Chapter Summaries

Lumian survived the Shadow Tree’s destruction and escaped with Franca as the wilderness began to collapse. Before leaving, he spotted a transparent lizard-like creature resembling the sprite from his dream and the monster from Aurora’s mouth.

• Lumian watched Suzanne Mathis and the Shadow Tree burn, freeing the people trapped in its branches as they fled the wilderness.
• Lady Moon resurrected the Shadow Tree’s accumulated desires to disrupt the battle, then escaped into the Otherworld and entered the Sacred Heart Monastery while a golden-haired dog and a woman watched.
• Angoulême ordered the banquet guests taken for questioning and told Cassandra, Rhone, and the others that Hugues Artois’s death had ended their immunity; Jenna distracted a guard, escaped through a window, and fled.
• Lumian drank half a Healing Potion from Franca, recovered enough to stand, and prepared to leave as the wilderness collapsed.
• Lumian reached for a burned piece of the Shadow Tree and saw a transparent, lizard-like creature in the depression where the tree had vanished.

After escaping the Shadow Tree, Lumian reconsidered Termiboros’s role and learned from Madam Magician that an unknown force, not the sealed Angel, had aided him. The possibility of a fate-influencing accomplice connected to the Sufferer left him with a new mystery.

• Lumian saw the lizard-like sprite in the Shadow Tree’s pit, and Termiboros questioned whether he had caused the misfortunes surrounding Lumian and Suzanne Mathis.
• Lumian realized Termiboros had tried to manipulate him into seeking help, while Suzanne Mathis had stalled and concealed her own plan to use the ritual’s protection.
• Franca and Lumian fled as Official Beyonders and clergy arrived, but Madam Magician transported Lumian away and told him that Franca, code-named Two of Cups, belonged to their secret organization.
• Lumian recounted the recent events to Madam Magician, who concluded Termiboros could influence his choices but could not leak power strong enough to enhance Fallen Mercury or summon the Montsouris Ghosts.
• Madam Magician suspected an accomplice outside Lumian was covertly influencing fate, and Lumian connected the possibility to the Sufferer from his dream.

Lumian discussed the hidden meanings in his dreams and his plans with Madam Magician, then reunited with Franca and the wounded Jenna after Jenna assassinated Hugues Artois. Later, a young man arrived at the Golden Rooster Inn and visited the Underground Bar, where he learned about the Fool’s Instrument.

• Lumian told Madam Magician that his dreams might reveal a hidden helper trying to free Termiboros, and she agreed to seek expert interpretations of the dream symbols.
• Lumian chose to continue his Aurora Order mission, while Madam Magician explained why the Shadow Tree could not be destroyed without enormous costs and why she wanted him to grow more independently.
• Madam Magician warned Lumian not to carry the Shadow Tree’s trunk constantly, then left him and Franca on Messy Street.
• Jenna returned wounded and told Lumian and Franca that she had assassinated Hugues Artois and been shot during her escape.
• Lumian, Franca, and Jenna headed for the Golden Rooster Inn, where they encountered Anthony Reid and saw the damaged building.
• Some time later, a young man rented Room 302 at the Golden Rooster Inn and visited the Underground Bar, where a blond-haired drinker introduced him to the Fool’s Instrument.

Jenna continued her ordinary life despite being wanted, while Franca explained the Tarot Club and its sleeping leader, Mr. Fool, to Lumian. Lumian learned that Mr. Fool’s Church had a small presence in Trier and asked how it related to the Tarot Club.

• Jenna read conflicting newspaper reports and saw a wanted notice bearing a portrait that looked nothing like her.
• Jenna continued studying acting and singing, while the Official Beyonders’ actions helped her brother Julian recover and find work.
• Franca told Lumian that the Old Dovecage Theater was earning more than she had expected.
• Lumian asked Franca about the secret organization they had joined, and she revealed that it was the Tarot Club, led by Mr. Fool.
• Franca explained that Mr. Fool had fallen asleep and described the limits and risks of seeking his help.
• Franca told Lumian about Mr. Fool’s small church at Lavigny Docks, and Lumian asked how the church related to the Tarot Club.

Franca explained the Tarot Club’s Major and Minor Arcana holders, their organization, and how members sought their help. When Jenna arrived, Lumian left for the Catacombs to bury Mad Flamang and Roul and his wife’s ashes.

• Franca told Lumian that the Tarot Club was led by Mr. Fool and that its Major Arcana holders commanded their own forces, including the Church of the Fool.
• Franca described the known Major Arcana holders and explained that she usually avoided troubling Madam Judgement, though the Major Arcana could provide powerful assistance.
• Franca said the Tarot Club had at least eight Saints and more than one Angel, and shared her dream of becoming a Half-God and earning a Major Arcana card.
• Franca told Lumian that Minor Arcana holders had no regular gatherings and could communicate only through their Major Arcana holders.
• When Jenna came upstairs, Lumian announced that he was going to the Catacombs to bury Mad Flamang and Roul and his wife’s ashes.

Lumian accompanied police officers into the Catacombs to bury the ashes of three deceased tenants, where he felt an unseen presence watching him. On the way out, two wedding guests extinguished their candles and vanished, while the rest of the group failed to notice they were gone.

• Lumian rode with officers Robert and his colleague to Inferno Square, carrying the ashes of Roul and meeting tomb attendant Kendall.
• Kendall led Lumian and the officers into the Catacombs, where Lumian sensed unseen gazes but chose not to investigate them.
• The group passed a wedding party celebrating among the dead before reaching the Tomb Lamp Tomb Chamber.
• Lumian realized Flamang had avoided recording where his family was buried because he felt guilty, and he placed Flamang's urn in an empty spot instead.
• On the return journey, two young wedding guests blew out their candles and disappeared, unnoticed by the rest of their party.

Lumian witnessed a wedding party in the Catacombs apparently lose a couple without anyone noticing, then discovered that Flamang's belongings included an unusual mineral specimen called Earthblood. Termiboros connected the specimen to why the Montsouris Ghosts had never come to kill Flamang.

• Lumian saw a couple vanish from the Catacombs wedding procession, while the other guests and Kendall acted as if nothing had happened.
• After leaving the Catacombs, Kendall questioned Lumian about watching the wedding party and warned him not to imitate them.
• At the Market District Police Headquarters, Lumian examined Flamang's belongings and found a mineral sample labeled Earthblood.
• Lumian read Flamang's notes that some Earthblood specimens might cause irritability and mania, then took all of Flamang's belongings.
• Lumian asked Termiboros what was special about the specimen, and Termiboros asked whether Lumian thought it was normal that the Montsouris Ghosts had never come to kill Flamang.

Lumian investigated the Earthblood ore’s connection to Flamang and the Montsouris Ghosts, then decided to postpone exploring Underground Trier until he was stronger. As he considered unanswered questions about Aurora and Hella, he received a summons from Gardner Martin.

• Lumian questioned Termiboros about whether the Earthblood ore had delayed the Montsouris Ghosts from killing Flamang, and Termiboros said the ore could serve as a key to Fourth Epoch Trier.
• Lumian wrote to Madam Magician, who explained that the powerless ore could trigger unpredictable encounters in underground areas and advised him to carry it only when prepared.
• Lumian hid the ore in his safe house and studied Aurora's Witchcraft Notes, wondering whether White Paper held information about Aurora and why she had not contacted Hella during lucid moments.
• Lumian decided to discuss Hella with Franca before questioning her, then went to his Breeze Ballroom at dusk.
• René told Lumian that Gardner Martin wanted to meet him on Springwater Street at ten the next morning.

Lumian encountered Charlie fighting Monet, who revealed that he had been scammed by the dance hall Different from the Rest and offered Lumian a monocle. Later, Jenna described a strange starry-sky vision, and Franca recognized it as a sign that Jenna had digested her Assassin potion before Lumian privately asked Franca about Hella.

• Lumian spotted Charlie fighting Monet on Market Avenue and learned that Monet had swindled Charlie before, then repaid him with interest.
• Monet said he had been scammed twice over shares in Different from the Rest and showed Lumian a monocle he had received there, but Lumian refused it.
• Lumian warned Charlie to keep his distance from Monet, then walked home with Jenna, who described feeling lost and seeing an illusory thing shatter into a starry sky.
• Franca told Jenna that the starry-sky vision meant she had digested her Assassin potion, and Jenna discussed her understanding of assassination as acting.
• Lumian asked Jenna to leave so he could speak privately with Franca, then asked what sort of person Hella was.

Lumian investigated whether Hella was trustworthy and learned that Aurora had stopped writing to her before the Cordou Village disaster. After arranging to meet Hella in Trier, Lumian received a secretive mission from Gardner Martin to retrieve something from Underground Trier.

• Franca told Lumian that she trusted Hella and suspected other Tarot Club members belonged to the Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society.
• Lumian wrote to Madam Magician about Aurora's unusual behavior, and she replied that Hella was trustworthy.
• Hella said she had received no letters from Muggle since February and proposed meeting Lumian in Trier to discuss the disaster.
• Lumian agreed to meet Hella, then completed his morning routine and spotted Baron Brignais escorting a child from Susie Steam Train Station.
• At Gardner Martin's villa, Rat Christo sensed Lumian's advancement to Pyromaniac, and Gardner assigned Lumian a secret noon collection mission in Underground Trier.

Lumian accepted Gardner Martin’s mission to retrieve a box from the Albert Mine, while carefully acting wary enough to avoid arousing the boss’s suspicion. He and his companions set off into Underground Trier, where Lumian questioned how dangerous the mission really was.

• Lumian weighed whether Gardner Martin’s assignment was a test or a dangerous operation, then agreed after observing Christo and Simon’s reactions.
• Gardner Martin showed Lumian, Christo, and Simon a detailed map of Underground Trier and explained how to reach the Albert Mine through two hidden tunnels.
• Gardner Martin said they had to reach the mine before noon, take a box from a trader without speaking to him, and never open it on the way back.
• Lumian, Christo, and Simon took carbide lamps and headed for Underground Trier.
• Lumian asked Christo and Simon about their past missions; Christo said he had completed three and Simon said he had completed one.
• Simon suggested the mission might be a test for advancement, and Lumian asked whether those who failed would die on the spot.

Lumian led Christo and Simon into Underground Trier for a mission, warning them that Gardner Martin might be using them as bait and persuading them to cooperate for survival. After they revealed their abilities, Lumian showed that he had advanced to Sequence 7 and positioned himself as the team’s leader as they continued underground.

• Lumian suggested Gardner Martin might have sent them underground as bait, making Christo and Simon fear the mission could be dangerous.
• Lumian urged the three of them to abandon the mission if survival seemed impossible and proposed that they cooperate fully.
• Christo revealed that he was a Sequence 8 Beast Tamer, described his animal companions, and introduced Taffy, a rat that could sense hidden dangers and estimate people's strength.
• Simon disclosed that he was a Sequence 8 Pugilist with weapons and combat skills, and Lumian praised his judgment before revealing his Pyromaniac flame.
• Lumian told Simon that Gardner Martin had helped him obtain the ingredients for advancement, then gave him Scorpion Venom to coat his weapons.
• As the team continued through the passage, Lumian privately reflected that he had used fear, his strength, and a small favor to establish himself as their leader.

Lumian led Simon and Christo through hidden tunnels to the Albert Mine for Gardner Martin’s exchange with a trader. After strange voices and unexplained footsteps unsettled the group, Lumian approached the trader and discovered that the man wore socks despite the sound of leather shoes; the trader then asked whether Gardner had sent him.

• Lumian told Simon and Christo to remain silent in the second tunnel, stay calm, and follow his directions unless they faced direct danger.
• Lumian volunteered to approach the trader and take the case, then led the others into the Albert Mine and waited for the appointed time.
• The three heard strange underground shouts and fighting, followed by footsteps that stopped just before reaching the mine.
• The trader appeared carrying a small leather case, and Christo warned Lumian that Taffy sensed danger.
• Lumian noticed the trader wore only gray socks, contradicting the leather-shoe footsteps, before the trader asked if Gardner Martin had sent him.

Lumian delivered a mysterious suitcase to Gardner Martin after escaping the Albert Mine with Simon and Christo from a headless monster and the trader Olsen. Gardner praised Lumian and ordered Olsen to keep observing him, while the suitcase’s contents remained unknown.

• Lumian took the suitcase from the limbless Olsen as a headless monster seized him, then fled through the Hidden Tunnel with Simon and Christo.
• Christo’s rat warned of extreme danger as the monster’s footsteps followed them, and Lumian ordered Simon and Christo to help seal the tunnel entrance.
• The three escaped to the Underground First Floor and returned to 11 Springwater Street, where Gardner accepted the suitcase and praised them.
• Gardner told Lumian that the devil was their friend and hell was other people, then asked Olsen to observe Lumian and his associates.
• Olsen left with the suitcase and straightened his crooked head with a crack.

Lumian suspected Gardner Martin had tested him during the dangerous mission and agreed to help Christo and Simon analyze future assignments. After recounting the mission to Franca and Jenna, he heard Franca suspect Gardner was preparing to bring him into the Iron and Blood Cross Order’s inner circle.

• Lumian wondered whether Gardner Martin had arranged the mission as a test and whether someone was secretly watching him.
• Christo and Simon asked Lumian to help them analyze future secret missions, and Simon apologized for his earlier behavior toward him.
• Lumian decided to continue his psychotherapy the next day and went to Franca’s apartment to discuss the mission.
• Franca and Jenna listened as Lumian described the headless trader and monster, and Franca suspected Gardner had tested Lumian because he wanted to bring him into the inner circle.
• Franca complained that Gardner still did not trust her despite their long relationship and had never tested her.

Lumian discussed his dangerous test for the Iron and Blood Cross Order with Franca, then reported his experiences to Madam Susie and learned that his mental state had improved enough to disrupt her treatment plan. He remained under surveillance, and Madam Magician warned him to be cautious about missions and the monsters’ possible connection to Fourth Epoch Trier.

• Franca complained that Gardner Martin had not tested her and explained how she had deduced Lumian’s mission was an assessment; she suspected the monsters resembled those once seen in Bansy Harbor.
• Lumian summoned the Doll Messenger and confirmed that someone nearby was monitoring him, then sent Madam Magician his account of the mission.
• Madam Magician warned Lumian to be wary of future assignments and said the monsters might have entered Fourth Epoch Trier while they were missing; she also advised him about his next Beyonder Sequence.
• Lumian visited the Trier Botanical Garden, then met Madam Susie at Mason Café and recounted his experiences, including killing Suzanne Mathis and helping people survive the Otherworld.
• Susie said Lumian’s resilience had helped his mental state improve, but warned that otherwise his despair might have aided the angel sealed inside him; she admitted her planned treatment was now unnecessary.

Lumian discussed his guilt and mental recovery with Susie and the lady, who explained that he was not responsible for the disasters caused by Termiboros’s companion and taught him to consider how people’s motives could change. The lady also revealed a Seer who escaped his fate by dying and taking on a new identity, leaving Lumian to consider how that resembled Substitution.

• Lumian asked whether he was an Unlucky One who brought disaster to those around him, and the lady explained that Termiboros’s companion had influenced their fates while Lumian had simply failed to do enough.
• The lady shared how she balanced past failures with the people she had helped, and Lumian faced his guilt and resolved to learn from his weaknesses.
• The lady suggested Termiboros’s companion might be helping Lumian recover to weaken Termiboros, prompting Lumian to suspect she was also sowing distrust between Termiboros and his companion.
• Lumian wondered whether Termiboros’s companion might have intended to help him from the beginning, and the lady said his memories probably had not deceived him.
• The lady described an Evil God believer who escaped his original fate by dying, changing identities, and acquiring a new fate, and Lumian compared the method to Substitution.

Lumian recovered memories of the disaster in Cordou Village and received guidance from Susie and Madam Justice on searching Aurora’s notes for clues. Meanwhile, Franca prepared to take Jenna to an occult gathering as Jenna considered advancing to Instigator.

• Lumian relived how abnormalities spread through Cordou Village, Aurora’s changing behavior, the villagers’ deaths, and the attack on the Administrator’s Castle.
• Lumian recalled that Assistant Parish Priest Michel Garigu had knocked him unconscious and taken him to the altar, then struggled with the painful emotions tied to those memories.
• Susie said Lumian’s psychological condition had improved and that one final therapy session would follow his meeting with Parish Priest Guillaume Béné.
• Madam Justice advised Lumian to focus on Aurora’s notes from the six months before the abnormalities began and the final three months of her life.
• Franca invited Jenna to an occult gathering to learn how to find ingredients and intelligence before advancing to Instigator; Jenna asked whether Charles should join them, freezing Franca’s expression.

Jenna accompanied Franca to an Occult Gathering, where they heard about a missing gatekeeper at Deep Valley Monastery and considered taking the investigation commission. Later, Gardner Martin invited Lumian into his circle and sent him to spend the night at the burned building at No. 13 Market Avenue as a test.

• Franca brought Jenna to an underground Trading Gathering, where Jenna learned about the occult market and its costly goods.
• A disguised client offered 20,000 Felkine for finding Pink, the missing gatekeeper of Deep Valley Monastery, and Franca and Jenna decided to consider the commission.
• The client told the gathering that Pink had vanished from the monastery after being seen at his post the previous evening.
• Gardner Martin met Lumian at the Breeze Ballroom and invited him to join his circle in exchange for accepting orders and facing greater danger.
• Gardner Martin told Lumian to go to No. 13 Market Avenue and stay until sunrise as a test.

Gardner Martin sent Lumian to spend the night in the burned building at No. 13 Market Avenue as a test, while Lumian suspected he had another reason for the urgent assignment. Lumian ignored a caller’s pleas for help until the door began to open on its own.

• Gardner Martin told Lumian to spend the night at No. 13 Market Avenue and ordered him not to tell anyone.
• Lumian agreed, left the Breeze Ballroom, and entered the burned building after finding no immediate signs of danger.
• Lumian waited in a small room, then heard someone knock and plead for help while warning that a murderer was coming.
• Termiboros told Lumian not to respond, and Lumian stayed silent as he heard a struggle, a body being dragged, and disturbing eating sounds outside.
• The same caller returned and threatened to open the door, which began to creak inward despite being battered and unlocked.