His voice beca heavier, and he coughed again.
White cloth appeared in his hands through act of will, and when he pulled it away from his mouth, crimson stains marked the fabric with undeniable evidence of internal collapse.
He continued while gazing out at his grand Sanctuary with eyes that saw not what existed but what might have been.
"I tried to conduct myself properly. I genuinely attempted ethical approaches to every challenge. I forged this Sanctuary, preserved as many beings as capabilities allowed, fought against tyranny with every particle of my existence. I dedicated Everything..every resource, every mont, every fragnt of accumulated power, all of My Everythings...toward righteous purposes."
His hands clenched the bloodied cloth.
"And in conclusion... what precisely did I receive as compensation for such dedication? Collapse. My carefully constructed path decimated. Failure cascading upon failure like waves against eroding shore. It manifested repeatedly, cyclically, as if existence itself conspired against virtuous endeavors."
His voice carried sothing approaching mania now.
"So this ti, I contemplated joining the victorious side just once. Aligning with those who accomplish their objectives through any necessary ans. Those who seize what they desire without constraint of conscience. I wanted Perpetual Harvest returned to my possession, and so I formulated plan to reclaim it through whatever thods proved necessary."
He laughed...the sound mixing bitterness with despair.
"But it seems even that pathway was foreclosed to ! Even abandoning principles brought only additional failure! Haha! Being supposedly good accomplished nothing for . Being deliberately
corrupt yielded identical result. My entire existence... amounted to precisely nothing!"
cene that followed carried weight of tragedy.
The First Farr laughing with maddened edge while simultaneously coughing, body wracked by dual expressions of psychological breakdown and physical deterioration.
Noah observed this display with calm that suggested neither judgnt nor rcy, rely acceptance of what was unfolding.
As The First Farr wheezed, struggling to draw breath past fluid accumulating in damaged respiratory systems, Noah voiced out an observation.
"Ironically, all you required was adherence to your original path. You needed to be supposedly good just one final ti. Instead of constructing plots and machinations directed against , you simply needed to ask...to genuinely propose collaboration without hidden agendas or manipulative subtext."
Noah paused, letting those words settle.
"Do you comprehend what constitutes genuine irony here, First Farr? I possess capability through another Principle...Existential Rollback, that can restore sothing to its previous state of being. Unlike other authorities that would rely accelerate your deterioration, this chanism may possess capability to return you to earlier, more vital configuration. If you had simply maintained your Way, sustained your principles through just one more critical juncture... you may have found yourself on genuine path toward restoration. Toward recovering what was lost when THE Living Emotive shattered your foundations."
BOOM!
His words caused The First Farr to tremble violently, gaze snapping upward to et Noah's with expression mixing desperate hope and agonized realization.
"You... you possess capability to heal ? To restore what was taken?"
At such question, Noah remained silent for extended mont before moving to sit down beside The First Farr on the blue-gold platform.
When he spoke again, his tone carried different quality...that of storyteller.
"Let tell a story about a Farr and their Farmhand...their dedicated Farm Laborer who served faithfully across extended duration."
Noah's voice took on a unique cadance.
"There existed a Farr who was an Early Creature, possessing unique capabilities but limited understanding of agricultural practices. This Farr hired a Fold Dweller Farmhand to assist with tending extensive cultivation plots. The Farmhand proved remarkably industrious and dedicated."
"For fifty consecutive years, that Farmhand arrived every morning without fail, tended to the farm with ticulous attention, and departed at day's conclusion. The Farr and Farmhand developed close relationship across those fifty years...bonds forged through shared labor and mutual respect."
Noah's gaze remained fixed on distant horizon.
"On the fifty-first year, on entirely unremarkable day, the Farr Early Creature installed new security system...a sophisticated monitoring chanism recomnded by a Living Existence after discovering that troubleso Inevitabilities had been consuming produce from nearby plots. Later that sa day, the Farr reviewed recordings from this security system and witnessed sothing
profoundly disturbing."
His voice grew quieter.
"The Farr observed his supposedly loyal Farmhand harvesting batch of Sacred Carrots from the cultivation plot without permission
or notification. Watched as she concealed them within her storage
ring. Witnessed as she departed with stolen goods."
Noah turned to look at The First Farr directly.
"The theft itself wasn't catastrophic...rely a few Sacred Carrots, nothing that would significantly impact the Farr's overall prosperity. But the Farr experienced profound dismay nonetheless. Why hadn't she simply approached him with request? He would have willingly provided ten tis that quantity plus additional herbs...even his rare specins, if she had rely asked. If she required resources for any purpose, he would have extended loans from his own accumulated wealth after collaborating so extensively."
His eyes carried weight of utter majesty and imnsity!
"But she didn't approach him. She stole instead."
...!
Noah turned calmly to face The First Farr directly, his voice
carrying thr weight of judgnt being rendered.
"What do you believe that Farr should do regarding his Farmhand
who stole from him?"
...!
The First Farr trembled at this question, gaze turning outward
toward his Sanctuary with expression mixing desperation and
dawning comprehension.
When he spoke, his voice erged weakly but with conviction born of
self-preservation.
"That Farr must forgive the Farmhand. She labored diligently for
him across extensive duration, increasing his prosperity through dedicated service. She only stole sothing relatively insignificant on single occasion. She committed mistake once...a singular error that could barely be considered genuine transgression. Surely a few carrots, a mistake of such minimal consequence... surely that wouldn't
justify the Farr severing relationship with soone who
contributed so substantially to his success?"
...!
Noah listened to this reply and shook his head slowly, his gesture
booming with finality.
"The Farr dismissed the Farmhand the following day after
presenting evidence of observed theft. The Farmhand apologized profusely, broke down weeping while explaining that her family had expanded unexpectedly, that she rely needed minor assistance to support her people during temporary difficulty." Noah's voice remained absolutely level.
"But the Farr Early Creature still terminated her employnt. And
do you comprehend why he made that decision? Because the Farr understood sothing critical: if she stole from him now with such casual ease, this was not the first occasion of such theft...rely the first ti he caught her stealing. Who could possibly quantify how much she had truly taken across those fifty years? How many tis she had helped herself to his resources while maintaining facade of loyal service?"
...!
At these words, The First Farr coughed with renewed violence, the white cloth he clutched transforming entirely crimson as blood saturated every fiber.
Noah observed this deterioration and continued speaking with his
voice holding an inexorable conclusion.
"This represents the first ti I have caught The First Farr plotting
against . Perhaps this is not the first ti you've constructed such sches against others. Perhaps you've directed similar machinations against Fold Dwellers and Living Existences alike throughout your
existence. Who could possibly know with certainty?"
His gaze intensified.
"So just as that Farmhand was dismissed from service... I will let you
go, O First Farr. I release you from any obligation or connection.
Our paths diverge here, absolutely and permanently."
BOOM!
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