That day, the oil lamp flickered. The wind made the broken window lattice creak, as if something were clawing at the window and peering inside.
The old man spoke to the children gathered around him in a trembling voice. "Don't wander off. Don't listen in. Some stories, once heard, leave you with no way back..."
The old Point-Sealer's fingers bloom, the Big Dipper falls upon his shoulder and locks the earth's veins.
The Mountain-Moving traveler cuts through the waters, a silver fish bites the boat and sinks it beneath the river.
The Yin Merchant gang's bone flute falls silent, nine coffins lock the veins, blood becomes their steeds.
The earth's veins shift, the three factions emerge, three heroes are buried beneath the Benevolence Stele.
The old Point-Sealer's fingers are severed, the Mountain-Moving traveler sinks beneath the river, the Yin Merchants gnaw on human bones behind their smiles.
Silken threads coil around the neck, calling out "Daddy"; the character for "trap" is carved on the brow, and Mother is nowhere to be seen.
This story begins with the moment they came looking for Chen Mo...
