Side story: Mildenhall Manor.

Copper 9 Surface. Unknown Location. Digital Circus.

Snow drifted across the frozen wastes of Copper 9, sifting through the shattered sprawl of the Mega City and the smaller towns scattered across its surface. Deep within an unknown facility—home to the impossible realm of the Amazing Digital Circus—the players were gathered at the center of the lounge, slouched across couches of mismatched colors. Pomni sat stiffly, her face turning an unhealthy shade of blue as she held her breath, only to gasp sharply for air a moment later.

"I can't keep this up… feels like I'm suffocating," Pomni said, clutching her chest.

"We don't need to breathe here. Honestly, I doubt we can die from anything normal," Jax replied, standing over her with his usual grin. "Come on, I want to see what your funny little body does."

"But it just feels awful," Pomni muttered.

"Try not thinking about it," Kinger offered vaguely.

"Or just toughen up." Jax grabbed Pomni's arm and tugged at it experimentally. "I want to see how far this cartoon physics goes."

"Ease up—she doesn't need to be forced," Ragatha interjected, stepping closer.

"'Ease up,'" Jax mocked in a sing-song, mimicking her tone. "That's you. Now let's get on with it."

"Fine… fine, I'll try again," Pomni said.

She inhaled deeply, then clamped her lips shut. Her skin flushed blue again, then shifted into pink, then red.

"Oh, that's new," Zooble remarked, tilting their head.

"Starts at blue, shifts to pink, now red… interesting," Jax said, rubbing his chin.

Her face cycled faster—orange, then yellow, then green—before finally returning to blue, the sequence beginning again.

"And we're back to blue. I'm guessing the pattern loops endlessly," Zooble said dryly.

"Why am I the only one doing this? What's even the point?" Pomni demanded, exasperated.

"Because something bizarre happens to each of us when holding our breath," Jax explained. "Kinger glows, Ragatha's hair noodles stick straight up, Gangle's mask spins like a wheel, and Zooble—well, they turn into a socialist."

"My limbs straighten, you a-thwack. F-thwack off," Zooble snapped, flipping him off.

Pomni glanced between them, taking in Jax's list of oddities. Yet one detail stuck out.

"What about you, Jax?" she asked suspiciously.

"He won't say," Zooble answered for him. "Because he's a coward."

"I prefer to keep the mystery," Jax said smoothly. "Besides, you all tried it willingly. Nobody forced you."

"You always push when someone new arrives, just to watch what happens," Ragatha said pointedly.

"Hey, different subject," Gangle spoke up hesitantly. "What do you think Caine has planned today? The Candy Kingdom was fun, but… I hope it isn't something like that again."

"I think you drove well enough, but I had trouble focusing with knives stuck in my head," Kinger said absently.

"Where did those knives even come from?" Ragatha asked, turning sharply toward Jax.

"It's a secret," Jax said smugly. "Though honestly, Pomni would've been a better bridge if she could've held out longer."

"Speaking of Caine," Zooble cut in, "what was with that phone call? In all my time here, I've never seen him talk to anyone but us and Bubble. That gag was different. Too different."

"I might've heard a phone ring once before," Kinger mused, scratching his helmet. "But I can't recall when."

"It was strange," Ragatha admitted. "I swear I heard a woman's voice on the other end. Whoever it was, she sounded furious."

"Probably some ex that Caine dumped and never mentioned," Jax said with a laugh.

"This whole place is insane," Pomni muttered, shaking her head.

Each passing day inside the Circus warped reality in ways she could scarcely begin to comprehend, yet the mysterious phone call lingered in her mind, tugging insistently at her thoughts. If she could unravel its meaning, perhaps it held the key to escaping this place. Her speculation, however, was cut short as the air rippled above them. With a burst of manic energy, Caine descended into the room, his enormous grin splitting wide as his floating eyes darted from face to face before he drifted backward with a theatrical flourish.

"Why is everybody just standing around when there's ADVENTURE to be had? I need everyone to gather at the stage today. It is going to be a very special adventure, so get a move on," Caine declared, vanishing in a poof of white smoke.

"Ugh… Well, have fun. I'm not going on any wild ride he's set up today," Zooble said flatly.

"How come you're the only one who gets to sit out while the rest of us have to go on this adventure?" Jax asked.

"You should try it. All you have to do is tell him no, and, well, he'll most likely let you stay. I'm just not in the mood for whatever he's cooked up this time," Zooble replied.

"Your loss, then," Jax muttered, already heading toward the stage.

"See you soon, Zooble," Ragatha added as she moved away from the couches.

Gangle said nothing, quietly setting her notebook and drawing on the couch before following the others. Pomni lingered a moment longer, glancing back at Zooble. She would have loved nothing more than to remain behind, yet in their own strange way, the adventures had been oddly entertaining. With nothing else to do, she let out a resigned sigh and trailed after Gangle. Within a few steps, they stood before Caine's stage.

The stage loomed with a large red curtain drawn across the back, the Super Earth flag hanging above it—a stark reminder of Caine's self-declared loyalty and of a life that once existed outside this prison. Floating in the center, Caine looked down upon them, his posture theatrical, his energy feverish. Clearly, he was preparing something elaborate.

"Today's adventure is The Mystery of Mildenhall Manor! I've been working on this one for some time. Had to do some digging, but I've found the perfect location for our little performance," Caine proclaimed. "A grand, spooky mansion brimming with rumors of paranormal activity! It's up to you to uncover its secrets, unravel its deepest mysteries, and capture all the ghoulish phenomena you can. And for the first time ever, you can—"

He stopped abruptly, his teeth clenched tight. His eyes phased through his clenched teeth, making a scraping sound. Once they were out he looked from side to side, scanning the area.

"Where's Zooble?" Caine demanded. Gangle, Ragatha, and Pomni remained silent; Kinger was somewhat unpredictable—a coin toss between sanity and mad blurting— yet he remained silent, his gaze lost in the void, while Jax cared so little that his indifference bordered on disdain. Hovering above them, Caine released a guttural growl, his eyes narrowing to slits as mounting frustration eroded the manic glee that usually drove his theatrics. He had invested no small measure of effort into this performance, and the silence grated against him.

".retsnom eht morf seramthgin elbirroh teg ot ecneidua eht ni nerdlihc eht lla rof tiaw t'nac I," Bubble murmured in a voice both cryptic and unsettling, sinking seamlessly into the wooden stage floor before reappearing inverted, dangling from the ceiling.

"What?" Caine snapped, his voice sharp with disbelief. "I designed this adventure to be really cool and 'm-m-mature' just for them!" His cane struck the floor with force, the impact sending the object clattering violently across the room before it disappeared altogether.

"Who cares? The rest of us are more than enough. So, what's so special about this manor? You said you did some digging," Jax pressed with a lazy grin, his tone laced with mockery.

"Well… all right then," Caine began, steadying himself with renewed authority. "My databanks contain countless locations scattered across Copper 9. This one belonged to a prominent Class-A citizen family; it is the perfect stage for tonight's performance. I even archived the model data."

"Oh, that's brilliant. We get to see how the rich lived—and I cannot wait to tear it all apart," Jax replied, his words soaked with malicious delight.

"I see, so who owned the place? I don't recall there being many Class-A citizens on Copper 9… at least, I don't think so," Ragatha asked, choosing to ignore Jax's provocation.

"Some people called the Elliotts," Caine answered.

To him, the Elliotts' mansion represented the ideal setting for his grand spectacle. Before Copper 9 had crumbled into ruin, he had gathered models of countless locations through his network of cameras and sensors, and this particular residence had lingered vividly in his memory. Tessa Elliott. He had once attempted to save her and bring her to his Circus, but the ever-annoying Weaver had intervened before he could do so. Even so, Caine remained certain she would not begrudge him for appropriating her home as tonight's stage.

"I-I think they sound familiar," Gangle muttered nervously. "I think they announced an open ga—EEP!!" Her thought was abruptly cut short.

"Who cares? One rich family's the same as the next." Jax shoved Gangle to the side, interrupting with callous force. To his surprise, the comedy mask remained unbroken. "Still in one piece? How disappointing."

"The NPCs aren't going to become self-aware again, are they? I don't want to deal with that nightmare twice," Pomni said carefully, refusing to be distracted by her companions' antics.

"How should I know? I'm not the boss—oh wait, yes I am!" Caine's sudden outburst collapsed into shrieking laughter, the sound reverberating unnervingly long within the tent's hollow air. "Now, off you go! Ghosts and ghouls are waiting to be discovered!"

Behind them, a portal unfurled like a wound in the fabric of reality, swirling with ominous intensity. Without further hesitation, the five players stepped through one after another, the air quivering as the gateway snapped shut. Pomni was the last to cross, her eyes betraying a flicker of unease before the passage sealed completely behind her.

Left in solitude, Caine drifted slowly across the empty chamber, his grin reforming as he scanned the vast circus tent. His voice fell to a whisper, almost tender, though no less menacing as it echoed faintly through the shadows.

"Oh, Zooble… where are you?"

Mildenhall Manor Adventure – Main Hall

The portal sealed shut behind the five players, leaving them standing in the manor's main hall. The vast chamber was paneled in polished wood, dominated at its center by a grand staircase that rose toward the upper floor. Beyond the tall windows, thunder rumbled through the storm, the heavy rainfall drumming steadily against the glass. As their eyes adjusted to the dim glow of candlelight, each of them began to take in the surroundings, the air thick with a strange stillness.

Pomni paused before a large portrait hanging on the right wall. The painting depicted three humans posed formally before an array of drones, their metallic silhouettes gleaming like guardians at attention. She studied it with quiet unease until Jax appeared at her shoulder.

"Yep, this is exactly the kind of home a Class-A citizen would own," he remarked, his tone as mocking as it was impressed. "Very lucky people. If memory serves, most Class-As came straight from Super Earth itself."

"You'd be right, to be honest," Ragatha added, stepping closer with an almost reverent tone. "Not many can claim that origin. If this recreation is truly faithful to the original, and this was their actual home, their wealth must have been unimaginable… Are those drones?"

"Looks like it," Gangle said, leaning in with timid curiosity. "I remember they used to be everywhere, building the megacities. I wonder if any of them still function."

"Maybe," Jax replied with a smirk. "Little fellas were sturdy and fun to have around. Anyway, how about we split up? I'll take the hallway filled with all the fragile, expensive junk, and the rest of you can enjoy the creepy corridor over there."

"Oh, I like that plan," Kinger said, nodding far too eagerly.

"Jax!" Ragatha snapped, her voice edged with disapproval.

"Relax," Jax answered, already striding toward the shadowed corridor. "I'll meet you back here in about an hour. And if something does happen, just scream. I'll follow the sound… so I can laugh at you."

As he disappeared into the darkness, the others exchanged uneasy glances, each weighing their options. Ragatha quickly took charge.

"Well, if he insists on running off, then Gangle, you'll come with me. Kinger, you and Pomni should head upstairs. I'll check the other hallway and see where it leads."

"Quick question," Pomni interjected, her voice tight with nerves. "How scary does Caine usually make these? Because I don't do well with horror or cheap jump scares."

"It varies," Ragatha admitted. "Usually, there's at least one less frightening path, so you'll be fine. I just hope Jax doesn't stir up unnecessary chaos."

"Are we sure splitting up is wise?" Gangle asked softly.

"It allows us to cover more ground," Kinger replied with simple certainty.

"Alright then," Pomni sighed. "Kinger, let's go. You two stay safe."

She started up the staircase, Kinger following close behind. Though she disliked the thought of dividing their party, there was a strange thrill in exploring the manor, even if it carried with it an edge of dread.

"So… how are you holding up?" Kinger asked in his usual distracted way.

"It just started, and I already want to turn back," Pomni muttered, her unease plain.

Together, they vanished into the right hallway, leaving Ragatha and Gangle behind. The latter clasped her hands nervously as she watched them disappear into the gloom.

"I really hope they'll be alright," Gangle said, voice quivering. "I never like scary adventures."

"It will be fine," Ragatha reassured her, gently taking hold of Gangle's left ribbon-arm. "Stay close, and we'll all meet back here soon enough. Besides, I find this fascinating. I want to learn more about this place—and about the Elliotts."

Gangle offered a shy smile before trailing after her into the corridor, though the atmosphere did little to ease the tension. Ragatha cast one last glance at the portrait, her gaze lingering on the painted faces. The question gnawed at her—what had become of the Elliots, and why had their names never reached her ears? For a moment, the thought pressed heavily upon her, a puzzle that seemed almost deliberate in its omission. Being a Class-A citizen herself, she forced the uncertainty aside, yet the doubt remained, its shadow refusing to fade as she and Gangle pressed deeper into the gloom of the hallway.

Mildenhall Manor – Right Hallway

Jax strolled down the hallway, his eyes sweeping over the intricate design. The walls, the molding, and every polished surface spoke of a level of luxury far beyond anything he had ever dreamed of possessing. Yet as he advanced further, the splendor began to fade beneath subtler details; deep claw marks scored the walls, breaking the refinement with feral violence.

"Hmm… Caine really went all in on the details this time," Jax muttered.

He had endured more than a few of these so-called scary adventures, but rarely had they unsettled him. He knew, after all, that nothing in them could truly harm him.

"So… what will it be this time? Cheap jump scares, a corpse lying in wait, or maybe the walls themselves trying to swallow me?" he mused aloud with mocking indifference.

After several more steps, he halted before a door on his right. Reaching for the handle, he half-expected it to jolt him or vanish, but nothing happened. Turning the knob, he pushed the door open and peered through the crack. Beyond lay a library, its shelves burdened with rows of books, their spines pressed tightly together. In the center of the chamber, the sight awaiting him was the last thing he had expected.

"Books? Who the hell were these people? Where are the luxury hamsters, the golden fish tanks, the overpriced duct tape? Even a drone collection would have been more entertaining," Jax scoffed.

Crossing the threshold, he cast his gaze about the library. Class-A citizens were infamous for their wealth and privileges, yet this discovery felt like either an underwhelming disappointment or an oddly compelling treasure trove. Knowledge, after all, was not something Super Earth allowed to remain in private hands. For this family to possess such volumes suggested they had once been deeply significant.

His attention drifted to the far end of the room, where a window stood ajar, letting in the sound of rain. Lightning crackled across the sky, throwing momentary brilliance across the chamber. Looking upward through the frame, Jax caught sight of Copper 9's looming gas giant and its moon, breaking through the storm clouds in solemn majesty.

"Almost forgot about them," he said with faint nostalgia, though the sentiment faded quickly, replaced by familiar boredom.

"So… what now?" he asked idly.

As if in answer, a faint dripping echoed through the library, liquid striking liquid with a hollow splash. Turning, Jax noticed an open trapdoor in the floor.

"Classic. At least Caine hasn't lost his touch," he remarked.

He approached the opening and peered down into the cellar, where a ladder descended into shadow. Turning to place his weight upon it, he was struck by the sudden reek of rot rising to meet him.

"Oh, come on… smells like something actually died down here," he complained.

Climbing down, his feet landed in something wet. Glancing downward in the dim light, he saw the liquid shimmer with a red reflection. Reaching out, he flicked on a nearby switch, and his eyes widened at the sight revealed.

"What… in the name of liberty… is this?" Jax breathed.

The walls were cluttered with components from dismantled drones, interspersed with scattered books and tattered maps. At the center of the cellar stood a table, and upon it lay the lifeless body of a man, half-disassembled, blood and other fluids congealing around him. The floor was slick with crimson, a steady drip falling from the body into the growing puddle below.

"Alright, Caine… this is pushing it a little far. But hey, at least you earned the Mature rating," Jax muttered, his laugh unsteady and nervous.

Forcing his eyes away from the grisly centerpiece, he noticed a map pinned to the wall. It depicted Super Earth, though it bore a strange symbol—an inscribed circle marked by three arrows pointing outward from the center. Jax drifted closer, drawn inexplicably to it, and as he did, a prickle of unease crawled over his skin. For the first time, he felt certain that something in the room was watching him.

Mildenhall Manor – Left Hallway

Gangle and Ragatha moved cautiously through the long hallway, their steps echoing faintly against the wooden floor. They had been walking for several minutes without incident, yet the atmosphere pressed upon them with a strange weight. A sense of dread lingered in the air, heavy and unshakable, for both of them assumed that Caine had scattered jump scares throughout the manor.

"This place is really nice. Whoever lived here must have had it made," Ragatha observed.

"Yeah… it is very nice. If not for what Caine's done, I think I'd actually like to live here," Gangle replied.

"We could ask him later if he'd design a much nicer adventure with this setting. He has reused locations before," Ragatha said.

At times, Caine would revisit locations or even recycle NPCs if asked politely, though he disliked repetition and dismissed it as mediocre. Still, since he was programmed to satisfy the players, he occasionally indulged them. Both Ragatha and Gangle had endured many such adventures across reused environments, each given new flavor by Caine's designs. As they continued down the hall, they reached a cutoff where the corridor ended, but a stairwell ascended to the second floor.

"Alright, looks like we've got two options: go up the stairs or head further down the hallway," Ragatha said.

"Well… Pomni and Kinger are already on the second floor, but this might lead somewhere they aren't close to," Gangle suggested.

"Hmm… if that's the case, let's go up and take a look. If we don't find anything, we'll just come back down," Ragatha decided.

With a small nod, Gangle followed as Ragatha climbed the first steps, her ribbon arms brushing lightly against the railing. The staircase curled to the right, and before long, they emerged onto the second floor. Looking ahead, Ragatha spotted an overturned display case wedged against a pair of tall double doors. It was the first anomaly they had encountered, standing out sharply against the otherwise pristine halls. Approaching slowly, their eyes fixed on the obstruction, puzzlement spread across their faces.

"Why would Caine set something like this here? I imagine it blocks the door the moment we approach it," Ragatha remarked. "Help me move it—I want to see what's inside."

"Alright…" Gangle said hesitantly.

Together they stepped closer, gripping the heavy case and dragging it aside with some effort. Once it was clear, Ragatha advanced toward the double doors. Her hand tightened around the handle, and with deliberate caution, she turned it and pushed the door open just enough to peer inside. The sight struck her breathless. Her eyes widened, and she slapped a hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp.

The ballroom beyond was a nightmare. Corpses lay strewn across the floor, many mutilated beyond recognition. Among the carnage, drones marked with grotesque organic growths collapsed in ruin, their optics flashing the words FATAL ERROR amid the blood and gore.

Ragatha quickly pulled the door shut, stumbling back a few steps.

"What… what's in there?" Gangle asked, her voice trembling.

"Don't open that door. Let's just head back… Caine's gone too far this time," Ragatha said, her tone firm but shaken. "I know he can push the scare factor high, but this… this feels like too much."

Ragatha had endured countless adventures filled with horror elements, yet nothing had ever carried such visceral, brutal weight. This was darker, more savage, and far beyond what she was accustomed to. Without another word, Gangle lowered her mask slightly, nodding in silent agreement as she followed Ragatha back toward the main hall.

Mildenhall Manor. Second Floor.

The hallway stretched before them, long and silent, its shadows broken only by the occasional flicker of light. Pomni and Kinger moved at a cautious pace, Pomni pausing now and then to check the doors they passed. So far, every room had yielded nothing more than spare bedrooms or sterile bathrooms, their emptiness almost mocking in its normalcy. No tricks, no horrors—at least not yet.

"This is quite a nice place," Kinger remarked, his voice carrying strangely in the silence.

"Yeah… I always wanted to live in a place like this, but I never managed to save enough credits," Pomni replied.

Like any good citizen of Super Earth, she had worked tirelessly to raise her score, striving to climb the tiers of the citizen ranking system. Yet reaching Class A had always seemed more like a dream than a possibility.

"You think the real house is still standing—or that its owners still live here?" Kinger asked.

"I don't know. I doubt Caine would add real people into one of his adventures. Not without giving them some kind of… quirks." Pomni's voice carried an edge of suspicion.

Nothing had happened so far, but she remained on guard, every muscle taut in expectation. She had never liked horror, and being surrounded by it—even in simulation—gnawed at her nerves. A few steps later, they stopped before yet another door. Pomni reached for the knob, twisting it carefully before peering through the narrow crack with Kinger looming behind her.

The room beyond was unlike the others. A grandly decorated bedroom opened before them, a stately bed at its center, and a polished desk to the left. A tray with cold tea sat abandoned nearby, while a sleek computer and twin metal flagpoles bearing the Super Earth banner stood sentinel. The air felt strangely preserved, as if someone had only just stepped out. Pushing the door fully open, Pomni frowned.

"Hmm… Someone must have lived here for it to be this nice," she said quietly.

"Let's look around and see what Caine has planted for us," Kinger replied.

Pomni said nothing, drifting toward the desk. She attempted to wake the computer, but the holographic interface flashed only a corrupted system error. A fragile hope stirred in her chest—the thought that it might have been a way to send a message, a desperate plea for escape. The failure left her sighing, her eyes falling instead to a picture frame. A woman reached out from the frozen image, and Pomni lifted the frame with a thoughtful frown.

"I think they really lived here," she murmured.

Behind her, Kinger rummaged through the nightstand, producing a remote. Without hesitation, he pressed the buttons, and the dormant television sputtered to life. A crimson glow filled the room, accompanied by the shrill wail of alarms.

"WARNING! WARNING! ILLUMINATE WARSHIPS IN ORBIT! SEEK SHELTER NOW!"

"Kinger! Turn that off!" Pomni snapped.

"I'm trying!" he barked, fumbling with the controls.

The channels shifted but repeated the same broadcast over and over, the desperate warning ringing in their ears. Pomni rushed forward, snatching the remote from him and stabbing at the power button until the screen went dark.

"F-thonk… I didn't need that reminder of why we're trapped here," she muttered, tossing the remote aside. "There's nothing useful in this room. Let's just go back to the others before something gives me more scars to carry."

"You know Caine could have hidden something in here for us," Kinger said.

"Then it can stay hidden. Let's go," Pomni shot back.

She wanted no more time here, not with Kinger. He was unstable, and though she held no malice toward him, the thought of him abstracting in the middle of an adventure—and trapping her alongside him—was a risk she refused to stomach. Without another word, she moved for the door. Hand on the handle, she opened it, and the two slipped back into the hallway, leaving behind the decorated chamber. On the floor, forgotten in their haste, the picture of the woman lay face down in the dark.

Edited thanks to ELE73CH