You looked up at your husband. There were many things you wanted to do in that moment: hit him, hug him, kiss him. At the very least you wanted to smile. But, before your brain and heart could choose, your knees made the decision. They buckled, and you fell.

'How was she able to set him free from the amber?' said Guila. There was a blur of movement and her hand that held Meliodas's sword was suddenly no longer attached to her arm. Guila wailed in agony.

Meliodas, still blank faced, took back his sword and let the hand fall. Your stomach clenched.

'How dare you?' Guila panted, clutching her bloody stump.

Meliodas drew back his sword and brought it down with a swish. The wave of power carved through the dirt. Pieces of grass and earth flew into the air and, over the loud rumble, you heard Guila scream. Dust covered the area. You didn't have the energy to try and see through it or understand the voices that were speaking. Instead, you tried to relax, to let the magic power crawling through your veins do its job in healing your injuries.

You didn't know how much time had passed but now you could hear Ban's voice. With great effort, you forced yourself to listen.

'Oh, sorry,' Ban was saying. 'I went on ahead and healed myself. Oh, nice spell beads. You guys have got some fun little toys.'

'Hold on,' said Guila, 'when did you-?'

But she was cut off by something. The dust was beginning to clear and you raised your head to see Meliodas and Ban racing towards each other.

'Captain, is it still really you in there?' Ban asked. And then he was gone. Attacked. Torn into pieces by Meliodas.

'What in the world's going on here?' asked Elizabeth from behind you.

You lifted yourself up onto your elbows and turned to her with the intention of easing her fears, but the tiny movements made your head spin.

'Elizabeth, are you feeling okay?' said Hawk as he joined the two of you. He still bore the effects of Guila's last attack.

'I'm fine, Hawk.' Elizabeth knelt down next to the pig. 'But I'm worried about [Y/n] ... and Meliodas. How's he doing? Do you have any idea?'

'Hell if I know,' Hawk said. 'Is that crazy-ass guy still Meliodas?'

A weak laugh bubbled from your lips and they both turned to look at you like you were crazy. Well, maybe you were because, as the air exploded and the ground shook and the sky was once again filled with dust, all you could feel was happiness.

Meliodas stood in front of you, Elizabeth and Hawk. Out of the corner of your eye you could see the enormous hole Meliodas had carved into the ground but you paid it no mind. You sat up and held out your hand, the one that held Meliodas's ring. Your arm shook. In a blur, Meliodas was in front of you, reaching for his ring. His fingers were gentle as they brushed against your palm. He straightened and put the ring back on, a shudder rippling through his body. And then he turned to Elizabeth and Hawk.

They squeaked and clung to each other, trembling. Meliodas bent down and started sniffing them.

'Sir Meliodas?' Elizabeth stammered.

'She's okay,' you said. Meliodas turned to look at you. His face was still blank. The gold band stood out against the black on his arm. Your voice was strained as you fought the darkness. 'We're okay.'

Meliodas stepped back, never breaking eye contact, and raised his right arm into the air. Tendrils of darkness began to crawl up his arm, writhing like flames. They formed the shape of a wing, a parody of your own, with purple-black feathers. And, in a blink, Meliodas had gone.

The force of his take-off pushed your hair back. Elizabeth squealed in shock. You looked at her and saw her wide eyes and tried to smile.

'We're okay, right?' you said.

'But, [Y/n],' she protested, 'what about Sir Meliodas?'

You looked down at your ring and grimaced. 'I'm working on it.'

¾

Meliodas fell out of the sky, landing in front of the man with the orange armour. King was blown back in the blast, but the man in the orange armour stood strong. The darkness that made Meliodas's wing melted back into his body.

'Judging by your appearance, I see that you've-' The man was cut off as Meliodas punched. The force of the attack sent a huge gust of air ripping back, but the man managed to block it with one hand. Both he and Meliodas trembled as they clashed. The man laughed. 'Perhaps I should reconsider my opinion of you.'

But Meliodas had disappeared. The man frowned and then found Meliodas. And Meliodas's fist found the man's beared chin. The man rocked back and Meliodas's dived from the sky, crashing feet first into the man. Meliodas grabbed the man by the armour and lifted him with ease, throwing him away like he was no more than scraps.

The man managed to land on his feet. Meliodas charged, firing punch after punch into the man's abdomen. But the man managed to dodge one and get in his own punch. Meliodas was sent flying into the side of the mountain, carving a trench into the earth as he slid down.

'It would seem you a fundamentally different than the likes of Guila and Jericho,' the man observed. 'This is truly pleasant miscalculation.' Meliodas raised is head. 'It's my guess that you were a blend from the very beginning.' The man's eyes found the ring on Meliodas's finger. 'Your wife must know about this, too,' he mused, stroking his beard. 'Is she the same? Or, perhaps, something different?'

Meliodas got to his feet. The man did not miss the way Meliodas's head twitched when he had said "your wife". How interesting.

'This magical power,' the man continued, 'is completely different from the New Generation's as they were infused with demon blood later in life. It's no wonder that the Goddess Amber couldn't contain you.' He drew his sword, a harsh scraping sound cutting the air. 'Well, no matter. I'm more interested in testing the limits of your power a bit more, if you don't mind.'

Meliodas raised his right hand into the air. The blackness swirled around it and formed something that looked like a giant blade of an axe with jagged edges. Meliodas jumped.

'Impressive,' the man crowed, tracing Meliodas's trajectory with his eyes.

With a swing of his weaponised arm, Meliodas attacked the man. The man blocked the strike and the ground paid the price. Tears radiated out from where the man stood, new furrows ripped into the ground like scars with the man at the centre.

'This is quite the overwhelming bloodlust I feel,' said the man, straightening up. 'It's a wonder to behold.' Meliodas landed. 'Given the situation, I suppose it merits taking this a little bit more seriously.'

¾

'[Y/n] hasn't moved in a while, do you think she's okay?'

'Maybe we should say something.'

Keeping your eyes closed, you smiled.

'I'm fine, you two,' you said.

'But, [Y/n],' it was Elizabeth, 'you said you were helping Sir Meliodas, right? Well, how-?'

'It's hard to explain,' you said. 'But there's no need to worry, Elizabeth. We're married, which means he saves me and I save him. With alarming regularity.'

¾

The man dodged Meliodas's attack and swung his sword. The strike hit Meliodas's full on.

'Goodness, I didn't mean to cut him in two,' gasped the man, staring wide-eyed at where Meliodas had disappeared in a cloud of dust.

But Meliodas was fine. The dust settled and the man saw Meliodas looking exactly the same as when the fight had started. Well, not exactly the same.

'Oh, those black markings moved and protected you, I see,' said the man, marvelling at Meliodas's powers. 'To think you shrugged off a blow from my Holy Tree sword. You're quite the specimen.' He narrowed his eyes.

The black markings on Meliodas grew again, forming the black wing. It twisted into existence, thrashing in the air like the tentacle of a gigantic angry squid. Meliodas sped towards the man.

'But can you withstand this?' The man spread his fingers and tiny glowing lights appeared. 'Have a taste of my Hunter Wisp!' And, with a wave of his hand, the man sent the lights after Meliodas.

They streaked through the air, Meliodas and the lights. Meliodas twirled and dodged and the lights followed relentlessly, leaving trails as they flew. But Meliodas couldn't evade his pursuers indefinitely. They eventually caught up to him and, with an enormous explosion of blinding white, the lights caught up with their target.

'A direct hit.' The man smiled and snapped his fingers. 'Good.'

Meliodas fell out of the sky and slammed into the ground, although he was once again unharmed.

'Ah ha, very interesting,' said the man. He pulled out a notebook and quill and started to scribble down some observations. 'While your level of magical power has seen an increase, it appears that your Full Counter ability has been lost for some reason. A result of losing your faculties? Or could this be a different personality? This warrants further study. How truly fascinating.'

As the man stood there taking his notes, Meliodas got to his feet. He raised both his arms and the black markings swirled and shifted and grew, covering his arms and turning them into giant pointed claws.

The man looked at them and nodded appreciatively, still scribbling furiously in his book. There was something weird about Meliodas's left claw, though. It appeared to have a hole, a gap in the darkness made of pure light. The man cocked his head. Interesting. And, to make it even more so, the hole seemed to be growing. Slowly, to be sure, but growing nonetheless.

¾

There was sweat rolling down your forehead. You didn't brush it away. Elizabeth and Hawk were whispering to each other again. You didn't listen to them.

You just kept fighting, pushing away the darkness. He was in there somewhere. You knew it. He was waiting for you, fighting as well,

And neither of you were giving up.

¾

They were still fighting, Meliodas and the man. Meliodas had his giant claw hands and the man dodged every blow. Until the man was crushed. Or so Meliodas thought.

'My my, truly magnificent,' said the man, pushing back the giant dark hand with one of his own. 'Still, it's beyond you to win against my Link skills. Your friend Ban does something similar but ability makes his look like a poor imitation. His Snatch skill crudely steals magical power from others without consent, whereas my Link affords me the capability to borrow it from those who have given me their permission to do so. No matter how powerful your magic may be-' with a great heave, the man pushed Meliodas's claw to the side and thrust his sword into Meliodas's body, drawing blood from Meliodas's left shoulder. Meliodas fell back and the man pressed his advantage '-this is the result!'

Meliodas hit the ground and immediately sprang back to the man, evading the man's sword strike and retaliating with one of his own. His blow hit the man directly in the jaw. The man stumbled back, not recovering in time to block Meliodas's next attack, a vicious swipe that knocked the man back.

The man skidded to a stop and looked up. Meliodas was hovering above him, like some kind of dark angel. Before the man's eyes, the markings on Meliodas's skin grew larger even as the light shone on in Meliodas's left hand.

'Your magical power is increasing,' said the man. 'That means you haven't completed your transformation yet, doesn't it? And that light ... well, it can't mean anything good.' An involuntary shudder ran through the man as he felt some of Hendrickson's power added to his own. A harsh grin spread across his face.

Meliodas dropped from the sky to attack and the man welcomed him. The man drew back his sword and caught Meliodas in the abdomen. Meliodas was thrown back into the side of the mountain. The man felt a vindictive burst of pleasure.

Something fell out of the sky and landed with a metallic clank behind the man. It was Meliodas's sword.

'I was actually getting concerned for a moment there,' the man said, straightening up. He looked at where Meliodas had ended up, in a crater on the mountain side, no longer covered in the black markings. But ... was Meliodas glowing? The man shook his head. Must just be his eyes playing tricks. 'Still, to stop that berserk state in one blow ... Grand Master Hendrickson is a frightening fellow indeed.' He picked up Meliodas's sword. 'And, with that, the Seven Deadly Sins are successfully vanquished. All that remains now is to return with the sword, Meliodas and the princess. Then our mission will be complete.'

¾

The darkness was gone. You had done it. Well, more or less. Your body felt like it was made of jelly and was held together by nothing more than soup. You leant heavily on Hawk, panting.

'You ... you did it?' Elizabeth asked, her gaze flickering between you and the huge cloud of dust where Meliodas was.

'Yes,' you said. A tired smile tugged at your lips.

'But Sir Meliodas is ... all of you are down.'

'Not all of us,' Hawk protested. 'I'm still here. I'm the only warrior left.'

In other circumstances, you would've laughed. You tried to, but it just sounded like a loud sigh. 'Go get 'em, Hawk. As for me, I think I'm gonna take a nap.'

You were vaguely conscious of voices talking. It sounded like Ban. But you couldn't open your eyes. There was a rocking and a pounding of feet and trotters hitting the ground. Were you being taken away? But you couldn't, Meliodas wasn't safe yet. Nor was Elizabeth. You struggled feebly.

'Stop squirming.' It was Ban's voice. 'We have to get away. You know what's gonna happen.'

Thoughts tumbled around in your mind like drunken pigeons, bumping off each other and the walls. But you stopped struggling; you trusted Ban, especially when he sounded so freaked.

A great rumbling filled your head. Your thoughts must be heavy, you mused, if they make such a noise when they crash into each other. Like they're made of rock. The noise got louder. They must be big too. The noise got louder. Wait. It was real.

'What the hell!' Hawk's repeated squeals made you frown.

'Quit yappin' and move those pig feet of yours,' Ban yelled.

Your eyes cracked open but you didn't believe what you were seeing. The ground was being torn apart. Was this some kind of dream? You saw Hawk with Elizabeth clinging to his back for dear life. Huh. Maybe it was real.

As soon as that possibility crossed your mind, your thoughts quietened. They stopped bumping into each other and parted. And then you could see. What was happening. What Ban had been talking about. This was real. This was Diane.

'You can do it, Hawk,' you said, your voice growing stronger with each word. 'Keep those feet moving. And don't let go, Elizabeth.'

The princess met your eyes. Hers were wide but, when they met yours, she smiled. 'I wasn't planning on it.'

You smiled back and placed a gentle hand on Ban's shoulder. 'You can put me down if you need.'

'Like hell I would,' he snarled. You grinned wider. 'Keep running, and don't you let up, Master!'

Hawk screeched. You knew what he was seeing: the full might of Diane's power. Now that she had Gideon, the Earth was basically hers to command. She wouldn't let them get away with hurting Meliodas. Your heart swelled.

And, with one resounding crash, it was over.

Ban skidded to a stop and set you on your feet, keeping a hand on your shoulder as you swayed. You blinked dust out of your eyes and coughed. Just in front of you was a colossal rock. Ban dropped King unceremoniously onto Chastiefol and then sank to the floor, chest rising and falling heavily. Elizabeth slid off Hawk's back. The four of you stared up at the stone.

'See? It's messed up, huh?' said Ban.

'Yep,' said Hawk.

Loud footsteps reached your ears. You were running towards them before you knew it.

'Hey!' Diane called. She came around the rock, one hand clutching Gideon and the other in a loose fist.

'Diane,' you said breathlessly. You could hear Elizabeth, Hawk and Ban behind you. 'Thank goodness you're okay.'

Diane returned your smile and half crouched. She opened the hand that wasn't holding Gideon and in it was Meliodas looking a bit worse for wear.

'Hey,' Meliodas said with an attempt at his usual grin. He raised a hand, but the rest of his greeting was cut short as Diane smushed him into her cheek. She lowered him to the ground.

You took a step forward and Meliodas opened his arms but before you could run into them, Ban appeared in front of you. He slammed a fist into Meliodas and Meliodas was thrown back with a grunt.

'That oughta do it,' said Ban. You rolled your eyes. 'Had to pay you back for before.'

'Yeah, that's cool.' Meliodas waved it off.

And now you were running. But you tripped and fell. Right into Meliodas's waiting arms.

'You're an idiot, you know that right?' you mumbled into his chest.

'Yeah, I know.' You heard the smile in his voice and pulled back to look at his face. His eyes were drooping and he was covered in scratches and dirt and you had never seen anything more beautiful.

'I was so worried,' said Elizabeth. You turned to her and saw the tears sparkling at the corners of her eyes.

'Sorry,' said Meliodas.

You reached out and caught the sleeve of Elizabeth's coat and pulled. And now she was in your arms and Meliodas's. You breathed in deeply, feeling the heartbeats of the two people you cared about most. Nothing was all right, not with Meliodas's sword gone, but for a moment you let yourself pretend that it was.

'Hey, are your injuries bothering you, King?' Diane asked.

King laughed. 'Not really. I mean, maybe a little.'

'Don't make a big deal over some scratches, all right?' said Ban and there was a slapping sound. King screamed. Some rocks shifted and fell.

Elizabeth pulled away from you with a gasp. She ran over to where the sound was coming from. You and Meliodas shared a confused look, watching her go.

'Griamore,' said Elizabeth.

You saw the large knight hunched over, clutching the body of Elizabeth's sister. His face was hard, streaked with tears and dust.

'Glad you're all right.' Elizabeth smiled.

'I'm unqualified to be a Holy Knight,' Griamore said quietly. 'I couldn't even protect you. That was Princess Veronica's final order to me.' He hugged Veronica closer. 'And I ended up disobeying her. But ... but I ...'

'Thank you. I know how much you cared for her. Please bury her on the shore of Pienes Lake. That's all I ask of you. I can still remember how much fun the three of us used to have there.' Elizabeth turned and walked back to you. 'She loved it so much. I'm gonna stop the Holy Knights no matter what. I will. I swear.'

'Princess, how is it you've become so strong now?'

Your eyebrows pulled together as you watched Elizabeth. You leant on Meliodas and felt him leaning on you.

'Hey, guys,' said Hawk as you all watched Griamore walk away carrying Veronica. 'Do you think he'll go back to the kingdom?'

'Beats me,' said Meliodas. 'It seems the Holy Knights aren't as united as we thought they were.'

'Look, forget about all that, Captain,' Ban said, 'where's your sword?'

'Huh? Oh, I guess it was stolen.' Meliodas acted nonchalant as he answered Ban but you could feel his unrest. It matched yours. You clenched your fists.

'But ... but isn't that sword important to you?' Elizabeth asked. 'Is that really okay?'

Meliodas narrowed his eyes and turned away. 'No, it's not at all. The situation is serious. But I'm glad you're all right.' He smiled at Elizabeth.

'That matters more.' You nodded.

A giant hand snaked down and snatched Meliodas into the air.

'Are you saying you don't care if I'm okay?' Diane pouted with the hand that wasn't holding Meliodas on her hip.

'What are you talking about?' said Meliodas quickly. 'I can tell from here that you're doing just fine.'

'You're today's hero, right, Diane?' you said with a cheeky grin, causing the giant to blush and let Meliodas go.

'Hmph. Well, I'm a freaking mess,' Hawk grumbled.

'You're pretty tough if you ask me,' said King.

Meliodas sniffed. 'Just needs to be tenderised.'

Hawk rounded on him. 'Yeah, very funny.'

You and Elizabeth giggled.

It was still dark when Meliodas shook you awake the next morning. He pressed a finger to his lips and pulled you out of the Boar Hat. You yawned widely as you stumbled down the steps onto the springy grass wet with dew.

The air was cold, pricking your skin with icy needles. You breath hung in the air like it was caught in a spider's web. But Meliodas's hand wrapped around yours was warm.

You stopped on a little rock behind a mountain and settled down to watch the sun rise. The sky lightened slowly, a streak of red here and there, until it burst into radiance. Pinks and oranges, yellows and blues. The colours spread across the horizon as the sun started its daily climb. Sunlight started to settle on your skin as delicate as butterfly wings, but Meliodas, with his arms wrapped around you, was still warmer.

It was silent. You breathed in the smell of a new day, fresh and sparkling. The two of you were comfortable, so comfortable, even though, like the sight of dark clouds before a storm, you both knew this peace wasn't going to last. But neither of you spoke, not wanting or needing to discuss, because you both knew that you wouldn't have to face this fight alone.

The sun was fully up now. The sky was a soft blue with clouds like herds of seep drifting aimlessly across it. Bird song danced in the breeze.

'It's hard to believe the Holy Knights have gotten that powerful,' said Meliodas quietly.

You hummed and turned to face him. 'And that means we can't pull our punches anymore.'

He pulled the petal off a nearby flower and balanced it on your nose. 'Cool.'

You brushed off the petal with a crooked smile and got to your feet, pulling up Meliodas with you.

'Guess we'll have to give up on that,' he said and snapped a twig from a nearby sapling. With a look of immense concentration, he whipped the stick through the air. Your hair blew back. The mountain rumbled and split in two, creating a path to the other side.

Meliodas offered you his arm. You took it and, arm in arm, you and Meliodas walked through the new path between the mountain. Towering walls of rock rose up on either side. You walked in silence, both thinking the same thing.

When shooting stars fill the night sky in the form of crosses, Britannia will face her most desperate hour. This is a trial, preordained since ancient times, and it will herald the beginning of a Holy War between the guiding hand of the Light and the bloodline of the Darkness.

Silhouetted in the light reaching through the mountain were Ban, Elizabeth, Diane, King and Hawk. Your beloved friends. Oh, who were you kidding? Your beloved family.

'[Y/n],' breathed King as you got closer.

'Sir Meliodas,' said Elizabeth.

'I promise you,' said Meliodas fiercely, not letting go of you, 'for the sake of the person who always fought at my side, this war has been raging on for three thousand years, but we'll end it.'

You straightened your shoulders and said, justas fiercely, 'Once and for all.'