Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Once Jaina was able to stay conscious for more than a few seconds, Vahn finally got around to the reason for his visit, surprising the pinkette with a blanket, comforter, and pillow as he explained, "I know about your attempts to procure the pillows I gifted away in the lower floors. I would normally chastise you for such behavior, but, since your situation was something that had been inadvertently caused by events I set in motion, please accept these as compensation."Receiving the three pieces of 'Divine Bedding', any complaints that Jaina might have had regarding Ureko's visit faded away the moment she felt their texture and softness. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced, and, were it not for the fact there were still more than a dozen people in her room, she might have gone to sleep then and there.Seeing Jaina hugging her pillow as if it were a great treasure, Vahn couldn't help comparing her to the members of the Eurasia Family. She even had their characteristic pink hair, but, a stark contrast to the Mare-descended maidens, Jaina spent so much time awake that it often caused her to have health problems. This had been remedied by the blood infusion she had received after becoming a Princess of Jahad, but, even now, there were dark circles beneath both of her eyes, a tell-tale sign she wasn't getting enough sleep.Since she probably wouldn't listen if he told her to get more sleep, Vahn figured he might as well ensure that the sleep she was getting was of the highest quality. The Divine Comforter was perfect for this, as, not only did it generate a protective barrier around the user, it increased the 'efficiency' of their sleep by 800%. This meant, even if she was only getting an hour of sleep every other day, it was the same as resting for a full eight hours.Though there was a chance someone like Jaina would come up with a way to exploit the beddings in the most 'efficient' manner, the comfort they provided made this unlikely. She was far more likely to become accustomed to even longer periods of sleep, as, compared to the 'real world', being able to control and manipulate her dreams at will was a tremendous blessing for someone as infatuated with video games as Jaina was. After all, unless you were proactively involved with it, the real world simply wasn't that interesting...Wanting to give Jaina the opportunity to try out the surprisingly rare artifacts, Vahn surprised the pinkette quite a bit when he turned to his comrades and suggested, "We should be going. I'm sure our little friend here would like to get back to playing her video games and spying on people using her Opera."Before anyone else could reply, Jaina, still hugging her freshly gifted beddings, intoned a confused, "Eh?" before immediately following it up by asking, "You're leaving so soon? Didn't you want to ask me something, or, I don't know, invite me to come with you?"There her social skills were sub-par, Jaina had always had a 'knack' for saying whatever was on her mind. Since there was a very real possibility that Vahn would never return if he just up and left, most of her nervousness had been momentarily suppressed by sincere concern. After all, he basically had the power to turn a person's life into a video game, so, as much as she lamented the idea of leaving her room, she feared 'never' leaving even more. Vahn was essentially a 'super platinum spoon', so, if she passed up on this opportunity, she was sure to regret it.Raising a single brow in response to the girl's unexpected inquiry, Vahn was about to ask the Law of Identity what the heck she was thinking when Yuri chimed in to teasingly remark, "No way. Without the Opera, you're practically useless. What makes you think Vahn would want to haul around a lazy brat who spends most of her time playing video games? You're better off staying here in your little castle and messing with anyone who comes seeking information."Puffing out her cheeks, Jaina's purple eyes began to glisten with a hint of moisture as she failed to think of anything that might refute Yuri's claims. After all, Vahn had demonstrated, time and again, that he didn't really need the help of others. He could go wherever he wanted and do whatever he pleased without any real consequences. All she was good at was collecting information, spying on people, and manipulating markets to her advantage. These capabilities were extremely coveted by most people, but, as virtually anyone who had met him could attest, Vahn wasn't anything like most people...Realizing that she might be 'useless', an extremely sour feeling spread through Jaina's nose as the moisture in her eyes surpassed the threshold to generate tears. This caused the smile on Yuri's face to immediately cramp up, as, despite the content of her statement, it should have been obvious she was just joking. She just wanted to get a rise out of the petite pinkette, not reduce her to tears...Seeing Yuri look towards him for support, an inaudible sigh escaped Vahn's throat as he shook his head and said, "Yuri's lack of a filter shouldn't come as a surprise. You shouldn't take it personally..."Shifting her attention to Vahn, a hopeful glimmer appeared in Jaina's eyes as she expected him to say something nice to counteract Yuri's previous remark. Instead, she felt as though the world was crashing down around her as he went on to explain, "Still, there is a grain of truth to her words. You have built your entire life around your ability to use the Opera. It has allowed you to amass enough wealth to rival organizations that have been around for thousands of years, and, more importantly, it has drastically changed the way you view other people. You see them as nothing more than NPCs with rudimentary behavioral patterns that you can easily exploit for your own ends...tell me, if I were to invite you to accompany, what, exactly, would you hope to accomplish...?"Since she hadn't really thought about it, other than imagining how fun it would be, Jaina's response was to bury her face into the bedding Vahn had gifted her. She found herself incapable of refuting a single thing he had said, so, for the first time in her life, she began to consider whether or not what she had been doing was 'right'. After all, if someone were to observe her with the same scrutiny she observed the lives of countless others, there's no way she wouldn't feel uncomfortable...Seeing Jaina seriously considering his words, Vahn's impression of the petite pinkette developed in direct proportion to the amount of guilt he felt. She was clearly just a misguided young girl with an inordinate amount of talent for gathering and processing information. It wasn't like she was evil, so, while his words hadn't been wrong, it didn't feel right to chastise her for behaving in a way that was encouraged by virtually everyone around her. Unfortunately, that same logic could apply to people who had committed some of the most heinous crimes imaginable, so, while a part of him wanted to apologize, the experiences he had accumulated over the years compelled him to remain silent.In the end, it was Blossom who suggested, "I say we let her come along. Even if it's just a temporary arrangement, the ability to operate an Opera makes her invaluable so long as you're still inside the Tower. In fact, unless I've misjudged your ability to 'know everything', her abilities complement your own quite a bit. She also has pink hair, so, even if you don't wish for her to accompany you beyond the Tower, I'm certain she would fit right in with the members of my family~."With Blossom essentially saying she would take responsibility for Jaina's future, Vahn had no real reason to refuse her. He suspected this would come back to bite him, but, despite Yuri talking them up like they were character flaws, Vahn had always been fond of girls with hikikomori characteristics. He enjoyed pampering his women quite a bit, and, as fate would have it, one of the women closest to his heart just so happened to be among the laziest Goddesses in her Record...Though it was impossible to compare them directly, especially considering Jaina's productivity, the fact she had even briefly reminded him of Hestia went a long way towards ensuring her a potential position within the Little Garden. The notion that she would get along well with girls such as X and Tomoe also helped her case quite a bit, so, after a very brief period of consideration, Vahn nodded his head and said, "Very well. Though I imagine my earlier words might have given you a reason to reconsider-"Before Vahn could even get to his apology, Jaina surprised nearly everyone present by practically bouncing to her feet and shouting, "I'll go...!" with an excited smile and an even more enthusiastic glimmer in her eyes. The fear of missing out on her chance a second time allowed her to suppress her negative emotions, so, while some might mistake her earlier behavior as crocodile tears, Vahn's ability to vaguely discern a person's aura even without View Affection allowed him to ascertain the truth.Smiling in response to the petite pinkette's enthusiasm, Vahn was about to make a second attempt at apologizing when Yuri completely ruined the atmosphere by suggesting, "I guess the only thing to have her do at this point is strip." with a massive grin on her face.Though she was briefly taken aback by Yuri's words, a rather fierce flame immediately appeared within Jaina's amethyst eyes as she dropped the Divine Bedding, hands balled into resolute fists as she nervously stammered, "I...I'm not afraid! If it's for my dream of living in a video game world, I'm willing to do whatever it takes...!"Noticing Jaina's nostrils flaring as she looked at him like a perfectly prepared dragon meat skewer, the smile that had developed on Vahn's face immediately turned into an awkward grimace as Yuri cackled like a hyena at the side. She was still feeling a little guilty about making Jaina cry, so, even if her words had ultimately caused a misunderstanding, Yuri was pretty confident it would help out in the long run. Vahn was simply too kind, so, as long as she made an earnest effort, there was a very real chance he would help Jaina realize some of the fantasies she had developed thanks to her long isolation and unrestricted observation of other people...With the Law of Identity narrating Yuri's train of thought, Vahn was very tempted to give the former Princess a smack on the head. Instead, he met Jaina's inordinately 'passionate' purple eyes, dousing a bit of the fire contained within by explaining, "You don't need to get naked. What Yuri is indirectly alluding to is something called the Familia Induction Ceremony. By engraving my Familia Crest unto others, I am able to provide them with my Blessing as the God of Infinite Possibilities. You need only expose your back. After that, you will gain access to the Quest System, and, so long as your belief is high enough, you can even change your physical characteristics or have me change your race like a certain muscle-brained snake-head..."Though it took her a few moments, Yuri eventually realized that Vahn was talking about her when several people directed their gazes her way. This caused her brow to twitch slightly, but, assuming this was Vahn's way of getting back at her, she ultimately just crossed her arms before adopting a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Violence didn't really work on him, so, for the time being, she decided it was best to wait until she could ask for someone else's advice before trying to get even...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'At least he didn't give her the futon...','Voyeurism is bad...!','She's learning...')(A/N: This is technically the third chapter from yesterday. There will be three more releases before tomorrow's reset unless something comes up.)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though the order was a bit reversed, Vahn concluded Jaina's induction into his Family by explaining, in detail, the various perks related to being one of his 'children'. After that, they surprised her Guide, Alumik Edrok, by explaining to him that he no longer had a charge to look over.While it would have been a crippling blow to some other Guides, the fact that Jaina rarely even left her room meant Alumik's only responsibility had been vetting her innumerable guests, ascertaining their true intentions, and sending them on their way. He had also received a warning from Evan, so, while he was curious about what lay beyond the 135th Floor, he didn't insist that he follow along as her caretaker and Butler. Instead, like a father seeing off his daughter, he had Vahn swear to protect her before seeing the entire group off with a forced yet equally sincere smile.What Alumik hadn't realized was that, prior to the rather dramatic sendoff, Vahn had been seriously considering whether or not he should transport Jaina's palace to the 199th Floor. He would need to establish a seat of power there once he had deposed Jahad, so, in preparation for the future, he was intending to escort Jaina to each and every Floor so that her Opera could spread its influence to the rest of the Tower.Though he could have moved forward with his original intentions, regardless of what anyone else had to say on the matter, Vahn knew that Alumik was intending to return to the Empire to join his kin in preparation for the changes that were about to sweep across the Tower. Jahad wasn't actually a fool, so, in acknowledgment of the fact he might be defeated, he had tasked Evan and the rest of the Edrok Family with developing countermeasures against the Empire's collapse. This was the main reason Vahn wasn't in any hurry to advance to the 134th Floor. His experience in the Nasuverse had shown him what could happen in the wake of societal collapse, but, unlike then, he didn't have any measures in place to counteract the effects.In the end, Vahn would be relying on his reputation and the acquiescence of existing institutions to prevent various forces from running rampant in the wake of Jahad's defeat. This made him a lot like Jahad, but, unlike the aforementioned King, he didn't mistake himself as a God, he was one. He also had the support of Gluttony, and, as a result, the support of virtually every Guardian. They couldn't simply annul the contracts they had established with others, but, so long as he kept his word, they would support his endeavors without much fuss. This included implementing a modified version of the Common Law, and, more importantly, fundamentally changing the way in which people climbed the Tower.While he now understood that Jahad's intent was to pit opportunistic individuals against each other in an effort to cull their numbers, what the King had failed to account for was the corrupt nature of society. So long as there was a power ladder to ascend, people at the top would suppress people at the bottom. Inversely, people at the bottom would both resent and envy those at the top, and, due to feeling suppressed, they would do everything in their power to depose them.Simply put, by creating something like the Ten Great Families, Jahad had effectively jeopardized the entire system. He had also shot himself in the foot as the entire purpose of declaring himself King was to distance himself from others and act as a deterrent to prevent Rankers and other sufficiently powerful people from using said power to oppress the peoples of the Tower. In essence, his desire to respect his former companions' autonomy ended up creating the very kind of system he wanted to avoid. They were supposed to help him maintain control, but, due to their inordinately long lives and the traumas they had experienced during The Great War, chief the loss of their first-generation descendants, they had simply stopped caring.In the beginning, even Eduan had been a great father, and, while he didn't agree with what Jahad was doing, he still supported the formation of the Empire along with his fellow companions. It was when the members of FUG had assassinated his first wife and all of their children that he ended up completely losing his mind. The pain he had experienced, combined with the fact he had not been allowed to seek revenge, caused him to develop the mentality that he couldn't be hurt if he simply didn't care. After that, he drowned his sorrows in every pleasure imaginable, married more than a hundred different women, and, in the end, established one of the largest and most dysfunctional families in the entire Tower.While Eduan was ultimately to blame for every major issue plaguing the modern Khun Family, he, like virtually everyone else in the Tower, was a victim of circumstance. Had he been allowed to let out his anger and frustrations on the people who had slaughtered his family, his personality might not have deviated all that far from his data-self. The Khun Family would have still grown into a large and powerful 'clan', but, rather than being the father of nearly every mainline descendant, he would have watched over his sons and daughters as they created generational lines of their own.With the other 'Great Warriors' having very similar circumstances, it was no surprise that they would allow their families to act as they pleased. After all, if they weren't even allowed to protect and seek vengeance for their own children, their only option was empowering their descendants and creating an environment where they were provided every feasible advantage. This entailed consolidating the Tower's wealth, and, more importantly, suppressing the development of organizations unrelated to their Families.Though their initial intentions had simply been self-preservation, it didn't take long for such 'victim mentalities' to nourish the seeds of corruption that existed within the hearts of and minds of nearly every sapient creature. This mentality allowed them to justify all manner of atrocities, as, from their perspective, they were the 'real' victims. They believed that, if they didn't act, they would be killed off by people who coveted their wealth and power, so, before that could happen, they came to the conclusion they needed to kill any and all threats before they mature.As 'unfortunate' as this development was, it was actually one of the most common developments in the history of every culture across the Records. Those who first ventured out considered themselves as explorers who simply wanted to know more about the world they inhabited. They were driven by a sincere desire to learn more, and, more importantly, survive. It was this desire that allowed them to brave the unknown, and, alongside like-minded individuals, these first explorers were the people responsible for the creation of nearly every civilization in existence.Unfortunately, the moment people began to settle down and develop infrastructure to make their lives easier, they quickly became hostile to anyone outside their immediate friends and family. This was an important instinct, but, more often than not, most of the people migrating from location to location were, like their ancestors, merely looking for a place to settle down. Despite this, it was the common assumption of established societies that anyone attempting to join them from the outside was simply trying to take advantage of the systems and infrastructure they had established. Instead of embracing the unknown and joining hands with their fellow man, the very behavior that allowed them to thrive in an inhospitable world, they began fearing anything outside of their comfort zone.Though it was this fear that allowed for the existence of multiple cultures, it was also what gave rise to war. The assumption that anyone born outside your community coveted what you owned caused tensions to gradually increase until it became something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. After all, the best method to prevent others from coveting your wealth was to slaughter them, occupy their land, and take away theirs in turn. This sentiment allowed communities to develop into countries, and, due to establishing a tradition of conquest, the norm for budding civilizations wasn't to establish trade and work alongside their fellow man, it was to seize whatever they desired from people they gradually began to view as 'lesser' than themselves. It was only when the cost of war became too great that trade became the norm, but, in the grand scheme of things, this was little more than a method to accrue wealth in preparation for the next war...Following these principles, the Great Warriors had originally ventured into the Tower, not to seize power and install themselves as rulers, but to protect the people they cared about. The world they had come from had been on its last legs due to the invasion of strange creatures from beneath the ocean floor, so, in the hope of obtaining enough power to turn the tides of war, they ventured into the Tower to become 'True Gods'. Instead, they found a chaotic world filled with monstrous beings and countless civilizations fighting over what few resources could be found.While most people would have been dispirited, their desire to see an end to all conflict was what allowed Jahad and his companions to press forward. They fought to unify the peoples within the Tower, and, as a result, they were able to assemble like-minded individuals to accompany them in their conquest of the upper floors, places spoken of only in legend prior to the Age of Ascension.Were it not for the machinations of the Workshop, there was a very real chance that Jahad and the Great Warriors would have conquered the entire Tower. Unfortunately, reaching the 134th Floor had already taken thousands of years, and, in the process, most of the people they had initially brought with them had died along the way. Thus, rather than risking their lives to save a world that had very likely been destroyed, Jahad decided to protect the home they had found for themselves within the Tower. As for why he chose to stop on the 134th Floor, it was primarily due to the fact that, prior to the Age of Genesis, no civilizations had existed beyond the 100th Floor.In essence, Jahad had wanted to protect the people of the Tower, not conquer them. His only real fault in that regard was that he couldn't be the impartial God he believed the Tower needed him to be. He had also fallen for a woman who, prior to his sudden and spontaneous proposal, had already been in a relationship for thousands of years. Then, instead of marrying someone else or putting his foot down on the issue, he pressed forward to ensure the fulfillment of several prophecies. This was in spite of his belief that fate was something shaped by the people living in the present, so, in more ways than one, Jahad was simply a hypocrite.Now, thousands of years later, everything Jahad initially stood for existed as little more than a shell of his former principles. The Empire had become the very force of corruption it intended to oppose, and, due to their circumstances, the Ten Great Families had become the root cause of innumerable tragedies. In essence, the system he had created was the very antithesis of his ideals, but, believing it was only a matter of time before Arlen's prophecy would be fulfilled, a prophecy he had a hand in creating, Jahad simply bided his time until that fateful day. He failed to consider the fact that others might be able to influence fate to a similar degree, so, now that Vahn had entered the Tower, it was only a matter of time before the King was forced to answer for his crimes.Fortunately, at least for the time being, Vahn was too busy introducing new game consoles to Jaina to care about what his penultimate enemy within the Tower was up to...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Poor Alumik xD...','Everyone has their reasons...','Vahn 'bout to hit Jahad with that Uno Reverse Card...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With countless people coming to her with requests for information, Jaina eventually got so fed up with disturbances that she ended up retreating to number seven of her twenty-three secret bases. In reality, this was just the basement of her castle, but, with her Guide turning most people away, it was one of the few places she could truly relax due to the existence of fifteen luxurious baths, each filled with different types of highly-concentrated and exceptionally valuable Shinsu.Though she had no interest in climbing the Tower, that didn't prevent Jaina from taking measures to ensure she was adequately prepared for her climb. After all, she wouldn't be allowed to take the Opera with her, so, before the 'hateful' rabbit came knocking on her door, she was doing everything in her power to strengthen her body. This predominately revolved around simply soaking her body in various types of Shinsu, but, with countless High Rankers lining up to gift her with exceptionally valuable materials, she wasn't going to simply refuse the platinum spoon life had gifted her...While soaking her body in a tub of Shinsu that could compress the average C-Rank Regular to the size of a grapefruit, Jaina made the most of her leisure time by completing Dailies on her eighteen favorite mobile games. At the same time, she used miniature Lighthouses connected with her Opera to keep track of various markets throughout the Tower. One of her favorite hobbies was beating her real-life High Scores, which, in essence, amounted to opening a new bank account at the beginning of each year to see if she could beat her score from years prior.Noticing a notification pop up on one of her games, Jaina's mood immediately improved as the only people on her friends lists were other Princesses and interesting people she had forced to play with her in exchange for information. Most of them quit shortly after playing for the amount of time specified in the contract, but, every now and then, she managed to convert one of her sisters into a hardcore gamer like herself.Opening her notification box, Jaina was unsurprised to see the nickname 'HatefulMonkeySnake' in the sender column. This was the nickname she had assigned Yuri's account handle after the latter joined up with Vahn and started wreaking havoc throughout the Tower. She normally wouldn't have cared, but, three days after Yuri's year-long 'vacation' in the Little Garden, she ended up blabbing to Jaina about her relationship with Vahn. To make matters even worse, she also prattled on about the existence of the Quest System, so, as an avid gamer, Jaina couldn't help feeling 'extremely' envious of her elder sister's luck. If her spoon was platinum, Yuri's was formed from some type of rare and indescribably valuable gemstone, as, despite being a complete idiot, everything always seemed to go her way...With half her face sinking beneath the surface of the water, Jaina began to blow bubbles as she prepared herself to read Yuri's braggadocious text. To her surprise, there were only three words making up the body of the message, specifically, "Look behind you." This caused Jaina's body to tense up, as, despite being an irredeemable idiot, Yuri was also a remarkably straight-forward and tactless woman.Though it would have been simpler to use her Lighthouses to reflect the view behind her, Jaina slowly shifted around in the bath until she was staring at the empty space behind the tub. Under normal circumstances, this would have caused her to feel relief, but, shortly after she had looked back, Yuri's disembodied head, attached to a translucent neck, manifested out of the void as she shouted, "Boo...!"Without startling in the slightest, Jaina simply stared at Yuri for several seconds before asking one of the most important questions plaguing her thoughts, chiefly, "Are you alone...?"Stepping out of the void as if it were some kind of malleable fabric, Yuri adopted a slight pout as she said, "You're no fun. What kind of lame reaction is that?"Ignoring Yuri's comment, Jaina commanded her Lighthouses to scan the area as her Opera, located in her main bedroom, lit up like a miniature sun. Even this didn't allow her to sense where Yuri had emerged from, however, so, even without the former explaining, she could reasonably assume that Vahn was either nearby or currently present. This caused her face and body to heat up considerably, as, despite caring very little about three-dimensional romance, the notion that an invisible deity had invaded her bath was supremely embarrassing.Amused by the pink-haired woman's reaction, Yuri was thinking about the best method to tease her when Vahn sent her a telepathic message telling her to stop fooling around. Unfortunately, this only served to rile her up even further, so, before the former could use his Unit Management to teleport her away, Yuri began to undress, saying, "Make some room. It's been a long time since we last took a bath together. I might not longer be a Princess of Jahad, but I'm still your big sister. It's important for us to bond when we get the chance~."Disregarding Jaina's protests, Yuri stripped down in a matter of seconds before forcing the petite pinkette forward and sinking into the peculiar green Shinsu filling the tub. This caused the bath to overflow a bit, and, due to the runes on the tub only affecting the Shinsu within, a rather sizeable explosion occurred as the highly compressed liquid instantaneously converted into a gaseous mist that quickly filled the entire room.With reaction speed that allowed her to casually dodge lightspeed attacks, Yuri was easily able to veil Jaina with her Ki long before the explosion occurred. Despite this, the pink-haired maiden still had a disgruntled expression on her face, and, were it not for the fact that she might trigger a much larger reaction by moving around too quickly, she would have immediately kicked Yuri in her smug face. Instead, she retreated to the opposite end of the oversized tub, hands protecting her relatively modest breasts as she asked, "Tell me, why are you here? Where is Vah-, I mean, where is the Sage Dragon Emperor? You clearly had his help infiltrating this place. Subtlely has never been your strong point..."Laughing in response to Jaina's words, Yuri hooked her arms over the sides of the tub, answering, "You're right~!" before using her toes to invade the pinkette's personal space. This caused Jaina's face to redden considerably, as, due to the former's height, she could easily extend her toes to the opposite end of the bath. Yuri wasn't exactly shy, either, so, even if Jaina wanted to shout at her to stop messing around, getting her to behave was nigh-impossible.Just as Jaina was about to protest, the tips of her ears turning scarlet, her mind completely blanked when Yuri simply vanished into thin air. Were it not for her clothes littering the ground, Jaina might have assumed she was having some kind of fever dream. Instead, she quickly yet cautiously got out of the tub before hurrying over to the hamper containing the same garments she had been wearing prior to her bath.Under normal circumstances, Jaina wouldn't think twice about wearing the same clothes for days on end. This time, however, she hesitated for a moment before lifting her frilly pink panties to her nose and giving them a tentative whiff. The smell of her own aroma caused her still-ruddy cheeks to turn a textbook example of apple red, as, for the first time in her life, she deeply regretted not practicing proper hygiene...Though the notion she was being watched made her feel exceptionally flustered, Jaina did her best to wash her panties in one of the tubs before donning them. She was lucky that the enchantments on the tub attracted the Shinsu within towards the bottom, so, as long as she was careful, anything pulled from within would dry before it breached the rim. The enchantment was like an exceptionally powerful magnet, so, even though she invested several minutes into washing her clothes, she didn't have to worry about having to dry them out after the fact.By the time she was ready to go upstairs, Jaina had spent the better part of forty minutes mentally and physically preparing herself. Before she left the bath, however, she made sure to stamp her feet on Yuri's clothes. She might be the closest thing to a real friend Jaina had ever made but that didn't mean she would simply forgive everything the former Princess did. Just the thought of what might have transpired if Yuri wasn't teleported away caused her to turn beet red, so, if she didn't take her anger out on 'something', she wouldn't be able to calm down.With her petty revenge complete, Jaina combined all the miniature Lighthouses she had brought with her into a much larger cube before riding it back to her room. She disdained having to walk around, so, much like a member of the Eurasia Family, her preferred mode of travel was floating. In fact, it was this ability that first earned her the attention of the Tperie Family, as, despite the fact she had yet to become a Regular, she could freely manipulate the Tower's Shinsu. The only other people with capability were Irregulars and absolute monsters like Baek Ryun, so, ever since she was a child, the entire Tower lauded her as a genius.Unfortunately, due to her nervousness, said genius could barely travel in a straight line, and, were it not for an invisible force preventing her from stumbling, she might have fallen off her Lighthouse as it ascended the spiral staircase connecting her bath to another of the castle's secret chambers.With her intelligence, Jaina could easily guess that the invisible force was somehow related to Vahn, so, by the time she finally reached her bedroom, her face had become a dangerous shade of red as she manipulated the doors to open with her Shinsu control. Instead, undetectable despite the fact they were a few meters away from her Opera, a large group of people was sitting in a semi-circle, clearly waiting for her to arrive. This included an unrealistically handsome man with dark-brown hair and green eyes that seemed to shift to a mysterious shade of blue whenever the light hit them just right. Unfortunately, the moment he looked towards her and smiled, Jaina immediately blacked out, propelled from her Lighthouse as if Vahn's smile carried some kind of physical force behind it...---Feeling a peculiar and somewhat ticklish warmth spreading through her body, Jaina opened her eyes to discover that she was sleeping in the middle of a distorted landscape filled with adorable yet mishappen creatures. This confused her quite a bit, but, seeing a sickeningly cute girl with pink hair floating a few meters from her position, understanding donned upon her as she groaned, "It's been a while...Lady Eurasia..."Nodding her head, the pink-haired girl, Blossom, approached to within a few centimeters of Jaina's position before explaining, "You passed out. I suppose locking yourself away and refusing to even meet your own Guide face-to-face has had some...unfortunate side effects..."Adopting a pout that was greatly emphasized due to the fact she was currently in a dreamscape, Jaina complained, "3D isn't supposed to be comparable to 2D. There is something seriously wrong with that guy. Wait. I know! He must be using some kind of transformation magic to make himself look better...!"Cupping her cheek like a concerned mother, Blossom adopted a somewhat helpless expression as she softly remarked, "What a helpless girl..." before immediately following it up with a radiant smile the moment Jaina glared at her. Then, before the pinkette could complain, she snapped her fingers and said, "Well, I'm sure you'll do better the second time. Good luck~!"Confused by Blossom's words, Jaina was about to ask what the inordinately petite woman was talking about when the ground beneath her spontaneously ceased to exist. This caused her to fall into an abyssal black void, frightening her to such an extent that she immediately lurched forward in the real world, grabbing the closest thing to her. Unfortunately, this just so happened to be Vahn, so, after several seconds of stunned silence, Jaina immediately blacked out a second time...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I wish I could set High Scores like that...','Yuri has naughty toes...','RIP Jaina xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 2014: Value and Misunderstandings