Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After what seemed like a very long period of time, the next day finally came. As if to celebrate the event, the sun was casting down gentle rays upon the world as wispy white clouds lazily made their way across the sky. Within the Hearth Manor, which was usually quiet and peaceful, there was a lively atmosphere as everyone that usually spent their time in the Sub-Space orb, was currently outside to show their support for Ryuu.

Today, a new member would be joining their expansive family and everyone was looking forward to seeing another adorable baby within the maternity ward. Generally, whenever the girls came out of the orb, many of them would stop by just to interact with the children for a bit. Though the unity within the Manor had always been very high, the bonds between everyone had been strengthened by the inclusion of the children. After all, cuteness was such a universally appreciated thing that Vahn wouldn't have been surprised to learn that it was a 'Law'...

Of course, while everyone else was waiting for the good news, the two most important actors, Ryuu and Vahn, were within the delivery room with Hestia, Riveria, and Syr observing. Preasia was also present, acting as Vahn's assistant, while he walked Ryuu though what would become a very long delivery. It was fortunate that she had the support of both Riveria and Syr, who showed a great deal of concern for the pained Elven beauty. Fortunately, though the delivery took much longer than expected, there were no major issues so, after nearly seventeen hours, the crisp sound of a baby's cry could be heard within the room.

Ryuu, experiencing a great deal of relief after finally being relieved of the intense pain, had a pale and dazed expression until she heard the sound of her daughter's voice. The tired sky-blue yes regained their light in an instant and, though there was a glistening membrane of tears beginning to spread through them, Ryuu had a happy smile on her face. Preasia brought the crying child into its mother's arms, allowing Ryuu to get a look at her daughter for the first time. Much like how Vahn was overwhelmed during the birth of all his children, Ryuu felt it would be impossible to express how she currently felt, other than that she was simply happy and tired, with a bigger focus on the happy feelings welling up inside of her...

Vahn, after cleaning off his hands and wiping his brow with a towel, came to Ryuu's side, replacing Riveria, who now had a moderately pale complexion herself. She was feeling some sympathetic symptoms from saying with Ryuu for so long and needed to sit down on the sofa to relax for a bit. Hestia had already looked over Ryuu's daughter and given her blessing, so she went to look after Riveria alongside Preasia, the latter of which performed a basic checkup to make sure Riveria was okay.

Though he had already seen her previously, Vahn felt that his new daughter almost looked like a doll that had been carved from jade, possessing a very fair complexion, even though she had just been born. Amazingly, she had a head full of blond downy hair and, when Vahn saw her little pointy ears, it felt like his heart had been scrunched up to the size of a raisin. Still, it was the impact of seeing her being held lovingly by Ryuu that had the great impression on Vahn so, as he had done during all the previous deliveries, Vahn 'saved' the image into his memories. In the future, he wanted to immortalize these scenes in the form of paintings that would adorn his private study in the future...

Because she had been feeling very weak, Vahn helped Ryuu replenish her stamina while Preasia had the relatively awkward opportunity to take care of the placenta. When everything was taken care of, Ryuu began b.r.e.a.s.tfeeding her daughter with a loving smile on her face, asking, "What do you want to name her, Vahn...?" Though they had discussed it in the past, Vahn and Ryuu had never decided upon a name since she had wanted to wait until the delivery was successful. Now that her daughter was safely within her embrace, Ryuu felt an ache in her heart not knowing what to call her, thus turning to Vahn for guidance.

Vahn fell into a momentary daze when Ryuu asked him to suddenly name their daughter but, after a brief period of consideration, he smiled and asked, "How about...Alise?" The moment he asked this, Ryuu's body began to tremble and she couldn't help hanging her head as the tears she had fought hard to resist began flowing freely from her eyes. Alise had been the name of her best friend and, though the woman had been difficult to deal with at times, Ryuu was eternally grateful for everything she had done. If not for the words she had kept close to her heart, it was possible that Ryuu may have never ended up with Vahn in the first place...realizing this, Ryuu felt an overwhelming sense of loss from remembering her deceased comrades and was no longer able to bottle up the emotions deep within her heart...

While the woman he loved was crying, Vahn held her head into his chest while making sure their daughter wasn't affected by Ryuu's sobs. Fortunately, the youngling had already fallen into a deep and contented sleep after finishing her first meal. She just slept, blissfully unaware of what was going on around her while her mother cried into her father's chest.

It took a few minutes but, with Vahn's presence and the warmth she fell from being in contact with him, Ryuu managed to calm down. She fretfully observed her daughter's condition to make sure the latter was okay before turning to Vahn and releasing a deeply emotional sigh. As if the tension had melted from her body, Ryuu put on a radiant smile that made the tear stains on her face seem like the most masterfully done makeup in the entire world. Turning her sky blue eyes to her daughter, Ryuu gently ran her index finger near the blond downy hair and whispered, "Alise..." in a soft and clear tone.

As if she knew what had just happened, little Alise showed a tiny smile on her face while continuing her blissful sleep. This caused Ryuu to become a little choked up again so Vahn continued to hold the lovably Elf while gently stroking the back of her hair. When she calmed down again, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and said, "You did well, Ryuu. Thank you for giving me another beautiful daughter..." This comment caused Ryuu to laugh lightly as she reclined her head against the thick pillows supporting her, saying, "You're so silly, Vahn...I should be the one thanking you...for everything..."

Seeing that Ryuu was on the verge of falling asleep herself, which made sense considering the endeavor she just went through, Vahn gently caressed her face and said, "Rest now...we have our entire lives to express the gratitude we feel for each other." Ryuu rubbed her face against his palm, displaying a gratified and tired smile on her face as she slowly closed her eyes. Even so, her arms continued to support Alise properly as the latter continued her peaceful slumber. Vahn felt guilty about parting them so soon so, for the next hour, he just watched over the mother-daughter pair before taking Alise and laying her in the nearby crib.

At this point, the only person left inside of the ward was Hestia, as Preasia and Syr had taken Riveria to rest in her room. She was sitting patiently on the sofa, quietly observing everything that had been happening from start to finish. Unless circ.u.mstances forced her elsewhere, Hestia was determined to witness the birth of every child in the Hearth Manor. It often felt like she was witnessing the passage of History itself, marking each significant event as an important moment in the lives of everyone residing in this place they had made their home. And, at the center of everything, there was this boy, Vahn Mason, the man she had fallen in love with, dedicating everything she ever was, or ever will be, to.

Patting her thighs in an inviting gesture, Hestia's crystalline blue eyes shimmered like the surface of a lake, reflecting the light from the sun and making its depths indiscernible. Vahn always felt like he could just sink into those deep blue eyes, perfectly content in the sublime feeling of relaxation they could bring. Thus, accepting her invitation, Vahn made his way over to the sofa, laying across its surface while using Hestia's inexplicably soft thighs as a pillow. She began to run her fingers through his hair with an expression of unshakeable love and devotion on her face as she said, "You also did very well today, Vahn...now sleep..." As if falling under the influence of a powerful magic spell, Vahn felt his eyelids become heavy in an instant and, even though he didn't require sleep, Vahn accepted the peaceful embrace of darkness...

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//Optional Quest Completed!//

[Quest: A Man's Responsibility, Repeatable]

Rank: B-SS

Completion Grade: A

Objective: I.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e Ryuu Lion (1). Ensure a safe delivery; Current Children(1)

Rewards: 100,000 OP, 1x [Guardian:(Nameless)]

Grade Rewards: 1x[Sacred Tree Sapling]

[Sacred Tree Sapling]

Rank: Unique

Use: A unique tree that creates a spiritual link with the user, growing alongside them. Any injury or illness sustained by the user will drain the vitality of the tree instead. The first time a fatal blow would be suffered, the Sacred Tree would sacrifice itself to protect the user.

Soulbound: Alise Mason

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Hearing the sudden notification, Vahn's eyes snapped open and he reluctantly parted from Hestia's plush thighs, confusing her slightly as she asked, "Is something wrong...?" Vahn gave an awkward laugh and said, "It seems little Alise's guardian wants to make an appearance..." Hearing this, Hestia began to chuckle lightly, remembering that a 'guardian' would often show up shortly after the birth. The fact it hadn't appeared yet had caused her to completely forget about it, at least until Vahn's exasperatedly mentioned it.

Just as Vahn had finished explaining things, a complex array emerged in the air and, after a vibrant light filled the room, a small animal came into existence. It was actually much bigger than normal but, after he saw what it was, Vahn understood the reason. There, shakily trying to take its first steps, Vahn observed the appearance of what looked like a newborn fawn. Unlike a normal deer, however, this fawn had a gradient of light green fur with pale yellow dots covering its back. Most notably, it had very large and adorable ears and, though it had the basic figure of a fawn, there were two nubs where horns would likely sprout in the future.

As for its species, the system notification said it was a Spirit Deer, an incredibly rare animal that could fill an entire forest with lush greenery with just its presence alone. It was said that the life and death of a Spirit Deer were tied to the forest itself and, if one was killed within the grounds it once protected, the vitality of all the plants in the area would greatly diminish. Because of this property, they had been hunted in the past for their liver, which was purportedly one of the ingredients to make an Elixir of Immortality. This was, of course, something that had been fabricated by people in the past, as Vahn had seen a variety of different assumed ingredients listed in medical texts, alongside several other mythical ingredients.

From the side, Hestia's blue eyes had started to shine as she murmured, "It's so cute...!" while hopping off the sofa. Unfortunately, before she could get close to it, the Spirit Deer seemed to gain its footing as it leaped towards the crib where Elise was sleeping. It turned into green motes of light that infused into the sleeping Elf's body without disturbing the latter at all. Hestia, seeing this, had a defeated expression for a brief moment before coughing to ease her embarrassment. Then, as if nothing happened, she sat back down on the sofa and patted her thighs once again. Vahn fought the urge to laugh, which was difficult since Hestia had a very light blush on her face while trying to keep up appearances.

This time, when darkness began to encroach upon his mind, Vahn was able to ease into it without any disturbances...

(A/N: I tried to settle for a happy middle-ground, summarizing things while also detailing the emotions derived from the experience. Also, I know some people might complain that Anise and Alise have very similar names, as can easily be seen, so I may retcon Aki's daughter's name in the future if it becomes confusing. However, as only the Vanir will have any real significance to the story for a while, I may just leave it as it.)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Being thin and lithe can make birthing very difficult (O_O)...','Poor Ryuu...she really did live a troubled life...','The Path can be a d.i.c.k xD...')

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