Recaps

After recovering from his exhaustion, Shade crossed fog-bound Middlesburg and met Iluna at the Sun Church to exchange updates on the seals and the search for the remaining Nails. Iluna revealed that the Orthodox Church had located one of the missing targets, while Shade prepared to search another area with Priest Augustus.

• Shade woke refreshed after a restful night and amused Mia with a controlled Sunlight Ray before leaving her at home.
• Shade learned from a Flower Girl that the Great Fog had appeared in the city the previous night, then bought all her flowers and gave her money to go home.
• Shade reached the Sun Church through the fog and gave Iluna a red rose when she arrived.
• Shade and Iluna exchanged reports: the three passages in Life and Death Limbo had been reinforced, and The Church still needed a large-scale Divine Ritual to strengthen them.
• Iluna told Shade that the Orthodox Church had located one of the remaining Nails in northern Middlesburg and warned him to kill Joey Barton himself if his plan to revive the dead proved irreversible.

Shade and Priest Augustus searched for the remaining Nails and traced one to the mansion of the Earl of Darak, whom Shade had met before and suspected of having returned from the dead. They prepared to enter the estate, where the next encounter awaited them.

• Iluna told Shade that Professor Andre Pigman of Saint Byron's would come to assist with the ritual, which the Church expected to hold next week after dealing with the Four Nails.
• Shade met Priest Augustus and learned that the Witch Council had reinforced the seal halfway up the mountain.
• Priest Augustus used his Search for the Dead Thaumaturgy to locate a target in the South District, and Shade’s Red Butterfly Mark led them to a mansion on Annabelle Street.
• Shade recognized the estate as belonging to the Earl of Darak and recalled that the Earl had recently recovered from a serious illness after appearing strangely at a ball.
• Shade and Priest Augustus planned to use Shade’s rare Rhodes card, Legend of the Brave · Bard Fletcher, to gain entry to the mansion.

Shade and Priest Augustus visited Earl of Darak of Campbell, whom they recognized as the Resurrection Nail, and challenged him to a Rhodes Cards match with Special Cards at stake. The first game began with Shade probing the Earl’s health, while the Earl brought up Blood Brew.

• Shade and Priest Augustus entered the Darak manor after Shade used the name John Watson and showed his Rhodes Cards credentials.
• Priest Augustus identified the Old Butler’s heart disease, and Shade and the priest realized Earl of Darak of Campbell was the person who had returned from the dead.
• The Earl agreed to a best-of-three Rhodes Cards match, staking Ancient Fairy Tale · Sleeping Princess against Shade’s Heroic Legends Fletcher.
• The Earl corrected Shade’s outdated information about Swordsman Sabaron and shared his plan to challenge Hamilton of Leijed in Tobesk.
• Shade and the Earl began the first game, and Shade questioned the Earl about his illness as they played.
• The Earl won the opening exchange with eighteen points, while Shade stood at nineteen, and the Earl asked whether Shade had tried the local drink Blood Brew.

Shade played Rhodes Cards with Lawrence, Earl of Darak, and helped him realize that he had returned from the dead. Lawrence accepted that the dead must leave the living world but refused to go without a final duel, and he waited for Shade in the courtyard.

• Shade told Lawrence that he had seen the Founding Series card Sun 6 in Middlesburg, then won the first game with Heroic Legends Fletcher.
• As they played the second game, Shade described the danger of dead people who looked like the living and said the dead must be driven away for the sake of the living.
• Lawrence passed one check with a roll of 10 but failed the next, lost the round, and realized that he had come back from the dead.
• Shade confirmed that Lawrence had to leave for the place meant for him, but Lawrence protested that the fate was unfair and demanded a final duel.
• Lawrence left his will with his Old Butler and passed through the window to wait for Shade in the courtyard.

Shade received Priest Augustus’s blessing from the First Angel and fought the resurrected Earl of Darak of Campbell in the fog. Shade wounded the earl, but the earl transformed and unleashed a stronger attack, leaving the duel unresolved.

• Priest Augustus revealed that he could lend Shade the power of the First Angel and blessed him with the Holy Emblem of the Old Gods.
• Shade absorbed the power of a Red Butterfly, prepared Night Watchman, and went into the fog to meet Earl of Darak of Campbell.
• Shade and the earl exchanged sword strikes, and Shade wounded him with a slash infused with Angelic power.
• The earl attacked with a gray beam, but Shade leaped behind him and lodged Night Watchman in his shoulder.
• The earl rejected Shade’s offer to concede, erupted in black fog, and transformed as Shade retreated.
• The transformed earl floated above the ground and fired black, human-faced projectiles at Shade, who dodged them but was lightly cut.

Shade defeated the Earl of Darak of Campbell with Night Watchman, sunlight, and a final Mind Blast, then played the last round of Rhodes Cards with him before the earl passed away. The earl accepted his loss and entrusted the Ancient Fairy Tales Princess to Shade, while Priest Augustus helped his soul depart and removed the third Nail.

• Shade used Night Watchman to amplify Sunlight Ray and melted the black mist surrounding the Earl of Darak of Campbell.
• Shade struck the earl with Soul Echo, Guiding Death, and Mind Blast, leaving him motionless and returning him briefly to human form.
• Shade invited the dying earl to finish their Rhodes Cards game, and the earl accepted.
• Shade revealed the earl's hidden card with the Great City Player card, then won the round with twenty-one and took the match two to zero.
• The earl accepted his defeat, gave Shade the Ancient Fairy Tales Princess, and told Mr. Hans to follow his will and care for the guests.
• Priest Augustus helped the earl's transparent body disperse into White Ash, removing the third Nail as Shade and Mr. Hans watched.

After removing the third Nail, Shade fought his way through Sikar Mountain’s dangerous fog and undead before returning to the Abandoned Tower. He discussed the coming Chosen One ritual with Luvia and left worried about the many forces gathering in Miburg, especially Armand Bernhardt and the Bloodkin.

• Shade left Earl of Darak of Campbell's residence with Priest Augustus after the Earl's death, and Priest Augustus returned to Dawn Church.
• Shade bypassed the mountain blockade and fought powerful undead in the fog on his way to the Abandoned Tower, where he turned to confront three spirits following him.
• Shade visited the Seer Association and told Luvia that the third Nail had been removed and discussed the risks of the Interstice erupting before the ritual.
• Luvia said two high-ring Prophets would arrive to divine Joey Barton's location and suggested using the Dandelion Coin or Diviner's Silver Coin to investigate the ritual.
• Shade and Luvia agreed that Shade could tell Sister Devlin she was the second candidate, while hoping Joey Barton would die before the ritual.
• Shade worried that Armand Bernhardt and the Bloodkin might pose a greater danger than Joey Barton as more powerful groups gathered in Miburg.

Shade searched for items related to Sun Power, fought Fishmen on the coast, and bought two possible items from Mr. Edmund. He then went to Leimer Racecourse to find Miss Galina and Queen Diana, where the calm autumn afternoon offered a brief respite from his troubles.

• Shade encountered three Fishmen on the beach, killed two, and used Confusion to turn the summoned fish swarm against the spellcaster.
• Shade sold the two Fishman Corpses to Mr. Edmund and bought a parchment scroll and a Sun Sigil badge that might be related to Sun Power.
• Shade learned that Miss Galina and Queen Diana had gone to Leimer Racecourse, so he took a carriage there.
• Shade arrived at the racecourse, found Miss Galina and Queen Diana watching the riders, and enjoyed the peaceful autumn afternoon.

Shade visited Miss Galina at a royal horse race, where Queen Diana questioned him about his connections and marriage prospects. Galina sent him to ride in the next race, and he went to choose a horse despite being unable to ride.

• Shade presented withered roses to Miss Galina and Queen Diana, then secretly passed another rose to Tifa.
• Queen Diana asked Shade about Princess Angelina's invitations and encouraged him to attend more social events.
• Queen Diana offered her feather fan if Shade placed in the next race, and Miss Galina promised him her ring for finishing among the first three.
• Tifa explained that Galina had sent Shade away to avoid the Queen's probing, gave him a talisman to calm animals, and planned to curse another horse's hoof.
• Shade chose a gentle Maroon Delarion Highland Horse as his mount, though he still could not ride.

Shade used an elven amulet to ride in a horse race, unexpectedly finishing second, and later received an alchemical ring from Miss Galina. The afternoon ended with Shade, Miss Galina, and Tifa at dinner, where Mia showed no interest in the ring.

• Shade borrowed a hair from Tifa and made an elven Lucky Rider Amulet to help him control a horse.
• Shade entered a race, and Tifa's Delayed Limping Curse helped him move up to third before his horse surged ahead to finish second.
• Miss Galina invited Shade to keep racing, while Queen Diana encouraged him to consider the Tobesk Equestrian Competition; Shade declined to commit.
• Queen Diana returned to the city, and Miss Galina brought Shade and Tifa back to the manor for dinner.
• Miss Galina explained that the golden ring she gave Shade detected malicious intent, but Mia sniffed it and turned away.

Shade learned more about the Bloodkin gathering and confirmed that Sleeping Beauty could replace Slumber in his Words of Sublimation. He left the chapter preparing for the approaching events in Miburg, where Saint Byron’s headmaster planned to seek out a powerful God Summoner.

• Miss Galina gave Shade two possible Sun Power items and explained that Mr. Armand Bernhardt had bought Vampire’s Fang from her for 3,000 pounds.
• Miss Galina told Shade that Bloodkin from across the Old Continent had gathered near Sikar Mountain, but the Orthodox Church believed their actions were unrelated to the Chosen Ones.
• Shade stayed in Tobesk on Saturday to rest and attended the Study Group, where Doctor Schneider urged him to decide whether to skip a grade.
• Miss Danist told Shade that Headmistress Fiona Drago had once used Sleeping Princess to replace the Slumber Spirit Rune, confirming that Sleeping Beauty could serve as his substitute.
• Miss Danist said Saint Byron’s investigation into Miss Feliana was not progressing well and revealed that the headmaster planned to travel to Miburg with a Level 0 Relic to meet the God Summoner.

Shade spent a peaceful evening with Leisha and Dorothy before postponing his Time Key exploration to prepare for the coming Saint Tree Scar ritual in Miburg. While searching the city with Luvia, he acquired a rare ruby and the wind-summoning Relic called the Dandelion Coin.

• Shade told Leisha the story of Red Butterflies and reassured her that he would look for a way to help her meet Dorothy.
• Shade performed a magic trick for Leisha, who kissed him; Dorothy then appeared and kissed him as well.
• Shade kept the Time Key from Year 3024 instead of exploring it, saving it in case of trouble during the Saint Tree Scar ritual.
• Shade and Luvia visited shops and markets around Tobesk, where Shade bought a flawed ruby from Old John and Luvia ordered an alloy short dagger.
• Luvia took Shade to the Scholars' Tavern, where she obtained the Document Level Relic Dandelion Coin, which could summon wind and strengthen wind Thaumaturgy.

Luvia used Pirate's Blood Money to learn the dangerous Death Chosen One Ritual, and Shade told Sister Devlin to prepare to inherit the role if Joey Barton died. As the Interstice encroached on Middlesburg, Shade learned that strange sleep sickness was drawing grieving people toward the dead.

• Luvia used Pirate's Blood Money with the Dandelion Coins and learned the contents of the Death Chosen One Ritual.
• Shade told Sister Devlin that Joey Barton was the first candidate for Death's Chosen One and that she was second in line.
• Shade asked Sister Devlin to perform the ritual if Joey died, then explained that it required understanding death, preparing an object tied to the Ancient God, sending away a Resurrected, and committing suicide at the Boundary of Life and Death.
• Sister Devlin and Shade swore an alliance and agreed that Shade would introduce her to one of his companions if she inherited the role.
• Grandma Cassandra and Miss Aurora told Shade that a strange sleeping sickness was drawing people whose loved ones were in the Interstice toward death.

Shade agreed to enter the Interstice through a dream to search for Joey Barton before the Church performs the Saint Tree Scar ritual. After Shade left, Luvia experienced a strange vision suggesting a connection between his journey and a bloodstained parchment Relic.

• Grandma Cassandra told Shade that the Saint Tree Scar ritual was expected Tuesday or Wednesday evening, while Miss Aurora warned that its failure could unleash evil spirits from Sikar Mountain.
• Miss Aurora and Grandma Cassandra asked Shade to use a Council ritual to find Joey Barton in the Interstice, and Shade agreed to depart from Cassandra Auction House at three in the morning.
• Shade visited Luvia and told her about the dangerous mission; he said he might try to kill Joey Barton if he could not persuade him to abandon his plans.
• After Shade left, Luvia saw an unexplained reflection in the window and heard a voice urge her to look closely.
• Luvia saw a phantom of a bloodstained parchment Relic on the glass, followed by Shade leaving the Seer Association, and wondered why the Relic had appeared to her.

Shade prepared for the dangerous dream journey by accepting a demonic Alchemy Item from Doctor Schneider, then met with Iluna and Miss Aurora as Middlesburg faced growing supernatural danger. He and Miss Aurora traveled through the fog toward Cassandra Auction House after she destroyed an evil spirit, while their conversation left Shade confronting whether Joey Barton could be persuaded to abandon his plan.

• Doctor Schneider gave Shade the Demon Amulet so he could use part of a Demon's power in a dream, and warned him to keep its use secret.
• Shade visited Iluna, who said the Truth Society's local forces had been cleared out and the Church and Academy were preparing for the ritual, though Joey Barton remained an unknown factor.
• Shade mailed Captain Rades a talisman and a letter urging him to stay safe before leaving the post office amid rumors of deadly hauntings.
• Shade met Miss Aurora at the Witches' manor, where they discussed the likely casualties from the Sealing Ritual and the dangers facing Middlesburg.
• On the way to Cassandra Auction House, Shade and Miss Aurora encountered a girl-shaped evil spirit blocking the road, and Miss Aurora destroyed it.
• Miss Aurora told Shade the spirit had asked where its mother was, then suggested that Joey Barton would have to abandon his plan on his own.

Shade entered the Interstice through a dream to find the Clown, using the Witches’ ritual and three relic rings. After arriving in the foggy streets of Middhir Fort City, he defeated an axe-wielding evil spirit with the Ice Ring and Demon Script, then continued his search.

• At Cassandra Auction House, Miss Aurora explained the effects of Dream Feast, the Soul Ring, and Apprentice's Ice Ring, and Shade put on all three relics.
• Grandma Cassandra and the Witches guided Shade through a dream doorway into the Interstice, where he appeared as Shade Hamilton.
• Shade told Miss Aurora that he was on a street in Middhir Fort City and used his last Red butterfly to search for the Clown.
• Shade entered a ruined tobacco shop and encountered a fat female undead carrying a giant axe on its second floor.
• Shade used Demon Script and the Ice Ring to seize the axe, freeze the undead, and shatter her soul with Mind Blast.

Shade tracked Joey Barton through the Interstice and confronted him about his plan to resurrect Marylin, which could destroy the balance between life and death and doom Middlesburg. The chapter ended with Shade asking whether Barton would still proceed if it meant sacrificing millions of lives.

• Shade used Echoes of the Past to learn that Joey Barton had met with a Truth Society professor, received research on relic fusion and the Life and Death Limbo, and obtained an artifact tied to an Ancient Death Church.
• Shade followed the Red Butterflies to Joey Barton’s hiding place, but Barton fled as soon as he recognized Mr. Watson.
• Shade pursued Barton through the Interstice with help from the Witches’ protection and caught him at Green Shade Square.
• Barton said he had swallowed Clown to recover and remove the second Nail, and admitted he intended to resurrect Marylin even if it caused the Interstice to collapse.
• Barton revealed that he planned to live with Marylin in a forbidden ghost domain after fusing Middlesburg with the Interstice.
• Shade asked Barton one final time whether he would sacrifice tens of millions of lives to bring Marylin back.

Shade fought Joey Barton in the Interstice after refusing to let him bring back the dead, but Barton awakened the Life and Death Limbo Mystic Lock and overwhelmed him. Trapped and badly injured, Shade asked Aurora to find a way to get him out.

• Shade rejected Joey Barton's plan to reclaim his lost love, and the two became enemies.
• Shade seized the God of Death Scythe, then used chains and his demon strength to defeat and restrain Joey Barton.
• Joey Barton unleashed the Interstice's power and activated his Life and Death Limbo Mystic Lock, trapping Shade inside it.
• Shade used his incomplete Mystic Lock to resist the effects, but Joey Barton blasted him with powerful attacks and a giant scythe.
• Aurora contacted Shade, and he told her he was trapped in the Mystic Lock and needed help escaping.

After surviving a deadly dream battle with Joey Barton, Shade learned that Barton could use the Mystic Lock and his Fated Death attack, then prepared to face him in the Interstice during the Church’s ritual. The chapter ended with Luvia divining the Ferryman card for Shade before he left for Middlesburg.

• Shade escaped Joey Barton’s attack in the Interstice dream and woke in Cassandra Auction House, where his relics had nearly lost control.
• Shade warned Aurora, Cassandra, and Iluna about Barton’s Mystic Lock and Fated Death, then received a Red Butterfly Pendant from Cassandra.
• Shade told Luvia he would enter the Interstice at the mountain-foot church when the ritual began, hoping to confront Barton alongside Iluna.
• Luvia drew the Ferryman card for Shade and explained that it foretold him guiding an important person and receiving a reward.
• Shade gave Luvia a red rose and reflected on the flowers he had given away and the two he still had left.

Shade prepared to enter the Interstice alone to deal with Joey Barton, receiving the Ancient Witch's Golden Necklace from Tifa on Galina's behalf and a portion of the First Fire from Sister Devlin. While waiting at the House of the Blind for the Order of Spiritual Cultivation to open a passage, he entered a dreamlike vision to rescue Mr. Beirut and saw the sleeping teacher follow a phantom toward the summit of Sikar Mountain.

• Shade packed for Middlesburg, brought Little Mia and the Soul Fishing Rod, and left God's Gift Box behind.
• Tifa gave Shade the Ancient Witch's Golden Necklace from Galina, hugged him, and kissed his cheek before wishing him a safe return.
• Shade asked Sister Devlin to arrange a passage into the Interstice so he could go alone, and she gave him a Kerosene Lamp containing part of the First Fire.
• Shade waited at the House of the Blind, where Sister Michelle asked him to help Mr. Beirut, a blind-school teacher who had dreamt into the Interstice.
• Shade used a ritual to see Mr. Beirut's dream and found him following a phantom woman up Sikar Mountain toward the summit.

Shade stopped Mr. Beirut from following the phantom of his dead sister into True Death, then spoke with Priest Augustus about the dangerous changes in the Interstice and Joey Barton’s plan. As the city prepared for the sealing ritual, a minor earthquake struck Middlesburg, showing that the Interstice was resisting the Church’s efforts.

• Shade used Mind Blast and persuaded Mr. Beirut to turn back from the mountaintop, and Mr. Beirut waved farewell to his sister’s phantom before leaving the Interstice.
• Priest Augustus told Shade that spirits were moving through the Interstice and that he was guarding the mountaintop; Shade shared what he knew about Joey Barton and the relic.
• Shade woke as Mr. Beirut began sobbing, then discussed regret and difficult choices with Sister Michelle, who paid him five pounds for the commission.
• A minor earthquake shook Middlesburg, frightening Mia and damaging furniture and paintings at the House of the Blind.
• Shade helped Sister Michelle coordinate the recovery and concluded that the Level 0 Relic Life and Death Limbo was resisting the Church’s attempt to seal it.

After an earthquake thickened the Whisper Element fog over Middlesburg, Shade waited at the House of the Blind while the Church prepared the city for supernatural dangers and fighting began on Sikar Mountain. An evil spirit came knocking for food, and Shade cautiously opened the door as its corpse-cold hand reached inside.

• Sister Michelle organized the House of the Blind to seal its doors and windows as Church and city officials warned residents to stay indoors.
• Seven emergency bell tolls sounded, and the Church established a citywide Ritual Matrix before using the Angel Level Relic Twisted Holy Sound to drive away evil spirits.
• Sister Michelle reported evil spirits in the fog, while Shade sensed the growing overlap between the Interstice and the Material World.
• A blast from Sikar Mountain signaled that a battle had begun there, and the House of the Blind's frightened visitors grew increasingly distressed.
• Shade spotted a hunched man without a shadow at the door and identified him as an evil spirit asking for food.
• Shade prepared a bowl of water bearing Blasphemy silver light and cracked the door open, but the spirit's bluish, corpse-spotted hand reached inside.

Shade helped a stranded soul fulfill its wish and gained a rare Soul Tear Drop before taking refuge seekers into the House of the Blind. When the Church’s door-opening ritual was ready, he set out through the Great Fog for Middlesburg Mechanical College, where the ritual would begin.

• Shade gave the knocking spirit water treated with Satiety Feast, and it departed after saying it wished it had met him in life; he found a Soul Tear Drop in its bowl.
• Sister Michelle let Gray Hamster and two other correspondence-course Ring Arcanists from Serkses Academy of Medicine into the House of the Blind, where they brought an injured companion for help.
• Lady Ronal sent word that the ritual site was Middlesburg Mechanical College, and Shade left the House of the Blind to reach it before the ritual began.
• Shade crossed the foggy city, avoided battles, and helped two patrol police under attack by a headless evil spirit.
• Shade saw five pillars of light above the city’s churches and captured an owl that told him the Nature Church had sent birds to monitor the city and search for evil spirits.

Shade defeated a Ghost-Face Spider in the fogbound slums, rescued a Bloodkin who warned him about a festival at Sikar Mountain, and entered the Interstice through a ritual at Mechanical College Castle. He learned that death’s power had intensified there, though divine radiance protected his Thaumaturgy from weakening.

• Shade found a Ghost-Face Spider trapping slum dwellers in webs and destroyed it with Night Watchman and Silver Moon.
• Shade freed a Bloodkin, who described a festival at Sikar Mountain and said he planned to leave the city.
• Shade collected some Ghost-Face Spider silk, signaled the Orthodox Church’s Ring Arcanist Squad, and hurried to Mechanical College Castle.
• Three Nuns opened a passage to the Interstice, and Shade stepped through the black veil.
• The Interstice warned Shade that death’s power had grown stronger and his stamina and spirit would recover more slowly, though divine radiance protected him.
• Shade used Sunlight Ray to destroy a reanimated corpse and realized that his abilities were more limited in the Interstice.

Shade crossed the chaotic Interstice toward the Nature Church, survived a confrontation with a Bone Dragon, and obtained a letter from Professor Ogle to deliver. He left for the church still unsure whether Joey Barton was on Sikar Mountain and learned that Professor Pigman remained in the Reality World.

• Shade escaped a spatial loop in the Interstice and reached Five Intersection, where a Bone Dragon attacked a flying Arcanist and spotted him.
• Shade rescued the injured Professor Raven Ogle, who told him that Joey Barton had summoned the Bone Dragon and was heading toward Sikar Mountain.
• Professor Ogle gave Shade the Higgs Dragon Head Stone in exchange for delivering a letter to the Nature Church, and Shade used it to destroy the Bone Dragon with a silver Dragon Roar.
• Shade accepted Ogle's letter and asked about Professor Andre Pigman, learning that Pigman was still in Middlesburg in the Reality World.
• Ogle urged Shade to cooperate with the Church against Joey Barton, but Shade left for the Nature Church without committing to summon a god.