Chapter Summaries

Klein and the City of Silver’s exploration team discovered that the Giant King’s parents appeared to have been human, raising questions about the origin of giants. The team entered the Giant King’s royal court, where Lovia’s test puppet was destroyed on one path and Joshua heard unexplained footsteps behind him.

• Klein examined the human-sized skeletons in the tomb and wondered whether giants had originated from humans.
• Colin told the exploration team that the skeletons’ identity was a secret, then ordered them to search the Forest of Decay before leading them onward.
• The team entered a vast cave and passed through a rising hall into the guards’ quarters, where Derrick recognized murals of Badhair and Omebella.
• Colin opened the doors to the royal court, and the team began descending its stairs after Lovia’s puppet was destroyed on the left-hand path.
• Joshua heard footsteps behind him, but Lovia’s silver knight found nothing there.

The City of Silver exploration team descended into a dangerous palace, where Joshua died from inner degeneration and Lovia invoked the True Creator, whose gaze Klein recognized. The team reached a hall resembling the Tarot Gathering, where eleven hazy figures appeared around a table.

• Joshua heard unusual footsteps, then suddenly strangled himself; Colin stopped Lovia from doing the same when she suffered a violent episode of degeneration.
• Lovia identified the danger as degeneration, invoked the True Creator, and declared the nearby staircase safe after her missing finger regrew.
• Klein sensed the True Creator watching the team and recognized the gaze, while the team burned Joshua's body and kept his ashes.
• Colin led the team into a dark palace, where one female warrior fell asleep and vanished despite the group's efforts to stay awake.
• Derrick recognized a hall's dark red table as resembling the Tarot Gathering's setting, and eleven illusory figures appeared around it.

Klein broke the City of Silver group's fate loop in a hall where murals replayed Rose Redemption's founding, then learned that the organization had included several future gods and powerful angels. The group discovered a mural naming its members, though deciphering one figure's symbols killed a Guardian.

• Klein recognized the hall's living murals as traces of a past Rose Redemption gathering and identified Ouroboros and Medici among its participants.
• Klein used Derrick's spirit body to break the fate loop, and twilight from outside the palace dispelled the anomaly before Klein returned Derrick to the real world.
• Derrick and Colin examined a mural showing eleven members of Rose Redemption, while a Guardian died after trying to decipher the symbols around Aucuses's figure.
• Colin read the names of the figures, identifying Ouroboros, Medici, Herabergen, Leodero, Aucuses, Sasrir, Amanises, Badhair, Omebella, Salinger, and Tolzna as members of Rose Redemption.

Klein studied the mural and realized the Evernight Goddess had once been Amanises, a conspirator in Rose Redemption who helped bring down the Ancient Sun God. The City of Silver expedition then resolved to keep investigating the palace of twilight, but Colin Iliad found a powerful guard beyond the next door.

• Klein connected the Evernight Goddess to Amanises and feared the extent of her role in the Ancient Sun God's fall.
• Klein watched Lovia, Derrick, and the other explorers react to the mural's revelation, while Colin Iliad became visibly shaken.
• Heim and Antillna asked whether uncovering the past could win the Lord's favor, and Colin Iliad said it was possible but urged caution.
• Colin Iliad organized a thorough search of the hall, but the team found only murals and objects they could not usefully carry away.
• Derrick and the exploration team followed Colin Iliad to the hall's rear exit, where he detected a powerful guard beyond the door.

The City of Silver team defeated a giant statue through coordinated tactics and continued exploring the Giant King's Court. Near the Giant King's residence, they discovered the deep blue sea beyond the clouds.

• Lovia lured a giant statue into the hall, where the team used holy oil, the Unshadowed Crucifix, and Colin's dawn-infused sword to bring it down.
• The team searched the statue for materials and continued through the palaces, encountering few enemies as they approached the tallest building.
• Colin led the team past a hall where animated paintings conjured music and an illusory banquet, warning them not to touch the food.
• The team opened the heavy door beside the Giant King's residence and saw an endless deep blue sea beyond the orange-red clouds.

The City of Silver team encountered Light Slayer Myrgongen, the leader of the Court Pursuers, inside the Giant King's Court and struggled to survive his attacks. As Colin and the others retreated toward the palace, Klein recognized Sasrir’s name and wondered how Myrgongen had survived since the Second Epoch.

• Antillna saw the sea, then a silver-white force split her apart and attacked the City of Silver team.
• Colin and Lovia defended the team against invisible silver strikes, while Derrick used the Unshadowed Crucifix to reveal their enemy.
• A Giant knight identified himself as Light Slayer Myrgongen, leader of the Court Pursuers, and declared that the trespassers would die by his sword.
• Klein recognized Sasrir’s name and connected the palace doors to the Giant Key from his earlier dream divination.
• Myrgongen attacked Colin with sudden silver strikes, forcing Colin to transform into his incomplete Mythical Creature Form and fight back.
• Derrick maintained the Unshadowed Domain as Lovia and the others retreated toward the palace, while Klein considered intervening and questioned how Myrgongen had survived so long.

Klein realized Light Slayer Myrgongen had prolonged his life by binding his spirit to the animated statues outside the Giant King's palace. Colin Iliad and Lovia's silver-armored knight destroyed the statues, weakening Myrgongen until he died after calling out to his king.

• Klein considered possible explanations for Myrgongen's longevity and concluded the animated statues were connected to a secret art of life.
• Colin Iliad noticed Myrgongen reacted when he approached the statues and drew the giant's attacks away from them.
• Lovia's silver-armored knight struck a statue's mask with an arrow of light, and Colin destroyed the remaining statues with his dawn-covered swords.
• Myrgongen unleashed a storm of light, but Colin and the knight shielded the others until the attack faded.
• Myrgongen's body rapidly aged and vanished, leaving a skeleton and silver light as he called, "My king..."

Klein used a Paper Angel to question the dying Myrgongen and sent the Silver Knight advancement details to Derrick. After the City of Silver team reached the palace where the Dark Angel slept, Colin chose to retreat and prepare before attempting to enter.

• Klein questioned Myrgongen about the Silver Knight ritual and Sasrir, then divined the ritual details and sent them to The Sun.
• Myrgongen’s spirit dissipated, and Colin recovered his strength as the team gathered the fallen Beyonder Characteristic and equipment.
• Lovia suggested entering the Giant King’s palace alone to scout, but Colin refused because awakening the Dark Angel could threaten the City of Silver.
• Colin asked Derrick’s opinion, and Derrick recommended retreating until they were prepared; Lovia accepted the decision.
• The team marked the site, found no other passages, and followed Colin back through the palace while Derrick and Colin looked toward the distant sea.

Klein rested after observing the City of Silver’s expedition, while Derrick reported the Silver Knight formula to Colin Iliad and was warned to be careful of Lovia. In Backlund, Hibbert spotted a monocled man disguised as a postman riding past her carriage.

• Klein watched the City of Silver’s team return safely, then left above the Gray Fog and fell asleep.
• Derrick saw Dolores grieving for Antillna before meeting Colin Iliad, who questioned him about the rebellion against the Lord and the beings across the sea.
• Derrick gave Colin Iliad the Silver Knight potion formula, ingredients, and ritual, and Colin said the discovery raised the City of Silver’s advancement limit to Sequence 3.
• Colin Iliad warned Derrick to be careful of Lovia, and Derrick agreed.
• Hibbert rode toward Backlund to visit Audrey and saw a monocled man disguised as a postman crossing the road on a bicycle.

Hibbert briefly remembered her traumatic encounter with a monocled postman, but an ant erased the memory before she could report it. Meanwhile, Klein brought Fors back to Backlund, prepared for dangers in the city, and learned from Will Auceptin that Will could not accommodate the Die of Probability for at least twenty-two years.

• Hibbert recognized the monocled postman and panicked, but a black ant made her forget the encounter and her plan to visit Saint Samuel Cathedral.
• Audrey welcomed Hibbert at the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation and involved her in relief work to help her cope with her trauma.
• Klein collected Fors from a pirates' free city, told her to rest and seek information about Blood Emperor Tudor, and Fors returned home eager to write a new book.
• Klein sent Azik a letter and two Yesterday Once More charms, then contacted Will Auceptin to ask how he could obtain a method for accommodating a Uniqueness.
• Will Auceptin cried and told Klein that he had already Restarted and needed at least twenty-two years to grow enough to accommodate the Die of Probability.

Klein learned that Will Auceptin knew the methods for accommodating a Uniqueness, but the Fate pathway’s ritual required an elusive opportunity that Will only sensed when Klein offered to help. After arranging to send Leonard a charm and promising Reinette Tinekerr more charms for help against George III, Klein prepared a ritual to seek the ingredients for advancing to Scholar of Yore.

• Will Auceptin explained the three methods of accommodating a Uniqueness and said the Fate pathway’s ritual depended on finding an opportunity that could not be predicted or divined.
• Will Auceptin revealed that Klein’s offer to help had given him a premonition of the needed opportunity, and he asked Klein for more Yesterday Once More charms.
• Klein woke from his dream and wrote to Leonard about charms that let people borrow power from their past selves.
• Klein summoned Reinette Tinekerr, told her he planned to thwart George III, and agreed to provide three more charms in one to two weeks in exchange for her help.
• Klein prepared a Sacrifice and Bestowal Ritual to seek ingredients for Scholar of Yore and considered which valuable item to offer the Goddess.

Klein exchanged the Staff of Life for the Goddess’s bestowal of the Demonic Wolf of Fog’s heart and frost crystals, then traveled into the Spirit World to face the Hounds of Fulgrim. Leonard took Bishop Utravsky into custody without resistance, while Klein’s encounter with two Hounds ended in a bizarre display of submission.

• Klein performed a ritual offering the Staff of Life to the Goddess and received the Demonic Wolf of Fog’s flocculated heart and frost crystals in return.
• Leonard led a Red Gloves team to Harvest Church and asked Bishop Utravsky to assist with an investigation; Utravsky agreed peacefully.
• Leonard decided that Emlyn White should accompany them as a suspect, leaving Emlyn stunned.
• Fors told Xio she had finished the first part of her writing and planned to show it to a newspaper editor.
• Klein entered the Spirit World with Enuni and Qonas, using the Demonic Wolf of Fog’s heart to draw out the Hounds of Fulgrim.
• Two Hounds of Fulgrim appeared before Klein, each holding one of its eye-flames in a paw, then lay down and wagged their tails.

Klein discovered that the Hounds of Fulgrim recognized him as the master of Sefirah Castle and offered him their eyes and blood. Meanwhile, Trissy contacted Gehrman Sparrow with a plan to sabotage George III’s Black Emperor ritual, but her method required Abraham family descendants’ remains.

• Two Hounds of Fulgrim gave Klein their eyes and blood, and he saw them moving through the gray fog around the palace above it.
• Klein concluded that the Hounds of Fulgrim were guardians of Sefirah Castle and recognized him from his visits to the mysterious space above the gray fog.
• Fors learned from Dorian Gray Abraham that the Aurora Order had destroyed the materials concerning Benjamin Abraham, then asked about Blood Emperor Alista Tudor’s ruins.
• Trissy sent Klein a message claiming George III planned to become the Black Emperor, and Klein replied that he was interested but wanted to know her intentions.
• Trissy told her admirer that the ritual’s secret mausoleums came from Blood Emperor Alista Tudor and asked him to obtain blood, hair, flesh, or bones from Abraham family descendants.

Klein considered Trissy’s proposed way to contact Mr. Door and arranged to obtain hair from a deceased Abraham descendant, while Frank Lee sent him the results of his mushroom experiments. At the Tarot Club meeting, Cattleya asked about the Abyss, and The Fool told her that even most devils could not survive there.

• Klein read Trissy’s proposal and decided to use hair from Lawrence’s remains as a ritual medium while asking others to watch for signs of an attempt to bring Mr. Door back.
• A monocled young man sat in North Borough, pondering whether to parasitize and whether to watch or swallow the bait.
• Fors obtained hair from Lawrence’s remains for Klein, and Klein promised to send her somewhere new to record scenery and local customs.
• Reinette Tinekerr delivered Frank Lee’s letter and eleven monster-eating mushroom varieties, and Klein replied that they would help reduce famine.
• Klein held the Tarot Club meeting, where Cattleya asked about the state of the Abyss and The Fool said even most devils could not survive there.

Cattleya asked Mr. Fool about the Abyss and Emperor Roselle, learning that the Abyss had become uninhabitable for most Devils and that Roselle had been corrupted in his later years. At the Tarot Club’s free discussion, Derrick began reporting the City of Silver’s first exploration of the Giant King’s Court.

• Mr. Fool answered that most Devils could no longer survive in the Abyss, unsettling the Tarot Club members and making Audrey fear the approaching apocalypse.
• Cattleya asked whether Emperor Roselle’s later actions had been externally influenced, and Mr. Fool clarified that Roselle had been corrupted without realizing it.
• The Tarot Club moved to free discussion; Emlyn remained in protective custody beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral, while Leonard decided to seek a way to involve the Sanguine.
• Derrick reported that the City of Silver’s first exploration of the Giant King’s Court left three dead, one missing, and five survivors, and that they had found two Silver Knights at the main entrance.

The Sun Derrick recounted the exploration of the Giant King's Court, revealing that the Giant King's parents were human and that the ancient Rose Redemption included several gods, including Amanises. The Tarot Club was left reeling from the revelations, while Alger questioned why Lovia had seemed unprepared for the Court's secrets.

• The Sun Derrick said the Giant King's parents' tombs held human remains, prompting the Tarot Club to consider whether humans were the ancestors of giants and other humanoid creatures.
• The Sun Derrick described murals that trapped the explorers in a repeating scene of Rose Redemption's founding, convened by Sasrir and Amanises and attended by several gods and Angel Kings.
• The World Gehrman Sparrow explained that Rose Redemption had been founded to oppose the Ancient Sun God and that only a few Angel Kings remained; The Fool Klein said the Fallen Creator was born as a result.
• The Sun Derrick reported that Myrgongen had said Sasrir was sleeping inside the Giant King's palace, then concluded that The Fool had given them the Silver Knight potion formula.
• The Hanged Man Alger asked why Lovia, a Shepherd elder, had been completely unprepared for the Giant King's Court if the True Creator's birth originated with Rose Redemption.

At the Tarot Gathering, The World offered the City of Silver strange, edible mushrooms in exchange for the Ancient Alchemist potion formula, while the members discussed Emlyn’s imprisonment and looming dangers in Backlund. After the gathering, Klein teleported to meet Fors, with winter darkness settling over the city.

• The Tarot Club debated why the True Creator wanted to enter the Giant King's palace, and The World offered The Sun mushrooms that could feed the City of Silver in exchange for the Ancient Alchemist potion formula.
• The Star Leonard and The Moon Emlyn discussed Emlyn’s confinement and suspected the Sanguine might be watching to see who would help him.
• The World told Fors to prepare for their meeting, advised her to keep warm, and warned the Backlund members to watch for abnormalities.
• The Tarot Gathering ended, and Klein teleported to the agreed location to wait for Fors.

Klein sent Fors to a snowbound cabin, while Derrick negotiated with Colin Iliad over edible mushrooms and their risks. After confirming there were no unusual movements in Backlund, Klein sent a warning and a question about the Abraham curse to the person tempted by Mr. Door, and learned Reinette could locate him.

• Klein used Travel to send Fors to a cabin, where she found snow piled against the exit and remembered his warning to keep warm.
• Derrick told Colin Iliad about Frank's edible mushrooms and offered the information in exchange for the Ancient Alchemist potion formula; Colin agreed to put the proposal to a Council of Six vote.
• After Derrick warned that earth-domain divine power might mutate the mushrooms, Klein relayed the warning through The World.
• Klein received reports from Bernadette, Patrick Bryan, and Sharron that there had been no unusual movements of materials or personnel in Backlund.
• Klein sent Reinette a letter containing blood-descendant hair and a question about escaping the Abraham curse, along with a warning to beware of Mr. Door.
• Reinette confirmed she could locate the person tempted by Mr. Door and took the letter.

Klein used a mirror to observe Trissy’s letter exchange, but her aura disrupted his attempt to locate her. He warned the Evernight Goddess about Trissy, checked Böklund Street for Amon, failed to reach Medici, and watched as Trissy began a full-moon ritual to contact Mr. Door.

• Klein observed Trissy’s messenger through the gray fog, but the Mirror World and Trissy’s aura obscured his attempt to track her.
• Klein inspected Böklund Street and the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation for signs of Amon, then prayed to the Evernight Goddess about Trissy’s plan to contact a hidden entity.
• Klein tried to meet Medici by praying to the God of War, but Medici first rejected him and then demanded that he beg.
• On the night of the full moon, Trissy began a ritual with Abraham family hair and invoked the Great Door of All Doors.

Trissy summoned Mr. Door and learned a way into Blood Emperor Tudor’s secret mausoleums, then sent the information to Gehrman Sparrow. Klein verified both of Mr. Door’s answers and prepared to wait for George III’s ritual and his own potion digestion.

• Trissy summoned Mr. Door, who gave her a symbol and instructions for opening a concealed passage into Tudor’s secret mausoleums using blood from all twenty-two Beyonder pathways.
• Mr. Door told Trissy that the Abraham Family’s curse could be ended by sacrificing one demigod each from the Seer, Apprentice, and Marauder pathways.
• Trissy wrote down the symbol and Mr. Door’s answers, then mailed the information to Gehrman Sparrow because she could not gather the blood or destroy the mausoleums alone.
• Klein received Trissy’s letter and considered how to obtain blood from nearly every Beyonder pathway, noting that he still lacked a Devil pathway source.
• Klein divined above the Gray Fog and confirmed that both Mr. Door’s mausoleum method and his return ritual were genuine.
• Klein concluded that he only needed to finish digesting the Bizarro Sorcerer potion and wait for George III to hold his ritual.