Chapter Summaries

Shade struggled with recurring dreams of the Sea of Origin, and his companions discussed ways to protect his sleep. Meanwhile, Flora arrived in Arcadia City to help guard Fragrant Residence, leaving Shade with an expanded group of allies as Princess Margaret’s arrival approached.

• Shade dreamed of the Sea of Origin again, and the Moon’s voice explained that dreams could reflect truths beneath the world’s surface.
• At breakfast, Daniste, Luvia, and Dorothy discussed the gods’ influence over dreams and proposed giving Shade a Dreamless Potion.
• Shade read reports about Princess Margaret’s expected arrival before reaching Fragrant Residence and finding Flora there.
• Flora explained that Wei Ge had invited her to help guard the residence, and she said she had come to Arcadia City for family business and the Industrial Expo.
• Wei Ge welcomed Flora’s help protecting Fragrant Residence until Sylvia and the others arrived, while Shade caught up with Flora’s apprentice, Miss Bell.

Flora visited Shade and Wei Ge in Arcadia City, where they discussed refugees suffering strange Dream-related deaths and Slumbers. After Wei Ge left to attend to family business, Flora spent time with Shade and planned to paint Daniste’s Dragon Egg, while new clues about Flora’s growing power emerged.

• Miss Bell joined Angelina and Eve, while Flora and Shade discussed The Church’s report of refugees dying in their sleep or falling into long Slumber.
• Wei Ge said the affected refugees’ bodies showed unusually strong Life Energy and faint Whisper Element reactions, and the cause of the Dream-related cases remained uncertain.
• Flora asked Shade to let her paint Daniste’s Dragon Egg and Daniste with it, though Shade warned that Daniste might refuse.
• Flora explained that Joey Barton and Lady Marylin Handel were becoming death-related phenomena, then showed Shade her improved Twelfth Order power in a spar.
• After lunch, Wei Ge left with Miss Lorraine to meet the Astley Family’s supporters, and Shade explained that her improved health let her handle more duties in person.

Shade practiced Partial Transformation Spell with Flora to advance toward the [Change] Ling Rune, mastering several of his forms while receiving guidance on the others. After Wei Ge returned, she reported a serious Sleeping Sickness outbreak among refugees, leaving its connection to the Sea of Origin uncertain.

• Flora taught Shade Partial Transformation Spell, and he successfully summoned Moonlight Dragon wings that let him fly without a Flight Spell.
• Shade practiced partial transformations of his Titan, dragon, Red Butterflies, cat, wolf, snake, and Unicorn forms, while Flora guided his weaker techniques and demonstrated cat ears and a tail.
• Flora and Shade transformed into Unicorns, and Flora teased him about his smaller juvenile form while teaching him Unicorn transformation.
• Wei Ge returned and reported that Sleeping Sickness had spread among refugees, with a few cases among Outer City residents and none reported in the Upper City.
• Shade and Wei Ge judged that the outbreak might be related to a relic rather than the Sea of Origin, though Wei Ge said her Followers were investigating and the Sea of Origin could not yet be ruled out.

Shade prepared for the sleeping sickness investigation and visited Moon Bay, where he discussed plans for the Industrial Expo and the [Swamp of Oblivion] with Siris. Siris advised him to test whether the swamp was a god’s dream, and Shade was left feeling guilty as their conversation continued.

• Flora warned Wei Ge that the sleeping sickness might spread, and Shade planned to examine its victims after welcoming Margaret the next morning.
• Shade left Wei Ge’s residence, returned home, and traveled to Moon Bay with Luvia for dinner at Belinder Manor.
• Bella described Moon Bay’s trade and the delegation she planned to send to the Industrial Expo, while Luvia asked her for help with an Astrology lens and [Saint Alliance].
• Shade went with Vanessa and Siris to Heranston Mansion, where Siris asked him to recount his experiences in [Swamp of Oblivion].
• Siris suggested Shade enter a dream in the swamp to determine whether the place itself was a god’s dream, then advised him on handling its illusions and enemies.
• Shade listened closely to Siris’s advice but grew guilty, and Siris noticed his change in expression.

Shade spent the night with Siris, who planned several ways to help Lady Thorn and the twin Old Witches recover their memories. Back at 6 Saint Derain Square, he found Flora sketching the Dragon Egg before she returned to Fragrant Residence, reminding him that Margaret and Sylvia would arrive at Greyrock Pass Fortress the next morning.

• Siris reassured Shade about their relationship, and they discussed methods for recovering the amnesiacs' memories.
• Siris offered to prepare a Divine Art Item and a Strong Memory Recovery Potion, and gave Shade False Memory Bullets made from Faded Memory.
• Vanessa eavesdropped briefly, then visited the study and later let Shade leave without her, promising him surprises next time.
• Shade returned to 6 Saint Derain Square and found Flora sketching the Dragon Egg for an oil painting she planned to make before it hatched.
• Flora returned to Fragrant Residence to protect Charlotte and the others, and reminded Shade that Margaret and Sylvia would reach Greyrock Pass Fortress at ten the next morning.

Daniste decided to return to her Academy duties after spending several nights with Shade, while Shade prepared for Princess Margaret’s arrival at Greyrock Pass Fortress. Before heading there, he discussed the stolen Printing Plate Masters and his suspicions about [The Truth Society] with Mr. Bernhardt; the chapter left Shade inside the heavily guarded train station awaiting the welcoming ceremony.

• Daniste told Shade she would not visit that night because she needed to focus on the Academy, then returned to work while Luvia stayed home to rest.
• Shade visited Mr. Bernhardt and discussed the Gray Gloves hideout attack, the stolen Printing Plate Masters, and the Astley Family’s symbolic claim to legitimacy.
• Shade explained his theory that [The Truth Society] might be interested in currency as a source of energy for a Mechanical Lifeform, and Mr. Bernhardt agreed to watch for related clues.
• Shade traveled to Greyrock Pass Fortress and entered its tightly secured train station to await Princess Margaret’s arrival.

Shade watched Princess Margaret arrive at Greyrock Pass Fortress and give a speech in her military uniform, then investigated the Sleeping Sickness patients housed at the local hospital. He found signs of a curse and unusually strong Life Force, and left the mystery to the church’s investigation while waiting nearby during Margaret’s public events.

• Shade monitored the crowd as the delayed royal train arrived, and Margaret stepped out in a military uniform to cheers from the gathered officials and nobles.
• A baron collapsed from heatstroke during Margaret’s speech, but the princess continued after speeding up her remarks.
• Shade went to Greyrock Wounded Soldiers Hospital and sensed Whisper Element, curse power, and excessive Life Force in the Sleeping Sickness patients.
• Shade tested the patients with the Demon Hunting Seal but found no sign that the Demon was involved.
• Shade left the hospital and sat outside a roadside restaurant near Margaret’s scheduled public speech, wondering what to order for lunch.

Shade reunited with Margaret and the Witch Council’s other apprentices in Arcadia City as the Great Witches planned their next steps against the Saint Alliance. The sudden Sleeping Sickness worsened when Baron Spencer, newly arrived in the city, developed the same symptoms, and the Church prepared to investigate patients’ dreams.

• Shade waited until Margaret’s carriage left Greyrock Pass Fortress, then returned to Fragrant Residence with Wei Ge.
• Margaret and Sylvia arrived at Fragrant Residence, where the apprentices exchanged information and Margaret asked Angelina to take over some of her duties.
• Shade discussed plans against the Saint Alliance with the Great Witches while Margaret spent the afternoon with the other apprentices.
• Sylvia summoned Margaret after Baron Spencer failed to wake from a nap, and the two hurried back to White Cliff Manor.
• Margaret later confirmed that Baron Spencer had the same Sleeping Sickness symptoms as other patients, despite arriving in Arcadia City that day.
• The Church told Wei Ge it would send people into patients’ dreams that night to investigate the Sleeping Sickness.

Shade secretly spent the night with Sylvia, then dreamed of Arcadia City engulfed by curse-marked roots beneath three moonlike eyes. He avoided the dream’s more dangerous center and searched the city, where he discovered other victims of Sleeping Sickness.

• Sylvia visited Shade in secret, spent the night with him, and left for Blue Ink Library before dawn.
• Shade fell asleep and found himself in a dream version of Blue Ink Library and Arcadia City, where strange roots covered buildings and roads.
• Shade and “She” identified the roots as a dream curse resembling the Sleeping Sickness curse, and Shade recognized the Three Moons as watching eyes.
• Shade headed toward the Foot of the Mountain but stopped when he felt the dream watching him more strongly, then chose not to enter the Outer City District.
• Shade searched the dream’s Lower District and Upper City District, found no Church team, and discovered other Sleeping Sickness victims.

Shade investigated Sleeping Sickness in the Dream of Curses and learned that cursed roots were spreading toward the Upper City District. After discussing the curse and the Fire Seed Sources with the Witches, he invited Iluna to dinner and reminded her that it was her birthday.

• Shade found two Sleeping Sickness victims fused with roots in the dream, then returned safely through the Silver Moon Dream.
• Shade told Luvia, Winnie, Daniste, and Galina about the dream, and they concluded that a conspiracy involving multiple powers was behind it.
• Luvia reported that the Fire Seed Source held by the Infant-Holding Holy Mother was new and likely connected to the Blood Spirit School.
• Luvia said she and Bella could not divine the injured Infant-Holding Holy Mother or the Abomination, but they planned to locate them before Sunday.
• Shade invited Iluna to dinner at Saint Derain Square and reminded her that it was her birthday.

Shade learned that the Church's investigators were trapped at Grey Rock Pass in a connected dream, and proposed entering the dream himself to guide others toward its core. He also invited Iluna's friends to dinner for her nineteenth birthday and met Miss Camille Eden to discuss confronting the [Saint Alliance].

• Shade invited Iluna to dinner for her nineteenth birthday, and she agreed to come.
• Wei Ge told Shade that the Church's investigators found red-lit roots blocking Grey Rock Pass in a dream shared by multiple Sleeping Sickness victims.
• Flora reasoned that the dream's rules sent intruders to Grey Rock Pass because it was commonly known as Arcadia's entrance, while Shade had reached the Lower District through the Blue Ink Library.
• Shade proposed entering the dream as a beacon and consulting Doctor Schneider about reaching its core, and Wei Ge worried that the sickness might affect Angelina and other Arcanists.
• Shade invited Angelina to Iluna's birthday dinner, and Wei Ge allowed her to return to Tobesk with him.
• Shade met Miss Camille Eden and discussed joining forces with the Witches against the [Saint Alliance], then asked whether she had fought the Infant-Holding Holy Mother.

Shade coordinated with Miss Eden and the Church on operations against the Saint Alliance and the spreading Sleeping Sickness, then learned that the Saint Alliance was assembling a body for the Container from rare remains. Wei Ge later asked Shade to accompany her to the Charming Lady Club to contact a Gray Gloves agent and investigate links to the Printing Plate Masters theft.

• Shade invited Miss Eden to join the planned operation against the Saint Alliance, and she agreed to share the Church’s intelligence with the Witch Council.
• Miss Eden explained the Church’s plans to investigate the Sleeping Sickness and relocate refugees, while Shade shared what he had learned about the dream.
• Shade asked Doctor Schneider for advice on exploring the dangerous dream, and the Doctor promised to provide instructions at their next meeting.
• Shade and Flora studied Church records showing that the Saint Alliance had been piecing together a body for the Container from rare bones and corpses, including suspected Angel Remains.
• Wei Ge told Shade that the Charming Lady Club was connected to intelligence channels tied to the Printing Plate Masters theft, and asked him to accompany her to contact a Gray Gloves agent.

Shade and Wei Ge attended the Club for the third consecutive week after a lively birthday dinner for Iluna, where their friends gathered at 6 Saint Derain Square. At the Club, Butterfly Lady asked Wei Ge to sell the Club unnamed invitations to Princess Margaret’s banquet, and Wei Ge agreed to discuss the price.

• Shade and Wei Ge discussed the Club’s complicated ties and went with their friends to celebrate Iluna’s birthday at 6 Saint Derain Square.
• Iluna stayed overnight with Emilia and Ellie, while Shade sent Angelina back to Arcadia City and comforted her with kisses.
• Shade and Wei Ge traveled to Hazel Manor and attended the Club’s event in its flower-filled Greenhouse.
• Butterfly Lady asked Wei Ge to obtain unnamed invitations to Princess Margaret’s banquet, and Wei Ge said she had several available and asked what the Club would pay.

Wei Ge and Shade attended the Charming Lady Club, where Butterfly Lady revealed that a Mint insider had stolen two Printing Plate Masters and was hiding in Arcadia. After Shade met a Gray Gloves contact, Wei Ge ordered Angelina to infiltrate the local organization, leaving the Astley Family poised to turn suspicion into influence.

• Butterfly Lady told Wei Ge that a Mint insider had stolen two Printing Plate Masters and was hiding somewhere in Arcadia.
• Shade grew suspicious of Butterfly Lady, then met a Gray Gloves contact in the garden to request a new intelligence line and clarification about Princess Margaret.
• The Gray Gloves contact gave Shade addresses and times for obtaining a new contact method, agreed to explain the situation to Margaret, and revealed that agents also suspected the Astley Family.
• Wei Ge learned that the Gray Gloves were investigating her family and became angry on the journey home.
• Wei Ge ordered Angelina to infiltrate the local Gray Gloves, while Shade supported the plan and Angelina said the organization had internal weaknesses they could exploit.

Flora stayed late painting the Dragon Egg at Shade’s home, and Dorothy spent the night with Shade while he slept without dreams. The next morning, Shade discovered Charlotte Bell had fallen victim to Sleeping Sickness at Fragrant Residence, but he awakened her with Door Key: Sleeping Princess.

• Flora refused to stop painting until Galina and Daniste persuaded her to leave, and Galina and Daniste gave Dorothy the chance to stay with Shade.
• Dorothy fell asleep beside Shade, and he woke at six-thirty after a rare dreamless night.
• Shade went to Fragrant Residence the next morning and learned that Charlotte Bell had fallen into Sleeping Sickness.
• Shade used Door Key: Sleeping Princess and kissed Charlotte, breaking the curse and waking her.
• Charlotte told Flora she felt as though she had dreamed for a long time but otherwise felt fine.

Shade and his companions dealt with Miss Bell’s recovery from a dream curse while preparing for a coming operation against the Saint Alliance. After the group meeting, Shade told Priest Augustus that the Alliance had been assembling human bodies from incomplete Corpses and might have collected Angel Remains.

• Miss Bell woke with unclear memories of becoming a huge tree, and Shade confirmed that the dream had depleted her Spiritual Power and slightly damaged her soul.
• Shade decided to skip the banquet and stay at the residence with Dorothy, while Wei Ge and Flora prepared to leave Fragrant Residence.
• Shade returned home, spent time with Luvia and Dorothy, and later received a Dream Infiltration Kit from the Doctor.
• At the group meeting, the Doctor and Priest Augustus discussed wartime counseling, while the group focused on coursework and final reports.
• Shade asked Priest Augustus to travel out of town with him and, after the meeting, told him about the Saint Alliance’s corpse-assembly efforts and possible Angel Remains.

Shade gathered support for an operation against the [Saint Alliance] and spoke with Sister Devlin about the unborn Abomination and the First Fire. After promising to stand by her, he returned to Fragrant Residence and continued Dorothy’s Night Lesson while they waited for Wei Ge and Flora.

• Priest Augustus agreed to help Shade confront the [Saint Alliance], gave him a Bone Whistle to summon help, and warned that Sun’s power could seal or destroy an Abomination before it was born.
• Shade left Dorothy at the Blue Ink Library and traveled to Middlesburg, where Sister Devlin discussed how excess life was disturbing death and agreed to join the operation the next day.
• Sister Devlin said that only two Flames of the First Fire remained to be recovered, and she and Shade considered whether its completion would signal a turning point.
• Shade promised Sister Devlin he would remain by her side, while rumors later spread among the nuns that they had embraced at the foot of the mountain.
• At Fragrant Residence, Dorothy asked Shade about being separated from Leisha, and he promised to seek experts who could help them reunite.
• Dorothy began the Night Lesson in Wei Ge’s study, asking Shade to consider how a traveler could establish fair rules and find a way out of a desperate situation.

Shade learned that The Church had found a way to prevent Sleeping Sickness and used [Heart of Life] to protect the young ladies at Fragrant Residence. A clash between The Church and Construct Master’s group ended without a known result, and the chapter ended with Margaret arriving at Shade’s home after the banquet.

• Eve brought Shade The Church’s discovery that people with exceptionally strong Life Energy would not be chosen by Dreams, so Shade learned [Heart of Life] and drew Life Fire Seeds from the Dragon Egg.
• Shade cast [Heart of Life] on the young ladies at Fragrant Residence, granting them a temporary resistance to Flesh Aberration and Flesh Withering.
• A loud explosion came from the Outer City District, and Shade and Dorothy saw a huge figure amid the flames before The Church’s arrival made the firelight vanish.
• Wei Ge and Flora reported that The Church had fought Construct Master and his people, but they did not know the outcome.
• Daniste returned to the Academy after a Keeper of Secrets Level relic lost control, while Shade and Dorothy went home and found Little Mia sleeping beside the Dragon Egg.
• Margaret arrived at Shade’s home still wearing her banquet gown and told him that Teacher Sylvia had brought her there.

Shade reunited with Margaret before Luvia revealed the Saint Alliance’s hiding place, prompting Shade to gather allies and supplies for a mission in the Swamp of Oblivion. He entered the Time Corridor and reached the Temple entrance faster than before, despite the memory-erasing fog.

• Shade spent Saturday night with Margaret, Dorothy, and Leisha, then heard a reminder from “her” about the military uniform before falling asleep beneath the Silver Moon.
• Luvia told Shade that she and Bella had located the Saint Alliance in ancient tombs beneath Arcadia City, and Shade prepared to investigate with Luvia and Dorothy.
• Shade collected memory-restoring supplies and gathered Emilia, Ellie, Winnie, and the others, while Daniste told him not to take Winnie onto the battlefield.
• Shade reunited with Dorothy, Luvia, Margaret, Sylvia, and Iluna, obtained Humanity from Ms. Handel and Joey Barton, and brought Little Mia along as a doll.
• Shade used the cracked Time Key to enter the Swamp of Oblivion and ran toward the firelight, but the fog erased his memories along the way.
• “Her” reminded Shade that he had left Little Mia by the firelight, and touching the doll in his pocket helped him remember as he reached the Temple entrance.

Shade returned to the Sacred Ground, brought supplies, and learned about Lady Thorn’s dangerous investigations and Lady Carmen’s pregnancy. He slept to test whether the Swamp of Oblivion was a dream, and the God of Benevolence confirmed that the place truly existed before warmly greeting the real Little Mia.

• Shade found Lady Thorn, the Old Witches, and the pregnant Princess Lady Carmen in the temple, then distributed supplies and food.
• Lady Thorn told Shade that two arrivals had asked the god to send them back, one had vanished in the fog, and Lady Carmen had chosen to give birth despite not remembering how she became pregnant.
• Lady Thorn said an Evil Spirit Demon familiar with her had appeared in the fog, but Shade found no demonic power in her.
• Shade gave Lady Thorn materials about the origin of her eyes and a potion to stabilize her mind, then drank a sleeping potion and fell asleep beside Little Mia.
• Shade met the God of Benevolence in a golden dream, and the god explained that the Swamp of Oblivion truly existed in the Edge regions.
• Little Mia appeared on Shade’s shoulder in the dream, and the god praised her warmth.