> "Madness isn't chaos—it's clarity too painful to survive."
---
The group stood before the path to the towering Ferris wheel, now clearly revealed as the domain of the Ringmaster. At its center, suspended by threads of light and shadow, hung a circular stage—a mock arena spinning slowly in the air. The air reeked of carnival sugar and scorched flesh.
Above them, the Ringmaster finally spoke. His voice echoed across the blood-stained sky like a twisted symphony.
> "Welcome, my little champions of despair! Welcome to the Games! One wrong move, and the stage eats your sanity. One correct guess… and maybe, just maybe, you'll get to suffer less."
> "Let the first game begin."
---
Game One: "Truth or Death"
Without warning, the ground beneath them shifted. Each of the six was pulled into a small circular ring, divided by crystal walls of light.
Lian, Jayce, Boom, Astra, Melia, and Demist—each alone, each staring at a floating screen.
On the screen appeared a single sentence. Their worst truths.
Lian's: "You wanted the world to end."
Melia's: "You were glad they died first, so you didn't have to say goodbye."
Boom's: "You smiled when you crushed his skull."
Astra's: "You hoped the rot would take her—so she'd stop crying."
Jayce's: "You think you're the protagonist."
Demist's: "You watched your son die. You let it happen."
Then came the system prompt:
> [Speak your truth aloud to move forward. Deny it, and the arena will judge.]
---
Lian
He stared at the sentence. His throat felt tight. His hands trembled—not from fear, but guilt.
He whispered: "I was tired. So damn tired… A part of me did wish it would all just end."
Nothing happened. Then the walls around him faded. One ring complete.
Melia
"I didn't want them to die," she said softly. "But I… I was relieved. No more cries. No more hunger. I was weak."
Her barrier dissolved.
Boom
He clenched his fists. "He tried to kill Astra. I crushed his skull. I didn't regret it."
The ring cracked open, then vanished.
Astra
Silence. Then: "If the rot took her, at least she'd sleep. It was mercy."
Her barrier vanished.
Jayce
He grinned. "Of course I think I'm the protagonist. Have you seen me?"
His ring crumbled into dust with laughter.
Demist
He hesitated the longest.
Then he whispered, "I couldn't move. I thought if I stepped out… the monster would see me too. I let him scream. He looked right at me."
The barrier collapsed, but the tears stayed.
They were back together—but changed. Rawer. Broken. And honest.
---
Game Two: Puppet Parade
The ground rumbled. A parade of broken puppets with clown faces flooded the area. They danced with twitching limbs, knives instead of fingers, and strings attached to nothing.
> [Battle Phase Initiated – Survive the Puppet Parade for 15 minutes. Each puppet slain spawns 2 more unless destroyed with mask-specific skills.]
Chaos erupted.
Boom went straight into the horde with his fists, each punch obliterating a puppet's head—but two more would crawl out from the shadows.
Jayce used a new ability: "Laughtrack Evade"—dodging perfectly as puppet limbs grazed his hoodie. Each time he did, a coin dropped.
Melia activated Rot Scream, melting a dozen puppets into sludge—but it began eating her sanity too.
> [Warning: Sanity 48/100]
Astra whispered a name into the void, and shadows ripped a puppet apart. Her mask—the Sorrow Eater—fed on its anguish and pulsed with power.
Lian discovered a trick—his Truth Seeker Mask could reveal weak spots. With every hit, he found the core that prevented them from multiplying.
> "Go for the base of the spine—they crack there!"
Even Demist joined the fray, slashing through puppets with raw anger.
The sky rained confetti.
The earth was soaked with puppet oil—and blood.
Fifteen minutes passed.
> [Survived.]
---
Final Game: The Ringmaster's Choice
The Ferris wheel lowered.
At its center stood the Ringmaster—a towering figure in red with a painted grin stitched into his face. His hands held a deck of glowing cards.
> "Finale time, my stars! One card for one fate. But one of you must volunteer. Only one may fight me directly. The rest? Must watch."
> "If your champion loses, all die. If they win, you leave—but lose something dear."
Silence.
Melia stepped forward.
"No."
Lian grabbed her shoulder. "I'll do it."
Jayce snorted. "You sure? He's got a killer smile."
Boom looked up. "We trust him."
---
Battle: Lian vs. The Ringmaster
The arena rose.
The Ringmaster flicked a card: "Madness Amplified." The air became heavier.
Lian activated everything—his mask glowed blue. Weak points flashed across the Ringmaster's body—but they were everywhere, and nowhere.
The Ringmaster moved like shadow—turning jokes into blades.
One attack cut Lian's side open.
> [Health 58/100]
Lian dodged, rolled, and punched—but the Ringmaster only laughed louder.
Then he spoke: "Tell me—what do you regret most?"
Lian froze. "That I didn't save more."
Wrong answer.
A shadow blade pierced his chest.
> [Health 14/100]
Then the blue mask pulsed.
Lian remembered why he was still standing.
Not for coins. Not for the game. But for them.
> "I regret… hiding how scared I was."
The Ringmaster stilled.
He stopped laughing.
And that was when Lian leapt, fist glowing, into the weak spot beneath the painted eye.
The Ringmaster screamed.
> [Boss Defeated: Ringmaster of the Carnival]
> [Rewards: +2 Levels, 10,000 coins, Item Drop – Ring of Madness (Legendary)]
---
Aftermath
Lian collapsed, coughing up blood.
The others rushed in—Melia held his head. Astra silently knelt, pressing a healing pack to his wound. Boom stood watch, fist clenched.
Jayce whispered, "We need you, man. Don't go dying on us now."
The Ringmaster's mask shattered and the world dissolved into static.
---
End of Chapter 66: The Ringmaster's Games