Chapter Five: The Nameless City

Sunlight struck the inverted map on her bed. Every crossed-out name became a narrow street converging on an unlabeled circle. "The Lower Sea," Lu Cen said. "Everything Linchuan forgets sinks there—streets, the dead, unlived lives. The Shepherd took twelve names below. If we don't retrieve them before sunset, those people will remain walking shells." "How do I enter?" "Through someone who woke incomplete." Lu Zhi refused. Lu Cen took his hand. "Seven years ago, I failed to bring her back. Let me open the door." Shen Yao pressed her palm to Lu Cen's. The ward filled with the sound of tides. "There is no seven-second count below," Lu Cen warned. "Time is measured in names. Every name you forget costs you one road home." The ward sank.