Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

In a dark chamber that was nearly three-hundred degrees Celsius, the sound of rhythmic hammer beats resonated. If there had been any observers, they would have seen pulses of heat radiate out with the sound of each strike, the oppressive heat expanding outward as it intermingled with the shock wave accompanying each blow. Curiously, the rhythm almost felt 'natural', comparable to the beating of a heart and the sounds of nature while hiking through the woods...

Without minding the heat that would have baked a normal human alive, Vahn was only wearing a pair of black trousers, his neatly compact muscles fully exposed as they glistened under the light of the forge. He had already been forging for more than a hundred hours straight with the Space-Time Orb yet, despite the mental fatigue he was experiencing, he did not relent in his pursuit. The only thing he regretted during times like this was that he no longer had the eternal flame at his side, something which would occasionally cause him to feel a deeply rooted melancholy.

Even without the correctional ability of his [Master Smith], Vahn's knowledge and experience had persisted between Records. Though he had to relearn several things in accordance with the Laws of his new Record, it was impossible to call yourself a Master if such a thing could truly limit your craft. Now, instead of using the eternal flame to shape and guide the materials, he was forced to directly manipulate the flames. Since this also increased his control over shaping energy, which was the primary purpose of him returning to his forge in earnest, Vahn's eyes glimmered with an intense focus.

Though not all of the objects and creatures he had named with his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] could be considered phenomenal masterpieces, Vahn knew that there was no such thing as a 'simple' Innate. Just as Fenrir had been able to grow considerably since her time as a Kobold, it stood to reason that his other creations had a similar ability to grow. Though he had failed to give it a Soul at the time, Vahn knew that even objects could possess sapience and a will of their own. Since he had sensed a nascent intent in the past, which seemed to resonate with his own pride and authority as an Emperor, Vahn was reforging his [Laevateinn] once again.

[Laevateinn] was, in many ways, one of the first masterpieces he had ever forged and, while many pieces of equipment that came after far exceeded its capabilities, Vahn could not fault the blade for this. It had fulfilled the purpose he assigned it and, even after having its blade shattered, it had never once let him down when he used it proactively in a fight. Now that he found himself on the path of becoming stronger once again, Vahn felt as if he was reuniting with an old ally as, even in the Record of Danmachi, [Laevateinn] had accompanied him near the beginning of his journey...

Unlike 'traditional' forging, Vahn was using a completely different technique from normal, despite the fact he had already failed dozens of times. This method involved melting down the blade until it had become nothing more than molten metal, a tragic state for his former companion. Once it was in this state, he would shape the blade in much the same way as he would form a projection. The biggest difference between the two was, rather than forming a temporary weapon through the manifestation of energy, he was shaping the actual metal. Since both Illya and Iris were able to freely manipulate metals, a trait that had even been possessed by Asfi, Vahn refused to believe he would not be able to do the same...

As a result of his efforts, Vahn could form the rough shape of [Laevateinn] within four hours, using his control to manipulate each of the base materials to fuse them into the form he desired. Then, using an S-Rank hammer he had carefully forged for his work in this Record, Vahn would nourish the metal by sending waves of Source Energy into it. Though he could make the rough shape by manipulating the metal, Vahn wasn't arrogant enough to believe that the path of Blacksmithing was something that could be ignored. He knew there were a lot of Laws associated with the craft and, having forged several masterpieces, Vahn sincerely believed that each of his strikes caused the metal to become more powerful...

The problem, then, was not that he was unable to shape and refine the blade, but that it would always break shortly thereafter. Vahn knew this was largely due to his inexperience as, when he tried to infuse runes and enchantments into the blade, without going through the process of hand-carving them, the flow of energy would always deviate. In the past, he would never try and take a shortcut, as it wasn't that difficult for him to create the internal circuitry and carve extremely ornate patterns of runes, but Vahn was determined to complete [Laevateinn] in this manner. Then, even if the blade was shattered in the future, Vahn needed only provide the raw materials before he was able to breathe life back into his former companion...

With this in mind, Vahn finished refining his most recent attempt and, though it was still several hundred degrees, he picked it up with his bare hands. Then, after sending a flood of energy into the highly receptive material, small glowing fractures and an intricate pattern of runes began to take shape, both inside of the blade and on its surface. This caused the metal to become a bloody crimson color as the temperature in the room skyrocketed to more than fifteen-hundred degrees in an instant. At the same time, wisps of flame began to emanate from cracks in the blade, similar to the corrosive and inextinguishable flames [Laevateinn] had produced in the past...

Though things seemed to be going well, it wasn't long before the durability of the blade reached its limit, even with his refinement and constant reinforcement. The crimson flames dancing across the blade erupted outward like a plume of flames, washing over Vahn's body as volatile shrapnel spread throughout the workshop. Some pieces of impacted against Vahn directly but, as he was immune to attacks under a certain threshold, they did absolutely no damage to him as he simply held out his hand and focused once again. Then, as if pulled by a powerful magnet, the broken pieces of [Laevateinn] began to gather once again, dislodging themselves from the walls, ceiling, and floor.

Staring at the handle and guard still remaining in his hand, Vahn released a tired sigh before shaking his head and tightening his grip. The constant failures were weighing heavily on him but, refusing to give up, he affirmed his resolve once again while promising, "I will reforge you...even if I fail a thousand more times!" Then, taking advantage of the time dilation of the Space-Time Orb, Vahn began to gather fire elemental energy into the material, heating it up for the twenty-second time...

While Vahn's mind was submerged in the Space-Time Orb, his body was peacefully 'slumbering' back in the real world, this time attended by Artoria alone. Since she was his Empress, they now shared the bedchamber together, something she was both taken with, and taken aback by. Even though the bed itself had changed, she would sometimes feel overcome by melancholy while sleeping within this room as, even in her past life, Artoria rarely resided here. Though she didn't think much about it in the past, it hurt her heart somewhat to realize that her own Knight, Lancelot, may have slept in these chambers more than she had...

Even now, Artoria didn't blame Lancelot for falling in love with Guinevere, nor did she blame her wife for seeking comfort and companionship from an actual man. Now that she had learned more about what it meant to be a woman, at least insofar as the comforts were concerned, Artoria even felt a little guilty for her wife's circumstances. They had both been put into a difficult position and, though Guinevere ultimately confided her secrets to Lancelot, they two only acted in such a way out of concern for her. It was this same concern that caused the bond between them to develop and, when you could only share your burdens with one other person, it was only a matter of time before other feelings began to develop...

Shaking her head to clear away such thoughts, Artoria stared at the sleeping face of Vahn and, despite the fact she had tried to clear her head, she couldn't help wondering if Guinevere felt the same way while looking at the sleeping face of Lancelot. She had to admit that, despite the fact she still kept Shirou in her heart, Vahn now took up the largest part of it. The second-largest piece was reserved for Mordred who, despite being rambunctious and a bit of a troublemaker, taught her what it meant to take pride in another.

Even though she had always paid compliments and shown due appreciation for the achievements and efforts of her Knights, it wasn't until Mordred became her daughter that Artoria understood just how much of an impact her words could have on others. At the same time, the way Mordred looked up to her caused Artoria to put even more effort into how she carried herself and acted around her daughter. As a result, Mordred herself put in an earnest effort and, knowing she was doing so as a result of her teaching, Artoria couldn't help but feel considerable pride every time her spunky little princess exceeded expectations...

Thinking about Mordred caused Artoria to feel more at ease, despite the fact she had quite a few concerns regarding her daughter's development. Fortunately, Vahn was very magnanimous, not only because he willingly became Mordred's father, but due to the fact he seemed to understand just what she needed to be happy. This wasn't something he reserved solely for Mordred, either, as Artoria herself had become much happier than she ever thought possible. Now, just being at his side like this, even though she was always embarrassed to be naked, Artoria felt as if her heart could rest easy, knowing full well that Vahn would always do his best for all of them.

Knowing that Vahn was, even now, working hard to become stronger, Artoria adopted a gratified smile and, after a bit of hesitation, kissed his cheek. It seemed silly to get flustered over such a thing, especially considering she was curled up next to him wearing nothing but a single white stocking, but she couldn't really help herself. Vahn had a way of making the women involved with him very receptive, causing them to relinquish control and entrust everything to him. Even Artoria herself felt like putty in his hands at times so, even while he was asleep, it almost felt like any kind of intimate action she took could awaken the sleeping dragon once again. This thought was both exciting and exceptionally embarrassing as, especially lacking panties, Artoria was aware of how her body reacted when thinking about Vahn suddenly waking up...

Deciding she needed to clear her head a bit, Artoria somewhat reluctantly extricated herself from the bed and, though Vahn had already taken proper care of her after their earlier interactions, she decided to take a hot bath to calm down. Ever since she woke up an hour prior, her thoughts had been wandering all over the place and, with Vahn in a rare 'defenseless' state, Artoria felt like she might do something even more embarrassing if she didn't calm down. Fortunately, with the hot water, fragrant oils, and extravagant soaps, things that would have been nearly impossible to find during her reign as King, it was considerably easy to cut loose and relax.

Exhaling a comfortable sigh as she lowered her body into the water, Artoria then proceeded to just soak while leaning against the gentle slope at the back of the tub. This was a luxury she had rarely been afforded during her previous life as not only were baths remarkably rare, but she had to always keep up her image as King while also hiding her identity as a female. Other than those who knew of her birth, the only people that had known about her true identity were her adopted brother, Sir Kay, her wife, Guinevere, and, as a result of his tryst with the latter, Sir Lancelot. Even her cousin, Gareth, and, at least for a time, Mordred, were completely unaware of the fact she had actually been a female.

Remembering how much effort she had put into concealing her identity, Artoria couldn't help but produce a profound sigh. It was fortunate that her body didn't produce waste as just the thought of having to relieve herself in the woods or using a chamber pot was a horrendous thought. Still, the fact she had spent nearly fifty years carefully hiding her identity was something that Artoria felt deeply regretful of. She had never realized how liberating it was to walk around in a comfortable dress and, despite the fact she would never admit it, Artoria even understood why Mordred was so fond of wearing casual and loose clothing.

Modern clothing was designed to be comfortable, often conforming to the movements of the body instead of chafing against the skin. Compared to the rough cloth, fur, linen, and cambric used during her time period, where silk was an extreme luxury, even the lowest quality fabrics of the modern era were extremely comfortable. This, combined with the existence of lingerie, which also hadn't existed during her time period, made Artoria feel that her efforts as King should have been spent more on helping her people advance, rather than simply providing them prosperity. Though she had learned this from Iskandar and Gilgamesh in the past, though she would never openly credit the latter, Artoria realized she should have been more selfish as a King.

As this thought crossed her mind, Artoria began to blow bubbles in the water as she thought about how her Knights would react if she said such a thing. In the near future, she would find out the answer to this question, and many more, as Vahn should be summoning Gawain and Gareth. Not only were they her actual kin, but neither knew of her identity as a woman, even until the very end. Though she didn't believe either would look down on her for it, especially Gareth, Artoria was still a little worried about facing them. Part of her felt that, by facing those she knew in her time as King, she would slowly revert back to her past self once again...

Fortunately, any time she had such thoughts, Artoria was always immediately reminded of Vahn and, remembering how he had treated her a few hours prior, a rosy hue colored her face as she knew such a thing was impossible. She would never hide her identity again and, rather than be a King, she was far more content with being an Empress. Though her status and responsibilities would be higher, just knowing there was someone above her gave Artoria considerable peace of mind. It felt like Vahn was an unshakeable mountain so, even if things got difficult, Artoria knew she could always seek refuge in his embrace...

After finishing her long bath, Artoria wasn't too surprised to find that Vahn had already awoken, despite the fact he had a tired look deep in his eyes. This faded away almost instantly, however, when he turned his head in her direction. As she was wearing a fresh set of lingerie while her hair still dripped with a few wayward droplets of water, Artoria cut quite the figure against the low light of the room. Even if she had a very youthful appearance, there were very few people that would mistake her for a child as, despite her petite figure and lithe body, she radiated a regal and mature aura.

Seeing the appreciation in Vahn's eyes, Artoria could feel her own body warming up a bit as she made her way over to the side of the bed and asked, "How did it go?" This question caused Vahn to issue a wry smile and, without him needing to explain, Artoria just smiled supportively as she reached out her hand and placed it against his chest and leaned in to give him a kiss. She rarely took the initiative to do so but, if it would improve Vahn's mood, Artoria didn't mind the anxious fluttering of her heart. Though she did feel a bit of panic when his hand snaked its way around her waist, Vahn ultimately held himself back, albeit only after teasing her by tracing his fingers along the elastic band of her lingerie...

Though he was tempted to go further, as it had been nearly two-hundred hours since he was back in the 'real' world, he knew Artoria had her own matters to attend while he also had a promise to keep. Thus, after making out and just embracing each other for a few minutes, Vahn released his captive, allowing her a moment's reprieve that was accented by a hot sigh. Afterward, Vahn dried Artoria's hair and, though she was perfectly capable of doing it herself, helped her neatly arrange it into the complex bun she commonly wore. Since she didn't mind the special treatment in the least, Artoria enjoyed the final few moments they had together. Then, after another embrace at the threshold of their door, the two shared a parting kiss before going their separate ways...

While Artoria went to conduct her etiquette lessons, Vahn slowly made his way out of the castle, allowing the cold wintery air to soak into his body as he moved to his destination. Overhead, the full moon was hanging high in the sky so, as promised, Vahn would be accompanying Circe for her Red Moon Ritual. With her abilities, it didn't take long at all to acquire one-hundred lambs, especially with Vahn heading out into the outside world to acquire a few to get her started. As a result, he found the winged Demigoddess surrounded by one-hundred heartbreakingly adorable white lambs...

As he had eaten lamb before, and all kinds of other meats, Vahn knew he would be a hypocrite if he suddenly opposed the ritual Circe would be conducting. Their lives were not being sacrificed for anything and, as most animals only had nascent souls, they were completely lacking an ego. Since the ritual did not require her to brutally slaughter them, Vahn could only pray that the lambs had better fortune in their next lives while promising their materials, if any remained, would not go to waste...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: '*Hammering Intensifies*','Artoria worries too much','Don't feel baaaad')