Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With Vahn finishing his explanation of events, Rin immediately followed up with a few questions of her own, though not before summarizing, “So, you’re telling me that Fenrir, the little girl sitting next to you, is not only a Phantasmal Beast from the Era of Gods, but the actual ‘Fenrir’ from legends? If that is the case, how exactly did the two of you even meet? Why does she refer to you as Master…?” Once she had a proper grasp on what Vahn was trying to convince her of, Rin felt that there was a much ‘bigger’ secret he hadn’t revealed. The fact that he could not only use True Magic, but could summon being from the Age of Gods was a ‘major’ flag for her.

Knowing he had come to a crossroads, Vahn unhesitantly decided to place his trust in Rin, immediately answering, “It is not inaccurate to say that I created Fenrir, at least in the world I previously inhabited. Though our relationship has evolved far beyond such labels, she had always called me Master since the time of her creation. As for the answer to your other question, it isn’t entirely dissimilar from what you’ve already deduced. My true nature, other than being a Progenitor, is that of a former God of Creation. Though I currently lack Divine Power, the Mage’s Association would likely classify me as a Greater Divine Spirit by virtue of my existence alone…”

Rin looked like a bomb had been set off in her mind, even if she had already harbored suspicions since the moment Vahn first began to inhabit her Manor. His original story mentioned being an Emperor but he had completely glossed over the fact that he was a ‘literal’ God as well. When she considered that he was apparently involved with a plethora of goddess, however, Rin couldn’t help but admonish herself for not making the connection instantly. It wasn’t even a logical leap to realize that Vahn must have been a God himself to have possessed so much power, especially since his ‘weakened’ state was still beyond her current capacity to understand.

Without affording Rin the opportunity to recover, Vahn decided to strike while the iron was hot, adding, “Previously, I had been worried about Fenrir’s insatiable appetite so I hadn’t been able to summon her. Though it will still prove a bit troublesome, that is no longer a concern…as for why I summoned her now, it was a combination of my loneliness and my desire to test a theory I had been forming over the last month…” As a prodigious Magus, Rin’s ears practically perked up in response to the last sentence Vahn had spoken. Since he seemed to be willing to share one of his secrets with her, she set aside her other chaotic thoughts and began to listen attentively to what he would say next…

Deciding not to keep Rin in suspense, Vahn gave Fenrir a small nod, causing the latter to hop off her chair before turning her back to the table. Then, after a flash of magical blue light, her clothes had changed from a one-piece dress to a sports bra that left the back exposed. Rin had been stunned by Fenrir’s ability to change her clothing with what appeared to be advanced Magecraft, but this faded quickly as her eyes were drawn to the strange crest on the latter’s back. Though her cheeks felt a bit warm when Vahn ran his finger down Fenrir’s spine, Rin continued to listen in silence as he explained, “I’m certain you are fully aware of the existence of a ‘blessing’, a power that gods passed down to mankind in order to help them thrive and prosper…”

Even without Vahn going into greater detail, Rin already knew what he was implying as she watched the crest of Fenrir’s back radiate a mystical light that was fundamentally different than Magecraft. She couldn’t understand the principles behind it but Rin was absolutely certain that, even if the crest wasn’t actually the ‘blessing’ of a god, it was a form of True Magic she couldn’t comprehend. Just looking at the runes made her head feel as if it was being split, causing Rin to avert her eyes as she listened to Vahn explain, “In my previous world, the ‘blessings’ of gods were commonplace, to the point that hundreds of thousands of people, calling themselves Adventurers, unhesitantly fought against the tides of vicious monsters with the crests of various gods upon their backs. When I came to this world, I had to leave behind my Divinity in the process…however, after learning the Magecraft you had shown me, I was recently able to develop a version of the blessing that functions, even under the restrictions placed on this world…”

Though he didn’t even know if the crest would have any effect on her, Vahn had already thought of a few methods to make it seem as if the crest was functional. He wanted to help her increase her strength as, even though he didn’t feel any feelings of love and affection for her, Rin was his first ‘friend’ within this foreign world. Not only had she provided him with much-needed information, but she had ‘somewhat’ selflessly opened her home to him on the very same day of their first meeting. This had given him an overwhelmingly positive opinion of her so, even though Rin had a few ‘quirks’ that needed ironing out, Vahn knew he would blame himself if she died as a result of him selfishly denying her the ability to drastically increase her power…

With her intellect, Rin had already seen through Vahn’s intentions after considering why he would bother to reveal such a significant matter to her. At the same time, she became ‘positive’ that Vahn had followed her to the meeting as it almost felt like he was worried about her participation in the upcoming War. This made her heart palpitate in a way it hadn’t in nearly three years, even though it was only a brief reaction that quickly faded away when she saw Fenrir standing at Vahn’s side. Still, understanding that Vahn was essentially offering to help increase her power, Rin’s expression became serious as she asked, “What are the requirements for that blessing of yours? Also, what actual benefits does it provide…?”

Understanding Rin had ‘willingly’ taken the bait, Vahn’s own expression turned serious, even if it was a simple matter. This caused Rin to tightly grip her hands beneath the table as Vahn plainly stated, “Other than having to expose your back to me, there are no other requirements. I will be using what is essentially a higher form of Magical Power to carve the crest, allowing it to take immediate effect. As for the benefits, well, you can expect a qualitative increase in strength, endurance, agility, and even magical power. Though you may not be happy to learn this, your current Magical Power, as far as parameters are concerned, is ridiculously underdeveloped. If you choose to accept my blessing, I can essentially guarantee your magical power would have more than doubled by the end of the week…”

Rin felt as if Vahn had snuck a cheap shot into his explanation but, hearing that she could double her power in less than a week, she was more than a little tempted to accept his offer. Still, reason told her that there were no free lunches in the world so she remained skeptical as she remarked, “You say there are no requirements, but that doesn’t match what I know of other ‘blessings’. In all of recorded history, there are virtually no accounts of a god bestowing their blessing upon a mortal without some kind of tribute or sacrifice…” Though she had come to trust Vahn, Rin wasn’t the type that would simply accept the words of another at face value. She had been betrayed several times in the past and, though Vahn seemed to be distinctly ‘abnormal’ compared to anyone else she had met, Rin still hesitated to accept his offer, feeling it was ‘too good to be true’.

Without minding Rin’s skepticism, Vahn adopted a gentle smile as he explained, “In my world, gods bestowed their blessings upon the various races for a variety of reasons. Most commonly, however, was to experience what it was like to have a ‘family’. Unlike the legends you know, the gods from my world have no relation to each other. They were uniquely individual existences that were incapable of reproducing through any means, normal or Divine. To experience the kinship they had observed in the other races, the gods chose to descend into the Mortal World to live amongst their creations, creating what became known as Familias, the literal ‘families’ of the gods. In exchange for power, the ‘children’ of a Familia would genuinely become as close as family to the gods, living and working alongside them within large residences where the entire Familia would reside…”

Seeing the deep emotions contained within Vahn’s eyes as he spoke, Rin felt a lot of her own inhibitions fade away as she commented, “It sounds like a paradise…” If gods were truly able to live amongst people as Vahn described, Rin imagined it must have been a utopia of sorts. Though this was far from the truth, Vahn still smiled in response as he nodded his head. With the efforts he had made, it wasn’t far from becoming the ideal world that Rin must have been imagining within her mind. By the time he returned to the Record, it was entirely plausible that he would shape the world into a place where people could genuinely live happily amongst each others as equals. Those that sought strength would be able to rise up and experience a higher form of existence while those content with more normal existences would be allowed to live in peace…

To end his explanation, Vahn looked directly into Rin’s eyes, smiling as he said, “My own family is an incomprehensibly vast distance away from here. Even if I wanted to, I would not be able to return without becoming far more powerful than I am at the present moment. While I am a resident of this world, I may not be able to create a new Familia, but that can’t stop me from taking on Disciples. As my understanding of Magecraft continues to grow, the restrictions to my current form are rapidly being undone. When the time comes, I will be able to teach you a form of Magecraft that only those from the Age of Gods would have been privy to. As for what I expect in return, I desire only that you continue being the kind and caring woman I have observed you to be…”

Rin took in a deep breath when she heard the final part of Vahn’s statement, feelings of anxiety and other, more complex, emotions welling up inside her. Though she felt like the distance between her and Vahn had increased drastically compared to what it was before, Rin felt a greater sense of ease knowing that he thought so ‘highly’ of her. This, combined with the fact that an increase in power would be extremely helpful in the coming months, caused Rin to release a false sigh of exasperation before ‘reluctantly’ saying, “Very well. However, if you try anything when applying the crest, don’t blame me for showing you how ‘uncaring’ I can be…!” Since she knew it would require her to remove her blouse, Rin couldn’t deny she was feeling a little giddy at the concept of having Vahn apply his blessing to her body…

Instead of teasing her outright, Vahn released a light-hearted chuckle before asking, “When do you want to perform the ceremony? It will take around a half-hour, assuming there aren’t any incidents.” Since it would only be his second time applying his newly structured crest, Vahn knew there was a chance he could make a mistake during the process. Though it wouldn’t take much effort to fix, it could be the difference between a thirty-minute induction ceremony and an hour-long ceremony. When Rin heard his warning, however, she seemed to have a few wayward thoughts as a light blush touched her cheeks as she slammed the table and exclaimed, “I have to take a bath first…!”

Though she had shouted outwards rather boldly, Rin’s face only became redder as a result while Vahn and Fenrir looked back at her with deadpan stares. She then tucked her head before exiting the dining room, shouting, “Wait for me in my room…!” on the way out. Vahn was tempted to comment that her choice of words only exacerbated the already awkward situation but he knew Rin was the most aware of this fact. Thus, turning to Fenrir, Vahn noticed that she was still wearing nothing but a sports bra and spats as she stood idly at his side. Taking a close look at her, Vahn briefly recalled the inhibitions he had in the past, things that had been tossed to the side long ago. Though she was almost ‘too’ petite, Vahn had experience with much smaller women and had become somewhat desensitized to the fact with the passage of time. Now that he was in a new world, he would have to be a little more considerate of his surroundings to avoid unnecessary troubles…

Seeing her Master ‘inspect’ her, Fenrir puffed out her modest breasts with pride as she began to shimmy from side-to-side, counter to the movements of her tail. Vahn’s smile softened when he saw this, followed by a resolution not to care what other people thought. Then, knowing Rin would probably take a much longer bath than normal, Vahn pulled Fenrir to sit on his lap before running both of his hands through her dense matt of hair. Fenrir made no attempts to resist him at all, instead choosing to close her eyes and simply enjoy the moment to the fullest. Vahn’s smile continued to grow as a result, followed by him pulling Fenrir’s face closer to his before stealing her lips. Her tongue playfully entwined with his and, even though it would probably cause Rin to ‘explode’, Vahn decided to make the most of his reunion with Fenrir…

—

By the time Rin had finished her bath, nearly a full hour had passed. Vahn and Fenrir had eventually moved to Rin’s room, a place he had only ever visited once before. The fact that she allowed him to enter without being present herself was a testament to the fact that Rin’s ‘perception’, at least in regards to their relationship, was quickly changing. She would have never allowed a man into her room, regardless of whether or not they were on friendly terms, as it was something akin to a ‘sanctuary’ for herself. Vahn, however, was no longer considered in the same regards as normal men as, from her perception, he was a Divine Spirit that would soon become her formal Master. At the same time, it was almost as if she were becoming the first follower of a new religion as, even without his Divinity, Vahn’s status wasn’t all that dissimilar to an actual god’s…

When Rin appeared in the room, Vahn was surprised to see that she was only wearing a white blouse and a pair of black panties. The blouse hadn’t even been buttoned up, allowing her cleavage and navel to be exposed as a bit of moisture still clung to her hair. When she saw his eyes briefly flicker to her body, Rin pulled the front of her blouse closed, more out of habit than embarrassment. Vahn could see there was a circular scar located on the side of her abdomen, a clear indicator she had sustained a very serious injury in the past. Since the part she tried to cover up was this same side, Vahn intuited that she must be self-conscious about the scar. Once she opened up to him a bit more, he decided he would help her remove it, assuming it was something Rin herself wanted.

Walking around to the side of the bed, which Vahn had enough wherewithal not to sit on, Rin had a determined expression replace the fretful look she had shown only moments before. Regardless of her resolve, however, she still ‘glared’ at Vahn as she said, “Turn away…” in a slightly demure tone. As he didn’t want to cause her undue stress, Vahn turned away without comment, followed by Fenrir doing the same. After that, there was the sound of clothes being shuffled before a muffled ‘thump’ resonated through the room after Rin sat atop her bed. She had a mattress stuffed with the downy feathers of geese so it was much softer than a normal bed, placing it only a few tiers lower than Vahn’s own expectations for the quality of a mattress.

After covering the lower half of her body with a blanket, as the thought of Vahn staring at her backside caused her ‘intuition’ to fire up, Rin eventually said, “You can look now. Let’s get t his over with so I can go to sleep. I’m tired after everything that has happened today.” Vahn gave a simple nod, even though Rin wasn’t even looking at him, before moving to the side of the bed and saying, “Just just to relax your body and stay as calm as possible. This process can feel very ‘itchy’ but it will go much faster if you avoid unnecessary movements…” Though the ‘actual’ process could even cause pain, Vahn’s mastery in the [Hands of Nirvana] allowed him to effectively mitigate any pain that Rin would have felt. As for the ‘itchy’ sensation, that wasn’t something he could do anything about as his blessing would ‘literally’ be making changes to Rin’s body as a result of the runes being inscribed into it. If it didn’t do this, the blessing wouldn’t be able to increase her power, becoming nothing more than a tattoo that she would bear on her back unless he himself removed it…

Understanding that such rituals were often more than a little uncomfortable, Rin nodded her head before turning her face away from Vahn to try and relax. He gave her a bit of time to prepare herself before quietly stating, “I’m beginning…” in a calming tone of voice. Following this, Vahn placed his index finger against Rin’s back, wasting no time as he immediately began laying the foundation for her crest. She had twitched upon first contact but, after calming down, the rest of the process went relatively smoothly. The only reason it took a bit longer than normal was that Vahn also sent a few strands of Source Energy into Rin’s body during the procedure. Even if his blessing didn’t help to increase her parameters by much, having her internal magic circuits strengthened by his energy would have lasting benefits. Fortunately, there was a distinguishable effect on Rin’s parameters after receiving his blessing as Vahn was able to ‘interpret’ the increase as if he was updating the status board of another. It seemed that Rin had a lot of latent ‘experience’, or something similar, just waiting for something to make use of it…

——————————————————————-

[Status]

Name: [Rin Tohsaka]

Age: 27

Race: Human, God(sealed)

Strength: 2->4E

Endurance: 3->6E

Agility: 5->8E

Magical Power: 2->13D

Good Luck: 27C+

Circuit Quality: 22C

Noble Phantasm: ?

Origin: Divine, Quintessence, Gem

Skills: [Child of Destiny:Innate:C], [Ishtar’s Heir:Innate:(sealed)], [Charisma:D], [Martial Arts:D], [Parallel Thinking:E]

Magic: (-)

Magecraft: [Od Conversion:B], [Conversion:A], [Catalyze:B], [Jewel:A], [Reinforce:B], [Mystic Code:D], [Magic Coat:C], [Gandr:C], [Restoration:D], [Familiar:E], [Projection:E], [Alchemy:E]

[Charisma]

Rank:D

Passive: Moderately improves the way in which enemies and allies alike view the user.

Active: Increases the parameters of allies during group battles.

[Martial Arts]

Rank: D

Use: The culmination of all martial skills that have been learned by the user. Increases spatial awareness and enhances the efficacy of strikes.

[Parallel Thinking]

Rank: E

Passive: Slightly increases the user’s mental capacity.

Active: Allows the user to have two individual thought processes running simultaneously.

[Conversion]

Rank: A

Use: Allows the user to infuse their magic into magically conductive objects.

[Catalyze]

Rank: B

Use: Increases the magical conductivity of an object.

[Jewel]

Rank: A

Use: Allows the user to store Magical Power into gemstones that can be later activated at near-instantaneous speeds, reducing the need for incantations.

[Mystic Code]

Rank: D

Use: Increases the efficacy of magical weapons that the user commonly uses.

[Gandr]

Rank: C

Use: A physical curse magic that takes on the form of a hazy black laser that can punch through reinforced concrete barriers.

[Restoration]

Rank: D

Use: Allows the user to use Magical Power to mend the wounds of a target. Has minimal effect when applied to self.

[Familiar]

Rank: E

Use: Allows the user to program artificial constructs to carry out simple tasks.