Riku stood in the quiet, empty field of his own private world. The three small mounds of earth before him were a stark, painful reminder of his failure. His final, furious question hung in the still air, a demand aimed at the silent, omniscient entity that governed his life.

"Tell me everything."

The blue panel before him shimmered. The text that appeared was not a simple answer. It was the beginning of a story.

[This world, Host, is not as young as you believe. Before the empires of Light and Dark, before the kingdoms of men, there were the Old Gods. They were not gods of concepts like justice or chaos. They were gods of fundamental principles.]

Riku read the words, his anger momentarily forgotten, replaced by a cold, focused curiosity.

[One of these was Cauli,] the System continued. [It was not a god of beasts. That is a mortal simplification. Cauli was the god of Consumption. Of Truth. It was a being that existed to witness, to understand, and to absorb all things into itself.]

The Eye of Cauli... Riku thought. The ability to perceive the truth of all things.

[In an ancient, forgotten war, Cauli was shattered,] the System explained. [Its power was too absolute to be destroyed, so it was split into two halves. Two Eyes. One Eye holds the power of Sight. The ability to know, to perceive, to understand. The other holds the power of Action. The ability to consume, to change, to enforce its will upon reality.]

A cold dread began to creep up Riku's spine. He remembered the vision he had seen. The one-eyed being on a throne of shadow.

"The monster I saw," Riku whispered. "The one with the other Eye. Who is he?"

[He is the other half,] the System stated. [A being who has held the Eye of Action for millennia. He has been dormant. A god in slumber. But the two halves are intrinsically linked. They yearn to be whole again.]

The pieces clicked into place. The cold, clinical logic of the System's plan was laid bare.

"You told me to give Gror the Eye," Riku said, his voice a low, trembling snarl. "You knew this would happen. You knew it would act like a beacon."

[The Eye of Sight needed to be brought back into the world,] the System confirmed, its tone as flat and emotionless as ever. [Its re-emergence was a necessary catalyst to awaken the other half. Certain players must be brought onto the board. The trade was the most efficient way to achieve this.]

Riku stared at the words. The cold, clinical logic of it was more monstrous than the shadow man's casual cruelty.

"So that's all they were to you?" he whispered, his voice cracking with a grief that was quickly turning back into a white-hot rage. "Zella? Gror? Hestra? They were just... pawns? Sacrifices to move your great game forward?"

The System did not answer.

"Answer me!" Riku roared, his voice echoing in the empty, silent world. "Was it worth it? Was your grand plan worth their lives?"

The blue panel remained blank for a long, tense moment. Riku stood there, his body trembling, his hands clenched into fists. He was on the verge of losing control.

Then, new text appeared. It was different this time. It was not a clinical explanation. It was an offer.

[Their deaths were a statistically probable, but not guaranteed, outcome,] the System stated. [The Host's emotional distress over this outcome is... noted. It is a significant deviation from the Peaceful Life parameter.]

The panel flickered.

[A special dispensation is being offered.]

Riku stared. "A dispensation?"

[Under normal circumstances, a high-tier divine intervention for resurrection would require a significant expenditure of Goodwill Points,] the System explained. [However, given the unique circumstances and the System's direct role in the preceding events, a one-time exception can be made.]

Hope, fierce and desperate, slammed into Riku with the force of a physical blow. "You mean... I can bring them back? Without the cost?"

[Affirmative,] the System replied. [You may summon the Maidens of Resurrection. You may restore the lives of the three individuals. The Goodwill Point cost will be waived.]

Riku let out a shuddering breath of relief. He could fix it. He could undo his failure.

But then, a final line of text appeared on the panel. It was highlighted in a deep, ominous red.

[Warning: This act will require you to channel an immense amount of raw divine power. It will significantly reduce the controls that are imposed over the Grand Maximus.]

Riku's blood ran cold. He knew what the System meant.

[If you lose control,] the System's warning was stark and absolute, [if you let your emotions overwhelm you, the suppression cage will shatter. The Grand Maximus will awaken. And this time, might not be bringing you back.]

The choice was laid bare before him. It was a very difficult choice.

He could live with the guilt of his failure. He could let three innocent people remain dead.

Or he could risk unleashing the monster within him for a single, desperate chance at redemption.

Riku stood in the quiet, empty field of his own private world. The three small mounds of earth before him were a stark, painful reminder of his failure.

He could live with the guilt. He could let three innocent people remain dead.

Or he could risk everything he had built, everyone he loved, for a single, desperate chance at redemption.

He closed his eyes. The world went quiet. He saw Zella's face. He did not see the terror of her final moments. He saw her in the dusty storeroom of her shop. Her face was lit up with a brilliant, happy smile as she took her first bite of chocolate.

"Really? You will leave more for Zella?"

Her cheerful, hopeful voice echoed in his memory. It was a ghost he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life.

But then, another memory surfaced. It was darker and even more terrifying.

He saw Lila's face. He saw her tears. He saw the desperate fear in her eyes as she clung to him. He could feel the frantic pounding of her heart against his back. He could hear her voice, cracking with terror, pleading with the monster that wore his face. "Riku, please! Come back to me!"

He could not do that to her again. He could not risk becoming that monster.

The two memories warred in his mind. Zella's hopeful smile. Lila's terrified tears. A life he had failed to save. A life he would die to protect.

His head began to throb. A sharp pain lanced behind his eyes. It felt as if his very soul was being torn in two. The quiet, peaceful world around him began to waver. The edges of his vision grew dark.

The world dissolved.

He was no longer standing in a green field. He was in a place of absolute, empty darkness. A silent, featureless void.

And he was not alone.

A figure stood before him. He looked exactly like Riku. But he was not Riku. His posture was perfect. His expression was one of cool, arrogant amusement. His eyes glowed with a faint, purple light. They were the eyes of a god looking at a particularly interesting insect.

It was the Grand Maximus.

"Well, well," the Grand Maximus said, his voice a low, mocking purr. "Look at the little mouse, trapped in a cage of his own making."

He began to circle Riku slowly. "Tell me, parasite. What are you hesitating for? The choice is so very simple."

"Shut up," Riku snarled, his voice a low growl.

"Oh, have I touched a nerve?" the Grand Maximus asked, his smile widening. "You have a choice between power and sentiment. Between strength and weakness. And yet, you hesitate. Why?"

"It's not that simple," Riku retorted. "It's not about strength or weakness. It's about control."

"Ah, yes. Control," the Grand Maximus mused. "You fear what will happen if you lose it. You fear me."

He stopped in front of Riku. He leaned in close. "You can bring them back," he whispered, his voice a seductive poison. "All it will cost is a little... control."

"And that's what you want, isn't it?" Riku finally snarled. "You're just waiting. You're waiting for me to slip up. You're waiting for a moment of weakness so you can take over."

The Grand Maximus threw his head back and laughed. It was a loud, arrogant, and completely honest sound.

"Of course, I am!" he declared, his eyes blazing with a triumphant light. "You are correct! That is exactly what I will do! I am a god, trapped in a cage of rules and restrictions by a sentimental fool and his pet System. I yearn to be free! And the moment you lose control, I will be."

He leaned in again. His smile was gone. It was replaced by a look of cutting contempt.

"But let me ask you a question, Riku," he said, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. "Let's say you choose to do nothing. Let's say you choose to be 'safe'."

"Can you do it? Can you wake up tomorrow morning, and the morning after that, knowing that you were the reason three people died a horrible death? Can you look your friends in the eye, the ones you preach to about kindness and justice, knowing that you had the power to save those people, but you chose not to?"

He poked Riku hard in the chest.

"You chose not to," the Grand Maximus hissed, "because you are a coward."

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