After everyone left looking for the chainsaw, she pulled it out of its hiding place and headed for her mysterious ally's cell. But the maze had changed, and her signs were gone.

"Where's the rabbit when you need it?" she murmured.

For a while, she wandered the corridors, again leaving trails of blood behind her, until she saw a dark spot glimmer in front of her. She went forward but saw that there was no longer a crossroads, but a straight line. At the end of the corridor was the metal door! She couldn't believe how lucky she was. The door had changed position along with the maze, as if someone wanted her to find it.

She opened it.

"You're back!" came the man's voice strongly, betraying excitement.

"Yes."

"And you brought the chainsaw too!" he noticed.

Madalen gave it to him willingly, and he started cutting the chains like a maniac. For a moment, she believed that once he cut them, he would turn and cut her in two. After freeing himself from his bonds, he put down the chainsaw and rush at Madalen. She was taken aback and didn't budge. But finally, the stranger hugged her tightly.

"Thank you!"

"Nothing," she said, not knowing what to say or how to react. "I better leave now. You can come out later so no one sees us together," she told him and turned to leave.

"Yes, young lady, yes! Go and don't worry, you did the right thing!"

The stranger smiled at her with a very bright smile. Under other circumstances, she would have found it charming, but she didn't pay that much attention.

She easily found the exit and the rooms thanks to the blood marks she had left. But a thought made her turn back. She had forgotten Purple's chainsaw in the cell. She started to go back again when she heard a voice stop her.

"You lied to me!"

It was Jio, coming furiously from his room towards her.

"Jio? What… What do you mean?" she stammered.

"For the maze!"

She wanted to make an excuse, but she couldn't escape him anymore; he had seen her coming from there.

"While you have told me the whole truth?" she finally said, challenging his words.

"I may be hiding things from you, but I'm being honest!"

"I highly doubt it!" she was getting on her nerves. What? Was he playing nice and honest with her? Who, Jio? Where they killed and locked people in cells?

"I saw the marks you made! You will not go near this cell again, or I will lock you in too! Did you hear me?"

His nerves had taken another turn; she had never seen him like this before.

"What is it that scares you? That I will free someone you fear?" she smiled vigorously.

" You didn't dare!" His eyes widened.

"And if I say yes, what will happen?"

She felt like she had him in her hands. Nothing gave her more pleasure, even if the plan went awry. Jio approached her and raised his hand to hit her, but another hand stopped him abruptly by grabbing his wrist.

"Jio… Since when do you treat women so violently?"

Jio's eyes narrowed. He turns his head to see who was talking to him and had stopped his movement. His eyes flashed with surprise and rage as soon as he saw the face standing behind him.

"What's wrong? Have you forgotten my face after all these years of imprisoning me?" the man asked and released his hand.

"Joe…" Jio mumbled.

  "Same and unchanging!" he grinned. "Aren't you glad to see me?"

The tall man was smiling happily.

"Should I be glad to see that you have succeeded in your cunning once more in escaping to destroy me? No, I don't think I'm happy."

"Oh, don't be afraid, you can keep your little circus folk, I don't care. I care about something else."

"Yeah, I know… The circus."

"Of course! I've always been interested in that and I'll always be interested in that."

"I'll never give it to you!"

Was all this hate and ranting about the circus? But why? What was the point? thought Madalen, who was not missing a word of what they were saying.

"Then, since you won't give me the circus, I'll get something else from you!" His eyes looked at him wickedly and cruelly. Then he looked at Madalen. "Miss, would you like to come with me, please?"

"You wouldn't dare! Madalen will stay here!"

"That's not your decision," Joe said, looking at Madalen again. He walked over to her and offered her his arm. Madalen then noticed a huge, deep scar on his neck. She hadn't noticed it before because the room was dark and she hadn't seen Joe that close.

"So, miss? The decision is yours. As you can see, I am not possessive like my brother!"

His hawkish black eyes fixed on her intensely.

"What?" Madalen was startled. "Are you brothers?"

"Don't you see the resemblance? Don't look at me because I'm older. Actually, we are the same, but we don't look alike on the outside, nor are our inner worlds the same," he smiled strangely. "Or it might be."

What he was saying made no sense.

"But how is that possible?" she was even more confused. Did he mean half-brothers?

"Such as can this circus of insanity exist, miss," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Madalen, don't go with him!" Jio begged her.

"Why didn't you tell me he was your brother in the first place?" she asked Joe.

"Because you didn't ask me. And unlike my brother, as you can see, I don't hide it. But he didn't tell you about me, not even that I exist. He obviously didn't want to show you how hard he is on his family."

Madalen glared at Jio.

"I'm not impressed; he's already shown me what a monster he is," she said angrily.

She turned her back to Jio and grabbed Joe's arm ostentatiously.

"Let's go," she said.

"No, Madalen! You do not understand! It's a big mistake to go with him!” Jio called after them. Joe, as he walked, turned and looked at Jio, showing a dark smile full of meaning.

"My mistake in the first place was listening to you," Madalen replied without turning to look at him.