Beyond the craft shop sat a rustic pair of benches around a stone tile table, hidden in an alleyway and connected to the side of a once popular Italian restaurant. The Quantic beings took refuge on the table, facing their respective partners as they sat and caught their breath again. Felix's heartbeat had yet to reach a normal speed. He didn't know if it ever would.

"First things first," Victor gestured to the Quantic, "care to explain yourselves? Like, literally, what are you and where do you come from?"

"I can answer that," Mello giggled, "first and foremost, we're Quantic."

"Yeah, caught that part."

"Well, simply put, we're ancient entities of mass energy that have been on your planet for over 4500 years. We come from a very far off galaxy, formed from the stars themselves, or so we have come to assume. Even we don't really know who gave us life."

"So you fell to Earth," Lyra summarized, "and have been here for thousands of years, giving powers to whoever?"

"The orb we were in is our special shell. We fell like a meteor, and were found by four travellers…I wish I could remember their names."

"We don't just give our powers to anybody, you know," Cheep cut in, ruffling his feathers, "we choose our partners based on our own abilities, those whom we deem appropriate."

"What does it take?"

"We each hold a category." Whipp held up his tiny hand as if to show four fingers, though all he had were fin-like arms. "Those chosen by the Olympians, the Inventors, the Musicians, and the Silent."

"The silent?" Felix glanced at Benjamin, who returned with just as confused a glance. "Why the Silent?"

"We each represent these powers. For all the time we've been on Earth, our heroes have worked in harmony using their gifts and our energy. Silence can be deadly, you know."

Felix wanted to know more about their origins. Who had created them? Could they be made of star composition? A whole new molecular structure only found in the outer reaches of the Universe?

"Don't think so hard on it, Felix," Cheep sighed, "we've tried. For the first few hundred years here we questioned everything we knew, but eventually we decided it would be best to leave our birthplace a mystery."

They've accepted not knowing everything…I don't know…maybe they're right.

"Say," Victor thought aloud, "does this mean that Ladybug and Chat Noir have Quantic, too?"

"Nuh-uh," Whipp snapped, "they have those dumb Kwami!"

"Be nice, Whipp," Hushh finally took his turn to speak, "the Kwami are our allies, not our rivals."

"Says who?"

"Says me. Look, the Kwami are seven special beings, who give their partners powers, just like we do. We don't know too much about them, but we've met in the past. I think the last meeting we had was about two hundred years ago."

Yeah, okay. Two hundred years. Almost seems like yesterday, right?

"We have our differences, of course. Unlike us, the Kwami keep together inside a small jewellery box, a real pretty one at that, and represent seven different Earthly creatures, like the ladybug, the black cat, the butterfly. Also, while all four of us are equally strong, the Kwami vary in strength. I believe that the heroes you've mentioned are the strongest of the seven."

I wonder if we'll ever meet Ladybug and Chat Noir…would we ever get along?

"Okay, okay," Victor stood and paced, "so, just to recap, you guys are four aliens from outer space who crashed on Earth in your special orb, choose four heroes to match your powers to fight evil, and are different from the Kwami, who are also aliens-"

"Maybe. We're not sure yet."

"Right. Maybe aliens."

"The orb we saw," Felix fit the last pieces together, "I suppose that every time your chosen hero has to give up the power, you all return to the orb?"

The four Quantic lowered their heads, and Lyra nudged Felix hard on the arm. "Nice going, gentle-man. Wanna ask if they know who their parents are next? Or if they have any?"

"They obviously don't," he whispered back as Benjamin pet Hushh's head, "and it was a valid question!"

"A question with an all too obvious answer! Change the subject, please, before we see Quantic tears."

Felix coughed into his sleeve and gazed at Cheep. "So, Cheep, Benjamin was being chased by Beast Boss for the orb. Should I bother to ask how he ended up in this mess?"

Not my fault, Benjamin signed with a hint of annoyance, he's crazy! I didn't do anything.

"Well, you did find us first," Hushh snickered, "and what you did with that bucket of old paint was pretty funny."

Benjamin rubbed the back of his head and averted his gaze, clearly not up for discussing whatever paint incident occurred. Felix knew Ben to be excitable, but violent? With paint?

"Tell us from the beginning."

"Well," Mello began, "our last heroes gave up their power about a hundred years ago, and left us inside a secret room in the old abandoned mansion on the outskirts of the city."

"I remember that place," Victor snapped his fingers, "I used to jog by there, before it got so creepy I swore a dozen eyes were following my every movement."

Intriguing.

"Our old partners lived there, roommates. Unfortunately, they were of old age, and couldn't keep up any longer. They put the orb in the room for safe keeping…and…well…"

Mello seemed unable to finish, so Felix took a stab at it. "They passed away before being able to set your orb free. The house was declared unsafe and too expensive to tear down, so it was vacated and left for a hundred years. No one went in, and no one came out."

Until me, Benjamin signed with pride, I wasn't afraid.

"Alright then, Indiana Jones," Victor gave his most feminine sigh and bat his eyes, "do tell us of your heroic journey into the dangerous haunted house."

Not haunted, just old. And you look like a manly girl.

Felix crossed his arms and wished he had brought some tea. "Well? Do tell us, Ben. What exactly happened to you today to cause all of this to happen?"

Okay, Benjamin smirked, it began yesterday morning, on my morning walk…