Mao Lu sat on the shaking bus, the 683 back to Daxing. He hugged the large old book to his chest. As he held it he felt his fingers become covered in nervous sweat as he heard it whisper to him softly. "Open me...open me." He glanced around nervously but it seemed no one else could hear it.
"This is a very dangerous item". That was all Mao Lu could think. All of this was too much and so sudden. It didn't make sense to him. Gatekeepers… "One that held the key to this realm", was such a thing even scientifically possible.
No. Of course it wasn't. Something like this wasn't explainable. It wasn't something the common people were aware of. It was something that should exist in the boundaries of fiction. Yet now he was experiencing something so surreal in real life.
As he hugged the book and fretted he noticed a small girl staring at him. She was really young, perhaps only 3 or 4, she had cute little pigtails and wore a red little dress and shiny red little shoes. She hid between her mother's skirt. Her big black eyes gazed at him intently.
Mao Lu weakly smiled at the little girl but she gave no response back, only continuing to look at him.
Mao Lu ignored her, "kids are weird these days" he grumbled.
Two more stops passed, five more stops till he was home. Mao Lu felt an odd impatience and tension inside of him. He was itching to open this dangerous book.
As another stop came he noticed the woman with the long skirt getting off the bus. Yet she didn't take her child with her. The little girl was standing in the same spot staring at him.
Mao Lu's eyes widened, he mouthed to the little girl, "hey look your Mother is getting off, go follow her, quick."
The girl didn't respond. Mao Lu watched in horror as the woman stepped off the bus completely unaware of leaving the little girl behind.
Just as he was about to call out to her and grab the little girl to bring her to her mother, the little girl crawled onto the seat next to him.
"You're the new Gatekeeper, A powerless mortal trash with a short life span. What a waste. Why would the book and Wang Cao choose you?"
The little girls legs swung as she was too short to reach the floor. Her large black eyes staring up at him. Her lips unmoving but her cold words rang in his head.
"Well I anticipate great things from you. This Realm has always had shit Gatekeepers. You better not be as disappointing as your predecessors."
The little girl gave a very adult like smile that stretched over her small pale face. Her teeth large and white.
Mao Lu was frozen in shock. Before he could respond, the bus announced "Next stop is Daxing Suburb" and before his eyes she faded away.
Mao Lu's heart thudded in his chest. He glanced around him, but on the busy bus no one had seemed to notice a thing.
Mao Lu felt his head hurt. Perhaps it was from all this sudden stress, or from the fear. In a daze he got off the bus at the next stop and trudged towards his flat.
Before Mao Lu realised, he was sitting on the floor of his small apartment. Still hugging that book.
Slowly he lowered it to his small coffee table.
He sat with his knees bended, he wiped his sweaty hands onto his shirt and hesitated.
What was he getting himself into? Didn't he have a right to refuse such an inheritance, right? Why should he open something so dangerous?
Mao Lu remembered that little girl on the bus. His heart quivered. He didn't want to recall it.
If he opened this book would he meet more people… or rather things like that.
His life was already overwhelming for him and he was barely coping as it was with other emotional things.
"Yet"… Mao Lu remembered the money. Was he in a position to throw away such an amazing opportunity. After struggling so long, finally the chance for him to live a little was right before his eyes, who knew when he'd get another opportunity like it.. Who knew, maybe being a Gatekeeper might not be that big of deal and he was overthinking it…. Probably.
After sitting there for a while, Mao Lu tightly closed his eyes and threw caution aside as he flung the book open.
Slowly he opened them, expecting to see the worst. But…the page was blank.
"Huh!" he exclaimed. Yet the moment he shouted in surprise, four hands emerged from the page and dragged him inside.
Mao Lu didn't even have time to scream.
__________
ROARING TIGER CLUB
The music thrummed, and the club was getting more packed. Girls in slim body fitting dresses danced on the poles.
Groups sat in V. I. P areas popping bottles of Ciroc and champagne, and a man screamed out loud as he went crazy on the dance floor. Leading to raucous cheers of encouragement from the other rowdy club goers.
Sitting at the bar on the left side was Fei Bing Bing, beside her was Zhao DeTong.
"Why isn't he here yet Fang Kai?" Bing Bing yelled over the music.
Fang Kai shook his green hair, causing his piercings to jingle. "Like I said, he should've started at 8, he should have been here 3 hours ago, he's seriously late!"
"Call him!!" Bing Bing yelled.
"I already did like eight times. But he hasn't picked up. If he isn't here by 12 he's gonna lose out on a lot of pay for this shift!" Fang Kai yelled back. "Have you not called him yet!"
"I have, like 20 times!" Fei Bing Bing fretted. She knew that Mao Lu probably didn't want to see her and Zhao DeTong tonight, or listen to them nag him about working for them, but even if he wanted to avoid them he wouldn't ditch a shift. Mao Lu had a lot of principles, working hard and earnestly was one of them. He was never late and he never took a day off. Plus the money was his lifeline, he needed it to survive. He'd never ditch a shift.
Perhaps something had happened.
"Let's go to his place and check on him." Zhao DeTong stood up, "Perhaps he's ill".
Fei Bing Bing nodded her head in agreement, throwing on her jacket, "If you see him tell me straight away Fang Kai." Kai nodded.
__________
SOMEWHERE
Mao Lu's eyes were wide as he was greeted with a face full of dirt.
As he pulled his head from the ground he saw wavy healthy green grass surrounding him. Above his head the sky was a clear blue and floating islands could be seen. It was like something out of Laputa Castle in the Sky[1], but Mao Lu was certain he wasn't in a Ghibli film.
"Hello" a calm voice drifted into his ears like the wind. "It is nice to finally see you here, Mao Lu."
"Who!" Mao Lu looked left and right but he didn't see anyone.
"That was rude of me not to introduce myself." The voice claimed, "I am the Book of Gates, your guide into the world of Gatekeepers, you can call me Gates if that's easier."
Mao Lu continued to look around himself like a headless chicken, yet still there was no one in sight.
"Where are you?" he asked in a slightly hysterical voice, "it's rude to hide yourself! "
The calm voice laughed, it sounded like bells chiming. "You say I'm hiding but I am not. I am this book and I am the space inside this book. I am the trees, the grass, the sun and the sky. I am all around you Mao Lu. I promise you I'm not hiding."
What… It was everything around him. Mao Lu couldn't help but think "ridiculous" but then as he remembered being dragged into the book, the creepy girl on the bus and the way Mr. Baker had made the book appear from nowhere. Mao Lu realised that it wasn't ridiculous.
He needed to calm down. He slowly breathed through his nose and out through his mouth. He did this until he felt his heart rate slow.
Mindfulness and breathing were things he'd been practicing for a long time. Learn to control yourself, calm yourself and think rationally. It led to a healthy mind. It was how he was able to cope with stress and all the pressure he'd faced over the years.
A he calmed he realised that this was all apart of the process. Mr. Baker had said opening the book in front of others was dangerous and that once it was opened he would learn about the Gatekeepers. Although Mao Lu hadn't expected to be dragged into what appeared to be another world inside the book, if he threw rationality aside, it made sense.
He just needed to be calm and follow the situation.
"I'm sorry for shouting. I was surprised and panicked. I've never encountered anything like this." Mao Lu bowed his head in apology.
The voice gently laughed again, "It's fine. It is not the first time someone has been terrified and confused once coming here. Out of all of them I must congratulate you on being the fastest to calm yourself."
Mao Lu wasn't certain but he felt that the book of Gates was smiling at him.
"Mao Lu, you have been chosen as the 888th[2] Gatekeeper of mortal realm number 145. Although just one out of 400 Gatekeepers, and a Gatekeeper of a mortal realm ,one of the weakest realms amongst the 400 realms. Don't feel like you are insignificant. As a Gatekeeper you shall bear unfathomable knowledge from the dawning era, and you have the responsibility of maintaining peace amongst the Realms."
"I have verified that out of all the existences in Realm 145, you are one that is purest of heart, strongest in virtue, and has the most talent to become a Gatekeeper and take over from Wang Cao."
[1] Popular Ghibli film
[2] 8 is a lucky number in chinese culture, it equals wealth and prosperity