The Sixth Epoch, "The Furthest Distance," had officially concluded. Its length had once again surpassed previous records. The author admitted that the portion before the final battle in this volume had indeed been somewhat too drawn out. The original intention had been to let all the factions involved, as well as the Witches around Shade, display their respective strengths and roles, but due to issues with pacing, the final result felt somewhat bloated. Therefore, a free bonus chapter (5K) was released as an apology.
In addition, there had simply been too much the author wanted to write in this volume: the individual stories of the twenty-one members of the Edwards Family, the conflict between the two nations, Shade's emotional changes, and the story of the new Witch. All of that combined had made the content so extensive. But regardless, this volume had finally received a relatively satisfying ending. The story of the Edwards Family's "United as One" had been told satisfactorily, the conflict between Delarion and Kasonlik had been unveiled, and Shade had learned important information about the past, present, and future. As an important volume in the middle of this book, after Shade entered the latter half of the middle ring, he had finally begun to touch upon the complete worldview. In particular, he no longer agonized over his own Greed, faced his heart directly, and understood what he wanted.
Thus, the Edwards Family's story came to an end, Dorothy and Leisha's secret was revealed, a new collectible—the Butterfly Playing Card—made its appearance, the story of the Past unfolded further, and the curtain of the apocalypse slowly rose.
The theme of the next volume would be "light," or rather, light and hope.
The final scene of the first volume was Shade and the Doctor walking side by side down