Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1676

Having been kicked out of his workshop by Eva, Vahn willfully ignored what was happening inside as he meandered over to the central World Tree. There, as was often the case these days, he found Fenrir floating a few meters off the ground. A peculiar bluish-black aura shrouded her body, but, instead of obscuring her features, it made her stand out even more, almost as if she was the only thing that existed within that particular region of Time and Space...

Sensing her Master's presence, Fenrir's eyes slowly peeled open to reveal uncharacteristic bluish-white pupils. Anyone caught in her gaze would feel as though a palpable chill had spread through their entire body, and, though their internal temperature wouldn't be immediately affected, she was able to gradually freeze their Spirit due to her increasing affinity with her Zanpakuto.

Vahn was honestly amazed every time he saw Fenrir's progress, but, considering she spent upwards of 190 hours a day cultivating, it made sense. She pushed herself harder than anyone else he knew, and, though he had offered her numerous ways to grow even faster, Fenrir had always followed his original teachings, inscribing them in her heart. Thus, unless he specifically 'forced' her to consume a treasure, she was absolutely determined to increase her strength through sheer hard work and an inordinate amount of effort.

Though he felt a little guilty about interrupting his beloved Vanargandr's training, Vahn shamelessly opened his arms with a smile on his face. In response, the midnight blue fur covering Fenrir's body became notably thicker, and, without even a moment's hesitation, she had leaped into his arms, her own wrapping around him before nuzzling against his chest. In response, Vahn did much the same, tightly embracing the indescribably soft woman in his embrace before burying his face into the soft and fragrant fur covering her head and ears...

After several minutes of just nuzzling against each other, Vahn sat with his back against the World Tree while Fenrir curled up in his lap with a happy smile on her face. She was very fond of just being held, so, unless they were doing something more 'intimate', Vahn made a point to cradle her in his arms whenever they conversed. As for why he had sought her out, it came down to the fact that she was, and likely always would be, his emotional anchor and compass.

Though she always left the decisions for him to make, simply telling Fenrir his plans as she dutifully listened always brought Vahn a sense of calm. It also allowed him to build up his confidence, as, no matter what he decided on, she would wholeheartedly support him. This made her something of an enabler for him, but, at the same time, it also allowed him to establish a baseline to remind himself of how he should be acting. After all, even though she was very supportive, Fenrir wouldn't hesitate to point out when he began deviating from his original objectives.

This time around, Vahn was explaining his intentions following their emergence from the Realm. He was already at the point where he was seriously considering leaving the Akamatsuverse, as, even if he did go on a rampage through Heaven, he wouldn't really achieve anything. If he was somehow stronger than the combined might of Heaven, he risked throwing the entire Record into chaos. On the reverse side of things, there was a decent chance that 'something' within the Realm of Heaven was far stronger than him. In that event, he would end up making an exceptionally powerful enemy, forcing him to either flee the verse or go all out trying to protect the things he cared about...

Vahn didn't really feel like purchasing a [Dimensional Anchor: Stasis] just so he could tie up loose ends in a Record he originally had no interest in. He was willing to subsume the entirety of Mundus Magicus in order to allow Arika and Theo to fulfill their obligations, but, compared to undermining the integrity of the entire Record, absorbing a single Texture was inconsequential. There were even a number of individuals who could recreate the Magical World, so, in the end, Vahn's actions would amount to a 'minor inconvenience' or a simple 'curiosity' for the beings who observed the progress of Inverse Mars from the shadows...

Hearing her Master drone on about unnecessarily complex subjects, Fenrir had to marshal every last bit of her willpower just to avoid exhaling an exasperated sigh. She could never understand why her Master inflated certain issues completely out of proportion. Even the matter of allowing Eva to seek her revenge didn't really make sense, and, though she could understand his desire for the women around him to be independent, the entire fiasco with the Empire and Ostia seemed pointless to her.

Having spent several years alongside Eva, Arika, and Theo, Fenrir was positive all three of the girls would quickly acquiesce if her Master put his foot down. If he seriously asked them to accompany them outside of the Record, none of them would refuse. He didn't have to subsume the entirety of Mundus Magicus, and, though Eva would probably be a little frustrated, she would never be able to hold a grudge against Vahn. In fact, Fenrir was confident that the moment Eva and the rest learned about the true nature of their world, they would quickly lose interest in such meaningless things as revenge and governance. After all, if her Master did subsume Mundus Magicus into his Realm, all of their efforts would have been for naught when it came under the authority of the Ark, Shadow, and Mother...

With these thoughts in her mind, Fenrir waited for her Master to finish speaking before saying, "You are underestimating yourself and the people around you, Master. I understand the significance you place on the present, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the future entirely. Everything would be settled the instant you brought Mundus Magicus into your Realm. All this politicking and waiting around for events to transpire will become completely meaningless once you follow through with your intentions. As it stands, you are just placing an unnecessary burden on yourself, and, once they learn the truth, how do you think Eva and the rest will react when all of their efforts turn out to be nothing more than you indulging them?"

Not expecting Fenrir to come up with a response similar to the numerous warnings he had received from others, Vahn was momentarily at a loss as to how he should respond. He simply couldn't deny the truth contained within her words, but, whenever he thought about just sitting the girls down to explain the situation, it just felt 'wrong'. He would basically be telling them, 'ignore your world and the responsibilities you have accepted for yourself as there are far more qualified entities waiting to govern in your stead'. Even worse, he would be telling Eva that her vengeance was meaningless, as, due to the nature of the Records, there were literally infinite iterations of the Mage of the Beginning influencing an equally infinite number of worlds...

Seeing the conflict in her Master's eyes, Fenrir turned her eyes up at him in the way she knew he liked before shifting around to give him a firm hug. Then, with an equally endearing look, she did her best to sound calm and decisive as she said, "Do not lose sight of what is most important...we still have family waiting for us and a long journey ahead. Getting sidetracked by the meaningless politics of a single world will only increase your burden without any gain. I know Arika, Theo, and Asuna will be happier just being able to stay at your side. They want to grow stronger to support you, not waste precious time pandering to people who only seek profit and personal gain. As for Eva, she might be troubled by losing her chance at vengeance, but, in the end, such things will only become regrets. She would be happier removed from any conflict, and, though she tries her best to hide it, she is actually a very lewd girl...if you push her down, I'm certain she will abandon everything else just to spend more time with you..."

Though he tried to stop himself, Vahn couldn't help but lightly chuckle in response to Fenrir's final statement. He was actually 'very' aware of Eva's perverted nature, as, after holding herself back for a few hundred years, she had developed an almost insatiable curiosity while stockpiling a substantial amount of sexual tension. The only thing holding her back was her own inhibitions and the promise he had made. Without these restraints, it wasn't even difficult to imagine Eva quickly devolving into something of a deviant, her curiosity propelling her to extremes others wouldn't even contemplate without some kind of external stimulus.

Truth be told, Vahn was greatly anticipating the moment when Eva finally discarded her inhibitions. He always enjoyed it when women were honest with themselves, and, though she had a few sadistic tendencies, Eva was too soft-hearted to do commit to anything 'serious'. Her sadistic play was just that, playing around and having a bit of fun without having to worry about how others might view the situation. She would get along exceptionally well with people like Anubis, and, though she put on a strong front, Vahn could see her happily 'tormenting' Theo and Karin with a smile on her face...

With the thought of Karin wearing a black-leather bodice, matching panties, and thigh-high boots appearing within his mind, Vahn quickly shook away his idle thoughts, meeting Fenrir's gaze as he asked, "Are you ready to move on to a new world?"

Despite the fact her Master was looking directly at her, Fenrir didn't hesitate to roll her eyes in a rather dramatic fashion before plainly stating, "With the Realm and the Little Garden, I can train for an eternity without a single second passing in reality. The only thing I'm really worried about is the state of your mind. Your biggest weakness has always been that you care too much about even the most inconsequential things. Even though the only things you really care about are your family and loved ones, you constantly push yourself to be involved with matters that have nothing to do with either. This is one of the things that we love the most about you, but, at times like this, it makes me want to tear apart the entire Akamatsuverse just to free you from its burdens..."

With Fenrir cupping his face with her paws, Vahn could feel her nails grow ever-so-slightly as a red radiance manifested within the depths of her ruby-like eyes. He knew she was very serious, and, if it would help to further his goals without jeopardizing his state of mind, Vahn knew she would readily become an actual Heaven Devouring Wolf on his behalf. Her love and devotion were so far beyond comprehension that, even if everyone else grew weary of eternity, Vahn knew Fenrir was one of the few who would never falter. The only other person he could never fathom deserting him was Hestia, as, for reasons he wasn't able to fully comprehend, Vahn could easily imagine her cradling his head in her embrace even as cosmic dust slowly turns them into a statue...

Realizing he still had a 'very' long life ahead of him, a loving smile gradually spread across Vahn's face as he wrapped his hands around Fenrir's waist and gave her a kiss. He knew she was right, and, though he had heard similar concerns from others, they simply had more meaning when spoken by her. This was largely due to the bias he had developed for the lovable Vanargandr, but, considering how extreme her devotion was, Vahn felt she 'deserved' more than a little special treatment...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir used tackle! It's extra fluffy...!','Fenrir be like, "Bruh..."','The goodest girl deserves all the special treatments (OwO)~!')