Schala awakes in the middle of the night hearing things crashing outside her room. She exits and finds a bunch of servants also awakened and staring at Queen Zeal tearing down the palace's decorations, flinging some of her own paintings off the walls, ripping curtains from windows, etc. Janus exits his room across from Schala's and when he gets scared, Schala just explains that their mother must be working through her grief. Seith steps inside to find out what's going on and shoos everyone out immediately. Dalton is about to comically go back to his quarters as well, but Seith tells him to remain because he's the Seneschal. Seith tells Queen Zeal that she needs to compose herself for the kingdom's sake, or else her people might lose confidence in her. She seems to calm down, then asks to see the Object that took Alphard away. Seith attempts to reason with her but she won't settle down until she sees it. Queen Zeal remembers that it's in Kajar Labs and rushes out the room. Schala and Seith follow, Janus tagging along.
Demeria, also roused, asks Schala what's going on while Seith and Dalton shoo all the normal servants back to their quarters. Demeria says that Queen Zeal must not be allowed near the Object and they follow the queen all the way to Kajar Labs.
Inside Kajar they discover that the Gurus have been studying the Object all night, unwilling to halt the flood of discoveries they've been making since the funeral. Derben once again accompanies Guru Bekkler. Queen Zeal lunges for the Object and Schala goes after her but she's stopped by Demeria. Demeria holds Queen Zeal back, with Derben's help after it seems Samele is about to break free with superhuman strength. Queen Zeal suddenly stops struggling once she's a few feet away from the Object; she hears a voice and asks if it's Alphard. Belthasar hushes everyone so that he can listen in on the conversation that seems one-sided to everyone besides Queen Zeal. Through Queen Zeal's conversation with the Object, the Gurus determine that a consciousness lies within it, and this consciousness controls the release of the Object's energy.
Queen Zeal collapses. Dalton rips the queen away from Demeria, shrugging off her scolding him for his slow response to the situation. Schala and Dalton help Queen Zeal back to the palace, where everyone converses once the queen is safe in her room and under Dalton's vigil. The Gurus interpret the apparent meaning of whatever the Object told Queen Zeal: apparently any who dare approach the Object will not survive unless they devise a way to prevent getting vaporized by its energy. This is the only way the Object will know if the person touching it is worthy of its power. Dr. Melchior secures Belthasar's permission to try something.
Flashes of the Gurus studying the Object and Melchior fashioning a strange statue shaped like the kingdom's emblem in a dark Kajar laboratory. Guru Bekkler seems to be just staring into the Flame while the other Gurus are hard at work.
Open on Schala and Janus in Kajar's shopping center an unspecified number of days later. Schala explains that she's looking for something to give Guru Bekkler for his birthday and he watches her obtain a Blackbird pass for the journey to Bekkler's sky island lab, which also serves as his housing. Janus wants to go too, but Schala advises him to study up on his Elemental classes, since he's behind for obvious reasons and his marks were mediocre to begin with. Janus expresses frustration with having to develop his abilities.
Schala meets Demeria once she's boarded the Blackbird. Demeria no longer a priveleged citizen, she rides with regular Zealians in the second class hold; Earthbound laborers ride in the cargo hold. Demeria says that she wants to check in on Derben finally, seeing as he's probably taken the king's death especially hard and furthermore hasn't been seen in awhile. Noting that Demeria appears lonely, Schala asks her to accompany her since they're heading to the same place.
Schala and Demeria enter Guru Bekkler's living quarters, which is swimming in various cats. Valna, the Guru's personal assistant, seems frustrated with all the animals running about. When Guru Bekkler receives Schala's gift, he wonders at her ability to think of others despite her own sorrow. Assistant Valna takes the opportunity to produce a cake from a side room, and when asked to make a wish, Bekkler wishes that Schala should never have to grow old. Meanwhile Demeria finds Derben's quarters empty and wonders where he's gone off to. Valna says she hasn't seen Derben in a few days, but that he asked Bekkler's leave before disappearing.
Demeria asks what Schala's up to the rest of the day and finds out that Dalton has requested her assistance in overseeing the Earthbound weapon handover. Demeria's interest is piqued and, still doubting Dalton's protective capacity, she asks to join Schala.
Schala and Demeria arrive at Zeal Palace to rendesvous with Dalton's group. The palace is adorned with dozens and dozens of paintings and servants are bustling about trying to figure out what to do with the ones that won't fit on the walls. Schala and Demeria walk in on Queen Zeal signing various orders between brushstrokes on a painting of a strange bulbous creature. Queen Zeal spouts strange nonsense while she's working on the painting but seems to regain full decisionmaking clarity when she turns to Dalton, next in line to get her approval for the Earthbound weapons handover as well as Schala's participation in the affair as translator. Meanwhile Seith dictates delicate replies to requests for the queen's appearance at various functions. He opines that he's got to find a way to bring Samele fully back go her senses before the general populace starts wondering about her sanity.
Schala spends a moment with her mother, surveying the painting. Queen Zeal asks what Schala thinks of it, truly, stating it must be her best work yet. Schala tries to hide her disgust with the shape taking form on the canvass, then takes her leave. Dalton seems hesitant to let Demeria accompany them, but Schala convinces him.
Schala & co. descend to Algetty via the skyways. Dalton confronts Po'hjol and asks Schala to translate, but expresses his surprise with Po'hjol's ability to speak their language in such a way that Po'hjol feels gravely offended. While Dalton oversees the weapons handover, Schala and Demeria wander through Algetty and hear rumors of strange, never-before-seen beasts wandering up from the ocean's depths by night. They return to Dalton, who secures Po'hjol's oath that the weapons destroyed today are all that the Earthbound possess.
Suddenly some hunters rush into Algetty with news of the aforementioned creatures claiming a few of their fellows. Grishe withdraws into the cave network and he and Po'hjol seem to be discussing something heatedly in their own language. Schala & co. head outside to see what all the frustration is about. They catch sight of the culprit - a Lavos Spawn surrounded by attendant creatures that wrap captured Earthbound in their wiry appendages. Dalton advises that the Zealian entourage head back up, but this is another situation in which Earthbound will die unless something is done swiftly. Dalton believes there is no threat to energy production, and therefore the situation does not call for intervention. While they're arguing, Grishe and some fellows pop out of a nearby cave fully armed to battle the Lavoid creatures. Their armament does not go unnoticed by Dalton and Demeria, and Schala takes advantage of their surprise to head for the offending creatures. Demeria and Dalton tell her to stop, but she insists that they should follow her if they're worried.
Schala, Demeria, and Dalton follow the Lavos Spawn into its burrow and find that deceased Earthbound litter the way. The creatures didn't seem to devour their victims as expected of a normal beast and they wonder why they attacked the Earthbound in the first place. Eventually they encounter the Lavos Spawn and one of its attendant creatures holding an unconscious Grishe. Demeria and Dalton are both against fighting it, but Schala prevails on Demeria by invoking Alphard's probable course of action in this situation. They force the Lavos Spawn to shut down but lack the ability to destroy it.
Dalton recovers Grishe and carries him outside, where Po'hjol and the Algetty elder await with some more Earthbound and lasher guards. Dalton confronts Po'hjol with Grishe's weapon and the Earthbound militia leader is summarily arrested after being caught in a lie about the status of Earthbound weaponry; this transpires while Grishe is regaining consciousness.
Demeria asks Schala about the terms Derben had negotiated with the Earthbound earlier, but Schala doesn't know exactly where the weapons cache was hidden; it was a place of Derben's choosing. Demeria finds it best to let Dalton's men try to wring the truth from Po'hjol for the time being while they seek out Derben so the weapons destruction can be completed before the situation escalates further.
Schala and Demeria follow Dalton back to Zeal palace for his report to the queen regarding the weapons situation and the creatures they found on the surface. Queen Zeal's painting is finished by this time and Schala notes that it looks identical to the Lavoid creature they just battled on the surface. The Gurus, who have arrived to seek the queen's blessing on testing Dr. Melchior's special device, wonder if the Object communicated something about the creatures to Queen Zeal. Bekkler, noting that dealing with exotic biological specimens is his department, secures the queen's blessing to gather the Lavos Spawn for further study. Dalton notes that Derben is still absent from Bekkler's guard and Bekkler replies that he has no idea where he went off to. Dalton wants to launch a search but Demeria cuts him off, saying that she believes she knows where he might be.
Schala and Demeria secure a Blackbird pass to visit Sky Island Shikar and see if Demeria's hunch is right. While they venture through Shikar, a bunch of Shikaris express their sincerest condolences to Schala. In the Seneschal's Shikar bureau they meet Jaya, an especially fervent supporter of Zeal who pauses in the midst of filling out an application to join the Nanashi Corps to kiss Schala's hand and reiterate her utter loyalty to the royal family. Demeria asks around the office for any possible sightings of Derben, and sure enough he's been sighted at the governor general's office. Derben seems to be in a private audience with the governor general at the moment, so Demeria takes Schala to the location where she, Alphard, and Derben saw the famous Shikar instrumentalists for the first time together a few decades back.
Schala and Demeria are finally able to enter Governor General Lakshya's office, where they find the governor general bidding farewell to Derben. Lakshya expresses his most emphatic apologies to Schala, saying that he dearly loved her father and hopes that relations between Shikar and Zeal will remain strong. Schala and Demeria catch up with Derben and Demeria asks him to spill the beans on where the Earthbound weaponry is. They argue back and forth about the pros and cons of revealing the Earthbound weapons stash, and finally Derben asks for Schala to make a final decision; she's the one with the most exposure to the Earthbound and their situation, so she's the best to judge what is truly in the Earthbound people's best interest. However, Schala feels uneasy about making such an important decision. Demeria tells Derben to knock it off, adding that an Earthbound is probably being tortured while he's playing these games. Schala wonders what Demeria means exaclty and Derben suggests that they check out Zeal's secret prisons so that Schala may know the full extent of the kingdom she is to inherit.
Schala and co. hop aboard the Blackbird again, but midflight the pilot receives a communique requesting a detour to the surface so it can pick up the creature Bekkler is interested in. During the prolonged flight Schala discusses her fear of political responsibility with Demeria. After Schala & co. watch a group of Lashers transport the inactive Lavoid Spawn and they share their revolt at the alien thing, Schala overhears a private conversation betwen Demeria and Derben: Derben asks how Demeria knew he'd be in Shikar, and she explains that she figured he might be retracing the footsteps they shared with Alphard during their student years. Hints of Demeria's and Derben's relationship are given, as well as their mutual oppenness to rekindling their romance.
Schala and co. enter the Zealian prison below the royal palace. None of them have clearance to enter the prison but through some tactical espionage action, they manage to sneak into a chamber where there's a video feed of Dalton overseeing Po'hjol being tortured for information. Schala and co. are mutually horrified by what transpires and Schala decides that Derben should tell the queen where the weapons are stashed so they can put an end to this.
Schala & co. enter the queen's chamber while she's speaking with the Gurus. Dr. Melchior says that he's ready to unveil the Mammon Machine, which should provide an effective safety buffer between the Object and anyone approaching it. Seith happens to make a comment about how the Earthbound really won't be needed anymore after the Gurus figure out how to capture the energy provided by the Object and Derben spends some time staring out a window while Queen Zeal instructs the Gurus to await her at Kajar Labs so she can inspect the Mammon Machine; soon afterward Demeria argues with Queen Zeal about the Object's safety, and how they shouldn't continue tampering with it. Queen Zeal wins the argument with the notion that using it was Alphard's will. Queen Zeal notices Derben had returned, and this reminds Schala to introduce Derben as having something important to inform her of. However, when Schala turns, Derben is missing.
Schala and Demeria find Derben just outside, pacing alone through the palace. Schala asks him to fulfill his promise to unveil the location of the Earthbound weaponry so Po'hjol can be released but he refuses, saying cryptically that he didn't understand all the forces at play until this very moment. Schala's upset at the prospect of prolonging Po'hjol's predicament and Derben insists that although it appears that he's taking the decision out of Schala's hands, he really means to take a decision out of "their" hands. When Demeria asks him what the heck he's talking about, Derben apologizes and walks off to join Bekkler's entourage.
Everyone goes to Kajar to see Melchior's handiwork. Guru Bekkler conducts a test proving that the Mammon Machine keeps the Object's Annihilation Energy at bay. Seith proposes that the device's initial activation be conducted by a Creojeanne, proving that only members of the royal bloodline are fit to approach it. Demeria challenges him to explain what he means exactly (the implication is that Alphard wasn't fit to approach it because he was "only" a Simaelsus), but just then Queen Zeal falters. Demeria wonders if the episode wasn't brought on by some kind of radiation sickness, and Derben adds his two cents that the Object's effects still aren't fully known. Guru Bekkler says he will monitor the queen's condition and figure out whether her condition is due to some kind of radiation sickness.
Open on Schala teaching Earthbound language in an Enhasian classroom for the first time. Students pelt her with all sorts of questions about how ugly the Earthbound language is, and how primitive their culture. Schala tries to explain just how rich Earthbound customs are but her enthusiasm seems lost on her students. After class ends, Schala discusses with Demeria (now overseeing an Elemental Arts class in the adjacent room) Janus' progression and the news isn't good. When Janus approaches the conversation turns to Derben's reticence. Schala is worried about Po'hjol and Demeria says it's basically up to Po'hjol to save himself at this point.
Schala checks in with Queen Zeal, now under the care of Guru Bekkler and his Life Sciences team. Bekkler seems extremely excited at the prospect of an upcoming experiment in which he's going to bring the Lavoid Spawn recovered from the surface within the vicinity of the Object. Since the queen's Lavoid painting (now adorning the hall outside the Lesser Glory bedroom, where she's in recovery) seemed to be inspired by communication with the Object, he suspects there may be a connection between the creature and the Object. Schala brings Janus up to speed on recent events and further clarifies them with her own interpretation, then says she's going to check up on Po'hjol.
Schala goes through some solo tactical espionage action below Zeal Palace and meets with Po'hjol personally. They have a thematic conversation in which Schala brings him some items (an homage to Crono's "sympathizer" while he was imprisoned in CT) and asks why he won't just end his suffering by revealing the location of the Earthbound weapons cache. She reveals that Derben knows but refuses to come forward, to which Po'hjol replies that Derben made the right choice -- revealing the weapons cache is tantamount to neutering the Earthbound after they've acquired the ability to provide for their own defense, however feeble. Po'hjol reveals that Alphard taught him Zealian language years ago, and how his hope of gaining Zeal's respect by showing Earthbound could go toe-to-toe with Zeal linguistically has proved utterly useless. Dalton eventually enters to reiterate the bigoted attitudes still predominating Zealian culture, but he is soon called out -- a dangerous situation has suddenly erupted in Kajar!
Schala follows Dalton to Kajar. Demeria and Derben are on-hand to help fight off the fantastic results of Bekkler's experiment -- horrific creatures are wandering through Kajar Labs, shaped like the Earthbound the Lavos Spawn's attendant creatures had seized earlier, plus various never-before-seen species.
Schala & co. reach Guru Bekkler with the sleeping Lavoid Spawn in the chamber the Object and the Mammon Machine are housed in. Bekkler explains that the strange creatures suddenly popped out of nowhere once he exposed the Lavoid Spawn to the Mammon Machine. Schala & co. sort of freak out at the serenity with which Bekkler continues conducting experiments, tossing a mature animal into the space between the Lavoid Spawn and the Mammon Machine while Belthasar records the results. The animal reverts to a younger version of itself. Bekkler tells assistant Valna to take a genetic sample of the animal, checking for reparations in its Creation Fibres; he has a hunch that bringing the Lavoid Spawn within the vicinity of the Object has somehow converted the Annihilation Energy usually associated with the Object into some kind of "Anti Annihilation Energy."
After the excitement fades Bekkler has the Lavoid Spawn removed to his sky island for further study. He checks up on the queen, explaining to Schala and the other Gurus his theory of Anti-Annihilation Energy along the way. Bekkler's Life Sciences team has determined that the queen merely suffers from simple exhaustion brought on by emotional stress. Assistant Valna, also on hand, confides in Schala that both Bekkler and Derben have been acting abnormally as of late, Bekkler slyly collecting genetic samples from his Life Sciences team in contravention of Zealian Creation Fibre law, while allowing Derben to take his personal compatc aeroplane on all sorts of unknown ventures.
Left alone with Queen Zeal, Schala approaches her and they converse about the Object's importance to the kingdom, as well as how its activation will free the Earthbound of their energy-producing responsibilities, and this is why Alphard had his heart set on exploring the Object's use. When the conversation returns to Alphard Schala promises never to leave her mother alone, and finally Schala agrees to serve as the (insert culturally appropriate replacement word for "Arbiter" here) during the first connection experiment with the Object.
