Chapter Summaries

Kallen executed Vicolai and learned that Bernie’s treatment with the Vine of Sighs had stirred both his and Neo’s souls, leaving Neo compelled to clean the city and hunt criminals. After Kallen found Neo sweeping up gang members’ bodies, they took a photograph together.

• Kallen found Vicolai reduced to ash, refused Trisen’s offer to negotiate, and left Old Kea to handle the execution paperwork.
• Richard told Philomina that revenge could leave her feeling empty and encouraged her to begin writing her own life story.
• Kallen directed the investigation toward the Nadun Family’s dealings with other churches and asked Alfred to bring the Diplomatic Cleric back to assist.
• Puer explained that Bernie’s treatment had used the Vine of Sighs, which healed souls but released impulses in Kallen and Neo.
• Kallen found Neo sweeping streets and discovered bodies of gang members beneath the garbage, then took a photo with him.

Kallen and Neo looked for a breakthrough against Bishop Dorf while arranging the disposal of bodies through departmental channels. At the Nadun home, Dalis confronted his father about the family’s danger, and Dorf summoned a Silver Mask using an inherited token.

• Kallen and Neo discussed targeting Dorf and approaching Dalis, the Nadun Family’s Diplomatic Cleric, for help.
• Kallen summoned Philomina and Richard, and Neo asked them to dispose of bodies hidden in his garbage truck through departmental channels.
• Dalis returned home and told Bishop Dorf that the Whip of Order and the Regional Administration Office might have chosen the Nadun Family as their sacrifice.
• Dorf seized Dalis by the throat during their argument, then drove him away after Dalis suggested seeking help from the family’s contact in the Divine Temple.
• Dorf opened the family’s mithril box with his blood and summoned a cold artifact, which emerged as a Silver Mask.

Kallen and Neo investigated Dalis, who offered to testify against his father, Bishop Dorf, as part of a plan to destroy the Nadun Family. When Dorf summoned a Great Being for help, Kallen answered through his grandfather’s silver mask and ordered Dorf to make his suicide note public to the Whole Church.

• Neo and Kallen met Dalis, who offered evidence and agreed to testify against Bishop Dorf for colluding with the Thunder Order God Church.
• Dalis warned them to seek Dorf’s removal and confinement rather than execution, then left to collect his belongings and say goodbye to his family.
• Mrs. Felshev revealed that Dalis was her secret-art successor and gave him a scroll and black stone for the final stage of his training.
• Rohan and Xidi discussed the High Priest’s warning, while Rohan cut off a summons through a silver mask connected to his old friend Naton.
• Dorf sacrificed three maids to replenish his soul, then prayed to a Great Being to save the Nadun Family.
• Kallen answered Dorf’s summons through his silver mask and told him to make his suicide note public to the Whole Church.

Kallen answered Bishop Dorf’s summons and learned that the Nadun Family’s troubles centered on Dalis, whose strange detachment and childhood talk of dreams resembled the Felsher Family’s curse. The Silver Mask then replayed a memory of its former owner, who had gained a godhead fragment through horrific crimes, until Dis confronted him and revealed that he had allowed him time to grow stronger.

• Kallen persuaded Bishop Dorf to write a suicide note, and Dorf asked him to investigate Dalis, whom he blamed for the Nadun Family’s stagnation and distorted relationships.
• Kallen asked whether Dalis had spoken about dreams, and Dorf recalled that he had repeatedly questioned whether he was still dreaming as a child.
• Kallen removed the Silver Mask and experienced its memory of a man confessing to Rohan that he had used forbidden methods to extend his life and feared approaching the Order Temple.
• The memory showed the man condensing a godhead fragment after killing his friend’s family and refining them into a great bell, while he debated whether to enter the Order Temple.
• Dis confronted the man, explained how he had uncovered the murders through the testimony of a hidden child’s corpse, and said he had come to take revenge.
• When the man claimed Dis had arrived too late to stop him, Dis revealed that he had been watching for a long time and had given him time to grow stronger.

Kallen watched Dis defeat a Nadun ancestor who had condensed a Godhead Fragment, then learned that Dis had cursed the Felsher Family. After Kallen recounted the memory to Neo, they connected the curses afflicting the Felsher and Nadun families to the Immerlis Family Faith System’s defining trait: Plunder.

• Dis sealed the temple gate, defeated the Nadun ancestor in a fierce battle, and explained that he had chosen not to condense a Godhead Fragment because he hoped to form a whole Godhead.
• The defeated ancestor offered his Godhead Fragment to Dis and begged him to spare his descendants, but Dis said he would guide Felsher to curse the family before killing him.
• Kallen was jolted out of the Silver Mask’s memory and coughed up blood; after recovering, he told Neo what he had seen.
• Neo inferred that Dis had cursed the Felsher Family and that the curse had infected or transferred to the Nadun Family.
• Neo compared the curses’ effects—one family member thriving while the rest were drained—to plunder, the defining trait of the Immerlis Family Faith System.

Neo challenged Kallen’s trust in his grandfather, while the Whip of Order investigated the Nadun Family and prepared to accuse Bishop Dorf. At their joint meeting, Dorf released a suicide note, and the church leaders decided to arrange his funeral instead of continuing the proceedings.

• Neo asked whether Kallen’s grandfather had used the same methods as the Felsher and Nadun families, but Kallen insisted he trusted his grandfather and would willingly help him.
• Neo and Kallen brought Dalis to the Whip of Order headquarters, where he was detained across from Trisen and watched the two men leave without answering his brother.
• Philomina told Kallen that her grandmother had come into the city and that she feared she was the target of her grandmother’s plan; Kallen told her to stay at headquarters and arranged for Richard to watch over her.
• Alfred and Vic briefed Kallen on the investigation, and Leon formally joined Kallen’s team before accompanying him to the first joint law enforcement meeting.
• At the meeting, Kallen presented evidence against the Nadun Family and Bishop Dorf, but Leon reported that Dorf had released a suicide note to the church.
• Woforen and Harry agreed to send condolences and arrange a grand funeral for Dorf, ending the meeting before the leaders assigned charges.

Kallen oversaw Trisen’s trial and accepted a truce with Medlin’s Law Enforcement Department, while Neo speculated about the Nadun Family curse and its final victim. Meanwhile, Dalis awaited his father’s death, and Mrs. Felshev prepared to use Philomina’s eyes to retrace her grandfather’s footsteps.

• Kallen delivered the prosecution’s closing summary, and Medlin declined to defend Trisen; Gaspole sentenced Trisen to exile and pioneering labor.
• Medlin offered Kallen’s department cooperation with a provisional veto, and Kallen accepted the arrangement while assigning Leon to gain courtroom experience.
• Kallen told Vic to arrange Dalis’s State’s Witness hearing and said he would hurry Bishop Dorf along; Neo then proposed taking Dalis home to investigate how the curse would end.
• Dalis used a spell to make a dandelion appear and wished for his father to hurry up and die so he could inherit the Nadun Family’s glory.
• Mrs. Felshev met Philomina, Richard, and Leon on a rooftop and promised to use Philomina’s eyes to retrace her grandfather’s footsteps, calling the family curse a blessing.

Kallen and Neo accompanied Bishop Byrne to the Nadun Family estate, where Dorf was being pressured to end his life in exchange for his family’s survival. Byrne arranged for Kallen to face Dorf as a test of faith, and Kallen accepted; as he approached with a Spear of Discipline, he paused to ask Dorf if he was ready.

• Neo and Kallen arrived at the Nadun Family estate and joined Bishop Byrne as garrison knights secured the villa.
• Byrne confronted Dorf in the basement, where Dorf claimed he had done nothing wrong and offered evidence against other bishops, but Kallen said he would take it.
• Dorf threatened Kallen with mental pressure, then demanded that Kallen kill him; Byrne explained that surviving the ordeal could strengthen Kallen’s faith.
• Kallen accepted Byrne’s offer, while Byrne and Neo left the basement and Byrne placed a barrier around Dorf and Kallen.
• Kallen summoned a Spear of Discipline and approached Dorf, who promised to haunt him; Kallen stopped and asked whether Dorf was ready.

Kallen killed Bishop Dorf, but Dorf used his dying power to plant his faith root in Kallen and cripple his future cultivation. Kallen expelled the root with Dis’s help and revealed that Dorf had obediently written a suicide note.

• Kallen rejected Dorf’s warning that he would become a disposable mask and said he would fight back to protect his family.
• Kallen stabbed Dorf with the Spear of Discipline, while Dorf transformed into a beast and attacked him through a nightmare-like vision.
• Dorf changed tactics and gave Kallen his faith root, intending to boost him temporarily while limiting his future growth; he also blamed Bishop Byrne for arranging the situation.
• As Dorf’s power weakened Kallen’s consciousness, Kallen revealed that he had hidden his true intentions until Dorf could no longer send information out.
• Kallen forced Dorf’s blessing out of himself, sat down as Dis appeared in Temple Elder’s robes, and told Dorf that he had written the requested suicide note.

Kallen confronted Bishop Dorf about the Nadun Family, but his hunger addiction surged and threatened to make him devour Dorf. As Kallen struggled against it, powerful figures and artifacts from several faiths tried to restrain him, while Dorf realized he was witnessing the God of Order being held back by other divine powers.

• Kallen told Bishop Dorf that he had uncovered the truth about Dalis, and Dorf accused him of targeting the Nadun Family before Kallen bound him with the Chain of Order.
• Dorf offered the Nadun Family's loyalty, but Kallen's hunger addiction intensified, and Dis and the Dark Moon Goddess appeared in his consciousness to restrain him.
• Kallen summoned the Gate of Reincarnation and the Sea God Armor as restraints, while the God of Light also appeared to hold him down.
• At the York City District detention facility, Dalis's transformation repeatedly began and reversed, tormenting him as Kallen's struggle affected who would inherit the curse's fruits.
• Kallen's Order flames and the God of Order's phantom emerged, leaving Dorf to watch a Temple Elder, an unidentified deity, the Gate of Reincarnation, the Sea God Armor, and the God of Light restrain the God of Order.

Kallen suppressed his hunger addiction by summoning the War Scythe into his consciousness and stabbing himself, then had Thousand Enchantments devour Bishop Dorf. After Bishop Byrne arrived and tried to examine him, Kallen advanced to become an Arbiter.

• Kallen realized that resisting his hunger with his own faith systems worsened the backlash and risked erasing the Dark Moon Goddess's imprint and merging Dis's legacy into the Order faith system.
• Kallen summoned the War Scythe into his consciousness and drove it into his own chest, ending the struggle and suppressing his hunger addiction.
• Kallen ordered Thousand Enchantments to devour Bishop Dorf, who asked whether Dalis was a curse; Kallen said Dalis would devour the Nadun Family, and Dorf died as Thousand Enchantments finished eating him.
• Bishop Byrne observed Kallen's injuries, then entered the basement and asked how he felt; Kallen said Dorf had blessed him with his power and faith seedling.
• When Bishop Byrne tried to examine Kallen, Kallen's power repelled his consciousness and ancient black Arbiter Clerical Robes appeared as Kallen advanced to become an Arbiter.

Kallen advanced to Arbiter after Bishop Dorf's death and discovered that Dalis was suffering from a curse with no cure. He told Dalis he was free and urged him to lie to the person who had deceived him.

• Kallen reflected on his judgments and advanced to Arbiter, then passed Bishop Byrne's test of his power.
• Bishop Byrne arranged Dorf's obituary and left, while Kallen reunited with Neo and learned Dalis would soon be released.
• Kallen found Philomina and learned her grandmother had chosen Dalis as a test subject for the family curse; he warned Philomina to stay at Headquarters.
• Kallen entered Dalis's cell after Dorf's obituary cleared the way for his release, and the two concealed their injuries while speaking.
• Kallen secretly returned to Dalis's cell and found him disfigured by the curse, then told him he was free and could lie to the person who had lied to him.

Kallen questioned Dalis about his failed curse and learned that the secret art turned a blessing into a curse, while Dalis agreed to pretend he was well until noon the next day. As Kallen prepared to protect Philomina from Mrs. Felshev, Madam Tang Li and Delong set out to bring Richard the Nightmare Blade, expecting him to pass it on to Kallen.

• Kallen spoke with Dalis, who explained that his family’s blessing became a curse and that the secret art was destined to fail; Dalis agreed to leave detention the next day at noon.
• Kallen returned to his office and told Alfred that Mrs. Felshev would act against Philomina, then rested before the late-night visit from his maternal grandmother and Delong.
• Alfred urged Philomina to pledge loyalty to Kallen and wrote in his notebook about her place in the future he envisioned.
• Madam Tang Li and Delong prepared a late-night feast while discussing their past and the Nightmare Blade, which Madam Tang Li intended to give Richard.
• Madam Tang Li planned for Richard to choose whether to take the Nightmare Blade, expecting him to hand it over to Kallen.

Kallen joined his family for a meal, where Old Delong revealed the Guman Family’s Nightmare Blade as a possible inheritance for Richard. Richard found the weapon too difficult to wield, leaving him to offer it to Philomina.

• Madam Tang Li and Old Delong brought food to Headquarters, where Old Delong recalled how Richard had been courting the reserved Philomina and Madam Tang Li worried about the Felsher Family’s curse.
• Neo told Kallen about an upcoming Black Market auction of weapons and suggested exploring Kongpacini’s Burial Ground for stronger weapons after Kallen resolved Philomina’s matter.
• Madam Tang Li welcomed Kallen into a private room and called him Grandma before Old Delong brought in the sealed weapon box.
• Old Delong opened the box and revealed the Nightmare Blade, whose aura made Kallen cough and whose strain caused Richard pain and dry-heaving.
• Richard admitted he could not use the Nightmare Blade and offered it to Philomina, stunning Madam Tang Li.

Richard gave the Nightmare Blade to Philomina, whose loneliness awakened the blade’s personality and Madam Tang Li’s old spiritual imprint. Kallen tried the weapon and aggravated a serious soul injury, but refused to go home for treatment; Philomina kept the blade and agreed to pray to him if she remained herself.

• Richard handed the Nightmare Blade to Philomina, and she immediately proved unusually compatible with it.
• The blade stirred memories of Madam Tang Li’s lonely youth and her life with Guman, while Tang Li grew angry that Philomina had received the weapon meant for Kallen.
• Madam Tang Li insisted that Kallen try the blade, and its soul-draining power worsened the injury he had sustained from the [War Scythe], making him cough blood.
• Madam Tang Li and Old Delong urged Kallen to return home for treatment, but he refused and promised to visit in a couple of days.
• After Madam Tang Li left with Richard, Philomina told Kallen that Alfred had advised her to pray to him and said she would if she remained herself.
• Kallen told Philomina to keep the Nightmare Blade, and she accepted it with a rare, radiant smile.

Kallen took Philomina to her hidden home despite the Felsher Family’s attempt to have Bishop Dolfenant collect her, then waited as she reunited with her grandmother and the family preserved in puppets. Mrs. Felshev opened the window and saw Kallen approaching through the rain, crying and laughing as she recognized him.

• Dalis left the headquarters in the rain after thanking Kallen for helping him accept his exile.
• Kallen told Alfred that Philomina remained a member of the Order God Church, then prepared to take her home and asked Richard to keep watch.
• Bishop Dolfenant tried to collect Philomina, but Kallen refused and forced the bishop’s attendant to withdraw by warning that the Whip of Order could investigate his family.
• Kallen drove Philomina to her hidden home and sent her inside with the Nightmare Blade while he stayed outside to smoke.
• Philomina found Mrs. Felshev hosting a family dinner with puppets made to resemble their deceased relatives, and her grandmother welcomed her home.
• Mrs. Felshev opened the window while recounting a past rainy-day visit and saw Kallen approaching, crying, “Look, he’s here.”

Kallen visited the Felshev home and was drawn into Mrs. Felshev’s dream, where she attacked him while confronting Philomina. Mrs. Felshev overpowered Philomina and began taking her through a dream, but Kallen recovered from the apparent eye-stabbing and sat up, still in pain.

• Kallen entered the Felshev home and waited among the puppets while the house’s illusions tried to draw him in.
• Mrs. Felshev showed Kallen a memory of young Philomina playing with her doglike father, then stabbed Kallen’s eyes with knitting needles in the dream.
• Mrs. Felshev asked Philomina to help her become young again, but Philomina refused and tried to attack her with the Nightmare Blade.
• Mrs. Felshev turned Philomina’s blade into a recorder, used its music to control her, and struck her down when she tried to wake from the dream.
• Philomina’s father rushed to protect her, but Mrs. Felshev pinned him to the floor and forced Philomina to accompany her into a separate dream.
• Kallen’s Chains of Order restored him after the dream’s attack, and he pulled the knitting needles from his healed eyes while wincing in pain.

Kallen entered Philomina’s dream and joined her fight against Mrs. Felshev, whose power overwhelmed the others despite their attempts to weaken her. Mrs. Felshev revealed that she had already digested the Felsher Family’s curse and began transferring what she called a blessing to Philomina.

• Kallen entered Mrs. Felshev’s illusion and found Philomina, her grandmother, and her injured father asleep in the villa.
• Philomina fought Mrs. Felshev in her dream with help from her father and the Dark Moon Bone’s power, but Mrs. Felshev subdued them.
• Kallen arrived, freed Philomina, and attacked Mrs. Felshev with the [War Scythe] and the Dark Moon Bone’s power, suffering severe injuries himself.
• Mrs. Felshev explained that she had already digested the curse long before Dalis, then embraced Philomina through her bone spikes and began giving her a blessing.

Kallen revealed that he was Dis’s grandson after Miss Felsher chose to replace Philomina, and he called on Dis’s power to threaten both women with a new curse. The chapter ended with Kallen preparing to curse Miss Felsher and Mrs. Felshev again.

• Mrs. Felshev drained Philomina’s life and poured the family’s blessing into her as Miss Felsher emerged from her sealed dream self.
• Miss Felsher refused to stop the ritual and admitted she intended to replace Philomina herself, while promising Kallen a share of the blessing.
• Kallen rejected the blessing, suspecting it would put him under Miss Felsher’s control, and revealed that his full name was Kallen Immoreles.
• Miss Felsher learned Kallen was Dis’s grandson and insisted that Dis’s curse had freed her so she could reunite with him.
• Kallen summoned Dis’s phantom and declared that he could curse Miss Felsher and Mrs. Felshev again now that the blessing had been released.

Kallen restored the Felsher Family’s curse, stopping Miss Felsher from taking Philomina’s body, but Mrs. Felshev attacked him after they returned to reality. Philomina killed her grandmother, learned Kallen’s connection to the curse, and carried him from the house, ending by pledging her loyalty to him.

• Kallen used the Immerlis Family Faith System to repair Mrs. Felshev’s curse, which halted Miss Felsher’s fusion with Philomina and returned control of the dream to Philomina.
• The dream collapsed and swept everyone back to the villa, where Mrs. Felshev commanded puppets and attacked Kallen while he was too injured to use spell arts.
• Thousand Enchantments protected Kallen until Philomina arrived, destroyed the puppets, and killed Mrs. Felshev with the Nightmare Blade.
• Philomina treated Kallen’s wounds and explained that she had heard his words while sealed in the wax, but she did not blame him for Dis’s curse because she no longer considered herself part of the Felsher Family.
• Philomina carried Kallen out of the house, accepted the talent she had gained, and told him she intended to pledge her loyalty to him.