With the environment having been subsequently restored by Sis, Vahn took a moment to enjoy the silence of the serene forest before directing his gaze to the peculiar red Needle presently bound by Enkidu’s chains. It was extremely short for a Needle-type weapon, and, rather than appear sleek, the majority of its red frame was covered in ringlets. Most notably, however, was the eye-like gemstone that dominated the center, it’s interior reminiscent of a crimson star flanked by six golden claws.
Seeing the peculiar weapon, Vahn was finally beginning to understand what must have transpired to transform Jahad from an outgoing ‘King of Adventurers’ to a despotic and lonely individual who supposed himself a God. He, similar to a protagonist from a shonen anime, had been manipulated by those with a far greater understanding of the world, and, due to his unshakeable ideals, he had gradually been turned into a monster by the very people who set him upon his journey in the first place…
Shaking his head, Vahn walked over to the peculiar weapon and grasped its hilt. In response, the claret sun in the center began to pulsate as an abrasive and synthetic-sounding voice uttered, “I didn’t notice it before, but I can sense it clearly now. Though it is not of this world, you also possess the Seed of a King, don’t you?”
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vahn held up the Needle so that the ‘eye’ in the center was level with his face, apathetically inquiring, “You can sense it clearly but still need to ask? How curious…”
Though it did not answer immediately, the voice within the Needle could be heard chuckling for a brief moment before replying, “Caution is a fine trait to possess for those with the qualifications to be King. However, with a bit of trust, your rise to the top will become a lot smoother. If you’ll accept it, I can grant you power even greater than the current King’s. What say you?”
Feeling a foreign intent attempt to invade both his mind and body, Vahn manipulated his own to effectively strangle the comparably weak force as he plainly stated, “Though blame ultimately lies with your creator, this is the end of the line. I’m not sure who it is you were waiting for, but I’ll not let another be corrupted for the sake of an experiment. Begone.”
With his final word causing a visible ripple in the surrounding space, the crimson sun sealed within the Needle promptly extinguished. Immediately thereafter, the interior of the orb grew foggy as the crimson hue drained away from the body of the Needle, its surface turning ashen before ultimately fragmenting into pieces reminiscent of spent charcoal.
Exhaling a tired sigh, Vahn shook his head a second time before directing his gaze towards nothing in particular and muttering, “All this suffering over something as meaningless as the truth…at least now I can understand why the Workshop provided so much support for Jahad and his companions during their ascent…”
Thanks to the Law of Identity being unable to violate the contracts of the people whose identity she had assumed, Vahn had been unable to peer into the truth behind the organization. All he knew for certain was that they sincerely pursued the ‘origin of all things’. There was nothing inherently wrong with this sentiment, but, much like how there were a few startling differences between Da Vinci and Gustang, the pursuit of knowledge without restraint had a habit of leading to irredeemable tragedy and destruction…
Thinking of his starry-eyed lover, Vahn was briefly tempted to convince the woman to reincarnate into the Tower. So long as he provided her with adequate resources, it would only take her a few years, if that, to completely dominate the Tower. In the process, she would either absorb or destroy the Workshop, and, in the end, she might very well become his most prominent pillar of support.
Unfortunately, as he had learned during his time in the Nasu and Akamatsuverses, knowledge, while immensely powerful, was a limiting factor when aiming towards something that couldn’t be defined through conventional reasoning. The more you know about something, the more consideration you would put into your decision-making, and, as a result, you ultimately ended up denying yourself the freedom to simply act as you please. This was surprisingly important when trying to comprehend the Laws and gain greater authority, and, while it was sad to think about, it was one of the reasons so many despicable or selfish individuals managed to climb their way up to monstrous heights.
Though it wasn’t the first thing that came to mind when people thought of the word Hero, Vahn had come to accept that heroes were some of the most selfish people in existence. The only real difference between them and something like a Demon King was the perception of the people. In a disheartening number of Records, this sentiment resulted in many former heroes later becoming known as villains simply due to public perception and politics. Thus, while he was tempted to make things easier for himself by inviting Da Vinci to solve his problems, Vahn understood that the path towards the pinnacle was never intended to be easy. He needed to be able to clear the way forward himself, and, though he was bound to make mistakes along the way, such instances were arguably even more important than his triumphs.
Having successfully convinced himself, at least for the moment, Vahn swept aside the ashes of the crimson Needle before shifting his gaze in the direction of several ongoing battles. His domain was unable to cover such a massive distance, yet, in spite of this, he could still sense what was going on through the connection he shared with both his Templates and lovers. Because of this, an amused smile naturally developed across his face, as, more so than any other, he was able to ascertain what Fenrir had in mind whilst dealing with the Sworn Enemy version of herself…
—
Having witnessed Vahn’s battle from start to finish, a slight smile spread across the face of young Jahad as he muttered, “It seems Eduan was mistaken. This man is nothing like me. He managed to see through what I could not and didn’t hesitate for a moment to destroy the power offered to him. I wonder…if I had that same level of resolve, would things have turned out differently…?”
Shaking his head in response to his own words, Jahad removed the three-eyed mask that covered the curse mark extending across his forehead and covering his right eye. This was a burden he had carried with him even before his ascent up the Tower, and, though he couldn’t remember where it had come from, he knew it was called the ‘Chains of Fate’. It was his desire to liberate himself from these chains that led to him becoming an Adventurer, and, though his journey ended the moment he cleared the Hell Train, he had taken notice of the fact that even his future self used red bindings to cover his forehead…
With what could best be described as a pensive and melancholic smile, Jahad used his left hand to crush the three-eyed visor before muttering, “I’ve let you borrow my eyes long enough. From this moment onward, you will need to use your own to ascertain the truth…”
Though it wasn’t visible to others, Jahad could see a wisp of crimson energy flow from the visor the moment he shattered it. This was a nascent thread of his genuine self’s intent, and, due to a special ritual, the three-eyed symbol allowed the real Jahad to know everything within his iconic marking’s field of view. It didn’t matter if it was scrawled onto a piece of paper or carved into stone. So long as the ‘Symbol of the King’ was present, it would become another source of information promoting the King’s ‘omniscience’.
Now that he had effectively betrayed his future self, Jahad didn’t hesitate to produce a small silver wristband from his pocket, a thoughtful glimmer flashing across his eyes as he proceeded to smash it into pieces. After Vahn’s refusal to accept power, it was difficult to imagine the so-called Emperor swallowing his pride to accept something like a handout. Thus, rather than embarrassing them both by offering it as a convenient tool to defeat his true self, Jahad decided to follow Vahn’s example by destroying it completely.
Feeling as if a heavy burden had been removed from his shoulders, a smile returned to Jahad’s face as he looked around at the encircling arena and mused, “It really is a shame…I was actually looking forward to experiencing my first real fight in the last six-thousand-years. It seems that is yet another thing my true self will get to experience that I missed out on…”
Seemingly amused by his words, a light chuckle emanated from Jahad’s throat as several golden Baangs, each reminiscent of liquid gold, formed around him…
—
After one-sidedly pummeling the Sworn Enemy version of herself for several minutes, Fenrir had the former’s paws bound using Gleipnir’s chains as she bent the teary-eyed Vanargander over her knee and firmly smacked her exposed backside. This was the result of her Sworn Enemy self transforming into an eldritch-looking version of her wolf form, a transformation the actual Fenrir had been trying to keep hidden ever since she accidentally uncovered its existence.
Unable to break free from chains specifically designed to seal her, tears continued to pour from S.E. Fenrir’s eyes as she shouted, “I said I was sorry! I won’t do it again! Please stop spanking me…!”
Despite her words, S.E. Fenrir continued to struggle in a desperate attempt to break free, her false Chainbreaker kicking into overdrive to aid in her efforts. Unfortunately, she was a version of Fenrir that had very little control over her own energy and emotions, so, every time the former smacked her backside, the energy within her body would be completely disrupted. This prevented her from mustering any meaningful resistance, and, due to the chains holding her firmly in place, it left her backside completely exposed to the seemingly endless series of painful strikes.
Snorting through her nose, Fenrir gave her counterpart’s bottom another firm smack before saying, “If you want me to stop, you need to stop struggling. You might not be the real me, but you should still have some of my memories. If you were a good girl, I wouldn’t need to punish you like this. Do you think I enjoy speaking your backside?”
Gritting her teeth in response to Fenrir’s words, S.E. Fenrir made yet another attempt to break free before ultimately giving up following another crisp slapping sound. Then, while cursing the system for designing them to feel pain, she allowed her body to go limp as she begrudgingly muttered, “I give up…please stop spanking me…”
Rather than taking the woman’s words seriously, Fenrir allowed her hand rest on her Sworn Enemy’s backside as she said, “I will have you sign a contract and swear it on our Master’s name. I don’t wish to kill you, but if you endanger the lives of the people around Master, you must be removed. Even if your head is filled with stone, you should understand the reason for this, yes?”
Though she couldn’t help but grit her teeth in frustration, S.E. Fenrir ultimately nodded her head in response to Fenrir’s words, saying, “I understand…even if we want to be the only one Master needs, his existence is far too big for us to contain…”
Frowning in response to her counterpart’s words, Fenrir chose not to comment as she pulled out an extremely ornate scroll. This was something she had drafted with the assistance of Eva, and, though it didn’t actually affect the Soul, it contained a Tier 5 spell known as a ‘Soul Binding Contract’. In the Akamatsuverse, this spell was strong enough to bind Vampire Nobles and Demon Kings, so, while it functioned a little differently in the Transcendental Path to Heaven, using it to bind an artificial Tier 3 was relatively simple.
Though she was tempted to try and appeal to their Master, S.E. Fenrir knew it would be impossible to convince him to abandon everyone and become her’s. The only routes available to her, at least if she wanted to avoid deletion, was spending the next couple of years in isolation or working hard to fit in. There was also a very real chance that her Ego might be erased to free her from the burden of her own programming, so, before she lost the chance to make decisions regarding her own life, she bit her tongue to allow blood to drip onto the scroll.
Unfortunately, not that she could have read it, S.E. Fenrir hadn’t accounted for the fact that her true self had included certain provisions and stipulations into the contract. As a result, a crimson sheen flashed across her midnight blue fur, and, as a result, her hair became a healthy auburn color. At the same time, her crimson eyes became reminiscent of radiant copper as the tone of her skin changed from a pale and pristine white to a sunkissed golden brown.
Confused by the sudden changes, S.E. Fenrir gazed absentmindedly at her paws before Fenrir took it upon herself to explain, “Others might possess a similar name, but there can only ever be one of me. This contract strips away all titles and designations you might have possessed. When you meet with Master later, ask him kindly to bestow a name upon you. From then onward, you will be both my little sister and your own person. I’m already walking my path. If you want to become someone Master can rely on, you’ll need to make your own efforts.”
With that said, Fenrir allowed her Zanpakuto to return to its base state as she extended her hand to caress the still-glaring redhead. Then, just as the latter began emitting a low growl, Vahn appeared out of thin air, surprising the two girls as he said, “I’m glad the two of you were able to work things out. It seems like everyone else is just about finished up as well. Shall we return to the Town of the Wandering Minstrels and have a nice long chat…?”
Without waiting for either girl to respond, Vahn extended his hands to caress both of their heads, his smile widening as noticed their respective ears twitch. Fenrir’s, in particular, caught his eye, as, for reasons he still couldn’t ascertain, he had always had a thing for girls with elven ears…
Understanding her Master’s thoughts, Fenrir allowed a blush to spread through her cheeks and into her ears as she habitually nestled closer to his body. This left her redheaded counterpart with a look of envy on her face, but, before she could say anything, Vahn tenderly pinched her nose as he softly alleged, “Red is a good color on you…”
Though instinct was to bite anything even remotely close to her mouth, the former Fenrir managed to hold herself back thanks to the contract. The urge was still there, however, so, in the end, she did the next best thing, preventing Vahn from retracting his hand so she could gently nibble and suckle on his fingers. At the same time, she took advantage of her somewhat petite frame to turn her eyes up at him, their depths glistening with a copper hue as she traced her crimson tongue between his index and middle fingers…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘The plot thickens…?’,’Data Jahad isn’t as bad as he seems…’,’A new challenger has arrived (O w O)…!’)
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