Chapter 440: Old friend

Electra's POV

I stared at the creature with clear impatience, my arms still folded as I waited for it to either start talking or disappear entirely. For a moment, it just stood there, that same strange smile on its face like it was enjoying the silence far more than it should, and I was already starting to lose what little patience I had left. Then finally, it moved slightly, tilting its head as if studying me, before it began to speak again, its voice calm in a way that didn't match how irritating its presence was.

"You don't remember me," it said, almost like it was stating something obvious, and for some reason, that only annoyed me more. "But before you lost your memories, we knew each other quite well. In fact, the reason I am here right now is because you summoned me."

For a second, I just blinked at it, trying to process what it had just said, but the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded, and before I could stop myself, I let out a sharp scoff. "You've got to be joking," I said immediately, my voice filled with disbelief as I stared at it like it had just said the dumbest thing I had ever heard. "I don't even know what you are, so how exactly am I supposed to have summoned you? And even if I did know how to do something like that, why would I ever choose to summon… you?" I gestured toward it again, not even trying to hide the insult. "Out of everything in the world, this is what I would go for? That doesn't even make sense."

The creature didn't seem offended, which was starting to feel like a pattern I didn't like, and instead, it simply let out a small sigh, almost like it expected my reaction. "I just told you," it replied patiently, like it was talking to someone slow. "We knew each other before you lost your memories. Whether you remember me or not doesn't change that fact, and if you're wondering how deep that connection goes, I was the one who took you to your grandfather the very first time."

That made me pause, not because I suddenly believed everything it was saying, but because of the way it said it, like it wasn't something it needed to prove. My eyes narrowed slightly as I studied it again, this time with a bit more focus than before, even though it still looked just as unpleasant as it had a moment ago.

"You took me to him?" I repeated slowly, my tone losing a bit of its sharp edge as I tried to piece things together. "So you're saying that before all of this, before I lost my memories, I knew you, and I trusted you enough to let you take me to someone like that?"

The creature gave a small nod, that same strange smile still on its face. "Well, something like that, I guess," it said, not going into detail, which only made me more irritated again because I hated half answers.

I clicked my tongue softly, looking away from it for a second as I tried to think. There was a lot about my past that I didn't understand, a lot of things that didn't make sense no matter how much I thought about them, and now this thing was standing in front of me claiming that it was part of that past. It was frustrating, confusing, and honestly exhausting, but at the same time, I couldn't ignore the fact that if it were telling the truth, then it might actually have answers I needed.

How unfortunate that I had to rely on some ugly creature when I had the chance to get my own memories back but rejected it.

When I looked back at it, my expression had changed slightly, not nicer by any chance, but more focused. "Fine," I said after a moment, my voice steadier now. "Let's say I believe you, or at least pretend that I do for now. Why are you here?" I tilted my head slightly, watching it carefully. "Because if you think I summoned you, you're clearly mistaken."

"It is both fortunate and unfortunate that you lost your memories," the creature said instead of answering directly, which made my brows furrow slightly. "Fortunate because there are things you no longer have to carry. Unfortunate because now you are left with questions you do not understand how to ask, let alone answer, and that is why I am here. You may not have summoned me directly, but your state… your confusion… it called for something to respond."

I frowned at that, not liking the way it sounded at all. "That still doesn't explain why you're here," I said, my voice sharpening again. "Or why you specifically showed up."

It didn't respond immediately, and for a second, the silence stretched between us again before I spoke again, this time more directly. "Did my grandfather send you?" I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly as I watched it closely, trying to catch even the smallest reaction.

The creature let out a chuckle at that, shaking its head slowly. "No," it said simply. "He did not send me. In fact, at this moment, your grandfather seems quite determined to let you deal with the consequences of your own choices, whether they turn out to be good or bad."

I scoffed at that, the irritation coming back almost instantly. "So basically, he has no intention of showing up in front of me again?" I said bluntly, crossing my arms tighter over my chest as I leaned slightly against the edge of the dresser behind me. "Figures. He shows up once, admits that he turned my entire life upside down, and then disappears like it's none of his problem anymore."

The creature didn't agree with me, but it didn't argue either. Instead, it simply shook its head again. "I would never dare to assume what a deity would or would not do," it replied calmly. "Especially not one that I serve. So no, I cannot answer that question for you."

That made me pause again, but this time, it wasn't because of what it said but because of one specific word.

Serve.

I moved away from where I was a little, straightening as I looked at it again, my eyes narrowing with a different kind of curiosity now. "You serve him?" I repeated slowly, studying it more carefully than before. "That's interesting, because from what I've seen, my grandfather is some kind of fire deity, something connected to phoenixes or maybe even beyond phoenixes, but you…" I looked it up and down again, my expression unimpressed. "You don't look like anything close to that. No fire, no light, nothing that even remotely matches. So how exactly do you fit into all of that?"

For the first time since it appeared, the creature's smile faded slightly, though it didn't disappear completely. It just looked… different, like it had decided not to entertain that line of questioning. "Who I am," it said slowly, "and why I look the way I do, should not be your concern right now, Electra."

I let out a small laugh at that, though there was no humor in it. "Oh, that's convenient," I said, shaking my head slightly. "You show up in my room, looking like something out of a nightmare, claim that I used to know you, and then tell me that I'm not allowed to ask what you are? That's not how this works."

"It is how this works," it replied calmly, not raising its voice even slightly. "At least for now."

I stared at it for a moment, trying to decide if it was worth arguing with, but eventually, I let out a small breath and looked away again. There were too many things I didn't understand, and wasting time arguing about what it looked like wasn't going to help me get any closer to answers. As annoying as it was, I knew that if it really had been part of my past, then it might actually know things that no one else around me could tell me.

When I looked back at it again, my expression had shifted once again, not less irritated but a little calmer. "Fine," I said after a moment, my voice quieter now but still firm. "If you're not going to answer that, then we'll leave it for now."

The creature nodded slightly, as if that was the answer it had been expecting all along. "Good," it said. "Then we can move on to what actually matters."

I rolled my eyes slightly at that, but I didn't interrupt this time. Instead, I just watched it, waiting to see what it would say next, even though I didn't fully trust it and probably never would.

"If you have questions," it continued, that same calm tone still present, "now is the time to ask them. I will answer as best as I can."

I didn't respond immediately. Instead, I stood there for a moment, my mind running through everything that had happened in the past few days, everything that didn't make sense, and everything that felt wrong or incomplete. Thanks to the choice I made, there were too many questions and too many things I didn't understand, and now I had something standing right in front of me, claiming that it could answer at least some of them.

Slowly, I exhaled, my gaze locking on it again as I made my decision. "Fine," I said quietly, my voice steady as I met its gaze without hesitation.