- Nothing over here? - Move to the next one!
- Easy, easy! - Any luck?
- We need more sap today. - Look out below!
- Any luck? - A little higher.
A little to the left!
We don't have all day. Hurry!
- I found some - Good.
Hoist them up!
I got it.
Heads up. How was that?
- Not so good - Yeah, same here
Hey, Enode! Working hard?
What would you know about work?
Always off playing.
I do not play, Enode. I explore.
A waste of time.
Our only duty is to serve the gods, Kaena.
They protect us.
Come on, hurry up. We'll be late for the offering.
Protect us! They're not doing such a great job.
Here they come!
The monster.
It steals our sap and keeps us thirsty.
It has turned our planet into a wasteland.
My queen, these attacks are killing us.
Our world is dying.
You must safeguard our people from extinction.
Axis protect me!
Good, good...
Ilpo. No move.
No move, or marauder will see.
No move.
Ilpo in trouble now. No move!
I told you...
I warned you...
Ilpo broken.
All broken.
Ilpo, it is me, Kaena.
Don't be frightened.
Ilpo broken again today.
Three times.
Always broken since long time.
You are not broken, Ilpo.
The bug's not looking too good, but you're fine.
Here.
They don't grow like they used to.
It's weird, you have to go further and further
to find vines that aren't dried up.
- How? - Oh, that?
I had a little run-in with a sharken.
Kaena go too far.
Too close to Great Oblivion.
Oh, the Great Oblivion!
The sharkens aren�t afraid of it. You should see them diving into the clouds.
Kaena get broken! No come back.
You came back.
Why won't you tell me what you saw?
That.
That, everywhere.
You've seen this stuff before?
Past the clouds? You saw it past the clouds?
Marauder attack.
Ilpo no move.
Not to move.
Then fall, almost break.
The worm catch Ilpo.
The worm? A worm caught you?
Then sleep.
Then see the man.
But not man...
Bad... bad!
Then too much light.
Very bright.
- Blue light. - Blue light?
In my dreams, there's a blue sun.
Was it a blue sun below the clouds?
- Below or above. - What?
Below or above. Above or below.
Come on, Ilpo!
The Grand Priest!
Kaena must go! Quick!
I know. Time for another offering.
Hey, what's goin' on?
Did you just say something?
- Blurb - No.
I heard you. Talk again!
That's ok. Pretend all you want.
Maybe you'll talk for my brother.
Kaena, where have you been?
Did you draw any more pictures?
- Show us Kaena! - All right, all right.
But only if you promise not to tell.
The Grand Priest wouldn't like it.
- We promise. - Uh-huh.
- You saw a sharken up close? - Pretty close.
Is it a fast flier?
- Very fast. - I'd love to have wings...
so I could be free.
You don't need wings to be free.
Imagine another world,
a beautiful place, with
a blue sun, and so much sap you can swim in it.
Where is it Kaena? Have you seen it?
No. But I've dreamt about it and...
My children...
we know that the sap is vital to our survival,
but with passing time,
it seems we are beginning to exhaust our resources.
- That's right. - What are we going to do about it?
I understand your suffering.
Your suffering is my suffering.
But we must not doubt!
Who made us a gift of the Axis?
Who protects us from the Great Oblivion?
And its terrifying guardians?
The gods!
Who, at the moment of eternal peace,
opens the gates of paradise for us?
The gods!
Who has given us life?
The gods!
Yes, our gods!
Let us examine our consciences.
Kaena, you won't believe what I found.
What is it this time, Essy?
A worm that talks. I've got him in the pen.
I want to see.
Why are they holding us?
They plan to eat us.
We have to escape from here. Follow me!
Right. Ok, there's still some work to be done here
but not by me. I'm gonna go get my wings,
and get out of here!
The master will want a full report of this.
- How silly, Essy. - Hey, don't make fun of him!
I bet that worm talks better than you.
- On my word, that's so silly. - Hey, Kaena...
- You like my brother, don't you? - He's all right. A bit dull.
Is our faith unshakable?
Yes!
Do we not owe everything to our benevolent gods?
Then raise our offering to the Well of the gods!
The gods are angry!
We'll be cast into the Great Oblivion!
No, my children, no!
This is a sign, don't you understand?
The gods are testing us.
Testing our faith.
We must trust in them, and put our lives in their hands!
Stay where you are. To move
is to defy the gods.
Be pure. Kneel.
Pray!
May the will of the gods be done!
Kaena, wait up!
Kaena, what are you doing?
He moved, Zehos. The Grand Priest moved.
The gods saved him.
The gods don't care about him. They don't care about us!
She's right. Why did they destroy the temple?
You. Go fix the pen!
- But it's true... - Now!
Don't do anything stupid.
I saw you move!
My parents moved, and you called them Impure!
- Are you Impure? - Kaena, you're upset.
You moved to save yourself.
The gods moved me. They guided me.
- It is they who saved me. - No.
The gods don't save anyone. They didn't save my parents.
Your parents did not put their trust in the gods, Kaena.
So, why would the gods protect them? Your parents made their choice.
I pray that it's not the choice that you will make.
Pray?
What's the point of that?
Your gods are deaf. If they even exist.
Life is hard.
After your parents died, I raised you as my own daughter.
Took pride in your intelligence, your spirit.
And it wounds me that now you turn your gifts to blaspheming the gods
instead of worshipping them.
Think of the life that awaits us beyond Axis!
Oh, I do!
- All the time. - Ah, of course...
You think I am not aware you fill the children's heads with harmful lies?
Showing them drawings of imaginary creatures and places.
They're not imaginary, I've seen...
- In your dreams, is that it? - They're real.
I've seen another world. I've seen a blue sun at the base of Axis.
Listen to yourself, Kaena.
Raving, like poor Ilpo.
Do you want to become like him?
Mashing bugs and whimpering in your sleep?
He's not crazy. He went past the clouds and saw...
The Great Oblivion! And it made him mad!
No!
Look at this! This object is harder than the hardest sap.
Whoever made it was certainly not afraid of your gods.
Do not provoke the gods!
- Give me that! - No.
You're trying to kill me.
- No, I only wanted... - You've gone mad!
You've become a danger to us all.
Catch Kaena before she harms someone else.
Her actions are angering the gods,
and putting all of our lives in peril.
Find her before she escapes the village.
I saw her! This way.
So, even a tough girl like you can cry.
I thought you'd come here.
I haven't been down here since we were kids.
But, we're not kids any more.
You were right.
Oh, Zehos, what am I gonna do?
Is that the knife?
He grabbed it, and I wasn't even thinking and just pulled away, and...
I know you didn't try to kill him. Look...
I'll talk to the Grand Priest. He'll let you come back to the village.
I'd rather disappear into the Great Oblivion than go back.
- Come on, Kaena! - Listen to me!
There is another world out there.
And I'm gonna find it.
I'm sorry Grand Priest. There's no sign of her.
May the will of the gods be done.
Hail to you, gods of my people!
I trust our offering was acceptable.
No!
It was not acceptable.
Is this the best you can do for your gods?
I'm sorry, Almighty!
Great troubles afflict our village.
The sap is drying up and...
We have a heretic. A young girl who dishonours you.
- How? - She has run away, Almighty.
She wants to enter the Great Oblivion...
Is your authority so weak over your people?
It is just one girl, Almighty.
- She has always been... - One heretic...
can pollute the others with impure ideas.
And then hardship will come to all of your people.
The girl is already dead. Think no more of her.
Turn your devotion to the next harvest.
Do not insult us again!
We will not, Almighty.
You remember when we were kids,
we used to have these contests, see who'd go farthest from the village.
And I'd always win.
Weren't you ever afraid?
Sure I was. But I didn't want you to know.
Anyway, I knew that Axis would always show me the way back.
"Axis, protect me!". That's what you used to say, right?
Like it was something alive.
It is alive. It talks to me.
Listen, when were kids it was all right...
But now we're supposed to be all grown up, right?
And spend our lives harvesting sap and eating worms and...
never wondering what's on the other side of the clouds?
I didn't say that.
All I mean is... Someone has to harvest the sap and...
repair the huts and tend the worms.
Oh, you know, you used to be interesting.
Now you're boring. Now you raise worms.
What else are we supposed to eat?
Anyway, I've got a little brother to look after.
- I can't just... - Daydream like me, right?
- Go wire worms, Zehos! - Kaena?
My children...
the gods appeared to me last night.
They spoke to me.
They will punish Kaena.
And her treason has made them angry.
The gods are demanding another harvest of sap,
by day's end.
Our offering must be better...
or we will all perish.
Let us raise our offering to the Well of the gods!
Sap.
I need more.
There may not be much more, my queen.
Sap is drying up.
The villagers can't find any more.
I don't care about slaves!
Death!
Once we've killed that thing there will be.
Your Majesty,
we have been trying to kill it for hundreds of years.
And these slaves are beginning to doubt.
If we ignore this, a riot could come.
I beg you, my queen,
to consider the fusion now.
And what of our descendants?
Bled dry of sap by this monster?
Destroy!
It must be destroyed!
Your will be done, my queen.
Kaena, I...
It's ok, Zehos.
You've got to take care of Essy.
I'm sorry.
Find her!
A marauder!
Oh no! I'll see if she's all right.
No villager could have invented that worm's armour.
There must be a survivor.
Carefully.
Master, if I may respectfully submit,
this is a complete and total waste of time.
She's nothing but a primitive being.
A surprising specimen.
This is the one you're telling me about, Assad?
- Are you sure? - Yes, Master. It's her.
She's not like the others. She's curious,
and she's got a kind of intuition.
And the way she moves, it's as if she knows every branch and root.
And twice, I mean twice,
I've seen her close he eyes and just jump. As if something were guiding her.
- Not terribly scientific, Assad. - I should say not.
But you say you've heard talk of a blue sun at the bottom of Axis?
Master, a delusional worm-eater sees a blue sun,
and suddenly she's a prophet? Please, Master,
This is completely irrational. It hurts my brain! Ow!
It really does.
But what if Vecanoi survived the crash, Gommi?
That is an impossibility, Master.
Vecanoi was destroyed along with everything else.
It's all just scrap metal, scattered across Axis.
Most of it went into building this place.
So it's as if she somehow imagined Vecanoi?
Yes, master. An egg is what she imagined. She saw a blue egg.
A nice, glowing blue egg.
Maybe if we all thought it was a blue egg we could move on with our lives?
What's this?
Oh, she's violent too!
Back off, you... you creatures of the Oblivion!
You back off! And calm down.
You have nothing to fear from us.
Why have you brought her back here, Gommi?
Don't ask me. Ask this genius. Why did we?
She needed help.
And what do they do with the worms?
They eat them.
That's disgusting!
And they enjoy it.
Barbarians!
The Master
would like to speak to you now.
What are they doing?
They're making the penultimate preparations to facilitate lift-off.
Lift-off?
Yes, this entire base is an intergalactic vessel.
What's that?
Typical humanoid beh... I'd don't think you'd be able to understand.
Assad, the Master wants
- you to come as well. - OK.
You may take it.
It's yours.
Are.. are you gods?
No. My name is Opaz.
I am a mortal, just as you are.
I'm sorry we frightened you. We mean you no harm.
You were badly injured, so we
treated your wounds.
- And my knife? - Later.
Your clothes are being repaired, by my prosthetics.
You mean the worms?
"Worms"?
Worms?
We happen to be hyper-evolved vermaform oligochaetes,
with cognitive abilities far beyond the best artificial intelligence.
Let me explain something to you. I, myself, can speak 1200 languages.
identify over 10,000 galaxies, you see,
and repair virtually any form of silicon-based technology. Hmm-hmm.
"Worms"? Pfff.. Indeed!
- We are worms. - No we are not just worms!
- We are worms! - And don't you talk Worm to me!
I heard you all back there, talking Worm.
And it's undignified.
It's disgusting! It's beneath you.
But it is our language.
I do not talk "Worm".
I think I like our worms better. They don't talk this much.
Let me explain to you, humanoid. Those specimens are sadly not evolved.
You'll find that I, however, am your superior, in every respect.
Except that I can eat you.
I hope not.
I would be quite lost without Gommi and the others.
I wouldn't have survived without them.
And I certainly couldn't have built this ship to return home.
Where is your home?
Far away from here.
My queen,
this thing has defied your attacks for centuries.
It may outlive us all.
And if something should happen to you or I,
our race will be forever extinguished.
As queen, you must protect your people.
Fusion? I know what you want, Voxem.
I know you are the last male.
And that you crave fusioning with me.
- But our future? - Future?
There will be no future while this thing lives.
That problem may solve itself, my queen.
I believe that one of the invaders may have survived,
living high on Axis.
If we can find him, he can take this thing away.
I decide!
Your world is not quite as you imagined it, Kaena.
Your world is Astria, and here
its twin, Tales,
which you saw for the first time last night.
Hundreds of years ago,
a Vecarian ship carrying thousands of my people
exploded in space, near your planet.
I was the only survivor.
- Axis! - Yes.
This is your home, Kaena.
It was within these branches that my crib finally landed.
It was Axis that saved me.
Your people live in the middle of Axis, here,
at the exact point where the gravitational forces
of the two planets cancel each other out.
And we're here.
All the time I was going down to the roots of Axis,
but I was really going up?
Below is above and above is below!
Ilpo was right. You saved him.
I only dressed his wounds.
As I did for many other creatures of Axis.
- So that's where the blue sun is. - Blue sun?
Yes, I've dreamed of it so many times. It's down there, at the roots of Axis.
Look!
- It's Vecanoi - What's Vecanoi?
All the knowledge of my people is contained in its brain.
It was transmitted to all Vecarians as children.
- It's our memory. - So, it really exists.
Master,
no good can come of listening to a worm-eater with an I.Q. of 2!
I think you might be underestimating her just a little bit, Gommi.
In a matter of days, the ship will be ready.
And then we can leave this pitiful, little world.
It's what you've always wanted, Master.
It's what you've always wanted.
But the chance to retrieve Vecanoi,
to save all the knowledge that he didn't have time to pass on to me!
You should have let her get eaten! But no...
you had to save her, bring her back to the ship.
Master, perhaps we should journey to the base of Axis, just to make sure.
Perhaps, Assad.
You miss her too, don't you?
She's coming back, isn't she?
Soon, I hope soon.
Did she go to that other world?
I don't know. Maybe.
You should've gone with her!
Maybe you're right, Essy. Maybe you're right.
Help!
- Ilpo? - Quake! Quake!
Now!
Essy! Essy!
Have you seen my brother?
No. The gods are testing us again.
- We must pray. - Zehos!
I had a terrible nightmare.
Excuse me?
This is the unstable behaviour I've been talking about.
Listen to me! The blue sun, Vecanoi, was being attacked by
some evil force, and...
Only the impure move!
Do not mock the gods!
Kneel!
- No! Get up! - Pray!
The square is going to collapse. Come on!
May the will of the gods be done.
Is this what happened in your nightmare?
Vecanoi? Was it... destroyed?
No, but it suffered. And when Vecanoi suffers, Axis suffers.
- They are linked, aren't they? - I don't know.
Axis is in danger. The village...
Zehos and Essy and the children...
- I have to go. - Wait!
We'll go together. First to your village
then to find Vecanoi.
Come on, big guy. I know you can talk.
- How much longer can this go on? - Calm yourself!
Gods of my people, my gods,
we are in need of you.
Our village is destroyed,
and we don't know where to go.
Please, answer us.
Answer me!
Is everything alright?
Come, Enode. I have good news for our people.
The gods have spoken to me.
What did they tell you? Do they offer us help?
Better than help, Enode. Deliverance!
Our suffering has finally been rewarded.
The gods have destroyed our village.
- But why? - I don't...
So that we may go to join them.
The gods have called us.
They will give us shelter, Enode.
We have passed the final test!
Let everyone know, we leave tomorrow.
- Are you ready? - Yes...
- Fine, fine. And... - I'm not fine!
Continue with the final preparations.
When I return, we proceed to lift-off.
Master, this expedition is much too risky.
Please reconsider! Please?
Vecanoi exists, Gommi.
And Kaena seems to have some special relationship with it.
Can't say I'm crazy about these knew clothes.
They're to protect you, Kaena.
I'd feel a lot better with my knife.
Let us depart!
What? You're best friends with the worm-eater now?
- Ready to fly? - Oh! I get to fly?
Come on, Assad! Faster!
She's crazy, master. And she has the brain of a slug.
Zumo, are you okay?
Look out!
Poor Zumo!
- I am so sorry, Gommi. - Sorry won't bring him back.
Master, it's not worth it.
We cannot risk our lives trusting her stupid visions.
The success of this mission is beyond our own lives.
We must face our destiny.
Time is running out.
See? I told you. I knew this was a bad idea.
A very bad idea.
We should go back to the base before we all get killed.
'Cause we're all gonna be killed.
The sooner we leave this wretched world, the better.
The harvest is over. We are free!
Come on, everyone. Run to meet the gods!
The gods are opening the doors of their world.
They've gone crazy. We can't stop them.
But the gods said...
There are no gods, Essy. We have to go.
It's all right. Let's go find Kaena.
That is not the way to paradise, Zehos.
The gods have summoned us.
I saw you in the temple
I saw you begging the gods and they didn't come!
Silence this impure one!
Run, Essy! Go!
You have just sent your brother
to his death.
What are we doing here?
Gommi, it's quiet.
Yeah. Too quiet.
- It's close. - What's close?
- I don't hear anything? - Be quiet!
I'm not hearing anything and my hearing is biotechnically enhanced.
So I should be the one who's hearing...
No move!
Or marauder will see.
Opaz, Gommi, don't move!
- Master, let's move! - Gommi, stay still!
Let's leave now!
There you are, damned invader!
Now you will come and kill this thing you left behind.
Do not kill him!
Kill her!
We fly my brothers and sisters!
We fly to meet our gods.
I must tell her what I intend to do, Gommi.
I wouldn't be too hasty, Master.
If Vecanoi and Axis are truly linked,
what will happen when I retrieve Vecanoi?
How do I know Axis won't be destroyed?
But this is a dying world, Master.
But it is her world, Gommi.
She has a right to know.
- Garoop. - Garoop yourself.
If only I could persuade her to leave with us.
If you had the chance,
would you leave Axis?
It's my home.
You could make another,
in a world less hostile.
A place bountiful enough
you would have time to learn, to dream,
to build a civilization.
No! Ilpo!
Got you!
- Essy, what are you doing here? - Kaena!
Ilpo took care of me.
Kaena not broken.
It's all right, Ilpo. They're friends.
They saved my life, and yours too.
- What's going on here? - Agroop?
Essy, where is Zehos?
They go into the well of the gods.
All go up inside. Village gone.
Something terrible awaits them.
I dreamt it. I've go to find them.
We don't have time for this. What about Vecanoi, hmm?
You do talk! I knew it!
I knew I was right.
Essy, you stay here with Ilpo until I get back.
I'm coming too. I want Zehos.
It is too dangerous, Essy. I'll bring him back.
I promise.
Assad, I want you to stay here and protect Ilpo and the boy.
It would be an honour.
Master, you're not...
You're not going there alone? You can't be serious.
Master, if you think I'm staying here you're crazy. I'm coming too.
I wouldn't have it any other way, Gommi.
Ok, let me help you.
Because there's "floating" and there's "flying".
"Floating", you don't know where you're going. "Flying", you do.
We should reorientate ourselves now.
What? No.
No!
Kaena, look out!
Hold on, Gommi!
Oh, sticky goo... Yuck!
Um, if I could just remind you... I'm not built for this.
- Thank you, Gommi. - You're welcome, I guess.
Our queen has become obsessed with her attacks.
And with each attack, more of us die in vain
sucked into her body to make it stronger.
Who will be next?
The queen fears the "ultimate fusion"
because she knows that she will have to sacrifice her own life
to create new life.
A new generation of Selenites.
Join with me
so that we may live.
There's something I must tell you.
What?
You, your people, Axis...
all of you are in danger because of me.
Remember, you asked if Vecanoi and Axis were linked.
They are not just linked. They are the same.
The crash of my ship, the birth of Axis
happened at exactly the same time.
Vecanoi created Axis.
And if I am to remove Vecanoi...
What do you mean "remove"?
I must bring it back to my people.
And what about my people? My world?
- I fear Axis will die. - But we'll die.
How can you accept sacrificing so many people?
I used to think your people were too primitive to care about their destiny.
Until I met you, Kaena.
Please, come with us. There's room for you on our ship.
And all of my people?
You don't realize the power we need to reach the...
- And you knew that from the start? - Kaena,
your world is dying.
And you must realize how important Vecanoi is!
I curse the day I met you!
Here! You might need this to get back to your ship. My people need me.
Axis, protect me!
Please, have mercy.
The gods will help us, they promised me.
Don't you get it? Your gods are nothing but sap monsters!
Perhaps the gods are merely angry.
- We must pray and ask. - We trusted you!
No, wait. Let's not waste our time!
There's got to be a way out of here.
So, little one.
It's you who killed by marauder.
How lucky you are to finally meet your gods.
You are not gods.
- What have you done to my people? - You are nothing but slaves.
Before the arrival of the blue monster, you didn't even exist.
Your species is a vile aberration.
Too bad we aren't compatible, little one.
Fusing with your perfect little body
would be so much more pleasant than what awaits me with my queen.
Where is the old man?
- Where is the invader? - I don't know.
You lie, slave.
Why would such a powerful god worry about a sick old man?
Never mind.
We know where to wait for him.
He will come to us. Put her with the others!
It's Kaena. She's alive!
Zehos, you survived.
But Essy... I don't know what happened to him.
He's safe, back at the village with Ilpo.
I knew that you would come save us.
Gommi!
- Come on, follow the worm! - A talking worm!
- Where is Opaz? - He went to find Vecanoi
These monsters are waiting for him.
- They want him to kill Vecanoi - I don't care about Vecanoi!
All I care about is the Master. Stupid, stupid, stupid,
I should have never let him go alone.
Take them back to the Well of the gods, back to the village.
- You're not coming? - I don't have time to explain.
I've got to find Vecanoi and Opaz.
But what about us?
None of us are safe unless I do this, Zehos.
- I've got to. - What about me?
I don't want to lose you a second time.
You'll never lose me.
I'm coming with you. I've got to find the Master.
Gommi, you'll need to show them the way.
I'll find him, Gommi. I promise.
Please, we need you.
We're just primitive, unevolved worm-eaters. And we need you.
All right then. To the Well of the gods. No further.
Then I'm coming back for the Master.
Here.
Can't believe I'm saying this, but... Good luck, Kaena!
Thank you, my friend.
It leads to the village. Go, now.
- It's the only way. - Well, worm-eater,
- This is where I leave you. - Wait, I'm coming with you.
I'm not leaving without Kaena.
Vecanoi!
Hear me! I have come for you.
Vecanoi, speak to me! Open for me!
Your monster...
Your monster killed my planet.
- Our ship crashed. - Your monster steels our sap!
We meant you no harm.
Your monster starves my people.
You created it,
you will kill it.
I can't kill it.
Vecanoi will not listen to me.
He will not open.
He has forgotten me.
Then you...
will die!
Fuse, my queen!
It's real!
No! Opaz!
I'm getting you out of here, Opaz.
- Just hold on! - You...
did it, Kaena.
It's you. It's you.
I haven't done anything.
Tell me what to do, Opaz. Tell me what to do!
Monster!
I finally see you.
Now, you will die.
Slave!
Children...
not yet.
Not until I kill!
Kaena!
Kaena, wake up! Please, Kaena!
- Kaena - Opaz?
Where are you?
Listen to me, Kaena.
My people are no more.
I was the last.
All the others died hundreds of years ago when their ship crashed.
Only Vecanoi survived.
So he created a gigantic reservoir of life,
Axis, so that you could exist,
you humans.
Vecanoi created you.
I don't understand.
He chose you to carry the memory of the Vecarian people.
He chose you, Kaena.
Now you are the future.
You must lead your people.
But how?
How will I know what to do?
Kaena!
Come on, Kaena, wake up!
Stay with me!
Gommi!
Zehos! Kaena!
- Gommi - Assad
The Master?
Kaena, wake up!
She is dead.
Kaena is dead.
Who will be our guide now?
She's moving!
She's alive!
There's no more sap, no more water.
How will we live?
He chose you, Kaena.
You must lead your people.
No, stand up!
This is nothing compared to what all of us can learn.
Beyond the clouds is a wide universe.
Millions of suns shine on unknown worlds
sheltering so many people.
I am no leader.
All my knowledge is yours.
No one must think for you!
You are free now. We are free.
Oh, come on, people. It won't hurt you.
Watch!
Kaena, the new world, will it be beautiful?
Yes.