For so long, Savari’s perception of the world was limited. The only thing that tied her to what existed outside of the Vivid Aurora Circus were the stories told by her mentor and adoptive parent, Fredern. The idea that she had in her head of what it was like was clear and perfectly defined. She understood that the world held a gentle balance to it and that the Governors were there to maintain it.

Now that she was old enough, it was her job to take leave of the Circus and venture into the world at large to find new inspiration for their next big performance. This was a task she was more than happy to take on,

her mind filled with a catalog of places she’d like to see and things she’d like to finally witness.

While things began as expected, the further into her journey she went, the more it became clear that things had changed more than anyone in the Circus had realized, leaving her understanding of everything to quickly unravel.

That sense of community that she was so accustomed to was, for one, something that became harder to uncover the longer she was on the road. Cities that she had been told grand tales of their admirable grandeur were found in states of total disarray. Many of them fluctuated dramatically in their existence, either operating under excessive oppressive ruling or their infrastructure left in such disrepair that they were bordering on anarchy.

The other thing – which was probably the biggest and most devastating – was the absence of one of the Governors whose temple she went to visit. Savari had no idea how long that Governor had been gone for or what led to Her absence, but if there was anything that was certain: something was causing the world to go through a great change and its future was looking harrowing.

This discovery caused her to abandon her journey immediately. Everything she was witnessing had left her head in a buzz and the only thing she could think to do was return to her home as soon as possible. Despite being met with a warm welcome, the morning after her return left Savari in an undeniably soured mood that wasn’t resolved despite having a night of good rest. She had tried her best to relay the highlights of her adventure to all circus members, but the greater discoveries were still things she didn’t know how to communicate.

Not knowing what else to do, she skipped her first meal, immediately got dressed and ventured to the main tent. They were currently off-season and it was expected that whenever any of them wanted to practice a new skill or try a routine that they’d find their way there to perform. The instrument of her choosing that morning was a new Violin that she had purchased just shortly before her departure that she had yet had the opportunity to use. Something she was at least somewhat excited for.

She immediately began plucking at the strings as she stepped foot in the tent, doing her best to make sure that every string was in-tune as she made her way to the center stage. As a general courtesy, there was always one source of light available in part to help whoever chose to use the location find their way to the stage, but also to add a little bit of drama.

When she finally reached her destination, the only thing she could think to do was stand there for a moment and breathe. It felt good to be home but there was still something inside of her that almost felt stuck – unable to make its way out.

With one final, deep breath, she closed her eyes and lifted her violin to her chin with the only thing driving each movement of her bow being the memories of what just happened.

Just as her journey began with so much hope and optimism, the piece began plucky and playful, so much so that she couldn’t help but gently dance along. The more it gained more momentum, the more she moved across the stage, shifting in and out of the spotlight – filling the tent with its enchanting sound.

What she didn’t see with her eyes closed was the way the tent reacted to every strum on her violin. The more she revisited each step of her journey, the more the space began to fracture, creating a new mirror with each crack. Slowly she poured all of the frustration and confusion she felt into her instrument, vibrating and agitating the space more and more until the final crescendo.

As she played the final note and opened her eyes, she was shocked to find the state of the space. For a brief moment she stood there in horror, staring at the reflections that simply stared back in what was now a house of mirrors.

It turned out that the buzzing in her head wasn’t just a matter of frustration – it was a new spell waiting to come through.

Not knowing what else to do, she plucked a single string on her violin, causing it all to shatter and the illusion to dissipate back into the ether. She had no idea what came over her but she couldn’t help but laugh.

It started off small and playful but the more she laughed, the more it evolved into a full blown cackle.

Something was beginning to awaken inside of her…

Something that had been asleep for a VERY long time.