❝ 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭. ❞

*𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯*

Confusion and apprehension occupied their thoughts as Zeldris' senses heightened to the maximum, undecided what the unfamiliar stranger actually was; a foe or an ally? Not admiring the fact that he couldn't see his face, Zeldris drew out his sword only for the sudden and stern glare of (Y/N) to stop him.

"Dare I havta repea' meself?" Anew did they hear the voice of the stranger, and this time (Y/N) took action. "I am (Y/N) (L/N), Queen of the Demon Clan and the commander of the Samad army, at your presence." Getting up from her sitting position on the floor, (Y/N) did a modest curtsey up at the lit-up window, shadows still shrouding the unknown men's faces.

Hearing a heavy grunt in return, the noise of a door opening could be understood again as the unseeable men stepped away and seemed to bow in respect, granting for the mysterious newcomer to walk in front of them all.

While Zeldris and Hawks gawked up at the window in mistrust and suspicion, (Y/N) was smiling up at the window with her hands tucked inside her pockets. Observing as the figure finally halted and peered down at only (Y/N), (Y/N) waved her hand in welcome.

"Kaveh! It has been a while since I've last been basked in your presence. I can see that my elixir served you of good use, huh?" Chuckling (Y/N) saw as the figure in the front showed to shake his head in exhaustion, soon turning his body around and motioning for them to do something. Watching as some of the other figures bowed down and briskly walked away, (Y/N) glanced over at the other rigid two and nodded.

"(Y/N)... it has been quite some time. Last time I ever heard your name, I was informed that you have been slain by your own-"

"Friend! (Y/N) was murdered by Meliodas, her ex-friend, my honest fellow!" Zeldris hastily cut in, anxiously smiling up at the male as an irk mark popped up on the side of his head. Silence followed soon after before the sound of amusing laughter cut in. "Yes, yes, of course. Your ex-friend—Meliodas—last forsook you for a goddess and killed you out of spite."

Grimacing at the portion of already sung news (Y/N) looked away as she heard a door opening, and soon a pool of bright, pure white light flooded from the other side of the cube and into the empty steel room forcing the others to cover their eyes in fear of being disoriented from the brightness.

"Come through the door, (Y/N). Oh, and your friends, too. Not like you to bring friends over." Murmuring the last part to himself, the figure shuffled away as the rest shortly followed with another sound of an automatic door sliding open before closing, the window receding from their view.

"I thought you mentioned we were going to go through some kind of critical, complicated trial?" Zeldris queried as he walked right next to her as the both of them observed the opening. (Y/N) shrugged, "Kaveh does things differently. Besides..." Trudging forward (Y/N) entered through the door as the others followed soon after.

"... postponement here could show a hassle deserving of being titled a test."

˜"*°•.˜"*°• ---- •°*"˜.•°*"˜

What was beyond the opening, none of them could foretell, but whatever it was, all three of them knew it could either be something heading to the legitimate test or is the genuine test. Observing the plain gray hallways (Y/N) walked through one of them that lead to the left and advanced going confidently, seemingly sure where she was going.

"Now, Kaveh hasn't seen me since I was last declared killed 3,000 years ago. So everyone—including him—thought that I have been finally vanquished from this world and into the hell that I dug for myself. A hell worse than my home, hell, if you will." Describing her own downfall (Y/N) continued walking smoothly as the other two remained staying on guard, not willing to trust any of them for a second after the various antics they hauled on them.

"Bizarre how I perished once and was resurrected. You die and expect it to stay that way forever, but evidently, a Demon King's bastard of a son decided to fuck everything up, so he resurrected the sole person who he deemed qualified to fight back against our race's extinction. Dying twice," Suspending her movements, the others stopped instantaneously after as they stared confusedly at the sly smirk that was playing on her lips.

"what a hell of a peculiar thing to gloat about in blood parties."

Footsteps clicked on the marble white floors as the vibration became louder the longer time passed standing still, the rhythmic clicking of multiple shoes hyping up (Y/N) excitement and boosting up the inclination to fight for the other two. Cracking her neck and knuckles (Y/N) crammed her hands deep inside her pockets, eyes watching in anticipation as the small tuff of white hair popped up behind a wall corner.

Finally (Y/N) could see the face of her old friend, and to say that she was astounded at how much he had changed was an understatement. Kaveh's hair had altered to pure, snowy white—though she wasn't shocked there—but what she was most surprised by was how much he had reduced in height, now being near her waist. The old friend's eyes were also different from what (Y/N) recalled him having deep forest green eyes, now he had black eyes. White and black seemed to be his whole aesthetic as he displayed nothing more divergent from these two colors.

Apart from his wrinkly face and weak posture, (Y/N) could still see the flame in his eyes; even when he was already older than Ban.

Beaming affectionately at the old friend (Y/N) dashed towards him and hurriedly buried him in a hug, hoisting him up as she whirled him around in her hug. "Oh, Kaveh! I've missed you so! Years changed your appearance, old friend—but not your flame!" Letting the man go, (Y/N) snickered as she saw how frazzled and raddled he looked, furious by how harsh she held him.

"Years have passed, yes—but not your disrespect! The woman who tutored me etiquette and such other proper matters has also overlooked them herself!" Frowning up at the much towering frame of (Y/N), said girl chuckled. "Yet you still act as if you were my mother!" Disheveling his lengthy white hair (Y/N) glanced behind him as she saw much taller, but rougher-looking men and women beaming at her with fascination.

"Are these your disciple's great-great-great-great... well, you get the idea. Or have you salvaged more of the elixir to give to the others?" Staring down at the old man, Kaveh shook his head. "My hundred disciples ultimately fell in love with one another in our years of seclusion and tranquility and had children. I and they instructed their kids how to make weapons and other things, and so on and so forth. You get the idea! Now, what are you doing here!" Glaring up at the serene (Y/N), (Y/N) caressed her arm and smirked.

"Oh, you know... just came here to visit a friend and possibly seize you of all your weapons." (Y/N) responded, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she gave him a closed-eye smile. Kaveh smiled, "Is that so?" Nodding her head in reaction, (Y/N) made a small "Yep" sound.

Minutes passed by of them just smiling at each other, closed-eyed, none of them moving a muscle as a flowery aura enveloped the both of them.

"Are you an idiot!" Dashing after her with his cane (Y/N) sought to hide behind Hawks only for him to run away. "You assume that just because you have somehow come back from the dead that you can just come here and await a reward?! Who do you take me for, a pushover?!" Squeaking in fear (Y/N) ran behind Zeldris who tried to defend (Y/N) only for one blow with his cane on his crotch to make him sink down on the ground in agony; incapable of moving because of the injury, since it was made of their special steel.

"I thought you still had a heart! Look what you did! What if he wanted to become a father-Ack!" Missing a hit from her old friend (Y/N) returned to racing up and down the halls as Kaveh continued to hunt her with his cane, irritation flaring up in his eyes. "If I weren't so in your debt, I would have shot you with Pearla the moment you said such a thing!"

"Yeah?! So why are you striking me with a cane?!"

"Because it isn't Pearla!"

Ducking behind one of his disciples whatever down the blood-line grandchildren, (Y/N) instantly fled as he ran his way towards her. "Face me like a man, you coward!"

"How can the Supreme Deity herself face you when you're in such a mood?!" Thinking about what he just said, (Y/N) sighed in defeat and promptly stopped running away from him as she now stood strong, looking down at the approaching old angry man with a mighty cane in his influence.

Just as he was about to hit her, Kaveh paused suddenly and let down his cane, leaning on it as he stared up at (Y/N) in exasperation. "Well, you didn't take as long as I thought you would, but you did well. You pass." Turning away from (Y/N), Kaveh walked through the light crowd of humans as he lead them somewhere.

Grinning in excitement, (Y/N) peered over at the in-pain Zeldris and the mortified Hawks and groaned. Running over to the two, (Y/N) pulled them both up and scampered her way towards Kaveh as she followed behind him with herself smack-dab in the middle of the small group. Trying to overlook the persistent examining of all the other humans, (Y/N) groaned.

"Before you start declaring that you'll plunder me of mine and my disciples' line of work over the last 3,000 years; first you must tell me of what could be so conceivably crucial that you would demand them, and how you even came back from hell in the first place." Kaveh required as (Y/N) nodded in compliance.

"It'll be a long story so I recommend talking about this tale somewhere adequate to sit upon." (Y/N) advised, and at this Zeldris gradually nodded even though he was still trying to hold back tears of pain. Kaveh grunted, "As you wish, Queen of Fools." Deadpanning at the ancient nickname, (Y/N) stared down at him blankly. "I can't believe you still recall our nicknames, Forger of Deficiencies." Saying his nickname mockingly, Kaveh smirked.

"And I can't believe you remember it, either. Now," Watching as a pale brown door slide open, Kaveh gestured for them to enter. "you and I can chat all about your messed-up life in here along with your peculiar associates. The others, shoo!" Walking inside, Kaveh didn't spare another glance to his disciples, on which (Y/N) didn't do either, and resolved to just walk in, ignoring the curious eyes of the others.

Walking inside (Y/N) watched as Kaveh sat upon a leather seat and sipped a cup of hot milk. "Come sit down—leave the others anywhere. On the ceiling, if you find it fitting. Just sit down and talk. I have a lot more days to spare." Sitting down according to his request (Y/N) glowered.

"I'm afraid we don't have many days to spare, Kaveh. A bloody plague has expanded throughout lands, and I need your aid to obliterate it."

"And what is this... plague you speak of?"

"The 7 armies."

(ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴅᴀʏ/ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴍʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇꜱ!)