Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 169 - Empathy

Slightly more than five hours after he fell asleep, Vahn awoke and noticed the familiar presence on his left. As he had expected, Evangeline had curled up next him and had used his shoulder and bicep as her pillow. She had her left hand on his chest as both of her legs were curled up near her stomach. Vahn noticed that she liked to sleep scrunched up in a ball like she was afraid of losing heat. As he had the 'eternal flame' in his chest, Vahn often slept sprawled out on top of the blankets and enjoyed the feeling of the air on his skin.

Shortly after he awoke, Evangeline opened her eyes and raised her body by using his chest as a support. She looked into his aquamarine colored eyes with her piercing icy-blue eyes before leaning over his body. Vahn was a bit surprised by her actions, but he didn't do anything to stop her as his heartbeat began to increase by a marginal amount.

Evangeline placed her nose into his neck and traced her face alongside his head as she shifted her body on top of his and mounted his stomach. Because of their similar hair color, Vahn couldn't help but have a bit of a flashback to the time he had been with Ais. As he began to feel a little fl.u.s.tered, Vahn suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck where Evangeline had been nuzzling. His tensions immediately faded and he had the feeling like laughing out but decided to just relax his body and allow her to do as she pleased. Though she hadn't asked him to draw his blood, her actions indicated she wanted to and he hadn't done anything to stop her before she began.

As he began to relax, Vahn wrapped his arms around her small body and hugged her gently against his as she continued to silently drain his blood in a very slow manner. He could feel the warm and pleasant feeling spread through his insides and the soft sensation of Evangeline pressing against his stomach and chest. Though she was incredibly petite and light, Vahn still thought her weight was pleasant and the sensation of her modest b.r.e.a.s.ts pressing into his chest made his heart flutter a bit.

After about half an hour of draining his blood, Vahn could feel Evangeline begin to lick his neck in a manner similar to the first time she had sucked his blood. From their other sessions, he knew it wasn't necessary for her to do so, and Vahn could tell from the subtle pink aura emanating from her body that she was being intimate with him. However, Vahn knew from interacting with her in the past few days that she would probably scare away like a frightened rabbit if he made any untoward actions against her. Instead, he just put a little more strength into his left hand around her waist as he moved his right hand between her shoulder blades and hugged her body.

Evangeline paused her actions for a moment when he moved his hands but then continued to intermittently lick his neck and suck his blood without saying anything. She continued her actions for another half hour and now Vahn's entire neck and collarbone were moist with her saliva. After placing her mouth on the connecting muscles of his neck and shoulder, she began to suck on the tender flesh for several seconds without drawing blood. Vahn felt that the sensation was a little painful, and he couldn't help but tilt his head a bit to the side in response. Evangeline then moved her mouth to the area beneath his ear and once again powerfully sucked on his skin without sucking his blood.

Vahn didn't know what she was doing, and it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling when she sucked on his skin hard enough to make him feel a bit of discomfort. He felt like she was trying to draw his blood but had forgotten to use her teeth. After she repeated the action another three times, Evangeline sat up on his stomach and stared down at him with a slightly dazed expression. The noble appearance she always tried to maintain was still present, but the blush on her face gave away her true emotions.

Evangeline placed both of her hands on his chest and pressed into his tunic like she was trying to outline his muscles with her palms. As she traced her hands up to his shoulders, Evangeline leaned forward and stared into Vahn's eyes as she whispered, "A bad woman is going to eat you up one day...you need to learn to resist people if you feel uncomfortable." Vahn held her gaze with his own as he responded, "It wasn't entirely unpleasant, and everything else felt good."

As Vahn finished his words, he couldn't help but slide his hands from her h.i.p.s and down the backside of her dress. Unlike Hephaestus and Anubis, Evangeline didn't have much to grab onto, but she still had a soft and slightly fleshy butt. The moment his hands touched her butt, Evangeline's face blushed a bit deeper as she frowned without saying anything. Vahn noticed her aura had turned pinker and a little chaotic, so he took her silence as approval of his actions. With a smile on his face, he tried pushing the boundaries a little and put a bit of strength into his hands.

The moment Vahn tightened his grip on her butt, Evangeline squeaked before jerking back her body and beating Vahn on the chest with powerless punches. After finishing a one-hundred hit combo, she removed herself from his body before teleporting away far from her lecherous disciple's clutches. She could never let him know that, when he grabbed her so firmly, she felt a bit happy in her heart. Previously, she had marked him on his neck and shoulder with several bruised kiss marks and had felt very satisfied by her accomplishment. Now that Vahn had gotten 'even' with her, she couldn't help but retreat away for the time being.

After Evangeline's tactical retreat, Vahn got out of the bed and stretched his body for a bit before returning to his workshop. He still had around nineteen hours, so Vahn wanted to try creating another 'masterpiece' to push his [Blacksmith] skill even further. Every minor improvement was a large step forward, and Vahn believed he would be able to learn the [Master Smith] development skill in the next 414 days with time to spare.

Since Vahn had already created an item that he intended to gift to Tiona, he wanted to forge something to give to Ais as well. He knew that giving an item to one of the two would potentially cause friction, so he wasn't going to take any chances. Even though he had gifted her his [Runic Tamahagane Blade], Vahn wanted to make her something he had personally forged.

Remembering that Ais often broke her weapons because of her excessive strength, Vahn decided to try creating a weapon similar to the sword she had used in the manga. He had plenty of Adamantine on hand and had already produced the [Durandal] ability successfully. However, unlike her original sword which was only meant to be incredibly durable, Vahn wanted to make sure the weapon he forged for her was also magically conductive.

Vahn forged an incredibly thin blade, almost like a rapier, out of pure Orichalc.u.m which branched out periodically. This would act a giant mana channel to enhance the striking power of Ais's blows and allow her to make greater use of her [Ariel] magic ability. He then painstakingly tempered Adamantine around the Orichalc.u.m core by shrinking down his domain to the minimum and using it to forcibly hold the shape of the metal as he heated it. The end result of his five hours of turmoil was a pure white, highly reflective, blade without a single flaw on its surface.

Before moving on, Vahn channeled his energy and could use his enhanced vision to see the flow of mana within the mithril core. The Adamantine actually served to prevent the energy from dispersing until it reached the branches and created bluish-white edge flowing outside of the channels he had carved previously. Vahn was satisfied with the results because it would allow Ais to use the sword like it had a serrated cutting edge that would also prevent any buildup of blood and other fluids which would make it more difficult to cut with.

Vahn then spent the next three hours shaping the handle to make the unblemished white blade because he had decided to use Adamantine as the basis while adorning the beautiful white surface with Orichalc.u.m, which had a golden color. The final result was a stark white blade with gold accents that Vahn had shaped into the most 'noble' looking form he could manage. When it came time to name the sword, Vahn recalled the legend regarding Fafnir, which he had learned about after naming his own dragon. In the legend, the evil dragon was slain by a hero named Sigurd who used the holy sword gram to strike down the cursed creature. Vahn felt like there was a lot of power in the name and hoped that this sword would aide Ais in her mission to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon.

[Gram]

Rank: A (Magic)

Slots: 0

P.Atk: 728+70

M.Atk: 331

Ability: Durandal(A), Sharpness(B), Piercing(C), Dragonslayer(A)

A sword forged from Adamantine with an Orichalc.u.m core to embody the legend of a hero who had slain a cursed dragon. Provides greatly enhanced capabilities when fighting dragons and dragon sub-species.

Vahn had received 3,881 OP from successfully completing the sword and he was very satisfied with the 'Dragonslayer(A)' effect that it possessed. Though he harbored no illusions that the sword was strong enough to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon, it was a good template for any future blades he might forge for Ais. He fully intended to use his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] to name another weapon [Gram] in the future in the hopes of embodying the actual legend. When Vahn had searched for the item within the shop, he found that it cost a whopping 13,000,000 OP, so he had high hopes for its capabilities.

The entire process of forging the [Gram] had taken nearly nine hours, so Vahn had slightly less than ten hours remaining before he would be ejected from the space. He expected that Evangeline was off testing the staff he forged her, so she would likely ask to suck his blood again before leaving. Vahn couldn't help but wonder how far she would try to push her boundaries, and he also had some expectations for how much he could tease her. Though Vahn knew he needed to be reigning in his behavior, it was very difficult to hold back when there was a cute girl literally sticking to his body.

Since he didn't want to start up a large project, Vahn decided to enter mass-production mode and work on coordinating with his 'eternal flame'. He was able to create and shape a blade within a half hour, so by the time Evangeline had shown up behind him, he had created an additional thirteen blades. Vahn noticed that she had shown up earlier than he expected, and he could see that her aura was flickering with a subtle pink aura as she waited for him to finish cleaning up.

The moment he set down the towel he had used to wipe off his own body, Vahn could feel himself become weightless as Evangeline silently moved him to the bed. When Vahn saw her expression, she had a blank look on her face as she followed his body through the air. Vahn almost wanted to laugh because he could see the aura flaring up around her body the closer he got to the bed. After he was dropped unceremoniously on the bed, Vahn smiled a bit at the girl who crawled into the bed immediately after him.

Evangeline saw his smile and froze for a moment, but her expression didn't change as she once again crawled forward and sat on his body. Unlike the previous days, Vahn remained laying down like he had done so when she sucked his blood earlier. There was always something tantalizing about having a girl sit on his stomach as he stared up at their faces. It made Vahn's heart flutter a bit and he almost instinctually put his hands on her waist.

Seeing the 'dumb' and anticipatory look on Vahn's face, Evangeline wanted to curse and beat up the stupidly smiling boy. The more he smiled at her, the harder it was to suppress her own embarrassment. She had already made her decision in the seventeen hours she had been away earlier, and she wasn't going to back down and forsake her own pride. After taking a deep breath and exhaling, the black dress on Evangeline's body turned into light and was replaced with the semi-transparent negligee she was wearing when Vahn first arrived three days ago.

Vahn noticed the change and saw the slightly blushing expression on Evangeline who was trying to keep her composure. Since he had the chance, Vahn gave a cursory glance toward the getup and felt a bit of pressure in the bridge of his nose after taking in the sight. Though it didn't reveal anything, the semi-transparent negligee was open at the abdomen and curved around the sides of Evangeline's body which revealed her navel. However, it wasn't her cute navel that had caught Vahn's attention, but the fact that he could see her black lace panties resting against his stomach. Like the negligee, it kept the important parts hidden, but the rest was made of a semi-transparent lace fabric that almost made the situation seem more e.r.o.t.i.c than if she were actually nude.

Before Vahn could continue ogling her body, Evangeline leaned forward and pressed herself against him as she placed her head next to his and rested for a few moments. Vahn could feel the heat of her body, and he somewhat regretted the fact that he was still wearing a tunic. He could even feel her heartbeat beating faster than a hummingbird flapping its wings. After a few seconds, she whispered into his ear in a moderately sultry tone, "Call me Eva from now on..." The moment her words fell, Eva bit Vahn's neck and began to suck his blood in an overly intimate manner.

Vahn was caught off guard by her 'request', but his daze was immediately brought to an end the moment he felt the sharp pinching sensation in his neck. Like earlier, but without any buildup, Eva was simultaneously sucking his blood while licking his neck like a kitten lapping up milk. As he had done so each time previously, Vahn put his hands around Eva, but this time there was a big difference compared to all the other times. The fabric of her negligee was incredibly thin, and Vahn could feel her skin and body heat through his palms. Not only was her skin incredibly soft and springy, but she also had a very high body temperature compared to most of the girls he had hugged. Her fair, borderline pale, skin was covered with a slightly flushed undertone and Vahn could see her aura burning like a lively flame.

After around twenty minutes of suffering from Eva's attack, Vahn began to feel a little restless from the warmth in his body and the heat coming from Eva's. His hands trembled slightly and he could feel that Eva had also begun to sweat from her own excitement and exertion. Growing bolder by the minute, Vahn slid his hands down her back and once again settled on her small butt. Though she flinched for a moment, Eva made no attempt to stop him so he just enjoyed the springy sensation and gently held onto her body while periodically putting a bit of strength into his palms.

After the hour mark had passed, Vahn had less than a half hour before he would be ejected from the space. Eva had long since stopped sucking his blood as she licked around his neck and kissed parts of his collarbone. Just as Vahn was about to push his limits a bit, she sat up slightly on his body and locked eyes with him. Vahn could see that she had slightly glazed eyes as she looked into his face and said, "Even though you're just a lecherous pervert that constantly annoys me, you have a gentle side that makes my heart ache a bit. I want you to make me a promise, Vahn."

Though she had a blushing face with an enamored look in her eyes, Vahn could tell that she was being serious so he nodded his head and said, "Sure, Eva, just let me know what you need me to do." In response to his affirmation, Eva bent forward and kissed Vahn on his lips for nearly a full minute before she pulled away and said, "Promise me that, no matter what happens in the future, you'll never hate me or my creator. Even if you resent me a bit, please never hate me..."

Vahn was a bit confused by her words, and he felt a painful ache in his heart as he nodded his head and said, "I swear, I'll never hate you, or the original that created this space." In response to his words, Eva once again kissed Vahn deeply, this time for nearly ten minutes before she separated herself and drew gasping breaths. After settling her breathing, she looked into Vahn's eyes and said, "Please, when you meet the real me, save her from her loneliness."

Seeing her passionate gaze filled with sadness, Vahn couldn't help but empathize with the small vampire that had been unjustly forced to walk her path. While his suffering had ended at the time of his death in the previous world, the real Evangeline was still in her record, bound by the fate that had been decided for her without her consent. Though he wasn't certain when he would be able to keep his promise, Vahn nodded and said with absolute conviction, "I swear, Eva, I will save you." For the third time, Eva began kissing Vahn as she writhed about on top of his body. Since they couldn't have s.e.x, the most they could do was express their intimacy through physical contact. She continued to seek out the warmth of his body and kissing all over his face, neck, and chest, all the way up until the moment when Vahn's body began to dissolve.

As she had been kissing him all the way until he had vanished, Eva's body collapsed onto the bed and she just lay there on her stomach in a daze for several minutes. There was a deep sadness in her eyes, and she felt like the next four years would be more difficult to bear than all of the previous time she had spent in this empty world. Since Vahn had been underneath her, she could still feel his ambient heat from the bed as well as his scent from when he had been laying. Eva just continued laying in that spot for several minutes as she felt the heat slowly drain away from the bedding...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Sad Baba','10 years isn't a short period of time','Ais's new favorite toy')

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