Beneath the surface existed an inferno of molten lava and ash. A realm of pure chaos and extraordinary heat, lay the Underworld.
No mere mortal could endure such harsh conditions. Except them.
Demons. Creatures of immense power. Their strength can easily shatter stone, their wounds closed in mere moments, the heat of the Underworld? Almost like it didn't exist.
But the one thing that really separated humans and demons?
Magic.
Humans would stand no chance against any race this powerful. After all, how do you fight magic when you yourself do not posses it?
Now, you might be wondering as to why if such a powerful species existed, why did humans dominate the earth?
They had everything the humans didn't, except freedom.
Known as the wall, or as Dusty preferred it, the "stupid, motherfucking, idiotic, annoying, ass cage." As you can see, he felt very strongly about it.
This stupid FUCKING cage that trapped Dusty in the Underworld.
"What's the point of having everything if you can't use it?" was essentially his thought process.
In the Underworld, there existed classes of demons. They represented not just social status, but power.
Weaklings - Barely any better than a human, typically have lower class jobs and are ridiculed.
Lesser Demons - Significantly stronger than humans and can easily destroy stone. Mostly consists of commoners and middle class workers.
Greater Demons - Upper-Middle class or Lower Nobility demons. Capable of destroying multiple large buildings.
Archdemons - Able to destroy multiple cities and are high-nobility.
Demon King - Capable of destroying the entirety of humanity by themselves. Only one can exist at a certain time.
Dusty was the successor to the current Demon King, Volnos.
Except, what was there to do for a lazy ass person like Dusty? He simply wanted to watch humans enjoy their freedom. He wasn't exactly too happy about being the successor. I mean, who would want the responsibility of overseeing a kingdom with no future? Unable to expand their borders, their existence only continued due to a particularly interesting lack of a need to consume food.
So, what was there for a Demonic Prince to do when he was bored, uninterested in the responsibilities, and didn't care about any of the endless power that came with the title?
The answer, as always, was the crystal.
The crystal was a magical artifact that existed since ancient times. It allowed the demons to peer into the vast human world. To dusty, it was his only form of entertainment. Every demon possessed a fragment of the crystal. It was sort of like a phone? He didn't exactly know exactly what phones were but could understand the general idea. This was because the crystal only reflected images, not sound.
To use the crystal, a demon merely had to channel a small amount of their mana, it would glow blue, and poof!— A random scene from the human world materialized in the crystal. It was like a mirror, but one that reflected not the demon, but a glimpse into the human life.
Dusty stared at the crystal and slowly imbued his mana into it. He slowly closed his eyes, calmed his breathing, and felt a small warmth flow from his hands to the crystal.
[Human World]
The hallway was bleak with basic tan colors. A fail figure, a boy barely staying awake, slowly walked down it. His exhaustion was clear just by looking at his face. He reached for a door, his movements slow and deliberate, and slowly opened it
The classroom, just as ordinary as the hallway, was filled with an array of typical low-budget uncomfortable seats.
He found his seat, practically a wooden torture device designed to inflict maximum discomfort on the unfortunate soul who sat in it.
As Dusty settled into the chair, he muttered, "So fucking uncomfortable," the words reflecting his thoughts precisely.
Putting his head down, as if it would offer some sort of relief from his current situation, nearly fell asleep. He'd spent the entire night lost in the world of his new favorite MMO, a game that had recently updated. He was grinding all night for the new ultra rare—
Bam!
The world felt as if it had tilted. Three average football bullies loomed over his desk. They often preyed on the weak, and who better than a frail, skinny looking kid like Dusty?
He was familiar with these bullies, as he was a familiar target.
"Where's our cash!?" Carson, the tallest of the comical trio, practically screamed, his voice filled with unnecessary rage as if to display his dominance. "I thought I told you to bring it today. I need snacks from the convenience store!" It was a performance, designed to strike fear into any weakling heart.
Dusty met Carson's glare, "Ah..... I'm so sorry! I must have left it at home," his sarcasm clearly obvious, he barely suppressed his own laugh.
Then came the second blow.
Dusty was flung from his chair, the world spinning in a multitude of directions for what felt like an eternity.
I wish I didn't have to get bullied every day, he thought to himself, a desperate plea to any entity that might be listening.
Simultaneously, in the Underworld, a wish was uttered. A wish of a different kind, a wish for a new, different life.
I wish I could be a human
The crystal, usually a cool, calming blue when displaying the human world, suddenly flashed white, it nearly blinded Dusty. Startled, he dropped it and the sudden light intensified. It consumed the room and in a sudden flash,
Poof.
Dusty the demon was gone.
[Human World]
Dusty found himself sprawled on the floor, the taste of irony blood and the sting of a punch on his face flooding his senses. He looked up to see three faces he didn't recognize. Their expressions, filled with rage, looked down on him.
Barely a moment later, the beating began. A flurry of punches and kicks.
Dusty thought to himself, "I'm being beat up? Me? The successor to the Demon King?" While he didn't care about the title, he still had his dignity to keep.
He didn't have much a choice though, he was put in a human body. A frail one at that.
This Dusty, however, was different. He might have been lazy, but it was a prerequisite to know how to fight. He was taught in various martial arts and trained in various weapon arts.
With a primal instinct, that some would describe as Demonic, he lunged for the legs of one of the attacks and yanked them down. The bully crashed to the floor.
Confined to this weak, human body, his attacks were limited, but he climbed on top of the fallen Carson, and started unleashing blow after blow. With each fist, his face became more distorted. His face became a canvas of blood, sweat, and tears. Dusty refused to stop.
The other two, stunned by his actions, hesitated to continue.
Dusty, the loser, the weakling who never fought back, was winning? Against Carson?
The tide in the battle had turned.
Until, a second blinding white flash occurred.
Dusty, turned his head with lightning speed. He recognized the ominous sign. He didn't want to lose his human freedom he had just earned. Desperate, he scrambled to his feet and darted to the door.
Too late.
The white glow consumed the room, expanding at what could only be described as a terrifying speed.
The entire classroom, except for the teacher who just so happened to be late, vanished in an instant.