Orson’s retired life was comfortable and full of small pleasures.
Sometimes he let Madman "coach" his fishing, but his skills never really improved. Maybe he was just born without the knack for it. A fishless day was still a fishless day. That was fate. He had to accept it.
He remained a loyal VIP at the local fish market.
Eventually, even Madman gave up charging him, and the three of them—Madman, Bradley, and Orson—ended up spending more time cracking sunflower seeds and trading insults on the riverbank than actually catching fish. Drinks, meals, and endless banter turned them into close friends.
Every now and then, Orson logged into Sword and Conquest, now fading into obscurity, and watched as one old teammate after another migrated to Infinite Dimensions. He hoped they would shine again in the new world. His own reputation as the pinnacle of spellcasters in Sword and Conquest would fade away with the game itself.
Half a year passed in this quiet rhythm.
One afternoon, while reading in bed, Orson heard a sharp crash from the balcony.
"...What the hell? That little brat gave me a tree, not a weed?"
The pot holding the strange plant had shattered again. Orson had already repotted it six or seven times, but it grew far too quickly. Now it was as thick as a bowl and nearly as tall as he was.
The flowers looked like sunflowers, palm-sized, but with no seeds. The leaves seemed normal at first glance, but each month, during mid-moon, they shimmered with a faint glow, swaying as if alive. Even Riley, who had studied horticulture for years, couldn’t identify it.
Then Orson noticed something new. The sunflower-like blossom wilted, revealing a pearl-white fruit the size of a fist. In the sunlight, it gleamed like a priceless jewel.
A grin spread across his face. Maybe he could hawk it at the antique market, see if he could fool some eccentric collector. Not to scam them, just to finally figure out what it was.
He reached out to pluck it. The moment his fingers brushed the fruit, warmth spread through him. It felt more like polished jade than flesh.
Then a screen flickered to life before his eyes.
He slapped himself hard across the face.
Grade: One-use Divine Artifact
Effect 1: Increases Luck +99, reduces the effects of domains below Main God level.
Effect 2: Upon consumption, guided by the essence of Chaos, escape the Infinite Dimensions world you currently inhabit.
Note: Having absorbed magical elements, this item has already reached peak quality.
Orson’s heart thundered in his chest. He rubbed his eyes, checked again, and again. Not a hallucination. Not a dream.
It was real. A genuine game interface—right here, in his reality.
His stomach churned, a cold dread creeping up his spine.
If this was real, was he even in the real world anymore?
A spike of pain split his head. He staggered back to the bed, gripping his temples.
"No... I’m just hungover. That’s it."
But the glowing panel floated right in front of him. And he couldn’t shake the image of the girl from his dream.
"Consume to leave this world? Infinite Dimensions... but that’s just a game."
The words burned in his mind.
What would happen if he ate it?
The thought was broken by a sharp crash.
Coffee spilled across the floor, the ceramic cup shattered to pieces.
"Riley? You’re back early. Didn’t you say Wedge went to the hospital?"
He turned with a smile, only to freeze.
Riley stood in the doorway, eyes locked on the fruit in his hand. For the first time, he saw her rattled, her usual calm shattered. Fear—and something like despair—etched across her face.
"I... I didn’t mess around with Bradley or anyone else. I swear to god, Riley! I’d never betray you!"
He rushed to explain, heart twisting at her expression, hand raised to swear.
But she reached out and gently pulled his hand down. "I’m fine. Really... I’m fine."
Her eyes shimmered red.
She forced a smile. "Wedge is fine too. Just a cold. That’s why I came home early."
Behind her back, white fire flickered in her palm. A medical report crumbled into nothing.
"...Then why are you so nervous?" Orson frowned. A wild thought flashed through his mind—was she hiding something? No. Impossible. The love in her eyes was too real, carved into her very bones.
He remembered the promises they’d made in the morning sun. To build a home together, travel the world, grow old side by side.
"Orson... if you had to choose, would you choose me, or the truth?"
Her voice trembled as the smile on her lips faltered.
A chill ripped through him. His chest tightened painfully.
"What are you hiding from me? Until you answer me, I won’t choose anything."
His voice hardened. Every instinct screamed that something was wrong.
"You used to tell me never to make choices in a state of chaos. Isn’t that right?" Riley whispered, shaking her head with a faint, sad smile, then leaned against him, breathing him in like it was the last time.
"Answer me directly, Riley. I’m not joking."
His jaw clenched, words forced out between his teeth.
Tears spilled down her cheeks. She had known the moment she saw the fruit that everything was finished.
And yet she hadn’t stopped it. He loved that plant too much. As his wife, how could she bring herself to rip it away from him?
She had never asked for much. Just his love.
With a sharp hiss, tears fell—and wings burst from her back, one white, one black.
Orson’s blood ran cold.
His wife was both angel and demon, radiating an overwhelming aura of divinity and dread.
And yet her gaze remained soft, filled with love.
Orson stumbled back into the wall, trembling.
"Domain of the True God—Perfect Time. Memory Rewrite. Release."
Her voice rang like crystal.
A detonation split his mind. Images cascaded into place, fragments of battles, blood, gods, and war. The haze lifted, and his eyes sharpened. Cold. Ruthless. Absolute.
The God of Magic had returned.
But within that gaze, fierce and unyielding, flickered a glow of love.
Orson drew a breath, calm now. He stepped forward and pulled her trembling body back into his arms.
"This world isn’t false. It’s beautiful. Everything you’ve done was because you love me. And how could I not... love you the same?"