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{{Quotation|''Bélénor Nébius, narrator'' • ''Cheng Lai'SuKi, illustrator''|

For the conflict that opposed the tribe to the rest of the country was first of all religious. Indeed, all Zorais worshipped the [[Kami|Kamis]], mysterious spiritual entities that protected the [[ecosystems]]. Able to change their appearance at will and to travel without physical constraint, these divine guardians permanently ensured that no one compromised the fragile balance of [[Atys]], the plant planet where all were coexisting. Although discreet, they shared close relations with the homins, as long as those showed respect for nature. Among the different homin peoples, the Zorais were by far the most receptive to the magic of the Kamis. Already provided with a large size and a blue skin, which distinguished them from the rest of the hominity, a bony and horned mask grew moreover on their face, from their forehead, in their adolescence. This mask represented the true soul of its wearer and testified to the unique link he had with the Kamis. However, if every Zorai worshipped the Kamis, not everyone agreed on the identity of the Supreme Kami. For the huge majority of Zorais, the Kamis served [[Jena]], the Goddess of the Day Star and the Mother of Hominity. For the dissident tribe, Jena was a usurping goddess from the sky, alien to Atys and wanting it evil. According to them, the one and only Supreme Kami was Ma-Duk, meaning "Great Mask" in the Zorai language. He was the Great Genitor, asleep in the depths of Atys. A god that no one recognized but them.

But the discordance did not end there. The Zorai Theocracy, which had become particularly isolationist in the last century, had built the Great Wall, a gigantic edifice protecting the borders of the Jungle from all foreign contact. However, this Great Wall had never prevented the Theocracy from maintaining relations with the [[Karavan]], a strange group of hominoids dressed from head to toe in amazing black armor and using prodigious instruments. These singular entities, whose true nature no one knew, lived in the skies of Atys. Traveling with curious vehicles capable of overcoming gravity, they crisscrossed the planet to spread the word and serve the interests of the goddess Jena. In exchange for their loyalty, the Karavan had given the Zorais the secrets of magnetism and electrostatic properties, and had also taught them to write. The Kamis abhorred the Karavan, and did not hesitate to make this known to the homins, but this never prevented the Council of Elders from accepting their gifts, and use, today still, Karavan knowledge to levitate the buildings of Zoran. For the dissident tribe, as an apostle of Jena abhorred by the Kamis, the Karavan had to be seen as a serious threat and fought accordingly.

For Pü Fu-Tao, the little last-born, nestled at that moment against his mother's breast, none of this made sense yet. However, with his big black eyes, he looked at the villagers with astonished look, aware that today something seemed to be different. Perhaps he knew, deep down, that something important was about to come. When, recognizing the alleys between the huts, he understood that they were going to Grandmother Bä-Bä's house, his heart began to race. He did not like the old woman. Her gaunt mask frightened him, her smell stung his nose, and her presence was associated with illness. Grandmother Bä-Bä was in fact also the village healer, whom people went to see to find solutions to their problems. Although the Fu-Tao couple represented the authority within the tribe, everyone knew that Grandmother Bä-Bä was actually the central pillar of the community. It was said that she was older than the oldest Zorai in the country, and that she had helped deliver every member of the tribe.

The old woman placed the dagger on the altar and retrieved a small leather purse from her apron. One by one, she took out seven strange dice, which she passed over the bloody blade. Once the last relic was blessed with blood, she incanted a formula. Then the strange symbols engraved on the faces of the dice absorbed the light and came to life. Pü had completely stopped crying, hypnotized by the terrifying spectacle unfolding before his eyes. The witch was throwing the dice at full speed and without interruption on the altar, which ones were projecting reddish animated frescoes on the walls.

:''"From now on, your son's future, and perhaps the future of all hominkind, depends on your lie. It is a necessary evil. Never forget."

An unrivaled cheer ran through the assembly. Waking up with a start, Pü swept the crowd with his gaze. Which stopped sharply on his father's black mask. The little Zorai opened his eyes wide in amazement. For the first time, he guessed a smile.

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