Chapter Summaries

Richard recounted how his and Madeline’s choices during missions led to their separation, her death, and his transformation into a relic. Before his notebook was destroyed, he warned Shade that the Mermaid might be more ancient than the God of Love and revealed that his relic could harm her true body.

• Richard told Shade that Madeline had once spared a child who later took revenge, causing her faith in benevolence to waver and bringing her into contact with the Mermaid.
• Richard recalled choosing to kill a child during a later mission, but Madeline stopped him and challenged whether justice could still be trusted after it caused tragedy.
• Richard killed the child despite Madeline’s objections, and their argument postponed their wedding as their relationship deteriorated and Madeline joined the Mermaid.
• Richard later killed Madeline’s mother during another mission, and Madeline’s corpse washed ashore soon afterward; Richard then left the Cult, became a wandering monster hunter, and died after exhausting himself.
• Richard told Shade that the Mermaid might be an ancient source of desire and that the God of Love could once have been one of her many faces.
• Richard revealed that his obsession had given the notebook a special power to harm the Mermaid’s main body, while Shade prepared to let the relic’s power end.

Shade acquired the Heart Curse from Richard's Notes and discussed justice with Mr. Ptolemy Albert after recounting Madeline and Richard's story. His counsel gave him his second insight into guidance, and he returned to find Mrs. Jude arguing with Mr. Bernhardt about how they had helped her.

• Shade touched the crystallized Richard's Notes and mastered the Heart Curse.
• Shade told Mr. Ptolemy Albert the story of Madeline and Richard, and the two discussed what justice meant.
• Shade advised Mr. Albert to choose what would let him sleep peacefully, and gained insight into guidance for the second time.
• Shade and Mr. Albert returned to the barn, where Mrs. Jude confronted Mr. Bernhardt about the help she had received.
• Mr. Bernhardt reminded Mrs. Jude that she had agreed not to drink blood again soon and explained that Shade had drawn out the Relic Richard's Notes.

After helping Mr. Bernhardt and Mr. Albert stop Richard’s Notes from threatening Moon Bay, Shade returned to Belinder Manor exhausted and considered his next move. The chapter ended with Shade wondering whether he could use the Philosopher’s Stone to summon Adele Isabella, while Miss Galina noticed a familiar scent on him.

• Shade and Mr. Albert returned to the barn and confirmed to Mrs. Jude that the danger in Moon Bay had been resolved.
• Mrs. Jude apologized for her actions and agreed not to pursue her hobby at the Orphanage without the men’s knowledge.
• Shade returned to Belinder Manor, where Tifa cheered him up beneath the dining table while Matilda watched through the door crack.
• Shade considered how to bring Miss Isabella to the Present World and make her accept the God of Love’s Thorn before using the black Time Key.
• At home, Shade wondered whether the Philosopher’s Stone could help him summon Adele Isabella, then welcomed Miss Galina and Dorothy.

Shade visited Desire beneath Earl Dalmanin's Residence, where she revealed the location of a Silver Dragon scale and explained how he might call upon Gluttony for help against the Dragon Devouring Demon. She agreed to assist him, but left the price of her help unsettled until after the Moon Bay Incident.

• Shade told Miss Galina and Dorothy about the previous day's events, then returned to Moon Bay with the cat and visited Earl Dalmanin's Residence.
• Shade placed the pink crystal on the reef, and Desire exchanged it for a parchment recording the history and location of a Silver Dragon scale buried on an island near Moon Bay Port.
• Shade told Desire that he had discussed Richard and Madeline with Richard, and Desire accepted that their souls would remain together.
• Shade asked Desire for help preparing to face the Dragon Devouring Demon, and she explained that Gluttony could be drawn by powerful desire and that a body bearing the sin of Gluttony could serve as a God Descended Body.
• Desire promised to help Shade if he relied on himself, and asked him to bring a full bottle of perfume essence after the Moon Bay Incident before she revealed the price.

Shade joined the witches at Belinder Manor to plan around an upcoming Church inspection, arrange a safe place for Little Liana, and prepare for a dangerous ritual. After helping Mr. Bernhardt secure the promised support of Miss Rice, Shade gained access to roughly twenty-five Bloodkin who could be called upon until the Moon Bay matter was resolved.

• Shade told the witches that a Silver Dragon's scale was less than half a day's voyage away, and Miss Aurora and Miss Belinder agreed to retrieve it.
• Miss Belinder explained that the Church would inspect the Seven Great Families' ancestral homes on Sunday, and the group arranged for Little Liana to stay at Margaret Manor.
• Shade asked Miss Belinder to find a corpse that had been eaten to death for ritual material, and she said one could be obtained within a day or two.
• Shade told Mr. Bernhardt that he had succeeded in dreaming and asked him to arrange three symbolic Bloodkin objects and at least ten Bloodkin willing to pray with him.
• Shade and Mr. Bernhardt met Miss Rice at the Councilor Club, where she praised their work on Richard's Notes and offered roughly twenty-five Bloodkin for them to deploy until the Moon Bay matter was resolved.

Miss Rice told Shade and Mr. Bernhardt how a Bloodkin had died from wounds inflicted by Blood of Sorrow, and gave them her mother's divination painting. After parting with Mr. Bernhardt, Shade chased a two-tailed Cat onto a private cruise ship, where it began transforming into a woman.

• Miss Rice revealed that the Bloodkin wounded by Blood of Sorrow had been a killer who died after going out to feed in Moon Bay.
• Miss Rice described the attacker as a skilled swordsman shrouded in light and gave Shade and Mr. Bernhardt her mother's divination painting of the sword wielder.
• Shade kept the painting and said he would ask his diviners for help, while Mr. Bernhardt agreed to continue investigating the local Same Race and gathering allies.
• Shade and Mr. Bernhardt left The Club, and Mr. Bernhardt promised that the Believers' prayers would not prevent them from helping if needed.
• Shade spotted a two-tailed Cat in women's clothing, chased her from the city center to the docks, and followed her aboard a private cruise ship.
• The Cat led Shade into the Master Bedroom, where a Ritual Matrix sealed the door, then began transforming into a human form.

Megan and Audrey reunited with Shade in Moon Bay after their work at Paradise Island Pharmaceuticals was settled, and the group gathered for dinner at Belinder Manor. The crowded gathering ended with the Countess arranging seats for Matilda and Tifa and secretly asking Matilda to replace Shade's cat cushion.

• Megan and Audrey emerged from their cat transformations and reunited passionately with Shade in his cabin.
• Megan arrived at Belinder Manor with Shade and greeted Hailey Aurora, Luvia, the Countess, and the others.
• Liana stayed beside Emilia instead of approaching Megan, while Luvia anticipated the witches' reaction to the Unicorn's refusal.
• The witches and apprentices filled the dinner table, where Megan joked that they would someday need a longer table.
• Megan spoke with Emilia about their shared interest in spatial power, while Sylvia and Vanessa discussed Megan's closeness with Shade.
• The Countess asked Matilda to add seats for herself and Tifa and secretly replace Shade's cat cushion.

At a celebratory dinner in Moon Bay, Shade and the Witches discovered that light from the Moon and stars had become harmful across the Material World, prompting an urgent response. After the others left for the Council, Shade asked Emilia about the time-related abilities of the Ocarina of Time, while Angelina’s nose began to bleed.

• Illustrious Miss asked Miss Aurora about the Witches’ relationships, and Miss Aurora said Shade had brought them together like a family.
• Miss Aurora toasted the operation at Moon Bay, and the assembled guests celebrated over dinner.
• Shade, the Great Witches, Luvia, and Little Unicorn noticed that the night outside had grown unnaturally bright and sensed that its light could harm people physically and mentally.
• Miss Aurora ordered the curtains closed, and Miss Belinder sent messengers to warn their allies and estates to stay indoors.
• The Witches went to the Council while the apprentices handled the anomaly, and Shade asked Emilia about the Ocarina of Time’s powers.
• Emilia described the sword’s resistance to temporal interference and its ability to slow nearby targets, then noticed that Angelina had a nosebleed.

Shade and the others investigated the Star Sword Stone after deciphering new Draconic Runes, while the strange brightness over Moon Bay remained unresolved. Megan revealed that Speaker’s pocket watch contained Starlight Iron, and she planned to ask where Speaker had obtained it.

• Emilia explained the Ocarina of Time’s powers and dangers, and agreed to write a letter so Shade could borrow it.
• Angelina received comfort from Shade, then privately told Emilia about her romantic relationship with him.
• Luvia and Illustrious Miss told Shade that the unusual brightness could not yet be stopped at its source, and Illustrious Miss recalled the Ocarina of Time as a sturdy wooden sword made from a branch of the World Tree.
• Illustrious Miss resonated the four dragon scales, and Shade deciphered the relic name Star Sword Stone from the Draconic Runes.
• Luvia and Illustrious Miss described the Star Sword Stone and its Starlight Iron, but none of the women knew where the relic was in the Sixth Epoch.
• Megan said Speaker’s pocket watch contained Starlight Iron and planned to ask Speaker about its origin at the next Council meeting.

Shade considered how to prepare for the approaching Final Battle and traveled to Coldwater Port seeking help against the Dragon Devouring Demon. After exchanging information with Old John, he found an unexpected relic at the city’s black market.

• Shade told Luvia that Illustrious Miss was not a candidate and planned to confirm whether John Flynn was the New Continent Mutual Aid Society’s first choice.
• Shade worried about the Dragon Devouring Demon and decided to visit Coldwater Port in search of help from the Ocean Gods.
• Shade collected a fragmented holy emblem of the Ancient God Radiance Dragon from Old John's pawnshop and learned that the Hermit Order was investigating Eternal Light.
• Shade exchanged information with Old John, explaining the Moon Bay Bloodkin's efforts to prove their innocence in return for news about Eternal Light.
• Shade visited Edmund and Afu Luola Mansion, then checked his black-market commission and acquired a Document Level Dragon Blood Treasure Coin.

After winning a mysterious lottery in Coldwater Port, Shade brought home a suitcase containing a large Philosopher's Stone and two other strange items. Galina told him that the Council had sent the Speaker and the Great Witch of 'Moon' to seek the Star Sword Stone, while sunlight would bring a new danger to Moon Bay the next day.

• In the Pink Rose Inn, a masked merchant charged Shade three pounds to draw one of three marked paper balls and gave him a suitcase corresponding to his choice.
• Shade opened the other paper balls, found they bore a skull and a lightning bolt, and carried the suitcase back to Galina and Dorothy.
• Galina told Shade that the Speaker and the Great Witch of 'Moon' had gone to search for the Star Sword Stone, which was likely held by the Volcano Alliance.
• Galina said divination had revealed dangerous sunlight centered on Moon Bay from Sunday afternoon until nightfall, and that Miss Isabella had asked Bella to warn The Church.
• Shade opened the suitcase and found a large Philosopher's Stone, a cross-marked square stone, and a blood-red Copper Whistle; he wondered why the Philosopher's Stone had been given to him.

Shade examined the Philosopher's Stone, Gray Mountain Dwarf's Whetstone, and copper whistle he had received from Coldwater Port, discussing how they might aid the coming crisis in Moon Bay. He remained doubtful that the Church and witches could stop the evil god's descent, then prepared to attend the Study Group meeting.

• Dorothy and Miss Galina identified the whetstone as a Sage Level Relic that could greatly enhance cross-related weapons and grant them power against dragons, and Shade translated its maker's humorous inscription.
• Miss Galina explained that the copper whistle could send a sharp signal across a distance about as far as Tobesk, and Dorothy guessed Shade meant to use it to summon the Fishmen of Coldwater Port.
• Shade said the Ocean Gods' ancient conflict with the Devouring Dragon's god could make the cultists useful in Moon Bay, and Dorothy and Miss Galina discussed the risks of cooperating with them.
• Shade said divine descents had never been successfully prevented and believed the coming descent was especially likely because the Nameless Eldest Son sought power like the Radiance Dragon.
• Shade stored the three items, compared the two portions of Philosopher's Stone by hand, and learned from Miss Galina that Moon Bay had suffered an earthquake the night before.
• After Miss Galina left for Yodel Palace, Shade suggested that he and Dorothy leave for the Study Group meeting at one in the afternoon.

Shade visited Doctor Schneider and learned new details about the Doctor’s abilities and the Sword of Light. The Doctor offered Shade a way to summon him through mirrors if Moon Bay needed help, while revealing that the Sword of Light could have multiple holders at once.

• Dorothy asked Shade to bring thirty fresh cream scones home for Angelina, and he agreed before leaving for his meeting with Doctor Schneider.
• Doctor Schneider explained that he could use a Mirror to travel to Shade at an arranged time and demonstrated a transformation into a Crow.
• Doctor Schneider described new knowledge and abilities gained from Pharnalius, including a Transformation Spell and curses that could worsen someone’s luck.
• Doctor Schneider told Shade that the Sword of Light could be claimed through a series of Trials that made its holder permanent.
• Doctor Schneider explained that the Sword of Light was a conceptual existence, so multiple qualified people could wield it at the same time, though such a case was extremely rare.

Shade accompanied Emilia to receive the Ocarina of Time delivery outside Moon Bay while the others prepared to leave for the night. As they waited, Emilia reflected on the turbulent summer and asked whether she could become a Hero, and Shade asked her not to force herself into danger.

• Shade bought fresh cream scones for Dorothy and brought the remaining pastries to Belinder Manor for Angelina to distribute.
• Emilia told Shade that the Ocarina of Time had been secretly delivered and asked him to accompany her outside the city to receive it.
• After dinner, Shade saw Angelina and Little Unicorn off to Margaret Manor, then rode with Emilia toward the rural delivery point.
• Shade and Emilia waited beneath a banyan tree, where Emilia told him she had enjoyed her stay in Moon Bay and described her worries about the war and the Demon.
• Emilia asked whether she could become a Hero, and Shade urged her to prepare for that possibility without forcing herself to rush into danger.

Shade comforted Emilia beneath the crossroads tree, helping her realize the final Spirit Rune of her fifth ring, Light of Self. When the elf deliveryman arrived, Shade received the ancient Angel Level sword Ocarina of Time and began learning how its time powers worked.

• Shade encouraged Emilia to believe in her own light, and she gained the Spirit Rune Enlightenment—Light of Self.
• Emilia told Shade she had hoped to awaken a talent for time and join the History College, but had enrolled in the Chemistry College instead.
• An elf deliveryman brought Shade the Ocarina of Time and gave Emilia a letter from home.
• Shade learned from the sword’s ancient inscriptions that the elves inherited time’s power from the World Tree.
• Shade discovered that the Ocarina of Time could slow, accelerate, or pause time, though pausing time consumed immense power.

Shade tested the Ocarina of Time’s enhanced Time Stop on Emilia, then returned to the city and discussed the Mermaid Princess fairytale with Leisha. They considered what power the story might give Shade’s Mystic Lock, and the conversation ended with Leisha mentioning the approaching Red Butterfly Day.

• Shade cast Adele’s Time Stop on Emilia and discovered that she could sense the spell, though she had not recognized it before.
• Shade left the Ocarina of Time with Emilia, informed Luvia and the others that he had borrowed it, and returned home with Little Mia.
• Shade found Leisha at Galina’s home discussing political documents with Miss Galina, then went with Leisha to the study for their lesson.
• Shade said the Mermaid Princess’s story was about persistence and recalled Grandma Sianode and Shelly Knight enduring the trials in the Gravel Gold Sand Sea.
• Shade and Leisha speculated about the Mystic Lock power the fairytale might provide and discussed meeting modern Mermaids at Moon Bay.
• Leisha reminded Shade that Red Butterfly Day would fall on the sixth day of the Month of Flourishing Flowers.

As the Moon Bay operation neared its end, Shade learned that the next Red Butterfly Day celebration had been postponed. A letter from Miss Goode brought news that her town was recovering from the plague and that she planned to visit Tobesk soon, leaving Shade wondering whether she would take Little Mia back.

• Leisha told Shade that the next Wednesday's Celebration Day was canceled because she, Dorothy, Grace, and Helen might need the Chosen One of Space's power at Moon Bay.
• Shade read Miss Goode's letter, which said the plague in her town was improving and that she planned to resume restoring her family's lands.
• Miss Goode asked Shade to send her a photograph of Little Mia and said she would likely visit Tobesk at the end of the month or the beginning of the next.
• Shade worried that Miss Goode might take Little Mia, while Galina offered to help him keep the cat.
• Galina suggested an Age-enhancing Potion so Little Mia would look bigger in the photograph, and she discussed the limits of age-reducing potions with Leisha.

Shade visited the Radiance Messenger through Moon Bay’s unusually thick fog, where Megan and Luvia speculated that Illustrious Miss had been a test subject in an experiment to reach the Sixth Epoch. He then went to Margaret Manor, where Margaret was overworked with disaster-relief duties and Angelina was helping prepare a speech.

• Shade traveled to Moon Bay through a Great Fog that covered the city and harbor.
• Aboard the Radiance Messenger, Shade learned that Megan and Luvia suspected Illustrious Miss had cooperated as a test subject in an experiment to enter the Sixth Epoch.
• Megan and Luvia speculated that other Ancient Witches might also be sleeping until Destiny allowed them to awaken in the Sixth Epoch.
• Shade asked Megan to prepare Age-enhancing Potion and said he planned to visit Margaret, Emilia, and Angelina.
• Shade found Margaret burdened with post-disaster relief work, while Emilia tended a potted tree containing the Ocarina of Time and Angelina worked on a speech.

Shade accompanied Margaret to a Moon Bay orphanage, where he spotted Priest Augustus volunteering, then asked Margaret to investigate coroner Tolomay Alber’s past. At lunch, Sylvia revealed that the Star Sword Stone had been traced to Moon Bay and sold to the Guiding Light Hermitage.

• Margaret kissed Shade at the manor, then changed to visit Moon Bay’s official orphanage with Viscount Silver while Shade disguised himself as an attendant.
• At the orphanage, Shade saw Priest Augustus helping the children, but he left with Margaret without speaking to the Priest alone.
• Shade asked Margaret to discreetly investigate Tolomay Alber’s background, and she agreed to look into his time in Wilundell, Moon Bay, and the New Continent.
• Sylvia joined Shade and the others for lunch and reported that the Star Sword Stone was in Moon Bay.
• Sylvia said the Volcano Alliance had sold the relic to the Guiding Light Hermitage, and the Speaker was trying to contact the organization.

Shade sought to buy the Star Sword Stone from the Guiding Light Hermitage, a relic that might be connected to the Chosen One Ritual. After securing the required signatures from three Hermit Order members, he traveled to Moon Bay to negotiate with Mr. Chekhov.

• Shade comforted the discouraged Angelina, who felt useless beside the others, and she became cheerful after he told her she had met him at seventeen.
• Emilia told Angelina that Shade could stop time, and Angelina teased Emilia about whether he had used the ability on her.
• Shade returned to Tobesk and received a document envelope from Military Intelligence Section Six about his investigation into the cultists’ bank accounts, but he visited Old John before opening it.
• Shade asked Old John to sell him the Star Sword Stone; Old John explained that it was in Moon Bay and required signatures from three core members of the Hermit Order.
• Shade obtained signatures from Mr. Edmund and Grandma Natalie, then went to Mr. Chekhov’s bookstore in Moon Bay to pursue the deal.