Chapter Summaries

Shade failed to obtain the High-Ring Words of Sublimation at the mountaintop and told Iluna and Bella about his encounter with If and the Rings of Fate. Iluna resonated with the Ring of Hope, gaining new High-Ring Words, as the island prepared to lift its lockdown and search for the Lover of Desire.

• Shade leaped from Saint's Precipice but gained nothing, then told Sivie he had found the right location but lacked necessary conditions.
• Shade recounted his meeting with If to Iluna and Bella, and explained that the group would likely assault Snow Mountain Peak on the final day.
• Iluna decided to use a Serpent's Shedding, and touching the Ring of Hope caused her Destiny Ring to transform and inscribe the Hope Spirit Rune.
• Iluna gained the High-Ring Words of Sublimation Lucky One Holding Hope and a major enhancement to her Sunlight Gun Miracle Technique.
• Iluna reported that the lockdown would be lifted the next morning, while the Church and Seer Association continued searching for the Lover of Desire.
• Iluna suggested asking Ellie's strong intuition to help find the woman.

Shade prepared to forge the Ring of Fate: War with his companions, then dreamed of a ruined palace and Angelina Cavendish before waking beside Galina. Unable to sleep, he spoke with Tifa by the fire, and she comforted him.

• Shade arranged for Iluna, Vanessa, Galina, and Daniste to join him the next morning to forge the Ring of Fate: War into a weapon.
• Galina returned to Tobesk and said she would soon take Tifa and the others to Snow Mountain to help Shade.
• Shade discussed the Fate Manual with Galina and Dorothy, and Galina blushed when they noticed it displayed everyone's ages.
• Shade dreamed of crossing a ruined palace, defeating the Twin Princes, and finding the enormous Angelina Cavendish in the Queen's bedchamber.
• Shade woke in Galina's arms, then left the bedroom without disturbing her or Dorothy and found Tifa keeping watch by the fireplace.
• Tifa asked about Shade's strange dream and comforted him with a kiss.

Shade gathered Iluna, Vanessa, and the others to forge Destiny using the Heart of the Earth Furnace. Iluna’s Serpent’s Shedding revealed her unusual role as a Special Guest Star, and the group began the forging with Dorothy offering her Fate Dice.

• Shade told Galina he had gone to Vesta Woodland to make Star Dew, while keeping the truth about his night with Tifa to himself.
• Daniste joined the family for breakfast, where they discussed Iluna’s possible role in the Fated Stories.
• Iluna arrived with Vanessa and used a Serpent’s Shedding, revealing that she was a Special Guest Star with a personal story tied to the Snow Mountain island.
• Iluna offered to use her Fate Dice for the forging, but Dorothy suggested using her own dice so Shade and Iluna could save their results.
• Shade led the group into the Heart of the Earth Furnace and placed the Ring of Fate and the processed Star Fragment inside to begin forging Destiny.

Shade and his companions forged the Ring of Fate - War in the Heart of the Earth Furnace, and Shade claimed it despite its resistance. After sealing the ring away, he returned to Fatumonst Island and used the Aiken Ola-Chosen One's Arrow on Claire, awakening new power in her.

• Shade used the Heart of the Earth Furnace to forge the Ring of Fate - War, and Dorothy restrained the restless ring when it flew from the furnace.
• Shade grasped the ring despite its resistance, suffered a minor burn, and explained that its power would grow through war and his resonance with it.
• Shade engraved “The end of war is peace” inside the ring, then sealed it in the hidden compartment at home.
• Shade, Iluna, and Vanessa returned to Fatumonst Island, where Stella was away and Claire listened as Shade described forging Destiny.
• Claire offered her wrist, and Shade pierced her with the Aiken Ola-Chosen One's Arrow, granting the Sun's Great Witch new power.

Shade discussed the Blade of Fate with Grandma Cassandra and identified Rebirth as a destiny closely tied to his arrival in the world. After Ellie’s apple-stealing incident, Shade visited her and Little Liana, and Ellie revealed a shadow ability that could take humanlike form.

• Claire partially elementalized her injured arm, and Bella gave her sheet music for the Moonfall Rebirth Sonata to practice on the flute.
• Shade told Grandma Cassandra about the Blade of Fate and its three items, then considered how the appearing destinies might relate to him.
• Megan explained that Ellie had bitten apples from a maid’s basket, so Shade decided to visit the maid’s household and apologize.
• Shade secretly shared an apple between Ellie and Little Liana, then placed Star Dew pendants around their necks before leaving.
• After Ellie’s pendant string snapped, her shadow took the form of a young girl, repaired the string, and returned the pendant to her neck.

Shade visited Baron Samir to apologize and found no sign that the baron or his household was involved in the morning’s trouble. He agreed to retrieve a silver necklace the baron had left near Snow Mountain, while Claire proposed turning the errand into a stargazing trip.

• Shade visited Baron Samir at Samir Old Mansion, apologized, and confirmed that the baron and his servants seemed untroubled.
• Baron Samir told Shade that a silver necklace was near the foot of Snow Mountain and asked him to retrieve it before the Fatu People restricted access.
• Shade agreed to retrieve the necklace later, saying he planned to meet Vanessa and visit the Seer Association first.
• Megan told Claire about the necklace, and Claire explained that the Old Cedar in Frost Kiss Corridor was a popular romantic spot near a ritual node.
• Megan suggested that Shade retrieve the necklace during a stargazing trip that night.

Shade negotiated with the Seer Association to share information about Rings of Fate, commission Fate artifacts, and send diviners to assist the Fatu People. On the way to Frost Kiss Corridor, Vanessa told him Siris planned to read the Snow Mountain’s Earth Memory and investigate the Snow Mountain Guardian.

• Shade showed the Seer Association the Fate of War and learned that Civilization could not be moved, while the Association agreed to bring Punish Evil to the island over the weekend.
• Shade and the Association exchanged information about Rings of Fate, including Misfortune, Rebirth, and a fragment suggesting that three rings might cause a qualitative change.
• Vanessa negotiated an agreement for Shade to forge artifacts from the Association’s Bent Arcs in exchange for additional payment and an item once used by the Ancient Witch Emperor.
• Shade asked the Association to send Delarion diviners to help the Fatu People prepare for the Fate's Great Overture ritual, and President Lenormand agreed.
• Vanessa told Shade that Siris planned to read the Snow Mountain’s Earth Memory with help from the Fatu People Elders and hoped to discover the Snow Mountain Guardian’s identity.

Shade and Vanessa visited Frost Kiss Corridor, where they found a buried Mermaid necklace and rescued an injured traveler named Valentine LeBlanc. As they carried her down the mountain through worsening snow, Valentine questioned Shade about goodness and asked to stop and rest.

• Shade and Vanessa walked up Frost Kiss Corridor, shared their feelings, and discussed Vanessa's plans to perform in Moon Bay in the spring.
• Shade dug up the box Baron Samir had mentioned and found a silver Mermaid necklace inside; Vanessa suggested it might have been a local love token.
• Shade and Vanessa found Valentine LeBlanc with a fractured ankle and decided to take her to a hospital in the city.
• Shade carried Valentine down the mountain while Vanessa led the way and warned him to follow her footprints.
• Valentine asked Shade about goodness and justice as the snow grew heavier, then asked him to stop because her leg hurt.

Shade and the Great Witches exposed the red-haired stranger who had lured him into a snowy forest and tried to manipulate his feelings. When they attacked, she transformed into a snake-bodied creature bearing the powers of Mr. Snake and Desire, revealing herself as the enemy of Act V.

• Shade carried the injured red-haired girl to a tree, built a fire, and shared his food with her while they waited in the snow.
• The girl flirted with Shade and tried to embrace him, but he refused and revealed that he had suspected her from the moment he carried her.
• Claire, Megan, Vanessa, and Flora emerged from the woods and surrounded the girl, while Shade said he wanted answers rather than a fight.
• The girl unleashed a piercing shriek and resisted the Great Witches' attack with black light, prompting them to recognize Mr. Snake's power.
• Black mist transformed the girl into a creature with a human head, a snake's body, and power resembling the Infinite Snake.

Shade and the Witches defeated a projection of the woman spreading the Snake Transformation Plague, then investigated its memories and linked her to Baron Samir. After disposing of a Bent Arc, Shade dreamed of Destiny and discovered the Destinies associated with Angelina, Stella, and Iluna.

• Shade turned the genuine Infinite Snake into a Bent Arc while Vanessa and the other Witches killed the woman's projection, which destroyed its own consciousness.
• Flora found traces she could use to track the woman's soul, and Siris recovered memory fragments showing Shade and his purpose for coming to the area.
• Shade suspected Ellie had found the maid because of her connection to Baron Samir and asked Megan to investigate him; he also arranged for Flora to research the corpse and identify its origin.
• Shade crushed the Bent Arc at the Black Night Spirit Temple, received a black iron coin, and wondered whether his Destiny and future Words of Sublimation would be connected to the Silver Moon.
• In a dream beneath the three interwoven rings, Shade saw Angelina's Destinies as Kingship and War, Stella's as Ice and Snow and Tenacity, and Iluna's as Hope, Punish Evil, and Hero.

Shade investigated Baron Samir’s past and learned that his former lover, Halonin, had left him after an accident left him unable to walk. The baron still loved her and believed she had returned to the island, leaving Shade determined to find her.

• Sivie told Shade that Baron Samir’s former lover was named Valentine Halonin and that many people who had seen her had since disappeared or died.
• Bella gave Shade a modified Snake Eye that detected plague victims and nearby beings bearing the Infinite Snake’s fate.
• Shade returned to Baron Samir’s residence with the necklace he had recovered and asked the baron about his past.
• Baron Samir explained that he had met Halonin at an orphanage, fallen in love with her, and been left after his legs were broken in a riding accident.
• Baron Samir told Shade that he still loved Halonin and had stayed on the island hoping she would return.

Shade investigated the mystery of Baron Samir and Lady Halonin, learning that a pendant linked to their past once held a powerful Ice Gem. He suspected Halonin was their target and arranged for Luvia and Bella to divine her whereabouts, while Iluna arrived late after dealing with an item tied to the Infinite Snake.

• Baron Samir asked Shade to investigate Lady Halonin's former home and gave him an old pendant from his family's marriage alliance with the Fatu People.
• Shade found a message inside the pendant warning him not to visit Halonin's home yet, and Elder Vilda identified it as a shell for an Ice Gem that may once have resisted powerful mental influence.
• Shade delayed returning to the city and met Luvia, who agreed to divine information about Halonin with Bella.
• Shade told Luvia that the Star's revelation had identified Iluna as the Hero, hope, and Punish Evil, and they discussed her possible connection to the Sun.
• Iluna arrived after dealing with an item suspected to be related to the Infinite Snake, and Shade told her to eat before discussing anything else.

Shade, Luvia, and Iluna investigated Lady Halonin’s home and discovered that she was the mysterious woman connected to the recent murders. Shade confronted her there and stalled for time while Luvia and Iluna moved to surround the house.

• Shade told Iluna that the Seer Association would deliver Punish Evil and that Upper Spring could help candidates gather Destiny.
• Shade, Luvia, and Iluna searched Lady Halonin’s house, finding signs of a recent female occupant and evidence connected to the murder cases.
• Shade learned from Mr. Mortis that the Clown Troupe was investigating letters Countess Waldeck had sent to the street, while The All-Number-One Society was searching nearby for a relic.
• Luvia used a divination and concluded that Lady Halonin had caused multiple deaths; when Halonin returned home, Shade escaped with Luvia and Iluna before sending them to surround her.
• Shade returned to face Lady Halonin, confirmed she was the target, and asked her to explain what had happened when the baron fell from his horse.

Lady Halonin told Shade how Mr. Snake helped her bind Baron Samir to her through a fate-changing spell, then revealed that she had become the Fool and was helping the Great Serpent. She escaped Shade by possessing others, leaving him alone in the street as the crowd returned to normal.

• Lady Halonin explained that she had wished for Baron Samir to love her forever, and that the spell’s price led to his riding accident.
• Lady Halonin said she had made a second wish to bear the price herself, then spent ten years away while helping Mr. Snake and learning to use others’ spirits and bodies.
• Lady Halonin revealed that she knew Mr. Snake was the Great Serpent, displayed the Ring of Fate called the Fool, and said she would soon complete his final task.
• Lady Halonin led Shade outside, where she controlled the people on the street and warned that fate could infect them with the Infinite Snake.
• Shade used Laguerre’s Leap and Adele’s Time Stop to try to capture Lady Halonin with the mask, but she revealed that she could appear as anyone who developed favorable feelings toward her.
• The crowd dispersed as Lady Halonin vanished, leaving Shade alone in the street.

Shade and his allies learned that Mr. Snake’s agent could wield The Fool’s power, and Luvia proposed testing her with Iluna’s Rings of Fate. Sylvia arrived to help on Fatumonst Island, while Flora’s wolves discovered a dangerous fate relic, the Hook of Erl, whose recovery began as the chapter ended.

• Shade told Luvia and Iluna that the escaped woman could turn people into Infinite Snakes and possessed Ring of Fate - The Fool, while Luvia glimpsed a distant memory of the Myriad Phenomena Tower.
• Shade discovered that no one else on the island remembered the street incident and suspected the woman was Mr. Snake’s agent.
• Luvia proposed using Iluna’s future Rings of Fate to test the agent’s power, and Shade assigned the Great Witches to continue investigating Halonin.
• Sylvia visited Shade at home and tested clothing made with his Door Key alongside Galina, Dorothy, and the maids.
• Flora’s wolves found the Document Level Relic Hook of Erl, and Luvia went with them to deal with it.

Shade and his allies investigated Mr. Snake’s influence and Lady Halonin’s powers while preparing to stop her before the island’s final act. At the Study Group, Priest Augustus suggested that putting her Soul Power into dormancy could limit the range of her Spiritual Power.

• Flora and Megan returned with the Fishing Hook, and Megan planned to give it to Grandma Cassandra to investigate its uses.
• Luvia revealed that the young man who had wished for revenge became a snake and died, while his father’s fleet became a ghost fleet after the young man’s death.
• Shade decided to revisit Baron Samir after his meeting in Tobesk, while he and Megan discussed ways to counter Lady Halonin before Act V ended.
• At the Study Group, Doctor Schneider explained that a patient’s outburst had damaged the clinic’s fireplace, and Priest Augustus spoke about the patient’s conspiracy theories.
• Shade told Doctor Schneider and Priest Augustus about Lady Halonin’s mind control and transformation abilities, and Priest Augustus proposed making her Soul Power fall dormant to limit her Spiritual Power.

Shade secured Priest Augustus’s help for the coming events on Fatumonst Island and reassured Claire that she mattered to him, promising to invite her to his home before they visited the island together. He then joined Leisha and Angelina for an evening outing to see a play at the Three Cats Hotel.

• Priest Augustus agreed to help Shade on Fatumonst Island and advised him to wait until Baron Samir and Lady Halonin had fully awakened before dealing with Halonin.
• Shade learned that President Lenormand would visit Snow Mountain Hall the next afternoon to discuss forging a Bent Arc weapon, and he planned for Iluna to attend so she could touch the Ring of Fate.
• Claire told Shade she felt unimportant, and Shade reassured her that she was where his story began and promised to visit her hometown with her in spring.
• Claire decided to pursue advancement to Twelfth Order after gaining new ideas from the winter’s events, while Shade promised her a visit to his home first.
• Leisha took Shade and Angelina to the Three Cats Hotel to watch a play performed by the Moli Troupe.

Shade took Leisha and Angelina to a performance of “Song of the Moon,” then tested the War Ring with Angelina before spending the evening with Leisha. Their night was interrupted by a powerful Elemental Reaction near the square, leaving Shade and the household watching the misty streets.

• Shade watched the Jasmine Opera Troupe perform “Song of the Moon” with Leisha and Angelina, and Leisha revealed that Mrs. Sangmei was likely connected to Shade’s department.
• Shade gave Angelina the War Ring to try, and she gained combat-related abilities along with a dangerous tendency to incite wars.
• Shade kept the War Ring for the time being, telling Angelina she could have it when she was stronger.
• At one in the morning, Angelina awoke to a powerful Elemental Reaction coming from the direction of the square and alerted Shade and Leisha.
• Shade and Leisha looked out through the bedroom curtains as Angelina and the maids gathered, while Little Mia watched from her cat bed.

After a disturbance outside Shade's home, Angelina shared a bed with Leisha and Shade and dreamed of meeting a future version of herself, a crowned Queen who spoke of her Destiny and asked what she hoped for. Angelina woke with only a faint sadness and the memory of a kiss, while Little Mia watched her forehead as Shade was expected to return with the newspaper and goat milk.

• Shade said the Church's Ring Arcanists had contained a major incident nearby and advised everyone to stay inside for the night.
• Leisha arranged for Angelina to sleep in Shade's room with her and Shade, while the maids stayed in the adjoining bedroom.
• Angelina fell asleep beside Shade and dreamed she crossed White Fog and met a crowned, grown-up version of herself.
• The Queen told Angelina that Destiny had changed and asked what she hoped for; Angelina said she wanted to save Shade with Emilia and Iluna.
• Angelina woke after the dream had faded, remembered a woman kissing her and a feeling of sadness, and got ready to return to Yodel Palace for breakfast.
• Little Mia noticed a kiss mark on Angelina's forehead and waited for Shade to come upstairs.

Shade learned that Baron Samir believed Lady Halonin had used a mysterious ritual to make him love her, but a family pendant may have protected him. The Baron sent Shade to deliver a letter and their love token to Lady Halonin, while Megan and Stella suspected his story and trust in Shade were strange.

• Shade visited Baron Samir and told him that a woman might have returned to Lady Halonin's house.
• Baron Samir explained that Lady Halonin had used blood and strange symbols in a ritual intended to make him love her forever.
• The Baron said a family pendant had grown lighter and lost what it contained after the ritual, leaving Shade unsure whether the Baron had been affected by Mr. Snake's power.
• Baron Samir wrote Lady Halonin a letter, entrusted Shade with their love token, and asked him to tell her he did not blame her and wanted to meet.
• Megan and Stella pointed out that the Baron still used Lady Halonin's surname and had trusted Shade unusually quickly.