Atlan and Chulch's sphere is hijacked and forced to land in Kraken, where the two men are captured by the Brotherhood. The men of the Brotherhood belong to the people of the Ni Val and they turn Chulch into a pyrokinetist, thus explaining how the Triads are created.

Atlan is harshly questioned by the Supreme Brother and as he is about to give in, he is rescued by a mental entity that calls itself Vagenda, who claims he works for the real Space-Time Engineers. Atlan learns from Vagenda that the Steel Man is indeed Tengri-Lethos Keradschan. Vagenda was asked by the Space-Time Engineers to free Starsen with the slogan \"Status is death\" and she explains to Atlan that ever since he went beyond the Matter Sources, he's been carrying an Aura of the Knight of the Abyss.

Vagenda then suggests Atlan to pay a visit to the Blind Hermits, also called People of the Abyss, who are considered the oldest people in Starsen. Shortly thereafter, the Steel Soldiers break into Kraken and free Atlan and Chulch.