Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn opened his eyes and started up at the ceiling of his room for a few seconds as he considered what had happened. As he stared in a daze, he started counting the seconds one by one and imagined each second passing as a day where Eva had to remain alone inside the empty black and white space. Imagining what it would be like to live such an existence, Vahn couldn't help but feel somewhat terrified of the thought

Though he understood that the Eva inside the orb wasn't real, Vahn couldn't help but pity the memory fragment of the young girl. For now, the only thing he could for her is to show her a bit of affection and help ease her loneliness. Vahn swore to one day meet the real Eva and keep his promise to the tragic girl within the orb...

He continued to lay in his bed thinking about possible solutions to help the memory fragment as well as the original Eva. Since Vahn had the opportunity to enter a 'record' at any point in it's 'fate', he also had the option to enter Eva's record at the point before she became a vampire. Vahn even considered making the so-called 'Mage of the Beginning' pay dearly for their actions. If he couldn't do that, Vahn wanted to at least find a way to allow both Eva's to experience what it was like to grow up and live a normal life. Even though it wouldn't be easy, Vahn believed he could help heal her heart from the several hundred years of loneliness she had experienced.

Though he didn't have his domain spread at this time, Vahn was able to sense the illusory auras of several people that had shown up inside the house. Ever since reaching Soul Tier 3, Vahn's natural perception and awareness of the auras of others had increased by a large amount. Combined with his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn felt like there were few things that could avoid his detection if he was paying attention. Even his mini-map showed the presence of everyone within his perception, and it was only enhanced when he expanded his domain.

Moving away from his bed in a somewhat lazy manner, Vahn did some light stretches to give the approaching auras a bit of time to arrive. The moment the large yellow aura, which Vahn could easily identify as Anubis, entered the house, she paused for a moment before making her way towards his room with a smaller aura next to her. Based on the color, Vahn assumed it was probably Nanu and the two were coming to receive him for dinner.

Without knocking, the two presences stood outside his door and waited patiently. Vahn couldn't help but smile at their actions as he made his way toward the door and opened it. As expected, the large aura belonged to Anubis, but instead of Nanu, the smaller presence actually belonged to someone Vahn had been unable to meet for some time. Unexpectedly, Tina, Milan's daughter, was standing next to Anubis and looking toward Vahn with a somewhat teary expression.

Before Vahn could greet the two, Tina moved forward and hugged his waist as she began bawling with her face pressed against his stomach. Vahn was very surprised by her actions, but he understood she had likely felt aggrieved by his failure to visit her after he awoke from his coma. Though he had intended to do so, and even tried earlier, he hadn't been in a situation where it was convenient to stop by. Now that she was crying and hugging his waist with what little strength her small arms could muster, Vahn couldn't help but feel a pain of sadness in his heart.

Anubis just stood in the corridor and looked toward Tina with a gentle look in her eyes as Vahn tried consoling the small cat girl. She had received her fair share of lectures from Hephaestus and Eina, and now that she knew about Vahn's past, she considered him similar to how she treated the orphaned children in the past. Though she recognized Vahn as her Master and even wanted him to spoil her, she would exercise patience and let him make his own decisions for the time being.

Vahn finally managed to pry away Tina's arms and held the small girl by her shoulders as he stared into her golden tear-filled eyes as a bit of mucus was building up in her nose and beginning to droop down. Though he felt pained in his heart, Vahn spoke in a soft voice with a gentle smile on his face, "Sorry, Tina, I should have stopped by sooner." He then hugged the girl gently and allowed her to continue crying on his shoulder until she had calmed down several minutes later.

After Tina had relaxed, Vahn had invited the two into his room and gave each person a chair to sit in as he asked Anubis about what had happened earlier in the day. As he expected, Hephaestus and Eina had gathered together most of the girls he associated with and told them about his past. Vahn felt a little exposed, but none of the girls at the meeting, other than Loki, were people he didn't trust. He knew most of their characters from the original manga, and had a personal bond with many of them, so Vahn wasn't too taken aback by the series of events.

Anubis even told him about the provisions they had all agreed to, and Vahn couldn't help but furrow his brows a bit after hearing their decisions. Though he would be able to maintain his freedom, and could even pursue who he wanted, Vahn couldn't help but feel a little saddened by the fact they needed to restrain themselves just because he lacked 'brakes'. If one of the girls actively sought him out, it actually made Vahn feel a bit of pride in his heart because of their advances. Now that they would restrain themselves just so they don't harm him, Vahn felt like he had failed their expectations a bit.

The final matter they discussed made Tine hang her head a bit in embarrassment as she allowed her eyes to wander around Vahn's room. Anubis had told Vahn about Tina's role as the 'Vahnguard' to protect him from being approached and pressured by others. Vahn couldn't help but sigh in his mind as he stared at the young girl that was meant to be his protector and restraint. Vahn knew he had a resistance against younger girls, so he didn't disagree that it was a decent preventative measure to keep him from getting out of control. However, Vahn was worried that Tina was making a big sacrifice by trying to act the role of his caretaker when she also had affection for him. Though Vahn was certain he wouldn't do anything untoward to the small cat girl, the thing that concerned him was if she would be able to properly restrain herself.

As that thought passed through his mind, Vahn suddenly had a realization about why she was actually more necessary than he initially thought. Since he already had concerns regarding Tina, he would act more cautious around her, similar to how he treated Lili. Though he might pet her and tease her a bit, Vahn would never overstep his boundaries and could naturally develop his restraint over time. If she made advances toward him, he would naturally be inclined to resist her and they could essentially act as restraints for each other, especially considering the presence of other people in their lives...

Tina had seen the conflict in Vahn's face as she spoke out with high tensions, "I'll do my best Vahnya! No matter what happens, I won't let you become a deviant~nya!" Her words, though innocent and cheeful, hit Vahn like a powerful shockwave that rattled his mind a bit. Seeing her excited expression and 'confident' appearance, Vahn released an awkward laugh and replied, "Looks like I'll be in your care again, Tina."

After a bit more discussion, it was almost time to eat dinner so Vahn had told Anubis to ready the other children for the bath. The moment he gave what was previously a 'normal' order, Tina immediately shouted out before Anubis could comply, "No~nya! Unacceptable! Vahnya will never be able to develop restraint like that~nya!" Anubis looked at the small cat girl that was 'lecturing' her in a stern, albeit excited, tone.

Vahn was also staring at Tina as she continued, "From now on, Vahnya needs to bathe alone or with girls like Hephaestus-sama, Eina-sama, Tiona, or Ais~nya! Anubis-sama and the other children are a no go~nya!" Hearing her words, though Vahn somewhat agreed, he tried to explain about the Southern Tribes culture and his role as the 'Alpha' in the pack. Tina listened to him attentively as Anubis nodded her head approvingly from the side.

The moment his words finished, however, Tina said, "That's no good Vahnya! Even if it is normal for them, it isn't normal for most people~nya! The thing you need right now is 'normal' for your own life, you can't always be conceding to others if it will cause problems. Even those children should change their thinking a bit, or they will suffer in the future~nya!"

After shouting at Vahn, Tina turned towards Anubis and began 'lecturing', "And you, Anubis-samnya, you need to be the one teaching them! You are like their mother, and don't they respect you a lot? You need to explain things clearly instead of letting Vahnya bear the burdens of a culture he doesn't understand or belong to!"

Anubis's eyes opened wide as Tina shook her tiny finger toward her and treated her like a child. She felt incredibly embarrassed, especially since she knew the small girl was speaking the truth. There had already been several incidents and misunderstandings that had arisen due to her own negligence. Other than Tiona and Ais, she was the primary person to blame for a lot of the burdens Vahn currently had to bear. She had thought too highly of him based on the strength of his soul and how accepting and kind he was to her and the children.

Tina continued to lecture the two in high-tensions as Anubis hung her head slightly with her ears flopped down. Though Vahn felt some inhibitions earlier, he now realized how seriously Tina took her role as his 'Vahnguard'. Even though she was the youngest person in the room, she acted with the most sensibility and controlled the conversation as she 'educated' them both. Ultimately, it was decided that Vahn would enter the bath alone or with the other boys. The girls would also bathe together, and then everyone would eat dinner afterward.

After the children heard the decree, this time from Vahn, Nanu seemed somewhat down-trodden, but she didn't oppose as she left with the other girls to take a bath first. Tina trotted along behind everyone, and Vahn could hear her somewhat excited voice echoing through the house a bit, likely from her lecturing the other girls. Vahn and the other boys sat around in a somewhat awkward atmosphere and made light conversation for around twenty minutes until it was their turn to use the bath.

When they were in the bath, Vahn learned what the boys had been up to throughout the day while the girls were at the meeting. Anubis had taken the entire group out early in the morning, and once they arrived at the cafe where they held the meeting, the boys had to stay on the lower floor of the cafe and idle about. Fortunately, they had been carrying some of their textbooks, so they used the time to study and discuss various things. Vahn couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for them and decided they would be having juicy steaks for dinner tonight.

After the bath, the entire group ate dinner, but Nanu had apparently lost her spot to Tina, who now sat at Vahn's right. She explained that it wasn't 'normal' for Nanu to already be acting like his 'mate', since it would be more than a year and a half until that time actually came. Tina was acting as a barrier between the two of them, and she even explained to the other children that their understanding of the 'hierarchy' needed to undergo drastic changes. Everyone at the table listened to Tina's lecture, and Vahn could even see a gleam in the eyes of the boys as they looked at Tina with a bit of 'reverence' in their eyes. Vahn felt like his position as the 'Alpha' was becoming a bit unstable, but didn't think it would be a bad thing in the end. He also wanted the children to grow outside the limits of their culture so they could live happy lives in the City without the restraints of their past.

After dinner had finished and it was approaching time for bed, Vahn, Anubis, Nanu, and Tina all followed the corridor to his room. Vahn was given leniency to pet both Anubis and Nanu before sending them off to bed. As he pets the ears of the two girls, Vahn couldn't help but feel a little sad at their restrained actions. When he pet the two girls in the past, they would be very receptive to his touch and even seek it out more. Now, however, they acted very reserved and passively allowed him to pet their hair and ears. If not for the fact that he could see their aura raging about, Vahn would have felt like they no longer enjoyed his touch.

Once the two had left to their individual rooms, Vahn went into his own while Tina trotted along behind him. They had discussed earlier that she was going to be staying in his room, but Vahn couldn't help but smile after seeing her adorable demeanor. She had been in high-tensions since she stopped crying earlier, and even now she was full of energy as she looked around his room while carrying a large suitcase that had been left in the foyer earlier. Noticing what she was looking for, Vahn purchased a secretary and wardrobe for her personal use.

Tina was shocked when two large pieces of furniture appeared out of thin air, but Vahn just explained how his 'storage magic' worked. She had been searching for his dressers earlier, but Vahn left most of his clothes and equipment in his inventory or within the closet at the side of his room. After his explanation, Tina started unpacking her clothing and stowing them away inside the drawers. When she started moving the section containing her underwear, she looked back and saw Vahn staring at her and couldn't help but blush as she packed away the remaining contents of her suitcase into the drawers.

Vahn had noticed that, while most of her underwear was plain, there were several that had cute designs on them. He felt like they suited the small pig-tailed cat girl and were very characteristic of her lively and cheerful demeanor.

After putting everything away, Tina grabbed a large light-blue tunic-like nightgown and began undressing, but not before telling Vahn to avert his eyes. Vahn complied with her request and waited until she had finished changing before he turned back around. Tina had a fierce blush on her face and was holding the front of her nightgown with both hands as she looked up at him. After a few seconds of silence, Vahn decided to speak out to help ease the tensions, "Let's go to sleep, Tina."

Tina nodded her head without giving a verbal response as she climbed into the large bed where Vahn slept. Vahn noticed that, unlike her normal clothing, the nightgown didn't have a hole for her tail. Unlike the front, which she had held down with her hands, the backside of the garment was raised because of the rigidity of her tail. Though he would have stared previously, Vahn decided to avert his eyes a bit instead of trying to catch a glimpse of the contents inside. Since Tina was still very young, he needed to act reservedly toward her instead of treating her like one of the women he was pursuing.

After she climbed into the bed, Tina stared toward Vahn as he also changed his clothing before entering the bed. Perhaps due to the fact that Vahn hadn't asked her to avert her eyes, Tina stared at his body as he put on a lighter shirt and some loose pajama-like pants. Since he hadn't removed his boxers, she didn't manage to see him n.a.k.e.d, but it didn't stop her from gawking at his figure. Vahn had grown more than 12cm since they last met, and his body had matured to a great extent compared to the past.

Once he had changed, Vahn also laid in the bed but kept a fair distance between him and Tina. The bed was large enough for four people to lay side-by-side without issue, so there was a large space between the two of them. However, against his expectations, Tina moved closer to him and curled up next to his body similar to the way Eva had done so in the orb. Before he could say anything, TIna explained, "Ever since my father died...I always sleep next to mother, so I'm not good at sleeping by myself..."

Her words made any inhibitions Vahn had previously fly out the window as he allowed her to curl up next to him without any complaints. Vahn had known about her father's death in the dungeon, and he felt a lot of pity for the small cat girl and her mother. Imagining the two girls curled up in bed together and finding comfort in each others warmth, Vahn felt sadness in his heart. Though he could feel the heat radiating from the small body of Tina next to him, Vahn was more distracted by the thought that her mother, Milan, was now alone in her own bed...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tina's Tirade','The New Alpha','Dog Trainer Tina')

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