Chapter Summaries

Aaron awoke from a long slumber as an ordinary person and discovered that the world had changed into a modern industrial age. In Green Forest City, he began practicing the Secret Lore of Yao and awakened a lasting spark of spirituality.

• Aaron emerged from his tomb, disguised himself in a grave robber’s clothes, and decided to keep a low profile while exploring the changed world.
• Aaron reached Green Forest City and saw its factories, railway, and modern inhabitants, then learned from a newspaper that the date was July 4, 1026 of the New Era.
• Aaron mourned the passage of time and the loss of his former world before choosing to pursue the extraordinary through the Secret Lore of Yao.
• Aaron practiced the Radiance Method at dawn and awakened his first self-generated spark of spirituality, which did not dissipate.

After waking in a new era, Aaron sold an ancient gold coin and outfitted himself by defeating gang members who tried to rob him. Half a month later, he returned to the Sothos Museum, where a tour guide described his legacy as the young gentleman Aaron watched the castle with remembrance.

• Aaron left Iver Bridge and evaded the patrolmen who noticed his unusual behavior.
• Aaron sold an ancient gold coin to Old Morgan for two Gold Pounds.
• Aaron lured gang members into an alley, defeated them, and took their clothes while a little girl watched.
• Half a month later, Aaron visited the Sothos Museum and listened as a tour guide described his historical achievements.

Aaron visited the Sothos Castle museum and heard modern accounts that misrepresented the history of his family and the Fabri Dynasty. After leaving the museum, he met Bruce Field and tried Witch Soup Pasta, a dish that reminded him of an old encounter.

• A tour guide described Sothos Castle as a cultural heritage site and presented the Fabri rulers as scientists whose technology had been mistaken for magic.
• A visitor argued that witchcraft existed and challenged the guide's explanation of Ginny Sothos and the Green Devil.
• The guide showed Aaron Sothoth's Book of Science and explained how his inventions supposedly led to the steam engine and industrial transformation.
• Aaron left the museum after feeling sorrow while reading the Sothoth family tombstones, and Bruce Field followed him, assuming he shared Bruce's interest in hidden history.
• Bruce took Aaron to the Witch's House, where Aaron tried Witch Soup Pasta and recalled that he had once mentioned the dish in passing.

Aaron returned to his lodgings, enjoyed a restful night, and planned to advance to the first stage of Beyonder before exploring the dream world. At a servant market, he reunited with Bruce Field and met the historian Clark Das, who seemed to sense something unusual about him.

• Aaron returned to his lodgings, where Mrs. Abel treated him with deference because she believed he was a wealthy young gentleman.
• Aaron slept soundly, reflected on his lost connection to the dream world, and decided to become a first-stage Beyonder before attempting ritual magic.
• Aaron took a carriage to the market to hire servants and heard the driver describe local customs and the treatment of servants.
• Aaron encountered Bruce Field at the market, who introduced him to his former teacher, Professor Clark Das.
• Clark Das studied Aaron and said he sensed the weight and depth of history in him, prompting Aaron to suspect that Clark had occult abilities.

Aaron visited an employment agency with Clark Das and hired Sylvia, a maid believed to bring misfortune, claiming he wanted her as a test subject for a purification ritual. After Clark warned him about the Secret Police’s scrutiny of occult activity, Aaron returned to his lodgings and planned how to prepare before contacting the Inner World.

• Aaron chatted with Clark Das at the employment agency, where they each sought to hire a maid.
• Manager Wright rejected Sylvia as an ill-omened woman, but Aaron hired her for three shillings a week to use as a purification ritual test subject.
• Clark Das selected an ordinary maid, then warned Aaron and Bruce not to discuss the occult publicly because the Secret Police monitored such activity.
• Aaron suspected Clark was testing whether he was a Beyonder and decided to strengthen himself, use divination, and buy a gun before approaching the Inner World.
• Aaron returned to his lodgings, ate dinner, washed up, and went to sleep.

Aaron advanced his Radiance Method and cleansed Sylvia of a wraith’s aura before sending her to arrange a visit with Clark Das. Disguised as a lower-middle-class man, he went looking for a gun, but Scarface’s gang captured him, only for Aaron to defeat them and rob them at gunpoint.

• Aaron sensed he had gathered enough spirituality to attempt becoming a true Extraordinary.
• Aaron used a Radiance ritual to remove the wraith’s aura clinging to Sylvia, then bound her to secrecy and assigned her household duties.
• Aaron asked Sylvia to arrange a visit with Clark Das and changed clothes to seek a gun through the black market.
• Scarface’s gang found Aaron and took him to a dockside warehouse, where Scarface demanded he sign a contract to become a boxer.
• Aaron refused, disarmed Scarface, and ordered the gangsters to hand over their money.

Aaron visited Clark Dass to seek occult guidance and exchanged ancestral coins for lessons. Clark began explaining the Spirit Realm and the origins of the occult, while Aaron suspected the knowledge about his Yao path had been tampered with.

• Aaron visited Clark Dass after arranging the meeting through Sylvia and asked him to become his occult guide.
• Clark warned Aaron about revealing his identity and explained that the Investigation Bureau hunted unaffiliated Beyonders.
• Aaron told Clark that he followed the path of Yao, and he questioned Clark's description of the path's symbols.
• Aaron paid Clark with old coins, which Clark recognized as steeped in history.
• Clark explained that occult phenomena began around the founding of the Fabri Dynasty and that occult knowledge originated in the Spirit Realm.
• Clark claimed the Green Devil had been an occult practitioner who nearly destroyed a kingdom.

Clark Das explained the history of the Primordials, the ranks and dangers of Beyonders, and how people entered the Dream Realm. Aaron learned that the Dream Realm held both useful discoveries and corrupting dangers, and heard how Master Isaac had used Aaron Sothoth as a cover for his inventions.

• Clark Das described Count Aaron Sothoth’s legacy and explained the Kabbalah School’s ten Primordials, including the strength associated with the Fourth Primordial.
• Aaron asked about the Crimson Path, and Clark Das corrected his understanding of its abilities and ranks.
• Clark Das said the Seventh Primordial was only theoretical, though some schools believed a Longevity One might appear or already exist.
• Aaron asked how to enter the Spirit Realm and Dream Realm, and Clark Das explained the ritual and incantation called the Key of Dreams.
• Clark Das warned that the Dream Realm contained dangerous creatures and corrupting knowledge, but also useful discoveries such as technology.
• Clark Das revealed that Master Isaac had credited Aaron Sothoth as the supposed source of his inventions, leaving Aaron to realize he was still being used as a scapegoat.

Clark explained the Age Controllers and their history to Aaron, who traded for a sunflower petal and completed the first advancement ritual on the 'Yao' path. Aaron became a 'Radiant' and discovered several new abilities.

• Clark told Aaron that the Age Controllers governed time and the months, and shared the Ethereal Sect’s account of their former title, the Fate-Ruling Gods.
• Clark explained that the Lady of the Woods governed July and embodied the Stone-Hearted Crone and the Winter-Hearted Maiden.
• Aaron traded his last ancient coin to Clark for a sunflower petal and returned home to prepare his advancement ritual.
• Aaron drank the sunflower potion and completed the ritual, opening the First Primordial and becoming a Radiant.
• Aaron found that he could use his purification ability without a ritual, had improved intuition, and could identify basic properties of materials.

After becoming a Beyonder, Aaron summoned his spirit, entered the transformed Spirit Realm, and considered the dangers and losses left by the world’s change. Back in his bedroom, he planned layers of identities to conceal his true nature as he continued advancing.

• Aaron sealed his bedroom, summoned himself through a ritual, and confirmed that his spirit could infuse and protect his body with mystical energy.
• Aaron used a Spirit Language incantation to enter the Spirit Realm and reflected on how the former Dream Realm had changed and its inhabitants had likely perished or transformed.
• Aaron returned to his body and concluded that he needed to advance in the real world to narrow the gap between his body’s rank and his spirit’s.
• Aaron planned several cover identities, including a traveler named Aaron Yugus and a descendant of the Sothoth Family, with the Spirit of Void and Creator Above the Creator among the deeper masks.

Aaron visited Clark Das to ask about divination and the paths of advancement, learning how the polluted modern world made accurate divination difficult and how Beyonders could cultivate multiple elements. After leaving, Aaron concluded that the religious orders’ knowledge of the Yao path was inferior to his own Secret Lore from the Scarlet Sun, though he still lacked advancement materials and other practical knowledge.

• Aaron thanked Clark Das for his gift, and Clark warned him about the dangers that followed his advancement.
• Aaron asked Clark about divination and learned that modern interference from the Dream Realm, Beyonders, creatures, and Age Controllers made accurate divination rare.
• Clark explained that divination belonged to Chronology and described the eight elements, secondary cultivation, and different advancement paths after opening the First Primordial.
• Aaron asked about Tower, and Clark said it represented wisdom, knowledge, and reason, though mystics disputed such interpretations.
• After leaving, Aaron decided that the Yao path had been crippled and that his Scarlet Sun Secret Lore contained a stronger advancement route than the legacies held by religious orders.
• Aaron recognized that he still needed advancement materials, general mysticism knowledge, and high-level combat techniques.

Aaron considered how to earn money and advance his Beyonder abilities while reading the local newspaper over breakfast. The chapter ended with Sylvia explaining her faith in the Holy Spirit and Aaron reflecting on the Church’s influence over other beliefs.

• Aaron ate breakfast prepared by Sylvia and worried about his expenses, the suspicious Benjamin family, and finding occult resources.
• Aaron considered ways to increase his spirituality, including the Radiance Method, founding a sect, stealing other Beyonders’ spirituality, or seeking a god’s favor.
• Aaron read the Green Forest Morning News and saw reports about a new subway line and an archbishop’s embezzlement scandal, along with advertisements for a surgeon and a restaurant.
• Aaron asked Sylvia whether she believed in the Holy Spirit, and she said the Church had helped her when she was destitute.
• Aaron recalled how the Church of the Holy Spirit had absorbed local deities into its teachings, including Grandmother Green Banyan as an angel.

Aaron questioned Sylvia about her former employer, Mr. Benjamin, after suspecting that her misfortune was tied to something occult. He went to Clark Das for advice and learned that the events might involve the Remnant Chrysalis and the Chrysalis path.

• Aaron asked Sylvia about strange practices in the Benjamin household, and she recalled that her bad luck began around April, after she had worked for Mr. Benjamin, a lumber merchant at 19 Jode District.
• Aaron visited Clark Das, where he met Bruce Field returning a book from the occult library.
• Aaron told Clark about Sylvia and Mr. Benjamin, and Clark warned him that investigating could expose his identity and attract the Secret Police.
• Clark identified Aaron as a descendant of a fallen noble family, and Aaron confirmed that his real name was Aaron Yugus.
• Clark said the April misfortune might involve the Remnant Chrysalis, the Age Controller associated with April and the Chrysalis path.

Aaron investigated why crimes in April might involve the Age Controller Remnant Chrysalis and planned to meet Mr. Benjamin and his wife in public. He joined a shooting club in Green Forest City and examined its firearms, while Clark Das offered to introduce him to a secret gathering where he could sell any spoils.

• Aaron wondered whether Remnant Chrysalis was connected to the wounded Fate-Ruling God [Cocoon] and asked Clark Das why an April case might involve the Age Controller.
• Clark Das explained that April fell under Remnant Chrysalis's influence and suspected any Beyonders involved would be connected to the Chrysalis pathway.
• Aaron said he would meet Mr. Benjamin and his wife in public before investigating, and Clark Das offered to introduce him to a secret gathering in early August where he could sell spoils.
• Aaron paid ten pounds to join Mr. Benjamin's shooting club in Green Forest City and went to its shooting range.
• Aaron examined the club's firearms, including a Remington Defender shotgun and a Colt revolver.

Aaron used his ability to inspect a revolver and discovered through divination that the man posing as Hark Benjamin was an impostor. Several nights later, Aaron broke into the Benjamin family residence to investigate further.

• Aaron tested a Colt Revolver at the shooting range and met the instructor, Beran August.
• Aaron spoke with Hark Benjamin, then used divination and concluded that the man he had met was not the real Hark Benjamin.
• Aaron suspected the impostor had replaced Hark in April, might have arranged Sylvia's dismissal, and could have killed the real Hark.
• Several nights later, Aaron entered the Benjamin family's garden in disguise and surveyed the residence.

Aaron infiltrated the Benjamin household to question Lady Benjamin and confront the Beyonder impersonating her husband. The confrontation ended with the fake Hark Benjamin stabbing his valet in the heart.

• Aaron released Sleeping Potion into the house and entered after its servants fell asleep.
• Aaron revived Lady Benjamin and learned that her husband had dismissed servants in April and had acquired a scar on his back.
• Aaron told Lady Benjamin that Hark Benjamin had been replaced in April, then knocked her unconscious when he heard the real Hark Benjamin arrive.
• Aaron confronted the fake Hark Benjamin and proposed a duel to avoid drawing attention from the police.
• The fake Hark Benjamin plunged a dagger into his valet's heart.

Aaron killed the fake Hark, rescued Lady Benjamin, and scavenged money and occult pages from the house. He left with an incomplete copy of the Secret Lore of the Chrysalis, which he planned to trade.

• Aaron defeated the fake Hark in a fight and killed him with a rapier strike to the heart.
• Aaron revealed the fake Hark’s stolen human skin to Lady Benjamin and asked her for the household cash.
• Lady Benjamin gave Aaron the key to a desk drawer, where he found about a hundred pounds in cash and coins.
• Lady Benjamin told Aaron that Jack had been Hark’s former valet and had hidden things in the bedside cabinet.
• Aaron found Spirit Language pages containing the incomplete Secret Lore of the Chrysalis in a secret drawer.

Aaron discovered that Jack had followed the Chrysalis path and suspected Jack’s mentor was using the Worker Insect Secret Lore to control him. After leaving the Benjamin house, Aaron learned the Investigation Bureau was investigating the deaths, then met Clark Das, who warned him about Jack and told him when and where their gathering would take place.

• Aaron read the incomplete Song of the Worker Insect and deduced that Jack had been preparing to advance from Chrysalis to Worker Insect under a potentially sinister mentor.
• Aaron left Lady Benjamin’s house after hinting that her real husband was buried in the garden, then returned home and considered the possibility that the murdered Mr. Benjamin could become a vengeful spirit.
• In early August, Aaron read that Hark Benjamin and a male servant had been reported killed in a burglary, and divined that the Investigation Bureau had become involved but that he did not need to move yet.
• Aaron visited Clark Das and explained how Jack had replaced Hark; Clark warned Aaron to be careful and said the gathering would take place the next night in Iver Bridge District.

Aaron spent the day cultivating the appearance of a wealthy young man, then accompanied Clark Das to a secret gathering in the Iver Bridge District. Using the code name Rapier, he asked for knowledge about the Age Controllers and spiritually rich materials aligned with Yao, and listened as the other attendees made requests and offers.

• Aaron spent the morning and afternoon dining at the Witch's House and watching a circus before visiting Mr. Clark Das.
• Clark Das gave Aaron a hooded robe and iron mask, then drove him to the slum district where they entered a hidden gathering place.
• Jazz opened the gathering by burning Rolanda incense, which he offered for sale at five pounds per dose.
• Aaron introduced himself as Rapier and sought knowledge about the Age Controllers and materials rich in spirituality, preferably aligned with Yao.
• Clark Das sought hidden historical knowledge and objects bearing traces of history, while other attendees requested talismans and offered strange goods.
• Beast advertised a treasure map to an ancient ruin and invited companions to join an expedition, which Aaron suspected Clark Das would avoid.

At an occult gathering, The Cleric offered a manuscript attributed to Aaron Sothoth in exchange for Secret Lore of the Yao Path, while Jazz warned the participants that the Investigation Bureau was pursuing an extraordinary-being case. Aaron learned that the Sun King Arthur had reportedly founded the Invis Kingdom with help from Age Controllers, leaving him alarmed by their apparent ability to scheme.

• The Cleric offered his supposed Aaron Sothoth manuscript about wired telegraphs, but refused Jazz’s offer of Gold Pounds because he only wanted Secret Lore of the Yao Path.
• Jazz warned the gathering about increased Secret Police patrols and revealed that an extraordinary being of the Chrysalis Path had impersonated the murdered timber merchant Hark Benjamin.
• The participants condemned official persecution of occult practitioners and claimed the Sun King Arthur had received help from Age Controllers to establish the Invis Kingdom.
• Aaron worried about selling the human skin he possessed and became uneasy when he heard that Age Controllers might act rationally and manipulate events.