With tensions rising in the Prime Expanse—though not for everyone—Ash and Nia remained in the Eternal Lands, getting ready to depart after laying the groundwork for her novel.

Ash, Nia, and Elysia stepped out of the novel and back into the starry expanse of the Eternal Lands.

The moment their feet touched the platform overlooking the central world, Nia turned around with a bright, almost childlike excitement in her dark eyes.

She grabbed Ash’s arm with both hands, her voice carrying a rare, giddy energy.

"It’s perfect, Ashy! Even though we only set up the lowest layer of the cosmology so far, I already love how it feels. The foundation is exactly how I wanted it to be."

"Indeed, I must say it suits your taste well." Ash said with a chuckle.

Elysia walked beside them with a small, knowing smile, her black-red hair swaying gently as she glanced at Nia.

"You’ve been smiling like that ever since we left," she said teasingly. "But you’re not actually excited about writing the novel, are you?"

Nia hesitated for a moment before letting out a quiet huff, making no effort to deny it.

"...Not really," she said, her voice softening as she met Ash’s gaze. "I’m not interested in the writing part. I just want to watch her."

She moved a little closer to Ash, her tone growing warmer, more personal.

"I want to watch an embodiment of me live in that world... grow up, struggle, and eventually meet the one person she’s destined to fall in love with. I want to see her experience that feeling for the first time."

Elysia raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

"So you’re basically creating a story just to watch yourself fall in love with Ash from the outside?"

Nia didn’t so much as blush; she just gave a calm nod.

"Exactly."

Anyone who knew her well by now understood that men simply weren’t her thing.

So, when she began crafting her novel, the very first rule she set in stone was that there would be no men in it.

She wasn’t yet sure how expansive her world would become, how far her cosmology might stretch, but one thing was certain—no matter how vast it grew, not a single man would ever exist within its pages.

Elysia let out a soft laugh, clearly entertained by Nia’s possessiveness even in a story she was creating.

"You really are something else," she said, shaking her head with a smile.

"Most people write novels to tell a story. You’re writing one just so you can watch yourself do something... you’ve already done."

Nia shot Elysia a playful glare, the kind that carried no real bite, just a spark of teasing defiance.

"So what? It’s my novel. I can do whatever I want with it," she declared with a hint of mischief in her voice.

Turning gaze back to Ash, her demeanor shifted, the edges of her expression softening as she slipped her hand around his arm.

"I just... really want to see it happen," she admitted, her voice quieter now. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Ash glanced down at her, a small, amused smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, it’s already in motion, isn’t it?"

Nia rolled her eyes, though the slight upward curve of her mouth betrayed her amusement. She reached out and poked his chest with a single finger.

"Then make sure you add a rule for your MC," she said. "He’s not allowed to fall in love with any other woman. Only her."

Ash let out a quiet chuckle.

"I don’t mind," he said. "But just because he can’t fall in love with anyone else doesn’t mean there won’t be women. It just means it won’t be real love."

Nia narrowed her eyes at him but held her tongue, letting out a small huff before leaning back against his chest.

She knew that, even as an embodiment, it was unrealistic to think Ash wouldn’t be drawn to other women.

Not that it mattered much to her—what she wanted was a story where they were each other’s one true love.

Before she could say anything more, Ash spoke up again.

"Either way, that novel can wait," he said. "Right now, it’s time to join the others. Well, there are still a few things I need to take care of first."

With a casual wave of his hand, the three of them left the Eternal Lands.

----

They reappeared in the Sacred Dimension, floating within the vast void that existed between his wives’ personal universes.

The space was quiet and serene, with distant realms glowing like stars in the distance.

Ash looked at both Nia and Elysia.

"You two are free to stay here or go with the others," he said. "It doesn’t matter to me either way. I’ll be focusing on building out the next part of our path forward"

At present, they had all reached the peak of the Meta Road, but this was far from the ultimate goal Ash sought to achieve.

No, he needed to forge a path for himself and the others that would take him beyond the Meta Road entirely, allowing him to glimpse the elusive Sixth Wall and ultimately break through it.

Such a feat would have to be undertaken from the ground up, requiring him to discover and harness the right elements to propel himself to that level.

After all, he knew that even the Mother and Father were not true Sixth Wall beings; at best, they could only be considered Pseudo Sixth Wall.

Nia gave him a flat, unimpressed look — the kind that clearly said Really? You think I’m leaving?

Without saying a word, she grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

Ash sat cross-legged in the void, and Nia immediately snuggled into his left side, pressing herself against him.

Elysia smiled softly and took her place on his right, resting her head against his shoulder.

Nia met his eyes with a steady, unflinching look, her expression leaving no room for hesitation.

"Well?" she prompted, her tone light but expectant.

"Go on, then—begin with whatever you are planning."

Ash’s gaze shifted between the two of them, a small, almost amused smile touching his lips as he took in their presence, the comforting warmth radiating from either side.

"Alright," he murmured, his voice low and calm. "Let’s get started."