Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn awoke the next morning feeling a new form of contentedness he had never quite experienced before. Instead of just sleeping with the combinations of Erika and Loki, or Hephaestus, Ina, and Vana, Vahn instead stayed with all five of them as the girls themselves decided to have a slumber party. The idea had been proposed by Vana when she saw the awkward atmosphere around Ina and Erika, the former asking him to sleep with them while the latter, as far as Vana could tell, seemed sad. Worried for both her sisters, Vana offered the compromise and managed to convince them both that it would be fun.As a result of Vana's brilliant solution, Vahn ended up playing and chatting for a few hours with all three of his Vanir children and their mothers at the same time. It was a very interesting experience that made him feel as though his soul was being healed by their smiles. Of course, when the girls changed into their pajamas, Vahn realized he had underestimated how happy he could be at the moment. Ina had transitioned to wearing panda pajamas now while Vana now wore bear pajamas that had a goofy face on the hood. Erika, however, dealt the critical blow that brought low the man known as the Sage Aldrnari. Her tiger jammies suited her so perfectly that Vahn felt compelled to look towards the void, almost as if he had could see how beautiful the future would be in the distance...When it was finally time for bed, Vahn ended up hugging all three of his daughters on his chest while Loki and Hephaestus flanked them. It was an experience that filled him with so many positive emotions that Vahn felt like he could bear the weight of the world without any difficulty whatsoever. The fact that Doppel was tightly wrapped around his leg, also wearing its own tiger jammies, just made the experience even more fulfilling. It had been attached to him ever since the time he had turned into a Doppelganger himself, likely still believing him to be one and just 'really' good at his current disguise. This embarrassed Erika a great deal as, in an obvious attempt to appeal to him, Doppel would often transform into her while in her clingy state...Though he would have liked to stay in bed forever, reality was never so kind as to afford people long periods of sublime happiness. The girls eventually woke up and, after helping them wash their faces and brush their teeth, everyone moved to the onsen to take a bath. After dropping off their clothes in the changing room, Vahn, Hephaestus, and Loki trailed behind the three young Vanir as they made their way into the onsen proper.Always being full of energy, even after she just woke up, Vana ran forwards with her arms wide before jumping into the hot water, shouting, "Cannonball~!" She had picked up the habit during one of the times they had been playing together with Alexa in the orb. Though many of the girls in the Manor had reprimanded her for running in the bath area, Vana had a bad habit of conveniently 'forgetting' things that kept her from having fun. To make her behave, the girls had tried to get him to be firm with her but, being the doting father he was, Vahn had just said, "Let her be happy and free while she is still young enough to enjoy such things..." This reminder had been the only thing necessary for most of the girls to take a step back, even Hephaestus. After all, the Vanir only had a very short period of time to experience their childhood, making it very difficult for Vahn to ever rationalize being too hard on them when they were just playing around.After sitting in the water with everyone else, Vahn turned his eyes towards the 'sky', which was now completely covered with a powerful barrier. It was enough to make him have a headache, even when looking at it with his [Eyes of Truth], so Vahn was confident that it would prevent anyone from spying on them as easily as Zeus had. In a way, the elderly god was fortunate that it had been Lili and Naaza with him at the time. Had he eyed up his children, even out of curiosity, Vahn didn't think he would have been able to keep his anger in check..."Papa, will you wash my hair...?" While he had been looking towards the barrier, ensuring there were no abnormalities, Ina had waded over to him with a bottle of shampoo that had a very subtle smell of lavender. His nodded his head with a smile and had Ina sit between his legs while simultaneously splitting his body into two, as Erika's sidelong glance hadn't escaped his notice. Moving over to her side, making sure to cover himself with a towel, Vahn sat behind the bashful girl who made no attempt to refuse his assistance. Instead, she just blew bubbles in the hot water while letting him massage her scalp with his fingers in a very practiced manner.Having four hands gave Vahn several advantages compared to the past, especially when it came to pampering and taking care of the people around him. It allowed him to quickly cycle through everyone that wanted to have their hair washed by him, even Hephaestus and Loki. Vana was in a 'self-reliant' phase right now, however, so she had ended up completely covering herself with suds without any assistance, causing the area of the onsen she was using to look more like a bubble bath. It was a bit wasteful, but Vahn could buy a bottle of the rather expensive shampoo for only 3 OP from the system shop.While the bath was ongoing, Vahn detected a 'pulse' within the formation surrounding the Manor while Loki and Hephaestus also made slight frowns. This indicator meant they had a guest and, as there was nothing scheduled for this early in the morning, it meant they were 'uninvited'. Vahn withheld his sigh, using his water manipulation to make a small vortex to help the girls rinse their hair before stepping out of the bath himself, saying, "I'll take care of it. Enjoy the bath and get some breakfast. If it's something important, I'll let you know through Syr..."Ina made a slight pout and asked, "Papa, are you going to be busy...?" while her eyes began to glow with a mystical blue light. Vahn now knew that Ina actually used her technique to find out when he would next be free, all so that she could be the first to come to his side when he wasn't busy. He waited for her skill to come to an end, as Ina didn't seem to be able to pay attention to her surroundings while using her 'foresight'. When the light fade, he smiled to her, suppressing the annoyance he felt in his heart while saying, "Don't worry, your Papa always prioritizes you girls whenever he can. I'll probably be joining you for breakfast after I see what our guest needs so early in the morning. If I don't manage to show up, I promise to pamper you a lot later, okay~?"As if she had already seen the event herself, which was almost assuredly true, Ina happily nodded her head with an 'Nn!'. Vahn, however, had noticed the slightly sad look in her eyes, telling him that he likely wouldn't be able to attend breakfast. He sent a look towards Loki, which the goddess easily understood as him telling her that it might be a troublesome matter. Even so, Loki acted as if she hadn't noticed it at all, a perfect mask on her face as she turned to the observant Erika and began playing with the latter's squishy cheeks.Erika had obviously been paying close attention to things so, to keep her from prying into such matters so early, Loki began teasing her for the remainder of the bath while thinking about what trouble might have found their way to them this time around. Unfortunately for them, they had decided to bother Vahn when he was happily doting over his daughters. He had made a lot of progress in his interpersonal communication skills, especially during negotiations. She knew he would be able to deal with most matters himself and, imagining the lamentation of whoever had decided to bother him during this time, Loki couldn't help but crack a small smile.It didn't take long for Vahn to get outside, even though he wasn't in a particular hurry since their guests seemed to be patiently waiting. Then, just as he was wondering who might have come by so early in the morning, Vahn's domain reached beyond the gate and began to give him insight into the matter. He immediately recognized that one of the people was a god but it was the other two presences that made him feel slightly shaken. In an instant, his face hardened slightly and Vahn activated his [Eyes of Truth] to get a look at his three unexpected guests, especially the two ridiculously strong auras surrounding the god.The moment Vahn looked to see the appearance of the three people, he noticed they had also trained their eyes on him, leading to a rather awkward and tense moment where all four of them entered into a staring contest of sorts. Vahn noticed that they were two women and a male, the latter of which had eyes like a dragon's, glimmering with an intimidating light. His hair was a strange black with a blue luster to it, with golden eyes containing slit-like pupils. Based on the fact that the man had a figure that seemed to be cut from marble, a massive sword on his back, and a domineering aura, Vahn knew this man had to possess powerful physical might.Behind the man, whom he seemed to be protected, was a goddess standing around 170cm tall with auburn-red hair and golden eyes that glimmered with the light of intrigue and boundless wisdom. Vahn had met with several gods and goddess with a Divinity related to Wisdom, so he was almost positive this goddess was among their ranks. What he found strange was the fact she openly wore her godly raiment, giving her the mixed appearance of a warrior and a scholar. There were numerous magic items covering her body as well, more than eleven from what he could see at a glance...The third person didn't stand out as much as the tyrannical looking man, but her looks would have easily drawn a crowd if she were to walk openly in public. She seemed simultaneously gentle, with a peaceful and calm expression on her face, while also striking a heroic and insuperable appearance. Vahn couldn't quite put it into words, but it was almost like she was an immovable mountain, even though she was an immaculate beauty with ashen-grey hair and pale blue eyes. Though she was somewhat petite, standing at only 154cm tall, Vahn's instincts told him that she wouldn't be an easy opponent to deal with at all, especially with what looked like an entire assortment of S-Ranked equipment covering her body. Her armor gave her a valiant appearance and Vahn even detected a budding intelligence coming from the sword sheathed within the kite-shield strapped to her back.While he was appraising them, Vahn knew the three were also doing the same in regards to himself. The goddess had likely come here as a result of her intrigue and it was clearly written on her face that she, at the very least, had some degree of appreciation towards him. Her aura was clear and calm, like the blue sky overhead, without a single fluctuation to be seen. The woman on her right, strangely, had a few strands of purple intermixed with light yellows and an almost indiscernible pink tinging the edges. She seemed to be afraid of something, though Vahn felt that it wasn't directed towards him. As for the man, his aura was completely unrestrained right now and, though it was only an 'illusory' sense, Vahn perception picked up the visage of a dragon forming behind the man...Though he had stopped momentarily to exchange glances with them, Vahn began to take slow and steady steps forward, each one building up his own momentum. The man accompanying the two girls didn't seem hostile to him, so much as 'eager to challenge', so Vahn didn't show any hostility himself. This didn't mean he was just going to let the man freely loose his aura outside his gate, however, so Vahn continued increasing his momentum until spatial fluctuations began to appear between him and the man. Even though they couldn't see each other directly, the two kept eye contact with each other, with the man himself developing an excited grin on his face, a stark contrast to Vahn's firm and steady countenance...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vana is so considerate (UwU)','Never mess with a doting father's happy family time...you dun fucked up now~!','I wonder who these three could be...(UxU)?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

By the time Vahn reached the gate, the air felt as though it had become viscous and difficult to move through. Small pebbles that littered the ground began to rise, as if freed from the restraint of gravity before, moments later, being pulverized into powder. Then, without any hesitation, Vahn stepped through the gate before the three strangers and plainly stated, "If you've business with the Alliance, you would have been better served scheduling an appointment. Showing up unannounced doesn't exactly give people the best impression..." While speaking, Vahn had continued to stare towards the tyrannical man, standing nearly 200cm tall, a full head higher than Vahn himself.The goddess, surprisingly, gave a slight bow as she adopted a small smile and calmly stated, "If our arrival has inconvenienced you, we can come back later. It's just that, given our status, it is difficult to stay in the City for a long period of time. Entrusting others to arrange a meeting could lead to further complications and, as the intent of our arrival was to clear up a misunderstanding, it felt necessary to come personally and rectify things in an expedient manner." Vahn turned his eyes away from the massive warrior and made eye contact with the goddess while turning her words over in his mind. He had already connected her with Zeus, as the latter had recently offended him greatly, meaning she was likely Hera.Deciding to test the waters, Vahn returned a casual smile to her and said, "Given the timing of your arrival, you must be the goddess, Hera...?" Without offering a verbal answer, Hera just gave a small nod of affirmation before gesturing to her two companions and explaining, "And these two, for the time being, are my bodyguards for this diplomatic mission. Allow me to introduce the Heroes Siegfried, the Dragon Knight of Alistair, and Jeanne, the Saintess of the now defunct Kingdom of Rabnastré."As Hera was speaking, Vahn's mind referenced the two names among the history books contained within his mind. Both were names that hadn't appeared within the last 300-500 years. He had already deduced they were demigods, but suddenly having two Heroes from history at his doorstep was a rather...peculiar experience. Even so, Vahn looked to the man, Siegfried, and said, "I never expected the Dragon Knight to show up at my gate...I'm rather interested to know what you've been up to for the last 438 years..." Though he said this, Vahn had already reasoned why Siegfried was here. It was obvious that they knew of Terra's existence and he was likely meant to try and deal with Terra if things developed into a skirmish.According to legend, Siegfried had driven out an entire horde of dragons from his homeland after one of them had slain his wife and child. His body had bathed in the blood of so many dragons that his skin had become tempered as a result. It was also stated that, the resentment contained by the thousands he had slaughtered, cursed his soul and made him into the very thing he hated the most...a dragon. His personal creed in life, though now the reports of his death seemed to have been exaggerated, was to annihilate all dragons before offering his own life to the Heavens. It was even stated that he had made an Eternal Vow to hunt down and exterminate every dragon, regardless of how many incarnations it would take...Siegfried had a very serious expression on his face but, against Vahn's expectations, began to stroke his neck as if he felt very awkward, all while saying, "Yeah...it's kind of complicated. It would help me a lot if you didn't try to press me about that matter..." Vahn wasn't sure if Siegfried was just trying to get him to drop his guard, as the aura radiating from the man made him seem proud and ferocious. Even his expression was fierce, causing Vahn to feel like his body had begun to tilt slightly before turning his attention to Jeanne and taking a breath to calm himself.She had a very refreshing appearance and helped calm down the incongruous feelings in Vahn's mind after seeing Siegfried's reaction. With a polite smile on his face, Vahn said, "I have read about you, Saintess Jeanne...probably a little too much, hahaha." Without showing any sign of perturbance on her face, Jeanne returned a polite smile and said, "I'm honored to know that someone so reputed had taken notice of my tales. I only hope they were not exaggerated too much, as I'm afraid your expectations might cause you some degree of disappointment."With Jeanne's words, Vahn realized they most likely weren't here to cause any trouble, especially considering Hera's stated purpose. Still, his smile softened slightly as he said, "Well, it's actually my daughter you'd have to worry about. She is quite fond of heroic stories with female heroes and, as your legend is one of the few popular tales, I've had to read it to her several times." Vahn had to admit that his impression of Jeanne didn't actually match his mental image of the rather tragic heroine from the tales. Though she was as beautiful as the legends stated, her presence wasn't properly conveyed through written words and, if not for the fact he didn't truly trust Zeus and Hera, Vahn would have wanted to introduce her to Vana.Jeanne's eyes glittered slightly when she heard Vahn mentions his daughter, especially since young girls aspiring to be heroes was a very rare thing on the Continent these days. If she had inspired just one person to become a capable Heroine in the future, Jeanne felt like she would be able to raise her head high for the remainder of her days. Her impression of Vahn himself was that he seemed like a kind and sensible boy and, even though he had appraised her previously, she hadn't sensed any of the 'possessive intent' most men had towards her. With the rumors making him out to be a womanizer, she had expected him to be similar in character to some of the other Heroes she associated with, especially those that had been groomed by Zeus.No sooner had the introductions been completed that Hera immediately set about seeing her purpose fulfilled, asking in a curt tone, "Shall we move to someplace more private? I would prefer not to cause a scene by having a discussion among the general populous..." Looking around, Hera eyed the small crowd of onlookers that had gathered to see what was going on. Both Hera and Jeanne were very beautiful women, reason enough to draw a crowd, but Siegfried's uncommon appearance, and the aura radiating from his body, simply couldn't be ignored. He didn't seem to be able to reign it in at all, drawing the attention of everyone on the street, especially when Vahn himself had shown up to 'confront' them.Vahn had long noticed the gathering crowd so he nodded his head but, instead of inviting them into the Manor, asked, "Is there a place you had in mind? Forgive me for being rude, but I can't exactly invite your group onto the premises without making a few preparations..." Then, so as not to cause any misunderstandings, Vahn extrapolated, stating, "It's not that I'm outright treating you as an enemy, but I'm not going to expose my family and children to potential danger just out of courtesy. Since you're likely here as a result of Zeus' recent actions, I'll have to ask for your understanding on the matter..."Before Hera was able to nod in ascent, Siegfried interrupted the conversation by asking, "So, I heard you had a few dragons laying around here...? Rumors even said they were True Dragons...if possible, I'd like to meet them..." Though his words sounded 'warm', in a peculiar way, Vahn could sense the rising tensions in Siegfried's body as he brought up the topic that had likely been at the forefront of his mind. Vahn had started to realize his nature at this point and, much like a male True Dragon, Siegfried seemed to have a natural pride that wanted to compare himself to others of his kind. If he actually called Fafnir or Khaos out, Vahn had no illusions that there wouldn't be some form of confrontation between them. As for Terra, she probably wouldn't care much for him at all...though the same might not hold true for Siegfried in regards to her.Wanting to confirm his suspicions, Vahn asked, "Are you actually a True Dragon yourself...?" while activating his [Eyes of Truth] once again. Siegfried began to awkwardly stroke his neck, seeming extremely hesitant to talk about the matter but still saying, "Well, you can see it that way...it is a little more complicated than that, though..." From what Vahn could tell, Siegfried was obviously just a Demigod born from the union of a god and a human. However, his mana and spirit bodies seemed much closer to Terra's than that of a normal Demigod. It was likely the result of an Innate or, like the stories claimed, Siegfried had been cursed by all the dragons he had killed in the past.As he had been contemplating the matter with his sub-process mind, not much time had passed before Vahn shook his head and said, "I'll have to refuse, as I see no reason to introduce you to them. Given the stories associated with your legend, I'm not going to put my companions at risk just to sate your curiosity." Siegfried raised his brows in reaction, asking with abject surprise, "You truly consider those monsters to be your companions? Listen kid, even if they are Xenos, you shouldn't get involved with Dragons, especially if they are True Dragons. They aren't like us and, no matter how tame they seem, it is only a matter of time before they show their true nature. It isn't really their fault, so don't feel too bad...it's just their 'instincts'."Having experienced more than his fair share of troubles when it came to dealing with the instincts of True Dragons, Vahn knew that Siegfried's advice had a high degree of credibility. Still, his expression hardened as he firmly stated, "Even if you're earnestly offering your advice, you'll have to pardon me for not accepting it. Call me 'kid' all you want, as I won't pretend to have the experience of someone that has lived for more than five hundred years, but I'll never become the type to just hand over his companions because some stranger advises me it's for the best. If you really want to have a go at my companions, you'll find I'm far less tolerant than you might think..."For several long seconds, Vahn and Siegfried continued to hold each other's gaze until the later asked in a deep monotone, "Hera-sama...I know it is not the reason we came here, but I'd like to make a selfish request this time around...please forgive me." Hearing this, Hera released a sigh before turning an apologetic gaze to Vahn and saying, "It's good that you are so bold for one so young, Vahn Mason. The dedication you show towards protecting your companions is truly commendable...but, there are times when such determination will be challenged by those with contradicting convictions. Please do not misunderstand Siegfried's intent as the will of those around him..."At the same time Hera was speaking, Jeanne also showed an apologetic expression, bowing low with a very tired look in her pale blue eyes. She knew first-hand how willful some of the Heroes could be, as she herself also had a few 'quirks' that she couldn't really overcome. Siegfried truly wasn't a bad person but, when it came to anything related to Dragons, he could be 'very' obstinant. She just hoped that Vahn didn't take things hard if he ended up losing the fight that was bound to happen. If possible, she hoped he might even win so as to deter Sigmund from trying to pursue a course of action that she could only see as leading to his demise. After all, though the proud Dragon Knight was likely the greatest Dragonslayer in History, she couldn't even delude herself into thinking he was strong enough to fight against that terrifying presence she had learned about through the 'Voice of the World'...Seeing that Hera and Jeanne weren't going to interfere, Siegfried's expression continued to become more fierce as he slowly enunciated the words, "Vahn Mason, I challenge you to a duel. Will you accept, or will you stand aside and allow me to serve my purpose?" Without a moment's hesitation, and a gaze even more resolute that Siegfried's, Vahn firmly stated, "I accept." Even if he might expose some of his hidden cards to them, Vahn had already intended to expose some of his capabilities during the coming Monster Feria. There was also no way he would be able to win against Siegfried if he held anything back, after all, though he couldn't be entirely sure...Siegfried was most likely a Level 9.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Run away quick, Jeanne! If you lay eyes on Vana, you won't be able to escape anymore~!','Siegfried's Conviction','TFW your comrade challenges the Master of the person you fear as unbeatable...RIP Siegfried-san...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 726: Early-Morning Arrival