Third-person POV
Zephyra stood there, awkward mop in hand, while the bright blonde woman in front of her raged on like a storm. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, though the shame wasn't hers to carry.
This was supposed to be a new beginning and her first day at one of the city's top-tier training gyms. A place with neat floors, top-of-the-line equipment, and trainers who actually knew what they were doing.
She hadn't expected a welcome party, but she definitely hadn't expected to get chewed out by a spoiled brat for simply doing her job.
"You seriously just told me to move?" The blonde snapped, her voice sharp enough to make a few heads in the gym turn. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
No, and Zephyra didn't care.
All she had done was ask her, politely, to shift a little so she could clean the puddle of protein shake the blonde had spilled during whatever post-workout meltdown she was having. Apparently, that was enough to warrant a public shaming.
Zephyra kept her head down, muttering, "I'm just trying to clean up the floor before someone slips."
The blonde rolled her eyes. "You're just a cleaner. Know your place."
A familiar wave of heat crawled up Zephyra's chest—rage, humiliation, maybe both. She wasn't a cleaner. She was a fighter. A struggling one, sure, but a fighter all the same. She took this job to survive. To help her mother and to pay the mountain of debt they were buried under, but here she was, being treated like dirt by someone who probably had a trust fund and protein powder more expensive than Zephyra's rent.
She braced herself because, honestly, she wouldn't have been shocked if the blonde slapped her.
It wouldn't be the first time she'd been slapped at work, but what happened next was not something she could have prepared for.
Out of nowhere, a hand darted into view, but not toward her.
It was Astraea.
With no warning and no hesitation, she grabbed the blonde by her long hair, yanking her head slightly back with a grip so firm and swift that the blonde let out a startled yelp.
Zephyra's jaw nearly dropped.
What is she doing here?
The gym went quiet, like really quiet. The kind of silence that stretches seconds into minutes.
The blonde spun to look at Astraea, her eyes wide, shocked, and irritated, like she couldn't believe Astraea's audacity. She obviously recognized her. It was written all over her face.
"You?" she gasped, trying to keep her voice even. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Astraea's smirk deepened the moment Lilith snapped. The entire gym had grown tense and silent as onlookers shifted uneasily in place, some curious and some uncomfortable, but none of them knowing what was truly happening.
None of them except Lilith, and Astraea was about to let her know exactly who she was dealing with.
With a deliberate slowness that made the tension snap tighter, Astraea tilted her head and met Lilith's furious glare with her own.
Then, she changed her eyes. Only for Lilith, and only someone like her could see it.
Gone was her usual warm brown iris, Astraea, and in its place now glowed two deep pools of violent crimson.
The moment Lilith saw them, she recoiled. The color drained from her cheeks as her eyes widened in absolute disbelief, and her mouth parted, but for a moment, no words came.
Then she gasped. "Your Highness…"
The air around them felt like it dropped a few degrees, and Lilith began to shake slightly, her proud shoulders slumping under the weight of the realization.
Zephyra, standing to the side and watching the exchange with narrowed eyes, felt the shift too. She couldn't see the red in Astraea's eyes, but she could tell something had changed.
"I—I'm so sorry," Lilith stuttered, stepping back as if distance might save her. "I didn't know, I didn't realize, you're Princess Astraea. Please forgive me, I—"
"Shut up," Astraea cut in smoothly.
Her tone wasn't raised, but it held such command that Lilith fell silent immediately, her trembling mouth snapping shut.
"I don't need your apology," Astraea continued coolly, taking a step forward, eyes still blazing for Lilith's eyes alone. "You should apologize to the girl you were yelling at. Right now."
There was no room for argument. Not when a royal gave a command.
Lilith immediately turned to Zephyra, who still had the mop in hand and a stunned, guarded look on her face. Her mind was racing. Something had shifted in Astraea's face just seconds ago.
Her eyes had changed, just briefly, and although Zephyra hadn't seen the full thing, she'd caught a flash of something unnatural. Something dark and burning red.
Just like that night. The night she summoned Astraea by mistake. The memory that was supposed to have been erased never left her.
Now, as Lilith, the proud, snotty blonde who just minutes ago had barked orders and insults, turned to her with a pale face and humble eyes, Zephyra could barely hide her surprise.
"I'm… sorry," Lilith mumbled, barely able to meet her gaze. "I didn't mean to yell at you."
Zephyra gave a short nod, swallowing her own nerves. "It's fine."
It wasn't really, but in a room that had a demon—a literal one—"fine" was the safest answer.
Lilith stepped back, head lowered, and Astraea finally blinked, her eyes returning to their usual, deceivingly human state. No one else in the gym had noticed. They couldn't, but Zephyra was now sure of what she had seen. Astraea wasn't normal, and she suspected that by the blonde's reaction, neither was she.
Her fingers tightened around the mop handle, and she hesitated, then looked up at Astraea with a faint smile.
"Thanks… for stepping in."
Astraea raised a brow slightly, as though the praise barely registered. Her arms remained folded, and her posture was still effortlessly regal. Before she could respond, Zephyra added, "I'm glad we met again."
At that, Astraea's gaze sharpened, her brow furrowing with immediate suspicion.
"Met again?" she repeated. "When exactly did we meet?"
Zephyra's smile faltered.
Her heart gave a nervous thud in her chest, but she did her best to recover quickly. There was no telling how Astraea might react if she knew she still remembered the night she summoned her—a night that wasn't supposed to exist in her mind anymore.
Astraea had tried to wipe it clean, and judging by her reaction now, she believed she had succeeded.
Thinking fast, Zephyra forced a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. "That night you beat Vira. Remember, I was there, and I had gotten my ass handed to me by her just before you fought her."
Astraea said nothing, simply watching her.
"I ran up to you after the match," Zephyra continued, pushing through. "Told you I wanted to learn how to fight like that."
Astraea's expression remained unreadable, but a flicker of relief crossed her features.
She remembered that night, of course. "Hm," she said after a pause, lifting her chin a little. "Good memory."
Zephyra let out a quiet breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"I'm sure you're improving," Astraea added with a shrug. "Keep at it."
She turned to leave, her interest in the conversation clearly waning. Her attention had already started drifting, her fingers twitching like she was preparing to vanish entirely from the gym.
But Zephyra stepped forward and called out, "Wait!"
Astraea stopped, her back to her.
Zephyra swallowed, her nerves bubbling up again. "Do you remember what you said that night?"
Astraea turned her head slightly, her eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about?"
Zephyra licked her lips, the words tumbling out faster now. "You said you'd consider teaching me how to fight if we ever met again."
That made Astraea pause. "You're still on that?" she asked.
Zephyra didn't flinch. "I meant it."
Astraea studied her. The girl's stance wasn't perfect, her shoulders were slouched with fatigue, and her hands were still slightly trembling from the confrontation.
Astraea sighed dramatically. "You really don't know when to give up, do you?"
Zephyra smiled faintly. "I've never really had that luxury."
For a moment, Astraea didn't respond. Then, finally, she uncrossed her arms and stepped closer, her eyes scanning Zephyra's face as if trying to see through her. "You want to learn how to fight?"
Zephyra nodded. "More than anything."
"And you think I'm the best person to teach you?" she asked.
"Well," Zephyra said, tilting her head with a tiny smirk. "I watched you knock Vira out with one move. So yeah, I'd say you're the best I've seen."
Astraea almost smiled.
Almost.
"Fine," she said at last. "Come with me."