~POV of Leviathan~
I was being called, shattering the very pleasant, dreamlike landscape I was exploring in my sleep. And He started screaming, a relentless noise burrowing into the far reaches of sleep.
That's why I had no choice but to wake up, yanked unwillingly back to the real world. The dream was erased instantly, leaving only weak annoyance.
It was my servant, Quirk. He was normally a very cheerful Devil, but this morning his methods of waking me were not so subtle.
I groaned myself up, dragging my legs over the side of the large bed. He was already standing in the area of the doorway, looking wide awake. The room itself was spacious, having tapestries on the walls that depicted scenes of ancient demon wars, though much of the room was still in morning shadows.
"Mister Leviathan, bedtime's come,"
He waited a bit, his extremely bright eyes glinting over me. He then gave me a look, a look that really seemed to be the unspoken statement I am careless, perhaps just forgetful. It was not accusatory look, just prodding gentle.
"Ohh, sorry about that," I said, stretching barely at all as I came to standing.
"No need to worry, I didn't forget about,"
I added a noticeable pause for emphasis, a slight deepening of tone, "The important meeting." It did matter, a means of being heard and opportunity to share my thoughts on different matters.
"Okay, well, breakfast is ready," Quirk stated, his usual enthusiasm regained.
"Come down to eat it when you're done."
And he turned and went down the stairs, his footsteps ringing emptily in the hallway. When he was out of sight, I completed my morning routine. A hot shower helped to scrub away the last vestiges of sleep, and selecting appropriate attire took another few minutes. It had to be impressive, naturally.".
Then I descended from the grand staircase and took up the long dining table for breakfast. The usual spread was out – hellish delicacies and strangely earthy ones. As I was having breakfast, Quirk interrupted my train of thought once more
Saying, "I shall accompany you today, Mister Leviathan." That was a convenient phrase, in fact; his presence would handle any minor issues. In any case, I did somehow find myself late today. Ugh— I am a stickler for punctuality.
The minute the breakfast session was over, we emerged out from behind my huge mansion, walking out to head for the Demon Talk's location. The mansion doors creaked gently shut behind us with a deafening thud.
It is one of the most famous, and certainly most watched, talk shows in the entire Demon city. Being asked was a matter of pride.
And today I, Leviathan, one of the honored members of our City, was going to pay a visit.
As I said, I was invited, one of the significant guests for this installment. There take place conversations on various kinds of topics, politics, magic, new underworld events, but the most interesting ones are generally those regarding the external world – the mortal world, other worlds, things beyond our ordinary sphere.
In what had appeared to be a matter of no hours, perhaps less than one, we had already arrived. It was made possible through the enormous power we have within our wings, to allow speeds that are beyond lower animals.
The destination appeared in view: an immense, arena-like structure, carved out of black, obsidian-like rock. This is the one, the specific building where we are going to talk in today.
Looking in from the doorway, I could see that in the middle of it, there was a raised platform with chairs and interview gear suspended eerily above. And don't even think about sunlight coming through this building.
It's naturally dark there, and I mean specifically the sky of the area. The visible sky far up, far above open arena roof was not natural; it had been magically duplicated or projected solely for this specific environment, providing a constant, starless twilight effect.
Ambient magical glows provided necessary light within the arena itself, creating long shadows.
We entered the arena complex, and before long the distant rumble of the crowd could be heard.
There were all the people's cheering, ready for the show to start. Of course, we entered the arena building in the other, less public way, entering as a guest since I am the special person today for today's show. Lesser guests might use the big public ways, but not I.
The show starter cue began, the opening music echoing in the huge arena.
Backstage, I could feel the tension building. I had been waiting for them to announce my name and the cue of when I would head out to the main stage. And yep, after the host delivered his opening monologue, they finally announced my name.
I entered the central arena via a VIP entrance marked as being closer to the stage area.
Instead of following the route that had been marked on the floor of the arena, I simply flapped my wings and flew. It was handier and certainly more befitting my rank.
As the sitting spot itself was floating in mid-air—huh, it made approaching from ground level quite unnecessary, didn't it? I settled lightly on the marked area on the floating platform.
Then the host, this show's host, a stylishly dressed Demon with buffed horns
addressed me. He then grinned at me warmly, the wide smile revealing sharp teeth.
"Mister Leviathan, thank you ever so much for joining us today," he began, the voice booming with magic.
"We are exceedingly grateful for this opportunity to speak with you."
He waved over the seat on the opposite side.
***
The light-hearted banter and jokes at the beginning were behind us, and the atmosphere in the arena shifted.
The small talk was done, and we moved to the darker side of the outer world. The host leaned forward a little, his face more serious as he framed his question.
The host asked me a question regarding the outer world, something that was normally discussed in hushed tones.
Mr. Adonis," the host began, pausing for a moment, "what do you think… of humans?
" A very simple question, and not by any means an easy one to ask in public. The fact is, all we do know about them is extremely limited indeed, more conjecture than solid fact.
Only the higher authority can enter the demon world.
Incidentally, that privilege happens to include me, though it doesn't necessarily imply anything in the way of complete comprehension.".
The ways of their society are a mystery to most demons.
I refrained from framing my response, choosing my words with care. I addressed them directly, calling for restraint rather than goading them. "They are another species," I answered bluntly.
I continued, explaining our current location, "and since we are demons, we have no interest in getting involved in war among them." I hesitated, then added the important caveat, ".for now." The last two words hung in the air for a moment.
A thrill of understanding swept through the circle seated next to me. This was topped with applause, the sound of good but resolute agreement, particularly with reference to the buried meaning in the 'for now'.
The host gestured that a conclusion was in order. And that had been today's chat show.
We left the arena shortly after transmission ended. At mansion, the formality of the public appearance was shed.
We relaxed back into our old habits and got caught up in our regular day-to-day activities, the talk show fading into the background of daily life.