Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

At this point, more than fourteen months had passed for the Designer Babies that Vahn had invited to live within his castle.Compared to their past selves, who were full of fears and inhibitions, they now lived free and happy lives without fearing whether or not they would survive to experienced another day of torture. They didn't even have to be afraid that they would lose their lives due to the biological limitations that all but guaranteed they would die before their eighteenth birthday.Though the fear of death still lingered in the back of their minds, as none of them had yet to reach the supposed limit of their lifespan just yet, they all trusted Vahn's words when he told them it was no longer an issue. They all had a modified version of the [Ouranos Seal] that had been adapted to their bodies and, on their back, each of them had the Familia Crest that identified them as part of their Emperor's extended family and citizenry.At first, the children had been afraid of having any kinds of seals placed on their body but, after Mash mustered up the courage to be the first, it was only a few months until they each accepted the crest and seal for themselves. It helped that even Mordred, the Imperial Princess, had a version of the seal placed on her body, one which she made no efforts to keep hidden away due to her choice of garb.With the Familia Crest applied, the children had been able to begin accepting Quests of their own. As artificial humanoids that had been designed to have powerful Magic Circuits, their potential was far beyond that of normal humans. After all, they were originally intended to serve as the vessels for Heroic Spirits, allowing them to wield extreme power with the guarantee they would never be able to live long enough to use it against their creators.Rather than be treated like sacrificial pawns, the children quickly understood that Vahn intended to make good on his promise. They all took varying amounts of time to trust in him but, after several months of being treated like important citizens of the Empire, even the most headstrong and fretful among them relented. It helped that, so long as their decisions did not endanger themselves and others, they were generally allowed to live however they pleased.As the only male in the group, Alex ignored the fact that he was one of the youngest and instead tried to act as the 'big brother' of the group. He wanted to be strong enough to protect the others and, though his desire for revenge had been tempered considerably, he still wanted to have enough power to oppose injustice.Siegfried, Alex's Mentor, lived the life of a 'True Hero', one who dedicated themselves to granting the wishes of those who lacked the means to achieve them through their own efforts. Though he came to understand that this way of life was flawed, it still gave him a stoic temperament and an incredibly patient character that unhesitantly carried the burdens of others.After living with Siegfried for such a long period of time, Alex began looking toward the stoic Knight as a father figure, not just a Mentor. It made him feel happy to be praised and, even when he made mistakes, Siegfried would always kindly guide him without ridicule or judgment. As a result, Alex had come to respect Siegfried a great deal and, though the road was long, he was determined to follow in his faux-father's footsteps. He wanted to become a True Hero, one which everyone, especially his fellow Designer Babies, could rely on...The only thing that wore away at Alex's resolve was the fact that his affections, which had now been tempered quite a bit, would likely never be reciprocated. In truth, he had developed a fervent crush on Mash in the past when the latter had refused to harm him during one of the experiments where they had been pitted against each other.At the time, Alex had thought Mash was foolish but, after he had time to ruminate over what she had done, Alex began to feel ashamed of himself. It was around this time that he began to truly hate his creators and, no matter how much they beat or drugged him, he would never willingly participate in their experiments after the fact.Even after being saved by Vahn and forced to apprentice under Siegfried, Alex had always felt a little possessive toward his fellow Designer Babies, Mash especially. He actually looked up to her a lot as, while everyone else had lost themselves to the pain and suffering, she always did her best to put on a smile and try to ease their suffering. He wanted to be as strong as her before, one day, becoming someone strong enough to protect all of them...After arriving at the castle, Alex quickly realized that his goal of saving his fellow Designer Babies had been denied him. They now lived free and happy lives without having to worry about food, comfort, and opportunity. There were literally hundreds of people that treated them well, including those with a much higher status than themselves. If they wanted to, they could even put in the effort to become much stronger than before, seemingly without any limitations whatsoever.Alex could still remember the first time he watched a battle that was beyond his comprehension. It had been between Siegfried, his Mentor, and Artoria, his esteemed teacher and his Master's beloved Empress. Their battle had changed the landscape of the Training Orb to such an extent that, even if he spent hours exploring the area, he would not be able to grasp the full breadth of the devastation.What truly shocked Alex, however, was his Mentor's admissions that he wasn't even close to being the strongest within the Empire. This title belonged to the Grand Teacher, Lady Scáthach, a woman so powerful that even the Emperor himself sought her guidance.When Alex first learned the truth, he had been considerably shaken. Despite putting his all into his training, it was difficult to imagine catching up to his Mentor, much less the truly powerful members of the Imperial Family. Even Mordred and Sakura, who seemed to be around his age, were growing at a much faster rate than him. This, at first, made Alex feel helpless and frustrated but, after careful guidance from Siegfried, he had come to accept that being the strongest was pointless.Siegfried taught him that he only ever needed to have enough strength to protect the things he cared about so. If there were people stronger than him protecting those same things, it was pure egotism to believe himself worthy of greater strength without having the proper conviction. Since those above him had put in the effort to become strong, it was a selfish and inherently foolish to resent them for it. After all, people like Scáthach had lived for thousands of years while Vahn, their Emperor, was closing in on 160 years old.To affirm his teachings within Alex's heart and mind, Siegfried followed up his lecture by asking how his young protege would feel if those much younger than him began to believe they deserved more power, despite having put in less effort. This had brought a deep frown to Alex's face but, the longer he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. In truth, he should be grateful for the Emperor for not only protecting them, but providing them with the opportunity to choose their fate. To resent those who helped him, and the people he cared about, was a blatantly selfish thing to do...After this realization, Alex began to temper his mind as he focused on becoming more disciplined. He began to observe his fellow Designer Babies more closely, seeing how happy each of them were in the lives they had decided for themselves. It didn't take long for him to realize that, even if he put in the effort to become much stronger, there were already people stronger than himself protecting the things he cared about. The strength he sought for himself was purely the result of his desires, not something that was mandated by his situation.Over the months, Alex began to realize that his past vision of the future may very well have caused the people he wanted to protect even greater suffering. If he had continued to insist on his desire to grow stronger, for entirely selfish reasons, he would have become no better than his former captors. After all, he would be using his strength to force people, including those he cared about, to adhere to his vision of the future. He would have grown increasingly possessive, deciding how other people should live while expecting them to be grateful for the life he had forced upon them...As could be expected, these kinds of thoughts had weighed heavily on Alex's heart and mind but, with the constant guidance of Siegfried, the silent guidance of Merlin, and the example set by Vahn, he never strayed far. They would always gently guide him back onto the path of light, shaping Alex into a much stronger person than the frail and petulant child he had been in the past. Now, he no longer sought strength to force his vision upon others. Instead, he still the strength to protect, not just the Designer Babies, but everyone that was weaker than himself. He wanted to become a Knight of the Empire and, as a result of his changed convictions, his strength had started to increase at a much faster rate than before.---While Alex had been undergoing his transformation, so too had the other Designer Babies. Among them, the object of his childish affection, Mash, had been the one to change the fastest. She was the first to accept the Familia Crest and, even when everyone else had been uncertain of their future, she had bravely paved the way forward.At this point, Mash was already sixteen years old but, rather than fear for her waning life, she felt full of vitality and, with each passing day, had become happier than she thought possible. Her training had been going well and, according to Galahad, she could easily qualify as an Esquire within the next two years. After that, she just needed to earn a bit of experience before officially becoming a Knight of the Empire, something she greatly looked forward to.Mash got along well with pretty much everyone in the castle and was always polite and respectful, even towards those younger than herself. This had earned her a considerable amount of praise from Artoria, something that always made Mash feel giddy, despite the fact that Mordred would tease her for it.Despite the fact that Artoria appeared more petite and youthful than herself, Mash looked up to her Empress quite a bit. The latter had a noble and sagely disposition that inspired everyone around her, despite her diminutive appearance. Because of this, Mash took her etiquette lessons very seriously and, though she understood it was unnecessary due to her Empress' strength, it was her dream to become one of Artoria's personal Knights in the future.Originally, Mash had only intended to stand out in an effort to draw more attention to herself than her fellow Designer Babies. She believed that, if she worked hard, the others were less likely to be treated poorly. She had even been willing to use her body as, despite having a number of medical scars, she knew her 'development' had made her especially popular among the personnel assigned to the project.It didn't take long for Mash to realize that her concerns and determination were entirely unfounded as, despite having an overwhelming amount of power, Vahn was a kind Master. Not only that, but everyone in the Empire seemed to be infinitely kinder than Mash even though possible. They were all far more powerful than even the strongest person in Chaldeas but, rather than use their unbelievable power to suppress others, they used it with the intent of making the world a better place.Unlike the scientists who had tried to convince them that their 'sacrifice' was necessary to ensure the survival of humanity, the Empire worked hard to become strong enough to protect everything. They did not perform inhumane experiments that required arbitrary justifications. Instead, they tirelessly endeavored to increase their own power so that needless sacrifices were unnecessary. This included Vahn himself who, despite being an Emperor, worked to the point that others had to basically force him to take breaks.After coming to understand that Vahn wasn't trying to fool them, Mash began to sincerely respect him. She had even decided to dedicate her life in service to the Empire in gratitude for everything he had done for them but, after a fair amount of teasing, she had to change her goal slightly.Originally, Mash had wanted to become one of Vahn's personal guards or, at the very least, one of the Knights of the Inner Sanctum. Her intentions seemed to have been misconstrued by her fellow Designer Babies and her peers, however, leading to a considerable amount of embarrassment. To make matters even worse, it seemed like her Master had also misunderstood her intentions but, rather than force her away and reproach her, he always showed a kind smile, further exacerbating the embarrassment she felt.With pretty much everyone thinking she wanted to become one of her Master's mistresses, Mash was beside herself with embarrassment. She tried to distract herself by putting more effort into her training but, when Mordred asked her directly if she would one day sleep with her father, Mash was at a loss as to how she should respond. At the time, she had already become good friends with the tomboyish princess so she could tell that Mordred was being serious when she asked the question.In truth, Mash was not against servicing her Master and, after a lot of teasing, she couldn't help but think about it at times. This was entirely dependent on whether or not he wanted to sleep with her, however, as Mash could not even consider being the one to try and initiate anything. She had too much respect for her Master and, to avoid misunderstandings, she had even openly stated her desire to become one of her Empress' guards, distancing herself from her Master slightly.When Mordred had confronted her, Mash felt like a deer that had walked into a clearing, only to find a large dragon looking down at her. She was ultimately unable to answer, earning her an unnerving smile from Mordred who commented, "You shouldn't hold yourself back. If there is something you want, you should do everything in your power to obtain it. My Chichiue only looks down on people who seek power at the expense of others. If you make an earnest effort, he won't turn you away, you know~?"Even before she had finished her remark, Mordred had already started walking away from her so Mash had been unable to come up with a response by the time the princess had vanished. This left her feeling at a loss as, even since the time of her arrival in the Empire, she had never sought to be at her Master's side in such a way. She was honestly a little frustrated that everyone acted like this was the case, likely as a result of her physical development and disposition...Fortunately, at the time when Mash was feeling the most conflicted, Fenrir had appeared, seemingly out of thin air, to allay her concerns. Unlike the others, Fenrir didn't treat her as if she was constantly pining after their Master. Though she was the one who elevated their Master more than anyone else, she was also the most perceptive when it came to how people perceived Vahn. Her intuition was very sharp but, even without that, Fenrir sense of smell allowed her to pretty much 'know' if someone had such thoughts toward her Master.After appearing, Fenrir gave Mash a few kindly head pats, leaving the lilac-haired girl smiling a little awkwardly. Then, after finding a spot to sit down, Fenrir preached to her the principles of being a 'good girl' while encouraging her to do what she wanted without feeling pressured by others. She told Mash that, regardless of what she chose to do, her Master would never look down on her. He wasn't the type to judge others and, unless she one day desired it, he would never try and force her into doing something she was unwilling to do. As for how she felt toward their Master at times, this was 'common sense' to Fenrir so she didn't resent Mash in the slightest.Mash had already grown accustomed to Fenrir's lectures so she just obediently listened until the very end. At times, it felt like the wolfish girl was trying to brainwash them but, as it was very obvious that Fenrir sincerely believed everything she said, Mash could only smile politely before thanking her for the lesson. After that, Fenrir surprised her a bit by giving her a long hug and patting the back of her head until the tensions in her body had eased entirely. Before this, Mash hadn't even realized how tense her body had become...When Fenrir finally released her, the former gave her another gentle pat on the head before saying, "Do not let Mordred get to you. She is under a lot of pressure and is still learning how to deal with her own emotions. If you feel threatened or afraid, there are a lot of people who you can rely on. I try my best to help people feel at ease but I know there are others better at it. You can talk to Iris or Artoria but, if you feel like they aren't enough, our Master will always make time to help others. You don't have to fear him eating you up...though I won't deny there is a chance you might want him to after he takes care of you~? Shishishishi~"For the second time in the same day, Mash was left at a loss as to how she should reply by the time her conversational partner had departed. Thus, for several awkward moments, she just silently on a bench until several Companions began to gather around her. Their presence always put her at ease so Mash picked up one with fluffy white hair and rabbit ears before hugging it tightly. It released an adorable mewl in response, bringing a smile to her face as other Companions began to climb up the bench to sit alongside her.Ultimately, Mash wasn't entirely sure what she wanted as, due to her past, she never looked toward anything more long term. Her current goal was to become one of Artoria's personal Knights but, as she already had Lady Gray at her side, part of her felt like she was interfering with the duties of another. She also knew that Lady Gray had a sexual relationship with their Master, something that even his direct Page, Gareth, had. This made it seem like all the women around their Master were sleeping with him, something that filled Mash with uncertainties as, despite what anyone else told her, she simply couldn't see herself as someone worthy of the same treatment...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Siegfried used Perspective Shift...! It was super effective! Young Alex is confused...','Mordred still has a long way to go (x _ x)...','Poor Mashu-chan. Someone get this girl some L'Oréal...!')(A/N: I just want everyone to know that you almost brought this old man, who has served time in the Marine Corps and traveled the world, to tears. When I woke up yesterday, I saw all of the messages of support everyone had sent before noticing my inbox flooded with notifications of new patrons. I now feel guilty about my rant yesterday but, regardless of my own embarrassment, know that I can never fully express the gratitude I feel toward such kindness. Thank you...it means a lot more than most of you will ever know...(My eyes watered as I typed this part, hahahaha xD...))https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

As the day gave way to the night, Vahn found himself seated in one of the massive studies of the Edelfelt mansion. He was relaxing on a chaise lounge that could easily accommodate several people, Gareth seated at his side and Fenrir laying across his lap. Both girls had contented expressions on their faces as they allowed him to freely caress their head, ears, and, in Fenrir's case, her tail.Every now and then, a member of the serving staff would stop by to ask if he needed anything but, time and again, Vahn would politely refuse. He was more focused on what was going on outside of the mansion, primarily with Scáthach.Though he rarely made use of it, Vahn had the ability to share senses with anyone registered within his Unit Management. He could forcibly activate it if he wanted but, as this cost Loyalty while also making the person in question feel uncomfortable, Vahn always made sure he had permission before activating the link.Towards the end of her massacre, Scáthach had allowed him to share her senses so Vahn could sense the presence of foreign entities invading the Barthomeloi Manor alongside her. These were primarily golems and familiars that were trying to loot treasures and artifacts during the chaos. Despite calling the Edelfelt family hyenas, most modern Magi were akin to vultures in their desire to take advantage of each other, including former allies.This type of behavior was fully expected so, while it was annoying, Scáthach and, by proxy, Vahn, just chose to ignore it. What they were more interested in was the machinations of the Holy Church but, as they had yet to take action even after six hours, it was beginning to seem as if they had called off whatever they planned.Vahn had the means to deal with the Holy Church directly but, in order to save him some effort and give him more leverage in the negotiations with the Mage's Association, they had been trying to bait the other party into taking action.If the Holy Church tried to enter into the conflict directly, tensions between the two organizations would undoubtedly reach a breaking point in the near future. Though this opened up the possibility for many lives being lost, it would give him the needed justification for taking reactive, yet decisive, action. Since his promise with Artoria made it somewhat difficult to directly antagonize his enemies, Vahn could only wait until they gave him, and his Empire, a reason to act. If he made his stance clear too early, they would just demonize him further, making his future plans significantly more difficult to implement.Unfortunately, the person in charge of the groups spying on them seemed competent so, this time around, Vahn could only fluff up Fenrir's and Gareth's ears to ease his slight perturbance. Then, when the sun had fallen over the horizon, he released a sigh before mentally communicating, ("We'll leave things be for the now. Please return, Shishou...")Almost as soon as he finished his words, Vahn sensed the space in front of him distort long before the two animalistic girls perked up in alert. Fenrir calmed down almost immediately but Gareth was a little flustered when Scáthach basically tore through space with a red dagger. The void itself was cut apart and, along the periphery of the tear, small tendrils of red lightning danced about silently.Before saying anything, Scáthach looked around the area for a brief moment, her gaze unwavering, cold, and calculating. It was only after she confirmed there was nothing amiss that she suddenly bent the knee, bowing her head low as she said in a dull tone, "I have returned, Your Majesty..."Though he did not require her to bow to him, Scáthach was strangely observant of the proper 'order' of things. Since she had accepted a mission, she lowered herself from being his teacher to being his loyal subordinate, at least for the time being.Vahn knew better than to simply dismiss Scáthach's show of fealty and instead returned a curt nod before answering, "You did well. This is a task that should have been mine so I cannot fully express my gratitude for your service. I know you are not the type to seek out rewards but, if it is within my power, I will grant one of your requests in the future."With her head still lowered, Scáthach answered in the same dull tone, "Your Majesty is too kind. It is my honor to act as an extension of Your will. If you believe my service worthy of reward, I will gladly accept it..."After hearing her accept his reward, Vahn gave another curt nod before saying, "We should be returning to Avalon soon. Please, raise your head, Shishou."Without delay, Scáthach rose to her full height in a single smooth movement before saying, "You will be able to freely use the summoning system in the near future. When the time comes, I ask that you keep in mind our past conversations."Vahn was a little surprised by Scáthach suddenly mentioning the summoning system but, as they had literally just been discussing her reward, he quickly understood her intention. This made him feel a little panicky, earning him an almost indiscernibly sly grin from Scáthach when she realized what he was afraid of. She then, very slowly, began to lick her lips in a seductive manner, her tongue skillfully gliding across the top before retreating back into her mouth.Ever since obtaining his Divinity related to Sex, Vahn had become extremely sensitive to the desires of others. With this, he was able to confirm that, unless she was very good at keeping it concealed, Scáthach had almost no desire to sleep with him. She had very few emotions, actually, making him feel a little unnerved around her since she could put on an act that could even earn Loki's praise.The most important part of his discovery, however, was that she 'did' actually have a desire to sleep with him at times. 'Almost no desire' did not equate to 'no desire' as, at times, Vahn would suddenly feel like he was a strawberry shortcake being eyed by Eva whenever Scáthach saw him perform well. He also knew that she was the catalyst that set Artoria's 'plan' into motion so, whenever Vahn felt her true nature coming out, a shiver would always run along his spine. In the future, he knew it was only a matter of time before his 'Shishou' began to teach him something other than just battle techniques and Laws...---After checking in with Olivia and Luvia, Vahn spent a few minutes helping to relieve their stress with a revitalizing massage before returning to Avalon. He didn't have to wait for Merlin as the latter had the ability to freely move between Avalon, the outside world, and even the Projection itself with no real effort. Even Vahn didn't know how he pulled it off as, rather than Space or Time Magic, Merlin seemed to simply 'manifest' himself wherever he wanted to be...Vahn knew that Space and Time, while two of the most powerful Laws, were not the 'most' powerful. With examples like Merlin and Alaya, the latter effectively being 'everywhere' despite her main body being attached to him, he was often reminded of Sis's words. She had told him, several times in fact, that both Space and Time were more of an 'illusion' than anything else. It was possible to completely liberate yourself from both, with people like Merlin, Scáthach, Zelretch, and even Aoko, being able to separate themselves from the time axis whenever they willed it.Separating yourself from the time axis was only part of the equation to actually being able to move freely, however. If you simply removed yourself from the flow of time, you would be stuck as a statue that never aged. Any attempt to move would be a harsh violation of the Laws governing Space as it would require a nigh-infinite amount of energy just to displace the molecules of air around you. If you could move in this state, you would leave behind literal tears in the void that would violently rip apart the fabric of reality when time began to flow again.Thus, in order to move around when time was stopped, you needed to separate yourself from the axis of reality itself. This effectively made you immortal, at least against any entities still bound by the Laws of Space-Time, as there was no way to destroy something that didn't exist. While there were exceptions to everything, especially when it came to powerful armaments and Innates, it was still a significant threshold of power...Ever since obtaining his Divinity related to Sex, Vahn was determined to regain his Creation Divinity before developing Divinities related to Space and Time. He knew that he wasn't even a middling Tier 4 yet so if he wanted to reach Tier 5 and become strong enough to fight against the Magus of the Beginning, he still had a long way to go. As he was, there was a good chance that, even if he killed the Magus of the Beginning, they wouldn't actually die. Beings at their level would just find another form to inhabit or, in the worst-case scenario, move into a completely alternate reality to consolidate power.Not only did he need the power to move outside the influence of Space and Time but, when it came down to it, Vahn also needed to power to freely transition between alternate realities. He essentially needed to reach similar mastery to someone like Zelretch as, if there were any realities where for his opponents to flee, they would undoubtedly do so. The only way to truly eliminate someone at Tier 5 seemed to be sealing them or forcibly erasing their Ego, two exceedingly difficult things to pull off.Fortunately, at least in the Nasuverse, Vahn knew about the existence of several 'exceptions' from the very start. If he wanted to, it was possible to summon a perfect counter to any conceivable threat, no matter how powerful they might be. After all, there were entities inscribed upon the Throne who had even greater mastery over Space and Time than Zelretch. At the same time, there were even entities who had the ability to kill concepts and, in more extreme cases, that which didn't exist.With Da Vinci at his side, Vahn was confident in being able to research and comprehend whatever obscure Laws allowed for such contradictions to exist. Since some of these existences weren't even Tier 4, he was confident that, even if he couldn't reach Tier 5 by the time he entered Eva's Record, he would still be able to defeat the Magus of the Beginning. There was even a chance he would be able to take along several powerful allies with him and, though he hadn't discussed it with anyone for fear of alerting Akasha, Vahn was even intending to try and take his entire Empire with him...After researching Bounded Fields, Sub-Textures, and Reality Marbles, Vahn was convinced that it was possible to create an entire world and seal it away within himself. Though the Record he enters may try and 'reject' his created world, he could always keep it located inside of his own Soul or within an area of the void outside of the influence of the Record's Laws.It might only be a quirk of the Nasuverse but Vahn knew it was possible for Bounded Fields to allow for a completely different set of Laws to exist, so long as they were completely separate from reality. This was similar to how his Sub-Space and Space-Time Orbs worked, except on a much larger scale. So long as he could create an isolated Bounded Field, using his Source Energy to separate it from the rest of reality, Vahn was absolutely confident he could pull it off. After all, the moment he made the 'breakthrough', he even received a Zennith-Tier Quest related to making his penultimate dream a reality.--------------------------------------------------------------//Main Quest Triggered//[Quest: Beyond the Boundary: A World in the Palm of One's Hand]Rank: ZenithObjective: Obtains Divinities related to Space and Time (0/2), Create a personalized Reality Marble (0/1), Anchor Reality Marble to a physical object (0/1)Optional Objectives: [God of the Garden] Create a total of 100 Unique existences to populate your Reality Marble, [Lord of Isolation] Separate your Reality Marble from the axis of Space and Time (0/1), [God Emperor] Have a total of 8 Primary Gods or 72 Lesser Gods inhabit your Reality Marble (0/8:0/72)Rewards: 10,000,0000,000OP, World Management System Function Unlocked, 1x[Innate Awakening Pill]Failure Conditions: Forfeiture of Main Quest ChainPenalty: Record Backlash--------------------------------------------------------------Vahn knew he was impossibly blessed to have The Path at his side as, even if his thoughts seemed abstract, or even outright ridiculous, there was always a way to make them into a reality. The Records existed in a myriad of different forms and, while something may seem impossible in one, it could be a very common thing in another. Thus, so long as he put in the effort, it was not an exaggeration to say that 'anything', without exception, was possible. After all, if he wrote a novel of his own, spread it throughout his Empire to the point that millions of people were interested in it, there was a very real chance he would be able to enter a Record of his own creation...With a lot of time to ruminate over such things, Vahn had often been tempted to try this out but, as the Record would also be shaped by the hopes and dreams of others, he was worried about how any aspects he didn't fully flesh out would manifest. Depending on the more popular interpretations of his work, the world could turn out to be a very dark place beneath the surface. If he entered such a Record and found the same cruelty that had been observed in every world he had traveled to, Vahn wasn't confident he would be able to avoid just going on a rampage...Still, it was an interesting idea and, if he lacked the confidence in going directly to Eva's world, Vahn had been considering entering a world of his own creation. After all, it was possible to create unique and powerful artifacts that, depending on how he framed their existence, would only be accessible to him. He could even create something like a Dungeon where monsters were relatively weak and docile but, inexplicably, gave an overwhelming amount of experience. There were virtually no limits when it came to the creation of Records as, with his Record Function available, Vahn had been able to find examples of actual children's cartoons within the listings.The Nasuverse obviously had its own fiction, including a thriving anime industry, so Vahn was able to do a lot of research into potential Records. There were even worlds with other Transmigrators and an entire genre related to people being reborn in other worlds and receiving great power. Some of the systems people were given even made The Path seem full of restrictions but, as this often resulted in a very boring story or ridiculously overpowered and irresponsible main characters, it was very easy to point out their flaws.Among the fiction Vahn had researched, he even found one where the main character reincarnated into a fantasy world with the ability to 'steal' the abilities of others. This didn't just apply to the other fantasy races within the world, but its monsters and, at later stages, even the gods of the world itself. As a result, by the time the MC was three years old, they already had ten times the stats of even the most powerful Ancient Dragon. When they finally became an Adventurer later in life, they had a God, an Ancient Dragon, and a Beastfolk slave in their Party, living mundane lives where the only plot was artificially created suspense. After all, when the main character can even one-shot the Demon King, there weren't really any 'real' threats left.The only reason Vahn had really taken an interest in that particular anime was due to the fact that, for a variety of reasons, it resonated with him. While he didn't think the premise was that interesting, the main character had been a young boy who wished to live a free and happy life without having to worry about other people controlling him. As a result, the God that presided over his reincarnation had given him a 'cheat' that essentially made him peerless. Thus, while the plot was extremely thin, it was interesting to see how someone with so much power prioritized living a simple life among the people they loved.Though it might seem a little ridiculous, Vahn had even imagined himself in the role of the MC but, instead of the characters from the series, he had replaced them with the people he knew and loved. He had to admit that, while he would have treated the Nobles 'very' differently, it was still interesting to consider just living a life of whim and whimsy, one detached from politics and other stress factors. Unfortunately, he didn't really have this option available to him as the guilt of keeping his family and Eva waiting would eat away at his enjoyment if there wasn't any pressure on him.Vahn realized long ago that the freedom he sought was markedly different from the norm. Instead of living without any inhibitions, becoming the type of person he hated the most, he chose to give up a bit of his own freedom in order to grant the opportunity for others to live free and happy lives. Just knowing there was so much suffering in the world made him uncomfortable so, until he had 'fixed' things, he could never simply rest...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Come on...bite...!','Tier 5 is janky','To be free is to be alone, a king of solitude')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 1265: Interlude: Human Nature and the Desire for Freedom