The first consciousness waited for my response, its starlight-and-shadow form flickering with genuine curiosity. Around us, the void pressed close, expectant and hungry for purpose.

"The difference," I said finally, "is consent. We asked darkness for help. We did not force it, corrupt it, or pretend it was something else."

"But you are still using it for your goals."

"Yes. Because cooperation is not the same as domination. We work with darkness rather than against it or pretending it does ...