Chapter 2017: Reminisce
While Vahn was attempting to make sense of his situation, the control room within his mind was in a state of disarray. Catgirls of various shapes and sizes were running around in a panic, and, though she was doing her best to maintain control, even Sis was feeling more than a little anxious.
Somehow, against all rhyme and reason, Vahn had managed to peel back a substantial number of the protective layers guarding his greatest secret. This was very-nearly a worst-case scenario, as, if he accessed that information before he was ready, the consequences would be both unimaginable and irreversible.
Though she hated keeping things from him, The Path had determined that Vahn needed to be very near the pinnacle of Tier 6 before the seals placed on him could be removed. At the present, he was still meandering through the shallow end of what it meant to be an 'unrestrained' Tier 5, so, while it was only a matter of time before he uncovered the truth, he was grossly unprepared to cope with it.
Seeing the seals surrounding the sphere representing Vahn's soul slowly dissolve away, Sis couldn't help clicking her tongue before biting her nail with a vexed expression on her face. The degradation rate was only at 8.03219%, but, from the moment he had become one with The Path, the amount of power Vahn could access was limited to 1% of his Soul's potential. Even that required him going 'all out', so, now that his limiter had been breached, there was no way of calculating just how powerful he had become.
The Path was literally connected to the source of all energy within what Vahn described as the Tier System. It was one of the foundational pillars of reality itself, so, even if he had only ever been able to access a single percentage of its power, it was only a matter of time before he stood at the very pinnacle of power within the Records. The only thing preventing him from reaching that point in an instant was his desire to see and experience the world around him rather than simply lording over it like some kind of untouchable existence.
Vahn was the type of person who could be totally engrossed in the structure of a single atom, so, while he could easily obtain even greater power, his curiosity and his sincere desire to interact with the residents of each Record prevented him from advancing too quickly. In even simpler terms, this meant his power increased in direct proportion to the perceived strength of whatever threat he was facing. There were no limits to this, as, unlike the beings restricted to their respective Records, Vahn was an existence that, on the most fundamental level, transcended everything else entirely.
Suppressing a sigh, Sis ordered her sisters to do everything in their power to prevent the seal from degrading even further. It was beyond her power and authority to even attempt reapplying the seal, as, from the very beginning, it was always intended to be destroyed when Vahn began searching for answers about himself. Right now, he was too distracted by events happening around him to really care, but, once he was nearing the pinnacle of Tier 6, he would have had no choice but to reflect, as, from the moment he ascended to Tier 7, reality would essentially become a representation of how he and his counterpart viewed themselves in respect to one another. In essence, it would become a compromise shared between them, so, without having an absolute understanding of himself, Vahn's path towards Tier 7 was blocked...
---
Unaware of the turmoil his minor breakthrough into comprehending the Mantra of Eternity had caused, Vahn began experimenting with ways to break through the 'illusion' that had been cast on him. He had convinced himself that his current situation was the result of someone with an intimate understanding of his thoughts and memories pulling a prank, so, rather than get all flustered about it, he decided to use it as an opportunity to practice breaking free from techniques that intercepted his consciousness.
Though there were a number of differences, Vahn likened his current situation to a 'full dive' into the Virtual World. Simply put, someone had used a technique to fool his own mind into creating a world based on his own thoughts and memories. In other words, everything he was currently seeing and experiencing was a construct of his own mind, so, when he imagined the sky turning pink, there wasn't even a delay before the pitch-black void above became a vibrant pink hue. He could extend his hand to grasp mountain-sized Shinheuh in the distance, and, due to the Law of Perspective, they would become the size of insects within the palm of his hand.
Seeing the miniature monstrosities panicking within the invisible bounds of his grasp, Vahn decided to test the limits of this Phantasmagoria-like illusion by expanding his domain far beyond its natural limits. His domain allowed him to grasp the position of even the most minute particles within range of his senses, so, if the world was being generated based on his thoughts and memories, he should be able to 'break' it by pushing his perception to the absolute limits.
Unsurprisingly, Vahn was able to extend his domain far beyond the maximum range he was able to achieve in the outside world. Infinitely more surprising was the fact he couldn't detect even a single anomaly within its 8,991km range. This indicated that his mind was either filling in the blanks, or, far more frightening, drawing from his memories to generate the entire Tower all at once. In Layman's Terms, there was a very real possibility he was currently trapped within a fully fabricated yet illusory Realm...
Rubbing his temples, both as a result of frustration and the sheer amount of information his brain was trying to process, Vahn habitually retracted his domain before 'teleporting' back to the cottage he shared with the girls. His domain had allowed him to sense that each and every one of them was being generated, but, while they emulated natural thoughts and movements, it hadn't escaped him that they were 'exactly' where he expected them to be. In other words, everything within the illusion was moving, perfectly, in accordance with his expectations.
Emphasizing this point, Vahn found Fenrir lying face-down in their bed, butt raised and face pressed into the spot where he typically lay. This was a marking behavior she had developed years ago, and, though he was fully aware of it, Vahn had never called her out on it since her aroma actually helped him to relax. She was also pretty careful about not getting caught, so, the moment that thought his mind, Vahn was unsurprised to see Fenrir simply vanish before reappearing in the kitchen alongside Yuri and Enne.
Though he wasn't nearly as shameless as his faithful companion, Vahn allowed himself to fall face-first onto the bed, Fenrir's aroma soaking through his olfactory system as he did his best to remain calm. After all, this was actually quite the opportunity, and, so long as he suspended his disbelief a bit, he could experience a wondrous dream dictated by his expectations...
As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn's heart seized as a very subtle vibration transmitted to him, a tell-tale sign that someone had just sat on the edge of the bed. Then, as his mind made itself up, he was able to sense a heart-wrenchingly familiar aura. Were it not for the fact his face was buried against the bedding, he might not have been able to prevent himself from tearing up, as, moments later, a concerned and slightly husky voice asked, "Is something the matter...?"
Though Fenrir's scent remained, the moment Vahn heard the voice, the world around him seemed to undergo a shift. He no longer found himself on the upper floor of a demure cottage situated on the 199th Floor of the Tower. Instead, in the blink of an eye, he was lying in bed back at the Hearth Manor, and, despite an extreme amount of guilt swelling from within, he couldn't resist the urge to turn his head and face the red-headed beauty staring down at him with her slightly mismatched red and crimson eyes.
Before Vahn could find the words the express himself, the woman, Hephaestus, adopted the most gentle smile he could imagine as she reached out to caress the side of his face and say, "You must have had it rough...come, even if this is ultimately just an illusion, I can still be here for you..."
Not expecting her to call attention to the fact they were currently trapped within an illusion, Vahn found himself at a complete loss for words. This elicited an amused chuckle from the Goddess, who, with a confident smile on her face, carefully moved aside a few strands of his hair as she asked, "Did you forget? We are connected in a way that no one else can emulate. Your thoughts, memories, and even your emotions are all transmitted to me. Besides, you're a hundred-million-years too young to think you can keep secrets from a Goddess as intuitive as myself..."
Though her words had been directed towards him, Hephaestus' eyes briefly shifted away from Vahn as a second red-headed beauty appeared out of thin air. Her casual mention of intuitive Goddesses had caused him to think about Loki, and, as a result, the Goddess in question appeared to ask, "Oh? What's going on here~? Is our little boy toy feeling lonely~?"
Without waiting for a reply, Loki caused Vahn to become a statue as she raised her hand to the side of her mouth and shouted, "Hey! Everyone! Get your butts in here! Vahn's back~!"
The moment Loki's words fell, the door connecting Vahn's room to the rest of the manor shattered into countless pieces as Tiona, followed by a veritable horde of women, burst into the room. Before she could leap towards him, however, Hestia appeared out of thin air, her godly aura active as she adopted an almost comical martial arts stance and threatened, "Don't even think about swarming him before I get a chance to welcome him home...!"
Completely ignoring the petite Goddess' words, Tiona attempted to slip past Hestia only to find an impenetrable barrier blocking her path. This wasn't in the form of any godly magic, however, it was due to the presence of numerous child-like individuals manifesting around Vahn the moment he sat up. These were none other than his children, and, the moment they appeared, understanding smiles appeared across the faces of everyone present as Hestia led them all to say, "Welcome home..."
---
After what felt like an inordinately long and painfully short length of time, Vahn opened his eyes to find himself seated atop the same moss-covered boulder he had chosen to meditate on. This time, however, there were far more animals, several of which were mammalian in nature, lingering around him. This included a remarkably adorable creature that looked like a mix between an emerald-green fox, a moth, and some kind of ivy. It also had watery blue eyes, and, the moment he looked down at it, Vahn could swear it smiled back at him.
Undoubtedly as a result of this perception, the peculiar creature did not immediately dissolve when the rest of its kin disappeared into nothingness. Instead, it tentatively approached Vahn, cautiously sniffing his extended hand before nimbly climbing up to his shoulder and rubbing against him in a manner reminiscent of a cat. This caused a fine green powder to cover the left side of his face, but, after what he had experienced, there was very little that could perturb Vahn's mental state. Instead, a smile developed across his face, and, though he wasn't sure it would work, that didn't prevent him from picking up the creature and musing, "I think I'll call you...Beryl..."
(A/N: Alternate Titles: '...','...','...')