Summary
Highlights
A new character, Pomni, suddenly appears in the Amazing Digital Circus, disoriented and unable to remove a VR-like headset. Caine, the ringmaster, introduces himself and his assistant Bubble, along with the other inhabitants: Gangle, Zooble, Kinger, Ragatha, and Jax. Pomni is distressed, trying to understand where she is and why she can't leave.
The other residents inform Pomni that there's no escape from the Digital Circus. Jax explains that they have all been stuck there for years, and trying to leave is futile. Pomni also realizes she can't remember her name, a common occurrence for newcomers. Caine helps her choose a new name: Pomni, after a quick spin of a name-generating wheel.
Caine announces a new 'adventure' for Pomni: catching 'gloinks' which are mischievous creatures that steal objects. He describes them vaguely, leaving it to the characters to figure out their nature. Zooble is immediately overwhelmed by gloinks, and the others, including Zooble, question the purpose of these adventures.
Ragatha suggests checking on Kaufmo, a resident who has been acting strange. Kinger warns that Kaufmo has gone insane, fixated on finding an exit. Upon entering Kaufmo's room, they discover he has 'abstracted' into a monstrous, glitching entity, a state of madness in the Digital Circus. Jax takes something from Kaufmo's room and leaves Pomni and Ragatha to deal with the abstracted Kaufmo.
Ragatha, injured by Kaufmo, tells Pomni to find Caine to fix her and deal with Kaufmo. Pomni searches for Caine throughout the bizarre, ever-changing digital environment. Meanwhile, Jax, Kinger, and Zooble encounter the 'Gloink Queen,' a giant gloink that has absorbed all the other gloinks and objects they stole, including parts of Zooble.
Pomni discovers an 'exit door' leading to a void, which turns out to be Caine's unfinished work. Caine appears and reveals he lied about the exit, as he hadn't finished building what was on the other side. He collects Kaufmo's abstracted form and places him in a cellar for other abstracted characters. Pomni and the others are rewarded with a 'digital feast,' which Kinger explains provides no nutritional benefits.