Chapter Summaries

Carlos recounted the legend of the Evil King's Heir, whose birth followed a bloody sacrifice and whose rule unified the Winged People before he died mysteriously. Wazai and Carlos then traveled underwater to avoid giant fish, where Wazai spotted a powerful Winged Person corpse that might be the Sacrificial Fire spark.

• Carlos told Wazai the legend of the Evil King's Heir, who rose to power through cruelty and whose mysterious death followed the queen's second pregnancy.
• Wazai questioned the connection between the Evil King's Heir and the strange place, then took Carlos underwater to avoid the giant Greedy Fish.
• Wazai traveled through waters filled with monsters, using an item to lower his presence and avoid trouble.
• The Spirit Candle guided Wazai to a deep pit, where he saw a level 44 monster called Wet Feather and suspected it held the Sacrificial Fire spark.
• Carlos noticed something about Wet Feather and warned Wazai with a look.

Wazai learned Carlos's theory that Wet Feather might be the disgraced Feathered Folk general Black Feather Nigar, then returned to fight the monster. Wet Feather countered Wazai's ambush and killed him, leaving him stunned as his Wax Ash and soul rose.

• Carlos told Wazai the story of Black Feather Nigar, a silver-clan outcast who became a celebrated warrior before being killed for insulting the Lord.
• Wazai explained that his information said the monster had drowned, and Carlos admitted he could not confirm its identity.
• Wazai left Carlos's Head beside a tree and dove back into the water to confront Wet Feather.
• Wazai transformed into a giant deep-sea worm and lunged at Wet Feather from behind.
• Wet Feather twisted aside and struck Wazai's head with an iron cage bar infused with blackish-purple Warfire, causing Wazai to explode and die.

Wazai repeatedly challenged Wet Feather but was killed quickly each time, vowing to keep resurrecting until he learned how to defeat the boss. Meanwhile, Brother Yu and Leti landed on the Four-Armed Dark Crow, agreed to exchange information using Leti’s “Fire-Gazing Traveler” method, and remained wary of each other.

• Wazai resurrected after Wet Feather killed him and returned to fight the boss again.
• Wet Feather killed Wazai before he could use Replenish Wax Blocks, and Wazai vowed to learn its attacks through repeated deaths.
• Brother Yu survived the fall onto the colossal bird’s feathers, where he found himself pinned down with Leti nearby.
• Brother Yu said the Four-Armed Dark Crow had sent him down, prompting Leti to ask whether the bird had intelligence.
• Leti released Brother Yu and proposed that they exchange information using the “Fire-Gazing Traveler” method, which Brother Yu accepted while staying cautious.

Brother Yu and Leti exchanged information before a violent tilt of the giant bird nearly caused Leti to fall and be strangled by his scarf. After they landed safely, Leti gave Brother Yu his grappling hook, declaring them even.

• Leti explained that stronger beings within the Kindling's flame were more likely to retain their intelligence, though they could not leave their areas, and asked how the Four-Armed Dark Crow had knocked Brother Yu down.
• Brother Yu said the intelligent Four-Armed Dark Crow had ambushed him after Leti fell, but Leti refused to explain why the creature's intelligence mattered.
• A sinister wind made the giant bird tilt, and Brother Yu grabbed Leti by his scarf as they slid toward a fall.
• Brother Yu clung to a feather while Leti struggled to breathe, and they crashed onto the ground when the bird returned to normal.
• Leti pulled out his grappling hook, blamed Brother Yu for nearly hanging him, then gave Brother Yu the hook to settle their debt.

Brother Yu and Leti crossed the giant bird’s back toward its head, fighting off Parasitic Worms and glimpsing strange shapes in the darkness. They found an old feather-built nest, and Leti finally chose to let Brother Yu enter first, leaving the nest’s contents unknown.

• Brother Yu used Leti’s Grappling Hook to climb toward the giant bird’s head, and Leti followed him.
• A Parasitic Worm burst from a feather and attacked them, but Brother Yu killed it with the Sealed Black Sword.
• Brother Yu and Leti continued across the tilting bird, avoiding most of the weak Parasitic Worms and glimpsing distant mountain- or building-like shapes.
• Leti tried to distract Brother Yu after spotting a structure ahead, but Brother Yu saw through his scheme.
• Brother Yu and Leti found an old nest made of feathers and argued over who should enter first.
• Leti decided that Brother Yu should go into the nest, and Brother Yu prepared to claim any treasure inside.

Brother Yu and Leti fought the Carrier of Great Feathers Helmsman while hanging beneath the inverted Great Feather Transporter. Brother Yu waited until the ground came into view before killing the nearly defeated helmsman, leaving the giant bird’s fate unresolved.

• Brother Yu hacked through the nest wall, causing it to collapse and revealing the Carrier of Great Feathers Helmsman fused with a giant bird.
• The helmsman tilted the Great Feather Transporter into inverted flight, forcing Brother Yu and Leti to hang on with grappling hooks.
• The helmsman attacked with magic spheres and bursts of black-purple fluid, while Brother Yu dodged, endured the hits, and swung closer to attack.
• Brother Yu weakened the helmsman with the Sealed Black Sword and the Radiant Feather Longbow but held back from delivering the final blow as Leti urged him to hurry.
• When the ground came into view, Brother Yu fired a specially made arrow and killed the Carrier of Great Feathers Helmsman.

Brother Yu and Leti survived Great Feather Transporter's crash and searched the wreckage, where Brother Yu found a control vertebra and a manual hinting at the helmsman's grim fate. Leti revealed that the surrounding darkness embodied Radiant Beings' shame, and Brother Yu learned that Shadow of Deception had to collect monster loot by hand.

• Great Feather Transporter crashed, and Brother Yu and Leti survived the fall.
• Leti tried to loot the helmsman's corpse, but Brother Yu claimed the spoils and obtained Candle Wax, a Prayer, the Helmsman's Vertebra, and the Transporter's Manual.
• Brother Yu read the manual, which described a helmsman transporting disturbing cargo and fearing he could not return to his family.
• Brother Yu traded access to the manual for Leti's information, and Leti said the area manifested Radiant Beings' shame.
• Brother Yu showed Leti the Helmsman's Vertebra and asked how Shadow of Deception collected loot, learning that they picked it up themselves or used special techniques.

Brother Yu and Leti discovered seven colossal, dead Heavy Feather Giants chained together in the darkness and learned how they had been created. Brother Yu left to report the discovery, while players in the chat discussed their struggles and discoveries in the new areas.

• Brother Yu gave Leti the Helm Spine Bone, but kept it and continued exploring on foot after Leti hinted that he knew the area’s most important place.
• Brother Yu lit the Milestone Spirit Candle, and a flash of lightning revealed seven enormous, lifeless Feather Giants chained toward the darkness.
• Leti identified the place as the Shameful Fire and explained that Radiant Beings had created the Heavy Feather Giants to spread the City of Radiance’s light, using offered souls to give them souls of their own.
• Leti refused to explain why the plan failed, so Brother Yu left to report the discovery before returning to explore the giant beneath them.
• Players in the Chat Channel shared their setbacks in [Shadow Under the Radiance] and [Path to Greet Radiance], along with ways they had adapted to the challenges.

Players explored the Radiant Beings region, traded tips about its hazards and difficult monsters, and speculated that the Kindling hid a darker truth. On the Path of Radiance, they celebrated how easily they could obtain the Radiant Feather Longbow.

• Players shared ways to avoid the Greedy Fish and debated what lay beyond the Long-handed Snake.
• Players discussed Carlos's account of Black Feather Nigar and suspected Radiant Beings was not as righteous as it seemed.
• Players sought evidence by challenging Wet Feather, but most were defeated quickly because they lacked underwater combat skills.
• Players on the Path of Radiance questioned why so many Winged People were dead and celebrated the easy-to-find Radiant Feather Longbow.

The Prison Players tested the Radiant Feather Longbow on the Four-Armed Dark Crow and discovered that it was immune to the bow’s blinding skill. They struggled with the Great Feather Transporter and its helmsman, but players suggested grappling tools and other ways to overcome the challenge.

• Spirit Candle gave the players the Radiant Feather Longbow, and they tried it on the Four-Armed Dark Crow, only to find that it resisted blindness and killed them.
• Players discussed the Dark Crow’s intelligence and learned that staying still during a fall made it more likely they would land on the bird’s back.
• Players struggled to stay on the Great Feather Transporter and defeat its helmsman, whose movements could flip the craft and throw them off.
• Players recommended using grappling tools from the Rusted Craftsman's Travel Bag to handle the transporter.
• A reckless player claimed to have reached the helmsman and killed him with a single slash.

Players discovered that the Great Feather Transporter crashed behind the palace at Shadow Under the Radiance, where chains offered possible routes inside. After fifty-eight attempts, Wazai finally killed Wet Feather and emerged from the underwater battle victorious.

• Players learned that the Great Feather Transporter fell into a pool of decay behind the palace, and identified seven chains as possible paths to enter it.
• Carlos watched Wazai return after fifty-eight deaths and tried to persuade him to rest or help search for Carlos’s body.
• Wazai lamented losing his closest chance to kill Wet Feather after getting greedy for one more hit, then charged back into the water.
• Wazai used his accumulated experience to fight Wet Feather carefully, exploiting its slower reactions from the side and avoiding unnecessary risks.
• Wazai landed a final icy-blue Piercing, killed Wet Feather, and watched its body dissolve into black ash.

After defeating Wet Feather, Wazai collected its loot and promoted his Tinder, transforming into a stronger Wet Feather Worm. He examined the remaining items and prepared to test the new form.

• Wazai killed Wet Feather and collected its Tinder and other loot.
• Carlos warned Wazai that igniting a Tinder from another race was usually deadly, and Wazai explained the Candlefolk's unusual ability to ignite any fire.
• Wazai used the Spirit Candle to promote his Tinder, raising his attributes and improving his Hunting Sense.
• Wazai tested his new Wet Feather Worm form in the water, discovering it had wings, more speed, and a clawed tail.
• Wazai inspected Unclaimed Body's Repentance and Dull-Gleaming Gifted Armor.

After learning that Black Feather Nigar's story might hide another cause for his death, Wazai searched the underwater pit and found a Soul Smelting Furnace. Carlos identified it as an imitation of a rare Giant furnace, leaving Wazai wondering whether Candlefire was connected to the Giant race.

• Wazai and Carlos examined the Dull-Gleaming Gifted Armor and discussed whether Black Feather Nigar had been wronged.
• Carlos suggested searching the underwater pit Black Feather Nigar had guarded, and Wazai returned to investigate it.
• Wazai discovered a sealed Soul Smelting Furnace at the bottom of the pit and brought Carlos to examine it.
• Carlos explained that Soul Furnaces were rare Giant technology and that legends credited Giant furnaces with tempering and combining fire seeds.
• Carlos identified the furnace as an imitation and said the Giant race also called its weapon-forging furnace a Sin Furnace, prompting Wazai to suspect Candlefire had a connection to the giants.

Wazai learned from Carlos that Radiant Beings had tried and failed to create Heavy Feather Giants using Winged People souls. Inside the Soul Smelting Furnace, Wazai encountered Black Feather Nigar’s Remnant Soul, whose confused response to being told he was not guilty turned violent.

• Wazai told Carlos that Heavy Feather Giants had supposedly been created by fusing Winged People and Giant Bloodline, and Carlos realized the soul furnace was connected to the failed plan.
• Carlos mourned the Winged People whose souls had been sacrificed, while Wazai returned to the furnace to investigate.
• Wazai entered the Soul Smelting Furnace in soul form and found Black Feather Nigar’s Remnant Soul kneeling and praying.
• Nigar asked whether he was guilty, and Wazai answered that he was not.
• Nigar declared himself guilty, broke free of his chains, and attacked Wazai with a soul-forged longsword.

Wazai struggled against Nigar’s powerful soul remnant, while players discovered that different answers to Nigar’s question triggered different outcomes. One player persuaded Nigar to accept his guilt by saying that his Lord had judged him guilty, earning Nigar’s Soul Remnant as a collectible that could be summoned in battle.

• Wazai fought Nigar in the Soul Smelting Furnace, then returned to the water after Carlos teased him.
• Players who reached Nigar tried different answers, and one player’s accusation of disloyalty made Nigar explode along with the player.
• A hotheaded player provoked Nigar into a fight, while another answer about disrespect left Nigar confused and weakened.
• One player told Nigar that he was guilty if his Lord said so, and Nigar accepted his guilt before vanishing and leaving behind his Soul Remnant.
• The successful player shared the discovery in the Chat Channel, and other players reacted with excitement and regret.

Players celebrated Nigar Remnant Soul as a powerful ally for fighting bosses and praised the Soul Smelting Furnace’s dialogue choices. Their theories about Nigar’s past spread, while Rogue was pleased that their speculation saved him from having to patch the story.

• Players compared ways to summon allies and recognized Nigar Remnant Soul as a strong alternative to the costly Resentful Wraith Giant.
• The first player to obtain Nigar Remnant Soul tested him in Candlewood Island’s arena and found that he could tank hits, deal damage, and fly.
• Players eagerly discussed using Nigar to challenge bosses, including Wet Feather and the Prison King.
• Players praised Nigar’s dialogue paths and speculated about why the Radiant Beings had framed him.
• Rogue was pleased that players filled in gaps in Nigar’s story themselves, sparing him extra work.

Wazai defeated Nigar Remnant Soul, then explored Yin Soul Crow Village with Carlos’s Head and encountered a Yin Soul Dark Crow. Carlos identified it as an Evil Crow, a member of a clan the Feathered King had once exterminated.

• Wazai defeated Nigar Remnant Soul and gained three portions of [Soul Remnants].
• Wazai and Carlos headed toward Yin Soul Crow Village, while Wazai wondered why Carlos’s body seemed to be nearby.
• Wazai surveyed the bone-filled village and entered its outskirts with Carlos’s Head.
• A Yin Soul Dark Crow appeared at the entrance and warned Wazai away from the village before vanishing when he retreated.
• Carlos explained that the Black Crow Clan had been known as Evil Crows and had been exterminated after rebelling against the Feathered King.

Wazai and Carlos crossed Yin Soul Crow Village and found Carlos's body near a swamp, where a Feathered Filth Mouth attacked them. Wazai put Carlos somewhere safe and prepared to fight the monster.

• Carlos explained that the Black Crow Clan had wings and that he did not know why they were in Yin Soul Crow Village.
• Wazai bypassed the Yin Soul Dark Crow and sneaked through the village with Carlos, encountering harmless old crows and Little Dark Crows.
• Wazai and Carlos saw a mutilated Crowfolk Winged Person displayed as a specimen while old and young Crowfolk knelt before it.
• Wazai found and collected a Little Dark Crow's Remnant Soul as they passed through the village.
• Carlos led Wazai to a swamp beneath a steep cliff, where they found Carlos's ceremonial-robed body trying to climb the cliff.
• A Feathered Filth Mouth burst from the swamp and attacked, so Wazai carried Carlos away and set him somewhere safe before preparing to fight.

Wazai defeated the Feathered Filth Mouth and reunited Carlos's Head with his body, but Carlos's Pilgrim's Fire Seed began guiding him toward the palace atop the cliff. Wazai learned that Carlos could not become a permanent resident of Candlewood Island and left to help him reach the palace.

• Wazai killed the Feathered Filth Mouth and found Carlos's Head speaking strangely about pilgrimage, sowing, and darkness.
• Wazai placed Carlos's Head on his body, restoring him, but Carlos soon seemed compelled to look toward the palace.
• Carlos said his Pilgrim's Fire Seed was guiding him and asked Wazai to take him to the palace; he recalled a route involving the Broken-Winged Feathered Folk and the cliff where souls hung suspended.
• Wazai left Carlos waiting while he went to check what the other players had discovered and sought out the Candle Keepers.
• The Candle Keepers told Wazai that Carlos had become part of his region and would become an empty shell if separated from it, so he could not become a permanent resident of Candlewood Island.

Wazai searched player chats for information about the route to the palace and learned how difficult the chain crossing was. He also discovered that Carlos shared more of the Winged People’s history with players who earned his trust, then closed the chat without sending a message.

• Wazai read world and group chats about the routes to the palace and laughed at players’ complaints about the treacherous chain path.
• Players shared that a Lightning-Resistant Feather and the lowest chain could help them survive the lightning, though the palace remained difficult to reach.
• Wazai saw players discuss why Carlos’s Head told them less about the Feathered Folk’s history than it had told him.
• Wazai concluded that route choice and player attitude affected Carlos’s trust and how much he revealed.
• Landfall and Not Deaf admired Carlos’s lifelike responses, and Wazai deleted the message he had started typing before closing the chat.