Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Located deep within a forested region, set against the backdrop of a cliff adorned with numerous faces, a large village sat isolated and hidden away from the rest of the world.Though it had been more than a year since the end of the war, a tense atmosphere could be felt throughout the entire village. Nobody knew why, but, on this particular night, even the light from the various businesses and streetlamps seemed uncharacteristically diminished. This allowed the light from the full moon to stand out even more so than usual, it's glow reminiscent of the sun at midday despite the world below being shrouded in an umbral abyss.Noticing this peculiar incongruency, a man with spiky blond hair, gentle blue eyes, and handsome features couldn't help feeling nervous. He had tried to convince himself that this was the result of his own nerves, understandable considering his wife was about to have her labor induced; but, no matter how many times he repeated the words in his mind, he couldn't suppress the sentiment that 'something' was wrong with the current situation.Just as the man was about to strengthen the barriers surrounding the secret chamber, two women wearing full-length robes appeared behind him, the most senior among them saying, "Lord Fourth, the time has come. Lady Uzumaki is requesting your presence at her side."Though his instincts were telling him to strengthen the security, the man's desire to be at his wife's side during the birth of their child was too compelling. He also knew this was a matter requiring the utmost secrecy, so, while he wanted nothing more than to station the entirety of his village's armed forces around the perimeter, doing so would compromise his already unstable political position. He had earned quite a number of enemies by becoming a Hokage at such a young age, and, though it couldn't be denied that his actions were instrumental in ending the previous war, that did very little to increase his political power among the Noble Clans and Village Elders.Suppressing a sigh, the man surprised both of the female attendants by flickering out of existence in a flash of golden light. In the next moment, he was already at the side of a beautiful woman with vibrant red hair, vigorous blue eyes, and an understandably anxious expression. There were also a number of other women present, including a team of nurses and an experienced midwife who had been entrusted the task of delivering every primary descendent of the Noble Clans for nearly thirty years.Despite knowing the pain it would cause him, the man unhesitantly grabbed the hand of his wife, forcing a smile even as her vice-like grip caused his bones to cry out in distress. It wasn't something he was proud to admit, but she had always been 'a lot' stronger than him. Rather, due to her unique heritage and the beast sealed inside of her, she was significantly stronger than most people...Before the duo could so much as exchange words of comfort, the aged woman quickly interposed, her voice cold and professional as she stated, "You must remain absolutely focused at all times. No matter how painful the labor becomes, you cannot afford to let your mind slip for even a moment. For the sake of yourself, your child, and the village, you must remain resolute until the very end. As for you, Lord Fourth, I will entrust the task of sustaining the seal to you. Your desire to support your wife during her labor is commendable, but you will have your entire lives to strengthen your bonds. Do not let your emotions distract you, even at the time of birth...the moment we fail to perform our duty, the entire village will suffer the consequences..."Though he wanted to make a counterargument, the man simply nodded in response to the elderly woman's words before planting a kiss on his wife's forehead and whispering, "I believe in you...stay strong, Kushina..."---Witnessing the scene play out before him, Vahn couldn't help but frown slightly. He wasn't upset by the fact that Minato had planted a kiss on the head of his own wife, but by the words and actions of the woman performing the delivery. She was certainly very experienced, but, using the excuse that Kushina needed to be fully cognizant throughout the procedure, no effort was made to alleviate her pain. This was in spite of the fact that it was possible to use the Healing Palm to significantly reduce sensations of pain without compromising the mental integrity of the patient...Though he didn't have a voice with which to speak, Vahn shifted his attention to the Law of Identity, who, understanding his thoughts, transformed into the woman before revealing, "She harbors no resentment towards Kushina. She is acting in accordance with the orders of a man named Shimura Danzo."Upon mention of Danzo, the Law of Identity instantly transformed into the man, adding, "He made an agreement with someone claiming to be Madara Uchiha. He intends to use this incident in order to weaken public opinion towards the current Hokage and gain control of the Nine-Tails. They have an orphaned member of the Uzumaki Family on standby in order to seal it away once it goes out of control and destroys part of the village."As Danzo was often depicted as a primary antagonist in various Naruto stories, Vahn wasn't even remotely surprised by the Law of Identity's words. Unfortunately, he already had a specific intention for this particular visit so Danzo's punishment would have to wait until later. It would come, almost assuredly, but the most important thing, at least for the time being, was comprehending the extent and limitations of his new power.With this in mind, Vahn closely monitored the surrounding space for several kilometers, his domain providing a limited form of omniscience that allowed him to sense even the subtlest changes in the surrounding environment. This allowed him to easily detect the entity phasing through the ground, and, moments later, it allowed him to sense the exact moment when a masked man appeared from within a sub-dimensional void.Before the man could so much as take a single step forward, Vahn manifested, soundlessly, without so much as a single spatial fluctuation. Despite this, the man was somehow able to react, his body twisting in an inhuman display of athletism as he attempted to kick the former with his open-toed sandals. Unfortunately, while his reaction speed was commendable, there was an unreachable gulf between himself and the current Vahn.Though his movements appeared to be in slow motion, Vahn was able to casually extend his hand to grab the masked man's ankle. This caused the latter to attempt to become immaterial, but, with his mastery over space and time greatly exceeding anything the man could hope to comprehend, it had absolutely no effect. The only thing he accomplished was surprising himself, but, compared to what came next, his initial shock was just the tip of a very large iceberg.Fully aware of the man's past, Vahn decided he wouldn't be 'too' heavy-handed with the masked man, better known as Obito Uchiha. He was someone who had been manipulated most of his life, and, once he had learned the truth, he became one of the most instrumental figures in saving the world. This demonstrated that he was more than capable of redeeming himself, so, while it would have been a simple matter to just kill him, Vahn's first action was to strike the man's cross-guard with an open palm.Feeling as though he had been hit by a train, Obito's left arm erupted, propelling a goopy white substance all over the battlefield as he was sent crashing through several trees. He reacted to this by trying to activate his Mangekyou Sharingan ability, pulling himself into his own sub-dimension. To his surprise, however, the ability activated just fine, but, no matter how much chakra he pumped into it, the 'gate' simply wouldn't open. It was like the surrounding space was actively resisting his attempts to bend it, almost like it had become completely solid...Realizing he was up against a monstrous opponent he knew absolutely nothing about, Obito tried to perform a Half Ram seal with his remaining right hand. He wanted to use the Shunshin-no-Jutsu to try and flee, but, before his chakra could fully circulate, greatly increasing his speed, the fingers of his right hand were ensnared by the vice-like grip of his opponent. This caused his Mangekyou Sharingan, resembling a pinwheel, to spin counter-clockwise as he mentally cried out, ("Sharingan Jutsu...!").Smirking in response to Obito's actions, Vahn used his free hand to 'poke' the center of the man's mask, splitting it in two. This revealed the terrified yet resolute face of a young man, the right side of which was inordinately pale and warped. At nearly the exact same moment, several other masked individuals appeared in the surroundings, each attired in a grey vest set atop pitch-black clothing that seemed to absorb light rather than diffuse it.Though the masked individuals looked like they wanted to attack, none dared move as, at the front of the formation, a man with blue eyes and spiky blond hair signaled for them to stand down as he hesitantly intoned, "Obito...is that really you?"Scowling in response to the man's address, Obito was preparing to part with his fingers, but, just as he had done in every previous instance, Vahn reacted much faster. His movements were so quick, in fact, that even Minato's pupils contracted to fine points as he couldn't even see the start-up motion for Vahn's attack. By the time he realized what was happening, Obito was already hunched over, his legs giving out due to the spontaneous strike to his abdominal line.Allowing Obito the opportunity to catch his breath, Vahn turned around to face Minato, an action that caused the surrounding ANBU to tense up despite the young Hokage gesturing for them to stand down. This demonstrated just how little authority Minato had within his own village as the ANBU were supposed to be 'unquestionably loyal' to the current Hokage. Instead, they were more like Minato's escort, men and women tasked by the previous Hokage to look after his successor...Shaking his head, Vahn preempted the anticipated interrogation by firmly stating, "My identity is not important. Just know that I am a friend, someone who has come here to prevent a tragedy and expose truths veiled within the darkness. I am not here to answer your questions, nor do I intend to stick around and pander to the fools who undermine the integrity of your authority. The only thing you need to know, at least for the time being, as that this young man, Obito Uchiha, is being lied to and manipulated by Madara Uchiha. He has conspired with Danzo to undermine your authority as Hokage by unleashing the Nine-Tails against the Leaf Village. His organization, ROOT, has collected numerous orphans from the previously destroyed Uzushiogakure, experimenting on his own allies rather than protecting them. How you deal with these matters is ultimately up to you. I have done my part in revealing part of the truth...now..."Punctuating his words, and causing even Minato to pull out a three-pronged kunai, Vahn made a grabbing gesture towards the air. This caused the surrounding space to twist, and, from within, an inordinately pale man with one half of his body shrouded in shadows found himself within Vahn's grasp. Then, without further explanation, he generated crimson flames, burning the man to a crisp before shifting his attention back to Minato and saying, "Your duty might tie you to the village, but a father who can't even protect his own son has no right to make such claims. Now, go. Kushina is about to give birth. You will regret it for your entire life if you aren't there to witness it..."With that said, Vahn performed a perfunctory gesture of farewell before vanishing like a phantom, soundlessly and without even a hint of flare. This caused Minato quite a bit of confusion, but, after seeing Obito attempt to perform a hand seal, he quickly came to his senses, flashing next to the injured man and slapping a seal on his forehead. This caused the one-eyed youth to immediately fall unconscious, his depleted reserves making it impossible for him to turn immaterial and avoid his capture...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'OwO? What's this~?','Well, that was certainly one-sided o_o...','Vahn can be such a Chuuni at times xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Nursing a headache comparable to the one he would feel after forging a Zanpakuto, Vahn allowed Fenrir and Ryun to nurse him for the better part of five hours before finally extricating himself from the duo's embrace and picking up the previously discarded volume of Naruto.Curious to see what effect, if any, his actions had on the events depicted in the Manga, Vahn began perusing the pages for any signs of change. To his surprise, he didn't even need to turn to the first page before he noticed the first change, the inclusion of himself as a 'mystery individual' within the character index.Seeing a profile of himself, albeit veiled in shadow, Vahn couldn't help but crack a smile as a surreal feeling washed over him. He had often imagined himself within the worlds of countless anime and manga, but, without visiting the Records directly, he was powerless to 'actualize' these desires. Now, he not only possessed the power to enter these worlds directly, but the choices he made during his stay had an observable influence on the sequence of events depicted.As part of his experiment, Vahn had acquired two identical copies of the Naruto manga as part of a bulk purchase. He wanted to see if his actions affected identical volumes, and, more importantly, he wanted to ascertain whether or not these changes would update retroactively in others of the same series.Unfortunately, while the changes he had made were 'very' evident within the volume affected by his power, every other volume, including those purchased as part of the same set, remained completely unaffected. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was a little disheartening to know he couldn't see what other impacts the changes he introduced had on the world. He could probably get around this by entering a digital copy of said manga, but that was something he would need to experiment with later.As could be expected from 'actualizing' a fictional world, effectively turning it into a Sub-Realm, it took quite a bit of mental and spiritual energy. Everything within was basically given form through his power, and, unless he used [Existence Erasure], the previously fictional world functioned similarly to a Record he had yet to enter. It had a 'fixed' fate, and, though his actions could shape the flow of events, it appeared as little more than fiction from an outside perspective...Shaking his head, Vahn placed the affected volume of Naruto in his Inventory before recycling the others. Then, much like when he entered his Realm, he allowed his consciousness to descend into his Soul Realm, the aptly named space that housed his Ego and linked him to his 'real' self outside the Record. This previously served as the 'central hub' that contained objects such as the Realm and the Little Garden, but, now that he had finally ascended to Tier 5, it had now become reminiscent of the Root System he had observed in the Nasuverse.Though he had no form to speak of, Vahn was able to freely move about this space, a gentle smile spreading across his nonexistence face when he observed the nebulous sphere that represented his Realm. For reasons he couldn't fully understand, looking at it inspired feelings comparable to those he would experience when looking at his own children. It was like he was viewing an intrinsic part of himself, something he wanted to nourish and protect at all costs...Resisting the temptation to extend his 'hand' and caress its surface, Vahn shifted his attention away from his Realm, this time directing his focus to a marble-sized sphere of white light. At a distance, it resembled a small star, one he could just reach out and casually grasp into the palm of his hand. As he got closer, however, the star began to grow exponentially in size, seemingly enveloping his non-existent body in a viscous membrane. Immediately after that, he found himself in the exact spot he had imagined, his intent loitering within the void as he observed the scene of Kushina punching the top of a young Naruto's head with a loving yet wrathful expression on her face...With the changes he had introduced into the world, the incident involving the Nine-Tails destroying a part of Konoha never came to pass. As a result, Minato and Kushina both survived, and, though it hadn't exactly been smooth sailing, the former had managed to secure his position as Hokage after forcing Danzo to undergo the investigation of the Torture and Intelligence Division. This had been opposed by the former Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, but, as the current Hokage, the highest-ranking position in the village, Minato had every right to subject a suspected traitor to interrogation.In the wake of Minato's actions, a rift had formed between the older generations of Konoha and the more progressive faction headed by the current Hokage. Hiruzen tried to act as a mediator between both sides, but, after Danzo's crimes were brought to light, combined with the fact he had allowed Orochimaru to escape, his status invariably fell among the Clans. In the end, he, alongside the other Elders of Konoha, became little more than Advisors without power. As for Minato, his position had improved considerably following the fall of Danzo, and, thanks to the tip offered by the 'mysterious man', the surviving Uzumaki had secured a small foothold among Konoha's Noble Clans.Unfortunately, without the pressure provided by Danzo, tensions between Konoha and the other Hidden Villages had been steadily increasing. There was still a lot of enmity between each of the villages following the end of the Third Shinobi War, and, though Minato had tried to broker peace with the Cloud and Sand, the former's attempts at kidnapping the Hyuuga Heiress, Hinata Hyuuga, ruined any chance for peaceful coexistence. The final straw was the Cloud's attempt to accuse the Leaf Village of 'murdering' one of their envoys, willingly denying the existence of the kidnapping attempt.Unlike Hiruzen, Minato wasn't the type to sell out his own people when the fault clearly lay with the other party. It was inconceivable to him that anyone would want him to condemn an innocent man, much less a father trying to protect his daughter, to die for the sake of a 'peace' someone else had compromised. He knew what would have happened to Hinata if the Cloud managed to capture her, so, rather than punish one of his own for doing what any sensible person would have, he made the incident known to the public and began preparing for war.In the end, the Cloud issued a statement attempting to absolve themself of any and all wrongdoing by claiming that the Leaf Village was fabricating the kidnapping incident to cover up the fact they had murdered an envoy sent to secure peace. They tried presenting Minato as a blood-thirsty killer who had built his reputation through war, and, in an attempt to secure his position, now resorted to warmongering in lieu of diplomacy...Fortunately, despite their bluster and posturing, most of the villages, their Kage included, greatly feared Minato. He had made a name for himself by killing more than a thousand elite shinobi over the course of a single battle. This was a feat achieved without any assistance from allied forces, so, from that moment onward, 'flee on sight' orders were issued to every shinobi. Those who ignored this order were virtually guaranteed to meet their end, and, during the later stages of the War, even the current Raikage and his Elite Unit had suffered a defeat at Minato's hands. For this reason, they dared not openly attack the Leaf Village, as, at least for the time being, Minato was, inarguably, the most deadly shinobi among the Five Great Nations...Though it was different from when he was in his actual Realm, Vahn was made aware of everything that had taken place within his personalized version of Naruto thanks to his [Actualization] Innate. It provided him a limited form of omniscience, and, most importantly, allowed him to view the Flow of Fate, much like he had in the Nasuverse. Unlike the aforementioned, however, he could now see the fate of the entire world, and, if he really wanted to, his instincts told him he could alter the flow with nothing more than his intent.Deciding he would put this to the test, Vahn allowed himself to become one with the surrounding currents, each frozen in time. This was the true source of his limited omniscience, and, by becoming one with the ebb and flow of fate, he effectively learned 'everything' about the current state of the world. He could even sense the amount of influence each individual had on the larger flow of fate, and, by altering it ever-so-slightly, he could drastically influence the course of the entire world...Feeling his reserves of mental and spiritual energy draining at a remarkable rate, Vahn didn't idle within the larger flow of fate for too long. He just tweaked a few things in an attempt to inhibit the onset of war before attaching his intent to the currents flowing around Naruto. This allowed him to peer into the boy's future, and, though he couldn't remove every setback, as pain and loss were a natural part of life, he could at least guarantee a favorable outcome. This version of Naruto might not be his son, but, for a number of reasons, Vahn felt compelled to extend his hand to the vibrant, clear-eyed, youth...With similar intentions, Vahn tweaked the fates of several other characters in the timeless world before setting the events he had orchestrated into motion. This included curing Itachi of his illness, obliterating the stone monument of the Uchiha, arranging a fated meeting between Tsunade and Fuu, reinforcing the seal on Shukaku, and, though it was a little petty of him, he set Orochimaru on a path that resulted in him greatly offending Nagato. This resulted in him having his soul pulled out by the latter, effectively removing any influence he had on the timeline once Jiraiya subsequently investigates the disappearance of his former friend.Vahn couldn't be certain that everything would go as he orchestrated, largely due to the need to maintain 'balance', but, at the very least, he had made a concerted effort to improve things. His last action within the Sub-Realm was to place numerous household objects into his Inventory, curious to learn whether or not they could be removed. His intuition told him this was impossible, but, as someone who constantly perpetuated the belief that 'nothing was impossible', there was merit in trying. He might not be able to achieve it now, but, once he figured out how to reconcile the Laws of his Fictional Sub-Realms with those of the outside world, there would be nothing to prevent him from 'borrowing' even heaven-defying objects from among the countless worlds included within his Internal Reality...As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn couldn't help but consider the possibility of connecting his Realm to the countless worlds that would invariably come to exist within his Internal Reality. Each had been given form through him, and, though there were bound to be a number of restrictions, there was no reason why it shouldn't work. Rather, now that he had reached Tier 5, he should be able to superimpose his Realm onto reality. He had already confirmed the viability of this feat while he was still a Tier 4, so, now that he had become a legitimate Tier 5, the only thing that could prevent him from influencing external reality were Axis Users and Gods with greater authority than his own...Realizing the implications contained within this line of thinking, Vahn allowed his consciousness to return to the outside world. Not even a single second had passed since the time of his immersion, but, as could be expected, his brain felt like it had turned to goo. This required him to recuperate in the Little Garden for more than three days, a sensible choice considering the absolute bedlam that occurred once he successfully created a 'bridge' between the Emerald Grove and a facility that had been prepared by Da Vinci in anticipation for this day...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Advent of the Self-Insert God...','RIP Orochimaru...','The ultimate Cliff-sama...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Teleporting from the barren trial chamber, Vahn found himself in a circular room connecting a total of sixteen different corridors. He noticed roman numerals above some of them while others showed various different symbols that denoted things such as anvils, shields, needles, apples, or beds.Understanding the symbols to denote the types of facilities found within each corridor, Vahn briefly considered his options before calling out Ryun from the Little Garden. She immediately greeted him with a smile, but, sensing something was wrong, her expression shifted to a concerned countenance as she asked, "Did something happen? Are you okay...?"Extending both hands, Vahn began to fluff up Ryun's hair and ears, an affectionate smile gradually spreading across his face as he answered, "My mood has been soured by a certain revelation. Don't worry, it will improve with the passage of time. For now, let's find a place to rest."Though she couldn't hide the concern visible in her ruby-red eyes, Ryun still nodded in response to her Master's words before pointing towards one of the corridors identified by a bed, saying, "If you seek the members of Team John, they can be found towards the end of this corridor. The others are currently empty."Smiling in response to Ryun's words, Vahn cupped the sides of her face, restoring her smile with a gentle peck on the lips. Then, with Fenrir tucked away inside of his shirt, he walked hand-in-hand with the redheaded Vanargandr until they reached one of the individual residences located near the very end of the corridor. There, he prevented her from transforming into her puppy form so that he could hug her from behind, enjoying the calming fragrance emanating from the base of her ears as she cradled Fenrir in her arms. This made it a little difficult for her to remain calm, but, after an hour or so, she invariably joining Fenrir in the land of dreams as Vahn continued to hug them both, eyes still exuding a fading golden luminosity...---Opening his eyes, Vahn was surprised to find himself in the middle of a seemingly endless plane of slaughter. There were countless weapons stabbed into the ground and littered about among a sea of corpses that stretched far beyond the horizon. Above, where one would expect to find a brilliant sky or a sea of stars, the debris of countless worlds could be seen crashing together in a cataclysmic fashion as creatures comparable to the planets themselves exchanged blows that could be felt even at his current location.Noticing a twelve-winged golden dragon among the group of monstrous combatants, Vahn's eyes opened even wider as he felt a certain familiarity with the massive creature. Immediately thereafter, he found himself staring at the world from the dragon's perspective, his senses expanding to cover a region larger than a solar system. This allowed him to perceive the vastness of his prior battlefield, his pupils shrinking to find points as he noticed that it had been taking place on a single scale of an incomprehensibly large serpent.Just as Vahn felt a tugging in his mind, drawing him towards the colossal serpent, an indescribable pain radiated from his back as a monstrous white tiger tore away one of his wings. This brought his attention back to the dragon's previous engagement, but, before he could punish the hateful beast for daring to sneak attack him, his mind blanked as he realized the winged white tiger looked 'very' similar to Baihu. To further exacerbate matters, he noticed that, among the innumerable corpses of planet-sized creatures, a fiery bird resembling Zhuque could be seen hugging a miniature star in an attempt to regenerate a severed wing...Before he could look around to identify any of the other combatants, an unbridled feeling of rage spread through Vahn's mind as he felt another sharp pain, this time from his side. The Baihu-like winged tiger had just buried its teeth into his flank, seemingly intent on exploiting his momentary distraction. This caused a sun-like luminance to erupt from his body as a voice not his own echoed through the surrounding void, stating, "Submit...!" in a tone that resonated so powerfully that many nearby planets fragmented into dust.Feeling a sensation similar to a nosebleed, only from his mind, Vahn felt his consciousness rapidly receding until an icy chill spread through his mind, followed by a second, infinitely more powerful voice, replying, "Even the Greatest Gods in Heaven gaze outwards towards the Abyss..."Following this simple attestation of the truth, Vahn felt his perception erupt outward, far beyond anything he had ever experienced before. Even the 'incomprehensibly large' serpent from before, its length great enough to span the distance between galaxies, suddenly seemed insignificant against the vastness of the universe beyond. In fact, from an 'outside' perspective, even the grand conflicts between god-like beings seemed completely meanings, their very existence holding less value than the constituent particles of the universe...As that thought crossed his 'mind', Vahn found himself staring dazedly at what appeared to be a single speck of dust among countless others floating about against an unfathomable expanse of nothingness. His awareness of the other specks caused his perception to grow even further, and, in the next moment, he found himself staring at a singular mote of light as an indefinable chill spread through his 'body'. He felt as though it pierced every part of him, but, rather than coldness, it was a sensation of 'nothingness' that completely transcended his previous perception of the Law...---Though he awoke with a start, Vahn was horrified to realize that he couldn't feel or move a single part of his body. It was like he was having an out of body experience, and, much like when he was guiding his intent around, he could move about freely, change his orientation, pass through walls, and even transition to different points in space in an instant. This was something he was intimately familiar with, but, compared to his previous usages of the ability, it was like the difference between viewing a world through a screen and entering said world directly.Looking down on his own body, seemingly frozen in time, Vahn suddenly felt a disconcerting sense of 'unfamiliarity' with himself. It was like he was looking at a complete stranger, and, for a very brief moment, he even felt a small amount of 'resentment' towards the figure embracing two of his loved ones. This notion filled him with an indescribable sense of incongruity, and, shortly thereafter, it was like the entire world had begun spinning rapidly as a 'tugging' sensation reminiscent of his entrance into the Record gave him an irresistible urge to vomit.Opening his eyes wide, Vahn released his hold on Ryun, blinking to the side of the best in an instant to eject a large volume of viscous black liquid onto the floor. This caused both girls to startle awake, and, as could be expected, they both rushed to his side; concern and confusion visible in their gazes as they watched him retching 'air'. Neither could see the substance expelled from his body, but, due to their overwhelmingly strong bond, Fenrir knew he was spitting up something. As a result, she did her best to comfort him, patting his back as she looked to Ryun and said, "Stay off of the floor. We can't see it, but there is something there...something dangerous..."Realizing she might be in the way, Ryun nodded in response to Fenrir's words before retreating to her previous position. She could also sense something dangerous, but, unlike Fenrir, her feeling of dread was derived from the connection she shared with the Tower. This usually allowed her to see the myriad paths of fate, but, for the time being, the only thing her senses as a Guide could detect was 'absolute nothingness'. It was like the entirety of fate had been subsumed, and, at least for the time being, she couldn't see so much as a single second into the future...Fortunately, it only took a few minutes for Vahn to recover, the contents of his 'stomach' completely emptied. By that point, the entire floor had been covered in several centimeters of the viscous black substance, it's surface glistening with a peculiar rainbow hue. This had caught Vahn's attention, but, the moment he actually tried to observe it, the entirety of the black substance had vanished without a trace. This left him feeling strangely 'empty', but, considering he had just discharged more than a thousand gallons of anomalous black liquid from his stomach, feeling 'empty' was pretty normal.Wiping away traces of 'nothing' from his mouth, Vahn turned to the worried Fenrir with a wry smile on his face as he mused, "Well...that was unexpected..." in a somewhat hoarse tone. This resulted in Fenrir pouncing on him, tears building at the corners of her eyes as she squeezed him hard enough to force the air from his lungs as she sobbingly replied, "I was so worried...please don't leave me..."Though he was a little confused by Fenrir's words, awareness hit Vahn like a ton of bricks when Sis directed his attention to his Status. This caused his eyes to widen to an almost comical extent, but, with a crying girl in his arms, he had other matters to attend. That didn't stop him from sneaking a few peeks, however, a cold sweat breaking out across his body as he contemplated the implications of such a status...-----------------------------------------------[Status]Name: [Error], Sobriquet: [Error]Age: [Error]Race: [Error], *sealed*Parameters: [Transcendental Path to Heaven: 1-6]Position(s): [Error]Strength: [Error]Toughness: [Error]Intellect: [Error]Agility: [Error]Control: [Error]Shinsu Resistance: [Error]Shinsu: [Error]Soul Tier: 5 (Realm Soul)Karma: [Error]Origin Points: 69,772,031Innates: [Will of the Emperor: SSS], [Rakshasa Body: SS], [Keeper of the Akashic Tome: B], [Eyes of Truth: A], [Universal Mind: C], [Actualization: (-)]Skills: [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error], [Error]...[Actualization]Rank: Innate (-) *Innate Skills cannot be identified. Attempts to do so will result in a backlash*[Passive]: An ability attributed to the one who walks freely through all planes of existence. When viewed from the outside, all things become fiction. When viewed from within, perception gives rise to actuality. When not viewed, all things cease to be. Reality is shaped by perception. Perception is shaped by Comprehension. Comprehension is shaped by Will. Will is shaped by Intent.[Active]: [Internal Reality]: Allows the user to link fictional worlds to their own Internalized Realm. Linked worlds exist within the same Metaversal Plane.[Active]: [Metaversal Crossroads]: Allows the user to enter a fictional world at any point within Time and Space.[Active]: [Causality Manipulation]: Allows the user to shape events within a fictional world through their intentions.[Active]: [Subjective Manifestation]: Allows the user to freely assume the identity of anyone prior to entering a fictional world.[Active]: [Existence Erasure]: Allows the user to erase all evidence related to their existence from a fictional world.-----------------------------------------------(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Healing with fluff...','Some say that, when you gaze into the Abyss, it gazes back. In reality, however, the Abyss has always been watching (OwO)...'I think Vahn just broke...?')(A/N: It took a lot longer than I expected to write this chapter. Reading up on abstract concepts and trying to find a way to incorporate them into a narrative is harder than you'd think. This is the first time I actually had trouble getting to 2,000 words in a single chapter. Heck, without this little note, I would have only been around 1900. My shamelessness has evolved to a new level (OwO)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1857: Shadows Beneath the Moonlight