「愚蠢者以肉身为墙，贪婪者以钱财为墙。末日到来时，他们化作相同的灰烬。」
——佚名，《此生苦短》
传说「存护」的克里珀是最古老的星神。祂沉默持重，以光年为单位修筑着环绕星河的障壁，从不介入银河间嘈杂的争斗纷扰，亦不理会其它星神的嘲弄呼唤。
银河间的文明纷纷揣测祂的动机：一则说古老的星神预见了足以令宇宙湮灭的危机，为「存护」万千世界建筑壁垒；一则说克里珀甘愿沦为其它星神的苦隶，尊奉旨意为祂们修建城墙。真相无从验证，唯有祂孜孜不倦的举动驱策了凡人，他们自发地聚汇成群，开始修筑保护星球的壁垒。筑城者中有人声称自己感受到了「存护」之神的注视：祂的目光透出赞许，捎带锻炉的暖意，掺糅石灰的气味。
一颗恒星的湮灭可能殃及千百光年外的星球，把它们推上存亡的陡崖——偶有世界经历此般浩劫，全因矗立的高墙才得以保全。死里逃生的人们不再讥讽「筑城者」们的固执，并纷纷加入他们的行列，再不过问「存护」的动机或意义。
The Architects — Preservation
"The foolish have their wall of flesh, and the greedy have their wall of riches. When the end comes, they will all turn to ash."
— Life Is Too Short by Anonymous
Legend has it, the Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth, is the oldest Aeon. Silent and mighty, Qlipoth built a light-years long barrier around the cosmos, never engaging in any trivial conflicts or badgering with the other Aeons.
Civilizations across the cosmos speculate on the motive of Qlipoth. One said the ancient Aeon foresaw a disaster that could obliterate the cosmos, so Qlipoth built a barrier to protect the worlds; one said Qlipoth was willing to slave for other Aeons and was ordered to build walls for THEM. There is no way to verify the truth, but Qlipoth's tireless actions moved the mortals. They spontaneously gathered in groups to build a barrier to protect their planet. Some Architects have claimed to feel the protective gaze of the Aeon upon them. They liken it to a gaze of approval, tinged with the warmth of the forge and the smell of lime.
The annihilation of a single star can devastate planets thousands of light-years away, pushing them to the precipice of extinction. On the rare occasions of such calamities, worlds are saved only by the walls their denizens have built. People who survived their demise no longer mocked the stubbornness of the Architects. Instead, they joined them, never to question their motives or the meaning of Preservation ever again.
