[Narration] Aerth is very much an aquatic world. Though it is rumored that it has not always been so. The most definitive proof of this seemingly radical notion, is the existence of humans, they seem to be, in their nature, sinkers. Any past lives of Aerth are now hidden deep beneath the sea, so muted and seemingly dead, but throbbing with an ancient pulse deep beneath the water, the water that is also seemingly cold and unforgiving and lifeless but also bright and burning with a presence too far from human life for us to feel. Now life on Aerth floats far above, crews and captains unaware of whatever may (or may not) lie beneath them.

On a planet blue with spits of sand, stay dry, try Where the tides steal ships in moon-lit nights, plans fall awry All the books are lost and mouths forgot who's George VI? Where the course is wrong goodbye it's gone stay dry, try Where mountains are storms and valleys we travel are waves and the spray flays the skin til its salty and stays, you try to stay dry but you can't it's hard to trust a man... where women are captains of pacified crews need their strength to make it through this damp day and age where drinks could not begin to soothe... There are men who float where tides will go trust in rain there are men who swim to catch their prey webbed hands gained there are men who sail in crews of few to catch the rain and our heroine is one of these Osgood... Where mountains are storms and valleys we travel are waves and the spray flays the skin til its salty and stays, you try to stay dry but you can't it's hard to trust a man... where women are captains of pacified crews need their strength to make it through this damp day and age

Life aboard - picture, perfect, still. You'd never know just from looking any difference, Every way I turn - just waves in the distance When I was a babe, I never thought I'd see the day When the ocean was all that could have ever existed No matter where you've been, oh yeah, it doesn't matter. No matter where you think you're going And listen! What is this "GOING," anyway? I don't believe that exists to me, what a mess have we gotten ourselves in!? man, woman and child left the land, and oh - it was swallowed up and nowwwww ! What are we going to do? North ! South! Best? Least? The sun is beating down on me Seems God is smiling, but I thought he loved his sheep? A laugh is brewin in my breast A cackle brewin in my chest But my dry and dusty mouth is locked shut from this thirst! Man, so destructive Made our home a poisoned well, Of all the things we left behind this one is with us, still! Life without land never lost its cruel side. I'm abreast on salty water in this sea, With not a drop for me to drink and survive!

[Narration:] Both food and water are determined by what a crew can catch, and those aboard the Silver Lyre know how to catch water. They spend their days hunting the sights and smells of an upcoming storm, then sail in where no others dare to go. If they are lucky, a downpour of rain would fill the ship, and fill their thirst. They are terrific at staying afloat and weathering the fierce waves and winds of Aerth.

Nikola Tesla was a textbook over-thinker No thought came without being picked apart It was difficult to hold a conversation with Nikola Tesla without having to ask yourself, "What did I get myself into?" I think you'll find the answers very obvious: Who you were before wasn't perfect and you'll never be, but at least you'll be a little more informed. Nikola Tesla was a pioneer of ingenuity. He was 3 steps ahead of the curve and very aware of it. It's not that he was arrogant it was more that he was stubborn as a mule. A mule that was a genius. A mule that would change the very foundation on which our existence springs forth from. It's hard to place your faith within a mule but when that mule holds the scepter and wears the crown of glory what other choice do you have? "This is it! This is really happening! It's all pouring from my eyes, ever-flowing energy."

stop pinching me I can't stand that pain 'cause you always reach to me no matter what you say you spilled on my soul mentally abused I could never thank you for the scar you have bruised as you painted only with words tonight I'll be fine it's just a metaphor - I lie before you go I will make for sure that you won't forget my taste I don't forget yours out of control but I can't expose the truth and tell you now how much I care squeeze it out for you I was trying but that picture she has made isn't going away no matter how hard I erase oh it never fades hey she would surround me colors everywhere I washed it out but it just cannot go away she would surround me colors everywhere I washed it out but it just cannot go it just cannot go away [Narration] Nikola Tesla, a great inventor, brings with him a great machine. The purpose of the machine is to capture the energy of the storms which Osgood seeks, a great and terrible force. Once these storms are harnessed within the machine, the water of the sea can be made safe, as if it fell from the sky. With his machine, Tesla stared into the swirling waters that lay before him. The clouds hung impossibly heavy, and the lightning forked all around. The storm was immense. and the clouds were impossibly dark.

[Narration] Tesla watched as many bolts were drawing near, his hair was standing up on end, and then finally it happened. Lightning struck a conductor and the machine was brought to life. He beamed as his machine drew breath and began to whir mechanically. Tesla’s creation generated a great noise not heard on Aerth for thousands of years, the sounds of machinery. As the sounds rang out, the storms severity became calamitous. The storm reacted with great force in fear of the machine. Lightning rained from sights unseen as Tesla leapt. He hit the water hard, but surfaced in time to see the explosion. He saw bits of his machine diffusing and scattering to dust in the air. Great waves grasped the inventor, then plunged him deep into the sea. He was left floating free in a darkness He began to hear voices and his awareness grew sharp. The voices grew stronger, and became melodious, it made him accept his certain fate. He strained his eyes in the murky water and he beheld a great many beings. Curiously, they appeared to be breathing easily.

Aerthlings Took so many years to understand time Lend out my hand Light on your mind I know it's hard to see on my side Just take a breath Come away, come away Did you hear me say "I'm awake, I'm awake," Come away, come away Did you hear me say "I'm awake, I'm awake," What's on your mind, The wind in your face? Never had the chance to escape I was alone out here Still kept alive Come away, come away Did you hear me say "I'm awake, I'm awake," Come away, come away Did you hear me say "I'm awake, I'm awake," So many times I felt alone down Alone down here So many times I felt alone down Alone down here So many times I felt alone down here I felt alone Come away, come away Did you hear me say "I'm awake, I'm awake," Come away, come away Did you hear me say "I'm awake, I'm awake," [Narration] Narrator: Osgood was horrified, there was no rain yet the clouds drooped heavily about the Lyre. A bolt struck high above the Lyre and the force of the strike rocked the ship. All aboard could hear Tesla’s laughing and shouting, The storm intensified to an unnatural severity. The sound from the mechanical masterpiece grew more horrible, precluding the explosion. When it happened, the Lyre shook with a great heat, and all were thrown to the deck. Afterwards there was a silence. All the sea had calmed upon the slaying of the machine. The smoke began to clear to reveal considerable damage to the ship. Most alarming however was the damage done to the sky. The clouds still lay dark and heavy, but they were motionless. A rift in the clouds appeared over the Lyre and clear sky could be seen through the stilled storm. A strange sound filled the air, causing all to look back up to the sky. In view was a large smoking vessel of curious design gliding down from the clouds. All aboard watched it with great interest as it rose upon the air for a short time, only to continue a downwards descent towards the lyre. The vessel worked its way closer to the water before sliding into the sea creating a great wave. A lone figure climbed out of the sinking ship and waved for aid.

Fell from the sky and into an open sea No sight of land Who will come for me How far am I Will I ever return to my sky Oh who will come for me Clouds filled the sky All Indications lie But I see something that's drawing me in a flash of light all of the storms go away Am I alone I can't say, oh but my plane, falling fast climbs and descends before the crash and I stand on this ship My wreckage below Where am I now And where do I go If courage is the fee for harmony then a lost soul knows no release loneliness of fear, mountain heights where bitter joy can hear The sound of wings… To show again the lovely living colors of your sunlit sight Sunlit heights I have seen your eyes, dark with sleep of your sunlit sight Sunlit heights

[Narration] The rescued captain looked relieved. She was all smiles as she introduced herself to the crew as a pilot named Amelia. Osgood laughed to herself at the impracticality of a ship that can float on the air but not on the water. Tesla slowly swam over to the ship and stared up at the hole. A clear sky shone above, beaming at him as he scaled the side of the Lyre. Tesla mumbled something incoherent, entered his cabin, and fell into a deep sleep.

Floating downwards Aerthlings swimming around Like a meditation, they lure me in, deeper With her hand on my forehead I begin falling rapidly through time [Dream Sequence] Tesla was plunged into a deeper dream more vivid than any before. He was placed upon a great mountain and watched as the waters receded around him Taking earth and giving earth The ships were taken apart by great machines and he watched them magically become living things again, filling the land with awe. Time stopped here and Tesla began to watch a scene unfold. Smoke can be seen as machines grow near with blade and fire lumber and ruin soon cover the green below Man so destructive, made their home a poisoned well operators with antennas carrying out the orders from their head "Take all the colors, build ships and follow orders!" The land began to turn grey in ruin as they haul away the resources, building vessels for their purpose One remaining land stays gleaming in the distance On the barren soil on the edge of the colors, a large crowd of people had gathered, they looked mournful but devoted They joined hands and formed a line barricading the machines from entering, but still they approached The machines stop briefly to contemplate their movement but decide to push on, into a crowd of screams They reached out with their oars that cracked loudly like thunder painting their body colors onto the grey earth below the sun began to set for the last time for many years as the last colors were stripped away [End Dream Sequence] Watching from clouds, down to a scene The storms carry on, and destroy the machine Advance the Time, far and fast Shade consumes all gone Neptune, delighted, covers all land Some lived on boats while others swam and others stay floating, Aerthlings they go without trace Wake up, the meaning..

[Meely:] Where am I? I don't understand... I thought I was *GASP* My plane! Can someone tell me how close we are to land? [ooOOOooo] Yes... land. I was headed East... We must be close... How soon can we set course? I'm faint and weary....but you seem dehydrated if we arrive you can have all the water you can drink. [aaAAaahhh] It's some of the purest, they say, from Natural springs! Mountains with cool rushing water, rivers and streams that are ever flowing... [Crew Member #1:] I’ve never heard of this land before But she did fall out from the sky She speaks of treasures unknown I want to believe it’s so, but my gut says no But what if she speaks truth? Endless flowing water to drench our dry mouth full and land land from horizon to horizon [Osgood:] There is no such paradise chasers of fantasies This rings of ignorant lies after all this time, I oh, take your fools ways down I know you’re through with me but it was all of us who lost the land and now there’s only the sky then us in between! My friends All of our lives every day, every morning we rise and greet the ocean the ocean that ---- holds us, carries us and we have braved this sun's endless beating in the cut of the waters salty sprays for many, many years I ask you, would we not know by now if this earth had even a speck of land to spit on? Can you deny your own eyes and all they've seen? And have you forgotten that human life is fragile and it's only these dead planks between us and the sea? [Crew Member #2:] What is the point of surviving if we are not thriving the Captain's gone crazy just staying alive is driving me insane You can't be lost if you have no destination and don't care where you've been before Captain, her land sounds like something worth searching for! full steam ahead! [Osgood:] There is no such paradise chasers of fantasies This rings of ignorant lies after all this time, I oh, take your fools ways down I know you’re through with me but it was all of us who lost the land and now there’s only the sky then us in between! [Crew Members:] “We could be going in circles, what if this current is taking us back where we came?” one day East, the next day South.” “How long will we trust her intuition?” Osgood's led us stuck in a mist - the sea and sky don't mix for long “When the mist clears, send the Lyre to the East “It's better than chasing storms [Crew Member #3:] The course is set The course is set Who knows when we could catch water next Hunting for storms brings thirst she can't quench This boat is now mine I'll steer us to light Watch Osgood crawl to her cabin below Crew, grab the ropes! Point us east of the mist This time tomorrow We'll all live ashore Drinking from fountains With no sign of a storm [Crew Members:] We're future sailors on a future ship in search of land God speed! Solid ground can't be far if you reach! We're future sailors on a future ship. There's something in the mist The water is still, is it land that we near? [Crew Member #2] Surely it must be the land that we seek! With mountains and valleys and rivers so deep The first thing I'll do with Aerth in my hands is worship the king of these new found lands

(interlude track. The ship sails into a mist)

Baby I’m laying inside On my mother's bed I see you found me here inside On my mother's bed You found me laying here ‘Cause there’s nowhere of my own to go instead A young mind is blind And it is clumsy And my mind was bound With clouds as if with wine And I stumble out of my mother’s house I somehow left my thoughts behind When I was a child I never envisioned the future With riches and goals to bear I never seem to clear the hazy vision Of the deep dark inside of my head And a young mind is blind, and it is clumsy And my mind was bound With clouds as if with wine When I stumble out of my mother’s house I somehow left my thoughts behind And baby, I’m laying again, on my mother's bed Trying to relieve my weary body And my mind is balking at the child’s voice In which it seems to be talking In which it always seems to be talking

[Osgood:] Where am I going and where will I be when the storms are coming round Where are they going and where will they be searching for some solid ground I hear the sound of space and time floating by but nothing in this world can ground my mind [Meely:] I can hear the sound of sea there's nothing here for me I don't plan to be no hero , I just want to be free oooo, where are you going and where will they be I've only just arrived and there's no puling on my heart strings no worries for you captain the men will trickle down dumber than fifty nails drilled into 50 dead-weight crowns ooooo, my dreams are so far away I didn't try to arrive and I don't plan to stay [Osgood:] Those men are wrapped up in your dreams, you know, you're no longer alone [Meely:] I don't want to be no hero I just want to go home

Lost on the water Floating downstream In a mist obscuring reality The water is swift The mist swirls into shapes and smooth like glass All minds leave their place Silence: Not a word or line is discussed A Fable: The shadows and shapes create lust Each member of the crew Sees their lives start anew [Narration] They are..lost on the water Like a kite cut loose, flying to new heights They slice through the mist, dampening spirits and weighing down wits few speak, but all hear the whispers they echo and enter the ears and minds of the brothers and sisters And those minds that before were simple and true they fill with malice and begin to rue Directly before them, appearing from the mist, is something resembling ground, and the Lyre and this land kissed ...if they collide Their minds.. ...when they collide Their minds.. Their minds solidify Run Climb Fast High I’m done slaving here on this old boat I’m gonna do what's best for my life Run Climb Fast High Up this wall we’ll find a paradise No more labor No more crew Run Climb Fast High I’m done slaving here on this old boat I’m gonna do what's best for my life Run Climb Fast High Up this wall we’ll find a paradise On my own I’ll be at home... With weary faces and puzzled gazes They leapt! They plunged into the maze They climbed high over oars and board skirting over impossible bones breaking down the boat Shouts from the captain: they fell on deaf ears minds melting in the grip of their fears they climbed past carnage where they’ve labored for years [Narration] As they climbed high onto the wall Ropes descended and sped their crawl Higher and higher their pace began to quicken A beat became audible, a drumming insurmountable A helping hand pulled them up over the edge A parade had assemble, a crowd swayed them away They were dressed in bright colors and served liquid fire All seemed too well for those once aboard the Shattered Lyre Their minds became faded and stomachs expanded The thought of their Captain Poor Osgood rejected ...In a flurry of drums, they became the parade and began to chant and began to scream Run Climb Fast High I’m done slaving here on this old boat I’m gonna do what's best for my life Run Climb Fast High Up this wall we’ll find a paradise No more labor No more crew Run Climb Fast High I’m done slaving here on this old boat I’m gonna do what's best for my life Run Climb Fast High Up this wall we’ll find a paradise On my own I’ll be at home...