After three years of endless night, the last lampstone in Glimmer Village goes dark. The villagers bind a corrupted girl to an altar and wait for the White Tower Church to “purify” her. Lu Zhao, a young apprentice at an apothecary, grips half a lamp wick and hears her sister call out “Big Sister” from the flames. Gu Changfeng, a Night Watch Division swordsman, has orders to burn the village, but in the firelight he sees the ninth lamp flare in Lu Zhao’s palm. That night, Lu Zhao becomes the new Lamplighter. The price is this: each time she lights a lamp, she loses a memory; each person she saves means a man must accompany her into the endless night. Gu Changfeng, Xie Zhao, Shen Wu, Bai Yuan, Pei Wujiao, A Zhi, they each ignite in turn, and each go out in turn. When the nine cities shine again, Lu Zhao stands before the altar of the gods and learns that the endless night is a cycle, and the Lamplighter is a sacrifice. She doesn’t want to become a god. She only wants to share the fire with everyone. But when the last ember is given away, she must remember every name of those who sacrificed themselves for her.
