The soft blue glow of the Techno Ring pulsed to life, sending a surge of energy through Kasper's body. He took a deep breath, centering himself before activating the holographic communication.

  Boss's face materialized, etched with concern. "Kasper, report."

  "Stacy's been taken," Kasper said, his voice tight. He described The Forgotten One's nightmarish appearance and Stacy's capture, each word heavy with urgency.

  Boss's expression darkened. "It seems I made a mistake. This is an A-tier threat, Kasper. Wait for backup. That's an order. You’re not suited for a creature this size."

  "I can't wait," Kasper argued, his voice rising. "Every second counts. Stacy needs me now."

  "Kasper, don't let your emotions-"

  The hologram vanished as Kasper deactivated his ring, plunging the carnival into eerie silence.

  He scanned the area, his ring detecting faint energy residue where The Forgotten One had appeared. Among the debris, something caught his eye - Stacy's ticket, dull and lifeless compared to his glowing stub.

  As Kasper examined the tickets, a realization struck him. This monster, if it moves from carnival to carnival, it needs something to hold it, something mobile. He thought as he closed his eyes, recalling his encounters with the creature, trying to piece together any clues he might have missed.

  His mind raced, forming theories. Could it be tied to a ride? The Ferris wheel loomed in the distance, its silhouette ominous against the night sky. Kasper shook his head, dismissing the thought. No, too obvious. His gaze drifted to the game booths, their colorful awnings now drooping in the still air. A game booth, perhaps? Possible, but not likely.

  Kasper paced, his footsteps echoing in the empty carnival. Something smaller, perhaps? He paused by a claw machine, peering at the stuffed animals inside. A prize? The thought lingered for a moment before he shook his head, frustration mounting.

  Kasper's gaze swept across the carnival grounds, taking in the silent rides and empty stalls. His eyes landed on the Management trailer, where Silas had retreated to rest. Maybe the man himself could provide some insight. Kasper thought as he made his way back to the trailer.

  The crunch of discarded popcorn and torn ticket stubs under his feet seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet night. As he approached the trailer, Kasper hesitated, aware of the late hour and the ordeal Silas had been through. But time was of the essence. He raised his hand and knocked softly on the door.

  A muffled groan came from inside, followed by the creak of a chair. "Come in," Silas called, his voice rough with exhaustion.

  The trailer door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit interior. A single lamp cast long shadows across the cluttered space, illuminating Silas's weary face. He sat hunched at a small desk, papers strewn before him.

  Kasper stepped inside, the floorboards groaning under his weight. "Mr. Davis," he began, his voice low and urgent. "I need to ask you something crucial."

  Silas looked up, his eyes narrowing as he sensed the gravity in Kasper's tone. He nodded silently, gesturing for the young man to continue.

  "The disappearances," Kasper said, leaning forward. "When did they start? The very first one you can remember."

  Silas's chair squeaked as he leaned back, where is the other one? Silas thought as he noticed she wasn’t there. The hum of the generator outside filled the silence, punctuated by the occasional pop and crackle of the old lamp.

  Don’t tell me… Silas thought as the realization hit him.

  "Three months back," Silas finally murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "Right after the big maintenance overhaul."

  Kasper's eyes widened. "Maintenance? What kind of maintenance?"

  Silas stood with a groan, his joints protesting as he shuffled to a rusted filing cabinet. "Let me check the records," he muttered, rifling through dog-eared papers.

  The tension in the room grew palpable as Kasper waited, his fingers drumming an anxious rhythm on his leg. Finally, Silas turned back, clutching a handful of faded documents.

  "We did bring in some new pieces," Silas said, squinting at the papers. "An antique calliope from Fairview auction. Real beauty, that one. New cotton candy machine too."

  He paused, his finger tracing a line on the page. "And... ah, yes. The vintage ticket booth. Picked it up from Hargrove's Spectacular Carnival when they went under."

  Kasper's breath caught in his throat. "A ticket booth?" he repeated, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Where is it now?"

  Silas's eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping into his voice. "East entrance. Why? What's going on, son?"

  Kasper stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "I need to see it, Mr. Davis. Now."

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  The urgency in Kasper's voice was unmistakable. Silas nodded slowly, reaching for his coat. As they stepped out into the night, the carnival loomed before them, its silent rides casting eerie shadows in the moonlight. The answers Kasper sought lay somewhere in the darkness ahead, and time was running out.

  Silas led Kasper through the silent carnival, their footsteps echoing in the eerie stillness. As they approached the Funhouse, its twisted mirrors reflecting the moonlight, Kasper spotted the vintage ticket booth. It stood alone, a relic from a bygone era, its faded paint barely visible in the dim light.

  "There it is," Silas muttered, gesturing towards the booth.

  Kasper approached cautiously, his eyes scanning every detail. The booth's ornate design seemed out of place among the more modern carnival attractions. He ran his hand along the worn wood, feeling for any abnormalities.

  "When did you say you got this?" Kasper asked, his voice tight with concentration.

  "Three months ago," Silas replied, watching Kasper with growing unease. "Right before the... incidents started."

  Kasper nodded, his suspicions confirmed. He examined the ticket slot, noting its unusual design. On a hunch, he tried inserting his glowing ticket stub, but nothing happened.

  "Come on," he muttered, frustration mounting. He tried different angles, different slots, even attempted to pry open panels, but the booth remained stubbornly inert.

  Silas shifted nervously. "Maybe we should call someone. The police, or-"

  "No," Kasper cut him off, his mind racing. "This has to be it. There's got to be a way..."

  As if in response to his determination, Kasper's glowing ticket stub pulsed brightly. He held it up to the booth's window, and suddenly, the air around them began to shimmer and distort.

  The ticket booth's window transformed into a swirling vortex of carnival colors and shadows. Kasper's heart raced as he realized he'd found the gateway to The Forgotten One's realm.

  "Mr. Davis," Kasper said, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and dread, "this is where everyone is. This is where that thing took them."

  Silas stumbled back, his face pale with shock. "We- we need to call the authorities. This is-"

  But Kasper wasn't listening. His mind was focused on one thing: saving Stacy and the others. Without hesitation, he stepped towards the portal.

  "Wait!" Silas cried out, reaching for Kasper.

  But it was too late. Kasper plunged into the swirling vortex, the familiar world vanishing behind him as he entered The Forgotten One's realm. The last thing he heard was Silas's panicked shout fading into the distance as reality twisted and warped around him.

  Kasper plunged through the swirling vortex, his senses assaulted by a kaleidoscope of fragmented memories and forgotten dreams. Distorted carnival music blared from everywhere and nowhere, its once-cheerful melody now a nightmarish cacophony. Flickering lights pulsed in nauseating patterns, disorienting him as he struggled to find his bearings.

  As the chaos gradually coalesced into a semblance of reality, Kasper found himself standing in a twisted parody of the carnival he'd left behind. The air was thick with the scent of stale popcorn and rusted metal, undercut by something sickly sweet and rotten.

  Before him, a merry-go-round spun at impossible speeds, its horses no longer wooden but flesh and metal monstrosities, gnashing razor-sharp teeth as they whirled past. To his left, the Ferris wheel loomed, its carriages detaching at random to hurtle through the air before snapping back into place with bone-jarring force.

  Kasper stumbled backward, nearly colliding with a fun house. Its mirrors didn't just reflect; they seemed to reach out, grasping at passersby with silvery tendrils. Trapped within the glass, distorted faces screamed silently, their features stretching and contracting in endless agony.

  Cotton candy machines dotted the landscape, but instead of fluffy pink clouds, they spun webs of darkness that seemed to pulse with a life of their own. The sticky strands reached out, ensnaring anything that came too close.

  As Kasper's eyes adjusted to the nightmarish landscape, he noticed the carnival-goers. They shuffled aimlessly from ride to ride, their eyes blank and unseeing. Some flickered in and out of existence like bad television reception, while others seemed to be slowly merging with the attractions themselves, limbs fusing with metal and wood.

  His heart stopped as he recognized a face in the crowd. "Stacy!" he cried out, but his sister's empty eyes stared right through him as she was swept along by the mindless throng.

  Suddenly, the realm darkened, the cacophony of carnival sounds swelling to a deafening crescendo. The very air seemed to thicken, coalescing into a towering form that easily dwarfed Kasper. The Forgotten One had arrived.

  It stood at least eight feet tall, its body a constantly shifting patchwork of tattered posters and decaying tickets. Multiple arms extended from its torso, each ending in a rusted carnival tool that had been twisted into a grotesque weapon. But it was the creature's face that truly chilled Kasper's blood: a swirling vortex of screaming mouths and terrified eyes, constantly reforming and dissolving.

  As The Forgotten One fully materialized, the surrounding carnival pulsed in sync with its presence, as if the entire realm was an extension of the entity's being.

  Its voice boomed from everywhere at once, shaking the very fabric of reality. "Welcome, little one, to the Carnival of Lost Souls. Isn't it magnificent?"

  Kasper stood his ground, fists clenched at his sides. "What have you done to these people?"

  The Forgotten One's laughter echoed across the twisted landscape. "Done? I've given them a gift! An escape from the pain and chaos of their miserable lives." It gestured grandly with its many arms. "Here, in my eternal carnival, they are free from worry, free from aging, free from the burdens of choice and consequence. Humans crave to forget their lives, they crave escaping and forgetting their problems!"

  To demonstrate its power, The Forgotten One waved a hand, and a section of the realm warped and twisted, reforming into a new, equally nightmarish attraction.

  "You see?" it crooned. "I can offer them anything they desire. And I can offer the same to you."

  Kasper's eyes widened as The Forgotten One spoke his name. He felt a presence probing at his mind, and suddenly visions flashed before his eyes: memories of pain, of loss, of failure. He saw himself, small and alone, in the aftermath of the accident that had changed everything. He saw it, the memory in his mind, everyone, dead before him. I was the only one… No… Why… Kasper thought as tears formed around his eyes.

  "Join us," The Forgotten One urged, its voice now a seductive whisper. "Leave behind your troubles, your fears, your responsibilities. Look!"

  The air shimmered, and Kasper saw Stacy. But not the blank-eyed shell he'd glimpsed earlier. This Stacy was smiling, laughing, her eyes bright with joy. She reached out to him, beckoning.

  "She's waiting for you," The Forgotten One purred. "You can be together, happy, forever."

  For a moment, just a moment, Kasper wavered. The weight of his burdens, the pain of his past, the fear of failure – all of it pressed down on him, and the offer of escape was tempting.

  The Forgotten One sensed his weakness and pressed its advantage. "Why fight? Why suffer? Embrace the peace I offer in the Carnival of Lost Souls."

  Kasper closed his eyes, his mind racing. Then, unbidden, a memory surfaced: his master's voice, firm but kind, from his earliest days of training.

  "Remember, Kasper," the mysterious man had said, "there is something greater than fear, meaning."

  Kasper's eyes snapped open, a new fire burning within them. "No," he said, his voice growing stronger with each word. "You're wrong about humans. We don't just crave escape. We crave something greater, something more profound: meaning. Purpose. Deep down, every human will do anything for meaning." An excited smile played on Kasper's lips as he spoke.

  The Forgotten One recoiled slightly, surprise rippling across its ever-changing face.

  Kasper continued, his confidence growing. "Humans can run away all they want! You can even say they want to forget their problems, but deep down, whether good or bad, they will do anything to go on with their lives, to find their purpose."

  He took a step forward, his Techno Ring humming to life on his wrist. "And right now, my purpose is clear. I'm going to destroy you and free every soul you've trapped in this twisted Carnival of Lost Souls."

  The Forgotten One's surprise turned to fury. The realm around them began to warp and twist violently, the carnival attractions creaking to life with malevolent purpose.

  "You dare?" it roared. "You are nothing! A mere child against my power! In my domain!"

  Kasper grinned, a fierce, determined expression that seemed to make The Forgotten One pause. "I'm Kasper Reid," he declared, dropping into a fighting stance. "Agent of Hex, destroyer of creatures, and right now, your worst nightmare." His voice carried a chilling tone that echoed through the warped carnival.

  The Forgotten One's screams of rage were drowned out by the groaning of metal and wood as the entire twisted Carnival of Lost Souls surged to life, ready to attack. Kasper's Techno Ring glowed brightly as he prepared for the fight of his life.

  The battle for the souls of the forgotten was about to begin in the heart of the Carnival of Lost Souls.