Brutality.
There were different forms of it across Civilizations.
Some said it was not necessary. That violence begat violence. That cruelty only bred more cruelty in an endless cycle that consumed all who participated in it.
But truly, sometimes, brutality was warranted.
And sometimes, it was a must.
When an enemy sought to destroy everything you built, was gentleness the answer? When a predator came for your people, was kindness the response? When someone sent an attack of curiosity across time that nearly collapsed your existence and everyone you cared about...
Was restraint truly the moral high ground?
Noah had long since made peace with this truth. Observable Existence was cruel.
Those who held back when brutality was required found themselves and everyone they loved ground to dust in the endless Weavings of time.
He would not be ground to dust.
And so, he would not hold back.
---
With every bite of The Heart of Unity he took, his gaze never left Gilgamesh.
