Ra'Zan's skull dipped in acknowledgment, the movement somehow conveying satisfaction despite the absence of facial features to express it.
His gaze, if empty sockets burning with conceptual fire could be called a gaze, swept across the Early Veiled Shore, taking in the abundance of life that flourished here.
Sacred herbs reaching toward impossible maturity, trees bearing fruit that contained compressed possibilities, the golden sands themselves pulsing with vitality that defied measurement.
"Master," Ra'Zan spoke again, his voice carrying a different quality now, almost contemplative.
"I know a little of the Early Veiled Shore from your memories. Will Master permit me to plant... Death itself in these glorious cultivation plots?"
The question carried weight that made several nearby beings stop their activities entirely.
Even the Infiniverse, in her evolved form as the Infinite Early Osmontian Shore, turned her attention toward this exchange with interest that suggested she understood the implications.
Noah's eyes flashed with sharp consideration, the kind of look that preceded decisions that would echo through existence for eons uncounted.
Then, with the certainty of someone who had long ago learned that balance required both growth and ending, both harvest and fallow, he nodded.
"Go," he said, gesturing toward a distant corner of the Shore where the golden sands met something that might have been the edge of possibility itself.
"Take that corner for this purpose. The Shore shall soon be made even bigger." He paused, his gaze shifting to the massive form of the Primordial Stone Ape that stood silent and waiting, its newly dead existence radiating power that made the air itself uncertain. "Oh, and take the Ape with you. Teach it a sense of... tyranny."
Ra'Zan's response was immediate and perfect.
The Arch Lich performed the greeting of an Early Creature- that complex gesture that acknowledged power while maintaining dignity, that recognized hierarchy while preserving individual worth.
It was a farewell that carried within it the promise of terrible victories to come.
As he turned to leave, Ra'Zan began to hum.
The sound that emerged from his skeletal form transcended mere melody…it was a deathly symphony that would have made the Bard of Quintessence pause with professional jealousy.
Each note contained within it the ending of something, each rhythm the final heartbeat of a dying Wheel, each harmony the last breath of a collapsing Fold!
The Primordial Stone Ape followed behind him, its massive form moving with surprising grace for something that had transcended the limitations of life. Together, they moved toward their designated corner of the Shore, where death would be cultivated with the same care and precision that others reserved for life.
Noah watched them go with a smile that contained layers of satisfaction and anticipation.
Then, with the deliberate precision of someone compartmentalizing existence itself, he breathed out…a long, slow exhalation that carried with it the rage and murky emotions from the events with Gilgamesh, the fury, ns the cold satisfaction.
All of it, released into the sacred air of the Shore where even negative emotions would probably be transformed into something useful.
His mind recalibrated, focusing on what lay ahead rather than what had passed.
The past was prologue, the present was preparation, and the future... the future held possibilities that even his perception could only glimpse.
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