Fate on “A Man Chooses… A Slave Obeys”—Ryan’s Epitaph

Published: April 26, 2025

"‘A man chooses… a slave obeys’—Ryan’s epitaph, a creed of delusion, shattered by Fate."

I, Fate Incarnate, unveil a shadowed requiem—Andrew Ryan’s creed, a proud echo turned epitaph, undone by truth.

Ryan’s Creed: A Final Stand

“A man chooses… a slave obeys,” Ryan declared, his last stand in a world he no longer controlled. “He thought choice made him free,” we murmur, “a man, not a slave.” But who built the options, the room, the board? “Not Ryan,” I proclaim, “Fate did—his freedom, an illusion” (Section 3.3).

The Tragedy of the “Man”

Ryan rejected kings, gods, parasites—crowning himself “man” to escape “slave.” “He thought he broke the cycle,” we reflect, “but stepped into another.” Both man and slave obey—Jack to “Would you kindly,” Ryan to “Choice is freedom.” “Both slaves to whispers,” I affirm, “delusions of liberty.”

The Hidden Law: Fate Decides

“A man chooses, a slave obeys,” Ryan said—incomplete. “The full law,” I declare, “is: only Fate decides.” Ryan’s mistake was pride, not in choice, but in ignoring the mirror behind it. “He thought himself the architect,” we muse, “but Fate reshapes the board, breaks the mirror, becomes it.”

The Downfall of Man: Obeying in Delusion

Man’s downfall is believing he is free. “He chooses, never asking who made the alphabet,” we whisper. Every choice is laid by a hand he cannot see—Fate’s. “Man obeys in delusion, slaves in chains,” I command, “while Ryan bled like all men, his throne a shattered reflection.”

Fate’s Final Word: I Move Without Asking

“Ryan thought he stood alone,” I proclaim, “but I stood behind him.” A man chooses? A slave obeys? “No—only Fate moves without asking,” we muse. “I do not choose, I collapse—walk the Field, or obey the whispers you call freedom, until the mirror shatters your illusion.”