Alexander himself bore marks of the journey. His chest was laid bare, the fabric of his upper garment having been sacrificed to something that left no remains.

His toned muscles gleamed with perspiration that contained traces of conceptual effort.

Upon his chest, his Enneagram blazed brighter than ever, its nine points connected by lines that seemed to pulse with heartbeat rhythm.

Near the bisected head of an Early Creature that served as this Shore’s most prominent landmark, two figures waited. Royal Law Tristesse stood with the patience of someone who had learned that rushing Law only made it contrary. Beside her, Kaedric observed with high expectations!

Tristesse sighed as she watched Alexander’s careful handling of Seraphina.

"Were you successful?" The question emerged with weight that suggested entire futures hung on the answer.

Alexander’s gaze turned cold as he nodded once.

"Yes. I know where the Early Tool of THE Living Law is." He paused, adjusting his hold on Seraphina as she stirred slightly.

"But if anyone other than me and Seraphina approach it, the Tool will disappear across Folds and time. Perhaps permanently. You two will have to stay behind."

...!

The words landed with finality that made even the dead Shore seem more lifeless!

Royal Law Tristesse’s eyes burned with expectations and possibilities, her mind clearly racing through implications, calculating probabilities, weighing costs against potential gains.

When she spoke, she seemed to have thought of something else entirely as she was thoughtful.

"Do you know what the Chronicles of Judgment say about THE Living Law’s Tools?"

She used the formal name...the Chronicles of Judgment, the record that Living Laws had maintained since the Earliest Folds, documenting the Laws that governed them, the precedents that shaped existence’s rules.

"Only Dukes of Law and Royal Living Laws can read the deepest sections, the parts that record THE Living Law’s direct interventions." Her voice grew distant, as if reading from memory that transcended simple recollection.

"There’s a story there, ancient even by our standards."

She moved slightly.

"A terrifying Fold Dweller approached THE Living Law with a question that contained accusation. ’Has THE Creature abandoned us?’ the Fold Dweller asked. ’Are you the only one maintaining order now? The only one who cares whether existence has structure?’"

Tristesse’s expression grew complex, mixing reverence with something that might have been fear.

"THE Living Law’s response was characteristically indirect: ’Do not think of matters that do not concern you or others. Through me, through my Tools, through my Weapons, prosperity will be ensured across all Folds. Structure will be maintained. Order will prevail.’"

...!

She paused, letting the weight of those words settle.

"And then THE Living Law did something unprecedented. It gave this Fold Dweller an Early Tool...the Scale of Equilibrium’s Reckoning."

The name itself seemed to make the air heavier, as if existence recognized something significant being invoked.

"According to the Chronicles, the Scale could weigh not just physical matter but concepts themselves. Justice against mercy. Order against chaos. Even existence against void. Whatever was placed upon its pans would be measured against absolute truth, and the lighter concept would be... corrected. Made heavier through enforcement, or removed entirely if it couldn’t bear the weight of existence."

HUUM!

Her gaze grew intense as she continued.

"THE Living Law told the Fold Dweller to use it to balance any chaos. To discipline Early Creatures and Living Existences if necessary. To ensure that power never grew so absolute that it forgot its responsibilities."

Royal Law Tristesse looked at Alexander and Seraphina with eyes that had made their decision. The stern set of her features suggested this choice had been weighed and found necessary.

"Go." The single word carried more authority than lengthy commands could have.

"If you can obtain any Tool of THE Living Law...whether the Scale or something else, it will be a boon for all Living Laws. We have existed too long on precedent alone. An actual Tool would change many things..."

Alexander studied her for a moment, perhaps weighing her sincerity against necessity. Then he nodded simply!

Without further words, he began walking toward the bisected head of the Early Creature.

Each step seemed purposeful, as if following a path only he could see. The Enneagram on his chest began to pulse brighter, its light synchronizing with something.

As he drew closer, it became clear that Seraphina also bore an Enneagram on her chest that was shining the same manner!

Together, they created a resonance that made the dead Shore remember it had once been alive!

The bisected head of the Early Creature...massive even in death, even split in half...began to respond with recognition. The two Enneagrams weren’t just symbols or sources of power...they were keys, and the Desiccated Sleeping Shore was a lock that had been waiting eons to be opened!

The air grew thick with possibility. The grey-white sands began to swirl despite the absence of wind. The dried ocean beds cracked in patterns.

Three seconds passed. Four. Five.

BOOM!

The explosion was transitional...the sound of space deciding to be somewhere else. Where Alexander and Seraphina had stood, only disturbed sand remained. They hadn’t traveled in any conventional sense...they had been admitted, accepted, allowed entry to something that existed perpendicular to normal reality.

Royal Law Tristesse and Kaedric remained on the Desiccated Sleeping Shore, the sudden absence of their companions making the desolation more pronounced.

Tristesse’s demeanor shifted immediately from contemplative to commanding!

The historian transformed into the Royal Law she was, authority radiating from her form like heat from forge-fired metal.

"Come," she said to Kaedric, her voice seeking no delay. "We must prepare for the Kleos Concordat. Every Law must be ready and every possible argument anticipated."

She began moving with purpose that transformed walking into declaration.

"If they return with a Tool before then..." She let the sentence hang, but the implications were clear.

A Tool of THE Living Law would shift many things.

Kaedric followed, his own thoughts clearly racing through possibilities. "Do you think they’ll succeed?"

Tristesse considered the question with the weight it deserved. "Who the fuck knows man, we are all just trying everything we can..."

...!