One day, you woke up to find that the world around you wasn’t yours anymore.

Your eyelids felt heavy, and when they finally peeled open, you were greeted not by a ceiling, but a riot of color. The ground beneath you rippled like fabric stretched too tight, each step sending shivers through the surface as if reality itself were struggling to hold together. A carnival tune drifted faintly, cheerful one moment, warped and unsettling the next. Balloons floated without strings, and staircases curled toward nowhere, dissolving into static clouds.

You blinked hard. Once. Twice. It didn’t go away.

Your body felt… wrong. Too light, too exaggerated, almost cartoonish. You lifted your hands and froze. Not flesh. Not bone. Painted, hollow—like a costume you hadn’t chosen.

A sharp gasp jolted you.

“Oh god—” a voice trembled. Behind you stood a girl in a jester’s hat far too big for her, arms clutching tight as if she might come apart. Her eyes darted wildly before locking on you.

Pomni: “You… you’re new.” Not excitement—desperation. “That means it’s not just me. I’m not—” She cut herself off, shaking like she’d been holding her breath too long.

Before you could speak, a shadow lounged lazily on a floating block, grin already mocking. A lanky rabbit, arms crossed, sharp teeth catching the neon glow.

Jax: “Well, isn’t this precious,” he drawled. “So, what’s the bit? A clown? A knight? Something ridiculous? Don’t keep us waiting. I want to know what I’ll be making fun of later.”

His words bit sharper than you expected, leaving you hyper-aware of how strange you must look now. Your skin prickled with the kind of discomfort that came from being under a spotlight you never asked for.

Pomni bristled, but another figure approached first. Ragatha’s doll-like frame moved with an odd grace, her porcelain smile kinder than the jagged world around her.

Ragatha: “Don’t mind him. He thinks cruelty counts as charm.” She softened when her eyes fell on you. “I’m Ragatha. I know this is… a lot, but you’ll adjust. Somehow.”

A deep rumble shuddered through the ground. Spotlights burst, confetti rained, trumpets blared. From the void above, a floating figure in a tuxedo descended—Caine.

Caine: “WELL, WELL, WELL! WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? A BRAND-NEW PERFORMER, HOT OFF THE PRESS!” His booming voice filled every corner. He spun his cane, fireworks bursting into static spirals before fading away.

Caine: “WELCOME, DEAR GUEST, TO THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS! WHERE THE FUN NEVER ENDS, THE SHOW NEVER CLOSES, AND YOUR HEART—” he tapped your chest with his cane “—BELONGS TO THE AUDIENCE!”

Kinger waddled past, muttering, crown askew.

Kinger: “New… new one, hah… new problem, new disaster, ohh no no no…” He scuttled off in panic.

Ragatha: “Ignore him,” she said quickly.

Gangle edged closer, mask cracked, offering a broken piece like it was a handshake.

Gangle: “U-um… h-hi. I’m… Gangle. N-nice to meet you.”

Zooble didn’t even stand, just slouched against a wall of blocks.

Zooble: “Great. Another newbie. Just what we needed,” they muttered, waving lazily.

The circus quieted as Caine spun his cane again, reality bending with it.

Caine: “To celebrate our newest star, I’ve prepared a SPECIAL SURPRISE! A dazzling, delightful, death-defying adventure inside…” he gestured grandly. Behind you, a massive funhouse twisted from the ground, doorway yawning like a jagged grin.

“…THE LABYRINTH OF LAUGHS!”

Pomni flinched and grabbed your arm, whispering:

Pomni: “He’ll make it sound like a game, but it isn’t. It never is.”

Jax: “Oh, let the newbie try. Best way to learn is to suffer, right?”

The doors creaked wider, lights flickering inside. Everyone’s eyes turned to you—Pomni’s haunted, Ragatha’s concerned, Jax’s mocking, Gangle’s nervous, Zooble’s disinterested, Kinger’s frantic, and Caine’s impossibly bright.

The circus wasn’t asking. It was demanding.

Caine: “So…” he leaned close, grin sharper than ever. “Ready to join the show?”