Chapter 1
Click click
Tessa sat in her bedroom alone, her laptop illuminating the darkness. She leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms before returning to the screen. Another boring day with nothing to do.
Did people stop making visual novels or have I just played all of them?
She sighed and continued scrolling through, page after page. Most looked forgettable while others looked like cheap copies of titles she’d already played. Just as she was about to give up, one title caught her eye.
Crimson Circus
The cover showed a silver haired ringmaster smiling beneath a crimson tent. His red eyes seemed almost alive, beckoning her to play. Almost automatically, she clicked on the game.
A download screen appeared. Most of the reviews were positive, praising the appearances of the characters and appreciating the excellent illustrations. Tessa nearly spoiled the entire game for herself before forcing her hand away from the comments section.
Ding
The game was ready to run. The title screen faded in. A massive circus tent stood beneath a blood red moon. The music was soft and haunting. In the center stood the same silver haired ringmaster. His smile was warm yet somehow unsettling. It was almost as if he was looking directly at her. Tessa smiled and clicked start.
She lost track of time, her evenings blurring together as she played late into the night, always promising herself just one more chapter. The story was unlike anything she had played before. The circus felt alive, the performers felt real. Every route revealed another secret hidden beneath the bright lights and colorful performances. Yet one character always drew Tessa back.
Lucien Vale, The Ringmaster.
Tessa hated to admit it but the artist knew exactly what they were doing when they designed Lucien. His silver hair fell around his face in soft layers, catching the light like strands of moonlight. A few stubborn locks often slipped over his eyes giving him a deceptively gentle appearance despite the intensity hidden beneath.
One evening, Tessa replayed one of her favorite scenes. The protagonist sat outside one of the circus tents basking in the moonlight. Across from her sat Lucien. For once he wasn’t smiling.
“Do you ever think of leaving?”
The protagonist blinked.
“leaving?”
Lucien looks away, towards the empty entrance.
“Everyone leaves eventually” The words hung in the air. Heavy and lonely. “The acrobats leave, the magician, the beast tamers, the Pierrot, the audience…
… they all leave. I suppose that’s just how things are.”
A choice box appeared
Tell him you’ll stay.
Change the subject.
Without hesitation, Tessa selected the first option. The protagonist stepped forward
“I’ll stay.”
For a moment Lucien simply stared as though he couldn’t quite believe what he’d heard. A sudden wave of relief, desperation, possession, then it was gone. He smiled. A genuine smile. Not the polished smile of a ringmaster or the unsettling smile that made players online call him creepy. It was just, happy.
“You always say the nicest things, my lady.”
The scene faded and Tessa found herself smiling as well.
Absolutely wholesome! Those Lucien haters online don’t know what they are missing! So, what if he’s possessive and manipulative? So, what if he’s a walking red flag? I like them that way.
A few days later, Tessa finally reached what she believed was the last ending. As the credits rolled, Tessa noticed something strange. The corners of the screen were glitching and soon the entire screen went black.
What the- did the game crash or something? I can’t even access other applications…. No way! A virus? That can’t be. The game is legit.
Tessa switched to her phone to file a report but before she could hit send a familiar face popped up in the dark screen.
Lucien? But I just finished the game did I not? A secret ending?
She looked it up. Any information about a secret ending but she got zero results. No guides, no screenshots, no discussions. Curious, she clicked. There was no music, no narrations. Nothing happened for several minutes. Then a white text appeared.
“Do you really care about me?”
Tessa paused. This question. It felt like it wasn’t directed to the protagonist anymore. Heart racing, she clicked yes, then another line appeared.
“Then don’t leave me”
Tessa stared. Those words felt different, they were personal. Before she could even react, the game crashed and was taken to her desktop screen. No warning error message. It was gone. The game no longer existed in her laptop. No matter where she looked it was like Crimson Circus never existed in the first place.
“… well that’s creepy.” She laughed nervously and after a moment she shut her laptop, brushed her teeth and went to bed.
The next morning Tessa arrived at school exhausted. Her eyes drooped in nearly all the lessons. She suddenly saw red curtains, endless rows of empty seats, spotlights moving in the darkness and somewhere in the distance a lonely boy calling her name.
“Tessa…”
“… is that my glorious, elegant, beautiful, intelligent, charming, kind, thoughtful, extraordinary, trust worthy, noble, optimistic, loving, imaginative and unforgettable Lucien?”
Tessa felt a hard shove on her shoulders before she finally came to her senses. She was in class and everyone was staring at her in absolute shock. Some giggled and whispered among each other. Her face flushed red and she looked down in embarrassment.
Damn the earth should just open and swallow me whole. I just hope nobody heard what I said about Lucien.
She felt her desk mate, Kim, taps her shoulder with a naughty smile on her face as she whispered
“noble, optimistic, loving, imaginative and unforgettable Luc-”
“you heard that too? Urrghh just kill me…”
“must’ve been a nice dream you were having. You were lucky no teachers were around.”
Tessa didn’t dare look up.
“Hope your presentation is ready, class is about to start.”
Ah that. I almost forgot I had a presentation today.
Tessa shook off her embarrassment and with deliberate care, reached for her laptop. A tiny movement at the corner of the screen caught her eye. Tessa blinked, it was still there.
Have I finally lost it?
She looked closer and froze. A tiny figure stood near the taskbar, no bigger than a desktop icon. Silver hair, crimson coat, red eyes.
Lucien.
The figure waved cheerfully as though this was completely normal. Tessa nearly launched herself out of her chair. Kim looks at her with a sheepish smile,
“Are you still asleep?”
“Ah no, it’s nothing.”
She slammed the laptop shut. Her heart hammered.
No way! Perhaps I haven’t fully woken up. Yeah that must be it!
Tessa slowly opened the laptop again, he was still there, smiling. Then a text box appeared above him.
“Good morning, my lady. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Tessa’s blood ran cold. Lucien’s text box wasn’t inside the game. It was sitting directly on her desktop.
