Bab 946: Shock
After leaving behind Kali, Vahn was escorted to one of the few furnished areas with the Coliseum so that he could receive a 'briefing' from Bache, Tiona, and Tione. Though they had talked at length about things he needed to be concerned about previously, there were a few rules and regulations Vahn needed to keep in mind to avoid causing too many issues. Because of this, once they were in a relatively vacant area, Bache explained, "As long as you are in the Coliseum, there shouldn't be anyone causing trouble with you. Since you rode in on Kali's palanquin, everyone would either think you are her equal or her personal possession. Until things are clarified at the feast, there shouldn't be anyone getting in your way..."
From the side, Tione nodded her head and added, "The most important things to avoid should be bumping shoulders with someone, locking eyes with them for an extended period of time, or doing anything to 'help' them in a direct manner. If you bump shoulders with someone, it is the same as telling them that they should have made way for you, leading to an inevitable duel to determine who is superior. If you lock eyes with someone, it is considered a direct challenge and, if they don't look away, you'll end up having to fight them in the arena. As for helping, that is the more troublesome of the three as it is the same as saying, "You are mine now." It isn't that rare for older Amazonesses to take charge over the younglings but it will be a big problem since you are a man..."
Though most Amazonesses were very straightforward and open about things, a very large part of their culture was comprised of non-verbal communication. Everything from your expression to your body language was constantly being read by everyone else since their battle instincts had them observing for even subtle changes in the muscles of potential enemies. Since even small misunderstandings could lead to battles, everyone was always in an 'alert' state, especially within the Warrior tribe. Each of these things would only be exacerbated by the fact that Vahn was a male so he had to be extremely careful about the way he acted, even though he 'needed' to be direct at the same time...
Bache had given a curt nod in response to Tione's words before clarifying, "It would probably be best if you went to the arena and fought a few times in public to avoid small mishaps. If they know how strong you are, they would likely give way to you while walking or lower their heads if you make eye contact. In this place, strength is the most important factor and, before you fight with the Queen, it might not be a bad idea to show off your strength a bit..." Even as these words left her lips, Bache could feel a small heat rising up in her body. She didn't make any attempt to hide these feelings, causing Vahn to smile wryly in response as he said, "I'll think about it..."
Vahn knew that, if he were to fight anyone, it would likely be Bache, if not Tiona and Tione after their own displays of power. After he defeats her in a direct battle, it would be much harder to prevent things from developing further between him and the mature Amazoness since her instincts would have been triggered by him. Though it was almost determined that they would have a relationship in the future, Vahn knew that 'timing' was important in this situation. After all, there was almost no real privacy in Telskyura, even in an actual building like the Coliseum. There were no real doors or soundproofing available so Vahn would have to erect barriers to prevent people from walking in on him if he decided to partake of any sensual pleasures. If he neglected in his preparations, the chances they would draw a crowd of spectators was extremely high...
After a few more minutes of briefing, generally warning Vahn about 'posturing' and 'presenting' behaviors, he had a good idea of what to be cautious of. When the explanation was coming to an end, he gave Tiona and Tione a concerned glance, asking, "What are the two of you going to do?" Though he didn't mind having them accompany him, Vahn knew that both girls likely had a few things they wanted to tend to now that they had returned to their home country. As expected, Tione furrowed her brows slightly and said, "I'm going to go fight in the arena before spending some time with the younglings. I'll probably leave the Coliseum for a bit as well, but I'll make sure to send a message before I go..."
Vahn gave Tione an understanding nod, knowing that she 'needed' to deal with some of her past traumas by confronting them directly. As for Tiona, she had been quiet while Bache and Tione had been explaining things, choosing the current moment to frown in concern as she said, "Vahn, I don't think you should go to Kali's tent. Nothing bad will happen, but I'm a little worried that you are underestimating Amazonesses a bit..." It wasn't often that Tiona felt as uneasy as her current appearance depicted. However, being one of Kali's 'favorites' back in the day, she knew some of the things Vahn might witness if he followed through and decided to enter her chambers for the evening...
Just as Vahn was about to ask why Tiona was so worried, Bache had given her former apprentice a deep frown before turning to Vahn and explaining, "Kali-sama's chambers are where she updates Status Boards and rests during the evening. Since they have to rely on her for the update, it requires Amazonesses to contribute to Kali-sama's enjoyment in exchange. If you stay in her chambers, you'll likely see a lot of wrestling, ceremonial dancing, or other kinds of traditional performances. Since it is a presentation and appeal, the girls will be completely naked and it isn't rare for...well..."
Though she didn't think it was anything strange, Bache also found it somewhat difficult to narrate what was almost guaranteed to happen. The simple truth of the matter was that Amazonesses, from a very young age, were 'educated' in ways to fulfill their 'purpose'. Since they didn't have anyone else to practice on, this meant that Amazonesses that had yet to leave the country would practice on each other, often fighting for dominance and pinning their weaker kin into submission holds. In many events, when young Amazonesses got riled up, things could get out of hand very quickly...
Now that even Bache was acting strangely, Vahn felt like there was something very wrong about the situation and he couldn't help but recall Kali's cackling as they left the room. Part of him felt strangely nervous, seeding a small notion of going to Kali and refusing to stay in her room. He could easily continue to stay awake until the duel with Hippolyta, meaning it wouldn't be that difficult to avoid whatever Tiona and Bache were eluding to. At the same time, however, Vahn felt like he would be acting in a cowardly manner if he refused after already agreeing to stay in Kali's chambers. Since he had already decided to observe the Amazoness culture directly for the next week, there was no better place than witnessing it directly from the same perspective as their primary goddess...
Though he would later come to regret the decision, Vahn's expression softened a bit as he reached out and stroked Tiona's hair. She had let it grow out a bit longer than in the past but it still had a wild and untamed feeling, especially whenever she would transform with her [Pactio]. Even so, it was still silky smooth and Vahn had never lost his fondness for rubbing her head, something Tiona also seemed to enjoy since she smiled happily in response. Tione, however, made a pouting expression that caused Vahn to have to placate her for a bit before they all went their separate ways. Tiona accompanied Bache to where the latter had kept all of Tiona's books while Tione headed straight for the arena to issue an open challenge to anyone who wanted to test themselves against her...
With a few hours left until evening fell, Vahn decided to wander around the Coliseum while spreading his perception around the area and peeking into distant rooms with his [Eyes of Truth]. His main focus was on making sure there were no deeply rooted injuries in the bodies of the younger Amazonesses, even though he was also avoiding the areas where they congregated. Vahn was aware of the dangers of having them imprint on him so he wanted to avoid interacting with the younglings unless there was someone like Tione or Bache accompanying him. As for the Amazonesses he met during his exploration, they all gave him intrigued looks while a few would stare directly at Vahn in an attempt to 'taunt' him.
Vahn kept his head raised and curtly greeted those who seemed amicable while completely ignoring the few that seemed to want to fight him. There were some who even tried to bump shoulders with him but Vahn stunned them by using [Shundo] to completely bypass them without breaking stride. This earned him a few appraising looks but there hadn't been anyone willing to attempt to bar his passage a second time after witnessing his movement ability. He did, however, earn himself a few stalkers who were curious about what he was up to and began to trail behind a short distance without making much of an attempt to actually hide their presences.
For the time being, Vahn knew it wasn't really a good idea to interact directly with any of the Amazonesses so he ignored his 'instincts' and chose to avoid initiating a conversation with anyone. There were some Amazonesses who were particularly eye-catching but Vahn had become very accustomed to the presence of beauties around him and didn't pay them too much attention, even if his senses did linger on them for a very short while longer than most. In this way, nearly three hours had passed, allowing Vahn to inspect the Coliseum's structure and heal well over a hundred critically injured children without their knowledge...
During his exploration, Vahn was able to learn many things about the Coliseum, including the number of people inside and many of the secret areas that were probably not meant to be discovered by outsiders. In total, he had counted around 47,000 people within the rather large and ancient structure, more than half of which were children. The Kali Familia itself had well over 50,000 members while the number of Amazonesses that had belonged to it, at least for a short while, was likely closer to 200,000. This was because they would have to leave the Familia, at least temporarily, whenever they became adults and wanted to seek out mates outside of the country. As a result, the Kali Familia was largely comprised of children that were undergoing the crucible and it was a little shocking to see them all residing in small rooms with up to fifty people clumped together. Even in this relatively cramped environment, they would keep a distance from each other and Vahn could feel the hostility radiating off of them, even though only a few of their auras were unstable...
Seeing so many children living in such conditions pained Vahn's heart more than a little but, at the same time, he knew that these conditions weren't even as bad as some other countries. At least in Telskyura, all children were cared for by the entire community, even if their own mothers might not have cared for them directly. They also had food and, even though it was very 'normal' for Amazonesses to simply sleep outside, shelter. Though they had to fight and undergo severe trials to temper themselves, they weren't subjected to excessive cruelty, at least from the perspective of 'normal' Amazonesses. The ones who suffered the most were the Amazonesses with unique dispositions, of which Vahn only found a few. They were the ones who showed genuine fear and trepidation about their circumstances while also displaying clinginess as they attempted to get along with other children in their group, usually without any success...
Vahn knew he would need to remove these 'unique' children from this kind of environment, or at least convince Kali to change things so they wouldn't be repressed and suffer as a result of their own culture. For the time being, however, he could only help by healing some of their deeper wounds while exploring the other aspects of the Coliseum. One of the most important discoveries he had made was the existence of an underground structure that seemed accessible to only a few Amazonesses. It was here that many of the monsters bred for fighting in the Coliseum were kept while, at the very center of the structure, a large sacrificial altar could be found near what he could only liken to as a maternity ward. There were several dozen pregnant Amazonesses being cared for within while several hundred infants were waiting to receive their Familia crests...
It was during his invasive glance into the underground structure of the Coliseum that Vahn got his first witness of the 'survival test' of the Amazonesses. In a small arena that connected between where the monsters and children were kept, there were a few powerful Amazonesses holding infants in their arms as handlers released 'infant' monsters like Goblins. They would place one of the infants on the ground and, shaking Vahn to the very core, watched as the Amazoness and Goblin almost immediately fought against each other. Vahn had seen the moment when the Amazoness infant looked at the small Goblin, their aura immediately blazing with an almost animalistic fervor as they crawled forward with surprising agility and began trying to rip the limbs from the almost defenseless monster...
Though he knew that Amazonesses were supposed to have strong battle instincts and a natural desire to fight, Vahn hadn't expected it to be so 'extreme'. He understood why they were kept in isolation until they were around four years old, as the chance of infants fighting and killing each other was likely very high if they were left unattended. There were even some infants who seemed far more 'feral' than others, being pitted against young Kobolds instead of Goblins. These infants were designated with small red markings on their bodies and their ferocity was far greater than those without. Vahn had watched one of these young Amazonesses, likely not even two months old, choke the life out of a Kobold while completely ignoring the cuts and abrasions she received from its claws and rounded fangs...
After having witnessed a few of these battles, Vahn fell into deep reflection and couldn't continue watching the bloody scene directly. Part of him wanted to document the development of a young Amazoness from the moment of birth so that he could understand 'why' they were as they were. Another part of him wanted to pretend as if he had never even seen the scene, wanting the reality of the situation to be different than what his own eyes had witnessed. However, because he had seen examples like Alexa and even Fenrir, Vahn knew that 'instinct' was something that simply couldn't be ignored. He could probably 'forcibly' change things, given enough time, but he also knew this wasn't 'right' to do, even though he also knew many of his other actions were also 'wrong'...
It was in this conflicted state that Vahn found himself meeting back up with Tiona and Bache before they made their way to the large feast that Kali was hosting. They could both tell that something had happened, causing Tiona to hold Vahn's arm gently and 'protect' him from everyone else during the feast. She would normally happily join in on the festivities, especially when a few Amazonesses started a brawl, but decided her place was at Vahn's side for the moment. Even Kali seemed to respect this as, other than addressing Vahn as one of the talking points of the feast, she didn't even approach him until near the very end...
Vahn had only been paying partial attention to what was going on during the feast as he had 'instinctually' shifted his focus back to the Manor. He was currently snuggled up with Fenrir and, though he knew it was a little 'pathetic', Vahn couldn't help but seek comfort after witnessing something that he couldn't really accept. Even though he knew it was 'natural', Vahn felt like the Amazonesses had been cursed with a cruel and unjust existence...even though they genuinely seemed to enjoy it. Vahn didn't know what the 'right' answer in this situation was so so he could only continue to observe...
It wasn't until the feast was being wrapped up and everyone was being sent away that Vahn's focus shifted back to his avatar. Tiona had fallen asleep while still clinging to his arm as Kali walked over and said, "I'm heading over to my chambers...you coming...?" Since he had been acting strangely, Kali was a little annoyed but still compromised a bit on Vahn's behalf. If he wanted to just sit and brood, she would allow him to do so, even if her respect for him would diminish by a great deal. Vahn, however, nodded his head and released a heavy sigh before moving Tiona to the side and wrapping her up in a blanket. There were quite a few Amazonesses simply 'cuddling' together after passing out and, though it felt a little strange to separate from her at this moment, Vahn left Tiona amongst the company of her kin as he followed along with Kali...
Kali's face showed a complex expression as she led the way in silence, growing increasingly annoyed by how Vahn was behaving. She knew he must have seen something that upset him but, at least from her perspective, Vahn was far too sensitive. Though Loki had said he was highly empathetic, Kali sometimes felt that his behavior dropped the 'em' part of the word on occasion, especially if it was something he couldn't change easily. However, since she knew he had the power to change things and the only thing holding him back was his own sensibilities and the consideration he had for people like her, Kali felt conflicted and couldn't easily rebuke him for his behavior...
Eventually, the duo reached Kali's chambers and, after passing by a few ceremoniously dressed Amazonesses, entered into a rather lavish and fragrant circular room. There was a small fire that was perpetually burning in the center, the only illumination for the tent, while a large hole existed in the roof for air circulation. It was a very hot and muggy room that harshly contrasted the brisk and refreshing air that had permeated through the rest of the Coliseum. Even without relying on any of his enhanced senses, Vahn could smell a very heavy pheromone aroma that seemingly wafted from every surface present, the only exception being a small golden lounge with blood-red cushions.
Kali had naturally made her way over to the lounge before patting the spot next to her, saying, "Come, sit with me. Even though the time for rest is quickly approaching, the night is forever young within these chambers, Shangri-La. I can tell you have been heavily affected by what you've seen so far, Vahn...and you will likely be influenced greatly by what you will continue to see. Just remember, unless you are willing to force change by acting like a child throwing a tantrum, you should withhold judgment and simply experience our culture. The changes you want to see are things that will take time to implement and unless you understand the very nature of our society, you have no right to interfere directly..."
Vahn had already sat down next to Kali, listening to each of her words closely, even if he didn't wholly agree with them. The one thing she was right about was the implication that he simply didn't know enough and, keeping that in mind, Vahn nodded his head before reclining onto the lounge and releasing a heavy sigh. He didn't really have anything to say and just allowed Kali to lean against his side as she too showed an exasperated and tired expression. It wasn't until a few minutes later, when a trio of young Amazonesses entered into the chamber, that Kali perked up and adopted her mischevious grin once again. She adjusted herself into a comfortable position, whispering, "Well, though you probably can't appreciate it, you should still enjoy the evening's entertainment. Just remember to keep your hands to yourself and there shouldn't be any problems~."
Unlike Vahn, Kali was very quick to recover since she generally avoided thinking about things incessantly. She immediately transitioned from pouting to feeling slightly excited at the prospect of how Vahn might react after witnessing the performances that were about to begin. For some reason, she found his 'innocent' and 'awkward' reactions somewhat adorable, even though his usual behavior would often annoy her to death. As for Vahn himself, his eyes glazed over slightly when he saw the three girls, none of which could remotely be considered adults, begin to dance around the fire in Kali's room, completely bereft of clothing. His focus immediately shifted back to his main body, cuddling Fenrir a little closer as scenes he shouldn't be privy to were burned into his perpetual memory...
(A/N: Vahn is going to break at this rate o_o...)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'As long as you do nothing, everything is okay~!','Vahn is grossly unprepared for even crueler worlds x_x...','Kali lacks sensitivity...')
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Bab 947: Introspection
After the initial culture shock, a good amount of time talking things over with Loki, and a bit of time playing with his children, Vahn had calmed down a great deal. Though he felt a little shaken each time he peeked into the underground structure of the Coliseum, closer observation of events had allowed him to rationalize things a little better. He had seen more parts of the early cycle of an Amazonesses life and was gaining a better understanding of the situation, including the emotional, cultural, and biological components.
Vahn had seen that, shortly after an Amazoness gave birth, they would only spend a few hours with their daughters, usually for the purpose of naming them. After that, many of the new mothers would turn their children over to the larger group of women who cared for all of the children. In some cases, these new mothers would then join the larger group, caring for their new child while also tending to the needs of other infants. Other times, the mothers would leave to receive some healing before almost immediately beginning their training once again. Having carried a child for around nine months, many from the warrior tribe were determined to make up for lost time and worked hard to refine their bodies back into a combat-ready state just hours after giving birth...
Observing how several new mothers interacted with their daughters, Vahn was able to see that there wasn't a strong emotional attachment between most Amazonesses and their children. Even those that decided to help out in the maternity ward were on the older side and, after listening in on a few conversations, Vahn knew they considered it more of a duty than anything else. Since they were already passed their prime, they would spend a few years watching over the newborn Amazonesses before leaving Telskyura on their final journey. Their next time venturing out into the world would be to find powerful monsters, fighting to overcome their limits until inevitably dying after a few months. Because of factors like this, there were no Amazonesses in Telkyura that were over the age of fifty...
This was a way in which the older generation always made way for the new generation, choosing to end their lives in honorable battle instead of fearing death and trying to hold onto life for a few more years. Unlike many other races, who 'expected' the young to care for them as they aged, the Amazonesses of Telkyura knew that they would only burden younger generations, relying on the work and gains of their kind just to preserve their own lives for a few more years. This not only consumed precious resources that could have been used to nurture the next generation of Amazonesses but it also bred malcontent and led to bloody infighting and repression. In the distant past, the Amazonesses used to have a culture that respected Elders and deferred to them for decision making but this had resulted in deeply rooted corruption and internal wars between contending tribes...
It only took a few generations of this kind of infighting before the then generation of Hippolyta changed the law to unify all of the lesser Amazoness tribes after eliminating all of the Elders. After that, fighting in a dishonorable manner, or scheming to exploit your fellow Amazonesses, was grounds for immediate execution. The Elderly were no longer allowed to exercise their influence over the younger generations as newborn Amazonesses could be highly impressionable and were easily exploited if the people they 'trusted' had malicious intentions. As a result, it became less and less acceptable for older Amazonesses to even remain in the tribe, causing them to venture out of the country after crossing a certain age threshold, a number that had decreased from around 70 during the inception of the law to around 55 after a few thousand years had passed.
By coming to understand a bit of the History of the Amazonesses, Vahn had been able to slowly accept what he had been witnessing. He had already known that it would take a demonstration of extreme power and violence to even have a hope of changing how the Amazonesses lived while the only alternative was to essentially subordinate the entire race and 'tweak' their biology to inhibit some of their more problematic traits. This was something entirely possible with The Path's Modify function, but Vahn knew it was also extremely wrong and selfish to do so.
For well over ten-thousand years, the Amazonesses had actually put in a lot of effort to create a culture where their people could flourish without placing any heavy restrictions on themselves. Because of this, they had created a society that had withstood the test of time longer than any other civilization, almost completely bereft of the concept of waste, exploitation, and corruption. They even avoided any major conflicts with other nations and countries, only taking action when one of their taboos had been violated. This had given them a very strong sense of unity and was the primary reason that most other countries didn't even try to antagonize the Amazonesses of Telskyura, regardless of how they viewed the 'tribal', 'savage', and 'uncivilized' race...
Because of the ongoing matters within the Iron Hills and Westport, Vahn felt it was confoundingly ridiculous that other societies considered the Amazonesses as an uncivilized race. Though they lacked in technological development, it was a simple fact that their society functioned with almost none of the issues that plagued the so-called civilized countries. Almost everywhere Vahn had gone, he could find examples of merchants taking advantage of people, self-proclaimed nobles exercising power over 'their' people, and massive criminal organizations that performed various heinous acts. Though Telskyura also had its fair share of problems, they were all exposed on the surface and could be dealt with after a bit of time had passed. It was a far more honest and open example of society while a large majority of the population seemed genuinely happy with how things were managed...
These were the types of thoughts passing through Vahn's mind as he sat upon a ledge at the very top of the Coliseum, looking down on the larger mass of Amazonesses going about their day below. During the daylight hours, Telskyura always seemed 'alive' as everyone was constantly moving about in order to contribute to the larger society, all while making earnest efforts to try and improving themselves. There were constant small scuffles and disagreements but things were usually settled very quickly after a few exchanges of punches and kicks. These were almost always between Amazonesses of similar strength unless it was the lower Level Amazoness challenging someone at a higher Level.
It was heavily frowned upon for the strong to try and oppress the weak, especially if it was over a minor matter. In the event that there was a large difference in strength between the two disputing Amazonesses, they would consult a third party, usually a member of the Kali Familia, to make a determination over who was in the right. This mediator would typically be around the same strength as the more powerful Amazoness and, in some cases, they would even fight on behalf of the weaker one if there were further disagreements...
One of the only things Vahn consistently saw that was troubling to him were the younger Amazonesses that ran around naked, performing various menial tasks after having 'failed' to overcome their trials during the crucible. The reason for their failure was either related to a deeply rooted injury, preventing them from keeping pace with similarly aged Amazonesses, or the fact that they had experienced severe trauma and couldn't overcome it. Vahn felt it was exceptionally tragic and cruel that they were then forced into a situation where they were constantly attending to others just to earn enough food and resources to continue surviving until the next day. Kali had explained to him the 'reason' behind their existence, as it was something 'necessary' to keep their society functioning, but Vahn didn't really agree with it since his sensibilities told him it was 'wrong' to punish anyone in such an extreme manner...
Kali had explained that, by being stripped bare and forced to listen to the whims of other Amazonesses, it was a way to stimulate the dormant instincts within those that had failed to pass through the crucible and become proper Amazonesses. Eventually, they would grow dissatisfied with serving others and, knowing their own weakness, work even harder on their tasks so they could acquire larger servings and more training resources. They would then overcome their past trauma and, through constant effort and training, reach Level 2 and become 'proper' adults that were readily accepted into society. This would give them a sense of accomplishment and pride at having overcome a very different kind of trial, even though they would normally end up as a member of the Fishing or Hunting tribes after the fact...
Vahn understood the reasoning and, after witnessing several hard-working young girls doing exactly as Kali said, he knew the system worked. Even so, Vahn 'knew' there were better ways for them to overcome their weakness without being backed into a corner and pressured so heavily. He also knew it was possible to implement a few small innovations that would greatly improve how every Amazoness lived, all while giving them even more ways to express themselves and increase their strength. Having literal children deal with all the menial tasks in society wasn't much better than the Elders exploiting the young for their own selfish purposes, even if the intentions behind the process were entirely different...
The main reason behind Vahn's thought process was the existence of the 'unique' Amazonesses that were born within Telskyura, even if they only made up less than 1% of the population. Even if it was difficult to accept some of the things he saw, Vahn could tell that the system implemented in Telkyura worked very well for the vast majority of Amazonesses. In a way, it worked better than pretty much every other system he had seen, including the one he was trying to build through a series of long-lasting reforms. However, this still didn't really justify the 'sacrifice' of that small minority, especially since it wasn't even difficult to help them survive and prosper.
Vahn didn't like the idea that, while almost every Amazonesses was allowed to thrive in a society catered to their instincts, these young girls were 'forced' to either adapt, often deeply scarring them, or die. If they lacked talent and willpower, something that shouldn't be outright expected from infants, their only fate was to end up as victims of the system. Girls like Tiona, Tione, Aisha, Lena, and Taliah were the 'exceptions', usually only because Kali had taken an interest in them. This was one of the things that Vahn had come to respect about her because, even though she was perfectly fine with allowing people to simply die, Kali still made small efforts to try and help those that 'went against the natural flow'. She found them interesting and, though she didn't show them any preferential treatment, the way she awarded these unique Amazonesses varied from the norm...
In Tiona's case, though it was primarily because Bache had wanted to support her disciple, she had been awarded translations of heroic tales and novels. As for Tione, who experienced quite a bit more suffering than her younger twin, she had been given a great deal of leniency, though this was mostly a result of Tiona's efforts, not her own. Tione was an example of one of the 'victims' within the system, as she had fallen under the mentorship of the extremely cruel and vicious Argana. This was entirely due to the fact that she was a twin, a very rare existence within the Amazoness community. Kali had wanted them to become her next Captains and had hoped that Tione would eventually overcome her own limitations with the assistance of Tiona...
This was where Vahn's agreement with Kali usually came to an end, as it had been very unfair of her to have such expectations, to begin with. It was obvious that Tiona and Tione were 'different' from a very early age and, though they both had extreme levels of talent, it simply wasn't right to forcibly groom them into something that she had wanted to make use of. In a way, this was the very same thing as someone in another country taking in an infant Amazoness and grooming them to their preferences, something 'extremely' frowned upon. If it had happened outside, the entire Amazoness community would have been up in arms, pursuing the offender until they were completely annihilated. Yet, because of her unique position as the primary goddess of the entire Amazoness people, Kali had been able to bend the rules without anyone even batting an eye...
Vahn didn't outright resent Kali for what she had done, as he still wasn't in a position where he could truly understand the perspective of a god. He also knew that her actions weren't inherently wrong as, without a doubt, she had tried to help both girls achieve their full potential. After Tione had failed to meet her expectations, Kali didn't punish her or hold the fact against her, allowing Tione to leave Telskyura along with Tiona after they had both reached Level 3. She had willingly allowed the two girls she had been grooming to be her future Captains to venture out into the outside world with no guarantees they would ever even return. This was because Kali knew that, even though Tiona was considered the 'perfect' Amazoness by some, neither twin truly fit into the larger Amazoness society...
It was things like this that allowed Vahn to see Kali's wisdom and, though he felt like she could have done more to aid the growth and progress of her people, it wasn't really her responsibility to do so. If he truly believed that gods 'had' to contribute to the proper development of the surface races, Vahn would be putting himself above them and forcing his perspective onto existences that were far older than he was. In a way, it would be the same as Kali imposing her perspective onto Tiona and Tione, trying to change them into something that was beneficial for herself. This would undoubtedly have severe negative consequences and Vahn was beginning to understand that his methods may not have been as 'correct' as he had thought.
As 'pure' and 'righteous' as his intentions may be, Vahn's time amongst both the Xenos and the Amazonesses had started to make him better realize the 'necessary' restrictions imposed on those with power. He previously felt like it was the 'obligation' of those with power to essentially shepherd those that were weaker than themselves. This, however, was automatically placing himself above others and believing that his own sensibilities and perspective were simply 'broader' and 'more right' than those beneath him. It was this same mentality that allowed Nobles, who often rose to power through individual strength or authority, to claim they were 'above' the commoners within their dominion.
Vahn had developed an extreme distaste for most Nobles and the Aristocracy in general, finding their often deeply rooted corruption and the nation-wide exploitation to be disgusting. However, his own actions weren't distinctly different from theirs, even though the choices he was trying to make were for the betterment of everyone. The main difference was the fact that he had an extreme amount of power compared to most people and was proactively trying to make a world where 'everyone' had the right to happiness. Even then, Vahn was still creating a merit-based society that would inevitably favor those that rose to prominence through their own efforts. They would find themselves in positions of power and authority and, after a while, it was guaranteed that some of these individuals would eventually become corrupt...
In order to prevent himself from losing control of the situation, Vahn knew that he always needed to be the most powerful person within the record. Yet, by taking proactive actions and regulating things himself, Vahn knew that he would be disrupting the balance of the world and inviting greater threats into existence. The more he tried to make a 'perfect' world, the more powerful the forces opposing him would become. Eventually, there could even be a singular entity that was more powerful than the entire organization he had structured, including a myriad of actual gods of creation and destruction. Though he would likely survive the battle, it wasn't impossible for the very record itself to become destabilized for a very long period of time...
Vahn was beginning to understand that, the stronger he became, the less direct influence he would be 'allowed' to have over the record. It was much the same for gods like Ouranos who, compared to almost every other god, had an extreme amount of power. If he wasn't created by the record as an objective force that observed the world, there would have been nothing to prevent him from shaping this world to his preference. He could have even killed most of the other gods and created a small paradise for himself, something that seemed peaceful and innocent from an 'inside' perspective, but was morbid and terrifying from an external perspective.
One day, Vahn knew he would have the power to create an entire universe if he wanted to while, at the same time, he could also create a small record that was entirely isolated from others. This could be a completely peaceful world where only his family lived and he could even make all of them immortal. However, after enough time passed, Vahn knew there would be some who would become unhappy or depressed unless he went to even greater extremes and limited their ability to even feel such emotions. Though this would inarguably guarantee they were happy, Vahn couldn't help shuddering as the thought passed through his mind. He would essentially have to imprison and brainwash the people he loved, just to make sure they were always happy, robbing them of their freedom because of the choices he had made. Vahn knew this was 'extremely' wrong and it was this same understanding that allowed him to rationalize that changing the Amazonesses, especially when they didn't want to change, was also wrong...
(A/N: A lot of introspective stuff this chapter but I felt it was important to show the inner workings of Vahn's mind while providing some insight into the past/present/future.)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Not every species as strong maternal instincts...','The unique should be celebrated, not oppressed','Eternity is a long time...')
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