EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons-Chapter 458: Revelations

Though Tina’s uncharacteristically emotional reaction made the other members of Blue Roses hesitate to sample Vahn’s Jewel Meat Donburi, everyone but Evileye eventually had their fill of the inordinately delicious dish. Ordinary food tasted like ash to Evileye, and though he had assured her the meal he had prepared wouldn’t, Vahn didn’t press when the petite vampire still refused.

Following the meal, Vahn gave Blue Roses a brief overview of the Seven Lotus Spring’s facilities. Three of the seven lotus tents were quarters, with the others serving as a sitting room, a medical tent, a kitchen, and a large, circular, hot-spring-like bath. The latter came as a pleasant surprise to the all-female Party of Adventurers, as, among the provided bathing supplies were a wide variety of shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and oils that would sell for a small fortune. And then there were the towels and bathrobes he provided as a courtesy. They had no idea what animal micro-fleece came from, but it was softer, plusher, and more luxurious than even the robes of a King...

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Though Gagaran had cheekily invited him to accompany them, Vahn politely refused, retired to his tent, and allowed Blue Roses to bathe in private. There, he promptly reached out to Ainz to inform him of his and the Blue Roses’ impending visit, ensuring Nazarick would have ample time to prepare.

"Hmmn...?"

Directing his gaze to the curtain-draped entrance of his spacious tent, Vahn calmly remarked, "Tina should have informed you, but my senses can’t be fooled by conventional invisibility or stealth. Enter."

Following a few seconds of awkward silence, the curtains of Vahn’s tent were parted by a tattered, black-gloved hand veiled in a green, rainbow-hued shimmer. As the shimmer faded, signaling the intruder’s emergence from invisibility, Evileye appeared, her tone flat as she revealed, "I came to ask you a question..."

"Sure. Let’s take a seat," Vahn responded, gesturing to a circular, floor-level sofa adorned with a ton of pillows, sunken into the ground. He took the initiative to sit down first, leaving Evileye to determine where and how close she wanted to sit to him.

"I’ve never seen a piece of furniture like this..." Evileye remarked, stopping at the periphery of the recessed seating area.

"It’s meant to emulate a nest," Vahn stated, appending, "I’ve never been fond of rigid furniture of metal and wood. To me, furniture is something to be lounged upon, so I prefer setups like this."

Looking from the pristine pillows and cushions to her well-worn boots, Evileye hesitated for several seconds before undoing the manacle-like accessories around her ankles and removing her footwear. In place of socks, she was wearing sheer black hose that were noticeably torn at several places. This included her heels and left toe, causing her cheeks to burn slightly as she descended into Vahn’s nest and sat awkwardly across from him with her ankles crossed and a throw pillow on her lap.

"So, what is your question...?" Vahn asked, sporting a relaxed smile, his gaze holding Evileye’s, behind her mask.

"Earlier, you mentioned that the water here could return Zombies to their original forms, but that you couldn’t guarantee the restored would retain their original personalities due to the degradation of their souls..." Evileye started, her words hanging for a bit before she asked, "Are you aware of a method to separate souls from one another to return them to their original forms?"

"I know of two methods off the top of my head, but their functionality depends on the strength of the Egos comprising the fused souls," Vahn answered, explaining, "If the Egos have merged into a singular stream of consciousness, it doesn’t matter how many souls were subsumed—there would only be one remaining."

"So it’s impossible after all..." Evileye muttered, hanging her head and falling into a deep, contemplative silence.

Shaking his head, Vahn retorted, "Nothing is impossible. If Egos can be fused, they can naturally be separated. The simplest method would be to reverse causality to a time before they were fused. But that would require Authority over Space and Time. It’s also possible to transplant souls from the past to the present. But since their fates would be tied to events from the past, the world itself would gradually reject them."

Meeting Evileye’s gaze, Vahn calmly but firmly asserted, "The best thing you can do for such people is allow them to return to the flow of fate and the cycle of reincarnation. I don’t know what happened to you in the past, but time flows forward. The longer you attempt to remain at one point, the more it will wear away at you—like water to a stone."

"..."

Seeing Evileye fall into an even deeper state of reflection, Vahn produced a matcha tea set and began preparing a cup for himself.

tap tap tap tap

Raising her head, Evileye observed Vahn’s actions for several seconds before maintaining, "I can’t simply move on from my past. There’s too much red in my ledger, written in the blood of my people and those I still hold dear to this day..."

"Your mind might remain in that period, but you wouldn’t be here before me if you weren’t moving forward," Vahn countered, leaving the matcha to simmer as he raised his gaze to ask, "Would you like to confide in me what happened to you? I may not be able to provide the answers you seek, but I’ve learned in my personal journey that sharing your burdens with others makes them considerably lighter. The actual weight of what you’ve done or experienced might not change, but you need not shoulder it entirely on your own..."

"I don’t trust Dragons..." Evileye stated flatly.

"I’m certain you have your reasons..." Vahn affirmed, slowly whisking the matcha in his cup as he added, "Just as I’m certain I’ve never given you a reason to distrust me, specifically."

"..."

Understanding what Vahn was trying to convey, that not all Dragons, just like people, were the same, Evileye’s brows creased in conflict. As far as she had observed, Vahn was a wise, compassionate, accommodating, and benevolent Dragon. But the treasures he possessed and casually flaunted didn’t come from nowhere. For all she knew, there were entire nations that had given him their trust, only to fade in the annals of history after he was finished pilfering their knowledge and treasures.

"What is your title as a Dragon Lord...?" Evileye questioned, her crimson eyes narrowing as she clarified, "I’m not questioning that you are what you claim to be, but that doesn’t change that I’ve lived in this world for more than two hundred years. I’ve obviously heard the legends about the Spring of Immortality and the Dragon that guards it, but, assuming they’re true, where have you been until now? And what is it you seek? If you want to know my history, you should have no problem revealing yours."

"I suppose that’s fair," Vahn conceded, catching Evileye a little off guard as she expected him to be cagey or outright disregard her. Instead, after bringing his matcha up to his nose and taking a slow whiff of its aroma, he sampled its contents, adopted a pleased smile, and revealed, "First things first, I’m not a Dragon Lord..."

"Then what are you...?" Evileye questioned, her expression hardening and her tone low.

Meeting Evileye’s gaze, Vahn’s smile broadened as he revealed, "My full name and title are Vahn Mason, the Dragon God of Intersecting Fates and Infinite Possibilities. Most leave out the intersecting fates part. Others call me Ryukami. Me, personally? I like my name—Vahn."

Feeling her heart beating in her chest for the first time in many, many years, Evileye’s voice shook as she asked, "Do you have any association with the Gods who appeared two hundred years ago?"

Shaking his head, Vahn revealed, "I descended to this world only a few months ago. That’s one of the reasons I’m traveling, as well as why I’m not eager to get involved with intra- or international conflicts. There are things I cannot overlook, but I am ultimately an outsider to the world—a transient observer."

"Then I’m right...you’re a Player, aren’t you...?" Evileye questioned, the word leaving her lips with a mix of fear and emotions that Vahn couldn’t fully make sense of.

"I’m not," Vahn refuted, leaving Evileye at a loss until he revealed, "But I know what Players are. I’m from a different world called Termina, where I preside over many worlds through an organization known as the Dragon’s Pavilion. If you’re familiar with the term, you could think of me as a Divine Auditor. Coincidentally, one of the things I’m currently looking into is how and why the beings you refer to as Players were brought to this world. Do you happen to know?"

Though she was taken aback by the revelations that Vahn was dropping as if he were talking about the weather, Evileye managed to shake her head and respond, "No. But two of the people I traveled with two hundred years ago were Players. They also wanted to know why and how they had been summoned to our world, but they perished before they were able to discover anything..."

"They perished? How...?" Vahn questioned, leaving Evileye feeling as if their positions had been reversed. The way he asked questions made it feel like she had no choice but to answer them, even though he wasn’t exerting any pressure.

"They were killed..." Evileye revealed, her tone low as she confided, "I don’t know how it happened, but I confirmed their deaths with my own eyes. And because of the suspicions many of us had toward one another, our Party disbanded shortly after the incident..."

"Mmn...in other words, they were most likely betrayed by someone in your Party..." Vahn concluded.

"They were too strong to have been assassinated. And if an assassin as powerful as that existed, they would be known throughout the continent or be the leader of a massive organization..." Evileye confirmed, hugging the pillow she previously had resting on her lap. She didn’t know why she was revealing such things to Vahn, but if he were truly what he claimed to be, he might be able to uncover the truth she hadn’t dared to look into for fear of following her companions to the grave.

"Do you have any suspicions regarding who the culprit could have been? Even if two hundred years have passed, it would help point me in the right direction," Vahn expressed, a broad smile adorning his face as he offered, "In exchange, I shall aid you in your endeavor to reclaim or return to your past. It might take some time, but that is something we happen to have in excess."

"How can I trust your words...?" Evileye questioned flatly, refusing to get her hopes up.

"You don’t need to give me your trust," Vahn refuted, shaking his head before meeting Evileye’s gaze with a smile and proclaiming, "I will earn it through my words and actions. That is why I have entrusted you with the truth of my identity."

"And what if I betray you...?" Evileye questioned.

"I have given you my trust, but it is not intended to be a shackle," Vahn stated. "Even if you reveal what I am to your allies, I will not view that as a betrayal—I will view it as you deeming them trustworthy. That is one of the many privileges of being in my position."

"You believe you’re untouchable..." Evileye concluded, her hands filling with tension as she felt compelled to put Vahn’s inviolability to the test.

"On the contrary—I’m presently weaker than every member of the Blue Roses," Vahn revealed, leaving Evileye speechless as he appended, "I’m just immortal on a level most can’t even begin to fathom. You’re welcome to try and kill, seal, or curse me. Just let me know in advance, so I know not to retaliate seriously."

"Seriously? That might be the most arrogant thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life..." Evileye retorted, her gaze fixed on Vahn. She couldn’t discern an ounce of fear or doubt in his vibrant aquamarine eyes. If anything, he seemed expectant—like he was looking forward to seeing what she would try to kill him with. It was a degree of confidence she had never seen, and as her and Vahn’s discussion continued, she couldn’t help thinking he was surprisingly easy to get along with...

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