"W-Wait Father, it isn't what it looks like!" Estarossa shouted.
"Silence!" The Demon King roared, as his voice shook the cave Estarossa had been in even from the portal he was speaking through in order to speak with Estarossa.
"You are so foolish! Just like you're brothers! I would've never imagined you going after that cursed goddess." The Demon King spoke.
"I promise you! I'm not after her. I-I was just trying to..." Estarossa didn't finish his sentence.
"You were my last hope. But in the end, all three of you have failed me. Perhaps I could try going after Zeldris once more since that woman of his hasn't been seen in years." The Demon King added.
"Father don't! Zeldris has betrayed us and stayed with that traitor Meliodas!" Estarossa pleaded.
"Lies! Don't think you can deceive me. I know Zeldris hadn't chosen to stay with his elder brother. Plus, Meliodas is dead!" Estarossa froze.
"S-So...I killed him?" Estarossa stuttered.
"No. Not really. He died in his sleep not long after you attacked him and his allies. I swapped his curse with that goddess, and now, he's currently living his life as a human." He explained.
"But how did you know I-" Estarossa whispered.
"Because I watched the whole thing! I watched that archangel stab the goddess Elizabeth, and I watched as you were choking the life out of your elder brother because she had been killed!" The Demon King shouted.
"Enough of this. I shall dispose of you Immediately." And without another second, a dark hand reached out, grabbing onto Estarossa, as it began to squeeze him tightly up to the point he couldn't breathe.
"I-I can't..." Estarossa gasped for fair. But his thoughts, actions, and words had been cut short when he felt himself being stabbed several times. Moments later, the large hand released its grip on the demon, letting it fall to the ground. Slowly, Estarossa bled out until it would've been known he was dead due to the amount of blood he lost. And all seven of his hearts being destroyed...
The portal stayed open for a little longer as the Demon King looked into Estarossa's lifeless eyes. He truly believed he would've become the new demon king. Or just so the demon king would have a vessel to enter this world.
Slowly, the portal closed. And once it had finally sealed away, there was nothing but silence in the dark cave...
...
"Enough fighting! All we need to worry about now is how we going to break the curse." Elizabeth spoke. She watched as the other sins had been arguing with Jenna for what felt like ages, deciding on who should be the ones to take Meliodas with them.
"I think we should just let Meliodas decide." King huffed.
"And how will he do that? You're going to let a child decide what's best for him in this sort of situation?" Jenna argued back.
"A child? What the hell are you talking about! He's still the same age!" King shouted.
"No, he's not! He's a human now! 16 years old! He's not a demon anymore who's like over 3,000 years old!" Jenna corrected. She looked so angry. But at the same time, she looked like she was going to cry.
"Jenna...is there something your not telling us?" Merlin said softly. Jenna gasped.
"W-What? I don't know what you're talking about..." Jenna uttered.
"Listen! If it's something important you have to let us know. Maybe it'll help us be able to break this curse." Ban said.
"I doubt that." A soft voice spoke.
"Zaneri? I thought you were helping Meliodas." Jenna gasped.
"I was. But after we spoke for a while, he grew tired and fell asleep in my lap." Zaneri blushed.
"Anyways. Jenna doesn't have to tell you a single thing. Whatever we tell you, won't help you remove this curse." Zaneri explained.
"But you should tell us regardless." Zeldris shifted in the spot after he noticed everyone's attention on him. Zaneri sighed.
"Very well."
"..."
"He's sick," Jenna said plainly.
"W-what? Like a cold or something?" Hawk spoke.
"No. An illness." Zaneri whispered.
"Another big reason why he can never complete his magic properly," Zaneri explained.
"Ever since we took him in as a newborn, we noticed he had been getting weaker. He would always tumble around the place."
"He had trouble picking up the lightest things. Or even most things other toddlers would be able to pick up on their own." Jenna added.
"Later on we found out he has weak bones. Every year he seems to be getting weaker. If we let him out, he could probably die from the smallest things." Jenna continued.
"He has a bit of the low stamina, so he's unable to use his magic correctly. By the time he wakes up from his nap, he probably won't be able to walk around as much." Zaneri sighed.
"..."
"I see. Have you tried treating him?" Merlin asked. Jenna and Zaneri nodded.
"We've tried everything. All we can do is give him medicine which makes him a bit stronger." Zaneri added.
"I suppose that's a reasonable reason to leave him here," Gowther said lifting his glasses. The others nodded.
"I guess..." King mumbled.
"Well, with all the time we have left I can try to do more research on how to break the curse," Merlin spoke.
"A-As for the rest of us! Can we stay here?" Elizabeth asked. Jenna sighed.
"Did you not hear us the first time?!" Jenna shouted. Elizabeth flinched.
"Jenna..." Zaneri spoke.
"I suppose now that you're here, Meliodas will want to keep leaving. And if Merlin is going to try to break the curse I guess she'll have to come to visit him here and there." Zaneri explained.
"We can't let him leave, so you can stay here. But! You need to distance yourself from time to time." Zaneri ordered.
"If you stay with him at all times, he'll get his memories back. So you can come by to visit. Not every day, and not for too long. Understand?" Zaneri said. Elizabeth nodded.
"Yes! And we have to keep running the boar hat." Diane reminded.
"Maybe we can work out a schedule on who can come over at the time. After we close the tavern, we can send like 3 people over at the time." Diane said.
"I-I'm not sure if we should send certain others over one at a time. We could all visit. Perhaps while Elizabeth is to Meliodas, the rest of us could be somewhere else." King explained.
"Uh- isn't that like, the same thing?" Ban said.
"No! It's not!" King defended himself. Zaneri coughed slightly.
"Anyways. It's settled. Now go home." Jenna laughed.