Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

While Jeanne was expressing the depths of her devotion to one of his more fortunate selves, several other versions of Vahn were carrying out various duties within his Realm. This included watching the progress of Silva, spending time with anyone who had teleported to the Crystal Palace, checking in with Da Vinci, and, as was often the case following his return, Vahn 'prime' could be found walking silently through a serene garden.

More than a hundred years prior, Vahn, in the hopes of opening their hearts and minds, had tasked Altera and Okita with working together to create a garden filled with life. They had taken his words very seriously, so, with more than a century to grow and develop, the garden produced by the two taciturn beauties had become one of the most secluded and peaceful places in all of Avalon.

Though neither Altera nor Okita had truly opened themselves up to others, both girls mellowed out quite a bit with the passage of time. Altera, in particular, had become very fond of the garden. Most of her free time was spent within, and, if you were fortunate enough to sneak up without her notice, it was sometimes possible to find her hand-feeding small animals with a delicate smile on her face.

Originally, the garden had been a place very few people could access, but, after receiving quite a bit of praise for their efforts, Okita and Altera had opened it up to most residents of the Inner Sanctum. There were a few rules that had to be followed, including one which prohibited loud noises, but, so long as you didn't run rampant within their garden, they wouldn't forcibly eject you...

---

Near the very center of the secret garden, located atop an artificially created hill ornamented by a single apple tree, a beautiful woman with flowing golden hair, silver eyes, pristine white wings, and a rather thick white tail could be seen resting peacefully. She was garbed in a thin white dress that perfectly accented the color of her wings and tail, but, more noticeable than the woman's ethereal beauty was the rounded belly affectionately caressed by her hands...

Seeing the woman from a distance, Vahn could feel expectation and love swelling within his heart with each passing step. She had also noticed his presence, but, rather than rise to greet him as she would in the past, she simply returned a loving smile, her voice effortlessly reaching his ears as she quietly uttered, "Vahn..." in a happy tone of voice.

With one final step, Vahn appeared at the side of the woman, a sour feeling spreading through his nose as he returned a radiant smile and answered, "Artoria..." in an equally affectionate tone.

---

After a cursory exchange of words, Vahn joined his beloved Empress in relaxing beneath the apple tree's canopy. This had become a habit of theirs, as, unless he was resting within the Inner Sanctum, Artoria could always be found relaxing within the secret garden. She enjoyed the peaceful serenity that had been produced from Altera's and Okita's efforts, finding solace in the fact that something so beautiful could be created by entities whose sole purpose had been to destroy. It gave her hope for the future, and, out of gratitude for Artoria's appreciation, Altera had hand-crafted the hill atop which she sat.

Vahn was also rather fond of nature, but, more importantly, he simply wanted to spend time with the woman who had carried his child for more than a hundred years. Just being around her allowed him to relax completely, and, though it was a little shameless of him, he enjoyed using her lap as a pillow and allowing her to pamper him. Her aura alone brought him an extreme amount of comfort, so, whenever he returned to his Realm, Vahn always split a part of himself to stay at Artoria's side...

Rather than feel troubled by her Husband wanting to spend time with her, Artoria had grown rather fond of seeing Vahn's vulnerable side. There were so few moments when he just 'stopped', so, when the opportunity presented itself, she tried to return a bit of the comfort he so often showed others.

With one hand on her belly and the other combing through Vahn's hair, Artoria had a tender smile on her face as she quietly asked, "How long will you stay this time...?"

Hearing her words, Vahn half-opened his eyes, staring back at her with a relaxed smile as he calmly stated, "There are some things I wanted to take care of so I will probably stay for a few weeks. Why, is there something on your mind?"

Though he could read the minds of the people within his Realm, Vahn elected to remain ignorant of people's thoughts. The only time he made an exception was when something major happened, but, ever since Alaya gave birth, she had taken it upon herself to proactively prevent most incidents. She still behaved like a lazy cat whenever they met, but, when it concerned the stability of the world and its textures, she was always 'very' serious about her self-assigned duties...

Noticing the tell-tale look in Vahn's eyes, Artoria gently caressed his cheek without losing her smile as she answered, "You should spend some time with Mordred. She recently returned to Avalon and has been rather restless. I think the birth of Kamiya's son came as a big shock to her. That boy used to follow her around like a puppy when they were younger so she is presumably feeling pressured to secure her own future..."

Even before Artoria had finished speaking, memories of Mordred's activities over the last few years emerged within Vahn's mind. He had a limited form of omniscience within his Realm, and, when his mind wandered to things he wanted to know, the information would automatically surface. After all, the Realm existed inside of him, so, while he might not be aware of everything taking place at every given moment, he could recall events with absolute clarity.

Seeing a few concerning scenes of Mordred rampaging within her private sub-space, Vahn shifted his awareness to where she was currently located. Fortunately, he found her playing with Kamiya's son, a radiant smile on her face as she held the boy's arms up and tried to get him to walk.

With a smile replacing the concern visible in his countenance, Vahn nodded his head, saying, "She is currently occupied but I will make sure to spend some time with her during my stay. Rather, she will probably be able to help me out in my training this time around...hmmm..."

After seeing his half-kitsune grandson, Vahn's mind instantly wandered to all of his other children and grandchildren. A total of nineteen years had passed within his Realm since time began moving forward, so, while some things remained the same, others changed greatly. Sakura was even up to her fourth child, and, though she had been on the fence about it for a long time, even Iris ended up giving birth to a son. Her decision to name him Shiro had been a little peculiar, but, considering he had been born with the characteristic white hair and red eyes of an Einzbern Homunculus, it suited him quite a bit.

Vahn's family had 'exploded' over the last two decades, and, due to the long period of peace, most of the Imperial Knights had also settled down to start families. The most prolific of these ended up being Lancelot, as, after a very long period of discussion, one of the people summoned prior to the subsuming of Gaia was none other than Guinevere.

Artoria had long come to terms with what had happened in her past, and, rather than see the man suffer for hundreds of years, she was the one to suggest summoning her former wife and confidant. Now, rather than appear like a man looking for a place to die, Lancelot could even match Gawain in the vibrancy of his smile. He and Guinevere already had eleven children together, and, though there was no real need for such sentiments, he reared all his sons and daughters to be exceptionally loyal to the Empire.

With so many pleasant thoughts washing over him, the smile on Vahn's face grew even wider as he looked up at Artoria and muttered, "It seems the Empire is currently enjoying an era of prosperity..."

Chuckling lightly at her husband's remark, Artoria gingerly pinched his cheek before musing, "After all your hard work, this is the obvious outcome...should I reward you~?"

Seeing Artoria's pupils dilate slightly before morphing into a more slit-like appearance, Vahn didn't have to inquire about what kind of reward she had in mind. She could probably sense what he was doing with Jeanne, as, from the moment he awakened her within his Realm, Vahn had shared most of his Authority with Artoria. This was one of the reasons she isolated herself, as, with the ability to see and know 'everything', Artoria spent most of her time silently watching over the Empire and its people without interfering.

Though it was an unnecessary concern, Vahn found it very difficult to have sex with his lovers when they were pregnant. It didn't matter if they were in their safe period as just imagining the scene was enough to send a fretful shiver through his body. It simply seemed wrong, and, even if he reduced his size, Vahn couldn't help but feel awkward whenever he imagined hitting the cervix of a pregnant woman with his glans...

Noticing the concern in Vahn's eyes, Artoria momentarily suppressed her urges, lightly caressing his forehead as she teased, "You are underestimating me..."

To emphasize her point, Artoria held up her hand, and, after several seconds had passed, her palm became satin-soft as pure white scales grew along the back. At the same time, in much the same way that Illya could alter the structure of her body, the tip of Artoria's tail opened to reveal a fleshy and moist interior. A powerful aroma of pheromones spread through the air, and, with a matter-of-factly tone, Artoria adopted a slightly predatory smile as she added, "There are other rewards I can offer you..."

Vahn was more than a little surprised by Artoria's actions, but, having noticed the moment when she attempted to suppress her urges, he decided to just go with the flow. It was going to be more than a little awkward, but, if she was willing to go to such extents, he wasn't going to refuse. It had actually been a few years since they did anything sexually intimate, ever since her belly swelled up like a balloon, so there was simply no way he could leave her hanging.

With that thought in mind, Vahn ran his hand along the length of Artoria's tail, his palm glowing with a rainbow hue that caused her wings to twitch due to the pleasant shivers running through her body. This was enough to cause her silvery eyes to glisten, and, after several seconds had passed, it was safe to say that Artoria's switch had been flipped as she immediately repositioned so that she was straddling his waist. Then, after her tail effectively tore away the belt and fabric around Vahn's waist, a phenomenal amount of pressure and heat enveloped his exposed member...

---

Noticing her God suddenly tense up, his movements coming to a stop, Jeanne forcibly craned her head back to stare into his face. She had her upper body pressed into a durable mattress, her hands bound behind her back as her God ravished her from behind. Most notably, a rather bushy tail had sprouted from above her plump posterior while, at the top of her head, two dog-like ears could be seen twitching periodically.

Jeanne had surmised that there should be a version of herself for each race, so, knowing her God had a particular fondness for dog and cat-like women, she had implored him to shape her body to his liking. They had already gone through various different forms, but, compared to all the others, Jeanne had developed a particular fondness for chienthropic features. She had even been tempted to ask her God to address her as his 'bitch', but, understanding she had already been rather selfish, she resisted the urge...

Seeing the blank look on her God's face, Jeanne was about to ask what had happened, but, before she was able to, he adopted a smile that sent a pleasant shiver through her body as he said, "Sorry, I got a little distracted. Here, let me make it up to you..."

Punctuating his words, Vahn gave Jeanne's reddened butt a light smack before squeezing her tail a little forcibly. This caused a sonorous whimper to escape her throat, her tongue sticking out as her entire body began to vibrate in the wake of a powerful climax. Then, without allowing her a chance to recover, he pressed her down with the weight of his body and began teaching her how to pick a lock...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Imagining Altera wearing a sundress as she happily tends to a garden brings a smile to my face...','The Empire is very 'prosperous'...','She ded...')

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