Chapter 1: The Seventh Instruction

I woke up in a stranger’s body—Marcus Holt, war prisoner, staring up at Professor Grant Livingston’s cruel smile.

Before my heart had the chance to race, the stale scent of old leather books and tobacco filled my nose—a smell I knew belonged to Professor Livingston’s study. He tapped my shoulder with an eagle-feather pen—a Southern gentleman’s quirk that always made him seem more dangerous than charming—and said:

"Marcus, I’ve caught you seven times, and I leave you with seven instructions:

First, do everything you can to stop the Northern Campaign.

Second, you can work with Sam Mason, but never trust him.

Third, the Battle of Red River was a deception—Colonel Young is still alive."

My hands went numb. My mind whirled, trying to process the shock. Was I dreaming? Was this some kind of fevered nightmare? I flexed my fingers, half-expecting them to vanish. Everything felt wrong—too vivid to be a dream, too strange to be real.

"Fourth, Peter Caldwell and Lucas Chan hold the key to breaking the impasse. Take one of them to East Haven.

Fifth, East Haven is perilous—never reveal your identity.

Sixth, I have made a grave mistake, and my end is near. If you see me again, please light the Seven Star Lamp.

Seventh, when the bell tolls eight times, the world will become a purgatory, from which there is no return."

His voice was low and grave, like the slow, heavy drawl of an old preacher at a funeral. Dust motes spun lazily in a beam of light, settling on my boots as if time itself had slowed to listen.