Chapter Summaries

Jenna became a Witch and joined Lumian’s plans, while Lumian’s investigation of Pauline led to a coordinated raid on her home. The group subdued Pauline and began using Franca’s transformation to impersonate her.

• Lumian explained the lingering remnants of the Primordial Witch and warned Jenna to be cautious; Jenna described her new Witch abilities and appearance.
• Lumian gave Jenna cosmetics to disguise her new charm and told her she would start working for him the next day.
• Lumian reviewed his observations of Pauline and the mysterious men visiting her, then prepared a plan to identify Bouval Pompairo.
• Pauline sensed danger and attacked with lightning, but Jenna and Franca used invisibility and Anti-Divination to knock her unconscious.
• Lumian entered Pauline’s bedroom, and Franca used the Lie ear clip to transform her appearance and height to resemble Pauline.

Lumian, Jenna, and Franca interrogated Pauline to learn about Bouval Pompairo’s abilities and habits, then prepared to use Pauline as bait. Bouval arrived at the house and entered the bedroom, unaware that the group was waiting for him.

• Franca disguised herself as Pauline while Lumian used Truth Serum to make the real Pauline answer Jenna’s questions.
• Pauline revealed that Bouval was an Ascetic with Transformation, Shadow Substitution, and other contract abilities, and that he carried items in pockets he guarded carefully.
• Lumian explained that killing Pauline could alert Bouval through Danger Premonition, and decided to bring Anthony into his conspiracy.
• Franca gave the Lie pendant to Jenna, while Lumian signaled Anthony to enter through the master bedroom’s exterior wall.
• Bouval arrived at No. 20 Terrace Street, spoke with the butler, and entered the bedroom, where the disguised Franca posed as Pauline.

Bouval Pompairo discovered that the apparent Pauline was a decoy and was ambushed by Jenna, Franca, and the real Pauline. Lumian transformed him into a bull and began interrogating him, starting by asking where the Samson Family was.

• Bouval used Raise Imps to search No. 20 Terrace Street and found the real Pauline bound in a wardrobe.
• Bouval merged with the shadows to reach Pauline, but Jenna lit the corridor and attacked his shadow with black flames.
• Bouval used Shadow Substitution and raced to free Pauline, but the real Pauline struck him with Arc Lightning, Franca hit him with Mental Piercing, and Jenna knocked him unconscious.
• Lumian kept Bouval transformed into a bull, and Bouval's attempt to read Lumian's fortune caused his eyes to bleed.
• Franca gave Bouval a mechanical typewriter so he could answer questions, and Lumian asked where the Samson Family was.

Lumian’s team captured Bouval Pompairo and questioned him about the Sinners, learning that Vazan Sanson led the organization and had taken several Fate Hunters away after a divine revelation. Bouval also explained how he used Fortune Transfer to create Misfortune Gold Coins, while Lumian realized Vazan’s absence might leave less than three weeks before a disaster.

• Lumian reviewed how his team had lured Bouval into a trap by making Pauline the focus and coordinating their roles.
• Bouval revealed that the Sanson family had disappeared for over two months, and that Vazan had killed his wife Constance and their children after Constance went mad.
• Bouval identified Vazan Sanson as the Sinners’ leader, the first to spread Fate’s faith in Trier, and a Person of the Loop who had taken several Fate Hunters away after receiving a divine revelation.
• Bouval said Vazan had left him and other members to manage businesses and believers for three months, leading Lumian to suspect the group’s foretold disaster would arrive within three weeks.
• Bouval explained that his Misfortune Gold Coin came from Fortune Transfer, which could pass misfortune for up to thirteen days and let him win new believers by later helping its victims.

Lumian questioned Bouval about his mystical items, assets, and the Sinners organization, then divided the spoils among his companions. After testing Bouval for hidden secrets, Lumian left Franca and Jenna to kill him so Franca could try a prophecy potion.

• Bouval explained that misfortune items could be transferred only a limited number of times and would last ten more days, then identified his prophecy potions and corrupted Eye of Truth.
• Bouval listed his wealth, ritual dog skins, and limited knowledge of other Sinners members, and Lumian assigned the spoils among Franca, Jenna, and Anthony Reid.
• Bouval tried to recite an animal-transformation incantation, but Lumian noticed and knocked him unconscious again.
• Lumian decided to deal with Bouval at the scene, then left and told the others to call him back after Bouval was dead.
• Franca encouraged Jenna to kill Bouval as an opportunity to act as a Witch, while Franca planned to test a prophecy potion on his corpse.

Jenna used Prophecy Potion on Bouval Pompairo’s corpse, which revealed that Vazan Sanson and Pualis de Roquefort were in the same place before vanishing after a dangerous prophecy. After the group raided Bouval’s home and alerted the police, Lumian spotted the corpse following their carriage.

• Jenna performed a Witch’s ritual and used Prophecy Potion to revive Bouval Pompairo’s corpse for questions.
• Bouval’s corpse answered that Vazan Sanson would be in Room 7 and Pualis de Roquefort in Room 12, suggesting they were together.
• When Jenna asked when Vazan would leave his building, Bouval answered, “Rain, water...” before his eyes burst and his body vanished.
• Franca left messages identifying the captives as Fate worshippers and warning the police about Vazan and his followers, then weakened Pauline and left the group behind.
• Lumian and the others collected valuables from Bouval’s home after confirming the police had been alerted.
• On the carriage ride back to the Market District, Lumian saw Bouval Pompairo’s swollen corpse outside the window.

Lumian reunited with Bouval Pompairo’s corrupted corpse and arranged for Madam Magician to take it for examination. A clue in Bouval’s prophecy led Lumian and his companions to suspect that a hostel was a gathering place for evil god believers, and he proposed abducting two people connected to the Dreamseekers charity.

• Lumian brought Franca, Jenna, and Anthony Reid to Franca’s apartment, where Bouval Pompairo’s corpse appeared at the darkened window.
• Lumian summoned help, and the corpse was dragged into a dark tunnel that opened behind it.
• Franca reported that key members of the Bliss Society had disappeared, while Anthony said the Dreamseekers charity had shown no recent suspicious activity.
• Lumian connected Bouval’s prophecy about Rooms 7 and 12 to a note mentioning a painting at a hostel, and he suspected the hostel was where the missing believers had gone.
• Lumian asked Franca to find out where the art dealer Teresa lived so he could verify who had written the note.
• Lumian proposed abducting General Philip’s widow and the Dreamseekers charity’s true controller for interrogation.

Lumian learned that the mysterious Hostel was linked to dangerous powers that could turn paintings and fiction into reality, while Franca negotiated an end to her Witch Sect probation. Blanche revealed that the Chrismona Night Pillar was connected to a Fourth Epoch Witch who had been a child of God.

• Lumian received Madam Magician's account of painters and novelists whose creations had manifested through powers tied to alternate dimensions, and he connected the information to his Mystery-Peering Glasses.
• Lumian asked Termiboros about the Hostel, learned it belonged to another great existence rather than an evil god, and failed to get more details.
• Franca confronted Blanche about prolonging her probation, and Blanche offered to end it that week if Franca skipped the Red House Café Revelry Party.
• Franca agreed to avoid the party and asked Blanche whether the Chrismona Night Pillar had been left by a Fourth Epoch Witch.
• Blanche confirmed Chrismona had been a Witch and revealed that he had been a child of God.

Franca learned that Teresa had denied knowing about the mysterious “hostel,” strengthening the suspicion that Beatrice had known its location. Lumian and Jenna pursued the hostel investigation through the Aurora Order and the Purifiers, and the chapter ended as Imre began explaining what the term meant.

• Blanche told Franca that Teresa had returned and denied knowing about the “hostel,” leading Franca to suspect the note had been meant for Beatrice.
• Franca teased Blanche about her criticism of the spiritism, then left for the forest.
• Lumian showed Mr. K the Mystery-Peering Glasses, and Mr. K explained that a figure had vanished from a painting found with them.
• Mr. K relayed that the “hostel” housed travelers from outside and urged Lumian to seek information through official channels.
• Jenna told Imre and Valentine that suspected evil god worshipers had gone to the “hostel,” and Imre began explaining that their colleagues had heard the term from a strange creature.

Lumian and Anthony Reid infiltrated General Philip’s home to question his widow about the Dreamseekers charitable organization. Annis revealed that Philip’s will forced her family to donate most of their estate, and that he had stopped sincerely worshipping the Eternal Blazing Sun, leaving the investigation with new suspicions about his beliefs.

• Jenna learned from Imre and Valentine about an invisible creature called a Fairy that claimed to come from the Hostel, and agreed to watch for unusual behavior among artists and storytellers.
• Lumian found no concrete lead on the Hostel and decided to investigate General Philip’s widow and the Dreamseekers.
• Lumian and Anthony Reid slipped into Annis’s home, subdued the guard dog, and entered her bedroom to question her.
• Anthony Reid hypnotized Annis, who said Philip’s will required her and her children to donate two-thirds of his estate to the Dreamseekers to inherit the rest.
• Annis told Anthony Reid that Philip had stopped praying earnestly and had once whispered, “Goddess bless me.”

Lumian and Anthony Reid’s investigation into General Philip’s apparent death led them to suspect his connection to evil-god worship, but the Dreamseekers charity burned before they could question anyone there. After Anthony recommitted himself to the investigation, Lumian reported to Madam Magician and decided to seek clues from Gabriel among Trier’s struggling artists.

• Anthony Reid questioned Annesi and learned that Philip had warned her of strange changes to his body before his death, but the apparent Beyonder Characteristic later vanished; Lumian suspected Philip had faked his death.
• Lumian and Anthony Reid arrived at the Dreamseekers charity and found Number 11 engulfed in flames, with no one calling for help inside.
• Lumian challenged Anthony Reid to continue investigating despite the danger, and Anthony said he could not give up pursuing the truth and revenge.
• Lumian reported the night’s events to Madam Magician, who warned that destiny’s interwoven strands could affect the others and said the Tarot Club would make further attempts.
• Lumian considered possible links among painters, novelists, and readers, then decided to visit Gabriel and ask about unknown artists behaving strangely or making unusual remarks.

Lumian searched for playwright Gabriel and found his empty apartment, where a strange disturbance led him to suspect an unseen creature. He put on the Mystery-Peering Glasses to investigate.

• Lumian asked patrons at the Third-Rate Writer bar where Gabriel lived and learned Gabriel had been missing for several days.
• Rabet led Lumian to Gabriel’s apartment and told him about underground writers who produced novels for an exploitative boss.
• Lumian picked the lock, entered Gabriel’s apartment, and found the playwright’s manuscript and belongings but no sign of him.
• Lumian noticed cold water and dust in a mug, suggesting Gabriel had been gone for at least a day, then read his unfinished script.
• After the mug mysteriously returned to its previous position, Lumian suspected an unseen creature and took out the Mystery-Peering Glasses.

Lumian investigated Gabriel’s disappearance and discovered that Gabriel had become an invisible, untouchable monster after writing about his lost lover, Safali. Meanwhile, Franca joined the Witch Sect and was tasked with identifying an item the Iron and Blood Cross Order had smuggled into Trier, which she suspected might be connected to the silver mirror she had found.

• Lumian used the Mystery-Peering Glasses and the Eye of Truth to glimpse Gabriel, who smiled and waved before vanishing.
• Lumian read Gabriel’s unfinished script and realized that its female lead combined his own and Charlie’s experiences, while the story’s romance was based on Gabriel’s relationship with Safali.
• Lumian searched Gabriel’s apartment for clues about his corruption, then asked writers at the Third-Rate Writer bar where Gabriel had been; they said they had last seen him at an exhibition two days earlier.
• Bruns Soren told Franca that she had passed the Witch Sect’s assessment and become a full member, then offered her the Pain potion formula in exchange for identifying an item smuggled into Trier by the Iron and Blood Cross Order.
• Franca connected the smuggled item to the earlier tunnel incident involving Christo’s missing brother and recalled the antique pure silver mirror she had obtained.

Franca formally prayed to the Primordial One under the Black Witch Clarisse’s supervision and saw a disturbing reflection of her former self, while Lumian investigated Gabriel’s visits to Trier’s art exhibitions. Franca was tasked with watching Gardner Martin for signs of an impending move, and Lumian spotted someone familiar at the Future Impression exhibition.

• Franca told Bruns Soren what she knew about the Mirror World incident, then met Bruns’s teacher, the Black Witch Clarisse.
• Clarisse taught Franca part of the Primordial One’s honorific name; during the prayer, a vine’s eye reflected Franca as her former self, Franco Roland.
• Clarisse said the honorific name had two secret lines and gave Franca a statue, instructing her to watch Gardner Martin and contact Bruns if the Iron and Blood Cross Order acted unusually.
• Lumian reviewed reports that Gabriel had been visiting galleries in search of a particular painting and updated Madam Magician on his investigation.
• Lumian went to the Future Impression exhibition at the Trier Arts Center and saw a familiar figure.

At an art exhibition, Lumian used the Mystery-Peering Glasses and saw signs that Ludwig was more dangerous than he had realized. Meanwhile, Jenna encountered the strange little boy again, who offered her a Lucky Gold Coin as payment for help.

• Ludwig told Lumian he had come to the exhibition to learn about art, and Baron Brignais assigned him an essay about the visit.
• Lumian examined the paintings through the Mystery-Peering Glasses and saw their hidden realities, including Ludwig’s face beginning to change when the boy looked toward him.
• After recovering from the glasses’ effects in the washroom, Lumian noticed a bizarre painting and wondered whether Gabriel might have acted strangely while alone there.
• Jenna met the little boy outside the Old Dovecage Theater, and he said she had encountered him before the other choices.
• The little boy offered Jenna a gleaming gold coin called a Lucky Gold Coin as payment for her help.

Jenna received strange instructions from Will to enter Underground Trier and rob the first person she encountered, while Lumian uncovered a connection between an ominous painting, Safali, and the missing painter Claude Pierre Auguste. Franca followed a cloaked visitor from Gardner Martin’s residence, and Jenna waited by an underground river as someone approached.

• Jenna learned that Will was Loenian and agreed to follow his directions in exchange for a lucky coin.
• Lumian used the Mystery-Peering Glasses and recognized Safali in the face-filled painting, then decided to inform Madam Magician about painter Claude Pierre Auguste.
• Franca concealed herself in Gardner Martin’s garden and followed a mysterious cloaked man after he left the residence.
• Jenna entered Underground Trier at ten, followed the tunnels to an underground river, hid beside it, and heard footsteps approaching.

Lumian dreamed that Gabriel warned him Trier was in danger and revealed that he had willingly gone with Safali to the Hostel. Elsewhere, Franca discovered a possible link between the Iron and Blood Cross Order and the Carbonari, while Jenna ambushed and captured a mechanically modified monk carrying painting supplies.

• Lumian dreamed that Gabriel warned him to leave Trier, explained that Safali had taken him to the Hostel, and said he wanted to remain with her.
• Franca followed a cloaked man into Underground Trier and recognized the Carbonari’s three-lamp symbol beside a suspicious shifting mist.
• Franca felt the Classical Silver Mirror vibrate as the cloaked man entered the mist, and she stayed back while the stone door closed.
• Jenna concealed herself by the underground river and attacked a monk whose face was made of mechanical parts, overpowering him with black flame and Darkness Spells.
• Jenna searched the unconscious monk’s Grayish-White Cloth Bag and found canned paint and painting brushes.

Jenna survived an attack by a monk whose mechanical body came alive, while Franca uncovered evidence of a planned riot involving the Carbonari, the Iron and Blood Cross Order, and monks from Deep Valley Monastery. Lumian learned he might have a close connection to the Hostel, and the three investigators compared their discoveries as concern about Trier’s safety grew.

• Jenna found paints and brushes in an unconscious monk’s bag, but his mechanical body mutated and attacked her, forcing her to flee with Bloodsucker's Arrow embedded in her chest.
• Franca connected the strange mist near a hidden cave to earlier evidence and suspected the Iron and Blood Cross Order, the Carbonari, and monks from Deep Valley Monastery were conspiring to cause a riot.
• Franca decided to report her findings to the Tarot Club, the Witch Sect, and the authorities through 007.
• After Gabriel warned Lumian in a dream, Madam Magician told him she had not noticed the influence and suspected Lumian had a close connection to the Hostel.
• Lumian remembered Maip Mayer as a possible cause of that connection and wondered if it could help him locate the Hostel.
• Franca and Jenna reported their discoveries to Lumian and Anthony, and Lumian worried that problems in multiple major Churches could threaten Trier.

Lumian and Anthony Reid decided to stay in Trier despite the coming disaster, while Lumian reported three possible avenues of investigation to Madam Magician. Franca went to visit Gardner Martin, and Jenna received a Lucky Gold Coin from Will before falling into a collapsing underground cavern.

• Lumian advised Anthony Reid to leave Trier, but Anthony explained that he would stay and help protect the people he knew.
• Lumian wrote to Madam Magician about investigating the monasteries, reaching the Hostel underground, or taking action against Gardner Martin, and she agreed to handle the monasteries while urging caution with the other leads.
• Franca set out to visit Gardner Martin, while Jenna stayed behind with a bag of paints intended for Will.
• Guided by a dream, Jenna found Will underground, gave him the paints, and received the Lucky Gold Coin as payment.
• As Jenna tried to find her way back to the surface, tremors shook the underground passage and the ground collapsed beneath her, sending her falling into the depths.

At Deep Valley Quarry, Horamick Haydn and the Machinery Hivemind confronted the heretic Claude, while Danitz helped attack a Carbonari hideout in Underground Trier. Jenna fell into a strange place resembling the Golden Rooster Inn and spotted the missing playwright Gabriel with an unfamiliar woman.

• Horamick Haydn led the Machinery Hivemind into the quarry, where they found Claude transformed into a mechanical giant and learned he sought to open Fourth Epoch Trier.
• Claude showed the Machinery Hivemind a terrifying vision of faces threatening their civilization, then Horamick and the others attacked him.
• Danitz rejected a sailor's question about helping the Intis government, then blasted open the stone door to the Carbonari hideout.
• Jenna fell through darkness and landed before a version of the Golden Rooster Inn, where she saw Gabriel embracing an unfamiliar woman.