Chapter Summaries

Trom learned that Angel Pat was the subject of new news, and Queenie Sudor offered him a chance to travel to the Southern Region and challenge Angel in the New Star Tournament. The chapter ended with Trom preparing to leave Kasisomi in Queenie’s care and take a letter to Lady Sinafa.

• Kasisomi carried Trom and Phantom City through the Abyss toward Sky Island, where Trom played with the elk before Queenie summoned him.
• Queenie showed Trom an image of Angel Pat and asked whether he still wanted to challenge him, and Trom confirmed that he did.
• Queenie offered to let Trom compete in the New Star Tournament if he delivered a letter to Lady Sinafa, and promised him a chance to enter the Moon Chapter if he defeated Angel within three years.
• Queenie arranged for Lady Sinafa to send Trom to the Southern Region through a newly built special passage and promised to look after Kasisomi while he was away.

Trom delivered Queenie’s letter and a magazine about Angel to Sinafa, whose gathering learned that Angel had become an official wizard and glimpsed the Path of True Knowledge. Trom realized his three-year challenge to defeat Angel was hopeless, and Sinafa prepared to take him to the Southern Region.

• Trom said farewell to Kasisomi and traveled from the Abyss to Sky Island to deliver Queenie’s letter to Sinafa.
• Sinafa received Trom in a meeting with Lord Monchi and other wizards, then read the letter and the hidden magazine about Angel.
• Luchi used prophecy to confirm that Angel had triggered a Law-Creation Phenomenon and likely advanced to official wizard while glimpsing the Path of True Knowledge.
• Trom realized that Queenie’s agreement required him to defeat an opponent far beyond his reach and was overwhelmed by the news.
• Sinafa told Trom that she would take him to the Southern Region herself.

Angel escorted Ivan from Black Forest after they discussed wizardry and formed a friendly connection, then joined Sanders at Black Castle for Gloria’s Purifying World Feast. As the feast was about to begin, Angel asked Felicia and Gloria why Toby had not awakened, and they concluded that he was absorbing the energy in Coconut Shell Ocean.

• Ivan praised his conversation with Angel, observed that Black Castle seemed to be changing, and flew away after saying he looked forward to their next meeting.
• Sanders met Angel and warned him that clear-stream wizards like Ivan often did not advance far, then invited him to witness Black Castle’s transformation at Gloria’s feast.
• Angel flew to the platform above Corpse Forest, where Sanders, Gloria, Felicia, Kimberly, and other wizards awaited the Purifying World Feast; Kimberly said Isabella was making final checks.
• Angel showed Toby to Felicia, who explained that Toby’s prolonged unconsciousness and false advancement had left him urgently absorbing energy from Coconut Shell Ocean.
• Gloria agreed that Toby had stolen alcohol to replenish his energy, while Felicia maintained that he was still a liquor thief.

Angel entered Toby’s peaceful dream and discovered that Dream Angel had begun encouraging Toby’s aggression, despite Toby’s apparent recovery. After discussing the strange behavior with Gloria, Felicia, and Sanders, Angel realized that the suppressed Extreme Grudge Intent had likely taken Dream Angel’s form and was trying to corrupt Toby.

• Angel entered Toby’s dream, where Toby slept peacefully on an island centered around Pat Manor and showed possessiveness toward Dream Angel.
• Angel noticed Toby’s jealousy toward the manor’s servants had eased, but Dream Angel angrily scolded Aoli and urged Toby to punish her.
• Angel returned to reality and told Gloria, Felicia, and Sanders what had happened in the dream.
• Felicia suggested Dream Angel might be an outsider, and Sanders pointed out that he was guiding Toby’s thoughts.
• Angel concluded that the suppressed Extreme Grudge Intent had appeared as Dream Angel and was trying to push Toby back into negative emotions.

Angel considered using the Dream Wilderness to protect Toby from the Extreme Grudge Intent and discussed his reasons for studying the Dream Entry Technique with Gloria. At the Purifying World Feast, Kimberly announced Black Castle’s reforms, and Gloria and Felicia began a ritual that spread purifying energy across the land, setting the stage for its transformation.

• Angel decided to consult Frod about Toby’s dreams after the feast and told Gloria he had first studied the Dream Entry Technique to visit Jon in his dream.
• Isabella arrived with Moliya, and Kimberly announced plans to eliminate the undead and reform Black Castle, though many witches still supported the Bloodbath Project.
• Kimberly revealed that Isabella had been confined to recuperate after making mistakes and suffering serious injuries in the Corpse Forest.
• Gloria and Felicia began activating the Purifying World Feast, channeling its energy through a dinner plate and into the land.
• A mist of light purification spread across Black Castle’s territory, and the gathering anticipated the land’s transformation once the mist covered it completely.

Gloria and Felicia’s feast purified Black Castle’s chronic blight, and sunlight finally returned to the region. With Black Castle beginning a long transformation, Angel considered how to leave.

• Gloria and Felicia lifted the platter’s cover, releasing a sphere of purifying light that sank into the earth.
• After the light mist vanished and Black Castle remained dark for several minutes, Gloria urged everyone to keep waiting.
• Isabella noticed the clouds receding, and sunlight spread across Black Castle as black vapor rose from the ground.
• The wizards realized the feast had removed the land’s chronic blight, and Madam Kimberly thanked Gloria and Felicia.
• Angel recognized that Black Castle still faced problems such as Solar Bird’s Fallen Pit and began thinking about leaving.

Angel asked Sparrow Sparrow whether she would leave Black Castle with him, but she chose to stay so Isabella could help her grow stronger. Sparrow Sparrow then proposed a deal involving the Shapeshifting Softworm, leaving Angel waiting to hear what she wanted in exchange.

• Angel summoned Sparrow Sparrow from the bracelet and asked her to decide whether she would leave Black Castle with him.
• Sparrow Sparrow asked Angel to stay a few more days so they could cultivate the Shapeshifting Softworm.
• Angel agreed to stay and asked why Sparrow Sparrow wanted to remain in Black Castle.
• Sparrow Sparrow said she wanted to become stronger through Isabella's experiments and had another reason she wished to discuss as a deal.
• Sparrow Sparrow offered to trade the birth of the Shapeshifting Softworm, and Angel accepted the possibility of a deal while waiting to hear her request.

Sparrow Sparrow asked Angel to save Bobota, explaining that her prophecy showed Bobota falling into an abyss but also appearing with Angel in a wilderness. Angel realized the wilderness might be the Dream Wilderness and considered letting Bobota’s consciousness remain there, but worried the Lord of Profundity might discover it; he left to consult Sanders and Frod.

• Angel told Sparrow Sparrow that Bobota’s failing body and pact with the Lord of Profundity made saving him seem impossible.
• Sparrow Sparrow revealed her prophecy of Bobota’s soul being dragged into an abyss, followed by a vision of Bobota and Angel in a barren wilderness with a distant city.
• Angel agreed to consider Sparrow Sparrow’s trade and reassured her that her request would not change how he felt about her.
• After Sparrow Sparrow returned to the bracelet, Angel concluded that the wilderness was likely the Dream Wilderness, where Bobota’s consciousness might survive.
• Angel worried that the Lord of Profundity could discover the Dream Wilderness and went to ask Sanders and Frod for advice.

Angel learned that Sanders had lost his memories of a terrifying Nightmare Realm experience and heard how Bobota’s sacrificial oath could affect the Dream Wilderness’s exposure to a Demon God. He planned to consult Frod before deciding how to handle Bobota, then learned that someone from the Research Institute had been looking for him.

• Sanders told Angel that his memories of what happened beyond a dark crossroads in the Nightmare Realm had been sealed, leaving him with only feelings of terror and awe.
• Angel explained Sparrow Sparrow’s proposal involving Bobota, and Sanders described how the terms of Bobota’s sacrificial oath would determine what a Demon God could learn about him.
• Sanders said that Bobota must not reveal the Dream Wilderness before his death, and Angel decided to discuss the risks with Frod.
• Sanders told Angel that Kimberly had received a message from someone at the Research Institute, and Angel decided to visit the Dream Wilderness first.

Angel watched Tulas lead Mandhaila on patrol and learned how Frod was using her to temper Tulas’s sense of responsibility. After Angel confirmed he had become an official wizard, Frod showed him a flattering Sky of Truth article about his advancement, whose author was identified as Your Stone Grandpa.

• Daluk and his grandfather watched Tulas slow down and keep Mandhaila close behind him as she chased him through Firstheart City.
• Frod told Angel that Meng Lu had suggested pairing Tulas with someone on patrol, and that Tulas was secretly making sure Mandhaila could keep up.
• Frod said Mandhaila had become more expressive and focused on pursuing Tulas, while Angel used Nightmare Illusion to observe her before leaving the tower.
• Angel confirmed to Frod that he had become an official wizard, and Frod congratulated him after explaining that Leon had told him the news.
• Frod gave Angel Leon’s copy of a Sky of Truth article that praised Angel’s advancement and speculated he had reached the gates of True Knowledge.
• Angel questioned how the article had spread so quickly, checked its signature, and read the name Your Stone Grandpa.

Angel recognized the writer behind articles about him as possibly Talos, then confirmed plans to obtain Dream Wilderness authority and agreed to Sparrow Sparrow’s proposed transaction concerning Bobota. He left to meet Lady Kimberly and find out why the Research Institute had contacted him.

• Angel suspected that the sensational writer Your Stone Grandpa was Talos, the Two-Faced Stone Spirit, based on the pen name and writing style.
• Angel told Frod that the article about his advancement was basically true, and Frod asked whether they should seek new authority for the Dream Wilderness.
• Angel explained that he would first seek a magic-patterned leather scroll that increased Luck before acquiring authority.
• After discussing Bobota, Angel decided he could draw Bobota’s consciousness light into the Dream Wilderness when Bobota died and use the Gatekeeper authority to sever its connection to his soul.
• Angel confirmed that Bobota’s oath only sacrificed his soul after death and that Sparrow Sparrow had kept their transaction secret from him, so Angel agreed to the deal.
• Angel left the quiet room to visit Lady Kimberly and learn why the Research Institute had contacted him.

Angel accompanied Kimberly to contact Muse and Rosen, who asked him to serve as a special guest judge for Sky Mechanical City's New Star Tournament. Muse also suggested the appearance would confirm Angel's advancement and give him a chance to settle on a title.

• Kimberly explained that Muse and Rosen had contacted her, then led Angel to the Soul Domain's signal tower to reach them.
• Kimberly used nearly a hundred magic crystals to activate the signal tower, and Rosen greeted Angel after learning he had advanced.
• Muse joined the conversation, questioned Angel about his sudden advancement, and accepted his vague answer.
• Muse asked Angel to serve as a special guest judge for the New Star Tournament, citing Research Institute points, publicity, and the chance to see his former peers react.

Angel discussed a possible trip to Sky Mechanical City with Muse and Kimberly, then went to Black Castle’s testing grounds to test the Door Model. As the door began to form, Angel sensed that it combined spatial, special, and illusion energy.

• Angel told Muse he might take on the Research Institute task if he returned to Sky Mechanical City before the New Star Tournament ended, and Muse reserved him a spot.
• Angel suggested Kimberly study at Sky Mechanical City, but she explained that her duties at Black Castle kept her from leaving.
• Angel told Kimberly that she might one day study at Sky Mechanical City without leaving Fairy Tale Town, possibly in a dream.
• Two days later, Angel followed Natasha to Black Castle’s testing grounds to safely test the Door Model.
• Angel activated the Door Model and sensed that its forming door carried spatial, special, and illusion energy.

Angel entered the luminous mist of the door he had created to test its effects. In Gust Town, Alex comforted a grieving mother, considered a series of murders, and confronted the blond youth only he could see.

• Angel sensed the door’s spatial, special, and illusion energies settling into balance and felt a bond form between himself and the door.
• Angel stepped through the door’s luminous mist.
• Bolunlang reprimanded Alex for questioning Father God and warned him that Kruya Church would be his responsibility.
• Connie told Alex that her son, Knight Riven, had been killed and left with only his head, one of seventeen similar deaths in Gust Town.
• Alex asked Connie about Faxi’s birthday, then returned to the confessional and addressed the blond youth floating nearby, asking who he was and what he wanted.

Angel’s Door Model test sent his consciousness through a strange passage and left him in an illusory body near Kruya Church, where he met Alex. Angel explained how he arrived and remained in town to investigate the passage and his surroundings.

• Alex saw a blond figure at Kruya Church and eventually decided he was a real person rather than a hallucination.
• Alex introduced himself to the figure, who gave his name as Pat and said he did not know why he had appeared there.
• Angel recalled that testing the Door Model had drawn his consciousness into a strange passage, where he accidentally controlled points of light and was cast into a small town.
• Angel discovered that he had an illusory body linked by special energy to his true body at Black Castle, allowing him to return at any time.
• Angel chose to investigate the town and descended into Kruya Church, where he encountered Alex.

Angel questioned Alex about why he could see him and learned that Alex had amnesia and was investigating a series of murders in Gust Town. Alex believed every victim had died while preparing to leave town, and the chapter left Angel suspecting that something transcendent was behind the killings.

• Angel observed that Alex could see through his illusion and spoke with him after everyone left the chapel.
• Alex confirmed he had lost his memories and asked Angel whether ghosts existed; Angel said he had seen one.
• Angel asked about Holy City, and Alex explained that it lay southeast of Gust Town and was the nearest city to the town.
• Alex told Angel that Knight Riven, Miss Camelot, and Uncle Maini's family had all died after planning to leave Gust Town.
• Alex described the victims as trapped by an unknown force that killed anyone trying to escape, prompting Angel to suspect a transcendent cause.

Angel discovered that Gust Town and its surrounding region were enclosed by an invisible barrier, suggesting the town was a cage. He returned to Alex, who asked why Angel was still alive.

• Angel searched Gust Town and found only a crude map that showed no lands beyond the nearby region.
• Angel flew toward the Holy City, found Knight Riven's bloodstained rope on the river bridge, and continued along the road.
• Angel discovered an invisible barrier surrounding the area and wondered whether Gust Town was an artificial cage and why it had been created.
• Alex read the divine scripture for Father Bolunlang, then silently ignored a vision of a dark figure offering him a hand.
• Angel entered Alex's room, and Alex asked him why he was not dead.

Angel and Alex discussed why people who tried to leave Gust Town died, concluding that the town was trapped in a cage whose nature and history remained uncertain. Alex proposed investigating the murders, while Angel warned that the killer might not be human or even inside the cage.

• Angel told Alex he had crossed a river but encountered an impassable barrier, forcing him to return to Gust Town.
• Alex admitted he was now curious about what lay beyond the town, and Angel invited him to discuss the cage.
• Alex said church records indicated that the road to the Holy City had been cut off five years earlier, suggesting the cage formed around then.
• Angel proposed that the cage might either be a barrier isolating part of the continent or an artificial region whose history was fabricated.
• Angel suspected Alex's amnesia and uncertain origins might connect him to the cage, but Alex suggested they investigate the murders first.
• Alex argued that the victims died because they intended to leave Gust Town, and Angel asked whether the killer might not be human or might be outside the cage.

Alex decided to investigate the serial murders and planned to use Mrs. Connie as bait to expose the killer. He and Angel prepared to follow her when she left for the Holy City that afternoon.

• Alex told Angel he suspected the cage’s creator had arranged a sweeper to kill anyone who uncovered its secret, and Angel offered to help locate the cage.
• Alex brought out the case files he had collected on the serial murders and admitted he had continued gathering information as a hobby.
• Alex subtly encouraged Mrs. Connie to fulfill Knight Riven’s final wish by traveling to the Holy City, where she would likely become the killer’s target.
• After Mrs. Connie left, Alex wrote a plan that treated her death as a foregone conclusion and asked Angel to accompany him that afternoon.

Alex followed Mrs. Connie toward the cage’s edge, suspecting the killer would strike before she could reach it. When the pursuers caught up with her, he saw that one was her supposedly dead son, Knight Riven, and another was the woman Camelot, who had supposedly died a year earlier.

• Mrs. Connie left Gust Town and mourned Riven beside the river, then set out to fulfill what she believed was his final wish.
• Alex and Angel followed Mrs. Connie as she crossed the dark forest toward the cage’s wall, wondering whether the killer would appear before she reached it.
• Mrs. Connie screamed and fled after reaching a point less than a hundred meters from the wall, while Alex hid and watched for the pursuer.
• The bloodied Mrs. Connie fell near Alex’s hiding place, and Camelot appeared in front of her as another pursuer closed in behind.
• Alex recognized the armored pursuer as Knight Riven, Mrs. Connie’s son, who had supposedly died; Mrs. Connie also recognized Camelot, who had supposedly been dead for a year.