Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though he understood it was necessary, Vahn emerged from the twenty-hour-long discussion feeling more than a little fatigue. Unfortunately, there were still other matters to address, so, after releasing everyone else, he, accompanied by Artoria and Fenrir, teleported to one of the more isolated regions of the former Eighth, now Ninth, Layer. There, built into a mountain that glistened like gold under the artificial sun, a large Victorian-style castle could be seen peeking through the sparse cloud coverage. This was the primary residence of Eva, who, despite having grown closer to quite a few members of his harem, generally kept to herself.

Under normal circumstances, Vahn would have teleported directly into the castle's interior. This time, however, his trepidation forced him to teleport near the base of the mountain. Eva was one of the only women he had ever proactively sought out, so, despite her understanding, he couldn't help feeling considerable guilt whenever he thought about how his actions might affect her...

Noticing her Master's plight, Fenrir decided to lend him a bit of support, but, before she could close the distance, Vahn gently shook his head, a scant smile on his face as he softly muttered, "I'm fine. I was just thinking that I might have done things out of order..."

Though he hadn't mentioned it during the seventeen-hour post-discussion, the notion that he had broached the subject too early had invariably crossed Vahn's mind. Unless he drastically sped up his climb, there were still months, if not years, until his departure from the Tower. To that end, it might have been better for him to discuss things with his wives. Instead, as was often the case whenever he felt pressured, he ended up trying to resolve everything as quickly and 'efficiently' as possible.

From an objective point of view, the desire to treat everyone fairly wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but, considering how important certain women were to him, Vahn couldn't shake the feeling he had erred by not discussing it with them first. With the exception of his children, they were supposed to be the most important people in the world to him, yet, undoubtedly as a result of him accumulating countless experiences, they were gradually becoming just another part of his harem...

As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn could feel every muscle in his body begin to tense. At the same time, the faces of nearly two-hundred women crossed his mind, accompanied by the voice of Loki teasingly remarking, "It's okay to love freely. So long as you don't regard women as playthings meant to entertain you, you'll never become a beast like Zeus. Don't worry. You're still young. Even if you make a few mistakes along the way, you'll always have us. Never forget that..."

Surprised by the sudden recollection, Vahn's eyes widened as he internally remarked, ("Talk about ideal timing...you really know how to catch me off guard, don't you?")

Giggling in response to Vahn's words, Sis simply advised, (*Eva is waiting for you.*) before promptly returning to the deepest recesses of his mind. This left Vahn feeling a little helpless, but, rather than pressing her for an explanation, he just shook his head, a wry smile developing across his face as he promptly teleported into the interior of the castle. There, seated upon an ornate throne that was far too large for a normal person, a mature version of Eva could be seen caressing an abyssal black cat with peculiar wing-like markings around its shoulders.

Though she had sensed his arrival near the base of the mountain, Eva was still a little surprised by Vahn's sudden appearance. He had become ridiculously adept at teleporting, so, despite appearing calm on the surface, she couldn't prevent her pupils from contracting ever so slightly as she mused, "It seems you have become even more skilled..." before following it with, "So? What did you do this time~?"

With a tired sigh escaping his throat, Vahn made his way over to Eva's side, answering, "I need your advice..." before sitting next to her and extricating the black cat from her lap. This earned him a hiss, but, despite her protest, the cat made no effort to escape his grasp. Instead, she simply curled up in his, accepting her fate as Artoria and Fenrir settled in around them. Then, for the better part of two hours, Vahn explained everything that had transpired during the relatively short period of time they had been apart...

As a master over time and space, second only to Vahn himself, Eva generally manipulated the flow of time around her castle to be much slower than normal. There were a number of reasons for this, but, more than anything else, she simply didn't like waiting around for his return. She was actually one of the 'clingier' girls in his harem, so, when she wasn't busy with her research, most of her time was spent lazing about, drinking tea, reading manga, and watching anime.

Though 'normal' people might consider this a waste of time, there was a reason that even Da Vinci referenced fiction for inspiration. There were no limits to the ways in which the Laws could manifest, so, as a Tier 5 being, Eva could actually become stronger by taking an interest in another world. She could also request that he purchase various texts, skill books, scrolls, and even grimoires, so, while it might appear as though she had become a hikikomori, the truth of the matter was that Eva was still the most powerful Magus among the Little Garden's residents. Even Index couldn't compare, as, the moment she learned of the former's 103,000 magical grimoires, Eva committed the vast majority to memory.

Simply put, Eva was one of the strongest residents of the Little Garden, and, so long as she didn't encounter someone with anti-magic properties, there were few opponents who could hope to get anywhere near her. She had even been researching fate and probability in order to circumvent the Omnipotence Paradox. If she succeeded, she would literally be able to defeat virtually any opponent by simply having them acknowledge the possibility of their defeat. Inversely, she could resurrect the dead by denying they had ever died, and, in the most extreme cases, she could even reshape events in history to correspond with her personal account...

Demonstrating why he should have conferred with her beforehand, Eva responded to Vahn's long explanation by asking, "Are you an idiot?" with an incredulous look on her face. Fortunately, before he could embarrass himself by asking her to explain, she went on to add, "Don't get me wrong. The options you presented to everyone aren't the problem. The bigger issue is that you are ignoring the present, the very thing you are constantly advising everyone else to take into consideration..."

Seeing the confusion in Vahn's eyes, an exhausted sigh escaped Eva's throat as she shook her head and explained, "You have convinced yourself that it is okay for everyone to reincarnate and live out their lives, wholly outside of your control. However, due to the nature of time, that isn't actually the case. The moment you reach the Divine Realm, you have the ability to rewrite history and undo any tragic events they might have experienced. Do you not see how that makes your overprotectiveness kind of pointless...?"

Understanding what Eva was trying to say, a conflicted look spread across Vahn's face as he asked, "So you're saying I should open the Little Garden and allow everyone to move freely, consequences be damned...?"

Rolling her eyes, Eva leaned against Vahn's shoulder before answering, "Isn't that what you decided for yourself near the beginning of your journey in this Record? You accepted that you were going to make mistakes and decided it would be best to learn from them. Providing people the opportunity to reincarnate isn't all that different than allowing them to make their own decisions. Since that has always been important to you, why not implement it in the present? If you move forward with your intention of turning the Little Garden into a 'central hub', you could turn the Aldrnari Empire into an organization that enacts change in countless worlds. You could have people accept Quests, traverse different worlds, and, even if they die, you could always revive them at a later date. We know, better than most, that death isn't the end. The fact you stress out over it so much has always baffled me..."

Unable to refute the woman's words, Vahn found himself staring off into space, countless thoughts racing across his mind. This wasn't actually his first time considering these things, but, as was often the case, it was a lot easier to rationalize the cyclic nature of life than it was to accept the possibility of your loved ones dying...

Deciding to make things simpler for him, Eva poked her nail into Vahn's chest, forcing his attention back to her as she whispered, "The fact you mentioned there is an unlimited number of alternative solutions shows that you have accounted for the fact that each person had their own unique wants and needs. With that in mind, wouldn't it be better to create an environment that enables everyone to pursue their own version of happiness? Hell, even a Phantasmagoria with one of your Templates would be better than the other options you came up with...at least that way, you don't risk undoing an entire timeline just to extract a single person..."

Hearing Eva provide a 'solution' that wasn't all that dissimilar to the one envisioned by the Mage of the Beginning, Vahn found himself staring into the golden-haired beauty's pristine blue eyes with a slack-jawed expression on his face. This earned him another eye roll, but, instead of looking away or returning her head to his shoulder, Eva tugged his collar, surprising him with a kiss before adding, "I don't recall marrying a coward. We have a literal eternity to figure things out. Besides, how can you expect to reach Tier 7 with this half-hearted behavior? Man up, brat..."

Punctuating her words, Eva sealed Vahn's response with another kiss, this time holding it for the better part of a minute. Then, just as she was about to separate their lips, she gave the black cat nestled in his lap a not-so-gentle poke, forcing her to revert to her human form before promptly pulling away and saying, "I need to talk with Artoria and Fenrir in private. Karin, keep this idiot of mine busy, will you?"

Though she couldn't help but adopt a pout, Karin showed no real aversion to the suggestion, her cat-like ears twitching as she half-turned, saying, "Yes, Eva-sama..." before overlapping her lips with Vahn's. Then, once everyone had made room, she turned the rest of her naked body, straddling his hips and wrapping her arms around his neck. This left Vahn feeling a little helpless, but, rather than resisting, he habitually grabbed Karin's toned butt, gently massaging near the base of her tail as his clothes dissolved away...

Raising a soundproof barrier to block the mewling sound echoing through her castle, Eva released a tired sigh as she looked at Artoria and Fenrir, "So? What do the two of you think? As far as I can tell, he seems pretty stable. Should we push him a little?"

Since she generally went with whatever Vahn had decided, Artoria's response to Eva's words was to shift her attention to Fenrir. In response, the latter nodded her head, a confident look in her eyes as she said, "I think it's okay. Though he feels guilty about it, Master has become a lot more stable due to the time he has spent in other worlds. So long as someone he trusts sets the precedent, I believe he will be okay. If anything happens, I will do my best to deal with the aftermath."

Not doubting Fenrir's words in the slightest, Eva reacted with a curt nod of her own before crossing her arms and saying, "The question then becomes...who should be the one to move forward? I don't mean to brag, but I doubt he would be willing to accept if it was me..."

Snorting through her nose, Fenrir emulated Eva's action of crossing her arms, an amused smile developing across her face as she teasingly remarked, "Who are you trying to fool? I'm not going to refute your words, but we all the truth. I bet you couldn't even go a full week before you go looking for Master. Even after everything that has happened, you are completely smitten with him."

Glaring back at Fenrir, Eva was tempted to argue, but, feeling a potent heat spreading through her cheeks, she knew anything she might possibly say could be used against her. She also couldn't use magic to try and punish Fenrir, as, despite being a 'mere' Tier 3, the latter's magical resistances were on another level. In fact, unless it was powered by Laws she didn't recognize, most magic no longer worked against her as she could simply 'devour' anything arbitrarily thrown her way...

Deciding to interpose before a fight could break out, Artoria coughed a few times to draw the duo's attention before saying, "This isn't a matter we can settle between the three of us. After I leave here, I will spread the word about an emergency council meeting. Unless something drastic happens, we will reconvene hereabout after the usual morning routine. I trust that will not be an issue?"

Understanding the importance of resolving this matter before anything else happens, Eva ultimately nodded her head in affirmation, saying, "Just make sure to bring Rindo along. It's been a while since I've tasted her food and everyone is more agreeable on a full stomach."

With no reason to refuse, Artoria nodded in affirmation, but, before she could even suggest leaving, Eva interrupted, questioning, "Speaking of which, when was the last time the three of us took a bath together? Karin won't be able to last very long without assistance. How about we freshen up before providing her some relief? You might be able to fool others, but I can see how tense you are."

Shaking her head, Arotira explained, "There is a chance that Vahn will be fighting with Ureko before tomorrow's meeting. It's a little frustrating, but I will persevere until things have been settled. Thank you for your consideration."

Hearing Artoria reference the situation with Ureko, Eva couldn't resist the urge the roll her eyes. She knew it was a matter related to the instincts of dragons, but, with several viable solutions coming to mind, she felt the entire situation was a farce. Vahn had countless methods to suppress something as base as instinct, but, as was often the case when it concerned the sovereignty of other people, he was extremely apprehensive about violating nature and free will. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but, more often than not, it introduced unnecessary drama into all of their lives...

(A/N: Sorry for the super delayed chapter release. After reading everyone's comments, I spent a bit of time plotting out a more 'ideal' direction for the story. As many pointed out, a mix of numerous options was ideal, and, while this was always my intention, it felt like I missed the ball in regards to the characters' personal motivations. I hope this chapter helped to clarify a few things, even if just a little xD...)