Release

After quite possibly one of the longest nights he had ever experienced, Vahn found himself calmly staring up at two different ceilings, a contented smile on his face. He had Arcueid and Artoria in his arms in one room while, back in Ilya's, he was casually running his fingers through the soft fur that covered various parts of her body. It was silky smooth to the touch and, a stark contrast to how hot the exposed areas of her skin were, it had a cool and soothing quality...

As a faux-Tier 5 being, Illya obviously didn't require things like sleep so, after a much longer than anticipated time together, she now lay snug within Vahn's embrace, enjoying his gentle touch. Even prior to her fusion with Cath Palug, it had always filled her with various emotions but, more than any other, his caress always brought her peace and security. Though it was a little embarrassing to even consider, part of her wished that Vahn would just make her into his pet. She didn't really care about the state of the world and, despite her inherited knowledge, she didn't care about Alchemy either.

Unfortunately, the more she interacted with Vahn, the more effort she wanted to put into the things she could do. Illya knew that, if she really wanted to, Vahn would remove all responsibilities from her and, at least for a time, allow her to behave as spoiled as she liked. She could just hole herself up in the Menagerie, lazily passing each day as she awaited his next visit like an obedient pet. Then, during their moments together, they could sail through the oceans of pleasure, enjoying the various highs and lows that came with the tumultuous act...

Imagining this scenario, Illya released a hot sigh as her body actually started to heat up as a result of her wayward thoughts. In response, Vahn's hand moved from caressing her side to gently rubbing just beneath her navel, bringing with it a calming flow of cool energy. This made Illya feel more than a little embarrassed but, instead of removing his hand, she placed hers overtop and asked, "Vahn...do you love me?"

Though her question was sudden, it wasn't entirely unexpected so, nestling his face next to her human ear, Vahn whispered, "Of course...you have become someone precious to me...someone I will protect until the very forces that bind this reality together begins to break down. Don't think you can get away now, Illya...even if you wanted to go back to being my little sister, I wouldn't let you..."

Realizing that Vahn had seen through her, Illya's face became beet red, a process quickened when he suddenly hugged her tight, seemingly to say, 'I won't let you go'. This made Illya feel giddy but it also caused her heart to ache as, despite everything that had happened, she felt as if she had forced Vahn into everything. Her feelings had come to a head in the peace that followed intense intercourse and, as he alluded to, she had momentarily thought to bring an end to their relationship and instead support her Mother...

Vahn wasn't going to let Illya force herself into a corner and wallow in self-imposed loneliness so, as her body began to tremble slightly, he held her even tighter as he whispered, "You are mine...always and forever. Don't think I'll let you run away and lie to everyone, especially yourself...I know you want to be with me, Illya. I can feel it...a powerful desire, one that craves love... that needs to be wanted, cherished, and spoiled without end. No matter how long it takes, I will continue to shower you with all of these things until you finally open your heart and allow me to love you completely..."

With each of Vahn's words, tears threatened to spill from Illya's eyes but, with what remained of her willpower, she managed to hold them back by covering her mouth with her hand and shutting them tightly. Everything he said was like bullets piercing her body, wounding her greatly but leaving gaps for something else to fill the holes left in their wake.

Illya really did want to be loved by Vahn but, no matter how much she convinced herself that he genuinely loved her, she couldn't help but have doubts. After everything she had experienced...it felt like, at any given moment, reality would give way to reveal that the last two years were nothing but an illusion...it was filled with so many surreal events, almost like a dream that had been constructed to pacify her weary mind on the verge of death...reason, of course, told her that this was a reality but, her fear and doubt made it hard to accept that she was allowed to be happy...

Just as Illya was on the verge of restoring her calm, Vahn broke through all of her defenses, his hand reaching up to uncover her mouth as he exclaimed, "If you want to cry, then cry! You have that right, Illya! Let all your hatred, frustration, sadness, and everything else that has plagued you out. Even if all that remains is an empty shell, I will continue to love you until you are so filled with happiness that it overflows completely...!"

As cliche as the lines may sound, Vahn knew it was what Illya needed to hear as he could practically feel her emotions crying out to be released. These were the very same emotions that had influenced Cath Palug in the past, things Illya had bottled up and compartmentalized since the moment she was denied the happiness she, and every child, deserved. Thus, with nothing holding her back, Illya finally released everything, releasing a primal scream that shook the surrounding air. It was a cry filled with so much pain and anguish that its influence could be felt, not just within the castle, but throughout all of Avalon...

---

After a few awkward events, and a fair amount of explaining, Vahn ended up being booted out of Illya's room for a short while as Iris, Spenta, and Fenrir went to provide emotional support. It wasn't as if he was being blamed for anything, quite the contrary. Everyone had been aware of the fact that Illya had been repressing a lot as, due to the presence of Cath Palug, even Merlin couldn't tweak her memories too much. The tiny white Beast of Gaia wasn't all that fond of Merlin so, even if he had the best of intentions, it wouldn't allow him to mess around as he pleased.

Now, Illya was an emotional wreck but, given time, she would eventually recover. This was something Vahn knew better than anyone as, following her outburst, Illya's Love parameter had finally broken through the 99 bottleneck. Rather, it shattered the bottleneck completely, jumping to 17,385 in an instant. This was a testament to how much Illya had been denying her own happiness but now, after releasing all the pain she had bottled up, Vahn was certain she would be able to open her heart, not just to himself, but to others...

Still, he couldn't avoid a few lectures after making a girl cry loud enough to literally shake the sub-texture of Avalon. Even the residents outside of the projection felt it, resulting in representatives of every Fae tribe coming by out of concern, asking if there was anything they could do to help. Their care had brought a smile to Vahn's face but, now, as he sat in a perfect seiza position, his expression was one of calm repentance as he listened to a horde of women lecture him about delicacy, even if they knew he hadn't actually done anything wrong...

In the end, Vahn was only given leniency when Arcueid, the newest addition to the Ivory Castle, was given the opportunity to lecture him. Instead of following the trend, however, she shook her head, a complicated expression on her face as she said, "I believe Vahn did the right thing. Having him kneel like this seems unfair...we should stop this before it gets out of hand..."

Hearing Arcueid's sincere tone, the girls that had already lectured Vahn began to fidget nervously, at least until Artoria stepped in to say, "Do not fret, Arcueid. We do this out of love, for Vahn's sake. He also expects us to reign him...had this not the case, it would be impossible to have him sit in seiza like this. Is this not the case, Vahn...?"

Though it wasn't far from the truth, Vahn had never expected someone to actually vocalize the fact that he 'expected' to be reprimanded, at least every now and then. If they just let him act however he pleased, he would become increasingly more unrestrained and, over time, might even lose himself to the idea that his decisions were above reproach.

With Artoria directing the question toward him, Vahn smiled somewhat awkwardly toward Arcueid, saying, "I may be an Emperor, but I'm not a perfect being that places itself above others. Were it up to me, everyone would be equals as they lived happily alongside each other. Regardless of the status or title any of you hold, our love puts us on the same level. If you ever have doubts about something I have decided upon, please, do not hesitate to let me know. Your opinion, your independence, and your happiness...these are all incredibly important to me."

Most of the girls present were used to Vahn's flowery words, there were some, such as Nobunaga, who actually rolled her eyes after hearing what he had to say. As for Arcueid, she had a light blush on her face and, after struggling for a few seconds, she ultimately nodded her head. What followed, somewhat surprisingly, was a rather long lecture on how to treat women. Going by how she made a few references to their time in the Library, Vahn could tell she had been bottling a few things up as a result of him seizing the initiative and leading the conversation...

Fortunately, Arcueid was the last to lecture him as the small interruption in the proceedings made it awkward to continue. Afterward, everyone just sat around in the corridor together as they waited for news regarding Illya's well being. This was a rather peculiar sight as, even with a vast and limitless imagination, very few people would be able to visualize a scene where an Emperor, his Empress, several Queens, a former Vampire Princes, literal Goddesses, and a few women with various unique traits were just sitting in the corridor of a castle, some plopping down directly on the floor.

Vahn actually enjoyed moments like this more than most as it showed the strong bonds and unity that everyone shared, irrespective of origin and status. In the grand scheme of things, these were all fleeting, unimportant, things. They only mattered when people pretended they mattered as, on the most fundamental level, they were all just beings of consciousness that were experiencing the same axis of time, the same reality, together. Even a simple expression of kindness had more value than any status as, other than using it to place yourself above others, things like titles had absolutely no value to the cosmos, to reality as a whole...

---

While enjoying the pleasant atmosphere that had developed within the corridor, Vahn briefly turned his attention to the system notification from earlier. After breaking through the bottleneck of Illya's Love parameter the Optional Quest, Taming the Beast, had been completed. He made a habit of not focusing on such matters in the heat of the moment as, more often than not, the events that led to the completion of such Quests compelled him to pay attention. Now that things had calmed down a bit, he was able to peruse the system notification and, the edges of his mouth curling up slightly as the rewards he had received were quite interesting.

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[Optional Quest: Taming the Beast]

Rank: SS

Completion Grade: S

Objective(s): Reach 100 Love with [Illyasviel Von Einzbern](17,385/100), Reach 100 Love with [Cath Palug](13,992/100), Synchronize the Magic Circuits of [Illyasviel Von Einzbern] and [Cath Palug](1/1), Gain the recognition of both [Illyasviel Von Einzbern] and [Cath Palug] as an authority figure(2/2).

Optional Objective(s): (Beastly Passion): Have Sex with the fused form of [Illyasviel Von Einzbern] and [Cath Palug](14/10), (Progenitor Genes): Impregnate the fused form of [Illyasviel Von Einzbern] and [Cath Palug](0/1), (Master of Beasts): Reach 100,000 Loyalty with [Cath Palug](139,412/100,000).

Rewards: 500,000,000OP, 1x[Collar of Sealing], 1x[Brand of the Beast]

Grade Rewards: 250,000,000OP, 1x[Proof of Affection], 1x[Soul Bond]

[Collar of Sealing]

Rank: Unique

Use: A collar capable of completely restraining the power of the wearer, binding even gods to a mortal form. The form that is taken, and the amount of power restricted, is entirely determined by the will of the one who places the collar on another.

Restrictions: Vahn Mason(Master), Illyasviel Von Einzbern, Cath Palug

[Brand of the Beast]

Rank: Unique

Use: A brand that can be embedded in the body that allows the user to seal a Beast within. While sealed away, the Beast empowers the owner of the seal in exchange for having their soul nourished by the life force of the user.

Restrictions: Vahn Mason

[Soul Bond]

Rank: Unique

Use: Allows two unique entities to synchronize with each other, fusing their wills into a singular whole.

Restrictions: Illyasviel Von Einzbern, Cath Palug

[Beastly Passion]

Rank: Unique

Use: A Grimoire that bestows the user the ability to impassion and exercise limited control over all bestial entities. While it is possible to direct their fervor away from oneself, long exposure would result in any beast, regardless of their level of sapience, becoming enamored with the user.

[Master of Beasts]

Rank: Unique

Use: A Grimoire that causes all bestial entities to recognize the user as a higher form of existence, imposing a phenomenon similar to spirit suppression on them. Be warned, as entities stronger than the user may be compelled to attack if they realized this is the case.

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Soft kitty, smooth kitty...pat pat pat...','The anguish of two lifetimes...','Beastly Passion and Master of Beasts seems like a scary combination xD...)

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