Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Descending to the center of a vast crater filled with fragmented data and error messages, Vahn found a one-armed, severely injured, Eduan staring up at the sky with a wry smile on his face. He looked like he had experienced an apocalypse on his body, and, though he was still alive, he was almost unrecognizable from his former, inordinately handsome, self.

Noticing Vahn's presence, Eduan somehow managed to sit up even as parts of his data-comprised flesh flaked away. Then, in a raspy voice tinged with amusement, he asked, "Are you satisfied now?"

Shrugging his shoulders halfheartedly, Vahn decided to return Eduan's question, asking, "Are you?"

With a pained laugh escaping his throat, Eduan, somewhat surprisingly, shook his head, saying, "If you think this is a beating, you should try teasing Yura during her period. That woman makes your little posse of monsters seem tame in comparison..."

Though he was unamused by Eduan referring to his Zanpakuto as monsters, Vahn couldn't exactly blame him for the label. If he had been beaten down by a small army of excessively violent children, he would probably disdain and loathe whoever had given the order. Eduan, however, didn't seem to particularly care, his expression showing more curiosity than anything else as he experimented with puppeteering his severely charred left arm.

Restraining a sigh, Vahn had Sis initiate an isolated version of the reconstruction program that was typically reserved for after visitors had departed. As a result, Eduan's body was fully restored in an instant, brows raising as he asked, "How are you able to access the Hidden Floor's functions? Even Jahad and I don't have this level of control and we're basically system administrators...who, exactly, are you?"

Noticing the build-up of electricity around Eduan's body, Vahn couldn't help but adopt a deadpan as he asked, "Seriously? I get that you're a battle junky, but come on..."

Smiling in response to Vahn's words, Eduan balled the hand of his now-restored right arm into a fist as he said, "I've never been the type to concern myself with things like the past and future. Besides, you weren't the one to defeat me. Don't tell me you intend to steal credit just because you created them? Even I'm not 'that' brazen..."

Understanding that Eduan's behavior was derived from an incomprehensible feeling of boredom, Vahn resisted the urge to bury his fist into the man's face as he said, "If you're willing to abide a few ground rules, I can free you from this place. I imagine the thought of fighting and defeating the real you is pretty tantalizing."

Though lightning continued to build around him, Eduan adopted an uncharacteristically serious expression as he scrutinized Vahn's face for falsehoods. Truth be told, the only thing preventing him from offing himself thousands of years ago was his desire to undermine whatever schemes the real Jahad had cooked up. He disdained what Jahad had become on the outside, and, though they had always been at odds with each other, he still considered the man a friend...one who had deviated far from the path they had once walked together...

With the lightning around his body gradually weakening, a tired sigh escaped Eduan's throat as he crossed his arms and asked, "What are these 'conditions' you speak of? How do I know I won't just become your puppet after accepting your terms?"

Emulating Eduan's action of crossing his arms, Vahn adopted a taunting smile as he noted, "You ask a lot of questions for someone who doesn't concern themself with things like the past and future..."

Clicking his tongue, the amount of lightning flickering across Eduan's body began to increase as he said, "You're right. Guess that means I have no choice but to refuse your offer. It's a shame, really. I was honestly looking forward to seeing what lays in the higher floors with my own eyes..."

Understanding that Eduan wasn't putting on airs, an exasperated sigh escaped Vahn's throat as he shook his head and said, "I see now why you've managed to persist this long. You are unbelievably obstinate..."

Rather than refute the claim, a smile spread across Eduan's face as he nodded and said, "It really is one of my better traits. Besides, based on your behavior thus far, it's pretty obvious you're more of a hardass than I am. I'd wager my existence that you don't have many friends. Instead, you probably surround yourself with women. We're a lot alike in that regard."

Frowning in response to Eduan's words, Vahn nearly fell into his habit of reflecting upon everything people said about him. Fortunately, before he was able to, Sis adopted a gentle chiding tone as she said, (*Even when there are parallels between people, the motivations behind their actions and their personal thoughts on any given matter can be radically different. Everyone walks their own path.*)

Agreeing with this sentiment, Vahn's expression gradually relaxed as he met Eduan's gaze and said, "It is foolish to make such comparisons. Regardless of the number of parallels between two people, there would be a functionally infinite number of differences between them. The only person we can ever truly know is ourselves. Now, before you make the mistake of burning the final bridge between us, I'll give you one last chance to consider my proposal. Just know that, in the end, you're choosing between suffering one final defeat and the chance to battle against countless powerful foes..."

Though he wasn't quite sure what had changed, Eduan found the current Vahn even more annoying than before. He had always hated people with aloof personalities, as, even if it wasn't their aim, they gave off the impression of arrogant and entitled assholes who looked down on everything. To make matters even worse, he had nothing to leverage against the current circumstances. His only options were to either accept or refuse, as, based on Vahn's actions thus far, he hadn't come here with the intention of winning any favors...

With a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Eduan couldn't resist the urge to say, "I really hate you right now..."

Shrugging in response to the comment, a relaxed smile spread across Vahn's face as he asked, "So? You aren't the first and you sure as hell won't be the last. Now, stop beating around the bush. You might have gotten used to lazing about for centuries at a time, but I have better things to do than idle around here."

Clicking his tongue for the second time, Eduan threw his hands up in an exasperated manner as he exclaimed, "As if I have a choice! Jeez, you're even more annoying than that bastard, Gustang! Why can't we just fight a few rounds before talking about all this complicated shit!? I swear! You're going to give me a fucking aneurysm!"

Rolling his eyes in response to Eduan's complaints, the version of himself idling about in the Little Garden passed on a message to Urahara as his external counterpart replied, "At least you'll have a body to accommodate you. For now, let us return to your abode. There are a few things we need to discuss and I imagine your son and daughter have already awoken."

With his brow twitching angrily, Eduan fought hard against the urge to give Vahn the middle finger and telling him to fuck off. There were few things he hated more than being told what to do, so, if Vahn expected him to become a lackey, there was no way their 'partnership' could continue.

Recognizing the look in Eduan's eyes, Vahn adopted a somewhat amused smile as he said, "Though there are a few provisions I expect you to follow, you don't have to worry about serving under me. I might be fond of snakes, but that doesn't mean I would invite an untamed viper to live in my home. Once we get out of here, you'll be free to move about the Tower at your leisure. What you do from then onwards is entirely up to you."

Though he found it difficult to accept Vahn's words at face value, Eduan ultimately waved his hand through the air to manifest the portal-like mirror that allowed him to move about freely within the Hidden Floor. Before either of them could step through, however, two figures emerged from within, one beelining towards Vahn while the other gawked at the surrounding devastation.

With a wry smile returning to his face, Vahn grabbed the tip of Maschenny's lance-like spear with his left hand while performing a chopping motion with his right. This caused her body to tense up, not because she was afraid, but because her past experiences had taught her it was impossible to evade. Fortunately, what awaited her wasn't a painful chop. Instead, Vahn plopped his hand rather unceremoniously atop her head, roughly ruffling her hair as he mused, "I'm a little above your pay grade, kiddo. Sorry."

Confused by the comforting sensation washing over her, Maschenny lifted her head to stare directly at Vahn before saying, "Are you a lolicon...?"

Momentarily freezing in place, Vahn's smile became notably cramped as he retracted his hand from Maschenny's head and remarked, "If your attacks were half as sharp as your tongue, you might be able to deal some actual damage..."

Despite being 162cm tall, Maschenny managed to give off the impression of an excessively spoiled middle-schooler as her expression morphed into an indignant and somewhat adorable pout. Before she could lash out, however, a stern voice emanated from behind, saying, "Oi, chibi. Save it for later. That man and I have things to discuss. Don't make me ground you."

Hearing the words of her father, Maschenny clicked her tongue before yanking her sword free from Vahn's grasp and saying, "This is far from over. I don't care how powerful you are. Unless you kill me or run away, it is your destiny to die at my hand. If not me, personally, my counterpart outside will finish you off. You will learn why I was the second-youngest person to ever be chosen as a Princess of Jahad...!"

Resisting the urge to ruffle the impetuous Princess' hair a second time, Vahn offered a wry smile in response to her threat against his life, revealing, "I've already fought against your counterpart. She was certainly very powerful, but, compared to Adori and Hagipherione, she still has a very long way to go..."

Not expecting to hear such a statement, a look of confusion appeared on Maschenny's face as she instinctually replied, "You're lying. My counterpart outside should be one of the most powerful High Rankers in the Tower. There's no way she would be defeated by someone like you. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Rather than Vahn answering, it was Eduan who said, "You are an idiot if you think being a Princess of Jahad guarantees you will become strong. Though he might have used an indirect method, this asshole was able to defeat me without having to move from his starting position. I don't know how powerful Rankers and High Rankers are supposed to be, but I can guarantee they wouldn't be able to pull off a similar feat. There is a difference between pride and petulance, Chenny. Looking like a brat doesn't give you the right to act like one."

Hearing her father's admonishing words, both Maschenny and her brother Asensio, known best as the Spear Master, found themselves at a complete loss for words. They had never once considered that their father had lost the fight, as, despite being incomparably weaker than his true self, he was still a transcendental existence. They couldn't imagine him losing to anyone other than himself and the other Family Leaders, so, hearing him nonchalantly admit Vahn had won the fight left them both feeling as though they had stumbled into an alternate reality.

Annoyed by the duo's gawking, Eduan snorted loudly before half-stepping through his mirror and remarking, "You're both grounded..." as his figure disappeared into the reflective surface...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Eduan and Vahn are both pretty petulant...','I can imagine a -1 appearing above Vahn's head in response to Maschenny's words xD...','RIP')