Having given up on life, 15-year-old Chise Hatori sells herself at an underground auction, where she is bought by Elias Ainsworth, a not-quite-human mage, for 5 million pounds. She learns that he intends for her to be his future bride, and her world begins to change.

Long ago, the humans and cats of Ulthar, city of cats, were struck by a great tragedy. For generations, the souls of those who were at the center of this tragedy have been sealed away by the king of cats. Chise and Elias travel to Ulthar in order to complete Simon's second task: to purify the spirits that remain.

To sorcerer Refnred's eyes, Chise is a sad girl, being duped by a mage. But no matter what Elias' true motives are, Chise has no intention of leaving him. Elias was the first person to value her, after all. As she walks towards the epicenter, she learns of the truth behind it. The sight of a boy appears behind the tragedy.

Chise is deep in thought as she watches the souls return to where they'd belonged all along. More than ten days have passed since the incident at Ulthar, but she is still in a deep sleep. Elias and Simon stand worriedly by her side, when they are met by two unexpected guests: Titania, Queen of Fairies, Lord of Tír na nÓg.

Elias and Chise attend Mariel’s coven meeting and meet Phyllis, Mariel’s high priestess. Secretly, Elias is given information that could help Chise. Following the meeting, Chise becomes suspicious of Elias' activities.

Cartaphilus and Chise argue over their respective approaches to dealing with their own suffering, beating each other up brutally in the process.

The College is sealed off to protect the students and staff from whatever or whoever has been sapping magic from victims. Zaccheroni puts the students' survival abilities to the test, but with a catch: no sorcery allowed.