Chapter 1653 Interlude : Reflection

Though he wasn't too surprised by the development, Vahn had severely underestimated just how much time he would be spending in his Realm for training. Mordred had become simply insatiable, and, though he was able to make progress with his other vessels, it felt like seventy percent of the time he spent with the hot-blooded princess involved them engaging in carnal acts. It was like she was adamantly determined to 'conquer' him, and, as her power continued to grow, things became progressively more intense between them.

After a little more than three months, Mordred's form had changed quite a bit, transcending simple lion-like features to develop vestigial wings, a second set of arms, curved horns, and a multitude of scales and spiked appendages. She was somewhat similar to Tiona in that regard, as, every time she was hit with an attack, her [Chimeric Queen's Blessed Body] would allow her to adapt and evolve to counter whatever had injured her.

Fortunately, with a considerable amount of practice and some additional cultivation, Mordred had been learning to control her transformed state. So long as she wasn't stressed out or too excited to do battle, she would eventually 'devolve' back into her original form. She could even retract her tail with a bit of effort, but, having grown rather fond of the appendage, she generally opted to keep it in order to justify wearing even skimpier shorts than usual. Every time her tail moved, more than a centimeter of her gluteal cleft would be on display, and, whenever she squatted down, the exposed skin created an almost irresistible temptation.

Mordred had learned how to use her feminine charms as a 'weapon' in a very short period of time, so, after the first few days of training, Vahn simply gave up trying to make 'efficient' progress with the vessel he had dedicated to attending her. Instead, he spent a considerable amount of time just 'playing around' with the rambunctious woman, using the training as an excuse to make up for all the time she had been waiting to receive his affection.

While that was going on, Vahn used the extended break to attend various other matters within his Realm. There were a lot of people who required his attention, so, rather than force himself to train, he decided to simply relax and cut loose. The stay quickly became a vacation for him, and, after his decision became known, most of the people who had ventured outside of Avalon returned in order to participate in a grand reunion of sorts. Even Semiramis made an appearance, debuting the twins Vahn had planted in her belly nearly eight years prior.

Though she was still as anti-social as ever, Semiramis changed quite a bit following her awakening within the Realm. Her perspective of the world had broadened considerably, and, without anything to proactively protect, she ended up moving the Hanging Gardens to a Texture known as the Realm of Twilight. There, Vahn built a massive gothic palace for her, and, after around ten years or so, she ended up finally giving him 'permission' to impregnate her, albeit only after bestowing her the title of Twilight Empress and wedding her in a ritualistic ceremony that involved making love to her atop an altar...

Fortunately, Semiramis had never forgotten how her mother had abandoned her as an infant, so, while she was exceptionally awkward at times, she was still a good mother to Ebony and Raven. It helped that Iris and even Circe had taken it upon themselves to lend her a hand, alleviating some of the stress that came with mothering two children. She even allowed Ebony and Raven to spend a considerable amount of time back in Avalon, and, though she was apprehensive about allowing them to attend school, they were scheduled to start their first classes in the Spring.

Seeing Semiramis fret over their daughters always brought a smile to Vahn's face, and, though it often ended in him getting the silent treatment, he couldn't help but tease her about it every now and again. As for the twins themselves, Vahn made sure to create a vessel to spend time within the Realm of Twilight every time he returned to his Realm. The longest they had been apart was a few weeks, so, as was often the case when it came to his children, Vahn had a close relationship with the two doll-like girls, often pampering them a little more than he ought to.

With raven-black hair, pointed ears, and flawless features, Ebony and Raven were both inordinately cute. They often wore gothic-style clothing, similar to their mother, and, though they were generally very quiet, they had inherited their mother's scheming nature. As a result, they liked to try and pull pranks on him, and, due to the education afforded them by Semiramis and Circe, this often involved lacing his tea and cookies with various poisons.

Fortunately, the twins had enough wherewithal not to test their poisons on other people. Instead, they would team up to play more innocent pranks, often messing with people by taking advantage of the fact they were virtually indistinguishable from each other. They were quite fond of confusing people, and, despite their age, both girls were exceptionally clever, able to manipulate others while maintaining an air of innocence around themselves.

Vahn couldn't deny that he was worried about the two girls, but, with his limited omniscience, he knew they were just playing around. They also had Companions and Guardians to watch over them, and, though she feigned stoicism, Semiramis always had her familiars following after the two girls in secret. She was always afraid they would be bullied or taken advantage of, but, due to the presence of Alaya and the comprehensive system designed by Da Vinci, the odds of anything happening to them was slim.

Semiramis was obviously aware of this fact, but, due to her nature, she trusted herself more than anyone else. This included Vahn, as, even after decades had passed, she was unable to accept her place within his harem. She didn't deny that she was a part of it, but, with the exception of a select few people, she distanced herself from the majority of Avalon's residents. She didn't like to see him intimate with other people, and, though she had gotten better at restraining the urge, seeing others close to the man she loved always gave Semiramis the urge to simply 'eliminate' the competition.

Though she never acted upon her urges, Vahn, and nearly everyone within the Inner Sanctum, was well aware of Semiramis' nature. They had gradually come to accept this about her, so, rather than ostracize the troubled woman, they did their best to avoid publically demonstrating their intimacy whenever she was around. Some even visited the Realm of Twilight whenever Vahn was outside of the Realm, primarily to arrange playdates with Ebony and Raven but also to foster positive rapport with the hermetic Empress...

---

With so many of his loved ones flocking around him, Vahn was greatly enjoying the time he spent in the Realm. Just seeing most of his family and children gathered together put a perpetual smile on his face, and, though things quickly developed into an in-house competition of sorts, there were no hard feelings between the victors and the defeated. It helped that most of the fighting had been conducted within the Virtual World, so, while it decreased the realism slightly, they could reduce the sensation of pain while allowing the children to fight in grand, fantastical, battlefields.

By the end of the impromptu competition, Scathach had secured a decisive victory among the adult division, defeating even Musashi due to the limitation of not being able to use Noble Phantasms or Zanpakuto within Virtual Space. The risk of their attacks affecting the real world was too high, and, due to the nature of Zanpakuto, they were still able to damage the Ego of a person even in Virtual Space. Since they weren't actually trying to kill or cripple each other, this gave Scathach an absolute advantage over most people, as, under the right conditions, she could even defeat Tier 5s using her vast, seemingly endless, arsenal of skills.

While Scathach's victory was certainly a sight to behold, Vahn was more impressed with the battles fought in the junior division. The scale was incomparable to the battles between powerhouses near the peak of Tier 4, but, in spite of this, they were far more interesting for most residents of the Inner Sanctum. This was because it was possible to see the children improving in the midst of battle, and, rather than fights ending nigh-instantaneously once someone secured a small advantage, most of the battles between the children dragged out for several tens of minutes.

Though the junior division allowed anyone between the ages of eight and fourteen to participate, the competition was ultimately won by the youngest participant, a young boy with peculiar white and black hair. This was Vahn's son, Kenshiro, the child he had sired with Kenshin after she decided to settle down and give mothering a try.

Despite his youthful appearance and matching age, Kenshiro was one of the most talented children born within the Empire. He had reached the realm of Master swordsman at only five years old, and, though his Guardian was rather weak, taking on the form of a tiny rabbit, his Artifact was a peculiar katana with the ability to cut through Space. This was a feat most Masters and Grandmasters could emulate, but, having possessed the ability from the start, Kenshiro ultimately awakened an Innate that allowed him even greater mastery of Spatial Laws.

With the guidance of people like Kenshin and Musashi from a young age, Kenshiro was bound to reach the level of Grandmaster before he was twenty years old. The only thing holding him back was his kind and gentle disposition, as, outside of the Virtual World, he would never point his blade toward a living creature. He firmly believed that his sword was meant to preserve life, so, even when Kenshin had taken him to hunt in the forests surrounding the Yokai District, he refused to draw his blade. Instead, he used his sheath to counter their attacks, lightly injuring their joints and causing them to gradually tire themselves out before teleporting them away.

Kenshin was slightly troubled by her son's unwillingness to draw his blade, but, after a few heart-to-heart talks, she gradually accepted the reality. So long as Kenshiro continued putting in an earnest effort to follow the path he had chosen, she wasn't going to interfere. Instead, she began teaching him more effective ways to disarm and disable opponents while Musashi, having long exceeded the level of cutting through concepts, taught him how to cut through the electrical signals transmitted from a person's nerves to their brain. This would allow him to effectively cripple a person for a short period of time, teaching them a hard lesson as the feeling gradually returned to their limbs over the course of several hours.

With some of the greatest teachers imaginable, combined with a desire to become strong enough to win any battle without causing permanent harm, Kenshiro was well on his way to forging his own path of swordsmanship. His victory during the competition was just the first of many steps along his journey, and, though Vahn and Kenshin had carved their own paths through a tremendous amount of bloodshed, they wholeheartedly supported their son's decision.

Though it was hard to imagine walking a similar path, Vahn believed that the pinnacle shouldn't be accessible only to those willing to bloody their hands. If children like Kenshiro and Asuna were able to reach the top without having to take a life, that would be for the best, as, even if it was just one person, such examples carried great significance. It demonstrated that there were countless paths toward the peak, and, though bloodshed was difficult to avoid, the truly noble of heart could still reach the pinnacle without compromising their integrity...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'There are 'other' kinds of training, you know~?','Some things change, others remain the same','Who would have thought that the son born to a Goddess of War would represent a path towards Peace...')

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