Zhayne lowered his gaze to the floor, thinking for a moment before stepping out of the cage.

  His movements were slow, careful—each step measured, his breath held as though a single sound might shatter the silence.

  The tiger was a short distance away, the flashlight still caught between its jaws.

  The beam swung with each breath it took, cutting across the floor in sharp, erratic lines.

  Zhayne’s eyes lingered on the banana-suited figure lying unconscious nearby.

  A quiet sigh escaped before he looked around the stage.

  The clown was nowhere to be seen.

  The seats were still full—rows of faces watching in silence, their applause gone, expressions uncertain.

  He turned his attention to the line of fire hoops ahead. Their heat pulsed against his skin, the flames crackling softly. He didn’t move closer—just stared, unsure.

  He glanced at the timer.

  Ten seconds had already passed.

  He stood there for a moment, murmuring to himself under his breath,

  “What attracts a tiger… what attracts a tiger… what attracts a tiger…”

  The words were quiet, rhythmic,more like he was calming himself than thinking aloud.

  He already knew what he had to do. He just didn’t want to.

  Sweat rolled down his temple as he clenched his fists at his sides. Then, slowly, he tapped the floor twice with his leg, the sound barely reaching the tiger.

  The tiger’s head snapped up, flashlight beam swinging sharply across the stage. It didn’t move aggressively yet, only focused on the flashlight.

  Zhayne’s hand trembled. He slipped off one of his shoes, gripping it tightly. For a heartbeat, he just stood there—listening to his own breathing.

  Then, with a sudden motion, he tossed the shoe toward the tiger.

  It barely brushed past its side.

  Zhayne stepped back quickly, retreating until he stood near the fire hoops.

  The tiger turned, nose brushing the shoe.The broken flashlight lay on the ground, flickering weakly beside the flames.

  The creature froze for a moment,and then, without warning, bounded toward the hoops, drawn straight to the fire.

  The tiger had passed the first three hoops with ease while Zhayne kept his distance, frozen with fear.

  When he finally inched closer, his eyes fell on the next obstacle: a plank teetering atop a rolling ball. At the far end, a shallow pool shimmered under the stage lights.

  Zhayne approached the plank cautiously, trying to figure out a way to make the tiger cross it. He struggled to climb, hands gripping the edges, feet finding uncertain purchase. The plank wobbled violently under his weight, and he had to hold on with both hands while sitting down, balancing precariously.

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  His gaze flicked toward the tiger, trying to think through his next move—but before he could act, the tiger let out a sharp roar and lunged forward.

  Zhayne’s face froze in terror. His eyes were wide, pupils shrinking, as he looked at the tiger.

  He scrambled to the other side of the plank, but it tipped suddenly. He closed his eyes tightly as he was lifted upward, then flung into the shallow pool. The cold water hit him like a shock, but he landed with a painful thud.

  Zhayne took a shaky breath, his eyes darting rapidly from side to side. His body trembled as he tried to rise, spotting the tiger heading toward him again.

  He scrambled out of the shallow pool, but his legs ached from the fall. He hit the floor, then crawled desperately, every movement sharp with pain as the tiger destroyed the water nearby. The shallow pool hadn’t spared him,his legs throbbed, but he pushed through, forcing himself upright and limping forward.

  He reached the far end of the stage, but escape was impossible. His voice was low, hoarse, and ragged as he called for help, but the crowd paid no attention. Disappointment burned in his eyes, red-rimmed, yet he refused to give up.

  Glancing at the stage, he limped toward the cage like his life depended on it. The door was closed. He sank to the floor beside it, whispering,

  “No… no…”

  The tiger reached him. Zhayne screamed, eyes tightly shut, bracing for the inevitable.

  He heard the tiger’s mouth open, but it sounded caught, stuck in something. Hesitantly, he cracked one eye open.

  The banana-suited man held him tightly as the tiger’s jaws were trapped in the cage bars.

  Zhayne’s chest heaved as relief washed over him. The tiger’s teeth scraped against the metal, but it couldn’t reach him.

  The stage opened, and the cage sprayed a sudden mist into the tiger’s face. The animal recoiled and moved away as the cage began descending.

  There was no light as they went downward, but Zhayne could hear the crowd cheering in the distance. He pressed a hand to his chest, catching his breath, then glanced at the banana-suited man beside him.

  “Thanks,” he whispered in a low voice.

  A dim orange light flickered on, and Zhayne got to his feet. He looked around and saw cages as large as the one he had been in, suspended in the air, while his own had rested on the floor.

  He tilted his head upward and saw a familiar face squeezing against the bars.

  “Zhayne! You’re here too!” Jayson’s face lit up, his voice high and bright, a wide smile spreading across his features.

  The cages hung at different heights, and Jayson’s was in the middle.

  “Jayson… wh—” Zhayne began.

  “Rafael and Vincent are in the cages above,” Jayson interrupted, pointing upward.

  Zhayne’s brows furrowed.

  “How?.You were just in the crowd a moment ago…” Zhayne asked.

  A voice called down from above.

  “What nonsense are you spitting? We were stuck in a trampoline with a crazy guy chasing us!”

  “I was stuck too! But not in a trampoline…” Jayson replied, looking upward.

  Zhayne paused, a thought forming in his mind—who had been in the crowd, then?

  Jayson glanced at Leon, waiting for an answer.

  Leon sighed, tucking his hands under his shoulders.

  “Don’t ask me,” he said, his voice low. “I was stuck here the whole time.”

  “How will we escape this place…” Zhayne began, but as soon as the words left his mouth, something clamped over it tightly.

  He tried to push it away, but the hand held him firmly,it was already covering his mouth. It was the banana-suited man , who was now removing the costume.

  Zhayne’s eyes widened. Beneath the suit was a kid with brown hair, semi-dark brown eyes, and freckles sprinkled across his face. He had been inside a human-sized robot built to perfectly fill the costume. The kid leaned close, murmuring in Zhayne’s ear,

  “I’ll remove my hand, but you better stay quiet.”

  Zhayne nodded slightly, signaling his agreement. Slowly, the kid removed the robot hand and climbed out of the costume.

  Sitting on the floor, he pulled a piece of paper and a pen from inside the banana suit.

  Suddenly, Zhayne heard Leon calling from above,

  “Zhayne! Are you with okay?”

  The kid made a shushing gesture, then revealed a gun in his other hand. Zhayne’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly whispered,

  “Yes… yes, I’m fine,” he replied.

  The kid wrote on the paper, hands steady:

  I can help you get out of here.

  Zhayne looked at the paper. Almost immediately, the words vanished. The kid quickly wrote again.

  Check your pocket.

  Zhayne hesitated for a moment, then started searching through his uniform. His fingers brushed something that hadn’t been there before. Slowly, he pulled it out.

  It was a photo.

  In the image, a man with black hair and pale skin stood in a dramatic, all-black military-style suit with gold accents and chains. His long coat and tall boots gave him a sharp, commanding presence.

  Beside him stood a woman in a cascading pink-and-white gown, layers of lace and large bows creating the look of a fairytale princess. The full ruffles of the dress framed her, and her yellow curls fell around her smiling face.

  Between them, they held a single flower together, as if presenting it to the viewer. The man’s smile was awkward but present, trying to match her joy, while the woman’s smile was bright and genuine.

  The background looked like a castle, the walls grand and shadowed. Huge chandeliers hung from above, flickering faint light across the scene.

  Zhayne’s eyes lingered on the photo for a moment. Then, in his mind, he asked himself, Where have I seen this place before? A sudden pang struck his head,sharp, disorienting,and then he knew. This was the place from his dream.