Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After extricating himself from the flock of over-zealous students, Vahn, accompanied by Eva and Asuna, attended the Seniors' Graduation Ceremony. His arrival at the venue garnered a fair amount of attention, and, after some skillful diplomacy on behalf of Grandmaster Sidra, he ended up being wrangled into handing out the graduation certificates while Eva and Asuna watched from the VIP viewing area.

Though Vahn's popularity was emphasized by the female population of Ariadne, it wasn't as if he was unpopular with the male staff and students. Quite a number of people looked up to him, and, on the weekends, he would often give open lectures that anyone was allowed to attend. He always did his best to treat all students fairly, and, so long as they didn't do anything to offend him, Vahn was, generally speaking, very personable and easily approached. Thus, while not as extreme as the reactions from the female students, even the male graduates appeared nervous and excited while receiving their graduation certificates from the 'legendary' Sage Dragon Emperor. There were even a few who froze up when he extended his hand to shake theirs, their faces going red after hearing the audience chuckle in response...

Originally, the graduation ceremony was only supposed to take around half an hour, with students quickly coming on stage to receive their certificates, but, due to Vahn giving advice, combined with the tarrying of certain students, it took nearly three times as long. As a result, the ceremony ended up flowing into the Fan Meet that had been scheduled by Grandmaster Sidra. Vahn suspected this had been her reason for convincing him to hand out the certificates, but, as it didn't really take up any additional time, he didn't particularly care. Instead, he maintained an approachable smile as he transitioned from handing out diplomas to signing memorabilia.

As could be expected of the residents of a magical world, the members of Vahn's fan club had gone all-out when it came to their idolatry. One of the top ten members had even managed to convince her family to produce various, limited-edition, figurines. This ended up being surprisingly lucrative, so, after the success of the first few batches, it became possible to find his figurines in nearly every store that sold souvenirs and niche goods. There were even a few miniatures that showed his battle against Jack Rakan, complete with a surprisingly realistic depiction of Laev-tan.

Vahn wasn't particularly fond of his likeness being used to generate profit, but, as it had happened in every Record thus far, he was largely immune to it. He was also pretty sure that Eva had been the one to start the trend, so, rather than make a big deal out of it, Vahn allowed his more zealous fans to do whatever they wanted. So long as they didn't do anything extreme, such as producing things like dakimakuras, anatomically correct figurines, or charms that supposedly contained his hair, their behavior was relatively harmless...

After a few exhaustive hours of dealing with fans, Vahn, having reunited with Arika and Theo, was attending a banquet that specifically catered to the upper echelons of society. Eva and Asuna were also present, but, after getting annoyed by the lascivious, envious, or curious looks from a number of people, the former ended up leaving early. As for Asuna, she didn't particularly care how people looked at her, and, though she was generally very sociable, she largely ignored anyone that tried to approach her while he was distracted by other conversations.

As members of the Ostian Royal Family, Arika and Asuna garnered even more attention than Vahn himself. Though it was common knowledge he was protecting them, rumors of his 'neutrality' had also circulated amongst the more profligate families. He was considered to be cut from the same cloth as Ancient Dragons such as Vrixho, Yggdrillia, Ildarion, and Lisriltra, so, as long as you didn't violate the terms of some arbitrary covenant, there was no particular reason to fear him.

Every Ancient Dragon had a specific creed they followed, and, after his actions in the Hellas Empire and Ariadne, various rumors regarding what he could and couldn't do had already become part of the 'common knowledge'. Some of these rumors were pretty ridiculous, but, as most worked in his favor, Vahn had never taken steps to correct them. Not only did their misunderstandings allow him a considerable amount of freedom, but, if his enemies lowered their guards by mistakenly believing he had certain restrictions, he could easily use that to his advantage.

Fortunately, even if they believed they were relatively safe from repercussions, it only took Arika and Asuna retreating to his side to deter most people from approaching them. Even if you were told by a reputable source that a dangerous magical creature was actually harmless, the number of people who would willingly enter a cage with one was very limited. Vahn already had a few hundred deaths under his belt, so, even if they hadn't done anything wrong, the fear of what 'could' happen was enough to deter even the more opportunistic individuals...

While watching a number of people try to muster up the courage to approach their table, Vahn had an amused smile on his face as he turned to the woman seated to his left, asking, "Have you grown tired of socializing...?"

Hearing Vahn's question, Arika placed her wine glass on the table, her expression a perfect mask of neutrality and elegance as she answered, "I have never been fond of parties and social gatherings. I am even less fond of pretense, false decorum, and needless pandering. It is gatherings like this that inevitably lead to corruption. They pretend to be forging connections for mutual gain, but, when it ultimately comes down to it, their ultimate goal is to secure the greatest amount of benefits at the least cost to themselves..."

As there were powerful barriers surrounding their private table, Arika wasn't particularly concerned about being overheard berating the other guests. A significant number of people had approached her in the hope of trying to discuss the probability of a trade agreement with Ostia. She wasn't too bothered by this, but, whenever she guided the conversation towards what they were doing to help their people, the conversation would quickly become awkward. Though she didn't expect them to suddenly invest all their wealth into making the world a better place, the excuses they came up with in order to shift the burden of responsibility to others quickly wore away her patience.

Arika had already been aware of the flaws of the Guild System and the privatization of businesses, but, ever since she left Ostia, she was constantly reminded of just how bad things had gotten. Prior to Vahn's intervention, even a purely academic city like Ariadne had been a breeding ground for the vile and corrupt. Money seemed to make the world go round, and, if you didn't have any, there was no end to the number of people who would readily take advantage of you. There had even been an officially sanctioned department that was tasked with providing loans to students, literal children, in exchange for signing a magically binding contract that compelled them to serve within the Empire's military for upwards of eight years. (A/N: This equates to around 15 years on Earth o_o...)

Hearing Arika's biting words, Vahn couldn't help but wonder if this was how others felt whenever he went on a tirade. He actually agreed with her, but, for some reason, it simply sounded 'wrong' when it was coming from her. Part of him even wanted to defend the people she was lambasting, as, in a way, they were simply doing what they could to guarantee their own happiness. The world might be a better place if everyone was more selfless, but, in the end, it was very hard for people to endanger themselves and their families on behalf of someone else's cause, no matter how righteous it might be.

Deciding he had a responsibility to prevent Arika from becoming too jaded with other people, Vahn adopted a thoughtful smile as he calmly stated, "When the system is broken, it is very difficult for those affected to bring proactive change. Unless they have considerable power and influence, they stand to lose everything in the event of failure. There cannot underestimate the lengths those with vile and wicked hearts will go to in order to protect their interests. The only solution to corruption is to convince those responsible to have a change of heart or somehow assure them there are greater advantages to pursuing a different course of action. People are far more opportunistic than they are altruistic, so, unless they are forced to change, most people would even willfully ignore the plight of others...more often than not, it simply isn't worth it for them to get involved."

Not expecting Vahn to argue against her, Arika couldn't help but furrow her brows in consternation. She wanted to rebut him, but, more often than not, Vahn's words ended up striking at the heart of the matter. He was much younger than she originally believed, but, in the end, he was still far older and more experienced in such matters. He had also risen to godhood through his own efforts, and, prior to coming to their world, he had expanded the influence of his Empire throughout an entire world. Though his actions were rather extreme, he had effectively reformed an entire world in less than a single generation...

Understanding Arika needed more convincing, Vahn's smile turned slightly wry as he added, "Even we aren't an exception to this rule, Arika. If you were less opportunistic, things between us would have progressed much slower. As for me...well, in a way, this entire situation is the direct result of me taking advantage of my knowledge to alter events I found distasteful. Though I have come to genuinely respect your character and ambition, my original intent for visiting Ostia was to search for enemies and prevent Asuna from being used as a weapon...in hindsight, the fact I spent the last few years training her seems rather hypocritical..."

Though the last part of his statement was more of a jest than anything else, Vahn wasn't surprised when he felt his right sleeve being tugged. When he turned his head, he found Asuna staring up at him with a very serious expression on her face as she said, "It was my decision to train. All you ever did was treat me well. You never tried to convince me to become stronger in order to fight against anyone. If you start saying things like that...I will be super angry at you..."

Hearing Asuna's remark, Arika's expression returned to normal as she added, "Asuna is correct. You should fix your bad habit of assuming blame and responsibility for everything. Similar to Asuna, it was my decision to set out on this journey. I pushed myself to become stronger in the pursuit of my own beliefs, and, as you pointed out, I willfully took advantage of your knowledge for that purpose. I now see the lesson contained within your words...instead of laying blame on others, I just need to continue doing my best to bring about the change I want to see...is that it?"

Forced to choose between looking left and right, Vahn lightly squeezed Asuna's hand with a smile on his face before turning to Arika and answering, "I suppose that is the easiest way to put it. More often than not, that is really the only thing we can do. So long as we continue doing our best, it is only a matter of time until we bring about some kind of change. Whether or not that is good or bad doesn't really matter. Even if we make mistakes, we can always improve upon them and simply do better the next time around. In my personal experience, persistence, combined with hope, is all that is necessary for good to triumph over evil...overwhelming power also helps..."

Realizing he was making a joke, Arika subtly rolled her eyes before picking up her wine glass and taking a larger-than-average sip. Then, finding a bit of courage, she rose to her feet with a look of conviction on her face, smiling slightly as she said, "Persistence and hope...I'll keep that in mind..."

With those parting words, Arika alighted to where the Grandmaster was entertaining some of the more affluent guests. She knew her words might not have much of an impact right now, but, when she managed to change the upper echelons of society, those in the lower rungs would selectively recall the fact she had approached them. Then, in the pursuit of their own interests, they would rally behind her cause as if they were the very champions of righteousness...

At the same time that his other vessels were attending other tasks, one version of Vahn could be found seated atop the highest point in Ariadne, the tower that served as Sidra's office. He had Theo seated at his side, and, though it wasn't their first time watching the sunset, the atmosphere around them was unusually solemn and melancholic. Though the usual warmth was present, the knowledge they would be parting in a few short hours weighed heavily on both of them.

Vahn hadn't intended to fall for Arika and Theo, but, after more than four years together, they had both managed to weasel their way into his heart. If not for his promise with Eva, it wasn't difficult to imagine how things might have developed between them. Their personalities actually paralleled Ais and Tiona to a scary degree, so, every now and then, Vahn couldn't help but be reminded of his first time. It was a rather awkward memory, but, even without his perfect memory, Vahn was certain he would have never been able to forget the penultimate moment where his journey truly intersected with others for the first time...

Regardless of how much time passed, Vahn's desire to return 'home' never faded. Rather, it became progressively stronger, so, whenever he was reminded of the past, Vahn would become reminiscent, reflective, and focused. This made it even harder to part with those he had come to care about, but, knowing it was for the best, he didn't try to convince Theo to stay. She was determined to follow her own path, not for him, but to prove herself and test her own limits. She didn't want to become entirely reliant on him, so, unless she asked for help, it was his 'duty' to support her from behind...

Shortly after that thought crossed Vahn's mind, Theo surprised him quite a bit by absentmindedly muttering, "I want to have a baby..."

After blinking a few times in surprise, Vahn turned to face Theo, a gentle smile on his face as he looked into her upturned eyes. He was about to say something, but, before the words could form on his lips, she added, "Not now...but eventually...it might be selfish of me, but, if you really do leave this world one day, I want something to remember you by...I can't leave this world and abandon my responsibilities as Empress, so, even if it is a bit shameless of me, I want to increase your reasons for coming to visit me...if you have a family here, I can rest easy knowing you will eventually return..."

Hearing the sadness and longing in Theo's voice, Vahn couldn't help but feel as though she had gripped his heart in her hands. Various thoughts began running through his mind, but, before any could take form, he answered, almost as if by instinct, "I promise..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The return of Vahn dakimakuras...!?','Asuna putting her foot down xD','Theo used Ainz's favorite move, 'Grasp Heart'...it's super effective!?')