In a dark concert hall, the spotlights that lit up the room were all focused on a stage. There, actors played out roles, princess, king, queen, knight, the classical type of story told about royalty and chivalry. It was a famous piece and one that many had seen at least once in their life-
"Boring…"
A young man muttered, his eyes slack as he gazed at the beautiful and handsome actors on stage.
Their elaborate costumes and well made make-up allowed them to stand out. Eyes were on them but less were focused on the performance and more were shifting around trying to get a sneak peak at some forbidden spots.
The actors on stage did not care about their audience's gaze though, one could see the passion in their work- although, as the young man said, the story, everything about it was- boring.
Richard Edwards, that was the young man's name and this was his nth time watching this show.
Inside the Allen Theatre, plays would go on rotation, everyday was a different show but even then, there was a limit to novelty.
Being a frequent customer, Richard had already watched the plays in the theatre multiple times over when others would barely watch one and even then sitting through it for long periods of time was hard enough, yet here he was.
"Such a waste"
With a sigh, Richard, for the first time stood up early, the play hadn't even been 50% complete and he had already quietly stood up. His actions went unnoticed by the crowd but a few eyes had spotted his actions.
Although his quiet exit was not something weird, many other viewers tend to only buy the ticket to claim being "cultured" and "well read". They watch the shows, unaware of the depth of the play nor aware of the hard work that is involved with executing the show.
Much like Richard, many other viewers had left long ago and his actions had not caused even a ripple in the remaining crowd but the actors on stage- especially those with clear eyes felt a weight bear down on their chest.
Though, as the professionals that they were, keeping calm and maintaining their grace was easy, that did not do anything to resolve the pain they felt from catching the departing back.
Unaware of the effects his actions had, Richard left the theatre, dressed in a casual pair of brown trousers and a fitted long coat, Richard looked like a middle class gentleman from the Victorian era.
Unfortunately, this was not the Victorian era, in fact, this was not even earth…
"18th century, steampunk-magic world"
Richard muttered as he watched the weird car that looked like a mix between an old Ford Model T and a steam locomotive. It did not run on steam though, instead, a pure blue glow shone within the powerhouse of the vehicle which should be its engine.
"Etherdrive, an engine powered by Etherlite the term this world has for magical energy"
Recalling the knowledge he had inherited from the previous Richard, the young man let out a sigh as he reminisced on his past life.
Yes, the current Richard is what many would call a reincarnator.
He had previously been a biologist, technically still a fresh graduate. He studied his way up till he got his masters. He had been in the academe from the start of his studies until he was scouted by a private research institute dedicated to the study of viral diseases.
Although he had long graduated multiple times, he was still a fresh face as it was his first time outside the academe and into the true industrial workforce.
Unfortunately, it did not take long for this choice of his to backfire as he was infected by a new viral strain. There was no way to save him and his corpse was disposed of properly as it had become a biohazard.
Richard did not know what happened after his life faded as all he knew was that his weak body suddenly regained life and before he knew it, he was lying on a wooden floor.
A mysterious green liquid had stained his clothes and a bunch of jumbled up memories flooded his mind.
It took him a few days to come to terms with his state, fortunately his name was somewhat close to his old one… Richard.
Born as the son of a noble in a world that was best described as a steampunk fantasy, his life would have been great if the truth of his bloodline had not been revealed. It was a secret that his grandmother had kept and protected but upon her death the truth came to light.
Richard was neither the son of a mistress or an adopted bastard from who knows where. No, he was a true descendant of his father, the true son of his mother but…
His grandmother, the mother of his esteemed father, was a Numan, a race of people who were humanoid but had certain… beastlike or non-humanoid characteristics mixed into their bodies.
Of course, appearance was only one reason why this race was discriminated against, another factor involved was magic. Unlike the Puremen the race of people who could only be best described as Humans, Elves and Dwarves, the Numan were unable to utilize, or even if they could, only utilize magic on a minimal level.
In exchange though, Numen had higher physical abilities, greater senses and certain special traits specific to certain tribes of subgroups.
Unfortunately, these special traits and abilities paled in comparison to the great ability of magic.
Society had been forged around magic, it was the source of energy, the source of innovation… magic was the core of life in this world and for Numen, magic was a resource.
They did not have the magical abilities of the Puremen that would allow them to power etherdrives with their own magic power, they had to use etherium, a type of magical crystal that could be artificially synthesized or mined.
It was basically this world's equivalent of oil, unfortunately, unlike earth, a portion of the population could generate eherlite as such, instead of needing to use the finite sources of etherlite, they only needed to use ethium, an artificial batter, a crystal that could absorb and store etherlite.
In this world, those who could independently generate copious amounts of etherlite were 1st class citizens, those that couldn't were treated as second class citizens.
It also did not help that the enhanced physical capabilities of the Numen had made them the best laborers.
Puremen dominate the top fields, they are the researchers, leaders and innovators. They stood at the top, using their inherent genetic gifts to push those weaker than them down.
Richard… before his true heritage was known had been labeled as a waste. He was untalented in magic and instead had shown a high level of mastery in the arts.
He was praised for his dexterity that allowed him to play multiple instruments, his agility and strength that allowed him to beat his brothers in swordsmanship and horseback riding.
Although he was not as skilled as his brothers in magic, he made up for it with his other abilities…
Until his heritage was revealed and his weaknesses were overinflated while his talents were undermined.
Richard had been disinherited, yet he was not completely loss.
His grandmother had left him a sizable inheritance, she had lived as the wife of a noble and died as the mother of one after all. Moreover, although Numen were treated as second class citizens socially, reforms had been placed globally that pushed for equality among men.
Of course, there would still be obstructions and limitations imposed selfishly by others but the law protects Numen so long as they go through the proper channels.
In Richard's case, he was left enough to live a lavish life till his death.
Some would say it was too much, others, too little. But what Richard had was the culmination of his grandmother's years hiding her identity as a Numan, living a false life and walking on shattered glass.
All the riches that Richard had were accumulated by his grandmother's blood. The only relative who truly loved him… and that was what broke the young man.
Unable to continue living his lonely life, the previous Richard had ended his own life, but that was the moment when the current Richard took his place.
The process of reincarnation or transmigration… whatever it was, had allowed the biologist from earth to wake up in this new world with a new fate.
Yet, when he got a full grasp his current state, Richard, the first thing he did was look for entertainment.
The current Richard, despite spending the majority of his life studying biology had another thing he spent countless hours on…
Entertainment
Richard had invested countless hours studying music, games, shows, books… he had started off being a consumer but soon he found himself trying to become a creator.
Biology had become easy for him, working as a professor while taking his masters, Richard had quietly tried to start a career on various media platforms. He started off trying to become a writer, but failed as he had a hard time writing academic papers at the same time as he was writing fiction.
Then he tried to become a musician, a path he ultimately failed in once more as his fingers were not dexterous enough to achieve the wild movements that many pieces needed. Yes, his hands were agile, especially as he used them for microbiology but there is a difference between having steady and careful hands and having flexible and quick fingers.
Finally, he tried to become a content creator, trying to entertain people through skits and informational vlogs but-
Appearance, charisma and confidence were all things that one needed. Even the ugliest person could get famous, yes, but they always came with extremely high levels of charisma or confidence.
Richard did not even dare to use his real name or face when making videos, in fact, he went as far as to mask his voice. He was not a confident individual, his face was mediocre at best and his charisma was pitifully low.
This is one of the reasons why Richard had decided to leave the academe, to leave his dreams of entertainment and instead focus on the job that he had talent in.
Well, that choice showed great results.
Upon coming to this world, Richard wanted to experience the fantasy of things but the memories of this world's Richard had led to him growing numb to it all.
He wanted to see the forms of entertainment in this world but… they were awful.
Even the plays, an archaic type of entertainment that Richard could find joy in, was boring.
The music was bland and even the orchestral tunes were just noise.
What was even more annoying to Richard was the fact that the Numen had taken a stranglehold over the entertainment industry. This was due to their remarkable physical attributes which allowed them to do many impressive acts while also maintaining an elegant countenance.
Yes, it was a shocker to Richard when he found out that obesity was more common among Puremen, but that was a given as psychic magic was taught to them at a young age.
Elementary schools taught psychic magic as a beginner course and many Puremen saw it beneath them to walk when they could move from one place to another faster and more efficiently using magic.
Unlike Numen who had to use magic sparingly as most of them had to use Ethertech devices, tools that used etherium as a power source for their daily activities.
But that was also one of the biggest issues Richard had with the entertainment industry created by the Numen.
Most of the forms of entertainment made use of their inherent talents, music was not based on how well it sounded or how it could entrance the audience, no, it was a performance to show off how skilled one was with their hands.
Plays were a test of endurance, flexibility and agility…
Entertainment was not about giving people a release but instead was a form of "showing off' by the Numen.
That was what made Richard annoyed but… he can't really do anything about it.
He was, after all, a halfbreed.
He was neither a Pureman nor was he a Numan.
He was the unholy offspring of both races, an anomaly hated by both sides… so even if he were to come up and try to change things…
"No one would listen"
Richard muttered silently as he entered a cafe accompanied by the pleasant ringing of the door chime.
"Welcome!"