Chapter 367: Apparently, Azerion Almost Killed Me?

Elyn’s POV

“So…” I began. “What happened?”

Zorathys gave me a look.

“Why are you looking at me that way?” I asked with a frown.

“I just poured out my heart to you, and the next thing you ask is what happened?”

“Um…when did you pour your heart out to me? You only told me you’re glad I’m okay.”

“That’s basically me pouring my heart out to you.”

“How?”

“By telling you I’m glad you’re okay. I never tell people that.”

“Oh, okay.” I nodded thoughtfully. “Do you need a sweet for that then? A pat on the head also?”

That same look was immediately plastered across his face.

Then he chuckled.

“If I ever doubted for a moment that you were still sick, then I must apologise. You are perfectly okay.”

“And still in need of knowing what happened,” I told him.

Zorathys nodded.

“Just so we’re clear on one thing, Firefly, the only reason the demon is still alive is because I know you’ll get mad at me if I happen to kill him.”

Okay.

I did not expect that at all.

What was he saying?

Where exactly was this coming from?

And also…What demon?

“What demon?” I asked him.

“The pest that has an issue with me.”

I knew who that was.

“Azerion?” I asked.

He nodded and I stared at him for a moment.

“Zorathys, don’t you think it’s quite beneath you to be arguing with a child?”

“He’s a pest.”

“A child. A young child.”

“He’s a demon in the form of a child. And a pest nonetheless,” he argued.

I knew there was no way I was going to win this argument, so I gave up. Surrendering is a form of attack after all…take my word for it though I must admit I have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about.

“So let me guess. Azerion is the reason I fell sick?”

“Yes,” Zorathys said though his expression had darkened now.

“But you were not sick, Firefly. You were dying. And if…” His voice lowered. “If I had been a second late, then you’d be gone.”

My mind went completely blank.

Dying?

Me?

How?

Why?

What the fuck happened that would make me be on the verge of death?

I had known I was in bad shape. I knew I had been in pain. After all my body had felt like it was burning from the inside, and there had been moments when I could barely breathe.

But dying?

That was an entirely different thing.

As if he could hear the questions I desperately wanted to ask, Zorathys spoke again.

“You were suffering from severe mana depletion, Firefly. The pest being in his true form for a long time drained you of the little mana you had. But apart from that, he had been draining you for longer. And I must admit, I failed to notice it.”

I stared at him.

“I didn’t notice anything either.”

I thought back to the past few weeks and yeah, nothing was coming up.

“I am sure there must have been symptoms or something, maybe…” I swallowed. “Maybe this is all a mistake?”

Because there was no way Azerion was the reason I had been on the verge of death.

It just didn’t make sense to me.

Azerion.

The same child I had comforted throughout the night, even though I had wanted nothing more than to spend that night with Zorathys.

The same child who had looked so miserable when he thought I might leave him.

The same child who had clung to me as though I were the only person in the world he trusted.

How could that same demon have almost killed me?

Zorathys released a sigh.

“It’s not a mistake.”

His voice was calm, but there was that unmistakable hint of danger beneath it.

“The demon is bonded with you. And given what type of demon he is, and how he took a liking to you from the beginning, he was supposed to help you. But he failed to do so. Instead, he was taking from you. And, Firefly, you have very little mana. He drained you of it and continued.”

“But why?” I asked.

It still sounded like a misunderstanding.

Like this was all some cruel joke that would eventually be explained.

Why would Azerion do something like that?

“Because he wanted you to see him as an adult, Firefly. So he tried to use more magic to make himself look like one.”

“He wanted me to see him as an adult.” I said.

The words sounded strange and saying them made it even more ridiculous.

“How does one see a child as an adult?” I asked.

There was a beat of silence and then Zorathys pointed at himself as if asking me if I was asking him.

“Do you apparently see another person here?”

“Oh.” He said.

“Yes oh.”

“I don’t know, Firefly. Every miniature demon is a pest, and every adult who makes me do things I don’t want to do is annoying.”

He paused.

Then, in a much lower voice, he added something I almost missed.

“Though there’s one exception.”

My eyes widened slightly.

If this were some other time, I would definitely have been elated.

Actually, I was still a little elated.

But we were discussing some very serious matters right now.

My heart as always went threw a stunt. Traitorous thing.

I opened my mouth then closed it and cleared my throat. I was going go maintain my dignity.

Zorathys reached for me again, his fingers brushing gently against my cheek.

“Firefly.” He said softly.

“Yes?”

“You are okay now.” He said. “And if after everything, you want to dispose of the demonic pest, then you can let me know.”

I’m quite certain he knows that’s not going to happen though. Azerion may have tried to kill me but he was still a child and he had grown on me too.

“Now Firefly, you’re hungry are you not?”