Take a good long look at the guardians. With any luck, this will be as close as you’ll ever get to seeing them in person. Trust us—if you ever find yourself on the other side of an encounter with this trio, you’ve likely done something very, very wrong.

Use of animal familiars: forbidden. Making bargains with the deceased: forbidden. Attempting dream coercion: forbidden.

Any one of these transgressions, or more could invite the wrath of the guardians. But who are these beings, exactly?

Perhaps they are too secluded and powerful for us to get to know much about them. Here’s all the information we’ve been able to gather . . .

The Guardians are Three in Number

Number 1: the Judge. The Keeper of the City. This one controls the doorway into the Ying Realm, the afterlife, which ghosts must pass through for their souls to be purified and reborn again.

Number 2: the General of the Dawn. She is the one who documents all your deeds, both the good and the bad.

Number 3: the General of the Night. Armed with a sword and a whip, he is the one who protects the living world from infiltrators—those who want to corrupt the spirits and those who desire to remain among the living.

And yes, this is a more common problem than you’ve been led to believe. But unless you were born with The Sight (the ability to perceive spirits), you can continue to live in blissful ignorance. That is, if the guardians do their jobs properly.

The Guardians Serve a Divine Purpose

Imagine the doorway between the world of the living (where mortals currently exist) and the world of the dead. The guardians who operate on our side serve to ensure that these two worlds never mix. We can’t tell you what exactly would happen if the two worlds ever overlapped, but we’re fairly certain the results would be disastrous for both sides.

Working in tandem with the Guardians are the wardens, who serve an equivalent function on the other side of the doorway. The world of the dead, aka the domain of King Yanluo.

That’s right, the wardens serve an even more powerful master. As do the guardians. In fact, both the wardens and the guardians are technically classified as minor gods.

Not so minor that they haven’t inspired devoted followers and faithful disciples all over the globe, however.

The Guardians Operate Through Their Disciples

So devoted and faithful are the agents of the guardians that they often risk their lives in service of their mission. And they often do so without any recognition.

You may have even encountered a priest or priestess working in your daily life without even realizing it. They tend to hide in plain sight. You wouldn’t know their true purpose unless you somehow uncovered one of the many hidden temples dedicated to the guardians, established to protect local Taiwanese communities wherever they may reside.

Before treating a spiritual infection, or exorcizing a wayward demon, the priests and priestesses of the guardian’s temples perform an elaborate ritual, one that involves an elaborate dance and the ringing of bells. It’s an impressive display, but not something you would ever want to see in person. We can, however, share a section of the prayer that the guardians’ followers recite when they need to ask for their blessing.

We settled, we thrived, one generation passing on to the next. We seek no glory, we seek no fortune; we remain steadfast in our role as representatives of the guardians and protectors of the living.

Needless to say, the followers of the guardians are willing to sacrifice everything to preserve the Great Balance. But unfortunately . . .

Not Everyone is as Devoted to the Guardians

Different temples serve different purposes. And when these purposes diverge, conflict is almost always inevitable.

The followers of the guardians are not just sworn to ward off restless, wandering spirits. They must also stand against rogue temples that serve much darker gods. Those that would love nothing more than to see hell on earth.

Why anyone would choose to challenge the power of the guardians is beyond us. But bloody vendettas between rival temples have been a problem for multiple generations now. They started long before any of us were born.

One major advantage that these renegade temples have against their foes: the guardians do not walk among the living. Only the elders and high priests and priestesses can communicate with the guardians. Sometimes, the guardians speak through their most senior disciples. That’s the closest that most of us will ever come to encountering the guardians face-to-face. And quite frankly, you should be very grateful for that.

Because if the sight of a Hanged or Split-Faced Spirit is enough to make you scream, the sight of the three guardians is enough to make them scream.

And the screams of a wandering spirit being forcefully dragged into the afterlife by the guardians is a sound that, once heard, you will not soon forget . . .

See the guardians in action for yourself (and pray for the poor soul they must confront) in The Dark Becomes Her by Judy I. Lin, on sale now.