Author's notes: Heyyy guys! I am trying so hard not to cry; I just finished all of the episodes of Dragon's Judgement. Didn't get enough sleep so I nearly dozed off a couple of times during my seminar yesterday but honestly, no regrets.
And now, please enjoy this new chapter! ❤
"ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɢɪʀʟ ʙᴜᴛ ɪɴꜱᴛᴇᴀᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ."
ɴᴇꜰꜰᴇx
"Oriana," the Demon King says, voice filled with so many emotions I can't actually tell what he is feeling.
"Who the hell is this?" Ban asks with a bored tone as everyone glances up to see the newcomer with her dark wings spread behind her back, a dangerous look on her pale face.
"You must be Ban, the Fox's Sin of Greed," she speaks, her voice lovely as always. "And the rest of you must also be part of the Seven Deadly Sins."
"Mother," my best friend breathes, jade eyes quivering in shock.
Everyone other than Meliodas and I shriek, "Mother?"
"Hello, my dear boy," the Demon Queen whispers and a playful grin tugs at the corner of her lips, one just like his. "I see that your curse has been removed but this does not seem to be the case with Elizabeth and (Y/n)."
"You are late," I drawl and point an accusing finger at her. "What took you so long?"
Queen Oriane chuckles. "I made sure Juno and the other girls helped the Seven Deadly Sins with defeating the Chimera Indura while I went to make sure that the gateway to the Demon realm was fully sealed."
"So those were your friends?" Ban asks and then nods at her gratefully. "Thank you."
Oriana nods her head back in acknowledgement. "Oh, and (Y/n)? A certain someone came along with me before I shut the gateway."
My heart flutters when I see who appears from behind the Demon Queen and I cannot stop the tears that come flowing down my cheeks.
"Mum," I exhale the single word with so much affection.
"My little girl," Lady Arica whispers back as a wonderful smile takes over her beautiful face.
Ari, my father breathes.
"Dad says hi," I blurt out.
My mother's eyebrows narrow. "What?"
"Gowther!" Merlin calls out to her comrade. "While the rest of us keep the Demon King busy, you take the Captain and (Y/n) and infiltrate the Demon King's mind to separate him and Zeldris from the inside."
A second later, the Demon King strikes at us but my best friend and I gasp loudly when it easily breaks through Oriana's forcefield.
"Oops," she mutters as she quickly brings up another one. "It seems I am weaker than I initially thought. I haven't been able to use my magical powers in a very long time so this would only make sense."
"Looks like you really don't want anyone getting into your mind, do you, big guy?" Ban points out with a huge smirk.
"Go and get inside his mind!" Oriana says to Gowther, Meliodas and I.
"Roger that," Gowther responds. "Captain, (Y/n), we have to go!"
"He's breaking through again!" I yell at the same time Meliodas blocks off his father's attack.
Merlin clicks her tongue in annoyance and then says, "He's too powerful for us to fight and protect the Captain, Gowther, and (Y/n) at the same time."
Just as the Demon King is about to strike again, someone stops his attack and says, "Oh heroes who have seven wounds carved into their hearts, neither fear nor despair exist for thee. What thou hast is courage, pride and comradery. Fate wrought havoc upon us and for a time we gave up on life but henceforth let us indeed be grateful to our destinies for allowing us to make a valiant last stand for a beloved friend."
"Escanor's back," Meliodas murmurs, shielded away by the Lion's Sin of Pride's massive body.
"What is this?" the Demon King snarls. "Where did he come from?"
"I leave the remainder of this to you, Escanor," another voice says and I turn around to see the Archangel Mael floating above us. "And the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins as well, the fate of the world rests on your shoulders."
"Woah wait," Meliodas protests as my mother suddenly appears from behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. "You know what will happen if you use Sunshine with that body again. What are you doing?"
Escanor answers, "Listen Captain—"
Elizabeth, Diane and I let out shocked cries when the Demon King elbows Escanor in the face and gets ready to attack again.
"Compare to what the seven of us are about to do to this stain on the world, my tribulation means nothing," Escanor states as he raises a finger with fire building upon it. "Divine Sword Escanor. But the killing of a God, I could think of no better battle of one of this magnitude to give me meaning and glory to what will surely be the end of my life."
"Wait a minute, the end of your life?" Diane questions. "What are you talking about, Escanor?"
"I don't want to accidentally defeat him before you can make your move," Escanor tells us. "So hurry up and go. Take the Captain and (Y/n)—"
He suddenly grunts in pain while the Demon King says, "Accidentally defeat me? Someone's feeling cocky. You fool—"
"Shut up," Ban snaps as he kicks the ancient being right in the face which causes him to go flying backwards.
"It's time," King says and his sacred treasure turns into tinier weapons before falling down and striking at the Demon King. "Get moving you three! We'll hold him here no matter what!"
"Thank you all," Meliodas says determinedly. "We won't fail!"
"Save him, my little girl," my mother whispers into my ear before turning me around and hugging me tightly. "And you better explain what you meant earlier when you get back."
"Got it," I whisper back.
"Save him and stay safe!" Elizabeth calls out to us.
My best friend nods while I wink at her. "Roger."
"Double Bow Harlit Invasion!" Gowther shouts as he brings out his scared treasure, aims right at the Demon King and gets a perfect hit.
"Hang on, Zel," Meliodas whispers next to me as we land on unfamiliar grounds.
"Where are we?" I ask quietly, looking around at the misty landscape.
"Woah this is the dragon hunting ground where I used to bring Zeldris," Meliodas says.
"Dragon hunting?" I wrinkle my nose. "You two actually did that?"
My best friend sheepishly rubs the back of his head and then nods.
"I am detecting a faint presence nearby," Gowther notes as he points to his left. "There. Let's go. And keep in mind, everything you see belongs to Zeldris and the Demon King right now. We can't directly interact with this world."
"Oh," I murmur before slowly pulling away my finger that I was about to use to poke an interesting-looking plant next to me. "Oops."
Meliodas whacks my hand and sighs, "Why do you always have to touch everything you see."
Blushing, I mutter, "Apologies. I am just curious."
"If we were to recklessly rile it up, we would be forcibly expelled from here as foreign objects," Gowther further elaborates.
"You mean the only one here who can fight the Demon King, directly at least, is Zeldris himself?" Meliodas asks worriedly.
"Yes," Gowther replies. "It was the same with you, Captain. All we could do was use our voices and transmit our thoughts."
"Zel," I breathe when we finally reach an open area where Zeldris is trapped in some sort of white web. "Wait, is that—"
"A copy of you," Gowther states as Meliodas and I stare in horror at the other individual who looks exactly like me.
"Meliodas and (Y/n), you two really are selfish, aren't you?" my copy speaks and the voice sends cold shivers down my spine. "You're only trying to save him for your own benefits. After all that's happened, Zeldris has finally found his peace. You have no right to interrupt his slumber!"
"Peace? Here?" I ask before laughing maniacally. "This is the last place Zeldris would have wanted to be if he wanted to find any kind of peace."
"Wake up, Zel!" my best friend shouts while he tries to protectively shield me away.
"Meliodas?" a soft speaks up from behind my copy. "What are you doing in this place?"
"We've come here to save you!" Meliodas answers, emotions wrecking his usual happy voice.
"You, save me?" the youngest son of the Demon King lets out a scoff. "Are you serious?"
"Yes," Meliodas answers quietly. "We're not leaving here without you, little brother."
"We?"
"Hey, shorty," I whisper as Meliodas moves to the side so I can have a clear view of my heartless Prince. "Long time no see."
"That is a fake copy of me, Zel!" my copy yells and then clasps her hands over her chest. "He couldn't save me, remember? I lost my last heart in the end because of him. That brother of yours is nothing but a lying sinner. After he gets what he wants, he'll betray you again. I'm the only one who loves you from the bottom of my heart. Look into my eyes, you know it's true!"
Meliodas takes a step forward but I hold him back. "Wait," I whisper to him. "I want to see if he can tell which of us is the real one."
"Now I know for sure," Zeldris murmurs.
"Oh Zel," my copy says quietly.
"I just hoped I was wrong," he continues sadly. "I had a feeling that you weren't the real (Y/n). But somewhere in my heart, I was still holding onto the hope that you might be...That hope is now gone."
"Are you saying I'm a fake?" my copy questions as she leans closer to Zeldris's face. "That I'm not here as a soul. I love you more than anyone!"
My heart skips a beat when I hear these precious words and my copy seems to also realise what she has just said.
"That's how I know you're a fake," Zeldris grits out. "Firstly, even if my older brother were to intentionally kill (Y/n), I know that my (Y/n) would have never blamed him for her death. Their friendship is much too strong and sometimes a little bit unhealthy for either of them to see when the other one is in the wrong. Secondly, even if (Y/n) was dead and free from the curse, she would have never said those words to me so lifelessly."
"What?" I say quietly. "I don't get it."
"Your eyes," Zeldris elaborates, grinning madly at my copy. "They don't shine like hers does when she tells me to get her damn chocolates."
Bile builds up in my throat as I smile shakily, my cheeks trembling so much. "Oh Zel."
My copy immediately turns into dust and then disappears into the mist around us.
You fool, my voice speaks, changing into the Demon King's. You'll meet the same fate as your brother, I see.
"Zel!" Meliodas and I cry out when the mist engulfs him. "Where are you? Answer us!"
"Meliodas, over here!" we hear his voice from above us so we all look and my eyes widen when I see multiple Zeldris's hanging from the web in various areas.
They all immediately start to call out to us, each one claiming that they are the real one and that the others are the fakes.
"I'm gonna cut them out of the threads," my best friend announces as he swiftly advances onto the Zeldris closest to us.
"Wait!" I shriek at the same time Gowther gets in the way and is knocked down with Zeldris.
"Captain and (Y/n), listen carefully," Gowther grunts from the ground. "We absolutely cannot disrupt the things that exist in this mindscape. If we do, we will be forcibly extricated as foreign objects. Even if you only disrupt a single thread—"
The Zeldris that was freed slowly turns into mush and sinks into the ground.
"Gowther, I'm sorry," my best friend apologises, regret written all over his pale face.
"Look," Gowther goes on. "You guys only have one chance to free Zeldris under this circumstance. Think of some way to find out which one of them is real."
And with that, the Goat's Sin of Lust completely disappears.
"How are we supposed to tell them apart?" Meliodas growls as he helplessly looks around at all of the Zeldris's.
"Forget about me!" one of them calls out. "Get out while you can!"
"Kill the Demon King along with me!" another one says.
"If I have to live like this while he uses my stolen body, then I would rather be dead!"
My hand slams against my mouth while Meliodas murmurs, "What are you talking about? (Y/n) is right here, you idiot. Don't you dare give up!"
"Sounds like everything the illusions are saying are directly from my reflections of my consciousness," the Zeldris closest to us observes. "Which means, I can't even tell apart myself."
"Listen, I have a favour to ask of you," another one says. "I need you to tell (Y/n) something."
"Hello?" I stamp my foot on the ground like a child. "I am right here, you know?"
A Zeldris to Meliodas's right says, "You can't be the real (Y/n). She would have never have come here."
Wings expanding on my back, I lift myself off the ground, ignoring my best friend's loud protests.
"Is that so?" I snarl as my eyes wander over all of the Zeldris's in my view. "Then you are a bigger idiot than I thought."
When I look further up, my eyes catch sight of one Zeldris whose green eyes are sparkling with something I have never seen before.
"Got you," I whisper as I shoot upwards.
"Wait, really?" Meliodas exclaims as I come to a stop in front of Zeldris.
"You can't be her," Zeldris whimpers. "She would have never come here."
"And what makes you say that?" I question.
"She only has one heart left so she would have trusted my brother to get me out of here," he insists. "The others would have stopped her!"
Unable to stop myself, my hands slide up Zeldris's neck to his warm cheeks and I press my forehead against his.
"Even though you and your brother have the same eyes," I whisper, "there is still something different about yours. Are you aware that this is my first time seeing them?"
"What?" Zeldris breathes.
"Your eyes." I giggle before nuzzling my nose against his. "They shine like they're seeing a miracle, my heartless Prince."
"It is you," Zeldris says slowly. "You came."
"How could you tell which was the real one?" Meliodas shouts from the ground.
"Idiot," I shout back at him. "What if it were Elizabeth? Are you telling me that you wouldn't have been able to tell the difference?"
"Oh yeah." Meliodas sticks out his tongue from the corner of his lips. "That's a good point."
"Now, let us get you out of here," I say to Zeldris.
"I can't let you do that," another Zeldris speaks. "Zeldris is my new vessel and I won't give him up. You must be eliminated!"
As all of the copies of Zeldris come straight at me, the real Zeldris cries out, "(Y/n), look out!"
I let out a small gasp when my best friend appears by my side and strikes back at Zeldris's new terrifying copies.
"Meliodas," I snap as I turn my head to face him. "What the hell?"
"Zeldris definitely needs you," he snaps back, the Royal Demon mark burning into his forehead. "Look after him! The rest of this is up to you, (Y/n)!"
"Damn it," I growl but nod my head as Meliodas turns back to the other Zeldris's and starts fighting them.
"Zeldris, now it's your turn to defeat our old man, alright?" Meliodas yells at his younger brother.
Meliodas easily gets rid of all the copies and then cuts Zeldris out of his web bonds. Spreading my arms, I quickly catch the youngest Demon Prince and bury my face in his raven hair.
"I've got you," I whisper and he holds me closer to him. "I've got you."
As we land on the ground, Zeldris looks over to his older brother and says, "You really did it. You actually came for me this time."
I smack his head and say, "Of course he did, dummy."
"Then let me act like a big brother just this one time, OK?" Meliodas says with his signature smile. "I may not be that great at it but you're the only little brother I've got. I'll see you on the other side, bestie and little bro!"
As he finally disappears, Zeldris unknowingly stretches his hand out to him, just like he used to when he was younger.
"Alright," Zeldris says as he turns to me. "I'll do it."
A deep laugh fills the entire area and we both turn around to see the Demon King. "Your body already belongs to me. You will never see your older brother again."
"Then I will have to defeat you," Zeldris states simply.
"You're leaving the Demon realm?" I suddenly hear Zeldris's voice on our right and we turn to see a memory playing before us. "Are you crazy, brother? Do you think Father would permit such behaviour?" I wince when I see the past Zeldris slap his older brother's hand away. "Go ahead, you traitor. From here on, I no longer consider you my brother. Next time we meet will be as enemies."
"Did you really say that to him?" I ask softly and Zeldris slowly nods his head.
"What my brother failed to mention was that he was taking you with him," Zeldris says.
"He didn't take me with him, I went with him," I say gently and Zeldris is the one who winces this time. "I know it is no excuse but my decisions at the time were made blindly. I only wanted to protect Elizabeth and Meliodas."
"That's hilarious," I hear Meliodas's old taunting voice speak. "And when that time comes, I won't be holding back. There's no need to as I never once thought of you as my little brother anyway."
I bite into my lip. "I am so kicking his ass when we get back."
"So now do you remember?" I hear the Demon King break into our thoughts. "This is the true nature of the older brother you've decided to put your trust in. He's trying to trick you."
"You think illusions will stay sway me after everything that's happened?" Zeldris yells as he gracefully draws out his sword and swipes at the old memory which quickly vanishes.
"Found you," I say and point at the area where Zeldris's strike has revealed the Demon King.
"I'm begging you if you're gonna dramatise my past at least make it good," Zeldris says which causes me to snigger. "No matter how many lies you line up in front of me, I already know what's deep down in Meliodas's heart. I'd merely convince myself that he betrayed me before."
"The communication between you two is absolutely atrocious," I point out and poke Zeldris's cheek. "Why are you telling your father that and not your older brother?"
"Well, I'm not really ready for that," Zeldris mutters, refusing to face me.
"Insecure Zeldris is adorable," I say with a giggle and then poke him again. "I mean, I could just tell him for you."
"Eh? No!" Zeldris squeaks as he grabs hold of my finger. "Don't do that! Just drop it!"
"You don't have the slightest understanding of how it feels for a parent to kill his beloved son with his own hands!" the Demon King roars, raising his weapon and then bringing it down on us. "You infuriating fool!"
Zeldris's familiar hand wraps around my midriff before he leaps into the air to dodge his father's attack. Squealing, I fold my arms around his neck and hold on.
"Your beloved son, huh?" Zeldris scoffs. "What a joke! Throughout my life, I can't remember a single time I ever felt love by you and now you want me to pity you? How far you've fallen!"
The Demon King laughs. "Don't get cocky. Do you really think the Demon King could ever be bested by the likes of you?"
"As I am now, I may not be as strong as you or Meliodas," Zeldris says as he leaves me back on the ground and jumps into the air, "however, this battleground is in my mindscape!"
I clap my hands approvingly when he catches his father off guard and kicks him right in the face. He seems to be doing quite well considering he was an emotional wreck just seconds ago.
"In this place, I still have a fighting chance!" Zeldris yells. "And just as Meliodas has someone he'd happily risk his life for, I also have someone I could never give up on!"
Don't let me go.
I never have. And I never will, (Y/n).
I slap my cheeks hard, blushing, and stare at the ground in front of me. Damn it, Zel.
"Then, in the end, she is the one who makes you weak," the Demon King spits out as he points his sword at me.
"If anything, she's made me stronger," Zeldris snaps at his father. "I would rather spend a million years fighting you than live in a life where (Y/n) is not there making me a better person every single day."
The Demon King roars and sends a towering ebony wave in my direction but just before I can get out of the way, my knees buckle and I fall onto the ground. As the wave fills my entire view, I whisper, "Crap."