Chapter 1423: Fate : Tensions
Shortly after leaving Solon's garden, Vahn found himself in a rather precarious position, a deadpan expression on his face as he kneaded the uncharacteristically tender flesh of Olivia. She was wearing nothing but a folded towel to cover her backside, and, due to his insistence, a pair of dainty panties that left very little to the imagination.
Vahn had originally arrived at the Edelfelt Mansion to discuss the matter of selecting a new Director, but, as Luvia had been in the middle of a meeting, Olivia inevitably managed to convince him to give her a massage. She had benefited greatly from his [Hands of Nirvana] in the past, so, whenever the opportunity presented itself, she was very insistent. Beauty was exceptionally important for women who liked to stand out, and, after Vahn's 'care', Olivia could even rival her daughter and Luvia when it came to skin quality and pliability.
Since it was easier to 'pacify' Olivia by periodically giving her a massage, Vahn wasn't as against the idea as he used to be. She had 'permission' from Luvia, so, with a bit of time to kill, Vahn didn't mind practicing one of the skills he had cultivated to the extreme. It helped that, over the past couple of days, Vahn had been experimenting with the 'flow of fate', seeing how each of his skills influenced the currents that flowed around a person's body.
Though he could normally only see currents directly related to him, it hadn't taken long to discover the fact he could also see what paths others might take. This required channeling Source Energy into their body, but, as he had already become extremely proficient at this, Vahn was now experimenting with directing and diverting the flow, setting people down specific currents without forcing them to acquiesce through words and actions.
Fate and Karma had often forced him into difficult situations, but, in the grand scheme of things, this was largely due to the fact he didn't actually have a Fate. Instead, his actions influenced the fates of those born within the Records, fundamentally altering what should have been predetermined series of events. This had always been the case, but, now that he could see the Flow of Fate for all things, Vahn was infinitely more aware of his influence than he had been in the past.
Theoretically, by taking just enough action to redirect a current, the person influenced would follow that path without fail. This gave him a fair amount of influence of a person's 'destiny' and, while this wasn't exactly a good thing, Vahn knew it would be a necessary ability when he reached higher Tiers. He would one day be charged with the governance of entire Multiverses, so, unless he intended to always intervene direct, it would become necessary to manipulate the fates of chosen individuals in order to ensure balance.
Though he was a long way from the point where it became relevant, Vahn's knowledge had been expanding rapidly ever since his recent awakening. While he didn't specifically base his decisions on the things he had witnessed, seeing the multitude of paths everyone around him could potentially walk was very insightful. It allowed him to string together events like the pieces of an impossibly complex puzzle, one where he could freely change the shape of the pieces...
Making full use of his ability, Vahn absentmindedly massaged Olivia's body, ignoring her less-than-muffled moans and exclamations. It took some effort, but, after culling various currents that involved him and Olivia crossing lines that shouldn't be crossed, Vahn found a rather amusing path, one much smaller than the others. The only thing that mattered, however, was that the current existed, as, by making a concerted effort to strengthen the flow, it invariably became the route Olivia was set upon.
To put his theory to the test, Vahn set a cushion on the ground before pulling out a bathrobe and saying, "That is enough for today. I'm certain you still have other matters to attend, so, unless you intend to spend the rest of the day in bed, it's time to get up."
Olivia, with a ruddy and, admittedly, tantalizing expression, peered over her shoulder with a hungry look in her eyes. Despite this, she knew now wasn't the time or the place to try and seduce Vahn, so, after lifting her trembling body, she attempted to rise from the massage table. At the same time, her towel slipped down and, due to the state Vahn had left her in, so too did Olivia. Since this was what he had seen in Olivia's future, however, Vahn deftly slipped the robe onto her body without making direct contact.
Though she had braced herself for a rough impact, Olivia was surprised to find her body wrapped in a white robe as she softly landed on a thick cushion. She was about to blame Vahn for not catching her, but, seeing how things had developed, she was momentarily confused before realizing what he had done. Vahn's recently acquired ability hadn't been kept a secret from her, so, seeing the casual smile on his face, Olivia couldn't help but pout as she protested, "How cruel...to think you would let an old woman fall down without even trying to catch her...what a brute..."
While using a towel to wipe down his hands, Vahn shook his head in response to Olivia's complaint before pulling out a second towel so she could wipe down her sweat. At the same time, he casually rebuffed her, saying, "When you learn to pull your mind from the gutter, I'll begin treating you with the delicacy you deserve. You are a beautiful woman, Madam Edelfelt, but we both know it would only complicate things if I surrendered to your temptations. While you may have convinced yourself it would only be a temporary fling, I doubt any of the women around me, Luvia included, would be willing to believe that..."
Hearing Vahn's retort, Olivia rolled her eyes before fixing her bathrobe and releasing a sigh as she said, "Saying things like that makes it really hard to give up on having a taste for myself. I wouldn't have been able to rise to my position without being a little greedy...but, as I wouldn't want to make my great-granddaughter cry, I'll do my best to hold back. Still, you can't blame me for trying...we Edelfelt women have always been fond of strong men...truthfully, you can only blame yourself for being so capable~."
As this wasn't the first time he had heard Olivia's excuses, Vahn just nodded his head in response before saying, "Luvia should be finishing up soon. If you hurry along, you should be able to finish a quick shower before she arrives." Then, anticipating her response, he matched Olivia's timing, a smile on his face as he said, "I'll help you fix your hair..." just as she asked, "Will you help me fix..."
With Vahn already answering her question, Olivia's words trailed off, her golden eyes glimmering in mild displeasure as she muttered, "I hope our future discussions aren't as...frustrating as this one has been. I must admit, I'm not fond of being interrupted. The next time you want to play with me, you'd better be naked..."
Since he wasn't actually trying to upset her, Vahn nodded his head in understanding, an apologetic expression on his face as he muttered, "Sorry..." in a sincere tone of voice. This earned him a sidelong gaze from Olivia, but, rather than say anything further, she quickly departed for the adjoining bath to take a shower. She knew Vahn wasn't truly the manipulative type, so, while it was a little annoying to be on the receiving end of his 'experimentation', she forced herself to calm down by overlapping her image of Vahn with a child who had just received a new toy...
After following Olivia's retreating figure with his eyes, Vahn's figure vanished like a phantom before reappearing next to a comfortable lounge. He was feeling a little tired, so, with Olivia and Luvia both requiring a bit of time, he decided to take a few minutes for himself. This was, in many ways, one of the most useful aspects of his newfound ability, as, by reading the Flow of Fate, Vahn had a rough understanding of how much time he could divest into simply relaxing.
With about eleven minutes to himself, Vahn lightly tapped his abdomen after laying back on the lounge and kicking his feet up. In response, Alaya dutifully appeared in her Companion form, taking a seat in her designated spot. Vahn had been allocating a lot of his spare time to pampering and petting her, so, while it filled her with various complex emotions, she tightly gripped his tunic before nestling against his chest as he ran his hand from her head, down the line of her back, and along her long tail. It was a different stimulation from having her body groped and fondled, but, knowing he was quite fond of petting, Alaya had learned to enjoy it quite a bit...
Finding the Companion version of Alaya rather adorable, Vahn lightly poked her cheek as he mused, "You've become a lot cuter these days...I still remember when you used to pout every time I rubbed your head or squished your cheeks..."
Hearing Vahn's words, Alaya lightly bit his chest, her teeth completely bypassing the fabric of his clothes to bite the flesh beneath. She could freely choose what her body affected, so, even if he was wearing full body armor, little could stop her ivory teeth from sinking into his flesh. When she pulled her mouth away, however, there wasn't a single sign to indicate she had broken skin, earning a smile from Vahn as he lightly kneaded her tail.
Though he was certain Alaya's behavior was related to her primary objective, it was also true that she had changed a great deal compared to her original self. He would like to think this was the result of the time they had spent together, but, while this was undoubtedly a factor, making any meaningful progress would have been impossible had Akasha not 'forced' her to acquiesce. Thus, while he had been feeling tempted to go further, especially in recent days, Vahn couldn't cross that line before he was certain she was free from Akasha's influence.
It was a morbid thought but Vahn didn't even need to speculate in order to know that Akasha and her superiors would have experimented with his semen, attempting to produce offspring he would never have the opportunity to meet. Unfortunately for them, his semen might as well be empty air if he didn't proactively want to impregnate someone. Since he didn't actually have a genetic sequence, insemination was more a matter of intent than anything else, at least in his case.
Much like an actual True Dragon, Vahn could impregnate virtually anything, irrespective of whether or not it was capable of even bearing children. This had been confirmed by Da Vinci as, in an effort to understand his role in the formation of new life, they had conducted a number of rather 'strange' experiments.
While it was impossible to be certain, Vahn's intention to create life worked functionally similar to a Creation, or, perhaps, a Fertility Divinity. His experiments with Da Vinci had produced various types of plant life from inert stone and, in the most extreme of experiments, a vacuum chamber that had been devoid of everything but a single test tube. This ultimately gave birth to a type of flower that could even bloom in space, feeding off radiation and converting it into electrical energy.
Needless to say, Vahn's body still had a lot of secrets, but, unless he was the one exposing them, it was impossible for others to take advantage of even a fragmentary part of his biomass. Thus, at least for the time being, he couldn't afford to develop any tender emotions for Alaya, as, if she wanted to be impregnated, he would have to refuse her. There was an inordinately high probability that their child would be stolen from her, and, due to the way she was 'programmed', Alaya might not even be aware of it. They could try for years to produce an offspring, believing they had failed while dozens of their children were used to further the experiments of Akasha's superiors...
Though it could just be paranoia on his part, Vahn wasn't willing to take the risk as, even now, he could visualize the cold and emotionless visage of Akasha with perfect clarity. While it was possible they would remain patient, waiting for thousands of years before resorting to such methods, Vahn never underestimated those who devoted their everything to their experiments. Akasha was like an infinitely more powerful version of Da Vinci, completely stripped from any semblance of morals and integrity...
Until he could establish contact with Gaia and carry out his penultimate plan, Vahn had little choice but to force Alaya to remain patient. He couldn't even turn on his View Affection without her aura overwhelming him for a brief moment, so, even if it wasn't actual love, it was painfully apparent how much Alaya had come to 'appreciate' him. If he gave her the green light, it wasn't difficult to imagine Alaya pulling him into her personal realm and attempting to ravish him for an eternity, but, for the time being, she could only bide her time, enjoying his caress...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tenderizing the Obaa-chan o3o...','I can see the future...! Trunks is Vegeta's son! There are more than two androids...!','Alaya's affection is as heavy as a planet xD...')
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