Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 387 - Small World

For what seemed like the first time in more than a week, Vahn enjoyed the onsen on his own without any disturbances. He felt very refreshed after his short rendezvous with Lunoire and was just floating atop the hot water as the cool morning air soaked into his exposed skin from above. Of course, he couldn't stay inside the bath too long or he would be late for the morning practice. Vahn wasn't even remotely ashamed of going to visit Lunoire, especially after doing the deed though till the end, but he didn't want to cause a stir in the group just as they woke up. He knew his interaction would likely make it's way to the network later, but that was another matter entirely.

After completely removing the womanly scent wafting from his body, Vahn used his [Heart of the Eternal Flame] to immediately evaporate the water from his body before instantly changing into clothes through the system. Vahn really enjoyed the convenience provided by the system for situations like this, because he could simply 'queue' up equipment in his slots and freely swap between outfits. Now that he could also manage to change his form and race, after a bit of concerted effort, Vahn felt like he could become a master of disguise. The only thing he couldn't really mask easily was his base odor and aura. He could completely conceal it using stealth, but if Vahn wasn't 'seen', it didn't really matter how he looked and invalidated the need for a disguise to being with.

Since he had spent the night, and part of the morning, mimicking Fenrir's racial traits, Vahn felt like practicing changing his form more fluidly. He knew he didn't even need [Thria*Mimos] now, though it certainly made transforming much easier, so Vahn wanted to improve his base capabilities more. He had originally been somewhat worried about 'losing his identity', but Vahn had made a perfect 'copy' of his base form within his mind and could always reference it if he forgot how he looked.

As Vahn was thinking about the best form the take, he remembered his earlier interaction with Lili and wondered if it was even possible for him to transform into a Pallum. Drastic physical changes would generally take a very long time, but Vahn figured it would be possible if he put in a lot of effort. He knew that, at some point in the future, he would likely end up in a physical relationship with Lili and had been very 'concerned' about the matter for some time. Now that she was living in the Manor, Vahn's thoughts would wander to the various girls and their future interactions. Though she would probably 'complain', Vahn wanted to be able to take a smaller form for her benefit...

Just as usual, the girls started their training in earnest as Vahn sat off to the side and observed while practicing his mental control and meditating. Vahn had greeted everyone beforehand and now sat in his 'designated' area on a stone dais he had placed within the yard. He didn't know why, but Vahn felt a strange attachment to the stone dais from his memories just before coming to the record. Trusting his intuition, Vahn set out a platform for himself and realized it greatly increased his ability to focus on his meditation. He now sat absolutely still with the quiet and obedient Lefiya sitting a bit away from him without taking any actions that might disturb him.

After forming an image in his mind, Vahn began altering the flow of energy in his body to match the pathways he had previously established in his mind. He knew there were differences between the energy flow of males and females and it was important to take it into consideration when he was trying to transform. Though he hadn't told Riveria and Lefiya, Vahn had felt like his pectoral muscles were beginning to inflate as a strange incongruity appeared in his abdomen. This was the main reason he had brought his transformation to an early end, as Vahn was worried he would turn into a girl after following Riveria's pathways. Fortunately, her b.r.e.a.s.ts were rather small so Vahn had been able to pass by unnoticed under the girls' gaze.

Morning training usually persisted for around an hour, but Vahn had long noticed everyone had gone silent after spending about twenty minutes transforming. His focus was entirely on his own body so he couldn't really tell what they were up to, but Vahn was certain they were watching him. His ability to focus could put many people, even gods, to shame and Vahn was able to tune out any and all sights, sounds, and sensations without losing his awareness of his surroundings. At any moment, if his instincts triggered, Vahn would be able to respond to danger without getting caught off guard. In fact, he was more likely to get caught off guard in a normal situation than when he was 'absolutely focused' on a task. If not for his passive awareness of the auras around him, Vahn wouldn't even know their training had come to an early end.

After nearly an entire hour had passed, Vahn opened his eyes and saw seventeen sets of eyes staring at him with interest. He could feel a cold sensation on his exposed skin as the air had been able to penetrate through the large gaps in his clothing. Since he usually worse a full-sleeved tunic, Vahn raised his hand and saw that his sleeves were now far behind the range of his normal reach. After managing to free his hand from the sleeve, Vahn noticed it was very tiny compared to normal and began to laugh out loud after confirming his test was a success. He had thought it would be much harder, but it seems as though being a 'Pallum' drastically changed his height as if it was being regulated by the record itself. His race now listed him as a Pallum and Vahn had shrunk from his 168cm down to a minuscule 125cm.

While he was 'distracted' by his new body, Vahn felt his instincts trigger but he was unable to evade in time as Tione picked up his body from behind and squealed in a girly voice, "Oh my goodness, how is this even possible!? You're sooooo adorable~!" When Tione picked him up and began to squeeze him, Vahn felt a cold breeze pass through his lower body and noticed the eyes of everyone present widen marginally. Though he was used to the glance of others, Vahn still felt embarrassed at the fact that everyone present had turned their eyes to his now 'relatively normal' sized p.e.n.i.s. It was still larger than average, but it wasn't as 'monstrous' as it had been in the past.

Unaware of the faux pas she had caused, Tione kept squeezing Vahn affectionately while dangling him off the ground in a very compromising manner. Moments later, she felt a powerful strike hit the top of her head and she immediately collapsed to the ground as Tiona shouted, "Don't handle Vahn like that, Tione! L-look at what you've done you stupid fool~!" Tione had dropped Vahn forward when she took the blow to the head and saw a pair of 'delicate' white cheeks that gave her a strange urge to reach out and pinch them. Before she was able to follow her instincts, however, a pair of boxers appeared to cover the stark buttocks before several flashes of skin showed and the chibi Vahn was now standing in new clothes patting his chest with a small blush on his face.

Before the girls could start barraging him with questions, Vahn explained, "I've already shown this to Riveria and Lefiya in the past, but I have a knack for transformation abilities and magic. By altering the flow of energy in my body, I can temporarily change into almost any race as long as I can hold a proper image within my mind. I won't claim to be an expert, but I doubt there are many people as familiar with the physiology of the various races than I am. As you might have already realized, I've changed my form to match that of a Pallum since I was curious about the limits of my ability."

Though many had already anticipated the fact he had become a Pallum, it was still a very big surprise since it was difficult to believe how drastic the change had been. Lili especially had a very conflicted expression on her face that looked like a mix between excitement, beffudlement, and a healthy amount of curiosity. Vahn was currently only a few centimeters taller than she was and he had much lighter brown hair than his traditional dark brown. His healthy brown skin had become somewhat pale and his athletic and muscular body had become much thinner and streamlined compared to before. She didn't know for certain, but Lili felt like Vahn had modeled his transformation to match her and it made her heart beat rampantly in her chest just thinking about it.

Vahn didn't want to stand out in the cold being interrogated by the girls, so he had everyone go take a bath to prepare for breakfast. He hadn't really exerted himself during the training, so Vahn thought to avoid taking a second bath but was 'denied' the opportunity. The girls were very interested in his new form so Vahn eventually gave up and accompanied them into the bath. This resulted in a completely new experience for Vahn since he was usually the one washing the girls but now he had become the central focus. Everyone seemed a lot 'bigger' now, since he was so small compared to everyone else.

Chloe and Arnya had been present during the morning training and, now that Vahn had become a 'little boy', Chloe was beside herself and in a state of high tensions. She was practically sticking to him for the entire bath and proactively 'protecting' him from the other girls. The only ones she showed leniency towards, other than herself, were the children and Milan. Though he usually helped wash their bodies, Vahn ended up in a strange situation where Milan was affectionately washing his body with the help of the fiercely blushing Tina. Today had been her first period, so she was overly aware of Vahn and was acting very different compared to her past self. By the time the bath had come to an end, she had nearly passed out from the hot water and her own anxiety overwhelming her.

Tina's 'collapse' had brought the bath time to an end and Vahn was able to finally free himself from 'most' of the girls. Though he didn't mind it, Chloe didn't leave him unattended for a single second and had even happily helped him get dressed. Vahn originally tried to equip his clothing, but she playfully poked his chest and said, "Come on, it's okay, isn't it~? Nyahahaha." Vahn knew Chloe had a thing for 'young boys', so she was acting somewhat uncharacteristically at the moment and Vahn thought she was kind of cute so he gave in and decided to let her pamper him for once.

During breakfast, the seating arrangement had been changed once again but it had taken an unexpected turn compared to the past. Vahn was sitting in Chloe's lap as she rested her chin against the top of his head and hugged his body tightly from behind. Some of the other girls tried to complain, but her only response was to laugh in a mischevious and dismissive manner before saying, "I'm recharging~nya!" This continued for some time until an unexpected situation occurred and, against any precedents that had been established, Hestia awoke early and came down for breakfast.

The moment she saw Vahn, Hestia's eyes turned into saucers and she practically pried him free of Chloe's clutches with a strangely fervent expression on her face. It wasn't the first time Vahn had been pressed into Hestia's large and ridiculously soft b.r.e.a.s.ts, but it was the first time he had been picked up by her as she released a girlish cry and hugged him with a terrifying amount of strength. While he was enjoying the sensation enveloping his face, Vahn commented inside his mind about how dangerous it was to be a 'little boy' surrounded by girls...

---

Vahn finally managed to 'escape' the mob of girls after pacifying each of them by 'allowing' them to hug his body. Most of them were satisfied with normal hugs, but Vahn experienced more than a single pair of b.r.e.a.s.ts suffocating his face before the event had come to an end. The only exception among the girls present had been Riveria, who hadn't participated directly and just asked a few questions instead. The strangest part, however, had been when Vahn ended up having to hug the smaller girls in the group, He was used to being one of the taller people in the Manor, but now he could barely see the tops of Tina's, Shizune's, and Lili's, heads. Even when he tried to pet them, it actually felt somewhat strange since he was nearly at eye level with the mildly blushing girls.

None of this had prepared Vahn for the 'strangest' part of the experience when, the typically much smaller Fenrir, now stood nearly 20cm taller than him. In a manner similar to Chloe and Tione, Fenrir had a strangely possessive expression with glowing scarlet eyes as she tightly hugged his body and even patted his head for nearly ten full minutes. Even when the other girls tried to convince her to let go, Fenrir would just 'snarl' at them and say, "Fenrir will protect the tiny Master~! Vahn is small now, so Fenrir will look after him!" Her words finished, Fenrir actually picked up Vahn and tried to run away from the rest of the group before she was eventually talked down by Vahn himself by the time she reached the staircase.

After things had settled down, lots were drawn again to see who would accompany Vahn to 'go play' with Fafnir. Though she had stopped trying to run away with him, Fenrir was still 'protecting' Vahn, especially from Chloe and Tione, so she was automatically included. As for the 'victorious' Ais from the previous day, she was now crouching down at the side with Tiona as they both drew circles on the ground. Earning the envy of some of the other girls, Lefiya had managed to 'win' again and was trying to console Ais by offering her spot to the 'dejected' girl. Her offer was shot down, however, when Syr told her, "Lefiya, we have to treat this in a fair manner. If you didn't want to win, you shouldn't have entered at all. If people started trading their 'wins' with each other, it would cause problems later on."

The final two winners had ended up being Preasia and Maemi. Emiru was saddened that she had failed to net a 'victory' of her own, but she consoled herself after telling Maemi to put her efforts into their connection. She planned to retire to her room for the day and 'link' with Maemi so she could experience everything her twin experience. Understanding her sister's desire, Maemi promised to maintain the connection properly and they spent several minutes 'synchronizing' with each other before it was time to leave. As for Preasia, she gave a small fist pump when she pulled the winning lot but hadn't said anything. She had also been present when hugging Vahn earlier and had held him tightly against her somewhat rough wool sweater that she liked to wear.

Wrapping up the members was Riveria since she was the highest Level of everyone present and was the most capable when it came to dealing with any trouble that might arise. She was very intelligent, highly rational, and possessed a wide assortment of all-purpose magic that she could use in an emergency. She had several years of experience 'babysitting' Ais, Tiona, and Tione, so she was very suited to the role of 'chaperone' for the 'field trip' of the group. Since Vahn was currently in a somewhat childlike form, he had earned a fair amount of teasing. Before he left, Syr had even informed him that she told the rest of the girls on the network about his transformation and that Hephaestus, Eina, Loki, and Anubis would all be visiting in the evening.

After hearing the 'news', Vahn didn't really remember much of what happened after that as he walked through the City holding hands with Lefiya. Vahn had been surprised when she asked to hold hand and, when he asked why she was suddenly being so forward, Lefiya responded with a cherry-red face, "I-I promised Ais that I would treat you the same way as she does since she couldn't come along..." Vahn accepted her 'excuse' with a smile and allowed her to lead him along while Fenrir stuck to his free arm. It was a very strange experience for Vahn, now that he was smaller than the two petite girls, and it felt like he was being the one guided through the streets by an escort of 'older' women as if he was a child that needed protection...there was one good thing about the situation, however, since none of the men on the street gave him looks of resentment in his current form...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Relaxing bath...','A Wild Shota Appears!?','Vahnguard in Full Force')

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