Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2037: Fresh Start...?

Though it took a little longer than expected, primarily due to the fact he had met with a few people at the behest of the Template he created to replace Adori, Vahn eventually made his way over to the temporary estate of the Arie Family. There, he found Hagipherione watching over the younger members of her family as they practiced the training methods he had gifted them weeks prior. His sudden appearance had caught the ashen-haired beauty by surprise, but, as she had been expecting him for quite some time, she quickly passed on her duties to someone else before asking if he would accompany her to her private quarters.

As tempting as the invitation was, Vahn politely refused Hagipherione's offer. He doubtlessly would have said yes a few weeks prior, but, after spending a fair amount of time helping the other girls get situated, the fervor that had initially driven him to act began to wear off. Now, he just wanted to give everyone a chance to relax rather than inadvertently stressing them out with even more additions.

Fortunately, Hagipherione's desire to pursue him had little to do with any sort of emotional attachment. She merely wished to pursue the path of swordsmanship to even greater heights, so, after finishing the first phase of integration between his Realm and the Little Garden, Vahn asked Juuzou Shishimi and Jinbei if they would watch over the Arie Family before gradually making their way up through the Tower.

Though their mastery over the sword might not compare to his own, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Juuzou and Jinbei were Grandmasters near the pinnacle of swordsmanship. They had also been looking for something to do ever since their departure from the Nasuverse, so, after spending a bit of time familiarizing themselves with Shinsu, they agreed to lend him a hand on the condition they were allowed to quit whenever they wanted.

Vahn had no problems with this, so, after discussing the matter with Eva and introducing the duo to Hagipherione, he recovered the Red October, a rather temperamental Spirit that clearly descended from the Yeon Clan. She possessed their trademark black hair, pink eyes, and, despite having lost most of her memories, their general disdain towards men. This made her a little harder to deal with than the other Spirits, but, after a rather lengthy and meticulous session of maintenance, she mellowed out quite a bit.

With the addition of the Red October, the only part of the Thirteen Month Series Vahn had left to collect was the Dark September, an ownerless black dagger that had been sealed away for the past eight-thousand-years. As for why he waited till the very end to collect her, well, it was primarily due to the fact that she was the Spirit responsible for driving the Princesses who had attempted to wield more than one Thirteen Month Series mad...

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Trespassing a barrier located at the bottom of the deepest ocean trench on the 134th Floor, one of the few places untouched by Jahad's cataclysmic attack, Vahn found himself staring at a young girl with black hair lying atop a sacrificial altar. Her body was garbed in a black dress that left very little to the imagination, but, what stood out more than anything was the dagger sticking out of the center of her underdeveloped chest...

"Poor girl...it's no wonder Gustang decided to take his own life. Had I visited this place sooner, I would have invariably killed him myself..."

Though it was her own ambitions that led to the young girl attempting to become a Princess of Jahad, the simple truth of the matter was that the Princess Selection Trials shouldn't have existed in the first place. Jahad had no desire to marry, and, based on how he had spent the last ten-thousand-years, it was pretty clear he didn't care about allaying public concerns.

When it came down to it, the Princess Selection Trial was basically just an excuse for Gustang to experiment with the Power of Blood. When the victor of these trials learned the truth, she felt such an extreme level of despair that she ended up taking her own life in an attempt to curse Jahad, the Ten Great Families, and everyone associated with the Empire. Unfortunately, she failed to account for Jahad's precognitive abilities.

In the end, rather than cursing Jahad and the Empire, the girl ended up becoming the first Spirit attached to a Thirteen Month Series. This was a destructive process that resulted in the fragmentation of her ego, and, as a result, her anger was ultimately redirected towards future Princesses of Jahad. In other words, Jahad had weaponized the despair intended to be used against him as a convenient tool to prevent other Princesses from ever succeeding. He could have just nipped the entire program in the bud, but, just as he had done in nearly every other instance, he decided to simply observe from the sidelines with an impassive expression on his face.

Shaking his head, Vahn grabbed the hilt of the dagger and said, "With this, a tragedy of more than ten-thousand-years comes to an end. I pray you find yourself in a world where you won't have to suffer any longer..."

Though he could have provided such a world himself, Vahn, after discussing the matter with the other Spirits and most of the former Princesses living within the Little Garden, decided it was for the best if the Dark September return to the natural cycle of reincarnation. She would be a constant reminder of the dark history attached to the other Spirits. Thus, for the sake of everyone, including the Dark September, Vahn tightened his grip on the dagger's hilt before muttering, "Begone..."

Responding to his words, the Dark September immediately broke down into its constituent particles before fading from existence moments later. Fortunately, while this was unbelievably tragic, the Spirit of the Dark September was virtually guaranteed to experience great fortune in her next life. She had doubtlessly accrued a tremendous amount of negative karma in the years leading up to her sacrifice, but, from that moment onward, her actions were the direct result of someone else's machinations.

The Spirit of the Dark September had been exploited for more than ten-thousand-years so it was safe to assume that any negative karma she accrued would effectively be converted as compensation for the disproportionate suffering she had been forced to endure. He had also connected a thread comprised of pure Source Energy and intent to her dissipating spirit, so, even if the cycle of reincarnation refused to do her any favors, he could always take matters into his own hands once he reached the Divine Realm.

Choosing to believe in the same forces of balance that had complicated his life on countless occasions, Vahn stared off into the distance for several seconds, a contemplative look on his face, before sweeping his hand and effectively erasing the altar from existence. Then, with a slightly apologetic yet hopeful smile on his face, he gazed skyward, his eyes piercing through the barrier, the ocean above, and even the Tower itself as he muttered, "I suppose it's time to continue my own journey...let's just hope Shiroyasha extends me an invitation before I end up adding another twenty women to my harem..."

Though Vahn was intending to put the "what happens in the outside stays outside" saying to practice, he had very little confidence in his ability to leave women he had become attached to behind. He would do his best, but, understanding the type of person he had become, the odds were stacked against him. Thus, while it was unfair to place this burden on the Demon Queen who had been observing his journey from the comfort of the Divine Realm, Vahn was hoping she would act sooner rather than later...

"Well...either way, I'm looking forward to seeing where the Tower sends me. Will I end up in Heaven, the Netherworld, or Purgatory? Time to find out..."

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Despite his words, Vahn ended up spending several additional weeks within the Tower before making his way to the 200th Floor's Altar of Reincarnation. In that time, he helped solve a few problems for the Template he had placed in charge of the Tower before picking up Yurin and checking in on Phae, Gandr, and the other members of Team Wolf Pack.

Vahn felt like he had stolen the spotlight from the original heroes of the Tower, so, prior to his departure, he gave each of them a System Template before building a tiny cottage on the 200th Floor for Rachel to live in until she either reincarnated or allowed herself to be picked up by Baam. Either way, he wasn't going to let her remain in his Realm, and, no matter how much she begged, the Little Garden had no place for people who didn't even try to change.

When everything was said and done, Vahn found himself standing in the center of the Altar of Reincarnation with more than a dozen Templates and a few guests to see him off. Then, after a few parting words, he activated the altar with the intention of experiencing what it was like to reincarnate within a Record. He was sort of hoping there would be a God or Goddess waiting for him on the other side. Their reactions were always novel and amusing, and, depending on the circumstances, he might even be able to skip directly to the Divine Realm.

Unfortunately, the only thing Vahn experienced after initializing the reincarnation process was a slight tugging sensation reminiscent of the phenomenon he experienced when entering a new Record for the first time. This included passing through a number of layers that basically represented the various Laws of the world.

Feeling said layers attempt to strip away his power and authority, Vahn willingly relinquished it without any real resistance. He could literally become as strong as he needed to be, so, for the sake of enjoying his first few months in a new world, he didn't mind starting from scratch. After all, there was a very real chance that he might be reborn as an infant, a thought that previously terrified him until he discussed it with the girls. They seemed to believe he would benefit from experiencing a relatively 'normal' childhood, so, while the notion made him more than a little uncomfortable, he would be lying if he said he wasn't excited by the prospect...

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After a period of time that felt like several weeks, or even months, compressed into a single moment, Vahn was beginning to feel bored. This was taking a lot longer than he anticipated and he couldn't exactly return to the Little Garden since he had no idea what might happen if the process was interrupted partway through. Rather, unless he was feeling especially lonely, the consensus everyone had come to was that he would only visit the Little Garden once he managed to reach the Divine Realm. The 10Y:1D conversion had already been arranged, so, even if he spent a hundred years on his path towards Tier 6, only ten days would pass within.

Fortunately, even within the nebulous void that existed between dimensions, Vahn could still access the system function of The Path, and, more importantly, converse with Sis. He also had the option of reliving his memories, so, while the process was taking longer than expected, it wasn't like he had nothing to do. Rather, even if he ended up trapped within the void for what might equate to an eternity in the 'outside', he could always advance by simply expanding his Realm into the outside and creating his own reality. He was even beginning to suspect he had been reincarnated into a situation where he was the Progenitor God of his own Universe and the only reason things were taking so long was because he was being lazy...

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After what felt like an entire year, Vahn was pretty close to uttering the oh-so-famous phrase, "Let there be light.". Fortunately, Sis had talked him out of it, suggesting that the delay could be the result of his new body gestating. It would cause all kinds of problems if a reincarnator was transmigrated into a developing fetus, so, as he was wont to do, Vahn decided to place his trust in Sis's words. This ended up being the correct choice, but, unfortunately, he hadn't been reincarnated as a baby. Instead, he found himself waking up in what appeared to be a desolate wasteland filled with strange purple flowers beneath a crimson red sky. Infinitely stranger was the fact that he appeared to be a penguin-like creature with blue skin, bat-like wings, stubby arms, peg legs, and visible stitching along his stomach...almost like he was trapped inside a costume filled with flesh...

"What the hell...?"

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP Hag...','Oof. Rachel just got destroyed...','Quite literally...')

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