The invitation arrived without drama.
No threat.
No collapse.
No suffering.
Which made it terrifying.
Ace woke to find the relic gone.
Not broken.
Not stolen.
Just… absent.
In its place sat a folded construct of light—
neat, precise, polite.
Ravenna stiffened.
"…That's not an attack."
Ace swallowed.
"I know."
The construct unfolded into a doorway.
Beyond it—
A room that hurt to look at.
Perfect alignment.
No dust.
No shadows out of place.
The figure from the starlight pool waited inside.
Not towering.
Not divine.
Just… tired.
"Ace," the figure said gently.
"Please. Come talk."
---
The Pitch
Ace entered alone.
The room adjusted to him instantly.
The figure gestured to a chair.
"I won't enforce," they said.
"No suppression. No erasure."
Ace stayed standing.
"You already tried those."
The figure sighed.
"And you broke the model."
They waved a hand.
Images appeared:
Ace healthy again.
No pain.
No drain.
Systems stable without cost.
"All of this," the figure said,
"can be real."
Ace's ears twitched.
"What's the catch?"
The figure hesitated.
"You stop teaching."
Silence.
"You may help," they clarified.
"Individually. Quietly. No networks. No propagation."
Ace laughed.
Once.
Short.
"You want me to be a consultant," he said.
"Not a catalyst."
The figure smiled faintly.
"Yes."
---
Why It Was Tempting
The room shifted.
Ace felt light.
His chest didn't ache.
His limbs felt strong.
He hadn't felt this good since—
"…You're simulating the version of me that didn't choose to pay," Ace said.
The figure nodded.
"You deserve rest."
Ace looked down at his paws.
In another life—
He would have taken it.
No burnout.
No responsibility.
No watching others hurt because of him.
Just quiet competence.
Just comfort.
---
Ace's Answer
Ace looked up.
"…If I say yes," he asked slowly,
"what happens to them when I'm not around?"
The figure didn't answer immediately.
Which was answer enough.
Ace stepped back.
"You didn't design a world," he said quietly.
"You designed a machine."
The figure's voice tightened.
"And machines work."
Ace shook his head.
"Only until conditions change."
He turned toward the exit.
"I already changed the conditions."
---
The Consequence
The room began to destabilize.
"Wait," the figure said sharply.
"If you walk away—"
Ace paused.
"You'll escalate," he finished.
"I know."
The figure's eyes darkened.
"Yes."
Ace nodded.
"Then do it honestly."
He stepped through the doorway.
---
Aftermath
Ace collapsed the moment he returned.
Ravenna caught him.
"…What did they want?" she asked.
Ace breathed hard.
"To make me comfortable," he said.
"And useless."
Ravenna's jaw set.
"…Then we're in trouble."
Ace smiled weakly.
"Yeah."
Outside—
The sky rippled.
Not dimming.
Not muting.
Rewriting.
Somewhere deep in the architecture—
A final protocol unlocked.
And this time—
It wasn't aimed at Ace.