About A Week Later

"Esor Ysiad Sram"

"Ainuetp Pilut Nrutas"

"Retipuj!"

From a fire, a familiar red and black bird-like shadow emerged. "Who dares summon the Goetic Prince of Hell, Stolas?" Hold on. This room was familiar. He reverted to normal, and with a snap of his fingers, the lights went on. It was the same boy from before in the same black hoodie.

"Hi, Mr. Stolas!"

Stolas smiled. "Oh? This was sooner than I expected."

Danny frowned. "Oh... I'm sorry. If you're busy, you can come by later."

"No. No. That's not what I meant. To be honest, I could use the break." Seeing the plate of fudge and milk, Stolas helped himself.

"Oh." Danny picked up on the change in Stolas' mood. "Who else summoned you? Is everything okay? "

Stolas sighed and sat down in the chair beside Danny's desk. "I suppose so, Danny. It's just that sometimes I grow weary of why people summon me."

Danny tilted his head, curious. "What do you mean?"

Stolas recalled the underground cult he had been brought to earlier that morning for some sort of sacrificial ritual. Not only did he not appreciate those offerings, but they also forgot to bring the cake they had promised. "Some demon worshipers don't know the first thing about hospitality and what I like." He patted Danny on the head. "Unlike you, my wonderful student."

The young boy giggled. "My neighbors call my family devil worshipers, but my mom said that we're... ag-... agn-... Uh."

"Agnostic?"

"Yeah, that."

Stolas made a mental note to ask more about his parents and what they did for a living. Stolas looked at Danny, his red eyes reflecting sadness. "Most of the time, when people me, it's for selfish reasons. They want power, wealth, revenge, or other selfish gains. They see me as a tool to achieve their desires, not as a being with my thoughts and feelings." He grumbled. "I don't even like hurting people. I find it rather pointless."

"They didn't know? That's one of the first things I read about you in my book." Danny's heart ached for his otherworldly teacher. "That sounds tough, Mr. Stolas. It must be hard to deal with that all the time."

Stolas nodded. "It is. People often forget that I have my own desires. They don't care about me beyond what I can give them." His thoughts drifted to the rather shallow relationship with his wife. "It can be quite disheartening."

Without a second thought, Danny got up from his chair and wrapped his arms around Stolas in a warm hug. The gesture momentarily took the demon aback, but it was comforting, just like those from his child.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with that, Mr. Stolas," Danny said softly. "I don't want power or anything like that. I just want to be your friend and learn cool stuff from you."

Stolas placed a hand over his chest, remembering his lonely childhood and the lack of true friends, except for one. He gently returned Danny's hug, feeling a rare warmth. Unlike some people he knew, most children wore their hearts on their sleeves. "You truly mean that, don't you, Danny?"

Danny nodded, looking up at Stolas with earnest eyes. "Yeah, I do. You're awesome, Mr. Stolas. You're super smart and nice. You even like fudge!"

Stolas' eyes softened, and he gave a heartfelt smile. "Thank you, Danny. That means more to me than you can imagine. I'm happy to call you both my student and a friend."

Danny beamed. "I promise to be my best in both!"

Stolas gently ruffled Danny's hair, feeling a rare sense of contentment. "And I promise to always be there for you, Danny. As your friend and mentor."

For the first time in a long while, other than his daughter, Stolas felt truly appreciated. "Now," Stolas said, his voice lighter and more cheerful, "how about we continue our lesson for tonight? I believe we were going to explore the fascinating world of comets."

"Yay!" Danny exclaimed, his excitement bubbling over.

Stolas brought an illusion of the cosmos to life in his bedroom with his hand. Stolas picked up the encyclopedia and turned to the chapter on comets. "Comets are often called 'dirty snowballs' because they are composed of ice, dust, and rocky material. They originate from two main regions in our solar system: the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud."

Danny's eyes widened with curiosity. "What's the Oort Cloud?"

"The Oort Cloud," Stolas explained, "is a vast spherical shell surrounding our solar system, filled with icy bodies. It's far beyond the orbit of Pluto, and it's where long-period comets, those that take more than 200 years to orbit the Sun, come from."

As they continued their lesson, Stolas explained how comets develop tails as they approach the Sun. "The heat from the Sun causes the ice to vaporize, releasing gas and dust. This creates two tails: one made of gas, which points directly away from the Sun due to the solar wind, and one made of dust, which forms a curved path."

#

The room's imagery shifted to an ancient galaxy. Nebulae swirled around them, and distant stars shimmered like precious gems scattered across the velvet expanse of space.

"In the great expanse of the nether, there exist boundless amounts of magnificent phenomena: the great brilliance of an exploding star, the nimble dance of space dust through a nebula. But once every one thousand years, our corner of reality is treated to an incredible sight from the deep eldritch recesses of the cosmos: the tears of a forgotten colossus begin to fall."

Stolas' voice resonated deeply as he continued, "Tears made of the hopes and dreams of every living thing that never came to be. Condensed and sent shooting across the night sky in a dazzling final display. What appears to mortal beings as a meteor shower, we can see for what it is: Azathoth's Tears."

"Woah... When is it gonna pass by Earth next?" asked Danny excitedly, his eyes wide with wonder.

"If my math is correct, it should be over five years from now."

"More than five years?! That's so long." Danny pressed his face into his pillow in annoyance.

Stolas laughed. "You remind me of Octavia. She had a similar reaction when the wait time settled in."

Danny lifted his head. "Octavia?"

"Yes. Octavia is my lovely little girl."

Danny gasped in excitement. "You have a family too?! Is there a Mrs. Stolas? Are they both owl demons, too?"

Stolas coughed into a claw, momentarily caught off guard. "Well, my wife is... um... unique. Her name is Stella."

"Octavia and Stella? They have such pretty names."

"Yes... One matches, the other, not so much."

"What's Octavia like?" Danny asked, his curiosity piqued.

"She's around your age and very special to me. Octavia is a bright and curious young owl demon," Stolas began, his voice filled with affection. "She's very intelligent and deeply loves the stars, much like you. However, she doesn't have many friends her age, and I worry about her feeling lonely."

Danny's expression softened. "That sounds a bit like me. I don't have many friends either. Most people think my family is weird. But I'm lucky to have you as my new friend, Mr. Stolas."

Stolas felt a warmth spread through his heart at Danny's words. "And I feel fortunate to have you as my friend, Danny. I think you and Octavia would get along very well."

Danny's face lit up with excitement. "Do you think I could meet her?"

Stolas smiled, a twinkle in his eye. "I believe that could be arranged. How about this: If you do well during our next lesson, I'll bring Octavia along so you two can meet."

Danny's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Really? That would be amazing! I'll do my best, Mr. Stolas, I promise."

Stolas chuckled, pleased by Danny's enthusiasm. "I'm sure you will, Danny."

#

The lesson flew by, filled with animated discussion. As the night drew near, Stolas helped Danny organize his notes and prepare for bed.

Stolas held the plate of leftover food. "Do you mind if I take the rest? I'm sure my daughter would love some."

"Sure! I hope she likes them too," Danny said with a big smile.

"You did very well tonight, Danny," Stolas said, tucking him in with a proud smile. "I look forward to our next lesson, and I feel you'll enjoy meeting Octavia eventually."

Danny grinned, already dreaming of the possibilities. "Thank you, Mr. Stolas. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Danny," Stolas replied softly. "Sweet dreams."

As Stolas vanished into the shadows, Danny drifted off to sleep, filled with anticipation for the next Thursday.

#

Stolas walked through the hallway of his mansion, the plate of fudge in hand. He couldn't help but feel content. "Perhaps I'll tell Danny about pacts next time," he mused.

He soon found Octavia reading a book in the living room. She looked up and smiled when she saw him. "Dad! You're back!"

"Yes, my dear," Stolas said, sitting beside her. "And look, I brought you some treats."

"Thank you, Daddy!" Octavia's eyes widened as she took a fudge square, bit into it, and smiled. "This is delicious! What store is this from?"

"On the contrary, they came from my new student."

Octavia paused to recall what her father mentioned last week. "Your student? You mean the human boy you started teaching?"

Stolas nodded. "Yes, his name is Danny. He's quite the curious and bright young lad. I think you two would get along splendidly."

"Oh..." Octavia curled up on the couch nervously. "Is he nice?"

Stolas laughed and hugged his daughter. "Very, and if he holds up to my expectations, I would like you two to meet."

Octavia seemed unsure before looking at the plate. "Will there be snacks?"

Stolas ruffled her feathers gently. "I'll be sure to tell him to have extra for all three of us."

Despite her initial fears of meeting new people, she trusted her father. She was sure this would be much different from the times her mother tried to introduce her to the other noble kids. "Okay..."

"Don't you worry about a thing. It'll be fun!" Stolas had found a promising student and a potential friend for his beloved daughter. The future looked a little brighter.

#

A/N: Special thanks to Jebest4781, Charles, vividlearner744, and Seana!

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