Leaving the two to catch up and contemplate their future, Matthias left the crypt that Nefertut called a dungeon. With but a thought, his steps carried him across the continent. His steps carried him up to the wall of a medium-sized city.

  Looking around, he could not help but chuckle. There were turtle motifs everywhere—from the shape of the cobblestones, to the heraldry, to the artistic way bricks were set in the walls. Matthias could see a turtle or a shell no matter where he looked. Even the vast majority of the citizens were turtle folk.

  Matthias reached out and politely knocked on the invisible barrier that kept him out of the town. Matthias found it odd that, despite what he was, he still needed permission to enter the domain of a dungeon.

  "Do you need help, sir?" one of the guards asked. The guard was a large turtle man who stood almost eight feet tall.

  "Just waiting on permission to enter," Matthias assured the guard.

  The guard looked at him as though he were crazy. "You may enter," the guard said cautiously.

  "Oh, you misunderstand," Matthias corrected with a chuckle. "I need the permission of the dungeon. Its influence permeates even this far. If I break in, I would send the wrong message."

  The guard rolled his eyes. "Sir, I don't know..." he began, only to be interrupted by a flash of light as a large turtle appeared next to him.

  "I’ve got this one," the turtle said to the guard. "As Envoy of the Turtle Dungeon, I welcome you, Father of Monsters, Holder of the Domains of Life, Narrative, Monsters, Hearth, and Craftsmanship. You are welcome within my master’s domain."

  "He is a god?" the guard asked, horror plain on his face.

  Matthias just chuckled and patted the guard on the arm. "Don’t sweat it," Matthias reassured him. "I know I don’t carry myself with the gravitas you would expect of someone in my position. It is more fun that way. Please, Envoy, lead the way."

  "I would much prefer you let me teleport us," the envoy noted. "It will be much faster. My master is trying to prevent a panic."

  "Panic?" Matthias asked, raising a brow. "I think there is a degree of miscommunication going on here." He still placed his hand upon the envoy’s shell and allowed the teleport to carry him deep into the dungeon.

  Once Matthias had time to process what he was seeing, things began to make more sense. He was now standing in what looked like a simple home. Not one from his world, but a comfortable one from this world—simple stone walls, wooden furniture, thick cushions, and magical light sources. Sitting at the table was a five-foot-eight-inch-tall fairy. She had a guilty look on her face as her wings drooped behind her. Her hair was a vivid green, and her eyes were silver. A dark green gem gleamed, embedded in her collarbone.

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  Matthias said nothing. He simply walked up and took the seat across from her. His domains of Life and Hearth resonated softly.

  "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently. He slid his right hand across the table, palm up.

  She finally looked up at him with a sniff. There were so many conflicting emotions on her face, but hope seemed to be the prevailing one as she gently placed her hand atop his.

  "He is still alive," she began meekly, her left hand caressing the gem in her collarbone.

  Matthias nodded and gave her time. He gave her hand an encouraging squeeze.

  "He secretly stumbled upon a concept and truth," she continued. "He kept it hidden, but the gods could see through my eyes. They figured it out and were not happy. So he spent his ascension giving me everything. He just wanted to protect me."

  "You have nothing to be ashamed of," Matthias assured her. "Never be ashamed of love that deep."

  She gave him a pained smile as she fought off the urge to break down into tears.

  Matthias moved around the table and took the seat next to her. He pulled her into his lap before wrapping her in a hug.

  "You don’t need to bottle it all up," Matthias soothed. "You both are still alive, and that means there is hope."

  The fairy broke down in tears as he rocked her and rubbed her back in small circles. He quickly lost track of time.

  "Are you here to end us?" she eventually asked.

  "No," Matthias reassured her. "Why would I?"

  "Our dealings have been complicated," she offered.

  "You fought beside me," he pointed out. "Why would I reward that with betrayal?"

  "But our turtles have been causing you trouble," she argued.

  "Not at all," Matthias said, shaking his head. "It has been fun. We both benefited. So I think we can still be friends."

  "Really?" she asked.

  "What if I said I could free you and him from the system?" Matthias asked.

  "I think I would like that," she admitted as her fists balled in his robes.

  Matthias pulled out his Holy Grail and filled it with apple juice.

  "This cup was made from the remains of Order’s avatar," Matthias explained. "It removes the system from anyone who drinks from it."

  "Will it kill us?" she asked.

  "There is only a small chance, given your natural strength," Matthias admitted. "But I would be willing to use one of my few miracles today to prevent that."

  Hope filled her eyes as she reached out and took the cup. She hesitated only a moment before drinking.

  Matthias’ brow furrowed. He could feel malice coming from Order as the fairy drank. Some mix of circumstances was allowing Order to try to sabotage them. So Matthias reached out with his domains and activated a miracle. Between the massive amount of mana they had earned during the battle and their concept, Matthias forced a true ascension.

  Matthias was suddenly standing in the living room of the cabin where he had ascended. On his left was a turtle man. On his right was the fairy. They gawked as they looked around.

  "Where are we?" they asked in unison.

  "Welcome to true ascension," Matthias sighed. A headache throbbed behind his eyes. He could tell Order was furious—and even more distraught that his miracle had overridden hers.

  The world spirit then popped in.

  "What do we have here?" she asked.

  "This is the Turtle Dungeon," Matthias introduced. "He helped in that big battle. Do you think you can walk them through this?" Matthias sniffled and wiped his nose. He looked down and saw blood on his fingers. His nose was bleeding.

  "What happened to you?" she asked.

  "Contesting miracles," Matthias groaned. "Just teaching Order that rules exist within the narrative."

  "Are you going to be okay?" the fairy asked.

  "Just work with the world spirit," he encouraged her. "No matter the cost, helping you two was worth it."