- Heinrich -
(Before the main story)
Heinrich decided to visit Hell's main library to look for something to read to take his mind off of things. He had his own books, but would still occasionally go to the library to find new ones. His preferences were usually dry information logs. He searched around awhile before eventually visiting the "Entertainment" section at the library, a place he usually avoided. He discovered a book there titled "Technology's Reign."
The book's title caught his attention. He picked it off the shelf and turned it over. The label read "Human Fantasy." All the "boring" books he had collected in the past were filled with information of the world and its native inhabitants, with the most "entertaining" ones being about godly tales. Even those were just simple fact-checks about what has happened, and what's just made up for the god's ego. He didn't like reading the books that were meant solely for entertainment since most of them had gods and demons in mind when being written.
"This is probably some kind of propaganda." He thought out loud.
He grabbed the book and went to one of corners of the library where others were reading. The reading area had an assortment of humans and hooded demons. The humans left once they saw Heinrich coming up to read, while the demons stayed. He took the farthest seat he could from the remaining demons. His plan was to read a little to see if his suspicions were correct.
'I guess I'd prefer having less people around while I read this.' He convinced himself.
He opened the book and was met by the immediate realization that it wasn't what he thought. "In a world of human inventions, what happens when the technology turns against its creators?" was the first line he saw. The further he read the more obvious it was that he grabbed some kind of science fiction book. He thought it was strange that such a thing would even exist in the Otherworld.
'Human fantasy must mean science fiction. I thought the gods wouldn't allow this kind of thing?' His mind was filled with questions, leading him to read further.
The book itself was fairly basic in its plot. Its antagonists seemed cartoonishly evil, its heroes cheesy, and its ending highly predictable. The story would have been nothing special in the human world, but for someone like Heinrich, who just wanted to distract his mind, it was perfect. He turned the pages, not eager to see what happens next, that much he could predict, but to instead keep the feeling he had going.
He sat at the reading area until he was finished with the book. Demons and humans came and went, some giving him looks of curiosity as they walked away. Most of the humans knew about the book, and thought it was strange that a man of Heinrich's age would be reading it with such clear enjoyment. Time passed and Heinrich returned the book to where he found it.
Before he could leave, an unfamiliar demon came up to him. He couldn't tell who it was because they were wearing a green cloak and had a black wrapping around their eyes, making it difficult to see what they looked like.
"Did you enjoy it?" The smooth male voice asked.
"Yes. It reminded me...of simpler times." Heinrich answered.
"I have similar books I can recommend next time you're here." The man said.
"Thank you, I appreciate it...um, sorry, what's your name?" Heinrich felt rude asking.
"Just call me Q." The demon held out their hand. "My full name is tedious to say."
Heinrich shook the demon's hand and smiled. He normally hated smiling around others, but he assumed it didn't matter in this case. He walked out of the library feeling refreshed, though there was one nagging thought that stayed on his mind as he left.
'I should have brought new books with me.'
He was going to go back in until he saw more humans entering the library.
'I can always come back tomorrow.'