Chapter Summaries

Angel met Archbishop Anthony to report on her escape from Fourth Epoch Trier and review the capture of Mirror People, while Leonard and Daly investigated their colleagues’ graves. The chapter ended with Angel asking Anthony about the breach of Saint Samuel Cathedral’s Chanis Gate.

• Angel returned to Saint Samuel Cathedral disguised as the Goddess Shadow and noticed Leonard Mitchell and Daly Simone in the Great Prayer Hall.
• Leonard told Daly he would report to Captain Soest, then secretly questioned the Parasite in his mind about Klein’s empty coffin and the mirror shard in Angel Granger’s coffin.
• The Parasite explained that the mirror shards could indicate an Unaging Demoness, a high Sequence of the Witch Pathway who could return after being killed.
• Archbishop Anthony gave Angel a report stating that the Churches of the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery had captured five Mirror People, including Sheval Dumar, whose secrets burned away when investigators pressed him.
• Angel told Anthony about her fight with Sirio Sauron, her accidental entry into Fourth Epoch Trier, and her escape, then asked whether the cathedral’s Chanis Gate had been breached on Monday morning.

Angel learned that the Goddess Church had identified Gehrman Sparrow as the Chanis Gate intruder and was investigating his accomplices, while she awaited a promised reward. Leonard suspected Angel had died and returned as a Demoness of Unaging, but chose to investigate quietly; he was then assigned to review Dwayne Dantès as a possible accomplice.

• Archbishop Anthony told Angel that the church had found no stolen items, identified Gehrman Sparrow as the intruder, and begun investigating his accomplices.
• Leonard considered whether Angel was secretly a Demoness of Unaging, but the Parasite in his head doubted that she could have held such power before joining the Nighthawks.
• Leonard decided not to report that Klein and Angel were alive, fearing he would have to reveal how he had learned their identities and expose his own Parasite.
• Leonard returned to the Red Gloves' base and told Soest that his trip to Tingen had been a dead end.
• Soest gave Leonard a list of suspected accomplices to review, and Leonard froze when he saw Dwayne Dantès at the top.

Angel learned that the Church would give her the Unaging Beyonder Characteristic in about a month and continued planning her Backlund investigations and search for a stronger use of her blood’s power. That night, she entered Klein’s bedroom through a mirror and found him trapped in a dream.

• Archbishop Anthony told Angel that Sealed Artifact 1-63 would be purified into an Unaging characteristic for her, but the process would take about a month, and asked her to keep watching for Mirror People.
• Anthony said he would arrange screenings of the Backlund Church of Storms’ officials, while the Church of Steam and the Eternal Blazing Sun Church screened their own people in Intis.
• Leonard asked the Parasite in his mind whether Dwayne Dantès and Klein had been involved in the Chanis Gate intrusion, and the Parasite warned him not to provoke Dwayne.
• Angel arranged visits to Dr. Aaron’s family, Sander, and Baron Cinderas, intending among other things to ask Will Auceptin how she could better use the power in her blood.
• Angel entered Klein’s bedroom through a mirror, surveyed the house, and discovered that Klein was caught in a dream.

Angel entered Klein’s dream with the Hidden Holy Emblem while Leonard questioned him about the Tingen Nighthawks and the Antigonus Family Notebook. Leonard accused Angel of being an Unaging Demoness and revealed that he had dug up her grave, leaving her stunned by the discovery of a mirror shard in her coffin.

• Angel decided not to interfere with Leonard’s dream questioning, then used the Hidden Holy Emblem to enter Klein’s dream unseen.
• Klein challenged Leonard’s theory that a member of the Fool-worshipping organization had infiltrated the Tingen Nighthawks to steal the Antigonus Family Notebook.
• Leonard claimed Angel had caused Klein to leave the notebook in Tingen and had joined the Nighthawks under a false identity before faking her death.
• Leonard connected Angel to Irene Watson and Angelica Zaki, then said her coffin had contained a shard of mirror instead of her body.
• Angel realized Leonard had dug up her grave and was shocked to learn that a mirror shard had been found inside her coffin.

Leonard questioned Klein in a dream about Angel’s resurrection and the organization’s goals, learning that Klein and Angel sought revenge on the Tingen massacre’s perpetrators, including Ince Zangwill. After Leonard left, Angel and Klein discussed their uncertain resurrection and whether Leonard would believe Klein’s explanation.

• Leonard told Klein he had investigated their graves and found a mirror fragment in Angel’s empty coffin, then explained that Pallez had linked it to an Unaging Demoness.
• Klein challenged Leonard’s assumptions and explained that the organization’s members pursued their own goals, while Klein and Angel had joined for revenge.
• Leonard learned that Klein and Angel targeted Lanevus, the Aurora Order, and Ince Zangwill, and that a Sealed Artifact made cooperation with the Church ineffective.
• Leonard thanked Klein, said he would investigate the truth himself, and agreed to pass Pallez a warning about Amon in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• After Leonard vanished, Angel joined Klein and they discussed the unknown source of their resurrection and whether Leonard would believe Klein’s account.

Audrey received a luck-storing Mystical Item and agreed to attend a church charity gala, while Klein explained why he had donated his disputed shares to the church and invited Angel as his companion. After visiting Doctor Aaron Ceres, Angel saw Will Auceptin appear in a darkened mirror.

• Audrey received the Calamity Priest hair clip from the Hanged Man and accidentally suffered its first bout of bad luck when she tripped during a dance.
• Audrey learned the Church of the Evernight Goddess was holding a charity gala for a Student Aid Fund and accepted an invitation to attend.
• Klein told Angel Baron Cinderas had threatened him after a shareholder named Karon died and left a note accusing Dwayne Dantès of pressuring him.
• Klein explained that he had transferred the disputed shares to the church as seed money for the fund, and Angel agreed to accompany him to the gala.
• Angel visited Doctor Aaron Ceres and Vilma, then saw a black baby carriage and a silver-wrapped baby in the mirror and addressed Will Auceptin.

Angel consulted Will Auceptin about her shifting fate, using her blood as a source of power, and the resurrection of Unaging Demonesses. She then made a Petrification Charm, wrote to Anne Gustav about the Mirror People and the upcoming Pirate Conference, and summoned Reinette Tinekerr to deliver her letter.

• Angel asked Will Auceptin why her fate had shifted, and he stopped her question by crying before explaining how a Demigod could concentrate power in her blood to make a stronger charm.
• Will Auceptin described possible resurrection methods for Unaging Demonesses, including resurrection in the Mirror World through substitutes, and warned Angel that gifts of fate came with hidden costs.
• Angel wrote to Anne Gustav about her battle with Sirio Sauron, asked whether Queen Mystic Bernadette knew how to break the Mirror People's Secret Keeping power, and mentioned Nast's upcoming Pirate Conference.
• Angel used a blood-concentrating ritual and the new rune from Fourth Epoch Trier to make a reddish-purple Petrification Charm.
• Angel reflected that the charm might draw on the Demoness Pathway's Unaging power, then summoned Reinette Tinekerr.

Angel hired Reinette Tinekerr to deliver a letter to Anne and prepared for a charity gathering with Dwayne Dantès. At the gathering, Audrey Hall noticed Angel, who was introduced as Miss Christine Teresa.

• Reinette sensed the threat posed by Angel’s Petrification Charm, accepted a Loen Gold Coin, and agreed to find the Ghost Ship in the Spirit World.
• Angel changed for the charity gathering, arranged a meeting with Baron Cinderas, and instructed Ribak to give Sander a five-hundred-pound thank-you fee.
• Audrey Hall arrived at Saint Samuel Cathedral with her family, wary of the Luck Hairpin’s mishaps.
• Audrey noticed Miss Christine Teresa beside Dwayne Dantès and learned that Teresa had recently returned from Intis and was a devout follower of the Goddess.
• Susie watched Audrey greet the guests and recognized something familiar in Miss Teresa’s violet eyes.

At Earl Hall’s charity event, Audrey Hall recognized Dwayne Dantès and Christine Theresa as strangely familiar, then Christine caught her when she tripped. The fundraiser began under Archbishop Anthony Stevenson, whose smiling gaze settled on Christine as the event turned to Dwayne’s Student Aid Fund.

• Susie watched the guests and wondered whether Audrey resembled someone she had once seen.
• Councilor Macht introduced Earl Hall’s family to Angel and Klein, while Hibbert Hall introduced Dwayne Dantès as the charity’s generous donor.
• Audrey studied Dwayne and Christine, sensing that they recognized her, but she could not remember meeting them.
• Audrey tripped on a raised floor tile, and Christine caught her before she fell; Audrey thanked her and asked about her years in Trier.
• Archbishop Anthony Stevenson led the prayer ceremony, after which Elektra began introducing Dwayne and his Student Aid Fund.
• Christine noticed Archbishop Anthony watching her with a smile from the shadows.

Klein spoke at a cathedral charity event and donated his shares to create a student aid fund for poor students, while Angel attended in disguise and watched for Spectators. After the guests made their donations and mingled, Audrey showed unusual interest in Angel, and Archbishop Anthony joined them as the gathering continued.

• Angel worried that Archbishop Anthony might recognize her, then noticed Audrey and Susie watching Klein as he prepared to speak.
• Klein described poverty in East Borough and announced that he was donating his Kauim Company shares to establish a student aid fund.
• Angel and Audrey each donated £1,000, then Audrey asked Angel about her experiences in Intis.
• Angel invented stories about Trier while speaking with Audrey, and Earl Hall arrived after donating £12,000.
• Earl Hall said he supported Klein's ideals and credited Angel with helping Audrey, before Archbishop Anthony approached with Bishop Electra.

At a charity banquet, Saint Anthony appeared to signal that the Church had dropped its inquiry into Dwayne Dantès, while Bishop Electra mistakenly celebrated his supposed courtship of Angel. Angel later learned Anne planned to attend the Pirate Conference and, after investigating rumors of the Ghost Empire, received Baron Cinderas alone at her home.

• Saint Anthony praised Dwayne Dantès's charity, and Angel and Klein understood his words as a sign that the Goddess Church would no longer pursue the Chanis Gate intrusion.
• Earl Hall invited Angel and Klein to his country ball, Audrey invited Angel to her literary salon, and Hibbert invited Klein to his private club.
• Bishop Electra congratulated Dwayne and Angel on supposedly becoming fond of each other, leaving both of them stunned.
• Anne's letter told Angel that the Pirate Conference would take place on June 18 and that Queen Mystic Bernadette would attend; Angel paid Reinette for delivering the letter.
• Angel learned that sightings of the Ghost Empire had increased and suspected the Pirate Conference would address it.
• Baron Cinderas arrived for an informal visit, and Angel dismissed both their attendants before speaking with him alone.

Angel questioned Baron Cinderas about his attempts to acquire Kauim Company shares and suspected supernatural influence behind his unusually aggressive behavior. When Audrey arrived, Angel suggested she help broker a compromise, and Audrey began investigating the Baron’s motives.

• Baron Cinderas told Angel that he had wanted her help acquiring Dwayne Dantès’s Kauim Company shares, but Dantès had donated them to establish a Student Aid Fund.
• Cinderas explained that he sought control of Kauim Company to monopolize smokeless coal, then admitted he had acted unusually hastily and regretted pressuring Karon and Dantès.
• Angel suspected a Beyonder might have influenced Cinderas and the events surrounding Karon’s suicide.
• Audrey Hall arrived to thank Angel, and Angel suggested Lord Hibbert might mediate between Cinderas and Miss Mary Schott.
• Audrey suspected Angel wanted her to investigate possible supernatural influence and asked Cinderas who had first suggested acquiring Kauim Company.

Audrey and Angel questioned Baron Cinderas and discovered that a Beyonder Ability had influenced his plans to acquire Kauim Company. After they helped arrange a possible reconciliation with Mary, Cinderas suddenly became feverish and lunged at Angel.

• Audrey guided Cinderas into explaining that he planned to buy Kauim Company after Conservative Party acquaintances recommended it.
• Audrey suspected a hidden Beyonder influence because no one appeared to have guided Cinderas’s acquisition plan, and Angel’s divination confirmed that he had been affected by an ability.
• Angel and Audrey urged Cinderas to seek help at a Church of Storms, and he agreed to visit Saint Wind Cathedral.
• Cinderas apologized to Dwayne Dantès and agreed to consider a settlement with Mary through Audrey’s brother.
• As Angel saw Cinderas out, he began trembling, turned back into the room, and lunged at her.

Angel and Audrey stopped Baron Cinderas after he lost control under an apparent Spectator’s influence, then questioned him about who he had met. As Angel considered the unexplained incident, Cinderas climbed over the balcony railing and let go.

• Cinderas lunged at Angel, but Audrey’s hairpin caused him to stumble and fall, bringing him back to his senses.
• Audrey urged Cinderas to apologize to Angel, and Angel questioned him about his recent meetings.
• Cinderas said he had met jewelry designer Hilbert Alukard and visited Hampres, a likely peripheral member of the Psychology Alchemists.
• Cinderas went to the balcony, and Angel noticed him climbing over the railing before he let go.

Angel and Audrey uncovered a Spectator’s attempt to drive Baron Cinderas to ruin, then met again at the Tarot Club, where Angel asked Audrey how she had recognized her. The chapter ended as Audrey prepared to answer during their private conversation.

• Angel and Audrey rescued Baron Cinderas after his belt caught on the balcony, preventing his apparent suicide.
• Angel realized a Spectator had manipulated Cinderas with suggestions of desire and guilt to provoke a scandal or death.
• Audrey judged the influence crude and suspected Cinderas knew about mysticism, while Angel worried the manipulator might be a High Sequence Beyonder.
• Angel and Audrey parted after discussing the incident and Audrey’s plans to become a trustee of the Loen Charity Student Aid Fund.
• At the Tarot Club meeting, Angel and Cattleya presented Roselle’s diary pages, and Angel requested a private conversation with Justice.
• Angel asked Audrey how she had recognized her as the Empress.

At the Tarot Club, Audrey explained how she recognized Angel and asked the Fool to protect her from a possible Nighthawk dream examination. She also identified Dwayne Dantès as the World, and the gathering began after he asked her to keep his false identity secret.

• Audrey told Angel that her surprised look at the gala and her words, “Please trust me,” had revealed her identity.
• Angel warned Audrey that the Church of Storms and the Nighthawks might investigate Baron Cinderas’s case, and asked the Fool to protect Audrey during a dream examination.
• The Fool promised Audrey a blessing and advised her to pray if she noticed anything unusual.
• Audrey asked whether Dwayne Dantès was the World, and the Fool restored the World’s senses so he could answer.
• The World confirmed that he was using Dwayne Dantès as a temporary false identity and asked Audrey to keep it secret.
• The Fool lifted the sensory restrictions on the others, and the Tarot Club gathering began.

Angel asked whether an Artisan could turn her Iron-Blooded Knight Beyonder Characteristic into a Mystical Item, but learned that a Demigod characteristic likely required a Sequence 4 Alchemist. The Tarot Club discussed the coming Pirate Conference and Angel’s report of Mirror People, leaving Cattleya unsure whether she could alert the Queen without violating the Club’s secrecy.

• Angel asked Alger’s Artisan to make a Mystical Item from her Iron-Blooded Knight Beyonder Characteristic, and Alger said the Artisan had never handled one above Sequence 5.
• Cattleya explained that Demigod characteristics carried divinity and offered to contact an Alchemist for 2,000 pounds or buy the characteristic, but Angel declined both options for now.
• Cattleya said the Pirate Conference was approaching, fewer pirates were expected, and the Golden Queen had reportedly received an invitation.
• Angel described the Mirror Person phenomenon to the Tarot Club, prompting Audrey and the others to react with alarm and speculation.
• Cattleya wondered whether Angel wanted her to warn the Queen about Trier’s corruption, but feared breaking the Tarot Club’s secrecy rules.

Cattleya sent Queen Mystic an answer about the diary symbols and asked about the Mirror Person in Trier. In Hillston Borough, Angel used Arrodes to learn that Hvin Rambis, a royal adviser and Psychological Alchemist, had manipulated Baron Cinderas and was connected to the Great Smog, human trafficking, and the deaths of Jason O'Neill and his wife.

• Cattleya wrote to Queen Mystic that the symbols meant “hometown” and asked what she knew about the Mirror Person in Trier.
• Angel summoned Arrodes and learned that the Machinery Hivemind had questioned it about Baron Cinderas.
• Arrodes showed Angel that a hidden Spectator had given Cinderas mild-sounding advice while implanting instructions that led him to attack Angel and Audrey and attempt suicide.
• Arrodes identified the hidden Beyonder as Hvin Rambis, a Sequence 4 Manipulator and member of the royal advisory council and the Psychological Alchemists' Council.
• Arrodes revealed that Hvin Rambis was connected to the Great Smog of Backlund, a human trafficking case, and the “suicide” of Jason O'Neill and his wife.

Angel learned that Hvin Rambis had ordered the O'Neill family's deaths through a subordinate and considered the dangers awaiting her at the Pirate Conference. She attended the Loen Charity Student Aid Fund's founding ceremony, where she reunited with Audrey and Dwayne Dantès.

• Arrodes told Angel that Hvin Rambis had arranged for a subordinate to use an Advanced Charm against the O'Neill family after Emily escaped the traffickers.
• Angel learned that Rambis knew Audrey was a Psychiatrist but had not discovered Angel's identity or their interference in his scheme against Baron Cinderas, so she decided not to attack him yet.
• Arrodes warned Angel that Nast, Baros Hopkins, and the Rose School posed threats at the Pirate Conference, and Angel weighed attending despite the danger.
• Angel arrived at Saint Samuel Cathedral's nearby office for the Loen Charity Student Aid Fund's founding ceremony.
• Audrey arrived and explained that her father had suggested she help run the fund; Dwayne Dantès then joined the two women.

At the Student Aid Fund’s founding ceremony and board meeting, Audrey, Angel, and Klein worked to launch the charity while concealing their Tarot Club identities. Afterward, Klein warned Angel that Amon had come to Backlund, and Helene was suddenly pulled into a mirror as she prepared to leave her ship.

• Audrey greeted Dwayne Dantès at the Student Aid Fund ceremony, and Angel and Klein suggested ways to publicize the fund and distribute aid safely.
• Audrey proposed visiting schools and meeting applicants, while Angel warned her to dress plainly when doing charity work.
• The first Board Meeting ended without conflict, and Audrey linked arms with Angel for a group photo that also caught Klein beside them.
• Klein told Angel that Hazel’s rat was a wounded Demigod of the Marauder Pathway, then said he had agreed to help Miss Sharron and Maric steal a mummy.
• Klein revealed that Amon had come to Backlund seeking an organization that worshipped Mr. Fool, and Angel offered to return from Bayam if needed.
• Helene gave William instructions before her days off, but a pair of hands emerged from a mirror and dragged her and her luggage inside.