Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After consoling the crying woman for the better part of twenty minutes, Eva was sitting across from Karin as the latter explained what she had been up to over the last three-hundred-and-fifty years. It turns out, in preparation for their reunion, Karin had been working hard to gather magical artifacts, hard to acquire resources, and material wealth. She didn't care about such things, but, in the hopes of being 'useful' to Eva, the woman had pushed herself through various dangerous situations, even going so far as to participate in both world wars.

Hearing Karin's recounting, Eva couldn't help but feel a pang of palpable guilt. She knew what kind of person Karin was, but, due to her own selfishness, she had 'neglected' the fiercely loyal woman in the hopes of preventing her from being hunted down alongside her. Karin didn't seem to blame her for this, but, with nearly two-hundred-years passing since the time of her liberation from the World Tree, Eva felt like she could have at least met the woman in secret...

With regrets surging from the back of her mind, Eva fell into a ruminating daze, failing to hear the woman's repeated questions until Karin raised her voice, exclaiming, "Evangeline-sama!?"

Snapping back to attention, Eva stared across the table separating her from the concerned woman on the other side. An apologetic smile made its way to her face, and, even though Karin didn't seem to blame her, she couldn't help but repeat, "I should have been there when you awoke...I'm sorry...I truly am..."

Deeply troubled by her Master's words, Karin showed a conflicted expression on her face as this was the seventh time Eva had apologized to her. She had insisted numerous times that she didn't blame her for what had happened, but, regardless of what she said, it didn't seem to be getting through. This was a part of Eva that she both respected and was extremely troubled by, as, unlike Mages who misused their power for selfish gain, her Master had always forced herself to bear the burden of her past...

Noticing the conflict visible in Karin's face, Eva did her best to put on a sincere smile by recalling the image of a certain idiot within her mind. This actually caught the black-haired woman by surprise, as, rather than appear forced, her smile was genuine as she said, "I'll try not to keep apologizing over and over...truth be told, a lot has changed over the last few years...I..."

Feeling a strange sense of 'danger' well up inside her, Karin preceded Eva's words, her expression turning serious as she asked, "Did you...meet someone you love? Was it a man...?"

Not expecting the sudden questions, Eva's mind stalled for a brief moment as she stared back at the black-haired maiden's serious gaze. She could feel a warmth gradually crawling up her neck and spreading into her cheeks, a reaction that didn't escape Karin's notice. As a result, she slapped the table between them hard enough to crack the glossy surface as she asked, "What is their name!? I want to meet them!"

Recovering her sensibilities, Eva issued a sigh in response to Karin's words before answering, "His name is Vahn. If you keep track of what was going on in the Magical World, you would know him as the Sage Dragon Emperor. A lot of things happened, and, though it is currently a secret, we ended up getting engaged to each other after that idiot proposed to me like a thousand times..."

Though she had started off serious, even Eva could detect the happiness in her tone, a small smile spreading across her lips as she called Vahn an idiot. As for Karin, she deflated in a rather comical manner, falling to her hands and knees in what some referred to as the 'orz' position. Her bangs cast a dark shadow over her eyes, and, though it was likely meant to be inaudible, Eva could hear her muttering, "Unforgiveable..." in a low tone.

Since Karin was someone who had followed her for more than a hundred-and-fifty-years, combined with the fact she spent the last three-hundred-and-fifty working on her behalf, Eva could only smile wryly in response to the woman's reaction. She was the closest thing Eva had ever had to an actual companion, and, towards the end of their journey together, Karin had even wanted to form a Pactio with her. The woman was committed to following her into the vast stream of eternity, so, even if she had a few misgivings about the situation, Eva didn't have the heart to prevent the inevitable. After all, Karin had been suffering for more than two-thousand-years at this point...she deserved a chance at happiness...

Suppressing a sigh, Eva rose from her position on the sofa, helping to raise Karin from the floor before surprising the woman with a sudden embrace. They were actually very close in height now, with Karin being a petite 152cm, so Eva was able to hold her with significant ease compared to the past. This was a stark contrast to the past, something that passed through both women's minds as they linked their arms around each other for several minutes in absolute silence.

After helping Karin calm down an adequate amount, Eva began to lightly stroke her back, her voice taking on a guiding tone as she said, "I want you to return with me. Vahn is a good man, so, even if you hate him for a while, I'm certain you will come to adulate and respect him in the future. It might be difficult for you to believe right now, but I'm confident that he could even remove that curse on your body, given enough time..."

Hearing her Master's words, Karin couldn't quite bring herself to believe them, but, as if anticipating this, Eva went on to explain, "He could even remove my curse with considerable ease. Though I will likely live on for thousands of years, I now walk the path of an immortal willingly. I'm sure you have noticed, but I'm even able to grow and mature...freed from the curse of having to inhabit the body of a child who can never fully experience the benefits of being an adult woman..."

Though she didn't expressly state it, a ruddy hue spread across Eva's face that caused Karin to feel a small amount of indignation as she tentatively asked, "Did you...already do it...?"

Since she had a disposition similar to Vahn, Eva was unable to stop a crimson glow from coloring her face and cheeks. There were very few people she could trust and open up to, so, whenever she was around certain people, it was a lot harder to control her thoughts and emotions. Fortunately, before Karin could misunderstand her reaction, Eva waved her hands in a dismissive manner as she quickly explained, "No, no, no, no! You are misunderstanding! Vahn and I are engaged, yes, but we decided to wait until our wedding to consummate our relationship...!"

Though it wasn't enough to erase the burgeoning hatred rising within her heart, Karin breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Eva's words. Her opinion of Vahn also improved slightly, but, until she had determined his worth for herself, she was unable to fully accept the man her Master had come to love. Rather, part of her felt like something precious had been stolen from her, and, though she would never claim ownership over her Master, Karin's life had been given purpose by being allowed to follow and support her...

Remembering her Master's previous words, a determination seeded itself in Karin's heart as she nodded her head and said, "That's good. If it turned out you had been taken advantage of by that man, I'm not sure what I would have done. Still, I'd like to meet him, and, since Evangeline-sama has already suggested it, I propose we make haste for Mundus Magicus. I want to see with my own two eyes what kind of man has corrupted...I mean, professed his love for my Master..."

Issuing an awkward chuckle in response to Karin's words, Eva couldn't help but internally remark, ("Now I'm kind of interested in seeing how things develop...you have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Karin...")

Shaking her head, both in response to Karin's words and her own thoughts, Eva went on to explain, "I have already contacted Jinbei and asked him to reach out to the others. Before we return, I intend to meet with everyone and propose something. You seem to be unaware, but there is a massive war happening between the Hellas Empire and the Megalomesembrian Confederation. My most hated enemy is one of the people backing the war, so, while it might be selfish of me, I intend to gather a force to wipe them out completely. I'm certain Vahn has already done something extreme after our separation, but I refuse to leave everything in his hands...will you help me, Karin?"

Though various thoughts were going through her mind during the explanation, Karin dismissed all of them when she heard her Master ask for help. A resolute glimmer flashed across her onyx-black eyes she clapped her hands around Eva's and spiritedly answered, "Of course! I swore to follow you to the ends of the earth and even beyond the stars! No matter what kind of enemy you are facing, I will stand at your side and do everything within my power to support you!"

Even if she already expected such a response, Eva felt a considerable amount of relief when she heard Karin's words. This woman had her quirks, but, with the exception of Vahn, she was the one person Eva believed she could trust wholeheartedly. Karin had learned a hard lesson after betraying another person she trusted, so, when it came to upholding her vows, there were no limits she would no go to. It didn't matter if the path was jumbled with corpses and carved with rivers of blood; so long as it was for the person she had dedicated herself to, she would never hesitate to uphold her vows.

Feeling a tenderness that had been seeded in her due to prolonged exposure to Vahn, a natural smile spread across Eva's face as she lightly cupped Karin's cheek. This was enough to make the woman blush, and, though neither of them was particularly attracted to members of the same sex, the steely-eyed woman was unable to stop herself from swallowing audibly. This caused the smile on Eva's face to become more prominent, and, though it probably wasn't her best idea, she didn't shy away when Karin brought her face progressively closer...

Before their lips could meet, a smell similar to ozone spread through the room as the fine hairs on Eva's and Karin's bodies began to stand on end. There was even a staticky crackle in the air, and, as the distance between them shrunk even further, a palpable sense of danger descended on both of them as they simultaneously used Shundo to backstep. At nearly the exact same moment, a bolt of pure white lightning phased through the ceiling without causing any damage, striking the location they had been standing in. Though it didn't even leave a mark on the ground, both women could feel the power contained within the lighting bolt, especially Eva.

Understanding the origin of the lightning, Karin's expression became pale, but, before she could think to apologize, Eva interrupted her thoughts by saying, "Don't worry. As I said previously, you can trust Vahn with finding a solution. It might be difficult for you to believe, but he is also a God of Space, Time, and Creation. When it comes to that idiot, I've learned to be more surprised when he can't do something than when he can. Even then, it is only a matter of time until he comes up with a solution so you can rest assured..."

Since it felt like she was trying to convince Karin that they would be able to kiss in the future, Eva felt uncharacteristically bashful. She even emulated Arika's habit of combing through her hair when she was feeling awkward or embarrassed, something Karin took notice of as she nodded her head and answered, "I understand, Evangeline-sama. Since you trust that man, I will do the same. Even if he isn't as capable as you say, I will continue to place my faith in him until your words have become the truth."

Seeing the conviction in Karin's gaze, Eva felt even more awkward since it almost sounded like the woman was anticipating the day when their lips would lock. This caused various thoughts to run through Eva's mind, but, while several involved just her and Karin, the vast majority had additional participants...

Before she realized it, a tiny trickle of blood had started to run from Eva's nose, startling both girls and sending Karin into a concerned frenzy that involved bombarding her Master with several high-ranking healing spells...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Yandere mode activate (* - *)...!','Karin is a very devoted woman','Karin is not prepared...')

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