Chapter Summaries

After returning to the Source of Flow, Angel left Toby there while Gloria continued her research into Birth Art. Gloria overcame one of its final difficult points, then discovered a concealed Lionheart-and-thorns mark on Angel’s brooch.

• Angel left Demon Illusion Island for the Source of Flow with the recovering Toby tucked into his breast pocket.
• Gloria successfully completed a deduction that resolved one of the five remaining difficult points in Birth Art.
• Gloria credited Toby with bringing her luck and learned from a Black Demon Shadow Servant that Angel had taken him to the Source of Flow.
• Gloria decided not to visit Angel and instead examined the Dreamscape Twins brooch he had given her.
• Gloria fed energy into a hidden relief on the brooch and revealed an image of a Lionheart entwined in thorns, which she suspected was Angel’s mark.

Gloria entered Angel’s Dreamscape Twins illusion and encountered a strange Catbus after exploring a moonlit forest road. Meanwhile, Angel shared tea and the story of meeting Toby with Iron Armor Granny, then left the moving fortress wondering whether Gloria had found the Catbus.

• Gloria entered Angel’s illusion and explored a dark forest path that led to a tunnel blocked by a collapse.
• Wind rang the bells at a stone post, and a large orange-striped Catbus emerged from the tunnel and offered Gloria a ride.
• Angel and Iron Armor Granny shared Morning Dew After Rain while Toby eagerly watched the tea.
• Iron Armor Granny praised the tea’s quality and its resemblance to White Orchid Potion, then invited Angel to tell her how he first met Toby.
• Angel left Iron Armor Fort and recalled that the Catbus in his illusion was inspired by an animated film and wondered whether Gloria had found it.

Gloria rode the Catbus to Witch Town and entered its fog-filled, Nightmare Realm-saturated streets, eager to explore the illusion. Meanwhile, Angel completed the Church of the Dead, a soul-sheltering vessel, and placed Frod and the Soul-Nurturing Flower’s illusion inside to test it.

• Gloria chose Witch Town as the Catbus’s destination and watched it pass a tanuki waiting for the Bathhouse.
• The Catbus leaped through a doorway in the sky and carried Gloria into Witch Town, where dense fog filled the area with the aura of the Nightmare Realm.
• Gloria left the Catbus, read the warning calling Witch Town a nightmare playground, and walked into the fog.
• Angel designed and refined the Church of the Dead from the Skull of the Departed, coating its bone structure with secret gold and adding his emblem and a Dead Silence Rune.
• Angel placed Frod and the illusion from the Soul-Nurturing Flower inside the Church of the Dead to inspect its effects.

Gloria explored Angel’s illusion region, experiencing its nightmare-filled Witch Town and riding the Catbus through several story-like locations. At Mysterious Mountain, a gust of wind touched her skin and made her abruptly stand, startled by how real it felt.

• Gloria explored Witch Town’s nightmare scenes, then exited and discovered the illusion had preserved her place when she re-entered.
• Gloria found the Catbus station hidden inside an oil painting in a cabin and boarded the bus for Tree Nest.
• Gloria watched a little girl ride to Tree Nest, where two sisters reunited beneath a giant tree, and guessed the area’s story centered on them.
• Gloria rode past Mermaid Sea and Sky Island without stopping, observing that the other passengers seemed to have their own stories.
• Gloria reached the barren Mysterious Mountain, where a gust of wind brushed her skin and made her leap from her seat.

Gloria searched Angel’s illusion for a faint, familiar mysterious aura but could not locate its source, so she decided to ask Angel directly. Meanwhile, Angel studied the Eye of Nalda so he could appraise the diamond-shaped crystal Little Spot had given him.

• Gloria sensed a mysterious aura on the mountain in Angel’s illusion and recognized its resemblance to a powerful aura she had encountered in Sleepless City.
• Gloria searched the mountain for a week but found no source, and a premonition stopped her from destroying the illusion.
• Gloria put away the illusion and left the Magic Cottage to ask Angel about the mysterious aura.
• Angel entered a period of study after refining the Church of the Dead for Frod and handing his auction alchemical works to David.
• Angel advanced his study of the Eye of Nalda because he wanted to appraise Little Spot’s diamond-shaped crystal himself.

Angel received a message from Sanders and learned that the Sleepless City crisis was worsening, though Sanders had removed the loose ends that might have led others to Angel. After Iron Armor Granny spoke with Gloria about old companions and past ties, the chapter left Angel with Sanders asking whether he had identified the crystal Little Spot gave him.

• Angel decoded a note Toby delivered and confirmed with Iron Armor Granny that Sanders had summoned him.
• Iron Armor Granny told Angel that Sanders had returned exhausted and warned that the Sleepless City crisis might intensify; Toby stayed behind to drink tea with her.
• Gloria visited Iron Armor Granny seeking Angel, learned he had gone to Sanders, and left after reflecting on her mentor Candy Lady Arrietty and Iron Armor Granny's history with Lord Falling Star.
• Sanders told Angel to avoid the Sleepless City matter and said he had cleared away the loose ends connected to him, though prophecy wizards such as Anglu might still watch him.
• Sanders described the expanding Dark Domain and rapid mutations in Sleepless City, then said Little Spot had disappeared and asked Angel about the crystal it had given him.

Angel discussed his research on the Eye of Nalda with Sanders, who offered him access to his books before announcing that he would leave for the Abyss Plane and entrust Demon Illusion Island to Angel. Sanders also warned Angel that the Rat-and-Ant Underground Society might target him, then revealed that he planned to explore the Nightmare Realm using a wooden lock tied to a mysterious attic.

• Angel explained that his Eye of Nalda research had not yet reached the level needed to activate it, and Sanders invited him to study in his library.
• Sanders told Angel that he would soon leave for the Abyss Plane and temporarily leave Demon Illusion Island under Angel’s management, with Gude handling most matters.
• Sanders showed Angel Maya’s message that someone connected to Sanders’ enemies would come after him, and Angel vowed to avoid or defeat the threat.
• Sanders identified the Rat-and-Ant Underground Society as a likely danger and warned Angel that its two escaped core wizards were skilled at hiding and evading prophecy.
• Sanders showed Angel the wooden lock from the Dream Realm Travelogue and said he planned to locate the mysterious attic in the Nightmare Realm, forbidding Angel from joining him.

Angel noticed a strange double image and a blood-red eye when Sanders suffered an apparent spell-related episode, though Sanders dismissed it as an old ailment. Gloria visited to ask Angel about the source atop Mysterious Mountain, but Angel admitted he did not know what it was.

• Sanders suddenly shuddered and panted, then recovered and insisted that his old ailment was harmless.
• Angel remembered seeing a dashed double image over Sanders and one eye turn blood-red before both signs vanished.
• Gude told Sanders and Angel that Gloria wanted to speak with Angel, and Sanders joined him to inspect Angel’s illusion work.
• Gloria and Sanders discussed Sanders’s worsening soul-body mutation, the ambush by Yorkshire’s forces, and plans to retrieve Gloria’s body.
• Gloria asked Angel what the source atop Mysterious Mountain was, and Angel said he did not know.

Angel showed Gloria and Sanders the illusion he had made for her brooch, which used a mysterious sensation rather than a hidden object. Sanders inspected the illusion’s regions and praised Angel’s craft, but warned that its fear effect was limited by Angel’s own experience.

• Gloria learned that Angel had blended a mysterious sensation into the illusion and activated the brooch so Sanders could see it for himself.
• Gloria teased Sanders about not trusting Angel, while Sanders asked Angel about the illusion’s purpose and learned it had been made to fulfill Gloria’s requirements.
• Gloria rode the Catbus to Mysterious Mountain, while Sanders and Angel traveled to Witch Town so Sanders could inspect the illusion.
• Sanders recognized that Angel had drawn on Fairy Tale World and Earth’s civilization to build the landscape, and he admired how Angel integrated the Nightmare Realm’s feeling.
• After touring Witch Town and experiencing its horror, Sanders told Angel that the illusion’s fear effect depended on Angel’s own ideas about how much fear others could tolerate.

Sanders evaluated Angel’s Witch Town illusion, pointing out how its emotional manipulation weakened its intended effect while privately approving of Angel’s imagination and skill. He explored the other regions, became absorbed in Monument Valley’s puzzles, and asked Angel to create another version for him to analyze after they returned.

• Sanders criticized Witch Town for making its fear theme too easy for wizards to recognize as an illusion and advised Angel to improve his emotional control or illusion construction.
• Sanders found clues and stories throughout Angel’s illusionary regions and privately approved of their layered, immersive design.
• In Monument Valley, Sanders used the phantom to guide Ada through puzzles, solved the first stage, and left before attempting the next one.
• Sanders questioned the story behind Ada’s journey after seeing the inscription, “This is a journey in search of forgiveness.”
• On the Catbus, Sanders criticized Monument Valley’s flaws and then asked Angel to create another illusion based on it for him to analyze.

Angel showed Sanders and Gloria the mysterious atmosphere he had integrated into the Mysterious Mountain illusion, though neither he nor the others could locate its source or determine its purpose. After Gloria left, Sanders questioned Angel further, and Angel showed him the Frost Moon Pendant, whose illusion contained a similar unidentified mysterious concrete object.

• Angel joined Sanders and Gloria on Mysterious Mountain, where Sanders and Gloria sensed the illusion’s mysterious aura.
• Angel explained that he had remembered a feeling of mystery from inside Spotty Dog and incorporated it into the illusion while trying to understand mystery and explore becoming a mysterious alchemist.
• Sanders recognized Angel’s unusual skill and asked about the source and purpose of the mysterious aura, while Angel described his experiments with mysterious concrete objects.
• Gloria asked what the mysterious aura was for, but Angel said he did not know; she withdrew the illusion and left after demanding he honor his promise of a gourmet meal.
• Sanders brought Angel to his study, where Angel presented the Frost Moon Pendant and explained that its Snowfield Illusion Realm contained a mysterious concrete object he could not find.

Angel refined a geometric ornament for Sanders while Sanders searched the Snowfield Illusion Realm for its mysterious manifestation. Sanders discovered that the manifestation was the concept of withering and warned Angel against casually incorporating mysterious power into illusions.

• Angel gave Sanders the Frost Moon pendant, and Sanders noticed that the Snowfield Illusion Realm seemed centered on the withering of life.
• Angel refined the Stele of the Strange Ring, a Möbius Strip enclosed in a transparent diamond-shaped shell, as an ornament suited to Monument Valley.
• Sanders found the Snowfield Illusion Realm's mysterious manifestation and returned the pendant to Angel to examine the changed illusion.
• Angel sensed that the illusion had gained vitality, and Sanders explained that its missing deathly stillness had been the concept of withering.
• Sanders demonstrated the Withering Spell on an orchid and warned Angel to be cautious about incorporating mysterious power into illusions.

Sanders revealed that the Snowfield Illusion Realm contained the mysterious manifestation of Withering, which had allowed him to comprehend a new cantrip. He warned Angel to keep the manifestations secret and focus on gaining strength, then explained how spiritual power triggered them; Angel was left wondering what manifestation Mysterious Mountain contained.

• Sanders told Angel that the Snowfield Illusion Realm's mysterious manifestation was the concept of Withering and that he had comprehended the Withering Spell from it.
• Angel realized that mysterious manifestations could be dangerous if others learned he could create them, and Sanders advised him to prioritize growing stronger and not make another illusion realm yet.
• Sanders agreed to speak to Gloria about the Dreamscape Twins and began collecting data on the mysterious manifestations Angel had already studied.
• Sanders explained that spiritual power could trigger a mysterious manifestation, and Angel asked what the manifestation on Mysterious Mountain was.

Angel and Sanders discussed how mysterious manifestations could inspire insight, and Angel speculated that the process might depend on Little Spot’s laws. Sanders urged Angel to prepare protections before leaving Savage Cave; Angel returned to his room with afternoon tea while Flora went to meet Sanders.

• Angel asked whether the bald Mysterious Mountain embodied withering, and Sanders said it lacked the aura of death and advised waiting for Gloria’s insight.
• Angel and Sanders discussed whether mysterious manifestations could produce spells, and Angel guessed that his insight might be limited by Little Spot’s laws.
• Angel considered testing his theory with the Dream Conch of Moonlit Coast after returning to the Old Earth Continent, but kept the idea to himself.
• Sanders warned Angel to prepare protective items before leaving Savage Cave, and Angel left the Stele of the Strange Ring on Sanders’s desk for review.
• Gude caught the tray Huibidon nearly dropped, and Angel accepted the afternoon tea and headed to his bedroom with them.
• Flora arrived, Little Red gave Angel a rose, and Flora went to Sanders’s study while Angel continued toward his bedroom.

Angel learned that Anada had disappeared after setting out to pursue a chance at becoming a wizard, while Sanders prepared for and returned from a trip to the Nightmare Realm. The chapter ended with Sanders bloodied in his dark study, refusing to explain what had happened.

• Sanders examined Angel's Stele of the Strange Ring, and Flora arrived to discuss her anger and Sanders's planned trip to the Nightmare Realm.
• Huibidon told Angel that Anada had vanished after leaving to search for a Frostnight Potion, hoping to raise her spiritual force and become a wizard.
• Angel told Huibidon that Anada could pursue her own goal, then watched him leave the manor with Butler Gude.
• After refining five eagle ornaments overnight, Angel brought them to Sanders and asked about the mysterious attic, but Sanders postponed the discussion.
• Angel left Sanders's study, where the bloodied Sanders remained alone after returning from the Nightmare Realm.

Angel let Toby's abandoned Moon Bell Orchid Fairy companion stay on Demon Illusion Island and arranged for the Kula Kuka tribe to care for and educate it. He put safeguards in place and left Toby to deal with the fairy's former master, a female apprentice.

• Toby returned to Angel with a young Moon Bell Orchid Fairy, explaining that its former master had taken Toby's music box and later abandoned the fairy.
• Angel heard the fairy's account through Toby and agreed to let it stay on Demon Illusion Island.
• Angel brought the Moon Bell Orchid Fairy to the flower room and asked Grandma Babaya to teach it literacy and basic knowledge among the Kula Kuka tribe.
• Angel arranged for a Black Demon Shadow Servant to watch the fairy and set an illusion around the flower room to restrict its movements.
• Angel learned that the fairy's former master was a female apprentice, and Toby indicated that he wanted to handle the matter himself.

Angel constructed the Eye of Nalda’s cantrip model with the Holographic Tablet’s help and used it to appraise Prelude of Reincarnation. The appraisal correctly identified its basic properties but produced five conflicting possibilities for its special effect, leaving Angel uncertain what the item truly did.

• Angel studied the Eye of Nalda and had the Holographic Tablet calculate twenty-seven possible arrangements for its cantrip model.
• Angel repeatedly practiced constructing the model until he successfully formed the Eye of Nalda’s server in his space of thought.
• Angel used the Eye of Nalda to appraise Prelude of Reincarnation before the server dissipated.
• Angel examined five sets of appraisal data that agreed on the item’s materials and basic effects but disagreed about its special effect.
• Angel concluded that the appraisal had partially succeeded because it revealed the item possessed a special effect, even though its nature remained unclear.

Angel learned to use the Eye of Nalda, improving his appraisal skills through days of practice before examining the diamond-shaped crystal Little Spot had given him. The appraisal produced six conflicting data sets, but Angel found a shared portion that made him realize something startling about the crystal.

• Angel set aside further experiments on the White Light Bullet and practiced constructing and running the Eye of Nalda’s cantrip model.
• Angel appraised mundane objects and alchemical works, measuring his results against Promi’s and Midora’s records.
• Angel spent several days testing all twenty-seven arrangements and learned that unfamiliar materials and reactions could produce multiple appraisal results.
• Angel began appraising the diamond-shaped crystal Little Spot had given him and found numerous variables in its composition.
• Angel’s overtaxed mind received six differing data sets, so he extracted their shared information and reacted with sudden realization.

Angel crafted the Soul-Sealing Cage to test the white-light bullets in Prelude of Reincarnation and searched for undead, but found none available. After Toby reported that Sanders had left his study, Angel hurried back to Demon Illusion Island.

• Angel left Demon Illusion Island and crafted the Soul-Sealing Cage at the Source of Flow to imprison undead for his experiments.
• Angel visited the Underground Trading Market, where David suggested checking the Resource Allocation Hall for undead and said one of Angel's alchemical illusions would be auctioned at Ancient Auction in Ancient Riverbank.
• Angel learned that Lord Nis had taken all the undead from the Resource Allocation Hall, registered to be notified if more arrived, and unknowingly sparked gossip among the apprentices.
• Angel planned to search the Holographic Tablet for a way to restrain undead, but Toby told him that Sanders had come out of his study.
• Angel took out the Gondola and flew back toward Demon Illusion Island.

Angel told Sanders that the diamond-shaped crystal was likely an inheritable soul gift, and Sanders took him to Soul Valley to consult Nis. Along the way, Angel’s Eye of Nalda failed to identify an alchemical illusion containing a mysterious embodiment, leaving its nature unknown.

• Angel reunited with Sanders and saw that a scar had destroyed Sanders’ right eye during his trip to the Nightmare Realm.
• Sanders said he had obtained the coordinates connected to Crimson Sovereignty and planned to give Eliza the wooden lock, then revealed he was considering an eye transplant.
• Angel identified the diamond-shaped crystal as an inheritable soul gift, and Sanders warned him not to touch it until they learned what kind of gift it was.
• Sanders took Angel to Soul Valley to ask Nis about the crystal and the soul gift.
• On the way, Angel used the Eye of Nalda on Sanders’ falcon ornaments and failed to identify the mysterious embodiment because its unknown variable might be too broad.