Chapter Summaries

Shade visited Margaret in Huntington, where their reunion was interrupted by Miss Sylvia. Margaret discovered that Shade was Sylvia’s lover and potential apprentice, then accepted Sylvia as her teacher, leaving the three of them with their relationships and secrets newly revealed.

• Shade reunited with Margaret, kissed her, and agreed to spend the afternoon with her before leaving that night.
• Margaret left Shade in her study when her maid reported that Miss Sylvia wanted to see her.
• Sylvia told Margaret that her apprentice was also her lover and invited her into the inner study.
• Margaret opened the door and found Shade kissing Sylvia, then learned that Shade was Sylvia’s exceptionally gifted prospective apprentice and that he had also been Mr. Holmes.
• Margaret concealed her delight and addressed Sylvia as her teacher, accepting her as her mentor.

Shade said farewell to Margaret and Sylvia, then left Huntington for home, but his horse carried him to Lake Heart Island. There, the Intellect Angel asked whether he wanted to learn about the Hall of the Gatekeepers.

• Shade gave Margaret a Youthful Immortality Leaf, and she gave him White River Valley Vineyard as a gift.
• Shade invested 5,000 pounds in Sylvia’s business and shared a farewell embrace with her before Margaret and the delegation departed.
• Shade learned that Mr. Bernhardt had left for Wilundell, then left wine and obtained his address from the butler.
• Shade rode toward home but crossed into Lake Heart Island at night, where he met the Intellect Angel.
• The Intellect Angel asked Shade whether he wanted to learn about the Hall of the Gatekeepers.

Shade learned how to enter the Keeper of Secrets Hall and returned to Luvia, while the approaching Year-End Festival brought a rare Dragon Skin Book as his weekly gift. On the final workday before the festival, he began delivering gifts and received a Time Key from Mr. Edmund.

• Shade asked the Angel about the Keeper of Secrets Hall, learned that the Founding card held its door, and was told to seek his next answer in his dreams.
• Shade returned home, recounted his day to Luvia, and agreed to coordinate their Year-End Festival plans with Dorothy and Leisha.
• Luvia said she wanted to grow her hair long again, and Shade received a rare Dragon Skin Book from the Gift Box.
• Shade traveled to Coldwater Port, gave Mr. Edmund festival gifts, and received a Time Key in return.
• Mr. Edmund told Shade that the ritual materials he had ordered were ready, and Shade paid the remaining 2,400 pounds for the Secret of Time.

As Tobesk prepared for the Year-End Festival, Shade visited Professor Manning, Doctor Schneider, and Priest Augustus to exchange gifts and make plans. He left the church with arrangements to retrieve a relic on Thursday, then headed toward the Seer Association amid the city’s celebrations.

• Shade visited Professor Manning, gave him a black-cat figurine, and received a mechanical note-holder; Manning mentioned that Professor Drake had written to him.
• Shade gave Doctor Schneider a scarf and received the book "Emotion Weaving" and the materials and instructions for a Dream Entry Ritual.
• Shade arranged for Doctor Schneider to help him conduct a Thaumaturgy-enhancing ritual at the Clock Tower on Thursday night.
• At the Dawn Church, Shade exchanged gifts with Priest Augustus and arranged to collect the relic beneath the statue on Thursday afternoon.
• Shade left Priest Augustus and Bishop Owen and traveled toward the Seer Association through Tobesk’s festive streets.

Shade attended the Year-End Festival Rhodes Cards Tournament, received news of a royal audience and bonuses, and returned home to an unexpected visitor. Captain Rades arrived at Shade’s door with a bottle of red wine.

• Shade met Miss Galina on Silver Cross Avenue, where she kissed his cheek before returning to her carriage.
• Vice President Mark gave Shade the repaired Natural Disaster card, and Shade defeated Viscount Chekhov to win the tournament and its 200-pound prize.
• Director Anlos told Shade that King Larus III would meet him on the Year-End Festival and might assign him to maintain contact with Princess Margaret Anjou; he also gave Shade his Military Intelligence Section Six bonus.
• Shade finished his errands and returned home, where Captain Rades arrived carrying red wine.

Captain Rades visited Shade before the Year-End Festival, and Miss Galina later examined the ancient runes in the ice crystal Shade had brought back from the past. Galina taught Shade an improved ice spell and gave him a necktie, leaving him with the crystal and a new gift to remember her by.

• Captain Rades told Shade that his role in the battle at Sikar Mountain had earned him a place at an award ceremony in Tobesk, then wished him a happy Year-End Festival.
• Shade used Imprisoning Halo to stop Mia from escaping a bath, then carried the contented cat to the kitchen for a treat.
• Miss Galina arrived and asked Tifa to arrange Year-End Festival decorations for Shade's home.
• Shade recounted his journey to the winter of Fifth Epoch 903, and Galina examined the ice crystal and identified its runes as a record of Miss Chloe's Demigod Road.
• Galina asked Shade to copy and translate the runes after the festival, taught him Galina's Ice Spell, and gave him a necktie for the holiday.

Shade said farewell to Miss Galina before she left for Saladir County, then reunited with Iluna and discussed what to do with the Chosen One qualification sealed in Aiken Ola’s Arrow. He decided to keep the arrow until the twelfth Chosen One appeared and then consider giving the qualification to Priest Augustus.

• Miss Galina told Shade that she and Tifa would leave for Saladir County after the Year-End Festival, and Shade agreed to help with her ambition except for splitting Delarion.
• Shade accompanied Miss Galina into the city, and she kissed him goodbye before he returned home.
• Luvia showed Shade a message from Miss Danist, and Shade replied that he had found the Relic, Source of Chaos, and could reopen the Black Book.
• Iluna returned to Tobesk and joined Shade and Luvia, who discussed the qualification sealed in Aiken Ola’s Arrow.
• Shade decided to keep the arrow until the twelfth Chosen One appeared and said he was considering granting the qualification to Priest Augustus.

Shade, Luvia, and Iluna agreed to keep the Chosen One qualification of Knowledge and Wisdom in the arrow until the final moment, then chose a hidden compartment in Shade’s home to secure it. Shade opened a door to the Keeper of Secrets Hall, and the three of them entered with Little Mia.

• Shade explained why he had ruled out Miss Sylvia as a candidate and said Mia could serve as a backup, while Luvia and Iluna agreed to delay choosing the Chosen One.
• Iluna showed Shade her new Sixth Ring and demonstrated how five Wise Man's Gleaming Stones could turn her spiritual radiance into damaging beams of light.
• Shade explained that the Founding card had formed a door to the Keeper of Secrets Hall after he defeated Sir Legenes Presia and contained his Chosen One identity.
• Shade stored Aiken Ola-Chosen One's Arrow in the hidden moonlit compartment in Room Two, then used the Myriad Aspects of Impermanence Cards to create a door on the wall.
• Shade spoke the incantation, opened the White Fog door, and entered the Keeper of Secrets Hall with Luvia, Iluna, and Little Mia.

Shade, Iluna, and Luvia explored the Keeper of Secrets Hall and learned how it enhanced study and creative work. Shade later escorted Iluna home, where she gave him a knitted scarf and gloves as a Year-End Festival gift.

• Shade explained that the Keeper of Secrets Hall boosted learning and creative work, but allowed only limited daily use and offered a chance to gain Sage's Guidance.
• The hall revealed that sacrificing divinity or a Wisdom Golden Crown could let Shade meet a Keeper of Secrets he knew, though he chose not to use that ability yet.
• Luvia encouraged Iluna to be brave and sent Shade to accompany her home, where Iluna invited him inside.
• Iluna gave Shade a scarf and gloves she had knitted herself for the Year-End Festival.

Shade celebrated the Year-End Festival with Iluna, Luvia, and his friends in Middlesburg, sharing gifts and kisses. He left the gathering after visiting the Red Butterfly Twins, whose recovery was progressing quickly but left them little time to live as ordinary people.

• Iluna asked Shade for a romantic kiss, and after she tripped and struck her mouth, they kissed; Shade later told Luvia what had happened.
• Luvia teased Shade about Iluna and then kissed him, while Shade refused to call her by Iluna's name.
• Shade visited Cassandra Auction House for the Year-End Festival, gave gifts to Grandma Cassandra and Miss Rita Swift, and received three White Stone Crystals from Grandma Cassandra.
• Shade said farewell to the fused Grace Helen, who kissed him before changing back into Grace and Helen.
• Grace and Helen discussed how Shade's kiss differed from kissing them, and Shade realized their recovery meant they had little time left to live as normal people.

Shade spent the Year-End Festival in Tobesk, receiving a royal reward, visiting friends and honoring Detective Sparrow before sharing a festive dinner with Luvia. The evening ended with Leisha arriving at his home after escaping Yodel Palace, ready to spend the night with him and plan their New Year together.

• Shade received formal praise and a 1,000-pound bill of exchange from King Larus III, who hinted that Shade should maintain his relationship with Princess Margaret.
• Shade visited Detective Sparrow's grave, greeted Miss Galina and the Black-haired Maid, reunited with Old Dad John, and attended a church opera depicting his heroic deed.
• Shade shared a lavish Year-End Festival dinner with Luvia and Mia, exchanged gifts with Luvia, and kissed her as they celebrated the end of 1853.
• Leisha arrived at Shade's home in her princess gown after Angelina helped her leave Yodel Palace, and she asked whether Dorothy had arrived.
• Leisha told Shade she had arranged to spend the night with him and planned a New Year's outing, explaining that Miss Galina had agreed to cover for her at the palace.

Shade spent the Year-End Festival with Leisha, Dorothy, and Luvia, each of whom arrived at his home and shared an intimate moment with him. The three Sorceresses gathered with Shade in his bedroom, where they celebrated the holiday together.

• Leisha confessed that she loved Shade, kissed him, and went to the Side Bedroom to change.
• Dorothy arrived, drank wine with Shade, and kissed him before leading him to the Master Bedroom.
• Leisha entered the bedroom and embraced Shade while Dorothy hid in the wardrobe.
• Luvia arrived and teased Shade with a black lace ribbon, then invited him to enjoy the night with the three Sorceresses.
• Shade wished the young ladies a happy Year-End Festival as they drew the curtains and gathered around him.

Shade used Doctor Schneider’s Dream Entry Ritual to enter a dream shared by Leisha and Dorothy, where he learned that their closeness and connection with him had stabilized their Soul Fusion. The effect could delay the Fusion but not cure it, and Shade left the dream through another spiral door.

• Shade ignited the ritual candles beneath his bed and recited the Dream Eater Sprite incantation while Luvia slept against him.
• Shade entered a dream of Yodel Palace and found Leisha ruling as queen, with Dorothy and Mia in the study.
• Shade touched Leisha and Dorothy, revealing his presence and confirming that they shared the dream.
• Leisha and Dorothy spoke warmly to Shade before walking away together through the palace.
• Shade learned that his connection with Leisha and Dorothy helped stabilize their Soul Fusion but could only delay it, then he opened another black spiral door.

Shade explored Luvia’s dream, which recreated 6 Saint Derain Square as it had been after Detective Sparrow’s death and before Shade arrived. He followed a dreamlike version of Mia to the roof and discovered a ruined, apocalyptic Tobesk, with Saint Derain Square standing as its only Sanctuary.

• Shade woke in the abandoned version of his bedroom and recognized it as Detective Sparrow’s former room, complete with dust-covered furniture and sealed windows.
• Shade searched the living room and the Side Bedroom, finding the old Detective Agency layout and no trace of the room where he had lived.
• A dream version of Mia ran up the improvised stairs, and Shade followed her through the ruined third floor and attic toward the roof.
• Shade climbed onto the rooftop and saw a black Sun, a devastated Tobesk, and a smoking crater in the western city.
• Shade spotted tentacle-like smoke in the northeast and a storm-wrapped floating island in the sky, while Saint Derain Square appeared to be the only Sanctuary.

Shade encountered Luvia’s future self in a dream of a world-ending catastrophe and learned that a black-wood Dead Key in Randall River Valley could lead him to the present. After receiving Witch Echo Luvia and a wealth of knowledge, he left with a promise to find the key and uncover the truth.

• Shade found a more mature, grief-stricken Luvia sitting with a silver-eyed cat in a ruined world beneath a darkening sky.
• Luvia revealed that she was Luvia’s “Another Me” and could not explain what had caused the Doomsday or when it would occur.
• Luvia told Shade that a Dead Key made from black, withered wood in Stonemason City could return him to “now,” and warned him not to use divination to find it.
• Shade promised to find the key and change the future, then comforted Luvia as she asked him to warm her soul.
• Shade was cursed by touching Luvia’s soul, but the Father of Infinite Tree blocked the curse; the penalty delayed his next Time Key by two weeks.
• Shade gained Witch Echo Luvia and extensive Sixth Epoch knowledge as Luvia pointed him toward the answers at the end of his journey.

On the first day of 1854, Shade learned more about Luvia’s damaged soul and a mysterious gaze that had brushed against the truth of his identity, then spent Red Butterfly Day with Leisha and Dorothy. The day ended with Angelina giving Shade a handmade card and receiving his promise to help if she opposed her father’s plans for her engagement.

• Shade learned that Luvia Annette’s Another Me had an independent soul identical in essence to Luvia’s, and that the soul’s damage could be healed with the Special Coin and the Power of Fate.
• Shade sensed that an unknown gaze had touched the edge of the truth about him, but “she” assured him that the divinity within his soul protected him from being found through divination.
• Shade celebrated the first day of 1854 with Leisha and Dorothy, visiting city landmarks and attending the opera with Leisha’s family.
• Angelina gave Shade a handmade holiday card and told him her father might arrange her engagement after her birthday.
• Shade gave Angelina an Ice Crystal Flower and promised to help if she did not wish to marry her intended match.

Shade and the Doctor secretly entered Tobesk's Clock Tower, where they climbed toward its clock machinery while discussing their studies and the Academic Spy scandal. The chapter ended with them reaching the tower's top floor and facing its immense mechanisms.

• Shade received a suitcase from Priest Augustus, who arranged to meet him at the church entrance that night.
• Shade and the Doctor entered the Clock Tower, and Shade knocked out the elderly Tower Keeper with Laguerre's Leap.
• The two climbed the tower stairs, discussing their upcoming exams and the Doctor's struggles with Aether Mechanics.
• The Doctor told Shade that Legenes Presia had encountered Forbidden Knowledge, fled The Church, and triggered a battle in the Pantanal Great Swamp.
• Shade and the Doctor reached the top floor and saw the great gears and chains powering the Clock Tower.

Shade and Doctor Schneider performed a ritual to enhance Shade’s Time Perception using the Relic Time Reversal. Shade gained the Thaumaturgy “Contact Father of Infinite Tree” and learned that the current year was 1854, though his final observation suggested the world had passed through multiple epochs called the Past World Epoch.

• Doctor Schneider and Shade drew the Ritual Matrix and prepared the watches, hourglasses, and ritual materials for Shade’s enhancement.
• Shade revealed the hourglass Relic Time Reversal, which he had borrowed from Priest Augustus and Luvia, and placed it over his heart.
• Doctor Schneider activated the ritual, and Time Reversal sank into Shade as the watches ticked and the hourglasses’ sand rose upward.
• Shade encountered the shadow of Father of Infinite Tree and received the enhanced Thaumaturgy “Time Perception” and the new Thaumaturgy “Contact Father of Infinite Tree.”
• Shade used his enhanced ability to learn that it was 8:05 p.m. on Thursday, the second day of the Newborn Moon in Common Calendar 1854, and realized the world had undergone the Past World Epoch more than once.

Shade learns that the Past World Epoch has repeated six times and the present is the seventh Sixth Epoch, then gains enhanced time-based powers and resolves to change the cycle. On the Clock Tower with Doctor, he reflects on knowledge and civilization as a new year begins.

• Shade recovers after using Time Perception and explains that the Sixth Epoch has repeated six times before the current cycle.
• Shade and Doctor step onto the Clock Tower’s exterior walkway, where Shade reveals that he has found the truth he sought and is not afraid of it.
• Doctor describes knowledge and wisdom as the civilization built from the city’s lights, chimneys, and machinery, gaining a new Enlightenment Spirit Rune.
• Shade concludes that Luvia’s Another Me may be the Reborn One or Time Destroyer and receives major enhancements to his time-based powers.
• Shade vows that this will be the final Sixth Epoch and thanks Doctor for helping with the ritual.
• Shade tells Doctor that knowledge really is power as a dark-gold phantom book appears behind him and the new year begins.

Shade and his companions took their Winter Exams, with Shade completing seventeen subjects and Doctor Schneider passing Aether Mechanics. All five passed every exam, though Dorothy received only Pass evaluations in three required courses.

• Shade, Doctor Schneider, Luvia, Dorothy, and Priest Augustus gathered at 6 Saint Derain Square and prepared Room Two for their exams.
• Four Academy proctors appeared at nine and began the Winter Exams, with Shade taking seventeen subjects as he skipped ahead to the fourth year.
• Priest Augustus finished first, followed by Luvia, then Doctor Schneider and Dorothy; Shade submitted his final parchment near five in the afternoon.
• Luvia divined that someone would face a minor accident, leaving Dorothy uneasy as the group waited for the results.
• Professor Garcia announced that all five had passed every exam, including Doctor Schneider's Aether Mechanics course, while Dorothy earned Pass evaluations in three required subjects.