Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With nothing but a loose white robe covering their body, Solon's frustration reached the limit, the vein in their temple pulsating as they shouted, "Stop making this awkward! Seriously, there isn't even anything to see! Look...!!"

As if to make their point, Solon swiftly removed their robe, revealing the complex runic formation and confirming the fact they lacked a gender. Rather, much like a Spirit, they were bereft of both a navel and teats. Despite this, Vahn noted that Solon's body still had a distinctly feminine structure as, rather than completely flat, there were very small mounds to denote their breasts. At the same time, though it lacked any semblance of a sexual organ, their mons pubis appeared to possess a certain tenderness to it, much like the barren parts of a doll.

Since Solon seemed more troubled by the fact he had turned away, Vahn didn't bother looking away as he stood up and casually remarked, "Come, let me take a look at your back. I'll need to get a basic understanding of those runes on your body before placing the Familia Crest."

Seeing how Vahn had adopted a casual yet professional demeanor, courtesy of his practice as both a masseur and a stylist, Solon was able to gradually calm down. Then, in response to Vahn's statement, they explained, "I can't really fathom what you're capable of so I won't say you'll be unable to crack this formation. Assuming you do...well, I guess I can only hope you don't destroy it. In this state, I am literally laid bare to you so, if you take advantage of my vulnerable state, I vow to curse you until the end of time..."

Hearing Solon's remark, Vahn was tempted to roll his eyes but, rather than upset them further, he used Telekinesis to move both chairs, calmly stating, "You needn't worry about such things. Despite what some might attest, I rarely do anything even remotely similar to subterfuge. Besides, I have no need to mess with the formation on your body, at least not in the way you might fear. I can already determine most of its functions just by looking at it so trust me when I say it won't be an issue."

Finding Vahn's statement to be somewhat difficult to believe, Solon pointed toward the circle at the center of their chest, asking, "What does this do?"

This time, Vahn really did roll his eyes before answering in a dull tone, "That is the false core of your formation. It converts Magical Energy into Life Energy, rerouting it to the triangular formation on the inside of your left thigh. That one feeds through the root point at the base of your spine, refining it into the various forms of energy your body needs to restructure itself when damaged. Though I'd have to check in order to be certain, I'm guessing the excess energy is stored within your marrow since you seem to lack Magic Circuits...?"

With every word Vahn said, Solon appeared progressively more gloomy as it was never pleasant to have your secrets exposed so easily. This formation was the culmination of several hundred years of research, not something a person just saw through at a glance. Though it didn't really surprise them, as Vahn was their textbook definition of a 'monster', Solon was still bothered by how casually he had said everything.

Without dignifying him with a response, Solon sat down in the provided chair with their back facing him. The backrest was too high for them to rest their arms against but, feeling greatly exasperated, Solon just planted their forehead against it without a word. This left Vahn standing there with a wry smile on his face before he positioned his own chair so that he was sitting behind them.

Since Solon hadn't deigned to wrap anything around their lower body, Vahn was able to see the line of their back, and what it connected to, with clarity. This caused him to shake his head slightly as, for a number of reasons, Solon triggered his parental instincts. Though they had nothing to conceal, the fact Solon behaved without any shame whatsoever was somewhat troubling

Deciding not to let it bother him, as there really wasn't any reason it should, Vahn traced his finger along a few of the runes on Solon's back, muttering, "This really is quite the masterpiece...without help from Scáthach, I doubt I would be able to create a formation like this from scratch. Changing it won't be a problem, however..."

With Solon apparently ignoring him, Vahn chose to focus on analyzing both their body and the runic structure covering it. While the pattern on the surface was the main component, it was merely a way to transfer and absorb various types of energy into the body itself. This meant, any changes to the formation would have to take into consideration the structure of Solon's body, not that this was any different from the norm. It used the same principle as the Ouroboros Seal and the Mark of Fertility so Vahn was very familiar with the necessary considerations.

What Vahn found truly fascinating was the fact that Solon's body wasn't actually comprised of flesh and blood. Instead, it was formed from the substance most commonly referred to as Liquid Clay, an inert form of Ether. Normally, it would be impossible to maintain such a structure for a long period of time but, within Solon's body, something very similar to a magic core pulsed in their chest like a beating heart. This was where things got truly interesting as, instead of a circulatory system, nerves, muscles, and other forms of tissue, Solon's body was suffused with a network of vein-like roots, all 'growing' from the central core...

Though it would probably earn him a biting remark from Solon, Vahn realized the peculiar green-haired Magus was basically a Plant Spirit that had fused with an extremely advanced golem. Its form merely emulated the biological processes of a normal human being as, despite the fact Solon clearly seemed to breathe, they didn't have lungs. Instead, the roots in their body processed the oxygen for them, dispersing it out from microscopic pores on their body...

Vahn imagined Da Vinci would be very keen on studying Solon's constitution but, with a job to do, he dismissed the thought, asking, "Is your internal structure fixed or can you alter it freely? Based on what I can see, you should be able to change form without much difficulty."

Since Vahn's words required an actual response this time, Solon released a false sigh before shaking their head and saying, "This is the form I took after reconciling all of the memories stored within my mind. If I tried to take another form, there is a chance I would relapse into that state. You'll need to come up with a different solution...I'd rather die than go through that again..."

Making a mental note to avoid such a touchy subject in the future, Vahn mulled over a few options within his mind before ultimately leaving the decision to Solon, explaining, "There are two methods available to circumvent your peculiar circumstances. The first option involves creating a new body for you, one with the exact same form but an actual system of Magic Circuits. Scáthach would be able to recreate the formation on your current body, adapting it to your new vessel..."

Hearing Vahn's words, Solon fell silent for nearly a full minute before finally asking, "And the second option?"

As there were very few people that were willing to give up their 'original' body, Vahn wasn't all that surprised by Solon's response. Thus, without missing a beat, he explained, "The second method is to create a system of artificial Magic Circuits within your body. It will be a very painful process but I can guarantee a one-hundred percent success rate. I would have to check on your body as it develops to make sure there are no sequelae, however, so keep that in mind."

With one option requiring them to give up their body and the other only promising a bit of pain, it wasn't really a matter to consider, at least within Solon's mind. This form may have caused them a lot of problems in the past but it was still the form they had taken for nearly three-thousand years. Pain wasn't something they feared so, without taking time to consider the offer, Solon stated, "This is my body; I choose to keep it..."

Hearing their response, Vahn gave an understanding nod but, fearing Solon severely underestimated the pain they would experience, he explained, "It is going to feel like hot magma is tearing through your body. I'll be building the template within your Spiritual Body so your pain tolerance will provide no reprieve...are you ready?"

Vahn's tone made it pretty clear that the process wouldn't be pleasant but, having made up their mind, Solon just nodded their head. They were tempted to ask how long it would take but, fearing he would say something along the lines of 'several days', they decided not to. Instead, they grit their teeth with considerable force, steeling themselves for what was to come.

If he didn't think Solon would freak out and misinterpret his intentions, Vahn would have explained his [Hands of Nirvana] and the process of Nirvana Rebirth. Though there were no guarantees, there was a fair chance the procedure would be relatively painless if Solon trusted him enough to leave themselves completely at his mercy. However, with the unique structure of their body, Vahn didn't have absolute confidence in completing the process so, trusting his gut, he opted to remain silent.

Since there was no sense in delaying the matter further, Vahn placed his hand against Solon's back before steeling himself for what was to come. In truth, it would be easier to have them lay down on their back but, with Solon already burying their face into the chair's backrest, he allowed them to stay put. It didn't really matter what position they were in, so long as they didn't thrash around too much and interrupt the process.

To prevent this, Vahn sent his Source Energy directly into the main 'stem' of Solon's body, probing to see how it would react. Fortunately, as it was almost entirely comprised of Life Energy, something he was intimately familiar with, Vahn had no trouble at all expanding his energy through their network without trigger its defenses. He had gotten much better at manipulating his energy inside the bodies of other people so, if he maintained his focus, it was possible to elude the senses of even the most skilled Magi...

After about twenty minutes had passed without any pain whatsoever, Solon began to feel anxious as their body was behaving in a completely unexpected way. They could feel something akin to warmth spreading through their body, filling it far beyond its capacity. As a result, their hair began to grow at a visible rate and, though it was a much slower process, even their body began to grow as a pleasant and irresistible feeling of jubilation began to invade their mind.

Though he couldn't see their face, Vahn could tell Solon was feeling both excited and confused. He even suspected they were smiling slightly while hiding their face against the back of the chair. Sadly, he had to be the bearer of bad news, explaining in a calm tone, "This is just the preliminary phase of the procedure. Feel free to enjoy it but don't expect things will continue in this manner. If you don't steel yourself for what is to come, the sudden shift from pleasure to pain might break your mind..."

Hearing Vahn's words, Solon forcibly suppressed the happy feelings bubbling up inside them, even though part of them wanted to wallow in them for all eternity. Though not an exact comparison, it was almost like a plant that had been starved for water, sunlight, and nutrients receiving all of them at the same time. Solon couldn't even remember the last time they had felt genuinely happy so, to hear Vahn's reminder of what awaited them, they couldn't help harboring a bit of resentment toward him.

Fortunately, that resentment may have been the very thing that saved them as, shortly after Vahn's warning, Solon felt a sudden and spontaneous surge of pain. It felt like thorns had erupted in their body but, instead of influencing their physical form, it felt like pain being inflicted on their very soul. Nothing could have prepared them for something so excruciating and, if not for the fact Vahn had basically seized control over their body prior to the start of the second phase, it would have been impossible for them to sit silently. Now, they could only scream within their mind as their mouth was incapable of producing a sound to represent what they were experiencing...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'That's a very nice secret you have there...would be a shame if someone were to see through it (e . e)...','Basically a tree with fleshy bits~','Heaven to Hell in three paragraphs~')