Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After clearing her mind, Milan noticed that Vahn was cradling her gently in his arms as he stared at her face with clear concern in his expression. She smiled briefly, but it faded quickly as she asked, "Did you save Tina?" Even though she was happy and felt a bit of relief, Milan wouldn't be able to relax until her daughter was safe. She sat up from Vahn's arms and looked around and recognized the room as well as the seven bodies covered by the blanket.Vahn put his hand on her head and spoke in a soft tone, "Don't worry, I already have her within the range of my senses. I'll be going to save her now...I just couldn't leave you here alone." Milan heard his words and felt a pang of warmth in her heart, but it didn't do much to suppress her anxiety. She noticed that she had been clothed in a dark blue cloak and removed Vahn's hand from her head before noticing a strange sight. The tail that she had lost had grown back, and even though it was hairless, Milan couldn't help but release a relieved sigh.In her daze, Vahn stood up and embraced her body and stroked her back in a caring manner as he said, "Leave through the window and guide the others here. Hephaestus had been gathering a rescue party and is probably searching for this location. I know you're worried about Tina, but my stealth and skills allow me to move undetected. If you don't want to leave, you'll have to stay in this room for the time being." As he spoke, Vahn pulled out one of the short swords he had forged in the orb.Milan wanted to refute his words, but she couldn't argue against his serious expression. Even though she had recovered her strength, her mind was in an unstable state and she knew she wouldn't be able to help him. Since she didn't want to wait in the room, Milan decided to follow his advice and go get support. However, before she left, she looked at the cold and sad eyes of Vahn that couldn't be concealed even though he was trying to act comforting. She knew he would blame himself for what happened and wanted to assure him but couldn't find the words.Vahn saw her hesitation and just shook his head as he put his hand back on her's and stroked the hairless ears that served as a reminder of his failure. In a tired, yet angry, sounding voice, Vahn said, "I have no regrets...other than the fact that I was too weak to prevent this from happening. I will make them pay dearly to make sure nobody ever tries to harm the people I care about again..." A cold light flashed through his eyes as he stared through the walls and floor toward the aura of Tina.Seeing his expression and hearing his response, Milan furrowed her brows and gave Vahn a strong hug. Though he was a bit confused, Vahn just caressed her back for a bit until she said, "Don't become a monster because of other people...save Tina, that is the most important thing. If you fall down to their level, you will only have regrets in the future. That isn't the way to obtain strength...that is the path towards cruelty...don't lose your kind and gentle self for the sake of evil men."Milan's words made Vahn feel a terrible sensation in his mind and caused the cold feeling that had rooted itself in his consciousness to fluctuate. He could feel his anxiety begin to build but it was soon suppressed as the cold sensation became stronger. Though he knew she was right, he just couldn't let the people that had done this off without releasing his frustrations somehow. Vahn felt like, if he showed mercy now, there would only be more people that would find trouble for him in the future.As she had been paying attention to his expression, Milan had seen the struggle in his eyes as she cupped his face in her hands and whispered, "Let them be judged and suffer in prison for the rest of their lives. You don't have to be the one to pass judgment on them, Vahn. Just find the mastermind and turn them over to the authorities...but, most importantly, you still need to save Tina. She needs a hero, not someone that lacks mercy. Don't let her hold the image of you tormenting others in her mind, even if it is to enact justice for everything that happened."Milan's words caused Vahn to imagine Tina looking at him with fear in the future. Even if it was an unnecessary concern and she didn't fear him, Vahn couldn't tolerate the idea of her being comfortable with him killing people either. Though the cold sensation in his mind didn't leave, it dissipated slightly and Vahn released a sad sigh. He had already killed the men that tormented Milan so, as long as he could save Tina, he didn't have to punish the rest personally. Considering there were people like Loki and Hephaestus that would be involved. Vahn didn't need to be a vigilante that enacted his own brand of justice, he just wanted to protect the people he cared about.Seeing his expression soften a bit, Milan showed him a gentle smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Before exiting through the window, she turned back and stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "Go, she is waiting for you...and...thanks for saving me and helping to regrow my tail. Once the hair grows back, I'll let you touch it as a reward..." Though it wasn't the most appropriate situation, Milan wanted to lift Vahn's spirits a little and encourage him.Vahn nodded his head slightly and, with a smile on his face, said, "It's a promise..." He had seen her aura fluctuated slightly and knew that she wasn't actually trying to make a pass at him. Vahn knew she was just trying to help him cheer up, so he reciprocated and gave an adequate response before turning his back as she leaped out the window. Though the future was an interesting thing to consider, Vahn needed to focus on the present and get to the bottom of the current situation.Presently, there were two people guarding Tina's room as well as several other auras spread throughout the safe house. Though not everyone had a black aura, Vahn could see that the majority were filled with negative emotions. This meant that, though they may not be directing their malicious intent toward him presently, they were still inherently predisposed against him.The thing that had caught his eye long ago were the four larger auras that were deep underground, even further down than the room Tina was kept in. Though Vahn couldn't sense the entire layout of the building, he knew it likely had several layers he had yet to explore. His mini-map showed him minor details, but it couldn't let him see through walls unless he used [Eyes of Truth].Since Tina hadn't been kept too far from the room Milan was in, Vahn managed to sneak through the safe house while using his stealth and staying low to the ground. He was still in his turtle form, so he didn't have night vision, but he could still easily see through the low-lighting of the corridors.Coincidentally, his turtle form actually made his skin darken while hardening his forearms and legs, so Vahn was nearly indistinguishable from the background while he was using [Stealth] and his domain to conceal his presence.The moment he got into range of the connecting corridor where Tina was being kept, Vahn stepped into the corridor and immediately used Shundo. Since the two guards were slacking off due to being inside the safe house, they were completely unprepared as Vahn appeared in front of them before using his [Fist strike] to give them both severe concussions. Since he didn't want to make a lot of noise, Vahn had used the benefit of his turtle form to converge the shockwave and localize it to the center of their heads. Even though he didn't put a lot of strength into the strikes, it forcefully rattled the brains of the two. If they were unlucky, they may never fully recover in the future, but it was still considered a small mercy compared to Vahn's original intentions.After setting the two 'unconscious' men on the ground silently, Vahn used fire elemental energy to increase the temperature of his hand as he melted through the locked door. Though he could have searched the men for a key, Vahn didn't plan to waste any more time so he used what he believed to be the most efficient option available. Once it had melted through completely, Vahn entered the small room and saw Tina unconscious on the ground.Though it wasn't a far distance, Vahn immediately appeared next to her body using Shundo before picking her up in his arms. Fortunately, other than some scrapes and a minor swelling on her cheek, Tina was otherwise unharmed. The cold sensation in his mind dissipated by a large amount and Vahn couldn't stop himself from sighing in relief as he stroked the small cat girl's head while using [Hands of Nirvana]. Even though he could heal the swelling quickly, Vahn still used [Wounds Transfer] since he felt it was only right for him to experience the suffering she had gone through.Not long after he healed her body and was inserting his energy into her head, Tina woke up with a start and flinched after realizing she was being held. She immediately tried to escape, but calmed down soon after once she realized it was Vahn holding her body. Though she should have recognized it from the familiar warmth, she was still on edge from everything that had happened. Now that she saw Vahn, Tina hugged his body and started crying loudly.Vahn compressed his domain a bit and used the sound dampening properties of [Stealth] to contain her cries as he consoled the bawling Tina. He continued to stroke the back of her head while softly explaining the situation to her. He told her that Milan had already been saved and was 'unharmed', and now he would be able to take her away from this place as well.Tina, hearing Vahn's soothing words, began to withhold her crying voice as she continued to sob into his chest for several minutes. Even though she felt a great deal of relief after hearing the explanation, she couldn't do much to repress the fear and unease in her heart. Though Vahn's warm embrace helped to calm her mind a bit, she couldn't relax until she was able to reunite with her mother. After seeing her mother carried away earlier in a badly beaten state, she was severely traumatized and had trouble believing that she was okay.Vahn continued to soothe her patiently until he noticed a change in the auras around him. One of the larger auras separated from the other three and began to run through the building while alerting everyone else. The three remaining auras began retreating further into a space Vahn couldn't see and they were quickly moving toward the edge of his detection range. Though he hadn't been detected, Vahn assumed that word had gotten to the mastermind about the situation happening on the surface. Right now, there were several teams from the Hephaestus Familia converging around this area with Milan's guidance. The main team of the Loki Familia had also shown up since around fifty minutes had passed since Vahn parted with Hephaestus.Though Vahn was unaware of what was happening outside, he could intuit a bit based on everything that was happening. Before the men made their way to the room where he and Tina were, Vahn pulled her away slightly and looked into her eyes with a serious expression. Tina, though she was still scared and anxious, immediately ceased her crying as she returned his gaze. She could see the seriousness in his eyes as he explained, "There are bad men coming here right now, so I need to get you out of the building. A lot of our allies, including your mother, are heading this way and they will protect you."Tina nodded her head and asked in a sobbing tone, "What about you...?" In response, Vahn gave her a gentle smile and ruffled her hair as he explained, "I can't let the people that did this get away. Even now, I can sense them running away from this location. I will buy time for the rest of the rescue party to show up, so I need you to be brave and go to them. Don't be afraid, Tina, as I won't leave you on your own..."As Vahn finished his words, he looked toward the ceiling and held Tina close as he said, "Fafnir, open a hole in his damnable place. Let's get some fresh air..." In response to his words, Fafnir slammed up from the shadows on the floor and accelerated toward the roof and tore through it like paper. Though there was a lot of debris raining down, Vahn was able to completely protect Tina in his arms by using his turtle form to dissipate the force of anything that contacted them. Even heavy debris contacted his body and just rolled off without even budging him.Tina was very afraid by the chaotic scene, but she just hugged Vahn's waist with her eyes closed and believed that he would protect her. Even though it seemed like the sky was falling, she noticed that Vahn stood firm against everything without budging as he shielded her body. After a few seconds, Tina could feel the cold night air enter into the stagnant room as Vahn used his domain to generate small bursts of energy to clear the dust that was still around them.Picking her up in his arms, Vahn jumped through the hole that Fanfir had made before vaulting off the higher floors and arriving at the roof. Turning toward the dragon floating in the air, Vahn held out Tina and said, "Fafnir, protect her with everything you have. Take her to the others before returning to the shadows. If anyone tries to harm her or Milan, make sure they pay the price." Fafnir nodded its head before responding in a childish voice, (*Leave it to me, Master~!*). It then bent down and reformed its scales to allow for Tina to fit comfortably on its back.Though she was scared of the giant black dragon, Tina had also heard the cute and childish voice as it responded to Vahn. Even though it looked 'evil', she suddenly felt a lot less intimidated as she allowed Vahn to seat her on its back. Vahn rubbed her head affectionately one last time before giving her a kiss on the forehead and saying, "Milan is waiting for you, go to her..." Tina nodded her head before hugging Vahn's neck for a few seconds. When she finally let go, she had tears in her eyes as she said, "Please don't get hurt..."Vahn took her hand into his as he showed her the most confident smile he could manage and said, "No matter what happens, Tina, I will always come back in one piece. Make sure to prepare some nice food for me when I return; the three of us can eat it together just like before." Then Vahn ruffled her hair a bit before jumping off Fafnir's back and down into the hole.Though several men had shown up at the room where Tina had been kept, the moment they saw the huge hole and Fafnir, they immediately ran away. Vahn was going to follow their trail all the way back to the source since, if you trace the tail of a snake, you will always find its head eventually. From his time back in the forest, Vahn had learned that the best way to kill a snake was to cut off the head and watch the body die...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Author-Style, Triple-Cliff Summoning Jutsu~!','The Hunt Begins','Tiny Tina's Tears')If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $716/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D

(A/N: The title will be updated when I finish part 2.)Vahn calmed his mind a bit as he followed the corridors and descended further into the ground. Though his turtle form was both offensively and defensively powerful, he needed to make use of his Báihǔ forms increased agility and senses to track the fleeing enemies. Once his body regressed into his first form, Vahn felt his senses expand and he could now smell the odors of the men who had fled previously. Since there was the stench of fear and sweat, Vahn was able to quickly follow the path they had taken in their escape.Though he could still sense them within the area of his domain, Vahn wasn't in a hurry to capture all of them and only used his [Enkidu] to take care of anyone that tried hiding within some of the rooms along the way. He didn't mortally wound any of them, but he still severely injured the majority by driving the chains through their thighs. Vahn assumed that not everyone was as evil as then men involved in the kidnapping, so he would let those following behind deal with the injured.Eventually, Vahn made his way down to the sixth floor that was deep underground. Though there were still a few rooms, the majority of the floor was one long corridor that opened up to a large room where the four presences had been earlier. Vahn noticed there was a large bed in the area with a variety of tools and restraints as well as something akin to a throne surrounded by a few other gaudy chairs around a long table with various foods and alcohols on it.Behind the throne, there was a false wall that had been concealed, but Vahn quickly destroyed it before making his way into what was likely an escape tunnel. He had already locked on to several scents and was able to evade the traps that lined the corridor as he used Shundo to close the distance faster than most of them could trigger. One of the most useful features of 'instant movement' was that it could link two points and allow Vahn to transition the distance almost instantaneously. If he could master the skill, it really would be considered 'instant movement' since the traps wouldn't even have enough time to register his presence at all.Vahn eventually arrived at a point where the corridor split off into several small paths and noticed that the scents had split. There was even a mechanism to mask the smell, but Vahn could still detect the path taken because of the fluctuations in the air. Anywhere that had been passed recently would still have destabilized air currents, so even if Vahn couldn't 'smell' them, he could still 'see' where they went.Though he would still be gambling to pick the correct corridor, there was one where the elements in the air had been affected to a much greater extent. Vahn assumed this was the correct path since the abnormality was likely the result of a god or goddess passing through ahead of him. Vahn had noticed that one of the four auras earlier was much larger than a normal person which indicated they were likely the mastermind and god of the Familia behind the kidnapping. Not everyone had one, but when Vahn had inspected the body of some of the assailants, he noticed that many of them had the same crest on their back and were likely an organized crime Familia even though Macker hadn't been able to reveal the name.The symbol on the backs of some of the men was that of a featureless mask with two slots for eyes and a pair of daggers crossed behind it. Even though Vahn didn't think it was appropriate to judge things based solely on appearance, he couldn't help but feel that the crest belonged to a malicious god. Since Vahn knew about the influence of Divinity on their actions, he didn't consider the god evil, but that didn't mean he would tolerate their actions either. If he couldn't get the answers he was looking for, Vahn wasn't above escalating matters since they were already in an irreconcilable situation.A few minutes after entering the smaller path, Vahn noticed there were no more traps in the area and he continued increasing his pace until he finally detected the aura of two people around 311m from his position. There was next to no light on the path, but Vahn had night vision in his Báihǔ form and saw two people, one, a burly and powerful looking man, and the other, someone that looked almost like a child given their stature.Even though he was still in stealth, the man turned to look behind him and Vahn could see a yellow glow in his eyes that implied he also had night-vision capabilities. The small figure next to him turned around soon after and Vahn saw a pair of heterochromatic eyes staring back at him. One of the eyes shined like a purple amethyst while the other was a piercing and icy blue, and they both glowed within the dark corridor the same as the man.Vahn got into a low combat stance and approached the duo that continued to stare back at him without appearing to pay him any mind. Once Vahn got within 50m of the pair, the small figure opened their mouth and Vahn heard an almost sing-song-ish and girly voice ask, "You're the Vulcan, Vahn Mason." She seemed almost amused by the fact he had tracked her this far and began to laugh in a cheerful manner as she said, "Kuji, capture him for me~!"The moment her words fell, the man, who Vahn realized was a weretiger named Kuji, charged toward him in a similarly low stance. He was incredibly agile, but Vahn was able to outmaneuver him with Shundo. Kuji seemed surprised by the speed of Vahn's movements and asked with a deep baritone voice, "Is that a skill, or some kind of magic?"Vahn had appeared 20m away from him and didn't respond to his question as he equipped his Xuánwǔ set items and charged toward Kuji with a speed that caused the air to break around him. As a Level 4, Kuji wasn't too afraid of the might behind Vahn's fist after considering his speed. Though he expected him to know a few martial arts, considering his fighting style, Kuji didn't think Vahn would be able to overpower him in a head-on collision.Without shying away, Kuji dashed forward and struck forth with his powerful and sharp claws to receive Vahn's fist. Vahn's expression didn't change in the slightest even after seeing the weretiger receiving his attack. Though he knew the man should be much stronger than him considering their differing racial traits and build, Vahn had an advantage that Kuji couldn't anticipate.The moment his fist collided with the clawed palm strike of Kuji, the protectors on Vahn's forearms glowed with a green light and prevented the shockwave from the collision from dissipating. Instead, Vahn had focused the impact on a single point using his [Fist Strike] and injected it straight into the forearm of Kuji like a miniature explosive. The weretiger's face showed an expression of shock moments before his forearm exploded from the inside and left his hand dangling by the mangled flesh and broken bones. Though his arm hadn't been torn off, there was no way he would be able to use it in the fight from now on.Surprisingly, Kuji didn't even flinch from what should have been an incredibly painful injury as he spun around and kicked Vahn in the abdomen with a tremendous force that caused him to crash into the wall and leave an impact crater. Vahn was stunned by the blow but managed to receive the follow-up strike with his crossed guards and disperse the impact using his protectors. He could see through his defenses that Kuji had a crazed and bloodthirsty look in his eyes and both of his pupils had dilated to an extreme.Vahn quickly realized that he was either using a skill or had been so doped up on some kind of drug that he had lost his mind. Kuji even tried to use his mutilated arm to attack, so Vahn assumed it was the latter as he kicked off from the wall and used Shundo to slip by and approach the goddess that had been watching the fight with an amused expression on her masked face.She noticed what Vahn was trying to do and pouted, "Boo~! You should fight Kuji, not me!" As her words sounded, Vahn saw her eyes glow more fiercely as a light covered her body which caused the surrounding corridor to shake. She was trying to use her Divinity to scare him away, but Vahn just furrowed his brows and continued forward against her expectations.With a sigh, the goddess raised her hand that had an intricate fingerless glove on it and sent a powerful wave of pressure toward Vahn to deter him. She disliked people that ignored her orders more than anything else and wanted to teach him a lesson before she played with him a bit. Unexpectedly, the wave she sent out just passed through Vahn without having any effect and she could feel anxiety immediately spread through her mind.Vahn kicked off the floor again and used Shundo to appear behind her and held his sword, named [007] to her neck and asked, "Why did you target Milan and Tina? Why are you doing all of this?" Even though the Divinity of a god had a powerful suppression effect on most people, it didn't actually mean they were strong combatants. Unless the goddess before him broke the rules and used her Arcanum, there wasn't anything she could do against him unless she had Leveled up like a mortal.Hearing Vahn's questions, the goddess just began to laugh as she shouted out, "Kuji, continue to attack~! This boy seems to be the type that can't hurt girls~." As her words fell, Vahn had to take a step back as a black dagger with a foul-smelling odor pierced the area where his head had been. Though he didn't have any special inhibitions about attacking girls, Vahn still wanted to obtain answers before he did anything to a goddess.Even if a god or goddess had done something evil, it was almost inexcusable for a mortal to actually harm them. Though he might be justified in his actions, there would be a severe backlash from the godly community and he would most likely be imprisoned or exiled once the matter became known. Even if he had no ill will towards another god, they would still feel a bit of fear that Vahn might do something to them in the future since he didn't hesitate when it came to a different god. It was typically gods that dealt with other gods while their children fought amongst themselves.Since she wasn't willing to answer his questions even with a sword to her throat, Vahn needed to deal with the crazed Kuji first. Though the weretiger didn't have a black aura like the rest of the assailants from earlier, Vahn didn't have any inhibitions about killing him if things got out of hand. Unable to maintain his patience, the moment Kuji leaped forward and tried to stab him with the knife, Vahn pulled out [Lævateinn] and stabbed Kuji directly in the abdomen while using the burning effect to immediately create a charred hole in his stomach.Even with [Lævateinn] and a seared wound in his gut, Kuji still threw the dagger forward and it pierced into the right side of Vahn's chest. Both Kuji and the mystery goddess began to laugh at the sight, but Vahn pulled out the dagger with his left hand while supporting the entire body of Kuji with his right. The wound on his body began to regenerate slowly, but at a visible rate as Vahn channeled his energy into [Lævateinn] and caused a muted explosion in the abdomen on the drugged Kuji. He immediately vomited a mouthful of blood before collapsing limply on [Lævateinn] due to the severity of his injuries.Vahn let his body slide off the long blade of [Lævateinn] as the small goddess began to clap her hands in an excited manner, "Bravo~! Well done~!" She then walked forward in a cheery manner but stayed beyond the basic reach of Vahn's weapon as she continued, "It's too bad you couldn't stop the dagger though~! Looks like this will be my win in the end!" She began to laugh excitedly as she kicked the body of Kuji on the ground and said, "Oho, he is still alive~? You're a big softie, aren't you~?"Seeing Vahn's unchanged expression, she thought he was trying to put up a front so she proudly explained, "That dagger was coated in a deadly toxin that only I know the recipe for the antidote. If you want to live, you'll put away your weapons and behave from now on." She then started to laugh as she dangled a small crystalline vial in front of her in a playful manner and asked, "So, what will it be, Mr. Vulcan~?"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Mystery Goddess Appears','[Lævateinn] OP','Don't do drugs kidderino's')If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $716/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D

(A/N: Disclaimer: Serious Trigger Warning. This scene is not pleasant to write, and I imagine it will not be pleasant to read as well. However, I'm not fond of shying away from uncomfortable topics since it helps build the character and plot. If you know anything about how cruel people/criminals can be, you'll understand that this situation, though disturbing, it likely how things would have played out given the context.)While Vahn was healing Milan, he was also diverting some of his attention to the other auras within the building while paying the most attention to Tina. Though he wanted to go to her immediately, he couldn't leave behind Milan before she had recovered. Just imagining leaving her in the room alone surrounded by corpses made Vahn uncomfortable. After she had been healed enough to no be in danger of dying, Vahn moved the seven men's bodies to the side of the room and covered them with a large cloth.Vahn then continued healing Milan as he purchased a towel from the system and used his [Decanter of Replenishment] as a water source to wipe away the grime and buildup on Milan's body. Her captors had beaten her to an almost unrecognizable extent and had poured various types of potions and chemicals on her body to prevent her from dying. With his enhanced sense of smell, Vahn had nearly vomited from the smell of ammonia and refuse that they had covered her body with. He couldn't understand how or why they would do such a cruel thing, especially if they intended to use her as leverage against him.After wiping her body clean, Vahn was able to expedite his healing efforts and quickly rid her body of wounds using his [Wound Transfer] and other support items. Since his healing was unable to regrow hair, Milan's ears and tail had grown back and had a light fuzz instead of the chestnut-brown color of the past. Though it was a strange sight, Vahn was just happy they were able to be grown back. It was fortunate that he had tiger-like ears and a tail when he was doing the [Wounds Transfer], or there was a very high probability they'd have been lost forever. The downside to that, of course, was that Vahn had to experience the nerve endings of his own tail being severed which caused his mind to numb from the pain.If not for the fact that he was entirely focused on Milan before him and Tina in his mind, Vahn would have likely collapsed from the pain. Towards the end of the treatment, he had even transitioned from his Báihǔ form into his turtle form. There were even the wisps of tiny vermillion-flames beginning to break through the small cracks in his skin, but Vahn repressed the transformation using his willpower. He didn't dispel it entirely, however, as it may prove useful when dealing with the remainder of the captors.After around fifteen minutes, Milan's body had been returned to her former healthy and lithe looking state. Though Vahn might have admired her form in the past, now he just felt an incredible sadness as he scanned through his system and purchased a cloak for her to wear. Since he could only gift one item a month to each person, Vahn had to make do with something that could cover her entire body at once. With a bit of effort, he managed to slip the cloak around Milan's unconscious body before cradling her gently and using [Hands of Nirvana] to ease her mind and try to awaken her.Not long after, Milan's eyes opened slowly and stared in a daze at the foreign ceiling. She felt like she had been having a terrible dream and had suffered inhumane treatment. She remembered being happy with her daughter and taking care of the customers while they both talked about the young boy that had made his way into their lives. For the first time in a long while, Milan began to feel like things were getting back on track and both she and her daughter would be able to find happiness.**(Trigger Warning Starting Now: You can skip toward the bottom where the warning ends if you are uncomfortable.)**Soon after, while she was cooking in the kitchen, Milan had heard a commotion coming from the front of the Inn. Assuming it was just a rowdy customer, she made her way through the small doors toward the dining room and saw several aggressive men ejecting all of the customers as they began to trash the place. Though she didn't have a weapon on her, Milan was still a Level 3, so she immediately set out to give the men a thrashing.Things weren't going too badly, even though the attackers had two Level 3 of their own, and Milan was hoping to be able to hold out until the authorities arrived. Since her Inn was located near the main branch of the Hephaestus Familia, the security in the area wasn't supposed to be a problem. As long as she held out for just a few minutes, there were bound to be several people that would show up to assist. Unfortunately, one of the scumbags had managed to find her daughter and captured her.Unable to continue fighting after Tina had been captured, Milan surrendered and the two Level 3 men, one scarred-faced man, and an emaciated-looking dark-skinned elf, began to beat her for a short period of time for her earlier resistance. Even though her daughter cried out at the brutality of the sight, Milan continued to bear the heavy blows while trying to protect her vitals. She even hoped that the men would beat her for a longer period of time in order to allow for help to arrive, so she put up a small amount of resistance against them every time they stopped their attack.Eventually, one of the members of the assailants pointed out the issue of time and the two men stopped beating her they tied up her body and carried her and Tina out the back entrance of the Inn. One of the last sights Milan had seen before she passed out was the image of the Inn she had built and operated for the past ten years going up in flames. Though she hadn't cried at all as the men beat her, she couldn't help but shed some tears at the sight before she finally passed out.The next thing she remembered was waking up after being dropped heavily to the floor. Milan could hear Tina's screaming voice and opened her swollen eyes to try and find her daughter so that she could assure her everything would be okay. As she turned her head towards the crying of her daughter, she saw one of the men heavily slap Tina's face and knock her to the ground. She felt her mind buzz as she called upon strength she didn't know she had as Milan launched herself at the man and tried to strangle him.Though she managed to get her hands around his neck, it wasn't long before Milan felt a heavy block to the back of her head that made her vision blacken as a powerful throbbing feeling ran through her mind. She hadn't been knocked out by the blow, but all of the strength she had mustered previously faded from her body as she looked toward her daughter that was laying on the ground sobbing.She tried to crawl toward Tina and comfort her, but two of the men picked her up by her arms and dragged her out of the room. After taking her to another area in the dark building, the men began to tear away at her clothing and her instincts allowed her to resist against them. However, no matter how much she tried, the men only took a sadistic pleasure in her struggles as they knocked her to the ground and began systematically breaking the bones in her body starting from her limbs.They poured buckets full of waste and refuse onto her naked body and called her cruel and derogatory names before some of the men took out their penises and peed on her defenseless body after one of them called her a toilet. Though the smell made her want to vomit, Milan's stomach had long been emptied of its contents and she could only gag and spit up bits of blood tainted with small black particulates.One of the men saw the black clots in the blood and realized that she would probably die soon, so they poured low-grade potions onto her body before trying to force a foul-smelling liquid down her throat. Milan resisted and tried to prevent from being forced to swallow the contents by gritting her teeth, but one of the men used a small leather club to shatter her jaw to prevent her from resisting.As the viscous contents slid down her throat, Milan tried to force herself to vomit it out, but the damage to her body prevented her from having enough energy to do so. She could feel a heat spreading through her body and realized what the men's intentions were. Though there was next to no strength in her body, Milan desperately tried to resist against the men and managed to scratch and blind one of their eyes in the process.The screaming of the man caused others to become alerted to what was going on in the room and several other people entered and began beating her alongside the original two. It got to the point where Milan couldn't move her body at all and she felt like death was close at hand. If not for the fact that her daughter was still held hostage, she likely would have died then and there. Unfortunately, the only reward for her resolve was the man she had blinded using his thumb and blinding her eye.Unable to resist, Milan's body seized up at the pain and she cried out with a croaking voice as she tried to pull her head away. Incited by her reaction, the men began to laugh cruelly as they took a pair sheers and began to clip off pieces of her ears. They didn't cut them off all at once but cut off bits and pieces at a time before the only thing remaining was mangled stubs. It was more painful than anything Milan had ever felt, but it was nothing compared to what came next.The tail of a cat person was one of their most sensitive spots and housed thousands of nerve endings toward the base of the spine. It was a tradition that only the significant other of a cat person was allowed to grab their tail since it would activate their instincts and cause them to bite forward. Since cat people were considered somewhat exotic and were popular in slave-trading circles, the sensitivity of their tail was well-known to most criminal groups. Using that knowledge as a basis, the same man that blinded her eyes gripped Milan's tail firmly.Milan gnashed her teeth because of the disgusting feeling that was welling up in her body, but it didn't last long as a sheer dread took over her mind when she saw the cruel look on the man's face. Unable to form any words, Milan opened her mouth and just released muted whines as the man tightened his grip and twisted powerfully. All of the pain receptors in her body fired at once as her body jerked from the intense pain. Undaunted, the man twisted in the opposite direction and alternated his grip until eventually separating the tail from her body nearly three excruciating minutes later.**(Trigger Warning Has Ceased: Though it still isn't too pleasant, enjoy the story.)**Afterward, Milan had absolutely no strength left in her body and couldn't even form any thoughts. Even when the men started beating her and tormenting her body once again, she didn't even feel any new sensations since her body had gone into a severe state of shock. The only thing she could think of was her daughter Tina who had been left alone in the previous room. Milan remembered how vibrant Tina's smile had been when they were both happy, but now she feared it would be replaced by the fear and anxiety that she had seen earlier. Even if nobody showed up to save her, Milan wanted her daughter to be saved from this nightmare, so she began to utter a silent prayer through her swollen and torn lips...Unaware of how much time had passed, Milan felt a strange sensation spread through the room as a strange golden glow flashed. The impacts that had been forced on her body for so long came to a halt in an instant as complete silence spread through the room. For several minutes, there were no sights or sounds other than a hazy darkness and a throbbing sensation in her mind that had replaced all sounds.Milan thought she might have died but, suddenly, there was a warm sensation pushing away the throbbing sensation in her mind. Though all of her nerves felt like they had fried, she could feel a gentle energy spreading through her body as a heat emanated from areas where she had lost all feelings. Soon after, Milan could feel a numb and tingling sensation spreading over her body and she realized that the incredible pain that had become her existence was slowly fading away.When a moist and warm feeling landed on her face, a sense of relief appeared in her heart as hope began to spread through her anxious mind. Almost as if it were a distant memory that she had suddenly recalled, Milan was able to recognize the energy entering her body and the image of a kind and gentle boy appeared from her memory. Though she still had an incredible anxiety in her heart and a profound concern for her daughter in the focus of her mind, Milan knew that help had finally arrived. Hearing the gentle and comforting words of Vahn, Milan, unable to express her relief in any other way, began to cry as darkness encroached upon her mind.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cruelty','Within the Depths of Despair','Light in the Darkness')If you'd like to support me on ******* so I can become a full-time writer, please follow this link~!https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $669/640 of my goal of making this my actual job. I promise that, if I'm able to do so, I will be writing 50 chapters a week :D

Chapter 192: Remembering What's Important