We stand together, ready to face Hendrickson. I didn't know what happened to make him so... buff? Was that the right word? Anyway, I leap forwards first and, just as I'm about to thrust the sword through his chest, King grabs my leg and throws me behind him.

"Stay back, (Y/N)!" he says, not taking his eyes off Hendrickson, "You're injured!"

I remember, back in the city of the dead, when he said the exact same thing to me. This time, though, I wasn't going to listen. I was done with being protected. I dart forwards again, my sword held ready, and King cries out in dismay. Hendrickson steps to the side, easily dodging my attack, and chops me in the back of my head. It would've been so easy to just lay there and stay down, but it almost felt like something had possessed my body. Suddenly, I collapse, paralysed.

"It seems I hit a nerve. You'll be stuck for a while." Hendrickson snickers. I grit my teeth, trying to force myself up, but not being able to move anything. Since author chan is lazy and you all know what happens anyway, I fall unconscious.

~

"Come on, please, wake up..." a soft voice says above me. I open my eyes and immediately regret the decision when light seems to cut through them. I hear many people sigh in relief after I cover them, shielding them from the sun. It seemed I was laying in Elizabeth's lap, and she was... glowing? There was a charred, deformed body nearby, resembling that of a human with horns and wings.

"What happened?" I ask, sitting up. I realise then that I wasn't injured in the slightest.

"Elizabeth is a goddess." Ban says simply, like he was stating the weather. Suddenly, King enters my mind, and I look around for him wildly.

"If you're looking for King, he said he had to go do something." Elizabeth says. I thank her and fly up into the air, then towards the crumbling castle. Helbram's sword fit perfectly against my back. After a few minutes of flying around, I notice King lowering a body into a grave. A body with wings and green hair. I stop in mid-air, hardly able to breathe.

'Come on... I just remembered him... this isn't fair.' I say in my head. King fills in the grave and stands up, wipes his eyes, then flies away without noticing me. I descend to the ground and fall to my knees in front of the freshly turned dirt, too shocked to do anything.

"(Y/N)!" a voice calls, making me turn and look at the running child. She throws herself at me, hugging me tightly.

"You really did come back!" she sobs, burying her face in my shoulder. When I don't hug her back, or respond in any way, she pulls back and frowns.

"What's wrong...?"

"It- Helbram- He-" I start, but my words get stuck in my throat. Suddenly, the dam breaks. Tears pour out of my eyes like waterfalls. I scream until my throat is raw and I cry until I have no tears left. Why did it have to be this way? Why did I bring sadness and death wherever I went, and why did it have to be Helbram?

Lily hugs me again, tears shining in her own eyes, and I clutch her like a lifeline.

~

Eventually, we just sat there in silence, staring at his grave and willing him to rise out of the ground. If Meliodas hadn't found us, we probably would've stayed there. Now, though, I was lying in my bed staring at the ceiling with a blank, dead look on my face while Lily explained what happened. I didn't want to make her do the explaining, but I couldn't seem to find my voice. King knocks on the door. I knew it was him because he wouldn't stop coming in to check on me, and I was now extremely familiar with the way he knocks. The door opens and I turn my face away from it, rolling onto my side and curling into a ball.

"How are you, (Y/N)?" he asks softly, standing awkwardly in the door. I don't answer. He moves closer and sits on the edge of my bed, then reaches over to ruffle my hair. I swat his hand away, not wanting to even be near him right now. The numb feeling inside me is slowly being replaced by a boiling anger, and I don't want to be around him when it finally gets free.

"Hey, it'll be alright-"

"Stop."

The first word I spoke since I saw Helbram's body. And I was telling King to stop. That word was filled with malice, and if he didn't get that I was close to breaking down entirely, he was a moron.

Apparently he was a moron.

"I'm just trying to help-"

"And you think being around me is helping? You killed him." I hiss, gritting my teeth together. My body had become tense.

"(Y/N), please-"

"JUST LEAVE ALREADY!!" I shout, jumping to my feet on the bed and standing over him. He looks up at me in shock and hurt, then quickly gets up and leaves. A few moments later, I hear running feet and my door is slammed open again.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Meliodas asks in a rush. I glare at him, registering Ban and Gowther behind him.

"Fucking leave me alone." I say lying down on my bed again. Again, they don't leave. Gritting my teeth, I throw my legs over the edge of the bed and violently open my window, diving out into the cold night air. I hadn't changed since I got to the bar, I even kept my boots on, so I was warm enough. I keep flying until I can't see the light of the bar any more, nor the dark shadow of the crumbling city. I keep flying until I break down in tears again, the tiny water droplets falling through the air and hitting the ground far below. Eventually, I come to a stop, next to a huge ravine, slumping against a tree and crying my heart out until there was nothing left.

"Come on, this is unfair!" I yell, "Why did he have to die as soon as I remembered him?!"

"I'm still here, you idiot."

I open my eyes, whipping my head around and jumping to my feet, searching for the soure of his voice.

"Damn it, now I'm hearing things..." I say, a pained smile on my face. I cover one eye with my palm, raking my fingers through my hair, tears still falling.

"Touch the sword, dingus."

My eyes widen and I look around again, still unable to find the source, but do as he says. I reach up behind me and grasp the hilt, drawing it out of its scabbard, and looking around again.

"When you're holding that sword, you can see me. I can also toggle if you can touch me or not." Helbram says, his voice coming from behind me. I whirl around on my heel and throw my arms around him, relief flooding me like a drug. (I know it's not canon with the touchy feely but let my girl have her hugs.)

"I- I- How?" I ask, careful to hold the sword away from his shimmering body.

"Shh... Don't speak." he says, pressing a finger against my lips. I fall into him again, hardly able to support my own weight. He laughs, making me think of chiming bells.

"Listen, I..." he says, suddenly embarrassed, "I'm sorry about what I did. Earlier. When we had a chat."

I remember the kiss and my face heats up, but I don't let him go, instead just turning my face away.

"I knew as soon as we did that you love King more than me, you just didn't know it yet. And don't blame him for killing me. I would've done the same to him if he hesitated. I wasn't... in control of my own body." he continues. I smirk and reach up, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Shh... Don't speak," I mimic, "It's alright now. I'm alright now."

He laughs again, but in his mind he was wondering if I would ever let him go.

~

As I fly back to the bar, Helbram's sword safe in its scabbard, I can't seem to get the smile off my face. I had two more challenges ahead of me now, and both would be difficult as hell, but I've got this. I had new determination and resolve. I open the door slowly, not entirely sure what reaction I would get from the others, but I remember what Helbram told me and manage to keep the smile on my face.

No matter who becomes your enemy, or what challenges you face, I'll always be your friend. I'll always be your support. And I'll always be by your side.

Meliodas looks up sharply and is hugging me in less than half a second.

"Don't scare us like that! We thought you weren't coming back!" he shouts, burying his face in my stomach. I laugh, then pick him up and hug him tightly. He's surprised at first but quickly hugs me back. Elizabeth appears in the doorway and, as her eyes fall on us, she seems to get a bit jealous. She covers it quickly though, but I don't know if her relief is genuine or fake. Ban appears next, hugging me with so much force I thought I would explode. Gowther comes in next and hugs me too, though he seems to be doing it because he thought it was the right thing to do. I appreciate the effort though.

"Where's King and Diane?" I ask, looking around. I didn't notice Diane outside when I came back, and I didn't see King anywhere either.

"They went looking for you. Don't worry, I'll stay up until they come back. Go get some rest." Meliodas says, winking at me. I nod, smiling, and walk up to my room. I close the window I jumped out of and fall into my bed, then remember to kick off my boots and unstrap the scabbard. I fall asleep shortly after.