Envoy stays in Empire Center, capitol of the Nagai lands on Abaddon. She discovers that magic is present on Abaddon, though only very weakly, but she nonetheless tries to enact a ritual to bring a special organic artifact known as the Seed to life. Unfortunately, her exhausting ritual proves ineffectual, and she drifts off into exhausted sleep afterward.

Envoy "awakens" to find herself hanging on a wall in a dark puppet store. She finally figures out that this is some sort of dream – especially when a small "toy bug" transforms into a miniature fox, the puppets come to life, and Envoy is somehow shrunk to puppet-size. Envoy flees the homicidal puppets, aided by Morpheus, and at last escapes the nightmarish "store."