Chapter Summaries

After waking from the battle, Shade checked on the injured Sister Devlin and visited Leisha and Dorothy aboard the ship. Leisha mourned missing Red Butterfly Day but was soon preparing to return to Tobesk, while Shade went to see Luvia before breakfast.

• The Guardians sent Shade a letter warning him that the seal in Vesta Woodland still needed attention after the Time War.
• Shade learned that Grace and Helen had taken Sister Devlin into Within Death to suppress the First Fire burning inside her.
• Leisha cried to Shade about missing Red Butterfly Day and asked him to spend the night with her at the Moon Sanctuary, but Galina reminded her she needed to return to Tobesk.
• Leisha asked Shade to go home as soon as possible, then resumed discussing matters with Angelina after he left.
• Shade visited Dorothy, who was recovering well and planned to have breakfast with him, while Margaret cared for her.
• Galina left Shade to visit Luvia and arranged for breakfast to be served in half an hour.

Shade recovered from his injuries and discussed the aftermath of the Crystal Throne Battle with Luvia, including the possibility of helping a Witch become a demigod. He revealed his advancement to the Ninth Ring and his summoning Words of Sublimation, then Luvia asked about the mysterious demigod Witch and Shade’s relationship with her.

• Luvia told Shade about the losses and departures after the battle, including Emilia’s condition, Miss Danist’s Time Curse, and Iluna’s return to In The City.
• Shade recounted his recent experiences, including the Moon’s Hunting Ritual that helped Blaney become a demigod.
• Luvia proposed testing whether another Witch could become a demigod and identified Miss Danist as the most suitable candidate for the coming full Red Moon.
• Shade said he would tell the Witches who had been intimate with him the truth about how his powers could help them, while keeping the secret from others for now.
• Shade told Luvia he had advanced to the Ninth Ring and described his low- and mid-ring Words of Sublimation as means of summoning demigod Witches.
• Luvia asked Shade about the mysterious demigod Witch and whether their relationship meant another member might join their home.

Shade explained the strict conditions and luck cost for summoning Long-Haired Luvia, then met her in the Dream and promised to stay with her until the end of time. Long-Haired Luvia urged him not to summon her again unless necessary and assured him she could defeat any target he summoned her to face.

• Shade told Luvia that summoning Long-Haired Luvia required facing an enemy she had personally defeated, standing at a particular ancient site beneath the visible moon, and sacrificing some of his Luck after the first use.
• Luvia warned Shade against using the summoning Words again and offered to prepare luck-changing rituals and protective charms with Bella.
• Shade reviewed his gains from the battle, including new abilities from Mizzle - Crystal Light, the World Tree's divinity, and Mystic Lock.
• Shade fell asleep beside Luvia and entered the Dream, where Long-Haired Luvia embraced him at 6 Saint Derain Square.
• Shade promised Long-Haired Luvia he would stay with her until the end of time, and she urged him not to summon her unless there was no alternative.
• Long-Haired Luvia explained that she had not been at her peak when summoned and said she would grant Shade's wish if he summoned her to defeat a target.

Shade discussed Luvia’s limits against gods and offered to use the World Tree’s power to heal her Time Curse, but she refused for now and agreed to reconsider after their stories ended. He then entered Within Death to help Sister Devlin, whose First Fire was burning her into madness.

• Luvia explained that she could sometimes defeat a god by paying a price, then took Shade’s key to adjust the Yggdrasil Staff and consider sharing its power with Emilia.
• Shade offered Luvia the World Tree’s divinity to break her Time Curse, but she refused and agreed to accept his help after the Murmuring Chapters’ stories were complete.
• Luvia woke and sent Shade to treat Sister Devlin, while she stayed aboard the Radiance Messenger to check on Galina and look after Little Mia.
• Shade entered the Quiet Waters and found Grace and Helen waiting at the Shallows Before Death; they warned that Sister Devlin was being burned by her flames.
• Shade found Sister Devlin Within Death holding the First Fire, and she shared part of its flames with him.

Shade absorbed the First Fire’s flames and healed Sister Devlin, while their closeness drew Helen and Grace’s amused attention. At breakfast, Shade and the Great Witches planned a lasting Council presence near the Vesta Woodland seal, then agreed to celebrate before their group began to disperse.

• Shade absorbed the First Fire’s flames, restoring Sister Devlin and strengthening his own control over fire as she collapsed into his arms.
• Helen and Grace watched Shade embrace Sister Devlin and speculated about their relationship.
• Shade explained Long-Haired Luvia’s summoning to the Witches at breakfast, and they debated whether she came from the past or future.
• Shade proposed expanding the Vesta Woodland base around the Moon Sanctuary and Accordion Hotel, and Megan offered to send personnel from Paradise Island Pharmaceuticals.
• The group agreed to hold a banquet aboard the Radiance Messenger and invite Iluna as they prepared to leave Vesta City.

After Vesta City suffered heavy damage in the war, Shade and the witches discussed the Bennett sisters’ fate, Emilia’s powers, and the path to demigodhood. Shade then spoke with Illustrious Miss about her travels through time, and she guessed he wanted to see Miss Blaine Olanode.

• Shade explained that he planned to seek the Bennett Family’s property in exchange for the sisters’ confinement, donate part of the estate to disaster victims, and have the Church sell the remaining real estate.
• Megan and Luvia discussed Emilia’s incomplete powers and complete identity, while Shade said Emilia might be unable to help remove Miss Danist’s Time Curse until Sister Devlin recovered.
• Vanessa asked about demigodhood, and Shade said Miss Blaine Olanode had advanced through a method basically like Vanessa’s Moon God’s Blessing.
• Shade wondered whether the gathering of Great Witches marked a new Witch Council, and the Witch Council voice agreed it could.
• Shade asked Illustrious Miss about her familiarity with the Dragon Maids from the middle of the Fifth Epoch, and she guessed that he wanted to see Miss Blaine Olanode.

Shade learned that the seed-grown door would soon let him reach the past, then joined Iluna to seal the Doomsday Rift in White Ape Canyon. The rift was contained, though Doomsday's power still seeped through its crystals, and Shade stayed with an exhausted Iluna as she fell asleep.

• The Ship Girl kissed Shade and said her mission was to care for him on behalf of Teacher Feilianna and Miss Violet.
• Miss Bell told Shade that the Church wanted him to seal the Distorted Tree Holes it had gathered, while the Church agreed to his demands regarding the Bennett Family.
• Shade met Iluna at the Black Mausoleum, where they found the rift stable but no longer bound by the vanished roots.
• Shade used Crystal Light to seal the rift, but he warned that Doomsday's power still seeped through the colored crystals and that the building needed repair and guards.
• Iluna asked Shade to keep her company, and she fell asleep with her head on his legs.

Shade retrieved a new Youthful Immortality Leaf and learned how the Curse-Eroded Great Tree might help save Lady Helena Carter. Later, Emilia revealed that Professor Yuke Wood had left her knowledge about restoring the Yggdrasil Staff, but she had not yet explained the method.

• Shade returned to Emilia's Tree House, sealed the book leading to 1802, and claimed a new Youthful Immortality Leaf from God's Gift Box.
• Dorothy and Luvia ordered Shade to rest in his room until four, so he studied Tree Father's knowledge about catalyzing seeds from the Curse-Eroded Great Tree and guiding a lost soul into one.
• Shade stayed in his room until four, when Miss Danist, Emilia, and Iluna returned to the Radiance Messenger.
• Emilia, Iluna, and Angelina secretly went beneath the ship, where Emilia used the Elven Royal Authority to access Professor Yuke Wood's knowledge about restoring Shade's Yggdrasil Staff.
• Emilia explained that the staff contained materials from both the local World Tree Remnants and the World Tree of the Old Days.

Emilia proposed using her Destiny Ring to nourish the dead World Tree, and Angelina agreed to find a way to obtain the Yggdrasil Staff from Shade. After the girls played in the snow, Miss Danist told Shade that the elves wanted him to become their Elf King.

• Emilia explained that she could use her Destiny Ring to nourish the dead World Tree and revive it when needed.
• Iluna assigned Angelina the task of getting the Yggdrasil Staff from Shade before the Year-End Festival.
• Iluna and Angelina started a snowball fight with Emilia, and the three girls played until Dorothy's maid called them back for the banquet.
• Miss Danist told Shade that Emilia would leave for the Academy the following night and might return to Vesta Woodland around the Year-End Festival.
• Miss Danist informed Shade that the elves wanted him to become the Elf King.

Shade discussed the elves’ plans to make him their king, Emilia’s upcoming coronation and exams, and Miss Danist’s possible cure for her Time Curse. Before the post-battle banquet, Miss Danist asked Shade to accompany her for a private walk afterward, while Emilia appeared to be working up the nerve to tell Shade something.

• Shade rejected the idea of becoming Elf King, and Miss Danist warned that Grandma Qishala might propose he rule alongside Emilia.
• Shade and Miss Danist discussed Emilia’s coronation and the possibility that she would need to study hard for Winter Exam Week.
• Miss Danist said Emilia and Sister Devlin could use the World Tree Sapling to remove her Time Curse, and Shade chose her current appearance when she asked which look he preferred.
• Shade told Miss Danist that Tree Father had given him a way to make the Curse-Eroded Great Tree bear seeds, and she agreed to prepare for the process.
• Miss Danist postponed their trip to Kalas Mountain, promised Shade private lessons for his new High-Ring status, and invited him to walk with her after the banquet.
• Shade attended the grand post-battle banquet with Miss Danist, where Emilia saw him and blushed as she remembered the wish she had not yet confessed.

At the witches’ banquet, Grandma Cassandra proposed stepping down as a Great Witch and passing her position to Miss Swift, but everyone opposed her plan. Shade and Luvia also spoke with Emilia about her new status as a Chosen One, leaving her aligned with Shade’s side.

• Iluna, Angelina, and Emilia discussed Emilia’s long growth period and the possibility that the World Tree had halted her aging.
• Shade gave an impromptu speech at the banquet before Grandma Cassandra gathered the Great Witches and Witch Apprentices to discuss Council business.
• Grandma Cassandra proposed retiring and having Miss Swift inherit her position, citing her age and the demands of the war.
• Sivie, Megan, Shade, and Miss Swift opposed the succession plan, leaving Grandma Cassandra without enough support to bring it to the Council.
• Luvia explained Chosen One traditions to Emilia, who declared that she stood on Shade’s side and would follow his lead.

Luvia told Emilia about the coming Final Door and agreed to her request, while Shade and Emilia planned a private walk before the ball. Meanwhile, Flora asked Dorothy to help her secretly paint Shade, and Dorothy agreed to arrange an opportunity during the Witches’ night.

• Luvia reminded Emilia that five chapters remained in the Great Prophecy and said Emilia’s incomplete power would eventually become hers; she also agreed to Emilia’s earlier request.
• Shade offered Emilia wine, and she asked him to dance the First Dance and walk with her on the deck before the ball.
• Flora told Shade she planned to paint the Crystal Throne as her sixth oil painting, and Shade reminded her not to stay up late.
• After Shade left to find Emilia, Flora told Dorothy that she wanted to paint Shade and asked her for help.
• Dorothy agreed to help Flora arrange an opportunity during the Witches’ night and suggested borrowing the Hide and Seek Wardrobe.

Shade and Emilia shared a moonlit dance on the Radiance Messenger after Emilia returned from the Crystal Throne, and Emilia confessed her feelings by asking him to kiss her. Their passionate kiss left Emilia eager to continue their relationship, though she was unsure what should come next.

• Shade found Emilia on deck and placed his fur cloak around her shoulders as they watched the snowy forest beneath the stars.
• Emilia told Shade that Miss Danist would take her back to the Academy the next day and asked him to summon her when the next Chosen Ones appeared.
• Shade invited Emilia to dance beneath the moonlight, and Emilia used the forest’s sounds to make music for them.
• While dancing, Emilia reminded Shade of his promise and asked him to kiss her; she transformed into a Great Elf and kissed him passionately.
• The Blue Eyes Ship Girl told Siris about the kiss, and Siris said she was waiting for a chance to make a beautiful memory with Shade.
• After the kiss, Emilia guided Shade’s hand to her chest so he could feel her racing heartbeat, then wondered what should happen next.

After sharing an intimate moment with Emilia, Shade returned to the victory banquet, where the young ladies danced and celebrated until midnight. While they gathered in his room and guessed where he had gone, Shade met Miss Danist beneath the Red Moon.

• Emilia kissed Shade and asked him not to let go of her hand, and they continued kissing before returning to the banquet separately.
• Shade danced with Megan and Audrey while the guests found other ways to enjoy the ball, and the banquet ended at midnight.
• Galina, Vanessa, Dorothy, Megan, the Red Butterfly Sisters, and Luvia gathered in Shade's room and used Luvia's tarot card to identify Miss Danist as Shade's companion.
• Luvia proposed a pajama party to discuss Miss Olanord's ascension to demigodhood.
• Shade searched for Miss Danist near the ship, followed her footprints, and found her waiting on a tree branch beneath the moon.

Shade refused to end his apprenticeship, so Miss Danist challenged him to a duel to test what he had learned. Their fight escalated after she used a powerful Moon Miracle Technique, and she refused to stop despite needing rest.

• Miss Danist told Shade she believed he had surpassed her as a fighter and asked whether he would complete his apprenticeship, but he said he still wanted to learn from her.
• Miss Danist challenged Shade to prove his progress in a duel without Words of Sublimation or relics, and they clashed with Moonbeam Greatswords beneath the Red Moon.
• Shade used Adele's Time Stop, but Miss Danist anticipated the trick, disarmed him, and exploded her greatsword between his hands.
• Miss Danist used illusions to conceal herself, then cast the Thirteenth Ring Miracle Technique Moon Goddess's Forgiveness, blasting Shade into a glowing pit.
• Shade emerged unharmed and suggested they call the test a draw, but Miss Danist insisted it was not over and uprooted a tree to continue fighting.

Shade and Miss Danist fought through the snowy woods before her grief over missing Teacher Helena Carter came to the surface. She asked Shade whether he would still want her when Helena returned and after her appearance changed, and Shade reassured her while explaining why he had never called her Teacher.

• Miss Danist used the Red Moon to strengthen her body and fought Shade, who eventually chased her through the woods as a swarm of red butterflies.
• Shade bound Miss Danist with Great Sin Chains and asked whether their duel was over, but she hugged him and began to cry.
• Miss Danist said she missed Teacher, and Shade told her that Lady Helena Carter would return once they found her.
• Miss Danist asked about Shade's feelings for Teacher and whether he would still want her; Shade reassured her that both versions of her were still herself.
• Miss Danist asked why Shade had never called her Teacher, and Shade said his form of address did not define how he regarded her.

Shade and Daniste reconciled beneath the moon and spent her final night as an eighteen-year-old together at the Moon Sanctuary. As the Red Moon’s light fell, Daniste’s Time Curse shackles broke and she grew up.

• Daniste kissed Shade, admitted she feared he would forget her, and accepted him as her student after he promised he could visit Saint Byron’s.
• Daniste brought Shade to the Moon Sanctuary hot spring and confronted him about his closeness with Blaney, then asked him to give her eighteenth year a romantic ending.
• Shade and Daniste agreed to treat the night as a dream and playfully entered the hot spring together.
• Daniste enjoyed her last night at eighteen with Shade as the Red Moon’s light fell and her Time Curse shackles snapped apart.

After the Time Curse lifted, Danist Gustav and Shade agreed to continue their relationship in secret while she sorted out how to face it. They discussed her changing between her eighteen-year-old and mature forms, Shade’s other partners, and the likelihood that their companions already knew about them.

• Danist admitted she did not regret the night with Shade and proposed meeting secretly once a month while she worked through their relationship.
• Danist discovered she could shift between her eighteen-year-old and present-day forms, and Shade promised to accept either one.
• Danist asked Shade to tell her about his other partners, and he named the Hamilton Family, several Witches, Miss Blaine Olanord, and the Red Butterfly Twins.
• Danist learned that Grace White and Helen Black were Angel Level Relics and questioned how Shade had become involved with them.
• Danist asked Shade to keep their relationship secret, but he suspected their companions had already noticed their absence from the ship.

Shade and Daniste returned to the ship after lifting her Time Curse, while Sister Devlin departed to investigate the Flames of the First Fire. Emilia then described a dream of Thomas Bennett fighting the Twin Princes, leaving Shade to suspect that the Time Candidates were still being drawn together.

• Daniste told Shade to arrange secret visits and planned to speak with Luvia about their relationship before returning to the ship separately from him.
• Shade admitted to Galina and Megan that he and Daniste had gone to the Moon Sanctuary and that her Time Curse had been lifted.
• At breakfast, Shade told Emilia that Daniste no longer needed help removing the curse, and Daniste promised to explain what happened later.
• Sister Devlin asked Shade to visit the Sacrificial Ground before the Year-End Festival so he could help her seek the Flames of the First Fire.
• Emilia told Shade and Luvia that she had dreamed of Thomas Bennett fighting the Twin Princes, and Shade recalled Bennett's presence during the princes' Time Loop and wondered whether the Candidates were drawn together.

After the Woodland War, Shade and his companions prepared to part ways as Margaret, Siris, Angelina, and Emilia left Vesta Woodland for their respective homes and duties. Shade agreed to visit Margaret before the Year-End Festival and planned to return to the Far North with Daniste, while Emilia received farewell comfort and lessons before leaving for the Academy.

• Luvia explained that Emilia's dream about the Time Loop came from memories she had absorbed from the Twin Princes' umbilical cord, and Shade told her about the Keeper of Secrets Hall and the Space Labyrinth.
• Margaret told Shade her father would handle Albert Bennett and publicly blame Military Intelligence Section Six for Ashley Bethany's death, then asked Shade to see Ashley's soul off and visit her before the Year-End Festival; Shade promised he would.
• Siris and Angelina departed, and the Luku Birds returned to the woods, where the Witch Council planned to establish a permanent base near the Moon Sanctuary.
• Emilia packed her belongings in the Tree House, cried about leaving her woodland home, and took comfort when Shade reminded her she could visit again; she then returned to the great ship for lessons from Luvia and Bella.
• Shade and Daniste walked through the snowy woods and agreed to return to the Far North that night so Shade could locate the Space Labyrinth entrance, and Daniste asked why he hoped it was near the Academy Library.