They tumbled into a vast, circular library lit by amber light. Thousands of scrolls lined the walls. In the center sat a stone plinth shaped like cupped hands.
"The Library of Whispers," Zhuo said. Zeeshaan approached and placed the box into the stone hands.
A holographic map projected—a web of gold lines showing the hidden mountain passes of Yunnan. At the base, a warning appeared: The price of the path is the secret of the heart.
"What does it say?" Zeeshaan asked as the door behind them was hammered by the Wardens.
"It says the path only stays open if we share a secret that has never been told," Zhuo said.
Zeeshaan spoke first. "I've never told anyone... that I keep my father's broken watch. I'm afraid if I fix it, I'll lose the last thing he touched."
Zhuo stepped forward. "And I... I never told anyone that I'm glad my family is gone. Because for the first time, I'm being looked at by you, not as a legacy."
The script turned gold. An obsidian staircase rose from the ground.