Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-922

A few days after his awakening, Vahn found himself enjoying a lap pillow while the small figure of an infant girl slept on his chest. This was none other than his newest daughter Natalie, now looking far healthier than when she had been born. Vahn was lightly stroking her back, sending thin strands of Source Energy into her body as he made sure she was sleeping peacefully. The exceptionally soft thighs he was using as a pillow belonged to Syr, Natalie’s mother, who was currently tracing her fingers through his brown hair with a loving smile on her face. She seemed a little absentminded but Vahn knew she was probably just lost in the bonding moment and not really concerned about anything...

Ultimately, Vahn had decided that, instead of destroying the Captial City, Valua, it would become a territory under the management of the Alliance. The previous Royal Family had been publically executed while those under the age of a.d.u.l.thood had to renounce their claims and would be under observation for the time being. Vahn had entrusted Chloe and her Shadow Corps to slowly clean out the criminal elements of the Kingdom while 2,000 members of the HDF had been mobilized for the sake of public order during the transition. Since Lunoire had refused his ’jest’ to become Queen, Vahn had conferred with the Civilian Legislative Branch to have them restructure the Kingdom’s Laws and regulate internal affairs. Instead of a King, the former Rakia Kingdom would become a province that was governed by Governor and a series of Magistrates who would be elected and sworn in under the authority of the Alliance.

Though there were a lot of things he had to take care of, there were certain benefits to having more than two-hundred gods within the Alliance. Loki, Hephaestus, and Freya had convened a gathering with seventy suitable gods, determining the best course of action and then running it by Vahn for approval after the fact. As a result, other than asking Chloe to take action, and negotiating with the Civilian Legislative Branch, Vahn just had to fill out a bit of paperwork before things were set in motion. Now, there would be a total of twenty-eight Familia migrating to the former Rakia Kingdom, mostly specializing in construction and mercantilism. They would work to build up the infrastructure of the province while revitalizing the collapsed economy.

Amongst this number, there were also two gods who had relatively large Farming Familia in the Plains region. Though much of the former Rakia Kingdom’s territory was like a wasteland, there were several thousand acres of fertile land around the Capital City, Valua. Vahn had decided to plant one of Yggy’s hearts in the area while the three Farming Familia would slowly begin to build up their influence in the restructured province. In the future, they would be providing food to the citizens that remained in the now defunct Kingdom, working to eliminate the famine and starvation that had been ’common’ in the past. Now, the biggest problem was changing the perception of the citizenry, mostly by eliminating the dissidents that were trying to preserve power and take advantage of the situation.

Now, after taking care of a few other matters, Vahn had been spending his days relaxing in the Manor and enjoying a much needed ’vacation’. Though he would need to create another avatar at some point, Vahn had been confronted during an impromptu ’Vahnatus’, which essentially served as an intervention by the girls to get him to take a break. Since he didn’t want to worry them too much, Vahn had accepted their terms and, unless it was something very important, most matters were dealt with without Vahn even learning about them. Instead, he spent nearly the whole day just lounging about, spending time with the girls, or simply reading in his private study. Vahn felt strangely ’itchy’ at the start, but he had quickly fallen into a pleasant groove after enjoying a few naps under Yggy’s canopy while her Spirit Avatar played a small silver flute that Hephaestus had made for her...

While enjoying the peace and quiet of his current lifestyle, Vahn ended up humming one of the tunes that Yggy would play for him. He wondered if, like Tiona, Natalie would be comforted by this tune in the future, even though she was currently sleeping peacefully on his chest. Even her snake, the Silvervine Python, was coiled around his free hand as it flicked out its dark blue tongue flickering out happily. Vahn felt that moments like this were what made life worth living, regardless of how difficult it could be at times. The children of many races were exceptionally fragile in their infancy and Vahn felt saddened just thinking about those who were born into environments that either couldn’t provide for them, or into families that didn’t care for them. He wished that, just as he could spend time with his children like this, every family was able to do the same...

Around the time when the residents of the Manor would normally eat lunch together, Vahn felt a familiar sensation in his mind before Nanu’s excited voice stated, ("Master, I did it~!"). Even without her explaining in greater detail, Vahn had some expectation about what Nanu was talking about. Nearly six months had passed in the real world since she began her serious efforts to reach [Master Smith]. Within the Sub-Space orb, this was nearly three full year’s worth of time where Nanu had been making steady strides under his guidance, the tutelage of Tsubaki, and the constant evaluations of Hephaestus. With functionally limitless resources, Nanu prodigiousness as a [Blacksmith] had been allowed to shine forth and now, at the startlingly young age of eighteen, Nanu had managed to become a [Master Smith].

Nanu had been so excited by her achievement that she ended up immediately exiting the Sub-Space orb and running through the Manor wearing nothing but a pair of small black shorts and a black chest wrap. Her olive-brown skin had become a little darker from constant exposure to the heat of her forge while her present appearance was covered in sweat and soot. When Vahn had returned Natalie to Syr to meet up with Nanu, she practically pounced on him even with several others present. Since she was usually a little more reserved, it was easy to see that Nanu was happier than she had ever been before, her tail wagging furiously as she nuzzled into her Master’s chest...

The truth of the matter was that, after seeing the sorry state of Vahn after his confrontation with Heracles, Nanu’s heart had been greatly stirred. In her mind, Vahn was an unbeatable existence that shone even brighter than the sun. Seeing him in that state had shaken Nanu to the core and, afraid of being unable to be with the man she had dedicated herself to, she experienced a drastic shift in mentality. She was no longer content simply ’waiting’ for her skills to develop to the point that she could finally be with her Master and, after his awakening, Nanu had put in more effort than ever before into her work. It was to the point that she only stopped to eat and sleep, never leaving her Workshop until the moment when she had finally achieved her goal...

Because of her actions over the last few days within the Sub-Space orb, Nanu actually had a very pungent animalistic musk that filled up the entire room and tickled people’s noses. Vahn didn’t particularly mind it but, seeing the reactions of other people, he sent a quick message to Emiru and Maemi before carrying the tired Nanu to one of the closer baths. At this point, she was already running on fumes and, after Vahn’s petting, Nanu had quickly fallen asleep as he carried her in a bridal carry, removed the rather dirty clothes from her body, and carefully wiped her down with a warm cloth before soaking her in the water. Nanu woke up as she was being submerged but, realizing the situation she was in, her only reaction was to hang her head slightly with a heavy blush visible on her face...

Having been smothered by her previously, Vahn decided to use the opportunity to bathe himself, entering into the small bath alongside Nanu as he pulled out an exquisitely designed collar. Nanu had been carrying this with her when she pounced on him and, seeing it in his hands, Vahn could feel the water moving around as a result of her tail beating furiously beneath its surface. With an expression of immense pride, as he truly was proud of what Nanu had accomplished, Vahn opened the clasp of Nanu’s previous collar before replacing it with the S-Rank collar she had produced as her first masterpiece. After tightening the collar to a comfortable level, Vahn fastened the intricate golden clasp before leaning down and kissing the fumbling Nanu’s lips...

She had been giddy since the moment he entered the bath and, understanding this hard-working apprentice of his, Vahn decided to reward her plentily. Her nervousness quickly faded away as she somewhat aggressively reciprocated his kiss, at least until Vahn got a little serious. In the end, Nanu leaned backward a bit by instinct as Vahn leaned over her and continued entwining his tongue with her’s for the better part of ten minutes. During that time, he had been tracing his hand along her exposed abdomen as Nanu’s legs writhed about, disturbing the water as she balled her fists up and trembled under his touch...

When their lips finally separated, Nanu was breathing heavily and had a dazed look in her eyes as her tongue flicked against the air a few times. She had even ’chased’ after his lips when he pulled away, causing Vahn to smile as he stroked her pointy black ears and said, "You’re so adorable, Nanu. In all the world, there are none as fortunate as I, having such a capable apprentice that is as adorable as she is skilled..." These words brought a bit of light back to Nanu’s eyes as she quaveringly intoned, "Mashta...awuuu..." while her tail curled up between her thighs. Her reaction caused Vahn’s smile to stretch as he leaned in and licked her neck around the collar, trailing kisses up to the side of her head before saying, "My Nanu..."

Compared to when they first met, when Nanu was a thin and frail girl that was only 130cm tall, she had now grown up considerably since that time. Previously, she hadn’t even started to develop her secondary s.e.x.u.a.l characteristics but now, after years of training, plenty of nutritious food, and earnest efforts to increase her ’appeal’, Nanu was 159cm tall with a very healthy and sensual figure. Though she had visible and developed muscles, Nanu’s b.r.e.a.s.ts had grown to a healthy B-Cup while her h.i.p.s and thighs had developed ’exceptionally’ well. She had the appeal of a mature woman and, being eighteen, Vahn felt no inhibitions at all when he nibbled on her ear and said, "My beloved mate..."

Nanu’s teeth began clattering as an adorably awkward smile appeared on her face before she answered, "Alwaysh...Nanu alwaysh belong to Mashta..." She was still slurring her words a bit but, at the same time, Nanu’s Love parameter was rapidly increasing. Though she was also his Subordinate, Vahn was able to see the (Love) of those he had seen and fulfilled the [Hearts Desire]s of. Nanu’s Love was markedly lower than her Loyalty, the former being 37,229 compared to the latter at 408,711. Seeing the number rapidly climb, even though it wasn’t as quickly as her Loyalty, Vahn felt somewhat amused as he gave her another very long kiss, this time moving her to his lap so he could hold her more easily...

Though it wasn’t really the best time for such activities, as everyone else was back in the dining room eating lunch, Vahn couldn’t leave the excited Nanu alone to ’suffer’. Her body had been in a heated state since before they even entered the bath so, after ’pampering’ her for nearly half an hour, she wasn’t even able to support her own weight anymore. She had become so red and swollen down below while a sincere plea existed within her rose-colored eyes. Vahn felt like he would have failed her if he made her wait any longer so, after shifting her over to the side of the tub, Vahn placed the tip of his glans at Nanu’s fiery entrance and the two became one after having her wait nearly six years...

Being a Chienthrope, Nanu’s insides were incredibly stimulating as her body tried to adapt to the foreign body that invaded its depths. Her clamping had been even more prominent than Naaza as a result of her excessive training and tireless endeavors in her Workshop. Nanu’s core muscles, legs, and thighs had been developed over a concerted effort of several years, causing Vahn’s hands to sink into her muscular yet tender flesh. She had a very malleable body that was also incredibly refined, causing her appearance from behind to be incredibly tantalizing. Vahn had been greatly enjoying the experience, at least until Nanu arched her back, looking over her shoulder as she said, "Mashtaaa...."

Vahn was confused for a brief moment but, after Nanu nearly slipped trying to grab her collar, he understood what she wanted. Being a member of the Southern Tribe, Nanu’s preferences had been molded as a result of her cultures ’quirks’. As much as she enjoyed simply being together, she had a strong desire to be dominated forcibly instead of just having normal s.e.x.u.a.l intercourse. Traditionally, the first mating session between an Alpha and his mate was a rough and bloody experience that, strangely, became a matter of pride for women to talk about later. Some females, in order to be able to ’brag’ about how seriously their bodies were sought after, would even self-inflict bruises and scratches to show off to the other women within the tribe...

As much as Nanu had changed and adapted to the differences in culture, her base preferences had never changed because of how she self-identifies. Vahn had briefly overlooked this but, now that Nanu was essentially pleading him to do ’more’, he ran two fingers through her collar and pulled it back slightly. She had been struggling to even support herself previously so this action caused her to feel a choking sensation that made her insides tighten up even more. Vahn had to clench his teeth as the stimulation coming from her body greatly increased as she cried out, "Mashtaaa..." with her tongue stretched out. Vahn resisted the urge to release a sigh as he resolved himself to meet Nanu’s expectations and began treating her a little roughly, all while his sub-process mind was thinking about the collar Nanu had produced to become a [Master Smith]...

[Collar of Ownership]

Rank: S (Magic)

Slots: 1

P.Def: 890

M.Def: 1220

Abilities: Submissive Pride(S), Durandal(A), Restraining(B), Self-Repairing(C)

A collar produced by a peculiar Blacksmith who had wanted to dedicate her everything to the person most precious to her. Her feelings of gratitude and love were imbued into the collar during the forging process along with her desires and hope for the future. Has the ability to forcibly control the sensitivity of the wearer based on the will of the person recognized as its ’Master’.

Current Master: Vahn Mason

Soulbound: Nanu Mason

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Quality time...’,’RIP Rakia Kingdom’,’Nanu has really grown a lot (X w X);;;’)