I Raised the Demon Queen (Now She Won't Leave Me Alone)-Chapter 77 : Accelerated Growth

Elias awoke to the sound of someone stomping.

Not walking. Not padding. Not even the sleepy tip-tap of bare feet.

Full-on, thunderous, adolescent stomping.

He blinked hard and sat up in bed. Morning light filtered through the lace curtains. His hair was a disaster. His shirt was halfway off one shoulder. And down the hall, something very wrong was happening.

A door slammed.

Followed by the unmistakable sound of someone yelling at a wardrobe.

He staggered out of bed.

"Revantra?"

The reply was not her usual snippy, childish snarl.

It was a muffled, slightly deeper, indignant groan.

"I CAN'T FIT IN THESE."

Elias froze in the doorway.

That voice.

That not-child voice.

He approached her door and knocked, hesitant. "Hey. Uh. You okay?"

"No," she barked, from behind the door. "I'm taller. And my legs—my legs are long, Elias. I look like a malformed baby deer."

He opened the door slowly, bracing himself.

And then stood still.

Revantra stood in the middle of the room with her arms folded. Her blanket had been discarded on the floor like the remains of a battle. She was still wearing her favorite oversized sleep shirt, but now it barely covered her thighs. Her gangly arms and legs stuck out at odd angles, like someone had yanked her on a magical taffy pull.

She looked... twelve.

Maybe even thirteen, if he squinted.

Not a child anymore. Not quite a teenager either. That awkward, transitional phase where the limbs grow faster than the rest of you and the emotional range triples overnight.

Her hair was longer too, brushing her shoulders. Her voice was definitely deeper—still girlish, but with a new resonance to it. More grounding. More—

"Don't stare at me like I've turned into a frog," she snapped, cheeks flaring red.

"I—sorry! I just—" He rubbed the back of his neck. "What happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know. I went to sleep a child and woke up an accordion."

Elias took a cautious step forward. "Does anything feel off? Headache? Nausea? Sudden cravings for raw meat?"

She gave him a flat look. "I'm not turning into a werewolf, Elias."

"You never know. Capital curses are wild."

He scanned her from head to toe, careful not to look too long or too concerned. Her feet had grown a full size. Her knees were knobby now. Her fingers—those elegant, nimble things—were starting to lose their baby softness.

"You... aged," he murmured, mostly to himself.

"Oh wow, thank you, Doctor Observation."

"No, I mean—this wasn't supposed to happen so fast."

She paused, arms still crossed.

Elias gently placed a hand on her head.

"You feel warm."

"I always feel warm. I'm part demon, in case you forgot."

He squinted. "Let me rephrase: You feel unnaturally warm. Like your body's... burning through energy."

Her face twisted. "So I'm melting again."

"No. You're growing."

"Rapidly, Elias! This is not normal. People don't just skip puberty like a bad filler arc!"

He exhaled and dropped his hand. "Maybe it's not a curse. Maybe it's something... connected to your magic."

She hesitated.

Her fingers brushed the edge of her nightshirt, fidgeting. "In my past life, I never had to age slowly. I was born already grown. We were created, not raised. There was no in-between. No... awkward limbs. No mood swings."

"That would've been nice," he muttered.

"I heard that."

He smiled faintly. "Sorry."

She sat on the edge of the bed, her knees bumping against her chest now. Her posture was different—still proud, but less defiant. Her shoulders hunched slightly, arms tighter around herself.

"I don't like this," she mumbled.

"The growth?"

"No. The confusion."

He sat beside her. "Talk to me."

"I woke up and thought I was dreaming. Then I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize my face. My voice felt strange in my throat. My skin felt like it didn't fit. And then I got angry because nothing in the wardrobe worked. And then I got... sad."

She said that last word like it betrayed her.

"I don't do sad."

"You do now," Elias said gently. "Congratulations. You're growing up."

She slumped dramatically backward onto the bed.

"This is awful. Is this what humans deal with every day?"

"Yep. Mood swings. Body changes. Unexpected crying. It's the full puberty buffet."

She groaned again. "I want a refund."

He stood and walked to the dresser, rummaging through her drawer for anything that might still fit. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

"Your hips changed," he said thoughtfully.

"Don't say that out loud!"

"What? I'm just trying to find pants."

"Well, don't announce my hips to the universe!"

He chuckled. "Okay, okay. I'll keep your hips a secret."

"Good."

Pause.

"...You really think it's magical?" she asked, a little quieter now.

"I think it's a combination. Magic, biology, maybe some ancient demon DNA pulling you forward faster than the rest of us."

"And I can't stop it?"

He handed her a pair of looser pants and a tunic shirt. "Why would you want to?"

She didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she sat up, staring at her long fingers.

"Because growing up means... things changing."

Elias watched her from the doorway.

"Yes," he said quietly. "It does."

"And I don't know if I want that. What if I grow so fast I leave everything behind? What if I get too old, too powerful, too different—"

Her voice cracked.

Elias was beside her again before she could finish.

"You're not going anywhere," he said. "No matter what age you look like. You're still you. And I'm still me. That doesn't change."

"I don't want you to look at me differently," she whispered.

He tilted her chin up, gently. Her eyes were wide and wet, burning behind the tears she wouldn't let fall.

"I won't."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She gave a single, fierce nod and stood. "Good. Because if you start treating me like some fragile teenage girl, I'll set your pillow on fire."

"I wouldn't dare."

"Also, I expect larger portions now. My metabolism is clearly burning at demonic levels."

"Noted."

"And maybe a new wardrobe. Something less... pink."

"I thought you liked pink."

"I did. But now I hate it. Maybe. I don't know. Stop looking at me like that!"

He grinned. "You're going to be a nightmare teenager."

"I'm already a nightmare. I'm just evolving."

Elias shook his head, but couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips. He walked to the door and paused.

"I'll heat up breakfast. You go... come to terms with your new limbs."

"Thanks," she said softly.

"Oh, and Revantra?"

"Yeah?"

"You're beautiful. Even if your arms are longer now."

She threw a pillow at him.

He closed the door just in time.

Later That Morning

She descended the stairs like a queen in exile, wearing one of Elias's shirts belted at the waist. Her hair was combed—badly—and she had managed to find shoes that mostly fit.

Elias served her eggs, toast, and a comically large side of bacon.

She sat. Ate in silence.

Halfway through the meal, she looked up and said, "I think I'm developing new emotions."

"Oh?"

"Like this... weird, fluttery irritation. Every time I think about that healer lady from the banquet."

He coughed into his mug. "That would be jealousy."

"Hm. I hate it."

"You'll get used to it."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you feel jealousy?"

"Sometimes."

"Like when?"

"Like when someone else gets the last good pastry at the market."

She groaned. "Ugh. You're impossible."

"You're the one who flung soup."

"That was before I had hormones. Now I could vaporize soup."

They stared at each other for a second.

Then both burst into laughter.

Her laugh was different now—deeper, fuller, a little wilder.

But it was still hers.

And to Elias, that was more than enough.

To be continued...