Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After anticipating this encounter for years, Vahn had already put a lot of thought into how he would convince Gaia. More than that, however, he really did just want to protect her, finding her existence to be one of the greatest tragedies he had ever encountered. Nobody deserved to be isolated from everything, and, while it might make her feel safe, Gaia would never be happy if she never broke out of her shell and experienced new things.

In the hopes of ensuring a better future for them all, Vahn adopted an apologetic smile as he said, "I promise you...I will never allow harm to befall you. Please, trust me. Nobody should be forced to live alone...afraid of the very world they represent..."

Since Gaia seemed sensitive to even the most subtle change in emotions, Vahn allowed her to feel the sadness in his heart. He wanted her to know that she wasn't alone, that someone understood the things she had gone through, even a little. He had felt this way even before seeing the awe-inspiring form of CHALDEAS and his encounter with Tiamat...

Though she didn't understand why Vahn was sad, Gaia felt her own sadness increase seeing him in such a state. He had such a pure and comforting aura, so it didn't seem right for him to be sad. Thus, albeit with extreme reluctance, she muttered, "I will trust...Master..."

Following the soft, almost inaudible words, the green mass of energy began to rapidly contract. This was similar to the times when Gaia ran away, taking the golden light with her. This time, however, a strange feather remained behind, suspended in the air.

Seeing the pure white feather surrounded by an incomparable mass of Holy Energy, Vahn felt like his body would disintegrate just bey remaining in its presence. A hazy black mist had even started rising from various parts of his body, the purity in her aura so great that even Spenta, an entity that existed to purify virtually all evils, couldn't compare in presence and magnitude.

Despite a strange sense of 'unworthiness', Vahn stretched out his hands, allowing the feather, less than 10cm in length, to rest in his palms. He noticed it was surprisingly heavy, but, before he could get an accurate grasp on its weight, light burst from within the calamus, blinding him in the process. At the same time, the weight of the feather seemed to disappear entirely, replaced by a soft, downy, feeling...

Once his eyes regenerated, Vahn found a thin, seemingly weightless, young woman curled up in his arms. She had skin fairer than white jade, rivaling polished porcelain in quality. Though she was very thin, almost painfully so, her overall height was around 160cm. She was clothed in a pure white dress that was so smooth to the touch that it almost felt ephemeral, giving the impression she would slip through his grasp without a moment's notice...

Though her dress was otherworldy, Gaia's appearance dwarfed it by quite a bit. To compliment her fair skin, she had free-flowing, pure-white hair. It cascaded from the top of her head in a graceful yet uninhibited manner. What surprised Vahn the most, however, was that she had several ahoge, three of which were greater than 15cm in length. This gave her a peculiar charm, but, having a rough idea of what ahoges represented, Vahn couldn't help but clench his teeth slightly...

Almost immediately after his jaw tightened, Vahn felt a soft voice echo through his mind, whispering, "Master...do not be mad...hatred is bad...it is like poison..."

Despite the words clearly coming from Gaia, the 'person' themselves didn't so much as twitch her brows, much less move her lips. She remained unmoving, seemingly lifeless, in his arms. If not for the fact she was radiating more vitality than he had ever seen, it would have been easy to mistake her for a lifeless doll...albeit one carved by the greatest craftsman that had ever lived...

After recovering his senses, Vahn held Gaia a little closer, asking, "Are you unable to move?" in a soft tone of voice.

Surprisingly, Gaia quickly answered, alleviating his concerns as she stated, "I do not remember how...I will try harder..." while twitching her brows.

Though it wasn't all that surprising, especially given Gaia's pure white hair, Vahn was stunned when he saw her eyelids part to reveal ruby-red eyes. Their interior even possessed a faceted quality, much like an actual gemstone. This was undoubtedly the result of some incomprehensibly powerful Mystic Eyes, as, just by looking into them for a brief moment, Vahn felt his consciousness being drawn into them. There were even mysterious runes dancing about within her pupil, but, in spite of his curiosity, Vahn dared not look too closely.

Like someone waking from a coma, or a very long dream, Gaia had a distant look in her eyes, unable to focus on anything. She had been using her 'perception' to sense the world around her for a very long time so it was strange to be seeing for the first time in millennia. Everything was simultaneously clear and blurry at the same time, giving her a spaced-out appearance as her pupils expanded and contracted in a peculiar, somewhat eerie, manner.

Understanding she was trying very hard, Vahn made no effort to rush Gaia. Instead, he organized his thoughts, wondering how he should proceed now that he had his hands on one of the final pieces of the puzzle. His short-term plans would have to change drastically, as, in her current state, Gaia would require a significant amount of attention. This didn't necessarily need to come from him, but, based on the impression he got, she wouldn't want to be apart from him after he promised to protect her.

Fortunately, while Gaia had relatively youthful facial features, her body was relatively mature. Though it looked like she hadn't eaten anything in a very long time, this wasn't necessarily an issue as all Tier 5 beings were able to alter their appearance. Her powers might be restricted, but that shouldn't stop her from being able to slowly change her appearance over the course of a few days. She might even be able to reach a similar degree of development as Tiamat, her original body...

Though she was vaguely aware of what her Master was thinking, Gaia was more focused on trying to control her vision and move parts of her body. It was like trying to flex muscles she didn't even know she had, and, if not for the comforting presence of her Master, Gaia wasn't sure she would ever try to master the body that had been given to her by Akasha. It seemed like a great hassle, and, after what she had experienced in the past, she wasn't in a particular hurry to walk amongst the 'residents' that treated her true body negligently...

After nearly half an hour, Gaia had reached the point of being able to focus on an object. She was also able to raise her hands slightly, opening and closing them in an awkward, almost mechanical fashion.

Unfortunately, while she was making some progress, Vahn got the answer to whether or not she would be able to transform a lot earlier than expected. Her skin became increasingly white as plumes of feathers started to emerge from her body. This wasn't a particular issue, as it actually enhanced her appearance quite a bit. Rather, it was the fact that several wing-like appendages had started to grow from her back. They possessed an amorphous quality that allowed them to gradually pile up, but, most surprisingly, her weight never increased in the slightest...

By the time another ten minutes had passed, enough 'wings' had flowed out of Gaia to fill much of the standing room. She seemed pretty embarrassed by this, as, despite her inability to control her body, she managed an almost imperceptible blush as she said, for the umpteenth time, "Sor...ry..."

Rather than rebuke her in the slightest, Vahn continued to hold Gaia in his embrace, a gentle smile on his face as he whispered, "It's okay...you're doing your best. Don't give up..."

After weakly nodding her head, Gaia did her best to try and get the phenomenon under control. This had the effect of gradually slowing down the increase of wings, but, despite her best efforts, it didn't stop completely.

Fortunately, while it was a rather strange sight to behold, the amorphous wings had an unbelievably soft texture. They also radiated a gentle warmth, so, while he was already buried to his waist, Vahn didn't particularly mind. Instead, he continued to encourage Gaia to do her best while Tiamat and Alaya watched silently from the side.

Alaya would generally be annoyed by this kind of situation, as it interfered with their time together, but, perhaps due to the fact Gaia was her, literal, other half, she was showing a considerable amount of patience. As for Tiamat, she just playfully dangled her legs while sitting on the edge of the black stone slab. She seemed to be enjoying the incident quite a bit, a large smile that revealed her shark-like teeth visible on her face...

---

Vahn generally tried to limit his usage to just two vessels, but, if he was moving at the same flow of time, managing up to five could be achieved without too much trouble. Thus, while his secondary body was off being pampered by Semiramis, something he couldn't easily walk away from, Vahn had to create a third body from the Quest Board located in the Knight's Training Field.

Establishing contact with Gaia was a major event, so, in order to avoid any hiccups, Vahn needed to inform everyone about what was going on. He would also need to make use of one of their Marble Phantasms, as, despite the significance of the event, Vahn had no intention of altering his schedule. He had promised to take the children to the Yokai District that evening, so, even if he had to spend a few months inside a Marble Phantasm, it was better than lying to his children.

As if by divine providence, Vahn spread his senses through the Ivory Castle, finding Artoria, Arcueid, Illya, Iris, and Gray all within the same location. They seemed to be having a tea party, and, based on the seating arrangement, it was easy to see that Artoria was hosting.

With the exception of Iris, everyone else in the room sensed the fact that Vahn was 'looking' at them. They hadn't reached the same level as Fenrir, but Artoria, Arcueid, and Gray were extremely sensitive to his intent. As for Illya, her ears immediately perked up as she hopped out of her seat, an expectant smile on her face. She had the most attuned senses of the entire group, and, despite having become more 'tame' over time, Illya became like an excited puppy whenever he spontaneously appeared.

Even before he had completed his teleportation, Illya had already leaped through the air, arms open as she shouted, "Master~!" before happily snuggling into his embrace. This had become a common occurrence these days, to the point Iris didn't even bother to tease him. Instead, she giggled in her usual elegant manner before adopting a mature smile that always seemed to possess a seductive undertone.

Before explaining his business, Vahn hugged Illya's body firmly, lifting her off her feet slightly as their tongues intertwined. This caused her body to tense up excitedly, her ears drooping lazily as her tail began to flicker happily behind her. This, too, was part of their ritual, as, more than most of the other women, Illya's emotional state required her to express her affection. She would get stressed out if he didn't take a few liberties with her, causing her to go on the 'offensive' as a result.

As this thought crossed his mind, Vahn realized the number of aggressive women in his life had been on the rise. With the recent addition of Musashi, he had to worry about Tiamat, Ishtar, Illya, Arcueid, Aoko, and, whenever she was feeling bold, Nobunaga. Artoria had also become a bit of a problem, but, as she always considered the time, place, and occasion, she and Aoko were the most stable. The latter was only ever a problem after she lost a fight or got into an argument with her sister, incidents that were, fortunately, very rare.

After a 'longer-than-necessary' kiss, Vahn released the panting Illya, smiling as he said, "It's good to see you, too..."

Finding his words amusing, Illya giggled in a girlish manner before giving Vahn another firm hug and saying, "You should come and visit us more often. It has only been a few days, but I get lonely when its just mother and me."

Without making a verbal promise, Vahn just nodded his head in affirmation before gently stroking her back so she would release him. He didn't mind spending time with Illya, not in the slightest, but there were other matters to attend. He also wanted to keep it a surprise that he needed to use one of their Marble Phantasms, as, if she learned about it too soon, Illya would insist he uses hers before they can even discuss things. It was important that he didn't show too much favoritism, so, even if there was a good chance he ended up using her Marble Phantasm, it would be after the entire group agreed to it...

Unaware of Vahn's thoughts, but sensing he had a 'surprise' in store, Illya decided to remain patient as she hopped into his lap and nestled against him. She was happy just to be able to spend even an additional second with Vahn, as, over the years, her love for him had only grown. It had gotten to the point that she couldn't even sleep alone any longer, as, without someone at her side, she would feel a strong urge to track him down.

Fortunately, there were a lot of 'comrades' who understood this kind of emotion, including her very own mother. As a result, Illya never had to feel lonely. Rather, the last few years had been far greater than she expected. The only thing that could have made her happier was getting pregnant, but, as she had made a promise with both her mother and 'rival', Illya decided to wait until she was older.

As tempting as it was, becoming a mother, Illya wanted to be able to fight alongside Vahn before worrying about the well-being of their child. She, alongside Fenrir, Medusa, and a few others, had all made a promise to protect their Master, no matter the cost. Having a baby would divert her focus for a considerable amount of time, and, though she had a functionally infinite amount inside her Marble Phantasm, it wasn't exactly a suitable environment to raise a child...

Unaware of Illya's machinations, Vahn just absentmindedly stroked her fluffy hair and tail, explaining the situation regarding Gaia. He rarely concerned himself with the 'schemes' and 'private affairs' of his lovers, trusting them with all his heart. No matter what they decided, he would do his best to try and support them, doing whatever it took to make them happy. In turn, they always considered how he would react, altering their plans and working together to achieve collective happiness. Thus, even if Illya sometimes gave off a scary vibe, he continued to smile all the same...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A life that must be protected','*slowly drowns in fluffy white wings*','Fenrir is the true mastermind o_o...!')

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