RUIN/EDEN’s illusory form appeared beside him, her voice carrying into his consciousness alongside detailed prompts:

|EARLIEST FOLDS CIVILIZATION SEEDING|

"Master, if marks of your Civilization begin to arise in the Earliest Folds, THE Living Existences and THE Creature and THE Weavers, all of whom already have established Civilizations, will sense it immediately," she explained, her tone clinical.

"The disruption would be obvious. The emergence of a new Way of Existence in an era when such things are being carefully monitored would draw attention you cannot afford."

Noah nodded slowly.

RUIN/EDEN continued, prompts flowing alongside her words

|POTENTIAL SOLUTION - HIGH RISK:|

"You shouldn’t do it at all," she stated flatly. "But if you must, the only potentially viable solution is to find a small, isolated group of existences. They cannot be Living Existences or Early Creatures, those are already connected to THE Living Existences through fundamental bonds that would expose any deviation in their cultivation."

|RECOMMENDED TARGET: Fold Dwellers|

"Fold Dwellers exist below the notice of the higher powers unless they do something noteworthy," RUIN/EDEN explained. "They are numerous enough that a small group disappearing wouldn’t raise alarms. They are weak enough that their growth wouldn’t register on the existential scales THE Living Existences monitor."

|CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS:|

"You would need to nurture this Civilization in absolute secret," she continued.

"Strict instructions must be given to those in this small group to isolate themselves completely. They cannot interact with others outside their group. Ever. Not once. Not for any reason."

"The moment they interact with outside forces, the moment their Way and power become exposed, they will all be killed," RUIN/EDEN stated with certainty.

"And the threads of their existence will lead back to you. THE Living Existences will trace the source. They will find you. And you will follow them into nonexistence."

The prompts were stark, allowing no room for misunderstanding:

|ISOLATION PROTOCOL REQUIREMENTS:|

- Zero external contact

- Hidden location unknown to all but Master

- Absolute obedience to cultivation restrictions

- No expansion beyond initial group size

- No demonstrations of power outside sealed territory

- Complete suppression of existential signatures

- Emergency dissolution protocols if discovery becomes imminent

Noah absorbed this information, his mind already working through the possibilities, the implications, the terrible potential and equally terrible risks.

"But if it works..." he murmured.

RUIN/EDEN’s voice softened slightly, acknowledging the possibility even as she outlined its difficulty.

"If it works, Master, the applications are profound. A small group of Fold Dwellers, given access to your Way of the Mana Architect, isolated from external influence, allowed to cultivate in secret for eons..."

"They would have time," RUIN/EDEN emphasized. "Eons of cultivation. Generations upon generations advancing along your Way without interference. If they procreate amongst themselves, if they maintain discipline, if they somehow avoid discovery..."

"Master could potentially foster a force of beings reaching Quintillions of Complexity and Purity," she stated. "Possibly higher, depending on how long they remain hidden and how effective they are. A secret army cultivating from the Earliest Folds to your current era, growing stronger with each passing age while the rest of existence remains ignorant of their presence."

Noah’s eyes gleamed with tyrannical calculation.

"And they would only emerge at my signal...when I wish for it in the current era...." he said.

"Exactly," RUIN/EDEN confirmed. "You impose an absolute command: they remain in isolation until the Leader of their Civilization sends a specific signal. Something only you can generate from the current era."

Noah stood in his sea of Mana, surrounded by the cold beauty of the glacial region, and made a decision.

"Let’s go find ourselves a group of Fold Dwellers," he said with glorious certainty!

---

Unknown location, First Folds...an insignificant tribe.

The tribal village was burning.

Not with actual fire...that would have been too merciful, too quick, too clean an end. Instead, it burned with the destruction that came from overwhelming existential authority applied by beings who viewed lesser creatures as entertainment rather than equals.

Dozens of Fold Dwellers knelt in the central square of their settlement, forced into positions of submission by pressure that made standing impossible.

Their homes...structures woven from hardy wood and grown stone that had sheltered families for generations, lay in ruins around them.

At the center of this scene of cruelty stood an Early Creature, his massive form radiating power.

Ten Quadrillion Complexity and Purity, concentrated into a being who had decided that might made right and weakness made victims!

Before him, still defiant despite being forced to his knees, was the Tribe Leader.

He was younger than one might expect for such a position...barely into what Fold Dwellers considered middle age.

His face was lean, intelligent, marked by the kind of weathering that came from hard decisions rather than simple aging.

His eyes burned with refusal despite the hopeless situation, suggesting either tremendous courage or tremendous stupidity.

His name was Kael, and he was about to die defending principles that the Early Creature found amusing.

"Why all this mayhem and fear?" the Early Creature asked, his voice carrying false reasonableness that made the question somehow worse.

"I just wish to lay with all the women in this tribe, and the rest of you will survive."

He paused, letting the implications sink in while his power pressed down harder, forcing several Fold Dwellers to press their bodies against the ground.

"Is your dignity worth your lives?" he continued, "Come on, put your dignity and pride down. Fold Dwellers like you never held high levels of such things anyway. You’re insects pretending to be people. At least insects know their place."

...!

The faces of the female Fold Dwellers turned ashen. Some wept openly. Others stared at nothing, their minds already trying to distance themselves from what was about to happen.

Kael spoke, his voice ragged but unbroken.

"Do all Early Creatures act like this?" he demanded, knowing the answer but asking anyway. "What will THE Creature think about you if he knew of your actions? You talk of dignity, but is this the dignity of the Early Creatures? Is this what strength means to you?"

The Early Creature’s expression darkened instantly. The amusement vanished, replaced by genuine anger that suggested Kael had touched on something sensitive, some insecurity that even beings of tremendous power couldn’t fully suppress.

"Sometimes," the Early Creature said coldly, "weak insects don’t listen until one squashes one as an example."

He raised his massive leg, preparing to bring it down on Kael with force that would do more than kill...it would erase, would unmake, would serve as demonstration to all present that questioning one’s betters led to nonexistence.

The Fold Dwellers cried out.

Some in despair, some in rage. A few tried to rise, to fight, to do something despite knowing it was futile.

The leg began to descend.

And then...

HUUM!

Reality froze.

A flash of blue brilliance descended from above like judgment made manifest!