Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Around the same time that Vahn was giving Aoko a tour of Avalon, he also teleported to the holding cell where Scáthach had been storing her captives. At this point, she had crippled most of the Nobles associated with the summoning and, using the Strings of Fate, tracked down the designated heirs of each family. This included the heirs of the families that had surrendered to Kenshin's forces as, while Vahn wasn't necessarily fond of hostages, it was a lot easier to pressure people that prioritized their heritage over everything else by seizing their legacy.

The primary reason behind their capture, however, was so that Jeanne could determine whether or not the Magic Crests contained Demons. It quickly came to light that most of the older families had Demons sealed away in their Magic Crests as their Ancestors had contracted with them in the distant past, obtaining knowledge and power as everyone else grew progressively weaker.

Vahn knew that, with his ever-increasing karma, it was only a matter of time before some great evil appeared in response to his actions. This didn't mean he couldn't do everything within his power to prevent it, however, so he had already brought the matter to light with Solon and Zelretch. They had agreed to help him track down the 72 original Magus lineages, dating back to the Era of the Great King, Solomon the Wise.

It hadn't taken much time do discover the true nature of the Demons hidden in the Magic Crests as the crests themselves were something created by Solomon. The complexity of each crest made them virtually impossible to produce in modern times so, unless your Ancestors had received one around twenty-nine-hundred-years ago, the most you could do was create an imperfect replica. Still, the lure of passing on knowledge through a Magic Crest meant that every competent Magus family had one while, over the course of history, some had been lost to time.

Fortunately, Da Vinci had been able to analyze the structure of several Magic Crests at this point so Vahn wouldn't be required to completely destroy the legacy of each family. Though he did forcibly acquire the Magic Crests from the families that had conspired to effectively destroy the world, those that surrendered were given more lenient sentences. After all, he wouldn't charge children for the sins of their parents as, more often than not, they didn't really have a choice in the type of people they grew up to become. Expectations were a heavy burden and, with corruption rotting the very foundation of your family, they either complied or suffered tragic fates.

Understanding this, Vahn had the families that surrendered sign a binding contract, guaranteeing their lineage would not be destroyed in exchange for them accepting accountability for their past actions. This would ultimately result in their deaths, as Vahn wasn't fond of the idea of imprisonment, but it was a far better outcome than what awaited the more treacherous families. They too would be held accountable but, rather than be put to death outright, they would be tried by Azathoth, their minds splintered and egos shattered completely.

Vahn knew that, the darker a person's heart, the greater Azathoth's influence over them. They would be forced to spend the final few moments of their life experiencing unimaginable horrors as, despite granting most people the mercy of death, their crimes were simply too great. Vahn knew there was a good chance he would generate some negative karma as a result of forcing such an end upon them but, over the course of their centuries of existence, thousands of people, if not more, had suffered at the hands of these despotic individuals...

---

Currently, Vahn found himself face-to-face with a young boy of ten-years-old while a bound and gagged man kneeled at this side. If the female students of the Clock Tower were present, they would have been horrified to no end as the man bound was one of the top three most handsome men in the Clock Tower, the current Head of the Sophia-Ri Family, Bram Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri. His Great Grandfather had been one of the hooded Magi that participated in the summoning of Tiamat and, while not directly involved, the current Lord Sophia-Ri had been aware of the plot.

As one of the most influential families in the Noble Factions, the Sophia-Ri had been central figures in various schemes over the years. This legacy had been carried on by Bram himself and, like many of the other corrupt families, he had already passed on his Magic Crest to the young boy before hiding him away in a small village in northern Germany. Unfortunately for them, Scáthach had easily found the boy so the Sophia-Ri family now faced its reckoning. They would be tried later but, for the time being, Vahn had the young boy, Lord Sophia-Ri's nephew, in a daze as he extracted the Magic Crest from his forehead.

A stark contrast to his usual composed self, Lord Sophia-Ri was hunched forward as he jerked his body against the chains bind him. His eyes were bloodshot and, if not for the gag in his mouth, he would have been screaming at the top of his lungs. He couldn't accept that the family would end in his hands as, at least in his mind, he hadn't done anything to deserve this. Rather, he suffered various slights against his pride over the years, including having his fiancee stolen. Now, he could only watch as his favorite nephew's eyes glazed over as thousands of years of heritage was stripped away from him...

By the time the process had been completed, Vahn had a small oval gemstone in his hand. It glowed with the Magic Crest of the Sophia-Ri family and, as a result of the Demon sealed within, he was not able to place it into his Inventory. Instead, he placed it into a black box before passing it to Gareth and having her take it to Da Vinci's Workshop. At the same time, he put the red-haired youth into a very deep slumber before turning to the almost feral-looking 'Lord' Sophia-Ri as he asked, "I wonder if you are beginning to reflect on your actions...?"

In response to what he believed to be taunting words, Bram jerked at the chains as if there was any point to breaking free. If he somehow did manage to extricate himself from the bindings, the only fate that awaited him was pain as, despite being a Lord, he wasn't even remotely a match for anyone in the room. While he might indeed be very powerful amongst his peers, the difference between a modern Magus and a Heroic Spirit was simply too vast, especially when the slowest person in the room could accelerate to mach two in an instant.

Vahn could only shake his head after seeing the man's response, a scornful look on his face as he said, "I wouldn't have believed you anyway...you are an opportunistic man who places himself high above others. Whenever you face a setback, you pretend that it is the fault of other people, even if it was a direct result of the choices you made. You simply can't accept responsibility for your actions as your pride won't allow you to admit you were wrong. Now, you kneel before me, a mortal man with no status or authority to back you up...tell me, do you still feel superior to others?"

As Vahn asked his question, he forcibly ripped the gag from Bram's mouth, curious as to how the man would respond. He wasn't at all surprised when the latter tried to spit in his face, allowing him to easily stop the projectile mid-flight before rebounding it back into the feral man's face. Bram was so slow that he appeared to be moving in slow motion from Vahn's perspective so there really wasn't anything he could do to surprise him.

With his own spittle hitting him in the face, Bram looked like he completely lost his mind. He howled in rage as he exerted his meager strength against the chains but, no matter how hard he pulled, they hardly budged. The only thing he accomplished was tiring himself out as Vahn stood just outside of his reach, staring down at him with an unflinching expression of absolute scorn. It was obvious that the man had suffered a mental breakdown as, rather than try to plead or negotiate, he grunted and thrashed about like a child throwing a tantrum.

Deciding his time was better spent on other matters, Vahn raised his index finger slightly, drawing the attention of the crazed Magus for a brief moment. Then, with a simple flick towards the ground, the red-haired man was pressed to the floor as if he had a mountain dropped on him. He croaked like a frog as his ribs fractured from the strain, the air in his lungs being forced out in an instant. If his presence wasn't necessary during the upcoming trials, Vahn would have simply killed him then and there.

Now that the screaming had stopped, silence dominated the partitioned room until Vahn stated in a calm tone, "Take this fool back to his cell. As for the child, have Merlin probe his mind for any hidden information that could endanger himself and others. He is young so there is still hope that he will be able to redeem his family in the future."

No matter how much scorn Vahn held toward any particular person or family, he would never force the sins of one onto another. Only tyrants and cowards purged entire family lines as, when it came down to it, there was no reason to eliminate an entire family unless you were afraid of them. They were just normal people and, while they may have limitless potential, the same could be said for the rest of humanity.

If he started purging families just to prevent future enemies, he would drastically reduce the prestige of the Empire and, as was often the case in fiction, someone would slip through the cracks to rise up against him. This was part of the Karmic cycle so, knowing his enemies ahead of time was better than creating unseen enemies as a result of wanton slaughter. He wasn't some evil tyrant that suppressed others, not was he fearful of an uncertain future...

As Bram and his nephew were the last family to be dealt with, at least for the time being, Vahn had Alaya teleport him back to the Hanging Gardens. Dawn was fast approaching and Ark had already been sending data packages through every major network in preparation for Vahn's speech. Soon, his image would be broadcast on virtually every television, computer, and phone. At the same time, the transmissions and recordings of various schemes would be made public while a massive volume of information pertaining to Magecraft, provided courtesy of the Atlas Temple, had been uploaded to every interconnected device.

One of the first phases of Vahn's takeover was the complete shutdown of non-vital communications and, as the internet had long outlived its purpose, the coming dawn meant the end of what could effectively be called the 'Misinformation Era'. He would no longer allow news broadcasters to lie and manipulate the public with false information. Now, they would only be able to use their computers to access a massive library of information and, unless they were directly linked on the same network, it would no longer be possible to communicate with others on the internet.

Vahn knew that there would be a major outcry once the global network was crippled but, as it had not been serving its purpose for decades, he didn't see the point in keeping it around. The supposed intent behind its creation was to connect people all over the globe, allowing them to freely exchange information and knowledge. Instead, it became a marketing platform focused almost exclusively on monetizing its users and spreading misinformation. Most of the information shared by its users was pornography and other forms of entertainment while, behind the scenes, criminal organizations used it to distribute their 'products' globally while monstrous individuals treat it as a playground where they can freely take advantage of others.

As there was no sense in fixing something that was broken on a fundamental level, Vahn would rather be rid of it entirely. He would still allow people to use their computers to obtain information but now, unless they did a direct link or data transfer, 'sharing' anything would be impossible. The coming transition would already be chaotic enough so Vahn would rather have people focus on their survival than wasting their time being fed lies on the internet...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The echoes of Solomon','RIP Bram, you were a cunt, but not the worst cunt','I don't know how I feel about this...!')

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