Meliodas was staring at you. You could tell, even with your eyes closed. Hoping he'd stop, you rolled over and snuggled deeper under the covers. But he didn't stop. So you turned back to him and begrudgingly opened your eyes.

'What?'

He smirked. 'Today's the day.'

You blinked, frowned and blinked again. 'Huh?' You wrestled with sleep for a moment, playing tug-of-war with a memory. You won the battle. But you wished you hadn't. 'Oh no.'

'Oh yes.' Meliodas walked over to the dresser and pulled out some neatly folded clothes. 'First things first, here's your outfit for today.'

The clothes looked familiar. You groaned and tugged the blanket over your face. Meliodas just laughed. The bed dipped and a familiar warmth hovered over you, but you stayed under the covers. Until light stabbed your eyes. You rubbed them, blinking away the dots. Meliodas's hands were on either side of your head, his legs on either side of your waist. His face was very close to yours. You squirmed slightly and bit your lip. This was unfair.

Meliodas cupped your face with one hand and got even closer. You could feel his body pressing against yours and started to wish the blanket wasn't there anymore.

'Come on now,' he said softly, hot breath washing over your face. You shivered. 'It's just for today. Besides, you might even find you like it.'

You felt his laugh more than heard it and went to roll your eyes, to protest that you'd never liked wearing that outfit and you weren't about to start now, but Meliodas shifted and you could only gasp. He was doing this on purpose. You knew that somewhere in your mind, but it was all covered in a thick, hot fog. All you could focus on was Meliodas. His body pressing into yours. His lips on your ear, cheek, neck, shoulder. You wanted to pull him closer, to rip the blanket away, to tangle your fingers in his hair or drag them down his chest. But your arms were stuck, pinned under the blankets. You tried to move them, but Meliodas didn't budge. Panting slightly, you let your head fall back, unwittingly exposing more of your neck to Meliodas. Which he took immediate advantage of.

'Meliodas.'

He hummed against your collarbone.

'Meliodas ... I ... I want ...'

To your utter dismay, Meliodas stopped. He sat up, the sudden coldness making you pout. His eyes had darkened. The colour was high in his cheeks. 'You want?' he said. 'But today's about what I want.'

You stared at him, still unable to move more than slightly. 'Then tell me what you want,' you said, the words falling so softly from your lips you almost didn't hear them yourself.

One corner of Meliodas's lips raised in a smirk. 'What was that?'

'What do you want?'

The look in Meliodas's eyes changed slightly, became almost predatory. You shivered again, this time in anticipation.

You tugged at the hem of your skirt.

Stop it, said Meliodas.

'Wow,' said a voice. You turned to see Elizabeth entering the bar. 'You look really nice in the uniform, (Y/n).'

You blushed and rubbed your arm. 'Ah, thanks Elizabeth. I still think it's a bit short, though.'

As you and Elizabeth got to work cleaning the bar, you could feel Meliodas's eyes on you. You couldn't help but tease him a little, bending over more times than was strictly necessary. His growl of frustration echoed in your mind.

Elizabeth paused in her cleaning and looked around the empty tavern. 'Is it just me, or have there been fewer customers lately?'

'Yeah,' said Hawk from her shoulder. 'Scraps are getting so hard to come by these days. I'll be one skinny piggy pretty soon.'

You leant on your broom and hummed in agreement. 'Well, we've had quiet times before.'

Meliodas sighed. 'Why would they stop coming?'

'I bet it's because you're such a terrible cook,' said Hawk.

Elizabeth looked at him. 'Now now, take it easy.'

You were watching Meliodas. Excitement was rising inside him and he kept saying perfect timing. It couldn't mean anything good.

He punched one fist to his palm. 'Okay. It's time for a change.'

Elizabeth stared at him.

'Don't tell me,' you said, raising a hand as if to physically tear the idea from Meliodas's head.

He just smiled at you and put both hands behind his head. 'I know just what to do.'

The streets of Liones were mostly empty, save for one man loading boxes onto a cart. You and Meliodas walked past him as he re-entered his house, calling out to who you assumed was his child.

It didn't take long for you to reach your destination – Merlin's workshop. It was the same as you remembered, made out of stone and shaped like a brimless top hat. The inside was cluttered but organised in a way that only made sense to Merlin.

'Still got all your weird little gadgets, don't ya?' said Meliodas by way of greeting, immediately picking up something to fiddle with.

Merlin ignored him. 'So, what do you want from me?'

Meliodas smiled. 'What do I want? You to be a waitress at my tavern.'

Merlin just looked at him. You sighed.

'Right now, it's just Elizabeth and Diane,' Meliodas continued, 'but if you and (Y/n) joined the team, you four would make the perfect Boar Hat Poster Girl Sisters. You'd be bringing in customers left and right.'

Merlin turned her gaze to you and you could only shrug.

'How long have you been planning this, Captain?' she said. Meliodas chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. 'I see you got (Y/n) dragged into this, but did you honestly think it would work on me? You had to cheat at a competition to get (Y/n) to wear that outfit and, what? You thought I'd just agree like that?'

Meliodas tugged at a strand of hair and laughed sheepishly. 'No chance, huh?'

'Captain,' said someone.

'Hey, Gowther, what have you been up too?' Meliodas faltered mid-greeting and you could see why. Gowther was wearing the same outfit as you – the Boar Hat's "uniform" – and looked perfectly natural in it too.

'Why am I not being considered to be one of the Poster Girl Sisters?' said Gowther. He leant down and put his hands on his hips. 'Why not? Why?'

Meliodas pushed Gowther away with one finger. 'Never mind that. Now why are you wearing the tavern uniform?'

Gowther straightened up and adjusted his glasses. 'It's my favourite,' he said with a small giggle.

'It looks good on you, Gowther,' you said with a smile.

Before Gowther could reply, Meliodas sighed. 'Gowther, you can't be serious.'

'Okay, fine, I'll do it,' said Merlin. You turned to stare at her, eyes wide, Meliodas just as shocked beside you. 'But only after you've done a little something for me.'

—

The voices of Little Gil, Howzer and Griamore drifted down the shadowy alley where Meliodas and Gowther hid. They were laughing about something and looked quite at ease.

'We have eyes on the target,' said Gowther from slightly behind a wall.

Meliodas grinned. 'All right.'

—

'You want us to follow Little Gil?' Meliodas said.

Merlin put her hands on her hips. 'To be precise, I want you to keep a close watch on Gilthunder without being detected and capture whoever's been stalking him.'

'Somebody's been targeting him? He never mentioned anything about being followed.'

'His stalker is quite good at hiding. As for Gilthunder, he wouldn't even notice. If allowed to escape, the one responsible will become much harder to apprehend.'

You stretched. 'Well this is all very weird and mysterious, but it shouldn't be too hard, right?'

Meliodas smiled at you. 'Yeah. One stalker is nothing.'

'Actually.' Merlin raised a hand. 'I need (Y/n) to stay here.'

You blinked.

Meliodas pouted. 'Aw but it's my day to make (Y/n) do whatever I want.'

Merlin smirked. 'I was just thinking it was about time for me to remove that spell, but if you'd rather it stayed on ...'

The purple star on your right wrist pulsed. To be honest, you'd kind of forgotten about it. It didn't do much. While Merlin had warned it would make your hand fall off if you divulged her location, you couldn't really do that anymore, seeing as she was right in front of you. So now it was just like a tattoo or birthmark.

'Okay,' you said, looking up from the star. 'I'll catch up with you two when we're done here.'

Meliodas sighed. 'Yeah, okay.' He squeezed your hand once in farewell before shepherding Gowther to the door. Meliodas was just about to follow Gowther outside when he turned back. 'Oh, and Merlin? Don't ever threaten my wife again.'

And with that, the door closed and they were gone.

Merlin rolled her eyes and started fiddling with some test tubes. 'Even if your hand had fallen off, I would have been able to reattach it.'

Different coloured smoke started to emit from whatever Merlin was making. You watched interestedly, clearing a space on the cluttered table before sitting on it. The concoction was also starting to smell. Sometimes it smelt really bad, like sprouts, and sometimes it smelt like flowers.

'Don't worry about it,' you said, trying to peer over Merlin's shoulder for a better look before giving up. Even if you could see what she was doing, you doubted you'd understand. 'Hands are overrated.'

'Perhaps.' Merlin laughed slightly. 'But I am slightly surprised you thought I would actually put a spell on you that would make your hand fall off.'

Your jaw dropped. 'It's a fake?'

'Nothing more than a tracking spell.'

As you laughed, Merlin finished what she was mixing. She turned to you and you finally got a good look at it. She held a small wooden bowl filled with a thick, creamy something-or-other. It was the colour of buttercups and smelled like spring. You kind of wanted to eat it.

'Arm,' said Merlin. You held out your right arm and Merlin spread some of the cream over the purple star. It was cool on your skin but, apart from that, you couldn't feel it doing anything. 'Let it sink in for a few minutes.' Merlin turned back to her workbench and started mixing something that hissed and sparked.

For a few moments the only sound came from whatever it was Merlin was creating. You watched her closely. There was something about the way she was holding herself – a slight tenseness in her shoulders – that was bugging you.

'Is something the matter?' you said.

Merlin paused for a second before grabbing something that looked like a squashed mushroom. 'Why do you ask?'

'Come on, how long have we known each other? If it's about the waitressing thing, you really don't have to do it. I'll tell Meliodas you're sick or something.'

'I promised. Besides, it's not that.' She put down her experiment and walked over to you. 'Arm.'

You held out your arm. Merlin inspected it, giving a satisfied hum. With a wave of her hand, the rest of the solution (which had faded in colour significantly) vanished, leaving your wrist star free.

'Well off you go then,' she said, already turning back to her experiment which was bubbling and spitting vivid green sparks. 'The captain is waiting for you.'

Odd. You wanted to stay and ask Merlin what was going on, but something told you she was done talking for today. And she had been rather vulnerable yesterday at the fight. So, with one backwards glance, you left Merlin's workshop and went to find Meliodas and Gowther.

—

Meliodas trailed behind Gilthunder, watching carefully.

'When I told her of our journey, my dear Margaret ... She just nodded without saying a word,' said Little Gil, blushing slightly and smiling fondly.

It was immediately ruined when Howzer slapped Gilthunder on the head. 'Ha! You're such a ladies' man.'

As Gilthunder complained and held his head, Howzer continued to laugh. Until a shingle fell from a nearby roof, landing square on his head.

Now it was Howzer's turn to complain and clutch his head. Meliodas blinked. How odd.

Griamore laughed. 'Well that's what you get for messing with Gil.'

'Shut up,' Howzer shouted before holding his head again. 'It just had to land right where my old man smacked me.'

'But I must say,' said Griamore, ignoring Howzer, 'you and Margaret really do make for a lovely couple.'

'Come on, don't you get started too,' said Little Gil.

A brick landed on Griamore's head. Meliodas leaned closer, feeling Gowther do the same behind him. The three friends discussed the strange happening, just as Meliodas and Gowther did the same.

'Gowther, did you feel that too?' Meliodas asked, not looking away from Gilthunder's group.

'Yes,' said Gowther. 'It was fleeting, but I sensed magic being activated.'

The trio continued on. Meliodas and Gowther followed, sticking to the shadows and using boxes and barrels for cover.

'Today's off to an interesting start, isn't it?' said Gilthunder as he walked.

Griamore and Howzer rubbed their injuries. Griamore seemed more self-pitying while Howzer appeared angry, especially as he kicked a loose pebble. None of them noticed the stone get deflected off some invisible barrier, but Meliodas did.

'Come on,' said Howzer. 'Let's just get this clean up over with, you guys.'

They passed under the wrought iron sign for a shop and, as they did, it began to tremble. Meliodas watched as it fell, headed straight for Howzer. Little Gil dived, shielding his friend and everyone braced for impact. But it never came. Meliodas gasped.

The sign was floating a few feet above Gilthunder and Howzer. It hovered there for a moment before bobbing off and landing harmlessly on the street.

Meliodas put his hand on his chin and recalled everything that had happened. The puzzle was starting to come together. 'Okay, I get it. It's all coming together now.'

'You've already figured out who is behind these spells?' asked Gowther.

'Yeah.' Meliodas turned to him with a smile. 'But we're gonna have to catch them as they do it.' And Meliodas jogged off, following Gilthunder as he rounded a corner up ahead. 'All right. Let's keep shadowing them.'

—

Gowther went to follow his captain but was stopped by something snagging his shirt. He turned to see a small boy glaring at him.

'You sure are acting fishy, stranger,' said the boy. 'What do you think you're doing sneaking around here, huh? Hold on ... You're a bad guy, aren't you?'

Gowther freed himself and turned to the child. 'I am not.'

'You're lying! What do you want? Are you like a bandit or something?'

Gowther turned to see the captain had disappeared, obviously still in pursuit of Gilthunder and his stalker. Gowther sighed. 'All right then. Prepare yourself. I am the Seven Deadly Sins Goat Sin named Gowther.' And he posed.

There was a pause. The boy continued to stare. Gowther stared back. Slowly the boy's face morphed into a wide smile.

'If you'll excuse me, I'm in the middle of a rather important mission now.' Gowther turned away from the child and walked off, ready to search for the captain. But he was stopped again, this time by a shout.

'Hey, wait a minute.' The boy ran and appeared in front of Gowther. 'You've got to ask me my name too.'

'But why?'

'Just do it.'

'Bothersome. What's your name then?'

The boy chuckled and put his hands on his hips. 'Since you asked, I have no choice but to tell you. My name is Seven Deadly Sins Dragon Sin, Peliodas.'

As he spoke, Peliodas posed three times. Gowther didn't think any of them were as good as his.

'Bye.' Gowther walked away.

Peliodas followed Gowther. 'Hey, wait up. Come on. Play with me.'

'I have no reason to play any games. Now please move along.'

'Come on, don't be like that.'

Gowther's shirt was once again in the hands of the boy. Gowther could see only one way to get out of this. Well, there were other ways, but they would get him into trouble.

'If I play with you a little, then will you release me?'

Immediately Peliodas let go. 'You got it.' His smile changed a bit. Gowther noticed and wondered why. Perhaps there was a reason Peliodas wanted to play. Well, it still didn't change the face this was a bother. 'Right,' said Peliodas, evidently unaware he had done something strange, 'we're gonna be playing the Seven Deadly Sins. Are you ready?'

'Yes, but I really am one of the Seven Deadly Sins.'

'You're totally into this, aren't you? Okay, fellow Sin Gowther.' Peliodas whipped his head from side to side. 'Now let's see ... capture that beast!'

He pointed to a black cat plodding along a nearby roof, a slice of meat in its mouth.

Gowther blinked. 'That old obese cat?'

'He's known for always stealing food. He's no ordinary fat cat – he's the demonic Cat-Pig Dragon.' As they watched, the cat hopped lightly to the floor. 'He's getting away. After him!'

Easy. Gowther held out his hands and pointed them at the Cat-Pig Dragon. 'Rewrite Light.'

The air was filled with the bright pinkish light of Gowther's magic. It flashed around the cat and, when it faded, the cat walked up and leapt into Peliodas's arms.

'Mission accomplished.'

'Awesome.' Peliodas smiled. The cat licked his face. Peliodas laughed and turned to Gowther. 'Mum, mum, check this out!' But Peliodas abruptly stopped laughing.

'I'm sorry,' said Gowther, 'but I am not your mother.'

Peliodas turned away. 'I didn't mean to. My mum used to play with me a lot. So I guess I just ...'

'Used to play with you? She doesn't anymore?'

'Not long ago, she got sick and passed away.' Peliodas's shoulders began to shake. Gowther watched. Peliodas was sad. Being sad wasn't good. Perhaps Gowther could help. 'That's why today we're moving away to my dad's hometown.'

'Oh is that so? I noticed something earlier that I'm still a bit curious about. When you see my face, your heartrate rapidly increases. Why does that happen?'

'My heartrate increases?' said Peliodas falteringly.

'Simply put, it pounds or beats a little faster.'

Peliodas looked at Gowther and away again quickly. 'It's because you look exactly like my mum. It was so surprising I had to run right after you. Because ... I really ...'

So that was it. Gowther knew how to help. 'Can you tell me about her?'

'Well, um, she didn't wear any glasses. And her hair came down to her waist. It was long and blonde. My dad and me, we were so proud of her. She was always so gentle.'

As Peliodas continued to speak, Gowther removed his glasses. He willed his hair to grow and he felt it get heavier, brushing against his shoulders and lower back.

'When it got late, she'd always come looking for me and say "Pelio, it's almost dinner time, why don't you come inside and eat?"' Peliodas, or Pelio, sobbed.

'Pelio,' said Gowther, changing his voice to match the one in the boy's memory, 'it's almost dinnertime. Why don't we go home and eat, okay?'

Pelio straightened and stared at Gowther with wide eyes, tears falling down his cheeks. 'Mum!' Pelio ran to Gowther and wrapped his arms around Gowther's waist.

Gowther didn't move. It felt odd to have someone so small and warm clinging to him. But it wasn't a totally unexpected action. Children hugged their parents all the time.

'Mum, don't ever leave me again,' said Pelio, sobbing into Gowther's shirt. He was trembling and for some reason, Gowther felt the need to comfort the boy. Gowther stroked Pelio's hair.

A man appeared. 'Pelio, there you are.'

'Dad!' Pelio ran to his father's arms.

Gowther took the opportunity to jump to the roof above. Out of sight, he watched Pelio and his father. Pelio would be happy now. He had gotten what he wanted. He had seen his mother again. That is what Gowther believed. But he was proven wrong. Pelio began to cry again, but it wasn't the same. If Gowther had to describe these tears, he'd say they were sadder and full of despair. Pelio called out for his mother and Gowther watched.

I thought I was being kind, so why does Pelio look so sad? I'll ask (Y/n) later.

—

You caught up to Meliodas just as he rounded a corner and sneezed in greeting. You clapped your hands to your mouth, both of you listening carefully to see if your cover had been blown. Thankfully, Little Gil and the others decided they'd imagined it and continued on their way. You sighed in relief and smiled at Meliodas.

He smiled back at you and reached for your hand, thumb brushing over the spot where Merlin's star used to be. 'Hey.'

'Where's Gowther?' you said.

Meliodas shrugged. 'Completely disappeared.'

You laughed softly, careful not to draw attention. 'I was keeping up while I was with Merlin, and I agree with your theory.'

The two of you crept down the street, ducking behind cover and watching Little Gil closely.

'When you think about it, it's kind of obvious,' said Meliodas.

'Also explains why Merlin asked you to do it.'

Meanwhile, Gilthunder and the others had stopped at a café and took a seat at one of the outside tables. They ordered tea and discussed the days happenings.

'What's your plan?' you whispered.

Meliodas shrugged. 'Seems she's building up to something. Look.'

You watched as a waitress approached Little Gil's table with a blank look. Meliodas tugged on your hand and approached the table acting completely natural and nonchalant. Gilthunder, Howzer and Griamore had just raised their cups when Meliodas called out to them.

'Yo,' he said, effectively stopping anyone from drinking tea. 'It's the three amigos.'

'Are you taking a break from putting the town back together?' you said, smiling at them all.

'Ah, Meliodas. (Y/n),' said Griamore.

'Oh man.' Meliodas rubbed his shoulder. 'Truth be told, I've been pretty busy myself and could really use a drink. You don't mind if I have a sip of your tea, do ya?'

Little Gil blinked before offering the cup to Meliodas. 'Oh, er, sure. Go ahead.'

'Thank you.'

Meliodas took a big gulp. You watched closely. If you were right about what was in that tea, you didn't want Meliodas swallowing even a drop.

I mean, I don't want that either, said Meliodas.

'Don't you dare drink that!' a disembodied voice shouted. Everyone started and looked around.

'Who's there? Who said that?' demanded Griamore.

Meliodas turned and spat out the tea. It seemed he was spitting out way more than he had taken into his mouth, but you didn't have time to worry about that right now.

The tea revealed a shape. It was the shape of a woman. The air around her warped and she herself appeared to be made out of something like solid wind. Behind you, Griamore, Howzer and Gilthunder were in a very noisy state of shock. You just watched.

'Three years,' said Vivian, the shape of her clutching her face. 'It took three years to create that love potion. Who do you think you are, getting in my way after all this time?' Her voice rose to a shriek and she took to the sky. 'Fire Ball!'

The ball of fire grew in the sky, its heat falling onto you. It was quite large, you had to admit, and you certainly didn't want it landing on you (or anyone else, for that matter). Still, there was no need to panic.

Meliodas grabbed the spoon from the sugar bowl. 'Full Counter.'

The fire bounced back, hitting Vivian full on. Now fully visible, she fell to the street, ragged and smoking slightly. There were tears in her eyes when she looked up and spoke. 'My Gil.'

'Is that you, Vivian?' said Gilthunder.

'Just as I thought.' Meliodas flicked the spoon behind him.

Vivian sobbed.

Back at Merlin's workshop, you were sitting on a recently cleared space on the counter. The table was taken up by Vivian, who Merlin had secured with chains. As you watched, Vivian's face scrunched up as she came to.

'Are you all right?' said Little Gil.

Vivian gasped and tried to move. 'Is that you, Gil? What –?' She looked at the manacles on her wrists. 'What is this?'

'Demon sealing chains,' said Merlin, stepping closer so Vivian could see her.

'Master!'

'Pretty impressive, Merlin,' said Meliodas. 'How'd you know?'

'Well she is one of my students after all. Now then, as for her punishment, we'll leave that to Sir Gilthunder's more than capable hands.' Merlin turned to Little Gil.

'My hands?' he said, clearly confused.

'It's your right as someone who suffered for so long from her misdeeds. Since she stole ten years of your life, maybe you want to steal ten years from hers.'

Vivian flinched, the chains clanking. 'Have mercy.'

Merlin didn't stop, the little smile still on her lips. 'Or how about we turn her into an ugly toad and toss her out?'

Gilthunder frowned.

'No, please, I beg of you,' said Vivian. She started to writhe, tugging at the chains. 'All I wanted was to be by Gil's side. That's all I wanted. That's all I've ever needed to be happy.' Tears flowed from her eyes into her hair.

You pressed your lips together and held on to the edge of the counter.

'I forgive you,' said Gilthunder. Meliodas and Merlin gasped. You smiled. 'But only if you truly repent for what you did to Margaret from the bottom of your heart.'

'Yeah, right,' said Meliodas and Merlin in unison.

Little Gil looked at them then back to Vivian. 'Even so, no matter how misguided Vivian may have been, she was acting out of love. But I can't –'

'That's love?' said Gowther. You looked at him. He had turned up as you were carrying Vivian to the workshop looking much the same as usual, but quieter. Something must have happened. It wasn't the time to ask now, though.

Gilthunder bent down to look in Vivian's eyes. 'You need to promise me, Vivian, you'll forget everything you know about me and move on with your life.'

'No.' Vivian didn't even pause for a second.

'Told ya,' said Meliodas.

Gilthunder visibly wilted.

'Anyway,' said Merlin, raising a hand, 'I will free you from your bonds as Sir Gilthunder wishes.' A strange glow like pink fire surrounded her. 'But first ... Cursed Engagement.'

The light sped towards Gilthunder and Vivian, surrounding them with its eerie glow. The chains on Vivian disappeared with a clank. She sat up and looked at her left hand where the light had concentrated. It shrank further until it was only on her fourth finger before fading entirely, revealing what looked like an ornate stone ring.

'Now, Sir Gilthunder, repeat the word "remada".'

'R-remada.'

Vivian's face contorted. Mottled pink grew over her hand, growing from the ring. She clutched at it and began to scream. She fell back, screaming and writhing so much she rolled right of the table and onto the stone floor. But Vivian didn't appear to notice.

Your stomach clenched and you bit your lip.

'Hold on,' said Little Gil. 'You can't.'

Merlin ignored him, watching Vivian shriek with the same smile. 'The Cursed Engagement ring that I placed on Vivian's finger will control her. The word "remada" activates its demonic powers, subjecting her to the pain of being stabbed throughout her body. The same thing will happen if Vivian tries to cast a spell on Sir Gilthunder.'

The pain appeared to be fading but the mark on Vivian's hand had not. She stared at it, aghast and panting.

'That mark will spread every time the curse activates. Once it envelops your entire body, your death will surely be painful. And just so you know, that ring and its curse can never be removed.'

'Monster,' said Vivian. 'You're a true devil.'

'Idiot. You only realise that now?'

Meliodas turned to you. Scary.

And usually you would have laughed but something about the look on Merlin's face made you agree.

Merlin walked up to Vivian, looming over her. 'Do you have any idea how close you came to committing an unforgivable crime? Spurred on by Hendrickson, you plotted the resurrection of the Demon Clan. Beyond that, you don't even have a clue what the Demon Clan is.'

Vivian sat up more and clenched her fist. 'That's not true,' she stammered. 'We were practically finished with our research on the Red demons and we almost had the Grey demons figured out as well. Even if they had come back to life in this world, we had no shortage of countermeasures. The Goddess Amber for example.'

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

'And who made the Goddess Amber?' said Merlin.

'Er, well, you did, master.'

'Then heed this advice from its creator. It can capture the Red and Grey demons rather easily but nothing more powerful.' Merlin's gaze flickered to you and away again. 'And even then, it's not foolproof.'

Vivian gasped. 'What are you talking about? You can't mean there are more than Red and Grey demons.'

'You have no idea. Quite simply, both of them are nothing more than weak and lowly foot soldiers. I can assure there are much higher-ranking Demon classes in the Demon Clan. The strongest and most fearsome of them all are the ten who serve the Demon King.'

As Merlin spoke, Vivian grew paler and paler. Part of you wondered if you were too. You knew Merlin was doing it on purpose, her tone of voice and how much she was sharing, and you even knew already what Merlin was saying, but you still felt uneasy.

'This extraordinarily powerful group is known as the Ten Commandments,' Merlin continued. It was like you could see them as she spoke. 'If they're ever resurrected, nothing will stop them from conquering Britannia.'

It was all too much for Vivian. She collapsed into tears, sobbing into her hands.

Meliodas turned to Merlin. 'You freaked her out.'

'I think that was her goal,' you said.

Merlin smiled. 'All I did was tell her the truth. Now, my dear captain, since you've gone and fulfilled my request.'

The bar was packed. You weren't just saying that, either. People were crammed in and you were sure the noise could be heard from miles away. The cheers and wolf whistles were never-ending.

On nights as busy as these, you'd normally go wherever you were needed, hopping from job to job. But tonight, Meliodas had made sure you were out on the floor with Elizabeth, Diane and Merlin with a serving tray in hand.

But you noticed something odd. While the patrons were very clear in their appreciation of having Merlin as a new waitress, none of them seemed to be able to meet your eye or even look at you for very long. You didn't think on it too much – it was much too busy for that – and just served whichever orders you were given. One such order happened to be to Little Gil, Howzer and Griamore's table.

'Here you go, boys,' you said, plonking down three steins of ale and a pie.

The three of them looked at you, at something behind you and then at nothing in particular and muttered thanks to the table.

You looked over your shoulder and saw nothing out of the ordinary and shrugged. 'Were you waiting on anything else?'

Howzer looked at you, opened him mouth and then, once again, his eyes flickered over your shoulder. This time you span around fast enough to catch a glimpse of Meliodas walking away, hands in his pockets and whistling. Your eyes narrowed even as your lips twitched.

'No, thank you, (Y/n),' said Little Gil softly.

With one last smile, you left them to enjoy their food and drinks. Weaving through the crowd to the bar, you took extra notice of how everyone moved out of your way.

What's the point, you said as you collected more food from Ban, in having me wear this to attract customers if you won't even let them look at me?

Don't know what you're talking about.

'I don't understand why they're so excited,' said Merlin as you walked by. 'Surely this can't be that different from my usual outfit.'

'What are you talking about?' said Meliodas, appearing from the crowd. 'You make that uniform look really good.'

'I don't know if I should take that compliment at face value.'

'Well why not?' Meliodas folded his arms somewhat smugly.

'Not to speak to his motivations or to praise such a low tactic of getting customers, but Meliodas is right, Merlin,' you said. 'You do look good.'

Merlin smiled.

'Come on, guys,' said Hawk's voice. The tiny pig was once again on Elizabeth's shoulder. 'What about Elizabeth, huh?'

Elizabeth gasped. 'Quiet, Hawk.'

'Everyone knows it looks good on Elizabeth,' said Meliodas with a smile. 'No doubt about it. Okay.' He put his hands on his hips. 'From now on, the four of you are gonna sing and dance as the Boar Hat Poster Girl Sisters.'

You blinked.

Meliodas clenched his fists. 'Then business will really be booming.'

'You want us to sing and dance?' said Diane.

'How is that gonna work when no customer will look at me when I'm serving them food?' you said.

Meliodas blinked.

'Now, now, Captain. You haven't incorporated me into this little song and dance routine of yours as well, have you?' said Merlin.

'Well of course you're in it.'

'I quit, effective immediately.' Merlin was out the door before she even finished talking.

'It looks like Merlin's out,' said Meliodas, still smiling. 'Easy come easy go, as they say.'

'Let her go,' said Hawk. 'We don't need the likes of her. Besides, the Boar Hat already has the Ultimate Poster Boy. The Mighty Lord Hawk, remember?'

Meliodas's smile disappeared. 'Ah, yeah ... that's right.'

'Hey! Why are you giving me that look?'

'Look,' called out one of the customers. 'Another Poster Girl showed up.'

Chairs creaked as their occupants turned. Some people even stood up for a better view.

Gowther posed. 'Say hello to the Boar Hat's fifth Poster Girl, Gowther. May I take your order?'

Hawk posed on Gowther's head. 'And don't you dare forget about the Boar Hat's Immortal Scraps Star, Lord Hawk.'

Meliodas, Ban and King stared, blank faced, before saying as one, 'Rejected.'

You, Meliodas, Merlin, Ban, Diane and King stood in the throne room. The air was tense and stiff as Bartra stared at you with his steely gaze.

'A shadow of the Ten Commandments?' said Meliodas.

'Is it some kind of sign?' said Diane.

'His Highness's power, Vision,' said King.

'Through ambiguous words and visuals, he makes predictions about what will happen in the future,' explained Merlin.

Gowther adjusted his glasses. 'With virtually one hundred per cent accuracy.'

Bartra rumbled thoughtfully before straightening to look you all in the eye. 'Listen, there's still one more omen.'

'We're listening,' said Meliodas. 'What did you see?'

'According to the vision, in a kingdom to the south.'

'The south?' said Merlin. You caught her eye before looking back to the king.

'A new nation is emerging,' Bartra continued. 'In Camelot, the capital, a monstrous threat swiftly approaches.'

—

Far away, the air was glowing. Energy crackled, dark lightning tearing through the light. The completed Coffin of Eternal Darkness was the source. Hendrickson stood before it and raised his hands.

'With your rupturing embrace and your dividing kiss, hear me as I call upon you. Release those who would be called His disciples and shatter the seal that enslaves His followers.' As Hendrickson spoke, the blood from the cloth twisted through the air and streamed towards the Coffin. 'Oh shining drop that harbours the power of Fated Enemies, break the curse and unchain the Demon Clan.'

The blood fell with a splatter that seemed to echo. A great beam of white light tore through the air. Hendrickson scrunched up his face.

'From the Valley of Eternity, from the Edge of Oblivion, from an Unending Slumber, disappear innocent curse!'

The light was hurting Hendrickson. It tore at his skin, gouging out chunks of flesh. The light grew brighter and brighter and brighter.