Awakening
[Day 45]
"This is quite the angle..."
After another brief battle, which would have constituted his 649th straight defeat, Vahn, situated in the basin of a large crater formed from his body impacting the ground like a meteor, was prepared for Jack-O to crush his throat beneath her red-and-black heel when, to his surprise, she removed it.
"Hmm...?"
With his wounds rapidly regenerating, Vahn was able to force himself to a seated position as Jack-O moved away from him by balancing herself and effortlessly moonwalking atop a jack-o-lantern-themed ball and chain. He couldn't make out her expression behind her mask, but it was evident that something had changed, considering she had slaughtered him mercilessly and efficiently 648 times.
"I remember..." stated Jack-O, her voice pleasant and feminine but given a ghostly warble due to her mask.
"Our previous matches...?" asked Vahn, massaging his throat with his right hand and staring at Jack-O curiously. Given the circumstances that led to the creation of Invirtua, he would be lying if he said he hadn't anticipated the red-and-white-haired woman gaining awareness. It was at least part of why he kept choosing her as his opponent despite forty-nine additional options being available.
"This isn't real..." muttered Jack-O, the eye holes of her mask somehow narrowing as she reached up to cup her face, ostensibly doing her best to recall who and what she was.
"You're right," confirmed Vahn, nodding slowly before revealing, "This is a virtual reality that recreates the setting and characters of a fighting game franchise called Guilty Gear. You're a character within that world, but our frequent clashes and your exposure to my power have either allowed you to gain awareness or placed you in a position to do so."
"Why...why give me life...why force me to kill you over and over again...?" asked Jack-O, lowering her hand slightly to stare at Vahn with the green flames that veiled her situationally red or green eyes.
Shaking his head, Vahn's expression became apologetic as he explained, "I entered this place to gain combat experience and increase my strength battling against a powerful foe. I was aware that something like this might happen, but it was never my intent to force you to do anything. I'm sorry if I have caused you to suffer..."
Seeing Vahn close his eyes and bow his head slightly, Jack-O stared at him for what felt like several minutes. As she did so, she recalled several of their past battles, which, until their current bout, ended with her rather brutally killing him. In her oldest memory, she had even ripped him in half from his left shoulder down to his belly, leaving her confused as to which of them had truly suffered...
Breaking the lengthy and tense silence, Jack-O asked, "What's going to happen to me? If this is a game and you stop playing, will I be forced to remain here in a suspended state for the rest of eternity?"
Shaking his head a second time, Vahn adopted a faint smile and softly answered, "That's something for you to decide. While I'm not your father or the person who conceived you, it isn't an exaggeration to say that my power gave you life. As long as you do not reap wanton destruction upon others, I have a responsibility to ensure you can live freely and walk your own path."
"I see..." muttered Jack-O, catching Vahn a little off guard as she abruptly lowered herself into her top-down, booty-up pose, famously known as the Jack-O pose. She often adopted the same posture before attacking, so he presumed it was the pose she took to think.
(She's attempting to integrate the behavioral patterns of her story-mode counterpart into her battle code) revealed Sis.
"The memories you're attempting to recall belong to the character Jack-O Valentine..." stated Vahn, assuring, "I won't stop you if that's the path you wish to follow, but many of the memories are simulated, and you will likely feel attachments towards people that do not yet exist."
"..."
Lowering her butt and sitting in a wariza pose, Jack-O, nestling her right hand between her breasts, asked, "Then what should I do? I do not wish to be alone, and this sense of uncertainty in my chest is unpleasant..."
"Well, if you choose to integrate the memories, I can try to transition this from a virtual world to a real one," answered Vahn. "But, to be honest, the setting of your world is somewhat outlandish, and you may feel personally responsible for anything bad that happens from the moment your fictional world is made real. If you'd like, I can allow you to experience what you're in for from the perspective of a Player."
Seeing Vahn produce a television setup with a gaming console, Jack-O stared at it for nearly a full minute without speaking. With the power she could bring to bear, it wasn't particularly challenging to imagine her world being a dangerous place. Thus, after a lengthy period of deliberation, she chose to join Vahn in front of the television, plopping her very round and full bottom down on a comfortable cushion before observing in curiosity as he booted up a game called Guilty Gear Strive: Eternal. And on Vahn's end, he got to appreciate the exceptional beauty beneath her mask when he offered her snacks, specifically a variety pack of lollipops, to shore her mood and memorialize her awakening...
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"I suppose you won't need my daughter to dress up anymore..." hummed Venelana, referring to a few weeks prior when Vahn asked Rias to cosplay as Jack-O, coincidentally the same day she had ripped him from shoulder to groin.
"More to the point, this is further confirmation that my power can breathe life, even into programs..." responded Vahn, sitting with the little wolf girl, Lupheria, on his lap with her eyes closed, enjoying having her scalp, wolf-like ears, and the sides of her face massaged. She had heeded Venelana and didn't cause any trouble, so she was being rewarded for, as she put it, being a good girl.
"Are you suggesting you've changed your mind regarding the request of the Tripartite Alliance...?" asked Venelana, raising her brows as it hadn't been that long since Vahn shut down the proposition of Azazel, Michael, and her son. They had jointly asked if he could use his power to create a new God to occupy the Throne of Heaven, and while Vahn reasoned that it was possible, he refused on the grounds he didn't like the idea of tailor-making a being to fill a specific role or serve as a lynchpin.
"Not exactly..." responded Vahn, shaking his head as he stated, "On that matter, I've decided to leave things to fate. I believe there is merit to the God of the Bible's prophecy, so while it may take some time, I'm sure his successor will appear."
"Chichi...hungy..." groaned Lupheria, speaking in broken Japanese. It had only been a few days since she began learning, but she had picked up the word for father and how to express her hunger immediately.
"Now, now, Lupheria-chan. That isn't how we ask for food, is it...?" chided Venelana, prompting Lupheria to puff her cheeks and then strain her brain for several seconds before supplanting, "May I...please have something to eat?"
"Yes, you may," responded Vahn, presenting Lupheria with a leaf-wrapped bundle of a highly nutritious food called Lembas Bread, baked to be fairly sweet as the pint-sized wolf girl had a severely limited palette, only being able to determine if something was salty or sweet.
Instead of unwrapping the bundle like a normal person, Lupheria held it with both hands and began eating it like a sandwich, a broad, happy smile adorning her face.
Continuing where he left off, Vahn explained, "Though things seemed to have worked out with Jack-O, I will try to avoid entering any digitalized spaces moving forward. Jack-O was already an artificial being within her setting, which is presumably what allowed her to adapt as quickly as she did, but even she briefly teetered on the edge of a catastrophic existential breakdown..."
"What will you have her do from here on...?" asked Venelana, harboring a few thoughts of her own on the matter. She had researched the setting of Guilty Gear after learning that Vahn had developed an interest in it, so she knew Jack-O could be a very powerful asset if she were inducted into the Dragon's Pavilion. In fact, due to its outerversal setting and meta-existentialistic narrative, the same could be said of most characters from the Guilty Gear franchise.
Exhaling faintly from his nose, Vahn revealed, "After learning about her world and the nature of my power, she expressed a desire to travel to the actualized world of Guilty Gear to help guide it toward a happy ending. To that end, she is willing to continue assisting with my training in the hopes of becoming stronger herself."
"So it's safe to say she'll be joining your harem~?" asked Venelana, using her right hand to cover her lips and chuckle as Vahn averted his eyes like a child trying to avoid admitting they had snatched a cookie before dinner. In truth, Vahn greatly desired to have Jack-O join his harem, but given the circumstances of her awakening, it didn't feel right to make a move on her. Though, if she kept posing with her ass in the air, he suspected he would get over his inhibitions pretty quickly...
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[Day 69]
"Is this what I think it is...?" Vahn asked himself and, by proxy, Sis. As for what he was referring to, it was a circular stone platform that had only appeared when his domain melted the layer of snow covering the ground. Its diameter was precisely three hundred meters across, and engraved in its surface was a pattern reminiscent of a Nordic knot with the visage of a wolf's head with icy blue, gem-like eyes at its center.
Before Sis could answer, a notification window appeared before Vahn, all but confirming his suspicions.
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[Second Trial: Gleipnir]
All bonds eventually become burdens, chains that can restrain even the Gods. Will you shed them to obtain true freedom, or will you become the bulwark that continues to shield your allies and loved ones, no matter the danger and Trials to come?
[////Warning!////]
Upon declaring you are prepared to face this Trial, the safeguards that prevent permanent death and allow you to respawn will be voided until its completion. Furthermore, all participants in the Trial will be subject to the effects of [Fimbulwinter's Encroachment].
[////Warning!////]
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'So death is possible within the Corridor...' noted Vahn, his expression becoming serious and deliberative. He had assumed that, much like the higher Floors restricted monsters' actions, the remaining safeguards of the Corridor would be waned or rescinded as he delved deeper. He just didn't expect death to be on the table so soon...
"It's good that I decided to come here alone..." muttered Vahn. "Though considering how Fimbulwinter's Encroachment functions, I can see how it would be beneficial to have more people..."
As Fimbulwinter's Encroachment could only affect one person within a grid space each time it was triggered, a close formation within a barrier was the best way to prevent it from stacking quickly. However, as he was unwilling to risk the lives of those he loved, Vahn didn't need to deliberate for long before inhaling deeply and declaring, "I am prepared to face this Trial! Bring it on...!"
In response to Vahn's proclamation, an icy blue light spread through the engraved pattern beneath him. When it reached the edges of the circle, it rose up, forming a curtain of light he presumably wouldn't be able to pass through before a powerful, obfuscating blizzard formed outside, making it impossible to see beyond the circle.
"You certainly took your time..." remarked a deep, husky, and feminine tone, followed by a pair of large crimson eyes appearing with the blizzard. Vahn immediately recognized the voice as belonging to the colossal wolf that had appeared in his dreams, but before he could ask it any questions, a section of the blizzard burst open, followed by a large, vicious-looking, snow-colored wolf with icy blue eyes charging at him with its sharp fangs and claws bared.
Wasting no time, Vahn hammered the air with the back of his right fist, causing slight spatial cracking that caused the nearly three-meter-tall wolf to contract like a spring as it impacted the air like an indestructible wall. Immediately after, its body burst into icy white powder, causing the air temperature to plummet further. At the same time, Vahn noticed a thin layer of frost building on his fist, accompanied by a pervasive cold that completely ignored his protective coating of Touki and settled into his bones...
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