I've Grown Up

When Aura finally stopped writing, her quill rested on the desk, and she carefully picked up the stack of draft papers. Holding them close to her lips, she blew on the ink lightly, her breath steady and deliberate. Once satisfied that it was dry, she slipped the pages into a thick leather-bound book and returned it to its place on the overcrowded bookshelf.

Turning, she glanced at Sasha, who had sat patiently, her head resting lazily on her hand. The faint glow of the lantern made Sasha's pale pink hair shimmer in the dim light, though her eyes drooped with exhaustion from waiting so long. Aura's expression softened unconsciously—just slightly—and she broke the silence.

"Are you hungry?" she asked suddenly, her voice casual, almost as if addressing herself.

Sasha blinked and sat up straight, startled by the question. "What?"

"Food. Do you want something to eat?" Aura clarified, her gaze calm but expectant.

"Uh… sure, I guess?" Sasha replied hesitantly, still caught off guard.

Aura didn't wait for further clarification. She turned and walked into the adjoining kitchen, her movements brisk but purposeful. Moments later, she returned, dragging a massive fish by its tail. The creature's scales shimmered a brilliant blue under the flickering lamplight, and it was nearly as tall as Aura herself. She held it aloft triumphantly, one hand gripping the tail while the other gestured dramatically, as if presenting a treasure.

"I caught it from the lake beyond the mountains," she announced, her tone half proud, half matter-of-fact.

Sasha stared at the enormous fish, her mouth slightly agape. "Master Aura… are you going to cook it yourself?"

Aura raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk tugging at her lips. "Hey, you're awfully stingy for someone getting a free meal. I'm already offering you food, and now you expect me to cook it too?"

Sasha let out a soft groan, knowing full well that Aura wasn't about to lift a finger in the kitchen. "…Fine," she muttered, pushing herself to her feet. As a believer—how could she refuse the whims of her so-called god?

She grabbed her staff and used a levitation spell to hoist the massive fish into the air. As it floated behind her, she shot Aura a tired but pointed look. "At least wash your hands properly. That fish slime will stink for days."

Aura snorted, a faint chuckle escaping her as she rubbed her hands off on her robe—much to Sasha's horror. "Fine, fine," Aura said dismissively. "Go on, then. Make it good."

With a sigh that could rival the mountain winds, Sasha marched into the kitchen with the floating fish in tow.

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Not long after, the faint aroma of spices wafted through the house, rich and inviting. Sasha emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming bowl of fish soup, its surface glistening with a golden sheen of chili oil. Despite the simplicity of their mountain life, the dish looked remarkably vibrant. Sasha had taken care to season it well with salt, sugar, and a generous helping of the dried chilies she'd painstakingly ground herself.

She placed the bowl in front of Aura, who had already seated herself at the small dining table. Aura leaned forward slightly, inhaling the savory aroma, her purple eyes narrowing in approval.

"Not bad," Aura remarked, her tone neutral, though the faintest smile tugged at her lips.

"Well, of course it's not bad," Sasha retorted, plopping down into her own chair with another smaller bowl. "It's not like you did anything."

Aura ignored the jab and reached for a spoon, though she hesitated for a moment before taking the first bite. As the flavors hit her tongue, her expression didn't change, but she ate with a steady rhythm that spoke of satisfaction.

Sasha, meanwhile, glanced out the window, where the faint glow of moonlight illuminated the jagged peaks of the surrounding mountains. "It's a good thing Roman manages the supply runs," she mused aloud. "Without him, we wouldn't even have half these spices."

Aura swallowed a mouthful of soup before replying. "He's efficient enough. But it's because I made it easy for him."

Sasha gave her an incredulous look. "Easy? Do you mean the part where you blasted half a mountain into rubble?"

Aura smirked, raising an eyebrow. "What? You begged me to help. I helped. Would you have preferred to carry sacks of grain down that steep, twisting path every week?"

Sasha rolled her eyes, though she couldn't deny that Aura's intervention had been effective. When they'd first established the village, transporting their bountiful crops—thanks to Sasha's Harvest Sequence magic—had been a nightmare. The treacherous mountain trails had made the journey almost impossible.

But one day, after weeks of pleading, Sasha had managed to convince Aura to lend her power to the cause. With a few magic cannon there and there, Aura had leveled an entire stretch of the mountain, carving out a smooth, straight path that cut their travel time massively

"You could've made it a bit… neater," Sasha muttered under her breath.

Aura chuckled, her tone almost playful. "Neatness wasn't part of the deal."

Sasha sighed and took a sip of her soup, her expression softening as the warmth spread through her.

Even so, the village's relationship with the outside world was carefully managed—a delicate balance between necessity and secrecy.

Villagers were allowed to leave to gather essential supplies, but under no circumstances were they permitted to bring anyone back with them. On the rare occasions when travelers stumbled upon the remote settlement, the villagers would band together to drive them away as swiftly as possible, their actions quiet but resolute.

Everyone understood why.

It wasn't just that the village needed to remain hidden—it was the fact that Aura, their savior and protector, was a demon. That knowledge alone could spell the village's doom if it ever reached the ears of the human kingdoms, where demons were hunted to extinction with brutal fervor.

And yet, despite the ever-present risk, the villagers never questioned the rule. They knew what Aura had done for them. Many of them still carried the memories of chains, the weight of shackles, and the sharp sting of a whip from their days as slaves. It was Aura who had annihilated their masters, who had granted them freedom, and who had used her magic to teach Sasha the Harvest Sequence, ensuring the village's prosperity.

Most of them reasoned that if Aura had intended to devour them, she would have done so long ago. Years had passed without a single incident, and with each passing day, their fear of her waned, replaced by a peculiar sense of gratitude. Demon or not, Aura was their savior.

"A savior is a savior," the elders would often say when whispers of doubt occasionally surfaced. "Surely, no demon who freed us from chains and shared her power with us would suddenly turn on us."

And besides, humans weren't so ungrateful as to bite the hand that saved them—were they?

"Uh, Master Aura, what are you doing?" Sasha asked, her tone laced with alarm as she instinctively leaned away.

Aura's cheeks were puffed out, her eyes fixed on Sasha with an intensity that bordered on playful mischief. "What does it look like I'm doing?" she replied, her voice slightly muffled.

Sasha's eyes widened in horror as the realization dawned on her. "No, no, no—don't tell me you're going to—!"

Aura tilted her head slightly, as if Sasha's reaction was unreasonable. "Didn't we always do this before?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"That was back then!" Sasha snapped, recoiling even further in her chair.

"And now?" Aura pressed, leaning closer.

"I've grown up!"

"So?"

"…That's not how you feed people!" Sasha exclaimed, her face turning red as she pointed accusingly at Aura.

Aura raised an eyebrow at Sasha's indignation but didn't press further. With an exaggerated sigh, she sat back and swallowed the food she had been chewing.

"Ungrateful," she muttered under her breath, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Back then, you didn't seem to mind. You'd eat whatever I gave you—chewed-up raw meat and all."

Sasha shuddered at the memory, her face scrunching up in distaste. "I was starving! You could've fed me anything, and I wouldn't have cared. But I'm not a child anymore. And for the record, that was gross."

Aura smirked, her sharp teeth glinting in the firelight. "Gross? You survived, didn't you? Humans are so fragile. I had to chew it for you, or you would've choked on the bones."

Sasha crossed her arms and gave Aura a pointed look. "I can handle fish bones now, Master Aura. No need to… pre-chew anything for me ever again, thank you very much."

Aura leaned her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand, her expression amused. "Hmph. You've gotten so picky as you've grown up. Back then, you would've begged for whatever I gave you."

"Back then, I didn't have much of a choice, you know. My teeth were so worn down from eating rough, gritty bread as a slave that I couldn't chew anything properly. That's why I had to rely on you to… well, pre-chew my food." Sasha laughed at the memory, her voice light and teasing.

"Forget it. I'll never understand you humans." Aura shook her head and continued eating her own portion.

"After all, Master Aura is a demon."

Aura's purple eyes narrowed. "You're just too long-winded. Open your mouth."

"Huh? What for—?"

"Just do it," Aura demanded, leaning forward.

Reluctantly, Sasha obeyed, opening her mouth as Aura leaned across the table. The demon tugged gently at Sasha's lips, carefully examining her teeth. After a moment, she leaned back, a faint smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

"Hmm. Your teeth are fully grown now," Aura declared with a tone of finality. "So I don't need to feed you anymore."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Sasha muttered, her cheeks flushing slightly as she returned to her meal.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

The sharp sound of fish bones being crushed between Aura's teeth filled the room. Sasha winced instinctively, her hand pausing mid-air as she carefully separated fish meat from the delicate bones on her plate.

Aura, however, seemed entirely unbothered. She ate with the casual ferocity unique to demons, crushing even the smaller bones into fine pieces before swallowing them. The sound was enough to make Sasha's teeth ache in sympathy.

Demon teeth were incredibly strong, leaving bite marks even on most animal bones. Compared to that, a few fish bones were nothing.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Sasha glanced up, watching Aura in quiet fascination. Truthfully, aside from the two horns on Aura's head and her unnervingly sharp eating habits, there was little to distinguish her from an ordinary human.

Well, most of the time.

People in the outside world described demons as cruel, heartless monsters—creatures born to destroy and kill without hesitation. Yet the Aura Sasha had come to know didn't quite fit that description.

Sure, she could be cold and terrifying when she needed to be. But she also saved people. Protected them. Fed them, even if her methods weren't always… conventional.

Aura glanced up, catching Sasha staring at her. "What? Do you have something to say?"

Sasha quickly shook her head, turning her attention back to her plate. "Nothing, Master Aura. I was just thinking…"

"Hmph. Don't think too hard. You might hurt yourself," Aura teased, though there was no malice in her voice.

Sasha smiled faintly. Her Aura wasn't like the demons the outside world feared.

At least, not until something threatened the village.

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A massive beast appeared at the village's border.

The beast was enormous—a hulking creature with a crimson, comb-like fleshy crest atop its head and a long, sinuous neck. Feathers covered its massive body, but its clawed limbs and snarling maw gave it a distinctly wolf-like appearance. A hybrid monster, drawn to the power of the Holy Sword buried deep in the mountains.

The creature's body trembled as it stepped closer to the hidden village, the holy energy radiating from the sword burning its flesh like invisible fire. Yet, like a moth to a flame, it was drawn ever closer.