Chapter Summaries

Shade accompanied Mr. Bernhardt to seek help from Miss Angerei Rice, who revealed that she had evidence of Blood of Sorrow’s use and offered it in exchange for Shade’s help. The chapter left her condition unstated as she prepared to explain what she needed.

• Iluna told Shade and Miss Aurora that the Sunday night attacks were likely caused by pirate Ring Arcanists, while city authorities handled the gangs and pirates, and Moon Bay’s leaders planned for possible destruction.
• Shade visited Spider Alley, where Mr. Bernhardt reported that the Church was investigating some of their Same Race and that few had responded to their letters; Alber also reported an abnormal number of unexplained heart-attack deaths.
• Alber gave Shade his report suggesting someone could cause heart attacks, and Shade agreed to accompany Mr. Bernhardt to ask Miss Angerei Rice for help.
• Miss Rice said she wanted to identify Bloodkin cooperating with cultists, knew nothing about Blood of Sorrow’s location, but had a clue about the sword’s use.
• Miss Rice showed Shade and Mr. Bernhardt photographs of wounds inflicted by Blood of Sorrow and said the victim had died six years earlier after being found in Garbage Alley.
• Miss Rice offered to help investigate local Bloodkin aiding the cultists, but asked Shade to help her in return for information about the sword.

Shade and Mr. Bernhardt agreed to help Mrs. Jude investigate threatening letters while Miss Rice offered to gather Bloodkin if they resolved the case. Shade then asked Mr. Bernhardt for a way to contact his god, the Devouring Dragon, and learned that a dangerous method might exist, one that could implicate Mr. Bernhardt.

• Miss Rice showed Shade and Mr. Bernhardt two untraceable threatening letters and asked them to investigate whoever sent them.
• Mr. Bernhardt required Mrs. Jude to stop her hobby until the danger around Moon Bay had passed, and Miss Rice agreed to help investigate local Bloodkin.
• Shade asked Miss Rice to gather Bloodkin for future unrest, and she offered greater support if he resolved Mrs. Jude's problem.
• Shade and Mr. Bernhardt split up their efforts, with Shade planning to consult diviners and Mr. Bernhardt investigating Mrs. Jude and Miss Rice.
• Shade asked Mr. Bernhardt whether he had an item that could communicate with the Devouring Dragon, and Mr. Bernhardt said a dangerous method might allow Shade to face the god directly.

Shade arranged a ritual with Mr. Bernhardt to dream of the Red Moon, while divinations of the mysterious letters by Miss Belinder and Luvia both came up blank. As the group prepared to investigate Moon Bay, Miss Belinder warned Shade that her visions showed the city facing a worse fire than the one last week.

• Mr. Bernhardt explained how Shade could use a bracelet, a Ritual Matrix, and a sleeping potion to try to see the Red Moon in a dream, and arranged to meet him again Thursday.
• Miss Belinder and Miss Aurora tried to divine the letters, but Miss Belinder saw nothing and promised to try again the next day.
• Miss Belinder told Shade that her Dreams showed Moon Bay burning in a disaster worse than last week’s, and Shade helped her organize documents about the Seven Great Families and the remaining dragon scales.
• Luvia also failed to divine the letters and suspected their sender was protected by a powerful Destiny-related relic or ritual.
• Luvia decided to travel to Moon Bay the next morning with the Sure-Kill Handgun, and asked Dorothy to arrange an invitation to Yodel Palace as cover for her trip.

Luvia arranged for Shade to travel to Moon Bay and take precautions before she left Tobesk. That night, Shade’s ritual led him to meet Mr. Bernhardt in a dream, where the Bloodkin asked him not to interfere if one of his kind had the chance to become the Chosen One of Light.

• Luvia told Shade to go to Moon Bay as the target of the Sure-Kill Handgun and have the Witches temporarily stop the ritual at Belinder Manor.
• Shade went to sleep with a ritual and the three Key Stone Tablets beneath his bed, while the red crescent ornament lay under his pillow.
• Shade entered a Withered Forest beneath a Red Moon in his dream and found Mr. Bernhardt waiting at a Stone Table.
• Shade offered to discuss what Mr. Bernhardt wanted in exchange for his help, while warning that he could not have Grace and Helen.
• Mr. Bernhardt asked Shade not to stop a Bloodkin who might become the Chosen One of Light.

Shade considered Mr. Bernhardt’s terms for helping the Bloodkin become a Chosen One, then returned to Moon Bay to prepare for Luvia’s early arrival. Luvia arrived safely, and the Countess greeted her with baffling nervousness as they began preparing for the divination.

• Shade learned that Mr. Bernhardt would help if he did not obstruct the Bloodkin’s path to becoming a Chosen One, and Mr. Bernhardt hinted that the Red Moon could help create a God Descended Body.
• Shade took Little Mia to Moon Bay ahead of Luvia and told the Countess she would arrive a day early.
• The Countess discreetly asked the others about Luvia, who praised her while the Countess grew increasingly nervous.
• Luvia arrived through a gunshot at the stables, and Shade caught the bullet before welcoming her to Moon Bay.
• Luvia greeted the gathered women and offered to assist the Countess with the divination, while the Countess struggled to hide her unease around her.

Shade learned that the letters threatening Mrs. Jude came from a powerful fate-related relic, and he received three clues to investigate. Vanessa Benanis warned him that the door in the Gravel Gold Sand Sea led beyond an ancient sealed contamination and gave him a key to help open it.

• Luvia and Miss Belinder divined that a Sage Level fate relic sent the letters and revealed an omen that a blood-drinking monster would kill Mrs. Jude at night.
• Luvia and Miss Belinder shared clues of a blood-drinking monster's coming death, a barn beneath darkened skies, and the fate that the unrighteous would die.
• Shade connected the relic's apparent pursuit of justice to his task for Desire and planned to investigate after meeting Mr. Bernhardt.
• Vanessa warned Shade that the pattern on the door marked a region sealed by an ancient Earth Witch and said opening it required the Sun, light, the Moon, and the earth.
• Vanessa gave Shade a clay Cat figurine representing the earth, and Shade kissed her in thanks.

Shade and Luvia searched Moon Bay for a symbolic object connected to the Moon and found a Flawless Moonstone in the local black market. With symbolic objects for Earth, Moon, and Sun secured, Shade returned home planning to deal with Mrs. Jude’s threatening letter the next day, while Luvia stayed behind to discuss the Chosen One with the others.

• Luvia told Shade that the dragon scales and other symbolic objects were needed for the coming Chosen One, and she advised him to search Moon Bay for something representing the Moon.
• Shade and Luvia spent the afternoon strolling through the city and found a Flawless Moonstone in the local black market, trading a Universal Key for it.
• At dinner, Shade explained that Vanessa had given him an important clue and that he now had symbolic objects for Earth, Moon, and Sun, leaving only Light to find.
• Shade returned home after dinner, intending to spend the next day helping Mr. Bernhardt address Mrs. Jude’s threatening letter.
• Luvia gathered the other Witches to talk and privately asked Emilia to speak with her later about the Chosen One.

Emilia reconsidered whether she might accept the responsibility of becoming a Chosen One, while Shade learned that six Holy Swords had gathered in Moon Bay and continued investigating mysterious letters linked to Bloodkin deaths. The chapter ended with Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert heading north to question Marquis Morrison amid a citywide crackdown on gangs.

• Emilia told Luvia that she might consider becoming a Chosen One if she was needed to fight, and Luvia promised to protect her.
• Shade visited Belinder Manor, where Luvia and Illustrious Miss reported seven new Light Melting incidents and said the Church wanted his help driving away the strange light.
• Luvia revealed that Emilia’s clan possessed the Ocarina of Time, a sixth Holy Sword, but Shade said Emilia should not be drawn into the conflict yet.
• Shade met Mr. Bernhardt and Mr. Albert, who connected threatening letters sent to Mrs. Jude, Captain Rudolf, and Marquis Morrison with Bloodkin deaths from heart disease.
• Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert set out to question Marquis Morrison at a racetrack in the Northern Suburbs before visiting Captain Rudolf.

Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert visited Marquis Morrison at the Silvery Family’s horse farm to warn him about threatening letters connected to a Relic. Morrison dismissed their warning and challenged them to race him in horse form, leaving the group preparing to compete before discussing the danger.

• Mr. Bernhardt, Shade, and Mr. Albert rode to the Silvery Family’s horse farm, where they learned local nobles were gathering and Morrison was not in the stands.
• The three found Morrison cutting meat from a still-living injured horse, and he explained that he intended to use its blood and meat rather than risk using his powers to heal it.
• Shade warned Morrison that threatening letters sent to several people appeared connected to a Relic, but Morrison questioned their divination and asked for time to finish preparing his lunch.
• Morrison proposed a wager: if any one of the three beat him in a race, he would give them the horse and discuss the letters; if they lost, they would join him for lunch and stop bothering him.
• Morrison transformed into a horse and froze the injured horse, while Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert selected mounts and prepared to race him.

Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert raced against Marquis Morrison, who had transformed into a horse, until Morrison suffered a heart attack near the finish. The others saved him by replacing his dead heart with the heart of the horse he had eaten for lunch, leaving Morrison horrified as he learned what had happened.

• Margaret waved to Shade from the VIP section, and Shade acknowledged her before the four riders began the race.
• Marquis Morrison took the lead, while Shade and Mr. Bernhardt subtly used magic against him and Mr. Bernhardt’s horse fell after Morrison’s stallion frightened it.
• Shade controlled his horse and used Mind Blast against Morrison near the finish, allowing Mr. Albert to catch up as the three riders crossed nearly together.
• Morrison collapsed after the race, and Shade and Mr. Albert rushed to save him when they realized he had suffered a heart attack.
• Mr. Albert operated on Morrison in horse form and replaced his dead heart with a horse’s heart.
• Shade and Mr. Bernhardt told Morrison that the replacement heart came from the horse he had eaten for lunch, leaving him convinced they were playing a prank on him.

Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert explained how they had saved Marquis Morrison from a curse-induced heart attack and asked about a threatening letter and his strange dreams. Morrison agreed to restrain his hunting hobby and support them if they resolved the danger, then prepared to bind their agreement with Shade’s oath spell.

• Shade and Mr. Albert reassured Marquis Morrison that they had not replaced his heart, and Morrison confirmed it by cutting open his chest and healing himself.
• Mr. Bernhardt explained that they had staged the heart replacement joke to make Morrison understand the value of life, and Morrison agreed to discuss the matter elsewhere.
• Morrison showed the group a letter accusing him of taking lives and described dreams involving curses, flying papers, a Red Moon, a reddish brown horse, and clashing swords.
• Shade told Morrison the threat might involve a fate-type relic and said they would also investigate Captain Rudolf, who had received a similar letter.
• Morrison offered support in exchange for their help, agreed to limit his hunting hobby for a year or two, and Shade offered to seal the agreement with Oath Binding.

After saving Marquis Morrison, Shade received the Noble Crimson relic and learned that the Marquis faced another life-threatening crisis. Shade and his companions hurried to find Captain Rudolf, only to discover he was inside a closed club competing in a Rhodes Cards tournament.

• Marquis Morrison gave Mr. Bernhardt money and a signed business card, Mr. Albert a Police Department medal, and Shade the Poet Level relic Noble Crimson.
• Shade tested Noble Crimson and turned it into a small bat that could share its vision over a limited distance.
• Shade proposed saving more heart-disease patients to provoke the unseen relic into revealing itself, despite Mr. Bernhardt's concerns.
• Shade, Mr. Albert, and Mr. Bernhardt reached the docks and learned Captain Rudolf had gone to the Parsifal Club.
• Mrs. Frey told Shade that Captain Rudolf was competing for an expensive Rhodes Card and barred them from entering during the match.
• Mr. Albert asked Mrs. Frey whether they could join the competition.

Shade entered the Parsifal Club’s Rhodes Card tournament to win the Ancient Alchemy Transformation Stone and question Captain Rudolf about a threatening letter. After defeating Mrs. Frey, Shade advanced to the final against Captain Rudolf, while the card and its origins remained unresolved.

• Mrs. Frey offered the Ancient Alchemy Transformation Stone as the tournament prize, and Shade paid the entry fee to compete.
• Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert found Captain Rudolf at the club, but he postponed discussing the threatening letter until after the tournament.
• Shade won his first two rounds, defeating Mr. Stanford and Baron Lehman, while Captain Rudolf also advanced.
• Shade defeated Mrs. Frey in the third round, and Mr. Bernhardt noted that she seemed connected to powerful interests in Moon Bay.
• Captain Rudolf won his third-round match, and he and Shade sat down to play the tournament final.

Shade and Captain Rudolf played an unusual ten-group Rhodes Cards match, with Mrs. Frey's Ancient Alchemy Transformation Stone added to Shade’s deck. The match ended tied, and Captain Rudolf’s Life Ritual duel card triggered a dice roll to decide the winner.

• Captain Rudolf recognized Shade and proposed a special-card-heavy match, while Shade suggested comparing ten groups of five cards.
• Mrs. Frey lent Shade the Ancient Alchemy Transformation Stone, and both players arranged and revealed their cards.
• Captain Rudolf’s special cards appeared, but their rules failed to give him an advantage in the match.
• The ten groups ended in a 2:2 tie, so Shade and Captain Rudolf revealed their leftover cards.
• Both players finished with fourteen points, triggering Captain Rudolf’s Life Ritual duel card and a deciding dice roll.

Shade won the Ancient Alchemy Transformation Stone from Captain Rudolf in the Rhodes Cards match and learned that a third, more valuable card was still missing. Later, Shade and his companions questioned Rudolf about the fate-type relic threatening him, and Rudolf recalled a strange diviner’s warning that an agent of justice would come to judge him.

• Shade beat Captain Rudolf in the final dice duel, winning the Ancient Alchemy Transformation Stone and donating his seventy-five Crowns of winnings.
• Mrs. Frey explained that two corrupt police officers had hidden cards from a murdered merchant, and that one of the three was worth more than the other two combined.
• Shade confirmed that he possessed the Holy Sword-Slaying Sword but gave Mrs. Frey no further details.
• Shade, Mr. Albert, and Mr. Bernhardt met Captain Rudolf in a private room and learned more about the Dragon Transformation Stone and its divided relics.
• Mr. Bernhardt told Rudolf that Marquis Morrison was afflicted by a dangerous fate-type relic, and Rudolf gave them Viscount Bernhardt’s warning letter.
• Rudolf recalled that a lone Ring Arcanist divined that his lifestyle would endanger his life and that an agent of justice would come to judge him.

Mr. Bernhardt, Mr. Albert, and Shade visited Red Heart Orphanage to verify Mrs. Jude’s treatment of the children. Their inspection found no signs of abuse or Bloodkin, and they waited to speak with Mrs. Jude, who was receiving another guest.

• Captain Rudolf promised to join the fight over Moon Bay and offered the three men a bottle of undiluted Holy Water No. 2 after they helped resolve his trouble.
• Mr. Bernhardt led Shade and Mr. Albert to Red Heart Orphanage, where Mrs. Jude was visiting the children.
• Mr. Bernhardt posed as a merchant and donated money while Mrs. Lesha showed the visitors around the Orphanage.
• The men inspected the children and found no Bloodkin, signs of blood loss, or traces of ritual magic in the building.
• Mrs. Lesha told them that Mrs. Jude was receiving another guest, so the three men continued their tour while waiting to meet her.

Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert investigated Mrs. Jude at Red Heart Orphanage, but she angrily drove them away. After Shade consulted Luvia and Miss Belinder, they identified the relic as Richard's Notes and learned how it killed people.

• Shade offered an additional donation to Red Heart Orphanage after touring it with Mr. Bernhardt and Mr. Albert.
• Mrs. Jude confronted the three men, denied them information about her schedule, and ordered them out of the orphanage.
• Shade, Mr. Bernhardt, and Mr. Albert suspected Mrs. Jude was panicked and planned to meet at Saint George Stone Bridge before nightfall.
• Shade returned to the Belinder mansion and told Luvia and Miss Belinder about the investigation and the threatening letter.
• Luvia and Miss Belinder identified the relic as Richard's Notes, a Sage Level relic that killed people deemed unjust when their names were written in it.
• Luvia warned Shade that even a drop of blood on the unheld notebook could count as writing.

Shade went to confront Mrs. Jude at the Red Heart Orphanage after learning how to draw Richard out, while Luvia and Bella discussed his motives and the dragon scales. The chapter ended with Mrs. Jude vanishing into the kerosene lamp’s firelight as Shade approached her.

• The diviners warned Shade that Richard could be drawn out by targeting the sinners he had chosen, but cautioned him not to let Richard touch him.
• Shade chose Angel's Right Arm instead of the Night Watchman, left his cat with Luvia, and hurried to deal with the matter in Moon Bay.
• Luvia and Bella discussed Shade and planned to help him, then intended to study the three dragon scales after dinner.
• Mrs. Jude held her private Night Banquet in a barn near the Red Heart Orphanage, singing beside a sleeping blonde girl.
• Shade entered the barn carrying a longsword, and Mrs. Jude transformed and disappeared into the kerosene lamp’s firelight.

Shade defeated Mrs. Jude and prepared to judge her, but the arrival of the notebook-bearing stranger interrupted him. The stranger revealed that Shade was his real target and declared that he would kill him for wielding the power of sin.

• Shade used the Heaton Seal, his sword, and the Great Sin Chains to defeat Mrs. Jude and drag her beneath a tree.
• Shade asked Mrs. Jude if she repented and declared that her sinful soul should be purified by flame.
• A stranger cut Mrs. Jude free, and Shade faced him while Mr. Bernhardt and Mr. Albert emerged nearby.
• Shade and the stranger argued over justice, punishment, and Mrs. Jude's crimes and good deeds.
• The stranger recognized Shade's ability to materialize sin and announced that killing him was his most important goal in the city.

Shade and Mr. Albert pursued and defeated Richard’s Notes after it escaped the barnyard, then Shade spoke with Richard’s fading phantom. Richard began recounting his past with Madeline during the Fourth Epoch, leaving his story unfinished.

• Shade and the Angel’s Right Arm helped destroy the man possessed by Richard’s Notes, while Madeline’s Love crystallized the notebook.
• The crystallized notebook fled the barnyard, and Shade and Mr. Albert chased it to a riverbank, where Shade pinned it down with the Great Sin Chains and his sword.
• Richard’s fading phantom emerged from the notebook and asked to speak with Shade about Madeline and the Mermaid.
• Shade agreed to hear Richard’s story, and Richard said he and Madeline had met as believers of the God of Love Church during the Chaotic Era of the Fourth Epoch.