The Ringmaster found himself in a desolate void, frowning as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, “Well? What do you have waiting for me?” He asked into the nothingness, but only received silence in response. With a shrug, he moved forward to explore the strange wasteland.

Wandering what felt like ages, his eyes eventually spotted a distinct silhouette in the distance. A lone circus tent, one he had always made sure to visit daily. As he approached the dark velvet tent of Io, the Blind Oracle, the faint sound of crying could be heard within. With resolve, Lin stepped past the draped entrance, sighing in relief from the sight that greeted him. “There you are…”

With a sniffle, Io turned to look up at the taller man, tears spilling from his shimmering eyes. “Lin… You found me…” The younger man offered Lin a smile, and it was a smile he hadn’t seen in a long time, full of hope and warmth. Noticing Lin’s surprised expression, Io’s hands found their way to his face, laughing weakly. “Oh, right… He gave them back to me. Probably as a sick joke. They weren’t doing me much good here…”

Returning the smile with one of his own, Lin approached the Oracle, kneeling to pat the top of his head, “Least something good came out of this… And of course I’d find you! You can’t shake me off that easily, chickadee,” Gently, his gloved hand cupped Io’s wrapped fingers, lifting him to a stand, “We’re attached at the hip, right? Now come on… Let’s find a way out of here.”

As Lin lead Io through the wastelands, the boy’s calm voice broke through the silence once more, “Maybe it’s for the best this all came to pass… At least now, I’ll no longer be a burden for you or the others of our family. You sacrificed so much for me, and…” His voice trailed off, wavering to barely a whisper as his hand squeezed against Lin’s, “I know it was always difficult for you to look at me, like that…”

“Hey… What gave you an idea like that?” Lin frowned as he glanced back, “Eyes or no eyes, you’ll always be my precious Io. Nothing will ever change that.”

“Really?” Io breathed out in relief, “You’ll always stay by my side?”

“No question, little moon. How else am I going to keep my eye on you?”

The ringmaster’s playful laughter fell silent when he heard the seer respond: “But aren’t you tired of having to watch after me? With your charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, you could have been a star. Instead, you’re held back by a miserable shut-in who still clings onto you like a child.”

Slipping his hand out of Io’s, it immediately landed on the handle at his hip, “Enough games Veles. Where is he?” He turned his head to glance back at the demon masquerading as Io, discovering there was nobody behind him.

“You would like to know, wouldn’t you?” A distorted version of the Oracle’s voice cooed as Lin felt a pair of bandaged hands press against his chest. His gaze darted forward, only to be met by a pair of bleeding eye sockets and a disturbingly out of character giggle. Snaking his arms around the Ringmaster’s neck, this Io lifted himself against the man in a mocking hug, playfully dangling his legs in the air, “And then what? You think you’re going to save him? Where were you when I ripped those pretty little eyes out of his head, or when your stupid friends let me steal his body? Two for two. I’d say you have a pretty bad track record. Man, you suck Lin.”

In an instant Lin had drawn his whip, cracking it warningly as he shoved the imposter off him, causing this vision of Io to land on the ground with a thud. He whined mockingly, “You’re just going to hurt me yourself now Lin? Maybe I deserve it…” A wicked grin spread across the boy’s face, “You could have lived a pretty swanky life if you didn’t settle for a deadweight like me, after all…”

“You’ll have to do a lot better than this, Veles. I’m not going to hold back just because you stole his face,” Lin readied himself into a fighting stance, a determined glint in his eye, “Nah. I’m getting him back, one way or another. There’s nothing that will stop me.”

“Fascinating… Even your ‘precious Io’ can’t slow you? Let’s see if we can make this interesting, then…” The disguised Veles lifted himself into the air, laughing and in an instant, split into four versions of the Oracle, circling the Ringmaster as orbs of flame manifested into their hands, “Hey, heard you like playing with balls. Think you can handle these? If you survive, maybe you can see that little fool again. Too bad he can’t say the same!”