Not war.
Not judgment.
A proposal.
It was delivered through a storm of butterflies—each carrying a piece of the same sentence:
> "What if you helped us rewrite the system from within?"
They offered me authority.
Divine coding access.
Full narrative clearance.
But I refused.
> "If I join you, I become you.
And if I become you, who will love the broken ones?"
They understood.
And so they changed the terms.
> "Then remain free. But remain close."