Ace didn't declare war.
He scheduled a meeting.
The workshop was packed.
Not with adventurers screaming about cursed gear—
but with people.
The Minotaur sat carefully on a reinforced stool.
The dragon curled outside, poking his head through the door.
The shy boy and the adventurer girl sat side by side.
A baker.
A blacksmith.
A librarian.
Even the mimic intern sat politely in the corner, lid taped shut.
Ravenna hovered overhead, confused.
"…Ace," she whispered.
"Why are there this many people here?"
Ace stood on the main table, tail raised.
"Because the problem isn't magic," he said calmly.
"And it isn't fate."
Everyone leaned in.
"It's fragility."
The word hung in the air.
Ace continued.
"When things only work under perfect conditions—
they fail the moment someone interferes."
The dragon nodded slowly.
"That… sounds familiar."
Ace gestured to the Minotaur.
"Your courage didn't come from the skirt."
Then to the boy.
"Your growth didn't come from the scarf."
Then to the dragon.
"Your hoard didn't stay organized because of enchantments."
Ace spread his paws.
"It worked because you did."
Silence.
Then—
The baker raised a hand timidly.
"…So what do we do?"
Ace smiled.
"We stop relying on singular solutions."
---
The Network Begins
Ace didn't teach spells.
He taught principles.
Redundancy
Habits over artifacts
Skills over symbols
Meaning through use
The blacksmith learned how to balance armor without runes.
The baker learned workflow consistency instead of luck charms.
The librarian organized knowledge without magical indexing.
Even the mimic intern learned—
"NO EATING SYSTEM COMPONENTS."
It saluted proudly.
---
Something Changes
As people worked—
The air felt different.
Not magical.
Stable.
The sky outside flickered—
Then steadied.
Somewhere far away—
The figure before the starlight pool stiffened.
"What is this?" they murmured.
The pool showed images:
People fixing things themselves.
Helping each other.
Adapting.
"No," the figure whispered.
"This isn't predicted behavior."
The gears behind them strained.
"They're decoupling meaning from dependence."
---
Ace Feels It Too
Ace paused mid-lesson.
His whiskers tingled.
Ravenna landed beside him.
"Ace… I think the world just… resisted."
Ace exhaled slowly.
"Good."
The relic pulsed—not in warning—
But in alignment.
For the first time—
Ace wasn't alone.
---
That night—
A messenger arrived.
Not hostile.
Not friendly.
Official.
A sealed letter.
Ace opened it.
Inside, a single line glowed faintly:
"You are creating uncontrolled stability."
Ace snorted.
"Yeah. That's the point."
He looked up at the stars.
Some dim.
Some bright.
Some flickering—
But holding.
Ace curled his tail around himself.
"Let's see how long they can fight a system that doesn't break."