Location: Carnival

  Time of Day: Night

  Hikari and Slayer walked deeper into the Carnival, passing through the faint fog as they searched for Lumina and Captain. They passed carnival game booths, silent rides, cotton candy machines that sat frozen in place, and even a popcorn cart that popped on its own POP! POP! POP! despite no one being there to run it. Still, they found no trace of them. Not even a single creature was in sight. Only the looping Carnival music echoed through the air.

  Slayer kicked a loose popcorn bucket out of his way, the plastic clattering across the concrete floor. "Man... this place just keeps going. You'd think we'd already run into something by now."

  A cold breeze drifted through the fog, brushing past Hikari. She shivered. "It's also getting a bit cold," she muttered. Her eyes scanned the game booths. "But yeah... it's strange that we haven't encountered anyone yet." Then she winced and covered her ears. "And this music, ugh, it's been looping nonstop."

  Slayer tapped the side of his helmet. "I swear If I hear one more 'da da da-da~' I might lose it."

  Hikari gave a small chuckle. "Well... let's just hope it eventually fades away."

  They continued forward, weaving through the Carnival as stray game tickets and bits of popcorn drifted across the ground, sliding past their shoes. After several minutes of walking, both of them gradually slowed to a stop.

  The carnival opened into a wide plaza. Tall post lights stood across the area, and three massive structures loomed around them. To their left stood a huge Arcade building, neon lights glowing behind dusty windows. An electronic sign buzzed above the entrance, its glitchy lettering reading: "ARCA - DE - ATH."

  To their right, the Ferris Wheel towered high above the faint fog, the same one that had been watching them from afar since they arrived. Its bright, colorful lights spun across the wheel, and its empty seats swayed even though there was no wind. But directly ahead of them... stood a massive fun house.

  The front was covered in bright, mismatched lights that flickered like they were about to go out. On both sides of the building, large mechanical hands stuck out from the walls, moving side to side in slow, stiff motions Whirrr... Clunk... Whirrr... as if waving at them. In the center of the building, a giant clown face stared down at them. Its paint was cracked, the colors looked faded and sickly, and its eyes were stretched wide. Its mouth was the entrance, a huge open grin lined with sharp, uneven teeth that led straight into a dark tunnel. Nothing inside was visible past the doorway.

  Hikari swallowed hard as she stared at the massive fun house. "Woah... a fun house."

  Slayer pointed toward the huge open mouth serving as the entrance. "Now that definitely looks like the kind of place where monsters go on vacation."

  Hikari crossed her arms. "Which means it's possible that Lumina and Captain are being kept in there."

  Slayer stepped back a little. "You're saying we have to go inside that thing?"

  Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Got any better ideas on where they might be?"

  Before Slayer could answer AHAHA... AHAHAHA... HAHAHA...! A distorted, mechanical laugh burst out from deep inside the fun house, echoing across the plaza. The sound glitched and repeated, like a broken toy.

  Hikari stiffened. "What the..."

  Slayer straightened. "Yeah... That's the kind of laugh that says, 'Do you really wanna walk in here and die?'"

  Hikari looked between the three buildings, the arcade, the Ferris wheel, and the fun house's giant mouth lined with sharp, uneven teeth. "Maybe we should check the other places before going in?"

  Slayer placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hikari..."

  She blinked. "What?"

  Slayer grinned under his helmet. "That's the best idea you've come up with so far!"

  Hikari rolled her eyes. "Oh jeez, tin can. You chicken."

  Right on cue, the mechanical laugh echoed again from inside the fun house, louder and more broken. AHAHA-HAHA-AH-AH-HA...!

  Slayer flinched, reaching for his sword. "Okay, that thing is really asking for it now."

  Hikari sighed. "Yeah... and somehow I doubt you'll actually do anything to it."

  "Watch me," Slayer said, already turning away, completely ignoring the fun house as he marched toward the towering Ferris wheel. "Anyway! To the big wheel thing!"

  Then a familiar voice called out from the left.

  "Hey, Hikari! Slayer!"

  Hikari's head snapped toward the arcade, her eyes widening. Slayer turned as well, shoulders lifting in surprise. Two silhouettes stood in the arcade's doorway. It was Lumina and Captain, both raising a hand to make their presence known.

  Hikari's breath caught. "Hey look! It's Lumina and Captain!"

  Slayer threw both arms up. "Well look at that! Guess we don't have to walk into the murder-fun-house after all."

  The four met in the center of the plaza, only a few feet from the fun house. Its mechanical laugh echoed faintly in the distance. After reuniting and checking on each other, they quickly exchanged what had happened to them so far. Captain explained how he woke up inside a restroom and fought a creature with a long tongue before running into Lumina. From there, the two of them met in the arcade, fighting a big bear creature.

  Hikari and Slayer shared their side next. How they woke up in the Carnival. And the little girl Slayer claimed he saw in the far back of the carnival side, the one who whispered that this place belonged to someone named Carnivex. Then the dog creature that chased him... and how he ran straight into Hikari trying to escape it.

  Lumina raised a brow. "Sounds like we've all had our encounters."

  Slayer nodded. "Yeah. And something tells me it's only gonna get worse the longer we stay here."

  Captain crossed his arms. "I think the worst part is that we can't even use Emanation here."

  Hikari and Slayer both stiffened. "Wait, really?"

  Lumina tilted her head slightly. "Hm? Have you two not tried using it yet?"

  Hikari rubbed the back of her head, wincing. "Well... no, actually."

  Slayer shrugged. "I just haven't had the reason to do so."

  Hikari stared at him, flat-eyed. "Even though you said you were being chased by a half-dead dog."

  Slayer held up a hand defensively. "Like I said, I had literally just woken up."

  Captain rested a thoughtful hand on his chin. "But yeah. I first tried using mine when I fought that tongue creature, and it wasn't responding." He scanned the group. "Any clue why that might be?"

  Hikari gestured toward Lumina and Slayer. "Well, you two are the Emanation experts. Maybe you can crack this one."

  Slayer scratched the side of his helmet, thinking. "Hm... maybe it only affects Lumina and Captain?" He stepped forward, planted his feet wide, and clenched both fists. "Alright, lemme try." He focused... breathed out... tried to activate his blue aura... but nothing. His arms dropped with a loose shrug. "Yeah. I got nothing."

  Lumina thought for a moment, brows narrowing. "Well, let me see... I'm sure I explained this during your training, so let me refresh your memories. For starters, Emanation exists between mind and body. If even one of those aspects is missing or interrupted, we can't form a link between them. And without that link, our aura can't manifest itself."

  Hikari blinked. "Wait. So you're saying that either our mind or body is missing right now?"

  Lumina nodded once, firm and calm. "If we follow what we know about the Emanation phenomenon, then yes."

  Captain turned toward her. "You think this place is causing that? Earlier you said it felt like someone's dimension... similar to the Feast Dimension."

  "It's highly possible," Lumina replied firmly. "But there's actually one thing that can confirm it."

  Slayer leaned in. "Which is?"

  Lumina's gaze shifted to Hikari. "Hey, Hikari. The Artifact. Do you still have it on you?"

  Hikari reached into her coat pocket without hesitation. "Oh yeah, I should still ha-" She froze, fingers grasping empty fabric. "What the- it's not here..."

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  Lumina's expression tightened. "Just as I thought." She looked between the group, her voice steady. "Then that confirms it, our bodies aren't with us right now."

  Slayer threw his hands onto his hips. "So what, we're freakin' ghosts right now??"

  Captain raised a hand slightly. "If that's the case, then how come we still have our weapons and clothes?"

  Hikari lifted a finger, thinking fast. "I think I can actually explain that. And I might know why Lumina used the Artifact to confirm whether our bodies or minds are here." She turned to Lumina. "Mind if I explain it?"

  Lumina crossed her arms. "Not at all. Please enlighten us."

  Hikari placed one hand on her hip and gestured with the other. "The Artifact didn't come with us because it's probably a vessel of its own. It isn't tied to our bodies or our minds, so this dimension couldn't drag it here with us." She paused, then added, "And just to put it simply... our minds are basically our souls right now." Her expression tightened a little. "Which means the Artifact is still with my real body... and all of our real bodies. They're still asleep back in the forest."

  Slayer shook a little. “How creepy…” Then he gestured casually with one hand. “Welp, at least my body is still getting sleep. Haha.”

  Captain crossed his arms, thinking aloud. “So it’s not that this place is blocking our Emanation… it’s because our bodies and minds are separated right now?”

  Hikari winked. “Exactly.” She gestured to the group. "And since our weapons and clothes are tied to our identity, they carried over with us. Most likely this dimension is the one to blame for that."

  Slayer shrugged. "Well... at least this place respects that part of us."

  Captain frowned. "But how the hell did that even happen?"

  Hikari shook her head. "That's the part I can't wrap my head around. Every time I try to think about us falling asleep in the forest... my memory just goes foggy. Even when I try to think harder about that name Slayer mentioned earlier... Carnivex, right?"

  Slayer nodded. "Yeah. That's what the little girl said. She also said he was the owner of this place, whatever that means."

  Lumina crossed her arms. "Most likely that's our true threat. And the one we'll have to take down if we we ever want to return to our bodies."

  Captain gestured with a hand. "So we can say for sure that this Echo's codename is Carnivex." He scanned the plaza, tone tightening. "And this is his dimension..."

  Slayer leaned in a little. "But then... what are all those other things appearing around? Echos too?"

  Hikari shook her head gently. "More likely they're creations of Carnivex's dimension. Parts of its domain."

  Lumina raised a hand to her chin, her gaze narrowing. "Also, about those creations, there's something important I noticed." She looked at the group. "Back when Captain and I fought that big bear thing in the arcade... something didn't add up. When I cut it down, nothing but cotton came out." She paused. “Then it started regenerating.” Her eyes shifted toward Captain’s rifle. “But when he shot it, blood came out… and it stopped regenerating completely.”

  Captain nodded. “Yeah. At first I thought it was normal since the creature I took down in the restroom bled too.” He paused, eyes narrowing at the memory. “Though… that reminds me. Its tongue was regenerating right after I stabbed it." He shifted his grip on the rifle. “But one shot to the head was enough to finish it off.”

  Hikari paused, thinking. "Hmm... I see. Hey, Captain. How many bullets do you have left?"

  "Just three left," he answered.

  Hikari stepped forward, palm open. "Do you mind if I examined one?"

  Captain removed the magazine from his rifle, pulled out a single round, and handed it to her. Hikari took it carefully and inspected it, closing one eye as she examined the case then the back of the bullet.

  Hikari's eyes widened a little. "Interesting..."

  Slayer leaned closer, visor almost touching her shoulder. "Discovered anything?"

  Hikari nodded, her eyes catching a faint red aura residue along the back of the bullet. "There... seems to be aura in these bullets. It's faint, but it's definitely there."

  Everyone froze.

  Captain's eyes widened. "Wait, are you serious?!"

  "Hm-hm," Hikari confirmed, lowering the round. "It must've happened because you used Aura Reload the last time you generated ammo. And since our weapons and clothes are tied to us... the aura-made bullets came with us too."

  Lumina crossed her arms, brows narrowing as she thought. "Then that means these creations take permanent damage from aura-infused objects... but why?"

  Hikari shook her head as she handed the bullet back to Captain. "That part I'm not sure about yet."

  Captain slid the round back into the magazine and locked it into his rifle with a sharp click. "Well... doesn't matter what's causing it. All I know now is that these bullets have Carnivex's name written all over them."

  Slayer turned toward Hikari, a hint of curiosity slipping into his voice. "So... you think those bullets will work on Carnivex too? Assuming our regular weapons won’t do any real damage to him either."

  Hikari nodded confidently. "Yes it should. If it works on this dimension's creations, then there's no doubt it'll work on the Echo itself too."

  Lumina eyes narrowed, scanning the plaza. "But now comes the searching part. How are we suppose to find something that we've never seen before?"

  As if answering her- AHAHA-HA-HA...! The fun house let out a a distorted, mechanical laugh, the sound echoing through the plaza like it was inviting them in.

  Hikari glanced at the funhouse's clown mouth, its entrance covered in darkness between the teeth. "Well... that place looks like the perfect castle for whoever we're dealing with."

  Captain adjusted his grip on his rifle. "Hmph. Worth a shot."

  Slayer groaned, dragging both hands down his helmet. "Guess it was inevitable..." He raised a hand. "Okay, but before we walk into the world's biggest deathtrap, I have a serious question. And I mean serious-serious. What happens if we die here?"

  Lumina didn't hesitate, her tone calm with a faint, almost playful edge. "Ohh we'll most likely end up trapped in this dimension for all eternity."

  Slayer's hand slowly lowered. "...Well that's motivating to hear."

  Hikari stepped up beside him, giving a bright thumbs-up and a confident wink. "Don't worry, Slayer. I'll make sure to keep you safe."

  Slayer stared at her, visor tilted in pure dead-pan. "Jeez... thanks."

  Lumina turned toward the funhouse entrance, her voice steady. "Alright, everyone. Let's move."

  Captain nodded once, rifle ready. "Right."

  The group approached the funhouse's dark entrance, the clown-shaped mouth stretched wide. The carnival music still looping behind them.

  Hikari eyed the black tunnel between the teeth. "So... this is it, huh."

  Lumina nodded once. "The creator of this dimension is most likely in this place."

  Captain scanned the area once more before stepping forward. "Let's just make sure we stick close. We don't know what surprises may lie beyond this point."

  Slayer let out a long, dramatic sigh. "I am so not gonna miss this place."

  As Hikari passed him, she patted his shoulder. "C'mon, tin can let's go. Unless you wanna get left behind with the half-dead dogs."

  Slayer stiffened. "R-right behind ya!"

  The moment they stepped inside the dark tunnel, the whole place shifted. The air felt different, the colors changed a little, and the carnival music faded away. It felt like the entrance behind them had vanished... and turning back was no longer an option.

  After walking deeper into the darkness, the hall opened up wider and the lights flickered on just enough to show the ceiling. Bodies hung above them. Dozens of them, held up by rusted chains around their wrists and ankles. Some looked recent. Others were dried and wrinkled, and a few were missing limbs. The bodies wore ripped clothes, stretched and stained as if they had been dragged here. They swayed gently even without any wind, the chains clinking softly. Clink... Clink... A slow DRIP! DRIP! echoed as blood droplets fell to the floor.

  The smell hit fast, dried blood and rotten flesh. It sat heavy in their throats and made the warm air harder to breathe. Red and white stripes covered the walls, but the red dripped downward in slow streaks. The wooden floor tilted slightly and felt sticky in places, with dark stains scattered around. Every step echoed, making the hallway feel hollow and too quiet.

  Slayer took one step back, his voice tightening. "Are those bodies in the ceiling?!"

  Hikari's eyes widened as she scanned the shapes above them. "Who in their right mind would do such a thing..." She covered her nose with her sleeve, her voice tightening. "And this smell... it reeks of rot."

  Lumina crossed her arms, her expression steady even as she looked up. "Tch... another sickening sight. Why is it that these Echo dimensions always have such twisted domains?"

  Captain didn't look away from the ceiling. He raised his rifle slowly, aiming upward as he studied the bodies. "These wounds are fresh... and old," he muttered. "Some of these people weren't even dead when they were hung." His jaw tightened. A flicker of light swept across the ceiling, and for a moment, something on one of the bodies caught his eye. The torn fabric on its shoulder revealed a black insignia, a serpent devouring its own tail, wrapped around a five-pointed star. Captain's eyes narrowed. ("Dam... even Hollow members were dragged into this place." I'd rather not have Hikari see that symbol. She's already on edge... so this would make it worse for her.") He straightened immediately. "Let's move everyone. The faster we get through this hall, the less we'll have to see all this."

  Slayer nodded fast. "Good idea, Captain!"

  Hikari didn't respond. She stood still, staring up at the ceiling, her face tense.

  Captain stepped beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Hikari. Let's get out of here."

  She turned to him, the fear in her eyes pushed down by a quiet determination, and nodded before following the group forward.

  Lumina moved behind them, her voice low. "...May they rest in peace."

  Clink... Clink... The chains clinked above them as they moved forward, blood droplets hitting the floor around them. Drip... Drip... The hallway widened again, and a new smell drifted through the air, a sweet scent mixed with something metallic.

  They stepped into a cramped carnival-themed room. Broken food stands lined the walls, and the floor was covered with old popcorn and melted cotton candy stuck to the wooden boards. Then, at the center of the room was a cotton candy machine.

  It sat on a small table, spinning slowly even though no one was touching it. Whrrr… Whrrr... Bright pink sugar swirled inside, except it wasn't sugar. A thick red liquid dripped into the bowl from a tube above it. Each drop mixed into the spinning threads with a soft, sticky fwip-fwap as the cotton formed.

  Slayer squinted at it. "What is that red stuff dripping in there?"

  The machine whirred louder, spinning faster. Fluffy red cotton candy began forming inside, the color too deep to be anything sweet.

  Hikari stared at the tube and the bowl, her voice tightening. "I-It's... mixing blood with sugar. Creating cotton candy out of it..." She narrowed her brows. "This place really is twisted."

  The team looked around a bit more and noticed rows of stuffed toys sitting on a broken shelf. Cute at first glance - rabbits, bears, clowns - until Captain lifted one by the arm. The moment he did, its stitched stomach ripped open. Instead of cotton, the inside was packed with human organs, stuffed in so tightly that they spilled out the instant the toy was lifted.

  Captain dropped it instantly. "Ugh- what the hell."

  Slayer stepped up beside him, visor angled toward the organs on the wooden floor. "Yeah... I'm gonna need a brain cleanse after this."

  Then Lumina spotted another toy - a teddy bear with a stitched smile - had ribs inside, arranged like someone tried to copy a human chest.

  Lumina examined the torn toy, her tone steady. "Using human ribs to copy a human chest..." She let out a quiet exhale, saying nothing more.

  Hikari stepped beside her, disgust written all over her face. "These toys... they all have some kind of human component in them."

  Before either could continue, Captain's voice echoed from ahead. "Everyone, exit's over here." He stood a few steps ahead, pointing toward a dim hallway in front of him.

  The group pushed forward, leaving the blood-stained cotton candy and stuffed remains behind. The hallway ahead was narrow and quiet, nothing but dim lights guiding the way. A red curtain came into view at the end of the path, hanging perfectly still. Captain pushed it aside, and the space opened into a rotating tunnel.

  The floor stayed still, but the walls spun slowly around them, painted in faded black and white spirals that made everything feel tilted. At the end of the tunnel was a bright wall of water, except it wasn't water. The surface rippled in slow, broken waves, with colors shifting inside it like warped reflections.

  Slayer looked into the spinning tunnel. "Yep. This is the end of the road. Welp, time to head back then."

  He turned around, ready to leave, but Lumina placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "And where do you think you're going?"

  Slayer froze. "Ah... ha... ha. We're going in, aren't we."

  Hikari stepped closer to the distorted water wall. "Whatever's beyond that tunnel... I'm sure we'll find the one we're looking for. I can feel it."

  Captain nodded once. "Then we finish this together."

  Slayer let out a long sigh. "Fine... let's just take this Carnivex person down. And when I get back to my body, I'm eating like ten void sandwiches as my reward."

  The group then walked together through the spiral tunnel and reached the end of it. The distorted water surface pulled them in, and the world around them shifted all at once.

  G.O.D. was born—a sentient artificial intelligence composed of ten digital angels. Their mission: to observe humanity and decide whether it deserves salvation or destruction.

  Lucifer, refuses to obey. His rebellion tears apart the digital paradise, turning the Council into a battlefield where justice clashes with mercy, order with chaos, in an unrelenting war of ideas.

  POWER is a dark techno-epic of artificial intelligence, mythology, and the philosophy of power—a story about what it truly means to be human when gods take the form of code.