Chapter Summaries

Iver openly declared that he wanted to rise above the Pillar Gods and possess both Source Rivers, after witnessing the suffering of the Blood Slaves and concluding that the gods were too limited to change everything. His declaration drew the attention of the Pillar Gods, while Amber briefly awakened and stopped time throughout the Material Realm before falling asleep again.

• Iver told Sherlock that becoming an existence above the Pillar Gods was his true goal, and explained how seeing the Blood Slaves' suffering had changed his outlook.
• Iver and Sherlock discussed how the Nine Pillar Gods Church encouraged people to think of the Pillar Gods as one, even though their conflicting paths prevented them from acting in unison.
• Iver declared that he wanted both devotion and transcendence, both Source Rivers, and everything he could attain.
• Constant Self, the Candle Keeper, the Hourglass, and the Silver Crowned Dragon reacted to Iver's declaration in the Dream Realm.
• Amber awoke and stopped time across the Material Realm for nine seconds, then closed her eyes and fell asleep again.

Iver learned that the Source Rivers were being corrupted by the Twilight known as Whisper of the Void, which had blocked the birth of a new Source River and threatened the world. He rejected Ring Angel’s plan to seize two Source Rivers and vowed to defeat the threat himself.

• Iver realized Ring Angel wanted to take the Paths of Dedication and Transcendence away in hopes of reaching Sacred Number eleven and returning to save the world.
• Lord of Scales and Feathers explained that the Source Rivers were being corrupted by nothingness, a calamity called Twilight that could consume worlds or turn their remains into new Twilights.
• Lord of Scales and Feathers revealed that Whisper of the Void had corrupted minds, including possibly those of gods, and had stopped new Source Rivers from being born at Sacred Number ten.
• Iver understood why some gods supported Ring Angel’s plan: they doubted he would return, but saw his escape as a possible way for someone to survive and preserve their world’s power.
• Iver refused to trust Ring Angel and vowed to save the world himself by killing Whisper of the Void.

Iver explained that the Whisper of the Void needed a willing vessel to reach the Source River, and realized the Swan King had nearly become one. In the Earl of Orleans’s basement, the Void Box appeared as an inverted royal palace and revealed the Swan King’s head, who disclosed that he had given the Earl hope rather than hypnotizing him.

• Iver recognized that the Swan King had nearly become the Whisper of the Void’s God Descent Vessel.
• Iver showed Arsene and Sherlock the inverted palace in the Earl of Orleans’s basement, where the Void Box appeared as a treasure chest.
• The Void Box opened, and the Swan King’s head emerged; Sherlock said he had seen his brother’s storage chest.
• The Swan King reacted with pleasure to Sherlock’s childhood story, while Iver recognized that the Swan King had mastered the Lion Head Secret Covenant.
• Iver realized the Swan King had altered the Earl of Orleans’s mind, and the Swan King insisted that what he had given the Earl was hope.

Iver realized that Ludwig II’s power came from hope, and that the Swan King had used it to resist the Void Box’s nothingness. Ludwig II awakened, recited a poem, and erased himself and the Void Box from the Material Realm, leaving Iver with a shard that could lead him toward becoming a Dream or Illusion Angel.

• Iver understood that the Swan King’s power was hope and that it had influenced his feelings and Aleister’s absence.
• Ludwig II awakened and warped the Earl’s Mansion and the Dream Realm as Aleister rushed toward him.
• Iver refused to retreat and recognized that Ludwig II intended to die in the Material Realm to keep the Void’s corruption from reaching the Dream Realm.
• Ludwig II recited a poem and used his authority to erase himself and the Void Box from the Material Realm.
• A book titled “Swan Knight” appeared, and Iver received the Angel Shard—Dream and Illusion Shard.

Iver decided to give the Angel Shard to Isabel, whose Water and Light attributes made it suitable for her, so she could gain the potential to ascend and avoid being separated from him. He sent Aleister to the Theocracy with the shard and a message for Hypatia, Isabel’s mother.

• Aleister asked about the Angel Shard, and Iver explained that it held the Light and Wind attributes and would not suit the illusion demon or Hellerchein.
• Iver told Aleister he planned to use the shard to buy a kingdom, then realized Isabel’s Water and Light attributes made it a perfect gift for her.
• Iver recalled Isabel’s fear that his ascension would leave her behind and decided the shard could give her a path to immortality and ascension.
• Iver gave the shard to Aleister and asked her to take it to Hypatia in the Theocracy, telling her that Isabel was in his hands.
• Sherlock complained that Iver’s message sounded like something a kidnapper would say.

Iver arranged for Aleister to have Hypatia turn an Angel Shard into a gift for Isabel, while Sherlock learned the higher stages of the Mitra path. Iver then planned a trip with the Vendome Family and a public announcement blaming the Earl of Orleans for Iris’s rebellions, leaving the Child of the Moon with only the doomed option of summoning the Blood Angel.

• Aleister agreed to deliver the Angel Shard to Hypatia so she could make Isabel a gift, and then left.
• Iver explained that Sherlock could advance through the Mitra path by gaining the Hearts of Dedication, Strength, and Dusk, then mastering Balance to become the Child of Mitra.
• Sherlock realized he was close to attempting the Fifth Level and asked whether the group would return to Avalon or visit the Vendome Family.
• Iver brought Arsene along and planned for the Vendome Family to announce that he had destroyed the Child of the Moon families and to blame the Earl of Orleans for Iris’s rebellions.
• Iver intended for the Mist Angel and her Mist Demons to convert the Child of the Moon, leaving them only the doomed Ouroboros Ring Ritual to summon the Blood Angel.

Isabel waited in Avalon for Iver, reflecting on her pregnancy, her past, and the dangers he faced. Iver returned to Glass Island and revealed that he had brought back his mother, leaving Isabel stunned and inviting her to meet her.

• Isabel recalled a possible future in which she became the Queen of Flowers and sacrificed her ability to love Iver to save Avalon.
• Yulia joined Isabel in the courtyard and worried about Iver's delayed return and the approaching wedding.
• Isabel explained that she believed in Iver and felt she could best help him by staying in Avalon.
• Iver returned and praised Isabel for becoming a capable Queen in only a few months.
• Iver told Isabel that he had brought back his mother, and invited her to meet her on Glass Island.

Isabel and Yulia met Annie de Vendome, whom Isabel recognized as the woman she had played as Iver’s mother in a Promotion Ritual, and heard how Annie had come to Avalon. The Old Duke’s account revealed that Annie had defied a planned political marriage, while the story left off with him explaining how the Crown Erosion Plan became Avalon’s Royal Curse.

• Isabel and Yulia followed Iver into the Silver and Tin Palace’s Reception Room and found Annie de Vendome, the Old Duke, Edward, and Sherlock there.
• Iver introduced Annie as the Duke of Vendome’s third daughter and Isabel as his beloved, while Isabel struggled with the fact that she had once played Annie as Iver’s mother.
• Annie explained that she had gone to Avalon to study art as part of a political mission and marriage alliance arranged during the Cold War between Iris and Avalon.
• The Old Duke recounted that Annie’s intended prince had married his tutor, prompting him to recall her and prepare for war, but Annie refused to return to Iris.
• The Old Duke described the Ten Day War and revealed that the Children of the Moon helped instigate the Crown Erosion Plan, which became known in Avalon as the Royal Curse.

Isabel and Iver reconsidered the origins of Avalon’s royal curse and Queen Sophia’s actions, uncovering signs that Sophia may have been protecting Isabel all along. The chapter left Iver suspecting Sophia had foreseen Isabel’s future importance.

• Isabel murmured the name of the Crown Erosion Plan and recalled an old nursery rhyme about a kingdom’s decline.
• Iver and Sherlock connected the royal assassination, Arthur Hermes’s acquittal, and Queen Sophia’s knowledge of the events behind the curse.
• Iver questioned why Sophia had arranged Albert’s marriage to Inilis and protected their child despite the political risks.
• Iver suspected that Sophia had made those choices to protect Isabel, while Mycroft had also recognized Isabel’s future importance.

Iver explained how Isabel had been shaped into a candidate for the Pillar God of Beauty, then suspected that Jacob had manipulated Queen Sophia and fate to create a new Pillar God. Annie revealed that she and her mirror-copy could not tell which was original, leaving Iver to suggest Jacob’s plan might involve more than one god.

• Sherlock and Iver concluded that Isabel’s upbringing had stripped away other Paths and prepared her to become a Pure Beauty.
• Iver explained that Isabel’s misfortunes and sacrifices had gradually removed her aptitude for other Paths, making her a candidate for the Pillar God of Beauty.
• Grand Duke Vendome said the purpose of the manipulation was to create a god, while Edward and Annie questioned whether the Path of Beauty already had a Pillar God.
• Iver asked Annie whether she or his true mother was the original, and Annie described Jacob’s Soul Mirror Image Ritual and how the copies chose who would stay in Avalon.
• Annie recalled her grief and dreams after leaving Julio behind, and Iver accused his grandfather Jacob of manipulating the queen, fate, and reincarnation to create a new Pillar God—or perhaps several.

Iver pieced together Ring Angel’s plan to replace or restore several Pillar Gods using people created by Jacob. He realized Yulia might have been prepared to replace Candlemaker and wondered whether Ring Angel had deliberately damaged her.

• Iver reasoned that Isabel and Sherlock were intended to replace Twin Mirrors and Great Sage, while the stable Lord of Scales and Feathers could remain an ally.
• Iver connected Hai Na Dane’s origins to Lancelot and suspected she had been created as a vessel for Calamity Demon Dragon.
• Iver concluded Ring Angel might have planned to draw the corrupted power from the Silver Crowned Dragon and restore him to stability.
• Iver remembered Yulia was also Jacob’s creation and considered that Paradox Flame Butterfly might have been meant to replace Candlemaker.
• Iver suspected Ring Angel might have cultivated Constant Self as well and wondered whether he had deliberately damaged Yulia.

Iver learned that Prince Albert had been captured by fairies during a banquet, leaving him unable to return to Avalon. Isabel said Albert’s return could threaten her plan to hand Avalon to Yulia, but Iver decided to look for him after the wedding, and Isabel planned to go with him.

• Iver connected Yulia’s death and the Paradox Flame Butterfly to the Ring Angel’s schemes.
• Isabel told Iver that inspectors had lost track of Yunus, who had been captured by fairies and taken to a Fairy Banquet.
• Isabel explained that Albert’s return could provoke unrest because his claim to Avalon’s throne was stronger than hers and she planned to hand Avalon to Yulia.
• Iver decided to visit the Fairy Country after the wedding, and Isabel said she would accompany him.
• The Old Duke lamented that he could not confront Albert, and the wedding banquet at the Silver and Tin Palace continued through the night of May 21.

Iver and Isabel began their wedding procession through Avalon, receiving blessings from citizens and dignitaries before reaching the harbor, where three Cardinal Bishops welcomed them. The chapter ended with Cardinal Galatea letting Iver carry Isabel onto her unicorn, astonishing everyone who knew the occult.

• Iver and Isabel spent the night before their wedding sharing a family dinner with their few remaining relatives.
• Iver and Isabel rode through Glass Island in a griffin-pulled carriage as citizens gathered to witness their wedding and coronation.
• Iver blessed the wedding guests, and he and Isabel kissed before Yulia presented Isabel with a bouquet.
• Three Cardinal Bishops welcomed Iver and Isabel at the harbor, confirming Iver's high standing in the Theocracy.
• Cardinal Galatea dismounted from her unicorn and let Iver carry Isabel onto it, leaving the onlookers wondering why the unicorn accepted him.

Iver rode Pansy the unicorn with the pregnant Isabel, and their wedding procession became a radiant spectacle that projected scenes from their shared past across the sky. The final illusion showed Isabel facing a terrifying evil spirit without fear before a gunshot shattered the vision.

• Iver discovered that Pansy accepted him despite the unicorns' usual rejection of impurity, and he decided to ride her with Isabel for their wedding.
• Pansy flew ahead of seven Theocracy warships as Isabel's train streamed behind her, scattering rainbow-colored light across the sky.
• The light showed a frightened girl being saved from a monster by a blond boy who shared his umbrella with her in the rain.
• The illusions recalled Isabel asking whether Iver needed her help, and Iver telling her that he needed her very much.
• Isabel painted scenes of Iver's confident deeds until an evil spirit attacked her, and she faced it with a gun before a shot shattered the illusion.

Isabel shared an illusion of her love for Iver with the wedding guests, showing how he comforted her, confronted Emma, and won the knights’ obedience. The illusion carried the guests to the Theocracy, where fairies and animals gathered to welcome the couple with gifts.

• Isabel broke down in tears as Iver caught her and told her he was with her.
• The illusion showed Iver confronting Emma, who had taken Isabel hostage, and ordering her death under the Blood Moon.
• Iver crossed the shattered Glass Staircase, quieted the knights with his touch, and opened the meeting beside Isabel.
• Isabel’s illusion carried the guests through the sky on a white unicorn, sharing her feelings for Iver and synchronizing their sense of time during the journey.
• The guests awoke in a lush forest on the Theocracy’s third layer, where fairies and animals gathered around Iver and Isabel.
• The guests heard that the Fairy Queen and the Queen of the Shadow Land had sent gifts for the couple.

At Iver's wedding, fairies gave the guests miraculous fruit and water that restored their youth, a gift that threatened the Children of the Moon's influence. Morgan visited Iver and Isabel, discussed her plans to ascend through the Path of Authority, and gave them a Golden Apple to improve their unborn daughter's potential.

• Fairies served the wedding guests Holy Communion of Delicacies and Nymph's Spring, restoring their vitality and youth as they consumed them.
• The guests realized Iver's gift offered a true alternative to the Children of the Moon and could undermine their hold over the powerful.
• Morgan arrived and congratulated Isabel on her pregnancy, explaining that Lancelot's gift had helped her conceive.
• Morgan told Iver she planned to pursue the Path of Authority rather than become another Heavenly Mandate on the Path of Love.
• Morgan gave Iver a Golden Apple as an early gift for the child, saying it could grant the baby the potential to become a top-tier extraordinary being.

After the fairies sent Prince Albert back as a cursed kitten, Iver explained the punishment for abandoning Isabel and urged Albert to make amends on her terms. Isabel welcomed him as her father but said she would leave Avalon to go adventuring after the wedding.

• Isabel ate the Golden Apple, and Iver confirmed it restored vitality and nourished the soul.
• Iver recognized the Fairy Queen’s cat gift as Prince Albert, who had been transformed into a kitten for abandoning Isabel.
• Albert explained that the Fairy Queen had cursed him to experience the loneliness and dangers Isabel had endured, and he apologized to her.
• Iver told Albert to stay at the Silver and Tin Palace instead of wandering off, so he could make amends in a way Isabel wanted.
• Isabel called Albert “Daddy” and said she would leave Avalon to go adventuring after the wedding.

Iver’s wedding guests entered the Theocracy’s sacred Nineteenth Circle, where Holy Guardians guided them to a feast prepared by the Angels. Pope Grey appeared to officiate the wedding, honoring Iver’s contributions and declaring Avalon and the Theocracy a close family.

• The wedding guests reached the Nineteenth Circle and saw its temples, while Iver and Pansy explained the Holy Guardians and the souls who served Candle Holder.
• Holy Guardians guided the guests through the city and helped them arrive at Candle Holder’s temple before noon.
• Saintess Candidates sang as Mist Demons seated and served the guests, and gifts from the Mist Angel, Banquet Angel, and Candle Heaven Holder filled the tables.
• Pope Grey appeared to officiate Iver’s wedding, explaining that she wanted to repay him and honor Isabel’s wish for the ceremony.
• Grey declared that Avalon and the Theocracy had always been one close family.

Iver and Isabel married in a ceremony blessed by the gods, and Iver gave her a ring containing an Angel Shard that could let her approach angelhood. As their wedding and Isabel’s coronation ended in celebration, the Ring Angel watched from afar and chose not to interfere.

• Aleister brought Lady Hypatia to the wedding, and Hypatia gave Iver a ring containing a Path of Beauty Angel Shard for Isabel.
• Isabel embraced and kissed Iver after he revealed the ring’s power, and they exchanged declarations of love.
• Pope Grey officiated as Iver and Isabel vowed eternal fidelity, exchanged rings, and had their souls bound by nine golden chains.
• The gods blessed the couple, and Grey declared Iver and Isabel husband and wife before crowning Isabel queen.
• The guests celebrated as Iver wished Isabel a happy birthday, while Jacob and the Ring Angel watched from the Ring Angel Holy Temple and decided not to disturb them.

At Iver and Isabel’s wedding and coronation, Isabel revealed that Yulia Moriarty was actually Yulia Heracles, a direct descendant of the Herasul Empire’s royal family. The announcement shocked the guests and threatened to reshape the claims and balance of power among the four successor nations.

• Iver and Isabel cut the wedding cake together as the guests applauded and sat down to celebrate.
• The Old Duke scolded Albert for his past mistakes while holding him as a cat, then wondered whether cats could eat cake.
• Yulia joined Isabel onstage after Iver gave his approval, and Isabel introduced her as Iver’s younger sister, adopted by the same foster father.
• Isabel revealed that Yulia’s true name was Yulia Heracles and that she descended directly from the royal family of the Herasul Empire.
• The guests erupted as they grasped that Yulia’s identity could upend the competing claims of Stibium, Narcissus, Black Eagle, and Iris.