After a long black pause, Enna slowly becomes aware of someone talking to her. She feels that it is Syne's voice, and the voice itself seems shocked by this and continues to try waking her. She eventually comes around and looks up; Rush is standing over her in a small cabin of what is apparently a fishing vessel.

• A man behind Rush introduces himself as the captain of the fishing rig, and explains that he found the two of them drifting north along the edge of the Great Current. He has a load of fish that will spoil if he doesn't return to his homeport immediately, and will drop them off there. He tells them the name of the town, and is not surprised that neither Rush nor Enna have ever heard of Io. "Hardly anyone does who doesn't end up staying there."

• Enna walks out onto the deck to see if she recognizes where they are, but all she sees is endless ocean. She also sees a rather annoyed deckhand and realizes that it is Benivalle. She hears him make a comment to the captain that she and Rush are a "bad catch" and should be thrown back. The captain staunchly orders Benivalle back to his grimy work of packing fish. This lifts Enna's spirits just a little.

Enna is very frustrated. She knows her friends, and the Titan continent as a whole, are in a lot of trouble, but from here, there's nothing she can do about it...

• The fishing rig has brought her and Rush to an isolated town named Io on the northeastern subcontinent. The town itself is not very technologically advanced. There is no trace of Pylos. However, there is also no trace of class barriers or racial prejudice. Members of all the world's species have congregated here to escape from war or the injustice of social reform. Antareans, Proteans, Gygans, Drythians, humans; all live in harmony.

• The captain of the boat simply declines to take them back. He seems very calm about it, and is in fact a bit surprised that they would even want to leave. After disembarking, Rush and Enna agree they need to find a way to get back and help with the fight.

Rush's sudden change of sides intrigues Enna. For one thing, it initially makes her distrust him. After talking, she finds that the Protectors are doing what she thought she was, but that their means are much different from terrorism. The two discuss their adventures in brief, and Enna notices a reaction from Rush when she mentions Syne. He shrugs; "It just reminds me of someone I knew, once."

As they attempt to find a way out of Io, Rush and Enna come across some (vitally important) scenes:

• A group of kids (of all races) are engaged in a mock sword fight on the road. Some very young Antareans are "being dragons." One of the kids accidentally gets stabbed with a "sword" (a stick) and the fight nearly becomes a real one. An adult Protean comes along, and calms the situation. He explains that violence is inexcusable, no matter what weapons you're using. He also tells the older children they're being bad examples to the young toddler Antareans. The kids exchange apologies, and the adult makes the Protean and Antarean children practice a spell to heal the injured child.

• A young couple is sitting on a log fence. Rush and Enna are witnesses to a marriage proposal. Enna sighs.

• A girl is playing in a field of flowers, and Enna asks her if she can help them find transportation away from Io. The girl grins; her father owns several fishing boats that might be able to take them. She is about to head for the docks, then suddenly notices the position of the sun. She apologizes, but she explains she can't help right at the moment because she needs to get home to make dinner for her bedridden grandfather. She tells them to come find her later, and runs off.

-room for development/shopping break-

Night falls, and Rush and Enna find a courteous family that takes them in for as long as they need to stay.

• In the middle of the night, Rush awakens and goes out to the field to look at the stars. He asks them if his son is among them. He receives no answer, and wonders to himself, "Syne, my son, could you really still be alive?" (Thus, only the player and Rush know about this relationship.)

The next day, Rush and Enna find the girl and her father washing nets at the docks. Enna asks if they might be ferried to the nearest town. The father frowns, very unsure at the prospect of leaving Io for very long. He bargains to sell his oldest ship, and our heroes have little choice but to accept (he may want money, or something else that might require a trade sequence for our heroes). After going through a final check of equipment and supplies in the town, Rush and Enna depart.