Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1321

Lilith seemed to find the idea of wearing clothes rather novel but, considering it was the will of her Lord, she complied on the premise that Vahn selected her outfit. This proved challenging in its own way as, with her wings, tails, and other features, finding suitable clothing for Lilith was surprisingly difficult. Fortunately, Vahn could purchase items from the system shop to tide her over, at least until Da Vinci could modify the [REquip] system for more exotic physiques.

After more deliberation than he would have liked, Vahn ended up choosing a black gown with gold trim for Lilith to wear. It had a deep v-neck that showed off her ample bosom while the bottom half had two slits, giving Lilith a distinctly seductive appeal. This was further emphasized by the fact that the back of the dress extended to beneath her tail, leaving her back largely exposed to make room for her four wings.

Even without accessories and other adornments, Lilith was an inordinately beautiful woman. This was nothing new for Vahn but, considering the parallels she had with Semiramis, he could easily imagine the troubles that would arise due to Lilith's presence. If not for the fact that Merlin had shown him just how many people had a similar appearance to Artoria, Vahn would have believed Semiramis was a direct descendant of Lilith. Instead, it seemed like the Root System had a few preferred 'templates' as there were a surprising number of Heroic Spirits with near-identical appearances...

As one of the primary Heroines of the Nasuverse, at least from what Vahn could ascertain, Artoria was obviously a 'favorite' of whoever had created the Record. Because of this, there were dozens of people who shared a similar appearance to Artoria. This even included Lakshmibai and Okita, two women who had virtually no European ancestors. Despite this, their facial structure was nearly an exact copy of Artoria's, the only differences being their eye color, hair color, and complexion.

If he was 'selective' about who he summoned, Vahn was certain he could find doppelgangers for each and every resident of the Empire. He could even summon alternate versions of the same person from parallel worlds, seemingly without restriction. Thus, while Lilith's similarities to Semiramis were a little strange, it was nothing compared to his mental image of a thousand Scáthach(s) charging an enemy fortress. This was an extremely sobering thought and, while he may summon another copy of her in the future, the circumstances would have to be very compelling...

After making Lilith presentable, Vahn and co entered the most secure region of the Burial Agency, a place where even Merem had never been provided access to. All he knew was that the Holy Church kept a very unique entity sealed away inside, one which either represented an ultimate trump card or a secret so important that it could never be revealed.

With his intrigue piqued, Vahn led the way through the security measures, surprising Merem with the fact he was able to 'fool' even the devices that should only react to Nabareck, the leader of the Burial Agency. Even possessing her body would not allow a person to have access to the inner sanctum as the measures in place supposedly looked directly at the soul.

As someone who could even wield [Excalibur] and [Rhongomnyiad] with impunity, Vahn wasn't even momentarily delayed by these measures. He could even place his hand against a panel and, as if he was Nabareck herself, secret passages would open up while security measures would deactivate. It was almost too easy, at least until they entered a hemispherical chamber that was divided by a white stone wall at the exact center. The dimensions of the half-hemispherical chamber gave it height and radius of 50m, a surprisingly large amount of space considering the 'blank' in his perception around the size of a normal room.

Understanding there was 'something' off about the room, Vahn didn't immediately step forward to probe the void on the opposite side of the wall. Instead, he looked at the mural that was painted on the wall, a massive Sephiroth that was bordered with extremely detailed fresco paintings. These were likely some historical account of the Holy Church's past, alluding to the fact that whatever they had sealed away preceding the Burial Agency, much like Lilith. Considering the organization was around eight-hundred years old, this wasn't all that surprising, however...

Merem, though it wasn't really necessary, took it upon himself to try and interpret the fresco, stating, "It seems like an account of the end times, Eschaton, followed by the battle between Christ and the Anti-Christ...how curious..."

Deciding to humor the raven-haired youth, Vahn gave a curt nod as he slowly walked toward the mural, his voice echoing through the vast chamber as he added, "Considering the nature of El Nahat and Lilith, this is likely the Holy Church's final trump card. They simply never found the time to use it as, after revealing it, the foundation of their faith would become unstable..."

Here, Lilith decided to interject with her own views on the matter, her seductive voice carried on the wind like a whisper as she said, "Forgive my brazenness, My Lord, but I believe the likelihood of an Angel or one of their offspring, a Nephalim. During my time, there were quite a number of Angels in the world causing various amounts of chaos...I wonder how much has changed since then~?"

As the oldest person present, sans Alaya and ORT, Lilith's words possessed a certain credibility. This didn't mean she was right, however, so Vahn issued a light hum in response as he placed his palm against the door and said, "I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Okita, stay alert..."

With those final words, Vahn deactivated the charms and curses embedded into the door, opening it to reveal a small and surprisingly modern room. It had carpeted floors, painted walls, working light fixtures and, perhaps most surprisingly, windows that seemed to peer out into the outside world. For a brief moment, Vahn felt like he had stepped into a Subtexture of the world, similar to Avalon, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Contrary to their speculation, the room's inhabitant had an appearance not all that dissimilar to the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Church, the woman transmigrated as a result of Merem's 'mistake'. The only difference was, this girl couldn't be older than five or six years old yet, as if she was much older, a peaceful aura filled every corner of the room as she stared back with eyes full of wisdom, despite their apparent blindness.

Without panicking in the slightest, the girl tilted her head to the side, her unkempt hair cascading from her shoulders like a pristine, pure white, waterfall. Then, in a voice that barely qualified as a whisper, she asked, "Are you here to kill me...?" in a curious tone.

Before anyone answered her question, the girl seemed to realize the truth of the matter, a tiny smile spreading across her face as she added, "I suppose not..."

As the girl unsteadily rose to her feet, Vahn cast his gaze over the area, not out of intrigue for the room's contents, but as a result of the girl's aura. It was comparable to that of a God but, with the exception of Hestia and Spenta, Vahn had never seen such a peaceful and pure aura...

After waiting for the girl to stand, Vahn spoke in a similarly quiet tone, as if elevating his voice would disturb the purity of the relatively plain room. His first question, as could be expected, was, "Who are you? Why as the Holy Church imprisoned you here...?"

Seemingly confused by Vahn's words, the child-like entity blinked a few times before smiling as she answered, "I am no prisoner, Vahn Aldrnari Mason. This place was created to protect me, not to keep me contained. As for my identity, please, call me Aura...as for my purpose here, it would be accurate to call me a Divine Prophet...? Until recently, I could hear the Voice of the World with greater clarity than any other..."

As she spoke, Aura turned her blind eyes toward Vahn's shoulder, matching gazes with the Alaya in spite of the latter keeping her presence concealed. This caused Alaya to frown as Aura was not an existence within her memory. Since she had a recollection of everything that had ever existed, even if it was concealed from her, this should be impossible. The only possibilities were, like Vahn, she was an anomalous existence from the Outside. The more likely scenario, however, was that she hailed from a planet other than Gaia.

The only thing that called this into question was the girl's claim that she could hear the 'Voice of the World', something that should be impossible for entities using Alien Logic. There was no way anyone would be able to communicate with the planet without Alaya's knowledge as she was a part of the planet's consciousness itself. For her to hear the Voice of the World, Aura would have to be listening to Alaya speaking, something the latter would obviously be aware of...

Sensing the rare fluctuation in Alaya's aura, Vahn's own brows furrowed as he asked, "Where did you come from, Aura? You don't seem...human...nor are you a God...what exactly are you?"

As if she found Vahn's words amusing, Aura giggled in an innocent manner before answering in the same soft tone as before, "Calling me a Divine Prophet really is the most accurate way to describe me. If it helps, please consider me as an existence in the same light as Schrodinger's Cat or Maxwell's Demon. I am a concept given form but, unlike Merem and high-level Daemons, my existence is tied to something...external. Even I do not know who created me, however, so please forgive my vague answer..."

Toward the end of her statement, Aura gave an apologetic bow while, on Vahn's shoulder, Alaya gave a small nod before saying, "Her words are the truth. There is no record of her existence in my memory. This indicates she has either never existed before or, for reasons I cannot ascertain, her existence is usually beyond my ability to perceive..."

It didn't take much effort to realize that Aura was placed on Gaia by Akasha and, for reasons that could only be guessed at, she existed as a blind spot that was able to spy on Gaia and Alaya with apparent impunity. Vahn couldn't understand why this was necessary, as Alaya was already under the control of the Root System, so the easiest assumption to make was that she existed as a 'failsafe' of sorts. His understanding of the Root System was still limited so, until she was required to fulfill her purpose, he could only speculate as to the nature of Aura's existence.

For now, Vahn had other matters to tend to so, rather than ruminate over Aura's purpose, he simply asked, "Do you wish to leave this place? You are no longer safe here, unfortunately. The world is now experiencing a chaotic shift and, while it may not sound like a strong argument coming from me, I can at least promise you will be kept safe. If you prefer isolation, this too can be arranged..."

Without any pause for deliberation, Aura produced another innocent smile as she happily answered, "I may not be able to see the world change but I would like to experience the outside. Now that I can no longer hear the Voice of the World, it has been rather lonely staying here. If possible, I would like to stay with my sisters."

Hearing Aura mention her sisters, Vahn was about to ask but, anticipating his question, the blind girl explained, "The Supreme Pontiff, Celestine, is cultivated from my cells as a base. She is only one of a number of similar entities, each given the purpose of serving as my public face. With the collapse of the Holy Church, I fear my sisters will no longer have a purpose. Before they become the victims of a terrible fate, please take them under the umbrella of the Empire. In exchange, I will cooperate with the Empire to the fullest extent of my capabilities..."

Toward the end of her words, Aura performed a deep and sincere bow, an awkward sight to behold considering she had the appearance of a child. In response to her request, he had no problems with accepting as, from the very beginning, he never intended to simply abandon anyone that had been kept prisoner by the Holy Church. Since Aura's sisters were similar to the Homunculi of the Einzbern family, Vahn would provide sanctuary for them within the Empire, so long as they did not become an element of chaos...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Semiramis is going to be biting her nails in vexation xD...',Unlimited Saber Face Works...!','As Vahn becomes increasingly more badass, the number of Lolis around him grows exponentially...!?')