Paying no heed to the Shardturtle, the spiritual stag paced toward Matthias until it stood before him. It then turned, regarded him with eyes of pale blue, and shook its head as if beckoning him to follow.

Astonishment and suspicion flashed through his eyes as he murmured, "Is this spiritual stag… actually trying to save me?"

The thought seemed absurd, but with the Shardturtle eyeing them like a predator, Matthias had no choice. He could only lead the group toward the stag's direction.

The S