Chapter Summaries

Lake traveled from New York to Emilia’s mountain castle near Budapest for their annual family reunion as Emilia prepared to enter a century of sleep. He arrived with Katherine, learned David had gone to Craven’s home, and reunited with Emilia at the castle.

• Skye resumed school while Lake continued his work as New York State’s Deputy Director and left a clone in New York before traveling to Europe.
• Lake flew to Budapest, where the VAM Consortium’s vampires still mistook him for Emilia’s human lover, and took a train to her mountain castle.
• Katherine greeted Lake at the station and told him that David had gone to Craven’s place despite Lake’s earlier warning.
• Lake entered the lively castle with Katherine and saw Emilia waiting at the main hall’s entrance.

Lake confronted David over drinking human blood and joining the Death Walkers, then beat him when he defied his warnings. Emilia intervened as Lake prepared to break David’s limbs, ten days before she was due to enter her hundred-year sleep.

• Lake learned that David was attending his Death Walkers initiation and ordered Emilia to call him back, fearing Craven’s influence.
• David returned reeking of alcohol and human blood, and Lake sent Emilia and Katherine away to confront him.
• David insulted Lake and claimed Lake was too weak to discipline him, so Lake struck him and challenged him to a fight.
• Lake overpowered David with repeated blows and said he would break all four of his limbs if David lost.
• Emilia appeared in front of David and ordered Lake to stop.

Lake punished David for attacking him and confined him to the basement, while Katherine explained that David had been manipulated into underestimating their father. The chapter ended with Katherine calling David stupid for becoming someone else’s pawn.

• Lake attacked David and broke both his legs after Emilia stopped him from killing him.
• Lake ordered the maids to confine David in the basement and threatened anyone who brought him water.
• Katherine visited David and explained that Lake was not an ordinary man and that David had ignored the warnings from her and Emilia.
• Lake caught Katherine talking to David, allowed her to stay, and warned her not to give him water.
• Katherine told David he had been beaten because he was stupid enough to be brainwashed and used as a pawn.

Lake forced David to face him again three days after beating and imprisoning him, while Katherine helped David recover and urged him to apologize. After defeating David a second time, Lake learned that Katherine had secretly brought him healing potions, but favored her anyway as Emilia pressed David to make amends.

• Katherine told David that Craven had used him and warned that Craven suspected their secret immunity to sunlight.
• Katherine left a healing potion by David’s cell, and three days later Lake challenged him to fight in the castle plaza.
• David attacked Lake, who defeated him with the perfected Ancient Martial Dragon Claw Hand and knocked him into the bluestone floor.
• Emilia threw Katherine into the arena for encouraging David, but Katherine hid beside Lake and denied helping her brother.
• Emilia told David to apologize to Lake and stop letting others use him as a pawn.

Lake punished David for wanting to replace his inherited blood, then left the castle with Katherine and went to Budapest. As Emilia visited David in confinement, Lake and Katherine watched events unfold in Budapest, where Lake planned to wait while Viktor and Marcus handled their enemies.

• David apologized, but Lake rejected his excuse and struck him with Dragon Claw Manifestation, leaving him near death.
• Lake used the Fate Coin to restore David, then ordered him confined for a month; Emilia admitted she had spoiled him and warned him not to provoke Lake again.
• Lake and Katherine arrived in Budapest, where Katherine asked whether they would confront Craven, but Lake said David’s gullibility was his own fault.
• At a café, Katherine realized Lake was waiting because Craven remained useful to his plan, and Lake said he would watch and wait as Viktor and Marcus dealt with their enemies.

Lake joined Katherine and Selena during the Black Night Rebellion and killed a werewolf threatening Selena. He set out to find Lucian, whose true fate contradicted Selena’s account, and explained how Lucian’s history and alliance with Craven had led to Craven’s rise.

• Katherine worried that Selena and the others were in danger after a shooting broke out in the subway station.
• Lake and Katherine found Selena cornered by a werewolf, and Lake killed it with a Golden Dragon Claw.
• Selena’s attempt to sniff Lake’s blood made her cough, and Lake warned that his blood could burn vampires.
• Lake decided to find Lucian and end the conflict quickly, but Selena said Lucian had been killed by Craven.
• Lake told Selena that Lucian had survived, recounted the Werewolf Rebellion and Lucian’s alliance with Craven, and left Selena stunned.

Lake searched for Lucian’s werewolves, then went to Michael Corvin’s apartment with Selena and Katherine, intending to meet the man whose blood could strengthen Lucian. Two werewolves burst through the ceiling to attack Michael, and Lake caught them with a golden dragon claw.

• Lake found only an old werewolf scent at their abandoned hideout and decided to look for Michael Corvin instead.
• Lake told Selena and Katherine that Michael was Alexander Corvinus’s descendant and that his blood could help Lucian evolve.
• Lake entered Michael’s apartment and explained that Lucian would come looking for him, while Selena realized the werewolves had been pursuing Michael in the subway.
• Michael returned home, where Lake welcomed him and tried to calm him about Selena and the werewolves.
• Two werewolves smashed through the ceiling and lunged toward Michael, and Lake seized them with a golden dragon claw.

Lake defeated the werewolves attacking the building, captured Michael, and confronted Lucian, the Werewolf Progenitor. He warned Lucian to abandon the planned ambush on Emilia during the full-moon ritual, while urging him to target Viktor and Marcus instead.

• Lake destroyed the werewolves that attacked the corridor, and Selena dragged Michael away with them.
• Lake found Lucian waiting by the elevator, knocked him into a wall, and brought him to an abandoned building to talk.
• Lucian arrived with his wolves and recognized Lake as Emilia's human husband after Katherine called him her dad.
• Lake killed a werewolf hiding above them and warned Lucian that he knew about the planned ambush on Emilia.
• Lake told Lucian to abandon the ambush and suggested that he and Craven use their alliance to kill Viktor and Marcus while they hibernated.

Lake confronted Lucian about their plan to kill Marcus and Viktor, then revealed that Viktor had murdered Selena’s family and adopted her after Lucian obtained a prison key. Selena struggled to accept the revelation and was left reconsidering her loyalty to Viktor.

• Lake deduced that Lucian and Craven had planned to attack the manor, and Lucian admitted he also wanted Emilia dead; Lake warned him not to harm her.
• Lucian agreed to cooperate with Lake and asked to take the unconscious Michael, but Selena tried to flee and werewolves surrounded her.
• Lake challenged Selena’s loyalty by telling her that Viktor had killed her family, then asked Lucian to show her the prison key.
• Lucian produced the necklace key, and Lake explained that Viktor had killed Selena’s family after losing one part of the key and had spared and adopted Selena.
• Selena examined Lake for signs of deception, found none, and struggled to accept that Viktor had killed her family.

Lake spared Selena after revealing that Emilia knew nothing about Viktor killing her family, while he left Selena to decide how to respond to the truth. On the train back to the castle, Katherine reasoned through Lucian’s choices and received two magical items from Lake, then crashed around the train car on a Bamboo Dragonfly.

• Lake released Selena and explained that Emilia had been asleep when Viktor killed Selena’s family, while Lucian’s werewolves took the unconscious Michael Corvin away.
• On the train, Katherine pointed out that Lucian faced death whether he resisted Lake or obeyed him, but would probably choose the path that offered a chance to survive.
• Katherine asked whether Lake planned to kill Selena, and Lake said Selena’s response to the truth would test her judgment and suitability as a future daughter-in-law.
• Katherine called Lake awful and asked him for a gift, so he gave her a Bamboo Dragonfly and an empty Fourth-Dimensional Pocket.
• Katherine explored the pocket, then tried the Bamboo Dragonfly and flew into things around the train car until she called for Lake to help her.

Lake confronted Craven over his role in turning David against his father and intimidated him with the story of how he had punished David. Craven left shaken, while Lake decided to keep him alive for now because killing him would interfere with his plans.

• Katherine flew around the carriage with her Bamboo Dragonfly, then went to her room after arriving at the castle and spotting Craven.
• Craven asked Emilia about David, but Lake arrived and ordered him to sit under the force of his overwhelming aura.
• Lake told Craven how he had broken David's legs, nearly killed him, and sent him to the isolation room after David insulted him.
• Craven concealed his real reason for visiting by claiming he had come to discuss the awakening ceremony, then left the castle terrified.
• Lake told Emilia that Craven would die eventually, but he could not kill him yet without disrupting his plan.

Lake told Emilia that he would conquer the kingdom for her, while Lucian forced Craven to provide access to tunnels beneath Viktor’s manor so he could kill Viktor and Marcus. Selena returned with the vampire historian’s memories and prepared to help awaken the elders, leaving Craven angry and plotting against Lucian.

• Lake told Emilia that he would conquer the kingdom for her and carried her to the bedroom.
• Craven learned that the Death Walker and werewolves had clashed in front of humans, then summoned Lucian.
• Lucian overpowered Craven and demanded the tunnels’ key by the next night so he could attack Viktor and Marcus first.
• Craven returned to Viktor’s manor, learned Selena was back, and confronted her in the study.
• Selena had learned from the vampire historian that Viktor had adopted her after her family was killed, and she planned to help Lucian awaken Viktor and Marcus.

Selena confronted Craven about Lucian, while Lucian fused Michael Corvin’s blood with his own and was attacked by armed soldiers. Lake watched the raid through a satellite feed and concluded that Alexander Corvinus had emerged; Emilia learned that Alexander’s blood could grant vampires freedom from their usual weaknesses.

• Selena questioned Craven about whether he or Lucian had cut the skin from Lucian’s arm, then left without an answer.
• Craven questioned Luke about Selena’s night in the city and began to suspect that Lake and Katherine were connected to her.
• Lucian used Michael Corvin’s blood to strengthen himself, then ordered his werewolves to retreat when heavily armed soldiers attacked their hideout.
• The soldiers evacuated the nearly dead Michael by helicopter and destroyed the evidence at the abandoned building.
• Lake monitored the operation through a satellite feed, and he told Emilia that Alexander Corvinus’s blood could remove vampires’ weaknesses.

Lake learned that Alexander Corvinus was alive and used government pressure and a Hydra deal to keep him from reaching Budapest in time to interfere. After Hydra paid him for Alexander’s location, Lake prepared for a possible attack on the mountain that night.

• Lake told Emilia that Alexander Corvinus had secretly cleaned up his descendants’ messes and would likely intervene after Michael was captured.
• Lake’s New York clone alerted Secretary Kelly, prompting the government to order the Alexander away from the coastline.
• Alexander moved his ship into international waters and ordered his soldiers to investigate Lake Edwin.
• Lake contacted Hydra’s List and sold him Alexander Corvinus’s location for one hundred million dollars.
• Lake learned that Alexander had obtained his records through S.H.I.E.L.D. in London and decided to save his money for a possible attack that night.

Lucian used his strengthened werewolf-vampire forces to outmaneuver Craven and launch an assault against the vampires. As his forces split to target the manor, Emilia, and Craven, the second war between vampires and werewolves began.

• Lake prepared to use the Vampire Council's gathering to establish Emilia's authority, while rain fell over Budapest.
• Craven armed the Death Walkers and planned to lure Lucian into an ambush, fearing his lie about Lucian's death would be exposed.
• Lucian gathered nearly fifty werewolves who had shared Michael Corvin's blood and used Selena's reports to learn Craven's plans.
• Lucian divided his forces into three groups to infiltrate Viktor's manor, head toward Emilia, and accompany him to meet Craven.
• At the garbage dump, Lucian's followers attacked the vampires, and Lucian bit Craven as gunfire and wolf howls signaled the war's start.

Lucian killed Craven and his Death Walkers before leading the werewolves toward Viktor Manor, while Lake and Emilia faced the vampire councilors gathered at the castle. Lake used his power to demand that Emilia remain governor, leaving the thirty-six councilors to choose whether to support or oppose her.

• Lucian absorbed Craven's higher-level blood, killed him and the Death Walkers, and led more than twenty werewolves toward Viktor Manor.
• Katherine guarded David in the basement and warned him not to disrupt Lake and Emilia's plan while the vampire councilors arrived.
• The thirty-six vampire councilors presented Emilia with their century-long governance summary, then prepared to leave ahead of Marcus's awakening.
• Lake entered the meeting, forced Catalan back into his seat, and introduced himself as Emilia's husband, the Black King.
• Lake displayed a golden dragon of internal energy and asked the councilors who supported Emilia continuing as governor and who opposed her.

Lake forced the vampire council to watch Lucian’s assault on Viktor’s estate as he moved to secure Emilia’s regency. Selena arrived injured and revealed that Lucian intended to wipe everyone out, while Katherine assured her that Lake had prepared for the attack.

• Lake asked the vampire councilors whether they opposed Emilia continuing as regent, and Catalan challenged his decision.
• Lake projected a live satellite feed showing Lucian’s werewolf army assaulting Viktor’s estate, then knocked Catalan to the floor when he grew hostile.
• Katherine watched the council meeting and battle with David in the basement while Lake and Emilia’s plan unfolded.
• Katherine brought the wounded Selena inside and treated her with a healing potion after Selena arrived asking about Lucian.
• Selena learned that Lake knew about Lucian’s plan and watched the live footage with Katherine, who offered her popcorn.

Lucian’s werewolf army battered its way into Viktor’s manor while Lake kept the vampire councilors under control and watched the assault unfold. Lucian broke into the awakening hall and confronted the newly awakened Viktor and Marcus, lunging at Viktor before he could stall for time.

• Selena arrived at the castle, where Katherine told her that David was under house arrest and explained that Lucian would not follow Viktor’s plans.
• Lucian’s werewolves overwhelmed the manor’s defenders, then smashed through its gate and began slaughtering the vampires inside.
• Lake killed a councilor who tried to flee, then persuaded Catalan to sit and watch the battle instead of escaping.
• Lucian broke through the awakening hall’s iron doors and found Viktor and Marcus newly awakened among the hiding vampires.
• Viktor asked Lucian where Emilia was, but Lucian lunged at him rather than let him stall.

Lake used Emilia’s money to summon ten powerful clones and force the vampire councilors to stay under his control after Lucian killed Marcus and marched toward Emilia’s castle. The councilors were taken to watch the coming battle, while Emilia learned that Lake’s reinforcements had cost over a hundred million dollars.

• Lucian killed Marcus, took the key from Viktor’s stomach, and led thirty evolved giant wolves toward Emilia’s castle.
• Lake stopped the councilors from fleeing by killing two with a golden dragon and summoning ten clones to escort the remaining thirty-three to a new location.
• Katherine watched Lake’s clones and resolved to learn the technique, while David and Selena were stunned by the display.
• Emilia asked Lake how many secrets he was hiding, and he explained that his clone skill let him summon more clones at escalating costs.
• Lake revealed that Emilia had funded the clones and planned to spend more of the Gacha System’s remaining draws to help secure her empire.

Lake gathered the Vampire Council members and secured Catalan’s promise to recognize Emilia as Queen if Lake defeated Lucian. As Lucian arrived with sixty evolved werewolves, Lake revealed a barrier that trapped everyone in the square for an hour.

• Lake recalled the Vampire Council clones and threatened the councilors into cooperating, killing one who refused.
• Catalan agreed that the council would recognize Emilia as Queen if Lake defeated Lucian.
• Natasha and Coulson found the aftermath of the vampire-werewolf battle at Viktor’s estate, and Nick Fury ordered them to secure the scene while he headed to Hungary.
• Lake warned Little Cotton-padded Jacket to watch from the castle roof as Lucian arrived with sixty evolved werewolves.
• Lake activated a One-time Ultimate Beast Catcher, whose barrier spread around the square and prevented anyone inside from escaping for an hour.