50 A Magic Movie

It was the day of the premier of the first magic movie: The Wolf Princess. The movie had a gripping story about a young girl overcoming her fears and coming to terms with herself. It would be a story that brings tears to people's eyes. Roland also intended it to be propaganda, in order make the people more accepting of new things, specifically witches with nonhuman appearances. The release of The Wolf Princess would be another milestone in the integration of witches into society.

Many notable people attended this first viewing of the movie. Among them were various top officials of Neverwinter as well as wealthy merchants from other cities. The renowned playwright Kajen Fels had come to watch the movie. Also attending was Steven and Zero.

Steven was no stranger to movies, but there were reasons that he wanted to see this one. Besides the fact that it was groundbreaking for this world, the magic movie was also different from movies on Earth, and it was perhaps more advanced in certain areas. The magic movie provided a full immersive experience, much like virtual reality. Since VR movies have not yet been created on Earth, this would be something new. The closest thing there was to a magic movie would be an IMAX 3-D film.

Steven wanted to see the magic movie for himself since reading about it in a book was a lot different from seeing it in person. So, he decided to take a short break from work and took the train to Neverwinter along with Zero to watch a movie together.

Steven and Zero took a seat in the theatre and bought some popcorn. Soon, an ethereal voice was heard throughout the theatre.

"A warm welcome to the magic movie theater of Graycastle. The Wolf Princess is about to begin. May everyone kindly return to their seats and listen carefully to the rules which should be observed. If there're any problems during the screening, please act in accordance with the rules in order to prevent accidents from occurring."

"First of all, the magic movie's duration is 2 hours and 15 minutes, throughout which there'll be no break. You're not allowed to leave your seat on your own. If you require assistance, simply pull on the string of the bell located under your seat and wait."

"Secondly, this will be an unprecedented viewing experience. Please don't panic no matter what happens, and remember that it's only a very special kind of play, instead of a real event. You'll be held accountable by the Neverwinter Police Department for any harm or loss you cause to a third party."

Many members of the audience began snickering as they thought the statement was ridiculous. They couldn't conceive of how anyone would be able to mistake a play for reality. Steven smiled. Unlike the others, he wasn't amused by the warning statement, rather he was amused by the reaction of the audience. Soon, they would be in for a shocking experience. He wished he could see their faces when the movie started.

"The show shall now begin."

The room dimmed and then there was a flash. Then, everything turned pitch black. Steven did feel that darkness was somewhat disconcerting. However, hearing the screaming coming out of the other audience members made him laugh.

As the light reemerged, a cold snowy land was shown. The movie was all encompassing and it was like he was actually actually there. The scene was quite breathtaking. It was a very amazing experience and Steven was very impressed. It was so much more awe inducing than reading about it in words could have shown. He almost couldn't fault the other audience members who were currently sinking into hysteria.

As the movie progressed, more and more amazing images were shown and the action scenes were quite nerve wracking as it seemed to be happening right in front of his eyes. Steven could feel the adrenaline coursing through his body. The audience members were all making noises, too shocked by the scenes to control themselves. While it was amusing at first, Steven started becoming annoyed with the other noises being made.

Overall, the movie was quite good. The singing had been amazing; Steven didn't expect that music could be so good, even with magical assistance from Echo. The production quality was good. Although things could be better, the movie was already leagues above any play that existed in this world.

After the movie ended, everyone left the theatre and went to the waiting hall where they began eagerly discuss the movie. "The magic movie was amazing", Zero said. "I didn't imagine Stones of Recording could achieve such great effects."

"Indeed, magic is very useful for this. The movie was quite impressive", said Steven.

"Yes, it was something truly different. The imagery was very vivid", said Zero. "I wish that we could watch more of these movies."

"Well, how about we make magic movies ourselves", Steven suggested. "Then we could watch them all the time. It could also just be us two alone watching it, without all of these other people."

"Mmm." Zero seemed quite pleased with the idea.

"Our movies will be just as good as this one", Steven said confidently.

"I thought the plot of this movie was very good", said Zero. "It also seemed quite unique."

"The plot…" Steven had an awkward expression on his face. "Unique? Roland just knows how to copy."

At that moment, Roland approached them. "What did you think of the movie? Was it good?", he asked.

"Oh, we were just discussing your plagiarism", Steven said. "Quite a 'unique' plot you had. I suppose Frozen was as fine a choice as any. You should be glad Disney doesn't exist here to sue you."

Steven began looking around, just to make sure that there weren't going to be Disney goons suddenly appearing out of thin air. Disney was quite protective of its copyright, and they had a very long reach. Steven could only hope that being in another world would put them far enough away to be safe.

Roland chuckled. "I am the King here so Disney can't do anything to me."

"The production quality was decent", Steven said. "It looks like you really did put a lot of effort into this."

"It is the first movie, it has to be the best to give magic movies a good reputation", Roland replied. "Also, it was important for propaganda purposes."

They talked a little more about things before they left. On the way out, Steven ran into Kajen Fels, who was still looked somewhat overcome by the entire experience.

Steven approached him and started talking to him. "Are you Mister Fels, the renowned playwright?"

"Yes, that is me. Though I suppose that I have been outdone", he replied.

"You seem very impressed by the magic movie", Steven said.

Kajen nodded. "It was truly amazing. The magic movie will be revolutionary."

"Are you planning on making a magic movie in the future?", Steven asked.

"I plan on asking King Roland to allow me to work on magic movies. I hope that he will have a spot for me", Kajen said.

"I see. Well I hope you have good luck trying", Steven said. "It is always good to see someone established for a long time embrace new technologies and advancements. If Roland doesn't have a spot for you, feel free to come to Hermes."

"Oh? Who might you be?", Kajen Fels asked.

"I am the church's prime minister", Steven replied. "I am quite interested in magic movies as well."

"I will keep you in mind then", Kajen said.

After talking with Kajen Fels, Steven left along with Zero and took the train back to Hermes.