Kai sat under the wide branches of the old tree and looked at Vesper resting calmly in the morning grass.

He honestly didn’t know what to think of her.

One part of his brain kept telling him she was the real danger because seducing men was exactly how she gathered her life essence.

But another instinct was whispering that she was just a distraction, and perhaps she was not the one he actually needed to be worried about.

"I cannot sleep," Kai told her softly, resting his forearms on his knees.

"This place is giving me the creeps."

"Oh, was it the dancers?" Vesper asked, sitting directly in front of him with a teasing smile.

"You should have asked for a better place to sleep if the tents were too noisy for you."

"It’s not them," Kai replied vaguely because he did not want to sound completely insane by talking about an invisible chain.

"Anyway, what are you doing out here so early in the morning?"

Vesper stretched her arms overhead and sighed quietly.

"I come out here to practice every single night. It is nice to get away from all the people who only see me for my body. Not that I hate the attention, but it gets very exhausting."

’That is the life of a succubus in a nutshell,’ Kai thought to himself, feeling a small pang of sympathy for the beautiful demon.

She tilted her head and studied his face closely.

"Where are you going with your women? Or should I say your wives?" Vesper asked, a mocking edge creeping into her voice.

Kai chuckled and shook his head to clear the tension.

"They are not my wives. They are more like traveling companions. I am just a wanderer trying to explore new places and survive the bad roads."

"Exploring is good," Vesper noted quietly, picking a long blade of green grass from the ground and twirling it between her fingers.

"Yeah, it definitely keeps things interesting," Kai agreed.

Both of them stayed silent after that brief exchange.

They sat together under the tree and simply let the sun fully rise over the sky.

The warm morning light washed away the dark shadows of the valley, bringing the bright colors of the circus tents back to life.

The new day had officially started, and Kai had not died.

A wave of relief washed over him because he genuinely thought he had broken the terrible death loop just by staying awake through the night.

"Let’s go back," Vesper said cheerfully, pushing herself up from the dirt.

"The camp makes a really great breakfast, and I am starving."

Kai nodded and stood up to follow her down the small hill.

He took one step toward the dirt path, but then a terrible chill ran straight down his spine. It felt like someone had dropped a block of solid ice right down his shirt.

He looked up quickly.

Vesper was walking a few feet in front of him, swinging her arms casually. It was definitely not her causing the sudden drop in temperature.

His survival instincts screamed at him to act immediately.

He drew his blessed dagger and threw it hard toward the shadow resting near the tree roots.

The steel spun through the air and hit the empty ground with a useless thud.

Before he could even turn around to check his blind spots, the nightmare caught up to him.

Vesper was still walking forward, but her head was suddenly cut completely off her shoulders.

It happened so incredibly fast that her body actually took another full step before it collapsed heavily into the tall grass.

Her severed head rolled to a stop near his legs, eyes looking at him.

’Huh?’ Kai thought, his brain completely stalling at the sudden, gruesome sight.

He heard the distinct rattle of chains right above him. The chains were operating entirely on their own, floating like snakes in the morning air.

It had to be a high-level invisible spell or perhaps an assassin with a perfect cloaking skill.

Kai’s eyes turned a furious red as panic flooded his system. He desperately pushed his mana outward and surrounded himself with protective ice using Sheila’s magic.

The freezing barrier formed a solid dome all around his body, strong enough to stop a charging troll in its tracks.

But the defense was completely useless.

Something simply phased right through the solid ice as if it were not even there.

A hand grabbed the back of his neck with an unbreakable grip.

"Caught you," a voice whispered directly into his ear.

Kai tried to swing his fists, but the hand simply plucked his head right out of his shoulders.

The pain was nonexistent, and everything went completely dark in a fraction of a second.

A loud gasp tore through his throat as his eyes snapped open wildly.

He stumbled forward a half step, his hand flying instantly to his neck to check for terrible wounds. His skin was smooth and completely intact.

Kai looked around in confusion.

The sun was just starting to set behind the western peaks, casting a purple glow over the valley.

Eliza stood right beside him with her weapon resting casually across her saddle. Sera was sitting calmly on her brown mare, looking at the colorful flags flapping in the cool wind.

They were standing directly in front of the brightly colored circus tents, exactly where they had been yesterday. The lively carnival music played the same upbeat tune in the background.

A tall man stepped out from the deep shadows of the largest striped tent. He wore a sharp crimson coat adorned with polished gold buttons and a tall black hat.

"Welcome to the wandering stage, tired travelers," the ringmaster called out smoothly.

"You look like you have been fighting the evil for many days. Come inside and enjoy the bright lights. The first drink is entirely free."

A blue system window popped right into Kai’s vision.

[System Event: Neutral Zone Discovered]

[Location: The Wandering Circus]

Kai stared at the floating text, and his vision swam with unadulterated frustration. The camp chief looked so smug, and the happy music sounded like a repetitive joke.

He had died again, and the system just kept dropping him right back at the front door without any warning or helpful hints.

"Fuck this," Kai shouted at the top of his lungs.