The Starlight Circus stood still under a moonless sky, its silk canopy stirring in the cold wind. The neon sign that once lit up with "Kael's Mirage" was dark, and the silence around it pressed heavy on the lot.
Only one lantern hung above, its weak glow falling over the ticket booth and the cracked stones below.
In the shadows, Lira Voss and Jian Holt waited.
"The ward is on a loop. Twenty seconds," Lira said quietly, her tone sharp. "We move when I give the signal. Keep your focus."
Jian held a chisel. His hands shook, and his breath came out unsteady in the cold.
"Lira, this is breaking into forbidden ground. They does not forgive this," he whispered. "If they catch us, my family will cast me out without hesitation."
Lira did not turn her head.
"Enough," she said, eyes fixed ahead. "Kael Vaelor is no performer. He is the Trickster. It is our proof. Are you here to help bring him down, or to waste time worrying about your family's opinion?"
Jian flinched and ducked lower. He muttered,
"Fine. But if we are caught, I will tell Rhen you forced me into this. Yesterday I was content eating nuts, you know."
Lira's eyes cut toward him, cold enough to burn.
"The signal is close," she said, her voice firm.
The rune shimmered, its glow faltering,
"Now."
The ward dimmed. Lira moved at once, her stride swift and soundless. Jian scrambled after her, almost tripping in his rush. Together they slipped through a loose flap in the silk wall, the fabric brushing their cloaks with a faint rustle.
Inside, shadows stretched high. The room felt like a hollow cathedral of canvas and silence, broken only by the faint pulse of a crystal swaying above. Its weak light touched the wooden platform below. Overhead, ropes shifted softly, like echoes of acrobats long gone.
Lira's hand lifted, pointing.
The trapdoor.
Its outline lay beneath a rug, almost invisible except to Lira. To her, it blazed like a signal. A waiting challenge.
Unseen, Arthev watched from outside of the circus sitting on a bench far-away. His Shinragan activated, letting him see through canvas, wood and obstacles with ease. Crimson eyes tracked every detail,Lira's steady movements, Jian's hesitation, the way the trapdoor's wards stirred as they drew near.
They are closing in on Kael, he thought, calm but intent.
In his mind, Shukaku's voice cracked through, gruff and mocking.
"Look at 'em, sneakin' around like mice. Bet that door hides somethin' worth stealin'. Could be treasure, could be secrets… could be Kael's socks for all I care."
Arthev did not reply, his face unreadable, but his focus sharpened.
Inside, Lira knelt and pulled back the rug. The hatch gleamed with jade bolts.Scratches along the rim showed it had been opened more than once.
Jian leaned over, nervous, the chisel shaking in his grip as he passed it down to her. A draft moved through the tent, lifting the silk walls.
"What is down there, Lira?" Jian whispered, peering over her shoulder. "Spirit stones? Weapons? A pile of jester cards maybe?"
"Maybe answers," she said without looking up. "This trapdoor is part of it. Now keep that probe steady."
Jian's hand shook. "Easy for you to say. My heart is pounding like a war drum. What if he is already down there? Mask on, grinning like some cursed ghoul."
"Then we will take him down." Lira wedged the chisel against the hatch. The runes flared with sudden light. The lock resisted, humming with force. Her voice cut through it. "He must be Rank 46, Jian. Just one level higher than you, so stop shaking."
"Only one level higher, sure," Jian muttered. "But I am a hammer fighter, but kael twists light, makes you swing at shadows. I hit what I can see. What if all I see is smoke?"
"Then smash the smoke later," Lira snapped, her grip tightening. "These wards are heavier than they look."
A sharp clank rose from beneath the hatch,metal on stone, deliberate, wrong.
Lira froze. Her Jade Falcon soul flickered, senses sharpening. She raised a hand for silence.
Jian's breath hitched. His eyes darted to her, wide. "What was that? Tell me you heard that. We are finished, Lira. Finished."
"Quiet," she whispered, voice like steel drawn thin. "Something is moving. Stay low. Listen."
They waited, muscles tight, ears straining.
Nothing.
Only the faint groan of canvas shifting in the wind, only the low growl of the Ironclaw Lion far off in its cage. But below the hatch.....silence. Heavy, deliberate silence.
Jian swallowed hard, the probe trembling in his grip. "No sound means it is waiting for us. I hate when things wait."
Arthev did not move. From the shadows outside, his crimson eyes stayed fixed on the trapdoor. His mind measured, weighed, turned
------
Skyhaven City — Hidden Cave
Beneath the northern cliffs, carved deep into the stone, a hidden cave pulsed faintly with power. Cold and shadowed, forgotten by the city above, it was Kael Vaelor's sanctum.
Kael stood at the center. His black cloak blended with the dark, his face half-lit by a flickering lantern hanging from a bone hook.
Before him, a projection slate hummed, casting a pale glow. On its surface shimmered a live image of Skyhaven Vault's core chamber, the floating platforms, crystalline locks, and wards shifting.
Beside him, an open satchel held climbing threads coiled like snakes, an orb faintly pulsing, and a jester mask. Its crimson swirls caught the lantern's light, glinting like fresh blood.
On the wall, in a jade frame, rested a tarnished silver spirit coin. Worn, old yet placed with reverence.
His eyes returned to the slate. The vault's jade gates gleamed, locked by wards that shimmered in layers. On his wrist, a timer pulsed: 00:13 A.M.
Pinned nearby with obsidian tacks was a parchment covered in sharp notes:
Core Chamber – Dawn Access.
Guard rotations mapped in yellow ink, Rank 20 patrols, shift change at 04:00 sharp.
Kael slipped a talisman into his sleeve, his fingers brushing the etched surface. He spoke low, precise:
"North gate is clear. Two guards. Same as south. Wards cycle at dawn, two-minute opening."
A clipped voice answered through the talisman, tight with urgency.
"Good. The core chamber is locked, soul key in place. Spirit Hall is circling the circus. Stay sharp."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"They chase shadows. The circus is my stage. They see only what I allow. By dawn, the vault is ours."
"Do not grow careless," the voice pressed. "That trapdoor is a risk. If they breaches it..."
"They will not." Kael's words cut like ice. "Sylia watches the circus. If they move, she will signals me. Everything is ready."
The talisman dimmed. Kael slung the satchel across his shoulder, sliding the jester mask into his pocket. The red swirls caught the lantern's last flicker before the cave's wards sealed behind him.
For a moment, the silver coin on the wall gleamed. A farewell. Or a vow.
---
Back in the tent, Lira and Jian crouched over the trapdoor. The chisel remained wedged in the lock, wards faintly sizzling, sparks fading .
Outside, a lantern beam swept across the canvas, followed by heavy boots.
Thud. Thud.
Lira yanked Jian behind a prop crate stacked with faintly humming orbs.
The tent flap shifted. A circus guard stepped inside, lantern swinging, cutting lines across the stage.
"Blasted kids sneaking in again," he muttered, sniffing the air. "Swear I heard something this time."
Jian whimpered, voice tight and panic-stricken.
"We are done for, Lira! He is going to find us!"
"Down," Lira breathed, calm as stone. "He is lazy. He will not search hard. Just stay still."
The lantern beam passed inches from their hiding spot.
One orb wobbled ,flickered,then Lira caught it mid-roll, fingers precise and silent. Her Jade Falcon soul kept her steady.
Jian's breath hitched again. "If that orb fell, we would be lion food. Why did I let you talk me into this?"
"Because you are an Inspector," Lira whispered, sharp as a blade, "not a coward."
The guard lingered a moment, eyes narrowing on the rug hiding the trapdoor. Then he muttered, "Probably rats," and turned away. The lantern bobbed as he exited. Silence settled back over the tent.
Lira exhaled, tugging Jian toward the flap. "Move. Now."
They slipped beneath the silk, shadows swallowing them.
"Too close, Lira!" Jian hissed. "I am sweating through my cloak. My hammer is no good in this situation."
"Quit whining," Lira snapped, breath tight, eyes forward. "We will return at dawn. That trapdoor is our path to Kael. I am not letting him slip."
They melted into the darkness beyond the circus, every sense alert, the faint vibe of wards and distant lanterns marking the perilous path ahead.
To be continued.....