That piece of armor. They had come for his Aegis!

The ten golden-clad Early Creatures, Followers of a primordial king, had formed a silent, suffocating cage of pure, overwhelming power. Elara, her form radiating the cold fury of a cornered commander, stepped forward, her voice a sharp, cutting blade of authority.

"You dare?" she hissed, her crimson eyes blazing. "You interrupt the work of THE Living Concept? This Assistant, this… Elderborn, is a critical asset to a project of the highest priority. Your interference will be noted, and it will be answered!"

She threw the name of her master like a spear, a threat that should have made even these ancient beings pause.

But Kael, the fiery-haired Commander of this golden legion, simply smiled. It was a calm, almost gentle expression, yet it held a weight that made Elara's threat seem like the petulant cry of a child.

"And we work under the musings of THE Living Spirit and THE Living Dimensional," he replied, his voice a smooth, reasonable counter-argument that was more devastating than any shout.

"Would you not then be interrupting the work of those great beings? A conflict of interests, you see. A classic jurisdictional dispute."

Noah and Elara fell silent.

Kael's smile softened, taking on an almost philosophical, almost weary, quality.

"Hey, I understand," he said, his gaze sweeping over the two of them. "Each of us are mere pieces being moved across the large board that is the First Folds. I have more power here. I could choose to… unleash. To fight. To unmake this little patch of reality and take what I want."

He paused, letting the unspoken threat hang in the air like a guillotine. "But… I have no qualms with you. I would rather not. So, let us be reasonable. Just give us the armor, and you can both return to the Early Laboratories. Oh," he added, a flicker of something almost like genuine concern in his eyes,

"I would wait a little bit for the assault on it to finish before going back, though. It seems to have attracted some… unwanted attention."

The words were a calm, logical, and utterly terrifying proposition.

|Analysis of Current Situation.|

|Threat Assessment: Critical. You are outnumbered and outmatched. Commander Kael and his forces radiate not just immense Complexity and Purity, but the distinct, stable light of matured Principles. Your own power, while vast, is still new, still… raw.|

|Strategic Options:|

| - 1. Confrontation: Battling is not ideal at this time. A direct conflict would likely force an early, uncontrolled end to your Temporal Traversal. The risk of existential damage is high.|

| - 2. Compliance: Going with the flow is the most logical course of action until absolutely forced to utilize your temporal escape route.|

|Recommendation: Stall for time. Gather more data. Do not show your hand until you have seen all of theirs.|

After the calm analysis from RUIN/EDEN, Noah's own voice, amplified by the Aegis, was a cold, steady note in the tense silence.

"Giving you the armor is going to be a little hard," he said, his tone one of reasonable, almost regretful, difficulty.

"Since… my very existence has become one with it. It is akin to you all choosing to cut a heart in half. Both pieces would shrivel and die."

At his words, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed Kael's face.

He smiled, a new, more appreciative light in his eyes. "I did not know the advancements of THE Living Concept's little project were that grand. A truly symbiotic armor…that changes a few things"

He shook his head, a gesture of admiration. "This is not a problem at all, friend. You will just have to come on a trip with us. Who wants to fight, anyway? I am more of a pacifist. I like it when things are easy and peaceful."

Kael said this with a calm power and a brutal, unspoken promise of what would happen if things were not easy and peaceful.

Noah looked over to him, then turned his helmeted gaze to the rageful, cornered Elara.

"Commander Elara," he said, his voice a low, commanding murmur. "You should head back. It is the armor they want."

He had taken much from this Fold Dweller, from this laboratory. There was no need for her existence to be collapsed because of him.

But at his words, Kael smiled and shook his head, a gesture of almost paternalistic correction. "Ah, no, my friend. Remember, things have now changed. The researchers who made such a magnificent armor are just as important as the armor itself. This Commander Elara… she will also have to make the trip with us."

The words were heavy, a final, unshakeable verdict. Noah and Elara looked at these terrifying, golden-clad beings, and they knew. They were not being asked. They were being taken!

Kael smiled, a brilliant, almost friendly expression that was the most terrifying thing of all. "Come on, friends," he said, his voice a warm, inviting invitation that was an absolute, unbreakable command.

"Let us make our way to the Lands of The First Leader. He loves new talents, and countless weavings of possibilities await you there. After all, Existence is hard enough as it is. Must we fight each other and make it even harder?"

…!

Moments later.

Across the First Folds, a procession of beings now moved with a silent, terrible purpose.

Ten beings of pure, primordial power, their forms wreathed in the golden light of their station, escorted two captives through a landscape that was a beautiful, chaotic dream.

The Followers of Gilgamesh did not speak, their presence a suffocating weight on the very fabric of existence.

Elara, her crimson eyes a storm of contained fury, gritted her teeth. She would not be a silent prisoner.

Her voice, sharp and clear, cut through the oppressive quiet, a declaration for all to hear.

"Before I left," she stated, her tone a cold pronouncement, "I outlined the advancements we had made. I sent a full report to Dr. Flamel. The moment they realize what has occurred, a terrifying force will be deployed to take us back. This… interruption will not be without consequence."

It was a threat, a promise of retribution from a power she believed to be absolute.

Kael and the other Followers merely smiled. It was the smile of a lion regarding a particularly spirited lamb. They continued their silent, inexorable flight!

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