Old institutions are re-erected as the Zones settle into new normalcy, characterized by the enthusiastic application of the scientific method to System principles and the stubborn return of pop culture and consumerism. Yet these familiar edifices of stability conceal an altogether new breed of monster. One that bears the face of a human but the beating heart of a horror. Randidly continues to investigate the mysterious Father Foster, the central figure of the rapidly expanding Unity Church. Although the religious organization speaks loudly about its many philanthropic pursuits, a closer inspection reveals a more sinister motivation. Just when Randidly thinks he has a handle on the situation, old debts come due: he must return to Tellus to assist his spear teacher Shal. What he finds there is a reignited war with an army of replaceable automatons, a weaponized and manipulated version of the Forsaken Hunger Tide. The defensive lines of the Spearman School are in a state of collapse, with the other Schools' curiosity apathetic to the threat. From the front lines of the bloody conflict, Randidly can witness the real costs of dragging his feet in the face of the Calamities that the System throws against unsuspecting planets…