Leto explains in an epigraph from The Stolen Journal that the Golden Path seeks to shape humanity’s self-image. He intends to force humans to mature so that they are no longer “innocent children” (108).

Nayla, Siona’s confidante and Leto’s spy, reports to the God Emperor at the Citadel. As he looks upon the Sareer, an artificially maintained region and the only desert that remains on the planet, Leto laments how no one has mourned the loss of Dune. He remembers honoring Nayla’s service in a Fremen ritual where he presented her with an original crysknife. Leto’s nostalgia moves him unexpectedly, and he pictures the crysknife slowly disintegrating into a forgotten relic of the past. Leto begins their meeting by feigning rage and disgust at religious fanatics, and Nayla subserviently agrees with his words even as they indict her. Content with her utter obedience, Leto asks if she believes Siona is ready to be tested. Nayla expresses reservations: While Siona is strong enough to escape D-wolves, she is fueled by hatred. Her assessment encourages him, and Leto reveals that he must rely on Nayla’s impressions because Siona is gradually fading from his prescient view.