endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 120

Hearing Loki's question, Vahn felt something inside him grow cold as his [Will of the Emperor] acted without his prompting. The way Loki talked about value made him feel like the only way she looked at people was from the perspective of their usefulness. He was reminded of the people that had tormented him in his previous life, and he felt a sickening feeling as he looked at the small goddess in front of him.

The moment his domain spread out, everyone entered a state of high alert but, seeing Vahn unmoving, they didn't take any action yet. Even Tiona and Ais at his sides felt a threatening feeling come from Vahn who was presently glaring at Loki with a look of 'contempt' and undisguised anger. Loki, who was the one experiencing the full brunt of Vahn's 'pressure', grits her teeth and opened her slitted eyes as she returned his glare. Unable to reset the repressive force any longer, she had to activate her Divinity to resist the pressure.

Seeing her activate her Divinity, Vahn couldn't help but sneer at seeing her actions. "You have to use your Divinity to resist a mortal who hasn't done anything? And you dare ask what I have to offer; what I can provide?" Vahn looked coldly at Loki as he enunciated each syllable of his next few words, "I will become strong enough to protect them, no matter what it takes. My question is, what can YOU offer?"

Loki had converged her Divinity and the entire room was shaking but, even though others seemed to be affected, Vahn, who was arguably the weakest in the room, sat in front of her without any signs of being pressured. The most baffling thing was, even when she activated her aura, she was unable to prevent the 'dangerous' feeling that seemed to be coming from the domain generated from Vahn.

When Vahn made his statement and then questioned her, the domain he was emitting seemed to be slowly repressing her Divinity. Loki couldn't believe what was happening, and various thoughts began racing through her mind. For Vahn to be able to repress a god's Divinity, there had to be something unique about his origins. She began to understand why Hephaestus did so much to protect Vahn over the last few months; she was likely aware of his origins or had gained some insight using her 'god's eye'.

Suddenly, Loki smiled while withdrawing her Divinity. She looked toward Vahn and started laughing as she said, "Great! I like you, you are very manly! Hahahaha, I almost want to keep you for myself; what say you join my Familia and I'll let you do whatever you want~?" Loki had to have someone unique like Vahn in her Familia. She could see that he had a potential that dwarfed others, and couldn't stand the thought of him being in something like a 'production' Familia.

Vahn continued to focus his [Will of the Emperor] without answering, and Loki began to sweat while pretending to be unaffected. The entire time she had been trying to 'convince' him, Vahn noticed that her aura hadn't changed in the slightest, it just fluctuated wildly like a possessed demon. He had no doubt she would accept him into the Familia, but it made him sick imagining himself as one of her pawns.

The atmosphere began to get progressively worse, and Loki was nearing her limits and almost ordered her Familia to capture Vahn. If he was unwilling to compromise after she withdrew her Divinity, she didn't think he was capable of being reasoned with. Fortunately, it didn't have to come to that as Ais grabbed Vahn's hand and got his attention. The moment he looked away from Loki, it felt like a mountain had been removed from her shoulders and she released a heavy sigh.

When Ais grabbed Vahn's hand, he looked toward her and saw sadness and concern in her eyes. She squeezed his hand and said, "Don't, Vahn. That is enough." Hearing her words, his immediately dispersed his domain, but he still couldn't forgive Loki. He patted Ais's hand before turning his vision back toward the scheming goddess.

Seeing Vahn turn back to her, Loki felt a chill down her spine as she asked, "What's wrong, kid? Was my offer not good enough?" With a smile on her face, she tried playing off the situation to lighten the mood. Vahn squinted his eyes and furrowed his brows even further, "I refuse to become a pawn of someone else. I will walk my own path, no matter what difficulties I have to face. Though I may not have the best grasp of my own emotions, I know that Tiona and Ais both desire to be with me right now, and I refuse to let either of them down."