AEHU/Plot/Plot Sketch Chapter 32
"From the Deep"
- On the anniversary of King Zeal's death, the Gurus are abuzz about the recent discovery of Lavos and everyone seems to be excited by the prospect of eternal life, which Queen Zeal is advertising via a political machine rivaling that of her uncle before her. The Sun Stone and Elemental weapons used to subjugate Po'hjol's army are sealed away now that Queen Zeal perceives no need for them.
- The Mammon Machine is moved to Zeal Palace and Schala undergoes a Frozen Flame trial to reactivate it. Her conversation with the Object's consciousness reveals her current state of mind and how emotionally drained she still is after the events that took place almost a year ago. Still, the consciousness senses that Schala looks forward to the prospect of eternal life, and it wants to discover why. She refuses to answer its question.
- While Schala is in recovery Jaya - still acting as her bodyguard - asks her about the consciousness and this conversation sparks Jaya's wish for a journey of self-discovery. Jaya says that when she touched the Object briefly with Grishe to help rescue Schala last year, the consciousness showed her in environments she doesn't remember being in, and this has bothered her ever since. Gaspar reveals that Shikar keeps copious historical records, so if she's suffering amnesia she may find something there. Schala and Jaya plan to visit Shikar.
- Schala goes to her quarters to prepare for the trip and finds Janus watching her projection mirror, which serves as her diary of sorts. Currently her recorded self is saying:
"But I'm sure we'll meet again, Someday, you and I... Another place, another time. It's just that we might not realize That you are you and I am me..."
- Schala is extremely embarrassed and asks Janus how much he's seen; he says he just now turned it on. Schala sets her projection mirror to respond only to her Pendant before leaving for Shikar.
- Schala and Jaya attempt to access ancient historical records in Shikar with Gaspar's assistance, but they don't get very far before they face resistance from mysterious Shikari officials who keep secrets in the sky island's bowels. Queen Zeal doesn't like secrets, and gives Schala the go-ahead to gather the other player characters and investigate further.
- Deep within Shikar, Schala & co. discover prehistoric creatures apparently preserved over the aeons by Shikari scientists in subterranean zoological exhibits. After a fight with a Tyrano, Jaya accesses historical information, including visual records of the Black Songstress, a crucial figure in whatever war resulted in Shikar being captured by Zeal thousands of years ago. Having seized the Frozen Flame, the Black Songstress used it to summon immense destruction and threatened to destroy Zeal's predecessors, but the Creojeanne clan managed to kill her. Shikari scientists have kept a genetic copy of the Black Songstress around since that time, waiting to reacquire the Frozen Flame and with it their independence from Zeal. The keepers of Shikar's records reveal that Lakshya was in on this and ask Jaya to consider helping them achieve their long-sought goal, but she refuses. Everything seems settled until Jaya discovers additional clones of herself already half-grown. She destroys every copy she can find and trashes the archaic mainframe containing visual records of the Black Songstress.
- After the incident in Shikar, Schala & co. respond to a distress signal from the Ocean Palace, where the Aethyrmorph and others of its kind are running amok, apparently having muliplied from the original Derben dumped in the ocean last year. Once the Ocean Palace is swept clean of intruders Belthasar announces that it's time for the first ever visualization of Lavos now that the Ocean Palace has reached a depth capable of penetrating deep into the planet's crust with sonar. It looks like a much larger version of the dangerous Lavoid creature captured and disposed of last year, and such creatures featured in records associated with the Black Songstress. The gurus begin to worry about the repercussions of pushing forward with the Lavos project. Belthasar is the least worried, but the others note that Bekkler's records indicated the Mammon Machine must be brought in close contact with Lavoids to produce the Anti-Annihilation Energy reaction needed to grant eternal life.
- Everyone spends some time pondering letting go of whatever they planned to do with their eternal lives, but Demeria sees the writing on the wall and approaches Queen Zeal about the dangers of proceeding along the present course. Queen Zeal remains unconvinced, and when everyone wakes up the following morning Demeria has vanished. Janus seems dumbstruck and it is supposed that he's witnessed something; however, he remains silent and the chapter ends with everyone rushing all over Zeal and Shikar looking for Demeria in vain, and Derben trudging through snow on the surface, calling Demeria's name.