Location: Unknown

  Time of Day: Night

  The night was quiet. A faint cold breeze stirred the air as a soft, distant melody began to play. It wasn't the crackle of fire anymore... it was music. A slow, looping tune drifted through the air - carnival music. The kind you'd hear from an old carousel, cheerful at first but somehow unsettling in the silence. Its notes echoed faintly, growing clearer with every second.

  Hikari stirred, still lying in her sleeping position. The distant music pulled her from sleep, and she slowly opened her eyes. The campfire was gone and so were the trees. The realization hit instantly, and she sat up fast, scanning her surroundings.

  Around her stretched a wide, fog-shrouded carnival that was silent and still, yet faintly alive. Faded banners hung from crooked poles. A carousel stood at the center, its painted horses frozen mid-gallop, colors chipped and dull. Dim bulbs flickered along its edges, glowing in rhythm with the eerie tune that seemed to echo from nowhere... and everywhere at once. Somewhere in the distance, a ferris wheel stood motionless - its lights still burning through the faint fog.

  "Where... am I?" Hikari said softly, her voice calm but edged with surprise. She pushed herself to her feet, scanning the area. "Wh-What... happened to the forest? And where's everyone at?"

  The ground beneath her was cracked concrete instead of soil, littered with old tickets that fluttered as the wind passed. Around her and beyond the carousel, stalls were scattered across the path - ring tosses, dart booths, and a popcorn stand with its striped awning half-collapsed.

  "A carnival...?" Hikari muttered, taking a few careful steps forward, her shoes echoing lightly. The faint carnival music still played somewhere in the distance, looping without end. "Captain?! Lumina?!" she called out, her voice echoing through the faint fog. But no response. Her chest tightened a little. "Slayer?!" She brought a hand close to her chest. "This is seriously not funny. Where did everyone go at?"

  - Scene Shift -

  Slayer stirred from his sleep, stretching with a low groan. A thick fog surrounded the area, dense enough to look like a wall. Beyond it, there was nothing - just a white void that swallowed everything past its edge. Anyone who tried to cross it would only wander aimlessly into nothing. Then something started tapping him. "Ergh... leave me alone, just a few more minutes," he muttered, still half asleep.

  Then tap. A light knock against his helmet. He turned away, eyes still closed. TAP! TAP! TAP! This time, the tapping came quicker - followed by a faint, childlike giggle.

  Slayer opened his eyes and turned around - only to freeze. A young girl crouched before him, her face pale and still. She wore a long black dress and a wide-brimmed hat decorated with layered black ribbons. Her eyes were hollow and dark, long strands of black hair falling over her face and down to her hips, swaying slightly as she tilted her head toward him. Then she grinned - revealing sharp, blood-stained teeth.

  Slayer jolted upright and scrambled backward, his armor scraping against the ground - until he slammed into a trash can beside a large metal dumpster in front of a concrete building. THUMP! He froze, pointing a shaky finger at the girl. "Wh-Wh-Who in the hell created you?!"

  The young girl straightened, a soft giggle slipping from her lips.

  Slayer exhaled, muttering under his breath. "Yeah she's definitely not creepy looking." He glanced around quickly. "Looks like I'm alone. What a dream come true."

  The girl giggled again before speaking, her sharp blood-stained teeth flashing as she smiled. "Hey there, prisoner. I'm so happy to see more souls coming to visit us." Her tone stayed sweet, almost cheerful. "I usually get lonely around here with no one to play with, but now..." She giggled again, covering her mouth for a moment before placing her hands behind her back. "...now I have more toys to play with."

  Slayer slowly pushed himself up, one hand resting against the side of the large metal dumpster for balance. He stretched his legs, sliding a cautious step to the right along its edge. "Uh-yeah," he said, forcing a laugh. "I'm also glad to have someone to play with, actually!" His tone was anything but serious. The girl's gaze followed his movement, silent and unblinking. "But unfortunately," he went on, stepping to the side another inch, "I've got somewhere to be. And if I don't show up, my friends will kill me before you probably do."

  The girl lowered her head, lightly kicking a pebble. "Aww, that's too bad. I was hoping to play with you... but no one ever wants to stay with me."

  Slayer frowned. "Sorry, little girl. But I promise we can play next time." He slid past the large metal dumpster, glancing around the corner - only to freeze. A fog-covered carnival stretched out before him - hot dog stands, game booths, and strings of lights glowing faintly through the mist. ("What the... Where am I?") He turned back toward the girl. "Hey, you - what's your name?"

  The girl's hollow eyes locked on him. She tilted her head and pointed at herself. "Who, me?"

  "Yes you," Slayer said. "Can you tell me your name?"

  The young girl smiled faintly. "Well, I don't have a name silly."

  "What? Really?" he asked, confused. "Then... who takes care of you?"

  She giggled softly, resting a hand over her mouth before lowering it. "Now why do you want to know something like that?"

  "Because..." Slayer paused. "I need to know you're kept safe!"

  The girl leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Shhh. Come here." She waved him closer, a faint grin forming. "I'll tell you, but you can't tell him I told you. Promise me?"

  Slayer swallowed hard. "O-okay... I promise. But just don't try anything funny, alright?" He stepped toward her slowly, his armor creaking with each step.

  The girl's grin widened as he approached. She brushed her long hair aside with one hand, the strands slipping through her fingers before falling back over her shoulder. When he was close enough, she rose onto her toes, using one hand to partially cover her mouth as she leaned toward his helmet. Her whisper came low and sharp, "His name is... Carnivex. And he is the owner of this place." Her voice dropped even lower, a cold smile threading through it. "And now? You and your friends are going to suffer and die here."

  Then the girl giggled. Slayer stepped back quickly. "Okay - that's seriously messed up!" Before he could react, she bolted toward the wall of white fog and vanished into it. Her laughter echoed faintly for a few seconds, then faded into silence.

  Slayer exhaled, lowering his stance. "What the hell just happened?" He stared into the fog. "Where did she go?" A shape began to move within the thick mist. Something was coming - slow, heavy steps breaking the stillness. A dog-like shadow crept closer. Slayer tensed. "Oh now what..."

  It looked like a dog, but everything about it was wrong. Its fur was patchy and black, its skin torn open in places to reveal raw flesh underneath. Thick stitches sealed its eyes shut, the threads pulling tight across scarred skin. Half its muzzle was missing, leaving rows of sharp teeth exposed and between them, it clutched a severed arm.

  Slayer took a cautious step back, his hand hovering near his sword. "Easy now, lil' fella..." he muttered, inching toward the carnival lights behind him.

  The dog lowered its head, setting the severed arm on the ground. It began sniffing around, its stitched eyes twitching slightly with every breath.

  Slayer blinked. "Is it... trying to sniff me out?"

  The creature turned in his direction, nostrils flaring. Then, with a sudden growl GRRRR... it snapped its jaws and barked, loud and sharp. BARK! BARK!

  Slayer flinched. "Oh, great."

  The dog lunged forward, claws scraping against the cracked pavement.

  "Yup, not today!" Slayer shouted, spinning on his heel and sprinting straight toward the carnival. FWISH! FWUMP! FWUMP! He sprinted through the fog, eyes shut tight, trying to block out the image of the dog's torn face. The sound of carnival music echoed all around him - cheerful, looping, and then completely wrong.

  Behind him came the pounding of heavy paws THUD! THUD! THUD! and a distorted growl echoing through the faint mist. The sound grew distant as the creature chased, then faded into the fog. Slayer didn't slow down. He kept running - until he crashed into something solid and both figures hit the ground. THUD! He groaned, rubbing the back of his helmet.

  Then, a familiar voice. "Ow... that hurt."

  Slayer blinked, opening his eyes. He quickly sat up and froze. "Hikari...?"

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  She sat up slowly, rubbing her head. "Huh...? Slayer?"

  He grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly back and forth. "Oh it's so good to see you, Hikari! I thought I was alone - but then this little girl showed up and said we were gonna die - and then this dog started chasing me and-"

  "Okay, okay, stop!" Hikari laughed softly, brushing his hands away. "It's good to see you too, Slayer."

  Slayer nodded and eased up, letting out a small breath. He turned his head, glancing over his shoulder.

  Hikari noticed his change in focus. "Uhm, everything okay?"

  "Yeah," Slayer said, pushing himself up. "Seems like it's no longer chasing me."

  “Chasing?” Hikari asked, standing up from the ground.

  Slayer pointed toward the fog. "Yeah, some messed-up dog creature was after me. Thing looked half-dead. That's why I was running so fast."

  Hikari placed a hand on her chin. "I see..." She paused, thinking. "And why didn't you just fight it?"

  Slayer shrugged. “Eh, I never feel like fighting right after I wake up.”

  Hikari gave him a flat look. "Whatever you say, tin can." She turned her gaze around the fog-shrouded booths. "But from what you described, it sounds like we're dealing with an Echo of some sort."

  "Maybe so," Slayer replied. "There was also this creepy little girl."

  Hikari's head snapped toward him. "Little girl?"

  "Mh-hm." Slayer nodded. "She said this place belongs to someone named... Carnivex."

  "Carnivex?" Hikari repeated, her tone tightening.

  "Yeah," Slayer said. "Sound familiar to you?"

  "I don't know..." she murmured. "It feels like I've heard that name before, but I can't seem to remember." She pressed a hand to her temple. "Every time I try to think about it... it feel like my mind just drifts somewhere else completely."

  Slayer tilted his head. "Kinda odd, don't you think?"

  "Guess so," Hikari said quietly. "But it sounds like we're dealing with multiple Echos. There's no way we aren't."

  Slayer crossed his arms, glancing around. "Well, either way... we should stick together. Also, what is this place, anyway? I remember we were sleeping in the forest last time I checked."

  Hikari refocused, the faint carnival music still looping in the distance. "Yeah. We must've been dragged in here somehow while we were sleeping." She crossed her arms. "Can't really say where exactly we are," she said, scanning the booths. "But by the looks of it... it seems like we're in a carnival."

  Slayer tilted his head. "A carnival, huh? Never seen anything like it."

  Hikari nodded slightly. "They're places built for entertainment and people visit them for fun. But this one though..." Her eyes drifted across the carousel, the stalls, and the ferris wheel in the distance. "...feels unsettling. Like a place built for nightmares."

  Slayer let out a short laugh. "Hah, that's what I was gonna say."

  Hikari let out a quiet breath, her eyes lingering on the carousel before turning back to Slayer. "We should find the others. I already tried picking up their aura signal and even used my Aura link ring to detect them, but I can't seem to reach them."

  "Yeah," Slayer said. "I don't feel their aura at all."

  Hikari glanced down at the pink Link Ring on her finger. "It might have something to do with this dimension." She lowered her hand, her expression thoughtful. "Still..." she paused, her tone steady, "if we're here, then I'm pretty sure Captain and Lumina were pulled in too. So l say we start searching for them."

  Slayer nodded. "Yeah, good idea. I'd rather not stay here and run into any more creepy kids or disturbing dogs on my own. Besides, this creepy music is getting annoying."

  Hikari gave a small smile. "Then let's start by searching around the main area first. If we don't find them there, then we can check the buildings next."

  Slayer clenched a fist. "Sounds like a plan! Let's get searching then."

  The two began walking through the carnival, the sound of the carousel music looping softly in the background.

  Meanwhile...

  A drip of water hit the floor. Drip... drip... drip.

  Captain's eyes snapped open. His breath came sharp and quick as he pushed himself upright.

  He wasn't in the forest. Not even close. He stood in what looked like a restroom - wide and dimly lit by a blue, flickering fluorescent bulb. The walls were lined with cracked tiles, some of the mirrors fogged, and the air reeked of ammonia. A rusted sink leaked in the corner, filling the silence with its steady rhythm. He blinked, looking around. "This... place. It's not the forest anymore."

  He stood up slowly, his boots scraping against the tile, rifle strapped across his back. He scanned the room - rows of bathroom stalls lined up across from him, each door slightly ajar. "Hm. No signs of anyone either, it appears." His gaze shifted toward a door ahead - most likely the exit. "Maybe Hikari and the others already left," he muttered. He started toward it, footsteps echoing faintly. As he passed one of the fogged mirrors, something shifted within it. A faint red smile slowly formed on the reflection’s face… unseen by Captain.

  Captain reached the door, his hand hovering over the handle. The metal was cold to the touch. Then CLACK. A stall door swung open behind him. He froze, his eyes shifting toward the sound. "Huh?" From the shadowed stall, something began to move. A shape - human in outline - stepped forward with a wet, dragging sound. SHLUK... SHLUK...

  It stood upright, taller than a man. Her skin was pale and slick, stretched too tight over a thin frame. Where eyes should've been, there were only smooth patches of flesh. Her mouth hung open, a long, wet tongue rolling down past her chest. She wore a torn seamstress apron over a faded dress, the fabric stained dark with blood and clinging to her skin. Rusted needles stuck through her body like pins, and loose red threads dangled from half-sewn wounds. Her arms weren't arms at all - just long, coiled tongues that ended in split tips lined with rows of tiny, serrated teeth.

  Captain's muscles tensed. "What the hell..."

  The creature tilted its head, the tongue twisting slightly - almost curious. It took a step forward, leaving streaks of saliva.

  Captain raised his rifle. "Stay where you are! Or I'll open fire!"

  The creature's tongue-arms spread wide, the teeth on them flexing open. It let out a wet hiss that rattled the mirrors HHHHHRRRRRRHHH... and then its main tongue lashed forward with a sharp FWIP!

  Captain barely had time to react before it coiled tight around his neck. "Ghk-!" His rifle slipped from his grasp, swinging against his chest as the creature dragged him across the tiles. He grabbed at the slick muscle, its surface coated in thick saliva that smeared across his gloves. The tongue only tightened, crushing the air from his throat as it dragged him closer. He grit his teeth, his mind racing. ("Dammit. I have to activate my Emanation now if I want to get out of this alive.")

  He tried activating his Emanation... but nothing came. ("What the hell? Why isn't it working?") He tried again, focusing, reaching for that red aura within him - but there was no response. Just the crushing pull of the creature's tongue. ("Shit... this isn't good. It's not responding to my call at all.") The realization hit him then. Whatever this place was, his power was gone.

  The creature leaned forward, her eyeless face inches away now, tongue-arms snapping and biting at the air. Captain snarled, twisting his body. His hand shot down to his leg, pulling the combat knife from its sheath in one swift motion. ("Fine! Since my power won't work! How about you taste my blade instead!") With a sharp swing SHHK! he slashed across the main tongue, then drove his knife straight into it.

  A spray of dark blood hit the floor. The creature let out a piercing shriek SKREEEEHHHH! jerking back as the tongue recoiled violently, leaving a slick trail of blood between them. Her main tongue hung half-severed, split down the middle and twitching as dark fluid dripped onto the tiles. She let out a guttural groan, clutching at the wounded flesh, her body trembling with rage.

  Captain stumbled back, clutching his throat as he coughed hard. "Hhh- ghk- dammit..."

  He took a few sharp breaths, trying to steady himself before reaching down to grab his rifle from the floor. When he looked up, his eyes narrowed.

  The creature's tongue was twitching - already beginning to mend, the torn flesh slowly knitting itself back together with strands of red thread and muscle.

  Captain raised his weapon, steadying his aim. "Hmph. Say goodnight."

  BOOM! The shot tore through her head, splattering blood and fragments across the cracked tile. The force sent her body crashing back into the stall door CRASH! before slumping to the ground. A pool of dark blood spread beneath her.

  Captain lowered his rifle slowly. He exhaled, his breath ragged. "It's over..." he muttered under his breath. For a moment, the restroom was silent - only the slow dripping of blood joining the leak from the sink. Drip... drip... drip.

  He glanced toward the creature's body. The head was gone - only a broken mass where it once was. "What the hell was that thing... an Echo?" he muttered. Checking his rifle, he noticed only a few rounds left in the magazine. "Hmph. Great. Just a few shots left... probably the ones from the last time I used Aura Reload." He looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers. ("Odd... for some reason I can't use my Emanation here.") Captain exhaled, slinging the rifle back over his shoulder as he turned toward the exit. "I have to hurry and find the others. They might be in trouble." Captain pushed the restroom door open and stepped into the unknown.

  - Scene Shift -

  The hum of flickering neon lights filled the air.

  Lumina walked through the arcade, her steps quiet against the red rug that stretched across the floor. Rows of arcade machines lined the room BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! each one flashing faintly with different colors. Reds, blues, greens... all flickering in a broken rhythm.

  She glanced around, her tone calm but edged with unease. "One moment, we're sleeping in the forest... and now I'm here. In a place like this." She sighed softly. "I swear if this is one of Slayer's pranks, he's going to regret it." She stopped walking and placed a hand on her chest. "But then again... It's like back when I was in the Feast Dimension." she murmured. "I can't seem to get a hold of anyone's aura." Her gaze shifted down to the green Link Ring on her finger. "Same goes for the ring. The connection with them is completely lost." She looked around slowly, her tone lowering. "We must be dealing with another Echo then... one that probably carries a dimension of its own." She lowered her hand and started walking again.

  A claw machine near her sparked briefly, its metal arm twitching as the display screen looped the words: "PLAY AGAIN?" The sound echoed faintly across the room before fading back into silence. Lumina then stopped in front of a ticket machine, its screen flickering faintly. She tilted her head, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Hm. Interesting device." A single ticket slid halfway out of the slot SHRRK then stopped.

  Across the other side of the arcade, where more machines stood in crooked lines, something stirred. A faint scraping sound echoed through the room. SKRRT... SKRRT... Lumina's eyes narrowed. "..." She turned sharply toward the noise, her hand snapping to the hilt of her katana. SHFWT!

  Then she heard it again - this time, a metallic grind mixed with the faint tapping of plastic, like something brushing against the machines around it, running along the other side.

  "If you're trying to scare me," Lumina said firmly, "it's not going to work."

  BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. The sound echoed through the arcade, followed by the heavy clank of machinery moving closer. CLANK... CLANK... CLANK... Then, without warning, something dropped from above. Its arcade claws slashed downward SHRRK!

  Lumina reacted instantly, unsheathing her katana in one fluid motion SHIIING! and parrying the strike. Sparks scattered as metal met steel. She pivoted, her sandal brushing the rug as she kicked the machine back THUD! sending it skidding across the red floor. It then crouched and then straightened, standing tall now, the neon lights reflecting off Lumina's eyes.

  Lumina slid into her stance, katana ready, her eyes narrowing on the creature. "So... I'm dealing with you, huh?"