Chapter One

  The first bit of sunlight brushed the sky above the research center, painting it with light purples and gold. Li Wei was already up and at it. He moved quietly, hearing the soft sounds of straw rustling and the animals around him. Each cage held a different kind of creature – a reminder of how many different living things there were. Li Wei really cared for them all. It wasn't just about feeding time; he made a point of interacting with them. He'd toss an apple to the monkeys, and they'd go nuts, chattering away. He knew that sound so well. A good scratch on the rhino's tough hide would make it rumble – you could just tell it was enjoying it. Even the snakes seemed a little more chill when he brought them their dinner.

  He'd always liked this morning thing. It was a welcome break from everything else going on in his life. But lately, his mind kept wandering, even when he was with the animals. You know, he’d be measuring out birdseed and suddenly think about his landlord bugging him about rent, or how little money he had left. The bright colors of a parrot would turn into the white of a past-due bill in his head.

  These thoughts weren't just random anymore. They were sticking around, like vines wrapping around his brain. He'd catch himself staring off into space, or the image of a sick animal fading and turning into a list of everything he owed. It was getting to be too much. It was like a constant, low-level worry that was always there.

  Just stress, the doctor had said, in that way that made you think he wasn’t really listening. Get more sleep, Li Wei. Easy for him to say, right? Sleep was a luxury Li Wei couldn’t really spare, not in the way the doctor meant. He got some sleep, sure, but his mind was always racing. Sometimes he did things in his sleep, like wandering around at night, and he wouldn't remember any of it in the morning. He'd wake up in weird spots – the hallway, the little patch of grass outside his building – with hours totally gone from his memory.

  Li Wei was a vet, someone who took care of animals. It sounded important, but it didn't pay a whole lot. He'd worked hard in school because he really loved animals. Getting that degree from a good university felt like the first step to a good life. He wanted to make a real difference, to help these creatures.

  But things were a struggle. His pay barely covered the basics. The rent on his tiny apartment kept creeping up, and the stack of bills on the table just kept getting taller. He came from a poor area, where his folks worked hard out in the fields. He couldn’t ask them for cash; they had their own stuff to deal with. He was supposed to be the one helping them, not the other way around.

  He knew he was good-looking, too. Not in a conceited way, but people had told him. They thought he had kind eyes and a friendly smile. He’d noticed that some good-looking people in the city who didn't have any special work skills could get rich pretty easily. He'd sometimes wonder why he couldn't cash in on his face to get out of being broke. But the thought felt wrong like he’d be selling out.

  The weight of his money issues, worrying about his family, and his restless nights – it all felt like a ton of bricks. The world around him was starting to look muted as if the color was fading. The happy barks of dogs and the songs of birds, which normally cheered him up, now just got on his nerves.

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  One night, after a long, hard day of treating a sick cow, Li Wei just snapped. He was just plain angry. He was tired of working and worrying, tired of struggling to get by, tired of walking around in his sleep.

  He went back to his small apartment, and the quiet just made him angrier. He turned on the small animals he was keeping. These were animals he cared for. Some rabbits he had rescued, some injured pigeons he had nursed back to health, and some chickens he raised hoping to sell to make some extra cash. He'd looked after these critters, but now, he couldn't get his emotions in check.

  The next few days were just filled with intense guilt. He couldn't bring himself to leave his apartment. The chickens, which were supposed to bring in a little cash, ended up as food, a constant reminder of how desperate he was. He ate them slowly, and they didn't taste good.

  As the days turned into a week, Li Wei's mind started playing tricks on him. The silence was broken by some strange visions. He started seeing animals he hadn’t ever seen before – weird, alien things with glowing scales and bright eyes, and he could hear their voices in his head, begging for help. They were sick and hurt, and their cries were causing him genuine pain.

  At first, he tried to tell himself it was all in his head, caused by tension and guilt. He shut his eyes, trying to make them stop, but they wouldn’t go away, and they just kept getting louder. The pressure in his head got worse, and the alien calls just kept building until it was too much to deal with.

  Finally, he gave in. He remembered that during one of his sleepwalks, he had noticed a faint, shimmering line on his living room wall, a door that hadn't been there before. Now, he wondered if that was the source of the alien voices. He reached out and touched the strange surface. It felt kind of like water, and he stumbled forward, leaving his world behind.

  The air was thick with the odors of weird plants and something metallic and sweet. The landscape was like nothing he'd ever seen, with crystal trees casting shadows across the glowing ground. And then he saw them.

  Creatures of all shapes and sizes were wandering around. One looked like a giant insect with stained-glass wings that shimmered as it moved. Another was snakelike with scales that changed colors, its many eyes blinking. Li Wei just stared; his knowledge of regular animals was totally useless in this setting. He didn't believe it for a second, but then he started to get a greedy feeling. These creatures were like nothing on Earth. Information about them would be incredibly valuable. He could make a fortune just by smuggling one.

  Not so fast, a voice echoed, seeming to come from everywhere around him. It was a smooth, thoughtful tone. We know what you're thinking, Earthling.

  Li Wei froze, his heart pounding. He looked all around, but there was no one to be seen.

  These creatures are sick, the voice continued, sounding like it was reading his mind. Help them, and they are yours.

  A spark of his old ambition flickered inside him, battling against greed. Help them? His doctor instincts warred with his want to get out of being poor.

  He went to the closest creature, a six-legged beast with sores on its skin. Reaching out, he touched its warm hide. Right then, he felt like he was hit by a surge of energy, a joining between doctor and patient, even across the world.

  Later, after trying to figure out what was happening by doing a simple exam, he found one of the smaller creatures had died. Looking at it, he noticed something strange in its bones – a crystal that glowed, unlike any stone he had ever heard about. He carefully removed what seemed to be a small shard of the crystal. It hummed with energy. This wasn't just an alien animal; it was a scientific treasure, worth heaps of cash.

  Just when he realized what this meant, the shimmering doorway opened up, swirling with light. Without thinking, he stepped back through.

  He was back in his living room, the familiar mess seeming even more normal compared to the alien world he'd just seen. He checked the time. It was as if no time had passed. The time between these worlds was the same.

  The sadness that had been bothering him was completely gone, replaced by shock and excitement. He wasn't just some struggling vet anymore. He had access to this other place that was full of beings worth an unimaginable amount. He could sell them. Get rich. Solve all his money problems, and become somebody important. A wide smile spread across his face. Animals. His future was in these alien animals. He couldn't wait.