Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Deep within the 60th Floor of the Dungeon, Vahn was standing before an icy pillar more than 9m tall, casting out a thick chill that brought down the surrounding temperature to nearly -100 degrees Celsius. Even with their combined efforts, Vahn and Terra had been unable to replicate Eva's [Eternal Ice Coffin], as their understanding of Laws relating to Time, Space, Ice, and Darkness were simply below the necessary standard of Tier 5. Even so, their efforts hadn't been entirely in vain and, with Vahn using his own Source Energy to power the ritual magic ward they had created, the final result should end up holding her in place for several hundred years.Though it wasn't impossible to move Enyo out of the Dungeon, the chances of something going wrong exponentially increased. Since it was, ironically, safer to seal Enyo within the Dungeon, Vahn had decided to seal her away in one of the natural safe regions of the 60th Floor, close to the Observation Rooms location. Here, there would always be a guard rotation of Xenos watching over Enyo, a duty they took very seriously after learning how she had been exploiting and experimenting on their people...Even if the Xenos did slack off, it wouldn't make too much of a difference as, in order to decrease the chances of something going wrong, Vahn and Terra had designed the room as a self-contained system. All of the mana that flowed away from the imperfect [Eternal Ice Coffin] went into the intricate ritual magic ward that covered every single surface. This formation worked as a space-time lock of sorts, slowing the flow of time within the room to a crawl depending on the amount of energy fed into the system. Even in the final stages of her awakening, they would have upwards of several years to make preparations, during which time Vahn could always use [Enkidu] once again...This being the case, Vahn didn't actually like the idea of imprisoning anyone, even someone as errant and dangerous as Enyo. However, when he considered that the passage of time she would experience would only be a 'blink' within her long life, it was easier to accept. Even so, Vahn had put Enyo into a deep slumber before they cast the [Eternal Ice Coffin] on her, making it so that she wouldn't even 'experience' the passage of time from her own perspective. For Enyo, it would feel like she had simply 'blinked', allowing hundreds of years to pass on the outside. During that time, any threat she posed would have been largely mitigated, especially since Vahn would have already returned after linking the records...The sole purpose of the patrols keeping watch over Enyo's chamber was to prevent external influences, though the chances of this happening were relatively slim. Only those that had very high Loyalty and Allegiance towards Vahn were allowed to operate on the 60th Floor. This region had now become one of the closely guarded secrets of the Alliance and its importance was arguably greater than even Haven. Other than the Observation Room, there was a large network of 'safe' areas to make use of and, with the research notes of Ein, their understanding of the Dungeon itself had increased greatly.On Ein's person, there had been several unique Magic Items, including an artifact that had been identified by The Path as a [Dungeon Controller]. This was an incredible discovery as it allowed the user to trigger the 'transportation' function of the Dungeon. So long as you had the spatial coordinates of your location, it was possible to use the [Dungeon Controller] to traverse through the Dungeon and emerge out at the specified location. The 'downside' was that its functions only worked within the safe areas of the Dungeon and the only viable targets for transfer were the Xenos...Just knowing it was possible to ride the mana streams of the Dungeon was an important discovery, as it should be possible to reverse-engineer the process with time. Until then, Vahn knew it was possible to 'modify' those that would reside within the 60th Floor into humanoid Xenos, though that wasn't something he would do without serious consideration. For the time being, he had entrusted the artifact to Gros, the first to volunteer to observe Enyo and make sure she was unable to escape. He had never required sleep as a Gargoyle Xenos and, even after becoming a 'Titan', this nature of his hadn't changed. If it meant he could protect, not just the Xenos, but everyone that lived on the surface, Gros was the type that would stand vigilant for thousands of years without leaving his post...Back on the surface, Ray had become the 'Village Chief' of Spero and was helping the seventy-one new Xenos adapt to life within Spero. As he had expected, the Xenos were very adaptive and, even after experiencing Enyo's influence, they were able to bounce back quickly amongst their kin. They would be under 'observation' for a few months, training with the more powerful humanoid Xenos within the village, before some of their members joined Lyd's Search and Rescue Expedition...Of the three former Leaders of the Xenos, Lyd had become responsible for leading the team that explored the depths of the Dungeon to scout for any emergent Xenos. His focus of operations was now on the 60th Floor, waiting for the 'Observation Team' to investigate the areas around the Xenos' Hidden Villages for their kin. Upon discovering any traces of their people, Gros would use the [Dungeon Controller] to send the group to the closest transfer point, allowing them to recover the emergent Xenos and escort them to safety. As a result, the population of Spero was steadily increasing and they would likely be nearing five hundred residents by the year's end. With the Observation Room and the [Dungeon Controller], they were finding an average of one Xenos every thirty hours...Overall, things were going very well, to the point that Vahn couldn't quite believe something hadn't gone wrong to disrupt his relatively peaceful life back at the Manor. Though he had certainly been busy within the Dungeon, things had calmed down quite a bit in regards to his personal life. He now had a lot of time to spend with his children and, after checking his 'Main Quest], Vahn noticed that 'killing' Enyo had never been a requirement. Currently, he just needed to unify the other seven major regions of Eden, descend into the depths of Tartarus, and finish establishing the Divine Council. Thus far, he had (11/30] members picked out and it wouldn't be that difficult to get the other nineteen after dealing with external issues...One curious thing Vahn noticed was that his 'Optional Objectives' had also progressed a great deal, especially in regards to acquiring followers, subordinates, and retainers. Originally, this number was a measly nine while, after all of these events had transpired, Vahn now had (2,937/10,000). The curious thing was that his 'Sire 100 Children' had increased from (18/100) to (21/100) before he had noticed. Upon discovering this, Vahn had used his [Eyes of Truth] to 'investigate', finding that, other than Syr and Shakti, Lunoire had also become pregnant. This caused a bit of a stir, as she hadn't really been trying to get pregnant, but Vahn was just glad it hadn't been Tina. He hadn't confirmed if she had taken the pill after their first night together and, being a Cat Person, it was almost guaranteed she would have been pregnant if she chose not to...Vahn didn't have any issues with Tina wanting to become a mother but, with how things had been developing within the Manor, it wasn't exactly an ideal time. He didn't want to cause any kind of strange tension with Milan and, with Tina herself also wanting to become much stronger, becoming pregnant would have thrown a wrench into her plan. Not everyone was like Lili, training twice as hard after giving birth just to catch up on the training time she had lost during her pregnancy. If possible, Vahn wanted everyone to start relaxing and enjoying life a bit more, especially now that one of the largest threats was already dealt with...Even with that being the case, Vahn still found himself thinking about his future actions and contemplating the best method to move forward. He still had several promises to keep and would have to deal with the Amazoness country, Telskyura in the near future. Before that, however, Vahn had a bone to pick with the Iron Hills, as their actions have been grating his nerves for quite a while. This would likely tie into his confrontation with the Rakia Kingdom and, based on how things develop, Vahn knew he would have to make personal efforts within the other regions of the Continent as well...The closest region, which Vahn had a bit of genuine interest in, was the 'Land of no Sun', located a little over a thousand kilometers to the north of Orario. He found himself curious about the status of Shiva, the Dark Elf he had saved in the past, and wondered how well her revenge had been going. Since others didn't have The Path serving as an incredible boon to their potential and resources, it could take several years for a personal campaign or revenge for most people. Shiva had been strong, but she was only around the strength of a Level 4, which couldn't be the strongest within a region. It had been nearly two years since she had set out on her journey and, with things as they were, Vahn wondered if he might be able to help her unify the 'Land of no Sun' if he showed up to assist...Though he believed this could be a good idea, Vahn knew he needed to take care of other things before he decided to assist Shiva. For the time being, he had posted a commission within the Headquarter of the Haven Defense Forces. It was prompted accept by a four-person squad, which was the standard in their organizational structure, consisting of two Pallum Scouts, a Chienthrope, and an Elf. Such squads were highly mobile and, with their racial composition, they had advantages in almost any type of terrain and situation. The Chienthrope in the group acted as the nose and ears while the Pallum had keen eyesight and could easily scout dangerous areas. As for the Elf in their squad, they served the purpose of monitoring the natural energy in the environment while also having the natural ability to see mana.Vahn entrusted them with the task of investigating the Land of no Sun and, if possible, learn of the location of Shiva and any of her allies. Since it was only an investigation commission, they didn't have to engage in combat unless they were targetted first. Given the culture and traditions of the Dark Elves, it wasn't difficult to imagine they would be attacked by some of the clans that made a living off looting merchant groups. So long as they used their squad composition to their advantage, most of these threats were easily avoidable, however, so Vahn told them to exercise caution above all else...It wasn't just this squad who ended up having a mission as, even with Enyo's 'defeat', there hadn't been a single person who wanted to leave the Haven Defense Force. Instead, the organizational structure of the group was becoming increasingly more stable with each passing day. Though Finn ended up stepping down from his position after the successful defense, relinquishing it to Haruhime, the momentum and morale of the HDF members was through the roof. Not only was their strength increasing very quickly, but their sense of unity was stronger than most armies that had worked alongside each other for years. Since this would only stabilize the foundation of Haven even further, Vahn hadn't opposed converting them into a permanant fixture of the emergent City...In an effort to ensure things were running smoothly, the HDF became an organization that emulated the Guild while having aspects of a standing army. There were ranks that could be obtained through merit or by increasing your individual strength to a certain point and applying for promotion. Much like the Guild, the HDF issued quests and commissions that only its members could take, acquiring contribution points much like the system used by the girls within the Hearth Manor. Your rank and contribution points determined your weekly salary while also giving you access to a larger pool of valuable items and equipment. It was even possible to obtain S-Rank equipment through the contribution system, turning the HDF into something of a meritocracy, even though you could be assigned to a squad and given missions at the behest of the organization itself.One thing that Vahn truly believed in was that, if people are making an effort to improve themselves, they should be rewarded for their efforts. He liked systems that promoted this ideology and, so long as people weren't trying to gain benefits at the expense of their companions, he didn't mind a bit of competition between the HDF members. It helped that they were all his Subordinates and Retainers, meaning they had a natural ability to work with each other for the greater good of the organization. Even if someone wanted to use the HDF as a means to promote themselves for selfish gain, it would be very simple to identify them since their values within the system interface would likely be very low...To ensure that such individuals never rose to a rank of power, the HDF regulations specifically stated that Vahn had to approve of anyone that wanted to rise to a command position, making them a Captain within the organization. In order to gain this position, Vahn would conduct an interview with the applicant and, so long as their Loyalty or Allegiance was high enough, it was very likely they would get the position. If they didn't meet these requirements, Vahn would use the interview as an opportunity to set them on a better path, even if it meant 'ordering' them to do so.Since his orders didn't actually affect the free will of his Subordinate or Retainer, they would either correct their actions and become a Captain after an evaluation period, or they would be 'retired' from the organization. This would be necessary as, if they weren't even following his orders as Supreme Commander when he tried to correct their errant path, they would become a seed of corruption within the HDF. Though it was a little 'unfair' to opportunists, Vahn's Unit Management made it impossible for anyone to truly rise up and use the organization for their own means. The moment they began taking selfish actions, their Loyalty and Allegiance would begin to drain away, raising a red flag that made them easily removed after an investigation...This type of system was necessary as, without any doubt whatsoever, Vahn was sure there would be individuals who seek to join the HDF for personal gain. Even with him recruiting all the members himself, people could change a lot under the right circumstances. All it took was a single instance of someone feeling they had greater power and authority than they had earned to set them down the path of a corrupt tyrant. With powerful Magic Items and Equipment at their disposal, there was even a chance they would try and profit off selling the equipment to the black market, depending on the circumstances. This wasn't necessarily because they were tempted by the money, but it wasn't impossible for things like blackmail, hostage taking, and other factors to come into play...Knowing that, regardless of the actions he took, fate and karma would allow evil to propagate under his influence, Vahn could only do his best to weed out the corruption from the start. He would try and ensure that any organization he established was free from people using it for their own benefits, especially things like the HDF, the Sage Aldrnari School, and the Haven Academy. Since these three organizations would produce some of the most powerful individuals in the world, Vahn wanted to make it exceedingly difficult for cruel and malicious people to rise up. Even though he knew it would inevitably happen, Vahn believed it was his duty and obligation to hold back the tide of fate, even for a short while...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Imperfect Sealing...? No worries, we'll just use that imperfection to power a second seal~!','The HDF seems like an ideal organization...until you get that 'loyal' person who is also tyrannical xD...','It is very frustrating, knowing that every positive action you take just increases the power of future evils...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With Enyo dealt with, at least for the time being, Vahn found himself within the underground area of the Guest Residence. Though he had talked with Fels a few times, the latter hadn't given out almost any beneficial information and usually just spent the entire day sitting in silence. The skeletal man didn't require sustenance at all, nor did he complain about being locked away, irrespective of the Hermes' request that he be freed. Because of this, Vahn wasn't entirely sure how to deal with Fels but, considering the man had attempted to kill him, letting him simply walk about freely wasn't an option...This time, Vahn had just come over after having a picnic with his younger daughters, Meinya, Sakuya, Anise, Lenneth, Aisha, and Autumn. They had all gathered together under Yggy's canopy with Diana acting as their 'Maid', even though this resulted in her just playing along with the other children after a while. Fortunately, Emiru and Maemi had been in attendance as well, even though Vahn could have easily cleaned up on his own. He noticed that, as time passed, the number of 'duties' he had for himself was steadily decreasing. Now, if he tried to take proactive action to plan, prepare, or clean up, one of the Maids would end up shooing him away so that he could spend time with one of the girls or, as was often the case, his children...Having left the picnic in a pleasant mood, Vahn took the elevator down to where Fels was contained, finding the aberrant Alchemist, once again, sitting silently on the edge of his bed. It was always a bit strange, seeing a skeleton adorned in black plating just 'sitting' on the edge of a bed, but Vahn had gotten used to it over the last two weeks. As for Fels, he just turned his head up to see who had entered the room, his ghostly voice echoing, "Vahn Mason...welcome..." While speaking, Fels rose to his feet, standing with a crooked and lazy posture before making his way over to the small table where they often talked with each other.In response to Fels' greeting, Vahn just gave a curt nod before sitting at the table himself, saying, "I'm actually not that fond of keeping people imprisoned, even though I'll do so if necessary...if you would only answer my questions, I don't mind freeing you from this place..." In response to this, Fels laughed in his characteristically eerie manner before shaking his head and saying, "Though I am able to speak, I am unable to answer most of the questions you have asked. If you do not wish to keep me held here, you are better off killing me, Vahn Mason..."As Fels had alluded to killing him more than once in their discussions, Vahn wasn't taken aback by his words in the least. Over the last few days, he had considered killing Fels more than once, as it seemed the immortal Alchemist genuinely desired his own death. However, Vahn was also very aware that Fels had likely made an Eternal Vow to Ouranos, meaning death wouldn't truly liberate him in most circumstances. If anything, he would have a reprieve of a few hundred years before once again being born into the world. Though this would give Vahn enough time to truly 'free' Fels, after linking the records, there were simply too many questions he wanted answering...While falling silent for several long seconds, Vahn mulled over his discussions with Loki and, after firming his resolve, looking into Fels' hollow eye sockets and said, "If you are willing to make a vow, swearing not to interfere with matters relating to the Alliance and its members for ten years, I will allow you to return to Ouranos. With Enyo having been dealt with, and Ein no longer a concern, you should be able to perform your duties without causing harm to others..." Other than a very slight fluctuation in Fels' aura, it was entirely impossible to read the skeletal visage before him. Even so, Vahn was able to glean enough from that small ripple to confidently state, "You have information that I want, Fels, and I'm certain that Ouranos will allow you to expose it in the future...however, I can promise you this, there will come a time when you will be freed from your curse..."Since there was no point in killing Fels just yet, combined with the fact it would be increasingly more troublesome to keep him imprisoned, Loki had convinced Vahn to at least try to get some benefits out of the situation. Ouranos wasn't a fool and, even if he just sat by and watched as Fels 'betrayed' the Guild, the elderly god allowed it to happen because of his nature. If they returned Fels to him, it would give them some leeway in future discussions with Ouranos. Since they had already dealt with Enyo and were intending to probe deeper into the Dungeon, it was possible that, even without revealing information himself, Ouranos may 'allow' Fels to speak freely.Fels understood Vahn's intentions and, even if it was just a bit, there was a visible sag to his shoulders. Even so, he knew that the latter half of Vahn's words held some truth and, having seen the latter kill something that should have been immortal, there was a small kindling of hope lit within his non-existent heart. Thus, without any argument, Fels nodded his head and swore a vow in accordance with the terms listed out by Vahn. With that out of the way, Vahn gave him a shroud to conceal his figure before returning the [Helm of Hades] to him. He and Asfi had already done the necessary research on the Magic Item and having Fels walk around in public as a skeleton would draw far too much attention...With one less problem to worry about, even though it had potentially created future problems, Vahn was in a rather light-hearted mood. He decided to spend the rest of the afternoon with Syr, as she was getting further along in her pregnancy, before spending another blissful night sleeping alongside his children. Though he was still using his avatar to manage things on the 50th and 60th Floors, there were no longer any attacks from Enyo's pawns, especially after the 'source' was dealt with. Without the pseudo-Spirit fetus parasites, there were no longer any mutated monsters to worry about, allowing the Alliance to prepare a second expedition while shoring up the defenses of Lil Geirr and Haven...Presently, Vahn 'biggest' issue was dealing with the aftermath of Enyo's actions, more specifically those related to her victims. There were large-scale investigations being conducted to identify each person while the High Spirits, Demigoddesses, and Xenos were all moved to secure locations. The Xenos had been turned over to Spero, where they were starting to get their lives back on track, while the eleven recovered Demigoddesses were being kept with the High Spirits in the sectioned of West Wing of the Manor. Though the High Spirits had 'recovered' almost instantly, and would likely end up joining the Alliance Familia or residing in the Elven Kingdom, the Demigoddesses, and other victims, were struggling a great deal.One of the more extreme cases amongst Enyo's victims had been a Demigoddess of Elven lineage, having been trapped inside of the Dungeon for more than four hundred years. Since the contraption they were connected to did nothing to rob them of their consciousness, they would spend long hours of each day in great suffering. As a result, many of the victims were 'broken' beyond repair, with some outright trying to kill themselves or generally just refusing to eat. Over half of the victims had become completely catatonic, though they had been improving slowly with Preasia's assistance and Vahn's daily visits to give them treatment.Vahn really didn't know the best way to deal with this large number of victims, outside of erasing their memories or giving them the 'mercy' of death. He remembered his resolve upon saving them, fully intending to end their lives if they chose that path, but the reality of the situation had run contrary to his initial resolve. Seeing people suffering, but still alive, Vahn felt compelled to do what he could to help them recover and find happiness. He believed there was always 'hope', so long as there was life and, if they truly had surviving friends and family, Vahn thought it would be even more tragic if they gave up on life after having survived through that hell...Though he did erase the memories of the 'broken' individuals, who even Preasia couldn't help, Vahn often tried to encourage the others to look towards the future and seek a better life for themselves. Now that they had been liberated from Enyo, he emphasized that the best way to get their revenge was to do everything they could to be happy. He promised that, so long as they didn't walk down a dark path that victimized others, the Alliance would do everything in their power to help them reclaim the life that had been unjustly robbed from them.In the end, after preliminary investigations were conducted, a total of 93 people had ended up choosing death, a solemn matter that Vahn ensured was completely painless. Though it might have been unfair to the other victims, Vahn made it a relatively public affair within the group since he wanted them to feel a sense of unity while also seeing how painful and sad it was to send off a companion. This was a very draining experience for him but, by the end of things, Vahn could see a stronger desire to live in some of the more worrisome individuals in the group. As for those that had chosen death, it was because they had either lost most of their companions before becoming captives, or they had simply lived too long and had no hope for a better life, even with assistance...As a result of incidents like this, Vahn found himself cherishing the time he had at home with his own family a lot more. There was so much pain and anguish in the world but, here at the Hearth Manor, almost every day was filled with warmth and happiness. He could choose to spend his time showing affection to his many wives and lovers, watching over his children's training and education, or just playing around and lazing about. There was so much happiness within his home that, as long as he didn't let the matters of the outside world get in, Vahn felt like he could spend an eternity just enjoying the time spent with his rather large family...This was emphasized by moments like now, with Vahn opening his eyes halfway to see the adorable face of his children piled around him. It was already late in the morning but, with nothing concrete planned for the day, he could spend several additional hours just lazing about if he wanted to. If not for the fact he tried to set a good example for this large herd of angelic creatures, Vahn very well might spend the entire morning just cooped up in this warm and comfortable atmosphere. However, as he did try to be a good 'Papa', Vahn ended up extricating himself from the younglings before waking them up properly, helping the younger ones get dressed, making sure everyone washed their faces, and, though it took the longest amount of time, even brushed and styled their hair all before breakfast.Just making his way down the stairs was a bit of a chore, as Vahn had Meinya riding his shoulders while he held Sakuya and Anise in his arms. They were starting to get a little big to carry around, but Vahn didn't mind it at all, even as the girls' Guardians caused him a bit of trouble. Tsukyuu, Sakuya's Three-Tailed Fox, was playing with Meinya while her nails dug into his scalp. As for Chamo, the Tyrant Mountain Bear belonging to Meinya, Vahn was levitating its rapidly growing body behind them as it wriggled around uncomfortably. The only one not causing problems was Argo, Anise's Steel-Backed Wofl, who followed behind obediently as if Vahn was the pack Alpha...Vahn didn't mind the presence of any of the Guardians, so long as they didn't damage the Manor, so it wasn't uncommon for a veritable menagerie of unique and exotic creatures to be present within the dining room for meals. There were rather massive entities like Vana's True Fire Dragon, Vulcan, and Autumn's Heaven-Bearing Ox while, inversely, there were tiny creatures like Eiko's Gemcutter Squirrel and the triplets' Mountain Corgis running around. Though the younger children were still nursing, it wasn't uncommon for everyone to gather for meals ever since the number of Maids had greatly increased. As a result, there were often more than thirty people present for meals while the seventeen Guardians lingered about. With entities like Shirohime also present, though she would often just cuddle up with Tsukyuu, every meal was incredibly lively...It was moments like this that Vahn wanted to protect at all cost so, even though he would rather just stay home all day, he knew there were a number of things he needed to tend to. Though he would be busy in the Dungeon for a few months longer, Vahn was very aware that his power wasn't truly at the point that he could oppose all threats. With Artemis and Enyo both being examples, Vahn knew it wasn't impossible for other monsters to have potentially fused with the Arcanum of a god. At the same time, it was very possible that there were entities that were infinitely close to Tier 4, just like Yggy was...he knew he needed to increase his power further while putting pressure on his enemies at the same time.After his confrontation with Enyo, Vahn understood the supreme significance of information, as even just a few minor details relating to your enemy provided an extreme advantage. It would take a few months, at the very least, but Chloe and Ryuu were training a secondary division of Scouts that would be completely focused on gathering information in other countries. To make their tasks even easier, Vahn had managed to convince Fortuna and Minerva to allow these same individuals to 'apprentice' within their Familia to learn skills like Trade, Bartering, Terrain Mapping, etc. By the time their training had completed, these select individuals would become Vahn's personal network of spies.With his Quest, Vahn was determined to unify the Continent and improve the standard of living for everyone within the seven different regions. He also had plans for both the Dark Continent and the Far East, all while having the intrinsic need to venture deeper into the Dungeon, Tartarus. Since external powers would limit his time to delve into the Deeper Floors, Vahn needed to deal with the Iron Hills, Rakia, and Telskyura in the near future. As for the other Kingdoms and regions, it would depend on the findings of his spies and the Scouting parties sent out by the Haven Defense Force...There was still much to do before his time in this record was through...Vahn just hoped that his Karma wasn't able to keep up with the rate of change he was introducing, as it would become even more troublesome if unexpected events happened. Even then, so long as it didn't affect his family, Vahn was confident he would be able to deal with it...regardless of how difficult things got...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fels, in a way, is rather tragic...','Never stop believing in the future','Maybe Vahn will realize that, as someone with authority, he needs to let his subordinates act if he wants to have real quality time with his family in the future (OwO)~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

For a period of nine days after Enyo's capture, her forces had continued to stage small scale terrorist attacks throughout the City. Though the Alliance had cleaned up a large number of them, those who had escaped thus far were becoming increasingly more difficult to pin down. Their methods became more discreet and, even with the City gates being temporarily locked down, it was likely that several members had left Orario. With their [Helm of Darkness], a weaker and mass-produced version of the [Helm of Hades], they were able to move invisibly, giving off no presence whatsoever, even if the mana cost was rather intense. Unlike the [Helm of Hades] itself, which was able to naturally pull mana out of the air, the [Helm of Darkness] was limited to about an hour of use, though Tiona seemed to be an exception to this rule as her body itself allowed her to power it almost indefinitely...Because they had been the ones primarily subjugating the enemies, Ais, Tiona, and Tione ended up looting quite a number of [Helm of Darkness]. Since they were very proficient at controlling their own mana, they had been playing around with being invisible, pulling off a few pranks on Vahn to lighten the mood. This resulted in Vahn gaining increased proficiency in detecting invisible enemies so, even with Tiona sneaking kisses and touching parts of his body unexpectedly, it wasn't really a bad thing. The first time she did it, however, Vahn had been successfully spooked and nearly ended up attacking her, something that only fueled her later actions as she claimed it made things more exciting...With so many items as research material, Asfi had actually made her own prototype of the [Helm of Darkness], this one taking on the appearance of visored goggle that Vahn intended to issue to the Pallum Scouts that were being specially trained by Chloe. After he had used the [Star Fire Sphere]s against Enyo, Vahn realized there was a great deal of merit to making use of produced goods to make fights easier. Yes, it reduced the amount of Exilia you could gain from defeating enemies but it wouldn't matter how much experience you could gain if you ended up dead as a result of your own hubris...Vahn understood the dangers of mass-producing powerful equipment that could be used by weak individuals as, if the technology was stolen and replicated, it would make future wars for everyone more difficult. If Asfi's, [Stealth Visor Mk. 1] fell into the hands of a thief or a murderer, the amount of damage even a single person could do was monstrous. They had all learned this first hand from Enyo's forces as the majority were only around Level 1-2 in strength. For better or worse, Enyo's influence over them made it so that they were unable to join other Familia, meaning their relative strength was rather low. Vahn also had the unfortunate opportunity to discover that, as expected, many of these individuals had been 'raised' by Enyo and her pawns since birth and, outside of completely erasing their memories, there was no way to truly free them from her control...By the time the Xenos had helped to secure the 60th Floor, Vahn had rescued a total of 1,274 victims of Enyo's 'birthing' chambers. Of this total, 102 had been male while the remaining 1,172 were a mixed assortment of females, fourteen of which were High Spirits. Vahn had incorrectly assumed that the largest number of victims would be Elves as, after clearing out the other rooms, it became apparent that Enyo's pawns had tried to separate the chambers by race. This depended on the specific traits of the High Spirit, as Vahn found a lot of Chienthropes in a room with a dog-like Spirit while another room had an assortment of Pallum and Dwarves connected to a Gnome. (A/N: This isn't the garden gnome spirits, but an actual Earth Elemental Gnome.)From Ein's research notes, Vahn had been able to learn that they were trying to discover how High Spirits had bred with other creatures in the past, as it should have been impossible to impregnate them. It was in these same research notes that Vahn was able to discover the answer to one of the important questions he had wanted to uncover, this time relating to Ais. There was an entire section of research documents relating to her as the 'alpha subject', dating back nearly a thousand years, even before Ein had become Enyo's pawn. It was Ais' existence, and the cells of her mother Aria, which had laid the foundation for the research into the breeding chambers and trying to cultivate what the documents referred to as Demi-Spirits...Vahn had stumbled across this information while he was trying to confirm the connection between Enyo's 'Familia' and the victims within those nightmarish chambers. He ended up regretting the discovery, however, as there was no easy way to explain the truth of the matter to Ais. This was primarily due to the fact that Ais may not even be her original self at all, even if her soul and ego had been transplanted in successive generations of herself. In essence, she was essentially just an avatar, or a clone, of the original Ais...someone who had died a very long time ago. If not for the fact that something had gone wrong in the research, causing the 'clone' to be spat out in a different part of the Dungeon, Ais likely would have existed as nothing more than a test subject...Even with his inhibitions, Vahn still revealed the truth to Ais and, as she had been comfortable with them knowing of her origins, everyone else within the Manor. She took the news surprisingly well, even better than Vahn himself had, simply nodding her head in understanding with a small, "I see..." as Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya comforted her. Nobody thought lesser of her after the revelation as, much like everyone that existed, she had simply been a soul that migrated to a new body. Unlike others, however, Ais had been born through the reincarnation process of the Dungeon, much like the Xenos. This made her very unique and, after learning the truth, Ais' hatred towards monsters had faded greatly while her kinship with the Xenos had blossomed...From the research notes related to Ais and her mother, Aria, Vahn was able to glean some insights about the Dungeon, Tartarus, itself. Though it felt awkward to look into the particulars, given Ais' association to them, Vahn had her consent to seek out the truth. This was a very important part of understanding the very nature of the world and could give him insights that even gods would err in their path to obtain. After all, Enyo had been outright obsessed with the Dungeon and, given the nature of her Divinities, this didn't make a lot of sense...What Vahn was able to glean thus far was that the reincarnation cycle was something that even the gods themselves didn't fully understand. Though it was certainly operational within the world, to the point where it was even possible to track a person from one life into the next, there were always exceptions. The biggest 'unknown' was the Realm of Hades, as even the gods in Heaven were unable to access it through any known means. Though gods like Hermes could potentially find a way to traverse into the mysterious third Realm, it was unlikely someone like him would tell anyone about what he discovered there...One thing Vahn knew, ever since the discovery of the Xenos, was that the Dungeon, Tartarus, had a self-contained system of reincarnation. Not only could it take in the budding souls of monsters across the Continent, allowing them to be reborn in its depths, but it now seemed possible that the surface races were also subject to this. The thing about this fact was that it didn't make any sense, as a physical object like the Dungeon shouldn't be able to influence souls to such a degree, at least from what Vahn understood. There had to be some greater laws at work and, only by probing into the depths of the Dungeon, could he find any real answers. If it truly did connect to Hades, the chances this mysterious third Realm connected to the cycle of reincarnation were very high...With even Anubis unable to give him any insight into the cycle of Life and Death, Vahn was left with nothing but a few hundred years of research and a seemingly infinite number of questions beyond his comprehension to answer. One thing he knew was that Tartarus was the name of the Primordial Goddess that connected the three Realms by sacrificing her body. This created another question, however, as Vahn couldn't understand the reason why she would have made such a sacrifice. History stated that Nuwa and Tiamat, two other Primordial Deities, remained behind in 'Hell', which he now believed to be 'Hades'. It was also documented that 'Hell' was the remnants of the Realm that existed before the formation of Heaven and the Mortal World...It was this line of thought that gave Vahn insight into the truth of the matter, at least as far as his own comprehension allowed. If the Dungeon was truly Tartarus, which was almost certainly the truth since The Path designated it as such, it meant there was a high chance that...if you were able to descend its depths, you would come out in 'Hades', the true nature of which was the Primordial Gods' plane of existence. It was 'impossible' for mortals to ascend to Heaven but, if there was a physical path to a Realm that even transcended Heaven, there was no way of knowing what kind of power one could obtain. Enyo may very well have wanted to return to the 'origin' of things...for reasons that Vahn could only guess...When Vahn had discussed this with the goddesses, they had been greatly shaken by the revelation as the Dungeon's 'name' wasn't actually common knowledge, even to the gods themselves. The Dungeon had existed long before the creation of most living gods and, though they knew that Tartarus had become the bridge connecting the Realms, they had no idea her 'body' had become the Dungeon. If that was true...it both made sense as to why Ouranos kept it a secret, as there was no way of knowing how most gods would react to knowing they had access to the original plane of existence. Instead, he wanted 'mortals' to be the one to venture forward and conquer the Dungeon's depths which, in a way, was actually 'ascending' from the Mortal World to one of the godly planes...Ouranos had always been a silent observer to History, taking action so rarely that his only two notable actions were recorded by History. His first 'action' had been assisting the other Primordial Deities to rewind time, restoring balance to the Shattered Realms. After that, he took no major action in Heaven, even when other gods tried to contend for his position. It wasn't until he had descended to the Mortal World, something that had been 'necessary' with the pressure from the entire godly community, that he was once again noted in History. Since then, other than serving his role as a Mediator to maintain balance and order, Ouranos' only action had been sealing the Dungeon...Loki had originally thought that Ouranos seal had spelled doom for the Mortal World as, with the increased mana possessed within its walls, the strength of monsters would continue to rise. However, it wasn't until Ouranos sealed the Dungeon that the Xenos began emerging in the world. In a way, their existence was the Dungeon's way of maintaining equilibrium as they were 'neutral' monsters that often sought to avoid conflict. The Dungeon even changed its own structure, creating safe areas for the Xenos to reside while the continued to feed on the ambient energy of the Dungeon, all while desiring to 'escape' and reach the surface. If this had worked as intended, the energy within the Dungeon would have slowly been drained away by the Xenos but, in order to prevent this, Evilus, likely as an extension of Enyo's will, ensured that the Xenos were treated as true monsters...Vahn couldn't help but wonder if Ouranos understood the 'purpose' of the Xenos as, before the Guild announced they were a protected species, there were active subjugation rewards posted for their successful slaying. Since Ouranos' personal policy was that the Xenos' existence was unique, even claiming they would be able to coexist with those living on the surface, he had remained silent as his own organization hunted them down. It was contrary actions like this that confounded Vahn, even though he could somewhat rationalize this as Ouranos' way to remain neutral. If he had truly taken action to protect the Xenos, this would have been a clear indicator that he had sided with them, even as the perspective of mortals and gods painted them as enemies...With as much power as Ouranos possessed, Vahn knew the elderly god would be able to act with impunity in both Heaven and the Mortal World. The fact he was 'content' to simply observe was, in a way, something very commendable. His age was arguably twice that of almost every other god and, in that time, Ouranos had watched as each new era began and ended, never wavering in his 'duty' to the world at large. Vahn knew this was something he simply wasn't capable of, as watching the world around him be destroyed was beyond him. Even though he knew this only invited greater chaos in the world, so as to oppose him, Vahn couldn't back down and just watch as people suffered...Though Vahn found it difficult to 'forgive' Ouranos, he could also rationalize that the elderly god had done nothing wrong. There was nothing that 'required' him to take action and, if he had truly been an arrogant god who exploited his power, the world may have been a very different place. In fact, with Ouranos serving as an inviolable power, and a truly 'neutral' force, it was possible to keep the other gods restrained. If he hadn't descended before the others, the number of Nation-Type Familia would likely be far greater, to the point that the Mortal World would truly just be a playground for the Gods. So long as Ouranos simply sat on his throne, helping to seal the Dungeon, other gods would gather around him, building an 'accepting' community that couldn't be found anywhere else on the Continent...Even so, Vahn still couldn't truly 'understand' Ouranos' perspective on things, which wasn't difficult to rationalize considering one of them was nearly a billion years old. Since there was literally nothing he could do to change the way Ouranos acted, Vahn had no choice but to simply accept how things were...at least for the moment. It was very likely he would one day come to understand Ouranos' position but, at the very least, Vahn knew he would be able to change things when he connected the records in the future. Though a lot would change between now and then, Vahn would do his best to fight against the forces of chaos, even if the Tier of the records were constantly elevated to keep the balance...(A/N: Some people may not like how things were 'wrapped up' in regards to Ais, but know this isn't the end of things. Remember, the avatar of the One-Eyed Black Dragon was supposed to be on the 60th Floor...even though Vahn hasn't encountered it? Ufufufufu~. Also, this will be the last chapter for today since I don't want tomorrow's to be late. I'll probably have out three before I get busy but the day after should be 'normal'? I'm not entirely sure, so I'll let you know as things change~! Also, also, though some of you may hate Ouranos, you have to consider that 'someone' needs to be in his position in such a world. If even the most powerful gods are corrupt, then it would be borderline impossible for mortals to even exist with any semblance of peace xD...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'All your base are belong to us...','Ais is essentially a Human Xenos with the cells of her Mother spliced into her (T _ T)...','The legendary Tartarsauce~! Ouranos' neutrality, at what cost...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 887: Establishment