Prologue: A retelling of The Great Cataclysm describes how after the world was enveloped in flames and ash, a man, later to be called Raffles I, led his followers to an "unsullied flame", an energy source which he used to create "Amaterasu" and benefit mankind. Back inside the Tabernacle Amaterasu, Victor tests Arthur's hypothesis that the code is based on "pi", but the results are inconclusive. They continue forward and reach the entrance to the core which emits a mechanical sound like a heartbeat...