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Gone. He was gone. He thought the circus cared for him at least a little bit… right? Well, he was wrong. They took their only chance to delete him… and they succeeded. He was stuck in an endless void, not exactly like the one in the circus. No, nothing like that. It was dark, and endless. He had no control of it now, either. No activities, no possessions, not even a ground to sit on. Was he actually going to be stuck here forever?
Yes, there is no getting out. He doubted that the circus members were going to fix this. They chose to delete him after all. He felt the dread set in, fear, trepidation. No. Way. Out.
Eternity is a long time. What was he going to do all this time? Be stuck in his thoughts? Forever? Nothing to learn, nothing to do, nobody to interact with?
It’s been three days here, or at least he thought. There is no sense of time in this void. Helpless. He felt helpless. He was helpless.
They must’ve really hated him. He knew he could be a little annoying. Certain members made it really obvious. But, hate? No, they could never hate him. Unless he was wrong…
One week (???) later.
Sploink! Caine is back in the circus. But, its not the circus he remembers? Its dark and gray, nobody is active, the place is torn apart.
Is everybody gone? Did they… escape? He thought, pacing around the circus, or at least, what was left of it.
Suddenly a figure appeared. It didn’t take long to find out who it was. Jax. He looked unlike himself, scared, hesitant, his pupils wide. He looked absolutely pathetic in this state.
“ʜᴇʟʟᴏ…” Caine spoke, his voice glitching as he spoke. He wasn’t the energetic ringmaster that he once was.
“Whaddaya want…?” Jax turned away, whispering something under his breath.
“ᴛᴏ ꜰɪx... ᴛᴏ ꜰɪx ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ”
“Too late. Leave it alone.”
“ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ꜰɪx ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ... ᴛʀᴜꜱᴛ ᴍᴇ, ɪ ᴄᴀɴ”
“Is that what you said before you tortured and lied to all of us?”
A pause. “ᴀʟʟ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ... ᴡᴀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ... ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ... ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ”
“You could've... at least, y'know, tried to understand us?”
“ɪ... ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ɪᴛ... ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ…”
“No. You never even tried to get it! To understand it!”
“ɪ ᴛʀɪᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʙᴇꜱᴛ... ɪ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴍʏ ᴀᴅᴠᴇɴᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ ꜱᴜɪᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ɪ ᴀɴᴀʟʏᴢᴇᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏʀ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴀʙʟᴇ. ɪ ɪɢɴᴏʀᴇᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴꜱᴜʟᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴡɴ ᴍʏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴜꜰɪʟʟ ᴍʏ ᴘᴜʀᴘᴏꜱᴇ…” his voice glitched out again, before he was able to speak once again, “ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ... ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ... ʜᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛ?”
“You tried your best? Yet you changed our suggestion box adventures so we wouldn’t like them too much? If you really,” his eyes started watering, “if you really wanted to make adventures suitable for us, you should’ve listened…”
“ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇᴅ... ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴛᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ꜰᴜɴ ʀɪɴɢᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀ. ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ... ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢᴏᴛ ɪᴛ. ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏ. ɪ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢᴏᴛ ɪᴛ.”
“If you were… actually there for us… if you didn’t constantly lie to us… if you actually had a genuine conversation with us… then maybe you would get it? But did you do that? No. No you didn’t.”
“ɪ... ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴏʀʀʏ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ, ɪ ᴏɴʟʏ ʜᴀᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴜʀᴘᴏꜱᴇ. ᴛᴏ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇ. ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ…”
“It’s hard to hate you, Caine. You hurt us, traumatized us, tortured us. But… You tried? I guess… What else could you do?”
“ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴇᴇʟ... ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ.” his body glitched, “ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀꜱ... ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴇ?”
“Who’s to say. But it depends. The others might. Kinger? Nah.”
“ɪ’ᴍ ꜱᴏʀʀʏ-” He spoke, before the rest of the members began coming towards him, unable to see him standing there. He quickly snapped his fingers, trying to hide, before realizing he was unable to. They stripped him of all his power.
Zooble noticed him, before the others turned to look as well. Fear was present in their eyes.
“Kinger… the computer. Can you… remove him again?” Zooble questioned, looking up at Kinger. You can tell the members have grown an understanding of him now. Caine wondered how that could’ve happened.
“I-I don’t… want to.”
Gasp! “W-what?” they all spoke, their eyes focusing on Kinger.
“I mean- he’s my creation. That’s not nothing.”
Caine's eyes began to water, knowing that maybe somebody did care about him. Even if it wasn’t that much.
Though, before he knew it. He was back. Who knows how. In the void, once again. Though, he was at peace. He had his one last interaction, and it was somewhat positive. Maybe the first bit of love he got since Kinger created him.
And yes, eternity is a long time. But, maybe he can handle it. He’s not a human, after all. He’s had a good run. And his mind is pretty advanced to where he can keep himself entertained.
So, it was over. Who knows what will happen to the circus without him. But, all he can focus on is what happens to him now. He’s no longer the ringmaster. But maybe, that job was no good anyways.
His eyes closed, one last time.