I shuffled down the crowded street, my eyes darting from one passerby to another. Horns, tails, scales—a sea of demonic features surrounded me. Despite my lack of scales or a tail, my own tiny red horns marked me as one of them. Just another face in the crowd of demons going about their day.
Yeah, you heard that right. I'm a demon. Not the soul-stealing, human-tricking kind you might be thinking of, though. Nah, we're just another race in this crazy world I've found myself reincarnated into. Wild, right?
As I weaved through the throng, I couldn't help but notice the mundane normalcy of it all. Demons munching on apples and oranges as they hurried to work. Others lazily strolling towards cafés, bread in hand. It was almost disappointingly... ordinary.
Me? I had my sights set on the old Ferland Grand Theatre. The humans had just released a new flick—"Rome Can't Be Touched" or something like that. Some historical drama starring that big shot actor, Lewis Light.
As the theatre came into view, I felt my eyebrows rise. The line for tickets snaked around the block, a writhing mass of horns and tails. Now this was unusual. I mean, I'm no stranger to the Ferland, but I'd never seen it this packed.
So there I stood, a demon among demons, waiting to get a glimpse into the world of humans. Funny how things turn out, isn't it?
The line crawled forward at a snail's pace. By the time I reached the ticket booth, I'd counted every crack in the sidewalk twice over. The old receptionist peered at me from behind thick glasses, his wrinkled hand outstretched for my I.D.
I couldn't help but chuckle as I pushed back my hood. "One ticket, please."
Recognition flickered in his rheumy eyes, and a smile creased his face. "Well, if it isn't young Prince Arthur! Our most loyal patron." He rummaged around for a moment before sliding a ticket across the counter. "This one's on the house, Your Highness. I know you've been itching to see this film."
I blinked, taken aback. "Seriously?"
He winked, his grin widening. "Of course! I own this theatre, remember? Wouldn't joke about free tickets."
"Thanks," I managed, genuinely touched by the gesture. But my warm fuzzy feelings didn't last long. The grumbling from the queue behind me saw to that.
"Ugh, look at the old man sucking up to the useless prince."
"Yeah, most worthless royal in history. Why even bother with him?"
"Nothing like his brothers, is he? Just trash. All he does is drool over human films and books. Total failure."
I had to stifle a laugh. They sounded just like my parents. At least I was consistent in disappointing everyone.
The old guy's smile faltered; he'd clearly heard the comments too. He gave me a sympathetic nod, wordlessly urging me inside.
I shot him a grateful look and scurried into the theatre, leaving the muttering crowd behind. As the cool, popcorn-scented air washed over me, I couldn't help but grin. Let them talk. I had a date with ancient Rome, and nothing was going to spoil it.
Besides, being the family disappointment had its perks. No one expected anything from you, which meant you could do whatever the hell you wanted. And right now, what I wanted was to lose myself in a human story for a couple of hours.
As I settled into my seat, the lights dimmed, and the familiar excitement of a new film washed over me.
The screen flickered to life, and I leaned back, ready for whatever Rome had to throw at me.
As the opening credits rolled, I couldn't help but glance around the dimly lit theater. Demons packed most of the seats, their horns creating a sea of shadowy silhouettes. Here and there, I spotted the stocky forms of dwarves – a rare sight in these parts. Guess I wasn't the only one with a thing for human flicks.
The film, "Rome Can't Be Touched," was a adaptation of one of my favorite books, "Rome Will Conquer." I'd been itching to see how they'd bring it to life on the big screen.
As the story unfolded, I found myself getting sucked in. It followed this guy Nero – no, not the emperor, just some dude with the same name – born in 20 BS to some fancy Roman family. The usual story, you know? Kid learns to ride horses, swing a sword, all that jazz. But then he grows up and becomes Caesar's rival. Classic underdog tale.
Oh, right. I should probably explain the BS thing. It stands for "Before Solarus." See, back in the day, humans didn't have their big, powerful god. It was all old-school deities running the show.
Then bam! This Solarus faith pops up out of nowhere and suddenly it's all the rage with humans.
And get this – they start getting weirdly powerful.
I mean, before Solarus came along, humans were basically demon chow. Sure, they had their little empires and whatnot, but compared to demons? Please.
As the film rolled on, I found my initial excitement waning. Don't get me wrong, Lewis Light was killing it as always, but the story? Not so much.
Halfway through, I was fighting the urge to groan out loud. Looks like the director decided to get "creative" with the adaptation. And by creative, I mean they butchered it. So much for staying true to the source material.
The grumbling from the other demons told me I wasn't alone in my disappointment. Great minds think alike, I guess – even if those minds belong to demons who'd probably love to see me fall flat on my face.
I shook my head, a sigh escaping my lips. What a letdown. If I ever got the chance to make a film, I'd never pull this kind of stunt. Stick to the story, people. Is that so hard?
And then, out of nowhere:
[Ding!]
[You have awakened the Entertainment System]
Wait, what?
I blinked, staring at the transparent interface that had just popped up in front of me. Glancing at the demon next to me, I tried to gauge if I was the only one seeing this weird floaty menu thing.
The demon caught me looking and shot me a disgusted glare that clearly said, "Stop being weird, you freak."
Right. So I'm either going crazy, or this is some kind of personal hallucination. Fantastic.
Unable to focus on the trainwreck of a movie anymore, I decided to bail. As I shuffled past annoyed demons (sorry, not sorry), my mind was racing. An Entertainment System? What the hell did that even mean?
"Leaving already, Your Highness?"
I turned to see the old guy at the ticket booth, eyeing me curiously.
"Yeah," I shrugged, trying to act normal while a freaking magical menu hovered in my vision. "Film's not up to snuff."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "What can we expect from dumb humans, eh?"
I forced a laugh and nodded, not really in the mood to defend human creativity at the moment. My mind was too busy trying to process whatever the hell was going on with this "system."
As I strode away from the theater, I stroked my chin, eyeing the interface warily. An Entertainment System, huh? Was this some kind of cosmic joke? Or had I finally cracked under the pressure of being the family disappointment?
Either way, one thing was clear: my boring day had just gotten a whole lot more interesting. And potentially more insane. But hey, when you're a demon prince who'd rather watch human flicks than learn the finer points of soul-crushing, what's a little madness between friends?
Now, if I could just figure out how to use this thing without looking like I was swatting at invisible flies...