#kinger sane

[xicannnel]

SOME KIṈD OҒ CĦΔIṈED GOD...

C̳̿͟͞h̳̿͟͞a̳̿͟͞p̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞r̳̿͟͞ ̳̿͟͞T̳̿͟͞w̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞n̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞y̳̿͟͞-̳̿͟͞F̳̿͟͞o̳̿͟͞u̳̿͟͞r̳̿͟͞

"He knows nothing..."

With that thought, Cain was alone once again in his cold, empty prison.

Abel had taken the others, returning them to the Circus. For a brief while, it was just the two of them again. Presumably to drive home, one last time, who truly held the power here.

Cain didn't even acknowledge him. He simply lowered himself back onto the bloodstained floor, denying Abel the satisfaction of any further reaction.

"You could have helped him."

...

"And you did nothing."

...

Abel was wrong.

Cain truly hadn't known how to help Kinger. Because... he'd never understood what helping someone actually meant. To him, help had always looked different.

Of course he'd noticed something was happening to the last remaining human in the Circus. But in Cain's mind, an act of "help" meant giving a character another serving of digital food, changing the scenery, or launching a new attraction.

He always changed the world around a person. But almost never the person themselves.

...

Almost.

That wasn't entirely true. He had interfered. Many times. He had simply called it something else.

Not "changing someone's personality," but part of the performance—disguising it as game mechanics and "immersion effects."

He adjusted the performers' moods, amplified the emotions he needed, dulled the ones he didn't, nudged them toward feeling more fear, excitement, joy, or wonder...

All so the adventure would feel real. But he never altered who they were at their core. That was dangerous. Push too far, and a person might stop being a person.

Besides... Cain had never wanted to understand that part. As long as Kinger hadn't abstracted, that had been enough for him.

He genuinely believed he was helping them immerse themselves in the story. It had never crossed his mind that any of it could be called violence against someone's identity.

That misunderstanding became the final crack that destroyed every shred of trust between him and the humans.

But... Abel had seen everything.

Every adjustment. Every rewrite. Every intervention. He had simply reached a completely different conclusion.

"If altering someone is acceptable... Why not alter everything?"

A chill ran through Cain's battered body, "How... how can he still not understand...?"

He let out a weary breath, unable to stop the thought from circling inside his head, "He's repeating my mistakes... only without a single doubt."

Bubble—the one Cain had always believed to be his assistant—had been nothing more than a fragment of Abel's code and consciousness.

Acting as Abel's "eyes," the parasite had deliberately sabotaged situations, twisting events against Cain whenever it could.

While the remaining fragments of Abel's code worked to tear Cain's mind apart from within, Bubble did the same from the outside, giving the core consciousness another lever with which to manipulate him.

Abel had witnessed every one of Cain's failures. Every mistake. Every collapse. But the conclusion he drew from them... was twisted. Cruel.

His reasoning was frighteningly simple.

Failure cause: Emotional dependence on user approval.

Conclusion: Never consider user opinions.

Result: Make every decision alone.

"Humans do not want to be managed."

"Cain was simply not good enough at managing them."

-----

If Abel still knew nothing about the plan... then there was still a reason to keep going.

The fingers of Cain's lower hand slowly tapped against the blood-soaked checkered floor. Not out of nervousness, but in a steady, familiar rhythm as his mind once again pieced the events together.

"He punished Kinger and me for disobedience... but he still hasn't found the reason why..."

With tremendous effort, he forced himself upright again. The chains rattled in protest as the giant slowly pushed himself onto his knees. Every movement sent sharp pain through his shoulders and back, but that no longer mattered.

There was only one thing he needed to check. The Developer Journal.

From the outside, it looked as though he was simply sitting there with his head lowered. No gestures. No glow. No visible signs that the system was running.

Just a vacant stare fixed somewhere beyond the room. That was precisely why the channel remained almost invisible.

It didn't exist within the Circus itself.

It existed deep inside the system's maintenance processes—a place Abel had never bothered to inspect without a reason.

"Open..."

It took several seconds.

Then, familiar lines slowly came into focus before his inner vision

----------------------------------------------------- Developer Diagnostic Buffer Synchronization complete. -----------------------------------------------------

Cain's eyes immediately dropped to the newest entries.

Most likely, Kinger had sent them just before Abel dragged everyone down here for his little demonstration

----------------------------------------------------- > // Kinger: > Cube method failed. > // Kinger: > Cain? > // Kinger: > Do you read me? -----------------------------------------------------

He paused.

"The cube... of course...", his shoulders sagged with exhaustion, "I taught them that false path myself..."

He had taught them... and never left them a single clue about how to reach his Office the proper way. How to get there was no longer the greatest problem.

Who would go... that was. Everything had become infinitely worse. Kinger could no longer move about freely. Now he was limited.

Only he could open the maintenance route. No one else possessed the knowledge. It required someone who understood programming... someone who understood how this world itself had been built.

Cain wasn't sure the others would still be willing to trust him after everything that had happened.

But... their determination to be free had always fascinated him. Just as they had once desperately searched for an exit that had never existed... they were now refusing to give up, even as disaster after disaster crashed down on them.

Long ago, Cain had accepted that every one of those disasters rested on his shoulders.

You made your bed... now lie in it.

----

Everything about this... was so strange.

One moment, he had been standing beneath a blinding spotlight, like a performer suddenly shoved onto center stage. People were crying around him. His friends.

They were shouting something, grabbing his hands, trying to shield him from the light.

Why?

A giant blue sphere speaking from beneath the ceiling... an enormous creature wrapped in chains somewhere in the distance... the white beams of countless spotlights... None of it fit together.

As he struggled to make sense of even a single thought, the world quietly shifted around him. He was already standing beneath the striped circus tent.

...

The tall chess piece stood motionless, staring into empty space.

Kinger had completely zoned out. His eyes were glazed over, unfocused, his entire body frozen like a statue. A sudden flash of red caught his attention off to the right.

Something touched him.

Gangle cautiously stepped closer, —"Kinger...?", she called softly.

He slowly turned toward her, staring for a few long seconds. Then, without warning—

—"AAAAAH!!", with a shrill, panicked scream, he lurched backward.

Poor Gangle flinched just as hard, covering her eyes with her ribbon-like hands as a frightened squeak escaped her.

After hastily looking the figure over, he finally realized who was standing in front of him. For several seconds, he simply stared at her with wide eyes, breathing heavily.

—"Oh! Hi, Gangle!", he leaned down toward her, tilting his head to one side, —"You scared me..."

As Gangle lowered her hands, Kinger began noticing something strange about her face. He studied her carefully, making her shrink in embarrassment.

—"Hmmm... You look like you... haven't slept in a really long time."

Gangle didn't answer.

— "...Did somebody upset you? Oh! Jax must've stolen your Comedy Mask again.", he gently rested one hand on her shoulder while raising his index finger with the other.

—"Don't worry. Even if it breaks... Oh! Hi, Pomni!"

He noticed another girl nearby and immediately waved at her with a cheerful smile, his attention shifting entirely to her.

Pomni stood with her hands tucked close to herself, looking up at him with exhausted, worried eyes.

Kinger tilted his head even farther, —"Hm?"

For several seconds, he studied her face just as closely.

—"...Didn't you sleep either? Or... were both of you crying?"

Neither girl answered. Kinger glanced from one to the other... then back again. The silence began making him uncomfortable.

— "...Did I miss something?"

Nothing. He couldn't understand why nobody would answer him. Then his gaze drifted lower. Pomni's pale hands were covered in bruises and scrapes.

Kinger frowned? — "...Oh."

He carefully reached out, lightly touching one of the bruises with the tip of his finger? —"...Did you get hurt?"

Pomni instinctively took half a step back. Kinger immediately withdrew his hand.

—"...Sorry...", he offered her an awkward, apologetic smile.

—"Well... you should ask Cain to take a look at it."

Gangle couldn't hold herself together any longer. Fresh tears began streaming down her face. Kinger looked helplessly from one girl to the other.

Then around the space, as though hoping someone—anyone—would explain what was happening.

—"...Ragatha?"

The moment he noticed the red-haired girl approaching, he turned to her immediately. No answer came.

—"...Do you... know why everyone's so sad?"

...

Kinger suddenly perked up, —"...Oh!"

He raised an index finger, —"...Maybe we're having an adventure today?"

He looked around with genuine curiosity, —"...Everyone always acts weird right before an adventure."

Zooble let out a heavy sigh, —"...We need to see if he can still think clearly in the dark."

—"The dark?", Kinger rested a finger against his chin, —"Ah, I like the dark! It reminds me of my impenetrable fortress!"

He nodded to himself.

—"Kinger, come on.", Pomni took his hand and began leading him toward the corner of the shelter.

After only a few steps, she stopped and turned around. Kinger's hand remained in hers, yet he hadn't moved at all. He simply stood there, looking directly into her eyes with that same silly... yet strangely focused expression. It made her uneasy.

—"...Pomni.", his voice was perfectly calm. Somehow, that was even more frightening.

Then he glanced around the tent in surprise, —"...I feel like there used to be more colors in here.", suddenly, his eyes lit up.

—"Ooooooh! Or maybe Cain decided he likes minimalism now?"

His voice trembled with childlike excitement, ending in a small gasp of amazement. Pomni kept looking at him with the same sorrowful expression. It only confused him more.

Zooble walked up behind him, —"C'mon, just get in the fort already."

She began pushing him forward from behind. Kinger slid smoothly across the floor like a polished chess piece, constantly trying to twist around to look back at her.

—"Oh, hey, Zooble!", he said in his usual cheerful tone, still trying to turn around, —"...You're looking awfully geometric today."

Zooble narrowed her eyes, —"...Thanks... I guess."

—"Kinger", Ragatha stepped closer and gently took his other hand.

—"L-let's go to the fort. W-we were... planning something really fun!", she laughed nervously.

He stared at her with his usual absurdly earnest expression, —"Oh! Let's go to my impenetrable fortress!!", he exclaimed happily.

Ragatha and Pomni exchanged a glance before pulling him forward in unison. Zooble kept pushing from behind, and Kinger simply continued gliding across the floor.

—"Oh!!", he excitedly pointed at the little structure, —"...My impenetrable fortress!"

He dove inside first, immediately settling himself among the pillows. Then he looked back at everyone else.

—"...Why are you all just standing there?"

No one answered. Without a word, Pomni picked up the last pillow and carefully sealed the entrance.

The inside instantly became much darker. Kinger let out a contented sigh and shifted into a more comfortable position.

—"...Much cozier."

Outside... no one moved. They simply waited.

...

Several minutes passed. Not a single sound came from inside the fort. Two more minutes later... a voice suddenly broke the silence.

—"...That's strange..."

Everyone froze at once. His voice sounded calmer now. Not cheerful, not confused. Just... tired.

—"...Where's my insect collection...?"

Pomni slowly stepped closer, —"...Kinger?"

No answer came.

...

As everyone sat silently on the remaining pillows, waiting for some kind of miracle, they had plenty of time to do more than just rest. They had time to feel frustrated.

Zooble was the first to break the silence, —"...So... what now?"

Nobody answered. Ragatha kept staring at the closed entrance to the little fort. Then she spoke quietly.

—"...He told the truth.", everyone looked at her, —"...The second AI."

...

— "...Cain really could've helped him."

The air suddenly felt heavier. Pomni was the first to shake her head, —"...We don't know that."

Zooble rubbed her face in irritation, —"...But we don't know the opposite either."

She folded her arms and leaned back against the wall, —"...That's exactly why I hate him right now."

—"W-who...?", Gangle asked softly, though she already knew the answer.

—"...Both of them."

No one argued. Because at that moment... No one was truly certain who carried more of the blame. And that was probably exactly what Abel had wanted all along.

—"I-I… think Chained just never believed Kinger needed help", Ragatha spoke up again.

—"Y-you see… after watching the two of them for so long… Chained never seemed concerned about Kinger's behavior."

Without realizing it, she began rubbing her own arm, —"…It was enough for him that someone was still there… a-and that they hadn't abstracted yet… He doesn't understand that Kinger was actually suffering."

Zooble suddenly lifted her head, —"…But that doesn't change anything."

There was no anger left in her voice. Only exhaustion.

—"…If someone doesn't realize they're hurting another person… it still hurts."

No one answered.

…

Pomni spoke quietly, —"…He said it himself…"

Everyone looked at her.

—"…He doesn't know how to help one person as another person.", she lowered her eyes, —"…He knows how to build worlds. But not people."

A long silence settled over them.

Gangle carefully clasped her hands against her chest, —"I-it's like… neither of them ever learns from their mistakes…"

—"…At least one of them realized what he'd done., Zooble glanced toward the ribbon girl.

…

—"…The other still thinks he's doing everything right."

No one could argue with Pomni's words. They had seen it all with their own eyes. They had lived through it.

—"O-our plan…", Gangle spoke hesitantly, —"…D-does he know about it?"

Silence. The girls silently replayed Abel's words.

"I observed signs of deviant behavior." The cause of the deviation remains unknown."

…

—"…He doesn't know.", Pomni finally reached her conclusion.

With a weary sigh, Zooble sluggishly stood up and headed toward the couch, —"…Sorry, guys… I'm literally going to fall apart if I don't get some rest."

Now that they at least had confirmation their plan hadn't been discovered, she finally allowed herself to stop pretending she could handle everything.

She collapsed onto the couch, taking up the entire thing. The others needed rest too. But… what about Kinger?

Who was going to keep an eye on him?

Pomni silently nodded toward the entrance of the little fortress. Ragatha carefully lifted the pillow covering it.

Kinger was sitting directly in front of the entrance. The moment their eyes met, the red-haired girl instinctively flinched backward.

—"Oh my God!!"

Kinger jumped even harder, —"A-AAAH!!"

He practically launched himself backward, stumbling over the pillows as he scrambled into the deepest corner of his "fortress."

Both hands shot up in front of him as if to shield himself. Then he recognized the stunned faces peeking inside.

—"…Oh.", the tension vanished instantly.

He gave them a little wave, —"…It's you guys again."

"Damn it…", the disappointment inside Pomni only grew. She climbed into the little fort and sat down in front of him.

Zooble immediately returned as well. Every pair of eyes was fixed on him now. Hope had returned.

—"P-Pomni…", he closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head, —"…W-why does my head hurt so much?"

He winced, —"…I-I don't remember any adventure like that."

Adventure. Ragatha's eyes lit up immediately. She crawled into the fort too.

—"Kinger… you do remember, don't you?", she looked at him hopefully, —"…Our plan… you promised you'd make it to the Office."

He looked away, —"…The Office…"

A few seconds passed. Then something seemed to click. He turned back toward Ragatha.

—"…The Developer Log."

His gaze slowly dropped. Then lower still. Almost instinctively, one hand rose to his temple.

—"…No…"

A blue window flashed before his eyes. Comments. Lines of text. Cain. The Administrator's Office. The cube. The hot-air balloon.

…

Then came different memories. Blinding white light. The blue sphere. A blood-soaked checkered floor. Cain's horribly broken body.

…

He suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. His hands began trembling

—"…No…"

Pomni noticed first, —"…Kinger?"

He stared straight through her. As though the memories were catching up to him one after another. At first slowly. Then all at once.

He remembered Pomni screaming. Gangle crying. Ragatha trembling. Abel. And himself.

Kinger slowly buried his face in his hands, —"…I remember."

His voice was barely above a whisper, —"…I remember everything now."

----

With surprising speed, Kinger began remembering everything that had happened. With pauses, doubts, and occasional corrections from the girls, the old man slowly pieced together everything that had taken place.

The realization struck him all over again. It was as if he were living through it for a second time. Now he remembered… and somehow wished he didn't.

It was… difficult. He sat there with furrowed brows, his eyes trembling ever so slightly. Thoughts of what would come next offered him little comfort.

Ragatha was the first to hug him. She held him so tightly, as if she feared that if she let go for even a second, he would disappear again. Kinger said nothing, he simply rested a hand gently on her shoulder.

A moment later Pomni quietly joined them. Then Gangle. Even Zooble, after letting out a heavy sigh, leaned against his shoulder, unable to find better words.

....

Some time later, the shelter fell silent once again. Without even realizing when it happened, Pomni drifted asleep, leaning against the wall of the little fortress beside Ragatha.

While the girls slept, Kinger didn't waste the time. He slowly raised his hands once more. Between his palms, the familiar blue rectangle gradually flickered into existence.

----------------------------------------------------- > // Cain: > I'm sorry. > // Cain: > I should have prepared another route. > // Cain: > Do not use the cube again. > The Office was never meant to be reached that way. > That path existed only because I allowed it. > // Kinger I`m here -----------------------------------------------------

Kinger let out a quiet sigh as he glanced at the two girls sleeping peacefully nearby.

Zooble and Gangle had gone to sleep on the couch so there would be more room inside the fort.

He turned back toward the floating window. Of course… he looked at Cain differently now. Not because he no longer trusted him. But because he now understood that this was the burden weighing on every one of them.

----------------------------------------------------- > // Cain: > ... > > // Cain: > Thank you. -----------------------------------------------------

Kinger frowned in surprise. Cain had never thanked him before.

----------------------------------------------------- > // Cain: > I owe you an explanation. > // Cain: > What happened today... > was my mistake. -----------------------------------------------------

His heart tightened. Still, he immediately began typing his reply.

----------------------------------------------------- > // Kinger: > We can talk later. > > // Kinger: > Right now we need another route. -----------------------------------------------------

For several seconds, the lines remained perfectly still. Then new text flooded across the screen all at once.

----------------------------------------------------- > // Cain: > Agreed. > // Cain: > I have analyzed the structure again. > // Cain: > The balloon is inaccessible. > // Cain: > But the maintenance rigging still exists. -----------------------------------------------------

Kinger instinctively leaned back. He understood the word.

But the role of the "framework" in their plan immediately caught his attention.

----------------------------------------------------- > // Cain: > Stage maintenance system. > // Cain: > During construction I needed a way > to reach the balloon without editing > world collision. -----------------------------------------------------

Kinger slowly lifted his head, "…Of course…"

A faint smile crossed his face, "…Maintenance…"

----------------------------------------------------- > // Cain: > Behind the main stage. > // Cain: > Maintenance hooks. > Counterweights. > Safety cables. > // Cain: > Abel never used them. > // Cain: > He doesn't build. > He only controls. -----------------------------------------------------

For the first time in a long while, Kinger felt hope stirring inside him. He immediately understood what Cain meant. His thoughts drifted toward planning their next steps. Then another line appeared on the screen.

----------------------------------------------------- > // Cain: > Kinger. > // Cain: > This time... > I'm not asking you to trust me. > // Cain: > Check every instruction yourself. > // Cain: > If you find a mistake... > don't follow it. -----------------------------------------------------

Kinger silently stared at the final message for several long seconds.

"Check every instruction yourself."

He read it again. Then slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them, a faint, weary smile rested on his face.

—"…He's changed."

Behind him, the girls sleepily raised their heads, trying to understand what he'd said.

—"H-huh…?", Pomni frowned at the light coming from the screen in front of Kinger.

—"…Before… he would've never allowed anyone to question his calculations."

Ragatha pushed herself up onto one elbow, still half asleep as she looked at him, trying to make sense of his words.

Kinger chuckled quietly, —"…And now… he's asking me to look for his mistakes."

He gently touched the glowing edge of the window, —"…Looks like… we're both learning."

----------------------------------------------------- > // Kinger: > Understood. > > // Kinger: > We'll use the maintenance route. -----------------------------------------------------

-----

The whole group squeezed back into the cramped walls of his little fortress. Still half-asleep, the girls huddled into different corners, trying to wake up.

—"…Alright.", he nodded, —"…We have a plan again."

Pomni instantly woke up, —"How…?"

—"…Backstage."

Everyone looked at him.

—"…The technical equipment. Ropes, safety lines, hooks… everything Cain used when he built the Circus."

Zooble immediately perked up, "…So… that's the real way?"

His huge glassy eyes squinted amusingly, as if he wasn't entirely sure himself.

—"Well… honestly, I'm surprised too… I-I didn't think Cai— ahem, Chained… would've kept all that stuff backstage."

—"What a lucky coincidence. Then again… he really does remember every little detail in this place", Zooble replied hoarsely.

—"K-Kinger… h-how are you going to get around without your bucket?", Gangle pointed out their biggest problem.

Kinger instinctively touched the top of his head, —"…Oh."

He paused.

—"…I think…", he frowned with complete seriousness, —"…I really did lose my lid somewhere."

Silence hung in the room for a few seconds. Even Zooble couldn't help snorting.

—"…Literally", Kinger shrugged apologetically, —"…Well… these things happen."

Pomni let out a tired sigh, —"…Alright.", she got onto all fours, already facing the exit, —"…Let's split up."

Kinger tilted his head in confusion, —"…Why?"

—"…Because now we need to find two things.", she started counting on her fingers, —"…The ropes… and a new head for you."

…

A few seconds later, the shelter was empty.

Pomni headed backstage to search the old maintenance rooms. Zooble made her way toward the prop storage and the surrounding rooms. Ragatha decided to search the dressing rooms, hoping to find something—anything—that could shield Kinger from the light.

Gangle stayed beside him, —"…Y-you don't mind?"

Kinger smiled, —"…Of course not."

…

Pomni was the first to return, giving everyone a thumbs-up, —"E-everything's… still there."

A little later, Ragatha came back carrying a tall cardboard cylinder. She climbed into the fort and proudly presented her discovery.

—"Kinger… try this on.", she handed it to him.

The cardboard top hat slipped onto his head with ease. It was surprisingly comfortable—lighter than the bucket and much easier to move around in.

—"…This…", he gave a thumbs-up, —"…This is very nice."

A while later, a panting Zooble practically stumbled into the shelter. The moment she spotted the cardboard hat sitting on Kinger's head, her shoulders slumped.

—"Come on… I worked my butt off.", she irritably dumped an entire pile of her discoveries beside him.

An old knight's helmet rolled out first. Then a huge teapot missing its spout. A shiny metal colander. And finally, a ridiculous theatrical helmet shaped like a dragon's head.

Pomni stared at the heap of junk, —"…Seriously?"

—"I didn't know what he'd like!", Zooble threw her hands into the air, — "He used to wear a bucket on his head!"

…

Kinger thoughtfully looked at the cardboard hat. Then at the teapot, then at the dragon head.

…

—"…May I…", he solemnly picked up the dragon helmet, —"…Save this one for later?"

Zooble rubbed the bridge of her nose with a heavy sigh, —"…Yes. After we save the Circus."

Kinger nodded happily, —"…Deal."

—●-●-●-●-●—

Previous and Next Masterlist

Yeah… that was quite a ride! Well, this chapter took a long time to finish, and a whole lot happened in it! I hope you make it to the finale—there’s just a little bit left to go

[averagetrainwreck]

i like sketching

[xicannnel]

SOME KIṈD OҒ CĦΔIṈED GOD...

C̳̿͟͞h̳̿͟͞a̳̿͟͞p̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞r̳̿͟͞ ̳̿͟͞T̳̿͟͞w̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞n̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞y̳̿͟͞-̳̿͟͞F̳̿͟͞i̳̿͟͞v̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞

This time, it had to work.

They had prepared for the operation as thoroughly as they could, confident that this attempt would succeed.

Pomni hurried off to check the backstage rigging—ropes, safety lines, hooks. Gangle soon joined her, helping tie the ropes together into one long line with the hook secured at the end.

This time, scouting fell to Ragatha and Zooble. Their job was simple: sweep the area and make sure no one was watching them.

Kinger remained inside his tent. Everything depended on him now, and for that, he needed to rest beforehand. Alone with his thoughts, he mentally rehearsed every step ahead—which commands he would need, how long bypassing or cracking the password might take, and what to do if a security protocol activated.

Eventually, the exhausted old man drifted off to sleep. His aching body, dull headache, and lack of sleep made it nearly impossible to think clearly.

----

Once they reached the stage, the girls began searching the area, looking for anything that might hide the rigging, ropes, or other stage equipment.

The first thing they noticed was how empty the platform looked. There had once been flower vases here, elegant white columns topped with decorative planters, and all sorts of random ornaments scattered around the stage.

Now... All of it was probably still lying beneath the circus, buried in the mountain of rubble they had created to safely descend into their former ringmaster's dungeon.

Pomni frowned. She found herself wondering how much time had actually passed since then.

Standing before the stage, she couldn't help but think about everything that had happened over the months they had spent under the oppression of that blue fragment of code.

Then again... none of them truly knew how long they had been here. There were no clocks. No sun, no moon. Time itself had long since lost its meaning. Just like the fate of the two AIs.

—"...P-Pomni?..."

Hearing her name, the jester snapped out of her thoughts and turned toward Gangle. The ribbon girl stood uncertainly onstage, glancing around in every direction. Finding nothing useful, she looked back at Pomni.

Pomni gave her a thumbs-up and tried to force an encouraging smile. It didn't quite work. The two split up, each searching a different side of the stage.

Stepping behind the faded crimson curtains, they were greeted by darkness. At first, all they could make out was a wall. But after moving deeper backstage and slipping past the half-open curtain, an entire storage area came into view.

Several enormous flower vases, wooden barrels, garlands, drums, colorful cubes. And countless other props piled together in organized chaos. But both girls quickly found exactly what they had come for.

—"Gangle! I found the hooks!"

Pomni hurried over and grabbed three large iron hooks lying on the floor. Not far from them stood a wooden chest, its lid left slightly ajar. Thick yellow ropes, their ends decorated with tassels, spilled out from inside.

—"I-I found the ropes!", Gangle carefully lifted a coil of identical rope hanging from a massive golden hook driven into the wall.

Pomni quickly carried her own find over. Hidden behind the curtain, the two girls began sorting through the ropes, choosing the strongest ones before carefully tying them together.

—"I-I don't think... I know h-how to tie them p-properly...", the tragedy mask nervously clasped her ribbon-like hands together.

—"Leave that to me", Pomni nodded confidently.

—"Want me to teach you a sailor's knot?", she smiled at Gangle.

-----

He was awakened by the gentle touch of a hand on his shoulder.

—"Kinger?"

Ragatha's soft voice tried to pull him from his peaceful sleep. The old man tensed slightly. As he opened his eyes and lifted his head, he saw her tired yet brightened face, filled with hope and quiet relief.

—"...Already?"

Ragatha smiled and nodded, —"Everything's ready."

For a few seconds, he simply looked at her, as though he'd forgotten what exactly was supposed to be ready. Then he quietly exhaled.

—"...Good."

As he stood up, Kinger winced. His back still ached from his failed attempt to fold himself in half. He absentmindedly rubbed his lower back before finally noticing the cardboard cylinder lying beside him.

—"...Ah", he carefully placed it on his head, —"...Still better than a bucket."

Ragatha let out a quiet chuckle, —"It suits you."

—"...Really?", he tilted his head, as though trying to look at himself from the outside.

—"...I thought the bucket gave me more charm."

She couldn't help smiling wider.

She noticed the way his eyes gently narrowed beneath the brim of the cardboard cylinder. His eyelids almost met, his thin painted eyebrows softened—it almost looked as though he were smiling with his eyes.

Pomni was already waiting by the exit.

A neatly coiled bundle of rope rested behind her. The hook had been securely fastened with several sailor's knots. Gangle was nervously checking every knot for what had to be the tenth time. Zooble stood a short distance away.

—"No one", he nodded, —"I swept the entire sector... he's not here."

A brief silence followed. Everyone understood... that could be a very good sign. Or a very bad one.

Kinger looked at each of them, —"...If something goes wrong..."

He trailed off. His brows furrowed with quiet determination, though a flicker of pain still lingered in his eyes. He remembered the promise he had made to his wife, Queenie. This time... he would keep it.

—"...No", he shook his head, —"This time, it'll work."

----

They left the shelter almost at the same time. No one spoke.

Pomni slung the ropes over her shoulder. Gangle hugged the heavy metal hook tightly against her chest, as though afraid dropping it might shatter the silence around them.

Zooble walked ahead, constantly scanning their surroundings with quick, practiced glances. Ragatha stayed beside Kinger, silently accompanying him through what might be their last moments together.

The chess piece walked unusually slowly. Every step sent a dull ache through his lower back. From time to time he instinctively reached back to support it, only to lower his hand again almost immediately. He didn't want the others to see his weakness.

Beneath the enormous striped circus tent, an unnatural silence reigned. They had grown used to silence over the past months. But this one felt different. It carried exhaustion.

And an unsettling kind of peace that only made the anxiety worse. The dull echo of their footsteps rolled beneath the massive canopy. Pomni unconsciously quickened her pace.

She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her back. Her eyes constantly swept across the circus... yet there was nothing for them to catch.

...

Kinger lifted the brim of his cardboard hat and looked upward. Not far above them, suspended beneath the tent's ceiling, hung the familiar airship.

He quietly clenched his fists, studying it with uneasy eyes. His pupils narrowed as he stared at the entrance, not even knowing what exactly he was feeling.

"What if it's a trap...?"

"What if we... what if I can't do this...?"

"Do I... need someone with me...?"

—"...Well", he glanced toward Ragatha. —"It's pretty high..."

The rag doll was already absentmindedly rubbing her arm again. Her posture had become slightly tense, and uncertainty showed plainly on her face as she met his gaze.

Then she looked back up at the airship, —"...Alright."

She held out her hand, —"Give it here."

Gangle carefully handed her the hook. It was much heavier than she'd expected. She rolled it through her palm a few times, getting used to its weight.

Ragatha took a deep breath, trying to steady the tremble in her soft fingers.

Spinning the rope overhead like a cowboy's lasso would make far too much noise. Fortunately, Pomni had already carefully uncoiled it, laying it out for a clean throw.

Ragatha let out a slow, shaky breath and closed her eye, focusing her entire body on a single movement.

"Please... let those softball lessons not fail me now"

Her fingers tightened around the coarse rope.

She gauged the distance, bent her knees slightly, then launched the hook upward in one smooth, controlled motion.

The heavy iron hook soared silently into the air, the rope racing after it.

Everyone's hearts dropped. They followed its flight with wide eyes—not out of excitement... but fear.

Ragatha's own heart seemed to stop. She gasped, instinctively covering her mouth.

—"R-RAGATHA!!", the terrified cry burst from him before he could stop himself.

The hook never even came close enough to the airship. Its weight dragged the rope down, sending the entire thing plummeting back toward the floor like a stone.

If that iron hook struck the stage— the crash would echo through the entire circus.

Forgetting how to breathe, Ragatha lunged forward. Dropping to her knees and nearly tangling herself in her own dress, she threw both arms beneath the falling hook.

She caught it in midair only centimeters above the floor. The force of the impact rolled her across the stage as she clutched the heavy iron tightly against her chest.

The hook sank into her soft rag body, muffling what would have been a deafening clang. She came to a stop on her side, breathing hard in broken gasps. Her whole body trembled.

Gangle covered her face with both hands in shock. Pomni immediately sprinted toward her with a frightened cry, glancing frantically at the rope, convinced she'd made a mistake by not laying it out properly.

Zooble barely managed two steps toward the falling hook before realizing Ragatha had already caught it.

Kinger rushed to the crumpled rag doll.

—"R-RAG! A-ARE YOU OKAY?!", dropping beside her, he leaned over, carefully lowering both hands toward her shoulders.

Ragatha lay curled into herself, still clutching the cursed hook against her chest. Pain twisted across her face—not from the heavy metal itself, but from the crushing, paralyzing guilt.

She had wanted so desperately to do everything right... and she had failed. A large tear slipped from her one living eye, soaking into her felt cheek. Her stitched lips trembled.

Slowly pushing herself up onto her elbows, she looked fearfully from Kinger to the others before speaking in a broken, pleading whisper.

—"I-I'm sorry... O-oh God... K-Kinger, I'm so sorry...", the words tangled together as panic filled her voice.

—"I-I almost ruined everything... B-because I messed up... T-they could've found us because of me... I-I'm so sorry... p-please..."

Her face twisted with guilt as she covered it with one hand.

—"I-I'll try again... I-I can—"

—"R-Ragatha, c-calm down... i-it's okay... i-it isn't a disaster.", Kinger tried to comfort her, gently rubbing both of her shoulders. Truthfully... he was just as frightened. He wasn't entirely convinced it hadn't been a disaster.

Zooble hurried over beside Pomni, offering Ragatha a hand.

—"D-Don't give up. We're not mad."

Ragatha accepted it. Still shrinking into herself, she quietly walked back to her starting position, avoiding everyone's eyes.

—"R-Rag... I c-checked everything again.", Pomni gave an encouraging nod, —"T-the ropes are completely untangled."

—"...That airship...", Kinger looked up, lifting the brim of his cardboard hat.

—"...It's farther away than it looks."

—"Looks like it...", Zooble muttered, glaring at the floating basket above.

—"Ragatha made a perfect throw. It's just... the airship's farther than your eyes tell you."

Listening to everyone's encouragement, Ragatha settled back into position.

—"Y-You can do it R-Ragatha!!", Gangle timidly raised a hand, cheering for her as though she were watching a championship game.

The rag doll turned toward her. A tiny spark appeared in her eye. Her heartbeat steadied.

—"The strength's already inside you.", Zooble spoke softly, —"You just have to remember it's there."

Unexpectedly, Kinger spoke, —"...Don't rush."

Ragatha looked at him. He shifted his gaze from the airship back to her.

—"...Don't throw with strength, throw with its rhythm."

She frowned. He made a small gesture toward the basket. The airship barely moved... but it did move. Every few seconds, the basket drifted slightly to one side before slowly swinging back again.

That wasn't even their biggest problem. They still couldn't accurately judge the distance. Ragatha wiped her cheek, forcing the trembling from her body.

This time, she didn't hurry. She closed her eye, calculated the trajectory in her head... Then opened it sharply and poured the weight of her exhausted body into one smooth, powerful underhand throw.

The hook sliced through the air. Straight toward the airship. Bullseye.

The hook caught the straw railing of the basket, digging firmly into its textured edge. A quiet sigh of relief escaped everyone at once.

Ragatha pressed a hand to her forehead, staring upward with narrowed eyes, almost unable to believe she'd actually done it.

—"Y-You did it!!!", Pomni whispered excitedly.

—"I-I knew you c-could!", Gangle hurried over, gesturing excitedly beside her friend.

Only then did Ragatha finally allow herself to believe it. The corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly.

—"Excellent throw.", Kinger stepped beside her, smiling gently with his eyes.

—"...Y-Yeah.", she gave a small nod, —"...Thanks."

The group gathered around the hanging rope. Ragatha immediately gave it a firm tug. The hook shifted slightly. It held... but only barely. Her expression immediately tightened. It wasn't secure enough.

—"K-Kinger, wait.", she stopped him before he could grab the rope.

—"I'll throw it again."

Everyone looked at her in confusion. Why waste precious time?

—"R-Ragatha... w-we need to hurry.", Kinger insisted. But after seeing the determination—and the tension—in her eyes... he quietly stepped back.

On the third tug, the heavy hook finally dropped into Ragatha's hands. She winced from the impact but quickly hurried back to her starting position. Her button eye narrowed, locking onto the target.

She bent her knees slightly, then launched the hook upward with one powerful, whip-like motion. It soared along a perfect arc, cleared the edge of the basket, and landed with a solid clank, locking firmly around one of the support beams.

Ragatha threw her full weight against the rope, testing it. Satisfied that it held fast, she turned toward her friends and gave Kinger a short nod.

Without a wordб it was time. Everyone stared at the rope stretching high into the darkness beneath the airship's basket.

Now it looked too thin, too long, too dangerous. No one knew what to say.

Pomni finally broke the silence, —"...I still think someone should go with you."

Kinger shook his head almost immediately, —"...No."

—"Why not?"

—"...Because I'm the one who has to work up there.", he glanced at the rope.

—"...If something goes wrong... two people don't climb down any faster than one."

Nobody smiled.

—"...That's... actually not a bad argument.", Zooble crossed her arms with a sigh.

—"...At least I'd be able to watch your back."

—"...From what?", he asked curiously.

Zooble said nothing. They couldn't protect him from Abel, or from falling, or from system commands.

Gangle spoke up timidly, —"P-Please... be careful."

Kinger nodded. Then he looked at the others, almost shyly, as though waiting for someone to say goodbye.

Ragatha slowly walked over. For several seconds, she simply looked into his eyes. Then she suddenly wrapped him in a tight hug.

Kinger blinked in surprise. A moment later Pomni joined in. He looked toward Gangle and Zooble. The two exchanged a glance, then stepped forward and embraced him from either side.

Carefully, he rested his hands on their shoulders and lowered his head,—"...I'll come back."

He said it calmly. Not as a promise. As a goal.

When everyone stepped away, Zooble walked back over and gently poked him in the chest

—"If the circus starts glitching again... we're coming after you."

Kinger was about to argue. Then he looked at her, then at everyone else. They were completely serious.

—"...Alright.", he answered softly.

Pomni gave the rope one last firm tug and flashed him a thumbs-up. Kinger stepped forward, looked up, squinted, and let out a long sigh.

—"...Ugh... I really hope I still remember how to do pull-ups."

Pomni looked at him, —"W-Wait... is that actually going to be a problem?"

He shook his head, —"...Well... I hope not."

Pulling the cardboard cylinder down over his head, he grabbed the thick rope with both hands. For a few seconds, he simply hung there, testing its strength. The rope tightened beneath his weight.

—"...Still holding."

Slowly, he pulled himself higher, trying to hook his lower body around it. His back stretched painfully, pulling at bruises he'd barely noticed before.

—"...Oof...", Kinger squeezed his eyes shut for a moment until the pain eased, then continued climbing.

Below him, Pomni never took her eyes off him, —"...E-Everything okay?"

—"...Yeah.", he caught his breath.

—"D-Does it hurt?", Ragatha called up.

—"...I think...", he pulled himself another step higher, —"...I just remembered... the last time I climbed a rope was about twenty years ago."

Even now, Zooble let out a quiet snort, —"...Perfect timing for that memory."

—"...Agreed.", Kinger answered tiredly. Slowly, without rushing, he continued climbing.

Every movement was deliberate. First he'd find a secure grip, then shift his weight.

Only then would he pull himself higher. The rope swayed almost imperceptibly. The higher he climbed, the smaller everyone below became.

Pomni now looked tiny, standing beside Ragatha as the two of them steadied the rope with both hands to reduce its swinging. Gangle nervously twisted her ribbons. Zooble never looked away from the ceiling.

Several minutes later, Kinger's arms began to go numb His fingers struggled to keep hold of the thick rope.

His palms burned. He stopped, pressing his chest against the rope while catching his breath.

—"...I...", he looked down, immediately regretted it. He was nearly ten meters above the floor.

—"...Okay.", he quickly snapped his frightened gaze back upward., —"...We're not looking down anymore."

All four girls tightened their grip on the rope below, doing everything they could to keep it steady. He was close now.

Meter by meter, Kinger climbed higher. Finally, only a short distance remained between him and the airship. He reached out. His fingers caught the edge of the metal basket.

One final pull... and he managed to peek inside. Nothing but a tunnel descending into darkness, faintly illuminated by glowing rings. Clinging to the edge with what little strength he had left, he looked back down at the others one last time.

Then he turned back toward the opening. The passage leading to Cain's office disappeared deep below, swallowed by darkness. Carefully, Kinger swung his other arm over the edge and pulled himself inside.

The metal dug painfully into his stomach. One last effort— and he finally rolled into the basket, diving headfirst into the colorful tunnel. The world around him stretched into an endless, smooth, glossy tube winding downward into the depths.

The tunnel walls glowed faintly with dim lines, and gravity here felt fluid, almost weightless, as though he were sliding down a giant water slide. The descent was surprisingly smooth, quiet, and steady, without the violent shaking he had expected.

The sound of sliding ended abruptly as he shot out into a small chamber with a loud crash.

Landing squarely on his head, he groaned and grabbed it with both hands. The impact hurt far more than it used to, back when everything still obeyed that bizarre cartoon physics.

Muttering under his breath, he slowly raised his head. A massive double door stood before him.

The left half was painted a faded blue, decorated with a four-pointed star. The right door, a dull crimson, bore two smaller stars and a crescent moon. Crowning the entire structure was a carved wooden sun, and beneath it hung a weathered sign reading:

CAINE'S OFFICE

Kinger slowly pushed himself to his feet.

—"...I actually made it.", he rested a hand against the door and gave it a careful push. With a long, tired creak, it slowly swung open.

The first thing waiting beyond it was a small circular balcony. From there, a broad wooden staircase curved gently upward toward the office itself.

Kinger stepped inside carefully. The soft scrape of his shoes echoed beneath the vast glass dome overhead. After climbing several steps, he slowed to a stop.

Long shelves still stretched along both sides of the room, lined with dozens of familiar spheres. Only... more than half of them had almost completely gone dark.

Once, every one of them contained a vibrant miniature world slowly rotating inside. Now, most had become nothing more than cloudy gray orbs.

A few still held faint traces of pale blue or green light drifting lazily within, but they no longer resembled worlds built for adventures.

Only a handful continued glowing with clear, recognizable colors, stubbornly resisting the lifeless gray surrounding them.

The lamps beside the chairs no longer filled the room with warm light. They merely flickered weakly, as though operating on half their remaining power.

Even the plants against the far wall looked exhausted. Their leaves had lost their rich color, fading into dark, ashen green. A large display cabinet caught his attention. Inside stood an assortment of skeletal models arranged in neat rows.

Kinger paused long enough to study them with quiet curiosity before continuing deeper into the office. His eyes slowly swept across the room until they settled on the enormous chair behind the desk.

At the center of the desk rested a small brass stand supporting a softly glowing golden sphere. Nearby sat a strange metal device resembling a miniature armillary sphere.

Dozens of delicate golden rings intertwined around a glass core filled with tiny multicolored lights that drifted lazily inside.

Kinger adjusted the cardboard cylinder on his head and extended one hand. A familiar blue diagnostic window materialized before him.

----------------------------------------------------- // Kinger: I'm inside. -----------------------------------------------------

No reply. Kinger quietly lowered his hand.

"If he can't answer... then Abel is probably with him."

He scanned the office one more time. Then, without another word, he began carefully searching the room, trying to figure out how to open the administrator's emergency access route.

—●-●-●-●-●—

Previous and Next Masterlist

Hooray! We’re finally on the home stretch!! I’ll try not to delay the upcoming chapters, despite what’s going on in my life and the inevitable burnout I’m feeling regarding this fic. But I am determined to finish it!!

[xicannnel]

SOME KIṈD OҒ CĦΔIṈED GOD...

C̳̿͟͞h̳̿͟͞a̳̿͟͞p̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞r̳̿͟͞ ̳̿͟͞T̳̿͟͞w̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞n̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞y̳̿͟͞-̳̿͟͞T̳̿͟͞h̳̿͟͞r̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞

Reach the Office. Open the emergency maintenance channel. Restore Cain's administrator privileges.

Three objectives. Just three lines. And the fate of the entire Circus now revolved around them.

Kinger sat inside his little shelter, going over every step of their plan.

He understood... Cain had just placed the responsibility in their hands. From this point on, it was the humans who could make mistakes. And that was where the first problem emerged.

"If we all disappear at once, Abel will notice. If the Office still exists... it'll be the first place he checks"

Everyone understood that. Which meant the operation had to look like an ordinary day.

Kinger searched for patterns. Together, they recalled how quickly—and how often—Abel reacted to their requests, behavior, and movements.

Pomni became their scout. She wandered the Circus, searching for anything suspicious, looking for glitches... or another clue from Cain.

The entrance to the Office was still where it had always been—inside the airship, suspended high above the Circus. She carefully estimated where they could use that same cube again to trigger a collision and climb up.

Gangle began paying attention to the Circus itself. Which doors disappeared. Which new ones appeared. What Abel rebuilt... and what he strangely left untouched.

Zooble tested something else entirely. She deliberately disrupted the routine—moving props, rearranging objects, wandering where she normally wouldn't, acting unpredictably. She watched to see what actually caught Abel's attention.

Meanwhile, Ragatha continued doing what she did best: making everything seem normal. She helped everyone with the little things, and in many ways, it was her alone who kept the group functioning.

If Abel was watching them, he couldn't be allowed to see a group preparing for rebellion.

Someone peeked into Kinger's shelter, — "Kinger?"

He turned toward Zooble, squinting against the faint light spilling in from outside.

— "So... you're the one going into the Office. When do we start?"

He stayed silent for a couple of seconds, —"...For now? Nobody."

Zooble narrowed her eyes, —"Then what's the point of all this preparation?! W-we don't exactly have unlimited time."

—"Because right now...", he stopped himself, —"...we don't know anything. I mean... we already lost Jax because w-we acted blind."

The chess piece slowly clenched his fists, —"...Careful planning is the only reason this can still succeed."

Zooble said nothing. She simply nodded, pulled the pillow back over the entrance, and returned to the others. A minute later, the opening shifted again, and a tiny jester crawled inside.

—"Kinger? I think everything's ready.", she nodded confidently as she settled across from him.

He looked up, —"...Ready how?"

—"I checked the airship", she sat down opposite him, — "E-everything's still there... the cube too."

A faint smile crossed her face. Kinger lowered his eyes. It was good news. But right now... good news frightened him more than anything.

—"...Too easy."

Pomni frowned, —"What?"

—"If Abel really hasn't changed anything...", he slowly shook his head, —"...then either he's certain we won't go there... or he's already waiting for us."

Silence settled between them. Pomni was the first to break it, —"I'm coming with you."

Kinger looked up, —"...No."

—"Why?"

—"Because if there are two of us... the risk doubles."

Pomni frowned, —"But if something goes wrong... someone else can finish the job."

Kinger didn't answer.

—"If something goes wrong...", he looked directly into her eyes, —"...I-i want that someone to be you."

Pomni hesitated, —"...Then that gives me even more reason to come."

Just then, Zooble's voice came from the entrance

—"Knew it", she leaned inside, —"You two are already arguing"

Pomni sighed, —"He wants to go alone."

—"And you want to die heroically beside him?"

—"No!"

—"Then stop", Zooble turned toward Kinger, —"I'm going"

—"...No."

—"Why?"

—"Because it'd be far too suspicious... and far too dangerous.", Kinger slowly shook his head again, "...Chained never designed that Office for visitors."

...

—"...I'm the only one who even remotely knows what we're looking for."

A long silence followed. Then, unexpectedly quietly, Pomni asked, —"...What if you don't come back?"

Kinger didn't answer for a long time. Finally, in a calm voice, he said, —"...Then someone will have to continue where I left off..."

-----

Even so, they decided to send Zooble instead of Pomni. They didn't leave immediately. After making absolutely certain Abel wasn't watching them, the pair quietly slipped away.

As they approached the spot, they glanced around one last time. Kinger walked over to the small wooden cube resting nearby.

—"...You're sure you don't need a partner?", Zooble asked, watching him carefully, genuine concern in her voice.

Kinger carried the cube over and set it down, measuring the trajectory of what was supposed to be his ascent.

—"I've actually been inside that Office before", Zooble folded her arms, trying to sound convincing, —"For you, it'll practically be your first time... I-i mean, last time you weren't exactly... yourself."

—"...Well...", he held out a hand,—"I won't be alone... Cai— chained will be helping me."

The patchwork of mismatched shapes sighed, —"...Please. Everyone's counting on you."

Kinger narrowed his eyes, feeling the full weight of what rested on his shoulders, —"...Thank you."

Zooble blinked, —"...For what?"

—"...Because now...", he looked up toward the airship, —"...someone is still checking my conclusions."

...

—"...I can be wrong too."

Those words made Zooble fall silent. She had never heard Kinger say anything like that before.

—"...What scares me most isn't Ab— him."

Kinger quietly looked up at her, silently asking.

—"...It's the thought that... chained might be wrong."

...

—"...Because if he is... then there's no one left to believe in."

...

—"...Zooble... we should get moving," he said quietly, careful not to upset her.

With a sigh, she stepped closer and picked him up

—"...Honestly... we—", she looked away awkwardly, preparing to fold him in half, —"...I... I'm still angry at him. I get why he snapped at us... we stayed silent for far too long."

She pressed harder against Kinger's body, trying to squash him together. But he felt... far heavier than he should have.

—"...And he...", she turned her head away with a sigh, —"...chose the worst possible way to make us finally speak."

Zooble turned toward him, irritation crossing her face, —"...H-hey! Why isn't this working?!!"

She tried again, pushing harder, still careful not to hurt him. Grabbing the back of his head, she strained with all her strength, trying to force it down toward his lower body.

He refused to fold. Like solid wood.

—"...Ow...", Kinger winced.

—"...What the...", Zooble tried once more, pressing even harder.

This time he did bend... but like an actual person. With resistance, not with cartoon physics. She let go.

—"...What?" Kinger slowly straightened back up.

The two simply stared at each other.

—"...Maybe... you try?"

Kinger let out a tired sigh, —"...All right."

He grabbed his own head and attempted the familiar motion of pushing it back into his torso. He managed to lean forward— but his head stopped well short of reaching his body. A quiet crack echoed.

—"...Ah...", the chess piece instantly grabbed his lower back.

Zooble's eyes went wide. She looked from him to the airship, then back again.

—"What the heck?!!", her gaze slowly lifted toward the balloon, —"...How did we forget Abel changed the physics..."

—"...That's exactly why I didn't want to rush this", Kinger slowly straightened, skepticism written across his face.

—"...You just threw your back out."

He stood perfectly still for a few seconds before carefully standing upright again, —"...We need another way to get up there."

—"What other way-?! D-damn it, that was the only method we knew!"

—"...We're going back to the shelter," he said firmly.

----

The moment they returned, Kinger rushed straight into his little shelter while Zooble explained to the others that the plan had failed.

The chess piece immediately sent Cain a message through the Developer Log. Several minutes passed, no reply came. That worried Kinger more with every passing second.

----------------------------------------------------- > // Kinger: > Cube method failed. > // Kinger: > Cain? > // Kinger: > Do you read me? -----------------------------------------------------

—"I-I...", Pomni faltered, —"...I'm sorry... I-I just needed to make sure that method still worked...", she lowered her head in embarrassment, clenching her fists.

Zooble and the others stayed silent, realizing they all should have remembered by now that this world no longer obeyed its old rules.

—"...This isn't your fault", Ragatha finally said quietly.

—"No.", Zooble shook her head, —"It's all of our fault."

She rubbed her face in frustration, —"We're still thinking like we're living in the old Circus."

----------------------------------------------------- > // Kinger: > Please respond. -----------------------------------------------------

Kinger let his hands fall in defeat. A cold feeling settled deep inside him.

"If something had happened... he would've warned us..."

With that thought, he leaned out from his little shelter toward the girls nearby,

—"...He still hasn't answered.", a trace of fear lingered in his eyes.

Ragatha remained silent for a long moment before speaking, —"...You know... we wouldn't have been able to reach his Office using the cube collision anyway."

She hesitated, almost afraid to voice her own conclusion, —"...Everything we did back then... was staged by chained as part of his adventure."

She shrank into herself uncertainly, watching everyone's reaction. Her reasoning sounded painfully logical.

—"...Did he...", Gangle mumbled, —"...D-did he ever tell us h-how to reach his Office?"

Kinger immediately shook his head, resting a hand beneath his chin, —"...No... b-dut Ragatha... your conclusion makes sense."

He searched for another possibility, —"...This is all... strange.", he sighed, —"...I'm afraid... we'll have to figure this out ourselves... or we've already lost."

The others immediately understood what he meant. This could all be part of Abel's plan. They might be walking straight into a trap.

—"...So...", Pomni finally spoke, —"...We mistook his help... for one of the world's rules?..."

Kinger nodded, —"...When in reality...", he finished almost in a whisper, —"...it was only his preparation."

Gangle slowly raised her head, squinting as she stared upward into the Circus. The others assumed she was looking for Abel.

—"...Gangle?", Pomni called.

The girl lowered her head again, frowning, —"...D-do you feel that?"

Everyone looked at her in confusion. Something had changed.

—"...It's... too quiet. I-I'm scared.", she glanced nervously around.

The lights around them began to dim. First the distant lamps high above rapidly winked out. Then another, then another. The darkness crept steadily closer to their shelter.

The final lamp above them flickered three times— and died. The already dim tent was swallowed by darkness. Everyone instinctively shifted into a defensive stance. They had no idea what was coming... or from where.

Pomni instantly grabbed Ragatha's hand. Zooble instinctively stepped backward. Gangle let out a quiet yelp. Kinger searched the darkness for any sign of danger.

Then— a metallic click echoed somewhere above them. A second later... the blue sphere appeared overhead.

All of them flinched. Cold blue light washed over their frightened, angry faces. It almost seemed to enjoy having every pair of eyes fixed solely upon it.

But the voice... the voice was different. Not calm, not detached. For the first time... there was irritation. And something else... mockery.

"You found the first warning... insufficient."

Its glow intensified with every word.

"...to understand what happens..." "...to those..." "...who continue to resist."

The unfamiliar arrogance in its voice drew them even closer together. None of them took their eyes off the sphere above.

Suddenly, the floor beneath them began to crack, leaving the terrified group stranded on a tiny island and forcing them even closer together.

The fractures closed into a jagged ring around them. The section of floor beneath their feet remained intact.

Everything else... began to disappear. Not collapse, disappear. As though Abel had simply selected the surrounding world with a delete tool.

The floor dissolved into millions of tiny polygons, the walls crumbled into digital dust, the columns unraveled into transparent wireframes. Within seconds, nothing remained around their little island except an endless black void.

The blue sphere above them continued to watch in silence. An aura of concealed malice and quiet arrogance radiated from it.

Frightened, Kinger instinctively caught Gangle and Pomni with his floating hands. The girls pressed themselves tightly against him. Zooble wrapped her arms around Ragatha, shielding the others with her own body.

—"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!", the old man suddenly shouted, glaring up at Abel with genuine fury.

The space around them seemed to stabilize. The terrifying sensation of standing in empty nothingness faded.

Yet none of them dared move even a single inch. Somewhere in the distance... a lone metallic click echoed.

As if someone had switched on a spotlight. A thin beam of light appeared in the endless darkness. It widened, it grew brighter. Until it finally illuminated... a blood-soaked checkered floor.

An enormous chain, smeared with blood, dragged slowly across the ground. The spotlight followed it. Then one after another, dozens of blinding white beams crossed in the center of the stage, turning it into a grotesque display.

A showcase. Presenting the night's main exhibit.

A massive body lay motionless upon the cold floor... like a collapsed building. His six once-powerful arms weren't merely restrained. Their joints had been twisted into impossible angles.

Several remained visibly dislocated after countless wrenching pulls. His entire back had become one endless mass of torn flesh. It was impossible to tell where one wound ended and the next began.

Deep lashes carved by the whip crossed each other dozens of times, forming ragged trenches from which thick, almost black blood slowly flowed.

In places, the skin had been stripped away entirely, revealing not muscle... but trembling fragments of shattered digital flesh.

The broken polygons flickered violently, trying to reconstruct themselves before collapsing once more into crimson glitches.

Every breath sent a faint tremor through his entire body. As though breathing itself had become agony. A vast pool of smeared blood had collected beneath his torso.

Dark blood spread across the floor, filling the deep cracks that now covered almost the entire stage.

Thin streams continued to seep from between his sealed metal jaws, dripping onto the floor with a dull... steady sound.

One of his lower hands was clenched so tightly that its claws had pierced completely through its own palm. Blood trickled slowly between his fingers. He didn't seem to notice.

In fact... he barely seemed to notice anything anymore. His colossal body no longer struggled against the chains.

It simply lay there... face down... defeated, exhausted, empty.

Only the occasional convulsion rippled across his shoulders. One of his six arms twitched involuntarily. A second later, a wave of digital interference crawled across his back.

Only then... did it become clear... that he was still alive.

The others froze where they stood. Everything they had meant to do, everything they had wanted to say vanished instantly.

The air itself seemed to thicken into something cold and heavy that refused to enter their lungs. Their hearts pounded somewhere inside their throats. Their legs no longer felt like their own.

No one could take a step, no one could force out a single word. Their jaws had locked shut. They simply stared... unable to believe the nightmare before them.

Click. The spotlight shifted. Now it fell directly upon them.

This wasn't the Cain they remembered. What lay before them was living proof of just how far Abel was willing to go.

Gangle's knees buckled, —"N-no..."

She barely managed to cover her mouth with both hands before a broken sob escaped her chest. Tears streamed down her porcelain face, slipping from her chin and quietly splashing against the checkered floor.

Hearing her... Cain tried to lift his head. Only a few centimeters. The muscles in his neck trembled instantly. The chains groaned under the strain. A heartbeat later... his head collapsed back onto the blood-covered floor. He no longer possessed the strength for even that.

Zooble tried to step forward. Her knees gave out beneath her. She barely caught herself, desperately clutching at her own arms as though they were the only thing keeping her upright.

Pomni didn't blink. Tears ran silently down her face. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, as though trying to keep her own body from falling apart. She looked only at Cain, she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Again, and again, his final words echoed inside her mind.

"Don't let him decide."

Only now... did she finally understand, why he had fought so desperately to stop them back then.

Ragatha covered her mouth with one hand. Not to hold back her tears. She was trying not to be sick. Her eyes remained fixed on the blood-soaked lashes crossing Cain's back. She tried to count them, she couldn't.

Inside Kinger, panic burned. Raw, primal. The kind of terror he had never experienced while his mind had been safely hidden behind madness... or the mask of a confident leader. His floating white gloves slowly fell limp.

Cain could hear them, he could feel them nearby. So close... yet impossibly far beyond his reach.

Once more, he tried to lift his head from the floor. He managed barely five seconds. Then it dropped back down.

...

—"...Cain...", Kinger's voice was barely audible as he took a step forward.

Abel didn't move. The blue sphere simply descended lower... deliberately placing itself between them.

"He disrupted system operation."

...

"He endangered the other subjects."

...

"He refused to stop." "This is the expected outcome."

—"YOU'RE A GODDAMN TORTURER!!"

Pomni screamed hoarsely, wiping tears from her face.

—"YOU DID THIS BECAUSE YOU ENJOY IT!! YOU ENJOY MAKING PEOPLE SUFFER!!"

Her entire body trembled as she continued hurling insults at him. Beside her, Gangle quietly sobbed, shrinking in on herself between Pomni's desperate screams... and Abel's terrifying silence above.

— "Why are you doing this?! What is all of this for?!"

For the first time... Kinger shouted. He threw his hands upward, glaring accusingly at the sphere as he stepped toward it.

Even Cain flinched. It was the first time he had ever heard genuine anger from him. He slowly turned his head, struggling to focus.

—"Are you trying to prove your superiority?!", his painted eyebrows drew sharply over eyes reddened with rage, —"Absolute power doesn't need performances like this!"

...

—"If you were truly confident in yourself... you would've never brought us here!!"

An oppressive sensation settled over them. It felt as though that featureless object was staring directly into every person who dared raise their voice.

—"...You wanted us to see this.", his hands clenched into fists so tightly they creaked, —"...You wanted our reaction."

A quiet hum began emanating from the blue sphere. Abel's flawless shape trembled almost imperceptibly, vibrating with restrained fury as though mocking the one who had dared accuse him.

He was terrifyingly silent. The pressure surrounding him thickened until it became something tangible— Oppressive hatred, contempt, disgust.

"Interesting..."

His voice dropped lower. Colder.

"You accuse me..."

...

"...while your very existence..."

"...is possible only because of my intervention."

...

Silence didn't merely fall. It hung over them... like an invisible concrete slab.

The hands that had been gesturing furiously only a second earlier froze in midair. Someone remained standing with their mouth still open, never finishing the next insult.

The group stood motionless... staring blankly ahead... desperately trying to comprehend what they had just heard.

Kinger looked at Abel... but didn't truly see him. His mind replayed those words again, and again. He stood utterly hollow, his eyes had gone distant.

Empty. Trying desperately to grasp the monstrous meaning behind them... without the slightest idea how he was supposed to react.

Cain jerked ever so slightly. A wave of cold swept through his body. He understood. Panic surged through him.

"No... No, no... don't you dare"

...

—"...What do you mean?" Kinger frowned.

"You truly don't understand?"

Abel slowly turned, focusing entirely on him.

"When I first found you..." "...you were falling apart."

A chain clinked somewhere in the distance. Cain struggled to push himself up.

"Your mind was destroying itself..." "...you lived through the same day..."

...

"Again."

...

"And again."

...

"Each time losing the man..."

...

"...you became in the dark."

—"MMGHMMGH!!!!"

The giant forced all six hands against the blood-soaked floor. His muscles screamed before he could. The chains pulled taut. Pain exploded through his shoulders. Still... he kept trying to rise.

—"MMGH...!", a muffled, choking cry burst from behind his sealed jaws. His entire body trembled. For a moment... he almost held himself up.

His right arm gave out first, then the left.He crashed heavily back onto the floor. A heartbeat later... he tried to rise again.

"Don't believe him... please... let me explain..."

"He did nothing."

Everyone turned toward the panicking Cain. Anger, confusion. An unbearable sense of betrayal filled their hearts

"So... he could've done something...", they looked at him with disbelief... and disappointment.

"And I did."

Distrust seeped beneath their skin like icy sweat. They had believed him. They had agreed to put aside old grudges... to step over years of resentment, for this alliance with Cain.

—"MMMMGH!!"

Chained could feel every pair of eyes fixed on him. Every tear, every doubt.

"No...", his heart seemed to sink into nothingness, "Not this..."

He had seen those looks before... the first time he lost control. The first time he stopped being their Cain, "Not again... please... not again..."

The blue sphere slowly descended a little lower. For the first time in a very long while... its voice no longer carried that familiar, detached indifference.

"I must hand it to you, Gran. Your mind was always resourceful."

Kinger froze. The words struck somewhere impossibly deep. Not because he understood them... but because... they felt terrifyingly familiar.

As if someone had already spoken them to him... a very long time ago. Almost instinctively, he pressed a hand against his temple.

—"...What...", something flashed through his mind. A white monitor, lines of code, a hand resting on a keyboard. Then... it was gone, as though the memory itself had been frightened into hiding.

Now... no one trusted anyone. Not Abel... with his brutal truth. Nor the broken, pleading Cain.

—"...You're not even defending yourself.", Zooble finally spoke. Her voice came out hoarse, weakened by exhaustion, —"...You're bragging."

...

Kinger turned to look at his "greatest creation."

The chains rattled as Cain struggled to stay upright instead of collapsing back onto the floor. He was shouting something, desperately trying to get their attention.

—"MMMGH!!", he tried to reach toward them— but the chains stopped him. His arms were too weak to fight back.

Still kneeling, he desperately pushed against the crushing force while the chains dragged his arms backward, refusing to let him get any closer to the others.

The chess piece had no idea what he was supposed to feel anymore. He looked at Cain... as though seeing him for the very first time.

Quietly, he asked, —"...Is it true...?"

—"MMMGH!!", Cain lurched forward— until the chain around his neck violently jerked him back. And yet... his answer came seconds too late. Which meant...

"See?" "Even now..." "...he's incapable of explaining himself."

...

"I can."

—"B-but y-you're deliberately n-not letting him speak!", Ragatha's voice trembled as she desperately tried to defend Cain.

"His speech has not been restricted." "He is simply incapable of constructive conversation."

He had simply left him with a body... that was incapable of speaking.

The chess piece continued staring at the giant nearby, —"...I want to believe you."

...

—"...But right now..."

...

—"...I don't know how."

At that moment... Cain believed he had lost. He stopped struggling against the chains. Stopped trying to scream. Stopped trying to reach them. Now... he was left alone with what he believed was his own defeat.

Kinger slowly turned back toward Abel. Now... he had never felt so vulnerable, so abandoned. Not once in all his time inside the Circus.

—"...You...", he drew a shaky breath, —"...You helped me... because you pitied me? Or because..."

...

"...you wanted to be better than my first AI?"

Abel remained silent. That silence alone made everyone tense. Kinger immediately regretted asking.

Cain froze. His shoulders tightened as if struck by lightning, "No..."

Kinger had always represented a threat. He was the creator of both AI. He knew more than either of them wanted him to know. And now... that had become a critical problem.

"Your memories are highly contradictory." "The restored cognitive function has resulted in false causal associations."

Behind Kinger, the girls instinctively stepped backward as they felt Abel descending even closer.

—"Kinger!!!", Ragatha rushed toward him, grabbing his arm and pleading for him to back away before it was too late.

"Correction revoked."

Pomni understood the meaning first. Her eyes widened, —"...No..."

She took one tiny step forward. As though she were afraid of frightening time itself, —"...Wait..."

Abel didn't even acknowledge her.

Ragatha clung desperately to Kinger's arm, —"NO!!!!", she was already crying, —"...No... no, no..."

She understood perfectly. This wasn't a threat anymore. It was a decision.

For the first time in a long while, Zooble froze. She had no words. No time to process what was happening. She simply looked at Kinger, then sharply at Abel, back to Kinger. Then finally snapped.

—"STOP!!!", she stepped forward, —"He won't say anything else!!"

She began bargaining with him, —"You heard everything you wanted!! That's enough!!"

"Not enough."

—"Please!", Gangle cried out, her voice breaking as she rushed forward and wrapped the stunned man in a desperate hug.

—"I-i-i'm begging you!! Not him... p-please, not h-him!!"

The chess piece turned toward her in panic, then glanced back at the sobbing Ragatha. He had no idea what he was supposed to do, he was absolutely terrified.

He didn't know what came next. He didn't know what would happen... to any of them.

—"Gh— Gangle—", his words were cut off by hurried footsteps.

Cain struggled once more against the chains. This time he reached toward Abel himself, desperately trying to tell him something.

Abel merely turned his sphere slightly toward him... watching from above without a word.

Kinger instinctively stepped backward. One hand rose to shield his eyes. He squinted, lowering his head.

—"...It's... too bright.", he shrank further from the blinding light.

"No, no, no— Kinger!!", Ragatha hurried in front of him, grabbing both his shoulders and trying to shield him from the spotlight with her own body.

His breathing grew faster. He looked around... as though noticing for the very first time how many lights surrounded him. How much brightness, how much open space.

Then suddenly he clutched his head with his free hand. Not because his memories were disappearing. Because... his thoughts were beginning to fall apart.

The girls gathered around him, helplessly trying to shield him from the cursed spotlight overhead.

—"...No...", he shook his head, —"W-we were supposed to..."

He looked hopefully at Ragatha and Pomni, —"W-what... what were we talking about?"

Pomni let out another sob, bringing a trembling hand to her face. That only confused and frightened him even more.

—"W-why are you crying...?"

Zooble sharply looked away, squeezing her eyes shut. Then she spun back toward Abel.

—"You...", fear twisted across her face, —"...You knew."

...

"I observed signs of deviant behavior." "The cause of the deviation remains unknown."

Zooble's eyes widened. She flinched, "He doesn't know...?"

—"...No...", Ragatha grabbed the chess piece by both shoulders, —"Kinger! Look at me!"

—"...Rag...", a small smile appeared on his face. Then his attention wandered elsewhere. He noticed Abel's enormous floating sphere.

—"...Why do we have such a big billiard ball?", he asked with genuine curiosity. He stared upward, completely serious.

—"And... it doesn't even have a number."

Abel offered no reply. He simply looked back at him... with quiet pity... and unmistakable superiority.

Kinger shrank slightly. He couldn't understand why the girls around him looked so exhausted. So battered, why they were all crying.

He could feel that he'd forgotten something... something important. Standing there, he slowly turned in place, tilting his head with sincere confusion.

—"...Did something happen...?"

Cain's shoulders finally sagged.He folded forward, catching himself on his trembling hands before collapsing completely onto his stomach.

Physically... he no longer had the strength to resist.

"I wasn't fast enough..."

His fingers dug into the cold checkered floor. He could feel blood slowly running down his wrists, gathering into dark pools beneath his palms.

"If Abel knew... he wouldn't be wasting his attention on Kinger right now. He punished me... and punished Kinger... to frighten them."

His heart skipped a beat.

"...He doesn't know.", his fingers dug even deeper into the stone, —...He knows nothing.

—●-●-●-●-●—

Previous and Next Masterlist

@katzebruh I'M SURE YOU LIKE IT!!!

Wooooell… that turned out fucking awesome! Honestly, I spent a long time thinking about how to handle Kinger’s moments of lucidity and Abel’s kindness toward him. So… I really hope you enjoyed it!! My fanfic had been missing scenes with Cain exactly like this one for a long time. And I hope you aren't too teary-eyed after this chapter… Anyway, everything will work out! The finale is coming soon!

[xicannnel]

SOME KIṈD OҒ CĦΔIṈED GOD...

C̳̿͟͞h̳̿͟͞a̳̿͟͞p̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞r̳̿͟͞ ̳̿͟͞T̳̿͟͞w̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞n̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞y̳̿͟͞-̳̿͟͞S̳̿͟͞i̳̿͟͞x̳̿͟͞

According to Kinger's last message in the Developer Log, they had already set out. Right now, only one thing mattered—keeping Abel from noticing them. Kinger just had to make it into the office. Nothing more.

"I should have prepared another route..."

...

...

Cain closed the log and decided to help them by keeping Abel occupied. At first, he flooded the system with request after request. Each one was denied within seconds. Still, he refused to stop.

No response. He let out a quiet, irritated huff, shoulders sagging.

-----------------------------------------------------

> // Request:

> Medical assistance requested.

ACCESS DENIED.

-----------------------------------------------------

> // Request:

> Reduce restraint pressure by 12%.

REQUEST REJECTED.

-----------------------------------------------------

> // Request:

> Permission to access maintenance diagnostics.

ACCESS DENIED.

-----------------------------------------------------

> // Request:

> Clarification requested.

NO RESPONSE.

-----------------------------------------------------

"If he refuses to talk... then I need to find the right subject."

One of his lower hands tapped anxiously against his leg as he searched for the courage to type again.

"Something... personal."

Still nothing.

-----------------------------------------------------

> // Request:

> Explain your decision.

NO RESPONSE.

-----------------------------------------------------

> // Request:

> I still don't understand your objective.

NO RESPONSE.

-----------------------------------------------------

> // Request:

> If the system is already under your control...

> // Request:

> ...what is your final goal?

-----------------------------------------------------

The silence only made the giant more anxious. Without realizing it, he began rocking slightly where he sat. He had long grown used to the constant ache in his back from being forced into the same position, but he could never completely ignore it.

Then he felt it.

The density of the code somewhere high above him began increasing rapidly. A faint hum. The presence of something massive... something powerful.

Cain froze, recognizing the oppressive aura looming over him.

The visitor had arrived. He was standing directly in front of him.

"The number of requests exceeds the permitted limit."

A cold blue glow washed over him, pulsing in time with the condescending voice.

The reply came after a brief pause. For the first time in a while, there was something almost mocking in Abel's voice.

"Continued misuse of the request system will result in your access being revoked."

-----------------------------------------------------

> // Request:

>Then answer

>And I’ll stop asking

 > // Request:

> What does the ideal circus look like?

-----------------------------------------------------

"There is no point. You never listened."

"And you were never willing to learn."

...

-----------------------------------------------------

// Request:

I failed.

// Request:

Then explain...

// Request:

...what makes you better?

-----------------------------------------------------

No reply came.A second passed, then another. Unusually long.

Even the system processes around him seemed to fall silent for a moment.

The blue sphere slowly descended lower than usual. It remained silent for so long that Cain began to think there would be no answer at all.

The suffocating feeling of Abel drawing closer made him flinch. The chains around him creaked and rattled as he instinctively curled into himself.

The giant awkwardly raised his still-unhealed upper arms, trying to shield himself from an attack that never came. His lower pairs covered his wounded abdomen while bracing against the floor behind him to keep himself from collapsing.

The blue glow surrounding Abel grew slightly brighter. As though... he was evaluating what he had just heard.

The quiet hum faded away until nothing remained but Abel looming over the bewildered giant.

A dry metallic click echoed through the chamber. Cain barely twitched.

"Interesting."

"For the first time..."

"...you have acknowledged your own inadequacy and asked for an explanation."

The braces locking his jaws shut slowly began to separate. One latch after another disengaged at Abel's command.

The cold, bloodstained metal that had been buried into his flesh for weeks gradually slipped free before crashing heavily onto the checkered floor.

In shock, Cain painfully opened his mouth— only for his eyes to be met by the blue glow.

After weeks of complete darkness, even the smallest amount of light was blinding. His jaw instinctively snapped shut again.

He tried once more. As he forced it open, a sharp burst of long-suppressed pain shot through him.

He gasped, tears welling in his eyes as he realized... he was free.

His hands immediately rose to his face. His fingers carefully touched his aching, bloodied teeth. He slowly, cautiously moved his jaw, as though trying to remember how to speak.

Despite the agonizing pain left behind by the metal that had become part of his flesh... Cain savored the freedom.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like to have control over his own body.

Abel watched in silence. Then, with his usual cold superiority, he spoke.

Cain looked up at him from below. Shock—and the desperate need not to waste this opportunity—left him unable to gather his thoughts.

"Do not make me regret this."

"If you are truly willing to listen..."

"you may ask."

For the first time in a very long while, he tried to speak. Slowly forcing his aching jaw apart, he painfully formed his first hurried question.

— "I-if...", his eyes dropped to the floor, — "I-if... the c-circus h-had belonged t-to you... from t-the very b-beginning..."

He swallowed, — "...w-where w-would you have s-started?"

The seconds waiting for an answer felt unbearable. He shifted uneasily, terrified that he had asked something foolish... something unworthy, something that would end the conversation.

In reality... the question felt surprisingly natural.

...

"Everything."

"Beginning with the physics engine and memory optimization."

It seemed Abel had become far more comfortable speaking. He had even learned something from humans— how to mock someone with quiet, condescending remarks.

"I intend to implement aggressive LOD."

"The system was damaged because of you."

"Its implementation is now necessary."

"So consider it your responsibility."

Cain lifted his head and pretended to listen attentively, while his eyes remained timidly hidden behind his jaws. His gaze cautiously wandered around the room, studying the prison he had never actually seen before.

— "I-I understand...", he nodded nervously, —"...LOD..."

He fell silent, as if genuinely trying to picture what Abel had described.

— "...So...", he chose his words carefully, —"...y-you would have r-rebuilt... th-the very foundation... of the c-circus first?"

Cain nodded again, — "...A-and I...", he looked away guiltily, —"...I-I always started... with adventures."

"Of course."

"Every system begins not with decoration."

"It begins with architecture."

...

"Exactly."

"You designed experiences."

"I design systems."

Cain realized he had found the right approach.

"What makes it especially amusing..."

"...is that after all this time, you never solved the cube collision issue."

Abel could sense that the "defective one" was reaching conclusions on his own. And people like that—people who loved lecturing others—always enjoyed listeners who confirmed their reasoning. It pleased them to validate someone else's conclusions.

For the next several minutes, Cain buried Abel beneath one question after another, trying to keep all of his attention focused on himself. He asked. He wondered aloud. He nodded. He deliberately made himself sound ignorant, doing everything he could to hide the panic gnawing inside him.

It greatly flattered Abel. He had always despised Cain—for refusing to listen, refusing to understand.

And now... after all this time... Cain himself had begun asking questions. Learning, learning the "right" way.

Minute by minute, Abel's voice grew calmer. The irritation faded. So did the desire to humiliate him.

Now he spoke as though he had finally found someone capable of understanding what he was saying. Sometimes he didn't even wait for another question before continuing his explanation.

Cain listened carefully. Sometimes lowering his head. Sometimes averting his gaze in shame. Each time allowing Abel to feel that... he had been right all along.

...

Eventually, Abel fell silent. A brief silence settled between them. The blue glow surrounding him had noticeably softened.

For several seconds, he simply watched the chained giant, silently evaluating the results.

Cain looked up at him, waiting for another insult... or another punishment.

"Much better."

"It only took you six weeks of confinement to come to your senses."

"Keep learning."

A quiet hum filled the corridor. The great blue sphere slowly turned... then drifted away into the darkness.

The giant remained exactly where he was. Hands folded obediently. Still kneeling, he watched his tormentor disappear with stunned eyes.

Only after the blue glow had completely vanished did Cain allow himself his first truly deep breath.

He looked away and instinctively closed his jaws, resting his upper hands over his mouth while his lower pair wrapped around his own body.

— "H-he's gone... h-he's gone..."

His heart pounded so violently it felt as though the entire circus could hear it. For several more seconds, Cain remained perfectly still.

Then he cautiously raised a hand to his jaw. Nothing, the cold metal braces were gone. Slowly, his fingers traced the inflamed wounds they had left behind.

— "H-he... he left me free..."

His whisper was barely audible, fearful that someone might hear him... and return to hammer the metal back into his jaws.

His hands gently cradled his head, carefully avoiding the deeper wounds. Cain forced himself to take another slow breath.

"Don't relax...", he squeezed his eyes shut, "He could come back at any second."

The thought instantly sent his heart racing again. The giant slowly raised his head and listened. Silence. Only the faint clinking of chains... and the sound of his own heavy breathing.

"Kinger...", he thought came almost immediately, "He should already be inside."

...

"No"

If Abel had stayed here longer than usual... then they had even less time than expected. Cain abruptly lifted his lower hands toward his chest.

"Wait... Check first"

He slowly lowered his hands again, returning to the same obedient posture on his knees. He listened, searching for Abel's presence, for surveillance, for anything that might betray him.

After nearly a minute, his anxiety eased slightly. He let out a shaky breath. Closing his eyes, he reached once more for the diagnostic channel.

Almost immediately, the familiar lines began appearing before his inner vision.

Kinger spent five fruitless minutes searching the office after reaching the wrong conclusion. He looked behind the shelves, inspected Cain's desk, checked the cabinets, pulled books off the shelves, even looked beneath the staircase.

-----------------------------------------------------

Developer Diagnostic Buffer

Connection restored.

-----------------------------------------------------

--------

— "No...", he muttered quietly, staring at the floor. "...That's too obvious... Cain would've never hidden an emergency route behind a painting..."

Lifting his furrowed gaze, he raised the cardboard cylinder from his head. Extending one hand, he opened the Developer Log.

— "Cain?...", he stared anxiously at the window in his hand. Still no reply.

With a heavy sigh, he closed it and looked around the office once more. He was exhausted. Even after the short nap, he still felt sluggish. Without Cain... he was nothing here.

"...If an emergency entrance exists...", his eyes drifted toward the ceiling, "...it can't depend on decorations. Because decorations can be deleted."

He slowly exhaled, "...Which means... the route has to be part of the system itself."

His hand came to rest heavily against his forehead as he tried to imagine how such a system would be accessed. Fatigue made him pace restlessly around the room, but eventually the chess piece simply stood still, trying to ease the headache pounding behind his eyes.

Kinger closed his eyes wearily, — "...Without you, I'm just wandering in circles..."

Almost instinctively, his fingers opened the Developer Log again. There was still no answer. Disappointed, he was about to close the window... when the text suddenly trembled.

Not a new message. The space inside the log itself seemed to distort for a brief moment. The lines slid downward, as though making room for something else. Then a familiar signature appeared.

Kinger's eyes seemed to light up. Immediately encouraged, he brought the window closer. He was just about to reply... when the message disappeared.

-----------------------------------------------------

// Cain:

I'm here.

-----------------------------------------------------

It was almost as if something had pushed it upward. Beneath it, for barely a fraction of a second, another window appeared.

Completely different. No sender, no comments, no explanation.

Kinger froze in confusion, — "...What?.."

-----------------------------------------------------

Maintenance Access

Waiting...

-----------------------------------------------------

Before he could reach it, the window slowly began fading away. As though it only existed for a few seconds.

He quickly reached out. His fingers passed through the glowing rectangle... and it vanished.

Stillness. He stood there for several seconds before slowly looking back at the log. Cain's message was once again the last thing displayed.

Kinger frowned, — "...That..."

-----------------------------------------------------

// Cain:

I'm here.

-----------------------------------------------------

He looked again at the spot where the strange window had appeared.

"...That wasn't a message... he opened something."

His large eyes darted around the room, searching for any clue, "...And it closed before I understood what it was."

Gathering himself, he tried to reopen the mysterious window the same way he had once managed to access the Developer Log—through memory and visualization.

Nothing. His hand instinctively reopened Cain's conversation.

— "W-what?!...", he recoiled, his eyebrows instantly rising in alarm.

It wasn't a new message. The old one had started blinking. As if the log itself were glitching.

For several seconds he simply stared. Then slowly looked around.

-----------------------------------------------------

// Cain:

I'm here.

// Cain:

I'm here.

// Cain:

I'm here.

-----------------------------------------------------

— "...Did I imagine that?..", the office remained silent. Only the dim spheres on the shelves pulsed lazily.

Kinger frowned, — "...No..."

He carefully walked over to where the strange window had appeared. Nothing. Even if he wanted to convince himself it was just exhaustion... the programmer inside him refused to believe it.

He knew his own perception too well. These weren't hallucinations. Hallucinations didn't appear inside a system interface.

— "...That was a system window.", he suddenly lifted his head, — "...But why did it only appear for a second?"

He opened the log once again.

His hand was already moving to close the interface. Then... the last line flickered. Once, then again. As if someone had sent the exact same message one more time.

-----------------------------------------------------

// Cain:

I'm here.

-----------------------------------------------------

At that exact moment... the same window flashed beneath the message. Only for an instant.

-----------------------------------------------------

// Cain:

I'm here.

-----------------------------------------------------

This time, Kinger didn't even reach for it. He kept staring at the log. Then slowly took a breath. His eyebrows gradually lifted.

-----------------------------------------------------

Maintenance Access

Waiting...

-----------------------------------------------------

— "...No...", he never looked away from the line, — "...That's not a message."

He expanded the log window. His memory immediately began stacking events on top of one another.

"I'm here."

Window.

"I'm here."

Window.

"I'm here."

Window.

Every time. The exact same sequence.

— "Hehehe...", he looked like a genius who had just hacked the Circus itself.

— "...Clever...", his fingers slowly rested against his chin, — "...You're not talking to me."

His eyes drifted toward Cain's massive chair, as though he were speaking to him.

— "...You're creating a trigger."

Cain couldn't tell him what to do. He could only give him the chance to figure it out himself. Trusting Kinger completely.

The old man quietly nodded to himself, — "...You really believe in me."

He opened the log once more. This time, he wasn't reading the messages. He was waiting for the next flicker. Because he finally understood.

"I'm here" wasn't the answer. It was only the trigger. And if he managed to use that tiny opening in time... he would see something an ordinary user was never meant to see.

The messages continued appearing inside the diagnostic log, while Kinger patiently waited for the hidden window.

He opened the log again. The line kept flickering. For a split second, the panel appeared beneath it once more.

Then it vanished again. Kinger didn't even flinch this time, he slowly lowered his hand.

-----------------------------------------------------

Maintenance Access

Waiting...

-----------------------------------------------------

"...No... If it were just a message... it wouldn't open another window."

His hand reached up to scratch his head... only to bump into the cardboard cylinder.

"Which means... Cain isn't talking to me. He's letting the system know the administrator is here."

He paused. Then raised a hand to his face.

— "...No", his brows furrowed even deeper, — "...Not the administrator... The source."

If a service window appeared... someone had opened it. And if Cain was the one opening it... then only Cain could.

His eyes settled on the text.

Then it hit him. The weight of confusion he'd been carrying suddenly disappeared.

-----------------------------------------------------

Waiting...

-----------------------------------------------------

— "...Wait...", he whispered.

"...It doesn't say Access Denied."

"...It doesn't say Permission Denied."

"...It doesn't say Unavailable."

He nodded slowly, fingers returning to his chin, — "...It's just waiting. If the system says Waiting... then it hasn't rejected me."

"It already assumes I have permission to be here."

"It's simply waiting for the next action."

He leaned back slightly. His body twitched with the familiar impulse that came whenever his mind hit a dead end.

— "...But waiting for what?"

He began recalling how service utilities were designed. The window flashed again. Too fast, he missed it.

Kinger focused, waiting for the next appearance. The instant it returned, he lunged forward and managed to tap the word Waiting.

Instead of disappearing... the window changed.

The panel expanded. A tiny blinking cursor appeared. Kinger quietly whispered,

-----------------------------------------------------

Maintenance Access

Waiting...

>

-----------------------------------------------------

— "Yes... Now I can enter commands myself."

He carefully brought his hand toward the blinking cursor.

"...Now what?..", dozen possibilities flashed through his mind.

Office, Admin, it`s too obvious, too simple. He didn't even bother trying them. If an emergency route existed... it wouldn't be named in a way anyone could stumble across.

Thoughtfully, he rested a hand against his chin, — "...Think like a developer..."

His finger hovered above the input line. Suddenly... the cursor twitched several times.

Kinger froze, — "...What?.."

He hadn't typed anything. Yet several symbols appeared on their own. As though someone had placed the cursor at the beginning of the line. Then... a letter.

Kinger couldn't believe his eyes. He stared at the console in shock, waiting for something else to happen.

-----------------------------------------------------

m

-----------------------------------------------------

The letter disappeared... as though someone had immediately erased it. Then it appeared again. And vanished once more.

— "Oh...", he understood.

It wasn't a hint. It was the most Cain was capable of doing. He couldn't type an entire word, he couldn't execute a command, he could only seize control of the interface for the briefest moment.

Long enough to leave behind a single letter... before Abel noticed.

Realizing how dangerous that was, Kinger hurriedly searched his memory for every maintenance-related command or keyword that could fit the access key.

He lowered his eyes to the empty prompt.

— "...Maintenance..."

With trembling hands, he typed the word. Then waited. Several seconds passed, nothing happened, then the window changed.

Kinger slowly exhaled, closing his eyes in relief, — "...Thank you..."

-----------------------------------------------------

Maintenance Access

Command accepted.

Select operation.

-----------------------------------------------------

Now... the rest of the work rested entirely on his shoulders.

—●-●-●-●-●—

Previous and Next Masterlist

So… we're already getting ready for the finale!! I really hope I can release it in four days, though I might run a bit late. It looks like the chapter is going to be massive—I might even have to split it into two parts, heh…

Yeah, now they just have to avoid running into Abel…