September 5, 2030, Thursday, Blue Star Calendar.
The sky brightened, then darkened. The sun rose, then set. When the moon once again hung in the vast night sky, the sleeping Bai Zhou vaguely heard a familiar yet unfamiliar, awkwardly accented voice echoing indistinctly by his ear.
"Ash to Ash! Dust to... Squeamish Bloody Rood!"
"Warning, Chapter 22, Section 1: Reverse calculation of the fire magic formula successful—EIi, EIi, lama sabachthani!"
Along with those sounds came a rhythmic, faint, rapid tapping sound.
What was that noise—an incantation?
Where had that incantation come from?
His entire body jolted. As though an alarm had awakened an enormous, complex machine, his deeply sleeping body suddenly revived. Bai Zhou snapped his eyes open and warily looked around.
What entered his view was a room somewhat familiar from his memories. The pink bed, covered in Hello Kitty patterns, smelled sweet and was piled with all kinds of plump, fluffy stuffed pillows.
The black cat Bai Zhou had transformed into lay surrounded by those pillows, each paw resting on a different one.
He jerked his paws back as if electrocuted. His lively eyes darted around, and Bai Zhou quickly found the source of the incantation.
Still wearing Big Mouth Monkey pajamas, Xiao Fang sat cross-legged in her chair, completely oblivious to the loose strap that was nearly slipping off her smooth shoulder. She stared intently at the folded rectangular slab lying flat on the desk before her.
Moving images flowed across the slab, and the incantation came from within it. Youths and maidens dressed strangely were fighting inside, exchanging blows with great enthusiasm.
In the past, Bai Zhou would have assumed this was a mirror sealing an Ancient God, like the "glass" in Evening City that had sealed the starfish and sponge. But now he knew it