Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 1915 A Not-so-Brief Intermission

After wrapping things up in the Town of the Wandering Minstrels, Vahn decided to decompress by returning to the Little Garden, feasting alongside the few residents that remained before spending a bit of time exploring Actualized Worlds. More specifically, he decided to visit the Tri-Ace Anthology, not to battle against the Ethereal Queen, but to act as an observer or a ’Guardian God’ of sorts.

Though he could easily manipulate the flow of fate to increase the likelihood of a certain outcome, one of the things Vahn had come to learn during his experimentation was that events, even without further interference on his behalf, could change drastically so long as time was allowed to flow. This was most obvious within the Actualized World of Naruto, as, despite having very little impact on the world after his initial spree, the events within the manga changed subtly every time he peeked in to see how everyone was doing.

Simply put, unless he disconnected the Actualized Worlds from his Internalized Realm, they would experience constant changes. Said changes seemed to be directly related to his mental state, so, if he was happy, the flow of fate would typically allow for more positive outcomes within the worlds under his management. Inversely, whenever he was experiencing any form of negative emotion, the worlds within would gradually change to reflect these sentiments.

Fortunately, so long as he had a presence within said worlds, the changes wouldn’t be that extreme. It was generally events in the far future, specifically timelines he had yet to visit, that were the most affected by the changes he had made. Thus, by taking a more proactive role in the world’s progress, even if he was simply observing it, he could drastically reduce the influence his mental state had on the events transpiring within. This was likely the reason why many Gods in fantasy novels kept silent vigil over their worlds, as, the moment they directly intervened or looked away, the influence of fate and karma all but guaranteed that something bad was going to happen.

Though he couldn’t even begin to comprehend the nature of a Tier 7 existence, the one thing Vahn was absolutely certain of was that it was a paradox in and of itself. He would have power on a level that simply couldn’t be defined, but, unless he wished to invite destruction upon the ’everything’ he represented, he would be forced to simply watch as events transpire. The only way he could interact with the world at large was to effectively seal himself away, relegating his true self to the position of linchpin as his manifestations and incarnations ventured through various worlds, potentially without any power to speak of...

Shaking his head free of such thoughts, Vahn watched as a young woman with pink hair, pointed ears, and a furry pink tail ran down a cobbled road towards a cottage located near the center of a homely-looking village. Inside, a rather heroic-looking youth with pale-blue hair and a light-brown tail sat across from a similarly aged youth with blond hair and sly features, who, like virtually every other resident of the fantasy-esque world, possessed a cat-like tail covered in blond fur.

With little more than a thought, Vahn was able to manifest inside of the cottage without either of the youths noticing his presence. More accurately, at least for the time being, he didn’t exist in any form that the inhabitants of the Actualized World, Gods included, would be able to sense. This was one of the scarier aspects of his [Actualization] Innate, as, not only did it provide him with the ability to behave like an unrestrained voyeur, it allowed him to manipulate the fates of individuals without them having any idea of what he was doing.

Fortunately for the inhabitants of the many worlds under his control, Vahn was beginning to realize that his interference wasn’t necessarily warranted. It was entirely self-serving, and, though he didn’t regret helping the people he had taken an interest in, he was slowly coming to understand that the ’best’ Gods generally acted as silent observers. They rarely took action themselves, as, more often than not, even a middling effort on their part would simply be excessive. As a result, the balance of karma would be thrown completely out of whack, and, as a result of their direct intervention, there was a high probability that a zealous faith would be established in their name.

Though he had little choice but to take proactive action in the Transcendental Path to Heaven, Vahn knew he couldn’t keep resolving everything directly. He needed to open up to the idea that others would be carrying the burden of the future, and, while it was okay to offer them a helping hand in their time of need, it was equally important that they be able to spread their wings and soar beyond his control. This was actually a lesson he had learned during his time in Danmachi, but, as his power grew beyond the scope of normalcy, so too did his sense of responsibility and the concern he had for others.

Now, much as he had watched over the members of his Familia, Vahn would be watching over the trio of Fellpool gathered before him. This was the start of their journey, and, though it could have just as easily been another chapter in his, there was no need for him to always play the hero. After all, if he could achieve a similar outcome by supporting from the shadows, what reason was there for him to take direct action? His harem had already grown beyond reason, and, while he couldn’t deny that the women of this world were cute, the same could be said about virtually every member of his expansive entourage. Thus, while he might feel compelled to take direct action at some point, Vahn wanted to use this as an opportunity to practice observing...

As that thought crossed his mind, a smile spread across Vahn’s imaginary mouth as the pink-haired woman, a Fellpool named Millie Chliette, performed a spiraling uppercut to punish the older of her two childhood friends, a blond-haired Fellpool named Dorne Murtough. The latter had been trying to convince the leader of the trio, the Hero of this particular story, Roddick Farrence, that the former was a hot-headed and crazy woman. In reality, he had a deeply ingrained crush on the pink-haired maiden, but, as was often the case in such stories, Millie was ’secretly’ in love with Roddick, the one person seemingly unaware of this truth.

Unamused by her friend badmouthing her to the person she had a crush on, Millie’s fluffy pink tail stood on end, rustling in a way that caused a curious glimmer to flash across Vahn’s eyes. He had a rather ’extensive’ knowledge of girls with animalistic features, yet, in nearly four-hundred-years, he had never seen one with the ability to vibrate the individual strands of their tail. It was a surprisingly adorable display of anger, and, though their story had just begun, he was already starting to regret his decision not to directly intervene in the events to come...

---

Following a series of events that took place, concurrently, over the course of an eight-month and three-hundred-year period, a version of Vahn possessing onyx-colored hair, pointed ears, and a cat-like tail could be seen smiling wryly as the party bid farewell to two of the most integral characters of the original plot, Captain Ronyx J. Kenny and his adjutant, Ilia Silvestri. As for the reason behind his wry smile, it was largely due to the petite girl with dark-pink hair, cat-like ears, and fur-covered limbs affectionately clinging to him while another beauty, possessing golden hair, silvery-gold eyes, and large angelic wings stood a little too close for comfort on the opposite side.

Despite his best efforts to not get involved, Vahn had a nightmare of a time manipulating events so that everyone within the group of galactic heroes ended up happy. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that fate itself was getting in his way, as, in accordance with the setting of the game the world was based on, the maximum party size was only eight people. Recruiting one person closed the route to helping another, and, as the central protagonist of the world, Roddick’s decisions and interpersonal relationships directly impacted whether or not his companions would have a ’happy ending’.

Unable to simply stand on the sidelines as fate conspired to guarantee a ’bad end’ for people who could have just as easily played a vital role in the progression of the plot, Vahn did the only thing he could think of to fundamentally alter fate: take matters into his own hands. This required him to join Roddick’s party prior to the first divergence, and, after a planned falling out, he became something of a rival for the youth as their parties ’coincidentally’ crossed paths at several key junctures.

In the end, Vahn helped Roddick’s team become far more powerful than they otherwise would have been. At the same time, he ended up becoming the emotional anchor and support, not just for the women in his group, but virtually everyone that would have been relegated to a bad ending should Roddick not choose them. This included clarifying things between the remarkably dense hero and his childhood friend, cementing the bonds between Ronyx and Ilia, helping Phia win the affections of Cyuss, and reuniting the bereaved Mavelle with her murdered lover.

Unfortunately, thanks to time-travel shenanigans, there were two among the group of heroines that hailed from a time more than three-hundred-years prior to the story’s inciting incident. Both would have originally imprinted on Roddick, but, thanks to his early encounter with Cyuss, Pericci, a lesser Fellpool who had been abused for much of her life, and Erys, the angelic beauty determined to bear the fate of the world on her shoulders, were fated to remain alone. Pericci, in particular, would have spent the remainder of her days avoiding slave traffickers, and, due to her connection with the Arch Fiend, Erys would have remained sealed within a prison of magical ice for thousands of years.

Though he could have orchestrated events so that both women ended up happy, this would have actually been detrimental to the world’s central axis of time. They both possessed powerful fates that were directly linked to important events in the world, so, for the sake of ensuring a positive outcome for the majority, they were meant to experience suffering and loneliness. Circumventing this was remarkably difficult, so, with fate and karma refusing to cooperate, what other choice did he have but intervening directly?

Despite his confidence that he had done the ’right thing’, Vahn couldn’t help but offer an even wrier smile as the remarkably beautiful Ilia, possessing an athletic figure, golden hair, and matching eyes, asked, "Are you sure you about staying behind? Your talents are uniquely suited to the Pangalactic Federation. After this incident, there are an abundance of reasons to justify letting Planet Roak into our ranks. It would be an uphill battle, but, with someone like you serving as their representative, it is only a matter of time before Roak becomes a common name among Federation Officers."

With a fifteen-year age difference between the twenty-three-year-old Ilia and Ronyx, the blonde bombshell was actually one of the primary heroines within the story. She and Roddick were fated to become ’very’ close after a mishap with time travel, but, thanks to Vahn’s intervention, Roddick and Millie ended up traveling together while Ronyx and Ilia found themselves stranded on the western continent of Van. It was at this point that Vahn took a more proactive role in the story, helping the duo find their footing, negotiating with the King of Van, and, most importantly, bridging the gap in their relationship.

In the beginning, Ilia had actually taken quite the liking to him, and, had he not been aware of her importance to another story in the far future, Vahn might not have been able to resist her attempts to close the distance between them. She was a remarkably beautiful and intelligent woman, and, for the sake of ’blending in’ with the people of Roak, she had opted to wear similar clothing to a female knight, specifically opting for a form-fitting outfit that displayed her athletic figure and exposed her tantalizingly toned thighs.

Understanding that she hadn’t quite given up on him just yet, Vahn forcibly suppressed an awkward laugh, ignoring Ronyx’s slightly guarded look as he asked, "And what about Pericci and Erys? I can’t very well leave them behind..."

Answering before Ilia could offer a reply, Ioshua, Erys’ teal-haired brother, immediately butted in, saying, "Preposterous! Though I am grateful for your efforts to save my sister, I will not allow her to simply run off with some strange man of dubious origin! Roak is our home. Would you deny her the opportunity to live a peaceful life for the sake of your ambition?"

With her wings fidgeting in annoyance, Erys balled her hand into a tiny fist, her cheeks flushed with a red hue as she exclaimed, "That is enough, Ioshua! I understand your concerns, but I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. Even if it is only for a short while, I wish to continue traveling alongside Vahn. Peace might be a wonderful thing, but peace alone does not make people happy. I once dedicated my everything to defeating the Arch Fiend. Now, I have found a new reason to keep moving forward. It is time you did the same. I am grateful for your concerns, but I am no longer the weak little girl that was stolen from you in our childhood...please, Ioshua, you must move on..."

Seemingly intent on proving her point, Erys emulated Pericci’s behavior by grabbing onto Vahn’s arm, her face becoming noticeably redder in the process. This caused Ioshua to pale considerably, but, as this was far from the first time they had discussed the matter, he could only glare at Vahn with a hateful but accepting look in his eyes as he said, "You had better protect her...I’ve already traveled between worlds and through time. If you hurt her, I will track you down and make you pay..."

Finding himself at a loss for words, Vahn simply stared back at Ioshua as several people in the surroundings laughed at both of their expense. It was only when Ronyx loudly cleared his throat, saying, "We must be going. The longer we remain here, the more difficult a situation we put the Admiral in. Any mistakes we make now will be used as evidence against us during our upcoming Court-Martial..."

Piggybacking off her exasperated Commanding Officer’s words, Ilia made one final attempt to convince Vahn, saying, "It will complicate things slightly, but, once you are confirmed as a delegate, claiming Pericci and Erys as part of your political entourage shouldn’t be an issue. Your testimony would also go a long way to absolving the Captain and myself of any wrongdoings during our time on Roak..."

Noticing the hopeful glimmer in the woman’s golden eyes, even as he had two beauties clinging to him, Vahn fought hard to restrain a sigh as he ultimately answered, "So be it. I doubt things will end the way you’re thinking, but there is no harm in seeing how things play out..."

With her perpetual smile becoming even more prominent, Ilia appeared even more radiant than usual as she clapped her hands together and happily chimed, "Splendid! I can’t wait to show you what life is like on Terra. Though it might not compare to Roak’s natural beauty, there are many wondrous sights to view back on my home planet. Once this fiasco with the courts is resolved, it would be my honor to show the three of you around. I hope you’ll look forward to it. If you’d like, I can even give you a tour of the entire galaxy. I’m sure you’ll be surprised once you learn how vast the ocean of stars you see in the night sky truly is..."

Resisting the urge to make a counter-comment about how limited her perspective of the world was, Vahn simply smiled in response to the woman’s confident remark, answering, "I’m looking forward to it..." in an amused tone.

(A/N: Surprise announcement coming soon (OwO)...’)

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