Chapter Summaries

Shade attended an academic symposium at Delarion Royal Mechanical Academy, where he explored the state of mathematics, science, engineering, and the humanities and met Professor Manning. He returned home after an uneventful day, but someone knocked at his door at two in the morning.

• Shade attended a lecture on calculus and learned that the scholar called Taylor expansion “Morse Expansion” in this world.
• Shade listened to presentations on steam technology, the sciences, economics, international relations, and theology, and spoke with other attendees at afternoon tea.
• Shade met Professor Manning at dinner, discussed the symposium, and was introduced to several of the professor’s colleagues.
• Professor Manning invited Shade to a presentation on Fifth Epoch city-state ruins and explained that information about New Continent archaeology could only be discussed privately.
• Shade returned to 6 Saint Derain Square at nine in the evening, and someone knocked on his door at two in the morning.

Shade helped Miss Annette decipher the history and powers of the Judge Saint Bell, then received notice that his request to view the Canon of Sublimation had been approved. He told Miss Annette about the Academy’s task to monitor their group and learned that Priest Augustus could heal almost any injury within ten minutes.

• Miss Annette arrived at Shade’s home with a relic called the Judge Saint Bell and asked him to decipher the writing on its container.
• Shade learned that the bell enhanced a Ring Arcanist’s next Thaumaturgy or spell, but prolonged contact reversed the user’s personality; its inscription claimed the Ancient Gods had left willingly for this world.
• Shade rang the bell and briefly summoned snow and the phantom of a little girl while attempting to use The Little Match Girl beyond his current ability.
• A message from Hessenger Garcia told Shade to dress formally for Bill Schneider’s Study Group because Librarian Miss Danist wished to see him about his approved request to view the Canon of Sublimation.
• Shade told Miss Annette that the Academy had tasked him with monitoring the group, and she confirmed Priest Augustus sought answers about a Level 0 relic incident and could heal injuries within ten minutes.

Shade learned more about the dangers surrounding his companions and prepared to conceal one of his Spirit Runes from the Academy. At the Study Group, Doctor Schneider revealed that he had tracked down the Falsified Philosopher's Stone, but it was hidden in one of five plaster statues.

• Shade told Miss Annette about the possible Demon inside Doctor Schneider and learned that his meeting with Miss Danist might involve more than reviewing the Canon of Sublimation.
• Miss Louisa advised Shade to report The Little Match Girl as a rune meaning a girl holding matches, helping him protect its true nature from the Academy.
• Shade, Miss Louisa, Priest Augustus, Doctor Schneider, and Miss Annette gathered at the clinic, where Shade recounted his recent experience and Priest Augustus shared that he had found no clues about the ancient symbol.
• Doctor Schneider described tracking Blood of Mercury's connections through the Dreams of twenty-three people and announced that he had found the Falsified Philosopher's Stone.
• Doctor Schneider explained that the Silver-Eyed One had concealed the stone inside the red-glass eyes of one of five plaster statues sold by a workshop.

Shade and his companions discussed the five statues containing the Falsified Philosopher’s Stone and shared their recent studies. Shade’s application to consult the Canon of Sublimation was approved, and the Academy prepared to send him to Saint Byron’s using an Angel Level relic.

• Doctor Schneider explained that the five statues belonged to powerful or influential people, making them difficult to retrieve, and Shade and Miss Louisa promised to help him find a solution.
• The group shared their recent progress, and Shade revealed that he had gained two Spirit Runes; Miss Louisa said one had come from the Match Girl rune and offered to teach him Enlightenment Elements.
• A message informed Shade that Miss Danist wanted to meet him in person at Saint Byron’s about his approved application to consult the Canon of Sublimation.
• The Academy instructed Shade and his companions to keep the Broken Map of the Old World secret and prepared a Space Movement transfer because Shade possessed the Spacetime Core Rune.
• Shade received a White Stone Crystal bearing the location of Saint Byrens Comprehensive College.

Shade arrived at Saint Byrens and met Daniste, the Red Moon Witch, who questioned him about his name and Destiny Ring. She then began helping him choose the Words of Sublimation for his next four rings, and Shade prioritized advancing quickly.

• Shade was transported to Saint Byrens, where he arrived in its vast library as a dangerous relic was being contained.
• A librarian led Shade through the library and explained the Broken Map of the Old World and its teleportation effect.
• Shade met Daniste, showed her his Destiny Ring, and explained that he had chosen the name Su Lun after waking with no memories.
• Daniste discussed the Silver Moon’s connection to the name Su Lun and described a theory that it had once been the only Moon.
• Daniste asked Shade which Core Rune he wanted for his Words of Sublimation, and Shade said any would do and that he wanted to advance to the second ring quickly.

Shade visited Saint Byron's library to discover a Word of Sublimation and learn why Miss Danist needed his Moon power. He learned she was seeking the Sage Library, a place left by the ancient Moon God, the Silver Moon Sage.

• Miss Danist found the Word of Sublimation “Echo of Spacetime Shaking Slumbering Power” for Shade and listed the Spirit Runes he still needed.
• Shade signed a document confirming he had reviewed the Canon of Sublimation, allowing the Academy to adjust his courses around his advancement.
• Miss Danist asked Shade to illuminate a blank book with his Silver Moon power; their combined Silver Moon and Red Moon light revealed blurred writing, but the book also required a Yellow Moon Core Rune.
• Miss Danist told Shade she had obtained the book while searching for the Sage Library, a hidden hall left behind by the most ancient Moon God.
• Miss Danist revealed that mortals commonly called the departed first Moon God the Silver Moon Sage.

Shade visited Miss Danist at the Silver Moon Library and received the Soul Echo Thaumaturgy as a reward for helping her. She warned him about the major events in Tobesk, then divined that an accidental journey would bring him great gains, while she wondered where she had seen his name before.

• Miss Danist explained that the Ancient God of the Moon's library was called the Silver Moon Library or Sage Library and offered Shade a reward.
• Shade chose Echo-related Thaumaturgy, and Miss Danist lent him a booklet describing Soul Echo and its three effects.
• Miss Danist warned Shade to avoid Sorceresses of the Orthodox Church and newly arrived organizations in Tobesk because an epic event was unfolding there.
• Miss Danist had Shade draw three Rhodes Cards and divined that an accidental journey would bring him tremendous gains.
• After Shade left, Miss Danist looked at his handwriting and wondered where she had seen the name Shade before.

Shade returned from Saint Byron’s Academy and told the Study Group about his visit, then began lessons with Miss Louisa on Enlightenment Elements and the fairy tale “Tree’s Kiss.” The chapter ended with Miss Louisa taking Shade to a place where he could find materials for the Soul Echo thaumaturgy.

• Shade returned from the Academy with five Saint Byron’s School Badge fountain pens and described his visit to Doctor Schneider, Miss Louisa, Miss Annette, and Priest Augustus.
• Miss Louisa explained that the Pink Book contained thaumaturgical and spell records related to reproductive behavior, while Miss Annette praised the Soul Echo thaumaturgy Shade had learned and advised him not to rely too heavily on Miss Danist’s divination.
• Miss Louisa taught Shade about Enlightenment Elements and had him study the fairy tale “Tree’s Kiss,” explaining its possible meanings and its connection to the Father of Infinite Tree.
• Miss Louisa asked Shade to use Mystic Lock: The Little Match Girl so she could study its power, and the lesson continued until ten in the evening.
• Miss Louisa told Shade that Soul Echo required corpse and soul materials, then took him out into the night to introduce him to a place where he could find them.

Miss Louisa took Shade to a hidden safe house, then led him to a graveyard on Tobesk’s northern outskirts to visit Mr. Corps, a supplier of corpse-related materials. They arrived after sunset, and Miss Louisa warned Shade to stay behind her and avoid using Silver Moon thaumaturgy.

• Miss Louisa brought Shade to a concealed house she had bought as a safe place and told him he was the person she trusted most after Leisha.
• Miss Louisa and Shade disguised themselves in robes and masks, then hired a carriage to travel north from Tobesk.
• Miss Louisa led Shade through a poor outskirts settlement and a small wood to a graveyard outside the city’s Public Cemetery.
• Miss Louisa explained that Mr. Corps supplied corpse-related materials and warned Shade that he treated nighttime Ring Arcanists unfriendly.
• Shade followed Miss Louisa into the graveyard without asking further about where Mr. Corps obtained his materials.

Shade and Miss Louisa bought occult materials from the gravedigger Mr. Corps, and Shade began learning the Thaumaturgy Soul Echo. On Sunday, Shade learned that his expected Delarion Honorary Knight Medal might be replaced by a more significant reward at the evening commendation banquet.

• Miss Louisa and Shade entered the cemetery, where they saw a corpse hand emerge from a grave and watched Miss Louisa’s match trick fail to harm it.
• Mr. Corps sold Shade Bone Powder, a Bone Whistle, eardrums, Rotten Blood, and a Human-Faced Stone for twelve pounds.
• In the woods, Shade used the materials to begin learning Soul Echo as Miss Louisa explained that unofficial Ring Arcanists often faced greater risks and behaved more strangely.
• On Sunday, Shade wrote to Mrs. Lemmer and planned to visit the Dawn Church before attending the commendation banquet with Captain Rades.
• Mr. Anros warned Shade that he might not receive the Honorary Knight Medal, hinting that influential supporters had secured a more significant reward and urging him not to be late.

Shade attended a royal banquet with Captain Rades, where Baron Lavend introduced him to other guests as the citizen who saved Queen Diana. After receiving a note from Miss Galina asking him to meet her on the third floor, Shade considered whether to discuss his inability to trigger the Witches’ curse with her.

• Shade visited Dawn Church, where Priest Augustus said the Church would seek a larger reward for him and reminded him to thank Mister Dawn if reporters interviewed him.
• Shade met Captain Rades, who wore his freshly cleaned red uniform and hoped the banquet would help him return to the front lines.
• Shade arrived at the Royal Manor with Captain Rades, then entered the banquet with Baron Lavend and agreed to play Rhodes Cards after the award ceremony.
• Baron Lavend introduced Shade to Baron Rwanda and other guests, who discussed the rumors about Shade saving Queen Diana and the appearance of Origin · Silver Moon.
• A servant delivered Miss Galina’s note asking Shade to meet her on the third floor, prompting him to consider discussing his inability to trigger the Witches’ curse.

Shade learned that Princess Leisha had helped secure him the rare honorary title of Knight of Leijed, and Miss Galina explained the ceremony and its rewards. He also learned that the investigation into the attack on Queen Diana had identified one of the King’s sons, while Shade avoided learning more about the palace intrigue.

• Miss Galina told Shade that Princess Leisha had persuaded Queen Diana and the King to grant him the title of Knight of Leijed.
• Miss Galina and Tifa explained that Shade’s title carried no land or inherited rights, though he would receive a medal, an antique longsword, and a royal reward.
• Shade asked about the attack on Queen Diana, and Tifa said Military Intelligence Section Six had ended its investigation after identifying one of the King’s sons as responsible.
• Shade speculated that the King had arranged the attack to provoke a war, but Miss Galina dismissed the idea and hinted at a succession struggle among the royal children.
• Miss Galina told Shade to learn the investiture rules before the King appeared, and Shade remained seated because he still had something to say.

Shade confronted Galina about the Witch curse and learned that she wanted him to remain near her because he was the only man she could touch, while warning him about the other Witches. After an etiquette lesson, he attended the banquet, where he spoke with Captain Rades and Royal Army officers about the possibility of war between Delarion and Kasonlik.

• Shade told Galina what he had learned about Witches and asked why her curse did not affect him and what she wanted from him.
• Galina confirmed Shade was a man and said she wanted him to stay by her side; she warned that other Council Witches might be dangerous and identified Tifa Servit as a Witch candidate, not a true Witch.
• Shade asked Galina about his immunity and the Council, but she ended the discussion and advised him to seek the Metamorphosis Ring or reach the high rings for answers.
• Shade completed an etiquette lesson and thought he saw Miss Bayes in the banquet hall, but could not find her afterward.
• Captain Rades introduced Shade to military friends, including a Royal Army Lieutenant Colonel, and Shade asked about the chance of renewed war between Delarion and Kasonlik.
• The officers said they did not decide whether war would begin, then raised their glasses with Captain Rades to peace.

Shade attended the royal banquet, where King Larus III and Queen Diana addressed the child abduction cases and recognized Shade’s role in solving them. Shade received the long-unbestowed title of Knight of Leijed and posed with the king for the press.

• King Larus III and Queen Diana arrived and addressed the guests, while a Ridgewich Field representative reported on the child abduction cases.
• A commissioner credited Shade and Captain Rades with helping solve the Tobesk abductions and praised Shade for protecting Queen Diana from an assassin.
• The chamberlain announced Shade Hamilton as the first recipient of the evening’s honors and granted him the title of Knight of Leijed.
• King Larus III conferred the title on Shade with a ceremonial sword and medal as the orchestra played and reporters took photographs.
• Shade stood beside the king for the photographers, smiling as the guests applauded.

After receiving his knighthood, Shade endured interviews and social attention before joining Baron Lavend’s group for Rhodes Cards. He spotted Beias being dragged downstairs and left the game to follow her.

• Shade saw Beias at the banquet, but she gestured for him to stay silent and disappeared into the crowd.
• After the awards, Shade answered reporters’ questions and escaped the attention of young ladies with Baron Lavend’s help.
• Shade displayed his special Rhodes Cards and played against Baron Cobell, with their match ending nearly evenly.
• Shade saw someone forcibly pull Beias toward the lower floor, excused himself from the card game, and hurried downstairs after her.

Shade followed Miss Bayes into a suite, where he encountered her and Miss Annette in the middle of a struggle. The three recognized one another and began demanding explanations, leaving their tangled connection unresolved.

• Shade saw a white-gloved person drag Miss Bayes into a staff corridor and followed them to a suite.
• Shade burst into the suite and fought an unseen attacker with Silver Moon Thaumaturgy as the attacker used smoke, sheets, and a flying bed to escape.
• Shade found Miss Annette and Miss Bayes trying to flee through a window and held them at gunpoint.
• Miss Annette struck Shade’s wrist, while Miss Bayes stopped her attack after recognizing his voice.
• Shade questioned Miss Bayes about knowing Miss Annette, and Miss Bayes demanded that they explain how they knew each other.

Shade treated Iluna Bayes’s injured eyes, then revealed his connection to Luvia Annette and the truth about Lake View Manor, the Chosen One, and the Murmuring Chapters. Iluna agreed to continue trusting them, leaving the three united in their plan to witness the final door.

• Shade healed Iluna Bayes’s eyes and led her and Luvia Annette to a private room to talk.
• Iluna confronted Shade about whether he was the Masked Man Under the Silver Moon, and Shade admitted he was while showing her his First Ring Destiny Ring.
• Shade recounted the Lake View Manor incident, and Luvia explained the Murmuring Chapters, the Chosen One, and why she had approached Iluna.
• Luvia said Shade and Iluna had become close through their own choices, and Iluna affirmed that Shade had earned her trust.
• Shade and Iluna introduced themselves again and agreed to maintain their trust, while Iluna accepted Luvia’s help after hearing her promise not to deceive her again.

After Shade, Miss Annette, and Miss Bayes restored their trust, they discussed the relic Miss Annette planned to use for a precise divination. Miss Annette revealed that she had activated Pirate's Blood Money as payment and that this was the last of six coins she had obtained.

• Miss Bayes accepted Shade and Miss Annette’s explanation about the Murmuring Chapters and agreed to cooperate with them.
• Miss Annette and Miss Bayes explained that they had come to the banquet seeking a relic to pay for a divination that would help Miss Bayes become a true Chosen One.
• Miss Annette showed Shade and Miss Bayes Pirate's Blood Money, a cursed coin that condemned its users to become undead hunted by previous users.
• Miss Annette explained that she had activated the coin and traded with herself so she could use it as payment without immediately dying.
• Miss Annette revealed that she had previously used five of the six Blood Money coins she obtained, leaving this coin as her last.

Shade learned that Baron Cobell held five Blood Money coins and challenged him to a Rhodes Cards wager to obtain them. Shade and Cobell tied the first two rounds, and Shade took the lead in the third with a lucky special card.

• Miss Annette explained that activating a Blood Money coin let it sense the other coins, which she traced to Baron Cobell at the banquet.
• Shade took Miss Annette’s prepared money and approached Baron Cobell, who proposed wagering the five coins against Shade’s Special Rule Card, Northern Cities: Coldwater Port City.
• Shade accepted the wager, and Baron Lavend and Baron Rwanda inspected and dealt the deck while Viscount Conanberg served as witness.
• Shade and Cobell each won one of the first two rounds, tying the score at one to one.
• In the third round, Shade drew Original Steam Engine · Mark Nine and reached twenty points, taking the lead over Cobell’s nineteen.

Shade won Baron Cobell’s Blood Money in a Rhodes Cards game, giving Miss Annette enough coins to divine the conditions for becoming a Chosen One of balance. During the divination, Shade saw Miss Annette’s injured, incomplete Another Me, and the chapter ended with Miss Annette revealing the required ritual to Miss Bayes.

• Shade guessed Baron Cobell’s hole card with the effect of his Flower 8 and won the Baron’s Blood Money.
• Shade returned Miss Annette’s banknotes and brought the winnings to the Resting Room, where Miss Bayes and Miss Annette were waiting.
• Miss Annette began her Precise Divination, and Miss Bayes and Shade each helped activate a Blood Money coin.
• Shade saw an illusory, more mature Miss Annette absorb the coins’ power before vanishing, and learned that her Another Me appeared injured and incomplete.
• Miss Annette told Miss Bayes that becoming a Chosen One of balance required an object with an Ancient God’s power, understanding balance, and a ritual involving offering an eye, gaining Wisdom, and fairly judging a fated enemy before witnesses with special Destiny.