Chapter Summaries

Ruger considered the Demon Wizard’s visits and the smiles seen on dead wizards, then spent his remaining time practicing, resting, and reading Benson’s ideas about turning scales into Storage Pockets. As ripples filled the room, the group’s brief rest ended.

• Ruger asked Immanuel whether the Demon Wizard had smiled, and Immanuel confirmed that it had.
• Ruger reasoned that the dead wizards had seen something the survivors had not, while Tuzel continued playing Rabbit Chess against Little Fairy and the others.
• Ruger left the Bedroom Space, practiced the Fireball Spell, slept, and waited as the three-day rest neared its end.
• Ruger read Benson’s account of modifying scales into Storage Pockets and considered trying a limited version himself.
• Ripples spread through the room, signaling the end of the group’s rest.

Ruger and Green joined the wizards entering the site where they would investigate the Divine Object Art, carrying specially made stone tablets. As they crossed into the darkness, Green vanished from Ruger’s sight.

• Ruger and Green walked with the procession through a passage where an unseen force slowed their movements.
• Ruger heard a powerful thump and envisioned enormous chains wrapped around a gigantic heart.
• Green suggested the heart might power the underground complex and its facilities.
• The Old Wizard warned the wizards they could still withdraw, then instructed them to carry their tablets and read them when appropriate inside the darkness.
• Ruger and Green entered the darkness together, but Green disappeared as the procession dwindled.

Ruger entered a lifelike reconstruction of the Old Lunse Potion Shop and was drawn into memories of his life there. He fell asleep at the counter and woke to find old Lunse speaking to him, leaving Ruger facing a reunion with his uncle.

• Ruger found a miniature model of the potion shop and entered through its tiny front door.
• Ruger explored the shop, recognized its remembered details, and wondered who had created the scene and why.
• Ruger sat behind the counter and slipped into a cozy sleep despite sensing that the place was influencing him.
• Ruger woke to old Lunse tossing materials onto the counter and telling him to process them.
• Ruger called out to Lunse, who turned and looked at him with confusion.

Ruger used the two-colored stone tablet to investigate the traces in the potion shop, but realized he was chasing someone who was actively hiding or erasing them. He decided to immerse himself more fully in the situation and put down the tablet, believing it was what had led the Regretful Ones into greater danger and kept them connected to the old Wizards.

• Ruger cast the Divine Object Art on his two-colored stone tablet and searched the darkness for traces.
• He sensed a trace that seemed to evade him and concluded its owner was resisting the spell or erasing the traces as the tablet captured them.
• Ruger stopped chasing the trace and decided to trust the old Wizards' methods by engaging more fully with the situation.
• He picked up the Storage Pocket and considered leaving his tablet behind, reasoning that the tablets had led the Regretful Ones into the harder trial and might be keeping them connected to the Wizards.
• Ruger believed other Regretful Ones would reach similar conclusions and boldly put down their tablets.

Ruger carried the stone tablet inside his field guide and tried to experience its influence while processing potion ingredients at Old Lunse’s shop. He finished the work before realizing how deeply he had immersed himself, then waited for Old Lunse to return with dinner.

• Ruger secured the stone tablet inside his Magic Plant field guide and slung it across his body so he could keep it nearby without looking at it directly.
• Ruger went upstairs and carefully processed the ingredients Old Lunse had left for him, allowing memories and stray thoughts to occupy his mind.
• Ruger became absorbed in his work and finished all the ingredients before noticing that Old Lunse had left the shop.
• Ruger returned downstairs, waited for Old Lunse, and nearly forgot what he had been waiting for.
• Old Lunse returned delighted and announced that they could close early for a sumptuous dinner, while Ruger began closing the shop with the guide still slung over his shoulder.

After finding himself strangely confused, Ruger discovered a two-colored stone tablet hidden inside the illustrated guide Old Lunse had given him. He sat behind the counter and cast Divine Object Art on it while dinner was being prepared upstairs.

• Ruger closed the Old Lunse Potion Shop and picked up the illustrated guide after its strap broke.
• Ruger realized he had not meditated and planned to return to his attic before dinner.
• Ruger told Old Lunse that he felt lost, and Old Lunse urged him to trust his instincts.
• Ruger untied the string binding the guide and found a stone tablet hidden inside it.
• Ruger sat behind the counter and cast Divine Object Art on the two-colored stone tablet.

Ruger read a hidden pattern through the Two-Tone Slate, then emerged from the darkness exhausted and returned to his quarters to rest. Just as he fell asleep, an indistinct person appeared before him and watched him with keen interest.

• Ruger followed a fading trace and used the Two-Tone Slate to read an incomplete pattern concealed beneath a blaze of colors.
• Ruger completed the pattern, causing the slate to crack along its lines and the surroundings to change.
• An old Wizard praised Ruger, took the damaged slate, and promised to record his contribution and provide a new one later.
• Ruger left with Zhizhi, searched unsuccessfully for Lord Green, and returned to his quarters to sleep.
• As Ruger fell asleep, a person whose face he could not make out appeared before him and watched him.

Ruger endured another visit from the honored guest, whose gaze plunged him into a trance and left him exhausted. After sleeping for a long time, he found that the guest had left another first-ring spell on his Demon Hunter Wizard Badge, tailored to his needs but not quite what he wanted.

• Ruger wondered whether Soldrich might encounter the honored guest while exploring the darkness, but the guest's gaze soon overwhelmed him.
• Ruger met the guest's glittering eyes and experienced a wordless exchange beneath the gaze of a higher life-form.
• Ruger startled himself awake with a snore, fell onto the stone floor, and decided to remain still despite his exhaustion.
• Ruger fell asleep holding his Demon Hunter Wizard Badge and slept until hunger woke him.
• Ruger examined the badge and discovered that the guest had left another first-ring spell related to the Demon Heart, though it missed what he had actually wanted.

Ruger received the Inverted Cup spell, which shaped Demon Hearts into unstable wine cups and offered ideas related to his ambitions. After recovering and heading to eat in the Bedroom Space, he learned that Aisijin was staying in the Inn and would not come out.

• Ruger considered the Inverted Cup spell and how its techniques might help him pursue his vision.
• Ruger got up, opened a Spatial Gate to the Bedroom Space, and followed the smell of food toward his companions.
• Little Regna ran to Ruger and clung to him as Monster Wolf joined them.
• Ruger asked where Aisijin was, and Little Regna said Aisijin was staying in the Inn and would not come out.

Ruger learned that Aisijin had woken with a new tail and panicked, so her friends tried to coax her from her room with her favorite foods. Their plan left the hungry Aisijin tearful and drooling as she finally opened the door.

• Tuzel and the others prepared Aisijin’s favorite dishes to lure her out, while Ruger asked Little Regna what had happened.
• Little Regna secretly told Ruger that Aisijin had grown a tail and had spent much of her first day awake frightened by it.
• Ruger carried Little Regna toward the Inn and learned she had been awake for three days.
• Tuzel instructed the group to use food and a Miserly Spell to draw the hungry Aisijin from her room, while Serious Mouse fanned the smells through the door.
• Ruger’s stomach growled repeatedly as the group waited, and Aisijin finally pushed the door open, tearful and drooling with her long, scaly-looking tail visible.

Ruger and the others welcomed Aisijin back with a feast, and he tried to understand the strange dragonlike tail she had grown. Aisijin revealed that Little Regna had been guiding her through her dreams in the Castle, where the two had begun eating their way toward an exit.

• Ruger led everyone to the dining room, where they shared a lavish meal and welcomed Aisijin back.
• While eating beside Aisijin, Ruger sensed that her dragon bloodline had changed only slightly and studied her unusual tail.
• Ruger suspected Little Regna was connected to Aisijin's transformation, since she was the only unusual presence near her.
• Aisijin explained that Little Regna could enter her dreams and guide her through the vast Castle where she had been trapped while sleeping.
• Aisijin said Little Regna warned her about dangers in the Castle, and the two had started eating their way through it together.

Ruger concluded that Little Regna had helped Aisijin in her dream, but the vast Castle remained the true anomaly, shaped in part by Aisijin’s will. After Immanuel judged Aisijin’s new tail likely beneficial, Ruger suspected her faint nightmare power and dragon bloodline had triggered an unexpected transformation.

• Ruger realized Little Regna had guided Aisijin through the dream and acted as her guardian, while the Castle remained unexplained.
• Ruger examined Aisijin’s weak dragonkin aura and questioned whether her new tail was harmful.
• Immanuel judged the change likely beneficial and noted that many Hybrid Dragons remained unidentified.
• Ruger and Immanuel considered whether a Giant Dragon’s influence and nightmare power had affected Aisijin.
• Ruger connected Aisijin’s faint nightmare power and dragon bloodline to the Castle, then recognized she might have gained new power without realizing it.

Ruger learned that Aisijin had awakened and was adjusting to her new tail, then noticed that the intervals between his mysterious guest’s visits were growing shorter. Back in the Blue-Gray Bedroom, he planned to study the Inverted Cup spell while awaiting the Old Wizard’s summons, but someone knocked at the Stone Door.

• Tuzel explained that a Wizard had received dragon tails as greeting gifts from Giant Dragon friends, and Ruger asked Big Silly Hum how much time had passed.
• Ruger recorded his honored guest’s latest visit and saw that the intervals between visits were getting shorter.
• Ruger’s companions celebrated Aisijin’s recovery while Little Fairy fell into Tuzel’s wineglass and he threatened to let her drown.
• Ruger returned to the Blue-Gray Bedroom, planned his recuperation and study of Inverted Cup, and heard someone knock at the Stone Door.

A silent, big-headed wizard apprentice visited Ruger and left him a box of potions before running away. Ruger discovered they were advanced hair-nourishing potions made by Master Malkin and suspected the visitor had not come to seek a teacher.

• Ruger expected Lord Green the Path Seeker or Soldrich to visit, but found a silent, big-headed wizard apprentice outside his door.
• The apprentice bowed and tried to raise a cloth-wrapped object overhead, then offered it to Ruger.
• Ruger asked whether the object was a gift and how the apprentice had found his lodgings, but the visitor only nodded and lowered his head.
• The apprentice set the wrapped object beside the doorway, bowed again, and ran off without speaking.
• Ruger opened the package and found three golden potions in a black wooden box.
• Ruger identified one bottle as an Advanced Hair Nourishing Potion made by Master Malkin.

Ruger examined a gift of Advanced Hair Nourishing Potion and set it aside before practicing spells and reading Master Benson’s book. As he became absorbed in his reading and stopped speaking Word of Flame, a gentle ripple began reverberating through the rooms.

• Ruger inspected the three bottles of Advanced Hair Nourishing Potion, decided he had no use for them, and stored the gift away.
• Ruger went to the spell practice area with the egg-shaped insect shell and summoned two Fur Hands to practice Fireball Spell while using Word of Flame.
• Ruger took out his Old Recliner and Master Benson’s book, then read while the Fur Hands practiced and adapted to casting Fireball Spell.
• Ruger reflected on preserving his vitality and continuing to progress, then became so absorbed in the book that he stopped speaking Word of Flame.
• A gentle ripple began reverberating through the rooms.

Ruger received Soldrich, who described the worsening pain caused by the Demon Wizard’s inspection. After learning that Soldrich had received no recent guidance or gifts, Ruger warned him to focus on improving himself because he believed Soldrich was nearing danger.

• Ruger opened his Stone Door and found Soldrich holding a coarse-cloth bundle left outside.
• Soldrich refused Ruger’s invitation inside and explained that the Demon Wizard had forced eye contact, causing intense, persistent pain.
• Ruger teased Soldrich about the Demon Wizard’s visits and asked whether he had received a gift from him.
• Soldrich said he had received guidance only during their first meeting, and Ruger considered whether the Demon Wizard’s gifts depended on his satisfaction.
• Ruger solemnly advised Soldrich to set other matters aside and devote more time to improving himself.
• Soldrich understood Ruger’s warning that he was near danger and bowed to thank him.

Ruger received another mysterious gift, a golden comb, but stored it without using it and turned his attention to learning Inverted Cup. The spell proved unexpectedly difficult, and he began to recognize the heights of its creator’s ability as he settled in for a longer study.

• Soldrich left Ruger’s residence still feeling unwell, and Ruger opened the bundle left at his door to find a golden magic comb.
• Ruger stored the comb with his previous gift and decided to focus on learning Inverted Cup and practicing sleep meditation.
• Ruger considered slowing his progress to test his suspicions about the gifts, but rejected the idea and began studying the spell.
• Ruger found Inverted Cup unusually difficult despite his Two-Ring Wizard mental power and reflected on how its creator’s skill exceeded ordinary understanding.
• Ruger accepted that mastering the spell would take time and planned to treat it like a relatively easy second-ring spell.

Ruger continued his enforced rest, meditated beneath the dream trees, and found that they seemed to be growing more vibrant. After entering the Bedroom Space, he followed music and food smells to find Immanuel, Serious Mouse, and others dancing and playing instruments.

• Ruger reflected on the gifts and benefits of having Soldrich as a taskmaster, then began sleep meditation beneath the right dream tree.
• Ruger noticed that the intertwined dream trees had grown and sensed a faint increase in their vitality after several days of meditation.
• Ruger checked the summons scroll and found that the corpulent old wizard had not summoned them yet.
• Ruger entered the Bedroom Space and followed the sound of music toward the unused grounds.
• Ruger found the lone hand playing an instrument, Fuzzies dancing, and Immanuel dancing with Serious Mouse.

Ruger joined Immanuel and their companions as they played newly made instruments, while learning that Immanuel had nearly disappeared before. The music stirred Ruger’s buried grief and worries, but left him with a sense that there was still a chance.

• Tuzel told Ruger that he had made instruments to keep Immanuel occupied after noticing that Immanuel had nearly disappeared.
• Tuzel said Immanuel did not seem to remember the incident, and Ruger approached his teacher with renewed concern.
• Immanuel invited Ruger to learn an instrument, then used his Mental Power to guide the group’s playing.
• The music brought Ruger’s memories of old Lunse, Jacksay, Burning Blood City, and the Endless Sea to the surface, though he felt there was still hope.
• Immanuel’s companions gradually joined Ruger’s playing until a growling stomach stopped the music.

Ruger enjoyed the music and meal with his companions while thinking about adapting Lord Benson's ideas for storing objects in scales. Immanuel gave him a familiar notebook containing a slip of paper, leaving Ruger to wonder what it held.

• Ruger finished his performance and accepted grilled meat and fish from Big Silly Hum and Aisijin.
• Serious Mouse and the others joined the cooking, while Tuzel and the strange hand adjusted a new instrument.
• Ruger watched Immanuel read the second volume of Lily and the Seven-Headed Demon Dragon's Eight Encounters, then reread Lord Benson's Reverie and considered simplifying its Scale-Modified Spatial Pocket ideas.
• After the meal preparations quieted, Immanuel remembered something and handed Ruger the question notebook that had once shattered.
• Ruger noticed a slip of paper in the notebook and raised his eyebrows.