The season 1 of Lord of Mysteries became one of the most popular donghua launches in recent years. For those of you who have not heard of it yet, it is the story of Zhou Mingrui, a modern guy who wakes up transmigrated into the body of Klein Moretti, living in a Victorian-style world packed with secret societies, supernatural powers, and cosmic horror elements. Klein has to juggle his double life while slowly uncovering the bigger mysteries running through this world.
Let’s talk about Lord of Mysteries Prey!
What Is Lord of Mysteries: Prey?
Prey will include 3 special episodes which will expand the original story. In short, it will fill in more details to the story that the main series didn’t have time to cover.It’s not a new season and it’s not a movie either; think of it as a “missing chapters” release. Chronologically, the events covered in these episodes actually take place before the conclusion of Season 1 in the novel’s timeline, making this a narrative restoration rather than a sequel.
Basically, the team is going back to fill in gaps that Season 1 had to skip because of its tight 13-episode runtime. The specials adapt two storylines that were cut during the original run that aired mid-2025, and fans who’ve been following the novel have known these gaps existed since the season ended.
Lord of Mysteries Prey Release Date and Where to Watch
The special premieres on June 20, 2026, and will be available wherever the main series currently streams. The first episode, Lord of Mysteries Special: City of Silver, is releasing first, with episodes 2 and 3 — titled Lord of Mysteries Special: The Marked Hunt — following later in June 2026. All three specials are coming to Crunchyroll starting June 20, 2026.
If you watched Season 1 there, nothing changes on your end — same platform, same place in your watchlist. The rollout being staggered across the month rather than dropped all at once has already got people speculating online about pacing, with some viewers hoping the spaced-out release means each episode gets proper room to breathe instead of feeling rushed.
Which Story Arcs Does It Cover?
Prey covers the City of Silver and Qilangos arcs, both of which were set up near the end of Season 1’s run. So, if you are a fan, you will want to watch them as an extention of the main story. Even if it is not an extention it may still link in the later season.
The special covers the arcs of Silver City and Vice Admiral Qilangos from the original novel. These aren’t side stories — according to the official ten-year roadmap from B.C.MAY Pictures, this entire special episode is still officially part of Volume 1, the same volume Season 1 adapted. So in a way, this is less “new content” and more “the rest of Season 1 that didn’t fit.”
For fans who finished Season 1 feeling like something was missing, this is the answer to that feeling — and a fairly direct one, since the production team chose to give these two arcs their own dedicated specials rather than folding them into Season 2’s runtime.
What the Anime Skipped From Volume 1 (And Why This Matters)
Several Tarot Club meetings from the early novel were cut for time, and this special fills in that missing context. Volume 1 is important enough to get these three filler episodes. It might even link to the next season.
This is the part that’s generated the most fan discussion since Season 1 ended. Many fans of the original novel were dissatisfied with the pacing of the donghua adaptation, which skipped entire arcs to cover the first volume in just 13 episodes. Reddit threads and comment sections from last year were full of novel readers saying things along the lines of “wait, where did that character go?” or “they just skipped that whole part.”
The season earned praise for its dense, occult world-building but drew criticism from fans of the original novel for pacing so compressed that entire character arcs were omitted between episodes. Prey is essentially the production team’s response to that criticism — an acknowledgment that the source material needed more room than 13 episodes could give it.
New Character Focus: Derrick Berg and the Tarot Club
The special gives more screen time to Derrick Berg, the newest Tarot Club member, and the group dynamics around him. So, when you will watch the season 2 you will have a better understadning of these new characters.
If you watched Season 1 and vaguely remember a Tarot Club meeting where Klein recruited someone new near the end, that’s Derrick Berg — and Prey is built around his backstory. The first special centers on Derrick Berg, a young man trapped in a cursed bastion deep within the Forsaken Land of God, a location Season 1 only glimpsed.
Through the mysterious Tarot Club presided over by Klein Moretti, Derrick is offered salvation and claims the seat of The Sun within the Major Arcana. Fans have specifically been asking for this story since the Season 1 finale, and seeing it get a full episode instead of a rushed montage should help address some of the frustration from 2025. One reviewer covering the trailer described it as one of the more emotionally grounded character introductions the novel has, which is a notable contrast to the cosmic-horror tone Season 1 leaned into.
The second arc shifts gears entirely. Alger Wilson, known as The Hanged Man, proposes hunting down Qilangos, one of the seven Pirate Admirals, while Audrey Hall, known as Justice, uses her aristocratic connections to set up the trap. This puts the Tarot Club in real danger and gives Alger — a fan favorite who felt underused in Season 1 — an actual moment to shine. The trailer also brings in fan-favorite Beyonder duo Fors Wall and Xio Derecha, with Klein operating behind the scenes as The Fool while seeking guidance from his mentor, Mr. Azik.
Do You Need to Rewatch Season 1 First?
Not strictly, but a quick refresher on the City of Silver arc will help the new episodes land better. The Prey is like filler episodes but these fillers mayhave new characters, or scenarios which may link to the main story.
So, not a full rewatch, but a refresher helps — especially around episode 10, since that’s where Klein takes Derrick into the grey fog during a Tarot meeting and Derrick chooses “The Sun” as his code name. That scene is the direct setup for the first special.
Beyond that, you don’t need to memorize the whole season; Prey is designed to stand mostly on its own since it’s filling in a gap rather than continuing directly from the finale. If anything, casual viewers might actually find Prey easier to follow than parts of Season 1, since the City of Silver arc brings in assassination plots and rising tension between factions with a stronger focus on character interaction within the Tarot Club, creating a contrast to the darker, more atmospheric tone of the main season.
What This Means for Lord of Mysteries Season 2
Prey works as a bridge release, keeping the story active while fans wait for Season 2’s confirmed 2027 premiere. So, don’t worry season 2 is still happening, just not yet. It is confirmed for 2027. Take care and keep visiting!
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