Chapter Summaries

Wise met with Zhao, who had taken over Radiant Crystal Meike and sought help rescuing the employees trapped in the corrupted town. Belle’s moth-shaped medal impressed Zhao and could help bypass some rescue procedures, though Wise falsely claimed Mayor Meflor had given it to him.

• Ban Yue promised to help Wise and his companions punish evil, while Griseo declined to explain Yixuan’s business at Yunkui Mountain.
• Griseo asked Wise and Belle whether they had seen Ye Shunguang, but neither had.
• Belle gave Wise the moth-shaped medal Griseo had provided and said she and Griseo planned to enter Lemnian Hollow.
• Wise met Zhao, Mato, Ban Yue, and Lucia at the Tea Immortal, where Zhao explained that Radiant Crystal Meike employees had contacted Hollow Raiders and become trapped in the town.
• Lucia offered sketches of the missing people, but Zhao found them unusable, and Wise presented Belle’s medal instead.
• Zhao recognized the medal and said it could bypass some procedures; Wise falsely told her Mayor Meflor had given it to him.

Belle and Griseo investigated the Mine Ancient Array for clues about Ye Shunguang and encountered Liuyin fighting Praise Society members. They learned that Sarah was searching for an ancient array and continued the investigation with Liuyin.

• Griseo told Belle that Ye Shunguang and Ye Shiyuan had survived a Corruptive Breath outbreak in the mine ten years earlier, and Ban Yue had entrusted them to Yixuan.
• Belle and Griseo found Praise Society members summoning monsters near a Corruptive Breath node while Sacrificial Ghosts attacked a man from Radiant Crystal Meike.
• Liuyin defeated the Sacrificial Ghosts and knocked out the Praise Society members, then joined Belle and Griseo.
• Griseo used her [Discipline] Signet to make the Praise Society leader reveal that Sarah had sent them to search the area for an ancient array.
• The leader said Sarah had inherited Mei Ruolake's power and was also investigating Reverie Town, so Liuyin asked Belle and Griseo to continue searching with her.

Belle, Griseo, and Liuyin investigated the Mine Ancient Array, where a powerful source of Corruptive Breath overwhelmed Liuyin until Ye Shunguang arrived and rescued her. Ye Shunguang joined the group, but Griseo took the Azure Nether Sword Case, and Liuyin confronted Griseo for letting her fight alone.

• Griseo sensed a concentrated source of Corruptive Breath suppressed beneath the mine, and Liuyin attacked it to stop the Ethereals from appearing.
• A whisper and anguished voices struck Liuyin, leaving her unable to defend herself as the Ethereals closed in.
• Ye Shunguang arrived and destroyed the Ethereals with her sword, then excitedly learned that Belle was her junior sister and Wise was her junior brother.
• Ye Shunguang admitted she had secretly left Yunkui Mountain to visit her childhood home, and Griseo invited her to stay with the group.
• Griseo took the Azure Nether Sword Case and sent it away, astonishing Ye Shunguang.
• Liuyin accused Griseo of watching her fight for her life despite being powerful enough to control the Azure Nether Sword.

Griseo and her companions crossed the bridge into Ye Shunguang’s ruined childhood home, where they fought Ethereals and explored an abandoned playground. Griseo spoke privately with Liuyin about her ability to hear the dying and revealed she had investigated Liuyin long ago, leaving Liuyin startled by Qianjie’s appearance.

• Griseo destroyed the Corruptive Breath crystals at the bridge entrance, and Ye Shunguang recalled playing there with his brother before the disaster ten years earlier.
• Griseo noticed a floating boulder that might be what she was looking for, while Liuyin called the group to help fight Ethereals on the far bank.
• Liuyin and Ye Shunguang fought the Ethereals together, while Belle used the Perception Technique with Griseo’s guidance.
• Ye Shunguang asked to look around the abandoned playground, and Griseo took Liuyin aside to ask what she had heard there.
• Liuyin explained that her ability, Listening to the Dead, let her hear the dying inside Hollows, and Griseo said people might welcome death to free themselves or save someone they loved.
• Griseo admitted she had investigated Liuyin through Municipal Government records and summoned Qianjie, leaving Liuyin shocked as Griseo asked her to keep it secret.

Liuyin told Griseo how her childhood betrayal led her to trust only the dead, and explained how she turned her pain into compassion as a Black Branch Adjudicator. Griseo invited her to leave Black Branch, and Liuyin agreed to try while revealing that the ancient array was intended to help summon the First Lord.

• Liuyin recounted how Aunt Afang arranged for her to be sacrificed to the Hollows, where she awakened the ability to hear the dead and learned the residents had deceived her.
• Liuyin told Griseo that she used a cheerful customer-service persona to hide her pain and chose to bring warmth to her judgments by protecting people still willing to lie to her.
• Griseo asked Liuyin to leave Black Branch and offered to help her find a third reconstruction of meaning.
• Liuyin accepted Griseo's suggestion and shared that the ancient array absorbed ether energy and corruptive breath to prepare for the First Lord's arrival.
• Griseo connected the Mine Ancient Array to the Praise Society's plan, alongside the events in Reverie Town, to bring about the First Lord's arrival.

Belle helped Ye Shunguang recall his childhood at the mine while Griseo and Liuyin activated the ancient array. As the array unleashed Corruptive Breath and brought divine eyes into view, Liuyin saw Griseo summon Qianjie and Su to fight the Ethereals.

• Liuyin told Griseo she had originally planned to use the ancient array to put Ban Yue on trial for abandoning the mine’s residents during the disaster ten years earlier.
• Belle accompanied Ye Shunguang to his old home, where he remembered his father’s stories about the miners and Huiling Stone.
• An upheaval shook the mine, and Ye Shunguang and Belle saw Corruptive Breath surge from the ancient array.
• Ye Shunguang tried to break through the array’s defenses and reach Griseo and Liuyin, but his attack failed.
• After Griseo undid the seal, Ethereals poured from the array, and she summoned Qianjie and then Su to defeat them.
• Divine eyes appeared in the Corruptive Breath and opened in the sky, dispersing the fog and making the Ethereals tremble.

Griseo lured Primus’s consciousness into the ancient formation, then faced the god as it possessed Sobek and manifested eight dragon-shaped Ethereals above Lemnian Hollow. The chapter ended with Ye Shunguang recognizing the Eightfold Heavenly Dragons from Yunkui Mountain’s highest-level techniques.

• Griseo used The Stars Signet to gather the foul energy and recited a Praise Society prayer, drawing Primus’s consciousness into the formation.
• Primus recognized Griseo, and the ancient formation exploded, releasing Sobek with a wisp of Primus’s consciousness attached.
• Ye Shunguang shielded Belle and Liuyin as Sobek’s power surged, while Griseo used the [Wisdom] Signet to suppress it.
• Griseo expanded her domain and challenged Primus to descend fully, helping it overcome the rules limiting its presence.
• Primus manifested eight dragon-shaped Ethereals above Lemnian Hollow, and Ye Shunguang identified them as the Eightfold Heavenly Dragons.

[Primus] descended on Lemnian Hollow and attacked Griseo with eight dragon-shaped Ethereals, but Hua wielded the Azure Nether Sword and fought them with Taixu Swordsmanship. After Hua proved stronger and began destroying the dragons, [Primus] tried to retreat, and Hua moved to stop it.

• [Primus] sealed Lemnian Hollow and sent Sobek and eight dragon-shaped Ethereals to attack Griseo.
• Belle told Ye Shunguang and Liuyin that Griseo could face the First Lord, and Griseo urged Ye Shunguang to learn from Hua's Taixu Swordsmanship.
• Griseo summoned Hua and the Azure Nether Sword, which Hua took up to confront the dragons.
• Hua cut down one dragon, but it regenerated and the remaining dragons pressed their attack.
• Hua used Taixu Swordsmanship and Inch Force to destroy several dragons while the Signets of [The Stars] and [Wisdom] supported her.
• [Primus] tried to withdraw as its remaining dragons fled, but Hua charged after them and declared that it would not escape.

Hua defeated the five Dragon Ethereals with Taixu Sword God while Griseo protected Belle and Ye Shunguang from Sobek. The First Lord’s fleeing consciousness was destroyed by Hua and Griseo, though Sobek’s massive body remained on the battlefield.

• Hua used Taixu Soul Essence and the Azure Nether Sword to overpower the five Dragon Ethereals as Griseo explained the sword intent to Ye Shunguang.
• Hua invoked Taixu Sword God and annihilated the Dragon Ethereals.
• Sobek attacked Belle and Ye Shunguang with Corruptive Breath, but Griseo cut through the mist and revealed her grown-up appearance.
• Griseo confronted Sobek while Hua prepared to strike, and the First Lord’s consciousness fled toward the white light formation.
• Hua and Griseo pursued the fleeing consciousness and ground it into nothingness.

Griseo gave Belle a way to draw on Ether Energy and grow stronger after Ye Shunguang and Liuyin defeated Sobek. Meanwhile, Mato faced and defeated his Drowned Thinker counterpart in Reverie Town, then headed for the chapel.

• As Hua faded, she handed the Azure Nether Sword to Griseo, who returned to her child form and continued suppressing the blade and its backlash.
• Griseo told Belle that Wise held more power from [Primus] and that Authority alone was not enough, then channeled stored Ether Energy into Belle.
• With Liuyin's support, Ye Shunguang killed the weakened Sobek with one strike.
• Mato sent Wise, Lucia, and Master Ban Yue to pursue Moss while he stayed behind to fight Drowned Thinker Mato.
• After Drowned Thinker Mato taunted him for relying on his companions, Mato fought back and defeated him, affirming that his companions were not burdens.
• Drowned Thinker Mato accepted his defeat and dissolved into light, and Mato walked toward the chapel.

Wise and his companions fought Moss and the Reverie Town residents to destroy the Cocoon and free the trapped sleepers. Mato activated the damaged device despite being burned, dissolving the Dreamscape and its inhabitants, while Yidhari’s oppressive burden began to fade.

• Moss ordered the residents to defend their Cocoon, and Yidhari and Lucia quickly suppressed their poorly trained attackers.
• Wise tried to activate the TOPS device, but Moss shot it and damaged it before it could work.
• Mato picked up the sparking device and activated it despite the electricity burning his arm.
• The Cocoon dissolved, releasing the trapped people as Moss and the other Reverie Dwellers vanished into Ether Particles.
• Wise and his companions confirmed that the sleepers had not become Ethereals, and Yidhari felt the darkness within her begin to fade.

Wise, Lucia, Mato, and Yidhari followed an Ether Rift to the abandoned experimental grounds of Zenis Space City, where Little Lucia challenged them to hide-and-seek. As Yidhari uncovered memories of Defense Force soldiers, Lucia recognized them and grew visibly shaken.

• Ban Yue arrived at the auditorium with a rescue team and told Wise that Zhao had gone through an Ether Rift to pursue another task.
• Wise, Lucia, Mato, and Yidhari crossed the rift and learned from Fairy that they were in Zenis Space City's abandoned experimental grounds.
• Little Lucia appeared and explained that she had survived by winning a game of hide-and-seek, while the other Reverie Dwellers had returned to the Ether Sea.
• Little Lucia invited the group to play hide-and-seek and vanished after promising to explain why she called the Wandering Hunter her dad.
• Yidhari led the group through memories of Defense Force soldiers, and Lucia recognized them before hurrying after Little Lucia's song.

Lucia learned that Little Lucia was the Reverie Dweller formed from her father’s final wish to finish their unfinished game of hide-and-seek. Lucia and her father began one last game together as they prepared to say goodbye.

• Yidhari’s abilities began fading, and Fairy could not contact Griseo or Belle after a surge of Corruptive Breath at the former mining site.
• Little Lucia rejected Lucia’s offer of friendship and led the group to a plaza, where Lucia saw her speaking with her father.
• The past revealed that Lucia’s father became the Wandering Hunter after being corrupted while rescuing people at the Zeneshi Aerospace Test Site, and his final obsession created Little Lucia.
• Lucia understood that Little Lucia was her father’s dream and thanked Yidhari for showing her the truth.
• Lucia and Little Lucia agreed to play hide-and-seek one last time, and the Wandering Hunter emerged from the purple mist.

Lucia, Mato, Yidhari, and Wise fought the Wandering Hunter while Little Lucia turned their battle into a deadly game of hide-and-seek. Wise found her among the Hunter’s duplicates, but she began another round, and a golden speck of Ether light drifted from Wise as he used his power.

• The Wandering Hunter attacked Lucia, but Mato blocked its strike and Yidhari’s hammer blow cracked its Ether Crystal carapace.
• Yidhari realized the Wandering Hunter shared vision and strength with Little Lucia, then attacked her hiding place; the Hunter switched positions to protect her and sent Yidhari flying.
• Little Lucia made the Wandering Hunter vanish into the mist and reappear as several duplicates, punishing Yidhari when she guessed the wrong one.
• Wise used Yunkui Mountain’s Perception Technique to locate Little Lucia beneath a withered tree, allowing Mato and Yidhari to strike her hiding place.
• Little Lucia started another round of hide-and-seek, and a pale golden speck of Ether light floated from Wise as he used his power.

Lucia reunited with her father, the Wandering Hunter, only to watch him dissolve; Griseo then used Lucia’s picture book to let him leave her a final message. Griseo offered Lucia a trade involving a “father,” the rights to a story, and the Night Watchers’ Authority.

• Lucia, Yidhari, Mato, and Wise defeated the Wandering Hunter after repeated rounds of hide-and-seek.
• Lucia recognized the Wandering Hunter as her father and tearfully reached him, but he could not speak and began to dissolve.
• Griseo returned through an Ether Rift and used Lucia’s picture book to weave a story in which her father became a star and left her a final message.
• A tiny thread of light brushed Lucia’s forehead like her father’s touch before she joined her companions and continued onward.
• Griseo asked Lucia whether she wanted to trade a “father” for the rights to a story and the Night Watchers’ Authority.

Griseo explained that she could retrieve Lucia’s father’s soul from the Ether Sea, but doing so would require reclaiming the Night Demon’s Authority. She brought Lucia to meet Thornpear, who revealed that she was Anivia, the Night Demon, and Griseo offered to help her in exchange for a price.

• Griseo explained to Lucia that memories and souls returned to the Ether Sea and that she could retrieve Lucia’s father if Lucia’s people surrendered the Night Demon’s Authority.
• Griseo reminded Lucia of Thornpear and led her through an Ether Rift to find her.
• Griseo and Lucia appeared in an unknown region beyond the Black Wall, where Anivia greeted them.
• Anivia transformed into a Hati, and Lucia recognized her as Thornpear.
• Anivia revealed that she was also the Night Demon from the Night Watchers’ legends, and Griseo offered to help her for a price.

Griseo negotiated with Anivia to reclaim most of her Dreamscape authority while allowing her to remain as the Night Watchers’ guardian, and Anivia empowered Lucia’s staff. Griseo also restored Lucia’s father, then received a message that TOPS and the Municipal Government were waiting at Anywhere Observatory.

• Lucia learned that the Night Demon and Thornpear were avatars of Anivia, and that the Night Demon Curse was a gift and a test for the Night Watchers.
• Griseo offered Anivia a way to enter the waking world in exchange for part of her Dreamscape authority, and Anivia agreed to retain some power as the Night Watchers’ guardian.
• Anivia poured Ether energy into Lucia’s staff, and Griseo reforged it with Soulsteel into a stronger weapon.
• Griseo used the Signets of The Stars and Discipline to restore Lucia’s father, who woke and embraced his tearful daughter.
• Griseo received Belle’s message that TOPS and the Municipal Government had arrived at Anywhere Observatory.

Lucia took the narrator on a late-night adventure, turning a subway ride, a movie theater, and the streets into a fairy-tale journey. After saying goodbye, the narrator fell asleep, while the Night Demon Messenger watched over the room.

• Lucia led the narrator onto the last subway train, pretending it was a giant snake, and comforted them by sitting on their lap.
• Lucia and the narrator arrived at Lumina Square Station and headed to a theater she called Phantom of Time.
• Lucia asked the exhausted villager at the theater entrance for two tickets, and she and the narrator watched Journey to Wonderland.
• Lucia reframed cats fighting and a peace officer as sights from an unknown world and a night demon adventure.
• Lucia said goodbye after walking the narrator home, and the narrator fell asleep as the Night Demon Messenger wished them good night.

Hoshimi Soichiro visited Yunkui Mountain to question Griseo about her return, the Tail-less Demon Blade, and her plans, while Zhao arrived on behalf of TOPS to meet the person behind Liuyin’s resignation. Griseo remained in Weifei Land and left the Municipal Government with the offer to dissolve Lemnian Hollow if it doubted her Pact.

• Wise served Hoshimi Soichiro tea while Griseo listened to his questions about her return and future plans.
• Griseo confirmed she had Tailless and the Azure Nether Sword, and told Soichiro that Frozen Naraka had been given to the Hoshimi Family for Miyabi.
• Griseo said the mayor could be told she would dissolve Lemnian Hollow to reassure the Municipal Government about her Pact.
• Zhao visited Griseo on behalf of TOPS and revealed she had come to meet the person who caused Liuyin to resign.
• Liuyin joined Griseo after Zhao said she would hold on to Liuyin’s resignation and welcome her back if she changed her mind.

Griseo explained that she chose Yunkui Mountain and Weifei Land because their colors felt kinder and warmer. When Funeral Firecrackers announced a neighbor’s death, the community gathered to support his orphaned daughter, while Griseo watched and admitted she could not help everyone.

• Liuyin asked Griseo why she had chosen Yunkui Mountain, and Griseo said Yunkui Mountain and Weifei Land felt warmer and had kinder colors.
• Funeral Firecrackers sounded across Chenghui Plateau, and Griseo told Ye Shunguang that the reason for her question had arrived.
• Yuzuha recognized the firecrackers as coming from Uncle Li’s home and hurried there with Alice, her father, and Mato.
• Red Bean recognized the Funeral Firecrackers and led Tea Immortal’s employees to help, while Ye Shunguang sent Songtao and Wise to bring supplies.
• Songtao and the neighbors found Uncle Li’s grieving daughter, and Yuzuha held her as she cried.
• Liuyin asked Griseo to help the girl, but Griseo said she could not help everyone.