Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn entered into the dining room and noticed nobody was there. As he had expected everyone to be eating breakfast together, he was a bit confused seeing the room empty. After straining his ears, he could hear sound coming from the front of the house towards the courtyard. Curious, Vahn decided to investigate to see what was going on.Entering the room where Tsubaki always welcomed her clients, Vahn noticed several people other than Tsubaki, Naaza, and Lili. Though he had never seen them before in the real world, Vahn was easily able to identify the visitors. They were the members of the Loki Familia or, more specifically, Gareth, Ais, Riveria, Tiona, and Lefiya. Vahn was surprised to see them here but was more interested in knowing where Hephaestus had gone to."Tsubaki, where did Hephae-""Are you the Vulcan, Vahn Mason?" Before Vahn could finish, he was interrupted by the lively shout of a young girl. As he had entered the room, the eyes of everyone had been drawn to him, including Tiona Hiryute. The moment she saw Vahn, she was easily able to recognize him based on the information she had obtained. She quickly moved towards him and looked him in the face as she asked her question.Vahn was surprised to see how excited she was, so he just nodded his head before looking towards the smiling Tsubaki. She was a lot calmer around guests but Vahn could see she was laughing in her mind.Seeing that he had nodded, Tiona smiled widely and introduced herself. "Hello, it's nice to meet you~ I'm Tiona Hiryute, the adventurer who goes by the alias 'Amazon'. After I heard the stories, I really wanted to meet the person everyone called a 'hero'! Let's be friends from now on."Vahn took a breath before introducing himself in turn. He could see her aura was a very vibrant yellow and seemed to be dancing around excitedly. Since she seemed to be really excited to meet him, he didn't want to leave a bad impression. "Hello Tiona, I'm Vahn Mason. It's nice to meet you."Hearing Vahn introduction, Tiona was very pleased as she continued to inspect his body. He was smaller than she expected, even shorter than she was, though, according to the rumors they should be around the same age. She noticed that his small frame was very well built and seemed to hide a powerful energy that made her instincts tingle with excitement."I'm really interested in hearing your stories Vahn. I heard you saved a damsel in distress..." Tiona looked towards the two girls that were giving her somewhat hostile looks. "Was it one of them? Or maybe even both!?" Seeing how the girls were reacting, Tiona saw they both had a natural draw towards Vahn."Tiona, that's enough. We're here on business, so find time to talk later." A taciturn voice cut in before Tiona was able to speak further. Vahn noticed it was the green haired elf, Riveria. He was surprised at how remarkably flawless her face was, but it was a shame she seemed to lack the expressiveness to display it properly.Tiona was dejected a bit but turned to Vahn before rejoining the group. "Hey, Vahn lets meet up sometime, okay? Vahn nodded and Tiona stood with the rest of her group. She looked towards Ais before whispering something into her ear. Whatever she said seemed to catch the interest of the beautiful doll-like girl as, for the first time since her arrival, her expressionless face changed somewhat.Ais walked towards Vahn while Gareth and Rivera both let out sighs while glaring towards Tiona who was laughing cheekily. Lefiya seemed to be concerned with Ais as she watched her approach the handsome young boy. She frowned somewhat, but there wasn't any hatred in her aura."You are strong?" Ais asked very frankly the moment she was directly before Vahn. Vahn thought about the question and was surprised to realize he didn't have an answer. Though he had made a lot of progress since he arrived in this world, he was still nowhere near the level of people like Tsubaki. Vahn also knew that the young and frail looking girl before him was also much stronger than he was.Vahn shook his head, causing Ais to frown slightly. "I am not strong...but I will become the strongest," Vahn said the words with conviction which caused the expressions of the older generation to change. They all smiled and seemed to recognize the power of the conviction behind his words. Ais too had noticed he was serious, so after a few seconds of consideration, she spoke again."Why?" Ais had a powerful desire for strength, so she was very interested to know why other people could become stronger. Vahn knew what she was asking, even though she didn't speak much. Though he hadn't completed the series and didn't know the full story, he knew she had a fierce hatred for monsters and wanted to avenge her mother.Vahn looked around at everyone in the room. Ais followed his eyes as they rested on each person, including those of her own Familia. Eventually, Vahn's eyes rested on Ais herself and she matched his gaze with her own. "To protect those I care about...and to alleviate their concerns for my safety. I want to become strong enough to alter my fate and clear a path for others to follow behind without fear for the future."Everyone in the room smiled, even the taciturn elf Riveria. Ais considered Vahn's words before nodding and giving him her opinion. "You are strong." With those parting words, Ais returned to the Loki group and stood between Tiona and Lefiya. Tiona seemed pleased by Ais's statement, but Lefiya showed a somewhat vexed expression as she periodically glanced towards Vahn.The next half hour was spent with Gareth discussing gear specifications with Tsubaki. She was taking notes and even pulled out a measuring tape to record Gareth's proportions. "Your body hasn't changed much since the last visit, except for this-" Tsubaki patted Gareth's stomach and he exhaled through his nose in disapproval."Hasn't been much going on lately. It's been nearly half a year since the last expedition." Gareth was a stout middle-aged dwarf with brown hair. He was almost the same height as Vahn, but his figure was solid as a mountain. He specialized in defense but possessed the incredible physical strength that was a characteristic of his species.Tsubaki continued taking notes before moving on to the requests of everyone else. Ais had been breaking all of her weapons since obtaining level 5 and had become a nightmare for all the veteran blacksmiths within the City. She requested Tsubaki to forge her a sword that was both durable but resistant enough to withstand her blows. Tsubaki let out an exasperated sigh as she wrote down the specifications.After everyone had placed their orders, Tsubaki gave them an invoice for 273,000,000V. Vahn, Lili, and Naaza were all shocked to see the number, but everyone in the Loki Familia remained unperturbed. As they were predominately first-class adventurers, it wasn't uncommon for them to spend several tens-of-millions of Valis on a single piece of equipment. They even immediately produced the required funds, as it was common to pay someone of Tsubaki's repute up-front for private contracts.Vahn was blown away by the disparity between what he considered common-sense and what was shown by the members of the Loki Familia. He began to worry about his own lack of strength since even Lefiya, who seemed to possess almost no combat potential, had recently become Level 3. Everyone else in the group was Level 4 or higher, including Ais who was a year younger than he was...As the group was preparing to leave, Vahn spoke out to stop them. "Wait. I have a request." Seeing them stop and look at him curiously, Vahn continued, "I would like the chance to spar with each of you...I know it may be rude, but I'd like to know how I compare against first-class Adventurers other than Tsubaki."Immediately after his words came to a stop, both Ais and Tiona's eyes lit up as they looked towards Riveria with pleading gazes. Riveria put her palm to her forehead as she released an exasperated sigh. She didn't think the young boy was so hot-blooded, and now that he spoke those words there was no way to stop the two battle maniacs. "Fine, but it will only be Tiona and Ais. Lefiya isn't specialized in close-combat, and Gareth and I aren't a good metric to measure yourself against due to our specializations.""Aha, alright! This is going to be great!" Tiona was in high spirits the moment Riveria gave her permission. Ais simply nodded her head with an 'Un', but Vahn could see the fighting spirit ignited in her eyes.Tsubaki expected this to happen and didn't show any surprise on her face. She looked towards the two girls behind her and whispered, "Looks like you girls might have some competition in the future. Better work hard~" She then laughed after seeing their shocked faces and led the way towards the training grounds.---As Tiona was the weaker of the two, she was the first up to fight Vahn. They both took a distance of 10m away from each other and assumed their stances. Vahn got into a low stance with his left hand raised while holding his right fist close to his body. He already expected Tiona to be much faster and stronger than he was, so he would have to be serious from the get-go. Tiona noticed his stance and entered what looked like a loose sumo stance with both palms facing toward Vahn like she intended to grab him.Before Tsubaki signaled the start of the fight, she looked towards Vahn and drew his attention. "Vahn, go ahead and go all-out. If you hold anything back you'll end up regretting it, and the Hephaestus Familia has always had good relations with the Loki Familia." Hearing her words, Vahn nodded while Tiona seemed to get excited after hearing he would be going 'all-out' against her.Vahn focused his mind and activated his [Will of the Emperor]. The domain spread to encompass the entire area, shocking the entire Loki Familia when it overlapped with their position. Rivera had a curious expression as she tried sensing the effects of the field. She noticed it was very similar to a god's divinity and seemed to loosely affect the mana in the atmosphere..."This boy will be very powerful one day..." Gareth spoke in a quiet voice as he said the words just loud enough for Riveria to hear. She nodded before saying, "Yes, we should try to build good relations with him in the future. If he can get to Level 3, we should scout him for the next expedition." They both looked into each other's eyes and understood that Tsubaki was having Vahn show off to leave an impression on them.Vahn began condensing his domain into a second layer that spread 5m around his body. Tiona had been waiting for him to complete his preparations, even though only a few seconds had passed. The pressure she felt from the domain made her blood boil and she was itching for the fight to begin. Vahn was even better than she expected, and even though he was only Level 2 he made her heart beat throb anticipation.Ais was also watching from the side and subconsciously drew her sword. She too wanted to jump in and fight the mysterious boy that seemed to possess a strange and boundless potential.Tensions began to increase as Tsubaki raised her hand before taking a deep breath. Looking at both Tiona and Vahn, they gave slight nods indicating they were ready so she dropped her hand and shouted. "Begin!"The moment her voice sounded, the two immediately set into action and the first fight between Vahn and the Loki Familia began.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cliff-sama Descends', 'Two girls, One guy', 'Naaza and Lili's premonition', 'Gareth and Riveria's Frustration', 'Lefiya's Vexation', 'Where did Hephaestus go?')

The moment the spar began, Vahn and Tiona immediately leaped towards each other. The surprising thing for Vahn was, even though Tiona was at the peak of Level 4 he was easily able to keep track of her movements. Though she was much faster than him, it wasn't nearly as difficult to follow as Tsubaki's had been.As the two closed the distance in an instant, Vahn tried to perform a fast instep to transition his weight behind his right punch. He twisted his body and aimed directly towards the exposed stomach of Tiona, but before his fist came anywhere near a hand grabbed the inside of his forearm and dispersed the force of the blow away from Vahn's body. In the gap that had been opened in his defense, Vahn saw a healthy brown thigh peak through the gap in fabrics as a knee approached his face.Using his left hand, Vahn tried to vault off the knee and use the contained momentum to launch himself away, but the moment his hand made contact he felt a pressure on his left shoulder. Tiona had locked down his body to prevent him from evading the incoming blow and Vahn was unable to stop the momentum of the knee as it crashed into his chin. He was sent flying, but since his forearm had prevented a direct hit he managed to retain his consciousness.After sliding across the ground for several meters, Vahn managed to steady himself and leaped back to his feet only to be met by a small exposed brown foot right in front of his eyes. He tried to intercept the blow, but it was moving much faster than his body could keep up with. Though his senses could 'see' it coming, his body was unable to react as the foot stopped right before colliding with his defenseless face.The wind from the blow blew back Vahn's hair and in his absentmindedness, Vahn continued his defensive action and grabbed the stalled leg even though it had ceased its advance. The moment he grabbed, he could hear a sweet laughter as Tiona said, "That tickles, but I think this is my win."Vahn released the leg and gave her an awkward look before apologizing. Tiona didn't seem to mind as she wagged her foot back and forth. "Its fine, I don't mind if you want to touch it again in the future. Just make sure you work hard to become strong, okay?" After her parting words, she ran happily towards the Loki group while Ais took her distance from Vahn.Vahn, seeing she had her sword, became somewhat nervous. He knew she was even stronger than Tiona presently and was much more agile. Seeing his nervousness, Ais looked at her sword before setting it off to the side. Instead of the blade, she lifted her sheath and took her stance again. Noticing that she had swapped her sword out, Vahn released a sigh before grabbing one of the training weapons off the wall. They were all blunt with rounded edges that wouldn't severely injure, but Vahn didn't hold any expectation of landing a hit in the first place.He assumed a stance with his feet squared apart while holding his blade at a twenty-degree angle favoring his right shoulder. He leaned his body slightly and prepared to attack the moment the signal was raised. Ais's stance seemed full of opening as she pointed her sheath forward while raising her left hand slightly.Tsubaki confirmed they were both ready before repeating her earlier actions. She took a deep breath before dropping her hand in a cutting motion while shouting, "Begin!"Vahn dashed towards Ais who had remained standing in her starting position. As he closed the gap, he tried to attack with a low sweeping motion to force her to reposition. Ais slightly bent her knees before slamming the butt of her sheath into the attack vector of Vahn's sword. Her actions caused the blade to collide with the ground and stopped Vahn's momentum. Using the moment he lost his balance, Ais deflected her sheath off of the blade and stabbed it into Vahn's diaphragm.Falling backward, Vahn felt the air escape his lungs but he managed to prevent himself from collapsing to the ground. He put his sword into a defensive stance to prepare for a counter, but Ais just stood in her original spot holding the sheath towards him. Realizing she had no intention to attack, Vahn steadied his breathing before renewing his efforts.This time he tried to attack from above with an overhead swing while shifting his momentum backward to prevent her from being able to use his own attack against him. He sacrificed power in performing the contradictory movement, but it made it much harder to exploit any openings. Ais looked toward the approaching blade with her expressionless eyes before stepping forward.Because Vahn had committed to a strange action, instead of defending as she did previously, Ais used the fact he wouldn't be able to change his direction to side-step the attack and once again press her sheath into his diaphragm. This time she put less strength into the blow knocking Vahn back three steps before he was able to regain his footing.Though he hadn't exerted himself much, Vahn was already breathing heavily. Unlike Tiona who had fought him head on and defeated him, Ais was allowing him to attack at his convenience. Not only that, but she was even showing leniency in her counterattacks to give him more opportunities.Vahn didn't know why, but the fact she was going easy on him frustrated him greatly. He wanted to measure himself against the two, but the only thing he realized was the fact he was much weaker. They didn't have to make any effort to defeat him and actually had to hold back to prevent Vahn from sustaining injury.As his frustration built up a cool sensation began to spread in his mind as Vahn began regulating his breathing. The domain around his body began to condense, and Ais showed increased caution as she readied her sheath for the coming attack. Vahn took a deep breath and held it in as he fiercely lunged towards Ais while swinging his sword in a large arc.Ais tilted her body to deflect the attack, but the moment her sheath contacted the blade her body carried forward slightly as the entire sword was knocked to the ground. Vahn had put his full weight into the blow but used his senses to release his grip the moment he was able to perceive Ais's counter.Instead of being knocked off balance by her deflecting the blade, he managed to catch her off guard by dropping his own sword. Now she had created a gap for him to exploit since she was still stuck in the motion of parrying his attack. Vahn stepped in low with his shoulder to knock her further off balance and open her up to an elbow strike.Unfortunately, even though she was slightly surprised, Ais was still a level 5. Though she was slightly off balance, she managed to put enough strength into her pivot foot to spin her entire body around in an instant. Instead of contacting her body with his shoulder, Vahn passed right through the location Ais has occupied as the sheath made contact with the back of his head.Vahn immediately lost consciousness from the blow and didn't even feel when he impacted the ground. Naaza and Lili immediately ran towards his body to see if he was okay and released relieved sighs after they saw he had just passed out. Lili glared toward Ais before shouting, "You didn't have to be so rough! What kind of spar ends with one person being knocked out and injured!?Ais stood still as Lili screamed towards her and she stared down at the unconscious Vahn with an almost sad and apologetic expression. She was a little rough in her last attack, and if she hadn't reduced her strength at the last moment she may have ended up killing him on accident. She had what could be considered a 'vexed' look as she faced towards Rivera. "Rivera, please..."Rivera sighed before walking towards Vahn and inspecting his body. She could see he wasn't seriously injured, but would probably be nursing a headache for the next few days if left untreated. After muttering an incantation, she pointed her staff towards the unconscious Vahn and casting the healing spell [Fil Eldis]. A gentle light spread across his body as his eyelids started to flutter.Vahn opened his eyes and saw the worried faces of Naaza and Lili. Behind them, he could see Ais staring at him showing a hint of concern as well. Vahn closed his eyes and released a tired sigh. ('I lost...'). Though he never expected to win from the start, it was still hard to swallow how helpless he was against the two young girls. How could he protect anything if he couldn't even defeat people that went easy on him...As he was lost in his own thoughts, he could feel something poking at his cheek. Opening his eyes, he saw a new face next to the previous two. It was Tiona looking down on him with a smile and cheerful expression. "You did well. Make sure to work hard and challenge me again, okay? I'll be waiting...and Ais too, right?"Vahn could see Ais nod in response to Tiona's question. She looked towards the sword Vahn had dropped when he tried to get an advantage against her. "Smart...but dangerous. Make sure to have backups." She then stared at him for a few seconds before thanking Riveria and moving to the side. Tiona followed suit after poking Vahn's stunned face again. "Bye-bye Vahn. Come to visit the Loki Familia if you get a chance."After saying their farewells, the members of the Loki Familia left Tsubaki's manor (A/N: I'm calling her house a manor because it honestly is.)Vahn continued to sit in the training grounds in silent contemplation. The two girls tried to cheer him up, but Vahn only nodded and showed them a kind smile before continuing to reflect on the fights. Seeing that they were distracting him, Naaza and Lili went to prepare breakfast. They had already gotten a late start to the day and wanted to give Vahn time to think before training began.When he was the only one left in the training area, Vahn sighed deeply. He had made a lot of improvements in the last month while training with Tsubaki, but his overall power hadn't increased by much. Sure, he could probably use his skills/techniques to handle several similarly skilled adventurers, but the moment he came across anyone marginally stronger he would be defeated. Tsubaki said he had the potential to fight people above his level, but that was only by relying on his overbearing skillset and not his actual fighting prowess.After thinking it through and looking over his skills for several minutes, Vahn knew what he needed to do. He would have to leave Lili to Naaza and Tsubaki and begin delving deeper into the dungeon. It was only by pushing himself to his limits that Vahn would be able to exceed them. Though he didn't regret spending time with Lili, there was no telling what would happen in the future. If Vahn wasn't strong enough he knew he was bound to regret it if anything happened."Seems like you made up your mind." From behind, Vahn could hear the voice of Tsubaki. He turned and saw her looking at him with gentle eyes and a kind smile. He nodded his head in response to her question. "Yes...I need to forge my own path for a while. If I keep staying in one place I will begin to stagnate and my growth will come to a halt. Though training helps increase my combat ability and technique, it has more of an effect on my mental state and discipline than it does my combat capabilities. If I don't experience real combat and push myself further, I won't be able to meet my goals..."Tsubaki shook her head and sighed with her hand on her head. After a brief moment, she looked towards Vahn and began to laugh with a large smile on her face. "The only person you can rely on to become stronger is yourself. But make sure you remember what is waiting for your return. A lot of people are happy just seeing you alive, even if you never became any stronger."Vahn nodded as the faces of all the people he had begun to care about flashed through his mind. First was Hephaestus...he owed her a lot. Next was Chloe...Vahn owed her more than he could probably ever repay. Behind these two central presences, the images of Lili, Tsubaki, Tina, Naaza, Milan, and even Eina and the other girls at the guild passed through his mind. After realizing that most of the impactful people he could recall were girls, Vahn felt a fluttery sensation in his heart which caused the 'eternal flame' to dance in his chest.He put his hand over his heart and realized he had a lot of things he had begun to care about. There was even new people he was beginning to develop an interest in like the members of the Loki Familia. They took a central role in the original story and Vahn had even considered joining the Familia when he was making his decision. It would have been fun to grow alongside people like Tiona and Ais. And Gareth and Rivera seemed to be kind and caring of their juniors.A loud smack sounded which broke Vahn from his internal reflection. Tsubaki had slapped his back and knocked him forward slightly. Vahn had to catch himself with his hands before face-planting into the dirt. Tsubaki laughed while walking towards the dining room. "Don't think so much Vahn! Just do what you think is best without worrying too much. Hell, if you can't work things out on your own there are plenty of people that will help you. Now, let's go eat breakfast! After that sorry display earlier, I'm going to have to train you doubly hard today!"A shiver passed down Vahn's back but after it passed he smiled. Looking towards the tower in the distance, Vahn felt anticipation building within. He would work hard to become strong enough to stand at the top of that tower one day, while also delving deep into its depths and uncovering all the mysteries of the dungeon. If it was possible, he even wanted to battle the one-eyed black dragon and see what other secrets this world had to offer. But, for now, Vahn would just enjoy breakfast.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What? A Man's Gotta Eat.','Wrekt, Wrekt Again', 'Touch the Foot','Turning Point', 'Lili's Nightmare Begins', 'Naaza Aggressively Wagging Her Tail')

Hephaestus awoke in a daze. She felt a comfortable feeling and a gentle warmth which confused her. As she opened her eyes, she realized she was hugging someone's waist and immediately separated from the figure as various thoughts raced through her mind. Seeing that the person she had been clinging to was Vahn, Hephaestus released a relieved sigh. She looked towards the sleeping Vahn and a blush appeared on her face as she began recalling the events of the previous night.Looking around, Hephaestus noticed they were the only two in the dining room and it was still very early in the morning. It would probably be another hour or two before people came to prepare for breakfast. Using the opportunity, she lay down next to Vahn and propped her head up with her arm. She watched his sleeping face and found it to be very cute. Unlike his apathetic appearance when he was awake, Vahn always seemed a lot more content while sleeping.Out of curiosity, Hephaestus reached forward with a finger and pressed lightly against his cheek. It was still a bit squishy due to his young age and lack of tension. Hephaestus found it cute to watch him grimace slightly while she teased him. She felt like she could watch him sleep for hours without getting bored. He was so defenseless and adorable that it made her want to protect him so he could continue to sleep in peace.Suddenly, Hephaestus could feel the beating within her soul begin to increase. She could feel Vahn's heart rate speeding up and she began paying attention to it. It was a steady rhythm and she was able to sense happy feelings through their connection. Hephaestus really enjoyed spending her idle time listening to his heart rate, and it had even been her favorite pastime as of late. She often spent the time before bed thinking about Vahn and wondering how he was improving.After a while, Hephaestus had a thought and decided that listening within her soul wasn't as interesting. Since Vahn was right next to her, she wanted to listen to the beating directly. As long as she was careful not to disturb him, it shouldn't be a problem. And, even if he woke up, she could pretend to have just awoken herself. Convincing herself, Hephaestus slowly placed her head on Vahn's chest.Unlike when she listened within her soul, she could now feel the actual beating of Vahn's heart. Every time it contracted it created a powerful echo through his body that resonated through her ear. The longer she listened, the more powerful the beating seemed to become and Hephaestus even felt like she was merging with the rhythm.The 'eternal flame' within Vahn's chest seemed to react to her presence and began to emit it's powerful heat as it increased the energy contained within Vahn's blood. Hephaestus could feel the familiar presence that had accompanied her since her creation and began to feel a more powerful connection to Vahn. He not only managed to subordinate her flame but now his internal rhythm and pulse were slowly becoming a part of Hephaestus's existence. The familiar presence that had accompanied her since time immemorial made her believe the boy before her would also be there no matter how much time passed...//'Hephaestus'Has Reached Maximum Affection////Quest Completed: [The Hearts Desire:C-SS]//Completion Grade: ARewards:10,000OP, 1x [Hearts Desire: Hephaestus]Grade Rewards: [Blacksmith] skill increased to S. Skill [Metallurgy:C] obtained.Vahn was awoken by the system notification with a start. Feeling a pressure on his chest, he could see Hephaestus with a dazed expression as she appeared to be listening to his heart. She noticed his awakening and lifted her head and displayed a radiant smile. She held the gentle smile for several seconds before her eye slowly widened and a blush appeared on her face.Hephaestus pulled away from Vahn and began coughing to clear the awkwardness of what had just happened. For some reason, as she had been listening to Vahn's heart, she went into a trance and felt powerful emotions erupt from deep within her. When she saw his face looking at her, Hephaestus had been so happy she couldn't help but smile before realizing he had been watching her lay on his chest while obviously awake...After she composed herself, Hephaestus showed her characteristic 'cool' smile and said, "Good morning Vahn. Did you sleep well?" As she asked the question, Hephaestus couldn't help but try to forcefully repress the rising heat in her cheeks.Vahn was still in a daze at the current events. While Hephaestus had been moving about in a flustered manner, he had read the system notification and realized what had happened. It seems that, while they were sleeping, Hephaestus's affection had reached 100 which caused his quest notification to sound. Seeing the rewards, Vahn was very happy and he showed it by smiling to Hephaestus."Good morning Hephaestus. It was a very comfortable sleep." Vahn stood up and began to stretch his body while Hephaestus continued sitting as if her brain had malfunctioned. She could also see, from the corner of her eye, a dark-skinned face peeking through the crack of the door holding in its laughter. Noticing Tsubaki, Hephaestus blushed fiercely before glaring in her direction.Tsubaki opened the door and pretended to have just arrived, even though Hephaestus was still giving her a death stare. "Good morning Hephaestus-sama. Good morning Vahn. I didn't expect that you would both be here so early. Don't tell me you slept in the dining room?" Tsubaki looked between both of them with a cheeky grin.Vahn hadn't noticed her peeking through the door, so he responded casually. "Yeah. I guess the alcohol got to us and we ended up passing out in the dining room. I'm gonna go wash my face and then wake the other two if they're still sleeping." While yawning, Vahn exited the room and went about performing his daily routine.After he left, Tsubaki smiled even bigger before looking towards Hephaestus. She was about to say something, but before the words came out Hephaestus charged her while screaming. "Tsubaki, yoooooooou-" Hephaestus really wanted to strangle Tsubaki to relieve some of the tension that had been building within her heart.---Vahn continued to the bathroom where he came across Naaza who was in her pajamas. She wasn't much a morning person, so she just groaned a bit when Vahn greeted her. They both brushed their teeth together before Naaza went to wake up Lili. Since Vahn had nothing to do presently, he decided to check out the new skill he had obtained and contemplated using the new item [Hearts Desire: Heaphaestus]. He was really curious about what the taciturn Goddess that had a soft side truly desired within her heart.[Metallurgy]Rank:CAllows the user to sense anomalies within metal and understand it's composition.The skill was pretty straightforward and would probably be of use when he was forging items. He would be able to more accurately determine if the ore was properly refined. It would also prevent him from leaving defects in his future products since he would be able to sense them through his perception in the future. Overall, it would be very useful for his current lifestyle so Vahn was pleased.Moving on, he decided to try and use the [Hearts Desire].[Hearts Desire: Hephaestus]Rank: UniqueUse: Allows the user to see the inner desires of the target (Hephaestus). Fulfilling the revealed desire unlocks hidden parameters of the target. //System Warning: Use with extreme caution//Seeing the warning, Vahn was slightly apprehensive as he stared at the crimson red gem that seemed to issue a steady pulse in his hand. It was very beautiful and was reminiscent of the time he had seen Hephaestus's eye. Remembering the pain on her face at the time, Vahn decided not to concern himself with any negative aspects of the item. He wanted to know what he could do to help Hephaestus become happy. He crushed the gem and it absorbed into his skin as time began to slow.In a manner very similar to the previous time he used the item, the air around Vahn froze and he became unable to move. A series of images began to flash through his mind and a voice began speaking from within his subconsciousness...---'Vahn' was sitting in a dark room surrounded by dead, lifeless artifacts. Even though any random passerby would think they were divinely inspired masterpieces, he knew the truth...all of these items were just a waste of materials. No matter how much time was spent in their creation, none of the items were able to satisfy him. Everything was flawed and worthless; this wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to create something unique and beautiful...something that could help fill the emptiness that had accompanied him for so long.'Vahn' picked up a nearby shield that had a flawless mirror-like surface. Looking at the reflection within the shield, Vahn could see the face of Hephaestus without her eyepatch reflected. It was a sad and lonely expression that matched the feelings within his chest. Looking deep into the crimson eye, he could see Hephaestus begin to tear up as she dropped to her knees and wept. Vahn could feel the emptiness spreading within her and her tears seemed to coalesce like a river that threatened to drown the entire world.For a very long time, this was the only emotion Vahn could feel. Then, almost as if it had happened within an instant, a warmth began to spread throughout the emptiness within his heart. He could feel a gentle rhythm drive away all the negative feelings that had been building within him. Turning his head, he sought after the source of the rhythm and came across a 'small' version of himself.The smaller 'Vahn' seemed so fragile, almost like a small flame that struggled to burn against the violent currents of time. It was almost like any single small breeze would be able to eliminate the existence in its entirety, but against all odds, it continued to burn strong. Even the river of tears that encompassed the entire room seemed to slowly be evaporating under its gentle warmth. Vahn reached down and picked up the smaller version of himself and held it against his chest.As he came into contact with his body, the smaller version of himself sunk into his flesh and a powerful warmth began permeating through his body. Vahn felt determined to protect this tiny 'flame-like' version of himself no matter what it took. Even if he had to sacrifice himself, as long as the flame was prevented from being extinguished, he would be happy...---Time started again as Vahn returned to a clear state of mind. The memory of everything he had experienced was deeply embedded within his being. With a single thought he could recall the entire sequence of events including every emotion, thought, and feeling. Vahn knew he was experiencing things from Hephaestus's perspective and the fact she had felt lonely for such a long period of time deeply left a deep impression in his heart where the 'eternal flame' rested.He put his hand over his heart and tried feeling the emotions contained within. The 'eternal flame' seemed to understand his intent as feelings of pride, expectation, but most notably...loneliness was emitted from the flames connection. As a part of Hephaestus, it also carried the same feelings she possessed through the ages.Vahn began to understand everything the vision wanted to convey. Deep within her heart, beyond all the trauma she experienced due to her deformity, beyond all the items she had created that were touted as peerless, the thing her heart truly desired was companionship. She worked so hard to impress people so they would treat her well, but nobody was able to see beyond her skill as a blacksmith. Whenever they saw her eye, they treated her like a monster and avoided her. And no matter how much time passed, this never seemed to change.Staring into the mirror of the bathroom, Vahn looked into his own aquamarine eyes. He could see...anger. He was angry with how Hephaestus, someone that was so fragile and gentle in front of him, had been mistreated for such a ridiculous reason. Gritting his teeth, Vahn cemented a conviction deep within himself. He would show each and every one of them how foolish they were.He conveyed his feelings through the 'eternal flame' in his heart and it seemed to dance with joy and expectation.Smiling at his reflection, Vahn left the bathroom and headed towards the place where everyone was waiting for his arrival. The time for weakness and complacency was over.Title: Hephaestus's Desire(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Gods are stupid', 'Hephaestus 'eternal bae'', 'Conviction: Feelings', 'Is it really though?', 'I wonder if anyone remembers about metallurgy after that scene')

Chapter 72: Loki Familia Appears