Noavis is in love with Zene. They grew up together in a temple with their mother. Zene was always having adventures outdoors and bringing light to Noavis' life. At first Noavis thought it unfair that not only could Zene have fun running around in the scary outdoor world, he was also the stronger and smarter of the two. Soon, however, he abandoned his envy and simply accepted the gifts Zene brought him, growing to love Zene more and more.

Mrs. Steiner's husband knew she was in love with another man when he met her, but he thought that her feelings of loyalty and pride--no matter for whom she felt them--made her beautiful. He accepts her that way, and he even makes a special effort to reassure her that Seiberheigen must be fine, he simply wants her to think only of him when they are alone together.

Cherry Jack teases Makiwo about her difficulty getting acclimated to the ship. Shizuma chats with the crew and learns that they're carrying high class wine as ballast. Seiberheigen's reaction to Shizuma's scent hasn't changed at all, though the effect on Shizuma has worn off almost completely. The professor had guessed that from the medical records, but it's still a bit lonely that he's the only one who feels so good when they're together.

Zene is heading toward the southern tribes, which are stronger than the ones he has fought so far. He needed the extra strength of being male, so he took Albireo for his mate. He carries the female Albireo in a large jar on his back as they travel.

The pirate ship enters an area with no wind and has to chug along using its engine. The professor has started keeping a diary, though he's disappointed that Shizuma won't show him his. Seiberheigen pouts that Shizuma is careless about his scent, doing things like throwing his shirt at the professor, heedless of the effect it has. He can't put it into words, but their relationship has changed somehow.

The ship encounters an old, abandoned dinosaur sub. Seiberheigen decides to board it, and he notes that Shizuma no longer gets angry when he wants to do something dangerous. He wonders if that indicates a greater level of trust. Suddenly, sonar picks up the approach of a giant squid. (The professor pauses to explain the difference between a squid and an octopus...) A shot from their cannon spooks it away. Seiberheigen gets all blushy because Shizuma held him during the excitement, but he returns to pouting when Shizuma makes nothing of it.

Seiberheigen, Shizuma, Cherry Jack, and Makiwo take a raft to the sub. They can see dozens of identical submarines in the water beneath them. The sub is filled with water that's neither seawater nor fresh water. Shizuma finds no danger inside, so he asks the professor to join him in checking it out. Cherry Jack passes the time by telling Makiwo the legend of the Kraken. She thinks it's strange that someone as ordinary as herself is facing monsters, and he assures her that with her personality she's likely to nab a monster for a husband. She's rather cheered by the notion.

Seeing that the professor is nervous that he'll make a mistake while diving, Shizuma turns on his charm to make him relax. Seiberheigen is instantly dazzled, especially when he hears they'll dive with their arms linked. They find a lot of panels inside. Seiberheigen spits out his mouthpiece, though later he can't explain why. When they surface, the group discusses the giant squid, and how there are whales that eat them. Speak of the devil...

Something huge begins rising toward the surface from directly below them. The professor topples into the sub, which is safer than falling in the ocean. Shizuma grabs his diving gear and follows. Seiberheigen can breathe in the strange water. The water "speaks" to him. After Shizuma goes back to the ship, the hatch closes, and Seiberheigen begins using the sub's control panels. The submarine emits sound waves that can control the giant whale so that it surfaces without harming them. Cherry Jack tries to guess what Murakami is thinking about being so ineffective against the dangers surrounding them, but he can't figure it out past Murakami's expressionless mask. (He's calculating how many whale steaks the monster might make.)

Seiberheigen learns that the people of the New Race are all copies of long-dead originals. As generations pass, the copies become more and more flawed. The triplet "siblings" aren't true brothers, they're genetically identical clones. The Destiny Stones are the instruments that carry out a programmed cycle of mating that will repeat the same genetic pattern over and over. The professor then sees an image of three scientists, one of whom looks exactly like him.

Zene had said that the Genjuu Bunsho is a science to give everyone eternal youth and immortality. When Seiberheigen returns to the others, he asks them what they think "aging" and "death" are. The professor explains that, though individual cells in his body may age and die, that doesn't mean he himself dies. He believes that the members of the New Race are thus programmed for "immortality"--though one may die, there will always be a genetically identical copy, so biologically speaking he's not truly dead.

Seiberheigen uses the submarine to guide the whale while the other three ride it to the New Continent in Shizuma's car.

Zene apologizes to the warriors he kills, telling them that they'll be born again. Depending on how one looks at it, the whole loop of mating, the entire race itself, is one single being. Even if a few "cells" of it die, it doesn't mean the death of the whole. Albireo challenges whether he really believes that.

Albireo resents Zene, though for his part Zene likes her spirit. Zene cheerfully sings all day long, which drives Albireo crazy because he's tone deaf. Albireo wonders how long she can continue to hate Zene, who never touches her, only uses her scent. She can't help but consider him beautiful, since he looks exactly like her beloved Ray Jean. She wonders if she'll be able to ignore her forced attraction to Zene to stay loyal to the professor, or if instinct will be too powerful. Zene admits that he's lonely trying to carry out his plan by himself and asks whether Albireo will obey the Stone and choose him. Albireo can't tell if Zene is enjoying teasing him or is being honest.

Shizuma drives the four of them through the wilderness of the New Continent. He makes the professor sit next to him in the passenger seat. He's rigged the passenger door to open only at his command so that Seiberheigen won't go jumping out of the car to investigate everything that catches his attention. They begin to notice signs that there are people in the vicinity. Seiberheigen acts as the navigator. He uses the maps and advice Noavis gave him to plot where they should go. Their experience with the giant squid makes it obvious why they can't simply sail to World's Center Island.

They follow a man-made path, believing that they're approaching a settlement. They spot a cluster of thatch huts, and the professor once again tries to leap from the car to get a closer look. Shizuma explains that he was calm about Seiberheigen's reckless behavior not because he has more trust, but because while they were at sea it wasn't his territory. Now that they've arrived, he won't stand for the professor jumping out of a moving vehicle into potentially hostile territory. Seiberheigen muses that even being yelled at feels different now from the way it used to, because their feelings for each other are more complicated.

Then the professor spots someone standing in the doorway of one of the huts.

End Volume 5