my magussy???

plot: this is a very long chapter that sets the scene for arc 3 while concluding the last threads of arc 2. interrogations are finishing up as chises college crew are drilled on what happened at the sargent home. before theyre released, though, we meet the figureheads of some major alchemist families, including the parents of isaac, the st georges, and rian. several children are scolded by their parents regarding what happened at the end of arc 2, and we learn that the crew will be staying with chise and elias over winter break. philomela and veronica break their servant/master bond... seemingly mutually? then elias introduces himself as the one who will be taking care of all these damn kids. elias privately believes that they ought not to be getting involved with these families, but seeing as having friends makes chise happy or something, it cant be helped.

elias knows that chise doesnt remember what it was like "being" the red dragon, and doesnt know whether to teach her more in order to "curb her rash behavior." at the same time, though, he doesnt know if hes even the teacher for the job. chise clocks that hes lost in thought, and he tells her he is mulling over something that he would like her opinion on later. shes enthusiastic to learn that her input is valued. as of my writing this, we still dont know what this is that he wanted to ask her.

meanwhile, alonza and simon meet with the principal to discuss something on behalf of the conclave/the church. this can be presumed to be about the dragon.

the gang commiserates over not wanting to spend the holiday with their respective families. lucy is frustrated that she didnt learn more about the massacre of her family. seth catches up with her by way of alice, and alice both scolds chise for getting in trouble and expresses dismay that philomelas fingers are messed up. we learn that isaac made her prosthetic fingers, but they arent perfect and get dislocated.

we cut to a conversation chise has with the principal BEFORE the interrogation we saw earlier started. ruth sits in with her, but elias is made to wait outside. shes warned that saving one person put others in danger, and that acting independently could ruin everything. chise is unpleasantly reminded of the sacrifice she made by taking lucy and seth through the tunnel between the college and her home. chise agrees that while shes glad she took action, she has many regrets about how things ended up

torrey takes everyone to his cousin james workshop to get philomela hooked up with a proper prosthetic set of fingers. torrey brings renfred under the guise of him being a chaperone, but hes annoyed when he realizes alice actually wanted to get him a new arm.

as they peruse the workshop, chise wonders how things may have happened differently if she had noticed philomela was troubled, or stopped lisbeth from dying, or if she were more skilled and competent. elias clocks that shes lost in thought, and chise is surprised by this, but theyre interrupted by the oohing and ahhing of everyone else. as the st georges are explaining their namesake, chise sees a never-before-seen mage enter the workshop!

the mage is here for the "maintenance" of their prosthetics. after a brief misunderstanding (pictured), the new mage confronts philomela and "eats" the curse that will devour her limbs otherwise. elias is a bit amazed to run into another mage, and when he asks if this is what they are, they reply "that is what i am currently known as," mirroring how elias previously confirmed his name to the parents of chises friends.

alonza indeed confirms that the red dragon has "woken up," and finally we see adolf walking through the aerie and speaking to an off-screen dragon.

what we learned: we are just dipping our toesies into arc 3. many plot threads are being tied up, and others being introduced. we also spend some time introspecting in both chises POV and how others perceive her actions at the end of arc 2. chise is feeling unconfident as a student, and elias is feeling unconfident as a teacher. whats this new mage all about?

ch 97 | the show must go on III

main cast: stella, ashen eye characters introduced: nathan (he was in the fragments previously. hes a non-magical human descended from a selkie. merituuli, lindels familiar, is therefore vaguely related to him and they know each other)

tl;dr: stella and ashen eye save a man from getting eaten by a monster.

plot: ashen eye listens in on various fae who are all very excited that the red dragon is awake. ashen eye cryptically thinks that they should use this time as an opportunity. stella goes for a walk with ashen eye to the park, where they tell stella that her mother worries over her so much because she doesnt have friends... beside chise. we learn that stella is considered rude and off-putting by her peers, and lied when chise came to her house in arc 1 - she actually didnt have anyone else to invite. she wonders if elias will remember to organize a birthday party for chise in february (he doesnt, fyi. nor is it ever addressed). as theyre contemplating the merits of having fun without friends, a familiar face from the fragments shows up. nathan is being attacked by a monster (pictured)!

ashen eye doesnt know why nathan can see them, but they tell stella that the two of them should leave him to his fate. in a very chise-like manner, stella involves them by lobbing a bottle at the monster. ashen eye is annoyed that stella is exploiting their contract by forcing them to act, but attacks the monster anyway. they then explain that while the "vessel" died, the "host" escaped... so more monster attacks may still happen. nathan and stella introduce themselves properly.

cut to elias and chises house. winter break is in full swing. zoey finishes sewing a pair of shoes, philomela is still wearing the fingers isaac made, and chise is hurrying to finish stellas christmas present. out in the dark hall, elias is lurking and dwelling on the new mage... who asked chise to become their apprentice!

what we learned: we gain the perspective of local fae regarding the danger of the red dragon. some thing its excited, some think its a pain. we remember stella exists, and the new concept of what ill call "eyeball chimeras" are introduced. seriously, whats all this with the new mage, then?

ch 98 | fish and guests stink after three days

main cast: the college crew, the ainsworth household, the new mage and clydno, shannon and shanahan, gabriella, yori, torrey characters introduced: a man we wont know the name of for a few more chapters

tl;dr: elias finds a way to get rid of the sleepover guests so he can spend time with chise, as he continues to be disturbed by the idea of her abandoning him.

plot: some muryan-ants stop by, and chise and silky set them up with some goodies. as elias watches the interaction, hes still disturbed by the memory we glimpsed previously. we learn that when everyone was at james workshop, clydno clocks chise as a mage. elias figures they can smell that shes a sleigh beggy, but hes also vexed that the new mage has no smell themself at all... even though they should. clydno is the new mages sister, and she thinks chise would make a find apprentice to her master. torrey intervenes, trying to nip things in the bud by explaining that chise is, well, otherwise involved with elias. even so, elias is visibly disturbed. chise works up the courage to ask about the new mages power of consumption, which clydno is happy to explain. philomela wont get her fingers back, but her body wont decay any further. the new mage warns philomela not to slip back into the path of darkness, and also declines preemptively to eat chises curse, as it has further use to her.

by this time, we realize that chapter 97s conclusion is a misrepresentation of events. the new mage never propositioned chise, their sister-student did, but elias does not trust them or that they consume curses out of the goodness of their heart, so this is how he remembers it. the new mage coolly clocks him as chises teacher, and simply tells him that his role is too much of a burden for him before the two leave. elias is, again, gagged.

chise snaps elias out of it while the gang is chopping it up with the muryans. shannon and shanahan stop by to check in on chises health, and they all get introduced to one another. the gang is really interested in the world of fae, and when shanahan describes today - christmas - as a "day to spend with family," this strikes a chord with elias and he becomes eager to send the kids - minus chise - off on a vacation to faerieland so he can spend time with his wifey. chise is disturbed, given that when they went to faerieland they were gone for months in the mortal world, but too late! shanahan snaps, and theyre gone. chise is bashful when elias picks her up for the first time in a while (pictured), not realizing that he was suffering from spousal withdrawal. but before they can cuddle for long, gabriella the nun-vampire shows up with a familiar face in tow.

gabriella is watching the parish while simon works with alonza, and she brings along yori so that he and chise might be introduced - simon wants them to be friends, as we know from the end of arc 2. perhaps because of what happened in chapter 51, yori doesnt like the sight of elias and mutters in japanese about his appearance. this sparks a conversation between yori and chise in their native language, which gabriella and elias are both mildly annoyed by, as they cant understand them. yori is incredulous that chise is japanese. he gathers that perhaps her hair and eye color is an atavistic trait. yori is supposedly here on family business - he got brainwashed, remember? his specialty is purification and exorcism, and he clocks that chise has some strange foreign bodies embedded in her eye and arm. he offers an exorcism, which she declines due to what the new mage told her earlier, but the offer still stands in case she wants him to look more into it. chise is pleased that a fellow japanese national actually seems to care about her well being. for the first but certainly not last time, yori is dismayed by chises personality.

after they leave, chises heart is pounding from speaking japanese so much for the first time in a while. elias observes that her tone was different, and she argues that she learned a more formal version of english from seth. elias, in turn, argues that she speaks casually with her friends, and after some back-and-forth she agrees to try to speak more candidly with him. then redcurrant shows up, and elias is frustrated that no one will just leave the two of them alone.

elias believes that chise was wavering when the new mage (actually, clydno) recruited her. he is afraid to ask her what she will do if the day comes that she wants something he cannot provide. this seems to be a profound fear for him, because it could lead to her leaving him.

indoors, rian didnt get sent to faerieland and is miffed to have been excluded. torrey asks what the mistletoe is for, and elias doesnt hide the fact that its for its traditional purpose. chise is mortified - she didnt want her friends to know! rian then tries to kiss torrey, which is soundly blocked, and we learn that rian is infatuated with him. this isnt news to torrey, though, who makes it very clear that he is not a nonce. rian and chise agree that while they dont know what it feels like to be in love, it doesnt really matter if you know that your person is the one you want to be with most of all. elias supposes that he doesnt mind how close rian and chise are because their feelings toward one another are not as strong. on the other side of the wall, we see that the gang is back but dont know how to walk back in now that theyve overheard that chise and rian are both old man likers.

cut to an airport scene, where we see a new guy whos dropping everything to go "wrest a blessing from a mage."

what we learned: the concept of "atavism" is broached, which will not be the last we hear of it. all of chises friends now know the nature of her relationship to elias, unbeknownst to her. this is the first semblance of arc 1-style interaction we have seen between chise and elias in some time. and it will be the last for a while, as elias takes on more of a guardian role in this arc as other characters and plotlines gain focus. we learn the most about yori since his introduction nearly 50 chapters ago.

ch 99 | many a little makes a mickle

main cast: zoey, chise and ruth, titania and oberon, elias, the college crew, torrey characters introduced: isaacs sisters, hilda and tilly, and a fat cat

tl;dr: the gang begins to break apart for the remainder of holiday as families reclaim their children. titania does something to zoey.

plot: zoey is the first to wake up, and goes outside only to run into chise and ruth. the three go for a walk, where the fae seem fairly active. chise thinks zoey could be a good mage, but zoey says that only humans can be mages. so while elias manages to look and sound like one, hes actually - oops! zoey is interrupted by oberon, who scolds him for gossiping (pictured). oberon knows about chise and morrigans shenanigans at the sargent house. titania tells zoey to enjoy himself, and does something vague that makes him keel over. the two warn chise and zoey to keep themselves safe as the isle become more active, but chise declines to ask for elaboration because she now knows better than to ask anything of higher beings. oberon mischievously prophesizes that "a storm is brewing in the east, beyond the great wall."

inside, elias is annoyed chise didnt wake him up and interacted with o & t by herself. zoey is down for the count after whatever titania did. both rian and isaac are being pressured to go home, so a round of japanese rock-paper-scissors rules that theyll go to isaacs to satisfy both their families. silky tells elias he has a phone call waiting.

the gang, minus lucy and zoey, goes to isaacs house. hes berated by his older sister, hilda. (hilda is also the name of the st georges mother.) but surprise, rians dad is here! and hes going to collect rian after theyre done here, so it looks like the winter break crew is shrinking after today.

rian and philomela break off for a chat while chise and isaac explore the workshop. they end up having a pretty deep conversation, but then isaacs other sister, tilly, shows up with a bigass cat. tilly assumes the two are dating. she tells isaac to stay out of the workshop if hes still too scared. on the walk back, isaac tells chise that he enchants his hoodies to hide his disfigurement from a forge incident.

rian is attempting to mend his relationship with philomela. he doesnt want to "apologize," per se, but feels partially responsible for why she crashed out in arc 2. he thinks philomela has always been better than him, but philomela feels the opposite. rian is frustrated that philomela wont just get over it already and stop being depressed, so she curses him out. torrey lurks nearby and supposes theyve hashed things out, thinking how mentally volatile children can be. (this is an idea we see a lot in this arc). he hopes rian doesnt rekindle his desire to be a mage.

rians father informs philomela that the scrimgeour family will be taking her in, so they both leave with him.

back at the ainsworth house, zoey is apologetic that lucy has to take care of him. he seems to have a cold. a smiling silky opens the door for the man at the airport who presumably called elias earlier.

what we learned: the idea that elias is not a "true" mage is floated. it will not be addressed again for some time. something is about to happen to zoey. loose ends are tied up with rian and philomela, and its decided who exactly is responsible for her now. seriously, whos this new guy?

ch 100 | kindness will creep where it cannot go

main cast: violet and jasmine st george, their dad lindsay, rian and philomela, rians dad owen, torrey characters introduced: some sort of critter

tl;dr: rian and philomela bury the hatchet. jasmine finds a monster in a bush.

plot: a strange beast is running amok, trying to "get back" somewhere. at the st george household, lindsay st george tells his kids what transpired at the sargent house. he wants them to be nice and supportive to philomela... in moderation, so as to not humiliate her. and speak of the devil, rian and philomela are here after having left in the previous chapter. this isnt the st george household at all! its rians, and the st georges were just waiting here for them. owen tells them to head inside - his mother, jade, has something to tell them. torrey guides philomela to the guest room after the st georges take a stab at being nice to her.

philomela cautiously broaches the fact that she knows rian is infatuated with torrey. he explains that not only is he not a nonce, his own experience getting kidnapped and rescued by a mage (jack flash) as a child informs his decision to never take advantage of a child. he believes that rian will get over it and see this all differently in ten years, as people change "until the day they die."

the running gag that rian and philomela like each other continues. since we know rian is gay, this is now more uncomfortable. he likes someone else, but wont say who. jasmine is pensive that she doesnt know what its like to be in love, and violet tells her that they should both be prepared to have their marriages decided for them.

lindsay and owen discuss the prospect of verifying eyewitness accounts of the red dragon, as its appearance could endanger everyone. the idea of sending the twins into the field is floated.

outside, jasmine runs off to the sound of crying. violet and rian follow her. inside a bush, she finds the creature from the beginning of the chapter (pictured).

what we learned: torrey is the one who keeps delivering the idea that children are unstable. we can suppose that we are meant to infer that chises relationship with elias will evolve as she grows older and gains more insight and understanding about the things she has gone through.

ch 101 | rain before seven, fine before eleven I

main cast: chise and ruth, torrey, the ainsworth household characters introduced: jasper latimer and his sister-in-law, frederica

tl;dr: the owner of the ainsworth house comes by to collect a promised service from elias, who has been breaking baby curses for them for nearly a century.

plot: jasmine reaches for the creature in the bush before a cutaway. torrey drives chise home. chise recognizes a strange car on their property, and torrey explains that back in the day, all sorts of people came to witches for help. he then explains the concept of witch hunts and trials, which are unfamiliar to her. shes very disturbed by the idea, and her emotions lead her face to face with a sort of vision of burning witches (pictured) that singes her hand before ruth wards it off. torrey is amazed at her perceptiveness and ability to see another layer of the world, but wonders how she did it.

chise is introduced at the door to jasper latimer, the president of a real estate company. he already knows elias, who never told him he took an apprentice/wife. jasper scolds him for marrying a child, and chise ponders that its been a while since elias has been reprimanded for this particular issue. jasper asks chise if shes ever been inconvenienced living here (?) (molested?), which she denies. jaspers sister-in-law, frederica, emerges from the car, prompting elias to take on his female glamour so quickly that it startles chise. we learn that jasper is actually the legal owner of this house, and the business they have to tend to is secret, so torrey is kicked out.

frederica has a baby with her. elias is annoyed for two reasons: he didnt receive advance notice of their visit, and jasper didnt even tell frederica why theyre here. the baby was born a week ago, and is covered in a black gunk frederica is able to see. because of a promise made some time ago, elias is obliged to get rid of it, though it will take the whole night. he tells chise not to worry about it, but must offer to let frederica supervise in order for her to relinquish the baby. elias tells chise that jasper will fill her in on the story while he and frederica head to his office to begin work. elias says that he is called a mage because "keith latimer" began calling him that a long time ago.

silky tells chise that zoey and lucy are still in the attic. zoey is presumably still unwell. jasper notes the positive character development elias has undergone, which pleases chise. jasper then sits to explain the story that the latimers have been cursed by a witch for hundred of years, a witch who chise can see with her special eye. cut to old-timey london, where a scruffy man approaches elias - who is hiding on a bridge - and offers to keep him company.

what we learned: the question of where elias gets his money from is answered after almost thirty chapters of chise wondering the same thing. we know how his estate is managed as well. the idea of baby curse-breaking being elias' side hustle is new as well.

ch 102 | rain before seven, fine before eleven II

main cast: elias, chise, jasper, several new characters characters introduced: keith and katrina latimer, the witch

tl;dr: elias gains his role as the latimer familys curse-breaking mage in this throwback to post-WWI.

plot: its spring 1920, and a man named keith has returned home after bumming around after the end of the great war. hes returned from london to work again for the latimers, who are cursed. one of the latimers is keiths friend katrina, who is heavily pregnant when the two meet again. her husband has recently died, and she doesnt care for the life of her firstborn, as latimer firstborns always die as infants.

in keiths cottage, a bipedal but bestial elias emerges from his shadow says that katrina stunk of a curse. keith supposes that elias would know, since hes a ghost. elias says hes not a ghost, but he doesnt know what he is. just then, katrina knocks on the door in an emotional state. shes frightened by elias, who is surprised she can see him. we learn that as kids, keith and katrina bonded in secret over both of them having the sight. while they argue over whether katrina should be seen visiting him, elias interrupts to inquire about the curse.

back in the day, a landlord wanted to expand his farmland and commanded a witch to leave so he could so. because she disrespects him, he comes back with more men and kills her. as she dies, she curses the first- and lastborn children of his line to die. katrina has seen the curse kill her younger brother, so believes its real. elias is intrigued and believes the curse can be lifted once the child is born.

keith is having trench warfare ptsd dreams. elias dispels a literal nightmare that was preying on him. keith says that he befriended elias hoping he was a monster that would kill him, but admits he doesnt want to die, just live peacefully with the woman he loves (katrina). elias ponders how complicated the emotions of humans are. and by the way, he adds - katrina just had her baby.

elias agreed with katrina prior to meet her elsewhere to break the curse, and manipulates her body to get there since she just gave birth. her parents are stopped from interfering, and together keith and katrina watch elias break the curse on the newborn. they also encounter the skeletal specter of the witch who cast the curse, but she vanishes, and elias says that it was just her residue, anyway. the curse is broken, and k & k declare elias to be "their mage," though he says he will expect prior warning next time (pictured).

back to the present. this whole story was described in katrinas diary, which is why jasper knows it so well. keith and katrina married, and elias fixed the curse on their lastborn, too. chise can still see the specter of the witch, telling her that she doesnt smell the same as the curse and wonders if shes really the one who cursed the latimers after all. jasper says that she never speaks, so dont bother with her - just wait for elias to finish his work.

what we learned: more lore on elias' previous life. its unclear, though, if he went to rahab to learn about humans before or after the events of this chapter. "residue" is introduced in this chapter. it will come back.

ch 103 | big fleas have little fleas I

main cast: stella and ashen eye, the new mage and clydno, the ainsworth household, zoey and lucy, joseph characters introduced: none. what, youre surprised?

tl;dr: zoey grows wings. joseph goes out to discover what all this hullabaloo is about a red dragon.

plot: on the phone, stella catches chise up with the events of ch 97. outside, ashen eye is pondering the same events. they refer to the eyeball chimera as "residue." meanwhile, an eyeball chimera captures and eats a woman. the new mage and clydno watch without interfering, as this benefits them somehow. clydno hopes they will meet "him" soon.

joseph wakes up in his well because its "noisy" outside. at the chicken coop, chise is concluding her call with stella and is glad shes okay. a familiar arrives with mail. alexandra wants chise to know shes in for lots of tests when she gets back to school, and chise still doesnt know what happened when the red dragon took over. elias also has a letter, which alexandra wants chise to deliver by hand due to his "priors" (he used to throw away her recruitment letters. chise never knew he did this, and still doesnt). she goes to deliver it, but hes nowhere to be found. just then, she hears a scream and dashes up to the attic to find that zoey has sprouted a pair of wings (pictured).

apparently this is really, really rare. zoey is disturbed, but lucy doesnt think he ought to care. he feels reassured and confident after being affirmed by lucy and chise. ruth reminds chise that the mail familiar is still sitting outside waiting for her to deliver elias' letter, so she goes back out to find him.

elias is at some sort of marketplace limbo. hes there to sell the flowers baby morrigan blessed at the end of arc 2, and the "residue" harvested from fredericas baby. as hes waiting for payment, he hears others talking excitedly about the red dragon and grows uneasy. joseph appears, fully dressed and pleasantly surprised that elias is addressing him politely. its "noisy" outside because of all this dragon gossip. elias is paid, and the two leave under a secrecy/silence spell cast by joseph so they can talk about chise freely.

joseph says that more and more "factors" (variables?) are being drawn together, mirroring what the new mage said earlier this chapter. he doesnt know how chises transformation can be covered up, or what will happened if people learn about it... but he grows faint from walking so much and elias has to carry him. elias explains that joseph's continued presence makes no difference to him, seeing as chise cares what happens to him, and joseph means her no harm anymore. this makes joseph really mad. he calls elias a "shadowborn" who mimics humans while not understanding them, and asks him if its fun for him to play pretend. elias, unphased, is reminded that in ch 11, joseph described him as "a monster that got hold of human flesh." he intends to probe joseph on what he meant by this, but joseph doesnt even remember the interaction. elias means to jog his memory, but then chise catches up to them. joseph childishly demands chise to support him instead, and he leans on her the rest of the way home.

elias received the letter, but we dont learn what its about. he coolly sidesteps admitting that he threw away her mail. chise brings up the conversation she had with titania and oberon in ch 99. joseph takes oberon to mean that a cold front, or ill omen, is coming.

at an airport, again, lindsay is seeing off his wife on a flight to iceland. the twins are there too, and jasmine is wearing a sentient earring we can presume to be the creature from ch 100.

what we learned: the new mage and clydno are not as benevolent as they first seemed. chise is not aware that she "became" the red dragon, but elias, ruth, and joseph are. this could become a big issue later and offend her greatly that she wasnt told. the idea of atavism has come back in the form of zoey growing wings. titania jumpstarted this transformation in him. "shadowborn" is used to describe elias for the first time, hinting again as to what type of creature elias might be. he gets a mystery letter from the college.

ch 104 | big fleas have little fleas II

main cast: the ainsworth household, jasmine and violet st george, lindsay st george, simon, lucy and zoey characters introduced: little fella (formally)

tl;dr: chise and elias are formally brought on as members of the church's red dragon investigation team.

plot: its new years day. chise wakes up first after having slept with zoey and lucy in the attic, and is surprised to see a lot of fae about. elias tells her that their "new years guests" are about to arrive. this was the subject of his letter from the college. their guests are the st georges, minus their mom (pictured). lindsay performs a "first-footing ceremony." chise is surprised to see simon come along - theyre here to discuss the red dragon investigation, and to formally ask for chise and elias' help. the twins wander off with zoey and lucy.

lindsay wants chise on board because of her experience being cursed by an atavistic dragon. when chise admits she knows basically nothing about the red dragon, the men are embarrassed to have assumed otherwise and fill her in on the lore. even though its fictional, lindsay and simon argue that history and fiction are intertwined, and it should still be taken seriously. chise ponders the shared history of wales and scotland as occupied territories. shes confused by the difference between "organic" and "folklore" dragons. lindels dragons are "organic" - the one that cursed chise became a "folklore" dragon through atavism. chise still has trouble understanding it. theres another reason lindsay wants them on board - he wants them to "arbitrate," whatever that means, if it comes to it.

elias mulls over the pros and cons. he wants to keep chise safe and prevent her from transforming again, but recognizes that chise is not the sole thing he cares about and that he should, actually, probably, help out to make sure the other people he cares for dont come to harm. chise is dismayed that hes so lost in thought when he suddenly asks for her input. shes similiarly amazed that hes asking for her opinion. because chise would rather be on board, the decision is made. elias reserves the right to back out if things get hairy, and lindsay promises that they will be compensated.

lindsay speaks to elias in private while simon and chise step out. chise goes back to her room to meet up with her friends, and is somewhat annoyed when simon declines to discourage them from underage drinking the cider the twins brought. chise learns more about scotland and is pleased to be learning more about "other countries" (based).

they discuss what happened with their friends who arent here. chise and zoey both notice that jasmine is fiddling with her ear, and when zoey asks who "that" is, "little fella" emerges and attempts to eat him. she stops him in time while the others demand to know what that thing is. this secret isnt meant to leave the room, but jasmine has adopted a monster she found in a bush.

what we learned: we learned about the red dragon (unless you already knew the folklore). the white dragon is introduced. if chise is the red dragon, who will be the white? we know what the church intends to do about it, and at this point we can argue that arc 3 has truly begun. dragon lore is extrapolated upon. we keep seeing this idea of conquered and controversially occupied land. similarly, in this story, fae have been driven out to the edges of society by humans. this is a theme we should pay attention to, as it will become important with lindels future involvement. elias has significant character development. he and lindsay discuss something private that is not explained as of my writing this.

ch 105 | big fleas have little fleas III

main cast: jasmine and violet, little fella, lindsay st george, rian and philomela, chise and ruth, zoey and lucy, elias, hilda st george, adolf and lindel characters introduced: the st georges butler, finn

tl;dr: the st george twins would like chises opinion on what kind of creature the thing they adopted is.

plot: this is a very long chapter, comparable in length to 96. the twins confess that they accompanied their father because they want a mages help on identifying what little fella is. cut to the events following the end of ch 100.

violet stops the creature from lunging at jasmine (pictured), but it just begins licking her face like a puppy. rian is concerned, but violet explains that the dogs their family raises always latch onto her. fae like her, too. jasmine denies that shes a sleigh beggy - if she was, she wouldnt be allowed to leave the house. philomela comes to collect rian so they can talk to his mom, and the creature tries to eat her before jasmine beats it into submission - shes good at training dogs. then the st georges butler, finn, arrives to collect the twins for dinner with their father, but he tactfully declines to acknowledge the creature.

at dinner, we learn that rians mother is unwell. lindsay gets a call from hilda. when he leaves, the twins discuss what they should do about what they found. they have a vivid memory of their father coming home from a mission soaked in blood, which cements him in their mind as merciless. yet they cant entertain the idea of letting the animal come to harm. when their father returns, jasmine gets the sense that something is wrong and they leave in a hurry. lindsay knows they found something, but finn wont rat them out. lindsay is going to let them figure this out on their own, hoping they arent harmed.

while they were eating, the animal wrecked their guest room. the beast transformed into a chair as camouflage, but quickly latches back onto jasmine as they wonder what to do. they figure they can train it to behave while still keeping its existence a secret, but think they should consult chise and elias to figure out what it actually is.

cut back to the present, in chises room. chise cautiously states that all she can really tell them is whether little fella is dangerous, which theyre fine with. it halfheartedly tries to eat both chise and zoey, again. chise and ruth determine that its a "blank slate," a small piece broken off from something whole that can now become anything it is taught to be. but lucy doubts it can be trained with its current behavior.

the st georges leave, and elias clocks little fellas strange scent on her. she folds immediately and tells him what happened, making him promise he wont tell anyone. he doesnt really care. despite much banter, to chises annoyance elias wont tell her what lindsay discussed with him. he tells chise that it was adult talk, which only disturbs her more. chise contemplates what makes someone an adult, and because elias doesnt know how to answer, he uses the rahab method of getting him off her back by telling chise that if she doesnt know, then shes still a kid. chise knows that hes just trying to brush her off.

at the aerie, adolf is checking on the dragons. he meets back up with lindel. the dragon that cursed chise is having trouble sleeping, and lindel explains that it will take time to heal from its arc 1 trauma. this leads to a discussion about human greed vs the aerie and the need to protect dragons. compare this idea to the concept of conquest and occupation from the previous chapter. lindel privately believes that adolf is too soft to be the next caretaker.

lindel detects a human, which is confronted by a dragon she amazed by, as it matches no written record. he demands she identify herself, and hilda st george grovels as she requests that he come to britain to participate in the dragon investigation.

what we learned: it may or may not be legal for chise to live freely as a sleigh beggy. or perhaps this law only applies to alchemists. if little fella is a smaller piece, what did it break off from? more discussion of children vs adults - this is a theme carried on from previous arcs. lindel is being roped into the plot.

ch 106 | misery makes strange bedfellows I

main cast: lindel, adolf, merituuli, hilda st george, rahab, the ainsworth household, zoey and lucy characters introduced: a newly hatched dragon

tl;dr: in the past, adolf hatches a dragon egg with his innate magic. lindel tells hilda of his past, and the ainsworth household go back to school.

plot: hilda st george requests lindels help in the investigation. she is threatened by the dragon named paulina, and he is so pleased by her lack of visible fear that he invites her in.

the next morning, hilda is awoken by a member of the huldufólk, who dug a tunnel for her to rest in. adolf explains that a colony lives in the aerie - we have just never seen them before. we learn that lindel put hilda to sleep with magic the previous night so he would have time to think about her request. adolf begins his usual spiel about his lack of magical talent when lindel comes in - a screeching dragon outside is asking for adolf. now lindel and hilda are alone. she again asks about the strange dragon she saw last night, and asks him where he got it.

cut to rahabs plane. sometime in the past, she suddenly summoned lindel and adolf, who is holding a dragon egg. theyre both dumbfounded to be summoned. rahab starts to give a warning when adolfs egg hatches (pictured) - its a floating, winged dragon, even though it came from an egg of a flightless dragon. rahab tells adolf that this must be his special skill, and explains that magic comes from more places than just borrowing it from fae. basically, the egg chose adolf. their connection falters, and rahab sends them back to their time.

lindel manages to explain to hilda why the dragon is so different without actually telling the truth that adolfs magic affected it. his goal is to keep adolf safe - his magic might affect things other than dragons, so its better to keep it a secret.

lindel explains that he lived in isolation as a youth, living mostly with reindeer and spirits as he could not live among mortals with how slowly he aged. he doesnt know how he gained the knowledge of hunting, herding, or anything he used to survive. as time passed and colonization continued, his language and practices were made illegal until it became almost impossible to live as he always did. he took in adolf as he was fleeing WWII because he saw him as a kindred spirit, two beings who could not remain in their home. adolf hopes that lindel will be able to live in his homeland again one day, but lindel has no intention of leaving the aerie. he asks hilda how he can possible be of use, and she tells him that chise and elias are on board.

cut to the ainsworth house. everyone is gearing up to leave for the college again. zoey is thinking about sending a letter home. as they all leave, silky returns to the house and summons a mysterious door as she grins mischievously.

what we learned: the concept of huldufólk in the aerie is new. the nature of adolfs aptitude for magic is introduced. this new dragon and its attachment to adolf could be compared to little fella and jasmine - both creatures are "blank slates" in a way. we learn about lindels past, and we can presume he is of the saami culture. the idea of colonization and conquest is brought up again.

ch 107 | misery makes strange bedfellows II

main cast: alice, torrey, the college crew, alexandra, elias, jasmine and violet, little fella, silky, nathan characters introduced: nathans classmates, joe and meg

tl;dr: chise gets up to date on the investigation timeline. nathan realizes that the same type of monster that attacked him ate his classmate.

plot: alice receives her work study paycheck and asks after adolf, who isnt here. her plan was to ask adolf about renfred, seeing as he wont tell her about his past. she wonders who else she can ask, when she runs into torrey.

torrey has been cleaning adolfs aquariums for him while hes gone. alice doesnt really like torrey because its difficult to figure out what kind of person he is. he looks behind her and seems to see something behind her (pictured), then lets it slip that he already knows shes looking to learn more about renfred. he warns her that she will have to grapple with what she learns whether she wants to or not. as he leaves, alice confirms that she really doesnt like him. chise texts her just then to tell her shes back, and alice realizes she left chises christmas present at home.

in alexandras office, the promised testing is wrapping up. the gang is discussing philomelas adoption into the scrimgeour family, and alexandra warns chise and zoey that additional testing may be warranted. elias comes in to collect chise, as the twins are out in the hall waiting for her.

this is the first the gang is hearing of the investigation, but chise doesnt tell them a lot. lucy privately gathers that they must want chises help hunting something, and they all part ways. isaac gives philomela a new and improved set of fingers, which can read her memories. isaac is bashful, but philomela is very touched. zoey recruits lucys help in writing a letter home.

the twins tell chise and elias that theyll be leaving in march around easter, but can stay at the college til then. we learn about how the st georges fight, and why guns arent good for their line of work. as they talk, little fella gets bored and runs off, so jasmine chases after it. this is elias' first time seeing it. it reminds him of alcyone, and he wonders if someone created it. violet chases after jasmine after telling chise that if he has to, he will kill little fella to protect her.

they walk back to chise and lucys room. chise ponders the complicated nature of sibling relationships, and we learn that elias has forgotten chise once told him she has a brother. she dodges the question when he asks if she misses him, and as she opens the wardrobe to change... silky emerges! ruth suspected she was up to something when they left.

cut to selkie nathan. hes still feeling tense after the events of ch 97. he wonders what he'll do if he gets chased again, seeing as he cant depend on a little girl for help. his classmate joe approaches him to gossip about a classmate named meg who has recently disappeared. meg is the girl who we saw get eaten by an eyeball chimera in ch 103 as the new mage watched. joes description of the event makes nathan realize its the same thing that happened to him - he is frightened.

what we learned: we are reminded that nathan and the eyeball chimeras exist. what does torrey think will happen if alice learns more about renfred? are chise and alice drifting apart? the idea of complicated sibling relationships is floated - rian and philomela, the twins, and chise and fumiki. silky has established a direct link between chises dorm and the house.

ch 108 | first catch your hare

main cast: phyllis' witch coven, the college crew, elias, fabio zaccheroni and sigrid wachmann, nathan characters introduced: a mysterious figure

tl;dr: zoey is invited home. selkie nathan pleads with elias and chise for help. zoey turns an eyeball chimera to stone to protect lucy.

plot: zoeys father receives the letter he and lucy wrote, and he muses that zoey has a little girlfriend. the title page shows us that silky just wanted to deliver some containers of food to chise.

phyllis' witch coven, including marielle and isaac (not that isaac, the isaac who can turn into a wolf), have assembled. they discuss the red dragon rumors. marielle and isaac saw it themselves, so phyllis asks them to keep an eye on it. many people might try to take advantage of it. marielle wonders if chise saw the dragon, too.

its been a month and a half since the events of last chapter. zoey gets a letter back from his family. in the hedge garden labyrinth, chise, rian, lucy, and zoey snack on the food silky gave chise on the title page. zoey reads that his family wants him to come back. he doesnt really want to out of anxiety, but chise reassures him. they all float the idea of going shopping. elias emerges from chises shadow - no one knew he was there. he tells them they need a chaperone given the events of arc 2. since elias got chastised, hes actually enforcing the rules for once. chise gets a text.

isaac (kid isaac) does maintenance on philomelas fingers and tells her she ought to get a proper prosthetic. shes too embarrassed to tell him that she doesnt want to replace them because they were a gift from him. she reflects on everything her friends have given her.

the college crew, minus chise, are out souvenir shopping so zoey can bring something home. professors zaccheroni and wachmann are chaperoning. chise and elias couldnt come because they had someone to meet. we learn that its nathan, who got chises number from stella. nathan tells chise and elias - who is in his female glamour - what happened to meg. elias isnt interested in helping, but nathan has no one else to ask for help finding her.

meanwhile, the college crew and their chaperones are attacked by a eyeball chimera. it specifically wants zoey. lucy is wounded, so zoey goes gorgon-berserk (pictured) until wachmann can calm him down. the chimera is turned to stone.

a pair of eyes in a black void is pleased, noting that "the blood runs strong in [zoey]." out in the town, lots of people are wondering where their missing loved ones have gone.

what we learned: we remember that phyllis and the other witches exist. we are introduced to the idea of zoey returning home, which will turn into a whole thing very soon. nathan has established contact with chise and elias, but nothing will come of this as of my writing this. we get our first hint of the "host" who is creating or controlling the eyeball chimeras.

⚠ the gorgon village mini-arc begins now!

ch 109 | time will tell I

main cast: chise and elias, zoey and lucy, ruth characters introduced: many gorgons. zoeys father, alan. zoeys mother, spring-morningstar. zoeys childhood bullies, sunny-dawn, summer-news, and shadow-strawberry. a village elder, dusk-snowy-field.

tl;dr: we are introduced to zoeys village, and many elements of gorgon culture.

plot: a festival is being prepared for zoeys "fluttering" - the fact that he grew wings. zoey, chise, and lucy ride on the back of a six-legged elias through the snow. zoeys father meets up with them, and the two embrace. alan ivey introduces himself.

in the past, chise applies ointment to lucys face injury. lucy is annoyed that zoey is still so glum over what happened in the previous chapter. this argument has been had many times. theyre disappointed they wont learn more about the eyeball chimera before they all leave. philomela, rian, and isaac cant come to the gorgon village for various reasons. zoey is nervous that he will turn someone to stone because his goggles and muffs are broken. (this is foreshadowing.) ruth explains that if he does, zoey will have to be "dealt with" to reverse the curse, unnerving everyone. he is still worried what will happen when he returns home, earning another wallop from lucy.

alan brings them into the village. they had to go by plane, bus, and wait at a checkpoint because the village is under strict protection. gorgons live in the sides of mountains alongside mountain spirits that keep them hidden. we meet zoeys mother, and learn that the mountain spirits also help the humans and gorgons understand each others language... though it isnt always a perfect translation. the girls head inside (pictured), whereas zoey runs into his bullies outside. the ringleader is named sunny-dawn. lucy steps out to defend him, and in the ensuing argument zoey threatens sunny-dawn with petrification (foreshadowing). his mother strikes him for this. zoey is unpleasantly reminded of what living here was like.

the villages oldest gorgon, dusk-snowy-field, has dinner with the rest of the crew. zoeys wings have feathers now. dusk-snowy-field tells the story of the first gorgon. a dragon petrified a human it fell in love with. she ate him, and laid an egg that hatched the first gorgon. their powers have weakened as time goes on, but every now and then a gorgon is born with zoeys abilities to petrify. zoey doesnt want to stay here permanently, but dusk-snowy-field says that they no longer have the right to command him. spring-morningstar suggests that zoey could visit "mothers grave," where the bones of the first gorgon are buried. gorgons go here to hear "the whisper," or the voice of their ancestor. in the meantime, there will be a festival.

the next morning, chise wakes up early. she and a six-legged elias accompany spring-morningstar out into the snow. she tells them how and why she married alan, and why she doesnt intend to leave the village. her description of her love for alan, which is not a burning passion but rather a deep fondness, is paired with the visual of chise and elias standing beside one another. as they walk, ruth telepathically alerts chise that zoey and lucy are being attacked by a silhouette that resembles sunny-dawn.

what we learned: a whole ton of gorgon lore, and more perspective on zoeys upbringing. the gorgons are another example of a minority being pushed to the edges of society by colonization. spring-morningstar and alan are perhaps the first parallel to chise and elias that we have seen since arc 1, when these sorts of parallels were commonplace.

ch 110 | time will tell II

main cast: chise and elias, zoey and lucy, ruth, alan and spring-morningstar, sunny-dawn and her lackeys characters introduced: zoeys uncle, spring-white-stream

tl;dr: after an altercation involving lucy, zoey petrifies sunny-dawn.

plot: in a flashback, we see young sunny-dawn. her mother leans on her becauese her father left. she sees zoey and feels pity for him.

while chise and elias are out with zoeys mom, souvenirs are handed out. alan explains that zoeys mom was bedridden because she was so relieved zoey is doing okay at school. lucy wonders if she should write seth. zoey goes to deliver food to his grandmother, and ruth accompanies him. lucy is left with alan and feels awkward about it.

sunny-dawn lobs a snowball at zoey, but he declines when ruth offers to scare her. zoey runs into his uncle spring-white-stream, and they catch up. alan and zoey wash dishes at home. lucy wonders why shes at the college if she doesnt need to be anymore, given her family situation. she doesnt know what she wants to do or become.

zoey returns, and he and lucy head to the community hall. a bunch of old women are waiting to doll zoey up (pictured). lucy knits a ring for him to calm his nerves, which hes enthusiastically grateful for. when lucy goes out to gather firewood, shes accosted by sunny-dawn. she hates humans, and wants to harm lucy to harm zoey by extension. zoey and ruth come out to find lucy crying, though its unclear what sunny-dawn did to inspire this. zoey attacks them as ruth begins calling for chise. chise and elias arrive to find that sunny-dawn has been petrified. they ask elias for help, but he is unfamiliar with this regions magic. more adults come out and join the spectacle. chise comforts zoey, who asks for her help reversing the petrification. a mountain spirit uses chise to speak aloud that they should go to the mothers grave, and the exertion causes her to faint into elias' arms. so its decided thats the next step.

what we learned: theres a hint as to why sunny-dawn latched onto zoey as a source of resentment. we are given the premise of what lucys future character arc may entail. this chapter is the payoff to foreshadowing regarding petrification and what will happen if zoey goes too far.

ch 111 | time will tell III

main cast: chise and elias, zoey characters introduced: the dead of mothers grave, "the mother"

tl;dr: zoey, chise, and elias go to the mothers grave. zoey is captured by the first gorgon and asked to make a choice.

plot: zoeys coming of age ceremony is held without fanfare. sunny-dawn is trapped inside of her petrified body, tormented by memories of someone we will learn is her father.

six-legged elias escorts chise and zoey to the mothers grave. elias is having a hard time because the snow is so bright, and he is a thing of shadow. they arrive at the cave called mothers grave, which is basically a really deep catacomb made up of a lot of tunnels. a disembodied hand only zoey can see points them in the right direction. zoey doesnt really know what "the whisper" is. they commiserate over the fact that adults can be very vague and dodgy, which annoys elias. chise wonders why zoey wants to save sunny-dawn. before he can answer, more hands cover zoeys eyes and elias catches him from falling through the floor.

the journey continues with various tricks and traps. elias thinks its too quiet. they reach the bottom of the catacomb and pass through a stream of water. chise tells zoey about her past. sometimes the people who were cruel to her would end up injured or dead, and she felt relieved when it happened. thats why she wants to know why zoey wants to save sunny-dawn. he admits that it did feel good to petrify her, and is grabbed by a gorgon and disappears.

chise and elias are surrounded by a group of gorgon-spirits (pictured). they recognize chise as a "medium," or mage, but elias as a shadow of the forest, which reminds chise of what zoey said in ch 99 about elias not being a true mage. chise asks on zoeys behalf if petrification can be reversed.

in another part of the catacomb, the androgynous first gorgon asks zoey to choose between the life of a god or a mortal.

what we learned: another hint that elias may not be a real mage. we get our first look at the progenitor of all gorgons. we also know now what zoeys big character decision will be in this mini-arc.

ch 112 | today you, tomorrow me I

main cast: chise and elias, zoey and lucy, ruth, alan and spring-morningstar, spring-white-stream, the dead of mothers grave, "the mother" characters introduced: none

tl;dr: lucy is chosen as the one who will rescue sunny-dawn.

plot: the dead gorgons refuse to tell chise how zoey can reverse the petrification. but it can be done. they elaborate that petrification does not kill the soul, but rather cage it in stone. calling to the soul inside the stone will allow the cage to break. elias and chise cannot be the ones to do it given their roles. the dead disappear, and chise is distraught that they didnt learn more. elias picks her up and tells her to cheer up - it can be done, just not by them. elias says they can ask someone else to do it whos capable.

at the tree in the heart of mothers grave, zoey awakens. "the mother" feels close to him because they are both "half-breeds." she asks zoey to choose between one or the other of his two halves, but zoey rejects the premise of the question. he doesnt know who he wants to be accepted by the most. the mother weeps and takes on a more human appearance. it is too late for her to choose, but she tells him one day he must make a decision and not to hesitate. hes given a ribbon as she disappears, and chise and elias arrive.

lucy is being cared for by an elder, who explains that what sunny-dawn did to her (what caused her to cry) is called "the frozen flame." she was made to see the massacre of her family until the vision was interrupted. the adults are discussing what happened. spring-morningstar thinks she failed her son, but an angry lucy argues that he didnt do anything wrong - sunny-dawn got what was coming to her. the argue heats up until spring-white-stream arrives and tells them all to stop. the elders will ultimately decide who is in the wrong. lucy leaves with ruth to cool her head.

in the evening, chise and elias bring zoey back to the village and he embraces his family. elias tells lucy that her affinity for spiders and thread makes her the perfect person to save sunny-dawn. this works out just fine for her, because she told ruth earlier that she would rather have someone owe her for saving their life and hold it over them. she begins work on her spell, and we learn that zoey wants to help sunny-dawn because the sight of her family and friends mourning her reminds him of the funerals without bodies they hold for gorgons who get poached.

lucy weaves a web elias refers to as sympathetic magic. she casts a verbal spell and is able to peer inside to sunny-dawn, who is trapped in her own body (pictured).

what we learned: we get to see lucys magic in action. zoey has undergone a step forward in his character arc, but its not over yet.

ch 113 | today you, tomorrow me II

main cast: chise and elias, zoey and lucy, sunny-dawn, alan and spring-morningstar characters introduced: sunny-dawns father, and her mother ocean-raven

tl;dr: sunny-dawns petrification is reversed, but not without consequence. the crew gears up to return home.

plot: lucy finds sunny-dawn shielding her eyes from the blinding light of her past. when she was a child, she found her father in a human town. he left of his own accord, though she and her mother thought he died or was poached. he wants to stay here, offering to take her in, but she runs off in tears and rejoins her mother, who has been struggling since he left. later in the village, she sees zoeys family and overhears others talking warmly of them. she feels angry and resentful that zoey has a better family than her (pictured).

in the present, petrified sunny-dawn notices lucy looking at her memories. lucy is visibly struggling, her fingertips cracking like stone. chise is advised not to let go of lucys web, or her mana supply will be destabilized. zoey latches onto lucy.

sunny-dawn repeats that lucy must not look at her, and the two grapple. the two struggle physically until a great serpent descends into the space, stating that lucy is theirs and that sunny-dawn cant have her. we can assume this is zoeys voice. lucy says that since sunny-dawn doesnt want to look, she doesnt need her eyes, and reaches for them.

smash cut to the near future. zoey and lucy are watching the sunrise. down below, sunny-dawn (get it?) is out and about. we learn that she is blind and has lost her memories since childhood, a side effect of the un-petrification. shes friendly now, though. lucy admits that the serpent-like force "spurred her on" to take sunny-dawns sight and memories because she wanted to hurt her. she promises to do better if this happens again, and the two hold hands.

zoeys parents discuss how things are being wrapped up following lucys ritual, which has caused discontent because gorgons hate alchemy. zoey wont be punished because sunny-dawn started it, and because she didnt die. they agree that they would have followed him into exile if it came to that, because their son is irreplaceable.

outside, chise and elias send a messenger bird to inform the checkpoint that theyll be arriving soon. they have overstayed their planned timeframe because it was unclear if zoey would stay or go. elias says that countries are easier to leave than arrive at, and chise recalls that seth faked her funeral in japan so that no one would go looking for her. as she reminisces, a messenger bird from the twins arrive. theyve received their first assignment to check out a town called chepstow, and we see the image of a mari lwyd.

what we learned: this is the conclusion of the gorgon village arc. it is unclear how zoey and lucys development serves us next, because they will not be featured in these upcoming chapters. the true church investigation is set to begin.

⚠ the gorgon village mini-arc is concluded.

ch 114 | tomorrow never comes I

main cast: the college crew, elias, violet and jasmine, simon, gabriella, yori characters introduced: mari lwyd, leo, isla

tl;dr: the red dragon investigation starts in chepstow, wales, where a boy with the sight has a missing friend.

plot: somewhere in the woods, a mari lwyd and a boy are singing that a precious child must be found.

at the college, chise is rushing to finish her assignments so she can leave for the investigation. after she leaves, they discuss what her bsuiness must be with the st georges. philomela stops her to give her food that silky definitely didnt bring through the wardrobe portal, and tells chise to be careful. she hopes chise will help others as she once helped her, and knows elias will protect her.

chise and jasmine - with little fella, who shes named 'beast' - catch up with elias, violet, and simon. gabriella and yori are already there. they drive to chepstow, and we get a refresh on what this investigation is about. the goal is to look into rumors, find out if the red dragon is involved, and take care of any victims or threats along the way. chise is somewhat unnerved that it might come to killing something or someone.

yori is with gabriella. they kept it a surprise from chise because the twins thought she would be pleased to have another japanese person there. yori is in simons custody, so he had to go anyway. screaming from off in the trees. yoris kuda-kitsune has tied a boy to a tree, accompanied by a floating mari lwyd (pictured). mari is the one who requested help, and the boy, leo, is a witness. this is about a missing girl named isla.

leo has the sight, but no one believes him. his experiences are not dissimiliar from chises. one night, a monster follows him home and he escapes through his bedroom window to flee. as it chases him, mari lwyd and isla intervene. isla helps him up, and says that mari will protect him as this lands guardian.

what we learned: we are now beginning the series of investigations the crew are meant to go on. this is an introduction to what these investigations will look like, and setting up this current mini-mini-arc.

ch 115 | tomorrow never comes II

main cast: the investigation crew, mari lwyd, leo, isla, lindel characters introduced: a red cap

tl;dr: the gang discovers that "isla" is a water sprite, and following a physical struggle, leos life is saved by lindel.

plot: all manner of little fae stop to talk or offer aid to a partially-obscured lindel as he gets closer to where chise and elias are.

leo explains that the three of them lived happily for a while, and isla was happy to have a friend who understood her. one night when the two are outside, isla hurries to get home, but she doesnt come back the next day. mari tells leo that he looked into it, and isla was taken by something non-human. this is why they asked the church for help.

mari explains further that what took isla was neither human nor fae, and that she has been "flickering in and out." leo is angry to be sent away by simon because he wants to do more than be a witness. why should he be sent away- yori is a kid, too! yori tells leo he will be useless not due to his age, but because he has no helpful skills. leo is still upset, but lets mari tuck him into bed (pictured).

mari sings that she needs to find isla because she needs a rider. otherwise, she will return to bones. elias explains that she may have once been a real horse. maris bond with isla is visually contrasted with jasmine and beast, and yori and his kuda-kitsune. as leo sleeps, hes awoken by a vision of a drowning isla asking for help. as the crew stands outside his house, he climbs out the window and jumps down. crying out that isla is calling for her, leo runs after her and everyone follows.

they find isla standing on top of a bridge railing, but something is wrong. she has sharp teeth and dark eyes, and attempts to pull leo down into the river. chise catches leos hand as leo realizes that this is not isla whos latched onto him. on the bridge, violet and jasmine fight a red cap who claims hes been given permission to take anything he likes from "sassenachs."

chise cant pull leo up because the water is tugging at him - the false isla is some sort of water sprite. isla is trying to shake chise because she only wants leo. chise calls out to her, saying that whether shes the real isla or not, its wrong to force leo to come with her - he doesnt want to, and hes scared. isla begins to cry. chise loses hold of leo, and the two kids fall into the river. isla is wearing some sort of beaver skin. as she embraces leo underwater, ice magic turns the river into chunks of ice that expel both of them. its source is lindel, who stands on the ice in modern clothing.

what we learned: we get a sense of yoris blunt, reserved character. hilda got what she wanted, and lindel has joined the investigation. it is unclear how the red cap and isla are related, if at all, and whether the water sprite is really isla or not. the red cap having "permission" to harm humans may come from whoever created the eyeball chimeras.

ch 116 | tomorrow never comes III

main cast: the investigation crew, mari lwyd, leo, isla, lindel, the red cap, ruth, beast characters introduced: none

tl;dr: jasmine and mari take down the red cap, but he escapes with islas body anyway. this investigation is concluded, and we learn that someone is turning humans into fae.

plot: chise and elias are amazed to see lindel, but the twins dont know who he is. lindel tells them to look alive, as the red cap is still on the loose. beast is knocked down defending jasmine from him, so elias sics ruth on him. chise and elias, meanwhile, go under the bridge to meet lindel and see the conclusion of this isla business.

leo is out of it. chise can identify that isla used to be human, and we see that her head is stitched onto her neck. on top of the bridge, mari watches jasmine and beasts interaction and is reminded of her owner when she was a horse. she then transforms into a fanciful, actual horse and bids jasmine to jump on her back so they can slay the red cap (pictured). to be a steed is her one true duty! mari is grateful to be reminded of her past rider. the red cap is knocked down, and we see that he also has his head stitched onto his neck.

under the bridge, a finger pokes out of the stitches on islas neck. its an eye looking at chise! this eye is similiar to the mysterious face we saw at the end of ch 103, who may or may not be responsible for the eyeball chimeras. the red cap is still alive - he "missed one of his targets," and carries islas body away. before theyre able to catch him or ask him why hes doing this, they escape through the "river of time." simon has a great deal of papers to write. humans have been turned into fae, which then turned violent… but we dont know if this has to do with the red dragon.

leo is gaining his senses again, and chise comforts him as he tells her that while he wanted to go with isla, he was too afraid to die. lindel introduces himself to the twins. finally, we see a hand stitching a head onto another topless womans body.

what we learned: much like joseph in arc 1, someone is making humans into fae by piecing bodies together. isla, the red cap, and an unidentified woman all have stitches on their necks. we can tentatively presume this is the same person making the eyeball chimeras, that is, whoever wanted zoey in ch 103. we dont know why isla would be a target, other than that she has the sight.

ch 117 | one hand washes the other

main cast: the investigation crew, mari lwyd, leo, lindel, adolf, hilda characters introduced: none

tl;dr: adolf and lindel hash things out in a flashback. lindel parts with chise and elias to investigate on his own, and the next destination is set for the isle of man.

plot: we learn that lindel had left adolf in charge of the aerie in his absence. cut back to the end of the conversation he had with hilda, where she tells him chise and elias are on board. lindel is introduced to the concept of the red dragon and the need to investigate it. lindel is not swayed by her reasonings for getting involved, and claims that adolf is too kind to take care of the aerie - he doesnt have what it takes. adolf overhears this, and lindel chases after him (pictured).

adolf is visibly shaken at first, but smacks himself until hes "cooled off" and ready to return. lindel asks him bluntly if adolf is prepared to kill to protect the dragons, and he replies that of course he isnt - he always runs away. but if he has no other choice, he knows he can do it. the dragon who cursed chise intevenes and tells lindel that the two of them will work together to protect the aerie. lindel cuts his hair off to create a staff for adolf, and resolves to prepare him for temporarily replacing him.

at the ainsworth house, chise rouses elias so they can see lindel off. since lindel doesnt do well in groups, hes flying off on paulina to investigate on his own. chise supposes that lindel hates fae, and elias waffles on this before concluding that lindel has been taken advantage of a lot, so he hides his "softness." this strikes a chord with chise, who is reluctant to tell elias what shes thinking about. before he can wring it out of her, mari lwyd shows up in their yard. she tells them to look after leo, and we see that the twins and beast have slept over at their house, too.

simon sends off the isla report, and their next destination is set. they will be sailing to the isle of man from liverpool for the next job.

at the scene of a car crash, a ghostly girl sings in manx that she is "a little child without a name."

what we learned: we learn how adolf and lindel eventually decided on the current aerie arrangement. a new destination for the investigation crew is decided upon. we do not know exactly why chise is struck by elias' description of lindel, or why she thinks lindel must hate fae.

ch 118 | you can take a horse to the water, but you cant make him drink

main cast: the investigation crew characters introduced: two new fae, the mage lapis

tl;dr: on the isle of man, fae are causing mayhem. the crew meets the one who called them here, a newly-promoted mage named lapis.

plot: police gather at the scene of a dui crash, where the driver claimed they saw a girl in the road. they joke that it must have been faeries. meanwhile, the 'little child without a name' asks an approaching figure with a stitched mouth if he will name her. he cant, but says that folk are coming from 'across the wall' to search for someone 'on the fence.' maybe one of them will name her.

gabriella is seasick while the rest of the crew discusses the excited nature of the manx fae. we learn that this islands mage is the one who called them here. they are interrupted by the same two fae we just met, who tell the crew to tell the mage to 'stay up late again.' ruth says that these two are very bad - maybe goblins?

they arrive at the mages house, where yori scolds chise not to stare at all the eyes around them. she tells him why she feels she doesnt need to be so wary anymore, which he thinks will bite her one day. the mages house is blasting rock music, and instead of the old witch they expect, its a young alternative woman named lapis. lapis' predecessor has died recently, leaving her the islands new mage. lapis isnt a very good mage - all she can really do is divination. so because of all the unprecedented spikes in incidents, she would like them to investigate. some of the kids start yawning, so lapis offers them board.

we learn that yori is twelve, and being small must be something hes self conscious about, because he snaps that chise doesnt look seventeen, either. they find lapis working on her divination charts. yori is incredulous that she does all of this remotely for virtual clients, but this makes sense given her stutter and anxiety. chise reflects that she doesnt know what she likes or is good at, and lapis is abashed when chise warmly praises her. simon and gabriella are pleased to see all of them socializing like kids should - even if they are 12, 17, and 21!

lapis supposes that if her predecessor was still alive, she might have conversed with manannán mac lir. hes the sea god whose three legs are featured on the isle of mans flag. lapis sings a song about him, and chise and yori clap. she thinks manannan was not a god or a king but a mage, but then theres knocking at the door. apparently each night theres a persistent knocking which lapis has been told to ignore. elias repeats the message from the 'goblins' earlier, but lapis declines his offer to frighten the knocker away.

up where the twins are boarding, jasmine is having trouble sleeping. she feels restless (maybe because theres a fae outside who needs immediate action??). violet tries to help, but this only makes her more frustrated that hes babying her.

in the morning, chise and elias startle lapis, who has been awake all night. theyre off to see manannan, they explain, and see if chise can speak with him. if not, theyll come right back. as they disappear in elias' thorns, lapis laments that shes so weak, whereas chise is a proper mage (but not elias, who transported them?). the nameless girl comes back, and in a moment of weakness lapis names her 'moghrey mie.' moghrey mie hugs her and calls her 'mother,' when suddenly an eyeball chimera with a massive chicken foot pins lapis to the ground. the fae with the stitched mouth explains to moghrey that he and lapis will be her parents - her fake ones, at least - and that the eyeball chimera will make lapis 'like them.' their interaction has a sinister, romantic charge to it.