Chapter Summaries

After Alfred survived the tram explosion, Kallen returned home, arranged help with the household and work, and prepared to visit Alfred in the hospital. That night, he dreamed of the explosion and found an old man waiting inside his Study, but shut and locked the door instead of speaking with him.

• Kallen thanked Mr. Pavaro for paying Alfred's medical expenses and helped the Pavarro Funeral Society secure a funeral client before accepting a ride home in their hearse.
• Kallen told Alaye about the explosion, asked him to retrieve the car and buy a used one, then cleaned Kevin's paws and bandaged them at home.
• Bersha called to confirm Kallen's appointment with an eight-year-old boy who seemed to suffer from delusions, and Kallen agreed to meet him the next day.
• Kallen prepared clothes for Alfred, went to bed, and dreamed that he protected Alfred and the little girl during the tram explosion with spells of Order.
• Kallen saw an old man reading in the Study of his former home, then shut and locked the door when the man invited him to talk.

Kallen woke after refusing to speak with an old man in a dream, found a mysterious book in the Study, and went to work after asking Puer and Kevin to inspect the house. At his appointment, he discovered Little John’s ability to make his dead mother seem present and used the power of Order against the boy, leaving him terrified.

• Kallen awoke, found the book "Only Light Can Illuminate Your Past" on the Study desk, and asked Puer and Kevin to search the house while he went to the hospital.
• Kallen visited Alfred, then met Pike and Dinkum and identified himself to Dinkum as a member of the Whip of Order, persuading him to keep the secret.
• Kallen rode with Pike and Dinkum past protesters confronting a group of purple-haired people, then reached the Saint Tor Building and arranged a twenty-thousand-rael advance from Piaget.
• Kallen interviewed Little John, who said he knew his mother was dead but saw and played with her at home, then demonstrated that he could make an invisible presence interact with Kallen.
• Kallen invoked the power of Order to end Little John’s apparent advances, and the frightened boy fell from his chair and accused him of trying to kill him.

Kallen confronted Little John about his frightening powers and learned that the boy had invented the presence of his dead mother to manipulate people’s perceptions. After warning him to hide his ability, Kallen finished the session and left the clinic, where he noticed signs of the Church of Light’s influence before encountering a girl who offered him a chip.

• Little John panicked when Kallen threatened him with the Spear of Discipline, and Kallen stopped the incantation after the boy begged for mercy.
• Kallen established that Little John’s mother did not exist and that the boy used psychokinesis to create sensations and make others believe she was present.
• Little John explained that his power had emerged after his mother’s death, and Kallen warned that powerful groups might target his heart if he continued using it openly.
• Little John left the office in tears with Mr. Tadel, and Bersha gave Kallen an envelope of money from the boss.
• Kallen noticed female security guards at the clinic and wondered whether it had become a branch of the Remnants of the Church of Light.
• A girl waiting for a taxi offered Kallen a chip as she rode away.

Kallen encountered the girl he had saved in the tram explosion, learned that Hand was suffering psychological trauma after electroshock treatment, and bought a car before visiting the Pavarro Funeral Society. The chapter ended with Pavaro being detained by two black-robed men, while Kallen watched and Pavaro praised Order as his powers were sealed.

• The girl returned to the pottery studio and told her bearded brother she had met Kallen, while her brother encouraged her to pursue him despite his connection to the Order God Church.
• Kallen visited Alaye's shop, found Hand withdrawn and distressed, and recognized that the child showed signs of severe psychological trauma.
• Kallen learned that Alaye had taken Hand to a private hospital for electroshock treatment and warned Alaye to watch over him before offering to counsel him the next evening.
• Alaye gave Kallen a secondhand car, and Kallen drove to the Pavarro Funeral Society with gifts.
• Two black-robed men presented Pavaro with a detention order for dereliction of duty and misconduct; Pavaro shared a cigarette with Kallen before submitting to the shackles that sealed his powers.
• Pavaro convulsed as the shackles locked around his wrists, then said, "Praise Order!"

Kallen visited the Funeral Society after Mr. Pavaro was arrested and learned that Pavaro’s daughters were suffering from severe contamination and that he had investigated a scheme involving Blood Spirit Powder. At the Ava Pastry Shop, Kallen received the woman’s investigation file and left with the intention of continuing the investigation, though he admitted he was not yet ready to say what he praised.

• Kallen watched the Whip of Order arrest Mr. Pavaro, then visited the Funeral Society and discovered Pavaro’s daughters had been contaminated for six years.
• Mrs. Lake accused Kallen of being part of the Whip of Order and explained that Pavaro had risked himself to obtain Blood Spirit Powder for their daughters rather than accept hush money.
• Kallen stopped at the Ava Pastry Shop and spoke with a woman who had helped Pavaro investigate suspicious Blood Spirit Powder production and the exploitation of smuggled women.
• The woman offered Kallen her file on Pavaro’s investigation, and Kallen took it after initially leaving it behind.
• The woman asked Kallen what he praised, and he said he hoped he would be able to answer her naturally the next time they met.

Kallen read Mr. Pavaro’s notes and learned that the investigation into Blood Spirit Powder had led to the abduction of young female illegal immigrants and a suspected Demon Swamp in Bluebridge Community. As Kallen decided to continue the investigation, he began Divine Shepherd, astonishing the old man who appeared in his study.

• Kallen watched Puer and Kevin hang up his washed clothes, then read Mr. Pavaro’s investigation notes after dinner.
• Kallen learned that Inquisitor Covendi had offered Pavaro Blood Spirit Powder, while Arbiter Rook and Order God Church officials had pressured and suspended him.
• Kallen read that Annie and Pavaro had linked missing female illegal immigrants to a Demon Swamp, and that a dying woman had cried out “Blood,” “Blue,” and “Bridge.”
• Kallen realized the suspected Demon Swamp was in Bluebridge Community, where he lived, and wondered whether he should continue Pavaro’s investigation.
• An old man appeared in Kallen’s study and urged him to seek courage and hope from a god, but Kallen declared that no god stood ahead of him because he was at the front of his own path.
• A black mark appeared on Kallen’s brow as chains revolved around him, and the old man exclaimed that Kallen had begun Divine Shepherd after blaspheming against a god.

During Divine Shepherd, Kallen examined the people and powers in his memories, including Puer, Alfred, Raniedal, and his own past, while the old man's Thought Imprint watched in astonishment. The process continued beyond Kallen's attempt to end it, and the old man finally saw a Family Faith System emerge from Kallen's bloodline.

• Kallen began his Divine Shepherd self-examination, seeing the spiritual traces surrounding Puer, Alfred, and others from his memories, but chose not to examine his grandfather, Dis.
• Kallen examined the image of his Guide, Puer, and encountered her immense power, the God of Light's radiance, and Raniedal's gray shadow.
• Kallen ended Divine Shepherd, but an inner force kept him from waking and continued the examination of his own body and history.
• An old man appeared behind Kallen as the sole bearer of Immoreles's bloodline, and the Thought Imprint recognized the emergence of a Family Faith System.

Kallen awakened as a Divine Shepherd after deciding to investigate the corruption case tied to Demon Swamp, which he believed was in Bluebridge Community. As he prepared to see Mr. Tadel at the clinic, he learned that Tadel had died in a car accident on the way there.

• Kallen recalled Rasma's divided nature and concluded that contacting him about the corruption case would be dangerous because it could reveal Kallen's existence to the High Priest.
• After waking, Kallen told Puer and Kevin that he had become a Divine Shepherd without inviting a god into his heart, and insisted on continuing the investigation that had led to his advancement.
• Kallen asked Puer and Kevin to investigate Demon Swamp and asked Alaye to look into employment agencies that recruited many young women.
• Kallen noticed that Mr. Tadel's textile factories were located in Bluebridge Community and waited at the clinic for Tadel's appointment.
• Bersha told Kallen that Mr. Tadel had died in a car accident on his way to the clinic.

After Mr. Tadel died in a suspicious car accident, Kallen learned that a Family Faith group was searching for him and went to Piaget’s house to clear himself of suspicion. Meanwhile, Gerson mistook Piaget’s meeting with the Allen Family Clan Leader for evidence of Tadel’s betrayal and ordered his men to kill them.

• Miss Bersha told Kallen that Mr. Tadel had died in a car accident, and a group led by Gerson came to the clinic seeking Kallen’s photograph and address.
• Kallen used Selena to hide from Gerson’s men, then learned from Miss Bersha that they belonged to a Family Faith System and were investigating Tadel’s appointment.
• Kallen drove Selena to the Lemaire Pottery Gallery and decided to visit Alfred before going to Piaget’s house.
• Piaget met Mr. Bede after leaving the art exhibition, and the two agreed to go to Piaget’s house to talk about Linda and the scenery she had longed to see.
• Gerson concluded that Tadel had contacted the Allen Family after seeing Piaget arrive with the Allen Family Clan Leader, and he ordered his men to kill them.

Bede and Piaget were ambushed by Raphael Family attackers, but Elder Doke and his Church of Light companions intervened and killed them. Later, Kallen and Alfred arrived at the villa, where Kallen greeted Bede as if they were strangers.

• Bede sensed something was wrong outside the villa, then Gerson and six Raphael Family bodyguards attacked him and Piaget.
• Bede's driver fought the attackers but was killed, while the Raphael Family members closed in on Bede and Piaget.
• Elder Doke, Vernon, and Helen defeated the attackers and began burning the bodies and cleansing the scene.
• Piaget recognized that Elder Doke's group belonged to the Church of Light and revealed the villa was also owned by his father.
• Kallen and Alfred arrived at the villa, and Kallen asked Bede who he was while pretending not to know him.

Kallen confronted Elder Doke and the Light Remnants over their handling of the Raphael Family, then helped broker a truce around a mural that might reveal a chance for revival. After leaving, he and Alfred discussed the signals they had read and decided to investigate Mr. Pavaro’s case, accepting that the Order God Church might react.

• Kallen challenged Elder Doke’s claim that his trouble had been handled and warned that destroying the Raphael Family’s bodies would not erase the risk of their families noticing their disappearance.
• Alfred pretended to be a Bloodthirsty Otherworldly Demon, alarming Helen, while Kallen confronted Elder Doke and declared that he had lost interest in cooperating with the Light Remnants as they were.
• Piaget and Mr. Bede proposed working together on a mural, and Kallen explained that viewing it could influence events; they agreed to use the villa as a guarded workspace with Kallen and Miss Bersha as the only visitors from their respective sides.
• Kallen warned the group that danger would increase as their opportunity approached and said they might face the Order God Church, which had opposed the revival of fallen gods.
• After leaving, Kallen explained to Alfred how he had interpreted Mr. Bede’s, Piaget’s, and the Light Remnants’ signals, then decided to continue investigating Mr. Pavaro’s case.

Kallen learned that Tadel had likely been a Church of Light believer trying to expose the Raphael Family before they killed him, and he decided to investigate Tadel’s textile factory. The chapter ended with the Whip of Order Squad confronting Pavaro, who prepared to fight after accusing them of desecrating Order.

• Kallen spoke with Alfred on the drive home, and Alfred mistakenly treated Kallen’s word “flamboyant” as an epithet bestowed on him.
• Kallen ate the meal Alaye brought, then helped Hand reconnect with his father by comforting the boy and guiding Alaye to apologize.
• Alaye reported that Tadel’s textile factory recruited large numbers of illegal immigrant women and had unusually high worker turnover.
• Kallen and Alfred concluded that Tadel had probably planned to bring evidence of the Raphael Family’s crimes to a Church of Light gathering before he was killed.
• Kallen realized the Church of Light could be blamed for traces of their investigation and planned to visit Tadel’s factory the next day.
• Tiers and the Whip of Order Squad surrounded Pavaro, who accused them of desecrating Order and readied Black Flames for battle.

Pavaro and Annie tried to escape the Order God Church’s pursuit and expose its crimes, but Rook killed them on the bridge. Their bodies drifted downstream, where Puer and Kevin rushed to retrieve them.

• Pavaro fought Tiers and the Whip of Order squad, using a purified soul-attacking toxin to delay them before Tiers trapped him again.
• Annie rescued the wounded Pavaro, and they headed toward an Abyss Church chapel while discussing how their investigation notes had reached a handsome young man.
• Rook blocked their path on the bridge, and Pavaro’s Forbidden Spell failed to summon the Eye of Order.
• Annie attacked Rook with water barriers, but Rook’s Sword of Judgment pierced and killed both Annie and Pavaro, sending their bodies into the river.
• An elderly man from the Abyss Church challenged Rook over the Order God Church’s intrusion, while Tiers was ordered to search for the bodies.
• Puer rode Kevin along the riverbank, urging him to catch up with Pavaro and Annie’s drifting bodies.

Kallen and his companions recovered the bodies of Inquisitor Pavaro and Annie after they were killed by the Order God Church. Kallen failed to awaken Annie, but Pavaro’s body began to respond, and Kallen realized it was because Pavaro truly believed in Order.

• Puer told Kallen that Pavaro and Annie had been killed by the Order God Church and that Kevin was guarding their bodies.
• Kallen, Alfred, Puer, and Kevin went to retrieve the bodies, and Kallen distracted a passing Cleric while Alfred carried them to the car.
• The group returned to the apartment, where Kallen examined the bodies and attempted to awaken Annie, but the Sword of Judgment had erased too much of her spiritual power.
• Kallen tried to awaken Pavaro and was surprised when the corpse began trembling.
• Kallen explained that Pavaro’s awakening was possible because he truly believed in Order.

Kallen awakened Pavaro and learned about his final moments with Annie, confirming that the Order God Church’s corruption ran deeper than the stolen profits. Pavaro urged Kallen to continue investigating and offered him a way to take over his identity, directing him to a mask-maker at the Lemaire Pottery Gallery.

• Kallen listened to Pavaro’s memories and witnessed Pavaro and Annie’s final moments before their bodies were washed over by the river.
• Pavaro awakened in the washroom, learned Annie could not be revived, and warned Kallen that his investigation might put him in danger.
• Kallen told Pavaro he would investigate Mr. Tadel’s Textile Factory, while Pavaro suspected the imprisoned women were being tormented to refine something beyond Blood Spirit Powder.
• Pavaro offered Kallen his position in the Order God Church and explained that a skilled mask-maker in York City could help him assume Pavaro’s identity.
• Pavaro directed Kallen to the Lemaire Pottery Gallery on Second Street off King’s Avenue to seek the mask-maker’s help.

Kallen and Pavaro pursued the Tadel case, while Alfred’s investigation revealed that women workers were being secretly transferred. At the Tadel villa, Little John turned Muen’s poisoned soda against him, and Kallen arrived to take the boy to a new home next door to Piaget’s House.

• Kallen brought Pavaro along to investigate the Tadel textile factory, and Alfred hypnotized two managers, learning that Tadel and his butler handled the transfer of female workers.
• Pavaro explained that he had seen Kallen’s face in his visions but could not remember it, and Kallen connected this to his own inability to recall the God of Order’s face.
• At the Tadel villa, Muen transferred Tadel’s assets to the Raphael Family and handed over letters and notebooks that he believed showed Tadel had been influenced by Light Remnants.
• After the Raphael representative ordered Little John killed, Muen tried to poison him, but Little John used his power to force Muen to drink the poison himself.
• Kallen arrived and told Little John that his father’s soul had been guided to the Light, then took him to 3-07 Apple Street, next door to Piaget’s House.

Kallen arranged for the Order God Church to attack the Light Remnants, then joined Piaget and Bede to draw out an infiltrator at Piaget’s House. The group discovered Tiers inside and drove him away, leaving them to wait for the larger confrontation.

• Kallen explained to Pavaro how the clues he planted would lead the Order God Church to target the Light Remnants, and they returned home with Little John.
• Alfred brought Pavaro and Little John into the apartment, where Xili had found Annie’s body; Kallen then went to Piaget’s House.
• Kallen warned Piaget and Bede that danger might come that night and arranged for a pizza delivery to let them observe anyone watching the neighboring villa.
• The deliveryman hinted that someone was inside the neighboring house, and Bede signaled that an intruder was upstairs.
• Kallen and Piaget staged a flirtatious exchange that prompted Tiers, the Whip of Order Squad Leader, to flee the washroom as black mist.
• Bede confirmed that Tiers had left, and Kallen said they would wait for the curtain to rise.

Rayson mobilized the Raphael Family against the Light Remnants after Tiers concluded that Piaget was innocent, while Rayson privately doubted the explanation. As the battle spread into Piaget’s villa, Kallen, Piaget, and Mr. Bede hid in the basement, where the fight between Vernon and the Order God Church’s forces ended with Mr. Bede killing a wounded Order squad member.

• Rayson questioned the evidence linking Piaget to the Light Remnants, but Tiers declared Piaget and his companions ordinary people and ordered the Raphael Family to attack.
• Rayson gathered the family’s faith system practitioners and sent them out, while warning his butler that Tiers needed them as cannon fodder and sought the secret of Blood Spirit Powder.
• Kallen, Piaget, and Mr. Bede took shelter in the basement as the Raphael Family attacked the neighboring villa and the fighting damaged Piaget’s house.
• Vernon fought the family practitioners and the Whip of Order Squad, then sent a wounded squad member crashing through the floor into the basement.
• As Kallen prepared to use an Order art, Mr. Bede killed the wounded squad member with a broken bottle shard and mutilated the corpse.

The Tower of Light gave the Light Remnants time to escape, while Elder Doke sacrificed himself and the churches began a joint hunt across York City. Kallen left the cellar with Mr. Bede and Piaget, then rejoined Mr. Pavaro and Little John, who revealed that their investigation led to a place called the pigsty.

• The Tower of Light revived Helen and Vernon long enough for them to flee, and Elder Doke sacrificed his soul to wound the Law Expounder as the Order Church’s reinforcements arrived.
• Rook and Tiers pursued the escaped Light Remnants, while Miss Bersha ordered the believers in York City to evacuate and changed her appearance.
• Mr. Bede discovered Helen and Vernon sealed thirty meters beneath the neighboring building, then led Kallen and Piaget out of the cellar.
• Kallen parted from Mr. Bede and Piaget after agreeing to visit Eunice, then bathed and changed at an Allen Family café.
• Alfred picked up Kallen, Mr. Pavaro, and Little John, who identified the Misu Sausage Factory as the place they called the pigsty.

Kallen, Pavaro, Alfred, and their companions infiltrated the Misu Sausage Factory to investigate the abuse of contaminated girls. After discovering people being kept like livestock, Pavaro invoked the Order Regulations to seal the premises and hold the church members responsible.

• Alfred warned Little John that the Pigsty was taking revenge on him and urged him to have faith in the true First Church.
• Kallen recognized a truck associated with the factory, and Alfred used a formation to confirm that a concealment formation protected the site.
• Alfred took control of a truck driver and brought Kallen, Pavaro, Little John, Kevin, and Puer into the factory.
• Little John trembled with fear when he reached the place where he had been corrupted, while Pavaro explained why he had pursued the case.
• Kallen and the others discovered women confined in pens and treated as livestock, and Pavaro declared the premises sealed under the Order Regulations.