Chapter Summaries

Shade helped Miss Feliana and the Moon Witch complete their ritual beneath the ancient tree, then found a way to open the hidden door and let the god depart. As the Thousand Tree Forest’s darkness closed in, Shade and the witches stood together and illuminated it with their lights.

• Shade asked the god whether mortals could become gods and learned that it was impossible in his era; the god also revealed that she had once been Princess Tavel and received time and nature authorities from the Father of Infinite Tree.
• Miss Feliana gave Shade a notebook of knowledge and experiences, and the Moon Witch introduced herself as Blaine Olanode before the group prepared to leave.
• Shade discovered that the scarlet gold fire revealed and opened the golden door in the tree, and he shared his name and a request with the witches before igniting the doorway.
• The god entered the door and disappeared, while Shade, Miss Feliana, and Blaine remained as the forest’s darkness enveloped them.
• Miss Feliana counted to three, and Shade and the two witches raised their hands together, casting their three lights into the darkness.

Shade returned from the Thousand Tree Forest to his home in the Sixth Epoch, carrying two leaves and a new Golden Miracle Ling Rune. He questioned the god’s claim that his era was not strictly the Sixth Epoch, while the author’s note confirmed that the main storyline was indeed set in the Sixth Epoch.

• Shade said farewell to Miss Feliana and the Moon Witch as the Radiance Doorway pulled him back through time.
• Miss Feliana warned Shade about the Fishmen and promised him a gift if she retained her memories; the god said Shade’s point in time was not, strictly speaking, the Sixth Epoch.
• Shade returned home with two leaves and received the Golden Miracle Ling Rune - Tree's Kiss, which granted him Space Stabilization Aura.
• Shade checked the date with Sense Time and confirmed that it was the Sixth Epoch, Common Calendar Year 1853.
• Shade absorbed the leaf’s power and learned that Space Stabilization Aura could stabilize space and prevent others from using spatial abilities nearby.

Shade examined Miss Feliana’s notebook and used a Youthful Immortality Leaf to witness two Witches voting to end the Fifth Epoch through the Witches War. On Monday, he reassured Dorothy that he was still in the Sixth Epoch, showed her the notebook and his new Tree’s Kiss Spirit Rune, and prepared to travel to Coldwater Port.

• Shade found that parts of Miss Feliana’s notebook had become blank and used a leaf to witness two Witch Council members approve the Witches War to end the Fifth Epoch.
• Shade wondered whether the surviving Witch Council still existed and whether modern Witches controlled its hidden space.
• Dorothy visited Shade on Monday and checked that he still knew he was in the Sixth Epoch; Shade blamed his exhausted appearance on staying up late reading.
• Shade told Dorothy about the notebook’s Witch Detection Pendant formula and showed her the notebook, but she stopped him when he described the Ancient Gods.
• Shade summoned his Destiny Ring and showed Dorothy the golden Tree’s Kiss Spirit Rune, then prepared to go to Coldwater Port to see Princess Leisha.

Shade discussed the difficulties of finding thaumaturgy for his Tree's Kiss rune with Dorothy, then traveled to Coldwater Port and gave Leisha a Youthful Immortality Leaf and a ruby earring. As the Red Ocean ritual approached, the Church's search revealed that Fishmen had infiltrated Coldwater Port in large numbers.

• Dorothy warned Shade that Tree's Kiss was tied to a rare fairy tale and suggested they study the Sleeping Spirit Rune and runes for Words of Sublimation instead.
• Shade wrote the story of gods and gods for Dorothy to study, then traveled to Coldwater Port.
• Shade asked Leisha about Zaras Academy of Literature and learned it was in a Floating City above the clouds.
• Shade gave Leisha a Youthful Immortality Leaf and a ruby earring to thank her for helping him search for survivors.
• Shade worried about Leisha's safety as the Red Ocean ritual was expected on Tuesday or Wednesday.
• The Church used information from the Fishman Stronghold to hunt the Evil God's Kin and discovered Fishmen were hidden throughout Coldwater Port.

Shade learned from Leisha that Mr. Darkness was hiding in Coldwater Port with a group of companions, and he went to find him at the Pink Rose Inn. There, a shrewd stranger approached Shade and asked whether he was interested in special Rhodes Cards.

• Leisha told Shade that Mr. Darkness had arranged for Professor Katia and another folklorist to approach Mr. Jude, and that he was hiding with more than ten companions while waiting for a ship to the New Continent.
• Leisha gave Shade her investigation documents and said she would return to Tobesk after the Sea Burial, while Shade planned to search for Mr. Darkness on his own.
• Shade bought materials for making a Witch Detection badge at the Seven Broomsticks Tavern and arranged to collect them that afternoon.
• Shade followed Leisha's address through the Dock Area slums to the Pink Rose Inn, where Mr. Darkness's group was reportedly staying.
• After waiting downstairs, Shade was approached by a long-faced man who asked whether he was interested in special Rhodes Cards.

Shade met Demon Scholar Xiao En Asmon at an inn in Coldwater Port and played Rhodes Cards with him for information. Shade won the game and paid twenty pounds, leaving with the Demon Thief Bishop card and the promise of information about the inn’s third floor.

• Xiao En Asmon offered Shade a chance to win a suspected first-edition Demon Series card in a Rhodes Cards game, wagering it against twenty pounds.
• Shade introduced himself as John Watson and agreed to play after Asmon offered information about the inn and answered questions about demons.
• Asmon explained that demons could be both Alien Creatures and unverified entities, then told a tale about a nameless demon that failed when someone said they had no wishes.
• Shade avoided busting in all three rounds and won the game, while Asmon drew the Demon Thief Bishop card in the final round.
• Shade paid Asmon twenty pounds in exchange for the Demon Thief Bishop card and information about the inn’s third floor.

Shade investigated the third floor of the Pink Rose Inn, then arranged a meeting with Mr. Darkness to discuss the Mermaid's Song curse and the Church's pursuit. Mr. Darkness refused to cooperate and revealed that he was a Sixth Ring Arcanist.

• Mr. Asmon told Shade that around fifteen or sixteen rude people lived on the inn's third floor and were waiting for a ship to the New Continent.
• Shade paid Mrs. Mary to deliver a letter inviting Mr. Darkness to meet him, then left the Pink Rose Inn.
• Shade waited on a rooftop in the rain until Mr. Darkness arrived alone.
• Shade proposed joining forces to break the Mermaid's Song curse and evade the Church, but Mr. Darkness refused and said he trusted his friends more.
• Mr. Darkness asked Shade to remove his mask and looked down on him, revealing that he was a Sixth Ring Arcanist.

Shade encountered Mr. Darkness in Coldwater Port and discovered that the Red-Gloved Sixth Ring Arcanist was the second Chosen One and worked with the Blood Spirit School. He returned to Luvia, who confirmed the identity, and they considered how to deal with him.

• Mr. Darkness revealed a mouth in his palm that swallowed Shade’s Thaumaturgy, but Shade escaped across the rooftops using Space Movement and Frog’s Leap.
• Shade rolled a twenty on the Dice of Destiny and learned that the Puppeteer’s Script had attacked him, leading him to suspect Mr. Darkness and his companions belonged to the Blood Spirit School and Blood of Mercury.
• Shade realized that Mr. Darkness and the others were hiding while preparing to return to the New Continent, then hurried back to Tobesk.
• Shade met Luvia and recounted his encounter, asking her to divine whether he had met a Chosen One.
• Luvia used the two Special Coins and confirmed that Mr. Darkness, who bore the Mermaid’s Song curse, was the second Chosen One.
• Luvia urged Shade to report Mr. Darkness rather than ignore him or try to kill him.

Luvia urged Shade to warn the Church in Coldwater Port about Daknis, but her agitation alarmed him and he helped her calm down. Before leaving, Luvia divined the altered Puppeteer's Script for Shade, leaving him with troubling cards to interpret and a warning about a mouth in the palm.

• Luvia insisted that Shade personally deliver the information about Daknis to the Church using the Dice of Destiny to conceal their involvement.
• Shade noticed Luvia was close to losing control, held her hand, and reminded her that he and Iluna would help deal with the second Chosen One.
• Luvia calmed down and divined the altered Puppeteer's Script, drawing cards showing a fish, the deep sea, and desire.
• Luvia said she could not interpret Shade's destiny, promised to research the mouth in the palm, and warned him to be careful in Coldwater Port.
• Luvia left, and Shade decided to visit the Association to ask about the day's Rhodes Card.

Shade arranged an appraisal for a rare Demon Series Rhodes Card, delivered a report about Daknis to the Nature Church, and bought alchemy materials in Coldwater Port. He narrowly avoided being noticed by Sivie Aurora and returned to Sophia Manor, where Princess Leisha questioned his account of the day.

• Shade asked Mr. Mark to have the Association appraise his Demon Series card, and Mr. Mark said the holder had to be present during the appraisal.
• Shade returned to Coldwater Port and covertly delivered a letter about Daknis to a Father at the Nature Church by disguising it as a donation.
• Shade saw Sivie Aurora's carriage and hurried away before the witch noticed anything unusual about him.
• Shade bought alchemy materials at the Seven Broomsticks Tavern and headed to Sophia Manor, having confirmed that he still needed a witch's hair.
• Princess Leisha challenged Shade's explanation that he had spent the day playing cards and donated money to a church.

Shade warned Leisha about the danger in the city and learned that Coldwater Port would soon face a tsunami blamed on polluted seawater, while he privately decided he needed to take part in the Sea Burial ritual. That evening, he projected himself to Saint Byron's for Professor Hessinger Garcia's class, where he joined five other students.

• Shade told Leisha he was leaving and advised her to avoid the city, and she warned him that city hall would issue a tsunami warning tied to the Sea Burial ritual.
• Shade returned home, ate dinner with Dorothy, and took Lady Mia Goode to a photography studio for pictures.
• Shade prepared a necromantic projection ritual at home and kept the cat occupied while he attended class remotely.
• Shade appeared semi-transparent in Professor Hessinger Garcia's classroom at Saint Byron's and greeted the five other students.

Shade attended Professor Garcia’s lesson on Mystic Locks and asked about how they were formed and affected by changes to the user’s soul. He then asked Miss Galina to make a witch-detecting alchemical badge and, in exchange for the formula, requested her help finding details about the Sea Burial ritual.

• Professor Garcia explained Mystic Locks, their rarity, and how they strengthened users and granted abilities; Shade asked questions about their creation and how changes in the soul affected them.
• Professor Garcia encouraged Shade to consider building his own Mystic Lock and selecting suitable Spirit Runes, and Shade said he was considering one related to Enlightenment Elements.
• Shade met Miss Galina at his home and gave her a formula for an alchemical item that could detect witches, asking her to keep it from the other members of the Witch Council.
• Miss Galina agreed to make Shade a badge by the next morning and offered to compensate him for the formula.
• Shade asked Miss Galina to use her channels to find information about the Sea Burial ritual, especially the cultists’ final-stage ritual steps.

Shade traded his flawless formula to Galina Cavendish for information about the Fishmen ritual and received a silver badge marking her protection. The records revealed how powerful fishing rods could resist the Sea Burial curse, giving Shade new insight into the evil god’s hatred of anglers and interest in the Scales of the Drowned Mermaid.

• Galina kissed Shade’s forehead and said their relationship did not always need to involve a fair trade.
• Tifa Servit brought Shade Galina’s silver badge and explained that it marked him as belonging to the Duchess and could protect him from Witches.
• Tifa confirmed that Shade’s formula was flawless and handed him the Council’s records about the Sea Burial ritual.
• Shade learned that the ritual drew power from an item left behind after an evil god descended during the Fifth Epoch.
• Shade read that an extraordinary fishing rod and its line could keep cursed people from being called into the ocean.
• Shade connected the evil god’s hatred of anglers to its interest in the Scales of the Drowned Mermaid.

Shade received information from Miss Galina about the enmity between Fishmen and Mermaids and a warning about the Sea Burial ritual, then went to Coldwater Port to help Leisha. He avoided Sivie Aurora, a genuine Twelve-Ring Arcanist, while she visited Leisha, and the chapter ended as a storm approached.

• Miss Tifa told Shade that Fishmen had defeated the Mermaids and stolen their power and history, and relayed Miss Galina’s warning that Sea Burial could have Angel Level effects.
• Dorothy warned Shade not to involve Leisha in his dealings with Miss Galina because the royal family was dangerous and the forces behind the attempt on Queen Diana remained unknown.
• Vice President Mark confirmed that Shade’s Demon Soul Stealer Bishop card was genuine and encouraged him to collect special Rhodes Cards.
• Shade reached Sophia Manor through dangerous rain and currents, then stayed in his room when his badge detected the approaching Witch Sivie Aurora.
• Leisha told Shade that Sivie had invited her to a banquet and wanted her help securing royal support for the Aurora Family’s shipyard expansion.
• Shade and Leisha watched the rain batter the windows as a storm gathered over Coldwater Port.

Shade prepared to protect Leisha from the coming Red Ocean and stayed in Coldwater Port while the Sea Burial ritual approached. At Saint Byron’s, Professor Garcia demonstrated Mystic Lock—Barren Wilderness, a spell that summoned wild animals Shade had seen before.

• Leisha told Shade that Baroness Sivie Aurora had invited her to a banquet and offered her shares in the Coldwater Port Shipyard, but Leisha wanted a larger share.
• Shade warned Leisha about the Sea Burial ritual and the Red Ocean, then gave her a Fishing Rod to help suppress the curse.
• Shade agreed to stay at Sophia Manor to protect Leisha, arranged for Dorothy to care for Mia, and told Luvia he would be in Coldwater Port.
• Shade asked Dorothy for Drowned Fishman's Scales and said goodbye to Mia before traveling back to Coldwater Port.
• Professor Garcia demonstrated Mystic Lock—Barren Wilderness at Saint Byron’s, summoning wild animals as combat companions.

Shade finished Professor Garcia’s Locked Space course and asked the professor how to strengthen his Sense Time, then sought a Time Key for another journey into the past. Later, while waiting at Sophia Manor, Shade learned the estate was under attack and moved away from a window after a stray bullet struck it.

• Professor Garcia demonstrated the Mystic Lock and taught Shade’s classmates about its power, cost, and how to survive being trapped inside one.
• After the class ended, Shade asked Professor Garcia for a Time Key and advice on enhancing Time Perception; the professor promised to select a Fifth Epoch key and directed him to research rituals and relics in the Academy library.
• Shade returned to Sophia Manor and began preparing his course report while waiting for Leisha to come back from the Great Witch’s banquet.
• A maid told Shade that roughly thirty attackers with powerful weapons were exchanging fire with the manor’s guards near the eastern fence.
• Shade watched the dark grounds from his window until a stray bullet struck the glass, then left his room for the safer study.

Shade confronted a Fourth Ring Arcanist who broke into Sophia Manor seeking Leisha Cavendish. After outmaneuvering the intruder’s bubble-based attacks, Shade killed him with the man’s own conjured bone rapier.

• Shade stayed in Leisha’s study while a gunfight outside the manor continued, then a burly intruder broke into the room and demanded to know where Leisha Cavendish was.
• Shade told the Fourth Ring Arcanist that Leisha had gone to a banquet at the Aurora Family estate, and the intruder realized his attack had been lured into a trap.
• The intruder used poisonous bubbles and bone weapons against Shade, while Shade defended himself with the Founding Silver Moon, Silver Moon Slash, and Silver Mist.
• Shade used the Silver Mist and a falling chair to confuse the intruder, then severed his right hand with the Moonbeam Greatsword.
• Shade blocked the intruder’s soul attack with a card and used Chaotic Time Blade to make the vanished bone rapier reappear and pierce the man’s heart.

Shade learned that the Scarlet Secret Society planned a Sea Burial sacrifice at dawn and that Sivie Aurora was among its targets. Unable to find Leisha, he went to Sea Cliff Lighthouse to ask Mr. Edmund what the Sea Burial ritual would awaken, but the chapter ended before Edmund answered.

• Shade frightened the wounded Ring Arcanist into revealing that the Scarlet Secret Society planned a dawn sacrifice, with Leisha and Sivie Aurora among its targets.
• Shade left the corpse behind and learned that the Sea Burial ritual would begin with the first ray of sunlight over Coldwater Port.
• After martial law prevented carriages from entering the city and Leisha failed to return, Shade traveled to Sea Cliff Lighthouse.
• Shade reminded Mr. Edmund of their earlier meeting and offered money for information about the Sea Burial ritual.
• Shade asked Edmund what power an evil god had left in the deep sea, and a storm broke over the lighthouse.

Shade questioned Mr. Edmund about the Sea Burial ritual and learned that an ancient pearl held the power left by Lord of the Scarlet Spiral. The ritual would use that power to awaken a giant Mermaid corpse and unleash a catastrophe on Coldwater Port.

• Shade asked Mr. Edmund what the Sea Burial ritual awakened and agreed to share any knowledge he gained in exchange for the old man's information.
• Mr. Edmund asked Shade to leave collateral, and Shade handed over one thousand pounds in banknotes.
• Shade pressed Mr. Edmund to explain the ritual, saying he needed to return to the city to help his friend.
• Mr. Edmund explained that the ritual would awaken a giant Mermaid corpse once used by Lord of the Scarlet Spiral, bringing storms and tsunamis that would sink Coldwater Port.
• Mr. Edmund revealed that the god's power was contained in a pearl in the ancient Fishmen City Under the Sea, and that the ritual's sacrifice would activate the corpse.

Shade questioned Mr. Edmund about a golden pearl and the dangers in Coldwater Port, then went to a tavern near Aurora Manor to learn about the night’s violence. He tried to avoid recognition when Professor Hames Sanchez arrived, but the chapter ended with Shade still in the tavern as a white cat settled beside him.

• Shade learned from Mr. Edmund that the golden pearl might be connected to the fishmen and that Ring Arcanists had gathered in Coldwater Port to search for someone.
• Shade left the lighthouse and traveled to the area around Aurora Manor, which the Church and police had sealed off.
• Shade entered the Green Algae Tavern, warmed himself with its spicy drink, and learned that gunfire had erupted near the manor earlier that night.
• Shade decided to investigate Aurora Manor after warming up, but Professor Hames Sanchez and another High-Ring Arcanist entered the tavern.
• Shade kept his head down to avoid Professor Sanchez, while a white cat jumped onto the counter beside him.