Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1628

Try as he might, Vahn was unable to avoid falling into a depressive state following Eva's departure. Fortunately, as was often the case, he could rely on his Realm to make a gradual recovery. He ended up spending the better part of five weeks focused on watching over his Empire, spending time with his children, babysitting his grandson, and tumbling through the cosmos with his myriad lovers.

One of the benefits of having functionally unlimited power based on perception and intent was that it allowed Vahn to do virtually whatever he wanted. He could create distant stars just by pointing at the night sky, and, even more fantastical, he could link them together to make visible constellations linked together by silvery bands of light. This had originally caused quite a stir among the residents of his Realm, but, compared to the shock they experienced upon their 'awakening', it wasn't all that concerning...

With his return to the outside fast approaching, Vahn spent his final few hours seated on a Throne that appeared to be constructed from a solidified form of Space. In his lap, an inordinately beautiful woman with long white hair, ruby-red eyes, various wings, and a pure white dress nestled closely as they watched the gradual formation of a planet. It was currently little more than a flaming ball, but, given enough time, it was bound to become a planet filled to the brim with life.

Vahn had actually abstained from the creation of any life-bearing planets within his Realm, as, from his perspective, a 'dead' planet was too dangerous. He had grown quite fond of the system present within the Nasuverse, and, with his Realm incorporating many of the same Laws, it just made sense to create Celestial Bodies with an Ego.

As could be expected, creating a living planet was a 'marginally' more complicated than producing something like an Elemental Lotus. Fortunately, with a literal planet among his lovers, Vahn had an advantage few people could even conceptualize. His offspring with Gaia, an unbelievably cute little girl named Silva, ended up being a Planetary Spirit. She possessed an Innate called [Terra Genesis], and, as the name implied, it allowed her to create and develop a planet from scratch.

There were several things that occupied Vahn's attention within his Realm, but, regardless of his state of mind, he always split a part of himself to bear witness to Silva's growth as a planet. There was just something about watching a planet form that brought him unparalleled peace of mind, and, with an inordinately beautiful woman to share the experience with, it had become one of his favorite things to do in the entire Realm.

Ever since the 'birth' of Silva, Gaia had mellowed out considerably. She still had moments when she could be scarily aggressive, but, more often than not, she could be found contentedly watching the development of her daughter. Silva had become the most important part of her existence, and, like any good mother, she didn't want to miss even a single moment of her beloved child's growth...

After sitting in silence for several days, Vahn began to lightly caress Gaia's abdomen as he said, "It is time for me to return."

Understanding Vahn's intentions, Gaia placed her hand overtop his before closing her eyes. Several minutes later, an unbelievably adorable girl with long silver hair, three pairs of angelic wings, a pure white dress, and energetic gold eyes came darting toward them like a homing missile. She had the appearance of a child around three years of age, but, due to the temporal bubble surrounding her planetary body, her chronological age was closer to three million.

Knowing what to expect, Gaia had already alighted from Vahn's lap, clearing a path for the silvery 'bullet' mere moments before it crashed into the wryly smiling man with enough force to shatter the space-formed Throne.

Though she wasn't really 'aware' of anything when she was developing as a planet, Silva always had the feeling that a very long period of time had passed every time she saw her Papa. Thus, whenever her mother called for her, she would come rushing to greet him, crashing into him with the force of a small planetoid as she happily exclaimed, "Papa~!"

Contrasting the destruction of his Throne, Vahn was entirely undamaged by his adorable daughter's meteoric charge. Then, as if she didn't weigh close to septillion kilograms, he casually picked her up into a koala carry, smiling affectionately as he gazed into her diamond-shaped pupils and said, "You certainly seem to be in high spirits."

Nodding her head with clear excitement visible in her expression, Silva happily explained, "My core finished filtering out most of the lighter elements that were gathered during its formation. It won't be long before my other layers begin to take shape and my crust begins to form~."

Even if it felt like she was sleeping during the process, Silva was still aware of the changes taking place in her 'body'. As a result, she had helped Vahn glean some insight into the natural formation of planets, important knowledge any Creation God should possess.

Knowing she would want to show him the results of her efforts, Vahn chuckled lightly in response to his daughter's words before gradually descending toward the fiery planet. As for Gaia, she was unable to enter into the Bounded Field of another planet, even if it belonged to her daughter, so, after watching their departure with a smile, her figure seemed to fade into the void. She spent more time than she ought to away from her actual body, so, whenever Vahn was spending time with their daughter, Gaia would return to make sure everything was okay. She also used it as an opportunity to visit everyone back in Avalon, and, though they were a little rambunctious, she enjoyed spending time with her niece and nephew...

Opening his eyes back in the Akamatsuverse, Vahn took a moment to collect his bearings before teleporting back to the island he had commandeered. His Realm had given him plenty of time to organize his thoughts, so, immediately after his arrival, he sought out Asuna and Fenrir, the only two 'people' left in the hideout. He had already moved Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale to Deimos, so, except for Chachazero, the Chacha Sisters, and an ever-growing population of Elemental Spirits, Vahn didn't have much to worry about.

Sensing Vahn's presence at nearly the same time, Fenrir and Asuna shifted their focus to the void as the former seemed to apparate out of thin air. Their reaction caused a smile to spread across Vahn's face, and, as a result, the expressions of both girls visibly brighten as they stood up and moved over to his side.

Preempting their questions, Vahn made a gesture to indicate they shouldn't worry before saying, "It is time for us to make our move. Now that the war has begun, we will be taking action to bring it to a swift conclusion..."

Having said as much, Vahn shifted his focus to meet Asuna's gaze as he added, "The enemy might try to use your status as a Princess of Vespertatia against us. Rather than try to hide it, however, it is fine if you want to embrace it completely. The political positions and opinions of people who have been swayed by corruption have no real value. If you want to become a 'Hero' representing Ostia, I will support you. My purpose in this war is to act as a deterrent so you are free to choose your own path without fear of legitimate censure."

Understanding she was one of the 'reasons' behind the current war, Asuna had already made ample mental preparations for all kinds of schemes. She also valued Vahn's teachings more than the ideals of the Ostian Royal Family, so, regardless of what others said, she had already chosen her path.

With a resolute look that could rival her older cousin's, Asuna stared directly into Vahn's eyes as she said, "I will not let the greedy and corrupt decide the fate of this world. Titles like Princess, Hero, or even Demon Queen have no real meaning. I will do what I think is right, even if it requires me to cut down countless enemies."

Though it made him feel slightly guilty to hear a young girl utter such words, Vahn still nodded his head in approval as he extended his hand to rub the top of Asuna's head. She was far more mature than her age would indicate, and, at times, she even made him feel rather childish. Thus, regardless of his apprehensions, Vahn recognized that Asuna was already capable of making decisions about her own life...

While continuing to stroke the giggling Asuna's head, Vahn shifted his gaze to Fenrir, saying, "This will be an opportunity for you to demonstrate your power as well. Our future enemies will be even more powerful, so, before we move on, I want to see how much you have grown. Remember, our priority should always be to preserve life. I might not be a paragon of proper restraint, but, if it can be avoided, I would rather those I care about not become killers capable of striking down enemies with no remorse..."

Though she could control it perfectly at normal times, Fenrir still had a penchant for losing control of herself in the heat of battle. This was especially true when facing off against powerful opponents or large groups of enemies, and, in the worst-case scenario, she would even enter a berserker blood frenzy. In this state, the only person who could pull her back was Vahn himself, so, while Fenrir was more than capable of battling against some of the strongest enemies in a Record, she was generally kept as a reserve force.

Well aware of her own inadequacies, Fenrir wasn't even remotely upset by her Master's words. She knew how quickly she could descend into a feral state, so, when she wasn't busy carrying out her other 'duties', most of her time was spent meditating and learning how to control her emotions. It was something she had been working on for more than a hundred years, so, hearing she would be given a chance to fight, Fenrir did her best to remain calm as she said, "I will keep Master's words in my heart. Unless my hand is forced, I will do my best to avoid killing anyone unless it is absolutely necessary...!"

Knowing how much effort Fenrir had put into her training, Vahn had absolute confidence in her self-restraint. It didn't matter how many times she proved this valuation wrong by losing control, as, regardless of anything else, she never stopped trying to control herself. She couldn't be blamed for an Innate that had been bestowed upon her as a result of his actions, so, even if she lost control a thousand more times, Vahn would never stop believing in the loveable Vanargandr.

Sensing her Master's thoughts, Fenrir's tail began to wag happily as she rubbed her head against the palm of his outstretched hand. This earned her a calculative look from Asuna, and, after a few seconds of consideration, Vahn quickly found himself 'cornered' by two over-affectionate girls...

As one of the largest cities in Mundus Magicus, Tempe was home to one of the eleven Gateports that connected the Magical World to Earth. It was also a gathering place for Mercenaries, Bounty Hunters, Explorers, and anyone else seeking to make a fortune using unique skills and magic. As a result, it was the place where most of the groups searching for Vahn had gathered, so, shortly after entering the city, Eva wasn't surprised to hear several people talking about the various rumors that had been circulating even before the war...

Unaware of the identity of the cloaked woman making her way through the streets of Tempe, a man with spikey orange hair and a scar over his left eye commented to one of his companions, "You hear the rumor saying the Dark Evangel was made into a sex slave by that Sage Dragon Emperor guy?"

Ignorant of the landmine her friend had just stepped on, a purple-haired woman wearing an almost comically oversized witch hat answered, "Wait, isn't the Dark Evangel supposed to be a brat? I didn't know an Ancient Dragon could be a pedophile...makes you wonder what he was really doing during his stay in Ariadne..."

Though many had heard the rumors mentioning Vahn's 'purge', information and rumors had a habit of being distorted the further it was from the source. There were many reasons for this, but, on the most fundamental level, it was the propensity of people to spread gossip and jokingly insult people more powerful than themselves that led to such distasteful alterations.

Piggybacking off his companion's words, the spiky-haired man began to loudly guffaw, earning a number of annoyed looks before he added, "I guess being an Ancient Dragon doesn't guarantee you have a Dragon of your own. Maybe it makes him feel 'bigger' if he targets younger women?"

Seemingly finding his words hilarious, the man was about to release another grating laugh before he noticed the stunned looks of his companions. They all had stupefied expressions on their faces, and, when he followed their gaze, a similar expression appeared on his own before quickly being replaced by a look of abject terror. At that exact same moment, a truly excruciating amount of pain began to spread through his body as his below-average dragon, frozen solid, fell to the ground...

Without sparing the man a second look, Eva retracted her hand into her sleeve before hastening her pace. She was intending to use the Gateport to return to Mundus Vetus, as, following the war nearly five-hundred years prior, most of her former companions had returned to Earth. It was a lot easier for their enemies to hunt them in Mundus Magicus, so, while Earth wasn't exactly the best place to live as a Mage, it was the first choice when it came to hiding away for long periods of time.

Eva didn't have anyone she could truly refer to as a friend, but, after living for nearly seven-hundred years, she had met a few people she could trust. Like her, they had all been cursed with some form of immortality, so, while they didn't always see eye-to-eye, the burden of eternity allowed them to empathize with each other. After all, most of the people they had ever known were dead, so, in the end, immortals really only had each other for company...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*casually lifts the weight of a planet*','Trust in the Goodest Girl','RIP Tiny Dragon-chan...')