Astraea's POV
Just as I was about to leave and put this exhausting night behind me, I caught sight of a figure in the corner of the room. A woman.
She was slumped against the floor, unmoving.
Before I could react, Zephyra rushed past me, practically throwing herself toward the woman. Panic flashed across her face as she dropped to her knees beside her, shaking her gently at first, then more desperately when she didn't respond.
"Mom?" Zephyra's voice cracked, raw with emotion. "Mom, wake up. Please."
Ah. So this was her mother.
I crossed my arms, watching with mild amusement as Zephyra continued to shake the woman, her voice growing more frantic with each passing second.
"Mom, come on," she pleaded, her hands trembling. "You have to wake up."
Her mother didn't move.
Zephyra's breathing turned ragged, her shoulders shaking as panic overtook her. Her hands hovered over her mother's face, unsure of what to do, and before I knew it, she was turning to me.
Tears pooled in her eyes as she met my gaze, her expression laced with desperation. "Can you help her?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I rolled my eyes. "I thought you'd never ask."
Stepping forward, I crouched beside her, studying the unconscious woman. Her breathing was faint but steady. I could feel her life force—it was there, just buried under the trauma of what she had been through.
This was easy.
With a flick of my wrist, I snapped my fingers right in front of the woman's face. Instantly, her eyes flew open, and she sucked in a deep, gasping breath, as if she had just surfaced from drowning.
Zephyra let out a small, choked sob of relief. "Mom!"
Her mother blinked rapidly, disoriented, before turning to Zephyra, her brows knitting together in confusion. "Zephyra?"
Zephyra didn't answer—not with words, at least. She just collapsed into her mother's arms, gripping onto her like she was afraid she'd slip away again.
I sighed, standing up as I dusted off my hands.
"Well, that was easy."
Zephyra pulled away from her mother, turning to look at me, her expression still laced with shock.
"That's it?" she asked, as if she couldn't believe it.
I smirked. "Did you think I'd need a ritual? Maybe some dramatic chanting?"
Zephyra just stared, too stunned to respond.
Her mother, still weak, looked between the two of us in confusion. "W-What's going on?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "What happened?"
Zephyra hesitated, as if trying to figure out how to explain. I, on the other hand, had already made my decision.
I had achieved what I was summoned for. The brute was gone, Zephyra's mother was fine, and I desperately needed to return to my own bed and get some damn sleep, but there was one problem.
Zephyra, or more specifically, the fact that she had summoned me.
I still didn't know how or why she had the ability to do that, but until I figured it out, I needed to make sure it didn't happen again.
Which meant…I had to make her forget.
Her and her mother.
I wasn't going to risk her calling for me again—especially not when she didn't even realize she could do it.
I stood over Zephyra, ready to erase every memory of tonight from her mind. My fingers twitched slightly, the power already humming at my fingertips, eager to be released.
One snap. That was all it would take, and yet, just as I lifted my hand, Zephyra's gaze snapped up to mine.
"What are you?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
I paused, my fingers hovering in the air, and for a moment, I didn't answer. It was an obvious question, and yet, something in the way she asked it made me hesitate.
I tilted my head, studying her. "Why don't you take a guess?"
Zephyra swallowed hard, her brows furrowing as she seemed to actually think about it.
After a few seconds, she said, "Are you a witch?"
I stared at her. Then, slowly, my expression darkened. "A witch?" I repeated, my voice dripping with displeasure.
Zephyra, oblivious to the sheer insult she had just thrown my way, nodded. "Yeah. I mean, you did just make my father disappear into thin air, so—"
I scowled. "How dare you."
She blinked at me, clearly confused. "What?"
I folded my arms, my glare unwavering. "How dare you assume I'm one of those low-life creatures?"
Zephyra stared at me like I had just lost my mind. "I—what?"
"I am not a witch," I spat, the mere word tasting foul in my mouth. "I am a demon, Zephyra. Not some weakling who relies on rituals and potions to do magic."
Her eyes widened slightly. "A demon?"
I smirked, pleased by the flicker of recognition in her gaze. "That's right."
She opened her mouth again, clearly ready to interrogate me further, but I wasn't in the mood.
I lifted a hand before she could get another word out. "That's enough questions for one night."
Zephyra huffed, looking irritated. "You can't just drop something like that and expect me not to ask—"
"I can and I will," I interrupted, my smirk widening.
She narrowed her eyes at me. "It's not fair. I want to know."
I sighed dramatically, straightening. "Listen, human," I said. "Why don't you focus on taking care of your mother instead of pestering me with more questions?"
Her expression flickered, her irritation melting slightly as she turned toward the visibly confused woman beside her.
"Make sure she gets some rest," I continued. "And you should do the same."
She swallowed hard but nodded, and that was good enough for me. I turned on my heel, preparing to leave.
The second I snapped my fingers, Zephyra and her mother would forget everything. They would wake up tomorrow morning with no memory of what happened, no trace of my existence left in their fragile little minds.
That was how it had to be.
Because until I figured out why this human had been able to summon me in the first place, I couldn't risk her doing it again.
Just as I lifted my hand, Zephyra's voice rang out.
"Astraea."
I stilled, sighing internally. I knew I should have just left without giving her a chance to speak again.
Reluctantly, I turned back, expecting her to try sneaking in another question. Instead, she simply met my gaze and said, "Thank you."
I blinked.
For a moment, I just stared at her. It wasn't that I didn't understand the words. I did. I just… hadn't expected them.
Humans weren't usually grateful toward demons, or so I heard.
I tilted my head, my smirk returning. "Don't get used to it."
And with that, I snapped my fingers.
Zephyra's eyelids fluttered shut instantly, her body slumping slightly as sleep overtook her. Her mother followed right after, her breathing evening out as she sank into unconsciousness.
I took one last look at them, exhaling slowly.
Then, I vanished.
Back to my room, back to my bed, and back to sleep.