Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Opening her eyes after what felt like an eternity of peaceful serenity, Sala didn't immediately react to the presence of Vahn and Sandora. She stared directly at them, but her expression was a flawless deadpan as she softly inquired, "Is this real...?"

"Sala...?"

Concerned about her sister, Sandora attempted to approach her but was stopped by the red and blue blade of a fierce-looking woman with scarlet, pink, and light purple hair.

Channeling her authority, the buxom warrior narrowed her eyes as she commanded, "You will remain where you are." To her surprise, Sandora completely ignored the compulsion of her words, asking, "Why are you getting my way? Sala is my sister...!"

Blinking her red and blue eyes, a confused expression developed across the Valkyrian beauty. She no longer occupied the Throne, but she couldn't believe her power had dwindled to the point someone could disregard her compulsion entirely.

In an effort to deescalate the situation, a red-haired woman wearing a form-fitting dress and robes reminiscent of a Scholar interjected herself between Sandora and the confused warrior woman, expressing, "These people are not our enemies. Stand down, Mitra."

Though she kept her blade pointed toward Sandora, the tri-haired woman looked towards her marginally more diminutive counterpart and intoned a confused, "Yvonne...?"

Ignoring her companion's query, the red-haired, amethyst-eyed woman met Vahn's gaze, a wry smile marring her otherwise flawless features as she stated, "This man is Vahn Aldrnari Mason, the Sage Dragon Emperor and the being that gave form to our world..."

Reacting to Yvonne's words, Sala repeated, "Vahn...?" as she blinked back to awareness. Her previously lifeless eyes became filled with vigor as she adopted a radiant smile and added, "It really is you..."

Returning a wry smile, Vahn replied, "Indeed." before gently pulling Sandora to stand in front of him as he added, "However, there is another person you should be greeting, no?"

As if she had just noticed her, Sala excitedly exclaimed, "Sandora!" before separating herself from the bevy of beautiful women surrounding her and embracing her sister for the first time in what felt like eons.

Since her sister had been a relatively awkward and taciturn woman before her departure, Sandora was surprised by Sala's emotional outburst. When the two embraced, Sala practically clung to her, tears streaming down her face as she whispered, "My Sandora..." in a grief-stricken tone.

Though she returned Sala's embrace, Sandora looked toward Vahn to ask what she should do. In response, he exhaled a faint sigh through his nose before shaking his head and telepathically advising, ("She'll be okay...she just needs time to process things.")

Nodding her head in understanding, Sandora just held Sala like a mother trying to console her child. Vahn had already explained the 'complications' that had occurred during Sala's stay in the Masadaverse, so Sandora had a basic understanding of why her sister was reacting this way. Fusing with a 'system' that conferred boundless knowledge of the past, present, and future took a toll on even the strongest wills...

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After arranging for Sandora and Sala to have a bit of privacy, Vahn sat down with the Yvonne, Mitra, and a trio of breathtakingly beautiful yet peculiar-looking women. One had a shapely figure with long golden hair, off-colored eyes that glistened with gold and silver light, and an outfit that was both regal and scant at the same time. Another had a modest physique, peculiar black and white hair, and, much like the former, off-colored eyes that contrasted one another. As for the final woman, it was difficult to describe her as her appearance seemed to change every time Vahn blinked. She would resemble a young girl with ashen skin, wine red eyes, and muted grey hair one moment before transforming into a buxom beauty with obsidian skin, golden eyes, and demonic horns the next. And those were just two of her many transformations...

Though Vahn was already well aware of the trio's identities, Yvonne went out of her way to introduce the trio, explaining, "These are my partners, Mitra, the Goddess of Dualism, Ahura Mazda, the Ultimate White, Nadare, the Ultimate Black, and Naraka, the Ouroboros Cycle..."

Following her introduction, Ahura Mazda narrowed her eyes and playfully mused, "And this is Vahn Aldrnari Mason...the being who supposedly gave form to our fractured world..."

Unperturbed by Ahura's accusatory statement, Vahn raised his hand and smiled in a friendly manner as he replied, "Nice to meet you."

Returning a smile of her own, Ahura raised up the sides of her transparent skirt and replied, "The pleasure is all mine."

"Quiet, you."

Annoyed by her Avatara's behavior, Mitra gave her a warning look out of the corner of her eyes before shifting her gaze back to Vahn and saying, "By all rights, I should loathe you. However, without Yvonne and Sala, we would have been powerless to reach the Origin Coordinate and undo the Curse of Amrita. For that, you have my thanks..."

Though she was famous for her unbending pride, Mitra lowered her head to express gratitude toward Vahn. In the very next moment, however, she manifested her red and blue twin-blade, lunging toward him with a fierce expression on her face.

Instead of attempting to evade the fiery-tempered woman's strike, Vahn allowed it to pierce his chest, smiling sadly as he explained, "I may have given form to your world, but it was another who determined its fate. You have every right to be angry, but that isn't why you accompanied Sala and Yvonne to this world, is it...?"

Removing her blade from Vahn's chest, Mitra stared at it with a conflicted look, muttering, "How annoying..." before spinning it around, twisting her body, and slicing cleanly through Vahn's neck.

With his 'wound' closing behind the path of Mitra's blade, Vahn managed to keep his head on his shoulders as he looked to Yvonne and said, "You sure know how to pick 'em..."

Adopting a wry smile, Yvonne extended her hand toward Mitra and said, "That's enough, Mitra. Come and take a seat."

Though she gave Vahn one final glare, Mitra returned to her companions with a pouty look on her face. However, instead of sitting beside Yvonne, she sat down on the floor and placed her head on the scholarly-looking woman's lap, closing her eyes and allowing herself to be caressed.

Exhaling a faint sigh, Yvonne combed her fingers through Mitra's hair, an affectionate yet melancholic smile as she softly muttered, "I know you're already aware of the justification behind my actions, but I feel I owe you an apology..."

Raising her head, Yvonne found Vahn staring back at her with an equally apologetic smile on his face. Yvonne had fulfilled her duty by stepping in to prevent Sala from experiencing a great tragedy. That would have been the end of things under normal circumstances, but instead of accepting her loss and allowing herself to be expelled from the Masadaverse, Sala pleaded for Yvonne to let her return. The red-headed Template couldn't simply ignore Sala's appeal, so, even though she should have refused the request, she ended up becoming progressively more involved...so much so that she eventually ended up 'fixing' things directly...

Shaking his head, Vahn said, "You did absolutely nothing wrong. If I were placed in a similar situation, I likely would have taken even more extreme action..."

Understanding that Vahn wasn't just paying her lip service, the smile on Yvonne's face revealed hints of relief and vindication. Vahn had given her the freedom to make her own decisions, but she couldn't help feeling she had failed in her duty. Vahn's assurance that she had done nothing wrong meant more than she could put into words.

After wiping away a tear that had condensed at the corner of her right eye, Yvonne adopted a markedly more serious expression as she removed her hood and sprouted a pair of large, cat-like ears. She also grew a fluffy tail from her lower back before asking, "Is it okay with you if I take up the mantle of Floor Master in Sala's place? After merging with the Throne, she has lost the desire to rule over and manage others. The five of us will bear that burden in her stead."

Without having to consider his response, Vahn nodded and replied, "I feel bad for the Leader of Five-Claws, but pacifying her shouldn't be too much of a problem. She doesn't actually care about the position of Floor Master, only protecting her people. If you can prove yourself more capable in that regard, she should serve you willingly."

Supplying a nod of her own, Yvonne raised her right hand and sprouted a pair of golden claws as she said, "I no longer possess the Authority of the One True God, but I'm confident I can handle a single naughty kitten..."

Smiling wryly, Vahn advised, "Just don't take things too far. The five of you are technically affiliated with the Aldrnari Empire, so some might regard it as a hostile takeover if you fail to show adequate restraint..."

Feeling Vahn's gaze, Mitra opened her eyes and gave him a sidelong glare as she retorted, "We don't need your advice..."

Maintaining his wry smile, Vahn replied, "We'll see." before returning his gaze to Yvonne and adding, "Though I have granted you autonomy, you are still a part of me. I trust you to do the right thing..."

Retracting her nails, Yvonne adopted a teasing smile as she said, "I know when to apply pressure and when to exhibit tenderness. I can assure you that the South will prosper under our management."

Nodding a second time, Vahn replied, "I'm sure it will." before rising to his feet and adding, "As for Sala, I suggest we entrust her to Sandora for the time being. Come, I'll give you a tour of the palace. You'll likely be staying here for a couple of weeks."

Instead of rising to her feet, Yvonne shifted her attention to Ahura Mazda and Nadare, saying, "Please accompany the Sage Dragon Emperor. I need to have a chat with Mitra and Naraka."

Though Nadare rolled her eyes in response to Yvonne's request, she still rose alongside Ahura Mazda. As for the latter, she gave a courteous bow, answering, "As you will..." before shifting her gaze to Vahn, narrowing her eyes, and adding, "We'll be in Your Imperial Majesty's care..."

Returning a polite smile, Vahn did his best to ignore the fact Ahura was attempting to use a powerful allure on him. He knew she was just testing him, so he allowed her ability to affect him but simply ignored its effects...

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Though the festivities hadn't even started to die down for the day, the version of Vahn touring Underwood with Sis and Fenrir decided to return to the Sage Dragon's Hearth for the night. The situation with Sala and the memories he had absorbed from Yvonne gave him the urge to spend time with his family, so that's exactly what he did.

While a version of himself split off to visit the nursery, Vahn Prime, as per usual, made his way over to see Xysteria, Krona, and Silva. It had been a few days since he last visited them, and while that wasn't a particularly long period of time, he couldn't help worrying about Xysteria.

Emerging from the door that separated the triplets' personalized realm from the 'outside' world, Vahn found himself immediately pounced upon by a white blur. Several versions of Xysteria had been curled up nearby, so he barely had time to get his bearings before they practically buried him beneath their amorphous, indescribably fluffy bodies...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Mitra is a very stabby woman...','Male or Female, Vahn's Templates are fated to have a harem xD...','The real Ahura Mazda when he discovers he has an Ojou-sama counterpart: (O _ O)...')