Time Flows Like an Endless River

On an artificial island constructed entirely of ice, five figures were seated within the void. These were Vahn, Eva, Fenrir, Theo, and, as she often tagged along with her Mistress, Chachazero. They had gathered to witness the climactic battle between Arika and Asuna. This was meant to be the latter's 'graduation', and, despite only being around eleven-years-old, Asuna was actually the one pressuring Arika...

After fighting for more than twenty minutes, the enchanted pink gown that made Arika look both graceful and elegant had become tattered in several places. Despite this, she actually looked even more beautiful, not just because of the smile on her face, but because her garb now complemented the rather peculiar weapon she swung around gracefully with both hands.

Though she had deadpanned the first time she called upon it, Arika had grown increasingly fond of her Zanpakuto ever since she awakened it. It had the appearance of a shattered two-handed sword, but, instead of a normal handle, it had integrated a magical staff that greatly enhanced her magical capabilities. The only reason she had disliked it was due to its appearance, but, much like the old adage, looks could be 'very' deceiving.

Once she learned how powerful it was, Arika's became very fond of the fragmented blade, and over the last few months, even the way she carried herself had gradually begun to change. She had been mellowing out for quite a while, but, ever since she learned the name of her Zankapkuto, 'Kossetsu-shi-ta-Hokori', literally translating to 'Fractured Pride', she seemed to take it as a wake-up call. As a result, she had been treating people better, and, though she wasn't exactly outgoing, she wasn't the same cold beauty she forced herself to be in front of others...

Showing off one of the more unique aspects of her Zanpakuto, Arika infused a phenomenal amount of magic power into the fractured blade. As a result, a blade of purified elemental erupted from the broken blade, extending to more than a hundred meters as she swept it toward the equally fierce as she was petite, Asuna.

The blade looked like it could sever the horizon, splitting Heaven from Earth, but, without paying it much mind, Asuna released an invisible pulse of energy that caused the blade of light to simply 'dissipate' the moment it came near her.

Though she knew of her cousin's ability to negate magic, as the latter continually made use of the ability, Arika couldn't help but click her tongue slightly as she attempted to block Asuna's charge...

Despite her own Zanpakuto appearing as a tiny black Tanto, the force behind Asuna's blows was terrifying, to say the least. Not only did she completely shattered Arika's barriers just by being near her, but, despite the fact she was only 125cm tall, weighing less than 25kg, Asuna's blow sent Arika smashing into the icy plateau below with meteoric force.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when Arika was embedded in the ice, Asuna shouted in a high-pitched, excited, tone, "Do it now, guys~!"

In response to Asuna's outburst, a 'platoon' of blue, white, and black globules of elemental energy gave cutesy salutes. Immediately thereafter, the ice and snow began to swirl like a tempest around the location of Arika's impact. It took less than three seconds for a massive tornado that was more than a hundred meters across to form, the interior temperature rapidly decreasing to around -200 degrees Celsius.

Though Asuna had gradually lost the ability to use external magic, she had never lost the ability to see Nascent Elementals. Rather, her affinity with the Spirits had increased by association with Vahn, so, as part of her training, Asuna had learned how to directly communicate with them, ignoring the need for a contract. This was a truly enviable ability, and, other than higher-tiered Spirits, Vahn and Asuna were two of the only people capable of achieving such a feat.

At this point, Asuna was the closest thing to a true protege Vahn had ever had, as, despite being a Master, an Advisor, and a Teacher, he generally observed and guided his students' growth without interfering too much. Asuna, however, had earnestly wanted to learn his techniques, and, due to her prodigious nature, he ended up teaching her a lot more than he originally intended...

After a few minutes had passed, the tornado gradually faded away to reveal a twisted-column of vibrant bluish-white ice. At the very center, as if she had been frozen in both space and time, Arika could be seen mid-charge, her expression clear and calm as she seemed to gaze directly at Asuna floating above.

Seeing the fighting spirit in her cousin's eyes, Asuna inhaled deeply before kicking up a large cloud of condensation as she exhaled. The smile on her face gradually faded away, replaced by a dull and distant look in her eyes as she raised Kyo high in the sky. Before she could strike down, however, a series of magic circles seemed to blossom from the void, surprising her slightly as, instead of trying to affect her directly, they began to form a vacuum.

Instinctually choosing to conserve her magical and spiritual energy, a hazy white mist began to rise from Asuna's body as a thin trickle of blood flowed from her nose. She wasn't completely immune to the rapid decrease in pressure, but, despite feeling slightly dizzy, her mind was calm and focused as she deftly cut through the surrounding magic circles. This caused a powerful implosion, but, long before it could affect her, Asuna dropped towards the pillar of ice like a bolt of lightning, landing on the periphery with her sword angled in the motion of a slash...

After taking a few breaths to steady herself, Asuna did her best to stand, but, having lost all feeling in them, her legs were completely unresponsive. This was a little unfortunate, as she had wanted to strike a cool pose after finishing her technique. Instead, she was stuck kneeling on the ground, lines of blood trickling from her eyes, ears, and nose as a thunderous cracking sound resonated through the icy plateau.

Though she still had a long way to go, Asuna was already at the Master level in swordsmanship, so, in response to her grazing blow, the entire pillar of ice was ultimately bisected. The ambient sword energy prevented the two halves from sticking together, so, after the initial cracking sound, the two pieces began to fall away from each other. At the same time, a line gradually appeared on Arika's shoulder, and, as if she had several times more blood than a normal human, a massive red crescent was formed as blood erupted from the wound.

Despite having a wound that would cause a normal person to 'split' apart, Arika was able to remain standing, her magical energy forming threads that bound her flesh together as she used powerful healing magic to mend it. This left Asuna with a wry smile on her face, especially when she saw the massive grin on her older cousin's...

Using all the strength the could muster, Asuna managed to rise to an awkward squatting position, but, before she could take a step forward, Arika used an unnamed magic spell to manipulate the surrounding ice and snow directly. Since it wasn't a magical attack, Asuna's [Magic Cancel] did little to protect her. As a result, she ended up buried under a few meters of ice and snow as Arika, feeling anemic, collapsed backward with a satisfied smile on her face...

---

From within the comfort of Vahn's comfortable lap and warm embrace, Eva gave an approving nod, stating, "The only thing Asuna is lacking at this point is experience and resolve. If she had properly followed instructions, she would have been able to defeat Arika with that final blow. She held back and ended up paying the price for underestimating her foe..it seems you have been too soft on her, Vahn."

With his arms loosely wrapped around Eva's waist, Vahn casually shook his head, nearly dislodging Chachazero from her favorite perch. Then, with an appreciative smile on his face, Vahn firmly stated, "Asuna is a kind-hearted girl. If she never has to kill, I would feel greatly vindicated as her Master. It takes very little effort to reap the life of another...having the power to take a life, and choosing not to, is a lot harder..."

Hearing Vahn's words, Eva couldn't help but roll her eyes before leaning back against his chest and saying, "Sparing an enemy is the same as inviting misfortune upon yourself and the people you care about..."

Rather than refute her words, Vahn gave a slow nod before saying, "You're not wrong...however, my words still ring true. The only way to sever the cycle of hatred in the world is to display compassion and understanding to allies and enemies alike. Even if you possess overwhelming power, people will always oppose your rule if you use force...peace is derived from the willingness of those in power to compromise with their enemies. If you make an effort to understand the wants, needs, and desires of your people, you can prevent most conflicts..."

Though she could understand the grains of truth contained within Vahn's words, Eva still shook her head, quietly muttering, "There will always be outliers who revel in the pain and suffering of others. Even if you could provide people with limitless resources, they would never be completely satisfied. So long as things like Greed, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, Envy, Wrath, Pride, and Apathy exist, the conflicts will never cease..."

Hearing the melancholy in Eva's words, Vahn held her slender figure a little tighter as he said, "True enough...however, so long as there is an intrinsic desire within all people to find happiness, the path we walk remains the correct one. The moment people like us lose faith, even greater tragedies will be wrought in the wake of our 'apathy'...imagine a world where good people just gave up the fight for a better future...the innocent will suffer the most..."

Feeling Vahn's warmth flowing into her body, Eva released an slightly exasperated sigh, but, as she was preparing her response, Theo was the one to ask, "How long are we going to keep sitting here? Asuna is still buried in the snow and I'm a little worried that Arika has lost too much blood. Magic doesn't treat anemia, you know...!?"

Giving Theo a look as if she was a complete idiot, Eva pointedly stated, "Who taught you something like that? Light Magic might only mend wounds but true Healing Magic repairs damaged tissue by drastically increasing the rate of cell division. This incites the replenishment of red and white blood cells, so, as long as she has magic power, Arika can easily heal the majority of wounds and ailments. Have you somehow become dumber over the last four years...?"

In response to Eva's relatively harsh words, Theo just rubbed the back of her head, a wide smile on her face as she released a cutesy 'tehehehe~'. This caused Eva's eye to twitch quite a bit, but, before she was able to exacerbate the situation, Vahn interjected, firmly stating, "Eva."

Though she wasn't completely cowed, Eva deflated slightly in response to Vahn's words, her head lowering almost instinctually as she shrunk in his arms. A lot could change in four years, and, after spending night after night perusing through Vahn's memories and having dozens of heart-to-heart conversations, it was pretty easy to incite her guilt. She had been making a sincere effort to try and be nicer to people, but, whenever she got frustrated, she was still prone to saying things she would later regret...

---

After retrieving Asuna from the snow and checking Arika's shoulder, the entire group, including Eva and Xiao Bai, were relaxing together in the hazy green waters of the onsen. The latter had a childish personality, so, after spending enough time around him, even Eva had dropped her guard around him. Though she insisted he transform into his tiger cub form, he didn't particularly mind since he enjoyed swimming around in the murky water with a contented smile on his face.

Over the last few months, it had become common for everyone to take a bath together. The only exceptions to this rule were Zhuque and Qinglong, the former of which had an aversion to water while the latter had been guarding the diorama after a would-be assassin managed to breach the perimeter and sneak into Theo's room. It was fortunate that the diorama had basically become a world at this point, so, despite their efforts to try and break it from the outside, the only thing the assassin managed to do was alert Vahn to their presence.

As a Mage capable of producing a Phantasmagoria, a world based on memories, Eva was adept at peering into the minds of others to obtain information. They quickly discovered who had sent the assassin, but, despite his willingness to deal with the problem, Theo insisted that the matter be left to her. She might have given into her deviancy in private, but, when it came to her official duties as an Ambassador and future Empress, she became exceptionally serious.

Though the assassin had seemingly been sent by her older brother, Theo was confident that he was being used by their Great Uncle, the Grand Duke. She wouldn't forgive either of them, but she knew her Great Uncle was the principal corrupting force on her brother. He had even tried to meddle with her in the past, so, now that she had become one of the strongest people in the entire world, Theo was determined to handle the affairs of her family personally...

Since the time of their separation was fast approaching, Eva, Arika, Fenrir, and even Asuna allowed Vahn to pamper Theo quite a bit. Though they could meet whenever they wanted, as Vahn could literally move Theo to his side using Unit Management, her randomly disappearing in the middle of the night would cause quite a number of problems. Thus, unless it was an emergency, Theo would be handling matters within her own country until Cosmo Entelecheia had been exposed. With that in mind, Theo, sanctioned by even Eva, had been behaving as spoiled as she possibly could, at least when she wasn't training.

Currently, wearing nothing but a black collar around her neck, Theo was enjoying having her body and hair washed by Vahn. Unfortunately, due to the presence of Asuna, she couldn't have him wash her directly, but, as Vahn was able to manipulate the water to swirl around her body in an incredibly comfortable manner, Theo was enjoying herself quite a bit. It wasn't comparable to his direct touch, but, knowing there was plenty of time for them to 'play' around later that evening, Theo decided to just focus on enjoying the moment. The only time her voice escaped was when Vahn scrubbed the interior ridges of her horns, an especially sensitive area that caused her lower body to twinge quite a bit ever time he ran his fingers across their surface...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Asuna is quite the bully xD...','The truest tragedy is when good people stand by and do nothing...','Theo is a good girl (UwU)...')

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