Fifty years passed. It was enough time for the meadow to be discovered by humans who live near the mountain range, and it was enough time for the devil to plant as many useful and useless herbs as there are to plant from across the world in that very meadow. The devil did not know how rare or powerful those greenery he had planted within all that time, as he mixed both poisonous and herbal plants within the same plant bed, creating new breeds of plants. Hence, when humans discovered his masterpiece, they were greedy to take the herbs to consume, sell, and trade, while others tried to get a hold of the poisonous ones to use for their enemies or even as a tool for abortion. And as they did so, only one person was amazed by the new breeds of plants. There were six of them. Although they could have been a corpse by the second they were seen trespassing the devil's territory, they were lucky; the devil was in a state of hibernating as instead of eating human or human life force, he eased his hunger by sleeping.
"Amazing! With this many vegetables, my family can eat for months!" The man as thin as he can be said as he smiled cheerily. Then he coughed, coughing terribly as he covered his mouth with his hands, just to not let the contagious disease he carried splatter along with his saliva to the precious plants in front of him.
The place was silenced by his claim.
"...We should spread the news about this place." Another one of the men spoke after a minute of silence.
"Yes, we should do that." Another man spoke, agreeing.
"AHHHHHHH!" The coughing man screamed as he hit a young boy in his early teen age, defenseless as he got hit and tossed around. Yet the young boy was motionless, as though he doesn't feel the pain inflicted on him.
"What are you doing?!" The man who was fond of medicines defended the young boy with his hand. While the others ignored their fight and continued stealing what was planted by the little devil, the medicine-fond man who carried the small young boy in his arms made his way out of the scene, trying not to cause any trouble for those five people who had asked for his favor to accompany them on the journey to the meadow, starting from their small village where the medicine-fond man was quietly documenting his stay.
Walking down the mountain, the medicine-fond man named Fred let out a deep sigh. Not only was he imprisoned in the village, but he was also used as a meat-shield for the said angry monster of the meadow, which turned out to be a sleeping child. His sigh was both in relief and disappointment. He had long foretold the villagers that he knew what type of disease they are suffering from and what can be the cure. However, he was treated as a crazy man who spoke nonsense, and none, not one of them ever tried his medicine to at least prove his words true. "The village is doomed. In four months, it will perish." The man said beneath his breath, as though another sigh.
He was out of the island, only using a fiber-tied bamboo together as a form of transportation tool. He brought the small child along with him to his homeland without thinking about the consequences; he just wanted to at least protect his conscience by saving the child. The villagers have already lost their minds and some, their lives, leaving the young child there would be the same as sending him to torture before his death. Which is why he felt no hesitation nor guilt to kidnap a child. Although what he thought about the child and the child being pitiful were both wrong.
Arriving in his homeland, none whispered about his unimaginable way of reaching their island. None talked about the child on his back, which he carries from the shore to the only rock-built house in their land. He was not the richest, but people treated him so.
Three days passed. Fred was getting worried and impatient, since the boy had been sleeping for far too long without eating or drinking anything for the past few days. If he was an average child, he could last for at least five days without food. But he was just a weak-looking child and so thin at that. He could not bear it any longer; he mixed schisandra juice, ground coffee bean, and sugar together and forced the boy to drink it by opening the young child's mouth and pouring in the concoction.
The devil, who was the boy in Fred's house, awakened by the unfamiliar yet gruesomely bitter taste.
"Wha- where am I?" Asked the devil, yet he seemed uninterested and calm as he looked around him. Two adult humans were staring at him as though they saw a ghost. "What...?" The devil asked awkwardly, avoiding human gaze. He knew his eyes were in different color, in the human form; on the left is chestnut colored, yet on the right was black with white iris and a black pupil. In human understanding, it may be weird, what more to devils when they see their kind having a human eye for their left eye. He is not a half-bred; he was going back to normal. As devils are human and humans devils, they just divide as they transform, although they forget what they used to be once the transformation is done. As one hides when they feel different, or pretend to be not what they are, it is quite rare for both different, yet same race to notice that they are one.
"Say, can I borrow this boy?" The man beside Fred asked, pleading.
"Why? Humans as live creatures, my friend. They are not borrowed," Fred said. "Am I wrong, Cosmos?" Said Fred firmly. Knowing that his friend knew what is right and wrong, and just provoking him by pretending to be an imbecile.
"Then am I not allowed to?" The man, Cosmos said, dejected in his tone, yet his eyes were smiling. Quite entertained actually.
"Ask the boy, Cosmos," Fred said and slowly made his way to the door. Now that he knew the boy is alive and energetic enough to speak fluently despite sleeping for three days, he is relieved to have his friend Cosmos to foster the child.
"For the sake of Estes?" Fred looked over his shoulder and asked as he looked at Cosmos in the eyes.
"Ah, yes. It has been the hundredth and third. And yet, my child seems to be easily overtaken by extreme emptiness," Cosmos said with grief in his tone.
"The apple," Fred rubbed the temple of his nose, implying that Cosmos and his son are the same. Both cannot be contented with themselves and find humans as their plaything.
"Indeed. I do thank the heavens for letting me meet you," Cosmos said which made Fred frown as he left his own home to give the two the temporary privacy they needed.
"I must say, my child has no friends," Cosmos said to the devil with a smile, leaving the devil completely stunned, speechless with what he heard from the man. Asking inside his head 'What is he trying to imply?'
"Truth be told, I have sent him over a hundred kids with his same age, yet found not even a single one to be his close company. I would be glad if you do try getting along with him. I might even reward you money you could never dream of acquiring," Cosmos said as he boasted.
"...." Again, the devil was silent.
"I shall take that as an agreeing reply," Cosmos said. And without even consulting more of the devil's feelings, Cosmos has already made preparations and moved to his home. A mansion made of brick, and high enough to block one's view when they stand ten meters away from just the gate.