Chapter Summaries

After the Child of Dawnbreak fell, the Keeper of Secrets began a ritual to recreate the Fate Controllers’ ancient attack on the Crimson Creator, but the ritual stalled until Aaron agreed to serve as its witness. Aaron’s prayer and use of Power of Secret Source let the ritual proceed, replaying the Crimson Creator’s fall as the Keeper of Secrets attacked Dawnbreak’s weakened half-sun.

• The Keeper of Secrets used the Child of Dawnbreak’s death to begin a Historical Retrospection ritual, summoning the secret history of the Fate Controllers who had once besieged the Crimson Creator.
• Aaron appeared in the mortal world, suppressed the gathered Sixth Primordial Beyonders, and claimed the Longevity One’s relics.
• Aaron recognized that the ritual needed the witness and impetus of the Spirit of Unknown Void, and prayed for it to witness the battle.
• Aaron spent nearly a month’s accumulated Power of Secret Source to declare that the Keeper of Secrets had successfully performed the ritual.
• The ritual resumed and replayed the Crimson Creator’s fall, as the Keeper of Secrets wielded the power of the Fate Controllers to shatter Dawnbreak’s weakened half-sun.

Shahrukh’s rebel force faced the Invis Empire’s superior colonial army until the sun suddenly went dark and Dawnbreak fell, stripping imperial forces of their supernatural support and turning the battle. In the homeland, Connie and her students witnessed the same event, and Lamore saw a Sun Church priest dead beside the shattered emblem of Dawnbreak.

• Shahrukh led native warriors against the Southern Colonial Legion, whose guns, artillery, and extraordinary support overwhelmed the rebels.
• A sudden darkness spread across the battlefield, and Sun Church priests lost their holy radiance as imperial extraordinary individuals withdrew in fear after Dawnbreak fell.
• Shahrukh rallied the surviving warriors and led a charge that broke into the colonial position and reversed the battle’s tide.
• Connie recognized the darkness as a sign that something terrible had happened to the one representing the sun in the Spirit Realm.
• Lamore followed townspeople to the church, where they found the priest dead and Dawnbreak’s holy emblem shattered.

After the Malff Meteor Shower Impact Incident, Aaron met Triss in Plymouth and then secretly negotiated with the Keeper of Secrets over Dawnbreak’s remains and knowledge of the Creator’s Path. Aaron accepted a secret-keeping iron box containing the Keeper’s information, intending to carry it to the main world as an offering to his lord.

• Triss told Aaron that her family had survived the disaster and that her mother had found paid work clearing rubble in Jeston District.
• Aaron entered a concealed alley and greeted the Keeper of Secrets, who confirmed that Dawnbreak had fallen and his remains had been divided or scattered.
• Aaron said he needed Dawnbreak’s relics but would not enter the Spirit Realm because of the dangers there.
• The Keeper of Secrets warned Aaron that the Spirit of Void had begun to awaken within him and offered him information about the Creator’s Path.
• Aaron accepted a secret-keeping iron box from the Keeper of Secrets and stored the information inside so he could take it to the main world.

Aaron offered to deal with Jupiter III in exchange for Arthur IX establishing a social welfare system and issuing a decree. Meanwhile, Jupiter III ordered riots and sacrifices for the Sun Church, but a crimson sealing ritual trapped the Church’s leaders and crimson threads began killing them.

• Arthur IX dismissed his ministers after South Innis declared independence and decided to seize the Sun Church’s assets.
• Aaron met Arthur IX and agreed to deal with Jupiter III in exchange for two requests, including a minimum social security and welfare system.
• Arthur IX summoned his officials to prepare to take over the Sun Church’s assets.
• Jupiter III ordered the Sun Church to incite riots in major cities and gather offerings for Dawnbreak’s return.
• A crimson sealing ritual trapped Jupiter III and the bishops, and crimson threads pierced several of the Church’s leaders.
• Jupiter III invoked light to dispel the crimson gloom and reveal a figure.

Aaron tested the abilities of several sixth-rank primal essences against Jupiter III and the Sun Church bishops, then threw the Sword in the Stone through Jupiter III’s defenses. The chapter ended with the weapon lodged in the Pope’s heart.

• A bishop named Ibosius fired at Jupiter III, but Jupiter III stopped the bullet and calmed him before explaining that an Apostle of Heart was manipulating the bishops’ emotions.
• Aaron revealed himself as the source of the attack and used his anger incarnation to confront Jupiter III, who turned it into a plaster statue and smashed it.
• Aaron transformed into an Arcanist and cast Summon Meteor Fire Rain, while Jupiter III used the Sun Scepter to transmute the ground into a steel fortress.
• After probing Jupiter III’s abilities and sealing off his escape routes, Aaron marked him with the Sword in the Stone and hurled it through the fortress into his heart.

After defeating the Sun Church’s leaders, Aaron used Dawnbreak’s radiance to divine the knowledge required for his next advancement. He learned that becoming a Life Scholar required divine blood and passage through the true Gate of Longevity, which left him wondering how he could reach it.

• Aaron used the Pale Hand to destroy the Sun Church’s leaders’ souls and prevent them from returning as corpses or evil spirits.
• Aaron considered how Arthur IX could manage the remaining Sun Church and worried that his Creator Pathway would soon make his other transformations less useful.
• Aaron used dream divination on Dawnbreak’s radiance and learned a little about the Eighth Primordial and Sun-domain talismans.
• Aaron interpreted his inheritance and discovered that the Seventh Stage was Life Scholar, requiring divine blood from a Tenth Stage being of Yao and passage through the true Gate of Longevity.
• Aaron concluded that the Child of Dawnbreak’s remains contained the needed immortal nature, but he questioned how he could pass through the real Gate guarded by Age Controllers.

Six months after the meteor shower, Aaron returned to Plymouth and attended the weddings of Tracy and of Shahrukh and Connie. He left Shahrukh and Connie behind in this layer of history, while the Empire’s Suppression Bureau detected a ritual linked to the Feathered Serpent but buried its findings.

• Aaron visited Mrs. Remington, learned that her son had died in battle, and offered his condolences.
• Aaron watched Tracy, formerly Triss, marry Mr. Hamilton, then left without speaking to her.
• Aaron attended Shahrukh and Connie’s wedding, learned Shahrukh had chosen to remain in this layer of history, and advised them to keep a low profile.
• The Suppression Bureau detected a large historical secret ritual and suppressed its findings after learning it was related to the Feathered Serpent.
• Arthur IX remained unaware that his contract with Aaron still bound him and that Aaron had stolen his original decree draft from the palace archives.

After returning to the Main World, Aaron warned Motula that the Keeper of Secrets might learn the location of His old nest and attack. He caught up on events and reflected on the balance of power among the Main World’s gods and Fate Controllers.

• Aaron appeared beside Marcel Quinn and ordered him to warn Motula to abandon His old nest before the Keeper of Secrets could raid it.
• Marcel prayed to Motula, who responded, and then told Aaron that it was July 8th, 1028 of the New Era.
• Marcel reported that Governor McCall and Lord Bernard had won further victories over native states and shamans, while a resurrected Feathered Serpent had begun attacking colonial outposts.
• Aaron compared the Main World’s military strength with that of the Third History and explained that the Main World’s apparent weakness came from its spiritual tide and the Age Controllers’ restraint.
• Aaron reasoned that the Fate Controllers’ presence kept Dawnbreak in check and reflected on what he had learned about their sleeping state and their attitude toward the Spirit of Void.

Aaron negotiated a binding agreement with Motula, who accepted his offer of help advancing to a Secret Existence in exchange for five acts of full-strength service. Afterward, Aaron checked on his Invisible Cult and saw that Lilliat had spent more than a year praying for him before an overwhelming drowsiness overtook her.

• Aaron allowed Motula to enter his dream and told it that the Spirit of Void was awakening within him.
• Aaron offered to help Motula advance in exchange for five acts of service given with its full strength, and Motula accepted.
• Aaron and Motula signed a binding contract, then prepared to begin Motula's advancement using its materials and ritual.
• Aaron summoned the Dream Palace and looked in on the faithful of his Invisible Cult.
• Lilliat reflected on Aaron's disappearance and her unanswered prayers before a wave of drowsiness made her collapse onto her desk.

Aaron summoned members of the Invisible Cult and revealed that Rapier had become the vessel for the descent of the Spirit of Void, with Aaron serving as an intermediary. The gathering ended with the group awaiting their lord’s descent into the mortal world.

• William Charles hid with Bran after the raven stole a Tower Pathway mystical item, but then William’s spirit vanished and Bran realized he had been summoned to a special dream.
• Aaron appeared in the palace and summoned Lilliat, Percy, Nicholas, Ye Funai, Metana, Lilli, Jesita, and William Charles.
• Lilliat asked where Rapier was, and Aaron explained that Rapier had voluntarily become a vessel for the Spirit of Void’s descent.
• Aaron said the Spirit of Void had first used him as a vessel before sending a fragment of projection into Rapier, and that his recent journey had prepared for the lord’s true descent.
• Nicholas welcomed the coming divine descent, while Percy, Metana, and the others reacted to the revelation.

Aaron heard how the Invisible Cult members had progressed and agreed to help William advance to Sage in exchange for freeing the Lilly sisters. He then ordered the group to serve as bait for three hostile organizations and announced that he would personally intervene, leaving the others shocked by his recovered strength.

• Lilliat, Ye Funai, Metana, Percy, and Nicholas reported on their recent circumstances and plans for advancement.
• Nicholas said he planned to hunt a Lamplighter for the material needed to become a Mechanical Mentor, and Aaron offered him a blessing if he invoked his name.
• Lilly and Jesita revealed that they had earned university diplomas while imprisoned, while William asked Aaron to help him obtain the primary material needed to become a Sage.
• Aaron agreed to help William advance on the condition that William free the Lilly sisters afterward.
• Aaron ordered the group to act as bait to uncover information about the Witch Sisterhood, the Gourmet Association, or the Lotus Eaters, promising protection if they invoked his name.
• Aaron declared that he would personally act against the three organizations, and the others wondered whether his condition had fully recovered.

Aaron warned the Invisible Cult that the Gourmet Association, Lotus Eaters, and Witch Sisterhood served the same Fate Controller, then dismissed the meeting without sacrificing his Divine Envoy identity. William summoned Aaron to destroy a contaminated mystical book and received a powerful ingredient, while Bran warned him that knowledge of Fate Controllers could bring misfortune.

• Aaron told the Invisible Cult that the three enemy organizations worshipped entities belonging to one Fate Controller and ordered the cult to seek clues about them.
• William told Bran that the Invisible Cult might have to face the Church of the God of Wisdom, then prepared a ritual to destroy a mystical book.
• William prayed to Aaron Sothoth, whose white flames burned away the book and its spiritual contamination, leaving a bluish ingredient William needed for the Fourth Primordial.
• Bran recognized Aaron's power as control over fate and warned William that fate was beyond the reach of Age Controllers.
• William revealed that his ancestor had told him the Mother of Night, Lord of Corpse Collection, and Underworld Moon were parts of a Fate Controller, alarming Bran.

Nicholas Inam and Ye Funai hunted a Mechanical Mentor hiding in Holger Town, using anti-divination measures and a surprise attack. Ye Funai entered the villa and put its servants to sleep, while the target’s attempt to cast a spell was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit.

• Nicholas Inam reflected on the Church of the Holy Spirit’s declining influence as the Orthodox God churches expanded their presence in Plymouth.
• After dismissing his servants, Nicholas met Ye Funai, who said she had divined that their hunt for the Mechanical Mentor would go smoothly.
• Ye Funai and Nicholas teleported to Holger Town, where Nicholas prayed to Aaron Sothoth and prepared an arsenal that included a small cannon.
• Ye Funai used anti-divination measures and a lullaby to incapacitate the villa’s servants before entering the building.
• The Mechanical Mentor transformed his body and targeted Ye Funai, but an apparent accident made him cough before he could chant an incantation.

Ye Funai and Nicholas killed the Mechanical Mentor and recovered his expanding core, while Aaron entered Plymouth and reflected on how the Law of Accident could affect fate through the Spirit Realm. Aaron left considering whether alchemy and collective belief could turn a lie into truth.

• Ye Funai immobilized the Mechanical Mentor with a dream and shadows, allowing Nicholas to blast the study with an alchemical shell.
• Nicholas approached the ruined study, but the Mechanical Mentor revived and fired at him; Nicholas fell through the shattered floor and accidentally dodged the shot.
• Ye Funai beheaded the Mechanical Mentor, extracted his expanding core, and gave it to Nicholas as promised.
• Ye Funai told Nicholas that the Count's power had caused the convenient accidents, leaving Nicholas stunned.
• In Plymouth, Aaron considered how the Law of Accident influenced the Spirit Realm and wondered whether alchemy could make a widely believed lie become truth.

Aaron met his old friend Bruce Field at the Three Mice Bar and learned that Bruce had become a Secret History Scholar. Later, Bruce’s fear led him to pray to Mother Nature, and she descended through him.

• Aaron considered the limits of his Thought Alchemy and arrived at the Three Mice Bar, where his Cognitive Alteration made him seem ordinary to everyone.
• Bruce Field met Aaron, told him he had become a Secret History Scholar, and shared drinks with him.
• Bruce returned home drunk and found his Half-Moon Orchid transforming into vines that sealed the room.
• Bruce prayed to Mother Nature for forgiveness, and she descended through him as the Spirit Realm overlapped with the mortal world.

Aaron confronted Mother Nature through Bruce, calmed her rampaging power, and made her sign a binding contract to serve his lord. He planned to seek out Raven next and assess how the Age Controllers’ alliance had changed.

• Bruce, possessed by Mother Nature, told Aaron that his lord favored Motula and asked whether she would fight in the Spirit Realm when Motula tried to ascend.
• Mother Nature became enraged at Aaron’s attempt to bind her, transforming Bruce and causing vines to overrun the surroundings.
• Aaron used his authority as the Spirit of Void to suppress the vines and calm Mother Nature, while deciding he needed to save Lin and Olivia to learn what had happened to them.
• Aaron invoked his lord’s will to persuade Mother Nature to accept a contract, then had the Law of Accident notarize it.
• Mother Nature marked the parchment with an emerald imprint, completing the contract and making her subject to fate’s punishment if she broke it.
• Aaron planned to visit Raven and learn how the Age Controllers’ alliance had changed.

Pope Harnot Egg considered Raven’s plan to release two imprisoned sisters and worried that his age made the dangerous path to becoming a Longevity One too risky. Meanwhile, William scouted the Knowledge Temple to prepare a prison break, while Aaron and Bran discussed the plan’s likely success.

• Harnot Egg reasoned that Raven wanted the Church to let the two sisters escape while making it appear that the enemy had outwitted them, and he reflected on the possible return of Longevity Ones.
• Harnot Egg lamented that, despite the Age Controllers’ permission and a prepared ritual, his age and waning vigor made advancement into a Longevity One perilous.
• William passed the Knowledge Temple in disguise and used Book Thief talismans to copy two Night Watchers’ knowledge of its patrols and layout.
• William learned that Aros was about to be transferred and the new prison warden had not yet been chosen, then asked Bran for help with the escape plan.
• Bran left William, and Aaron welcomed the crow on a rooftop as Bran declared that the greatness within Aaron had awakened.

Aaron discussed Motula’s planned advancement and the requirements of the pure Secrecy pathway with 'Raven', then examined a mark of the 'Gate of Longevity' through divination. He confirmed that he needed to pass through the true gate, though 'Raven' said doing so was impossible without every Age Controller’s permission.

• Aaron asked 'Raven' about the Twelve Age Controllers’ attitudes toward Motula’s advancement and learned that Motula met the requirements for the pure Secrecy pathway but feared the 'Keeper of Secrets'.
• 'Raven' explained that the 'Gate of Longevity' lay beyond a pale forest, a crimson river, and the Tower of Babel, and that Age Controllers sensed anyone who approached it.
• Aaron asked to examine the 'Gate of Longevity' mark, and 'Raven' gave him a strand of its radiance.
• Aaron used divination on the mark, saw the Spirit Realm’s summit and the 'Gate of Longevity', and felt a terrifying gaze from behind it.
• Aaron concluded that the gate’s projection was useless to him and that he had to pass through the true gate, while 'Raven' warned that this required every Age Controller’s permission.

Aaron enlisted Raven to persuade neutral Age Controllers to permit Motula’s ascension and ordered Bran to help William rescue someone from the Church of the God of Wisdom. William and Bran then devised a plan to sneak William into the church, and the chapter left them waiting for the church’s specialists to examine the book containing him.

• Aaron asked Raven to persuade neutral Age Controllers to tacitly allow Motula’s ascension, promising him a great reward.
• Aaron compelled Bran to help his nephew’s descendant rescue someone from the Church of the God of Wisdom, and Bran later met William.
• William learned that Pope Harnot Egg had left Plymouth and planned to exploit his absence.
• William transformed into information and hid inside a book, which Bran left where a night watchman would find it.
• The night watchman brought William’s book to Captain Kings, who ordered it sent to the library for specialists to examine.

William used a controlled Night Watcher to infiltrate the Knowledge Temple and reach its underground prison. After passing the sphinx’s test, he entered the prison, where a contaminated book nearly bewitched him into believing it belonged to him.

• William controlled a Night Watcher and used knowledge of sleep and dreams to put the underground prison guards to sleep.
• William reached the prison gate, where a living stone sphinx demanded he answer where the panacea could be found.
• William answered that the Rational Amulet and the power of the Spirit of Void were the panacea, and the sphinx opened the gate.
• William explored the prison and saw dangerous materials and mystical items behind its iron doors.
• A contaminated book tried to implant the memory that it belonged to William, but he recognized the bewitchment and shifted the contamination into the Night Watcher.