"Inside a dim room, Lira, Ali, and Torin sat around a table. A single lamp cast a narrow glow over the paper Lira was scribbling on.
Ali leaned back, watching with a smirk. "Torin, this is what you call… what's the word?"
"Intelligence," Torin said dryly.
"Exactly. God gave me a face carved like a hero, but he gave Lira a brain sharp as a razor," Ali said with mock pride.
Lira tore the sheet and slid it across the table to Torin. "This is a list of everything I need on Keal and the Great Starlight Circus. Can you get it?"
Torin scanned it once, then gave a short nod. "Consider it done."
Ali frowned. "But why dig up his past? What does that change?"
Lira's eyes stayed on the paper, her voice calm but firm. "Because what Keal was yesterday tells us what he will be tomorrow. If you cannot understand, then don't waste time questioning. Just do the work."
---
The following Sunday, Kieran returned to the festival at his usual hour. The atmosphere was alive with chatter and music, laughter spilling from every corner.
"His Highness the Great," a voice called above the noise.
Kieran turned and blinked at the familiar face. "Y-you… the food thief?"
Lira, still in disguise, grinned. "Not anymore. I found myself a job."
They fell into step, drifting through the crowd. Lira's tone was light, but there was a keen edge beneath it. "I saw your circus act. Brilliant. I clapped until my hands hurt, but you never noticed me. Forget me, you did not even notice your beloved, Sylia the Wonder Girl."
"She is not my beloved," Kieran said quickly.
"She is not? Why not?" Lira pressed, feigning disbelief.
"W-what makes you think s-she is my beloved?"
"I have sharp eyes. I can read minds in a blink. The way she looked at you, only someone in love looks that way. I thought she would kiss you right there." His teasing carried a spark of mischief.
Kieran stopped. His voice came out sharper than usual, the stammer nearly gone. "S-she is not that girl. You know nothing. Stupid."
The words hit harder than he meant. Lira's smile slipped away. She turned and walked off without a word, leaving Kieran in the crowd, gripping his silence.
Far off, Lira sat on a bench, brooding. After a while, Kieran returned carrying two meat buns and a sweet fizzy drink. He placed them carefully on the bench and nudged one toward Lira.
"H-happy meat bun. I-it will make you happy if you eat it," he said, his voice hesitant.
He took a deep breath, then let the words spill out softly. "I-i like her."
Lira's head snapped around, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
"See? I told you," he said, almost triumphantly.
"But s-she is not my beloved. She does not even know that I-i like her," Kieran muttered, twisting the wrapper nervously between his fingers.
"Impossible, my friend. Do you know, when you stand near her and hold her hand… do you know how she looks at you? The way you are the only person in the world, impossible to ignore, unforgettable. When you dance with her… she looks at you the way one soul looks at its other half. And at the end, when she stands close… do you know how she looks? The way Sylia looks at Keal. Yes!" Lira's words poured out, excitement unrestrained.
Kieran listened, a small smile tugging at his lips, until the final sentence hit. His face shifted, disbelief shadowing his features.
"Like… she sees no one but Keal?" he murmured.
"Yes," Lira said, still brimming with excitement, unaware of the change in Kieran's mood.
Kieran stood slowly, muttering to himself. "I-if, beside Keal, everything is invisible… t-the way Sylia looks at him… But I… I see only Sylia."
Without another word, he walked away, leaving Lira alone on the bench.
Lira watched him go, calm and measured, as if she had anticipated his reaction all along. Perhaps, she thought, this was exactly what she had expected.
-----
Keal kept his eyes on the tiny screwdriver between his fingers until a voice cut the silence.
"I-i am doing your act today."
He did not look up at first, fingers still turning the tool. "Huh?"
Kieran stepped into the worklight, his shadow falling across the bench. "I said, t-today you will take my place. And I will take y-yours."
Keal set the tools down with a soft click and turned. A short, disbelieving laugh left him. "Are you insane? Do you want the circus to close?"
"Why?" Kieran asked, face open, as if he truly did not understand.
"Why?" Keal echoed, incredulous. "Do you not know why? That is the trick. The whole trick. The world sees one man, but we are two. That is the illusion."
"What difference does it make?" Kieran insisted, taking a step closer. "As if anyone would ever find out."
"No," Keal said, the word flat and final. He turned back to his work.
"I want to do it." There was a new, sharp edge to Kieran's voice.
"You cannot. We have not rehearsed. I have not rehearsed your act. It is not possible."
"I d-do not need to rehearse. I have always been Keal. Today, y-you become Kieran. "
"Stop this nonsense!" Keal snapped, his patience fraying. "You cannot do it."
"I CAN!" Kieran's 's voice rose, sharp and clear. The force of it made Keal go still.
Kieran held his brother's gaze, his expression fierce with a desire Keal did not understand. "I-i will do your act today."
Keal watched him, really watched him, seeing the stubborn set of his jaw, the unusual fire in his eyes. This was not a whim. A slow, serious understanding settled over his features. He nodded once, a curt, conceding motion.
"All right," he said, his voice low. "You are Keal today. And I am Kieran. For the first time." He paused, his eyes locking with his brother's to impart the weight of his next words. "And for the last."
To be continued...