In the dim cinema hall, Belphegor sat alone in the audience, grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it into his mouth, making a crisp crunching sound, then took up his drink and downed it in one go.
The image on the screen froze at the last moment of the film; this beautiful story had ultimately come to an end.
For a moment, Belphegor unexpectedly felt a sense of powerlessness, a sensation he hadn't experienced in years. Belphegor is an omnipotent devil, one of the malevolent wills ruling this world; he can move mountains and fill seas, he can cause landslides and ground fissures, but he cannot stop a story from ending.
Belphegor became melancholy, and then he was somewhat angry, angry that he was actually rejected by a mortal, a twisted emotion tangled endlessly in his mind, until at last Belphegor suddenly began to laugh.
