Chapter Summaries

Shade and the Doctor investigated the giant tree’s seats and learned that the Doctor had recovered a World Tree branch after defeating the fire Demon. Shade reunited with Iluna and the others, then returned to the hotel, where Danist confronted him about meeting her Teacher, Mrs. Carter.

• Shade translated the glowing runes on one of the giant wooden seats and discussed whether the seats represented guardians of the World Tree’s forces.
• The Doctor showed Shade a branch from the World Tree that the fire Demon had left behind, with sparks that ordinary means could not extinguish.
• Shade and the Doctor parted in the forest, and Shade returned to Gregory Village, where Iluna, Sister Devlin, Flora, and the other girls were safe.
• Sister Devlin confirmed that the First Fire had been recovered, gave Shade a package left by a century-old Demon Hunter, and returned to the Sacrificial Ground.
• At the Accordion Hotel, Danist gave Shade a box Mrs. Carter had left for her and asked whether he had visited her Teacher again.
• Shade explained that he had met Mrs. Carter after being thrown out of the present point in time, and the box opened to reveal a note and a ring.

After returning from the battle with the Demon, Shade discussed the Ouroboros Ring, the World Tree Remnants, and the unknown enemies with Luvia over breakfast. He then went to the basement to open Sister Devlin’s package, but first indulged Mia by putting eight rings on the Cat’s tail.

• Shade and Iluna returned home after Flora stayed behind to comfort Miss Danist, and Luvia welcomed them before they went to sleep.
• The next morning, Shade told Luvia how the Ouroboros Ring had led him to the casino and how he had defeated the Demon beneath the giant tree.
• Luvia identified the tree as an evil entity formed from the World Tree Remnants and discussed its four seated helpers, the Time War, and the need to consult Emilia about the branch.
• After Luvia left, Shade went to the basement to inspect Sister Devlin’s package, while Mia begged for attention from his rings.
• Shade placed eight rings on Mia’s tail, which held them evenly spaced and without limiting its movement.

Shade examined the relics recovered from the Desolate Village, including a Demon Hunter’s inheritance book and a black stone bearing a warning about a demon and a Mithril Mine in Vesta Woodland. After learning the demon had been destroyed, Shade and Miss Danist set out to recover the fifth Tree Hollow, which they suspected Sir Wayne possessed.

• Shade used Remaining Advice on the black stone and learned that a hunter had found Fire Demon - Disaster near a Mithril Mine, warned that a tree had become human, and sacrificed himself to seal it.
• Shade learned from the Elf Girl that his Nature Affinity had improved enough for the forest to clear his path, and she identified the Sparking Twig as a fresh branch of the World Tree.
• Flora and Miss Danist agreed that Vanessa could search for the Mithril Mine, while The Church confirmed that the demon’s Black Flames had gone out and Miss Bell refused its offer of commendation.
• Shade and Miss Danist went to recover the fifth Tree Hollow, suspecting that Sir Wayne had obtained it.
• The Church investigated George Kant and Mrs. Shatara, who had been manipulated by the demons as Demon Possessed.

Shade and Miss Danist investigated Sir Wayne’s antiques and uncovered his role in moving wealth from the past, along with Director Kant’s ties to anti-royalist conspirators. After forcing the weak Paradox Worm from Sir Wayne, Shade used First Fire to destroy it, unleashing a massive explosion in the woods.

• Shade and Miss Danist examined Sir Wayne’s antiques and found no sign of the Tree Hollow.
• Miss Danist hypnotized Sir Wayne, who explained that he had used a trapdoor at Hoy Manor to move antiques from the night of the fire three hundred years earlier.
• Sir Wayne revealed that a supposed Ring Arcanist had directed him to leave antiques in a cursed village, and confirmed that Director Kant had dealt with the Delin Orr Restorationists and other opponents of the royal family.
• Shade concluded that Sir Wayne’s time crossings had placed a weak Paradox Worm in his soul, and he and the others took the knight into the woods.
• Shade used the Yggdrasil Staff to expel the worm, then cast Spell-Chaos Remnants and destroyed it in a fiery explosion.

Shade and Danist recovered the fourth Paradox Worm shell, and Danist’s potion brought her back to nine rings while making her confront how reluctant she was to lose her eighteen-year-old appearance. When they reached Hoy Manor to retrieve the trapdoor, they found the estate ablaze, and Shade discovered that someone had moved the cabinet covering it.

• Shade found the fourth Paradox Worm shell after the Elf Girl extinguished the lava lake, and she gave him the third potion.
• Danist drank the potion, advanced to nine rings, and realized she might not want to give up looking eighteen.
• Shade reassured Danist and told her he preferred the way she looked when she first appeared before him.
• Shade and Danist returned Sir Wayne to his residence, altered his memories, and headed toward Hoy Manor.
• They found Hoy Manor engulfed in demon fire, and Shade entered the burning building while Danist questioned the Church Ring Arcanists outside.
• Shade found the locked trapdoor beneath the kitchen, but the cabinet that had covered it had already been moved aside.

Shade traveled three hundred years into the past and found Director Kant trapped by the Demon's promise in the Hoy Manor treasure room. After learning why the Hoy Family had received their wealth, Shade restrained Kant and prepared to take him back to the present.

• Shade opened the Distorted Tree Hole and traveled to the night of the Hoy Manor fire in 1854.
• Shade found Director Kant weakened by the Time Curse in the treasure room and learned that the Demon had promised him a new life in the past.
• Director Kant explained that he had used the lantern's Kindling to ignite the manor before traveling through the trapdoor with a dead branch.
• Kant asked Shade to wait until the fire began so he could learn what the Demon had promised the Hoy Family, and Shade restrained him while investigating.
• Shade told Kant that the Demon had promised the Hoy Family they could travel three hundred years into the future and replace the family living in Hoy Manor.

Dorothy finished recording Shade’s tale about Greed as the household discussed plans for the Witches’ journey to Vesta Woodland. The chapter ended with Shade and Tifa sharing a private moment before the others finished washing up.

• Dorothy completed her story about Greed, and Luvia asked Shade about the trapdoor he had taken from Hoy Manor.
• Shade, Luvia, and Galina discussed lodging and travel plans for the weekend, including the Radiance Messenger and the Accordion Hotel.
• Shade explained which Witches would arrive and that Church, Academy, and Seer Association teams would help at Vesta Woodland.
• Luvia revealed that the Seer Association had discovered a terrifying possible future for Vesta Woodland while searching for the Fate Base.
• Shade, Galina, Luvia, and Dorothy decided to share the master bedroom, then went to wash up.
• Tifa entered the bedroom, kissed Shade, and climbed onto the bed with him while Little Mia complained from the windowsill.

Shade admired Flora’s fifth oil painting of the Silver Wolf and went into Vesta Woodland to find the Hoy Family’s hidden treasure. He uncovered chests of gold and account books showing the family had supported the Delinore Kingdom, but the source of their vast fortune remained unclear.

• Shade learned that Director Kant and his family had been arrested publicly on treason charges, though they faced other accusations as well.
• Flora showed Shade her fifth oil painting, depicting a fiery forest, a giant wolf beneath the moon, and a cloaked figure resembling Shade.
• Shade set out alone to search for the Hoy Family’s treasure, which they had hidden in a cave in the western forest.
• Shade used his abilities to bypass the cave’s traps, dispel its demonic fire and vengeful spirits, and open the stone door.
• Shade found chests filled with gold bars and account books, which revealed that the Hoy Family had supported the Delinore Kingdom during its conflict with Kassenric.
• Shade wondered how the Hoy Family had acquired so much gold.

Shade investigated the abandoned Slawen Mine after finding records that linked it to the Hoy Family’s silver ore trade. Guided by Vanessa’s ore-detecting Compass, he discovered an unmined vein and broke through into a vast underground cavern.

• Shade found entries for Slawen Mine in the ledger and used a map to locate the abandoned mine west of the city.
• Vanessa gave Shade an Alchemy Item that could detect Mithril ore, then invited him to lunch and showed him a script she had written with Dorothy.
• At Slawen Mine, Shade met Professor Yuke Wood, who described the miners’ strange accidents and the mine’s closure after reports of hallucinogenic gas.
• Shade entered the sealed mine with Laguerre’s Leap and followed the Compass through collapsed tunnels and past resentful spirits.
• Shade used Feliana’s Witch Light to dig toward the indicated ore and broke through into a vast underground cavern.

Shade discovered a hidden cavern beneath the Mithril mine filled with Paradox Worm eggs and encountered an active worm before escaping. He learned from Mr. Meloni that countless worms slept in the caves beneath Vesta Woodland, and Meloni began to explain the exception by showing him an illustrated booklet.

• Shade used the Youthful Immortality Leaf to reveal ancient roots and transparent sacs containing sleeping Paradox Worms beneath the mine.
• A Paradox Worm emerged through the White Fog, broke through Shade’s protective Thaumaturgy, and attacked him.
• Shade fought back with fire, escaped underground using the Calamity Cards Worm and Earth Movement Technique, then waited on the surface without the worm pursuing him.
• Shade rode a Luku Bird to Mi Ge Village and met Mr. Meloni at the Hermit Order’s settlement.
• Mr. Meloni explained that many Paradox Worms slept in caves beneath Vesta Woodland and that the Hermits planned to seek the Church’s aid if the forest could no longer contain them.
• Mr. Meloni returned with a booklet titled "Vesta Woodland Species Investigation," filled with pencil illustrations, to address Shade’s question about the active worm.

Shade learned from Mr. Meloni that Vesta Woodland’s ancient ruins formed part of a seal restraining a vast evil tree, though growing disturbances warned that the seal was weakening. After returning to town, Shade discussed the sleeping Paradox Worms, the watcher, and the tree’s roots with his companions, while Vanessa considered why Mithril ore lay near the worms.

• Mr. Meloni explained that the Hermits called the powerful, earth-controlling Paradox Worm the watcher and revealed that ancient churches across Vesta Woodland helped seal a vast evil tree beneath the forest.
• Mr. Meloni said the seal had become part of the forest, but the rise of Tree Hollows, strange creatures, and unusual regions showed that it was deteriorating; he also said the Hermits were prepared to resist the evil if it broke free.
• Mr. Meloni told Shade that the Church sought an Ancient Hero connected to Vesta Woodland for the Time War, and suggested Shade might stand alongside the ancient First People; he also noticed Shade seemed newly connected to the forest.
• Shade returned to the inn and told the women about the sleeping Paradox Worms, their underground tree roots, and the watcher; Flora wondered whether Emilia could resolve the danger as a Chosen One.
• Shade later told Luvia and Vanessa what had happened, and Vanessa focused on whether the Mithril ore near the worms’ resting place had a significant connection to them.

Shade and his companions discussed the ancient Paradox Worm “Watcher” and planned to confront it at Vesta Woodland, while Shade washed Little Mia and learned that Prince William Anjou had new leads on the royal illegitimate son. The chapter ended as the search’s next development reached Shade that same afternoon.

• Luvia proposed that the “Watcher” might be tied to one of the five chairs, and Vanessa argued that it could be the ancient Paradox Worm King despite being called an elite enemy.
• Vanessa said the group would leave for Vesta Woodland on Sunday to plan how to draw the worm out, while Siris would stay in Tobesk and arrive later.
• Shade spent the night with Vanessa, then washed Little Mia on Saturday after promising to do so before the First Snow.
• Flora told Shade that she had rented an entire floor of the Accordion Hotel and set up Counter-Reconnaissance Rituals in its rooms.
• Miss Bell reported that Princess Margaret had learned Prince William Anjou expected to confirm the royal illegitimate son's identity within a week, and Shade received intelligence that the man was about twenty-two and lived in Vesta City.
• Shade expected the illegitimate-son investigation to remain unrelated to him, but its follow-up reached him that afternoon.

Shade learned that William Anjou had publicly shot Constantine Kent, who was believed to be the king’s illegitimate son, in a conspiracy orchestrated by the Delin Orr Restorationists. The revelation connected Constantine’s adoptive parents to a couple Shade and Miss Danist had helped decades earlier, while Leisha later discussed the political fallout with Shade.

• Flora told Shade and Miss Danist that William Anjou had shot and killed Constantine Kent, a young legal adviser, during a visit to the Lumberjack Association.
• Flora explained that evidence found on Constantine identified him as the king’s illegitimate son, and she and Shade suspected the Delin Orr Restorationists had manipulated events to provoke the public shooting.
• Flora named Constantine’s adoptive parents as Marisa Kent and Farris Kent, and Shade recognized them as Marisa Trian and Farris Kent, the lovers he and Miss Danist had helped in 1821.
• News of William Anjou killing the king’s alleged son spread through Vesta City, and Shade anticipated that newspapers would publicize the scandal.
• Leisha visited Shade that evening and called the incident a bold political conspiracy, while Angelina listened briefly before going to play with Little Mia.

Angelina worried that she would fall behind Iluna and Emilia, so she began studying Thaumaturgy in earnest and bought a powerful Chaos technique. When she tried to speak to her maids, they could not see or hear her, leaving her facing a disturbing mystery.

• Leisha urged Angelina to prepare for the future, and Angelina and Shade discussed temperance during their Night Lesson.
• Angelina dreamed that Iluna and Emilia were pulling Shade away from her and that a barrier separated her from them.
• While the others were away, Angelina visited Black Raven Library and bought the Second Ring Thaumaturgy Disordered Energy.
• Angelina spent the morning studying and planning her training, then went into the corridor to ask Nina and Alalei for snacks.
• Nina and Alalei ignored Angelina, and she realized that something was wrong.

Leisha searched for Angelina and discovered that an unknown effect had made her invisible and erased people’s memories of her. Little Mia helped Leisha and Helen perceive Angelina again, though Angelina kept fading from sight; meanwhile, Shade’s group gathered at Yulun Lake beside the newly upgraded Radiance Messenger.

• Leisha searched Yodel Palace for Angelina, while her maids could not clearly remember whether Angelina had returned that morning.
• Leisha summoned Helen, who sensed traces of the Whisper Element in Angelina’s room, and then brought Shade’s cat, Little Mia, to help find her.
• Little Mia refused to sniff Angelina’s clothes, but it reacted to Angelina’s invisible presence and led Helen and Leisha to notice her.
• Leisha hugged Angelina after seeing her, but Angelina vanished from her sight again, so Helen said Little Mia would need to stay with her until they found a solution.
• At one-thirty, Shade’s group gathered at Yulun Lake, where the upgraded Radiance Messenger was disguised as an ordinary cruise ship.

Shade met Miss Illustrious aboard the upgraded Radiance Messenger, then investigated why Angelina was becoming invisible to everyone. He traced the problem to a hidden Whisper Element relic in a book, but its identity remained unknown.

• Miss Illustrious explained that the Radiance Messenger was her companion armament and that its upgrade could not yet advance her to the Thirteenth Ring.
• Leisha brought Angelina to Shade after the little Princess began disappearing from view, and Shade found that holding her hand let others see her.
• Shade learned Angelina had bought a book at the Black Raven Library, but his and Galina’s initial inspections found nothing unusual.
• Shade and Galina compared what they could perceive in the book and discovered a page bearing Angelina’s unspoken desires and fears, along with an unknown contract.
• Shade removed the page from the book, revealing dense Whisper Element and a relic of at least Sage Level, Level 2 danger.

Luvia identified Angelina’s condition as the effect of the Contract of Trembling, and Angelina chose to try overcoming her fear herself before accepting magical intervention. The group gathered in Vesta Woodland for a welcoming banquet, where Galina approached Flora beside Shade and thanked her for looking after him.

• Luvia identified the relic affecting Angelina as the Contract of Trembling and explained that she had seven days to fulfill its terms.
• Angelina asked to face her fear herself, and Galina gave her five days before they would seek Siris’s help.
• Leisha arranged for Angelina to stay aboard the Radiance Messenger in Vesta Woodland, while Galina planned to explain her absence from Tobesk as a cold.
• Shade escorted Leisha to the Tree Hollow, and Grace and Helen brought Grandma Cassandra, Miss Swift, and their group to Vesta Woodland.
• Flora hosted a welcoming banquet at the Accordion Hotel for the gathered Witches and their companions.
• Galina approached Flora beside Shade and thanked her for taking care of him.

At the banquet, Galina and Flora teased each other over their connection to Shade, while Shade discussed preparing Emilia for the growing danger in Vesta Woodland. Afterward, Shade and Luvia walked through Vesta City and agreed that Luvia would divine the meaning of the mysterious chair once he and Emilia returned from the forest.

• Galina reminded Flora that she had once denied wanting to steal Shade, and Flora admitted she had said it before sharing a drink with her.
• Shade praised Flora’s help in Vesta Woodland, and Flora asked Luvia to tell her more about Shade’s shy past.
• Shade told Luvia and Miss Danist that he would take Emilia into the forest the next morning to meet the Elf Girl and prepare her for the coming decisive battle.
• After the banquet, Shade asked Luvia to stay behind and walk with him through Vesta City while the others returned to the ship.
• Luvia told Shade that Iluna had arrived and was learning ways to fight the Paradox Worm, then agreed to divine what the mysterious chair represented after Shade and Emilia returned from the forest.

Shade and Luvia discussed protecting him from Time Exile, Emilia’s journey into the past, and plans to unite the elves and human kingdoms against the coming crisis. The next morning, Shade and Emilia prepared to meet Little Liana with Miss Danist.

• Luvia persuaded Shade to divine how he could gain absolute Time Resistance before investigating the monsters, and they discussed sending Emilia into the past and preparing Margaret and Leisha for greater power during the coming war.
• Shade slept aboard the Radiance Messenger, and the following morning he checked on Angelina while Emilia teased her about secretly kissing him.
• Aurora and Galina took the others into the forest to scout, while Cassandra and Miss Swift stayed aboard to prepare potions and Alchemy Weapons.
• Miss Danist arrived at Yulun Lake, met Shade and the others aboard the ship, and said Little Liana was waiting in the woods.
• Miss Danist called Shade and Emilia to go welcome Little Liana.

Shade brought Emilia and the others to the Forest Elf to transfer the qualifications represented by the umbilical cords to Emilia. The Forest Elf prepared a ritual beneath her tree and began setting it up, while Luvia’s separate qualification transfer was scheduled for Wednesday night.

• Shade invited Miss Danist to accompany him, Emilia, and Luvia to visit the Forest Elf, and Angelina joined them as well.
• Shade led the group through the confusing forest, where Emilia happily recognized the Luku Birds she had once fed.
• The Forest Elf greeted the group, and Angelina recognized her, while Emilia failed to recognize the elf despite trying to conceal her own identity.
• The Forest Elf explained that the umbilical cord qualifications could be transferred immediately, but Luvia’s qualifications would require a ritual on Wednesday night.
• Miss Danist agreed to give up the umbilical cords’ remaining power, and the Forest Elf led everyone to a pool beneath the tree to prepare the transfer ritual.