Spring, 1226

The magi take the ship The Crimson Hawk down to Provencal Tribunal. The ship belongs to the maga Leona ex Mercere, a gifted Redcap. Videnaeci has asked them to take some letters to the covenant of Doissetep, and to bring back some books and the magical Tetrahedron of pure elemental Fire which was lent to some magi there for research. Doissetep is one of the most powerful covenants in the Order of Hermes, and the magi will get a chance to spent some time at the library there.

The journey is mostly uneventful, but whilst in the mountains near to Doissetep, their 'raven' companion Zephon starts getting agitated, and leads the magi to a small cave, complaining that bad things are happening. He says that the wrong decision has been made, and they are looking for him. He persuades Shale to drop his Parma Magica, and hides his spirit inside him.

All the spells of the magi collapse, and a Rain of Blood begins as a terrible thunderstorm begins. After it ends, the magi try to determine what has happened. Alicia teleports back to the covenant, and discovers that Jeremiah has been killed, murdered by the young girl, Eira. The custos Drogo has taken her away from the covenant, and Videnaeci was also killed chasing after them, most probably by a demon. They are unable to track neither Drogo or Eira by magical or mundane means. Zephon, coming out of hiding, states that all the other angels had been recalled, and that he can no longer sense Heaven.

Arriving at Doissetep the following morning, they find that the covenant has been attacked by a large army of demons, led by an infernal dragon. The survivors at Doissetep refuse to allow the magi inside, saying that they cannot be trusted. They finally accept the letters, but are unable to help further at this time.

Alicia and Vladimir teleport back to Cruentis Petram to look after the place, and put the Aegis of the Hearth back up. The also begin going through the notes left behind by the two senior magi.

Quaesitor Columbanus wishes to travel to Bellaquin covenant, which is only a few days from Doissetep, in order to find out about Jeremiah's past. On their travel there, they discover weakened Divine auras in the villages, and that anyone who has died since the Rain of Blood has returned as undead the following morning.

At Bellaquin, they find that this covenant has also been attacked by demons, and several magi slain, including Jeremiah's parens Juvenalis ex Jerbiton. He, along with other magi, were completely incinerated and did not arise the following morning. One maga was killed but has returned as undead, her magical abilities intact.

The Quaesitor is given permission to search Juvenalis' sanctum, and finds some correspondence. Together with the information gathered from the notes of Jeremiah and Videnaeci, the magi put together what Jeremiah and his co-conspirators were up to.

The Jeremiah known to the magi had come from a different world, one which had been destroyed by a final battle between Heaven and Hell, a war started by magi who woke ancient gods. The Criamon of that world found a way out of that cycle of time into this one, one where the gods hadn't been awakened, and also back to an earlier point in time - the Long Day. He believes that the Long Day was when God reset the world to fix the destruction done by the ancient gods. Jeremiah was hoping to prevent the end of the world a second time with Eira, whom he thought was the second Messiah, but seems to have failed in his attempt.