Hours such as the Apple -of -the -Eye did not wish to be so hasty, however. The Maker had been a close ally of hers, a friend and a fellow pursuer of higher beauty. Many of her own Long had felt his touch and seen improvement through his craft. She was intrigued and eager to see if it were true that the Maker could be revived. The Hour of the Spark likewise, curious and whimsical, wanted to see if its friends could be revived, and optimistically dared to hope that should they both be restored and unified once more, they could undo some of the damage done to the Mansus.

Soon, the Forge-Long were engaged in open war on two fronts, the forces of their erstwhile and their loyalists on one end, and the Engine of Cycles on the other. For the Engine had not been idle as its enemies fell into infighting. Encountering unexpected resistance, the Engine intensified its efforts forward and redoubled its forces in the Fifth History. To mitigate the damage, Hours such as the Anaconda and FNORD began to commit additional forces to counter the Engine's push. The Apple -of -the -Eye sent forces as well... to attack the forces sent against the secessionist, deepening the enmity between the sides.