Reece immediately got to work studying the eggs only to find that they were written in a kind of Chinese pictography. Not knowing the language, he instead surveyed the simple pictographs for patterns. Each had several repeating pictures, but after about fifteen minutes, he found some inconsistencies between them. One symbol was unique for each egg, making it unhelpful for Reece’s purposes. Near those, however, we two different symbols, depending on which of the eggs he was looking at. Making a quick count, he found three that looked like little men sitting cross-legged. The rest appeared to be the side view of a four-legged animal.

Grabbing the three eggs with the men, Reece placed them in the bowl along with the still incomplete nightcore. Stepping back, he waited. A minute passed and Reece was starting to get worried. He thought maybe he did something wrong. Then the fear of losing this fragment forever began to sink into his heart. He decided to collect the three eggs from the bowl and try again, but as he approached the bowl, he could just make out a faint scratching noise. It took Reece a few seconds to pinpoint where the odd sounds were coming from. The sounds were coming from the eggs themselves.

While Reece studied the eggs, one began to wobble slightly. Then the other two followed suit. The wobbling soon grew more violent until a crack appeared in one of the shells. It wasn’t long before all three eggs began exhibiting cracks. Reece watched in fascination as a small section of the shell began cracking off from the creature within. First one small arm and then two busted out of the shell and began tearing it apart, slowly revealing a little man within. He was thin and bent with the weight of too many decades. Deep lines and age spots marring his face, he displayed a long grey foo man choo and equally long white hair. Dressed in heavy white robes, the man wore a simple conical rice hat held in place by a dark strap that ran under his chin. Reece noticed men breaking free of the other two eggs as the first one stepped completely out of his former prison and swiftly went into a mighty stretch, letting out a high-pitched yawn.

Once all three similarly dressed men had freed themselves, they walked to the edge of the bowl and jumped. They didn’t fall to the hard stone floor below, however. Instead, they grew until they nearly matched Reece’s size. Now that they were much bigger, Reece noticed that the three men were distinctive in appearance. One wore light tan robes while the last of the three wore one in a light grey. The last was completely bald, while the one in tan robes had a clean-shaven face but an unruly mop of dark grey hair under his hat. The three did have one thing in common, a little mirthful twinkle in the eyes. Those eyes also hinted at a deep wisdom within all three of the seemingly old men.

“Ahh, hello,” said Reece at last, not sure what else to say under the circumstances.

“Hello, Inanna-dine. I am called Shou. This is FuK and LuK,” said the one with the foo man choo, the first to hatch, as he indicated first the bald one and then the mop-headed one. “What shall we call you?”

While Shou was speaking, the other two old men wandered over to the remaining thirteen eggs and began touching them and chanting, a low guttural sound that Reece could just barely hear.

“I am called Reece,” he answered, before indicating the other two old men. “What are they doing?”

“Well met, Reece,” greeted Shou. “As for my companions... well, they are preparing the Qilin for rebirth once the Regenesis Orb has been activated. But you need not concern yourself with that. You are here for another reason, are you not?”

“Yes,” answered Reece. “The nightcore fragment.”

“Ah, yes... the nightcore,” said the old man, savoring the word as if hearing it for the first time before chuckling mirthfully. “I suppose that the orb has gone by many names over the centuries.”

“Did you say the nightcore is actually called the Regenesis Orb?” asked Reece, intrigued. “I think Chippo mentioned that once too. So, what does it do?”

“Oh, so you’ve been running all over the world trying to collect it and you don’t even know what it does?” asked the old man, arching an eyebrow as he seemed to focus in on Reece.

“Well, I know that the Order… uh, a group of people that we’ve been fighting, wants it to help them remake the world in their image,” said Reece. “They’ve already decimated most of the planet’s human and some animal populations by using the nightcore’s properties to create a devastating plague. Keeping it out of their hands was good enough for me and my friends.”

“Ah, so you say it isn’t something you covet?” asked the man pointedly.

“Not really,” answered Reece truthfully. “It has basically painted a big target on my back and has caused no end of difficulties for my friends. It’s only been recently that it has provided any noticeable benefit.”

“Very interesting,” replied the old man thoughtfully. “This was unexpected, and from an Inanna-dine no less. We didn’t know that any of you were left. The schemes of the old gods are surely mystifying.”

The old man continued to study Reece for a long moment before continuing.

“You want to know what the Regenesis Orb does?” asked Shou rhetorically. “Simply put, it is a container created to starve the world of mana, the fuel for our chi. Of course, that’s an impossible task and the Orb can only suppress it. You see, the Orb constantly leaks mana. That’s why there are so many varying effects, both good and bad. Chi is a tool, and it was misused and abused. The element that feeds our chi is called mana. Other cultures call it magic, mojo, the great mystery, and more. Even electricity uses mana to exist, and you’ve seen the damage wrought by that technological application of mana.

That’s why the old gods deemed it dangerous and sought to lock it away. First, they tried breaking it into many pieces to store and dilute the mana. When that only proved partially effective, they knew they needed to get rid of the remains of the Orb. To make matters more complicated, they discovered that enormous amounts of mana radiated from the partial Orb, finally dissipating many hundreds of kilometers away. With no other option, they had it sent to the far side of the moon with a pair of deities tasked with ensuring it stayed there and no longer interfered with the inhabitants of this planet.”

“Wow, okay,” said Reece, completely dumbfounded by the revelation. “So, what happens if we manage to put it back together?”

“Simple,” said the old man, his half-smile betraying just how not ‘simple’ the result would be. “Mana, the source of our chi energy will be returned to the world, and everything will change.”

“So, we shouldn’t put it back together?” asked Reece, rubbing his temple as a headache began to form behind his right eye.

“Oh, it’s a little late for that,” said the man. “Besides, mana can be very helpful. Let me show you.”

The old man stepped up to Reece and placed his hand on the side of Reece’s face and muttered something under his breath. Suddenly, Reece’s headache was just gone, as if...by magic. While Shou had been very forthcoming, Reece still had no idea what a magic-filled world might look like, especially one already overrun by the dead. Shou seemed very knowledgeable so he determined to find out as much as he could about the nightcore or the Regenesis orb, as it was apparently called.

“So, what exactly would happen if the orb were activated?” asked Reece.

“Well, firstly, it isn’t so much activated as it is unlocked and opened,” informed the old man. “Now, as far as what it would change with your world, well, that would take days to explain all of the effects of such a massive alteration of the very fabric of the reality that you know.”

“Alright,” replied Reece, undeterred. “How about the highlights?”

“Fair enough,” said Shou as he stroked the hairs of his long wispy mustache. “Suffice it to say that many humans may well develop new characteristics as their true natures are suddenly revealed, much like you and your friends due to your lengthy proximity to the Orb. Flora and fauna that have been extinct for centuries will be reborn. Even the elements will experience changes. If you think a hurricane is bad, wait until you live through a mystic storm that makes your knees wobble. Now, we’re about out of time. It takes a lot of energy to stay here, so it’s time we give you our fragments and skedaddle.”

“Skedaddle?” Reece replied, finding the term oddly hilarious before he picked up on what else Shou had said. “Wait, you said fragments. As in plural?”

“Of course,” said Shou, as if talking down to a child. “There are three of us, aren’t there? So, there are three fragments. Didn’t you ever read the prophecy?”

“Prophecy?” inquired Reece. “We’ve never even heard of it.”

“Well, it’s more of an instruction manual than an actual prophecy but still, oh di ju, I haven’t the time to explain,” answered Shou hurriedly. “You need to take these now. You must have realized by now that time moves differently here.”

Even as Shou spoke, the other two men approached Reece, and each held out his left hand. Within each of their palms, a fragment of the nightcore rested. Grunting, each thrust out their hands, indicating by their urgent body language that he should take them and quickly. Wasting no time, Reece swiftly snatched the nightcore fragments up just as the two men faded away, their tasks completed. Shou also held out his hand but faded away before Reece could take the fragment. Only his reflexes allowed him to catch the third fragment in mid-air as it fell through the now-empty air.

Each fragment on its own was nearly as large as the piece from the red pyramid. With all three, the nightcore, or Regenesis Orb, rather, would be nearly complete. He placed the large chunks in the bowl next to the black orb and waited. It only took a moment for the fragments to start to vibrate. As the vibrations sped up, Reece could hear a high-pitched whine as the pieces played off each other. The whine grew louder and even higher pitched, forcing Reece to cover his ears. As the pieces finally reached a crescendo, they all melted into black puddles simultaneously. Thankfully, the discordant noise also died out at the same time.

Removing his hands from the sides of his head, Reece watched as the puddles melded together into a large black pool, much like tar. Soon, the ripples died out and then the entire mass of dark fluid began to flow against reason and gravity to crawl up the side of the black stone and fill in the orb’s jagged cavity. A minute later it was done and the nightcore’s ‘wound’ had nearly filled in halfway. It was becoming more apparent that the nightcore was an ancient puzzle device and the mechanisms required to open it and release its contents were beginning to take shape. A tingle went up Reece’s spine, leaving him both excited and terrified.

The moment the merging was finished, Reece noticed a blue glow coming from his shoulder. Glancing over, he saw an odd little man with wild features perched there. Reece immediately yelped and batted the strange guy away. He watched in shock as the guy let out a shrill cry as he sailed across the room to land unceremoniously atop one of the Qilin statues.

“Hey, that was uncalled for,” complained the little blue man, who happened to have a long fluffy tail. “Not a very nice way to greet poor Chippo. No. No, it was not.”

“Oh crap,” said Reece, feeling ashamed for hitting the little guy. “Chippo? I am so sorry. You just startled me.”

“Ahh, that’s okay, I guess,” Chippo surrendered. “I suppose it would be a tad shocking to have somebody suddenly appear right next to your face. I was just so excited to finally be able to take a form, as incorporeal as it happens to be.”

“Well then,” said Reece, catching on. “If you're incorporeal, then how could I smack you?”

“Hah ha, too clever, hah clever Reece,” smiled the Furdian as he gave a hearty thumbs up. “I think we’re going to make a great team. You’re the brawn and I’m the brain! Hah.”

Reece just smiled. He didn’t have the heart to tell him if that was their play, they wouldn’t make it out of the secret chamber, let alone their first battle. While he considered his exit strategy, he realized he didn’t have one and his smile quickly turned into a frown. Unlike the other chambers, this one didn’t have any features that indicated a way back out. He got back on the stone disk, but it was apparently a one-way trip.

“Okay, Chippo,” said Reece. “Time to use that big brain of yours. How are we supposed to get out of here? I mean, there must be a way, right?”

“Hmmm,” thought Chippo out loud. “Why don’t we just take the Qilin?”

“The… what?” asked Reece, completely baffled. He was beginning to question the ghost’s sanity but decided to humor him. Reece did notice that Chippo was pointing down to the dog-like statue on which he was perched. “Wait, you mean the statues? How?”

“By riding them, silly. Hah, silly Reece,” chuckled Chippo, as if his explanation answered everything.

“They’re statues, bud,” explained Reece, now certain that the Furdian was nuts. “They aren’t going anywhere.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” clucked Chippo. “Oh, my poor man, how little you understand.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Reece testily.

“It’s better if I just showed you,” answered Chippo cryptically. “Come over here please.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” replied Reece as he walked over to stand next to Chippo who was still sitting on the Qilin statue.

“Alrighty, now hold tight… tight, tight to the nightcore, and put your other hand on the egg, yes, yes,” instructed the Furdian.

Reece scrutinized Chippo dubiously but did what he said. It took a moment, but Reece began to feel a warmth spread from the nightcore and through his body. Soon, his hand felt hot where his skin touched the egg. A moment later and the egg started to shake. The shaking quickly became violent until it cracked open right under Reece’s hand which he quickly pulled away. Golden light emanated from within the egg, bright rays of it shining through the widening crack. Soon, the egg split completely in two and a tiny mote of golden light drifted lazily into the air before floating over to the head of the Qilin statue. Reece watched as the golden mote sunk into the forehead of the stone beast.

After waiting half a minute, Reece finally tilted his head and furrowed his brow, his eyes narrowing questioningly at the Furdian. “Are you sure this is gonna work? It’s been a…”

“Just wait for it,” cut in Chippo, trying to instill patience into the man.

As if on cue, the Qilin statue suddenly jerked to life. Chippo let out a little squeal as he fought to hang onto the beast while it shook itself to life. Reece unconsciously took a step backward; not sure he could believe what he was seeing. Lycaons, vampires, rakshasas, and lilitu were one thing, but this was on a whole other level.

Now in the flesh, the Qilin was a sight to behold. It was beautiful, with scales that sparkled like gemstones but interspersed with flowing hair in a blue and black striped pattern that resembled a tiger’s stripes. The creature was an amalgamation. Silvery feathers sprouted from the creature’s head like a mane, the tip of its tail, and the back of its legs. The feathers also happened to dance with white-blue flames. Its hairy, feathery, and scaly legs all ended in thick black hooves streaked with blue. The Qilin truly had a magical aura about it. Still, Reece didn’t see how having a Qilin was going to get them out of the chamber.

“Hop on,” said Chippo, patting the creature’s back behind him.

Reece glanced from the Furdian to the Qilin dubiously, neither sure he could ride it nor that it could get them out of their predicament. With no other obvious options, he shrugged, tucked the nightcore away, and followed Chippo’s instructions by pulling himself up onto the dog-like creature’s back.

Though not quite as tall as a horse, the thing had a wide torso and thick muscular legs which gave it about the same mass as the more common and familiar mount. With no better purchase, he grabbed onto the thing’s golden-yellow horns, hoping it wouldn’t buck him off. They felt abrasive in his hands, so he shouldn’t easily lose his grip while he rode the beautiful creature. He also noticed that despite the flames licking at his hands, they didn’t burn him.

“What now?” he asked, looking down at Chippo with a raised brow.

Before the Furdian could answer, the beast reared up on its hind legs and launched itself into the air. Reece was expecting a mighty leap. Instead, the creature kept traveling upwards, flying right into and then through the chamber’s vaulted ceiling. For several seconds, all Reece could see was darkness despite the headlamp still attached to his head. Then he caught a flash of light and a glimpse of a curved stairway before plunging into the stone wall on the other side of it just a fraction of a second later.

Reece’s eyes grew wide with fear, and he yelled out, “Jupiter’s cock! What in Hades is happening?”