The Voltaic Age was not what I imagined it would be. Energy makes me think of lightning, of laser beams, of the plasma in the sun, and in weather like hurricanes and tornadoes.  I did not expect rusty gears, cliff faces, rocky gorges, and a deflated air skiff. There was some head-scratching upon my arrival.

Every accessible door was locked, save one. Near the river, there was a manhole that allowed access to an underground door. Opening the door allowed access to a piston that engaged… something. Nearly every piece of machinery that comprised the energy infrastructure for the Age had been disengaged, jammed, or broken. Hydroelectric, steam, and mechanical all needed to be reactivated and funneled in the correct direction. As I bent my head to the task, it was difficult to discern which repairs were set up as puzzles by Atrus for his sons and which were broken and disjointed by Saavedro.

Riding on the air skiff was far more fun than I expected. I knew it had been coming as soon as I’d determined where energy needed to flow, but it still took me off-guard. My fun turned to awe as I completed the Age, and saw more of the energy that I had originally anticipated than what the puzzles of the Age had brought me to expect. I found a second linking book back to J’nanin and breathed a sigh of accomplishment.

One of three down.

I took the sigil I’d received to the observatory and unlocked a new message from Saavedro. What he’s done is monstrous, but what has been done to him, if he’s telling the truth, is just as monstrous. Sirrus and Achenar left more damage in their wake than what they’d done to Myst and its Ages. My anger at them is impotent now, after what Atrus had done to their prison Books in the Myst library. Nothing more can be done to them, but Saavedro, if he’s not lying, is still trying. I’m not sure if he can be talked down, but having all of the facts might make a difference.

For now, on to Edanna, the nature Age. “Nature encourages mutual dependence.”