Chapter Summaries

Shade met Miss Danist to discuss the silver dragon at Moon Bay and new clues about the Chosen One of Light. He learned the ritual involved a Sword of Light, while Miss Danist revealed that a rare mutation of ordinary light could assimilate whatever it touched.

• Shade returned home, where Little Mia angrily reacted to the Ghost Cat he had carried earlier, and Luvia told him she had arranged a meeting with Miss Danist.
• Miss Danist confronted Shade with a photograph of the silver dragon at Moon Bay, and Shade admitted he had transformed into it while denying that he was the Chosen One of Light.
• Miss Danist said clues linked the Chosen One ritual to drawing the Sword of Light, forged by the Radiance Dragon, and warned Shade to watch for information about the sword in Moon Bay.
• Shade told Miss Danist that the Dragon Devouring Demon might be the Nameless Eldest Son of the Ancient Dragon God, surprising her.
• Miss Danist shared her investigation into the Seekers of Light Research Society’s light that melted matter and explained that rare mutated light assimilated anything it touched.

Shade learned that the Seekers of Light Research Society might be using a lethal natural phenomenon in Moon Bay, then asked Luvia to divine the Sword of Light. The divination revealed that it was an Ancient God’s creation that only someone with the Heart of Justice could draw.

• Miss Danist told Shade that Light Spontaneous Combustion/Light Melting cases had become more frequent and warned him that the Seekers of Light Research Society might have mastered the phenomenon.
• Shade and Miss Danist concluded that Moon Bay was already in danger, and she offered to lead a team there once the Academy and The Church coordinated.
• Shade decided to leave Emilia’s summer plans to her school and said he would keep her safe if she stayed in Tobesk.
• Shade told Luvia and Emilia the story of the Cat, then spent the evening studying with Luvia and helping Emilia translate Ancient Elvish books.
• After Emilia went to bed, Shade told Luvia what he had learned and asked her to divine the Sword of Light.
• Luvia used a Special Coin and learned that the Sword of Light was an Ancient God’s creation that only someone with the Heart of Justice could draw.

Shade and Luvia discussed the Sword of Light ritual and the dangers of the coming Chosen One investigation while the Witches planned a lower-profile response. Shade then returned to his Moon Bay search with Mr. Bernhardt, whose nightmare echoed the fate of his past-world namesake.

• Luvia told Shade that drawing the Sword of Light was the Chosen One ritual, though they did not know how to find the sword or what else it required.
• Miss Galina told Shade and Luvia that the Witch Council would send fewer people to Moon Bay, with Vanessa and Emma confirmed to go, while Audrey and Megan would search their books for information about the sword.
• Miss Galina arranged for Angelina to take Emilia on a trip outside the city, and Shade left for Moon Bay with Mr. Bernhardt.
• Mr. Bernhardt described a nightmare of walking endlessly across dark water, and Shade wondered whether it was a precognitive dream or a trace of memories from the Calamity Cards Wraith.

Shade and Mr. Bernhardt discovered Blood Essence in the dead monster, confirming that a powerful Bloodkin was cooperating with the Dragon Devouring Order. Shade then learned from Miss Galina that the Sword of Light might be the legendary Dragon Sword, while the search for the cult’s allies in Moon Bay continued.

• Mr. Bernhardt extracted Blood Essence from the monster’s heart and concluded that a Bloodkin of higher rank had helped the Dragon Devouring Order.
• Mr. Bernhardt decided to contact Wilundell and investigate whether Tolomay or other local Bloodkin were involved, while Shade proposed hunting down the hidden Vampire Beast.
• Shade told Miss Galina about the Sword of Light and the monster investigation at Belinder Manor.
• Miss Galina recounted the Seven Great Families’ legend of the Dragon Sword and agreed to monitor the families for anyone aiding the cult.
• Miss Galina reminded Shade that he would accompany her to a banquet the following night.

Shade visited Cassandra Auction House to verify that he remained human and learned how to safely adapt to the dragon power he had absorbed. The twins offered him a new potion, Grandma Cassandra proposed sending Rita to Moon Bay, and Grace and Helen shared a legend about a sword that could kill any dragon.

• Shade told Miss Belinder he wanted to investigate the Vampire Beast from the docks, and she agreed to divine for leads while noting it had gone quiet.
• Shade returned to Middlesburg, where Grace and Helen used the Sorrowful Nurse Statue to confirm he was still fully human.
• Grace and Helen warned Shade that transforming into a dragon could leave him unable to turn back until he adapted to the absorbed power, and said the Dragon Altar would recognize him once he had mastered it.
• At dinner, Grace and Helen offered Shade a Red Butterfly Secret Potion to help with future transformations, while Grandma Cassandra proposed sending Rita to Moon Bay as part of the Council's arrangements.
• Grace and Helen told Shade that Fiona Drago had once recounted a legend of an ancient dragon god's sword that could suppress and kill any dragon.

Shade learned more about the legendary Dragon Slayer's Sword, then spent time with Emilia and the others at home. The Academy ordered Emilia to leave Tobesk for another off-campus project, and she sobbed in Shade's arms because she did not want to go.

• Helen told Shade that the Sword of Light was a Dragon Slayer's Sword made by the Ancient God and could only be wielded by a righteous person, but Fiona Drago had not known where it was.
• Emilia was surprised to learn that Shade was involved with Leisha and Duchess, while Angelina explained that the Cavendish family treated love as a contest.
• Shade asked Emilia for more doses of her secret medicine so he could transform into a dragon again if necessary.
• Mr. Enxi Er and Miss Delas gave Shade the Academy's letter ordering Emilia to leave Tobesk, and they arranged to meet her at the train station that evening.
• Emilia read the letter, thanked Shade for letting her stay, and then wept in his arms because she did not want to leave Tobesk and her new friends.

Shade met Mr. Edmund at the Old Lighthouse, where they discussed Dragon Island’s return and the Chosen One of Light. Mr. Edmund explained that the Sword of Light could manifest through other holy swords, possibly including Shade’s Night Watchman.

• Emilia learned that she and the others had to leave Tobesk for safety, and Angelina helped her pack while Shade went to Coldwater Port.
• Mr. Edmund showed Shade a phantom island in the sea fog and identified it as Dragon Island, whose barrier with reality was weakening after the Green Lake Incident.
• Mr. Edmund told Shade that dragons would obey the Chosen One of Light and might assist them, while the Dragon Devouring Order could be seeking that power.
• Shade asked about the Sword of Light, and Mr. Edmund explained that it was not one fixed sword but could be summoned through certain holy swords.
• Mr. Edmund said the God Summoner’s Demon Bane Night Watchman likely qualified to become the Sword of Light, though doing so would be difficult.

Shade learned which relic swords might qualify as Holy Swords, then returned to find Emilia gloomy on the final day of her Tobesk holiday. He cheered her up by planning a trip to the wilderness near Tok Town, where he would transform into a dragon and take her flying.

• Mr. Edmund explained that the Wind King Sword and Pale Justice might qualify as Holy Swords, while Ashes and several other relic swords would not.
• Shade returned home and found Emilia sitting alone by the window in the rain, missing him as her holiday drew to a close.
• Emilia hugged Shade, and Little Mia broke the awkward mood when Shade set the cat on her head.
• Emilia told Shade that she had brought three bottles of the potion he needed and asked him to keep her company.
• Shade proposed taking Emilia by train to the wilderness near Tok Town so he could transform into a dragon and fly with her.
• Emilia eagerly agreed to leave the Academy without permission, and Little Mia seemed to want to join them.

Shade and Emilia said goodbye at Tobesk train station after he secretly took her flying in dragon form, leaving her delighted and the others suspicious. After Emilia's train departed, Shade discussed the limits of his new transformation with Luvia and Dorothy as they headed home.

• Emilia recalled riding Shade in dragon form but told Matila Delas that they had stayed at Shade's home, and her excited description of flying made the others suspect something had happened.
• Emilia, Mr. Enshir, and Matila Delas boarded the train, and Shade, Luvia, and Dorothy saw them off as Emilia waved goodbye from her compartment.
• Luvia and Dorothy guessed that Shade had transformed into a dragon for Emilia, and he promised they could ride with him once he had mastered the transformation.
• On the ride home, Shade explained that dragon form quickly drained his spirit, prevented him from using gesture-based Thaumaturgy, and gave him great strength, defense, and an effective energy breath.
• Shade remembered the Miracle Technique - Dragon Roar and wondered whether the Tree Father had anticipated his gaining the Transformation Spell.

Shade accompanied Countess Bella Belinder to a high-ranking banquet at Hawthorne Manor, where the Seven Great Families were expected to discuss how to deal with the Dragon. After meeting the Hawthorne family’s infant granddaughter, they awaited the gathering’s real business.

• Shade arrived at Belinder Manor hungry, and Bella teased him with two kisses at the corner of his mouth before they left together.
• Shade escorted Bella into Hawthorne Manor as her male companion, drawing the attention of the gathered nobles and envoys.
• Bella told Shade that she accepted her fate as a blessing and called him a gift Destiny had given her.
• Shade and Bella exchanged polite greetings with Earl Hawthorne and Earl Eddington before meeting the infant granddaughter whose full moon the banquet celebrated.
• Shade joked that the baby should have received blessings from seven witches, and Bella replied that children could no longer receive so many blessings in this era.

The Seven Great Families met to discuss the dragon that may threaten Moon Bay and renewed their ancestors’ covenant, while disagreeing over how much to cooperate. After the meeting, Shade and the Countess suspected the other families were concealing knowledge or pursuing promises of power.

• At the secret meeting, Miss Belinder urged the families to share their inherited ciphers and documents, while several leaders demanded proof that a dragon had appeared.
• Earl Hawthorne and Earl Eddington supported looking toward the future and contacting the Church, but agreed that families would not be forced to reveal all their secrets.
• The seven leaders acknowledged that the prophecy of the Dragon Series destroying Moon Bay was real and raised glasses to renew their ancestors’ covenant.
• After the meeting, Shade told the Countess that the leaders seemed to be hiding significant secrets.
• The Countess suggested the other families either knew more about dragons than she did or had been promised a chance to gain power after the crisis.

Shade danced closely with Bella Belinder at a Moon Bay banquet, where she discussed their cooperation and pressed him about his identity and relationships. As the evening continued, Richard, the new local Gray Gloves manager from the royal capital, arrived, and the Belinder and Hawthorne families immediately probed him about the agency’s plans.

• Bella told Shade that her investigation into the Seekers of Light Research Society needed more confirmation and that her agents were investigating a Vampire Beast that favored the blood of drunken virgins under twenty-five.
• Bella and Shade agreed to act against the Vampire Beast on Sunday night, and she asked when he would reveal his identity; Shade said he would do so when two women from the royal capital arrived.
• Bella teased Shade about his relationships and confessed that she wished she had met him first, while they danced and rested together at the banquet.
• Earl Hawthorne introduced Richard, who had replaced Qiu En and would temporarily manage the Gray Gloves network in Moon Bay.
• Countess Belinder and Earl Hawthorne offered their families’ assistance to Richard while pointedly questioning whether the Gray Gloves planned a major operation.

Shade witnessed a banquet guest vanish in a burst of light, and he and Miss Belinder suspected that the Calamity of Light had begun. After returning home, Shade dreamed of the Moon and learned he would not become light; the next morning, Doctor Schneider returned and heard how Shade had dealt with the relics and curse threatening Emilia.

• Richard said a member of the royal family or another favored noble might soon visit Moon Bay, but he refused to name the visitor.
• Madur Bins Baron’s head, neck, and upper chest vanished in a flash of light during the banquet, prompting Shade and Miss Belinder to connect the incident to the Headless Serial Murder Case and the Calamity of Light.
• Shade and Miss Belinder left the banquet by carriage in darkness, and Shade later returned to Belinder Manor, accepted the Countess’s kiss, and planned to visit again about the Seven-Tailed Player ritual.
• Shade dreamed that “she” assured him he would not become light, and he realized that the Moon and Sun were themselves light.
• Doctor Schneider returned to Shade’s home, heard about Emilia’s encounters with cursed relics, and wondered whether Shade’s house itself was ominous.

Doctor Schneider identified the Withered Leaf Bookmark as a trace of the ancient Misfortune Demon-Pharnalius, which had cursed Emilia and threatened her life. He and Shade planned to hide Emilia in Moon Bay while the doctor prepared a weapon for a single strike, and Shade urgently contacted Miss Danist for help.

• Shade showed Doctor Schneider the Misfortune Order items and explained how Emilia had obtained them.
• Doctor Schneider concluded that the Withered Leaf Bookmark came from the Misfortune Demon-Pharnalius, which had manipulated the cultists’ memories and cursed Emilia.
• Doctor Schneider told Shade that Emilia might not survive the summer unless they acted, and said only the Demon itself could lift its curse.
• Doctor Schneider planned to prepare a weapon while Shade arranged to send Emilia to Moon Bay, where destiny was in chaos, and considered protecting her near a Unicorn or in a church.
• Doctor Schneider left with Adamantine and Orichalcum, and Shade urgently contacted Miss Danist, who replied, “Now.”
• Shade established a ritual connection, and Miss Danist saw that he was unharmed before asking what had happened.

Shade used the World Travel Handbook to reach Saint Byrens and told Miss Danist that Emilia had been cursed by the Misfortune Demon-Pharnalius. He asked to handle the demon himself, promising to protect Emilia within two weeks.

• Shade requested an in-person meeting with Miss Danist, who arranged a Relic to bring him to the Academy.
• Shade received the World Travel Handbook’s details, used six photographs of his home to open a door, and traveled through it to the Academy library.
• Shade told Miss Danist that the Amethyst Lady had identified Emilia’s leaf as coming from Misfortune Demon-Pharnalius and that the Seventh Chosen One would appear in Moon Bay.
• Miss Danist warned Shade that the demon was far more powerful than the Ancient Evil Spirit at Green Lake and urged the Academy to handle the matter.
• Shade insisted that he had a plan and promised to ensure Emilia’s safety within seven days to two weeks.

Shade visited Miss Danist to arrange help for Emilia and prepare Moon Bay as the battleground against the Demon of Misfortune. He learned Emilia was already headed there, secured a plan to protect her and separate her companions, and left to face the danger with a powerful Demon Hunter’s help.

• Shade told Miss Danist he intended to confront the Demon of Misfortune in Moon Bay and asked her to redirect Emilia’s next external practice there.
• Shade described his investigation in Moon Bay, and Miss Danist learned that Emilia’s Academy assignment already sent her there despite the approaching Chosen One of the Light.
• Miss Danist agreed to arrange for Emilia’s favorite Unicorn, Liana, to accompany her in disguise and to give Emilia’s two companions a separate task.
• Shade planned to meet Emilia at Moon Bay’s train station on Sunday and said a professional Demon Hunter would help him confront the demon.
• Miss Danist promised to investigate the Academy’s assignment process and assured Shade that she would support him.

Shade visited Miss Belinder to collect information on summoning the evil entity and told her that Emilia, an elf targeted by Misfortune Demon-Pharnalius, was coming to Moon Bay with a Unicorn. He left with the ritual documents and a warning that the Dragon Devouring Order might be capable of summoning the Demon’s main body.

• Shade returned home from Saint Byrens with Little Mia and later arrived at Belinder Manor to meet Miss Belinder.
• Shade told Miss Belinder that Emilia was coming to Moon Bay and warned her not to contact the elf because Misfortune Demon-Pharnalius was entangled with her.
• Miss Belinder crushed her teacup when Shade named the Ancient Evil Spirit, then listened as he explained his plan to deal with it and the Unicorn’s role in protecting Emilia.
• Miss Belinder kissed Shade and gave him the information he needed for the ritual to summon the evil entity.
• Miss Belinder warned Shade that the Orthodox Church suspected the Dragon Devouring Order might be able to summon the evil entity’s main body, and told him to memorize and destroy the documents.

Shade received a dragon-scale detection card from Countess Belinder and investigated a clue about three missing Rhodes Cards. At the dead merchant’s apartment, he caught three Black Hand Gang members searching and beat them, then prepared to question them.

• Countess Belinder modified Shade’s Empress Tarot Card with a dragon scale so it could vibrate near other scales.
• Shade told the Countess that he was likely the inhuman figure from her prophecy, and she admitted he had already affected her life.
• Shade learned that the dead merchant had discussed a 20-Crown deal with a man called Mr. Gilot, then traveled to the merchant’s apartment to investigate.
• Shade found three men searching the apartment and recognized them as Black Hand Gang members.
• Shade defeated the three men and threatened to break more than their wrists unless they answered his questions.

Shade investigated the merchant Harry Gilott after finding his card, only to learn Gilott had been killed after seeking revenge for his son’s death. At Moon Bay City Public Cemetery, Shade met Illustrious Miss, who told him he had completed three of the five tasks she had assigned him.

• Shade searched the house for Harry Gilott’s card, then learned Gilott had sold his tobacco shop and disappeared.
• Shade asked Lady Anne Bonnie to locate Gilott and received a package containing information about Gray-headed Eagle’s old Safe Houses and the Black Family.
• Lady Anne Bonnie told Shade that Gilott had been shot dead after confronting a casino over his son’s murder, and that Gilott had been buried the previous day.
• Shade went to Moon Bay City Public Cemetery to investigate and found Illustrious Miss waiting at the entrance.
• Illustrious Miss reminded Shade of her five tasks and explained that helping the wandering Cat soul had counted as his third completed task.

Shade found Holy Sword Slayer's Sword in the grave of Harry Gilott’s son and learned that Harry wanted him to avenge the young man’s death. The son’s ghost asked Shade to stop Harry from killing anyone, leaving Shade to reconcile their contradictory requests as the fourth task began.

• Shade and Illustrious Miss met Harry Gilott’s ghost in an underground tomb, where he offered Holy Sword Slayer's Sword in exchange for Shade finding his son’s killer and bringing the culprit to him.
• Shade dug up the iron box at the son’s grave and found the rare Rhodes Card inside.
• The son’s ghost appeared and told Shade he did not want Harry to commit murder in revenge.
• Shade pointed out that the father’s commission and the son’s plea conflicted, then asked Illustrious Miss whether resolving the matter was the fourth task.
• Illustrious Miss confirmed that Shade could complete the task in any way that satisfied her, and Shade began considering how to investigate the suspected killer.