Theo threw his tiny arms around his mother's waist the moment she placed his plate on the table.
"When will Dad come home, Mama?" he asked, looking up with wide, hopeful eyes.
His mother paused for a heartbeat, brushing his hair gently. "Soon, Theo... But for now, eat your dinner and head to bed, alright?"
"Okay, Mom," Theo nodded, trusting and cheerful.
From the ceiling, Kael, the bound Demon God, watched the exchange unfold with a twisted expression. His face contorted as if he'd swallowed something rotten.
Ugh... What is this? Love? Tenderness? What is this putrid display of affection? I'm going to puke, he thought, recoiling slightly. Is this what I've been sentenced to endure? Watching... this?
Theo devoured his food happily, gave his mother a big kiss on the cheek, and scampered off to his small room. His mother smiled after him, tired but warm.
Inside, the room was quiet except for the soft sound of pages turning. Theo sat on his bed, nose buried in an old, dog-eared picture book about heroes and dragons.
Kael floated silently above, observing him.
So... this is the vessel of my torment.
He narrowed his eyes, his gaze drifting to the faint shimmer of Theo's mana circle glowing subtly around his core.
...No. Wait.
That's no ordinary spark. This child... his potential... it's insane. If this were the underworld, his soul would've already been auctioned off a thousand times over.
Kael smirked.
Interesting... perhaps I was too hasty. This one might be worth keeping. Even after I return to my true form.
Maybe… maybe I play it smart for once.
He took a breath — purely out of habit — then whispered, "Hello."
Theo blinked and looked up, confused. "Huh?"
Kael cursed internally. Damn. That was stiff. Try again, you idiot. Friendlier. Less 'I want to eat your soul.'
He cleared his throat and forced the friendliest tone he could muster — which was still laced with centuries of disdain.
"Look above you."
Theo tilted his head back, eyes wide as he stared at the ceiling… and then at the strange man floating just under it. Kael had taken on a less terrifying form — no horns, no flames, just a decent face with calm features… and mildly glowing eyes.
Theo blinked again. "Are you… a fairy?"
Kael froze. A... what?
He forced a smile. "No, child. I am… your new friend." My name is 'Kael'.
He almost choked on the word. Friend. It tasted like ash on his tongue. Kael, who had commanded legions, burned worlds, and spat on the gods themselves… was now struggling to hold a conversation with a five-year-old.
And worst of all — he felt uncomfortable. Not because of Theo's innocence, but because this was the first time in his existence someone had looked at him without fear, hatred, or awe.
Just curiosity.
And that feeling… it unsettled him more than any divine punishment ever could.
"You're my friend? Wow! This is my first time seeing a floating friend!" he gasped, eyes sparkling. He immediately hopped off the bed and ran toward the door. "Wait till I show Mama! She's never seen a flying person either!"
Kael's eyes widened in horror. "Wait!"
Theo froze, hand on the door handle.
Kael descended rapidly, hovering inches from Theo's face. "You can't tell anyone about me. No mothers, no cats, no chickens. No one."
"Why not?" Theo blinked, genuinely puzzled.
Kael folded his arms with all the seriousness of an ancient warlord. "Because if you do… I won't be your friend anymore."
Theo looked devastated. His lip quivered. "Really…?"
Kael nodded, putting on his best menacing frown — though to Theo it looked more like a grumpy cat.
The boy sighed dramatically. "Fine... but you're really weird for a friend."
Kael rolled his eyes. "I'm not weird. I'm dignified."
"You talk funny." Theo poked Kael's cheek with a giggle. "Are you ticklish?"
Kael batted his hand away with an offended scowl. "Stop that. I don't do 'ticklish.' I've flayed archangels."
"What's a flay-jel?"
Kael's eye twitched.
After a long and painful ten minutes of Theo asking if Kael could do backflips, glow in the dark, or turn into a cat, the child finally began to yawn. His eyelids drooped as he curled into his blanket.
"Goodnight, floaty friend..." he mumbled, snuggling under the covers.
Kael hovered silently above, his eyes dull and exhausted, a ghost of his former malevolence.
This is worse than being stomped by a million elephants, he thought, expression deadpan. How am I going to survive this until I get my body back?
He floated to the ceiling like a depressed balloon and stared at the wooden rafters.
Gods, I hate you.
Inside, the once-mighty Demon God Kael let out a long, dramatic mental sob.