Chapter Summaries

Iver chose the Beacon of Hope advancement after learning he had completed its trials, then met the Lord of Scales and Feathers during the ritual. The Lord rewarded him with two golden entries, leaving Iver with a powerful new set of abilities.

• Iver chose the Beacon of Hope door and received a first-place advancement score of 5300, including credit for saving someone destined to die and stopping Stibium's scheme.
• Iver stepped through the door and found himself on a strange landmass that rose from the sea and transformed into a vast expanse of feathers.
• The Lord of Scales and Feathers appeared, greeted Iver, and revealed himself through their handshake.
• Iver returned from the vision with Scorching Flame Heart and Dissolving Soul, and the Lord elevated War Rhythm to gold.
• The Lord of Scales and Feathers offered Iver the two golden entries as his share and said he could provide something else instead.

Iver chose the Golden Entry Dissolving Soul and realized the Lord of Scales and Feathers had arranged his Promotion Ritual as bait for the Ring Angel and the City Breaker. He gained the ability to cast medium-scale blessings without rituals and planned to leave Isabel a portion of his soul as a lifesaving gift.

• Iver recognized that Dissolving Soul was essential to his Illuminator profession and chose it over Scorching Flame Heart and War Rhythm.
• Iver realized the City Breaker had targeted him as an Ascender and suspected the Lord of Scales and Feathers had set up the Promotion Ritual as a trap.
• Iver concluded that the Ring Angel had contacted him through the ritual and that the Lord of Scales and Feathers had anticipated the Angel's attempt to possess him.
• Iver learned Dissolving Soul would let him cast medium-scale blessings without rituals and turn part of his soul into a lifesaving resource for an ally.
• Iver decided to leave Isabel a soul bottle in return for the necklace she had given him.

After choosing his advancement, Iver became a Radiant Initiate and endured a painful transformation that shed his old skin. He gained new Radiance and Glory abilities, then received Enyo’s essence as compensation from the Lord of Scales and Feathers.

• Iver’s chosen entry triggered his advancement, and he woke as a Radiant Initiate with his skills and paths updated.
• Iver suffered intense pain as his body grew hot, shed its old skin, and emerged with smooth, translucent skin and platinum-colored hair.
• Lily returned with hot water and a towel, and Iver thanked her after assuring her he no longer needed it.
• Iver gained the Radiance and Glory class traits, which enhanced his Blessing and Illumination abilities.
• The Lord of Scales and Feathers granted Iver Enyo’s essence, adding two levels to his Storm Container and 42 points of Wind Attribute Mana.
• Iver praised the Lord of Scales and Feathers and decided he would gladly join him on another baiting expedition.

Iver blessed Lily with Radiant Illumination, then realized his promotion ritual had lasted four days and decided to postpone advancing his Demon Scholar class until he understood the Dream Realm’s dangers. The Bear Angel’s second mark appeared on Iver’s chest, deepening the threat against his life.

• Iver cast Radiant Illumination on Lily, clearing her mind and healing her with the evolved blessing.
• Iver recalled how the Radiant Healer’s three free buffs and ranged healing worked, and how its demanding spellcasting compared with the Torchbearer.
• Lily told Iver it was about four in the morning, and he inferred that his ritual had lasted roughly four days in the Dream Realm.
• Iver concluded that the Bear Angel or one of His apostles could encounter him during another promotion ritual, so he decided to stop advancing his Demon Scholar class for now.
• Iver felt pain in his chest and discovered a deeper bear-claw scar, receiving the trait Authority - Mark of Two as the Bear Angel’s understanding of him deepened through Enyo’s Essence.

Lancelot returned to Shadow Land after being summoned into the Material Realm, where his resurrected body was seized by Enyo, the City Breaker. He warned Morgan that the Shadow of Avalon ritual might be dangerously altered, learned that Vivian had disappeared, and asked Morgan to investigate Iver Moriarty and deliver him a gift.

• Lancelot awoke in Shadow Land and told Morgan that Enyo had seized his newly resurrected body after the ritual summoned him to the Material Realm.
• Morgan revealed that Enyo had died without resurrecting and had become a Phantom Demon Egg, while the Bear Angel had gone mad.
• Lancelot told Morgan he suspected the Shadow of Avalon ritual could drag apostles into the Material Realm and kill them, and Morgan said Vivian had disappeared and might have reincarnated.
• Morgan said Vivian's wolf cub and Merlin could not be found, then agreed to ask Gawain for help locating Merlin.
• Lancelot asked Morgan to investigate Iver Moriarty and pass along his goodwill and a gift, and Morgan agreed.

Aurora completed her advancement to become a Fourth-Level Calamity Splicer, then petrified and preserved Xiao Fernando after his soul caught fire during the Promotion Ritual. As Aurora and Albert compared what they had learned, Albert resolved to leave Stibium for Avalon and begin research into restoring what was incomplete.

• Aurora awoke as a Calamity Splicer and discovered that she could remove and reattach parts of her body.
• Aurora found Xiao Fernando burning from a fatal injury to his soul and petrified and preserved him while Albert treated his burns.
• Aurora and Albert compared their memories of the Promotion Ritual, including Xiao Fernando's warning about Iver and the events involving Lancelot and the Shadow of Avalon Ritual.
• Albert suspected that their mentor's information about Iver and Queen Isabel might be unreliable, but decided he wanted to go to Avalon and follow the Grand Guardian's example.
• Albert took inspiration from Lord Blackscale's vision of necromancy and resolved to begin research with prosthetic limbs.

Sherlock returned to the Silver and Tin Palace and advised Isabel to share her discoveries about the Ring Angel and history with Iver. Morgan then visited Iver to deliver a mysterious gift from Lancelot, leaving him unsure what he had received.

• Sherlock met Iver in the Queen's study and discussed the Ring Angel, the Multiple Histories Theory, and new information from the Promotion Ritual.
• Sherlock realized the Iver before him was Isabel using an illusion, and advised her not to keep secrets from Iver.
• Iver prayed in the palace courtyard, where Morgan emerged from the lake and introduced herself as Mordred's mother.
• Morgan told Iver that Lancelot had asked her to deliver him a gift and left without explaining what it was.

After the Promotion Ritual, Iver reunited with Isabel and told her that the world’s level cap would soon rise, while Sherlock began investigating Iver’s possible connection to the future. Iver and Isabel left their February 16th promise unspoken and grew intimate before nightfall.

• Iver returned to the Queen’s study, where Isabel joked by imitating his greeting to Sherlock.
• Iver asked Sherlock and Isabel about their Promotion Ritual results, and Isabel demonstrated her Actor specialization and Resilient Illusion.
• Iver told Isabel and Sherlock that the world’s level cap would soon rise beyond the Sixth Level, prompting Sherlock to suspect Iver had knowledge from another worldline.
• Sherlock left to investigate Iver’s past, while Iver and Isabel shared what they had experienced and tacitly avoided discussing their February 16th promise.
• Iver carried Isabel to her bedroom and began undressing her, telling her they could continue until night.

Iver and Isabel spent a quiet evening together, and Iver gave her a bottle containing part of his soul as protection against future illness or injury. After explaining its effects, he let Isabel inhale a small portion of it, and she felt her soul grow stronger.

• Iver joined Isabel in the bath, and they drank the hidden wine called Holy Tree Number One.
• Isabel admitted she had shown off because she was happy to have Iver, and they relaxed together in the bath.
• Iver dried Isabel and showed her a bottle of golden liquid made with wine and a third of his soul.
• Iver explained that the bottled soul could revive Isabel when she was unwell and extend her life if she suffered an incurable wound.
• Iver kissed Isabel and let her inhale a small amount of the golden mist, which soothed and strengthened her soul.

Iver reflected on how his love for Isabel had given him new reasons to live and fight, then discovered that Morgan’s gift was a shared dream refuge. The dream could let him and Isabel meet and exchange information whenever they slept after drinking.

• Iver considered how caring for Isabel—and possibly a future child—had changed his willingness to risk his life against the Fallen Angel.
• Iver fell asleep beside Isabel and awoke in a flower-filled dream with a heart-shaped bed and an assortment of fun tools.
• Isabel appeared beside Iver in the dream, and he explained that he had met Morgan by the lake and believed she had given him the dream refuge.
• Iver explained the dangers of the Dream Realm and realized Morgan’s refuge could allow him and Isabel to meet even when they were far apart.
• Isabel guessed that alcohol was the key to entering the shared dream, and Iver praised Morgan for the gift.

Iver traveled toward the Theocracy while reflecting on secrets revealed by Isabel and questioning Professor Moriarty’s motives. Sherlock shared what he had uncovered about the Professor’s past, including the identity of Freya Molly Moriarty’s mother.

• Iver deliberately leaked news of his trip to the Theocracy through Dimit to draw out anyone with ulterior motives in Avalon.
• Aboard the ferry, Iver considered the secrets of Cicada Shedding and wondered whether Professor Moriarty was pursuing the Endless Knot.
• Sherlock told Iver that he had long suspected Professor Moriarty and had reconstructed evidence from memory after Isabel shared what she knew.
• Sherlock revealed that Freya Molly Moriarty was Professor Moriarty’s biological daughter, and Iver said he already knew.
• Sherlock identified Freya’s mother as Anna Kingsford, a Stibnite Person, witch of the Domain of Love, and possible Rosy Cross member who founded the Golden Dawn.

Iver connected Professor Moriarty and the Golden Dawn to the mysteries surrounding his birth, family, and the Sacred Entity, but still lacked the motive behind the tangled clues. He turned his attention to finding Freya in the Eternal Theocracy, where the next disaster had not yet begun, and arrived there by cruise ship.

• Iver realized Professor Moriarty had been connected to the Golden Dawn and the Rosy Cross Society, deepening his questions about the Sacred Entity, Freya, and why he might have been made a key.
• Iver decided to find Freya in the Fifth Ring and ask her what was happening.
• Iver recalled that the Version 2.0 disaster involved Treeification Disease, Amber Solidification, and the Eternal Theocracy’s simmering religious and racial conflicts.
• Iver concluded that the Theocracy’s crisis had not yet begun and wondered whether it was unrelated to the Golden Dawn.
• Iver arrived at the Eternal Theocracy by cruise ship at half past two in the afternoon.

Iver and Sherlock arrived in the Theocracy, where Iver used his money to buy clothes and explained the local trolls’ customs. A procession led by the Eternal Saintess “Pure White” arrived to meet them, and Iver greeted her as someone he already knew.

• Iver brought a suitcase filled mostly with White Crown Coins to the Theocracy and sent Lily to buy clothes for Sherlock and herself.
• Iver explained to Sherlock why the trolls feared him and warned him against buying troll-made medicine.
• Lily returned with two packages, and Iver explained that their wrappings could be reused as scarves.
• The Eternal Saintess “Pure White” arrived with six members of the Pope Guard riding winged pegasi.
• Iver knelt before the Saintess and greeted her as an old acquaintance, and she replied that it had been a long time.

Iver met the Grey Saintess, Pure White, who examined his Flame Butterfly and questioned whether he was descended from Butterfly Angel. As they traveled together, she picked him up and asked whether he was a girl, leaving him stunned.

• Pure White welcomed Iver publicly and asked how he had recognized her as the Saintess.
• Iver released Lia, and Pure White held the Flame Butterfly while asking about her relationship with him.
• Pure White said the Pope suspected Iver was descended from Butterfly Angel, but she disagreed with his theory.
• Pure White noticed Iver's touch did not affect the unicorn, then lifted him onto it when she decided he was tired.
• Iver pressed Pure White for her opinion, but she asked whether he was a girl.

Iver rode with Grey and Lady Pansy through the Eternal Theocracy, learning how the elves’ conflict with the Short-lived Races led to the Currency Chaos and Avalon’s founding. Grey took him to complete his bishop’s procedures, while Iver suspected the Pope’s illness and Grey’s hidden condition had already become serious; they left the harbor and flew toward the thirteenth level.

• Iver asked why Lady Pansy accepted him, and she explained that she had never encountered such a case but would not follow conventions blindly.
• Iver and Grey rode through the Theocracy’s crowded streets as Grey offered to shop with him after his bishop’s procedures were complete.
• Iver learned how the Currency Chaos restricted Short-lived Races to areas below the Fifth Ring and prompted the elves to support Avalon’s founding.
• Grey said the Pope was sleeping and could not meet Iver until perhaps the following year, leading Iver to suspect the Pope’s Treeification Disease had flared up.
• Lady Pansy spread her wings, and Grey led the group onto a rainbow that carried them toward the thirteenth level.

Iver, Sherlock, and Lily explored the Thirteenth Ring, an immense elven archive displaying books, inventions, and elves preserved as amber sculptures. There, Iver unexpectedly encountered Master Agnes.

• Grey brought Iver and his companions to the Thirteenth Ring aboard a unicorn and hippogriffs.
• Grey explained that elves treated one another as equals and had little interest in status.
• Grey kept Iver close while she led Sherlock and Lily through the ring’s winding corridors.
• Sherlock discovered that the ring held specimens and inventions documenting elven history across several calendars.
• The group entered a quiet gallery of amber sculptures depicting elves, and Iver recognized Master Agnes.

Iver and Grey reunited with Yanis at the elves’ memorial, where Grey confronted her for staying away for 195 years. Yanis vanished after agreeing to explain herself to Grey in two days, and Cardinal Matilda arrived to escort Iver to prepare for his bishop appointment.

• Grey greeted Yanis, and their reunion revealed that they had been childhood friends who had not met for 195 years.
• Iver examined Betina Tia’s statue and learned that she had undergone Amberization after reaching the limits of her painting skills.
• Grey confronted Yanis for returning to the Theocracy without visiting her, and Yanis apologized.
• Grey stopped Yanis from leaving and arranged for her to explain herself on the Twenty-First Floor in two days.
• Yanis revealed that Freya had invited her, then vanished; Grey apologized to Cardinal Matilda, who introduced herself and took Iver to change before his appointment.

Cardinal Matilda guided Iver through a consecrated bathing and anointing ritual, preparing him for an unexpected promotion. She revealed that the Pope intended to elevate him directly to Archbishop, leaving Iver alarmed by the break with church tradition.

• Matilda explained that the Curtain of Temperance slowed fast-moving things and led Iver to a consecrated bath.
• Iver soaked in the hot Holy Water and reflected on how his transformed body had become far tougher than a mortal's.
• Matilda returned with sour pomegranate juice and undercooked beans for Iver to drink, then anointed him with consecrated oil.
• Matilda dressed Iver in Archbishop's clothes, and Iver questioned why she had brought the wrong outfit.
• Matilda told Iver that the Pope intended to promote him directly to Archbishop, and Iver suspected something sinister was behind the decision.

Iver completed his ascension as Archbishop Moriarty, sacrificing his right eye to become an Illuminator and receiving a handful of strange red fruits. The ceremony ended with Matilda asking to taste one, and Iver eagerly offered them to her.

• Matilda led Iver through the Holy Order Department and invoked the Candle Holder before the assembled elves.
• The Candle Holder cleansed the Ring Angel's influence from Iver and explained that he had to sacrifice an eye to advance as an Illuminator.
• Iver chose his right eye, which the Candle Holder sealed; a black thorn emerged from it and turned into more than thirty red fruits.
• Iver returned to the coronation ceremony with one amber-yellow eye and the fruits, and Matilda completed his installation as Archbishop Moriarty.
• Matilda asked what the fruits were and requested to taste one, and Iver offered them to her to test their effects.

After Iver’s promotion, he discovered that the Sin Thorns growing from his body produced fruit that might help treat Amberization. Grey asked him to save future fruit for her, while Matilda urged him to keep the discovery secret, leaving Iver poised to become vital to the Theocracy’s efforts against the affliction.

• Matilda and Sherlock tasted Iver’s Sin Thorns fruit and found it pleasant but apparently ordinary, while Iver suspected it could trigger the Art of Shepherding.
• Iver realized the Candleholder had given him a chance to reconsider becoming an Illuminator and recalled that the Illuminator’s character art showed flowers, so he decided to let future Sin Thorns grow before removing them.
• Grey ate a fruit, experienced pain in her Amberized eyes, and urgently asked Iver to give her any similar fruit he obtained.
• Iver gave his remaining fruit to Grey, and Matilda handed over hers after recognizing the possible connection to Amberization.
• Matilda told Iver to keep the discovery confidential and said he might become a benefactor to the Theocracy or all elves, while Sherlock worried that Iver had been drawn into trouble.