Achilles stared at the two Nar'Thyss in silence, his purple-gold eyes blazing with calculation that made both bound entities tremble despite their inability to move.

They had provided useful information…confirmation of what Rose was learning, additional context about Ways of Existence and Civilizational structure.

But they didn't have the answers he truly needed.

The question was whether that ignorance made them worthless... or whether keeping them alive might serve other purposes.

His chains pulsed with authority that made both Nar'Thyss flinch.

The decision would be made shortly.

Achilles waved his hand with casual dismissal.

More chains materialized around one, silvery constraints that wrapped specifically around the Nar'Thyss's capacity for speech, around the aspect of his existence that allowed him to project meaning across the Void.

The chains tightened with deliberate precision, and their desperate explanations cut off mid-sentence as his ability to communicate was simply locked.

His many eyes widened with horror as he tried to speak and found only silence, as his consciousness screamed warnings that couldn't manifest into words. The massive butterfly form trembled with muted terror, wings beating uselessly against chains that wouldn't permit even that small expression of panic.

Achilles turned his full attention to the other.

The other. These wormlike existences did not even deserve to be called by their names. Just mere butterflies!

The remaining Nar'Thyss flinched despite being unable to move.

"Alright, big guy," Achilles said, "Last chance to tell me something decent."

...!

Thr Nar'Thyss's countless eyes trembled as consciousness scrambled for information that might be valuable enough to preserve his existence. His mind raced through everything he knew, everything he'd heard, every scrap of intelligence that might distinguish him from his now-silenced companion.

"There's... there's a legend!" The words came out rushed, desperate, carrying the quality of someone grasping at any possibility. "I heard it from entities who serve closer to the Foldless Ones, those who have more direct contact with Civilizational authority!"

He paused, gathering fragmented thoughts into coherent explanation while Achilles waited with the patience of inevitable judgment.

"If someone worthy manages to ascend to the Abode of the Foldless Ones…if they can reach their sanctum where they reside, where they maintain their connection to the broader Civilization, and if they can pass whatever test the Foldless Ones impose..."

Their voice carried growing conviction as he spoke, as if the act of explaining was helping him remember details he'd dismissed as irrelevant before.

"They may be granted entry into the Civilization of Life itself! If their existence resonates with the Way of Life, if they can demonstrate compatibility with the fundamental principles the Civilization operates under..."

His eyes blazed with desperate hope that this information might be sufficient.

"A Civilization will always accept new entrants that are profound enough! It's part of their nature…they grow stronger through incorporation of capable beings, through expanding their membership to include entities whose power can contribute to collective capability! They're not exclusive clubs that reject worthy candidates…they're organisms that actively seek to absorb anything that can make them stronger!"

...!

The revelation settled into the Void.

A Civilization would always accept new entrants.

Not might accept, not occasionally permit entry, but always accept those who proved themselves worthy and compatible.

If you could reach them. If you could pass their tests. If you could demonstrate resonance with their Way of Existence.

If, if, if.

But at least it was possible.

Achilles smiled.

"That is actually good information," he said, nodding with approval that made the massive form tremble with relief. "Nice work."

The Nar'Thyss's consciousness flooded with hope so intense it was almost painful. He'd provided value.

He'd distinguished himself from the other who now hung silenced and useless in his chains. He'd earned his survival through superior knowledge and the wisdom to share it when demanded.

He looked over at his bound and silenced counterpart with something that might have been pity mixed with satisfaction.

His voice carried tentative hope when he spoke again.

"So... I get to live?"

...!

Achilles looked at the massive butterfly entity, at the desperate hope blazing in those countless eyes, at the way their consciousness clung to the possibility of continued existence with the fervor of someone who had stared directly into the abyss of their own ending.

"Oh, no," Achilles said conversationally, "I was just bullshitting on that. Both of you will die."

...!

The reaction was visceral.

Kellara's consciousness shattered with maddened desperation!

His massive form convulsed against chains that wouldn't permit movement, wings beating uselessly as existential terror flooded every aspect of his being.

"YOU LYING PIECE OF—" The bellow erupted with rage born from facing inevitable death. "I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING! I TOLD YOU WHAT YOU WANTED TO KNOW! WE HAD A DEAL!"

The cursing continued, accusations and threats and desperate bargaining all tumbling over each other!

"THE FOLDLESS ONES WILL ERASE YOU! THE CIVILIZATION WILL—"

Achilles waved his hand with dismissal.

More chains materialized around Kellara…dozens of them wrapping specifically around his capacity for speech, around the aspects of his existence that permitted vocalization.

The chains tightened with deliberate precision, and their maddened cursing cut off instantly as his ability to project meaning was simply locked.

Both Nar'Thyss now hung in absolute silence, their countless eyes blazing with terror and fury and helpless understanding that their fates had been decided regardless of cooperation.

They had served their purpose…provided information valuable enough to justify keeping them alive through the interrogation, and now that purpose had been fulfilled.

They were simply liabilities to be eliminated.

Achilles floated between the two bound entities, his consciousness processing everything he'd learned. The Folded Narrative Expanse. The Foldless Ones who ruled it. The Civilization of Life that granted them power beyond Pre-Civilizational comprehension.

And most importantly…the revelation that Civilizations actively accepted new entrants who proved themselves worthy.

The implications cascaded through his analytical mind.

Why struggle against the Nar'Thyss when they were merely tools?

Why mess with the Foldless Ones who didnt even know of him when they themselves served larger structures?

Why operate at the Pre-Civilizational Scale when he could potentially transcend it entirely by joining the very Civilization that his enemies revered- by becoming part of the power structure that even the Nar'Thyss feared?

"Why not go above the Nar'Thyss entirely..." Achilles said slowly, speaking more to himself than to his bound captives, "...by joining a Civilization of beings that even they fear?"

...!

The logic was elegant in its simplicity.

If the Foldless Ones derived their terrifying capability from serving those in the Civilization of Life, and if that Civilization actively accepted worthy entrants who could demonstrate resonance with their Way of Existence...

Then the path forward wasn't fighting against the existing hierarchy but ascending into it…becoming part of the power structure rather than opposing it from outside.

As these thoughts crystallized into intent, Achilles waved his hand towards one of the silenced Nar'Thyss who hung wrapped in chains of limitation.

His power surged forward with deliberate purpose.

Assimilation began.

The Nar'Thyss's countless eyes widened with pure, undiluted terror as he felt Achilles's authority touching the fundamental architecture of his existence.

The chains prevented any movement, any resistance, any attempt to fight back against what was happening. They could only experience their own existence being dismantled piece by piece…his memories absorbed, his accumulated power consumed, his very consciousness being slowly erased as Achilles methodically harvested everything of value from his being.

It was surgical extraction performed on existential scale.

The terror in his eyes transcended anything describable!

The other butterfly watched from his own chains, silent and paralyzed, understanding with absolute certainty that his turn was coming…that he would experience the same horrific unmaking, the same piece-by-piece consumption, the same prolonged awareness of his own existence being stripped away.

Both Nar'Thyss had provided useful information.

Both had served their purpose.

And now both would fuel the advancement of someone who had already demonstrated he could break rules they thought were absolute!

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