A Wall Apart, a Chaotic and Fantastical World

Evening.

The museum.

The night and day security shifts had changed over completely. Few people wanted the night shift: it was exhausting, and they had to watch for robbers and thieves.

Of course, that did not include Larry Daley, an unemployed single father.

Cecil, the former security guard, gave Larry a quick tour.

Before leaving, Cecil offered him a cryptic warning.

"The museum can be a little scary at night. Be prepared, and don't turn off the lights—not in any corner."

Larry had no idea what he meant.

He assumed the old man was warning him to watch out for thieves and robbers.

Once the handover was complete,

Larry walked around the museum and decided the job was not bad. It was quiet, at least, and he could view the exhibits for free—even handle them.

As long as he stayed out of the cameras' sight.

After making his rounds, Larry lay down in the middle of the main hall to rest.

The town was prosperous. He doubted anyone would come rob the museum.

And if anyone did, there would probably be a whole gang of them.

He was only a night guard. For what he was paid, risking his life was out of the question.

But not long after Larry fell asleep,

the inscriptions on the Golden Stele silently began to change.

Under their influence, the lifeless museum stirred with unimaginable vitality.

Li Dan felt it too and appeared of his own accord.

This power was even more astonishing than witchcraft that raised the dead. He could not understand it, perhaps because he was not an inanimate object.

But before his eyes, everything in the museum came to life.

Even things that had never been alive.

Was the power drawing old souls back into their bodies, or granting life outright?