Chapter Summaries

Derrick sought advice on safely completing his Priest of Light advancement ritual, while Klein and Alice worked out what to tell Leonard about the Fool’s angels. Alice warned Klein about the Ancient Sun God’s loss of identity, then ended their conversation by rolling away in her human form.

• Derrick asked the Tarot Club how to create safe, pure darkness for his advancement ritual, and Cattleya suggested asking his Chief for protection and ways to endure the darkness.
• Alger agreed to gather information, and Derrick said he would consult his Chief after the meeting.
• Klein asked Alice to help invent a convincing account of the Fool’s angels for Leonard, and she described the Angel of Fate, the Death Angel, and a Punisher Angel based on the Sea God Scepter.
• Alice warned Klein that he must distinguish himself from the original owner of the castle when he became a god, hinting that the Ancient Sun God’s identity might have been replaced.
• Klein apologized after joking about Alice’s experience as a god, but Alice asked to see his incomplete Mythical Creature Form and then rolled away in her human form.

Klein considered using a Supernatural Circus to spread ghost stories, while Leonard and Pallez discussed the Fool and Roy King arrived in Backlund seeking Miss Fortune. Alice discovered that Hazel remained pregnant with Will Auceptin despite Amon having taken him away, leaving her unsure what to do.

• Klein considered forming a Supernatural Circus to frighten people and spread supernatural rumors, then prepared to ask Arrodes about the Sequence 3 potion and other matters.
• Leonard read Klein's letter with Pallez and accepted Pallez's speculation that Klein might have Amon's protection of Concealment.
• Darkwill worried about obtaining blood source essence from a Sequence 7 Sanguine, and his owl mocked him using his own manner of speaking.
• Roy King reached Backlund with Will Auceptin's protection and wondered whether to seek Miss Fortune at St. Samuel Church or ask about her Honorific Name.
• Hazel fretted over her delayed period and the possibility that Beyonder powers had made her pregnant.
• Alice examined the Tarot Club members' Fates and discovered that Hazel was still carrying a pregnancy connected to Will Auceptin inside Amon, then wondered whether to ask Amon to take the fetus back.

Alice sought advice from Klein about how to end Hazel’s pregnancy, which had resulted from a Restart involving Amon, while worrying that treatment might harm Hazel. Their discussion left them considering a potion and other sources of advice, as Alice also recognized that her dealings with Amon could put Klein at risk.

• Alice asked Audrey about Hazel’s psychotherapy, learned that Hazel had begun recalling her past, and decided not to visit her yet.
• Alice considered possible ways to handle Hazel’s pregnancy, ruled out Frank Lee and giving birth, and consulted Klein Above the Gray Fog.
• Klein worried that Amon might use Alice to reach him and steal Castle of Origin, while Alice admitted her dealings with Amon could amount to a transaction.
• Klein suggested trying a pregnancy-terminating potion and seeking advice from Arrodes or the Tarot Club if it failed.
• Alice worried the potion might harm Hazel and blamed Amon, Will Auceptin, and Flora Jacob for Hazel’s predicament, while admitting Flora had come to her herself.

Alice told Audrey that Hazel was still pregnant despite Amon stealing part of the child, and planned to help Hazel seek an abortion through a potion. She arranged for Audrey to psychologically suggest that Hazel seek help and asked Emlyn to diagnose her, leaving the plan dependent on their preparations.

• Alice contacted Audrey and explained that Hazel was still pregnant after Amon had stolen only part of the child.
• Alice asked Audrey to psychologically suggest that Hazel consider seeking help and arranged for Hazel to encounter Emlyn by chance.
• Alice told Emlyn about Hazel and asked whether he could create a potion to induce an abortion; Emlyn said he needed to examine her first.
• Alice left after teasing Emlyn with a poem and recalling how he bragged about the Sanguine.
• Alice remembered the Fat Apothecary and wondered whether he might become an Artificial Vampire if he advanced to Sequence 7.

Darkwill encountered a blood-eyed man who claimed to be his future companion, while Roy King returned most of a stranger’s money through a donation to St. Samuel Church. Audrey guided Hazel to Harvest Church, where Emlyn diagnosed her as carrying a life outside her body and offered a potion; Hazel agreed to pay 300 pounds and gather the ingredients.

• A blood-eyed man entered Darkwill’s herb shop, identified himself as Darkwill’s future companion, and frightened Darkwill and his owl.
• Roy King accepted a 5-pound note from a man whose wallet he had returned, then donated the rest of the money at St. Samuel Church.
• Audrey used her ability to suggest that Hazel visit Harvest Church for help with her unexplained illness.
• Hazel went to Harvest Church, where Emlyn recognized that she was nurturing a life that was not inside her body.
• Emlyn offered Hazel a potion for 300 pounds, and Hazel agreed to obtain the common medicinal ingredients herself.

Emlyn helped Hazel prepare for a Potion while Alice protected their plans with Anti-Divination. At St. Samuel Church, Alice met Roy King, who treated her as the incarnation of his Lord and offered to serve her, leaving her to question his motives.

• Hazel agreed to prepare the ingredients for the Potion, and Emlyn promised to tell her when it was ready; Alice then instructed him to let Hazel drink it herself and report back.
• Alice recognized Roy King at St. Samuel Church and went with him for ice cream, where he claimed she was the incarnation of his Lord and asked to learn the Lord's Honorific Name and will.
• Alice told Roy that she had advanced using Charlie King's Beyonder Characteristic, but Roy accepted it as an honor and explained that he and Charlie belonged to the School of Life.
• Roy said the Fat Apothecary was living peacefully near the Roselle Islands and admitted he had never tried the Apothecary's aphrodisiac; Alice realized Roy cared about his student.
• Alice asked Roy whether he wanted to share Charlie's fate, and Roy offered to spread her name, serve her within the Church of Evernight, and act against Will Auceptin.
• Alice praised Roy as a Winner and a fence-sitter, then questioned the true purpose behind his offer to serve her.

Alice spoke with Roy King about fate, loneliness, and the bonds that could anchor a Beyonder and give him reason to advance. Roy King took her advice to heart, then returned to asking about his lord’s Honorific Name and doctrines.

• Alice tested Roy King’s composure by proposing an unusual prayer gesture for her believers, and he praised the idea while suggesting it be reserved for special ceremonies.
• Roy King revealed that Alice had killed his teacher, Councilman Rejoice, but said he did not seek revenge because their destined affinity had ended.
• Alice suggested that bonds with others could anchor Roy King and help him find the resolve to advance beyond Sequence 5, and he thanked her for the guidance.
• Alice and Roy King discussed their ages and the Apothecary potions that helped him look young, while Alice teased him about teaching the secret.
• Roy King reminded Alice that he had come to ask about his lord’s Honorific Name and doctrines.

Alice gave Roy King a new honorific name and spun a story about her origins and doctrines while asking him to write her holy scripture. She left him stunned with the promise that she would appoint him Pope if he did his best.

• Alice named herself the Creator of Happiness and Miracles, Ruler of Misfortune and Calamity, Future Unknown, and Soothsayer.
• Alice explained Buddhist terms such as Nirvana, Reincarnation, and Karma, then claimed their language and history had disappeared.
• Alice told Roy King that she predated the Original Creator, had awakened as part of Fate, and had been trapped in a childlike mind after taking her divine throne.
• Alice claimed that Evernight and the Fool were her Blessed and asked Roy King to write her holy scripture, suggesting he include miracles and God's Followers.
• Alice patted Roy King on the shoulder and promised to appoint him Pope if he did his best.

Alice discovered that Sherman was Trissy in disguise and learned that Trissy had returned to Backlund to avenge Prince Edsack. After Klein asked Alice to watch Trissy and protect Sherman if possible, Alice proposed giving Hazel and Sherman cards.

• Roy King left to retrieve Potion ingredients and planned to leave the Holy Bible writing to Darkwill.
• Hazel obtained Emlyn's abortion Potion and returned home with it, while Alice watched her hesitate to take it alone.
• Alice discovered that Sherman, who was stirring conflict between gangs, was Trissy using a male identity and performing as an Instigator.
• Alice told Klein about Sherman, and Klein said Trissy had returned to avenge Prince Edsack and was influencing Sherman toward her goals.
• Klein asked Alice to monitor Trissy and help Sherman if she could, and Alice suggested giving cards to Hazel and Sherman.

Alice and Klein discussed the Tarot Club, Roy King, and their views on the approaching Apocalypse, revealing Alice’s uncertainty about who she could trust and whether to flee or fight. Alice then wondered whether Klein might betray her for money, recalling that he had once sold information about her for fifty pounds.

• Alice asked why Klein had excluded Leonard from his account of the coincidences that brought Tarot Club members together, and Klein explained that Leonard’s connection to Pallez had made him consider inviting him early.
• Alice told Klein how Roy King had helped her write a Holy Bible, and she explained that she might make him Pope if she lacked a better candidate but did not trust his fence-sitting.
• Klein said he would not persuade Alice to spare Roy King, though he disliked her treating human lives as if they did not matter.
• Alice admitted she had once considered letting Amon take Castle of Origin from Klein, but she changed her mind because she felt Klein should make his own choice about the Apocalypse.
• Klein observed that Alice seemed to avoid making enemies, and Alice considered how friendships and alliances among powerful beings could depend on mutual interests.
• Alice asked whether Klein might sell her out, recalled that he had once accepted fifty pounds to investigate her, and labeled the Seer pathway greedy for money.

Alice warned Klein that Adam’s plans could lead to a war involving multiple True Gods, but supported his choice to try to stop it and urged him to prepare and warn Bernadette. Klein also revealed his theory that Roselle was trapped in an undiscovered mausoleum, while Alice suspected Roselle had brought something dangerous back from the Moon; afterward, she tried to contact the Goddess of Death.

• Klein thanked Alice on Bernadette’s behalf for the Fate pathway blood, then asked what made Soothsayers’ prophecies different, and Alice explained that they could make false prophecies come true through coercion.
• Alice told Klein that Bernadette’s prophecy in Backlund might be part of a World War Adam had envisioned, which could serve as the prelude to a Divine War involving at least two True Gods.
• Alice warned Klein not to try to stop the war, but when he said he might do so anyway, she accepted his choice and advised him to act while he could and prepare for the danger.
• Alice told Klein to warn the Goddess and Bernadette about the coming conflict, avoid trusting prophecies, and refrain from investigating them.
• Klein told Alice that Roselle might be trapped in his missing mausoleum, and Alice concluded that he had likely brought something dangerous back from the Moon, possibly even Zaratul’s child.
• Alice attempted to pray to the God of Death’s Uniqueness and asked whether the Goddess knew of Adam’s plan or was collaborating with him, but received no reply.

Alice took both rings of Rose’s Oath from Ernest Boyar and Earl Mistral, then questioned Mistral about how humans could become Sanguine. Mistral fled to Duke Olmer with news that Miss Fortune had appeared in Backlund, raising questions about the city’s restrictions on angels.

• Alice divined the abilities and drawbacks of Ernest Boyar’s mystical items and decided to take the paired rings to give to a friend as wedding rings.
• While Ernest Boyar was unconscious, Alice entered his dream and asked for the ring Mistral wore; Mistral recognized her as Miss Fortune and tried to escape.
• Alice stopped Mistral with her power, took his ring, and insisted on buying it rather than accepting it as a gift.
• Alice asked Mistral about the conflict between Sanguine and Artificial Vampires and whether humans could become Sanguine, then left with one half of Rose’s Oath.
• Mistral rushed to Cosmi Odora and reported to him that Miss Fortune had appeared in person and taken Rose’s Oath.
• Cosmi questioned how an angel could be in Backlund despite the agreement barring Grounded Angels and Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts, and Mistral noted that Duke Olmer was also a Grounded Angel.

After Emlyn’s operation with the Sanguine, the Tarot Club divided the spoils Above the Gray Fog and discussed the Rose School hunt. The gathering ended with Mr. Fool speaking a single word, “Fate,” after Alice hinted that Emlyn should use his looks to approach Hazel.

• Duke Olmer told Mistral to keep watching Emlyn and find people wearing Rose’s Oath without attacking them.
• Ernest Boyar volunteered to work at Harvest Church for a month while Alice asked Emlyn for Rose’s Oath.
• Emlyn presented the spoils Above the Gray Fog, and Alice explained that Rose’s Oath was one of a pair of rings that could share senses and thoughts but would make their wearers fall in love after a week.
• Emlyn said the Temperance Faction member wanted to wait until after September to act against an important Rose School member, and Alger inferred they were waiting for a major event.
• The Tarot Club divided the spoils: Xio took 335 pounds, Audrey chose the Alcohol Nemesis pin, Leonard took the Moon Paper Figurine, and Emlyn kept the Moon Ribbon while promising Alger 1,000 pounds.
• Alice offered to help Emlyn with a problem if he got Hazel to drink a potion, then suggested he use his appearance to climb the social ladder before Mr. Fool said, “Fate.”

Alice distributed Rose's Oath among the Tarot Club and later met Bernadette, who sought guidance about her advancement ritual and the coming war. Alice warned her not to interfere, then revealed that Bernadette's father had loved her and had sacrificed himself to stop an early Apocalypse, leaving Bernadette tearfully grateful and calling Alice Aunt.

• Alice suggested that Emlyn become her lover, and Audrey changed the subject by asking about Dream Weaver and omniscience; Alice warned that the answers were deadly secrets reserved for Angels.
• Alice and Klein discussed when she should give Rose's Oath to the captain and the others, then Alice waited for Bernadette's visit.
• Bernadette asked whether she could stop the predicted war to complete her Sage advancement ritual, and Alice warned that Adam had said the war could involve a True God and must not be interfered with.
• Bernadette explained her resentment toward her father and her fear of learning the truth about his past, and Alice said he had been flawed but likely became a hero by stopping an early Apocalypse.
• Bernadette broke down in tears as Alice explained that her love had given her father a sense of belonging, then accepted Alice's comfort and called her Aunt.

Alice told Bernadette that Roselle might still return as the Black Emperor and discussed what she would need to do to seek Mr. Fool’s help. After Bernadette left, Alice and Klein joked about their tangled family relationships and whether their world was Greek Mythology.

• Alice told Bernadette that Roselle might still be alive and advised her to wait until Mr. Fool could intervene more safely.
• Bernadette asked why Alice seemed more familiar with Mr. Fool than with Roselle, and Alice said she was trying to please Mr. Fool.
• Alice told Bernadette that a complete diary could serve as payment for help recovering her father, then asked her to find a living Reaper for Sharpe’s agreement.
• Bernadette said Sharpe was descended from her younger brother Ciel and revealed that Ciel was serving as Frank Lee’s laboratory assistant aboard the Future.
• After Bernadette departed, Alice messaged Klein that Bernadette had called her Auntie, prompting them to debate their family titles.
• Alice and Klein compared the Ancient Sun God’s complicated relationships to Greek mythology, and Alice suggested that the Lord of Storms might be Zeus.

Alice helped Emlyn gain Hazel’s trust so Hazel could take a potion at Harvest Church, ending the pregnancy and easing Alice’s worries. The resulting loss weakened Will Auceptin, and Amon used the crisis to make Will agree to accompany him to the Land Abandoned by God without being parasitized; Hazel was left recovering at Harvest Church.

• Alice discussed Frank’s mushroom research with Klein, who explained that he wanted to experiment with making charms from his Worms of Spirit and asked Alice to restore failed attempts.
• Alice rode a bicycle around Backlund, and Klein’s Miracle Circus held its first successful, ordinary performance while Fors rushed to finish its promotional book.
• With Audrey’s help, Emlyn gained Hazel’s trust, and Hazel drank a potion at Harvest Church as Alice watched with relief.
• Will Auceptin’s condition worsened after Hazel’s pregnancy ended, and Amon revealed that Alice had helped bring about the abortion while he had encouraged events from the sidelines.
• Will Auceptin agreed to accompany Amon to the Land Abandoned by God on the condition that Amon would not parasitize him.
• Hazel recovered on a makeshift cot at Harvest Church and asked Emlyn whether it was finally over.

Alice discovered that Amon had stolen one of her Rose's Oath rings, then sent him the matching ring as a wedding gift to mock him and Klein. At the next Tarot Club meeting, she claimed Emlyn’s potion had nearly killed a Sequence 1 Archangel, leaving the members stunned and Alger worried about Emlyn’s safety.

• After Amon vanished from Alice’s home, she realized he had taken one of her Rose's Oath rings and went to Klein for advice.
• Alice decided to send Amon the remaining ring with a letter calling it a wedding gift for Amon and the future wife of the Lord of Mysteries.
• Amon received Alice’s letter, identified the rings, and shattered them, leaving only a clear gem in his hand.
• At the Tarot Club meeting, Alice told Emlyn that his potion had grievously wounded a Sequence 1 Archangel and nearly killed him.
• Alger asked whether the Archangel had survived, realizing that Emlyn could be in danger if Alice’s claim was true.

At a Tarot Club gathering, Alice explained how Will Auceptin was gravely injured after a chain of events involving an Abortion Potion, and the members discussed the danger to Emlyn and Alice’s outrageous reputation. Later, Klein received a Reaper Marionette from Bernadette, while Alice and Klein considered how to make charms using Worms of Spirit and settled on naming the new charm.

• Alice told the Tarot Club that Will Auceptin had Restarted in the womb of an unmarried woman, and that Amon had taken him away before she gave the woman an Abortion Potion.
• The Tarot Club members realized Will Auceptin had been gravely injured and worried that Emlyn might die if the Angel investigated the incident.
• Alice described how she had removed and returned Anderson’s misfortune, while Klein revealed he had demanded seven thousand pounds from Anderson for the charms.
• Alice claimed Evernight and Mr. Fool were her Blessed, then said she respected everyone she could not beat.
• In September, Bernadette gave Klein a Reaper Marionette, and Alice used a Worm of Spirit to make a new charm with Klein’s help.
• Alice proposed using Beyonder Characteristics from miscarried children or her own Restarted body to produce charm materials, and Klein objected before asking whether to call the charm Talk About It Tomorrow.

Alice investigated Shermane’s approach to Viscount Stratford while Xio revealed her own secret surveillance of the viscount and the truth behind her father’s disgrace. The chapter ended with Xio realizing that the Witch Alice had identified as Shermane was her old friend Sherman.

• Alice told Klein that Trissy had instigated Shermane to seduce Viscount Stratford, and Klein asked her to keep watch and stay safe.
• Alice learned from Miss Justice that Hvin Rambis had asked Audrey Hall to investigate nobles’ attitudes toward a large-scale war.
• Alice found Xio surveilling Viscount Stratford and asked her for MI9 reports about the people who had visited him.
• Xio told Alice that Stratford had served as her father’s deputy before her father was accused of rebellion and executed, and that she had come to Backlund to clear his name.
• Alice explained that Shermane had once been called Sherman and believed she had been born in the wrong body, and Xio recognized her as her friend.

Alice told Xio that their investigations into Viscount Stratford overlapped, then let Xio pursue Sherman despite her own anger. Alice returned to Meager Manor and warned Klein that Sherman’s situation would change that night, while foreseeing that he would gain a Demigod-level marionette.

• Xio told Alice that an MI9 agent had recruited her to investigate Viscount Stratford, and Alice advised her not to mention the unfamiliar woman near him yet.
• Alice explained that she and Xio shared an interest in Viscount Stratford and warned that Sherman might not want to see Xio again.
• Xio admitted that she still wanted to see Sherman, and Alice drenched her with rain before allowing her to follow Sherman’s carriage.
• Xio followed Sherman while Alice stayed behind and noted that Trissy would prevent anyone from catching up with her friend.
• Alice went to Klein’s room at Meager Manor and later told him that Sherman’s situation would change that night and that he would gain a Demigod-level marionette.