Chapter Summaries

Shade and Priest Augustus stopped a Truth Society Ring Arcanist who was using repeated resurrections to merge with a Relic, then recovered the ritual’s dagger and soul container. After Shade left, he secretly saw Augustus reveal damaged white wings and fly away with the corpse and evidence.

• Shade and Priest Augustus resurrected the soul and bound it with the Great Sin Chains until it confessed that he belonged to the Truth Society and was attempting to merge with the Death Curse Dagger.
• Shade shattered the soul again, and Priest Augustus captured traces of it that led them to a violet-gold locket buried near the coffin.
• Shade and Priest Augustus sealed the locket and dagger, checked the grave, and reburied the peasant woman’s husband before Shade left with Mia.
• Priest Augustus gathered the corpse, shovels, and sealed items, then summoned translucent, damaged white wings and flew toward the city.
• Shade returned through Silver Mist and watched Augustus fly, wondering what kind of creature the priest’s wings belonged to.

Shade attended the Study Group, handled Academy business, and received a new Time Key for the Fifth Epoch 1784. Miss Danist recruited him for a secret mission to collect the glow of a Ring Arcanist’s Guiding Moon Spirit Rune, offering him a chance to become a candidate for Saint Byron’s next library administrator.

• Shade collected photographs, mailed them to Miss Goode, and brought Little Mia to Doctor Schneider’s Clinic.
• Priest Augustus told the group about the events in Coldwater Port, and Doctor Schneider warned the Academy that members of The Truth Society had appeared in Tobesk.
• Shade submitted his course paper, requested a book, and received a Time Key for the Fifth Epoch 1784 from Professor Garcia.
• Doctor Schneider reported The Truth Society to the Academy and received a five-pound information fee, which he split with Priest Augustus.
• Miss Danist told Shade she had found a Serkses Higher Medical Academy Ring Arcanist with the Guiding Moon Spirit Rune and asked him to secretly collect its radiance when the man reached Tobesk.
• Miss Danist offered Shade payment, Practical Credit, a private elective course, and a place on the next administrator candidate list if they opened the Silver Moon Library.

Shade asked Miss Danist about the Academy’s enrollment traditions but found no old rules connected to his hoped-for gift. Later, Dorothy helped him attempt to learn the Thaumaturgy Brave Heart, but it failed, and the evening ended with Shade asking her if he could wash some clothes for her.

• Shade asked Miss Danist about official enrollment procedures and rules dating back to the Academy’s founding, but she said modern rules began in the Sixth Epoch.
• Shade returned to Doctor Schneider’s clinic and told his friends that Miss Danist had commissioned him to draw an updated map of Tobesk and the surrounding regions.
• Dorothy told Shade that a Thaumaturgy called Brave Heart had been inspired by Tree’s Kiss, and Shade attempted to learn it with her help.
• Shade’s Destiny Ring showed no response to the ritual, so he accepted that Brave Heart did not fit him.
• Shade asked Dorothy if he could wash some clothes for her, startling her into stepping back and bumping into the door.

Shade arranged extensive repairs to his house, including reopening the third floor, and learned that the work would cost 200 pounds. Later, he reunited with Luvia and Iluna and spent the afternoon telling them about the Coldwater Port Incident.

• Shade and a repair team inspected the damaged third floor and discussed extensive work on the house.
• Shade agreed to have the house repaired within a week using the best materials, accepting a 200-pound quote with a possible partial refund.
• Shade told Luvia and Iluna about his plans for the empty rooms and explained that the third floor would include a darkroom for Thaumaturgy and curse practice.
• Shade recounted nearly all of the Coldwater Port Incident to Luvia and Iluna, leaving out the secret involving Aurora, Dorothy, and Leisha.
• Iluna praised Shade's adventures and remarked that they made her feel unlike a Chosen One.

After eating the flesh of a Level 0 Relic, Shade spent the evening with Luvia and Iluna and learned that the Relic’s influence had stirred his desire. When he sensed that Luvia was cursed and rejected by time, he chose to respect her secrets, while the voice beside him revealed how closely it had always been with him.

• At dinner, Iluna tested Shade’s control over his desire, and Luvia warned him that consuming the Level 0 Relic flesh could have dangerous effects.
• Luvia and Iluna took charge of preparations for Daknis’s arrival and told Shade to settle his own affairs and rest.
• After Iluna left, Luvia kissed Shade and asked him to promise that he would stay with her to witness the Thirteen Chosen Ones.
• Shade sensed Luvia’s Soul Power and learned from the voice beside him that she possessed the Power of Time but was rejected and cursed by it.
• Shade decided to wait for Luvia to share her secrets herself, then returned home and heard the voice say it had always been with him.

Shade used the fourth Time Key and entered Terror Castle in the North Continent, where he was tasked with helping a mortal win the Life Gamble. He escaped a darkness-filled passage and met Slaichi Riddle, a scholar and Prophet who had been trapped in the castle and whose memories were being eroded.

• At midnight, Shade opened the bedroom door with the Time Key and entered the Time Corridor, where Father of Infinite Tree sent him to Terror Castle in the winter of 1784.
• Shade learned that he had to help a mortal win the Life Gamble to earn the Thaumaturgy Breath of Time and information about Dark Dungeon.
• Shade saw Crimson Moon eyes in an unlit passage and ran toward a Red Bronze door, using Silver Moon to hold back the chilling presence behind him.
• Shade entered a room containing a Stone Table and several dozen corpses, where he met a wary barefoot man who said the castle’s rules let them understand each other.
• Slaichi Riddle told Shade that he was a scholar and Prophet who had become lost in Terror Castle, where strange events had eroded his memories and left him terrified.

Shade visited Mister Riddell in Terror Castle and learned that the Gambling God's Table could summon a god for a wager whose winner could make a wish. Mister Riddell prepared to use it to escape, with Shade agreeing to stay by his side and help.

• Mister Riddell explained that Terror Castle had no exit and showed Shade the relic called the Gambling God's Table, which could summon a god for a wager.
• Mister Riddell offered Shade biscuits made from a relic that transformed ordinary objects into food, then drank the water Shade gave him.
• Mister Riddell told Shade that he worshipped the ancient creator god Lord of the Ring, who presided over Destiny and the Recurrence Cycle.
• Mister Riddell revealed that the corpses in the room had taught him how to use the Gambling God's Table and that he had decided to begin the wager.
• Shade agreed to remain with Mister Riddell and help him through the wager.

Shade and Mister Riddell began a supernatural wager called the Game of Life, in which they placed memories from their lives against cards chosen by a summoned god. Mister Riddell recalled surviving an undead village and encountering a dragon, while the first two memories clashed with the god’s cards.

• A hooded god appeared across the stone table, and the corpses recited the rules of the Game of Life: each side would place ten life scenes, and the victor could leave.
• Mister Riddell placed a card called Undead Resurrection, depicting his experience surviving an illusion of a village inhabited by the dead.
• The god placed a card showing a witch pointing at the Sun, and the two memories manifested as figures that battled before retreating to their cards.
• Shade asked Mister Riddell for another strange memory, prompting him to recall a dragon encounter from when he was twenty.
• Mister Riddell placed Dragon's Calamity, depicting his escape from a dragon and the witch’s lifelong order that he replant one hundred saplings each year.

Shade discovered that the tabletop game revealed a key point about his journey through time, then returned from the Fifth Epoch after promising to help Mister Riddell recover his memories. Back in his own time, he investigated the meaning of the assignment and drew four metal printing plates from God's Gift Box.

• Shade watched Mister Riddell's side narrowly win a supernatural tabletop battle before the twenty-minute visit ended.
• Shade promised to return and help Mister Riddell search for his past, then vanished into the White Fog.
• Shade returned home, picked up Mia, and wondered whether Slaichi Riddle had any historical importance or whether the time-travel task had no deeper meaning.
• Shade planned to report that he had met Mister Riddell at Terror Castle so the Academy could investigate without suspecting him.
• Shade tested God's Gift Box and found four metal plates bearing matching recessed and raised patterns of the front and back of a one-shilling banknote.

Shade received four master plates for printing one-shilling banknotes from God's Gift Box and decided to keep them secret and give them to Leisha. On Monday, he learned Professor Garcia had approved his report, met Tifa Servit to discuss the Seer Association incident and arrange furniture from Miss Galina, then visited Priest Augustus about the house renovation.

• Shade discovered that God's Gift Box had given him four master plates for printing one-shilling banknotes, and decided to give them to Leisha while keeping their existence secret.
• Shade received Professor Garcia's reply approving his report and awarding him five Practical Credits for the Terror Castle investigation.
• Shade prepared to buy furniture before the renovation began, but his badge warmed and Tifa Servit arrived on behalf of Miss Galina.
• Shade told Tifa what had happened at the Seer Association, and she explained that the supposed murderer was Prince Sax's lover, a girl manipulated into committing the crime.
• Tifa offered spare furniture from Miss Galina's estate and planned to choose suitable pieces after inspecting Shade's house.
• Shade visited Priest Augustus at the Dawn Church, where the Priest asked whether he needed a supervisor for the construction work.

Shade arranged renovations for No. 6 Saint Derain Square with help from The Church and Miss Galina, then met his neighbors to secure approval. The plans were finalized and work was expected to finish within a week, opening every room of the house to him.

• Priest Augustus offered to send a Church supervisor to oversee Shade's renovations and warned him to let The Church handle any future trouble at the haunted house.
• Shade learned that renovations could help establish the house's value, though he would need to live there longer than Sparrow Hamilton had to prove it was safe.
• Miss Galina's extensive furniture delivery and additional masons and carpenters joined the renovation crew, keeping Shade busy as they planned the work.
• The renovation documents were approved, and the crew finalized a plan expected to be completed within a week.
• Shade visited the Smith Couple at No. 5 Saint Derain Square, obtained their consent for the renovations, and learned they had known Sparrow Hamilton.

Shade visited Luvia to ask about the Fifth Epoch Prophet Slaichi Riddle, whose records might help with his next journey through time. Luvia agreed to seek access to the Seer Association’s classified archives, and Shade left after learning her middle name was Future.

• Shade learned that his neighbor at Number 7 was a researcher who was away on business, while renovation work at his home drove him out with Mia.
• Shade asked Luvia about Slaichi Riddle, and she recognized him as a former Seer Association member who had influenced the development of Rhodes Cards.
• Luvia explained that Riddle’s writings documented dangerous encounters and major research, but his materials were classified and would require approval from headquarters.
• Luvia agreed to try to obtain the records Shade needed and suggested he prepare questions for Riddle before his next journey through time.
• Shade told Luvia he was going to Coldwater Port, asked her middle name, and learned it was Future before she kissed his cheek.

Shade spent a leisurely day in Coldwater Port, fishing with Mr. Edmund and learning why the second Chosen One, Ivan Daknis, was in danger of being consumed by the Demon he wielded. After visiting taverns and Aurora Manor, Shade heard that Miss Aurora had found a quick way to obtain the vibration-related Spirit Rune he wanted.

• Shade visited Mr. Edmund at Sea Cliff Lighthouse, and they went fishing while discussing the Chosen Ones and the Thirteen Chosen Ones.
• Mr. Edmund warned Shade that Ivan Daknis had abandoned the exploration of his own dark talent to rely on the Demon, which might eventually devour him and take his place as a Chosen One.
• Shade and Mr. Edmund returned to the lighthouse with their catch, ate grilled fish, and then Shade headed into Coldwater Port City.
• Shade visited Seven Broomsticks Tavern to listen for news and check on his bounty, then bought medicinal liquor at Green Algae Tavern to take back to his friends.
• Shade visited Miss Aurora at Aurora Manor, where she said she had news about obtaining the vibration-related Spirit Rune before she left Coldwater Port.

Miss Sivie Aurora took Shade through a singing ritual that transformed a manor corridor into an ancient passage leading to a White Mist Gate. She was surprised that Shade did not get lost and invited him to enter the gate with her.

• Shade agreed to travel with Miss Aurora to Herkils Town the next morning to seek the Vibration Spirit Rune.
• Miss Aurora asked Shade to join a ritual at the manor and led him into a corridor, warning him not to get lost.
• Miss Aurora sang as they walked, and the manor corridor gradually became an ancient brick passage covered in White Ash.
• Shade followed Miss Aurora to a familiar White Mist Gate without getting lost.
• Miss Aurora expressed her happiness at Shade's success and invited him to enter the gate with her.

Shade entered the Witch Council with Miss Aurora and found Miss Galina waiting there. After revealing that he had glimpsed the place in the past, he learned that the Council was a space created by the Ancient God Chaos Witch, but the Witches could not explain how he had entered without possessing Witch power.

• Miss Aurora led Shade through the White Mist Gate into a fog-shrouded space and warned him not to wander.
• Miss Aurora used Witch's Golden Ring and an Ancient Language incantation to reveal the Council's meeting hall and its thirteen symbol-marked chairs.
• Shade recognized the place from a vision he had seen using a Time Key and told the Witches about the two ladies he had witnessed during the Witches War.
• Miss Galina and Miss Aurora confirmed that the space was the Witch Council, created by Chaos Witch and reserved for Witches and their permitted guests.
• Shade asked how he had entered the Council despite lacking Witch power, and the Witches had no explanation.

Shade learned that touching the Stone Table had revealed a way to gain temporary Witch Council voting rights through divinity or Witch Echoes. After returning home, he pursued his experiments and errands but failed to enter the ancient passage, leaving him pondering the many mysterious remnants of the Old Gods.

• Miss Galina and Miss Aurora explained that Sivie had proposed bringing Shade into the Witch Council and warned him to keep the visit secret.
• Shade learned that sacrificing divinity or absorbing Witch Echoes could grant consumable voting rights, with Witch Echoes also offering witch knowledge.
• Miss Aurora told Shade that all Thirteen Old Gods had left behind important remnants, though the Council had lost records explaining their purposes.
• Shade tried a ritual to sharpen his perception of time, then visited Doctor Schneider and Priest Augustus to deliver medicinal liquor.
• Shade sang the Witches' song at home several times but failed to enter the ancient passage and wondered whether his poor singing was to blame.

Shade traveled with Sivie Aurora to Herkils Town, where they visited Old Woman Ilal as part of their planned expedition. Ilal revealed herself as the sole remaining believer and High Priest of the Old God, Earth-Shaking Worm.

• Shade found Dorothy away and decided to take Mia along rather than leave her with another friend.
• Shade joined Sivie Aurora and her retinue on a private train carriage bound for Coldwater Port.
• Sivie explained that her young, powerful maids had awakened a witch's power, and introduced Ji Si as one of them.
• Shade and Aurora reached Herkils Town, rested at the Honest Man Inn, and set out to visit Old Woman Ilal.
• Aurora introduced Ilal as a believer in Earth-Shaking Worm, and Ilal clarified that she was the cult's only member.

Shade and Miss Aurora met Old Woman Ilal, the last priest of the departed Old God Earth-Shaking Worm, and learned that she planned to pass the Cult’s secrets and property to Aurora. After confirming Shade’s affinity for the Vibration Spirit Rune, Ilal led them toward the underground temple beneath the Herkils Town Ruins.

• Old Woman Ilal confirmed Shade was suited to the power of Earth-Shaking Worm and learned he wanted the Vibration Spirit Rune.
• Ilal explained that she was the Cult’s final believer and priest, and that she had entrusted its property and secrets to Miss Aurora.
• Ilal showed Shade photographs from an archaeological expedition, and Shade recognized Professor Manning and agreed to deliver the photos to him.
• Ilal told Shade and Miss Aurora that the Old Days Temple lay beneath the Herkils Town Ruins, then led them there on foot.

Shade and Miss Aurora entered the abandoned temple of the Earth-Shaking Worm, where Shade sensed the Old God’s power and inscribed the silver Blasphemy Spirit Rune Vibration. With the journey’s goal achieved, they left the temple.

• Shade translated the temple’s incantation, and Old Woman Ilal used the black worm inside her to open the underground entrance.
• Shade and Miss Aurora descended into the temple, where Old Woman Ilal prayed before the holy emblem and divine statue of the Earth-Shaking Worm.
• Miss Aurora explained the god’s living sacrifices and helped Shade touch its statue so he could sense its power.
• Shade experienced visions of the Old God’s past, and the Earth shook as he inscribed the silver Blasphemy Spirit Rune Vibration.
• Shade thanked Miss Aurora for her help, and they left the temple after confirming that his journey had achieved its goal.

Shade returned from Coldwater Port with the Vibration Spirit Rune and learned about the origins of the Old Gods and the Mind Blast Thaumaturgy. He arrived home in Tobesk and rested for the night, planning to ask Doctor Schneider about obtaining a Mind Crystal.

• On the train, Miss Aurora told Shade that most Old Gods gained power from fragments of the Ancient Gods’ power, then changed the subject to the cult of Old Woman Ilal.
• Shade reflected that Old Woman Ilal’s followers seemed kind despite the cult’s evil, and Miss Aurora remarked that Ilal’s past crimes could have earned her the death penalty.
• Miss Aurora explained that Shade’s new Mind Blast Thaumaturgy could disrupt or damage souls, but required a rare Mind Crystal as a casting material.
• Shade decided to ask Doctor Schneider about obtaining a Mind Crystal instead of asking Miss Aurora for more help.
• After dinner at Miss Sivie Aurora’s manor, Shade returned to Tobesk, read for a while, and went to sleep in the guest room while Mia enjoyed the soft mattress.