The Lantern Key
Union the pale pieces, then cut a clean notch through the middle. The lamp only records what you ask it to see.
Make the dark
answer back.
Match the plate to 92%, then choose: seal now, or spend heat and time refining toward a clean 97% archive. Scorched sheets cool the lamp slower and follow you into the next commission.
Press held.
The paper keeps its place while you take a breath. The current agreement and soot state are safe.
A portrait in three colours.
The cut-paper portrait holds its light.
Read the shadows.
Each translucent panel is a depth mask. Union adds its tint; cut removes whatever is beneath. A folded hinge mirrors the right half onto the left. Reach 92% to unlock SEAL PLATE; refine toward 97% for a clean archive, or bank the pass and carry its soot forward. Scorched sheets cool the lamp slower, and one lost sheet can end the commission.