Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After idling in the air for several minutes without any new gates forming, confirming his suspicion that Karin effectively acted as a waypoint for whatever entity was observing her, Vahn gradually eased out of his Cherubic-Dragon transformation. It was a very powerful form, but, perhaps as a result of using Karin’s body as a template, he actually needed to focus just to prevent his body from transforming into that of a female.

Vahn didn’t particularly mind transforming into a woman for short periods of time, but, as his self-image was that of a reliable father, an emperor, and a man, he always felt uncomfortable in a woman’s body. It also reminded him of the time he was essentially pushed down by Tiona, the experiments he conducted with Da Vinci, and, most notably, the thirteen-weeks he spent trying to familiarize himself with Yin Elemental Energy.

For one reason or another, likely pertaining to the Laws, everything from natural affinity, race, and gender determined the efficacy of certain types of energy. Men were naturally better and shaping and controlling Yang Elemental Energy, and, though they were able to eventually master it, women had a far easier time mastering Yin Elemental Energy. There were various ways around this, but, in the end, it was always better to work alongside the Laws rather than work against them. Thus, in an effort to familiarize himself with various Laws, Vahn had changed his form from everything to a tiny pixie to a hill-sized dragon.

With Karin’s body as a template, it was only a matter of time until Vahn incorporated the unique structure of a Cherubim into a vessel that perfectly suited his personal use. This was nothing new, however, as, even as far back as the Record of Danmachi, Vahn had been experimenting with the form and function of his own body. He had originally used Riveria as a template to emulate a High Elf, and, though it was awkward in the beginning, he had even found a way to change his form into that of a male Amazoness. There were very few limits to his ability to manipulate his form, the only real restrictions being his inhibitions and his understanding of the race he was trying to emulate.

After assuming a far more comfortable form, Vahn decided to sit atop the island’s estate as he waited for some kind of response from Heaven. He didn’t actually know to what extent they were able to influence the physical plane, but, considering there were entities like Demon Gods, Vampire Nobles, and various other malicious creatures acting with impunity, he doubted their influence was able to reach beyond their established territories. They likely used Karin’s body as a beacon of sorts, so, now that she was no longer in the Magical World, there was a chance they had lost the ability to directly influence Mundus Magicus.

With more than an hour passing without incident, Vahn felt like his speculation hit the proverbial nail on the head. This was actually a little disappointing, but, as he had already decided to depart the Akamatsuverse, he didn’t let it bother him. Instead, he pulled out two tarot-like cards from his Inventory, each showing distinctly different women with diverse shades of golden hair.

Staring at the first card, a wry smile spread across Vahn’s face as it depicted Theo in a rather risque outfit with several muscular arms hovering around what appeared to be a dharmic wheel. She had a massive grin on her face, and, though it was just a card, Vahn felt like he could feel her enthusiasm and her desire for battle radiating from the image. As for the latter card, it showed an inordinately beautiful woman with long golden hair reaching the small of her back, her expression appearing a little cold at first, but, if you looked closely, an undisguised warmth was visible within in her peculiar heterochromatic eyes...

After staring into Arika’s gem-like eyes for several seconds, Vahn brought her card to his forehead, closing his eyes as he attempted to established a telepathic link. It took her less than three seconds to accept his ’call’, her voice sounding equal parts excited, confused, and worried as she asked, ("Is there something wrong? I never expected you to contact me during the day...")

Though Vahn could simply teleport to the Empire and meet with both of the girls, doing so would be a greater hassle than summoning to his side with the Pactio. Before that, however, he wanted to give them a heads up, so, in response to Arika’s question, he plainly stated, ("There is something I needed to discuss with both you and Theo in person. A few things have changed in the past couple of days. How quickly can you make preparations so I can teleport you-")

Without affording him the time to finish his telepathic message, Arika answered, ("We can be ready in three minutes.") in a curt tone. This caught Vahn a little off-guard, but, considering who he was speaking to, it wasn’t too surprising that she would immediately make time for him. This brought a natural smile to his face, and, after sending her an affirmative, he quickly teleported to the Palace of the Sun in order to include Anarchia and Vesperina in the discussion...

Immediately after her telepathic conversation with Vahn, Arika turned toward the bronze-skinned woman curled up at her side. Then, after several seconds of staring at the line of drool leaking from the woman’s mouth, she raised her hand to give the scantily-clad woman a rather firm smack on her largely exposed rear-end. Rather than cry out in confusion, however, the woman immediately closed her mouth, a sonorous moan escaping her throat as she lazily opened her eyes.

Resisting the urge to sigh in exasperation, Arika decided to get directly to the point, stating, "Vahn has called for us. It seems to be an urgent matter so you should prepare yourself accordingly."

Hearing her kindred sister’s words, Theo immediately sat up on the bed, her developing breasts bouncing spiritedly for a brief moment as she exclaimed, "Yosh! I hope those bastards hiding in the shadows have finally poked their heads out! I’m itching for a fight...!"

As they had just finished training less than an hour ago, Arika couldn’t help but roll her eyes ever so slightly as she explained, "If it was the enemy, Vahn would have come directly to us. It seems like he has something important to discuss so we will likely emerge within the Palace of the Sun. Though I have already told them about you...I would rather you avoid wearing anything inappropriate before my mother and aunt. It’s not that I’m against your choice in garb, but, for a variety of reasons, it is best you adorn something more formal..."

Imagining her mother walking around the palace in a skimpy dress or a modified wedding gown, a notable shiver passed through Arika’s body. She knew her mother’s character well, and, though she was a nigh-flawless Queen when it came to the execution of her duties, her insatiable curiosity and her penchant for trying new things had become increasingly problematic. The presence of Vahn had only exacerbated this, and, if not for Asuna and herself, Arika was certain that her mother would not have held back at all during her treatment.

Remembering all of the ’advice’ her mother had given her, Arika was unable to prevent a sigh from escaping her lips as she began to fix her hair and clothes. Fortunately, they were currently within a sub-space created by Qinglong, so, while she had told Vahn they would be ready in three minutes, they actually had closer to thirty before he summoned them. This gave her plenty of time to fix her appearance, a habit she had put increasingly more effort into even before her feelings for Vahn had fully blossomed...

With three minutes having elapsed, Vahn smiled at the two pajama-clad women seated across from him as he said, "I’ll be summoning Arika and Theo now. I can also summon Asuna, but, for the sake of convenience, I might just take everyone to where she is located..."

Without asking any questions, Anarchia and Vesperina just nodded in understanding before taking simultaneous sips of the hot cocoa he had prepared for them. This caused the smile on Vahn’s face to twitch slightly, but, without commenting on their easy-going attitudes, he held up the two Pactio cards and exclaimed, "I Summon Forth, Attendants of Vahn, Arika Anarchia Entheofushia, Theodora Bashireia Herasu De Vesuperisujimia...!!"

Following the incantation, two complex magical circles appeared on the ground as Anarchia, with a teasing smile on her face, mused, "Hear that, Vesperina? It seems my daughter, the future Queen of Vespertatia, has become the Sage Dragon Emperor’s attendant. How scandalous~."

Hearing the remark and subsequent laughter, Vahn’s smile became even more strained, but, seeing Arika and Theo appear, he was able to recover almost instantaneously. His expression softened into an affectionate smile, but, before he was able to utter so much a single syllable, the latter of the two zeroed in on him, her eyes turning into predatory slits for as she pounced on him with the force of a freight train.

Fortunately, Vahn was already accustomed to Theo’s antics, so, before she was able to send them crashing through the palace walls, he created a spatial lock just to arrest her momentum. Then, with a mix of amusement and affection appearing on his face, he wrapped his arms around the excitable woman, the middle and ring fingers of his right hand pressing into the nerves above the base of her tail as he mused in a slightly commanding tone, "Behave yourself..."

The moment she heard Vahn’s words, all the power seemed to drain from Theo’s body in an instant as she slumped against him. The only part of her that was still lively was her tail, but, due to Vahn’s preemptive measures, it was only able to lightly waggle and twitch as she nestled her face into his chest, her voice hot and heavy as she mewled, "Master..."

Hearing the familiar form of address, the smile on Vahn’s face became more prominent as his hold on Theo’s body became more firm. Before he could reward her obedience with a kiss, however, the mood was completely destroyed when Anarchia audibly muttered, "Oh my...this was not what I had in mind when the Sage Dragon Emperor requested our presence. I had originally thought we were underdressed for the occasion...now it’s starting to seem like the opposite is true..."

With her hearing becoming even more sensitive as of late, Theo didn’t miss a single word that had escaped Anarchia’s mouth. This caused her to feel more than a little embarrassed, but, even if they had tried to forcibly tear her away, she wasn’t going to part from her Master so easily. Instead, she just buried her face in his chest, a thin membrane developing within her ears to block most external sounds as her olfactory receptors began to multiply, drastically increasing her sense of smell.

Due to their close proximity, Vahn was even more aware of the changes occurring in Theo’s body than she herself. This fascinated him greatly, but, knowing he would have plenty of time to observe her within the Little Garden, he temporarily suppressed his intrigue. Instead, he continued to hold Theo in his embrace, and, after offering an apologetic smile toward Arika, he went on to explain as many details regarding his intentions as possible. He explained it as placing the entire universe into stasis, and, after explaining his reasons for leaving and promising them he would finally be able to reveal the truth, he managed to convince, not just Arika and Theo, but Anarchia and Vesperina to accompany him...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Vahn conducts a lot of experiments with Da Vinci (OwO)...’,’Anarchia never misses an opportunity~’,’The power of evolution combined with the Law of Progress o_o...’)