Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After a fortunately uneventful bath, Vahn was helping brush Asuna's inordinately long hair while telling her about some of the events that had transpired within the Realm. She was well aware of the fact that it would one day become her home, and, even if he tried to keep it secret, she could always tell when he had just returned from a visit. Thus, in order to satiate her seemingly endless curiosity, even just a little, Vahn talked about his time within the Realm and even showed her a few of his more interesting memories.Seeing fantastical scenes of Vahn walking on the surface of stars, battling against mountain-sized dragons, and even rearranging the night sky at his whim always caused Asuna's eyes to shimmer with intrigue. It was one of her favorite pastimes, and, though she was becoming increasingly aware of her own body, she enjoyed having Vahn pamper her while wearing nothing but a camisole and a pair of animal print panties.Though she was still experimenting with her style, Asuna had committed to trying to establish a 'gap' in her appearance. She liked to dress in 'cool' and 'serious' clothes whenever she was outside, but, whenever they were in private, her default was to wear cute and slightly childish clothing. They were far more comfortable than other kinds of clothing, and, though he didn't see her as a woman just yet, Asuna enjoyed the giddy feeling she got whenever she walked around in with nothing but a top and her panties on. As for why she decided to wear panties with a print, she knew Vahn was very perceptive, so, even if he didn't proactively look, it was impossible for him not to take notice...Asuna had come to realize that one of the caveats to having abnormally high perception was that your eyes were generally drawn to small and otherwise overlooked things. In her case, she actually found it easier to remember things like the designs of a person's buttons or the pattern sewn into their clothing than the people themselves. This was in spite of her having a very high perception, to the point of being able to recall the number of eyelashes a person possessed but not their name.Since she had viewed his memories thousands of times, Asuna knew Vahn perceived the world in a way that others would struggle to even comprehend. There were very few things that escaped his notice, and, if she reviewed memories related to her, it always brought an amused smile to her face whenever she noticed even the thread count of her panties and the pores of her skin were visible in high definition. It didn't matter that Vahn wasn't really looking at her the way she wanted him to, as, regardless of his intentions, he knew her body and its dimensions better than anyone...With that thought in mind, a smile spread across Asuna's face as she tilted her head back, hitting Vahn's stomach as she looked up at him and asked, "What do you want to do next? I don't really feel like watching a replay of my battle right now and I can tell you are tired. Since it is just the two of us right now, why don't we lay in bed the rest of the day and just read manga...?"Though he knew Asuna just wanted to cuddle with him while Fenrir was away, Vahn also wasn't in the mood to do anything due to his mental fatigue. Thus, after a brief moment of consideration, he returned a smile and answered, "Sure. Before we head up, however, you'll need to wear something more appropriate. Don't think I'm unaware of you're little scheme..."Hearing Vahn's words, Asuna felt her pulse quicken, but, by using her Ki to limit the flow of blood to her face, she was able to prevent a blush from coloring her cheeks. Instead, she adopted a confused expression as brought her arms closer to her body, marginally increasing the gap between her neck and the camisole's fabric. If a normal person were to tilt their head just a bit, they would be allowed a full view of her burgeoning assets, but, as if she was unaware of this face, Asuna asked, "Why do I need to change? You've already seen me naked like...six-thousand-nine-hundred-and-seventy-two times..."Showing a comparable amount of control over his own facial expressions, Vahn just continued to stare into Asuna's eyes as Sis stated, (*It seems like she is accounting for all the times she has been naked within your domain, knowing you always had her in your perception. Clever girl.*)Realizing he was being cornered by a twelve-year-old, Vahn could only suppress a sigh as he shook his head in mild exasperation. This was the downside to being mentally and spiritually drained as it put him into a state where he really didn't feel like arguing with people. There was also the simple fact that her words were the truth, and, prior to her abrupt kiss, he had never regarded her antics as anything more than curiosity and experimentation...As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn recalled all the times he had been roped into doing things he probably shouldn't have back in the Nasuverse. The most prominent example was the time when Mordred had orchestrated the events leading up to Mash's confession. He could have put a stop to the escalating events at any time, but, much like how he allowed Arika and Theo to gradually shave away at his defenses, Vahn always found it difficult to say no to the people he pampered...Undoubtedly as a result of his long silence, Asuna stopped pretending, her face showing a genuine expression of concern as she hesitantly asked, "Vahn...?"Hearing the demure utterance, Vahn blinked back to awareness, his expression softening slightly as he almost habitually leaned down to give the concerned girl a kiss. Fortunately, he realized what he was doing before he could complete the action, changing trajectory to kiss Asuna's forehead before smiling as he said, "I am unable to argue against your point. However, now that you are in the midst of blossoming into a woman, I have to be more strict with you. I understand you have a lot of urges and curiosities...these are perfectly natural. When you get a bit older, I'll be sure to help you address all of these things...for now, it would put my mind at ease if you focused on something other than trying to circumvent my sensibilities..."To punctuate his words, Vahn gently embraced Asuna's body, holding her close for a few seconds before letting her go and stroking her head. She became very quiet in the wake of his words, and, though there was conflict in her eyes, the most noticeable emotion visible in her countenance was guilt. This, in turn, made Vahn feel a little guilty, but, knowing Asuna was slowly descending into a very precocious phase of her life, he wanted to avoid things getting out of hand as they had many times before.Feeling calm and comfortable energy flowing into her mind, Asuna quickly recovered from her brief moment of reflection, an expression similar to a contented cat replacing her previous melancholy.After thinking about it, Asuna realized she had been pressuring Vahn quite a bit ever since Eva and the rest had departed. Her battle with Nagi only exacerbated the anxiety she had been feeling as of late, so, after her previous 'confession', her mind had been racing to come up with ways she could appeal to the boy she liked. She even felt giddy thinking about joining him in the bath, and, though this had been the case for a long time, Asuna knew she wasn't behaving normally at all...Remembering the 'guidance' her Mother had given her, combined with the fact she already had her first period more than a year ago, Asuna knew the principal cause for her behavior was the fact she was going through puberty. She had thought the effects wouldn't really influence her decisions that much, but, now that she thought back to the last few months, Asuna realized she had been actively pushing the other girls to leave so she could keep Vahn to herself...As realization dawned upon her, Asuna felt a considerable amount of guilt, but, rather than show it on her face, she continued to squint her eyes slightly as the comfortable energy from Vahn's hand seemed to wash over her, cleaning the impurities in her body and mind. Then, after calming herself down and organizing her somewhat chaotic thoughts, Asuna opened her eyes fully, a radiant smile spreading across her face as she stated, "I'll put on some pants."Having sensed the various changes occurring in Asuna's mental state, Vahn couldn't help but lightly chuckle in response to her words. He didn't actually blame her for how she had been behaving, as it was pretty normal for someone of her age. Still, that didn't mean he could just let her get away with everything, as, without any restrictions, Asuna's 'condition' would only grow worse with the passage of time. The last thing he needed was a deliberate repeat of the incident that had happened nearly a year prior, where, in an attempt to surprise him, Asuna used the State of Nothingness to sink into the ground while he was washing Eva's hair.Though Vahn was generally able to sense Asuna's presence, he tried to humor her by momentarily shifting his attention elsewhere. As a result, he was equally as surprised as Asuna herself when she emerged from the ground with her face between his legs. She had intended to come up in front of Eva to try and startle her backward, but, missing her exit point several centimeters, Asuna emerged to find herself face-to-face with something she had only stolen glances at previously.If it was just looking, it wouldn't have been much of a problem, but, due to her surprise, Asuna was unable to maintain the State of Nothingness. As a result, for a very brief moment, her body became solid, trapped from the neck down with her face less than two centimeters away from a place where she had no business being. From that moment on, she became overly conscious of being anywhere near his front side, often choosing to remain behind him until it was time to wash her hair.Vahn had done his best to disregard the incident at the time, asking Eva, Theo, and Arika to do the same, but, as the principal offender, Asuna hadn't forgotten. It was an incident firmly cemented in her mind, and, ever since then, her intrigue regarding a certain part of his body had been growing a little too quickly. She had even transitioned from snuggling up at his side to habitually sitting in his lap and outright reclining against his body while she read books. In fact, she looked for a number of excuses to sit in his lap, and, shortly after the initial incident, she 'spontaneously' developed a habit of walking around in her panties.When Eva, Arika, and Theo had been present, it wasn't such a big deal since Asuna tried to behave whenever they were around. She was also sensitive to being teased, so, whenever they noticed she was being 'mischievous', the other girls would immediately call her out, quickly coming Asuna into a swift retreat. Now, however, the only thing to prevent Asuna from getting out of hand was Vahn himself, as, due to her 'unique' perspective on things, Fenrir was generally okay with everything so long as it didn't cause him genuine stress.Hearing Asuna readily acquiesce, Vahn felt like he had avoided the worst-case scenario, a feeling of relief washing over him as he watched the young girl scamper away to grab something to cover her bottom. Unfortunately, when he reached the bedroom shortly thereafter, his smile promptly froze, as, demonstrating just how 'clever' she was, Asuna shimmied out of her panties before donning the thinnest silk pajamas she owned. Then, with the characteristic grin of someone who had completed a prank, Asuna turned around to face him, asking, "Anything else~?" with a twinkle in her eye.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Clever girl...','The bathroom incident','I would say she never learns but I fear she is actually learning too quickly...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

While her Master was busy being tormented by a young prodigy, Fenrir was busy leaving a trail of proverbial breadcrumbs on the mainland of Tempe Terra. Her Master had prepared an island-wide formation to conceal their base, so, unless they had an extreme level of mastery of Space, locating even a trace of the island was exceptionally difficult.Anticipating the arrival of Ala Rubra, Fenrir had been tasked with killing a few powerful monsters in order to leave traces of her presence. To most, the sites of her battles would just seem like a scuffle between powerful beasts, but, with several members standing near the absolute pinnacle of power within Mundus Magicus, Ala Rubra should be able to ascertain the truth.With this in mind, Fenrir was dashing through the sky in her wolf transformation, her paws leaving visible imprints on Space as she created footholds within the void.Fenrir was actually quite fond of running through the sky, but, with a mission to focus on, her eyes reflected an absolute state of focus as she followed subtle traces of powerful magical auras with her nose. Her nose was so sensitive that she could even detect trace amounts of Arika's and Theo's aura from several thousand kilometers away, so, when it came to tracking down powerful magical beasts, there was no hiding from her senses.Perhaps sensing its approaching doom, a massive chicken with a reptilian tail, dragon-like horns, and peculiar spiral eyes released a thunderous caw in response to Fenrir's approach. It stood more than 20m in height, and, though it looked like an overgrown chicken to most, the true nature of the beast was the offspring between a cockatrice and an earth dragon. This allowed it to run rampant in the region surrounding Tempe, as, due to the presence of the Great Spirit of Earth, there was a vast quantity of earth elemental energy to nourish its growth and empower its attacks.Undaunted by the physical shockwave that passed over her body like a gentle breeze, Fenrir's aura began to erupt from her body with tremendous force. Though she was already a giant wolf, an even larger and more majestic version of her current form manifested behind her, and, before it even had the chance to pop out an egg in surprise, the hybrid creature's eyes widened as it felt a toothy maw close around its neck.With her [Apex Predator], Fenrir was able to drastically reduce the power of other 'monsters', and, if their determination was lacking, she could even cause their minds to collapse, stalling their thought process in its tracks. This was what spelled the end for the hybrid, as, from its perspective, all it saw was a one-hundred-meter tall wolf staring down at it from the Heavens. In reality, Fenrir had used a variation of Shundo to instantly close the distance, her jaws closing around its neck like tofu before she proceeded to take several large chunks out of its head and body.Feeling her power increasing by a marginal amount, a tingling sensation spread through Fenrir's body that caused her to shiver like a dog shaking off water. She didn't like devouring fire and earth elemental energy, as, despite having no real flavor, the moments preceding its conversion into pure magical energy always made her stomach feel weird. As for the blood, bone, and other viscera, she had no reaction at all, and, if it didn't unnerve those close to her Master, Fenrir wouldn't hesitate to devour all her prey.Choosing to leave around seventy percent of the hybrid's body untouched, Fenrir took a few steps back before circling around and releasing a sonorous humming sound from her throat. If there had been any witnesses to the event, they would have been completely shocked, as, rather than a wolf's growl, it sounded like the voice of a woman performing a vocal exercise.After warming up her throat for a few seconds, as she didn't like to strain her voice unless it was for her Master's sake, Fenrir plopped her butt on the ground before raising her head to release a rather sonorous howl. This sound seemed to echo for hundreds of kilometers, but, more notably, the area surrounding Fenrir experienced a rather drastic change. Her howl had released a pale blue pulse of energy, and, as the note was carried by the wind, ice began to build up in the surroundings, glazing several hundred meters in a layer of magical permafrost.In order to conserve her energy, Fenrir elected to manipulate the ice and water elemental energy in the atmosphere instead of using her own. This was another indicator that someone had reached the level of an Archmage, as, rather than squander their own reserves, they relied on the energy within the environment to dominate their foes. This was how someone like Eva, who had the reserves of a talented academy graduate, became known as the 'most powerful mage in the world'. She had such an extreme mastery over her elemental affinities, that, unless she was in a sticky situation, she never had to rely on her own magical energy to cast spells.With her surroundings adequately frozen, a state that would persist upwards of two weeks, Fenrir gave herself a nod of approval before raising her nose slightly and sniffing the air. She had already defeated more than a dozen 'territorial kings', monsters who had established themselves within a known hunting grounds, but, ever the overachiever, Fenrir was determined to continue thinning the native monster population until sunrise...---Unaware of the fact that his most faithful companion was going more than a little overboard, Vahn reclined against the headboard of his bed with a casual smile on his face. Sitting in his lap, or, more accurately, laying against his body, an adorable little girl wearing koala-themed animal pajamas was flipping through the pages of a shoujo battle manga. This was was the compromise she had agreed to in order to be able to continue lying against his body, and, though it was far from the most ideal outcome, Vahn couldn't deny he had a weakness against 'animal jammies'. The fact they were hand made by him, turning them into an A-Rank magical artifact, only exacerbated the matter, as, due to his propensity to overdo things, Vahn had given them a peculiar squishy and soft quality.Fortunately, once she got into a story, Asuna stopped paying attention to virtually everything else. As a result, Vahn was able to relax comfortably, his hands loosely stacked atop her abdomen as the majority of his focus was split between his other vessels. He was trying to see if he could control the Little Garden externally, and, though he was unable to enter it, for the time being, that didn't stop him from testing its capabilities.After spending so much time with Da Vinci, Vahn's natural curiosity had been fully converted into a contemplative nature powered by intrigue. New things always excited him, and, though he relied on Da Vinci to help him figure out various things, he couldn't help but attempt to analyze and reverse engineer everything he got his hands on. This was especially true for anything related to Space and Time, as, despite his status as a God in both categories, Vahn was often left surprised by the myriad number of ways in which the two Laws could manifest.From what he could ascertain, the Little Garden wasn't all that different from a Space-Time Orb, but, rather than transport just the spirit, it readily accommodated physical objects. If not for his ability to manifest solid objects in both spiritual and virtual space, Vahn, like many others, would have argued that this was impossible. The amount of energy it took to transform a spiritual object into a physical one, and vice versa, was truly phenomenal, and, without meeting certain conditions, the stability of such objects was questionable, at best.Vahn was very curious about how the Little Garden was able to freely accommodate this transition, but, compared to the tiny blue sphere's most notable trait, this was negligible. After all, it required a considerable amount of energy, often drawing from the planet itself, to maintain a Sub-Space Orb without compromising its interior structure. Since the Little Garden functioned like a Sub-Space Orb with the properties of a Space-Time Orb, it should take a tremendous amount of energy to sustain itself. Instead, Vahn felt virtually no drain, and, rather than pulling from the environment, the Little Garden seemed to be able to sustain itself using the energy produced within its interior...Creating a Sub-Space Orb that was powered by its own output was the penultimate dream of any Mage dabbling in Spatial Laws, and, even though he was a God, Vahn had no idea how to pull off such a feat. He could probably manage it while he was inside of the orb, but, the moment he came out, it was bound to collapse almost instantaneously. There needed to be an exterior stabilizing element to ensure the integrity of the interior space, or, like a compromised pressure container, it would literally explode or collapse depending on numerous variables.Since it was capable of doing something he, as a God of Space, Time, and Creation was unable to emulate, Vahn was 'very' interested in the Little Garden's structure. If he could understand how it functioned, it would be possible to create copies that could be used for a variety of purposes. He could even create versions with different biomes, as, despite the overwhelming vitality contained within the current garden, it wasn't exactly suitable for cultivating all types of flora and fauna.Unfortunately, at least for the time being, Vahn was unable to influence the Little Garden from the outside, and, after dropping in his Realm to conduct a field test, he was able to confirm that it was 'linked' to the current Record. He was able to manifest it within the Realm, but, the moment he tried to put an object inside, it turned to dust in an instant. The only exceptions to this were objects that had been purchased form the system shop, but, as that had always been the case, Vahn wasn't too surprised.Fortunately, during the brief five days spent within the Realm, Vahn had been able to test a number of things within the Little Garden. The most important discovery was the realization that, while there was no way to move objects from the Realm into the Little Garden, he could still exercise his power as an Overseer within its confines. As a result, he was able to freely modify the interior, and, though his powers as a Creator were limited, he was able to purchase various seeds and plant life to fill the Little Garden to the brim with life. He also adjusted the flow of time to grow more powerful as you moved towards the edges of the garden, making the interior island flow at a rate of ten times while the exterior ring was a whopping 700x.The fact he could freely alter the structure of the Little Garden using his power as an Overseer had practically turned Vahn into a giddy child for the duration of his stay. He had even planted a total of thirty-nine World Trees within, their 'cores' serving as the anchors that supported the drastic change in Space-Time that existed between the interior island and external ring. World Trees were easily the most powerful stabilizer Vahn had ever come across, and, though it was more than a little excessive to use them to power a formation, the fact they only cost him 195 million of his twenty-three billion OP made it seem reasonable.Vahn had stockpiled an extreme amount of OP, and, though he wasn't earning much in the present, he was certain there were be opportunities to stockpile even more in the future. He wanted to have at least thirty-billion by the time he entered the next Record. This might seem a little ridiculous, but, with the next Record potentially serving as the foundation for his own, Vahn wanted to make ensure he was adequately prepared. Even then, he couldn't be sure this was enough, as, if he modified the search parameters, there was literally an infinite number of items that greatly exceeded thirty-billion in cost. Fortunately, having anticipated his Origin Points running out at some point, Vahn had been stockpiling gacha coupons and upgrade stones in preparation. Since the gacha items and rarity was scaled to the level of the Record, there was a chance he would get monstrously powerful items with just a few gacha rolls, so, while he wasn't exactly in a rush, Vahn was already looking forward to his journey through the next Record...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'All are Prey before the Huntress' Mighty Maw','Vahn over here playing Minecraft with creative mode turned on...','The God of Whales')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Opening his eyes, Vahn saw a familiar living room and a table full of still-steaming food. Not even a second had passed in the outside world, and, no matter how much time he spent inside, his mental and spiritual energy would not recover. As a result, the mental fatigue he had accumulated during his battle against Nagi and his foray through Megalomesembria came back with a vengeance. This, combined with the fact his existence always felt incomparably small outside of his Realm, caused a momentary depressive state to descend upon Vahn's mind.Fortunately, after a few seconds had passed, these feelings gradually receded as he quickly adapted to the reduced size of his domain. It helped that he could still sense Asuna hiding bashfully beneath the covers in her bedroom, a realization that brought a small smile to Vahn's face as he recalled her previous antics.Rising from the sofa, Vahn stretched his body a bit before deciding to follow up on his intentions prior to entering the Realm. At the time, he had wanted nothing more than to just take a bath and relax, so, with nothing else to do but sort through some information, he decided to drag himself to the attached bathhouse.Prior to entering the onsen-like facility, Vahn considered whether or not he should put up a divider for genders in the future, but, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head. It would be infinitely more prudent of him to create a second bath, as, even if they were just playing around, he wasn't sure he could forgive anyone trying to peep.Being a pervert wasn't necessarily a bad thing when you were with or around people you shared a mutual affection with. If you were imposing your perversion on unwilling people, however, you had a serious problem, as, regardless of your intentions, it was still sexual harassment. If a woman didn't want you to look at them naked, you had no right to cast your gaze upon them. After all, there was a distinct difference between admiring someone and being a creep, something a surprising number of people failed to comprehend...Shaking his head, Vahn rinsed his body using the shower before submerging himself into the pale green mineral waters. There were a number of elementals that immediately gravitated towards him, but, without paying them any mind, he allowed his body to sink up to his neckline, his head resting against the warm stone as he released a tired sigh and closed his eyes. Then, as it had simply been too risky to complete it within his Realm, he turned his attention to his Quest log before selecting one of the highlighted options with his mind...---------------------------------------------------//Quest Completed//[Quest: Genesis Path: Dawn of Creation]Rank: ZenithCompletion Grade: (-)Objective: Obtain Divinities related to Space:[100%], Time[100%], Creation[100%]Optional Objective(s): [Breath of Life] Successfully bind a soul to an organic vessel: [93/1], [Beyond the Flesh] Successfully bind a soul to an inorganic vessel: [7/1], [Divine Father] Create Unique lifeforms: [11/10], [Little Garden] Create a Personal Dimension using own power and comprehension: [3/1]Rewards: 10,000,000,000OP, [Little Realm Guardian Contract]x1, [Book of the Dawn]x1, [Book of the Dusk]x1, [Book of the Twilight]x1Bonus Rewards: 1,370,000,000OP, [Breath of Life], [Beyond the Flesh], [Divine Father], [Little Garden][Little Realm Guardian Contract]Rank: UniqueUse: Allows the user to summon a Guardian to act as their proxy within Realms under the dominion. The power and capabilities of the Guardian are directly tied to the vitality and stability of the Realm.Restriction: A Guardian cannot use its power outside their Realm of origin.[Book of the Dawn]Rank: UniqueUse: An ancient text that records the history of every entity living within a Realm.Restriction: Bound to Realm of origin.[Book of the Dusk]Rank: UniqueUse: An ancient text that records the names of the dead and all Souls awaiting reincarnation.Restriction: Bound to Realm of origin.[Book of the Twilight]Rank: UniqueUse: An ancient text that governs the cycles of life, death, and reincarnation. Laws written into this text determine the reward for virtue, the penance for sin, and preservation of the Ego upon death.Restriction: Bound to Realm of origin. Only works when the Book of the Dawn and Book of the Dusk is in effect.[Breath of Life]Rank: UniqueUse: A Grimoire that bestows the user with the ability to infuse their vitality and essence into others. Mastery over this ability can drastically extend the lifespan of the user, allowing them to extend the lives of others and even resurrect the recently deceased.[Beyond the Flesh]Rank: UniqueUse: A Grimoire that bestows the user with the ability to infuse their vitality and essence into inert, inorganic, objects. Mastery over this ability drastically extends the lifespan of the user, and, under the right conditions, objects influenced by their essence may obtain an Ego of their own.[Divine Father]Rank: UniqueUse: A Grimoire that bestows the user with the inheritance of a Primordial God. Those blessed with this inheritance are able to form conceptual offspring within their mind, and, so long as the target is willing, the offspring will carry the traits encoded into them. (A/N: This basically implies that even a normal human could give birth to something like a Cat Person or even a baby Cthulhu.)[Little Garden]Rank: UniqueUse: A Grimoire that bestows the user with the ability to create a miniature Realm that is governed by the Law of Progression. Entities inside experience accelerated growth until the point of maturity, never aging beyond their biological prime. If the potential for evolution exists, offspring produced within the Realm will always inherit progressive traits, and, in the event of genetic inbreeding, there is a drastic reduction in deviation rates and birth defects.---------------------------------------------------Though it wasn't unexpected of a Zenith Quest, Vahn couldn't help but blow bubbles at the sheer ridiculousness of the rewards he had received. The three Realm-bound books basically provided the user with a form of omniscience, and, though most of the Grimoires were relatively useless to him, Vahn understood their potential very well.After completing his previous Zenith Quest, Vahn had obtained Grimoires called [Inspiration] and [Might]. The latter had been gifted to Artoria, drastically increasing her raw power, but the former was the more impressive of the two. Though it originally only had the effect of boosting morale and temporarily increasing the capabilities of allies, it only took a few years for the ability to evolve into Fenrir's [Queen of the Pack] Innate. This suggested that the Grimoires functioned like unawakened Innates, and, so long as they were suitable for their user, it was possible to develop them into full-blown Innates with concerted effort.Since he had been unable to make any real headway on his Innate training in the Realm, primarily due to his omnipotence, Vahn was very tempted to use the Grimoires on himself. Unfortunately, as they provided abilities that he technically already possessed, they were generally useless. Even the ability to determine the species and abilities of his offspring wasn't particularly useful, as, due to the nature of his Source Energy, his children already developed in accordance with the expectations of both parents.With [Breath of Life], [Beyond the Flesh], and [Divine Father] having little value to him, especially as a Creation God, Vahn turned his attention to the [Little Garden] Grimoire. It actually seemed like the most powerful among the ancient texts, but, similar to the first three, it wasn't all that useful due to the existence of his Realm. The only real benefit it provided was allowing him to cultivate plants and animals within an existing Record, as, even with all his power, Vahn was powerless to remove even a simple stone from his Realm without it turning to ash...After considering the pros and cons, including losing everything inside when he migrated to a new Record, Vahn ultimately decided to sit up before manifesting a platinum-colored Grimoire from his Inventory. It looked rather generic at first glance, but, with glistening golden pages and a revolving planetoid embossed on the front, even an ordinary person would be able to tell it was anything but normal.Since the pages of the Grimoire were always blank, Vahn didn't bother to sift through them. Instead, he placed his palm on the surface, his intent sinking into the image of a planetoid as a phenomenal amount of information entered his mind. By the time he opened his eyes again, all that remained of the Grimoire were specks of silvery light that quickly dissolved into nothingness upon contact with the water's surface.Without paying any attention to the disappearance of the Grimoire, Vahn quickly sorted through the information in his mind before lifting his hand and uttering, "Hortulus(Little Garden)..."Following his utterance, a pristine blue sphere appeared within Vahn's hand, and, though there were a number of differences, he couldn't help but be reminded of CHALDEAS. It was like he was holding an entire world in the palm of his hand, and, with a simple thought, Vahn found himself in a small garden without any clothes on.Ignoring his nakedness, Vahn looked towards the azure sky above, his mind feeling a considerable amount of 'latency' due to the distortion of space and time within.To Vahn's surprise, the flow of time within the Little Garden moved nearly one-hundred times the rate of the outside world. There was also a truly absurd amount of vital and life energy contained within, greatly eclipsing even a World Tree in its potency and concentration.After taking a few deep and refreshing breaths, a natural smile spread across Vahn's face, followed by an urge to spread his arms and fall back into the dew-covered grass surrounding him. The Little Garden was an extremely relaxing place to be in, and, if not for the fact it placed a heavy burden on his mind trying to maintain his other vessels, he wouldn't mind just taking a nap without his domain activated...While deciding he would make time to relax in the Little Garden in the future, Vahn began to take in his surroundings using his original five senses. He noticed he was in the center of a small island that existed within a much larger lake. The only flora present was the grass beneath his feet, so, with his enhanced vision, Vahn was able to see an endless grassy meadow surrounding the lake, seemingly stretching far beyond the horizon.Deciding it would be best to ascertain more of the garden's structure, Vahn took a few breaths to relax his mind before slowly ascending into the sky. Controlling his body was pretty difficult right now, but, so long as he retained his focus, there were no actual restrictions on his abilities.After ascending a few hundred meters, Vahn couldn't help but raise his brows slightly as he noticed the garden was similar to a target. The island he had manifested on was like the center, surrounded by a perfect circle of sapphire blue water that was, in turn, surrounded by lush green meadows. This pattern seemed to continue indefinitely, but, after ascending a few hundred meters, Vahn noticed it seemed to cut off at a distance he approximated to be 23km, similar in size to his domain...---With nothing to do within the Little Garden, at least for the time being, Vahn retracted his intent from the interior, finding himself back in the murky green waters of the bath. The surprise of the elementals and the rippling of the water implied that his physical body had actually entered the Little Garden, but, regardless of how he moved within, it seemed he would always revert back to whatever position he had been in prior to entry.Deciding he would explore the capabilities of the Little Garden more in the near future, Vahn let the baseball-sized orb disappear as a wry smile spread across his lips. His brain felt like it was pulsating in tune with the beating of his heart, but, even if there was a literal spear sticking through his head, Vahn would be able to pull off an 'unaffected' smile. Scathach's training had made sure of that, and, after decades of martial discipline, he could even emulate being completely emotionless if he really wanted to.The only time Vahn really struggled with controlling himself was when he was around the people he cared about. Thus, as the door to the bath slid open, Vahn maintained a wry smile on his face as he looked over his shoulder and mused, "You certainly bounced back quickly..."Hearing Vahn's remark, Asuna bashfully averted her eyes, her right hand combing through her hair as she hugged a white towel to her chest, partially concealing her naked body. She would normally be fine even if she were completely naked, but, after the previous kiss, Asuna was feeling a mixture of emotions she wasn't quite sure how to deal with. Her body felt lighter than usual, and, though it wasn't the first time she had felt something similar, the fluttery feeling in her chest was far greater than anything she had experienced previously.After taking a few seconds to organize her thoughts, Asuna peeked over at the still-smiling Vahn, a look of conviction spreading across her countenance as she nodded to herself. Then, after allowing the towel to fall to the ground, she smacked both of her cheeks, seemingly in an attempt to psyche herself up before stating, "I'm going to wash your back. When I'm finished, you can help me wash my hair. Make some room."Though there was plenty of space in the rather massive tub, Asuna wanted Vahn to move away from the side so she could nestle in between. She liked to rest her back against the warm stone, and, though she used to enjoy nestling in his lap, she had quickly come to realize the dangers of such a position after what Vahn referred to as a 'lucky pervert' moment. Since then, she had been too embarrassed to assume such a position, as, even after more than a year had passed, she could vividly recall the incident in her mind.Feeling that her thoughts were wandering a bit too much, Asuna decided to enter a pseudo-State of Nothingness as she submerged her body in the warm waters. Her expression instantly became a perfect mask of calm, but, after realizing she had forgotten both a rag and a sponge, a subtle blush spread across Asuna's cheeks as she began to lather her bare hands with soap. At the same time, a knot began to form in her throat as she internally remarked, ("I wonder if this also the influence of Fate...") before running her palms along Vahn's sculpted back...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'He did the thing (O . O)...','Imagine leaving two goldfish in the pond and then returning to find millions xD...','Asuna is quite 'lucky'...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1656: Precociousness