Recaps

Sylutia watched the mechanical manufacturing duels, where Luzia and Erbis won with powerful machines. Her own match against Weiss began, and she prepared to fight despite expecting his steam-powered war machine to be difficult to defeat.

• Jerriad’s Light-Mirror Crane lost to Luzia’s Ejection Cockroach after its barriers failed against the charged barrage.
• Erbis’s Orichalcum mammoth defeated Nogla’s heavily armed tank by withstanding its attacks and destroying it.
• Sylutia saw Weiss’s eight-legged steam-powered war machine gathering power before their match.
• Sylutia reflected that her Gray-Winged Falcon had been built with little preparation, but resolved to compete properly.
• The referee announced the start of Sylutia and Weiss’s match.

Sylutia advanced through the war machine duels with her Gray-Winged Falcon and finished first overall after tying for second in the event. She claimed the championship, while visiting factions admired her talent and the Woodland Alliance delegation learned she came from the shores of Meteor Lake.

• Sylutia defeated Moritz by diving the Gray-Winged Falcon into his egg-shaped war machine and cleaving it in two.
• Sylutia beat a Lightning School contestant in an aerial duel to reach the final four, despite the strain and damage to her falcon.
• The final four competed in a round robin, with Erbis placing first in the war machine duels and Sylutia tying with Alpha for second.
• Sylutia’s combined score from both events secured her first place overall and the championship.
• Representatives from the Harp Flower Union and Woodland Alliance praised Sylutia’s talent, and the Woodland Alliance delegation learned she was from the shores of Meteor Lake.

After winning the mechanical creations competition, Xilutiya met Tivilino, Amelia’s guardian, who explained Amelia’s hidden past and invited Xilutiya to study at Origin Hourglass. Xilutiya declined to decide yet, leaving the invitation open as she considered the school’s knowledge of Radiant Moon and time-related arts.

• Xilutiya left the competition crowd and found Tivilino speaking with Amelia in the viewing room.
• Tivilino explained that Amelia had been found as a gifted child, secretly trained in the library, and recently allowed to experience the outside world; she asked Xilutiya to keep Amelia’s identity secret.
• Tivilino invited Xilutiya to study at Origin Hourglass, citing her Radiant Moon affinity and her competition victory.
• Xilutiya said she needed time to consider the invitation because she belonged to Mithril Clock and had other matters to arrange.
• Tivilino described Origin Hourglass’s Radiant Moon, time, and historical studies, then departed after leaving Xilutiya curious about its teachings.

Sylutia received her tournament rewards and said goodbye to Amelia before returning to Thetis Academy and completing her end-of-term assessment. As she prepared to return to Mishir District, Professor Sharon gave her a valuable Seven-Gradient Flower Hairpin he had crafted for her.

• The Academy Grand Tournament concluded, and Sylutia received a Sixth Order Moonlight Flame and five rare gemstones for winning the Mechanical Constructs event.
• Sylutia entrusted her Fire Seed to Sage Aitos and said goodbye to Amelia, promising to visit her again soon.
• Sylutia returned to Thetis Academy and completed her end-of-term assessment.
• Professor Sharon gave Sylutia the Seven-Gradient Flower Hairpin, a spatial item that could store belongings and resist spatial attacks.

Sylutia traveled to Perika District to seek cooperation and grain reserves for Mishir District, while also hoping to visit Bellflower Plains, Lady Falan’s homeland. After local officials welcomed her, Mage Nandes offered her a lakeside estate and his daughter as a guide.

• Sylutia prepared for spring farming and, unable to find enough Gardeners, considered seeking help in Perika District.
• Sylutia led a group to Perika District to explore cooperation with local estate owners and administrators and to see Bellflower Plains.
• Local officials and Mages welcomed Sylutia at the station and hosted her at a guest residence and banquet.
• Mage Nandes lent Sylutia his lakeside estate for a vacation, and she accepted his offer to have his daughter guide her.

Xilutiya met Mage Nandeli’s daughter, Brie, and learned about Perika District and the Bellflower Plains from her. Brie agreed to guide Xilutiya on a visit to the plains the next day.

• Brie visited Xilutiya at the estate and apologized for their earlier awkward encounter, then explained that she traveled often to explore and follow fashion.
• Brie told Xilutiya about Blue Eyes Lake, its pelicans, and the landscape and living conditions of Perika District.
• Brie described the Bellflower Plains’ thyme flatbread and explained how local nobles taxed merchants and controlled produce prices.
• Xilutiya praised Brie’s observations and invited her to visit the Bellflower Plains the next day.
• Brie eagerly agreed to guide Xilutiya, pleased that hosting the renowned mage would be something to boast about.

Sylutia and Brie traveled across the Bellflower Plains, asked a local mayor about renowned gardeners, and continued toward Colin City while listening to a Bard’s tale of the Pine-Branch Knight. Sylutia recognized the story as a version of one Lady Falan had told her, whose true account was far simpler and remained known only to those involved and the mountain trees.

• Sylutia and Brie rode across the plains, visited a riverside town, and bought game from a local vendor.
• Brie brought the mayor to Sylutia, who questioned him about the region and learned that gardeners could be found in Colin City.
• Sylutia and Brie ate the game they had purchased, then continued toward Colin City with a Bard who offered to accompany them.
• The Bard sang a ballad in which four Knights failed to defeat a Winter Beast before an unknown traveler gained strength and slew it with a pine branch.
• Brie criticized the ballad and suggested changes, while Sylutia recalled Lady Falan’s version, in which the Knight defeated the beast with a single pine branch and left without revealing his identity.

Sylutia toured Colin City and learned the tragic history of Lady Adeline’s family before attending a banquet and exploring the former royal palace. There, she discovered that the Pine-Branch Knight had existed, though the knight’s true identity and origins remained unknown.

• Sylutia bought Bellflower Honey and heard the shopkeeper recount how Lady Adeline lost her sons and daughter, leaving her alone at Duran Estate.
• Sylutia decided to tour Colin City before visiting Duran Estate and attended a banquet hosted by the city’s resident Mage.
• The resident Mage told Sylutia how the Mage Alliance had taken control of the Colin Duchy and forced its nobles to surrender their power.
• Sylutia viewed the former royal palace’s collection and found the pine branch associated with the Pine-Branch Knight.
• The resident Mage explained that the Pine-Branch Knight had defeated a Sixth Order Winter Beast over five hundred years earlier, but might have been a warrior rather than a recognized Knight.

Sylutia visited Lady Adeline at Duran Estate to seek a gardener and discovered that the elderly woman resembled her teacher, Lady Falan. Lady Adeline declined to take on gardening work but welcomed Sylutia into her bellflower garden and shared cultivation advice.

• Sylutia traveled to Duran Estate and presented the Colin City Mage's letter of recommendation to the guards under the name Hedra.
• Lady Adeline read the letter, dismissed its arrogant tone, and welcomed Sylutia as a guest of the Duran Family.
• Sylutia recognized that Lady Adeline shared a family resemblance with Lady Falan and explained that she needed a gardener before the coming Season of Sinking Fog.
• Lady Adeline declined to help with gardening and recommended other local gardeners, but agreed to teach Sylutia bellflower cultivation techniques.
• Lady Adeline led Sylutia through the estate's garden to admire the carefully cultivated bellflowers.

Xilutiya visited Lady Adeline’s garden, recognized her as Lady Falan’s mother, and exchanged a valuable Magic Orb for a bellflower. After arranging grain supplies and agricultural machinery for Mishir District, Xilutiya learned that the horticulturist seeking work at her estate was named Falan.

• Xilutiya toured Lady Adeline’s garden and realized that Lady Adeline was Lady Falan’s mother.
• Lady Adeline gave Xilutiya a Second Order bellflower, and Xilutiya gifted her a Third Order Aster Magic Orb.
• Xilutiya left the manor and discussed with Brie how parents could treat guests more gently than their own children.
• With Mage Nandeli’s help, Xilutiya arranged for Mishir District to buy wheat and reserve grain in exchange for agricultural machinery.
• A visitor told Xilutiya that a skilled horticulturist named Falan had come seeking work tending her estate.

Sylutia reunited with her former teacher, Lady Falan, and they spoke privately about their past, their families, and their plans. Lady Falan agreed to stay by Sylutia’s side and help her in the Mage Alliance.

• Sylutia greeted Lady Falan at the estate and took her to the lakeside, where they could speak without the maids.
• Lady Falan revealed she had recognized Sylutia by a distinctive hat and explained why she had watched her mother, Lady Adeline, from afar rather than meet her.
• Sylutia told Lady Falan that she had recovered many memories and planned to travel to the First Continent.
• Lady Falan said she would eventually travel to the Second Continent but would first stay with Sylutia and help her.
• Lady Falan praised Sylutia’s gardening and mage accomplishments, and the two returned to the estate.

Sylutia returned to Thetis Academy to seek advice on choosing a second Aspect Power before advancing to the Fifth Order. Sage Aitos gave her access to the Mithril Clock’s preserved Fate Card templates, and she began studying the paths of past masters and sages.

• Sylutia considered six possible paths for her second Aspect Power, including Gold Steam, Radiant Moon, Alien Star, Nightmare, Blood Law, and Beast Fang.
• After arranging Mishir District’s affairs, Sylutia returned to Thetis Academy and asked Da Vinci for advice about her advancement.
• Da Vinci took Sylutia to meet Sage Aitos, who recognized that she was nearing advancement and led her to a collection of sealed Fate Card templates.
• Sage Aitos gave Sylutia and Da Vinci keys to the room containing the Mithril Clock’s preserved Fate Cards.
• Sylutia spent the next month studying the paths recorded by the past masters and sages.

The three leaders of the Mage Alliance debated the coming crisis and Sylutia’s advancement, deciding that Hedra would inherit the Origin Hourglass while Amelia remained with the Mithril Clock. They summoned Sylutia to the Sky Tower, and she stepped through the gateway to meet them.

• The figures beneath the moon, sun, and star thrones debated whether to light the towers against the Season of Sinking Fog or preserve their long-prepared plan.
• The three leaders discussed Sylutia’s potential paths and the successors needed to guide the Gold Steam Hour ritual.
• The figure beneath the star throne chose to send Hedra to the Origin Hourglass and let Amelia inherit the Mithril Clock.
• A mysterious letter appeared before Sylutia in the library and left her a Moon Key that opened a gateway to the Sky Tower.
• Sylutia used the key, entered the gateway, and vanished from the library.

Sylutia met the three Named Ones, who directed her toward the Radiant Moon path and offered her access to their factions’ teachings. Sodras then explained how she might one day take charge of the Mage Alliance, leaving Sylutia unsure whether he meant it literally.

• Sylutia climbed to a hidden sky island and studied a mural depicting the principles of Gold Steam Aspect Power, noticing that its system remained incomplete.
• Abelid, Valahunt, and Sodras introduced themselves to Sylutia and explained that the Season of Sinking Fog was approaching.
• Abelid urged Sylutia to choose the Radiant Moon path at Fifth Order and offered to teach her the Mithril Clock faction’s core principles alongside Amelia.
• Valahunt gave Sylutia a ring that would let her study the Sun Furnace faction’s texts and secret arts at Terize Academy.
• Sodras described the allies and authority Sylutia would need to govern the Mage Alliance, and Sylutia tried to reassure herself that he was speaking hypothetically.

After meeting the three Named Ones, Sylutia adjusted her plans and discussed Amelia’s future with Sage Aitos, who suggested asking the Named Ones for guidance. Sylutia found Amelia asleep in the sealed library and stayed beside her as she drifted back to sleep.

• Sylutia told Sage Aitos she had met the three Exalted Ones, and he reaffirmed the academy’s support while discussing her studies and Amelia’s future.
• Sylutia asked Aitos about gradually moving Amelia out of the library, and he suggested asking the three Exalted Ones for their guidance.
• Da Vinci visited Aitos, and they discussed Sylutia’s rapid progress and Da Vinci’s plans for advancement.
• Sylutia entered the sealed grand library and found Amelia asleep beside a bookshelf.
• Sylutia carried Amelia to a sofa, comforted her, and let her fall asleep again in the afternoon light.

Sylutia helped Amelia settle into her hidden cottage in the sealed library and promised to visit again, then returned to Thetis Academy and caught up with her classmates. She reflected on her busy plans to study with Amelia, support Mishir District, and explore the Origin Hourglass.

• Sylutia showed Amelia how to care for herself and toured her crescent-shaped cottage, including its food cabinet, bath, and bedroom.
• Amelia asked whether Hedra would live with her, and Sylutia said she could visit and keep her company from time to time.
• Sylutia and Amelia watched the scenery while Sylutia told her about the outside world and promised to bring her a pot of bellflowers.
• Sylutia made Amelia go to bed before saying goodbye, then spent several days at Thetis Academy cleaning the Black Rose Palace and meeting classmates.
• Sylutia considered returning to the World of Shadows and reviewed her upcoming studies with Amelia, work in Mishir District, and research at the Origin Hourglass.

Sylutia and Amelia began studying with Abelid, who taught them the Mithril Clock School’s advanced time theory and Aether Silver craftsmanship. After months of lessons, he began guiding them in making Azure-Inlaid Silver, leaving them ready to learn the first rare metal’s production.

• Sylutia and Amelia officially began lessons with Abelid, the six-hundred-year-old Named One who had once stolen authority over time.
• Abelid taught the girls advanced time runes and the Emblem of Time during their first two months of study.
• Over the next two months, Sylutia and Amelia studied Aether Silver, the Mithril Clock School’s craft for producing rare high-order metals.
• Abelid introduced Azure-Inlaid Silver and demonstrated how it could be embedded in enchanted equipment to create protective rune circuits.
• Abelid explained how the Mithril Clock School’s focus on functionality and protective effects differed from the Sun Furnace School’s emphasis on strength and endurance.

Anali returned to Asura District for the holiday, where Yatos tried to recruit her into a movement opposing the Alliance’s treatment of Orcs. Before they parted, he revealed that her physical differences might be evidence of cruel bloodline experiments, stirring memories of her past and leaving her frozen at the station.

• Anali accepted her classmates’ invitation to vacation at the southern coast after returning to Asura District for the holiday.
• On the train, Yatos introduced himself as an Orc from Jelais Academy and urged Anali to unite with other Orcs against their position in the Alliance.
• Anali listened to Yatos’s arguments but did not accept his ideas.
• As they parted at the station, Yatos told Anali that her uneven horns and lack of growth could be signs that she had survived the Mages’ bloodline experiments.
• Yatos urged Anali to remember her mission and hatred, and she stood motionless as memories of her suffering returned.

Anali returned to Agate Street after a year at the Mage academy and reunited with her aunt and old friends, finding comfort as her childhood pain and anger eased. During a vacation at Meteor Lake, she witnessed the rise of the Golden Sheaf Horn, a new merchant-ruled nation formed as the Woodland Alliance’s southern integration plan neared completion.

• Anali returned to Agate Street, embraced her aunt, and told her that academy life had been manageable and her classmates had treated her well.
• Anali caught up with former classmates, heard how Luo Ze, Mositi, and Zan En had found work, and gradually felt less troubled by her past.
• Anali vacationed with classmates at Meteor Lake, where they saw Golden Sheaf Horn ships arrive and change the harbor’s flags without a fight.
• Anali and her classmates left early after noticing the takeover, then learned that Golden Sheaf Horn had absorbed the former Merchant City Union and neighboring countries.
• The Woodland Alliance’s integration plan neared its end as five powerful southern nations formed, including Golden Sheaf Horn, ruled by a council of merchant associations and governed by a tax-based citizenship system.

The five southern covenant states completed their unification, and the Mage Alliance suspended a costly food deal with the Golden Sheaf Horn after public outrage. Meanwhile, Sylutia continued studying with Amelia and left her sleeping in the library cabin before heading to Mishir District to handle accumulated affairs.

• The southern nations formed the Knight Sanctuary, Forest of Incantations, Golden Sheaf Horn, Mangrove Wetlands, and Lion Covenant, with the Woodland Alliance mediating among them.
• The Golden Sheaf Horn agreed to supply the Mage Alliance with food in exchange for goods valued at sixty times the food’s normal price.
• Mages across the Mage Alliance protested the agreement, and the Alliance Council suspended the trade partnership for further negotiation.
• Sylutia spent time studying and relaxing with Amelia, reflecting on their growing closeness and on the abilities each had discovered.
• Sylutia carried the sleeping Amelia to bed, tucked her in, and left the cabin to deal with affairs in Mishir District.

As food shortages worsened, sages in the Mage Alliance debated the cost of its abandoned food agreement and the threats the coming Season of Sinking Fog posed. A dispute between the Mide Duchy and the Aishius Kingdom escalated into a war involving witches and mages, drawing the attention of their respective alliances.

• Two sages discussed rising food prices, the Mage Alliance’s rejected agreement with the Golden Sheaf Horn, and the risks of surviving the coming sixteen years of hardship.
• A bandit gang from Aishius captured a city in the Mide Duchy and stole its food stores, but Aishius returned only a small portion after crushing the gang.
• A court witch uncovered that Aishius had kept the stolen wheat, while Aishius’s court mage claimed Mide’s lands historically belonged to Aishius and branded its rulers descendants of bandits.
• The Grand Duke of Mide led an attack into Aishius and captured four major cities, taking one-third of the kingdom’s territory with help from witches in his legion.
• The Mist Spirit School sent seven Fourth Order mages to retake the occupied cities through deadly fog, and Black Finger retaliated with six Fourth Order Fallen Finger Witches who killed three mages through nightmares.
• The Mist Spirit School killed two witches in retaliation, and the conflict expanded beyond the two small nations to attract the upper ranks of both alliances.

Three Black Finger Witches tried to intercept Mist Spirit School Mages crossing Elin Forest, but the Mages used a fog spell to evade them and reach the front. Their ensuing battle against the Witches left both factions with heavy casualties, and reports of the fighting fueled pro-war sentiment in both alliances.

• Three Black Finger Witches laid magical surveillance and traps throughout Elin Forest to watch for the Mist Spirit School Mages.
• Four Mist Spirit School Mages recognized the Witches’ preparations but used a fog of war to cross the forest, forcing the Witches to wait until they emerged.
• A week later, the Aesius Kingdom and Mide Duchy armies fought again as the Mist Spirit School and Black Finger battled across the battlefield.
• Four Fourth Order Mages and three Fourth Order Witches died in the clashes, leaving both factions badly wounded.
• Reports of the battle encouraged the Mage Alliance and Woodland Alliance to believe they could defeat the other, strengthening pro-war factions on both sides.

Sylutia weighed the risk of war between the Woodland Alliance and the Mage Alliance while famine threatened the Mishir District. After Abelid asked her and Amelia how they would handle the border conflict, their answers reached the Alliance Council, and talk of an all-out war subsided.

• Sylutia learned that Mishir District's food reserves could sustain its residents for three years under rationing, while scholars increasingly argued for war over the border conflict.
• Sylutia considered how to discourage war without exposing her identity, but decided to wait because the situation and the Named Ones' views were unclear.
• Three days later, Abelid asked Sylutia and Amelia how they would respond to the conflict if they led the Mage Alliance, and both submitted their answers.
• Sylutia proposed withholding support, striking decisively if the Woodland Alliance attacked, and using negotiations to secure grain or horticulturists without pushing the other side into all-out war.
• Abelid sent the girls' answers to the Alliance Council, whose sages agreed to follow his decision, and talk of all-out war gradually subsided.

The Mist Spirit School defeated Black Finger, leading to the fall of Mide Duchy and negotiations between the Mage Alliance and Woodland Alliance. The alliances agreed to exchange food, technology, and personnel, with Hedra set to travel to the Woodland Alliance after advancing and Shilutiya to go to the Mage Alliance.

• A Mist Spirit School Mage planted a concealed potion trap while scouting for Black Finger Witches.
• After months of fighting, the Mist Spirit School gained the advantage, and Black Finger retreated after losing four Fourth Order Witches and seventeen Third Order Witches in its final attack.
• The isolated Mide Duchy fell to the Aesius Kingdom, and its territory was incorporated into the kingdom.
• At the Silver Bell Festival, the Woodland Alliance negotiated to provide Gardeners and food in exchange for Mage Alliance goods, mechanical constructs, and trained personnel.
• The alliances deadlocked over Hedra until a Named One's oracle led the Mage Alliance to agree that she would travel to train and coordinate Mages after her advancement.
• The Mage Alliance demanded that the Woodland Alliance send the gardener Shilutiya in exchange for Hedra.

Sylutia learned that her identity had become the main dispute in negotiations between the Mage Alliance and the Woodland Alliance, which wanted her to return home. The Named One proposed exchanging Hedra for Sylutia, leaving Sylutia to wonder how long the Mage Alliance leaders had known who she was.

• The Woodland Alliance sought Sylutia's early return, while the Mage Alliance repeatedly refused to give up its successor, Hedra.
• The Named One ended the impasse by proposing that the Mage Alliance exchange Hedra for Sylutia.
• Several days later, Sage Aitos told Sylutia that her future had become the main point of contention between the two powers.
• Sylutia realized the Named One and other leaders had probably known her identity all along and worried about facing them at the Sky Tower.