Kai peeled back a layer of faded circus posters on the wooden board. He found a very old, yellowed piece of parchment hidden underneath the newer advertisements. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Vesper leaned closer so she could read the elegant handwriting in the dim light of the camp lanterns.

The record described a famous acrobat who tried to leave the wandering stage centuries ago.

The text stated the beloved performer was swallowed by the dark because the guardian of the family did not allow anyone to break their sacred bonds.

’A jealous guardian spirit sounds exactly like a crazy woman with an invisible weapon,’ Kai thought to himself while tracing the letters.

’And Ariane just told me all about her special family rules to keep me safe.’

Before they could discuss the new clue, a soft voice drifted from the shadows behind them.

Ariane walked over holding a small silver tray loaded with fresh bread and warm roasted meat.

She wore her flowing white silk dress and ignored Vesper, standing right next to him.

"You are working far too hard in the dark," Ariane said with her perfect, motherly smile.

"I brought you a warm meal and a clean linen shirt because your current clothes look very dirty. A growing boy needs proper nourishment to reach his true potential."

She stepped very close and reached up to smooth his collar. Her pale fingers brushed against his neck right where the fatal chain always struck him.

A sudden chill ran straight down his spine at the brief contact.

"You are exactly the child I have waited for," Ariane whispered. Her dark eyes locked onto his face with intense possession.

"You belong here with our family, Kai. You will never have to face the cruel world ever again as long as you stay by my side."

Kai forced a polite smile because he needed to play along. He did not have the hard proof to trigger a system event yet, and attacking a neutral character could cause the entire camp to turn hostile in a matter of seconds.

’Why isn’t the system alerting him?’

"Thank you, Ariane," Kai said smoothly.

"I appreciate the food and the new clothes."

Vesper crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the older woman.

"He is actually very busy right now. We are looking for something important, and we really don’t need any more interruptions tonight."

Ariane finally turned her head to look at the fire dancer. Her eyes were entirely cold, although the sweet smile never left her lips. "

Circus performers should focus strictly on their simple routines. You would not want to distract him from his real path with your cheap tricks and your dirty demonic blood."

’What? She knew too?’

Vesper bristled at the harsh insult. Her succubus instincts flared to life immediately because her blood warned her that the woman in the white dress was dangerous.

She opened her mouth to argue back, but Kai stepped directly between them to break the tension.

He thanked Ariane again and gently guided Vesper away toward the center stage before a magical fight could break out.

’She is definitely the hidden boss of this entire zone,’ Kai thought as they walked into the bright light of the paper lanterns.

’I just need to survive the morning to figure out how to bypass her invulnerability and break this loop.’

They stayed on the move for the rest of the long night.

Kai kept Vesper close to his side, and his hand rested constantly on the hilt of his blessed dagger.

They avoided the corners and stayed in the middle of the open walkways where the shadows could not hide anything.

"She knows we are looking into the history of the camp," Vesper whispered.

She sat next to him on the edge of the wooden stage to rest her legs. "Did you see the way she looked at me? She wants to kill me just for standing near you."

"I will not let her hurt you," Kai promised softly.

He handed her a piece of the fresh bread to keep her energy up.

"We just need to make it to sunrise. If we survive the time of the ambush, the system might finally update the quest log and give us a fighting chance."

They talked quietly to keep each other awake and shared small stories about their pasts to distract themselves from the terrible waiting game.

Vesper told him about the loud demon courts in the south, and he shared vague stories about his travels to avoid mentioning his old world.

Vesper eventually rested her head on his broad shoulder, drawing comfort from his steady presence.

The honest conversation built solid trust between them, making the hours feel a little less lonely.

The hours dragged on until the sky finally started to turn a pale gray. Dawn was breaking slowly over the eastern mountains.

They stood up near the main performance stage and breathed heavily because they actually thought they had beaten the timer.

The usual hour of the attack had passed entirely.

’Is it over?’

Then the temperature dropped straight to freezing.

The familiar rattle of iron echoed through the quiet camp. Kai spun around and saw the invisible chain materializing in the morning light.

It moved much more slowly this time because they had entirely changed their routine and thrown the timeline off balance.

The weapon looked like a shadow dragging across the ground.

"Move right now," Kai shouted.

He pushed Vesper hard toward the safety of the stage.

They ran across the dirt path, but the chain corrected its course like a hunting snake.

It lashed out quickly toward Vesper’s back.

Kai saw the sharp blades shining in the early light, and he knew she could not dodge them in time.

She was completely exhausted from staying awake all night, and her footwork was just too slow.

He threw himself directly in the path of the weapon, wrapped his arms around Vesper to shield her body with his own broad back.

The chain wrapped tightly around both of them at the same time. The sharp blades bit deep into his chest and throat to cut his flesh open.

Slash.

"FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK."

Kai let out a furious scream of pure rage as the terrible cold washed over him.

He held Vesper tight against his chest as their vision spun wildly, and the world went totally dark for the fourth time.