[Snippet] The Masks We Wear (Honkai: Star Rail): Chapter 10 (Patreon)

Allen had his hands up as he ran out of the prison towards freedom.

He had quickly changed his appearance, and no one noticed the man dancing between the crowds as he put distance between himself and the prison. The exit he found was not the same entrance he came in by. After running around for a bit and then finding a crowd to follow, he realized he was back to the Exalting Sanctum.

It was much more crowded this time around.

In fact, he noticed there were a lot of hastily set-up stalls and booths that looked familiar. They were the ones from the Alchemy Commission area. He remembered what the general said about the Arbor acting up, and from his memories, he recalled that the hotspot was the Alchemy Commission. So it didn’t take a wild guess to deduce that they had been evacuated or moved temporarily to somewhere safer.

The Alchemy Commission was where the vast majority of medicine was purchased and doctors were housed, so they had to get back to work regardless of the situation.

He made his way to the center octagonal glass walkway at the center of the courtyard and collapsed onto the ground with a tired sigh.

Who knew that being a Masked Fool could be so tiring?

He inched across the ground until a building stopped blocking his view, and he could see the Ambrosial Arbor in the distance glowing and releasing an enchanting aura.

Sure enough, things had already been set in motion, but it didn’t have much to do with him.

He flipped over onto his back to pull out his phone to check the time. Based on when he was in the prison and his talk with the general, he was mentally calculating that it should be fine for now.

The Fyxestroll Garden wasn’t that far away, and it would take a bit before his prospective employee had appeared over there.

“Hey, are you sick?”

Allen rolled around to see who was talking to him. A small little dragon girl was looking down at him, her hands on her hips, like a parent scolding a child.

“You’re rolling around on the ground; do you need some medicine or a doctor?” She demanded. “You’re making everyone uncomfortable. Tell me if you need a doctor.”

“I think most of my issues are psychological, unfortunately.” Allen responded, realizing that there were in fact people staring at him.

“Hmph. Are you drunk? I can prescribe you a tea remedy, but you need to go home and go to sleep and get a proper night’s rest. A healthy body needs to eat properly and sleep properly.” She said matter-of-factly. 

Allen sat up, getting a better look at her. Little Dragon's horns and a dragon's tail behind her swishing around. 

He peeked around her and saw a couple people looking at her very intently. They looked like they were ready to run over at a moment’s notice. Based on their pointy ears, like her, they could be Vidyadhara. However, unlike them, she actually physically expresses her draconic features beyond just pointy ears.

He could more or less guess the situation. "Hey, what’s that over there?” Allen pointed, making the little Dragon Girl turn around. In that moment, he pulled his Mask off his face and threw it upwards, letting it turn into confetti around them.

“What? What’s over there?” 

“Oh, nothing, I guess I was mistaken.” Allen hummed. “By the way, why are those two people over there looking like they want to kidnap you? Do I need to call the guards?” 

“Eh?” The girl turned to look. "Erm…those are my bodyguards.” She puffed up her chest. “Ignore it, ignore it.” She sounded oddly elderly in some respects. “Let me take your pulse; you’re clearly ill. Weird mister, hold your hand out.”

“What’s the Vidyadhara High Elder doing out of the Alchemy Commission, hmm?” Allen hopped up onto his feet.

“Ah?” She seemed surprised. “Do you know me?” She tilted her head.

“Who doesn’t know the cute little dragon that helps the sick and the injured.”

She puffed up again. “I’m not little! And I’m older than you! I’m centuries old, hmph!”

“Want to see a trick?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer before he took out a balloon and blew into it. He then twisted and bent it into shape. “Look, it’s a dog.” He handed it to her without her having a chance to refuse.

For a brief moment her eyes widened, and there was a childlike curiosity.

Eventually she just looked away from it with a forced expression of disdain. “I have no need for something like this. I’m not so childish that something silly—"

“I can do other shapes.”

“Can you do a kitty?” She immediately switched gears and seemingly caught herself and flushed just a tiny bit. 

“Sure can!” Allen said happily, taking out another balloon and twisting it into shape. 

By the look in her eyes, it was as if he had plucked the stars from the sky and handed them to her. She grabbed the new balloon animal and waved it around excitedly, seemingly forgetting where she was or what she was doing as she started to play with it.

The little dragon girl waved it through the air, throwing it up and catching it and giggling as she acted out how she looked.

Allen didn’t interrupt her immediately; he more or less understood her situation. She was a centuries-old Vidyadhara Elder stuck in the body of a child. She wanted to be treated like an adult, yet at the same time, she wanted to play around and be a child.

It wasn’t her fault she was like this.

Allen eyed the shackle on her tail.

“From what I remember, the stories of the amazing Dragon Doctor come from over at the Alchemy Commission. What brings you over to these parts?”

“Hmm?” She stopped in her tracks for a moment, Balloon animal in hand as she was waving it around. She didn’t focus on him immediately but went back to what had her attention, yet still answered. “They said that the Ambrosial Arbor was acting weird and we had to evacuate. So I’m over here treating patients.”

She suddenly stopped. “Oh no!” She dropped the balloon and hesitantly looked over to the two other Vidyadhara’s that were watching before.

But they weren’t reacting; they were still standing there like normal.

“Don’t worry, they can’t see us. I just played a little trick, so you can keep playing without them coming over to ruin your fun.” Allen smiled.

He threw his Mask up earlier and used it to just make a small illusion over them. To everyone else, it looks like the little girl is checking his pulse and looking him over as a patient.

“Oh no…” She whispered. “If they find out…I’ll be punished, and I won’t be allowed to come out of my room for months again…” She sounded genuinely concerned.

Allen raised an eyebrow. “Punished? Who has the right to punish you?”

She seemed to regain her wits about her, putting her hands on her hips as she looked at him with clear skepticism. “Hey, who are you? Why are you doing this? Separating me, hiding me? Do you have some ulterior motive? I’m warning you, I…I'm not a defenseless little girl!” She pulled her gourd off her hip and aimed it at him. “I’ll let you taste my Dragon Tears if you do anything bad!”

“Mighty Dragon, please calm your anger! This one is just a small little masked fool who saw you looked like you could use some fun. I mean no harm.” He was intentionally exaggerative with his wording and reactions. 

“A Masked Fool?” She repeated. “They said that masked fools are all bad. That they do things to cause chaos and hurt people.”

Some of that he couldn’t argue against.

"Would it set your mind at ease if I just said I came from meeting the General? He’s aware I’m here and he’s okay with it.” He may or may not have stretched the truth a bit.

She puffed up, still aiming her gourd at him. “You’re not lying to me, are you? If you’re lying, I’ll make you regret it!”

“I wouldn’t dare lie to such an impressive dragon as yourself.” He held up his hands.

“Hmph. Then this lady will believe you this once…since you have given this lady a gift.”

“This humble clown thanks you for your generosity, Lady Dragon.” Allen played along. “But I have to ask, why are you so scared of them?”

She frowned and turned away. “You need not concern yourself with the matters of the Vidyadhara.”

“Oh well, I guess you’re right. It’s not any of my business if they’re illegally kidnapping a young lady against her will.”

“Kidnapping?” she repeated. “No, I’m…. I’m part of the Vidyadhara Clan; they don’t kidnap me when I run away…"

“Says who?” he asked. “The Vidyadhara? The Xianzhou laws have forbidden slavery for as long as I can remember. And you said yourself, you are centuries old; therefore, you are a full-fledged adult by the laws of the Xianzhou, are you not? By what right would they have to take you away, to lock you up against your will?”

She stared at him in confusion for several moments.

“And aren’t you the High Elder, who has the right to order you around within the Vidyadhara?”

“But the Elders said that…that since I don’t have the full powers…I'm not a proper High Elder…” She muttered, taken off guard by this line of questioning. She quickly regains her confidence. “What do you know!? I’m not a proper High Elder! I have to keep my power sealed because it will go out of control! So…so I’m not a real High Elder!” 

“Is that the lie they told you?”

“...what?” Her expression changed.

“Are you sure that it’s to contain your powers because they will go out of control, or is it to control you so they don’t lose their own power?”

She went quiet.

Her growth had been stunted because of various issues during her time as an egg. However, some additional issues most certainly lay at the feet of that shackle on her tail.

Allen couldn’t claim to be an expert on the Vidyadhara, but suppressing their natural powers isn't just suppressing an aspect of themselves? That most certainly had been causing problems with her natural growth.

She wasn’t stupid.

Despite some of her childish tendencies, she was a legitimate doctor with everything that entailed. You can’t become a doctor without being a rather intelligent person and understanding what he was saying.

Maybe she already knew before, but she just didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“But, as you said,. It’s none of my business.” Allen brushed himself off. “The world is a scary place. Sometimes, it’s more comfortable to be told what to do and how to live your life. If you’re shackled, you can tell yourself that there’s nothing you can do, and it’s reassuring to live inside your cage. If you ignore the bars, they stop feeling like they’re holding you inside.”

He turned his hand over, and there was a Mask now presented.

It was the same style as his original, but perhaps a cheap imitation. Something well within his own powers to create, a fake Mask, as it were.

“But if you want to try stepping out of that cage, to see what’s on the other side, try putting this on. Because even if it’s scary, you can hide behind this Mask until you’re ready to face it yourself.” He dropped it into her hands silently.

In front of her gaze, Allen did an exaggerated bow. “Goodbye, my fair Dragon Lady.” He turned into dust and drifted away in the wind, much to her surprise.

It wasn’t his job to pull her out of her cage. If she wanted out, she had to walk out on her own.

@***@

Allen didn’t expect to run into the little dragon. Nor did he have some scheme or plan involving her. Rather, he just felt a little bit of sympathy for her situation and gave her something to think about and perhaps a little push to help her take her first steps.

She was, by all definitions, a prisoner by her own clan. 

Allen wasn’t a hero by any means, but as a Masked Fool, it annoyed him to see a young girl—or an older girl depending on her current mindset—now allowed to have fun.

From what he recalled, she basically came out to act as a doctor before her ‘handlers’ locked her back up in her room or the manner or compound that the Vidyadhara owned. He wasn’t too clear on the details about that point, but it didn’t matter in the end.

If she took him as some weirdo and tossed the Mask away and ignored him, that was her prerogative.

Allen stood silently on top of a ship as it passed by and jumped off of it before landing onto a large rock floating in the air. He hopped across several more before he landed on the next major landmass.

Fyxestroll Garden.

From what he remembered, it was supposed to be a leisurely garden for people to relax and quietly walk and spend their time in peace.

However, an eerie chill had taken over the place.

He could see some faint lights flying around in the sky above, an ethereal green hue that whipped through the air without rhyme or reason. Heliobus, or Ghosts, as they’re more familiarly called.

The topic of Ghosts was an interesting one in the universe.

What even were ghosts?

They had been systematically defined and analyzed under the umbrella of Heliobi. Essentially, they’re acknowledged as creatures made of pure energy rather than carbon-based lifeforms. To many, Ghosts were still something of legends, but many also knew their true existence.

For example, a certain Lord Ravager was actually a Heliobi—a type of energy being.

There was an old story in the Xianzhou Luofu.

A Heliobus of such power that it fought against a previous General—an Emanator of the Hunt. The General, even using his Radiant Spirit—the power of an Emanator bestowed by the Aeon of the Hunt—fought it for days and nights. According to the stories, the great Ghost, who could shift into a hundred different forms to contend with the General, was only lost because of human trickery.

Whether those stories were true or exaggerated, one fact remained clear. It was an entity that was at least capable of clashing with an Emanator. Even if it was a loser in the end, even if it made excuses for defeat, the number of beings in the universe that could match an Emanator, even for a little while, was very few.

The ghost's name was Ignamar.

The General of Old had fractured it and sealed its remains in a certain furnace. The Alchemy Commission’s Furnace was now overrun by the Ambrosial Arbor. From Allen’s memories, a fight with the rampaging Abundance caused the Furnace to crack and the seal be released, and the pieces of that former Ghost had escaped.

Based on the scene in front of Allen, the flickers of light in the air, the chill in the air, and the phantoms he could see in the distance, it was clear that they had already escaped like he remembered.

Thankfully, it seemed that the Ten-Lord’s Commission hadn’t descended up the Garden yet and sealed it off. He was sure that people were now spreading rumors that the Garden was haunted, but it would at least take a little bit before they were confirmed and contained.

The issue with the Stellaron and Lord Ravager would have the Xianzhou authorities prioritizing that mess for now.

Allen reached out at a passing flicker of light and snatched it from the air.

It was like a glob of cold water, but solid, yet not nice. It churned in his grasp, wanting to escape, but he clutched onto it tightly.

A ghost without much of an ego.

Most Heliobi, they like to either copy other creatures or possess them to gain an ego or gain some sort of intelligence. It was sort of an instinct for them if they lacked those aspects. However, even intelligent ones also seemed to enjoy this behavior as well. For the most part, stories of Ghosts weren’t pleasant across the universe.

They were, widely considered, malevolent entities. Be it tricksters, demons, or tormentors. They existed across a wide spectrum. But it was a known ‘legend’ that Ghosts like to possess people, which was in fact quite true.

He didn’t know where his future employee was, but he had a fairly good idea of how to find him. Allen quickly ran forward to snatch another Ghost from the air that had appeared in his vision. His head then snapped to the side to see another floating by, almost ethereal as it phased in and out of normal perception.

A normal person wouldn’t be able to do something, but Allen was an Emanator. Breaking normal ‘physics’ was as easy as brushing his teeth in the morning. He pulled it out of its attempt to phase through physical interference.

Allen jumped onto the railing of the nearby stairs, then jumped onto a long-grown baboon shoot that was towering in the sky and used it as a spring to jump up further and snatch another passing Ghost.

He touched back down on a stone terrace.

There was a moment where he stopped to take in his surroundings. The Garden was actually rather beautiful, even under this strange and eerie atmosphere. He was feeling regretful that he didn’t visit while it was operating as normal.

But he didn’t dwell on it as he saw a bird flying back with an eerie aura around it.

"Human—!?" The bird ‘spoke’ as Allen snatched it from the air.

“Oh, an intelligent one? Nice!” He squeezed it and stuffed it into his pocket. Intelligent Ghosts were even better.

The Garden wasn’t all, well…Garden. There was a side path going up a cliff, and on it were all sorts of steels and gravestones with incense and offerings meticulously prepared along the way. Allen’s grin grew wide as he broke out into a sprint and shot forward up the pathway, grabbing Ghosts left and right that were hanging around the Steeles. 

They were seemingly attracted to the gravesites.

He made his way up to the top of the peak, and at this point, he had close to a hundred little Ghosts all tucked away.

Allen nodded to him and jumped off the top of the peak, touching back down with an elegant landing as he posed for an invisible audience.

He made his way to the center of the Garden. A deserted stone terrace with nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

He took out all the Ghosts. As soon as they were freed from his pockets, they instinctively tried to flee, but he kept them pressed down. He grabbed the bird first and foremost.

“Hello there, Mr. Bird. You must be really hungry, right?” He looked at it.

The bird looked back at him. “Human, what are you trying to do!? Release me at once or—"

He held up another Ghost at beak level with the bird.

“...Human, I’m not hungry.”

“Nonsense.” He pushed the Ghost into the mouth of the bird and into its belly. The Bird had a hard time swallowing it, but nonetheless, its aura intensified. It wasn’t a matter of one plus one equals two. All these Ghosts came from the same entity, and two fusing back together caused it to go through a qualitative leap.

“Human! Cease!”

“You must still be hungry." He held up another Ghost. “Don’t worry, I got plenty here for you.”

The Bird made a garbled noise even without a mouth as he stuffed another Ghost into it. And another, and another. The Ghosts he had available began to dwindle as he fed them all to the intelligent ghost Bird.

“Human, Stop! I can't…I'm going to lose my mind, human! If you don’t stop, I’ll lose control and you’ll be sorry!” The Bird warned, still struggling.

It had become significantly stronger at this point. But also, its aura became rather chaotic as well.

“Are you saying you don’t like the meal I prepared for you? Tutt tutt, how rude. Aren’t you supposed to thank a chef when they give you a meal?” He held up another ghost.

“Human! Stop at once!”

“Tell me you like the meal.”

“I-I like the meal! Please, stop human!”

“If you like it so much, I have extra servings here. Make sure to eat to your heart’s content!” Allen smiled happily, stuffing more Ghosts into the bird.

The bird let out a scream, and its bird body popped, and instead, its ghostly form twisted and tried to lash out in a chaotic way. Its aura had risen to the point where it could probably be felt across the entire Garden.

He was in fact waiting for this. “Stop misbehaving! If you’re full, then take a nap!” He slapped the misbehaving Ghost onto the ground. And out of the corner of his eye, he saw exactly what he was looking for. 

A Ghost had floated over, silently observing.

It was different from the other Ghosts here because rather than possessing something or being a wisp of eerie energy, it had taken on a unique form.

It was like a floating eyeball. And it had been lured over by the commotion that Allen had caused and perhaps the action of its fellow Ghost going crazy.

“Hello, Friend~” Allen looked at the eyeball. “Why don’t you come down here for a chat?”

The Eye looked at him curiously before floating down. Maybe it was arrogant or simply didn’t care about what he just did to the fellow ghost.

“Human, who are you?”

“A simple fool."

“A Masked Fool?” He asked. “Your kind seems to exist in my memories.” Despite being an eyeball, it could speak rather easily. “Be thankful. This Lord has returned after so long, so I’m allowing you an audience out of curiosity.”

“Alright, I’ll be blunt. I want to recruit you.” Allen said without any preamble or beating around the bush.

The eye narrowed. “Recruit me? Gnat, who do you think you are? This one is a great lord that fought General Teng Xiao to a standstill! Hmph, you Masked Fool, is this your idea of a joke? Fine, I find the humor in it. As a reward, I’ll allow you to feel with your life.”

“Don’t be like that; at least hear me out.”

“No need, begone; you test my patience. The Xianzhou will suffer my wrath; if you are in my way, you will be stepped on all the same.” It turned away, uninterested any longer.

“How about a deal? From what I understand, you were just unsealed from the furnace, right? You must not have a good idea of what’s happening right now. I have information on the current era.”

The eyebrow turned back around at him. “Do you think—"

Allen held up a finger to interrupt him. “The deal is, we play a little game. A ghost as intelligent as you, you must have given yourself a name, right? A piece of the legendary Ignamar, you aren’t some mindless creature who moves just on instinct, right?”

The Eye was silent for a moment before it scoffed. “Of course this Lord has a name.”

“Then how about this. I guess your name. If I lose, I’ll tell you anything I know, everything I know. As a little appetizer, I’ll tell you that there’s currently a Stellaron on board the Luofu right now, so things are a little interesting.”

The Eye seemed to consider it. “And if you win?”

“I just want you to listen to my recruitment attempt; that’s it.” He offered.

“That’s it?” The Eye sounded confused. “Fool, this game is in my favor from every standpoint. What do you have to gain by intentionally losing such as this? Forget it; your kind find elation in the most confusing of things. Fine. If you guess my name, this lord will hear your pathetic attempt as ‘recruiting’ me.”

“Alright, how about three chances?” Allen helps up three fingers.

“Fine, start. Get this pathetic game over with.” He said with clear impatience. He valued the idea of learning about the current era and wanted to get to that part quickly.

“Hmm, hmm. Is your name Ignamar?” He asked.

The Eye scoffed. “Did you think I would take up that name!? Stupid, stupid human. You’re wrong!”

“You know, sometimes the right answer is the most obvious. But oh well, I know the name for sure. Is your name Casper?”

The Eye was silent for a moment. “Human, why do I feel like you’re insulting me?”

“Okay, okay. Last attempt. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? What’s your Zodiac, what month were you born in, and what was the most popular name in the year you were born—"

“Human, get on with it! I won’t answer any questions, finish your pathetic—"

“Cirrus.”

The air was much colder again.

“Human.” Its tone took on a sharper tone. “How do you know my name?”

“I guessed. But are you going to honor your end of the deal?” Allen smiled. “It’s fine if you don’t. I can’t force you, of course. Only that…both of us will know that you’re a sore loser.”

If it had a mouth, Allen could picture it was gritting its teeth.

"...get on with it, you Gnat.” He scoffed in irritation.

“Don’t be upset. How about this? I’ll tell you how I knew your name afterwards. I’ll even tell you about what’s going on outside regardless. You just have to listen to me yap on for a bit.”

“Hmph.” That seemed to lighten his mood, however. "Speak. The quicker you get on with it, the quicker you can leave this Lord’s presence.”

“Alright, let me ask this. What’s your goal?”

“My Goal?” The Eye floated there in quiet contemplation. “I want a rematch. I lost to that general, but I didn’t lose from strength! I lost through human trickery! I want a proper rematch!”

“The General you’re looking for—he's long gone. A New General took up the post, and he isn’t exactly the type to clash head-on, you know? He’s the scheming type, though he isn’t weak by any means.”

Cirrus scoffed. “I don’t care; I won’t fall for any schemes again this time. I just want a rematch to prove that I lost because of a Fluke!”

“And what if I could offer you that chance?”

“Why would I need your help, Human? I can fight the general whenever I want. If I wanted to, I could recall all the wandering pieces of myself and fuse them back together. I could launch another attack on the Xianzhou right here and now.” The aura around Cirrus flared up as if proving a point.

Allen did note that even without absorbing all the pieces scattered about, he had the power of a stronger Pathstrider.

“Would you be satisfied with just that?”

"...what do you mean?”

“What if there was a much grander stage? An inevitable clash with the Xianzhou, but something much greater," Allen offered. “I want you to be my general. The one who leads my armies.”

“Your…general?” He was confused. “Human, you’re speaking nonsense. Don’t bother me with these paltry attempts at 'recruitment.' Be glad I’m humoring your ridiculous attempts and disappearing from my sight. My plans are my own, and I don't need a gnat like you to interfere.”

Allen knew it wouldn’t be quite so easy, but he prepared a backup. “Fine, I have one last card up my sleeve.” Allen put a hand in front of his face, and briefly, his Crowned Clown silhouette flashed before he pulled his true Mask off his face. “I have…let's call it memories. If you see this and still reject me, we’ll go our separate ways and you’ll probably never see me again after you get what you want from me.”

The Eye looked at Allen, then looked at the Mask.

He was no Memeokeeper, but a small trick like this was something he could do when it came to Masks.

Cirrus didn’t have to accept it. It would easily just deny him now and be done with it. And out of all his ‘recruitments’ that Allen planned, this was the one that he couldn’t force. Because he wanted a well, true, proper general. As a ghost, Cirrus could enter his circus and not have to die.

It was a benefit that he couldn’t ignore.

Allen held the mask out for several beats before a green hue enveloped it, and it floated out of his hand and over towards Cirrus and slowly fitted itself over him. 

His singular pupil constricted and dilated as its entire eye snapped back before returning. "You…you're mad!”

It saw.

It saw his plans.

His goal, and the ways to achieve it.

It wasn’t condemnation in its tone, it wasn’t dismissal for a mad fool, it was tinged with fright.

“You’re going to make the entire universe your enemy!" It declared with a rasp. “You will become the most hated and despised person in the entire universe! All worlds, all forces will descend on you and do everything in their power to stop you! Not just the Xianzhou, everyone!”

“That’s right.” Allen acknowledged. “I’ll become the enemy of everyone. And I need someone to lead my Army. I need a general."

“You Gnat…no, you mad fool! You, do you even have any idea what you’re asking? Do you truly understand what you plan to do!? The Hunt is one thing, but everyone will be your enemy! Even those freaks who relish in [Destruction] will come after you!”

The mask floated off Cirrus and returned to Allen’s hands. He put it on his face as he sat backwards onto an invisible seat.

His figure shifted, his cowl enveloped him, and he landed on a throne and climbed upwards as his circus unfurled behind him. His full presence was displayed, an emanator of elation in the flesh.

The Crowned Clown.

“How about it? Want to fight the universe with me?” Allen asked. 

Cirrus trembled.

Excitement?

Fear?

Contempt?

Arrogance?

Cirrus wanted to fight the Xianzhou out of pride. And now, he was being presented a much bigger stage, not just to fulfill his goal, which would come eventually, but for something much grander.

“A General…” Cirrus whispered. “A General.”

A lofty position, the one who oversaw all the soldiers under Allen’s command. The one who commanded and fought on the front lines against all the foes that will come crashing down on Allen when his plans finally get put into action.

Plans that will have the entire Universe coming after them.

Cirrus trembled uncontrollably and looked up towards the sky. “This Lord commands you! Come! Rejoin! Become one again!” He roared and the garden shook violently. Several green lights danced in the sky, then suddenly, hundreds shot up from the earth, thousands shot upwards into the sky like a torrent, then arched and came right down on him.

They enveloped Cirrus, merging into him.

“We will regain our lost honor! Our name will echo across every star in the sky!” They clumped together, reforming, combining as Cirrus grew larger and larger. His power began to skyrocket as an eerie beam of light shot upwards, breaking the clouds and causing an aurora of ghastly power. “We are Ignamar no more! We are Cirrus, the General! The Vanguard of the Mad Fool! Let the enemies of the universe fear our name!”

Allen held his hand out, and he produced a special mask. It was silver like the others, but it was more adorned; it was unique and specific just for his general.

It floated over, and Cirrus didn’t reject it as it merged onto his face, reshaping to cover his singular eye.

“Welcome to the Circus, My General.”

Cirrus shrunk down and, without hesitation, moved right into the Circus Tent.

@***@

A/N

Allen gains his general, and his forces further increase. How strong is Cirrus? Probably like 2/3rds as strong as Ignamar was, which will be mentioned in the next chapter and explained in more detail.

This might be the fastest that I got to 10 chapters on a snippet? Maybe Cyclops beat it, but it was fairly fast. Been having a lot of fun writing this one, so it's been rather easy.