Jade City

In the Twice Lucky restaurant, teenage waiter Bero and his Abukei accomplice Sampa drug a drunken Green Bone named Shon Ju to steal his jade earrings. Their plan unravels when Shon awakens mid-robbery; a gunshot rings out and Bero flees with two jade studs, experiencing his first intoxicating surge of jade power. The chapter ends with Maik Tar seizing him on the waterfront patio, while the Maik brothers and Kaul Hilo discuss rising clan tensions in the background.

In Chapter 2, "The Horn of No Peak," Hilo and the Maik brothers thwart a jade theft at the Twice Lucky restaurant when two teenage boys steal from the drunken Green Bone Shon Judonrhu. Hilo intervenes to prevent a public killing, returning the jade to Shon while issuing a warning about his carelessness, then has the thieves beaten outside. The Abukei boy reveals that a new, ruthless carver has killed the familiar black-market buyer Three-Fingered Gee and taken over the jade trade in the area, prompting Hilo to bring the boys to the Pillar for further investigation.

In the sleepless hours before dawn, Pillar Kaul Lanshinwan walks his garden to escape insomnia and the weight of leadership. His solitude is broken first by Weather Man Yun Doru, who presses him on jade export policy and subtly undermines his authority, then by his brother Hilo, the Horn, who arrives with two beaten teenage jade thieves. One reveals a foreign stone-eye called the Carver is operating in No Peak territory, likely backed by the rival Mountain clan under Ayt Mada. Hilo urges immediate retaliation in the Armpit district, while Doru counsels restraint. Lan rejects both extremes, ordering investigation without bloodshed and reflecting that he must assert his own power before his grandfather dies.

In Chapter 4, Lan visits his grandfather Kaul Sen, the aging Torch of Kekon, seeking support to retire the Weather Man Doru and appoint a successor. The visit devolves into painful confrontation as the patriarch, lost in memories of war and loss, repeatedly compares Lan unfavorably to his dead father and lashes out with both words and jade-fueled violence. After physically overpowering Lan to demonstrate the necessity of "full intention," Kaul Sen refuses the request, leaving Lan to realize he must lead without his grandfather's backing.

Kaul Hilo, the Horn of No Peak, leaves a tense meeting with his brother Lan and drives to Paw-Paw to spend the night with his lover Wen, a stone-eye from the Maik family. Their intimate reunion is marked by Hilo's deep affection and Wen's sharp political instincts as she urges him to prepare for war with the Mountain clan, questioning Lan's leadership and Doru's influence. Hilo reflects on his simpler role compared to his brother's, reaffirming his commitment to protecting the clan while finding solace in Wen's unwavering support and strategic mind.

Kaul Shae returns to Janloon after two years in Espenia, determined to live independently without clan privileges. She rejects her brother Hilo’s chauffeured pickup, rents her own apartment, and faces her grandfather Kaul Sen’s conditional forgiveness alongside his disapproval of her jadeless state and foreign ways. While reconnecting warmly with Lan, she firmly rebuffs Hilo’s insistence that she rejoin the clan, choosing instead to navigate her uncertain future on her own terms.

At Kaul Dushuron Academy, year-eight student Anden Emery masters a training exercise combining Strength and Steel on hot bricks, earning rare approval from Master Sain while classmates suffer burns. His cousin Kaul Hilo arrives to spar with him, testing his resilience and affirming his potential as a future Green Bone despite Anden's fears about his mixed heritage and family history of madness. Hilo reveals rising tensions with the rival Mountain clan and hints that Anden will soon be needed, as trouble arrives the following week.

On Boat Day in Janloon, Anden wanders into Mountain territory and is confronted by three Wie Lon students who demand his Academy shirt as tribute. He fights back but is rescued by Gam and Gont Asch, the Horn of the Mountain, who recognizes him as a Kaul adoptee. Gont dismisses the attackers and forces Anden into his car, claiming they are heading to the Mountain while probing his loyalty to the Kauls.

In Chapter 9, the Mountain clan abducts Anden, the jadeless adopted nephew of the Kaul family, during Boat Day festivities and phones the Pillar, Lan, to assure his safe release in three hours while warning him to restrain his Horn, Hilo. Lan, working from the Weather Man’s Ship Street office, frantically tries to locate Hilo to prevent retaliation that could breach aisho, while suspecting the Mountain is deliberately baiting No Peak into violence as they did with the Three Run clan. The chapter’s tense, anxious tone underscores Lan’s protective concern for Anden and his struggle to maintain calm against both the Mountain’s provocation and his brother’s volatile rage.

In Chapter 10, Anden is taken to the Ayt mansion where he is brought before Pillar Ayt Mada. She offers him a position in the Mountain's operations in Ygutan, overseeing SN1 (shine) production and sales to foreigners, framing it as both a personal opportunity and a proposal for alliance between the Mountain and No Peak. Anden realizes he is being used as a messenger to deliver this provocative offer back to the Kauls, highlighting tensions over foreign influence, jade control, and clan power dynamics.

After Anden is briefly abducted by the Mountain and returned unharmed, he reports to Pillar Lan that Ayt Mada has proposed a joint venture producing SN1 in Ygutan. Lan rejects the alliance, citing concerns over jade exports, foreign involvement, and aisho, while instructing the Weather Man to respond formally and ordering the Horn to avoid escalation. The chapter closes with Lan directing increased vigilance around the clan’s borders and his sister Shae, underscoring the fragile balance between restraint and self-protection.

Bero, still bearing the physical and emotional scars from his beating at the Twice Lucky, fixates on the jade he lost and the humiliation he suffered. After alienating his former friend Sampa, he seeks out Mudt, a shady fence rumored to possess jade and work as a double agent between the No Peak and Mountain clans. Mudt confirms his abilities with Perception and offers Bero a dangerous path to power outside the traditional clan system.

In Chapter 13, Shae settles into her independent life in the gentrifying North Sotto district of Janloon, enjoying the cosmopolitan neighborhood while remaining wary of the clan’s pervasive presence. After an awkward introduction to her neighbor Caun and struggling with job-hunting without family connections, she receives an unexpected visit from her brother Lan, who asks her to travel to the mines to audit their records and verify the Weather Man Doru’s reports. Though initially suspicious of being drawn back into clan business, Shae agrees to the favor, moved by Lan’s respect for her autonomy and his trust in her.

In Chapter 14, Lan visits Chancellor Son at Wisdom Hall to propose legislation capping any single clan's ownership of the Kekon Jade Alliance at 45 percent, aiming to prevent the Mountain from gaining control. He brings his Pillarman Woon, testing his potential as a future Weather Man by allowing him to suggest a clan-enforced tariff benefiting the chancellor's textile interests. Through flashbacks to his father's teachings on the separation of 'gold and jade,' Lan reflects on the clans' growing political entanglements while securing Son's support in exchange for economic concessions.

Hilo and three No Peak Green Bones enter the Chrome Demons' warehouse headquarters to confront the motorcycle gang. After subduing the bikers with a display of jade abilities, Hilo offers them a deal: in exchange for information on Tem Ben and his connections to the Mountain clan, the Demons receive a reprieve from clan taxation and permission to operate in rival territory. The gang leader Okan reluctantly agrees and kneels in allegiance to the Horn.

Shae travels from Janloon to a remote jade mine in Kekon's mountainous interior to audit operations for her brother Lan. She inspects the pit, observes Abukei workers handling raw jade with immunity, and reviews financial records, uncovering equipment purchase orders signed by Gont Aschentu, the Horn of the Mountain clan. The discovery raises questions about clan involvement in state-run mining, prompting her to return immediately to Janloon. The chapter contrasts the island's natural beauty and mythic jade lore with bureaucratic detachment and underlying political tensions.

Lan seeks escape at the Lilac Divine, where charm girl Yunni's songs and touch temporarily ease his burdens as Pillar. He reflects on the tense standoff with the Mountain, his brother's aggressive border tactics, and mounting suspicions about Ayt Mada's maneuvers to control the jade supply. The chapter ends with urgent news delivered by a bloodied Maik Kehn: the Mountain has whispered Hilo's name, shattering the fragile peace.

In this Deitist creation myth, the gods build Earth as a second home for their overcrowded divine family, but their spoiled children immediately quarrel over its territories. Enraged by the pettiness, the parents strip the children of their powers, exile them from Heaven, and leave them mortal and vulnerable. While some gods like Thana and Poya offer quiet aid, others like Yofo and Sagi nurse grudges, and the tale frames all earthly conflict and striving as humanity's inherited longing for familial forgiveness and a return to divine grace.

Hilo responds to an attack on a No Peak-affiliated grocery by personally confronting the perpetrators at an Armpit arcade, only to be ambushed by Mountain assassins. In the ensuing battle, Hilo kills one attacker with Channeling while the Maik brothers dispatch another; Tar is seriously wounded by gunfire. After the fight, Hilo publicly warns bystanders against aiding the fleeing assassins, collects the fallen jade, and races Tar to the hospital.

In the late hours at the Kekon Treasury, Shae confirms through meticulous calculations that jade is being stolen from the national reserves, fueling her outrage and resolve to inform Lan. The next morning, she arrives at the Kaul home amid crisis: Hilo has survived an assassination attempt that hospitalized his Fist Tar, prompting Lan and Hilo to launch an armed assault on the Factory where Gont and possibly Ayt Mada are located. As the brothers prepare for open war, Shae is sidelined by her lack of jade, tasked with managing the increasingly unstable Kaul Sen while Doru is marginalized, leaving her isolated and anxious as the clan fractures toward violence.

No Peak's convoy arrives at the Mountain-controlled Factory to demand the assassins' heads and the Armpit district. After tense negotiations, Lan accepts a clean-blade duel from Gam Oben, defeating the Mountain Fist in a brutal, close-fought contest while Hilo executes the second assassin. The victory cements Lan's authority as wartime Pillar, secures the territory, and leaves him privately shaken by how near defeat had been.

In the quiet aftermath of the brothers' return, Shae sits with her frail grandfather, Kaul Sen, who laments the clan's decline and urges her to rejoin the family. When Lan and Hilo arrive, they exclude Doru and Kaul Sen from their meeting, revealing that they killed two Mountain Fists and seized the Armpit, but suspect Doru of enabling the Mountain's jade smuggling. Shae presents her evidence of missing jade from the mines, and though Lan thanks her and invites her to dinner, she is quickly dismissed, leaving her torn between her desire for independence and her pull toward the family she once rejected.

Lan and Hilo discuss suspicions that Doru is a traitor but decide to investigate quietly to spare their grandfather pain. Lan defends his decision to involve Shae in clan business while insisting she not be pressured to rejoin, and he experiences dangerous jade overexposure after claiming Gam’s jade, forcing him to remove it. Hilo asks for Lan’s blessing to marry Wen despite her family’s disgrace and her status as a stone-eye; after weighing the political risks, Lan grants it, and Hilo swears renewed loyalty.

In the midst of a typhoon, Bero and Cheeky complete a daring hijacking of luxury goods from the Docks, delivering them to their fence Mudt in Junko. Mudt introduces them to a No Peak Green Bone who arms them with submachine guns and recruits them as low-level operatives, warning them against independent crime while promising advancement within the clan. The chapter closes with the Green Bone departing into the storm, leaving Bero on the threshold of deeper involvement in the escalating clan war.

In the aftermath of Typhoon Lokko, Academy students including Anden pack relief supplies at Kaul Dushuron Academy amid tense discussions about the escalating clan war between No Peak and the Mountain. Anden grapples with his loyalty to the Kauls, his unspoken feelings for classmate Lott Jin, and his outsider status, while Lott expresses resentment about the violence expected of Green Bones. After the storm, during Autumn Festival cleanup, Gont Asch publicly warns Anden that the Mountain will target him if he joins No Peak, deepening Anden's sense of being caught between clans and his personal isolation.

In Chapter 25, "Lines Drawn," Kaul Hilo grapples with escalating tensions as the Mountain employs street gangs to raid No Peak's Docks territory, prompting Hilo to order executions of captured thieves while confirming Gont Asch's involvement. Hilo visits his injured Fist Tar in the hospital, announces his engagement to Tar's sister Wen, and reassures her of safety on the Kaul estate, though Wen expresses concern over Hilo's vulnerability and pushes to contribute to the clan despite being a stone-eye. Hilo firmly rejects her involvement in Green Bone conflicts, reflecting on family dynamics, clan defenses, and the looming war, while feeling the mounting burdens of his role as Horn.

In Chapter 26, "War Maneuvers," Pillar Kaul Lan addresses No Peak's Lantern Men, reassuring them of the clan's commitment to defending their businesses amid the escalating conflict with the Mountain clan. He then dispatches Weather Man Doru to Ygutan under the guise of gathering intelligence on the Mountain's operations, effectively sidelining him with surveillance. Lan subsequently convenes with loyal Royal Council members, announcing the suspension of KJA mining operations due to financial discrepancies and pushing for an audit to expose the Mountain's manipulations, all while concealing his deteriorating health from jade overuse.

Shae visits her mother in the quiet seaside town of Marenia, where the contrast to Janloon’s clan violence and her mother’s passive acceptance of her limited life deepen Shae’s unease about her own choices. Upon returning to her apartment, she discovers her neighbor Caun Yu has been secretly assigned by Hilo to guard her; confronting him and then Hilo, she learns of the Mountain’s kidnapping of Anden and the escalating war, and rejects her brothers’ protection. Hilo’s rebuke forces Shae to confront her isolation and the impossibility of living as an ordinary person while still a Kaul, leaving her both defiant and unsettled.

Anden is tasked by Pillar Lan with secretly retrieving a package, which he later discovers contains vials of SN1 (shine). During an impromptu Deflection training session, Lan's uncharacteristic volatility and anger alarm Anden, who suspects the new jade from his duel is affecting him. When Anden confronts Lan about the shine, Lan admits he needs it to manage an internal injury from the duel and the pressures of leading No Peak, extracting a promise of secrecy from his shaken cousin.

In Chapter 29, Bero and Cheeky are recruited by a goateed Green Bone for a dangerous assignment: shooting up the Lilac Divine Gentleman’s Club, a No Peak establishment, to prove their worth and earn jade. Bero, driven by resentment and a desire to escape his powerless past, eagerly accepts despite the risks, while Cheeky hesitates. The chapter establishes a tense, foreboding tone as the boys prepare to cross a deadly line into clan violence.

Shae attends Anden's relayball game at Kaul Du Academy, impressed by his athleticism and maturity. Over dinner, Anden reveals his anxiety about Lan's stress and the clan's troubles, urging Shae to intervene, while she shares her plans to accept an international job that will take her back to Espenia. Their conversation exposes Anden's disappointment and Shae's guilt over distancing herself from family obligations, ending with her seeking solitude at the Temple of Divine Return, where she prays for guidance amid her conflicted loyalties.

Lan receives confirmation from Hilo that Doru has been secretly colluding with the Mountain, prompting him to plan the Weather Man's arrest that night. He promotes his loyal Pillarman Woon to the role and grapples with lingering melancholy over his ex-wife Eyni while struggling with worsening jade sickness. After injecting SN1 at the Lilac Divine, Lan is ambushed by Bero and Cheeky; he repels the attack with his powers but succumbs to an overdose, collapsing into the harbor as his body fails him.

This interlude recounts the foundational myth of the Deitist religion: the pious Jenshu, exiled for defying a tyrant, sails for forty years before reaching an unspoiled island where the gods reveal jade—the remnants of their original palace. Retiring to the mountains, Jenshu attains divine wisdom and powers, emerging only to aid his descendants until, at three hundred, he ascends to Heaven. His nephew Baijen becomes the first jade warrior, establishing the Green Bone tradition, while the myth promises that all humanity may one day achieve the Return by mastering the four Divine Virtues.

The chapter opens with Shae receiving a predawn call from Hilo announcing Lan’s murder at the Docks. Overwhelmed by grief, she retrieves her long-stored jade from a bank vault, experiencing an immediate, euphoric surge of power that clashes with her sorrow. Arriving at the family house, she finds Hilo consumed by rage and declares she will join the coming retaliation, as Hilo vows to kill everyone responsible.

Gont Asch receives word that Kaul Lan is dead and Kaul Hilo is coming to kill him at the Silver Spur. He fortifies the building with his Green Bones while Shae convinces Hilo to abandon a direct assault in favor of a ruse: a decoy convoy draws Mountain attention while No Peak strikes the clan’s three major betting houses on Poor Man’s Road. Shae leads the assault on the Cong Lady, killing several Mountain warriors and claiming the properties for No Peak; the raids succeed, but Gont learns of the losses and declares open war.

In the aftermath of Lan’s death and their brutal vengeance on Poor Man’s Road, Shae awakens in her childhood bedroom, overwhelmed by grief, guilt, and the irreversible choice she made by donning jade and embracing violence. She finds Hilo in the kitchen, now the young Pillar, who reveals their grandfather’s breakdown and the clan’s precarious state after stripping Doru of his jade. Hilo begs Shae to become his Weather Man, and she kneels to swear her loyalty, recognizing that she owes the dead and that only she can temper Hilo and save No Peak from the Mountain’s inevitable retaliation.

Bero, wounded from the previous night's events, learns that Kaul Lan has been killed and realizes he may have been responsible. Expecting praise and jade from the Mountain for assassinating the No Peak Pillar, he instead receives horror from Mudt, who reveals the plan was only to vandalize the Lilac Divine, not murder Kaul. Mudt forces Bero into a hidden tunnel beneath the Goody Too to escape the Mountain's wrath and No Peak's vengeance, leaving Bero stunned by his sudden fall from would-be hero to hunted fugitive.

At Kaul Lan’s funeral in Widow’s Park, Hilo walks as the new Pillar behind his brother’s hearse, flanked by Shae and the newly appointed Horn, Maik Kehn, while the clan’s Lantern Men and Fists pay respects. Hilo confronts his grandfather’s frailty, silences Anden’s revelation about Lan’s secret vials to protect the family’s image, and privately vows to his brother’s grave that he will not let No Peak fall. The chapter closes on a somber, exhausted tone as Hilo stands alone, burdened by grief, doubt, and the weight of leadership amid fragile clan unity.

Shae visits the imprisoned former Weather Man Doru, who is under guard and suffering from jade withdrawal. Doru admits to colluding with the Mountain clan to force a merger, believing it aligned with Kaul Sen's wishes, though he denies involvement in Lan's murder. Shae, disgusted by his betrayal, offers to spare his life in exchange for him providing companionship to her ailing grandfather, Kaul Sen, who is rapidly declining.

In Chapter 38, the Twice Lucky restaurant becomes a flashpoint in the escalating clan war when No Peak Green Bones arrive to defend it, only for the Mountain clan, led by Horn Gont Asch, to launch a swift and brutal assault. After intense fighting outside, Gont storms the establishment, executes the captured No Peak fighter Satto, and demands Mr. Une's allegiance and increased tribute. When the restaurateur initially refuses out of loyalty to No Peak, Gont orders the building burned, forcing Mr. Une to capitulate and pledge to the Mountain to save his family's legacy.

In Doru’s office on Ship Street, newly appointed Weather Man Kaul Shae confronts her inexperience and the clan’s skepticism while navigating the aftermath of Lan’s murder. She secures Woon Papidonwa’s loyalty by offering him the role of Chief of Staff and promotes the candid Hami Tumashon to Master Luckbringer after extracting his honest assessment of the office’s vulnerabilities. Shae then addresses the senior Luckbringers, announces sweeping personnel changes, and fields a hostile call from the Minister of Tourism, signaling that she has survived her first days but faces an uphill battle to stabilize No Peak.

In the aftermath of intense fighting, Hilo, now Pillar of No Peak, meets with the Maik brothers at the courtyard patio to assess territorial losses, including the Docks and the Twice Lucky restaurant, and the deaths of three Fists. He promotes Tar to Pillarman and directs Kehn, the new Horn, to select a First Fist, while insisting on strategic patience rather than immediate counterattacks. When Shae arrives, she urges Hilo to engage the Royal Council for a negotiated truce to stabilize Lantern Men support and stall the Mountain, emphasizing that political maneuvering is now essential to survival; their tense exchange reveals lingering sibling friction but ends with a moment of reconciliation as Hilo acknowledges Shae's value and the broader war beyond the streets.

At Kaul Dushuron Academy's Pre-Trials, Anden Emery wins First of Class despite his grief over Kaul Lan's death, excelling in Lightness, knife throwing, and Channeling. He confronts classmate Lott Jin for undermining clan loyalty, only to be gently corrected by Pillar Hilo, who arrives late and advises Anden on leadership and inspiring loyalty. Hilo affixes Anden's new jade stud, but Anden senses his cousin's growing numbness to jade's power amid the clan's wartime struggles.

In the back room of the Paw-Paw Pawnshop, jade carver and suspected Mountain spy Tem Ben buys a stolen talon knife from a nervous Abukei thief, reveling in his profitable wartime dealings as a stone-eye. When Maik Tar arrives to confront him, Tem attempts escape only to be overpowered; Maik smashes through the wall, breaks his wrist and knees, and begins a brutal interrogation to extract information about Mountain operations. The chapter closes on a grim, vengeful tone as Maik records Tem’s forced confession, signaling the escalation of No Peak’s wartime retribution.

After a long day, Shae returns to the Kaul estate and is invited by Maik Wen for tea at the Horn’s residence. Wen reveals her desire to work for the clan in a meaningful way despite being a stone-eye, proposing she become a White Rat—a covert operative who can handle jade undetected. Shae is surprised by Wen’s perceptiveness, ambition, and willingness to deceive Hilo, recognizing a hidden strength and political acumen beneath Wen’s warm demeanor.

Bero returns to Janloon after hiding on Little Button, consumed by rage over being denied jade and determined to steal it from Mudt. Finding the Goody Too ransacked and Mudt dead, he discovers the smuggler's tunnel stocked with crates of shine, which he claims as his own. Confronted by Mudt's vengeful teenage son, Bero lowers his gun and recruits the boy with promises of jade and revenge against Maik Tar, shifting from solitary desperation to a dangerous alliance.

In Chapter 45, Hilo and Shae attend tense negotiations at Wisdom Hall with Ayt Mada and the Royal Council, mediated by penitents to prevent violence. Hilo perceives the talks as a pointless charade, with both Pillars exchanging meaningless territorial concessions while real battles rage elsewhere. Character developments include Hilo's growing frustration and rage over losses like Goun's death, contrasted with Shae's strategic patience and Tar's eager news of a potential breakthrough. The emotional tone is one of simmering hostility and cynical resignation, as Hilo and Ayt share a grim understanding that true resolution lies outside the council chamber.

On the third day of mediation, Hilo meets with Chancellor Son Tomarho, who resents the young Pillar's blunt style and delayed attention. Hilo candidly explains that No Peak is at war and demands higher tribute from Lantern Men, warning that survival depends on their loyalty and framing the conflict as existential for both the clan and Son himself. Son reluctantly agrees to support the clan. Later, in the mediation room, Hilo publicly accuses Ayt Mada of jade theft and smuggling, exposes the Mountain's use of criminal proxies, and storms out, ending the talks. Shae is furious at his impulsive revelation of their strongest evidence.

Shae arrives at the temple seeking answers and encounters Ayt Mada, who denies ordering Kaul Lan's death but admits responsibility for the failed assassination meant for Hilo. Ayt reveals her grand strategy: selling jade and shine to Ygutanians, building an international empire, and uniting Kekon under Mountain rule by eliminating rivals. When Ayt offers Shae the position of Weather Man in exchange for betraying Hilo, Shae refuses, declaring she won't become the ruthless leader Ayt represents. Ayt departs with a chilling warning that Shae will witness her clan's destruction, leaving Shae alone in the temple, overwhelmed by fear for her family's fate.

Hilo confronts his sister Shae after learning the imprisoned former Weather Man Doru has escaped, aided by their grandfather Kaul Sen who secretly gave him jade. Enraged, Hilo accuses Kaul Sen of betraying the clan and orders him sedated and confined. The family gathers to assess their dire financial and military situation against the Mountain, with Shae warning they may not survive the year and urging plans for defeat.

Maik Wen, a stone-eye, smuggles jade hidden in a funeral urn past Mountain clan guards on a ferry to Euman Island, an Espenian-controlled territory. Posing as a mourner, she meets Colonel Deiller at the naval base and reveals the jade as an offer from Kaul Shae to establish a secret supply arrangement amid the clan war and export suspension. The chapter shifts from tense border crossing to tense negotiation, ending with Deiller recognizing the strategic value and preparing to escalate the contact to higher command.

The chapter opens with the delivery of Lott Penshugon's severed head to the Kaul estate, the latest in a string of brutal assassinations orchestrated by Gont Asch that have decimated Hilo's Fists. Hilo visits Lott's grieving family, where he addresses the children with a mix of solemnity and pride, effectively inducting Lott's teenage son into the clan as a new brother. At the Cong Lady, Hilo and Kehn confront the horrific maiming of another Fist, Eiten, who delivers Gont's ultimatum: Hilo must surrender by New Year's Day or face the destruction of his clan and loved ones. Hilo refuses to grant Eiten's plea for death, instead offering him a year to live for his unborn child, while privately contemplating the grim calculus of surrender to spare his people further suffering. The emotional tone is one of mounting despair, grim resolve, and the heavy weight of leadership as Hilo grapples with inevitable defeat and the bonds of brotherhood.

In this mythological interlude, the mortal hero Baijen, favored nephew of the divine Jenshu, is slain in battle yet pleads with the gods to return to Earth one final night. Granted his wish, he slays the invading Tuni General Sh’ak before the enemy can conquer his people, then accepts eternal exile as a wandering spirit so that Sh’ak’s soul may take his place in Heaven. The chapter closes with the enduring Kekonese proverb—Pray to Jenshu, but be like Baijen—establishing the sacrificial, mortal ideal that defines Green Bone valor.

On New Year’s Eve in a subdued Janloon, Shae and Hilo Kaul sit alone in their courtyard, confronting the likelihood that their clan will fall to the Mountain. Hilo reveals he knows of Shae’s secret meeting with Ayt Mada and discloses that Lan’s death was not an accident but the result of Mountain pressure that drove him to fatal shine use. As they walk the garden, the siblings share a rare moment of understanding, accepting their roles in the coming gamble while Hilo steels himself for vengeance.

Hilo dresses formally and visits Wen, announcing they must marry immediately before he leaves to confront threats to the clan. They proceed with a swift civil ceremony witnessed by Kehn and Shae, reciting vows that bind them from this moment until the last of his life. Afterward, Hilo takes Wen to his room where they share an intimate night together, both aware this may be their only time as husband and wife before his departure.

Anden arrives at the Kaul house on New Year’s Eve after completing his Academy Trials, joining a tense family dinner that feels more like a funeral vigil than a celebration. Kaul Sen’s cruel remarks about Anden’s mother expose lingering prejudice, while Hilo dismisses the incident and later leads Anden to the training hall to formally induct him into No Peak through the Green Bone oath. The chapter captures Anden’s transition from student to committed clan member, marked by quiet dread, reluctant acceptance of his role, and the emotional weight of stepping into Lan’s absence.

Hilo arrives at the Twice Lucky with Anden to confront Gont Asch and the Mountain, surrendering himself in a calculated bid to end the clan war. Gont's men attack Hilo with talon knives; though he kills several, he is beaten down and stripped of his hidden jade string, which Anden seizes. Empowered by the sudden jade rush, Anden Channels through Gont's Steel to kill the Horn, then slaughters several more Mountain fighters before collapsing beside his gravely wounded cousin.

Anden wakes in the hospital after the battle, his body battered and his mind consumed by the intoxicating memory of wielding massive amounts of jade and killing Gont Asch. He experiences a disturbing craving for that power and questions his own stability, even as Hilo visits to celebrate their victory and No Peak's gains. Though relieved to be alive, Anden feels hollow and envious, his brief taste of overwhelming jade leaving him changed and unsettled as he begins recovery with SN1.

On Graduation Day, Anden receives top honors at Kaul Dushuron Academy but publicly refuses his jade, declaring he cannot bear becoming a weapon like his mother. Hilo, enraged by what he sees as betrayal of family and clan, disowns him on the spot. Anden flees to Lan’s grave, where Shae finds him and offers quiet reassurance that Lan would have understood his choice.

Shae receives a warning letter from the fugitive Yun Dorupon, who admits betraying her trust on Kaul Sen’s orders and urges her to flee Kekon. At a subdued brunch at the Twice Lucky, she and Hilo share a fragile family moment with their ailing grandfather while the clan begins to reassert control over its territories. Hilo’s lingering grief over Anden’s exile and the Mountain’s retrenchment under a new Horn underscore the uneasy peace, yet Shae resolves to stay and fight rather than run.

In the epilogue, Bero and Mudt visit Kaul Lanshinwan’s grave at night, where Bero restrains Mudt from desecrating the site while reflecting on the jade buried with the man he killed. The scene underscores Bero’s lingering ambition and sense of entitlement, as he contemplates reclaiming what he believes is rightfully his now that the clan war has subsided. The quiet, moonlit cemetery contrasts with Bero’s restless opportunism, ending on the note that Janloon always offers new chances for those willing to seize them.