Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though he hadn't actually expected the Smiling Reaper to show up, Vahn was somewhat disappointed that the day had come to an end uneventfully. At this point, he had screened the majority of potential teachers and staff, filling far more roles than he initially expected. Excluding the Department Heads, Vahn had initially only planned on 108 positions but, after meeting with several interesting people, he had already increased this number to 153. Most of the additional hires were mother's and widowed women that either made a good impression on him or simply needed a little help getting their lives back on track. Vahn figured giving the widowed women a stable income, while also allowing their children to attend the School, would be very beneficial for everyone involved.After leaving the cafe, Vahn and Fenrir took to the sky and quickly made their way across the City at a very high speed. Their destination was the various Manors and territories managed by the Noble factions. Vahn and Fenrir would just be making a quick pass over the properties to see if he could pick up anything before making their way back to the Hearth Manor. It wasn't very likely that they would find the Smiling Reaper using this method, but there was still a chance. Vahn didn't really want to have to visit the nobles himself to try and track her down so this was the only method available to him without directly trying to deal with the troublesome group of people.If Loki's intuition was correct, the Smiling Reaper was likely working for one of the top three Noble houses, which made sense as anyone possessing such a powerful subordinate wasn't likely to hold a lesser position. Even if they had a lot of influence, Noble families would be hard-pressed buying the loyalty of any Adventurer over Level 3. It might be possible if their Familia had disbanded, but most people that got above that Level threshold typically retired and continued to help their Familia prosper. After fighting alongside their companions for what could potentially be several decades, most people weren't willing to become the 'dogs' of the Nobles, as it would generally ruin any reputation they might have had.Though there would certainly be exceptions, it wouldn't be enough to make a difference when the other party had someone above Level 6. With the various schemes and infighting between the Nobles houses, the Smiling Reaper would have undoubtedly come into play at some point. This meant that she was almost exclusively restricted to the more successful houses since their power and influence would actually be necessary to keep someone as powerful as her a secret. The Nobles had a lot of sway when it came to spreading information and had very large networks to control the various rumors that circulated through the City. With enough time, any powerful family would be able to cover up the Smiling Reapers exploits, turning her into the urban legend most believed her to be.As they were the most likely culprits, Vahn and Fenrir first arrived on the periphery of the McKenneth family properties. When he saw the massive size of the Manor and the surrounding property, Vahn understood that his own extravagance wasn't nearly as 'excessive' as he had believed. The McKenneth family estate had enough space to fit several Hearth Manors on its property and seemed capable of housing several thousand people with room to spare. Knowing that the family itself only consisted of several tens of people, Vahn felt that, other than to display their status, such a massive estate served no actual purpose. It just made things unnecessarily more difficult to defend and maintain, requiring several hundred staff and maintenance workers just to keep things looking adequately extravagant.Shaking his head, Vahn compressed his domain until there was a dense layer of air that had been compressed around them. He then created several golden wards in thin air before rooting them along the inner membrane of his domain. After a few seconds had passed, the wards became transparent while the outer membrane of air slowly faded away from the view of any observers. Vahn and Fenrir could easily see outside but, anyone looking at them from outside the 'bubble' he had created would only see empty space. Unless they had a way to probe into the bubble directly, they wouldn't even be able to detect Vahn and Fenrir with high-end detection formations.Once his preparations were finished, Vahn and Fenrir floated over the McKenneth Manor as he inspected the insides with his [Eyes of Truth]. Vahn's ability to sense affection allowed him to see the auras of people, but it was his [Eyes of Truth] that allowed him to see their physical, mana, and spiritual bodies. If he wanted to find the Smiling Reaper, he needed to see her directly so he could differentiate her aura from other people. Unfortunately, this ability was somewhat 'invasive' and, anyone with adequately enhanced perception would be able to detect his visual probe. Vahn had experienced this with Eva, most of the gods he had met, and Rufina, formerly Revis. He assumed the Smiling Reaper would be yet another such individual and, though he couldn't be certain, this may have been the reason she had 'known' about his disguise.Vahn scanned over every room of the 6 floor Manor, focusing on every sign of life he had detected within his vision. There were a few areas where he couldn't probe, protected by powerful barriers that were of similar quality to the one located in his Guest Residence, but Vahn assumed most of them were just safehouses and vaults. Eventually, after inspecting some of the servant's quarters, Vahn started to find rooms that were far more lavish than others. His eyes passed over an area where a single presence was located and, after seeing who was inside, he quickly averted his eyes to continue searching. Though he didn't possess the [Luck] Development Ability, Vahn noticed he had a knack for experiencing and seeing things that he shouldn't have. If he had the opportunity, Vahn made a mental note to apologize to Allisandra in the future in some manner...After inadvertently catching sight of the young noblewoman changing, Vahn finally found a room near the very center of the Manor that seemed to be what he was looking for. There were powerful formations to prevent spying but it wasn't nearly as secure as some areas. He had to strain his eyes a bit, but Vahn managed to peer through the barriers as he saw a middle-aged man with dark purple hair and similarly lavender eyes as Allisandra. Though they had never met before, Vahn felt like this man had a true air of nobility surrounding him and he could guess it was either Allisandra's father, Marcus Vale McKenneth, or one of her uncles. However, given the location of the study, Vahn assumed it was the former since it wouldn't have made much sense for someone other than the owner of the residence to be within the central study.Within the room, Vahn could see four maids present while an elderly butler was attending the man he assumed to be Marcus. As he couldn't hear what they were talking about, Vahn decided to do a little bit of spying since he had the opportunity. Using his domain as a medium, Vahn carefully carved a ward on the underside of the man's chair while creating a duplicate ward next to his own ear. This allowed him to transmit sounds over short distances, depending on the amount of energy used to establish the signal. With the number of barriers surrounding the room, Vahn had to muster up a fair amount of his own energy but assumed it would be worth it...Unfortunately, after spying on the man for nearly an hour, Vahn didn't learn anything about the Smiling Reaper and just heard the man, who he confirmed to be Marcus, complaining about his children. Vahn felt a little guilty for spying on the man and eventually broke the connection to go inspect the next estate. It made him uncomfortable to hear a father talking about his children in such a way since Vahn couldn't imagine ever doing the same. He knew his parenting methods weren't exactly 'normal', but Vahn felt that his interactions with his children were much preferred over the normal methods. He couldn't understand how parents took 'secondary' roles in raising their children and found faults in their actions, even though they didn't do anything to prevent things from getting out of hand. Marcus seemed to have a lot of complaints about his children but, as far as Vahn could tell, most of the things he was complaining about could have been circumvented if Marcus took action and properly guided his children...After leaving the territory of the McKenneth family, Vahn landed on the roof of a nearby restaurant and decided to take a break while he replenished his energy reserves. Patting his lap, Fenrir happily moved over and sat down as her transformation slowly broke, ensuring she was 'adequately fluffy' for him. Vahn even felt that her hair had become softer than normal so he asked in an amused tone, "Are you trying to make yourself more pettable~?" Fenrir laughed lightly while pulling up her legs into his lap and letting her tail poke out through the front. She curled it up toward him and said, "Try touching my tail, Master~."Reaching out his hand, Vahn touched the white tuft at the end of Fenrir's tail, surprised by how soft it had become compared to the past. Fenrir always had somewhat bristly fur and, while it was still pleasant to pet, it sometimes poked you if you went against the natural flow of the fur. Now, however, her hair was almost as soft as Haruhime's though, as soon as he had this thought, Fenrir released a silent 'Kuu...' Vahn chuckled lightly before hugging her body close to his and saying, "I don't mind if you want to have a small rivalry with Haruhime, but never think its important to me to compare the two of you. She might have a softer tail, at least for now, but you should know that I spent much more time petting you than brushing through her hair and fur..."Fenrir's large fluffy ears perked up, amusing Vahn because they framed his face and tickled him a little since he had been leaning down slightly. However, when she suddenly said, "Master should actually spend a little more time with Haruhime. She has been behaving herself ever since the children have been born, but I can tell she has been a little lonely. I'm sure everyone would enjoy having some time to be pampered by you, Master..." In the past, her Master had always groomed, combed, and pet everyone whenever he had a chance. Now, however, this habit wasn't nearly as prominent as before and, much like they had stopped fighting over his lap, many of the girls stopped approaching him to proactively receive pampering.Vahn remembered the previous incident with Shizune and how 'awkward' her behavior had been when she climbed into his lap. If the other girls were going through something similar, essentially refusing to fight for his attention now that the children had been born, Vahn might have to be more 'proactive' in his own approach. Just like he needed to maintain his social circles better, Vahn needed to make sure none of the girls were troubling themselves by holding back on his account. Yes, he loved his daughters very dearly, but Vahn didn't want the other people he loved to make sacrifices for his own happiness. After all, they had all agreed to work together and share each other's happiness, not just focus on making him happy from the shadows...It only took him around ten minutes to replenish his reserves, but Vahn spent nearly a half hour just cuddling up with the 'extra fluffy' Fenrir. Since it had been a good opportunity, Vahn brought out her favorite brush and combed through her hair, the fur around her arms and legs, and finishing off by tracing his fingers and brush through her fluffy and soft tail. Since she had been straddling his hips for the final segment, staring up into his face with her large scarlet eyes, Vahn had found the experience both pleasant and stimulating. In the end, he gave her a kiss on the lips and, though it was very dangerous, gently probed the inside of her mouth while tracing his tongue across her surprisingly smooth teeth. Fenrir, feeling her Master's tongue sneak its way through her lips, kept her teeth very tightly closed while enjoying the fluttery feeling in her stomach.After their affection session came to an end, Vahn and Fenrir went to investigate the other two priority targets to see if they could find any traces of the Smiling Reaper. Unfortunately, by the time the sun started its downward descent on the horizon, they hadn't found any traces whatsoever. Not wanting to miss dinner time, Vahn eventually gave up for the day and returned to the Hearth Manor. He still needed to talk to the girls about potentially splitting his body into two parts and, as everyone should be gathered for dinner time, it was a good opportunity to bring it up. At the very least, even if he didn't use his Avatar to interact with the girls, he could use it outside the Manor to gather information and potentially act as his proxy at the School.With their mastery over [Koku Shundo], it didn't take long for Vahn and Fenrir to arrive at the Manor and, as he had hoped, most of the girls were outside of the orb and eating dinner. Even before he entered the residence, Vahn had a happy smile on his face since it was always better when everyone was together. As for those that were missing, he assumed they had either needed to rest after training hard or wanted to finish polishing up on something they had been working on. Mikoto had a habit of exhausting herself on occasion and, from the moment she moved into the orb, Nanu had been training her fluffy little butt off to become a more capable warrior and blacksmith.Even though he was coming in through the back entrance, Hestia had still left the dining room to come and intercept him at the door. Unless she was busy with something, she had always tried to be there every time he returned home, all so that she could greet him and say those magical words that always brought a smile to his face. This time was much the same as Hestia bounded over to him with a lovely smile on her face and gave him a tight hug, pressing her inexplicably soft breasts into his stomach while saying, "Welcome home, Vahn~." Vahn stroked her silky black hair, running his fingers along its length while saying, "I'm home..." in a soft tone of voice.Not long after their embrace had started, a pitter-patter of footsteps could be heard from the hallway as Ina came running over with a happy smile on her face. Hestia moved to the side, yet another example showing Vahn that the girls were making way for the children, as Ina jumped forward into his open arms. Much like Hestia, she gave him as firm a hug as she could manage while happily shouting, "Welcome home, Papa~! You're just in time for dinner. Can I sit in your lap tonight?" Vahn stood up, carrying Ina along with him as he laughed lightly and said, "Sure, that sounds like it could be fun. However, you'll have to eat plenty of vegetables without complaining..."Ina put on an expression as if she had just been informed that the sky was falling but eventually nodded her head and said, "As long as Papa is feeding me, I feel that it will taste better than normal..." This caused Vahn to laugh even louder while Hestia and Fenrir followed along behind him, both showing small smiles on their faces. Vahn felt they were very understanding and reaffirmed his desire to try and allocate his time better in the future. If necessary, he could just arrange things so that he could spend time with both the girls and his children at the same time. Though it wouldn't be nearly as intimate as it could be, there were far more ways of sharing affection than just simply indulgence...For the rest of the evening, Vahn took turns between feeding Ina and Vana while Erika sat on the opposite side of Loki and sent him periodic glances through her slightly parted eyes. He also discussed his [Avatar Creation] ability, surprising everyone present with how 'ridiculous' such an ability seemed. However, considering who was speaking, it wasn't actually that surprising and he got permission to move forward with his plan of creating a second body. Once he was finished, they would then evaluate if it is a viable alternative and, even if he wouldn't be able to perfectly split his focus between them, it could still be very useful. After all, there was a possibility that, if he truly managed to master such an ability, Vahn's efficiency would more than double if he worked alongside himself to accomplish his goals. Of course, the most important thing was that, if things didn't work out as expected, it was possible to absorb the Avatar back into the body and reunite the two halves of the soul again.The only person who had any inhibitions about it from the very beginning was, surprisingly, Anubis. As a Goddess of Death, she had a very strong affinity towards souls and didn't think it was a good idea to split one into two parts. Since the reason she had been drawn to Vahn in the past was because of his unique soul, she was more than a little worried something would go wrong. However, as Sis had explained that his soul was indestructible and couldn't be influenced by external forces, Vahn assured her it would be okay. Thus, as a result of her fierce loyalty and the assurance he had given her, Anubis eventually took a step back and decided to trust in her Master...Once dinner had come to an end, most of the girls moved back into the orb and, as he had stayed with Loki and Erika the previous night, Vahn was going to spend the night with Hephaestus, Ina, and Vana tonight. One of the things they had discussed was how he should be allocating his time between the real world and the orb in the future and it was ultimately decided he would spend at least two nights in the week sleeping in the real world with the various mother-daughter pairs. The rest of his nights would be spent in the orb and, as far as having the children enter the orbs was concerned, that matter was set aside until his experiments with the Avatar were finished.After they had moved over to Hephaestus' room, Vahn helped Ina and Vana wear their pajamas, giving Vana her favorite frog onesie while Ina dressed up like a small vanilla-colored bunny rabbit. There was even a large tuft of a tail on the backside and, as he felt it completed the ensemble, Vahn had given her a large carrot-shaped pillow. Unfortunately, she seemed less inclined to care about the carrot-pillow and preferred to snuggle up with him instead. Thus, after laying next to his beautiful wife, Vahn let Ina snuggle up next to him while Vana nestled into Hephaestus' embrace. Vahn and Hephaestus were facing each other while the two girls slept between them, able to see the love and affection in each other's eyes while embracing their daughters as if shielding them from the rest of the world...(A/N: It had been asked a few times so, if you're curious about the template for the girls when they grow up, Vana looks a lot like Soleil from Fire Emblem, Ina is similar to Winry from FMA(though only marginally), and Erika is very similar to her mother but wears her hair differently)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'How...Uneventful...?','Fenrir's Sagely Advice','Can anyone else imagine Vana still wearing animal jammies when she grows up? I can~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though it actually made his return trip take longer, Eirene ended up 'escorting' Vahn back to the Manor. She had also wanted to discuss things directly with Loki instead of hearing about it later through the network. Vahn didn't mind that much, if not for the fact that Fatina tried to 'race' him back to the Manor. There was a massive difference in their maximum speed so Vahn had easily won the race, at the expense of two points of Fatina's loyalty. When Vahn saw the notification, he nearly fell out of the sky with a moderately incredulous look on his face. Fatina simply snorted in response as they landed on the outskirts of the training area. Vahn and Eirene then proceeded inside while Fatina wandered into the illusory forest to enjoy the scenery and explore a bit.While they were walking along, Vahn gave Eirene a slightly exasperated smile while muttering, "That prideful pegasus is going to give me an aneurysm one of these days..." Eirene giggled in response, squinting her blue eyes in humor as she responded, "He really isn't that bad once you get used to him...at least not as bad as he used to be~." Vahn couldn't help but agree with Eirene since, shortly after Fatina had received its name, the arrogant and proud Unicorn started acting like it was some sacred creature that deserved reverence. Fortunately, as both Terra and Fenrir had been present at the time, Fatina quickly adopted a moderately more 'civil' method of addressing him.As they made their way through the Manor, Eirene continually looked around before eventually commenting, "It seems less lively around here than in the past. Did everyone go out...or maybe they are all in the dining room?" When she had asked this, they had been very near the dining room so Eirene was sure this wasn't the case. Till now, the only people who knew of the orbs' existence were the residents of the Manor itself. Though Eirene would undoubtedly learn of it in the future, as she was intending to one day bear his child, she was currently in the dark about the matter.Vahn wasn't fond of lying so he just smiled before opening the door for her while bowing politely. Eirene gave a small smile in return, muttering, "How polite~" while entering into the dining room and seeing only a few people present. Currently, it was after the normal dining hours so the only attendees for the coming discussion were Loki, Hephaestus, Hestia, Anubis, and Syr. Most of the girls were currently within the Sub-Space orb while all of the children had already been put to sleep for the evening. Of course, Vahn didn't miss the fact that Erika was spying on them from one of the crawlspaces so he gave a very subtle wave that caused her body to flinch.After sitting down, Emiru and Maemi poked their heads out of the kitchen before bringing out a tray of snacks and tea while Vahn explained, "Sorry I'm late, there was a suspicious woman that was lingering around the cafe when I was leaving." Loki had just been about to ask since she had already gotten word that something was wrong from Hephaestus and Hestia before Syr informed them he wanted to talk while bringing over Eirene. Vahn then went on to explain everything he had seen and experienced while interacting with the strange woman, including how powerful she was, the fact she could hide her strength, and how she was able to intuit he had disguised himself.Loki listened until the end while Hephaestus, Hestia, and Anubis all showed slightly cold looks when Vahn mentioned how she had accurately severed an artery in his leg. The fact that he was immortal didn't make them any fonder of the idea that the woman had essentially been willing to watch him bleed out. As for Loki herself, she keyed in on a few of the important details before inevitably saying, "It's difficult to ascertain if she really has an ability to see through disguises, or if her perception is just abnormally high. You've been making noticeable improvements in your facial expressions and disguising your emotions, but it's not as though your 'act' is entirely convincing. She might have memorized the way you moved or taken note of a specific gesture you might be prone to using..."Like Loki had said, it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that his act had simply been seen through by the woman. After all, she showed genuine confusion and surprise when he hadn't actually defended himself. The reason why he believed this wasn't necessarily the case was due to the fact that, even while she had acted in such a way, the woman still seemed 'certain'. At this point, Vahn knew he had an uncanny ability to read people through their expressions, especially by gazing into their eyes. It was almost like an invisible light would shine when people were feeling or thinking certain things, something he had strangely been attuned to even in his previous life.Hephaestus had a thoughtful look while showing a deep frown on her face. She had been listening very closely to Vahn's recounting of events and, as far as she could discern, there were only a few possible candidates behind this plot. She sent a look towards Loki, earning a curt nod from her fellow goddess before saying, "This is likely something that has been machinated by the Noble factions. That woman you described matches some of the information we have about potential dangers that might pop up from their side. Though the records aren't clear, there are a few instances from around twenty years ago about some 'monster' from one of the Noble households cleaning up several gangs within the Entertainment District."Eirene seemed to catch on to what Hephaestus was getting to, suddenly asking in an incredulous voice, "You mean that woman was the 'Smiling Reaper'...?" When she saw the serious expressions on Loki's and Hephaestus's face, accompanied by the curious look on Vahn's, Eirene explained, "She is an urban legend that pops up every decade or so, goes on a rampage, and then disappears once again. Not just a few gangs, she is purportedly responsible for the destruction of several smaller Familia and hundreds of unconfirmed deaths. The most surprising thing is, if you trace back the records kept by the Guild, reports of her exploits date back nearly three-hundred years. She was even rumored to have killed the Vice-Captain of the Hera Familia within their own bedchamber."Adding on to what Eirene was saying, Loki continued, "Most of the rumors say she is the secret trump card of the Noble faction but nobody has ever been able to verify the claims. Because she had never targeted any large Familia in the past, and reports of her exploits were unverified, the Smiling Reaper had gone largely unnoticed until now. It's only when she does 'big' feats that the name goes back into circulation for a few months before vanishing once again. It's very likely that she works for one of the top three Noble houses and, given her presumed age, is either a Demigod or an Elf."Vahn immediately shook his head when he heard Loki's words, explaining, "If she is a Demigod, it isn't a first-generation offspring. The aura doesn't possess the same quality as other Demigods I've seen..." Vahn looked towards Syr while also recalling his encounters with Ottar and Ash in the past. Fortunately, he had a way to verify her race pretty easily so, after gesturing for silence and closing his eyes, Vahn began to alter the flow of energy within his body. She had restricted and condensed her aura, but Vahn had still been able to identify the woman's elemental affinities and the structure of her mana. By emulating it, while keeping his image as a male, Vahn would easily be able to discern her race by checking his status.In just under a minute, Vahn had finished his transformation while everyone present looked towards him with intrigued expressions. For Eirene, this was the first time she had actually watched Vahn transform, just like the eavesdropping Erika. When he had finished the transformation, Vahn's skin became fair and his hair had taken on an onyx-black hue with slightly pointed ears. Most notably, however, was the fact that the sclera of his eyes had turned completely black while his pupils had taken on a pale golden hue. Even before Vahn confirmed it for them, a small figure popped up out of thin air with a curious look on her face as she grabbed and squished his cheeks with her tiny hands.With Doppel revealing herself, Erika came out of the crawlspace with a combination of guilt and embarrassment on her face. However, instead of being upset with her, Hephaestus, Anubis, and Hestia just smiled while Loki and Syr chuckled lightly. The only person that seemed confused was Eirene but that didn't matter much since the thing everyone else was curious about was confirmed by Vahn a moment later. He grabbed Doppel's tiny hands into his own while she made a happy 'Aaauu' sound when he said, "It seems our opponent this time is a Doppelganger, though only a half-breed. In other words..." Piggybacking off os his words, Loki squinted her eyes and said, "She is a Xenos-Human hybrid..."(A/N: Oh, hi there...)------------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Stats]]Name: [Vahn Mason]Age: 15Race: Half-Doppelganger, *sealed*Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]-Level: 5(+)-Power: 3193+(I0)-&gt;(H108)-Endurance: 4536+(I0)-&gt;(H177)-Dexterity: 3839+(I0)-&gt;(D517)-Agility: 3561+(I0)-&gt;(F331)-Magic: 9291+(I0)-&gt;(C620)Total:24,421+(1,753)Soul Tier: 3 (Lord Soul)[Karma]: 13,692-&gt;13,777[OP]: 15,318,499-&gt;18,005,739[Valis]: 3,901,832,592-&gt;4,882,545,901Skills: [Will of the Emperor:SSS], [Rakshasa Body:D], [Keeper of the Akashic Tome:B], [Eyes of Truth: B],[Bow Mastery:S], [Stealth:A], [Chainbreaker:S], [Heart of the Eternal Flame:SS], [Prometheus:A], [Call of the Reaper:A],[Yggdrasil's Favor:S], [Veil of the Traveler: S], [Featherfoot:S], [Hands of Nirvana:S], [Metallurgy:B], [Fist Strike:A], [Friend of Spirits:A], [Void Ward:E](new)Magic: [Thria*Mimos:A], [Shundo:S], [Koku Shundo:D-&gt;C], [Cantus Bellax:S], [Mellodia Bellax:B], [Vis Maxima:E], [Sagitta Magica:B], [Pactio:A-&gt;S], [Magia Erebea:SS]Development Skills: [Wound Transfer:S], [Well of Spirit:C], [Swordsman:A], [Master Smith:H], [Mixing:C], [Mentor:A], [Grooming:I-&gt;D], [Arch Mage:I][Void Ward]Rank: EUse: Allows the user to create magic wards and send them across vast distances before activating their effects.--------------------------------------------------------------------------In actuality, though sentient monsters were all classified as 'Xenos', it wasn't the actual name of their race. Instead, it would detail the 'species' of Xenos they were, meaning a Minotaur Xenos would simply be labeled as a Minotaur within the system. Since he had 'subjugated' both Terra and Fatina in the past, both easily classified as Xenos, Vahn had been able to confirm this through experience. Thus, even though it didn't specifically state she was a Xenos through the system, the woman would still be classified as one by the world's standards.Doppel seemed very fond of the fact that he was a Doppelganger now and, until Erika eventually pulled the giggling guardian away, she kept trying to shape and distort his face. Vahn was actually quite curious about what abilities he might possess in this form, especially since they didn't show up through the system, so he tried channeling his source energy through his face and hair. Loki had just been about to speak but, seeing the sudden changes in Vahn, remained silent as she watched his onyx-black hair grow till the center of his back. It began moving around in an awkward manner like tendrils as Vahn blinked several times, almost as if he was very confused.The moment he started using his energy to try and activate the racial skills he should have, Vahn felt like all of his senses 'mixed' together and it was a very large sensory overload. He could 'see' through each fiber of hair while his face and body actually started to melt as a result of his inability to hold his form properly. It wasn't until he activated [Will of the Emperor] and reversed the changes that he was able to regain his senses. His quickly recovered his mental faculties before giving an awkward smile and saying, "I now have a much greater appreciation for how incredible Doppel is..." Vahn sent his glance towards the small Guardian, earning a happy 'auuwaaau' as she squirmed about in Erika's arms.Vahn went on to explain what it was like to try and use his abilities, surprising everyone while both Loki and Erika looked at him with contemplative expressions. In truth, Vahn wasn't exactly sure how to explain what he had experienced because it was like each of his cells became their own entities. It was like he could see, hear, smell, and taste through all of his pores. He had no idea how Doppel, or the Smiling Reaper, were able to keep their wits about them when using their abilities. And, as he had said, this made him feel appreciation and understanding towards Doppel now. Though she could emulate speech, it was very obvious she wasn't at the same level of intelligence and awareness as the other guardians. Vahn now knew it wasn't because she was actually 'simple', but because the amount of information she had to process was ridiculous compared to others. It had to be said that a body was comprised of trillions of cells and, if they actually all became sensory organs, it was enough to overload more other creatures' brains...After he had returned to his 'normal' appearance, Vahn sat with a slightly blushing Erika in his lap while Doppel played around behind his back, pulling at his hair and face with curiosity and confusion. While this was going on, Vahn maintained a calm expression as he explained, "Now we understand why she has been able to evade detection for so long. If she can manipulate her shape and form, it would be almost impossible to actually track her down. Fortunately, now that I know how the energy in her body is structure, she wouldn't be able to evade me next time. Still, as she seems to be around Level 6 in strength, we need to make sure nobody is wandering around the City alone. I'll try to scout around some of the Noble residences and see if I can pick up her trail in the next few days." Though the girls spent most of their time in the orb, they still went out to get some fresh air and explore the City on occasion.While they had been speaking, Syr was inputting all the important details into the network so the girls would be able to reference it later. When she understood the conversation was beginning to come to an end, she even snapped the notebook shut with a happy smile before alighting from the room. Vahn could detect her going to the room where the orb was kept, likely to explain the situation to the girls directly so as to avoid any accidents. With her departure, the tension in the conversation slowly started to relax as Loki smiled in a teasing manner, saying, "That should be enough for the time being. I'll also touch base with some of my contacts and see if they can discover something. For now, what I'm most curious about is what my daughter is doing up past her bedtime~?"Erika hung her head while looking up into her Mother's eyes, uncertainty and hesitation flashing across her green pupils. However, when her Papa hugged her in his gentle and warm embrace, Erika felt more at ease, explaining, "Since Papa had been late coming home, I was worried something might have happened. I saw how Mother was acting and wanted to know what was going on...I thought I might be able to help...just a little..." All the while her daughter had been speaking, Loki watched her very carefully with her slightly parted eyes. It was somewhat strange, seeing the mother-daughter pair with their slit-like eyes having what could be misconstrued as a staring contest if you didn't understand the context.Seemingly satisfied by her daughter's answer, Loki nodded her head with a smile and said, "That's good then. If you're doing it for your Papa, I don't mind if you misbehave and break a few rules~." Loki actually wanted her daughter to be free of restraints and restrictions, at least once the young Vanir reached maturity. Though she sometimes lectured and teased her, she never truly prevented Erika from acting as she pleased. After all, with her daughter's intelligence and the potential influence of her pseudo-divinity, Loki didn't want to 'hurt' her development by interfering too much. As long as she didn't veer onto a 'dark' path, Loki was actually happy that her daughter had 'disobeyed' the rules a bit, especially since she did so out of concern for her family.Vahn also felt very warm when he heard Erika's words, even though Doppel was tugging at the loose skin below his right eye and making it awkward to show a normal expression. Since it seemed like a good opportunity, Vahn sent a glance towards Hephaestus, Hestia, and Anubis, almost as if he were seeking their permission. They all gave him gentle smiles in return so Vahn turned to the snickering Loki while hugging Erika as he said, "It's been a little while, so Papa will sleep in Erika's and her Mother's room tonight..." Erika's face became apple-red, especially after seeing the amused looks everyone was giving her, before mumbling, "As long as Papa doesn't try to make me wear those embarrassing clothes..."Loki began cackling without restraint while Hephaestus released a sigh, completely understanding what Erika meant by 'embarrassing clothes'. Vahn was a very doting father and, because he wanted his already adorable daughters to be even cuter, he always tried to get them to wear cute pajamas. Erika wasn't really a morning person so there was an event a few weeks ago where she had walked through the hallways in a koala outfit, causing the hearts of all the girls in the Manor to melt when they saw her. As for the culprit behind the incident, he was currently making a very dejected and hurt face after taking a critical impact from his daughter's words. When she saw this, Erika felt very guilty and, after biting her bottom lip for a few seconds, eventually whispered, "Nnnuuu...fine then, but I won't wear them when I get older...!"Though she had whispered it quietly, everyone present heart Erika's words and sent her amused smiles with gentle expressions. This caused her already apple-red face to turn a deeper shade of crimson as Eirene, who had been standing patiently at the side, murmured, "I want one..." in a voice only she could hear.(A/N: I only took a short nap before pumping out this chapter. This will be the last one for today but I plan to wake up early tomorrow and try to pump out around 18-20k words. Look forward to it (UwU)~!)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Smiling Reaper...Ara~?','Doppel is secretly OP O_O!?','Eirene isn't satisfied with an arrogant horse, she wants something far more precious ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)...')(A/N: Now you know why Doppel doesn't like to wear clothes. Imagine wearing a cloth over your eyes, nose, and mouth o3o~!)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 704: Advice