Chapter Summaries

Shirley learned that the child who arrived at her home might be Frank’s, and Frank rushed back to face the possibility. The family welcomed the news together, leaving Frank and Shirley embracing while Nick accepted Frank’s affection and promised to look after his little brother.

• Alvin opened a Space Gate to Nidavellir and called Frank after Shirley became attached to the child, Heborong, who had claimed to be Frank’s son.
• Frank insisted there had to be a misunderstanding, then hurried back after Alvin told him Shirley was already keeping the child.
• Ginny ran to Alvin, asked whether Shirley had a baby in her tummy, and excitedly promised to be a good big sister.
• Nick performed a ritual with a dragon tooth, blessed Shirley’s child as a boy named Mike, and promised to teach him how to survive in Hell’s Kitchen.
• Frank arrived, embraced Shirley, and told Nick that Mike was his little brother and that Nick had to take care of him.
• Alvin reassured Nick that Frank’s guilt came from loving him, and Nick agreed to try to behave until the flaming skeleton left.

Damon reunited with Mindy and told Alvin that he had learned to control the Spirit of Vengeance but still struggled with its hostility toward Hell’s Kitchen. He explained that he had to return to Kamar-Taj to defend it from Kaecilius’s rogue Mages, leaving Alvin suspicious about why the headquarters had been left undefended.

• Damon thanked Shirley and Frank for adopting Mindy, then told Alvin that he could control the Spirit of Vengeance but could not stop its hostility toward Mindy and Hell’s Kitchen.
• Mindy’s fairy shielded her from the Spirit of Vengeance, and Damon promised he might return to work at Alvin’s school after finishing his duties.
• Alvin urged Damon to judge good and evil for himself rather than rely on the Spirit of Vengeance’s instincts.
• Damon told Alvin that Kaecilius and rogue Mages had attacked the London Sanctum, while Mordo had taken the Mages away to hunt them down.
• Damon said he would return to Kamar-Taj after spending time with Mindy, and Alvin wondered why Mordo had left its headquarters undefended.

After Alvin’s forces defeated the Yayu in India, he returned Dr. Yinsen and the dragon’s corpse to the school, where students and reporters crowded the aftermath. Old Parker arrived with the infant Heborong and embraced the chance to raise him as part of his family.

• Alvin sent Frank back to Nidavellir, brought Dr. Yinsen and the dragon’s corpse to the school, and left the remaining Yayu for the Indian military to pursue.
• The Indian prime minister declared martial law, while U.S. fighter jets assisting the hunt destroyed two aircraft with their own missiles and Lockheed Martin struggled to recover the wreckage.
• Reporters swarmed the school, where a Mexican gang gunman claimed he protected the grounds and offered to share stolen dragon scales with a reporter.
• Students took pictures beside the dragon’s head while Winter Soldiers helped them pose and apply dragon blood.
• Old Parker returned with Heborong, introduced him to students as his child, and called his wife to share the news.

Alvin and Dr. Yinsen oversaw the processing of a slain Dragon while discussing new dragon-hide Combat Suits for the school. The evening ended with Alvin learning that Dr. Yinsen was dating Maya Hansen, who was being targeted over her Extremis Virus research.

• Alvin kept Little Ginny away from the Dragon's carcass while Shang-Chi and the security guards butchered it and collected its parts.
• Dr. Banner and Donatello restored energy to the Dragon's hide as Dr. Yinsen carefully separated it from the flesh for equipment research.
• Dr. Yinsen told Alvin he wanted to combine magical creature hides with his Combat Suit technology to strengthen the school's fighters and preserve the school's independence.
• Alvin asked Dr. Yinsen to make him a dragon-hide Combat Suit and teased him about finding a girlfriend.
• Fox revealed that Dr. Yinsen already had a girlfriend, and Dr. Banner identified her as Maya Hansen.
• Dr. Yinsen explained that someone was targeting Maya, so he planned to bring her to his place; Alvin agreed to help protect her and warned them about the Extremis Virus.

Alvin agreed to help Zhang Qiang fight the Yayu in Nepal and negotiated for AC-130 gunships to equip his pilots. After demanding a hundred, he secured fifteen AC-130Us from the U.S. military and prepared to pass coordinates to three Department of Defense pilots.

• Alvin agreed to send the Helicarrier to help Nepal fight the Yayu after Zhang Qiang challenged his pilots to a real exercise.
• Maria Hammer, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, argued that AC-130 gunships would be better suited than F-35s or Quinjets for fighting monsters.
• Alvin demanded a hundred AC-130s from Zhang Qiang, who instead pointed him toward the wreckage and data cores of two intelligent fighter jets.
• After Alvin contacted Lockheed Martin, a U.S. deputy secretary of defense offered fifteen undelivered AC-130Us in exchange for help recovering the crashed jets.
• Alvin accepted the AC-130Us and gave the Tyrannosaurus Rex coordinates to share with three Department of Defense pilots.
• Alvin joined Fox and the others in a Dongfeng Warrior and set off to look for yaks.

Alvin and his companions stopped on the Snow Region grassland, where the children played and a falcon impressed them with its hunt. A Tibetan girl named Aisopan arrived to guide them to a meal prepared by her father.

• Alvin stopped the cars so the group could rest, while Nick, Ginny, and Mindy bounced around and played on the grassland.
• Ginny approached a wild ass and its foal, then chased after them across the grass.
• Alvin relaxed with Fox and said Zhang Qiang had sent a guest to meet them.
• A falcon caught a hare and returned it to a rider, while Nick excitedly called the rider a Divine Condor Hero.
• Aisopan rode up, introduced herself, and invited Alvin and the others to eat the lamb her father had prepared.

Alvin and his group visited Aisopan’s home on the grassland, where a monster’s attack revealed that Wu Lie had brought them there because Old Gesang needed help. Wu Lie explained that powerful Water Monsters had escaped into the Snow Region after the upheaval in Kunlun, leaving Alvin to decide whether to intervene.

• Nick begged Aisopan to make him her student and become a Falcon Knight, but she said the Eagle God would choose its own partner.
• Alvin summoned a crow to entertain Ginny, but Nick dismissed it and insisted they find magnificent eagles instead.
• Fox drove Alvin and the others across the grassland to a lakeside felt tent, where Aisopan said they would stay for the night.
• When Ginny approached the lake, Alvin sensed something watching her and used the Golden Vine to drag a Catfish Monster ashore.
• A huge golden eagle attacked and killed the Catfish Monster as Wu Lie carried Ginny to safety.
• Wu Lie admitted he had brought Alvin to see Old Gesang, who was badly injured while hunting powerful Water Monsters that had escaped into the Snow Region.

Alvin learned that Old Gesang was dying because the Beast Bone powering his bond with the golden Divine Eagle had run out of energy. He offered to recharge it, and Aisopan revealed that the Eagle Pearl was tied to her bloodline as she asked him to save her grandfather.

• Old Gesang apologized to Alvin and invited the visitors inside, while Alvin asked Dr. Yinsen to examine him.
• Wu Lie told Alvin that Old Gesang and his Divine Eagle had protected the Snow Region’s waters, but Old Gesang’s Beast Bone was exhausted and his life was nearing its end.
• Alvin gave Wu Lie a Dragon Bone and said he might be able to recharge Old Gesang’s Beast Bone, though Wu Lie began shedding his hair after handling it.
• Aisopan overheard Alvin’s offer and begged him to save her grandfather, explaining that the Eagle Pearl was bound to her bloodline and she could not find another.
• Alvin promised Aisopan that he would try to save Old Gesang.

Old Gesang refused Alvin’s chance to save him, choosing instead to die and reunite with Jema as the Divine Eagle carried him away. Aisopan grieved but took up the Eagle God’s calling, while Alvin and Fox reflected on love, loss, and faith.

• Wu Lie told Alvin that Old Gesang considered his time to rest and wanted the Divine Eagle to take his body to the place where Jema waited.
• Alvin understood Old Gesang’s choice as the end of a life devoted to duty and the fulfillment of a long-held love.
• Wu Lie mourned that Old Gesang had had a chance to live, and Alvin said he might understand through his love for Lin Hai.
• Fox asked Alvin why Old Gesang had to die, and Alvin comforted her by suggesting that Jema might be waiting for him after death.
• The Divine Eagle carried Old Gesang’s body toward the Himalayas as Shang-Chi, the children, and others watched.
• Aisopan embraced little Ginny and sang to the departing Divine Eagle, asking to borrow its wings and go to her beloved.

After Old Gesang died and his Divine Eagle carried him away, Alvin chose to stay with the grieving Aisopan and help her. In the yurt, he and the children learned about Old Gesang’s heroic past, including how he and Wu Lie’s father killed a Hook Snake.

• Aisopan sang for Old Gesang, then accepted Alvin’s offer to stay and help her.
• Alvin invited the children into the yurt and offered to cook lamb while Aisopan recovered from her loss.
• Alvin examined the yurt’s heap embroideries and recognized that they honored Old Gesang’s monster-slaying deeds.
• Wu Lie explained that his father had helped Old Gesang kill a Hook Snake after serving as bait for it.
• Lin Hai translated Aisopan’s account of Old Gesang’s life as the children listened, and Jessica recorded the story on her phone.

Alvin prepared a layered milk-pail lamb feast while Shang-Chi, Wu Lie, and the children helped around the camp. After the meal’s aroma drew everyone over, Fox reassured Lin Hai that she had won Alvin’s love through luck and compatibility, not cooking.

• Aisopan cheered up as she taught the children to ride, while Alvin praised Little Ginny for getting back on her horse after falling.
• Alvin teased Wu Lie about Jess and Lin Hai, prompting Lin Hai’s horse to knock Wu Lie down and leaving Shang-Chi pleased.
• Alvin chopped and marinated lamb, started a lamb-and-radish soup, and had Wu Lie knead dough for flatbread.
• Shang-Chi and the children gathered pebbles, which Alvin heated and layered in a milk pail with lamb, vegetables, sauces, lobster, and abalone.
• Alvin turned Wu Lie’s failed dough into scallion pancakes, then opened the pail and released a fragrant cloud of steam.
• Fox tasted Lin Hai’s butter tea and told her that Alvin fell in love with her because they were thoughtful and compatible, and because she was lucky.

Aisopan welcomed Lama Sangji and the Falcon warriors, who came after the Divine Eagle signaled that Old Gesang had completed his mission. Alvin and his companions prepared food for the arrivals, while Aisopan told Sangji that her grandpa’s old friends would help deal with the monsters.

• Alvin served lamb to his family and guests as riders approached Aisopan’s camp.
• Aisopan dressed formally and waited by the lake while Alvin and his companions prepared more food for the newcomers.
• Lama Sangji arrived with Falcon warriors, and Aisopan learned that Old Gesang had completed his mission and was ready to rest.
• Aisopan told Sangji that Alvin and his companions would help defeat the monsters, declining the warriors’ help.
• Lama Sangji honored Old Gesang with a khata ritual at his tent, while Wu Lie greeted the lama warmly.

Alvin hosted Danzeng Nima and the visiting men at Old Gesang’s camp, turning an awkward meal into a lively drinking gathering. As he learned more about Danzeng Nima and Aisopan, Alvin realized his assumptions about people from the region had been mistaken.

• Aisopan welcomed the visiting Knights with khatas, but she and Lin Hai struggled to serve them a proper meal, so Alvin spread out food and invited them to share it.
• Danzeng Nima brought Highland Barley Wine and proposed drinking before eating, but Alvin insisted they enjoy both the wine and the meat.
• Alvin and the men downed bowls of wine together, and the gathering grew lively as some young men unloaded cases of Budweiser.
• Danzeng Nima revealed that he had studied at Peking University and owned a Dongfeng Warrior dealership, then joked about arranging schooling and university entry for his son.
• Alvin learned that Aisopan was studying International Relations at Renmin University and teased her about her family’s wealth and her grandfather’s trust in her.
• Alvin reflected on how easily he had accepted stereotypes about people from different regions.

During the feast, Alvin learned from Lama Sangji that Aisopan’s inheritance test would let her choose whether to take on Old Gesang’s legacy. The group planned to visit Divine Eagle Cliff the next morning, and Alvin also promised to help Aisopan avenge Old Gesang.

• Alvin let Little Ginny and Nick keep celebrating for forty more minutes before bedtime.
• Lama Sangji introduced himself as the Iron Staff Lama and explained his views on monastic life to Alvin.
• Sangji explained that Aisopan had to transform her falcon at Divine Eagle Cliff and defeat the other falcons to earn Old Gesang’s recognition.
• Alvin realized Old Gesang had designed the test to give Aisopan a chance to be freed from her inherited responsibilities if the Eagle God chose someone else.
• Sangji invited Alvin to witness the inheritance test at Divine Eagle Cliff the next morning.
• Alvin agreed to go with Aisopan to face the monsters that had injured Old Gesang and help her avenge him.

Alvin learned why the Falcon Knights had come seeking Aisopan’s family Inheritance and heard how Danzeng Nima’s family helped establish the Divine Eagle Alliance to protect the Snow Region’s water sources. The group prepared to visit Divine Eagle Cliff to hang prayer flags and choose a second-generation Divine Eagle Hero.

• Alvin let the Falcon Knights help clean up and asked Aisopan to prepare breakfast, teasing her about her cooking.
• The group dressed in Tibetan robes and got ready to visit Divine Eagle Cliff, where Sangji planned to hang prayer flags and choose a second-generation Divine Eagle Hero.
• Danzeng Nima explained that his Eagle Pearl had been passed down through his family and that Old Gesang had inspired his father to help protect the Snow Region’s water sources.
• Alvin examined Danzeng Nima’s bracelet and praised his father and Old Gesang for directing their power toward helping others.
• Danzeng Nima said the Divine Eagle Alliance had succeeded, and joked that most Falcon Knights had become millionaires.

Alvin agreed to stand by Aisopan during the formal Mountain Circumambulation and prayer-flag-hanging ceremony, helping her face the Divine Eagle Alliance’s unsettled succession. He rode with his family and the Falcon Knights toward Divine Eagle Cliff, leaving Aisopan free to make her own attempt despite the uncertain outcome.

• Danzeng Nima explained that Aisopan needed a respected man to support her during the traditionally male ceremony, and Alvin accepted her invitation.
• Alvin changed into a Tibetan robe and set off with Fox, little Ginny, Wu Lie, and the Falcon Knights.
• As the group crossed the grassland, Alvin and his family left Wu Lie’s slow-moving car and rode Dire Wolves alongside Aisopan.
• Alvin and Fox rode on either side of Aisopan, supporting her as the riders approached the stony desert and the mountain in the distance.
• Alvin realized that Aisopan needed the chance to try for herself, regardless of the result.

Alvin supported Aisopan as she performed a sacred mountain circumambulation at Eagle God Cliff, where his vines discovered a living core and the fossilized remains of an ancient Roc. Touching a coffin hidden in the Roc’s claw triggered a deadly force that left Alvin bleeding and fighting to survive.

• Alvin changed his attitude and supported Aisopan as she rode ahead, keeping the Falcon Knights from approaching her.
• At Old Gesang’s sacred mountain, Lama Sangji explained the circumambulation ritual while Aisopan burned cow dung and circled the mountain.
• Alvin sent the Corpse-Eater Vine and Golden Vine to investigate Eagle God Cliff, and they found an active core, expelled Eagle Pearls, and the Roc’s fossilized remains.
• The Golden Vine touched a coffin in the Roc’s claw, triggering a murderous force that shattered Dire Wolf and killed the Thorn Spirit while Alvin collapsed and bled from every pore.
• Fox kept the children away from Alvin, and Shang-Chi used Mountain Shaker’s power to hold back Jessica as Alvin took Purple Potion and called the Corpse-Eater Vine back to help him survive.

Alvin endured the giant’s lingering Resentment and witnessed the Roc’s memories, learning that ancient humans and Immortals had been caught in a game with no escape. The Resentment faded, leaving Alvin with a fragmentary Slaughter Rune as he recovered and considered what the Immortals had left behind.

• Alvin was nearly destroyed by the giant’s Resentment, which showed him the giant’s defiance and death alongside a grieving Roc.
• The Eagle Pearl projected the Roc’s memories, revealing that it had been saved by the giant and later witnessed the Immortals quell a world-shaking conflict.
• Alvin saw that the giant challenged the Immortals for answers, then sacrificed himself, while the Roc followed him into a doomed struggle against an unseen enemy.
• An Immortal returned the giant’s severed head to Shouyang, and the Roc’s final words described a game with no escape and asked someone to look toward the future.
• The Immortal’s sigh eased Alvin’s Resentment, and the Corpse-Eater Vine restored him enough to drink a Purple Potion.
• Alvin received a fragmentary Slaughter Rune and realized the Immortals had been human, with desires and choices of their own.

Alvin recovered from the giant’s lingering resentment and realized the dead warrior had been Xingtian, while the others struggled with fear and guilt over Alvin’s danger. The Eagle Pearl transformed the Slaughter character into a devastating energy that damaged Alvin and became a powerful battle axe.

• Alvin concluded that the giant had been Xingtian and that the ancient Immortals had sacrificed themselves to preserve humanity’s future.
• Fox apologized to Nick and little Ginny, while Nick reassured her and little Ginny broke down crying over Alvin.
• Shang-Chi comforted the unconscious Jessica, and Richard blamed Aisopan and Wu Lie for bringing Alvin into danger.
• Alvin recovered and reflected on how nearly being killed by the giant’s posthumous resentment had shaken his confidence.
• The Eagle Pearl’s energy branded a Swiftness rune in Alvin’s mind, then caused the unstable Slaughter character to shatter and send destructive energy through his body.
• Alvin forced the sharp energy into a battle axe, which became an astonishing weapon despite the Slaughter character being incomplete.

Alvin survived his encounter with the roc and gained Hero's Lament and the Swiftness rune, then reunited with his worried family. He rejected the suggestion that he choose the next Eagle God Knight and said he hoped Old Gesang's wishes would come true.

• Alvin discovered Hero's Lament's immense power and level-40 Barbarian skills, tested a swing that split the air, then stored the axe away.
• Alvin examined the Swiftness rune on the Eagle Pearl and assured his family he was safe.
• Ginny rushed into Alvin's arms, and Fox kissed him and confessed how frightened she had been; Alvin reassured them and joked with his family.
• Alvin treated Shang-Chi's injuries and praised him for protecting Jessica, then told him to rest.
• Alvin reassured Aisopan that the Divine Eagle and its legacy were real, and later told Lama Sangji he would not decide who became an Eagle God Knight.