Evar is lead by a Soldier, an individual whose passion has recently been revealed, back to the wall of books around a pool.
The Soldier maintains that he was charged with keeping Evar and all his kind safe, though Evar is resistant and insists the Soldier has no authority over them.
Evar, frustrated, considers joining his brothers in their hunt, but finds himself being drawn towards a character known as the Assistant by the pool.
Evar asks the Assistant about the depth of the pool and what lies at the bottom, but she dismisses his questions as not meaningful.
Facing his longstanding fear of the pool's depths, Evar takes a plunge into the water. Overwhelmed by the terror of sinking, he reemerges immediately.
Determined to figure out the pool's depth, Evar gathers a load of iron objects, presumably to help weigh him down during his next descent.
Evar notes a growing sense of change and fragility in their timeless library environment. He also feels a strong sense of needing a woman whose memory haunts him, despite not remembering anything about her.
Evar decides it's not a time for waiting, takes a step forward with the iron load, and sinks into the pool again, attempting to reach the mysterious "bottom."