━━🌹 ━━
━━🌹 ━━
(𝗬/𝗻)'𝘀 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗳𝗶𝘁
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗔𝗔𝟮𝟵.
━━🌹 ━━
"ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴛʜᴏᴜꜱᴀɴᴅ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ."
ᴄʜʀɪꜱᴛɪɴᴀ ᴘᴇʀʀɪ
━━🌹 ━━
Stars are one of the many things that exist in this incredible realm and not back in my dreadful homeland. I have come to love them, so every night I sit on the roof of my hut to silently admire them in the black skies, allowing myself to recall all the choices I have made in the past; there are many things I regret, but they are outweighed by all of the right choices I have made.
The best decision I made was staying by my best friend's side during the darkest parts of both our lives, but the worst was leaving him behind when I thought he was better off without me.
It's now been sixteen years since I last saw the eldest son of the Demon King. These past sixteen years have been peaceful for me but also so very painful. Being away from my best friend, not having him by my side, has left a gaping hole within me that just refuses to mend and heal.
But I've heard news of him recently and it seems he's finally come out of the shadows to once again show his true colours to all the races of Britannia. Whispers of his abnormal strength and young appearance have reached me which is why I'm certain it's him. The former leader of the Ten Commandments was never one to hide away so easily.
Perhaps it is also time for me to leave the safety of my hut and return to the lands I first stepped into more than 3,000 years ago. Just like my best friend, I find it quite difficult to conceal myself.
Humming quietly to myself, I quickly gather all of the books I brought up with me and head back inside to the warmth of my humble home.
As soon as I take the first step down the long flight of wooden stairs, I notice there's something very odd lingering in the still air. What exactly the problem is I cannot tell.
Wrinkling my nose at this, I just shrug away the eerie feeling and continue on. Once I reach the bottom of the staircase, I walk over to my wooden dining table which is a huge mess with all of my other novels and piles of research.
Ever since I came to this wonderful realm, I've recorded every bit of knowledge and information I could possibly find; the histories of each race; the different magical abilities one could inherit; the countless treasures hidden across the realm. Of course, there's much more to discover; this world has so many secrets and mysteries and I wish to uncover every single one of them.
With the time my best friend and I had in our hands when we first came here to Britannia, I thought it was a great way to pass the time. And to also spend time with him.
"Hey (Y/n)!" a cheerful voice calls out to me suddenly and this causes me to drop all of my books on the floor. "Long time no see, huh?"
That lively voice—
"Meliodas?" I squeak in shock and quickly spin around. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Teeth flashing, emerald green eyes glowing, all I can seem to do is just stare dumbly at the face of my best friend. He leans against the table, grinning, and the group with him stays a couple of paces behind near the entrance of my hut, silently watching, clearly unsure what to do or say.
"Well, I kinda need your help," my oldest friend replies.
Trying to calm my overjoyed hearts, I sigh heavily and place a hand on my hip. "What did you do now?"
Everything within me is crying out for him, to hold him, to smile with him. I can feel my whole body slowly healing just at the sight of him. But right now, I am doing everything in my power not to embarrass myself by running over and hugging him like a needy child.
Meliodas blinks slowly at my question and then simply states, "I lost the fragment of the Coffin of Eternal Darkness."
"You did what?" I shout with all my admiration and respect immediately disappearing as my outraged voice rumbles across the hut, shaking everything within it, including Meliodas and all of his companions. "How the hell did you manage that?"
Meliodas scratches his head with a single finger, answering, "Well, I was injured at the time and I sort of lost control over my powers so I wasn't really concentrating."
"You fool," I hiss as I gather everything I had dropped on the floor and place it on the wooden table beside me with a loud slam. "You were meant to guard it with your life! You said you could do it, that was why I gave it to you for safekeeping!"
"Captain," one of his comrades', Fairy judging by the power emitting off him, says, "you still haven't actually told us what exactly we're doing here."
Meliodas jerks a thumb in my direction. "This is what we're here for."
Unbelievable, this little—
"Dragging me into your mess again?" I say tightly as I slowly walk over to him.
My best friend giggles at this as he rubs the back of his bare neck.
Is that nervousness I hear in that usual bold voice?
"I suppose you could say that," he says as he brings his hand back down. "So, wanna join me on one of my crazy adventures again, (Y/n)?"
Narrowing my eyebrows, I realise that Meliodas is refusing to make any eye contact with me.
Why is he doing this? Is it because of what I—
Oh, I see. How very intriguing. So he has not yet told his friends who he truly is. No matter how hard he will try to hide it, the painful truth will eventually come out. It always does.
I smile brutally and then cross my arms over my chest. "Gladly, old friend."
"Captain, d'you think we can crash at your friend's place tonight?" the extremely tall one with very odd clothing asks.
The Fairy whacks him hard across the head. "That's what you're worried about right now?"
"Sir Meliodas?" the young girl with silver hair asks hesitantly. "What exactly is your friend—"
"Something you've never seen before," I purr the answer before she can complete the rest of her question. "At the moment, my race does not matter and should not concern you, young one."
Willing my physical disguise to melt away by using my magical powers, the eldest son of the Demon King introduces me to his companions, "Team, we're here because (Y/n) helped to create that seal with the other races and close the gateway to the Demon realm over 3,000 years ago."
━━🌹 ━━
"This tastes wonderful!" Princess Elizabeth exclaims as she takes another greedy sip from her cup of hot chocolate I just made, her gorgeous sky blue eyes twinkling with pure delight.
I grin fondly and then playfully ruffle her hair. "I can get you as many as you want, Princess."
I turn and frown at Meliodas who has already finished his fifth cup while the others are still on their first. Honestly, the sugarholic.
The Seven Deadly Sins. Or at least six of them are currently here in my home and sitting at my dining table.
When I had heard of the formation of this remarkable band of warriors over ten years ago, I knew my best friend was responsible for this, especially once I caught wind of how strong their leader was. No doubt about it, considering Meliodas loves leading people to new places for brand new adventures, to see their awe-filled faces. This is a part of him one can never take away or change.
"Now, how are you doing, Master of Scraps and Disposal?" I ask as I bend down beside the table and pat the adorable pig's head. "How's the food?"
"Great!" he answers me as he continues to greedily munch on the food I served him earlier.
My grin turns into a pleased smile when I hear this so I continue to pat him on the head.
Swallowing his mouthful and turning to me, Hawk opens his mouth again to say something else and then freezes for a second before murmuring, "That's really weird."
"What's weird?" the Fox Sin of Greed asks as he leans across the wooden table which I had to tidy up in order for the whole group to sit down and have their refreshments.
Hawk peers closer at my face before asking, "If you're special like Meliodas says, shouldn't your power level be way higher than 2,000?"
"It is, but she is simply shielding it away from us," the Sin of Gluttony hums as her bright yellow eyes travel all over my body, clearly examining me.
I grin sharply at this observation and stand back up, saying, "Correct."
"Why would you do that, Miss (Y/n)?" the young Princess asks me curiously as the steam of her hot chocolate blends with her light grey hair.
"So anyone who encounters me will underestimate me and merely dismiss me," I respond, spreading my hands as I explain this. "But also, the looks on their faces are hilarious when they try to fight me and realise what kind of strength they are dealing with."
Meliodas sniggers, saying, "Of course you would do that, (Y/n)."
"If you had the chance, you would do it as well," I counter to which he shrugs and smiles.
"Well you don't have to hide from me," Hawk proclaims and then bounds over to me. "I am the greatest warrior Britannia has ever seen; I fear nothing!"
Tilting my head to the side, I let out a soft chuckle and pat his head again, saying warmly, "I am very sure of that. However, I will only reveal my magical powers when absolutely necessary."
"So have you been staying here your whole life, Miss (Y/n)?" the Serpent Sin of Envy asks as her pale hands play around with the handle of her warm cup.
"No, I haven't," I answer her. "I've only been staying here the past sixteen years. Before that, I was travelling with Meliodas."
"What made you leave the Captain's company, Ms (Y/n)?" the Sin of Lust questions curiously.
I hesitate and sway on my feet, giggling awkwardly, "Being together for that long must have driven Meliodas mad. I mean, you gotta have a break, right?"
The sound of Meliodas placing his cup on the table rings in the air before he asks quietly, "Did you leave because you thought you were a nuisance, (Y/n)?"
I blink slowly. "No," I lie.
"I've known you ever since we were children, I know when you're lying," he states, frowning. "I can't believe you disappeared because you thought that, (Y/n)."
"You had Liz," I say tightly through my teeth as I avoid the uncomfortable stares of my other guests. "And I merely thought it was time for me to find some new...company."
"And how did that go?"
I growl at him. "I may keep myself isolated here, but I know those who live in the villages nearby and they have become my friends. Do not assume I am some deranged individual who finds comfort in solitude."
Silence falls which causes the tension in the room to grow.
"Ms (Y/n)?" the Princess of Liones calls out to me which is a clear attempt to clear the discomfort. Bless her.
"Princess," I say quietly as the brutal anger leaves both my mind and body, "you don't have to call me Miss; there's no need to be so formal with me in my home."
"Please don't call me Princess then," she says and smiles brightly at me. "Will you please help us find the seal we carelessly lost?"
I sigh deeply and cross my arms, saying, "Do not take the blame, Prin—Elizabeth. Meliodas should have been more responsible. Though I suppose that's too much to ask." Said Demon whines at this. "Now that you've lost it, I'm not entirely sure how I can help you."
"Well," Meliodas says as he places a single finger on his pale chin, looking thoughtful. "D'you think you could track it down with your magic, (Y/n)?"
Just as I'm about to answer the idiot, a strong force suddenly slams into me and then courses throughout my entire body, spreading fear and dread everywhere.
"They're here," Meliodas breathes the words I was about to say out loud.
"Who's here, Captain?"
As five of the Sins quickly stand up from their seats to reach their captain, I answer the simple question for them. "The Ten Commandments," I wheeze and hold onto the table for support, my eyes meeting Meliodas's and I can see dread swirling in those leaf green eyes. "The ten most powerful warriors who serve the Demon King, and whom I specifically locked away 3,000 years ago."
━━🌹 ━━