It all started with a squirrel.
A perfectly innocent, mildly chubby, and perhaps too enthusiastic squirrel that decided to leap from the top of the alchemy tower directly onto Revantra's shoulder… while she was holding a tray full of freshly baked lunch buns.
Theo had just turned the corner when it happened. He saw the buns fly, Revantra flinch, and then—
Fwoom.
A flicker of fire ignited around her, catching the edge of her sleeve. Not real flames, exactly—more like magic-flames. Contained. Controlled. Kind of.
But what made Theo's eyes bug out wasn't the magic itself.
It was the brief flash of skin beneath the torn sleeve. A sigil burned just below her shoulder, glowing faintly. Deep red. Ancient. Demonic.
He froze mid-step, one foot dangling stupidly in the air.
Revantra locked eyes with him.
Theo pointed at her shoulder, mouth open. "Y-You're—That's—Wait, are you a cursed chosen one?! Or an elemental phoenix?! Or—wait—is this a magical tattoo prank?! Because I also have a birthmark that looks like a potato."
Revantra slowly lowered her charred tray, which was now just carrying the dreams of lunch buns past.
Elias came out of the school's side door at exactly the worst time, humming cheerfully with a paper bag of jam tarts.
The moment he spotted Theo staring at Revantra like she'd just sprouted goat horns and wings, his face drained of color.
"Oh no," he muttered.
Theo turned to him and pointed accusingly. "YOU KNEW?"
Elias opened his mouth. Closed it. Then sighed. "Define 'knew.'"
"Is she a demon?!"
Revantra crossed her arms. "That depends. What if I said yes?"
Theo froze.
Looked at her.
Then dramatically adjusted his glasses. "Well. Demons can be cute too, I guess?"
Revantra blinked.
Elias blinked.
A squirrel blinked from a nearby branch.
"…What," Revantra said flatly.
Theo clapped both hands on her shoulders and grinned. "I mean, okay, it's not great that you melted the flowerbeds last week and exploded the hem of Headmaster Prickle's cloak, but who among us hasn't spontaneously combusted a school administrator?"
"That's not—"
"Also," he added quickly, "I may or may not have accidentally summoned an angry water elemental last semester while trying to wash my hands faster. So I'm not here to judge."
Elias leaned against the wall and sighed. "So this is how secrets unravel now. Not with suspicion. With squirrels."
Theo turned dead serious. "You guys should've told me. I thought we were friends."
"You are," Revantra said carefully. "That's… why we didn't."
Theo's brows furrowed. "Huh?"
She glanced at Elias. Then back at Theo. "If the Church Watch found out what I am—or who I was… it wouldn't just be awkward. It would be dangerous. For me. For Elias. For anyone who helped us."
Theo paused. The weight of that settled in.
"But," she continued, voice lower, "you saw it. So now we can't pretend."
Elias gave her a cautious look. "You sure about this?"
Revantra nodded. Then faced Theo again. "You want the truth? Okay. You're gonna get the full, magical, sticky-spit-sealed version."
"…Sticky-spit-sealed?"
She walked over to the nearest bench and sat down cross-legged. "Demon oath. Very old, very gross, very effective."
Theo cautiously followed. "Is it like… blood oath? Because I faint at the sight of needles."
"Nope. Just… spit. Old demon kind, not your average middle-school dare kind."
"Phew," he said, sitting down. "Wait. Why's that better?"
Elias, deadpan: "It's not."
So they did it. Right there in the corner of the academy courtyard, behind a hedge shaped vaguely like a duck, Revantra and Theo sealed a pact the way demon royalty used to—by clasping hands, channeling a trickle of power, and exchanging a small magical spark through spit.
Magical. Gross. Glowing.
Theo gagged halfway through.
"I think it touched my soul's tongue," he croaked, wiping his mouth.
Revantra snorted. "That's kind of the point."
Elias sat beside them, watching both like they were two toddlers playing with a loaded wand. "So now you're bound. If you tell anyone what you saw, your fingernails will grow backwards for a week."
Theo went pale. "Oh gods."
Revantra winked. "Or your tongue might start speaking in reverse. Depends on the mood of the spell."
Theo started hyperventilating.
"I'm kidding," Revantra added.
"I think."
She wasn't.
They all sat quietly for a moment.
A leaf drifted by.
Finally, Theo broke the silence. "…So what are you? I mean, like, exactly?"
Revantra's smile faded. She looked down at her palms.
"I'm… the former Demon Queen," she said softly. "Revantra the Flameheart. I ruled, I burned, I broke kingdoms."
Theo's eyes bugged. "You—ruled?"
"Don't be too impressed. It wasn't all evil laughter and dramatic capes. Mostly it was paperwork and terrifying people into signing treaties."
Elias chuckled weakly. "She's not lying. She cried once because taxes were confusing."
"I was seven."
"You're still seven inside."
Revantra elbowed him.
Theo gave a long, low whistle. "So why the rebirth? You lose a bet with a god or something?"
Elias said quietly, "She sacrificed herself to save the world. That was her last act."
Revantra frowned. "Stop making it sound noble. I blew myself up."
"Saving people."
"Well—yes. But still. It's not like I meant to reincarnate. I thought that was it. Curtains. Boom. Eternal nap."
Theo glanced between them. "So… now you're here. Again. Hiding in plain sight."
"Trying," she muttered.
"And now you have me as your secret-keeper. I hope you realize that means your survival now hinges on the organizational skills of a boy who once filed his homework under 'Emergency Snacks.'"
Revantra gave him a small, wry smile. "You'll do."
Theo nodded solemnly. Then paused.
"…Do I get a cool demon nickname now?"
"No."
"But—"
"No."
"Just something dramatic! Like Theo the Flamekeeper!"
Revantra sighed. "You're lucky I didn't curse your hair into spaghetti."
Elias leaned back against the hedge, chuckling. "You kind of are the Flamekeeper now, huh?"
Theo looked very pleased with himself. "I will carry this burden with honor. And by honor, I mean several tightly sealed notebooks and a lot of anxious pacing."
The three of them sat there for a little while longer.
It wasn't often that secrets made people closer. But somehow, this one did.
Theo didn't run.
Didn't panic.
He just said, "You're still my friend. Demon past or not."
And Revantra believed him.
Even when she didn't trust herself.
Even when old memories scraped at the edges of her thoughts and nightmares returned with claws.
Someone else knew now.
And still stayed.
That meant something.
Maybe even more than she could say.
To be continued…