Celia forces herself to survive the flare of fire and rain by breaking apart and then re-forming, using the circus as her anchor. She reappears in her own tent, physically whole but feeling lighter and strained, and she realizes the circus around her has become transparent and insubstantial.

Marco experiences the moment differently: the blast stretches on endlessly, then turns into disorienting void as Celia vanishes from his grasp. His vision oscillates between darkness and blinding white, with no ground or stable place to orient himself.

Celia moves through the circus by thought, as if the tents and rooms slide around her. She searches familiar spaces—the Ice Garden, the Hall of Mirrors, the Menagerie, the Pool of Tears, the Wishing Tree, and the Labyrinth—finding emptiness, missing reflections, and details that no longer hold shape. She senses Marco nearby and sees uncertain traces of him, but nothing solid enough to reach.

Marco suddenly draws breath in the Ice Garden, shocked by how cold and white everything is. The garden itself is transparent, though Marco remains solid; when he touches a rose, his fingers pass through it as if it is water. Hearing Celia, he turns and recognizes her as real when he can touch her face, and they cling to each other in relief.

Celia explains she tried to take Marco with her by using the circus as a touchstone, but she nearly lost him in the process. As they look around, Marco notices the garden beginning to melt and realizes the bonfire has gone out; he can also sense the entire circus and detects Tsukiko standing in the dark courtyard. He concludes Celia is now holding the circus together alone, and Celia admits she has suspended it but it cannot sustain itself without them—if she lets go, it will collapse, and she does not know what will happen to them.