WHEN A SERVANT pledges their loyalty to a demon lord, they bind their existence to that demon lord. In doing so, the servant's life becomes intricately intertwined with the demon lord's, as they vow to serve and obey in exchange for the demon lord's provision and protection.

Rath pledged his loyalty to Caius ages ago and has been by his side since then, quietly serving and supporting him. They are an outstanding follower who takes pride in their work. They diligently followed their lord's orders without question. It was the same for the other servants, but it still didn't mean that they didn't have any difficulty. And it got more problematic after the arrival of the tiny being.

"Hurry! Bring nourishment! More wine." It has been chaotic for Rath and the other servants. They have been running around whenever the tiny being started wailing in the depths of the night. Since it was an order from their lord, they diligently attended to the tiny being, but they were failing miserably. They couldn't figure out what the tiny being wanted. And just like earlier that day, they had given all things that could satisfy human desire as per what they knew, but the little being was not satisfied at all. It wouldn't even dare look at the items they were showing.

When the little one stopped crying out of exhaustion, Rath and the others cautiously approached again, tiptoeing like a thief. As they crept closer, they couldn't help but notice that the hollering tiny being had now paused on the waterworks, perhaps catching its breath for the next dramatic outburst.

When Rath and the others saw the yawn from the tiny being, they released a breath of relief and slowly exited the room and went back to rest when, at the strike of dawn, the tiny being burst into crying once more, alarming the whole castle, and this time, the lord has now awakened.

"How baffling," Caius mused aloud, observing the tiny human whose cries seemed capable of rousing even the slumbering giants of the cold north. "Where do you even get the energy to cry out?" His cape draped over the small figure, and miraculously, the tears ceased, replaced by a sense of calm.

"My lord, we apologize for being unable to quelch the tiny being. It just seems to have taken a liking to your cape," Rath said as they observed the tiny being only stop crying when their lord came to visit and dropped his cape.

"I, too, have noticed. But I think this tiny one seems to have greed for more." Caius couldn't help but marvel at the amount of attention his servants dedicated to the little human. Despite providing a comfortable space for the child, its cries often hinted at disapproval, leaving Caius puzzled by its behaviour.

"What do you think it wanted, my lord?" Rath asked. They know that human greed benefits demons due to the negative energy, but they can't determine what the tiny being wants.

Caius possessed greater knowledge about humans, having frequently been summoned to the human realms. However, for Rath, his fellow servants, and other lower-ranking demons, such luxuries were rare unless they were former humans or ghouls who had made contact with a necromancer or a reaper. Otherwise, they could only rely on word of mouth from other demons for knowledge about humans.

However, Caius's knowledge of the mortal realm was limited to interactions with more aggressive and combative adult humans. After all, Caius was typically summoned for war assistance and other matters related to human power struggles. The concept of caring for another human, especially a tiny being, was more likely foreign to him.

"Hm, I am not sure. But since it's time for Dawn, I believe it would also need some nourishment," the lord replied, remembering how humans feed after waking up by Helios's light.

In the demon world, the passage of time was marked by unique terminology, reflecting the distinct nature of their realm. The Time of Dawn signified the morning hours when the first light of day emerged. Conversely, the afternoon was known as the Time of Dust, as the day progressed and the light waned.

Day and night were also perceived differently in this realm. A whole day, consisting of 12 hours, was called Helios's Light, and this period commenced with the sun rising or when the sky became bathed in light. The hours between 1 am and 4 am were designated as Eos, representing the early morning hours and Nyx, or night, encompassed the time from 9 pm to midnight.

Another significant concept was Ra's Light, denoting the moments when souls entered or departed from the underworld, occurring at 3 am and 3 pm. The entire span of 24 hours, known as a day in conventional terms, was referred to as Halo in the demon world, reflecting the celestial and mystical aspects of their temporal system.

"Yes, I have prepared nourishment as we know about mortals. We also brought wines and bread for their consumption," Rath said proudly. They usually record what they know about the other realms. Since their lord travels to different places, they keep a tally of each realm's feeding preferences so that if they have guests from another domain, they can accommodate them. It also benefits demons to learn more things outside the underworld.

"Good. That would suffice," Caius said proudly. "Bring it here then," he ordered.

Rath called on the other servants to bring the meal that had been prepared for the tiny being. When the food was brought, it was placed in front of the tiny being.

"This is everything, my lord," Rath presented, showing an extravagant human meal that they themselves consumed when other realms brought them offerings and gifts. Rath specifically picked the fresh ones, from the finest fruits from the neighbouring elves' town to the corals from the mermaids.

"Now, little human, feed," Caius ordered, but seconds turned into minutes, and nothing happened. He repeated himself twice, thrice and more times, but the tiny didn't move. It blicked, wiggled its hand and feet and giggled at the movement of Caius's hand, but it didn't touch the meal nor move from its place, making Caius and Rath frown.

"My lord, forgive my ignorance, but didn't all demons have the ability to adapt and understand any language of any creatures, including mortals, how come the tiny being didn't seem to understand your words?"

Demons possessed a remarkable capacity to comprehend language, enabling them to be summoned by others who met the criteria for invoking a demon. This linguistic adaptability allowed them to converse and negotiate deals with those who sought their services. But for some reason, conversation with the little human seems impossible.

"I, too, am confused. I made sure that I used simple words that could easily translate to the tiny human mind, but I don't see how it didn't register to it." Caius prided himself as one of the few higher demons who had achieved such fluency. Having spent considerable time in the human world and even cohabited with mortals on multiple occasions, he had honed his linguistic skills. However, encountering a situation where he wasn't understood was the first. "I wonder if a new language existed in the mortal realm. I should ask the elves at a later date," Caius muttered.

"My lord, could the tiny human have been consumed by the air of the underworld?" Rath asked. It is expected that not all creatures can live or stay long in the underworld since it has a different atmosphere, so Rath mentioned previously that the child might not survive in their world.

"It shouldn't be the case. It would take at least one halo before the air of the underworld becomes poison to the tiny human."

"Then what could be the problem? How could a tiny being refuse to feed?" Rath grew more confused as they tried to figure out how to feed the tiny being. "Would it bite if I fed it myself?" they hesitantly asked.

"Humans don't usually bite unless they were bound, provoked or involved in sexual pleasure, so I don't see the problem," Caius replied seriously, permitting Rath to feed the tiny human.

Rath offered one of the fresh fruits to the tiny being. "Here. Feed yourself with this. I believe it is called apple. It's fresh and sweet. It was a gift from the giants."

As if understanding their words, the tiny human reached out of curiosity, but because of its tiny hand that didn't have that much grip yet, it fell on its face, causing it to cry.

"What in the hellfire!" Lord Caius cursed, covering his ears as the tiny human cried.

"Apologized, my lord. I didn't think the tiny being wouldn't have that much grip on those puny hands. I probably shook it when it fell on its face."

"Forget the cause. How can we stop it from crying out loud?" He asked, not wanting to burst his eardrums from the noise.

"That's..." Rath couldn't reply. They have been figuring that out since it arrived, and until now, they still can't figure out how to stop the tiny being from crying. "I don't know..."

Lord Caius clicked his tongue in irritation. With a flick of his tail, he lifted the tiny creature, intending to silence its cries. However, to his surprise, the beast began to giggle as soon as it was lifted off the ground.

"It stopped..." Caius remarked, both surprised and relieved that the crying had ceased. But just as he was about to set the creature down, he heard a muffled sound as if it were about to start crying again. So, he held it up again, eliciting another round of giggles from the tiny being.

"How...?" Rath wondered, shocked at how the tiny being was now expressing delight. "I don't get it."

Caius was confused himself. One moment, the tiny human was crying, and then the next, it was giggling. He had never met any mortal that changed emotion so quickly. "Even Adheline wasn't this temperamental when things didn't go her way," he whispered.

"Does that mean the tiny being is now satisf—?" Rath's words were abruptly cut off as the tiny human released an unexpected stream of unpleasant liquid from its nether region, followed by a grimace and an unpleasant odour that was almost as deadly as a poison. "What is that revolting smell?"

"It's coming from the tiny human. I believe it just finished releasing the toxin in its body," Caius replied, now covering his sensitive nose while still holding the giggling tiny human up in the air. As much as Caius wanted to put it down, he didn't like to mess up the already wet carpet in the room. He tried to avoid having the tiny creating more mess and spreading the toxin.

"How can a tiny being release that vile toxin? My lord, should we bring the tiny being to the Darkstream to clean or use holy water from the human priest?" Rath suggested.

The Darkstream is the underworld's equivalent of a pool or hot spring found in the mortal realm. Every castle in the underworld boasts one of these, offering demons a place to soak themselves in unholy water for cleansing purposes.

"Wait, not those. Go to the treasury and grab some waterstones. Pick the ones gifted by the nymphs of the East and use them to clean the little human properly. Bathe it with flowers from the fairy world as well, bring some comfortable garments to change into and send someone to change the carpet."

Rath immediately worked their way to the treasury while telling the other servants they passed about the order from their lord. Everyone moved as told while Caius slowly carried the tiny human outside his castle where they could get clean.

"Little human, unfortunately, we must eliminate your current garments. It has been soiled, and you must be clean before returning to the castle." As much as Caius wanted to say more, he started removing the child's garment with the help of the servants, but the more they removed, the more the smell spread through the air. When all garments were removed, Caius burned them to the ground, not wanting to experience that despicable smell again. However, the scent vanishes only after the waterstone is activated to clean the little one's body. And to ensure the tiny human remained fragrant, the servants applied the essence of fairy flowers.

"Cover it up," Caius ordered after the servants cleaned the child.

"Yes, my lord."

As Caius watches his servant dress the little human, he wonders how he will continue coexisting with it. The event that occurred was interesting. It was unexpected and unprecedented for him and the servants, but it was fun. However, he is still curious. He wanted to know what was happening, not just guessing or theorizing. He is sure his servants would also like to learn more about the tiny human, as it is the first time they have had a tiny mortal who seems to be dependent and does not know much about the world.

Caius's curiosity wanted to be satiated with the tiny human, which also seemed to overrule most of his knowledge about mortals. It fascinates him that his desire for knowledge is kicking in as if a new sense of purpose had opened its door for him to discover.

"What should we do now, my lord?" Rath interrupted his musing.

"What to do, indeed?" he muttered under his breath, a bemused expression crossing his features as he observed the scene before him. The tiny human, amidst fits of giggles, was quite the handful for the servants, who struggled to dress it amidst its incessant wiggling and playful antics.

Knowledge is power. Caius remembers a quote a queen once said to him, so for him to advance and eliminate boredom without going out of the underworld, he needed to gain more knowledge. He needed to know more about the mortal realms besides wars and money laundering. He needed to call someone for assistance. Someone who knows about tiny humans and is obsessed with the way of the underworld. He will need to call on Gayin.

And so it was decided. "Rath, call the necromancer."