Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As Vahn was making his way back towards the surface, it wasn't long before he came across a group of people that were slowly making their way through the escape tunnels. Since the majority of people weren't adept at detecting and dealing with traps, it meant they weren't able to clear the path quickly. Seeing who was in the group, a lot of the negative feelings that Vahn had been feeling began to disperse.Noticing Vahn's presence, two of the members of the group immediately ran forward to intercept Vahn with varying degrees of happiness on their faces. The first person to arrive and tackle his body had been Tiona and she immediately used her monstrous strength to stress Vahn's ribs as he rubbed her hair with a pained smile. Soon after, Ais showed up next to him with a smile on her face and asked, "Is it over?"Tiona finally stopped squeezing Vahn, but she didn't let go of him as she stared at his face waiting for the answer. Vahn smiled and began explaining everything that happened as the rest of the group caught up. The members comprised of the entire first and second parties of the Loki Familia as well as a few powerful looking adventurers Vahn had never seen before.When he approached, Finn had an amiable smile on his face as he said, "Good job, Vahn, it looks like things will wrap up smoothly after this. We've already sent groups to inspect each tunnel, so you should make your way to the surface and explain the situation there. We'll continue clearing the area before making our way back and regrouping with everyone else." Then, after tilting his head for a few moments, Finn smiled and said, "There don't seem to be many strong enemies, so those two can accompany you back."Finn had been staring at Tiona who was literally dangling from Vahn's neck while Ais stood close to his side and split her attention between the surroundings and Vahn's face. He realized that the two would be useless for the rest of the operation, not that they were very helpful in the first place. Since they had been rushing through the corridors, they actually set off a number of traps that had caused problems for the rest of the group.Hearing Finn's words, Tiona laughed out and said, "Hahaha, good going Captain~!" Ais also seemed to be pleased as her smile widened by a marginal amount and she grabbed Vahn's hand and said, "Let's go, everyone is waiting." Vahn nearly dropped Tiona when Ais pulled him forward, but she managed to correct her own balance before jumping onto his back.Vahn was surprised by her action and barely managed to prevent himself from falling over as he used both of his hands to support her legs. Ais looked back after Vahn let go of her hand and stared at Tiona with slightly furrowed brows. Tiona saw her look and smiled wide enough that both of her eyes were nearly closed. She pressed herself against Vahn's back and nuzzled against the side of his face as she said, "I want to feel like a damsel that got saved by the hero as well~!"Ais's mouth became very small and it looked like an upside down v as her brows furrowed to a degree Vahn had never seen before. She looked toward Tiona and muttered, "Unfair." In response, Tiona giggled and before patting Vahn's shoulder and climbing down from his back. She walked forward and poked Ais's cheek which caused the taciturn girl to puff out her cheek in response.Everyone in the area, including Vahn, looked at the sight and felt like laughing. Tiona leaned forward and stepped back a few steps before spinning around on her heel and trotting over next to Vahn. Grabbing his arm, she looked toward Ais and said, "This is better, right~?" Ais stared at her for a few seconds before her expression loosened a bit and she nodded her head before grabbing Vahn's right arm.After storing the two girl's weapons into his inventory so it wouldn't get in the way, Vahn made his way through the corridors while flanked by Tiona and Ais. Though he felt happy to be escorting him, he couldn't stop himself from blushing every time they passed by one of the rescue operation members. Each time he met someone they would give him a strange look before staring at the two girls he was leading. Most of the time, they would immediately move on after giving a curt greeting while other times Tiona would shoo them away to keep them from spoiling the mood.More than a half hour later, the trio had made their way into the room where Laverna had indulged in her interests. Vahn turned his head toward the bed and all the strange instruments which caused Tiona to ask, "Are you interesting in that kind of thing~?" Vahn shook his head and explained, "Not really, I was just thinking about a few things and got distracted..."Tiona cocked her head sideways with her finger on her chin as if she was contemplating something. Deciding to keep the matter to herself, she just smiled before hugging Vahn's left arm tighter. Vahn was confused by her reaction and wanted to ask when Ais muttered something in a low voice that he couldn't hear. Turning his head toward her, he noticed she had a 'confident' look on her face as she looked towards the bed.Vahn could feel his brain buzz a bit and he began dragging the two girls away from the stagnant air and low-lighting of Laverna's den. Along the way, he explained a bit of the detail related to Laverna and cautioned the two girls about over-indulging in things. Though the words felt strange coming from his own mouth, he wanted to make sure the two girls didn't walk down a strange path out of curiosity. They listened to his words attentively and nodded every time he made a point, but Vahn noticed the gleam in Ais's eyes hadn't diminished by much.Once they got in the actual safe house area, it wasn't long before the three made their way out through the front door of the compound. There were nearly a hundred people outside and Vahn could see a number of individuals spread about and searching nearby buildings as well. His eyes widened as he observed the chaotic scene and realized that matters had exploded to a larger extent than he had realized. It wasn't until the two girls holding his arms released him that Vahn broke away from his absentminded state of mind.Tiona grabbed his hand as she pulled him toward the group of people that had been making their way over. It wasn't long before she was forced to release him, however, as Vahn had to open his arms and catch the small body of Tina who had launched herself at him with tears in her eyes. As he was consoling her, the larger group showed up and Vahn gave them a somewhat apologetic, yet grateful, smile as he said, "Thank you...everyone..."The group consisted of Hephaestus, Loki, Anubis, Miach, Milan, Naaza, Lili, and various other gods and adventurers Vahn recognized but had never actually met. They were Takemikazuchi, a tall eastern-looking god with black hair and eyes. He had very gentle and well-defined facial features and there was a shy looking girl with black, somewhat short hair, that covered her green eyes. She was wearing an outfit similar to a purple kimono and had a very docile expression on her face as she accompanied her god. Though she didn't have much of an impression in the manga, Vahn still recognized her as Chigusa. Since he didn't see the other members of the Familia, Vahn assumed that Ouka and Mikoto were part of the search teams.Off to the side, but not approaching, Vahn could even see Ryuu in her combat attire which consisted of a white blouse, small green shorts, a leaf-like mantle that framed her face, and a strangely shaped wooden sword that looked more like a staff. She noticed his gaze and showed a gentle smile before nodding her head slightly before walking toward an alleyway where Arnya and Syr were waiting. Vahn locked eyes with Syr, who had a gentle and cheerful expression, and gave a grateful bow to the group.Hephaestus was the first to speak as she crossed her arms and had a happy smile on her face, "You did good, Vahn." Vahn turned toward her and could see the hints of a fiery wrath behind her gentle smile. Even though she had let him do as he pleased earlier, Hephaestus had a lot of hatred towards the people that had caused this incident.Loki had her characteristic scheming smile on her face as she stared at the chaos around her before asking about the details of what had happened. Her words caused everyone to turn their attention toward Vahn as Milan picked up Tina's body after she had cried herself to sleep. She gave Vahn a grateful and caring look as she joined the rest of the crowd and listened to his recounting of events.Vahn explained everything from the beginning, starting from the ambush that he had experienced after leaving the Twilight Manor. He talked about how he had obtained the information about Milan and Tina's capture and how he was able to use his tamed monster, Fafnir, to quickly arrive at the scene of the fire. Using his enhanced senses from his Báihǔ form, he managed to lock onto the girls' scent before meeting up with Hephaestus outside and explaining the situation. From there, he tracked the scent to the safe house where the girls were being kept before saving Milan and Tina.Since it wasn't pleasant, Vahn left out the details related to Milan's situation though several people had already intuited something terrible had happened considering her hairless ears and tail that Milan tried to keep hidden with the hooded cloak Vahn had given her. Naaza and Lili were especially sensitive to what must have happened since they had benefited from Vahn's [Wounds Transfer] in the past.Vahn continued explaining what happened after he parted ways with Milan and used Fafnir to evacuate Tina. Though everyone present was aware of its existence, Vahn sent a mental command for Fafnir to exit from the shadows while turning his attention to Ais. As the giant body of Fafnir came out of the ground, Vahn noticed that she twitched slightly but otherwise maintained her calm as she continued to lock eyes with him. Vahn smiled before reaching out his hand for her to hold onto as he continued his story.When Vahn got to the point about his fight with the drugged up Kuji and his confrontation with the goddess Laverna, almost everyone present had angry and conflicted expressions on their faces. Hephaestus had the biggest response because she had just heard that the reason behind the kidnapping in the first place had been the materials she had given Vahn in the past. Even though she had taken action to prevent it from becoming a problem, she had overlooked several details since she didn't have a proper understanding of the relationships of Vahn.Vahn saw Hephaestus gritting her teeth and fists with a face of regret on her face. Furrowing his brows a bit, Vahn said in a serious and firm tone, "Hephaestus, don't even think for a single moment you are to blame for this. You have no control over the actions of others, and evil people will always do as they please regardless of our intentions."Feeling empowered by his own words, Vahn continued as he held Hephaestus's gaze firmly with his own, "Even I want to blame myself, but I know it serves no purpose. Though I have regrets about my own actions and the events that have happened, I'd rather focus on becoming stronger to prevent things like this from happening again. If we get caught up in the past and let fear control our actions, we'll never be able to move forward and face the future with a smile on our faces!"His words finished, Vahn began to breathe heavily as everyone in the surroundings looked toward him with expressions of surprise on their face. Vahn didn't know what came over him, but after he recalled everything that had happened with Chloe, he couldn't allow others to hold any blame, even himself. Though he empathized with her, Vahn knew Laverna and her children were to blame for everything, regardless of her reasons and the nature of her Divinity.Though she still had her own doubts, Hephaestus smiled and affirmed Vahn's words with a smile on her face. From her side, Loki was laughing in an almost 'evil' sounding manner while people like Takemikazuchi and Miach gave approving nods to Vahn's words. Takemikazuchi seemed especially impressed by all of the events that had transpired this evening. He found Vahn's words to resonate with his own principles and wanted to get to know him better after everything concluded. Takemikazuchi believed Vahn would be able to influence his children positively, and he might even be able to help with their problem given Vahn's influence within the Alliance between the Hephaestus and Loki Familia.Loki stopped her strange laughter and opened her eyes slightly as she asked a question that caused everyone to turn silent, "So, what happened to that goddess, Laverna?"Vahn's expression changed and he began to explain everything that happened, including the death of Laverna. The moment they heard his words, the expressions of all the gods and goddesses present became complicated. Though Vahn told them she was killed by a masked assailant, everyone present knew there would be a backlash from the incident.Laws required that the children of a Familia deal with other children while gods dealt with other gods. It was a taboo for a mortal to kill a god and, even if Vahn wasn't the one to deal the blow, it would be difficult to resolve the matter unless someone was held accountable. Even when a god killed another god, there was always some form of punishment or restriction placed on them, since it was the duty of the Guild to resolve such matters through mediation. Since Laverna hadn't received a 'proper' judgment, it would fall to the gods and goddesses involved in the situation to be held responsible.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Many people, such wow','The Dangers of Overindulgence','The Situation Isn't Over Yet...')I'll be increasing the number of chapters starting next week~https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $717/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

Vahn saw the expressions of the gods and goddesses, as well as the various expressions of everyone else around. The matter of a goddess being slain wasn't a light topic, nor was it something that most people considered commonplace. However, no matter how difficult matters became, Vahn resolved himself to bear the brunt of the pressure without letting everything fall to Chloe.Loki had a serious expression on her face and let out a tired sigh since she knew Vahn was aware of the identity of the killer and wouldn't reveal it no matter what. Even if he wanted to, she would take action to prevent it from coming to that point. Looking over toward Hephaestus, she could see the resolute gleam in the fiery goddesses eye and knew they had similar thoughts. After bouncing around various ideas in her head in a rapid manner, she got the attention of everyone present with a clap.With a mischevious smile on her face, Loki said, "Okay, we can worry about everything else later~! Right now we should be more concerned with getting the little ones to bed and cleaning up this mess before it gets too late. Leave the important matters to the adults~!"Vahn knew Loki was probably up to something and could see that even Hephaestus was in agreement as she nodded her head and said, "Loki's right, we'll concern ourselves with the aftermath of the situation. Vahn, take Milan and Tina someplace safe for the time being-"As Hephaestus was speaking, a sound rang out from behind the group, "Umm..." The entire group looked over toward the speaker and saw Syr showing an awkward smile as she approached with Ryuu and Arnya at her flanks. Though she seemed to feel a bit of pressure from all the eyes gathered on her, Syr turned toward Milan and said, "We have plenty of space in the dorms if you'd like to stay at the Hostess of Fertility...I heard about the matter of your Inn, so we can provide you with shelter and work if necessary."Vahn wanted to speak out to refute since he wanted the two girls to stay with him, but Milan cut his words short as she accepted Syr's offer. Seeing his confusion, Milan smiled while stroking the hair of the sleeping Tina and explained, "I can tell there are various matters that need to be dealt with in the aftermath of everything that happened today. For now, I don't want you to worry about us and I think both Tina and I need some time to process everything that happened. I think staying in a woman's dorm will be beneficial for her, since I don't think she'd be able to leave your house if she returned there now..."Hearing Milan's words, Vahn remembered that Tina had suffered a severe trauma and would have problems dealing with men in the future. If he took her back to his workshop, she might coop herself up inside as a defensive mechanism. Though it wouldn't be a problem at first, if she adapted to that kind of life she would never be able to socialize with people easily in the future. Many of the girls at the Hostess of Fertility were women that had suffered trauma in the past, and Vahn also agreed that it would be better if they stayed there for the time being. With people like Mama Mia and Chloe to look after them, Vahn believed they would recover sooner or later.Vahn stroked the sleeping Tina's head before giving Milan a hug to comfort them both. He could see that her aura was mildly chaotic and understood it wasn't just Tina that needed time to recuperate. Milan had lost her home of ten years and suffered the cruelty of several people while stressing about the circumstances of her daughter. Even though she was putting up a brave front right now, he could feel the tension in her body as he hugged her.After a few parting words and several thanks, Vahn parted ways with the Alliance members before making various promises to meet in the future. Though he wasn't required, Vahn wanted to escort the girls back to the Hostess of Fertility the ensure their safety personally. They had a relatively large group that consisted of Naaza, Lili, Tiona, Ais, Syr, Ryuu, Arnya, Milan, and Vahn who was carrying Tina while walking next to Milan.When they departed, Loki turned towards the gods present before staring at Chigusa until Takemikazuchi asked her to stand to the side. The final group that remained was Hephaestus, Miach, Anubis, Takemikazuchi, and Loki herself. All of their surrounding Familia members had been asked to move away as the group of gods and goddesses made their way into a tent that had been erected and acted as a command post. Since there was no telling how many people would be injured, they had set up various medical tents and command tents at the beginning of the operation.After everyone settled in, Loki began the miniature Denatus with the most important topic, "This matter regarding Laverana won't blow over easily. We need to come up with a countermeasure and confirm the standing of everyone present." Passing her eyes over Miach and Takemikazuchi, the two gods spoke out in sequence.Takemikazuchi had a firm and resolute expression on his face as he said, "If possible, I would like to join the Alliance that had been created between the Loki and Hephaestus Familia. Even if he doesn't represent the entire Hephaestus Familia, I have developed a sense of respect for Vahn Mason. He has a strong and righteous character and it's my belief he would be a good influence on my children. I may not have much to offer in regards to power and authority, but I will contribute what I can and hope there will be mutual cooperation between our Familia as allies in the future." As Takemikazuchi spoke, he bowed low to the rest of the group until his head nearly touched the floor.Miach himself just had a complacent and gentle smile on his face, but there was also a subtle hint of resolution in his eyes as he said in a soft tone, "Vahn saved one of my important children in the past, and has even cared for her till this day. I would like to return the favor he had paid my Familia and already made a vow to that end in the past. If possible, I too would like to join the Alliance and help resolve this matter." Though not nearly as low as Takemikazuchi, Miach also bowed politely.Hephaestus had also been observing the two and responded in a somewhat exasperated but grateful manner as she addressed Loki, "These two have helped me with matters in the past, and I think they would be a good contribution to our Alliance. Though they lack personal strength, they have good characters and I think they'll be strong allies in the future. We need the support of any gods that we can get if we want to pressure Ouranos."Loki nodded her head before turning her eyes to Anubis who had been sitting silently the entire time. Seeing Loki's attention drawn to her, Anubis showed a smile and said confidently, "No matter what, I will always stand at the side of my Master." Her words caused Takemikazuchi and Miach to have strange expressions until Hephaestus explained the circumstances that had occurred between Vahn and the Anubis Familia in the past. Loki had also never heard the story before and she nearly facepalmed after hearing how easily Anubis weaseled her way into Vahn's life. For the first time in a long time, Loki felt like she had been out-schemed by another goddess.After explanations were finished, everyone present reaffirmed their vows and swore to uphold the terms of the Alliance that had been laid out previously. Even though Anubis had already sworn to follow Vahn for the rest of his life, she was only now joining the Alliance officially. This was to create a stronger sense of unity between the five gods and goddesses present. The moment their vows completed, Vahn, elsewhere in the City, heard a notification in his system and flinched slightly as he continued to gently stroke Tina's back.Now that they had officially allied, it was decided that Hephaestus would be the leader of the Alliance since she had the largest amount of wealth and authority. Loki became the moderator of the group and was given leniency by Hephaestus to hold a similar amount of authority as her as long as she deferred to her for any decisions related to her Familia. Though they might disagree on matters, Hephaestus knew that Loki was the most suited to the role and would always pursue the greatest benefit for the rest of the group as long as she was bound by a vow.Loki continued the earlier matter and discussed how they would deal with Ouranos and any backlash related to the death of Laverna. Fortunately, since Laverna's Familia wasn't officially recognized by the Guild, they had a bit of leverage to use in the coming negotiations. No matter how matters played out, Laverna would have always been forced to return to Heaven for a probationary period while her Familia was stripped of their blessings. The fact that she had plotted, even indirectly, against the Hephaestus Familia and, by proxy, the Loki Familia gave them a lot of leeway to deal with her Familia as they pleased.The difficult matter was that Laverna had been killed by a mortal as it would become a point of contention amongst the godly community. There were various laws in place to prevent mortals from taking action against gods as the majority of gods were non-combatants. Since the gods were already prevented from using their Arcanum when they came to the mortal world, if there was nothing to protect them, they would be exploited by mortals instead of taking advantage of them. The current system where gods gave blessings to people and received their offerings was an almost irrefutable truth that was required to maintain the status-quo. If the idea that a mortal could go around killing gods without punishment spread, it would lead to chaos and disrupt the established order that maintained the balance between the mortal world and Heaven.Though everyone present believed Laverna got was she deserved, Hephaestus, Loki, and even Anubis wished they had been the ones to deal the blow. Not just for personal vindication, but because they would be able to accept responsibility and pass it off as a conflict of interests. Even still, they didn't blame whoever killed Laverna as everyone present understood something had to have occurred for the situation to progress to this point. Hephaestus and Loki even have a good idea of who the assassin had been and knew she likely acted to protect Vahn.Unable to come up with a permanent solution, it was eventually decided that they would have to take a firm stance and confront Ouranos directly and sway negotiations using their combined authority. Though they would undoubtedly have to compromise so that Ouranos had an excuse to give the other gods and goddesses, nobody present was willing to let harm come to the victims of Laverna's scheme. Hephaestus herself was willing to accept punishment since it was her purchase of the materials that led to the fiasco in the first place, but Loki forced her to back down after she used Vahn's words against her.After everything was decided, Loki and Hephaestus gave orders to their respective Familia as Miach, Takemikazuchi, and Anubis sent their children home. The majority of the people they had brought along were Level 2 or lower, so they weren't contributing much to the current situation. The only reason Anubis's children had been called in was due to their ability to track down people and disarm traps. After they had identified the direction that Vahn had went, they split off to assist the other search parties as the main groups of the Loki Familia pursued Vahn. When Nanu found out that Vahn was safe, she was very relieved and led the children back to the house double-time to patiently wait for his return.Finn was placed in charge as they continued the operation which had turned into a joint investigation with the Guild personnel that had arrived. Using the opportunity when two of the top three Familia had gathered, the Guild had actually requested the cooperation of the Alliance to weed out several other well-known dens of criminals. Though they would have normally refused, Loki and Hephaestus allowed the cooperation to continue since it would give them more leverage in their coming negotiations.Once everything was taken care of, Hephaestus, Loki, Anubis, Takemikazuchi, and Miach all made their way toward the Guild's main branch to confront Ouranos before Laverna had any chance to sway things in her favor. Since it took time to rematerialize in Heaven after death, Laverna wouldn't be able to make use of an Oracle to contact anyone for several hours at the earliest. If they got the initiative, things would be much easier to deal with even if she tried to make things difficult for them.Without any hesitation, the group made their way into the main hall of the Guild before they were intercepted by Royman Mardeel, the Guild Head and public representative of Ouranos in the mortal world. He was an arrogant, yet servile looking, elderly elf with white hair and green eyes. His face seemed to wear a permanent scowl and he radiated an air of superiority when dealing with mortals. However, if any of them saw his current behavior they would have to perform a triple-take because he was presently bowing low and reverentially towards the group of gods and goddesses.Though he acted arrogantly toward mortals, Royman had a profound level of respect for all gods and goddesses unless they proved themselves unworthy of their title according to Ouranos, his Master. After hearing the reason for their visit, Royman quickly made way and personally escorted the group to a hidden elevator at the back of the Guild Head's office. As he was unable to enter without permission, he bowed low as the godly group boarded the platform.As it was the first time for Anubis, Miach, and Takemikazuchi, they couldn't help but ask about where the elevator led. Loki's brows furrowed for a brief moment before she showed an almost crazy smile and responded, "Prepare yourself, as you're about to witness the greatest testament to hypocrisy in both the mortal world and Heaven!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Alliance Grows','Confronting the Sky','Anubis is just happy to be included')I'll be increasing the number of chapters starting next week~https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $717/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

Hearing Vahn's words, Chloe just shook her head slowly as she put away her daggers. While keeping eye contact with Vahn, she said plainly, "I'll explain in more detail later, but assassination is actually my profession. Are you surprised?" As she asked, Chloe tilted her head playfully but Vahn could see her aura fluctuate slightly. Though she was acting casually, Vahn understood she placed a lot of weight in his response.Releasing a sigh, Vahn said, "I'm sure you have your reasons, and one day I'd like to find out. For now, the only thing that really matters is that I know you are a gentle and thoughtful girl that likes to be spoiled." Vahn smiled as he spoke and Chloe could see that there was no hesitation or judgment in his eyes. Though he couldn't see it on her face, Vahn knew she was happy since her aura had stabilized.Vahn reached down and placed his palm on the area where Laverna had fallen and asked, "I really am sorry, Chloe...you had to do something I didn't have enough courage to do myself...I'm a coward." Strangely, when he spoke, Chloe laughed slightly as she walked over to him and squatted down next to where he had knelt down. Before Vahn could ask, Chloe pushed his shoulder a bit and Vahn fell onto his butt with a stupefied expression on his face.Chloe looked at Vahn with squinted eyes and said, "Cowards don't run into enemy territory on their own and save damsels in distress, Vahn. Do you think Milan and Tina would believe the words you're saying right now?" Hearing her words, Vahn felt a bit of hesitation and considered her words before trying to speak.Seeing that he was trying to find his words, Chloe continued, "Tell me, Vahn, after you saved Milan and Tina, how many people did you kill?" Though Vahn was confused at her question, he answered after a brief hesitation, "None..." After he answered, Chloe pulled down her face mask and smiled as she said, "You're unable to kill people unless its to protect other people...even if those people are trying to kill you." When she spoke, Chloe poked the unconscious body of Kuji that was nearby.Verifying that he was still alive, Chloe continued, "You're a good person Vahn...you aren't a coward, nor do you lack courage. If anything, you're closer to a hero that lacks common sense than anything else." Chloe began laughing at her own words before she calmed down and showed Vahn a gentle and concerned smile and said, "I'm sure you've realized it yourself, but there are a lot of people drawn to you...do you know why that is?"Vahn furrowed his brows slightly before responding, "Because I'm nice to them and try to make them happy...?" Hearing his response, Chloe began laughing as she sat next Vahn and rested her head on his shoulder. After a few seconds, she said in a quiet voice, "It's because you can empathize with people...you're very perceptive and thoughtful to the concerns and needs of others, and you're always trying to consider things from their perspective..."Chloe grabbed Vahn's left hand and began fiddling with his fingers as she asked in a lazy manner, "Isn't that the reason why you couldn't kill that goddess?" Vahn remained silent for several seconds as he contemplated her words. As she said, even though he wanted to act out to release his pent of emotions, Vahn couldn't do it after learning Laverna's Divinity and the fact she didn't specifically order Milan's torture. Her greatest sin was negligence, but she wasn't inherently evil...just someone that had been twisted by the whims of fate.Releasing a long sigh, Vahn asked, "What do I do, Chloe? I don't want things like this to happen anymore, but I don't know what I can do to stop it..." In response to his question, Chloe also sighed and explained with a sad expression on her face, "There really isn't anything you can do, Vahn. The brighter your light shines, the more prominent the darkness around you will become. Even if you tried to extinguish the darkness and went on a crusade to eliminate evil, it wouldn't be long before you became tainted by the very same darkness you sought to destroy..."Her words caused Vahn to frown deeply as he recalled the matters that had happened in the past and how he reacted to them. Vahn knew that the more he interacted with that type of person, the more twisted his own nature became. When he saw people tormenting others, he felt a powerful desire to force them to undergo that same torment. Even though he knew it was wrong...even though he had the power to easily kill the people that wronged him...Vahn still couldn't restrain himself easily. Just as Chloe said, if he truly tried to eliminate 'evil', it wouldn't be long before he became the very thing he hated...While Vahn was lost in his own thoughts, Chloe continued to play with his hand as she said, "The best thing you can do is to continue being yourself. Just as there is a lot of darkness that would gather around you, there are just as many people that are drawn to your light in order to escape their own darkness. Many people have tragic pasts and things they regret, and it is people like you that allow us to move forward. Your presence gives us hope that things will one day be okay..."Chloe's words caused Vahn to think about all of the [Hearts Desire]'s that he had seen, and he understood very well what she meant by her words. Everyone around him seemed to have some great tragedy they were trying to overcome, and it was one of the reasons Vahn felt so driven to move forward and grow stronger. However, Chloe's words also caused him to realize something as turned toward her and asked, "You also...?"Tilting her head in response to his question, Chloe locked eyes with him and Vahn could see the sadness contained behind her smile. When she responded to his question, Vahn could hear an uncharacteristic tiredness weighing down her words, "Some of us are born into darkness...and it isn't easy to escape the past..."Vahn felt pained by her words and squeezed her hand that had been fiddling with his. Ever since she had helped him, Vahn had always thought Chloe was a strong and reliable person that he could admire. He never even considered that she was also one of the people that had suffered in the past and was using her own experience to influence her treatment of him. Now that he was aware of the situation, he felt like he had wronged her even more so than he had previously thought.Before he could say anything, Chloe used her free hand to poke Vahn's cheek as she began to laugh playfully. She then said in a somewhat bemused tone of voice, "See, that is what I'm talking about~! The moment you learn something new about a person, you immediately change how you feel and think about them. This is the reason why so many people are drawn to you, but it is also why you'll struggle in the future."Releasing Vahn's hand, Chloe stood up from the corridor and dusted off her butt before turning toward him and saying, "I've already taken action to escape from my past, so I'm happy as long as you continue being yourself. My only hope is that your light is able to shine brightly without ever being marred by the darkness. As someone that has already been fully immersed by it in the past, you can leave those matters to me~."Vahn stood up and quickly closed the distance between Chloe and hugging her tightly with a serious expression on his face. He felt a mixture of anger and sadness as he stared through her mischevious facade and straight through to the melancholy hidden within her heart. With his brows furrowed, Vahn spoke in a sad tone, "I could never accept that...I can't let you bear that burden."Remembering everything she had done for him, Vahn felt like he was going to cry as he stared into her eyes. Not only did she save him when he first came to the City, but she even killed a goddess because of his unwillingness to take action. He felt like he had failed her since he hadn't realized everything she had gone through. Even though she had done so much for him, Vahn felt like he had done nothing for her at all...Chloe's smiled turned into a gentle one as she reached her right hand to Vahn's face and whispered, "It is my choice what burdens I bear...just as you choose to bear the burdens of so many. We're somewhat similar, you and I. Just like you're willing to go against your own nature to protect those you care about, I'm willing to walk through the darkness to make sure your light continues to shine brightly. If you think you owe me anything, just promise me you'll never change..." As her words finished, Chloe stood on her toes a bit as she gently kissed his lips.Though Vahn would normally enjoy the sensation, he couldn't help but feel a powerful sadness as she held her lips against his own for several seconds. With tears beginning to fall from his eyes, Vahn put strength into his embrace as he returned her kiss with his own. He knew there was little he could do to change her decision other than becoming stronger and more reliable. With enough power and influence, there would be no need for her to burden herself in this manner.After nearly a minute, Chloe pulled away from the kiss and gave Vahn a gentle smile as she whispered, "I need to leave from here soon or it might complicate matters. The next time we meet, I'll tell you everything you want to know about my past, okay? Don't be sad for me, Vahn, since I'm happier now than I've been in a long time. Like you said to me in the past, I prefer to see you smile as well~" As she spoke, Chloe used both of her index fingers to forcibly change the frown on Vahn's face into a smile.Though he wanted to smile in order to please her, Vahn instead said in a firm and serious manner, "One day, I'll pull you out from the darkness entirely. I'll find a way to clean up my own messes without losing my light..."Chloe smiled and pulled her fingers away from his mouth before kissing him again for a few seconds. When she was satisfied, she separated from Vahn and squinted her eyes with a cheeky smile on her face as she said, "I believe that day will come as well but, until then, just make sure you spoil me properly whenever you can~! Every little bit of Vahnobtanium brings me one step closer to the light~nya."Even though he had a frown on his face, Vahn couldn't help but loosen up his expression as he asked, "Vahnobtanium?" In response, Chloe put her hand over her mouth and laughed as she responded, "It's the affection you show others~nya! Though it might not be rare, it's a very precious resource that drives away a little bit of the darkness in their hearts. I think I'll coin the term and popularize it at the next meeting~nyahaha."Before Vahn could say anything else, Chloe put her mask back on and ran down the direction of the corridor where Kuji and Laverna had been headed. Since she would likely cross paths with other people if she went back the way she came, Chloe decided it would be best to follow the escape path to its exit. Vahn watched her run away with an incredulous look on his face for several seconds before letting out a sigh and the briefest bit of laughter.Noticing a movement out of the corner of his eye, Vahn turned towards Kuji who still had a burnt hole in his stomach. If he wasn't treated soon, he would probably die from either blood loss or the severe trauma that his body had undergone. If not for the fact that weretigers had high vitality and he was a Level 4, he would have already died long ago.Vahn approached Kuji's body and saw his eyelids twitching a bit as whatever drugs he had taken were probably wearing off and causing his body to experience immense pain. After thinking for a few moments, Vahn turned his head down the path that Chloe had taken to escape. Without changing his expression much, a glint of resolve appeared in Vahn's aquamarine eyes as he pulled out a non-descript black sword and drove it through the heart of Kuji.Even if Kuji hadn't heard any of the conversations between him and Chloe, Vahn wasn't willing to risk having her identity exposed by healing Kuji's wounds and allowing him to spread the information. If Chloe was willing to kill a goddess to keep him on the path of light, Vahn was willing to kill a criminal to protect her secret. Kuji had done many bad deeds in his service of Laverna, and Vahn was giving him a mercy by relieving him from the pain he was suffering.Ignoring the notification that he had received a small amount of negative karma, Vahn put the sword away as he began backtracking along the path toward the surface. There were many people waiting for him, and he had grown tired of the dark and stagnant corridor that smelled of burnt flesh.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Chloe's Burden','Light Within the Darkness','No Witnesses')I'll be increasing the number of chapters starting next week~https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $708/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

Chapter 196: Reunion Above Ground