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I remember back when I was a little boy, around 13 years old, both me and Lucian saw a performer come to the royal's banquet. He calls himself a jester, he stated that his job is to entertain nobles by doing some magic.
The moment he said the taboo word, the knights immediately pointed their swords against him. He didn't flinch nor tremble, he was smiling as if he already knew what would happen to him. The King, however, ordered the knights to retreat their swords, by his command, they immediately followed.
The jester started to prepare for his performance. I was captivated by him. He wore a red and black silk with a hint of white pattern, it was unusual to the jester my mother was describing in her diary, he didn't wear colorful clothes. However, he was wearing a mask, perhaps to hide his identity?
He pulled something in his pocket, it was a set of cards with weird symbols on it. I was fascinated by the way he handled the cards, tossing it around and catching it perfectly, a truly magnificent performance.
After he shuffles the card, he offers the cards to the King and saying "Pick any card, your highness and I shall read your future..." he said playfully, the imperial knights were skeptical about it and ready to attack the jester, but my father foolishly pick a card.
"Don't show it to me, and I shall find it in my deck of cards!" The jester pulled out a table from his small bag making every nobles amazed by it, and I admit, I was too. He scattered the turned down cards in the table he magically pulled. I shifted a little in my seat, anticipating what would happen next.
The King put his chosen card turned down on the table, it was the King of spades that he pulled. The jester mixes all the cards together, shuffles it a lot of times so the card that was chosen by the King disappeared in the other cards.
"Is this your card?" First the jester shows the card of 4 spades, the King shakes his head no. "No?" He put the card in his other hand.
"Is this your card?" he asked again and showed the card of 3 clovers, the King shook his head no for the second time. The nobles start to whisper at each other, it seems this jester is not a good entertainer.
"I don't understand, what could possibly go wrong?" the jester looked dejected, he dragged his feet and walked towards his bag again.
"Perhaps the King's card is in my bag" he said, as he opened his bag a random pie was thrown in his face making everyone laugh.
"Now you truly look like a clown!" the nobles stated, he blushed in embarrassment.
"Well, third time's a charm!" he playfully said as he pulled something in his bag and it was a bunny and everyone laughed again.
"Oh no! where's the King's card could possibly be?" he starts to panic.
"Come on boy! Find the card!" one of the nobles said while the clown picked up his bag and walked closer to the imperial knights.
"Perhaps a handsome knight in shining armor can help me!" He offers his open bag to one of the imperial knights, at first the knight looks at him suspiciously but then he puts his hand to the jester's bag and pulls out another bunny. But this time the bunny kicked the knight in the face, making everyone laugh again.
The jester giggles, "Oh no! Our mister handsome knight!" he said jokingly, as the knight pulled himself together and glared at the jester. He moves to another knight and offers his open bag again. "Perhaps this sir can pull the right card out!" the nobles cheer as the other knight hesitates to stick his hand to the bag.
The King glared at the knight making him more scared. The knight took a deep breath and stuck his hand inside and pulled another card, it was 2 hearts. The moment the knight turned the card around to look at the symbol, it suddenly exploded and made him showered in colored powder paint.
The nobles once again laughed, as the King. The imperial knight's pride is just stomped on by a clown, this mysterious jester. "How amusing indeed!" The King loudly chuckles as the crowd starts praising and applauding the jester.
"Thank you! Thank you!" The entertainer gladly received the attention from everyone in the room. Then suddenly he throws his bag in the air and it turns to colorful butterflies flying in the air making everyone amazed. He goes back to the table and sets the scattered cards in one spot. He pulled a card. "Is this your card?" he once again asked the King. "No..." the King answered, it was a card of ace.
"My bad..." the jester flicked his fingers to the card and it immediately turned into the King's card, the card of King of spade. The nobles goes awe in unison and claps, the jester takes off his hat and bow to the audience and to the King.
"Magnificent performance, boy!" praised by my father.
"However, how can that tell my future?" the King asked, making everyone fall in silence, the jester only laughed and tossed the cards into the air.
The moment the cards fell down on him, he disappeared. The knights immediately ran into his position and he indeed disappeared just like that.
"Y-you're majesty..." one of the knights stuttered, looking down at the cards as if he just saw a ghost. The King finally rises from his throne and looks at the cards on the floor. It was a bunch of tarot cards, indicating death.
...
"You have talent, Aether Lumier!" The moment he suddenly shouted my real name, I felt something pang in my chest. This ghoul knows me and calling out my name, I suddenly fall down on my knees while gasping for air.
"Remember, if a ghoul calls out your name four times in a row while looking at your eyes, he will bring death upon you..." stated by mother in her diary.
"N-no...not my son..." my frail, powerless father called out to the ghoul. "Please...I beg you..." It was the first time I saw my father look scared as he struggled to get out of his bed and kneel beside me as if he was praying to this monster.
"Aether..." my eyes widened when he called the ghoul by its name, the same name as mine. The ghoul chuckles loudly making the castle shake, my father is begging for my life to be spared.
Before I can react, the ghoul's sharp tentacles drag me by my foot and slam me to the wall and floor. If it wasn't for my 'aura' protecting my body, I would have died the moment he slammed me.
The castle continued to shake, no...not just the castle, the whole kingdom was shaking. I tried my best to hold the 'aura' in my body to protect me from the impact. "Come on now...Break!" the ghoul laughed as I tried to pull away from its grasp. He was toying me around as my father continued to kneel and saying strange words I can't understand.
Slowly, my aura cannot take it anymore, I'm losing my consciousness. My frail attempt to escape weakened and my eyes slowly closed themselves. If gods were real, why don't they save me from this devil? I accept my death.
"Brother!" I heard from my brother for the last time. My vision is blurry yet I saw him running towards me. The last thing I heard before losing my consciousness was the ghoul's laugh.
...
I suddenly opened my eyes as I regained my consciousness. Lucian, what happened to him!?
I woke up on the floor with a bruised body. The first thing I saw was the cracked ceiling with paintings of our ancestors. I'm still in my father's chamber room.
I tried to regain all my senses, I couldn't move my body one bit, it was painful. I tried to move my hand at least and I suddenly felt something wet in my hand.
I turned my head to the side and I saw the most terrifying thing. Blood scattered everywhere, the King's head is hanging in the wall. In my hand, a ball of something covered in blood. I squeezed it, it was soft and warm but smelled awful. Suddenly, I remember my brother.
I simply stood up from where I was laying. The room was dark and the only light source I have is the moonlight that is covered by the clouds. I slowly pull myself together and squint my eyes to look at the dark. My eyes widened as I saw my brother's body, he was unconscious.
"Lucian!" I shouted and immediately ran towards him. I can feel pain every step that I take, feeling my broken ankles but that doesn't matter.
The moment I finally reached his body, I halted in the scene I saw. His lower body is missing, as if something bit off at him, his chest is wrecked, it was open, and his organs were destroyed. The moonlight finally passed through the clouds and gave me enough light to see the whole picture.
I looked at what I am holding in my hands, it's not just any ball. It was his heart. Then I realized that I was holding in my other hand, and it was my sword.
I screamed in agony in my head. "AHHH! AH!" my breathing becomes unstable as I both let go of what I am holding and grab my hair.
"No...No...NO!...this..t-this can't be..." I've seen worse in the battlefields but this is the most traumatic thing I see. It was my brother! Lucian is laying down there! I was holding his heart for fucksake!
...
Hundreds of years later, I tried any way possible just to die. Tossing myself in stillwater. Drowning myself, stabbing myself, anything, just anything! Just let me die!
I became something I wished to the gods, but it didn't fulfill me. I should have asked them to bring Lucian back to life in exchange for mine. I was foolish, idiotic and driven by revenge.
Hundred of years have passed and yet I can't find the ghoul who killed my brother. How ironic, now that it was me who's hunting the god of death itself.
I watched the Kingdom grow but it didn't change. I hid myself in the Barrel Zone, because I had my reasons. I just wish to die and see my brother again.
...
"What should I do now?" the Warden asked me, he looked dejected and hopeless.
I saw my past self, the strong desire to lead, to shine above everyone else. He was the strongest, I admit but that girl became his weakness. At the same time, I saw Lucian in him.
My son, I raised him as my son and made him take after the position of becoming the leader of the Barrel Zone. I was the oldest and should be the smartest and yet I don't know what I should reply to this boy who is knocking on my door.