Chapter 4414: Never Meet Your Heroes III

His voice became heavier, and he coughed again.

White cloth appeared in his hands through act of will, and when he pulled it away from his mouth, crimson stains marked the fabric with undeniable evidence of internal collapse.

He continued while gazing out at his grand Sanctuary with eyes that saw not what existed but what might have been.

"I tried to conduct myself properly. I genuinely attempted ethical approaches to every challenge. I forged this Sanctuary, preserved as many beings as capabilities allowed, fought against tyranny with every particle of my existence. I dedicated Everything..every resource, every moment, every fragment of accumulated power, all of My Everythings...toward righteous purposes."

His hands clenched the bloodied cloth.

"And in conclusion... what precisely did I receive as compensation for such dedication? Collapse. My carefully constructed path decimated. Failure cascading upon failure like waves against eroding shore. It manifested repeatedly, cyclically, as if existence itself conspired against virtuous endeavors."

His voice carried something approaching mania now.

"So this time, I contemplated joining the victorious side just once. Aligning with those who accomplish their objectives through any necessary means. Those who seize what they desire without constraint of conscience. I wanted Perpetual Harvest returned to my possession, and so I formulated plan to reclaim it through whatever methods proved necessary."

He laughed...the sound mixing bitterness with despair.

"But it seems even that pathway was foreclosed to me! Even abandoning principles brought only additional failure! Haha! Being supposedly good accomplished nothing for me. Being deliberately corrupt yielded identical result. My entire existence... amounted to precisely nothing!"

The scene that followed carried weight of tragedy.

The First Farmer laughing with maddened edge while simultaneously coughing, body wracked by dual expressions of psychological breakdown and physical deterioration.

Noah observed this display with calm that suggested neither judgment nor mercy, merely acceptance of what was unfolding.

As The First Farmer wheezed, struggling to draw breath past fluid accumulating in damaged respiratory systems, Noah voiced out an observation.

"Ironically, all you required was adherence to your original path. You needed to be supposedly good just one final time. Instead of constructing plots and machinations directed against me, you simply needed to ask...to genuinely propose collaboration without hidden agendas or manipulative subtext."

Noah paused, letting those words settle.

"Do you comprehend what constitutes genuine irony here, First Farmer? I possess capability through another Principle...Existential Rollback, that can restore something to its previous state of being. Unlike other authorities that would merely accelerate your deterioration, this mechanism may possess capability to return you to earlier, more vital configuration. If you had simply maintained your Way, sustained your principles through just one more critical juncture... you may have found yourself on genuine path toward restoration. Toward recovering what was lost when THE Living Emotive shattered your foundations."

BOOM!

His words caused The First Farmer to tremble violently, gaze snapping upward to meet Noah’s with expression mixing desperate hope and agonized realization.

"You... you possess capability to heal me? To restore what was taken?"

At such question, Noah remained silent for extended moment before moving to sit down beside The First Farmer on the blue-gold platform.

When he spoke again, his tone carried different quality...that of storyteller.

"Let me tell a story about a Farmer and their Farmhand...their dedicated Farm Laborer who served faithfully across extended duration."

Noah’s voice took on a unique cadance.

"There existed a Farmer who was an Early Creature, possessing unique capabilities but limited understanding of agricultural practices. This Farmer hired a Fold Dweller Farmhand to assist with tending extensive cultivation plots. The Farmhand proved remarkably industrious and dedicated."

"For fifty consecutive years, that Farmhand arrived every morning without fail, tended to the farm with meticulous attention, and departed at day’s conclusion. The Farmer and Farmhand developed close relationship across those fifty years...bonds forged through shared labor and mutual respect."

Noah’s gaze remained fixed on distant horizon.

"On the fifty-first year, on entirely unremarkable day, the Farmer Early Creature installed new security system...a sophisticated monitoring mechanism recommended by a Living Existence after discovering that troublesome Inevitabilities had been consuming produce from nearby plots. Later that same day, the Farmer reviewed recordings from this security system and witnessed something profoundly disturbing."

His voice grew quieter.

"The Farmer observed his supposedly loyal Farmhand harvesting batch of Sacred Carrots from the cultivation plot without permission or notification. Watched as she concealed them within her storage ring. Witnessed as she departed with stolen goods."

Noah turned to look at The First Farmer directly.

"The theft itself wasn’t catastrophic...merely a few Sacred Carrots, nothing that would significantly impact the Farmer’s overall prosperity. But the Farmer experienced profound dismay nonetheless. Why hadn’t she simply approached him with request? He would have willingly provided ten times that quantity plus additional herbs...even his rare specimens, if she had merely asked. If she required resources for any purpose, he would have extended loans from his own accumulated wealth after collaborating so extensively."

His eyes carried weight of utter majesty and immensity!

"But she didn’t approach him. She stole instead."

...!

Noah turned calmly to face The First Farmer directly, his voice carrying thr weight of judgment being rendered.

"What do you believe that Farmer should do regarding his Farmhand who stole from him?"

...!

The First Farmer trembled at this question, gaze turning outward toward his Sanctuary with expression mixing desperation and dawning comprehension.

When he spoke, his voice emerged weakly but with conviction born of self-preservation.

"That Farmer must forgive the Farmhand. She labored diligently for him across extensive duration, increasing his prosperity through dedicated service. She only stole something relatively insignificant on single occasion. She committed mistake once...a singular error that could barely be considered genuine transgression. Surely a few carrots, a mistake of such minimal consequence... surely that wouldn’t justify the Farmer severing relationship with someone who contributed so substantially to his success?"

...!

Noah listened to this reply and shook his head slowly, his gesture booming with finality.

"The Farmer dismissed the Farmhand the following day after presenting evidence of observed theft. The Farmhand apologized profusely, broke down weeping while explaining that her family had expanded unexpectedly, that she merely needed minor assistance to support her people during temporary difficulty."

Noah’s voice remained absolutely level.

"But the Farmer Early Creature still terminated her employment. And do you comprehend why he made that decision? Because the Farmer understood something critical: if she stole from him now with such casual ease, this was not the first occasion of such theft...merely the first time he caught her stealing. Who could possibly quantify how much she had truly taken across those fifty years? How many times she had helped herself to his resources while maintaining facade of loyal service?"

...!

At these words, The First Farmer coughed with renewed violence, the white cloth he clutched transforming entirely crimson as blood saturated every fiber.

Noah observed this deterioration and continued speaking with his voice holding an inexorable conclusion.

"This represents the first time I have caught The First Farmer plotting against me. Perhaps this is not the first time you’ve constructed such schemes against others. Perhaps you’ve directed similar machinations against Fold Dwellers and Living Existences alike throughout your existence. Who could possibly know with certainty?"

His gaze intensified.

"So just as that Farmhand was dismissed from service... I will let you go, O First Farmer. I release you from any obligation or connection. Our paths diverge here, absolutely and permanently."

BOOM!

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