The beginning of Chapter 5 is the origin story of the old gods—how Earth created Sun, Moon, and Sky, how Earth and Sky fought, and how Sky created humans as a result of the fight. After Earth and Sky made up, the Earth took pity on the weak humans, giving them fire for warmth and tools to build shelter. However, the humans mainly thanked the Sky, which angered the Earth so much that she made great quakes. The humans realized the mistake they made, but there were also always humans who held gratitude for both the Earth and Sky.

When the magus is done with the tale, the group argues about which gods are the true ones, as well as who has a right to stories—the people who created them or the people who believe they know more than everyone else. The argument leaves Gen feeling indignant, and he ignores the others for the rest of the evening.

The next day, Gen has one of his first real conversations with Sophos. They discuss Gen’s name, which he shares with the god of thieves, and Sophos is shocked to find that the other members of Gen’s family are honest citizens or soldiers.