Recaps

Shade returned to Belinder Manor with scars on his palms after touching the Sage Level Relic Blood of Sorrow and realized that the man he encountered was likely the Seventh Chosen One, Mr. Ptolemy Albert. As the women at the manor worried over his injuries and Matilda reconsidered her assumptions about him, the evening gathering began with Little Unicorn Liana frightened by Grace and Helen.

• Shade retrieved the broken sword fragment from the Tatton River, and the group returned to Belinder Manor, where the women rushed to treat his injured hands.
• Tifa comforted Matilda, who admitted she felt unsettled and thought Shade seemed troubled.
• Shade told Luvia and the others that he had touched Blood of Sorrow and concluded that the man he encountered was probably Mr. Ptolemy Albert, the Seventh Chosen One.
• Megan treated Shade's wounds, leaving two scars on his palms, and Luvia stopped him from trying to remove them himself.
• Shade met Sybil and the mermaids aboard the Radiance Messenger, then Bella checked his scar while Matilda watched quietly.
• At dinner, Shade found Grace and Helen watching a terrified Little Unicorn Liana while Emilia and Angelina kept their distance.

Shade and Megan went to the Mellis Library Club to meet Nadia Furen, while the Red Butterfly Twins healed Shade’s scar before returning to Miburg. As Shade waited on the second floor, he unexpectedly recognized Mr. Xiao En Asmon through a gap in the bookshelves.

• Grace and Helen visited Shade, healed his scar by licking it, and returned to Miburg with pastries for Grandma Cassandra.
• Shade left Little Mia behind and went with Megan through Moon Bay’s fog, where they saw a Lightbulb Man pursued by a Ring Arcanist Squad.
• Shade and Megan arrived at the Mellis Library Club, and Megan suggested they look around separately while waiting for Nadia Furen.
• Shade explored the second-floor shelves, found a book titled "Love and Rose," and saw Mr. Xiao En Asmon through the gap opposite him.

Shade reunited with the Demon Scholar, Xiao En Asmon, at a club in Moon Bay and wagered a rare card in a guessing game. Asmon continued the demon story as Shade began searching for the hidden king, leaving the game unresolved.

• Shade met Xiao En Asmon at the club, where Asmon explained that he had traveled with a cat and dog before accepting a new consulting job.
• Asmon showed Shade the Special Rule Card Song of Cats and Dogs Guardian and proposed wagering it against Shade’s Ancient Alchemy Transformation Stone.
• Asmon set out twenty-five face-down cards and offered Shade seven chances to find the king, while Shade agreed to stake 50 Gold Pounds if he failed.
• Shade recounted the earlier events of the demon story, including the middle-aged man's journey with the cat and dog after the plague-stricken city was destroyed.
• Asmon continued the tale, saying the man resolved to avoid deep connections, and Shade flipped the upper-left card, revealing Star 13.

Mr. Asmon told Shade the story of an old man seeking a child to inherit the duty of sealing the Demon. The boy fulfilled the old man’s wish through a double-contract trick, and the chapter ended with Shade asking what story came next.

• The old man and his cat and dog found a starving boy, his sick mother, and his younger sister in a woodshed.
• The old man offered to heal the mother and provide for the family if the boy signed a contract and left with him to inherit the duty of guarding the Demon.
• The Demon briefly possessed the old man and persuaded the boy to sign a second contract, promising power after death if he broke the old man’s agreement.
• The boy signed both contracts, then deliberately died before he could fulfill the old man’s contract, leaving the Demon sealed and the old man transformed back into a child.
• Shade summarized the outcome and asked Mr. Asmon about the old man’s next destination, but Mr. Asmon said that would be the next story.

Shade met with Nadia Furen to ask about the Dragon Devouring Order’s Divine Advent Plan, learning that its ritual would begin within days. Nadia also explained that the Seekers of Light Research Society had caused the citywide fog to gather Dangerous Radiance for their own plan.

• Shade watched Xiao En Asmon leave The Club and saw a Black Dog and Black Cat follow him into the fog, though he remained unsure what they meant.
• Nadia Furen arrived and criticized Shade for winning over her cousins before he told her that her father and siblings had been buried together as they wished.
• Shade asked Nadia about the Divine Advent Plan, but she refused to discuss the Cult’s secrets and confirmed that the ritual would begin on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday.
• Nadia agreed to discuss the Seekers of Light Research Society and said their Edge of Life and Death had created the fog to accumulate Dangerous Radiance.
• Nadia said the Seekers of Light Research Society intended to use the gathered radiance for their plan, while their exact goal remained unknown.

Lady Furen told Shade that the Seekers of Light planned to use a statue of an Ancient God during the Seventh Chosen One Ritual to turn the Moon Bay Area into light, while the Dragon Devouring Order’s Divine Advent Ritual was also imminent. Back at Belinder Manor, Shade prepared the group for the crisis, then Tifa and Matilda offered him a private lesson in comforting him when he was troubled.

• Lady Furen explained that the Seekers of Light planned to use an Ancient God’s statue and the Chosen One Ritual to gather Dangerous Radiance across the Moon Bay Area.
• Lady Furen said she did not know how to catch the slug, then left after warning Shade to be kind to her cousins.
• Shade told Megan that the situation was urgent and ordered everyone to gather on the ship the next day.
• Shade returned to Belinder Manor and told the others that the Dragon Devouring Order’s ritual and the Seekers of Light’s planned disaster were both approaching.
• Shade considered when to use the black Time Key and decided on Saturday night as the best time to bring Miss Isabella into the plan.
• Tifa and Matilda locked the study door and began teaching Shade how to make them happy when he was troubled.

Shade and the Great Witches prepared to face the Divine Advent Ritual and the threat to Moon Bay, gathering allies and securing the city. The chapter left them making final arrangements for the coming battle while Shade pursued leads on the Dragon Devouring Order and the Seekers of Light Research Society.

• Megan returned with Shade to his home, where she and Audrey confronted Tifa and Matilda, and Galina later joined them for the night.
• Shade and the others agreed that Dorothy and Leisha would leave for Moon Bay on Saturday, while Galina planned to depart Sunday.
• Shade briefed the Great Witches aboard the Radiance Messenger on the relics and candidates connected to the Chosen One Ritual, and Iluna reported that the Church had found Nameless Swordsmith's Apron.
• Luvia rejected sending the Radiance Messenger out to sea and organized security, while the group called on allies and assigned preparations across Moon Bay.
• Shade ordered the witches to protect key people and locations, coordinate with the Church, prepare for urban warfare, and search for ritual sites as he continued investigating the cultists and the Seekers of Light Research Society.

Shade prepared for the coming threat in Moon Bay, sought help from Doctor, and learned that Miss Belinder's bloodline awakening had given her wings. He investigated coroner Tolemy Albert's past with Margaret, uncovering his humble origins, a troubled incident at medical academy, and unanswered questions about his career.

• Shade told the Earth Guardian that an evil god was likely to appear and refused to sacrifice himself, saying others cared about him and Siris still needed him.
• Shade visited the Black Night Spirit Temple, hoping Moon would help, but received no response, then told Doctor about the danger in Moon Bay.
• Shade learned that Miss Belinder had grown golden wings after her bloodline activation, though her other expected changes had not appeared.
• Margaret told Shade that Tolemy Albert's mother had been a housekeeper in her extended family and that someone regularly maintained her grave.
• Margaret recounted how Tolemy Albert had confronted a Teacher over theft of academy equipment, after which the Teacher died by suicide and rumors blamed Albert.
• Shade reviewed Albert's academic records and questioned why he had become a military doctor instead of staying at the academy.

Shade learned more about Tolomay Albert’s difficult past, from his mysterious departure for the New Continent to the political turmoil that led him to become a coroner. The chapter ended with Sylvia returning and teasing Margaret after Shade left.

• Margaret told Shade that Tolomay Albert had left Wilundell after speaking with Earl Zeppelin and had volunteered as a military doctor on the New Continent.
• Margaret showed Shade records of a mission where Albert’s unit encountered a dragon-like being, suffered heavy losses, and found traces of an extremely concentrated Miracle Element.
• Margaret explained that Albert returned to the Old Continent, settled in Moon Bay City, donated much of his income, and eventually became a coroner after being dismissed from the medical academy.
• Shade learned that the academy’s missing student had been a Gray Gloves spy called away on a mission during Moon Bay’s independence movement, and that the incident may have led to further changes involving Military Intelligence Section Six.
• Shade finished reviewing Margaret’s documents and left shortly before five; Sylvia then entered the study and teased Margaret about how much she could endure.

Shade warned Mr. Bernhardt that a major event involving the Church’s discovery of Ritual Traces was imminent, while they discussed the suspected danger posed by Mr. Albert. That night, a Council meeting was called because something had happened again in Moon Bay, interrupting Shade and Leisha.

• Miss Sylvia teased Margaret about waiting for Shade to make a romantic promise first, and Margaret asked her teacher about her own feelings.
• Shade told Mr. Bernhardt and Mr. Albert that the Church would likely discover Ritual Traces between the coming weekend and next Tuesday.
• Mr. Bernhardt described evidence that merchant Thomas Pigin was smuggling for the Dragon Devouring Order, and Shade planned to test Carmen Eddington at the Margaret Manor banquet.
• Mr. Albert asked Shade to meet him on Saturday to help obtain a valuable Rhodes Card, while Mr. Bernhardt warned Shade that Tolomay Albert seemed dangerously powerful and might possess Blood of Sorrow.
• Shade explained his suspicions about Mr. Albert to Mr. Bernhardt, who still believed his friend was an upright man, and Shade remained uncertain whether to trust him completely.
• A message summoned the Red-haired Witch to a Council meeting about another incident in Moon Bay, interrupting Shade and Leisha during the night.

As Abnormal Light rapidly worsened across Moon Bay, Shade learned of the city’s mounting disasters and the approaching final battle. He returned to Moon Bay and destroyed a light-absorbing monster, confirming that Termination powers could annihilate Dangerous Radiance but were too difficult to use routinely.

• Galina told Shade that Abnormal Light had surged, while monsters, an earthquake, the Mad Earth, and other supernatural disturbances struck Moon Bay.
• Shade and the others decided to travel to Moon Bay earlier, and Leisha and Dorothy planned to meet him near Dragon Nest that afternoon.
• Shade went to Moon Bay with Little Mia and encountered a glowing villager whose body absorbed light.
• Shade used Corrupt Blood Mist and Night Watchman’s Black Moon Rune to annihilate the monster and its Dangerous Radiance.

Shade learned that Carmen Eddington and Thomas Pigin had fled to Helmington Castle, confirming their connection to the conspiracy. He and Mr. Bernhardt planned to infiltrate the castle that night and end the local Bloodkin threat.

• Luvia explained the dangerous monsters in the fog and sent Shade to the Radiance Messenger’s laboratory, where Megan, Audrey, and Miss Swift gave him three unstable Light Crystal bombs.
• Hailey Aurora delivered Princess Margaret’s urgent letter saying Carmen Eddington had claimed illness and would miss the banquet.
• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that Thomas Pigin had hidden at Helmington Castle with armed enforcers, and Shade reported that Carmen’s carriage had gone there too.
• Shade and Mr. Bernhardt agreed to infiltrate the castle that night with Alber, using a supply convoy to enter while others surrounded Crow Mountain.

Shade and the Witches flew above the clouds to prepare for the coming battle, where sunlight helped him gain the Sunlight Healing spell. Iluna arrived with new news from The Church, and the group gathered to hear it.

• Shade and the others rode Michael's Flying Magic Carpet above the clouds, where he placed the Armor of Light Lion in the sunlight while Miss Belinder and Miss Aurora attempted a divination.
• Shade fell asleep in the sunlight and dreamed of the Sun God Temple, where Dream Little Mia bit his finger; he awakened with the Sunlight Healing spell.
• Shade tested Sunlight Healing, creating a warm sphere of light that enveloped everyone on the carpet.
• When Iluna arrived aboard the Radiance Messenger, she found Shade trying to get Little Mia to bite his finger; she then asked the group to gather so she could share news from The Church.

Iluna told Shade that the Church wanted his help preparing for a possible divine descent at Moon Bay, including activating the Unknown Level Relic Moon in the Water. After Leisha reunited with Angelina at Belinder Manor, the chapter shifted to a guarded supply convoy approaching Helmington Castle through the fog.

• Iluna gave Shade a Philosopher’s Stone and asked him to help the Church when the divine descent began.
• Iluna explained that the Church planned to use the Diesel Sword to confine the descending god at the Dragon Devouring Sacrificial Ground and hoped Shade would help activate Moon in the Water with Daniste.
• Shade agreed to help with the relic, which the Church might place atop Belinder Big Ben to turn day into night.
• Shade brought Leisha to Belinder Manor, where she teased Angelina about her neglected duties and threatened to make her read her confiscated books aloud as punishment.
• A convoy carrying provisions crossed the foggy Black Forest and reached the heavily fortified gates of Helmington Castle, where guards inspected it before lowering the bridge.

Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert infiltrated Marquis Morrison’s castle to capture Thomas Pigin and Carmen Eddington. Shade subdued Thomas and fought his way through the courtyards, then joined Mr. Albert as they advanced toward the tower, where Mr. Bernhardt had encountered trouble.

• Mr. Bernhardt activated the No Entry Sign, while Shade spread Moonbeam Thorns around the castle to block entry and escape through Space Movement.
• Mr. Bernhardt and Mr. Albert transformed into Blood Mist and split up, while Shade used the Flying Blossom Spell and brute force to clear the lower courtyard.
• Shade fought through Thomas Pigin’s stronghold, defeated the merchant after he used a potion to boost his strength, and bound him unconscious with a chain.
• Shade reached the third courtyard and found Mr. Albert had nearly cleared it; they agreed to hurry to the top floor and leave no one conscious.
• Mr. Albert broke through the tower gate and charged inside under fire as Shade drew his strengthened Dragon Scale Sword.

Shade and Mr. Albert captured Carmen Eddington and defeated a dragon beast at the tower, while Mr. Bernhardt and the Coroner stayed to face another attack. Shade returned to Margaret Manor, where Earl Eddington recognized Carmen’s ring and agreed to meet Miss Belinder at the City Council the next day.

• Shade and Mr. Albert reached the tower’s top chamber, where Mr. Bernhardt had subdued Carmen Eddington, a Bloodkin.
• Mr. Albert stopped Carmen’s escape, and Shade and Mr. Albert killed a dragon beast that attacked the tower.
• Shade took Carmen’s ring and returned to the banquet, while Mr. Bernhardt and the Coroner flew toward a signal of an enemy attack.
• Earl Eddington recognized the ring, and Miss Belinder confronted him about Carmen and his family’s actions.
• Earl Eddington agreed to speak with Miss Belinder at the City Council the next day, and the Countess asked Shade to dance with her.

Shade danced with Margaret at her disaster-relief banquet, then visited Dorothy, Luvia, and Miss Galina as a powerful earthquake shook Moon Bay. The next morning, Shade learned how two Bloodkin had aided the Dragon Devouring Order and that its Sacrificial Ground could appear directly in the city.

• Margaret told Shade that her banquet had strengthened the Anjou Family’s ties with local nobles, and she asked him to go to the opera with her again.
• An earthquake struck while Shade visited Dorothy and Luvia aboard the ship, but Illustrious Miss said it had not caused a tsunami.
• Shade returned to Belinder Manor, where Miss Galina welcomed him and said she would leave for Moon Bay the following evening.
• Captain Rades sent Shade a parcel and letter, then Shade went to Spider Alley, where he helped Mr. Albert and Mr. Bernhardt stop a reanimated corpse.
• Mr. Albert and Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that Carmen Eddington and Thomas Pigin had supplied the Dragon Devouring Order with Bloodkin and helped its operations in exchange for money and pure dragon blood.
• Mr. Albert said the Sacrificial Ground could appear in the city center or float above it, using its spatial properties to enter an area without damaging its surroundings.

Shade and Mr. Albert investigated the disappearance of the Felinja couple, who had become entangled in the search for three precious Rhodes Cards. Shade found signs that Mrs. Felinja had once served as a royal maid and suspected he recognized her, leaving the mystery unresolved.

• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that the Divine Advent Ritual would take over twenty minutes and that several organizations would create chaos across the Moon Bay Area.
• Mr. Albert asked Shade to help find the missing Felinja couple, who had vanished after becoming involved in the incident surrounding three Rhodes Cards.
• Shade and Mr. Albert visited Old Lady Fox, who said the couple had gone out on Wednesday a week earlier and never returned.
• Shade noticed that the couple had no photographs in their home and found newspaper issues that frequently featured Princess Margaret.
• Shade examined the couple's folded towels and deduced that Mrs. Felinja had once been a maid to a great noble, possibly the royal household.
• Shade told Mr. Albert that he might have run into an acquaintance.

Shade and Mr. Albert traced the missing couple to Old Lady Fox’s home and learned that Miss Brown was a former Military Intelligence Section Six agent who had escaped with Mr. Feringa. At their address, they discovered that Mr. Dylan and the Gray Gloves were searching for a fugitive agent’s secrets, leaving Shade’s investigation entangled with theirs.

• Shade and Mr. Albert searched Old Lady Fox’s home, found hidden weapons, travel documents, and a badge belonging to a noblewoman from Wilundell, then questioned Mrs. Fox about her nephew and his wife.
• Shade convinced Mrs. Fox to trust him by revealing his knowledge of Miss Brown’s past, and she explained that the couple had fled Tobesk with his help and left her money before disappearing.
• Mrs. Fox told Shade and Mr. Albert that the couple had bought a property at 28 Winder Street, where they might still be living.
• Shade and Mr. Albert went to 28 Winder Street and encountered Mr. Dylan and the Gray Gloves searching the apartment.
• Mr. Dylan told Shade that a dying Military Intelligence Section Six agent had passed secrets to someone else, and that one of the agent’s suspicious contacts had appeared at the apartment.

Shade and Mr. Albert followed a key’s trail to a Lower District house, where they discovered Director Anlos was also investigating the missing agent’s card and documents. Anlos explained that someone with knowledge of the Sixth Office had offered to sell the documents, and Shade offered to help while claiming he only wanted the card.

• Shade pressured Mr. Dylan for information and learned that a valuable card and intelligence about bribed Gray Gloves agents were connected to the missing agent.
• Mr. Albert traced a key found in the house through a locksmith and lock-shop records to 7 Augustus Street, Building B.
• Shade knocked at the address and identified himself to the armed occupants, who let him and Mr. Albert inside.
• Shade discovered Director Anlos at the house and told him he was investigating the Rhodes Card with Mr. Albert.
• Anlos said the dead agent had passed the card and important documents to someone who later offered to sell the documents through Sixth Office channels.
• Shade offered to help Anlos investigate while claiming he only wanted the card.

Shade and Mr. Albert pursued the people carrying the documents and card through Moon Bay’s sewers, uncovering more of Albert’s history with Eternal Light along the way. After navigating a gunfight between rival groups, they found the wounded Miss Brown and Mr. Feringa by the Tatton River.

• Director Anlos sent Shade and Mr. Albert into the sewers to follow the suspected agent while warning them about the Gray Gloves and city gangs.
• Shade and Mr. Albert discussed their hidden identities, and Albert explained how Eternal Light had reached an agreement with the Seekers of Light Research Society and refused to cooperate with the Dragon Devouring Order.
• The pair followed traces through the sewers, encountered a Water Ghost, and emerged near the Parsifal Club, where they saw city gangs, Gray Gloves, and Military Intelligence Section Six agents exchanging gunfire.
• As they pursued the fleeing targets, Shade told Albert that he would protect civilians from war but would not support either army.
• Shade and Mr. Albert followed the fighting to the Tatton River and found Mr. Feringa carrying a suitcase and Miss Brown pressing onward despite a gunshot wound to her arm.

Shade and Mr. Albert rescued Mr. Feringa and Miss Brown, then learned why the couple had become entangled with Military Intelligence Section Six and the Gray Gloves. Mr. Albert gave Shade the Founding card and revealed that Viscount Bell Gra had arranged the killings to obtain it, leaving Shade to decide what to do with the card.

• Shade and Mr. Albert shot the five gangsters pursuing Mr. Feringa and Miss Brown, then summoned the police and led the couple away.
• Miss Brown explained that the suitcase held evidence of Gray Gloves agents taking bribes, while the murdered agent Clock had given her the suitcase and the precious card that prompted the pursuit.
• Mr. Feringa admitted that he had hoped returning the documents might earn forgiveness from Military Intelligence Section Six, and Shade told the couple to apologize to their companions and live quietly in Moon Bay.
• After Mr. Feringa and Miss Brown left, Mr. Albert confessed that he had kept the card for half a month and handed it to Shade.
• Shade examined the Founding card, whose effects let its holder reveal an opponent’s cards or avoid losing after busting.
• Mr. Albert revealed that Viscount Bell Gra had hired the gangsters to obtain Founding and said the Viscount would die of ricin that night; Shade asked whether the card was his to keep.

Shade asked Tolomay Albert to join the coming battle against Destiny, and Albert revealed that ancient light had made him a Diviner and taught him about the Chosen Ones. They made a covenant for the Battle of Moon Bay, leaving Shade with a share of Albert’s light and a clearer picture of the ritual’s requirements.

• Shade asked Albert whether he would face Destiny at the Dragon Devouring Sacrificial Ground, and Albert described how an ancient beam of light had merged with him on the New Continent.
• Albert admitted that he had concealed being a Diviner from Shade and confirmed that he possessed the Hope Diamond.
• Albert asked whether Shade would sacrifice himself for justice, and Shade refused, saying he could not abandon those who needed him.
• Albert proposed a covenant: if he sacrificed himself in the Battle of Moon Bay, Shade would give some of his power to Eternal Light; if Shade sacrificed himself, Albert would give light to someone close to him; and if both survived, they would exchange powers.
• Shade accepted the covenant, and a portion of Albert’s ancient light merged into him.
• Albert explained that the Chosen One Ritual required the Dragon Devouring Sacrificial Ground, forging a sword, five ancient relics, and seven dragon scales from the Seven Great Families.

Shade and Mr. Albert prepared for the Chosen One Ritual while the Dragon Devouring Order began testing Moon Bay’s defenses. As the Divine Advent Ritual approached, Shade chose to defend the sacrificial ground and arranged for the orphanage children to leave the city.

• Shade and Mr. Albert reviewed the dragon scales and relics needed for the ritual, and Mr. Albert agreed to divine for the missing Eddington Family scale and lend Shade the Hope Diamond.
• A fireball and a Flesh Aberration dragon beast attacked Moon Bay’s shield, and Shade identified the assault as the Dragon Devouring Order probing the city.
• Shade told Luvia that the Church needed to bring its relic to the sacrificial ground, then chose to join Iluna there rather than face the deep-sea evil in the Outer Sea.
• Shade promised Iluna that he and Luvia would stay by her if Moon Bay was destroyed, and Iluna kissed him before leaving for the night.
• Shade asked Priest Augustus to move the Moon Bay Orphanage children to Red Heart Orphanage and urged the priest to leave the city after them.
• Shade concluded that the preparations were nearly complete and planned to summon Doctor Schneider at a crossroads that night.

Shade arranged copies of his Moon Bay intelligence for Leisha and discussed the coming war with her before the manor’s guests held a pre-war banquet aboard the Radiance Messenger. The chapter left Galina arriving by an improvised spell, soaked after falling into the ship’s pool.

• Shade asked Leisha to copy the documents and photographs he had uncovered, and she recognized their value to both kingdoms’ intelligence services.
• Leisha asked which side Shade would support if war broke out, and he said he would work to end the conflict and would not let her suffer a loss.
• Leisha told Shade she would choose him over her ambitions and kissed him while continuing to copy the documents.
• Illustrious Miss proposed a banquet before the group set out, and the guests prepared a celebration aboard the Radiance Messenger.
• Miss Sylvia used a spell from a secret-technique book to summon Galina, whose arrival dropped her into the swimming pool.
• Galina climbed out with Angelina’s help, and her mood improved when Shade complimented her purple bra.