Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the interviews completed, Vahn decided the focus on familiarizing himself with controlling two bodies simultaneously. Most of the matters for the School’s opening were being handled by the upper echelons of the Alliance itself and, though there were a few unexpected issues from Tenjin’s end, it wasn’t anything that serious. The rather youthful looking god had brought a total of 38 warriors, all ranging between Levels 2-3, accompanied by more than 200 of their family members, including husbands, wives, and children. Among them, nearly one-hundred children ended up being registered for the School, ranging between 6-11 years of age. There were a few younger children, but it wasn’t unexpected that they would be staying at home with their parents since they were too young to attend School just yet.

In order to train his bodies, Vahn came up with a ’training’ regimen that included physical training, mental training, and ’physical therapy’. With his vastly restricted capabilities controlling two bodies, Vahn started his former training anew. He had Tsubaki giving him guidance while sparring with the girls to refamiliarize himself with combat. This resulted in him getting beat up a lot but, having an immortal body, it wasn’t that difficult to tolerate.

For his mental training, Vahn took up reading with physical books, pairing up with girls like Haruhime, Preasia, and Lili, each rather fond of reading, especially while snuggled up next to him. Vahn would read two different books at a time and, on occasion, practice complex processes like competitive puzzle solving against the girls. Lili ended up being especially good at this particular activity because he had promised rewards if they managed to complete the puzzles before him.

Lastly, the activity Vahn was most fond of with his dual bodies, Vahn did physical therapy and focused on casual interaction with the girls and trying to relax. This often involved having simple conversations, helping the girls style their hair, petting, massages, and, in some instances, a few more intimate behaviors. The vast majority of this block, however, involved Vahn simply playing around with his daughters. Erika was one of his favorite reading buddies while Ina was very fond of having her hair and makeup done by him. As for Vana, she liked playing games in the woods and, on occasion, asked him to play ’knights’ with her. Vahn always agreed to their requests and, though it was very difficult at first, he had slowly started adapting to two bodies.

This didn’t mean he had actually mastered the ability, nor had he even become ’competent’, as only eleven days had passed since his training began. Even now, while his bodies were split between playing tag with Vana and massaging Syr’s shoulders, Vahn would have momentary pauses and ’slips’ in his actions. This could be seen by how, just as he was about to snatch up Vana into his embrace, Vahn was unable to react to her sudden change in direction and, trying to follow her with his eyes, ran face-first into a tree. Vana began laughing in a mischevious manner, wiggling her butt towards him and patting it a few times before running off with a ’shishishi~’. At the same time, Vahn stopped moving his hands on Syr’s shoulders so she began to chuckle lightly while asking, "Ara? Did little Vana bully you again, Vahn~?"

Vahn struggled to rise to his feet while simultaneously answering, "She is pretty quick on her feet. I think she is getting better at ’tricking’ my senses...makes me want to work harder." Both of his bodies laughed out while Vahn once again gave chase to his mischevious daughter while restarting his massage. Doing her own duty, which involved asking him questions as a ’distraction’, Syr asked, "So, have you thought about what you’re going to do with Lili and Naaza yet? I believe there is only three days until your rendezvous~?" This time, Vahn tripped over nothing while his other body, the one who Syr had been speaking to, tilted slightly.

Recovering relatively quickly, Vahn smiled and said, "As I said in the past, I’m not going to fret over things like that. When the time comes, I will treat them both properly. Lili and Naaza are both very important to me and, even if I had a few inhibitions about it in the past, I’m not going to let such things bother me. Besides, are you really concerned about them during this moment...?" While he was speaking, Vahn leaned over Syr slightly and brought his hands down from her shoulders until he was cupping her bare b.r.e.a.s.ts in his hands. They were currently in his salon and, as many of the girls were want to do, Syr had removed her clothing for the massage. After all, clothes got in the way and they would normally go straight to the bath after leaving...

Syr uttered an almost inaudible ’ufufu~’ while leaning back her head to peer up into his face with her glimmering grey eyes. When Vahn lightly pinched her n.i.p.p.l.e between his thumb and index finger, sending threads of stimulating energy into her budding b.r.e.a.s.t, Syr playfully bit her lip before saying, "I’m fine with it, but you shouldn’t get too excited...I can’t imagine how you would explain things to Vana if she saw her beloved Papa’s ’awakened’ state~." Vahn also knew Syr’s words had some weight to them since his body that was chasing down Vana also started to heat up a little. Thus, after giving her one last feel, Vahn kissed Syr’s forehead and pulled his hands away from her fair b.r.e.a.s.ts.

With a small pout on her face, Syr resumed a normal sitting position and closed her eyes, saying, "It’s a shame that your control over both bodies isn’t good enough to deal with both girls at once. I’m certain things would have been very interesting...ara~?" As if she had a sudden realization, Syr brought her index finger to her chin in a thoughtful manner before saying, "Actually, you may want to consider using both of your bodies at the same time~?"

At this point, Vahn was almost positive that Syr was just saying things to make it very difficult for him to keep his focus. As a result of her question, he had tripped over an exposed root and eaten a face full of dirt while Vana’s laughter echoed in his ears. Even so, Vahn knew there was more to it than that so he asked, "Do you really think its a good idea? I don’t really have the confidence to keep my focus in such a...stimulating situation..." To this, Syr began to chuckle lightly before nodding her head and saying, "Indeed, but that may be for the best. Lili and Naaza are both inexperienced girls and they may appreciate it more if you were more awkward as well. Though they may not ’enjoy’ it as much, I’m confident you would be able to avoid giving them any regrets~."

Hearing Syr’s explanation, Vahn considered her words and understood there was some truth to the matter. Lili and Naaza obviously knew he wasn’t a v.i.r.g.i.n anymore but it could potentially ease any tensions they might feel if he was also in an awkward position. Given their natures, it was almost guaranteed that they would have been trying hard to keep up with him. However, due to the sheer difference in experience, this would have caused them unnecessary strain. If he actually tried to be with them using his two bodies, they wouldn’t have to worry about such things at all. In fact, they would probably have to ’lead’ him along to make things go smoothly...

After considering it, Vahn gave a small nod and said, "I’ll talk to them about it and see what they think. Since it’s their first time, I want them to be comfortable with the situation instead of just using them as ’practice’." Syr chuckled lightly, this time without saying anything as she loosened up her shoulders and began to get into the massage. Even though it wasn’t nearly as skillful and normal, it was still very pleasant to experience Vahn’s techniques. He wasn’t even using his [Hands of Nirvana], but Syr felt comfortable and at ease everywhere his hands roamed, even when they wandered into forbidden territory.

Finally, after nearly forty minutes of chasing after her, Vahn managed to catch a heavily breathing Vana. She giggled and laughed when he picked her up into his arms, writhing about in an attempt to escape before eventually settling down. Vahn sat down beneath the shade of a tree while she fought to regain her breathing, the result of running around and laughing much longer than normal. The only reason he managed to even catch her was that her stamina had dwindled to the point where she could no longer evade him easily. Still, the fact she could run around in high spirits for more than half an hour, all while looking barely older than two years in age, showed that her stamina was ’ridiculously’ high...

While Vana was trying to get her second wind, Vahn was playing with the points of her hair, which had started to break off into distinct sections now. While holding up two of the segments, creating tiny antennae atop Vana’s head, Vahn said, "You’re a little firecracker, you know that~?" Vana giggled, bringing up her tiny palms to make a few sparks across her fingers. Vahn had actually put on a fireworks show for the girls in the past so Vana knew what a firecracker was. Other than fire elemental control, Vana also had the ability to create ’explosions’ and, very recently, had been picking up on how to make different colored flames. She wanted to be able to make fireworks of her own in the future because, according to her, she wanted to defeat monsters in a ’flashy’ and ’exciting’ manner.

The sparks in Vana’s hands started to take on a green and blue hue before she shot them forward and made a tiny explosion in the air. Since she had already been tired from running, Vana began to breathe very loudly through her nose. Even so, she managed to giggle and said, "Papa, I love playing with you like this. You’re so silly~." Now it was Vahn’s turn to laugh, all while playing with the make-shift rabbit ears he had made atop Vana’s head. Eventually, she shook her hair free of his hands and climbed to her feet before looking back and saying, "You only caught me because I was tired last time. That means I won, okay?"

Vahn nodded his head, climbing to his feet while his massage time with Syr was coming to an end at his second body. He helped her get dressed while looking at Vana and saying, "I caught you a lot of times in the past though, so we’ll make it even and start over. How does that sound?" Vana opened her eyes before scrunching up her face in deep contemplation. Vahn could hear an illusory sound of gears turning in her head before she eventually nodded and said, "Okay! From now on, the real battle begins~!" Vahn chuckled lightly, deciding to see if he could get some extra benefits from the situation by asking, "To make it more interesting, why don’t we make a wager? If I win, you’ll have to spend some time reading with me, okay~?"

Vana’s expression suddenly became very serious as a competitive light was sparked in her fire-like eyes. Reading was her ’nemesis’ so she felt like the stakes were very high as she asked, "And what do I get if I win, Papa...?" Seeing his daughter so riled up because of a book, Vahn couldn’t help but smile with both his bodies, earning an inquisitive look from Syr as he said, "How about this then...if its something within my power, and not against the rules, I will grant you a single wish~." There were numerous ’rules’ that the Vanir had to follow, mostly for their own safety and the safety of others. This included not doing excessive training on their own, never wandering outside the inner region without an escort, and never using real weapons without close supervision.

Escorting Syr to the door, Vahn gave her a quick kiss before sending her on her way, making sure to give her a gentle pinch on her pert butt just as she crossed over the threshold of the door. She released a yelp at the same time as Vana said, "Deal! My first wish is to fly around the City with Papa!" Vana spoke as if she had already won and, without any delay, took off running into the depths of the illusory forest. Both versions of Vahn laughed until Syr suddenly took on a predatory look and said, "If you don’t manage to convince Lili and Naaza, don’t blame me for taking the lead with both of your bodies, ufufufu~."

Hearing Syr’s words, and her ’scary’ laughter, both of Vahn’s bodies froze as a shiver ran up and down his spine a few times. It wasn’t until a very pregnant Riveria walked into his salon, giving him an inquisitive look as she asked, "Did you try teasing Syr too much? Well, I hope you got it out of your system and learned your lesson. Don’t do anything uncouth with a pregnant woman..." Riveria found it somewhat amusing to see Vahn with a pale complexion on his generally healthy, tanned, face. At this point, she was just over six months pregnant and didn’t have the confidence to resist if he got a little handsy with her during the massage.

Vahn laughed awkwardly while his other self started to chase after Vana, who was currently hiding behind a tree to save her energy. He then started to help Riveria undress because she was wearing a loosely gown instead of her [Elf Queen’s Gown]. She blushed lightly but didn’t resist since this was part of his ’practice’ in controlling two bodies. Besides, she found his somewhat awkward movements strangely refreshing compared to the deft and highly-controlled movements he was known for. As for Vahn, he just enjoyed the moment since Riveria had become exceptionally more beautiful in his eyes after she got pregnant.

After removing the loose gown from her body, Vahn marveled at the crest he had carved into her abdomen that fateful day. Feeling reminiscent, he traced his finger along the complex network of runes while simultaneously caressing Riveria’s pregnant belly. Her blush deepened but Riveria didn’t stop his affectionate action, instead, bringing her hand over his and saying, "It’s still hard to believe that I’m actually pregnant. If someone were to tell me a year ago that I’d be giving birth in a few months, I would have smacked them in the head with my [Magna Alfs]...ufufufu."

Seeing Riveria’s gentle smile, and hearing her laughter, made Vahn pause his steps and smile with two sets of lips. Unable to contain himself, Vahn brought his hand up and touched Riveria’s lips with his index finger, startling her a bit as he traced the outline of her smile and said, "Really, you’re so beautiful when you smile, Riveria. Every time I see it, I feel truly blessed...almost like I’m in a dream." Picking up a small amount of moisture on the end of his finger, Vahn then brought it to his own lips and pressed it to them. Riveria took a deep breath while her face continued to sink into a deeper shade of red. Seeing this, Vahn laughed lightly before gently pulling Riveria’s body, wearing nothing but panties, stockings, and slippers, into his embrace. He knew better than to push her too hard but, as she simply looked too adorable right now, Vahn couldn’t help but hold her body and place a kiss on her immaculate and tantalizingly sweet lips...

Suddenly, an acorn flew out of the brush at the side, hitting Vahn in the head and knocking his second body out of its daze. Looking over, he saw Vana snickering mischievously as she said, "That is one point for me~! If you’re not going to chase me anymore, Papa, that makes it my win!" Without waiting for his response, Vana ducked back behind the brush and took off running, shouting, "Round two, start! Shishishishishi~!" Vahn had briefly thought to mention that Vana’s words weren’t part of the rules they had established but, seeing her so happy and excited, he couldn’t help but make a mental note, giving her a single point against him. Besides, if he could get his daughter to actually pick up a book for more than ten minutes, fulfilling her wishes was a small price to pay...

Riveria began to pat his shoulder a few times as she struggled to pull her lips free from his. Vahn started running after Vana while pulling away from Riveria with an apologetic smile on his face. She had a look of blame in her eyes as she said, "I told you not to get carried away...haaa..." in a shaky voice. Vahn had started to follow his instincts a bit when he was interacting with Vana, meaning his kiss had turned a little more intense than he originally intended. Since there was a flowery smell reaching his nose, Vahn knew he had ’wronged’ Riveria so he sincerely said, "Sorry, Riveria. I don’t have an excuse other than my own lack of control. I’ll try to do better..."

Since his lack of control was the exact reason she was here, Riveria just huffed a sigh before walking around him to sit down on the chair. She was more frustrated than angry so, when Vahn moved over to help her sit down, Riveria had already forgiven him. Though she had a small frown on her face, Riveria was stuck thinking about the most recent kiss and just replayed it a few times in her mind while Vahn began massaging her shoulders. The tension in her shoulders and b.r.e.a.s.ts slowly started to ease up and her body started to relax very quickly, a commendable feat for the relatively lackl.u.s.ter technique Vahn was using. Then, placing her hands on her own pregnant belly, Riveria released a contented sigh and said, "I forgive you..." in a quiet voice.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’*Reading Intensifies*’,’Vana’s Victory’,’Riveria is a big softie’)