Chapter Summaries

Joshua and Ciri entered the World Tree’s Consciousness Space, where scenes from The Shining had appeared after the film’s release. They encountered the Black-Robed Girl and two intruders, and Joshua prepared to release the film’s male lead into the space.

• Ciri’s Jack reaction image spread across the Spellcaster Forum as audiences argued over The Shining, while the theaters stayed packed.
• Joshua and Ciri entered the World Tree’s Consciousness Space and arrived in the Hearthstone tavern from The Shining.
• Joshua explained that only scenes that had made a strong impression on many people could manifest in the space.
• The Black-Robed Girl appeared with two others, including a tall man who spoke of his Master and threatened Joshua and Ciri.
• Joshua stopped Ciri from challenging the intruders and prepared to fast-forward the scene to release The Shining’s male lead.

Chains Father and Thorn entered a Consciousness Space altered by Joshua, where Jack from The Shining repeatedly killed them while Heart Lock watched. Joshua and Ciri treated the intruders’ ordeal as a second-life role-playing game, and Chains Father woke to face Jack again.

• Chains Father and Thorn found themselves in a corridor with an axe-wielding man, and Chains Father’s spells failed to hurt him.
• Jack killed Chains Father and Thorn, but Joshua froze him and explained to Ciri that he had assigned the intruders roles from The Shining.
• Joshua rewound Jack to the end of the corridor, then left with Ciri to watch the intruders continue clearing the movie.
• Chains Father woke unharmed and fought Jack again, but Jack killed him before he revived once more.
• Chains Father revived at the corridor and felt only fear as Jack approached again.

Chains Father and Thorn tried to escape the unkillable axe-wielding man but discovered they were trapped inside a world where magic could not damage the building. Thorn recognized the man from The Shining and posted on the Spellcaster Forum asking how to escape, but Johnny broke into the bathroom and killed them.

• Chains Father tried to smash a window with magic, but the glass remained unharmed, and the axe-wielding man killed him and Thorn again.
• Thorn led Chains Father into another room, but they could not lock its door or move the furniture to block it.
• Thorn recognized the axe-wielding man from a poster for The Shining and opened the Magic Network to search the Spellcaster Forum.
• As Johnny battered down the bathroom door, Thorn posted, “How do I escape the world of The Shining!”
• Johnny broke through the bathroom door and killed Thorn with his axe.

After being killed repeatedly in the world of The Shining, Thorn sought help on the Spellcaster Forum, but the replies only mocked her. Joshua and Ciri eliminated the inquisitors in the Consciousness Space, then Joshua set out to find Tylinn and considered adding a location feature to the Web.

• Thorn woke after Jack killed her for the fourth time and checked the Spellcaster Forum for replies to her plea for help.
• Thorn received mocking replies, then Jack entered the bathroom and killed her again.
• Joshua and Ciri watched the inquisitors and Heart Lock vanish after Jack killed the inquisitors once more.
• Joshua decided to find Tylinn himself and used Web Tracking to leave the World Tree's Consciousness Space.
• Ciri asked Joshua to add a location feature so they would not get separated, and Joshua agreed to consider it before heading back to the Hearthstone tavern.
• Ciri admitted her legs had gone numb while Joshua had rested his head on her lap.

Thorns escaped a terrifying Consciousness Space and reported that it had trapped her and Chains Father inside a movie, while the bishops prepared to take over the mission. In Aserkelo, Joshua discovered that Tylinn’s Faith Power was blindingly strong and asked the World Tree to make it measurable.

• Thorns told the three ghosts that a monster had trapped her and Chains Father in a movie-like Consciousness Space, but they doubted her account.
• Thorns said “Johnny is here!” to awaken Chains Father, who reacted in terror, and Mother confirmed that the method to enter the Consciousness Space was clear despite Heart Lock’s damaged core.
• The ghosts said Gaineko Bishop would take over and ordered Thorns to tell him what happened, while Chains Father remained unconscious.
• Joshua found Tylinn at the Hearthstone tavern, where her immense Faith Power made Arl and Ciri’s eyes sting when they looked at her.
• Joshua summoned the World Tree’s white bird and asked it to add a number that showed how much Faith Power each elf had collected.

At Aserkelo’s council, Elder Capeas opposed accepting the human outsiders because humans had once tortured his friend and slaughtered his family, and many young High Elves rallied behind him. When the World Tree revealed the exact number of admirers above each elf, Aurelian’s overwhelming count silenced the crowd, and she challenged the elders to stop clinging to past glory.

• Elder Sindonal urged the High Elves to accept the humans, but Elder Capeas said he could not live alongside those he blamed for his loved ones’ deaths and chose to leave Aserkelo.
• Young High Elves pledged to follow Elder Capeas, and support for his faction grew as silvery-white numbers appeared above the elders’ heads.
• The World Tree’s Avatar revealed that the numbers showed how many people admired each elf, and Capeas’s number continued to rise.
• Aurelian entered the council with twelve thousand seven hundred and twenty admirers above her head and told the High Elves to stop letting past glory blind them.

Aurelian tried to speak to the High Elves about accepting humanity, but Joshua arrived with Tylinn, whose immense number of admirers stunned the gathering. Tylinn declared that she had found a new home, while Queitoan challenged the High Elves who wanted to leave Aserkelo.

• Queitoan argued that Aurelian qualified to become an elder because she had helped save Aserkelo.
• Aurelian struggled to address the High Elves and missed Joshua’s guidance.
• Joshua arrived at the council plaza with Tylinn, whose number of admirers left the High Elves speechless.
• Tylinn told the elders that Joshua had saved her people and that she had found a new home.
• Queitoan said the High Elves could leave Aserkelo, but that the outsiders would manage without them and see them as cowards.
• Joshua messaged Aurelian, suggesting she say a few words to stir the crowd, but she decided it was unnecessary.

Joshua tracked the two Heretic Inquisitors to the Challenger Mountain Range near Frost Country’s capital and contacted Frost Owl, the country’s ruler, to maintain their relationship and discuss the rebels. He arranged to tell her about the Inquisitors’ base during a Holy Spirit game, then invited Foya and others to join.

• Joshua used Tylinn and the World Tree to locate the two Heretic Inquisitors near Frost Country’s capital, in the Challenger Mountain Range.
• Joshua discovered he had ignored Frost Owl’s messages for nearly half a month and explained that he had been busy with a new movie and the Magic Web.
• Ciri took over the chat and comforted Frost Owl as she discussed suppressing rebels in Frost Country.
• Joshua invited Frost Owl to play Holy Spirit and planned to tell her about the Inquisitors’ base over voice chat.
• Joshua asked Thousand Faces to invite Foya, then posted in the Movie Club council seeking two more players for a five-person team.

Joshua checked Warcraft’s sales and gathered a Holy Spirit party with Herolia, Foya, and Dorothy, while the Dark Elf and Tylinn declined to join. Their match began against five players named Steel Forger, prompting Dorothy to explain that the name belonged to the Queen’s personal guard in Steel Country.

• Joshua saw that Warcraft had sold 210,000 copies and that nearly half of the roughly 100,000 online users were playing Holy Spirit.
• Joshua invited Herolia to the party and found she had played 134 matches, while the Dark Elf insisted that the Saintess was still an enemy.
• The Dark Elf and Tylinn declined to join, and Dorothy accepted Joshua’s invitation.
• Joshua discovered that Foya had played 527 matches, held a 7,127 ladder score, and had a 73 percent win rate.
• Foya started matchmaking, and the party faced five opponents named Steel Forger; Dorothy explained that Steel Forgers were the Queen’s personal guards.

Joshua and Foya faced Empress Yekana’s attempt to recruit Foya into the Steel Country, while Joshua redirected the discussion toward an upcoming Holy Spirit tournament. Shael learned that the tournament’s prize was a crystallization of the World Tree and reacted with alarm.

• Joshua entered the Holy Spirit Battlefield with Axe of Trembling Frost Chrono and saw Steel Forger Fainsai urge Foya to consider an earlier offer from Empress Yekana.
• Foya refused the offer and took First Blood, while Dorothy panicked after learning that Yekana was nearby and wanted Foya to come to the Steel Country.
• Joshua told Yekana that Foya could not travel for health reasons, confirmed that Foya was a demon, and deflected her recruitment attempt by inviting her country to the Nolan Open Tournament.
• Joshua told Shael that every country would participate in the tournament and that its prize was a crystallization of the World Tree, startling her as Frost Owl was slain by Iron Forger Takemo.

Joshua learned that Frost Country’s King Shael was fighting the Rebel Army while playing Holy Spirit, and discussed the World Tree crystal and tournament with him. Afterward, Joshua considered how a server in the Floating City of Aserkelo could bring Spellweb access to the dangerous Deep Green Basin.

• Joshua told Shael that the Karlsilov family had won the previous Holy Spirit Tournament and explained the upcoming five-person national tournament.
• Shael paused their conversation when the Rebel Army attacked, leaving his hero AFK while he fought and killed enemy soldiers with his voice chat still on.
• Shael returned to the match, which ended in victory, then logged off and said he would investigate the Challenger Mountain Range.
• Joshua discussed placing a server in Aserkelo, and the Dark Elf explained that the Floating City was deep in the dangerous Deep Green Basin.
• Joshua concluded that Aserkelo’s server could bring Spellweb access to the basin and decided to set up the world’s third server.

Joshua discovered that Foya Anoroth was being consumed by gray mist in the real world, though Holy Spirit heroes briefly protected her consciousness in the World Tree’s Consciousness Space. After learning the corrosion was spreading through the Demon Realm and tied to his race’s sin, Joshua decided to visit his family with Ciri.

• After inspecting Joshua’s server, the white bird compared his use of Runes to its creator, but the cats stopped it from revealing more.
• Joshua found himself in a recreated Holy Spirit Battlefield and discovered Foya Anoroth there, saying she was dreaming after gaming for a week.
• The white bird revealed that evil energy was consuming Foya’s real body, while a powerful force inside her threatened her consciousness.
• Watcher Samatar Anoroth and other Holy Spirit heroes surrounded Foya and used their light to ease the gray mist’s effects temporarily.
• The white bird said the gray mist was the sin borne by Joshua’s race, and Joshua wondered whether something had gone wrong with the altar.
• Joshua left the World Tree’s Consciousness Space, told Ciri they were going home to meet his parents, and called it a visit that might count as meeting the parents.

Joshua learned that his ancestors stole a monster’s power at the cost of the High Elves’ blood and souls, leaving his race with gray mist and the elves with reason to hate them. He arranged for elven priests to travel to the Demon Realm to treat the infection, and Elder Enya and Arl decided to go with him.

• Elder Enya removed the gray mist from Joshua and explained that his ancestors had stolen the monster’s power, sacrificing the High Elves’ blood and souls.
• Joshua asked the High Elves to send priests to the Demon Realm to treat illnesses caused by gray mist, and Elder Enya offered to go herself.
• Arl announced that she wanted to visit her mentor Foya in the Demon Realm, and Joshua promised to keep her safe.
• Elder Enya decided to accompany Arl and Joshua, while the other young priests gathered to prepare for the journey.
• Joshua and Ciri left the Priest Temple and planned to wait for the elves at the Hearthstone tavern in the Forgotten Land.

Zhi Ye, Arl, Elder Enya, and three young elf priests traveled through a Dwarf city warehouse to a portal bound for the Demon Realm. The young priests befriended Zennas, while Elder Enya remained uncertain that their encounter could ease the hatred between demons and High Elves.

• Zhi Ye and Arl received farewell gifts from High Elf friends who feared their trip to the Profaners' territory would endanger them.
• Joshua led Elder Enya and the young elf priests through the Forgotten Land and a Dwarf mine warehouse, where Zennas opened a portal to the Demonic Realm Royal City.
• Arl and the other priests recognized Zennas as the Demon Prince from a movie and approached him despite Elder Enya's concern.
• The young priests touched Zennas's paws and chest until Joshua reminded Elder Enya to call them back.
• Joshua asked whether their meeting could help resolve demon and High Elf hatred, but Elder Enya said the young priests did not understand how heavy that hatred was.

Cecily struggled to halt the Ashing spreading across the Demon Realm until Joshua returned with High Elves who could cure it. They found the Rulers dead inside the sealed Watchers' altar, and Cecily discovered his journal beside the corpse.

• Cecily found that the Ashing had reached the Water Elementals Lord's land and feared it threatened the Demon Realm.
• The Prophet told Cecily that Joshua had returned, and Cecily inspected him before he introduced the High Elf priests led by Enya as a possible cure for the Ashing.
• Joshua learned that the Rulers had not left the Watchers' altar or responded to Cecily for a long time, so he urged her to enter it.
• Cecily opened the altar's sealed doors and found the Rulers kneeling dead with his own heart in his hand.
• Cecily picked up a scroll beside the Rulers' sword and recognized it as her father's journal.

After discovering a warning that Anoroth would eventually be devoured, Cecily prepared to investigate her father's death and find out what threatened the Demon Realm. Joshua then brought High Elf priests to treat Foya, who reluctantly agreed to let two people into her room.

• Cecily and Joshua read Notlein's scroll, which warned that every Watcher faced a threat and urged his children to leave Anoroth for the surface.
• Cecily decided to gather the dukes and generals, asked Joshua to keep Notlein's death secret, and agreed to let the priests treat Foya.
• Cecily asked whether she could call Joshua her brother, and he reassured her before following the Water Elemental Servant to Foya's tower.
• Joshua, Ciri, and the High Elf priests climbed the bone-strewn stairs to Foya's room, but she refused to open the door to a group.
• Joshua persuaded Foya through the magic net to admit only two people by promising to let her create a hero for Holy Spirit Battlefield.

Joshua and Elder Enya visited Foya to treat the gray mist afflicting her, but Enya could not purify it. Joshua suspected Foya was the host of a World Tree-like force and asked whether she would become an idol to strengthen it.

• Joshua entered Foya's room with Elder Enya and found the princess hiding beneath her bedcovers.
• Foya asked whether Elder Enya could be eaten, and Joshua told her that the elf was a doctor.
• Foya emerged as gray mist gathered around her, and Elder Enya used a vine to draw some of it away before the mist destroyed the vine.
• Elder Enya sensed that Foya's magic was connected to the land, while Joshua saw dim Faith Power struggling against the gray mist around her.
• Joshua suspected Foya hosted a force like the World Tree and asked whether she would be interested in becoming an idol.

Joshua persuaded Foya to enter the upcoming Holy Spirit tournament by promising it could cure her illness, and she agreed after hearing Arl was there. He then headed to a gathering of the Demon Realm’s leaders to recruit players for a team.

• Joshua told Foya that winning the Holy Spirit tournament could cure her illness, but she initially refused to participate.
• Joshua invited Arl and Ciri into Foya’s room, and Foya agreed to enter the tournament after hearing Arl’s voice.
• Joshua promised to convince Foya’s father and sister to allow her to travel to Nolan for the competition.
• Joshua left Arl with Foya and told Elder Enya that he would take Arl back to Aserkelo later.
• Joshua told Ciri that Cecily had gathered the Demon Realm’s leaders to discuss its survival, and he planned to recruit players from among their subordinates.

At the Hall of Edicts, Cecily learned from the Grand Duke of Blood that the Chaos Royal Family’s Watchers were cursed to guard a terrifying presence beneath the Demon Realm. He proposed another way to contain it and revealed that Foya’s true name was Anoroth.

• Cecily raised the banner and summoned the Demon Realm’s dukes and generals to the Hall of Edicts.
• The Grand Duke of Blood told Cecily that every Watcher’s soul and consciousness were gradually consumed while they restrained a terrifying presence beneath the Demon Realm.
• The Grand Duke of Blood warned that a Watcher’s death would let the presence’s power spread and worsen the land Ashing.
• The Grand Duke of Blood said he had another method and asked Cecily to abandon her second decision, while clarifying that he did not mean Foya should become a Watcher.
• The Grand Duke of Blood revealed that Foya had not been born to Cecily’s mother and that her true name was Anoroth.

Cecily and the Grand Duke of Blood discussed how Foya’s fading power might help suppress the monster and stop the Demon Realm’s land from graying. Joshua rejected the plan to make Foya a singer or actress because she would not agree, leaving the question of how to save the Demon Realm unresolved.

• Cecily asked what the Grand Duke of Blood wanted Foya to do, and he praised Joshua for creating the Magic Web and finding a way to save the world.
• The Grand Duke of Blood explained that Foya’s strength was gradually fading and that feeding her powerful creatures provided too little energy.
• The Grand Duke of Blood proposed that Foya gain power through human attention by becoming a singer or actress, as Joshua’s new method could work better than establishing a religion for Anoroth.
• Joshua arrived and confirmed the plan was viable, but said he would not carry it out because Foya lacked the talent and would not want to perform.
• Joshua confronted the Grand Duke of Blood for treating Foya like a tool, insisting that she would never agree to the plan.