Chapter Summaries

Shade and his allies fought a demon that threatened Leisha and Princess Margaret, and Shade unleashed the final form of Moonlight Slash to pierce its main body. Doctor Schneider contained the demon’s outer shell, but Victor Fanni escaped from it, while the Crying Angel remained only temporarily trapped.

• The demon conjured Leisha and Princess Margaret and threatened to kill them, but Leisha and Margaret repelled its giant hand as Shade rushed to protect them.
• Shade and Iluna attacked the demon, and Shade explained that they had to strike its main body with a powerful blow before it regenerated.
• Shade used his anger to perform the fourth form of Moonlight Slash, piercing the demon’s towering body and weakening it.
• Doctor Schneider arrived and swallowed the demon’s shell with the Pus of Man, while Shade learned that the Doctor had only temporarily trapped the Crying Angel.
• Victor Fanni burst out of the demon’s shell and escaped onto the terrace, as Shade and Doctor Schneider turned toward the demon’s hidden main body.

Shade saved Princess Margaret and Leisha from the Crying Angel, but the relic petrified and began merging with him. Shade absorbed its power and gained the Miracle Spirit Rune Wrath, leaving him one rune short of reaching five rings.

• Shade told the Doctor to confront Victor Fanni while he and Iluna tried to stop the Crying Angel from reaching the Princesses.
• The Crying Angel vanished past Shade’s defenses and targeted Leisha and Princess Margaret, while the Match Girl, the Sleeping Princess, and Killer Jack disappeared after it touched them.
• Shade embraced the Angel to stop it reaching the Princesses, and the relic began turning his body to stone and merging with him.
• Shade resisted assimilation with the First Fire and divinity, absorbing the relic’s Spirit as his body consumed the statue.
• Shade’s Destiny Ring manifested, and the Crying Angel granted him the Miracle Spirit Rune Wrath, bringing him within one rune of advancing to five rings.

Shade devoured part of the Crying Angel’s power, gained the Calm Stance thaumaturgy, and helped contain the Music Hall incident while the Church arrived. After Leisha and Princess Margaret reached safety, Shade trapped the fleeing Demon of Proliferating Desire with Great Sin Chains.

• Shade emerged unharmed from his petrified shell, linked the wrath rune to Great Sin Chains, and gained Calm Stance by devouring part of the Crying Angel’s power.
• Leisha embraced Shade, and Iluna used her Witch Secret Art to deepen the darkness while Leisha and Princess Margaret left the stage area.
• Miss Sylvia returned Leisha and Princess Margaret to their seats as the Church Ring Arcanists tried to dispel the darkness around the Music Hall.
• Shade gave Doctor Schneider Night Watchman to carry away, then faced Victor Fanni as the Demon escaped into the sky.
• Shade used Great Sin Chains to lock the fleeing Demon in midair.

Shade defeated the Demon with Dragon Breath while the Bard revealed a trial asking for the Yellow Moon in Tobesk. Legenes Presia encountered a Crying Angel statue in an alley and received the bloodline power of the Intellect Angel.

• Shade used the Higgs Dragon Head Stone to unleash Dragon Breath, striking the Demon and scattering its sludge as Doctor Schneider waited below.
• A Snowball blocked the Church Ring Arcanists while Shade escaped as Red Butterflies, and the Bard performed a song revealing his trial.
• The Bard said he would appear when the Church brought him what he wanted, and Miss Green inferred that plucking the Yellow Moon was a metaphorical task.
• Legenes Presia encountered a Crying Angel statue in an alley and invoked an Angel form, but the statue remained before him.
• The Crying Angel identified the bloodline power of the Intellect Angel, sent a beam of light to Legenes Presia, and vanished.

After defeating the Demon, Shade returned to Saint Derain Square and received a mischievous reward from the Sage Level Relic, while Luvia encountered the Crying Angel and heard an accusation about a curse. On Monday, Dorothy decided to move back to her apartment, and the approaching third Red Butterfly Day came into view.

• Luvia encountered the Crying Angel, which called her a cursed one and said no one could forgive her sins, then vanished before she could divine what it meant.
• Shade returned home, reunited with Dorothy, and told her the Demon matter had been resolved.
• The Mischief Boy offered Shade an additional reward, then fired ink at him and left an Ink Mark on his face and wall.
• Leisha embraced Shade as his reward for defeating the Demon and rescuing the Princess, while Little Mia ran nearby.
• On Monday, Dorothy proposed moving back to her apartment and noted that the third Red Butterfly Day would arrive that Wednesday.

Shade, Luvia, and Iluna investigated the conditions for the Chosen One Ritual and prepared for the approaching threat from the Truth Society. After Luvia and Iluna parted from Shade, they discussed his relationship with Leisha, while Luvia was left unsettled by a sense of sorrow about reaching the end together.

• Shade received a Coin of Wisdom from God's Gift Box, and its weekly task was to record his income and expenses for three days.
• Shade, Luvia, and Iluna discussed Sir Legenes Presia's Chosen One abilities, the Glimmerstones, and the unknown item that could represent the Yellow Moon.
• Luvia used the Cat and Dog Coin to divine the ritual conditions: it required five Wise Man's Gleaming Stones, a unique secret about the world, understanding of Wisdom and Knowledge, and an object with Ancient God power.
• Luvia and Iluna said they would seek information from the Seer Association and the Church as the ritual drew near, while Iluna noted the Church expected it before year's end.
• Luvia told Iluna that Leisha was Shade's lover, and Iluna accepted that she and Luvia would stay with Shade until the end.
• Luvia felt an inexplicable sorrow as she looked up at the snowy sky, sensing that people had said words like theirs in the distant past.

Shade celebrated Doctor Schneider’s victory over the Demon of Proliferating Desire and learned about the powers and spoils the doctor had gained. Shade left with several items, including relics for Dorothy and himself, while the Plague Doctor Ring’s negative trait remained unexplained.

• Doctor Schneider told Shade that he had gained new abilities and Spirit Runes after devouring the Flame Demon and Fanni, bringing him close to seven rings.
• Doctor Schneider gave Shade Fanni’s remains and a Desire Crystal, explaining their uses and warning Shade about the crystal’s contamination.
• Shade identified the Itrayan Pen, a relic that could create vivid reading illusions but might summon entities through certain stories, and decided to give it to Dorothy as a Year-End Festival gift.
• Shade learned that the Plague Doctor Ring could protect its wearer from many ordinary and occult diseases, though its negative trait was still unknown.

Shade kept the Plague Doctor Ring, asked the doctor to investigate Sir Legenes Prisha, and visited Canary Manor, where Miss Sylvia invited him to invest in new industries. He considered the offer but worried that accepting it would make him dependent on her in much the same way he feared relying on Miss Galina.

• The doctor advised Shade to keep the Plague Doctor Ring and explained how to contain it, and Shade asked him to assess Sir Legenes Prisha without approaching or entering his dreams.
• Shade returned home, let Mia play with the Plague Doctor Ring, and then traveled to Canary Manor to see Princess Margaret.
• Miss Sylvia told Shade that she and Miss Galina wanted to discuss the Fourth Chosen One and his Glimmerstone at the Duchess's estate the next morning.
• Miss Sylvia showed Shade four investment plans, and he offered advice about the industries and inventions.
• Miss Sylvia invited Shade to invest in and help manage factories with her, and Shade weighed the prospect of stable income against becoming dependent on her.

Shade considered Miss Sylvia’s investment proposal, promised to investigate one of Princess Margaret’s former maids, and collected the alchemy crossbow he had ordered. He left Old John’s pawnshop with the weapon, readying himself for the events ahead.

• Miss Sylvia invited Shade to invest in her work and became interested in his suggestion about synthesizing artificial fiber from coal tar, water, and air.
• Shade reassured Princess Margaret that he was unharmed, admitted that he was Princess Leisha Cavendish’s lover, and asked for Sir Legenes Presia’s public schedule.
• Princess Margaret asked Shade to find her former maid Joia Nicholas, whom she thought she had recently seen in Tobesk, and gave him a photograph.
• Shade learned that the Gray-headed Eagle who had left a note foiling the bombing had not been found, and suspected Joia’s reappearance was part of Military Intelligence Section Six’s plan to draw the Eagle out.
• Shade visited Old John’s pawnshop and collected the alchemy crossbow he had ordered, explaining that he intended to fire a Relic Arrow with it.

Shade discussed a possible new crossbow and met with Miss Galina and Miss Sylvia to review new information about the Chosen One of Knowledge and Wisdom’s ritual. After lunch, he traveled with Sister Devlin to the ancient Sacrificial Ground in the Rommel Mountain Range.

• Old John advised Shade to invest in a powerful Alchemy Weapon, but Shade decided to use his small crossbow for now and consider a custom weapon later.
• Shade told Miss Galina and Miss Sylvia that he had obtained two Glimmerstones, and Miss Galina revealed that the Speaker had restored another Poem Chapter Fragment through time reversal.
• Miss Galina said the Chosen One’s ritual would take place on an island in a lake somewhere in the Central Old Continent, and the Witches discussed the Truth Society, Apna Library, and the likely involvement of the Pantanal Great Swamp.
• Shade told the Witches that he planned to use a resonance ritual to investigate the Bard’s trial and its reference to the Yellow Moon.
• After lunch with the Witches, Shade traveled through Middlesburg and joined Sister Devlin in passing through a painting to the Sacrificial Ground in the Rommel Mountain Range.

Shade offered demon remains and the Sun’s flame to the First Fire, gained greater resistance to cold and fire, and learned that the Fourth Chosen One’s ritual may take place in the Pantanal Great Swamp. He helped Grace and Helen establish a route to his home, then learned that Miss Danist had found the third slab he was seeking, though she had bad news to share.

• Shade and Sister Devlin fed demon remains and the Sun’s flame to the First Fire, and Shade received increased cold and fire resistance.
• Sister Devlin offered to teach Shade Manipulate Fire and lend him books and ritual materials to improve his perception of Moon Power.
• Shade brought Grace and Helen to 6 Saint Derain Square, where the twins used the Old Gods Statue to establish a route between his home and Middlesburg.
• Grace and Helen agreed to visit Shade once a month, and Helen secretly slipped a handkerchief into his pocket.
• Miss Danist summoned Shade to Saint Byron’s Library and showed him the third rune-marked slab, then told him she had bad news.

Miss Danist planned to bring the Wordless Black Book to Tobesk and have Shade arrange an experiment with Legenes Presia, while Shade postponed Red Butterfly Day with Dorothy and Leisha until the Year-End Festival. He began investigating the maid Princess Margaret had seen and narrowed her likely home to Nore Street.

• Miss Danist told Shade that she would travel to Tobesk with the Wordless Black Book and asked him to persuade Legenes Presia to release his spirit light for an experiment.
• Dorothy told Shade that Leisha had to organize reports at Yodel Palace, so they postponed Red Butterfly Day until the thirty-first day of the Month of Slumber.
• Dorothy kissed Shade goodbye, and Shade reflected that he needed to earn more money while listing his investigations and other pending tasks.
• Shade went to Regent Park to investigate the maid Princess Margaret had seen and reasoned that her route likely began near a nearby vegetable market.
• Shade compared market hours, rental costs, and routes around Regent Park and concluded that the maid most likely lived on Nore Street.

Shade searched Nore Street for a woman who might have been a maid, while an unexpected meeting with Sir Legenes Presia in an old bookstore raised new questions about the knight's interests. Shade left the bookstore still investigating the woman and reconsidering what he knew about Legenes.

• Shade lured two local young men into a garbage alley and pressured them to name nearby women matching his description; they gave him six possibilities.
• Shade questioned Mrs. Ragson and Ms. Lena, but neither was the woman he sought.
• Shade visited the Old Bookstore to find Miss Bella Brown and discovered that it also served as a firearms black market.
• Shade encountered Sir Legenes Presia browsing old books, and the two discussed reading and education before Legenes left.
• Shade used Library Retrieval to find three books Legenes had been reading and noticed that each had pages torn out recently.

Shade investigated Bella Brown and confirmed that the former Military Intelligence Section Six agent had returned to Tobesk to study art and build a new life. After confronting her in the kitchen, he heard her explain her decision, then startled her by tossing her a purple cabbage.

• Shade searched Bella Brown’s room and found signs of her former maid training and agent experience, along with paintings and a pistol.
• Using Echoes of the Past, Shade heard Bella discussing her wedding and her fear that her past might never disappear.
• Shade followed Bella into the kitchen and challenged her in two languages, asking why she had returned to Tobesk.
• Bella admitted that she had faked her death to escape Military Intelligence Section Six’s restrictions and pursue art, and said she planned to move to Artek City with her fiancé.
• Shade reassured Bella that her ambitions were not ridiculous, then tossed her a purple cabbage, leaving her staring at it in surprise.

Shade found Miss Bella Brown, the maid Princess Margaret had believed dead for eight years, and delivered her candid letter explaining that she had been a Military Intelligence Section Six agent who faked her death. Margaret learned the truth and, though hurt by the deception, felt relieved that Bella had survived and considered the old matter settled.

• Shade told Miss Brown that Princess Margaret had recognized her and asked her to write the princess a letter, promising to deliver it.
• Miss Brown wrote openly about her past as an undercover agent and her faked death, and said she would remain in Tobesk if Margaret wanted to see her.
• Shade brought Miss Brown's letter to Princess Margaret at Canary Manor and explained that she was alive.
• Margaret read the letter, reacted with a mix of anger and relief, and admitted she was glad nobody had died because of her willfulness.
• Shade reassured Margaret that she had been the victim in the affair, and Margaret said the matter from eight years ago had finally come to an end.

Princess Margaret released Miss Brown from her anger over the past, and Shade agreed to deliver her letter. At the Old Bookstore, Shade discovered that Military Intelligence Section Six had raided the shop, then tracked the wounded Miss Brown to a hiding place and confronted her.

• Princess Margaret told Shade she would not punish Miss Brown and wrote a letter for him to deliver.
• Princess Margaret invited Shade to lunch and told him that Miss Sylvia had been receiving invitations from Duchess Galina.
• Shade found police and Director Anlos at the Old Bookstore after a gunfight, and learned that Miss Brown had fled while injured.
• Shade used Blood Echo to follow Miss Brown through a safe house and into Long Ear Lane, where she took refuge in an empty house.
• Shade entered the house and found Miss Brown pointing a gun at his forehead.

Shade delivered Princess Margaret’s reply to Miss Brown, who asked him to take a farewell letter to her fiancé, Mr. Feringa. After learning that Mr. Feringa still wanted to marry her and flee with her, Shade agreed to pass along his decision and left their reunion uncertain.

• Shade found Miss Brown recovering from a gunshot wound and gave her Princess Margaret’s letter, which she burned after reading.
• Miss Brown asked Shade to deliver a letter to her fiancé, and he accepted 30 pounds for the errand.
• Shade found Mr. Feringa at his workplace and told him that Miss Brown had been exposed.
• Mr. Feringa said he still wanted to marry Miss Brown and had money and luggage ready for them to escape together.
• Shade told Mr. Feringa to hide in the sewers and wait for word from him before deciding whether to flee or surrender.

Shade tried to help Miss Brown and Mr. Feringa escape Tobesk, but failed to find his usual allies. Princess Margaret refused to forgive Miss Brown, yet secretly gave Shade a letter that could secure the couple passage out of the city.

• Shade told Miss Brown that Mr. Feringa wanted her to join him, and she asked Shade to deliver a final letter because she believed they could not escape.
• Shade searched for Dorothy and Leisha, but both were unavailable, leaving him without a trusted ally who could arrange a safe route out of Tobesk.
• Shade told Princess Margaret about Miss Brown and Mr. Feringa's love and asked for medicine, explaining that he wanted to help them.
• Princess Margaret condemned Miss Brown for her betrayal but revealed that her cargo ship would leave that night and wrote Shade a letter for its captain.
• Shade took the letter and left to help Miss Brown, while Margaret watched him go and privately admired his chivalry.

Shade guided Miss Brown across Tobesk to meet Mr. Feringa, then led the couple through the sewers toward the Terrarell River and Princess Margaret’s waiting ship. They reached the dock and began boarding as the ship prepared to sail.

• Shade and Miss Brown left her hiding place and crossed Tobesk, evading police and other dangers along the way.
• Shade helped Miss Brown enter the sewers, where they reunited with Mr. Feringa and learned he knew a route to the dock.
• Shade, Miss Brown, and Mr. Feringa traveled through the sewers, aided by Wild Cats that drove away rats.
• The three emerged near the Terrarell River and hurried toward the cargo ship, where Princess Margaret and her maid were waiting.
• The sailors urged Miss Brown and Mr. Feringa aboard as Princess Margaret watched silently and the ship prepared to sail.

Shade helped Miss Brown and Mr. Feringa escape Delarion, then reunited with Princess Margaret as the ship departed. After Margaret thanked him and invited him to use her name, “She” revealed that Shade had touched the Anchor of Civilization by connecting with princesses from both Kingdoms.

• Shade accepted sixty pounds and the sewer maps from Mr. Feringa and urged him and Miss Brown to board the ship before Military Intelligence Section Six arrived.
• Shade convinced Director Anlos that Margaret was inspecting smuggled tobacco, and Anlos continued his search without approaching the ship.
• After the ship departed, Margaret told Shade that seeing Miss Brown leave brought mixed feelings, thanked him, and permitted him to call her by name.
• Shade asked Margaret to arrange a meeting with Sir Prisha, and she agreed to attend; she then kissed Shade on the cheek before leaving in her carriage.
• “She” told Shade that he had touched the Anchor of Civilization by becoming connected to princesses from both Kingdoms, while Shade said he preferred pursuing strength over power.