Fans of The Ancient Magus’ Bride are sure to love this in-depth guide to its story. Chapter-by-chapter notes provide insight into the author’s intent and the world of the story, covering mythology, magic, and more. This handbook contains spoilers aplenty, and is meant to enhance the reading experience for the first three volumes of the series. If you’re hoping for a deeper examination of the story of Elias and Chise, look no further!
Her name is Chise Hatori, a penniless orphan troubled by visions. Sold as a slave to an inhuman mage, she is about to begin a strange new life, filled with magic, fairies, and other beings of a fantastical nature.
Hatori Chise has lived a life full of neglect and abuse, devoid of anything resembling love. Just when all hope seems lost, a man with the head of a beast and wielding strange powers obtains her through a slave auction–and now Chise’s life will never be the same again. The man is a “magus,” a sorcerer of great power, who decides to free Chise from the bonds of captivity. The magus then makes a bold statement: Chise will become his apprentice…and his bride!
Chise Hatori’s life has recently undergone shocking change. As a sleigh beggy―a person capable of generating and wielding tremendous magical power―she has transformed from an unwanted child to a magician’s apprentice who has been introduced to fae royalty. But Chise’s newly discovered abilities also mean a cruel fate awaits her.
Chise has come face to face with the person responsible for the brutal killings at a nearby churchyard–and to her shock, it’s someone she recognizes from her visions of the tragedy at Ulthar! Appalled by the realization that the alchemist who wrought such horrors is still up to his old tricks, Chise must act to stop him. But in order to control her dangerous powers as a sleigh beggy, she’ll need all the help she can get.
Chise has been summoned to the Dragon Aerie to begin crafting her very own wand, but her journey has more to offer than she had anticipated: magical wonders, enlightening visions, and perhaps most importantly, insight into Elias’ past and the secrets he has been reluctant to reveal about himself. Yet while Chise finds some answers about the inhuman mage’s history, mysterious beings are displaying an unexpected interest in Chise herself.
Chise has taken great strides in overcoming her dark past, and is ready for a brighter future at Elias’ side. As for the magus himself, he is finally able to put a name to the strange emotion he’s been feeling for Chise. Meanwhile, a deadly threat looms. When a panicked fairy appears at Chise’s bedside, begging for help, is there anything the young, novice mage can do…?
Chise is gradually learning how to understand both human nature and the whims of the fae, as well as how to balance them and walk her own path. Suddenly, she receives a mysterious letter from bustling London. What could an alchemist’s apprentice want from her…? Find out in this long-awaited sixth volume, in a dark fairy tale romance between the human and the inhuman!
After mistakenly putting Elias under a sleeping spell, Chise can’t find a way to wake him up! She turns to Angie for help, and brews a potion meant to undo the spell–but the process is so exhausting, Chise ends up falling asleep herself. Upon entering a dream world, she crosses paths with the person she least expected: Cartaphilus. But something’s off–the amoral alchemist seems to have lost his threatening edge. Meanwhile, in the outside world, trouble is brewing… on a dragon-sized scale!
Chise may have stopped the dragon’s rampage, but at a great cost: she has been cursed, and a dragon’s curse is unbreakable! Chise and Elias are visited by Marielle the witch, whose fellow witches claim to know the secret to helping Chise. There’s one catch–in exchange for their aid, Chise must join the witches’ coven.
Elias hoped to break the deadly draconic curse that weighs upon Chise–but his methods have created a rift between them. Now Chise prepares to make a gamble of her own: What could she possibly hope to gain from a bargain with Cartaphilus? It is a time of curses cast and forks in the road. Will the paths of master and apprentice soon diverge…?
Now that Cartaphilus has chosen to enter a long slumber, peace has finally returned to the little cottage west of London. But it’s not long before a message arrives for Chise: an invitation to join the college, a society of alchemists. Deep beneath the British Library, the curtain rises on a new story set on a new stage. There, human children learn, think, and grow…but what of those who are inhuman?
As Chise and Elias settle into their new roles at the College, old and new allies alike have lessons to teach them both inside and outside the school’s walls. The Church, the Seven Shields, and a motley array of students… Each has mysteries to uncover.
Many different students from different backgrounds attend the fantastical institution of higher learning known as “The College.” They are the nameless, faceless strangers sitting in the next seat, or living in the next dorm room. As Chise begins to come out of her shell and interact with her classmates, she overhears a certain rumor about her roommate, Lucy…
Chise and her classmates at the College are forging new bonds and friendships, but while they look to the future, the past still has a powerful grip on the older generation—and the futures some of those elder alchemists are working toward aren’t bright ones. Oblivious to the things taking place in the shadows, Chise and her friends head for the Scottish highlands on a training trip…only to find that many of the ancient neighbors who still walk the night there are less than welcoming.
First Lucy was attacked during the College camping trip. Then professor Simeon was caught unawares on the College campus itself. As the victim count begins to rise, it comes to light that a forbidden tome, thought safely stored in the archives, has been stolen–a tome that Elias once glanced through–The Testament of Carnamagos. As the College staff begins to suspect a connection between the two events, Chise and Lucy, a survivor of the Webster Tragedy, must contend with a pack of ravenous werewolves out for their lives!
As the College continues its desperate search for The Testament of Carnamagos, the danger has grown so dire that the Vice-Chancellor has decided to put the College in lockdown until Christmas. Through their shared plight, Chise and her classmates come to know more about each other. Thanks to their experiences in the Abandoned Hall, they all begin to change, whether they like it or not. Some grow closer, while others begin drifting apart.
The stolen grimoire was thought long gone, but it turns out it’s still hidden within the College. But why leave the stolen goods so close to the scene of the crime? The College alchemists are left scratching their heads in confusion. Meanwhile, weeks stuck in lockdown leave tempers short, and minor misunderstandings lead to major doubts. All it takes is one small incident for strings drawn tight to snap.
The reflection of a false god has manifested. Is it the Testament? Or is it still Philomela? The conglomeration that they’ve become seeks to leave the College, making for the banquet hall where the College faculty celebrates. Chise and Elias burst into a tense situation, and find themselves having to face off against both sides.
Chise becomes a dragon and swims through the earth’s ley lines to reach the Sargant family house, Elias and the others in tow. Together they make their way to Philomela, but she’s too corrupted by the Testament to hear their words. To save her, Chise must delve into Philomela’s inner world. What does she find there? “The people who want to help can reach out their hands.”
Philomela finally stops clasping her hands in passive prayer, and instead reaches them out for help. Meanwhile, Lizbeth gives in to blind obsession, merging with the forbidden Testament. Then a third, unexpected party joins the fray—a curse designed to kill a mother. All actors are in place on a chaotic stage, and when the goddess Morrígan finally makes her entrance, the story of one fraught family comes to an end.
What is love? Hate? What are blessings and curses? In battle, Philomela takes up the thurisaz rune Chise gave her, and the catastrophe swirling around the Sargant Family crashes to a close. Chise and Elias return home for a brief respite, but Chise must still pay a price for wielding the power of dragons. The rumblings of beasts permeate the shadows… The Hunt is about to begin.
Slowly, quietly, something has begun. The whispers in the darkest shadows grow louder. The Church Coalition, with the aid of the Seven Shields (the great houses of alchemy), begin investigating the rumors of a red dragon. It’s then that the children of House St. George, the Monster Hunters, happen upon a small, frightened creature. Is this mere coincidence? Or fate?
While ringing in the new year, Chise and Elias have a visitor: Lindsay—Head of House St. George, one of the Seven Shields. Lindsay asks Chise and Elias to join the St. George twins in investigating rumors of the Red Dragon. After some hesitation, Chise and Elias agree to join the investigation. That decided, the two prepare to return to the College for the new semester. Meanwhile, Violet and Jasmine’s mother, Hilda St. George, travels to the Dragon’s Aerie where she begs its caretaker to return with her to England.