Chapter Summaries

Angel accompanied Toby through repeated Heart House trials while selecting a remote, low-Nightmare-aura site for New City. Over three days Toby improved, and Angel spent time with Jon before turning his attention to Rabu.

• Angel used the Eye of God to choose a New City site far from Firstheart City and areas with dense Nightmare Realm aura.
• Toby entered the Heart House eight times on the first day, winning three trials and losing five as he began to gain the upper hand over the Extreme Grudge Intent.
• Angel accompanied Toby and spoke with Jon, who described his fulfilling life in Firstheart City and his research into documents and potions.
• Toby completed eight more trials on the second day, winning four and losing four.
• When Angel could not find Frod on the third day, he checked that the Sin Demon Laboratory was operating properly and then observed Rabu, the only Dream Wilderness resident eligible to inherit Sin Mist's authority.

Angel observed Rabu’s disciplined work and considered him qualified to inherit the authority of Sin Mist, while Frod recounted a deadly incident at the Nightmare Orphanage. The chapter ended with Angel deciding to grant Rabu the authority without Frod’s proposed test.

• Angel observed Rabu working diligently throughout the morning and judged him qualified to inherit the authority of Sin Mist.
• Frod returned to the Dream Wilderness after responding to an incident at the Nightmare Orphanage, where one of seven gifted ones survived.
• Frod explained that the survivor had killed the other six to claim their family’s resources, then tried to attack Sunny and Yada.
• Angel told Frod that Rabu seemed suited to receive the authority, and Frod proposed testing him with a staged Sin Demon crisis.
• Angel rejected the test and told Frod he would grant Rabu the authority of Sin Mist the next day, reasoning that human nature did not need to be tested when the authority could be reclaimed.

Rabu learned that he had been chosen to inherit the authority of Sin Mist, leaving him uncertain about his future as a researcher. After Colairs helped him see that the new role still let him protect those he cared about, Rabu accepted the inheritance ritual and climbed the altar.

• Frod told Rabu that he would undergo an inheritance ritual to receive the will of the world's authority, and Rabu wondered why he had been chosen.
• Colairs reassured Rabu that his new position would still let him stand against Sin Demons and protect the people he loved.
• Angel spoke with Frod about Rabu and watched Firstheart City settle into its new day-and-night rhythm.
• On the fourth day, Frod brought Rabu to the Puppet Theater, where the Sin-Hunting Group, city leaders, and researchers gathered to witness the ritual.
• Rabu thought of Lado and Sunny, then resolutely climbed to the altar to inherit the authority of Sin Mist.

Rabu underwent the inheritance ritual and received an incomplete fusion of the Sin Mist Authority. Researchers identified several useful abilities, including suppressing Sin Demons, and the Sin-Hunting Group began preparing its reserve members for fusion.

• Rabu knelt on the altar as a vast aura descended, then saw a giant tree and received a point of light that sent him into an agonizing unconsciousness.
• Angel confirmed that Rabu had gained the Sin Mist Authority, though his compatibility was incomplete and some functions remained unknown.
• Rabu woke near four in the afternoon and later described his experience before researchers took him to the Sin Demon Research Institute to study his abilities.
• Researchers discovered that Rabu could suppress Sin Demons, sense the general direction of forming Sin Mist, and control some Sin Demons within it.
• With Rabu's abilities established, the Sin-Hunting Group's reserve members could begin preparing for Sin Demon fusion.

Toby decided to undergo his tribulation the next day after defeating the Extreme Grudge Intent in five Heart House trials, while Angel and Gloria worried about his chances. Angel reassured Gloria that the Extreme Grudge Intent in Bright Dream was the same force Toby would face in reality, and the chapter ended with a creaking sound outside the hall.

• Toby told Angel that he had defeated the Extreme Grudge Intent in his final Heart House trial and planned to undergo the tribulation the next day.
• Angel agreed to Toby's decision, then brought him back to reality and explained his plan to Gloria.
• Gloria prepared a meal for Toby and took him to the Ethereal Forest in Dreamscape Twins to rest.
• Gloria asked Angel whether the Extreme Grudge Intent in Bright Dream was the same as the one Toby would face during his real tribulation.
• Angel confirmed that the Heart House projection came from the Extreme Grudge Intent within Toby and assured Gloria that Toby's experience would help him win.
• About an hour later, a creaking sound came from outside the hall.

Angel received an invitation from the Profound Alchemy Society and considered how his response would affect its relationship with Breeze Magic Materials Shop. He declined to attend the gathering and left both sides uncertain of his position as he prepared to leave Sky Mechanical City.

• Butler No. 1 delivered Angel a magical letter bearing the mark of the Lord of Profundity, and Angel learned it had arrived two nights earlier.
• Angel read that Misaro had invited him to an exchange gathering and regretted not being able to purchase a Drama Shadow Box.
• Gloria warned that the Profound Alchemy Society might be testing Angel’s support for Breeze Magic Materials Shop, and Angel decided not to attend the gathering.
• Angel replied that he planned to leave Sky Mechanical City within two days, keeping his support for Breeze Magic Materials Shop ambiguous.
• Gloria agreed that Angel’s vague reply would keep both the Profound Alchemy Society and Breeze Magic Materials Shop wary without forcing him to commit.

Gloria tried to ease her anxiety over Toby’s coming tribulation by bringing him Golden Oak Water, while Angel prepared a safe place for him to face it. Toby broke through Frost’s seal in the void, officially beginning his tribulation.

• Gloria left for Fragrant Plaza and returned with a bottle of Golden Oak Water to help Toby focus.
• Toby emerged from Dreamscape Twins with his spirit recovered and told Angel and Gloria he was ready to face his tribulation.
• Angel opened a door to a lightless void, where Toby could undergo the tribulation with less risk of being detected or causing damage.
• Toby meditated in the void, then released black mist and a terrifying soundwave as he broke through Frost’s seal.

Gloria used Golden Oak Water to try to calm the black mist as Toby fought the Extreme Grudge Intent inside the Jealousy Snake Bird’s mindscape. Toby navigated the Line Zone and faced the Extreme Grudge Intent’s Emotional Torrent without retreating.

• Gloria sent the Golden Oak Water’s aura into the black mist, briefly calming the monster within before it began thrashing again.
• Angel told Gloria he believed Toby would succeed as the turmoil in the mist intensified.
• Toby crossed the mindscape’s traps and entered the Line Zone, using his Heart House experience to avoid its threads and hidden dangers.
• The Extreme Grudge Intent unleashed an Emotional Torrent that covered the void and could not be avoided.
• Toby charged directly into the torrent, confident that his training had prepared him to resist it.

Toby broke through the torrent of negative emotions and raced toward its goal in the Extreme Grudge Tribulation. When the Extreme Grudge Intent filled the void with vortexes and unleashed a horde of demonic beasts, Toby prepared to fight its way forward.

• Toby used what it had learned in the Heart House to ignore the torrent's emotional pull and burst free.
• Toby dodged the remaining traps as the Extreme Grudge Intent recovered and twisted the void into vortexes.
• A bear-like demonic beast crawled from a vortex, followed by a horde of other creatures.
• The Extreme Grudge Intent sent the demonic beasts charging at Toby, which realized it had to fight to reach its goal in time.

Toby transformed into the Wrathful Griffin and discovered that killing the Demonic Beasts strengthened it, allowing it to grow powerful enough to defeat a Black Bi. As it pushed through the horde, the Extreme Grudge Intent opened a colossal vortex ahead, signaling an unknown threat.

• Toby used its rage to transform into the Wrathful Griffin and burned the first black bear to ashes.
• Toby noticed that killing Demonic Beasts increased the griffin’s strength, then fought through the horde to grow stronger.
• Toby defeated the Black Bi and reached the griffin’s maximum capacity in reality.
• The Extreme Grudge Intent parted the horde and summoned a colossal vortex before Toby.

Toby fled the gigantic vortex, only to be blocked by a powerful Demonic Beast that revealed itself as Snakebird. Confident from his many Heart House encounters, Toby provoked Snakebird into a rage and began secretly preparing a fiery attack.

• Toby used his griffin form to race past the Demonic Beasts toward his target, but a huge creature from the vortex caught up and blocked his way.
• The mist cleared, and Toby recognized the creature as Snakebird, the form he had fought repeatedly in the Heart House.
• Toby regained his confidence, believing his experience would let him defeat Snakebird.
• Toby taunted Snakebird with his dismissive manner until its jealousy and humiliation drove it into an emotional frenzy.
• Toby evaded Snakebird's reckless attacks, pried up its scales, and planted tiny sparks of fire as he prepared to set it ablaze.

Toby defeated the Snakebird projection in the void of thought and gained a connection to the Snakebird’s mind, putting it close to controlling its transformed body and overcoming the Extreme Grudge Tribulation. As Toby rushed toward the Extreme Grudge Intent’s final stronghold, the intent began searching the Domain Field for something to stop it.

• Gloria worried that Toby could not find hope in the despair of the tribulation, but Angel reassured her that Toby’s half-hour struggle showed the Bright Dream trial had helped.
• Toby burned the Snakebird to death in the void of thought, and the Snakebird vanished as a Delusion.
• Toby gained an unfamiliar power that linked it to the Snakebird’s space of thought, giving it a major advantage in the Extreme Grudge Tribulation.
• Toby realized the Extreme Grudge Intent had already used its strongest weapon and sped toward its core on the bright shore.
• The Extreme Grudge Intent released its emotions as a domain and began driving something it had found, causing the void to change dramatically.

Toby faced a new vortex at the finish line, from which a terrifying Demonic Beast was about to emerge, while the black mist outside began growing stronger again. Gloria and Angel realized that the final battle had taken a dangerous turn, and the Extreme Grudge Intent urged the unknown beast to kill Toby.

• Toby watched a vortex form and expand in front of the finish line, fearing that another Demonic Beast would block his path.
• Toby steadied himself with confidence in his newly gained strength, but an unprecedentedly powerful aura began leaking from the vortex.
• Gloria saw the black mist thin and hoped Toby had gained the upper hand, while Angel said the trial seemed to be nearing its final battle.
• Gloria began explaining her past study of prophecy to Angel, but the black mist abruptly spread and darkened, releasing a deeper, more terrifying emotion.
• Toby sensed that the beast behind the vortex might be stronger than the Snakebird and even a first-level formal wizard, while the Extreme Grudge Intent urged it to emerge and kill him.

Toby overcame the Extreme Grudge Tribulation after a powerful voice from the vortex destroyed Extreme Grudge Intent, though Toby suspected the being behind it was a future version of itself. Toby expelled the being’s phantom feather, then entered the cocoon to begin its rebirth into the Jealousy Snake Bird.

• Toby and Extreme Grudge Intent waited for a Demonic Beast to emerge from the vortex, but it only spoke, calling Extreme Grudge Intent weak and unworthy.
• A white feather shot from the vortex and struck Extreme Grudge Intent, turning it into motes of light and confirming that Toby had overcome the tribulation.
• Toby sensed that the being behind the vortex might be itself from another tribulation and grew angry that it had taken the victory away from Toby.
• Toby discovered that the white feather was untouchable, then took control of the mental space and began absorbing Extreme Grudge Intent’s remaining core.
• Toby used black mist to banish the phantom feather, then entered the cocoon to begin its rebirth as the Jealousy Snake Bird.

After Toby took control of the Snakebird’s primary consciousness, the black fog and negative emotions faded, suggesting the tribulation was nearing its end. Angel and Gloria considered whether a new tribulation might be approaching, then watched the Snakebird awaken and reveal a gaze that stirred jealousy.

• Angel told Gloria that Toby likely had a high chance of succeeding because the negative emotions had stopped spreading.
• Angel and Gloria discussed a fleeting, complex emotion that might have been an omen of Toby’s next tribulation.
• Gloria said she wanted to experience Angel’s Bright Dream Trial, and Angel assured her she would have a chance.
• The black fog dissipated completely, revealing the enormous Jealousy Snake Bird.
• The Snakebird opened its vertical-pupiled eyes, and its gaze stirred jealousy in Angel and Gloria without any energy fluctuation.

Gloria realized Toby had overcome the tribulation and regained control of its body, but a powerful phenomenon began forming around it. Gloria and Angel watched from a distance as Toby’s advancement gathered energy, wondering how far its strength would leap.

• Gloria recognized Toby by its familiar red eyes and close, aggrieved gaze, and realized it had overcome the tribulation.
• Angel suggested Toby might be acting spoiled or might truly have been wronged, and Gloria followed him toward Toby.
• Gloria and Angel sensed a phenomenon forming around Toby and retreated as chaotic energies rippled through space.
• Gloria identified the energy surges as the prelude to a possible void storm and concluded Toby was beginning to advance.
• Gloria and Angel watched the energy accumulate, and Gloria wondered whether Toby might leap several stages at once, as Angel had.

As Toby’s advancement reached its peak in the void, Angel and Gloria watched the energy cocoon and prepared for the arrival of the world’s will. Sky Mechanical City wizards gathered nearby, while strange gazes from deeper in the void hinted that Toby’s trial had attracted more than ordinary attention; the omen finally descended.

• Gloria reflected that Toby had begun training and striving to grow stronger because of its bond with Angel.
• Toby’s energy vortex expanded and destabilized space, forcing Angel and Gloria to retreat farther away.
• The world’s will briefly descended, and Gloria recognized its arrival.
• Several Sky Mechanical City wizards emerged through rifts and turned their attention toward Toby and Angel.
• Angel sensed cryptic gazes from the depths of the void and wondered what distant beings had noticed Toby’s advancement.
• Toby’s accumulated energy reached its peak, a roar sounded inside the cocoon, and the omen descended.

Toby’s cocoon released a terrifying legendary aura, driving away the wizards who had gathered to claim the advancing Demonic Beast. Gloria revealed that Toby had been created from a legendary Demonic Beast’s organs and feared its will might still live within him; as the aura grew restrained, scarlet mist gathered over the cocoon and began forming an outline.

• The wizards recognized a beast’s roar inside the cocoon and waited eagerly for the valuable Demonic Beast to advance.
• A powerful aura erupted from the cocoon, terrifying the wizards and prompting some to flee through space.
• Angel identified the aura as legendary, and Gloria explained that Toby had been created from a legendary Demonic Beast’s organs.
• Gloria feared the legendary will might have survived within Toby, while Angel suggested that the will could instead be the one eroded.
• The legendary aura became more restrained as scarlet mist spread above the cocoon and began taking shape.

Angel and Gloria watched Toby’s red-mist omen and speculated that its connected heads foretold a colossal complete form and possibly a third tribulation. Toby’s cocoon then began to crack as his advancement neared completion, while Sanders and Rosen arrived after the other wizards fled.

• A griffin head and a Snakebird head emerged from the red mist, followed by the faint outline of a third head.
• Angel suggested that the three connected heads represented Toby’s eventual complete form, and that the third head might signal his third tribulation.
• Angel and Gloria joked about Toby’s enormous final form wearing a princess dress as the red-mist omen settled into shape.
• A fissure opened in Toby’s cocoon, revealing the enormous Snakebird head and signaling that his advancement had reached its final stage.
• Angel noticed that the watching wizards had fled, while Sanders and Rosen remained nearby after arriving in response to the earlier aura.

Toby emerged from the rift as a Snakebird, revealing a terrifying aura and a surge in strength that impressed Angel, Sanders, and Rosen. Rosen accepted that Toby would soon leave Sky Mechanical City, though he and Sanders also sensed a distant gaze watching the event.

• Toby forced open the rift and began emerging as a Snakebird, radiating a powerful aura and negative emotions.
• Angel told Sanders he was content to let Toby handle the fighting, and Sanders reassured Rosen that Toby would not threaten Sky Mechanical City.
• Rosen waited as Toby's enormous body emerged, then questioned Sanders about the origins of Toby's bloodline, but Sanders said he did not know.
• Rosen and Sanders sensed a distant gaze; Rosen dismissed it and returned to Sky Mechanical City to explain the aura to its residents.