"The fake Aha told the real Aha there was fun to be had here. Then Aha dragged the other Aeons over to fill out the table. Now that's a party."
Stelle boldly guessed at the truth.
Herta looked utterly exasperated.
Kafka spoke up then:
"Let's go over this. How many Aeons were involved?"
Herta nodded, stopped paying attention to Stelle, and began analyzing things seriously:
"Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance, appeared long ago. The Ambrosial Arbor is undeniably connected to them. Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance-without the memories they provided, this reenactment would never have been possible. And Aha, the Aeon of Elation. Their role isn't clear, but they've been pushing this whole thing along."
After saying that, Herta added:
"And Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony. They must have tacitly approved of this as well."
The memory reenactment in the Simulated Universe had recreated Xipe's path to becoming an Aeon.
Herta reviewed the entire process and ventured a guess:
"I have a tentative theory. Tayzzyronth, the Aeon of Propagation, may also have played a part in Xipe's ascension."
"Propagation?" Kafka frowned. "That fallen Insect Emperor?"
"Taiyi of Order joined ancient Aeons like Preservation and Voracity in the campaign against Propagation," Herta said calmly. "When Propagation fell, the other Aeons stripped away the concepts he embodied. One of those was the concept of the swarm."
"The swarm," Kafka repeated softly. "You mean the Mother Tree actually came from the fallen Propagation?"
"Exactly!" Herta said with a smile. "That's what I mean. Talking to smart people is such a relief."
March 7th and Stelle exchanged a look, as though asking whether the other had understood any of that.
Herta continued:
"Now I'm wondering whether Taiyi of Order had planned all this from the start. Was their true goal never to become something