Chapter Summaries

Wanda defeated James Boone after uncovering clues to a larger sacrifice, but Salomon suspected the real conspirator had already achieved their goal. Wanda tried to warn her teacher before the chapter ended with the enemy still unidentified.

• Wanda entered James Boone's mind, sensed the hidden conspiracy, and used a magically controlled blade to wound him.
• James Boone attacked again, but Wanda trapped him with a magical restraint and destroyed him with the Silver Stake.
• After James Boone died, Wanda briefly answered that she felt wonderful before a sudden danger restored her awareness.
• Salomon showed Wanda a fragment of Edward Kelley's translation and explained that someone had helped James Boone perform the ritual.
• Salomon treated Wanda's wounds and concluded that the hidden conspirator had already achieved their goal.

Officer Carter dealt with a deranged medium whose prophecies linked the earthquakes to the Arcanist, while Captain Rogers led an Avengers mission toward Monhegan Island to rescue Tony Stark and demand answers about the growing disaster. Rogers remained determined to act despite Agent Hill's warnings about provoking Salomon and drawing political retaliation.

• Officer Carter restrained the medium, who alternated between frantic prophecies and calm, cryptic remarks about the Daughter of Chaos and a coming turning point.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers teams flew toward Monhegan Island to rescue Tony Stark and investigate the earthquakes connected to the Arcanist.
• Agent Hill opposed confronting Salomon, warning that the Avengers risked harming their relationship with him and inviting action from Congress and the White House.
• Captain Rogers insisted that the escalating earthquakes and threat to East Coast lives required the Avengers to act, beginning with negotiation and then demanding answers from Salomon.

Salomon and the Helicarrier crews prepared to face the enormous creature rising from Casco Bay as Chaos Magic drove some people to madness. The chapter ended with Victoria Hand ordering the carriers to open fire on the monster.

• Salomon identified the transformed Vampire corpses as Crawlers and covered Wanda's eyes with a blindfold to protect her from the demon's voice.
• Cassilius stationed Arcanists across the Helicarriers while Victoria Hand urged the mortal crews to continue their descent through the storm.
• Salomon lit the Midway Rock Lighthouse and cast a spell as the earthquake peaked and the storm suddenly stopped.
• The Helicarriers' cameras revealed an enormous worm-like monster rising from the sea and crushing a searchlight drone.
• Cassilius ordered the Arcanists to kill crew members driven mad by the creature, then rallied the survivors.
• Victoria Hand gave the order to fire on the monster.

SHIELD’s Helicarriers unleashed overwhelming fire on the Giant Worm while Salomon protected Wanda from the blasts, and the battle’s shockwaves caused panic and destruction along the Maine coast. Steve Rogers survived a Quinjet crash and, with Vision and Falcon, rescued the remaining agents as they learned the aircraft had been affected by the monster’s chaotic influence.

• Agent Victoria Hand ordered the Helicarriers and Assault Transports to concentrate their fire on the Giant Worm.
• Salomon shielded Wanda from the flames and steam while the people aboard the Helicarriers and the Kamar-Taj Arcanists celebrated the assault.
• Earthquake damage and the distant battle panicked residents along Casco Bay, while communications failures fueled rumors of a cover-up.
• Steve Rogers tried to rescue agents from the sinking Quinjet after its pilot crashed it into the sea, but several agents had died.
• Vision lifted the Quinjet from the water and helped Steve Rogers evacuate survivors to Falcon’s life raft.
• Vision explained that a wave of chaos, hatred, and hunger had affected the pilot, and that his gem had only partly countered it.

After the bombardment, Agent Hand prepared to inspect the monster while Salomon explained that a hidden power had orchestrated the attack and warned that Wanda might have been its true target. Salomon took Wanda away from the battlefield to protect her and investigate the cult behind the Crawlers.

• Captain Rogers asked Sam to take him to the Helicarrier so he could learn what the battle had accomplished and bring Stark out.
• Agent Hand ordered the Helicarriers’ guns to cease fire and prepared reconnaissance teams to inspect the monster and check for contamination.
• Wanda learned that the monster appeared defeated and asked whether they had stopped the earthquake and sacrifice.
• Salomon explained that someone had helped James Boone summon the monster and that a higher being had likely orchestrated the events.
• Salomon warned Wanda that the enemy may have targeted her and ended her mission, then opened a portal to take her away and investigate the cult that summoned Crawlers.

Captain Rogers’s delegation arrived at the City of Immortals’ Helicarrier, where Cassilius insisted the agents be examined for corruption by evil. When Vision challenged the executions of corrupted people, Cassilius knocked it unconscious and defended Kamar-Taj’s brutal precautions, then offered to take the others to someone who could discuss the matter.

• Captain Rogers ordered the team to surrender its weapons and told Vision not to take countermeasures against the City of Immortals’ flight-system intrusion.
• Cassilius and the armored Sisterhood members tried to shackle the agents so they could check whether evil had corrupted them.
• Vision objected to the executions and demanded that Kamar-Taj try treatment before judging the agents.
• Cassilius struck Vision with a magical shield, rendered it unconscious, and restrained it with a spell.
• Cassilius explained that Kamar-Taj killed corrupted people to protect humanity from cults and said Salomon was seeking alternatives.
• Cassilius assured Captain Rogers that the agents would be safe if they were uncorrupted and offered to take the group to someone who could talk with them.

Steve Rogers refused to let Cassilius execute potentially contaminated agents aboard the Helicarrier, forcing the confrontation toward violence. Meanwhile, Salomon returned to the New York Sanctum with Wanda to investigate the Worm Summoning cults and was interrupted by Master Wong, who was ordered to retrieve the runaway Prophetess.

• Steve Rogers rejected Cassilius's demand to surrender the agents for inspection, and the soldiers showed they were willing to stand with him.
• Cassilius ordered the Sisterhood officer to begin enforcing Kamar-Taj's rules.
• Salomon approved Agent Hand's plan to burn the Giant Worm biomass, allowing the Helicarriers to return to their patrol routes before US aircraft arrived.
• Salomon brought Wanda to the New York Sanctum while he investigated cults connected to Worm Summoning and arranged protective amulets for her.
• Salomon sent Master Wong to retrieve the runaway Prophetess, while Wong accused him of bringing a girl back and threatened to tell the Sorcerer Supreme and the Witch.

Salomon and Master Wong discussed the Prophetess, Wanda, and opposition within Kamar-Taj before Salomon went to retrieve the Prophetess from the police. At the station, Officer Carter grew suspicious of Salomon and Bayonetta as they presented an order to take the woman away.

• Master Wong explained that the Prophetess’s magic warranted vigilance and asked Salomon to use his worldly influence to retrieve her.
• Salomon agreed to take Wanda to eat and said he believed someone was watching her; Master Wong warned him that others opposed his relationship with her and questioned whether he could kill her if necessary.
• Salomon defended his resolve and warned that Kamar-Taj would not show mercy to traitors.
• Officer Carter struggled to find a hospital willing to admit the unidentified woman and stayed late at the police station.
• Salomon and Bayonetta arrived, presented a transfer order for the woman, and requested all relevant camera footage and records of what she had said.
• Officer Carter examined their paperwork and secretly requested verification of their identities.

Salomon pushed for an urgent interrogation after recognizing that a madwoman might hold information about the Daughter of Chaos, while Officer Carter agreed to oversee it. Meanwhile, Victoria Hand told Natasha that corrupted S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were being executed or subjected to brainwashing, leaving Natasha to fear that few would survive.

• Salomon revealed that his FBI credentials were genuine because S.H.I.E.L.D.'s backdoor had entered his fabricated identity into the database.
• Salomon insisted that Officer Carter arrange an immediate interrogation of the madwoman, and Carter agreed to supervise it and enforce protocol.
• Salomon told Bayonetta that a Prophetess had foreseen the Daughter of Chaos and that the madwoman might have important information.
• Victoria Hand told Natasha Romanoff that Steve Rogers and other agents had faced Kamar-Taj's contamination rules, and that corrupted cultists would not be spared.
• Victoria Hand warned Natasha that many Helicarrier agents might not survive brainwashing, and Natasha told Nick Fury and Maria Hill that Hand's stance likely came from Salomon.

Nick Fury and Agent Romanoff discussed the danger of the Avengers’ imprisoned members and warned Maria Hill to keep them from turning against Salomon. Meanwhile, Salomon interpreted a madwoman’s prophecy and prepared to leave with Bayonetta, while Officer Carter learned from Harold Finch that the pair were genuine but dangerous and received a cryptic warning from Salomon.

• Nick Fury told Maria Hill that Gonzalez was dead and Agent Weaver had defected, then asked Hill and Agent Romanoff to keep the Avengers from becoming hostile toward Salomon.
• Agent Romanoff warned Nick Fury that Rogers would find Salomon’s actions intolerable and suspected that few agents had survived their clash with Agent Hand.
• Officer Carter asked Harold Finch about Salomon and Bayonetta, and Finch confirmed their credentials were genuine while warning Carter not to investigate them.
• Salomon finished recording the madwoman’s prophecy and told Bayonetta that he suspected it was a warning connected to their recent operation.
• Officer Carter stopped Salomon, Bayonetta, and the madwoman from leaving until they signed documents, and Salomon told Carter she had already died once.

Nick Fury confronted Steve Rogers and Tony Stark over the casualties caused by their rescue attempt, while warning them that the Alien Invasion was tied to humanity’s ancient genetic engineering. Salomon completed the prisoner-release arrangements as a troubling prophecy suggested a much greater threat was still unfolding.

• Nick Fury told Steve Rogers and Tony Stark that Agent Hand had decided to release them, then blamed them for exposing agents to magical danger.
• Nick Fury explained that Jiaying and Agent Coulson were connected to the Alien Invasion and defended S.H.I.E.L.D.’s willingness to accept sacrifices; Steve Rogers and Tony Stark insisted the Avengers would abandon no one.
• Nick Fury said Vision was safely trapped by the mages and would be delivered to Stark Tower after the others were released.
• Salomon connected the madwoman’s prophecy, the Crawlers, Worm Summoning, and The Secret of the Worms to an evil god whose influence spanned the timeline, and dismissed the Vampires as a misdirection.
• Officer Carter worried over the madwoman’s safety as Salomon arranged her release, and Samun Shaw reunited with Bayonetta and criticized Salomon’s new hairstyle.

Steve Rogers watched the surviving S.H.I.E.L.D. agents face confinement and mental examinations, while he and Stark argued over Salomon’s responsibility for their deaths. Nick Fury then spoke with Victoria Hand about Salomon and warned her about Coulson’s conduct as S.H.I.E.L.D. director.

• Steve Rogers watched Arcanists escort wounded agents for examinations and blamed himself for bringing them to the confrontation.
• Tony Stark complained that Steve had not brought Doctor Banner and asked what he planned to do next.
• Steve admitted he was unsure who was right and regretted the agents’ deaths, while Stark argued that Salomon had still acted unlawfully.
• Nick Fury told Victoria Hand that Salomon’s earlier curses had concealed how dangerous he could be and said they were alike.
• Victoria Hand refused to reveal information about her organization and warned Fury that she would deal with Coulson’s team if its performance did not improve.

Salomon brought Wanda a crazed prophetess whose visions he wanted Wong and Master Hamir to interpret, then hurried off on a date. Wong took Wanda to learn about the magical world, while Salomon arrived at a restaurant with the Witch and Bayonetta, who revealed they had eaten there with his adoptive mother.

• Salomon brought the prophetess to Kamar-Taj and told Wanda to give her prophecy to Wong without reading it.
• Wanda handed Wong the prophecy, and he planned to ask Master Hamir to interpret it and seek permission to use the Cauldron of the Cosmos.
• Wong told Wanda she could study the magical world’s schools and basic texts, then took her toward Kamar-Taj headquarters.
• Salomon met the Witch and Bayonetta at a restaurant, and Bayonetta said his adoptive mother had often brought them there while he was away.

Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Salomon shared a playful dinner before Cassilius told Tony Stark and Steve Rogers that the City of Immortals would launch a major operation in Albania. He invited Rogers to join the fight, while Stark asked whether he would get a chance to participate too.

• Bayonetta elicited Salomon's promise to spend more time with her, while Jeanne joined their playful argument beneath the table.
• Salomon stopped Jeanne from breaking her wineglass and told everyone to enjoy the meal.
• Cassilius told Stark and Rogers that only two agents had suffered mild contamination and that none would die.
• Cassilius criticized Stark for his past ties and actions, then described the City of Immortals rescuing children and providing them with education.
• Cassilius announced that the City of Immortals and the Sisterhood would fight an armed gang and rescue hostages in Albania.
• Cassilius invited Rogers to join the operation, and Stark asked whether he could participate as well.

The Sisterhood prepared to attack a human-trafficking organization as Tita rallied the troops and Steve Rogers challenged the use of young women as soldiers. Cassilius defended Salomon’s harsh upbringing and his own belief that sacrifice was necessary, then offered Rogers one final chance to change his mind.

• Cassilius dismissed Stark as useless without his armor and told Steve Rogers that the mission would proceed.
• The Sisterhood assembled aboard The Punisher, while Tita and Stephanie’s plans for expanding the organization included creating a separate civil department.
• Tita rallied the Sisterhood and raised Salomon’s sword, declaring that their weapons would carry the monarch’s wrath.
• Steve Rogers objected to sending young girls into war, and Cassilius argued that Salomon’s demanding education prepared him to bear the crown’s responsibilities.
• Cassilius accused Rogers of using freedom and human rights to dishonor the sacrifices made for humanity, then offered him one final chance to change his mind.

Steve Rogers traveled aboard an Assault Transport with Slavic soldiers who distrusted him, while he questioned the consequences of his past choices and whether the Avengers could change the world. Cassilius explained Salomon’s strategy for subduing powerful families and reshaping society, as the girls prepared to rescue children and prayed to the Monarch.

• The Slavic girls avoided Steve Rogers aboard the Assault Transport, and he silently reflected on the suffering his choices had failed to prevent.
• Steve asked Cassilius why he had chosen him instead of Tony Stark, and Cassilius said Rogers could adapt to the changes humanity needed to survive.
• Cassilius told Rogers that Salomon was infiltrating powerful families and secret societies, using assassination, bribery, and violence to prepare for the City of Immortals’ rise.
• Gideon Malick sought to make his family royal by encouraging Stephanie Malik to have Salomon’s children.
• The Assault Transport took off, and the girls secured their equipment before preparing to rescue children and praying to the Monarch.

Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff discussed Salomon’s motives and the whereabouts of the captured Avengers, while Natasha recalled her private conversation with Salomon. Natasha said Salomon planned to return the captives to Stark Tower with Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, and she refused to speculate about the wording of his assurance.

• Nick Fury admitted that he trusted Salomon’s promises and asked when the captives would be allowed to return.
• Natasha told Fury that Salomon’s Punisher Helicarrier was expected to reach Washington soon, after she had provided him with intelligence.
• Salomon and Natasha discussed Steve Rogers’s education and the difficult proposition Salomon had posed to him.
• Salomon told Natasha that his genes made it nearly impossible for ordinary human women to conceive children with him.
• Natasha told Fury that Salomon would send the captives to Stark Tower with Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, and said she refused to speculate about his assurance that there had been no unnecessary casualties.

Salomon and Master Hamir searched the Akashic Records for evidence about the mastermind behind the threats described in the Eye of Calamity’s prophecy. After the painful divination, Salomon reunited with Natasha, who questioned him about his secrets and their relationship.

• Salomon asked Master Hamir to help investigate the prophecy and search for evidence beyond the clues in his report.
• Master Hamir agreed, and the two mages endured a painful search through the Akashic Records, confronting scattered information and malicious contamination.
• Salomon told Natasha he had let them out, and she complained that she now had to bathe again and wanted him to dry her hair.
• Natasha questioned Salomon about human enhancement technology and asked how many women he had been with; he said she was second.
• Natasha crouched beside Salomon and called her response thanks.

Romanoff shared a magical memory of her childhood with Salomon, thanked him, and asked him to cook for her whenever he visited; he agreed. Back at work, she reassured Agent Hill that the Avengers would recover from their conflict and revealed that Salomon was investigating a terrifying prophecy involving magic.

• Romanoff opened her mind to Salomon, who showed her a childhood memory of a sunny meadow beside a brook.
• Romanoff thanked Salomon for the meal and the magic, asked him to cook for her whenever he visited, and kissed him after he agreed.
• Romanoff returned to work energized while Steve Rogers and Tony Stark's fight and temporary reconciliation unsettled the Avengers' base.
• Agent Hill questioned Romanoff about Salomon and the Avengers, and Romanoff said they were reflecting on the past and would be fine.
• Romanoff told Agent Hill that Salomon was away verifying a terrifying prophecy involving magic, prompting Hill to prepare for possible casualties.

Salomon explained magical monsters, addictive alchemical drugs, and Kamar-Taj’s rules to Wanda while arranging for her to study Temperantia and begin martial arts training. He began telling her about his first mission, which would show why close-combat skill mattered for their upcoming mission.

• Wanda asked Salomon about gaps in the monster reference books, and he explained that new entries were added as creatures were discovered.
• Salomon told Wanda how his addictive alchemical drugs caused a mutant Demon Slug disaster and earned him a disciplinary record.
• Salomon explained Kamar-Taj’s principle of abstinence and noted that Wanda’s intense emotions made Temperantia training important.
• Salomon arranged for Wanda to attend morning Tai Chi practice and promised to teach her martial arts afterward.
• Wanda asked about the living statues near the training ground, and Salomon began recounting the mission that had turned them into statues.