Chapter Summaries

Shade and Miss Belinder searched Detective Sparrow’s Safe House and recovered a notebook from ashes using Breath of Time. The notebook’s photographs linked Detective Sparrow to Kalas Mountain, leaving Shade eager to learn when he had been there.

• Miss Belinder recognized the house as a Safe House once used by Gray-headed Eagle, and Shade revealed that he had inherited the codename after Gray-headed Eagle died.
• Shade and Miss Belinder found a hidden room containing surviving investigation files on Moon Bay’s Seven Great Families and classified city documents.
• Miss Belinder divined that the missing documents had been burned in the kitchen before Detective Sparrow died, and Shade found two scraps of ash there.
• Shade used Breath of Time to restore the ashes into a ciphered notebook containing three landscape photographs.
• Miss Belinder identified the final photograph as Kalas Mountain, and Shade asked whether she could divine when it had been taken.

Shade investigated a photograph and coded notebook from Uncle Sparrow’s Moon Bay safe house, then joined Luvia and Iluna to discuss the spreading Abnormal Light and the Sword of Light ritual. Luvia’s divination revealed the conditions for drawing the sword temporarily and how a Chosen One could be determined.

• The Countess could not divine from Shade’s time-reversed photograph, so Shade asked Miss Belinder to have Megan and Audrey decipher Gray-headed Eagle’s notebook.
• Shade returned home and began identifying landscape photographs left by Uncle Sparrow, with Luvia offering to locate where they had been taken.
• Iluna told Shade that a man had vanished in light on Pulia Street and that a similar incident had occurred in southern Kasonlik; she also said she would travel to Moon Bay by airship.
• Shade told Luvia and Iluna that the first requirement for drawing the Sword of Light was facing a powerful enemy, and Luvia used divination to reveal the sword’s temporary and permanent uses.
• Luvia explained that the Chosen One must meet the specified Dragon-power, ritual, and qualification conditions, then listed the requirements for drawing the sword temporarily: a threatening enemy, a Holy Sword Series, a heart of justice, and facing the strong.

Shade, Luvia, and Iluna planned to investigate Moon Bay’s prophesied destruction and the Sword of Light without allowing the disaster to happen. Doctor Schneider arrived with a demon-powered weapon for Shade and himself, and they prepared to use it against Crow.

• Shade and Luvia concluded that the prophecy of Moon Bay’s destruction might be connected to the Chosen One of Light, but Shade refused to let the city be destroyed for the sake of the ritual.
• Iluna planned to investigate the cause of Moon Bay’s destruction and the ritual for drawing the Sword of Light, while Luvia said she would join them after her examination on the 27th.
• Shade received a letter from Miss Danist, who told him she was meeting believers of the Old God Harmonious Weaver and could seek help from Principal Pigman’s team in Moon Bay.
• Doctor Schneider visited Shade and revealed that he had made two glass marbles imbued with a demon’s power as weapons against Crow.

Shade and Doctor Schneider prepared to hunt the demon at Moon Bay on Sunday, while Shade also investigated the curse afflicting Emilia and planned to confront its source. The chapter left the hunt scheduled for the weekend, with Bella arranging access to Belinder Big Ben and Shade carrying Emilia’s hair in a ring.

• Shade and Doctor Schneider agreed to prepare at Moon Bay and strike as soon as Doctor Schneider arrived with the Space Movement relic, likely on Sunday.
• At lunch, Miss Belinder told Shade that Princess Margaret would arrive Sunday and explained that her family’s shops were selling popular stockings.
• Shade revealed a crow-shaped curse on Emilia’s arm and said he planned to act on Sunday at Belinder Big Ben, which Bella agreed to close to the public during the coming storm.
• Shade took three strands of Emilia’s hair and embedded them in a ring he would wear until the curse was dealt with; Emilia agreed to follow his instructions and stay with Little Liana.
• Bella told Shade she had located two members of the Seekers of Light Research Society and made progress studying the Black Dragon Scale, then took him to the basement.
• Miss Matilda gave Emilia a pair of fine stockings, and Emilia tried them on and admired them.

Shade and Bella Belinder investigated the dragon scales and the Church’s demand to inspect the Seven Great Families’ homes, while an afternoon together gave Bella a private moment of happiness. Shade then received the translated Gray-headed Eagle notebook and returned home to join the farewell gathering for Tifa and the group leaving for Moon Bay.

• At the witch’s workshop, Shade and Bella saw the Black and Golden Dragon Scales resonate and reveal damaged Draconic Runes, which Shade could not decipher.
• Bella told Shade that the Seven Great Families were sharing documents, but the Dawn Church had asked the King to arrange inspections of their ancestral homes; the families planned to delay the Church until Princess Margaret arrived.
• During afternoon tea, Bella watched Shade, Emilia, Matilda, and the pets together, accepted a biscuit from him, and quietly cherished the ordinary moment as her own small happiness.
• Bella returned Shade the Gray-headed Eagle’s notebook and its translation, which Megan and Audrey had prepared at the Council.
• Shade returned home, where Miss Galina explained that Tifa was leading ten skilled arcanists to Moon Bay and another twenty-five maids would join them from Saladir County.
• Tifa prepared a final dinner at Shade’s home before departing, as Shade, Luvia, and Miss Galina gathered to see her and the others off.

Shade and the others bid farewell to the group leaving for Moon Bay, while Luvia and Galina discussed Tifa’s relationship with Shade. Later, Shade examined Detective Sparrow’s diary and discovered a reference to an informant called “Big Mouth Sparrow” and a hidden message from Megan and Audrey.

• Galina reminded Angelina to take care of herself in Moon Bay, and the maids, Dorothy, and Angelina left Tobesk by train with Shade, Galina, and Luvia bidding them farewell.
• Luvia suggested Galina had sent Tifa with Shade to create an opportunity for them, but Galina denied it and admitted she was troubled by their restraint.
• Shade studied Detective Sparrow’s diary and found that a photograph of Kalas Mountain had been developed alongside evidence from an investigation into Viscount Light.
• Shade discovered that informant “Big Mouth Sparrow” had chosen Kalas Mountain for an intelligence exchange, and he found the word “Shadow” circled on the diary’s final page.
• The diary revealed a message from Megan and Audrey asking Shade to prepare a room, a “Do Not Enter” sign, and a full day before they arrived in Moon Bay.

Shade investigated Detective Sparrow’s connection to Kalas Mountain while keeping his own urgent plans secret, then helped draw the attention of Misfortune Demon-Pharnalius. The chapter left Shade preparing for Doctor’s planned intervention as the demon focused on him.

• Shade suspected Detective Sparrow’s visits to Kalas Mountain were connected to him and planned to ask Margaret to investigate intelligence sources for clues about Big Mouth Sparrow.
• Luvia and Miss Galina surprised Shade by dressing as maids, and he spent the night with them.
• Shade learned that Iluna had departed for Moon Bay, but refused to tell Luvia and Miss Galina about the important matter he intended to handle that weekend.
• Shade obtained a Dragon Scale Coin and noticed a black Crow with crimson, three-petaled eyes watching him near the Dragon Nest.
• Shade picked up the Crow’s cursed feather and confirmed that Misfortune Demon-Pharnalius had cursed him, though his divinity, the First Fire, and divine blessings weakened its effects.
• Shade concluded that the plan had drawn the demon’s attention to him and that its focus would help Doctor appear at the right moment.

Shade went to Earl Dalmanin’s residence after Countess Belinder failed to return to the manor at the expected time, and found a suspiciously welcoming maid leading him through the dark house. He reached the study and saw the young Countess Dalmanin, but stopped at the doorway rather than enter alone.

• Shade left Belinder Manor after Countess Belinder did not return by eleven thirty, telling Emilia and the others to stay behind.
• Shade went directly to George Dalmanin Earl’s residence, skipping the City Council, and was admitted by a young maid.
• The maid claimed that Countess Belinder and Earl Belinder were visiting and staying for lunch, though Shade’s badge indicated neither woman was present.
• The maid led Shade through the unlit residence, explaining that the gas pipes were being repaired and that Earl Dalmanin had been bedridden for half a year.
• Shade found the young Countess Dalmanin in the study with six maids and refused to enter because they were alone together.

Shade found the unconscious Miss Belinder on a reef below Earl Dalmanin's mansion and revived her with holy water and his Traveler's Camp spell. After using Silver Moon radiance to calm her dangerous response to the Source of Chaos relic in her shoulder, he saw that her Whisper Element had become completely restless.

• The Countess tried to seduce Shade, then told him that Miss Belinder and her maids might be behind a hidden door in the basement.
• Shade found a concealed elevator beyond the basement door and descended to a chamber where Miss Matilda and the other maids lay unconscious.
• Shade followed another door from the chamber onto a reef and found Miss Belinder unconscious by the sea, with her Witch accessory nearby.
• Shade used Traveler's Camp to shelter Miss Belinder from the rain and tide, then gave her holy water.
• Miss Belinder woke in a confused, feverish state and clung to Shade, so he pressed Silver Moon radiance against the relic in her shoulder.
• Miss Belinder stopped moving, but Shade realized that her Whisper Element had become completely restless.

Shade used the golden bracelet to calm Miss Belinder after she witnessed something terrifying, then faced Desire, who had appeared as a Mermaid beyond the reef. Desire allowed him to take the witch and the corrupted maids away, and Shade asked where she had spent the past year.

• Shade gave Miss Belinder the golden bracelet and helped her invoke Chaos, suppressing her rampaging elements.
• Miss Belinder warned Shade to flee and said she had suspected Countess Dalmanin was connected to Ring Arcanists.
• Shade recognized Desire in the Mermaid at the reef and told Miss Belinder to close her eyes while he handled the encounter.
• Desire said she had no need for Believers and teased Shade about his growing desires and the witch in his arms.
• Shade asked to take Miss Belinder and the maids away, and Desire agreed without naming a price.
• Desire asked Shade to guess where she had spent most of the past year, and he replied that he had encountered her in different cities.

Shade met Desire in the waters beneath Moon Bay and learned she wanted him to protect the city from an approaching disaster. She also warned that his current powers could not bind the Black Crow and gave him an address in Tobesk where he could find a new power.

• Desire told Shade she had been living in Moon Bay since leaving Coldwater Port and had chosen the city as her territory.
• Desire demanded that Shade and Miss Belinder mate before her, but Shade refused and asked what she truly wanted.
• Desire instructed Shade to protect Moon Bay City during the coming disaster so she could continue enjoying the desires gathered there.
• Desire warned Shade that his chains could not bind the Black Crow and gave him an address in Tobesk where something that could grant him new power awaited.
• Desire told Shade to eliminate the Black Crow and return to Moon Bay, then disappeared beneath the water.

Shade and Miss Belinder returned safely to Belinder Manor after Desire’s illusion and mental contamination, and Little Unicorn helped dispel the lingering negative power. After they washed and changed, Bella Belinder surprised Shade in his bathtub and kissed him underwater, leaving him wondering whether Desire’s influence still affected her.

• Shade carried Miss Belinder and the awakening maids away from the reef, and Miss Matilda explained that they remembered visiting Countess Dalmanin before waking at the elevator.
• Countess Dalmanin escorted Shade’s group to the gate, where their carriage had returned, and they traveled safely back to Belinder Manor.
• Little Unicorn sensed the lingering evil power and dispelled its oppressive effects, while Shade captured the remaining pink smoke in the Perfume Bottle.
• Miss Belinder left Shade’s arms and went upstairs to freshen up as the others washed and changed before lunch.
• Bella Belinder entered Shade’s room while he bathed, kissed him underwater, and said that she wanted to kiss him even more.

Shade and Miss Belinder grew closer after Desire’s appearance and discussed the danger posed by the Black Crow that had cursed them. The chapter left Shade keeping Miss Belinder company while Emilia remained uneasy about the looming threat.

• Bella asked Shade to confirm his feelings and inspect him, and they became intimate in the bath.
• Shade and Miss Belinder arrived late to lunch, where she told Shade and Emilia that her mother and Younger Sisters would return the next day.
• Shade showed Emilia the Crow Feather and explained that a powerful Black Crow had cursed them, while telling her to trust his arrangements.
• After Emilia left, Miss Belinder asked Shade about Desire and he warned her not to contact Countess Dalmanin or report the entity.
• Miss Belinder asked Shade to stay with her for the afternoon, and he agreed.

Shade met Priest Augustus while investigating a relic that was influencing Vincent Taylor to spread increasingly hostile prejudices in Tobesk. They identified the relic as Prejudice and went to the Jasmine Opera Troupe’s courtyard to observe Taylor, who worked there to support his studies.

• Shade visited the address Desire had given him and unexpectedly found Priest Augustus investigating the same case.
• Priest Augustus described how Vincent Taylor’s growing prejudice had become unusually persuasive, influencing even mild-tempered people.
• Priest Augustus identified the phenomenon as the Poet Level curse-like relic Prejudice, which was difficult to detect and could not be fully contained.
• Shade and Priest Augustus headed to the Jasmine Opera Troupe’s courtyard to observe Taylor and decide how to stop him spreading his ideas.
• Shade and Priest Augustus arrived at the courtyard as the audience gathered and the stagehands prepared for the performance.

Shade and Priest Augustus investigated Vincent Taylor at the Jasmine Opera Troupe and learned that his extreme views had grown increasingly disruptive. They discovered Taylor onstage, where he began delivering a political speech that threatened the troupe, and Mrs. Marian tried to stop him.

• Shade brought Priest Augustus backstage and asked Mrs. Marian about Vincent Taylor.
• Mrs. Marian described Taylor’s recent extreme statements about outsiders, Kasonlik people, nobles, and Shade.
• Mrs. Marian said Taylor was working as a temporary actor and pointed him out onstage in a hunter’s costume.
• Taylor began giving a political speech about the coming Civil War and Kasonlik people instead of following the play.
• Mrs. Marian shouted for the troupe to pull Taylor down before his speech caused trouble.

Shade and Priest Augustus lured Vincent Taylor away from the city after his disruptive speech at the opera. In the woods, Augustus confronted Taylor about the Curse of Prejudice and said he could not save him.

• Vincent Taylor interrupted the opera with a political speech, and the king and two dwarves dragged him offstage.
• Shade and Priest Augustus guarded Taylor backstage, where he insulted them and diagnosed Shade with several imagined illnesses.
• Augustus paid Taylor to leave the city with them, claiming that like-minded people wanted to hear him speak.
• The three traveled through the northern outskirts and into the woods, where Taylor realized something was wrong.
• Augustus said the Curse of Prejudice had taken root in Taylor's heart and that he could not save him.

Shade stopped Priest Augustus from killing Vincent Taylor and confronted him about the lingering influence of death. Shade’s Underworld Moon brought Augustus back to his senses, and the priest admitted that death had distorted his thinking.

• Priest Augustus summoned the Death Bringer's Scythe and terrified Vincent Taylor into unconsciousness.
• Shade blocked Augustus’s blow and argued that death’s influence was making the priest view the world too bleakly.
• Augustus refused to answer whether he still carried the dead’s Prejudice toward the living and vanished into the woods.
• Shade fought off Augustus’s attacks as the priest transformed the forest into a realm of black water and silence.
• Shade summoned the Underworld Moon, which calmed Augustus and ended the deathly domain.
• Augustus apologized and acknowledged that he had been influenced by death and could no longer judge the world from death’s perspective.

Shade and Priest Augustus resolved the effects of Prejudice, and Shade gained the Prejudice Spirit Rune. At the Study Group, Augustus revealed that he planned to travel to Moon Bay after the exam, while Shade and Doctor Schneider prepared for their important plan the next morning.

• Shade explained that Prejudice had affected him too, and Augustus arranged for a trusted Dawn Church Ring Arcanist to deliver Vincent Taylor to The Church after giving him a memory-loss potion.
• Shade gained insight into Prejudice and inscribed the Black Iron Whisper Spirit Rune, strengthening his Great Sin Chains.
• Shade and Augustus returned to the city, where Augustus dealt with Taylor and Shade met Little Mia before joining the others at Doctor Schneider's clinic.
• Doctor Schneider announced that the next Study Group meeting would be replaced by exam preparations at Shade's home, and Augustus said he planned to visit Moon Bay after the exam and Saint Prayer Festival.
• After the meeting, Shade stayed with Doctor Schneider to discuss their plans for the next morning and the relic that would let the Doctor use Space Jump.

Shade examined the Sure-Kill Handgun with the Doctor and learned how its Space Jump and deadly cost worked before they prepared to hunt the Black Crow. Later, Luvia brought Shade the locations of Sparrow Hamilton’s photographs, including one taken by a lake near Kalas Mountain in 1850.

• The Doctor explained that the Sure-Kill Handgun could make bullets perform Space Jumps, but each shot demanded a life as payment and traveling with it could harm the user.
• Shade and the Doctor confirmed their plan to meet at Shade’s home the next morning and use the handgun to travel to Moon Bay for the Crow hunt.
• Shade visited Moon Bay with Little Mia, arranged the next morning’s departure with Emilia, and spoke with Miss Belinder.
• Luvia visited Shade in place of Leisha, who had been kept at Yodel Palace by a banquet, and gave him her findings on Sparrow Hamilton’s photographs.
• Luvia’s analysis identified a photograph of a lake near the foot of Kalas Mountain, taken in 1850.

Shade and Emilia prepared for Doctor Schneider’s plan at the Clock Tower during a fierce storm, while Shade left Emilia and Little Unicorn waiting inside. The lights went out, and Emilia began to sense that something was watching her.

• Luvia agreed to try divining Detective Sparrow’s former contact with Bella Belinder after exam week, but said they would need more clues.
• Shade and Doctor Schneider synchronized their watches and arranged for the doctor to shoot Shade into Moon Bay at nine o’clock.
• During the storm, Shade reached Belinder Manor, then went with Emilia and Little Unicorn to the Clock Tower while Miss Belinder waited nearby.
• Shade knocked out the Clock Tower’s guards and staff, then left Emilia and Little Unicorn inside while he went outside to meet the doctor.
• After the Clock Tower’s lights went out, Emilia comforted the frightened Little Unicorn and noticed a stain on the wall that looked like a human figure pressed against it.