Chapter Summaries

Wei Ge and Shade resumed their private outing after the Church carriage left, then visited the Astley Family’s Apple Orchard. There, Wei Ge shared memories of her parents and her growing uncertainty about her mother, leaving Shade to wonder whether the orchard might hold clues Peggy Lemay left behind.

• After the Church carriage departed, Wei Ge and Shade discussed the rescued princess’s future before resuming their private treatment on the lawn.
• Wei Ge suggested visiting her family’s Apple Orchard, and Shade carried her there after she said her legs were weak.
• As they walked through the orchard, Wei Ge recalled that her father had brought her mother there during their first spring together.
• Wei Ge admitted that learning about her mother’s past in The Truth Society and her Human Transmutation experiments made her question the woman she thought she knew.
• Shade suggested Wei Ge ask her mother about her past if they found her, while he wondered whether Peggy Lemay had left clues at places tied to Wei Ge’s parents.

Shade and Wei Ge discovered an abandoned laboratory beneath the Apple Orchard, then joined Megan at the Witch Council. Wei Ge showed Shade the Chaos Temple, where ancient objects rested beneath an emblem of the Chaos Witch.

• Shade sensed a prepared Ring Arcanist spying on him and Wei Ge, but the stranger escaped using a teleportation Relic.
• Shade used Enhanced Space Perception to find a buried chamber beneath the Apple Orchard, where Wei Ge and the others discovered an abandoned laboratory once used by her mother to research eyes that could store Life Force.
• Megan reassured Shade that Wei Ge should not blame herself for her mother's actions, while Wei Ge recovered from disappointment that their date had been disrupted.
• Wei Ge and Megan brought Shade through the mysterious passageway to the Witch Council, where the gathered Witches began their meeting without the Speaker.
• Wei Ge led Shade and the others into the Chaos Temple, revealing its Chaos Witch emblem, ancient Miracle-bearing objects, and an empty pool behind a low wall.

Shade received the Witches’ Chaos Bestowal after bathing and praying in the Council’s ritual chamber, where he dreamed of two mysterious shadows. Though the Witches urged him to rest, he left for the Underground Palace to test his enhanced abilities.

• Wei Ge explained that the Council chamber held books and ritual items, then prepared the bath so the Witches could bless Shade.
• The Witches teased Claire and Wei Ge for not having seen Shade naked before they began praying while he soaked in the bath.
• Shade fell asleep in the cold, glowing water and dreamed of two shadows whose chant promised a blessing and warned of new challenges.
• Vanessa and Sylvia woke Shade, and he received the Chaos Bestowal for one week, strengthening his soul and resistance to mental abnormalities while enhancing Chaos Thaumaturgy.
• After returning to Fragrant Residence, Shade insisted on testing his blessing at the Underground Palace despite Wei Ge and Megan urging him to rest.

Shade tested the strengthened Chaos Remnants, then joined Wei Ge for an outing to the Kasonlik Printing Industry Exhibition, where the Seer Association displayed rare Rhodes Cards. They reached the Seer Association’s exhibit, and Shade began admiring its elaborate collectible cards.

• Shade tested Chaos Remnants in Wei Ge's reinforced training ground and found its power had increased.
• After Megan left, Wei Ge invited Shade to a printing industry exhibition as the afternoon part of their outing.
• Wei Ge gave Shade her numbered ticket and told him to keep it safe so he could claim a commemorative Rhodes Card for her when the Old Continent Industrial Expo opened.
• Shade and Wei Ge toured the exhibition at Candlekeep Library, viewing printing equipment, printed works, and exhibits from several guilds and institutions.
• Shade and Wei Ge arrived at the Seer Association's exhibit, where Shade saw its gilded, elaborately illustrated Rhodes Cards.

Shade examined ancient Rhodes Cards at the exposition and then spoke with Miss Pawo at the Kasonlik Royal Mint’s display. Miss Pawo revealed that someone had directed her group to documents inside [Skin Object Hall] and that the package had come from Wei Ge’s Mother more than twenty years earlier.

• Shade admired five rare cards from the Angel, Demon, Holy Sword, Dragon, and Legend Series and wondered whether he could ever obtain them.
• Miss Pawo arrived at the exposition and studied the Kasonlik Royal Mint’s displays, prompting Shade to join her.
• Miss Pawo described currency as a river carrying a civilization’s information and said her studies of mathematics had led her to encounter the power of Civilization.
• Miss Pawo thanked Shade for containing [Skin Object Hall] and explained that her group had entered it to retrieve documents about the birth of life.
• Miss Pawo said a package from Wei Ge’s Mother had been delivered to her group at the Candle Keep Black Market more than twenty years earlier, along with directions to the documents.

Shade and Wei Ge learned more about Peggy Le May’s plan to resurrect herself using a Seed of Life, while keeping their own secrets from Miss Pawo. After a sudden downpour drove them back to Fragrant Residence, Wei Ge joined Shade in the bath, leaving their conversation at an intimate moment.

• Miss Pawo told Shade that Peggy Le May had researched the Emerald Record and might use a Seed of Life, formed from a Fire Seed Source, to resurrect herself.
• Shade refused Miss Pawo’s offer to trade for the Skin Object Nicola Le May, explaining that he and Wei Ge needed it to search for the Redstone Baroness.
• Wei Ge said she did not know whether she would stop her mother from returning from the dead, and Shade promised to follow her lead.
• Shade and Wei Ge were caught in a sudden downpour at Oakham Park and returned to Fragrant Residence to wash and change.
• Wei Ge entered the bath with Shade and told him she preferred the larger bath in his room.

Shade and Wei Ge spent the day together in her bath until Galina arrived with a warning that the Speaker would question Wei Ge about the [Skin Object Hall] incident. After leaving with Galina, Shade planned his next investigations while rumors of a major theft in Wilundell added to the coming uncertainty.

• Wei Ge kissed Shade and drew him into an intimate encounter, then rested in his arms and asked to see him again the next day.
• Angelina noticed Eve was distracted, encouraged her to be bold in the future, and offered to discuss private matters and recommend books.
• Galina arrived and told Wei Ge that the Speaker would visit at eight to ask about the [Skin Object Hall] incident.
• Galina told Shade that Margaret was heading to the front lines with Sylvia, and that important items might have been stolen from Wilundell.
• Shade left with Galina and planned to see Sylvia and Margaret the next morning, then work with Mr. Bernhardt and investigate Big Mouth Sparrow.
• Galina warned Shade that Big Mouth Sparrow might already be dead, since agents rarely lived long.

Shade dreamed a second time of the Sea of Origin and concluded that its arrival was approaching, though he could not tell when or where it would descend. After a quiet night with Galina and an early morning together, he met Sylvia and Margaret before Margaret left for the Eastern Front.

• Shade told Galina he would consider contacting Big Mouth Sparrow if Sparrow was dead and the information about Kalas Mountain proved important.
• Shade dreamed of the Pink Beach and the Red Sea again, learned from In Heart that the Sea of Origin was truly approaching, and woke at 6:13 with the dream clearly in his memory.
• Shade and Galina woke early, spent the morning together, and joined Little Mia for breakfast after getting out of bed at half past seven.
• Shade went to the Witch's Tower, where Sylvia and Margaret were waiting before Margaret's week-long trip to the Eastern Front.
• Shade gave Margaret a Dragon Scale Amulet and Star Dew, then gave protective charms made by Priest Augustus to Margaret and Sylvia for their coming visit to Arcadia City.

After bidding farewell to Margaret and Sylvia, Shade learned that the Royal Mint had been robbed and that Arcadia City’s relentless rain signaled the appearance of the Sage Level Relic [Rain Man]. As frogs began appearing across the city, Shade prepared to search for the relic’s body, and Mr. Finch arrived with his Doomsday Survival Carriage to help.

• Margaret told Shade that the Royal Mint had been robbed, and she and Sylvia departed for Wilundell after saying goodbye to him.
• Shade bought a newsboy’s remaining newspapers and noticed that frogs were croaking increasingly often in the rain as he traveled toward Fragrant Residence.
• Wei Ge identified the phenomenon as [Rain Man], explained its three stages of frog-related danger, and told Shade that the relic was likely in its early Second Stage.
• Shade decided to search for [Rain Man]’s main body while Wei Ge stayed home, and Miss Lorraine announced that Mr. Finch had come to see him.
• Mr. Finch arrived with his Doomsday Survival Carriage, intending to help Shade search for the relic.

Shade joined Mr. Finch in his specially equipped carriage to search the Outer City District for Rain Man, while learning about Mr. Finch’s past encounter with the relic and its vulnerability to fire. As they continued their search, they discussed recent Flesh-mechanical Mutation and Shade’s dreams of the Sea of Origin, whose connection to the mutations remained uncertain.

• Shade told Wei Ge he would be safe with Mr. Finch and left to help search for Rain Man.
• Mr. Finch explained that Rain Man caused three days of escalating horrors and that fire could harm the relic.
• Mr. Finch recounted how a mad Third Ring Arcanist summoned Rain Man, and how the Church’s forces eventually killed its main body and banished it.
• Shade and Mr. Finch searched the Outer City District in the disguised carriage while discussing the recent Flesh-mechanical Mutation affecting Eve.
• Shade told Mr. Finch about his dreams of the Sea of Origin and wondered whether it was connected to the mutations, but Mr. Finch said the idea was only speculation.

Shade and Mr. Finch tracked the [Rain Man] relic as its second stage worsened, while discussing the [Demon Eye Club]'s possible motives. They found Ms. Handel and Joey Barton fighting the relic's mutated main body at a factory construction site, and Shade attacked it with Thunderclap Wave.

• Shade and Mr. Finch discussed the aftermath of the [Skin Object Hall] incident and why the Church had not moved against the [Demon Eye Club].
• Mr. Finch suggested the [Demon Eye Club] might seek to evolve Magic Eyes and obtain the Creator's eye, while frogs began falling from the sky.
• Shade sensed a faint disturbance of strange elements, and he and Mr. Finch found the relic's main body at a textile factory construction site.
• Ms. Handel and Joey Barton restrained the frog-like relic until Mr. Finch shot it down with his shotgun.
• The mutated [Rain Man] charged at Shade and Mr. Finch, and Shade struck back with Thunderclap Wave.

Shade and his companions battled the relic [Rain Man], which repeatedly evolved through the rain and changed forms to survive. Shade finally used Red Moon’s power to stop its transformations and sealed its true form in a Stone Coffin.

• Shade and his companions wounded the monster, and Joey Barton pulled Humanity from its chest before it dissolved into rainwater.
• The monster turned the rain into tadpoles that evolved and devoured one another, then reassembled itself and absorbed the rain to grow stronger.
• Shade transformed into a Unicorn, a Silver Snake, Red Butterflies, and a Moonlight Dragon to counter the monster’s changing forms.
• Shade infused his Moon Fire with Red Moon’s power, preventing the monster from changing form and burning it back to its dried-corpse form.
• Joey Barton raised a Stone Coffin, and Shade sealed the corpse inside with the Thaumaturgy Coffin of the Underworld.

Shade and his allies sealed the Rain Man relic, though Mr. Finch explained that the method had only temporarily dispersed it. While studying a frog-skin derivative afterward, Shade gained insight into the Spirit Rune [Change], then returned to Fragrant Residence, where Wei Ge welcomed him with a bath.

• Shade sealed the Rain Man, which vanished and left behind a useful frog-skin Relic Derivative.
• Shade gave the frog skin to Ms. Handel, introduced her and Joey Barton to Mr. Finch, and then left with the old alchemist.
• Mr. Finch praised Shade’s transformations and explained that ten forms could qualify him for an assessment at the Academy of Myriad Transformations.
• Touching the frog skin and reflecting on transformation and the Moon’s changing phases led Shade to gain insight into [Change].
• Shade returned to Fragrant Residence, where Wei Ge prepared a bath and invited him to join her.

Shade left Wei Ge’s home to meet Mr. Bernhardt about the Bloodkin’s investigation of ancient sewers, but Apna Library’s offer of local historical information drew them to a meeting at Greyrock Pass Fortress. There, Shade recognized Apna Library’s director, Mr. Higgins.

• After spending the morning and noon with Wei Ge, Shade promised to return that evening and left to meet Mr. Bernhardt.
• Wei Ge questioned Eve about accompanying the maids at lunch, then sent her to seal the frog skin Shade had left in the Underground Palace.
• Shade heard gunfire while crossing the Outer City District but continued on to Mr. Bernhardt’s cave outside Greyrock Pass Fortress.
• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that Apna Library had offered information about ancient local Bloodkin, and Shade agreed to join him at their meeting.
• At Lady’s Caress of the Rose, Shade recognized the Twelfth Ring man as Mr. Higgins, Apna Library’s director.

Shade and Mr. Bernhardt met with Dull Higgins of the [Apna Library], who sought Bloodkin help contacting the God Summoner in exchange for local support and information. Higgins then revealed how Bloodkin and Derainore’s royal family secretly joined their bloodlines before the kingdom fell, leaving the Church’s investigation unfinished.

• Shade recognized Dull Higgins as the curator of the [Apna Library] through his connection to Old John, and Mr. Bernhardt introduced himself as Ventrue.
• Higgins offered the Bloodkin information about their history in Derainore and support in the region in exchange for knowledge about Moon Sage libraries and help contacting the God Summoner.
• Mr. Bernhardt agreed to provide the Bloodkin’s legends about the libraries and write to the God Summoner, while Shade reflected on his own progress toward the [Silver Moon Library].
• Higgins explained that a Bloodkin countess bore a child by Derainore’s king, and the child’s descendants later formed a hidden royal bloodline.
• Higgins said that generations later, the Bloodkin lineage merged into the legitimate royal bloodline, and the Church’s investigation was interrupted by the Siege of Arcadia City and Derainore’s fall.

Shade and Mr. Bernhardt learned from Old Mr. Higgins that the Burgundy Family might have descended from people connected to the Firstborn Son, and that ancient Bloodkin held secrets about altering the royal bloodline. They agreed to cooperate with [Apna Library], and Shade prepared a letter sharing clues about the [Silver Moon Library].

• Old Mr. Higgins explained that the Burgundy Family’s ancestor was said to have emerged from the sea with a flawless silver appearance, and that the family might be connected to the Firstborn Son.
• Mr. Bernhardt and Shade learned that some ancient Bloodkin remained asleep in Arcadia and that the [Blood Spirit School] was searching for their bloodline-altering techniques.
• Mr. Bernhardt agreed to contact God Summoner and pass along any news to [Apna Library] as part of their cooperation.
• After returning to the base, Shade wrote [Apna Library] a letter describing ways to enter the [Silver Moon Library] and warning them about Sir Prisha, the “Mad All-Knowing.”
• Shade asked Mr. Bernhardt to deliver the letter the day after tomorrow, and the two considered how the Derainore Royal Family’s history connected to ancient legends.

Shade connected Wei Ge’s family history and Princess Burgundy’s pendant to a possible ritual that could reveal a clue about Aurora. He arranged to search the Astley family’s ancestral collection with Wei Ge the next morning, then returned home to prepare for an important Time Lock with Daniste.

• Mr. Bernhardt told Shade that the Burgundy Family eventually died out and that the Astley Family was considered the Delinore Kingdom’s legitimate successor.
• Shade told Wei Ge about the Burgundy Family’s history and suggested her mother had left clues connected to Aurora’s recovery.
• Wei Ge showed Shade Princess Burgundy’s pendant, and they concluded it might be an item for an alchemical ritual whose remaining clues could be in the Astley family collection.
• Wei Ge agreed to take Shade to the collection vault beneath Greyrock Pass Fortress the next morning.
• Shade returned home and met Luvia, Daniste, Emilia, Ellie, and Little Mia; Daniste said the Time Lock could be unlocked between seven that evening and one the next morning.

Shade, Daniste, Emilia, and Ellie retrieved the Fire Seed Source and the living, night-colored Dragon Egg from the Dragon Blood Tree’s Tree Hollow. Daniste took the egg to examine it, while Shade returned home and discussed its imminent hatching and possible identity as a Night Dragon.

• Daniste delayed the group by reviewing and signing documents before leading Shade, Emilia, and Ellie to the Dragon Blood Tree.
• Shade opened the Tree Hollow with the Fire Seed Source Mark and removed the night-colored egg, causing the Tree Hollow to vanish.
• Daniste felt the egg’s strong heartbeat and took it to the Library to examine its condition.
• Shade told Luvia and Sivie that the egg was alive and near hatching, and described possible explanations for its survival across epochs.
• Shade said the group had named the new life a Night Dragon and asked Luvia to help bring the egg over the next morning for confirmation as a candidate.

While sleeping beside Sivie, Shade dreamed of the Underworld Moon and met the black cat’s soul and Haila Madam Osenfott. He wondered whether death could offer a way to overcome the Firstborn Son, then woke with a blessing from the newborn soul.

• Sivie challenged herself during the night until she fell asleep exhausted, while Shade comforted her and went to sleep beside her.
• Shade dreamed that he was in a boat beneath the Underworld Moon, surrounded by souls heading toward the half-sunken moon.
• Shade reunited with the black cat’s soul and Haila Madam Osenfott, who explained that he likely would not have entered the dream unless he longed for it or the moon believed he needed its power.
• Shade discussed his worries about the Sea of Origin and the Firstborn Son, but declined to summon other dead souls for advice.
• Shade sat beneath the Underworld Moon with the cat and Haila beside him, and received the Blessing of the Newborn Soul.

Shade and Daniste examined Helena Carter’s nearly hatched egg and concluded that it needed a special growing environment for its final, seed-like stage. Daniste took the egg back to find one, while Luvia warned that Helena could become a Chosen One if drawn to Arcadia City.

• Daniste brought the Dragon Egg to Shade’s home and reported that its life indicators were normal and that its Fire Seed Source should remain in place until it hatched.
• Shade explained that Helena Carter’s new life would combine her moon and tree powers with the Dragon Egg’s body, and that she was close to becoming a Candidate for a Chosen One.
• Shade reasoned that the egg needed a suitable environment for a seed to break its shell, and it wobbled in response when he asked whether it wanted special soil and growing conditions.
• Daniste volunteered to find a growing environment suited to the egg’s powers, while Luvia advised her to keep Helena away from Arcadia City if she did not want her to become a Chosen One.
• Daniste returned to the Academy with the egg, while Emilia and Ellie planned to visit Ice and Snow Castle and then Claire in Kael-Todd Town.