Elizabeth hardly noticed the sky sprinkled with stars, hardly noticed the ground rushing beneath them. She clung to her mother's shirt, fighting against the wind to look her parents in the eye. Neither of them looked at her.

'Please don't do this,' she said. 'It's not too late to turn back. The Seven Deadly Sins and Hawk are all so worried about you.'

Her mother's eyebrows twitched and for a second Elizabeth thought she was finally going to speak. But the moment passed.

'Listen to me,' her father said, only looking forward. 'No matter what, I'm going to protect you. When I become the Demon King, your curse will be broken.'

—

King watched blankly as Diane swept up the last of the broken glass. Even though there were five people in the tavern (and one pig) it felt empty. The only thing louder than the silence was King's own heartbeat. The image of the captain looming over them all kept replaying in King's mind. And of [Y/n] doing nothing. Nothing!

Unable to take it anymore, he slammed his fist into the table. 'Damn it! How could the captain do something like that?' Then, more present than the captain's choice, was the pain in his knuckles. King clutched his hand to his chest. He wished he hadn't punched the table.

'You okay?' said Diane's soft voice.

'Yeah. It's nothing,' he lied.

'Unfortunately, he isn't in his right mind,' said Merlin. King looked up at her, but she spoke to the countertop. 'His emotions have been stolen by the Demon King in Purgatory.'

King rubbed his knuckles. 'And [Y/n]? Did she forget us again?' Anger leaked back into his voice.

'I don't think so,' Ban said slowly. 'She didn't fight the captain and seemed to know who Elizabeth was.'

'Then why didn't she stop him?' King shouted. His knuckles didn't hurt anymore. Only his heart. 'Why didn't she say anything? She just ... she just let him go and—'

'I believe,' Escanor interrupted, his night-time voice soft but strong somehow, 'that [Y/n] wouldn't be doing nothing. She must have a plan.'

Ban sighed and rubbed his face. 'Yeah, you're right.'

'So what do we do?' asked Diane. 'How can we help? We can't just leave them like this.'

It was silent for a moment. The weight of the questions, the size of the task ahead, pressed in on King's brain. He clenched his fists.

'Hey, wait a minute.' Hawk stepped forward. 'I don't know why, but for some reason Meliodas called me the Demon King before he left. "Tell me, did you think that you were clever enough to fool me this whole time? So have you enjoyed spying on us, Demon King, as we kept suffering day in and day out?" is what he said.'

King blinked slowly. 'Maybe you just misheard him.' Even as he said the words, he didn't believe them.

'Yeah I doubt it. He probably meant I've got some hardcore Demon-level powers.'

Doubt it. But King didn't say that out loud.

'Hold on a minute.' Merlin was eyeing Hawk shrewdly. 'Come here.'

'Huh? What for?' Hawk walked over to her.

Merlin didn't say anything, just crouched and looked Hawk in the eye. King looked between them but had no idea what was going on. Hawk still just looked like a pig to him.

But Merlin gasped. 'How intriguing. You may not believe this, but you're actually connected to Purgatory.'

—

The grass was yellow, a golden sea that glowed in the sunlight. Estarossa sat in the middle of the field, the blades of grass brushing so softly against him. But even though it was so beautiful and there was a strange peace in the air, Escanor frowned. He had no idea where he was. He didn't know what he was doing. Wasn't there supposed to be a fight? There was no time for peace or blue sky or softness.

'Come on!' called a voice from somewhere behind him. 'Let's go play.'

Estarossa turned slowly. Behind him was a girl. She had long silvery hair and mismatched eyes and was smiling at him so wide. Her wings were edged in black like they had been dipped in ink. But as he just stared at her, her smile changed. It was softer now. Kinder.

'What's wrong?' she said, bending down to look him in the eye. 'You have another fight with your big brother?'

Something tightened around Estarossa's throat. This girl was—

He woke with a start, breathing in liquid. Estarossa stood up. There was no sunshine, no yellow grass, no softness. No one smiling at him with kind eyes. It was like the mismatched eyes were seared into his brain. He knew them. He knew that girl. But how?

—

'It doesn't make sense.' Ban glared at Merlin. 'How could the master here be connected to a place like Purgatory anyway?'

Merlin still hadn't looked away from Hawk. 'Well, simply put, he's unknowingly acting as a kind of corridor between worlds.'

Hawk panicked. 'I am? What the what?'

There was a strange feeling in the tavern. Every eye was on Hawk as he shivered and sweated. Even as air continued to enter his lungs, Ban felt like he was holding his breath.

Only Merlin remained calm. 'Though it's no fault of your own. Knowing how the Demon King works, he's likely spied on the captain for some time now.'

Anger spiked. Ban wanted to hit something.

'Oh, that jerk.' Hawk snorted.

Ban opened his mouth to call him something ruder (a word that would have made [Y/n] tell him off) but Diane beat him to it,

'If that's the case,' she said, 'then maybe we can go to Purgatory through Hawk. We'll sneak in and steal the captain's emotions back from the Demon King.'

'Unfortunately, there's no way,' said Merlin. Ban frowned at her. Even though she looked the same as ever, there was something new in Merlin's voice. Something almost like fear.

'But why not?'

'Because, aside from our beloved captain who's been cursed, I only know of one person who's managed to get into Purgatory and come out alive.'

Only one? Ban glared at the floor.

King seemed to be thinking the same thing. 'That's it?'

Diane was still optimistic. 'If one could make it, that means it's not impossible, right?'

Merlin's eyes were far away, looking at something none of them could see. 'That man was my own father who served as reigning chief of Belialuin. Through his research, he discovered a door to Purgatory and walked through it. After only a single minute inside, he returned.'

As Merlin spoke, Ban tried to imagine. What would a door to Purgatory look like? It would have to be big, he thought, and intimidating. Or maybe it wasn't really a door, more like a tear in air, like someone had cut it with a sword.

'But he was a complete shell of his former self.'

Merlin was paler now, her whole body stiff. Ban swallowed a gasp. Only a single minute and after all this time, Merlin had never forgotten.

'What happened to him?' Escanor's voice wavered.

Merlin took a breath before continuing. 'Right up until his final moments, he deliriously muttered on and on about the details of Purgatory. He spoke of a land with a toxic air as both blazing hot and freezing cold at the same time. An environment that destroyed the bodies of the living. Time and space are warped there. One minute in our world becomes a year in that place. It eats away at the souls of the dead, invading them. With all sensation lost, he had nothing to rely on but his sixth sense. It was a chaotic land strewn with the crushed souls of the dead, where monsters prowled in search of prey.' She looked up at them with hard eyes. 'In a hellscape like that, how would you ever find the captain's emotions? They could be anywhere. Above all, don't forget who we're up against. It's the Demon King who seized them.' Merlin closed her eyes. 'He's simply far too powerful. We've no chance.'

Yeah. Ban smiled to himself. He'd heard that before. No chance. And yet, here he was with his friends and with his resurrected heart beating upstairs. No chance at all.

Diane was crying. 'But ... but we ...'

Escanor sighed. 'I hear you. But we can't just give up on him.'

King clenched his fists. 'Damn! What are we supposed to do?'

Ban took a deep breath and stood up straight. He looked Merlin dead on. 'I'll go there alone.'

Everyone stared at him. 'What?!'

'I've got this,' he said lightly, smiling. 'I'm immortal, remember?'

'Didn't you hear a single word that I said?' Merlin glared at him. 'Let's suppose you did go, there's no guarantee you'd find the captain's emotions, much less retrieve them. And after that, getting back poses quite another problem.'

Ban raised an eyebrow before frowning. If [Y/n] was here, she'd be saying the same as Merlin. But then again, if [Y/n] was here, they wouldn't need to be discussing Purgatory at all. He scrunched his nose. 'Yeah, but even so.'

'Listen to what she's saying,' King implored. 'What if anything happened to you? Then Elaine would be all alone.'

'Please,' said Diane. 'We should try and come up with another way, all right?'

'Sorry. I need to do this.' He didn't shout. Didn't cry. Just looked at his hand. 'I wanna save my buddy with my own hands. 'Cause if I can't pull that off, how could I ever hope to protect the woman I care about?'

They could understand that, right? Especially King. When you kept your heart beating for someone else. When you couldn't give up until they were safe. When someone was waiting for you, all of you.

'No way around it,' said Merlin, resignation heavy in her voice. Ban looked up in time to see her shaking her head. 'Very soon, Big Sis's curse will be activated.'

Ban smiled. Yeah. Everyone understood.

—

The castle was cold. Cold and empty. The night seemed denser here, darkness clinging to the stone walls. Elizabeth stayed close to her mother as they walked through hallway after hallway, their footsteps ringing. Her father led the way to a pair of enormous double doors. The darkness was stronger here. Extra concentrated. With a wave of one hand, her father blasted the doors open.

This room was the biggest one yet. At the far end, in front of a magnificent stained-glass window, was an ornate gold throne. And lounging on that throne was a young boy. He watched them approach with a cocky smile.

Elizabeth knew he was. This was the boy who triggered her memories, the one who cast the spell on Merlin. But she also knew him from before that. Just barely. A vague memory from years and years ago. Her uncle.

'Zeldris,' said her father by way of greeting. 'Long time, no see.'

'Here's the traitor, wandering right into enemy territory.' Zeldris kept smiling. 'That's quite a bold move.'

The man at her uncle's side was tall and graceful even in stillness. He had the same energy as Chandler. 'And it would appear he's brought that immoral Goddess back with him as well.' He glared at her mother the same way someone would glare at a cockroach or mould. 'How could you let such a thing happen on your watch, Pacifier Demon?'

'I was completely against it,' Chandler shouted. 'We should dispose of this woman as soon as possible.'

'Shut your mouth, Chandler,' said her father harshly before Elizabeth could even really understand what was going on. 'That's enough.'

'But Young Master ...'

Elizabeth watched her father tense as he turned back to Zeldris. 'This is just a simple errand. I've come here to become the next Demon King.'

Zeldris's smile was gone now. 'No. I'm the one who's going to become the next—'

'I can't believe what I'm hearing,' said a new voice. It was a smooth voice, but not pleasant, like poisoned custard. The man who the voice belonged to walked out of the shadows. As he spoke, he kept tilting his head from side to side. 'Surely you aren't planning to leave me out of this? Our brotherhood is all we have in this world, right? Though, to be perfectly honest, I'm not interested in the Demon King's throne. But if you're gonna fight over it, then I'll throw my hat in the ring.'

Her mother took a step between Elizabeth and the new man.

Her father's glare turned shrewd. 'Estarossa. So you're alive.' He sounded neither relieved nor angry about this.

Elizabeth gasped and held her mother's shoulder. This man was the one who killed her father once. His brother. Which meant Estarossa was her uncle too. Just as with Zeldris, Elizabeth had the feeling she had met Estarossa before, ages ago. But unlike with Zeldris, where the memory was just fuzzy with age, this one felt like the memory had been twisted by something – or someone – else.

'You're looking pretty good, Big Brother.' Suddenly, Estarossa's easy smile disappeared. He stared right into Elizabeth's eyes, his pupils constricting in shock or fear. 'No way. Are you Elizabeth?'

Her parents made identical movements to shield her, but Elizabeth barely noticed. Instead, she leant forward. 'Wait, how is it that you know my name? This is the very first time we've met, isn't it?'

Estarossa sighed before giving a low chuckle and rubbing his head. 'Beats me. I don't really get it myself. Hey, I've changed my mind about this. I won't play Demon King musical chairs with you guys after all.' There was a strained silence after his words. 'But in return,' Estarossa continued, 'I want you to give me Elizabeth.'

Well, she hadn't expected that. Elizabeth gasped. A low growl came from her mother, cold power rolling off her body.

Chandler tutted. 'Can we offer you the Goddess instead?'

'I didn't come here after all this time just to fight with you, so I'll make two things perfectly clear.' Her father's voice got deeper. 'I'm going to become the Demon King and nobody will touch [Y/n] or Elizabeth.'

It happened in a flash. Elizabeth blinked and Zeldris was there, sword drawn. Another blink and Estarossa appeared, those same seven swords that had killed her father hovering at his side.

'That's too greedy for my taste, you spineless fool!'

'You think I'd let someone like you stand in my way after all this time?'

Before Elizabeth could do much more that blink a third time, her father brought his hands down. A wave of power exploded from his body slamming into Zeldris and Estarossa like a brick wall. Or ten brick walls. Her uncles were forced into the ground, their faces screwed up as they tried to resist. And still the power rained down.

'I'm coming, Sir Zeldris.' The other Demon leapt forward, his own sword ready.

'No. Stay back!'

The warning had just left Zeldris's lips when the power branched, piercing the other Demon right through the middle.

'This is between my brothers and me,' her father said, not letting the power fade. 'Stay out of it.'

Elizabeth's ears were ringing, her heart thudding faster and faster.

Unlike Zeldris, Estarossa was somehow still on his knees. 'I like what I'm seeing in you, brother.' His voice was strained as he fought against the onslaught of power. 'Compared to last time, you've really changed.'

Her father said nothing, just brought his hand lower. And Estarossa was slammed face down into the stone floor. Cracks radiated from her uncles' bodies as they were forced deeper and deeper down. Elizabeth's throat felt tight. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't let her father do this.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Elizabeth's mother stepped forward. Still without saying a word, she placed a hand on her father's shoulder, running it down his arm to hold his hand. Her father shivered and the power disappeared.

Now free, Estarossa sat up with a wild laugh. 'Looks like the old Meliodas is finally back, talked up as the next Demon King. Even feared by the Four Archangels. Now that's the brother I idolised! I apologise for calling you spineless.' But there was something in his smile.

Elizabeth was watching her mother. She had let go of her father's hand as soon as the power was gone. So, Elizabeth thought, this wasn't like last time. Her mother still had her memories. And it wasn't like the time with Fraudrin, Monspeet and Derieri either. No, this was like the time in Vaizel.

'But there's no need to worry, Elizabeth.' Her mother's voice echoed in her mind. 'We're married, which means he saves me and I save him. With alarming regularity.'

'Don't be foolish.' Zeldris's voice jerked Elizabeth back to the present. He was glaring at the ground, his voice almost shaking with fury. 'You may acknowledge that filthy traitor, but I don't. And I never will. I know you. I'm certain that the only reason why you want the Demon King's power is to lift the curses place on you, that sorry excuse for a woman and that abomination you created.'

Elizabeth's mother flinched.

Her father didn't. He just stared down at Zeldris. 'Yeah, that's right. The reason I'm here is to face you and take the magic power the old man leant you. But I just realised something. My calculations were way off. 'Cause even if I stole that power you borrowed, I still couldn't lift the curse.'

Elizabeth pursed her lips. Should she be glad the plan wasn't working?

'Shut your mouth,' Zeldris snarled. 'Enough!' And he charged. 'I'm the one who's going to become the next Demon King!'

Okay. Elizabeth knotted her fingers in her mother's shirt. Not glad. Not glad at all. Everything was covered in a thick cloud of dust. Elizabeth could hear the clashes of her father and uncle. Her mouth was dry. And then a dark shape loomed over her. Elizabeth barely had time to make out Estarossa's face before her mother was there, knocking the Demon back with a well-placed wave of a glowing hand.

At the same moment, the metallic sounds stopped. Elizabeth's father had caught Zeldris's wrist, holding him in some type of lock.

'I know why you're so determined to lead the Demon race, Zeldris,' he said, voice barely softer than before.

'Shut up!'

But then her father leaned in closer to Zeldris and said something right into his ear. Elizabeth could see her father's lips moving but couldn't hear what he said. Whatever the words were, they must have been powerful. Zeldris froze, his whole body taught like elastic pulled to its limit. Her father let go. And Zeldris relaxed.

Everyone watched the two brothers with varying shades of confusion. Even Elizabeth's mother looked puzzled.

'What's wrong, Sir Zeldris?' said the Demon Elizabeth didn't know. 'What did he just say to you?'

Zeldris didn't answer him. 'Okay, fine. Guess I'll work with you on this. Though it's the last thing I want to do.'

Elizabeth gasped.

Estarossa laughed. 'That must have been a hell of a secret. Did he blackmail you or something?'

Zeldris didn't answer him either. 'But like you were saying earlier, even if you acquired all my loaned magic power, you'll never match our father's level. Or maybe you're planning to train until you're finally able to surpass him?'

'No,' said her father. 'That would take too much of my time. We have less than three days to sort this out now. So listen up, both of you. I've got a plan, but I'll need you to go out and retrieve all the Commandments.'

Elizabeth shivered. What did he mean? Why would he need them? She looked to her mother who was watching her father with a frown.

'Why would we need to do that?' said Estarossa, clearly just as confused.

'It won't work without them. In order to rule over the Demon Realm, our old man made a choice. With the goal of conquering the entire kingdom, he decided to share half his power with his servants. But that amount of power was so massive it would have threatened his own standing. So, to fulfill his conquest and eliminate that risk, our father divided it into fragments. That way, no one share would be too strong. Then he gave them to ten warriors known as the Ten Commandments.' Her father paused for a moment. 'By absorbing each of those Commandments, it would put me on a Power Level equal to the Demon King himself.'

He couldn't mean that. Elizabeth's whole body went cold.

Estarossa was smiling again somehow. 'What do you think, Zel? Is something like that actually a possibility?'

Please say no.

Zeldris hummed before raising one hand and saying, 'Jikkai.'

Three purple orbs appeared, floating over his palm. They glowed like fire, a swirling black rune inside each one. They hummed with power. Elizabeth couldn't look away.

'I've already started,' said Zeldris, 'and have three. These are the Commandments of Gowther, Drole and Gloxinia.'

'Seriously?' said Estarossa with excitement. 'Let me see.'

But Zeldris said another magic word and they vanished. Elizabeth blinked for what felt like the first time in minutes. The strange hum of the Commandments was gone.

Estarossa was leaning into Zeldris, but Elizabeth wasn't invested in their squabbles. She wanted to leave and go back to the Boar Hat. But she also didn't want to go alone. Part of her was sure, absolutely certain, that her mother was working on some sort of plan. The other part was scared.

Zeldris was closer now, face to face with her father. 'Have you really thought this through? Gowther, Gloxinia and Drole had no loyalty to the Demon King so they were exceptions. It's different with the others. They've each pledged total allegiance to our father. If they refuse, you can't just take it away from them.'

'Well, they can't say no if they're dead.'

Everyone turned to glare at Estarossa. Elizabeth's heartbeat stuttered. Her mother paled slightly, staring at Estarossa with wide eyes.

Estarossa laughed lightly and tried to explain himself. 'Hey, hold on a second. That didn't come out right. 'Cause what I meant was, if they just so happen to get killed by someone, that would release them, right?'

Zeldris sighed. 'If a Commandment should die, the power remains with their corpse. But it's easy to dislodge.' He smiled darkly. 'With that in mind, I think we should start with the fallen. Galand, Melascula and Grayroad first.'

'Well, I've already gotten Grayroad's on my own.' Her father raised his hand just as Zeldris had done. 'Jikkai.' Only one purple orb appeared this time. Elizabeth looked away quickly, not wanting to feel its weird power again. 'I took it for just such an occasion.'

Elizabeth's bottom lip trembled. She looked from her father to Zeldris to Estarossa. They were all planning this so calmly, sure of their success. 'I can't believe this.'

They all ignored her.

'That accounts for four of them,' her father said. 'Find out where the other Commandments are hiding.'

'And what about you, Big Brother?' Estarossa's voice was mocking. 'You're just gonna send us out while you play spectator?'

'Why would anyone from the Demon race hand over their Commandment to someone they consider a traitor?' Her father's answer was quick and steady as if he had been ready for such a question. 'Which is why you two are doing this. So don't fail. Understand?'

Zeldris folded his arms and smirked. 'Already settling into your position, aren't you?'

—

Ban stood close to Hawk and Merlin. They were separated from the others by a trail of wispy pink smoke that wrapped around them like a ribbon. Merlin was chanting some sort of spell under her breath. Ban had no idea what she was saying and didn't even try to understand. He trusted Merlin to do this right just as she trusted him to do his job.

Hawk looked up. 'Do me a favour?'

'Okay, then.' Ban smiled. 'What do you need, Master?'

'Just come back safely, all right? If you're not around, I won't ever get to eat any decent scraps anymore.'

'Ha, sure,' said Ban, patting the pig on the head. 'Don't you worry about a thing.' He looked through the smoke to King. 'And until I do, look after Elaine for me, would ya?'

King's eyes widened, but Ban just nodded and looked away. King could still be an annoying runt and he would always be fun to tease and yet Ban trusted him too. His heart was in safe hands.

Merlin's eyes opened. Hawk made a funny whining noise. And that was all the warning Ban got. Everything seemed to twist and condense. He was being pulled somewhere. His heart was in his throat. His stomach flipped. And then he was floating.

No. Not floating. Falling. The land spread out below him, glowing a sinister red.

Falling straight into Purgatory.

—

Elizabeth followed her parents upstairs. Flames flickered over the stone walls making their shadows ripple and stretch. They said nothing and neither did Elizabeth. Not until they reached a door at the end of a corridor.

'This will be your room,' her father said, pushing the door open. Elizabeth barely noticed what was inside. 'Now rest. Don't try anything stupid. I'll know if you do.'

'But, Dad—' Elizabeth reached for him, but he had already turned away, walking on down the corridor. She turned to her mother instead. 'Mum, what—?' Elizabeth cut herself off this time.

Her mother was smiling softly and brought one finger to her lips. There was something in her eyes, some sort of hint. Before Elizabeth could decipher what it was, her mother closed the door and her footsteps faded.

Elizabeth chewed on her bottom lip and looked around. This was a bedroom, and a fancy one at that. It was almost like her room back at Liones castle. Her heart ached so she stopped thinking about Liones and tried to understand what her mother was planning. Because she was planning something.

Without knowing how much time had passed, raised voices began to echo down the hall. Elizabeth looked up. She recognised her parents' voices but couldn't make out the words. They were arguing unlike Elizabeth had ever heard them argue before. Elizabeth walked over to the door but hesitated, her hand hovering over the handle. Did this count as stupid?

'... for Elizabeth ...'

That was her mother's voice. Making up her mind, Elizabeth opened the door. The voices were louder out here, bouncing off the walls so it sounded like there were more than two people shouting. She followed them as best she could, relying more on her parents' familiar power than the sounds, until she got to the last door at the opposite end of the corridor.

Light shone through the gaps of the door, sometimes broken as shadows passed. Holding her breath, Elizabeth got closer, pressing herself to the wall. Her heart was too loud and she willed it to quiet so as to hear what they were saying. Yeah. This was definitely stupid.

—

You followed Meliodas into the grand bedroom, noting the hanging tapestries and huge four-poster bed. But though you desperately wanted to sit, to rest, to fall asleep in Meliodas's arms, you forced yourself to remain standing. You weren't finished yet.

'You can stop now,' Meliodas said quietly, passing you by to sit on the stool by the window. 'It's not going to work. You're just wasting your energy.'

'Don't know what you're talking about.' You tried to keep your voice light, but it cracked at the end.

Meliodas met your eyes. You refused to look away first. Even as the darkness kept pounding in your head and the cold threatened to take your heart back. Never again. You were never going to let that happen again.

You didn't know how long you stood there, neither of you letting up, both refusing to lose. Your heart was beating faster, sweat beading on your forehead.

'I told you to stop.' Meliodas's voice was loud. He leapt up and grabbed your left wrist. The suddenness made you jump and you almost did stop.

'I won't.'

'It's too late.'

'Don't say that.' You shook your head. Shook it again. 'Don't you dare say that!'

Meliodas let you go but kept glaring into your eyes. 'Then tell me what's the point.'

That made you falter. 'What do you mean?'

'Zeldris and Estarossa are gone. The plan is underway. There is less than three days,' Meliodas listed slowly. 'So even if you could find my emotions and bring them back, what would be the point?'

Every response died on your lips. Finally, you looked away, unable to stand the emptiness in his eyes any longer. Instead, you looked instead at the candlelight flickering on stone walls and found yourself wishing for the wooden warmth of the Boar Hat. Meliodas seemed to think he had won because he huffed in satisfaction and moved away from you.

But you hadn't given up. You would never give up on Meliodas. Anger started to bubble in your stomach. Your fingers trembled. 'We were supposed to do this together,' you whispered.

'What did you say?'

'We were supposed to do this together!' Everything inside your burst, your words cutting through the air like swords. 'Wasn't that the plan? How it always was? You and me against the world! Never having to be scared of being alone. Hand in hand. Side by side. Whatever we fought against!' Your chest was heaving, shaking hands clenched into fists. Tears staring to well in your eyes. 'Why didn't you wait for me?'

Meliodas didn't say anything.

The tears spilt down your cheeks and you brushed them away. 'Why didn't you trust me?' Every word you said was a scream now. They ripped into your throat and lungs. You didn't care who heard. 'Stop pretending that you're doing this for Elizabeth. Or for me. Stop it! Just ... Just ...' You took a ragged breath. 'Why didn't you wait for me?'

'It's going to be okay.' In contrast, Meliodas's voice was soft. He sat down again, bowing his head so his face was hidden. 'You don't have to worry anymore.'

'What are you talking about?'

'I understand now.' He was still talking in that same quiet voice. It just made you angrier. You wanted him to fight back so you didn't feel guilty for shouting. If he fought too, your anger would almost be justified. 'In fact, I've understood for a while.'

'Understood what?'

Meliodas's face was still hidden. You had no idea what he was thinking. That threw you off. How long had it been since you couldn't even guess what was going through his dumb head? But then he looked up. You staggered back with a gasp. Those eyes ... Meliodas's eyes were so dark and empty they could have been bottomless wells carved into his head.

'I understand the curse,' he said, voice so steady. 'I know you don't love me.'

It was like all the air rushed out of your body. Out of the room. There was no air in the world at all. A meteor could've stuck in the last two seconds. You wouldn't have noticed. Dinosaurs could have risen again. You wouldn't have blinked. If the heavens rained down and the earth split open for an all out Holy War Part Two, you wouldn't have batted an eyelash. There were only those words. Those impossible words falling from the lips you knew so well.

Meliodas was still talking, unaware of the world falling apart. 'How could you? I was the one who wanted to present Elizabeth to our parents because I was fed up of hiding in the Fairy King's Forest. I was the one who stopped you from saving her so many times. Why would you love me when I've killed your daughter time and time again? Why would you love me when my power hurts you? All I do is hurt you, [Y/n].'

Your cheeks were warm, wet with tears that didn't stop. Breaking. Breaking. Everything falling apart like you would never have guessed.

'How—?' Your voice broke too. You tried again. 'How long have you thought that?'

Meliodas shrugged. 'What does it matter?'

'It matters,' you said, your voice shaking. 'It matters. Never once, not once in over three thousand years, have I doubted that you loved me. But you doubted mine. Did I ... Did I not say it enough? Did I not hold you tightly enough?' Your breath was mostly hiccups now. You tried to wipe your tears but more kept coming. 'And I kept going like everything was fine ... How long were you hurting?'

There were warm hands on your arms. You looked up, daring to hope. But Meliodas was still empty, no warmth in his eyes. A fresh wave of tears poured down your cheeks.

'I thought you'd be angry,' he said.

It was like everything froze. Not in the way that meant your memories were going. But like everything had started making sense again. Staying here and crying wasn't helping anyone. It wasn't just Elizabeth you had to save now.

'Oh, don't get me wrong,' you said, straightening up. 'I'm furious.'

Meliodas blinked at you and took a step back, hands falling back to his sides. Then he looked towards the door. You could feel it too, now the world was back together. Elizabeth's unique power crept under the door. Good. You needed her close if this was going to work.

'One last thing.'

Meliodas frowned. 'What do you mean?'

You ignored him. 'Do you still love me?'

'Of course,' he said straight away. But there was no feeling behind the words. You stepped up close and put one hand on his cheek, searching his eyes. 'I have to. I know I do. But right now all I feel is the need to finish what I've started.'

It was like your heart knew what you were planning. It fought desperately against your brain, wrestling with the plan that was unfolding behind your eyes. It wanted to stay right here. What did it matter if this Meliodas could feel nothing? What did it matter if the world ended? All that would be fine as long as you were together.

But you took a deep breath and managed a tiny smile. 'Okay.'

'What are you planning?'

Your hand moved from his cheek to his left hand. 'There is nowhere you can go that I won't be with you.' You didn't know if you were talking to him or to yourself. Your hand hovered over one of his hearts. It was beating as strong as ever. 'Nowhere.'

'What—?'

A flash of light interrupted him. It covered the room, covering everything. Acting fast, without looking back, you hurried to the door and yanked in open. Elizabeth almost fell on top of you.

'Elizabeth, listen,' you spoke before she could. 'You have to decide. Right now. I'm sorry. But we don't have the time. That won't keep him down long. If you stay, you will be safe. Your father will protect you. Or you can come with me.'

Elizabeth's eyes darted from Meliodas behind you and back to yours. 'Where are you going?'

'Back to the Sins. I'm going to stop Meliodas.'

'And save him too?'

Your smile was stronger this time. 'Of course.'

Elizabeth grabbed your hand and smiled back. 'Then let's go.'

Together you crossed the room to the window. The glass burst at your touch and you jumped, landing at a run in the streets below. Elizabeth was right beside you, her hand still in yours. You didn't look back. You kept running. Even as your heart was tearing, half of it left behind.

~~~~~

chapter 69? nice 😏

okay, now that's over

i have to apologise. because even though i'm 24 (nearly 25) i still apparently can't count. 

with that said

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, COME WITH ME!!! 🥳🥳🥳

almost 300,000 words and 69 chapters 😱🤯🤯 still having trouble wrapping my head around it, tbh. as we've established, numbers are not my strength 😅

if you've been here from the very start, thank you so much! if you just started reading yesterday, thank you so much! and everyone else in between, thank you so much! thank you for giving this story a chance and sticking with it through my abysmal upload timing and commenting and voting and just showing up to read 😍 i know i say this a lot, but i really do appreciate everything you do. even if i don't reply to every comment (usually because i can't think of what to say), i do read each and every one.

and even though one day this story will end just like the anime did a few days ago (still not over that btw), i'm going to treasure these days forever and ever. 

i think this is the longest ever note i've written so i'll stop now.

remember you're wonderful, stay safe and i'll see you again (hopefully) next week 💕💕💕