Chapter Summaries

Sovell fled the Royal Court after his father’s experiments drove him to slaughter innocents, then jumped from a cliff rather than return. Merlin rescued him in Avalon and revealed the history behind Britain’s kings and Sovell’s White Dragon bloodline.

• Sovell refused Sir Brian’s demand that he return to the Royal Court, accused his father of madness and betrayal, and jumped from a cliff.
• Merlin revealed that he had cushioned Sovell’s fall with flowers and introduced himself as the half-incubus Magus of Flowers in Avalon.
• Merlin recounted how he had prophesied Britain’s struggle against the Saxons after seeing the Red and White Dragons fight beneath Vortigern’s fortress.
• Merlin explained how Uther became king and how he and Merlin arranged for a child with mystery to be born from the Red Dragon’s bloodline.
• Merlin identified Sovell as Vortigern’s adopted son and the Son of the White Dragon.

Merlin recruited Sovell to become the Red Dragon’s trusted companion and began training him in controlling his dragon power and swordsmanship. After several hours of combat practice, Merlin summoned Lia and revealed that she would train with Sovell next.

• Merlin explained that he wanted Sovell to be the future Red Dragon’s friend and confidant, and Sovell accepted the deal.
• Merlin gave Sovell food and began teaching him to control his dragon scales without losing his enhanced strength.
• Sovell mastered that control in half a day, and Merlin decided to move up his plans for Sovell to meet Lia.
• Merlin trained Sovell in a dream, first sparring with him for several hours and then using magic to restore him.
• Merlin summoned Lia and thanked her for training with Kay.

Merlin began training Sovell alongside Artoria, then examined Sovell’s magic and discovered his jewel-ranked Mystic Eyes of Submergence. He warned Sovell that powerful people might try to steal his rare eyes if he used them too often.

• Merlin introduced Sovell as Artoria’s future retainer, and Artoria challenged him to a sword match.
• Artoria defeated Sovell in three exchanges, then invited him to train with her as a friend.
• After leaving the dream, Sovell asked Merlin to teach him magecraft, and Merlin identified his wind affinity and Construction Origin.
• Merlin helped Sovell awaken his jewel-ranked Mystic Eyes of Submergence and found they weakened anyone under his gaze.
• Sovell described the eyes’ powers, including reducing attributes and controlling or probing a target, while Merlin warned him to limit their use to avoid attracting those who might steal them.

Merlin explained Sovell’s wind attribute, construction Origin, Magic Circuits, and the principles of magecraft. He also described how his own flower Origin replaced his former elemental attribute, while Sovell learned that his half-dragon nature let him generate magical energy by breathing.

• Merlin told Sovell that his Innate Mystic Eyes were a one-generation mutation and reviewed his wind attribute, construction Origin, and 254 Magic Circuits.
• Merlin explained how mages used magical foundations and formulas to cast magecraft, and described the Holy Church’s worldwide foundation.
• Sovell deduced that a fairy in Avalon had taught Merlin and asked why Merlin used flowers to cast magecraft.
• Merlin said his flower Origin had replaced his five-element attribute and that he and his teacher had created the new flower-magecraft foundation.
• Merlin explained greater and lesser sources of magical energy and told Sovell that his half-dragon nature let him generate energy by breathing.
• Sovell reflected that he had only noticed Avalon’s motionless projected sun the day after arriving, when Merlin began teaching him.

Sovell recalled his father’s resistance to the Saxons and vowed to protect Britain before training with Artoria in Merlin’s dream. After their spar, Sovell questioned how Artoria would address Britain’s worsening problems, and she began explaining her only viable solution.

• Sovell remembered his father’s stand against the Saxons and promised to protect Britain and its people.
• Merlin had Sovell and Artoria spar using magical reinforcement, and Artoria defeated Sovell after he used Wind Lock to interrupt her attacks.
• Merlin praised their progress and left the dream, leaving Sovell and Artoria alone.
• Sovell asked Artoria how she planned to save Britain beyond drawing Caliburn and defeating Vortigern.
• Artoria considered the decline of Britain’s magic and harvests, then began describing the only viable way to address it.

Sovell and Artoria grew close through years of nightly meetings and sword practice, as Sovell trained to serve and protect her. With the Sword of Selection ceremony only three days away, the two promised to meet again before their dream ended.

• Sovell told Artoria he wanted to become strong enough to defeat his father and protect their country, and that he had promised Merlin to swear fealty to her.
• Sovell used magecraft to hide from Artoria in their dream, then gave her a rose made of wind and asked if she liked it.
• Artoria woke smiling from the dream, and Ector began her morning sword practice.
• Over eight years, Sovell and Artoria met nearly three thousand times and sparred more than twenty-six hundred times; Sovell gradually improved until he could win about half their bouts.
• Sovell defeated Artoria in their latest spar and promised to attend the Sword of Selection ceremony in three days, where Merlin would present Caliburn.
• Sovell and Merlin arranged for Artoria to sleep longer, and Sovell embraced her before their dream ended.

Merlin revealed that the Tower of Radiance was the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad, an anchor of the world, and helped Sovell make a weapon from its projection. Sovell left with a lance he could reshape into other weapons, including a longsword.

• Merlin took Sovell to the Tower of Radiance and explained that it was the manifestation of Rhongomyniad, an anchor securing the surface and reverse side of the world.
• Merlin said Sovell's wind attribute and Construction Origin made him better suited than Lia to wield the Holy Lance, then showed him the tower's storm barrier by having him punch it.
• Sovell constructed a pseudo-core from his magical energy, and Merlin used it to make the Holy Lance's projection solid and controllable by Sovell.
• Merlin healed Sovell and explained that seals would limit the lance's power, warning him to replenish them after use.
• Sovell discovered that he could reshape the Holy Lance into other weapons, and changed it into a longsword surrounded by a silver scabbard of solidified storm barrier.

Merlin gave Sovell the White Robe after he completed Rhongomyniad and Invisible Air, then sent him back to Britain with a warning about Morgan le Fay. In Orkney, Gawain led the defense against a magical-beast attack, but a sudden roar interrupted the battle as the beasts began to retreat.

• Sovell named his sword Rhongomyniad and its sheath Invisible Air, and Merlin gave him the White Robe as a sign that he had graduated.
• Merlin teleported Sovell toward Britain and warned him that Lia would draw the sword in three days and that he should beware Morgan le Fay.
• A messenger reported that magical beasts were advancing on Orkney's southern gate, and Gawain received permission from King Lot to lead the soldiers against them.
• Morgan supported Gawain's request and referred to the holy sword Carnwennan as Galatine, which she had given him as Vivian.
• Gawain rode Gringolet into battle and used Carnwennan's solar flames to burn the magical beasts, fighting on as his saintly blessing began to fade.
• As Gawain and the soldiers pushed the beasts back and anticipated victory, a sudden roar rang out.

Gawain recognized that a King Beast had lured his army into an ambush and ordered a retreat toward the royal capital. After his troops escaped at heavy cost and he rode for the city with Gringolet, an enormous claw erupted from the earth in his path.

• Gawain realized the demonic beasts had been retreating to draw his army toward a King Beast and ordered his soldiers to retreat.
• When the King Beast and its forces surrounded the army, Gawain rallied the soldiers into a shield formation and ordered a northward breakthrough.
• Sir Andrew led the survivors toward the royal capital while Gawain and his personal guards held off the King Beast; more than four hundred soldiers died during the escape.
• Gawain sounded the retreat with Aaron's horn, mounted Gringolet, and fought his way toward the city as Morgan and King Lot watched from the walls.
• As Gawain neared the royal capital, a huge claw burst from the ground and blocked Gringolet's path.

Sovell rescued Gawain from the Demon Rat and giant bear attacking Orkney City, then confronted the king beast himself. He bound the bear with amplified wind chains and prepared to kill it.

• Sovell intervened as Gawain was about to be killed, freed him from danger, and sent him back toward the city with Gringolet.
• Sovell recalled how he had reached Britain’s northern coast, discovered the battle near Orkney City, and recognized the Demon Beasts’ attempt to encircle Gawain’s army.
• Sovell cut off the Demon Rat’s head and offered the giant bear a chance to retreat, but the bear crushed the head and charged him.
• Sovell transformed Rhongomyniad into a staff and used a four-part incantation to bind the giant bear with powerful wind chains.
• Sovell released a Dragon Kind aura that frightened the surrounding Demon Beasts and weakened the giant bear, then declared that he would take its head.

Sovell, disguised as Stam Ambrosius, defeated a King Beast and accepted King Lot’s hospitality in Orkney City. After agreeing to a match with Gawain, Sovell left for his room, while King Lot explained to Gawain that their guest had deliberately sought an alliance.

• Sovell drove the Demon Beasts away, carried the giant bear’s corpse to Orkney City, and introduced himself to King Lot under a false name.
• King Lot offered Sovell lodging and a feast, and Sovell asked for the bear to be made into jerky for his journey south.
• At the banquet, Gawain thanked Sovell for saving him and invited him to a match the next morning; Sovell accepted.
• After Sovell went to his room, Gawain asked King Lot why he had allowed the challenge, and King Lot explained that Sovell had approached them seeking a connection.

Sovell’s surname led King Lot to suspect that he was connected to Merlin’s plan for Artoria, while Sovell privately resolved to build support for her and wondered why Morgan le Fay provoked such hostility in him. After meeting Gawain on the battlefield plain, Sovell admitted he would follow Artoria and wagered that Gawain would one day serve her too.

• King Lot deduced that Stam Ambrosius was likely Merlin’s agent, hoping to build goodwill with the future king who would draw the Sword of Selection.
• Sovell listened to King Lot and Gawain through the wind and reflected that he had independently come to befriend them for Artoria’s sake.
• Sovell recalled Merlin’s warning about Morgan le Fay and felt an unexplained urge to kill her, then strengthened his room’s barrier and went to sleep.
• King Lot rewarded the soldiers who fought the Demon Beast, aided the fallen soldiers’ families, and gave Sovell money for saving Gawain.
• Sovell and Gawain rode to the southern plain, where Sovell said he would follow Artoria and challenged Gawain to join him if he came to acknowledge her.

Sovell and Gawain fought a sword duel under Gawain’s threefold-strength blessing, each wielding a holy sword. After Sovell blasted Gawain away with Wind King’s Hammer, they prepared to decide the match with their ultimate attacks.

• Sovell agreed to grant Gawain one unrestricted request if he lost their bet, and they began their duel without Magecraft.
• Gawain struck first with Carnwennan, but Sovell redirected his blow and countered with Rhongomyniad.
• Gawain unleashed Carnwennan’s solar flames, while Sovell reinforced himself and wrapped Rhongomyniad in Invisible Air.
• Sovell matched Gawain’s strength with sharper swordsmanship, then compressed Invisible Air into Wind King’s Hammer and blasted Gawain away.
• Gawain summoned Carnwennan’s full solar power as Sovell raised Rhongomyniad in holy sword form, and both announced their ultimate attacks.

Sovell and Gawain survived their clash, swore to remember their wager, and parted as friends. After crossing into England, Sovell settled at an inn and continued deconstructing and adapting the fairies’ wind magecraft foundation to suit his half-dragon body.

• Sovell and Gawain emerged from their battle, praised each other’s strength, and sheathed their weapons.
• Sovell and Gawain swore matching oaths to remember their wager, then Sovell asked Gawain to keep his real name secret and gave him dried bear meat before departing.
• A golden-haired girl fed horses in a stable and told them about Kay being caught by girls again.
• Sovell crossed Hadrian’s Wall into England after killing Picts, demonic beasts, and foreign troops along the way.
• Sovell washed at an inn and worked on deconstructing the fairies’ wind magecraft foundation, modifying it for his half-human, half-dragon constitution.

Sovell used his origin of Construction to analyze and improve magecraft, then traveled south through the woods toward Wales. When a chained black dog fairy attacked him, he identified her as Barghest and prepared to fight.

• Merlin's lesson reminded Sovell that his origin of Construction let him understand and create things with exceptional ease.
• Sovell left the inn and continued south, using wind magecraft to travel through the cold woods.
• Sovell heard a bark and released a storm that blasted an unseen attacker into a tree.
• Sovell drew the Storm Holy Sword and formed a shield as the attacker pounced at him.
• Sovell recognized the horned, chained black puppy as Barghest, the fairy associated with death and misfortune.

Sovell healed an abandoned Barghest cub and took her along as his companion. He left the woods with Barghest as Artoria’s drawing of the Sword of Selection approached.

• Sovell discovered deep claw wounds on Barghest’s belly and healed her with magecraft.
• Sovell fed Barghest bear jerky, cleaned her fur, and invited her to travel with him; she agreed.
• Sovell tucked Barghest into his gorget and set off with Rhongomyniad, trying to keep her horns away from his hair.
• The Magus of Flowers watched Sovell through Clairvoyance and judged that Barghest could become a powerful companion with the right upbringing.

Sovell explained how foreign invasions and mystery dilution had hastened the decline of the Age of Gods in Britain as he and Barghest traveled toward Ector’s fief. After reaching the River Severn, he spotted another Saxon camp and prepared to attack its occupants.

• Sovell concealed Barghest and hurried toward the River Severn, aiming to reach the king-selection town before nightfall.
• As Sovell crossed into Wales, he reflected that Saxon invasions had spread knowledge of British mysteries and weakened them through mystery dilution.
• Sovell explained that Wales remained one of the last strongholds of the Age of Gods and that its abundant resources kept demonic beasts from frequently attacking humans.
• Sovell reached the River Severn before sunset and counted thirty-two foreign invaders in a nearby camp.
• Sovell concealed himself and Rhongomyniad, then recalled telling Artoria that invaders who trampled Britain should be prepared to die defending it.

Sovell Pendragon ambushed a Saxon patrol, but Alvis’s final words triggered Sovell’s dragon blood to run wild. Merlin arrived as Sovell’s transformation and uncontrolled magic began ravaging the forest.

• Sovell Pendragon killed the Saxon captain and used thirty wind arrows to kill the fleeing soldiers, trapping them behind a Wind Wall.
• Sovell spared Alvis to question him about the squad’s intelligence gathering, but Alvis panicked and called him a monster.
• Sovell’s dragon blood ran wild, covering him in scales and causing him to unleash a roar and destructive magic across the forest.
• Merlin arrived with Barghest and cast Untouchable Land of Fantasy (Bubble of Avalon) to intervene.

Merlin restrained Sovell after the boy’s dragon blood took over and turned Merlin’s mental landscape into a vision of the hell that haunted him. He suppressed Sovell with memories of Artoria, then returned to the forest and told him he had put a lock on him.

• Merlin trapped Sovell in his flower barrier and bound him with chains of petals.
• Sovell’s dragon blood overwhelmed Merlin’s Reality Marble, transforming him into a giant white dragon amid a vision of slaughter.
• Merlin covered the hellish landscape with lilies that resonated with Sovell’s memories of Artoria and bound the dragon until he returned to normal.
• Merlin cut the Reality Marble in two, sacrificing five years’ worth of stored dream-food to suppress Sovell’s draconic nature.
• Back in the forest, Barghest comforted Sovell, and Merlin scolded him before saying he had put a lock on him.

Sovell learned that Merlin’s seals had altered his Magecraft Image and left him unable to use human magecraft until he accepted his painful memories. He chose to keep those memories, and as night fell, he suspected Merlin had watched his rampage for amusement.

• Sovell recalled transforming into a White Dragon and asked Merlin whether his dragon blood had caused the lock.
• Merlin explained that the seals covered Sovell’s memories of Lia and had removed the human part of his Magecraft Image, preventing him from using magecraft.
• Merlin offered to erase the memories and create a gentler image, but Sovell refused because he considered them his responsibility and blood debt.
• Merlin explained that Sovell could still use his dragon-kind Magic Circuits for physical enhancement and Mana Burst.
• Sovell thanked Merlin but accused him of possibly watching from Avalon until the rampage threatened the nearby forest.
• Merlin denied the accusation as the sun set and the moon rose.