Recaps

After Kenley died in the mission, Klein grew alarmed by Dunn Smith’s strange behavior and suspected something was wrong with his captain. He left the matter with Dunn at the scene and sent letters to Madam Daly and Mr. Azik seeking advice.

• Klein saw Dunn Smith wrapping Sealed Artifact 3-0271 and, after Dunn confirmed the servants were asleep, left to summon help.
• Klein reported Kenley’s death at a police station, then returned to Zouteland Street to fetch Frye.
• Frye and Klein went back to Madam Shermane’s home, helped bring Kenley’s remains and Madam Shermane’s corpse to the Blackthorn Security Company, and Dunn sent Klein home to rest.
• Klein began writing to Madam Daly but destroyed his first draft before sending a detailed account of seeing Dunn bent over Kenley’s corpse with dark red blood around his mouth.
• Klein summoned Madam Daly’s messenger to deliver the letter, then wrote to Mr. Azik asking whether he recognized Dunn’s behavior and how Klein could help him.

Klein divined that Dunn Smith’s abnormality would put him in serious danger, but failed to discover its cause. After receiving confirmation that the next Tarot Club gathering was canceled, Klein woke to find a reply from Azik delivered by his skeletal messenger.

• Klein used his copper whistle to summon his messenger, then divined above the gray fog that Dunn Smith’s abnormality would endanger him, though a second divination revealed nothing about its cause.
• Klein reported for duty and found Dunn grieving the deaths of Kenley and another teammate; Dunn said the Church and police would provide Kenley’s family with a total of 4,000 pounds.
• At Chanis Gate, Klein received prayers from Justice and The Hanged Man, who both requested leave from the next gathering because of surveillance following the Qilangos incident; Klein agreed and canceled the gathering for The Sun.
• In the City of Silver, Derrick heard Mr. Fool’s cancellation notice and wondered about Shepherd Lovia’s increasingly strange condition.
• Klein returned home, slept, and woke when Azik’s skeletal messenger delivered a letter onto his bed.

Klein read Azik’s theories about vampires and mutants, then received a dream message from Dunn directing him to meet Leonard at a house linked to Lanarvus. There, Klein used divination to uncover a hidden letter announcing Lanarvus’s deadly game.

• Azik told Klein that the captain might be a vampire or a mutant, though warning signs of losing control were also possible, and urged him to report the matter to a superior.
• Dunn appeared in Klein’s dream and told him that Leonard had found a lead in the Lanarvus case and was waiting at 62 Howes Street.
• Leonard explained that the house’s tenant had resembled Lanarvus and had disappeared after Hynas Vincent died.
• Klein divined that the study bookshelf concealed a compartment, and Leonard opened it to find a letter.
• Leonard and Klein read Lanarvus’s letter, which congratulated them for finding it and announced a life-or-death game amid the suffering of factory workers.

Klein and Leonard discovered that Lanarvus’s growing “bomb” might be connected to Megose’s pregnancy and reported the threat to Dunn Smith. When Megose arrived at the Blackthorn Security Company, Klein’s Spirituality warned him not to look at her, and he realized the baby in her womb might be an evil god’s offspring.

• Klein and Leonard found Lanarvus’s letter threatening a bomb in Tingen City and suspected that the city’s accumulated grievances were empowering it.
• Klein and Leonard told Dunn Smith about the letter, and Dunn sent a telegram to the Holy Cathedral requesting a mysticism expert.
• Klein read reports presenting Madam Shermane’s death as the result of devil worship and Mayor Dennis’s resignation as an effort to take responsibility for public safety.
• Megose arrived at the Blackthorn Security Company, and Klein and Leonard recognized her as Lanarvus’s pregnant victim.
• Klein’s Spirituality warned him not to use Spirit Vision on Megose, leading him to suspect that her unborn child was an evil god’s offspring.

Klein realized Megose was carrying a mythical being tied to the True Creator and warned Dunn that the Nighthawks faced an imminent crisis. As Dunn prepared the team and sought reinforcements, Klein evacuated the civilians, armed himself, and summoned Azik’s messenger for help.

• Klein told Dunn that Megose’s unborn child was likely a mythical creature and that Lanarvus had arranged a ritual using her as a vessel.
• Dunn ordered Leonard to keep Megose occupied, evacuated the civilian staff, and sent for help from the Holy Cathedral, the Mandated Punishers, and the Machinery Hivemind.
• Klein warned Dunn that Megose’s sudden arrival might be part of a larger pattern of arranged coincidences, and Dunn agreed to include the suspicion in his telegram.
• Klein evacuated Mrs. Orianna and Rozanne, then returned to help keep Megose inside the Blackthorn Security Company.
• Dunn emerged with Saint Selena’s ashes and sent Klein to retrieve an offensive Sealed Artifact, while the Mandated Punishers confirmed they were coming.
• Klein wrote to Azik about the person who had arranged Megose’s arrival and blew the Azik Copper Whistle to summon the skeletal messenger.

Klein chose Sealed Artifact 2-105, the Blood Vessel Thief, for Leonard to use while the Nighthawks prepared to stall Megose and await reinforcements. Dunn revealed that Daly had asked him to explain something to Klein himself, leaving Klein relieved that Dunn seemed to be in no serious danger.

• Klein rejected Sealed Artifacts 2-030 and 2-078, then chose 2-105 because it could steal an ability from even a High-Sequence target.
• Klein asked Siga Tron to retrieve the Blood Vessel Thief from behind Chanis Gate, and she returned with it for him to give to Leonard.
• Leonard kept Megose talking in the reception hall as she pulled out a handful of her hair and casually threw it away.
• Klein returned upstairs and told Dunn that he had chosen 2-105 for Leonard, while Dunn said the Holy Cathedral was organizing reinforcements and wanted them to stall for time.
• Dunn said Daly had told him to explain something to Klein himself, and Klein realized this meant Dunn was not in serious trouble.

Dunn explained that he had consumed the Beyonder characteristics left by his dead companions to keep them with him in his dreams, then went out to confront Megose before her child could be born. Klein and Leonard prepared to follow him and protect Tingen City.

• Dunn told Klein that Beyonder characteristics could not be destroyed and explained how he had consumed the remains of dead Beyonders from his own pathway.
• Dunn admitted that he consumed his companions’ characteristics because he could not bear to part with them and still dreamed of fighting alongside them.
• Megose began tearing flesh from her face, and Leonard sensed that she and her unborn child would mutate within minutes.
• Leonard asked for the Blood Vessel Thief, and Klein handed him the Sealed Artifact.
• Dunn took Saint Selena’s ashes and went out first, ordering Klein and Leonard to wait ten seconds before attacking Megose and her child.
• Dunn reassured Klein and Leonard that his companions were fighting beside him as he strode toward the danger.

Klein, Leonard Mitchell, and Dunn Smith fought Megose to stop the suspected evil god’s offspring from being born. After Megose survived Klein’s Solar Flare Charm and disabled Leonard, an infant’s wail rang out.

• Dunn Smith opened Saint Selena’s urn, and its black threads bound Megose while she shouted at him and hurled him into a wall.
• Klein and Leonard attacked together: Leonard stole Megose’s Words of Profanity, and Klein used a Solar Flare Charm that engulfed her in sunlight and flames.
• Megose survived the blast, appeared beside Klein, and nearly killed him with a bone blade before Leonard used her Words of Blasphemy to restrain her.
• Megose broke free, charged Leonard, and knocked him unconscious as the threads from Saint Selena’s urn began binding her again.
• Klein prepared another Solar Flare Charm, but an infant’s wail sounded through the room.

Klein and Dunn destroyed Megose and the terrifying presence inside her with a Solar Flare Charm, saving Tingen, but Dunn died and a hidden assailant killed Klein and took Saint Selena's urn. Leonard awoke to find both comrades dead as members of the Mandated Punishers and the Machinery Hivemind arrived.

• Megose's infant cry disrupted the black threads, and Dunn used his Nightmare powers to restrain her while the threads absorbed his blood.
• When the infant's cries broke the threads' hold, Dunn pulled out his heart and placed it in Saint Selena's urn, strengthening the threads enough to bind Megose.
• Klein threw the Solar Flare Charm and called forth sunlight, destroying Megose and the half-illusory presence inside her.
• Dunn's heart stopped, and he fell dead after telling Klein, "We saved Tingen."
• A pale hand stabbed Klein through the chest, withdrew, and took Saint Selena's urn, leaving Klein dead.
• Leonard awoke, found Dunn and Klein dead, and wept and pounded the floor as members of the Mandated Punishers and the Machinery Hivemind arrived.

Ince Zangwill reviewed and altered the Antigonus Family Notebook’s account of events in Tingen, tracking how Klein’s unexpected actions disrupted his plans before the city’s catastrophe. After Ince advanced to demigod and killed Klein, he closed the notebook and declared the story of Tingen City over.

• Ince Zangwill wrote in the notebook about the events that led the Antigonus Family Notebook to Tingen and Klein Moretti’s repeated survival and interference.
• Lanarvus’s ritual succeeded, Megose became pregnant with the True Creator’s offspring, and the Nighthawks gradually uncovered the danger.
• Dunn Smith’s condition worsened, and Megose’s arrival at the Blackthorn Security Company led to a battle in which Dunn and Klein died.
• Ince Zangwill took Saint Selena’s ashes and advanced to Sequence 4 Nightwatcher by completing a ritual.
• Ince Zangwill wrote that the story of Tingen City ended, then shut the notebook.

Leonard learned that Ince Zangwill and Sealed Artifact 0-08 were connected to the tragedy and told Melissa and Benson that Klein had died. After Klein’s funeral, he unexpectedly revived in his grave, his wounds slowly healing.

• Siga Tron found an undecoded telegram warning the Nighthawks to beware of Ince Zangwill and Sealed Artifact 0-08, and Leonard decided to apply to join the Red Gloves.
• Leonard visited Melissa and Benson and told them that Klein had died while saving people; Benson asked to see Klein’s body.
• Leonard, Benson, Frye, and Brett buried Klein, and Melissa dropped the copper whistle into the grave before breaking down in tears.
• Azik visited Klein’s grave, said he believed he knew who was responsible, and left without taking the copper whistle.
• Klein pushed open his coffin and sat up, finding that the wound in his chest was slowly healing.

Klein resurrected and returned to the gray fog to investigate the man who had killed him and the plot behind Tingen’s tragedy. He identified Ince Zangwill as the mastermind seeking Saint Selena’s ashes and learned that Ince was in Backlund.

• Klein restored his grave, found Dunn’s grave, and mourned his captain.
• Klein entered the space above the gray fog and divined that Ince Zangwill had killed him.
• Klein reasoned that Ince had plotted the events in Tingen to obtain Saint Selena’s ashes and advance to Sequence 4.
• Klein suspected that Sealed Artifact 0-08 had shaped events through its written descriptions, but his divination of its powers failed.
• Klein divined the city where Ince Zangwill was located and recognized it as Backlund.

Klein divined that both Ince Zangwill and Lanarvus were in Backlund and decided to go there to grow stronger while avoiding the dangers around the Hornacis Mountain Range. Before leaving Tingen, he secretly followed Benson and Melissa to a circus and presented them with a bouquet while disguised as a clown.

• Klein divined that Lanarvus was in Backlund and that Backlund held his hope of becoming stronger, while a second vision pointed toward a dangerous treasure connected to the Antigonus Family.
• Klein visited Dunn Smith's grave, wandered past his family home without knocking, and spent the night outside before withdrawing money from his anonymous account.
• Klein bought clothes and a train ticket to Backlund, but while waiting for the afternoon departure, he realized he wanted to see Benson and Melissa once more.
• Klein followed Benson and Melissa from their home to a circus, where he watched them struggle with their grief and saw Melissa nearly fall.
• Klein disguised himself as a clown and presented Benson and Melissa with a bouquet of golden Seville chrysanthemums.

The author reflected on the workload and writing choices behind Part One of Lord of Mysteries, then announced a short break before Part Two, “Faceless.” Updates were scheduled to resume at noon the day after tomorrow.

• The author thanked readers for their tips and subscriptions and described how declining energy and health problems led to a routine of two chapters a day, with reserve chapters to maintain updates.
• The author said the June extra updates relied mostly on the chapter stockpile and admitted that writing three chapters in a day was rare.
• The author described Part One as a novella-style experiment with a unified structure, foreshadowing, and the volume title “Clown” running throughout.
• The author noted that the recurring cycle of gatherings, incidents, practice, and daily life weakened the writing, and said a time skip and faster pacing helped address problems after Old Neil’s death.
• The author said Lord of Mysteries was planned for six to eight parts, each named after a Sequence potion suited to its theme.
• The author announced a day-and-a-half break to organize Part Two’s outline, said updates would resume at noon the day after tomorrow, and named Part Two “Faceless.”

Klein arrived in Backlund, chose a neighborhood where he could hide from the local Nighthawks, and traveled toward Cherwood Borough to find a place to live. As he rode the subway, several men rushed into his carriage just after a boy hurried away toward third class.

• Klein arrived at Backlund and reflected on his Clown potion acting and his search for the next Sequence formula.
• Klein chose Cherwood Borough as a place to live because it was affordable and offered crowds and relative safety.
• Klein bought a second-class subway ticket and boarded a train bound for Cherwood Borough.
• A thin boy entered Klein's carriage by mistake, apologized for having a third-class ticket, and hurried toward the third-class carriage.
• Several men in black coats rushed into Klein's carriage, and Klein suspected they were pursuing the boy.

Klein arrived in Backlund, rented the house at No. 15 from Starling Summer, and decided to work as a private detective. He settled into his new home and began planning how to earn money without sacrificing his freedom.

• Klein noticed a red-eyed boy evade men searching the subway train and return to the second-class carriage.
• Klein visited Starling Summer at No. 17 Minsk Street and negotiated a half-year rental for the neighboring house.
• Klein signed the contract and paid Starling twenty-five pounds, then met her husband, Luke Summer.
• Klein inspected No. 15 and settled into the house after maid Julian brought him the rental instructions.
• Klein considered possible jobs and chose to become a private detective.

Klein prepared to establish himself as a private detective in Backlund before convening the Tarot Gathering, where Alger repaid him with Roselle's diary pages. The pages revealed that Roselle had contacted a being called Mr. Door, who offered him three wishes in exchange for help returning to the real world.

• Klein bought a small advertisement for his detective business, gathered ritual materials, and searched newspapers for potential investments.
• Klein summoned Derrick, Audrey, and Alger to the Tarot Gathering, where each joined from their respective location.
• Alger gave Klein six of the nineteen Roselle diary pages he had obtained as payment for help eliminating Qilangos.
• Klein read a diary entry in which Roselle described meeting Mr. Door and hearing about Fourth Epoch history.

Klein read Roselle's account of Mr. Door, learning that the Fourth Epoch's emperors had ruled at the same time and that gods could go mad. He also read Roselle's entries about the Reader pathway and his plans to seize power, leaving Klein with new questions about the Beyonder world and Fourth Epoch history.

• Klein read Roselle's account of Mr. Door, who described the War of the Four Emperors, the emperors' fates, and the laws of Beyonder characteristics.
• Klein reconsidered Fourth Epoch history and wondered whether Death became a god and went mad, and whether the Black Emperor had been one enduring figure.
• Klein reflected on the implications of characteristic conservation, the gods' former descents, and the possibility that gods could become evil or bring an apocalypse.
• Klein read Roselle's complaint that the early Reader Sequences lacked combat abilities and learned that Sequence 5 Astrologer would provide them.
• Klein read Roselle's plan to exploit unrest, secure the Church's support, and emerge as Consul Roselle Gustav after the rebels disrupted order.

Klein shared two laws of Beyonder Characteristics with the Tarot Club, explaining that characteristics could not be destroyed and would remain after a Beyonder’s death. He introduced the law of Beyonder Characteristic Conservation within similar Sequences, then asked Alger what he would offer to learn why the law applied only to similar Sequences.

• Klein read Roselle’s diary entries about the coming Intis rebellion, Green’s death, and Roselle’s investigation into the Secret Order.
• Klein told the Tarot Club that Roselle’s diary had reminded him to share some common knowledge about the Beyonder world.
• Klein explained that Beyonder Characteristics could not be destroyed or diminished, but only transferred between things.
• Klein said that dead Beyonders left behind items containing their characteristics, which could serve as potion ingredients or semi-finished mystical items; Audrey was shaken by the revelation.
• Klein introduced the law of Beyonder Characteristic Conservation within similar Sequences, and when Alger asked why it applied to similar Sequences, Klein asked what he would offer in exchange.

At the Tarot Club, The Fool offered an explanation of neighboring Sequences in exchange for information about the Secret Order, and the members agreed to investigate. The gathering left Audrey and Alger preparing to trade a Beyonder ingredient, while The Fool proposed an experiment to arrange its delivery.

• Alger asked what reward The Fool wanted for explaining Roselle's diary, and The Fool requested information about the Secret Order.
• Alger and Audrey agreed to gather information on the Secret Order, while Derrick offered his accumulated compensation for the answer.
• The Fool explained that certain high Sequences from neighboring pathways could be interchanged without causing loss of control, and Derrick wondered whether the former Chief of the City of Silver had attempted such a change.
• Audrey asked which pathways neighbored the Spectator pathway and offered to pay for the answer once the Secret Order transaction was complete.
• Alger confirmed that he had obtained the complete pituitary gland of an adult Rainbow Salamander for Audrey, but neither knew how to deliver it safely.
• The Fool proposed that Audrey and Alger cooperate with him in an experiment to arrange the ingredient's delivery.

Klein proposed a sacrificial ritual that would let Alger send Beyonder materials to him for bestowal upon Audrey, and arranged for Alger to test it after the gathering. He also told Audrey to discreetly introduce two potential members to his name, then remained above the gray fog awaiting the sacrifice.

• Klein explained that Alger could sacrifice materials to him through a ritual and that he would bestow them upon Audrey.
• Klein gave Alger the ritual steps and symbol, instructing him to try materials containing spirituality first and Beyonder materials if that failed.
• Alger agreed to attempt the ritual after the gathering and promised to notify Klein when he had secured more Beyonder materials; Audrey offered to compensate him if needed.
• Audrey asked whether two discreet Beyonder women with Backlund connections could join the Tarot Club, and Klein said they required examination.
• Klein instructed Audrey to discreetly acquaint the women with his name and encourage their interest in it.
• The gathering ended, and Klein remained above the gray fog to await Alger's sacrifice.

Alger successfully offered the Rainbow Salamander's pituitary gland to The Fool, who then enabled Audrey to receive it and advance to Sequence 8 as a Mind Reader. Klein made preparations for his disguises and rented a room in the East Borough, then waited for his advertisements to bring work; on Thursday morning, someone finally rang his doorbell.

• Alger completed the sacrificial ritual, and The Fool accepted the Rainbow Salamander's pituitary gland.
• Klein told Audrey the ritual had succeeded and instructed her how to ask The Fool to bestow power.
• Audrey performed the ritual, received the pituitary gland, and drank the Mind Reader potion, advancing successfully.
• Klein bought disguise supplies and rented a room in the East Borough for his plans.
• Klein tested rituals and charms using only his spirituality while waiting for commissions, and someone rang his doorbell on Thursday morning.

Klein accepted his first commission as a detective and used divination to find Mrs. Doris’s missing cat, Brody. After returning home, he met Ian, who asked him to investigate the suspected disappearance of Ian’s former employer, detective Zerrell Victor Lee.

• Klein accepted Mrs. Doris’s offer of five soli to find her missing cat, Brody.
• At 58 Minsk Street, Klein used a cane divination to locate Brody inside an old cupboard and reunited the cat with Mrs. Doris.
• Jurgen told Klein that Brody had been one of the mainstays of his grandmother’s life and that she had begun hearing the cat’s cries.
• Klein returned to 15 Minsk Street and found Ian waiting outside his home.
• Ian told Klein that his former employer, Zerrell Victor Lee, might have gone missing after Ian discovered signs of a break-in at his home and received no response through their agreed contact method.

Klein agreed to investigate Detective Zerrell for Ian, who paid him five pounds and promised three future favors. After a divination failed to reveal more about Ian, Klein broke into Zerrell’s home, subdued three men waiting in the bedroom with a Sleeping Charm, and prepared to use Dream Divination to locate the detective.

• Klein negotiated a contract with Ian to investigate Zerrell in exchange for five pounds and three favors, and Ian provided information about the detective.
• Ian refused to explain what Zerrell had been investigating and said he would contact Klein when the time was right.
• Klein’s divination about supernatural involvement failed because he had too little information about Ian’s situation.
• Klein went to Zerrell’s darkened home and used Spirit Vision to discover three people waiting inside the bedroom.
• Klein used a Sleeping Charm to put the three men to sleep, found Zerrell’s tawny hairs, and sat down to attempt Dream Divination.

Klein used Spirit Channeling to learn that Meursault of the Zmanger Gang had been sent to Zerrell’s house to wait for Ian, then traced Zerrell’s corpse to a sewer in the East Borough. His attempt to learn how Zerrell died failed, so he decided to leave the investigation to the police.

• Klein questioned a sleeping man through Spirit Channeling and learned that Meursault had sent him to wait for Ian at Zerrell’s house.
• Klein left the house without waking its occupants and traveled through the East Borough, where he encountered poor residents being driven from the streets.
• After resting, Klein used Zerrell’s hairs and a dowsing rod to locate his corpse in a sewer.
• Klein tried to learn the cause of Zerrell’s death through Spirit Channeling, but found that someone had dealt with Zerrell’s spirit.
• Klein concluded that a Beyonder had been involved and decided to tell Ian to go to the police.