Fraudrin was pleased. Everything he'd worked for these past ten years, every minute spent in the company of the disgusting humans, had finally paid off. Dreyfus was in his mind screaming in terror and that made Fraudrin smile. To some, Fraudrin's friends were terrifying.

'Hey, Fraudrin,' said Melascula. 'Is that a human body you're inhabiting by any chance?'

'Indeed. Using it has been quite easy.' To show his point, Fraudrin raised his hand. It had taken some time to get used to the stench and being short, but they didn't need to know that.

'How is it that we were the only ones able to escape?' asked Gloxinia from his nest of vines.

'Because I didn't have enough blood from the Daughter of Divided Blood to break the seal. My apologies.'

Derieri pushed back her hair. 'That's the bottom line, huh? Not much there.'

'In other words,' said Monspiet, 'you're saying that the presence of the Goddess, Giant and Fairy races is barely detectable?'

'Mm.'

Fraudrin blinked. He still didn't know how Monspiet could interpret Derieri's bizarre way of speaking. But now he had the translation, Fraudrin could elaborate.

'During the war three thousand years ago, they ended up losing most of their power. As we did,' said Fraudrin. 'Essentially, it's the humans who rule Britannia now.'

The ragged breathing of Hendrickson was getting faster. Fraudrin smirked wider. Dreyfus yelled for his friend to run.

'My goodness,' said Melascula. 'So the most short-lived, fragile and hapless of the five races is in control.'

'Hey,' said Galand, whose echoey voice was just as Fraudrin remembered. 'You were the only one who escaped being sealed, right? What have you been doing all this time?'

Fraudrin frowned. 'I had a lot of things to sort out. I've only been self-aware ten years. And there was this meddlesome group called the Seven Deadly Sins standing in my way.'

Zeldris smiled. 'Meliodas, right?'

'The bottom line is I'm tired,' Derieri drawled. 'I've gotta recharge.'

'Yes. Before anything else, our first priority should be to get some rest.' Zeldris stared at his hand pensively. 'The long-term effects of the Goddess's Seal seem to have depleted our magical powers. Edinburgh Hill should be to the east.' He turned in that direction. 'We can rest when we arrive. Let's go.'

Fraudrin took to the sky, aware of his companions doing the same. The wind brushed against his body and he thought how nice it was. To have them back. And to not have to hide himself anymore.

—

Elizabeth walked beside Margaret calmly. They were heading to the front of the castle in order to bid farewell to Sirs Gilthunder, Griamore and Howzer. Margaret seemed as composed as usual, but Elizabeth had the feeling her sister was not as calm on the inside. She also had the feeling this was not Margaret and Gilthunder's true goodbye.

Raised voices came from where they were headed and Elizabeth caught Margaret's eye. That voice sounded exactly like Veronica's.

'Big sister Ellie,' said Veronica loudly as Elizabeth and Margaret entered the courtyard, 'these guys just told me they were setting off on a journey.'

Gilthunder, Griamore and Howzer were all ready to go. They had cloaks on and horses ready. It seemed they now only lingered to say goodbye to the princesses.

'Yes, I know,' said Margaret.

'No way!'

Gilthunder and Howzer seemed reluctant to meet Veronica's eyes.

'Princess Veronica, I know I should've told you first,' said Griamore, his deep voice soft, 'but I couldn't bring myself to.'

Elizabeth watched Veronica's fiery expression turn a strange mixture of sad and mushy, a light blush on her cheeks, before she turned to back to Griamore. The three knights finally met her eyes and smiled.

Griamore clenched his fist. 'Dear father, I will avenge you. I'll do it no matter what it takes.' He looked up. 'And I swear, I will return to your side, Princess Veronica.'

Veronica, who had been looking at the ground for all of Griamore's speech, turned her head to hide her blush from Griamore. But Elizabeth saw it.

'Okay, fine then,' she muttered before saying louder, 'Gilthunder, Howzer, I'm counting on you to babysit Griamore.'

Griamore's eyes widened. Gilthunder and Howzer laughed. Elizabeth felt her lips twitch and swallowed her own laugh.

'Of course, my lady,' said Gilthunder. He stepped forward to Margaret at the same time Griamore said his final farewells to Veronica. Elizabeth gave them some privacy, watching Howzer writhe in jealousy.

And then the three Holy Knights were gone, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of dust a hoofprints on the ground.

'Please be careful,' Elizabeth called.

'Ellie, are things settled for you too?' asked Veronica, turning away from the horizon.

'Huh?'

—

Movement on the horizon caught your eye. You looked up from wiping the tables and watched Elizabeth get closer to the tavern. Your stomach turned into a black hole that sucked up all your insides.

'She's coming,' you said softly.

The light clinks of bottles stopped for a second before starting again. 'Ah,' was all Meliodas said.

There was silence in the tavern. Feelings twisted through the air so thickly you swore you could feel them on your skin.

'You don't have to stay,' said Meliodas eventually. 'I can do it myself.'

You shook your head. 'But I don't want you to do it yourself.'

Meliodas leant on the counter and tapped his chin. 'Who's to say we have to do it now?'

'Um, we promised?'

'We promised to do it, not when we'd do it,' Meliodas pointed out. 'You go wait in the kitchen while we talk and then I'll say we need to get supplies and you could appear like you haven't been listening and back me up.'

It wasn't the best plan, but Elizabeth was almost at the door. You nodded and walked to the kitchen, stopping at the doorway to look at Meliodas. There were many things you wanted to say in that moment, but with so little time they were best summed up in three words.

'I love you,' you said.

There were footsteps on the verandah. You disappeared into the kitchen.

I love you too.

Meliodas began to hum a strange little tune. You heard the door open.

'Sir Meliodas,' said Elizabeth.

The humming stopped. 'Hey there, Elizabeth.'

He sounded normal. Good. You began to fiddle with a wooden spoon someone had left by the sink.

'Are you really going on another journey?'

'Sure am,' said Meliodas.

'Right. Then I'll start getting my things so I can join you.'

She sounded so excited. You squeezed the spoon so hard it snapped. You put it down but your hands started shaking so you picked up a tea towel to twist instead.

'No need.' Meliodas said the words so calmly but you knew for him it was like squeezing out the last bit of toothpaste in the tube.

'But Sir Meliodas, you said once the incident was over, we'd set up shop again.'

'Doesn't sound like something I'd say,' Meliodas lied blatantly. You heard his footsteps and liquid sloshing in a glass bottle.

'You're not acting like yourself at all. What happened? Where's [Y/n]?'

There was a very pregnant pause. It stretched on.

Come out now, said Meliodas eventually. I can't think of anything to say.

You put down the tea towel and grabbed a scrap of paper. I told you your plans were dumb. There was no malice in your voice. There was hardly any feeling at all.

'Okay, so we need tomatoes, potatoes, definitely carrots and some sort of meat. Also, Ban hid the rosemary from me, so if we see that we need that too,' you said, walking out the kitchen and looking at the blank piece of paper. You looked up and blinked in mock surprise before smiling. 'Oh, hey, Elizabeth. Sorry, am I interrupting?'

Elizabeth opened her mouth but Meliodas beat her to it.

'Not at all,' he said, putting down a bottle of Vanya ale. He smiled a smile at Elizabeth that would fool most people but you saw the way it didn't reach his eyes. 'Sorry, Elizabeth, but we've gotta go get supplies.'

Elizabeth's face fell. You were grateful that breaking hearts didn't make a sound.

'Sure. I understand,' she said quietly.

'Are we actually going shopping?' you asked Meliodas as the two of you walked through the streets of Liones.

He shrugged. 'Do we need to?'

'No idea. I didn't actually check. The only thing I know for sure is that Ban really did hide the rosemary from me,' you said, puffing out your cheeks.

Meliodas poked your cheek. 'You can go get some more. I want to talk to Merlin.'

'Is it about ...?'

'Yeah,' Meliodas said. 'I don't stand a chance without it.'

You blinked. 'You mean we ... right? You're not ... We're in this together.'

He stopped and looked at you. But his wasn't actually looking at you. His eyes were far away. Then he smiled. 'I wouldn't have it any other way.'

Before you could do anything more than open your mouth, Meliodas tugged you forward and pressed his lips to your forehead. 'See you later.'

And he was gone, leaving you at the front of your favourite herb shop and feeling like everything was moving far too fast.

—

Elizabeth stared at her hands folded neatly in her lap. She had just finished telling Diane what had happened.

'So you're saying the captain isn't acting like himself?' said Diane.

Elizabeth nodded. 'Yeah. But it's not just him. [Y/n] would barely look at me the whole time I was there. And just this morning, my father –' She stopped herself with a gasp.

Diane stared at her. 'Your father?' she prompted gently.

'He told me I mustn't call him father anymore,' said Elizabeth, feeling her head bow even more like it was being pushed down by a relentless hand.

Diane hummed pensively. 'Well, I can't speak much to that, but do you remember that enormous tremor yesterday?'

Elizabeth had no idea what that had to do with anything, but she didn't want to be rude. 'Yes. Everybody was so surprised.'

'Right after it happened, only for a split second, the captain and [Y/n] seemed like something was really bothering them,' said Diane as she looked to the sky.

'What could have caused something like that to happen?'

Diane laughed slightly. 'You really care about those two, don't you, Elizabeth?'

Elizabeth's cheeks flared. 'But you care about them too, Diane. And anyone could tell they were acting strange, right?'

'Maybe ...' Diane trailed off, tapping her chin with a finger. 'Maybe everything's related. What your fath – I mean, his highness – said and how the captain and [Y/n] are acting.'

There was silence for a moment. Elizabeth remembered how her fath – the king – looked when he spoke to her that morning. He hadn't met her eyes for most of it and even went as far to leave the room to stop the conversation. And then she remembered everything Sir Meliodas had said and his unsmiling face when he said it. Elizabeth even remembered how [Y/n]'s "shopping list" was blank.

'I always knew I wasn't a true part of my family,' said Elizabeth softly, 'and there were times that bothered me a lot. But I love them all dearly. They're the only family I've ever known.' She heard Diane shift slightly on the bench. Elizabeth watched a young couple and their daughter walk by. 'And then I met Sir Meliodas and [Y/n]. With them ... it's like there's a sense of belonging I've never felt before. It's their advice I seek the most. When I'm scared, they're who I rely on most. And it's their faces I picture when I think of home.'

'You should tell them that,' said Diane. 'They won't know unless you say something.' Diane stood up to look Elizabeth head on. 'You have to let them know how you're feeling.'

'Hold on, Diane. Did something happen?'

'It did.' Diane looked down, a slight blush on her cheeks. 'And I remember everything. After all this time, I finally remember.' A single tear fell and shattered on the cobblestones. 'And it's just my luck that he went off somewhere and left me behind again. I never had the chance to tell him how I feel.'

Elizabeth watched Diane and wondered if there was something she should do so she said, 'I'm so sorry.'

Diane turned away from her. 'What am I gonna do? If he never comes back, what am I gonna do? I love him. I love King so much it hurts.' Diane scrubbed at her face and took a few deep breaths before sitting down beside Elizabeth again. 'See, years ago, King said something to me. He told me he'd always love me. I didn't think about it at the time, but I never said anything back. I mean, I was sure he already knew and that was that, you know? This time, I'll say it to his face.' She twisted one of her pigtails, holding it to her face bashfully. '"I love you too, King."'

It was nice to see Diane happy. Elizabeth smiled. 'I feel so envious. You know for sure how King feels about you.'

'That's why you need to say something,' said Diane, still holding her hair. 'You won't know anything until you tell them how you feel.'

Elizabeth's smile slid from her face. 'It's okay.'

She knew [Y/n] and Sir Meliodas had already had a daughter, or someone like a daughter. Elizabeth didn't want to replace Liz. Not when they had lost her not long ago. It wouldn't be fair to any of them or their memories.

'Hey, look,' said Diane suddenly, drawing Elizabeth from her thoughts.

A small boy was walking alone down the street. He looked both distinctly forlorn and distinctly familiar. It was Zeal, Guila's little brother. But where was Guila? Elizabeth didn't think the two siblings would ever be far from the other. Something wasn't right.

Elizabeth and Diane walked up to the little boy.

'Hi,' called Diane, catching his attention. 'Why aren't you out here with Guila?'

Zeal blinked. 'Gui ... la? Who's that? Do I know her?'

Elizabeth gasped and stared at him.

Diane smiled and put her hands on her hips, evidently deciding Zeal was pulling a prank on them. 'Zeal,' she said, 'what's up with you?'

'Zeal?' said Zeal, rubbing his head and looking increasingly unwell. 'Is that me?' Tears began to form in his eyes. 'Who ... who am I?'

—

Meliodas walked to Merlin's workshop deep in thought. It wasn't until he was almost at the door that he realised the person standing a few feet away was none other than Gowther. Meliodas hitched an easy-going smile onto his face and called out to his friend.

'What's up, Gowther?' said Meliodas. Gowther turned to him. 'Looks like we'll be leaving either tomorrow or the day after, so be ready to go, okay?'

'Is that an order or...?' said Gowther, trailing off at the end.

Meliodas blinked. 'Well, no, I wouldn't exactly call it that.'

Gowther turned and walked away. 'I'll have to refuse.'

Odd. Meliodas crossed his arms and watched Gowther walk up to Guila. They spoke softly to each other in the way that couples do. 'Now that's an unusual pairing.'

Before Meliodas could do anything more than wonder if [Y/n] already knew about it, his thoughts were interrupted by an excited pig's muddled speech. He turned to see Hawk, sprawled in the grass by the side of the path and eating something that had been lying there. Whatever it was was purple and had been in a small class bottle.

'Whatcha eating over there, Hawk?' said Meliodas, staring unamused at the pig.

Hawk frowned, purple crumbs all around his mouth. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

Meliodas walked into Merlin's workshop only to find her absorbed in another experiment, one that had a lot of lightning, pink light and a high-pitched buzzing.

'Hey,' greeted Meliodas. 'What's up?'

'Somehow I had a feeling you'd be stopping by soon, Captain,' said Merlin without turning around. 'But I had thought [Y/n] would be with you.'

Meliodas frowned. 'Look, Merlin. Ten years ago, the day we were chased out of the kingdom, you stole something from me and now I'd like it back.'

Whatever was making all the light and noise stopped as Merlin turned to face him with a frown of her own. Too late Meliodas realised he had been talking only about himself again. As he raced through ways to remedy his mistake (which ranged from saying the exact same thing but about [Y/n] to just plain leaving and starting over), Merlin shrugged slightly and smiled her usual sly smile.

'I assume this has something to do with that tremor the other day,' she said.

'That was a sign of the Demon race's seal being broken,' said Meliodas.

Merlin put a finger to her chin. 'Which mean's Hendrickson's still alive somehow then.'

'Yeah, but that isn't what I'm worried about. The real problem is the ones who were revived are the absolute worst. The Ten Commandments.'

Merlin gasped. A strong wind began to blow, whipping through the small space. All Merlin's belongings began to float, bobbing in the air but otherwise untouched by the wind that tousled Meliodas's hair and snapped at his clothes. He didn't move. Merlin didn't move.

'Sorry,' said Merlin eventually, covering her mouth with her hand. 'I was stimulated in spite of myself.'

Meliodas didn't say anything. What was there for him to say? Her reaction was completely justified. Maybe [Y/n] would've comforted Merlin, but Meliodas just wanted what he came here for.

'Who would have guessed the Demon King's hand-picked elite troops would ...' The wind died down and Merlin looked Meliodas in the eye. 'Now then, Captain. Let's get to the issue at hand.'

Finally. Meliodas's heartbeats surged. But a strange squeaking came from the corner.

—

'Guila!'

They had finally found her. Elizabeth and Diane had been running for a while now and Elizabeth was starting to fall a bit behind. They ran up to the Holy Knight who was with Gowther for some reason. Zeal was in Diane's arms, still crying.

'Something happened,' said Diane as they got closer. 'Zeal is acting really strange.'

Guila looked at the little boy. 'And who might you be?'

'Come on.' Diane put Zeal down gently before straightening up. 'Now stop playing around. Something weird has happened to your little brother.'

'I don't have a little brother.'

Elizabeth gasped.

'Huh? What are you saying? This is your brother, Zeal,' said Diane, her hands on the boy's shoulders. He was crying harder than ever.

'I'm sorry, but this man is the only family I have.' Guila gestured to Gowther who had been watching everything happen with his usual bland expression.

Elizabeth gasped again. This was all very strange and she wished her heart would slow down.

'Gowther,' said Diane slowly. 'You didn't ...?'

—

Hawk was having some kind of fit. He was making sounds that could have been words once but not anymore because they had fallen down three flights of stairs, been translated into an alien language and back to English by someone who didn't know either language very well. Meliodas poked him. Hawk didn't seem to notice.

'Get it together, Hawk.' Meliodas crouched down next to the pig and started slapping him. 'And stop eating whatever you find lying around on the ground.'

Great. Just when Merlin had agreed to return what she had stolen. He smacked Hawk harder. It did nothing to help the situation except release some of Meliodas's frustration.

'So what was it he ate?' said Merlin with clinical interest.

Meliodas half turned to her. 'Whatever was in a bottle someone tossed outside.'

'Must have been the magic stabilisers I gave Gowther.' Merlin put a finger to her chin. 'And if that's the case, this doesn't bode well, Captain.'

Great. Just great.

Hey. Where are you right now?

Just finishing at the shop. What's up? [Y/n]'s reply was instant but cautious. Meliodas regretted how he left her.

Have you seen Gowther anywhere? He'd probably be with Guila.

With Guila? That's an unusual pair.

That's exactly what I said! Anyway, if you see him, try and calm him down. Something weird's going on.

And Elizabeth?

Meliodas frowned. She should be back at the castle by now. She'll be safe there.

A sigh of relief.

Meliodas gave Hawk one last smack for good measure before standing up. And that's when it happened.

—

'Wait. You manipulated their memories?' said Diane, staring at Gowther with horror.

'It was both a necessary action and process for me,' said Gowther, staring at her with nothing. 'To build a relationship with Guila, I concluded that her brother's existence wasn't needed at all.'

Diane's heart leapt up her throat. Someone's existence not being needed ... That didn't make sense at all. But beyond that, to take someone's memories and manipulate for your own needs ... That was unforgivable.

'I want a heart of my very own,' Gowther continued, unaware of the turmoil in Diane. 'One that can comprehend emotions.'

A strangled noise came from Diane's lips and from Elizabeth beside her. How could someone not have a heart but still be alive?

'I've been attempting to learn about love during my time in the Seven Deadly Sins. I learnt there were many types of love. During the battle the other day, I realised the one I want to know about the most is romantic love. To take my research further, I concluded that I needed someone of my own to love. And for that, this woman suited my needs perfectly.' Throughout his baffling speech, Gowther's tone didn't change at all.

Diane took half a step forward. 'Wait a minute. You mean you faked saving Guila as she was about to turn into a Demon?'

'Actually,' said Gowther, 'I did save her. What causes Demon's blood to rampage are feelings of inferiority and rage at oneself for being weak.' He brought his hand to Guila's chin in a way that could seem loving but to Diane just seemed controlling. 'After erasing such troubling memories, I replaced them with her being my betrothed, having a happy childhood and becoming a Holy Knight on her own merits.'

This was wrong. All of it. Guila's past, her precious memories, all of it had been destroyed by Gowther's selfishness. Diane felt her fists begin to shake. She gritted her teeth.

'Though it took a long time, the procedure was flawless.'

Diane couldn't help but growl at that. Gowther was proud of what he'd done? That was too much for Diane to handle. All her anger burst out.

'No matter what the reasons are to do so, it is never okay to manipulate somebody's mind,' she shouted, punctuating with a strong wave of her hand.

Gowther turned to her blankly. 'Guila's previous memories were filled with pain and suffering. Are you still going to tell me that she'd be happier with her real ones intact?'

'You're damn right,' said Diane. 'No matter how painful they are, the one's Guila made with Zeal over so many years are precious. You can't just replace them. Understand?'

As if to help prove Diane's point, Zeal sobs grew louder.

'Incomprehensible,' said Gowther. 'The love that Guila and I both share doesn't need such an existence.'

'This is going nowhere. Elizabeth. Bring the captain or [Y/n] here. Or Merlin.'

'But Diane,' said Elizabeth.

Diane didn't take her eyes off Gowther. 'Do it. Hurry!'

'Right.'

The sound of Elizabeth's retreating footsteps filled Diane with relief. Help was on its way. She just had to deal with Gowther until it came. She smiled slightly. She could do that.

'I won't let you stand in my way,' said Gowther.

He raised his left hand, fingertips glowing with pink light. Diane grabbed his wrist and now, instead of pointing at Elizabeth, Gowther was pointing at the floor. Gowther raised his right hand as if going for a punch. Diane dodged. But it was a feint.

The bolt of light raced towards Elizabeth's retreating figure. Without turning, Diane created a tower of rock to block it. Gowther didn't look disappointed or angry. Diane gritted her teeth.

'That's quite enough, Gowther.'

Concerned citizens flooded the street, surrounding their little group. Gowther leapt out of Diane's grip.

'If you keep this up, we're gonna have a huge problem here,' said Diane.

'I admit that would be rather annoying.' Gowther crossed his arms, bows of light forming around his hands. 'So then. Sacred Treasure Double Bow Harlit.'

Diane gasped and braced herself.

Gowther uncrossed his arms, spreading them wide. 'Blackout.'

Fast. Very fast. A black circle appeared over Gowther's head. It grew. So big it turned everything dark. Everything's colour looked opposite. But Diane was confused. This light was doing nothing to her. She couldn't even feel it. Well, she could feel the magical power he was using. But it didn't hurt.

And just like that, the darkness was gone.

'What did you do?' said Diane not relaxing her stance. Perhaps it just took a while to take effect. But then she looked around. It had already taken effect. On everyone but her and Gowther. The bodies of the citizens lay slumped on the floor. Even Guila and Zeal were unconscious. 'What happened? What did you do to everyone?' She just hoped Elizabeth had been out of range.

Gowther walked up to Diane slowly, hands still outstretched. 'Every single living creature within a three mile radius of where I'm standing now who has a Spirit Level that's less than four hundred has been rendered completely unconscious.'

Three miles. Diane couldn't believe it. Elizabeth had not been out of range.

'In the end, all memories are simply information, no more difficult to create than delete. But I wish to find out what's beyond that. About emotions.'

Somehow, maybe it was King's face in her mind, Diane was able to sympathise with Gowther a little. 'Me too,' she said. 'I don't know why, but I'd forgotten the ones I'd made with King. Somehow they just slipped through my fingers.' She clenched her fists. 'I'll never forgive myself for that. Not ever. But I managed to get them back because they were all carved so deeply into my heart nothing could erase them! If you think memories are something you can just change then you've got another think coming!'

'Incomprehensible,' said Gowther.

He charged.

Diane attacked.

—

It happened as you placed the jars of herbs on the shop counter.

Everything turned dark. Magical power, a lot of it, washed over you like a blanket made out of fizzy bubbles. It felt like Gowther's magic. You gasped and turned automatically. The darkness was as gone as quickly as it appeared and nothing seemed to have change. At least that's what you thought until you turned back around to find the shop clerk slumped unconscious on his till.

Quickly stuffing the jars in your pocket and leaving a few coins on the counter, you exited the shop. It wasn't just the clerk. The streets were littered with bodies. You walked up to a nearby woman and crouched. She was breathing deeply and peacefully. Like she was asleep.

You started running, heading for the epicentre of the weird magic. That's where Gowther would be.

But then you stopped.

Elizabeth was a few feet in front of you, also sprawled on the ground. Your breath caught in your throat. The buildings faded. The ground changed. Everything started to lurch. You stumbled forward.

'Elizabeth.'