Chapter Summaries

Klein tried to hold the Tarot Club gathering after divining that it would proceed smoothly, but an unknown presence invaded Sefirah Castle through an empty chair. The Evernight Goddess’s veil checked the invasion, leaving the chair and veil in a tense balance as the Tarot Club continued.

• Klein divined that the Tarot Club gathering could proceed smoothly and brought its members to Sefirah Castle at three o’clock.
• A strange symbol appeared on an empty chair, draining the members’ spirituality as the Monarch of Decay used it to reach toward Sefirah Castle.
• Klein summoned the Sun Brooch and Black Emperor card, but his effort only briefly slowed the ritual and the invading figure began to take shape.
• A starry black veil appeared over the chair after Klein permitted it to help, and the veil forced the invading presence back into darkness before both sides settled into an uneasy balance.
• The Tarot Club members praised the Fool, and Audrey offered three pages of Roselle’s Diary as payment for his answer and promised ten more for his protection.
• Fors realized she also owed payment for the Fool’s help with her divination, while Hanged Man took comfort in the Fool’s power and sought his aid.

Klein read Roselle’s diary entries about the Fourth Epoch and the Primordial Demoness, while Edward considered the implications of Evernight’s access to Sefirah Castle. In a dream, a veiled woman made Amon confront whether he would accept Sefirah Castle if Klein willingly bore the Lord of the Mysteries’ fate; the chapter ended with Amon refusing to take it otherwise.

• Klein read Roselle’s account of the Fourth Epoch’s Angel Families and learned that the Primordial Demoness was named Cheek, a male name.
• Edward concluded that Evernight had intervened on Sefirah Castle and wondered whether Klein or another successor had enabled her access.
• Edward consumed a Rose School demigod’s soul and waited impatiently for a man-made calamity to approach.
• Amon visited a jewelry shop, bought a shell wind chime and pendant, and let a veiled woman purchase a bracelet he had wanted.
• The veiled woman brought Amon into Sefirah Castle in a dream and offered him the Lord of the Mysteries’ position if Klein willingly bore its fate.
• Amon said he would accept Sefirah Castle only if Klein chose to bear that fate willingly.

Amon woke from a strange dream and left the jewelry shop, while Alger learned that the being behind his nightmare wanted the incident kept secret. At the Tarot gathering, the Fool warned the members about the Devil Edward Vaughan, and Klein was drawn into a meeting with Prince Edessak Augustus about Talim’s death.

• Amon woke in the jewelry shop, discovered he had dreamed of a black-clad figure, and left with his purchases.
• Alger described his dream of sailing on a red sea, where his crew and he became devils before a giant rag doll subdued them.
• Derrick identified the rag doll as a possible Mythical Creature Form from the Prisoner Pathway, prompting Alger to suspect that Heath Ting Ernst was a Temperance Faction Demigod.
• The Fool told Alger that the matter was over and that the man involved wanted it kept secret, then warned the gathering that the Devil Edward Vaughan was in Backlund.
• A stern butler invited Klein to meet his master about their mutual friend Talim, and Klein accepted the ride to Red Rose Manor.
• The butler revealed that his master was Earl Rustin, Prince Edessak Augustus, the King's fifth child.

Fors panicked after learning that Mr. Edward might be an angel and tried to persuade Xio to leave Backlund, but ended up claiming she would stay home to write. Klein met Prince Edessak, who hired him to investigate Talim's suspicious death and arranged a discreet way to contact him.

• Fors worried that Mr. Edward might be an angel and decided she needed to get away from Backlund.
• Fors invited Xio to spend the winter in Desi Bay, but Xio refused because of her Military Intelligence Department 5 assignments.
• Fors claimed she would stay indoors for a month or more to research a new novel, and Xio agreed to help by buying her food.
• Klein met Prince Edessak at Red Rose Manor, where Edessak asked him to uncover the truth about Talim's death.
• Klein requested Talim's personal effects and a discreet contact method, and Edessak promised to provide both and pay him for his work.

Edward fought the Evernight Goddess’s Divine Descent Vessel, 0-17, in Backlund and lost the third round after she used annihilation. A battered projection of Edward later met Amon outside 5 King Street and gave him instructions, revealing that his real body was hidden by the Evernight Goddess.

• 0-17 ambushed Edward at night, and their first round ended with Edward leading after he transformed her into an Eight-Legged Demonic Wolf plush toy.
• Edward and 0-17 traded attacks in the second round until she used a Demon-Hunting Spear to wound him and tie the score.
• Edward recognized that 0-17 was not an ordinary Evernight angel, but she concealed her identity as he invoked the Mother Tree of Desire.
• The Evernight Goddess annihilated dream-world Backlund in the third round, and Edward used Gliela Beria’s Second Life to survive at the cost of a Sequence One.
• Amon found a bloodied projection of Edward outside 5 King Street, and Edward told him to remove a hidden bottle and deliver it to Owl.
• Edward told Amon that his real body was in a place concealed by the Evernight Goddess.

The Monarch of Decay planned how to stay safe after losing a Sequence One characteristic and told Amon to return to the Amon group while he remained concealed. Meanwhile, Leonard joined Soest's Red Gloves to investigate a suspected devil connection in Backlund, where he sensed the empty villa might exist on another layer of reality.

• The Monarch of Decay reasoned that the Seven Gods would consider him an Outer Deity's Believer and planned to wait for a chance to leave the concealed town and return to Backlund.
• The Monarch of Decay told Amon to return openly to the Amon group and search for a municipal librarian in East Chester County, while Amon chose to wait for him.
• Leonard met Daly at the Red Gloves' base, endured her teasing, and joined Soest's team for a search mission prompted by an anonymous tip.
• Soest led the Red Gloves to the empty villa at 5 King Street, where they found an even layer of dust and fresh claw marks but no one inside.
• Leonard suggested that the villa's resident might have lived there on a different layer of reality, and Pallez responded approvingly in his mind.

Klein received Talim's belongings and staged his grief while investigating the cause of his friend's death, then arrived too late for the funeral. Meanwhile, Edward remained trapped in the Nation of the Evernight, studying its language while waiting for the red moon to disappear.

• Klein received Talim's belongings, divined that Talim had died of a sudden heart condition, and acted as though he was devastated by his inability to uncover more.
• Klein realized he had missed the start of Talim's funeral and rushed to Crown Cemetery, where divination warned of danger but indicated that he should attend.
• Klein arrived after the funeral and spoke with Mike and Doctor Aaron before noticing a veiled woman wearing a blue gemstone ring leave in a carriage.
• Edward stayed hidden in a house in the Nation of the Evernight, studied the marionettes' language, and waited as the red moon kept the town active.

Edward used his knowledge of the Nation of the Evernight’s language to mislead Antigonus’s marionettes and disrupt their control, then entered the church. Meanwhile, Klein learned Edward had left Backlund, received money from Prince Edessak to investigate Talim’s death, and secretly returned Dunn’s soul to the Church of Evernight.

• Edward concluded he needed to escape Hidden Town and engaged a native marionette in conversation using the Nation of the Evernight’s dialect.
• Edward corrupted a girl marionette and his bloodstained coat, causing a melee that distracted the marionettes while he entered the church.
• Klein heard that Edward’s home was sealed and he had apparently left Backlund, then met Prince Edessak, who gave him a hundred pounds to investigate Talim’s death.
• Klein used the gray fog to break his contract with Dunn and free him, leaving Dunn without memories of Sherlock Moriarty or the recent days.
• Klein disguised himself, wrapped Dunn’s soul in an envelope, and slipped the glass bottle into the Church of Evernight’s mailbox.

Edward met Zaratul in the dark cathedral and negotiated over the resurrection abilities of Seers and the future of the Sequence One characteristic. Meanwhile, Klein’s divination revealed that Talim had been cursed by a mysterious woman, but a second attempt was blocked, suggesting the case involved a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact or an equivalent power.

• Edward found Zaratul hiding beside the statue in the cathedral and exchanged cigarettes and cookies with him to confirm his identity and circumstances.
• Edward and Zaratul discussed the missing Sequence One Spectator characteristic, and Edward advised him to trade it for support from a deity.
• Edward asked how many times Miracle Invokers could resurrect, and Zaratul said they could return four times while hinting that Attendants of Mysteries had stronger means of survival.
• Zaratul reconsidered their bargain and offered to provide a way out as compensation for Edward’s valuable information.
• Klein used the gray fog to divine Talim Dumont’s death and saw a woman with a sapphire ring curse a small marionette representing Talim.
• Klein repeated the divination, but the vision was blocked; he decided to delay Prince Edessak’s investigation and returned to bed worried about the power behind Talim’s death.

Klein confessed his intention to withdraw from Prince Edessak’s dangerous commission at the Church of Steam, then discovered that Arrodes was reporting the Machinery Hivemind’s tomb exploration through his dream. Meanwhile, Zaratul and Edward played cards and discussed Roselle and the Great Old One Era, ending with Zaratul offering information about a Fog Sea island in exchange for answers.

• Klein confessed his suspicions about Talim’s death and his desire to retreat from Prince Edessak’s commission to a bishop at the Church of Steam, who told him to go home and trust in God’s protection.
• Klein entered a dream and saw Ikanser Bernard and the Machinery Hivemind exploring an underground entrance near White Cliff Town, where Arrodes announced that it was reporting on the expedition.
• Zaratul and Edward played several card games, then Zaratul questioned Edward about Roselle’s identity and his own connection to the ancient past.
• Edward told Zaratul that the Great Old One Era had no Beyonder powers and that Roselle had been an ordinary person in that era.
• Edward described his former life as a music professor who had a child and practiced a faith, but he withheld why he stopped believing after discovering that his god seemed to exist.
• Zaratul offered Edward information about a wondrous island in the Fog Sea in exchange for answers.

Klein watched the Machinery Hivemind enter an Amon family tomb, where Horamick opened an empty coffin and uncovered Amon’s portrait. In Backlund, Amon experimented with helping a child, but the encounter ended when Richard Ernst appeared and instructed the child to thank him.

• Klein saw the Machinery Hivemind reach the main tomb chamber, where Horamick’s apparent aging revealed that he was a crafted puppet.
• Horamick opened the coffin and found it empty, then turned over a portrait that showed Amon wearing a monocle.
• Amon watched thieves in Backlund and used his powers to free an innocent child while exposing the other three children as the real thieves.
• Amon questioned why the rescued child felt no gratitude or happiness, then considered ending the experiment and erasing him.
• Richard Ernst appeared, told the child that a gentleman had saved him, and prompted him to thank Amon.
• Amon accepted the child’s thanks, ended the parasitism, and recognized Richard Ernst as the Temperance Angel.

Amon planned to leave Backlund for Stoen after saying goodbye to Medici and the True Creator, while Richard Ernst returned to Backlund and learned that Maria feared an approaching catastrophe. Richard agreed to stay and help protect the East Borough; meanwhile, Klein traded his share of the mausoleum spoils for 2,000 pounds.

• Amon chose to travel to Stoen by ship and decided to visit the Aurora Order before leaving Backlund.
• Richard visited Maria’s establishments, met the Beyonders guarding them, and revealed his identity to Maria at the charity school.
• Maria told Richard that Ademisaul had foreseen people dying and compared the warning to his earlier prophecy before the Descent of the True Creator.
• Richard approved Maria’s precautions and agreed to remain in Backlund to investigate dangers and improve public safety in the East Borough.
• Klein declined the offered Beyonder items and accepted 2,000 pounds from Ikanser instead.

Klein paid Sharron her share for the Amon Family mausoleum information and learned that a baronet was digging toward the underground ruins, which were already empty. Amon visited the Aurora Order to say goodbye to the True Creator and encountered Medici training Hunters from the Iron and Blood Cross Order.

• Klein gave Sharron £800 and two Deep Sea Naga hairs as her half of the £2,000 sale, and she told him a baronet was digging a passage to the underground ruins.
• Klein told Sharron the ruins were empty, and she vanished from his carriage after acknowledging the information.
• Amon reached the Aurora Order estate and told Kisma he had come to say goodbye to Father.
• Kisma explained the Aurora Order’s rebuilt temple and the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s arrival to pay homage to Medici.
• Amon followed Kisma to the ruined greenhouse and saw Medici supervising three Hunters as they held horse stances.

Amon visited Medici and the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s delegation, then went to seek the True Creator before leaving on a long journey. Meanwhile, Klein drank the Faceless potion, survived the transformation, and tested his new ability to change his appearance.

• Amon observed Medici tormenting Tony Dawn and the other Hunters, and learned that Tony was a War Bishop who had challenged Medici.
• Medici demonstrated his puppet body and clashed verbally with Sauron and Einhorn before Amon admitted he wanted to say goodbye to the True Creator.
• Medici told Amon that the True Creator was not receiving visitors and advised him to pray, so Amon left for the mansion.
• Klein drank the Faceless potion and endured a dangerous transformation before advancing to Sequence 6.
• Klein tested his ability to imitate the appearances and scents of people he knew, then returned to Sherlock Moriarty’s appearance and went to bed.

Richard realized that a newspaper report about fighting in the Southern Continent was meant to draw him back and threaten the Highland Kingdom’s Resistance Army. Riel gathered intelligence from Galan De and reported it to Traynor, who prepared to send Richard a Faceless Puppet.

• Richard read that Loen troops had clashed with the Highland Kingdom’s Resistance Army and suspected the report was intended to lure him back to the Southern Continent.
• Xio abandoned her surveillance mission after sensing Richard’s power, while Richard went to Maria's Processing Factory and summoned Riel.
• Riel questioned Galan De, who explained that fighting had erupted after Restoration Society forces occupied much of Aldra and that the reported clash involved an elite Loen unit, the Resistance Army, and Restoration Society fighters.
• Galan De gave Riel documents about the conflict and said the Pale Empress wanted to order more machine guns from Traynor.
• Riel reported the intelligence to Traynor, who discussed the fighting’s implications and decided to send Richard a Faceless Puppet.

Klein realizes that the woman who may have cursed Talim is the powerful commoner loved by Prince Edessak, and he hurries away from Red Rose Manor before she can meet him. Meanwhile, Richard investigates a possible catastrophe in Backlund’s East Borough, gives Maria a dangerous Sealed Artifact, and prepares to leave her with a way to summon him.

• Klein learns that the maid he is questioning attended Talim’s funeral with the mysterious woman, recognizes her as the woman who laid flowers on Talim’s grave, and leaves Red Rose Manor early.
• Klein suspects the woman killed Talim and may have noticed his investigations, but decides not to pursue the matter and hopes the Machinery Hivemind will keep her contained.
• Riel delivers the Faceless Puppet and information about a surprise attack to Richard, who tells Maria to keep the artifact sealed and use it to summon him if necessary.
• Maria suggests that Ademisaul’s vision of the Bell of Order could connect the East Borough crisis to the royal family, and Richard agrees that the government may be involved.
• Richard and Maria leave the office for lunch while Richard privately considers whether the Black Emperor is behind an attack on the East Borough and leaves the Faceless Puppet with Maria as a precaution.

After discovering that the gray fog shielded him from the Hornacis and Flegrea murmuring, Klein explored Above the Gray Fog and found a staircase that ended beneath an impenetrable fog. Meanwhile, Edward escaped the Hidden Town and emerged in a pirate-filled alley, where he killed several attackers.

• Klein divined that the gray fog had blocked the murmuring and suspected his Sequence 6 advancement had strengthened his connection to Above the Gray Fog.
• Klein found a four-step staircase of light but could not see beyond the grayish-white fog above it, and he concluded he might need to become a Demigod to go farther.
• Daly learned that the spirit sealed in a bottle was Dunn Smith, a Nighthawk believed to have died in a dangerous Beyonder Incident.
• Edward left the concealed church by fitting an obsidian piece into a wall and tracing the Darkness Pathway symbol, while Zaratul chose to remain behind.
• Edward traveled through the Spirit World and arrived in a crowded alley, where he killed a pirate who attacked him and three more men whose sins triggered their deaths.

Edward left the Hidden Town, discovered that desperate people in the Southern Continent were praying to him, and answered a group seeking strength for revenge. Meanwhile, Derrick’s City of Silver exploration team reached a ruined city’s temple, where strange voices and darkness appeared, and Colin ordered everyone to remain on high alert.

• Edward bought new clothes, destroyed his blood-soaked shirt, and learned he had emerged on an island in the Rorsted Archipelago near the Southern Continent.
• Edward listened to a surge of prayers from the Southern Continent and answered young people asking for power to take revenge.
• The young people found Edward’s message telling them to trade lives for strength, argued over what to do, and secretly kept pieces of the candles before leaving.
• Derrick Berg and the City of Silver exploration team reached a ruined city’s central temple after clearing the surrounding areas.
• Three lanterns went out, and Derrick and Wisen Skold separately heard a child’s plea for help as strange dust glowed around them.
• Derrick used bright light to repel the darkness, the team relit its candles without losing anyone, and Colin ordered the team to stay on the highest alert.

Derrick’s exploration team descended beneath the temple and discovered murals depicting the Fallen Creator and six evil gods. Meanwhile, Baron Raft Pound entered an underground palace, experienced a vision of Tudor glory, and died beneath the throne, where Medici found his Beyonder Characteristic.

• Derrick and the exploration team inspected the ruined temple and followed the stairs underground.
• Derrick examined murals showing the Fallen Creator enduring darkness as six evil gods surrounded him.
• Raft Pound uncovered an underground palace and approached a blood-red candle on a black throne.
• Raft Pound beheld Alista Tudor’s rise, wars, and victories in a vision of the Tudor Empire’s glory.
• Raft Pound died beside the throne, and Medici collected his Lawyer Pathway Beyonder Characteristic.

Medici overwhelmed Klein and Sharron beneath the ruined chapel, but spared them after recognizing Azik’s Copper Whistle; Sharron sealed the underground structure, while Klein returned alone. In the City of Silver, Derrick and the expedition found a crying boy named Jack behind an altar bearing a disturbing statue of the Fallen Creator.

• Medici and his cohabitants discussed Raft Pound’s death and the dream Medici had woven for him.
• Medici captured Sharron and confronted her and Klein, then shattered the Scarlet Lunar Corona and melted Klein’s attacks.
• Sharron sacrificed the damaged corona to stop Medici’s Flame Spear, while Klein summoned the Bone Messenger with Azik’s Copper Whistle.
• Medici recognized the whistle, mistook Klein for a relative of Salinger, and left without fighting them; Sharron and Klein agreed they were even.
• Sharron sealed the entrance to the underground structure, and Klein walked back alone.
• Derrick and the City of Silver expedition entered an underground altar chamber, where they found a crying boy who identified himself as Jack.