Phoenix

Emi Reveals Her Past

"So what did you need to talk to me about that it had to be in private?"

"I wanted to tell you about what is going to happen to me."

Sting nodded, still confused.

"I have been trained to kill. My teacher taught me the ways of being a slayer."

"Kill? Like a dragon slayer?"

"I am different from a dragon slayer. I am what they call a demon slayer."

"Demon...slayer? What is--"

"Just as the name states, I am trained in magic that kills demons. I have been on a mission to annihilate the demons present in the Book of Zeref."

"Zeref? You mean the black wizard, Zeref?"

Emi nodded stiffly before continuing, "My teacher, Cain, died trying to protect me from the Sins. He--"

"Who are the Sins?"

"The seven highest ranking demons in the Book of Zeref: Envy, Lust, Pride, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth and Wrath. Individually they are as strong as a Wizard Saint, maybe stronger. When all seven are together, they are impossible to beat. Not even my teacher could take them on, and he himself was a demon from the Book of Zeref."

"You were trained by a demon? Is that what you meant a long time ago when you said that you lost your humanity?"

"Yes. He was Cain Sato, the Blue Demon from the Book of Zeref. His rank was just below the Sins. Since then, four of the Sins have been defeated, as well as the Four Beast Elements, Assassin and Delorca. I've heard that Deliora has also been dealt with, though I had no hand in that."

"Were they all killed by...you?"

"That's right. Of the demons left, there is Gluttony, Sloth and Wrath. Acnologia is also still free, but I have no idea where the Black Dragon could be."

"So when you said you were hiding, you meant--"

"The Sins are after me. They've sent multiple spies to find my location. I have had to...deal with them as they came up."

Sting hesitantly inquired, "That guy from the ball?"

"I dropped the carriage off a cliff."

"That rogue wizard that disappeared after you told Kira to leave and get an inn?"

"I used a high level spell to completely disintegrate his body."

"Were there, um, any more?"

"There was an incident in the streets of Crocus where a couple of guys informed me that they would be reporting my location to Gluttony. I used an acid-based spell to dissolve their bodies."

"Emi, I--"

"I understand if you are disgusted. I understand if you will hate me and I understand if you have come to fear me. This is not something that I am proud of, but it's something that must be done. You can look at me with as much disgust and hatred as you--"

"Hey, hey. Shh," Sting soothed. "I don't hate you and I never could. Come here."

Sting pulled Emi into a hug and held her as she shook. He could feel his shirt starting to get wet from her tears as she sobbed.

"I just...don't want to run...anymore," Emi choked. "I'm so sick of...always running away. I finally made...some friends and I don't want to leave again! I only kill when I have to...but it keeps happening. I just--"

Sting rocked them as she continued to whimper.

"I don't deserve to have friends and I certainly don't deserve to have someone that holds romantic feelings for me. I should be alone. I should die alone. I should be killing the demons behind the scenes and then die in a way that nobody would miss me."

"But that's not a way to live at all."

"I am to be a shadow that lives in the places others are afraid of. I am, afterall, a demon wearing human skin."

"You're human, Emi. You always have been and you always will be. I'll be here to remind you of that. And believe me, I won't let you forget."

"Do you...mean that? You'll...do that?"

Sting held her tighter and placed his head on top of hers.

"I promise."

The two stayed like that for a few minutes in complete silence before Emi started giggling. Sting looked down in concern and shock before she turned her head upwards and smiled sheepishly.

"So...does this mean you'll get me another ice cream?"

Sting howled before holding her at a distance from her shoulders.

"I think I can do that."

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A/N: Hey y'all. So just a quick note. In this particular story, Tartaros isn't a thing and the demons mentioned here are the only ones present in this storyline. Sorry if it was a little unclear. Thanks for reading!