#younger Estarossa

[demonprincezeldris]

Halloween is near

After being back to normal and there father dead the wanted to spend Halloween like humans did get dress up n eat candy. Zeldris and Estarossa was drinking casually in the boar hat when Estarossa piped up. "I bet you that meliodas ends up spilling a drink when serving the loud table"

"I doubt that he has fair amount of experience with this line of work but fine what do I get when your wrong" "winner picks the other one Halloween costume" Estarossa laughed taking a swig.

"very well you dressing up as a teddy bear would bring laughs* Zeldris reply watching as Mel went over to serve the table getting slapped on the back by the already drunk people n spilling the drink.

"and you would look adorable dressing like Meliodas like you use to when you were young" estarossa couldn't help but laugh seeing the blush on Zeldris face. meliodas looked at them hearing his name.

"do you two need anything?" he asked wanting to take care of his younger brothers.

"nope we're heading home we will stop by tomorrow though to eat ur candy and drink though so save us some" Estarossa beamed dragging Zeldris home and finding some of meliodas old clothes to throw on him for tomorrow.

"I look so ridiculous," Zeldris muttered as he looked down at himself. They had actually found Meliodas' old clothes, and they fit Zeldris perfectly. They had even found one of the extra broadswords that Meliodas used to wield back in the day as well. He was so used to seeing himself in his natural red suit.

Estarossa held back a snicker as he looked at Zeldris' form. "You look perfect. Just like when we were younger. Now your childhood dreams of being just like Meliodas have come true." "Shut up, Estarossa. Let's just get this night over with."

Safe to say Meliodas was very shocked when he saw his brother dress like he had 3000 years ago, when he was the general of the Commandments.

[sullina]

Sensing his brother awakening, Estarossa let put a deep, rumbling purr. Something of note was that Estarossa's purr had always sounded strange, as of purring was not as natural to him as most other demons, yet it was even deeper and more comforting and Meliodas found himself instinctively relaxing. Estarossa's mischievous grin faded to a more genuine one as he pulled both his siblings closer.

"...For the record," The largest of the Royal demons said, "We missed you. I know spiky here won't say it, but he probably missed you the most."

Meliodas didn't say anything, he couldn't. The idea that his brother's actually care for him, the despicable disappointment of an older brother, was a thought thay simply... couldn't register with him. His brother shouldn't miss him, not after everything he did, everything he failed to do...

As if to prove him wrong, when he moved to pull his wrist away his brother's claws tightened up reflexively and he let out a whine, pulling the arm closer.

There was a tightness in Meliodas' throat. He feared his voice would break if he tried to speak, so he didn't, instead opting to lay his head back down, watching Zeldris sleep while cuddling his arm. He looked the same way he did when he was younger.

Meliodas blinked away the tears in his eyes and turned his attention to everyone around the three of them. Since night was just starting, they were probably preparing the demon version of breakfast right now. Drole and Gloxinia were up as well. Since they weren't nocturnal though, they will probably just eat breakfast with the rest of the pack and go to sleep later on.

[zeldriszezinho]

Continuing to show more details about my story, I’m here to show you guys two other OCs and the bros of Meliodas and Zeldris: “Esther and Estarossa”. This was my first time drawing them, I need to make more of art of them…

Anyway, important fact: Estarossa and Mael aren’t the same person in my story. Pretty much, the archangel never got his memories changed. Something different happened with him… And so, Estarossa here is a different boy and blood related to his parents and his bros.

In case you’re wondering about who is the older and younger sibling, here is your answer (From oldest to youngest): Meliodas, Esther, Estarossa and Zeldris.

Expect more info in the future about them, and also their masters 😏

[ragesin]

Meliodas was far more attached to the... hmm, let's say "concept" of Estarossa more than Zeldris ever would've been. He was fully like 'yeah this guy is my Brother. i kinda care', even though we now know it was due to his love for his brother Zeldris being hijacked.

When Gowther's magic unraveled, it affected you the more your memories were distorted in order to lead you to buy the identity change and / or the closer you were to the person at the center of it. While Demon King was seemingly unaffected  ( probably bc he didn't give a damn about any of his sons in the first place ), and Zeldris had zero reaction to the revelation  ( bc he never saw Estarossa as a brother figure and always knew something was wrong in that regard ), Meliodas was up there among those who had a pretty bad headache with the conflicting memories. He's not on the level of Ludociel's, who's Mael's actual brother, but I like to consider him as being in the top 5.

The foundation of memories used for Estarossa was probably pulled from all over the place. Most obviously being swaps with Ludociel and Meliodas, the memories of his goddess life suppressed, and the amusing fact that Meliodas indirectly named this fake brother persona. But then there's lowkey ones that likely had inspiration from Zeldris' own memory to better slide Estarossa into the easiest role of Meliodas' other younger brother. I say this thanks to that flashback with him and the Commandments. Estarossa was never there as a child so the logical conclusion is that it’s Zeldris. You can find info in GC that states Meliodas and Zeldris were in the Commandments at the same time in the past. Maybe thanks to Estarossa always being the younger brother and never an older one, there wasn't much to work with there, hence Zel not viewing him as such.

Meliodas had 3000 years to consciously buy into what Gowther sold to everyone. Man was fully committed to it, so he felt twice as guilty / tormented about leaving not one, but two brothers behind, and in the end joke's on him bc he really did only abandon one.

tldr he really did view Estarossa as his close brother  ( one he spent a lot of time encouraging that he'd definitely be a great warrior, despite not having any darkness / his apparent reluctance to harm even a bug, and he would take his brother on expeditions and such )  despite not remembering anything about him, only to go 'o fuck what the fucking fuck' when it's all revealed to be a lie and that he got played, rip. this is also why he'd accept Mael as an adopted brother after all's said and done post series.

[thestarrynightgazer]

Love and Salvation XXIII

*jumps over fight scenes*

Please don't ask me about the snek.

@galfridus1 Two more chapters. 😭😭😭

☆First

☆Previous

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[galfridus1]

First of all, congratulations! You deserve it 😊! Can I request 6 for Monspiet and younger Estarossa please, thank you! 😃

Thank you! And thank you for the ask Kat! And thanks for all your own work on this pair. I hope you like this.

Monspeet was sure something fishy was up. He had been bored that day so had gone for a stroll through the palace grounds, listening to the soothing wails of the hydra and counting the windows of the Demon King’s castle. And there were exactly forty-eight of them on the first floor. This had surprised him. Last he had visited the building interior he had only counted forty-two from the inside. So where were the missing six?

Lips pursed, Monspeet took a step closer, trying to figure out the lie of the land. The ones on the end, at the very easternmost edge of the palace appeared to belong to a self-contained annex. The windows were blacked out but that was not necessarily suspicious of course; there were plenty of rooms that required total darkness at all times in the demon realm. But nonetheless Monspeet got the feeling something was wrong. He stared upwards, eyes fixed on the panes, wondering what the Demon King was keeping secret behind them.

Well, he had nothing better to do so why not find out? The others were always telling him he was too curious for his own good but this was too intriguing to pass up. The question was, how to do it? Entry from the outside would surely be noticed, so Monspeet would have to try and find the way in from the inside. There must be one. Mind made up, the soldier started on his way towards the castle, his senses on full alert to ensure he was left alone. The realm was full to the brim with spies; the Demon King did not trust his people, not even his own sons, both of whom were kept under constant surveillance, though Meliodas and Zeldris could fend for themselves of course.

With a nonchalant wave to the guards, Monspeet made his way inside the castle, taking the central staircase up to the first floor. There were some benefits to being in training to join the elite Ten Commandments; it was gruelling work, the missions were of questionable validity and Meliodas was a hard task master, but it did open doors. Quite literally in this case. It would not be long now before he received his decree and he occasionally wondered which one he would get.

Quietly, doing his best not to draw any suspicion, Monspeet examined the paintings on the wall, his eye running over generals of old. The fashions of the realm had changed considerably, and it took a while as he walked down the hallways until he arrived at the familiar high collars which were popular in the present. He passed a few guards on patrol along the way, but they paid him no heed. This was unsurprising. Commandments were the highest ranked soldiers in the realm, apart from the princes and their tutors, and were generally left to themselves by all and sundry. It did get lonely sometimes; Monspeet had been courting a woman, sister of a fellow trainee, but he had seen her enthusiasm wane as his power expended. She herself was not of the bloodthirsty ilk.

He reached the end of the corridor and stopped, checking he was alone before starting his investigations. Close examination of the stonework confirmed his suspicions; the eastern wall of the castle had been built recently, likely in the last one hundred years or so. Something was definitely being hidden behind it, he just needed to discover what.

With great care, Monspeet began to tap lightly on the stones, listening for a change in the timbre of his knocks. It was cleverly done - the wall was protected with a magical barrier - but Monspeet could feel where the weakness was. Fingers grazing lightly over the stones, he searched for the opening, his hearts soaring with triumph as he pressed on a hidden switch and a door swung open. Looking inside, Monspeet could not but help shiver slightly; the room within was pitch black and carried the notable tang of pain and despair. A torture chamber perhaps? He told himself that, if so, it would do no harm to investigate further. He would ideally want to know about the place so that he could threaten the enemy with incarceration in the no doubt gruesome chambers. But as he entered the room, the atmosphere freezing his skin, he knew that this was not somewhere he should be exploring.

Eyes adjusting to the gloom, Monspeet stilled his breathing, treading on light feet to make as little noise as possible. This had always been a skill of his, the ability to move in silence. He wrapped his cloak more tightly around his frame to ward off the cold; it was absolutely freezing, and if there had been light enough Monspeet was sure he would have been able to see the steam of his breath.

“Who’s there?” a small voice called from the gloom and Monspeet nearly jumped out of his skin with the shock. Just a torture victim he told himself, forcing his feet to continue their path. Nothing to worry about. Whoever it is will be behind bars, or worse… The thought caused another chill to slide down his spine as he stepped closer towards the source of the noise.

All at once, he was in a large, well-lit chamber and Monspeet squinted involuntarily against the sudden onslaught of light. Shielding his eyes, he tried to make out the interior of the room, noting rich fabrics and ornate furniture. The room was warm and clean, but smelled slightly musty, as if no fresh air had been permitted entrance for several years. It took some seconds for Monspeet’s vision to become up to the task, at which point they focused on a small boy in the centre of a massive bed, an oversized jacket draped round his shoulders.

“Who are you?” the boy quavered, fear evident in every word that he spoke. “Has Meliodas sent you?”

Monspeet bit his lip at this. If the prince was involved he was out of his depth. Brain working furiously, the soldier tried to think of how best to respond in a way that could extricate himself from this situation.

“No… and best not mention my visit to him,” Monspeet murmured, forcing himself to meet the boy’s eyes. They were the familiar coal black of the rest of his clan, but try as he might to sense it there was no sign of power. This was highly unusual; occasionally demons were born without magic or strength but it was extremely rare, and the children were invariably terminated at an early age for their own benefit. Weakness was not tolerated in the demon realm. “It was a mistake for me to come here, I merely took a wrong turn. If you will excuse me, I will trespass on your time no longer.”

The boy giggled, his face lighting up in an instant and Monspeet felt his chest squeeze. It was a gentle sound, one devoid of the usual cruelty, and it warmed his soul. “I know that’s tosh,” the boy blurted put through his laughter, “there rooms are really well hidden. No one wants…” The boy broke off, biting his lip and Monspeet suddenly felt an overwhelming pity swell in his breast.

“Please, stay for a bit,” the boy murmured. “Mel does his best but it’s really lonely here. He can’t see me that often, he’s so busy. He’s leading the war you know!” he finished proudly.

“Who are you?” Monspeet asked gently, moving closer to the boy, noting with shock the royal insignia on his clothing and his striking resemblance to his future leader. Even the hair was the same, two unruly strands sticking out of the top of his head. “You… you can’t be…”

“I’m Estarossa,” the boy said with a grin, “Meliodas’s younger brother. But I have to stay here,” he added regretfully. “I have no power you see, not yet, but I’m working on it!” he protested and Monspeet cursed himself. Obviously the horror he felt was showing plain on his face.

“Mel says once my power is awakened I can come out for real,” Estarossa continued, his eyes shining with his enthusiasm. “He takes me up to Britannia sometimes, but I’m not allowed out here. He says…” Estarossa halted, his eyes suddenly wary as he looked closely at Monspeet. “You’re not here to kill me are you?”

“N-no,” Monspeet stuttered, his hearts squeezing in his chest as the boy visibly relaxed. “But your brother is right,” he added thoughtfully, suddenly seeing the lie of the land. The boy was evidently shut up for his own protection. “You would likely be killed if you were found in the demon realm.”

“That’s what Mel said.” Estarossa sighed, his eyes cast down towards the velvet coverlet. “I knew he wasn’t lying. He never does.” Monspeet practically chewed his lip off at this; the one thing the General was known for was his ability to play fast and loose with the truth.

“I… I have to go, sorry,” Monspeet murmured, rushing on as Estarossa’s face fell, “we’ll both be in trouble if I’m found here.”

“You’ll come back and see me again?” Estarossa said timidly, his voice very small. “It really is lonely and you’ve been so nice.” Against his better judgement Monspeet managed a nod and a slight bow before taking his leave. Power or not this boy was part of the royal family, and was his liege by birth. He practically ran back through towards the castle, his breath coming quick in his haste; he no longer wanted to hide, he wanted to leave. Relief washed over him as the gloom subsided and the light of the castle came into view.

“Monspeet! What a pleasant surprise!” His hearts sank to his boots as he looked at the boy, so similar in features to the one he had just left. But this one was different, power rolling from him in waves, the mark of his accomplishment emblazoned on his forehead. He was done now; no way the General would permit this transgression to go unpunished.

Monspeet was just deciding whether to surrender or fight when Meliodas let out a bark of laughter. “You have found out my family’s secret. Now why would you do that? I told you that curiosity of yours would be your undoing.

“Well, you’re in real trouble this time,” Meliodas continued, his eyes narrowed to slits. “Father will not permit you to walk free with the knowledge of what you have seen. But don’t worry, your training is nearly complete. You are a valuable asset to the war, and I think I see a solution. I know a way to ensure your eternal silence.”

With that Monspeet allowed the prince to lead him away, fingers digging tightly into his elbow as they headed towards the Demon King’s throne room.

[zeldrispendragon]

Estarossa and Peronia his Wife

I might actually... make more of this. 😂

Peronia: I also made one for you~♡

Estarossa: Like hell I'd wear something like that!!!

Estarossa: Nia, I would like to take my clothes back.

Peronia: Which~?

Estarossa: I don't know, maybe ALL OF IT?!?

Estarossa: How on earth did you get in the bathroom?!

Estarossa: wait no--- how on fucking earth did you get in our HOUSE?!

[bestjeanistmonster]

Estarossa would kill Zeldris’s goldfish by accident and then try to cover it up by flushing it down the toilet and handing Zeldris a fake goodbye note from said dead goldfish saying that it was running away to find true love.

So imagine Estrarossa’s genuine surprise when his younger brother tried to rip out his tongue out screaming in rage.

[yggmugen]

A Look Back in Nakaba POV - #3 Sun May Rest but Shall Rise Again

No more procrastination, I’m gonna finish the promised piece this time!

(I cannot come up with a better title this time so I “steal” the caption once I used for my fanart lol)

Really long time ago I posted this because this is a thing back in the day when people are trying to guess the true identity of Estarossa, and unlike Nakaba thought, there is some people notice this and use this as a critical clue to conclude that Mael=Estarossa theory (or I’d call it a theorem since this is the truth now lol), and I’m glad to see Nakaba give more details in his interview book about how he came up with THE CONSPIRACY:

 Translation:

- Did you decide from the very beginning that Estarossa is actually Mael?

Nakaba: No, at first, I only thought Mael as the Ludociel’s younger brother who had been passed away, but it then start to be worth wondering that if Mael is the strongest among Four Archangle, why the strongest one died in the first place?

So after this when I started to come up the setting of The Grace, I thought Ludociel would be “Light”, Sariel would be “Sea”, and Tarmiel would be “Wind”*… Then when I came to the part that the strongest one should be “Sun”, I was like “Huh? Does that overlap with Escanor’s Sunshine?” If I took one more step further from here this would be totally make sense to me. So in this case, the reason behind Escanor’s unusual predominant power should be The Grace owned by Four Archangle, and it’s reasonable that it’s much stronger than a usual magic.

Then there also should be a scenario that Mael without The grace. In the end, I was pretty satisfied with the result to write Mael=Estarossa.

*p.s. Either Nakaba mixed up Sariel and Tarmiel here or there is a typo in the original text or the wielder of Ocean and Tornado changed afterwards

*p.p.s The name of The Grace is different from the actual name in the manga here, as Light -> Flash, Sea -> Ocean, Wind -> Tornado

It’s obvious here that there is a kinda “technique” thing Nakaba used to write a story in a fast-paced weekly manga magazine: to form a frame first and add details into it. In the interview book there is also other examples, such as Matrona’s story is decided when Nakaba wrote Diane’s spinoff, though Matrona was mentioned once back from tons of chapters ago, and the similar situation happened to Jivago (It’s Ban’s fox father but I don’t remember how to spell it correctly lol) that the detailed backstory was written when Ban meet him again, but the name itself was mentioned back in Ban’s spinoff.

Back to the topic, I assume that whole Elizabeth’s flashback stuff (when she was Blackouted by Gowther and stood on the meadow and saw Meliodas or Estarossa it really depends your opinion) also serves a similar role here, that Nakaba used as a frame at that point and try to fill in details afterwards. It’s hard to say, to be honest, that Nakaba was trying to imply Estarossa is a goddess at the beginning as some people state in their theory.

(One of the interesting point I’m so fascinating with is that back in the day when Escanor’s magic proved to be one of The Grace, some fanboys were super mad towards Nakaba because they believe to make Sunshine as Sun is a downgrade to the mighty Escanor since the power itself not mysterious anymore and has its limitation, lol.)

It’s interesting to see Nakaba also share some additional foreshadowing on the whole Mael=Estarossa stuff (besides the goddess statue), including the one most people already know:

(Gowther looks like “I know everything” when Sariel and Tarmiel says they are going to take revenge on Estarossa)

And of course here is a more interesting one that I never saw people mentioned!

Translation:

- In Chapter 266, Estarossa used the skill “Killing Saucer” that is also used by Mael after he turn back.

Nakaba: At this time I’m 100% sure Estarossa would be Mael, so here I depict a skill Mael would use. That’s why this skill looks like the sun.

It does look like the sun after Nakaba points out!

Some part, however, is not the foreshadowing as expected (oops). People sometimes think Ludociel is referring to Mael when he held Elizabeth’s chin and says there are better people for you than Meliodas, and this usually connects with the fact that Estarossa does love Elizabeth, but at that time since Nakaba still thought Mael as a dead dead archangel, so this is not the case:

Translation:

- In Chapter 203, Ludociel says to Elizabeth that “There are better person who is suitable for you…”, does he mean Mael here?

Nakaba: Here it may or may not. At this time Ludociel thought Mael is dead, so he means as long as the person is not a demon, there are better people like Mael for Elizabeth.

It’s possible that Nakaba messed up again here as Ludociel tried to contact Nerobasta to call Mael over later in the story, but it’s more likely that as Nakaba stated, he once only thought Mael as a passed away archangel so here Ludociel is not referring to his sibling. Another Nakaba inconsistency wow.

One last thing, is there anyone who wants to see Mael using Rebellion?

Translation:

- In Chapter 177 Estarossa used Rebellion. Is that a skill that Mael know how to use, or is this specific for Estarossa?

Nakaba: I haven’t decided this yet, but it makes sense that he know how to use this from the very beginning if you think in this way that the seven swords are used to destroy the seven hearts a demon had.

But here rather than came up with some skill setting, what I want to focus on is the impact of the drawing. Instead of using one sword to stab and blood-splash seven times, I thought seven swords stabbing at a time would be more interesting. By the way, the name itself is a cultural reference to the movie Rebellion*.

*p.s. “Rebellion” is the Japanese title for the movie Equilibrium.

Hmm, maybe next time!

All pictures are from Nakaba’s interview book and if you are interested in you can get it here.

~ A Look Back in Nakaba POV series : 1 2

[random-yandere-fandom]

Hi! I'm not sure if you're still open to requests, but I'd like to try it out if you still are? My request would be for yandere hcs or letter for Estarossa/ Mael (or both). And thank you very much! Was really happy to find a yandere blog taking NNT requests!

Yeah, requests are open, I`m just a slow updater with low motivation. Either way, I`m happy the yandere potential of the Seven Deadly Sins characters is getting more attention, I was surprised how there aren`t many fanfics out there. I had fun writing this.

Yandere Mael/Estarossa Headcannons

Mael is clingy, protective and slightly possessive while Estarossa is so much more unhinged and delusional.

Mael was very lonely when he was younger, so he properly fell for you when you showed him kindness and befriended him, kinda like Elizabeth did.

Because of his loneliness he grew clingy, wanting to spend most of the time alone with you. He saw you as his sunshine, someone he could fully trust and who he didn`t want to disappoint. As such he would start to train more, showing of his skills more often than not.

Mael was always very powerful, so he didn`t really see a problem with bringing you along to the battlefield. If something happened he could just protect you, actually he hoped it would so that you would admire him and rely on him more. His view of demons was very warped back in the Holy War, so he probably wouldn`t understand if you found his way of merciless killing gruesome. If you establish that you don`t like how he fights, he`ll be hurt but he would only stop to bring you with him. To him, the demons they are at war with want to separate the two of you, which is an unforgivable sin even if the demons couldn`t care less about you. Also he will see your reaction as you being the only innocent one and that he`s the only one who can protect you. God have mercy on whoever hurts you because Mael surely won`t.

He is quite affectionate and loves hugging you from behind with his wings, it feeds into his delusion of protecting you. Mael would melt whenever you showed him any kind of affection, especially if you pet his hair (which I headcanon to be super soft).

His possessive nature causes him to seclude you from the others through guilt tripping, going on and on about how you`re the only one who truly cares about him and what do you mean, you wanted to spend time with someone else? He spend so much time on preparing whatever he wanted to do with you that day!

Now, at some point Maels memory will be manipulated and he will become Estarossa. That doesn`t mean he`ll forget about you, though. His memory of you being kind will only change in one way: his role. It doesn`t matter if you are a god/goddess, a giant or a fairy, or if you were already dating or not, from his point of view you two were lovers separated by the Holy War. He doesn`t even question how you got to know each other, all that matters is that you two are in love and that he has to find a way to get you somehow without you being put in harms way.

As Estarossa all of his yandere traits will worsen and he`ll be even more ready to kill whoever gets in his way. Before he couldn`t imagine scaring or even hurting you but that changed. While he is delusional and would never believe that he frightens you, he will now put you in harms way if it ensures that at the end of the day he has you alive in his arms.

I doubt he has the time to meet you as Estarossa before all demons get sealed off but rest assured knowing that he has spent 3000 years waiting to get to you.

I`m just gonna say that you lived those 3000 years somewhere quiet, mostly unbothered by what`s happening around you or helping the Sins along the way. Either way, when the seal is broken you`re somewhere far away from bigger civilisations. (Simply because it`s easier for me to write).

You can feel that the seal is broken and feel scared. After all to your knowledge Estarossa killed Mael, the most powerful person you ever knew, Mael had always shown you how powerful he was and proven it multiple times. Even if Mael annoyed you sometimes with how clingy he was, you probably still cared for him a lot so you do have a grudge against the demon.

The first thing Estarossa does is searching for your presence and upon coming up empty handed, he`ll feel extremely disappointed and frustrated. His delusional self won`t even consider that you died in those years he was locked away and everyone around him is glad about it. They`re scared that he`d take his anger and sadness out on them so they help the fellow demon with his search hoping to somehow make Estarossa calmer with you by his side.

After each search failed, the commandment will take this as a sign that you want him to win the war so you can live together, that you`re simply waiting for him and putting your trust into him. Nothing anyone can say or do will change this belief of his and he`ll do everything to get to this goal.

He will fail, because at the point of the plot where he would have kidnapped Elizabeth he will pick up on your energy, it`s clear that you`re trying to hide it but Estarossa knows it`s yours nonetheless. You probably had to flee somewhere were he would without your knowledge notice, seeing as demons are swarming the land and you don`t know he is searching for you.

When he finds you Estarossa will rush to you without warning and hug you, scaring the shit out of poor you. You will probably notice that he seems familiar in the way he moves and talks, especially when he mentions how much he missed you. Connecting the dots to who he really is will also make everyone else remember, the demon himself included which will make him extremely unhinged and desperate, not really knowing what to do but wanting to win this war. Because in the end, he still wants to live with you, be it as Mael or as Estarossa.

This will ensure chaos, Estarossa`s and Mael`s power mixing while he is having a crisis on whose side he should be, finally deciding that he should leave the decision to you. From that point on it`s really up to you, just don`t tell him that he should leave you alone. He`s really unhinged right now and wants to put his trust into you, the only person he thinks he can rely on.

[sullina]

Straw was unbalanced and accidentally fell practically onto Zeldris' lap before scrambling back with a yelp, still nervous about being so close to soem who, last they'd spoken, had been trying to kill him. He settled down next to him with Elizabeth foregoing her usual spot next to her father to sit on his other side in support. Baltra raised a brow at this, those two really have become considerably close.

Zeldris and Estarossa shared a glance eith each other, sensing both the tender support of Elizabeth and Straw's own fear.

"So uh... this is peppered dragon steak mixed in a mushroom and onion sauce" Zeldris pointed out as he plated Straw up, "it was... it was you're favorite before you left."

Meliodas looked at the dish that Zeldris... his younger brother... served him. "Dragon steak?" he asked, looking at Zeldris questioningly.

Estarossa explained. "We went hunting for food. We were all hungry after so long in the seal and figured you could do with some dragon meat, too. Or any food", he added, earning himself an annoyed look from Zeldris. When Esta looked Straw over, he could see how thin he was even in the rather baggy clothing he wore. The other commandments all silently agreed. After the fight before, when his clothes were practically shredded, they could almost clearly see his fucking ribs even with all the muscle he still had, which is alarming for just about any living being. But the fact that Straw was doing this to himself was extra alarming.

[valewright67]

Melizabeth Week, Day Two: Heaven/Hell - Heaven

Fair warning, this is an old one I wrote but never published. I wasn't sure what else to do for it. Also, I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes.

A bit of OOC with Ludociel

_-_-_-_-_

 "So where should we go first? Now that we're free from the curse. We agreed we'd travel, right? Sooo.... Any ideas?" Meliodas asked, leaning back against Elizabeth. His eyes were closed in bliss as he lay cradled in her arms, back to chest. She was leaning against the headboard on their bed. "Hm… Well, we could return to the celestial village? I've got my memories back now, and… well, that's the closest place to the goddess realm I can get. I'd like to visit. Fly around a land above the clouds once more."

He hummed and turned his head, nuzzling into her collarbone gently. "Sounds good to me. Should we invite any of the others?" Her eyes lit up. "That's a splendid idea! I'm sure Mael would like to visit a place like that too! Zeldris and Gelda as well!" She giggled. "We can invite the rest of the sins, but to be honest? I think they're pretty occupied."

True to her prediction, the sins all declined this time round, citing… alone time. (For Merlin and Gowther, that was literal. They just wanted to be left alone for awhile.) Mael was eager to come, for the same reasons Elizabeth had listed. Zeldris was reluctant, but Gelda convinced him, saying it'd be good for him and Meliodas to spend some quality time together, and she wished to discuss more with Elizabeth.  

By the time the group of five had arrived, the sun was almost rising. "Oh, the spring is refilled! Good, that's convenient! We could have flown, but it would’ve been irritating." Meliodas said. He leaned down by the water and tapped it gently, channeling his energy into opening the portal. An extra burst of goddess magic from Elizabeth by his side, and the familiar glow lit up the pool. He grinned and stood, looking to the other couple. "Zeldris, Gelda. After you."

The black haired demon sighed. "Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?" The blonde smirked. "Because it probably is. Have fun!" 

"...why do I ever trust you?" He grumbled, but dove into the pool anyways, quickly followed by Gelda. Elizabeth smiled at Mael. "You next." He nodded and went without complaint. Elizabeth after him, and Meliodas last, closing the portal behind him.

_-_-_-_-_

Zeldris blinked, adjusting the sudden darkness of the cave as Gelda broke the surface besides him. He swam out and pulled her with him. "Might as well take a look around. They'll be a minute." She nodded and the two walked out of the cave, into the sunlight. 

He almost gasped. The view was incredible. It was stifled though, when he felt a presence of light flying towards him. He was immediately on the defensive and enabled his hellfire with a snarl, whirling around to face the potential threat. 

Goddesses!

Wait… no. These didn't feel like Goddesses. Similar, but off. That's right, they're celestials. Apparently, descended from the heavenly beings who'd once been his mortal enemies. It was hard to remember that now, sometimes. That the war was over, and he had FRIENDS from the other side.

He held his hands up. "Wait, please, I mean you no harm, I swear it!" The bearded man holding a familiar feathered sword scowled. "Like we would believe you, demon! There's only one demon we've ever trusted, and that's not you!" 

Zeldris tried to speak, to explain that he was pretty sure he knew exactly who they were talking about, and that they had nothing to fear from him. “You mean Meliodas, right? I’m-” Before he could complete his sentence, however, the man held the sword up near his throat threateningly. "No lies will spill from your throat before blood, demon scum." Gelda snarled. "How DARE you threaten my husband, you IMPUDENT prick-"

"I am only defending my home from the likes of creatures like you!"

"Remove the sword from my husband's neck!"

"Absolutely not! Either of you make a move, and I slit his throat!"

"MELIODAS IS MY BROTHER!!!"

The man froze and stared at him, before scowling suddenly. "You lying scum-"

"Hey, hey, hey! How about we all calm down, now!" Mael said, emerging from the cave entrance, arms raised placatingly. "There's no need for figh…ting… is that my sword??" He gaped at it. "I haven't seen that thing in 3000 years! This is where it's been the whole time??" 

The Celestials didn't say a word, too stunned at the sudden appearance of a GODDESS, when they were supposed to be wiped out. And not only a goddess, but apparently the first wielder of their most sacred sword. He shook his head. "Um, well anyways. My names Mael, I'm one of the four archangels. That's Zeldris and Gelda. They're not gonna hurt you, the five of us just came for for visit."

"Five? Where's the other two?" By now a small crowd had gathered. The trio blinked as a small blonde man, looking eerily like Meliodas, were it not for the wings on his back, walked forwards. A woman looking near identical to Elizabeth by his side. Mael blinked and smiled. "I'd think they were right in front of me, if I didn't know any better, but they should be here in just a moment. They came through the portal last."

The two exchanged looks. Did he mean…? "Yo, Solaad!" Sure enough, the blonde demon who'd saved them during the time of ruin came up through the cave. "Why are you all terrorizing Zelly?" (A scowl at the nickname was directed at him, but he just smirked at the younger.) "He won't hurt anyone, I promise."

"Hello, Elatte. And everyone else too! It has been quite a long while, hasn't it?" Elizabeth spoke, walking up behind Meliodas with her wings folded neatly against her back.

…wait.

Wings??

"Meliodas? E-Elizabeth? Since when did you get WINGS??" Solaad asked. Elatte glanced at the older man. "Sir Zoria, please drop the sword, Meliodas himself said that this man means no harm."

Elizabeth gave a soft smile. "It's complicated. I've always had them, in a way, as I was born a goddess in my first life. But I was cursed by the demon king to reincarnate as a human for the rest of time, and if I should ever get my memories back, I would die in three days." She fluttered her wings gently. "We managed to break the curse, after 3000 years and 107 lifetimes."

"...who's 'we?' And why did the demon king curse you, what did you DO??" Zoria asked. She laughed. "Well. His firstborn son and I fell in love." She gestured to Meliodas, who had drifted over to Zeldris and thrown an arm over his shoulder, apparently teasing him in demon tongue, much to the younger's displeasure. Zeldris was almost visibly bristling, and his face was red.

“Meliodas is the son the demon king??” Solaad almost yelled, gaining the two demons' attention. “I mean, yes?” Meliodas said, arm still around Zeldris’s shoulders. “Though the previous demon king is dead now, we killed pops. I’m not exactly the current demon king's son.”

Mistress Vaness hobbled forwards. “Who could possibly have the power necessary to take the place of a god?” Meliodas and Zeldris blinked, looked at each other and back at her. “We share the burden.” They said together. She gaped. “You mean…?” They smirked. “Yep! Zeldris is my younger brother. We have the same blood, which makes it easier to share the role of demon king.” 

“Meli is, technically, the stronger by default. But we split the demon king's power and influence 50/50. He just had a more powerful base. Not by much though.” Zeldris added on. 

Meliodas ruffled his hair fondly, and Zeldris swatted him off, retreating to Gelda’s side.  The blonde laughed and drifted back over towards Elizabeth. Mael was just. There. He was still looking at the sword. “Where did you all even get that?” He asked, baffled. The Celestials all exchanged looks and Elatte smiled at him. Solaad took the sword. “Come, we will show you.” They took off and flew down towards a temple. The group followed them.

Elatte gestured up at the magnificent murals. "The legend says that 3,000 years ago, a dark haired goddess in flowing robes accompanied the great Oshiro when Sealing away the demons on our island. He gave us the sword right before his body was spent."

She pointed to a section along the side. “All he said was: ‘I cannot bear to look at this blade any longer. Perhaps it will protect you all better than it did my brother.’ And then he was gone, simple as that. We have passed it down, generation to generation. It is because of Solaad figuring out that it could be used to seal away demons that we are all still alive.”

Mael flew up towards the mural, gazing at the depiction of the goddess. “His name was Ludociel. He was my older brother. There was a forbidden spell cast that changed the memories of everyone in the world, including that of the gods. It made it seem as though I had been killed by Estarossa, one of three demon princes. In reality, Estarossa never existed. I was transformed into him, and false memories were implanted in everyone’s head, including mine. I had no idea that I was actually Mael.” He gave a small smile. “The memories are all still there, though. It is strange. I am both Mael of Sunshine, one of the four archangels, younger brother to Ludociel of Flash. And also, I’m Estarossa, second of the three demon princes, Commandment of Love. It is… strange. I don’t fit in anywhere anymore. Not really.”

Meliodas and Zeldris exchanged glances and flew up next to him. “Mael.” Zeldris started, quietly. “For a moment in time, even without the false memories, you were still our brother.” Meliodas grinned. “Yeah! You may not be Estarossa, but, like you said, he never existed in the first place. He was made up. But you are Mael, and we may as well count you as our brother. Even if you did kill me.” He smirked and the goddess gave a strained chuckle. “Thank you.” He murmured, drifting back down to the ground. Meliodas slapped his shoulder, and Zeldris nudged his side in an unspoken display of commadry. 

He turned and looked to Solaad. “The sword belongs to your people now, I accept that. But… Would you permit me to wield it once more?” The blonde nodded and held the sword out to him. He took it gratefully, feeling the familiar weight of it. He twisted it around, reacquainting himself with it.

He walked outside into the clearing and took a deep breath, centering himself. He thrust the sword up towards the sun, channeling its energy, and he spoke. “Huius bring animam suam. Iterum ego volo loqui cum eo.” The sword lit up, and a beam of light shot out of it. He grunted. “Permitte mihi vedere!” He removed a hand and pointed it forward. The beam of light connecting him to the sun moved through him and flowed out of his hand. A silhouette started to form, flickering. He pushed his hand a little bit farther forward, and more light and magic poured out of him. “Emerge.”

The silhouette solidified. A goddess stood there, blinking and looking confusedly at his hands and then around him. His eyes landed on Mael, and then the stream of light that flowed to him and formed his body. A glimmer of understanding crossed his face, and he looked back up, meeting his brother's gaze.

“Mael… Hello, little brother. What are you doing?” He smiled kindly. Mael gave him a slightly strained grin. “Hi Ludociel. I missed you, I wanted to see you again.” The dark haired goddess softened a little and walked forward, caressing the side of his face. “I have missed you too, all these years. You cannot keep this up for long, however. Manifesting a soul takes up a lot of magic, and you’re going to burn yourself out.” Mael leaned into his palm. “I know, but… my sword… I can channel more magic through it, and I just. I needed to talk to you again. I needed to tell you how sorry I was, Luce...” 

He shushed him. “None of that, Mael. There is nothing to forgive. You’re my little brother, and I love you. I understand.” He glanced around again. “So you made your way to the Celestial’s island. I remember giving them your sword. I couldn’t stand seeing it without you there everyday. I just wanted to get rid of it. I’m a little impressed they’ve kept it in such good shape all these years. Heaven knows most of the rest of our weapons were damaged or destroyed over the centuries.”

Mael wobbled a little, and Ludociels image faded. His hand was clasped on his older brother's shoulder, channeling the magic directly into him. He grunted and forced himself to straighten, Ludociel’s body solidifying again. He gave him a sad smile. “You have to let me go, Mael. Before you hurt yourself.” “No! I’m not, I’m not done talking to you yet, there’s so much I need to say!” He grunted again, the magic taxing on him. Ludociel was about to force him to stop, when two beams of pure magical energy hit his back, reinvigorating him. He turned to look, and Zeldris and Meliodas were lending their power to him. 

“He’s our brother too, in a way.” Meliodas said. Zeldris finished the thought. “He deserves to get to talk to you, after everything.” With the extra influx of magic, Ludociels form started to glow. He could almost feel his body again. Elizabeth walked forwards. “Ludociel… I can do this for you, at least.” He blinked, almost surprised to see her here. She pressed one hand over his forehead, and another over his chest. She inhaled deeply, eyes closed. On the exhale, she spoke. “Revertere ad vita.” His eyes widened. Return to life. 

Her hands glowed with a brilliant light, and he could feel a true body forming around him. She groaned, drawing on her reserves. Gelda scowled and whirled around to the celestials. “You all have light magic! Give her some of yours!”

They were frozen, but Elatte stepped forwards and lifted her hands, pointing at Elizabeth’s back. “All of our power into one! Heal!” A beam of green light shot out of her hands and into Elizabeth. The other celestials were quick to follow her example.

She gathered the influx of energy and pushed it into him. A blinding light filled the clearing, and when it faded, Ludociel was actually there, kneeling on the ground, naked as the day he was born. Though, Elizabeth supposed that made sense, considering he had just been reborn, in a way. Mael dropped the sword and stumbled forward, clinging to him tightly. Ludociel hugged him back. 

“...May I please have something to cover up with?” He asked. Mael laughed and took off the topcoat of his robe, wrapping it around him. Ludociel buttoned it up, silently thanking that it was long, and reached to his ankles.

Mael stood, and helped him to his feet, the two leaning on each other for support. Meliodas had already gathered Elizabeth up, and was holding her while she regained her energy. The two murmured gently back and forth. Gelda and Zeldris were doing the same not too far away.

"Mael…" He started. "Thank you, little brother." The light haired goddess grinned and leaned in to hug him once more. "I missed you, big brother." Ludociel smiled and stroked his hair. "We can talk later. For now, let's just enjoy the moment."

"Elizabeth… How did you do that? Even with all of our energy, we cannot bring someone back to life. So how is that with you performing the spell, it was successful?" Solaad asked, picking up the sword. She smiled a little. "I honestly had no idea that would work. I hoped, of course, but I had no way of knowing for sure."

Ludociel barked out a tired laugh. "You are far too modest, Lady Elizabeth." He turned to the gathered celestials. "She is more powerful than even I or Mael are at our strongest, when she wishes to be. Her healing powers far surpass even the best of our other healers. She is able to remove the darkness from even Indura’s, and has done so before, purifying two Indura demons at the same time. Her formal title is Elizabeth Lightbringer." He gave a small smirk as he added on one more tidbit of information. "Daughter of the Supreme Deity."

Gasps echoed through the crowd, and Elizabeth sighed. "Please, it's really not that big of a deal-" "But it is, Elizabeth." Mael said, with a brilliant smile. "Of the goddesses, you are second in power and ability only to your mother. In the rest of the world. Well. You married your equal." He nodded his head at Meliodas, who returned it with a smirk. 

The two brothers walked off, shooting the crowd and, specifically, the demons and Elizabeth, grateful smiles. Meliodas clapped and rubbed his hands, wings taking shape on his back. "I'm hungry. I'll catch a sky fish, and you'll teach me how to cook one. Deal? Deal!" He flung off the ground and Elizabeth bristled, bolting after him. "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO COOK, YOU'LL POISON US!!" He just cackled. 

[nanaminsonyfans]

✨🦋Yandere Gloxinia🦋✨

Masterlist ✨ Request Rules

Request; Can I order hcs sfw and nsfw for Yandere Gloxinia with fem so?

A/N; yesyes of course. would you like it 🅱️🅾️NELESS too? I with a chocolate milkshake? Im kidding, just yes, lets rock and roll buckeroo!

Pairing; Yandere!Gloxinia x Fem!Reader

Warning; Yandere, nsfw, sfw, degrading, squirting, manipulation

{gif not mine}

SFW

When Gloxinia first saw you, he was starstruck, how could some feeble human look so beautiful?

Granted you were a Mage, Merlin’s younger sister, so you tagged along with the Sins, which brought you to where you were now.

You met the former Fairy King at their little contest that Meliodas wanted to go too.

Gloxinia stole you, taking you away from the group. 

“My my, what a beautiful specimen.” He purred while running his index finger down your jawline to your collarbone.

You were shocked to say the least.

“Gloxinia, don’t tease the human.” Drole stated rather dryly.

Skipping forward to after Estarossa “kills” Meliodas, Gloxinia has you with him while him and Drole hide out from the rest of the commandments

He is an aggressive and possessive yandere.

You do not leave his sight, if you try to sneak away you will be punished

Gloxinia is a sadist, he takes so much pleasure in hurting you

“Aw, is the pretty human crying~” He would taunt, never bruising your face. Didn’t want to ruin such beauty.

He ends up finally breaking you down and manipulated into loving him, thinking you couldn’t live or be without him.

NSFW

As I mentioned before, he is a sadist.

Gloxinia is rough with you, expect degrading, choking, hair pulling, etc.

He did those things in a pleasurable way though. 

“You’re such a slut for a cock huh? Little cum slut~” 

He whispers dirty things to you and uses you as a cockwarmer when he’s bored

Gloxinia’s nimble fingers will rub your clit almost strategically when ever he used you as a cockwarmer

Orgasm denial is a huge kink of his but when he finally lets you cum you see spots.

“Gloxinia- Please~” You whine, grinding yourself against his fingers

“Not yet love~ You don’t get to cum until I fucking say so.” He growls into your ear, his hot breath against your bare neck made you shiver and your walls clench around his cock

After ten minutes of this going he finally says, “Cum.”

The build up was fucking worth it. You finally felt the heat in your stomach dial down

You felt a wetness between your legs, much more than usually

Oh shit he made you squirt.

“You’re a disgusting mess.” Gloxinia grumbled and licked the cum off of his fingers.

“Do it again.”

[thestarrynightgazer]

Love and Salvation XXIV

*skips more fight scenes so I can do the god damn ending* it will probably end up ilogical but I can't draw poses to save my life.

after all the rewrites, redraws, additions and removals of pages and here is!

Hear me crying.

@galfridus1 there won't be a 'next' link on the next update anymore... 😭😭😭

☆First

☆Previous

☆Finale

[moonsofmars-writes]

The seed of a promise

Fandom: 七つの大��� - 鈴木��� | Nanatsu no Taizai | The Seven Deadly Sins - Suzuki Nakaba (Anime & Manga) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Diane & Fairy King Harlequin Characters: Fairy King Harlequin, Diane, Ludociel, Gerheade, Helbram, Elaine Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, War, Death, Blood and Injury, Nothing is graphic, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Hopeful Ending, Pre-Relationship

Summary: In a world where the Holy War didn’t end with Elizabeth and Meliodas, where Mael never became Estarossa, a final battle has just been fought.

The Holy War is finally over.

As the victors gather and the vanquished are chased and finished, the young Fairy King tries to find a way to prevent yet another tragedy - and ends up finding an ally in an unexpected place.

Notes: I've been wondering for a while what would have happened if Gowther's plan hadn't worked and Demons and Goddesses had kept fighting and this is what I managed to come up with! Since it's me, King and Diane are also here - with a whole lot of drama.

Please, enjoy!

There is blood on his hands and his clothes, on his wings and his hair. It makes his jacket heavy and his skin unpleasantly slick. Harlequin can’t bring himself to care right now.

The battle is over, yet he keeps flying over the field, eyes darting from a corpse to the other, studying the survivors as they make their way through the craters and bodies that cover the ground. Most of them walk silently, looking around as if they just woke up from a dream; others are frantic and turn their heads left and right, calling out names and getting no answer.

Harlequin doesn’t call but still searches. The knot in his stomach starts loosening only when he finally catches a glimpse of Elaine on the ground, standing among some human soldiers, alive and apparently unarmed. He is too distant to see her expression when she looks up at him, but he can read her heart as she can read his and what he reads is relief and exhaustion and grief. Later, when they’ll be home, they’ll find each other to whisper words of loss and comfort, or maybe they’ll just rest together, shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand, as they did when they were younger. Right now, they both have other matters to take care of.

Minutes later, Helbram waves at him, a tired grin on his face. He is floating over the remains of a burned tree surrounded by a group of Fairies, to whom he soon returns to give orders. Harlequin doesn’t approach them and heads forward, feeling relieved that his best friend is fine. He knows he can leave this part to him; after all, Helbram has been his first in command for years. He knows perfectly how to handle the aftermath of a battle.

Gerheade is the next. His advisor looks tired, there is a cut on her cheek and bruises on her left arm, but the purple blood staining her dress isn’t hers. “We are still not sure about the number,” she says after a quick bow. They have done this countless times before, and she knows exactly what he wants to know. “For now, the reports indicate that more than five hundred have fallen. The wounded we have found are being taken care of by the Goddesses. I’ll personally check how many won’t be able to fly back on their own.”

Harlequin nods, clasping his hands behind his back. More than five hundred have died today. He expected a high number, considering that they have battled for hours; he still feels sick. More than five hundred Fairies won’t return to the Fairy King’s Forest alive, five hundred people who trusted him, followed him, and he failed to protect. Deep down, he knows it could have gone worse. If they had lost this battle, he doubts many would have left the field alive, and their home would have been next. Had they lost here, his entire Clan would have eventually been wiped away by the enemy.

Still. Five hundred. He swallows hard and sighs, “Give the order to gather the bodies. We are taking them home.”

Gerheade frowns, a question on her lips, but she holds it back when she meets his eyes. “As you wish, my king.” They have never collected such a large amount of bodies from the battlefield, and it will take hours to find them all and bring them back to the Fairy King’s Forest. It doesn’t matter. He couldn’t protect them, but this doesn’t mean he will abandon them. They deserve this, at least.

His next task is a little more bothersome but necessary. Tomorrow morning there will be an official meeting for the leaders of Stigma, but he doesn’t want to leave before checking on the Goddesses.

Read on AO3

As he flies, Harlequin’s gaze turns to the east. That’s where the Demons came from, where the Demon King opened a portal from the Demon Realm to bring most of his army to Britannia. He is fairly sure that the portal collapsed when the Demon King died, destroyed by the hand of the Supreme Deity; still, many Demons flew in that direction when they realized the battle was lost as if in a last attempt to save their life. That’s where the Goddesses warriors have followed them, too.

In the distance, Harlequin can see figures battling in the air, he can see smoke rising from the ground and flashes of light against the darkening blue of the sky. Inside, he feels nothing but exhaustion. Driven by the euphoria following their victory, some Fairies have tried to chase after the Demons too, yelling menaces and obscenities. He stopped them, of course. He has no rule over the other Clans, but he does over his people and he decided that today, no other Fairy will die and no other Fairy will kill.

Briefly, he wonders if there are still Giants standing with the Demons. So many kept fighting until the very end, even after their leader Matrona was killed, but it’s hard to believe that not even one gave up to fear and tried to save themselves at last. As he stares at the fight that still consumes in the distance, Harlequin feels as his bowels have turned into stone. Even if they had tried to escape, they are probably being killed right now. And all of that, because the Giant Clan chose to side with the Demons.

The thought leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, so he decides to push it away and focus on his task. There is nothing he can do for the Giants right now. And at least, even though he knows he is being selfish, he is relieved he doesn’t sense her power over there. Perhaps it’s because she is already dead, but right now, Harlequin allows himself to hope.

He finds Ludociel hovering high in the sky, giving orders to a small group of Goddesses. “Ah, Fairy King,” he welcomes him with his usual smile, gesturing at his soldiers to go. Some bow and fly away, others stay close, hands tight around their weapons, watching carefully their surroundings. Ludociel’s guards. Stigma’s victory has been overwhelming today, but they are obviously not going to let their guard down anytime soon.

Ludociel pays no attention to them as he turns towards Harlequin. There are stains of dirt and dry blood on his feathers, yet his cape is immaculate, so white it hurts his eyes; he probably changed it as soon as the battle was over. “I see your army is preparing to retreat.”

“My people need rest,” Harlequin says, eyes wandering over the few Goddesses around them, over their tattered clothes and bruised skin. “As does yours.”

“We will get to it,” Ludociel dismisses the problem with a wave of his hand. “As soon as our enemies are gone for good.”

There is something in his tone that makes Harlequin’s hands twitch. “Most of the Demon warriors have died today,” he says slowly, “The Demon King is gone. All his Commandments are gone.” He took some of them down himself. Even the Demon King’s son fell, overpowered by the magic of the Archangels. “Isn’t it enough?”

Ludociel hums. “The most of the work is done, undoubtedly. However, we can’t know for sure how many Demons are left in the Demon Realm unless we don’t verify.” His voice is sweet as honey, it clashes unpleasantly with the cold implication of his sentence.

“We both know that the ones left in the Demon Realm are mostly civilians, Ludociel. Will you slaughter them too? Even the ones who cannot fight? Even their children?”

There is a moment of pause, as Ludociel studies him, tilting his head, his expression unchanged. “We will do what’s necessary,” he finally says. “We don’t want anything like this to happen again, don’t we?”

It takes an effort not to react to the veiled threat in his words, but Harlequin knows this game well; he won’t offer Ludociel anything, especially not a sign of weakness. “What about the Giants?” He asks instead.

Ludociel paints regret in his expression like a skilful painter. “They will be taken care of too. They are traitors, and as such they will be considered.” He slightly shakes his head, “Such a shame, don’t you think?”

This time, Harlequin doesn't hold back. “I don’t think it’s wise to pursue them more. They have lost many lives today, and they lost their chief. They will not be a threat anytime soon.”

“Ah, still nostalgic of the times they were our allies, young king?”

“I just believe,” he answers coldly, “that the relationships among our Clans will run more smoothly if they’ll see us show mercy. The Giants they left behind today are but their youngsters and mothers with children - they knew this battle was decisive. Are you truly planning to exterminate them all?”

“What I’m planning to do is to find them and ensure that we won’t get another unpleasant surprise. Stigma will decide about their fate.” The Archangel shakes his head again, and this time a faint smile appears on his lips. “You are too young to remember clearly about their treason, I’m afraid. We won’t show their warriors more mercy than what they showed us, and about the others … there is time, now. The humans will want to have their say too.”

There is no point in discussing this now. Harlequin feels the gaze of the other Goddesses on him, the resolution radiating from Ludociel’s heart, and suddenly, he feels incredibly exhausted. “Very well,” is what he forces out of his mouth, “We will speak about this tomorrow.”

“Indeed,” Ludociel hums before looking away, as to imply that Harlequin is dismissed. Perhaps it’s the exhaustion, both physical and emotional, but this time his arrogance doesn’t touch the Fairy King. He leaves without another word and flies down, towards the scarred ground.

Giant, Fairy, Demon and Goddesses’ magic destroyed this plain. Rocky spurs rise wrapped in vines among still fuming craters, and wherever his eyes can reach hundreds, thousands of bodies are scattered. Harlequin would want to look away, for once. He is so tired of death.

And that’s exactly why he forces himself to keep looking. He is tired of death, and he won’t let anyone else die in this war if he can help it. He already looked before, but now he has to make sure that her body isn’t among the fallen. Could have she fled? It hurts to realize that he can’t be sure she didn’t. The person he needs right now, the person who could help him prevent another bloodshed, inhabits his memories as the ghost of a gentle child who offered him friendship when life was easier and Fairies and Giants were allies. Even though he has seen her later, again and again, on too many battlefields, the first image that comes to his mind when he thinks of her is from their past.

Eyes shining in the light of dusk, a finger raised to make a vow.

“We will be friends forever! Like Drole and Gloxinia!”

Warmth tinges his cheeks with red as he raises his finger too.

“We will. I promise!”

He is rewarded with a bright smile that outshines the sun itself.

The smile on Harlequin’s face is now bitter. It didn’t last long, their promise - the promise of two kids from two different clans that thought that war could never harm them. After all, Gloxinia used to tell him that the Fairies and the Giants had been close for centuries, that their bond would have never faded. He also used to smile and tell him not to worry about him when he left for a battle because he was the king of the Fairies and he would have always come back to his people.

Gloxinia had been wrong about many things.

They had died together, he and Drole, the king of Giants, during a battle so dreadful that Fairies and Goddesses still refused to talk about it. They had died and they had left their Clans in chaos, one lost without a guide and the other thrown in the hands of a young Fairy with too little knowledge of the world outside his forest. As new Fairy King, Harlequin had chosen to remain loyal to the Stigma and the Fairies had followed him, while the Giants had forged a new alliance, one with the monster who was able to defeat their king in combat. The Demon King himself. It was usual for the Giants to follow the strongest, but this didn’t make their betrayal less hurtful.

Harlequin had come to terms with it years before, but he had been unable to forget about his promise to the young Giant girl who had been his best friend when their Clans were allies and he was nothing more than a simple Fairy Gloxinia had taken under his wing. When he saw her again, after years of training and clashes, she was a warrior under the direct command of Matrona, and she danced ballets of death and destruction.

He could never bring himself to face her. He focused on other enemies, turning his back on her, hoping that she would do the same. Even though they had been enemies way longer than they had been friends, he couldn’t help but fear the day he would have found her dead body on the battlefield. She was a tie to a past he missed terribly, a tie he simply didn’t want to cut because once gone, it would have been lost forever.

Until now, she survived, and there is a part of him that refuses to give up just yet. It takes effort to use his magic after he used so much for the battle, but he grits his teeth and flies faster, trying to detect any sign of her power. Even a crumble would be enough, to at least tell him that she lives.

Long minutes later, as he flies over a small crater that seems to brim with corpses, he halts in mid-air; it wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t known what to look for, but there is a presence - distant, feeble, like a spark among ashes. Harlequin turns his head towards the wood that skirts the battlefield at North. It hasn’t been spared by the battle, not completely, but many trees are still standing. It wouldn’t be a bad place to hide.

After ensuring that no one is watching him, Harlequin flies lower, swerving among the debris, and fastly approaches the wood, following the trace of magic. It becomes stronger as he enters the tree lines, and with it, his heart pounds faster and his bowels knot. That’s when the traces of blood appear, with the obvious signs of someone passing among these branches, breaking the frail wood. From there, it’s not hard to find her.

When he finally sees her, she is lying with her back against a tree, the broken handle of a war hammer in her hand. Her eyes are on him as soon as he emerges from the branches, studying him from under dirty brown hair. Her expression hardens, but she stays still, waiting for him to reach her.

It’s not that bad, he thinks as he examines her injuries while slowly flying towards her. Her left leg seems to be broken and her face is scratched and swollen, and fresh blood soaks her clothes coming from dozens of cuts on her arms and shoulders, but she is a Giant and he saw Giants survive way worse than this. The thought doesn’t stop his heart from sinking in his gut. He can’t leave her like this.

He halts mere feet from her, distant enough not to make her feel threatened - or so he hopes - but close enough to speak with her. But as her violet eyes bury into his soul, he finds himself at a loss of words. Here is the child who used to play tag with him, who smiled when he gave her flowers and danced with him in the bright days of summer. Here is the child who told him she loathed violence so much she would have rather abandoned her own Clan than fight this war. The child who would have wanted to use her dance to build, rather than to destroy. He would have liked to live in a world where her wish had come true.

“Have you come to finish me?”

Her voice, weak but firm, feels cold as ice on his skin. His expression doesn’t change, though - he has been practising his self-control for too long to let it slip, how deep her words wound him.

Not once in the past years, when they saw each other on the battlefield, she has shown a sign of recognizing her childhood friend, and still now that they are finally facing each other, her expression is a mask of stone and mistrust. Has she really forgotten about him? Does she truly believe he would go after her just to kill her?

“I haven’t,” he hurries to answer as he lifts his hand; when the green light of Pollen Garden surrounds her, the Giant hisses and pulls back, pressing her back against the trunk, then freezes and watches with wide eyes as the luminescent pollen rains over her, closing her wounds and welding her bones. When she returns her gaze on him, it’s filled with wonder and confusion.

“The Goddesses are chasing the warriors who fled the battlefield,” Harlequin says, “but they won’t attack the Giants who didn’t participate, not today.” With another movement of his hand, his Spirit Spear disappears. “You should be able to come back to your home before them. Matrona is dead, but you were her second in command. They will follow you, and you have to take them away. Leave Megadozer and hide somewhere until the Goddesses and the Humans’ bloodthirst has quenched. This war lasted far too long and too many have been hurt. Even though I don’t think they all are willing to harm civilians, the situation could easily escalate, and I doubt that I … that anyone would be able to stop it.”

Her eyes darken but she nods. She knows as well they won’t make it easy for the Giants. Slowly, she stands, until her face is at the same level as his, her stare fixed on him. There’s a part of Harlequin that is tempted to use his heart reading powers to know what she is thinking now, but as usual, he suppresses it. Heart reading is as natural as breathing for him and helped him so many times, but it can be a double-edged sword. Besides, they aren’t fighting - it would be rude .

“Why are you doing this?”

He should expect her next question, but it still floors him, leaving him silent and still as he thinks about the right words to use.

“The Giants betrayed you,” she insists. “We killed so many among the Fairies. And yet you are here, helping me, giving me the chance to help my people. I want to know why.”

He hesitates another moment before speaking, staring back into her eyes. “I have never wanted to see the Giants annihilated, and I’m tired of slaughters. Our Clans hurt each other enough and you don’t pose a threat for us anymore. I hope that under your guidance, the Giants will follow a new path, one that will allow them to coexist with the other Clans again, once the wounds this war left will start to heal.”

“My guidance? Have you seen me?” He is taken aback by the bitterness in her voice. “There is so much blood on my hands. I’m no more than a murder, Fairy King. What makes you think that I will make the Giant follow the path of peace?”

“Because you never wanted this.” The words slip from his mouth before he can stop them, and they are met by shock flourishing on her face. With a sigh, Harlequin continues, folding his hands in front of him not to move them nervously. “You don’t take pleasure from fighting and killing, nor you have reasons to continue this war. We all have done what we had to, Diane, and we all will answer to the consequences by ourselves. But I believe that now that you have the chance to do what’s right, you will take it.”

She gasps at the mention of her name and watches him in awe. He expects her to question him now, to yell at him to get out of her head, as they all do when they think he is reading their hearts. But again, she surprises him. “You … you remember me,” she whispers, covering her mouth with a hand. “Don’t you, Harlequin?”

Breath stops in his throat. “I - of course I do, how could have I forgotten? You were my best friend.” He swallows, his hands clenching around each other. “I thought you didn’t remember me.”

“I thought you didn’t remember me!” She shakes her head, “I spent years stuck in Megadozer, training for the war, hoping that when they’d let me out, I could at least see you again. But the first time I met you on the battlefield, you didn’t even look at me. You never even tried to talk to me.”

“I kept my distance because I didn’t want us to be forced to fight. I couldn’t have brought myself to hurt you,” he admits.

“I couldn’t have either, I wouldn’t have. I thought you didn’t recognize me - or you simply didn’t remember me.”

“I’m sorry,” he mutters, “You didn’t say anything either. I thought it had simply been too long since we were friends. Besides, I ... changed quite a bit, since then.”

Diane raises a brown, examining him. “You’ll have to do way more than growing a pair of wings for me not to recognize you.”

Harlequin can’t stop an astounded laugh, “Is that so?”

“Absolutely,” she snorts. “Though … I didn’t expect the hair.” For the first time since forever, he sees her lips curve into a smile. It’s surprising, how much he missed it. “No,” she continues, shaking her head, “I was afraid of what would have happened if I had confronted you. It’s not just your appearance, your entire attitude changed since we were kids. I thought that even if I had reminded you about our friendship, I couldn’t be sure about your reaction. You could have not cared about it anyway.”

“Diane, I’m so sorry. If I had known, I …” Truth to be told, he isn’t sure what he would have done. Reconnected with her? While they were on the opposite sides of a war? There was no way it would have worked smoothly.

“I’m sorry too,” she says softly, “I’ve missed you.”

A shiver travels through his body. “And I, you.” There is so much he would want to ask, so much he would want to tell her. She is Diane, his best friend, yet she has changed so much and he thinks he would want to know better the person she became. But there is no time. The sun is going to set soon. “If you want to go home, you should go now,” he says quietly, “Before someone finds us.”

She heaves a sigh and nods, looking down. “I know,” she says as sadness obscures the light in her eyes. “They’ll be waiting for news.”

As are the Fairies he left in the safety of the Fairy King’s Forest. Harlequin will have to do the same himself, later; he will have to look at his people and tell them about the losses they suffered today. There have been so many battles in this bloody war, but this part never got easier. “I’m sorry,” he says again, even though he isn’t sure what he is apologizing for. “If things were different, I’d want you to come with me. I would be able to keep you safe in the Fairy Realm, not even the Supreme Deity can come there without my permission. But …”

“I can’t leave the others behind,” Diane finishes, shaking her head. “I’ll find a way to keep everyone safe. Thank you, Harlequin. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for this.”

“I do.”

Her stunned expression would be funny if it wasn’t for the way her body tenses and her hand clenches around the remains of her hammer. A few minutes of reconciliation can’t cancel years of war, he bitterly thinks as he hurries to explain, “I want things to change between our Clans. I know it will be difficult and things will probably never be like they were before, but I want us to stop fighting and to be on good terms, at least. And I hope you can help me with this.”

It takes her some moments to answer. “I’d like that, too,” she admits. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to change their minds. Giants are raised to be warriors, and fighting for our honour is supposed to be our reason to live. Some will want revenge. But … I’ll try to - I'll find a way. I won’t let them throw their lives away like this and I won’t let them stain their hands with blood”. Something new shines in her eyes when she looks at him, “I promise.”

“Thank you,” he answers, letting a relieved smile curve his lips. “And I promise you that I’ll do the same. No harm will come to you from my people, as long as I breathe.”

This is so different from the promise they made each other so long ago - for once, they do not seal it with their pinkies - yet he can’t help but feel a little bit nostalgic; there is something in Diane’s expression that makes him believe she feels it too. There is no time to evoke images of a past long gone, though, and so she nods and moves away, her walk as swift as before the battle.

Before she disappears between the trees, she turns around one last time to look at him. It’s hard to read the mix of emotion in her eyes, but despite the curiosity, Harlequin avoids reading her heart. He smiles, instead. And she smiles back, just for a moment.

Then, she is gone.

When Harlequin comes back to the battlefield, his Fairies have been gathered and are working on finding a way to bring the bodies of their fallen back home. Humans are going back to their settlement, and in the distance, he sees a few Goddesses preparing to return to the Celestial Realm. The air is still filled with anguish and mourning, but something else smoulders in the hearts of the survivors, a sense of excitement that Harlequin knows will rise to the surface tonight, when celebrations will be held all around Britannia. If just for a few hours, people will try to forget about what the future holds for them, to finally allow themselves to live free of the shadow of the war.

As he lands among the Fairies, as he solemnly nods to their tired bows, Harlequin wonders when he will be able to do the same. For others, the war is over, but he knows his allies too well to think the peace after this war will be easy. If Diane manages to hide her people away, Ludociel won’t be happy, nor will the human kings. They will want answers and will search the entire country for them.

But there is something that makes the morrow look a little bit easier; it’s the promise of a different future, the seed of an agreement he just planted alongside with a Giant girl.

So Harlequin holds his head up and breathes in deeply, feeling like part of the weight on his shoulders has been finally lifted; then, he gets ready to lead his people home.

[rhetorical-ink]

Rhetorical Ink Reviews: Seven Deadly Sins, Season Two/Three

** SINFUL SPOILERS BELOW **

My younger brother and I continue our journey with “sibling streaming” and watching the Seven Deadly Sins. My brother convinced me to skip the four OVA’s that Netflix refers to as “season two,” because he said they were mostly filler, and knows I’m not a fan of filler anime. So, with that said, we dived into the next season! Here are -- 

My Top Ten Thoughts on Seven Deadly Sins, Season Two Three: 

10. Okay, so right off the bat -- if you had told me Hendrickson, the main villain of our last season, was immediately going to be back in the show, AND turn heel and join forces with the SDS and Holy Knights AND be a relevant part of the show...I would not have believed you. It’s one of the aspects about the season I do enjoy -- little surprises like that. I also like, despite being confused as to how it happened, that Hendrickson is placed in charge of Dreyfus’s son, who’s mysteriously reverted to a child-like state. It’s a nice visual and connection for those two characters, especially since Dreyfus has been possessed and unleashed arguably the best part of the season:

9. The Ten Commandments. I find it interesting that normally anime pit player vs player on even terms; though here, its 10 vs 7 really. I am a big fan of the weird designs of these characters. I’m not a fan of “little miss resurrection” above, but her plot line does lead to some interesting moments (detailed below), but I DO get a HUGE laugh out of her being charred for a short period when she returns later on in the season. It was a very satisfying moment. 

In terms of my favorites, the pairs of Estarossa and Zeldrus are very cool, especially being Meliodas’s “brothers,” but probably my favorite duo is the Jesse/James “Team Rocket” equivalent that is Monspeet and Derieri. Monspeet’s suaveness is sooo deliciously villainous, especially in contrast to his counterpart’s aggressiveness. The group proves to be menacing as a whole and a nice villainous “squad” to take on our  SDS group.

8. Ban’s utter devotion and love for Elaine has been one of my favorites in the series, and this second season has really upped the ante for how much I love their characters. King’s return to the Fairy Kingdom and Ban’s protection of Elaine was beautiful, and then we have “little miss resurrection” trying to revive Elaine and use her against Ban -- and yet, their love triumphed. It was so sweet to see them back together, and I appreciate that the anime, especially being a Shonen, lets them kiss and be a couple. 

Of course, it all comes to a head when to save his best friend from losing his soul, Ban has to basically sacrifice the faux-revived love of his life. He vows to get her revived permanently, though, and I think I’m with the fandom in that I want this to happen so bad. If there’s any couple I root for in this show...it’s Ban x Elaine...well, them and: 

7. Uh, yeah, so I hardcore love Diane and King in this show. I love how King’s character has gone from being a snot-nosed brat the first time we meet him to actually revealing his utter love of his friends and family. Diane and his relationship is SO SWEET and it’s been heartbreaking this season with all of the near-misses and moments where you think they’re going to be together, only for it to be completely upended. Besides Ban and Elaine, I’m really hoping these two characters can end up together. I mean, Merlin’s magic has made it to where Diane can be “human sized,” so why wouldn’t it work?! I love, though, that King loves Diane for who she is as a person, not by any definition of her physical self, similar to Ban’s love for Elaine. Maybe that’s why I ship them so hard, because the parameters of their relationship are so similar. 

6. Oh, hey, remember in Season One, when I said Gowther was one of my favorites of the Seven Deadly Sins? Yeah, he was...until he basically wiped the memories of Diane (HOW DARE HE) and Gila’s little brother, and on multiple occasions nearly ruined the entire plot.

I love that Gowther’s character, along with Meliodas, turn out to be two former Commandments -- it makes sense with Meliodas being of the demon race himself, and Gowther’s basically a puppet, so of course he’s going to be on whatever side is controlling him more. Gowther is such a neutral, chaotic character -- but in the quietest, most subtle way possible. It’s something we don’t normally see, to see the chaos from a character being created in such a simple, cool fashion. Still, Gowther...you got some catching up to do before you’re back in my good graces after all the havoc you brought this season!

5. Then we have Escanor and Estarossa -- two seemingly invincible forces. I feel there’s going to be more with Estarossa in the next season, so I’ll wait to talk about him, but Escanor is both delightful and OP as all get out -- at least, when it’s noon, he’s nigh invincible. I love his little doting crush on Merlin -- two of the most powerful SDS’s, though they aren’t quite a couple like Ban x Elaine, Diane x King, or Meliodas x Elizabeth.

Still, it was impressive to see Escanor hold his own against Estarossa...rematch?

4. Speaking of couples, I would be remiss to not talk about Meliodas and Elizabeth. Yes, Meliodas is still sticking his head where it doesn’t belong...except, now we know he’s a demon...so I guess...that...excuses it points to why he’s like that? At least we get more of his backstory and of COURSE Elizabeth is a reincarnated goddess child that he keeps encountering and falling in love with...I’d say their coupledom is the most “creepy” to me, since he’s watched her since she was a kid...then again, she keeps reincarnating...so....what do we do with that?

I at least still like the angel and demon motif that’s set up between them.

3. Honestly, Meliodas’s confrontation with the Ten Commandments and then his later fight against Zeldras and the demon possessing Dreyfus were two of my favorite parts of this season -- I like that we’re seeing the always confident and smooth Meliodas literally confront his demons, and FINALLY, we get some confirmation that each time he’s brought back to life -- he’s cursed with immortality, kind of like Ban only worse -- he loses more and more of his compassion and “human-like” self and regresses back to his former demon state. 

It’s an interesting twist, and one that I’m really glad the show made at the end of the season; the tension between Meliodas, Gowther, and the other SDS’s definitely made me want to see where it goes next season!

2. Oh, by the way, if you told me that I’d be ROOTING for Hendrickson at the end of season one, I would have said you were crazy. Yet, somehow, I was. I am honestly amazed that they took a main antagonist and did a complete 180 with him...and it worked.

What also worked VERY well was the moment that the demon Fraudrin, once separated from his host Dreyfus, realized that he was actually upset that Griamore wasn’t recognizing him as his father anymore, since he’d “played” the part for ten years. That scene was incredibly well done, and I actually felt sorry for the demon...of course, Meliodas ended up wiping him away, but it was one of the more well-executed (no pun intended) scenes in the season, and a great lead to the climax. 

1. All in all, this season had higher highs than the last, especially towards the last three to four episodes, which I thought the last two were the best of the series so far.

That said, I still have problems with the show: It takes sometimes FAR too long to explain certain plot points -- nearly half a season later -- and some of the reveals seem a little forced or weakly explained. 

My main critique is that no one’s death really feels “final.” Heck, Gustav, Jericho’s brother, was one of the only characters that legitimately died in the show so far that we’ve spent any time with. Yes, I know a lot of people, my brother included, were sad that Zhivago, Ban’s “Father” died, but I couldn’t find it as emotional because we spent so little time and buildup with him. It’s probably my only major concern with the show and getting invested, but I do still enjoy the characters and am curious to see what they will do in the season to come. 

So, with Season Four about to be released on Netflix, it seems like good timing that I started catching up with this series!

 Despite my frustrations with the series at time, the characters and their shenanigans do make me want to come back and see what happens to them! I’m sure it’s only going to get zanier from here -- let’s hope, anyway!