Chapter Summaries

Klein and Neph discussed Amon’s theft of Kotar’s Miracle Invoker characteristic and what he might be planning, while Amon received the Crystal Heart from Adam and agreed to go somewhere on his behalf. Klein decided to visit Chernobyl, and Neph revealed that the City of Silver’s scripture had claimed Amon submitted to him.

• Kotar lost control of his marionettes when Amon intervened, then died beneath a lightning strike; an unseen hand took the Crystal Heart from his corpse.
• Neph confronted Amon’s avatar over the stolen Miracle Invoker characteristic, froze it into a Worm of Time, and seized it.
• Amon showed Adam the Crystal Heart, and Adam persuaded him to go in his place, prompting Amon to call him his half-mother.
• Klein and Neph considered how Amon had followed him and why he had taken Kotar’s characteristic, then Neph reclaimed the Book of Life and Death.
• Klein said he would visit Chernobyl, and Neph explained that the City of Silver’s scripture had declared Amon submitted to Klein.

Amon traded with the Eternal Blazing Sun for the painting and delivered it to Adam, while Klein explored the sealed building in Chernobyl. The chapter left Klein and Neph discussing how she might use objects from ancient history, with Neph revealing that she had promised Stiano Klein as a captive bride.

• Amon exchanged the painting for '0-13' with the Eternal Blazing Sun in Saint Viève Cathedral, then gave the painting to Adam in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• Adam explained why the Eternal Blazing Sun had agreed to the trade and told Amon he was the light when the apocalypse came.
• Neph led Klein to the ravine containing the sealed grayish-white building in Chernobyl, where Klein entered through its barrier and found an open iron door, black residue, and two strange firearms.
• Neph examined the firearms and realized she could retrieve both objects and knowledge from ancient history, but decided not to let Stiano find out.
• Neph told Klein she had promised Stiano that she would tie him up and send him over as Stiano's captive bride.

Klein and Neph explored an abandoned research institute, where Neph explained that the Chaos Sea was spreading inside the planet and that the starry sky was alive. They found an Amon avatar who revealed that his main body had been commissioned by one-half of their mother to take the Miracle Invoker characteristic, leaving Klein to suspect that Neph viewed their world as a painting.

• Klein and Neph entered the institute and discussed how the Chaos Sea had swallowed the oil and was contaminating the planet.
• Neph warned Klein that the stars were alive, and Klein used a translator to read the institute's Russian diary.
• Neph showed Klein her marked blank canvas and asked him to paint a stroke on it once he reached Sequence 2.
• Klein and Neph reached a light-devouring void, where a skeletal Amon emerged and quickly regained his flesh after Klein failed to kick him down.
• Amon admitted that he had entered the Chaos Sea and told Neph that his main body took the Miracle Invoker characteristic on commission from one-half of their mother.
• Above Sefirah Castle, Klein considered what Neph had said about the cosmos and wondered whether their world was a painting to her.

Neph explained to Klein the origins of the sefirot, the weakening barrier around Earth, and the dangers called the apocalypse. After hearing about the Outer Deities and the Original Creator’s possible awakening, Klein agreed to have his memories sealed until he advanced to angelhood.

• Klein asked Neph about the apocalypse, and she revealed that she was the Original Creator’s hippocampus and that Klein had inherited the corpse of one of his personas.
• Neph explained that the Original Creator split into six pieces, including Sefirah Castle and the Chaos Sea, while several sefirot had been taken from Outer Deities.
• Neph said the Son of Chaos entered Earth by faking his death and became the spirit of Sealed Artifact 0-05, the Magic Wishing Lamp.
• Neph told Klein that the barrier protecting Earth was weakening, that the true gods were guarding its cracks, and that Outer Deities were already infiltrating their power.
• Neph revealed that the Lord of Mysteries had sealed seven sefirot in the Western Continent and that a pillar’s power was needed to break the seal and resist the apocalypse.
• Klein asked Neph to seal his memories and arrange for them to return after he advanced to angelhood, and she promised to give him a zipper to open himself.

Neph summoned Nim and promised that Moon City's people would be brought outside and have their deformities repaired, then gave him a Sequence 4 Reader pathway formula and its main ingredient. Nim returned to Moon City with the promise and the Beyonder characteristic, and privately wondered what the title “True Creator” meant.

• Neph questioned Nim about how many people Gehrman Sparrow had treated, then promised to repair Moon City's residents' outward deformities on her next Winter Offering Day.
• Neph told Nim that Moon City's people should be outside by then, though correcting their deformities would not prevent the problem from appearing in their children.
• Neph gave Nim the Sequence 4 Prophecy-teller formula, the main ingredient, and Ouroboros's honorific name for help obtaining supplementary ingredients.
• Nim said corruption from eating monster corpses made further advancement too dangerous, and Neph sent him back to Moon City.
• Nim instructed someone to summon Narani, then wondered about the name True Creator and performed an old prayer gesture toward the absent sun.

Neph brought the Book of Life and Death to Adam, who explained that her advancement might be incomplete because she had never truly returned from her mother’s realm. He also revealed that he had named himself Adam after leaving the Chaos Sea, leaving Neph stunned by the apparent pattern of gods awakening in their own children’s bodies.

• Neph decided to ask the True Creator about the Book of Life and Death and the missing Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic.
• Neph visited Adam on the mountain, and he warned that holding the Uniqueness might be unsuitable for her.
• Adam described a Feynapotter military unit traveling through Intis toward Feysac under the pretext of escorting a royal scholar to the Far North.
• Adam questioned Neph about her era’s education and learned that she had advanced to Sequence 2 without ever truly leaving her mother’s realm.
• Adam explained that Neph’s mother had not acknowledged her as a Child of Winter, so Neph’s advancement ritual might remain incomplete.
• Adam revealed that he had called himself Adam after leaving the Chaos Sea, and Neph connected this to gods awakening in their own children’s bodies.

Neph received the Last Supper, a Sealed Artifact that could show her memories, and heard Colin Iliad’s report that the City of Silver had found a route to the sea but could not cross it. She promised help from another city and urged Colin to prepare to leave, while Klein continued searching the Forsaken Land of the Gods and Neph received another prayer.

• Adam gave Neph the Last Supper, a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact that could let her experience the Last Supper from his memories, and she handed the Book of Life and Death to the True Creator.
• Lovia reported to Colin Iliad that the City of Silver had found a route to the sea, but the water was illusory and caused anyone who entered it to disintegrate.
• Neph told Colin she could cross the sea but said the City of Silver should leave through the main entrance, then promised that an envoy and possibly a group of helpers would arrive.
• Colin told Waite Chirmont to prepare for advancement and ordered him to do so as soon as possible because the City of Silver might soon set out.
• Klein reflected that he had found no other living cities in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, then went to look around the City of Silver.
• Neph lifted her hand from the Last Supper and wondered who was praying to her, considering having Ace handle automated responses.

Neph helped Bernadette compile and revise stories about the Fool, then gave Klein the Sealed Artifact Last Supper and explained its dangers. As Klein neared the City of Silver, Neph asked him to warn its people about Moon City and wondered where her missing mother had been hiding.

• Neph questioned Bernadette about whether Cattleya had asked the Fool’s permission before sharing information, then helped revise the collected stories about him.
• Neph told Bernadette that the Fool knew about the embellished stories concerning the children and had permitted them to be spread.
• Neph gave Klein the Sealed Artifact Last Supper and explained that opening it would draw him into a historical banquet where the food also played a role.
• Klein asked Neph to help destroy the artifact, and Neph said she needed his prayer to enlist her mother’s help.
• Neph reminded Klein to warn the City of Silver about Moon City before its people had to be transported, then wondered aloud where her mother had hidden during her disappearance.

Klein, posing as Gehrman Sparrow and an Oracle, met Colin Iliad and urged the City of Silver to prepare for opening the door while explaining Moon City’s plight and request for refuge. Colin agreed to discuss the arrangements, and Klein’s Historical Projection went with him into the city while Klein and Neph remained in the Historical Void.

• Klein waited outside the City of Silver until Colin Iliad led Derrick and Lovia out to meet him.
• Klein introduced himself as Gehrman Sparrow and asked whether the City of Silver was ready to open the door, while Colin claimed they needed more time to prepare.
• Klein told Colin, Derrick, and Lovia that Moon City’s people had survived on monster flesh and that corruption had left their newborns abnormal.
• Klein explained that Bitter Winter had sent him to ask the City of Silver to take in Moon City’s residents so they could join the exploration party, and Colin agreed to discuss the details.
• Klein’s Historical Projection followed Colin into the city while Klein and Neph joked about food, Frank’s experiments, and the possibility of giving creations souls.

Klein visited the City of Silver with Neph, then wondered whether its people should leave the Forsaken Land of the Gods as the War of the Gods unfolded. Elsewhere, Emlyn learned he was twelfth in line for an Earl characteristic, while Alger accepted the Church of Storms’ offer to advance him to demigod and send him to the front.

• Klein argued with Neph about the monster-meat pancake prepared for his visit, then told Chief Colin Iliad that his projection could not eat and discussed the City of Silver’s plans with him.
• Neph offered to assess the situation outside the Forsaken Land of the Gods, and she observed the divided darkness and twilight above the battlefield while angels watched from both sides.
• Baron Cosmi told Emlyn that the Sanguine had no spare Earl characteristics and that Emlyn was twelfth in line for one.
• Jahn Kottman offered Alger the chance to advance to demigod and fight on the front lines, and Alger accepted.

Neph was dragged through the earth and used to block the advancing Eternal Darkness, while the Blond Priest and his inverted counterpart argued over the consequences of their plan. Elsewhere, Alger advanced to Sequence 4, and Enlake realized that a star was missing from the crimson starry sky.

• Darkness overtook the battlefield as the twilight and vegetation struggled against it in the Astral World, where three immense figures gathered and one called out to Lilith.
• Neph met Arianna, Sloka, and a military representative in the concealed darkness before vines seized her and dragged her out of the earth into the fading orange-red light.
• The Blond Priest admitted that he had used Neph as part of his plan, while his inverted counterpart objected and they discussed Medici and the consequences of their eventual merger.
• Alger prayed to Miss Pure White about obtaining a Cataclysmic Interrer characteristic after advancing to Sequence 4 through the Church of Storms.
• Enlake withdrew from Alger’s crimson star and noticed that one star was missing, prompting him to check the identities of the others.

Neph recovered her memories and sense of self inside the Pure White Space, then emerged into Feysac after the God of Combat fell. She told Enlake that the god had fallen and prepared to explain the path Adam had arranged for her.

• Neph recalled Genesis and the River of Eternal Darkness, recognized herself as Neph, and remembered her mother and little sister.
• Neph realized Eternal Winter's memories had been stripped of emotional influence, then angrily blamed Adam for the safeguard her mother had left behind.
• Neph returned to the Real World, encountered Suah in Feysac, and watched him flee from her.
• Neph saw darkness cover Feysac while crops grew rapidly after the God of Combat's fall, and she brought Enlake into the Pure White Space.
• Neph told Enlake that the God of Combat had fallen, learned Adam had said she had her own path to walk, and offered to explain what had happened.

Neph explained to Klein that Lilith had replaced Omebella with help from the Ancient Sun God, and that Adam was also part of him. As the war ended, Audrey learned that Loen had defeated Feysac, while Neph went to claim Arrodes as a congratulatory gift for the Fool.

• Neph told Klein that Omebella's remains were in the City of Silver and that Lilith had taken her place with the Ancient Sun God's help.
• Neph revealed that Adam was another part of the Ancient Sun God, and Klein concluded that Adam and the True Creator struggled for dominance but could cooperate.
• Klein told Neph that Alger had become a demigod through the Storm Church, and they speculated that he had benefited greatly from the war.
• Neph sent Klein back to the Real World and wondered whether Audrey would still reach the same realizations as before.
• Audrey learned from Earl Hall that Loen and Feynapotter had defeated Feysac, but she grew troubled when he described the hardship awaiting Feysac's people.
• Neph asked Archbishop Horamick Haydn for Arrodes as a congratulatory gift for the Fool, then told Ace to bring it to her once the matter was settled.

Neph considered how to advance without repeating Eternal Winter’s sacrificial rituals, while Klein prepared to enter the Giant King’s Court and arrived at Moon City to evacuate its people. The chapter left Nim startled by Klein’s unexpectedly early arrival, as Klein announced that the time to leave had come.

• Neph considered her potion’s seasonal snowmelt ingredients and weighed possible candidates for her Sequence 1 ritual, including Mr. Door, Amon, Zaratul, and the True Creator.
• Neph briefed Klein on dangers in the Giant King’s Court, gave him the Eye of God, and warned him to keep Lovia away from the room where Sasrir slept and to seize the slate inside.
• Klein took the key to the Giant King’s Court and wondered who had arranged for it to reach him at such a convenient time.
• Klein returned to Moon City, where High Priest Nim welcomed him, and told Nim that he had come to take the people away.

Klein arranged for Moon City to send an advance party to the City of Silver, where Colin Iliad agreed to prepare for their departure after three days. Afterward, Klein pressed Neph to consider how she would resettle both cities’ populations in the outside world, and she wondered why he had faced fewer concerns when he brought people out before.

• Klein told Nim that a small, powerful advance party would open the sealed door before the rest of Moon City followed.
• Moon City's Lightning Priest chose to accompany Klein, leaving his successor Zaphir behind.
• Klein brought the advance party to the City of Silver, and Colin Iliad agreed to assemble the group in three days rather than require quarantine.
• The Lightning Priest asked whether people outside were as tall as Klein and the City of Silver's residents, and Klein tried to comfort Moon City's people with religious reassurance.
• Neph asked Klein why he had not considered so many resettlement problems when he had brought people out before, and Klein wondered whether she was referring to a book.

Klein joined an expedition from the City of Silver and Moon City toward the Giant King's Court, reflecting on whether his life had been written into history or myth. The team entered the twilight region near the Court, and Neph left Klein wondering whether she might use her mind-related authority to make people fanatical believers.

• Klein and Neph discussed his unease that his life seemed arranged in advance and whether the book describing it was a myth.
• Rumors about Klein, the outside world, and an exploration team spread through the City of Silver as preparations for the expedition continued.
• The team left the City of Silver, stopped at Afternoon Town, and Colin Iliad questioned Klein about the mushroom crops grown there.
• Colin led the City of Silver and Moon City team into the twilight region, where Derrick's Cross of Darkness changed and the group fought enormous decayed humanoid monsters.
• The team reached the Giant King's Court's core region, and Colin warned them of greater dangers ahead.
• Neph told Klein that the Seven Gods were merciful for not using their mind-related authority to create fanatical believers, then suggested she might do so herself.

Neph borrowed Arrodes while the Church of Steam and Machinery delayed approving its transfer, then decided to make Ais her messenger and possible holy emblem. At the Giant King's Court, Klein recommended that the Beyonders below Demigod level stop before the dangerous steps and Silver Knights.

• Neph watched the Church of Steam and Machinery renovate Saint Hylarn Church and learned that its Pope's approval was needed before Arrodes could be given to the Fool.
• Neph reasoned that the Pope was likely delayed by negotiations in Trier after the allied forces entered Intis.
• Neph collected Ais from Saint Hylarn Square and proposed making the pigeon her messenger, granting it authority to answer prayers and shaping its image through faith.
• Neph asked Ais whether it had ever questioned its past, then took it to watch events at the Giant King's Court.
• Klein and his companions reached the steps guarded by two Silver Knights, and Klein suggested that those below Demigod level retreat to camp.
• Link Iliad asked Derrick what he thought of Klein's proposal.

Derrick was ordered to return with the others while Colin Iliad led the exploration toward the Giant King's Court. After Klein captured one Silver Knight as a marionette and opened the Court's entrance, the group began clearing the Divine Kingdom Stairway as Klein prepared to use a key on the final door where Dark Angel Sasrir slept.

• Derrick argued that he and the others should probe the dangerous route, but Colin Iliad sent him back to protect the group and bring them safely to camp.
• Colin Iliad's team found their alternate path collapsed into dark clouds and turned back toward the main entrance.
• Klein used himself as bait while Reinette Tinekerr exposed and possessed a Silver Knight, allowing Klein to turn the guard into a marionette.
• Klein and the Silver Knight opened the Giant King's Court's main doors, revealing the stairway to the Giant King's residence.
• Colin Iliad and the others began breaking the guarded statues along the stairway while Klein took out the key for the final door where Dark Angel Sasrir slept.

Klein opened the door to the Giant King's residence and entered with Colin Iliad and the Iron-blooded Knight, where the darkness cut off his connection to the Historical Void. As strange changes spread across the world, the residence’s shadows began taking the explorers one by one.

• Klein used the Black Iron Key to open the door, but a black ocean attacked his marionette and caused him intense pain before ice and snow appeared and Colin Iliad cut apart the shadow that had stolen Klein’s own.
• Klein and Colin Iliad tested the corruption inside the residence, then Klein entered with the Star of the Wand after his Historical Projection lost contact with him.
• Neph learned the door had opened as orange-red twilight spread across the sky, while Edwina gave Danitz the Demoness of Despair potion formula and changes struck Trier, Lenburg, and Backlund.
• Inside the residence, Klein discovered he could no longer reach the Historical Void and found that the doorway behind them had vanished.
• A shadow enveloped a missing member of the group, then took Colin Iliad and Klein as Colin recognized it as an invitation.

Klein and his companions reached the throne room of the Giant King's Court, where the sleeping Dark Angel Sasrir sat before the door to the outside world. As Klein provoked Sasrir into speaking, he learned that the Primordial had awakened within the Ancient Sun God, and faced the reality that madness threatened even the highest beings.

• Klein saw Sasrir seated on the iron-black throne and suspected the first Blasphemy Slate was hidden behind his illusory wings.
• Colin Iliad and Klein agreed to explore the palace before waking Sasrir, and Klein approached the throne after finding the grayish-blue door to the outside world.
• Klein endured the palace's corruption and omniscience, and Sasrir's eyes detected the aura of Sefirah Castle and named people connected to Klein's fate, including Neph.
• Klein provoked Sasrir by asking whether the Primordial had deceived him, and Sasrir revealed that the Primordial had awakened within him.
• Sasrir explained that he had split off part of himself to control the chaos sea and resist corruption, but the Primordial had awakened anyway.
• Klein recalled Dunn Smith's warning about guardians fighting madness and accepted that he could not retreat from the dangers of the Beyonder path.