Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1569 Anguish

As one of the southern-most nations in Mundus Magicus, Ariadne was located very close to a glacial, snow-covered, plain. With Eva’s speed, she could easily traverse several thousands of kilometers per hour, so, after a few minutes of passively letting her pull him along, Vahn found himself in a vast, frozen, tundra. Then, rather unceremoniously, Eva tossed him into the wall of an ice sheet, embedding his body into the surface without fear of actually killing him.

Deciding that any kind of resistance would be counterintuitive, Vahn allowed himself to crash into the wall, collapsing part of the ice sheet in the process. Even then, he didn’t do anything that might scare Eva off, resulting in him being embedded upside down in the ice wall as she came to hover in front of his face, demanding, "Speak. Tell me the truth. If you lie to me, I’ll teach you the true horror of being an immortal..."

Without dislodging himself from the wall, Vahn extended his hand, pulling a [Memory Orb] out of his memory as he explained, "I have your Memory Fragment with me, but, until you are able to understand the truth, I will show you some of my memories. These are just some of the moments I shared with you...moments the Eva from my world gave her permission to share..."

Though she was familiar with the concept of Memory Fragments and Phantasmagoria, Eva did not immediately activate the [Memory Orb] Vahn had given her. Instead, she spent more than half an hour analyzing the unknown orb, shifting her gaze between it and Vahn in an attempt to understand both.

Sensing no hostility whatsoever from Vahn, Eva ultimately repressed a sigh as she inserted a thread of mana into the orb. Immediately thereafter, she saw a scene that made her want to bury Vahn even further into the ice sheet, as, displayed in ultra-high definition, she could see her true form eagerly suckling the neck of a brown-haired youth. This wasn’t too unexpected, but, seeing her Memory Fragment wearing nothing but a transparent babydoll, a slight flush colored her cheeks as she immediately deactivated the orb, glaring at Vahn as she shouted, "Stay here! Don’t move even a muscle...!"

Seemingly confident he would go anywhere, an icy blue shroud enveloped Eva’s body as she teleported several kilometers away. Then, after patting her chest a couple of times, she pulled out the orb, staring at it for several minutes before inserting her magical energy. Even if there was a chance the images were doctored, the expression on her Memory Fragment’s face had stuck in her mind. She seemed happier than should be possible, so, despite a strong urge to just bury Vahn under the ice, Eva watched silently as the version of herself in the orb showed a number of expressions she hadn’t shown in centuries...

---

Despite several hours passing, Vahn didn’t even think about trying to dislodge himself from the ice sheet. Even if he had to wait for days, weeks, or even months, he would do so in the hopes that Eva would return. There was no way to know whether or not she was testing him, so, even if he had to dedicate a version of himself to living within the ice sheet, he would do so without hesitation...

Fortunately, shortly after the sun had gone down, Eva appeared from within the void with a look of disdain on her face as she stated, "I’ll admit, your skills are impressive. Even I can’t see through the method you used to fabricate those memories. What, did you expect me to fawn over you like a bashful maiden after seeing such a ridiculous display? You clearly don’t know me as well as you deign to believe..."

Shaking his head, Vahn explained, "Everything in that orb is the unfiltered truth. After coming to understand each other, your memory fragment and I fell in love. For thousands of years, the other you taught me everything she knew about magic, life, and so much more. Even if I had a hundred years to convey everything you mean to me, it wouldn’t be enough. I have wanted to meet the real you for so long, Eva, I-"

Releasing her aura like a tidal wave, Eva interrupted Vahn’s heartfelt words, screaming, "Don’t call my name with such familiarity! You might have been able to fool a fragmented version of me, but did you really think that would be enough to convince the real thing!? What, are you expecting me to suddenly spread my legs and let you have your way with me!? What do you want from me, you, you, you perverted bastard!?"

Though Vahn was slightly surprised by Eva’s outburst, he showed no signs of perturbance, an affectionate smile on his face as he answered, "I want you to let me save you. For the last one hundred years, not a day has gone by when I didn’t think about the promise we made. Even if you never come to love me, I have already prepared my heart. So long as I can save you, I will be happy just knowing you are free from this life that has been forced upon you..."

Hearing Vahn’s words, Eva couldn’t help but clench her teeth in frustration, as, despite the tiny voice in her mind protesting, she could see the desperation in Vahn’s eyes. Each of his words seemed incomparably sincere, and, towards the very end, she could hear practically hear his heart breaking when he mentioned her never loving him. This caused her to feel a pang of guilt, but, refusing to believe his words so easily, she asked, "You said you had my Memory Fragment, right? Where is it? Show me!"

Despite feeling his bones creak under the pressure of Eva’s aura, Vahn showed no sign of discomfort as he shook his head and explained, "After I learned Magia Erebea, your Memory Fragment began to dissipate. I was able to seal it away inside of myself. I can return it to you, but, you have to be absolutely certain before I do. Even if your memory isn’t perfect, you will still experience thousands of years of loneliness. Though I believe it-"

Without waiting for Vahn to finish, Eva shouted, "Do you think I’m unfamiliar with loneliness!? I don’t care what you have to say! Give me my Memory Fragment before my patience runs out and I begin ripping you limb from limb!"

Forcibly restraining a wry smile, Vahn just nodded his head in response to Eva’s demands. In a way, this was the ’best’ possible outcome, so, without dawdling, he allowed his intent to sink into his body. There, curled in a fetal position, the Memory Fragment of Eva had contained to slumber, a peaceful smile on her face. At times, he would just observe her for hours on end, and, on more than one occasion over the last century, he had thought about ways to give her a body of her own...

Understanding that the Memory Fragment of Eva wanted nothing more than her original self to be saved, Vahn only hesitated for a brief moment before undoing the bindings of [Enkidu]. It was a shame that Scathach’s plan to meld with her lily self didn’t go as planned, leaving him with little understanding of the influence Eva’s Memory Fragment would have on her original self.

In the end, the ’original’ Scathach had only said a few words to her lily self before giving her twin a firm hug and wishing her well. She had come to the conclusion it was better for her lily self to slowly unlock the memories on her own, rather than inherit them all at once. Eva would not have this option, however, as her Memory Fragment was already on the verge of breaking down at the time she had been sealed...

Seeing resplendent golden chains begin to unfurl from Vahn’s body, Eva had to force herself to remain calm. Her first instinct was to teleport away, as the chains gave her a very dangerous feeling, but, sensing no bloodlust or malicious intent from Vahn, she held her ground. He had been passive to the point of allowing her to freely handle him without any resistance, so, while she didn’t exactly drop her guard, Eva’s ’instincts’ told her that Vahn would never harm her...

From within a golden ripple that had formed near Vahn’s chest, Eva watched with a deadpan expression as a naked version of herself emerged from ’within’ him. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but the sight had annoyed her quite a bit. If not for the link she sensed the moment her Memory Fragment emerged from his chest, she would have thrashed the perverted man for daring to keep her naked body contained within his...

Without bothering to wait until her Memory Fragment had completely emerged, Eva placed her palm on the former’s head. Immediately thereafter, the Memory Fragment vanished into thin air, never to be seen again. This caused a pained look to immediately appear on Vahn’s face, earning him a snort from Eva as she muttered, "Stay here..."

Seeing Eva disappear a second time, the tensions in Vahn’s body relaxed considerably, even as a melancholic sigh escaped his lips. He had kept her Memory Fragment within him for so long, that, without it, it felt like a part of him was missing. Even if this was the ’best’ outcome, as Eva was bound to open up to him, even just a little, it didn’t make the loss of the Memory Fragment any less painful. Rather, the longer Eva was gone, the more melancholic he began to feel...

---

This time around, Eva teleported a lot further away from Vahn, as, from the moment she had absorbed the Memory Fragment, powerful emotions began to overwhelm her. Memories that had been accumulated by a Memory Fragment were experienced in reverse, so, the first thing Eva experienced was the overwhelming sadness that came from parting with Vahn. She could also feel the love, longing, and, most importantly, the hope her other self possessed for Vahn. These emotions caused her heart an unspeakable amount of anguish, and, as a result, a loud cry escaped the real Eva’s mouth as she began to thrash about within the large crater formed from her crash...

Like a movie rewound at an incredibly fast speed, Eva saw and experienced all of the things her Memory Fragment had done with Vahn. It was so much more than she expected, and, if not for the brief ’interludes’ where her Memory Fragment longed for Vahn’s return, Eva felt as though her mind would have simply ’broken’ from the strain. Fortunately, though it certainly didn’t feel like it, her body, including her mind, would repair regardless of the mental strain she had experienced. This had actually caused her to develop split personalities due to the synapses of her brain being perpetually fixed as those of her ten-year-old self, but, as this was one of the things that allowed her to persist for so long, Eva had gradually come to accept her other selves...

Unaware of the passage of time, Eva continued to process the memories inherited from her Memory Fragment. They became a lot easier to tolerate beyond a certain point, allowing her to witness Vahn’s ’regression’ into a rather cold and distant boy. When the memories finally neared the beginning, Eva began to feel a small amount of resentment and envy toward her Memory Fragment, but, when she saw how Vahn had reacted to her sucking his blood, most of her feelings were replaced with guilt. She understood better than anyone else the kind of person she was, so, despite knowing how wrong her actions were, she could easily imagine teasing him and drawing his blood without permission...

Recalling Vahn’s blood, Eva’s guilt began to gradually fade away, replaced by a rising heat in her body. Though she had never experienced it herself, her Memory Fragment had drawn his blood rather ’excessively’. There were times when she didn’t even require his blood at all, but, after a while, it became something of a ritual between them; one that became increasingly more intimate as her Memory Fragment grew bolder...

Now that the memories began to reconcile within her mind, allowing her to recall them as if they were her own, Eva couldn’t help but cover her face. She hadn’t even noticed when it had happened, but she had already reverted back to her true form, steam rising from her head as she remembered the art gallery she had disallowed Vahn entry into. Though she knew what was going through her Memory Fragment’s mind at the time, Eva simply couldn’t believe how ’bold’ her other self had become as her relationship with Vahn grew...

As that thought crossed her mind, memories of Terra gradually began to surface, causing Eva to begin shouting, "No, no, no, no, no, no! How could you do such things you dumb bimbo!? What happened to your pride!? Gnuuuuu, that isn’t me! No way, no how~!!!"

Shaking her head in vehement denial, Eva began considering whether or not she should use memory erasure magic to be rid of the shameful memories. Before she could, however, she recalled the name she, Vahn, and Terra had come up for the latter’s child. This was one of the most vivid memories in her mind, indicating just how important a moment it had been for her Memory Fragment. She could also ’recall’ all the tender emotions she had been experiencing at the time, so, after a while, Eva just released a sigh before curling up into a ball and hugging her knees...

---

Despite watching the sun descend and ascend three times, Vahn remained embedded in the ice wall without moving from his position. He had already explained the situation to everyone back in Ariadne, so, for the time being, all training had temporarily ceased. If not for the fact he still had to watch over Asuna, he might have even dispelled all of his bodies. He was fully focused on the current moment, refusing to let his mind wander as he patiently awaited Eva’s return. He refused to believe she would run away after experiencing the love he shared with her Memory Fragment, so, even if he couldn’t see her, he believed she was silently watching him from within the void...

Though it would have been a simple matter to just check his View Affection to deduce what Eva was thinking, Vahn willed himself to avoid peeking. He wanted to trust in the bond they had built together, so, no matter how much time passed, he was determined to remain in his spot until he was forced to move. Even then, he could only pray for the one who moved him, as, even thinking about it, Vahn felt righteous indignation that promised great suffering for the one who mistakenly dislodged him...

Fortunately, by the time the sun was setting on the fourth day, Vahn sensed a subtle ripple in the void, followed by the appearance of a figure that instantly caused his nose to burn with a sour feeling. Tears began to cloud his eyes, but, seeing Eva wearing a pure white dress as she bashfully looked away from him, Vahn didn’t dare to blink. He was afraid she would disappear the moment he did so, never again appearing before him...

Seeing tears begin to pour ’up’ Vahn’s face, Eva felt an extreme amount of guilt. Each of the speeches she had painstakingly constructed no longer seemed relevant. Instead, a conflicted look appeared on her face as she gripped the hem of her dress, tears welling in her own eyes as she mumbled the three words Vahn most desperately needed to hear, "Please...save me..."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Ain’t nobody got time for Alternate Titles right now...!’)

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