Contents
CHAPTER 1: Heaven Awaiting
Overview
On the eve of Kaul Seningtun’s burial, Bero and Mudt infiltrate Heaven Awaiting Cemetery with help from indebted groundskeeper Nuno. They breach Kaul Lanshinwan’s coffin and seize jade. To erase loose ends and payment, they murder Nuno and flee, escalating their crime and igniting new peril.
Summary
Janloon observes Kaul Seningtun’s passing, leaving the city quiet as Bero and Mudt arrive at Heaven Awaiting Cemetery in disguise. Groundskeeper Nuno, bribed due to debt, ushers them to the freshly dug plot beside Kaul Lanshinwan’s grave, where a backhoe has prepared the site for tomorrow’s burial.
Dropping into the new grave, Bero and Mudt tunnel sideways. Despite cultural taboos and severe penalties, their plan hinges on speed and luck. They cut into Kaul Lanshinwan’s casket and uncover a hidden string of jade beads and two gem-studded forearm cuffs, confirming the risk’s payoff. Suspecting more jade but warned of returning guards, they stop.
They conceal the damage, wrap the jade without skin contact, and prepare to leave. At the gate, when Nuno demands the remaining payment, Mudt strikes him with a rock and Bero shoots him twice, choosing murder over payout and secrecy over partnership with Nuno.
They hide Nuno’s body, steal valuables to stage a robbery, seize his keys, and escape into Widow’s Park ahead of security, clutching the stolen jade and setting a darker course with their calculated violence.
Who Appears
- BeroAmbitious teen thief; orchestrates the grave robbery, recovers jade, and fatally shoots Nuno to avoid payment.
- MudtYounger accomplice with personal grudges; assists in the dig, spots more jade, initiates the attack on Nuno.
- NunoIndebted cemetery groundskeeper; facilitates the heist, then is murdered by Bero and Mudt to silence him.
- Kaul LanshinwanDeceased former Pillar of No Peak; his coffin is breached for hidden jade beads and cuffs.
- Kaul SeningtunRecently deceased No Peak patriarch; his impending burial creates the opportunity for the heist.