Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn arrived at the rendezvous point and still had more than two-and-a-half hours until they were supposed to meet. Sitting on the edge of the fountain where they were supposed to meet, Vahn was enjoying the cool morning air on his skin while slowly absorbing the rays of the sun which had just begun to crest over the houses and walls surrounding the City. Sunrise had only been around an hour ago, and there was a gentle mist in the air that made the atmosphere feel calm and quiet.

While he was waiting, Vahn was reading various books in his mind regarding elves, half-elves, and even human relations. He was surprised because he came across a passage that discussed a bit about hereditary traits and genealogy. According to the book, the various different races could only breed with each other, with the exception of humans and Amazons. For some reason, it seemed like humans could breed with every race, and there were even rare cases where gods and spirits had mated with a human and produced offspring.

The thing that made Vahn feel a little strange was, there was a high chance that a half-breed would never have children because of some kind of genetic deviation. They were only able to breed with humans, and the fertility rate was almost low enough to be negligible. After finding this information, Vahn imagined Tsubaki who was already 36 years old but refused courtsh.i.p.s while she focused on training and blacksmithing.

He felt bad for her because she was such a kind and caring person yet hadn't had the opportunity to have children of her own. Her situation also made him think of Eina, who was a half-elf, a human mixed with the species that had the lowest fertility rate of all other races except spirits and gods. She was 16-17 at this time, but there was a good chance she wouldn't have children for several years, and that is if she made an effort to do so.

Vahn was annoyed after learning this new information and having a few realizations of his own. He looked through the system and purchased a variety of manuals and doc.u.mentation on fixing genetic defects, increasing fertility, and anything else he thought might prove beneficial. The thought of people trying to have children, yet unable to do so, was something that Vahn that was very unnerving to Vahn. After learning that his [Enkidu] may allow him to i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e goddesses, Vahn had been thinking about children a lot.

Around a half hour before the meeting time, Eina entered the small plaza with the fountain and saw Vahn sitting in a state of deep contemplation. She was a bit happy that he had shown up early, as she was a bit worried that she would have to wait for a while. This was Eina's first date, and she wanted everything to go perfectly for the time being. There were various things she wanted to discuss with Vahn, but for now, she just wanted to experience acting like a couple for a few hours.

WIth Vahn's enhanced perception, even with his eyes closed, he was able to sense the approach of another person. He noticed the silhouette was a gentle sky-blue with a tinge of yellow, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Eina with a happy smile on her face. Vahn realized that the shapes he saw with his enhanced perception, were actually the auras of the people around him. He was happy at the realization, as well as the fact that Eina had arrived early, so he smiled widely.

Eina was wearing a navy blue skirt that reached past her knees with a white stripe embroidered with flowers around the hem. Her blouse was a light green with a frayed collar and she was wearing a beige cardigan over the top. She leaned forward slightly with her arms behind her back as she tilted her head and asked Vahn with a smile, "Were you waiting long?"

Vahn stood up from the fountain before walking a bit closer and responding, "I was a bit excited, so I showed up early." Hearing his own words, Vahn chucked a bit before saying, "I notice you're also a bit early, Eina." Vahn put a little more emphasis on her name than normal which caused Eina to blush slightly as she explained, "T-this is my first date. I thought it would be impolite to keep you waiting, but it seems my efforts were for naught."

Her reaction made Vahn feel happy as, for some reason, seeing the girl in a fl.u.s.tered state always made him feel warm inside. She saw his expression and averted her eyes a bit which caused Vahn to finally notice why she looked 'strange' since he saw her earlier. Whenever she was at the Guild, she always wore a pair of glasses that made her look sharp and intelligent. Now, she had ditched her professional clothing and had even removed her glasses as she stood before him in casual attire. She looked like a beautiful young woman on the precipice of a.d.u.l.thood.

Eina noticed that he was staring at her, and it made her feel both excited and annoyed. She remembered the first time they met and how his eyes also seemed to wander, but his vision always remained clear like he was genuinely appreciating what he saw. She asked in a mock angry tone, "How long are you going to keep gawking?"

If Eina had known Vahn could see her aura, she would probably stomp on the ground in frustration because he took her question in stride and answered smoothly, "As long as you'll let me. You look very cute right now, though I don't mind your professional attire either." This time, Vahn's words made the blush spread from her cheeks to her ears as she inhaled a deep breath like she was going to scream at him.

Eina held the breath for several seconds while looking at Vahn's 'naive' and 'handsome' face before she let out the breath with an exasperated sigh and asked, "So, have you decided where you'll be taking me? You should know that I have very high expectations since this is my first date. Try to act your part properly until the end, okay Vahn?"

Vahn nodded his head in affirmation as what seemed like a perpetual smile covered his face. Every time he was around Eina, it always made him very happy, like all of her actions were very pleasing to him. Though it wasn't like how he felt around Hephaestus, Tiona, and Ais, it made Vahn feel somewhat proud to be standing before the girl he had thought highly of in the manga. He extended his arm to her and she stared at it for a moment before locking her arm with his.

Vahn led Eina around to various places he had visited in preparation for their date and made sure to ask her several questions about herself. He constantly paid attention to her aura and measured his actions by seeing how her affections increased or decreased. Though it was Eina's first date, it was also the first time Vahn had planned out the events, so he was in high spirits. Eina also seemed to be enjoying herself and, by the time lunch came, she was holding onto Vahn's arm in a much more affectionate manner.

Though Eina's b.r.e.a.s.ts looked somewhat modest in her casual attire, they were actually on the larger end of the spectrum at around 86cm. Right now, Vahn could feel her right b.r.e.a.s.t pressing into his left arm as he led the smiling girl around the various markets and stalls. Eventually, they had already been on the date for around four hours before Vahn took Eina to a park to rest and enjoy a picnic he had prepared. She seemed to be very pleased with how much effort he was putting in and even remarked about how useful his storage magic was. Though their date hadn't ended yet, she invited him to come shopping with her in the future.

Vahn set out all the dishes on the blanket he had laid on the grass, and Eina noticed that the majority of the dishes were still warm. Her emerald green eyes squinted a bit as she casually asked, "All of these foods, how long ago did you buy them?" Vahn noticed her tone was slightly odd and that her aura had fluctuated for a moment. Even though he wasn't looking at her, he could feel it flicker from behind his back. Suddenly, he remembered something he had learned long ago and had been overlooking for a very long time.

Since Eina already knew about his 'storage' magic, Vahn wasn't shy when using it in front of her. However, he had forgotten a very important aspect of 'storage' magic since he had been eating with Anubis and the children a lot recently. Items that had been placed into the dimensional space created by storage magic slowly lost their heat over time...

Vahn turned his head and looked into the inquisitive face of the beautiful half-elf. He could see from her slightly wispy aura that she was waiting to see if he would tell her the truth, or if he would try to lie to her. Releasing a sigh, Vahn sat down on the blanket next to her and continued to hold eye contact as he explained, "As you suspect, my storage magic isn't normal. Even I can't tell you where it comes from though, as I've always had the ability ever since I became self-aware in the Western Forests."

As everything Vahn said was the truth, Eina gave a satisfied nod before c.o.c.king her head sideways and contemplating for a few seconds. After finding the words she was looking for, Eina asked, "You're not a normal human, are you Vahn? Even if you were a super prodigy, increasing from Level 1 to Level 3 in two months is actually an impossible feat. By the time the next Denatus comes around, you will be one of the most famous people in the City because of your exploits."

After speaking, Eina didn't wait for Vahn's response as she looked into his eyes with a gentle smile and asked, "Can you tell me about yourself? I want to know where you came from, why you're here, and where you'll be going in the future." Eina didn't mind if Vahn had secrets, but if he was going to try courting her, she wanted to know everything she could to help prepare her own decision. Though she had been very happy on their date, Eina had heard many concerning rumors about Vahn lately and wanted to see if she could make sense of the matters.

Vahn ruminated over his own thoughts for a few minutes while thinking about how well things had gone so far. Though she started the date with 62 affection, the number had increased rapidly and she was currently sitting at 85 points with an intrigue of 91. Remembering how she acted in the manga, and seeing how well she thought of him, Vahn decided to explain about his history in the same manner as he had discussed previously with Hephaestus and Tsubaki.

Eina listened to Vahn's recounting of his 'past' with a mix of intrigue and concern. Hearing how tragic his past was, Eina recalled the small boy she had met nearly two months ago when he had shown up to report his level up and trade in a ridiculous amount of monster cores. He was much smaller at the time, and Eina almost felt like he was a cute little boy that had a bit of a crush on her.

Now, Vahn had grown to a height near her own, and they almost sa eye to eye when conversing. He had changed so much in such a short period of time and even achieved Level 3 after fighting against a Goliath on his own. She realized that he had to be putting in an insane amount of effort that would have broken a normal person. With that thought, she realized that Vahn may actually already be broken. Considering his past and how he acted around others, she was able to explain a bunch of his actions if she considered that he was slightly dysfunctional.

Vahn noticed that Eina's affection had suddenly jumped to 91, and he continued his story all the way until the end. Since he was being honest, Vahn also took the opportunity to explain his relationship with Hephaestus, Tiona, Ais, Nanu, and even the various other people in his life like Naaza and Lili, who had both been saved by him in the dungeon. Though he had expected her to be upset, she actually seemed to be a bit relieved after she gave him a strange look.

After his story was finished, Eina asked him, "Those girls you mentioned, do you truly love them?" Vahn was a little surprised by the question and he seriously considered his answer before saying, "I'm still a bit confused on matters related to love. I think I love Hephaestus, and I want to do my best to meet her expectations. Though she may not appear that way on the surface, she is actually a terribly lonely woman. I have also made promises to have children with Tiona and help protect Ais in her pursuit of revenge. I feel deeply for every woman that has shown me affection, and I want to do my best for each and every one of them."

Eina furrowed her brows for a bit in contemplation before muttering in a low voice, "He really is broken..." She looked at Vahn with an almost sad look in her eyes as she imagined that the boy had no brakes. He suffered so much in the past that he now sought out affection from others and pushed himself far behind the limits of where a normal person would break. The only reason he was able to do so, was because he was already broken from the start...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Eina sees clearly without glasses','View affection is hax, where was this in my childhood!?','Growing up without growing up')