Where am I?
Melody looked around herself, blinking in the darkness of the room. It wasn’t pitch black, but she could have sworn she was somewhere much brighter a second ago, and her eyes were just trying to catch up to her change in location. She was in a place like none she had ever seen before. The seats in front of her were raised and quite ornamental, looking very much like a court of law or parliamentary chamber. There was a singular seat in the highest position, and then seven on a tier beneath it. Beyond that was a row of chairs facing the assembly. Behind them were several banners, depicting a variety of animal silhouettes.
Some of the seats were filled.
It took only a second for Melody to see this, and it took a second more for her to realize that she had no clue where she was, or even how she got here. A feeling of panic started to well up in her gut. But the man in the highest seat stood and spoke, giving her mind something to focus on other than scrambling for the hint of a memory.
“Welcome to the Devildom, Melody. Oh, pardon me. Feeling a bit shocked, are we?” At first he had smiled, then he looked contrite for a moment. Shocked didn’t even begin to encompass what Melody was feeling. The situation already seemed too surreal, and now this man was throwing around words like ‘Devildom’. She was pretty sure it wasn’t some absurdly named city in the States. But she didn’t even have time to form a protest, or even agree with the man’s assessment.
“Well, that’s understandable. You’ve only just arrived, after all.” It still begged the question on ‘how’ Melody had arrived, since she didn’t remember taking a trip anywhere at all. And the man was smiling again, which oddly wasn’t reassuring. Melody wasn’t sure how anyone could just say things so calmly and not expect a person to flip out. But she suspected freaking out wouldn’t help her case, so she took a few, deep, steady breaths.
“As a human, it will probably take a little while for you to adjust to things here in the Devildom.”
More than anything else, that sentence set off alarm bells in Melody’s head. To refer to someone as human that way meant the speaker was not human. Generally it didn’t apply in reality, because humans were the only one capable of saying it that way to begin with, so it was regulated to the realm of science fiction and fantasy. This time she couldn’t help but blurt out the first thing that came to mind.
“This has to be a dream!”
“Hmm… What a very human thing to say.”
The man’s words didn’t help, referring to her as human, as though it described her exclusively, for a second time. His somewhat indulgent chuckle didn’t help either. Under casual scrutiny, he looked as human as she did, though on closer inspection, the shade of his eyes was too golden to be brown. That didn’t mean people couldn’t have eyes that color, or use contacts to achieve such a color, but it seemed a rare shade at any rate. His tanned skin and red hair were fairly normal. He had the regular features of a human face and the proper number of limbs in the proper number of places. The fact that he was handsome didn’t distract her…too much. He was wearing a very formal red uniform, but it wasn’t one she recognized.
“Outstanding. I have a feeling you might be just the sort of person we’re looking for. I suppose I should start by introducing myself. My name is Diavolo. I am the ruler of all demons, and all here know of me.”
Well, at least he wasn’t offended; in fact, he laughed often enough to give the impression of being a rather jolly fellow, despite professing to be a demon. If he was just a dream, it wouldn’t matter in a few minutes, but if this somehow wasn’t a dream, Melody felt that insulting him wouldn’t be a good thing. Fantasy or not, most people didn’t run around claiming to rule demons. And what was with that particular phrasing: ‘all here know of me.’ Melody felt like there was a meaning there she was missing entirely. But Diavolo was still speaking. “And someday soon, I will be crowned king of the Devildom.”
He stood up and moved to the side of the room, drawing Melody’s attention to an opening that led onto a balcony. It was dark outside, and below them was the expanse of a city she didn’t recognize. In the center of it was a huge, multi-towered castle, illuminated in purple light. Around it sprawled a lot of other buildings of varying shapes and sizes. Beyond it was a backdrop of mountains and a dark, starlit sky. It was beautiful, yet ominous at the same time. Melody gave a little gasp.
“This is the Royal Academy of Diavolo…though we just call it RAD.” Okay, that would be easy enough to remember. “You’re standing inside the assembly hall, the very heart of RAD. This is where we officers of the student council hold our meetings and conduct our business. I’m the president of said council.”
Melody had always suspected that school was hell; this just confirmed it.
“Um….but why am I here?” she asked. She didn’t recall enrolling in any school, demonic or otherwise. It didn’t matter that she planned to go to university soon; she knew she hadn’t actually sent in any applications.
“I will explain everything to you.” Another man spoke up, and Melody naturally turned towards the source of the second voice. He was just as handsome as the first man, if not more so, but in a very different way, with his black hair, pale complexion, and dark red eyes. His uniform was much like Diavolo’s, except it was black, and the medal pinned to his shoulder was red instead of blue. Most pertinent to Melody, however, was the much stricter expression on his face; he seemed far less affable. His arms were folded across his chest, which did nothing to soften the effect.
“Melody, this is Lucifer. He is a demon and the Avatar of Pride. He’s also the vice president of the student council and my right-hand man…and not just in title, I assure you.” Once again Diavolo punctuated his remarks with a soft chuckle. And it was back to the demon talk. Melody still couldn’t see it. The situation was completely absurd, but it was also why she was more than half inclined to believe it. Or, at least, tuck away her disbelief until later. She didn't see the benefit of such a charade. While she, in fact, had reasons to believe they were real, this wasn't what she would have ever suspected demons were like. Diavolo was still talking, however, so she had to pay attention with part of her mind still.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Beyond that, he’s also my most trusted friend,” Diavolo summed up with a broad smile and even fuller bout of laughter. That seemed potentially contradictory to Melody. Did demons have friends? And if they did, could they trust them? Generally the word ‘demon’ called to mind all sorts of unpleasant things. Lucifer didn’t seem pleased to hear the words either, he frowned, eyebrows lifting slightly in something that could either be disapproval, or embarrassment.
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Diavolo,” objected Lucifer. Melody would have to be careful. Pride was something that she was wary of; probably because she didn’t have much of it herself. She shifted uncomfortably in place.
“Speaking on behalf of the entire student body at this great and storied school of ours... I offer you a most heartfelt welcome, Melody.” At least Lucifer was smiling now. It wasn’t as warm or uninhibited as Diavolo’s seemed to be, but it made him seem less intimidating. But, she supposed, it would make sense to at least be civil when welcoming someone in an official capacity. He wouldn’t be a right-hand man if he was inept at his job. Nor, she suspected, would it be good for the pride which he stood for.
“Pardon me, but, that still doesn’t explain what I’m doing here; this is a bit confusing you see.”
“…Interesting. This one is quite different from Solomon.” Lucifer dropped his smile, his face assuming a neutral aspect. “Diavolo believes that we demons should start strengthening our relationship with both the human world and the Celestial Realm. As a first step toward this goal, we’ve decided to institute an exchange program. We’ve sent two of our students to the human world, and two to the Celestial Realm. And we’re welcoming four students to our school: two from your world and two from the Celestial Realm. So, I take it you’ve probably put two and two together at this point, right?” Lucifer was frowning again, though it was only a slight one. Melody couldn’t tell if it was because he was bored, or just didn’t think much of her ability to reason.
“You’ve been chosen from among the people of the human world to participate in this program of ours. You are our newest exchange student. Your period of stay is one year. You will have to work on the tasks that you will receive from RAD. After one year, you will write a paper about your exchange here in the Devildom.”
“What do you mean by tasks?” asked Melody. Normally in school, they said assignments. Somehow, ‘tasks’ seemed more ominous. At the very least, it sounded more labor intensive. The paper, at least, sounded self-explanatory. Melody had written her fair share of essays in high school.
“You are here as an exchange student. Did you really expect to spend your time here fooling around?”
“No rest for the wicked, I suppose,” murmured Melody softly.
“Did you say something?” The intensity in Lucifer’s eyes made Melody regret saying anything at all.
“No, sir, Lucifer, sir.” Never did she once imagine calling someone claiming to be a demon ‘sir’. But, so far, she hadn’t imagined most of what had happened upon arriving in this room.
“Don’t glare at me like that. It’s not like I will abandon you all by yourself here in the Devildom.”
Melody gulped. It had never occurred to her that she might have been abandoned to begin with, so Lucifer’s reassurance, if that’s what it was meant to be, had the opposite effect. Then again, by the way he was smiling, she doubted that he was saying it for her peace of mind. No, she would have to be very careful with this man…or demon.
“You need someone to look after you, and I think that someone should be my brother Mammon.”
Like Lucifer, Mammon’s name rang a bell, though Melody couldn’t remember the details. Just that he was associated with money somehow. A line from a novel she read in the past floated to the surface of her mind, but the bubble popped before she could fully grasp it. But Lucifer was continuing to talk, and now he was scowling, so she paid attention.
“He’s the Avatar of Greed and…how should I put it…?” Lucifer looked resigned. “Oh well, you’ll understand soon enough.”
At least Melody was on the right track with her half recalled memory. Lucifer handed her an object; it looked like a cell phone. It felt calmingly familiar in the palm of her hand. She tried to ignore the time set distinctly at 66:66; other alarm bells were more pressing. Lucifer had started off by saying that Mammon should be the one to look after her, then followed it up by sounding as though there was something wrong with him. If that was the case…how much worse were the other possibilities? Melody trembled to think of it.
“Here, take this device. It’s called a D.D.D. It’s a lot like the cell phones of your world. This will be yours to use for as long as you’re here. Now, go ahead and try calling Mammon with it.”
This was definitely becoming more surreal. Demons like this were a hard thing to accept, but seeing something so modern here was a startling contrast. It was feeling more and more dream like, but at the same time, there wasn’t that odd, disjointed feeling, as though nothing were properly fixed in place, that so often met Melody in her dreams. She would have to be cautious. The only thing to do now was to keep doing as the self-proclaimed demons asked and hope that things would be okay. It had never been her way to pick fights.
As Lucifer said, the DDD was very much like a cell phone, and Melody rather easily found the contact list for calls. The only name on it was the aforementioned Mammon, his icon a cheeky looking fellow with a wide grin, white hair, and glasses with yellow lenses. Honestly, she couldn’t see the point in them. Assuming it was a picture of him, and not just an unrelated image, he didn’t look much like his brother at all. With mild trepidation, she pressed the icon and put the ‘phone’ up to her ear. It started ringing.
“Yoooo,” came a lazy sounding voice from the other end.
“Um, hello? Mammon?” Melody wasn’t very good at talking to strangers in the first place, which made her nervous on its own merits. And how did one strike up a conversation with a demon anyhow?
“Huh? Who the hell are ya? You ain’t Lucifer.”
Melody had two thoughts. Firstly, was it ironic, redundant, or just silly, that a demon would use the phrase, ‘who the hell’? Secondly, she thought it was pretty obvious from her voice that she was not, in fact, Lucifer.
“I’m a human: Melody,” stuttered the poor mortal, far less sassy in reality than she was in her own mind.
“Whaaa? A human?” Mammon’s voice on the other end sounded baffled. “Geez, I was gettin’ all chilly here thinkin’ it was Lucifer again. Ya should’ve told me right away.”
It hadn’t occurred to Melody to point out that she was someone she wasn’t. Maybe phone etiquette was different here. From just the sound of his speech, Mammon didn’t much resemble his brother. There was nothing of the cold, elegant refinement that radiated from the man, or demon, in the room with her.
“So, what business does a human got with THE Mammon?”
“I was told you were going to be in charge of me for my stay here,” replied Melody, a little put off by his self-aggrandizing attitude.
“No way! There’s nothin’ in it for me. Whaddya even mean by ‘be in charge of you’?” There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. “AAH! I get it now, you’re the other human—the new exchange student! G’luck with that, and see ya.” Even with recognition, the voice on the other end seemed pretty disinterested. But Melody had the impression that Lucifer wouldn’t be happy if she didn’t at least try.
“Lucifer told me to call on you,” protested Melody, starting to feel overwhelmed.
“Pfft, whatever. Ya think THE Mammon would listen to ya just ‘cause you’re tryin’ to scare me with that name?”
“You’ve got 10 seconds…9…8…” said Lucifer, his face suddenly a little too close for comfort as he spoke into the phone. Still, the result was immediate.
“YESSIR!” Mammon practically shouted. Then he promptly hung up.