On opening night, Marco grows impatient as midnight approaches, intent on using the bonfire as his best chance to secure a lasting connection to Le Cirque des Rves before it travels far from London. The early arrival of the Murray twins has disrupted his plans, but Marco believes the bonfire binding will still work, and he has spent months quietly taking on more control of the circus under Chandreshs direction, expanding the risk and scope of what he is tying himself to.

Just before midnight, Marco slips away in the crowded courtyard and approaches the empty cauldron within the twisted iron. Unnoticed, he throws in a large leather-bound notebook8a copy of one locked safely in his office8a and leaves it open so the elaborate ink tree inside faces the night sky. He stays close as the archers begin, watching the amplified fire shift through vivid colors.

When the final arrow lands and the flames flare, Marco closes his eyes, feeling the effect take hold as the bonfire completes the secret work he could not fully rehearse.

Elsewhere, Celia finds that performing in the circus is unlike her fathers stage work: the small audiences stay personal, letting her tailor each act to their reactions. Near midnight, she tries to find a place to watch the bonfire, but is drawn backstage into the urgent, anxious commotion of the Murray twins birth, helping however she can with tea and reassurance.

Minutes before midnight, the first baby cries, followed quickly by the second. Almost immediately, Celia senses the bonfires change as a powerful wave surges through the circus and through her body, leaving her shaken until Tsukiko steadies her and remarks that emesensitiveeme people can be affected by such events. Celia realizes her unseen opponent has made a significant move, feeling the circus itself radiate as if newly netted and trapped within its iron fence, and she is left wondering how she can possibly respond.