endless path infinite cosmos Pt. 2

chapter 205

After leaving the Hostess of Fertility, it was nearing 3 PM and Vahn didn't have anything planned. He thought about visiting the Twilight Manor and meeting with Tiona and Ais but didn't think it would be appropriate at the moment. Vahn started to consider if he should be taking the next few days off in the real world while seriously focusing his efforts in the orb. Since he would be staying near the Hostess of Fertility, Vahn could easily visit Hephaestus and Eina over the next few days while checking up on Milan and Tina.

Vahn spent the rest of the afternoon lazing about the City and taking in the various sights and sounds while he contemplated future matters. In this time, he had been hearing several rumors about himself and the matters that had taken place the prior night. Even though he had only been forced to leave the Hephaestus Familia just this morning, it seemed to be a popular topic of discussion in the general populace. Till now, his name was known but his face and figure had remained relatively obscure and most people didn't recognize him. Now, however, Vahn noticed several people giving him a variety of different looks.

Since the information spreading around had his normal appearance, Vahn decided to walk through the town in his Baihu form to avoid attention. Even though he actually stood out quite a bit because of his striking appearance, most people couldn't recognize him as the 'Former' Vulcan. As he was no longer part of the Hephaestus Familia, his alias had actually been stripped from him and some people were even calling him a 'God Killer' even though it was made public that he hadn't actually done the deed.

Before experiencing it first hand, Vahn hadn't realized how quickly information spread through the City's networks and it was somewhat disheartening hearing what some people said about him. Though he wasn't too concerned with their opinions, it still made him feel a little sad that people he had never met saw fit to pass judgment and draw conclusions about his character. Even though it was known that Laverna was leading a 'Crime Familia', Vahn was still painted as a menace that didn't know how to show proper restraint. Fortunately, Milan and Tina's names seemed to have been covered up while speculation about the identity of the actual god killer was still a mystery.

By the time 5 PM came around, Vahn was sitting atop a tall building that could overlook a large part of the City. With his stealth and agility, there were few places Vahn couldn't get to unless they were protected by barriers. Since he could see the magical energies of formations, there wasn't really any chance of Vahn being detected by normal means. As he sat atop the seven-storied building, Vahn overlooked the City in silent contemplation before finding a flat area to lay down and enter the orb.

Once inside, Vahn spent some affectionate time with Eva and noticed her behavior had transitioned from being overly affectionate to a more supportive and docile temperament. Instead of greedily seeking pleasure and warmth, they spent more time cuddling and talking about the future and each of their various troubles.

It was during the first of many of these sessions when Vahn learned about the issues between Eva and (Nameless). Even though she made an effort to treat it better, she couldn't communicate with it well and it always seemed to get distracted whenever it was left to its own devices. It had developed the habit of digging up some of the plants in her garden which had irked her a fair amount. Though she still fed it, after a few months of failed attempts to get along with it, Eva gave up trying. The final straw had been when she tried to force it to take a bath, but the water actually made it smell worse.

Vahn had also noticed that (Nameless)'s loyalty had diminished a fair amount in the time he hadn't seen it, but it quickly replenished to a normal level after Vahn interacted with it a bit. Perhaps because it was feeling neglected within the space, but (Nameless) always reacted positively when he was around. It was likely due to their bond and spiritual link and it's ability to easily understand Vahn's thoughts and orders. Vahn also didn't think poorly of it, and never shied away from giving it a bit of affection.