Around the same time as his arrival in the Hanging Gardens, Vahn's main body was making his daily rounds back in Avalon. Azathoth didn't seem to get particularly lonely, but, if he didn't spend time with Tiamat, the latter might actually come looking for him. This could quickly turn into a dangerous situation, as, despite lacking the desire to harm others, Tiamata's 'curiosity' endangered herself and others.
Though it was even less developed than when Fenrir first transformed, the current Tiamat could now vocalize her thoughts and feelings. She had become a lot more expressive as well, often displaying a happy and gentle smile on her face as she haphazardly created various life forms to inhabit her own personal Marble Phantasm.
When Vahn arrived to check on her, he found several dozen miniature versions of Tiamat playing with her 'children'. It was actually a little frightening, as, due to her fragmented though process, the vast majority of her creations would be treated as misshapen abominations. There was even a large, anomalous blob of lumpy, fur-covered, meat, so poorly designed that it didn't have an anus, only a mouth and atrophied appendages. It had eaten itself into obesity, kept alive by little more than the 'love' of its mother, the same entity who had designed it so that it would never be able to leave her…
Almost immediately after his arrival, Vahn heard a low, delicate, voice softly call out, "Master…" as a phenomenal pressure descended upon him. In the next moment, one of Tiamat's bodies, standing at 160cm tall, completely unbound, appeared next to him. She wasted no time in jumping on his body, clinging to him with a happy smile on her face as she rubbed her cheek against his chest and added, "You have…come back…I'm glad…"
Though she still had large double-arched horns and a long, dragon-like tail, Tiamat had been able to completely remove her bindings after a considerable amount of effort. That same day, she spoke her first few words, indicating the chains had done more than bind her powers. They seemed to suppress all of her emotions, leaving only things like fear, uncertainty, and purpose behind. His Source Energy had slowly overwritten this effect, allowing her to experience a diverse range of emotions, that, with time, allowed her to completely remove the shackles that bound her heart and mind.
While Tiamat was happily clinging to him, Vahn brought his arms around her body, phasing through her watery hair before tightly embracing her in turn. This resulted in her large horns and dexterous tail wiggling about excitedly, a peculiar yet adorable sight that Vahn had become rather fond of. He had always appreciated those that were more 'honest' with their emotions, so, while she had become a little dangerous compared to her previous self, Vahn was always happy to see Tiamat's progress.
Interrupting the affectionate embrace, a rather cold voice echoed in the surroundings, stating, "Do not ignore me."
Hearing the voice, Vahn turned his head to the side, a relaxed smile on his face as he replied, "Come now, Alaya, you know better. You shouldn't be envious of your sister. After all, you get to spend most of the day with me. Now, come here…"
Though she had a slight pout visible on her face, Alaya still moved as directed, snuggling up next to her Master with her rather sensual body. Unlike Tiamat, her appearance had changed considerably over the years, both as a means to appeal to Vahn and fulfill one of her primary objectives. She had closely observed his relationships, altering her appearance to match what she believed to be Vahn's preferences.
The current Alaya stood around 165cm tall, her body appearing more fit than voluptuous due to the excessive number of 'warrior women' around Vahn. She had somewhat modest breasts, slightly over the qualifications for a B-Cup, but, most notably, her thighs and butt were almost disproportionately large. It wasn't to the point of appearing incongruous, especially with a relatively thick tail protruding from her lower back, but it was 'very' noticeable. She still had the same pale blue skin and white hair, but, compared to her relatively short and neat style from before, Alaya's hair cascaded down, nearly reaching the floor when she was standing. As for her remaining features, she had eyes like amethysts and, seemingly for the purpose of petting, two fox-like ears in addition to her usual, elf-like ears…
Vahn always had a fondness for women with exotic features, so, in more ways than one, he found Alaya's appearance very appealing. She, like her sister, also had an impossibly soft and smooth body, so, at times, Vahn felt like he could just squeeze and hug the duo for hours without getting bored. In fact, he had done so on several occasions, finding them exceptionally suitable as hug-pillows when he was taking a nap…
After embracing the duo for several minutes, Vahn lightly stroked their backs, saying, "Okay, we can hug more later. I came to spend time with Tiamat, but I also want to check the status of the Temple. Once I'm done, we can play to our heart's content."
Though both girls were rather spoiled, neither ever opposed his decisions, especially if he gave them in the form of orders. They quickly released his body, both showed varying degrees of reluctance. To appease them, he had to caress both of their heads, stating, "It won't take long," before giving each a kiss. This was generally enough to return Tiamat's, but, due to her 'peculiar' nature, Alaya appeared discontent until he caressed his hand along her abdomen. She would never be satisfied unless she got more than Tiamat, as, for reasons even she couldn't put into words, Alaya felt envious of her far more innocent counterpart.
Vahn knew that the root cause of Alaya's envy was the fact that Tiamat, even with her nascent Ego, was far more 'free' than she was. Tiamat was no longer a part of the Counter Force, so, unlike Alaya and Gaia, she was free from Akasha's influence. Rather, her only purpose, prior to the changes he had introduced, was causing destruction and regressing the world to its primordial state. She was the catalyst for an event that would now never take place, freeing her to live however she pleased.
Unfortunately, until he enacted his plan, Vahn couldn't free Alaya from her burden. He had come to understand that, while not impossible, breaking free from the authority of the Root System was the same as transcending it. Alaya would either need to pass through the Root, a feat that was all but impossible due to the very restrictions placed upon her. Thus, in the hopes of enacting his plans and 'freeing' everyone, Vahn found himself at the massive Temple located at the very center of Tiamat's Marble Phantasm.
Set atop a massive Ziggurat, a rectangular stepped tower, the 'Temple of Gaia' was a structure that easily rivaled the Parthenon in size. The interior walls were covered from floor to ceiling in gem-like tiles, each arranged to depict countless different creatures. At the deepest section of the Temple, a massive black slab, appearing much like an altar, could be found blocking access to a large well of immeasurable depth. Behind these two peculiar facets, lining the furthest wall, three pedestals could be found, two containing 10m tall statues of Tiamat and Alaya. As for the center pedestal, it was left unoccupied, but, near the base, written in ancient Sumerian characters, the words Gaia, Mother of All could be seen.
After approaching the pitch-black slab preceding the bottomless well, Vahn ran his hand along the surface, causing millions of ghostly blue runes to light up along its surface. Only the centermost area was left empty, forming a circular void where various offerings could be made in the hopes of luring Gaia out of her self-imposed isolation.
Despite sharing the same Origin, even Alaya and Tiamat couldn't make direct contact with Gaia. The former had a 'non-interference' policy imposed upon her very existence, and, though Tiamat should be able to make contact, she simply didn't understand how to go about doing so. She had all of her original memories, but they were a jumbled and indecipherable mess. It was almost like having every book that had ever been written at your disposal, but, rather than any organized structure, they had been shredded to pieces before being thrown into the same pile. It wasn't impossible to find what you were looking for, just exceptionally difficult.
If he really wanted to, Vahn knew he could 'meld' with Tiamat, allowing him to trace her existence to the moment she separated from Gaia. However, this wasn't absolutely assured, and, until she had an understanding of the significance behind such acts, Vahn wouldn't have sex with Tiamat. Alaya would also take exception to the fact that her counterpart was able to experience something denied to her, so, rather than step on a landmine capable of destroying continents, Vahn had used the Greater Grail created by Illya to simplify matters.
While it was impossible to contact Gaia using the Greater Grail, Vahn was able to learn a variety of different methods to establish a connection. The simplest among them was to construct a sacrificial altar, sacrificing thousands of lives in an ancient ritual. Fortunately, much like the situation between him and Sut-Typhon, Vahn could forgo the use of such a brutal method. This was the main purpose of the 'bottomless' well, a construct that was meant to represent a 'direct link' to the core of Gaia. It was precisely 6,378km deep, and, though it didn't connect to the planet itself, the fact Taimat shared an origin with Gaia meant it should be possible to establish contact through her Marble Phantasm…
After waiting for the runes to spread throughout the entire Temple structure, even descending down the well, Vahn pulled out a ceremonial gold dagger, slicing his wrist to the bone. This wasn't entirely necessary, as he could just forcibly eject his blood, but the 'feeling' and 'intent' behind such rituals were often the most important aspects. Thus, without allowing the wound to heal, Vahn watched as his blood was soaked up by the pitch-black slab, almost as if the smooth surface was actually a void with infinite capacity.
Once he had discharged approximately a kiloliter of blood, Vahn allowed the wound on his wrist to heal instantaneously. At this point, the runes had changed from pale blue to a vibrant gold color, the result of the stone slab interpreting the energy contained within his blood as Divine. If he pushed it even further, it would begin to shift into a deep magenta color, but, as that had nearly destroyed the Temple in a previous experiment, Vahn opted to play it safe.
With his preparations complete, Vahn gave a curt nod toward Tiamat and Alaya before they all knelt down, bringing their hands together in a gesture of prayer. Then, with as much sincerity as he could manage, Vahn chanted, "Oh Goddess, Source of Gods and Mortals, All-Fertile, All-Destroying Gaia, Mother of All, Who brings for the bounteous fruits and all variety of flowers. Sacred Maiden who anchors the eternal World in our own, Immortal, Blessed, Crowned with every Grace. Deep bosomed Earth, filled with sweet plains and fields of fragrant grasses, kissed by the purifying rain. Around you fly the beauteous stars, eternal and divine. Come, Blessed Goddess, and hear the prayers of your lost children…"
As Vahn incanted his prayer, the runes lining every surface began to shine with such resplendence that it was impossible to see anything else. This made it appear as though Space had been distorted into a realm of pure gold, a realm filled with endless warmth and, to those sensitive to its presence, longing. From the very center of the golden space, a tiny green light emerged from nothingness, its own radiance increasing in intensity, appearing much like a growing star. This light approached to within a few centimeters of Vahn before sending out wispy green tendrils of energy, some caressing his face while others poked and prodded other areas of his body.
Vahn had experienced this phenomenon before, so, while it seemed like he would be able to finally contact Gaia, he knew better than to move even a single muscle. The last few times he had tried, she 'instantly' retreated, taking the golden light with her. Afterward, she would not respond to his call for several days, the shortest period of time being six. Thus, in the hopes of compelling her to stay, he had been generating calm and gentle energy through his domain, allowing her to entangle with it like a curious child…
After several minutes had passed, Vahn was considering whether or not he should take a chance when a soft, sad-sounding, voice stated, "You are not one of mine…you are…different…you are…my Master…?"
Rather than immediately answer, Vahn slowly raised his head to stare directly at the green light, causing it to quickly retract. This time, however, it didn't completely disappear, almost as if it was waiting for his response. Thus, with the calmest and most gentle tone he could manage, Vahn said, "I want to save you…"
Though he could have tried to 'order' Gaia, preventing her from running away, Vahn felt it would be cruel to do so. She seemed afraid and uncertain, a far cry from how taciturn and cold Alaya had been during their first meeting. In fact, given how 'fervently' Gaia had tried to destroy her own creations, it wasn't an exaggeration to say she was the most emotional of the trio. It was difficult to even imagine how terrified she must be, knowing the creatures she both hated and loved were slowly tearing her apart, harvesting her for resources, not to preserve their lives, but for selfish gain…
Sensing the subtle change in Vahn's aura, Gaia shrunk back, wavering like a flame on the verge of burning out. She could sense his anger, and, though it wasn't directed toward her, it made her feel sad and frightened. His aura had been calm and pleasant before, so, in the hopes of returning him to normal, her voice softly stated, "Please…don't be angry…I'm sorry…"
Hearing Gaia's words, Vahn couldn't help feeling guilty, forcing him to relax his mind and focus on restoring his aura to a calm and peaceful state. She seemed sensitive to even subtle changes in the emotional state of others so he would need to take that into consideration in the future. For now, he focused on calming down before saying, "I would like to talk with you more…there are many things I need to tell you. I don't want you to live in fear. I want to save you, preventing others from harming you…"
Vahn was hoping his sincerity was able to reach her, but, surprising him, Gaia actually answered, "I am aware…Master is kind…I'm scared…"
Though he couldn't be certain, Vahn got the impression that Gaia was telling him she was afraid to come out. She had already been hurt by her own children, and, to make matters even worse, her love manifested in the form of Alaya, an existence that protected the very people killing her. He couldn't blame her for being afraid, as, due to the restrictions on her body, Gaia would even be susceptible to normal human beings, forbidden from even trying to protect herself…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Commenters be like, "Where is Semiramis!?"','Alaya is persistent','There are few greater tragedies than a child turning against a loving parent…')
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