Chapter Summaries

After destroying Koman and his demon legion, Keosius advanced to Level 13 and gained two dragon spells. As he investigated the source of Koman’s power, an Abyssal voice called him to come and embrace the Abyss.

• Keosius reflected that Koman’s Balor had been powerful enough to threaten Embers of the Burned Kingdom, but the explosion had destroyed the demon nest and its legion.
• Keosius gained enough experience to raise True Dragon Sorcerer to Level 13 and learned Mind Labyrinth and Treasure Ward.
• Keosius welcomed Mind Labyrinth as a useful control and defensive spell, while judging Treasure Ward mostly useless.
• Keosius cleared rubble from the ruined cave and suspected an Abyss Lord had empowered Koman and the former Keosius.
• Keosius sensed an inescapable spiritual call telling him to come and embrace the Abyss.

Keosius followed a mysterious call through an Astral Prism into the Astral Plane, where he discovered a bound Balor who claimed to be his destined collaborator. Jezal Slack introduced himself as an ancient former Abyss Lord and told Keosius that fate had brought him there.

• Keosius entered the deepest cavern and found an Astral Prism tainted by demonic power.
• Keosius used a fire elemental incarnation and the Calamity Dragon Eye to open the prism and explore the Astral Plane.
• Keosius followed the voice across floating islands to a vast island that served as a prison for a chained Balor.
• The Balor introduced himself as Jezal Slack, the Revenge Lord, a former Abyss Lord and Keosius's future collaborator.

Keosius rejected Jezal Slack’s offer to cooperate and learned that the demon intended him to become a new king by following Ashardalon’s example. As Jezal showed him the demonic Red Dragon, Keosius suspected the Abyss had corrupted his former self and discovered that Jezal was sealed.

• Keosius refused Jezal Slack’s appeal to avenge his mother and dismissed the demon’s offer of revenge and cooperation.
• Jezal called Koman a disposable tool and claimed Keosius was destined to become his perfect collaborator and help create a new world.
• Jezal asked Keosius about Ashardalon and conjured an image of the Red Dragon, whose chest held a Balor as a second heart.
• Keosius considered how the Abyss might transform a dragon’s identity and suspected his original self had been corrupted by Jezal.
• Keosius checked his panel and saw that Jezal Slack’s status was sealed.

Keosius challenged Jezal Slack’s offer to join forces in destroying the universe, refusing to risk becoming an enemy of the gods without a greater reward. Jezal admitted that Keosius had correctly guessed he was hiding something else.

• Jezal Slack warned Keosius against probing his secrets by revealing the power of a former Devil Lord.
• Keosius questioned why Jezal wanted to cooperate despite his strength, and Jezal explained the devils’ role in bringing chaos and remaking the universe.
• Keosius asked why he should help destroy everything, and Jezal offered to make him a new king alongside him.
• Jezal revealed that a god had destroyed his body and imprisoned his essence in the Astral void, where he had waited for a body capable of bearing his power.
• Keosius rejected Jezal’s offer as insufficient and suspected that Jezal was concealing another source of power.
• Jezal laughed and admitted that Keosius had guessed correctly.

Jezal Slack revealed that the floating island was the corpse of the Progenitor Dragon God Kareks and offered Keosius its remaining power in exchange for a contract. Keosius pretended to accept while suspecting the devil intended to use him as a vessel, and a new Contract Sorcerer path appeared as the contract was presented.

• Jezal Slack unleashed his power and revealed the colossal Red Dragon corpse buried within the floating island.
• Jezal Slack explained that the corpse belonged to Kareks, whose remaining dragon blood could make Keosius the most powerful dragon on the continent of Erezege.
• Keosius suspected Jezal Slack planned to use him as a vessel but concealed his doubts and feigned eagerness to cooperate.
• Jezal Slack presented a contract prepared thirteen hundred years earlier and demanded that Keosius come in his true form.
• Keosius agreed, and his panel displayed an advanced Contract Sorcerer - Fiend Overlord class path warning that the Devil Lord would become his overlord.

Keosius refused Jezal Slack’s contract and risked everything to steal Kareks’ heart from the dragon’s corpse. He escaped to the Prime Material Plane with the heart, unaware that Jezal had marked him with chaos and intended to harvest him later.

• Keosius reinforced his defenses, entered the astral realm, and flew past Jezal Slack toward Kareks’ corpse instead of signing the contract.
• Keosius used Primal Breath to pierce Kareks’ scales, tore open the dragon’s chest, and freed its heart from the surrounding tissue and blood vessels.
• Jezal Slack attacked Keosius with chaotic power, but Undying Reverse Scale blocked a lethal strike as Keosius escaped the floating island with the heart.
• Keosius dragged Kareks’ heart through the Astral Prism’s Color Pool and vanished toward the Prime Material Plane.
• Jezal revealed that Keosius had been marked with chaos and declared that he intended to harvest him once he became powerful.

Keosius brought the Heart of Kareks into the Prime Material Plane, where it decayed into a glowing crystal, then concealed it when Tiamat confronted him. After convincing her of his loyalty, he survived her scrutiny and resolved to strengthen his mental defenses against the gods.

• Keosius carried the Heart of Kareks into the Prime Material Plane, where its flesh decayed and left a glowing crystal.
• Keosius sensed watching eyes and hid the crystal and Astral Prism in a temporary Alternate Dimension.
• Tiamat appeared before Keosius and accused him of carrying her brother’s aura.
• Keosius claimed his power came from an ancestral inheritance and swore that Tiamat alone was his master.
• Tiamat departed after warning Keosius against rebellion, and he built layers of Mind Barriers to protect himself.

Keosius brought the Heart of Kareks and Astral Prism to the royal palace, then absorbed the Heart of Kareks after testing it with his blood. The ordeal left him a Bloodscale Berserker, changed his alignment to Chaotic Evil, and filled him with a destructive rage.

• Keosius sealed the Astral Prism in the royal treasury and kept the Heart of Kareks for himself.
• Keosius touched the Heart of Kareks with a drop of dragon blood, triggering a violent magical reaction that drove the crystal into his body.
• Keosius endured boiling blood and visions of Kareks cleansing the world with fire, then rampaged through the palace in agony.
• Keosius regained enough sanity to read that the Heart had irreversibly changed him, shifted his alignment to Chaotic Evil, and granted him the Bloodscale Berserker subclass.

Keosius absorbed more of the Heart of Kareks, transformed into a Bloodscale Berserker, and gained the Breath of Chaos, a destructive power that reduced the main hall to dust. After frightening Lang Pu into silence about the disturbance in the Weave, Keosius learned that Lachmann Castle’s restrictions had loosened and prepared to test his new power on Mortifer.

• Keosius absorbed energy from the Heart of Kareks, reached Bloodscale Berserker level 3, and gained new feats and abilities.
• Keosius’s transformation enlarged his body and made his roar terrify birds and Tiefling Guards.
• The Heart of Kareks released chaotic divine power, and Keosius gained the Breath of Chaos, whose flames nearly erased the main hall.
• Lang Pu approached Keosius to report a disturbance in the Weave, but Keosius’s presence terrified him and forced him to apologize for disobeying orders.
• Lang Pu reported that the restrictions at Lachmann Castle had loosened, and Keosius decided to test his new power on Mortifer.

In Dragon Shadow City, rebel leaders Ferriton Rice and Danyaer Bellan learned that Mortifer Jezreid was preparing to strike the Surface World, but doubted anyone in Anzeta could challenge him. Their hopes changed when a colossal red dragon arrived, announced that he had come for Mortifer, and unleashed a world-cleansing fire over the city.

• Ferriton Rice and Danyaer Bellan discussed Mortifer Jezreid’s preparations to invade Anzeta and considered using the opportunity to attack his Drow governor.
• Ferriton recalled how Mortifer had crushed the Fadlan Army and tormented the rebels, leaving him doubtful that anyone could defeat the Shadow Dragon.
• A roar and the panicked movement of Shadow forces drew Ferriton and Danyaer outside to see what had happened.
• Ferriton and Danyaer saw a colossal red dragon arrive above Dragon Shadow City, unaffected by the hurricane and larger than Mortifer.
• The red dragon declared that he had come for Mortifer, lit the city with the crystal in his chest, and unleashed the Breath of Chaos, the World Cleansing Fire.

Keosius unleashed World Cleansing Fire across Dragon Shadow City, while Mortifer descended with his Shadow Avatar Spell to confront the Red Dragon. The city was engulfed by fire and shadow as Mortifer tried to make Keosius his undead servant.

• Keosius flew over Dragon Shadow City, spreading Chaos Fire that burned its buildings and inhabitants.
• Ferriton celebrated the destruction, but Daniael warned that the chaotic Weave prevented them from escaping by magic.
• Mortifer brought the Plane of Shadow over the city and appeared before Keosius in a vortex of shadows.
• Mortifer expressed disbelief at Keosius's strength, then vowed to turn him into the strongest shadow under his control.
• Mortifer cast his Shadow Avatar Spell, filling the descending shadow dome with a tide of Shadow Creatures as he merged into the darkness.

Keosius tore through Mortifer’s Shadow Domain with Chaos Fire and unleashed Bloodscale Rampage to overpower the Shadow Dragon. The chapter ended with Keosius gripping Mortifer by the neck, his destructive fury echoing the vision of Kareks.

• Keosius blasted a breach through Mortifer’s shadowy canopy and burned away the Undead Shadows with Chaos Fire.
• Keosius detected Mortifer hiding in the shadows and charged him after activating Bloodscale Rampage.
• Mortifer revealed himself and attacked Keosius with shadow spells, illusions, and summoned Shadow Dragons.
• Keosius shattered Mortifer’s attacks, seized him by the neck, and declared his intent to destroy everything.

Keosius overpowered Mortifer in Dragon Shadow City, foiling the Shadow Dragon’s attempt to escape through a gate to another world. Keosius finally destroyed Mortifer’s Shadow Heart and soul with Chaos Fire, while their battle devastated much of the city.

• Keosius tore off Mortifer’s wing, but Mortifer escaped his grasp with Shadow Escape Technique and summoned shadow-made Shadow Dragons and hell devils to stall him.
• Mortifer fled to Dragon Shadow City and began constructing a gate to another world as Keosius slaughtered the summoned devils and pursued him.
• Keosius caught Mortifer and repeatedly crushed and battered him beneath the Shadow Domain’s regenerating mist, destroying buildings and killing city residents in the process.
• Keosius snapped Mortifer’s wings, tore open his body, and used Breath of Chaos to destroy the Shadow Heart, evil essence, and soul.

After killing Mortifer, Keosius unleashed his World Cleansing Fire and destroyed Dragon Shadow City, killing everyone inside. The slaughter brought him close to his next advancement and left him wondering how powerful he could become by killing every creature on the Prime Material Plane.

• Mortifer died completely under the Chaos Fire, and the Shadow Domain over Dragon Shadow City began to vanish.
• Keosius entered a frenzy of slaughter and destruction, while Ferriton celebrated Mortifer's death and Daniael warned that the danger was not over.
• Keosius poured Chaos Fire over Dragon Shadow City and burned its inhabitants, including Ferriton and Daniael, despite Ferriton's pleas.
• Dragon Shadow City was reduced to ashes, and Keosius emerged from his Bloodscale Rampage with experience close to his next advancement.
• Keosius wondered how much power he could gain by killing every creature on the Prime Material Plane, possibly enough to rival or surpass the gods.

Keosius returned to North Wind Fortress after killing Mortifer, then gained a new magical-origin ability and spells upon reaching level 17. He considered whether to keep ruling the Embers of the Burned Kingdom or destroy the world in pursuit of greater power, and ended the chapter seeming close to choosing destruction.

• Keosius told Lang Pu that Mortifer was dead, then flew to the Iron Dragon Wing Palace while Lang Pu worried about his changed temperament.
• Keosius examined the experience he had gained, including from destroying a human merchant caravan, and raised True Dragon Sorcerer to level 14.
• Keosius gained the Avatar Ancient Dragon ability, which let him temporarily transform into an Ancient Dragon to experience its powers.
• Keosius also gained the Primal Hunter and Dragon's Justice spells, dismissing the first as useless and judging the second potentially useful.
• Keosius considered killing every living creature on the Prime Material Plane and destroying the world, then unleashed a burst of energy and grinned as if he had nearly made his choice.

Olivia endured another night of pain in the Dragon Binding Array, holding on to Anher’s promise that he would rescue her. She fell asleep imagining their future together, unaware that black energy was feeding on her light and thoughts.

• Olivia struggled against the scorching chains and took comfort in the moonlight.
• Olivia recalled her failed attempts to reach the Embers of the Burned King’s followers and renewed her hope that Anher would save her.
• Olivia remembered Anher’s promise to gather resources and rescue her from the Red Dragon’s palace.
• Olivia imagined a future with Anher traveling across the multiverse, then fell asleep despite her injuries.
• Black energy hovered over Olivia and greedily absorbed her light and scattered thoughts.

Keosius rescued Olivia from her captivity after the Embers of the Burned King disappeared, and she joyfully reunited with him, believing he had kept his promise. They left for the Witch's Veil Tavern, where their spell-filled night together began.

• Olivia woke to find her restraints gone and saw Keosius, disguised as Anher, waiting for her.
• Olivia embraced Keosius and learned that ninety-eight days had passed since he had last seen her.
• Keosius told Olivia that the Embers of the Burned King had disappeared and that he had found a way to break the restriction holding her.
• Keosius took Olivia through a portal and brought her to the Witch's Veil Tavern for the night.
• Keosius and Olivia kissed and explored their magic together as the tavern lights went out.

Keosius used Mind Labyrinth to deceive Olivia into believing that Anher was real, then revealed that he had been Anher all along. As Keosius nearly killed Olivia under the influence of destructive power, her words jolted him into recognizing Jezal Slack’s tampering with the Heart of Kareks, and he left after loosening her confinement.

• Olivia realized her days with Anher had been an illusion created by Keosius’s Mind Labyrinth, and Keosius told her that Anher had never existed.
• Keosius overwhelmed the exhausted Olivia, while a violent urge to destroy everything took hold of his mind.
• Olivia called Keosius an Abyssal Devil and condemned him as a beast, triggering his awareness of the danger within him.
• Keosius realized Jezal Slack had tampered with the Heart of Kareks and that destructive divine power and the Abyss’s consciousness were affecting his mind.
• Keosius thanked Olivia, reduced the Dragon Binding Array’s restrictions so she could move around the palace, and left.

Keosius realized the Heart of Kareks and the Abyss Will were driving him toward destructive madness, and resolved to end the influence before it consumed him. Imprisoned Olivia, struggling with the truth about his identities, decided she might be able to save him.

• Keosius examined the Heart of Kareks and recognized that his growing hunger for power and violence came from the Abyss Will’s influence.
• Keosius understood that the Bloodscale Berserker state accelerated the heart’s fusion and could eventually turn him into a puppet of destruction.
• Keosius resolved to end the cursed state before Kareks’s blood spread through his body and overtook his mind.
• Olivia recalled that Keosius had spared her and considered whether an Abyssal Devil’s curse had changed his personality.
• Olivia decided she might save Keosius and protect the Material Plane by freeing him from the destructive influence.

Keosius ordered Lang Pu to find ways to protect his reason from the Abyss Will and build equipment to warn him when he entered a destructive berserk state. At North Wind Fortress, Viscount Gilmore watched the successful trial run of a Steam Engine Car and imagined how railways could serve the kingdom.

• Keosius told Lang Pu that a Devil Lord had influenced his destructive berserk state and ordered him to find ways to preserve his reason and block out the Abyss Will.
• Keosius asked Lang Pu to create durable Magic Equipment that could detect disruption in the Weave and warn him when he entered the berserk state.
• Lang Pu accepted the orders and left to put the Magic Department of Embers of the Burned Kingdom to work.
• At North Wind Fortress, Viscount Gilmore ordered the workers to begin the Steam Engine Car experiment before a gathered crowd.
• The Steam Engine Car moved along the newly laid track and reached its destination, prompting the workers and Gilmore to celebrate.
• Gilmore reflected that future railways could help His Majesty's armies and transport grain and goods across the kingdom.