Chapter Summaries

After Qilingus was killed, Alger feared that a mysterious High-Sequence Beyonder had warned him for acting alone, while Azik retrieved Qilingus's Beyonder Characteristic from Edward. Edward obtained the Demoness Pathway formulas from Klein and prepared to act on his plan for Lilith.

• Alger escaped a mysterious man's attack and suspected the man was a Blessed warning him for concealing the island's secret and killing Qilingus alone.
• Audrey learned from Earl Hall that Qilingus had been killed by an unknown person, and she and her father silently acknowledged her involvement.
• Edward told Klein that Qilingus had lost his left hand and Beyonder Characteristic before Crestet Cesimir could pursue him, then admitted he had taken Creeping Hunger.
• Azik arrived and asked Edward to lend him Creeping Hunger to help recover his lost memories, and Edward agreed.
• Klein gave Edward the Demoness Pathway formulas, but Edward's offer of payment fell short of the formulas' value.
• Klein returned home to find Benson and Melissa waiting up for him, while Edward cleaned Lilith's paws and said it was time to act on his plan to make her an Assassin Potion.

Edward received the bounty for Qilingus, learned that the Goddess permitted him to use any means to protect himself, and spread word about Ince Zangwill and Sealed Artifact 0-08. He then arranged for a story to be published quickly, leaving the editor-in-chief intrigued by Lilith.

• Audrey read that Crestet Cesimir had killed Qilingus, and Earl Hall told her Duke Negan had given her a vacation estate worth fifteen thousand pounds.
• Edward prayed to the Goddess about protecting himself from Ince Zangwill, and received permission to use every means, though his request for direct intervention went unanswered.
• Anthony Stevenson gave Edward five thousand pounds and deposited another ten thousand, while Earl Hall's daughter received the remaining fifteen thousand.
• Edward told a clergyman at Saint Samuel Cathedral about Ince Zangwill and Sealed Artifact 0-08, spreading the secret through the cathedral.
• Edward spotted an advertisement for a Beyonder gathering and decided to pursue a Taunting Doll, then asked Steven Green to introduce him to a newspaper editor so he could publish a short story by the next morning.
• Steven brought Edward to the editor-in-chief, who watched Lilith drink Priscilla's juice and wrote notes about the clever cat.

Edward tried to expose Ince Zangwill by publishing a story about him, but the newspaper press broke down before it could print. He arranged publication and copies through Fors, left her a warning note, and attended the Eye of Wisdom’s gathering, where he negotiated for Black Snake’s Taunting Doll.

• Edward submitted a story exposing Ince Zangwill and the stolen Sealed Artifact Quill to the Tingen Honest People's Newspaper, but Ince caused the printing press to break down.
• Edward asked Fors to arrange a Backlund newspaper advertisement and print 3,000 copies of his story, and she secured a slot three days later.
• Edward gave Fors a folded note to open only if her life was in danger, and she put it away without reading it.
• Edward attended the Eye of Wisdom’s gathering, where the Fat Apothecary failed to sell his goods and Black Snake offered his Taunting Doll.
• Edward offered Black Snake 2,000 pounds for the Taunting Doll, which Black Snake claimed could affect even a Sequence 5.

Edward bought the Taunting Doll, obtained the ingredients for the Assassin formula, and publicized a leaflet about Ince Zangwill and the Quill across Tingen. Klein realized Edward was trying to expose the Sealed Artifact to the city, while Ince struggled to control the stories the Quill wrote and grew desperate.

• Edward bought Black Snake's Taunting Doll for 2,200 pounds and later tested it on Lilith, using Unrestrained to resist its taunt.
• Edward obtained all the ingredients for the Assassin formula at the gathering before it ended.
• Edward paid street children to distribute leaflets about Ince Zangwill and the Quill, then scattered thousands more across Tingen, especially near churches.
• Klein read a leaflet Rozanne brought back and deduced that Edward was trying to make the whole city learn about the Quill.
• Ince Zangwill tried to write stories involving Edward and other people but repeatedly crossed them out, then tore up his notebook in frustration.
• The Quill began writing that Ince Zangwill was getting desperate.

On the Crimson Full Moon, Edward heard Mr. Door’s ravings without suffering corruption and persuaded Lilith to drink the Assassin Potion, while Fors narrowly escaped her own ravings after reciting part of a prayer to the Fool. After a meteor destroyed the houses at 4, 5, and 6 Tulip Street, Edward realized Ince Zangwill had targeted him in retaliation for the leaflets.

• Edward heard Mr. Door repeatedly shout, “Don’t save me,” but suffered no pain or loss of control.
• Edward prepared the Assassin Potion and, after bribing Lilith with dried fish, got her to drink it without any immediate reaction.
• Fors endured the ravings, recited the first two lines of the Fool’s prayer, and worried that she had attracted the god’s attention.
• Klein responded to Fors’s prayer above the gray fog and recognized that she had called out to him.
• Lilith woke Edward by biting his ear, and he escaped with her just before a fireball destroyed three houses on Tulip Street.
• Edward concluded that Ince Zangwill had used the Quill to make a meteor fall in retaliation for Edward’s leaflets.

Edward and Klein investigated the meteorite that nearly killed Edward and learned that Steven Green and Priscilla had survived because Priscilla’s pendant summoned a protective skeleton. A diary found at Lanevus’s residence suggested the True Creator had written an entry about finding someone in Tingen, and Edward suspected that person was him.

• Ince Zangwill wrote that his meteorite attack would make Edward back down, while Edward discovered that a skeleton had protected Steven Green and Priscilla from the impact.
• At the hospital, Steven told Edward and Klein that his late wife had belonged to the Numinous Episcopate and had left Priscilla the pendant that protected them.
• Edward and Klein discussed Ince’s increasingly reckless attacks, and Leonard reported a carriage accident and a delay in the Holy Cathedral’s reinforcements.
• Leonard gave Klein Lanevus’s diary, whose entries described Lanevus’s loss of control and search for a key in Tingen.
• Edward identified the diary’s unusual entry as likely written by the True Creator and said its call to find someone might refer to him.

Edward pursued the Numinous Episcopate kidnappers to rescue Priscilla but was delayed by a dangerous Sealed Artifact and its summoned skeleton. Meanwhile, Klein and Leonard learned the Blackthorn Security Company was in danger and returned to find Mayor Dennis leaving Captain Dunn’s office in anger.

• Steven told Edward, Klein, and Leonard that the Numinous Episcopate had abducted Priscilla, and Edward left to pursue them while ordering the others to stay put.
• Klein divined that returning to the company was dangerous, then he and Leonard hurried there after concluding Captain Dunn and the others were in danger.
• Edward followed Priscilla’s shattered pendant to the city outskirts, where a skeletal figure attacked him with powerful abilities.
• Lilith interrupted the summoning by bringing Edward a bone, causing the skeletal figure to vanish; Edward defeated the remaining Numinous Episcopate members and continued toward Tingen.
• Klein and Leonard reached the Blackthorn Security Company as Mayor Dennis left Captain Dunn’s office angrily after asking about the Meteorite Fall Incident.

Klein warned Dunn and Leonard that Tingen City was in danger just as the supposedly dead Lanevus returned and demanded the key. Meanwhile, Edward interrupted the Numinous Episcopate's ritual to revive the God of Death through Priscilla, and Azik stopped her transformation before Edward could escape.

• Klein urged Dunn to evacuate everyone and retrieve the Sealed Artifacts, but Lanevus emerged from the mayor's carriage and demanded the key as the scene shattered under a godlike aura.
• Edward and Lilith tracked Priscilla to a forest, where the Numinous Episcopate performed a Spirit Dance around a coffin.
• Priscilla emerged from the coffin with illusory wings as the cultists proclaimed the God of Death had returned.
• Edward attacked the cultists with spells, and the Black-Robed Man summoned a gate that unleashed an army of undead.
• Edward burned the undead and damaged the Black-Robed Man, but Priscilla's scream caused feathers to grow from Edward and the cult leader.
• Azik appeared, stopped Priscilla's transformation, and caught her as she fell; Edward asked whether she was safe.

Edward found Klein and Dunn apparently dead at the ruined Blackthorn Security Company, stunned Leonard, and escaped with Azik. He then traveled back two hours with a Time-Turner and a Portkey, leaving Klein and Leonard on their way to the company as they learned Ince Zangwill's Quill threatened the Nighthawks.

• Azik rescued Priscilla from losing control, then received a message that Klein was in danger.
• Edward and Azik found Klein and Dunn apparently dead at the ruined Blackthorn Security Company, while Leonard was alive and grieving.
• Edward stunned Leonard, left with Azik, and searched the ruins for traces of Ince Zangwill before vanishing.
• Edward restored 5 Tulip Street, traveled to Backlund, and used a Time-Turner to go back two hours before Portkeying to Tingen.
• Klein showed Leonard the leaflet about Ince Zangwill and the Quill, and Pallez warned Leonard to flee Tingen.
• Leonard and Klein decided to return to the company and evacuate everyone.

Klein and the Nighthawks prepared to confront Lanevus after his attack on the Blackthorn Security Company, while Edward tracked down Ince Zangwill and attacked him. The chapter ended with Edward facing Ince as the Nighthawks remained in danger.

• Klein warned Captain Dunn that the company was in grave danger, and Dunn ordered an evacuation as Lanevus returned.
• Klein sent Azik a plea for help and used a Flaring Sun Charm against Lanevus, but Lanevus survived and Klein retreated toward the Chanis Gate.
• Dunn and Leonard returned with Sealed Artifacts, and Klein chose the Death Door and took Edward’s ancient key.
• Edward sent the Black Bird to watch over the company and then used its vision to locate Ince Zangwill.
• Ince wrote events into the Quill’s story, including that Klein would lure Lanevus through the Death Door, before Edward attacked him.
• Ince summoned undead and struck at Edward, who defended himself with black flames.

Edward fought Ince Zangwill with explosive magic and a lightning trap, but Ince escaped into the Spirit World after losing his quill-holding hand. Edward then returned to the Blackthorn Security Company, where he knocked Leonard unconscious and faced Dunn and Klein.

• Edward used Christine's notebook and a powerful explosion against Ince, then lured lightning down on him with Walkmans playing chants to Leodero.
• Ince escaped the lightning through the Spirit World and tried to rewrite events, but Edward's repeated Walkmans drew another strike that severed his right hand and quill.
• A Spirit World creature carried the quill to Backlund, where an unidentified woman picked it up.
• Edward's messenger rescued Dunn, Leonard, and Klein from the underground ruins and said Edward had gone after Ince Zangwill.
• Edward returned wearing Emlyn's face, stunned Leonard with Stupefy, and told Dunn and Klein it was really him.

Edward faked Klein and Dunn’s deaths after Lanevus was destroyed, then escaped toward Tingen. A Saint of the Aurora Order attacked him, but Mr. A intervened, giving Edward a chance to flee as they fought.

• Edward used the Walkmans to call down lightning that destroyed Lanevus and the True Creator’s divinity within him.
• Edward disguised two captured Numinous Episcopate members as Klein and Dunn, staged their deaths, and left Leonard unconscious beside the scene.
• Edward and Azik returned, and Leonard woke to find the apparent bodies of Klein and Dunn before Edward knocked him unconscious again.
• Edward fully digested the Trickmaster potion and realized he could advance to Sequence 7 Astrologer.
• A black-robed Aurora Order Saint stopped Edward’s Portkey and nearly killed him, but Mr. A rescued him and claimed the True Creator had ordered him to bring Edward back.
• Edward ran while Mr. A and the Saint began fighting.

Edward remained stranded in the Spirit World after Black Bird rescued him, while Audrey feared he was missing and learned from Mr. Fool that he was safe but unable to attend the Tarot Club. The chapter ended with Edward testing Ravenclaw's Diadem and Black Bird asking him for five sticks.

• Mr. A blocked Botis's attacks, and Black Bird dragged the wounded Edward into the Spirit World before Botis could finish him.
• Audrey worried over Edward's disappearance, then relaxed when Mr. Fool confirmed that Mr. Tower was safe but could not attend the gathering.
• Mr. Fool suggested that the Tarot Club use the sacrificial ritual Derrick had previously described to transfer Alger's materials to Audrey.
• Edward explored the silent Spirit World ruins, failed to reach Sefirah Castle, and learned that the Ravenclaw's Diadem had gained Beyonder abilities after absorbing a wisp of white fog.
• Edward tested the diadem's Quick Thinking ability and discovered that wearing it made him answer every question.
• Black Bird woke, explained that it had collapsed from exhaustion, and asked Edward for five sticks.

Edward returned from the Spirit World and reunited with Lilith, who had learned to speak and proved unexpectedly mischievous. He prayed to The Fool to explain his absence and report that the Aurora Order was pursuing him, while Klein listened Above the Gray Fog.

• Edward gave Black Bird two Phoenix Feather-core wands and promised to provide the remaining three, plus one extra, before it sent him back.
• Lilith greeted Edward after waiting five days, and he fed her and learned that Susie had taught her to talk.
• Lilith disrupted Edward's ritual preparations, then slipped out of the house and traveled by carriage and subway.
• Edward prayed to Mr. Fool, apologized for missing the Tarot Club gathering, and described being rescued by Mr. A after a Saint of the Aurora Order attacked him.
• Klein received Edward's prayer Above the Gray Fog and worried that Edward's dealings with Saints and the True Creator far exceeded his own circumstances.

Edward returned from the Spirit World and reunited with Audrey, who told him about her new Sequence and recent Tarot Club developments. After hearing about Edward’s dangerous encounters with the True Creator, they discussed how he could stay safe, and Edward prepared to trade for potion ingredients with Alger.

• Audrey secretly watched Susie teach Lilith to speak and learned that Susie had helped Lilith practice.
• Mr. Fool told Audrey that Mr. Tower had returned, and she hurried to visit Edward.
• Audrey emerged from Edward’s Leather Pouch, confirmed he was safe, and shared that she had become a Sequence 8 Telepathist while Susie had also advanced to Sequence 8.
• Edward told Audrey about his recent encounters in the Spirit World, including the True Creator’s descent, and worried that the True Creator could find him again.
• Audrey advised Edward that the True Creator might not see him unless Mr. A did, while Edward warned her not to trust an evil god’s apparent friendliness.
• Edward asked Audrey to stand watch while he took his potion, then prayed to Mr. Fool to arrange a trade with Alger, who was summoned from his ship.

Edward advanced to Sequence 7 and discovered that his Beyonder Pathway had become the unknown Mental Patient pathway, alongside his original Astrologer progression. The chapter left him wondering how to act as a Mental Patient without risking loss of control.

• Edward exchanged 450 Pounds with Alger for three potion materials through Mr. Fool.
• Edward drank the Sequence 7 potion and experienced a vision of a mysterious door as starlight flooded his mind.
• Edward learned that he had gained the Mental Patient abilities Astrology, Genius on the Left, Lunatic on the Right, and Delusion, which let him access the Sequence 6 Bookworm ability temporarily.
• Edward used Delusion to gain Bookworm Moth and realized it could let him absorb abilities from text imbued with Beyonder powers.
• Edward discovered that both his Astrologer and Mental Patient digestion progress were nearly halfway complete, and Audrey suggested acting as someone who shifted between genius and lunatic.

Edward tested his new divination ability and discovered that it could produce unpredictable consequences, while Audrey returned to her family and received a request to meet Princess Helena about mysticism. The chapter ended with Audrey wondering what awaited her on her third visit to another world.

• Lilith demonstrated that she could speak, and Edward explained that she had become a Sequence 9 Assassin on the Demoness pathway.
• Audrey agreed to return to Hogwarts with Edward, while he planned his next steps and tried divining whether a nearby shop had closed.
• Edward's attempt to make the shop's closure false caused it to open after a robbery, and he vanished when police arrived.
• At dinner, Hibbert and Earl Hall discussed jokes targeting the Hall Family and the growing political conflict between the New Party and the Conservative Party.
• Susie delivered Glaint's note to Audrey, and Glaint told her that Princess Helena wanted to meet about mysticism and was willing to pay.

Ikanser used Arrodes to investigate an ancient key and learned that its latest owner had vanished, while Edward and Audrey returned to Hogwarts with Lilith. They found Dumbledore absent from his office until Fawkes brought him back.

• Ikanser asked Arrodes who owned the key, and the mirror showed a young Abraham Family member losing control and dying after drinking a potion.
• Arrodes punished Ikanser for refusing to answer its question, then failed to locate the key’s last owner and reported that he had vanished.
• Edward returned to Hogwarts with Audrey and Lilith, noting that his next crossing would last thirty-three days.
• Lilith recognized Hogwarts and eagerly anticipated playing with Professor McGonagall in cat form.
• Edward and Audrey reached Dumbledore’s office, where Fawkes vanished as Edward approached before returning with Dumbledore.

Edward returned to Hogwarts with Audrey and discussed wandless magic and other forms of magic with Dumbledore. Umbridge replaced Lupin and revoked Edward and Audrey’s privileges, while Edward’s coin divination hinted at Voldemort’s presence before he offered Dumbledore a choice of pathways.

• Edward told Dumbledore that his Time-Turner had been destroyed and asked to learn wandless and nonverbal magic, and Dumbledore explained why wands made spellcasting easier.
• Umbridge arrived as Hogwarts’s new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, condemned Lupin’s appointment, and revoked Edward and Audrey’s privileges.
• Dumbledore explained that Lupin had left Hogwarts while searching for Peter Pettigrew, and Edward’s coin indicated Peter was not at Hogwarts but gave an uncertain result about Voldemort.
• Edward described twenty-two pathways and offered to help Dumbledore choose one, and Dumbledore asked for time to consider the risks.
• Edward and Audrey watched Harry retrieve Neville’s Remembrall in a broomstick dive, and Professor McGonagall came over to greet them.

Edward returned to Hogwarts, sought advice from Professor Trelawney, and caught up with Cedric and the Weasley brothers. He left Cedric with dating advice about Cho Chang while his relationship with Audrey remained unresolved.

• Audrey confronted Malfoy about a task to investigate a lead from fifty-one years earlier, but Madam Hooch called him away before he could explain.
• Edward visited Professor Trelawney, who offered vague warnings and tried to teach him tea-leaf divination in exchange for liquor.
• Cedric told Edward about Umbridge's unpleasant lessons and asked whether Edward was dating Audrey; Edward said they were not.
• Edward gave Cedric advice on pursuing Cho Chang, and Cedric admitted he wanted help winning her over.
• The Weasley brothers greeted Edward and described how they had tricked Ron into taking revenge on Mrs. Norris, earning him a week of toilet-scrubbing.