Recaps

Shade waited at the Cavendish manor, where Tifa apologized for the staff’s mistake and kissed him before he was dressed for his audience with Duchess Galina Cavendish. He presented four of the five requested treasures and began to reveal the fifth, his burning heart, by opening his shirt.

• Tifa asked Shade not to tell Duchess Galina about the staff’s mistake, then kissed him in the bath.
• Tifa helped Shade dress and reminded him to behave properly when meeting the Duchess.
• Shade entered Galina Cavendish’s study and presented the crown, wine bottle, Holy Grail, and Philosopher’s Stone.
• When asked for the fifth treasure, Shade said he had found his burning heart and began unbuttoning his clothes.

After Shade completed Galina Cavendish’s trials by offering her his heart, she revealed that the trials had been her way of deciding whether to propose to him. Shade accepted her feelings, and the chapter ended with them alone together in her bedroom.

• Shade used Stone Heart to open his chest and offered his heart to Duke Galina, then healed the wound with thaumaturgy.
• Miss Galina sent Tifa to take Shade to the manor’s third floor, where Tifa led him into the Master Bedroom.
• Galina explained that her five trials tested Shade’s power, dreams, holiness, wealth, and feelings, and that completing them meant Destiny had permitted her proposal.
• Shade and Galina confessed that they liked each other, and Galina told him that Leisha and Luvia Annette knew about her decision.
• Shade asked Galina for her middle name, learned it was Elena, and called her Galina Elena Cavendish before they drew the bed curtains around themselves.

Galina and Leisha discussed Galina’s night with Shade and the treasures he had shown her, as well as how their new relationship might affect her identity as a Witch. Leisha invited Galina into the city to meet Luvia, who wanted to discuss Galina’s decision.

• Leisha told Galina that Luvia had summoned them after learning Shade had spent the night at Galina Manor, and Galina admitted that she and Shade had been together until midnight.
• Leisha and Galina discussed Tifa, Galina’s arrangement with Shade, and the treasures he had offered; Galina said she kept the God of Wine Bottle, the golden Holy Grail, and Shade’s heart.
• Galina explained that her relationship with Shade had not affected her Witch’s power and that they had agreed to keep it secret from other Witches.
• Leisha asked Galina to finish breakfast and accompany her into the city to meet Luvia, who wanted to discuss the matter.

Shade and Doctor Schneider visited Dawn Church to meet Bishop Morpheus after the earthquake, discussing the city’s recovery and how its disasters had been explained away. Shade then delivered a letter from a priest in the Tobesk Diocese to the bishop.

• Shade met Doctor Schneider outside Dawn Church, and the doctor advised him to cover the marks on his neck.
• As they entered the church, Shade and Doctor Schneider discussed the newspaper explanations for the earthquake’s strange phenomena and the monsters that appeared in the city.
• Bishop Morpheus interrupted their conversation and spoke with Doctor Schneider about psychology and counseling disaster survivors.
• Shade told Bishop Morpheus that he and Doctor Schneider had come to see him, then presented a letter from a priest in the Tobesk Diocese.

Shade and Doctor Schneider learned the story behind Priest Augustus and Bishop Morpheus's old Ten Pence wager over the first Randall Flower. Morpheus agreed to write Augustus a reply, and Shade asked the Doctor whether he had sought out the people connected to the Demon.

• Shade gave Bishop Morpheus a letter from Priest Augustus and asked about their old wager.
• Bishop Morpheus recalled betting Augustus over whether the first person to bring a Randall Flower to city hall had tampered with it.
• Morpheus later learned that the poor woman who received the reward had brought the wrong flower, while Augustus had presented the genuine one and persuaded city hall to give her the prize.
• Morpheus said the wager had taught them humility and compassion, then asked Shade and Doctor Schneider to carry his reply to Augustus.
• Shade and Doctor Schneider waited outside the church, where Shade asked whether the Doctor had gone looking for the people connected to the Demon.

Shade and Doctor Schneider reflected on the people and events of Randall River Valley as spring arrived, while Shade learned that Captain Woody had died and left him a letter. The chapter ended with Shade blessing the doctor, looking ahead to a busy spring in Tobesk, and learning that he had gained new power.

• Doctor Schneider told Shade that Mr. Fernandes was free of the mirror’s curse, but Captain Woody had died in the earthquake and his soul had been taken by a demon.
• Doctor Schneider shared Captain Woody’s letter, which explained more about demons and asked Shade to remember the stories of those who had died.
• Shade and Doctor Schneider discussed the people and events Shade had witnessed, and Shade said those memories would remain with him.
• Shade asked Doctor Schneider to visit Detective Sparrow Hamilton’s grave with him, then wished that their eventual parting would come as late as possible.
• Shade considered his plans for spring, waved to the elderly bishop, and heard that he had gained new power.

Shade developed a mysterious high fever as a side effect of swallowing the Origin of the Earth's Distortion, leaving him bedridden for nearly two weeks. With Luvia, Galina, Dorothy, and many friends caring for him, Shade gradually improved and neared recovery.

• After returning from Randall River Valley, Shade felt weak and dizzy but dismissed it as exhaustion and spent the night with Luvia.
• Luvia noticed Shade's worsening hoarseness and fever, and she, Galina, and Dorothy gathered at his home when his condition became severe.
• Shade remained feverish and delirious for nearly two weeks while Luvia, the maids, and many visitors cared for him.
• The Great Witches and the Guardian of the Earth determined that Shade's illness came from swallowing the Origin of the Earth's Distortion and would resolve with bed rest.
• Shade gradually became more alert, while potions from Sister Devlin and the Red Butterfly Twins helped him move closer to recovery.

Shade began recovering after fusing with the strange powers he had swallowed, while Luvia and Tifa observed his rapid physical changes and cared for him. He rejoined the household for lunch, where Dorothy told him his honorary doctorate had been awarded and collected for him.

• Luvia and Tifa discussed Shade’s rapid growth and suspected his body was evolving as his spirit and recovery improved.
• Shade woke, reassured Luvia about his decision in Randall River Valley, and promised to discuss future risks with her whenever possible.
• After breakfast and an examination, Shade rested, then woke at noon and joined Luvia, Tifa, Miss Galina, and Dorothy for lunch.
• Dorothy told Shade that his honorary degree ceremony had taken place two days earlier and that she had collected his diploma and honorary medal.

Shade shared breakfast with Dorothy, Luvia, and Miss Galina after recovering from a life-threatening illness, and they discussed his poisoning, his relationships, and the coming investigation. He stayed home to recuperate while learning that Delarion and Kasonlik had agreed to hold negotiations in two neighboring border cities.

• Dorothy said Shade's honorary degree certificate and Knight's Sword of Honor had been displayed, while the women discussed the public gossip about their relationship.
• Shade learned that Leisha had suspected Miss Galina caused his illness because of their intimacy, and the women explained that his illness had brought them closer together.
• Luvia wondered whether Shade's body turned life-threatening poisoning into a fever, but Shade's companions refused to let him test the theory.
• Luvia, Dorothy, and Miss Galina described their recent work, and Shade agreed to stay home through the weekend while he recovered.
• Miss Galina said Delarion and Kasonlik planned to negotiate in Mikella Blast Furnace City and Green Lake City, which lay close together on opposite sides of the border.

Shade recovered at home while his friends cared for him and discussed his plans to visit Mia Goode and compete in Tobesk City's Spring Around-the-City Equestrian Competition. He opened the God's Gift Box and received dangerous Misfortune Wool, while he and Luvia arranged to meet Iluna on Monday.

• Shade told Luvia he planned to visit Mia Goode, and Dorothy reminded him of his promise to compete in the Spring Around-the-City Equestrian Competition.
• Shade nearly revealed that Leisha wanted him to declare loyalty in her name, then thanked Luvia for caring for him as his friends repeatedly kicked him under the table.
• Miss Galina and Dorothy left Shade's home, leaving Shade and Luvia together before the afternoon meeting.
• With Luvia's permission, Shade opened the God's Gift Box and drew out black Eris Wool, which Luvia identified as dangerous Misfortune Wool used to make cursed Alchemy Items.
• Shade and Luvia agreed to have Iluna visit on Monday to discuss her changes and where to install the Guardians' door.

Shade’s group met to review their recent advances, a coming Academy background investigation, and the spring adventure scholarship. After the others left, Doctor Schneider privately gave Shade the Malbas Demon Book and cautioned him about studying and storing it.

• Shade and Luvia discussed delaying new adventures until spring had passed, and the group gathered to check on Shade’s recovery.
• Doctor Schneider reported that he had reached the 7th Ring, Shade and Annette the 6th, and Priest Augustus the 3rd, and announced that their spring adventure scholarship application had passed.
• Doctor Schneider warned the group that an Academy background investigation would reach their region the following week and described cases uncovered at other schools.
• The group discussed the investigation, its consequences for the Randall River Valley students, and the upcoming interviews and elective courses.
• After the meeting, Doctor Schneider gave Shade the Malbas Demon Book and advised him to study it cautiously and keep it in a silver container.

After recovering from his illness, Shade persuaded Miss Galina to take him out for dinner, where they shared a peaceful date and discussed the possibility of Doomsday. The evening ended with Galina teasing Shade beneath the table.

• Doctor Schneider reassured Shade that he was prepared for the Academy’s investigation and reminded him to complete Miss Danist’s Thaumaturgy test before the Month of Rising Winds ended.
• After Doctor Schneider left, Shade asked Miss Galina to let him go outside, and she reluctantly agreed when she saw that he had recovered.
• Shade and Miss Galina went to the Finsney and Clodia Restaurant, where Tifa had reserved the entire second-floor terrace for dinner.
• During dinner, Miss Galina worried that Speaker’s warning hinted at Doomsday, while Shade said he believed there would always be a way.
• Miss Galina teased Shade about neglecting her after their previous night together and rubbed her foot against his leg beneath the table.

Shade recovered after consuming the Distortion and Filth of the Earth's Origin and reunited with Galina, then visited Sister Devlin to ask how he could learn Moon's Dream.

• Shade explained his absence to Galina and invited her to his bed after she confirmed he had recovered.
• Shade learned that consuming the Distortion and Filth of the Earth's Origin had strengthened his body and granted him new resistances and enhanced powers.
• Leisha and Angelina visited Shade, learned that Galina had spent the night with him, and left with him after breakfast.
• Leisha reminded Shade to enter and win the Spring Around-the-City Equestrian Competition, while Shade asked the family to watch for Angelina's talent awakening.
• Shade traveled to the Sacrificial Ground, saw that Sister Devlin's eye mask had been repaired, and asked her for help learning Moon's Dream.

Shade recovered from his illness and spent the morning sparring with Sister Devlin before visiting Cassandra Auction House. Grace and Helen revealed that his blood carried an unusual, possibly nonhuman power, leaving the mystery of his origins unresolved.

• Shade practiced swordsmanship with Sister Devlin at the Sacrificial Ground and ended their sparring match by knocking her back with a greatsword.
• At lunch, Grace and Helen explained that the potion they had given Shade was brewed using their blood and other ingredients, including a ritual involving the twins.
• Grace and Helen suggested that a relic may have inaccurately identified Shade as human and asked to taste his blood.
• After tasting Shade's blood, the twins sensed a faint, cold, gentle power like stone and starlight, but could not identify its source.
• Shade told Grace and Helen about the Keeper of Secrets relic Flower Girl, who had also demanded his blood, and the twins recognized her.

Shade spent an afternoon in Tobesk with Helen and Grace, turning their outing into a detective case when a client hired him to investigate mysterious knocking in Tom Alley. They uncovered a seventeen-year-old murder and found the victim’s remains, then walked home together as evening fell.

• Shade chose to spend the afternoon with Helen and Grace in Tobesk, but a client arrived with a complaint about unexplained knocking in Tom Alley.
• Shade and the sisters investigated the alley, where a wraith appeared amid a blurred Boundary of Life and Death; Shade restrained it and used Guiding Death to learn it was seeking its missing body parts.
• Grace sent a red butterfly to follow the wraith’s separated soul, leading Shade and the sisters to the second half of the corpse in a warehouse.
• Shade reported the body to the police, and the discovery revealed that two warehouse accountants had fought seventeen years earlier, leaving one dead and dismembered.
• Shade received his commission payment, then walked with Helen and Grace to the Three Cats Inn before they returned home at twilight.

Shade joined Helen and Grace for dinner before accompanying them to meet Sister Devlin, who prepared a ritual to teach him Moon's Dream. Shade entered Deep Meditation as the ritual began glowing beneath the stars.

• Helen and Grace cooked dinner with Shade and explained their fear of Sister Devlin and the Primordial Fire.
• Grace told Shade that the Fire-Bearing Sisters protected the world and that Sister Devlin had not found a suitable successor.
• Shade traveled with Helen and Grace to the Mountain Top Sacrificial Ground, where they admired the starry sky and greeted Sister Devlin.
• Sister Devlin led them to the Fire Keeper Graveyard and painted silver ritual markings on Shade's bare chest, throat, and back.
• Shade meditated at the center of the Sun, Moon, and Stars Ritual Matrix, and the markings and ground began to shine like the Silver Moon.

Shade learned the Moon's Dream thaumaturgy after Helen and Grace entered his Dream during Sister Devlin's ritual, and he woke restored after four hours of sleep. He returned to Tobesk with the Holy Grail for Sister Devlin, then reunited with Luvia at home, where he received the appraised Founding card and beckoned her to join him.

• Helen and Grace transformed into silver butterflies in Shade's Dream and guided him toward the Moon, where he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
• Shade woke with his spirit and stamina restored, learned the Moon's Dream thaumaturgy, and discovered Sister Devlin had let him sleep on her lap.
• Sister Devlin told Shade the Red Butterfly Twins had left and accepted the Holy Grail of Conservation for Snake Heart Hospital.
• Shade returned to Tobesk and found Luvia working late on a Star Chart; she gave him the appraised Founding card.
• After making tea for Luvia, Shade went to bed, then used a red butterfly to draw her to his bedroom when she returned at three in the morning.

After recovering from the Battle of Randall River Valley, Shade discussed the Chosen Ones and his plans with Luvia and Iluna, who urged him to rest through spring. He then used the Guardians’ black stone block to install a trapdoor to the Heart of the Earth Furnace in his basement.

• Shade prepared breakfast for Luvia, and Iluna joined them at his home to discuss the Battle of Randall River Valley.
• Shade, Luvia, and Iluna reviewed the Earth’s Chosen One, agreed Luvia would manage their relationship with him, and noted Iluna had reached the seventh ring and might have been a candidate herself.
• Luvia and Iluna persuaded Shade to rest through spring before pursuing the next Chosen One, and they discussed the upcoming Around Tobesk Equestrian Competition.
• Shade showed the women the items he brought back from Randall River Valley, including the Philosopher’s Stone and the Malbas Demon Book.
• Shade tossed the Guardians’ black stone block onto the basement floor, where it melted and formed a stone trapdoor leading to the Heart of the Earth Furnace.

Shade, Luvia, and Iluna discovered the Heart of the Earth Furnace beneath Shade’s house and learned how its earth-powered smelting and tempering worked. They tested its effects, and Shade began an attempt to strengthen his Witch Detection badge with Mithril.

• Shade opened a hidden trapdoor beneath his house using his connection to the Heart of the Earth, and he, Luvia, and Iluna entered the Heart of the Earth Furnace.
• The group found a stone furnace linked to magma, and Shade explained that it could strengthen or fuse metal- and stone-based Alchemy Items by consuming their experience of traversing the earth.
• Shade explained that drinking a little magma could temper the body and soul, though it could make them lean toward earth power; he and the others drank from tiny Clay Holy Grails.
• Luvia felt the Foundation Stone power repairing her Another Me, while Shade found that the tempering had no effect on him.
• Shade placed his Witch Detection badge and a portion of Mithril into the furnace to try strengthening the badge.

Shade improved the Duchess of Saladir’s badge, spent a quiet day at home, and met Miss Danist to discuss ancient Moon-related ruins. Miss Danist revealed a link between the ruins and the Edwards Family’s abandoned town on an island in Green Lake, leaving Shade poised to learn what her discovered letter contained.

• Shade retrieved the transformed badge from the Furnace and learned that it had stronger Witch detection and could enhance energy-releasing Thaumaturgies.
• Shade learned that the Furnace could unleash any natural disaster in the Material World in exchange for divinity or a flawless Stone Heart.
• Shade gave Iluna her share of the Randall River Valley treasure, then bathed Mia and spent a peaceful afternoon at home.
• Shade visited Priest Augustus for dinner and later met Miss Danist, confirming that he had learned Miracle Technique - Moon's Dream.
• Miss Danist showed Shade a Sun, Moon, and Stars pattern found in the Black Night Spirit Temple and the ruined Ancient Moon Tower, and said it was an Ancient God’s ritual matrix.
• Miss Danist told Shade about Green Lake’s abandoned island town and said she had found a letter once owned by a member of the Edwards Family.

Shade accepted Miss Danist’s assignment to trace the descendants of the Edwards Family of Green Lake Town and received the Shadow Ball thaumaturgy as a gift for reaching the sixth ring. After investigating the family and learning an altered version of Shadow Ball, he went alone to the Maria Opera House for an evening invitation from Leisha.

• Miss Danist told Shade that the Edwards Family had pursued the Elixir of Immortality before Green Lake Town was destroyed and asked him to identify their descendants by summer.
• Shade agreed to investigate the family, while Miss Danist assigned him summer promotion examinations, weekly reading notes, and regular study meetings.
• Miss Danist gave Shade the Shadow Ball scroll and advised him to keep Moon as his main path rather than pursue shadow magic.
• Shade learned Shadow Ball, which gained a petrification effect, and accepted and completed another commission to find a Cat.
• Shade contacted Margaret, Leisha, and Miss Galina about the Edwards Family; Margaret and Miss Galina promised to investigate, while Leisha invited him to an opera.
• Shade ate dinner with the Cat, then boarded a carriage alone and arrived at the Maria Opera House for Leisha’s invitation.

Shade attended the opera with Leisha, Angelina, and Galina, whose investigation into the Edwards Family revealed that a powerful Witch had been born in Green Lake Town. The revelation left Shade facing a possible connection between his inquiry and Audrey Edwards, the Council’s Fifth Seat.

• Shade arrived at the Maria Empress Opera House and found Galina waiting in the private box with Leisha and Angelina.
• The group watched the beginning of “Clock Tower Lovers,” a fairy tale about a knight and his fiancée who were reunited in death.
• Galina interrupted the outing to ask whether Shade was investigating the Edwards Family only at Miss Danist’s request and whether he had met any strange women.
• Galina revealed that Audrey Edwards, the Eleventh Ring Great Witch of Knowledge and Wisdom and the Council’s Fifth Seat, had been born in Green Lake Town.

Shade learned about Audrey Edwards, an ancient Great Witch whose dangerous Philosopher’s Stone experiment nearly unleashed an ancient evil, and was advised to seek other Edwards Family clues before approaching her. He was also told to compete against Kasonlik twins Eric Follen and Charles Follen in the upcoming equestrian competition to protect Delarion’s position in the negotiations.

• Miss Galina told Shade that Audrey Edwards was a renowned alchemist and potion-maker whose past experiment nearly summoned an ancient evil, leading the Church to hunt her for more than a decade.
• Shade connected Audrey’s age and the Edwards Family’s history with Green Lake Town to his search for the meaning of the “Sun, Moon, and Stars” pattern.
• Miss Galina advised Shade not to approach Audrey directly and said she would help find other Edwards Family descendants.
• Miss Galina told Shade that Eric Follen and Charles Follen, twin sons of Marquis Follen, would enter the Around the City Equestrian Competition.
• Shade agreed to attend the competition opening and recognized that defeating the Follen brothers could help Delarion in its negotiations with Kasonlik.

After attending Leisha’s private celebration, Shade joined Miss Galina to investigate an uncontained relic at the Maria Empress Opera House. The theater arranged for the two leading actresses to meet him in dressing room number five, where the relic was located.

• Miss Galina said she might represent the royal family in upcoming negotiations, and Leisha told Shade she would not be sent; after her sister and aunt left, Leisha urged Shade to win the equestrian competition for her and Dorothy.
• After the opera’s successful performance, Miss Galina told Shade that an uncontained relic had appeared at the Opera House and asked him to investigate it with her.
• Miss Galina and Shade discussed the rise in relic incidents, Ring Arcanist losses of control, and natural disasters since spring 1853, which Iluna’s friends had also noticed.
• Tifa told manager Mr. Nesser that Shade wanted to meet both leading actresses in costume and makeup, and arranged for them to come to dressing room number five in secret.
• Shade, Miss Galina, and Tifa entered dressing room number five and found a shattered mirror set aside against the wall.

Shade investigated a mirror relic with Miss Galina and Tifa, then pursued the monster that emerged from it onto the Maria Opera House rooftop. As he prepared to strike, two men appeared beside the creature.

• Shade touched the mirror and discovered that speaking the Efla Language phrase “Courage walks beside me” restored it and revealed a room beyond it.
• A two-bodied monster began emerging from the mirror, and Shade used Great Sin Chains and spatial magic to fight it, but it escaped into a spatial gap.
• Shade refused Miss Galina’s offer of help and turned himself into Red Butterflies to pursue the monster to the opera house rooftop.
• Shade found the wounded monster healing beneath the starlight and prepared a surprise attack, but two men appeared out of thin air nearby.