Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Before Fenrir could become too excited, Vahn distracted her by ruffling her hair, eliciting a happy 'Ehehe~' from her in the process. At the same time, he looked towards the half-asleep Asuna, who, without the support of her mother, would have fallen down. It was obvious both she and Arika had stayed up late, but, due to her age, she had difficulties staying awake.

Noticing Vahn's gaze, Vesperina carried Asuna over to him, smiling slightly as she explained, "The excitement prevented her from going to sleep. I hope you won't be too hard on her."

Accepting the 12kg girl from her mother, Vahn just laughed lightly as he said, "No worries. I usually don't make anyone train prior to the age of four. Asuna is still a child so she has the right to behave like one."

Though it looked like she had something to say about being called a child, Asuna felt a potent bout of drowsiness the moment Vahn held her. His body and aura were very warm, and, after he started to pat her back, her drowsiness seemed to compound. As a result, she performed an adorable yawn before nestling her head into the crook of his neck and immediately dozing off.

Seeing how quickly her daughter fell asleep in Vahn's arms, Vesperina soundlessly chuckled before saying, "My worries have been abated. Take care of her, Vahn. She is my most precious treasure. She deserves a life beyond simply serving as a substitute ruler. I hope she is able to learn a lot and make plenty of friends while accompanying you..."

Even if she wasn't the most expressive woman in the world, Vesperina's affection for her daughter could be heard in each heartfelt word. It wasn't easy for her to entrust her daughter to another, but, wanting more for Asuna than she had been allowed, Vesperina decided to place her trust in Vahn. It was almost like her daughter was instinctually drawn to him, and, seeing how caring he was toward her, she couldn't think of a better guardian for her daughter than the mysterious man loved by the world itself...

After combing her fingers through her daughter's hair for a few more seconds, Vesperina retracted her hand, and, after smiling one last time, moved to stand next to Ana. This prompted the latter to adopt a similar smile as she stated, "Well, I suppose it is time for you to depart. Vesperina has said everything I intended to say and I have already discussed everything else with my daughter. My last remaining hope is that you will visit often."

Understanding Ana's concerns, Vahn nodded his head without hesitation, saying, "I have left spatial coordinates within the palace. We can't return every day, but I will be sure to bring them back when they are feeling lonely. This world actually isn't that big, so, even if we're far away, I can rush over in a few minutes if it is an emergency."

Hearing Vahn's words, Ana and Vesperina both felt greatly relieved, both showing the closest thing to a sincere smile they could manage. As for Arika, she showed a fair amount of surprise, as, despite teleportation magic being relatively common, covering vast distances was no easy feat. Even Mages who specialized in teleportation could only cover a few kilometers at a time due to the interference of mana in the environment. Vahn, however, seemed absolutely confident in being able to teleport regardless of the distance, almost as if it required no effort...

Before Arika could make up her mind to ask for more details, she was slightly startled when Vahn suddenly interrupted her thoughts, saying, "We will be using the Airfish you picked me up in. It will make our travels more comfortable and I find that peculiar Airfish of yours to be rather charming."

Since she had been intending to suggest they use one of her custom Airfish, Arika was pleasantly surprised by Vahn's words. She was capable of flight magic, but, despite a desire for adventure, she didn't really want to sleep outside if it could be avoided.

Acting as if it didn't particularly matter to her, Arika just answered with a curt nod before saying, "I understand. It will make transporting our luggage and supplies much easier..."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes and remind her of his Inventory, Vahn continued to lightly pat the sleeping Asuna's back as he said, "Well then, we should be off. It will only become more difficult to part if we stand around much longer. This is only a temporary parting so it is best to get it over and done with."

Without waiting for a response, Vahn began walking toward the Royal Family's private hangar with Fenrir and Medusa close behind. This forced Arika to hasten her pace in order to catch up, all while Ana and Vesperina remained standing with thoughtful glimmers in their matching green-blue eyes...

After boarding the rather endearing goldfish-like Airfish, Vahn set Asuna to sleep in one of the two main cabins, leaving Fenrir to watch over her. He didn't want her to be alone when she woke up, so, knowing she would be spending a lot of time with Fenrir in the future, this was a good way to close the distance between them. As for Medusa, she quickly invaded the Captain's cabin, claiming it on his behalf despite the pointed look Arika sent her way. She felt as though the room should belong to her and Asuna, as it was her ship, but, rather than say anything, she passed through the rather spacious common area, entering the bridge.

Vahn didn't particularly care where he stayed, but, considering he was supposed to be the girls' Guardian and Master, he didn't prevent Medusa's rather willful action. Instead, he spent a couple of minutes making sure Asuna was sleeping peacefully before heading to the bridge himself. There, he found Arika sitting at the helm, her body language conveying, 'I am going to fly the ship and I don't care what you have to say about it'. He found this rather amusing, but, rather than tease her, he just said, "Well, take her away. I might have a few destinations in mind, but this journey is more for your benefit than mine. If there is a place you always wanted to visit, we can head there before we start our training."

Not expecting Vahn to give her free rein to choose their destination, Arika was at a momentary loss before looking back at him and asking, "Are you certain?"

Instead of answering the unnecessary question, Vahn plopped down at the weapon's station before activating the terminal and familiarizing himself with the controls. Arika had shown him a lot of the different schematics the Academy Engineers had drawn up so he was already knowledgeable about the systems. He knew there were failsafes that prevented the weapons from firing unless the station had been activated by the Captain so there was no danger of an accidental discharge.

Seeing Vahn 'ignore' her, Arika's brows furrowed slightly, but, rather than say anything, she fell into deep thought about their destination. There were a number of places she wanted to visit, but, never expecting to leave the palace unless it was for official business, she didn't know where to start. This was something Vahn was well aware of, so, in order to allow Arika to express herself, he decided to let her choose their destinations and pilot the ship...

After several minutes of silence, Arika looked over at Vahn to find him reclining with his hands behind his head. It was apparent he was serious about letting her choose the destination, so, with her mind made up, she placed her hands on the familiar controls, and, for the first time in her life, piloted the ship away from the city. This, alone, made her heart begin to beat a little faster, and, though it was almost imperceptible, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

Noticing the subtle change in Arika's expression and demeanor, Vahn nodded in approval before rising to his feet and saying, "If you need me, I'll be up on the deck. I like the feeling of wind in my hair so I'll leave everything here to you."

Hearing Vahn's words, Arika turned her attention toward him, asking, "Are you not curious about our destination...?"

Shaking his head, Vahn adopted a casual smile as he explained, "The most important thing is that it is a place you are interested in. I'm interested in every part of this world, so, regardless of where we end up, I'll make the most of it. The training I have in mind won't be easy, so, before we proceed, I want you to experience the world without following someone else's directions. Don't worry, even if you take us to some dangerous locale, I'll protect both you and Asuna."

With his words finished, Vahn teleported up to the deck without waiting for Arika's response. This was as much her journey as it was his, and, as an 'outsider' to this world, Vahn didn't have any real destination in mind. There were a number of places he was interested in, sure, but he didn't want Arika and Asuna to feel like they were just tagalongs on his personal journey. Besides, if he were to venture to a place like Megalomesembria right now, there was a fair chance he might just go on a rampage.

Seeing Vahn teleport away in a flash of light, Arika's expression became more relaxed, allowing a small sigh to escape her lips. She had actually wanted him to ask about their destination so it was a little annoying for him to just up and leave. This did little to temper her excitement, but, after seeing how kind and attentive he was toward Asuna, she couldn't help but feel slightly bothered whenever he left her alone...

Realizing her thoughts, Arika shook her head somewhat violently before adopting a more focused look and pressing on the accelerator. Her ship was equipped with a state-of-the-art 18 Prayer Spirit Pentagram Engine with forward and reverse thrusters. It's cruising speed was only around 750km/h, but, if she diverted all auxiliary power to the thrusters, it could accelerate upwards of 4000km/h for short periods of time. This was nearly twice as fast as most military craft, so, during an emergency, it could be used to outpace almost every other Airfish on the market...

Feeling the Airfish suddenly speed up exponentially, Vahn raised his brow curiously before looking down at the deck and muttering, "Is this tsundere princess trying to shake me off...?"

Shaking his head, Vahn was seemingly able to ignore the drag forces as he walked toward the edge of the deck and leaned on the railing. He wasn't unaware of the thoughts running through Arika's mind, but, feeling she was 'too impressionable' in her current state, he couldn't pamper her in the same way as Asuna.

Though it was a very vague feeling, Vahn could roughly deduce how a person's fate influenced both themselves and others. Arika's seemed to guide her towards a specific course, but, whenever he was around, it would gravitate towards him in an attempt to link their fates together. This wouldn't be a problem in most cases, but, whenever he felt Arika's fate gravitate toward him, Vahn's mind seemed to wander in an untoward direction as thoughts of 'protecting her for the rest of his life' roused out of nowhere.

After letting things get out of hand in both Danmachi and the Nasuverse, Vahn had decided to steel his heart in the Akamatsuverse. His primary purpose was to find and rescue Eva, so, until he finished his main objective, he wouldn't let himself be swayed by the puppy-like affections of girls younger than most of his children. He had an entire Realm of loving wives and passionate lovers who would gladly keep him company so, rather than grow his already expansive harem, Vahn would rather be a surrogate father or a patient mentor than the object of an impressionable girl's affection.

Arika, despite her external appearance, was a little 'too eager' for the affections of another, and, as a result of her fate, she seemed drawn towards those with the power to affect the world. This would usually result in her meeting the protagonist of the world, and, after overcoming numerous difficult trials together, they would eventually fall in love. Thus, by allowing Arika to periodically choose their destinations, Vahn was assuring that she would eventually meet her 'fated' partner.

If everything went as planned, it wouldn't be long before Vahn crossed paths with the legendary Ala Rubra and their infamously powerful leader. He was very curious about the leader of the party, Nagi Springfield, as, based on historical accounts, the boy had already been rumored to be 'invincible' at the young age of thirteen. He had even defeated Jack in all of their battles, constantly ecking out a victory against someone labeled as a 'living cheat character'. This made Nagi seem like an absolute monster, and, considering he was able to defeat the Mage of the Beginning, twice, he may very well be the strongest person in the world for the next decade or so.

Though Vahn didn't really care about things like fated encounters, as they lost their meaning from the moment he entered into the Record, he wasn't unwilling to make exceptions. Arika was simply too young for his current tastes, so, until she was able to grow, both physically and emotionally, he would not allow her to imprint on him. She should be with someone closer to her own age rather than arbitrarily clinging to the first relatively powerful person that treated her well as a result of her fate. If she came to develop sincere emotions for him over time, Vahn wouldn't mind reciprocating her affections, but, until he reunited with Eva, he would rather let matters take their course...

Unbeknownst to Vahn, and everyone else for that matter, the flow of fate around the entire world had shifted the moment he departed Ostia. At the same time, the flow of fate around Asuna, who was currently curled up in the embrace of Fenrir, began to change in some not-so-subtle ways. A large part of it seemed to latch onto the loveable Vanargandr, and, after clinging to her for several minutes, it began to spread through the ship itself before scattering into the more abundant flow of the world. Then, like a penny thrown into a wishing well, ripples began to slowly spread throughout the fate of the entire world, most eventually fading into obscurity, but, as was often the case when it came to such things, others turned into large, seemingly unstoppable, waves...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Asuna is precious','Vahn be schemin' a lot since Danmachi','Fate about to end this man's whole career...')