Back in the Manor, everyone was preparing for the coming celebration even though it would essentially just be them all sitting outside and having a picnic. This would be a very low-key wedding, considering Riveria was an actual Princess, but they could always have a larger one once the Elven Kingdom takes a step back on the issue. They would likely want to 'celebrate' the union between Vahn and Riveria in the future, especially once a few matters came to light and were popularized. Though he couldn't transform into a Progenitor just yet, Vahn could still turn into a High Elf with incredible blood purity. Once this was known, after some other matters were dealt with, there would be no 'justification' for why Riveria couldn't be with him, regardless of how they tried to spin things.
In preparation for the wedding, even though Vahn would be the one escorting them into the upper atmosphere, Riveria was whisked away by Aina, Eina, Ryuu, Lefiya, and Loki. Vahn was certain Riveria was just going to wear the [Elven Queen's Gown], but they may have something different in mind so he was a little excited. As for what he would be doing before they departed, Vahn was sitting at the very top of the Manor with Fenrir happily sticking to his back. Ever since the previous 'incident', she had actually calmed down a lot and acted far less 'promiscuous', reverting back into her adorable an innocent self. Since she was very receptive to the changes in his mentality, Fenrir knew she had done something 'bad' previously and was now on her best behavior so Vahn would be happy.
Preasia actually 'reported' to him about her dreams and, other than the very first night, Fenrir mostly spent her time just 'playing' within the dreamscape. She did things like frisbee, hunting, killing monsters, playing tag, etc. Since she also didn't really like the 'fake' version of him too much, Fenrir didn't do much to stay in contact with his dream self and was simply happy to around something like looked like him. Vahn promised they would go hunting for real in the future so Fenrir was 'practicing' hard while releasing some stress in the dreamscape. As for Preasia, she also had a great deal of fun because she could change her body and do all kinds of interesting things. She had even been able to let Fenrir run around in her palm before, something Fenrir was very 'spooked' by since it would admittedly be very perturbing seeing a mountain-sized Preasia...
Looking over, Vahn saw a few Elves skulking about around the premises but they were quickly forced away by the patrolling guards, which had increased in number since the upper echelons were aware of the wedding taking place. Vahn released a heavy sigh and wondered how so many Elves could be mustered to pester them in such a short period of time but, after thinking about it in detail he could understand it a bit. Because of the negative relations between the Elven Kingdom and almost every other country, even those they sent out to experience different cultures only had a few options open.
Unless they joined merchant caravans, the only 'practical' choice would be to visit Orario since there was a wealth of culture, information, and resources. They could also train up their people by sending them into the Dungeon while also infiltrating various Familia by inserting their people into it. Vahn realized that the other countries outside of Orario probably did the exact same thing, though typically without any real harm being done. Many people, once they got away from their homelands for a long enough period of time, usually mellowed out a bit since it was easy to see that Orario was a much better place to live than many of their home countries. Unfortunately, many of them still returned home after a while because of familial relationships and other commitments they were 'compelled' to stick to. Most of the permanant residents were those that either migrated to the City or fled to it as a refugee after escaping some tragic circumstances...
Stroking the top of Fenrir's head, as she had moved to his lap after a while, Vahn said, "Fenrir, let's do our best to make this City a place where everyone can live a free and happy life...don't you think that would be nice?" Fenrir tilted her head up and had a thoughtful expression on her face, pulling her lip with one of her claws before saying, "Everything is better when people are happy...Fenrir knows. Fenrir will do her best to help Master beat up all the bullies~!" Though she hadn't truly opened up to anyone, except perhaps Preasia, Fenrir knew everything was better if people were happy. They treated each other nicely, worked together, and helped each other out when things got hard. She didn't understand why people even bothered stirring up trouble because it only made things harder for everyone else. She believed that, if everyone just listened to her Master and tried to be 'good', everything would work out...
Unaware of what she was thinking, Vahn rested his chin on Fenrir's head and scratched around the base of her ears while she happily kicked her feet about without losing her balance. She really was very therapeutic to him when she was 'behaving' and Vahn wished she would stay like this almost indefinitely, even though he knew things would have to change in the future. Though she hadn't told him directly, he learned from Syr, who heard from Milan, that Fenrir wanted to stay inside Eva's orb in the future so she could 'grow up'. Vahn suspected she would become much stronger and would probably mature a fair amount if they were actually separated for an entire three years...with Eva's icy disposition, Fenrir would likely mellow out a great deal while also fostering her desire to be with him even more. By the time they reunited, Vahn expected she would have changed entirely...but he wasn't going to stop her if that was the path she chose for herself.
Vahn knew he spoiled Fenrir a bit, almost since the moment she came into existence after her transformation, but that was also his decision to make. He wanted to take responsibility for the hard life he had forced on her by giving her something like [Insatiable Hunger] that could negatively influence her mind and cause her stress. Everyone else contributed to her being a little spoiled, just like how Eina, Aina, and Thomas had contributed to Risna turning into a shut-in. Since he couldn't tolerate the idea of 'imprisoning' her within her orb, Vahn had to help Fenrir establish a baseline while giving her some coping methods to deal with stress, something she had managed with great effort.
If Fenrir hadn't done her very best, Vahn wouldn't have spoiled her nearly as much and now it had become a habit he simply refused to give up. He still remembered what she was like beforehand and knew the current Fenrir was far more well-behaved than her prior self, urging him to continue treating her 'fairly' so as not to undermine her efforts to grow. At the very least, she prioritized being a 'good' girl, often completely changing how she 'wanted' to behave by using that as a metric. She also restricted some of the more problematic girls within the group from losing control and now everyone got along in a carefully maintained balance. Since she had been so instrumental to the success of everything, while also helping balance his mental state when he was stressed out, Vahn simply couldn't stop spoiling her...even if she was a little 'bad' at times.
Since she could sense what her Master was thinking, Fenrir was in a very good mood and knew her behavior over the last week had made him happy. Though she liked doing adult things with the dream Master, it really wasn't that fun when she really thought about it. Just sitting in his lap felt more 'real' than anything she did in the dreamscape and feeling his touch made her happy. She knew they would be able to have all kinds of fun once she matured, so Fenrir decided to just practice hard so she could make him even happier in the future. Though she wouldn't be able to use her mouth, Fenrir was confident she would be able to use other parts of her body to make her Master smile and praise her...
After 11 AM rolled around, Vahn sensed a pulse from Mikoto that informed him everything was ready and Fenrir immediately jumped up without being prompted. She wouldn't be going to the wedding this time around so she decided to just go play for a bit until her Master returned. Vahn watched her leap down from the top of the Manor and land nimbly on the ground below, a distance of more than 15m. With a smile on his face, he disappeared from the spot using [Shundo] and made his way to the rendezvous point after a second short jump.
As expected, Riveria was still wearing the [Elven Queen's Gown] but she had become inarguably more beautiful over a very short period of time. Vahn was a little stunned when he first saw her because, even though she stood amongst a group of goddesses, Riveria was like the centerpiece of them all. Her hair had been braided in a very complex fashion and she actually had a golden laurel crown that was twined together with some kind of bone that looked like ivory. She had a veil covering the lower half of her face and it was encrusted with gems that accented her eyes and gave her a mysterious and elegant appeal. Most notably, however, was the fact Riveria was done up with a light layer of makeup that made her fair skin look entirely unblemished, not that she had any spots beforehand.
Riveria did her best to keep eye contact with him at first but eventually averted her eyes as Loki began laughing and saying, "I always wondered what kind of person would be able to claim this ice queen's heart. Who would have thought it was the same boy that even I fell in love with~." Hearing her words, Hestia showed a small pouting expression and said, "Loki, most of us here are in love with Vahn, but that isn't important right now. Today is Riveria's day so don't say thoughtless things~!" Loki wanted to remark that Hestia 'added' on to what she said but decided against it when she saw Vahn's gaze was having trouble pulling itself free from Riveria. Hestia was right about one thing, being that today was Riveria's day and it wouldn't really be fair for her, especially as Riveria's goddess, to make things difficult for her.
Vahn had walked over at this point and had a gentle expression on his face as he said, "You look beautiful..." He wanted to compliment the other girls as well, but Vahn also keyed in on Hestia's words and saw that even Loki had taken a step back on the matter. For the time being, Vahn's focus should be Riveria alone and it was already 'difficult' for her to be doing things in such a peculiar fashion. Normally, an Elven Royal Wedding would be a massive affair and not something so rushed. However, all of that flair wouldn't really be able to touch upon the 'unique' wedding they were about to have and Riveria herself was very aware of that fact. Still, she had made a lot of concessions and Vahn wanted this day to be memorable for her so that she never looked back on this moment with regrets.
Extending his hand, Vahn waited for Riveria to eventually grab it before leading her up on Fafnir's back using the 'stairs' it had created for them. Fafnir was currently halfway in the ground and had shaped its scales to have a step-like pattern so it was very easy to walk up even though Riveria was wearing a long gown. Hestia, Loki, Aina, Ryuu, and Lefiya came up after them while Hephaestus and Eina actually chose to stay behind since it would potentially detract from the experience for Riveria to have his other wives present. It was also a fact that Fafnir's back, though rather large, couldn't really hold too many people without things becoming cramped. This was why Vahn had originally only allowed six people to come freefalling with him in the past, as it was simply the 'right' amount given the space available.
Vahn helped Riveria sit down, even though she could have easily done so herself, before taking the seat immediately to her right. Loki and Hestia sat close behind them and held the 'handles' Fafnir had produced while Aina, Ryuu, and Lefiya took up the rear, with Lefiya in the center of them so she wouldn't fall off. Ryuu had already experienced going up into the atmosphere previously while Aina had actually ridden wyverns in the past and had some expectations. As for Lefiya, she was a little fretful since she was scared of heights, at least for the time being, while Hestia and Loki were goddesses that were more interested in experiencing something new than anything else. Thus, with everyone taking their seats, Fafnir began its ascent towards the chaotic membrane that separated the Mortal World and the Heavens...
It was a very quiet and solemn flight at first but Loki seemed to get a little bored after a while and began making small talk with Lefiya, Aina, and Ryuu, not even bothering to hold the 'handle' anymore. There was a powerful wind barrier around Fafnir and its ascent was very stable, almost invalidating the need for the handle entirely. Once she realized that, Loki's excitement dwindled a bit and she figured teasing Lefiya a bit would be a more interesting way to pass the time. As a goddess, she had seen the entire Mortal World from Heaven, observing it for hundreds of millions of years before her descent, so Loki wasn't that interested in the sights. It was difficult to be 'awed' by overlooking the Continent when you once overlooked the entire world, including the other two Continents.
Hestia was much the same, but she kept silent and just relaxed since the flow of mana in the upper atmosphere was actually very comfortable. This influenced Riveria, Aina, Ryuu, and Lefiya as well, allowing the latter to calm down a great deal even though their height continued to increase. Ryuu explained to Lefiya that, as long as she had more than 1800 total Endurance, there was no danger even if she fell for thousands of meters. It was a little difficult to believe at first, but Ryuu explained their 'free fall' event in the past, reminding the young Elf about an actual event that took place. The only thing she needed to do was land properly and she wouldn't have any problems at all, completely excluding the fact she could also cast barrier magic or slow her descent with wind magic.
Since Lefiya was a very sensible and studious girl, she was quickly able to see the truth of the matter and calmed down very quickly. It helped that Aina explained falling from a wyvern in the past after getting into an aerial fight and, even though she fell from a few hundred meters, she only got a few scrapes and bruises without any major injuries. Ryuu also went into a bit of detail about the explanation Vahn had given previously, discussing things like 'terminal velocity' and the like so Lefiya had an even better understanding of the event. Even as a Mage, Lefiya's Agility was actually over 2500 so she knew her 'dash' speed actually exceeded the falling speed of 'terminal velocity' described by Ryuu. It was difficult to believe such a concept existed but, once it was explained clearly, Lefiya began to question why nobody else had ever discovered it in the past...
Loki had been listening in on the conversation as well and explained, "There are only a few gods that have ever had the 'Gravity' Divinity so it has always been a pretty mysterious concept. Most of them explain it away as the attraction between two different objects based on various factors, such as mass, mana density, and even their parameters. As for all that wind resistance and stuff, that is just basic common sense and its the fault of mortals for simply overlooking what happens right before their eyes. If you want to correct such misunderstandings, focus on educating people properly when that School is established. I imagine, as one of Vahn's apprentices, you'll end up working there as something like an instructor or professor, right~?"
Hearing Loki's words, Lefiya was genuinely shocked because she never actually thought about becoming something like a teacher. Given her status, it actually made a lot of sense she would end up working at the School at some point, especially if Vahn needed her help. Lefiya knew that Riveria would also be there and, even if she hadn't been pulled in initially, she would likely become an 'example' for the new magic system Vahn was going to be teaching. Realizing this, Riveria felt a fiery resolution burning in her chest and promised herself to work hard when the time came. So as not to shame her Master, Lefiya would become a great Mage that could inspire the younger generation to greatness!
Loki gave Lefiya a strange look because she could easily see that Lefiya's resolve had been ignited by her teasing words. Though Lefiya hadn't told her about it, Loki already knew she had somehow become Vahn's subordinate and their relationship had changed in a strange manner. Loki was actually quite envious of the 'bonds' Vahn could create with other people because she had also learned of the 'influence' of orders after discussing it with Anubis, Riveria, Hestia, and Hephaestus. Riveria, especially, had been documenting the changes in Lefiya and it was truly remarkable to see the progress she had made over the last two months.
Previously, Lefiya had been a very bashful and polite girl that was prone to delusions and failed to interact with the vast majority of people in a 'normal' manner. Now, Lefiya had changed a great deal and could even talk casually with most of the residents of the Manor while displaying levels of confidence she had never displayed previously. She couldn't even cast spells without people protecting her but, according to recent observations, Lefiya was actually moving around a lot during combat and barraging enemies at a middle range instead of hiding behind other people. If she had such an ability, Loki felt like she could have built the most powerful and loyal Familia in the entire world, easily conquering the Dungeon after a few decades of preparation...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir is a good girl (UwU)','Time to get high','Loki's Lust For Power')
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As the oxygen levels continually decreased, the outside temperature lowered alongside it until it was cold enough to begin freezing the tips of Fafnir's wings. It didn't really mind much at all and, even without the protective wind barrier shielding the group, they wouldn't have had any trouble resisting the cold and drawing what little oxygen they could from the air. Even Lefiya and Aina wouldn't have any trouble in the low-oxygen environment because they could easily hold their breath for several minutes and supplemented the lack of oxygen with mana.
This was one of the key differences about people within the record of Danmachi, as compared to lower tiered worlds, as they were far more resilient with the existence of mana. As for Hestia and Loki, they didn't show any signs of discomfort at all, even though they were both Level 1 according to common knowledge. Their Divine Souls not only nourished their body and granted them immortality, but they didn't need to do things like eat, sleep, or even breathe if they didn't feel like it. Even if they were standing in the chaotic void of space, they wouldn't actually have any problems whatsoever, though there were some instances where Vahn had seen 'contradictions' to this truth.
There had been instances of Hestia's stomach rumbling out of 'hunger' and Loki had often shown shortness of breath whenever they were together. They would also have their heart rates increase during excitement, and could get fatigued by exerting themselves, even though they were 'theoretically' tireless. It was largely based on their own 'perception' of things and depended on what they 'wanted' to feel after taking into consideration the influence of their Divinity. An example would be, if a god didn't want to feel pain, there was nothing anyone could do to make them feel it. All of the 'contradictions' he had seen were their methods of 'emulating' mortals and Vahn wasn't entirely sure how it worked currently as he was only a Tier 3 entity...
Eventually, Fafnir's ascent came to a halt and the scales on its back began to shift at the sides until it created a relatively flat platform so everyone would stand comfortably. Vahn smiled because he didn't even give Fafnir such an order, meaning it was thinking for itself and making decisions based on its own understanding of things. Much like Fenrir, it had also been maturing and Vahn spent more time with it compared to the past, though it was typically just flying around and grooming its scales.
Rising to his feet, Vahn helped Riveria stand while Hestia and Aina actually stepped forward to help Loki. Since she looked 'scarily' pregnant compared to the other girls, Vahn had a tendency to be very concerned about her and would have helped her stand up if the others hadn't stepped in. She smiled at in him in return but seemed to hold back in the end since her expression changed subtly and she said, "Okay, let's go ahead and carry out the ceremony. Since you're both from different Familias, Hestia and I will both preside over the ceremony while the others can stand as witnesses to the event. Also, though the sights are quite beautiful, we shouldn't take too long since it can be dangerous for mortals to be exposed to chaos for long periods of time..."
Though there were stars and other celestial bodies in the sky, the Danmachi record was actually a planar world and didn't have a 'normal' universal structure. Most of the stars were just the constructs of various laws and, even if you traveled through 'space' for thousands of lightyears you would never get any closer to them whatsoever. Instead of 'emptiness', space was filled with chaotic energies that would slowly drain the normal mana from your body, corrupting it until you eventually were overwhelmed by the energy and destroyed. There were also some of the rare elemental energies present, such as space, time, destruction, and gravity, causing space itself to be unstable when you got further away from the planet.
Vahn escorted Riveria to the edge of the platform where they could overlook the world below together, once again seeing how 'small' the continent was compared to the vastness of the world itself. Another massive difference between the Danmachi record was the fact that, as a planar world, the 'planet' itself wasn't a sphere at all and instead existed as a large, seemingly flat structure. Other than the gods, nobody knew exactly how vast the Mortal World was and, other than the existence of the two other Continents, there were many unknowns that Vahn one day wanted to uncover. For now, however, he needed to focus on what was most important, which was his every increasing family and the beautiful woman standing to his left.
Lefiya, Aina, and Ryuu had all looked over the edge as well, with Lefiya and Aina both being completely awed by what they saw below. Just like Ryuu and Riveria had done in the past, Aina turned her eyes to the once-vast forests to the west and saw that it was such a 'small' place compared to her impression of it. Thousands of kilometers of forest now seemed small enough to simply cover it with the palm of a person's hand while the Continent itself wasn't actually that much larger. Looking in the horizon, they could see that the world seemingly went on forever and it made everything else seem so small. Overhead, there was an endlessly vast space filled with chaotic and terrifying energies and it almost made the 'struggles' of life in the Mortal World seem foolish...
Feeling the changes in everyone's auras, Vahn felt compelled to say something so let his voice resonate through space as he said, "Though we all currently live within the City, this entire place is our home...something we share with everyone else...a common heritage of sorts. There are few people that get to see the world from this height and even fewer that would truly understand the significance behind how 'small' everything truly is. All of the petty squabbles and conflicts that had been perpetuated by ignorance and intolerance, they are things we should aspire to abolish in their entirety. We have a very rare opportunity to help make the world a better place, not just for ourselves and our families, but everyone else that will one day walk upon this beautiful plane of existence...I know it is a lot to ask, but I'll need everyone's help if, like me, you want to see such a world..."
Vahn actually didn't know the best way to guide the world forward, but he believed they would be able to figure it out as long as they continued to work together. Looking around, he saw that, even though his words were somewhat 'foolish', nobody was giving him strange looks at all. Lefiya and Ryuu seemed to be 'inspired' by what he said while Aina continued to show her characteristically gentle smile. Riveria had a solemn look that reflected the vibrant blue world below and Vahn could feel the resolution contained within those jade-green eyes. As for Loki and Hestia, the former had a somewhat 'devious' smile on her face while Hestia had a 'proud' look as she stared directly at him with her unwavering blue eyes.
Seeing their reactions, Vahn felt powerful emotions rising up in his chest, including pride, love, and a great deal of hope for the future. Grabbing Riveria's hand tightly, Vahn matched gazes with her and said, "Riveria, I know for certain that fate exists within this world and I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet such an amazing woman. Your dream for a better future for your people may have brought you to this point, but please trust that I will show you towards a brighter future for everyone. Together...we can change the world...I truly believe this!" Vahn knew that his presence alone had already altered the 'fate' of the record itself so changing the world was something he did intrinsically as part of his existence. He wanted to be more proactive in the actions he took because this world was now his 'home', the place where his loved ones resided and where his children would one day walk. It was his responsibility, as both a man and a father, to make the world a safer and more understanding place so that everyone could live happy lives...just like the life he had been living recently.
Though it felt like they were skipping the ceremony and moving straight to their vows, Riveria felt greatly inspired by Vahn's words. Even though they sounded somewhat childish and idealistic, she believed that Vahn was truly someone that could make such a dream into reality. He had already, in an incredibly short period of time, found solutions to issues that had plagued entire species for thousands of years. Given even more time, Riveria believed he could reshape the entire world and become a beacon of hope for the future. Knowing what happened in the Divination, she knew his potential was truly limitless and, now that she had walked along this path with him, knew that her own influence over the world would increase exponentially.
With a rare smile on her face, represented by her eyes squinting happily above her veil, Riveria held Vahn's gaze and said, "I want to see it, Vahn...the world we can make together. From now, until I return to the soil, I will stand at your side regardless of the path you take. Even if things become difficult, I will always believe you are walking towards a better future for everyone...I will support you to the fullest of my abilities and never neglect my duties as your wife, apprentice, and friend..." Vahn was somewhat taken aback by Riveria's words and the uncharacteristically 'loving' look she had in her eyes but he also felt a great deal of excitement that showed on his face in the form of a massive grin.
No matter what he did, unless he tried to change her mind over the course of many years, there was little he could do to change Riveria's personality and sense of duty. Hearing her say such words, that somewhat contrasted her character and the intentions she had shown, Vahn felt like Riveria had placed her 'hope' in him now. instead of walking a path where she made sacrifices for her people, Riveria had entrusted the fates of her people, and herself, entirely to Vahn, believing he would one day succeed where she would have almost certainly failed. It was a very 'heavy' burden, as it carried the weight of an entire species, but Vahn felt incredibly refreshed since Riveria's smile almost made it seem like a simple matter by comparison. If she could smile like that more often, Vahn felt like he could overturn entire mountains without any real complaints...
At this point, Vahn and Riveria were just staring into each other's eyes like they were lost in the stream of eternity together. Everyone initially watched them with smiling expressions on their faces, as the words they spoke to each other was very powerful and emotional. However, feelings of awkwardness began to spread after a few minutes because silence had begun to permeate through the atmosphere. Loki eventually coughed loudly to get Vahn's and Riveria's attention, causing them both to blush slightly as they held hands and turned to face her and Hestia. Loki had a cheeky smile on her face and a teasing glint in her eyes but she held her tongue as Hestia said, "Okay, it feels like we did things a little out of order...but I'll go ahead and sanctify your marriage now. I guess it really doesn't matter that much since there isn't a big crowd anyways~?"
Hestia felt like things had taken a strange turn but it was also strangely inspiring to see how passionate Vahn and Riveria were about changing the world together. Hestia felt very proud of Vahn since he was truly her 'favorite' child and the man she recognized as her soul mate. She felt like she was observing history play out right in front of her eyes and it made her feel especially blessed to have been able to bear witness to so many unique events revolving around him. Waving her hand, an ancient golden pot hearth appeared out of thin air and a golden flame began to burn in its center when Hestia dropped her blood-ichor into it.
Though it felt a little awkward to have 'skipped' the beginning of the ceremony, Vahn accepted the golden needed given to him by Loki and, after taking Riveria's soft hand into his own, pricked her index finger. Without any hesitation, almost as if she had set it aside prior to their ascent, Riveria placed her hand over the hearth and allowed the blood to drip into the flame. Vahn quickly repeated the process and small particulates of gold rose from the flame, after their blood intermixed together, and entered into their bodies. As he was familiar with this process, Vahn looked to Riveria and said, "I, Vahn Mason, hereby swear a vow to uphold my responsibilities as a Husband to Riveria Ljos Alf..." Riveria, without missing a beat, smiled once again and said, "I, Riveria Ljos Alf, hereby swear a vow to uphold my responsibilities as a Wife to Vahn Mason..."
The golden flame within the hearth flared up once again and several more wisps of gold flowed into their bodies, giving Vahn and Riveria a 'sense' of belonging to each other as the flames slowly died down. Hestia smiled and repeated the same words she had used just a few months prior, "Henceforth, may your paths never diverge and may you always find happiness and comfort with each other regardless of the passage of time...By my status as a Goddess, I, Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth..." Taking her cue without a hitch, Loki chimed in, "And I, Loki, Goddess of Mischeif~!" before they both smiled and said, "We hereby declare Vahn Mason and Riveria Ljos Alf as Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride~!"
Vahn reached his hands to the sides of Riveria's veil and unfastened the gem-like clasps near her ears, revealing the blushing beauty beneath and her smiling face. Since Riveria didn't smile often, Vahn felt like he had taken critical damage and was genuinely stunned by her beauty for several seconds. Riveria's blush deepened greatly and, outside of everyone's expectations, lifted her hands and framed Vahn's face before kissing him on the lips in a surprisingly passionate manner. It was relatively tame by the standards of most, but seeing Riveria be so 'forward' made people feel like something was 'off' about the situation. Even Loki, who was typically immune to such things, opened her eyes in surprise before swallowing a bit of saliva. Lefiya was standing off at the side making a 'wawawawa' sound next to the wide-eyed Ryuu while Aina, standing next to them, was the only one that simply smiled happily with a gentle expression on her face.
When Riveria separated their lips, Vahn looked into her ruddy face with a pleasantly surprised look on his own, accompanied by a silly smile. Riveria furrowed her brows slightly in frustration and muttered, "I'm your Wife now...I have to do at least this much or I wouldn't be able to hold my head up in public..." Vahn almost burst out laughing because he was already in a very good mood but managed to keep it suppressed as he pulled Riveria's waist closer to him and said, "Then I have to do my duty as well..." Though she looked like she was about to 'burst', Riveria just shuddered slightly without trying to escape Vahn's grasp as he kissed her in a far more passionate manner than what she had initially managed.
Everyone on Fafnir's back began to clap when they saw this since it was far less surprising to see Vahn kissing Riveria than the other way around. Loki started cackling happily until Aina 'cautioned' her to be considerate about the baby, while Hestia held both of her hands together like she was praying for their happiness. As a goddess of Family, Hestia could actually bless the union between people and she truly wanted Vahn and Riveria to be happy, knowing their happiness would also spread to everyone else in the process. Unlike her past self, that had wanted to keep monopolize Vahn, Hestia now believed this was the 'correct' path since it was truly wonderful to see so much happiness shared between people, much like a real family. With children on the way, she continued to grow progressively more excited and was greatly looking forward to the future...
Though he could feel Hestia's presence 'enveloping' him, Vahn just shared his happiness with her while keeping his focus on Riveria. This was one of the rare moments when he could 'embarrass' her in public and each of her expressions were very precious. The fact that she continued to smile even with a flushed face made Vahn's brain buzz, especially since he was holding her thin and incredibly soft waist with his left hand. He knew better than to truly 'tease' her, but it didn't mean he couldn't share a bit of affection with her since everyone present was someone she trusted. Riveria seemed to be willing to 'allow' this and just showed a bashful look instead of reprimanding him for pushing things too far...
With the 'wedding' officially coming to an end, Fafnir began its descent while Loki put forth the idea of simply jumping down and enjoying the fall. Since not everyone would be guaranteed to make it out unscathed, Vahn shook his head and said they could do that another time. Right now, he was just sitting next to Riveria, holding her waist instead of her hand, and he didn't really feel the need to do any thrillseeking. There was also the fact that they had ascended right above the City and Vahn didn't want to deal with the hassle of potentially having some of them crash into buildings.
Winds could easily affect a person's course during free fall and they had actually been separated by several hundred meters previously, meaning there was no easy way to guarantee their landing point unless they had magic like Ais' [Ariel]. Vahn had thought about making 'flight' suits so the girls would have more control, but he hadn't gotten around to it yet since there had been several more pressing matters to attend to. Now, he needed to tend to Riveria for a while and also plan for the upcoming expedition. His children would also be born in a few months and Vahn wanted to make sure to have most of the 'basic' problems resolved before focusing almost entirely on his family.
When Eva's orb completely awakened, he would also be studying magic and then simply consolidating strength until the events of the original timeline began. Though he had changed many things, there were undoubtedly some events that would happen as a result of their 'enemies' taking action and Vahn wanted to be absolutely prepared for when the time came. He suspected he could simply leave things to Bell to manage, as the boy's 'fate' was incredibly strong, but that wasn't really a risk he was willing to take. Bell may have been the main character in the original series, but this was now Vahn's life and he couldn't play second fiddle just 'hoping' things would turn out well...
Leaning against his shoulder slightly, Riveria asked, "What are you thinking about...?" in a curious tone. She had seen Vahn's smiling expression and the resolute look in his eyes and wondered what was going through his mind to inspire such a reaction. Vahn blinked, mildly surprised by Riveria's question, before looking into her jade-green eyes and smiling as he said, "I was thinking that I needed to work hard to be a good father..." As he spoke, Vahn tightened his grip on Riveria's waist and a blush began to creep up on her face as she hung her head a little. It was still pretty early in the day and the celebration actually wouldn't last that long before Vahn 'whisked' her away. She felt very nervous about what was to come but oddly found Vahn's embrace comforting, even though his teasing look annoyed her a great deal...
As she couldn't help but 'overhear' what Vahn said, Loki chimed in all of a sudden and said, "Pretty soon you're going to have a crash course on being a father since the Vanir will probably be a handful. Our daughter will undoubtedly be a demigoddess of mischief, so, good luck, Papa~" Almost every time Vahn heard the word 'Papa', he felt like his mind had taken a critical impact and this time was no exception. Seeing his reaction, Loki began to laugh even more and greatly looked forward to how Vahn would actually manage to 'wrangle' in his children. The Vanir matured over the course of a very short five years, meaning he probably wouldn't have the freedom to move around easily by the time they were born. Being gone just a few months was the equivalent of being gone for 'years' in the case of the Vanir and Loki expected they would be 'very' impressionable as a result of their pseudo-divinities...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Small World : Big Dreams','Going against conventions','Vahn Mason, Father of the Vanir')
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