Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Seeing the familiar notification within the system, it took restraint Vahn didn't know he had just to prevent his brow from twitching.

Vahn's first instinct was to simply refuse, but, after traversing three Records, he knew the futility of such actions. Thus, after staring at the top of Hwa Ryun's head for several seconds, he accepted the notification whilst saying, "We shall see...stand up..."

Though she didn't understand the meaning contained withing Vahn's words, Hwa Ryun stood up and faced him with the same conviction she showed upon first crossing the threshold of his room. Guides never questioned or doubted the path they walked, as, the moment they began fearing for their own lives, all paths would become unknown to them.

Seeing the complete lack of hesitation in Hwa Ryun's actions, Vahn's smile became imperceptibly wry thanks to his neatly trimmed beard. Then, after gesturing for the woman to come close, Vahn extended his hand, placing his palm over her eyepatch as he said, "If you truly wish to follow this path, I forbid you to ever tell me a lie. In exchange, I will carry your burdens so that it will be easier for you to follow..."

As Vahn was speaking, Hwa Ryun's left eye opened wide as a visible scar and a rather gruesome cut appeared across the surface of his eye. At the same time, she felt an exceptionally prickly sensation beneath her eye patch, followed by an intense heat that, despite feeling comparable to a lump of hot coal, didn't cause any pain.

Though he had lost it upon his departure from Danmachi, Vahn's experience with [Wound Transfer] allowed him to emulate its effects if he really wanted to. He got the impression that Hwa Ryun was still a little dangerous at the moment, so, with her having already become his Believer, he wanted to increase her Faith to deter her from doing anything suspicious like arbitrarily using his status as her 'God' to justify her actions...

Retracting his hand, Vahn covered his own injured eye for a brief moment, holding it there for less than three seconds before removing it to reveal an uninjured eye. These actions caused Hwa Ryun's Faith to increase from 93 to 208 in an instant, as, even without him explaining, she could 'see' it by observing her own path.

With a smile spreading across her face, Hwa Ryun emulated Phae's bow near-flawlessly, her earlier trembling nowhere to be seen as she answered, "I swear by my status as Guide that I will never tell a lie. You are my God, the one who will open the path forward for everyone. Betraying your trust is the same as abandoning my purpose and my most deeply held desire. Should you command it of me, I would happily lay down my life knowing my dream will one day be actualized."

Seemingly inspired by her own words, Hwa Ryun's Faith took another substantial leap, compelling Vahn to simply ignore it as he rebutted, "I do not require others to die and make sacrifices on my behalf. A true Emperor bears the burden of his people, not forces his own upon them. These words might not resonate with you right now, but, when the time comes, you will know the true meaning contained within."

Raising her head to face Vahn, Hwa Ryun saw the same resolute light that had inspired her to follow him moments prior. This caused her heart to begin palpitating rapidly, almost as if someone had injected a dangerous amount of adrenaline directly into her chest. She began to feel a shortness of breath and a bit muddleheaded, but, rather than stand so she could breathe more easily, Hwa Ryun felt compelled to keep her head lowered in the presence of her God.

Feeling like he had recklessly picked up someone troublesome, Vahn decided to take advantage of his newfound status within her mind, ordering, "For now, you will continue with your original duties. If there is something you need, consult Phae before coming directly to me. Though I am not against company, it would become troublesome if I allowed people to approach me freely."

Understanding the truth contained within Vahn's words, Hwa Ryun lowered her head one last time before rising to her full height. The sudden rush caused her to teeter slightly, but, before she could fall over, an invisible force momentarily locked her in place. This caused her smile to become even more prominent, but, remembering the words of her God, she quickly alighted from the room with newfound purpose present in her steps...

---

While Vahn had been busy dealing with his newfound Believer, Phae and Gandr had been loitering about in Anak's room alongside Shibisu and Hatsu. Phae was helping Anak to style her hair, earning a surprisingly timid response from the girl whenever the boys gave her a compliment. As for Gandr, he was currently driving both Shibisu and Hatsu crazy by winning nearly every single hand of Five-Card Draw they had played.

When the game first started, it was just to have a bit of fun, but, as was often the case when any kind of gambling was involved, things got heated when Shibisu began betting points. As a result, he had already lost nearly three hundred points in half-an-hour, enough to purchase three days' worth of luxury meals from the Commissary.

With visible sweat pouring down his face, Shibisu focused his somewhat beady eye on the 'brat' sitting across from him as he said, "I'll take two..."

In response to the man's words, Gandr displayed his toothy grin as he rebutted, "So long as it's from the top this time. You wouldn't want to lose an additional ten points by getting discovered cheating once again~."

Hearing Gandr's statement, Shibisu's expression darkened quite a bit, a defeated look spreading across his face as he muttered, "Fold..." in a sullen voice.

With his excellent hearing, Gandr could easily make out Shibisu's words, bursting into laughter at the man's expense. This caused the man to visibly deflate while, at the side, having folded most of his hands, Hatsu just stared blankly as he said, "Cheaters never prosper." before sipping his cup of green tea.

Fed up with the two swordsmen seated across from him, Shibisu threw himself back, arms sprawled out as he exclaimed, "Ahhh! Why can't I win even one hand!? Please tell me you've been cheating! My luck can't be this bad, can it!?"

Flopping his ears to the side, Gandr stared at Shibisu as if he was looking at an idiot, plainly stating, "People with bad luck don't end up partnered with a Princess of Jahad and a Master Swordsman on their first day of climbing the Tower. You just suck at gambling when you're not allowed to cheat."

Though Gandr's first words deeply resonated with Shibisu, his follow-up statement caused his face to morph into a perfect deadpan as he retorted, "I'm never gambling against you again..."

Finding Shibisu's words rather amusing, Gandr snickered at the man's expense before looking over at where Anak was seated in front of a mirror. There was a very light blush coloring her cheeks, and, though it would fade away the moment she caught someone looking, a happy smile could be seen on her face as happily dangled her feet within the chair.

Sensing someone's gaze, Anak shifted her focus away from her hair, meeting Gandr's gaze within the mirror. Her smile immediately faded away, but, when she saw the annoying boy smile back at her, Anak was unable to resist the urge to avert her eyes, muttering, "My room isn't a place people can just gather..." in a voice that wasn't intended to be heard.

Though she could have pretended not to hear, Phae giggled in response to Anak's words as she quickly fixed the girls' hair into a small ponytail. It was the style that suited her the most due to her neatly trimmed bangs and the way her fringe perfectly framed her face. It was also the style that put the biggest smile on Anak's face so Phae decided to tie her hair up with a blue ribbon as she softly stated, "You cannot climb the Tower alone, Anak. Even my Lord must rely on others every now and then so do not lament the opportunity to make friends. Your burdens will become that much lighter if you have people to share them with."

To punctuate her words, Phae fastened the ribbon into a neat bow, smiling at the girl through the mirror before adding, "It suits you..." in a motherly tone.

Seeing Phae's expression through the mirror, Anak felt the same incongruous feeling as before, her mind screaming at her that 'something' was wrong despite a feeling of warmth spreading through her chest. She didn't really know how to describe it but it was like Phae was being both sincere yet deceitful at the same time...

Pulling her legs up into the chair, Anak hugged her knees before hiding her face and saying, "I want to be alone. Get out of my room..." in a somber tone.

Understanding the girl likely had 'a lot' to work through, Phae didn't want to push her too hard, so, while lightly patting her back, she whispered, "Okay, Anak...when you feel better, you can find me in my room or in the commissary..."

With that said, Phae retracted her hand from the girl's back, shifting her attention to the trio sitting in the middle of the room as she said, "It seems Anak isn't feeling well at the moment. If you want to play, please move to another room."

Being able to read between the lines, Shibisu and Hatsu both rose to their feet without a fuss, but, as someone who was supposed to be a little brash, Gandr asked, "Oh? Did you get a tummy ache from trying to compete against me during lunch?"

Hearing Gandr's words, Anak balled her hands into fists but ultimately kept her face hidden. She didn't want to see her own expression right now as she wasn't quite sure to express what she was feeling at this exact moment. Fortunately, she wasn't compelled to respond as Phae promptly gave Gandr's head a chop whilst saying, "Don't be nosy. Didn't His Imperial Majesty tell you not to bully girls? Do I need to tell your big sister you've been a bad boy?"

Though it was all part of the act, Gandr couldn't stop the hairs on his ears and tail from standing on end when he heard Phae's final words. His 'training' with Fenrir had given him a rather unique form of trauma, as, due to his own insistence, she treated his Vanargandr form like her younger brother; one she was 'very' strict with.

Noticing Gandr's reaction, an exceptionally sly grin morphed Shibisu's face into one of vindictive amusement as he remarked, "What's this? This brat is scared of his big sister? Maybe I should start keeping a record of his bad deeds so she is properly informed~."

Hearing Shibisu's remark, both Phae and Gandr looked at the man as if he was seeking death. This caused his face to immediately pale, especially when Phae added, "Fenrir can be very protective of her little brother. Though she isn't afraid to discipline him, she won't tolerate others trying to bully or pressure him. If you somehow manage to upset her, even my Lord won't be able to protect you from her wrath..."

Though he had largely been joking, Shibisu wrote Phae's words across his heart, swearing to never offend the woman named Fenrir. Gandr was already ridiculously powerful so it wasn't difficult to imagine the big sister he was scared of being even more monstrous. With that in mind, he offered an awkward smile in response to Phae's words, replying, "I'll keep that in mind, Ms. Phae...thanks..."

Nodding her head in approval, Phae then grabbed Gandr's hand and led the group out of the room so that Anak could decompress. She was clearly the anti-social introverted type, so, while she could tolerate the presence of others to a certain extent, she wasn't mentally equipped to remain in their presence for long periods of time. This was likely related to her traumatic past, so, while she wanted to help the not-so-young girl, Phae knew there was only so much they could do for her in a single day...

---

With everyone else having departed her room, Anak waited for several minutes before tentatively raising her face to view her own reflection. There were noticeable tear stains coloring her skin a slightly darker shade of green, but, rather than resentment or anger, she noticed confusion and a mix of other emotions within her eyes. This served to further increase her confusion, compelling her to retreat beneath the safety of her blankets before dimming the lights. The darkness had always brought her a certain feeling of security, so, while it did little to help with her tumultuous mental state, she was eventually able to calm down enough to get some sleep...

Just as Anak felt memories of her past begin to resurface, a common occurrence whenever she was on the verge of sleep, a crimson hue spread across her face as a loud grumbling emanated from her stomach...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is about to start hearing Hwa Ryun's prayers in the middle of the night xD...','Trying to cheat against a person whose perception is thousands of times more refined than your own...','Stomach be like, "I demand sustenance~!"')

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