Chapter Three: The First Key

A man inside the Skywell bound young Lin's arm. The man's face resolved into that of Lin's father, Lin Qishan. “Remember, Xiao Yan. Doors aren't always meant to keep monsters out. Sometimes they're meant to keep gods from leaving.” The vision vanished. Synchronization rose to four percent. Qiao discovered the keys were not all underground. After the first global pulse, a private collector had moved the All-Sight Prism into the Central Museum for Obsidian's charity auction that evening. He thought it merely relic 0007, not a root key. Guests would pass identity, facial, and wallet checks. Four security rings surrounded the building. Shen commanded them personally.