Chapter Summaries

He Xi awoke alone in a strange Feywild swamp and set out to search for Zoya and Bruce after he could not reach them telepathically. Following a cry for help, he found Beilu imprisoned in a vine cage, but she mistook the approaching He Xi for a hag.

• He Xi woke in a glowing swamp, realized he had been separated from his companions, and failed to contact them with [Telepathic Communication].
• He Xi chose to search for Zoya and Bruce, tested his [Earth Spike Technique], and headed toward higher ground.
• He Xi heard a voice calling for help in Common Tongue and followed it through the dense plants.
• Beilu called for help from a vine cage beneath a mushroom, hoping her rescuer would be handsome.
• He Xi emerged from behind the leaves, and Beilu mistook him for a hag.

He Xi found Beilu, a tiny fey imprisoned in a vine cage, and learned she wanted to escape from Grandma Ethel. He Xi agreed to free her after she offered herself to him, intending to use her as a guide to find Zoya and the others.

• He Xi examined the cage beneath a glowing mushroom and woke the unconscious Beilu.
• Beilu mistook He Xi for a possible rescuer and excitedly asked about the human world before recognizing the hag's head on his wand.
• He Xi refused to save Beilu when she offered him a blessing or a place as her first knight.
• Beilu offered herself to He Xi if he freed her from the cage, and He Xi stopped to confirm the terms.

He Xi freed Beilu by mimicking the magical spores controlling her cage, and their desperate bargain became a binding fey contract. Beilu told him his companions might have been taken to the center of Fable Hills, and she led him west to look for them.

• He Xi learned that moonlit dew was supposed to unlock Beilu’s cage, but he instead used imitation spores to make the living vines open.
• Beilu flew free and urged He Xi to take revenge on Granny Ethel, but he invoked their agreement and a binding contract appeared.
• Beilu signed the contract making her He Xi’s possession until they agreed to dissolve it or make a new agreement, and He Xi signed as well.
• Beilu told He Xi they were near the border of the Twilight Court and Glimmering Swamp, and that his companions might have been taken to the center of Fable Hills.
• He Xi asked Beilu to lead him west, and she offered to show him glowing berries as her first gift.

Zoya fought her way through a dangerous forest while searching for He Xi, then found him by a lake. He Xi asked her to marry him and explained that Isla was his younger sister, leaving Zoya stunned.

• Zoya evaded Red Cap’s scythe and defeated it with a Shattering Soundwave spell and a dagger.
• After recovering enough to continue, Zoya crossed through a hedge and reached a lake.
• Zoya found He Xi and asked whether he had been hurt; he noticed her injured hand and reassured her that he was safe.
• He Xi told Zoya he did not want to lose her again and asked her to marry him.
• He Xi gave Zoya a silver bracelet from Isla and explained that Isla was his younger sister.

He Xi visited the Spindle-Speaker to ask about his missing companions, but the supreme fey had no information to offer and wanted nothing in exchange. He Xi offered a story about an apprentice mage whose future was dictated by a diary, and the chapter left him beginning to tell it.

• He Xi followed Beilu through a thread-filled tunnel to the Spindle-Speaker’s palace.
• He Xi asked whether the Spindle-Speaker had seen his companions, and it said they were not in its territory or stories.
• The Spindle-Speaker refused to help because it had no interest in anything He Xi could offer.
• He Xi offered to tell the Spindle-Speaker a story, stirring its curiosity.
• He Xi began recounting Arthur’s rise from an untalented Apprentice Mage after he received a diary that predicted the future.

He Xi traded a time-loop story to the Weaver for help finding his companions, then began telling it a tale about gods and fallen authorities. Zoya saw through an illusion spirit posing as He Xi and learned she could ask the Weaver of Words to help locate someone in exchange for a story.

• He Xi finished telling the Weaver a story about Arthur creating the diary that had guided his own life, and the Weaver agreed to search for his companions.
• The Weaver warned He Xi that his companions might be in dangerous Feywild domains and offered additional assistance in exchange for more stories.
• He Xi accepted and began telling the Weaver a story about gods whose fallen authorities became dangerous rules in the Material Plane.
• Zoya realized the apparent He Xi was an illusion spirit, lowered her dagger, and asked why it had sought her out.
• The illusion spirit explained that the Weaver of Words rewarded stories, and Zoya learned she could trade a story for help finding someone.

Spindle-Speaker demanded a story drawn from He Xi’s real emotions, so He Xi recounted how he and Zoya confessed their feelings to each other. Hidden nearby, Zoya heard his words and began to let go of her fears and insecurities.

• Spindle-Speaker praised He Xi’s tale of a god’s fall but said it lacked real emotion, then demanded to hear He Xi’s own story.
• New visitors arrived, but Spindle-Speaker ordered them to wait while it listened to He Xi.
• He Xi told how he had loved Zoya, hesitated to confess, and was saved when she bravely spoke first.
• Zoya secretly listened from the side passage and cried, realizing her tears could be sweet.

He Xi asked the Spindle-Speaker to find Bruce, but the search was interrupted when a woman appeared and threw herself into his arms. The chapter ended with their tearful reunion.

• The Spindle-Speaker sensed multiple threads of redemption in He Xi’s story and urged him to tell more about the golden thread.
• He Xi noticed Zoya Selene’s increased favorability and, using Solace of Home, calmed himself before explaining that the golden thread’s protagonist was Bruce, a talking dog who might be in danger.
• He Xi asked the Spindle-Speaker to find Bruce, and it searched the threads of fate for the dog’s location.
• The Spindle-Speaker stopped searching when it sensed a perfect echo of fate near the passage.
• A graceful black-clad woman appeared and clung to He Xi, weeping.

He Xi and Zoya reconciled, and the Spindle-Speaker rewarded He Xi with a magical cloak and offered to send him to his companions in Prismeer. The chapter ended with Fivik browsing a fey market near the Palace of Heart’s Desire and considering a way to profit from a Korred’s love of stones.

• He Xi returned Zoya’s embrace and assured her that his feelings were true.
• The Spindle-Speaker gave He Xi an epic cloak with poison resistance, spider-like climbing, freedom to pass through webs, and the power to create a giant web.
• The Spindle-Speaker said He Xi’s dog and halfling companions were near the Palace of Heart’s Desire, safe and enjoying a celebration.
• He Xi declined to ask about another friend and asked the Spindle-Speaker to send him and Zoya to his companions.
• In Prismeer, Fivik asked a Korred what it wanted in exchange for a bottle of iridescent motes and thought of a way to make money without spending any.

Fivik stayed at Prismeer Market while Bruce enjoyed free desserts and flirted with the bunny-girl servers, forgetting his mistress. He realized too late that He Xi had returned and overheard him.

• Fivik offered the korred several colored stones and refused Bruce's repeated requests to search for He Xi, reminding him they were staying for the market and the blond kid.
• Bruce followed a bunny-girl into the market and ate free Cloud Milk Jelly while Fivik remained behind.
• Bruce served as a draw for the dessert stall and convinced himself the fey were praising him as he ate.
• A tiny fairy asked Bruce about his mistress, and Bruce said she might be fighting someone before the fairy suggested she had abandoned him.
• Bruce recognized the fairy and saw He Xi standing behind it with another familiar figure, then begged his mistress not to abandon him.

He Xi and his companions found Fletcher imprisoned in Tilda's Curio Cabinet, where he had been placed for failing to fulfill an agreement. When Tilda returned to the shop, she noticed the humans and addressed them.

• He Xi questioned Zoya about the mimic's offer, but Fivik arrived before Zoya revealed more.
• Fivik led He Xi and the others through the market to Tilda's Curio Cabinet, where they found Fletcher locked in a cage and unable to speak.
• Fivik explained that Fletcher had been captured for failing to fulfill an agreement and that she could not risk using magic near the Palace of Heart's Desire.
• Beilu learned that Tilda would return later and host a tea party the next day, while He Xi decided they needed to learn what had happened to Fletcher.
• Tilda entered the shop, ignored Fletcher, and noticed He Xi and his companions, remarking, "Humans... again?"

He Xi learned that Fletcher had broken a Feywild bargain by refusing to give Tilda the woman he treasured most. Tilda offered to release Fletcher after He Xi and his companions attended her tea party the next day, revealing that He Xi himself had caught her interest.

• Tilda showed He Xi and his companions a magical image of young Fletcher agreeing to give up what he treasured most in exchange for magic.
• Fletcher admitted the bargain had happened, then tried to pay Tilda with a pouch of Copper Nails and Silver Scales.
• Fletcher refused to surrender Daniela, whom he called his most precious possession.
• He Xi acknowledged that Fletcher had broken the agreement and turned to leave rather than force Tilda to release him.
• Tilda offered to free Fletcher after He Xi and his companions attended her tea party the next day.

At Tilda's tea party, He Xi learned that she had mistaken him for Graz'zt's younger sister and that Zebierna had summoned him to apologize. Zebierna gave him a spell to learn, but the page also revealed an ominous line of ancient text.

• He Xi attended Tilda's extended tea party with Fivik, Zoya, and Fletcher, while Fivik prepared to teleport away if needed.
• Tilda explained that she had delayed the group because an important guest had not arrived, then admitted she had mistaken He Xi for Graz'zt's younger sister.
• Zebierna transported He Xi to a crystal palace and introduced herself as Tilda's adoptive mother, offering an apology and a gift.
• Zebierna gave He Xi a page containing [Tasha's Hideous Laughter] and said he would return to his companions after learning it.
• He Xi saw the ancient words "Saram"akissia"vosh"grazha"essent" reappear beneath the spell's description.

He Xi learned Tasha's Hideous Laughter in a strange, seemingly instant encounter with Tasha, also known as Zebierna, and realized she knew of his connection to Salamachis. After Tilda returned the group to the valley, she explained that most visitors forget the Feywild, but He Xi, Zoya, Fivik, and Bruce appeared unaffected by the curse.

• He Xi studied and mastered Tasha's Hideous Laughter, gaining Wisdom, then recognized the name Salamachis in the spell's hidden passage.
• He Xi returned to the tea party and found Tasha, also known as Zebierna, gone; Tilda ended the gathering and released Fletcher from the birdcage.
• Tilda sent He Xi and the others back to the valley, where she said most creatures forget their experiences in the Feywild unless they are fey or otherwise resist the curse.
• Zoya, He Xi, Fivik, and Bruce got up unaffected, while Fletcher remained on the ground; Tilda was surprised that He Xi needed no Remove Curse and that Bruce was unaffected too.

He Xi learned that Zebierna was the ancient mage Tasha, later known as Iggwilv, and that the book he encountered might be Iggwilv’s Demonomicon, which held powerful demons’ real names. The chapter ended with Fletcher’s proud boast ruined and a strange object added to Tilda’s Curio Cabinet.

• He Xi’s group returned from the Feywild to Stone Raven Town, where they learned that only one night had passed.
• Fivik explained Tasha’s history and warned He Xi that the archfey’s gifts and actions might conceal motives.
• Fivik told He Xi that real names could let someone command, enslave, or imprison demons, and He Xi wondered why Tasha had revealed Salamachis’s name to him.
• Fletcher screamed that his pride and title had been reduced to a tree branch, startling He Xi and Zoya.
• Tilda’s Curio Cabinet displayed a flesh-colored, root-like object labeled “A mortal’s moment of pride.”

He Xi learned that Baron Serina’s body had been found near Holder City and prepared to leave Rose Town for Fernandez. As he headed to meet his teacher, Mrs. Cassandra called him back with a letter from afar.

• Jonathan told Cassandra and He Xi that Baron Serina’s body had been found near Holder City and that a new noble would soon take over Rose Town.
• Mrs. Cassandra refused He Xi’s rent for his remaining days and asked him and Zoya to stay with her again if they returned to town.
• He Xi recalled that only three days had passed in the Material Plane during his trip through the Feywild, and that he had recovered after resting.
• He Xi told Zoya to finish her rat-clearing commission and then join him to shop for clothes before they left for Fernandez.
• As He Xi started toward Fivik's Magic Staff Shop, Mrs. Cassandra called him back, holding a beige envelope.

He Xi received a payment from the Tidal Trade Union and read a letter from Annis, who asked for his new address while insisting she only wanted to ensure the rest of his payment reached him. At Fivik's shop, he tested a new earth spell and discovered she had secretly tailored it to him, naming it the He Xi Safety Spell.

• He Xi received a formal notice confirming that 103 Gold Shields had been sent through the Adventurer Guild and read Annis's letter from Hord.
• He Xi visited Fivik, who asked him to test her unfinished three-ring spell for passing through earth and stone.
• He Xi mastered the spell on his first attempt and briefly sank his feet into the shop's stone floor.
• Fivik denied designing the spell specifically for He Xi, while his prompt identified it as the He Xi Safety Spell.

Fivik brought He Xi to the Observer's Tower to arrange his academy enrollment and ask Flora for a recommendation letter. After Flora agreed, Fivik left He Xi and Zoya in her care and teleported away.

• Fivik and He Xi arrived at the Observer's Tower, where the golem recognized Fivik under the visitor name Mao Mao Jiao and granted them access.
• Flora was surprised to learn that He Xi had become a professional and agreed to write him a recommendation letter.
• Fivik explained that He Xi would become a teaching assistant to waive his tuition and audit upper-year classes.
• Fivik gave Flora a Lament Lily from the Feywild and left He Xi and Zoya with her.
• Fivik warned He Xi to handle small problems himself, then rubbed Bruce's head and teleported away.

Flora gave He Xi a recommendation letter, registered him, Zoya, and Bruce as visitors to the Observer's Tower, and gifted He Xi a Dimensional Bag. After exploring the Tower District and withdrawing money from the Adventurer Guild, He Xi began the assessment to advance to silver rank.

• Flora gave He Xi a recommendation letter and said she would introduce him to an Archmage from the Protection School after the Archmage returned from Sail Harbor.
• Flora registered He Xi, Zoya, and Bruce for visitor access and gave He Xi a Type 2 Dimensional Bag in return for the Heart of the Swamp.
• He Xi and his companions left the Observer's Tower and took in the sights of the Nandes Highlands, including the floating island and Fernandez Academy's mage towers.
• He Xi withdrew 103 Gold Shields at the Tower District's Adventurer Guild and asked to take the strength assessment for silver rank.

Ravenwood Oren became a Silver-rank adventurer to meet Fernandez Magic Academy’s practical combat requirements, then noticed a young mage arriving for testing with unusual companions. He wondered who the newcomer was, but Reese did not recognize him either.

• The chapter explained that Fernandez Magic Academy tied third-year practical combat credits to Adventurer Guild rank after an expedition was delayed by excessive safety procedures and lost its camp to Goblins.
• Ravenwood Oren complained to Reese about having to take adventurer commissions, then changed his mind when Reese reminded him that the Explosive Professor had proposed the rule.
• Ravenwood placed his hand on the guild’s testing crystal and received a Silver-rank badge after proving he had become a professional mage.
• Ravenwood and Reese joked that students arriving when term began would face long queues and struggle to afford lodging in Fernandez.
• A young-looking adventurer entered the testing hall with a canine creature and a veiled woman, and Ravenwood asked Reese whether he recognized him.
• Reese said he did not know the young adventurer and guessed that he might not have taken many Conjuration School electives.