It is unclear just how much time passes while Envoy stays with the Svartifin, for it seems that time itself may very well be malleable here. Envoy has many questions, and the Svartifin only answer some of them satisfactorily. There are a great many things they simply do not know, and this fact does not trouble them in the least. A great deal of what she learns is based on conjecture, on filling in the blanks between what snippets of factoids she is able to glean from her hosts.

It appears that the Svartifin do not exactly need the foodstuffs provided to them by the Balfin – and, indeed, it appears that there must be a great many tribes of Balfin making offerings, by the frequency of their arrival. Still, the Svartifin are organic beings, needing food and water, and while water is readily available, foodstuffs are apparently not – that is, not in any conventional sense. Envoy is allowed her pick of the food provided by the Balfin, as the Svartifin have a rather unconventional means of getting sustenance: they apparently can visit the unstable worlds created and destroyed within the Engines at will – they can find sustenance there, sleep, and take "vacations," only to return to their work in what seems like a heartbeat to the outside world. There are certain risks involved, such as the "universes" prematurely collapsing, or whatever hazards these worlds might carry on their own … but it appears not to trouble the Svartifin greatly.

The Svartifin, it seems, regulate the workings of the engines through song … and as much as Envoy tries to work out of them just how they do it, it seems they can offer nothing more meaningful than to demonstrate. They can hardly describe it themselves. They just can. They are mortal beings, though evidently long-lived. Although it is nigh-impossible to distinguish between them as being male or female – and, indeed, it might be questioned whether they procreate at all – they ascribe genders to themselves. If they have any identity at all, it is tied with the temporary worlds that come and go. "Snowfall" is enamored of wintry landscapes, and always manages to find some snowy world to visit during her breaks. "Cascade" has a knack for finding worlds possessed of impressive waterfalls. Their identities are tied with those areas, those aspects that intrigue them most.

As for their relationship with the Balfin and Aelfin, they are unfamiliar with the latter as a specific people, but accept that they may well be related to them. They consider themselves distant relatives of the Ascended Ones as well – though they put themselves on a much lower plane, as created servants, not true descendants.

Although they seem to have some awareness of the existence of the worlds of the Primus System – and suggest that it might be even possible to visit them by means of one of the Portals – they seem to be aloof from the affairs of the real world beyond the Engines. The two planets that Envoy described seeing on her way down, the Svartifin seem certain, were worlds that came into being and have long since expired – phantoms that she saw while she was briefly connected with the crystal network, as she was transported inside the gaseous body of Behemoth. They have no concern about this – for as far as they are concerned, if Envoy misses those worlds greatly, others just like them are bound to come along eventually, if she's patient.

As for the idea that all Exiles may have come from these temporary worlds … it would be a very daunting idea to most Exiles, to be sure. If it is true, and true in all cases, it would imply that there is no way to go home again … because home doesn't exist anymore, and on a certain level, was never quite real in the first place. The Svartifin are far from helpful in explaining just what process is involved in extracting anything from a world. Evidently, they're able to visit there and gain nourishment, so the process can't be overly involved, but they don't bring back "souvenirs," either. Anything beyond personal necessity is not to leave the pocket worlds except through the Portals … and it seems that the Ascended Ones are in charge of choosing just what will go out that way.

---

Within the complex is a vast chamber, in the center of which are semi-translucent "crystal" spheres that orbit about, and in the center of those, somewhere, is a crystalline structure that serves as an "engine" for Behemoth … and as close to the center of that as might be remotely safe is Envoy, perched amongst curving crystalline structures, watching as sparkling flows of "dust" drift through crystal pipe works. It looks like sand, really, pouring up and down and sideways through countless hourglasses, though a bit more colorful – and shifting colors now and then (an effect Envoy has seen before, somewhere distant, long ago).

Envoy debates reaching out into the stream of particles to find out if they really are some form of matter. The sand on Fortunatis turned out to just be sand, after all, once it was removed from that world. In the end, she decides to pluck one of her feathers and see what happens to it when she places it into the stream.

As Envoy places the feather against the crystal pipe work, it melts through the translucent material, passing through it with only the slightest applied force. The feather then shoots along through the pipe, quickly vanishing from sight.

Blinking, Envoy draws back slightly. She hadn't expected the feather to pass through the crystal, and the force of the stream to pull it along was also a surprise. "Okay, capturing some of the quantum essence is probably out of the question," she murmurs to herself. That still leaves the possibility of finding some stabilizing material however. If only there were someplace to look for it.

The ghostly orbs continue to orbit around the engine, as it hovers in place, a little "planetoid" within its own artificial system encased by the room. Within the crystal heart of the Engine, she can see flows of the crystal, though many paths have no activity at all – as if only certain crucial pathways have been left open to allow the crystal dust to keep flowing through, lest it be dispersed too thinly.

The Exile considers the pathways. If all of them were functioning, then magic would, presumably, work here, she reasons. She tries a simple cantrip to see if she can get any sort of response – in this case merely attempting to draw enough power to cause her horn to glow.

It's very, very feeble. Envoy can feel the barest stirrings of magic, but if her horn glows in the least bit, it could probably just be attributed to the strange interactions with the Sifran machinery in such great abundance here – certainly not to the power of the miniscule amount of magical power she was able to muster through her attempt at a cantrip.

Out of the corner of her eye, Envoy can see one of the Svartifin gliding along amidst the orbiting spheres. To Envoy, the Svartifin seems upside-down. As odd as it is, gravity here seems to fluctuate here and there … perhaps even at the whim of the Svartifin, for all she can tell.

With a sigh, the Aeolun ends the cantrip. I'd probably get results near the Sinai engine, she thinks, but beyond testing the idea there isn't much she could do with magic here. Deciding to try a different approach, she begins to sing to the engine, hoping to find a harmonic like she did with the portals before.

Once the Svartifin is close enough for Envoy to identify him as Cascade (perhaps via body-language or the pattern of light in his crystal implants – it's just one of those things she chalks up to her Probe aspect for now) she stops singing and turns to face him. "Hello, Cascade," she calls.

The Svartifin soars gracefully around a passing sphere, then arcs back around, gliding in toward the heart of the Engine, avoiding the spheres with an ease that hints at great familiarity with the patterns in their movements. "Greetings, Envoy," he says in a musical voice that is, with some imagination, reminiscent of water raining down on silvery chimes. "Do you require anything?"

"An epiphany would be helpful," Envoy laments. "The technology of the Silfrim is beyond my grasp, and I do not know if I can find what I need – or if I do find it, if I can ever leave this place. Has any progress been made on the equations I gave you for making timestone?"

Cascade's expression seems to approximate a slight frown. "We have yet to produce timestone," the Svartifin confesses. "What will this timestone accomplish, when it is made?"

"It should help stabilize quantum reactions," Envoy replies, guessing at some of the terms. "I am not sure just how it would be applied to the engines though. You mentioned that you were running out of stabilizing medium, but I think timestone could be used in areas of wild probability on Sanah as well."

Cascade nods at this. "This timestone, it occurred in the world you were born in?"

"There was a variation of it, but the grain I carry was brought in from a different universe," the Aeolun explains. "It occurs around galactic-core black holes naturally under certain conditions, and in the collapse stage of most universes."

Cascade nods again. "Would you be able to demonstrate?"

"I'm not sure," Envoy admits. "The only sample I have is in my head. I think it keeps fluctuations stable enough for my brain to work, and it responds to magic a bit. I haven't noticed it having any external influence beyond that, aside from my continuing to act as a strange-attractor and having some success interfacing with Silfrim devices."

Cascade looks at Envoy for a long moment, then says, "I cannot help but suppose that this is significant. If you are meant to be the key, then perhaps the way is hidden in you. Do you feel anything that leads you one way or the other? Any intuition that suggests to you how things should be?"

Envoy blinks three times at the odd statement, making sure she is parsing it correctly. "I feel that things should be more stable – that the Silfrim left all of this behind not just to provide energy for their Ascension but as a legacy for others to follow. It should be maintained, and protected from abuse. But I do not know what you mean when you refer to me as a key? Do you mean a key to a specific problem?"

"The Silfrim brought you here for a reason," Cascade says with an air of confidence.

"I have thought about that since I have arrived in your realm," Envoy admits, glancing at the odd Engine once more. "The Svartifin do not have much interest in the other Silfrim worlds of this system, I have noticed. Silfrim devices are durable, but still break down over time and are left unattended. I have considered the possibility that I may be useful as a troubleshooter or caretaker for systems that are failing or need retuning – but I have no idea how to go about it, if that is the case."

Cascade nods. "I had hoped the Silfrim would have given you some instinct. It is how we know to sing to the crystals. There is no one who teaches us the song. We just know. But that is not the way with you?"

"The one who sent me on my quest also said that its success might provide me with access to more knowledge about these things," the Exile adds. "I felt the way to proceed with the portal system above Behemoth, and had a similar experience on Ashtoreth. In both cases, I was wearing my crystal headpiece."

"Your crystal … headpiece," Cascade repeats. "It is like the 'jewelry' you wanted to know about, that we have, yes? Except … you can remove it?"

Envoy nods, and offers her crown to Cascade to examine. "It was a gift from Morpheus, who is a former Silfrim device which has gained sapience, if not in-depth knowledge of his own workings."

Cascade accepts the device, holding it delicately in his fragile-looking hands. At his touch, the crown flickers here and there, but it doesn't seem to respond to him quite the same way it does with Envoy. "Fascinating," he says. "It is very like our own 'jewelry'." He hands it back.

Placing the crown on her head, Envoy asks, "What is the purpose of your crystal augmentation? Do they provide enhanced senses or feedback?"

"Yes," Cascade says. "Without it, we would not be able to hear the music of the crystals, and sing along with them. Our music would only be notes, and nothing more."

"That is how the crown seems to function for me as well," Envoy says. "It is not the only augmentation that Morpheus has provided for me, either. I sometimes think that whatever transformation the Silfrim initiated in me when I arrived was not completed. By awakening the Leviathan on Abed, I hope to complete my transformation if that is the case. But I failed to acquire the quantum stabilizer component, since it was required to maintain its local environment, and the sensory elements have eluded me. I was supposed to find them here – or a means of acquiring them from likely structures on Abed. I know that Silfrim crystal can be integrated with lesser technologies, as I've seen examples of it."

"I admit my interest in acquiring timestone is partly so that I might be able to create a substitute stabilizer for the Leviathan," the Aeolun admits.

Cascade nods. "If only we had more ample supply of the quantum dust that flows through the engines, you would have ample quantum stabilizer. But as it is, we have only enough to maintain what we have now. We could not spare any, even for this transformation you seek. We cannot risk the permanent shutdown of any of the engines – or destabilizing Sanah further."

"Further?" Envoy asks, her interest piqued. "Is the system in danger?"

The Svartifin says, "The system has gone through several fluctuations of instability. For a significant portion of the Experiment, Sanah alone has been left fully active, but it has undergone destructive surges. With each system collapse, more of the quantum stabilizer has been lost. We are not in agreement as to whether or not we are witnessing the culmination of another surge. There are always irregularities, and the pattern is not truly a pattern. But if this is indeed another surge, and there is another collapse … there will not be enough left to keep the engines going. A complete shutdown may be inevitable."

Envoy swallows, then asks, "What would the results of a complete shutdown be on the environment of Sanah?" She thinks of the barren deserts of Abaddon and the harsh islands of Behemoth.

"That is not known," Cascade says. "In time, all crystal networks would cease to function. The environment would no longer be regulated."

"And the Lesser Interface would cease to exist as well?" Envoy asks, just to make sure.

"It would go first," Cascade says.

"When this happened in the past, did the system recover to full capacity once resources were diverted from other Engines?" Envoy asks. Well, people have always wondered what happened to the First Ones, she thinks. Maybe they were caught in one of these collapses.

"It has never recovered to its full capacity," Cascade says. "It has suffered a progressive deterioration of stability, most marked around the end-points of the Portals on the worlds where the Lesser Interface is still active – which at this point would only be Sanah … not counting the Central Body."

"The Central Body would be the star, Primus?" asks the Aeolun. "I know the end-points of the Portals as 'Forbidden Zones' in the dominant language of Sanah."

"I see," Cascade says. "And, yes, the physical manifestation of the Central Body would be the central star of the system. The Silfrim dwell there, though not in corporeal form."

The Aeolun remains stunned for several moments. "The Central Body has its own power source then, independent of the other bodies?"

"Yes," Cascade says, "but without the rest of the system, the Silfrin would be stranded in the Central Body, cut off from the outside world. The Engine devoted to the Central Body here does not power it, but rather powers the connection to it from the rest of the system."

"The Gateway tower for the Central Body is damaged," Envoy notes. "Nobody can go there. There must be some other source of the for the quantum dust, but how can I go and ask the Silfrim without being incinerated?"

Cascade frowns. "Since you have – I presume – a sense of self-preservation, I shall assume that you were not made to sacrifice yourself to fire in order to complete your purpose."

Envoy nods in agreement. "Could the Gateway be repaired with the interface on Fortunatis?"

"It is conceivable," Cascade says, "but 'Fortunatis' is so unstable that any of its mechanisms is bound to have … unexpected side effects."

After closing her eyes and thinking for a few moments, Envoy opens them once more and asks, "How much time would you estimate before the deterioration is irreversible?"

"The progress of the deterioration depends upon a great many factors. We have observed its progression slow and speed up in reaction to events we have not been able to observe. But for the sake of estimation … on the order of one to three orbits of Sanah, at this present rate," Cascade says. "But it may change again. There is no way to be certain."

"In that case, I ask that you increase your efforts to create timestone here," Envoy says. "Ground down into quantum dust, or injected whole into the engines, it could help slow the spread of chaos through the system – although the only way to test it that I can think of is to add it into Fortunatis' runaway Engine."

"In the meantime, is there any way to restrict the flow of energy to specific Portals on Sanah?" the Aeolun asks.

"That may be possible," Cascade says. "Why would you wish to do that?"

"To conserve energy, in part, but mainly because some Portals are spreading the chaos more than others," Envoy says, "and because I suspect an entity intent on spreading chaos and bringing on the collapse may be drawing energy from one of them."

Cascade blinks at this. "An entity deliberately acting toward this collapse? What is the nature of this entity?"

"A deity, of sorts," Envoy says. "I have only legends to go on, but it is said that the goddess Amenlichtli is able to draw upon the power of the Forbidden Zone in her realm; the island of Aeztepa. I think she is insane, but is still my prime suspect for somebody capable of interfering with the Greater Interface via some indirect channel."

The Svartifin nods. "That name means nothing to me, but this should come as no surprise. We know very little of what happens in the worlds of this system … but if it be possible that those who dwell on them could actually play a part in this instability, that is a grave oversight on our part. It is well that you warn us of such possibilities. I do not know how we can rectify this situation, but it is worth consideration."

A musical chord rings out across the vast chamber – a call from another of the Svartifin. Envoy's amazing memory helps her to place the identity of the singer as one Voidstar – one with a particular interest in black holes.

Envoy tries to spot the new arrival.

In short order, the other Svartifin comes weaving through the spheres, to hover near Envoy and Cascade. She says, in a voice that carries an echoing undertone, "I spent many cycles within the last stages of many universes in experimentation. I bring for you a sample. I do not know if this is what you seek… " She brings her hands apart, and hovering between them is a small, shapeless mass, suspended within a geodesic sphere of crystal panels. Envoy can sense something special about this substance … and also that its container isolates it from its environment.

The Aeolun leans in closer to the crystal jar. "Has the sample been in contact with any forms of matter?" she asks Voidstar.

Voidstar shakes her head. "This is the first stable sample I have been able to obtain without any possible contamination. The interior is complete vacuum. In fact, the container does not even let light penetrate it. What you see is only a representation of the contents."

Envoy doesn't get her hopes up just yet. "It needs to be tested," she says. "There two forms of stable timestone; the normal form, which has no internal quantum fluctuation, and a rarer form called suidi-timestone, which has no external quantum fluctuation, and is very dangerous. It can cut through reality. If a probe of normal matter touches the sample and does not begin to unravel, then this is normal timestone and should be safe to handle."

"If it is the latter," Voidstar asks, "how should it be handled?"

"If it turns out to be suidi-timestone, you will need to either keep it isolated or try to dispose of it in one of the collapsing universes," Envoy says. "An equal mass of normal timestone will also annihilate with it and return both to raw ylem."

Voidstar nods. "I shall test it, then." She lets the "jar" drift free from her hands, to hover in space, and she sings. A fragment of crystal drifts across the chamber, toward the "jar."

Envoy stays close to watch for the reaction. It is also her first confirmation that Sifran crystal is made of matter.

The crystal touches the "jar", then passes into it, as if it were not entirely solid. Voidstar continues to sing.

Not for the first time, Envoy wishes she could pay close attention to more than one thing at a time – something she hasn't been able to manage since her 'injury' in the Dream Realm. Still, she does her best to listen to and feel the song used to control the crystal.

Just as Envoy seems to be catching the basic rhythm of the song and how it might be reacting … the piece of crystal floats back out of the jar. Envoy can sense right away that the crystal is somehow changed … shifted, somehow, but not destroyed, at the very least.

After a bit of worried chewing of her lower lip, Envoy asks Voidstar, "Has the crystal been altered by the contact, or is it a deliberate change you caused?"

Voidstar finishes her song, then looks curiously at the crystal, peering at it intently from various angles, and even singing to it. "Its structure has been altered," she declares. "Does this mean that the sample is flawed?"

"I don't know," Envoy admits. "Silfrim crystal is an unusual substance, but I would worry about using this sample in an Engine if it will cause alterations. Has the structure been weakened, or improved?"

Voidstar furrows her brow, then whispers a melody, and sends the crystal floating over toward Envoy. "Perhaps you should examine it," Voidstar says, "for you would be more familiar with the properties you seek, would you not?"

Envoy reaches out to take the crystal. "Yes, I suppose it is possible that some of the timestone was absorbed into the crystal. I may be able to determine if that is the case."

As Envoy touches the crystal, she feels a sensation in her horn – not a "tingling sensation", not some random scattering of notes, but a steady, cycling pattern, one that seems to shift in response to those around it, in a complementary fashion.

After spending some time simply 'listening' to the crystal, Envoy finally touches it to her own horn to see if its rhythms will automatically synchronize to those of her own ansible.

Sure enough, it responds. Voidstar and Cascade watch with genuine curiosity as Envoy experiments with the sample.

A wide smile spreads along the Aeolun's muzzle, and she moves the crystal away from her horn to just look at it again. "It has either absorbed some of the timestone, or taken up its properties. I believe this will serve as a quantum stabilizer for the Leviathan now, if I can keep it? You may be able to stabilize other crystal devices in the same way, perhaps even an Engine."

"Perhaps," Voidstar says, "but if you intend to leave now that you have your quantum stabilizer, might we first repeat this process with your convenient presence?"

"Oh, certainly!" Envoy agrees. "I still have a lot to learn about singing to crystal if I'm going to collect the final elements of my quest, and we need to know how much timestone you'll need to obtain if it has a positive effect on the machinery."

Voidstar nods. "If you are willing to stay a while longer … I think I may be able to obtain more. Which engine would you recommend we experiment with?"

"I would suggest the Abed engine, since it is effectively dead anyway," Envoy says. "If the timestone damages it, we will know not to try it on an active Engine."

Cascade nods. "I agree. There is so little to lose."

Voidstar says, "Very well then. I will return to my work, and produce more of the samples. Once we have a sufficient quantity, and you have verified its properties, we may introduce it to the Engine of Abed. Thank you, Envoy, for your invaluable assistance."

And much to gain if the Engine can be restarted and use timestone for fuel, Envoy thinks. Being able to use magic on Abaddon would certainly solve many of that worlds environmental issues. "You are most welcome! With any luck, we will be able to extend the fuel supply for the engines until a fresh source of quantum dust can be obtained."

"Ah, it is not a matter of fuel," Cascade says, "that we are short of. The gas giant that we are situated in supplies an ample amount of fuel. It is the quantum stabilizing agent that we are short of, due to the destructive effects of the system collapses. But your point is well taken nonetheless." He smiles. "The Silfrin will be very pleased with their servants."

"I will waste no more time, then," Voidstar says. "I leave the remnant of the first … catalyst in your care, Cascade. I shall return to work." And with that, she floats off, disappearing inside one of the passing spheres.

Envoy takes a deep breath of the antiseptic air, and stashes the stabilizer crystal into her pack. "Well, that's one impossible task down. Only a few million more to go."