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"𝘓𝘐𝘓𝘠!!" I heard someone shout my name through the forest, the leaves rattled from my jump. The birds flew away from the forest in fear, tiny screeches of chirps duplicated. My wings fluttered from shock at the yelling, the vibrations of my wings fluttered through my back. I looked down and saw that it was Meliodas who had been the one who had yelled my name.
I stood up on the tree branch, carefully to not rip my new blue dress. It was electric blue at the bottom and dark blue at the top, black straps crossed over around my neck and two butterflies sat on either end of the straps connecting to the top of the dress, around my forearms were detached black puffy sleeves with butterflies on them. I wore black heels with straps around my ankles.
I quickly jumped down and landed in front of him, on top of my pillow, before getting off of it. He jumped and shrieked in surprise, it wasn't loud it was more like a yelp. I giggled and he playfully glared at me, but after a few seconds, a smile slithered on his face as he chuckled too. Then Ban and King came in a direction along with Lady Elizabeth. King for some reason turned red, smoke seemingly flowing out of his ears making me worried for his well-being.
I adjusted the bow on the back of my head out of nervousness as everyone was staring at me and I wouldn't say I liked it, attention from others wasn't something I generally wanted. "Is there something wrong with the outfit? Does it not look good on me?" I asked and they snapped out of their trance and looked away bashfully, some more than others.
"NO!! It's just you look nice that we all couldn't help but stare at you." King explained with a blush on his face and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"He's right, you look nice. I don't know what you're worried about." Meliodas said, grabbing my wrist and dragging me back to the bar, more like I let him drag me since I was lazy and didn't want to walk or fly.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked my best friend. He looked at me with a cheeky smile." I am taking you back to the bar to celebrate." Meliodas responded in a 'duh' tone. I furrowed my brows in perplexity. He noticed this and explained that it was for getting medals from King Bartra, who wanted to award us for our heroic deeds.
When we arrived at the bar we started celebrating. Daine, King, and even Merlin got drunk. It was funny, to see Merlin drunk but it was nice that she was letting loose for once since I almost always see her with her guard up and acting all cool.
I, fortunately, could not get drunk being part of my abilities and just having a high alcohol tolerance in general. Ban pulled Meliodas out of the bar for a minute to talk about something before coming back in and getting drunk. Elizabeth was tired so she went back to the castle to sleep. I smiled at everyone in the room, they were all my best friends, people I would always place my life on the line for. They all looked so peaceful, is what I thought as I placed blankets over them.
I looked outside to see Meliodas outside thinking. He seemed to be in deep thought, his eyes flashed black for a second as he looked at his feet, arms crossed over his chest. I walked outside and stood next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Is something wrong Mel?"
"No, not really. I was just thinking of them. It has been 3,000 years since then. Just look how far you and I have come. But, even after all of this. I still can't break the curse and your Demigod powers can't seem to break it either." He voiced in frustration, his eyes glazed over with glassy tears. An expression I was far too familiar with, I know it very well, the weak smile on my face withered away like a decaying beach and was now replaced with a melancholic expression.
Despite being a god myself I can't break others' curses unless I unlock my demigod force, the true nature of my power. It was something that could only be done once and it was for those who were desperate and had nothing to lose. Demigod force is a stage of magic that every demigod has. It is where every ounce of our magic is channeled into our bodies. It would be a destructive force that could kill true gods. It is only used when our lives or something precious to us is in critical danger, but at the end of it, our own lives would be sacrificed.
I have offered to use it on Meliodas and Elizabeth but he shot it down immediately. He claimed he didn't want to lose his best friend and live with the guilt, he also knew that Elizabeth couldn't live with herself if I did. I understood, but I thought that his other option was risky as well. I looked at him and saw the despair in his eyes.
I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave him a lamentable smile, wistful tears streaming down my face. He gave me one back, only one without the tears and we both went back inside the bar. Our cries escaped into our dreams as our tears ran dry, the only thing to comfort us was the moonlight that fled into the room through the open window.
»•» ❁ «•«
It was the next day and it was time for the ceremony, everything that went down last night almost seemed like a dream with the way Meliodas and I acted, it was like it never happened. Meliodas told me that Ban left and King told me that he was following him. I knew that Ban left to visit the Fairy King's forest after all he told me everything that happened to him. I knew about his sin and Elaine, I had met her before, she was really sweet and I considered her a wonderful friend.
"Lady Lily?" I heard a soft voice called out, causing me to blink away from my occupying thoughts. I turn my head to see Elizabeth with an anxious expression on her soft features. "Are you alright? You look a bit pale." Elizabeth's face told me she was concerned, it was then I realized how depressing I was acting and it made me want to fix that.
" Yes, I am alright. No need to worry." I whispered to her with a gentle smile and she nodded. I turned my head to see Hawk eating scraps and I shook my head, a tad bit disappointed in the barn animal's behavior. "And Hawk we are in the presence of his majesty. Show a little respect." I sternly told him, but my voice was still soft.
"Whatever, this is who I am." He said with food in his mouth, not caring what others thought of him which made me laugh through my nose.
»•» ❁ «•«
The ceremony has started, and King Batra gives a speech about the Eight Deadly Sins, as well as tripping over Hawk's 'title' which made Lily laugh under her breath, but no one heard her except for two people who smirked.
" I object!" Meliodas shouts so everyone in the crowd can hear him, the sins that were present look over at him with raised brow, wondering what the hell their captain was up to now. Everyone looks at him in shock, he is getting a medal to honor their strength, so why is he opposing the offer? Then Lily speaks up, her soft voice now louder and more apparent.
"The Eight Deadly Sins don't deserve any medals!!!" Lily clamors an objection and everyone looks at her, now even more confused as to why the gentle quiet sin was now making a strange stand.
"S-sir Meliodas, Lady Lily???" Elizabeth stutters a jumbled call of their name, she was baffled at the moment and utterly confused.
"At least that's what the guys in the back are saying," Meliodas said pointing to the back of the crowd. " If you have something to say then say it to my face, I'll hear you out."
Then an order of holy knights came out of the crowd, their confident strides made Lily raise a brow. The Pleiades of the Azure Sky, she had heard of them before when she had been traveling with Meliodas, why did they look so confident about their useless gossip, it seemed pretty pathetic to her. The three standing in front of Meliodas were Death Pierce, Waillo, and Dogedo, she heard the crowd whispering their names.
"Now that's odd, I could have sworn there were a few more grouchers here, I guess we only have three straight shooters," Meliodas looked at the crowd with a smile yet his eyes held what he truly felt before looking at the three knights, "So what's the problem?"
The silver-haired knight took a step forward, "We would like nothing more than to see the power of the legendary knights known for saving the kingdom from evil firsthand." Death Peirce smirked, "Well Sir Meliodas, will the Eight Deadly Sin's captain honor that request?"
Lily glanced at Meliodas who simply smiled at her making her close her eyes and give a knowing smirk, her head tilting down. Death Peirce went on about how they weren't there to witness the Sin's great power and thus couldn't accept the award ceremony without knowing, making Lily scoff under her breath as the King allowed them to battle.
Lily watched as Hawk finished giving Meliodas the power run down and stepped away. She felt bad that Merlin lied to him about his power level, she side glared at the mage, who merely smirked and shrugged making Lily shake her head.
"Mel, don't tease him too much but make sure he gets the message and let him know his place," Lily said telepathically to the demon prince.
"I was planning to do that anyway,"
'I would also fight but it seems that Meliodas wants to do this himself,' Lily thought as she glanced over at the large knight from the Pleiades of the Azure Sky. Seeing the smirk on his face made her narrow her eyes.
'I swear on the Eternal Forest, if he doesn't wipe that smirk off his face then I will slap it off instead,'
»•» ❁ «•«
Meliodas beat the guy from The Pleiades of the Azure Sky quite easily, making Lily smirk not that she showed it. She was glad that they learned their place, it was something this age of humans needed to learn, they were all so cocky and pretentious. She watched Death Peirce say his apologies and explain how Dogedo's friend lost his life in the battle and apologized for his 'barbaric' actions. She then watched out of the corner of her eye as Hawk read off the Sin's power levels and started to fall into a state of shock.
Suddenly Death Peirce walked up to Lily, his head lowered down to hers, and looked into her eyes. "Hey, you have a very strong magical power radiating off of you. One very similar to a demi-god from 3,000 years ago, care to explain to us why that is?" He was accused out of nowhere, his eyes narrowing. Lily's oceanic eyes widen in horror, no human had ever questioned her about this before, catching her off guard completely.
"Hey..." a voice spoke, the voice was deep and slightly scary. They all turned their heads to see Meliodas with a dark look on his face, his eyes half-lidded and a small scowl on his face. "Don't you dare talk to her like that? You have no idea what she has been through."
Death Pierce flinched. "I apologize for stepping out of line. Please forgive me. I bid you a good day." He said and left us with the other knights, Lily had an uneasy look on her face as she watched the knights waltz away, not even feeling a little bit embarrassed. While she did, the talking pig decided to check Lily's power level only for him to come out with a strange result.
"Huh, that's odd??" Hawk says as he looks at Lily, who isn't paying attention to the conversation and instead stares at the clouds with dazed eyes.
"What's wrong, hawk?" Merlin asks the pig, floating closer to him with a slight inquisitive look on her porcelain face.
"It's just that Lily's power level here says unknown. What's up with that???" Hawk exclaims as he looks at Lily. Lily tilts her head to the side, wondering why Hawk looked so baffled before she drowns in her sea of thoughts once more.
»•» ❁ «•«
2,200, Years ago
"Hey......Meliodas........what are we looking for?'' a reincarnation of Elizabeth asked as she watched the short blonde with a demon mark looking around for something through the thick forest. Elizabeth had just recovered her memories again, it happened in an accident when Meliodas accidentally mentioned something about his brother, which in turn triggered her memories. Now that she knew, he could be a demon and try to sense her out. They kept walking until they reached a cave, the wet dripping sounds of the cavern filled the silent air.
"An old friend..." He responded, not looking back at his eternal lover. Elizabeth tilted her head, not understanding what he meant at first. At times Elizabeth felt like Meliodas was a puzzle or a riddle, he never showed what he was truly thinking therefore she had to solve it herself or place the pieces together herself. Her eyes widened in realization when she figured out what he meant.
"You think she could be here??"
"I'm positive. This cave has her magic power overflowing in it. If she wasn't sealed she wouldn't let the power seep through like this..." Meliodas said as they entered the cave. The more they walked in the stronger the presence got.
Soon they reached the end of the cave and they saw a green seal with a white lily in the middle surrounded by ancient letters. The smell of flowers and dew filled their noses, it smelt like the way plants and moss smelled after a large rainfall in the forests of a mountainside. Meliodas smiled as he attacked the seal at full strength.
The seal broke and a human-sized gap split open in thin air when you looked inside you could see a lush forest, so many beautiful plants and magical flowers there, a few stray butterflies flying out, yet they were full of magical power, emitting hues of the rainbow...The Eternal Forest.
Meliodas could hear the feet of something walking closer. Soon a girl was revealed and she stepped out of the portal and the portal closed. Her white gown contrasted against the colorful flowers that bloomed with each step she took. Beautiful ocean eyes flashed an evermore green for a split second, if you blinked you would have missed it.
"How long has it been since the war Meli..." she asked in a calm, almost scared voice. A small shudder could be heard as she looked at Elizabeth with solemn eyes, the said girl returning the look but mouthed something to her
"Only 800 years since then and I take it you know what is happening."
"Of course."
»•» ❁ «•«
Lily didn't think anyone would bring that up it brought back some memories that should be buried deep by now. Lily felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see that it was Diane, her amethyst eyes held a look of worry. Even though she was close with Meliodas, Diane never seemed to dislike the fairy goddess, something that astounded Lily to this day but she was pleased that she didn't hate her in the time she loved Meliodas, Lily was delighted to call her one of her best friends.
"Hey Lil, you okay??" She asked, worried about the blonde. She softly beamed and nodded her head, informing her that she was okay and that she had nothing to worry about.
They started to walk back to the Boar hat, talking about the ceremony a little bit as they did but didn't get far as Gilthunder, Howzer, and Giramore appeared, wanting to have a word with them.
"Sir Meliodas I would like to thank you for what you said about my father," The dark-haired knight expressed with gratitude.
"I only said what I knew to be true. Anyway, I heard the rumors, that Howzer, while he was being taken in Dreyfus wounded him pretty badly and he killed some members of the Roars of Dawn. I that true?" Meliodas looked at the dirty blonde knight, who looked to the side.
"Uhh, yeah..."
Griamore looked over his shoulder, "I'm telling you that had to be some kind of mistake. Father fought to protect Princess Elizabeth. To defeat Hendrickson, and then he was murdered."
"I wish I could believe that, but those facts are undeniable, alright," Howzer said, placing a hand on Griamore's shoulder in compassion, he felt sorry for his friend.
"On one hand he ran after killing an ally, on the other hand, he risks his life to rescue another, true it's hardly consistent..." Merlin stated, looking at them with her arms crossed over her chest.
"At least for the actions of a grandmaster," Lily continued, her eyes closed with a knowing smile on her face, not noticing how adorable she looked as she did with the breeze flowing through her hair.
Giramore looked at them surprised yet confused as well, Gilthunder and Howzer shared the same expression as him.
Merlin floated into the air, "When the details of the start fail to add up, it often helps to run everything you know in reverse. And as you discover and give meaning to unseemingly unnatural action, a different answer will emerge." All of this she spoke with her usual confident, slightly cocky smirk which made Lily shake her head slightly as she spoke a few words of wisdom.
"Sincerity becomes spite. The circumstances become pretense. And the meaningless suddenly gains meaning." Lily said she conjured a small green bug, that changed into different animals as it flew through the air. Diane watched it with sparkling eyes.
"So in other words..." Howzer trailed off but was cut off when Merlin teleported behind them. She told them to think about it and that when humans stop thinking it is over for them.
"Alright, Captain, let's go," Lily said, looking at her friend. He looked at her in slight surprise at the fact that she was calling him Captain but nodded.
Now they are all walking back to the boar hat, Lily's head in the clouds while the other discussed something of importance. Lily thought back, far back, her heart ached as she remembered a certain fairy king. She felt stupid, for thinking about him, knowing that with each joyful memory, she thought of him the more addicted she would become in trying to be with him again. The thought of her finding hope only for it to shatter broke her heart.
"Hey Captain, what do you think the king's omen meant??" Diane looked at the dragon sin in question, the King's vision was something of worry that brought a twist of misfortune to fall in Lily's stomach. Meliodas shrugged "I don't know, it probably has something to do with Camelot though." Meliodas guessed, that even though he had a feeling he knew what it was, he also knew that his friend was thinking the same thing.
Suddenly the ground started to quake and shake, vibrations through the ground caused Lily to lose her balance and flop back onto her pillow. She felt a dark presence that was very strong.... though it was just for a second. She started to shake in dread, she knew all too well what this was.
"I knew it..... they're back...." Meliodas said with a dark look and a menacing aura around him, so much so that it looked like the air around him was shaking.
"No, not them......." Lily shakily breathed out, trembling in fear before she started to feel her vision go in and out, she heard loud voices but wasn't able to make out what they were saying before falling into the pitch darkness.
»•» ❁ «•«
Far away from the kingdom, a bright purple light shone through the sunny sky. A dark demonic power surged through the air as black sparks and red lightning appeared.
"From the valley of eternity... from the edge of oblivion...from an unending slumber... Disappear... innocent curse!!!" A demon Hendreckson yelled as he shot a bright purple shot and blinded his sight.
Once the light dissipated, now lying on the ground was a knocked-out Hendreckson, only now he looked human. Opening his eyes he was shocked to see Dreyfus standing over his body, only there was something different about him. His eyes were pitch black and a strange black mark over his left eye.
"Perfect, thanks to you, the ceremony is now complete," Dreyfus spoke with a smirk on his face, his aura was unnaturally dark, blending in with the now night sky.
Hendreckson tried to stand up but was still tired from the spell he cast, "Dreyfus... those eyes, and that pattern on your face."
"To show my gratitude for your usefulness I will allow you to live. Besides, it's what this man asked me to do. You are free to go wherever you like." Dreyfus responded with an emotionless expression.
"Free to go? What in the world are you talking about?" Hendreckson looked baffled at the words of the dark-haired knight. Hendreckson was about to ask more questions but instead froze in fear when he felt the air grow thick.
He didn't dare look behind him as he felt the ten dark shadows approaching, their aura more menacing together than that of Meliodas' when his wrath filled the air. He started to sweat and clench his fists out of fear, whispering something about how abnormal their presence was.
"It's been 3,000 years, but we've finally returned," Dreyfus looked at the ten presences with a dark smirk. Hendreckson gasped, his shaking eyes looking behind him only for him to come face to face with the Ten Commandments.
Hendrickson quivered in fear before something broke in him as he ran away in fear. The ten demonic aura that covered the ten beings seemed too much for him to handle. However, they didn't pay attention to him as they looked at 'Dreyfus'.
"It's been 3,000 years...Please tell me he's still alive." A voice said very similar to Meliodas but much deeper. Dreyfus responded with a simple nod causing all of their aura to grow darker and larger. The shortest one smirked with an evil grin, his eyes glinted with a cruel glint.
"𝒲𝑒'𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝑜𝑜𝓃 𝑀𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑜𝒹𝒶𝓈...."
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