As ti continued its eternal march forward, Vahn found himself in a great mood. Though Scáthach never let up during their training, the rest of his ti within the Projection had put a perpetual smile on Vahn’s face.
Vahn would check up on Nobunaga and Kamiya several tis throughout the day, often to find that many of the castle’s residents were doing the sa. This included most of the pregnant won, the majority of which were all expecting their own deliveries within the next two weeks. Because of their own excitent, they spent a lot of ti interacting with Kamiya and just idling around Nobunaga’s room when they had nothing else going on.
It wasn’t just his newborn son that Vahn spent ti with during these monts as, due to their own intrigue towards their younger sibling, Mordred and Sakura spent much of their free ti visiting the room to play with Kamiya. Since Mordred already had a close relationship with Nobunaga before, it wasn’t too much of a surprise that she was quite taken with the young Kamiya. This was the sa for Sakura but, rather than pestering Nobunaga and trying to monopolize her younger brother’s ti, she just enjoyed checking up on him before returning to her training and studies.
Sakura was even more determined than ever before to beco soone strong enough to protect herself and the people she cared about. At the sa ti, she had also asked if she could apprentice under Vivian who, on top of her other capabilities, specializing in healing and purification. Though her first choices would have been Vahn, rlin, and Scáthach, she was afraid the forr wouldn’t be able to make ti for her. As for rlin and Scáthach, Sakura felt the forr was very weird while the latter wasn’t soone she was allowed to train with until she reached a.d.u.l.thood.
When Vahn had first heard Sakura’s request, and the reasons behind her decision, he had felt more than a little guilty. He didn’t feel like he ignored Sakura but, perhaps due to the first seven years of her life, she had developed a fear of doing anything that might trouble him. Since Vahn hadn’t even been in the Nasuverse at the ti, it made him feel strangely bitter to bear this label. However, as he had already decided it was a burden he would bear willingly, especially after fundantally changing Sakura’s life, he promised to do better to alleviate her worries.
Though Vahn did take Sakura to discuss her apprenticeship with Vivian, he also made ti in both of their schedules to train and teach her himself. He even extended the ti by allocating a full hour to research and relaxation using the Space-Ti Orb. This made the short four-hour ti slot equate to nearly 23 hours, greatly increasing the amount of ti they got to spend together.
When Sakura learned of the arrangent, she had been more than a little surprised and, while she was very happy, these emotions were accompanied by a fair amount of guilt. Early on, she had even tried to talk him out of the arrangent, ntioning she didn’t want to trouble him and increase his already substantial burden. When Vahn heard this, he obviously refused, stating, "First and foremost, I am your father. I would not care about being an Emperor if not for my desire to make the world a better place for my own children. One of my greatest regrets is not being there for you, Sakura...let be the father you needed, even if I’m a little late..."
After a very long heart-to-heart conversation, Sakura ultimately relented, albeit after crying for a very substantial amount of ti. Then, to punctuate his statent further, Vahn took Sakura and Mordred to the conjuration circle rlin had prepared, summoning ’Guardians’ for the both of them. As could be expected, Mordred was very excited for the opportunity, declaring sothing along the lines of, ’I’m going to summon a Dragon as my Guardian!’. As for Sakura, she had beco sowhat bashful after their long discussion, electing to let Mordred go first while she stood at the side holding Vahn’s hand.
Contrary to her expectations, Mordred ended up contracting a massive white lion whose fur had a slightly translucent quality. It also had sky-blue eyes that possessed the light of intelligence while, at the end of its tail, a wispy blue fla danced about. According to rlin, and confird by Alaya, this lion was a Divine Spirit known as nhit’s Kin, owing to their relationship to an Egyptian War Deity nad nhit, ’she who slaughters’. It was an enormous lioness that, at a glance, weighed more than a thousand kilograms and stood three ters tall with a body close to 4.5m in length.
Though Mordred was a little frustrated after failing to summon a Dragon, she cald down quite a bit after the identity of the lioness was revealed. Since it was also a symbol of courage, while being much fluffier than a Dragon, Mordred eventually threw her arms around her new Guardian before rubbing her face against its soft white fur with a happy smile. As for the lioness itself, she released a very human-like sigh but, rather than do anything to stop Mordred’s actions, it just laid down and allowed its new Master to do as she pleased.
After Mordred, Sakura was the next to make use of the ancient conjuration circle. She began to get nervous but, after training as a Knight for nearly a year at this point, Sakura overca her inhibitions without much difficulty. Even when she cut a line across her palm, she didn’t even flinch as the blood began dripping onto the inert magical circle. Then, after a brilliant display of light and amalgamating mana, what appeared to be a small deer ca into existence. Unlike a normal deer, however, it had pale-blue fur, a white underbelly, and large, falcon-like wings. It also had tailfeathers and, while the front hooves were relatively normal, the back legs ca to an end in falcon-like talons.
Without being asked, rlin had a slightly surprised expression on his face as he explained, "This is quite the rare sight...my, my, I never thought our dear Princess would contract a Peryton, much less one from the primary Luna tribe..." Then, to clarify further, rlin explained that Sakura’s Guardian was a Greater Divine Spirit that could fly freely through all diums, be it water, air, or even the vacuum of space. It could also move through all boundaries, aning there were very little places it couldn’t roam, so long as it never took the life of a human.
Following rlin’s finger, everyone could see that, rather than the expected shadow, the Peryton had what appeared to be a human child’s shadow. This showed that it was both ’pure’ and, though it was already obvious from its fawn-like features, still immature. He ntioned that it was a very rare Spirit and, though it had almost no combat potential, its presence alone could cause a desolate mountain range to be covered in trees and plants within a few years’ ti. It was also swifter than a Pegasus in a contest of speed, so he lavished Sakura with praise for managing to contract one.
Sakura was the type who didn’t accept complints easily so she was considerably embarrassed by rlin’s heavy praise. Fortunately, her Guardian already seed attuned to her as it ca to stand between her and rlin before nuzzling against her in an affectionate manner so she would calm down. This instantly brought the smile back to Sakura’s face and, after stroking the fawn’s neck, she quickly learned it was extrely soft. Though it was also a bit cool to the touch, it was a comfortable temperature that would be very pleasant during the Spring and Sumr seasons...
With the ritual completed, Vahn took Mordred and Sakura out to play with their new Guardians. Due to its size, Mordred could easily ride on the back of her lioness, albeit with so difficulty due to the lack of a harness and saddle. As for Sakura’s Guardian, it was only 120cm tall, making it far too small to ride. It had a lot of growing left to due, despite the fact it was already more than three hundred years old. Fortunately, much like a Dryad, it would mature based on the energy and sustenance it was provided. Since Sakura had an almost overwhelming amount of Od, now reaching over 90,000, she had more than enough to spare.
The best part about contracting a spirit was the fact that, much like an actual Guardian, they could adopt a spirit form and rest within the bodies of their contracted Master. They would also beco more attuned to each other over ti, allowing the Master to grow much stronger while the Spirit, unable to evolve and grow through normal ans, had the opportunity to reach greater heights. It was this reason that led Spirits to accept contracts in the first place as, while contracted, they were able to grow much faster than normal. They also couldn’t die so long as their contract was active and, even if their Master ultimately passed away, they simply got to return to the Reverse Side of the World, much stronger than before.
The only major downside for the Spirits, other than having to follow the whims of a human, was that they could easily beco corrupted if their Master was a wicked individual. It was for this reason that most Magi were unable to summon powerful Spirits as, while conducting the summoning ritual, their nature was exposed for all prospective summons to view. As a result, the success rate of summoning anything more than a Lesser Elental Spirit was slim, at best.
Because of this, Magi had co up with temporary contracts to ’borrow’ the power of Spirits, a far cry from the permanant contract established using rlin’s thod. They also contracted Daemons who, despite having a na close to Demons, were fundantally different existences. Their nature was not evil but, as wish-granting entities, the way their power was manifested often had disastrous consequences for the enemies of their contractors. This, however, wasn’t really unique to Daemons as, with the errant nature of most Magi, even a Greater Elental Spirit of Light could be corrupted by extended exposure to humanity.
Fortunately, Mordred and Sakura seed to be evaluated highly by their respective Guardians who, despite knowing both girls could potentially live forever, still accepted the contract. Vahn suspected this was either due to the machinations of rlin but, as it was a good thing for both girls, he didn’t press the matter. In fact, he was almost tempted to make a contract of his own after petting the soft downy fur of Sakura’s Peryton and the thick, plush, fur of Mordred’s lioness. They also seed quite fond of his petting but, before things developed too far, Fenrir actually made a surprise appearance, imdiately nipping Vahn’s wayward urge in the bud.
---
In the midst of Vahn’s busy, albeit incredibly fulfilling, schedule, Alaya eventually inford him that, a little ahead of schedule, the trio of Rin/Ereshkigal/Ishtar had gone into labor. This had taken place only nine days after Nobunaga’s delivery so the castle was quickly abuzz with excitent, building upon the yet-to-fade excitent from before. Even Nobunaga herself showed up to join everyone waiting outside the delivery room while, once again, Vahn had a small crowd while Sakura, paler than before, assisted him.
Rather than just one of them experiencing the delivery, Rin, Ereshkigal, and Ishtar were all sharing their body at the sa ti. Though Ishtar had ’retreated’ a few tis when things got especially painful, she would ultimately return a few seconds later with renewed conviction. As for Rin and Ereshkigal, they tolerated the complicated delivery from start to finish, suffering an extre amount of exhaustion in the process. After all, birthing three children wasn’t easy, even with Vahn making the process a lot smoother than it otherwise would have been.
Vahn had been exceptionally proud of the son Nobunaga had produced, even if he looked a little bit like a potato with thin black hair and ruby-red eyes. When the trio gave birth to their first daughter, however, Vahn, as well as everyone else bearing witness to the event, was quite surprised. The infant had a full head of short, dark-brown hair, while their features were akin to a perfectly carved doll. As for why everyone was surprised, however, it was due to the fact that, imdiately after being born, the little girl opened her eyes, revealing maroon-red pupils that glimred with intelligence. At the sa ti, a powerful aura began to perate through the room, causing those of lesser Soul Tiers to feel a suppressive force.
Though they were still in intense pain, the trio on the delivery table looked at the newborn Vanir with loving eyes as a voice that sounded more like Isthar’s than the other two stated, "My Isanna..." in a whimpering tone. This actually seed to reach the newborn Vanir’s ears, causing her to giggle like a bell as Vahn handed her over to a waiting Homunculus for cleaning. After this, the trio was allowed to hold the young Isanna for a few monts before, as if to remind them they were still waiting, a very powerful and painful contraction ran through the three’s body.
A few minutes after Isanna’s birth, a crowning head filled with golden hair made itself known before, monts later, another little girl managed to extricate herself from her mother’s w.o.m.b. She had the exact sa features as Isanna, albeit with golden-blond hair and, much to Vahn’s surprise, a pair of pristine blue eyes. Like her older sister, an aura of Divinity seed to spread through the area but, rather than a suppressive force, it was extrely gentle and warm.
As if sensing her little sister’s presence, Isanna began to make a few sounds and, despite only being a few minutes old, she could already move her arms and legs enthusiastically. This caused everyone in the room to chuckle while, laying on the delivery table, the trio had a significant stream of tears pouring down their face as Ereshkigal’s voice stated, "Please...let hold her...please...my Naavi..."
Since it seed cruel to keep Ereshkigal from her daughter, the attending nurse dutifully cleaned the newborn Vanir before quickly yet carefully handing her over. This caused Ereshkigal to cry even more as she locked eyes with her daughter, whimpering, "Thank you...thank you..." over and over. Much to everyone’s surprise, the newborn Naavi placed her tiny hand on the trio’s cheek before making a few baby noises, almost as if she were trying to actively calm her mother.
Fortunately, the remaining child seed to be far more patient than his elder sisters so Ereshkigal was able to hold her daughter for an extended period of ti. It took the combined efforts of Rin and Ishtar to calm her down before she was willing to part with the golden-haired Naavi. Then, after the latter was placed into the sa bedding as Isanna, they imdiately turned to face each other before giggling. It was obvious both were cognizant of their surroundings and, though they might not be able to understand everything that was going on, they were aware of themselves and each other.
While half the room was doting over the twins, Vahn was dutifully trying to coax out his son while the trio did their best to force him out. He seed less willing than his sisters but, after a concerted effort over the course of a twenty-minute period, the tiny bundle of life was pulled kicking and screaming from the familiar warmth. Unlike Isanna and Naavi, he imdiately began crying loudly, making it apparent he was a very healthy young boy. Since he wasn’t a Vanir, he didn’t share the sa unnervingly beautiful features of his siblings but, after opening his slightly swollen eyes, Vahn got to see quite a surprising sight.
It was impossible to know what color hair his new son would have, as he only had very light downy hairs present at the mont, but his eyes were a heterochromatic combination of maroon-red and pristine blue. Though it wasn’t nearly as obvious as the two before him, there was a glimr of intelligence contained within those eyes that caused Vahn’s smile to widen before he handed the screaming infant over to the nurse for his first bath. Then, Vahn continued tending to the trio as, after gathering Isanna and Naavi from their bedding, Rin, Ishtar, and Ereshkigal held their newborn children together for the first ti.
While Vahn was dealing with the ssy aftermath, he heard Rin lovingly call their son, "Daiki..." in a subdued tone. It roughly translated to ’Great Tree’ and ’Noble Protector’, so he wasn’t too surprised by the choice. After all, Sakura was nad after ’Cherry Blossoms’ and ’Good Fortune’, so it was a fitting na considering they were siblings. Though it didn’t quite match up with Isanna and Naavi, that was primarily just a difference in origin between Rin and the two Goddesses.
After finishing up his duties, Vahn made sure to properly wash and sanitize his hands with magic before joining the group surrounding the trio of new mothers. They had cleared a spot for him so he could stand next to the extrely fatigued girls who, seeing his arrival, smiled lovingly at him while muttering, "Thank you..." This caused Vahn’s smile to soften and, though he did his best to hold it back, there was a visible moisture building in his eyes. Then, his voice cracking, Vahn stroked the girls’ hair gently as he echoed, "Thank you..." before blinking away a few tears...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Fight on, Sakura...!’,’Poor Daiki was born last...’,’Simple words sotis carry the most weight...’)
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