Chapter 173 Routine

Vahn woke up a few minutes before the time when he could re-enter the orb. Looking to his right, he could see the small form of Tina cuddled up against his body, and he couldn't help but feel a protective instinct build up inside of him. He empathized with her since she had lost her father, and he also felt a melancholy in his heart whenever he thought about her mother. They had both treated him well in the past, and Vahn wished he could help the two of them find happiness in the future. Though he couldn't replace her father, Vahn wanted to help take care of the small cat girl that was supposed to be taking care of him.

Moving back her bangs with his hand, Vahn gave an affectionate kiss to Tina's forehead before he pulled out the orb and began thinking about what he could do to help Eva as well. He already had a plan in mind to help the original, but he wanted to be able to do something for the memory fragment as well. However, any solutions he came up with would be very selfish on his part, and even if he could preserve her memory, it wouldn't create a link between her and the original Eva.

Once the time for him to enter had arrived, Vahn focused his consciousness into the orb and opened his eyes in the black and white space contained within. The moment he arrived, Vahn felt the familiar presence of Eva next to him and, before he could say anything, she immediately took her preferred position on his stomach. Like before, she was wearing her black negligee as she looked down into his face with a moderately pleased expression.

She squinted her eyes a bit as she said, "Looks like you didn't keep me waiting for too long this time. I only had to wait a few extra days..." Before Vahn could say anything, Eva continued, "Don't say anything yet, let me just enjoy your warmth for now..." As she finished her words, Eva pressed herself against his body and just held him for a few minutes in silence.

After a bit of time had passed, Eva seemed to become a bit restless as she moved her face toward Vahn's neck and began her routine of kissing the same spot she always drew his blood. Though Vahn wasn't sure of the reason, Eva always drew blood from the left side of his neck and shoulder, perhaps due to the proximity of the area to his heart. Remembering that she 'wanted to enjoy his warmth', Vahn began putting effort into his [Heart of the Eternal] flame to make his body heat up rapidly.

In response, he could feel Eva's body temperature slowly begin to rise as a light layer of sweat began to cover her skin. Though Vahn had the urge to tease her or let his hands wander, he decided to just embrace her as she continued to suck his blood and kiss his neck. He noticed that she had started to mark his neck as she had done so previously, and it caused him a bit of discomfort whenever she would suck on his skin. He had seen his appearance after she performed that act previously, and had noticed several small bruises on his neck as a result of her actions.

After more than an hour, Eva finally stopped and sat up on his chest with a slightly enamored look in her eyes. She let her hands wander on his chest and abdomen as she seemed to be contemplating something. Vahn, instead of letting his hands and eyes wander, just continued to stare at her face with a gentle smile as he waited for her to speak. Since she spent nearly four years in this space since his last visit, Vahn knew she had a lot more time to work through matters than he did.

Her hands made their way to the buttons on his tunic, but she didn't make any effort to unfasten them. She just spent a few minutes in silent contemplation before she said, "Next time, I want to feel your body closer. You're already like a furnace, but I want to feel your skin against mine..." After her words ended, she crawled off his body before scooting to the side of the bed and sitting with her back to him. Vahn could see her aura flickering chaotically, but knew there was nothing he could do for her. Though they could hug, kiss, and do some other intimate actions, it was impossible for them to do anything remotely sexual. If she got too stimulated, space would destabilize and would most likely begin to collapse. Even now, Vahn could see the energy within the air had turned somewhat chaotic in the aftermath of their actions.

Vahn rolled out of the bed and sat next to her before hugging her body close to his and kissing her on the forehead due to their height difference. She frowned and tried to say something, but Vahn interrupted by asking, "If I could help you leave this space in the future, would you be willing to accompany me?"

Eva's eyes opened wide in shock at his words as she explained, "It's impossible, I'm just a memory fragment, not a real person. Even if you could do something like imbuing a soul into an object, there isn't a way to prevent my 'memory' from destabilizing. The moment you entered this orb the first time, my body had already started to slowly dissipate with time. By the time six months pass in your world, I will be unable to maintain this space and will cease to exist..."

Vahn nodded his head at her words because he had discussed the matter with Sis previously when he was trying to come up with a solution. Even with something as powerful as 'The Path', Vahn was limited in his own methods due to his weakness and current Soul Tier. Not only could he not create a body or keep Eva's memory for the future, but even if he could bring her into the Danmachi 'record', she wouldn't be able to leave since her energy would become attuned to this record.

However, that didn't mean there was no way, and Vahn had found a temporary solution, even though it wasn't one he was fond of. Looking into her sad eyes, Vahn explained, "The chains I have, [Enkidu], allow me to seal anything, even the Divinity of a god. Before this space disappears, I can seal your memory fragment within my own soul where the main body of [Enkidu] rests. You won't experience the passage of time, and when I finally meet the original and try to save her, I'll study magic that would help you bond with each other once again. However, I won't force her to accept you, so you may be stuck within my soul for a very long period of time in a dormant state..."

Before he could finish the full explanation, Eva pulled his body onto the bed and pressed down his shoulders with her hands as she loudly asked, "Are you telling the truth!?" Within her eyes, Vahn could see hope and expectation as she used her tyrannical strength to press him to the bed. He laughed after seeing her response, and she seemed to get upset as her face flushed a deep crimson. Though she had bitten him several times before to draw blood, this time Eva bent down and chomped on his shoulder with all of her teeth. Vahn could feel her bite pierce into his flesh, and he immediately ceased laughing as he explained, "I'm not lying! I swear, as long as you're willing, I can seal you away in my soul until we return to your world."

After he finished speaking, Eva pulled away from his shoulder where two neat bite lines drew an elliptical where she had bitten. There was blood dripping away from the incisions, and Vahn could feel a bit of pain throbbing from the location. Eva stared between the bite mark and Vahn's face for a bit as her face continued to get progressively redder because of the blood buildup. She looked into his eyes with a somewhat apologetic expression as she said, "Make sure you keep your promise...I don't care how long I have to wait...if it's inside a place like your soul." After she finished her words, she bent down and started licking up the area where she previously bit him.

Nearly twenty minutes later, the two finally separated and began performing their own routines. Vahn had given Eva several hundred new books, including some from different records. Eva was very pleased to have something new to keep her attention, so she didn't bother Vahn as he began to process of forging more items. Every few hours, he would take a break, and each time he did so Eva would stick to him like glue the entire time he was resting. She seemed to enjoy laying on top of him, and when he had removed his tunic she had a fierce blush on her face as she traced his muscles with her fingers.

Vahn tried to maintain his sensibilities and prevent himself from taking things too far, but Eva eventually got frustrated at his passive actions and forced him to be more proactive saying, 'Aren't you a man?'. After her goading, Vahn decided to tease her a bit with his [Hands of Nirvana], which was even effective against goddesses. The moment he started massaging her body, Eva turned to putty in his hands and she began gently kiss his bare chest.

Vahn was surprised that she was able to continue moving when, 'normally', people wouldn't be able to put any strength into their bodies when he gave a massage. He could clearly see the muscles in her body twitching, but no matter how much effort he put into his actions, she didn't seem to relent or lose her ability to react to his actions. Eva seemed to notice his confusion as she looked into his face with a mischevious look and explained, "My body instantly regenerates, so even if you torment me with that technique of your's, I immediately regain my ability to move. You're a hundred years too inexperienced to think you can get an advantage over me like that..."

After her words ended, Evangeline pressed her fingernails into his chest as she muttered a silent incantation. Vahn noticed her fingernails grow sharp as she traced thin red lines on his body. He could feel a warm energy spread through his body wherever her fingers moved, and he could feel his heart begin to itch as his strength began fading from his body. Eva saw his reaction and displayed a devilish grin on her heavily blushing face as she explained, "You're not the only one that can toy with people's bodies using energy..."

Vahn's instincts flared up at her words, but he couldn't put any energy into his body as she continued to trace her fingers on his chest. After a while, Eva seemed to be satisfied by his response as she leaned forward and began to kiss Vahn passionately. As he had regained his movements, Vahn tried getting even with her, but it only made their shared passion stronger as the space around them began to destabilize. Eventually, it got to the point where Eva had to stop his actions or risk having to be sealed away much sooner than either of them wanted.

After suffering his first 'defeat', Vahn returned to forging with the resolve to improve his [Hands of Nirvana] in the future. He wanted to get to the point where he could make even an immortal vampire squirm under his touch. At the same time, he also wanted to try and find a technique other than [Will of the Emperor] and [Chainbreaker] to help him resist others from playing with his body. Though it felt incredibly pleasant, it still triggered a fear deep inside the back of his mind which made him incredibly uncomfortable when at the mercy of another.

Their cycle of forging, studying, resting, and intimate actions, continued all the way up until it was time for Vahn to leave the orb. Though it felt a bit awkward to do so, Vahn had purchased a large amount of material through his system for construction. Since there was nothing but emptiness all around them, Vahn wanted to give Eva the option of spending some of her time to build a small house where the two could live in the future. She seemed incredibly pleased by his suggestion and told him to bring even more materials in the future so they could build a castle.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Remember kids, abstinence is important','Sadistic Eva','Godhand Defeated!?')

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