Page 40 of The Opening Act is Death
Of a love that does not ask for softness, only truth.
Visha.
She looks at me now, not as a weapon, not as a ghost, as her equal. Her echo. Her king. Not because I saved her, not because she saved me, but because we burned it all down andchosewhat rose from the ash.
The Carnival will never be gentle.
It doesn’t want peace.
But it will have us.
And maybe… maybe that’s enough.
III
Information on The Carnival
Fifty Eight
THE CARNIVAL OUTLINE
I. ORIGIN LORE
The Carnival of the Damned doesn’t travel. It appears.
Always to someone who has something to pay.
Name:Carnival of the Damned
Age:Older than memory. Some say it was birthed from the first broken promise.
Myth:Built on a bargain — a ballerina’s soul for eternal applause.
Location:Shifts like smoke — appears to the desperate, guilty, or damned. If you see the red tent… it’s already too late.
Time:Always midnight. Always now.
CARNIVAL LAYOUT: A Map of the Macabre
The Carnival is a cursed, shifting realm— part illusion, part sentient being, held together by blood magic, lost souls, and spectacle. Visitors are drawn in like moths to flame, often never finding their way out again.
five core rings(like concentric circles) with each layer becoming darker, stranger, and more dangerous:
OUTER RING – “THE MORTAL MOUTH”
This is the public-facing carnival front: alluring, seemingly innocent, designed to draw people in.
•The Hollow Carousel– Haunted music, wooden horses that breathe. The only exit. Visitors must ride to leave… if they can.
•Sweets & Sins Row– Vendors selling forbidden treats (sugar spun with memory dust, caramel that shows your deepest guilt).
•The Midway of Misfortune– Rigged games that take more than just tokens—sometimes memories, voices, names.
SECOND RING – “THE PERFORMERS’ STRIP”
Where the main shows are staged. Glamour and grotesque live side by side.
•Pas de Sang Theater– Visha’s knife-dancing ballet, staged in a shattered opera tent. Bloodstains are part of the aesthetic.
