Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 429 - Gap

Hearing Fenrir's words, and seeing her expression, Vahn felt the fear inside of him transition to terror as he asked in a low tone, "Who is the father...?" Fenrir's ears drooped at his words and she explained, "Master...Lenneth is the daughter of Master and Freya..." Vahn felt an icy chill spread through his mind in an instant and his awareness suddenly expanded to nearly 2km and he could sense everything around him in detail. He couldn't believe that one of his own daughters would do such a thing, but he mainly blamed himself for it happening even though he didn't understand the situation at all.

Fenrir shivered under Vahn's pressure and explained, "Master, stay calm, please...it's not that simple, I just can't explain it well. You will understand when the others come...please stay calm, please..." Hearing the 'plea' of Fenrir, Vahn felt his heart wrench in his chest because he had never seen her act so pitifully before. He could sense powerful energy coming from her body and knew she was much stronger yet was acting more subserviently than ever before. Even though she was obviously highly frustrated, based on the glow of her eyes, she didn't show any signs of her hunger at all and was desperately trying to pacify him.

Vahn noticed an abnormality in the surroundings and could sense the formations in his perception coming to life as if in response to his domain being activated fully. The massive formation under his throne continued to the edges of his domain and likely proceeded even further beyond and it would have been an awe-inspiring sight to behold if not for the revelations that were beginning to overwhelm him. He kept screaming inside his mind for Sis to explain what was going on, but the only thing he received as a response was a horrifying silence. If not for the fact Fenrir was sitting in his lap, Vahn felt like he would go on a rampage and, if the fluctuating void was any indicator, he would destroy everything in his surroundings in the process.

Fenrir began nuzzling against his chest and Vahn found his arms 'naturally' closing around her back as if drawn by muscle memory. Her tail, which was generally dormant in the past, began to wag slightly from side-to-side, another sign that things had changed drastically. Not only was she more emotive, but she showed genuine signs of intelligence and understanding with a variety of complex emotions. Even though twenty-two years had passed, she remained almost exactly the same except for her outfit and her behavior. Without Sis to ease his mind, Vahn felt like Fenrir was one of the only things that could ground him at the moment. He had never felt so afraid and uncertain before and desperately sought answers.

At the same time as Fenrir's ears twitched, Vahn detected a presence appear within his perception as Fenrir shouted out, "Lenneth! Did you do something to Master!?" Even though there was nothing but empty space, both Fenrir and Vahn could detect the presence of the girl that raised her hand and moved through the void as if she were taking a casual stroll. Fortunately, she was no longer n.a.k.e.d but instead had on a muted grey bodysuit accented with golds and stark whites. Vahn was able to see her petite figure once again and felt the chill in his mind increase in intensity as he saw what should be his own daughter stare at him with amorous eyes filled with confusion.

Fenrir's aura more than doubled in size, but she continued to cling to Vahn without moving to attack the confused Lenneth. Responding to Fenrir's earlier words, Lenneth showed a small smile and asked, "What did I do~? I didn't do anything strange at all, Fenrir. I just played a little prank on Papa before he stopped me...I thought he was getting in the mood since he didn't stop me, fufufu~." The 500m radius around Vahn's throne was considered inviolable territory so it was impossible for anyone to get near him without his notice. Lenneth thought he was just spoiling her and letting her get away with a bit of mischief before putting a stop to her antics as normal. Now, however, she realized there was something very wrong with the situation since Vahn allowed Fenrir to sit on his lap.

Vahn continued to stare at Lenneth and asked in a cold tone that was caked with fear and inhibition, "Are you...really my daughter?" Lenneth's eyes opened wide in confusion before panic appeared on her expression and she asked, "Fenrir, what happened to Papa!? Don't tell me..." Fenrir continued to scowl at Lenneth and responded in an icy tone, "Master has lost his memories...he doesn't even know Lenneth anymore. Stay away from Master, or I will punish you in his stead..." Lenneth's eyes began to shake in their sockets as she turned her golden gaze to Vahn and asked in a stuttering voice, "P-papa...doesn't remember...me?" Vahn felt pained by her tone but he was far too angry at himself to even make an attempt to console her.

Because he had a near-perfect memory, Vahn could still visualize everything she had been doing to him earlier and it terrified him that he might have become a person that allowed such things. Not only did Hephaestus seem lonely, but Fenrir was sealed away beneath his feet and behaving very strangely while his own daughter looked at him with a lover's gaze. Even now, though she was obviously very impacted by the revelation that he had forgotten her, Vahn could see her gigantic aura completely permeated with a passionate red that gravitated toward him in a greedy manner. Since he had a greater awareness now, he could even see her affection value was set to Love and had a value of 137,596. If not for the fact he had confirmed she was still a v.i.r.g.i.n with his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn felt like he might just eject himself from this record entirely.

Lenneth had started to walk toward him, so Vahn held up his hand and stated in a firm tone, "Until I have a better understanding of the situation, please stay away from me..." As he spoke, an unexpected phenomenon occurred and Lenneth's body was forcibly teleported away from him in an instant. Vahn blinked in surprise because he felt his energy had flowed to enact his decree and didn't even leave an opportunity for Lenneth to respond. Even though she seemed to be able to move through the void herself, she was currently pressing against an inviolable barrier with a saddened expression on her face before sliding against it at crying in a small ball on the ground. Vahn felt pained, but her red aura terrified him greatly and he did his best to ignore her 'suffering'.

Seeing that Lenneth was 'punished', Fenrir released a relieved sigh and explained, "Lenneth has Divinities related to S.e.x, Space, and War...Master shouldn't blame himself too much for her behavior. It isn't your fault..." Vahn was confused once against as his mind processed Fenrir's words by playing them over and over. Through her brief explanation, he was able to understand that Lenneth was very close to a goddess and was likely influenced greatly by her own Divinities. If he had never found a way to properly inhibit Divinity over the twenty-two year period, it meant he wouldn't be able to do anything about her urges. His union with Freya had resulted in a daughter that was compelled to have s.e.x and yet she was still a v.i.r.g.i.n...Vahn began to understand the situation a bit, but he couldn't resolve the fear that was still inside of his heart.

While they were waiting for Hephaestus' return, Fenrir explained some of the key events that had taken place while Vahn did his best to behave normally and pamper her. Since his memories were connected to his 'past' self so clearly, his behavior was very normal to him but seemed to make Fenrir both happy and sad at the same time. According to the chronology of events that Fenrir laid out, it seemed that after he got married to Eina and Hephaestus, Vahn continued delving into the Dungeon in the pursuit of the organization that was targeting him and his family. Working with the Alliance, he managed to eventually defeat them after nearly four years and managed to clear through to the 73rd floor of the Dungeon after confronting a goddess named Enyo...

After defeating Enyo, the Alliance managed to confront the One-Eyed Black Dragon, which was apparently just the avatar of the real thing. Beyond the seal, the Dungeon continued and they had yet to reach the bottom even after making several attempts over the twenty-two years that had passed. Vahn himself had stopped going into the Dungeon after a while and began waging war against the Empire and the Kingdom of Rakia after they tried assassinating himself and several of his wives in an attempt to kidnap his children which were being called 'Nascent Gods' instead of Demigods. Because of his bloodline and the purity of his soul, his children hadn't been born as normal Demigods and instead possessed souls that were unbound by the restrictions of the record. Though it hadn't happened yet, several of his children were nearing Soul Tier 4 and were well on their way to becoming gods and goddesses...

The most devastating thing Vahn had learned about was the death of some of his lovers and the abdication of two of his children that had fled into the depths of the Dungeon, never to be seen from again. Vahn had asked about how they died, but Fenrir refused to explain the details and wanted him to ask the 'Council' in detail later. He did, however, learn about how one of them had died as Fenrir hugged him tightly and began to cry tears of grief, unlike anything he had ever seen before. She squeezed him tightly and started apologizing over and over as he stroked the back of her hair and tried to console her. When she eventually calmed down, Fenrir explained through sobs how she had killed Ryuu and seriously injured Tiona in the past. Vahn's heart shook at her words, but he continued to hug the crying girl tightly as he tried to process this information in his mind.

It was apparently the death of the girls that had caused Vahn to become somewhat distant with everyone else and he had set about on a journey of conquest to bring some semblance of peace to the world. His current title was 'Emperor of the Heavenly City', which was supposedly a giant floating fortress that he had constructed with the assistance of the Elves and Dwarves after entering an Alliance with them in the past. Though Fenrir explained that he had been a kind Emperor, Vahn knew from his Karma value that things hadn't gone as smoothly as she would have him believe. The fact that people close to him had died, and two of his children had even betrayed him, was a huge flag to Vahn.

Nearly two hours later, Vahn could sense several presences enter his domain and he reached out his hand and simply stated, "Come..." and they all appeared mid-step before him even though they had been nearly 2km away. As if they were used to such things happening, seven of the new arrivals kneeled low as Hephaestus, Loki, Anubis, Freya, and an unknown goddess all walked forward and lowered their heads slightly in a formal greeting. Vahn furrowed his brows at their actions as Fenrir spun around on his lap and leaned her back against his chest as her hair became slightly bristly from her frustration and she looked to Freya and said, "Your daughter got grounded by Vahn...you should go to her since you would just make matters worse by being here!"

Fenrir was openly hostile to Freya, but the ridiculously beautiful goddess just laughed in an elegant manner before turning to Vahn and saying in a teasing manner, "I suppose this is our first time meeting...my husband~. Don't worry, I'll make sure to take care of our daughter until things return to normal...fufufufufu." As Freya stated, this was Vahn's first time seeing her and his mind had blanked because of how beautiful she was. Even though everyone present was handsome and beautiful in their own right, Freya's beauty was transcendent and Vahn felt like he could lose himself staring into her silvery eyes if not for the influence of his [Will of the Emperor] resisting the charm that was invading his mind.

Hephaestus released a somewhat frustrated sigh and waved for the seven people to stand as she began the introductions, "We five goddesses are the Empresses that have helped to reign over your Empire in the last eight years. They are Inari, ruling over the Far East, Anubis, ruling over the South, Freya, ruling over the West, and Loki, ruling over the North. It has been my honor to serve you at your side over the years and help rule over the empire and help regulate matters on your behalf..." Vahn looked to everyone as Hephaestus had introduced them, starting with the new goddess that she had called Inari.

Vahn recognized the name and could see the silvery white nine tails that were poking out of the backside of her beautiful red kimono. She had very long silvery hair with curved ears standing proudly at the top of her head with somewhat angular eyes that were similar to Loki's in how they were almost slit-like. Like Haruhime, who Vahn could see standing at the back, she had a red blush on her eyelids and Vahn could feel a powerful charm emerging from her body as well when she looked at him with her golden eyes.

Loki and Anubis, other than their outfits, looked exactly the same as he 'remembered', but Haruhime had changed greatly since he had last seen her. She had obviously matured a lot, but still looked very young and Vahn could see eight golden tails dancing around behind her as she also locked her pale-golden eyes on him with a beautiful smile on her face. He could feel a powerful aura radiating from her body, much like the other six members present at her sides which included four more beautiful young women and two handsome men.

However, without concerning himself too much about their identities, Vahn was drawn to Hephaestus' words and asked, "What about Hestia, where is she?" Not only Hephaestus, but everyone had a blank expression for a brief moment before Loki explained, "Hestia never left the Hearth Manor...she wanted to take care of the home you had built together and said she would always be waiting for your return if things got difficult..." As Loki spoke, she looked toward one of the men that was standing in the back and Vahn turned his attention to him as well so the man bowed and said, "Father...Mother is in good health, though she misses you and would like to see you visit more often."

Vahn blinked in confusion for a brief moment before asking, "You are my son...with Hestia?" The black haired handsome man with light blue eyes nodded in a firm manner before raising his chest in pride and saying, "Forgive me, Father, for failing to introduce myself properly. I received the name Damen Mason from my esteemed mother, the goddess Hestia, and his imperial majesty, the Emperor of the Heavenly City, Vahn Mason." The handsome man, who stood around 175cm tall, seemed to take great pride in his identity and Vahn could sense a noble air radiating from his body as he spoke.

Loki began laughing and said in a teasing tone, "How peculiar, to see one's own son introduce themselves proudly to their own father...kekekeke." Hearing Loki's words, Damen blushed slightly and looked at Loki as if all his earlier pride had been an illusion and said, "Sorry, mother, I got a little carried away..." Hearing Damen call Loki mother as well, Vahn was confused until Hephaestus explained, "Most of your earlier children call everyone that lived in the Hearth Manor as mother..." Vahn nodded his head and everyone else began their introductions, starting with Haruhime, who looked to barely be twenty years old even though she was similar in age to Vahn.

She now stood around 160cm tall and her b.r.e.a.s.ts had blossomed slightly and were now nearing a C-cup in their size. Her long hair now trailed nearly to the floor and had been intricately braided to part around her eight tails that spread from her backside like a golden fan with their white tips. During her introduction, Vahn learned that he had two children with Haruhime, named Seren and Kino, and that she was currently one of the few Level 8's that served him. She still wore a red kimono, but it now went down to the floor and she looked closer to an empress than many of the goddesses that he was married to.

Inari, as if she refused to be outshone by Haruhime, also introduced herself once again and even tried to approach him before she was stopped outright by Anubis and Hephaestus. Vahn could see that Inari and Haruhime didn't actually get along that well with each other, though he didn't yet understand the reasons why. They were very similar in appearance, though Haruhime looked arguably more elegant, and the only big difference was the number of tails they had and the fact that Inari seemed to be in the Loki faction as far as b.r.e.a.s.ts were concerned. Even their kimonos were somewhat similar and it was almost like they were competing with each other as they both turned their golden eyes to him. Vahn learned that he had a single son with Inari, named Zenkoshiro Mason that was the current Daimyo in the Far East.

As for the other five others present, Vahn learned they were all his children and it made him sad to see that they had all grown up without him even knowing them at all. They were each of a different race, even though, as he would learn later, they were all of the same exact race. The other handsome man, who had emerald green hair and long ears introduced himself as Masonia Ljos Alf, the current King of the Elves and the only son he had apparently sired with Riveria. Vahn had several questions about how he had won over Riveria, but he was interrupted by the other introductions and had to set the matter to the side for the time being.

The first young woman, excluding Haruhime, introduced herself as Sakuya Mason and Vahn learned that the beautiful brown-skinned girl was his daughter with Tsubaki. Like her mother, she had the same skin tone and a powerful aura like a warrior that radiated from her body. Unlike the red eyes of Tsubaki, however, she had eyes similar to Vahn, though they were somewhat darker. Her hair was raven black and had been tied up into a ponytail behind her head and Vahn learned she was currently Level 7 and that Tsubaki was still living at the Hearth Manor and served as the combat instructor at the Academy he had founded several years prior with Riveria.

The second woman also had brown skin, but Vahn could tell by the pointy ears and the bushy tail behind her back that she was likely his daughter with Anubis. She had an elegant disposition, but Vahn felt like she had her mother's 'nature' when she introduced herself as Persia Mason and bowed low to him before surprisingly him by saying she was his daughter with Nanu. It turned out that, even after twenty-two years, he had never had children with Anubis and she simply took care of his other children before eventually becoming the presiding goddess over the South. Persia was the current ruler of the Southern Tribe and had united the entire region, which had now become closer to a fertile plain than a desert.

As for the final young woman, she had the smallest stature, around 133cm, and rosy pink hair with sky blue eyes. Vahn actually didn't recognize her racial traits at all, seeing as how she had subtle pink scales covering her arms, neck, legs, a purple gemstone in her forehead, and a lizard-like tail poking out above her butt. She introduced herself as Serene Mason and was apparently his daughter with a Xenos woman name Miene, who was the sister of a Vouvire woman named Wiene. Vahn was surprised to learn that he had met the woman through Bell, who had become one of his most powerful allies and had become known as the Lord of the Dungeon. He was currently leading the expedition deeper into the Dungeon and resided within the palatial fortress Vahn had built on the 50th floor, known as Haven.

After the introductions, Vahn was rubbing his temples as he tried to process all of the information that he had just learned. Fenrir hadn't been around for many of the events, as she had been 'locked away' most of the time after her outburst. She didn't know about many of the events that had transpired with the rest of the Alliance and had always been 'safely' kept at Vahn's side so she wouldn't accidentally harm anyone else. This left huge gaps in the information she had given Vahn earlier and he had now gleaned a bit of the surface of things through the introductions he had with his own wives and children.

Once he had collected his thoughts a bit, Vahn turned his gaze to Loki and saw her surprisingly serious expression as she stared at him with clear concern in her eyes. Vahn asked in a lazy manner, "Loki...please tell me who all have died...and how many children I have total..." Loki swallowed hard before laughing awkwardly and saying, "I feel like I got the short straw here...ahahaha..." Seeing that nobody else was coming to her aid, Loki then released a sigh and explained, "The ones that have died are...Chloe, Ryuu, Emiru, Maemi, and...Tina..." Vahn clenched his throne so hard that his fingers tore through the nearly indestructible metal and his aura weighed heavily on everyone present.

Loki bore the brunt of the pressure and said through gritted teeth, "Vahn...calm down...your power is too strong for our mortal forms to withstand!" Hearing her words, Vahn looked around and saw everyone was having trouble withstanding the pressure of his aura, including Fenrir who was at 'ground zero'. Vahn did his best to reign in his own power as he asked, "How did they die...?" Loki swallowed hard and didn't answer for a while, so it was Freya who answered in a clear tone as if the pressure hadn't affected her as much as the others, "Chloe died fighting against a woman named Valletta Grede, one of the pawns of the errant god Thanatos. In your fury, you used your [Enkidu] to tie him up and made him subject to the same poison that Chloe had fallen to...he suffered for nineteen days before finally returning to Heaven." As she spoke, Freya had an amorous look on her face as if she was recalling the scene and found it very interesting.

After releasing a slight m.o.a.n, Freya turned her silver eyes back to Vahn and continued, "Ryuu died to your little pet...it was a really tragic event. Looks like she got lucky that you lost your memories..." Hearing Freya's words, Fenrir's ears drooped low and she began to sob slightly in Vahn's lap because of the guilt that plagued her heart and mind. Vahn felt anguish in his heart, but he still comforted the disconsolate Fenrir. He hadn't been alive to experience the loss of Ryuu, and it was hard to believe she was actually dead, so he did his best to comfort her as Freya continued once again, "Emiru died in the Dungeon after overextending herself...Maemi was at the Manor and mourned greatly before she passed away soon thereafter. I remember that, after their death, you collapsed seven floors of the Dungeon and slew a total of ten Juggernauts before destroying Enyo's pawns after blaming them for the girls' deaths..."

Freya released a throaty m.o.a.n as she closed her eyes and rubbed her abdomen without any regards for the atmosphere. Vahn felt the chill in his mind become increasingly colder as he watched her 'performance' until she finished by saying, "Tina...she fell into the plot of one of the enemies trying to get close to you and died without anyone knowing about it until nearly a year later. You used the power of the Alliance to completely purge the criminal syndicates within Orario and then..." Freya's silverly eyes glowed with a magical light as she breathed heavily and said, "In the middle of the fiery ruins, that is where we shared our first time together~!"

Vahn waved his hand and forcibly ejected Freya from the room and deposited her near their daughter so she would no longer spoil his mood. He didn't even know how he was able to forcibly teleport them, but it was an instinctive action that he was able to call upon at a whim. He knew he possessed an incredible amount of power now, but he had no idea how to actually make use of it. The fact that he was Tier 4 meant he had to be a god, and Vahn didn't even know his own Divinities, assuming he had any. Freya's words let him understand that he had lashed out every time one of the girls died and likely caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people in his outrage. Just knowing Tina had died under his nose, without him knowing when or how, made Vahn's brain buzz with a maddening chill that threatened to overwhelm him entirely.

Though she was shaking under the pressure, Hephaestus walked forward and placed her hand on Vahn's cheek and whispered, "Vahn...you are right to be angry, but that was nearly fifteen years ago...the people involved are already dead..." Hearing Hephaestus' words, Vahn blanked once again and realized that he hadn't had a clear understanding of when events took place. Because he had been hearing about them sequentially, Vahn felt like it was all new information, but the actual events had taken place many years ago...realizing this, Vahn began to cry pitifully as his own lovers and children watched him with expressions of pity and concern on their faces...

(A/N: Enjoying the ride?)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Curse of Divinity','Lonely Throne','The Power of the Past : Regret')

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