Chapter Summaries

Adele reported that she had struck the Saint Alliance’s base and encountered the Abomination before joining the Witches at Wei Ge’s residence. Shade returned home while Adele attended the gathering, and Luvia advised him to accept the Mermaid’s conditions.

• Adele arrived at Wei Ge’s residence and explained that she had destroyed a Saint Alliance base but could not determine the nature of the Abomination.
• Adele questioned Galina about summoning the Witches, and Wei Ge defended her by explaining how the group had gathered.
• Adele required the Witches to submit reports and agreed to stay for dinner with them.
• Shade returned home after learning Adele was at Wei Ge’s, while Luvia and Dorothy discussed the afternoon’s events with him.
• Shade told Luvia and Dorothy about the Mermaid’s conditions, and Luvia advised him to agree.

Shade and the others discussed the dangers of continuing their deal with Desire, Hermons’s return, and the growing mystery around the Fire Seed Sources. He later visited the Witches in Arcadia City and found Galina and Wei Ge on peaceful terms, sharing stories about how they had met him.

• Luvia and Dorothy agreed that Shade could continue dealing with Desire, provided they prepared for the risks and sought a way to counter it.
• Shade told Luvia and Dorothy about his battle with Hermons in the Birthing Room of Creation, and they discussed returning there and investigating its entrance through Old John’s organization.
• Shade and the others reviewed the five known Fire Seed Sources and concluded that the source on the Giant God Soldier was distinct from Hermons’s and possibly linked to the Blood Spirit School.
• Shade and Dorothy discussed Wei Ge’s awakened desire and her mother’s lingering influence, but Shade had not yet found time to explain it to Wei Ge.
• Iluna arrived at Saint Derain Square, and Shade later went to the Fragrant Residence to meet the Witches.
• Shade found Galina, Wei Ge, and Sivie peacefully together, and learned that Galina and Sivie had been telling Wei Ge stories about how they met him.

Wei Ge questioned Galina and Sivie about their relationships with Shade, then learned how many Witches and other women had already become close to him. She accepted that Shade had a complicated romantic history and reconciled with Galina, while Luvia’s Fate Base offered a way to investigate Wei Ge’s mother’s fate.

• Wei Ge apologized to Shade for her actions that afternoon, then confronted Galina and Sivie about their closeness with him.
• Shade admitted that he had had intimate relationships with Galina and Sivie, and Sivie named Vanessa, Sylvia, and Megan as other Witches who had done so.
• Sivie explained the order in which Galina and the other Witches met Shade, and described his connections to Leisha Cavendish, Dorothy Louisa, and Luvia Annette.
• Shade said he would arrange for Luvia to meet Wei Ge so they could use [Fate Base] to divine her mother's fate again.
• Wei Ge told Shade she did not blame him for his relationships, and she and Galina apologized to each other and set aside their conflict.

Shade told Wei Ge that her mother had planned to resurrect herself through the bloodline, likely at Wei Ge’s expense, and promised to take responsibility for everyone he loved. After an evening of catching Wei Ge up on his past, Shade and the Witches arranged for Angelina to stay and study with Wei Ge, but Wei Ge stopped Galina and Sivie as they prepared to leave with Shade.

• Shade revealed Luvia’s divination about Wei Ge’s mother and warned that the resurrection plan might have harmed Wei Ge.
• Wei Ge questioned Shade about his relationships, bit his neck as punishment, and insisted he not treat her differently from the others.
• Shade and the Witches discussed his past, including Hermons’s resurrection, the Birthing Room of Creation, and the Saint Alliance’s defeat.
• Galina arranged for Angelina to live with Wei Ge and study under her, while Shade advised Angelina to stay safe in Arcadia.
• As Shade prepared to leave with Galina and Sivie, Wei Ge asked whether they intended to return to Tobesk with him and follow him home.

Wei Ge kept Galina at Fragrant Residence for the night while Shade left with Sivie, then Shade collected the Doppelgangers’ payment: two notebooks about the Skin Object Hall, the Birthing Room of Creation, and the Firstborn Son. He returned home and learned that Illustrious Miss would meet Sivie in Tobesk the next day, leaving him to settle in with the others after a long day.

• Wei Ge let Sivie leave with Shade but made Galina stay overnight, and Shade agreed to return the next day.
• Angelina saw Shade and Sivie off, and Shade reminded her to keep her protective items close and stay safe.
• Shade found a Doppelganger waiting by the former Black Tower and collected two notebooks containing information on the Skin Object Hall and the Birthing Room of Creation.
• Shade recorded the notebooks’ contents in his library and burned them, then discussed the prospect of cooperating with the Doppelgangers again to enter the Skin Object Hall.
• Illustrious Miss decided to keep the Radiance Messenger in Arcadia overnight and meet Sivie in Tobesk the next day, while Winnie stayed aboard the ship.
• Shade returned home, where Sivie recounted Wei Ge and Galina’s quarrel to Dorothy and Luvia, and Luvia comforted him.

Shade returned home and shared the Doppelgangers’ research on the [Skin Object Hall], the Firstborn Son, and the [Birthing Room of Creation]. The chapter left Shade seeking more information about the Birthing Room before confronting Hermons, while Luvia suggested Hermons’s strength might come from his candidate status and talent.

• Shade learned that Iluna had gone to investigate an explosion and would join him the next morning to travel to Arcadia for her eye procedure.
• Shade told Luvia, Sivie, and Dorothy that the Doppelgangers could briefly resist the Firstborn Flesh with specially made arms or suppress it with powerful death-related relics.
• Luvia explained that the final trial concerned the Child of the End and could not be won through others’ help alone.
• Shade revealed that the Birthing Room could heal injuries and use its stone bed to change a person’s race with a symbolic item and abundant Life Force.
• Sivie asked how the Blood Spirit School had used the Birthing Room to resurrect Hermons, and Shade admitted the Doppelgangers’ records did not explain it.
• Luvia suggested that Hermons’s power in the Birthing Room might come from his being a candidate with a related talent.

Shade and the others used divination to trace the Fire Seed Sources to the Demon Eye Club and to Lady Helena Carter, whom they suspected had returned to the present with the Moon Egg. Shade planned to speak with Daniste the next morning, while Iluna arrived at breakfast with news of a dangerous time-loop incident.

• Luvia divined that the Fire Seed Source on the Giant God Soldier belonged to the Demon Eye Club.
• A second divination led Shade, Luvia, Dorothy, and Sivie to conclude that the normal Fire Seed Source was with Lady Helena Carter, possibly at Saint Byron's or in Slumber.
• Shade decided to tell Daniste the result and seek her help, then visit Wei Ge with Iluna; he also agreed that Leisha could come the next day.
• Sivie reassured Shade that Wei Ge and Galina would get along, and the group went to bed after their evening together.
• Iluna came to breakfast in heavy rain and described how a Ring Arcanist's out-of-control Magic Eye, [Echo of Time], trapped a street in a Time Loop and nearly created a Paradox Worm.

Iluna recounted the cause and consequences of the previous night’s mission while Shade visited the Academy Library and asked Emilia about sources of Life Force. He told Daniste that Luvia’s divination pointed to Mrs. Carter possessing the Fire Seed Source, and planned to have Ellie search for it before Saturday.

• Iluna explained that a dead Ring Arcanist’s Time Tree Hole had resonated with the Magic Eye, causing a Time Loop, a Spatial Anomaly, and the permanent loss of a section of space.
• Daniste scolded Emilia and Ellie for planning to sneak out of the Academy, then Shade asked Emilia whether the elves had items that could hold Life Force.
• Emilia agreed to ask the Council of Elders about such items, while Ellie kissed Shade and ran off, prompting Emilia to kiss him too before chasing her.
• Shade told Daniste about the Witches’ information and Luvia’s divination, which led him to suspect that Mrs. Carter had the Fire Seed Source.
• Daniste agreed that Ellie could search for the Fire Seed Source before Shade opened the key for the third time on Saturday, then asked him to explain what had happened with Wei Ge Astley.

Shade reunited with Leisha and Iluna at Fragrant Residence, where Wei Ge used a detector to assess whether Iluna could undergo bodily modification. The detector also revealed that Leisha’s body remained incomplete despite her and her other half rejecting their destined union, leaving Galina urging them to investigate further.

• Shade returned to the Blue Ink Library, where Leisha and Iluna were visiting, and traveled with them to Fragrant Residence.
• Wei Ge welcomed the group and explained that her Life Detector could identify people suited for Human Body Alchemy modifications.
• The detector found Iluna’s left eye compatible with every type of modification, and Iluna explained how both of her unusual eyes had been created or transformed.
• Wei Ge examined Galina and Angelina, whose results showed that they were healthy but had no reproductive ability.
• The detector identified Leisha as an incomplete life who might have a split other half, and Leisha said she and her other half had rejected their destined merger.
• Angelina pointed out that Leisha’s body might still have an unresolved issue, and Galina encouraged her to investigate it even as Leisha told Shade not to get involved.

Shade learned more about the Skin Object Hall and decided to take the initiative against its Skin Crafters rather than rely on their agreement. He rescued a badly wounded Advanced Bloodkin, who told him that a shape-shifting Life Aberration had attacked his group, and led Shade toward Bernhardt's secret base near Grey Rock Pass.

• Shade sent Galina back to Tobesk, then summoned Desire at the Thornir River and received information about the Skin Object Hall on an embroidered handkerchief.
• Shade learned that Desire could not directly enter the hall unless he destroyed its old agreement, and decided he could not trust the Skin Crafters to honor their agreement with Wei Ge's Mother.
• Shade found a wounded Advanced Bloodkin in the river, restored his heart, and demanded that he swear to tell the truth.
• The Bloodkin explained that a shape-shifting Life Aberration had attacked his three-person group in the Lower Water channels, and he did not know what had happened to the other two.
• The Bloodkin told Shade that Bernhardt was near Greyrock Pass Fortress and guided him toward the group's hidden cave base.

Shade met with Mr. Bernhardt about the Blood Spirit School, missing Bloodkin, and a possible second wielder of Wither, then helped test Iluna’s modified eye. Iluna’s eye stored a Life Fire Seed and revealed new abilities, including detecting Life Force and converting her own Life Force into Fire Seeds.

• Shade absorbed the Twisted Life Fire Seeds Mr. Bernhardt had collected and discussed the Blood Spirit School’s experiments, Hermons, the Demon Eye Club, and the Skin Object Hall with him.
• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that his group had found more than fifty decayed corpses in a sealed sewer space, and Shade confirmed with the black crystal that the remains bore the power of Wither.
• Shade used the black crystal on the muddy remains and concluded that another being in the city, possibly a Demon, wielded Wither.
• After Iluna’s surgery, Shade placed normal Life Fire Seeds in her left eye, and Wei Ge confirmed that it had stored them successfully.
• Iluna discovered that her altered eye could reveal others’ Life Force and could transform her own Life Force into Fire Seeds; Shade warned her and Wei Ge not to use their eyes to contain Twisted Fire Seeds.

Shade explained the Chosen Ones and the threat of the Mermaid to Wei Ge, who agreed to help him prepare Chaos Bestowal and accepted their relationship. After lunch with Leisha and Iluna, Shade returned to Wei Ge’s residence, where she learned more about the women close to him and teased him about gathering princesses.

• Shade told Wei Ge that seven Chosen Ones remained alive and that all of them were connected to him.
• Wei Ge agreed to gather ten Great Witches for Chaos Bestowal and planned to ask the Speaker and Flora about the desires in her soul.
• Wei Ge and Shade affirmed their feelings for each other and kissed before Leisha and Angelina entered the study.
• Wei Ge gave Leisha and Iluna perfume, shared lunch with them, and invited them to visit again.
• Wei Ge put Shade in charge of her household affairs while she was away and accepted his relationships with other women.
• Shade told Wei Ge that Luvia, Dorothy, Leisha, Daniste, and Margaret were among the women close to him, and Wei Ge joked that he had gathered princesses from both kingdoms.

Shade told Wei Ge about his connections to the Great Witches and the Red Butterfly Sisters, then discussed their plans for the Skin Object Hall and the Industrial Expo. He spent the afternoon recounting his adventures and explained why Daniste might become a candidate if the Moon Egg hatched.

• Shade revealed the identities of Blaney and the Red Butterfly Sisters, and Wei Ge reacted with surprise before asking about his relationships with Relics.
• Shade told Wei Ge that he planned to enter the Charming Lady Club on Friday to pursue the Skin Crafter, and she agreed to accompany him in disguise.
• Shade and Wei Ge discussed the possibility that her mother might be involved in recovering her sisters and agreed to speak with her if they found her.
• Wei Ge told Shade that the Industrial Expo would proceed as scheduled and that the Anjou Royal Family might send Margaret to its opening.
• Shade spent the afternoon telling Wei Ge about his past adventures and relationships, including his connection to Margaret.
• Shade explained that Daniste could become a candidate if the Moon Egg hatched, since she might play a decisive role in its creation.

Shade and Wei Ge discussed possible Chosen Ones and the growing links between local organizations, then Shade gathered intelligence about the Charming Lady Club. The chapter ended with Mr. Bernhardt revealing that Bloodkin behind the club collected human blood from people.

• Shade and Wei Ge considered candidates for the Chosen Ones and debated the Demon Eye Club's involvement with the Blood Spirit School.
• Shade declined Wei Ge's invitation to stay the night and later asked Mr. Finch about the Old Continent Industrial Expo and the Charming Lady Club.
• Mr. Finch explained that the Church planned to hold the exposition because divinations predicted an even worse accident if it were postponed, and he connected the club to local nobles, political dealings, and Bloodkin.
• Shade traveled to Grey Rock Pass to question Mr. Bernhardt about the club after returning home to inform Winnie about dinner.
• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that Bloodkin behind the Charming Lady Club collected human blood through it to satisfy their cravings.

Shade learned that the Charming Lady Club’s masked ball involved local Bloodkin and might attract several factions, then discussed with Galina, Leisha, and Luvia how to find and enter the [Skin Object Hall]. The group planned to gather in Arcadia City on Friday night and decide whether to pursue the Hall immediately.

• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that some Advanced Bloodkin at the Charming Lady Club obtained human blood through violent activities, and that connected Bloodkin had disappeared or gone into hiding.
• Shade and Mr. Bernhardt compared invitations for the Club’s events and discussed possible traps, missing-person cases, and whether the Doppelgangers would attend the masked ball.
• Shade returned home and told Galina, Leisha, and Luvia what he had learned about the Club and the Skin Crafter.
• Luvia proposed taking the Skin Crafter to the Mermaid so it could locate the [Skin Object Hall], while Shade noted that the Mermaid might also help Wei Ge recover.
• Galina, Leisha, and Luvia agreed to gather available allies in Arcadia City on Friday night, with Luvia planning to invite Iluna and Daniste and Galina notifying the Council.

Shade arranged for Daniste to visit Arcadia and offered the Creation Church help treating Sophia Lopez, the Grieving Nun, while Wei Ge prepared for the group’s visit and their plans for the Skin Object Hall. As Wei Ge handled a busy day of political and personal business, Angelina adapted to life at the mansion by taking on correspondence and other work.

• Shade asked Daniste to accompany him to Arcadia, but she declined his invitation to spend the night because of a teaching meeting.
• Galina rewarded Shade at home, while Luvia and Leisha teased her about her jealousy of Wei Ge.
• Wei Ge told Shade that the Creation Church had asked for help treating Sophia Lopez’s injuries from the Twisted Life Fire Seed, and Shade agreed to offer an examination as the God Summoner.
• Wei Ge learned that Luvia and the others would visit that evening to prepare for her entry into the Skin Object Hall, and she arranged for them to stay at her mansion if they did not enter the hall.
• Angelina settled into life at Wei Ge’s mansion and began handling spice records, letters, directives, and other administrative tasks.

Shade met the injured Grieving Nun, Sophia Lopez, and found that her life activity remained dangerously heightened even after the Twisted Life Fire Seeds had been removed. He discovered that Wither could suppress her condition temporarily, then began testing a different approach with Moonlight.

• Wei Ge told Shade that the Church had arranged for him to meet the Grieving Nun at Candlekeep Library, while she stayed home to await Galina and the others.
• Mr. Conti, the Scarlet Sage, escorted Shade to Sophia Lopez, whose great-granddaughter and an Eleventh Ring Doctor were also present.
• Shade sensed that Sophia’s life activity was dangerously vigorous because the Twisted Life Fire Seeds had permanently affected her life form.
• Shade used Life Ray: Withering Form to suppress Sophia’s life activity, but the effect faded when he stopped, and he decided that placing the Ring of Withering Fire on her would kill her.
• After discussing the risks of death and Wither, Shade gained Life Force through Life Backfire and began casting Moonlight.

Shade created the Withering Moon to suppress Sister Lope’s condition, then returned to Fragrant Residence and comforted Wei Ge about her fears concerning her mother. Luvia and the others arrived for a gathering and a planned divination, leaving Wei Ge captivated by Luvia’s violet eyes.

• Shade fused the Life Fire Seed, the Ring of Withering Fire, and Moonlight Water into the Withering Moon, then gave it to Mr. Conti to be implanted in Sister Lope.
• After Sister Lope and Mr. Conti left, Shade told Wei Ge about her great-granddaughter’s flirtatious behavior and jokingly wondered whether she could be Wei Ge’s mother in disguise.
• Wei Ge worried that her mother might be hiding within her and controlling her, and Shade reassured her while promising that Annette and Bella would soon use the Fate Base to divine the truth.
• Wei Ge prepared Fragrant Residence for the visitors, and Shade welcomed Luvia, Dorothy, Daniste, Iluna, Winnie, Sivie, Ilisa, Siris, Vanessa, Bella, Claire, Flora, Galina, Tifa, and Little Mia.
• Wei Ge greeted Daniste and then spotted Luvia, becoming entranced by her violet eyes and regretting that she had chosen a purple gown.

Wei Ge met Luvia and noticed that Luvia seemed immune to the Chaos Effect surrounding her. As the guests settled in at Fragrant Residence, Wei Ge worried over Luvia’s place in Shade’s life, and the chapter ended with the witches sharing a warm banquet.

• Wei Ge greeted Luvia, who praised her beauty, and sensed that Luvia was unaffected by her Chaos Effect.
• Shade visited Luvia, who told him that Joey Barton and Marylin Handel would arrive in Arcadia the next day to help with Wei Ge’s mother’s soul.
• Wei Ge asked Galina about Luvia’s background and admitted that she wondered whether Luvia would like her; Galina teased her about her confidence and jealousy.
• The witches gathered for dinner, where Bella joked that everyone would gladly bring Shade whatever food he wanted.
• Shade observed that Wei Ge got along easily with the witches, who treated her like family.

Shade and Wei Ge went undercover at the Charming Lady Club to search for the Skin Crafter, posing as lovers who wanted a leather outfit altered. They met the club’s host, Butterfly Lady, and began explaining their request, leaving their investigation underway.

• Shade and Wei Ge disguised themselves and traveled to the Charming Lady Club at Hazel Manor while Iluna, Vanessa, and Flora stayed outside to provide support.
• They entered the greenhouse after presenting the Invitation Letter and found a refined gathering of masked guests, but Shade spotted no Skin Crafter or Ring Arcanist.
• Butterfly Lady approached the newcomers and asked about their identities, purpose, and relationship.
• Wei Ge claimed that she and Shade were lovers seeking to damage a special leather outfit so Shade could wear it during their games.