Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• In Luther’s illusory sea, Medici’s reaction suggests that Luther’s connection to the sea is significant, though Medici refuses to explain further.
• Luther concludes that the sea is linked to the Creator of the City of Silver. He considers the risks of the Tide, including its possible influence on fate and the attention it may have drawn from powerful beings.
• Worried that the tower’s growth could expose his sleeping sister Cecilia to danger, Luther moves her from its summit to a lower chamber. He plans to seek leave and travel to Feysac to investigate, feeling pressure to advance quickly.
• At the Hall family’s country estate, the family goes rabbit hunting to celebrate Alfred’s return after being ransomed. Susie finds the rabbit’s hidden escape route and flushes it out; Alfred shoots it.

Character developments and interactions

• Luther becomes more cautious and urgent. He recognizes that he knows too little to draw firm conclusions, but takes practical steps to protect Cecilia and prepare for further investigation. He needles Medici for information, then backs off to preserve their relationship.
• Medici briefly reacts to Luther’s deduction, then retreats into silence.
• Audrey is relaxed and observant during the hunt. She knows Susie is far more capable than her brothers realize and privately notes that Susie is nearly caught up to Alfred in Sequence.
• Susie demonstrates intelligence and skill by locating the burrow’s hidden exit and helping the hunters catch the rabbit, despite appearing uninterested in the chase.
• Alfred is confident in his shooting and successfully kills the rabbit; Hibbert jokes that Susie is not suited to hunting.

Significant themes

• Power and uncertainty: Luther’s discovery hints at immense forces behind the Tide, but he lacks enough knowledge to understand them.
• Caution and responsibility: He balances investigation with protecting Cecilia and avoiding dependence on a potentially dangerous power.
• Hidden ability and mistaken appearances: Susie’s apparent indifference conceals her effectiveness, while the rabbit’s hidden exit shows how easily appearances can mislead.

Key events

• During a family hunt, Hibbert leaves Audrey alone with Alfred, apparently hoping they will talk. Alfred warns Audrey that becoming a Beyonder risks madness, corruption, and loss of control. Audrey listens politely but privately knows more than he does: she has advanced to Sequence 6, Hypnotist.
• Audrey changes the subject and learns that Alfred plans to return to the Southern Continent early. He wants to earn military merit, suppress the rebels, and prove that his campaign is justified after the King of Blood accused him of stealing a nation.
• At St. Samuel Cathedral, Luther learns from Arianna that a replacement will soon take over his administrative duties in Backlund.
• Arianna reports that Saint Anthony was loyal to the Goddess but had been subjected to psychological suggestion. The Church’s investigation suggests that someone is covertly steering events toward a world war. Anthony helped stir anti-Feysac sentiment among Loen’s nobles, but George III is likely not the mastermind.
• Arianna gives Luther a new assignment, offering the Potion formula and Beyonder Characteristic for a Trinity Templar as its reward.

Character developments and interactions

• Audrey recognizes Alfred’s genuine concern and avoids correcting his mistaken assumptions, balancing affection for her brother with the secrecy of her own advancement.
• Alfred is protective of Audrey, but his wounded pride and desire to prove himself drive his premature return to the Southern Continent.
• Luther is weary of his church administration duties and questions Arianna about the investigation, but the promised reward gives him a reason to accept another assignment.
• Arianna remains composed and authoritative, delivering both the Church’s findings and Luther’s next task.

Significant themes

• The dangers and secrecy of power: Beyonder advancement brings risks that outsiders may only partly understand.
• Pride and competing interpretations of conflict: Alfred seeks to justify his military campaign, while the chapter hints that larger forces may be manufacturing hostility.
• Manipulation behind public events: Psychological suggestion and covert influence may be pushing nations toward war.

• Luther accepts a mission to Feysac: Arianna offers Luther the Trinity Templar’s Potion formula and characteristic as a reward for his service. She asks him to lead a team to Feysac and suppress the people and organizations stoking hostility toward Loen, warning that someone may be trying to provoke a war. Luther accepts, seeing the mission as a chance both to uncover the conspiracy and earn the merit he needs to advance to Sequence 3.
• The threat in Feysac: A succession struggle is intensifying around Feysac’s gravely ill king. One royal claimant is exploiting anti-Loen sentiment, while voices urging restraint have suffered suspicious “accidents.” Arianna reveals that Ince Zangwill has been sighted in the capital. Recognizing him, Luther suspects he is connected to the unrest and recalls his role in events that led to Cecilia’s death. He also considers possible links to Ivanova and Sophia Einhorn.
• Arianna’s silence: Before vanishing, Arianna gives Luther permission to depart once Backlund’s new diocesan head arrives. Luther asks why the Goddess has been so occupied despite an attack on Her domain, but Arianna leaves without answering.
• Klein and the airships: A few days later, Klein boards a military airship bound for the Southern Continent, where he is to seek business opportunities and sell weapons to local warlords on the Military’s behalf. He spots Leonard and Daly preparing to travel north toward the Sonia Sea, but does not learn why they are going. Leonard recognizes Klein but gives Daly only a vague explanation.
  Character developments and interactions: Luther shifts from frustration over the promised potion reward to a determined acceptance of Arianna’s mission, driven by both personal vengeance and ambition. Arianna acts as the Goddess’s stern representative but remains secretive about Her circumstances. Klein maintains a casual exterior while privately wondering about Leonard and Daly; Leonard, in turn, avoids explaining his connection to Klein.
  Themes: The chapter highlights political manipulation and the danger of engineered hostility, the pursuit of advancement and justice through Church service, and the tension created by unanswered questions about powerful figures and the Goddess’s absence.

Plot points and events

• Leonard and Daly travel by Flying Ship toward the Sonia Sea. They conceal the real purpose of their journey: under Deacon Ishmael’s leadership, they plan to enter Feysac under false identities and hunt the traitor Ince Zangwill. Their cover story is an official visit to a Loen city.
• Elsewhere, Luther purifies a Sequence 5 Apothecary-pathway Beyonder Characteristic using the Sunless Cross rather than the Tide’s power.
• Luther is preparing to join the hunt for Ince, a Sequence 4 Beyonder. He considers Ince’s Sealed Artifact 0-08 the chief danger and reads Klein’s warning: the quill can make its stories real, tends to endanger its holder, and can use what people say—and what they know about it—to draw them into its narrative.

Character developments and interactions

• Daly calmly orders an unusual cocktail and stays composed when the attendant probes their mission. Leonard likewise keeps the secret, sharing only a quiet glance with her after the attendant leaves.
• Luther recognizes that he may be relying too heavily on his mysterious Tide power. He resolves to practice restraint and chooses the Sunless Cross for the purification, though he privately wonders whether that artifact is entirely safe either.
• Klein helps Luther indirectly through a letter, passing on Mr. Azik’s analysis and a warning from the Life School of Thought member he consulted.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and information as danger: The mission depends on keeping its purpose hidden, and knowledge of 0-08 can itself make someone more vulnerable to it.
• Caution and self-reliance: Luther questions his dependence on power and weighs the risks of alternative tools, while preparing carefully for a powerful enemy.
• Uncertainty and corruption: Even useful artifacts may carry hidden dangers, making every choice a matter of managing risk rather than finding a perfectly safe option.

Key plot points and events

• After reading Klein’s warning not to enter Saint Millon until Ince Zangwill’s location is confirmed, Luther questions whether the sentient artifact 0-08 could detect him through the Phantom Tide. He suspects it might fear the Tide, as other sentient Beyonder Items have, but recognizes that his earlier experience in Tingen makes the answer uncertain.
• Luther realizes Groselle’s Travels may know 0-08, since the book’s mural depicts the quill and its history is tied to the Dragon of Imagination. He decides to ask Klein to lend it to him, both to learn how to counter 0-08 and potentially to lure Ince—though the book’s imagery suggests that could be dangerous.
• In Constant City, Leonard and Daly arrive after a fast airship journey from Backlund. They plan to rest before leaving discreetly, hoping distance will make Amon lose interest in pursuing them.
• Leonard gives Daly charms that can help them learn Feysac and disguise their faces. He suspects her fatigue is really grief over their former captain and the prospect of soon avenging him.
• Leonard writes to Klein with the news that Ince Zangwill is in Saint Millon, Feysac. Though passing the information conflicts with his duty to the Goddess, he chooses loyalty to his quest for revenge and to his promise not to let Klein act alone.
• Rather than summon Klein’s messenger at the church, Leonard goes looking for privacy. In the street, he notices a hooded figure who seems familiar.

Character developments and interactions

• Luther moves from speculation to a plan: investigate 0-08 through Groselle’s Travels before deciding whether to confront or attract it.
• Leonard accepts the personal and institutional risks of helping Klein, putting revenge and solidarity ahead of strict religious loyalty. He and Pallez trade wary remarks about whether Amon might have an avatar nearby.
• Daly remains withdrawn and tired, seemingly consumed by thoughts of the captain. Leonard recognizes her grief but does not press her.
• Leonard and Daly cooperate on their covert mission, with Leonard passing along practical tools for travel and concealment.
• The chapter ends by introducing a possible new connection—or threat—in the hooded stranger Leonard recognizes.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and mutual danger: Luther wonders whether learning about 0-08 also exposes him to its attention.
• Loyalty versus duty: Leonard chooses personal loyalty and revenge over obedience to the Church.
• Grief and vengeance: Daly’s sorrow and Leonard’s resolve are shaped by their former captain’s death.
• Caution under uncertainty: Both Luther and Leonard act strategically, aware that their plans may attract powerful enemies such as 0-08 or Amon.

Key plot points and events

• Leonard senses a fleetingly familiar presence in the street, but neither he nor Pallez can identify it or find evidence of danger.
• Leonard secretly sends Klein’s messenger his intelligence, feeling guilty about betraying the Church. He is willing to seek help and power from the Fool if it will help him catch Ince Zangwill.
• Leonard and Daly leave through a church’s back entrance and travel toward Feysac under forged identities as siblings, Ilyich and Kunieva Fedorov.
• They use charms prepared by Deacon Ishmael: one gives them instant fluency in Feysac, while another lets them reshape their faces with a layer of controllable flesh.
• In Saint Millon, the capital of Feysac, a coachman reflects on hardship, the ailing emperor, and resentment toward Loen. Meanwhile, Ince Zangwill wakes feeling physically and spiritually impaired.
• A self-writing white quill reveals that Ince did something dangerously reckless in his sleep—but cannot remember what. The revelation leaves him shocked and motionless.

Character developments

• Leonard shows growing determination to pursue Ince, even at the cost of betraying his former loyalties and considering aid from the Fool. His brief encounter with the unknown figure also hints at a lingering mystery.
• Daly cooperates with Leonard in their disguise and journey, sharing the risks and preparations.
• Ince Zangwill is suddenly vulnerable: he feels weakened and discovers a frightening gap in his memory.
• Pallez remains cautious but unhelpful, having noticed nothing unusual.

Character interactions

• Leonard questions Pallez about the passerby, then teases him when he has no information.
• Leonard and Daly prepare their cover identities together, using matching charms to alter their language and appearance.
• The quill’s message confronts Ince with evidence of his own unexplained actions.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and moral compromise: Leonard’s hunt for Ince leads him to consider betraying the Church and seeking power elsewhere.
• Identity and disguise: The forged papers, acquired language, and reshaped faces make appearance and identity central to the journey.
• Uncertainty and lost control: Leonard cannot explain the familiar presence, while Ince cannot remember a dangerous act committed in his sleep.
• Political and social strain: The coachman’s hopes and grievances reflect Feysac’s economic hardship and growing hostility toward Loen.

Key plot points and events

• Luther enters Groselle’s Travels while aboard the Phantom Tide. The book takes him directly to the palace of the Dragon of Imagination and responds to him with unusual cooperation.
• He asks whether the quill 0-08 will help its holder harm him. A mural depicts Luther as a blood-red figure before whom the quill lies passive. Luther concludes that 0-08 will not act against him or warn Ince Zangwill about him.
• Luther asks what the book knows about the Phantom Tide, but receives no answer. He suspects the book is afraid to reveal something connected to the Tide.
• When Luther asks about Adam, the Angel of Imagination, the palace’s wall turns radiant gold. Luther reads this as a significant clue linking Adam, the Sun, and possibly the City of Silver’s Creator, but the book offers nothing further.
• Back in reality, Luther confirms his handover as head of the diocese is complete. He plans to leave on a mission with Daly and Leonard, veterans from Tingen. Sensing that the Flesh he left with them is under attack, he turns north.

Character developments

• Luther shows caution and curiosity: he uses the book to investigate 0-08 and the Tide, carefully interpreting its symbolic responses. He is also ready to move on from his church duties and give Daly and Leonard a chance to seek revenge.
• Groselle’s Travels acts cooperative toward Luther but appears frightened or constrained when asked about the Tide and Adam.
• Daly and Leonard are positioned to take part in the coming mission, though their actions are not yet shown.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and fear: The book’s silence and symbolic answers suggest that some truths are dangerous to reveal.
• Trust and control: Luther benefits from the book’s cooperation and learns that 0-08 poses no immediate threat to him.
• Hidden divine connections: The Phantom Tide, Adam, the Dragon of Imagination, and the City of Silver’s Creator may be linked.
• Revenge and loyalty: Luther’s choice of companions gives Daly and Leonard an opportunity to confront the past.

Character interactions

• Luther addresses Groselle’s Travels directly, questioning it about 0-08, the Phantom Tide, and Adam; the book answers through murals rather than words.
• Luther thinks of Arrodes as a comparison, recalling how it reacted fearfully to questions about the Primordial Moon.
• Luther reflects on his trust in Klein, while arranging to travel with Daly and Leonard after handing his diocesan responsibilities to a successor.

Key plot points and events

• Leonard and Miss Daly board the Pine Needle at Superior Harbor, traveling in disguise toward Intis and then Feysac. They avoid a direct route because heightened tensions would bring extra scrutiny at the border.
• A ticket inspector recognizes them as Feysac travelers and demands an extra pound from each. Crew and Loenese passengers treat the Feysac passengers with open hostility; Leonard and Daly pay rather than risk exposing themselves.
• In his cabin, Leonard reflects that public animosity between the nations is growing and worries that war may be near. He hopes that reaching Saint Millon and killing Ince Zangwill and his associates will weaken the forces provoking conflict.
• From his window, Leonard sees a black-robed passenger who triggers a powerful sense of familiarity. He rushes out to follow the figure.

Character developments

• Leonard restrains his anger despite being insulted and exploited, prioritizing his and Daly’s cover over retaliation. The discrimination troubles him and sharpens his concern about war.
• Daly quietly reminds Leonard to stay in character, showing practical awareness and helping keep their mission on track.
• The elderly voice in Leonard’s mind teases him by suggesting he use his abilities to punish the inspector, but Leonard rejects the idea of targeting an ordinary person.

Character interactions

• The ticket inspector and crew openly discriminate against Leonard and Daly, while many Loenese passengers appear approving or amused. Other Feysac passengers endure the same surcharge.
• Daly checks Leonard’s impulse to react, and the voice in his mind challenges his restraint.
• Leonard’s sudden recognition of the black-robed passenger shifts the scene from social tension to a new, unexplained mystery.

Significant themes

• Nationalism and discrimination: Political hostility has spread into everyday life, with ordinary travelers facing prejudice and exploitation.
• Restraint and duty: Leonard suppresses his anger to protect the disguise and serve the larger mission.
• War and hope: The worsening public mood suggests conflict is approaching, though Leonard believes stopping those stoking division could help avert it.
• Familiarity and mystery: The black-robed figure’s effect on Leonard introduces an ominous new thread.

Key plot points and events

• Leonard rushes after a black-robed figure who feels strangely familiar, but the person disappears before he can find them.
• Back in his cabin, Leonard confronts Pallez, who admits he noticed the figure but hid it from him. Pallez says the figure carries a dangerous aura and advises Leonard not to provoke them, though he refuses to explain further.
• Leonard accepts the warning and stays in his cabin. The Pine Needle departs across the calm Sonia Sea, bound for North Hornacis Province.
• At lunchtime, Leonard and Daly go to the dining room. They find Loen passengers deliberately serving Feysac travelers insulting local dishes, with the manager openly mocking them.
• A dispute turns violent. As Leonard and Daly prepare to leave, a Feysac passenger kills the manager with a dinner knife.

Character developments

• Leonard is frustrated by both losing the mysterious figure and Pallez’s secrecy, but ultimately follows Pallez’s warning. He also shows discomfort at the open hostility between the passengers.
• Pallez remains secretive and sardonic. He reveals that his silence was meant to prevent Leonard from approaching a dangerous person, not simply to deceive him.
• Daly accompanies Leonard to lunch; she is otherwise a quiet presence in the chapter.

Character interactions

• Leonard challenges Pallez over lying about the figure; Pallez mocks him, explains the danger, and then shuts down further questioning.
• Leonard invites Daly to lunch, and they witness the escalating confrontation between the Feysac passengers and the Loen manager.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and trust: Leonard resents Pallez’s withholding of information, even when Pallez claims it is protective.
• Danger and restraint: The mysterious figure’s aura prompts caution despite Leonard’s curiosity.
• Prejudice and political hostility: The dining-room insult exposes tensions between Loen and Feysac, which quickly escalate into lethal violence.

Summary

A sudden killing in the ship’s dining room sparks Loenese and Feysac passengers into a near-riot. Leonard, now a Sequence 6 Soul Assurer, uses Dream Infiltration to stop them, but suspects someone has supernaturally inflamed their fear and hatred. Daly tries to question the dead men’s spirits, but both she and Leonard begin coughing violently, and their efforts fail.
The symptoms help Leonard recognize the threat: Trissy, a former man who became a woman through the Demoness Pathway and was involved in an earlier shipboard massacre. He believes she has advanced to at least Sequence 5, a Demoness of Affliction. When the crowd is incited to attack the Nighthawks, Leonard uses Tranquility to quiet them, and he and Daly rush out to find her.
Trissy ambushes Daly with a dagger, but an undead spirit blocks the strike and is destroyed. Trissy retreats toward the bridge, evading Leonard’s attempt to trap her with Dream Infiltration. Leonard and Daly pursue. Leonard argues with Pallez, who insists Trissy is not responsible for the current violence. At the bridge, the captain attacks Leonard; after Leonard kicks him away, a blast of sword energy tears through the captain’s cabin, revealing that another fight is underway inside.

Character developments and interactions

• Leonard responds quickly to the crisis, showing greater control over his new abilities, but his coughing and the threat of Plague weaken him. Recognizing Trissy also connects the present danger to the earlier tragedy aboard the Clover.
• Daly attempts to use spirit mediumship to identify the culprit, but illness interrupts her. She is nearly struck by Trissy and saved by an undead spirit.
• Trissy appears as a skilled and elusive opponent, able to evade Leonard’s powers and attack from hiding. Her presence suggests a renewed threat of shipboard slaughter.
• Pallez challenges Leonard’s assumption that Trissy caused the outbreak. Their disagreement leaves the real source of the violence unresolved.
• The passengers are manipulated into turning on one another, then against Leonard and Daly, illustrating how quickly supernatural incitement can turn communal tensions into violence.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes fear and hatred as tools of manipulation, as old national tensions are exploited to provoke bloodshed. It also highlights the uncertainty of supernatural investigations: symptoms and familiar patterns point Leonard toward Trissy, but Pallez’s denial and the fight in the captain’s cabin suggest the situation is more complicated than it first appears.

Plot points and events

• Luther senses that Leonard’s protective charm has been destroyed and quickly locates him and the others. Confident that 0-08 cannot expose him, he heads to the ship.
• A Feysac Warrior Beyonder has attacked Trissy on the bridge. His radiant sword dispels her magic, while a Demoness-pathway Mirror at his waist links him to the bloody killings below.
• Leonard realizes the Warrior may be provoking violence to drive Loen and Feysac toward conflict. He and Daly try to subdue him, with Pallez briefly disrupting the man’s thoughts so Leonard can put him into a trance.
• The Warrior breaks free and unleashes a blast of dawnlight, injuring Leonard and worsening Daly’s illness. Trissy is also burned, though she escapes the attack.
• Luther arrives. He repairs Leonard’s infected tissue, then turns the removed flesh into a bomb and throws it at the Warrior.

Character developments

• Leonard shows tactical judgment, recognizing the likely political motive behind the violence. Despite his illness, he continues fighting and trusts Pallez’s help.
• Daly acts decisively by supporting Trissy, but her worsening condition limits her ability to keep fighting.
• Trissy remains agile under pressure and exploits openings, though the Warrior’s light magic injures her.
• Luther appears confident and capable, arriving at a critical moment and using his unusual flesh-and-blood magic to protect Leonard and attack their enemy.
• Pallez helps Leonard discreetly by interfering with the Warrior’s thoughts, though he remains wary of revealing too much.

Significant themes

• Political manipulation: The violence appears designed to inflame hostility between Loen and Feysac and provide a pretext for conflict.
• Trust and cooperation: Leonard, Pallez, Daly, Trissy, and Luther each contribute under pressure, despite differing loyalties.
• Power and vulnerability: Even experienced Beyonders are constrained by illness, exhaustion, and the specific strengths of their opponents.

Character interactions

• Leonard and Pallez coordinate mentally, with Pallez creating openings for Leonard’s attacks.
• Daly chooses to help Trissy, prioritizing the immediate threat over their apparent opposition.
• Leonard welcomes Luther’s arrival with relief; Luther responds by treating him before turning to the enemy.
• Trissy and the Warrior exchange attacks, while Leonard and Daly attempt to assist her.

Chapter summary

• Plot and events: The author explains that severe pain kept them awake from 1 to 3 a.m. and led to a diagnosis of a 0.4-centimeter kidney stone lodged in the ureter. Since the stone is small enough to pass naturally, the doctor prescribed medication to widen the ureter, advised drinking plenty of water and staying active, and estimated passage could take a little over a week.
• Character development: The author is candid about their health and sets expectations that their writing may temporarily decline, while emphasizing they are not requesting time off.
• Themes: The update combines frankness about physical hardship with humor and resilience. The author jokes darkly that their writing will be “soaked in piss and blood.”
• Interactions: The author speaks directly to readers, sharing the diagnosis, explaining the treatment plan, and asking for their patience during recovery.

Key events

• Luther destroys the plague-stricken Feysac Guardian with a powerful greatsword strike after an explosion clouds the battlefield. With the Warrior dead and his bone mirror disabled, Daly and Leonard recover.
• Leonard identifies the Demoness Trissy as the woman responsible for the Clover massacre. Luther recognizes her from her past connection to Prince Edessak and notes a disturbing aura that may be linked to the Primordial Demoness.
• Trissy insists Edessak did not commit suicide but was “driven to his death.” She says she came seeking the truth, after her plans involving a Palace Guard commander were disrupted by Alexander Gascoigne and she followed another lead to the Sonia Sea.
• Luther invites Trissy to cooperate with the Church of Evernight, but she refuses and escapes by leaping into the sea. He lets her go, judging that provoking the Primordial Demoness is unwise and that Trissy may be a useful ally.
• Luther asks Daly to use Spirit Channeling on the dead Guardian. The spirit identifies his objective as being “for Prince Nicholas.”

Character developments and interactions

• Luther remains controlled and strategic: he defeats the enemy, questions Trissy rather than immediately attacking, and chooses to preserve the possibility of working with her.
• Trissy’s usual alluring manner briefly gives way to genuine anger and grief when she speaks of Edessak. Though still defiant and elusive, she claims to be pursuing the truth.
• Leonard is wary of Trissy and quietly suspects Luther sees something unusual in her. Daly and Leonard recover from the plague and coordinate with Luther.
• Daly obeys Luther’s order to investigate the Guardian’s memories; his final words introduce a new lead involving Prince Nicholas.

Significant themes

• Truth and blame: Trissy challenges the official account of Edessak’s death, raising questions about who caused the Great Smog and who was blamed for it.
• Pragmatism and uneasy alliances: Luther weighs justice against the risks of confronting a powerful force, leaving open the possibility of cooperation with a suspected criminal.
• Hidden motives and political intrigue: The Guardian’s reference to Prince Nicholas suggests the battle was part of a wider scheme.

Key plot points and events

• On the ship Pine Needle, a Feysac warrior-spirit confesses that a planned incident of anti-Feysac discrimination and violence was meant to provoke a massacre and fuel public anger against Loen. The resulting unrest would help Prince Nicholas become emperor. Leonard condemns the spirit’s hypocrisy; it fades away, leaving behind a Beyonder characteristic.
• Luther, Leonard, and Daly head for Feysac. They alter the passengers’ memories to conceal what happened, then travel by freighter and train to the capital, Saint Millon.
• On the train, Luther warns Leonard and Daly that learning about 0-08 or Ince Zangwill could draw them into its influence. He places a suggestion in their memories to keep them from consciously recalling those subjects.
• Elsewhere, Audrey hears a village legend about a dragon dwelling in a grand palace within people’s dreams. Recognizing the possibility of a shared dream world, she decides to explore it and prays to the Fool for protection.
• Though exhausted, Klein responds to Audrey’s prayer and sends her a Paper Angel. Protected and lucid, Audrey enters the collective subconscious, sees a real dragon flying through gray mist, and is approached by a mysterious red-haired, golden-eyed woman.

Character developments and interactions

• Leonard reacts with disgust to the warrior-spirit’s claim of honor and loyalty, while cooperating with Luther’s memory safeguard despite already having protection from Pallez.
• Luther keeps the group moving as the situation in Feysac grows more urgent. He conceals why they can proceed together and carefully limits how much he uses his Spectator-pathway abilities.
• Audrey turns her sadness over her brother Alfred’s departure and her uncertain future into curiosity and boldness. Still cautious about the dangers of the subconscious, she seeks the Fool’s help rather than entering unprotected.
• Klein grumbles at being awakened but promptly grants Audrey protection. In the dream, an unknown woman appears beside Audrey and comments on the dragon.

Significant themes

• Manipulation and political violence: The shipboard abuse was engineered to inflame national hatred and alter the succession in Feysac.
• Memory and dangerous knowledge: 0-08 can draw people into its story, making ignorance and mental safeguards forms of protection.
• Curiosity balanced by caution: Audrey’s adventurous instincts are tempered by her awareness of the risks of dream exploration.
• Loyalty and hypocrisy: The spirit calls himself honorable while admitting to a scheme built on cruelty and bloodshed.

Key events

• Audrey, a Sequence 6 Beyonder, enters the Sea of Collective Subconscious and is confronted by a red-haired woman who calls herself Lady [Greed]. Audrey calms herself before her emotions can disturb the sea.
• Greed probes Audrey’s consciousness, but a powerful presence—protection Audrey had requested from Mr. Fool—prevents her from fully uncovering Audrey’s secrets.
• A Mind Dragon notices them and unleashes its intimidating presence. Hvin Rambis, a royal adviser and Psychological Alchemist known as Mr. [Pride], arrives. Greed quickly transports herself, Rambis, and Audrey away before the dragon can attack.
• In Saint Millon, Feysac, Luther, Leonard, and Daly arrive under false identities. Luther assigns them to investigate suspicious incidents involving an unusual number of coincidences, hoping to track Ince Zangwill and the influence of artifact 0-08. Leonard nearly mentions the artifact, but an apparent mental block stops him.

Character developments and interactions

• Audrey shows composure and quick thinking under pressure, using “Soothing” to control her fear. She is also relieved to discover Mr. Fool’s protection, though she hides that reaction from Greed.
• Greed appears calm and capable, but her interest in Audrey suggests she sees her as an unexpected complication. She and Rambis recognize each other by their codenames and act together when the dragon approaches.
• Rambis’s genial manner turns cold when he recognizes Audrey, hinting at a personal or organizational stake in her presence.
• In Feysac, Luther leads the investigation, while Leonard’s involuntary near-disclosure reveals that some knowledge about 0-08 has been deliberately suppressed. Daly and Leonard also compare the city unfavorably with Backlund.

Significant themes

• Mental discipline and vulnerability: In the Sea of Collective Subconscious, uncontrolled emotion can expose or endanger the mind.
• Protection and hidden power: Mr. Fool’s influence shields Audrey from a powerful intruder.
• Secrets and enforced silence: Leonard’s blocked memory shows that knowledge can be restricted, even within a team.
• Investigation and manipulation: The search for Ince focuses on suspicious coincidences, pointing to the danger of using narrative and public opinion as tools.

Luther sought Ince Zangwill’s location, but Klein’s divination gave contradictory answers, suggesting Ince both was and was not in Saint Millon. Meanwhile, Audrey awoke in the Garden of Eden and followed [Greed] toward its central church.

• Luther asked Luna to divine Ince Zangwill’s location, but Luna reacted with confusion.
• Luther asked Mr. Fool to have [The World] help with the divination, and Klein accepted.
• Klein’s pendulum first indicated Ince was in Saint Millon, then reversed and indicated he was not.
• Klein tried Dream Divination to find Ince, but saw only an illusory, dangerous mass of gray mist.
• Audrey awoke in the Garden of Eden, where [Greed] explained the city and led her toward its church.

Audrey was rescued by Lady Greed, who claimed her from Hvin Rambis and took control of her. In Saint Millon, Luther prepared to investigate Ince Zangwill and a royal woman, then encountered Feysac locals blaming Loen for their troubles.

• Lady Greed introduced herself to Audrey and asked Hvin Rambis to give Audrey to her.
• Hvin Rambis agreed, and Lady Greed reached for the helpless Audrey.
• M told Luther she had no memories of Miss M or Ivanova Einhorn and urged him to investigate Ince Zangwill.
• Luther explained that Ince Zangwill was somewhere in Saint Millon's vast sea of collective subconscious and decided to gather local information about a royal woman.
• Luther went to a restaurant with Luna and heard a drunk Feysac man blame Loenese people for stolen business and pirate attacks.

Luther investigated what ordinary people knew about the Feysac Royal Family and learned that no one had heard of Ivanova. After challenging a group of Feysac customers who blamed Loen people for their hardships, he silenced them and left the restaurant.

• Luther ordered breakfast in a Saint Millon restaurant and learned that a Loen ship had suffered a steam engine explosion, killing several Feysac passengers.
• Luther used his Spectator abilities to question the waiter and other customers about the Royal Family and Ivanova, but none recognized her name.
• While eating, Luther considered waiting for Leonard and the others to locate Ince Zangwill and approaching Sophia about Ivanova only if necessary.
• When the drunk dock porter and other customers called for killing Loen people, Luther challenged their hatred and asked whether they had considered the struggles of ordinary Loen citizens.
• The angry porter stood to confront Luther, so Luther froze everyone in the restaurant and left.

Audrey realized Lady Greed had attached an illusory projection to her and tried to endure until she could ask Mr. Fool for help. In Saint Millon, Leonard and Daly reported on the Feysac royal succession and the troubles surrounding Third Princess Sophia.

• Audrey recognized that Mr. Fool's protection let her see Lady Greed's projection and remember their encounter, though she concealed her fear from Earl Hall.
• Audrey decided to stay in her bedroom and wait until the afternoon Tarot Club gathering so she could seek Mr. Fool's help.
• Leonard told Luther that First Prince Nicholas Einhorn favored war and was suspected of ordering the Pine Needle massacre.
• Leonard reported that Second Prince Ivan Reis favored industrial development and supported using military threats to secure markets and resources.
• Leonard and Daly described rumors about Third Princess Sophia's abduction and reported that her guard and a noble ally had recently suffered misfortunes.

Luther awoke to a vivid dream in which his sister Cecilia was alive and cared for him as she had before. He recognized the world as a dream, watched Cecilia disappear into the gray fog, and called on the sea to wash it away.

• Luther heard Cecilia call him and woke to find her beside his bed, telling him to get up for work.
• Cecilia opened the curtains, prepared breakfast, and urged Luther to leave on time.
• Luther noticed the gray fog outside and realized that only the house existed in the dream.
• Luther ate breakfast with Cecilia and watched her leave for school with her cat, Luna.
• Luther called out to the sea, and a raging tide swept through the dream world.