in Orario for several years, she had an extensive knowledge of the important landmarks and noteworthy features and sights. Vahn enjoyed the conversation and even contributed a bit of his own while updating the minimap according to her descriptions.After two hours they arrived at their destination. They were now in the north-east section of the City, in a largely residential district belonging entirely to the Hephaestus Familia. Since Hephaestus had an agreement with the Guild, all members of the Familia were allocated their own workshop and living space. Though many opened shops within Babel, there were a number of veteran smiths that operated solely from within their homes.The building they presently stood before was the only 'eastern' style house in the area. Vahn found the appearance pleasing as he had only seen such structures in anime and manga previously. He was excited to be able to explore its interior and even live within the premises starting from today onwards.They made their way through the courtyard and entered the front of the building through a door that had been left ajar. After Vahn stepped inside, he came face-to-face for the first time with the woman that would torment him endlessly in the future, Tsubaki Collbrande. She was presently sitting on the floor while polishing a deadly looking katana. From what Vahn could see, the only clothing on her body was a red hakama hanging somewhat loosely around her waist, and a sarashi wrapped around the largest pair of breasts he had ever set his eyes on. She also wore an eyepatch on her left eye, the inverse of Hephaestus's who covered her right.Noticing the presence of the two intruders, Tsubaki glared towards them with a fearsome gaze until she recognized who had entered. Her expression immediately morphed into a more pleasant look, and she sheathed the katana before standing to greet them."Welcome to my humble workshop Hephaestus-sama. My apologies that you have to come all the way here. And you...must be Vahn?" As she asked the question, she quickly approached the unsuspecting Vahn.In his surprise, Vahn subconsciously took a step back but it was futile. Tsubaki had managed to approach him within an instant and stopped just inches away from his face. As she was much taller than Vahn at 170cm, she had to bend over to make eye contact. In doing so, Vahn could see her breasts beneath her body sway.Vahn tried relieving some of the awkward tension. "Good morning Ms. Collbrande. Hephaestus told me you would be teaching me about blacksmithing and combat techniques." As he spoke, Tsubaki continued to stare at him as a smile grew increasingly larger on her face."Ehhh, I can see why Hephaestus-sama rambles on about you, you're quite the adorable little kid. Do you mind if I hug you?" Vahn was stunned and tried to respond, but before he could answer she hugged him regardless of his intent. The last thing he saw before he lost sight was the looming approach of the monstrous peaks crashing down on his face.Hephaestus watched with an irked expression as Tsubaki buried Vahn within her chest. She wanted to lash out but had to restrain herself so she didn't lose any face in front of Vahn. "Tsubaki, I think that is more than enough. If you continue any longer he might suffocate to death." She spoke each word in an exasperated manner. Even though Tsubaki was trustworthy and respectful, she also had a wild and untamed nature that even Hephaestus found difficult at times.---Tsubaki released Vahn and he began gasping for air. The combination of her raw strength hugging his head into her chest had completely prevented him from breathing. Even though he struggled for a bit at first, there was such a large difference in their strength that Vahn was powerless to resist. The only thing he could do was resign himself to his fate until Hephaestus had thrown him a lifeline.Afterward, she showed him to his room before moving into a side room and having a discussion with Hephaestus. Vahn assumed it likely had to do with his circumstances, but he wasn't worried as he had a lot of trust in Hephaestus. Tsubaki herself also had an aura that showed she was trustworthy when Vahn included the fact that she had values of 66 and 73 for affection and intrigue after their brief meeting.Vahn sat in the room and patiently waited for the conversation to end. After about half an hour, both Hephaestus and Tsubaki exited before the latter dragged him to a large open area in the courtyard. At a glance, Vahn was able to easily recognize this was an area for training. There were mannequins and bamboo pillars lined up throughout the area and even some strange contraptions that likely assisted in the development of martial arts. On the side, Vahn could see various different weapons that seemed to get increasingly heavier when viewed from left to right.Tsubaki opened a distance between Vahn who was looking around. Though he wasn't fearful, he immediately became alert since Hephaestus was standing off to the side. This left him in a position away from the two women, and he began to feel his muscles slowly begin to tense in response to his instincts."Oh? You have pretty good instincts. I was going to try and attack you while you were goofing around, but this makes things more interesting." The moment her words ended, Tsubaki literally vanished from Vahn's vision. He instinctively activated his [Will of the Emperor] but, in the several milliseconds it took for the skill to reach its full effect, Vahn was already tumbling through the sky.His vision changed multiple times between the sky and earth before he finally crashed hard into the dirt clearing. As Tsubaki often used this grounds for training, the grounds had become compacted over time. This made what would have usually been a soft fall incredibly painful for Vahn who had just crashed into it."Haha, aren't you way too weak? Hephaestus-sama said you had the blood of gods inside you, but even with that skill that makes even me feel pressured, you weren't able to respond to my movements. What's the point of having a skill if you can't make use of it when you're in danger?"Vahn slowly raised his body from the ground. His [Will of the Emperor] was fully active, and he got into a combat stance he learned from the CQC manual. He knew the moment he stood up she would probably attack, and he wanted to at least be able to react this time."Oh, good resolve. Very good! I like that expression on your face right now! But-" Tsubaki who had been nodding in approval vanished once again. Even though she had been in the range of his domain, Vahn was still unable to sense her at all.After less time than it takes to blink, Vahn felt a presence from his right and tried to react, only to experience a powerful blow sweep his legs out from under him from the direction he just turned away from. For the second time in less than a minute, Vahn ended up experiencing the life of a coin that had been flipped effortlessly through the air.When he landed, Vahn felt the wind escape his lungs as a shockwave of pain spread through his body. He struggled for air while Tsubaki stood at the same spot where she initiated her two previous attacks."Don't rest for too long Vahn, we still have a lot to cover before concluding our warmup."Vahn, who had finally begun to recover his breathing, once again started struggling for air after hearing the ruthless but happy sounding words. For the first time since he arrived in this world, he began to regret the path he walked...(A/N: Alternate Title: Cyclops of the Twin Peaks)

The two stood in the awkward atmosphere for a while before Hephaestus moved to a corner of the room and grabbed a package wrapped in a green ribbon. She handed the package to the confused Vahn and explained the reason behind it."It's a gift to celebrate your joining of the Familia. Go ahead and open it..." Hephaestus felt awkward giving him the gift after everything that had happened.Vahn opened the package and was surprised to find a strange looking hammer on the inside. He pulled it out and inspected it more closely. The body of the hammer was made of a cool metal wrapped with a fire-resistant cloth. Vahn gripped it and noticed it fit perfectly in his hand, almost like the hammer was an extension of his arm. The head of the hammer was a combination of magisteel and a dark red crystalline metal that Vahn had never seen before. The two different metals twisted around each other before converging near the striking area of the hammer."This is a hammer I personally forged using the magisteel ingot you had created and Hihi'irokane metal. The combination of metals makes the hammer incredibly durable, and since it was partially constructed with magisteel you had tempered yourself, it is extremely receptive to your mana." As Hephaestus began explaining the functions of the hammer, she started to become a bit restless. Giving a sidelong glance at Vahn, she continued. "I crafted this hammer to represent my desire for you to become a capable blacksmith in the future. It is the culmination of your first success and my hope that you will one day forge a weapon that can satisfy me..."Vahn continued handling the 'familiar' feeling hammer as he listened. When Hephaestus mentioned him forging a weapon that could satisfy her in the future, he nodded with confidence, unaware of the hidden meaning in the words. After she saw his affirmation, Hephaestus revealed a pleased smile.---"Okay, Vahn. Now that you have a new hammer, I want you to try creating another ingot. As you've seen for yourself, there have been some changes to the 'eternal flame' since your last visit. I want to see if you're able to properly control the flame since the changes were a result of the 'eternal flame' assimilating your mana." Hephaestus dragged him towards the forge and had him sit down; she wanted to test her theory as soon as possible.Vahn had some inhibitions about working metal using the 'eternal flame', but he believed that there wouldn't be any issues unless he tried infusing his perception into the area immediately surrounding the location of the flame. He quickly began to work after taking some magisteel from the solution next to the mouth of the forge.Even though he had yet to activate [Will of the Emperor], Vahn had almost no difficulty refining the metal. Though he could tell the heat from the flame was much stronger than his previous visit, it seemed to be much calmer in comparison. The strangest thing was after the metal reached a critical state, the flames seemed to automatically redirect the heat away from the metal.Due to the 'cooperation' of the flame, Vahn managed to refine the metal while retaining 85% of its total volume. This was even more than when he had used [Will of the Emperor] in his previous attempt. From the side, Hephaestus was watching this entire process with bated breath. Her belief that Vahn descended from a divine lineage based on forging was now firmly cemented in her mind.Vahn continued the process of shaping the ingot but had minimal success since he hadn't been using his skill to forcibly shape the metal. He wanted to try using his own ability to form the ingot, but after 13 failures he ended up activating [Will of the Emperor] so that he complete the process. This time he avoided the situation of having a clash with the 'eternal flame' because he hadn't tried inserting his spiritual sense within the flames dominion.After he was finished, Hephaestus inspected the ingot before giving him an approving nod. "This is very well done considering its only your third time creating an ingot. After you increase your knowledge and improve your techniques, you'll be able to begin converting the ingots into weapons and armor."Vahn was happy hearing her praise. It almost made him want to use his OP to try and enhance his [Blacksmith] skill further, but after seeing his dwindling OP pool, he decided against it. He was nearly out after converting all of his recent spoils into Valis, and he was now even further away from completing his quest which required 1,000,000. (A/N: Vahn currently has 18,090 OP)"Before we begin discussing your future arrangements, I want your help conducting an experiment Vahn." Vahn, hearing her statement, began paying close attention to Hephaestus's words. "I want you to try imbuing your spiritual energy into the eternal flame. Wait, don't give me that look. Let me explain..."Vahn had begun to frown after hearing her request but allowed her to continue. "You see, if my speculation is correct you should now be able to interface directly with the 'eternal flame' without any difficulties. You should have noticed how cooperative it was when you were refining the ingot. Don't worry, since I'm prepared this time, I can guarantee you won't be in any danger."Vahn considered her words and had a few misgivings, but seeing the confidence in Hephaestus's eyes, he sighed and sat back down in front of the forge. He stared into the golden flames while trying to calm his heart...After calming down he began activating [Will of the Emperor] and focused his intent into the dominion of the flame. Unlike last time, the flame didn't attempt to seize his energy, instead, the 'aura' around the flame began to dance excitedly.//Eternal Flame: Affection +17//Though he was surprised by the notification, Vahn managed to maintain his calm due to the dreamlike quality of the flame. Instead of attacking him as it had done previously, the flame began to entangle with his energy which caused Vahn to feel a warm and calming sensation within his mind and body. The 'eternal flame' seemed to be asking permission to assimilate some of his energy, and Vahn released small amounts which caused the flame to burn brighter.//Eternal Flame: Affection +2//From the side, Hephaestus stared at the interaction with a mixture of excitement and curiosity. This further confirmed her suspicions of Vahn's origin, but she was curious about which part of his bloodline allowed him to enhance a divine artifact like the 'eternal flame'. The 'eternal flame' was a product of her own Divinity and it had accompanied her ever since her time in Heaven. Though it was now much weaker than it's previous state, Vahn was very quickly bringing it to the pinnacle of its former glory. At this rate, she would even be able to forge quasi-divine tier equipment even without her Arcanum. (A/N: Arcanum is the actual godly power that is sealed before they descend from Heaven.)---Vahn continued infusing his energy into the eternal flame while in a dazed state. It wasn't due to him having difficulties maintaining the connection, but because of the information that kept appearing in his mind.//Eternal Flame: Affection +1//...//Eternal Flame: Affection +1//...//Eternal Flame: Affection +1//...//Eternal Flame: Aff...At this point, the affection of the flame had reached 98 points and he was watching the number get ever closer to reaching 100. After an additional ten minutes, Vahn finally got his first 'person' to maximum affection. The moment the number hit 100 a series of alarms started sounding throughout his mind.//Eternal Flame Has Reached Maximum Affection////Eternal Flame Wishes to become your subordinate: Y/N?////Quest Completed: [The Hearts Desire:C-SS]//Completion Grade: SSRewards: 'Gift' Function unlocked, 10,000OP, 1x [Hearts Desire:Eternal Flame]Grade Rewards: [Prometheus:A] Skill unlocked, 1x [Skill Enhancement Scroll:A], 50,000OP[Prometheus]Rank: AAllows the user to condense flame seeds that can be imbued into living creatures. Increases the potential of the recipient by a portion of the user's capabilities. Each use of this skill causes an intense backlash to the user. Each successive use decreases pain tolerance by 10%. (Current:0). At 100%, the use of this skill will result in death. Decays by a rate of 1% per month.Vahn was completely shocked after seeing all of the notifications. Hephaestus noticed his change, and quickly channeled a strange energy into his back which forcibly severed Vahn's connection with the 'eternal flame'."Are you okay, Vahn? Can you tell me what happened? Everything seemed to be going well from what I could tell." Hephaestus was flustered as she promised nothing would happen to him. After seeing he had no visible signs of injury, she released a relieved sigh.Vahn laughed awkwardly and explained what he had experienced. He told her that he felt a strange bond with the 'eternal flame' and a 'voice' in his head asking him to accept it as his subordinate. Hearing his explanation, it was Hephaestus's turn to be shocked. After all, the 'eternal flame' was the product of her Divinity. It was a part of her, and the idea that it would subordinate itself to another was previously outside the realm of possibility.Hephaestus turned to look at the vibrant golden flame and almost felt as if it was lamenting at having to separate from Vahn. As an experiment, she grabbed his hand and pulled him further away from the flame and noticed the vibrancy fade..."Your bloodline must be more powerful than I imagined...I've never even heard of someone being able to subordinate the divine artifact of a god." Hephaestus was now bringing Vahn closer to the flame, and it seemed to come alive with anticipation. She felt a little betrayed at seeing its reaction, but couldn't blame Vahn since it was her request that led to this predicament.Within Vahn's mind, the same notification kept popping up over and over. The 'eternal flame' seemed intent on having his approval, but without Hephaestus's permission, he wasn't willing to accept. He could see she was struggling internally, so he decided to speak up to alleviate her concerns. "Don't worry Hephaestus. I wouldn't try to take away the items of the people I care about. I'm certain the flame will return to normal after a while."Hearing Vahn mention 'people he cares about' in reference to her, Hephaestus made up her mind. "No, Vahn. I want to see what happens if you're able to subordinate my flame. Since this is an unprecedented situation, I am curious about the result. Besides, I trust that you wouldn't run away with the flame after it came into your possession. It needs to reside in a specialized hearth or it would lose its power, so it can't leave from this place to begin with."Since he had her permission, Vahn decided to agree to have the 'eternal flame' as his subordinate. Like Hephaestus, he was very curious about the effects he would receive after the process completed. Using a mental command, he accepted the notification and felt a 'link' connecting him and the flame within the forge.His mind was spontaneously filled with happy feelings, and he could feel a gentle warmth coming from the invisible connection he had established with the 'eternal flame'. Though he wasn't able to hear any words, he could understand the intent it was releasing. Following it's prompting, Vahn put his hand into the flame after making a small incision on his palm.Hephaestus watched the process with fear, trepidation, and a moderate amount of anticipation. She too had a connection with the 'eternal flame', and after Vahn accepted it as a subordinate she was able to subtly feel his presence now connected with her soul using the flame as an intermediary.After his hand was placed into the flame, his blood turned into particles of light which were absorbed into the aura of the 'eternal flame'. After they vanished, the flame wrapped around his hand and imbued part of itself into his body. It flowed through the energy channels of his body before settling itself within his heart.//[Heart of the Eternal Flame:SS] Obtained//[Heart of the Eternal Flame]Rank:SSPassive: Gives the possessor perfect affinity with the element of fire. Enhances blood circulation and stamina recovery. Immune to all yang based fires below Soul Tier: 4Active: Allows attacks to possess a burning effect.Vahn had gained yet another skill, and he could feel a powerful energy like molten metal through his body. His heart felt like a furnace as it pumped the energy-rich blood through his body.(A/N: Alternate Title: A Blazing Affection!!! Next Chapter Teaser: Cyclops of the Twin Peaks!?)

Chapter 52: Embrace