Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

The shout awakened Vahn, who had fallen asleep within Tsubaki's embrace. His mind was still in a haze and his body felt incredibly relaxed and lethargic. From his perspective, he could see Lili wide-eyed at the door looking towards him. He yawned and stood to exit the onsen while Tsubaki, who had previously released his body, began moving towards Lili who was pointing a shaking finger in her direction.Vahn slowly dressed amidst the chaos that followed. Tsubaki had grabbed Lili who was stuttering curses and flailing about and began undressing her. Lili, with a bright red face, kept stealing glances towards Vahn in the process. Seeing that he was just dazedly putting on his clothes, she felt perplexed and gave Tsubaki an opportunity to strip the last bastion of her dignity. Lili yelped and tried to protect her sensitive areas as Tsubaki took her towards the onsen while laughing boisterously.After he was dressed, Vahn headed towards his room to prepare to sleep. He lay down in his bed tightly embracing the large pillow that had been given to him with a futon earlier in the day. Hugging the pillow tightly, he quickly began falling asleep once again. As he drifted further into unconsciousness, his grasp of the pillow tightened as if by increasing his grip he could obtain more warmth from the inanimate object. With the feeling of something 'missing', Vahn fell asleep.---Vahn awoke very early the next day, nearly two hours before he had to be up. He absentmindedly stared around at the 'foreign' room and remember that he had started staying with Tsubaki the previous day. After his thoughts turned to Tsubaki, visions of the dream he had begun to surface in his mind...After Vahn had fallen asleep, he imagined a 3m tall Tsubaki toying with him and he made futile efforts at escaping. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to free himself from her monstrous strength and began to lose hope. Just as he was on the verge of giving up, the giant figure gently embraced his body between her bosom and he feared he may suffocate to death instead of being crushed. However, the suffocating feeling never came. Instead, he was wrapped in an endless warmth that seemed to soak through his entire body. The warmth was so comfortable that Vahn actually fell asleep within his own dream...Due to the strange dream, Vahn was still in a somewhat dazed state as he exited the room to wash his face. Lili had found out he was neglecting his dental hygiene, and she had helped him create a habit of brushing his teeth before beginning each day. Though Vahn was annoyed at first, he quickly got used to the small ceremony and now performed it without being forced.As he was leaving the bathroom, he could hear the sound of wind being torn from the nearby courtyard. He followed the sound and saw Tsubaki wielding a fierce-looking katana with a crimson red grip. Each movement seemed to cut through the void and generate devastatingly powerful winds that continued circulating around her body as her blade danced in the moonlight.Seeing the peerless skill and technique of Tsubaki, Vahn's stagnant mind immediately awakened. He watched her every move, each with purpose and intent that carried seamlessly into the next series of movements. Vahn nearly compared the 'dance' to his own techniques but felt doing so would be an insult to the bewitchingly elegant display of skill. Instead, he continued watching in abject silence, afraid that a single movement or sound of his would tarnish the inviolable atmosphere.About ten minutes before their training was set to begin, Tsubaki brought her 'dance' to an end. She slowly sheathed the katana before kneeling in silence. After her breathing settled, she smiled and spoke. "I'm not too fond of performing for an audience. Did you enjoy the show?"Vahn nodded his head without thinking and then spoke the words that came to his mind. "It was beautiful...unlike anything I've ever seen before." He was still replaying the moves in his mind, trying to keep the memories from fading.As he continued to absentmindedly stare, his vision suddenly reversed and he saw the ground approaching from above. Without being able to react, he landed heavily on the ground and felt the wind escape his lungs. He looked towards Tsubaki who was standing, arms akimbo and loudly roaring in laughter."Training starts on time every day. Why are you still standing around like an idiot when your enemy is right in front of you? That brings our score to 3 to 101!" While she was proudly speaking, she turned towards a wall lining the courtyard. From Vahn's perspective, Tsubaki disappeared from her spot before walking out from behind the wall carrying Lili under her arm.---After the initial throw, training began in earnest. Tsubaki was ruthless with Vahn and constantly threw him about while subjecting his body to endless torment. But, when she was training Lili, she showed a much gentler and patient side. When Vahn initially saw her carefully explaining different stances and techniques to Lili, he nearly thought he was still dreaming before the pain in his back flared up and caused him to sharply inhale.Tsubaki had taken very different approaches to their individual training. Since Lili was a Pallum and small in stature, Tsubaki wanted to help develop actual techniques and agility. After learning about Lili's skills, Tsubaki started explaining the importance of geographical positioning and exploiting enemy weak points. She wanted Lili to become a technical specialist that could make use of a variety of weapons in conjunction with the environment to gain an advantage.For Vahn, Tsubaki noticed he had incredible natural talent. Due to his high perception and adaptability, she was grooming him to develop his own fighting style. By constantly sparing with Vahn, he was slowly beginning to adapt to her speed and refining his defensive capabilities. Tsubaki wanted him to have the instincts to naturally protect himself from harm, as she believed it was one of the things he currently lacked the most.---After two hours of hard training, Vahn had now been thrown a total of 187 times. He tried to counterattack on many occasions, and was having a marginal amount of success, but never landed a blow on Tsubaki. She seemed especially aware of 'mishaps' and didn't drop her guard as she had the previous day. Vahn was very frustrated because, when Tsubaki would use the minimum distance to evade his counter, she would laugh and taunt him for his efforts.As the sun had already risen, they all took a break to eat breakfast. Vahn was forced to wait at the table while Tsubaki dragged Lili towards the kitchen to prepare the meal. While he sat in silence, Vahn began to wonder why Tsubaki always seemed to be dragging Lili around with her, but he wasn't able to come up with any reason. It was probably a quirk of Tsubaki's personality that liked cute things, as Lili was very small and adorable.Vahn decided to pass the time by inspecting his stats and items. His parameters hadn't been growing very quickly since he wasn't delving any deeper into the dungeon, but he felt like his foundation was rapidly expanding.-------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Stats]]Name: [Vahn Mason]Age: 14Race: Human, *sealed*Parameter: [Danmachi: 1-4]-Level:2(2)-Power:1001+(I38)-&gt;(H119)-Endurance:1108+(I51)-&gt;(G240)-Dexterity:887+(I41)-&gt;(H101)-Agility:940+(I40)-&gt;(H192)-Magic:1611+(G244)-&gt;(E444)Total:5547+(414)-&gt;(1096)Soul Strength: Tier 2 (Hero Soul)[Karma]: 931[OP]: 78,090[Valis]: 149,300-------------------------------------------------------------------------Like always, his magic was growing much faster than all of his other parameters due to the constant use of [Will of the Emperor]. His endurance was also increasing somewhat faster than the rest of his stats, and Vahn accredited this to [Rakshasa Body] as well as the constant torment of Tsubaki. He wondered if by the time he finished his training if he would develop an indestructible body just because of his endurance...The items that he was most concerned with were his two [Skill Enhancement Scroll: A], and the [Hearts Desire: Eternal Flame] he had obtained when increasing the affection of the 'eternal flame' to 100. Since there was a lot going on at the time, it had completely slipped his mind until now. Opening the description, Vahn was both confused and terrified.[Hearts Desire: Eternal Flame]Rank: UniqueUse: Allows the user to see the inner desires of the target (Eternal Flame). Fulfilling the revealed desire unlocks hidden parameters of the target. //System Warning: Use with extreme caution//Vahn didn't understand how a flame could have hidden desires but remembered how expressive it was when they made contact. Though it wasn't very intelligent, it obviously had enough sentience to interact with its surroundings and understand people. After careful deliberation, Vahn decided to ignore the system warning and 'use' the item.The air seemed to freeze around him, and time seemed to come to a crawl. Vahn was unable to move as a series of images began playing inside his head. He was in the bed of a forge, looking up into the darkness with only his light to illuminate the spacious room. Suddenly, through the darkness, Vahn was able to see his own face appearing like a giant from his low perspective. The 'big' version of himself slowly reached out his arm as a flame began to dance in his palm. Within the interior of the flame, Vahn could vaguely see the appearance of what looked like...an embryo?The time around his body seemed to return to normal as the 'frozen' air thawed. Vahn regained his movement and began to ponder over the images. He must have been viewing things from the perspective of the 'eternal flame', but he had no idea what it's desire was. The flame held by the 'big' version of himself was obviously the piece split off from the main body, but when he inspected it within his heart he was unable to see anything like an embryo. He had no idea how to fulfill the flames desire as its emotions had been very vague during the vision. All he felt was anticipation...and happiness?Unsure what to make of the images, he decided to put it to the back of his mind until he was able to discuss the matter with Hephaestus. Vahn was certain she would be willing to assist him once he completed his training. For now, he decided to focus on how he should use his Skill Enhancement Scrolls as they served no purpose just sitting in his inventory.Vahn was comparing the usefulness of his current skills while also browsing through the shop for things that could be useful in the future. If not for his current quest and the restrictions it placed on his OP usage, there were many things Vahn wanted to buy. That terrifying feeling he felt the previous day was still fresh in his mind, and every moment seemed to draw him closer and closer to the unknown danger.While he was lost in his own worries, the door opened revealing Lili and Tsubaki carrying in a large pot. After taking their seats, Tsubaki opened the container and a fragrant aroma that Vahn had become familiar with began to spread throughout the room. For the third time in a row, Tsubaki had cooked fried-rice for their meal..."Tsubaki, why is it that you only cook fried rice?" Vahn, though he didn't mind the food at all, decided to ask the question that appeared in his mind. After doing so, he started eating the delicious food before noticing a dark atmosphere spreading throughout the room. He paused mid-bite and looked towards Tsubaki with his eyes.Tsubaki had a dark expression on her face, concealing the area beneath her bangs in shadows. The smile, which she was always wearing, had distorted into a creepy grin as she laughed hollowly. A strange, grating laughter began to echo in the room, a far cry from the cheerful laugh Vahn had grown accustomed to.Lili, noticing the tense atmosphere, tried to clear things up by whispering towards Vahn using her smallest voice. "Vahn...Tsubaki-sama doesn't know how to cook anything other than rice. Everything else ends up burnt or inedible..."Though she was doing her best to be quiet, the shadow on Tsubaki's face grew darker as her ears twitched. Because of her enhanced senses as a warrior and master smith, she was easily able to hear the muttering of Lili. Her laughter stopped, and she looked towards the duo who stared at her with horrified expressions."Make sure to eat a lot. We still have a lot of fun and exciting training left to do..." She began to laugh evilly as the two dropped their utensils. Vahn looked at the food as if it would be his last while Lili began trembling in fear due to her mistake.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Doki Doki Flame Spirit', 'Shokugeki no Cyclops', 'Don't underestimate at Level 5')

The three continue to eat breakfast in silence. Vahn was eating much slower than usual, while Lili had hardly touched her food. She just kept fidgeting in her seat while periodically eyeing the door as if trying to come to a decision. Tsubaki, who was the closest to the exit just gave her a 'gentle' smile while enjoying the meal.After the meal concluded, Tsubaki collected all the dishes and told Vahn and Lili to wait in the training area. Vahn nodded mechanically in response. Once Tsubaki had left the room, Lili got close to Vahn and urged him, "Vahn, we have to run! We can flee into the dungeon until the storm passes. It's safer than staying here!" Lili seemed to be very fearful of Tsubaki, and Vahn wondered what had happened between them.---The previous night...Two voices echo loudly, breaking the silence brought by the nights' stillness.One voice sounds like the laughter of an evil creature as it revels in the suffering of its 'victim'.The second voice cries into the night, hoping to find release from its tormentPassersby stare in horror towards the tall bamboo walls, urgently fleeing the horrifying soundA boy sleeps contentedly in a nearby room...(A/N: The Author is confused.)---Vahn ends up moving to the training area with Lili following behind while dragging her feet. So as not to get caught off guard, Vahn find an area where he can easily see the connecting corridors and begins performing light stretching exercises. After watching for a moment, Lili sighs and begins following the routine. She determines that escape is impossible, and believes Vahn's precaution is the best course of action for the time being.After ten minutes, Tsubaki shows up and nods after seeing the two seriously preparing. The dark aura from earlier has faded, and her carefree smile has returned. Vahn and Lili are elated to see she has 'calmed' down, but after hearing Tsubaki describes their next training, even Vahn wants to run away...Tsubaki has Lili assume a horse stance atop small bamboo platforms with both arms spread to her side. In each hand and on top of her head, she has to balance small metal disks that hold several small cups of water. Her assignment is to transfer each cup from one disc to the other without spilling anything in the process. To make the process even more difficult, Tsubaki is asking her questions about various monsters and their ecology. If Lili fails to answer or takes too long, Tsubaki uses a brush to tickle the underside of her arms.For Vahn's training, Tsubaki has him stand in a strange formation of bamboo and ropes. Each bamboo is weighted on the inside and attached to a rope. The ropes are attached to a mechanism that slowly pulls the weighted bamboo to a specific height before releasing them towards the person inside. To increase the difficulty, Tsubaki has Vahn wear a blindfold while restraining both of his arms. She tells him to restrain his domain to the smallest possible size and places various rocks along the ground around his feet. He not only has to focus on evading the random attacks from the bamboo but has to avoid stepping on the jagged rocks with his bare feet...For Vahn, the training was slightly 'easier' than expected, though he still suffered minor setbacks on occasion. He was quickly adapting to sensing the unseen attacks and had been able to evade more than 10 in a row. It was at this point his ears picked up on a subtle 'clink'. After the strange sound, the bamboo seemed to increase in number and frequency causing Vahn to begin to sweat while desperately evading around the small area...Tsubaki, who had just finished tormenting Lili, saw that Vahn was adapting much faster than she expected. She moved to an area connected to the training device and added a weight to the mechanical components driving the swinging mechanism. This made the gears that only increased tension periodically begin to spin faster. Of the total 10 stages, she had just increased the degree of difficulty to 2.---After what felt like an excruciatingly long hour, Vahn and Lili were finally allowed to cease their training. Lili ended up running towards the bathroom in a panic, while Vahn simply collapsed onto the floor. His body was covered in bruises, even with the healing component of his combined skills. Halfway through his training, just as he was beginning to adapt to the new speed, a second 'clink' was heard and he began to get hit much more often.Tsubaki walked over to the collapsed Vahn and offered him a container of water. "You did well. At that level, you should be able to evade attacks from someone that just reached Level 2 without having to see the attack coming." Vahn took the container and drank while she gave him the compliment. After finding out the mechanism had 10 stages, he wondered how strong he would be if he was able to master dodging them all.After a short break, Tsubaki showed Vahn and Lili, who had returned somewhat pale from the bathroom, to her actual workshop. It was dim, like most forges, and had a variety of tools and materials neatly arranged on shelves. On the side of the workshop nearest to the door, there were several bookshelves that contained a host of different topics including herbology, monster ecology, material, blacksmithing, and even some lore related books regarding gods and legends."Every day, from now until 2 pm, you'll both be within this workshop developing your knowledge and skills. Vahn will primarily focus on learning the fundamentals of blacksmithing, while I'll have Lili act as an assistant when she isn't researching the subjects I assign her. After 2 PM, you'll be free for the remainder of the day. I may have closed my workshop to new customers, but there are still various contracts I have to uphold. Just make sure if you go to the dungeon you are able to return before 10 PM. From now on that will be the curfew for both of you." Tsubaki had been carefully explaining things to them while arranging a stack of books on the table. When she got to her final words, she looked towards both of them and shouted. "Understood!?""Yes!" "Yes, Tsubaki-sama!" Vahn and Lili both responded loudly due to the tension. Tsubaki nodded and began teaching Vahn how to process materials while Lili was required to read the books that had been laid out.As she had yet to see Vahn forge anything, Tsubaki had him refine a piece of normal iron. Vahn nodded before reaching towards the dark greyish-brown lump of metal. He sat down next to the forge and began trying to refine it, but quickly noticed it was much different compared to working with magisteel like his previous three attempts.The biggest difference was the quality of the 'flame' he was using. Since he had only ever forged anything using the 'eternal flame' which could easily melt ores, Vahn had never experienced working with a normal fire. The temperature seemed inconsistent within the furnace and he struggled to evenly heat the iron even after using his [Will of the Emperor].Tsubaki, from the side, nodded while speaking in a low voice. "It seems you really are a novice. Even though iron is much easier to process, because it is somewhat inert compared to magisteel, it is far more difficult to refine using your current techniques. You need to learn the properties of different metals from the very beginning and how to shape them using normal forging methods."Vahn slowly nodded as he continued refining the iron. He had a lot of theoretical knowledge from the manuals he had obtained but was severely lacking in experience. Since the 'eternal flame' was much stronger than normal fires, even when it had resisted him it still had much higher efficacy than a normal flame.Remembering the 'eternal flame', Vahns heart began to throb as if to respond to his thoughts. Noticing the phenomenon, Vahn began to listen to his heartbeat and felt the blood in his body begin to heat up considerably. His mind calmed and all the heat of the forge seemed to vanish in an instant.As Vahn opened his eyes, he could feel a powerful energy radiating from his arm holding the hammer. He lifted the hammer and noticed that the magical circuit had become fully active and the crystalline sections of the hammer glowed with a warm, slightly golden, luminance. He smiled, basking in the calming glow and enjoying the feeling present in his bloodTsubaki was shocked seeing the sight, and even with her high tolerance to the heat, she began to sweat slightly. The temperature from the hammer Vahn was holding was incredible. It was much hotter than the flame within the forge, and she remembered Hephaestus saying he had somehow subordinated the 'eternal flame'. She removed the eyepatch from her left eye, and a scarlet glow began to emit from the red iris.Vahn began to focus and started using his hammer to refine the iron. Each strike traced a red path through the air and imbued fire elemental energies into the iron. The metal began to heat up rapidly, and Vahn was able to have much greater control over the process. He continued until the ore had been refined to 80% and then quickly shaped the ingot. Due to the 'burning' properties in the hammer, he didn't even have to put it back into the forge and was able to quickly mold it into the shape of an ingot.After he was finished, he waited for Tsubaki's input before doing anything else. Vahn turned towards her and saw that she was staring at him with both eyes instead of just one. Noticing he had finished the process, Tsubaki gave him a cheerful smile and reset her eyepatch. "Excellent Vahn! Really, you have an incredible talent for forging! Was that glowing in the hammer an effect of the 'eternal flame' that merged with your body?"Vahn nodded, returning a smile due to the praise he had received. He began explaining the functions of the 'eternal flame' and how it allowed him to imbue fire elemental properties into all of his 'attacks'. Since the hammer was also capable of channeling mana, it enhanced the effects even further and made it so that he could almost forge without even relying on a furnace. (A/N: This only applies to VERY low-grade items. The purpose of a furnace is to keep heat uniform and prevent it from escaping and dispersing throughout the room. If Vahn tried to forge an item from start to finish without using the proper tools it would waste the metal! Consistent temperatures lead to much higher quality products~! I'm not the best, but done machining/blacksmithing/metalworking before~)After his success, Tsubaki started demonstrating how to work with different materials other than metal. There were various types of monster drops like bones, fangs, and talons. Each required their own unique process, and Vahn was able to quickly learn. Some of the manuals he had acquired from the shop related to forging within Danmachi, so he was able to match the practical methods to the theoretical ones within his mind. Tsubaki was surprised seeing how quickly he 'learned' and how well he 'retained' the information.She continued mentoring him and watching him process each item with varying degrees of success. The most amazing thing was, even if he didn't refine an item well, he didn't make any mistakes that resulted in failure. At this rate, the only thing Vahn would need is time and he would become a great blacksmith. Tsubaki couldn't wait to debut his items and brag about being the master of such a talented student.From the side, Lili sat reading books and writing down as much information as she could about important factors to consider in the dungeon. Even though she had no experience with forging, she could understand after observing Tsubaki's excitement that Vahn had incredible talent. If she wanted to keep up and stand at his side, she needed to do her best using her own strengths. For now, she would memorize all of these books and learn as much as she could to be of use in the future.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'You call that a flame?', 'Two-eyed Cyclops', 'Eternal-Flame is Bae', 'Be still my right hand!')

After dinner, Welf parted ways and returned to his own dwelling. He wanted to get started on researching magic circuits and see if he could incorporate defensive and support spells into equipment. He now had a clear path towards the future and was far less abrasive than when they first met. Vahn and Welf bumped fists and wished each other good fortune in their training and development.As it was already pretty late, Tsubaki snatched up Lili who had been hanging around Vahn and disappeared further into the Minka-like structure of the house. Lili flailed and tried to escape, but Tsubaki just laughed while telling Vahn, "There is a bath further down the hall towards your left. There isn't a lock, so make sure you put up a sign or something unless you want company. Make sure you get plenty of rest tonight because tomorrow is when the real fun begins. Maybe we can get the count to two-hundred if we try hard enough!"Tsubaki's voiced echoed in Vahn's mind and he couldn't prevent a shudder from passing through his body. Though he knew it was necessary to increase his strength, Vahn wasn't sure his mind would be able to last as long as his body. He needed to come up with a plan but wasn't sure of what to do. For now, he headed to the bath as it had been a long day and he was still covered in dirt from this morning.Entering the bathroom, Vahn fell into a stupor before excitement began to build inside of him. The bath wasn't a simple basin or shower, instead, it was an open-air onsen. The room was split into two, with one side being a wooden patio for changing and washing oneself while the other was a build-up of ornamental stones surrounding an oblong pool of steaming water. Decorating the onsen itself were several statuettes and pillars that had been meticulously designed to represent various animals. Surrounding the open area of the bath were high bamboo walls with live bamboo grown to prevent external viewing.Though he had bathed outside during his stay in the forest, this was Vahn's first time experiencing an actual onsen. He had only ever seen them in anime/manga in his previous life, and this had always been one of the things he wanted to experience if he had the opportunity. After quickly cleaning himself, he slowly eased his body into the steamy opaque water.It wasn't as hot as he expected, but it still warmed up his body. He relaxed against the stone and notice they were somewhat cool compared to the water temperature, and after closer inspection, he found small indentations that drew power from a bevy of nearby magic cores. They seemed to serve the purpose of heating the water while keeping the stones cool to the touch.The formation of the magic stones themselves was quite interesting, as they had been set into the location of the eyes on the various animal statuettes. It made the entire bath more scenic seeing the glowing red and blue lights against the black-lustered designs. As an experiment, Vahn tried replacing some of the dimmer magic cores and the water began to heat up slightly with the insertion of the newer core.While he was immersed with the core formation, he heard a sound from behind. His body froze, and he turned towards the door which had just been opened. Tsubaki and Lili had just entered, and the two girls were staring directly at him. As Vahn was inspecting the cores located outside of the onsen, he was standing there blankly while completely nude.Lili, who seemed to be very flustered, looked down at Vahn's lower half before blushing a deep shade of red, but unlike in manga she didn't avert her eyes or try to hide her face. Tsubaki, on the other hand, smiled widely before giving him a thumbs up. "And here I thought you were still just a kid. Turns out you're growing properly!" She started laughing and moved towards the wall where baskets had been set for clothing.Vahn looked towards her in confusion before realizing he needed to leave immediately. Tsubaki had completely ignored his presence in the Onsen and started unwrapping her sarashi on the side. Seeing her action, Vahn decided to grab his clothes before heading towards the door that Lili currently occupied.Lili had been in a daze and hadn't moved from her spot, continuing to follow Vahn with her eyes. Seeing him approach towards her, she became even more flustered before backstepping out of the door. The moment she entered the corridor she took off running down the hallway screaming, "Vahn, cover yourself you, idiot!"Vahn was confused, as he never really cared if others saw his body. Ever since his previous life, there had been hundreds of people that had seen him naked. Even his barely covered anything and consisted of a modified hospital gown and slippers. Shaking his head, he grabbed his clothes and made his way towards the door. Before he was able to step out, an arm grabbed around his neck and a soft sensation pressed against his cheek."Where are you going this late in the game? I told you to put a sign up if you didn't want company. Come on, I can see you haven't finished cleaning yourself. I'll wash your back!" Tsubaki continued dragging Vahn towards the onsen against his protests. Since she was completely nude, he didn't know where to put his hands as each spot seemed more dangerous than the last.At the edge of the water, Tsubaki twisted her hips and executed a perfect shoulder throw while tossing Vahn's flailing body into the steaming water. Seeing that he had entered, she tested the water with her foot before frowning slightly. "Isn't this water a bit hot? You must have messed with the magic stones a bit, huh?" She looked towards where Vahn stood previously and noticed he had replaced some of the cores.As she was a Level 5 and liked the heat as well, Tsubaki left things as they were and dipped her body into the water. At this point, Vahn had managed to recover a bit and was lazily leaning against the rocks on the opposite end of the bath. Since he couldn't really oppose Tsubaki, he just decided to enjoy the warm water against his skin. It was, after all, his first time in an onsen; it would be a waste not to enjoy it."You're pretty composed aren't you? That's kind of boring. I expected you to act flustered and shy, but here you are completely relaxed while naked in the presence of a woman. You aren't even trying to sneak glances at me, what, do you find my body lacking charm?" As she was pretty confident in her body, Tsubaki wasn't trying to conceal anything. She was relaxed against the wall with her arms spread out along the rock surface while looking directly towards Vahn.Vahn released a sigh, not due to her question but because of how relaxed he was becoming. He replied in a lazy voice, "I don't really care if people see me naked, and it would be rude be rude to stare at a woman's body. Even if you're not hiding anything, I'm not going to invite trouble for myself by trying to catch a glance."Tsubaki started to laugh loudly after hearing his response. She didn't expect him to say something so 'gentlemanly' and honest. Even she was feeling at least a little nervous sharing a bath with a boy, but here he was almost completely indifferent to the situation.She began to recall the conversation she had with Hephaestus. According to her speculation, Vahn very likely grew up in a captive environment after being stolen from his mother at a young age. He likely grew up surrounded by people that tried to exploit his heritage, and it was even possible he had experienced many traumatic things which shaped his current mentality. Hephaestus noted that Vahn had an aversion to most people and put a lot of effort into watching them before making decisions.Assuming Hephaestus's speculation was correct, Tsubaki began to pity the young boy. Because of the evil and greed of others, he missed out on a normal childhood and didn't know what it was like to have familial bonds with other people. Even his disinterest and lack of social etiquette in the current situation was likely a result of the trauma that is still deeply rooted in his body.One of the requests Hephaestus had made to Tsubaki before leaving Vahn in her care was to help him open up to people. Hephaestus believed that Tsubaki's straightforward personality would allow her to get close to Vahn quickly, and over time it would influence him in a positive way. This was one of the reasons Tsubaki teased Vahn, and even why she had entered the bath together in the first place. Seeing how indifferent Vahn was pained her a bit. At this rate, he'd never have a normal relationship."Move over here Vahn. I said I would wash your back for you. After I'm done, you can wash mine." Tsubaki moved towards the center of the onsen before grabbing a nearby sponge. The water had been infused with a power comprised of various minerals and crushed magic cores. It's what allowed the magic cores to rapidly heat and cool the water, and also what caused the opaque appearance. Even if she got soap or dirt in the water, it would be diffused by the properties of the water.Vahn slowly shifted towards her and turned his back. The water made him feel incredibly lazy, and he even began nursing the idea of trying to sleep in it if given the chance. Tsubaki began using the sponge to cleanse his back after applying a cool liquid to his skin. It didn't bubble as much as normal soap but seemed to stick to the skin more persistently. It was one of the things this 'record' lacked, and Vahn thought about trying to purchase some for people as a 'gift' in the future. He was certain the girls would like it.Tsubaki continued scrubbing away at Vahn's back and was worried seeing how little he reacted even after being in such close proximity to her. As a final resort, after she had finished scrubbing him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against his back. Vahn, feeling the soft-yet-firm sensation flinched after realizing what was happening."Um...Ms. Collbrande, what are you doing?" Even though he didn't mind when they were simply near each other, Vahn's heartbeat began to accelerate after being in direct contact with a woman's body. Tsubaki didn't answer him, shut just put a small amount of strength in her arms and gently hugged Vahn's body.After a bit of time passed, Vahn began to relax and started enjoying the embrace. Though it was different from when Hephaestus hugged him, it was still very comfortable. The warmth of Tsubaki's body and the heat of the onsen began to overlap, and Vahn slowly closed his eyes while enjoying the variation in temperatures.Seeing him relax, Tsubaki had a small revelation. Vahn wasn't immune to women, nor was he unaware of the significance of being naked, he simply had high mental resistance against things he found 'troublesome'. The more he was pressured, as long as he wasted directly affected in a physical sense, the more he blocked out stimuli. It must be some kind of defense mechanism he developed in his childhood.During one of the moments Hephaestus was rambling on about Vahn, she mentioned how he had fallen asleep in her arms after she embraced him gently. Hephaestus wanted him to experience being held by someone that cared for him and noticed Vahn was very receptive to her embrace after his initial panic. Now Tsubaki was experiencing the same thing, and she began to understand one of the reasons why Hephaestus was so concerned with Vahn...he lacked security.Vahn had nobody in his life that provided him a safe-haven from harm. There was no place he could retreat to find security and emotional support. He was so focused on simply becoming stronger and experiencing new things that he kept neglecting the most important factors for his emotional and social development.Tsubaki, like Hephaestus, realized the most important thing Vahn had been lacking all this time...a Mother. Now, he lay in her arms, completely at ease while entrusting himself to her embrace. It made Tsubaki want to protect him even more..."WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING!?"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Calm Within the Forbidden Valley', 'Shameless Cyclops', 'A Glimpse of the Future', 'Hot, Steamy, Onsen')

Chapter 60: Hell : Desire