Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After a lengthy exchange of information, Amaterasu was up to speed on everything pertinent to his background. She was expectedly surprised to learn he came from 'Outside', giving her a new perspective, one which made him 'infinitely' more tantalizing a prize than before. Fortunately, she seemed somewhat spooked by the existence of Alaya, Gaia, and Tiamat, so, even if she became a little more aggressive, Vahn didn't have to worry about her trying to reverse their status. Instead, it seemed like she was happier than before, almost as if the revelation of his origin had removed a great burden on her heart.

During the conversation, Vahn also learned the method for contracting Sol. It required a certain ritual to be performed during a total solar eclipse, as, even with her Divine Authority derived from the sun itself, Amaterasu had no way to actually approach it. Even the most powerful Gods of the Sun were just fragments cast off by Sol in the distant past, small pieces of its Divine Authority that were given form after establishing a contract with the planets they were meant to govern.

In exchange for the right to govern all life on the planet's surface, Gods of the Sun were tasked with protecting the planet from external threats. Unfortunately, at least in Amaterasu's case, the 'corruption of humanity' was a factor that couldn't be accounted for. Unlike other species, which were generally very subservient to their creator's, humanity had been an outlier species since the very beginning.

According to Amaterasu, she had once been nothing more than a miniature sun, lacking even a name, much less a physical appearance. Then, one day, much to her surprise, she suddenly found herself enshrined within a temple that was meant to worship her. From that moment onwards, the nature of her existence began to slowly change. She was no longer simply worshipped as the Sun itself, but, due to the opportunistic nature of humanity, she became bound to the original lineage of Japanese Emperors. Her power had been so weakened at the time that she was forced to bear the child of her would-be High Priest, a greedy and licentious man who used their offspring as a political tool to conquer all of Japan.

Needless to say, Amaterasu quickly grew tired of the way humanity mistreated her. Even her form had been grossly influenced by their desires, changing her from a woman with elegant features to one more befitting of a 'pet'. This gradually increased her hatred for humanity, but, with no way to resist their corrupt beliefs, she had little choice but to become an 'obedient' pet. It was only after Velber's attack that she was given the opportunity to break free, but, as a result of her attempt to 'abandon' the planet, she was punished by being sealed inside of it, forced to share Gaia's fate...

After hearing Amaterasu's account of events, verified by both Alaya and Gaia, Vahn couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Though he understood the need for a system of control, he felt it was a little ridiculous for beings like Gaia, Tiamat, and Amaterasu to be subjected to suffering at the hands of much weaker entities. They were basically forced to serve their purpose, and, no matter how that purpose was perverted by others, they had no means to resist it. Amaterasu was even imprisoned outside of the Time Axis just because she wanted to break free, forcibly labeled as one of the Evils of Man, accused of being a representation of the very greed that had bound the Goddess against her will...

As she could somewhat understand the thoughts going through Vahn's mind, Amaterasu couldn't help but smile seeing the concern visible in his eyes. It made her feel greatly vindicated, both as a result of kindness and the fact that he wasn't from their world. Him being from the Outside was far beyond expectation, making her feel as though she had won some kind of lottery even before he explained his designation as Type Omega. When she learned that he even had Authority over Sol itself, Amaterasu had to restrain her urge to just push him down then and there, her tails flickering like flames due to her excitement.

Vahn wasn't unaware of Amaterasu's impassioned state. Rather, he would need to be incredibly dense not to understand her intentions when she was leaning forward with a hungry look in her eyes. If not for the 'protection 'provided by Alaya, Gaia, and Tiamat, he had very little doubt she would have already pounced on him. Her nature had been twisted by humanity to such an extent that she had very little control over her actions. This made her a living embodiment of greed, and, if not for the restrictions placed upon her, there was little that could stop her from 'taking' what she wanted.

Truthfully, Vahn felt a considerable amount of empathy towards Amaterasu's plight, so, while he had a fair amount of resistance to involving himself with Goddesses that shared similar origins to his existing wives, he was already considering making an exception. He could easily imagine 'his' Amaterasu rebuking him if he shunned the vulpine Goddess' affections, so, with the Nasuverse's Amaterasu being intrinsic to his plans, Vahn had very little resistance against her.

After forming his resolve on the matter, Vahn surprised Amaterasu quite a bit by stating, "You may find it hard to believe, but I fully intend to free you from the burdens and restrictions that currently bind your actions. When the time comes, should you still desire a union, I will not refuse you. Until then, I must ask for your patience. My empathy makes me susceptible to the wants and desires of others, but my guilt makes it difficult for me to accept those who cannot refuse me. Though it may not be much of a consolation, know that these three are in a similar situation..."

Following Vahn's gaze, Amaterasu saw the three relatively adorable creatures snuggling together in his lap. She felt a strong urge to retort his statement, but, before the words could reach her lips, various other thoughts forming in her mind. There were a number of ways to gradually lower his defenses, so, while she felt relieved by his promise of 'freedom', Amaterasu felt like it would be a fun challenge to try and win his affections before then. She would have to be a little sneaky about it, but, with her Bunrei already in Vahn's favor, the most difficult step had already been taken care of...

Vahn didn't miss the mischievous glimmer in Amaterasu's eye, but, feeling she deserved to be a little selfish, he opted to ignore it. He had already made up his mind on the matter, so, regardless of what happened, the only real outcome would be an acceleration of his plans. Once Phase Four had been completed, the restrictions binding beings like her, Alaya, and Gaia would be removed, so, in the grand scheme of things, her mischief would just fuel him to work harder...

---

At the exact same moment as Amaterasu's transfer to the Surface, Tamamo's ears perked up as her tails became ramrod straight. She had been in the middle of a match to determine who was going to sit in Vahn's lap for the next ten minutes, so, with her body tensing up, Altria mercilessly cut her character down. It was only after the victory screen came up that Tamamo came back to her senses, her eyes widening as she shouted, "Ah! No fair! I want a rematch...!"

Before Tamamo had even finished her outburst, Altria had 'pounced' onto Vahn's lap, her back leaning against his chest as she shot a victory sign towards the disgruntled kitsune. This caused Tamamo to tear up slightly, but, without her needing to protest further, Vahn brought a smile to her face as he said, "Altria, go ahead and give her a rematch. She froze up because of something I did so it really isn't fair to decide things like this."

Hearing Vahn's words, Altria issued a light 'hmm', seemingly considering his words. At the same time, however, she imperceptibly wiggled her hips, her soft butt grinding against him, almost as if to convince him to take her side.

Feeling the soft sensation pressing against his lower body, Vahn felt somewhat helpless. He knew Altria spent 99% of her time cooped up inside so he didn't know where she was learning how to tempt him like this. He imagined she had picked up a few things while diving in the Virtual World, but, as she only ever entered with other people, it didn't seem likely. The only reasonable answer was that she was learning it from either Tamamo or Suzuka. However, considering the nature of both women, this was equally hard to believe...

As Altria's actions became increasingly more obvious, realization donned upon Vahn as he saw the expressions of Tamamo, Tomoe, and X. He could also feel Altria becoming emboldened, so, without having to consider it further, Vahn realized that the primary 'culprit' was himself. She had learned from observing his interactions with others, and, due to his 'tolerance', her curiosity was all she needed to justify her actions.

Before things could develop any further, Vahn, somewhat shamelessly, offered, "How about this. Altria can sit in my lap while the two of you have a rematch. If she wins, she will get to stay for the remainder of her time. If she loses, Tamamo will get to sit on my lap for half an hour...sound fair?"

Instantly realizing things were less favorable for herself, Altria furrowed her brows slightly, stating, "Unfair. Favoritism. Shameless."

Though there was certainly some truth to Altria's complaints, Vahn reminded, "Tamamo is one of my wives. Technically speaking, she is the only one in the room that has the right to sit in my lap..."

As if she only just remember her marriage to Vahn, Tamamo immediately puffed out her chest in pride, a cheeky grin on her face as she exclaimed, "That's right! That's right~! I'm nice enough to let you sit on my husband's lap, the least you can do is accept a fair match! If not, I might just keep him for myself in the future~?"

Compared to how elegant and respectful she was in the past, the current Tamamo had become a little 'uninhibited'. While this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as she was clearly happier sharing a room with the three girls, it was still a startling contrast from her courtly behavior in the past...

Seemingly fired up by Tamamo's words, Altria showed an uncharacteristically serious expression as she stated, "I will not lose..." before picking up her controller. This caused the 'fire' in Tamamo's eyes to blaze in equal measure, so, after a brief setup period, their rematch began in earnest.

Generally speaking, Altria made a concerted effort to move as little as possible throughout the day. She was, inarguably, one of the laziest people in the entirety of Avalon, at times spending the entire day just laying in bed watching anime. It took a concerted effort to get her to do anything, often involving the promise of food and sweets just to earn her attention.

Now, as if her past self was just a facade, Altria was leaning forward slightly, placing her full weight on Vahn's lap as she aggressively controlled her on-screen character. This was her aptly-named 'serious mode', something she typically reserved for life and death battles or contests involving her favorite foods. She didn't even seem to notice that she was grinding against a very sensitive part of his body, and, if not for Vahn's control, a 'catastrophe' might have occurred...

Needless to say, Altria ended up securing victory, showing an uncharacteristic amount of hubris as she boldly stated, "If I get serious, you aren't my opponent."

Hearing Altria's remark, Tamamo ground her teeth in frustration, her expression one of textbook vexation. Then, like a gambler on a losing streak, she shouted, "You hateful vixen! I want another rematch! Best-of-three! Winner takes all!"

As if tonight was the night she decided to practice her expressions, Altria adopted a look that could only be described as haughty, saying, "Don't say things you'll end up regretting. If you lose, you'll have to grind your teeth all evening. I'm afraid you'll be nothing but gums by the time Vahn has to return..."

Tamamo, as could be expected, took exception to Altria's remark. Before she could actually do something she might regret, however, Vahn interceded, saying, "Don't try to bait her into a trap, Altria. As for you, Tamamo, don't let your pride and vanity blind you. I don't mind humoring these little games, but I'm not a prize to be won and exchanged freely. I visit your room to relax and cut loose, not watch the two of you gamble away your friendship."

Like a deflated balloon, Tamamo's body slouched slightly, her tails and ears drooping somewhat pathetically as she muttered, "I'm sorry...". As for Altria, she seemed to realize she had gone too far, adding, "I am also in the wrong..." before rising from Vahn's lap. This would have been a fine way to end things, but, seemingly without any common sense, Altria than pat-down Vahn's lap for a few seconds before offering it for Tamamo's use...

---

With their evening exploration complete, the children had returned to the Enma-tei, finding the peculiar ryokan just as interesting as the outside world. The girls, in particular, enjoyed the open-air onsen while the boys, the sounds of their playing echoing through the night as Vahn, flanked by his two sons, enjoyed the crisp evening air. They had the men's bath completely to themselves, so, after teaching them the proper etiquette, all three were relaxing in the emerald-green water with cool towels on their heads.

Since it was a good opportunity, Vahn decided to ask Daiki how the evening with his sisters had gone. In response, his son, very politely, recounted everything from the moment they entered the Yokai District to the moment they arrived at the Enma-tei. His tone made it seem like he wasn't interested in anything that happened, but, despite this, Vahn could tell he enjoyed exploring the lantern-lit district. He just forced himself to behave in a mature manner due to the fact his sisters appeared so much older than him.

Vahn often felt guilty about Daiki's 'predicament', but, as his son also seemed genuinely happy to be doted on, he allowed matters to take their course. Even Rin had slowly come to terms with the fact that Daiki would likely end up with Isanna and Naavi, so, at this point, the best Vahn could do was properly educate them, expressing tolerance while encouraging restraint. He knew it would cause even more problems if he tried to drive them apart, so, rather than drive a wedge between them, he would support their choice. They might have shared the same womb, but, as Da Vinci's test had proven, they weren't actually related by blood. Rather, Isanna and Naavi, as Vanir, had no genetic material whatsoever...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'TFW humans are so egotistical they label a Goddess as an 'Evil of Man'','X is just watching from the side with a deadpan expression...','Poor Daiki xD...')

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