Chapter Summaries

Schiller learned that Reed had tried to act against him when he first crossed universes, accidentally creating Pikachu from Schiller’s memories and power. After confronting Reed and Superego, Schiller recognized Reed’s unusual indifference and found himself newly absorbed in the taste of his wine.

• Schiller punched Reed after learning Reed had treated him as a test subject and had attempted something when Schiller crossed over.
• Reed revealed that Superego had stopped his attempt against Schiller, and Schiller confronted Superego for deleting the incident from the memory archive.
• Reed explained that Pikachu had become Schiller’s avatar, so Reed had been unable to control or use him for surveillance.
• Reed sensed that Schiller’s power came from someone who loved him, and Schiller refused to let Reed meet that person.
• Reed admitted he had forgotten Schiller’s crossing and said he had later used Schiller as a safeguard to reassure Tony.
• Schiller contemplated Reed’s single-minded devotion to knowledge, then tasted his wine and poured himself more.

Pride discovered that Greed had begun paying attention to the flavors of drinks after realizing his memories had rarely recorded sensory details. Greed explained that seeing himself through Reed Richards had made him recognize how quickly he moved through life, and he ended the night sharing his favorite beer with Pride.

• Pride found Greed at the tavern tasting dozens of alcoholic drinks and learned that Greed was not planning to export liquor.
• Pride searched their memories and found that Greed had recorded few details about the flavors of food and drinks, since his thoughts were usually occupied by plans.
• Pride noticed that Greed was recording the flavors of the drinks he tasted that night.
• Pride asked whether Stark or Strange had helped Greed appreciate life more, and Greed said Reed Richards had given him a way to see himself through someone else's eyes.
• Greed said he realized he had been moving too fast, then shared his favorite beer with Pride, whose taste differed from his.

Schiller watched the Robins leave Crux II to explore the universe, then welcomed Loki, Gwen Stacy, Deadpool, and Thor after Gwen and Deadpool broke Loki out of Skrull custody. The group discussed Loki’s sensational tabloid scandal and humanity’s plan to rearrange the Solar System, with Mars’s future still disputed.

• Schiller watched the Robins depart in their new Skrull equipment and reflected that Batman had sent them out to find their own paths among the stars.
• Gwen Stacy and Deadpool arrived with Loki and explained that they had broken him out of a Skrull prison after causing chaos in the capital.
• Loki said Gwen and Deadpool’s escape had endangered the Skrull capital, while Deadpool confirmed Loki’s trial was still scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
• Gwen showed Loki a tabloid claiming he had secretly married Strange and had a child with him, and Thor appeared to question Loki about the rumor.
• Thor and Schiller discussed moving the planets to spread out the Solar System, while scientists debated whether Mars should be moved or removed.

Mars's future role in the Solar System remained undecided as Schiller and Strange discussed planetary orbits and Strange's strained relationships. Loki's trial collapsed when a monster swallowed the judge and jury, and Helen called Loki "Mom" as they fled.

• Schiller suggested keeping Mars in its orbit until humanity could replace it with another planet, while Thor worried about Asgard's reputation if it joined the Solar System.
• Strange complained about adjusting a planet's orbit and explained that mystical concepts could matter more than the physical planets themselves.
• Strange and Schiller discussed Strange's relationships and whether he might change after seeing himself through someone like him.
• Loki hired Matt as his defense attorney, and Matt coached him to appear tearfully wronged and avoid answering questions directly.
• During Loki's trial, a gigantic monster burst through the courtroom windows and swallowed the judge and jury.
• Helen shouted for "Mom" Loki to run, while Strange overheard secretaries calling Loki's child illegitimate.

Peter Parker arrived in Xivi City to join the police while planning to live with his pregnant wife in Big Valley Town. Kent traced a nightly distress-call recording to a circus commercial mentioning the town and told Bruce that his missing daughter might be connected to it.

• Sheriff Bauer Sisyphus welcomed Peter Parker, who explained that he planned to move with his pregnant wife to Big Valley Town.
• Kent received another nightly distress call, then listened to his recording and heard a circus commercial mention Big Valley Town.
• Kent asked a colleague where Big Valley Town was and learned it lay in a remote valley west of the city.
• Kent visited Bruce at the gas station and said his daughter's disappearance might be connected to Big Valley Town.

Peter Parker traveled with his pregnant wife Kate toward Big Valley Town, where her aunt lived, and met Schiller Rodriguez and his brother on the country road. After a crash, Bruce helped the group and led them onward, while Schiller recognized the heroes traveling with him.

• Peter bought supplies at Bruce’s gas station shop and later told Sheriff he was taking Kate to her aunt in Big Valley Town.
• Peter and Kate set out along the remote country road and encountered Schiller Rodriguez and his brother after their car stopped.
• Peter agreed to drive Schiller and his brother toward Big Valley Town while a colleague arranged to move their car.
• Peter’s car crashed in the forest, but Kate emerged unharmed, and Bruce arrived with another person to help the injured passengers.
• Bruce led the group onward through the forest, while Schiller recognized Bruce as Batman, Peter as Spider-Man, and Kate as Catherine Kane.

Schiller and Agent reached Big Valley Town and stayed with Aunt Kane and Linda, whose fixation on Kate’s pregnancy and strange household made Schiller suspicious. As he and Agent tended their weapons and injuries, Schiller reviewed the Dungeon’s strict role-playing and health restrictions and how a cursed clown jack-in-the-box had led them to the town.

• Schiller, Peter, and the others entered Big Valley Town and followed the map to Aunt Kane’s house.
• Aunt Kane and Linda stared at Kate’s stomach, while Aunt Kane questioned the visitors and praised Linda; Peter’s head wound continued bleeding despite Kent’s bandaging.
• Kate went upstairs with Peter, and Kent and the other man prepared to leave; Schiller accepted Aunt Kane’s offer to stay with his companion.
• Linda showed Schiller and his companion to a spotless but bare guest room, and Schiller suspected the family was strange.
• Schiller explained that the Dungeon punished excessive strength and broken roles by draining health, then inspected the guns he and Agent had brought.
• Agent and Pursuer had robbed a bank after arriving in Los Angeles, where a clown jack-in-the-box injured Pursuer and cursed Agent’s arm; a Qile Circus flyer pointed them toward Big Valley Town.

Agent searched Aunt Kane’s room and the living room for supplies while Pursuer’s wound worsened and gave him a fever. By morning, Kate planned to take Peter to the hospital, but Aunt Kane’s furious reaction suggested that the trip was dangerous or forbidden.

• Agent and Peter cautiously approached Aunt Kane’s bedroom, where they saw Kate sneak in through the balcony and search the room before leaving.
• Agent found painkillers and fever reducers downstairs, then rushed back after the grandfather clock chimed at ten.
• Agent gave Pursuer fever-reducing medicine, and Pursuer’s fever had subsided by dawn, though his wound remained in poor condition.
• Kate said Peter needed professional treatment and planned to take him to the hospital, but Aunt Kane angrily tried to stop them and called her niece Catherine.
• Aunt Kane revealed that she was a widow and insisted that Peter would not be treated, while Peter tried to calm Kate and claimed he only had a slight fever.

The Agent investigated Aunt Kane’s background and explored Xivi Town with Linda, learning that the town had lost its official status and was largely abandoned. The chapter ended as a flock of crows descended on the well-kept cemetery.

• The Agent noticed Aunt Kane’s upper-class table manners and suspected she had come from a wealthy East Coast family before marrying into Xivi Town.
• Aunt Kane mentioned Linda’s connection to the Kane family, while the Agent concealed that he had secretly taken medicine and remained weak.
• Linda led the Agent and Kate through the forest to the creek and waterfall, where she offered to make the Agent a fishing rod and asked him to teach her to fish.
• Linda explained that Xivi Town had no tackle shop or Police Department and appeared only on old maps.
• The Agent explored the town’s tidy cemetery, where a large flock of crows suddenly landed among the graves.

Agent and Pursuer investigated the abandoned circus warehouse with Bruce and Kent, where they opened a Black Box containing a mummified man in a Joker costume. Meanwhile, Kate showed Peter Aunt Kane’s skeleton in the bathtub, and the corpse in the warehouse began to move.

• Linda told Agent that a circus had once performed in the town and left its props in a warehouse beside the square.
• Agent led Bruce and Kent to the warehouse, where they found the circus’s abandoned equipment and several large boxes.
• Kent opened one of the boxes with fire tongs and revealed a mummified male corpse dressed as a Joker.
• Kate returned to Aunt Kane’s house with Peter and showed him the skeleton in the bathtub wearing Aunt Kane’s clothes.
• The Joker-costumed corpse began to move as everyone stood frozen in the warehouse.

Bruce, Kent, and Agent escaped the burning warehouse after Pursuer dragged the reanimated Joker mummy outside, and Bruce saw a memory connected to the clown mallet. Agent concluded the Dungeon contained a genuine supernatural phenomenon, then returned to Aunt Kane’s house, where Linda led him to the workshop.

• Agent shot the corpse, but it rose again as the warehouse darkened and the evil spirit seemed to animate it.
• Agent set the stored tent fabric on fire, and Bruce, Kent, and Agent escaped through a window after Pursuer pulled the mummy out.
• Kent picked up a small wooden mallet, and Bruce touched it and saw a memory of a circus performer with his young daughter, Amy.
• Agent examined the mummy but found no cause of death, and he concluded that the Dungeon had a real supernatural phenomenon.
• Agent and Pursuer returned to Aunt Kane’s house, where Peter and Kate were preparing to eat, and Linda led Agent toward the workshop.

Agent and Pursuer investigated Linda and Aunt Kane while Bruce’s Dream revealed more of the circus performer’s past. The chapter ended with Bruce watching the performer charm women as he traveled with the circus.

• Agent advised Linda on improving her handmade fishing rod, then tried to persuade her to leave town, but she refused.
• At dinner, Aunt Kane demanded that everyone sing an unfamiliar local hymn, then backed down when Peter objected to its words.
• Agent and Pursuer reviewed their clues and remained uncertain how the circus, Aunt Kane, and Linda were connected.
• Bruce dreamed that the man dressed as Joker performed a prank with a frightening doll and entertained a young woman.
• Bruce saw the performer remove his makeup and later flirt with women, including one he promised to marry after the tour.

Bruce and Kent investigated the burned circus warehouse and concluded that its locked cages had held people, possibly as part of a criminal enterprise. Bruce suspected the Joker actor married Amy’s mother because she could be controlled and recruited, while Agent watched Linda head beneath a waterfall to spear fish.

• Bruce returned with Kent to the burned warehouse and found that its cages had been secured with padlocks unlike ordinary animal-cage locks.
• Bruce and Kent pried up loose bricks beneath the cages and found grass roots in the soil, leading Bruce to suspect the cages had held people.
• Bruce argued that the circus’s waste and cage arrangements made primates unlikely, and he and Kent considered human trafficking as a possible motive.
• Bruce suspected the Joker actor had married an outsider with few resources because she could be controlled and help with the circus’s hidden business.
• Agent watched Linda paddle a battered kayak beneath the waterfall to spear fish with a sharpened rod.

Agent watched Linda catch a salmon and destroy its roe, revealing her deep resentment toward fish eggs. Back at the old house, Pursuer warned that an evil spirit was looking for him and asked Agent to bring Linda to him, while Aunt Kane confronted Linda about the fish.

• Linda speared a salmon beneath the waterfall, then smashed the fish and crushed all its roe while Agent watched.
• Agent considered using Pursuer’s abilities to learn more about Linda and the Dungeon’s plot.
• Pursuer told Agent that an evil spirit was looking for him and asked him to bring Linda upstairs.
• Agent realized Pursuer could see supernatural entities and feared the evil spirit would kill anyone who triggered its conditions.
• Aunt Kane scolded Linda for smelling of fish, and Agent claimed they had found and buried a dead salmon.
• Agent said Pursuer was ill and asked Aunt Kane if Linda could care for him, and Aunt Kane agreed.

Agent suspected Aunt Kane’s odd hospitality and indifference to Linda pointed toward a hidden truth, while Pursuer confronted Linda about her traumatic past and her violent actions toward the fish. Linda ended the chapter smiling eerily after Pursuer told her she had done well.

• Agent noticed Aunt Kane served only hot water and showed little concern about Linda being alone with him and Pursuer.
• Linda fixated on Pursuer, who asked about her fishing and challenged her to face what had happened to her.
• Linda screamed, smashed a candlestick, and attacked Pursuer after he said the event was real and the corpse and gravestone remained.
• Agent restrained Linda as Pursuer asked whether people could tell humans from fish, prompting Linda to cry and ask why they could not.
• Pursuer told Linda she had done well, and Linda fell silent before staring upward with a hair-raising smile.

Agent uncovered that Linda had given birth to the child buried as Bohr when she was under fourteen, after Aunt Kane forced her into it for the cult’s elder. Searching Linda’s father’s workshop, he found circus props and saw a memory suggesting that her grandfather had also been involved with a circus.

• Agent followed Linda to the cemetery and watched her dig up her father’s grave, take out a bundle of bones, and carry it back to the workshop.
• After Linda went to bed, Agent entered the workshop, assembled the child’s bones, and touched the skull, triggering a memory of Aunt Kane and Linda’s father arguing over Linda giving birth to the elder’s child.
• Agent realized the child buried beside Linda’s father was Linda’s son, not her brother, and decided to investigate her father and son without alerting Aunt Kane.
• Agent searched the workshop and found an unfinished scare box resembling the one from the bank vault, along with a wooden horse.
• Touching the wooden horse showed Agent a memory of a blue-eyed man called Zida speaking with his son about the circus and spreading the faith, leading Agent to suspect the man was Linda’s grandfather.

Bruce and Kent searched the waterfall in Big Valley Town and discovered a hidden cave tied to memories of a young boy named Bingge. After Bruce explored it, he became dangerously cold, and he realized the Dungeon had affected his body in a way he had not anticipated.

• Bruce and Kent found no survivors in town and decided to investigate the waterfall.
• Bruce identified footprints from Mr. Rodriguez and Linda, then spotted a man-made rock behind the waterfall.
• Bruce used bars and rope to reach a narrow crack and entered a dry cave containing signs of human activity.
• Touching the fire pit gave Bruce a memory of a young boy named Bingge catching and grilling fish in the cave.
• Bruce found fish bones and suspected Bingge had been driven by hunger, then left the cave with the clues.
• Kent offered to carry Bruce when he began shivering, and Bruce realized the Dungeon had made him more vulnerable to the cold than expected.

Bruce remained trapped in a dreamlike world where Catherine Kane and her daughter Patty Familiro knew nothing of hospitals, medicine, tea, or coffee. After resisting the strange fragrance and questioning them, he left the room to investigate his surroundings.

• Bruce woke from a dream of crying babies and burning pink houses, then realized he was still dreaming and suppressed the euphoria caused by a strange fragrance.
• A younger Catherine Kane told Bruce she had found him in a ditch, but she denied knowing what a hospital, coffee, or tea was and said illness was treated through prayer.
• Bruce recognized the world’s freedom and familiar faces as possible parts of a trap, then went downstairs to investigate.
• Bruce met Catherine’s daughter Patty Familiro, who introduced herself as Lily to people close to her and also did not know what coffee was.

Bruce discovered that Patty had been forced into an extreme religious life and was already a young mother, intensifying his anger at the town’s hidden cruelty. After Schiller Rodriguez explained that they were in a supernatural spiritual world, Bruce saw a crowd of people from varied backgrounds leaving the church and realized the world held far more than the town’s residents.

• Bruce learned that Patty had a two-year-old son and was pregnant again with another child fathered by a man who already had eleven children.
• Aunt Kane said the church elders had arranged for Patty to give birth before the child would have been her husband's thirteenth, and Bruce punched a wall in anger.
• Bruce followed Aunt Kane and Patty toward the church, but Schiller Rodriguez dragged him into a flower bed and explained that the town was a supernatural spiritual world controlled by a will he called God.
• Schiller warned Bruce not to pray and said the entity could not notice him as long as he could not see it.
• After the prayers ended, Bruce watched hundreds of people leave the church and recognized many as travelers and outsiders rather than townspeople.

Kate and Peter investigated the desolate town’s church, identified its ties to Fundamentalist Mormonism, and found a memory linking Kate’s uncle Bohr to the town’s destruction. After opening Bohr’s coffin, Peter lost consciousness and awoke on a sunny street.

• Kate and Peter concluded that Aunt Kane’s family belonged to a Fundamentalist Mormon sect and suspected an evil spirit had destroyed the town for revenge.
• Peter touched a Book of Mormon and saw a memory of people fleeing through underground tunnels while discussing Bohr and an approaching threat.
• Peter told Kate that her uncle Bohr had been involved, and they went to the cemetery to search his grave.
• Linda confronted Kate and Peter, accused them of seeking something from her father, and fled; Kate suspected the evil spirit controlled her.
• Kate and Peter dug up Bohr’s grave, and Peter pried open the coffin before blacking out and waking on a sunny street with the scent of lily of the valley nearby.