Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though he knew it had been nearly four years since they began training with Eva, Vahn was still gobsmacked to see how much Terra and Fenrir had grown. The fact that Terra was already Level 7, with the ability to immediately reach Level 8, made Vahn feel a great deal of excitement. He knew that the magic system from Eva's world was actually a higher tier system than even the 'Falna' within the record of Danmachi. By pursuing the path of magic to the extremes, mortals could even transcend gods and obtain their own form of immortality, though the few that reached that extreme could be counted on one hand. There were actually a surprising number of immortals in Eva's record, but most of them were 'made' immortal, meaning they didn't overcome the limits of mortality through the growth of their magic power.While Vahn was momentarily lost in thought, he was also helping Terra groom her feathers while Eva sat at the table, enjoying a strawberry shortcake while sipping on coffee that had a ridiculous amount of sugar inside. Fenrir just curled up into a ball nearby, deciding to take a nap since her Master would probably be busy with Terra and Eva. She had already decided to return to the real world since she wanted to protect her Master and spend more time with him. The four years had taught her what real loneliness was and Fenrir didn't think she could bear it for long, giving her a fair amount of respect for Eva, and the various goddesses in the real world.He hadn't yet finished helping Terra groom when Eva tapped against her pristine white ceramic coffee cup with a silver spoon, causing a very high pitched sound to resonate through the area. Eva knew that Terra could easily clean her own wings so she had been growing a little impatient after the first hour had passed. Her time with Vahn was extremely limited at this point and most of that would be spent teaching him magic, meaning there simply wasn't time to 'play' around with 'other' women. She had become friendly with Terra and Fenrir, but they had the option of leaving the orb whenever they wanted to spend time with Vahn, a luxury she didn't share.The feathers on Terra's wings began to rustle like the sound of wind passing through trees as a fragrant aroma spread through the air. At the same time, misty-green mana spread from Terra's feathers and they began to shimmer before regaining their vitality, completely clean. The main reason for the long grooming session had actually been because Vahn was helping replenish her energy reserves. Eva had easily seen through the fact that Terra was now 'full', so she didn't want to keep sitting around watching them be affectionate with each other when there were more pressing matters. As Terra had a good understanding of Eva's character now, she simply squinted her eyes with a smile before covering her mouth and laughing amusedly at Eva's behavior.Eva furrowed her brows slightly and had a light blush on her face as she rose from her chair and said, "Before I begin teaching you, I need to know exactly how you compare to those two. I may not have the time to teach you everything so we may need to compress your training and focus on the development of your current skills first. Terra can fill in the gaps when you return to the real world, though I'll still do my best to help educate you while you're inside this space." Eva knew Vahn should be relatively easy to teach because, as was demonstrated earlier, he could speak every language that Terra demonstrated fluently.Vahn didn't seem to be aware of it himself, at least until it was pointed out, but he had the ability to interpret any language at an almost instinctual level. Eva had long suspected his existence was abnormal since he was able to use the types of Ancient Magics that were only accessible to gods. His 'naming' ability alone was one of the most powerful forms of contract magic in existence so she wasn't too surprised by the fact he could interpret any language. It was almost like he was the culmination of many rare and forgotten magics, many of which had faded into obscurity and only existed in myths. As there was an incredibly rare magic that allowed knowledge and information to be stored within the blood, Vahn's most unique feature, Eva suspected he had a great deal of knowledge even he was unaware of, all locked away within that tantalizingly sweet and energy-rich liquid...Under Eva's insistence, Vahn ended up in a massive clearing as he faced down both Terra and Fenrir, with the latter standing much closer while Terra stood in the back. Though they were both much stronger than him, at least at a basic level, Eva felt that Vahn actually had a fair chance at victory since he had even been able to pressure her in the past. If he went all out, Eva believed he would be able to suppress both of them, much like he had been able to take down Fafnir, even though he had been much weaker at the time. Thus, after making sure everyone had a [Effigy of the Hero] on their person, Vahn ended up being pitted against the two to see if it was even necessary to teach him the basics.Fenrir was currently wearing her [Nezha Lady's Togi] and her [Aegis Shorts Mk 1] as she squatted down on all fours, ready to begin the fight as soon as Eva gave the notice. Though she would never harm her Master, Fenrir wanted to show how much she had grown so that he would trust her more in the future. She also believed he was 'unbeatable' so, even if she went all out, Fenrir knew her Master would win if he wanted to. Any victory she gained would likely be as a result of him going easy on them, as her Master was actually very soft-hearted, even to his enemies. Fenrir had a much better understanding of how he thought now and she knew that, though he wasn't weak, his mentality will cause him to experience greater struggles in life. This was why she wanted to help bear that burden by, if necessary, becoming a weapon to strike down his enemies so his concerns would be directed towards her, and not enemies that were undeserving of his notice...Unaware of what was going though Fenrir's mind, Vahn had brought his focus to the absolute limit as a subtle golden energy spread through his domain. He knew it was possible for him to lose the moment he dropped his guard and he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the three girls. Fenrir and Terra had a lot of faith in him and Vahn never wanted to let them down and damage the image they had in their hearts. They had already worked hard for on his behalf, but Vahn felt 'compelled' to inspire them to continue working hard in the future by showing them greater heights than they knew. Just like when Fenrir was first born, Vahn intended to make things a little flashy so that she would look at him with reverence instead of 'concern'...Eva raised her hand before saying in a cold monotone, "Begin...". Fenrir's hackles stood on end as a blue aura emerged from her body, startling Vahn a bit because it was almost like she was a character from Dragon Ball. Power radiated from her body as she completely vanished from his sight, causing Vahn's eyes to widen as he also vanished. Moments later, Fenrir reappeared before disappearing against, this time at the area where Vahn had exited his [Shundo]. A massive wave a stark blue energy converged towards Vahn as Fenrir spun around and tried to overwhelm him with raw magical power. Vahn channeled his [Heart of the Eternal] flame while stepping back as fast as he could, not even having enough time to activate his [Shundo].The blue magical energy slammed into the area Vahn had been standing before exploded into a massive pillar of ice more than 15m tall. Even dodging it, Vahn felt a chill in his arms and was aware that Fenrir had 'locked on' to him after getting close. Several after-images appeared as Fenrir climbed higher into the air, using the void itself to gain ground as she shouted, "Master, give me strength! Come spirits of ice! Tundra and Glacier, Spread Forth into the Air, in the Realm of White Night! Frozen Earth!" Vahn had already started taking evasive measures but Fenrir's mastery of [Shundo] was much higher than his, not to mention she also greatly exceeded him in raw agility.Vahn felt like his entire body was being compressed by a heavy pressure as the temperature in the air decreased at a terrifying rate. With his [Eyes of Truth] active, Vahn saw all the ice elemental energy in the air fuse together with an overwhelming amount of magical power as the world around him was almost instantaneously turned into a frozen tundra. Massive pillars of ice erupted from the ground as Vahn used [Shundo] to the limits of his ability as he tried to evade the large area attack. The amount of fire elemental energy in his body had already caused his body to glow like hot metal but Fenrir's ice 'quenched' his body and caused him a great deal of pain whenever he was struck.A few seconds later, the attack completed and Vahn exhaled a large sigh before immediately trying to erect a barrier as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Fenrir had used the pillars she created as a foothold for her [Shundo] to get in a surprise attack the moment Vahn dropped his guard, smashing the makeshift barrier and shattering it like glass as her tiny paw pads slammed into his body. Eva had primarily trained her in hand-to-hand combat, as her affinity with magic was actually pretty terrible, so Fenrir was a competent martial artist with a lot of battle experience. She had wanted to become proficient in defeating enemies without maiming them terribly, so she practiced using palm attacks, amplifying them with her magic power to completely overwhelm anything unfortunate enough to feel the soft fleshy pads against their skin.Vahn felt like he had been hit by a mountain as his body was launched back with a terrifying momentum, slamming through several pillars of ice before he stood back up, this time in his Xuánwǔ form. He couldn't outpace Fenrir's speed so Vahn decided to focus on defense while trying to counterattack her overwhelming offensive might. At the same time, Vahn had an excited smile on his face because battles like this were few and far between and, though it caused him a bit of embarrassment at times, Vahn had become something of a battle junkie after fighting so much. Having an opponent like Fenrir made his blood 'literally' boil as a subtle light shone in his jade-green eyes. (A/N: Vahn's normal aquamarine green eyes have a subtle blue coloration. In Xuánwǔ form, they turn jade-green and glimmer with a magic light, even when his [Eyes of Truth] are active.)As Fenrir launched herself towards Vahn, stepping off the air at several tricky angles that were nearly impossible to follow, a large mass of magical energy coated her entire body. The 'aura' around her had become several times larger than before as she undauntedly spun through the air and smashed toward Vahn with a pillar of ice condensed of pure magic power. Vahn's scaled glowed green as he struck toward the pillar, rotating his hips while twisting his fist like a corkscrew. The pillar immediately shattered into pieces that exploded outwards in a cloud of icy particulates that turned into small beads of water moments later. As if she had expected him to defend against the attack, Fenrir stepped forward at the same time and tried to strike at Vahn's chest with her paws again.Vahn tried to trace his left hand in a circular motion to sweep aside Fenrir's paw but the momentum of her attack made his efforts for naught. It was almost like he was trying to redirect a meteor, meaning Fenrir's paws carried forward in an unstoppable manner as she 'gently' pressed her paw pads against him. Vahn coughed up a mouthful of blood as his body seized up, almost like time had frozen, before he was launched back once again. His black scales glowed with a green light as the snake tattoo on his body began to shimmer with a resplendent gold color. Vahn managed to right himself, wiping the blood from his mouth before getting into a horse stance and shouting at the top of his lungs.With his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn had been analyzing Fenrir's magic the entire time they were fighting so he had been able to understand some of the basic principles behind her spells. As if it was copying the color of his domain, Vahn's body began to emit a resplendent golden vapor that was similar to the blue aura surrounding Fenrir, though much smaller. Eva watched this from the side, squinting her eyes as she muttered, "Truly abnormal...he is learning Fenrir's magic just by watching her..." She had already expected this would be the case since Vahn had even been able to draw some of her more complex magic circles just by seeing them. Though there were some errors in the construction, Eva knew it was just a result of his lack of understanding in the complexities of the laws than anything else. Seeing him 'learning' magic through combat, Eva began to change her plans about how she was going to teach him...When Fenrir stepped into his range this time, Vahn lowered his hips and tried exchanging blows with her directly. Fenrir's eyes glinted with a predatory light as she rapidly twisted her body and tried to smack him with her tail, which Vahn managed to evade as he sent a kick towards her flank. Long before it struck her, Fenrir's body completely vanished from sight as a terrifying presence came from the right side of his body. Vahn leaned into the force and tried to sweep it aside with a backhand strike, mustering the greatest strength he could manage. Fenrir's left foot-paw came into contact with Vahn's strike and the two auras intermixed, almost like they were trying to devour each other. Vahn felt the bones in his arm creak as a dull ache spread through his body, unable to completely resist Fenrir's magical power as it wreaked havoc inside of him.Fenrir actually used the internecine strike to kick off the air and flip over Vahn's hand, striking forward with a sphere of pure-blue elemental energy that was a mix between water and ice. Vahn shielded his face with his left hand and converged his aura to try and buy time to evade Fenrir's attack. Unfortunately, Fenrir's force was simply overwhelming and, even though his body continually heated up to thousands of degrees, Vahn felt like cold water had been poured on his body. The sphere slammed into him and exploded, completely enveloping his upper body in a terrifyingly cold block of ice. Even using Xuánwǔ to try and divert the energy had completely no effect because Fenrir's control over her own magical energy was far higher than what Vahn could manipulate.Though it felt like ice had even invaded his mind, the chill from [Will of the Emperor] was even colder as Vahn resisted the urge to fall into unconsciousness, moving away from Fenrir using [Shundo], carrying the block of ice along with him. Fenrir was immediately on his trail but Vahn sent four links of [Enkidu] to intercept her which the other five created a defensive formation to buy some time. Much slower than he'd like, the ice around his body began to melt as Fenrir's body twisted and contorted as she easily evaded the four chains. She even kicked against one, stunning Vahn when he saw it deform slightly as she used it as a foothold. He quickly used the other five chains to stop her momentum but Fenrir's scarlet eyes darted around rapidly, seeing through the chains movements before she used [Koku Shundo] to escape into the sky.Vahn watched her ascent and knew he was probably going to lose this fight unless he did something drastic. Fenrir was stronger, faster, and now even had more experience in combat than he did, likely fighting against the monstrously powerful Eva several times over the course of the four years she spent in the orb. Unfortunately, he didn't really have time to think about anything as Fenrir shouted words that made him feel very embarrassed, given the circumstances, "Master, give me strength! Gather, twenty-nine spirits of Ice, freeze my enemy. Magic Arrows, Series Glacius!" Though Fenrir didn't actually need to complete the chant, doing so made the magic even stronger and Eva had taught them to always try to do full-chants if given the opportunity.A ring of spectral, icy blue, orbs formed behind Fenrir's body before they shot forward like lasers, the majority curving around [Enkidu] as they made a beeline towards Vahn. He had quickly tried to evade with [Shundo], but the beams followed after him and exploded around his body before he could make a second step. Vahn thought that moving towards them, slipping under their trajectory so they wouldn't be able to curve fast enough to home in on him, would have been the answer. Unfortunately, the beams seemed to reflect off an invisible surface and they drew very sharp angles to continue their pursuit, catching Vahn off guard as he was once against frozen in a block of ice.Vahn felt like his entire body was 'gone', replaced by a numb chill that permeated through his entire body, stopped only by the eternal flame in his chest and the even colder flow from his [Will of the Emperor]. Fenrir landed atop one of the icy pillars she had created, crouching down as she watched her Master with glowing scarlet eyes. Though he hadn't been able to put up much of a fight, Fenrir didn't believe he would be defeated so easily. She had seen him do many incredible feats in the past and knew this wouldn't be the limit of his abilities at all. Almost as if to answer her expectations, a pulse of energy spread from her Master's body, completely shattering the ice around him as he turned towards her with a smile on his face, saying, "Fenrir, you've gotten strong..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'TsunTsun','Vahn, the Anamoly','Overwhelming Power, Fenrir Goes On The Offensive!')(A/N: I went back and edited chapter 630 since I had forgotten to update Terra's Status after getting the bad news. As for why her Level increased so much (without having someone update it), that is because her 'base level' reached that point with the increase of magic power in her body. Fenrir actually has more potential than Terra, but she wouldn't be able to greatly increase her Level without eating A LOT of very powerful monsters, rare items, etc.)(A/N: Update about the status of myself and the novel. I can't say I'm okay, and I'm not sure when I will be able to recover completely. As promised, I will still continue posting at least one chapter a day but there are a lot of things going on right now so please forgive me if the releases are inconsistent for a few days. I know that many of you don't really want to think about bad things happening in the lives of others, so I apologize for getting you involved with my troubles. Thank you for being patient with me and I'm truly grateful for all the support people have shown in the comments section. Though it isn't my place to say things like this, please treasure the people you love since life isn't always going to give you the time you expect. My Mom was only 46 years old when she passed...life can be very unforgiving, but that doesn't mean we can't be good to each other. Reach out and tell the people you care about that you love them, because you may not always have that chance...)https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After sending Asfi off with Haruhime and Mikoto, Vahn dealt with a few other representatives of various Familias and groups, refusing most of the personal requests made. Most of them simply wanted to get extra benefits while trying to make a connection with the Hestia Familia, something Vahn had no intention of allowing. If they wanted to work with the Alliance, it would have been better to simply join beforehand, benefitting in the long term through cooperation. The fact that they specifically tried to make a connection with the Hestia Familia showed they were less interested in 'cooperation' and were trying to take 'shortcuts' to gain benefits.By the time 5 PM was coming around, Vahn moved from the Command Tent and headed one tent over, where the Hesta Familia Tent was located. It wasn't really that accurate a description, as four members of the Loki Familia were also using it, but it was better than the name some had given it. Because Vahn shared the tent with 'only' women, some people in the Expedition called it the 'Heaven Tent' or 'Harem Tent', some in jest while others in jealousy. Vahn had become somewhat 'notorious' in the City, not because he had done anything bad, but due to the fact he was the only male member in a Familia comprised almost entirely of women. There were even some that had started calling him the 'Flower Collector' since there was such 'variety' within the girls surrounding him...Vahn ignored the majority of these comments since it didn't really matter too much how other people saw him, so long as they didn't actually try anything. Most people had enough sense to not even try and approach the girls around Vahn, as another one of the 'rumors' surrounding him was that he could be very overprotective. Since the only people he lashed out at were despicable people, often devoid of normal sensibilities, Vahn didn't really consider himself overprotective. From his perspective, it was 'normal' to get annoyed when arrogant or abrasive men tried to approach the girls, seeing them more like a 'trophy' than anything else. Those that were lascivious by nature were generally bad people and were more prone to causing harm than offering anything constructive through association...After entering the tent, Vahn saw Haruhime sitting with Asfi, both drinking tea in a very practiced manner that betrayed their origins to those perceptive to such things. Seeing his entrance, Haruhime smiled and said, "Welcome back, Vahn. Thank you for your hard work~." Vahn gestured to prevent Haruhime from rising, asking, "Where are the other girls?" out of curiosity. Haruhime blinked in a strangely slow manner before answering, "Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya had all gone to Rivira to see if there was anything interesting in the stalls. As for Mikoto, I imagine she will be back soon..."Understanding the implication behind Haruhime's words, Vahn smiled wryly before nodding to Asfir and making his way into the area where they would have been sleeping. He would probably have to change their arrangements out of consideration for Asfi, but it likely wouldn't make much of a difference. This tent had enough space for twenty people to rest comfortably and Vahn could always attach an extra room later on. By the time they reached the 39th Floor, it wouldn't really matter much since he would create a makeshift residence for them with earth magic, potentially relying on Terra when the time came. Though she would probably spend the majority of the time in the orb, Vahn didn't think she would be against staying outside for a few hours every couple of years...Though it would only cause him to become 'unconscious' for a few seconds, Vahn made sure to use the orb in a secure location where Asfi couldn't see him. She may have been sent to spy on them, simultaneously trying to get closer to the core members of the Alliance, but Vahn didn't expect she would try to impose on them much. It seemed like she and Haruhime were having some kind of 'confrontation' at the moment and Vahn decided to trust in her judgment. Thus, after relaxing in a seated position for a few minutes, Vahn pulled out Eva's orb and inserted his intent inside, preparing himself for the potential changes that had occurred with Fenrir and Terra...The moment he entered the orb, Vahn was reminded why he generally laid down before entering the past since Eva immediately 'pinned' him from his seated position and forced him back on the bed. She had a playful and borderline seductive smile on her face as she licked her lips and said, "It's good that you're on time, Vahn. I had a lot of time to think about 'punishments' for you over the last few years...such a shame~." At the end of her words, Eva chomped down on his neck and began draining his blood, a ritual he was very accustomed to. As he hugged her body, Vahn closed his eyes and noticed that she was draining a fair amount this time around, likely as a result of consuming her mana while training the girls...Almost as soon as he started thinking about Terra and Fenrir, Eva bit him a little harder than normal before separating from his neck and saying, "Don't think about other girls when I'm sucking your blood..." Vahn wasn't sure how Eva had been able to glean what he was thinking but he just smiled and said, "Sorry, Eva..." as he stroked the back of her hair. Eva released a small 'hmph' sound and carefully bit the same spot where she had previously bitten him. She couldn't really read his mind, but Eva could tell if Vahn was thinking about other things since the flow of energy in his body would change. Since he passively resisted her influence when his mind wandered, Eva knew he wasn't thinking about her, even though they were together like this. It made her a little frustrated since she had spent the last few weeks looking forward to their reunion and Vahn didn't seem to mind that much. She knew it hadn't been very long for him since their separation, but it was hard to consider things rationally when she was feeling emotional...For nearly two hours, Vahn pampered Eva and tumbled around with her in the blankets as a means of apologizing for his inconsiderate actions. He could understand why she was upset with him so Vahn wanted to make it up to her by focusing entirely on the adorable little vampire. Compared to his last visit, she was back to wearing white clothing again so Vahn believed she was actually in a better mood than before. Though this made him curious about what changes had occurred, Vahn wasn't in too much of a hurry, even if he was worried about Fenrir...While they were taking a bath, Eva eventually released a sigh and said, "You don't have to worry so much about those two...well, at least the big one. Jeez, this is why I didn't really want those girls to stay inside here from the beginning. I already get so little time with you and now your focus is all over the place, even when I'm naked right in front of you~!" Eva had a frustrated face with a healthy blush as she leaned against the side of the tub before climbing out of it. After walking a few steps with her long blond hair dangling behind her, it suddenly self-dried before Eva was wearing a soft blue gothic dress. Looking back, she had an expression of blame on her face as she said, "Come along my foolish little disciple..."Vahn felt apologetic to Eva but he couldn't deny he was really worried, especially concerning Fenrir and her mental state. Ever since he entered the orb, Vahn had a strange feeling in his heart that was difficult to describe, almost like he 'craved' something. The reason why it was so 'strange' was because Vahn knew the feeling wasn't his own and, though he couldn't trace back the source, he was almost certain it belonged to Fenrir. Eva also didn't really seem to blame him too much for his concern, causing Vahn to feel a little nervous since she was typically more 'forward' than this.When they reached the courtyard of the castle, Vahn noticed that the amount of vegetation had actually greatly increased compared to his previous visit. Most notably, however, was the fact it looked very organized and almost 'pristine' in its arrangement, almost as though he had wandered into a paradise of sorts. As if to explain away his curiosity, Eva looked around and said, "Terra has a very high affinity with nature and has helped convert the area around the castle into a massive garden. How peculiar..." Eva brought her fingers to her chin in thought, curious as to where Terra had gone since she had been here earlier. Remembering why she was currently showing Vahn around, Eva realized why Terra had probably 'hidden' herself so she grabbed Vahn's hand and said, "Let's go..." in a somewhat dull tone.Seeing Eva's behavior, Vahn felt even more nervous and it didn't take long for this emotion to reach a peak since, after Eva brought him into the sky, Vahn saw that a large area of the orb's 'island' had been converted into pure ice. Once again, Eva seemed to realize what he was thinking as she said, "That little wolf of your's has a natural affinity with Water, Ice, and Devouring laws...she really has been a troublesome disciple." Though Eva seemed to be complaining about Fenrir, Vahn could tell from her 'soft' expression they had grown somewhat close over the last four years. Eva liked to put on a cold and resistant front but she was actually a kind-hearted girl that cared about the people she was close to, seemingly more than she cared about herself.After a very short flight, as Eva could even outpace Fafnir is she was serious, they landed in front of what looked like a poorly designed ice palace. It had a 'wild' feeling to it, almost like it was a mixture between a man-made structure and the wrath of nature itself. There were ice spires and twisted landscapes all over the place, accented by what Vahn could tell were supposed to be statues of him. It was honestly a little creepy, but Vahn was more concerned about the inhabitant of the palace than the decor. With his domain, Vahn identified a very small signature within the heart of the palace and quickly made his way forward using [Shundo].Since the internal structure wasn't that complex, Vahn quickly found his way into a large central area where he could see the figure of Fenrir laying on a large bed that had been frozen over. She was clutching a very worn-down version of the [Dakimakura] and didn't seem to be moving at all. Vahn could tell she was alive and quickly made his way to her side using [Shundo], picking her seemingly fragile body up and embracing her tightly as he replenished her nearly depleted energy. Fenrir's eyes fluttered and her startlingly vibrant scarlet eyes opened slightly as she mumbled, "Master...Fenrir has been waiting for you..." in a husky and tired voice.Vahn had already identified that Fenrir wasn't injured so he felt a great sense of relief as a warmth flowed from his chest, answering, "Fenrir is a good girl..." as he stroked her hair. The 'craving' in his heart completed faded away in an instant as Fenrir closed her eyes and showed a happy smile on her face before nuzzling into his chest. From the side, Eva explained, "As her magic power increased, Fenrir's consumption of food reached an unsustainable level. She spent less and less time near the castle, constructing this place as a means of coping with her hunger until asking me to seal her power until your return. Though she could have returned to her core, she wanted to be here when you returned..." Eva felt a little awkward about being here during this reunion because she knew how 'difficult' things had been for Fenrir, and even Terra.Hearing Eva's explanation, Vahn showed a smile that was full of pride and appreciation for the little Vanargandr in his arms. He could also tell that her power had increased greatly since, even after giving her more than half of his energy, Fenrir seemed like a bottomless pit right now. He was tempted to check her Status Board right now but knew it wouldn't actually reflect her growth since the Magic parameter wasn't a perfect indicator of how much mana/magic power a person had. A thousand Magic for an Elf could be significantly more than a thousand Magic for a Human. This was due to the fact that the parameters gained from a Falna didn't always reflect the base parameters of a person properly, which was why Vahn once had the misunderstanding that it didn't matter how much he trained his body in the past. He previously believed that the only important thing was the parameters themselves but, after seeing several signs this wasn't necessarily the case, Vahn believed there was more to it that he needed to research in the future...Fortunately, Vahn didn't have to replenish all of Fenrir's energy for her to regain her ability to move around, allowing her to hug him tightly as she rubbed against his chest. The glow in her eyes had faded a great deal and they now appeared somewhat hazy as a result of the moisture covering them. Fenrir sniffled in a manner that made Vahn's heart ache as she said, "Fenrir missed Master so much...I don't want to stay here anymore, it's too lonely. I'm sorry, Eva, but I want to stay with Master from now on..." Over the last four years, Fenrir had grown closer to Eva and, even though she was still 'scary', Fenrir knew she was a 'good' girl. As for Eva, she had slightly furrowed brows since she was a little bothered by the act that Fenrir was putting on.Though Fenrir had some difficulties communicating clearly at first, Eva had put in a great deal of effort to 'fix' her bad habits. Fenrir could now speak, read, and write in three different languages and they had often conversed together to practice speaking properly. Since Fenrir was able to 'mimic' people very easily, she had been able to fix most of her problems within the first year, meaning she spent the last three years conversing relatively normally. Eva could tell that she was 'pandering' to Vahn a bit, either trying to earn his pity or...thinking till this point, Eva realized that Fenrir may actually be trying to make Vahn feel relieved by pretending not to have changed much...Releasing a sigh, Eva shook her head and said, "I'm going to go find Terra so make sure to head back to the castle after you're done playing around. You're the one that was supposed to learn magic in this orb, Vahn, so make sure you take my lessons seriously later on." With her words finished, Eva teleported directly to Terra's location without bothering to point out Fenrir's little act. Everyone had their own ways of coping with things and Eva wasn't going to get in the way of their little reunion, especially since it was a little annoying to be the third wheel in such situations. She found Terra sitting at a wooden table, sipping on an emerald green tea with a soft smile on her face and a knowing look in her eyes...The moment Eva left, Fenrir's tail began to 'wag' from side-to-side in a natural and steady manner as she looked up and said, "Fenrir has become much stronger, Master...but, Fenrir isn't sure if she has become mature enough...?" Since she hadn't wiped her eyes earlier, there was a fair amount of moisture in Fenrir's eyes as she looked up with a 'puppy-like' expression. Vahn felt like his heartstrings were being plucked at as he looked at her pitiable expression and stroked her head, saying, "I'm sure Fenrir has become much more mature than before..." As the words left his lips. Vahn felt a little unnerved because things would probably progress in a direction he wasn't sure he was ready for.Fenrir turned her head down and just nuzzled against Vahn's chest as a glimmer passed through her scarlet red eyes. She could tell that her Master still wasn't 'ready', even though she knew her own maturity had already passed muster. If she didn't behave childishly, Fenrir knew she would finally be able to become one with her Master, something she had been dreaming off for the last few years. However, her maturity also gave her 'perspective' and Fenrir was able to understand better the reasons why he had been delaying things. He was very reliant on her for his mental stability, almost like one of the 'anchors' that Eina had talked about in the past. If she pushed things forward before he was ready, Fenrir felt like she would be taking advantage of her Master and introducing more chaos in his life...After collecting her thoughts, Fenrir hugged her Master tightly and said, "Fenrir thinks it will take a little longer until she matures completely. When we return to the Manor, Fenrir will talk with the other mature girls and try her best to learn more...Eva is a good teacher, but Fenrir can tell she isn't good at being 'mature' yet..." Though a shiver ran down her back when she badmouthed Eva, Fenrir apologized to her second Master in her heart. She knew how to read people better now and, after watching Eva for nearly four years, Fenrir knew she was a 'damaged' girl, just like her Master was a damaged boy. They both needed companionship and understanding to function properly or they would potentially be corrupted by the loneliness. Now that her understanding of loneliness had also increased, Fenrir felt empathy towards both Eva, and her Master...Completely unaware of what Fenrir was thinking, as she was one of the few people whose aura he couldn't see, Vahn used his [Petting] as he gently stroked her back, saying, "I'm so proud of you, Fenrir...you've really grown up a lot. In the future, I think you'll be able to grow even more, but...I'm glad you haven't changed too much, even if its a bit selfish of me to say..." Vahn knew that Fenrir had probably worked very hard while she was in the orb, especially since Eva gave her some indirect compliments. He was certain things would eventually progress to the point where they ended up together in the future but, for the time being, Vahn felt very relieved that she hadn't immediately wanted to advance things.Fenrir could sense the 'relief' coming from her Master so she just closed her eyes and enjoyed his [Petting] in silence, promising to protect him well with all of her heart. She had worked very hard to increase her strength and even believed she would be able to defeat her Master if they fought, not that she would ever do such a thing. The reason she had worked so hard to become strong was so that she could protect her Master from others, both physically and emotionally. She was now one of the strongest people around him, something that gave Fenrir peace of mind since it had been very frustrating to be surrounded by so many strong people. Now she had the opportunity to stay at his side, protecting both his body and his mind from harm...Opening her eyes slightly, Fenrir suddenly turned her head up to look at Vahn and decided she deserved a bit of a reward for her dedication, saying, "Master...Fenrir has thought about it a lot and wants you to know that she loves you...for now, please just give me a kiss...okay?" Since she already decided not to pressure her Master too much, Fenrir at least wanted something small to tide her over. After all, she waited for him for a whole four years...that's longer than the other girls even knew him, something Fenrir felt gave her the right to ask for a small reward. Fortunately, her Master seemed to agree as he smiled before leaning down and giving her a kiss on the lips, causing Fenrir's heart to flutter as she wrapped her arms around his neck and enjoyed being selfish for a little while longer...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Envious Eyes','Eva, the eternal Tsundere','Fenrir is a good girl...')https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 628: Strength