*Some place you will soon figure out*

If you were to pick any map of Efatra and point at a settlement, it’s almost certain that that place has seen its fair share of wars and bloodshed. The town of Deh is one such place. It is a settlement that has only recently earned the right to be called a town, one like many others that stand on the borders facing the wilderness. This story like many others of its kind start here, in an apartment on first floor of a residential building standing tall though admittedly lacking maintenance among similar buildings on the east side of this hardly worth noticing town bathing in another snowfall this night of the season, facing the sturdy walls that protect all, usually.

The apartment came with 2 bedrooms, a hall, 1 toilet, a corner kitchen and a balcony attached to hall usually used for simply drying clothes. In one of the bedrooms of this cemented holes lay a bed touching a wall of the room. If one was to see closely, they would see an easily ignored hump in the bed sheets which could be mistaken for a fold in the sheets. Sadly that was not to be.

“Hand over the biscuits” says the old black lady who seems to be one step away from making this bed her grave, while she throws the sheets off the true sinner and enemy of rationing, a kid almost 5 years of age with brown skin complexion, caught in the heinous crime of stealing and eating of biscuits that the old lady was saving for morning tea. Oh! The depth of his crimes! “Shoorrlyy, bwut I wash hugrry”. The poor bastard died quick that day, or that’s what you would like to hear but sadly all he got was a chop to his tummy making him spit out whatever was left in his mouth. “How many times have I told you to empty your mouth before you speak?” The boy cringed at hearing the deadly intent in the walking dead’s voice “Lots? He he”

The boy’s instincts screamed at him that the only way out of this live was to embrace his cuteness, which he readily did as he had little in the matter of shame to stop from acting like a fool. “It’s almost 9:00pm, about time a youngling like you should already be asleep and preparing to pee his last as he sleeps.” “But Mammy, Sasha said some animals eat before they sleep so that they don’t get hungry and wake up” “Are you an animal? Should have told me before I would have put a collar around you and placed you at the gate. Always wanted a dog, care to become one?”

It became awfully clear to the kid that this walking corpse was not going to let him hang on to this already short lived life if he didn’t suck the last remnants of energy out of her. “Mammy but you still haven’t read a story tonight” ‘”Go to sleep. I still got to handle your siblings.” “Pleeaasseee”

 She mumbled something to herself while staring hatefully at the small bookshelf then turned to the boy and said, “Today I’ll tell you some History so listen well” “ His-tree?” “Fun stuff now shush”, saying so she sat down on the bed thinking this shall put him to sleep quickly.  

“A long time ago when this universe was yet to exist, there were four beings made of nothing but conscience, that roamed the great void sleeping and searching for something anything that could help them gain meaning to them and save them from their everlasting boring existence and but no matter how far and wide they searched all they ever found was each other.”

 The boy knew he was being had cause there was no mention of prince, knights, dragons or even ponies. “I want a story with knights and fighting. This stuff is boring.” “Interrupt me again and I’ll let you experience firsthand what’s it like to be cut in half by a knight” and the silence prevailed.

 “So... right, after realising that their search was futile the four beings decided that they themselves will bring meaning to their existence. Hence, one of them decided to use his powers to create whatever his imagination inspired, freeing his energy to fill the great void as far as he could and started to shape it. The second decided to destroy whatever abominations were being released which led to the two of them always arguing and so the third sought to be the provider of balance and solutions, while the fourth choose to roam around messing with the work of the other three. These beings would later be called the 4 major Gods – God of Creation, God of Destruction, God of Order and God of Chaos and they together formed the early universe.”

“As they kept experimenting, they found they could make beings similar to them at the cost of losing a part of them and so came into existence the Minor Gods who worked with Major Gods to further advance this universe and so elements, titans and many more things came into being. For millenniums new minor Gods would be born from the combination of the universe and Major Gods. For millenniums the Major Gods watched and ruled and let their nature rule.”

“Once the Major Gods were satisfied with their work and bored with the slow progress they choose to rest after expending such later amounts of their energies but not before they told the Minor Gods to watch over the work for them. They were told to be impartial to all and protect this universe from any threats and to wait for their return, and that is what the Minor Gods did, or at least tried to do. They watched, they created and they destroyed. Excitement came with the emergence of sentient races. They choose to study them, interact with them and when they higher sentient races fought, they choose to play favourites. With the nature of sentient beings came new kinds of minor Gods, a lot destructive and chaotic in nature – this marked the birth of Sins.”

Mammy could see the boy was having trouble focusing and keeping his eyes open which led to a devious smile spreading on her lips. “But, the minor Gods grew worried. The Higher sentient were too bloodthirsty, too territorial and hence it was decided to split them. One higher sentient on one planet and with this splitting came the division in the Gods as those that favoured one particular race choose to pay attention to only that race’s planet and so once again a semblance of peace prevailed.”

 But the little monster was far from done “Why not just *thwat* tell themto *thwat* befriendswitheachother? *thwat*” came the series of head chops “What did I say about interrupting the story? Also, all questions are to be asked at the end of the story so shush.” “But *thwat*OOKK....” “And so the life went on no matter what the minor Gods threw in the path of higher sentient races, they would always find a way to succeed and thrive until 576 years when the Major Gods once again woke up and laid their eyes on a completely different state of universe than the one they left behind. Amused by the sentient races and angered by the conduct of Minor Gods they ordered all Minor Gods to seize direct contact with any sentient mortal while they themselves influenced the races and for once the races saw true might of divine. Mortals of unfathomable strength and intelligence were birthed by Major Gods which would shake the boundaries of what was possible to the eyes of mortals, beings later called demi-gods or god-children. But the true devastation was yet to come.”

 “In one of his travels while searching for yet another thing that could hold his attention, God of Chaos came across beings that would fight for entertainment and so he proposed a plan to the other Major Gods. It is said many planets vanished and many more had their face changed forever when the Gods roared in excitement. They studied the higher sentients, their history and culture, and put all that knowledge and more, much more into the creation of this tiny solar system we call Efatra.”

“It was then that they brought us all here, all the sentient races once more together and far more in numbers than ever. They told us of how it came to be and what was expected of us. The message was simple yet is etched in the very soul of all beings that walk these grounds and fly in the sky. Something you will come to remember starting tomorrow when you turn Five. So rest well my sleepy glutton for tomorrow you shall be born anew.”

She continued to stroke his hair while he slept peacefully still clutching on to a biscuit while she tried to remember how she had come across him and his siblings. “You are way past your curfew, you runts. I want you in your beds in next 5 minutes”.

A head with shoulder length hair peeked from the doorway. This girl was Sasha, the second oldest at the age of 9 years in this band of monsters. “Tch, how did you know?” A voice whispered to next to her, “I told ya all she ain’t right. I still say we pick Adrian when he is alone and make a run for the safe house.”

The old lady barely was barely keeping her cool after hearing that “The house was too quiet which could only mean four things when considering you lot. First, you all did this old women some good and finally died in a back alley, Gods be praised. Second, you all ran away, which you won’t till Adrian’s here. Third, you all were sleeping which you won’t do unless you get the good spanking you all seem to like. Lastly, you were eavesdropping, thinking I would be speaking some chant to mind-control this boy which...”

Another voice too heavy to consider it being a child’s spoke “ha! She admitted to *thwat*” finally a bored voice and of the last runt spoke, “no she didn’t. Go clear the dirt off your brain.”

“Two minutes” saying so the lady suddenly stood up which made the kids run to the other bedroom without as much as peeking behind to look whether she corpse was still on trail or not. Mammy sat back on the bed while massaging her aching back. “Little devils won’t even let me die without becoming a pain in some part of my fine body.”  

Dec-31, 439 A.E., ie, the Next day

Yet, another fine cloudy cold day this end of year has brought upon the town of Deh. The streets lay covered by the thick snowfall of last night and the good people of Deh started to flood out on the streets going on their way to do what they do best, whatever that maybe.

The sight of some poor bastard who died last night whether due to either the cold or disease or starvation or got stabbed or due to the combination of two or more of the following reasons is a common site on the worlds of Efatra, this one is called Mangal, one of the four planets that resolve around the star of this foreign solar system.

In an ancient language Mangal meant Good fortune, something that everyone seeks but only few ever get and even fewer or none able to keep it.

Yet, our MC sleeps like he was born clutching good fortune in his fist... or is it a biscuit?

“10,9,8,7..3” “UP!” “Close. You came very close to dying on your birthday. I could have even passed it as ‘he died because of this wretched cold weather , oh poor boy'. Kekeke” “Uuu... ah, Mammy I can’t see!” “Relax! It’s the world opening its doors to you. Happy birthday runt. Now get up and freshen up. I made Pancakes. Oh, and just say Speak Window since you can’t read”, said Mammy as she left the room slightly hunched, cold nights are harsh on old bones.  “Wait... Pancakes! In a minute Mammy! Speak Window”

Congratulations on making it to required human age limit for the activation of your link to the World Stream. In couple of hours you shall be fully integrated with the stream and be deemed worthy of access to Status Window, Skill Window, Party Window and small Inventory. Thank you for your patience, runt. Our only advice:

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

SURVIVE OR DIE

After he finished listening to the window it disappeared and one thing became absolutely clear to Adrian, “Mammy! I don’t like this window!” “Freshen up before I come there and drown you in the toilet.”

And so, that is what he did. He stood up and went to the bathroom and cleaned up using the already prepared hot water. He knew it was the work of one of his elder siblings. They  always treated him like a small kid.

Admittedly, it did make his life easier but also stole from him the chance to prove that he was just as much capable as them. ‘one day I’ll make them all proud. I’ll become super strong and super rich and then give them some of it. They will praise me till I die. Hehehe’ You see, being delusional is a trait of being a child, so don’t think much of it.

“Mammy! Ready!” “Sit down then, I’m bringing your pancakes and MILK right now” “uu... Milk? I am 5 already. Can’t we stop?” “Would you stop taking shits just because you grew up a little? Now, man up and gulp it all down.” Said Mammy while handling over a mug clearly too big for the little guy. But he didn’t complain again because he knew ‘when in hell, do as the devil says’ and finished it all at once, praying for the days to come sooner when his soul be cleansed and throw out of hell.

“Sasha and Grey are helping at the one of the guilds with light labour work and assistance. Mattew has gone to meet another Golem today and Udhay is, well he ran away don’t know where. So, that leaves you to help me out today. We leave in 10” He was wrong. The bucket of hot water was no sign of love and affection but a sign of apology for what he would be going through today.

You see, Mammy was old. Like ancient old and like every smart kid Adrian knew that old things needed to be handled with care or they might break. So, the kids would help here out when try to make sure she didn’t burn here last life essence. To the elder kids it meant lose of this house and running water. To Adrian, it meant loss of food and a oversized bed. So, as reluctant as they were to having worked to death, they did.

So, he put on his heroic coat, his gloves and boats and stepped out of the apartment ready to save his source of breakfast, lunch, dinner and extra happy meals.

The view of town of Deh is similar from any side you chose to look. Unlike some towns which seem to be planned and shaped to meet certain needs or just to show clear distinction between rich and poor, Deh had no such distinction. You could be a well-off guy and own a house nearing the walls or be a ‘earn today and waste today’ guy and be placed closer to middle. Just never in the middle.

The centre residence and offices were places of high standings and importance which included the Mayor’s residence, the Guild establishments, City Municipal Office and Headquarters of Town Defence Forces.

As they walked, they could see the snow being melted and poured in the side sewer system. Basic Magic came easy in this world, it’s advance usage, not so much.

Mammy enters a street market hub and Adrian follows while holding her hand making sure she doesn’t get lost. “Well, hello Aporva and Adrian. What would you like told? Making anything special for this New Year’s ?” The lady to say this was a shop vender that Mammy usually visits, Martha. Someone Adrian is terrified of after seeing what she does to people that try to steal from her.

 “Good morning to you too, lassie. Just in need some elven roots and herbs.” “Oh! That’s a big buy for a cheapster like you Mammy, going overboard this NY’s or just preparing your last meal? Hello Adrian?” Both women could be seen smiling at the cost of a young hero’s shameful retreat behind the legs of Mammy, practicing stealth.

 “huh, it’s Adrian’s birthday too. So, I was preparing something special tonight.” “Sure, go ahead pick what you need and I’ll pack it for you.  You can even have a little discount today.”

 After making few more stops at the cheapest stalls all around the town to replenish stocks. They were finally moving back to the house. It was already early evening and Adrian could tell today has been harsher than normal days. Suddenly, another set of those hateful windows appeared before him. "huh, Speak Window".

Complete integration with World Stream.

You can now interact with the utilities of World Stream.

NAME

Adrian

RACE

Half-demon

AGE

5 years

TITLE

Runt, Little Demon

CONDITION

Demon Trait Suppression

HP

100  

MP

00

SP

100

"Mammy..." and so explained what he was seeing. “oh, you finally awakened. Good. When you start school you will be taught all the functions available to you and how to operate and navigate throw the windows. So don’t worry about it much. You still have two weeks before the new term admissions begun.”

“umu! But it said something like rash half-demoon and things I can’t even say.” This was enough to halt Mammy, as if she died while standing straight.

She turned around and stared right into Adrian’s eyes and said, “Show it to me. Say ‘Display Status : Open’” and he obeyed.

All the boy did for the next 2-3 minutes was stare at Mammy’s face as it went through series of changes from ‘damn’ to ‘what?’ to ‘I’m too old to give a damn’.

“huh, It seems your demon side has yet to awaken. For demons the age limit is at 7 years. Keke, congratulations runt, you are no human, I was already fearing about humanity’s future after looking at you and at least this makes you truly deserving of  the title of ‘little demon’ keke”.

“I  am not human? But I look just like you! Grey was right! You are no human!” “Shut it pea-brain. I am double the human you are. As for you looking like us, all I know is demon spawns are usually born with some demon-like traits like, claws, horns, tails, different coloured skin, well something. Seems being a half-breed is the reason for this appearance of yours. I don’t know much about half-breeds so wait till school starts. You will be just fine.”

Later on they finally reached home and from the sounds of someone being beaten to a pulp it seems the others were back. Mammy entered with Adrian in tow who seemed to be walking off a battlefield thoroughly spent. At the scene been playing out in front of them with Mattew holding Udhay upside down with his legs and Grey holding a stick he seems to have picked up from somewhere, Mammy couldn’t help but ask, “What’s his crime?”

It seemed whatever it was it was good enough for them to not stop even in the presence of Mammy.”I didn’t *ugh” do anything *ouff* I swear on your*ah!*that one hurt *thawt* your name Mammy”.

“He used OUR savings to go watch the circus in town” *thawt* “used OUR money to eat the snacks they had” *thawt* “and used OUR money to pay buy souvenirs! Souvenirs!?” *thawt*

“Stop!stop! Alright I took a little, I will pay you b.” *thawt* “why!?” “you don’t even work anywhere is why!” *thawt”* “Help Mammy! Adrian!” “Beat him 10 more times for swearing on my name” “did you bring any snacks for me?”

Welcome to the house of Mammy where even the welcome mat reads ‘NO MERCY TO YOU WHO ENTERS’.

Though it seems Sasha wasn’t anywhere around or else life would have been much harder for their little thief. “Where is your sister doesn’t she know better than to stay out late, Grey?” “Well, the mercenary guild is having tough time with some staff calling off day because of New Year’s so she opted to help as an assistant It helps her earn some extra money and earn better rep with them.”

“That girl works too hard. How is she coming back?” “ah, all she has to do is run some basic errands n act as bell boy and maybe serve snacks, so it’s fine. As for coming back, one of the lady who works there stays quite close so, she promised to drop her back around 8.”

“alright then, we will eat dinner when she returns. As for you lot quit fooling around and help me with dinner. Today we are eating an elven speciality you lot since it’s Adrian’s Birthday. Mattew tuck him in bed, he looks like he is about to fall  and Udhay quit playing dead, you are helping too.”

With this another day in the house of Witch and her Little Minions started to draw to an end.

*Sasha’s start of the day*

“We are so going to be late and it’s your entire fault Grey!”

“Sorry, but I had to see where Udhay was going. I am going to kill him when he returns home tonight.”

“Not before I do”  her face had an expression that a torturer might show to their victim before beginning their work to carve the greatest piece of art they could, one which says nothing yet clearing brings hundreds of horrors in the victims mind making them remember where it had all went wrong and what all the regret.

Much to their relief they made it to the centre square before 06:00 am when the morning shifts begin.

People might wonder why children are being made to work. Well, the thing is they aren’t, they chose to work and given the times they live a person who could think for themselves and interact properly with adults met the criteria to opt for a job that the organisation was willing to give and desperate children like Sasha and Grey became the way to get cheap labourers.

They usually were paid to act as bellboys, guides and assistants of sorts. Some may even be paid to do other works that required manual labour and everyone was in on this business be it hotels, farms, mills, public offices and the biggest share of it, the Guild Houses and all the guilds they had registered with them.

 Guild houses like the Mercenary Guild, Mage Guild, Crafter Guild and others would hire such children in huge numbers to serve as staff in their establishments and also loan them out to work on guilds that worked for them.

“Ah, I will then be reporting at the Crafter’s guild again. They said new stocks were going to come last night. Either they are going to make me sort them out or do the usual heavy lifting. Where are you heading today?”

“Hehe, they hired me as an assistant to front desks yesterday at the Mercenary Guild.  It’s the first time I get to work at this position and they pay 1 copper coin an hour, hehe”

“Huh!? I only get 7 cooper coins for a day! That is so cool.” Though it did hurt his ego to be earning less than his younger sister. “Hehe, well I have to go now. Go do your best and come get me at 5pm.“ “Sure sure, Bye”

She finally entered the guild house and went straight to front desk to report.  The guild house could be considered as the epitome of architecture regardless of place, well, except when there was a palace around. This one was the biggest guild house in the Town of Deh. It was a 8  story building along with 2 sets of guard keeps at every corner on ground and fifth floor.

Its ground floor lobby took around 1000 sq. meter space and a roof height 7 meters to accommodate almost all kinds of sentients. On the right side was a dine and drink area which would cater almost anything needed by the members. The left side was reserved for the Boards which displayed tasks open to all members divided by ranks.

Straight ahead were the face and voice of the Guild houses, the Front desks.

“Uh... Good morning ma’am. I am supposed to start working here as of today and was told to report to Mrs.Eck... Ecklectus” said sasha to the Raven hair lady at the desk. She seemed to be one of the the beastkin folk as she had black ears with white undertone over her head and slight whiskers.

“Oh dear, yes, that would be me. So, Sasha right? Mind if I see your status to confirm your identity?”

“uh... ok ma’am. Display Status: Open”

NAME

Shasha Falacson

RACE    

Human

AGE      

9 years

“Alright, now that has been confirmed. Let me tell you your work for the day and most probably it’s going to be the same throughout the term of your employment. Your are to help all five desks with whatever they require from you which could be bringing them papers and utilities, serving snacks to the front desks, transferring documents to the upper front desks or the offices on the second and third floor.”

“You have even have to escort members to the rightful offices if a staff member is busy, might have to copy documents, write and transfer notes. Remember you only have access till third floor. Here’s your pass and here’s a map of the second and third floor offices with right designations. You will have a half hour lunch break at 14:00 every day.  Feel free to roam and get to know around this place till 06:45. After that you are to stand near the wall that you see behind me and await instructions. Understood? ”

“Uh, yes Ma’am. I’ll do as you say. Thank you very much.”

After finishing with the formalities she started to work on getting to know the map.

‘I wonder what I should buy Adrian for his birthday with the coins I have on me. Hehe, Little Demon.’

And so another day of hard work and running around began in the life of our dear Sasha.