Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Assuming she was the easiest of the trio to convince, Vahn soon found himself seated across from Alea. She had silvery-white hair and white eyes that made her appear almost like a member of the Arie Family, albeit less monochromatic. As for the rest of her features, she had the characteristically pointed ears you would expect from most Elves, and, though Vahn had met numerous exceptions in his life, she had a lithe body that accentuated her natural grace...

Though she had returned his greeting upon entry into the room, Alea had been sitting silently with her head lowered ever since Vahn asked her to take a seat. She had the defeated look of someone who had already given up, but, with his ability to see auras, Vahn knew she concealed a powerful resolution deep inside; the type of resolution that allowed a person to tolerate great suffering if it meant they would one day have their revenge.

Deciding to shake the woman up a bit, Vahn set aside his teacup before adopting a relaxed smile as he said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Ms. Alea, but I have no intention of harming you. I believe you have the ability to discern this for yourself...instead, you choose to ignore your senses due to your mistaken belief that I am human. Tell me, are there many humans who can resurrect the dead back in Silvaria...?"

Hearing mention of her ancestral forest, Alea couldn't resist furrowing her brows before turning her face toward him and asking, "Where did you hear that name...?"

Returning a smile in response to the woman's growing hostility, Vahn casually explained, "You will come to learn that there are very few secrets I am not privy to. Even if it is something I do not know, I have the means of acquiring all knowledge that exists within the Order of Creation. This includes knowledge pertaining to individuals, their pasts, and even their thoughts...before me, Alea Silvaria von Faris, there are no secrets..."

Seeing the mystical glimmer flash across Vahn's eyes, Alea instinctually covered her breasts before shrinking within her chair. She suddenly felt completely exposed in front of the man, the tips of her ears turning slightly redder even as her complexion paled.

Realizing he had yet to create an Elven Template, Vahn made a mental note to ask Hinata to play the part before taking advantage of Alea's momentary vulnerability to add, "I know you are not a bad person. Rather, as a Priestess of White Shrine, your duty has always been to help those in need, not cause harm. Your personal vendetta against the Kingdom of Silmos should not dictate how you treat all humans...you know this better than anyone. If not, you would lie awake and night and even share your rations with someone you are supposed to hate..."

Hearing Vahn mention another one of her secrets, Alea began to feel increasingly uncomfortable within her chair. She even began to suspect he had the means to read her mind, at least until he went on to explain, "Your mother formed an alliance with the other ancient clans to wage war on the Kingdom of Silmos following your disappearance. She suspected King Roas was keeping you captive after receiving a revelation from the Lord of Light that you were still alive. Even now, after the war has already ended, she continues to pray for you each and every day..."

Feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt well up inside of her, Alea began to tremble as she hugged her body tightly. She understood from Vahn's words that the King who had wronged her was likely dead or imprisoned. The Elves had been at a standstill against the Human Kingdoms for hundreds of years despite being on the defensive. If the ancient clans were to ally together, they could easily wipe a single Kingdom off the map. They only relied on diplomacy with the humans because it was against the teachings of the Lord of Light to resort to violence before making an earnest attempt to settle things peacefully.

With her tears literally forming into tiny gemstones that fell into her lap, Alea continued to cry for several minutes before looking back at Vahn and asking, "Who are you? How do you know these things...?"

Though he was highly interested in the crystalline tears shed from Alea's eyes, Vahn suppressed his curiosity, smiling as he answered, "I am Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the Sage Dragon Emperor. There are many other titles associated with my existence but I cannot reveal them at this time. If you agree to my earlier proposal, however, I can at least tell you one more..."

Remembering that Vahn had given her the option of climbing the Tower alongside the same team that had easily defeated her party, Alea adopted a conflicted expression on her face. She could still remember the painful chill that had pervaded her entire body when Gandr, quite literally, absorbed her into his personal shadow dimension. She was a Light Elf so the very existence of a creature that seemed to be comprised of pure darkness terrified her.

Understanding Alea's fears, as the Law of Identity was literally voicing her thoughts out loud, Vahn lightly nodded before adopting a guiding tone as he said, "Light, Darkness, Life, Death...these are all a natural part of the world around us. You should never assume others are evil just because of their inborn affinity. You have experienced this for yourself...after all, you possess a very rare Pure Light Elemental Affinity. Despite this, you still ended up giving in to negative emotions and descending down a dark path...good and evil depend on the choices we make and how other people interpret said choices...nothing more, nothing less..."

Though it made her tremble to hear Vahn voice an answer in response to her private thoughts, Alea could still see the reasoning within his words. The simple fact of the matter was that her group was responsible for the deaths of dozens of Regulars. Despite this, their lives had been spared, several of their victims had been resurrected, and, most notably, they were being given a second chance to change their ways and continue their climb up the Tower. This made it pretty clear who was in the wrong, so, after several minutes of reflection, Alea ultimately nodded her head, answering, "I'll do it...please allow me to join your team..."

Nodding his head in approval, Vahn waited for Alea to raise her head before rising to his feet and explaining, "I am on my way to try and convince your former companions. Since you have decided to join our team, you will be free to roam around this manor at your leisure. I would advise you to seek out the appointed leader of the team, Khun Aguero Agnis. He will explain everything you need to know as a member of Team Wolf Pack. Afterward, have him escort you to the base of the World Tree. I'm certain you will get along with the spirit that dwells within..."

Alea was a little troubled when she learned that a member of the Khun Family was in charge of the team, but, after hearing Vahn casually mention the existence of a World Tree, all her doubts flew out the window. If there was truly a World Tree in Vahn's possession, it could only mean he was a Divine Spirit or a Guardian God like the Lord of Light. This would also explain the tremendous vitality that was present within the air, nourishing her body and helping her remain calm despite her prior fears and trepidations.

Unfortunately, Vahn was long gone by the time she recovered her senses, disappearing in a flash of golden light particles. This left her with little option but to seek out the man named Khun, so, after confirming the door was unlocked, she began roaming through the halls in search of someone who could help her navigate the massive manor...

As Ohna had already agreed to join based on the premise she would be afforded a rematch against Rak, Vahn's second visit was to the girls' former leader, Tasha. He was a little surprised to find that she was still sitting in the same place where he had left her, his mind blanking for a moment until the Law of Identity playfully remarked, "You told her to sit and contemplate your offer. She is such an obedient girl~."

Showing no reaction to the second Tasha that had appeared next to him, Vahn plopped down on the ground in front of the green-eyed woman, smiling wryly as he remarked, "You know, you don't have to take my words so seriously...even if you have already made the decision to join Team Wolf Pack, that doesn't make me your Master or your Alpha. You don't have to obey my orders. In fact, so long as you promise not to indiscriminately kill, I can even let you go free..."

Frowning in response to Vahn's words, Tasha adopted an aggressive tone as she rebutted, "I wasn't sitting here because you told me to...I was just a little lost in my thoughts..."

Seemingly very amused by Tasha's response, the Law of Identity floated around behind the woman, snickering playfully as she revealed, "She is embarrased~! Look at the tips of her ears! Hahahaha~!"

Though they were hardly visible through her dense and unruly hair, it was possible to see that the tips of Tasha's ears had turned red. A similar color had also crept into her cheeks, but, due to her healthy brown complexion and the aggressive look on her face, it was impossible to tell if she was blushing or just flushed from anger. Regardless, it was pretty clear that she was bad at socializing with people; and, due to her tragic upbringing, her personality was very submissive in spite of her aggressive nature...

Feeling bad for the unfortunate woman, Vahn's expression softened a bit as he reached out his hand to caress the top of her head. She actually tried to preemptively evade his attempts to pet her, but, thanks to his recent breakthroughs in the Laws of Petting, it was very difficult to avoid his hand. She also enjoyed having her head pet by him, so, even if she wanted to resist, there were few things that could outright defy the activation of a Law. It would be like 'refusing' to die after you had been killed, something very few people could actually pull off.

Confused by her failed attempt to move away from Vahn's palm, Tasha sat with her mouth open for several seconds before adopting a slight pout. She wanted to tell him not to casually pet her head, but, every time the words formed within her mind, the muscles in her throat refused to respond. All she could do was sit silently, clenching her teeth as her ears and tail manifested without her willing them to do so...

Though he was tempted to see if he could get the woman to wag her tail, Vahn ultimately retracted his hand after fluffing up Tasha's unkempt hair for the better part of a minute. Then, as if he hadn't just been petting her at his leisure, he asked, "So, have you thought about my proposal? Even if you choose to retire to the Middle Tower-"

Without waiting for Vahn to restate her options, Tasha ceased clenching her teeth, her expression turning serious as she said, "I'll join your team. I want to see for myself the power of a God. I don't want to be an idle observer without any memories of our meeting and I don't want to give up my power just to live a normal life. Though I might not have had a choice when I was a little girl, this is still me. I'm not going to run away from what I've become. Instead, I'll be better than what someone else tried to make me...!"

Hearing the resolution in Tasha's tone, Vahn couldn't help but nod his head in approval, smiling as he resisted the urge to pet her head. It would take away from the gravitas of her statement, so, at least for the time being, he did his best to hold back. Unfortunately, the Law of Identity seemed to have developed a fondness for the resolute werewolf, floating around upside down as she happily chimed, "She wants to meet the swordsman who defeated her. She has been thinking about him a whole lot ever since their battle~."

Doing his best to ignore the Law of Identity's casual revealing of people's private thoughts, Vahn slowly rose to his feet before saying, "Very well. From this moment onward, you're a member of Team Wolf Pack. Welcome to the team, Tasha..."

Seeing Vahn's outstretched hand, Tasha half expected him to start petting her again so she was a little slow in reaching out to accept it. This caused her face to warm up once again, and, though she did her best to control it, she couldn't prevent her tail from wagging slightly. Kindness and sincerity were two things she hadn't received in a long time, so, even though it was something as simple as helping her to her feet, Tasha couldn't help but feel a little happy...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'All your secret are belong to us','Erofu Neko-chan Hinata (OwO)...','Simple acts of kindness can mean a lot to certain people. Be good to each other. You never know what someone else has gone through...')