Early Morning

During the night, Vahn found himself having a dream, which was rather rare as he often slept in complete darkness. In the dream, Vahn felt a sense of weightlessness in his body, but there was also an incredible pressure pressing in on him from all directions. It wasn't painful so much as it was uncomfortable and Vahn struggled to open his eyes within the dream for a great deal of time. When he finally managed the difficult feat, Vahn found himself surrounded, not by the endless darkness he had come to expect, but a deep and vibrant blue. Though he might have believed, at least in the past, that he was submerged in water, Vahn knew that the massive 'ocean' around him was actually pure elemental energy.

Vahn wasn't sure why, but he found himself submerged in pure water elemental energy that seemingly stretched out omnidirectionally endlessly. As for how he knew it was a dream, it was because he couldn't access the system and the only thing he could feel was the everpresent [Will of the Emperor]. Since his dreams often had some 'greater' purpose, Vahn was curious why he found himself in such a strange situation. Other than when he entered the edges of the atmosphere atop Fafnir, Vahn had never even seen something like an ocean so he wasn't even sure what he was experiencing right now.

Suddenly, Vahn felt a 'familiar' presence and turned his head to see a massive shadow that almost looked like a mountain as it moved through the endless blue. As she shadow got progressively closer, Vahn found it had started to dominate his perception and, even though it had a fair distance before he was near it, Vahn had to angle his head up just to see the top of the shadow. Then, although it felt like a strangely long period of time had passed, Vahn found himself face-to-face with the owner of the shadow. It would have been more accurate to say face-to-eye, however, as Vahn was looking into a massive black voice surrounded by vibrant green as the continent-sized eye of Xuánwǔ peered at him.

Vahn felt like the Xuánwǔ before him was the size of a massive planet and, even though it was a great distance away from him, it still dominated everything Vahn could see and just the pupil of its eye seemed like it could seat a mountain range within it and still have room to spare. When the massive creature blinked, Vahn felt the pure water elemental energies shift with a great, yet surprisingly peaceful force. It felt like the 'liquid' around him was displaced at several thousand kilometers per hour but it flowed around his body like a soft breeze. After another unknown period of time passed, Vahn found himself still floating except that the water elements had retreated. He now hovered in the void created by Xuánwǔ's blink as he stared back at the massive creature with intrigue.

Reaching out his hand, Vahn suddenly found himself next to Xuánwǔ as he touched against the side of its face. It almost felt like he was putting his hand against the ground and, if not for the fact he retained his weightlessness, Vahn might have misunderstood he was standing on a giant planetoid. When his hand made contact with Xuánwǔ, massive green lights began emerging from its body as each of its scales began to glow with a sea-green rune. As a single scale was several hundred kilometers across, Vahn had to move away from Xuánwǔ's body to see what had happened. He spontaneously found himself several thousand kilometers away and could take in the view of Xuánwǔ once again, this time seeing the entire body of the immeasurably large turtle. Strangely, it felt like his perspective had changed and, when Vahn reached out his hand again, the massive Xuánwǔ now fit within his palm...

---

Vahn opened his eyes and he could see green lights cast onto the ceiling above before he turned his attention to his own body and saw he had transformed at some point. The first thing he noticed, other than the sleeping Eina leaning against his chest, was that his scales now looked compact and smooth compared to the past. They were almost like the scales of a snake now and there was a glossy texture that reflected a green shimmer, though it could have simply been a result of the scales refracting the light from the glowing runes covering his arms. Instead of the rather large runes on his equally large scales, there were now thousands of small runes covering the fine scales on his arms and the glowed in a strange pattern, almost like waves in the ocean.

Without understanding how he knew this, Vahn felt like his control over water had suddenly increased greatly and he absentmindedly formed a water ball that was more than 2m wide with the wave of his hand. He could also see water elements in the past, but now it felt like they were 'waiting' for his commands and Vahn found he could shape the ball of water into many complex shapes, something that he had previously only managed with the 'essence' liquid. With his excitement beginning to build, Vahn stretched out his index finger and 'commanded' the water elemental energy to transition into ice. Unfortunately, his control didn't seem to stretch into the four phases and the ice arrow he wanted to make fell to the top of the bed instead of hovering in the air.

Eina had awakened after feeling an 'impact' against the bed as the 1m long arrow fell onto it. She saw Vahn's state before lifting up her body and staring at the orb of water. Unable to make sense of the situation, Eina gave Vahn a questioning look and asked, "Vahn, what are you up to? What time is it?" Curious by the answer himself, Vahn turned his attention to the system timer and found that it was 5:03 AM so he dispersed the water orb and said, "It's around 5 AM..." as he pulled out Eva's orb before immediately freezing in place. Though it hadn't activated completely, the orb now had a slight luster to it that made Vahn's heart begin to race.

For a brief moment, Eina was confused by Vahn's reaction until her mind managed to process things properly and she suddenly remembered the existence of 'Eva'. As the prolific mage was someone close to Vahn, that also shared a name similar to her own, Eina had inquired about her several times in the past. Seeing Vahn holding the orb with a shocked expression on his face, a smile appeared on her's as she asked, "Are you going...?" Surprisingly, Vahn shook his head before he stored away the orb and hugged her body closely and muttered, "It's beginning to wake up, but it hasn't completely activated. I can't insert my consciousness into it yet..."

Eina allowed herself to be hugged by Vahn and did her best to ignore the 'slimy' and 'cool' feeling coming from his arms. She had noticed the change in his hair and eye color immediately after awakening and she was now able to see the other changes to his body. Knowing he had the ability to change form, Eina didn't allow herself to be bothered by it as she enjoyed the warm feeling coming from his heart. She could feel how fast it was beating and felt somewhat jealous of the woman she had never met.

Vahn, seeing the mild fluctuation in Eina's aura, felt like she had touched a soft spot in his heart as he reached up with his hand and tilted her chin to kiss her lips. He had seen her body recoil slightly when he touched her with his somewhat slick fingers so Vahn had dispelled his transformation. They hadn't been able to have any fun the previous night, and it would be difficult for them to have a lot of quality time together later on. With his right hand, Vahn reached around Eina's body before tracing it under her pajama top and making her tremble before saying, "Let me take care of you...I know you'll be busy later on. I want to do it..."

Without waiting for his response, Eina moved around to the front of Vahn and weakly pressed against his chest to lower him back against the bed. She knew Vahn liked to tease her, which she allowed more than she probably should, but it was still a little 'scary' for her to be on the receiving end of his affections during sex. Vahn was much stronger than she was and, even though she felt completely safe within his arms, she wanted to be the one to do things for him. Even then, she would still get a great deal of pleasure because of Vahn's 'sneaky' hands, but that was even more of a reason why she wanted to take the initiative.

After straddling Vahn's lower abdomen, Eina unbuttoned her light-yellow pajama top and revealed the somewhat perky breasts contained within. Vahn earlier touch had caused goosebumps to cover her body and her little rose-buds were already standing assertively against the darkness of the room. As for her bottoms, Eina had just been wearing a pair of simple panties because she had somewhat expected that they would have sex the previous night and wanted to be 'prepared'. She was about to remove them on her own before Vahn's 'sneaky' hands found their way to her side and she suddenly felt a bit of heat against her lower body. With the blush on her face growing deeper, Eina gave Vahn a look of mock reproach before whispering, "Leave it to me..." as she traced her body down his...

---

Vahn left his room shortly after 6:30 AM and felt incredibly refreshed as he made his way down the stairs and went to enjoy a nice hot bath in their refurbished onsen. Eina's shift started at noon, so she had decided to take another nap as she was feeling a little fatigued. When Vahn reached the bath, he noticed a few presences inside so his eyes immediately transitioned to a magical blue color as he peered into the interior. After the small 'incident' with Rose, Vahn wanted to avoid offending the woman. He hadn't seen her since his return, which meant she was probably living within the Guild building at the west side of the Manor, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

As she had awoken early to conduct her morning training regimen, Mikoto was within the onsen and was being accompanied by Tsubaki, who was also the type to never skip practice. Vahn could see that the two were talking and that Mikoto had a serious expression on her face compared to the cheerful smile of Tsubaki. Without any real hesitation, Vahn made his way into the bath and captured the attention of the two girls. Mikoto's shoulder shrunk slightly but she didn't make any attempt to hide while Tsubaki stood up in the bath and said, "Good morning, Vahn, have a fun time with Eina~?" Vahn had been preparing a rebuttal of his own but he could see that Tsubaki, though it didn't show when she was wearing clothing, also had a slight bump on her belly.

Noticing Vahn's expression, Tsubaki's smile changed into a grin as she gently caressed her abdomen and said, "You know, if you didn't come out in time, I was planning to break into the Dungeon to pull you out. Make sure you're around...to..." Though she started off strong, a melancholy appeared in Tsubaki's smile before it turned gentle and she said, "It's good that you came back safely, Vahn." Unable to stop himself, Vahn stepped forward with [Shundo] and startled Tsubaki slightly, though not enough to make her panic. He reached out his hand and rubbed her belly with ten times the gentleness she had used as he said in a low voice, "I can't afford to miss the birth of my cute little daughter...she really does look a lot like you, though not as...big?"

As Vahn spoke, he turned his attention to Tsubaki's buxom breasts before she swatted away his hand and pushed him toward the deeper part of the onsen. She stared at Vahn picking himself up out of the water before teasingly saying, "Don't talk about our daughter's body like that Vahn or I might have to break a few bones to teach you a lesson." Instead of picking himself up completely, Vahn kept half of his face in the water and blew bubbles in a dejected manner that made Tsubaki laugh boisterously as she sat back down and relaxed in the hot water. Seeing her action, Vahn sat upright and smiled before saying, "Let me wash your body...it's the least I can do right now." As though she were an Empress from the Far East, Tsubaki tilted her chin high with a smile on her face and said, "I'll allow it." She kept the matter to herself that she had already cleaned her body previously since she didn't mind being pampered by Vahn every now and then.

While he was washing her body, Vahn found out what Mikoto and she had been talking about. During their morning training, Tsubaki had seen Mikoto's unique sword techniques and had taken an interest in them. She was capable of using any kind of weapon, but her preferred weapons were the naginata and katana. Tsubaki's skills were far greater than Mikoto's, but she could tell that the techniques Mikoto was using were unlike anything she had ever seen before. Unfortunately, Mikoto didn't budge at all and simply stated it was a 'heritage' technique she had received from Vahn.

Understanding the situation, Vahn tilted his head to the side and cast a glance at Mikoto from the corner of his eye. After thinking for a moment, Vahn shook his head slightly and said, "Sorry, Tsubaki, but that is a technique I acquired specifically for Mikoto. I wanted her to have something unique that would allow her to keep pace with the other girls even if she walked a slightly different path. She is a pure swordsman, one of the most determined I've ever met, and it would take that level of dedication to pursue that technique to mastery. I'll come up with something else if you're interested in techniques..."

Mikoto's eyes widened slightly as she heard Vahn's words and she hung her head to hide the light layer of blush that had appeared on her face. Vahn's praise was the type that was very important to a young girl like her, and it happened to be related to the things she was most concerned with. After all, though she was a disciplined swordswoman, Mikoto was only a fourteen-year-old girl and she had often been thinking about if it was correct for her to continue on her path, or if she needed to consider matters as a 'woman' properly. Vahn's words were essentially giving her leeway to do as she pleased while also allowing her to forge a path all her own...

Tsubaki hadn't missed Mikoto's reaction at all and her response to Vahn was to simply lay back against him in a lazy manner as she looked up into his face and said, "If you want to give me something, make sure it is the type of thing I'd be able to pass on to our daughter..." Tsubaki decided not to press the matter about Mikoto's sword techniques at all, as she would be able to pick up a few tricks just by watching her train and spar in the future. However, hearing that it was a 'heritage' technique, Tsubaki wanted something to pass to their children as well.

Vahn didn't resist Tsubaki's somewhat 'spoiled' behavior, as she didn't often act like this and it was rather refreshing, and began to seriously consider the matter. However, he didn't want to force his children down any specific path so he said, "Our daughter will be a highly capable girl that has limitless potential...but I think we should let her be the one to choose the path she wishes to walk. I'll pick out a technique for you, but I don't want to see our daughter forced to learn-" Vahn's sentence was cut short because Tsubaki had cupped her hands together before a jet of water shot out and splashed Vahn in the face.

Tsubaki had a playful expression on her face, but there was a serious look in her eyes as she said, "Relax, I know how to properly raise a child without forcing them into anything...after all, I've already looked after a fair number of troublemakers in recent years..." Vahn found himself completely unable to refute Tsubaki's words because he knew she had, in fact, been his surrogate mother after Hephaestus reached out to her. She showed him a great deal of kindness and always looked after his mental state in the hopes that he would recover. Tsubaki had expectations for him, yes, but she never forced him to do anything. When he opposed her decisions with reason, she would take a step back and trust him to do what he thought was best, even if it sometimes resulted in him making mistakes.

Looking down at Tsubaki's face from above, Vahn smiled to match her own and muttered, "You'll make an excellent mother, Tsubaki..." Though it was almost indistinguishable from the general sheen of her eyes, a light layer of moisture appeared in Tsubaki's eyes before she closed them and said, "I'll do my best...for all of our sakes...thank you, Vahn." Since he was in a somewhat awkward position to embrace her, Vahn just reclined against the warm stones of the bath for a while with Tsubaki relaxing against him. From the side, Mikoto looked at them both with a complex expression for a few minutes before saying, "Excuse me..." and rising from the bath. She had already finished bathing earlier and had just stayed in for a little while longer out of a strange sense of obligation. Now that Vahn and Tsubaki were enjoying each other's company, Mikoto felt like she was invading their space a little.

Hearing Mikoto's words, Tsubaki let herself slide down Vahn's body until she was completely submerged before bursting up out of the water full of energy, She had her arms on her hips and said, "Well, I've been in here for like twenty minutes already so I think I'll get out now as well. Don't forget to go pick up the girls at the Loki Familia this morning Vahn. And make sure you take some time off, even if you don't feel tired!" Before she left, Tsubaki splashed a handful of water at Vahn again before laughing and climbing out of the bath. She knew that Vahn wouldn't do anything to her in her current state and felt inclined to tease him a bit knowing he was 'defenseless'.

Vahn didn't mind the water at all and just accepted it 'graciously' without the smile on his face breaking at all. It was Tsubaki's nature to worry about others and she probably intended to talk to Mikoto about a few other things as an apology for making her feel uncomfortable. Other than the 'lead-instructor' during training, Tsubaki was in the 'Motherly' faction with Milan, Lunoire, and even Hestia, so she did her best to look out for the girls. Without a constant effort on the part of everyone involved, the relationships of everyone in the Manor wouldn't be nearly as stable so Vahn was extremely grateful for their actions.

Thinking of other girls he was grateful for, the images of Hephaestus and Syr ran through his mind before Loki's cheeky smile snuck its way in as well. It was actually correct to say Vahn was grateful to all the girls, but there were inarguably some he felt outright indebted to. Suddenly finding himself alone in the bath, Vahn wondered what the other girls were up to so he scanned his logbooks for the first time in a while and peeked at the status of everyone. Vahn noticed that some of the girls that had gone on the expedition hadn't updated their statuses yet, likely because they had broken the habit after not doing it for a while, but the most surprising thing was the new additions...it seems that some of the girls were very proactive within the Manor...

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Hephaestus: Busy: Available in the afternoon...

Eina: Busy: Sleeping...

Loki: Free: Waiting for my prince charming...

Syr: Free: I can make time whenever you need me, Vahn...

Tiona: Free: Boohoo, Vahn, I have bruised on my ribs from Tione's drunken embrace!

Ryuu: Busy: I'm free if you need me, but please spend time with the others as well...

Ais: Busy: Dungeon Expedition...

Aki: Free: I would like to spend more time with you when you're not busy.

Chloe: Free: Just let me know when you want to look at my status...

Arnya: Free: Make sure you're considerate of the baby...

Tione: Busy: Dungeon Expedition...

Aisha: Busy: I'm never really busy, you just have to let me know what is going on...

Lunoire: Free: Welcome back, Vahn...

Anubis: Free: I'd like to go on a walk with Master...

Lefiya: Free: Thank you for helping me get stronger...Master...

Riveria: Free: I heard rumors about you passing through the West Gate...with two dragons...

Tsubaki: Free: I'll be in my workshop all day...

Naaza: Busy: Dungeon Expedition

Lili: Free: I'd like to go on a date in the future, with just the two of us...!

Nanu: Free: I'd like to go on a walk with Master...

Milan: Free: If you have the opportunity, it would be nice if you spent time with me and the girls...

Haruhime: Free: I am waiting, always, Vahn...

Maemi: Busy: Master...

Emiru: Busy: We missed you...

Terra: Free: My, this is quite interesting...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'It's all a matter of perspective...','RIP Mikoto','Availability (O,...,O)'

(A/N: Thanks, once again, to J. Townsend for yet another donation <3. I'd also like to thank the additional patrons that have pledged to Patreon today as well as masterplayr99 for his helpful contribution. I feel blessed to have had so many people express their support for the novel during these trying times. I will do my best to come up with some interesting plot developments that I think everyone will enjoy in the future~!)

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