章節 698: Free-Spirited, Like a Flame
After watching over Erika's studies for a little more than an hour, she eventually 'chased' him out of the room because he had been 'distracting' her. As if he was a dog beaten by its owner, Vahn slowly trudged through the hallways of the Manor. Though he could detect the person he was about to cross paths with, Vahn still felt slightly dejected and didn't both perking up just yet. Of course, by the time he actually saw them, Vahn had put on a calm smile as he said, "Good morning, Milan. What brings you to the West Wing?" Milan was slightly surprised to come across Vahn since it was nearly impossible to detect him by smell after he learned Magia Erebea. After all, he no longer sweats and his body, while still containing his natural aroma, no longer radiated it outwards.
Patting her chest to alleviate her surprise, Milan gave him a slight look of blame before smiling and saying, "I passed by the dining room and Loki asked me to retrieve Erika for her. Is she inside the Library?" Vahn nodded his head while simultaneously reaching out his hand, stroking Milan's ears as the mature beauty flushed slightly. As difficult as it was, she managed to swat his hand away before hurrying down the corridor. Vahn chuckled slightly and continued on his own way, feeling slightly better after teasing Milan a little. He knew well how 'effective' his [Grooming] was on the various Beast Girls and it was always very refreshing to get a rise out of them.
Vahn made a brief stop-over at the dining room to find out if there was anything he needed to worry about before inevitably heading out the back and entering the illusory forest. Ina was taking a nap on the sofa in his workshop so Vahn decided to go see what Vana was up to. The last time he picked her up in the forest, Vana introduced him to a variety of different animals she had befriended. Vahn was curious if she had made even more friends this time around and, after tracking her for a few minutes, found her surrounded by several Pygmy Deer, Forest Hares, and a small blue bird he had never seen before.
Vana was currently holding the small bird in her palms, bringing it very close to her face as her fiery eyes glimmered with a happy light. Afraid of scaring off the animals, Vahn spent a few seconds calming his mind and infusing his aura with the surroundings. The same technique that allowed him to hide his presence from others also made him seem at one with nature. When he was done, Vahn walked forward with soundless steps as all the animals ignored his presence, almost like he was just a byproduct of nature itself. He emitted no aura and there wasn't a single thread of hostility radiating from his body that might have alerted them. Animals relied heavily on their instincts so, as he didn't trigger their awareness of danger, the animals didn't react to him at all.
Though he was tempted to 'surprise' her, Vahn remained silent and just watched over Vana until she eventually released the small bird back into the air. With a happy smile on her face, she stood up from the ground and dusted off her shorts before turning around. Showing a surprised expression and nearly jumping out of her britches, Vana 'glared' towards him for a few seconds before smiling once again as she said, "Papa is always so sneaky~. Did you come to play?" Vana looked towards the sky to see the time, this time positive she still had a few hours left before needing to return. She didn't seem to be suspicious of the fact that the animals didn't run off when he arrived, nor was she surprised when he began petting one of their heads.
With a calm and gentle smile on his face, which he knew was effective against Vana, Vahn said, "Since I was away yesterday, I wanted to spend some time with all of you today. If you want to play, I'd be happy to..." Vana showed a surprised expression for a moment and nearly asked if he had actually been gone. However, as the words reached her lips, Vana seemed to realize her words were very rude and she felt strangely guilty for not noticing her Papa had been missing. Unaware that he had seen the various changes in her expression, Vana grabbed his hand and began pulling him along as she said, "There is something I want to show you. Come with me, Papa~!"
Vana was never the type to stay in a dour mood for very long so, though she showed an apologetic expression for a brief moment, she had completely recovered in the next. Vahn smiled at his daughter's behavior and just allowed her to drag him along at her own pace. Unless they were playing, she didn't like to be carried around and preferred to move around on her own. This generally caused her to get various cuts and scrapes but Vana never cried or complained about them. In fact, she seemed to think it was cool and was always a little upset whenever her wounds healed after a few hours. All of the Vanir had exceptional regenerative capabilities but Vana's were another level compared to her sisters.
After walking for a few minutes, seemingly unaffected by the illusory formation covering the forest, Vana brought him to a clearing with a few toppled trees that had been covered with vines and flowers. Vahn was somewhat surprised to find fallen trees since this was a very young forest that also benefitted from the nourishment of Terra's energy. However, seeing the burn marks and signs of explosive damage present, Vahn knew exactly what had knocked them over. He had a slight urge to give Vana a light reprimand but decided against it, at least until he knew why she brought him here.
Letting go of his hand, Vana walked over to the central fallen tree before dropping down to her hands and knees. She wiggled into a small hole as Vahn activated his [Eyes of Truth] to see what she was up to. He was surprised to find out that she had dug a surprisingly large crawlspace for herself and wondered if Terra had helped her out. After all, the latter had reinforced the terrain and it would always regenerate after a while. Vahn decided to ask her latter but for the time being just waited until Vana popped her dirt-covered face out with a beaming smile and said, "Papa, I'll let you into my secret base. You have to promise not to tell anyone else about it though~!"
Vana had decided to make it up to her Papa by inviting him to her secret base so they could play together. Since it was something special to her, Vana believed it would make her Papa happy to learn about it. When she saw the smile on his face, her own doubled in size as she giggled happily and dropped back into the hole. As for Vahn, he noticed outright that the hole was far too small for him to enter so, after thinking for a short while, decided to adopt a more suitable appearance. This was also a good way to expose Vana to his ability to change form and, given her personality, Vahn believed they would be able to play more often if he could assume a smaller appearance.
Focusing his mind, Vahn used an unnamed spell that he had derived from his mental imaging and [Thria*Mimos]. His form quickly shrunk down, along with his clothes, until he had taken on his Pallum appearance. In total, it only took him around twenty seconds to complete the transformation so Vana hadn't noticed just yet. Vahn dropped down into the hole rather quickly, startling her as she suddenly shouted out, "Who are you? Where is my Papa!?" In an instant, Vana pulled out her wooden sword and got into an amateurish stance. Though she was putting on a brave front, Vahn noticed there were tears beginning to build up in her eyes so he quickly waved his hands and said, "Vana, wait, it's me! Please don't cry!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Vana's tension eased a bit as she curiously asked, "Papa...?" while taking note of his appearance. Now that she got a better look, the young boy in front of her did look a lot like her Papa, including the fact they were wearing the same clothes. Vahn smiled in response, dropping his hands as he explained, "Yes. This is another one of my magic spells. It allows me to change my form into any race I choose, regardless of size and shape." Vahn left out the detail that he could also change genders since it really wasn't that pertinent to the situation.
Vana's fiery eyes glimmered in excitement and curiosity as she exclaimed, "Really!? That's so cool!" Without much hesitation, Vana came very close to him and began patting around his body out of curiosity. She was currently around 64cm tall, around half his height since he was 120cm in his Pallum form. After confirming he was the real deal, Vana strangely picked up his hand and place it against her head with an expectant look in her eyes. Realizing what she wanted, Vahn smiled and began to stroke her head as his [Grooming] took effect. Vana laughed, squinting her eyes in the process as she happily mused, "You really are Papa. How amazing~!"
For Vahn's daughters, none of his actions were really that surprising since, from their perspective, he could literally do anything. As for Vahn, he wanted to always make his daughters happy so, even if it wasn't something he could do, he would eventually learn how to do it. This time, transforming his body seemed to be enough so Vahn began to look around the secret base of Vana as he made an impressed 'ooooh' before saying, "I like your secret base, Vana. It is pretty cool~." Hearing his comment, Vana began laughing giddily before opening her eyes with a start and running off to the side. She reached her tiny hand into a small compartment before pulling out a poorly carved wooden sword and handing it to him. With a happy smile, Vana raised up her own sword and said, "Papa, lets play knights!"
Though it was a bit too soon for her to begin training, it didn't mean Vana couldn't play around. Vahn happily nodded while adopting a loose stance and saying, "Okay, but your Papa is pretty strong. Don't be upset if you lose, okay, Vana?" As if losing wasn't even in her frame of mind, Vana just charged towards him with an eager look on her face and swung her sword towards his. Vahn shook his head slightly and just let her strike his lesser-quality 'stick' to the side. Vana seemed happy to have 'overpowered' him and lowered her guard slightly while laughing. Vahn didn't correct her outright and just lifted his sword again so Vana could bat it to the side a few times.
No matter how many times she hit his 'sword', Vana didn't seem to get tired of it at all. In fact, her excitement seemed to build as her laughter turned into her characteristic 'shishishi'. However, Vahn noticed something else that made his eyes take on a magical glow, inspecting the phenomenon before him with keen interest. He had noticed that the interior of her secret base had been coated with a waxen substance that she had probably 'borrowed' from his workshop. It gave fire resistant properties and Vahn had been wondering why Vana had set things up in such a way. Now, seeing wisps of flames begin to rise from her hair, he understood how this section of the forest had been burned.
While breathing in a very excited manner, Vana became more aggressive in her strikes until the point that her hair created wisps of flame every time she moved. He already knew her flame generation ability was tied with her emotional state but, having never seen her fight so earnestly before, Vahn had been unaware of this aspect of his eldest daughter. Still, he didn't panic or show any signs of fear and concern since he knew it could potentially result in a trauma if someone's abilities were 'feared' by their parents. Vahn just continued to show a casual smile while ignoring the increasing temperature of the secret base.
Much like how his own attacks could be imbued with a burning effect, Vana's strike suddenly made a trail of flames as she shouted, "Ataaa~!" in an exuberant voice. However, when she saw the trail of flames, her excitement was replaced with panic as she released her grip on the sword. Vahn quickly reached out, grabbing the flaming blade while dispersing the lukewarm fire in an instant. Vana was confused at first but, after realizing what happened, releasing a small sigh before saying, "I'm sorry, Papa..." After burning a few other things in the past, Vana knew her power needed to be controlled or she would trouble others. Vahn, however, just smiled as he sat down on the ground and patted his lap. Vana felt a little awkward to sit in the lap of her 'shrunken' Papa but, after sitting down, stopped caring about it as she patiently listened to his words.
Vahn never wanted his children to fear their power and, understanding Vana was already making a lot of effort to control her abilities, he decided to say, "Those flames are very impressive, Vana. Your attacks are also very lively and, while they could use polishing, I think you have a lot of potential. When you're a bit older, I'll help you practice your swordsmanship and teach you a few cool moves that I think you'll enjoy..." Vana cocked her head to the side, showing confusion on her face as she asked, "I'm not in trouble...?" Vahn surprised his daughter by laughing lightly and hugging her with a firm embrace, saying, "Silly Vana, Papa thinks you are amazing and I can tell you are working very hard to control your abilities. Though I'd like you to be more open about your training, as it can be very dangerous to train alone, I'm not going to say you did anything wrong. The most important thing to me is that you're safe and happy..."
Vana enjoyed the hug, even though it felt 'strange' compared to what she was used to. Her memory made her Papa out to be like a mountain, completely covering her whenever he held her. Now, however, he didn't seem much bigger than her and his hands were tiny. At this point, she had completely gotten over her momentary melancholy and, though she had listened to his words, already seemed to have forgotten them. The only thing Vana cared about was that her Papa wasn't upset with her and had instead 'praised' her. Thus, with a happy smile on her face, Vana jumped up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before hugging his neck and saying, "I love you, Papa~!"
In no real rush, Vahn spent a few hours playing with Vana and teaching her a few methods to help control her flames. Since she was very interested in becoming an Adventurer in the future, Vahn also demonstrated a few basic strikes with a sword that she would be able to execute with practice. Also, as she had torched her previous sword, Vahn purchased her a new one from the system that had basic fireproofing capabilities. She was very excited to receive a new weapon and, without any delay, asked him to play 'Knights' again. Thus, until she was tuckered out, Vahn became the practice dummy for his daughter while she practiced the skills he had taught her.
Having exhausted her energy, Vana ended up falling asleep on his back as he carried her through the illusory forest. Vahn had already returned to his 'human' form and had a very contented look on his face as he felt the small figure and negligible weight of his daughter against his back. He noticed her body temperature was much hotter than normal, nearly 100 degrees Celcius, but it didn't seem to affect her any. Like him, she had a 'perfect' fire immunity and could channel fire elemental energy through her body without any detrimental effects. The only real downside, as a result of her young age, was that it taxed her stamina a great deal.
Not minding the Vana's slobber soaking through his shoulder, Vahn carried Vana through the Manor until he came across Hephaestus. She had been thinking about coming to look for them so smiled radiantly when the two people shared cared about more than anything suddenly showed up. A light layer of moisture covered Hephaestus' eyes when she saw the sleeping figure of her daughter happily drooling on Vahn's shoulder. Reaching out, she gently stroked her daughter's face while saying, "She looks so happy...Vahn..." Turning her eyes up at him, Hephaestus showed a very loving expression on her face that made Vahn's soften a great deal.
Walking alongside each other, Vahn explained Vana's ability to Hephaestus in a calm and casual manner while the latter had a somewhat fretful expression on her face. She was somewhat worried that Vana would end up hurting herself but, seeing how calm Vahn was, decided to trust in him. If necessary, she could always ask Terra to look after Vana and, considering how 'loyal' she was to Vahn, Hephaestus believed she would agree. Of course, as Vana was always in her territory, Terra had long since started protecting her Master's daughter without being asked. She found all of Vahn's children to be adorable and, even more so than her own child, wanted to keep them safe so that her Master could be at ease.
Once they reached Vana's room, which she shared with Ina and Hephaestus, Vahn laid her down on the sofa while Hephaestus began stripping away the dirty garments covering her body. Vahn prepared cloth and a warm bucket of water before handing it to Hephaestus so she could wipe down Vana's body before putting her in bed. The latter would probably nap for a solid two hours and it would be troublesome if she tracked dirt and debris into the place where they slept. When she was finally cleaned, Vahn handed Hephaestus a pair of light green pajamas that were a perfect fit for Vana. She gave him a strange look after noticing the pajamas had a frog-like design but Vahn just chuckled lightly and scratched his cheek with a wry smile. He couldn't help but want to dress his daughters up in cute clothing and it wasn't his fault Vana was so adorable while she slept...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tou-san no Baka~!','Vana is very excitable','Vahn is so far gone xD...')
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章節 699: Quality Time
After fitting Vana into her pajamas and laying her into the bed, Vahn and Hephaestus spent the better part of twenty minutes just watching over her poor sleeping posture, marveling at how absolutely adorable Vana was. Hephaestus also explained a little about what they had discussed in regards to Anubis because, after all, Anubis was slightly 'abnormal' at times. Ultimately, she would be staying in the central area near the first floor, not that far away from where Maemi and Emiru resided. Anubis took her role as a servant very seriously so, now that she had taken up residence within the Manor, she intended to become a maid 'apprenticing' under Syr, Emiru, and Maemi.
Just imagining Anubis in a maid outfit brought a small smile to his face, something Hephaestus had noticed before asking in a sensual whisper, "Nnn, do you think a maid outfit would suit me, Vahn~?" As she asked, Vahn created a very vivid image of Hephaestus wearing a maid outfit in his mind and, while it was very appealing, it seemed more 'sexy' than appropriate. Even though his facial expression didn't change, Hephaestus seemed to know what he was thinking as she made a slight pouting face and mumbled, "Looks like I'll need to ask Loki for a favor..." Vahn felt like his skin was turning a little clammy so he pulled her into his embrace and said, "Any outfit you wear would look amazing, Hephaestus..."
Seeing Vahn fluster, even though he did his best to control his facial expression, made Hephaestus giggle as she returned his hug and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She wasn't really that upset since, out of curiosity, Hephaestus had tried on a maid outfit previously. Her figure and appearance weren't really suitable for frilly and cute clothing but she could pull off the cool and borderline 'heroic' look if she wanted to. It wasn't like she really needs to dress up in order to have 'fun' with Vahn, either, Hephaestus was just 'slightly' curious about trying something fresh. As for why she even considered wearing cute clothing, it was because Vahn had shown a very large preference for 'cute' things ever since his daughters were born...
Though she enjoyed watching over Vana's sleeping figure, Vahn eventually left the room under Hephaestus' insistence. He still needed to complete his rounds and, as a few hours had passed, it was very likely that Ina was already awake. She would either be eating lunch or holing herself up inside his workshop around this time of day. After all, unless she was practicing under Hephaestus' guidance, Ina had a tendency to play around with his tools and some of the practice items he had left out for her. Since she liked to take things apart, Vahn left various small objects like complex clocks, basic machines, and other items that had a lot of small parts. Just like Vana, he wanted his Ina to develop her gift without any real restraint, so long as it didn't endanger her or other people.
Since he hadn't detected her in the dining room, Vahn made his way towards his rarely used workshop where he could sense a small figure sitting on the floor. This was undoubtedly Ina so Vahn picked up the pace of his steps to reach the entrance of his workshop a little faster. When he entered through the door and saw his lovable little princess wearing the little blue coveralls he had given her, currently with the top half tied around her waist, Vahn had to pause and 'record' the image in his memory for posterity. She was wearing an off-grey sleeveless top on her upper body and, as a result of working with small parts very often, had a pair of goggles resting on her forehead as she poked her tongue out with a look of fierce concentration.
Not wanting to disturb her, Vahn snuck up behind her to see what she was working on, this time noticing she was disassembling one of the practice mechanisms he had given her. Its original purpose was to act as a grappling hook and it seemed like Ina had been interested in the mechanism that shot the grappling line nearly 100m in an instant. It wasn't really that useful in a record like Danmachi, but Vahn didn't regret the minuscule expenditure of OP since Ina seemed intrigued by it. The way she happily took it apart and carefully analyzed each piece brought a smile to his face and it felt like he could spend his entire day just watching her play around without ever getting bored.
Eventually, Ina got to a stopping point in her work and, as a result of her intense concentration, tugged at the collar of her shirt to air it out while wiping the sweat from her brow. She released a contented sigh and mumbled, "I wonder what Papa is up to..." as a magical haze spread through her eyes. Almost immediately after, Ina snapped her head around with a happy smile as she shouted, "Papa!", jumping at him the moment she realized he was there. Vahn spun around, swinging the jubilant Ina playfully in his embrace while she giggled and hugged him with all the strength she could manage.
After the initial excitement faded, Ina suddenly stopped laughing as a small frown covered her face, complaining, "Papa, you didn't play with me at all yesterday...it was very lonely, you know...?" This time, Ina hugged his neck very tightly and her little body trembled slightly as if she was afraid to let him go. Vahn felt his heart melt as he gently stroked her back while taking a seat among the various disassembled contraptions. He waited for Ina's trembling to calm down before softly saying, "Papa is sorry for not telling you I would be away. I'll try to do better in the future..." Ina just nodded her head without saying anything for a few minutes as she continued to hold onto his neck. It wasn't until Vahn began inquiring about what she had been working on that she reluctantly parted from him and began casually explaining her work.
Hearing her 'dismissively' talk about the things she had been so excited about previously, Vahn couldn't help but feel he had wronged the young Vanir. Wondering what he could do to make it up to her, Ina seemed to already have something in mind as she suddenly said, "Papa, I haven't had lunch yet and I'm feeling very tired...can you feed me...?" As if receiving some form of Divine grace, Vahn produced a gentle smile before picking Ina up in a princess carry and setting her down on the nearby sofa. There was a table adjacent where the girls that watched over his work in the past used to eat their snacks. Vahn set out a variety of sweets that he knew Ina would enjoy before happily tending to his spoiled little princess who, after eating the first bite of strawberry shortcake, seemed to forgive him previous absence entirely. She released a girly squeal while holding her cheek in a happy and excited manner that made his own heart thump twice in his chest. (A/N: Doki Doki~!)
Vahn spent the better part of an hour pampering Ina as she slowly became more energetic, happily talking about her work and the ideas she had in mind. She had apparently gotten an idea about making an amalgamation of several items and, after seeing the designs he had made for the Aegis outfits, wanted to make a customized suit of her own. Vahn knew it would probably take her a few years to get to the point where she could produce such a complex creation but, given how invested she was in her crafts, he knew it would one day be possible. When her eyes began to glow slightly and she started smiling radiantly, Vahn figured that Ina was able to see much the same.
At this point, they knew that Ina's 'vision' was a type of foresight that related to things she 'would' have seen depending on a variety of circumstances. She couldn't really see the future of other people but, as long as it is something she would have seen on her own, Ina could peer into her own future and glean some insights into her life and the projects she was working on. This time, she saw herself far more mature than she currently was, wearing an ornate white suit while her Papa smiled at her from the side. She could see the undisguised look of pride and affection in his eyes, something she saw in almost all of her visions when he was included. This was one of the reasons why Ina had been so fond of him since her birth, being that she had peered into her own future and saw how happy she was around the boy that would be her precious Papa...
As her power began to deactivate, Ina saw some glimpses of the near future and began to laugh happily before hopping off the sofa and pulling her Papa's hand, saying, "Papa, let's go take a bath~!" Vahn chuckled lightly as he allowed his daughter to tug at his arm for a few moments before rising from the sofa and picking her up. Unlike Vana and Erika, Ina was very fond of being carried and preferred to be held either in one arm, so she could put her arm around his neck, or like a princess. This time, Vahn carried her like a princess so Ina happily laughed while grabbing onto his tunic with her left hand and enjoying the moment. When they reached the large onsen, which was currently empty, Vahn helped wash Ina's body before the latter very awkwardly tried to wash his back. She was very small, only 64cm tall, and could barely reach his shoulders with the sponge unless he slumped down for her. Even so, Ina was always happy to spend time together like this and, as it was very rare to have the massive onsen all to themselves, she was happy for the alone time with her Papa.
After the bath came to an end, Vahn gave Ina a pure white sundress since she preferred to wear light and cute clothing as her casual wear. Since they would be going outside, he also gave her a circular straw hat to cover her head before lifting her onto his shoulder and heading towards Terra's Garden. The last person on his rotation was going to be Alex, even though they should have 'objectively' been first. However, as Alex was an amazing and mature little youngster, Vahn wasn't too worried they would be upset by his delayed arrival. At this point, Alex was nearly ten years old and, though their appearance hadn't changed much, the level of maturity they showed always made him feel a strong sense of pride.
Ina enjoyed the peace and quiet of the illusory woods while hugging her Papa's neck with her tiny arms. When they arrived at the Garden, Terra had already worn her gown because she had detected their approach almost as soon as Vahn left the Manor. She was smart enough that, even though she still preferred to be in her 'natural' form, it would be inappropriate to do so around the 'younglings'. Thus, instead of sunbathing in the buff, Terra stood at the side of the wellspring with an elegant smile on her face while holding the small Space-Time orb in her hand. When her Master and Ina approached, she quietly mused, "Good afternoon, Master. I was wondering when you would stop by~." Then, turning her eyes to Ina, Terra's smile reached her eyes as she giggled lightly and said, "Ina, you seem to be in high spirits today. Did you really miss your Papa that much~?"
Aware that Terra was teasing her, Ina furrowed her brows ever so slightly while tightening the grip she had on her Papa's neck. Without any discernable hesitation or embarrassment, she matched Terra's gaze and said, "Of course I missed my Papa! He is my favorite person in the entire world and I'm his precious little princess, isn't that right, Papa!?" Vahn chuckled lightly before nodding his head and calmly stating, "That is indeed the case. Ina is like the sun in the sky that brings light to the entire world. Your Papa would be very sad if he couldn't see the sun every day~." Vahn's words carried a great deal of truth to them since he had actually experienced 'very' long periods of time without being able to see the natural sky and the sun above.
Happy with her Papa's response, Ina giggled before giving him a kiss on the cheek and turning to Terra with a 'triumphant' look on her face. Terra, however, just giggled in turn while flittering her wings lightly. In truth, she found Ina to be very adorable and, seeing how happy she made her Master, Terra was quite fond of the small Vanir. She guided them to the side, where some comfortable seats had been fashioned out of completely natural materials. There was a hemispherical chair that was filled with a soft and plush moss-like substance that was cool to the touch and very comfortable to sit on. Because of its peculiar shape, it also provided a small canopy for whoever was sitting inside, allowing them to relax in the artificial shade.
Vahn accepted the orb from Terra while reminding both her and Ina, "Remember, you can only stay inside for a few hours, Ina. You'll have to come back outside after playing for a bit, okay~?" Ina bobbed her head with a nod while reaching out her tiny hand and placing it on the orb in his palm. Her small body slumped against his while both he and Terra laughed at her adorable actions. Alex got along well with almost everyone but he was especially close with Ina and Erika since Ina's curiosity and ingenuity was an interesting talking point while Erika's nature was very similar to Alex's. They were both the scholarly type so Alex was one of the few 'friends' that Erika had made, even though everyone treated her very well.
Since Ina was already inside the orb, Vahn shared a brief kiss with Terra before entrusting her to watch over them while he was in the orb. While he had been sitting down, Vahn's secondary process had been absorbing the memories of his fragment within the orb so Vahn had a clear understanding of what had transpired while he was away. He was very grateful for this functionality since his counterpart had been researching a variety of things when he wasn't looking after Alex. The latter was a very independent existence so, unless Alex asked for help, both his and Terra's memory fragments allowed them to do whatever they wanted.
Once he got inside the orb, Vahn saw his memory fragment watching over Ina and Alex from the distance, as they had already started playing together long before his arrival. After all, though only twenty seconds had passed in the real world, that equated to twenty minutes within the Spirit-Time orb. Then, as if sensing his arrival, the memory fragment turned towards him with a wry smile while stroking the back of his hair. Vahn, having downloaded the memories of his fragment, understood that he felt somewhat lonely without being able to see his children. However, understanding the nature of its own existence, the memory fragment never tried to get close to the children when they visited. After all, none of the Vanir even seemed to recognize his memory fragment as their Papa, with Ina even shrinking away from him the first time they met.
Vahn walked over, patting his memory fragment on the shoulder as he said, "Thank you for everything. Know that I share your memories and the pain contained within and it has helped me mature a great deal. Just remember, if it gets too hard, you can always fuse together with me again and I can create another fragment..." However, as he had expected, the fragment shook his head with a calm smile and said, "No, it's fine. I actually realized this would be a good opportunity for your emotional growth as well and, though it has been painful, I'm willing to tolerate it for the benefit of our family..."
Because they had seen how 'Emperor Vahn' behaved, both Vahn and his memory fragment were afraid he would 'break' in the event that something terrible happened. Thus, using the time dilation of the Spirit-Time orb, they had been 'adapting' to a mentality that was more accepting of pain and loss. Since the memory fragment didn't have any Innates to rely on, its thoughts and actions had been very 'genuine', something Vahn had benefited a great deal from since he had always been reliant on 'View Affection' and his [Will of the Emperor].
Vahn pat the back of his memory fragment a few times before walking off to join Ina and Alex, both having noticed his arrival long ago. The memory fragment watched him go with a small smile on his face before taking a deep breath and heading toward the homely looking cottage where he resided with Terra's fragment and Alex. When he reached the entrance of their small abode, Terra had already been waiting for him with a gentle and loving smile on her face. She closed the distance between herself and Vahn's memory fragment before casually wrapping her arms and wings around his body. In truth, one of the biggest changes in Vahn's life had been his relationship with Terra as, at this point, he had more than ten years of memories with her. Her memory fragment took very good care of both his own fragment and Alex, something Vahn had appreciated greatly.
Vahn knew it wasn't easy for Terra to actually be with someone that didn't 'feel' like him so, in order to make it up to her, he always tried to treat the real Terra well when they were alone together. As for his memory fragment, he was also very affectionate towards Terra's fragment and, if not for the fact that he was constantly surrounded by the women he loved, Vahn feared his fragments affections for Terra would have had an even more impactful effect on his mind. Fortunately, this was also a form of training since, at some point in the future, Vahn knew he may have to be away from the girls for hundreds of years before he was able to link the Danmachi record to a higher tiered world...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hephabae is 'too hot' to be a meido (UwU)','Ina is slowly disassembling her Papa's heart xD...','Maturation through tolerance and patience. Fragment Vahn is the real MVP')
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