Death Cast

1.30 | Grecia Bella Theatre

No, that's not it.

Things aren't adding up.

There's no reason why these two should be entangled in this way. Jaerim couldn't make out any sort of relationship between the two individuals. Suddenly, he recalled the letters they'd recovered scattered throughout the theater - it's about two people who slowly but steadily fell in love with one another through time. Jaerim's eyes widened in response to this unexpected illumination.

What if the person who wrote the letter to Bella is the jester? So, the jester is the secret lover?

Even so, Jaerim thought it didn't make sense because of their different levels of social hierarchy. There are some persons in this time period who are more likely to be discriminated against because of their social status than others. As he discovered in one of Bella's letters, her father has expressed his disapproval of their relationship, which is to be expected in a story of this nature.

The theater's owner's daughter is Bella. Comparatively speaking, they're well-off. If Bella's family owned the place and Elias won the competition, then Elias would take the money he won from Bella to pay for her hospital fees if Elias won.

Isn't that just plain silly? Why not just send the money right away instead of going through a long process?

This is why things do not add up.

He didn't understand why the jester was acting in this manner.

It could also be false information, Jaerim thought. 

There are times when side characters reveal information that is unnecessary or misleading to the audience. They may only be making a logical assumption based on what they've witnessed. It's both true and false at the same time. The same is true for the way things work in general. Consequently, there are multiple viewpoints in a crime scene, and each person has their own interpretation of it.

Jaerim had been pondering about it when he caught a glimpse of another person's gaze. He raised his eyes involuntarily and met the jester's blue eyes. Despite the fact that they were separated by a crowd of people, they nevertheless managed to make eye contact. Their surroundings appear vastly different. Jaerim was able to witness a different set of scenery than what was on backstage.

His senses became hazy at this point as his attention was drawn to the transition in front of him. His ears were ringing with a distinct sound he could not hear the noises the people around him were making. When he heard it, it sounded very old, like it was coming from people who were still alive from a long time ago.

It appeared to be a scene from a movie in which one of the major characters sees a flashback. The passage of time was reversed, representing the transition of the theatre from its current state to its prior state. The dazzling white light and white painted walls were replaced by a solid wood wall with conical lamps dangling from it. Despite their patched clothing, the people in this story look lovely and pretty remarkable despite their shabby appearance.

The jester stood in the midst of them, his face filled with melancholy.

Additionally, he appears a lot younger than he is now. These two orbs, which seem to reflect the radiance of the sea, nonetheless evoke a sense of childlike wonder. Jaerim was unable to discern the hatred and anger of the individual, whom he considered being highly temperamental. The one he was seeing was a person of tranquility.

However, the calm and harmonious environment began to change. Jaerim became acutely aware of the abrupt rise in temperature. Then, like a ravenous beast that had been hungry for a thousand years, a fire appeared on the walls and the foundation of the building, slowly destroying the structure. When the people realized what was happening, they started running all over the place, trampling over the props, over the people, and avoiding the debris from the ceiling that was falling from the roof.

Nevertheless, the jester was motionless. A tragic past was reflected in the blue eyes, which were like a mirror reflecting the flickering flames around him. A part of it wants to show everything to Jaerim. If he hadn't been yanked away by a hand, Jaerim might have lived to see the end of it. As quickly as they appeared, the illusions dissipated like a puff of smoke.

Barron was standing behind Jaerim, minding his own business when he noticed Jaerim staring into midair. His initial impression was that when contemplating, Jaerim had a particular fondness for staring into space. But when the youngster didn't move, Barron had a sudden hunch. He considered the possibility that Jaerim had entered an instance.

He groaned beneath his breath, shook his head, and muttered something. Getting out of an instance is difficult since it entices the person into the illusion until they lose their sense of reality. Although it is possible to break it by moving the person around, the impact on the brain could be severe. Of course, he didn't know that this was Jaerim's second time in a special place in the dimension.

People who have traveled to numerous worlds or have a specific temperament are the only ones who can enter instances. Anyone with a weak mental fortitude could easily find themselves in a predicament of crisis.

Jaerim averted his gaze to the individual who had touched him. The loss of awareness is clearly seen in his eyes. It made Barron wonder if Jaerim had been brainwashed when Jaerim asked him, "What's wrong?"

Oh? Barron's expression was clearly awestruck when he saw Jaerim. Most of the time, people who have been in these situations would be slow to respond because it will take some time to move from one reality to another. For those who finally succumbed, it was much worse. There's a chance they'll become dumb forever.

Jaerim did not expect a flabbergasted expression from the grim reaper. 

“What is it?” He asked once again.

Barron blinked his eyes. He observed Jaerim for a while. He no longer looked entranced. “None, there’s nothing.”

When the jester arrived, the two were conversing in this manner. His particular sorrow was gone as he stared at the pair and the crowd clustered nearby. Once the resting folks saw Elias, they all leaped to their feet and greeted him, before running away, claiming they had a job to complete. The jester stood there watching them go away before turning to face the two persons in front of him.

“The program will start now,” he said briefly.

Jaerim could feel goosebumps as he watched the jester walk away. It’s unusual to see a person calm like this. He brushed his arms with his hand as he hugged himself. Barron looked at the youngster weirdly. 

“Are you cold?” He asked. 

The clothes Jaerim is wearing are the same as before. There are a few modifications, however, like the one he was wearing now has more class and color. It has a lot of years, plus with his long wig, it is impossible to feel cold. Jaerim shook his head. 

“Anyways, I think I solved the mystery of this place,” he said. 

“Ah?” Barron raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jaerim. “Really?”

Jaerim nodded. “I’ve seen it.”

Barron speculated that Jaerim had been given a glimpse into the past or the future by the event. He could not see what the Death Casts could see because he was a grim reaper. Or perhaps he was simply unaware of it. Barron is visiting a simulated world for the first time to accompany a Death Cast, and the little information he has about the Autumns comes from his colleagues, who gossip about them in their spare time when they are not working. He is only making it through from Silvester who was explaining him the rules while they are watching Jaerim play around.

Silvester told him that these instances are either showing the past or the future that will help the Death Casts to see the plot running in real-time.

“However,” Silvester added when their conversation is about to end. “Each instance held a certain danger. The more pronounced it has, the greater danger it gives the Death Cast. We, grim reapers did not have the constraint of time so we are pretty much allowed to see the fate and destiny of people. But that is different from those humans who owned souls.”

Humans are born from the soul. Grim reapers and other supernatural beings, on the other hand, were born from an idea. 

People who are born with souls will be tied by the flow of time and fate since their existence is a heavy matter like stars floating in space. They have their own consciousness and are unique from each other.

That’s why they are very interesting. Barron could not help but smile all along. 

The two people made their way to the back of the stage, where the other performers were already waiting. Three benches awaited these persons, implying that the other pairs would not be able to enter the stage. Jaerim was aware that Herman was staring at him from the corner, but he didn't pay any attention to him. Noel waved his hand and beckoned Jaerim to come over.

“Hurry or you will face the wrath of the main boss,” Noel teased as he pointed at Jaerim’s position. 

Jaerim rolled his eyes as he went into position. Noel pouted because his taunting did not take effect. The two people fooled around irregardless of the people who are watching them from the back. Amongst all the new Death Casts, it is these two people who could still play around despite the danger. It’s like they are just walking through their vacation. 

Barron shook his head. He could not understand what these two people have in their minds. They are equally decent but their actions did not show any of it. He had seen, many times, how these people made the jester angry due to simple reasons such as wearing wrong clothes or dawdling around when they are supposed to practice. 

The other Death Casts were so cautious, yet, these two people seem to only fool around. 

“Behave,” Barron said as he pulled Jaerim into position. “Stop making extra moves around.”

“I’m behaving,” Jaerim said as he followed. “I’m just a little fidgety, that’s all.”

They could hear the music from the other side of the curtain. The performers before them seem to end their presentation. Like before, Jaerim could not hear any cheer and clapping. It seems that the audience was not amused by the performance. But it’s okay. 

It’s all right. 

Jaerim had found one of the crucial clues of this world. He only has to finish this dance to claim it. Just one more, just one more. He is already so close to the finish line. 

One more time and he will be out of this place.