Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Emerging from within the Little Garden, Vahn was unsurprised to learn about the attack that had occurred while he was away. One of the reasons Eva had come out was because she suspected that her Sworn Enemy would appear, so, with Ialda failing to appear during the conflict, it was all but guaranteed that she was lurking somewhere in the shadows. As for Merlin, it was hard to imagine the peculiar incubus actually being controlled by anyone, so, while he might make an appearance in the future, it was almost certainly just to mess with them.

Fortunately, as had been proven time and again, the Sworn Enemies produced by the Hidden Floor were inept when it came to the use of foreign magical systems. It was like the difference between using magic in real life and coding an effect in a video game. No matter how much the effect might resemble the real deal, it almost certainly cut corners. If the Workshop could design an artifact with the capacity to supersede the Laws and deconstruct virtually all magical and energy systems, they would have achieved their objective long ago.

With the previous battle all but confirming their enemies were incapable of breaking through, Vahn had become a lot more confident in the town’s defenses. Thus, after a brief war council, he decided to pay a visit to the Palace of Spears to see if Data Eduan could convince Data Jahad to either fight him directly or turn over the Data Humans hidden within the Hidden Hidden Floor. What he didn’t expect was to find both men sitting across from each other at the far ends of a long banquet table.

Demonstrating his usual lackadaisicalness, Data Eduan was the first to speak, halfheartedly raising his hand and saying, "Yo." before emptying the contents of his chalice in a few large gulps. As for Data Jahad, he just supplied a curt nod whilst using a fork and knife to methodically cut a piece of steak into relatively even chunks.

Resisting the urge to send both men flying, Vahn walked to the side of the table before taking a seat slightly off-center. This caused a displeased frown to spread across Jahad’s face, and, as could be expected, Eduan burst into laughter at the man’s expense.

Feeling his appetite wane, Jahad returned his utensils to their assigned positions before placing his elbows on the table and interlinking his fingers like a mastermind or someone trying to seem more intelligent than they actually were. Then, in a surprisingly deep voice that didn’t suit his somewhat youthful appearance, he said, "Ordinarily, I would have applauded you for successfully defeating a version of myself. However, considering the ease with which you completed the task, I imagine such actions would be wasted. Tell me, what is it you hoped to achieve by coming to the Hidden Floor. If it is within my power, I will supply what you desire."

Despite the Law of Identity revealing that the man was telling the truth, Vahn couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed by the fact that Jahad had appeared in this manner. If he was going to do something like this, it would have been far more sincere of him had he chosen to arrive at the outskirts of the Town of the Wandering Minstrels. Instead, despite knowing exactly what it was he sought, the man opted to continue playing games for no better reason than because he thought it was the correct decision for someone in his position.

Shaking his head in slight exasperation, Vahn decided it simply wasn’t worth it to argue with the man. He had already defeated an arguably more powerful version of Jahad, so, while he wouldn’t mind going through the motions, further conflict was ultimately pointless. It was because he shared this sentiment that the current Jahad had made his appearance, so, after a moment of deliberation, Vahn answered, "I want you to turn over the Big Breeder who has possessed Ha Yura’s twin brother. I would also like you to restore the data of Ha Hyejin. Even if it is only her memory, I can still restore a version of her to life. To that end, there are several others I have been searching for. It would save me a lot of time if you could either point me in their direction or teleport them alongside the Data Humans transported to the Hidden Hidden Floor."

Though he was planning to reveal that his counterpart had wiped out most of the Data Humans in the Hidden Hidden Floor, Vahn’s casual mention that he could even restore a person’s memory to life caused Jahad to fall silent. Had he known about this ability beforehand, he might have tried to work alongside Vahn, but, knowing himself, this wasn’t very likely. Rather, had he not born witness to Vahn’s defeat of the King’s Data, it was safe to say this conversation would have been replaced with a battle that would have undoubtedly resulted in his end...

Amused by the notion, a small smile appeared on Jahad’s face as he said, "Very well. It will take a few days, but I should be able to answer your needs. For now, I will hand over Hwang and the girl known as Roen. If I’m not mistaken, the two of them were priority targets for the groups you were sending out. I don’t imagine it would smooth things over between us, but I believe it would allow you to breathe easier once they are safely in your charge."

With that said, a three-meter wide circular mirror appeared next to Jahad before two figures were rather unceremoniously hurled from its surface. This included an effeminate youth with light-blue hair, and, though she looked quite a bit different than the version he had reproduced, a vivacious-looking young woman with orange hair and matching eyes. This was undoubtedly Roen, but, after spending hundreds of years within the Hidden Floor, she had changed rather drastically in order to ensure her survival.

Contrasting the almost idol-like appearance of her original self, Data Roen had her orange hair tied in a somewhat wild and disorderly ponytail. She also had a few tribal-like tattoos covering her body, and, due to the impracticality of obtaining finely woven and fabricated cloth, her attire was stitched together from various plant and animal fibers. The only thing preventing her from fully looking like an Amazoness was her fair skin and frail-looking body, characteristics that no amount of training or time spent in the sun could change.

Fortunately, while her appearance and aura didn’t give off the vibe of an excessively caring woman, the confident glimmer in Roen’s eyes revealed that she hadn’t fallen victim to the Hidden Floor. She had most likely joined one of the larger female tribes, or, considering her strength, odds were that she had created one of her own. Either way, she was still the same woman that had conquered the Hell Train numerous times in the past, just a little more ’seasoned’.

Noticing the presence of several men, Roen immediately raised her guard before taking note of the identities of said men. Jahad and Eduan, in particular, caused her complexion to pale, but, once she saw Vahn, her perturbed expression was immediately replaced by a radiant smile as she asked, "Are you the real you?"

Feeling strangely unnerved by the woman’s reaction, Vahn couldn’t help adopting a wry smile as he awkwardly replied, "Last I checked...please don’t tell me something happened between you and one of my Sworn Enemy selves..."

Tilting her head to the side with an adorable and almost innocent look on her face, Roen made a show of appearing confused before adopting an almost predatory smile. This caused the fine hairs on the back of Vahn’s neck to stand on end, but, fortunately, the Law of Identity promptly revealed, "She is just messing with you. She heard about the situation and knows the reason you have been searching for her. "

Feeling relief wash over him like a bucket of warm water, Vahn nearly exhaled a sigh before the Law of Identity added, "If anything, she seems to have a thing for Angri. Living in an all-female tribe for hundreds of years has its consequences~."

Hearing the Law of Identity’s addendum, Vahn was tempted to offer a prayer for Daniel and all the other men who had fawned over Roen for centuries. This was the most comprehension version of Roen in existence, but, due to having never experienced the trauma of facing White, she was a lot different from the woman whose deaths had shaped their lives for the last six-hundred-years. This was a version of her who had never lost her confidence, and, as a result of never being forced into an inescapable position, she had never fallen in love with any of them...

Noticing Vahn’s expression change numerous times in just a few seconds, Roen was beginning to feel as though her prank had been a little too successful. This caused her to awkwardly scratch her cheek, and, though it would have made him feel relieved initially, his desire to silently express his condolences for her entourage were increased when she explained, "Relax...I was just messing with you. Besides, as the leader of an all-female tribe, it wouldn’t set a good example if I went searching for a man to bed. Don’t get me wrong, you’re plenty handsome. I just don’t swing that way."

Emanating a dry chuckle in response to Roen’s words, Vahn decided it was probably for the best to direct the conversation elsewhere. Their interplay had earned them mixed reactions from the other three people present, and, as much as he enjoyed seeing Jahad scowl, there were more important matters to attend. With this in mind, he ultimately ended up clearing his throat before rising from his seat and saying, "I have other matters to attend. I’m confident we will be able to convene again once everything else has been settled. Until then, you can find me within or around the Town of the Wandering Minstrels."

Rising immediately after Vahn, Jahad simply nodded his head in compliance before flaring his cape as he turned to depart. This earned him a reproving shake of the head from Eduan, who, rather than rising alongside everyone else, simply raised his goblet to say, "See ya around." before downing the remaining contents.

Gesturing half-heartedly in response to Eduan’s words, Vahn largely ignored the legendary duo as he focused his attention on Roen and the Big Breeder known as Hwang. The latter was looking even paler than usual, as, shortly after his initial defeat, his authority had been revoked. This left him with the approximate power of a C-Rank Regular, so, with very few exceptions, even the average resident of the Hidden Floor was more than a match for him.

With the Law of Identity detailing the sequence of events that had led to Yura’s brother becoming a Big Breeder, Vahn could sense a storm brewing on the horizon. Yura wouldn’t take kindly to the fact that someone had robbed her twin brother of his identity while he was still in the womb. She would be even less enthused to learn that the same person had killed her mother after the latter inevitably realized what had happened...

Once the truth came to light, it was all but guaranteed that Yura would have a mental breakdown before subsequently trying to kill Hwang. This was well within her right, but, understanding what had driven Hwang to act, Vahn had mixed feelings about the situation. The reality of the situation was that Hwang was the only reason that Yura’s mother had been able to give birth. The curse that Jahad had afflicted on the Asteria Tribe guaranteed that one of the children in her womb was going to die, and, as fate would have it, the fetus that had been selected was Yura’s twin brother.

Since it was impossible for her brother to survive through conventional means, Hwang had used a rather ingenious method to transfer the unborn fetus into the data produced by Yura’s mother, Ha Hyejin. This allowed the real Hyejin to give birth to Yura while her data self, trapped forever within the Hidden Floor, gave birth to her ill-fated son. What neither of them realized was that Hwang, due to a genuine desire to feel true emotions and experience growing up in a loving environment, had fused his consciousness with the underdeveloped Ego of Yura’s brother. This effectively overwrote the existence of Yura’s brother, and, for several decades, even Hyejin was none the wiser.

Unfortunately, Hyejin eventually realized the truth when Hwang was forced to use his power as a Big Breeder to protect her. This ultimately resulted in her rejecting the ’imposter’ who had taken over her son’s body, and, despite raising him lovingly for nearly a hundred years, it didn’t seem to matter to the bereaved woman. In the end, Hwang was forced to erase the data of his mother, not because he harbored any resentment towards her, but because she had asked him to. This resulted in Hwang experiencing an existential crisis of sorts, as, unlike Hyejin, he genuinely believed himself to be her son so he couldn’t understand why she would turn on him after showering him with love and affection for so long.

From that moment onward, Hwang had been doing everything in his power to find a way to leave the Hidden Floor. He believed that the real Ha Hyejin would be a better mother, and, though they had never met, he believed in the bond between him and Yura.

The sad thing about this situation was that Hwang’s intentions were sincere, yet, as a result of the circumstances, he would undoubtedly be seen as a monster by most people. This was in spite of the fact that he simply wanted to live and be loved by others. Thus, while he maintained that Yura was well within her right to kill the man for his transgressions against her family, Vahn also believed that Hwang had the right to live. Yes, he had taken over the body of an unborn infant, but, under normal circumstances, both Yura and her brother were fated to die...

Shaking his head, Vahn concluded this wasn’t a matter he could adjudicate on before seeing Yura’s reaction to the situation. She had mellowed out considerably due to living within the Little Garden, so, with any luck, she would be willing to give Hwang the same chance at life he had once afforded her. If not, he was pretty sure he could convince her by promising to resurrect her mother, so, with that in mind, he teleported back to the Town of the Wandering Minstrels with the troublesome duo in tow...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Yo...’,’RIP Daniel...’,’There is some advanced fuckery at work here...’)