Chapter Summaries

Shade visited Daniste to ask about his course paper and learn how advancing to the High Ring would affect his abilities. After explaining that he wanted a third Core Ling Rune for his High-Ring Words of Sublimation, he left Daniste asking what kind of power he hoped to gain.

• Shade visited Daniste, who complained that Flora had used the Hide and Seek Wardrobe to secretly draw an intrusive picture and promised to confront her at the Year-End Festival.
• Shade asked Daniste for help with his course paper, and she lent him reference books and explained how High-Ring advancement enhanced Thaumaturgy and enabled material-free casting.
• Daniste invited Shade to consult the Canon of Sublimation and suggested he use Silver Moon for his third Words of Sublimation.
• Shade told Daniste about the Newborn Ritual and said the ancient Tree God had instructed him to pursue a new Core Ling Rune.
• Daniste asked what kind of Words of Sublimation Shade wanted, while Shade doubted he could find a stronger summonable target than Long-Haired Luvia.

Shade and Luvia discussed Emilia’s return to study and created a weaker staff from the Yggdrasil Staff for her to use. After returning to Saint Byron’s Library with Little Mia, Shade found Daniste there.

• Shade and the red-haired girl agreed that Emilia would write a paper on Luku Bird Breeding to make up credits, though she planned to tell Emilia only after she had studied for a while.
• Shade picked Luvia up from the Seer Association, where she had begun formal numerological divination work, and they returned home together.
• In a dream, Luvia advised Shade to give Emilia a branch of the staff rather than create a portable Tree House, and she split the Black Key to make a Tree Staff.
• Luvia granted Emilia permission to use the Tree Staff and kept the ability to reclaim it, while Shade refused to let her restrict Emilia’s spellcasting.
• On Sunday morning, Shade took Little Mia to Saint Byron’s Library and found Daniste drinking tea in her office.

Shade gave Emilia a Tree Staff made from the dead World Tree and helped her fuse it with her Destiny Ring. The fusion restored some of the ring’s missing power, and Emilia expected to grow stronger as she infused it further.

• Miss Danist told Emilia that the Nine Great Elf Clans had completed preliminary negotiations and that she would need to display her power when formal talks began.
• Shade gave Emilia the Tree Staff, which transformed from a Black Key, and she tested its spells and abilities.
• Emilia tried to incorporate the Tree Staff into her Destiny Ring but could not make them resonate, even after using her blood.
• Shade joined Emilia in holding the staff and dial, then used his blood and granted her permission to wield the Tree of Old Days’ power.
• The Tree Staff fused into Emilia’s dial amid a bell toll heard across Academy City, leaving vine-like decoration around the dial and restoring some of its power.

Shade attended the group's meeting at Doctor Schneider's clinic, where the members discussed rising dangers, increased Academy rewards, and a possible new mission. Later, Shade gave Dorothy an ancient pendant that could become a Red Butterfly Card, and she told him that she and Leisha wanted to find a way to meet him more often.

• Doctor Schneider reminded the group to prepare for year-end exams and announced that the Academies would increase mission rewards and access to relics and knowledge.
• Luvia and Dorothy discussed how dangerous incidents and relics had become more common, while the group recalled losing Physician's Severed Hand.
• Doctor Schneider proposed choosing a group mission equivalent to containing a Sage Level Relic, and everyone agreed to take part.
• Shade gave Dorothy an ancient pendant from Professor Yuke Wood's office that might be linked to the Ancient God Upside-down Judge and could become a Red Butterfly Card.
• Dorothy told Shade that she and Leisha wanted more freedom to meet with him than their current arrangement allowed.

After the Woodland War, Shade spent a snowy night with Dorothy and Leisha, then began a relaxed Monday at home with Emilia, Iluna, Luvia, and Little Mia. Emilia delivered an ancient treasure from the elves, and the chapter ended as she opened its box.

• Dorothy and Leisha took turns meeting Shade at the Moon Sanctuary, and Dorothy was waiting for him at home after he returned.
• Iluna arrived at Shade’s home and found Emilia there to spend the day studying with him.
• Luvia joined them, and Dorothy arranged a lavish breakfast delivered from Yodel Palace.
• Emilia told the group that Grandma Qishala was pleased Shade had shared the Tree Staff with her and that she had brought an elven gift for him.
• Emilia explained that the gift was an ancient treasure treasured by the Longleaf Clan, then opened its small red-velvet box as everyone watched.

Shade and his companions examined Moon Tear, a divine artifact containing a fragment of the Original Moon that the elves had given him. After Shade decided to take it to Black Night Spirit Temple before choosing whether to wear it, the group discussed the elves’ other gifts and invited Emilia to spend the Year-End Festival with them.

• Emilia explained that the Longleaf Elves called the silver fragment Moon Tear and that it came from the Original Moon; Shade confirmed that it was genuine.
• Emilia described Moon Tear’s restorative powers, and Shade accepted it as a joint gift from the elves while recognizing that he owed them a favor.
• Shade hesitated to wear the earring, but the women agreed he should keep it; a voice told him to take it to Black Night Spirit Temple that night, and he agreed to go.
• Shade invited Emilia to the Year-End Festival, and she said she would come if Miss Danist attended.
• Iluna and Luvia welcomed Emilia, while Shade noted that the Duchess had arranged a way to expand 6 Saint Derain Square for the festival.

Iluna discussed her High-Ring Words of Sublimation and the strange powers she gained during the Woodland War with Shade and Luvia. She planned to advance to Tenth Ring next week and visit her family, while Luvia reminded Shade that Danist wanted him to choose his own High-Ring Words soon.

• After the other girls started their work, Shade, Luvia, and Iluna reviewed the latest Chosen One story over tea while Emilia and Dorothy studied nearby.
• Iluna revealed her High-Ring Words of Sublimation: “Lucky One Holding Hope, who will ultimately twist the direction of Destiny,” and said she planned to advance to Tenth Ring next week.
• Iluna showed Shade and Luvia her transformed Destiny Ring, the Sunlight Gun, but could not remember what had triggered its appearance during the Woodland War.
• Iluna explained that her brown left eye could see and reconstruct the past, while her golden right eye could dispel some temporal abnormalities.
• Iluna told Shade and Luvia that she planned to take a long leave next month to visit her relatives in her hometown.
• Luvia said she had gathered the Spirit Runes needed for High Ring but still needed a ritual, and reminded Shade that Danist had urged him to choose his High-Ring Words of Sublimation.

Shade visited the Black Night Spirit Temple in Randall River Valley and fell asleep in the snow while trying to use the Moon Tear. He awoke less than two hours later to find the Moon Tear gone and his Ninth Ring of Fate subtly changed beneath the moonlight.

• Shade celebrated the group's progress through the Eighth Chapter with Luvia and Iluna, then spent the day seeing friends and taking Mia to the Golden Dawn Opera Troupe.
• Siris asked Shade to deliver letters to the girls at the Forgotten Church, then told him she wanted to spend the Year-End Festival with him and kissed him.
• Shade delivered the letters in Randall River Valley and went to the Black Night Spirit Temple, where he tried to use the Moon Tear beneath the Silver Moon.
• Shade grew sleepy, fell asleep in the ritual matrix, and dreamed of being embraced by a silver figure beneath the starry sky.
• Shade awoke at half past eight to find the Moon Tear had disappeared and his Ninth Ring of Fate had taken on a faint, silvery jade-like sheen.

Shade absorbed Moon Tear into his soul, gaining an upgraded Moon Fire and new lunar blessings, then spent a quiet week at home as tensions between Kasonlik and Dellaireon escalated. A newspaper report about Miss Bethany's death gave Kasonlik a public justification for war, which Shade believed was only a convenient excuse for a conflict that would eventually erupt.

• Shade learned that Moon Tear had fused with his soul, granting him immortality beneath the moon, greater spirit reserves and recovery, and an offensive Moon Fire thaumaturgy.
• Shade tested Moon Fire by firing a silver beam from his fingertip and asked how to choose his High-Ring Words of Sublimation; She said Destiny would provide the answer.
• Shade dealt with a burst steam pipe, gave an ordinary silk scarf to Little Mia, and spent his newly idle days reading and visiting Flora and the others in Vesta Woodland.
• Shade read reports accusing Dellaireon of murdering Miss Bethany, and he suspected the Anjou Royal Family intended to use public outrage to condemn the Northern Kingdom and the Cavendish Family.
• While Grace fed Shade breakfast, he said Bethany's death was merely a convenient excuse for the inevitable war between Kasonlik and Dellaireon; Grace then scolded Helen for distracting them.

Shade spent time with Grace and Helen, consulted Sister Devlin about the remaining First Fire, and resumed detective work after the Woodland War. Investigating noises beneath a woman's house led him to a corpse-concealment case tied to a powerful figure, and he traveled to Moon Bay City to seek answers from Mr. Feringa and Miss Brown.

• Shade spent a quiet day with Grace and Helen, watched an opera with them, and agreed to plan another date before the Year-End Festival.
• Shade joined Sister Devlin at the Sacrificial Ground and sensed that only three scattered First Fire flames remained to be recovered.
• Shade investigated a woman's report of noises beneath her house and found a hidden chamber containing dozens of corpses.
• Shade followed a sewer map to discover two more corpse-hiding sites and killed attackers who ambushed him.
• Shade used Spirit Communication to learn the case involved a powerful extraordinary figure, then went to Moon Bay City to question Mr. Feringa and Miss Brown.

Shade’s investigation exposed a decades-old human trafficking network, drawing powerful figures into the scandal and leaving Galina to lead the case as tensions between Delarion and Kasonlik worsened. At the chapter’s end, Shade went to meet the Red-haired Sorceress at the library but encountered a suspicious ninth-year student who did not recognize him.

• Shade and Ridgewich Field used clues and the Tobesk Garrison to intercept a train and uncover a human trafficking organization operating in Tobesk for decades.
• King Larus III gave the Duchess of Saladir full authority to investigate, and the arrests implicated a powerful duke while a marquis was ordered to undergo honorable recuperation.
• Shade joked that he had helped Doctor Schneider share his Misfortune, while his friends laughed at the suggestion.
• Shade continued visiting Vanessa, Siris, and Luvia, while Dorothy and Leisha anticipated their next Red Butterfly Day date.
• Relations between Kasonlik and Delarion deteriorated as both countries prepared for possible war and Leisha’s father hinted that the trafficking case should be linked to the Southern Kingdom.
• Shade went to the library for his monthly duel and met a red-haired ninth-year student who challenged him for entering Administrator Miss’s office.

Shade met Daniste at Saint Byrens Comprehensive College and spent the evening exploring the snow-covered Academy with her. She brought him to her Moon Gazing Tower, where they planned to spend the night together.

• Shade arrived at the library early, and Daniste agreed to show him around the Academy in exchange for a future invitation to his home.
• Principal Pigman recognized Shade and Daniste, then pretended not to notice Daniste’s student-age appearance after she warned him she was on vacation.
• Shade and Daniste toured the snowy Academy, talked about its kitchens, and kissed atop a tower near Astronomy College.
• Daniste took Shade to the Moon Gazing Tower, her former administrators’ dormitory, and invited him to stay overnight.
• As they descended the tower’s stairs, Daniste explained that its structure dated to the Academy’s founding and that Blaine Olanode had likely lived there.

Shade spent Red Butterfly Day at the woodland hot spring with Leisha and Dorothy, and both women became seriously exhausted afterward. He later traveled to Weilun Dai'er City, where he attended the funeral of Margaret’s family member and observed the unfamiliar city.

• Leisha and Dorothy took Shade to the Moon Sanctuary for Red Butterfly Day, while Galina gave him an investigation report before they left.
• Shade spent the day soaking in the woodland hot spring with Leisha and Dorothy, and the two women struggled to part from him as their time together ended.
• Dorothy slept for a day after returning home, and Leisha became so ill that rumors spread about the Princess’s grave sickness.
• Galina visited Dorothy and teased Shade about exhausting both women, then Dorothy told them Miss Goode had sent Shade a letter confirming her visit before the Year-End Festival.
• Shade worried that the predicted blizzard might disrupt Miss Goode’s train journey before he departed for Weilun Dai'er City.
• Shade attended a funeral at Rogmore Cemetery and watched Margaret grieve before reflecting on the southern capital’s similarities to Tobesk.

After the funeral, Shade and Sylvia discussed Wilundell and its industries while Margaret inspected the Underground Tomb. Margaret then brought Shade and Sylvia to Helston Castle, where she embraced Shade and Miss Bethany emerged from her jade pendant.

• Sylvia described Wilundell as the Old Continent’s political, commercial, and textile center and discussed their fabric business with Shade.
• Shade explained that he would leave after Margaret and Miss Bethany had said goodbye, then visit Flora’s mother’s grave and attend dinner.
• Margaret thanked Shade for attending the funeral and went to inspect the Underground Tomb and its security arrangements.
• Shade asked Sylvia about the grave of Albert Bennett’s mother, which remained in Vesta Woodland.
• Margaret led Shade and Sylvia to Helston Castle, where she embraced Shade in her study and Miss Bethany floated out of the jade pendant.

Shade opened the Gate of Death so Ashley Bethany could pass into the afterlife, leaving Margaret grieving but comforted by Shade and Sylvia. He then accompanied Flora to her mother’s grave, where he introduced himself and Flora asked her mother to bless their future together.

• Margaret said goodbye to Ashley Bethany, and Shade opened the Gate of Death so she could enter the afterlife beneath the Underworld Moon.
• Margaret grieved for Ashley Bethany, and Shade comforted her by promising he would not let her die.
• Flora met Shade at the crossroads, and they traveled with Miss Bell to the Winslet Family cemetery.
• Flora told Shade about her childhood memories in the forest before they reached her mother’s grave.
• Shade introduced himself to Mrs. Sophie Winslet, and Flora said she had chosen him as the person with whom she would spend her life.

Shade accompanied Flora to visit her mother's grave, where he promised to care for her, and Flora felt relieved about her future with him. Back at The Club, Flora apologized for secretly making an intimate painting of Shade, then tried to make amends by offering him a more intimate apology.

• Shade thanked Flora's mother at her grave and promised to lead Flora forward without letting go of her hand.
• Flora told Shade she had begun preparing to advance to the Twelfth Order and Twelfth Ring, hoping to reach that rank by the Year-End Festival.
• Flora dropped Shade at The Club, where he gave her a rose and confronted her about the seventh painting and her letter.
• Flora admitted she had acted wrongly by making the painting without permission and explained that her attraction to Shade had led her to do it.
• Shade told Flora to sincerely apologize to Daniste at the Year-End Festival, and Flora promised to prepare a gift and seek forgiveness.
• Flora offered Shade a more intimate apology, while Miss Bell listened from the neighboring study and blushed as she realized what was happening.

After dinner in Wilundell, Sylvia took Shade to Margaret’s luxurious fabric shop, Exquisite Cloth Works, and revealed its discreet silk-stocking business, Dreamweaver Silks. She led him past the shop’s displays toward a trouble farther inside.

• Margaret decided to give Shade her promised gift, but Sylvia asked her to fetch a paper from Cold Spring Palace before Margaret could speak.
• Sylvia invited Shade for a walk and took him by carriage to Exquisite Cloth Works, a property Margaret had leased to her.
• Sylvia explained that the shop sold high-end fabrics openly while Dreamweaver Silks sold silk stockings through a discreet side entrance.
• Sylvia led Shade through the fabric displays to a rear section filled with mannequins modeling ladies’ legwear and told him the trouble lay farther inside.

Shade investigated a basement trap at Sylvia’s shop and discovered that her sketch of a Klein Bottle created a boundaryless spatial cycle. After Grace and Helen restored the space and gave him Sylvia’s ritual notes, Shade returned to the shop and faced a ball thrown by a mannequin that grew stronger with each bounce.

• Sylvia explained that the basement door trapped anyone who stayed alone inside for more than ten minutes, and Shade went in to investigate.
• Shade found Sylvia’s Klein Bottle sketch, opened the locked door with Door Key, and discovered a passage that led back to the basement through the drawing board.
• Shade realized Sylvia had created a boundaryless space, but he could not escape it with his own spatial abilities.
• Shade summoned Grace and Helen, who restored the space after he asked them to cut and reshape it, then gave him Sylvia’s Boundaryless Bottle ritual notes.
• Shade returned to the shop and blocked a ball thrown by a wax mannequin, which bounced it back with a stronger Golden Spiral shield each time.

Shade completed Sylvia’s trials, identifying the principles behind her Golden Spin and Sword of Fate thaumaturgies before solving her final equation. Sylvia praised his knowledge and led him toward one last stop while Margaret was still away.

• Shade recognized that Sylvia’s rebounding black energy used the Golden Ratio, then received her Golden Spin thaumaturgy.
• Shade faced a knight’s armor whose strikes alternated between certain misses and a certain hit, then discovered the Sword of Fate’s probability-based principle.
• Shade followed Blood Echo through the garden to a greenhouse and solved Sylvia’s final equation by drawing a heart around her signature.
• Sylvia emerged and asked Shade to assess her research, and he praised her mathematical and thaumaturgical skill.
• Sylvia denied that she had been testing him to find an apprentice, took his hand, and led him toward the final stop.

Sylvia took Shade to her secluded Witch’s Tower on Fatumonst Snow Mountain, where she revealed the history of her teacher’s legacy and confessed how much Shade’s intelligence had impressed her. She then disclosed that she knew about his relationships with several other women, leaving Shade to face her unexpected knowledge.

• Sylvia transported Shade to Fatumonst Snow Mountain and led him through the snow to her hidden tower.
• Sylvia explained that her teacher had left her the tower, where she had once studied and successfully conducted experiments in synthetic chemical fibers.
• Sylvia recalled her pride in her own intelligence and admitted that Shade’s quick solution to her challenge made her like him more.
• Sylvia revealed that Margaret would not interrupt them because a sleeping curse had put her to sleep in Cold Spring Palace.
• Sylvia told Shade she knew about his relationships with Galina, Megan, and Audrey, and linked Vanessa’s advancement to the Thirteenth Order to him.