How long had it been since he had finally realized the truth of his situation? Perhaps nine months.
Eídal, the adorable little creature, felt his limbs growing heavy, perhaps from lack of exercise, or perhaps from the shackles that kept his bones tethered to the wall. Only one thought continued to circle his mind:
What am I supposed to do now?
Being a pet was hardly an appealing prospect.
Suddenly, an imposing figure entered the luxurious room with heavy footsteps. It was one of the Fallen. Its chest was bare, and the only thing covering it was a pair of loose gray trousers. Were it not for the enormous horns rising from its head, its silhouette could easily have been mistaken for that of a human being. Up close, however, it was obvious that its face had neither eyes nor a nose, while its skin was a dull brown, marked by silvery patterns reminiscent of dried earth.
In the Fallen's broad smile, the adorable creature could discern an expression of ecstasy, as though it were laughing at the scene before it. Eídal had never seen this particular Fallen take part in the siege of his village, but when he was captured, it had been the first to welcome him with open arms.
The master has arrived, the adorable creature thought.
"Mmm... Mmm."
He tried to retreat at the sight of it, but his lack of strength sent him tumbling onto his backside.
The master—as he had been forced to call him—was the leader of the Fallen. With absolute authority over this place, he was the one who had made Eídal his personal pet.
"Having a human cub as a decoration, huh? Doesn't sound so bad for someone like me. It suits my name. It suits me."
That was what the master had said while chaining him to the wall.
"Oh, oh, don't worry. You don't have to try to greet me."
The words were so gentle they could almost have been mistaken for a caress.
They would not even allow him the dignity of dying. Instead, he was forced to fulfill the duties of a pet.
After placing a plate of food on the floor, the master knelt down and began removing his gag. Moving his numb tongue and wetting his lips brought him an immense sense of relief. It was much like the feeling of stretching after getting out of bed, or when a yawn finally worked its way through the body.
And then there was the simple pleasure of filling his stomach.
Because of that, the adorable creature had unconsciously begun looking forward to the master's visits. Not because he wanted to see the Fallen, but because of the relief its visits brought. To tell the truth, this brief interval was the one small stretch of time when everything was different.
"Ah... Aah..."
"You seem a little down today," the master whispered as he took him by the chin. "If you eat everything, I'm sure that pale little face of yours will look better."
"Um... I—"
The adorable creature tried to speak, but the master squeezed his cheeks, silencing him.
"Shh. First, you have to say my name. It's important because that's how you greet me. Come on. Try."
The adorable creature endured the pain in the atrophied muscles of his mouth as he struggled to form the word.
"A..." He stammered. "M-master."
"Yes! That's my name. And greetings to you, too."
Closing his eyes, the adorable creature tried not to enjoy the refined taste of the food while the same thought continued repeating itself in his head:
What can I do now?
---
The only certainty in his new life was the time when the master came to visit him.
It was the sole moment in all that monotony when they removed his gag, fed him, cleaned his litter box, and washed him. Because of that, this brief period of the day had gradually become something strange, yet special, even as the adorable creature resisted admitting it.
But nothing in the earthly world lasted forever.
I'm hungry, the adorable creature thought.
The child who would soon become an adolescent felt his limbs more exhausted than usual. Perhaps it was because he had not eaten anything that day.
Why isn't he coming? Why isn't the master coming? Mmm... What if it's not just today? What if two days pass? Then three? And so on?
Suddenly, the adorable creature realized what he was saying.
He had never imagined this could happen.
It can't be. Ha! I thought I'd already gotten rid of all of that. But apparently, I still want someone to pay attention to me... Someone to love me.
The need for love was still there.
Even after coming to hate the villagers, the adorable creature still longed to have someone by his side. But did that need for affection include the Fallen as well?
It's annoying. It's so damn annoying that I feel this way. I was supposed to hate all of them!
After striking his litter box, he tried not to dwell on it. Things like this should not have affected him in the slightest. It was not as though it mattered whether the master was here or not.
Trying to fall asleep, he buried his head between his knees.
I hate being alone.
...
When the incident passed and the master returned, the adorable creature secretly could not stop himself from feeling excited. He felt pathetic for it, yet he simply could not deny the sudden leap of his heart.
And he prayed that it would not happen again.
But, as always, his prayers went unanswered.
Several weeks later, the incident happened again. This time, the two-day absence left him bewildered. The third time, when the master was gone for three days, it began to worry him. The fourth time, it tormented him.
But the fifth and sixth filled him with despair.
Since no other subordinate was allowed to enter the luxurious room unless accompanied by the master, the adorable creature had no way of discovering the reason for his absence.
It was as though the Fallen were doing it deliberately.
As though they wanted to break him.
Anxiety slowly consumed everything: dreams, desires, goals, promises. Even his anger toward the villagers began to feel like some distant memory.
The adorable creature, who hated being alone, could not help but grow frantic. And when he realized what he truly wanted, he condemned himself for it, clutching his disheveled hair.
Damn me! Damn me! I'm damned!
Kneeling with his head bowed, the adorable creature could do nothing but berate himself for having lost to the Fallen.
Why does it hurt so much when the master isn't here?! Have I really gotten used to being his pet, or is it simply the hunger?
The silence of the room forced him to repeat an undeniable truth.
...I hate being alone.
The denial that had turned into anger slowly faded away.
And yet, from the very depths of his being, a desire for salvation was born.
From the ashes of his extinguished anger rose a single sentiment:
If only...
If only someone were here.
If only someone remembered me.
If only someone came for me.
His existential doubts were replaced by a yearning for a miraculous rescue.
You could call it a period of bargaining.
The adorable creature understood that his way of thinking remained weak. Even so, he wanted to be saved and forget everything. He wanted to stop feeling thirst and hunger.
Perhaps someone would come to take him away.
Perhaps by coincidence.
Perhaps soldiers.
Or perhaps... a hero.
If I ever get out of here, I promise I'll do things right this time.
But what did it mean to do things right?
After turning that question over and over in his mind, the adorable creature remembered something he himself had said when he was little:
"If I want to be loved, I have to be useful."
Yes, he thought. This time, I'll be useful. If I do things right, not only will I repay whoever gets me out of here, I'll earn their love, too.
A negotiation with himself, in which he promised that, if someone saved him, he would become more useful than ever.
I swear...
To anyone who comes for me, I swear.
This time, I'll be useful. I'll do things right.
I swear I'll serve whoever comes for me!
Some time ago, he had asked himself:
What will become of me from now on?
An answer emerged from desperation.