Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 355: Looking Normal

Third-person POV

Seraphina didn’t waste any more time. The moment they agreed on taking Electra back to Elysium High, she pushed herself off the couch, ignoring how tired she still felt. Irina, Roxana, and Penelope followed right after her. None of them looked confident, but they all looked determined, and that was enough.

They headed straight to the room Electra had been given. The hallway was quiet, the lights dim, and Seraphina could hear her own heartbeat in her ears as she reached for the door handle. She wasn’t nervous about Electra attacking, Electra had already proven she wasn’t dangerous toward them, but she was nervous about facing her blank eyes again.

She opened the door, and Electra was standing by the window.

Her bright blonde hair, brighter than it had ever been, fell down her back like flames alive and breathing. Her skin glowed faintly under the light, and her eyes, sharp and unreadable, were fixed outside the window, as if she were studying the world without truly seeing it.

She didn’t turn when the door opened, but when Seraphina finally stepped in and called her name—

"Electra?"

Electra turned around smoothly, her expression as blank as ever. "You’re finally back," she said, her tone almost flat, but not quite. "I was starting to think you were avoiding me."

Roxana raised a brow, Penelope blinked in surprise, and Irina mouthed, Avoiding her?

Seraphina cleared her throat lightly. "I’m not avoiding you. We were... talking and trying to figure out the best way to help you get your memories back."

Electra looked mildly curious, just mildly, but for someone who barely reacted to anything, that was a lot. "And?"

Irina stepped forward like she was delivering an important briefing. "We came up with an idea. We think the best thing to do is take you back to school."

Electra frowned immediately. A small, tight frown, like the word school didn’t mean anything to her. Which, honestly, it didn’t.

Seraphina picked up on it right away. "A school is a place for learning," she explained gently. "It’s where people, in this case mostly humans your age, go to study, grow up, and learn skills for the future. You won’t understand much right now, but... it’s important to you, or it used to be."

Electra stared at her for a long, calm moment, as if trying to decide whether Seraphina was lying or telling the truth. Then she nodded once. "Fine. If it will help."

The girls exchanged relieved glances. Well, for about half a second.

Then Roxana, always the one to say the thing everyone else was too scared to say, squinted at Electra and said, "Okay, no offense to your current aesthetic or anything, but... is there a way for you to look a little more normal?"

Irina’s eyes blew wide, Penelope slapped her own forehead, and Seraphina froze, silently begging Roxana to shut up.

Electra slowly turned her gaze to Roxana, that blank, emotionless stare that was dead calm, almost too calm.

"Are you asking," she said slowly, "if I can look like you?"

Roxana swallowed but forced herself to nod. "Um... yes?"

Electra blinked once. Her voice didn’t rise, but the arrogance in her tone was clearer than daylight. "I cannot, and I would not want to. Why would I want to look like a weak human?"

Roxana pushed forward like she had been possessed by the spirit of poor decisions. "Okay, yeah, sure," she said, stepping closer to Electra. "But here’s the thing—" She pulled her phone out so fast Penelope tried to grab her wrist.

"Roxy, don’t. Just stop—"

Too late.

Roxana walked straight up to Electra and raised the phone right in front of her face. "Whether you believe it or not," she said, tapping the screen, "you actually have a side that looks like a weak human."

Electra stared at the screen, and it was a picture of her.

Electra Vale, in human form, with bright blonde hair, blue eyes, and that smug expression she always wore when she won an argument she started herself.

The room went silent.

Electra looked at the picture, then up at Roxana, then back at the picture. Her expression didn’t change, not even slightly, but something flickered in her eyes, a tiny spark, a small tightening, something none of them could name.

Seraphina watched Electra closely. Was she remembering? Was anything coming back?

Electra finally lowered her gaze from the phone and looked at Roxana with a flat expression. "That is not me."

Roxana groaned. "Oh come on, yes it is! That’s literally you!"

Electra tilted her head like she was examining an insect. "That girl looks... soft."

Seraphina stared between Electra and the phone. "Soft?"

"Yes," Electra replied simply. "And weak."

Roxana opened her mouth, ready to snap back at Electra for calling her human form "soft" and "weak," but Irina smacked her arm lightly.

"Don’t," Irina hissed under her breath. "You’ve done enough."

Roxana grumbled something rude but stopped talking. Penelope stayed quiet too, her hands clasped in front of her like she was trying not to panic. The room felt tense, and Seraphina could feel her own stomach tightening as she waited for Irina to try again.

Irina cleared her throat, then looked at Electra with the calmest face she could manage. "Okay, Electra... listen. We’re not trying to insult you. We just... want to help you get your memories back."

She paused for a bit before trying again. "For you to remember anything, we have to take you places you used to know. Starting from school, as we already said, but right now, you... well, you look like this." She motioned vaguely at Electra’s phoenix-like body. "And walking around like that is going to be a problem."

Electra said nothing.

Irina sucked in a slow breath. "So maybe think of this as temporary, just until we get you somewhere familiar. We need you to look a little more normal."

Seraphina held her breath, waiting to see how Electra reacted. Electra still said nothing. She just stared at Irina, no blinking, barely breathing, and completely still. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Seraphina swallowed and took a step closer. "It’s just to help, that’s all."

For a moment, Electra didn’t move. Then, so suddenly that Penelope let out a small gasp, Electra’s body began to glow. It wasn’t a bright, painful light but more like a soft golden pulse that moved across her skin.

Before any of them could say another word, the fiery, feather-like pieces that had been covering Electra’s body began to crack apart like burnt paper. They didn’t fall to the ground, they crumbled into tiny glowing dust pieces that floated away in the air until nothing was left.

A second later, Electra stood completely naked in front of them.

Her body was now smooth and more human-looking, but she still didn’t look like the old Electra. Her skin was pale but glowing faintly from within. Thin golden lines ran across her arms, stomach, and legs like faint cracks where fire was struggling to break through, and her eyes were bright gold and not human at all.

She looked like a less intense version of what she had been before... but still nothing close to human.

Irina rolled her eyes and covered her face instantly. "ELECTRA! Clothes! Warning! Something!"

Roxana spun around so fast she nearly slipped. "You can’t just strip like that! Are you trying to give us a heart attack?!"

Penelope slapped both hands over her eyes. "Just tell me when she’s covered."

Electra looked at all of them like they were acting ridiculous. "This is the best I can do," she said flatly. "If it is not acceptable, tell me now, and I will return to my original form."

"No!" Seraphina yelped, hands flying up. "No, no—this is fine. This is good, great, actually. Just clothes, you need clothes."

Electra blinked slowly, like that part hadn’t even occurred to her. "Clothes."

"Yes," Seraphina said, her voice strained. "Humans cover themselves."

Electra looked down at her own body, still glowing softly. "Why? My body is not damaged."

Roxana groaned from across the room. "Because it’s weird to be naked in front of people, Electra. Please, just trust us and do as we say."