Chapter Summaries

Shade and Miss Belinder competed in a Dice Story Collection investigation at the Parsifal Club, where Shade narrowly won a confrontation and uncovered clues about the culprit. As Shade headed for the Moon Bay City Police Department, he planned to use a newly mastered temporal power to prepare for the next encounter.

• Shade used his abilities and Sun's Blessing to tie Miss Belinder's check, then won the tie-break and noticed the Silent One.
• The Silent One abandoned the Parsifal Club investigation and left for the Police Department, while Shade chose not to pursue.
• Shade searched the room and used Echoes of the Past to learn that the culprit came from outside the Moon Bay Area and was about six feet tall.
• Shade left for the Police Department and considered using his newly mastered temporal power to prepare for battle.

Shade went to the police station to investigate Freeman Hawthorne’s memory loss and met the coroner Ptolemy Albert, who shared clues about the attacker. Shade arranged a staged test to obtain Albert’s most confidential information, and passed the Wisdom check, leaving the final clue still to be revealed.

• Shade arrived at the police station and met Ptolemy Albert, who was there to give a statement about a drained corpse.
• Albert said the Church was investigating the Bloodkin and told Shade that Freeman Hawthorne’s case involved a mind attack using a Mind Crystal.
• Shade gave Albert two paper balls with instructions to disguise their exchange and make Shade pass a Wisdom test to obtain the hidden clue.
• Albert shared that the attacker was right-handed, might frequent Herring Street, and might be a Delarion.
• Shade chose to spend his next action asking for Albert’s confidential information and passed the Intelligence check to solve the test.

Shade defeated The Silent One in an alley after Adele's Time Stop gave him an exclusive action round. With the enemy dead, Shade jumped onto a rooftop and opened the clue he had obtained from the Coroner.

• Shade passed Mr. Albert's puzzle and received a note that could only be opened somewhere high.
• The Silent One attacked Shade, using Stealth to gain initiative, while the Witch chose to have Shade wait and give up his action.
• The Silent One used Light Spell, but Adele's Time Stop granted Shade an extra action round in which the enemy could not resist.
• Shade punched The Silent One from behind, killing him and causing the woman controlling him to collapse.
• The Witch had Shade jump onto a high rooftop and read the Coroner's note.

Bella Belinder won the Dice Story Collection game and tried to keep the other players from remembering Miss Charlotte, but a dying woman’s Light Spell and a mysterious silver arrow disrupted the aftermath. Bella followed a note to Herring Street to meet Charlotte, only to find a man she could not identify while Shade secretly tested the Dice of Destiny.

• Bella Belinder claimed a divination relic as her victory reward and asked the Keeper of Secrets to erase everyone else’s identity details about Miss Charlotte.
• Bella’s maids confronted York O’Connor and the Seekers of Light members, but a silver arrow killed one researcher and then stopped a dying woman’s Light Spell before it consumed the terrace.
• York O’Connor lost most of his memories of the Dice Story Collection, while Bella and her maids left the Clock Tower in disguise.
• Bella investigated the missing body and found a note that led her to a riverside meeting on Herring Street.
• Bella arrived to meet Miss Charlotte but saw an unfamiliar man by the railing, and her Ivory Dice shifted through several numbers as Shade turned the Dice of Destiny nearby.

Shade revealed himself to Bella Belinder after the Dice Story Collection, then challenged her to divine details about him. Bella failed to uncover his identity and offered him a place to stay in Moon Bay City while she awaited news from Vanessa.

• Shade spoke to Bella Belinder from the riverside railing, and she saw his face after he dispelled his illusion.
• Shade let Bella examine his wrist, then proposed that she answer three questions about him through divination.
• Bella’s cards failed to reveal Shade’s hometown, and she mistook his strongest power for a cat.
• Bella used a Crystal Ball to investigate Shade’s relationship with Vanessa, but guessed that Vanessa was his dance Teacher and was wrong.
• Bella offered Shade a place to stay until she received definite news from Vanessa, and he accepted her hand.

After agreeing to meet Bella Belinder in Moon Bay, Shade attended the Witch Council’s discussion about his existence. The Council decided Bella would keep Shade’s identity secret and could borrow his help while he remained in her territory.

• Shade told Bella Belinder his name was John Watson and arranged to meet her at the City Ship Museum on Monday morning.
• After the Witch Council meeting ended, Bella stayed behind with Miss Benanis and Miss Sylvia to question them about Shade.
• Miss Benanis explained that Shade was her follower, had helped the Witches, and had been sent to Moon Bay to search for the Hope Diamond.
• Bella admitted she could not divine Shade’s special destiny, and Miss Sylvia suggested that he might be a Chosen One.
• Bella agreed to keep Shade’s existence secret for the next month or two in exchange for his help in Moon Bay, while Miss Benanis warned her to protect him.

Miss Belinder agreed not to expose Shade for now after Miss Sylvia and Miss Benanis offered her business samples and gifts, and the witches arranged for him to work with her in Moon Bay. Back at home, Miss Galina explained Belinder’s ties to the former Great Witch of Fate, prompting Shade to ask what happened to her five years ago.

• Miss Benanis gave Miss Belinder notes on advancement and astrology, while Miss Sylvia offered her a chance to distribute textiles and presented her with samples and gifts.
• Miss Belinder said she would expose the matter in two months unless Shade helped her, but promised to consider speaking on the witches’ behalf.
• Miss Galina, Miss Sylvia, and Miss Benanis agreed that Shade would cooperate with Belinder in Moon Bay while keeping his identity secret for now.
• Miss Galina and Shade left the Witch Council after discussing the plague in Wilundell and warning him to be cautious in Moon Bay.
• At home, Miss Galina told Shade that Belinder was a respected Countess and the former Great Witch of Fate’s apprentice, and Shade asked what had happened to the former Great Witch five years earlier.

Shade learned that Miss Teresa’s teacher had died peacefully, then traveled to Moon Bay City to investigate two fragments from the Radiance Messenger. He found their owner, Miss Anqi Illustrious, but she refused to sell them, so he asked about her family’s history with the wreckage.

• Galina told Shade that Bella’s teacher had died of natural causes at the age of 270, and the Black-Haired Maid brought her the Youthful Immortality Leaf.
• Shade visited the Moon Bay City Ship Museum and examined the two decayed boards from the Radiance Messenger, but found nothing unusual.
• The museum director told Shade that the boards belonged to the descendants of their salvager, Miss Anqi Illustrious, who visited the museum every week.
• Shade met Miss Illustrious and offered 75 Crowns for the boards, but she declined to sell them.
• Shade asked Miss Illustrious whether her family had records or stories about the shipwreck and the boards.

Shade met Miss Illustrious, received an ornament made from shipwreck fragments, and began working with Bella Belinder in Moon Bay. Bella explained that an ancient dragon prophecy she and her late Teacher had verified pointed to a major event that would change the city's destiny.

• Miss Illustrious gave Shade an Anchor Silver Ornament and promised to tell him stories about a sunken ship at their next meeting.
• Bella Belinder told Shade that Vanessa had arranged for him to help with several matters in Moon Bay and confirmed his unusual identity by examining his wrist.
• Bella secretly drew a Tarot Card after Shade left, but its shipwreck meaning left her puzzled about Miss Illustrious's identity.
• At Belinder Manor, Bella hired Shade as a reliable Ring Arcanist to handle matters connected to the Glorious Seven Families of Moon Bay.
• Bella told Shade that an ancient dragon prophecy foretold a significant change in Moon Bay's destiny, and Shade asked whether the city would face danger like other places.

Shade agreed to investigate the prophecy linking Moon Bay’s Glorious Seven Families to dragons and destruction for the Great Witch of Fate, Miss Belinder. She gave him his first assignment: investigate an unnamed woman found dead in the Lower District with much of her blood missing.

• Miss Belinder asked Shade to investigate Moon Bay’s dragon prophecy from an outsider’s perspective, and he agreed to cooperate for payment.
• Shade made red wine from ordinary grapes with his Thaumaturgy, and Miss Belinder gave him a silver Luck-granting button as a gift.
• Miss Belinder explained that the seven families were not Dragonborn, but their ancestors’ strange adventures had left power and unsettling stories behind.
• Miss Belinder assigned Shade to investigate the blood-drained corpse found in the Lower District and said his acquaintance, the coroner, could provide clues.
• Miss Belinder offered contact information for local Bloodkin and promised her Followers would help Shade if he showed them the Empress card.

Shade secured Miss Belinder’s help with his friend’s business and showed her his powerful time abilities. He then followed a lead in the investigation of the unnamed woman’s corpse to a steam bathhouse in northern Moon Bay City.

• Miss Belinder promised to ease the Hawthorne and Eddington Families’ obstruction of Shade’s friend’s business and gave him a sealed letter for the Port Authority.
• Shade demonstrated Time Reversal to Miss Belinder, who urged him to watch for a Dragonborn Ring Arcanist in Moon Bay and investigate the unusual light spells from the previous day’s battle.
• Shade delivered Miss Belinder’s letter to Princess Trading Partner and told its staff to keep a low profile while the shipment was cleared.
• Mr. Ptolemy Albert told Shade that Mr. Bernhardt had traced the unnamed woman to a carriage that took her to Crowley Steam Bathhouse at 18 Grev Street.
• Shade decided to investigate the steam bathhouse, where the woman had been taken before she disappeared.

Shade and Mr. Bernhardt investigated the murder of a prostitute at Crowley Steam Bathhouse and uncovered three powerful men who had met with the victim. In the Lower District, Shade unexpectedly encountered Miss Ilisa, who offered to tell him about a mysterious ship if he completed five tasks.

• Shade and Mr. Bernhardt investigated Crowley Steam Bathhouse, and Shade disrupted its hot-water supply to create a diversion while Mr. Bernhardt searched the records.
• Mr. Bernhardt learned that Herman Wood, Freeman Hawthorne, and Georgia Black had met with the victim and two other prostitutes at the bathhouse before leaving through a Secret Passage.
• Shade and Mr. Bernhardt divided their investigations, with Shade taking Freeman Hawthorne and one of the women and Mr. Bernhardt pursuing Wood and Black.
• On Herring Street, Shade unexpectedly met Miss Ilisa, the young woman who had given him an Anchor Silver Ornament at the museum.
• Miss Ilisa told Shade she knew he wanted to learn about a ship and offered to share what she knew after he completed five tasks.

Shade met Illustrious Miss, who tasked him with helping an unfortunate girl on Herring Street and revealed that the Dragon Devouring Demon had once descended in Moon Bay. After Shade failed to find the girl at her address, he told Luvia about the encounter, and she divined that the witch Bella Belinder had good love fortune ahead.

• Illustrious Miss activated Shade's Anchor Silver Ornament, gave him his first of five tasks, and told him that the Dragon Devouring Demon had once descended in Moon Bay.
• Illustrious Miss added that the god's vessels were said to have always chosen Dragons, then vanished into a crowd.
• Shade went to No. 11 Herring Street to look for the unfortunate girl, but a woman at the door insulted him and sent him away.
• At dinner, Shade told Luvia about Illustrious Miss and Bella Belinder, and Luvia decided to divine the witch's fortune.
• As Luvia drew Tarot Cards, Shade saw Long-Haired Luvia appear behind her and reach for the cards with her.
• Luvia revealed a positive love fortune for Bella Belinder, saying she would soon meet someone she liked.

Shade tracked down Miss Lisa to ask about the people who visited the Crowley Steam Bathhouse, but a Seventh Ring Arcanist intervened and challenged him. After recognizing the stranger as connected to the Dragon Devouring Order, Shade prepared to fight rather than abandon his investigation.

• Luvia teased Shade with a card reading about the mysterious Illustrious Miss and her connection to an Old God.
• Shade learned from Miss Anne Bonnie that Miss Lisa worked at the Goose Paw Hotel and found her there that night.
• Shade asked Miss Lisa what happened at the Crowley Steam Bathhouse, but she denied knowing anything and tried to leave.
• A stranger with a dragon scale embedded in his face appeared and used his Seventh Ring Destiny Ring to knock Miss Lisa down.
• Shade used Eye of Edwardz and Stone Heart to identify the stranger's abnormal heart and suspected he belonged to the Dragon Devouring Order.
• The stranger withdrew his Destiny Ring, approached Shade, and challenged him to a fistfight while warning him against continuing the investigation.

Shade rescued Miss Lisa from a Dragon Devouring Order attacker and brought her home, where he learned how she had taken in Maria after her friend died in childbirth. Miss Lisa then described the night at Crowley Steam Bathhouse, though she could only recall falling asleep and waking after the other guests had left.

• Shade and a modified seventh-circle warlock struck each other with Black Dragon Force and Red Dragon Force, and Shade shattered the man’s arm before he escaped into the Tatton River.
• Shade carried the unconscious Miss Lisa to her apartment and entertained her daughter, Maria, with a fairy tale while waiting for her to wake.
• Miss Lisa awoke, checked that her silver hair ornament was safe, and thanked Shade for bringing her home.
• Miss Lisa explained that Maria was the child of her deceased friend, whom she had cared for since the friend died in childbirth.
• Shade asked about Crowley Steam Bathhouse, and Miss Lisa recalled attending with Freeman Hawthorne, Mr. Blake, Mr. Wood, and another woman before falling asleep and later leaving with her companion.

Shade completed Illustrious Miss’s task by speaking with Miss Lisa, then consulted Grace and Helen about the anchor-shaped Divine Art Item. He met Emilia and her two classmates at Tobesk Station and left with them for the Three Cats Inn.

• Shade learned from Miss Lisa that the missing woman, Fibby, had been an orphan burdened by debt and gave Miss Lisa money, urging her to educate Maria and cooperate with the Church.
• Shade asked Miss Lisa to read stories to Maria and left them with a storybook, completing Illustrious Miss’s task.
• Grace and Helen examined the anchor ornament, identified it as a gentle Divine Art Item linked to a Good God, and advised Shade to learn more about Illustrious Miss.
• Shade traveled to Tobesk Station with the Cat and met Doctor Schneider and Dorothy to greet the arriving students.
• Emilia arrived and introduced her classmates, Rio Enshir and Matilla Delas, to Shade, Doctor Schneider, and Dorothy.
• Shade and the group left the station and prepared to travel by carriage to the Three Cats Inn.

Shade helped Emilia and her Academy companions settle into the Three Cats Inn, where a Church search party led by a familiar officer inspected the rooms. Emilia began her summer assignment in Tobesk, unaware that the friendly neighbor she met was not really next door.

• Mrs. Sangmei welcomed Shade and his companions, then Church officers arrived to search the inn for a wanted criminal.
• Iluna Bayes winked at Shade while the sheriff recognized him and let Emilia, Rio Enxi Er, and Matila Delas pass without questioning them directly.
• Emilia told Shade her family had arranged for Rio Enxi Er and Matila Delas to keep an eye on her, then celebrated her freedom and asked to visit Shade's home after their mission.
• Shade gave Emilia his business card and contacts for local black markets before the group shared lunch and parted to begin the Academy's summer field practice.
• Emilia met a middle-aged woman who said she was staying next door, exchanged names with her, and returned to her room despite there being no room beyond the corridor wall.

Shade accompanied Bella Belinder to a church visit, posing as her cousin so The Church would be less likely to suspect her of being a witch. Their staged intimacy drew attention, and the chapter ended with Bella pleased that she might have fallen lower on the Church’s suspect list.

• After leaving the Three Cats Hotel, Shade asked Doctor Schneider about Priest Augustus’s condition, then went home and later headed to Moon Bay City.
• Shade warned Bella Belinder about the Dragon Devouring Order, but she dressed him in formal clothes and brought him to the Dawn Church as her cousin to deflect suspicion.
• At the church, Shade met York O'Connor, who questioned the entourage about strange sounds while his ring tested their answers for lies.
• Bella argued privately with Aunt Phyllis, then staged a stumble as Shade helped her into the carriage in view of the churchgoers.
• As the carriage departed, Bella said the visit had gone smoothly, while Miss Matilda admired Shade’s appearance.

Shade learned that the Dragon Devouring Order was involved in the Moon Bay investigation, and Bella Belinder invited him on a nighttime search for clues in the northern wilderness. After reforging a straight sword for the operation, Shade left to meet Bella while Leisha and Angelina waited at his home.

• Bella Belinder told Shade about Aunt Phyllis Belinder's estrangement from the family and offered him sealed stationery to help investigate the Black, Wood, and Hawthorne families.
• Shade warned Bella about the Dragon Devouring Order and its Poem Chapter Fragment connected to the Chosen One of Light, and she invited him to search the Black Forest, Whisper Hills, and Poisonous Swamp that night.
• Shade told Mr. Ptolemy Albert about the Dragon Devouring Order and asked him to inform Mr. Bernhardt.
• Shade reforged a straight sword with Dragon Scale Coins in the Heart of the Earth Furnace, turning it into a strong Alchemy Weapon for the operation.
• Leisha and Angelina arrived at Shade's home, where Leisha questioned him about his plans and Angelina asked about the elf Shade knew.
• Shade left for Saint George Stone Bridge to meet Bella, while Leisha and Angelina stayed at his home with Mia.

Shade joined Miss Belinder, Miss Matilda, and two Ninth-Ring ladies on a journey into Whisper Hills to investigate an ancient tree. They found a hidden cave beneath it and discovered a werewolf, which attacked as they entered.

• Shade met Miss Belinder, Miss Matilda, and two Ninth-Ring ladies at Saint George Stone Bridge, and they rode north into Whisper Hills.
• Miss Belinder identified an ancient tree as their target, and Shade used Sense Space to locate a hidden cave beneath its roots.
• Shade and the others sensed a nonhuman creature inside, while Maggie detected a wolf's stench and Miss Belinder warned that the Yellow Moon full moon would strengthen a werewolf.
• The group entered the cave and found signs that the werewolf lived in its outer chamber.
• A werewolf leaped from the cave ceiling at Miss Belinder, and the group countered with thaumaturgy as the Great Witch of Fate cast Death Finger.