Chapter Summaries

Mulan faced a mysterious shadowy figure who claimed they were both seeds of light and that fate had brought him to Sorens City. As the figure’s darkness spread, Mulan resisted it with light, leaving the two forces locked in opposition while the surrounding battle stalled.

• Dark clouds covered Sorens City, and a mass of shadow in the sky formed into a black-robed figure with burning black flames.
• Mulan sensed that the figure was an extension of his own power, while the figure observed the battle and then recognized Mulan.
• The figure told Mulan that fate had revealed their futures and that he had come because Mulan might die, though he hoped they could join forces.
• Mulan reset his injured arm and challenged the figure, who warned that he could defeat Mulan while he was wounded.
• The figure spread darkness across the area, and Mulan countered with light, forming an island of brightness as the Twilight Brigade and others watched.

Mulan Jonester faced a mysterious figure who engulfed Sorens City in darkness and demanded that he join him, while Mulan staged a dramatic fight using light and shadow. The Avenger charged into the dark to save Mulan, crashing through several collapsing houses.

• The spreading darkness forced Sorens garrison troops, residents, spectators, and the Twilight Brigade to retreat from the battlefield.
• Two Twilight Brigade members dragged their disheveled companion from the basement just before the darkness reached them.
• Mulan Jonester refused the shadowy figure’s offer to become his companion, and the figure declared that Mulan had to leave the world.
• Mulan attacked with spears of light and gunfire as his radiant totem clashed with the figure’s dark manifestation.
• The Twilight Brigade watched the staged battle from the city’s edge and recognized Mulan as an heir of the Jonester family.
• The Avenger rushed into the darkness to save Mulan and crashed through several houses.

Mulan and Avenger escaped the shadowy figure’s attack on Sorens, while the Twilight Brigade retreated without returning to the Square Corner Tower. The city began recovering from the damage, and Mulan remained wary as the incident’s consequences for his strength and standing unfolded.

• Avenger slammed into the shadowy figure, giving Mulan a chance to break free and fire Light Spears at the dark claw pursuing him.
• Avenger carried Mulan away from the Square Corner Tower as Mulan fought off dark javelins with Light Spears.
• The shadowy figure warned Mulan that everyone would eventually have to choose, then faded as sunlight returned over Sorens.
• The Twilight Brigade’s leader decided the figure had been only a temporary portion of someone’s power and ordered the group to retreat.
• Mulan stayed on guard after the Brigade left and considered the city’s damage and the possible effects of the incident on his strength and standing.

Mulan finished his report on the Sorens City crisis and discussed Barton’s future with Matt before asking Matt to stay behind. Matt then heard uncanny voices revealing private memories, and discovered that the experience he thought had lasted an hour had taken only five minutes.

• Mulan completed a report for the Queen and Black Castle that recorded Matt’s contributions to stopping the terrorists.
• Mulan asked Matt to let Barton stay with him, and Matt gave Mulan a potion to stabilize Barton while promising to prepare a true transmutation.
• Mulan said he would help Barton become a real person if circumstances allowed and explained Dierjia’s rules for supernatural individuals to Matt and Chris.
• After the others left, Matt heard voices that sounded like his own and called out to Mulan when they began exposing his private memories.
• Mulan said Matt had waited only five minutes, though Matt’s pocket watch showed that the unsettling experience had seemed to last about an hour.

Matt sensed a terrifying power within Mulan Jonester and discussed with him whether supernatural power carried an inherent curse. Mulan confided his fear that the mysterious figure in the darkness foretold a disaster, while Matt privately feared Mulan was being corrupted and hesitated to warn him.

• Matt heard chaotic whispering and sensed an immense power within Mulan, then concealed what he had experienced.
• Mulan asked Matt how he understood power and the world, and Matt described power as bringing troubles like a curse attached to a wish.
• Mulan suggested that every supernatural path carried a curse and that the expanding mysterious world might bring one of its own.
• Matt speculated that the Otherworld might be a curse or one of its manifestations.
• Mulan told Matt that the dark figure's words troubled him and asked him to keep their conversation private.
• Matt reassured Mulan aloud but privately feared a dark force was affecting him and hesitated to warn him.

After Matt left, Mulan studied his ability to sense the Alchemist’s emotions and fell asleep while exploring the trait. Their shared dream revealed Mulan’s perceptions as voices of light and darkness, and Matt awoke shaken after experiencing it too.

• Mulan sensed Matt’s unease even after the Alchemist had left and wondered what his unusual perception meant.
• Mulan skipped dinner to focus on exploring his mental trait before the opportunity passed.
• Mulan dreamed of watching his conversation with Matt through both light and darkness, which argued over human nature and hope.
• Matt woke drenched in sweat after being drawn into the dream and hearing the voices of light and darkness.

Matt calmed himself after sharing a dangerous dream, while Mulan recorded his discovery that his existential force could exert a form of interference. Days later, Queen Nisheriel read Mulan’s report and ordered support for him in Sorens, while directing action against the Twilight Brigade.

• Matt restrained his curiosity about the dream’s darkness and light, used alchemical symbols to protect himself, and returned to sleep under an alchemical mark.
• Mulan realized that the mental trait he had sensed was a form of interference, then wrote notes exploring how existential force could alter other people.
• Several days later, Queen Nisheriel read Mulan’s urgent report and discussed the danger he had faced with her courtier.
• Nisheriel ordered a response against the Twilight Brigade and told her courtier to send someone to check on Mulan’s injuries in Sorens.

Mulan explained that his body was failing under the strain of powerful magic because his physical strength could not keep up with his will, and he needed to advance. He brought Farolynch to a dark, protected room and revealed a sunstone, leaving Farolynch facing a light he had long missed.

• The doctor examined Mulan and found that his shoulder wound had relapsed, possibly because of werewolf toxin and the strain of battle.
• Mulan told Farolynch that his mind outstripped his body, making powerful magic dangerous without a complete formative world.
• Mulan explained that true magic power came from the union of physical strength and mental will, and said that advancing was the best solution to his condition.
• Mulan told Farolynch that he trusted him and led him to a lead-sheathed room after dusk.
• Mulan opened a box in the dark room, revealing a brilliant sunstone that Farolynch had long missed.

Mulan used the Sunstone to enter a profound state of insight, causing its light to burn Farolynch and reveal the strength of Mulan’s formative world. Afterward, Mulan tried to help Farolynch recover by finding him a coffin, leaving him reluctantly resting in a filthy one.

• Mulan explained the Sunstone’s properties and gave half of it to Farolynch in exchange for another favor.
• Mulan touched the Sunstone and recited an oath that made its light blaze like the sun as his consciousness entered a lucid, visionary state.
• The Sunstone’s radiance burned Farolynch and scorched his clothes, but he stayed quiet so he would not interrupt Mulan.
• Mulan realized the Sunstone’s reaction showed his formative world could achieve a breakthrough and helped the injured Farolynch find somewhere to rest.
• Mulan shoved Farolynch into a filthy coffin and shut the lid, while Farolynch soon found that resting inside felt good despite the stench.

Mulan taught Farolynch about the Resurrector Path before leaving Sorens for Digo, entrusting him with the Book of Dawn. At the railway station, Moor and Handel arrived in the snow and hurried away to find food and shelter.

• Mulan spent six days teaching Farolynch the basics and risks of the Resurrector Path, while recording his knowledge in a notebook.
• Mulan told Farolynch he had to return to Digo at the Queen's request and gave him the Book of Dawn to hide and protect.
• Mulan left Sorens by carriage as snow fell, while Farolynch watched from the doorway and bid him goodbye.
• Moor and Handel stepped off a crowded train at the snowy station, where Moor saw impoverished workers competing for unloading jobs.
• Handel led Moor away to find hot soup and settle him, intent on carrying out Mulan's instructions without error.

Handel and Moor reached a city near Bach's border and found lodging at a rough inn, where Moor's medical skills won over the hostile patrons. Moor decided to remain in the city and await his students, while Handel agreed to stay for a few days before returning.

• Handel and Moor entered a crowded tavern and ordered food and wine after their exhausting journey.
• When Batty tried to knock Handel off his seat, Handel kept his balance and Batty fell, injuring his leg and ankle.
• Moor treated Batty's wounds, earning the patrons' respect and a discount on food and lodging.
• Handel and Moor decided to stay at the inn, and Moor told Handel he would remain in the city until his students arrived.
• Handel agreed to stay with Moor for a few days, while Moor reflected on his pursuit of truth before falling asleep.

Handel reflected on Moor’s selfless ideals, then dreamed of the suffering endured by miners, soldiers, and factory workers. He woke with a new understanding of why people like Moor fought for others, while Mulan’s power of resonance seemed to reach him from afar.

• Handel wondered why Moor knowingly pursued a dangerous cause despite having the qualities and prospects to live safely.
• On a distant train, Mulan used his power of resonance and sensed Handel’s presence and difficulties.
• Handel dreamed of exploitation and hardship, including deadly mine labor, soldiers denied anesthetics, and workers threatened with replacement by a steam engine.
• Handel woke shaken and recognized that Moor’s ideals could be the only hope for people trapped in misery.

Handel said goodbye to Moor in Doya City, leaving him money, books, and weapons before hurrying back to Digo. There, Mulan reported to Queen Nisheriel, who watched him leave and regretted that he had departed so abruptly.

• Handel told Moor that Doya City was safe for now, gave him money and books, and relayed Professor Jonester’s encouragement.
• Moor thanked Handel for protecting him and asked him to pass his regards to Mr. X.
• Handel left Moor a revolver and precious silver bullets, then departed for Digo.
• Mulan arrived in Digo and reported to Queen Nisheriel, who praised his progress and offered to help him obtain what he needed.
• Mulan left to prepare for his next steps, and Nisheriel thought that he had simply walked away.

Mulan returned to the Black Castle and learned from Professor Alopha that the wolf venom in his blood could neither harm nor transform him. After Handel returned, Mulan brewed the Radiant Potion, leaving the stabilizer ready.

• Mulan returned to the Black Castle and visited Professor Alopha to learn how the wolf venom was affecting his blood.
• Professor Alopha explained that Mulan's blood was unusually vital and resistant to the venom, which could not transform him even if Silver Mane tried.
• Mulan escaped Professor Alopha's attempt to collect more blood by using a spell to pass through the illusionary door.
• Mulan kept his return quiet and waited for Handel to come back before making the stabilizer.
• After checking that nothing was amiss with Handel, Mulan worked with him for several days and successfully brewed the Radiant Potion.

Mulan brewed a high-purity Radiant Potion and warned Handel that power gained before one’s existential force was ready could cause existence to collapse or mutate. He then told Glando that he had prepared to advance as a Radiant Knight and would rely on his will and conviction rather than additional rituals or offerings.

• Mulan used the Sunstone to complete a Radiant Potion, while Handel learned that supernatural power must be supported by a sufficiently strong existential force.
• Mulan warned Handel that using powerful potions or higher-level elements too soon could distort, replace, or collapse a person’s existence.
• Handel asked whether Mr. Moor’s resolve counted as existential force, and Mulan said a strong conviction could create an indestructible existence through will.
• Nisheriel asked Glando to find out why Mulan had not submitted his advancement requirements, and Glando visited him at the Black Castle.
• Mulan told Glando that he had made his preparations and would use the Radiant Potion but rely on his will and conviction instead of additional advancement rituals and offerings.

Mulan advanced to the Radiant Knight stage in the Black Castle, unleashing a powerful vision that frightened the witnesses. After the nobles recovered, Mulan turned his attention to seeing the Holy Relic.

• Mulan prepared a ritual array in the Black Castle while Glando, the Queen's aides, nobles, and Sebastina watched.
• Mulan drank the Radiant Potion and called upon the will of radiance, triggering a storm of light and visions of armies and war drums.
• Sebastina identified the repeated phrase as “warrior in radiance” in the Quinass Mystery Language Family as the nobles panicked and tried to flee.
• The nobles woke in the Black Castle infirmary, where Mulan apologized and Glando helped reassure them.
• Sebastina began searching reference materials, while Mulan focused on seeing the Holy Relic.

After Mulan Jonester’s advancement, Sebastina learned that the Quinas phrase “Warrior in Radiance” could mean “Apostle of the Fall.” Mulan crossed into the boundary between reality and the Otherworld, entered the Forbidden Door, and left after marking the Breath of the Sky as a relic he intended to claim and wondering how holy relics could be destroyed.

• Sebastina questioned a ghostly face in a Black Grimoire about the magical meaning of “Warrior in Radiance,” and it explained that the phrase could mean “Apostle of the Fall.”
• Sebastina concluded that Mulan might possess a special power connected to Quinas tradition and considered inviting him to join an excavation.
• Mulan crossed the boundary between reality and the Otherworld, becoming a complete Supernatural Being, then entered the castle with his Magic Department insignia.
• The golden serpent recognized Mulan’s badge and opened the Forbidden Door, allowing him to inspect its hall of relics and rare materials.
• Mulan focused his desire on the Breath of the Sky and left the Forbidden Door wondering how a holy relic could be destroyed.

Mulan searched the Black Castle’s library for ways to destroy holy relics, but found no accounts of one ever being damaged and worried that destroying one might draw the gods’ attention. He turned to the Dierjia Empire’s secret-realm knowledge and planned to make others believe a student had the potential to become a Secret Realm Weaver.

• Mulan borrowed more than a hundred books from the library and read restricted materials late into the night.
• Mulan found that holy relics had extraordinary durability and considered whether destroying one might attract the gods’ gaze, but decided not to let fear stop him.
• Mulan concluded that the Dierjia royal family might hold records or a Book of Esoteric Arts about Secret Realm Weavers and secret realms.
• Mulan decided he could gain access to secret-realm materials by convincing people that someone with the potential to become a Secret Realm Weaver had appeared.
• After returning home, Mulan prepared his lessons and added an analysis of the secret realm branch.

Mulan taught his students the principles of self-awakening and warned them that courage was essential to facing supernatural dangers. He used the Black Grimoire to expose the First Hall to the Otherworld, then vanished as monstrous shadows broke through and the students fled.

• Charkus asked how students could find themselves and what dangers came with awakening, and Hathaway explained the two principles of crises of the self.
• Mulan praised Hathaway, then told the class that courage was the first requirement for resisting terror and that he hoped they would awaken their gifts without potions or rituals.
• Mulan tapped Fang against the Black Grimoire, transforming the First Hall into a gray, decaying space where students felt the Otherworld pressing close.
• Mulan explained that the class stood at a fragile boundary between reality and the Otherworld as shadows gathered outside the windows.
• Mulan vanished after urging the students to rely on will, courage, and imagination, and the windows shattered as monstrous shadows lunged into the hall.
• The students fled through the doors, broken windows, and damaged walls.

Handel and the other students fled into the Otherworld, where fear and monsters threatened them at every turn. As students struggled to survive in a dead forest and a haunted swamp, Mulan watched over them and drove away a presence that tried to frighten him.

• Handel warned the students that monsters could not touch them immediately and urged them to hide together in small groups, then fled with Upton and their friends as others were caught.
• Handel led a group toward a strange current in the dead forest, but the haze quickly hid them from the students following behind.
• Hathaway and several senior girls entered a swamp, where Vina's rotting reflection dragged her underwater and corpse monsters gathered.
• Hathaway pulled Marlin away from the swamp, and two other girls escaped with them while Louise was left behind.
• Mulan watched the students from the castle roof and silenced a sinister presence that tried to frighten him.