Longing

Located lightyears from any habitable worlds, an incomprehensibly vast crystalline palace, larger than some planets, could be seen slowly revolving through Space. There weren't any nearby light sources, with the closest star being twenty-two lightyears away, but, seemingly cast by the crystal itself, the entire thing glowed with a mysterious rainbow hue. It was quite the sight to behold, but, more than the palace itself, the expansive nebula surrounding it created a truly wondrous sight. It would constantly shift to create various different shapes at the whimsy of its creator, sometimes taking the form of beautiful women, other times appearing as a variety of adorable creatures...

Near the very center of the palace, a massive crystal lotus that was more than 30km in diameter stood out among the vast structure. At the very center of this lotus, which was open to the vast expanse of space above, several figures could be seen lying in a circular bed that was more than 100m in diameter. Several resplendent orbs of light could be found constantly rotating around this bed like miniature suns, but, compared to the beauty of the figures they lazily encircled, they appeared plain and unextraordinary...

Lying amongst the veritable ocean of beauties, Vahn could be seen absentmindedly waving his hand toward the distant nebula, a contented smile on his face as he shaped it into the figure of a naked Artoria. This earned him a light pinch from the girl to his right, and, though she wasn't even remotely mad, Artoria huskily asked, "You would rather stare at a distant and ephemeral version of me than the real thing curled up at your side~?"

Hearing Artoria's teasing remark, several same-sounding laughs could be heard in the surroundings as Vahn issued a light chuckle. He was currently using five bodies to contend against the seventeen beauties that shared the massive bed with him, and, as a result of his contented bliss, all five of him emulated the actions of his 'main' body. Fortunately, there were women on every side, so, when he turned to kiss Artoria, the other versions of him turned to kiss Gaia, Lakshmibai, Atalanta, and, Mash respectively. This nearly restarted the orgy that had ended only twenty minutes prior, but, as it had already been going on for nearly fifteen hours, only those at Tier 4, and higher, had the stamina to keep going.

Following a long session of kissing and cuddling, Vahn felt it was nearing time for him to return, so, while one version of him was politely refusing Medea's attempts to 'service' him, his main body was seated between Artoria and Gray, explaining, "I've already been here for twenty-seven days. If I stay too long, I might not have the willpower to return~."

Though Vahn had primarily been speaking to Artoria, everyone present heard his words, causing an immediate shift in the atmosphere. They had all been enjoying themselves quite a bit during Vahn's stay within the Realm, but, hearing him mention departing, they knew better than to try and entice him to stay. Every resident of the Inner Sanctum, and many who lived outside of it, had come to a mutual understanding with each other after their 'Awakening'. Vahn had explained the truth of The Path, and, by proxy, revealed the true nature of his existence. As a result, a massive shift occurred in the Inner Sanctum, and, more than ever before, those closest to Vahn wanted to support him in his journey towards the absolute pinnacle of existence...

Feeling the spontaneous shift in the atmosphere, Vahn issued another light chuckle before settling into an affectionate smile as he said, "Try not to use the Crystal Palace too much while I'm away. I'll only be away for seven days in the real world, so don't push yourselves too much. Remember, Tier is more a measure of potential than anything else, so, even if you become exceptionally powerful in the Realm, you'll have to train from the ground up in other Records. Even then, don't push yourself trying to reach the pinnacle just so you can help me. Now that I have the Realm, just knowing you are safe is enough to keep me going for thousands of years..."

Since his intent was unrivaled within his Realm, everyone was able to 'feel' the sincerity contained in Vahn's words, but, ever the teasing cynic, Nobunaga mused, "We're supposed to believe you when you need seventeen of us just to deal with the stress caused by a few brats~?"

Rather than show any offense at all, Vahn laughed in response to Nobunaga's words, as, in a way, she was right. Though their most recent orgy was more to 'spread' his love than anything else, the main reason he entered the Realm this time around was to release stress. Fenrir and Medusa were able to ease most of his tensions, but, perhaps as a result of his past experiences and compounding power, it was impossible for him to be completely satisfied with just two people. He was constantly afraid of 'breaking' them, as, even if he used a potent Sub-Space Orb, they would be worn out long before his tensions were completely released. The scariest part was that both girls were 'willing' to be broken in order to satisfy him, especially Fenrir...

After laughing his heart out, Vahn returned to his affectionately smiling state as he mused, "Can you really blame me? You all become more beautiful each time I see you. Even if you didn't try to tempt me, I can't help but want to spend time with everyone...I'm serious...there are times when I just want to whisk each of you away just to spend hundreds of years together. It would take at least that long to properly display how much I love each one of you..."

Though it might have been a small exaggeration, Vahn was very serious when he spoke. He still felt a small amount of guilt knowing he had so many amazing women and not enough of himself to go around. There were even times when he thought about creating isolated Time Axes just so he could spend a lifetime together with each of the girls. He knew that, in the vast flow of eternity, it was all but guaranteed that his path would diverge with most of them. They might stay at his side for tens of billions of years, but, at some point, they would still diverge. Thus, rather than force them to live forever as part of an expansive harem, Vahn often thought it would be 'fairer' to them if he devoted himself to just one girl for a few thousand years...

Hearing Vahn's words, it was Amaterasu, in her adult form, who said, "Save your sentiments, boya. I would dare to speak for everyone here when I say we are more than satisfied with how things have developed. Even if you did whisk us away at your leisure, you would end up breaking us unless you placed heavy restrictions on yourself. Since none of us want to see you hold back on our account, it is better to keep pushing forward. We're all big girls, so, even if you can't give us your attention all the time, we have plenty of ways to keep ourselves occupied~."

Toward the end of her words, Amaterasu began to entangle her dexterous tails with Tamamo's and Suzuka's, causing their faces to flush slightly. Amaterasu had been 'dutifully' taking care of her two descendants ever since she and Vahn first had sex. She was basically punishing the two for keeping him to themselves for so many years, blaming the duo for not trying harder to help her out...

Since he knew Amaterasu was 'mostly' just teasing the two girls, Vahn just smiled wryly, shaking his head as he said, "Yeah, I know. You're all amazing women in that regard. It's one of the reasons I'm so smitten with each of you. Still, I can't help but want to do more...hahahaha~"

As if they were mentally linked, nearly everyone present nodded concurrently in response to Vahn's words, but it was Artoria who hugged him tightly as she said, "It's things like that which compel us to work harder as well. We all want to do more for each other, so don't stress yourself out worrying whether or not we're pushing ourselves too hard. Rather, it would make us happier if you didn't let yourself get stressed out so easily...it would break my heart if our purpose became little more than helping you to relieve stress...one day, I will stand at your side again. Never forget our promise, no matter how much time passes...okay?"

Without saying anything, Vahn just nodded his head while allowing Artoria to hug his face against her impeccably soft bosom. He knew she was speaking for all of them when she said her words, as, from the moment he revealed the 'truth', they had been working even harder just to 'reach' him. Da Vinci had even tried to convince him to create a Space where time flowed hundreds of times faster than normal, just so she could find a solution to reconcile the differences between the Records even sooner. Their support was his greatest strength, so, even if he wanted to just keep them locked up for their own safety, Vahn was also proactively searching for a method to allow them to manifest in the 'outside'...

After enjoying the sensation of Artoria's breasts and body heat, Vahn lifted his head, a loving smile on his face as he said, "I will never forget my promises..."

---

Peeling open his eyes back in reality, Vahn was unsurprised to find his surroundings unchanged from the time of his submersion into the Realm. Asuna and Fenrir were curled up on his left side, the latter hugging the former from behind. On his right, Arika could be seen wearing nothing but black lace panties and a blouse with all of its buttons unfastened. She wasn't the one laying next to him, however, as they were separated by none other than Theo, who, after a 'healthy' amount of pestering, now shared a bed with them whenever they slept inside the diorama.

Though it was somewhat shameful to admit, Theo was one of the main reasons Vahn had visited the Realm. She was even worse than Arika at times, as, seemingly due to her trust that he wouldn't do anything, she had absolutely no inhibitions toward him. She would often pounce on him during their baths, and, though it was never with lascivious or lustful intentions, she was a little too curious about his body. Now, making even Arika seem demure and sheepish, Theo was tightly clinging to him in her sleep while wearing nothing but a pair of side-tie panties that, due to her poor sleeping habits, had come undone long ago...

Turning his head to the side, Vahn could see Theo happily drooling on him, using his shoulder as a pillow as she nestled flush against his body. She was, admittedly, a very adorable girl, and, despite her still-developing figure, she would be over twenty back on Earth.

This was one of the problems that Vahn had been dealing with lately, as, due to the sensibilities he had cultivated, a person could be considered an adult as early as fourteen in the Empire. Girls like Arika, Theo, and even Asuna all matured at a rate that was inconsistent with his sensibilities, causing a great deal of conflict in his heart and mind whenever they behaved in certain ways. This was only further exacerbated by the fact that, in some areas of Mundus Magicus, humans were considered adults by the time they reached the age of eight, making them fifteen back on earth. If they waited until they were fifteen by Mundus Magicus standards, their 'actual' age would be close to thirty, half the average lifespan of a normal human. Because of things like this, Vahn was having trouble trying to reconcile what was considered 'appropriate', especially with Theo becoming more promiscuous and Arika growing increasingly bold...

If he were being honest with himself, Vahn knew he didn't actually have any 'real' problems, rather, he was just overthinking things. This was one of the downsides to having a Realm, as, despite only ten weeks passing since his arrival in Mundus Magicus, six years had passed from his perspective. It felt like he had already been searching for Eva for a long time, and, with so much time to think, the problems with Arika, Theo, and even Asuna, had only been exacerbated. Once, when he was helping treat a bruise on Arika's inner thigh, the expectant look in her eyes and the slight blush of her face was nearly enough for him to push her down then and there...

Tearing his gaze away from Theo's sleeping face, Vahn just stared blankly at the ceiling for several moments as he discussed 'solutions' with Sis. His nature made it very difficult for him to 'not' meet the expectations of the people around him, and, due to the fact he lacked a fate, he was like a void that sucked in and influenced the fate of others.

Prior to his entry into the Record, 'everything' had a fixed fate, so, even if he did 'nothing', his very breaths irreversibly changed the flow of fate for the entire Record. As a result, those with powerful fate would eventually be drawn to him, and, unless he went out of his way to avoid and deter them, problems like this would repeat in every Record he visits in the future.

The only solution seemed to be subsuming the fate of another, but, as that would place all kinds of restrictions on him, it wasn't a 'real' solution. He would rather be a magnet that attracts fate based on his actions than base his actions on a predetermined flow of fate. It might sound a little contrary, but it was the path that allowed him the greatest amount of freedom. Yes, it might cause him a fair amount of stress during moments like this, but, objectively, he didn't really have any problems. His stress was entirely the result of his own inhibitions and the fact he cared about trying to maintain some semblance of self-control. Were this not the case, he very well might have accepted all of the offers he had received at the Imperial Academy, as, for reasons like related to the Record's creator, almost every woman in Mundus Magicus was inordinately beautiful.

Even compared to Danmachi and the Nasuverse, the Akamatsuverse was filled with enough unique and exotic beauties that Vahn's heart was always itching out of curiosity. Even amongst the various Cat People, there were more than twenty different sub-species, some infinitely more 'bestial' than others. He had even seen a woman with bronzed skin and rabbit-like ears who was so beautiful that he was nearly the one to solicit her. She had been wearing nothing but white shorts and a blue top, and, though not as potent as someone like Da Vinci, Vahn felt drawn to her aroma. Though it was a natural and somewhat 'earthy' smell, something most people wouldn't even take notice of, it tickled his heart enough that he even went out of his way to look into her identity after the fact...

With his perfect memory, Vahn could easily recall the exotic woman with crystal clarity, causing him to shake his head in self-admonishment. He had literally just returned from his Realm and his mind was already beginning to wander. This was one of the downsides to having a different external form than his internal one, as, despite feeling extremely content within his Realm, Vahn felt as though the tensions of his 'real' body hadn't been addressed in the slightest. He didn't understand why, but he had been feeling anxious the entire day, even after spending hours with Fenrir and Medusa. He had thought entering his Realm would help remove the feeling, but, now that he had returned, Vahn felt it return with a vengeance...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn's, literal, Crystal Palace','Everyone is doing their best (^ _ ^)','Seems like Vahn wants to learn how to multiply from a bunny girl)

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