Chapter Summaries

Shade enrolled as a correspondence Ring Arcanist at Saint Byrens Comprehensive College after paying his tuition and passing its entrance tests. With his admission approved as “Excellent,” Doctor Schneider prepared to help him obtain his Core Rune and enter the supernatural world.

• Shade decided to have his Rhodes Card appraised by the Seer Association before visiting the museum, then borrowed money from the group to cover his tuition.
• Doctor Schneider used Poet Cohen's Manuscript to submit Shade's personal information and tuition payment to Saint Byrens Comprehensive College.
• Miss Dorothy Louisa explained that Shade had to write an essay on good and evil, order and chaos, while the Doctor prepared a report on Shade's performance during the pocket watch incident.
• Shade completed the essay and the Doctor submitted his report; after half an hour, the Academy sent Shade an admission notice with an “Excellent” evaluation.
• Doctor Schneider told Shade that he would next help him obtain his Core Rune, and that the Academy's textbooks and study materials would arrive in three days.

Doctor Schneider guided Shade through the five steps of Ring Arcanist awakening, from gathering the Four Elements to the final Hymn. Shade opened the door to the supernatural and emerged with a brass Destiny Ring bearing the Core Runes Space-Time and Silver Moon.

• Shade encountered the final missing Element, Blasphemy, and received confirmation that he had gathered all Four Elements.
• Doctor Schneider explained the role of Another Me and began Shade's awakening with the Bell Ringing Potion.
• Doctor Schneider ignited Shade's gathered Elements and gave him a handwritten copy of the Book of Fire Worship to read.
• Shade used the power awakened by reading to heat a sheet of paper and completed the Propulsion step.
• Shade recited his declaration during the Hymn as a hammer struck his soul, forming his Destiny Ring with the Core Runes Space-Time and Silver Moon.

After completing his employment ritual, Shade learned about Destiny Rings and revealed his Core Runes, Spacetime and Silver Moon. Doctor Schneider and Miss Louisa explained that Spacetime was extraordinarily rare and said Shade was destined for History College and Time Exploration.

• Doctor Schneider explained how Destiny Rings formed and described the usual Core Runes and their exceptions.
• Shade asked how many Core Runes people normally had, and Doctor Schneider and Miss Louisa showed him their own rings and explained their runes.
• Shade revealed that his Core Runes were Spacetime and Silver Moon, startling Doctor Schneider and Miss Louisa.
• Miss Louisa said Spacetime was exceptionally rare, and Doctor Schneider predicted Shade would join History College, explore the past, and uncover Secrets connected to the fallen Old Gods.

Shade joined the History College at Saint Byrens Comprehensive College as a first-year Correspondence Student Ring Arcanist and learned about Ring advancement, the Words of Sublimation, and rules governing the Academy. Doctor Schneider sent him home to rest and study a notebook before returning in three days.

• The Doctor explained Time Keys and Spirit Runes to Shade, and the History College offered Shade key-trainee status and a Keeper of Secrets Level relic if he joined.
• Shade accepted the offer and became a first-year Correspondence Student Ring Arcanist in the History College.
• The Doctor explained Ring advancement and the Words of Sublimation, which linked Spirit Runes from four Rings with a Ring Arcanist’s Core Rune.
• Miss Louisa and the Doctor told Shade that Saint Byrens forbade its Ring Arcanists from visiting the New Continent, while Ring Arcanists were also forbidden from committing suicide.
• The Doctor lent Shade an old notebook, told him to rest and return in three days, and reminded him to repay 10 pounds within a month.

Shade began his first commission as a detective, setting out to retrieve Miss Mia San Gaode’s orange cat from Good Man Peter’s Pet Shop. When he arrived, the shopkeeper’s reaction suggested that the cat was missing, leaving Shade’s easy assignment in doubt.

• Shade studied Spirit Runes through the night and discovered he could produce a faint Silver Light at his fingertips.
• Shade woke feeling well, decided to attempt one of the detective agency’s commissions, and chose to collect Miss Mia San Gaode’s cat, Mia.
• Shade saw a brown-haired girl leave the pet shop and learned from its owner, Good Man Peter, that she was associated with the Sun Church.
• Shade described Mia to Peter, who turned pale, prompting Shade to ask whether the cat was missing.

Shade retrieved Miss Goode’s orange cat, Mia, from a rooftop after luring it with Silver Light. He also found an old box of Rhodes Cards beneath the cat’s perch and headed to Miss Goode’s home with Mia.

• Shade climbed onto the pet boarding house’s roof after the owner offered him a shilling to take Mia away.
• Shade used Silver Light to draw Mia’s attention and gently picked up the cat.
• Shade found an old box of Rhodes Cards beneath Mia’s perch and pocketed it.
• Shade left Purple Iris Lane with Mia and went to Miss Goode’s home on Sandrew Street.

Shade found Little Mia and learned that her owner, Miss Mia Goode, had moved away, leaving him money and instructions to care for the cat until she returned. After seeing Lasoya near the silverware shop, Shade investigated the alley she had emerged from and found it blocked at a dead end.

• Shade learned from Miss Goode's neighbor that Mia had moved to the East Coast and left a letter asking him to care for Little Mia until she returned within six months.
• Shade accepted the extra money and responsibility, then arranged goat-milk deliveries for the cat at a lower-than-expected cost.
• A voice in Shade's mind told him to observe Lasoya's ring, and he spotted her wearing the white Pebble Ring near the silverware shop.
• Shade avoided following Lasoya directly, waited until she had gone farther away, then entered the alley she had emerged from.
• Shade found that the alley ended at a wall behind discarded pipes and wondered whether Lasoya had used the blind spot to transform through the ring.

Shade discovered a hidden statue of the Old God Vampire Duke Lawell and gained the Blood Echo curse, which let him see traces of blood. He left the alley and went to Doctor Schneider’s clinic, but learned Schneider was away at a Count’s manor and could not be reached.

• Shade found the word meaning “Appeared” scrawled on a wall and summoned a statue of Vampire Duke Lawell.
• Shade heard the Old God’s story, gained the Blood Echo curse, and learned that his right eye could reveal faint traces of blood.
• Shade checked that Little Mia had avoided the worst of the statue’s mental shock, then made the statue sink back underground by reciting the word in reverse.
• Shade took Little Mia to Doctor Schneider’s clinic, where Doctor Clay said Schneider was staying at a Count’s manor and refused to disclose its location.

Shade returned home after failing to find Doctor Schneider, recorded his first commission, and continued studying his new powers. That evening, Laggett Franklin arrived with a commission concerning his gambling-addicted son, Little Franklin.

• Shade learned Doctor Schneider was away and left a message about the evil god statue containing remnants of an Old God.
• Shade returned to Saint Derain Square with Little Mia, recorded the missing-cat commission, and reviewed the previous Detective’s records and belongings.
• Shade studied Spacetime and Silver Moon, finding that his spirit and ability to ignite paper had grown stronger after contacting the Old God’s remnants.
• Laggett Franklin visited Shade’s Detective Agency and was shocked to learn that Sparrow Hamilton had died.
• Laggett explained that his son, Little Franklin, had fallen into gambling and had previously been found at an underground casino and Lucky Southern Cross Club.

Shade accepted Mr. Franklin’s commission to retrieve Little Franklin from the Lucky Southern Cross Club, where he learned the young man had been taken upstairs over gambling debts. Shade reached the club’s quieter 2nd Floor by blending in with a group of drunk patrons, but had not yet found Little Franklin.

• Mr. Franklin hired Shade to bring Little Franklin home before the family moved to Artek City.
• Shade traveled to the North District and entered the Lucky Southern Cross Club through its concealed back entrance.
• Shade searched the crowded 1st Floor and overheard gamblers say Little Franklin had been taken to the 2nd Floor to repay his debts.
• Shade used a group of drunk patrons to slip past the club’s entry requirements and reach the 2nd Floor.

Shade went to the Lucky Southern Cross Club’s second floor to find Little Franklin and learned that the young man could leave after his gambling debt was paid. After Shade paid the two-pound debt, the chef demanded another half pound before letting Franklin go.

• Shade overheard gamblers mocking Captain Rades for his capture and escape attempt, then slipped out of the second-floor room.
• A Club guard stopped Shade, but after learning he was looking for Poor Man Franklin, he agreed to take him to the kitchen for ransom.
• Shade declined the guard’s offer to inflate Franklin’s debt and paid the two pounds owed to the casino.
• Shade found Little Franklin being beaten by the chef, who demanded another half pound because Franklin had tried to run away and bitten him.

Shade rescued Little Franklin from Fat Jack by using Blood Echo to win a card draw, then was summoned to meet an unidentified noblewoman on the third floor of The Club. He entered her reception room alone and sensed that someone was watching him, though nobody was visible.

• Fat Jack demanded that Shade gamble for Little Franklin's freedom, and Shade used Blood Echo to identify the Emperor card and win.
• Fat Jack let Little Franklin go, and Mr. Nite gave Shade a receipt and escorted them toward the exit.
• A maid told Shade that a noble lady wanted to see him, while Mr. Nite agreed to watch Little Franklin.
• Shade followed the maid to a reception room on the third floor and entered alone.
• Shade examined the empty room and sensed that someone was watching him from somewhere outside it.

Shade triggered a containment failure in the Darkness Box after understanding its activation incantation, then used Silver Moon light to repel the darkness. He apologized to the high-ranking woman behind a hidden door, and she asked what to call him.

• Shade saw the writing on the brass Metal Gears box, understood its incantation, and triggered the Darkness Box's containment failure.
• Shade summoned his Brass Destiny Ring and used Silver Moon light to drive back the darkness and its hateful whispers.
• Shade noticed a hidden door in the bookcase and realized the woman he had come to meet was behind it.
• The woman explained that Shade's light-related Spirit Runes and the incantation had caused the Poet Level relic to fail containment.
• Shade apologized, and the woman accepted that they shared responsibility for leaving the relic unattended.
• The woman asked Shade what to call him.

Shade met the Lady behind the door, who identified his contact with the Old God’s statue and asked him to reveal its location. He offered the statue’s location and summoning incantation in exchange for usable power, leaving the Lady to consider the proposed trade.

• Shade introduced himself to the Lady, who asked where the statue of Vampire Duke Lawell was.
• The Lady explained that she had sensed the blood traces from Shade’s spells and pressed him to disclose the statue’s location.
• Shade admitted that he had touched the statue but asked whether the Lady was offering a commission.
• The Lady agreed to make the matter a fair transaction and promised not to hold the relic’s loss of control against him.
• Shade gave the statue’s location and its six-syllable incantation, asking to trade that information for power he could use.

Shade traded the address and incantation connected to the Old God statue for a Document Level relic and information about Blood of Mercury. He learned that the organization held God's Gift Box in Tobesk and received a Blood Ring, while the woman warned him to avoid Blood of Mercury for the next few months.

• The woman offered Shade a Document Level relic and information about Blood of Mercury in exchange for the address and incantation.
• She revealed that Blood of Mercury possessed God's Gift Box, a Sage Level relic that could synthesize powerful relics, and that Diake planned to use it to create the Angel Level relic Blood of Mercury.
• The woman warned Shade that Blood of Mercury could not move God's Gift Box and was nearly insane, advising him to avoid the organization in Tobesk for several months.
• Shade gave the woman the six-syllable incantation, and she sent a maid out with a relic as payment.
• Shade learned that the relic was a Blood Ring, which could draw blood from another person to heal its wearer but carried dangerous side effects.

Shade completed his first commission, left The Club with Little Franklin, and returned home to grow closer to the orange Cat Mia. The next morning, Shade visited Doctor Schneider, who discussed a troubling case involving a noblewoman before asking what Shade needed.

• Shade asked the unnamed Lady about her identity and the Darkness Box, and she explained the relic’s origins and the history of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Epochs.
• Shade caught Little Franklin after he tried to run away, then collected his payment from Mr. and Mrs. Franklin and left.
• Shade returned home, found that Little Mia had behaved well, and decided he would adopt her if her owner did not return.
• Shade spent the night at home and planned his next day over breakfast with Little Mia.
• Shade walked to Doctor Schneider’s clinic and found the doctor back from his trip, troubled by a strange case of gluttony involving a noblewoman.

Shade told Doctor Schneider about his encounter with the Darkness Box and traded statue, earning praise and a promise of four pounds from the group. Afterward, Shade developed a new use for Silver Moon and added a search of the apartment’s inaccessible areas to his plans.

• Shade recounted his dealings with the Silver-Eyed One, the Darkness Box, and Blood of Mercury to Doctor Schneider, who praised his handling of the danger and trade.
• Doctor Schneider said the group would compensate Shade with four pounds and warned him to avoid Blood of Mercury and focus on building his detective business until he grew stronger.
• Shade asked whether the Academy withheld important information, and Doctor Schneider said only the Academy knew when information was appropriate to share.
• Shade heard about a gas explosion near Silver Parrot Milk Company, then experimented at home and learned to make Silver Moon light cling to objects.
• Shade made Little Mia glow for ten seconds, frightening the cat into fleeing up the apartment’s broken staircase.
• Shade wondered where the Detective had hidden his gun and added searches of the sealed-off 1st Floor, inaccessible third floor, and vacant Room 2 to his schedule.

Shade experimented with basic spells and telekinesis before meeting Priest Latt Augustus, a devout Mister Dawn believer and the group’s newly introduced Second Ring Warlock. The doctor vouched for Augustus, leaving Shade to meet another trusted member of the group.

• Shade practiced igniting paper and moving objects with his mind, showing unusual strength when he shifted a heavy book.
• Shade wore the Blood Ring as a pendant and planned to ask the doctor and the others how to use it safely.
• Little Mia woke Shade by lying on his chest, and he left home early for his appointment at Schneider Psychological Clinic.
• Doctor Schneider introduced Priest Latt Augustus as a trustworthy Second Ring Warlock who had joined the Academy after awakening his talent later in life.

Shade met Priest Latt Augustus, the group’s trusted clergyman, and learned more about Luvia Annette’s ties to the Seer Association. Their warnings against seeking power through violence gave way to a toast celebrating the world, just as Louisa arrived and found them raising their cups.

• Shade met Priest Latt Augustus, a Second Ring Warlock and longtime Dawn Church priest whose church connections made him an important member of the group.
• Doctor Schneider explained that Luvia Annette was a jointly trained Correspondence Student and Seer Association arcanist, and Priest Augustus described her strength in combat.
• Shade asked whether killing a Ring Arcanist could yield their power, prompting Schneider and Augustus to warn him against killing for profit and urge him to live cautiously.
• Priest Augustus raised a toast to the strange but kind world, and Shade joined Schneider and Augustus in celebrating their friendship.
• Louisa entered without knocking and hesitated when she saw the three men raising their teacups.

Shade learned about the correspondence Ring Arcanist group and received a customized first-year study plan with nineteen required courses. After a mountain of textbooks arrived, he learned that completing his studies also required Practical Credits and that elective courses cost money.

• Doctor Schneider explained that Ring Arcanists met weekly to share knowledge, ask questions, and seek help with assignments, while Shade learned that relic identification was usually difficult.
• At ten o'clock, a parchment scroll appeared, and Shade opened his customized first-year study plan listing nineteen required courses worth fifty-three credits.
• Priest Augustus explained the course assessments and that Shade needed fifteen credits by year’s end to continue his studies.
• Shade learned that first-year students needed forty Practical Credits, including ten from Time Exploration, and that Time Travel could earn rewards when done independently.
• After more than a hundred books arrived, Doctor Schneider showed Shade the elective course list, and Shade was surprised to learn that electives cost gold pounds.