Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

It was already getting late in the afternoon and Vahn found Eina was actually at Terra's Garden alongside Riveria, Aina, and Ryuu. Since he had also wanted to talk to Aina about the matter of her daughter as well, it was a good opportunity. However, having such a discussion right in front of Riveria, the day before their wedding, was a bit awkward and Vahn was somewhat hesitant before eventually deciding to move forward. He couldn't take a passive approach to such things and Riveria was going to be at the heart of matters soon, especially considering her status and relationship with Aina.When he arrived, all four girls were soaking their legs in the wellspring and Vahn was actually a little surprised that Aina didn't seem to mind that Terra was naked. She always had a gentle smile on her face with slightly droopy eyes, almost like nothing could actually phase her. Since he had approached from a spot where they could see him, all four girls noticed his presence and Vahn's mind stalled a bit when they all smiled at the same time. Even Terra had turned her head towards him and Vahn felt like he had just wandered into an Elven paradise, or at least a strange land full of pointy-eared girls...Aina was surprisingly the first to respond as she laughed like a bell and said, "I'm surprised there is a place like this within the Hearth Manor...its very peaceful and helps calm the heart." Eina looked at her mother and released a small sigh, saying, "I told you he would probably come here soon." Vahn rubbed the back of his head when he heard Eina and said, "Yeah, I needed to talk to the two of you about Risna..." As he spoke, Vahn looked at Riveria, Ryuu, and then Terra as he considered asking Eina and Aina to accompany him into the forest where they could have some privacy. Before he asked, however, Eina moved her feet gingerly through the water and said, "Vahn...I want my sister to be happy, but I'm very conflicted because of how peculiar this situation is..."Riveria spoke up at this point and explained in a surprisingly calm tone, "Risna is still young, but her perception of the world has been shaped by her existence as a Half-Elf in a society that isn't that understanding of her existence. It isn't the fault of her family for trying to look after her, but it won't be easy for her to adapt to normal society unless she is broken out of her shell. Unless you intend to take care of her indefinitely, you shouldn't lead her on and give her false hope, Vahn..." Since he didn't expect such words, Vahn was somewhat confused since he didn't think he was doing anything to lead her on.As if to answer his confusion, Aina laughed once again and said, "It's because you are a very handsome and capable boy near her age...it's hard to consider your options when the 'best' option is already right in front of you. There is also the fact that you have a 'cure' for the infertility issue when both Eina and Risna had previously resolved themselves to never have children...I'm very thankful that you have changed that reality, Vahn, truly...I felt like a failure as a mother knowing my own daughters would grow up without knowing how wonderful it is being mothers themselves..."Aina had originally raised Eina to be a strong girl, knowing she would probably live a difficult life. When Risna was born, however, she felt very guilty and saw the efforts Eina put in to help her little sister, resulting in her spoiling her a great deal as well. She previously believed that they would just look after the flower shop together when Thomas died, as it was actually very possible she would outlive both of her daughters under normal circumstances. Aina believed she would eventually end up alone, but she felt it was a justifiable 'punishment' for burdening her children with such a 'cursed' existence. Vahn, however, had completely changed that and brought her a hope that hadn't existed previously...she truly was grateful to him, especially since he was even able to help Riveria and was likely going to 'save' their entire race.At this point, Ryuu had excused herself since she knew it wasn't her place to be involved in such a discussion while Terra didn't really feel bothered by it at all. As for Vahn, he felt very awkward to be thanked so suddenly and just walked over to sit down next to Eina. Seeing this, Aina actually got up from her own spot and said, "You should sit between your wives~" in a quiet and playful tone. Even when she was talking about something so 'serious' previously, Aina's expression remained soft and gentle, causing Vahn to feel like he couldn't really go against her as he sat down between Eina and Riveria. The moment he did so, Eina leaned into his shoulder and muttered, "We were talking about it before you showed up..."Though he had already expected it, Vahn sighed when he heard Eina's words and just rubbed her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. She was a good sister and a very gentle woman, just like her mother, so Eina actually found it more difficult to 'deny' Risna than to accept her. The only thing stopping her was the fact that Eina didn't want to be someone that burdened Vahn and this was definitely 'unfair' to him, regardless of how he actually felt about it. He shouldn't have to be put into a situation like this where he had to make such 'difficult' decisions that contradicted his base character. But, at the same time, Eina also wanted her sister to be happy and she believed that Vahn really was the 'best' option at the moment.'Nirvana' alone was a life-changing thing and Risna probably wouldn't be able to get over it and simply look for another boy, especially since she never really cared about matters of love in the real world. Her passion had always been fictional romance and, once it reached a certain level, she started writing about it instead, showing no interest in real men until hearing about her marriage with Vahn. Ever since then, Risna had 'pestered' her a great deal about Vahn and, being unable to say any 'bad' things about him, it was almost like she had been 'advertising' her husband to a girl that only knew men from the pages of a book.Like their mother, Eina had also taken 'pity' on Risna and allowed her to get caught up in her own fictional world, doing very little to actually prepare her for real society. She always expected that Risna would end up staying home and helping out around the house, eventually meeting a boy after reaching her late twenties or early thirties. If she didn't find someone she liked, Risna would probably just stay with their mom and help maintain the shop for the rest of her life and simply continue writing books, blissful in her own unique way.Eina herself was aware of the differences in their race, so she knew their mother would have outlived them in normal circumstances, meaning Aina could have looked after Risna to prevent her from actually being lonely...at least, this was the likely scenario before Vahn came into their lives. She hadn't even considered it a possibility in the past, but after learning about the Divination and undergoing Nirvana, Eina figured things would eventually lead down this road at some point and had simply hoped to avoid it for a longer period of time. After all, she was very concerned about Vahn's mentality and wanted him to live a more 'normal' life, not continue introducing new factors into it for him to deal with...After collecting her thoughts, Eina continued by asking, "Vahn, do you think my sister is cute...?" Vahn furrowed his brows in response but Eina had already lifted her head to stare at him, clearly to see if he was being truthful or not. Turning his head up, Vahn started at the blue sky overhead for a few seconds before saying, "There are many beautiful women in the world, but I can't be involved with all of them...yes, your sister is cute, but I don't want to make things awkward for you, Eina. It's fine that you care about her, but you shouldn't make so many sacrifices for the happiness of others. Everything you've done for me is something beyond what I can ever repay, so I should at least have the resolve to make sure you can live with peace of mind..."Eina's eyes opened a little wider before she showed a happy smile on her face and hugged Vahn's arm, locking her hand with his in the process. With her eyes closed, Eina leaned against his shoulder while Vahn tightened his grip on her hand, resolving himself to do what was necessary to make Eina happy. Before he could actually think of what the best course of action was, however, Eina suddenly said, "I think we should let Risna stay here...I don't want her to be lonely and I think it would be better for her if she could interact with everyone else. And, before you say I'm making sacrifices, I'm really not...this is actually me being selfish since I want my little sister to be just as happy as I am."Though she still felt very awkward about the situation, hearing Vahn's earnest words and knowing the limits he was willing to go for her made Eina feel very warm inside. Even if they went fast, Eina was confident it would be a few years at the earliest before anything actually happened between Vahn and Risna. Her sister wasn't the proactive type and she wouldn't be able to move out of consideration for the other girls in the Manor, especially Riveria, herself, and the various goddesses. Depending on how things progressed, she may even 'flee' the Manor after a bit of time passes since she wouldn't want to upset any of the other girls she opens up to.Vahn furrowed his brows slightly and felt conflicted but it seemed like he had completely lost the momentum because Riveria said, "If you're worried about me, you really shouldn't be Vahn. You can call it my pride, but I'm not the type that likes to owe great debts to people. Even if she would never accept it, I owe an endless debt of gratitude toward Aina and I would never stand in the way of her children's happiness. I'm also even more indebted to you, something I'm sure you've taken into consideration at times and would also never expect me to repay. However, I will always endeavor to do so in the hopes of standing at your side with my head held up high..."Riveria was a very prideful woman and never expected herself to actually be in a situation where she was involved with a man that also had other lovers. However, that had changed drastically when she met and interacted with Vahn and she didn't really have much against the idea, even feeling guilty at times because she felt like she was 'taking' him away from other girls. Her matters, especially regarding the Elven Kingdom and her Race's issues, were things that shouldn't have to be entrusted to any singular person. Vahn, however, had taken the burden upon himself while at the same time whittling down her defenses and finding his way into her heart. Riveria had never truly considered matters of love before interacting with him and, now that she had let him into her heart, she really couldn't imagine being with anyone else, at least not if she wanted to be happy...With the combined 'attacks' of his two wives, Vahn felt like it was very difficult to actually say anything about the matter since all of his actual inhibitions were the concerns he had for the other girls. People may call him fickle in love, something he was very aware of himself, but Vahn actually wanted to show his love to others. If Risna actually approached him in the future, he knew things would eventually progress to that point because he 'wanted' to show people the same love he received from them. With Eina, Riveria, and even Aina seemingly supporting that development, Vahn found himself at a loss for words. He held hand with Eina and Riveria in silence for a very long period of time, staring aimlessly toward Terra and watching her tail snake through the water...After collecting himself, Vahn grabbed their hands more firmly and said, "I will not actively pursue Risna...but if things develop to that point, I will do my best to make her happy..." It felt strange to talk about such things when the most important part of the equation, Risna herself, was currently absent. There was actually no 'guarantee' she would even want to be involved with him in the future, though all the signs pointed towards such a development happening. She had already tried to appeal to him several times since their first meeting but that could just be her childishness and curiosity getting the better of her. For some girls, it was 'safe' to try and tease men they didn't actually think they had a chance with and Risna seemed like that type of girl from what he could see. The only 'contrasting' point was that she was very introverted by nature but had tried behaving in a forward manner when they first met...At this point, Eina sighed and released a, "Mouuu~" sound of exasperation before saying, "Vahn, I'll never forgive you if my sister gets pregnant before me..." It was obviously a joke, but Eina was actually very serious about it at the same time. It had always been an important part of her character to be the 'big sister' and she even made a request that Vahn didn't make her look younger than Risna previously. She couldn't 'tolerate' the idea of her little sister suddenly getting pregnant before her and wondered if she needed to try harder in the future. Vahn felt a cold sweat when he heard Eina's words and reminded her, "I can help you get pregnant whenever you want, Eina, you just have to let me know..."Eina flushed a deep crimson when she received Vahn's reminder because, if not for her wanting things to happen 'naturally', she would probably already be pregnant. Even Riveria flushed slightly since she knew tomorrow would probably be the day she herself became a prospective mother. As for Aina, she began to laugh in an elegant manner after seeing Eina's and Riveria's expressions, musing at how 'forward' Vahn's words were. She actually didn't know about Vahn's ability to 'guarantee' pregnancy and thought he was just talking about being more 'proactive' in the bedroom. Somehow, the image of her 'little sis', Riveria, showing a bashful expression in the bed made Aina feel a very strong desire to laugh.---Vahn spent the remainder of the afternoon talking with the three girls, even having Terra join them at one point as they all sipped on tea and ate a few snacks. Though it might be 'unfair' to Risna, it was decided that she would be kept in the dark about the 'decision' that had been made because everyone wanted her to get close to the others first. To avoid any potential conflicts from occurring, though it was rather unlikely given the current 'climate' within the Manor, it was important that Risna become part of the group first. She would have to take the same vows as everyone else and, even if she wasn't interested in training, would need to help around the house and stuff at the very least.Even Preasia did things like cooking and cleaning while even opting to have one of the smaller rooms in the Manor since she didn't want to 'take advantage' of the kindness she received. Unless Risna could be 'cured' of her bad habits, it was too dangerous for her to actually be in a committed relationship. Since she would probably undergo many changes by interacting with the other girls, it was important she didn't have the pressure of a potential relationship on her mind as it would dictate how she acts around the others. Leaving it as a 'speculative' matter might pressure her in a different way, but it also gave her the opportunity to open herself up and try to get closer to people other than Aina and Eina.Since she actually had good 'synergy' with Hestia and Haruhime, it wouldn't be a bad idea to entrust her to them, especially the latter since Haruhime was very interested in books as well. That would also allow her to talk with people like Hephaestus while interacting with girls like Mikoto, Naaza, Lili, Preasia, and potentially even the group of Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya. Since Tiona was fond of stories, she actually joined the youth troupe when Vahn was reading to them. Lefiya was actually slightly younger than Risna and could probably be a good friend to her if they got along well, which didn't seem like a big barrier since Lefiya was actually a very considerate girl...After discussing it for a bit, Vahn started to realize that the Manor was actually a very 'safe' place for people that were either damaged or hadn't adapted to society. There were many people that were very caring and almost everyone gathered was very considerate of everyone else. Just being around would slowly reshape how people saw the world, often allowing them to become much stronger people as a result. It was a little strange to consider, as he was at the 'heart' of everything, but Vahn felt like what they had created together was a very beautiful thing. He just needed to find out a way to 'spread' his time better so that he could show each girl the affection the deserved while also looking over his future children.Preasia's Innate may provide some insight into that, but there was also a good chance he could learn how to make dimensional and memory orbs from Eva. Regardless of which route he ended up taking, the most important thing was that he treated the matter seriously and continued doing his best. Even if things didn't always work out, Vahn felt like the powerful bonds everyone had been building were strong enough to keep things from falling apart. Since he was the 'heart', Vahn just needed to make sure he didn't let them down by making a decision that would drag them all onto a path that was filled with regret and loneliness...such as the one he experienced in the Divination.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Pointy-Eared Paradise','TFW the mom is trying to pawn their children off on you...','Don't fuck it up, Vahn-boi (UwU)~!')(A/N: Once again, let me reiterate that this doesn't 'guarantee' anything will happen, its just a setup in accordance with the context of the story. Btw, I almost can't wait to 'escape' the Danmachi record after this so I can avoid doing harem stuff for the most part xD. It is almost painful at this point!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Vahn spent the evening with Hephaestus since Eina actually decided to spend a bit of time with her family at the Guest Residence, even dragging her sister out of her room to accompany her. Hephaestus was well into her pregnancy so they didn't do anything other than cuddling, not that Vahn complained at all since Hephaestus helped him relax a great deal just by hugging him. Though he didn't really have a preference for bust size, Vahn felt that it was very comfortable to be hugged by a mature woman with big breasts since it helped calm his mind. Since Hephaestus also seemed quite fond of the action, it was doubly effective and Vahn quickly ended up falling asleep with her stroking his head very lovingly...Good things are typically short-lived, however, and it didn't seem like the flies lingering around the Manor had any intention on letting him rest. Around midnight, Vahn felt a ping pass through the defensive formation protecting the Manor. It was triggered by Terra but Vahn knew she wouldn't activate it unless she wanted to call his attention to something. Waking with a start, Vahn equipped his armor and explained, "I'll be back shortly, you don't have to bother yourself with this matter." before giving Hephaestus a quick kiss and heading outside. A rumbling sound emitted from the northern side of the Manor and Vahn felt vibrations through the ground, using [Shundo] to close the distance in a hurry.What he saw when crossing over the top of the Manor made Vahn release a sigh before he leaped down to the ground without hurrying along any longer. Terra was currently in her dragon form and there were several Elves wearing dark clothing laying all over the ground. Through his link, Vahn could sense Fafnir as well but it seemed to be using the shadows to seal off any possible path of retreat. At this point, only a single Elf remained conscious and she was pressed to the ground under Terra's claw. Vahn was somewhat surprised to see a woman but it wasn't as if the policies of the Elves only influenced men.Terra turned to him as he approached and said, "Master, this one should be the leader of this little night party~." Though she was a pacifist by nature, Terra was incredibly territorial and the fact they had tried to invade the Manor earned the Elves her ire. She hadn't killed any of them personally, but she made sure to punish any of them that tried to cast magic within her dominion. Since Elves primarily used nature-based magic, they couldn't even form spells completely unless she 'allowed' them to. The exception were those few who had powerful wind magic, but they were the first to fall when Fafnir appeared and completely dominated them.Vahn looked around and saw a big crater that made him grimace and swear to ask for compensation from the Elven Kingdom in the future. Walking forward, Vahn saw the Elven woman who looked like she was a few breaths short of death as Terra continued to press her into the ground with enough force to almost bury her. Waving his hand, Terra moved her foot away before Vahn grabbed the back of the woman's hood and lifted her up as if she was a stray cat, asking, "Tell me, what allows you to come into my home uninvited in the middle of the night? Is this the Elven Kingdom's way of declaring war on the Alliance?"The Elven woman had honey-blond hair and purple eyes, somewhat unique considering she was a full-blooded Elf. She had a fierce look on her face until Vahn mentioned the prospect of war in such a casual manner. Seeing the green dragon standing at the side, she didn't think they would fare well in a war against such creatures. Their nine members had been completely decimated almost immediately after the fight began, barely managing to cast a single spell even with their combined efforts. However, she refused to show weakness in front of a 'human' boy, especially one that was holding one of their nobles hostage, even more so since the one being held captive was Riveria, the daughter of the King...With a serious look on her face, she said in a cold tone, "Go ahead and kill me, human, but know we will never let you get away with this. Our ancestral spirits will curse you and your entire lineage until there is nothing left! Despicable...fiend!" Vahn arched his brow and asked, "I'm despicable for wanting to protect my home from intruders? Interesting theory...so, are you going to tell me why you came here?" Given how the woman was reacting, Vahn felt like things weren't quite clear and he was interested to see what 'excuse' she might have at the ready. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be willing to talk and just maintained a resolute look in her eyes as she gnashed her teeth.Vahn continued to hold her by her cloak and contemplated what he was going to do, audibly 'hmming' as if he didn't really care about her glare at all. He passed his perception over all the unconscious members of the group and saw that, other than some 'very' serious injuries, none of them were dead yet. Since none of them actually had black auras, Vahn knew they weren't truly 'bad' people and were probably being misled somehow. He already decided earlier that he didn't feel like killing people on his day off so he just dropped the woman unceremoniously and let her fall to the ground. Her impression of him really didn't matter and he saw no need to treat her kindly, especially since she cursed his 'entire lineage' with her baseless threats.While he was collecting all the bodies, the woman actually tried to cast a spell at his back but Vahn 'theatrically' snapped his fingers and her magic circle completely shattered, causing her to cough up blood in response. Terra held her claw up and asked, "Do you want me to break even more of your bones~?" in an eerily 'gentle' tone. This time, the Elven woman just gnashed her teeth and lay powerlessly against the ground as she lamented her failure. Several of her ribs were broken and, if not for the fact she was nearly Level 4 in strength, she might have been squashed by Terra previously. Of course, Terra had held back her strength as she had no actual desire to kill anything unless it was a 'real' threat.After gathering up all the bodies, Vahn pulled out an ornate staff that immediately caused the woman to close her eyes tightly when a massive magic circle appeared under his feet. She thought Vahn had gathered them up to simply get rid of them all at once but, instead of pain and agony, she felt a gentle and invigorating warmth. The pain in her ribs began to fade away and she was able to breathe normally after a short few seconds had passed. Opening her eyes, she saw all of her companions were being healed at a visible rate and looked to Vahn with confusion. The magic circle faded away shortly thereafter and Vahn tossed the staff back into his Inventory with a wave of his hand.Seeing the confusion on the woman's face, Vahn tilted his head and asked, "What, are you really disappointed I didn't kill you?" At this point, the other Elves began to wake up as well, all showing cautious looks with clear disbelief written on their faces. Fafnir and Terra were both around but they all knew the most dangerous entity was the boy standing right in front of them with an 'evil' smile on his face hidden behind a mask of gentleness. Vahn saw their reactions and released a sigh before asking, "Are you really not going to tell me your reason for trespassing my Manor? Well, I can pretty much guess some of the reasons so it doesn't really matter...well, I'll be taking you to the guards now, so explain it to them if you feel like it."Since none of them seemed evil, Vahn assumed they had probably been led astray somehow and it seemed to be the case given how they were all pretty young, probably between 30-50 years old. The strongest among them was only Level 3 and she didn't really seem to have the awareness of an Adventurer, meaning she probably spent the majority of her childhood in the Elven Kingdom. As for the rest, they were all Level 2 but that was the 'norm' for those that left the Kingdom and Vahn could tell by the density of their mana they didn't maximize their potential before Leveling up.Because none of them answered, even after he waited for a few long seconds, Vahn waved his hand and summoned [Enkidu]. The group panicked and tried to react to the sudden 'attack', but Vahn just converged his domain on them and, from their perspective at least, it was like having gravity multiple several times and they couldn't rise. A few seconds later, they were all wrapped up in a shining golden ball that Vahn unceremoniously picked up. He would have gotten Fafnir or Terra to try and move it, but he knew from experience they would lose their strength in the attempt. Heaving them over his shoulder, Vahn ignored them trying to writhe about and let their 'curses' wash over him like a light drizzle that couldn't even harm the earthworms below.Using [Shundo], which was quite the experience for the Elves who thought he could 'teleport', Vahn quickly reached the gate and threw the golden ball into the street where guards were already waiting. Vahn explained, "These people invaded the territory of the Hestia Familia and have kept their identities and purpose a secret. I'll leave them to the Eirene Familia to investigate, but will be expecting a report so we can follow-up on the matter in the future." The man Vahn was speaking to was named Gilbert, one of the Level 3 Guard Captains that typically patrolled around the Hearth Manor during the evenings. He quickly had his men bind up the Elves before gagging their mouths with a rope covered in runes, effectively sealing away their ability to chant.Though most of the people within the Eirene Familia could be trusted, Vahn gestured before the guards dragged them away and brought the group to a stop. Gilbert looked over, asking, "Was there another matter, Sage Aldrnari-sama?" in an almost reverential tone. Most of the senior members of the Eirene Familia had a great deal of respect for Vahn since Eirene often serenaded them with tales of his heroic deeds. When he saw Vahn carrying a bundle of people on his shoulder as if they were a sack of potatoes, Gilbert had nearly burst out laughing at the sight and was very impressed by how 'casual' he acted when dealing with criminals.Vahn locked eyes with three different people in the bundle of Elves, including the purple-eyed woman that was likely the leader of the group. He smiled to Gilbert and said, "These people may have been misled and entered the territory of the Hestia Familia without knowing the severity of their offense. Make sure they aren't mistreated and have Eirene and Loki deal with them personally if necessary...I don't want to learn they were mistreated later on, okay?" Gilbert immediately gave a loud salute by clanging his gauntleted fist against his breastplate and saying, "You can leave it to me! On my pride as a Guard Captain of the Eirene Familia, I, Gilbert Motier, will swear to see these Elves are treated fairly and in a just manner!"Though he knew Gilbert was a commendable man, Vahn was surprised by his earnest behavior and smiled happily when he saw the magical light of a vow emerge and pass into Gilbert's chest. Pulling a black tab from his Inventory, Vahn tossed it over and said, "Feel free to stop by the Clubhouse in the future, Captain Gilbert." As he hadn't expected such a 'reward', Gilbert's face beamed and he hastily pocketed the black slip before urging his men to escort the Elves to the closest outpost, which was only a few blocks away. His colleagues looked at him with envious eyes because the 'Clubhouse' was actually growing very famous recently and many people wanted membership. Since the slip would allow him to invite up to two people, assuming they were 'vetted' by the other members, many people started considering how best to butter up to Gilbert in the future...Vahn watched the guards march away before deciding to check the perimeter of the Manor to make sure there weren't any other places that had been broken through. He could tell they actually used a very rare talisman that allowed them to pass through most barriers undetected and there was a non-zero chance others may do the same. It was a little annoying so Vahn figured he should help Terra expand her dominion further in the future since they couldn't really fool her senses unless they could completely avoid the ground. Since flight magic would immediately trigger Fafnir's notice, the Manor would be completely protected at all times as long as it and Terra were present. At least he could guess at the identity of the 'backers' of the group since a single talisman cost as much as ten-million Valis, something most people couldn't afford one of, much less nine.After checking the entire perimeter, Vahn went to Terra's Garden for a bit to thank her for her efforts and spend a little time with her. She slept outside far more than she slept inside and Vahn couldn't really say anything about it since she was simply more comfortable at the heart of her Dominion than anywhere else. He had even offered to help build a large greenhouse in the area and allow her to use a normal bed, but Terra 'preferred' her roost since beds actually weren't that comfortable to her in her humanoid form. She couldn't easily lay on her back with both her wings and tail in the way and it was actually more than a little uncomfortable to lay flat on her stomach. She preferred to rest at an incline with her legs and wings soaking in the wellspring so Vahn respected her decision.Though he had already given the 'clear' signal through the network, considering that many of the girls had probably woken up after the 'ping', Vahn hurried back to Hephaestus' side after a while and climbed back into bed. He had 'wasted' an hour outside at this point and was somewhat eager to return to her warmth, as it was easily one of the most comfortable feelings since their bodies had very high compatibility. She was the only goddess he had been able to completely 'fuse' with in the past, as a result of his [Heart of the Eternal Flame] and the perfect fire elemental affinity it afforded him. Her body could actually increase to several hundred degrees when she was very excited, something that incited Vahn to do the same and it was always a very exciting experience even though they had only done it twice.This time, though, Vahn had no intention of doing something so exciting and was just happy to feel the warmth from Hephaestus' stomach as she held his head close and hugged him in her warm embrace. The only person that gave him more comfort was Hestia, but that was a result of her honestly 'ridiculous' Love parameter and the influence of her Divinity. Vahn had learned at this point that, if it came to 'Family', Hestia had a lot of 'power' and could say some very compelling things that always reached the hearts of those that were listening. This was why, when they had first met, Vahn would fall into a daze when she comforted him and it was almost hypnotic how pleasant and gentle her words were. Even now, just by thinking about her, Vahn could feel an all-encompassing love suddenly wrap around him and it was almost like Hestia was cradling him alongside Hephaestus...---There was no real need to wake up early, but Vahn still awoke just before 5 AM and checked the status of Eva's orb before stroking Hephaestus' hair, saying, "I'm going to check to make sure nothing else tried to slip in while we were sleeping. Go ahead and rest longer since the wedding won't be for a few hours..." Finished with his words, Vahn leaned over and kissed Hephaestus on the forehead before heading down to do exactly what he said. He wasn't surprised at all to be intercepted by Riveria along the way and explained the situation to her, including the details and descriptions of all the Elves that 'invaded'. Riveria didn't seem to know any of them, as it was somewhat difficult to actually tell Elves apart since many had similar traits if they were from the same clan. For example, if Vahn told her it was a 'beautiful Elven woman with blond hair and blue eyes", Riveria would be able to imagine more than a hundred different possibilities, just from memory alone.Since it wasn't that important to worry about them right now, they just spent some time inspecting the formation together while making small talk. Riveria had actually calmed down a lot compared to how she had been acting throughout the week so Vahn was happy. She had probably talked with Aina a bit more and, as they were both very close to each other, Riveria likely came to some important decisions and found the resolve she was looking for. This afternoon would be a key moment in Riveria's life so it was better she was 'ready' beforehand, which seemed to be the case based on the stability of her aura and her behavior. Vahn was greatly looking forward to their wedding as well and was uncharacteristically more 'flustered' by the idea than Riveria...at least for the time being.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Terra has a crush for Vahn~','Gilbert unlocks [Luck]','Riveria's Calm Disposition...?')(A/N: We're Rank 9~! Those are rookie numbers (&gt;,...,&lt;)~!)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 605: Happiness : Bonds