Chapter Three: The Price of a Gatekeeper

Han Jiuzhang brought a surviving page from the old file. The disaster nineteen years ago had not been a fire, but a gate opening code-named Red Tide. Lu Yuanshan's final log contained one sentence: NIGHT KEY SENT OUT. LIVING COORDINATE REMAINS BEYOND THE DOOR. At the words “Night Key,” the silver mark on Blackbean's forehead split, revealing the tip of a tiny horn. A memory returned: a soot-covered man pushing Blackbean's unhatched egg through a closing gate. Find my child, the man had said. Do not let Everday come. “Your father is alive,” Blackbean whispered. “At least, the gate still considers him alive.” Before anyone could respond, baggage-cart wheels rattled outside. A black invitation slid beneath the door.