Recaps

After Shade and Luvia’s conversation was interrupted, Iluna returned from Middlesburg with Night Watchman and described the aftermath of the Miburg War. She revealed her new death-related power and completed four-ring Spirit Runes, leaving her ready to pursue her chosen Words of Sublimation.

• Shade and Luvia discussed moving into the Master Bedroom before Iluna arrived and interrupted them.
• Iluna returned from Middlesburg, having found the Abandoned Tower and established a second landmark for Space Movement, and gave Night Watchman back to Shade.
• Iluna explained that the giant tree on Sikar Mountain and the altered Interstice remained problems, while Captain Rades had survived with a broken arm and might be promoted.
• Iluna revealed her new Spirit Rune, Miracle—Eye of Death, which let her perceive souls and fatal weaknesses, and showed them the cracked Bone Whistle that could summon a flying spirit horse three more times.
• Iluna told Shade and Luvia that Enlightenment, Blasphemy, Whisper, and Miracle had completed her four-ring Spirit Runes, forming the Words of Sublimation: Hero Who Chases the Light will eventually break free of the Shackles of Fate.

After the events in Middlesburg, Iluna prepared to ascend to mid-ring, while Shade brought the ancient Founding card to the Seer Association for appraisal. Vice President Mark confirmed that the Association’s two Founding cards were not for sale, but offered to ask headquarters about their status.

• Iluna told Shade and Luvia that she would ascend to mid-ring the next morning and hoped they could go to an opera together after she returned to Tobesk.
• Shade and Luvia discussed Priest Latt Augustus, Sister Devlin, and the Church’s efforts to contact the Order of Spiritual Cultivation.
• Shade took Founding to the Seer Association, where Vice President Mark reacted with excitement and agreed to appraise it within three days.
• Shade asked about buying the Association’s two Founding cards, and Mark explained that they were kept at headquarters and could not be sold or traded.
• Mark offered to write to the headquarters with Shade to ask about the cards, which had been found by the Ancient Diviners and Seer Association president Charnem Rhode.

After a quiet night with Luvia, Shade remembered a weekly puzzle task at the last moment, then traveled to Middlesburg to visit injured friends. There, he learned Professor Pigman had rescued a flower girl’s family and helped her and her siblings attend school.

• Luvia told Shade about her dream of Middlesburg falling to ghosts, and Shade reassured her that the real battle had ended better.
• Shade remembered the Gift Box puzzle task with only minutes left in the week, so he and Luvia completed puzzles together while Mia disrupted them.
• Shade received a small sewing kit and a weekly tailoring task, then went to rainy Middlesburg to visit Helen and Grace.
• Shade bought hydrangeas and met the Flower Girl who had sold him flowers during the Miburg Incident.
• The Flower Girl told Shade that Professor Pigman had driven away intruders, found her family a church school, and provided them with living expenses.

Shade visited the recovering Grace and Helen, who had been freed from their duties guarding the seal but had paid a heavy price. The Red Butterfly Twins were left with fragile souls and limits on where they could go, though they hoped to visit Shade’s home once they recovered.

• Miss Swift told Shade that Grandma Cassandra had begun letting her manage some auction house operations, and she gave him Armand Bernhardt’s letter of thanks and invitation.
• Grandma Cassandra welcomed Shade and took him to see Grace and Helen, who had moved into a room upstairs to recover.
• Grace and Helen told Shade they felt freer after losing much of their strength and memories, and that they no longer had to guard the seal or perform the ritual.
• Shade learned that the Twins’ souls were fragile, their powers had been greatly reduced, and they had to remain within 100 feet of each other while they recovered.
• Shade explained that the Twins could leave the Sikar Mountain Area with him or move about at 6 Saint Derain Square, and they asked him to take them to his home when they were well enough.

Shade visited Grace and Helen in Middlesburg, where they thanked him for his help and gave him a dangerous relic. He left them to rest and accepted the Blasphemy Cross, which could capture and absorb supernatural souls but risked corrupting its wielder.

• Shade learned that Leisha and Dorothy’s souls were beginning to fuse, though Grace and Helen could offer no remedy.
• Grace and Helen asked Shade to stay with them, but he tucked them in and left to speak with Grandma Cassandra.
• Shade learned that Sister Devlin would support the Witch Council in the Murmuring Chapters after its negotiations with the Order of Spiritual Cultivation.
• Shade had lunch with Grandma Cassandra, Grace, Helen, and Miss Swift at the Cassandra Auction House.
• Grandma Cassandra gave Shade the Blasphemy Cross, a Keeper of Secrets Level relic that could imprison and absorb a supernatural creature’s soul at the cost of corrupting its wielder.

Sister Devlin brought Shade through a hidden portal to the Order of Spiritual Cultivation’s ancient mountain headquarters, showed him the First Fire, and asked him to gather fuel and decipher an inscription. Shade agreed to help and arranged to speak with Luvia through the fire that night, but he discovered that the supposed record of the First Fire’s division was actually an ancient fairy tale.

• Sister Devlin took Shade to Snake Heart Hospital and led him through a concealed painting portal to the Cult’s base in the Rommel Mountain Range.
• Sister Devlin showed Shade the Cult’s Sacrificial Ground and explained its history, its connection to the Ancient God of Death, and its practice of honoring the First Fire.
• Sister Devlin revealed the First Fire burning in the central Fire Basin and asked Shade to find suitable flames and fuel to help delay Doomsday.
• Shade agreed to help gather fuel but asked for more information about the world’s Final Death and arranged to contact Luvia through the fire at ten that night.
• Sister Devlin asked Shade to decipher an ancient stele, and Shade identified its inscription as an ancient fairy tale rather than a record of the First Fire’s division.

Shade translated the ancient fairy tale “Water of Wisdom,” then discussed the Order of Spiritual Cultivation’s research and legends that might lead him to divinity. After returning to Middlesburg, he accepted Aurora’s invitation to her farewell banquet and came home to find Dorothy waiting with the key he had given her.

• Shade translated the inscription about a king, a Warrior, and a scholar who each solved another’s problem to earn the Water of Wisdom.
• Sister Devlin offered Shade access to the Cult’s library and named three legends involving gods that he could investigate for divinity.
• Shade learned that the Church had recovered Bloodkin relics from Sikar Mountain and concluded that Mia had likely found the ring by Lake Bena.
• Shade spent the afternoon learning about First Fire, then agreed to attend Aurora’s farewell banquet on wednesday.
• Shade let Sister Devlin and Luvia speak privately before returning home, where Dorothy gave him a box of books and kept the key to his house.
• Dorothy noticed Shade’s bed was gone, and Shade explained that Leisha would choose a replacement after the old one collapsed.

Shade spent a period resting and tending to his relationships before Miss Galina warned him that the Kasonlik princess Margaret Anjou and the Great Witch Emma Sylvia would soon arrive in Tobesk. Shade learned that King Larus III wanted to meet him within two weeks, while Galina planned to assess Emma’s attitude toward him.

• Shade moved into the master bedroom, and Dorothy questioned him about Luvia before asking him to dance and explain the puzzle he had worked on with her.
• Shade attended Dorothy’s book launch, visited Grace and Helen in Middlesburg, and kissed Miss Aurora at her farewell dinner after telling her he had kissed Miss Galina.
• Shade asked Miss Galina to obtain Sin Mark Metal, then she teased him about his relationship with Leisha and warned that Leisha’s ambition could consume those around her.
• Miss Galina told Shade that Larus III wanted to meet him within two weeks, although she said the meeting was unrelated to Leisha.
• Miss Galina explained that Margaret Anjou would visit Tobesk with Emma Sylvia, a ten-ring Great Witch, and said she would avoid contacting Shade until she had gauged Emma’s attitude toward him.

Shade investigated Old Mr. Hank’s supposed haunting and discovered that a lingering soul belonged to Hank’s dead friend, whose body was later found beneath a collapsed bookshelf. After resolving the case, Shade shared the story at Doctor Schneider’s meeting while considering his companions’ relationships and his next step toward advancing to the fourth ring.

• Shade learned from Miss Galina that the Council did not cover Great Witches’ living expenses and discussed Sylvia’s possible connection to the Princess of Anjou.
• Shade handled his monthly expenses and reimbursements, then asked Mr. Edmund to search for information about the Gray-Robed Sage and Time Perception.
• Shade visited Hank’s home and used Soul Echo to learn that the lingering soul was Hank’s deceased friend, who had appeared out of concern for him.
• Shade visited Hank’s acquaintances and found Mr. Kant dead beneath a collapsed bookshelf, revealing the likely source of Hank’s haunting.
• Shade advised Hank to seek help at Dawn Church and later recounted the case at Doctor Schneider’s meeting, where Dorothy and Luvia appeared to get along.
• Shade considered the Power Spirit Rune as the key to his advancement to the fourth ring.

Shade helped Doctor Schneider complete his advancement to the sixth ring, then went to the opera house after Leisha invited him. There, Leisha dismissed Angelina and pulled Shade into a private encounter, leaving Angelina to take Mia outside.

• Shade assisted Doctor Schneider with his sinister ritual, and the doctor successfully advanced to the sixth ring.
• Shade confirmed the ritual had worked with the Night Watchman, then received Leisha Cavendish's invitation to the opera.
• Shade arrived at the Delarion King Opera House, where Leisha and Princess Angelina discussed Princess Mona Cavendish's upcoming wedding.
• After the opera began, Leisha embraced and kissed Shade, then ordered Angelina to leave with Mia and keep the servants away.
• Angelina left the private box with Mia, while Leisha and Shade remained inside as the lights went out.

Shade returned home on the full Yellow Moon and reflected on Leisha’s acceptance of his relationship with Luvia and Dorothy. After Mia led him into Room Two, Shade saw traces of its past mass suicide, while a moon-shaped mark remained on the wall.

• Shade recalled Leisha saying that she and Dorothy regarded Luvia as a friend and respected her relationship with him.
• Mia ran into Room Two, and Shade wondered why the cat had become interested in the room and stopped visiting the third floor.
• Shade followed Mia into the moonlit Room Two and found it staring at a circular yellow mark on the wall.
• Shade used Blood Echo to see faint blood traces from the room’s past mass suicide, then checked the room with Night Watchman and found no abnormal reaction.
• Shade carried Mia back to Room One, leaving Room Two silent beneath the Yellow Moon.

Priest Augustus returned to Tobesk and explained to Shade that he had fused with remnants of the Deathbringer Angel, whose dangerous power he sought to contain and understand. He offered to share his knowledge and sell Shade holy water, while Shade agreed to watch for more Angel remains.

• Priest Augustus returned to Tobesk with several other priests, and later visited Shade with a feathered black hat as a gift.
• Priest Augustus told Shade that the Deathbringer Angel had left a shattered shell in the Material World and that he had fused with part of its remains when he was young.
• Priest Augustus explained that he was gathering the Angel's remains to suppress its dangerous power and learn more about ancient gods, and Shade offered to look for information.
• Priest Augustus told Shade about the remains he had found, including the right arm bone implanted in Joey Barton by The Truth Society.
• Priest Augustus showed Shade the holy water he could make and offered to sell it at the cost of materials, along with access to his Angel-related Alchemy Items and Magic Potion Workshop.

Shade spent two peaceful weeks preparing for future travel, studying and earning money from a dangerous commission. As Margaret Anjou’s visit approached, Iluna unexpectedly learned Sunlight Ray, leaving Shade astonished and envious.

• Shade asked Priest Augustus whether he knew when the world would end, and the priest said the Sixth Epoch was closely connected to that day.
• Shade acquired White Stone Crystal, linked Sloth to Great Sin Chains, and spent two weeks studying spells and developing Yellow Moon versions of his thaumaturgies.
• Shade secretly recovered Baron Passos’s mortgaged family medal from an underground Rhodes Cards casino and earned several hundred pounds.
• Shade submitted a highly praised paper on nested Mystic Locks for Professor Garcia’s Introduction to Space Exploration course.
• Iluna learned Sunlight Ray without a ritual, and Miss Galina kissed Shade in front of her while warning Iluna not to become overconfident.

After the Death's Chosen One matter, Shade enjoyed a peaceful stretch of study, romance, visits with friends, and successful detective work in Tobesk. On November 13, a letter arrived, signaling that his respite was over.

• Shade's Saturday lessons with the Red-haired Witch stalled as Dorothy and Leisha reserved those evenings for dates with him and eventually let him read parts of their diaries.
• Dorothy's Detective Hamilton Story Collection became a bestseller, while Luvia began preliminary investigations into the next Chosen One and warned Shade to keep studying for his exams.
• Shade visited Grace and Helen in Middlesburg, where they planned to find a way to visit him at 6 Saint Derain Square before winter.
• Shade continued studying and taking detective cases, solving Lewis' Giant Cat, Cemetery Evening Bell Murder Case, and Missing 3rd Gold Coin.
• On November 13, a letter arrived and ended Shade's peaceful break.

Shade received a delayed letter from Miss Mia San Goode about an outbreak in her town and her plan to collect Mia the cat next spring. After replying, he was summoned to Yodel Palace to meet Larus III, where he waited outside the king’s study and encountered Leisha and her brothers.

• Shade read Miss Mia San Goode’s letter describing an outbreak linked to discoveries in a coastal cave and the town’s ancient sewer system.
• Miss Goode promised to come for Mia the cat next spring, and Shade wrote back wishing her well and urging her to stay near the Church.
• Director Dak Anlos arrived with a palace attendant and told Shade that His Majesty wanted to see him within an hour.
• Shade surrendered his weapons and belongings before entering Yodel Palace, then waited outside Larus III’s study past the scheduled audience time.
• Leisha and her brothers arrived arguing about parliamentary approvals, mining Purpurite in New Continent 28th District, and other government matters before noticing Shade.

Shade met the royal siblings at Yodel Palace before Larus III secretly assigned him to investigate Princess Margaret Anjou’s contacts during her visit to Tobesk. The mission centered on the possibility that she would meet the Gray-headed Eagle, drawing Shade further into the Kingdom’s political intrigues.

• Shade greeted Marius Cavendish, Derrick Cavendish, and Leisha while waiting to see the King, and the princes invited him to their social gatherings and Mona’s wedding.
• After waiting another hour, Shade met Marquis Cornell, who recognized him and praised his fitness.
• Larus III told Shade that Sir Anlos had recommended him and that his intelligence about Middlesburg had nearly helped Military Intelligence Section Six catch a major target.
• Larus III revealed that Margaret Anjou might contact the Gray-headed Eagle in Tobesk and ordered Shade to identify whom she met during her visit.
• Shade accepted the secret assignment and was told to coordinate with Sir Anlos, with a possible promotion promised if he succeeded.

Shade began a new mission to observe the Kasonlik Princess and collected several rare coins while visiting Coldwater Port and the Old Lighthouse. He ended the chapter with three Special Coins in his possession and chose not to use the Coin of Wisdom on Mia.

• Director Anlos told Shade that Miss Galina supported his mission to monitor the Kasonlik Princess and that success could improve his standing in the Sixth Office.
• Shade took Mia to Coldwater Port and heard Ring Arcanists discussing the two recent Divine Descent Incidents and the possibility of a third.
• Shade bought two Dandelion Coins at the Seven Broomsticks Tavern for 124 pounds and 3 shillings.
• Mr. Edmund sold Shade a Poet Level Coin of Wisdom and warned him that repeated use caused addiction, mental damage, and eventual corruption into a Wisdom Demon.
• Shade decided against using the Coin of Wisdom on Mia, and the chapter noted that he now had two Youthful Immortality Leaves and three Special Coins.

Shade bought a Coin of Wisdom and accepted the Hermit Order’s task of copying pages from Princess Margaret Anjou’s manuscript, the Elixir of Immortality, in exchange for access to a tablet linked to the Gray-Robed Sage. Mr. Edmund also pointed him toward the Goddess in the Lake near Huntington, where Shade decided to search for divinity.

• Shade spent 28 pounds on a Coin of Wisdom, and Mr. Edmund told him the Hermit Order had found a tablet bearing the Gray-Robed Sage’s emblem that recorded part of the knowledge Shade sought about Time Perception.
• Mr. Edmund asked Shade to copy pages five through eight of the Elixir of Immortality, an old book left by the last Witch Emperor and currently held by Princess Margaret Anjou, in exchange for the tablet.
• Shade accepted the task after suspecting the book contained a Poem Chapter Fragment and recognizing that approaching the Princess could also advance his other objectives.
• Mr. Edmund projected a map of the Old Continent and identified Huntington, the Red Wine City, as an important city near the Pantanal Great Swamp.
• Mr. Edmund explained that the legend of the Goddess in the Lake had been passed down near Huntington, and Shade decided to visit the area to seek divinity before its lingering radiance faded further.

Shade learned of reports about a Goddess in the Lake near Huntington and planned to investigate before using his new Time Key, whose destination was Year 5177 of the Fifth Epoch. He delayed the journey until the weekend while arranging a relic to improve his luck and locate a spatial landmark near Huntington.

• Mr. Edmund told Shade that people had reported seeing the Goddess in the Lake near Huntington, where records also placed a Saint's descent during the early Fifth Epoch.
• Shade told Luvia about the three Special Coins and his key to Year 5177, but decided to postpone using it until he had a lead on the divinity he sought.
• Shade planned to visit Huntington to investigate the lake goddess and said he would use the Time Key by the weekend to keep his grade advancement on schedule.
• Shade read that Princess Margaret Anjou would travel from Huntington to Tobesk, where her arrival would bring martial controls and inspections.
• Shade planned to use White Stone Crystal to seek a spatial landmark near Huntington and arranged for Old Dad John to find a relic that could improve his luck.

Shade borrowed the Golden Lucky Rabbit Foot from Old Dad John and learned that overusing its luck could summon a terrifying rabbit-like evil entity. He used its luck to find a new Space Labyrinth signpost, then emerged in an unfamiliar wine cellar near Huntington City, where a long-dead skeleton remained beside the statue.

• Old Dad John explained the Golden Lucky Rabbit Foot’s luck-granting power, rabbit-filled dreams, and danger of summoning an evil entity, then lent it to Shade for ten pounds.
• Shade touched the rabbit leg, gained temporary luck, and traveled to the Space Labyrinth with the White Stone Crystal.
• Shade selected a southern direction and discovered a fourth signpost leading to a new hidden space.
• Shade entered the space, found a long-dead male skeleton beside a Two-Headed Ancient God statue, and ended the relic’s effect by pouring water over his head.
• Shade passed through the Hidden Wall and found himself in a dark, dry cellar filled with oak wine barrels.

Shade emerged from the Hidden Wall into the wine cellar of the White River Valley Vineyard, an estate owned by the Anjou Family. After overhearing a suspicious conversation about killing people and hiding their bodies, he was discovered in the warehouse corridor, where two Bloodkin mistook him for a thief.

• Shade found that the Hidden Wall led into a wine cellar at the White River Valley Vineyard and learned that the vineyard belonged to the Anjou Family.
• Shade heard men outside discussing killing people and washing away the blood, then hid as they carried something heavy into the warehouses.
• After the men left, Shade entered the corridor and smelled blood, then headed toward the warehouse to investigate.
• An old man spotted Shade and shouted that a thief was in the warehouse.
• A burly Bloodkin appeared and warned Shade not to draw a gun, urging him to explain himself rather than act rashly.

Shade met Armand Bernhardt at the Anjou royal family's White River Valley Vineyard outside Huntington, where Bernhardt was storing fresh meat in the warehouse. After inviting Shade into the city, Bernhardt offered to help him learn about the area, and Shade asked whether the vineyard might be for sale.

• Shade startled the vineyard caretaker and coachman, then used a spell to move past Armand Bernhardt when Bernhardt mistook him for a thief.
• Shade removed his mask, and Bernhardt recognized him as Hanmi Watson, the man who had saved him in Miburg.
• Bernhardt explained that the Anjou family owned the vineyard and that he used its empty warehouse to store meat for winter.
• Bernhardt invited Shade to Huntington as thanks, and Shade asked if he knew whether he could buy the vineyard.
• Bernhardt said he would inquire but warned that buying property would be difficult without Kasonlik citizenship, then took Shade by carriage toward Huntington.

Shade arrived in Huntington with Mr. Bernhardt and dined with him at the White King Club, where they discussed local affairs and Shade’s reason for visiting. The chapter ended with Shade asking whether Mr. Bernhardt had heard rumors about the lake fairy.

• Shade traveled through Huntington with Mr. Bernhardt and arrived at the White King Club, where Mr. Bernhardt hosted him and opened a treasured bottle of wine.
• Baron Roland greeted Mr. Bernhardt, met Shade, and mentioned that Princess Margaret Anjou had arrived in Huntington and was upstairs at the club.
• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that the God of Vampires had forbidden the Bloodkin from investigating the events of the Middlesburg operation.
• Shade revealed that he could use conditional Space Jump to reach White River Valley Vineyard, and Mr. Bernhardt offered him a horse and access to his Ferdinand Wine Shop.
• Shade asked Mr. Bernhardt whether he had heard any rumors about the lake fairy.

Shade learned about Huntington’s local legends and occult organizations while dining with Mr. Bernhardt, then offered him unusual wine to solve an embarrassing problem for Princess Margaret Anjou. Mr. Bernhardt was astonished by Shade’s crimson apple cider, which might serve as a suitable private gift for the Princess to take to Tobesk.

• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade about the Lake Fairy legend and the Pantanal Voodoo Society, warning him not to casually accept food or drink from its members.
• A Club attendant summoned Mr. Bernhardt to meet Princess Margaret Anjou, who wanted wine from the White River Valley Vineyard for her private gifts to Tobesk’s nobles and officials.
• Mr. Bernhardt confessed that he had secretly supplied wine from his own winery because the vineyard’s wine had deteriorated, but he had none left for the Princess.
• Shade produced bottles of apple cider and grape wine, then asked Mr. Bernhardt to taste the cider.
• Mr. Bernhardt inspected the cider’s ruby color and fragrance and exclaimed in amazement.

Shade used Armand Bernhardt’s introduction to meet Princess Margaret Anjou in Huntington, hoping to learn more about her before their paths crossed in Tobesk. The chapter ended with Shade and Margaret beginning their first conversation.

• Shade gave Mr. Bernhardt three bottles of New Continent red wine to send to Princess Margaret as a gift.
• After the Princess praised the wine and requested a meeting, Shade agreed, and Mr. Bernhardt further altered his appearance with a Bloodkin illusion.
• Shade asked whether Margaret might be a Ring Arcanist, and Mr. Bernhardt assured him his disguise could fool her.
• Shade and Armand Bernhardt entered Margaret’s private lounge at the White King Club, where Shade’s Witches Detection Badge confirmed her identity.
• Armand introduced Shade to Margaret as Sherlock Holmes, a Delarion winery owner, and Shade greeted her in deliberately clumsy Kartherian Language.