The big top's entrance flap parted with a soft rustle, and Tony stepped inside first, heart thumping like a drum in his chest. The inside glowed with string lights draped like spiderwebs, casting warm yellow spots over sawdust floors and faded posters of acrobats who probably never saw the end of the world. Tables ringed the center ring, piled with fresh bread, canned fruits, and even some roasted meat that smelled like heaven after days of dry rations. About thirty people and creatures milled around—humans with tired smiles, a few mutants on leashes that looked more like pets than guards, all chatting and laughing as if the apocalypse was just a bad dream.Seraphina Lune waited in the center, pink hair shining under the lights, her smile wide and genuine now, no smoke or tricks in sight. She clapped her hands together once, and the chatter died down. "Welcome, darlings! Come in, sit down. You look like you've walked through hell and back. Let me fix that."She waved them to a table,

Tony woke up to the smell of cinnamon and the sound of soft giggles floating through the air like bubbles. His eyes cracked open slowly, blurry from sleep, and the first thing he saw was pink smoke curling around the tent poles like playful ribbons. Seraphina was everywhere at once. One second she was dusting the high beams with a feather duster that definitely wasn't there last night, the next she popped out of a puff of smoke right beside a table and rearranged the chairs with a cheerful hum. Another puff, and she was sweeping sawdust into neat little piles, tail swishing happily behind her. The whole circus tent sparkled like someone had turned on fairy lights in every corner.He sat up on his sleeping mat, rubbing his eyes. Lila was already awake, sitting cross-legged with her arms folded, watching Seraphina with narrowed eyes. Elias leaned against a pole nearby, wind swirling lazily around his fingers, face unreadable but suspicious.Seraphina noticed Tony stirring and teleported