Chapter Summaries

Shade and the Moon Bay maids used Viscera Tracing on captured Doppelgangers to locate others in the City of Time Wheels. Their eighth subject caused two diviners to glimpse the House of False Men, suggesting they had found a Doppelganger connected directly to it.

• Claire welcomed Shade back and made him promise to stay for the Bonfire Party.
• Shade and the maids captured Miss Lavend and used Viscera Tracing to find more Doppelgangers.
• Shade and Matilda repeatedly brought back ordinary residents who had been replaced, while the maids divined from their flesh.
• After seven Doppelgangers had been burned, Matilda and Miss Pensite suffered injuries while tracing the eighth and saw bloodlight linked to the House of False Men.
• Shade treated the diviners, and Matilda asked whether they had found the House of False Men’s blood source.

After investigating clues to the House of False Men, Shade and the maids located it near Snake Heart Hospital and postponed visiting. Shade spent the Ten Thousand Spirits Festival evening touring town with Sylvia and Sivie, while the chapter ended with Ellie and the other Unicorn watching the celebration from Snow Mountain Hall.

• Matilda and Miss Pensite shared their clues, and the other maids divined that the House of False Men was in northeastern town near Snake Heart Hospital.
• Shade decided not to visit the location yet, then took the maids to dinner at the Harpoon Hotel.
• Shade picked up Sylvia and met Sivie, and the three toured Kael-Todd Town's festival market and bonfires.
• Shade avoided Claire's parents, encountered Mr. Mortis and Antoine Charat, and learned that Adelaide Lenormand had arrived on the island.
• Shade waited in vain for Emilia while Sivie greeted the Radiance Messenger and Mermaid Girls at the docks.
• Ellie and the other Unicorn stayed atop Snow Mountain Hall, watching the brightly lit town and its festival.

Adele Isabella, disguised as Miss Sabelle, watched the Ten Thousand Spirits Festival from a rooftop and spoke with Emilia and Luvia about Shade and the island’s recent dangers. She refused to meet Shade or stay and help for now, while Emilia remained upstairs as the festival began.

• Adele Isabella arrived on the rooftop and watched the festival with Little Liana and Ellie.
• Emilia joined them, recognized Miss Sabelle, and invited her to meet Shade, but Adele asked her not to tell him she was there.
• Luvia arrived, greeted Adele as a stranger, and told her that Shade had faced cultists, survived the House of False Men, and was searching for the island’s Fated Stories.
• Luvia urged Adele to stay and help Shade, but Adele refused, saying she could not explain her reasons yet.
• Fireworks began and the bonfires lit up the town, while Emilia stayed on the rooftop instead of joining the festivities.

Emilia accompanied Luvia and Miss Sabelle along the shore instead of attending the Bonfire Party, where their conversation coincided with the appearance of a fleeting Pilgrim’s Path. Luvia recognized where it led and guided the others across the island toward a familiar route into the darkness.

• Emilia joined Luvia and Miss Sabelle for a walk by the sea while Little Liana and Ellie played on the beach.
• Luvia and Miss Sabelle discussed Destiny and time as the women watched the moonlit water during the festival.
• A brief path of glowing sea life appeared between the sea and the island, and Luvia identified it as the Trajectory of Destiny.
• Luvia, Miss Sabelle, and Emilia rode the Unicorns to the island’s western cliffs and prepared to follow the path inland.
• Luvia said the route felt familiar and led the group onward as Ellie lit the way with her horn.

Luvia led Emilia and Miss Sabelle through a hidden route in the Snow Mountain, following a map toward a Pilgrims’ destination. On the mountain stairs, they encountered a priest from The All-Number-One Society, whose attack ended when Emilia struck him with emerald light.

• Luvia and the others crossed a concealed cave that brought them high onto the Snow Mountain, where Luvia identified the highest peak as their destination.
• The group followed the map through hidden paths and caves, while Miss Sabelle explained that Pilgrims had navigated by star charts and intuition.
• A priest from The All-Number-One Society fell onto the mountain steps and demanded that Luvia hand over the map.
• The priest sent a golden puppet to attack, but Luvia identified a stair-controlling thaumaturgy that trapped it from advancing.
• The golden puppet fired a beam at the women, and Emilia’s emerald blast pierced the priest’s brow, making him explode into pages from The Puppeteer’s Script.

Luvia and her companions defeated the Father’s attack and continued along the Pilgrimage Road, where its trials separated Luvia from the others. Luvia passed through the final archway after naming Shade Hamilton’s arrival and the Audience Beyond Fate’s gathering as her greatest achievements.

• Luvia found the Father hiding in the pages and burned his Serpent’s Shedding, while Miss Sabelle and Emilia attacked him.
• Little Liana and Ellie destroyed the Father’s dice, and he fled over the cliff as Miss Sabelle struck him; Luvia stopped her from pursuing him.
• Luvia led the group across an underground lake and an invisible bridge, then the wind and snow separated her from Adele Isabella, Emilia, and the two Unicorns.
• Luvia climbed alone past her divination tools and reached a stone archway bearing the emblem of the Old Gods of Fate.
• Luvia answered that Shade Hamilton came because of her and the Audience Beyond Fate took their seat because of her, then passed through the archway.

At the end of the Pilgrimage Road, Luvia rejected the title of Fate Chosen One and gained the Enlightenment-Audience Spirit Rune. As she prepared to leave with Ellie, an evil god fixed its gaze on her, and Long-Haired Luvia confronted the threat.

• Luvia reached the snowy ridge and gathered the insights left behind by generations of Pilgrims, bringing her four Elements together.
• Luvia refused the serpent's shedding and relinquished her qualification as a Fate Chosen One, declaring that she had completed the Pilgrimage Road by understanding what to give up.
• The four Spirit Runes collapsed and recombined into the new Enlightenment-Audience Spirit Rune, while Long-Haired Luvia rejoiced at her transformed power.
• Luvia found Ellie and planned to take her to Emilia, but a gaze from the void struck her down and turned the snow black.
• Long-Haired Luvia raised a hand to shield Luvia and Ellie from the incoming Blasphemy Elements as she faced the evil god's attention.

Shade rescued Luvia from the evil god Mr. Misfortune, which left him marked and carrying the deity’s Misfortune Dice. After the group reunited on the snowy mountain, Luvia revealed that Stella Larson and Shade had also completed the Pilgrimage of Fate, and Shade learned that his reward was a brief increase in luck.

• Shade faced Mr. Misfortune’s gaze, summoned a Moonlight Wheel, and drove the darkness from the sky, after which a silver Twenty-sided Dice landed in his hand.
• The Fate Manual warned Shade that Mr. Misfortune had marked him and could locate him if it descended while he retained Noble Fate; Shade put away the Misfortune Dice and checked on Luvia.
• Shade reunited with Luvia, Sivie, Sylvia, Miss Larson, the Pointy-Eared Elf, and Little Liana, and Luvia recovered after resting in his arms.
• Miss Larson’s Serpent’s Shedding recorded her completed Pilgrimage of Fate and granted her Snowflake Divination and Ice Crystal Divination.
• Luvia asked who had reached the archway alone and answered its question; Shade and Miss Larson confirmed they had completed the pilgrimage, while the others had not.
• Shade’s Fate Manual recorded his pilgrimage, and he gained a slight increase in luck lasting three days, though he kept his mark from Mr. Misfortune secret.

After completing the Pilgrimage of Fate, Luvia explained what the starry ridge meant and claimed the Fate Base, leaving one of her Command Cards behind in exchange. As the group prepared to leave, Shade found and recorded an ancient book, and Luvia revealed that she had given up her candidate qualification.

• Luvia explained that pilgrims who truly understood fate often left something behind, and that the Traitor Priest may have let go of his hatred after reaching the ridge.
• Shade found the Fate Base, an Unknown Level Relic, and Luvia claimed it while leaving a Command Card in the snow as payment.
• Luvia said the pilgrimage’s second act could be repeated by future visitors, and Shade used Moon Library to retrieve and record Astrologer Euclid’s book, “Moon Ruins.”
• Shade left his Greed Imprint relic derivative on the ridge and asked Luvia about the absent Miss Sabelle, whom Luvia confirmed was a friend.
• As the group prepared to descend, Luvia revealed that she had left behind her candidate qualification.

Adele Isabella used Time Summoning on Fatumonst Island's Snow Mountain and met her future self from the Doomsday Era. The future Adele warned her about the Sixth Epoch's limits, urged her to pursue greater power through Shade, and revealed information about three Unknown Level Fate Relics.

• Adele Isabella summoned her future self at the Snow Mountain, a special node where people connected by destiny could meet.
• The future Adele learned that Luvia Annette had given up her Chosen One identity for a special Spirit Rune, then warned Adele not to fall behind the other Witches.
• The future Adele told Adele that conventional advancement to demigodhood was impossible in the Sixth Epoch, but suggested Shade could help her refine her power.
• The future Adele explained that the Puppeteer's Script, Crossroads Kaleidoscope, and Prophecy Spinning Wheel each had a superior Unknown Level counterpart.
• The future Adele said that using the true powers of the three Unknown Level Relics could make people nearly immune to their corresponding lower-level relics.

Adele Isabella gave her younger self three thaumaturgies before vanishing, while Shade’s group dealt with the aftermath of Luvia’s encounter with the evil god and prepared for a later operation against the House of False Men. In private, Luvia told Shade what she had gained and pressed him to reveal the truth about the God of Misfortune, learning that it would likely come for him again.

• Adele Isabella transferred Time Roaming, Time Corruption, and Chaos Visage to Adele before disappearing beneath the starry sky.
• Shade and the others returned to Snow Mountain Hall, where Luvia apologized for disrupting the festival and the group discussed their plans for the next day.
• Shade pierced Miss Larson’s clothing and heart with Snake Fang, then sent the blood-soaked stone to the Lower Spring to prepare a weapon against the Firstborn Flesh.
• Shade sent Emilia back to the Academy, returned home, and joined Luvia in bed while Galina waited for him elsewhere.
• Luvia told Shade she had gained the Fate Base and immunity to divination and prophecy, and Shade reassured her that he did not blame her for abandoning her Chosen One candidacy.
• Luvia asked Shade whether the God of Misfortune had truly retreated, and he admitted that it would likely descend again and seek him out.

Shade comforted Luvia after the God of Misfortune targeted him, then discussed Angelina’s upcoming birthday and plans to enter the House of False Men. The group prepared to seek Witch Council protection and tackle the dangerous site after the Ten Thousand Spirits Festival.

• Shade reassured Luvia that he could handle the God of Misfortune, rejected her unusual offer to repay him, and left her to sleep.
• Galina told Luvia that Shade had seemed unusually excited the previous night, then mentioned her idea of giving him a birthday surprise.
• Shade and the others discussed preparing an eighteenth-birthday gift for Angelina and agreed he should attend her banquet and dance the First Dance with her.
• Shade explained that he planned to enter the House of False Men with Ellie and Little Liana, but needed protection from the Flesh Erosion and Whisper Element.
• Galina proposed registering Ellie as the Witch Council’s Unicorn so it could receive the Council’s protection, and Shade planned to consult Daniste about bringing the Academy’s Unicorns.
• Shade proposed dealing with the House of False Men after the Ten Thousand Spirits Festival, and Galina said she would raise the plan at the Council meeting that night.

Shade consulted Daniste about protecting the group from the House of False Men and learned the Academy could provide a relic to counter its effects. He then showed her Astrologer Euclid’s annotated book about the Kalas Mountain Moon Tower, which revealed clues about Euclid’s search for the Moon Sage and his eventual destination.

• Shade agreed that the Unicorns could help at the House of False Men if Ellie consented, and Daniste explained that elemental transformation or the Academy’s Stubborn Stone Hat could resist the relic’s influence.
• Shade told Daniste that Luvia had completed Pilgrim’s Path and found Fate Base, and that he had recovered Euclid’s book Moon Ruins there.
• Daniste read Euclid’s notes on the Kalas Mountain Moon Tower, including his theories about a Primordial Moon Remnant, Sun worship, and the Moon in the Water.
• Shade told Daniste that Euclid appeared to be searching for traces of the Moon Sage and that his journey to Fatumonst Snow Mountain had led him to choose Kalas Mountain as his destination.

Shade and Daniste studied clues about the Moon Tower and an enigmatic ritual fragment before Shade secured Winnie the Maid’s help for the House of False Men. On the second day of the Ten Thousand Spirits Festival, Shade visited Major Rades in the City of Time Wheels, where a soldier recognized him as a former prisoner.

• Shade reasoned that the Moon Tower’s true location might be where Lady Helena Carter’s Curse-Eroded Great Tree stood, and Daniste copied the book Moon Ruins to investigate its sites.
• Administrator Miss showed Shade a suspected Poem Chapter Fragment about dice and destiny, which might relate to the Fate Chosen One ritual’s ending.
• Winnie the Maid agreed to accompany Shade to face the House of False Men in exchange for learning what lay behind room 5012 on the castle’s fifth floor.
• Shade spent the festival day with Claire and Miss Larson, then took the White-haired Girl to visit Major Rades in the City of Time Wheels.
• Shade found Major Rades mediating a dockside fight between Delarion Navy soldiers and Kasonlik sailors, when a Kasonlik onlooker identified him as someone he had seen among prisoners.

Shade reassured Major Rades after he described a nightmare in which his life ended with the Gun of Kindness’s ninth bullet. Rades survived firing the gun at himself and put the fear aside, while Shade learned that Viscount Alfield had not caused a major search for the missing Miss Lavend.

• Major Rades told Shade that he had dreamed of a life in which he became a destitute gang member and died from the Gun of Kindness’s ninth bullet.
• Shade handed Rades the Gun of Kindness and urged him to fire it at himself to prove the dream could not kill him.
• Rades fired the gun at his head, emerged unharmed, and kept the bullet head as a lucky charm.
• Shade advised Rades to seek help from a psychologist if the nightmares continued.
• Rades told Shade that Viscount Alfield had fallen ill over Miss Lavend’s disappearance, while others and the City of Time Wheels police searched for her.

Shade and Stella Larson discussed fate, individuality, and Shade’s mysterious nature as they returned from the harbor. When a blizzard threatened to cancel the evening’s Bonfire Party, Shade used a relic to clear the clouds and keep his promise to dance with Claire.

• Shade said farewell to Major Rades after they spoke on the beach, then rowed back toward town with Miss Larson and explained their long friendship.
• Shade and Stella discussed Major Rades’s dream, the role of chance in changing fate, and whether individuals or Destiny held greater importance.
• Stella asked Shade what he was, but he asked her to decide for herself; she asked him to call her Stella and agreed to call him Shade.
• Shade spent the afternoon with the young ladies at Snow Mountain Hall, where Claire found him playing Rhodes Cards with Aurora and the others.
• As a heavy blizzard threatened the Bonfire Party, Shade fired the Fist of the Sun from the Sure Hit Handgun, clearing the clouds so he and Claire could dance until midnight.

Shade spent the Ten Thousand Spirits Festival with Claire, Sivie, Emilia, and their companions, while Sivie shared information about reducing the dangers of Angel Level Relics. The group left the crowded banquet for a special dance at sea, where Sivie summoned Mermaid Girls to create a glowing dance floor before the Radiance Messenger.

• Shade left the Fatu People's banquet to visit Emilia and the unicorns, then took them aboard the Radiance Messenger, where he met Winnie.
• Claire's proposal to register Ellie as a unicorn passed the Council, and Sivie told Shade that using three relics might lessen exposure to Angel Level Relics.
• Claire, Shade, Sivie, Emilia, Miss Aurora, and Stella left the banquet and boarded the Radiance Messenger for a private dance.
• Sivie called to the Mermaid Girls, who illuminated the sea with a large circular dance floor in front of the ship.

Shade joined the Fatu People’s Ten Thousand Spirits Festival celebrations, shared a quiet moment with Rita, and returned to Snow Mountain Hall as heavy snow threatened the mountain journey. He spoke with Claire about her childhood and future, then asked whether she planned to keep attending the festival.

• Sivie invited Shade to share the First Dance, and he danced with her beneath the Silver Moon while the Mermaid Girls performed.
• Emilia kissed Shade during their dance before returning to Saint Byron’s, and Shade later embraced Rita and agreed to call her by her name.
• Shade returned to Snow Mountain Hall, where Elder Harald and the other elders worried that heavy snow would endanger the young people carrying the Kindling up the mountain.
• Claire told Shade that the festival would not fail if someone reached the summit after the deadline, though its effects would be weaker.
• Claire recalled attending the festival banquet as a child and told Shade that she and Stella planned to visit him in Tobesk; Shade asked whether she would attend future festivals.

Claire agreed to consider returning each year to help at the Ten Thousand Spirits Festival, while Shade promised to accompany her. After the festival’s warriors began their climb, Shade returned to Tobesk, and Doctor Schneider set out to search Fatumonst Snow Mountain for Black Hand-Tifron.

• Shade admitted that Elder Harald had asked him to persuade Claire to return for future festivals, and Claire agreed to consider helping as long as Shade accompanied her.
• Claire, Elder Vilda, and Elder Ursa blessed the twenty-one warriors and lit the mountain bonfire, from which the warriors took Kindling before setting out at midnight.
• Shade left for Tobesk, spent the night with Little Mia, and woke on saturday thinking about seeing Adele the following day.
• Doctor Schneider visited Shade and confirmed that the afternoon group meeting would go ahead before he left to search the Snow Mountain for Black Hand-Tifron.
• Shade warned Doctor Schneider that he would organize a rescue if the Doctor had not returned by one-thirty, and the Doctor headed uphill alone.

Shade and Claire retrieved a mysterious snake fang from the Sacrificial Ground while preparing for the assault on the House of False Men. After the Doctor returned from searching the Snow Mountain, he confirmed that the Demon of Weapons was there and revealed that he had found something Shade had previously mentioned to Annette.

• Shade told Claire that the group planned to enter the House of False Men the following evening, with Stella and the Unicorn herd joining near the final passage.
• Claire performed the offering ritual, and a scorched yellow snake fang appeared on the altar; Shade found that Thaumaturgy could not transform it.
• Shade spent Saturday morning with Claire and accepted her invitation to share the Ten Thousand Spirits Festival lunch at her parents' house.
• The Doctor told Shade that he had found traces proving the Demon of Weapons was in the Snow Mountain, though Black Hand-Tifron had evaded his attempts to track it.
• The Doctor said Black Hand-Tifron seemed to know something about the Demon King and planned to keep pursuing it.
• The Doctor showed Shade an object he had found hidden in a rock crevice and asked whether it was like the thing Shade had mentioned to Annette.