Chapter Summaries

The kingdom celebrated Marshal Dolo’s victorious return to North Wind Fortress as its war-driven prosperity and growing power drew attention from across the continent. Misha tried to reach Chief Minister Lang Pu to ask to see His Majesty, but the crowd swallowed her up before she could get his attention.

• Newsboys announced the kingdom’s victory, while merchants and factories prospered from the war and anticipated expansion into the North.
• Dolo returned to North Wind Fortress with his army, where Lang Pu welcomed him and the two concealed their rivalry beneath polite congratulations.
• The crowds celebrated Dolo and Lang Pu as news of Oszedro’s escape and the allied army’s defeat spread across the continent.
• Misha shouted to Lang Pu that she wanted to see His Majesty, but the crowd pushed her away from the procession.
• Misha clenched her fists, fought back tears, and resolved to act.

After Old John’s death awakened her power over fire, Misha used it to get Chief Minister Lang Pu’s attention and asked to see His Majesty so she could avenge her grandfather. Lang Pu agreed to take her to the royal palace, and the triumphal ceremony continued as the crowd watched them depart.

• Several months after soldiers burned Old John’s body, Misha discovered she could create and control flames.
• Misha unleashed a powerful fire spell, and the guards surrounded her until Lang Pu ordered them to stop.
• Lang Pu recognized Misha’s rare innate spellcasting ability and asked what she wanted from the king.
• Misha said she wanted to kill Leo Bosk herself because he had planned the Margur Incident and escaped justice.
• Misha gave Lang Pu her name and said her grandfather John had named her, so Lang Pu lifted her into the air and took her toward the royal palace.

Keosius defended the public trials of Northern Nobles to Olivia, then healed her wounds and sent her to rest. After Lang Pu reported a gifted nine-year-old named Misha, Keosius recognized her future as the Madfire Witch and ordered her brought to him.

• Keosius argued that the Northern Nobles' deaths were the people's choice and described the trials as justice, while Olivia objected to his methods.
• Keosius invited Olivia to serve as a Councilor in the Kingdom, and she agreed despite feeling intimidated by him.
• Keosius asked about Olivia's injuries, healed her with Bahamut's Order Divine Power, and sent her resting dragon body to a side hall.
• Lang Pu reported that nine-year-old Misha could access the Weave's third layer and hated the Northern Nobles.
• Keosius recalled Misha's future as the Madfire Witch and ordered Lang Pu to bring her to him.

Lang Pu brought Misha to meet Keosius, where the Red Dragon recognized her extraordinary affinity for fire elements. Misha asked for permission to avenge her grandfather by killing Leo Bosk.

• Lang Pu escorted Misha through Keosius's palace grounds and explained the rules and etiquette for meeting the king.
• Misha felt energized by the Red Dragon's scorching lava environment, revealing her exceptional affinity for fire.
• Misha entered the main hall and met Keosius, whose presence stirred both fear and a sense of kinship in her.
• Keosius recognized Misha as a Child of the Elements and asked whether she sought revenge on Leo Bosk.
• Misha declared that Leo Bosk had caused the Margur Incident and murdered her grandfather, and vowed to avenge him.

Misha explained why she trusted Keosius and chose to remain loyal to his kingdom, then received a Dragon Bloodline gift that transformed her and awakened her power. Keosius completed a new faction subclass called Dragon Pact Sorcerer.

• Keosius asked Misha why she believed he would help her, and she said Old John had taught her that he was a good lord who had given her a home.
• Keosius asked what Misha would do after taking revenge on Leo Bosk, and she decided to stay loyal to the kingdom and repay its kindness.
• Keosius granted Misha a Dragon Bloodline gift, linking her to his power and changing her blood vessels and heart.
• Misha's awakened flames surged as the gift transformed her, leaving her unconscious with golden slit pupils, small horns, scales, and scarlet patterns.
• Keosius completed the faction subclass construction and named it Dragon Pact Sorcerer.

Keosius formed a binding Sovereign pact with Misha, making her his Contracted Servant and granting her the powers of a Dragon Pact Sorcerer. After sending her to rest with a new robe, he saw that her exceptional talent might let her surpass Lang Pu as the kingdom’s foremost legend.

• Keosius established a magical bond with Misha that allowed them to exchange power and let him grant her spells.
• Keosius gave Misha several spells, and the pact awakened her Dragon Pact Sorcerer subclass and its future abilities.
• Misha awoke, apologized for being too weak to avenge Old John, and Keosius told her to adapt to her new power and rest near the royal palace.
• Keosius created a Flame Spirit Robe for Misha and sent her through a portal to rest.
• Keosius inspected Misha’s follower panel and noted that her talent might make her stronger than Lang Pu.

Keosius ordered a tower and a comprehensive magical education for Misha, then learned that Count Jacob Rosa was leading the Northern resistance. He ordered Jacob killed and his reputation destroyed, leaving the count’s fate sealed as the kingdom closed in.

• Keosius sent Misha to the guesthouse and ordered Lang Pu to arrange her magical education and build the Tower of Sinful Fire.
• Lang Pu reported that the kingdom controlled nearly eighty percent of the North and had surrounded the remaining resistance forces led by Count Jacob Rosa.
• Keosius rejected Lang Pu’s offer to capture Jacob and ordered him killed in a humiliating manner.
• Lang Pu proposed smearing Jacob with fabricated stories, and Keosius approved the plan to crush the Northern Nobles’ resistance.
• Keosius and Lang Pu finalized Jacob’s fate while later historical accounts disputed how he died and portrayed his reputation.

Keosius demonstrated a Time Stop spell and entrusted Lang Pu with a Time Stop scroll for the kingdom’s Magic Department to study. Lang Pu also presented Keosius with the custom-made Supreme True Dragon Crown, which he wore as he considered improving it to legendary quality.

• Keosius used a time-accelerating spell and Eternal Stasis on Lang Pu, who recognized the effect as Time Stop.
• Keosius gave Lang Pu a Time Stop scroll crafted by a Time Dragon and ordered him to keep it top-secret and report research results within five years.
• Keosius told Lang Pu to prepare for a second Awarding Ceremony once affairs in the North were settled.
• Lang Pu presented Keosius with the adamantine Supreme True Dragon Crown, made by the kingdom’s spellcasters.
• Keosius put on the crown and wondered whether it could be upgraded to legendary quality.

Keosius agreed to establish an empire and prepare a grand coronation, then upgraded his crown with Bahamut’s Wind. Christina visited with a new decree from the Dragon Queen, but Keosius rejected her advances and reaffirmed that he understood their previous agreement.

• Lang Pu persuaded Keosius to declare an empire and hold a coronation to announce its power across the continent.
• Keosius merged Bahamut’s Wind into his crown, raising it to a sub-artifact, then kept the gemstone hidden.
• Keosius reluctantly admitted Christina after she refused to leave the palace gates.
• Christina transformed into a Blue Dragon and tried to seduce Keosius, who sent her flying with force magic.
• Christina delivered the Dragon Queen’s reminder about Keosius’s previous agreement, and Keosius said he understood.
• Christina left in disgrace, insisting to her attendant that only Keosius was worthy of her.

Earl Jacob and the last Northern Kingdom defenders prepared to hold Fayol City against Dolo’s approaching army and its Starfallers. As the bombardment began, an incongruous Good Luck Song disrupted Jacob’s elegy, but the attack battered the city walls and left the defenders under fire.

• Earl Jacob learned that Dolo’s main force and Starfallers, around twenty thousand strong, were approaching Fayol City, and he ordered his soldiers to hold the line.
• Earl Jacob rallied the exhausted defenders with a speech and sang the North’s elegy, prompting the soldiers to join him.
• A voice beyond the walls sang the North’s song, then abruptly switched to the Good Luck Song, disrupting Jacob’s solemn mood.
• Earl Jacob ordered preparations for the attack as artillery fire began, and the soldiers took cover behind the fortifications.
• The bombardment killed defenders and reduced sections of Fayol City’s walls to ruins.

Earl Jacob led Fayol City’s last defenders against the Embers of the Burned Kingdom’s artillery, Wyverns, and ground forces, then charged out in a final attempt to die gloriously. After he was magically compelled to surrender, a serf shot him, and Lang Pu ordered the Military Recorder to document his death as a surrender followed by a killing.

• Earl Jacob evaded the bombardment and ordered his remaining soldiers to spread out as Wyverns attacked Fayol City, but the assault killed hundreds and left the defenders overwhelmed.
• Dolo ordered the melee forces to prepare to storm the walls, and Earl Jacob raised his banner and charged out with five hundred knights.
• Gunfire and attacks from Kingdom soldiers and players killed Jacob’s knights, leaving him alone as he continued to fight.
• A red light flickered in Earl Jacob’s eyes, and he dismounted and removed his armor after being compelled to surrender.
• A serf shot Earl Jacob, and the players swarmed to claim his equipment as he died.
• Lang Pu instructed the Military Recorder to record that Jacob Rosa had surrendered in 1786 of the Third Era and had been beaten to death by enraged serfs.

After the Northern Kingdom fell, Lang Pu recruited the exhausted Awakened Dream to create sensational unofficial histories that would counter attacks on the kingdom. Awakened Dream abandoned his plan to resign and set his sights on Luton. Seager, while Lang Pu grew furious over propaganda depicting him as a greedy, stupid Ogre.

• Newsboys announced Jacob Rosa’s death during the Northern Kingdom’s surrender as the Ember Kingdom celebrated its victory and enjoyed a surge in business.
• Overwhelmed by propaganda work, Awakened Dream decided to resign from the Propaganda Department and carried his resignation letter to Lang Pu’s office.
• Lang Pu proposed a Historical Compilation Department and assigned Awakened Dream to create attention-grabbing stories exposing the kingdom’s enemies.
• Awakened Dream read hostile headlines attributed to Luton. Seager, became eager to answer them, and forgot about resigning.
• After Awakened Dream left, Lang Pu saw a hidden attack calling him a greedy, stupid Ogre and damaged his desk in anger.

As Keosius prepared to be crowned emperor, news of his victory over Oszedro drew the attention of powers across the Feanso Continent. Construction crews built a vast coronation altar and the future city of Istaria on the Doyle Great Plain, where Lang Pu watched the project take shape.

• News spread that Keosius would be crowned emperor in thirty-seven days, and that Marshal Dolo supported him.
• Rumors that Keosius had defeated Oszedro alarmed the continent’s factions, especially the Three Great Kingdoms watching the Red Dragon Kingdom.
• Envoys from across the continent hurried north after the coronation was announced, and some hostile delegations attacked one another along the Anzeta Corridor.
• The Embers of the Burned Kingdom chose the Doyle Great Plain for the ceremony and built an immense altar there with the help of spellcasters and Frost Giant slaves.
• Lang Pu watched the altar and the developing city of Istaria, envisioning it as the future center of Anzeta.

Keosius’s coronation ceremony began with a display of the Embers of the Burned Kingdom’s forces, impressing envoys and spectators from across Feanso. Keosius arrived at Istaria and proceeded toward the altar as the gathered crowd fell silent.

• Envoys, spectators, players, and spies gathered at Istaria, where tensions between the Blue Dragons and Silver Dragons eased after Lang Pu intervened.
• Thousands of Wyverns filled the sky, and Dayev Marshall of Thrace recognized the scale of the kingdom’s military and supply system.
• Ceremonial cannons, the Ogre Artillery Corps, infantry formations, and armored Terrestrial Dragon Beasts displayed the Embers of the Burned Kingdom’s strength.
• Keosius arrived in his immense Red Dragon form, drawing cheers and astonishment from the crowd and envoys.
• Li Cha watched Keosius arrive and worried that he had grown too strong for Li Cha to save Abier.
• Keosius landed, walked toward the altar, and noted that most of the Feanso Continent’s major powers had come to the ceremony.

Keosius began his coronation ceremony at the Istaria Great Altar, where officials declared the Embers of the Burned Kingdom an empire and its ruler an emperor. A petition bearing tens of thousands of citizens’ marks reinforced the coronation as foreign envoys watched in alarm.

• Keosius arrived at the altar amid cheers from the crowd and addressed the gathered people.
• Lang Pu and the other nobles assembled on the altar’s tiers according to rank while Dayev suspected the ceremony echoed the Sun God Pyramids of the former Holy Fadlan Empire.
• Lang Pu read a decree declaring that Keosius would be Emperor and the Embers of the Burned Kingdom would become the Embers of the Burned Empire.
• Representatives of several retainer races presented Keosius with a petition bearing tens of thousands of marks and urged him to accept the coronation.
• Keosius observed the foreign envoys’ reactions and recognized that the kingdom’s propaganda had impressed them.

At his coronation, Keosius resisted Tiamat’s attempt to claim his empire and summoned Bahamut to witness the ceremony. He crowned himself before both dragon gods, asserting his independence as emperor of the Embers of the Burned Empire.

• Eight Ogres carried the Supreme True Dragon Crown to the altar, where the assembled crowd admired it.
• Tiamat appeared over Istaria and offered to crown Keosius, while framing his empire as the Five-Colored Dragon’s possession.
• Keosius politely distanced his realm from Tiamat’s claims and waited for the guest he had invited.
• Bahamut arrived, and the two dragon gods argued as their powers filled the sky with turmoil.
• Keosius placed the crown on his own head before both deities, declaring their presence at his coronation an honor.

Keosius founded the Embers of the Burned Empire and faced warnings from Tiamat and Bahamut, refusing to pledge himself to either dragon god. His new Empire Domain awakened, and he ended the chapter by rising into the sky as a second sun.

• Keosius proclaimed the founding of the Embers of the Burned Empire during his coronation.
• Tiamat threatened Keosius after he rejected her attempt to extend her influence, then withdrew with the other dragons.
• Bahamut warned Keosius that he bore the aura of the abyss and urged him not to stray from the right path.
• Keosius gained the Emperor achievement, upgrading Kingdom Domain into Empire Domain and receiving new imperial powers.
• Keosius rose above the crowd and used his power to illuminate half the night sky, appearing as a second sun.

At the Empire’s Awarding Ceremony, Keosius bestowed new titles and honors on loyal subjects, elevating established nobles, Anthony, and several players. The ceremony continued with native counts receiving honors after the players’ promotions.

• Keosius appeared in radiant, dragonlike glory and promised grace to subjects loyal to the Empire.
• Dolo was elevated to a second-rank duke and accepted an imperial medal while secretly envying Lang Pu.
• Anthony was elevated from viscount to marquis, thanked Keosius, and renewed his resolve to serve the Empire.
• Ake was elevated to marquis, bringing the Empire’s total to twenty-four marquises while its number of dukes remained three.
• Steel Frenzy, Tian Xingjian, and Overlord were granted the rank of count after reaching ten thousand faction Reputation Points, prompting cheers from their guilds.
• Native counts received further promotions for military merit as citizens admired the rewards and opportunities of imperial service.

At the imperial investiture, George was named a Baron and celebrated his rise from serf to Dragon Blood Noble. Keosius then began bestowing the Empire’s grace, transforming the chosen subjects as Dayev recognized the rite as an Ascension Ritual.

• Charlotte was named a Viscount, while more than a hundred others received the same title.
• George was named a Baron, and the former serf wept with gratitude to Keosius as he joined the Empire’s elite.
• After more than three hundred Barons assembled, Keosius began the ceremony’s next stage by releasing streams of flame onto the altar.
• The flames transformed the chosen subjects into Dragon Vein Creatures, and George developed scales and golden vertical pupils before losing consciousness.
• Dayev watched the transformation and grimly recognized it as an Ascension Ritual.

Keosius’s coronation ceremony ended with Lang Pu becoming a legendary retainer and the crowd acclaiming the new empire. News of the Embers of the Burned Empire spread across the continent, establishing Keosius as the Red Emperor and increasing the empire’s influence.

• Lang Pu’s Imperial Grace transformed him into a legendary monster, and Keosius celebrated gaining a legendary retainer.
• The Dragon Blood Nobles knelt before Keosius, while the crowd cheered for the empire and its emperor.
• Dayev recognized the ceremony’s political danger and resolved to report it to His Majesty Wilhelm, while Li Cha slipped into the crowd and Favaro Gregory recorded his thoughts.
• On March 2nd, 1786, Keosius’s coronation ended in Istaria, formally establishing the Embers of the Burned Empire.
• News of the ceremony spread across Feanso, and Dragon Scholars replaced Keosius’s title of Dragon Prince with Red Emperor.