Recaps

After returning Watson to Glass Island, Hai Na urged Sherlock to spend New Year with his family, and Watson challenged Sherlock’s belief that wisdom and love could not coexist. Sherlock reconsidered his assumptions and decided to go home, curious whether his parents would recognize him in his childlike form.

• Hai Na and Sherlock returned to the Detective Watson Agency on Liz, and Watson thanked them for saving his life.
• Hai Na asked Sherlock whether he would go home or visit Mr. Iver, but Sherlock said he preferred to stay home and read.
• Sherlock explained that he avoided love because he believed the Path of Wisdom was lonely and incompatible with emotional attachments.
• Watson countered that his Mage Lord father and Child of the Moon mother remained in love, and described his birth as proof of their devotion.
• Watson gave Sherlock pastries and encouraged him to spend New Year with his family, prompting Sherlock to reconsider his beliefs.
• Sherlock said goodbye and decided to go home, wondering whether his parents would recognize him in his smaller body.

Iver and Isabel found Yanis atop the Clock Tower, where she taught Isabel that beauty came from careful observation and aesthetic sense. After completing a painting for Iver and Isabel, Yanis left Glass Island to resume her travels, without saying goodbye.

• Isabel used her powers to give Iver illusory wings, and they flew to Yanis atop the Clock Tower.
• Yanis critiqued Isabel’s attempt to disguise herself as Yulia and taught her to observe beyond appearances to understand a subject fully.
• Yanis explained that art approached reality without copying it, and Isabel cautiously answered that aesthetic sense was the path to beauty.
• Yanis finished a painting of Glass Island sixty years earlier, depicting herself and Sofia together as she wished they could have been.
• Yanis gave the painting to Iver and Isabel, transformed Isabel into an indistinguishable Yulia, and left Glass Island alone.

Yanis left Avalon after finishing her painting, and Iver recognized that letting go had changed her fate and begun her salvation. Back at the Silver and Tin Palace, Isabel named the painting “With Me,” recalling Iver’s promise to stay by her side.

• Iver understood that Yanis’s grief over Sophia had once driven her toward the Path of Twilight, but that she had now released her sorrow and changed her future.
• Yanis departed, leaving her masterpiece with Iver and Isabel instead of taking it away.
• Isabel felt the painting’s beauty strengthen her Path Power and bring her close to the threshold of the Fourth Level.
• Iver and Isabel ended their shopping trip early and returned to the Silver and Tin Palace with the painting.
• Isabel named the painting “With Me,” inspired by Iver’s words that morning.

Iver learned why Sherlock had become estranged from his family: years earlier, Sherlock had refused Meg’s offer to inherit her place on the Path of Authority and pursued the Path of Wisdom instead. After Mycroft explained the misunderstanding and Ligeia revealed she had never been angry, Sherlock returned home for a joyful family reunion.

• Iver asked Mycroft why he was so happy, and Mycroft revealed that Sherlock had gone home while still in his child form.
• Mycroft explained that Sherlock had fallen out with his family after refusing Meg’s offer to train him as her successor and choosing to pursue the Path of Wisdom.
• Mycroft described how Arthur, unaware of the full confidential situation, pressured Sherlock to accept Meg’s offer, leading Sherlock to argue with his father and move out.
• Ligeia revealed that she had never been angry with Sherlock and explained that Meg had prepared a different plan after he refused her invitation.
• Iver realized Sherlock’s guilt had driven him to consider sacrificing his detective career during the Promotion Ritual, and Mycroft said Sherlock’s family was now happily reunited for New Year.
• Isabel sent her blessings and regards to Sherlock and Arthur as Mycroft hurried back to celebrate with them.

Iver prepared a Phantom Demon Card intended to seal the succubus Emma while Queen Isabel invited Edward to stay at the Silver and Tin Palace and appointed him Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Iris Flower Kingdom. The chapter ended with Iver continuing to make the dangerous card as Ligeia watched.

• Edward arrived at the Silver and Tin Palace and found Iver, Isabel, Ligeia, and Yulia gathered around Iver’s work.
• Isabel welcomed Edward, invited him to stay for the New Year, and offered to address him as a knight.
• Edward refused at first to accept advancement beyond his abilities, but Isabel appointed him Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Iris Flower Kingdom and granted him knight’s armor.
• Isabel took Edward to her study to discuss the diplomatic document, while Iver reflected on her rapid growth under pressure.
• Iver explained the Phantom Demon Card called Lust and continued making it to seal the succubus Emma, with Ligeia watching.

After completing the Lust Phantom Demon Card, Iver woke with no memory of his drunken ritual and learned that Isabel had watched over him. As he went to find her at the Candle Holder Festival, a platinum-blond woman led Isabel away while mistaking her for Yulia.

• Iver woke the day after the banquet and confirmed that he had completed the Phantom Demon Card ritual, sacrificing his recent memories.
• Lily told Iver that Isabel and Ligeia had been with him while he was drunk, but she kept his words secret at his request and said Isabel would have to tell him.
• Iver learned that Isabel had gone to the Candle Holder Festival in Yulia's appearance and decided to go find her.
• Iver asked Lily to protect Yulia, took the completed card, and left with Viennes.
• A platinum-blond woman approached Isabel at the cathedral and led her away after Bishop Mathers mistook her for Yulia.
• Isabel realized the woman had called her Yulia, but she kept following without showing that she had noticed.

Isabel resisted Countess Emma’s mind control by arranging for Emma to call her Yulia and jolt her back to awareness. Emma planted a suggestion for Yulia to come to Lloyd’s Building after the Round Table Hall Conference, while Isabel briefly regained her senses in the carriage and noticed a starving girl carrying wildflowers.

• Emma took control of a family’s carriage and brought Isabel, disguised as Yulia, toward the Lloyd District.
• Isabel recognized that Emma’s fragrance softened her resistance and planned to use Emma saying the name Yulia to regain consciousness.
• Emma told Yulia to remember the route to Lloyd’s Building and planted a suggestion that would draw her there after the Round Table Hall Conference.
• When Emma called her Yulia, Isabel’s disgust broke through the enchantment and briefly restored her reason.
• After the carriage entered the Lloyd District, Isabel saw a gaunt girl carrying wildflowers and leaned out to look back at her.

Emma manipulated Isabel into giving a poor flower girl a fortune, intending to spark greed and violence on Glass Island and later torment Isabel with the consequences. Iver learned that Yulia had left with Emma and hurried to search for them, suspecting Emma's influence over Bishop Mathers.

• Isabel objected to Emma's dismissive attitude toward commoners after spotting a flower girl outside.
• Emma gave Isabel One Hundred White Crown Coins to give the flower girl, knowing the money could put the girl in danger and provoke conflict.
• Emma anticipated that her gift would cause misery and considered using Isabel's kindness to make her suffer later.
• Iver reached Candle Holder Cathedral and asked Bishop Mathers about Yulia.
• Mathers said Yulia had left with Countess Emma about two hours earlier, and Iver decided to check Lloyd's headquarters and seek the Grand Guardian's griffin.

After Countess Emma abducted Isabel, Iver and the Grand Guardian searched for her, but Emma ambushed the Grand Guardian while he used the Eye of Avalon. Emma tried to bewitch him with her full power, unaware that the unhatched succubus within her had already bewitched her into acting against her own interests.

• Iver told the Grand Guardian that Countess Emma had taken Isabel, and the two hurried to Lloyd's Building to search for her.
• The Grand Guardian found Emma's office empty, sent Iver and Philip to search elsewhere, and used the Eye of Avalon to scan the area.
• Emma emerged from a teleportation array and ensnared the Grand Guardian while he was focused on the Eye of Avalon.
• Emma's power leaked through Lloyd's Building, driving merchants into a frenzy as she tried to overcome the Grand Guardian's resistance.
• Emma resolved to continue her attack, not realizing that the succubus within her had bewitched her into defying her father's order and targeting the Grand Guardian.

Iver searched the port for Isabel and used a ritual that led him to a flower-selling girl in the alley where he had once encountered a Demon Scholar. The girl revealed that a white-haired, red-eyed woman had given her a fortune, allowing Iver to identify her as Isabel disguised as Yulia and realize she was still alive and nearby.

• Iver ordered a six-hour inspection of ships at the port while the Grand Guardian searched Lloyd's headquarters for Emma and Yulia.
• Iver performed a searching ritual above the port, received no answer, and moved to the alley near the sealed Pelican Bar.
• The ritual showed a flower-selling girl being surrounded by vagrants, and Philip's storm scattered them before they could rob her.
• The girl recognized Iver and offered him the one hundred White Crown Coins she had received from a kind older woman.
• Iver asked the girl about the woman and learned she had white hair, red eyes, and was only slightly taller than the girl.
• Iver recognized the description as Isabel disguised as Yulia and concluded that she was alive and had not gone far.

Iver followed clues from a flower girl to find Isabel trapped in a carriage, then reunited with her during the Candle Holder Festival’s noon miracle. With Isabel safe and strengthened by the ordeal, Iver headed to the Silver and Tin Palace to protect the king and make someone pay.

• A flower girl described the distinctive carriage that had taken Isabel, and Iver realized it belonged to Arun Carter.
• Iver brought the flower girl along on Philip’s griffin, followed her directions, and stopped the carriage after Viennes confirmed the succubus was gone.
• Iver found Isabel disguised as Yulia, caught her as she stumbled from the carriage, and comforted her while she cried.
• The Candle Holder Festival’s noon radiance washed over the city, eased Isabel’s lingering succubus mark, and left her feeling stronger.
• Iver asked Philip to take them to the Silver and Tin Palace and then collect George, saying someone would have to pay for what happened.

Iver prepared to kill Emma after learning of her attack on Isabel, while Isabel planned to stage events so Stibnite would be responsible for starting the war. Before Iver could leave the Silver and Tin Palace, the succubus arrived with a mind-controlled Grand Guardian, and Iver summoned Viennes to attack her.

• Iver handed Isabel, still disguised as Yulia, to Ligeia and geared up to kill Emma.
• Isabel told Ligeia she intended to stage another performance so any war with Stibnite would appear to have begun with Emma attacking her, and asked Ligeia to protect her.
• Philip stormed into the Silver and Tin Palace with the controlled Grand Guardian and a Fifth-Level succubus, who tried to persuade Iver to form a contract with her.
• Iver summoned the Book of Law and called on Viennes, whose appearance transformed Glass Island into Blood Night.
• Iver warned Viennes not to kill George or Philip, then ordered her to kill the succubus.

A night demon fought the succubus and the Grand Guardian while protecting Iver, using curses and shadow magic to restrain them. The succubus tried to turn the Grand Guardian against Yulia Moriarty, but he stopped just before attacking her.

• The night demon blocked the Grand Guardian’s attacks and knocked him away while keeping Iver safe.
• The night demon trapped Philip in her Jealousy Grip and weakened the succubus with the Weakness Curse and Blinding Curse.
• The succubus considered fleeing but chose to stay because she wanted to keep the Grand Guardian as her servant.
• Yulia Moriarty arrived, and the succubus planned to use her Suggestion Brand to make her attack Iver.
• The succubus ordered the Grand Guardian to attack Yulia Moriarty, but he froze before striking her, so the succubus lashed him with her whip and repeated the command.

Iver and Viennes trapped the succubus while Isabel and Ligeia restrained the Grand Guardian. With the fight briefly under control, Iver began choosing a card to seal the succubus before the Arbitration Hall arrived.

• Iver used an illusion to distract the succubus, then seized her with the Night Demon's Hand of Jealousy.
• Viennes thanked Iver for his concern as the Night Demon's shadowy hands crushed the succubus and held her captive.
• Isabel revealed herself and bound the Grand Guardian with silver chains, while his conflicting orders made him tear at himself instead of harming her.
• Ligeia arrived and calmed George with a command, then urged Iver to hurry and seal the succubus.
• Iver ruled out the Suggestion Brand and weighed creating either the Bewitching Aura or Scarlet Vixen card.

Iver chose and created an Echo version of Bewitching Aura after dissolving the Succubus, freeing the Grand Guardian and the others from her control. Isabel and Ligeia presented the events to the arriving knights as a successful defense of the Queen, and Iver condemned the knights for their failure to protect her, prompting them to kneel and lay down their swords.

• Iver rejected the Scarlet Vixen whip and used the Succubus's power to create an Echo version of Enchantment: Bewitching Aura, which he could cast repeatedly at a steep mana cost.
• The Succubus dissolved into blood, ending her control over the Grand Guardian, Philip, and Isabel; Iver recalled Viennes at Ligeia's request.
• The Arbitration Hall knights arrived to find the Glass Staircase destroyed, the Grand Guardian gravely weakened, and Isabel safe beside Ligeia.
• Isabel and Ligeia told the knights that Count Scarlett Emma had attacked the Queen as a Succubus and that Iver had destroyed her through Constant Self's power.
• Iver blamed the knights for nearly allowing Isabel to be killed, and they knelt in shame and laid down their swords.

During Queen Sophia’s funeral, Avalonians learned that Stibnite had attacked Queen Isabel, and public anger surged. The chapter traced Avalon’s recovery under Sophia and ended with war against Stibnite appearing inevitable.

• Isabel led Queen Sophia’s funeral procession alongside Ligeia and Iver, whose role in saving the Queen was publicized in the newspapers.
• Avalonians learned that Stibnite diplomats had tried to assassinate Isabel and blamed Stibnite for the Royal Family’s cursed deaths.
• The chapter recounted how Tudor III’s brutal executions restored order before Sophia rebuilt Avalon and modernized the country.
• Avalon’s rapid growth weakened the old knightly class while merchants and foreign influence gained power.
• The attack on Isabel during the mourning period enraged the people, making war with Stibnite seem inevitable.

After Queen Sophia’s funeral, Iver learned that the Theocracy would protect Avalon and support its retaliation against Stibnite, while Valentine VII’s apology failed to avert war. At the Round Table Conference, Iver broke tradition by taking his seat beside Isabel without armor and opened the meeting.

• Minister Hermes broke his staff and Minister Carter tore his sash, each relinquishing his office at Queen Sophia’s coffin.
• Bishop Mathers told Iver and Isabel that the Theocracy supported Avalon’s limited war of retaliation and had sent nine elite guards to protect Isabel.
• Valentine VII apologized over the phone and offered compensation, but Iver rejected his appeal to avoid war.
• Iver arrived at the Round Table Conference in clerical clothes and sat beside Isabel without wearing armor.
• Iver struck the bell and opened the meeting, telling the knights to take their seats accordingly.

Iver used the Drunken Dream Tincture to reach the end of his recurring nightmare, where Bear Angel marked him for a future killing blow. After the mark resisted Lily’s healing, Iver concluded that Bear Angel could not kill him directly and would send her apostles to hunt him.

• Iver reached a blood-soaked island in his dream and saw a black Two-Handed Sword before a flaming bear approached and warned him that all who wielded a blade would perish by the blade.
• Iver awoke with three fresh claw-like wounds on his chest and called Lily to examine them.
• Lily tried to heal Iver with the Sacred Flame, but the wound only stopped bleeding and scabbed over.
• Iver received the trait Authority - Mark One, which made his chest a weak point and ensured Bear Angel and her apostles would hunt him and treat their fights as duels.
• Iver recognized the wound as Bear Angel’s hunting mark and reasoned that she could not kill him directly, so she would rely on her apostles.

Iver explained how the Bear Angel’s dream attacks were limited by divine protection and the Hourglass’s rules, then considered turning its brand into an opportunity to hunt it. As Stibnite’s war effort faltered and its territories rebelled, Iver expected the Ouroboros Ring Ritual to happen early and concluded that Stibnite might fall within three months.

• Iver told Lily that the Bear Angel could not enter his dreams directly, though it could brand him repeatedly to weaken his protection and eventually reach his soul.
• Iver recalled his plan to become a Great Beast Master by commanding all six Great Sin Beasts, and considered the Bear Angel a potential source of an Angel Shard.
• Iver touched a Flame Butterfly and treated the scar left by the Bear Angel as a mark of their mutual hunt, warning that he could begin the Ouroboros Ring Ritual if the Bear Angel learned too much about his soul.
• Avalon’s war with Stibnite and support for the Narcissus Principality’s independence left Stibnite unable to stop the secession, while the Black Eagle Principality’s soldiers grew resentful of being sent to fight.
• Iver judged that Stibnite could not hold out until summer and that the Ouroboros Ring Ritual would likely be brought forward, leaving him at most three months before Stibnite’s defeat.

Iver visited Isabel at dawn and reflected on how much she had grown in confidence and skill under his guidance. With the Full Moon Ritual approaching and his diplomatic trip to the Theocracy looming, he proposed that he, Isabel, and Sherlock advance together before he left Avalon.

• After waking from the Bear Angel's nightmare, Iver followed piano music to Isabel's room and joined her as she practiced.
• Isabel read Iver's mood from the rhythm of his knock and correctly sensed that he was seeking reassurance.
• Iver recalled how Mycroft handled much of the government work while he coached Isabel and trained her All-rounder abilities.
• Iver noted that the Full Moon Ritual was only days away and that he would soon visit the Theocracy as Avalon's Minister of Everything.
• Iver decided to bring Isabel and Sherlock along to advance before his departure, saying that since they were already late, they might as well skip class altogether.

Iver received Sherlock’s investigation into his forgotten sister, Freya, and tried to arrange a date with Isabel before leaving for the Theocracy. Isabel explained that she preferred making memories with him at home and told him to come to her room on the night before his departure.

• Isabel gave Iver the document about Freya Molly Moriarty, whose existence only people connected to Moriarty Manor had forgotten.
• Iver invited Isabel to go out and look for Sherlock, but she preferred to stay in and spend time with him.
• Iver asked Isabel why she avoided going out, and she explained that their time together at home already felt like dates.
• Isabel told Iver she would move his departure to the seventeenth and commanded him to come to her room on the night of the sixteenth.
• Iver agreed, and the two embraced on the sofa.

Little Sherlock visited the Silver and Tin Palace to confront Iver about missing their appointment, while also preparing for Iver’s upcoming trip to the Theocracy. Iver admitted he had stayed with Isabel instead, leaving Sherlock startled by how readily he accepted the accusation that he was clinging to the queen.

• Sherlock left Hermes Manor and arrived at the Silver and Tin Palace, where the Queen Guard escorted him to Iver.
• Sherlock greeted the Griffin Minister before finding Iver practicing horseback riding in the garden and riding with him to Isabel.
• Sherlock confronted Iver for missing their Saturday appointment, and Isabel apologized for keeping Iver with her.
• Iver admitted Sherlock was right that he had stayed with Isabel, leaving Sherlock alarmed that Iver did not deny the accusation.

Iver and Sherlock accepted Yunus’s commission to investigate the mystery of Anastasia, whose death and supposed meeting with Yunus seemed to resemble the Swamp People paradox. Isabel revealed that May twenty-second would be her coronation, birthday, and possible engagement day, and hoped her father would return, though she had resolved to let him go if he refused.

• Sherlock realized Isabel had feelings for Iver, and Iver persuaded him to travel to the Theocracy while Edward went to Iris on a diplomatic mission.
• Iver and Sherlock read Yunus’s letter, which asked Sherlock to investigate Anastasia and included a ribbon bearing her name.
• Iver recognized Yunus as Prince Albert, Isabel’s father, and recalled the history behind his assumed identity and the mystery of Anastasia.
• Sherlock compared Anastasia’s case to the Swamp People paradox, prompting Iver to suspect the mystery held more than the explanation he remembered.
• Isabel told Iver and Sherlock that May twenty-second was her birthday and coronation date, and that it might also be her engagement day.
• Isabel hoped Prince Albert would return for the occasion, but said that if he did not want to come back, he should stay away.

Sherlock and Iver investigated Freya’s work on the Elixir of Life and the mystery of her family’s missing memories, while considering why she had gone to the Fifth Ring. The chapter ended with Sherlock and Isabel promising to help Iver uncover the truth about James and Professor Moriarty.

• Sherlock explained that Freya had rediscovered Moly, the lost herb used to make the Elixir of Life, and discussed its connection to the witch Echidna and the Giant King.
• Iver and Sherlock considered why Freya had traveled to the Fifth Ring, including the possibility that she sought help refining the Elixir or meeting elves who had lived through the Giant Era.
• Sherlock pointed out that Freya’s unstable Resurrection Potion had no experimental records, though it had been listed as one of her achievements at Old Moriarty’s command.
• Sherlock outlined three possible explanations for the potion and Iver’s family’s lost memories, then warned Iver not to favor a hypothesis before finding evidence.
• Sherlock recognized that Iver was wary of his adoptive father, James, and promised to help, while Isabel insisted that she would help too.

On February 15, Iver and Ibn prepared to undergo Promotion Rituals, and Iver urged his teacher to pursue advancement and return to the Parthian Ancient Kingdom to confront Aziz Ben Abdul. The chapter ended with Iver beginning the Full Moon Ritual while Ibn prepared to perform his own ritual separately.

• Iver thanked Ibn for preparing his Promotion Ritual and learned that Ibn had bought Drunken Dream Tincture after hearing about Aziz Ben Abdul.
• Iver refused Ibn's tincture, saying he had another from Lord Hermes, and encouraged Ibn to seek revenge himself by advancing and returning to the Parthian Ancient Kingdom.
• Ibn agreed to attempt advancement alongside Iver, while planning to perform his ritual alone and avoid matching Iver's Path of Rejection.
• Iver poured his Drunken Dream Tincture into red wine, called upon the six ritual symbols, and declared that he followed the Path of the Candle Holder.