Chapter Summaries

Iver attended Bishop Mathers’s lesson at Candle Holder Cathedral and learned the basics of the Sacred Art called Offering Fire. When a prompt offered to teach it for just one Public Experience, Iver realized Mathers might be a hidden master.

• Iver recalled that the Noble Red Society planned to send a group of Demon Scholars to Glass Island while an ally caused disturbances to distract the Bureau of Supervision.
• Iver reasoned that the two Demon Scholars who had approached him early might view him as a valuable sacrifice and noted that his own Demon Scholar abilities would leave him at a disadvantage against them.
• Bishop Mathers summoned Iver to Candle Holder Cathedral and explained that Offering Fire restored the body and replenished the blood consumed by the Path of Dedication’s arts.
• Mathers demonstrated how to light a candle with white flame and guided Iver through visualizing its light while raising his left hand.
• A prompt appeared offering to teach Iver Offering Fire for one Public Experience, and Iver suspected that Mathers was a hidden master.

Bishop Mathers taught Iver the Sacrificial Fire Method and demonstrated how it could restore his body to its ideal condition. Iver unexpectedly contacted The Illuminator and received His blood, which offered him three advancement choices.

• Iver estimated Bishop Mathers’s level and wondered why he had no memory of a human among the Nine Pillars God Church’s leaders.
• Bishop Mathers demonstrated Sacrificial Fire, rejuvenating his body and explaining its benefits to Iver and Oswald.
• As Mathers taught him, Iver touched the candle flame and instinctively drew Sacrificial Fire into his body.
• Iver saw The Illuminator, who gave him a drop of divine blood that became a ruby in his hand.
• Iver received three choices: Flame Affinity LV1, Lasting Health, and Flame Container LV1.

Iver advanced his Dedication Path and chose Flame Container, increasing his Fire mana enough to pursue his plan to seal a Fire Great Beast. Bishop Mathers lent him the key to St. Genevieve Chapel, whose hidden properties revealed that Mathers was actually Samuel, the Cursed Holy Knight and a future mainline-instance boss.

• Iver chose the Flame Container Entry, raising his Fire mana pool to 14 and advancing his Dedication Path to its First Layer.
• Iver told Bishop Mathers that he had seen a bleeding red deer with white flames on its antlers, and Mathers identified it as the Illuminator.
• Iver admitted he had chosen Flame Container, and Bishop Mathers reassured him before lending him the chapel key for protection.
• Iver inspected the key and discovered it could transform into the Holy Sword-Red Hilt Sword through its Holy Sword Art.
• Iver recognized Bishop Mathers as Samuel, the cursed Avalon knight who would appear as a final boss in a Version 3.2 mainline instance.

Iver accepted Bishop Mathers's holy sword key and resolved to change Samuel Mathers's fate, while planning to prevent the disaster that would cost Yulia her soul. He learned Sacred Arts and prepared to advance as a Priest during the coming full moon.

• Iver accepted the key from Bishop Mathers and decided to save Samuel Mathers from becoming a BOSS by stopping him from reforging the holy sword and helping prevent Avalon's destruction.
• Iver planned for the coming incident involving Yulia, reasoning that the holy sword could help him face the enemies without revealing his and Yulia's secrets to others.
• Bishop Mathers taught Iver Illumination Spell, which Iver mastered in minutes, and Iver secretly spent Experience Points to learn Blessing Art.
• Iver calculated that he needed to advance during the next night's full moon to stay on schedule for creating his first Blank Card.
• Iver planned to use his remaining Public Experience to raise his Sacred Arts and reach Priest level 9 before entering the Dream Realm for his first advancement ritual.

Iver learned the Sacred Arts from Bishop Mathers, then accompanied Oswald to a football match and discovered more about the butler’s ties to the Theocracy. At Moriarty Manor, he met Sherlock Holmes and realized Sherlock might be advancing in the Path of Wisdom the next evening, possibly crossing paths with him in the Dream Realm.

• Bishop Mathers taught Iver about prayer and explained that it could restore mana and develop skill experience.
• Iver ate sacramental food with Bishop Mathers, then went with Oswald to watch the Unicorn Club defeat the Lake Sword Club four to zero.
• Oswald told Iver that he could not return to the Theocracy because he no longer had a home there.
• At Moriarty Manor, Iver recognized Sherlock Holmes and the forbidden book, the Void Clarity Codex, that Sherlock was reading.
• Sherlock declined Oswald’s invitation to dinner and hinted that he had plans the following evening.
• Iver concluded that Sherlock was likely preparing to advance his Path of Wisdom Mage profession and wondered if they would meet in the Dream Realm.

Iver learned that his upcoming Advancement Instance would pair him with eight people from other Paths, then received a powerful Grimoire and an invitation to the Bureau of Supervision’s awards ceremony. He agreed to attend as a consultant, recognizing that his name and reputation gave him leverage to demand fair compensation.

• Iver reasoned that tomorrow’s full-moon Advancement Instance would require cooperation among nine candidates from different Paths, including himself and Sherlock.
• Sherlock delivered the Grimoire Shepherd's Secret Covenant from Director Kent, and Iver confirmed that he could open it.
• Sherlock invited Iver to an awards ceremony where the Bureau would give him a Crystal Cross Medal, while asking him to publicly connect his investigation of the Pelican Bar to the Bureau.
• Iver understood that Kent was offering benefits in exchange for his support, and Sherlock offered him a consultant position with no substantive duties.
• Iver agreed to attend the ceremony and realized that, unlike when he had been a player, his identity gave him the power to claim rewards rather than let others take them.

Iver treated Yulia’s pain with Illumination Spell and reflected on their shared childhood at the orphanage and how James adopted them both. When Iver touched the Shepherd's Secret Covenant after healing Yulia, he sensed it had become scorching and strangely textured, while Yulia felt nothing; he planned to investigate it after dinner.

• Yulia waited for Iver to return, and Oswald cautioned her to stay away from the cold winter air.
• Iver recalled that Yulia carried the juvenile Phantom Demon Paradox Flame Butterfly and that they had grown up together in an orphanage before James Moriarty adopted them both.
• Iver used Illumination Spell to ease Yulia’s pain and improve her condition.
• Iver sensed that the Shepherd's Secret Covenant felt scorching and like skin after he had used Illumination Spell.
• Iver asked Yulia to take the book to his study, and she felt no unusual heat as she carried it away.

Iver read the Shepherd's Secret Covenant and learned the Art of Shepherding, an ancient practice that fed humans to phantasmal demons and used the demons' power to strengthen followers. He understood that the Shepherd's attempt to take the Fallen Angel's power for himself had broken the Dedication Path and led to his death.

• Iver finished reading the Shepherd's Secret Covenant at dawn, absorbing its knowledge as strange purple patterns and heat overtook his body.
• Iver learned how the profession system preserved Path inheritances and that the Art of Shepherding required balance between the Dedication Path and the Path of Transcendence.
• Iver witnessed the Shepherd raise phantasmal demons by feeding them human flesh, then give their power to followers who gathered sacrifices and wealth for him.
• Iver saw the Shepherd sacrifice his followers to empower powerful phantasmal demons when a coalition army surrounded him.
• Iver saw the Shepherd try to infuse the Fallen Angel's power into himself, lose control when the art failed, and die after the Fallen Angel struck back and an assassin attacked.
• Iver concluded that the Shepherd had deviated from the Dedication Path by trying to claim the power he had shepherded.

After reading the Shepherd's Secret Covenant, Iver learned the Art of Shepherding and realized the forbidden book could draw a hidden enemy to him. He tested the art by feeding his blood and mana to the Shadow Demon, then had it destroy the book before collapsing from exhaustion.

• Iver understood that the Art of Shepherding combined Dedication and Transcendence, and worried that someone seeking the Shepherd's legacy might track the book to him.
• Iver gained Shepherding abilities and realized he could use his own flesh and blood to nourish Phantom Demons, healing himself with Fire Offering afterward.
• Iver decided to destroy the Shepherd's Secret Covenant and summoned the Shadow Demon to dispose of it.
• Iver performed a Shepherding ritual, offering his blood and mana to the Shadow Demon, which eagerly accepted the sacrifice.
• The Shadow Demon destroyed the book after its first attack failed to overcome its fiery defense.
• Iver became dizzy and exhausted from the ritual and collapsed unconscious on his bed.

Hai Na returned to Royal Law University, where Dean Meg praised her growth and revealed that her investigation into the Pelican Bar had uncovered a smuggling route for powerful alchemy bombs. Meg temporarily authorized Hai Na to investigate the threat and offered her the chance to become her final disciple if she found important information.

• Hai Na strolled around campus until Dean Meg appeared behind her and praised her for sensing danger.
• Meg acknowledged Hai Na’s role in the recent case and explained that her obedience to Iver matched the principles of the Path of Authority.
• Meg learned that Hai Na’s roommates had visited the Pelican Bar to buy cosmetics and revealed that the bar was linked to contraband alchemy goods.
• Meg told Hai Na that portable alchemy bombs capable of destroying the Red Queen District had been smuggled into Avalon through the Pelican Bar.
• Meg gave Hai Na temporary authorization to investigate the bomb shipment and offered to consider her as a final disciple if she uncovered important information.

As Isabel prepared for her Promotion Ritual, she worried about her royal responsibilities and decided to arrange the ritual herself with Master Osborn assisting. Meanwhile, Iver woke with a premonition that something important was happening, used a candle to restore his vitality, and set out to find food before preparing his own ritual.

• Sherlock Holmes checked the materials for his Promotion Ritual while Isabel nervously recited her own ritual supplies.
• Yanis reassured Isabel, whose fear of failing reflected the pressure of becoming a potential heir amid the royal family's deaths and Avalon’s conflict with Stibium.
• Isabel decided to prepare her Promotion Ritual herself and asked Master Osborn to assist her.
• Iver woke at Moriarty Manor with a premonition, lit the healing candle Oswald had prepared, and felt his vitality return.
• Iver realized he was hungry and planned to find food before preparing his Promotion Ritual.

Iver performed the advanced ritual and successfully entered a mysterious gathering, where he found three others already seated in a circle of nine chairs. He recognized Sherlock among them, while the other participants remained unidentified.

• Iver prepared the ritual with silver jewelry, essential oils, disliked foods, and a White Crystal pendant.
• Iver invoked three Paths he rejected, fumigated the ritual array, and called on the six Pillar Gods who would protect him.
• The ritual succeeded, and Iver put on the pendant before letting its drowsiness draw his consciousness away.
• Iver awoke in a dark space with nine chairs arranged around a giant Hourglass statue and saw that three people had arrived before him.
• Iver recognized the young man in a brown coat and top hat as Sherlock by his familiar voice and distinctive outfit.

Iver joined a gathering in the Dream Realm, where Sherlock explained the dangers of revealing identities and the group chose code names and shared their Paths. As the introductions ended, the ritual’s host, Erlini, appeared and announced herself as Lord Hourglass’s apostle.

• Sherlock deduced Iver’s background and warned the newcomers not to reveal their real-world identities or share too many details about their Dream Realm experiences.
• The group agreed to use code names, and Sherlock introduced himself as Detective of the Path of Wisdom while Iver chose Fox of the Path of Dedication.
• Knight, Lu Lu, Luo Le, Cheese, King, Ke Ke, and Bone Carver introduced themselves and shared their Paths or professions.
• The stone hourglass regained its color, and Erlini appeared, identified herself as Lord Hourglass’s apostle, and began hosting the ritual.

Erlini explained the rules for the Promotion Ritual, which would test the participants in a fictional version of history. As the ritual began, she introduced a horrifying series of murders in Avalon’s capital in 1884, and the participants disappeared from Legal Square.

• Ke Ke asked whether the apostle was an angel, and Sherlock and Ke Ke explained what apostles were and how Promotion Rituals worked.
• Sherlock warned that a ritual’s presider and compiler could influence its challenges and favor or disadvantage certain Paths.
• Erlini explained that the participants would complete objectives for points in a fictional historical scenario, with cooperation restricted by opposing Paths and the three lowest scorers eliminated.
• Erlini said the ritual was safe and that Amber had created the dream, while the Lord of Scales and Feathers had set its tasks, roles, and scoring rules.
• As the Hourglass ran out, Erlini began describing a horrifying series of murders in Avalon’s capital in 1884, and the nine participants vanished.

Iver entered a ritual set in 1884, where he had to play his father, Priest Julio Alexander, and protect his four-year-old self from a threat. He recognized Lu Lu playing Anne and told her he was Fox and would protect her as they faced their tasks.

• Iver read his tasks and realized he was living through the year his parents died, playing Priest Julio Alexander while protecting his son, Iver Alexander.
• Iver asked Little Iver about his headache, used an Illumination Spell, and realized the boy was suffering from something he could not detect as an illness.
• Anne suggested that the threat might involve a curse, prompting Iver to recognize her as Lu Lu.
• Iver pulled Lu Lu close, told her to stay in character as his wife, and introduced himself as Fox, promising to protect her.

Iver dispelled the curse on Little Iver and helped Lu Lu settle into her role as his wife and the child's mother. He led them into a small chapel, where Lu Lu held the boy and prepared to sing him to sleep before they left.

• Lu Lu recognized Iver as Mr. Fox after he proved his identity with an Illumination Spell.
• Iver dispelled the locating curse on Little Iver with a sustained spell cast through his right hand.
• Iver warned Lu Lu not to ask about matters in the real world and told her to follow his lead as his wife.
• Iver took Lu Lu's hand and led her from the cathedral's main hall into an empty small chapel.
• Iver handed Little Iver to Lu Lu and told her to put the child into a deep sleep with a lullaby.

Iver used Lu Lu’s singing to calm them and learned more about her abilities while reasoning through their mission to leave the Grand Cathedral. He planned to head to the Pelican Bar, where he expected Sherlock Holmes to join him and Knight as their combat-capable companion.

• Lu Lu sang to soothe Iver and revealed her talent for the opera Lulu's Magic Flute, while her music strengthened their speed and balance.
• Iver recognized Lu Lu’s powerful Path of Beauty abilities and suspected she was Princess Isabel, then instructed her to act as Annie and call him Julio in public.
• Iver learned that Lu Lu’s mission was to leave the Grand Cathedral for Legal Square and argued that they should depart early to prepare weapons.
• Iver explained that Bishop Mathers might not be available to protect them and decided they needed a combat-capable companion instead.
• Lu Lu realized that the child she carried was Iver, and Iver revealed that he expected Sherlock Holmes to meet him and Knight at the Pelican Bar.

Iver took Lu Lu and his son to Gallows Square, where Lu Lu confronted the sight of executed corpses and explained why she had chosen the Path of Beauty. A newspaper boy warned her that her chosen path was dangerous and would demand that she abandon her humanity.

• Iver told Lu Lu that Legal Square was called Gallows Square and explained its grim history as they passed rows of hanged corpses.
• Lu Lu recoiled from the bodies, while Iver described the executions and punishments that had taken place there.
• After their carriage stopped, Lu Lu paid the coachman extra because she felt compassion despite knowing their surroundings were false.
• Lu Lu told Iver she had chosen the Path of Beauty because she wanted to follow its principles and do what she believed was right.
• A young newspaper boy approached Lu Lu and warned her that the path of transcendence would require her to abandon her humanity.

Iver, Sherlock, and Lu Lu gathered near the Pelican Bar and reasoned about Bone Carver and the other ritual participants. After three people died in rapid succession, Iver abandoned the plan to go to the bar and led the others toward a secret passage to hide.

• Sherlock explained why he expected the others to gather at the Pelican Bar and deduced that Bone Carver's staff was made from a human spine.
• Lu Lu suggested Bone Carver might be Old Lars Graham, and Sherlock shifted to protecting her and Iver.
• A death knell revealed that two participants had died, and Sherlock and Iver considered whether they had been ambushed or encountered local criminals.
• Iver and Sherlock disguised their conversation as an offer to buy a child milk while agreeing to head for the Pelican Bar.
• Another death knell sounded two minutes later, and Sherlock realized the deaths were happening too quickly for the ritual's expected difficulty.
• Iver decided the Pelican Bar might be unsafe and led Sherlock and Lu Lu toward a nearby secret passage to hide.

Iver led Lu Lu and Sherlock through a hidden passage toward an abandoned chemical plant and explained how Lloyd's used its newspaper business to disguise loans, intelligence sales, and other criminal dealings. He urged Sherlock to investigate the Sweater Brotherhood, secretly hoping to prevent a dangerous dungeon from becoming a threat and keep attention away from the people behind Pelican Bar.

• Iver guided Lu Lu and Sherlock across a sewage creek and explained that the passage led to an abandoned chemical plant occupied by the Sweater Brotherhood, a gang of stranglers.
• Sherlock and Iver explained to Lu Lu that Lloyd's used overpriced Lloyd Weekly subscriptions to collect loan interest and payments for intelligence and investigative services.
• Lu Lu inferred that Lloyd's newspaper scheme helped it pay taxes and gain protection, and Iver explained that its legal standing and control of criminal markets pushed rival gangs toward crimes that attracted official investigations.
• Iver revealed that Lloyd's also fenced stolen goods and issued some assassination and theft contracts, prompting Sherlock to question Iver's identity and familiarity with the district.
• Iver encouraged Sherlock to arrest the Sweater Brotherhood after dealing with the Bone Carver, warning that its members had killed repeatedly and might be connected to the people behind Pelican Bar.
• Iver privately recalled that the Sweater Brotherhood was linked to the Noble Red Society and a dangerous ritual, and he wanted Sherlock to eliminate the threat before it could complicate his investigation.