Chapter Summaries

The Tarot Club learned that Edward had met the True Creator and was helping people in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, while Derrick sought a way to leave the City of Silver. Edward warned the group that an Angel had an avatar hidden in the City of Silver and began introducing the Kings of Angels.

• Derrick asked Mr. Fool about the figure that had clung to him, and Mr. Fool identified it as an Angel who was still alive.
• Derrick showed the Tarot Club a dead Worm of Time, and Mr. Fool said such worms were main ingredients for certain rituals.
• Edward revealed that an Angel serving the True Creator had taken him to meet the True Creator in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• Derrick explained that he had returned to the City of Silver with Lovia and agreed to ask her about healing Sealed Artifacts for Moon City's inhabitants.
• Edward told Derrick about Moon City and said he had spread Mr. Fool's name there, then revealed that an Angel's avatar had been hiding in the City of Silver.
• Edward began explaining Kings of Angels and prepared to introduce the Angel pursuing him.

Edward explained that Amon, a King of Angels, had an avatar hidden in the City of Silver, and Klein revealed that Amon had attacked him. The Tarot Club then exchanged Roselle's diary pages for protection and saved credit, leaving the members with new concerns about Amon and new information to pursue.

• Edward explained that Amon had replaced a former City of Silver exploration captain imprisoned in the Round Tower and warned that many avatars might be nearby.
• Edward described Amon's appearance to the World, who recognized him as the attacker who had tried to invade Klein's mind and reach the space above the gray fog.
• Klein said a mysterious hooded woman had made Amon retreat, and Edward revealed that Queen Mystic Bernadette had helped him escape an Amon avatar.
• Alger offered three pages of Roselle's Diary in exchange for one instance of protection from Mr. Fool's angel, and Mr. Fool agreed with a warning about its limits.
• Edward submitted two more diary pages and asked Mr. Fool to save the credit as before.

Klein read Roselle’s diary, including a clue about the Miracle Invoker ritual and a mysterious sighting of the Abyss, while Edward revealed that he had advanced to Sequence 5 and conducted transactions with Tarot Club members. The chapter ended with The World asking for news about the Human-Skin Shadow characteristic and Deep Sea Naga hair.

• Klein learned from Roselle’s diary that the Miracle Invoker ritual involved bringing a lost piece of history into the current era, and connected it to the people of the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• Klein read Roselle’s account of a voyage that led him to see the Abyss, but the next diary page had been forged and concealed what happened afterward.
• Audrey requested ingredients for her and Susie’s advancement, and Alger offered to search for them.
• Edward gave Alger the Wind-blessed formula and revealed that he had advanced to Sequence 5, surprising the Tarot Club members.
• Edward sold Fors the Astrologer formula, while reflecting that she might have missed meeting Lawrence.
• The World asked the Tarot Club whether anyone had news about the Human-Skin Shadow characteristic and Deep Sea Naga hair.

At the Tarot Club, Klein and the others traded for resources, discussed the corrupted City of Silver expedition members, and learned Edward could make spiritually restorative wine. The gathering ended with Klein commissioning the members to find or kill Ince Zangwill, who had reappeared in Backlund and attacked him.

• Derrick agreed to obtain a Human-Skin Shadow characteristic in exchange for the Solar High Priest formula, while Alger arranged to buy Deep Sea Naga hair from Klein.
• Fors reported that the missing maid was the wanted Beyonder Trissy, and Audrey paid her 1,000 pounds for the information.
• Audrey praised Klein’s Chosen for rescuing Capim’s victims and leaving Capim’s money behind, but Edward revealed that he had taken the money and offered half to the Chosen.
• Derrick asked how to identify City of Silver expedition members corrupted by the True Creator, and Klein offered to lend him an item containing the True Creator’s mental corruption.
• Edward described how his Beyonder characteristic could be converted into spiritually restorative wine, and the Tarot Club members considered its cost and usefulness.
• Klein commissioned the Tarot Club to find or kill Ince Zangwill, who had returned to Backlund and attacked him; Alger offered to investigate his whereabouts.

At the Tarot Club, Audrey revealed that the Psychology Alchemists had orchestrated simultaneous assassinations across Backlund and asked the others to uncover the truth and kill the person responsible. The discussion turned to the Great Smog, where Mr. Fool disclosed that the Loen Royal Family had caused the catastrophe to help someone advance to Sequence 0 as the Black Emperor.

• Klein asked where to find Beautiful Merpeople, and Alger pointed him toward reports near the Gargas Islands while Edward mentioned the Church of Evernight kept some.
• Audrey revealed that relatives, including her brother, had tried to assassinate nobles and officials across Backlund, and she suspected the Psychology Alchemists had used Spectator abilities to coordinate the attacks.
• Audrey offered fifty thousand pounds for confirming the Psychology Alchemists' role and one hundred thousand pounds for killing the order's leader, and the Tarot Club members agreed to investigate.
• Priscilla announced that she now led the Backlund Aurora Order after Mr. A disappeared and said Edward had helped resolve the three angelic evil spirits controlling her.
• Klein asked the club to discuss the Great Smog, and World said a High Sequence Demoness had caused it to digest her Potion while Audrey connected it to Prince Edessak's cult ritual.
• Mr. Fool revealed that the Loen Royal Family had been involved in the Great Smog to help someone become the Black Emperor, a Sequence 0 god.

Klein learned that the Loen royal family had planned the Great Smog to conceal human trafficking tied to an advancement ritual and to pursue cooperation with the Demoness Sect and True Creator. Edward tested whether he could bring Bernadette and Lilith out of the Forsaken Land through a sacrifice to Sefirah Castle, but both women were forced out of the suitcase while Edward was transported alone.

• Klein told the Tarot Club that the Loen royal family had trafficked people for an advancement ritual, and Edward said the royal family had intended the Great Smog to cover it up.
• Edward revealed that the royal family had also sought cooperation with the Demoness Sect and the True Creator, and Mr. Fool declared that the vile did not deserve to become gods.
• After the Tarot Club meeting, Edward prepared a sacrifice to Mr. Fool and put Bernadette and Lilith inside a suitcase to test whether they could leave the Forsaken Land.
• Klein drew the suitcases above the gray fog while Amon searched Moon City, noticed Lilith's presence, and found himself facing a crimson halo.
• Edward was sacrificed to Sefirah Castle alone as Bernadette and Lilith were expelled from the suitcase by an irresistible repulsive force.

Edward proposed that Bernadette must become a believer of Mr. Fool to leave the Forsaken Land of the Gods, and Klein agreed to let her pray despite his concerns about bringing a Sequence 3 above the gray fog. Edward’s divination appeared to succeed, but the coin gave a negative answer, leaving him to investigate what had happened with Lunatic on the Right.

• Edward reasoned that Sefirah Castle might reject people who had not been marked as members, and Bernadette agreed to pray to Mr. Fool.
• Edward visited Sefirah Castle and told Klein that prior membership might explain why sacrifices brought him there; Klein permitted Bernadette to pray while warning he might not be able to respond.
• Edward led Bernadette and Lilith in reciting the prayer to Mr. Fool, then divined whether Bernadette could be brought above the gray fog.
• Edward briefly saw Sefirah Castle during the divination, and the coin returned to his hand showing a negative answer.
• Edward used Lunatic on the Right, while Klein waited uneasily above the gray fog.

Klein brought Lilith and Bernadette into Sefirah Castle so they could be recognized for a coming sacrifice, despite worrying that his spirituality would not be enough. Lilith chose the Empress card and Bernadette chose Strength, and Edward learned that Bernadette had spoken with Mr. Fool.

• Klein brought Lilith above the gray fog, where she chose the Empress card and received its symbol on her chair.
• Klein struggled to bring Bernadette into Sefirah Castle as his spirituality rapidly dwindled.
• Bernadette used the Sage Diadem to divide her consciousness, stabilizing her presence in the palace.
• Bernadette asked Mr. Fool whether he knew her father, and Klein said he had awakened only recently.
• Bernadette chose the Strength card, and Klein ended their connection before planning to bring Edward and the others out of the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• Bernadette told Edward that the meeting was done and that Mr. Fool did not know her father.

Klein exhausted himself bringing the Suitcase Above the Gray Fog and bestowing it upon Audrey, then collapsed as the palace there fell apart. Edward was transported to the Giant King's Court, where he saw Sasrir and the First Blasphemy Slate before returning to the Suitcase with its formulas in his mind.

• Klein brought the Suitcase Above the Gray Fog, but the strain made his body break apart into worms as he pushed it through Audrey's prayer.
• Edward and Bernadette felt the Suitcase lurch violently, then found themselves in the Giant King's Court, while Lilith was with them inside the Suitcase.
• Edward approached Sasrir's throne and recognized the First Blasphemy Slate beside him.
• Sasrir opened his eyes and watched Edward, who froze before suddenly returning to the Suitcase with the Sequence 0 and Sequence 1 formulas in his mind.
• A hidden voice told Edward that obtaining the Blasphemy Slate would depend on what he did next, while Lilith vomited and Bernadette asked where they had arrived.
• Edward divined that they were in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

Edward returned from the Forsaken Land of the Gods and reunited with Audrey, who told him about the aftermath of the Hall Family crisis and growing political instability in Loen. Their conversation pointed toward an approaching war between Loen and Feysac, possibly tied to a royal attempt to become a Sequence 0 god.

• Edward left the suitcase, reunited with Audrey, and learned that Hibbert remained withdrawn while Earl Hall had become extremely cautious after the recent attacks.
• Edward examined the Resurrection Stone Ring and told Audrey that its resurrection ability was no longer available, though the ring still retained its usefulness.
• Audrey told Edward that the Psychology Alchemists might have been involved in assassinations and that Earl Hall feared Loen's political turmoil could spread to the military and invite a Feysac invasion.
• Edward recalled that a Feysac air raid would begin a war in about a year in the future he had seen, but suspected events were moving faster.
• Audrey asked whether the approaching war was connected to someone in Loen's royal family trying to advance to Sequence 0.

Edward told Audrey about his recent encounter with the True Creator and planned to seek Bernadette’s help to digest his potion before bringing her to find Emperor Roselle. Back in Backlund, Hibbert decided to become a Beyonder, while Fors and Xio argued over whether they needed to flee the city.

• Edward told Audrey that a King of Angels had targeted him after he borrowed a doll’s luck to save Earl Hall, and Audrey urged him to tell Bernadette the truth.
• Edward said he had prepared Audrey’s Sequence 4 characteristic and discussed asking Bernadette for help digesting the rest of his potion.
• Susie and Lilith went out together, and Hibbert arrived at the dining table after emerging from seclusion.
• Hibbert told Edward and Audrey he wanted to become a Beyonder and chose the Lawyer Pathway; Earl Hall welcomed Edward home when he returned.
• Fors urged Xio to leave Backlund because she believed the outskirts incident involved a god, but Xio said the Church had closed its investigation and pressed Fors about what she was hiding.

Edward sought Pallez's advice about an Amon Avatar trapped in the Box of the Great Old Ones, and Pallez urged him to take it to the Church. Edward then brought Bernadette the box and went to Saint Samuel Church to ask the Evernight Goddess for help, leaving his prayer unfinished.

• Fors decided to leave Backlund for Pritz Harbor with Xio, hoping Dorian had returned, and put off opening a letter.
• Leonard found Edward waiting in his home, where Edward told Pallez that he had captured an Amon Avatar in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
• Pallez advised Edward to hand the Sealed Artifact containing Amon over to the Church, and then ordered Leonard to go there immediately.
• Edward asked Phoenix to deliver Bernadette a letter about his plan, and she arrived with the Box of the Great Old Ones by noon.
• Edward went to Saint Samuel Church, learned Saint Anthony had left for the Church of Serenity, and prayed to the Evernight Goddess for help.

Edward learned that the Box of the Great Old Ones had been corrupted by the Cosmos and decided to leave it with Bernadette while he sought another solution. Christine, haunted by memories of her death, rowed toward a mist-shrouded island, while Lilith celebrated finishing her potion and prepared to advance to Sequence 7.

• Edward prayed to the Evernight Goddess about Amon in the Box of the Great Old Ones, but learned only that the box had been corrupted by the Cosmos; he resolved to leave it with Bernadette and seek a replacement.
• Christine told Edwina she would continue alone after finding the Sunken Laurel, an enormous key, and memories suggesting she had died years earlier.
• Edwina summoned Edward's messenger using the enormous key as payment for the Golden Dream's help.
• Christine rowed through the reefs until mist revealed a gigantic island ahead.
• Edward returned home and learned Lilith had finished digesting her Instigator potion and was ready to advance to Sequence 7.
• Krismona visited Lilith to say she was leaving Backlund to care for her awakened mother, and Audrey warned Edward that he spoiled Lilith and made her too trusting.

Edward prepared the Sequence 7 Witch potion for Lilith, who transformed from a cat into a little girl after drinking it. She discovered her new abilities and began testing them, but Edward stopped her from trying a curse on his hair.

• Edward made the Witch potion from the Beyonder materials and gave it to Lilith.
• Lilith drank the potion, suffered painful changes, and emerged from the covers as a six- or seven-year-old girl.
• Edward wrapped Lilith in a dress and explained that she was now both human and cat, while she mourned losing her fur, tail, claws, and whiskers.
• Edward briefly turned Lilith back into a cat, then changed her into a girl again and encouraged her to adjust to both forms.
• Lilith sensed her new abilities, including invisibility, Black Flame, frost, substitutions, and Dark Magic using blood, flesh, and hair.
• Lilith plucked one of Edward's hairs to test a curse, but he stopped her and Audrey began explaining what curses meant.

Edward visited Edwina aboard the Golden Dream and explained the secrets of Groselle's Travels, then offered to share what he knew about the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Edwina agreed to investigate Edward's requests while he began teaching her about the place.

• Edward arrived on the Golden Dream and learned that Danitz had gone ashore to act as a Conspirer.
• Edward told Helene she could leave the ship when it next docked, though he advised that the Golden Dream was safer than most places at sea.
• Edward explained to Edwina that Groselle's Travels contained a world whose inhabitants could leave by completing the story with Groselle, but he would delay entering it because an Angel of the Spectator Pathway might have plans for the book.
• Edwina agreed to search Lenburg for information about the painting and the Edward Family's records concerning a Primitive Island, and asked Edward to teach her any knowledge he could offer.
• Edward offered information about the Forsaken Land of the Gods, revealing that he had just returned from there, and began explaining it to Edwina while the crew watched in astonishment.

Klein returned to Tingen as a Sequence 6 Faceless and revealed himself to Melissa, while Edward devised a way to digest his potion by sharing knowledge as he traveled among pirates. Edward planned to set out by sea, and the chapter ended with Lilith showing off her newfound ability to run and asking him to teach her to cook rat dishes.

• Klein returned to Tingen after advancing to Sequence 6 and decided that Benson and Melissa might be safer if they knew he was alive.
• Klein met Melissa outside their home on Daffodil Street and told her, "Melissa, I'm back."
• Edward noticed that sharing basic information about the Forsaken Land of the Gods had slightly digested his potion and considered how to spread such knowledge without making it common knowledge.
• Edwina advised Edward that pirates gathered at events and ports, and that a ship carrying valuable cargo could draw them out along its route.
• Edward told Audrey he would travel by sea from Pritz Harbor, changing ships along the way to wander and teach; Audrey said she might join him after her mother recovered.
• Lilith ran to Edward, boasted that she could now run, and asked him to teach her to cook rat dishes.

Edward visited Klein’s family in Tingen, where Klein revealed the Beyonder World to Benson and Melissa and explained why he no longer wanted to keep them ignorant of it. He left them confronting the danger that ordinary people faced from Beyonders.

• Edward accepted Klein’s dinner invitation and brought Audrey and Lilith to the Moretti family home.
• Benson struggled to believe Klein had returned from the dead, while Klein recognized Lilith and realized she had once been his cat.
• Edward gave Melissa fruit and pastries and gifted Benson a Hair Growth Agent.
• Klein demonstrated his supernatural abilities and explained the Beyonder World to Benson and Melissa.
• Klein described how a Beyonder had killed tens of thousands in the Great Smog Incident and asked how his siblings would survive a similar threat.

Klein helped Benson and Melissa become Beyonders, then prepared to leave for Pritz Harbor and go to sea with Edward. On the way, he told Audrey and Edward about his encounters with Amon and Ince Zangwill.

• Klein asked Edward to explain Potions, Pathways, and the Acting Method to Benson and Melissa.
• Melissa chose the Savant Pathway, while Benson chose the Warrior Pathway so he could protect his sister.
• Edward sold them formulas and ingredients for 1,300 pounds, and Melissa asked whether they could buy only the ingredients.
• With Audrey's help, Benson and Melissa drank their Potions and became a Warrior and a Savant, and Klein left them instructions for learning and contacting Edward.
• Klein said he planned to go to Pritz Harbor and travel out to sea, and Audrey suggested he go with Edward, who was also heading out for sea acting.
• Klein recounted how Amon had found him before Ince Zangwill attacked him, surprising Audrey.

Klein returned to Backlund, failed to find Fors, and answered Little Sun’s prayer for a Tarot Club meeting. Meanwhile, Edward took Audrey and Lilith to the beach, where Audrey kissed him and Edward asked her to be his girlfriend, leaving her stunned.

• Klein and Edward discussed Amon’s attack and Ince Zangwill’s possible return for revenge.
• Klein found Fors’s home empty, sent a letter to Mr. Azik, and was summoned Above the Gray Fog by Little Sun’s prayer.
• Edward returned to the villa with Audrey and Lilith, then took them through the Spirit World to a beach in Bayam.
• Audrey thanked Edward, kissed him, and embraced him at the beach.
• Edward asked Audrey to be his girlfriend, and Audrey called herself a fool.

Klein prepared to leave Priz Harbor under the identity Gehrman Sparrow, while Fors and Xio watched Dorian Gray’s house and Dorian secretly returned to keep watch on it. Edward met Klein and Lilith, discussed Faceless acting with him, and the group prepared to board the White Agate for their sea voyage.

• Klein sent Azik a letter about his recent experiences and asked whether residual mental corruption could be removed from solidified Beyonder characteristics.
• Fors and Xio returned to their inn after checking Dorian Gray’s home, while Dorian secretly rented the room opposite and watched his former house.
• Edward arrived with Lilith, and Klein told him to call him Gehrman Sparrow; Edward suggested Klein disguise himself as a woman to act as a Faceless.
• Edward revealed that Audrey had bought three tickets for the White Agate, which was due to depart at ten, and Klein agreed to head for the ship.