In the dream, John and the listener lie on a hill under a green cloud and falling ash while John points out constellations hidden from view. He explains the Southern Cross and says he preferred being taught that it was an anchor, because as a child he hated change. The listener redirects him to the “fingers trick,” and John explains why it frightened the others.

John says the trick could not be dismissed as illusion because he could repeat it for anyone. By then, John had animated Titania and Ulysses, who followed his movements and later obeyed simple instructions. John insists that the bodies were not resurrected people or zombies, but extensions of himself: soulless constructions that moved when he directed them.

John describes the group’s conflicted reactions. C— and G— take it relatively well, while M— is horrified despite later calming down after A— gives M— a sedative and whiskey. The group nevertheless wants to believe in the possibility of a miracle, especially because John thinks his new power might somehow help the listener.

As ash thickens, John says he believed the power could be used for good if he and the others could understand it. The group begins testing him, discovering that proximity to corpses strengthens his abilities. At first they wonder whether the facility or local land matters, but experiments with bodies transported elsewhere show that corpses themselves function as his “batteries.”

M— and A— raid a graveyard, proving John can use long-dead bodies as well, though John and P— object for different reasons. The group realizes the greatest danger is being discovered, silenced, weaponized, or taken by authorities or powerful interests. To prevent secrecy and find out whether anyone else has powers like John’s, they decide to make the largest public demonstration possible by streaming it online. When the listener asks what the internet is, John dryly claims that proves he made a utopia.