K
Kai found the lantern in a shipwreck. It was made of bone and burnt with a cold blue flame.
When he held it up, he didn't see the beach. He saw ghosts. Thousands of them, wandering the shore, confused and silent.
One ghost, a little girl, tugged at his sleeve. Her hand passed through his arm, leaving a frostburn.
"I can't find my mom," she mouthed.
Kai realized the lantern wasn't just a light. It was a beacon. It pulled the lost things toward it.
"Follow me," Kai said.
He walked along the shore. The ghosts followed, a parade of the dead. He walked until he reached the old temple on the cliff, the place where the veil was thin.
He hung the lantern on the gate. The blue light flared, burning a hole in the air. Beyond it was a warm, golden meadow.
The little girl smiled. She stepped through. One by one, the ghosts crossed over, fading into peace.
When the last one was gone, Kai reached for the lantern. But he couldn't take it. It was fused to the gate.
He understood then. The lantern needed a keeper. Someone to guide the lost.
Kai sat down by the gate. He watched the ocean. He wasn't afraid. He had a job to do.